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15 October 2026

Walkaround

Aviation news and fleet brief

What is going on with the aircraft you work on. Every page is a five minute read, and every claim carries at least two independent sources.

Today in aviation

The one or two things worth knowing right now. Each opens in full, with its own sources.

Technical and maintenance

GE and Pratt put AI in front of the borescope

GE Aerospace is extending its AI blade inspection tool from the GEnx to the CFM LEAP and GE9X, reporting a borescope inspection cut from three hours to ninety minutes. Pratt and Whitney bought an AI borescope company this year.

New15 October 2026Read more

Technical and maintenance

FAA proposes replacing A320 family evacuation slides after inflation failures

Slides on A318, A319, A320 and A321 aircraft failed to inflate in emergency evacuations because a connector on the inflation hose assembly fractured and separated. The FAA wants affected slides replaced.

New15 October 2026Read more

Orders and operators

Japan Airlines picks the E190-E2 to replace J-Air's first generation E-Jets

Sixteen firm orders and ten options, announced on 14 October, with deliveries from the 2029 fiscal year. The aircraft replace J-Air's existing E170 and E190 fleet.

14 October 2026Read more

Fleet brief

One page per type, kept current. All 15 types, with photographs and a size comparison.

Boeing

777 and 777X777-200ER 737 MAXMAX 7 787 Dreamliner787-8 747747-400F 737 NG737-600 767767-300ER

Airbus

A320neo familyA319neo A350A350-900 A330 and A330neoA330-200 A320ceo familyA318 A220A220-100 A380A380-800

Embraer

E-Jet E2E175-E2 E-Jet E1E170

Bombardier

CRJ familyCRJ200

Engines

Most of what goes wrong on a modern airliner goes wrong at the engine. All fourteen families.

CFM International

LEAPLEAP-1A, LEAP-1B, LEAP-1C CFM56CFM56-5A, CFM56-5B, CFM56-7B

GE Aerospace

GEnxGEnx-1B, GEnx-2B GE90 and GE9XGE90-115B, GE9X-105B1A CF6CF6-80C2, CF6-80E1 CF34CF34-3B1, CF34-8C5, CF34-8E, CF34-10E

Pratt and Whitney

PW1000G geared turbofanPW1100G, PW1500G, PW1700G, PW1900G PW4000PW4000-94, PW4000-100, PW4000-112

Rolls-Royce

Trent XWBTrent XWB-84, Trent XWB-84 EP, Trent XWB-97 Trent 1000Trent 1000, Trent 1000 TEN, Trent 1000 XE Trent 7000Trent 7000 Trent 700 and Trent 900Trent 700, Trent 900

Joint ventures

IAE V2500V2500-A5, V2500-D5 Engine Alliance GP7200GP7270, GP7277

Technology

The fleet and engine pages track what is happening to the aircraft. These track what is happening to the job. All 9 topics.

On the aircraft

Electronic technical recordsElectronic tech logs, paperless records, digital signatures Health monitoring and predictive maintenanceACMS data, engine trend monitoring, prognostics, digital twins Composite primary structureCarbon fibre fuselage and wings, composite fan blades, damage assessment AI assisted inspectionBorescope image analysis, blade inspection, damage flagging

In the factory and the shop

Additive manufacturingPrinted turbine parts, consolidated assemblies, repair applications Powder metallurgyPowder metal turbine and compressor discs, contamination, inspection Engine durability engineeringTurbine blade coatings, cooling geometry, time on wing

Around the aircraft

Air traffic modernisationSMART, traffic flow prediction, ageing telecom infrastructure Certification reformPost MAX oversight, delegated authority, the current reform push

By the numbers

Every figure below is the one published on the page it links to, so you can check it rather than take it.

Widest wing79.8 mA380 Longest fuselage76.3 m747 Narrowest wing24.9 mCRJ family Still on four engines2747 and A380 Engine families tracked14across five makers Span ratio, biggest to smallest3.2 to 1A380 against CRJ family

Wingspan, to scale

A38079.8 m
74768.4 m
787 Dreamliner60.1 m
A320neo family35.8 m
CRJ family24.9 m