Jetrader - Autumn 2016 - 20

The CSeries with an ultramodern cockpit.

The Qatar flight attendants made up
the welcome committee.

VVIP Visitor arriving in style.

The Air Asia A320 "workhorse."

F35B leaving a distinct vapor trail.

like at the Le Bourget show last year, the
eagerly awaited A320neo was again left
in Toulouse. Neither the LEAP-1A nor the
GTF-powered plane made it to Farnborough.
Whatever the reason - engine problems
or safety concerns - this probably most
important of all modern commercial jet
types (by order volume) was sadly missed.
Obviously, the absence of the A320neo
put the limelight on its direct competitor,
the Boeing 737 MAX 8, powered by allnew CFMI LEAP-1B engines. Similar to the
787-9 in Le Bourget last year, Boeing had
prepared an impressive choreography for
this youngest member of the 737 family,
including the trademark steep take-off.
Before the MAX was called on stage, a few
noisy military aircraft tried (successfully)
to impress the crowd, including the Boeing
F/A 18, the Eurofighter Typhoon and the
JAS 39 Gripen.

As counterpart to Airbus' A350-900's ballet in the sky, Boeing had its 787-9 to offer,
this time in the livery of Japanese carrier
ANA. While another breathtaking display,
it would have been even nicer if ANA had
sent one of its Star Wars planes. Next was
another Boeing product, but definitely not
one of their latest developments. On a wave
of nostalgia, a 32-year-old ex-FedEx Boeing
727-2S2F (RE) took to the skies. The reengined aircraft, powered by two JT8D 217C
and one JT8D 17A engine, was painted in the
livery of Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL),
an industry-funded cooperative to respond
to oil spills wherever they may occur in the
world. As if it weren't wet enough, the 727,
fitted with internal tanks, pumps and a
spray boom, delivered a huge quantity of
water while overflying the runway. Good to
see this old workhorse still in full swing, and
an excellent addition to the show program.

20 The official publication of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading

A puzzled bird; how does he do this?

Brand new, the E190-E2 prototype.

As some visitors prepared to head home,
another noisy fighter jet appeared on
stage: the all-new Lockheed Martin F-35B
Lightning II "Joint Strike Fighter." To be
honest, the F35B offered one of the most
spectacular demo flights seen in a long
time at any airshow. While many regular airshow visitors are familiar with the Harrier
"Jump Jet" VTOL demos of the past, this
"Marines" version of the F-35, the "B," takes
VTOL performance to another level. After a
few high-speed flypasts, the F-35B stopped
in mid-air, right in front of the crowd line,
and came to a completely controlled hover,
slowly spinning around its own axis as if it
were a Christmas tree ornament. Even for
the commercial aviation crowd, it was an
unbelievable sight.
Apart from the flying display, what
commercial planes could be found on
the static display at Farnborough? Airbus
Jetrader - Autumn 2016

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