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NEWS

Boeing achieves 747-8F flight test milestone, begins 747-8I assembly
Boeing announced yesterday that the 747-8 freighter has received expanded type inspection authorization from US FAA, a critical step toward certification that allows agency personnel to participate in test flights and collect required data.
Link

Spirit remains grounded through Wednesday
Spirit Airlines said it has cancelled all flights through Wednesday as its Air Line Pilots Assn.-represented cockpit crew remained on strike.
Link

Continental to launch first African service with Houston-Lagos 787 flights
Continental Airlines yesterday said it plans to start daily 787 flights between Houston Intercontinental and Lagos on Nov. 10, 2011, launching what would be its first-ever service to Africa.
Link


EADS Offers To Pre-Finance Talarion UAV
To help build support for its Talarion medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAV program during Europe’s difficult budget period, EADS is offering to pre-finance the development of the system if it gets a purchase commitment from its target customers that they will buy the surveillance and reconnaissance tool.
Link

Citation Mustang production hit
Cessna is facing production issues with its Citation Mustang entry-level jet because of problems with suppliers affected by flooding in Rhode Island in late March.
Link

Lockheed marks 1st supersonic flight by STOVL F-35B
Four months after completing the first vertical landing, the Lockheed Martin F-35B flight test fleet also has surpassed the sound barrier.
Link

Colombia's EasyFly ponders expansion
Colombian regional carrier EasyFly continues to study expanding into mainline routes with Boeing 737s but for now is taking a wait-and-see approach.
Link


Other News

Alaska Air Group yesterday announced that Horizon Air President and CEO Jeff Pinneo is retiring following eight years of guiding the regional carrier and will be replaced by AAG Executive VP-Finance and CFO Glenn Johnson. Brandon Pedersen, previously AAG's VP-finance and controller, was named AAG CFO. Pinneo will remain at Horizon for several months to aid in the transition, the company said. AAG noted that Pinneo "oversaw substantial improvements in the carrier's operational performance and customer satisfaction" and during his tenure it garnered several awards, including being named ATW's Regional Airline of the Year in 2007.

Johnson announced that he will "launch a comprehensive review of Horizon's market position and fleet and financial performance," according to AAG. The regional last week reached an "agreement in principle" on a new labor contract with its 686 pilots. Its first-quarter operating loss narrowed to $1.6 million from $5.2 million in the year-ago period.

United Airlines said in a message to its employees that the UA/Continental Airlines Integration Management Office met formally Friday in Chicago with "leaders from both companies to begin outlining the process for integration planning for our proposed merger." UA and CO announced last month that they had reached agreement on a merger to create the world's largest airline by RPKs, serving 370 destinations in 59 countries with 692 mainline aircraft. UA Executive VP and CAO Pete McDonald and Lori Gobillot, CO staff VP and assistant general counsel, were put in charge of an Integration Management Office responsible for day-to-day planning for the merger.

UA said that "the three broadest areas" the IMO is focusing on are "commercial, operations and corporate functions…commercial will include functions such as network planning and sales and marketing; operations will include safety, security, quality and compliance as well as the operations control center, among others; and corporate functions will encompass areas such as finance and HR. In all, approximately 30 teams are being formed to support each of the major planning and functional areas of both companies."The airlines said they have chosen Bain and Company as their merger integration planning advisers. Bain previously advised Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines on their merger.

Ukraine International Airlines' fleet renewal plans have been put on hold owing to the economic downturn, President Yuri Miroshnikov told ATW last week on the sidelines of the IATA AGM in Berlin. He said the carrier is reevaluating its needs and will develop a new fleet plan shortly. UIA currently operates a fleet of 19 737s but will solicit proposals for new aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus. "We'd like to see what Airbus can offer us," he said, noting that the carrier could order up to 35 aircraft. The Ukraine government holds a 61.5% stake in UIA while Austrian Airlines owns a 22.5% share.

AirBaltic transported 295,809 passengers in May, a 29% increase year-over-year. Load factor grew 3 points to 69%.

Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair flew 7.82 billion RPKs in May, a 10.3% rise year-over-year. Capacity grew 2.8% to 9.62 billion ASKs, lifting load factor 5.5 points to 81.3%.

ExpressJet Airlines flew 834 million RPMs in May, up 29% from the year-ago month. Capacity jumped 24% to 1.03 billion ASMs while load factor climbed 2.9 points to 81.1%.

Lufthansa Group airlines operated 16.18 billion RPKs in May, up 27.6% from the year-ago month, against a 19.9% lift in capacity to 20.44 billion ASKs. Load factor rose 4.8 points to 79.2%. Lufthansa mainline flew 11.53 billion RPKs, up 9.8%, while ASKs increased 2% to 14.42 billion and load factor climbed 5.7 points to 80%.

Swiss International Air Lines, an LH Group subsidiary, flew 2.45 billion RPKs in May, a 12.3% increase year-over-year. Capacity jumped 4.5% to 3.03 billion ASKs as load factor rose 5.7 points to 80.9%.

[b]Germanwings transported 756,201 passengers in May, up 14.02% year-over-year. Load factor fell 3.8 points to 75.5%

Singapore Airlines will increase five-times-weekly Manchester-Munich-Singapore service to daily Sept 1.

Etihad Airways will operate a 777 on its daily Manchester-Abu Dhabi route, replacing an A330, during the summer months, increasing capacity by more than 2,100 seats per week.

Iberia will resume thrice-weekly Madrid-Dubrovnik service June 15-Sept. 28 aboard an A320 family aircraft and twice-weekly Madrid-Zagreb service July 3-Sept. 19. It will launch twice-weekly Madrid-Oran service Sept. 16 aboard an A319.

Frontier Airlines launched daily Denver-New Orleans service aboard an A318.

Ryanair will launch five new routes from Bologna in November: Twice-weekly to Fez, Lanzarote, Marrakesh and Tenerife and thrice-weekly to Zaragoza. The new flights will expand its network from BLQ to 31 destinations.



AVIATION QUOTE

"Flying is hypnotic and all pilots are willing victims to the spell."

- Ernest K. Gann, forward to Island in the Sky, 1944



AEROSPACE TERM

Image Tubes

Electron tubes that reproduce on their fluorescent screens images of irradiation patterns incident on their photosensitive surfaces.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE





HUMOR

The Blond Fighter Pilot

"So, a blonde fighter pilot was flying in a two ship one day. She was flying her heading just fine, when all of a sudden her wingman called, "We have Migs coming in at 6 o'clock!" She quickly took a thought, looked at her watch and said, "It's okay! It's only 5:30!"



TRIVIA

World Helicopter ID

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10.

1.
2.
3. Flettner Kolibri
4. Mil Mi-28 Havoc
5. Aerospatiale Gazelle
6.
7. Kamov Hokum (Ka-50?)
8. Mil Mi-26
9.
10.

Hmmm, afternoon UK time, I'd expect Shanwick to have already posted all the correct answers since "death whisks" are his favorite.

Zak wrote:1.
2.
3. Flettner Kolibri
4. Mil Mi-28 Havoc
5. Aerospatiale Gazelle
6.
7. Kamov Hokum (Ka-50?)
8. Mil Mi-26
9.
10.

1. Westland Lynx
2. Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne

6. Aerospatiale Super Frelon

9. Kamov Ka-27 Helix
10. Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low

ANSWERS:

1. Westland Lynx
2. Lockheed AH-56A Cheyenne
3. Flettner Fl-282 Kolibri
4. Mil Mi-28 Havoc
5. Aerospatiale Gazelle
6. Aerospatiale SA 321 Super Frelon
7. Kamoc Ka-50 Hokum
8. Mil Mi-26
9. Kamov Ka-28 Helix
10. Sikorsky MH-53E Pave LOW

Queso wrote:Hmmm, afternoon UK time, I'd expect Shanwick to have already posted all the correct answers since "death whisks" are his favorite.

He probably couldn't be bothered - there was no Robinson in the list.

OK.. bit O/T...what is the music on the daily video? I"m sure it's Enya...but what track?

kmh1956 wrote:OK.. bit O/T...what is the music on the daily video? I"m sure it's Enya...but what track?

Wild Child by Enya (according to the listing on Youtube)

JLAmber wrote:

kmh1956 wrote:OK.. bit O/T...what is the music on the daily video? I"m sure it's Enya...but what track?

Wild Child by Enya (according to the listing on Youtube)

I suppose it was right on the video, too, wasn't it? Goes to show how observant I am....