News
787 Grounding Raises FAA Questions - Congressman
Rick Larsen, the US congressman who has Boeing's biggest factory in his district, said on Wednesday at a hearing on the 787 Dreamliner that the grounding of the jet raised "legitimate questions" about whether the certification process of the Federal Aviation Administration worked as well as it should have. The FAA said it had improved methods used to test lithium-ion batteries after two overheated batteries, including one fire, caused regulators to ground the entire fleet of 50 jets in January.
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IATA Chief Calls For Greater Airline-Airport Co-operation
Growing international demand for air links will require greater co-operation between airlines and airports, according to Tony Tyler director general of the International Air Transport Association. He said that the two groups needed a unified agenda to meet the mutual challenges of growth and sustainability. Speaking at the Airports Council International in Europe World Annual Congress in Istanbul, he said: "Airports are airlines closest partners. Neither of us could exist without the other."
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EU To Impose Duty On Mideast Jet Fuel Imports
The European Union will impose a 4.7 percent duty on jet fuel imports from the Middle East starting next year, officials said on Wednesday, in a move that could significantly increase costs for the EU's embattled airlines. Last month, EU officials said jet fuel imports could dodge the new tariff thanks to a waiver known as airworthiness certificates or EASA Form 1 certificates. After reviewing the system, however, the officials concluded that jet fuel cannot benefit from the waiver, which applies mostly to aircraft parts. The new duty comes after the European Union removed the Gulf states from its generalized scheme of preferences (GSP), which offers preferential trade status to developing economies, because they are now classified as upper-middle income economies by the World Bank.
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Rolls-Royce Working On ANA 787 Engine Problem
Rolls-Royce said it was working with Japan's All Nippon Airways after the airline was forced to scrap a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight following an engine problem. The ANA flight from Ube in west Japan to Tokyo was cancelled after the right engine of the Boeing 787 failed to start. ANA's 787s are powered by Rolls' Trent 1000 engines.
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Qatar reveals first image of A380
Qatar Airways has released the first image of its structurally complete Airbus A380 on the manufacturer's Toulouse production line as the aircraft advances towards delivery next year. The Gulf carrier has firm and tentative commitments for a total of 13 superjumbos which will be configured in a three-class layout and are scheduled to enter service in the first half of 2014.
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Monarch could take CSeries as part of 62-aircraft order
UK leisure carrier Monarch Airlines is considering ordering the Bombardier CSeries as part of an expanded narrowbody refleeting programme that will now see aircraft arriving well into the next decade. Monarch is considering aircraft utilising new engine technology as well as current-generation products, and has invited Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier to submit proposals. “Five years ago we would have gone straight to Airbus and Boeing, but the CSeries is offering an attractive seat-mile cost, although smaller in size,” says Monarch financial director Robert Palmer. “If we select Bombardier, we will still have to place a large order with Airbus or Boeing,” he adds.
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Alaska CEO calls consolidation a positive but favors solo flight for carrier
Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air Group, said industry consolidation "has been a good thing." He added, "It will bring challenges for us as we sort out who's in what markets and where people's strengths are. But in general, we're optimistic." He also cited the benefits to functioning as a smaller carrier. "Being small does enable you to listen to your customers better, react a little bit more quickly, take care of your people, act more nimbly with ideas," he said. Tilden said Alaska Airlines wants to succeed as an independent company but benefits from partnerships with American and Delta.
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Boeing forecasts airlines will buy $4.8 trillion in jets over 20 years
Boeing released a demand forecast for jetliners that predicts airlines will purchase 35,280 jets valued at $4.8 trillion over the next 20 years. "Passenger traffic has been very resilient," said Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Every indicator that we see in the market says that demand is real and there's a need to increase production."
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Discussion around secondary cockpit barriers continues
Safety advocates are ramping up the pressure on airlines to finish closing one of the security holes that played a role in the Sept. 11 attacks: breachable cockpit doors. That may sound surprising, especially given how quickly the airlines — prodded by Congress — rushed after the tragedy to make doors stronger to withstand intruders, small arms fire and even some grenades. But reinforced cockpit doors work only when closed, and pilots sometimes open them mid-flight for restroom breaks and meals. And some airlines — especially United — have backslid on earlier promises to install secondary barriers that would block access when the doors are opened, according to safety advocates who include airline pilots and a Sept. 11 widow.
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Aviation Quote
If an elderly but distinguished scientist says that something is possible he is almost certainly right, but if he says that it is impossible he is very probably wrong.
— Arthur C. Clarke, in the 'New Yorker' magazine, 9 August 1969.
On This Date
--In 1916... The Zeppelin-Lindau Dornier Rs II hydroplane, piloted by Schröter and Schulte, succeeds in taking off from Lake Constance, Germany, and makes a four-minute flight.
---In 1942... The U.S. Navy makes its first operational test with Loran (long-range navigation) equipment with a receiver mounted in a K-2 airship on a flight from the Lakehurst, N.J. Naval Air Station.
---In 1962... Capt. Richard H. Coan, USAF, sets a new closed-circuit distance record for helicopters when he flies a Kaman H-43B Huskie a distance of 656.258 mi. This beats the previous record of 625.464 mi. set by a Soviet Mil Mi-1.
---In 1965…First flight of the Britten-Norman Islander.
---In 1980… The last produced Concorde (number 16) is delivered to British Airways.
---In 1983…Pioneer 10 crossed the orbit boundary of Pluto. Launched March 3, 1972, Pioneer 10 flew by Jupiter on December 1, 1973. It passed 132,250 kilometers from Jupiter's cloud tops. It returned over 500 images of Jupiter and its moons. Pioneer 10's greatest achievement was the data collected on Jupiter's magnetic field, trapped charged particles, and solar wind interactions. It has now left the solar system.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
Engine Blew Up
While cruising at 40,000 feet, the airplane shuddered and Mr. Benson looked out the window. “Good lord!” he screamed, “One of the engines just blew up!”
Other passengers left their seats and came running over. Suddenly the aircraft was rocked by a second blast as yet another engine exploded on the other side. The passengers were in a panic now, and even the stewardesses couldn't maintain order.
Just then, standing tall and smiling confidently, the pilot strode from the cockpit and assured everyone that there was nothing to worry about. His words and his demeanor made most of the passengers feel better, and they sat down as the pilot calmly walked to the door of the aircraft. There, he grabbed several packages from under the seats and began handing them to the flight attendants. Each crew member attatched the package to their backs.
“Say,” spoke up an alert passenger, “Aren't those parachutes?”
The pilot said they were. The passenger went on, “But I thought you said there was nothing to worry about?”
“There isn't,” replied the pilot as a third engine exploded. “We're going to get help.”
Trivia
Who am I?
Thanks to Queso for today’s trivia.
1. First flown in 2001, I am the longest airliner currently in production and I can seat 419 in my 2 class seating arrangement. Who am I?
2. I am very famous for the shark-toothed paint job that one group of my operators put onto my nose. Almost 14,000 of my type were built and operated by 28 different nations including the United States and the Soviet Union. I guest-starred in movies along side the likes of John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and John Belushi. Who am I?
3. I am a 2-seat, rag-and-tube plane first sold in 1964 who loves to fly upside-down and do loops and spins! In fact, my name is my primary reason for flying, (roughly) spelled backwards! Who am I?
4. I have been the King of the Skies for over 30 years, maintaining an air-superiority for the 4 countries who operate my type with an unmatched 104-to-0 kill ratio. One of my type once had an in-flight collision with another aircraft and it's skillful pilot safely landed the aircraft in spite of missing the entire right wing! Who am I?
5. I was the first (and perhaps only) aircraft to have flown with an operating nuclear reactor aboard. I was so heavy the designers went through several landing gear designs to help spread my tremendous weight across the tarmac. In fact, my payload was almost as much as the empty weight of one of the aircraft I replaced! And even though there were several innovative features included in my design such as my "pusher" engines and propellers, I was replaced in service by much faster aircraft after just a few years. Who am I?
6. Developed from a fighter jet design originally planned for Switzerland, my name is sometimes used synonymously as "business jet". I set the standard for small jets with two engines at the rear and a T-tail. Sleek and quite beautiful for the early 1960's era in which I was introduced, I could carry my 2 crew and 6 passengers up to 1,500 miles at well over 500 mph and up to 41,000 feet. The Argentine Air Force even used a couple of my type during the Falklands Island War to act as decoy strike aircraft sent to attack British ships! Who am I?
7. Operated by a tire and rubber company, I am 192 feet long, 59.5 feet tall, and 50 feet wide. I have a cruising speed of 35 mph in calm wind and I carry 6 passengers. You may have seen me circling major sporting events, and two of my type played a major role in the movie "Black Sunday". Who am I?
8. 7,000 of my type earned our keep transporting and evacuating troops in the jungles of Vietnam. We've served with every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, several civilian branches of government, as well as being dependable and reliable money-makers for civilian businesses in jobs such as spraying crops, moving logs and carrying oil workers to and from offshore platforms. My design was also modified by making it much slimmer and lighter to produce one of the most successful gunships ever created and it was named after a snake, even though I share a name with a Baby. Who am I?
9. I am the only commercially successful supersonic passenger aircraft ever produced (thus far). Who am I?
10. I am most successful mass produced light aircraft in history. My type was first flown in 1955 and is still in production. As of 2008, more than 43,000 of my type had been built. I have seats for 4 people and can do a reasonable job of carrying them 600 nm at a speed of about 120 knots. My high wing, tricycle landing gear, and fixed-pitch prop design features and reasonable acquisition and operating cost make me a popular choice as a training aircraft as well. Who am I?
