Model Airplanes

Plane maker beats out rival Airbus in orders as both attract robust single-aisle jet demand

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This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the US print edition of The Wall Street Journal (June 23, 2017).

LE BOURGET, France — Boeing Co. beat Airbus SE in the annual jetliner-orders bonanza at the Paris Air Show, but both came out winners in one crucial way: Demand for both plane makers’ most popular single-aisle jets remains buoyant.

Overall orders for planes have slowed recently, after a yearslong run of supercharged growth fanned by fast-growing budget carriers and cash-rich Mideast buyers. These buyers have stayed away from bigger jets, making the so-called narrowbody, or single-aisle, market the key to the industry’s medium-term health.

At the end of the show, Boeing claimed $75 billion in deals for 571 new planes. Airbus said it secured $42 billion in deals for 144 firm orders, along with 202 other looser-commitment plane agreements. That was better than many analysts had expected.

The flurry of orders and commitments secured by Boeing, the world’s No. 1 plane maker, was fueled by its launch of a new narrowbody model, the 737 Max 10. Boeing got 16 customers to sign up to the new plane, including United Continental Holdings Inc. It exits the Paris show with 361 deals for the new plane.

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“There is a very strong robust market for the single-aisle” aircraft, said Boeing’s new chief plane

Article source: http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2017/06/23/boeing-is-top-seller-at-paris-air-show-wsj.html

If you think indoor planes are limited to those made of paper and the battery-powered sort that are likely to earn a scolding from your mother, then you might consider a visit to the Kibbie Dome this weekend.

Inside, you’ll find multiple transparent planes in flight, powered by a rubber band and weighing little more than a dollar bill. Beneath these ethereal, floating devices sit their creators, people from all over the country who have gathered for the Kibbie Dome Annual, an indoor free flight model plane competition.

Constructed of light balsa wood, plastic film and composite materials like carbon fibers, these model airplanes have a typical wingspan of 22 inches and are propelled by a wind-up rubber band motor. A thousand turns of the motor can send a well-built plane into the air for more than 25 minutes. Once launched, all their fliers have to do is pull up a chair, sit down and watch.

The goal is for planes to stay in the air for as long as possible. Flights are timed to determine winners. Competitors fly nine rounds in their flight class, with the best two flights determining placement.

Jake Palmer first attended the yearly event with his parents when he was 12. Twenty-five years later, the Vancouver, Wash., resident now coordinates the event.

Palmer got his start by flying radio-controlled airplanes. Through that interest, he learned about indoor free flight models and got connected with other fliers in the Portland area. The hobby has since taken him to competitions all over

Article source: http://lmtribune.com/a_and_e/domeward-bound/article_5633801b-5fa9-5c2f-a719-1974896c6c38.html

Howard Frank Pocono Record Writer @PoconoHFrank

A local model airplane club fears the National Park Service is about to clip its wings.

The superintendent of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area is booting the Roxbury Area model airplane Club and its 60 members from their home field at Hialeah Airpark in Delaware Water Gap.

The club flies remote-controlled planes from the field on weekends and occasionally weekdays. The park service told the club it has to go because of noise complaints from local beaches in the park area.

“Last August we were told they are renewing our permit for the last time and then we would have to leave,” club representative Robert Clark said. Its final day is scheduled for September 30.

The National Park service said it initially intended to close the park in 2016.

“The National Park Service has determined that noise from model airplanes at the Hialeah Airfield has an adverse impact to the visitor experience at several of the most popular recreation sites at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, including Smithfield Beach, Turtle Beach, the Delaware River, and the historic River Road,” park service Spokeswoman Kathleen Sandt said. “As such, the NPS is closing the Hialeah Airfield once RAMAC’s current permit expires in October.”

Clark said the noise complaints are bogus.

“Half our airplanes are electric,” he said. “We have never been presented with any real data that supports his claim. We can assure you that we are not as noisy as the

Article source: http://www.poconorecord.com/news/20170617/model-airplane-club-grounded-by-park-service