Canada receives first 787 Dreamliner jet

The Boeing Company delivered the first 787 Dreamliner to Air Canada on Sunday. Air Canada is the first airline in Canada to fly the plane. The airplane, the first of 37 787s ordered for delivery through 2019 by Air Canada, departed Paine Field in Everett, Wash. for its delivery flight to Toronto.

Air Canada has announced it will use the 787 on its Toronto-Tel Aviv routes, as well as launch a new destination – Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The 787 is 20 percent more fuel efficient than similar-sized airplanes it will replace in Air Canada's fleet.

Air Canada's 787 launches the airlines' new International Business Class Cabin with 20 seats. The airplane offers 21 seats in Air Canada's Premium Economy Cabin and 210 seats in Air Canada Economy. Customers will be more comfortable with improved lighting, bigger windows, larger overhead bins, lower cabin altitude and enhanced ventilation systems, among other features.

Made from composite materials, the 787 Dreamliner is the first mid-size airplane capable of flying long-range routes.

Air Canada will receive flight and maintenance training services from Boeing. The company will provide Air Canada's fleet with crew planning solutions; electronic charting for electronic flight bags; Maintenance Performance Toolbox, a digital real-time-information tool that enables quick resolution of airplane maintenance issues; and Direct Routes and Wind Updates services for more efficient flights to reduce fuel consumption.

Over 700 motorcyclists killed in NJ over nine-year period

According to the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety (NJDHTS), 741 motorcyclists were killed in crashes in New Jersey between 2002 and 2011. There are about 2,500 crashes that involve motorcyclists each year in the state. "Driver inattention" is consistently listed as one of the most frequent causes of motorcycle crashes.

"As the calendar turns towards summer, we always see an influx of motorcycle riders on our roads, which means May is the perfect time to get everyone thinking seriously about motorcycle safety," said Division of Highway Traffic Safety Acting Director Gary Poedubicky.

In recognition and support of Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, the Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey is aiming to make New Jersey's roadways safer for motorcyclist and drivers with the launch of it's Motorcycle Safety Awareness campaign. Funded by the NJDHTS, the campaign started May 1 and runs throughout the year.

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NASA orders avionics upgrade for DHC-6 research plane

NASA's twin-engine Dehaviland research aircraft requires upgraded avionics for present and future research missions, according to contract documents released Friday by the agency. [Full story]

Ryanair orders five Boeing 737 planes

Boeing and Ryanair have finalized an order for five additional Next-Generation 737s, valued at $452 million at list prices. “Today's announcement brings the total number of unfilled Next-Generation 737 orders for the Ireland-based ultra-low-cost carrier to 180 airplanes,” Boeing said in a press statement on Wednesday.

"The 737-800 is the perfect airplane for us as we continue to expand our fleet," said Michael O'Leary, director and CEO of Ryanair.

The airline announced last year an order for 175 of the airplanes. Ryanair is the world's largest 737-800 customer, with orders placed for 528 of the type to date.

The Boeing 737-800 is the best-selling version of the highly successful Next-Generation 737 family, Boeing said.

"We are honored to be chosen by Ryanair as they expand their fleet and look forward to continuing our partnership for decades to come,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner.

Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Ryanair operates more than 1,600 flights daily from 68 bases connecting 186 destinations in 30 countries. Currently operating more than 300 737-800s, Ryanair took delivery of its first in 1999, and now operates the largest fleet of Boeing airplanes in Europe. With a team of more than 9,000 highly skilled professionals the airline is expected to fly more than 81.5 million passengers this year alone.

“Today's announcement brings the total number of 737s ordered to date to more than 11,000,” Boeing said. “Boeing currently has more than 3,700 unfilled orders for 737s.”

Unmanned aircraft to study marine mammals in Alaska

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seeking Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) support services to conduct aerial surveys for marine mammals in the northeastern Chukchi and western Beaufort seas, offshore of Wainwright and Barrow, Alaska.

NOAA's National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML), Alaska Fisheries Science Center, conducts research on marine mammals. Results of NMML’s research and monitoring efforts are provided to various domestic and international organizations to assist in developing rational and appropriate management regimes for marine resources under NOAA’s jurisdiction.

The whales

Gray whales, bowhead whales, and belugas are seasonal residents of the northeastern Chukchi Sea and western Beaufort Sea, regions that provide important feeding grounds and migration pathways for all three species. All three species are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the bowhead whale is granted additional protection as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and bowhead whales and belugas are granted additional management consideration as the targets of subsistence hunts by Alaskan natives. Under the National Environmental Policy Act and the ESA, federal agencies are required to evaluate if and how federal actions associated with oil and gas exploration, development, and production may affect these species. Aerial surveys are a standard methodology for conducting studies of whale distribution required to understand the effects of oil and gas exploration. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in using UAS to survey whales in the Arctic to decrease risk to personnel, increase survey efficiency, and minimize disturbance of marine wildlife.

“NOAA is seeking sources capable of supplying and providing support services for an unmanned aerial system to conduct studies of gray whales, bowhead whales and belugas,” the agency said in contract documents released Friday. Contractors supporting the project will be required to travel to NMML’s offices in Seattle, Wash., for a two-day kick-off meeting in late January or early February 2015, and a one day wrap-up meeting in October, 2015.

In mid-August, 2015, UAS support personnel will be required to travel to the port (anticipated to be Dutch Harbor or Nome, Alaska) where the UAS equipment and support personnel will embark the survey vessel. The government will provide the contractor’s lodging and meals while at sea. When operations are completed in mid-September, 2015, UAS support personnel and equipment will be required to disembark the survey vessel.

The contract will run from Jan. 20, 2015, to Oct. 31, 2015, with field deployment estimated to be from mid-August to mid-September, 2015. There will be a total of approximately 19 days at sea, with 14 days in the survey area and five transit days.

Unmanned Aerial System requirements

• The UAS shall be a fixed wing, propeller driven air vehicle with demonstrated ability to be launched and recovered from a 100 foot to 250 foot vessel at sea.
• Capable of operating at cruise speed range of between 40-110 knots.
• Capable of flying at operational altitudes between 500 ft. – 5000 ft. AGL at cruise speeds.
• UAS must have demonstrated flight endurance (at specified cruise speed, attitude range, and payload weight) of at least five hours.

Companies interested in supporting the project should contact NOAA by May 15.

Aircraft dismantling market vibrant and growing

The total global market value of the aircraft dismantling services market is set to reach $80 million in 2014, according to a new industry study by top aviation consultant TeamSAI Consulting, conducted in partnership with the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA).

A rapid increase in the number of aircraft reaching the end of their economic life presents considerable opportunities for the aircraft dismantling and recycling industry, according to the study. Industry operators predict that between 1,200 and 1,800 aircraft will be dismantled and torn down over the next three years.

It also found that close to $3.2 billion worth of harvested parts will be made available to the commercial aviation supply chain in the form of aftermarket parts annually, offering around 50 percent savings compared to new original equipment manufacturers parts.

TeamSAI Consulting's survey of the global aircraft dismantling and recycling sector is based on the input of 36 AFRA members.

NASA asteroid mission goes from paper to product

NASA's team that will conduct the first U.S. mission to collect samples from an asteroid has been given the go-ahead to begin building the spacecraft, flight instruments and ground system, and launch support facilities.

This determination was made Wednesday after a successful Mission Critical Design Review (CDR) for NASA’s Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx). The CDR was held at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Littleton, Colo. An independent review board, comprised of experts from NASA and several external organizations, met to review the system design.

OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2016, rendezvous with the asteroid Bennu in 2018 and return a sample of it to Earth in 2023. The spacecraft carries five instruments that will remotely evaluate the surface of Bennu. After more than a year of asteroid reconnaissance, the spacecraft will collect samples of at least two ounces (60 grams) and return them to Earth for scientists to study.

“The hard part is still in front of us -- building, integrating and testing the flight system in support of a tight planetary launch window," said Mike Donnelly, OSIRIS-REx project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Key mission objectives focus on finding answers to basic questions about the composition of the very early solar system and the source of organic materials and water that made life possible on Earth. The mission will also aid NASA’s asteroid initiative and support the agency's efforts to understand the population of potentially hazardous near-Earth objects and characterize those suitable for future asteroid exploration missions. The initiative brings together the best of NASA's science, technology and human exploration efforts to achieve President Obama's goal of sending humans to an asteroid by 2025.

In January, NASA invited people around the world to submit their names to be etched on a microchip aboard the spacecraft. After submitting their name, participants are able to download and print a certificate documenting their participation in the OSIRIS-REx mission. The campaign is open until Sept. 30.

Goddard Space Flight Center will provide overall mission management, systems engineering, and safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver will build the spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in the agency's New Frontiers Program. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages New Frontiers for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The University of Arizona leads OSIRIS-REx and provides the camera system and science processing and operations center.