VH-ZHA - Photos of DJ's 1st E170

[Wunala Dreaming]

Click on the following link to view pictures of VH-ZHA, Virgin Blue's first Embraer 170

Virgin's brand new E-170 (pics)

As you can see it features the revised Virgin logo.. which looks very nice IMO.

-ZHA is due for delivery in AU within the next 4-5 weeks and I imagine it will be late October or early November before it is placed into service.

Rgds

 

[straitman]

Click on the following link to view pictures of VH-ZHA, Virgin Blue's first Embraer 170

Virgin's brand new E-170 (pics)

As you can see it features the revised Virgin logo.. which looks very nice IMO.

-ZHA is due for delivery in AU within the next 4-5 weeks and I imagine it will be late October or early November before it is placed into service.

Rgds

Third picture doesn't look so good at first glance :!:

 

[simongr]

Someone stole the wheels!!!!

 

[markis10]

Note to staff - please check the load sensors on the wheels are connected before trying the "on ground gear up selection" test

 

[NM]

I thought they had installed the new low-profile wheels.

 

[jakeseven7]

I was wondering if the technical/aviation experts on this site could clarify why, in almost every news article referencing these planes, they are referenced as being problem childs for other airlines that have added them to their fleets??

I'm sure DJ is aware of the problems that the other carriers are having and have moved to address them but I would be interested to know what they actually are...!

EDIT: Referring specifically to examples given such as JetBlue having major issues getting them to work financially etc

 

[Sequel]

So how many PAX in what config? They don't look that much bigger than the QF Crash 8 Q400?

 

[Yada Yada]

I was wondering if the technical/aviation experts on this site could clarify why, in almost every news article referencing these planes, they are referenced as being problem childs for other airlines that have added them to their fleets??

I'm sure DJ is aware of the problems that the other carriers are having and have moved to address them but I would be interested to know what they actually are...!

EDIT: Referring specifically to examples given such as JetBlue having major issues getting them to work financially etc

Yeah, look I'm sure the management at Virgin Blue just liked the shape of the E-jets and didn't really do any other analysis of whether the equipment was reliable or not. Perhaps they got some free t-shirts for placing an order.

 

[straitman]

Perhaps they got some free t-shirts for placing an order.

... and some baseball caps :!:

 

[pauly7]

Yeah, look I'm sure the management at Virgin Blue just liked the shape of the E-jets and didn't really do any other analysis of whether the equipment was reliable or not. Perhaps they got some free t-shirts for placing an order.

YY, I'm suprised being in the know about Virgin you might have a less sarcastic answer?!... There is no need to be so defensive, the OP clearly stated that he was sure DJ would be aware of the problems other carriers were having with the new metal and were proactively planning not to fall into the same traps...

To the OP, yes I have read similar stories, most recently in the AFR which did cite JetBlue as having major issues with them, but it is locked content on the website and I am not a member. There were a few threads on FT about the problems some carriers were having with them, so maybe see if you can dig them up there - if you do find the specifics would be interesting to get more detail..
Hope this helps

And YY, I'll have a free Virgin t-shirt please! Just raid the uniform cabinet, a nice polo to play golf in would be great! Free advertising!

 

[NM]

I was wondering if the technical/aviation experts on this site could clarify why, in almost every news article referencing these planes, they are referenced as being problem childs for other airlines that have added them to their fleets??

As I understand it, one issue with the E-jets is the start-up procedure. It takes about 30 mins to "boot up" these aircraft. During this process the computers are going through all sorts of checks and tests. If any of the flight control systems are touched during this testing phase, the computer can detect this as a fault, resulting in an extended process of manual and computer checks to ensure all is really ok.

This has been found by several operators of these aircraft. Its quite common (apparently) for an engineer to forget or to accidentally bump something in on the flight desk during the start-up process, which can cause a delay of more than hour to rectify.

Now this should not be a major issue if proper procedures are followed and nothing is touched until the startup/test process is completed, But it does seem to be the cause of serviceability delays at airlines that operate these jets.

There are also many parts of the systems that look very much like those of a Boeing aircraft. But there are also many components that are hang-overs from the earlier Embraer aircraft, which are perhaps not quite so refined, serviceable or reliable as might be expected on such aircraft.

I'm sure DJ is aware of the problems that the other carriers are having and have moved to address them but I would be interested to know what they actually are...!

The systems check at start-up issue can only be addressed by ensuring nobody touches anything during the critical start-up process. So I expect there will be a few bumps and scrapes that will result in the requirement for further tests and some early morning delays until they all get fully used to this idiosyncrasy of the new aircraft and its procedural requirement.

EDIT: Referring specifically to examples given such as JetBlue having major issues getting them to work financially etc

Don't know about JetBlue, but the JetCare (company that will be doing initial DJ service and maintenance for E-Jets) engineers went to Canada and I think Switzerland (so work out the operators for yourself) for training and they certainly were made aware of these issues and are expecting some teething problems associated with it. However, that is probably no different to any new aircraft introduction for any airline.

 

[oz_mark]

Yeah, look I'm sure the management at Virgin Blue just liked the shape of the E-jets and didn't really do any other analysis of whether the equipment was reliable or not. Perhaps they got some free t-shirts for placing an order.

I hope they are not too bad, given that Air North have got them as well:

TL 341
Operated by: AIRNORTH
Depart: Perth 1 Sep at 12:00
Arrive: Darwin 1 Sep at 18:05
Stopover: Kununurra for 0:30 hours
Total Time: 4:35 hours
Aircraft: EMBRAER 170

 

[serfty]

AaE (XM) have also ventured there quite recently.

 

[jakeseven7]

Well I here are a couple of exceprts it seems like JetBlue has been having major issues, a combination of technical problems and some fault of there own (e.g. not having pilots trained to sufficient levels to operate in low visibility conditions)... quite interesting... Just google 'jetblue and problems' and you will find 1000's of articles!

JetBlue Sidelines Embraer Fleet

JetBlue (JBLU) has been forced to sideline its 100-seat Embraer (ERJ) 190s in an effort to fix continuing software problems and has contracted with ExpressJet Holdings (XJT) to supply four 50-seat aircraft to replace the 25 190s as they are removed for repair two at a time. The software problems have produced erroneous instrument readings, although, according to JetBlue, this does not compromised safety. In one instance, instruments showed problems with the aircraft's deicing equipment and had to be diverted from the known icing conditions at its base at Kennedy Airport. The problems have caused a 10 percent decline in expected utilization each day, increasing cost per available seat mile averaging 9.9 hours daily compared to the 13.1 hours for the airline's Airbus fleet. The work should be done by this summer's travel season by both the airline and the manufacturer at Embraer's Nashville facility. This is the latest placement of the 69 aircraft acquired when 25 percent of ExpressJets's routes were spun off by Continental


JetBlue Airways' chief executive on Thursday said the discount carrier had experienced problems with its new Embraer 100 seat jets which have led it to slow their introduction into service.
David Neeleman told analysts at a conference that the airline had set a too ambitious schedule for the debut of the Brazilian-made jet, whose problems have coincided with ongoing struggles at JetBlue with late flights.
"We have had some operational issues with the airplane," he said. The plane's introduction "certainly hasn't been up to what we thought we could do."
Some analysts have warned that the addition of the smaller jet to JetBlue's existing fleet of Airbus A320s risked adding an unneeded layer of complexity to its operations.
Neeleman, JetBlue's founder, has argued that the jets will end up giving the airline greater flexibility to serve mid-sized markets that wouldn't fill its larger aircraft.
But he said the plane, which JetBlue began flying between Boston and New York in November, had reliability rates "a few percentage points less" than its Airbus planes in terms of glitches which delayed flights.

Full Story: Aviation Maintenance Magazine :: JetBlue Sidelines Embraer Fleet