NewsCommercial
Brazil jet crash probe finds errant cockpit voice recorder
The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the crashed Cessna 560 XLS+ in Brazil on 13 August has been found, but does not contain any recordings from its last flight, the Brazilian air force’s crash investigation center (CENIPA) says. The crash killed Brazilian presidential candidate Eduardo Campos, who was aboard the aircraft as it attempted to land in Santos in poor weather. It was not clear when exactly the last recordings found on the CVR were made. According to CENIPA, “the data on the CVR is just one of the elements that will be taken into consideration during the investigation, not being essential to the investigation of the contributing factors to the crash”.
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FAA Bars US Carriers From Flying Over Syria
The US Federal Aviation Administration has barred all American airlines from flying over Syria, saying the ongoing armed conflict and volatile security environment poses a "serious potential threat" to civil aircraft. "Due to the presence of anti-aircraft weapons among the extremist groups and ongoing fighting in various locations throughout Syria, there is a continuing significant potential threat to civil aviation operating in Syrian airspace," the agency said in a statement.
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Icelandic authority raises volcanic threat level
Icelandic authorities have raised a seismically-active volcano to the second-highest alert level on its aviation warning scale. Intense activity had been detected at the Bardarbunga volcano on 16 August and the Icelandic Meteorological Office says that this situation “persists”. It says there are “very strong indications of ongoing magma movement”. The Office adds that, at 02:37 on 18 August, it recorded the strongest earthquake measured in the region since 1996. “The situation is monitored closely,” it states.
LinkAirlines
Fernandes kiboshes AirAsia, Skymark bid reports
AirAsia group chief executive Tony Fernandes has denied that the Malaysian carrier is planning to launch a takeover offer for Japan’s Skymark Airlines. “AirAsia has no interest in Skymark in Japan,” Fernandes said on Twitter. “There have been no discussions with Skymark.” Earlier, Skymark’s share price soared following a report carried in Japan’s Nikkei Asian Review citing unnamed sources claiming that AirAsia was among parties interested in taking over the struggling Japanese carrier. Fernandes's tweet dismissed the report as "rubbish".
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Azul to revisit IPO as early as Q1 2015
Brazil's Azul could file again for an initial public offering (IPO) as early as in the first quarter of 2015, after it withdrew its IPO in August 2013. The airline is unlikely to file for an IPO later this year due to the elections in Brazil in October, Azul chief executive David Neeleman said. "There's a window that starts in December," he says, "It will most likely be sometime in the first quarter of next year."
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Delta to deploy Boeing 717s on New York-Boston route
Delta on Nov. 2 will move the New York operations of its Delta Shuttle from the Marine Air Terminal to Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport, solely for the New York-Boston route. Delta will upgrade the aircraft to Boeing 717 planes, which is part of a strategy to use bigger aircraft on more routes. Delta Shuttle flights from New York to Chicago and Washington Reagan will continue to operate from the Marine Air Terminal, flown on Embraer E-175 aircraft by Delta Connection partner Shuttle America. In 2012, Delta completed renovations to LaGuardia's Terminal C as part of a $160 million project to modernize and connect Terminals C and D. The carrier also opened its 7,600-square-foot Delta Sky Club, featuring a full wall of windows with runway views. Passengers also have access to five new restaurants, a food hall and fresh markets.
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Hawaiian hits revenue milestone for preferred seats
Hawaiian Airlines has posted record revenue from selling preferred seats, which offer extra legroom. "After posting our first million dollar month of preferred seat revenue in March, we surpassed that threshold in each month of the second quarter," said Peter Ingram, chief commercial officer at the carrier. "This performance has been enabled by selling preferred seat upgrades in advance starting late last year instead of only operating the product at check-in, and also expanding the sale of preferred seat upgrades to our Neighbor Island flights."
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Hawaiian Airlines to launch nonstop SFO-Maui service
Hawaiian Airlines has announced plans to begin nonstop flights between Maui and San Francisco on Nov. 20. The new service will begin as a four-times-weekly offering and increase to daily on Dec. 17. Hawaiian to debut nonstop service from Maui to SFO
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JetBlue to equip crew members with iPad minis
Cabin crew members on JetBlue flights will soon be getting iPad minis that will allow them to manage documents and make in-flight sales. The company plans to build on its new In-Flight Service Assistant application so that, in the near future, crew members will be able to identify special-needs customers and frequent fliers; communicate in other languages through a translation feature; and view passengers' history with the airline to improve and personalize service.
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Monarch Airlines To Become Low-Cost Carrier
British leisure airline Monarch is set to cut its workforce by a third with the closure of its charter operations as it moves to reinvent the carrier as a scheduled European budget carrier. Monarch, privately-owned by the Mantegazza family, said it would scrap its charter flights business to focus on the scheduled European market, repositioning itself as a smaller rival to Europe's biggest low-cost carriers Ryanair and easyJet. A source familiar with the situation said that Monarch could reduce its staff numbers by around a third, cutting 1,000 jobs, and reduce aircraft numbers to 30 from its current 42 as part of the plans. Monarch said it aims to complete its transformation to become a scheduled European low-cost carrier by the time a fleet of 30 Boeing 737 MAX 8s start entering service in 2018.
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Ryanair to accept PayPal payments
Irish budget carrier Ryanair is to allow customers to use PayPal accounts to pay for tickets. Ryanair marketing chief Kenny Jacobs says partnership with the online payment service provider is "the latest element of our 'Always Getting Better' program" and notes: "Millions of European consumers use PayPal on a daily basis." PayPal says it has 152 million active accounts.
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Southwest Airlines moves to new terminal at Love Field
Southwest Airlines bid adieu to its old terminal at Dallas Love Field last week. "That was an old, antiquated area, so I don't think there's much nostalgia," said Richard West, a spokesman for Southwest. "It's being replaced by a really modern terminal." The new terminal features 20 gates, and Southwest will use 16 of the gates.
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Surf Air acquires up to 65 PC-12NGs for members only airline
US members-only VIP airline Surf Air has placed an order with Pilatus Aircraft for up to 65 PC-12NGs, which will be used to expand its coverage across the USA and help to satisfy customer demand for its programme. The deal includes 15 firm orders for the single-engined turboprop and options for another 50 – and is one of the largest single contracts for the eight-seat type to date. Surf Air has financed the purchase through a $65 million loan from San Francisco investment firm White Oak Global Advisors, with the new aircraft used as security, Surf Air has also raised another $8 million from new and existing equity investors. The Santa Monica-based company was launched 14 months ago with three seven-seat pre-owned PC-12s. It is offering its members an all-you-can-fly service to a range of secondary airports across California, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, for a monthly membership fee
LinkAirports
MIA customs operations return to normal following computer glitch
It was a bad night Sunday at Miami International Airport. First, a computer failure in the passport-control system forced hundreds of international travelers to wait much longer than usual, creating lines that snaked back far beyond the entry hall. And then, the lights went out — outside, on the runways. “There are lights out that are affecting a couple of the runways,” said Greg Chin, MIA’s communications director. “It’s affecting two runways.”
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Tampa airport speeds up customs with passport kiosks
International travelers arriving at Tampa International Airport will soon have the option of speeding their trips through customs by using automated passport kiosks. Travelers don't need to sign up for a program to take advantage of the convenience, which is free to use.
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7 airports with amenities customers value
TravelAge West lists the 7 best airports in the world and details the amenities many passengers enjoy. Among those leading the pack: Singapore's Changi Airport, which offers nature trails and a rooftop pool; Amsterdam's Schipol Airport, which boasts the world's first airport library; and Vancouver International Airport, whose International Terminal has a large aquarium and multilingual guides who can help you explore it.
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Australia considering more C-17s, KC-30 tankers
Australian defence minister Senator David Johnston has hinted that his government is considering acquiring additional Airbus Defence & Space KC-30/A330 multirole tanker transports (MRTTs) and Boeing C-17 strategic transports as part of a Defence White Paper currently in development. Speaking to media on an MRTT flight during the multinational Exercise Pitch Black on 14 August, Johnston said: “When you get good service from a platform it prompts you to say: ‘why don’t you get some more?’ [The KC-30] allows us to go anywhere in our region and far and away beyond that.”
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Thai Air Force Deploys Grippens On Foreign Exercise
The Thai air force has deployed its Saab JAS-39C/D Gripens to Darwin in northern Australia for Exercise Pitch Black 2014 (PB14), the type’s first overseas exercise deployment by Thailand. The Thai air force has previously deployed its General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs to Pitch Black since it first started attending the biennial exercise in 2004. The Gripen entered Thai service in 2011, and since then Thailand had only displayed the aircraft at the LIMA defence show in Malaysia, and the BRIDEX defence show in Brunei.
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USAF modifies Block 30 Global Hawk contract
Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract modification worth over $240 million to complete a deal to provide the US Air Force with three more Block 30M RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned air vehicles. Each of the high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft will be equipped with an enhanced integrated sensor suite and airborne signals intelligence payload (ASIP), “plus two additional ASIP sensors as retrofit kits”, the US Department of Defense says.
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Aviation Quote
Don't be a show-off. Never be too proud to turn back. There are old pilots and bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots.
— E. Hamilton Lee, 'Ham' Lee began his long and distinguished career as an instructor pilot during World War I. After leaving the Army Air Corps, he flew the airmail for United Air Services, later United Airlines. The —old pilots, bold pilots— statement was made on his retirement from United Air Lines in 1949. 'Ham' Lee did indeed become an old pilot. On his 100th birthday he fly a restored United Airlines DC-3.
On This Date
--- In 1871... Orville Wright is born in Dayton, Ohio. He is co-inventor, with his brother Wilbur, of the first airplane to achieve powered, sustained, and controlled flight and the first fully practical powered airplane. Orville piloted the famous first flight at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina after winning a coin flip against his brother.
--- In 1911... British naval officer Comdr. Charles R. Samson sets a new British endurance record of 4 hours, 58 minutes, 30 seconds. The Short S.38 biplane has special tanks allowing sufficient fuel for more than 4 hours flying.
--- In 1919... A Curtiss 18-T flown by Curtiss test pilot Roland Rholfs establishes a new world speed record of 163 mph carrying a load of 1,076 lbs.
--- In 1929... The first metal airship built for the U.S. Navy makes its first flight. The ZMC-2 is a 22,600 cu. ft. helium balloon supported by transverse metal frames and longitudinal stiffeners with a thin metal covering forming the outer skin.
---In 1969…Embraer is founded by Brazil’s Ministry of Aeronautics.
In 1980…Saudia Flight 163, a Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar, burns at Riyadh, killing all 301 on board. The plane had actually made a safe emergency landing after the crew received indications of a fire in the cargo compartment, but a delay by the crew in evacuating the plane, combined with the emergency service’s inability to open the doors for a long period of time, caused the passengers and crew to die of burns and smoke inhalation.
---In 1981…Two United States Navy F-14 Tomcats shoot down two Sukhoi Su-22s of the Libyan Air Force over the Gulf of Sidra.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
The Test Hop
Big Iron Engine and Airplane Company announced the first flight of the new Razzle 200 airliner. Chief test pilot Frank Lee Candid emerged from the cockpit shaken, dripping with sweat. He tried to muster a smile for the cameras and blurted out, "Damn, I'm happy to be alive." Regaining his composure, he said the airplane flew "well, and the test was nearly according to plan." The only deviations from expected flight test results were a few cases of high speed flutter and one brief but violent control hard-over, responsible for the highly theatrical snap roll seen on short final. Henri Flaque, company press agent, noted that the snap roll showed the inherent strength of the Razzle 200 airframe, holding together despite the 30% corkscrew twist of the empennage. Aircraft systems performed "nearly flawlessly," Candid said. The sole problem was in a landing gear actuator which began an uncommanded gear retraction during what was supposed to be a simple high speed taxi run. When the gear left the runway of its own accord, Candid said he was glad for the opportunity to check out the 200's handling. The approach was delayed briefly while the landing gear extended and retracted itself a number of times until the hydraulic power unit burned out, fortunately with the gear in a generally "down" position. The new Thruster KY-20 turbofan was praised for retaining most of its parts during the test flight. "That's one rugged engine," Flaque said. Candid noted the fuel consumption was "frightening", adding that checks were being made to assure that the fuel did flow through the engine and not out of a large hole in the tank. Smoke emissions were said to be well below Pittsburgh Valley standards. Several questions to Candid had to be repeated at a louder volume, a problem Candid laughingly dismissed to a minor, temporary deafness caused by some "harmonic resonances and vibrations" experienced in the cockpit. A slight window seal leak which sucked the cigarettes out of his shirt pocket was the only other cockpit environment problem. Candid, apparently thinking about his experiences, was still chuckling under his breath, slowly and quietly, when asked whether he had considered using the ejection seat, specially installed for the test program. he seemed at that moment to remember the ejection handle still in his rigidly clenched left hand, a few multicolored wires dangling >From the end. Smiling sickly, he held it up for all to see, his hand trembling from the muscle tension. "Guess I'm lucky this baby didn't fire," he admitted.
"We made the parachute, too."
Trivia
General Trivia
1. 1. The Douglas DC-3 has been known as the Gooney Bird, Old Methuselah, the Dizzy Three, the Placid Plodder, and other nicknames. It also has been called the Dakota (primarily by the British). What is the origin of that name?
2. True or False; The Wright brothers made their first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903.
3. The Lomcevak, which loosely translated from Czechoslovakian means headache or hangover, is an aerobatic maneuver during which the airplane tumbles head over heels about the pitch (lateral) axis while moving in a lateral direction. How does a pilot execute such a maneuver?
4. How many beds are aboard a Boeing 747 built to be used as Air Force One?
5. The first airplane used by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the 3600th Air Demonstration Unit, was the
A. F-84F Thunderstreak.
B. F-84G Thunderjet.
C. F-86 Sabre.
D. F-100 Super Sabre.
6. Where did the first air traffic controller work, and how did he control traffic?
