♥ Saturday, August 29
WASHINGTON (AFP) - - Boeing set Thursday a new schedule for its much-delayed 787 Dreamliner program, putting the first delivery to launch customer ANA in late 2010, more than two years behind the initial timetable.
"The first flight of the 787 Dreamliner is expected by the end of 2009 and first delivery is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2010," Boeing said in a statement.
Boeing had announced on June 23 a fifth delay in the 787 Dreamliner program to fix a structural problem on the side of the aircraft but had not provided a new schedule.
Japan's All Nippon Airways said it was dismayed and frustrated about the latest delay to the delivery of the aircraft.
"We understand the need to make the best and safest aircraft possible and appreciate that delays due to engineering issues of the current nature must be solved in order to move forward and achieve this," ANA said in a statement.
"However, as launch customer and future operator of the 787, the length of this further delay is a source of great dismay, not to say frustration," added ANA, which has ordered 55 of the 787 Dreamliners.
Boeing launched the Dreamliner program in April 2004 and initially had planned to deliver the first airplane to ANA in the first half of 2008.
Boeing said the new schedule reflected a previously announced need to reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft and an additional several weeks needed to reduce flight test and certification risk.
"This new schedule provides us the time needed to complete the remaining work necessary to put the 787's game-changing capability in the hands of our customers," Boeing chairman, president and chief executive Jim McNerney said.
"The news was an encouraging sign of progress for investors," Briefing.com analysts said in a client note.
Shares in Boeing soared 8.36 percent to close at 51.82 dollars, the strongest gainer on the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average.
The highly anticipated long-haul 787 aircraft is seen as key to the US aerospace giant's future. The company says it will use 20 percent less fuel than today's airplanes of comparable size.
Boeing is facing stiff competition in the aviation market from Airbus, a unit of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.
Airbus is working on a new long-range A350 plane aimed at competing with the Dreamliner and expected to fly in mid-2013.
Boeing said it has 850 orders from 56 customers for the cutting-edge plane, which it claims is the "fastest-selling all-new jetliner in aviation history."
Airline companies that have announced cancelled orders for the delay-plagued 787 include Russian carrier S7, Dubai-based aircraft leasing company LCAL and Australia's Qantas.
The 787 Dreamliner is the company's first new model in more than a decade and features 50 percent plastic composites, compared with 12 percent on its 777s, helping lower fuel consumption.
Boeing said the 787 program was still on track to generate profits, based on the revised schedule and other estimate updates.
But it said the first three Dreamliner airplanes to be used in the initial test flights had been modified so much they would not have commercial market value beyond the development effort.
The Chicago-based company said it would take an estimated charge of 2.5 billion dollars, or 2.21 dollars per share, against third-quarter results which are to be announced in October.
"This charge will have no impact on the company's cash outlook going forward," the company said.
Published by: Raymond Lim
4/9 '10 loves x3 12:03 AM
♥ Thursday, August 27
TOKYO (AFP) - - An All Nippon Airways (ANA) plane made an emergency landing at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Thursday after cabin air pressure dropped, but no one was injured, a transport official said.
Flight 584, carrying 265 passengers and crew on a Boeing 767-300, was en route from the southwestern Japanese city of Matsuyama to Tokyo when the pressure dropped temporarily and oxygen masks dropped from overhead compartments.
Flight 584, carrying 265 passengers and crew on a Boeing 767-300, was en route from the southwestern Japanese city of Matsuyama to Tokyo when the pressure dropped temporarily and oxygen masks dropped from overhead compartments.
"The pilot descended the plane to 10,000 feet (3,000 metres) from an altitude of 20,000 feet to cope with the situation," said the official at the transport ministry's Haneda office.
"No one was hurt although two or three passengers felt sick," he said.
The exact cause of the drop in air pressure was being investigated.
Published by: Raymond Lim
4/9 '10 loves x3 6:48 PM
♥
SINGAPORE: As part of the Singapore Changi Airport’s Changi GP Festival in September, a Porsche 911 GT3 Carrera will race against a Boeing 747 aircraft in what is touted to be “the race of a lifetime”.
Come September 5, the first—ever jetliner versus car race in Asia will determine who is the speed king of the tarmac at Changi Airport’s Terminal 3.
The race car and the cargo freight will start from a stationary point and compete over a distance of 1.7 kilometres.
The Porsche can hit a maximum of 275—280 kilometres per hour but will it be fast enough?
Peter Leo, vice—president and acting head of safety, Jett8 Airlines Cargo, said: "He (the race car driver) is the one who is going to have to cater to our speed. Of course during the initial acceleration, he is going to overtake us. But as we gather momentum and a bit of time, we should (be able to) give it a pretty close competition."
And what can spectators expect from the race?
Yuey Tan, driver, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, said: "One exciting thing is to have all these vehicles on the runway, to have race cars and helicopters and planes and all that sort of things. It is every boy’s dream. But more importantly, I think it’s a great promotion for motorsport in Singapore. We have the Formula 1 Grand Prix all we need now is some local drivers to compete in our Grand Prix."
Organisers said preparations for the event started several months back and technical trials have been conducted.
Jean Hung, Terminal 3 division head, Changi Airport Group, said: "Obviously the logistics is rather massive, but we’re all very excited about the race, so we’ve done a technical trial on August 1 to see the car and the plane race. Subsequently leading up to September 5, we’ll also be holding a few more rehearsals."
— CNA/yt
Published by: Raymond Lim
4/9 '10 loves x3 6:47 PM
♥ Friday, August 21
SYDNEY (AFP) - - Passengers on Thursday described the anxious moments they were herded to the back of an Australia-bound Singapore Airlines plane mid-flight while air crew searched the cabin following a bomb threat.
An airline spokeswoman said its call centre in Mumbai received a call saying a bomb was on board and the captain ordered the crew to conduct a "discreet search" of the jumbo jet.
"We investigated it, felt that the threat was not there, however we took every precaution to make sure the flight was safe and crew and passengers were all safe," she said.
"Once we decided it was... we continued and landed in Melbourne safely."
Passenger Jetmir Lumani said people anxiously gathered at the back of the plane after the captain made an announcement asking everyone to leave their seats.
"He said we regret to do this to you but we need to tell you there might be a trap on the plane. We're thinking trap, what's this trap?" Lumani told public broadcaster ABC.
"I thought for sure bomb threat and people started to get up and walk to the back of the plane."
All 197 passengers on the Boeing 747 were ultimately allowed to return to their seats but Lumani said the final stages of the flight were anxious.
"The last 50 minutes of the flight, very nervous. I was just thinking what's going to happen now," he said.
The airline said the threat was taken very seriously and a tape of the call had been handed over to the Australian Federal Police, who met the plane upon arrival and had launched an investigation.
"An assessment of the threat was conducted and the aircraft continued its normal flight to Melbourne where it was ascertained to be a hoax threat," a police spokesman said.
Another airline spokesman said checks had been carried out on a subsequent Singapore-Melbourne flight as a further precaution.
Published by: Raymond Lim
4/9 '10 loves x3 11:09 PM
♥ Monday, August 17
Mrs Jacob
Thurs (20/08) - History Essay Test on [Hitlers control over Germany] AND [Impact of Hitler's rule]
-- Calvin
4/9 '10 loves x3 6:38 PM
♥
BERLIN (AFP) - - Jamaican Usain Bolt added the world crown to his Olympic title as he scorched to victory in a world record 9.58 seconds in the men's 100m final at the World Athletics Championships here on Sunday.
Billed as the first of three potential Berlin duels between Bolt and American reigning world champion Tyson Gay, the 22-year-old show-boating Jamaican crushed the field and smashed his own record of 9.69sec set in similarly spectacular fashion at the Beijing Olympics final.
Gay claimed silver in 9.71sec, finishing a good couple of metres off Bolt, with former world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica clocking 9.84sec for bronze.
"I said anything could happen and it did," said Bolt. "It was a big target but I got 9.58sec and I'm really happy with myself. Now I plan to do even better in the future.
"I was ready, I was feeling good after the semi-finals. I came out and executed it in the final."
Gay was magnanimous in defeat.
"I'm really happy with my performance," said the 27-year-old. "I showed a lot of heart. I didn't complain about my groin injury. I blocked everything out in the final and put it together the best I could.
"I've been telling you someone can run 9.5sec. I'm really happy he did it.
"It shows a human being can take it to the next level. Unfortunately, I wasn't the one to do it but I still have confidence I will do it one day."
Bolt, who took the Beijing Games by storm last summer, winning all three Olympic sprint golds and all in world record times, had overcome a nervy semi-final in which he false started for the first-ever time in his career.
But when it came to the final, he enjoyed his normal start, his head staying down over the first 40 metres before slowly bringing his towering 6ft 5in frame fully upright and lengthening out his stride to attain maximum velocity.
After having enraptured the crowd with his trademark bow-and-arrow posing before starter's orders, his pull was exemplary and he was soon away from Gay - who had a marginally better reaction time - and his other rivals and celebrating another new world record.
In sultry conditions at the Olympic Stadium, with a temperature of 28C (82F), Bolt's training partner Daniel Bailey of Antigua finished in fourth at 9.93sec on a photo finish with Trinidad's Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson.
Dwain Chambers, the world indoor 60m silver medallist who is competing here after having served a two-year doping ban, came in sixth with 10.00sec.
Trinidadian Marc Burns and American Darvis Patton, who finished seventh and eighth, in the Beijing Olympics repeated their places here in 10.00 and 10.34sec respectively.
Powell said: "To come here and get third place I feel very proud."
For Gay and the rest of the US team, there now lies in wait a highly-anticipated 200m run-off and a 4x100m relay against Bolt and his Jamaican team-mates over the coming week.
Published by: Raymond Lim
4/9 '10 loves x3 11:18 AM
♥ Sunday, August 16
Hi ppl, some updates:
Mrs Tan's Band
Mon (17/08) - A.Maths Linear Law Test
Thurs (20/08) - A.Maths Test Chp11 & 12
General
Friday (21/08) - Chemistry Quiz [10m] - State symbols + salt solubility included
Thurs (27/08) - Chemistry Major Test - Acid, Base, Salts
Cya all tml!
- Calvin
4/9 '10 loves x3 11:01 PM
♥
JERUSALEM (AFP) - - Put that comb back in your handbag -- a study by an Israeli dermatologist has found that too much combing of the coiffure leads to hair loss, the daily Haaretz reported on Monday.
During a test 14 women recorded their daily hair loss and combing habits, with those combing more losing more hair, the research found.
"The women who combed twice a day lost three times more hair than those who combed once a day," the head of the study, Alexander Kirdman of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, was quoted as saying.
"I was surprised by the results, as in medical circles the comb is believed to improve blood circulation and reduce hair loss," added Kirdman, whose study was recently published in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment.
Published by: Raymond Lim
4/9 '10 loves x3 3:12 PM
♥ Tuesday, August 11
SYDNEY - A charter plane carrying 13 people _ including nine Australians _ to a popular tourist site in Papua New Guinea vanished on approach to an airport on Tuesday, the airline and Australia's foreign minister said.
The twin-engine plane left the capital of Port Moresby en route to an airport near the country's Kokoda Track, a mountainous 100-kilometer (60-mile) trail. The plane's crew radioed air traffic controllers as it was approaching the airstrip, but the aircraft never landed, said Allen Tyson, a spokesman for Airlines PNG.
A search and rescue mission was immediately launched, Tyson said. The plane, carrying 11 passengers and two crew, had an emergency locator beacon but it was not transmitting, he said. No further information was immediately available, he said.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed nine of the passengers on board were Australian. The trail is a popular destination for Australian tourists.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith expressed grave fears for the passengers' welfare in Parliament.
"We are, of course, concerned for all of the passengers and the crew," Smith said.
The Australian High Commission in Port Moresby was working with Papua New Guinean authorities to determine what happened to the plane, Smith said. Searchers were checking other small airstrips in the area to see if it may have landed elsewhere. But poor weather conditions were hampering searchers' efforts, he said.
Published by: Raymond Lim
4/9 '10 loves x3 10:07 PM
♥ Monday, August 3
3/9: those taking CL:
hello.
i tink this is abit (or very) too late.
but
remember to study for the chinese oral thing which is in abt 13 hrs later.
& remember to bring chinese dictionary & chinese foolscap on tues cause we got compo test.
sorry for the so late post... nw den rmb...
(ms oh's gonna kill me ~~~)
li4qi3
4/9 '10 loves x3 1:17 AM
