EASA approves higher-weight A330-300 Airbus has secured European certification for the higher-weight version of its A330-300, powered by General Electric CF6 engines. The European Aviation Safety Agency has approved the 242t variant of the twinjet, on which the re-engined A330neo will be based. Eleven customers have opted for the higher-weight version as part of their A330 orders. Airbus says the aircraft underwent a 100h flight-test program involving two airframes - MSN871 and MSN1628 - before obtaining EASA certification. It adds that US FAA approval is "expected soon". Link
Boeing, Air India celebrate 20th 787 Dreamliner Boeing and Air India celebrated the airline's milestone delivery of its 20th 787 Dreamliner from Boeing's final assembly facility in North Charleston, S.C. "Taking delivery of our 20th 787 Dreamliner marks an important day for Air India," said Rohit Nandan, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India. "With this airplane we are building on the success of our other 787s, which are providing an exceptional experience to our passengers while allowing us to expand our network both within India and around the world." Link
Airlines
Alaska to offer Mexico service from Orange County, Calif. In yet another sign of Los Cabos, Mexico's miraculous rebound in the wake of devastation brought on by Hurricane Odile just six months ago, Alaska Airlines is set to launch nonstop service from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, to the popular resort city. Link
American broadens codeshare with Virgin Islands carrier American Airlines has expanded its codeshare with Seaborne Airlines, based in the Virgin Islands. Travelers on Seaborne can now receive AAdvantage miles for inter-island flights and travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Link
American to add seasonal destinations from Philadelphia American Airlines over the weekend resumed nonstop services to a handful of locations and added a new daily service from the Philadelphia International Airport. On Saturday, seasonal, daily nonstop transatlantic services to Barcelona, Spain, Lisbon, Portugal, and Venice, Italy, resumed from PHL. Link
Delta to offer pet trackers Delta Air Lines will offer pet trackers that will allow owners to check the temperature around their pets and see how their crates are positioned. Link
Germanwings Disaster Will Not Affect LCC Image - easyJet The disaster at budget airline Germanwings will not harm the image of low-cost air travel in Europe, easyJet chief executive Carolyn McCall said. Airlines across the world were left reeling after investigators said they believed the co-pilot of a Germanwings flight locked himself alone in the cockpit and deliberately steered it into a mountain, killing everyone on board. Germanwings, founded in 2002 as a budget carrier, was acquired by Lufthansa in 2009, with the parent company expanding it into its main short-haul operator to battle competition from low-cost carriers such as easyJet and Ryanair. Link
Hawaiian to use WxOps software for data transmission Everybody has been talking about it for years, and now it is finally starting to happen. It, here, means connecting aircraft in flight with the ground in a truly robust fashion, enabling the massive amounts of data modern aircraft can generate to reach the ground in time to improve operations and assist timely maintenance decisions; for instance, by pre-positioning skilled mechanics, materials and tools at the gate before landing. Link
Lufthansa CEO Ignores Questions On Pilot's Depression Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr declined to answer a barrage of questions on what the airline knew of the mental health problems of NAME REDACTED, the pilot believed to have deliberately crashed a plane in the French Alps last week. The German carrier said on Tuesday it had uncovered emails showing that NAME REDACTED, who flew for Lufthansa's budget airline Germanwings, had told its flight school that he had suffered a period of severe depression. Link
Lufthansa Flight School Knew Of Pilot's Depression Germanwings pilot NAME REDACTED told officials at a Lufthansa training school in 2009 that he had gone through a period of severe depression, the airline said. The statement is potentially damaging for the airline and its chief executive Carsten Spohr, who told reporters last week that the carrier knew of no reason why 27-year-old NAME REDACTED might deliberately crash a plane. The fact that Lufthansa managers were aware that NAME REDACTEDsuffered from depression raises questions about its screening process for pilots as it faces the threat of legal action from relatives of the victims. Link
Airports
Chicago, SFO top the list for best airport playgrounds Several U.S. airports have installed playgrounds to keep children occupied while waiting for flights. In a recent ranking of the top five airport playgrounds, Chicago O'Hare Airport and San Francisco International Airport received top marks for their playgrounds and other child-friendly amenities. Link
US Airways serves more passengers at Ohio airport US Airways reported 5.9% growth in passenger traffic at Dayton International Airport in Ohio during February. The carrier served 16,150 passengers during the month. Link
Houston airport system requests reimbursement The Houston Airport System has asked the City Council to approve $121 million in reimbursements to United Airlines as part of an agreement to help with the rebuilding of Bush Intercontinental's international terminal. Link
Pittsburgh airport update will spare Parisian arrivals extra screening Renovations at Pittsburgh International Airport will allow travelers arriving from Paris to collect their bags and exit the airport without re-entering the terminal. Link
Space
NASA details concrete steps on 'Journey to Mars' NASA this month has taken two more steps in fleshing out its vision for space exploration through the mid-2030s, outlining its midterm plan for asteroid study and selecting commercial partners to devise key technologies to enable astronauts to survive for extended periods in deep space – ultimately as far as Mars. Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) are, initially, 12-month contracts for work on advanced propulsion, habitation and small satellite technologies. The dozen companies chosen include big names such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Orbital ATK, but also small players such as Morehead State University in Kentucky. Link
Regulatory
Delta, Aeromexico seek antitrust immunity for new partnership Skyteam alliance members Delta Air Lines and Grupo Aeromexico have applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation for antitrust immunity. The carriers want to align their networks and scheduling. "Approval of antitrust immunity will allow travelers to fully benefit from all the aspects of a future Delta-Aeromexico joint venture, including the combination of two complementary networks," said Delta Air Lines President Ed Bastian. Link
Japan Gives Thai Carriers Temporary Reprieve Japan's civil aviation agency has lifted a charter flight ban for Thai-registered airliners during April and May to help ease the impact on passengers, Thai transport minister Air Chief Marshall Prajin Juntong said. Japan and Thai authorities will on Thursday sign a memorandum of understanding on the suspension, on the condition that there will be stricter inspections of aircraft and flight schedules, Prajin told reporters. Nearly 120,000 people wanting to travel to Japan were expected to be affected by the flight bans, a Thai official said. Link
Aviation Quote
It is not enough to just ride this earth. You have to aim higher, try to take off, even fly. It is our duty.
— Jose Yacopi, Argentine Luthier.
On This Date
---In 1794... The world’s first air force, the Aerostatic Corps of the Artillery Service is formed in France following a demonstration ascent from the gardens of the Chalais-Meudon on the outskirts of Paris in the hydrogen balloon L’Entreprenant, the first used for military tests.
---In 1845… H L Fizeau and J Leon Foucault take 1st photo of Sun.
---In 1937... Swedish airplane manufacturer Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (SAAB) is established in Trollhättan, Sweden.
---In 1958… National Advisory Council on Aeronautics renamed NASA.
---In 1963… Luna 4 - USSR Lunar Probe launched. Lunar 4 was intended to be a lunar lander but missed the Moon. It is now in an Earth Moon orbit.
---In 1964… Zond 1 - USSR Venus Flyby launched. Communication lost en route; now in a solar orbit.
---In 1966… Soviet Union's Luna 10 becomes 1st spacecraft to orbit Moon.
---In 1982... The Falklands War begins as Argentina invades the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island.
---In 1986…A bomb planted by a Palestinian terrorist group explodes aboard a TWA Boeing 727 on a flight between Rome and Athens. Four passengers are killed and nine more injured, but the aircraft lands safely.
---In 1987… A Royal Air Force Vickers VC-10 sets a new record time between the United Kingdom and Australia, landing in Perth, Australia, after a flight of 16 hours 1 minute.
---In 1992… Space Shuttle STS-45, Atlantis 11, lands.
---In 1993…First flight of the Fokker F70.
---In 1997... A Boeing 777, powered by twin Rolls-Royce Trent 892 turbofans, returns to Seattle to set a new Eastbound speed around the world record of 553 mph. En route, the twinjet sets a Great Circle distance without landing record of 12,455.34 miles when flying from Seattle to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
---In 2012…UTair Flight 120, a twin-engine UTair Aviation ATR-72-201, crashes in western Siberia near the city of Tyumen shortly after takeoff from Roschino International Airport, killing 31 of the 43 people on board and critically injuring all 12 survivors.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
[quote]Trivia
General Trivia
1. “I apparently was the first to pilot a heavier-than-air aircraft in controlled flight. I also was first to use the term, ‘aero plane,’ and even wrote a small book with that title. I died following a crash in an aircraft of my design, and my last words were, ‘How is the machine?’ Who am I?”
2. True or False? A pilot is about to land an airplane with the right landing-gear leg and nosewheel extended but with the left landing-gear leg stuck in its well. The ailerons are equipped with conventional trim tabs that are controllable from the cockpit. During landing and rollout, the right aileron tab should be deflected fully downward.
3. Why did some airmen training at Midland, Texas, during World War II have a higher incidence of black eyes than airmen training elsewhere?
4. How can you tell the difference between a U.S. Naval aviator and a traditional Naval officer who does not fly simply by looking at their feet?
5. A pilot wants to fly a perfectly rectangular pattern while in the left traffic pattern for Runway 36 when the wind is strong and from the northeast. This requires that the radius of all turns be the same with respect to the ground. Assuming a constant airspeed throughout the pattern, the most steeply banked turn will be required when turning from a. base to final. b. crosswind to downwind. c. downwind to base. d. upwind to crosswind.
6. True or False: Most of the American aircraft that took off from Oahu during the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor were shot down.
7. True or False: It is legal for a VFR-only pilot to fly extended distances in a small airplane above a solid undercast with no more than the instruments required for VFR flight.
8. Who was the first woman in the United States to become a licensed glider pilot?
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
