Boeing, ANA celebrate 787 first delivery Boeing celebrated the delivery of the first 787 Dreamliner Monday to launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA) during a ceremony adjacent to the factory where the airplane was assembled. Link
Boeing formally delivers 787 Dreamliner to first customer Boeing said its long-awaited 787 Dreamliner will help airlines save on fuel due to its lightweight, carbon-fiber design. The new aircraft also was designed to give passengers a more comfortable flight. The first Dreamliner was delivered to All Nippon Airways of Japan on Sunday, three years behind schedule. "It took a lot of hard work to get to this day," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of Boeing's 787 program. Link Link
EC: Airlines to get 85% free EU ETS allowances in 2012 The European Commission (EC) will permit airlines to take 85% of their emissions allowances free of charge in 2012, dropping to 82% in 2013, it was announced Monday. Link
Air New Zealand increases stake in Virgin Australia Air New Zealand (ANZ) lifted its stake in Virgin Australia (VA) from 14.99% to 19.99%, in a move ANZ CEO Rob Fyfe said will continue ANZ’s “strategy to develop scale and reach in this region.” Link
Boeing plans rate 2.5 for 787 in November Boeing plans to accelerate 787 production starting in November, advancing to 2.5 aircraft per month across its final assembly facilities and supply chain, maintaining its goal of reaching 10 aircraft per month by the end of 2013. Link
SpaceX to build reusable suborbital craft SpaceX will begin flight testing of a reusable suborbital vehicle called 'Grasshopper' from its McGregor, Texas facility. The Grasshopper will use the company's Merlin 1-D engine, adapted from the company's Falcon 9 rocket program. The FAA report states that Grasshopper will have 55,300kg (122,000lb) of thrust and carry 3,100kg (6,900lb) of RP-1 and liquid oxygen (LOx) fuel. The majority of the fuel onboard, the report says, will be unburned, used as ballast. Link
C-130 renaissance continues with deliveries of 1st combat rescue tankers The fruits of a two-year production and marketing ramp-up on behalf of the Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules are now on display, with a series of milestone events occurring over the latter half of September and early October. On 24 September, the first of 11 new HC-130Js was delivered to Davis-Monthan, AFB, Arizona. The aircraft was flown by General Norton Schwartz, chief of staff of the US Air Force and a former C-130 pilot. Along with the delivery, the HC-130J received its official new nickname - the Combat King. Link
Package B Trent 1000s still in testing: R-R and Boeing Boeing and Rolls-Royce have corrected previous statements that inaccurately confirmed that an upgraded version of the Trent 1000 turbofan has already flown on the second 787 to be delivered to All Nippon Airways. Link
United-Continental CEO is pleased with progress of merger Some industry observers have raised questions about the length of time it is taking for United Airlines and Continental Airlines to combine, but others have said it's going smoothly. United Continental Holdings CEO Jeff Smisek says the merger is on track. "We're precisely where I expected to be at this time," he said in a recent interview. Link
Analysts speculate on AMR's future At a recent investor conference, an executive at AMR did not reject the idea that the company could be headed toward bankruptcy, prompting speculation about the company's future. Some industry analysts say a bankruptcy filing is possible for the parent company of American Airlines because AMR is running out of cash, but others say it has time to make a comeback. Link
Delta hub airports charge more than spokes Delta Airlines is charging a substantial hub premium for international flights out of hub airports such as the Detroit Metro Airport while charging lower airfare from smaller spoke airports, a review of published airfares has found. Airline representatives say that the pricing system, which is the opposite of those of several major airlines, is due to several complex factors such as fuel prices, demand and routes. Link
Analysis: Google's Flight Search is fast but incomplete Google recently launched Flight Search, a travel service that allows users to quickly search online for flights. Although Flight Search is fast, some airlines and airports are missing, this analysis explains. Link
Other News
Singapore-based LCC company Tiger Airways Holdings announced Friday it would buy a 33% stake in Indonesia-based Mandala Airlines, which will be held through Tiger’s whollyowned subsidiary, Roar Aviation.
Southwest Airlines (SWA) announced that SWA and AirTran pilots have reached a tentative agreement on seniority. SWA finalized closing of the acquisition of AirTran Holdings May 2.
MNG Technic has begun converting three MNG Airlines Airbus A300-600 aircraft to freighter configuration. MNG said it will become the first and only MRO in Turkey capable of passenger-to-freighter conversion.
A J Walter Aviation signed a three-year service contract with RAK Airways to provide full power by the hour and MBK lease support for the UAE carrier’s Airbus A320 fleet.
Aeroman is adding a new hangar to its maintenance facility in El Salvador for both existing aircraft (Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s) and the future A320neo. The expansion will add about 82,000 sq. ft. to the existing 294,541 sq. ft. facility. Construction began Sept. 1 and is slated for completion by April 2012.
Precision Aviation Group has agreed to acquire Long Beach, Calif.-based global MRO services provider Aero Technology.
Delta TechOps received ISO certification for its engine maintenance and landing gear shops. It received ISO 9001 certification for its component maintenance shop in 2008.
MTU Maintenance Zhuhai signed a contract with Skynet Asia Airways to perform maintenance on the carrier’s CFM56-7 engines. The agreement runs for an initial five years.
AVIATION QUOTE
Any landing you can walk away from is a good one!
— Gerald R. Massie, U.S. Army Air Forces photographer. Written in 1944 after the crash-landing of his B-17.
ON THIS DATE
September 27th
--- In 1913... Katherine Stinson becomes the 1st woman in the United States to make an official airmail flight.
--- In 1922... Dr. Albert Taylor and Leo Young, scientists at the US Naval Aircraft Radio Laboratory, make the 1st successful detections of objects by "radio observation". They use wireless waves to detect objects not visible due to weather or darkness. This insight leads to the advent of radar.
---In 1946…Geoffrey de Havilland Jr is killed when the de Havilland DH.108 breaks up in mid-air.
---In 1956... The 1st piloted airplane to exceed Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound) is the rocket-powered Bell X-2.
---In 1965…First flight of the Vought A-7 Corsair II.
---In 1990… United Air Lines is the first airline to introduce satellite communications for its aircraft.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
Airline Humor
After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced: "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."
From a Southwest Airlines employee: "Welcome aboard Southwest Flight XXX to YYY. To operate your seatbelt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seatbelt and if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised. In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with two small children, decide now which one you love more."
"Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but they'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you or your money more than Southwest Airlines."
"Your seat cushions can be used for flotation. In the event of an emergency water landing, please take them with our compliments."
"As you exit the plane, please make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses."
"Last one off the plane must clean it."
TRIVIA
General Trivia
1. During World War II a group of aircraft was called "The Black Cats." What were they, and why were they called by that name?
2. A pilot is flying a piston-powered, naturally aspirated, single-engine airplane and using fuel from one of two tanks. If he allows that tank to run dry, loses power, and switches to the other tank, what is the maximum time that will be required after switching tanks to restore power?
3. What type of American combat airplane was operated with retractable snow skis during World War II?
4. Name three World War II airplanes that were named after Ivy League colleges.
5. What airline operated the first commercial airline flight in a jet-powered airplane? What was the type aircraft used, in what year did this occur, and what were the departure and arrival points?
6. Estimate within 1,000 pounds the weight of a cumulus cloud that has a volume of 1 cubic kilometer and is 2 kilometers above sea level.
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
1. ? 2. the rest of his life 3. P-51(had to read it twice for the word "combat" although I think I've also seen pics of a P-38 with retractable skis) 4.Harvard, Yale, ? 5.BOAC with the Comet in 1952, London to Johannesburg - the real start was a few years later with Pan-Am and the DC-8 going from NYC-London though 6. 1 million lbs - you'll never get something like this within 1000 lbs
1. Navy Consolidated PBY Catalinas (or "Cats") were equipped with radar, painted black, and used to spot and attack Japanese shipping at night. The amphibians were especially effective in spotting and attacking ships attempting to land reinforcements at Guadalcanal.
2. Federal Aviation Regulation 23.955 allows a maximum of 10 seconds for the engine to develop 75-percent power.
3. A ski-equipped Lockheed P-38J-LO Lightning was used to research cold-weather operations and made the first flight test of synthetic oil. (It is possible but unlikely that other types of combat aircraft also had skis.)
4. North American (AT-6) Harvard, North American (BT-9/BT-14) Yale (fixed-gear version of the AT-6), and Fairchild (PT-19) Cornell.
5. BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corp.) operated a de Havilland Comet from London to Johannesburg, South Africa, on May 3, 1952.
6. It is a whopping 1.4 billion pounds. This is 0.5 percent lighter than the same volume of surrounding air.
Ideology: The mistaken belief that your beliefs are neither beliefs nor mistaken.
