Airbus is entering a partnership to develop a deployable flight recorder which will be initially introduced on the A350 from 2019. The automatic deployable flight recorder will be a combined voice and data device, and is being developed in co-operation with L3 Technologies and Leonardo's DRS Technologies Canada arm. It will be aimed primarily at transoceanic aircraft – the long-haul A350, A380 and A330 as well as the long-range A321LR. The lightweight device will not need to directly capture information but instead will receive and store, in a memory module, an onward transmission of cockpit-voice and flight data. It will be mounted in the vertical fin of the A350, close to the fuselage. A housing case with a spring mechanism will be installed inside the fin structure. <br/>
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Boom Aerospace, an ambitious aerospace start-up, says it has convinced 5 airlines to buy into its vision for developing an airliner that flies faster than the speed of sound. Blake Scholl, founder and CE of Denver-based Boom, said that the 5 carriers have reserved their spots for 76 of Boom's successor to the Concorde. That aircraft was taken out of service in 2003 after 27 years of commercial flights at more than twice the speed of sound. With a planned speed of 2.2 times the speed of sound or 1,451 mph, the project's lofty goals include sharply cutting flight time: New York to Paris to 3.5 hours, San Francisco to Tokyo in less than 5.5 hours and Los Angeles to Sydney in just 7 hours. Only 1 airline interested in Boom, so far, has made itself known. Virgin Atlantic Airways has an option to take the first 10 aircraft the company builds. <br/>
Boeing outlined the design of its projected new midsize airplane (NMA), or middle of the market aircraft, but is keeping the details close to its chest as it waits for the expected response from Airbus. Despite this, the manufacturer confirmed several new configuration details for the first time this week, including the use of a fifth-generation composite wing, a “hybrid” composite fuselage, next-generation digital architecture and super-efficient, very-high-bypass turbofans. A conceptual graphic and side-view profile also showed a clear melding of 777 and 787 design features. Boeing Commercial Airplanes VP & GM airplane development Mike Delaney remained coy about the precise meaning of a “hybrid” fuselage, but it is believed to reflect the proposed geometry of the cross section rather than the choice of structural materials. <br/>
A sweeping House plan to set aviation policy for the next 6 years would add protections for airline passengers bumped from flights, speed introduction of commercial drones and make it easier to certify new aircraft. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unveiled legislation Wednesday that would prohibit passengers from being removed from a flight after they’ve boarded. The legislation also revives a proposal to remove the US air-traffic system from govt control that failed a year ago. The House legislation would also include a requirement for airlines disrupted by computer outages to post resources for stranded passengers online, including hotel accommodations and meal vouchers, according to a summary of the bill. <br/>