Hybrid-electric Islander would have 'three-year payback' A new hybrid-electric powertrain for the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander could be ready for service entry by 2024, with savings on fuel expenditure enabling operators to pay off the conversion cost in around three years. www.flightglobal.com ..read more

Hi everyone! Can anyone share the experience with electric GSEs? Pros and cons. We are doing a feasibility study to use them in Sri Lanka. Just need some feedback of the current experience. Also are there companies who lease electric GSEs? Thanks in advance ..read more

If you could have a flight on an airliner no longer in civil operation (or so rare than it’s virtually impossible) that you never got the chance to fly what would it be? For me it would be either a Tupolev TU-154 or a VC-10 ..read more

Hi Everyone! How do Airlines/Ground Handlers measure their handling Reliability at a certain airport? (This is totally regarding delays due to the ground handlers fault) Do they account reactionary delays as well? Or just only the primary delays? Eg. Total 100 flights 2 flights delayed due Ground Handlers' fault. Another 4 were delayed as reactionary due to above 2 delays. Handling Reliability will be 98% or 96 ..read more

This thread has been created to permit the posting of monthly airport statistics from the CAA, and other sources, in one place. This will reduce the need to post the same data in individual airport threads. Previously this was covered by a thread in the AVGeek thread "Airport News - General airport statistics & CAA data release dates". Unfortunately with the reordering of some of the forums this thread was lost however it has been recreated now. Individual airport statistics can of course... Read more ..read more

As this seems to be the main thread relating to manufaturers, I'll post this here. It looks like there is a new large airliner manufacturer set to join the usual western builders of Airbus and Boeing within the next decade. A unit of China's state owned aircraft manufacturer 'Aviation Industry Corp of China' called Comac has launched a full 190 seat twin engined airliner called the C919, aiming to be ready for testing in 2014 and for delivery in 2016. They are hoping to be a major player... Read more ..read more

Now that Western airliners are no longer being delivered, it seems the future for Russian aviation is in the 1990s… It is an aircraft similar in size to the Airbus A330-900neo, but while the European twin-engine aircraft can fly up to 7,200 nautical miles (13,334 km), the Il-96-400M only offers around 8,100 km in a two-class configuration. The IL-96-400M, the largest Russian widebody, flies for the first time - Air Data News The UAC aircraft is an elongated variant of the Il-96-300 with a maximum take-off weight of 270 tons, but outdated technology compared to Western aircraft. www.airdat ..read more

Does anyone know of any abandoned small jets, ultralight, aerobatic, other kind of small planes anywhere, on any airfield/airport ? Many thanks ..read more

It seems a shame that Flybe's aircraft do not show up on flightradar or on the planefinder app. Does anyone know if it is Flybe's choice or is it just their aircraft that don't have the relevant technology? ( Lufthansa E190's do show up on flightradar) Thanks in advance ..read more

Hello, I've had a look around the forums and feel this maybe the most relevant section to post in. A little off topic but I wondered if any spotters could be of assistance. I've dug out an old GRE PSR-282 airband scanner and used it without issue for many months recently but now when turning it on the display shows 219 - 00 for a few seconds before the usual bank of frequencies shows up with my local LBA tower on channel 1 which I can hear perfectly fine. But when I press BANK2 (AIR)... Read more ..read more