You are at netAirspace : Forum : Air and Space Forums : netAirspace Daily News

News

Commercial

Airbus A321 built in US completes first test flight
Airbus has completed the first test flight of its first aircraft built in the US, an A321 to be delivered to JetBlue Airways this spring. The aircraft, produced at Airbus’s Mobile, Alabama A320 family final assembly plant, took off from Mobile Downtown Airport (BFM) at 9:36 am local time on March 21 and headed south, where it circled over the Gulf of Mexico performing a number of system tests and checks. It returned to BFM after a 3 hr. and 26 min. flight.
Link

Boeing to roll out higher 777 seating in third quarter
Boeing is to start rolling out an enhanced-capacity interior for its Boeing 777 in the third quarter. The airframer had previously disclosed that it was looking at options to increase seating in the twinjet to prolong its appeal ahead of 777X development.
Link

Zodiac Aerospace: A Year of Transformation
In the first half of its 2015/2016 financial year, Zodiac Aerospace generated revenue of €2,488.5 million, up 7.1% in reported data, down 1.8% in organic terms. Changes in consolidation had a positive impact of 0.2 percentage points on first-half growth, while foreign exchange contributed a positive 8.7 points. The civil aviation market is continuing to grow. Global passenger traffic, expressed in PKTs grew by 6.5% over calendar year 2015 according to IATA. However, growth varied depending on the end market. Commercial aviation activities generally expanded, driven by the ramp up of new programs (Boeing 787, Airbus A350XWB).
Link

Airlines

American, flight dispatchers union reach tentative agreement
American Airlines and the union representing its flight dispatchers came to a tentative agreement last week. "Our dispatchers and ops specialists play a critical role in our airline and today's tentative agreement represents a significant step in the integration process," said American's Lorne Cass on Friday.
Link

Azur Air gains 180-minute ETOPS approval
Russian charter carrier Azur Air, which plans to start scheduled services to Europe this summer, has gained 180-minute ETOPS approval. “After we gained an ETOPS-120 certificate, we launched new routes to the Dominican Republic as well as several routes to the countries in Southeast Asia. ETOPS 180 [approval] allows us to perform flights using the most effective routes,” Azur Air general director Mikhail Kritsky said.
Link

Investigators decipher flydubai 737 recorders, radar
US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Boeing investigators have joined a Russian and United Arab Emirates team at the Rostov-on-Don Airport to establish what caused Flydubai flight 981, a Boeing 737-800, to crash after a second attempt at landing on Runway 22 in the early morning hours of March 19 in low clouds and heavy winds. All 55 passengers and seven crew members perished in the crash, which the small debris field—and at least one surveillance video—made clear was the result of a steep descent into the ground.
Link
Link

Nordwind Airlines delayed by bomb suspect at Phuket Airport
Phuket International Airport authorities stopped a Nordwind Airlines Boeing 777 from taking off and delayed the flight for five hours following a "suspicious remark" from a Russian passenger. The flight, Nordwind NWS2478, was scheduled to depart Phuket for the low cost carrier's home base at Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow March 20 when a passenger demanded to be allowed to leave the aircraft saying “it would not be safe to travel.”
Link

S7 Airlines reports domestic traffic up 25.2% in February
Russia’s S7 Airlines increased domestic traffic 25.2% in February. Sibir and Globus Airlines, which are working under S7 brand, carried 766,935 passengers last month, up 19.8% year-over-year (YOY). Domestic traffic reached 582,239 passengers, while on the international routes were carried 184,696 passengers, up 5.3% YOY. The airlines performed 6,398 flights in February.
Link

Spirit Airlines, flight attendants reach tentative labor agreement
Florida-based Spirit Airlines and its flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), have reached a tentative agreement on a five-year labor contract. The agreement contains wage increases, healthcare and other benefits. The AFA represents more than 2,200 flight attendants for Spirit.
Link

Virgin Australia Arranges AUD$425 Mln Loan Facility
Virgin Australia has tapped its major shareholders for a AUD$425 million (USD$320 million) loan facility, a step that is expected to help it cut its reliance on the bond market for funds. The loan facility goes some way to address investor concerns that its cash reserves have declined sharply in the wake of a five-year revamp aimed at broadening its services beyond the discount carrier market.
Link

Long-haul aircraft allow new international routes
United Airlines plans to launch service between San Francisco and Singapore in June on a Boeing 787. In a study, analysts say the new route is part of an emerging trend for long-haul aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350. "The aircraft allow longer services that will allow thinner routes that will bypass existing major hubs around the globe," said John Grant, a senior analyst for OAG.
Link

Airports

Schiphol airport approved for major expansion
The Schiphol Group has issued a final approval of plans to develop a new pier and terminal at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. These structures will serve as the foundation for long-term capacity growth and are consistent with the prospects for growth laid down in the Alders Agreement. The Schiphol Group said the new terminal, scheduled for completion in 2023, will be constructed to the south of Schiphol Plaza, directly next to the air traffic control tower and will be connected to the existing terminal. It is anticipated to serve some 14 million passengers per year.
Link

TSA hiring policies lead to long airport security lines
The Cranky Flier writes that waiting times at airport security lines are getting longer, partly because of hiring restrictions imposed on the Transportation Security Administration. "Air travel has grown significantly over the last few years," he writes. "TSA screened 7% more passengers last year without being able to add screeners."
Link

Military

KC-390 regains flight-test momentum
Four months after the Embraer KC-390’s first flight in February 2015, Embraer finally acknowledged the aircraft had still not attempted a second flight. It seemed a worrying development, not unlike the nine-month pause that followed shortly after first flight of the Bombardier CRJ-1000 regional jet in 2009, as Embraer’s rival worked to resolve a software problem with the fly-by-wire-controlled rudder.
Link

US Navy purchases CAEW-based Gulfstream 550 for range support
The US Navy has ordered a single Gulfstream G550 business jet based on the special-mission Israeli airborne early warning type for adaptation into a long-range, high-speed test range support aircraft. A navy contract notification published on 18 March, US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) paid $91.9 million for a green aircraft with air vehicle modifications for airborne early warning, with delivery scheduled by December 2018.
Link

Aviation Quote

If you don't think you're the best pilot in the business, MAYBE you're in the wrong business. If you think you could never make a mistake, you are REALLY in the wrong business.

— Randy Sohn

On This Date

Click Here

Daily Video

Editor’s Choice

Trivia

B-727

1. The very first 727 was delivered on October 29, 1963, to which airline?
Delta
Pan Am
Eastern
United

2. The three Pratt & Whitney JT8D turbofan engines used to power the 727 were derived from the J52 turbojet engines, which were used to power which prolific military airplane?
F-106 Delta Dart
A-5 Vigilante
A-6 Intruder
F-4 Phantom

3. The 727-200, the most prolific model of the series, could carry a maximum of how many passengers?
169
129
189
149

4. As the result of a failed coup, a 727 was awarded a medal of honor by the leader of which nation?
Ethiopia
Greece
Morroco
Libya

5. The military variant of the 727, used as a medium-range transport by the Air National Guard, was given what designation?
C-22
C-9
C-40
C-27

6. The 1,000th 727 was delivered in January, 1974, to which airline?
Air Canada
Delta
TWA
Continental

7. On September 25, 1978, a 727 was lost after a mid-air collision with a smaller Cessna aircraft, over which city?
LAS
SAN
IAH
PHX

8. One of the more infamous crashes involving a 727 occurred on July 9, 1982, near New Orleans. Which airline lost an aircraft that day due to wind shear?
Delta
Eastern
Continental
Pan Am

9. The plot of which action movie involves a pivotal scene where a 727 crashes?
Under Siege
Die Hard 2: Die Harder
Mercury Rising
U.S. Marshalls

10. The final 727 was delivered on September 18, 1984, to which package-delivery company?
United parcel Service
Federal Express
United States Postal Service
DHL

B-727 Trivia

1. The very first 727 was delivered on October 29, 1963, to which airline?
United

2. The three Pratt & Whitney JT8D turbofan engines used to power the 727 were derived from the J52 turbojet engines, which were used to power which prolific military airplane?
No clue

3. The 727-200, the most prolific model of the series, could carry a maximum of how many passengers?
189

4. As the result of a failed coup, a 727 was awarded a medal of honor by the leader of which nation?
No clue

5. The military variant of the 727, used as a medium-range transport by the Air National Guard, was given what designation?
C-22

6. The 1,000th 727 was delivered in January, 1974, to which airline?
Delta

7. On September 25, 1978, a 727 was lost after a mid-air collision with a smaller Cessna aircraft, over which city?
SAN

8. One of the more infamous crashes involving a 727 occurred on July 9, 1982, near New Orleans. Which airline lost an aircraft that day due to wind shear?
Pan Am

9. The plot of which action movie involves a pivotal scene where a 727 crashes?
U.S. Marshalls

10. The final 727 was delivered on September 18, 1984, to which package-delivery company?
Federal Express

miamiair wrote:
Airbus A321 built in US completes first test flight
Airbus has completed the first test flight of its first aircraft built in the US, an A321 to be delivered to JetBlue Airways this spring. The aircraft, produced at Airbus’s Mobile, Alabama A320 family final assembly plant, took off from Mobile Downtown Airport (BFM) at 9:36 am local time on March 21 and headed south, where it circled over the Gulf of Mexico performing a number of system tests and checks. It returned to BFM after a 3 hr. and 26 min. flight.

Picking nits a bit but the article is completely wrong when it states that this was the first US built Airbus aircraft. They have been producing Lakotas in MS for years.

miamiair wrote:TSA hiring policies lead to long airport security lines
The Cranky Flier writes that waiting times at airport security lines are getting longer, partly because of hiring restrictions imposed on the Transportation Security Administration. "Air travel has grown significantly over the last few years," he writes. "TSA screened 7% more passengers last year without being able to add screeners."

I call BS. They should be able to screen at least 2X the current passenger count with their existing staffing. Probably closer to 3X. We should be cutting jobs there and demanding productivity and efficiency.

ANSWERS:

1. United. Development of the 727 was spurred by the needs of three different airlines. American Airlines wanted a two-engine aircraft for greater efficiency on shorter routes. Eastern Airlines wanted a three-engine jet to extend its range for over-water flights to the Caribbean. And United wanted a four-engine plane to fly to higher-altitude destinations, including its hub in Denver. The tri-jet design adopted by Boeing first flew on February 9, 1963. United received the first aircraft, a 727-100, and began flying commercial routes with it in February, 1964. Eastern Airlines also began flying the aircraft around the same time.

2. A-6 Intruder. According to Boeing's website, the Pratt & Whitney JT8D was the first engine ever tailor-made for a specific aircraft. In addition to the 727, it has also been used on Boeing 737, McDonnell Douglas DC-9, and the Dassault Mercure, a French-built passenger jet. It was also used on the McDonnell Douglas YC-15 (the forerunner of the C-17 Globemaster III military cargo aircraft). And Mitsubishi has built the engine for the Kawasaki C-1 transport used by Japan's Self-Defense Force.

3. 189. Twenty feet longer than the 727-100, the 727-200 could accommodate up to 189 passengers. Fully loaded, it had a maximum range of 2,400 nautical miles (2,762 statute miles, or 4,445 kilometers).

4. Morroco. King Hassan II was the target of two failed assassination attempts in the 1970s. The second one, which occurred in August, 1972, was orchestrated by Moroccan defense minister General Mohammad Oufkir. Oufkir, previously loyal to the king, ordered the Royal Moroccan Air Force to shoot down the king's 727 as it was making its way into the capital of Rabat. Officially, Oufkir's death after the failed coup is listed as a suicide. Hassan awarded the aircraft, which survived the shootdown attempt, a medal.

5. C-22. Operated specifically by the 201st Airlift Squadron of the District of Columbia Air National Guard, the C-22 was based on the 727-100 airframe. With a range of 2,000 miles, the C-22 accommodated a crew of up to 8 people. The other aircraft listed here are based on other aircraft. The C-9 was based on the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 airframe. The Alenia C-27 uses the engines and systems of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. And the C-40 is the transport version of the Boeing 737.

6. Delta. Delta was one of many airlines around the world to utilize the 727. According to Boeing, the aircraft carried its one billionth passenger in December, 1977, and has carried over 4 billion altogether during its lifetime.

7. SAN. This deadly collision happened as Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 was making its final approach to Lindbergh Field. The crew of the 727 lost sight of the Cessna 172, which was flying under visual flight rules, but didn't report that loss to the approach controllers on the ground. It wasn't until the 727 had put down its landing gear that it realized, too late, that the Cessna was below them. All 128 passengers and 7 crew members were killed, as were the two pilots on board the Cessna and 7 people on the ground.

8. Pan Am. Pam Am Flight 759, a 727-235 known as the Clipper Defiance, took off from New Orleans on the second leg of a regularly-scheduled flight from Miami to Las Vegas. At the time, there were thunderstorms over the eastern end of the field, and a microburst from that storm knocked the aircraft down during takeoff. The 727 crashed into a residential area in the suburb of Kenner, where the airport is actually located. All seven crew members and 153 passengers were killed in the crash, as were 8 people on the ground.

9. U.S. Marshalls. The sequel to the popular 1993 motion picture "The Fugitive", the 1998 release "U.S. Marshals" featured Wesley Snipes in the role of a CIA operative who is implicated in the deaths of several State Department security agents. Like the train crash that freed Harrison Ford's character in "The Fugitive", the crash of the 727 allows Snipes's character to escape, and for Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) to give chase.

10. Federal Express. According to Boeing, in September, 1981, FedEx placed an order for 15 727-200Fs, the freighter variant of the 727. The final aircraft of the 1,832 that Boeing produced completed this order. The 727-200F could carry up to 58,000 pounds of cargo.