miamiair/forum/images/avatars/gallery/first/user54/1.pngoffline(netAirspace FAA) 22 Nov 11, 09:49
NEWS
American selects CFM56-5B-powered A319s and A321s with V2500-A5s American Airlines (AA) said Monday that the 130 Airbus A320 family aircraft included in its huge narrowbody order announced over the summer will be comprised of A319s and A321s, though it didn't specify how many of each it will take. It chose CFM International's CFM56-5B engines to power the A319s and International Aero Engines' V2500-A5 powerplants for the A321s. Also part of the mega-order were 130 re-engined A320neos, 100 CFM56-7B-powered 737NGs and 100 737 Max aircraft re-engined with a variant of CFM's Leap-X. AA still has not made an engine selection between the Leap-X and Pratt & Whitney's PW1100G for the A320neos it has on order. Link
Copa, Avianca-Taca to join Star Alliance in April 2012 Copa Airlines CEO Pedro Heilbronn confirmed that Copa and Avianca-Taca will join Star Alliance in April 2012. Speaking in Rio de Janeiro during the ALTA conference, Heilbronn said, “We hope that Star carriers from overseas will fly into Panama City (PTY). But so far nothing is concrete right now.” Link
Russia’s Rostechnology finalizes transfer of five regional carriers to Aeroflot Russian state corporation Rostechnology has completed the asset transfer of five regional carriers to Aeroflot (SU), in a previously announced deal worth RUB2.5 billion ($81 million). Link
Britain Says No Opt Out Of Body Scans Passengers flying to and from the United Kingdom will not be able to opt out of having a body security scan, the country's transport secretary said on Monday. Link
London Mayor Calls For New Hub Airport Britain faces a period of economic stagnation unless a new international airport is built in south-east England, London Mayor Boris Johnson said on Monday. Link
BOC Aviation to buy 15 E190s Singapore-based aircraft lessor BOC Aviation will purchase 15 Embraer E190 aircraft with deliveries scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2012 and run through 2014. "We see excellent potential for the E190 not only here in Asia where there is strong growth, but also with airlines around the world that have discovered the importance of 100-seat aircraft capacity, both in developing new markets and complementing narrow-body operations with relevant economic gains," said Robert Marin, BOC Aviation director and CEO. Link
Airbus rolls out test A320 with sharklets installed Airbus has rolled out its A320 test aircraft following the fitting of 'sharklet' wing-tips, which will be an option on new-build aircraft and standard on the re-engined A320neo. The test aircraft, MSN1, will undergo flight-testing "in the coming weeks", said the airframer. Link
UK's Astraeus ceases operations UK wet-lease operator Astraeus Airlines has ceased operations with immediate effect, with administrators set to be appointed to the company. The carrier said it had suffered a "lack of contracts" for the winter 2011-12 season, following "lower-than-expected levels of business" during the summer. Link
Jordan Aviation 767s blacklisted by European Commission Middle Eastern operator Jordan Aviation has been partly banned from the European Union, a prohibition which extends to three of the carrier's Boeing 767s, but Angolan operator TAAG's two Boeing 777-300ERs have been cleared. Restrictions on Jordan Aviation followed the discovery of "numerous and repeated safety deficiencies", said the European Commission in its latest blacklist revision. Link
American Eagle spinoff is delayed until next year AMR Corp., the parent company of American Eagle, plans to delay the spinoff of the regional carrier until next year, after its pilots union vote on a tentative agreement. "We plan to wait for the [union] vote to be concluded before moving through the final stages of the divestiture, because a more cost-competitive Eagle will benefit both companies," AMR spokesman Sean Collins said. Link
Delta works to enhance customer experience through technology Delta Air Lines has been working to improve its image to passengers through significant investments in technology, including the Ticket Window Facebook booking application and in-flight Wi-Fi on domestic flights. The carrier is now attempting to enhance the experience of its high-value passengers through a series of in-flight videos from TED, which show lecturers discussing topics such as entertainment and technology. Link
More study is needed on pilot reactions to stalls When an aircraft stalls, a pilot's instinctive reaction is to "pull back on the control stick," which will exacerbate the problem, according to experts. "If a pilot has only experienced a stall once or twice -- and perhaps only in a flight simulator -- chances are higher that instinct takes over in a live situation," said Jean-Pierre Otelli, a pilot and author of aviation-safety books. Link
U.S. official criticizes ETS at Brazilian aviation forum A U.S. official decried the European Union's emissions trading scheme at an aviation forum held in Brazil. "I can go on at length about the deficiencies of the ETS .... Flights from Latin America and the U.S. West Coast to the EU would be particularly hard hit," said Susan Kurland, assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs at the Department of Transportation. Link
Fares have increased for Thanksgiving The average round-trip airfare for the Thanksgiving holiday to the top 10 U.S. destinations has risen 11% from last year's figures, Orbitz Worldwide reports, as travel research firms observe a spike in travel costs. Airlines are being hit by fuel costs, which are 45% higher than a year earlier, the Air Transport Association says. Link
U.S. Air Force is looking at long-term upgrades The U.S. Air Force is performing a balancing act between budget cuts and long-term needs, this feature says. The service is considering long-term upgrades of the F-22, and weighing the future of some of the F-16 and A-10 squadrons used by the National Guard. The aging F-15 fleet also presents budgetary challenges. Link
Pentagon selects Lockheed Martin for $7.4B F-22 contract The Defense Department has signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin for support of the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor program. The $7.4 billion contract spans multiple years for the program, which is based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Link
Bombardier will focus on timely delivery of CSeries, CEO says Bombardier CEO Pierre Beaudoin says the Canadian aircraft manufacturer is focusing on delivering its CSeries jet on time. "For me, the orders on the CSeries are not the concern," he said. "The concern is to keep this project on cost, and on time." Bombardier has received 133 firm orders for the CSeries jet. Link
Other News
Qantas talks break down, FWA to resolve dispute in arbitration: Fair Work Australia (FWA) will resolve the long-running between Qantas (QF) andthree labor unions with binding arbitration after negotiations broke down over the weekend. The airline has been engaged in a bitter 10-month dispute with three unions—the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Assn. (ALAEA), Australian and International Pilots Assn. (AIPA) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU)—over new labor contracts, which culminated in QF grounding its fleet Oct. 30 and appealing to the industrial umpire for a lockout of union members. FWA responded by calling an end to the industrial impasse and giving the unions 21 days to negotiate a settlement.
SkyWest Airlines will operate as US Airways Express, US Airways announced Monday. Beginning Dec. 16, SkyWest will launch 6X-daily Express flights from US Airways’ hub in Phoenix. By spring 2012, SkyWest will operate 49 flights to 19 destinations for US Airways Express.
UPS announced a 4.9% net increase in shipping rates for all air services and US-origin international shipments, effective Jan 2, 2012. "The rate increase for UPS air and international services shipments is based on a 6.9% increase in the base rate, less a 2 percentage point reduction to the index-based air and international fuel surcharge," the express delivery giant stated.
Air Lease Corp. (ALC) has signed lease agreements for 13 additional aircraft. ALC said it placed two Embraer 175s, leased to Belavia (Belarus); four ATR 72-600s, leased to Passaredo (Brazil); and two Airbus A320-200s, leased to S7 Airlines, from its order book.
Wizz Air (W6) will base a sixth Airbus A320 at Bucharest Baneasa fromJune 2012. This aircraft will enable the airline to support a new route to Verona (VRN) and increase frequencies on existing routes to Milan Bergamo, Venice Treviso, Madrid, Dortmund, Bari, Cuneo Turin, Catania, Forli Bologna and Pisa. The new route to VRN will initially operate 3X weekly from June 23 and increase the number of destinations the LCC serves from its BBU base to 20.
Paul Fabrications signed a two-year extension contract with Rolls-Royce to continue to supply fabricated components to the end of 2015.
Dublin Aerospace has opened a40,000 sq. ft., €4.5 million ($6.1 million) landing gear center at Dublin Airport. The company said its new center will more than double the capacity available and result in complete coverage for the overhaul of landing gears for the Airbus A320 series and the Boeing 737 series.
NORDAM has promoted Brian Schlegel to vice president, supply chain management. Schlegel previously served as director-supply chain for the repair division at NORDAM.
TIMCO Aerosystems on Nov. 7 opened a120,000 sq. ft. aircraft interiors manufacturing facility in Wallburg, N.C.
AVIATION QUOTE
The more mechanical becomes the weapons with which we fight, the less mechanical must be the spirit which controls them.
— Field Marshal Archibald P. Wavell.
ON THIS DATE
November 22nd
---In 1909... Wright Company is incorporated with a capital stock of $1,000,000. Formed to manufacture airplanes, the company’s president is Wilbur Wright and his brother Orville is the vice president.
---In 1955…Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 drops the first Soviet thermo-nuclear bomb RDS-37 in Siberia.
---In 1989… Air Force SR-71 program officially terminated. (Q)
---In 1993…Qatar Airways is founded.
---In 2003…t he DHL A300 shootdown incident in Baghdad.
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
ShanwickOceanic/forum/images/avatars/gallery/first/user55/8.pngoffline(netAirspace FAA) 22 Nov 11, 09:57
