miamiair/forum/images/avatars/gallery/first/user54/1.pngoffline(netAirspace FAA) 03 May 11, 09:15
NEWS
Southwest completes AirTran purchase Southwest Airlines is expected to close its purchase of AirTran Airways today, after the Justice Department approved the deal last week. AirTran assured customers that they will not be affected after the merger. "Our customers will continue to book flights at AirTran.com, fly on AirTran jets staffed by AirTran employees, and our policies will remain in place as we begin to integrate," AirTran spokesman Christopher White said. Link
United Continental continues to integrate operations One year after the announcement that United and Continental airlines planned to merge, the companies continue to integrate their workforces, fleets and technology. "We're making good progress and we're on track," said Jeff Smisek, the CEO of United Continental Holdings. "It's just knocking out issues one by one." Before its units can be fully integrated, however, United Continental must receive a single operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA is expected to issue the certificate this year. Link
Alaska Airlines has come a long way in past decade Alaska Airlines recently announced plans for a direct flight between Washington, D.C., and Portland, Ore. The cross-country flight reflects the airline's progress made over the past decade: Alaska Airlines operated only in the Pacific time zone just 11 years ago. Link
L.A. deputies arrest suspect after laser pointed at pilot Over the past seven months, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has noted several incidents of lasers being pointed at pilots of helicopters and other aircraft. Officials recently arrested another suspect and plan a demonstration for today to go over the dangers for pilots posed by lasers. "When the laser hits the plexiglass windshield, it refracts the light and fills the cockpit with laser light, causing disorientation or temporary blindness," said Sgt. Morrie Zager, a helicopter pilot. "It has caused long-term damage to some pilots. This is a serious matter." Link
Investigators retrieve data recorder from downed Air France Flight 447 Investigators have retrieved the data recorder from Air France Flight 447, which went down in the Atlantic Ocean nearly two years ago. The Airbus A330 jetliner disappeared June 1, 2009, en route to Paris from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Investigators will strive to learn more about why the plane went down, although it is not clear whether the data files will be readable. "Until we have opened the box, we can't say whether we'll be able to read the data," said Martine Del Bono, a spokeswoman for France's BEA air-accident investigation bureau. Link Link
Pat-down would become a felony under Texas legislation Legislation under consideration in Texas would make it a felony for officers at security checkpoints to touch a person in his or her private areas unless the officer has probable cause to think the traveler has an illegal item. The bill is sponsored by state Rep. David Simpson, a Republican, who said the Transportation Security Administration's pat-down procedure violates the Fourth Amendment. A TSA spokeswoman declined to comment. Link
US, EU civil aviation safety agreement takes effect The agreement on cooperation in the regulation of civil aviation safety between the EU and the US became effective May 1. The deal was concluded in March. According to an EU statement, the agreement “will boost safety and create opportunities for businesses” and means “less cumbersome technical and administrative procedures for the recognition of certificates and approvals on both sides of the Atlantic and opens the way to progressively reaching the same level of mutual trust in other areas of safety.” Link
China Eastern's first-quarter profit increases 31.5% China Eastern Airlines reported first-quarter net income of CNY1.01 billion ($155.8 million), up 31.5% over a CNY770 million net profit posted in the year-ago period. In a statement released by the Shanghai Stock Exchange, CEA credited the result to the "continuous recovery of market demand stimulated by strong domestic economic growth, improvement of the carrier's operating efficiencies and strengthening revenue management." Link
Air India pilot strike disrupts nearly 90% of domestic flights Air India on Sunday said that nearly 90% of its domestic flights have been disrupted as the pilot strike wears on, forcing the carrier to “substantially curtail” its domestic flights through May 6. In a statement on its website, AI said it would press into service its widebody aircraft to “minimize the impact on the disruption of flights.” Link
Costs grow for earliest F-35s in production The cost of the first 28 production models of the Lockheed Martin F-35 has increased by at least 11% to 15%, according to the F-35 joint program office (JPO). The program has committed to absorb the costs within its existing budget, with part of the savings requiring Lockheed to accept a reduced "incentive fee" during the production phase, the JPO said. Link
Royal Jordanian 787 delivery pushed nearly four years Amman-based Royal Jordanian Airlines says it will receive its first of 11 Boeing 787s in 2014, almost four years after it initially intended. According to an announcement on the carrier's Twitter page, the airline will receive its first three 787-8 aircraft in 2014, followed by the remaining eight in 2016 and 2017. Link
Crashed helicopter in Bin Laden raid revealed News reports show the remains of what appears to be a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that crashed in the US military raid that killed Osama bin Laden early on 2 May. Link
Other News
Turkish Airlines said that changes made by the Turkish government will allow citizens from 46 countries in sub-Saharan Africa to be granted visas at Istanbul Ataturk if they also have valid Schengen, UK or US visas in their passports and possess a round-trip THY ticket.
Embraer, the Brazilian regional jet manufacturer, has more than quadrupled its first quarter income to $105.1 million from $24.1 million in the same period last year. Revenue for the three-month period ended 31 March grew to $1.06 billion from $992 million, of which 71.2% came from the commercial aviation division.
Cebu Pacific, now the Philippines’ largest airline, flew more than 2.8 million passengers in the first quarter to March 2011, up 12% over the year-ago quarter. According to CEB VP Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog, the airline is on track to achieve its 12 million-passenger target for 2011, up 14% from the 10.5 million passengers carried last year.
The Virgin Blue Group will expand its codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines to include more destinations in the US and within Australia and New Zealand. This will allow V Australia passengers to connect from Los Angeles to San Francisco, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Detroit as well as the current New York and Orlando. DL will codeshare on flights from Sydney to Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Auckland and Christchurch.
Airbus announced it received the first set of A350 XWB main landing gear produced by Messier-Dowty at its test facility in Filton. Delivery of this MLG set for the A350-900 follows the arrival last month of the nose landing gear, which will soon be installed together into the landing gear systems test rig, paving the way for integration testing to begin toward the end of 2011, said Airbus.
Lion Air, Indonesia's largest private airline, took delivery of its first Boeing NextGen 737-900ER on April 21. Lion Air was the launch customer for the 737-900ER in 2005. This delivery marks the airline's 43rd 737-900ER. In all, the airline has ordered 178 NextGen 737s and operates an all-Boeing fleet.
Skyworld Aviation and Prisma Aviation Services have arranged the purchase of four Avro RJ 100s for Sky Wings Airlines of Greece, from Aegean Airlines. Skyworld acted on behalf of Sky Wings while Prisma acted on behalf of Aegean. The sale includes spare parts and tooling as well as support from Aegean on training and maintenance during the phase-in period.
Cobham announced it has entered service with Turkish Airlines to equip eight Airbus A330s on order with its HGA-7001 high gain antenna. THY is the first A330 operator with the Cobham antenna sub-system installed, enabling Inmarsat SwiftBroadband throughout the aircraft.
Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance said that Corsairfly extended its Airbus A330 component contract.
AVIATION QUOTE
When you’re in a high performance airplane, you really have to—despite what might be happening in your personal life or things with your job, or things on the ground—you really have to focus on what you’re doing right now.
— Scott Kelly, Commander of the International Space Station, former Navy test pilot, and brother of shot Tuscon Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' husband Mark Kelly. She was shot while he was in space. New York Times, 4 February 2011.
ON THIS DATE
May 3rd
• In 1907... The Wright brothers are elected honorary members of the Vienna Aviation Club, Austria.
• In 1923... U.S. Air Service Fokker T-2 pilots Lts. Oakley G. Kelly and John A. Macready complete the first non-stop flight across the United States in 26 hours, 50 minutes, 38.4 seconds from Roosevelt Field, Long Island to Wickenburg, Arizona.
• In 1952... The first landing at the North Pole is made by Americans Lt. Col. William P. Benedict and Lt. Col. J. O. Fletcher on a ski-and-wheel equipped Air Force Douglas C-47.
• In 1976... Pan Am’s 747SP Clipper Liberty Bell returns after a world record for a round-the-world flight of 1 day, 22 hours, 26 minutes: it took off on May 1 and refueled in Delhi and Tokyo.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
Training Seminars For Women
1. Elementary Map Reading
2. Crying and Law Enforcement
3. Advanced Math Seminar: Programming Your DVR
4. You CAN Go Shopping for Less than 4 Hours
5. Gaining Five Pounds vs. The End of the World: A Study in Contrast
6. The Seven-Outfit Week
7. PMS: It's YOUR Problem, Not Mine "It's Happened Monthly Since Puberty....... Deal With it"
8. Driving I: Getting Past Automatic Transmissions
9. Driving II: The Meaning of Blinking Orange Lights
10. Driving III: Approximating a Constant Speed
11. Driving IV: Makeup and Driving: It's As Simple As Oil and Water
12. Football: Not a Game: A Sacrament
13. Telephone Translations: formerly titled "'Me Too' Equals I Love You"
24. To Honor and Obey: Remembering the Small Print Above "I Do"
25. Why Your Mother Is Unwelcome In The House
26. Your Mate: Selfish Bastard, or Victimized Sensitive Man?
TRIVIA
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And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
JLAmber/forum/images/avatars/gallery/first/user61/1.pngoffline(netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 03 May 11, 21:37
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
