Latest news with #747
NDTV
19 hours ago
- Automotive
- NDTV
After Priest's 20-Year Search, Sukhoi Tires To Be Used On Jagannath Chariot
Kolkata: Lord Jagannath's chariot will have a spring in its steps this summer when it rolls out on Kolkata streets for the Rath Yatra on June 27. After a 20-year search, the Rath Yatra's organiser, ISKCON Kolkata, has found new tires for the massive chariot. The old tires, sourced from a Boeing 747 jumbo jet, have been replaced by tires used on Sukhoi fighter planes and manufactured by MRF. Radharamn Das, vice president and spokesperson for ISCKON Kolkata, shared the fascinating story of finding the best fit for the Lord's chariot. The Rath Yatra in Kolkata started in 1972 with a small chariot housing the three deities taken out through the city's streets. Five years later, a member of ISCKON donated three new chariots for Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra. Lord Jagannath's chariot was fitted with second-hand tires from a Boeing Jet. Over the years, the tires suffered wear and tear and were repaired before every Rath Yatra. In 2005, however, Mr Das noticed they needed to be changed. This started his 20-year search for new tires for the Lord's chariot. A key challenge for arranging the tires was to assess the weight they would need to bear. "Finding a weighing scale for a massive chariot was a huge task. We eventually managed to weigh it and it came to about nine tonnes. Factoring in the weight of devotees on the chariot during the Yatra, we realised that the tires would need to support a weight of about 16 tonnes," he said. "We first spoke to Dunlop, but they had stopped manufacturing these tires. After extensive research, we found Sukhoi tires to be the best match. We first tried to contact MRF in 2018, but could not get through. Eventually, they got back six years later. In December 2024, they sent a team, we worked out a price and they delivered the tires a month back," Mr Das told NDTV. He shared how MRF authorities were surprised when ISKCON Kolkata first told them their requirement. "We were told that the only other client for these tires is the Indian Air Force," Mr Das quipped. MRF assured them that their tires have an adequate weight-bearing capacity. The four tires cost a total of Rs 1.80 lakh. After the tires were delivered and fitted, a 24-km dry run was organised, and all was found to be well.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The complex life cycle of giant aircraft – and why you might be better off in an older model
At 19, the world's oldest commercial A380 is hardly ancient but – in aircraft years – it's reached an age at which most large jets (the affectionate nickname for all wide, long bodied aircraft) retire to the great boneyards of the desert. Not this one though: after a five-year hiatus, it's back ploughing the skies for Emirates, according to The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) says that most planes have a life cycle of around 25-30 years, but that includes a long period of research and development before their first commercial flights take off. If you find yourself on a comparatively ancient aircraft, don't worry: planes are subjected to frequent tests to ensure safety and usually retire because they become less commercially competitive rather than dangerous. A wide-body aircraft's journey involves a long period of incubation and subsequent nurturing before it can go out into the world. 'The journey from the design board to commercial service for a commercial aircraft is one of the most complex undertakings in modern industrial engineering,' says Linus Benjamin Bauer, founder and managing direction of the aviation consultancy BAA & Partners. 'Typically, the aircraft development programme takes up to 15 years to bring a new aircraft such as the A380 to market.' The original jumbo, Boeing's 747, was conceived in 1966 and began to fly commercially four years later thanks to tight deadlines imposed by its first purchaser, Pan Am. But, before paying passengers can get onboard, planes face 'initial conceptual studies, customer consultations, digital modelling, prototype development and regulatory certification,' according to Bauer. 'Certification itself is particularly rigorous,' he says. 'Manufacturers must demonstrate compliance with thousands of airworthiness requirements. Each new aircraft must pass a full-scale evacuation test – where all passengers must exit within 90 seconds using only half the available exits. Structural integrity is validated through static testing, where airframes are pushed 50 per cent beyond their design limits, and fatigue testing, which simulates decades of flight cycles.' These tests can make or break a plane's popularity: when they uncovered issues with weight in some of Boeing's earliest 787 aircraft (nicknamed the 'Terrible Teens'), the planes were rejected by airlines including All Nippon Airways and Royal Air Maroc, according to the website (though they now take to the skies with Ethiopian and Air Austral). The A380 also had a complicated conception. 'While technologically advanced, it was delayed by nearly two years due to a major production issue,' says Bauer. 'The wiring systems designed in Germany were incompatible with the French-built fuselage sections because they used different 3D modelling software versions. This misalignment triggered an expensive and [potentially] reputationally damaging cascade of redesigns.' Running costs affect the lifespan of an aircraft, as well as advancing technology and trends. The A380 is a hulk of a plane and its days have long been numbered, thanks to expenses linked to its size. In 2021, Emirates, the biggest fan of the aircraft with 121 in its fleet, took delivery of the last one ever made. It meant that the A380 had a much shorter run than the 747, which only went out of production in 2022, after more than five decades. Born out of a desire to fit more passengers into the cabin and raise per-seat profits, the 747 has been a huge success, with no competitors to match it in terms of seat capacity until the A380 came along 37 years later. Both aircraft continue to fly, with Forbes claiming there are 400 747s still in service (almost double the amount of A380s ever made). Keeping older planes going requires meticulous maintenance and careful piloting. New tech is retro-fitted and they often have makeovers to bring their cabins or liveries up to date too: in May 2025, Korean Air unveiled a 747-8i sporting its smart new blue look and logo. 'Over the course of a jet's life, it will undergo extensive maintenance and repair, but these do not imply degradation in safety,' says Bauer. 'On the contrary, aircraft become more stringently monitored as they age. Airlines conduct daily line checks, periodic A- and B-checks, and deep-dive C- and D-checks where the aircraft is virtually dismantled, inspected, and rebuilt every six to ten years. Engines are overhauled or replaced, flight control systems updated, and any structural fatigue is carefully monitored using non-destructive testing techniques. Safety margins remain extremely high, and ageing aircraft are continuously evaluated under regulatory oversight from authorities such as the Federal Aviation Authority and EASA.' But the shadow of retirement always lingers, because aircraft manufacturers are endlessly innovating to make their products lighter and more sustainable. It's been impossible to fly from the UK in a 747 since 2020, when both BA and Virgin Atlantic retired theirs (hop to Frankfurt, however, and you can board a Lufthansa 747-8 to one of 12 destinations, including Tokyo Haneda, Buenos Aires and Newark). President Trump also travels on the two, heavily customised 747s in the Air Force One fleet, and was recently gifted another one by the Qatari government. It will, however, require a bit of retrofitting if it is to serve in the fleet. 'The President and his travel companions enjoy 4,000 square feet of floor space on three levels, including an extensive suite for the President that features a large office, lavatory, and conference room. Air Force One includes a medical suite that can function as an operating room, and a doctor is permanently on board,' the White House website reveals. For normal passengers, A380s remain attractive: roomy, with a smooth ride, they're renowned for being comfortable on long-haul journeys while their First Class and Business cabins have space for plenty of onboard luxuries. There are even proper showers on some Emirates' A380s – which goes some way to explain the reluctance to decommission them by some airlines, despite 787s and A350s being more economical. In 2024, IATA revealed that the average age of a commercial aircraft was 14 years and 10 months, and the EASA states that almost a third of all of Europe's planes are due to be retired in the next decade. The lucky ones will live out their days in aerospace museums such as Paris's Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in Paris Le Bourget. Others are dismantled so that approved working parts can be reused, and some cabin furniture finds its way into films and TV shows, offices and even homes. Much of what can't be reused, including titanium, aluminium and rubber, can be recycled, though about 15 per cent of waste ends up in landfill, according to the EASA. Among the retirees, there are bound to be more A380s and 747s because, in 2026, another giant is expected on the scene: the 777-9. Longer even than the 747-8, with the largest engines of any passenger plane, it should still cut fuel consumption by 10 per cent and has been ordered by British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Lufthansa amongst others. 'The aircraft features new carbon-fibre composite wings, advanced GE9X engines, and a reimagined passenger cabin,' says Bauer. 'From my point of view, the 777X will effectively mark the end of the 747 in passenger service. While some 747-8is may remain in limited use, and freighter versions will continue for years due to their payload advantages, the age of four-engine passenger aircraft is over. It is not sentiment but economics – as well as evolving regulation on noise, emissions, and sustainability – that has redrawn the map. In this new landscape, efficiency, not size, is king.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vance Says America Will Keep Its Nose Out of Other Countries' Business
The US has set its sights on Canada and Greenland, accused Europe of stifling free speech, and unleashed a trade war across the globe. But Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday insisted that the Trump administration had ended a decades-long approach to foreign policy by no longer meddling in other countries' affairs. Speaking at the Naval Academy's graduation ceremony in Annapolis, Vance hailed the president's recent trip to the Middle East, which came under scrutiny over the acceptance of a 747 jet from the Qatar government, as a success. But while he said most of the headlines focused elsewhere, the most striking part of the trip, according to Vance, was 'the break from the precedent set by America's founding fathers' and the 'return to a strategy grounded in realism and protecting our core national interests.' 'We had a long experiment in our foreign policy that traded national defense and the maintenance of our alliances for nation building and meddling in foreign countries' affairs - even when those foreign countries had very little to do with poor American interests,' the vice president told more than 1000 graduates. 'What we're seeing from President Trump is a generational shift in policy with profound implications for the job that each and every one of you will be asked to do.' Since taking office, Trump has sought to reduce American military involvement in foreign wars, but has not shied away from using US power to influence global affairs more broadly. On Friday, for instance, he escalated his trade war with the European Union, threatening a 50 per cent tariff on goods. 'The European Union has been very difficult to deal with,' he posted on Truth Social. 'Our discussions with them are going nowhere!' It is not clear when the tariffs are likely to be enacted, or if Trump is simply using the threat as leverage. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, the president gave mixed signals by saying: 'I'm not looking for a deal. We've set the deal, it's at 50%. But there's no tariff if they build their plant here.' In recent months, Trump has also set his sights on Greenland, an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark, and the Panama Canal, a vital conduit for maritime trade between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. He also spent months trolling Canada, insisting that the commonwealth should become America's 51st state. Vance, meanwhile, began his vice-presidency meddling in Europe's business with a blistering address that accused its leaders of suppressing free speech and failing to tackle mass migration. At the Naval Academy graduation today, he said America under Trump had shifted significantly. 'Now, this doesn't mean that we ignore threats, but it means that we approach them with discipline and that when we send you to war, we do it with a very specific set of goals in mind,' he said.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The jet Qatar gave Trump is valued around $400 million. It might cost taxpayers $1 billion just to upgrade it to presidential standards
The 747 Qatar donated to the Air Force One fleet costs roughly $400 million when new, but outfitting the jet to fit presidential requirements may cost up to $1 billion, according to experts. The Qataris have had trouble trying to sell the aircraft as 747s have fallen out of popularity within the aviation industry and are no longer manufactured. While President Donald Trump flaunts his $400 million Qatari airplane, touted to be the newest member of the Air Force One fleet, experts say it could cost $1 billion just to bring the jet up to presidential standards. In addition to ethical concerns over the Qatari-owned Boeing 747 becoming the largest foreign gift ever received by the U.S. government, Sen. Tammy Duckworth said the jet could also cost up to 10 figures in taxpayer dollars to operate within the Air Force One fleet. 'Far from saving money, this unconstitutional action will not only cost our nation its dignity, but it will force taxpayers to waste over a billion dollars to overhaul this particular aircraft, when we currently have not one, but two fully operational and fully capable Air Force One aircraft,' the Illinois Democrat said in a statement to multiple outlets. One expert puts that figure higher: Richard Aboulafia, a managing director at aviation consulting firm AeroDynamic Advisory, said converting the aircraft into an Air Force One jet would cost billions and take years. 'You're taking a 747, disassembling it, reassembling it, and then jacking it up to a very high level,' Aboulafia told NBC News. In order to secure the jet for presidential use, it would have to be examined for any listening devices and outfitted with communications equipment and missile defense systems. These costs would accumulate at least $1 billion, current and former Pentagon officials told The New York Times. White House officials have said the government is looking into partnering with government contractor L3Harris to maintain the jet, the Times reported. The cost of the reported deal has not been public. L3Harris declined Fortune's request for comment. As the jet's upgrades will take a couple years, the government has already paid Boeing for two new Air Force One jets projected to be completed by 2027. 'That's a better dollar value than trying to take an airplane from somebody else and trying to make it into a presidential plane. It makes no sense,' Marc Foulkrod, an aerospace engineer who had tried to help Doha sell the jet, told The New York Times. Meanwhile, the price tag for a crew on a traditional Air Force One jet reaches more than $37 million annually, while the total operating cost sits at roughly $134 million per year, according to Pentagon documents. A White House spokesperson said, 'It has been stated time and time and time and time again this was donated as a gift to the DoD and the Air Force' and referred Fortune to the DoD for further comment. The DoD declined to comment. Prior to offering the jet to the U.S., the Qataris had been unsuccessful in finding a suitor for the Boeing 747. Foulkrod said while the plane is in great condition, it's hard to find a buyer for a VIP styled-aircraft. 'You might find that one-off guy that has a super ego that wants to buy one and ride around in it,' Foulkrod said. Commercial airlines lacked interest in the jet because 747s are no longer manufactured and are falling out of popularity among the aviation industry, and the jet was too lavishly outfitted to be suitable for commercial use. This story was originally featured on
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
After Qatar's gift jet, Donald Trump now tells South African president Cyril Ramaphosa he would accept an aircraft from his country as a gift if offered
Donald Trump told South Africa's President, Cyril Ramaphosa , that he would happily take a plane as a gift if South Africa gave one. This happened at the White House when the two leaders met. The meeting had some tense moments, reports said. Trump said this in a joking way, but people were not sure if he was serious or not. He said this on the same day the U.S. military Pentagon said it had accepted a 747 jet as a gift from Qatar, as per the report. Earlier in the meeting, Trump said that white farmers in South Africa were being killed by black South Africans. This comment made the meeting more tense. Ramaphosa tried to ease the tension by joking, 'I'm sorry I don't have a plane to give you', according to the reports. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Xuan Thoi Dong: Unsold Furniture Liquidation 2024 (Prices May Surprise You) Unsold Furniture | Search Ads Learn More Trump quickly replied, 'I wish you did.' Then Trump added, 'If your country offered the United States Air Force a plane, I would take it.' The purpose of the meeting was to improve US-South Africa relations. In that meeting a reporter asked Trump about the Qatar plane, he got angry at a reporter and said, 'What are you talking about?' You know, you ought to get out of here.' Trump explained that the Qatar plane was not for him, but for the US Air Force, as per reports. Live Events He said the Air Force needed the plane while waiting for two new ones from Boeing to be built. Ramaphosa then repeated his joke again about not having a plane to offer. Trump repeated, 'If only he did,' showing he would have actually liked the plane. FAQs Q1. Did Trump ask South Africa for a plane? He joked that he would take one if offered. Q2. Why did Trump get angry at the reporter? The reporter asked about a gifted Qatar plane, and Trump didn't like the question.
