A320 production slated for increase in 2017 Fabrice Bregier, president and CEO of Airbus, said the aircraft manufacturer plans to ramp up production of the A320 if demand stays strong. "The market is very strong and we have said we can produce 50 (A320s) a month by 2017 and if the market remains supported there is the possibility to go higher," Bregier said Link
Zodiac looks to start a "Revolution" in aircraft toilet design Zodiac Aerospace's new Revolution aircraft toilet is built with maintenance in mind. A company demo shows the unit being taken apart and put back together blindfolded. The toilet uses interchangeable subassemblies and reversible pipe to simplify the repair process. Link
Blog looks at SANTO airline seat design An airline seat designed for overweight passengers or travelers with small children is gaining some international praise. One-and-a-half times wider than a standard seat, the SANTO (Special Accommodation Needs for Toddlers and Overweight Passengers) seat looks to accommodate both larger passengers and booster seats. The design aims to use extra space at the back of airplane cabins, according to a release from The Crystal Cabin Awards, a Hamburg, Germany-based competition that judges products for aircraft cabins. Link
Airlines
American to offer flights between Los Angeles and Mexico City The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved a plan by American Airlines to provide flights between Los Angeles and Mexico City. Link
JetBlue leads the way on customer satisfaction According to a customer satisfaction poll, JetBlue Airways scored 81 out of 100 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index, up from 79 last year. Link
Southwest Airlines to install curved seats for enhanced comfort Southwest Airlines plans to install curved seats that offer more legroom on new aircraft starting in 2016. A representative from Southwest said "it's the future of Southwest Airlines aircraft seats and giving our customers what they asked for -- more space." Link
Southwest opts for Global Eagle Entertainment for its 737 Max fleet Southwest Airlines has chosen Global Eagle Entertainment’s Ku-band global satellite connectivity system to be factory installed on its orders for the Boeing 737 MAX. Link
SEE UPDATES ON POST BELOW
Airports
BWI mulls plan to expand international concourse BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport is considering a plan to expand its international E concourse. The $126 million plan could add two gates for departures and up to six gates for arrivals. "We need to start thinking seriously about what we can do to facilitate additional international growth," said Paul Wiedefeld, CEO of the airport. Link
Military
Danish air force planning Challenger 604 mid-life upgrade The Royal Danish Air Force is preparing to embark on a mid-life upgrade of its Bombardier Challenger 604 maritime patrol aircraft, which is expected to be implemented by 2018. The four-strong fleet of Danish 604s will receive a series of modifications including a new downlink and a multirole radar capable of carrying out surface surveillance, weather monitoring and oil slick detection, as well as a new cockpit to the Challenger 605 standard. Link
Saudi air defence to incorporate AWACS feed The Royal Saudi Air Defense Force (RSADF) is updating its air defence system to receive information from the Royal Saudi Air Force’s five-strong Boeing 707-derived E-3A Sentry fleet. The RSADF’s legacy air defence system does not have a link to the airborne warning and control system (AWACS) fleet, but a request for proposals for an updated system will require the incorporation of the AWACS feed into the ground-based system, Martin Robertson, former military advisor to RSADF, told the SMi ISR conference in London. Link
Aviation Quote
I want to go in the air, not a bathtub.
— A. Scott Crossfield. quoted in the Washington Post as having said this the day before his fatal flight, 'Clues Surface in Death of Expert Pilot,' published September 16, 2007. He had written many years before in 1960 that, "Death is the handmaiden of the pilot, sometimes it comes by accident, sometimes by an act of God." Scott's last known words, calmly spoken, were "Atlanta, this is Seven Nine X-ray. I'd like to deviate south. Weather." 19 April 2006.
On This Date
---In 1914... The first news movie shot from the air is filmed by cameraman B.C. Hucks, Warwick Bioscope Chronicle Film, England. He flies down to within 400 ft. of the royal yacht with King George aboard, crossing the English Channel from Dover, England to Calais, France.
---In 1928... Australian explorer Hubert Wilkins and his American pilot Carl Ben Eielson arrive in Spitzbergen, Norway after making the first ever crossing of the Arctic by airplane. They left Point Barrow, Alaska, on April 15th in their Lockheed Vega.
---In 1942…Lieutenant Commander Edward H. "Butch" O'Hare becomes the first U.S. Navy aviator to receive the Medal of Honor.
---In 1961... USAF Major Robert White pilots the X-15A research airplane from Edwards Air Force Base in California on its first flight at full throttle, reaching a speed of 3,074 mph at an altitude of 79,000 feet, before climbing to 105,100 feet.
---In 1964…First flight of the HFB-320 Hansa Jet.
---In 1988…First flight of the Boeing 747-400.
---In 1989… SR-71 (974) was lost off the Philippines (0.25 miles north of the island of Luzon) due to an engine explosion. 974 was known as “Iche Ban”. The crew ejected safely, made it to shore and were rescued by one of the island’s former cannibal tribes. Pilot Dan House and RSO Blair Bozek survived.
---In 1990… Aeritalia joins the Airbus consortium as a partner.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Trivia
General Trivia
1. There have been several British airplanes named after insects, such as the de Havilland Mosquito. How many American production airplanes have been named after insects?
2. Most pilots are familiar with the PBY, a twin-engine Consolidated Catalina flying boat used initially as a patrol bomber during World War II. What was a PBJ?
3. As any pilot who has studied a sectional chart knows, an RCO is a remote communications outlet used to communicate with distant facilities. What is a GCO?
4. What well-known civilian landplane may land with landing gear retracted during routine operations?
5. True or False, early Lear Jets have a "knife blade" down the center of the windshield. Its purpose is to dissect birds in flight.
6. True or False, After resigning from and selling his interest in TWA, Howard Hughes purchased another airline and named it after himself.
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
TAP Portugal pilots announce 10-day strike beginning May 1 TAP Portugal’s Pilots Union SPAC has announced a 10-day strike from May 1 to protest the ongoing privatization process. The industrial action is reportedly projected to cost TAP Portugal up to €70 million ($75.6 million) and strongly affect operations. Link
South African Airways reveals results of 90-day plan South African Airways (SAA) is estimating that its 90-Day Action Plan, which concluded March 24, will improve its full-year EBITDA by R1.25 billion ($103.4 million). This breaks down into R440 million from SAA’s network revamp, R290 million in fleet savings, R100 million from getting its Long-Term Turnaround Strategy (LTTS) back on track and R425 million from the renegotiation of over 150 supplier contracts. Link
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
miamiair wrote:TAP Portugal pilots announce 10-day strike beginning May 1
Guess who's supposed to be going back to LIS on May 4th.
On BA, I hope.
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
