WEEKLY SUMMARY(7th-13th)

So this week saw a Tragedy for the French Air force. As well as "Drone" drama hits the capital again. This week we dedicate the article to the two serviceman lost from the French Air Force.

The 8th of January was the day Heathrow the UKs busiest airport was closed due to a drone sighting.The airport was closed for just over an hour.A Heathrow spokesman said it was closed as a "Precautionary Measure". Arrivals continued on RWY 27L while the Police Investigated.

To news and footage from Chamonix in France now. We couldn't believe the footage showing the rescue helicopter rest its nose on the Mountain and help the stricken patients. Hundreds have praised the pilots heroic actions and i am sure everyone in the aviation community will appreciate the efforts. Well done sir.

Photo from ABC news - Rescue Helicopter in France helping stranded people on mountainside.

Next we take a look at Boeing's latest concept aircraft. The Transonic Truss-braced Wing (TTBW) will fly higher and faster than previous TTBW concepts. The Boeing concept aircraft could fly at Mach 0.80 and offers unprecedented aerodynamic efficiency. The idea has been looked at previously but the latest concept is in response to reach even greater fuel efficiency. So lets keep an eye out for this one.Could this follow the B777X?

Did you know that this same concept was explored in 1952 by Hurel Dubois?

Hurel had a idea that may finally get explored if Boeing invest in this concept.

The original concept seen above and the latest concept can be seen below.

Photo by Boeing - Concept Aircraft

We move to sad news that broke on the 9th. A French Mirage 2000-D Vanished from Radar in remote mountainous region in Eastern France. Many Feared the jet had crashed.The aircraft which was unarmed at the time disappeared near a town called Bonnevaux which reported a temperature of -1C that afternoon. Plus the area received heavy snowfall and had very poor visibility which made search operations tough.

It was reported the following day that debris was found near the River Doubs in the Joura Mountains.That area is near the French/Swiss border.

That day the French Air Force confirmed the death of the pilot and weapon system officer after the crash 24 hours before. Captain Baptiste Chirie and Lieutenant Audrey Michelon were named as the two crew which died in the Mirage Crash.

Photo by Wayne Bennett - French Mirage 2000-D similar to the one that crashed.

**Order news**

1- Etihad Airways has cancelled orders for all of it A320neo aircraft. The news of the cancellation just comes after Airbus release Backlog figures. Etihad have kept orders for 26 A321neos.

2- The United states received its latest Tanker. The Boeing KC-46 entered service this week with the USAF. The aircraft was built based on the 767 airliner.

Next we head to Philadelphia International. A local news company broke the news of a maintenance truck stuck under an American Airlines A320 (N125UW). No one was seriously hurt in the incident. The truck however is a not going anywhere anytime soon. The aircraft is receiving emergency repairs.

So how do you follow a maintenance truck stuck under an A320. Well we head to Ataturk Airport (IST). Flight TK1361 was set to depart IST when a mobile stair vehicle collided with its tail. The Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 (TC-JHZ) was left damaged after the careless incident. The flight was operated by a replacement aircraft and the passengers arrived in Rome with a slight delay.

From airside collisions to runway excursions. We head to Moscows Sheremetyevo Airport where a Travel service B737-900ER veered off the runway(24C) coming to rest 100m from the side. Flight QS1003 passengers where moved onto a replacement aircraft.

British Airways will repaint at least 1 aircraft in a retro livery. It possibly could re paint 4 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary. So what will they look like?

Leeds based airline Jet2 announced it will operate some Newark services on the Leased A330. The airline leases the air tanker throughout the summer but this winter the low cost airline will fly to Newark from East Midlands, Glasgow and Manchester. The route has previously been operated by a Boeing 757.

Photo by Wayne Bennett - Jet 2 A330 waiting to take off at Manchester.

Photo by Wayne Bennett - The Jet 2 A330 at Manchester last Summer.

Great news for workers at Flybe. The airline was saved by a deal with Virgin Atlantic and Stobart Group. The new deal was made after weeks of uncertainty for the Exeter based carrier. Virgin Atlantic will take control of operations, its not known how the livery will look. Plus the deal may of been more interesting to Virgin due to valuable landing slots at LHR.

***Photos of the week***

Our good friend Sean Noel O'Connell was at London Heathrow Airport this week. He captured some rare birds for LHR. He photographed the 747s which flew the Japanese government to the capital. Check out the great shots below.

Next we head to DSA and our great team member Wayne Bennett braved the windy conditions to capture the arrival of Air Cargo Global operating for Astral, OM-ACB. Wayne got a great shot of the Boeing 747 battling crosswinds as well as another interesting shot. That shot is of the 747 Captain admiring the front gear after disembarking.

Great shots from Sean and Wayne two of our team members. In other news we look ahead to the airshow season. Everyone looks forward to the announcements for flying displays, well i do. Thursday we gained information that a Spanish Harrier will be flying above Fairford as part of the display at RIAT this summer. The harrier was at FIA last year. The following day RAF Cosford Airshow announced its first participant. The Swiss Hornet Demo team will be making the noise at Cosford this year.

Written by Kian: Miles to go - Aviation Blogging