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NEWS

Boeing maintains 787 wing box problem 'local issue with a local fix'
Boeing moved to water down a Sunday report in The Seattle Times that painted a bleak picture of both the scale and time required to fix the 787's structural delamination problem.
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ANA to cut domestic routes, implement a la carte items
ANA released details of the "emergency income recovery plan" designed to produce an additional ¥30 billion ($316.7 million) in revenue during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010, and keep it on course for a full-year profit of ¥3 billion.
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Air India considering 777 cancellations
Air India is discussing the cancellation of six 777 orders with Boeing, the airline confirmed to several news organizations.
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Embraer posts earnings drop on fewer commercial deliveries
Embraer reported that earnings for the second quarter fell 49.5% to $67.8 million compared to $134.4 million in the year-ago period largely owing to fewer higher-value commercial aircraft deliveries.
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Fatalities reported as Bangkok Airways ATR 72-500 skids off runway

A Bangkok Airways ATR 72-500 has skidded off the runway while landing at Koh Samui airport and crashed into a control tower.
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Discussion in the NAS Forums

Aer Lingus defers A350s and A330s to ease long-haul pain
Irish flag-carrier Aer Lingus is to defer delivery of its first two Airbus A350s and three A330s, and return other leased A330s early, in order to ease its long-haul capacity pressure.
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Garuda receives first 737-800 from DAE
Garuda Indonesia has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737-800 aircraft under a sale and leaseback agreement with Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) Capital.
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Boeing predicts up to 30 new orders for EA-18Gs
A Boeing executive today predicted the US Navy could buy 26 to 30 EA-18Gs more than the 88 already in the budget, potentially addresssing a shortfall created by the US Air Force 12 years ago.
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NTSB issues probable cause in go! sleeping crew incident
Investigators with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) today said both an undiagnosed sleep apena condition for the captain and crew work schedules were factors in two pilots falling asleep during a flight operated by Mesa's Hawaii interisland subsidiary go! in February 2008.
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Other News

Bombardier Aerospace said it received an order for five Q400 NextGen aircraft plus five options from an airline that requested to remain unidentified. Firm order is worth $159 million at list prices.

Austrian Airlines Group said it is "highly probable" that its deal with Lufthansa will be successfully concluded this month, or next month at the "latest,, following the European Commission's July 31 confirmation that it will approve the takeover. It also said there are "clear signals that a positive decision is forthcoming in the financial aid proceeding," which Lufthansa has said is a condition of its acquisition. "We welcome the positive signals we have received from Brussels and are counting on formal approval soon of the merger with Austrian Airlines," LH Chairman and CEO of Wolfgang Mayrhuber said.

US FAA yesterday announced new standards for transport category aircraft requiring either the automatic activation of ice protection systems or a method informing pilots that they should be activated. Rule applies to new aircraft designs and "significant changes" to current designs but may be expanded to cover existing types, the agency said. New aircraft now must have either an ice detection system that automatically activates or alerts pilots to activate it, a definition of visual signs of ice buildup combined with an advisory system that guides pilots to activate an ice protection system, or a way to identify conditions conducive to icing that would prompt pilots to activate the system. "We're adding another level of safety to prevent situations where pilots are either completely unaware of ice accumulation or don't think it's significant enough to warrant turning on their ice protection equipment," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said.

Merpati Nusantara Airlines Twin Otter 300 carrying 16 passengers and three crew remained missing yesterday after failing to arrive at Oksibil on a scheduled 50-min. flight originating Sunday morning in Javapura. The aircraft first flew in 1979, according to the Aviation Safety Network.

Continental Airlines 767-200 scheduled to land yesterday morning at Houston Intercontinental after departing Rio de Janeiro Galeao Sunday night diverted to Miami after severe turbulence injured at least 26 occupants, four seriously. Fourteen passengers were hospitalized, according to officials. A Continental spokesperson said the turbulence was "unanticipated" and occurred around 900 mi. from Miami, according to press reports.

China Southern Airlines reached agreement to sell six A300-600Rs, plus five spare PW4158-3 engines and spare parts, for $124 million to Tigris International of the Netherlands Antilles. Hong Kong-based Galink Aviation Technology acted as broker, CZ said in a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. CZ has been operating the aircraft for 14-16 years, it said, and expects a gain of approximately CNY46.6 million ($6.8 million) from the sale.

American Airlines parent AMR Corp. yesterday announced the closure of a $276 million private placement offering of senior secured notes due 2016 initiated in order to refinance, in part, debt scheduled to repaid in October.

Air France started selling seats for its first commercial A380 flight on Nov. 23 from Paris Charles de Gaulle to New York JFK. It will be the first European airline to operate the A380 and the first carrier to fly transatlantic between Europe and the US. It also will operate the aircraft on a westbound flight Nov. 20 and return Nov. 21 and will auction off 380 of the 538 seats to benefit childrens' charities. The Web-based auction is scheduled for October.

Ryanair reached agreement with BNP Paribas, Calyon and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. for the financing of 55 737-800s scheduled for delivery between November 2009 and October 2010. Banks were mandated to act as joint arrangers for Ryanair's euro-dominated export credit facility from the US Export-Import Bank. Calyon has underwritten 25 aircraft BNP and SMBC 15 each, the LCC said, noting the $1.6 billion funding agreement is a "testimony to [its] financial strength."

Norwegian reached a deal with US lender Private Export Funding Corp., supported by the US Export-Import Bank, for term loan financing for the first seven of its ordered 737-800s scheduled for delivery between this summer and winter 2010. Ex-Im also issued a preliminary commitment to support up to 20 additional deliveries in 2011-12. Norwegian ordered 42 -800s plus 42 purchase rights two years ago.

United Airlines, the Air Line Pilots Assn. and the International Assn. of Machinists submitted joint letters requesting mediation services from the US National Mediation Board. UA and the unions had agreed to seek mediation if they did not reach new labor agreements by Aug. 1. Similar deals exist with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Professional Airline Flight Control Assn., although those unions have agreed to continue with direct negotiations, UA said. A request for mediation with the Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA is expected to be filed Friday.

Rolls-Royce reported a £1.55 billion ($2.6 billion) profit in the first half of 2009 compared to a £339 million surplus in the year-ago semester, a surge largely due to financing income. Profit before financing was £593 million compared to £322 million the prior year. Its civil aerospace division reported an underlying profit before financing of £257 million, down 5.5% year-over-year. It delivered 424 engines, down from 462 in the first half of 2008, although underlying revenue rose 8.5% to £2.28 billion. Civil aerospace order book grew by £3.2 billion during the semester to £46.7 billion. It said it expects deliveries to "continue to fall" this year.

Thai Airways took delivery of an A330-300 last week in Toulouse, the 1,000th A330/A340 family aircraft delivered by Airbus. Thai operates 15 A330-300s, four A340-500s and six A340-600s.

Timco Aviation Services announced that its Aerosystems subsidiary was awarded Organization Delegation Authorization from US FAA. Timco said it was "the first major aircraft maintenance and modification provider to be appointed as a Supplemental Type Certificate and Parts Manufacturing Approval ODA."

TAP Maintenance and Engineering Brazil was certified by US FAA to perform heavy maintenance on A330 and A340 aircraft. Company also is FAA-certified for the A300-B4, A300-600, and A310. It is a member of the Airbus MRO Network.



AVIATION QUOTE

“Just remember, if you crash because of weather, your funeral will be held on a sunny day.”
Layton A. Bennett



AEROSPACE TERM

Geomorphology

A science that deals with the land and submarine relief features of the Earth's surface and genetic interpretation of them through using the principles of physiography in its descriptive aspects and of dynamic and structural geology in its explanatory phases. Used for physiography.



DAILY VIDEO





HUMOR

Fighter Escort

A young guy in a two-engine fighter was flying escort for a B-52 and generally being a nuisance, acting like a hotdog, flying rolls around the lumbering old bomber. The hotdog said over the air, "Anything you can do, I can do better.”

The veteran bomber pilot answered, "Try this hot-shot."

The B-52 continued its flight, straight and level.

Perplexed, the hotdog asked, "So? What did you do?"

"I just shut down two engines, kid."



TRIVIA

Tail Id

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10.

1. ??
2. Garuda Indonesia
3. Gulf Air
4. Indian Airlines
5. Iran Air
6. Air Asia?
7. Malaysia Airlines
8. ??
9.??
10. ??

1. should be Air Asia, IIRC they are sponsors of the Oakland Raiders.

1. Air Asia (X?)
2. Garuda
3. Gulf Air
4. Indian airlines
5. iran air
6. Lion air?
7. Malaysian
8. Merpati?
9 ?
10 Hainan?

1. Air Asia X Oakland Raiders Logojet (which makes about as much sense as their ManU logojet)
2. GAruda Indonesia
3. GF Gulf Air
4. IC Indian Airlines
5. IRan Air
6. Lion Air
7. MAS Malaysian Airlines
8. Merpati Nusantara
9. ?
10. Shenzen Airlines

1. Air Asia X (Oakland Raiders Logojet)
2. Garuda Indonesia
3. Gulf Air
4. Indian Airlines
5. Iran Air
6. Lion Air
7. Malaysian Airlines
8. Merpati Nusantara (RIP to their DHC6 btw )
9. GMG Airlines
10. Shenzen Airlines


Dan

UPDATE

Air Force says high-g effects confused pilot in F-22 crash
Investigators say a March 25 accident that killed a Lockheed Martin Corp. test pilot was due to high-g effects during a test of the side weapons bay on the F-22 Raptor. Pilot David Cooley nearly lost consciousness while rolling the plane at Mach 1.6, leaving him unable to correct a steep dive. Cooley was killed by windblast when he ejected at 765 knots, far above tested limits.
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U.S. to require automatic safeguards against ice on passenger aircraft
The FAA is requiring new U.S. passenger aircraft to include technology for automatic de-icing, rather than depending on pilots to take action. For now, the rule applies only to new aircraft, though a retrofit of older planes could be required at some point, the FAA said.
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"Crash pads" help airline crews keep costs down
The Washington Post goes inside a capital-area "crash pad" shared by about 30 pilots and flight attendants looking for a place to rest between flights. The paper estimates there may be 500 to 1,000 such houses near airports all around the country, fed by the need for airline crews -- particularly regional crews -- to save money on housing. Aviation researcher Bill Swelbar of M.I.T. says low airfares have affected airlines' ability to pay competitive salaries. "When adjusted for inflation over the last 30 years, fares are down some 50-plus percent. And that just does not make for a sustainable business model. It doesn't make a model that allows them to compensate their people well, like they have in the past."
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Clear-air turbulence called "persistent concern" for aviation
Fourteen Continental passengers were sent to the hospital Monday after encountering clear-air turbulence over the Caribbean, and the incident has focused attention on a "persistent concern" for commercial aviation. The NTSB says about 10 people each year sustain serious injuries during turbulence, and the FAA says the cost to airlines is about $28.5 million per year. Though technology currently cannot detect clear-air turbulence, scientists are working on several predictive tools. Still, some experts say the best way to avoid turbulence is to improve communication among airliners along the same route and to allow pilots more latitude in adjusting their course.
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Ancillary fees help airlines survive the recession
Airlines have been reducing costs, cutting capacity and looking to ancillary fees to survive the economic downturn. JetBlue, for example, has been expanding its ancillary fees, enabling the carrier to generate additional revenue. "When we combine all of our ancillary revenue reported in the passenger revenue line with those in the other revenue line, our total ancillary revenue increased about 10% year over year in the second quarter, to about $17.50 per passenger," said CEO David Barger.
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Price tag for Japanese missile shield jumps to $3.1B
The Pentagon's decision to cancel the Multiple Kill Vehicle program from Lockheed Martin Corp. has contributed to a big jump in the cost of a sea-based missile shield being developed in cooperation with Japan, the Pentagon reports. Raytheon Co.'s SM-3 IIA interceptor system is now expected to cost $3.1 billion by the time it is deployed in 2014, an increase of $700 million over earlier estimates. The Pentagon says other nations have expressed strong interest in similar systems.
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Rochester airport gets backscatter technology
Rochester, N.Y., is the latest airport to get backscatter X-ray technology for a 60-day test. "This is an additional layer of security that gives our officers the tools to detect threats and has privacy protections built in for the traveling public," says John McCaffrey, federal security director of the Greater Rochester International Airport. The scanner will replace a metal detector in one of the airport's six security lanes for the duration of the experiment.
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GAO investigation shows prevalence of fake IDs
A new investigation by the Government Accountability Office will reveal that undercover agents using fake IDs were repeatedly allowed into the U.S., according to the Associated Press. "This vulnerability potentially allows terrorists or others involved in criminal activity to pass freely into the United States from Canada or Mexico with little or no chance of being detected," the GAO says. A bill requiring tamper-resistant IDs is stalled in Congress amid challenges from state officials.
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ANSWERS:

1. AK, Air Asia X, Oakland Raiders Livery
2. GA, Garuda
3. GF, Gulf Air
4. IC, Indian Airlines
5. IR, Iran Air
6. JT, Lion Air
7. MH, Malaysian Air System
8. MZ, Merpati
9. Z5, GMG Airlines
10. ZH, Shenzhen Airlines