NewsGermanwings Flt 9525 Crash
Germanwings A320 left cruising altitude after 1min
Germanwings has disclosed that the Airbus A320 lost over the French Alps today initiated its descent about 1min after reaching its cruising altitude. The aircraft – en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf – had departed the Spanish city's El Prat airport at 10:01 local time. It reached its regular cruising altitude of 38,000ft at 10:45, but left that altitude around 1min later as it approached the French coast, said Germanwings chief executive Thomas Winkelmann at a press conference in Cologne today. He says the descent lasted around 8min before radar contact was lost at an altitude of approximately 6,000ft, above mountainous terrain in the French Alps.
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Search Begins For Clues To Germanwings Crash
French investigators will sift through wreckage on Wednesday for clues into why Germanwings flight 4U 9525 crashed into an Alpine mountainside, killing all 150 people on board including 16 schoolchildren returning from an exchange trip to Spain. The Airbus A320 was obliterated when it went down in a rugged area of ravines on Tuesday while flying over France en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf. No distress call was received from the aircraft, but France said one of the two flight recorders had been recovered from the site 2,000 meters (6,000 feet) above sea level.
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Background to Germanwings A320 accident
Based on the few facts known about the Germanwings Airbus A320 crash, it is a highly unusual event. For a modern short-haul airliner to develop – in the cruise phase of flight – problems the crew cannot deal with is almost unheard of. According to unofficial data from a flight-tracking service, the aircraft took off for its scheduled flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf in good weather just after 10:00 local time, took about 20min climbing to a cruise height of 38,000ft, where it levelled out for just 3 to 4min, and then entered a steady descent profile without altering its ground speed to any significant extent from the 420-450kt (780-830km/h) adopted in the cruise. It was not a dramatic descent, but was very steady all the way to impact. It also appears to have crashed quite close to its flight-planned track, so there was no sudden veer off course.
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Airbus details flight history of crashed A320
Airbus has disclosed that the Germanwings A320 involved in the accident in the French Alps had accumulated 58,300h. It confirms the airframe as MSN147, registered D-AIPX. The aircraft was originally delivered to Lufthansa, the parent of Germanwings, in 1991.
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No sign of survivors from A320 crash: Hollande
French president Francois Hollande has indicated that none of those on board a crashed Germanwings Airbus A320 survived the accident. In a formal statement Hollande said 148 had been on board the aircraft, which was flying from Barcelona to Dusseldorf.
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Lost A320 descended only minutes after reaching high cruise
Surveillance data from the Germanwings Airbus A320 lost over south-eastern France appears to indicate that the flight climbed to 38,000ft briefly before descending. The data, taken from automatic dependent surveillance transmissions, has not been officially verified. But it indicates that the aircraft reached the peak altitude over the Mediterranean Sea while operating the Barcelona-Dusseldorf route. It also suggests the aircraft maintained this height for only a few minutes before starting to descend as it approached the French coast near Marseille.
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Germanwings A320 reportedly crashes in Alps
French media are reporting that a Germanwings Airbus A320 has crashed in the Alps. The media, citing the French civil aviation administration DGAC, state that the aircraft had been en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf.
LinkCommercial
Airbus celebrates milestone delivery
Airbus marked the delivery of its 9,000th aircraft, an Airbus A321, this week.
LinkAirlines
Alaska highlights premium amenities in "Alaska Beyond" ad campaign
Alaska Airlines' latest marketing campaign "Alaska Beyond" sends the message that the airline will provide premium amenities at affordable prices. The airlines services include menus by chef Tom Douglas in addition to microbrews and select wines.
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FAA: American to use single operating certificate next month
The Federal Aviation Administration said it will give American Airlines and US Airways a single operating certificate next month. Beginning on April 8, all flights will operate under the AAL call sign. The two carriers merged in February 2013.
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American, US Airways to integrate pilot seniority lists
American Airlines and US Airways pilots will begin the process of integrating seniority lists this summer.
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American Airlines boosts service to London Heathrow
Second daily flights from Heathrow to Philadelphia and Los Angeles are being added by American Airlines from the end of the month. The new transatlantic services will run to the US east coast city of Philadelphia from March 30 and Los Angeles from March 29.
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Gol May Trim Capacity This Year - CEO
Brazilian airline Gol Linhas Aereas may revise down its outlook for stable seat capacity this year, chief executive Paulo Kakinoff told journalists at an industry event on Tuesday. The chief executive of rival Azul, Antonoaldo Neves, also said at the event that the carrier had cancelled plans to add extra flights to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in May.
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JetBlue reputation will continue with optional services
Last fall, JetBlue Airways told investors that it planned to boost profitability by adding baggage fees for the cheapest economy tickets and putting more seats on its 130 A320 airplanes. Critics immediately panned the move, warning that it would permanently damage JetBlue's reputation. However, JetBlue's strong brand will survive this transition period. In fact, the public relations hit may be very short-lived.
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ATSB investigating MAS A330 hard-landing in Melbourne
The Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating a "severe hard-landing" occurrence involving a Malaysian Airlines (MAS) Airbus A330 aircraft on 14 March. Bearing the registration 9M-MTA, the aircraft was on the Kuala Lumpur-Melbourne route when the incident happened at Melbourne Tullamarine airport.
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Southwest updates design of inflight snack packages
Last year, Southwest Airlines unveiled its plans for a branding refresh it calls Heart One. While the project has received significant attention, new images have surfaced that better highlight the typographic work done by Monotype Studio, including a proprietary typeface, Southwest Sans.
LinkAirports
Fla. airport sets new record for outbound passengers
Orlando International Airport in Florida set a new daily passenger record on Saturday with 71,500 outbound passengers. Airport officials credited the surge in passengers to spring break and 163 flights from Southwest Airlines.
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Ind. airport nears completion of runway expansion
Master plans for improvements at Northwest Indiana's two main airports have already taken flight. The $174.1 million runway expansion at Gary/Chicago International Airport is nearly complete, and a major project under Porter County Regional Airport's updated plan will start this summer. The Gary improvements, because of their cost and the airport's proximity to Chicago, have had the highest profile. After years of delays and setbacks the runway expansion is now set for completion this summer.
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Memphis, Tenn. airport ranked #1 for cell service
A ranking of airport cell service by RootMetrics put Tennessee's Memphis International at the top, followed by Pennsylvania's Pittsburgh International, Chicago's O'Hare International, Southwest Florida International and Texas' Dallas Love Field.
LinkMilitary
A330 flight control laws saved Voyager, inquiry finds
An in-flight mishap involving a Royal Air Force Airbus A330 Voyager en route to Afghanistan last year has been categorised as “an extremely serious near-miss” by the director general of the UK Military Aviation Authority (MAA), following the completion of a service inquiry. In an interim report published 12 months ago, the MAA said aircraft ZZ333 entered a steep dive from a cruise altitude of 33,000ft after its captain accidentally jammed a camera into his sidestick control as he moved his seat forwards.
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US Marines stick to F-35B dates despite new problems
The US Marine Corps has decided to stand-up the first operational F-35B squadron in July with known software, structural and logistical deficiencies that must be fixed later, says Lt Gen Chris Bogdan, executive officer of the joint program office. That decision means the first F-35B unit will achieve its initial operational capability milestone on time in the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2015, but with some operational restrictions, maintenance workarounds and the possibility of an internal redesign of a critical bulkhead, Bogdan says.
LinkRegulatory
Amazon Blasts FAA For Slow Drone Regulation
Amazon has blasted the FAA for being slow to approve commercial drone testing, saying the United States is falling behind other countries in the potentially lucrative area of unmanned aviation technology. Less than a week after the FAA gave Amazon the green light to test a delivery drone outdoors, the company said the prototype had already become obsolete while the company waited more than six months for the agency's permission. "We don't test it anymore. We've moved on to more advanced designs that we already are testing abroad," said Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president for global public policy.
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Australia May Reject Qantas, China Eastern Tie-Up
The Australian competition watchdog may reject a tie-up between Qantas and China Eastern, saying it would harm competition, in a potential embarrassment for Prime Minister Tony Abbott's efforts to boost trade with Beijing. In a draft decision, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it may refuse to approve the Qantas plan for a joint venture with China Eastern. It said the deal could give the pair undue control over the potentially lucrative Sydney-Shanghai route. The final ruling, after submissions by interested parties by April 5, may not just hamper Qantas' efforts to beef up international operations. Rejection of the deal sealed in conjunction with an Australia-China trade accord, could also be a setback for Canberra's drive to boost commerce with its biggest trading partner.
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Aviation Quote
Flying is like sex - I've never had all I wanted but occasionally I've had all I could stand.
— Stephen Coonts, The Cannibal Queen
On This Date
---In 1655…Christiaan Huygens discovers Titan, (Saturn's largest satellite).
---In 1857… Frederick Laggenheim takes 1st photo of a solar eclipse.
---In 1917... One of the greatest fighter pilots of WWI, Canada-born Lt. Col. William Avery Bishop, scores his first combat victory over an Albatros single-seat fighter while flying a Nieuport.
---In 1926... Willie Messerschmitt, a graduate of Munich Technical High School and already an experienced designer of light aircraft and sailplanes, forms the Messerschmitt Flugzeugbau G.m.b.H.
---In 1950…a Mandated Air Lines Lockheed 414-08 Hudson IVA crashes into a house while trying to make an emergency landing back at Law-Nadzab Airport in Papua New Guinea. After experiencing a failure of engine #1, and then had to execute a go-around because of traffic on the runway, and subsequently hit telephone wires. There was 1 survivor among the 3 aboard.
---In 1950…A Devlet Hava Yollari Douglas DC-3 (TC-BAL) catches fire while on approach to Ankara, Turkey. The crew became incapacitated and the aircraft fell short of the runway, resulting in the deaths of all 15 occupants.
---In 1954…Aeronaves de Mexico Douglas DC-3 (XA-GUN) crashes into Friar’s Peak while descending in Monterrey, Mexico, killing all 18 aboard.
---In 1955…First flight of the Ling-Temco-Vought XF-8A Crusader.
---In 1958…Braniff Airlines Douglas DC-7 (N5904) departs Miami, Florida, and tries to return to the airport after an fire on the #3 engine but doesn’t make it. Of the 24 on-board, 9 perish in a marsh.
---In 1960... The first NASA flight in the X-15 hypersonic research program gets under way when test pilot Joseph A. Walker makes the first of his flights in this aircraft.
---In 1961… Explorer 10 launched into elongated Earth orbit (177/181,000 km).
---In 1971…First flight of the Ilyushin Il-76 SSSR-86712.
---In 1978…Burma Airways Fokker F-27 Friendship (XY-ADK) crashes into a paddy field immediately after takeoff from Okaraba, Burma, killing all 48 on-board.
---In 1979…Qantas operates its last Boeing 707 on a flight from Auckland to Sydney, then becoming the only airline with an all-Boeing 747 fleet. This would hold until 1985 when they receive their first Boeing 767-200.
---In 1981…Piedmont Airlines announces an order for eight more Boeing 737s with options for 20 more, to begin delivery in 1982. The order makes their 737 fleet the largest in the world.
---In 1988… NASA launches space vehicle S-206.
---In 1992… Russian manned space craft TM-14, lands.
---In 1993... The first woman Concorde pilot makes her first flight as First Officer of the daily supersonic London-New York route. British-born, Barbara Harmer, is one of only 17 co-pilots in the British Airways Concorde fleet.
---In 1994…Aero Svit Ukranian Airlines is founded.
---In 2000…Uralex Antonov An-32 (D2-MAJ) crashes after experiencing a brake failure on takeoff after trying to avoid a hole on the runway. The aircraft loses control, hits another hole and breaks into two pieces. Of the 33 occupants, 3 are killed.
---In 2004…Air Holland ceases operations.
---In 2006…The Hyshot III scramjet engine designed to fly at 7-times the speed of sound, is tested successfully in South Australia.
---In 2008…Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 810, a Boeing 747-300 (TF-ARS) on wet-lease from Air Atlanta Icelandic catches fire on landing at Dhaka-Zia International Airport in Bangladesh. Though all 326 aboard escaped with their lives, the aircraft would be written off.
---In 2009…The September 2007 approval by the U.S. Department of Transportation for American Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and US Airways to begin service between and Beijing, China, or Shanghai, China, goes into effect.
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Trivia
. W.W. Windstaff was a fighter pilot for Great Britain during World War I. What did he say that is so well known that he is unwittingly quoted by almost every pilot?
2. What was Grumman’s first monoplane, and what was its first multiengine airplane?
3. What is a good reason to always leave the rotating beacon switch in the On position even when the airplane is parked, the master switch is off, and no one is in the airplane?
4. Just as B is the designation for Air Force bombers, RS is the designation for reconnaissance aircraft. Why, then, are the letters reversed in the designation of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, which also is a “recon” aircraft?
5. A pilot climbs into the cockpit of his airplane and has reason to believe that his manifold pressure gauge is in error. How can he determine the amount of instrument error, if any, without turning on the master switch or operating the engine?
6. Who were the Night Witches?
