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Airbus accelerates Dassault share disposal plan
Airbus Group has underscored its determination to divest its 46.3% stake in rival French airframer Dassault Aviation, as the reshaped company shrugs off the last vestiges of state control. Airbus has held the stake in Dassault – which makes both business jets and combat aircraft – since before its inception as EADS, as a legacy of the nationalisation of France's aerospace industry in the early 1980s. However, with its interest in the Eurofighter consortium, Airbus has frequently been in an awkward position where the Typhoon was pitched against the rival Dassault Rafale in fighter contests.
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Airbus First-Half Core Profit Up 10 Percent
Airbus Group on Wednesday reported first-half underlying operating profit up 10 percent and reaffirmed its forecasts for the year, seeking to dampen concerns about the health of the commercial airliner market. In the first half, core operating profit rose 9.6 percent to EUR€1.769 billion but this included a capital gain of EUR€60 million on the sale of its Paris headquarters building, following the move of its headquarters to Toulouse. Half-year revenues rose six percent to EUR€27.2 billion, led by increased deliveries of commercial jets and helicopters, but pared by a 1 percent fall in the military and space business, which is undergoing restructuring.
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Boeing to assemble 787-10 in South Carolina
Boeing will conduct final assembly of the 787-10 at its facility in North Charleston, South Carolina beginning in 2017. "We looked at all our options and found the most efficient and effective solution is to build the 787-10 at Boeing South Carolina," says Larry Loftis, vice president and general manager of the 787 programme. "This will allow us to balance 787 production across the North Charleston and Everett sites as we increase production rates. We're happy with our growth and success in South Carolina, and the continued success at both sites gives us confidence in our plan going forward." Design of the 787 family's largest variant is taking place at Boeing's faciliities in Everett, where the 787-8 and 787-9 are assembled.
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Boeing: U.S. keeping up with pilot demand
Boeing predicts that 533,000 new commercial airline pilots will be needed over the next 20 years, together with 584,000 technicians. With the growth, Boeing said the supply in the United States is "keeping up with demand."
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Boeing readies departure from Wichita, Kan., after 85 years
Boeing’s massive auction last week of thousands of items in three hangar bays was one of the final steps in closing the Wichita site and ending its more than 85-year history here. The final Air Force jet to receive maintenance at Boeing Wichita, an E-4B, flew out in June. Since then, a small crew has been working to tie up loose ends. Much of that will be finished by the end of this week, the company said. A small crew will stay on to maintain the sprawling facilities until the Boeing property is sold.
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Canadian airlines, pilots press for tough laws on laser pointers
Canada’s airlines and aviation organizations are pressing Ottawa to make shining a laser at an aircraft a criminal offence, warning that the threat is “too great to ignore.” In a joint letter to Transport Minister Lisa Raitt and Justice Minister Peter MacKay, aviation representatives say tough action is needed to stem what they call a “genuine and growing safety and security concern.” The June 20, 2014 letter is signed by the country’s largest airlines, including Westjet, Air Canada, Porter, Jazz and Air Transat, along with pilot unions and helicopter and general aviation associations, some 14 groups in all.
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Cabin redesigns on tap for 2018
Design firm Priestmangoode has revealed a new airline cabin design that features larger restrooms, less fuel consumption and more overhead bin space. The new design, dubbed E2, will be available starting in 2018.
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Ukraine presses for 20km safe-zone around MH17
Ukrainian authorities are trying to establish a 20km safe-zone around the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 to enable investigators to examine the Boeing 777’s wreckage. The zone is smaller than the 40km combat-free radius which Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko originally ordered on 21 July. That declaration has since been updated to refer to a zone 40km in diameter. Ukrainian deputy prime minister Vladimir Groisman, chairing the commission investigating the MH17 loss, says the country will not lead any military action within the 20km radius.
LinkAirlines
Alaska Airlines offers free cocktail invented by Seattle bartender
Alaska Airlines is offering travelers a free serving of a summer cocktail invented by Erik Chapman, a bartender at Sun Liquor Distillery in Seattle. The Ginger Sunrise is made of gin, orange juice and ginger ale in a variation of the classic Buck cocktail.
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Alitalia To Present Final Proposal To Etihad
Alitalia is working on a final proposal to present to Etihad on Thursday in a push to lock in an investment by the Abu Dhabi airline, a person close to Alitalia shareholders said on Wednesday. Underscoring the government's need to seal a deal, the transport minister, the prime minister's chief of staff, Alitalia's senior management and major shareholders including UniCredit met to discuss the issue on Wednesday at the prime minister's office in Rome. "Progress has been made, now we are working to prepare a response that Alitalia will give to Etihad tomorrow," the person close to the airline's shareholders said after the meeting.
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ANA beats ANZ to first 787-9 scheduled flight honor
All Nippon Airways (ANA) has set 7 August as the date it will begin operating the Boeing 787-9 aircraft on a regular, scheduled basis. By firming up the launch date, ANA has beaten Air New Zealand (ANZ) to the honour of operating the type’s first flight by two days. ANZ had earlier told Flightglobal that it planned to operate the aircraft between Auckland and Sydney from 9 August, on a “surprise and delight basis.” ANA will use the 787-9s on services from Tokyo Haneda to Fukuoka, Osaka Itami and Matsuyama, it says. In the next fiscal year, it will begin deploying the type on international services, which will replace the smaller 787-8s or larger sized aircraft.
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ANA, Boeing finalise $13 billion widebody order
All Nippon Airways (ANA) has finalised an order with Boeing for 40 widebody aircraft comprising 20 777-9Xs, 14 787-9s, and six 777-300ERs. The deal, originally announced as a commitment in March, is valued at $13 billion, says the US airframer. "The aircraft we have selected will enable us to modernize and expand our fleet further as we seek to become one of the world's leading airline groups," said Shinichiro Ito, president and CEO, ANA Holdings. "These new aircraft will give us maximum flexibility and improved fuel efficiency, and will allow us to meet the growth in demand, both internationally and in our domestic Japanese market.”
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Girls To Sue British Air Over Alleged Abuse By Pilot
Girls and young women who allege they were sexually abused by a British Airways pilot in African schools and orphanages plan to sue the airline, a law firm representing them said on Wednesday. Lawyers argue that BA should be held responsible for the actions of First Officer Simon Wood who carried out the alleged crimes during stopovers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Wood, 54, was found dead after being hit by a train in August 2013, two weeks before he was due in court on charges of indecent assault and making indecent photos of a child.
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Delta CEO offers advice for success
Richard Anderson, the CEO of Delta Air Lines, said his number one tip for success is learning when to say "no." He also advises people to read up on the industry, come to meetings prepared and stay on top of commitments.
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JetBlue CEO: Mint service could expand to Boston
David Barger, CEO of JetBlue Airways, said the carrier is considering adding its Mint premium seating to more flights. JetBlue could add its Mint cabin to flights from Boston to Los Angeles and San Francisco.
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Singapore Air's Q1 Profit Falls 52 Percent
Singapore Airlines reported a 52 percent fall in its first-quarter operating profit as intense competition for passengers and cargo squeezed yields at Asia's second-biggest airline. "Aggressive fares and capacity injections from competitors will continue to place pressure on yields," the airline said in a statement on Wednesday. Battling intense competition from Gulf and discount carriers, SIA chief executive Goh Choon Phong is pushing Singapore's premium airline into new markets including India, while increasing the group's exposure to the low-cost segment through its fully-owned subsidiary Scoot, and affiliate Tiger Airways.
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UPS updates 2014 earnings forecast
United Parcel Service revised its 2014 earnings forecast, predicting up to $5 earnings per share. UPS reported net income of $454 million for the second quarter, and also announced plans to spend $175 million to boost capacity before holiday deliveries begin around Thanksgiving.
LinkAirports
Portland airport to feature local dining fare
Officials at Oregon's Portland International Airport plan to give the facility a more local flavor by bringing in more Portland community businesses. "We want to give the best representation [of Portland] to give our passengers what they are looking for," said David Pfeiffer, senior manager of concession development at Port of Portland.
LinkRegulatory
IATA calls on governments to share information
The International Air Transport Association has asked the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization to push governments to share with airlines information that could help them make risk assessments. ICAO President Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu said the organization doesn't have much authority to compel members to share information. "We depend on the free will of the states," he said.
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Transparent Airfares Act passes House
The Transparent Airfares Act passed the House in a vote on Monday, and the bill that allows airlines to disclose the amount of taxes and fees included in airfare travels to the Senate. The "vote is welcome news for airline customers who deserve to know how much of their advertised ticket price is due to rapidly increasing federal taxes," said Nicholas Calio, president of Airlines For America. For a $300 ticket, A4A says almost 21% goes to taxes and fees imposed by the government.
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TSA holds contest for checkpoint queue design
The Transportation Security Administration needs your help. The organization that scans your bags and invariably yanks your spouse out of line for the hairy-eyeball treatment when you are late for a flight desires to do something about wait times. I’m presuming that the TSA wants to make the lines shorter. Maybe I should double check.
LinkMilitary
F-35B passes wet runway and crosswind tests
The Lockheed Martin F-35B has completed wet runway and crosswind testing, which comprised 37 missions over a 41 day period using aircraft BF-4. “This testing is absolutely critical to 2B flight software fleet release and the Marine Corps’ [initial operating capability],” says J.D. McFarlan, Lockheed Martin's vice president for F-35 Test & Verification. “Collectively, the results support clearing the 20 knot crosswind envelope for conventional take off & landings, short take offs, and short landings , with ideal handling quality ratings and meaningful improvement over legacy 4th generational fighter aircraft.”
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US Army qualifies AH-64E Apaches for deck landings
The US Army has achieved deck-landing qualification status for its Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters, following trials on board the US Navy amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu. The E-variant of the rotorcraft – assigned to the service's 1st Armed Reconnaissance Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment – qualified during the navy's Rim of the Pacific exercise off the coast of Hawaii on 19 July. The aircraft are normally based at Fort Carson, Colorado.
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Aviation Quote
This thing we call luck is merely professionalism and attention to detail, it's your awareness of everything that is going on around you, it's how well you know and understand your airplane and your own limitations. Luck is the sum total of your of abilities as an aviator. If you think your luck is running low, you'd better get busy and make some more. Work harder, Pay more attention. Study your NATOPS more. Do better preflights.
— Stephen Coonts, The Intruders.
On This Date
---In 1948…President Harry S. Truman formally dedicates Idlewild Field, aka New York International Airport (now known as John F. Kennedy International Airport). Along with the ceremonial opening (service actually began July 9th) comes the International Air Exposition, complete with an armada of over 1,000 planes, including bombers and other military aircraft. Over 100,000 spectators drove or took special LIRR trains to Aqueduct race track, where they could take a shuttle bus to the air field to view what is said to have been the greatest display of U.S. air power ever displayed up until that time.
---In 1964…Ranger 7 sends back the first ever close-up photographs of the moon, with images 1,000 times clearer than anything ever seen from earth-bound telescopes.
---In 1964… A. H. Parker sets a new sailplane distance record of 1,000 km (621 miles) in a Sisu-1A.
---In 1972…after 41 years in operation, Northeast Airlines completes its final day of service before being merged into Delta Air Lines the following day.
---In 1973…Delta Air Lines Flight 723, a DC-9-31 aircraft (reg. N975NE) acquired in the Northeast Airlines merger a year to the day earlier, crashes on approach to Boston Logan Airport (BOS), killing all but one of the 89 people on board. The lone survivor would succumb to his burns four months later.
---In 1981…The leader of Panama, Omar Torrijos, is killed in the crash of a DeHavilland Twin Otter at Amador near Panama City, Panama.
---In 1984…Venezuelan commandos storm an Aeropostal DC-9 on the ground in Curacao that had been hijacked after departing Caracas three days earlier. The hijackers, a Dominican and a Haitian who had demanded money, are both killed, and all 82 passengers are released unharmed.
---In 1991…The United States Senate passes an amendment to a military spending bill that would remove the ban that prevents women from flying combat aircraft. Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney does not oppose the change.
---In 1992…Thai Airways Flight 311, an Airbus A310-300, registration HS-TID crashes into a mountain while attempting to land at Kathmandu (KTM), killing all 113 on board. The accident is blamed on a combination of pilot error and an inexperienced air traffic controller.
---In 1992…China General Aviation Flight 7552, a Yakolev 42D, crashes shortly after takeoff from Nanking, killing 108 of the 126 people on board.
---In 1997…First flight of the Boeing 737-800.
---In 2002…First flight of the Boeing 747-400ER.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
Skydiving Lesson
One guy asked, "If our chute doesn't open, and the reserve doesn't open, how long do we have until we hit the ground?"
Our jump master looked at him and in perfect deadpan and answered, "The rest of your life."
Trivia
General Trivia
1. The phrase, “have numbers,” is used by pilots to advise ATC that they have the:
a. altimeter setting.
b. runway and approach in use.
c. current ATIS information.
d. runway in use, wind velocity and altimeter setting.
2. The typical price paid by the U.S. government for a new North American P–51D Mustang during World War II was:
a. $6,572.
b. $21,572.
c. $36,572.
d. $51,572.
3. Glenn Miller, famed American jazz musician, arranger, composer and band leader of the swing era, disappeared on December 15, 1944, during a flight from southern England to Paris where he was to entertain troops who had recently liberated the French capital. The airplane in which he disappeared was a:
a. Beech C–45 Expediter.
b. Noorduhn (Nordyne) UC–64 Norseman.
c. Westland Lysander Mk.1.
d. Stinson L–12 Reliant.
4. True or false; The first production airplane manufactured by North American Aviation was the T–6 Texan.
5. True or false; During an episode of Star Trek, Mr. Spock was seen using the iconic Dalton E6B computer to calculate precisely when the Enterprise would smash into a planet.
