News
SAS Strikes Survival Deals With Unions
Scandinavian airline SAS agreed severe cost cuts with unions on Monday in a deal intended to secure new financing and the airline's long-term survival.
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Nav Canada To Invest In Oceanic ATC JV
Nav Canada, the private company that manages air traffic over Canada, said it would spend USD$150 million for a controlling stake in a joint venture with Iridium Communications to track planes over oceans in real time.
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Israel Adjusts Air Routes Over Rocket Threat
Israel has adjusted flight paths for planes using its main international airport near Tel Aviv after rockets were fired from Gaza on the coastal metropolis, the civil aviation chief said on Monday.
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USAF releases pictures of crashed F-22
The US Air Force has released its first images of the wreckage of a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor that crashed at Tyndall AFB in Florida on 15 November, as an investigation into the cause of the accident continues. Assigned to the USAF's 325th Fighter Wing, the fifth-generation fighter was destroyed as it came down around 0.2nm (0.4km) east of the drone runway at Tyndall. Its pilot ejected safely, and first responders were on scene in less than 2min, the service says.
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United pilot agreement allows for up to 255 large RJs
The tentative agreement between United Airlines and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) would allow for an increase in the number of large regional aircraft to 255 by 1 January 2016. The number is based on the Chicago-based mainline carrier meeting a number of contractual conditions, including a "unique" block hour ratio, according to ALPA. It is split between 102 70-seat and 153 76-seat aircraft, and includes both regional jets and turboprops.
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Boeing foresees no Latin American 747 or A380 orders
Boeing anticipates that Latin American airlines will look at the 787 or 777 family of aircraft for their future widebody needs, and not the 747-8 or A380 superjumbos, during the next 20 years. Speaking at the forum, Randy Tinseth, vice-president of marketing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, says that they "see no demand for really big airplanes" in the region.
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Virgin America widens 3Q net loss to $12.6 million
Virgin America (VX) posted a third-quarter net loss of $12.6 million, widened from a $3.3 million net loss in the year-ago quarter. VX president and CEO David Cush said the carrier’s major challenge has been “managing significant growth into new markets during both a recession and an environment of historic oil price highs. All airlines have faced these same industry challenges, but none have done so as a brand new carrier fueling 73% capacity growth in the past 24 months. We’ve consistently seen that markets we operate in longer than 12 to 18 months mature into profitability, demonstrating that once people fly with us, they stay with us—especially higher-yielding business travelers.”
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Jetlink Express suspends operations
Kenyan carrier Jetlink Express (J0) suspended all scheduled flights Nov. 16 after its creditors cut off funding. In a statement, J0 said it has over $2 million in revenues in South Sudan, mainly in Sudanese pounds, although is unable to access this cash because of a scarcity of foreign currency in South Sudan. The airline’s credit lines in Kenya were based on these revenues.
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Qatar exits 35% stake in Cargolux
Cargolux Airlines (CV) confirmed Monday that Qatar Airways (QR) will exit its 35% shareholding in the carrier. QR had reportedly sought to increase its shareholding to 49%. “Notwithstanding these developments, the Cargolux shareholders Luxair, BCEE and SNCI have confirmed their full confidence and support of Richard Forson, the interim president and chief executive officer, and his management team as they take the airline forward through this difficult phase of restructuring in order to position Cargolux for future growth and prosperity benefiting not only the air logistics industry, but the country as a whole,” CV said in a statement. “There are many significant challenges facing Cargolux and the shareholders remain committed to implementing those actions that will ensure it long term sustainability.”
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Other News
Augsburg Airways (IQ) faces an uncertain future if no investor or strategic partnership can be found. Lufthansa (LH) has ended its wet-lease cooperation with IQ from October 2013, as part of its €1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) cost-cutting program SCORE, to focus its regional feed exclusively on subsidiaries LH CityLine and Air Dolomiti (ATW Daily News, Oct. 31). But the agreement had been essential for IQ. According to several German media reports, LH CityLine could add five additional Embraer E-195s, owned by Lufthansa and operated by IQ.
International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) delivered the 15th and final Boeing 737-800 to American Airlines (AA) as part of an aircraft sale and leaseback program. “ILFC…views this transaction as an important achievement in the execution of our strategy to increase ILFC’s market share in the Americas,” ILFC CEO Henri Courpron said. The program began in November 2011; at that time AA had taken delivery of two of the previously-ordered aircraft.
Turkish Airlines (TK) has done a deal with GE Aviation to provide engines for its new Airbus A330-300s and Boeing 777-300ERs. A $1.4 billion contract covers GE90-115Bs to power the 777-300ERs and a long-term OnPoint maintenance agreement. TK in October ordered 15 777-300ERs with options for an additional five, scheduled for delivery beginning in 2014. The GE90 is the only engine available for the -300ER.
Air Lease Corp. has placed two new ATR 72-600s from its order pipeline on long-term lease to Mexico’s Aeromar, scheduled for delivery between April and May 2013.
Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) authorized a guarantee of an approximately $500 million loan to Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. (LOT Airlines) for the export of a fleet of Boeing 787s to Poland. Apple Bank for Savings of New York provided the loan.
Aviation Quote
Every day kill just one, rather than today five, tomorrow ten . . . that is enough for you. Then your nerves are calm and you can sleep good, you have your drink in the evening and the next morning you are fit again.
— Colonel Erich 'Bubi' Hartmann, Luftwaffe.
On This Date
--- In 1919... The 1st municipal airport in the United States opens in Tucson, Arizona and is still in use today.
---In 1953... The 1st man to exceed Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound) is American test pilot Scott Crossfield in a Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket.
---In 1954…Scott Crossfield flies the Douglas Skyrocket past Mach 2, the first flight to reach this speed. The world airspeed record is now set at 1,291 mph (2,078 km/h).
---In 1970…In Operation Ivory Coast, the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army assault North Vietnam's Son Tay prison camp to free prisoners-of-war thought to be there, but none are found. Large air raids are conducted to divert North Vietnamese attention from the assault.
---In 1974… Lufthansa flight 540 crashes and burns moments after takeoff, killing 59 people. It was the first major accident involving the Boeing 747.
---In 1978…The US Air Force orders development of the KC-10 Extender
---In 1998…Air Tahiti Nui commences flight operations.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
A Little Boy, Awe Struck
A little boy was standing in front of a mirror in the rest room at John F. Kennedy Airport, when in walked a Marine staff sergeant, dressed in his dress blues.
The little boy turned to the Marine and said, "Wow! Are you a Marine?"
The Marine replied, "Why, yes I am, young man.
Would you like to wear my hat?"
"Boy, would I!," said the little boy.
He took the hat and placed it on his head and turned to admire himself in the mirror.
As he was looking in the mirror, he heard the door open and through a ray of bright light, a man entered the room.
But, this was not just a man -- he was more than a man.
He was an Airborne Ranger.
The little boy turned and went over to the soldier. As he approached him, he could see the reflection in his boots. His eyes widened as he stared up at the soldier's chest full of medals and combat ribbons.
He tried to speak, but he couldn't.
Finally, he took a deep breath, and managed to say, "Excuse me, Sir. Are you an Airborne Ranger?"
The Ranger replied with a thunderous voice, "Why yes, I am!! Would you like to shine my boots?"
The little boy smiled, and said, "Oh, no sir!! I'm not a Marine. I'm just wearing his hat!"
Trivia
General Trivia
1. What is the most likely cause of an accident resulting from a climbing downwind turn (in a strong, steady-state wind) near the ground and shortly after takeoff?
a. The pilot failed to account for the increased stall speed unique to turning downwind.
b. An airplane tends to overbank more during a downwind turn than an upwind turn.
c. During a downwind turn, the headwind becomes a tailwind that causes a loss of airspeed.
d. The pilot reacts to a sense of increasing groundspeed.
2. With respect to encountering an increasing-tailwind type of wind shear, which of the following do/does not belong?
a. Airplane tends to sink.
b. Groundspeed increases.
c. Indicated airspeed increases.
d. Pitch attitude decreases.
3. True or false; Everything else being equal, a given airliner operated more efficiently when passengers were allowed to smoke en route than after 1988 when the smoking ban took effect.
4. True or false; As its name implies, an aircraft or automotive alternator produces alternating current (AC).
5. True or false; Upward-folding wing tips are an available option for purchasers of the Boeing 777. This enables the aircraft to fit in relatively small parking spaces.
6. True or false; A pilot preflighting an airplane notices that each rivet head has a circular indentation. This is caused by the device that drives the rivet.
USAF releases pictures of crashed F-22
miamiair wrote:---In 1953... The 1st man to exceed Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound) is American test pilot Scott Crossfield in a Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket.
---In 1954…Scott Crossfield flies the Douglas Skyrocket past Mach 2, the first flight to reach this speed. The world airspeed record is now set at 1,291 mph (2,078 km/h).
miamiair wrote:3. True. When passengers smoked, the nicotine tar residue caulked joints and seams in the fuselage. Newer aircraft in which no one had smoked did not hold pressurization as well as the older aircraft. Pressurization systems had to work harder, which degraded engine efficiency.
