NewsCommercial
Bombardier risks losing third-largest CSeries customer
Repeated delays and a new financing problem could drive Bombardier’s third-largest customer for the CSeries to cancel the order within a few months. Moscow-based lessor Ilyushin Finance Corporation (IFC) has decided to “re-evaluate all our options regarding our participation in this program,” director general Alexander Rubtsov says in an interview.
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Mitsubishi to delay MRJ first flight: report
Mitsubishi Aircraft will hold a press briefing on 10 April, which could see it announce yet another delay to its MRJ regional jet program. A Nikkei report says static strength tests on the MRJ airframe “have not proceeded as planned”, resulting in the need to push back the regional jet's first flight by a quarter to the third quarter of 2015. The report adds that the broader project remains on track, and that the first aircraft is still scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of 2017.
LinkAirlines
Dozens Of Flights Halted By French ATC Strike
Airlines cancelled dozens of flights in and out of France on Wednesday because of a two-day stoppage by air traffic controllers upset over work conditions and plans to raise their retirement age to 59 from 57. The French civil aviation authority (DGAC) said that one in two flights would be scrapped on Thursday, the second day of the strike. easyJet cancelled 118 flights to and from France on April 8 and apologized to passengers for a strike "outside of our control".
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American, US Airways fly as one carrier
American Airlines and US Airways will begin flying under a single operating certificate effective yesterday. The change means both carriers will use the call sign "American" when communicating with air traffic controllers. "Think of it as the ultimate enabler for integration," said Ed Bular, a senior vice president at American. "The rest of the airline really cannot integrate until the airline officially becomes one.
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American upgrades domestic dining for first-class passengers
Starting next month, American Airlines plans to enhance its meal offerings for first-class passengers on domestic flights. Longer flights will include salads as an entrée option, and shorter flights will feature plated snacks.
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FedEx makes progress on reducing aircraft emissions
FedEx saw its carbon emissions drop more than 20% in 2014 on a year-over-year basis, according to a company report. The company also eliminated 1.5% in aircraft emissions during the year. FedEx has established a goal of reducing its aircraft emissions by 30% in 2020 compared to 2005 levels.
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IATA expresses concerns on Germanwings investigation
IATA director general Tony Tyler has called for aircraft accident investigations to be conducted in a “non-punitive” manner, in the aftermath of a Germanwings Airbus A320 crash which was found to be intentionally caused by the flight’s co-pilot. The investigation into that crash has been “highly unusual”, Tyler tells reporters at an IATA press roundtable in Washington, DC. “It was a highly-public criminal investigation,” he says, noting that the aviation industry has long-established procedures related to investigating incidents.
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JAL debuts Apple Watch app
Early adopters of the Apple Watch will be able use it to check live flight-status updates from Japan Airlines. The carrier hired IBM to develop its "Countdown" app, which can also display the QR codes necessary to pass through security checkpoints.
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SAS offers virtual tours of refurbished cabins
SAS is showcasing its refurbished Airbus A330 and A340 widebodies by offering virtual cabin tours via Google Street View. Visitors to the Scandinavian airline group's website can pass through the economy, premium economy and business-class sections using Street View's standard navigational interface, which allows views from multiple angles and with adjustable levels of magnification.
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Southwest expansion is good news for investors
Southwest Airlines, traditionally known as a domestic low-cost carrier, now aims to tap into the international markets due to the saturation faced by the carrier in the domestic market. Following the successful integration of AirTran in 2014, Southwest is now geared up to establish its footprint in the international market such as Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
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United Airlines calls on passengers to "seize the journey" in latest ad
United Airlines' latest ad features the carrier's "seize the journey" tagline, highlighting the comfort and control passengers are afforded in-flight. Passenger amenities previewed in the ad include roomier Economy Plus seating, Wi-Fi, personal device entertainment, power ports and the United mobile application.
LinkAirports
Denver airport to add 10 more car-charging stations
Denver International Airport in Colorado will add 10 charging stations for electric vehicles at its public parking garages, doubling the number available for airport passengers' use. The charging stations will be free for anyone who has paid to park in the garages.
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Miami airport to expand number of passport kiosks
Miami International Airport plans to install more automated passport control kiosks to reduce wait times for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The airport will install 44 additional APC kiosks to bring the total number of kiosks to 80.
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Southwest to host party at Wis. airport to celebrate new flights
Southwest Airlines will host a Texas-style party at its ticket counter inside General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee on Wednesday to celebrate the airline’s new nonstop service to Dallas Love Field. The airline, which carries about 46 percent of all passenger traffic in and out of Mitchell, has its headquarters at Love, the smaller of the two Dallas airports.
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Phoenix airport holds classes for nervous fliers
Heidi Cattey first became scared of flying when she saw news reports of hijackers seizing planes in the 1980s. A decade later, she mistook vapor in the cabin of a flight in Texas for smoke from a fire, flipped out and hasn't flown since. "I just started screaming," Cattey said, blushing at the memory of scaring the other passengers. Last month's Germanwings disaster, in which the co-pilot is believed to have crashed the plane on purpose, killing 150 people, did not help matters.
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Military
Polish Radio Says Crew Distracted Before 2010 Crash
In the minutes before a 2010 plane crash that killed Poland's president, members of the president's entourage urged the crew to land despite thick fog, according to what a radio station said was a leaked transcript of cockpit conversations. In the transcript, the crew on several occasions ask people to be quiet or to leave the cockpit, and conversations suggest people in or around the cockpit were drinking beer, though there is no indication the crew themselves consumed alcohol.
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P&W to re-evaluate interim fix for F135 engine problem
An interim fix for a critical safety problem in the F135 engine for the Lockheed Martin F-35 could soon become permanent or be replaced by a redesigned system, Pratt & Whitney says. In mid-year, the engine manufacturer will re-evaluate the interim solution now being applied to address the “blade rubbing” problem that grounded the F-35 fleet for three weeks last year and caused the aircraft to miss a highly anticipated debut at the Farnborough air show, says Mark Buongiorno, P&W’s head of the F135 program.
LinkRegulatory
EASA simplifies PBN preparations
European operators can expect a less bureaucratic transition to performance-based navigation (PBN) procedures after EASA revealed plans to simplify the preparation and approval process. EASA has published an Opinion (3/2015) containing proposals for “amendments to PBN-related safety rules”, which will become European Commission rules when the process is complete. The Opinion, the agency says, “marks a significant change in the way PBN operations are regulated”.
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FAA comments on cyber security measures
The Federal Aviation Administration recently reported that its administrative computers were hacked in February. The attempt caused no damage and has been contained.
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FAA returns India's aviation safety rating to category 1
U.S authorities have upgraded India's aviation safety rating, in a boost for Indian airlines which can now increase the number of flights they operate to the United States. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said on Wednesday that India had taken corrective action to address the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) concerns, after the regulator downgraded India's rating to category 2 from category 1 in January last year, citing a lack of safety oversight.
LinkCorporate
HondaJet powers up for worldwide demo tour
Honda Aircraft is preparing to begin a world tour with its HondaJet light business aircraft, ahead of planned US type certification and service entry of the $4.5 million twinjet in the coming months. The six-seat type – which secured provisional approval late last month – will make its first stop in Japan later this month, touring a number of key airports and special events. The HondaJet will then continue to Europe, where it will make its first ever appearance at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition between 19-21 May.
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Aviation Quote
What's the hurry? Are you afraid I won't come back?
— Manfred von Richthofen, 'The Red Baron,' last recorded words, in reply to a request for an autograph as he was climbing into the cockpit of his plane.
On This Date
---In 1929... The French airline Air Union starts to operate a nightly service from Paris to London.
---In 1953…Navy XF2Y-1 Sea Dart, an experimental delta-wing jet seaplane with hydroskis, made first flight at San Diego.
---In 1959…NASA names 1st 7 astronauts for Project Mercury.
---In 1960... The giant Tupolev Tu-114 Rossiya sets a new world speed record for propeller-driven airplanes of 545.07 mph. It was carrying a 55,116-pound payload at the time and flew around an official 3,107-mile closed circuit in the USSR.
---In 1964…First flight of the de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo.
---In 1965…BAC One-Eleven enters service with British United Airways.
---In 1967…First flight of the Boeing 737-100.
---In 1969... The first U.K.-assembled supersonic transport, Concorde 002, makes a successful first flight in England.
---In 1976... Air France opens its second supersonic service, from Paris to Caracas, Venezuela; the Concorde takes six hours, including a stop at the Azores.
---In 1980…Soyuz 35 carries 2 cosmonauts to Salyut 6.
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Editor’s Choice
Trivia
General Trivia
1. What was the longest-duration passenger flight ever made by an airline using an airplane powered by reciprocating engines?
1. 23 hours 19 minutes
2. 20 hours 19 minutes
3. 17 hours 19 minutes
4. 14 hours 19 minutes
2. Which of the following was the only operational Century-series fighter not deployed over Vietnam?
1. Convair F-102 Delta Dagger
2. Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
3. Convair F-106 Delta Dart
4. McDonnell F-110 Spectre
3. Multiengine pilots know that it can take substantial rudder-pedal force to arrest the yaw created by a failed engine when operating at minimum-controllable airspeed (VMC). The maximum force allowed by aircraft certification regulation Part 23.149 is
1. 75 pounds.
2. 100 pounds.
3. 150 pounds.
4. 200 pounds.
4. True or false; For instrument-rated pilots: A pilot is cleared to “cruise at 9,000 feet,” for example. This means that the pilot is cleared to execute the instrument approach at his destination airport.
5. True or false; The Beech King Air was the first civilian turboprop airplane produced in the United States.
6. True or false; American pilots know that when two airplanes are on converging courses, the airplane on the other’s right has right-of-way. In England (and a few other countries), however, the airplane on the other’s left has right-of-way.
