NewsCommercial
Muilenburg: MAX MCAS design was certified to Boeing’s standards
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, ramping up the company’s defense of the 737 MAX, insists the grounded aircraft was designed and certified to the company’s standards. He suggested too much faith may have been put on pilots’ ability to recognize failure modes tied to the aircraft’s maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) that is the focus of two fatal MAX crashes.
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Boeing shareholders reject push for independent chairman
Boeing chairman, president and CEO Dennis Muilenburg appears likely to keep all those titles after company shareholders opted not to make the chairmanship an independent position. At the company’s annual general meeting April 29 in Chicago—the first since the crashes of two 737 MAX 8s—Muilenburg faced a shareholder resolution calling for an independent chairman of the board of directors.
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US flight attendants call on FAA to implement safety initiatives
The head of the largest independent association of US flight attendants called on FAA acting administrator Dan Elwell to implement a host of safety initiatives from last year’s FAA Reauthorization Act, saying the agency “has already missed several deadlines” related to rest hours, seat size and toxic fumes.
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ANALYSIS: Boeing CEO defends MCAS and addresses pilot procedures
Boeing’s chief executive faced an onslaught of questions on 29 April about the 737 Max and the internal processes that developed the flight control system suspected of contributing to the deaths of 346 people.
CEO Dennis Muilenburg walked a fine line when fielding questions during the company’s annual meeting in Chicago.
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R-R ground testing new business jet powerplant
Rolls-Royce (R-R) is quietly developing a new business jet engine, with ground testing of the powerplant having begun last year, according to informed sources.
Cold weather trials of the new engine, details of which were unavailable, have been conducted at the Glacier facility in Thompson, Manitoba since September last year, a source indicates.
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Bombardier combats jetlag with 'dynamic' lighting for 7500
Though several Bombardier Global 7500s are already in service, the company has now disclosed the type has an algorithm-driven system that adjusts cabin lighting in ways intended to help passengers feel refreshed after skipping across time zones.
Called the “Soleil Lighting System”, the technology incorporates what Bombardier calls “dynamic daylight simulation”, meaning cabin lighting changes to closely simulate the way sunlight changes throughout the day.
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Boeing not proposing required simulator time for 737 Max pilots
Boeing does not believe pilots should be required to complete training in a flight simulator prior to flying the 737 Max once regulators lift the aircraft’s grounding.
The company’s chief executive Dennis Muilenburg confirms Boeing instead is developing computer-based training, though it intends to offer flight simulator time as an option later to some airlines’ pilots.
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PICTURE: ACJ319neo sets new distance record
Two days after conducting its maiden sortie, the first ACJ319neo set a new record for the longest flight made by an Airbus-crewed A320-series aircraft.
The re-engined VIP narrowbody (MSN8612) flew from Airbus headquarters in Toulouse to northern Greenland and back on 26 April, with the mission lasting 16h 10min.
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PICTURES: Fourth flight-test MC-21 assembly complete
Russian airframer Irkut has completed assembly and systems installation for a fourth MC-21-300 flight-test aircraft.
Aerospace firm United Aircraft referred to progress on the aircraft as Irkut flew the third flight-test airframe to Ulyanovsk for painting, ahead of its transfer to Moscow.
LinkAirlines
Italy deputy PM: More private investors make offers for Alitalia relaunch
Italy’s deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio said more private investors are making offers for Alitalia and would play a role in the bankrupt airline’s relaunch.
Di Maio, who is also economic development minister, wrote in an April 27 Facebook post that the government is putting all conditions in place for a successful relaunch of the Italian flag carrier.
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Ongoing SAS pilot strike triggers 2,800 flight cancellations
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is facing a fifth day of pilot strikes across its operations in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, with another 546 flight cancellations anticipated for April 30.
“The strike will affect an additional 61,000 passengers on Monday [April 29], when 667 flights are canceled across Scandinavia. On Tuesday [April 30], 49,000 passengers and 546 departures will be affected,” SAS said in a statement.
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Garuda swings to profit in 1Q; stakeholders question 2018 results
Garuda Indonesia reported a net profit of $19.7 million for the 2019 first quarter, reversing a $64.3 million loss for the same period in 2018.
Concurrently, the Indonesian stock exchange (IDX) said it would summon the management of the Indonesian flag carrier after two major stakeholders questioned the 2018 financial report and refused to sign the final version of the report.
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Etihad to revamp Airbus narrowbody economy product
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways plans to refurbish 23 Airbus A320s and A321s with new economy seats, as part of a short- and mid-haul economy product refresh.
Etihad has selected UK-based Acro Aircraft Seating to provide the new extra-spatial design seats, which will be retrofitted to the fleet by August.
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Aigle Azur drops plans to resume Paris-Beijing service this summer
French leisure airline Aigle Azur will not relaunch flights from Paris to Beijing that form a key part of its network expansion plan this summer as planned.
The carrier had said March 21 that it would suspend the 3X-weekly Paris Orly Beijing Airbus A330-200 service from late March to reorganize the service to improve connections to major Chinese cities through partner Hainan Airlines’ network.
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JAL boosts fiscal year profit on inbound demand growth
Japan Airlines (JAL) achieved healthy growth in net profits for its fiscal year through March 31, although it is projected to decline in the current fiscal year.
The carrier reported net profits of JPY150.8 billion ($1.3 billion) for the 2018 fiscal year, representing an 11.4% year-on-year increase. The gain was partly because of deferred income tax of JPY32.1 billion.
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Scoot suspends four routes on SilkAir 737-800 transfer delays
Singapore LCC Scoot will suspend services to Lucknow (India), Kalibo (Philippines), Quanzhou (China) and Male (Maldives) because of “weak demand” and shortage of aircraft resources.
“The aircraft shortage is arising as SilkAir, due to the grounding of its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet, will no longer transfer its Boeing 737-800NG aircraft to Scoot in the financial year 2019/2020, as originally announced in November 2018,” Scoot said in a statement.
LinkAirports
Gatwick flights diverted after unconfirmed drone sighting
Three flights were diverted from London’s Gatwick Airport April 28 following unconfirmed reports of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) activity outside the airport perimeter.
The three diverted flights—a British Airways (BA) flight from Heraklion and two easyJet flights from Amsterdam and Barcelona—diverted to London Stansted Airport as a precautionary measure after reports of a UAV (drone) sighting at around 16:05 local time.
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Cargo demand driving expansion project at East Midlands Airport
East Midlands Airport (EMA) has begun work on a project to create more parking space for aircraft to accommodate the rising demand in cargo flights.
The UK's self-proclaimed "premiere airport for dedicated cargo aircraft", is improving its infrastructure so that aircraft can load and unload more efficiently at busy times.
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UK’s first airport therapy dog team will regularly visit Aberdeen International Airport
Already regular visitors to nursing homes, schools, prisons and universities, the dogs have been proven to help improve mental health and wellbeing, alleviate stress and calm nerves.
Anxious flyers departing from Aberdeen International Airport will soon be able to have their fears allayed with the UK’s first-ever team of airport therapy dogs visiting the terminal on a regular basis.
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Aviation Quote
No matter how interested individual employees might be, or what assistance a manufacturer offers, or how insistent a certificating authority might be—none of these factors will have a significant effect on safety without support from top management.
- John O'Brian, ALPA's Engineering and Air Safety Department.
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Trivia
C-130 Hercules Trivia
1. In what year was the first C-130 flight?
1954
1961
1957
1962
2. Which version of the C-130 is purpose built for landing on ice?
HC-130
SC-130
LC-130
C-130i
3. Which of the following nations uses the C-130 as an aerial tanker for its fighters?
Philippines
Norway
New Zealand
Spain
4. The standard C-130J has how many propeller blades per engine?
6
3
4
8
5. A C-130B model has external fuel tanks located where?
Between the engines
At the wing tips
Outboard of the outboard engines
The C-130B has no external fuel tanks
6. Which of the following is a designation of a Royal Canadian Air Force C-130?
CC-130H
RC-130
C-130C
C.3
7. C-130s have been used in many roles, but which of the following is just a concept?
Float plane
Fire bomber
Drone launch and control
Satellite capsule recovery
8. Which is not a common C-130 nickname?
Herky Bird
Spectre
Provider
Trash Hauler
9. Which aircraft has the most similar capabilities to the transport version of a C-130?
B747
C-160 Transall
C-131
An-2
10. The C-130 has flown many famous missions. In which of the following did the C-130 play the central role?
Operation El Dorado Canyon
Operation Beer Run
Operation Arc Light
Entebbe hostage rescue
