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Disconnecting Russia from aviation’s world order came gradually – then all at once

Jon Ostrower·February 28, 2022

Denial of aviation is a weapon that predates the 21st century battlefield. Yet, with the return of war to Europe, it is also aviation’s Achilles’ heel. With it comes a cascading series of immediate and longer term consequences in the skies as commercial and industrial links are quickly broken after decades of cultivation following the fall of the Soviet Union.

Making sense of aviation’s vibe shift to hydrogen

Elan Head·February 23, 2022

Less than four months after the Federal Aviation Administration rolled out its 2021 Aviation Climate Action Plan, the agency’s official blueprint for achieving net-zero aviation emissions by 2050 is already starting to look dated. The plan relies overwhelmingly on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as the principal pathway for reducing the U.S. aviation sector’s greenhouse gas emissions. It is plainly dismissive of hydrogen, stating: “we do not expect hydrogen-powered aircraft to make a significant contribution toward achieving net-zero aviation emissions by 2050.”

TAC/Forum: The future of piloting

TAC Staff·February 11, 2022

From the acute regional airline pilot shortage to the strategies and technologies laying the foundation for single-pilot and autonomous operations, TAC’s editorial and analytical team hosted a candid 60-minute discussion and Q&A session on the future of aviating and the enablers and limits to growth.

What a safety debate about self-driving cars means for self-flying aircraft

Elan Head·February 9, 2022

The safety case for autonomous vehicles is weaker than it has been made out to be — both on the ground and in the air.

FAA not giving an inch as Boeing big jet programs face slide

Jon Ostrower·February 7, 2022

Influential customer has “hard time seeing” 787 deliveries resuming before July, 777X certification likely to slip past 2023.

A Boeing 737-7 and 737-8-200 (Boeing Photo)

The duopoly is alive, well, and working to the benefit of the 737 Max

Courtney Miller·February 3, 2022

A backlog with available delivery slots is both a curse and a blessing, And that’s how Allegiant Air picked its horse.

Three points: Exhausted Gulf pilots, Wisk’s pilotless ambition, United’s new academy

Elan Head and Jon Ostrower·February 2, 2022

Reuters took a close look at Qatar Airways and claims its pilots are making around crew scheduling in the wake of the pandemic, which significantly resized the airline. The result is a broader discussion around fatigue and the risk of cockpit mistakes that should serve as context given other recent incidents, including Emirates 231. Boeing is betting on Wisk to be its pathfinder to autonomy, so how does the eVTOL entrant plan to do it? United Airlines formally launched its own flight academy, giving aspiring pilots a private certificate and a leg up to an eventual job flying with the airline. Yet, there are still very real obstructions that are clogging the pipeline of pilots.

Once an afterthought, new Boeing & Airbus freighters get tailored in pandemic era

Jon Ostrower·January 31, 2022

In a bid to reconstitute twin-aisle jet production, Airbus and Boeing create bespoke airplanes in the A350F and 777-8F for the world’s cargo haulers.

Allegiant is adapting the 737 Max to its business model

Courtney Miller·January 27, 2022

This TAC Analysis, divided into parts, dives deep into the misconceptions of Allegiant’s business model and the intrinsic value a next-generation airplane like the 737 Max brings to the airline. In a follow-on piece, we’ll look closer at this high-profile deal and how the power of the duopoly ultimately brought the 737 Max to Allegiant.

Aeroflot took delivery of seven A350-900s from Airbus in 2021 and has 14 more on order.

Ukraine-Russia conflict could derail global aerospace

Jon Ostrower·January 25, 2022

The threat of increased conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the resulting fall-out leaves the civil aerospace industry acutely vulnerable to everything from astronomical jet fuel prices and disrupted airspace to the potential for full-scale derailment of commercial aircraft production.

Absent 797, Boeing bets on Wisk’s autonomous moonshot

Elan Head and Jon Ostrower·January 24, 2022

For Wisk and its major backers, it’s all or nothing — and if the startup can win a fully-autonomous certification, it offers Boeing a bridge to adapt those technologies to its next-generation airliners, a goal it has eyed since at least 2017.

5G network deployment in the U.S. spawns a cluster of disruption

Jon Ostrower·January 18, 2022