miamiair/forum/images/avatars/gallery/first/user54/1.pngoffline(netAirspace FAA) 04 Dec 12, 10:07
News
Almost all Qatar A350-800s to become -1000s Qatar Airways is to take an additional 17 Airbus A350-1000s as part of its conversion away from the A350-800. It will swap almost all of its 20 orders for the -800 to the largest model in the A350 family, a change brings the Middle Eastern carrier's orders to 37 -1000s. Three remaining -800s will be converted to the A350-900 taking the airline's order for the baseline variant to 43. Link
Fokker explores manufacturing options in India Fokker Technologies is exploring the establishment of a manufacturing footprint in India to serve both defence and commercial customers. Raj Ramanujam, country director for India at Fokker Technologies, notes that major original equipment manufacturers have established a significant presence in India through large defence and commercial business contracts. Link
EASA starts certificating sharklet-equipped A320s European regulators have certificated the Airbus A320 twinjet featuring sharklet wing-tips, initially for the CFM International CFM56-powered airframes. Other members of the family - including those with International Aero Engines V2500 powerplants - are yet to secure approval. The clearance has been granted by the European Aviation Safety Agency but Airbus says it expects to obtain US FAA certification "very soon". Link
Lufthansa To Cut Costs At Long-Haul Business Lufthansa said it needs to cut costs at its profitable long-haul business to cope with high fuel prices and stiff competition from Gulf carriers. Link
Boeing Restructures Aircraft Design, Production Boeing is creating a new division to oversee aircraft development, splitting off that function from production as it seeks to ramp up factory output. Link
EADS confirms talks on shareholder structure shakeup Airbus parent EADS confirmed Monday that “key shareholders are discussing potential changes in the company shareholding structure.” There have been widespread media reports indicating the shareholding restructuring will give national governments, particularly France and Germany, higher stakes in the company with firms such as Germany’s Daimler and France’s Lagardere Group exiting ownership or greatly reducing their holdings. Link
Bisignani: London Heathrow Airport loses leading position London Heathrow Airport has lost its position as Europe’s primary hub airport due to its runway capacity shortage, according to former IATA CEO Giovanni Bisignani. Speaking at the Future of Air Transport Conference in London, Bisignani said that Heathrow now connects to fewer destinations than it did 20 years ago as well as to fewer destinations than its competitors—Frankfurt Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Link
ANA feels pressure on yields as more A380s fly into Tokyo Narita All Nippon Airways (ANA), which operates 16 Boeing 787s, fears the Airbus A380s scheduled to fly into Tokyo Narita Airport may result in lower yields. ANA president and CEO Shinichiro Ito told ATW in Shenzhen, “Our concern is that other airlines flying more A380s into Tokyo Narita” are resulting in the lower yields for the carrier. Narita will be served by A380s from Korean Air Lines, Lufthansa, Air France, Emirates Airlines and Singapore Airlines. Link
Other News
EasyJet has begun allocating seat assignments on all its flights, a departure from its open seating strategy, following a trial in April. The trial, which involved nearly 2million passengers and 12,500 flights, found that 71% of passengers felt allocated seating provided an improved boarding experience, while 60% stated they were more likely to fly with easyJet in the future as a result. "Today’s move offering allocated seating on all of our flights is the single, biggest change the airline has undertaken in its history,” easyJet UK director Paul Simmons said. The seat allocations are free, though the carrier will charge £3 ($4.80) for passengers reserving a particular non-premium seat. Premium options include £12 for extra leg room and £8 for emergency exits or front-of-the-cabin seats.
Southwest Airlines will consolidate three AirTran reservations call centers and combine the jobs into a single Atlanta, Ga.-based center. “The airline is offering every employee in both the Savannah and Carrollton Centers a job opportunity,” Southwest said. AirTran centers in Savannah and Carrollton, Ga. will close on July 31, 2013 and the new Atlanta facility will open in early May 2013, becoming the seventh Southwest Airlines call center and its first in the US eastern time zone. It will initially handle all AirTran Airways calls, then transition to handle Southwest Airlines customer calls. "The decision to consolidate these three centers is one more step toward the integration of Southwest and AirTran,” Southwest Airlines VP-customer support and services Jack Smith said.
Parker Aerospace and GE Aviation agreed to form a joint venture (JV) to enhance the development and the manufacture of commercial aircraft engine fuel nozzles. The JV, Advanced Atomization Technologies, will be based at the Parker Gas Turbine Fuel Systems Division facility in Clyde, New York.
Saab named Görgen Johansson as head of its dynamics business area. Johansson has served as CFO at Saab since March.
StandardAero appointed Rob Cords to SVP-airlines and fleets. Cords previously served as SVP-corporate strategy and customer development for the company.
Boeing (BA) reached a record for year-to-date 737 deliveries with today's delivery of the 377th Next-Generation 737. The delivery of the airplane, a 737-900ER (Extended Range) with Boeing Sky Interior for United Airlines, topped the previous record of 376 deliveries set in 2010. In October, the 737 also broke its own record for net orders in a single year when it topped the 2007 record of 846 orders. Net year-to-date orders for the Next-Generation 737 and 737 MAX total 1,031 airplanes. This also is the first time in the single-aisle jetliner's history that it has logged more than 1,000 orders in a single year.
United Airlines delivered its best monthly on-time performance for 2012 in November – despite the continued impact of Superstorm Sandy and the Nor'easter that followed – with 85.5 percent of domestic flights and 81.2 percent of international flights arriving within 14 minutes of the scheduled arrival time. The airline is awarding eligible employees a $100 bonus to recognize this performance. United pays eligible employees $50 each month that domestic or international flights arrive on time at least 80 percent of the time and $100 if the company exceeds both on-time goals.
Aviation Quote
I was struck by the joy of those pilots in committing cold-blooded murder . . . Frankly, this is not cojones. This is cowardice.
— Madeleine Albright, US Ambassador to the UN, 1996, regards Cuban fighters shooting down unarmed American Cessnas.
On This Date
--- In 1908... The Englishman J.T.C. Moore-Brabazon (later Lord Tara of Brabazon) makes a flight of 1,350 ft. in a Voisin biplane at Issy-les-Moulineaux in France. He becomes one of the guiding lights of early British aviation and is issued the first British pilot’s license, then called an aviator’s certificate.
---In 1945…A Mk5 Sea Vampire became the first jet aircraft to intentionally take off and land from an aircraft carrier, HMS Ocean.
---In 1952…First flight of the Grumman XS2F-1 Tracker.
---In 1955…Glenn L. Martin, founder of the Glenn L. Martin Company, dies at age 69.
---In 1961... The National Air and Space Museum receives the Douglas C-54 transport Sacred Cow used by Presidents Roosevelt and Truman.
---In 1967…The A-7A Corsair II strike aircraft enters combat for the first time, operating from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CVA-61) over Vietnam.
---In 1969… An Air France Boeing 707-328B (registration F-BHSZ) operating the Caracas-Point-à-Pitre sector of flight AF212 crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff from Simon Bolivar International Airport with the loss of all 62 on board.
---In 1974… Martinair Flight 138, a Douglas DC-8 flew into the side of a mountain while on landing approach in Colombo, Sri Lanka. All 191 passengers and crew on board were killed.
---In 1991... Pan Am World Airways goes out of business after 64 years of service. The sudden shutdown of this aviation pioneer strands many passengers and leaves about 9,000 employees out of work.
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Combat Never Forgets
• Once you are in the fight, it is way too late to wonder if this is a good idea.
• It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are instinctively drawn toward trees, stumps, rocks, etc. While it may be possible to ward off this natural event some of the time, it cannot, despite the best efforts of the crew, always be prevented. It's just what they do.
• NEVER get into a fight without more ammunition than the other guy.
• Cover your Buddy, so he can be around to cover you.
• Letters from home are not always great.
• The madness of war can extract a heavy toll. Please have exact change.
• Share everything. Even the Pound Cake.
• Decisions made by someone over your head will seldom be in your best interest.
• The further away you are from your friends, the less likely it is that they can help you when you really need them the most.
• Sometimes, being good and lucky still was not enough. There is always payback.
• "Chicken Plates" (bullet proof plates for flak jackets) are not something you order in a restaurant.
• If everything is as clear as a bell, and everything is going exactly as planned, you're about to be surprised.
• If the rear echelon troops are really happy, the front line troops probably do not have what they need.
• Happiness is a belt-fed weapon.
• Eat when you can. Sleep when you can. Visit the head when you can. The next opportunity may not come around for a long time. If ever.
• Combat pay is a flawed concept.
• Having all your body parts intact and functioning at the end of the day beats the alternative.
• If you are allergic to lead it is best to avoid a war zone.
• When you shoot your gun, clean it the first chance you get.
• Loud sudden noises in a helicopter WILL get your undivided attention.
• Hot garrison chow is better than hot C-rations, which, in turn is better than cold C-rations, which is better than no food at all. WHAT is often more important than WHY.
• Girlfriends are fair game. Wives are not.
• Everybody's a hero on the ground in the club after the fourth drink.
• There is no such thing as a small firefight.
• A free-fire zone has nothing to do with economics.
• Medals are OK, but having your body and all your friends in one piece at the end of the day is better.
• The only medal you really want to be awarded is the Longevity Medal.
• There is only one rule in war: When you win, you get to make up the Rules.
• While a Super Bomb could be considered one of the four essential building blocks of life, powdered eggs cannot.
• C-4 (plastic explosives) can make a dull day fun.
• Cocoa Powder (found in field rations) is neither. Always make sure someone has a P-38 (compact can opener).
• Flying is better than walking. Walking is better than running. Running is better than crawling. All of these however, are better than extraction by a Med-Evac, even if this is technically a form of flying.
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
vikkyvik/forum/images/avatars/gallery/first/default.pngoffline04 Dec 12, 15:56
