NewsCommercial News
Airbus expects to sell some of A350 test fleet
Airbus expects eventually to sell part of the A350-900 test fleet to customers, although it has not indicated how many of the five jets could be transferred. The airframer is aiming for A350 certification in the third quarter and is preparing to introduce the final test aircraft, MSN5, to the program. MSN5 will have a full cabin fit and be used for route proving. One other A350, MSN2, is cabin-fitted while MSN1 and MSN3 have undertaken much of the heavy development testing.
Link
Smoke At Chicago-Area ATC Cancels Hundreds Of Flights
Smoke at an Illinois flight control facility halted air traffic at Chicago airports for about three hours on Tuesday and forced hundreds of flights to be cancelled. Traffic was halted at O'Hare and Midway airports after workers were forced to clear the Federal Aviation Administration flight approach control center in the Chicago suburb of Elgin at 11:30 am local time, an FAA spokesman said. The smoke was caused by a faulty motor in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, but there was no fire, an FAA spokesman said.
Link
Industry To Work On Flight Tracking Ahead Of UN Rules
The ICAO, the UN aviation agency on Tuesday said that the industry would voluntarily begin to improve aircraft tracking while the agency develops mandatory standards for tracking following the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. But the International Civil Aviation Organization gave no firm timeline for when those binding standards would go into effect, reflecting the challenge of reaching an agreement with industry and governments around the world on a longstanding problem. "A standard takes longer, it takes time. The process of cooperation is long but it's important," said Nancy Graham, director of ICAO's Air Navigation Bureau, at a press conference.
Link
SeaTac Jetway Fails As Passengers Exit Plane
A jetway collapsed on Tuesday at Seattle-Tacoma Airport as passengers were exiting a Southwest Airlines flight from Phoenix, but no one was injured in the incident, an airport spokeswoman said. About half the passengers had exited the aircraft, which was scheduled to continue on to Chicago's Midway Airport, when the jetway fell six feet to the ground, according to airport spokeswoman Christina Faine.
Link
Emirates Interested In Lufthansa Catering Business
Emirates' ground services unit Dnata is "very interested" in acquiring LSG Sky Chefs, the world's largest in-flight catering business, from Lufthansa if it is put up for sale again, Dnata's president said on Tuesday. Lufthansa had put LSG Sky Chefs up for sale in 2012 but then abandoned the plans. "They have said they are not ready to sell," Gary Chapman,told reporters. "But there's a change in the leadership at Lufthansa and maybe that would change the approach." Carsten Spohr took over as chairman and chief executive at Lufthansa at the beginning of May, stepping up from heading the passenger airlines division to lead the battle against low-cost carriers and fast-growing Gulf airlines.
Link
Jiuyuan Airlines commits to 50 737s
China's Jiuyuan Airlines has committed to 50 Boeing 737 aircraft, including the re-engined variant, as it prepares to launch operations later this year. The upcoming low-cost carrier, to be based in Guangzhou, is a subsidiary of Juneyao Airlines. No financial details of the deal or its delivery schedule are available. It is understood that the commitment still has to be approved by the Chinese regulator.
Link
Beijing Plans New USD$14 Billion Airport
Beijing plans to build a new CNY86 billion yuan (USD$14 billion) airport to the south of the Chinese capital as congestion continues to clog runways and gates at Beijing Capital Airport. The new facility, which will border on Hebei province, is planned to handle 72 million passengers and 2 million tons of cargo annually, according to a document posted on the website of the Ministry of Environmental Protection late last week. Beijing's Capital Airport, which was built in 1958, is already operating beyond its designed capacity of 80 million passengers per year. In 2013, the airport handled 83 million visitors.
Link
American shares soar 5 months after merger
The merger between American Airlines and US Airways has led to a successful turnaround at the carrier. Five months after the merger was completed, shares of American Airlines Group are trading at 40% more than the day the merger concluded. "In the long term, this strong domestic network will catalyze American's international growth as the domestic network feeds in to the international network. The carrier already has the largest network of any U.S. carrier in Latin America," writes the Trefis Team.
Link
Alaska to buy back $650 million of common stock
Alaska Air Group plans to repurchase $650 million of its common stock, or around 10% of its market capitalization. "Air Group intends to finance the dividend and stock repurchases with cash on hand and cash flow from operations," said Brandon Pedersen, CFO for Alaska. "Air Group will maintain its strong cash and liquidity position and low leverage as we return capital to our owners."
Link
Hawaiian Airlines passenger traffic rose for April
Hawaiian Airlines carried 1.5% more passengers in April on a year-over-year basis. The carrier transported more than 785,000 passengers during the month.
Link
Airlines stream in-flight entertainment options to passengers' own devices
Airlines are increasingly allowing passengers to tap into in-flight entertainment options and bypass seatback screens by streaming selected content to their personal electronic devices. "Many airlines are rolling out this 'from the Netflix server on the plane to your device via Wi-Fi' option for passengers," said John Walton, director of data for Routehappy.
Link
SFO to close 2 runways for safety project
San Francisco airport is gearing up for its busy summer season — with one major twist. Two of the four runways at San Francisco International Airport will be closed beginning May 17 to complete a federally-mandated safety project. Will this mean runway chaos? No, said SFO officials. They have in place “several mitigations that we feel will minimize the potential for construction-related delays,” said Doug Yakel, the airport’s spokesperson.
Link
Seattle airport jetway drops as people exit flight
A jet bridge dropped several feet Tuesday as passengers were exiting a Southwest Airlines flight at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, but no one was injured, officials said.
The end of the walkway, where it would have been attached to the plane, fell 6 to 8 feet, said airport spokeswoman Christina Faine. It was unclear how many passengers might have been on it at the time. About half of the passengers — 60 people — had left the plane, she said.
Link
Spirit AeroSystems lays off Kinston workers as A350 work shifts
Spirit AeroSystems Inc. has laid off some salaried employees at its plant in Kinston, N.C. as work there on the Airbus A350 begins to transition from development to production.
Link
Flights cancelled, delays reported at O’Hare, Midway after ground stoppage
A very small amount of flights are getting in and out while others remain grounded, according to an American Airlines spokesperson.
Due to the one hour grounding, O’Hare is experiencing major delays.
Earlier, all inbound and outbound flights were halted at O’Hare and Midway after reports of smoke at the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) center in Elgin
LinkMilitary News
Pakistan could take additional Jordanian F-16s
Pakistan could acquire more Jordanian Lockheed Martin F-16 A/B Block 15 aircraft, as it prepares to receive the final two examples of the current deal for 13 aircraft. An air force spokesman says the number of F-16’s could increase, but did not provide specific numbers. From late April, Pakistan has received 11 former Jordanian F-16s. The arrival of the last two aircraft is expected soon, says the spokesman.
Link
BAE awarded funds for Seoul F-16 upgrade work
The US Air Force has awarded BAE Systems a $140 million contract related to the upgrade of 134 Lockheed Martin F-16 C/Ds operated by South Korea. “This award is for initial development and long lead production for the program,” says the US Department of Defense (DoD). “The full program will be added in to this undefinitized contract action in fourth quarter 2014, and a modification will be done at that time to increase the scope of work to the full program.” The initial work related to the upgrade will be undertaken in Fort Worth, Texas.
Link
Australia eyes $534 million Sidewinder buy
The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified congress of a $534 million deal for Australia to obtain up to 350 Raytheon AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missiles. The prospective deal includes the missiles, 35 AIM-9X speical air training missilles, 95 captive air training missiles, as well as other equipment related to the acquistion, says the DSCA. It also includes technical documents and training.
Link
US approves $790 million light attack aircraft deal for Iraq
The US state department has approved the possible sale of 24 Beechcraft AT-6C Texan II basic trainer/light attack aircraft to Iraq. The deal is valued at $790 million and includes spare parts, training, and logistics, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) statement. The proposed deal would be conducted through the US Foreign Military Sales mechanism. The AT-6C proposal makes no mention of weapons, but includes “two spare [BAE Systems] ALE-47 counter-measure dispensing systems and two spare [ATK] AAR-47 missile launch detection systems,” suggesting the aircraft will also be deployed in a light attack role.
Link
Belgium seeks F-16 software upgrade
Belgium has requested a new software upgrade to enhance the capabilities of its Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs. Worth a potential $113 million, the proposed Foreign Military Sales deal with the US government would provide Brussels’ Block 15, Mid-Life Upgrade-standard aircraft with enhanced operational flight programme software, Washington’s Defense Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA) says. The modification package would also introduce new GPS/INS navigation and communications equipment.
Link
Sen. Levin: House Panel's A-10 Plan Not 'Legitimate'
The US Senate Armed Services Committee will reject a plan approved by its House counterpart to use emergency funding to keep alive the A-10 attack plane.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., told reporters Tuesday that the House Armed Services Committee failed to offset its A-10 plan with a cut from another part of 2015 federal budget.
Link
Brazilian Air Force still negotiating Swedish fighter loan details
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) is scheduled to induct several Swedish Air Force Saab Gripen C/D combat aircraft as a temporary measure prior to the initial arrivals in 2018 of the 36 Gripen NG fighters the FAB is buying as part of F-X2 program
Link
Final Assembly of the First C-27J Spartan for the Fuerza Aerea del Peru' Started
The fuselage of the first C-27J for the Fuerza Aerea del Peru' has arrived at the Alenia Aermacchi Turin plant for final assembly.
Link
F-35 Flight Test Update 13
The previous F-35 Flight Test Update concluded with the first live guided missile launch from an F-35 on 30 October 2013. This first installment of 2014 and the thirteenth installment overall in the series of F-35 flight testing reviews presents a variety of subsequent weapon testing, including additional guided AIM-120 missile launches and guided GBU-32 drops for the F-35A, AIM-120 separation tests for the F-35C, and ten-weapon loads for the F-35A and F-35C.
LinkRotary Wing
Sikorsky to create autonomous Black Hawk
Having already controlled a flying UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter remotely by a pilot on the ground, Sikorsky will now sever the wireless tether and demonstrate a fully autonomous version of the medium-twin. Sikorsky has acquired a UH-60A to serve as a proof-of-concept demonstrator that a Black Hawk can take-off, fly and land under control of onboard computers and a newly-installed fly-by-wire flight control system. Meanwhile, the company is also prepared to begin production of the optionally piloted, autonomous Black Hawk system, says Samir Mehta, president of Sikorsky Defense Systems and Services. The company is in the process of selecting partners to develop the autonomous conversion of the Black Hawk, Mehta says, adding the company looks “forward to working with the Department of Defense and other customers to mature this concept and its associated operations”.
LinkCorporate
Falcon 7X sets transatlantic speed record
Dassault’s Falcon 7X has set a new transatlantic speed record, flying between Teterboro in the New York metropolitan area and London City airport at an average speed of Mach 0.88. The ultra-long-range business jet – serial number 207 – took off from Teterboro airport at 08:04 local time on 2 May with two pilots and three passengers aboard. The 7X touched down at London City 5h 54min later. For most of the 3,470nm (6,430km) trip the 7X cruised at M0.88, Dassault says. The record has been sent to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in Switzerland for ratification as an official world record.
Link
Aviation Quote
Any idiot can get an airplane off the ground, but an aviator earns his keep by bringing it back anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances that man and God can dream up.
— Walter Cunningham, 'The All-American Boys,' 1977.l
On This Date
---In 1908... The first passenger flies in an airplane. Wilbur Wright takes Charles W. Furnas of Dayton, Ohio on a 28 3/5 seconds flight that covers 600 meters at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.
---In 1909... Samuel Cody makes the first powered airplane flight of more than one mile in Britain. He flies the British Army Aeroplane No.1 from Laffans Planin to Danger Hill in Hampshire at average height of 30 ft.
---In 1915... The U.S. Navy contracts with the Connecticut Aircraft Company for its first airship.
---In 1949…Aerolineas Argentinas is founded.
---In 1961… AEC's Tory II-A-1 experimental powerplant for atmospheric ramjet vehicles underwent first power tests, a part of USAF Project Pluto.
---In 1992…Onur Air commences flight operations.
---In 2012…After aborting its landing at Jomsom Airport at Jomsom, Nepal, Agni Air Flight CHT, the Dornier Do 228 AG-CHT, strikes a hillside with its wing while attempting a go-around and crashes, killing 15 of the 21 people on board and injuring all six survivors.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
Fun Things to do in a Jump Plane
Blow your nose and offer to show the contents of your kleenex to other passengers.
Grimace painfully while smacking your forehead and muttering: "Shut up, dammit, all of you just shut UP!"
Whistle the first seven notes of "It's a Small World" incessantly.
Sell Girl Scout cookies.
Beat out bongo rifts on your helmet.
Unzip your jumpsuit part way, and while peering inside ask: "Got enough air in there?"
One word: Flatulence!
Frown and mutter "gotta go, gotta go" then sigh and say "oops!"
Show other passengers a wound and ask if it looks infected.
Holler "Chutes away!" whenever the plane hits turbulence.
Walk on with a cooler that says "human head" on the side.
Stare at another passenger for a while, then announce "You're one of THEM!" and move to the far corner of the plane.
Ask each passenger getting on if you can pull their silver handle for them.
Wear a puppet on your hand and talk to other passengers "through" it.
Look around and ask "is that your dytter?"
Say "Announcing the Xth Floor!" each 1000'.
Listen to the plane walls with a stethoscope.
Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers that this is your "personal space."
Ask the jumper next to you, "If you burn in into a forest, does it make a sound?".
Take a bite of a sandwich and ask another passenger: "Wanna see wha in muh mouf?"
Announce in a demonic voice: "I must find a more suitable host body."
Make explosion noises.
Stare at your thumb and say "I think it's getting larger."
Sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or "99 bottles of beer on the wall" in round.
After everyone has taken off their seatbelts, connect mismatching pairs in consideration of the next load.
Ask about the in-flight beverage choices, meal, and inflight movie. Insist that you were told a meal would be served when you purchased your ticket.
When jump run is announced, stand up and yell: "But I paid for a round trip ticket!"
Play "enie, menie, miny, moe" while pointing the shiny silver handles of nearby jumpers.
Hum Gregorian chants.
When someone is spotting, point toward the horizon and innocently ask "Is that Mexico?"
Moan, clutch your stomach, mutter "Oh damn, not motion sickness now." Then ask your neighbor if you can borrow his Factory Diver.
When boarding the plane ask if you can have emergency row seating.
After the first person exits, point out the door and exclaim "It's a bird, it's a plane, nah, just another f#$&in' toad."
Cough then mutter "Don't worry the doctor said it can only be spread through physical contact."
Pretend to pick lice out of your neighbors hair then eat them.
Theorize (incorrectly) on why airplanes and square parachutes actually fly.
Bow down and grovel before the local skygod.
Play rock, paper, scissors - if no one will join you, play against yourself using both hands.
Hand out labels that say "Plan B - Part 1" and "Plan B - Part 2" for everyone's cutaway and reserve handles.
Have the other jumpers get the attention of the jumper furthest from you then wave and smile broadly.
Turn to a student and say "Don't worry, the engine sounds _much_ better than it did yesterday."
Sing "Edelweiss".
Say to the jumper across from you, "All is in readiness, Comrade. This time we cannot fail!"
Pick your nose and then hold your finger up to another jumper and ask, "Booger?".
Tell the jumper next to you that skydiving is nothing compared the time when you were pinned down under a deadly hail of Jap fire.
Speak into your altimeter then hold it to your ear and nod your head.
Ask the other passengers in a thick German accent for their tickets.
Shift around as you sit and announce that thongs are overrated.
Talk about the parachute equipment you saw on the Home Shopping Channel.
Sing "Rawhide" as the plane accelerates to takeoff.
Start a petition demanding more altitude.
Repetitively ask, "Are we there yet?"
Tap furtively on the bulkhead and mutter, "Now where's that secret panel?"
Try to hypnotize the jumper across from you.
After you put your goggles on, act surprised, and say hello to the person across from you.
Give the jumper next to you a "Wet-Willy".
When the pilot announces jumprun advise the other jumpers to return their seats and tray tables to the full upright and locked position.
Bring your own joystick and pretend you're flying the plane.
Move your helmet past your neighbor's head and announce, "The Deathstar has cleared the planet".
According to the stories of one of the jet loads at Quincy a couple of years ago...
Solve quadratic equations aloud.
Trivia
WORLD AIRLINES
1. What is the oldest airline still operating under its original name?
KLM
Northwest Airlines
Deutsche Lufthansa
Qantas
2. What airline carried the most passengers in 2005?
British Airways
American Airlines
United Airlines
Japan Airlines
3. Which of these low-cost airlines is not based in India?
Air Blue
Go Air
SpiceJet
Paramount Airways
4. What colour is associated with EasyJet?
Dark Blue
Purple
Orange
Maroon
5. Which of these is not an international airline?
Continental Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Delta Air Lines
6. Which of these European Airlines is not operating?
SABENA
Air Dolomiti
Eurowings
Luxair
7. Which of these is a French airline?
GB Airways
Air Scotland
Brit Air
Aurigny Air Services
8. MALEV was the flag-carrier of what country?
Czech Republic
Lithuania
Iceland
Hungary
9. Which of these is not a Japanese Airline?
Skymark Airlines
All Nippon Airways
Asiana Airlines
Hokkaido International Airlines
10. Which of these is a Mexican Airline?
Aero California
Mesaba Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Chautauqua Airlines
