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NEWS

ANZ biofuel flight data: 1.2% fuel burn cut, 60%-75% CO2 reduction on 12-hr. 747 flight
Air New Zealand yesterday revealed the results of its Dec. 29 747-400 biofuel test flight at the Eco-Aviation conference presented by ATW and Leeham Co. in Washington, saying that data gathered from the 2-hr. flight show that a 50/50 blend of jatropha-based fuel and standard jet fuel could reduce fuel burn by 1.2% and carbon dioxide emissions by 60%-75% on an average 12-hr. 747 flight.
http://atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=16733

Air Berlin focuses on Europe as first-quarter loss widens
Air Berlin lost €88.4 million ($123.4 million) in the first quarter, widened 48.3% from its €59.6 million deficit in the year-ago period, although revenue and yield rose and its impending partnership with TUIfly appears to be on the verge of being finalized.
http://atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=16734

ATA opposes Aviation Global Deal Group approach
US Air Transport Assn. President and CEO James May yesterday said the organization does not support the environmental approach being taken by the Aviation Global Deal Group, the partnership among Air France KLM, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Qatar Airways, Finnair and UK airports operator BAA.
http://atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=16735

U.S. Awaits North Korean Test Results
North Korea’s second underground nuclear test and a series of missile launches there are certain signs of more trouble to come, top U.S. military officials stationed in South Korea say, although a major military event — either civil war or a major strike south — is considered remote.
High on the list of expectations, however, are clashes in the western sea where South Korean, North Korean and Chinese fishing interests conflict. Military analysts point to the upcoming start of crabbing season as a flash point.
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/ ... 052709.xml

BA postpones retirement of 737-400 fleet
British Airways is to defer replacing by at least three years its 19 Boeing 737-400s, as the carrier tries to reduce capital expenditures to offset the impact of the economic downturn.

BA chief Willie Walsh told analysts at a 26 May luncheon in New York that the carrier's 737-400 fleet, which is based at London Gatwick, will no longer be replaced in 2012 as previously planned. He says BA has removed this acquisition from its current capital expenditure plan and intends to acquire replacements in 2015 or 2016.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... fleet.html

British Airways to ground 16 747s and 757s for winter
British Airways is to ground 16 aircraft for the upcoming winter season, to rein in capacity following the sharp decline in passenger demand.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... inter.html

BA aims to launch London City-JFK A318 service in Oct
British Airways has pushed back the launch its London City-New York JFK service until October, but expects to begin ticket sales for the new Airbus A318-operated route by the end of next month.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... n-oct.html

FAA searches for specialized fire and rescue vehicles for large aircraft
Researchers at the US FAA are canvassing industry for makers of vehicles, equipment and technologies that fire fighters could use to rescue passengers or provide an escape route from the second level of a double-deck aircraft like the Airbus A380 or Boeing 747-8.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... large.html

EASA details second round of flap track fairing problems for A380
EASA has issued a second airworthiness directive (AD) aimed at preventing Airbus A380 flap track fairings from departing the aircraft in flight, which it says could potentially result "in injuries to persons on the ground."
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... s-for.html

Cessna, Bell receive government support for exports
Textron subsidiaries Cessna and Bell Helicopter will have an additional source to fund international sales with the authorisation on 21 May of a $500 million direct-loan facility from the US Ex-Im bank.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... ports.html


Other News

Aegean Airlines reversed its traditional first-quarter deficit, posting a €4.6 million ($6.4 million) profit compared to a €4.4 million loss in the year-ago period, crediting falling oil prices, fleet renewal and reduced distribution costs owing to the rise in Web sales. It broke even on the operating level compared to a €6 million loss last year but recorded a €4.4 million gain on the sale of its participation in three catering companies.

Revenue increased 13% to €111.3 million on a 9% lift in passengers to 1.2 million. Average fare remained at €79.40, but load factor lost 7.1 points to 57.7%. The carrier, which is joining Star Alliance next year, ended the reporting period with 23 aircraft, four more than a year earlier. "Despite the satisfactory set of results, we remain cautious as to the impact of the current economic crisis and the evident decline in demand and yield pressure, especially in international markets, which will inevitably affect our revenue performance for the full year," MD Dimitris Gerogiannis warned.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the airline does not expect to try to obtain new capital beyond the A$500 million ($389.6 million) raised through a February share placement. "We have built up our cash balances and our plans going forward have deferred capital expenditure," he said in comments cited by Reuters. "We have used those other mechanisms to make sure that Qantas has sufficient balance-sheet strength to get through our view of the current environment." QF last month downgraded its full-year forecast and said it expected pre-tax earnings for the year ending June 30 to be A$100-A$200 million rather than the originally predicted A$500 million. It also announced aircraft deferrals designed to reduce capital expenditure by A$1 billion.

Separately, the airline confirmed that it will begin charging extra for exit row economy seats on international flights (excluding transtasman routes) beginning next month. "We are still finalizing this, but the option is likely to cost A$80 on shorter sectors and A$160 on longer sectors," a spokesperson said.

British Airways CEO Willie Walsh said the airline would consider purchasing bmi's slots at London Heathrow if they became available, the Financial Times reported. "In the current environment, it is difficult to argue we should go out and acquire those slots. Having said that, it may be the only opportunity we ever get," Walsh told the paper. Bmi is the second-largest slot holder at LHR after BA with about 12%. Its main shareholder, Michael Bishop, is in a legal dispute with Lufthansa over their takeover agreement.

Deccan 360, a cargo startup established by Air Deccan founder G.R. Gopinath, launched service yesterday with an A310 freighter flight from Delhi to Hong Kong. "Deccan 360 will be the first Indian company to create a hub-and-spoke distribution model in the express industry in India," parent company Deccan Express Logistics said. "Deccan 360's air and surface network will offer unmatched, next-day connectivity to more than 85% of the Indian GDP." The carrier reportedly will add more A310Fs later this year. "Our plans for the future include expanding our network to 95% of India's GDP and spreading our reach to the international market via the Middle East and Southeast Asia," DEL said.

Blue1 will furlough each of its 450 employees for 2-4 weeks, a spokesperson told Finnish national broadcaster YLE. Leave will be staggered and will not affect scheduled flights. The SAS Group subsidiary serves 24 destinations.

American Airlines will operate a cashless cabin on US and Canadian mainline flights beginning June 1.

Separately, American Eagle will launch twice-daily Dallas/Fort Worth-Manhattan, Kan., service on Aug. 25 aboard an ERJ-145.

Air Southwest of Plymouth, England, will add the SZ code to its flight numbers beginning May 31, allowing its flights to be available for sale in external systems. It previously used the WOW prefix. "Our website. . .will continue to be our main source of bookings, but we now see great opportunities in being able to use global sales systems. And it means we can work more closely with other airlines in the future," MD Peter Davies said. Air Southwest serves 13 destinations

Alitalia has been reestablished as an IATA member and said it is "now in a position to play an active role in all the association's projects, confirming its intention to be a key player in the air transport world, at the same time as following an investment strategy to continuously improve its services and products."

EgyptAir said it will offer OnAir's inflight Internet service on its A330-300s. It offered no further details, but press reports indicated that installation will take 18 months and begin in August 2010.



AVIATION QUOTE

Once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return.
— Leonardo DiVinci



AEROSPACE TERM

Gaseous Diffusion

A method of isotopic separation based on the fact that gas atoms or molecules with different masses will diffuse through a morous barrier (orm membrane) at different rates. The method is used to separate uranium 235 from uranium 238. It requires large gaseous diffusion plants and enormous amounts of electric power.



DAILY VIDEO





HUMOR

ATC

DFW Tower: "Lonestar 189, clear to land 18R, wind calm."

Lonestar: "Roger, cleared to land 18R."

Lonestar: "Tower, we hit something."

DFW Tower: YOU DID WHAT???

Lonestar: "We hit a small animal or something on the runway. Ya know, some sort of road kill or something."

DFW Tower: "UPS 31 HEAVY, be advised company that just landed ahead of you on runway 18R reports hitting some sort of roadkill."

UPS 31: "That's allright, we'll flatten it out a little bit for ya!"



TRIVIA

General Trivia

1. The speed of sound at sea level on a standard day is 663 knots (763 mph). What is the speed of sound in space?

2. The official world record for the longest distance flown in a glider during a single flight is:
a. 1,324.7 nm (1,524.4 sm)
b. 1,624.7 nm (1,869.7 sm)
c. 1,924.7 nm (2,214.9 sm)
d. 2,224.7 nm (2,560.1 sm)

3. Mix and Match
1. Dallas Love Field
2. General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport
3. La Guardia Airport
4. Lambert – St. Louis International Airport
5. Chicago O’Hare International Airport
6. McCarran International Airport
7. Washington Dulles International Airport
8. William P. Hobby Airport

a. City’s first licensed pilot
b. Mayor
c. Secretary of State
d. State governor
e. State legislator
f. U.S. Army aviator
g. US Navy’s first ace
h. U.S. Senator

1. The speed of sound at sea level on a standard day is 663 knots (763 mph). What is the speed of sound in space?

Zero - sound can't travel in a vacuum

2. The official world record for the longest distance flown in a glider during a single flight is:
b. 1,624.7 nm (1,869.7 sm)

3. I'll get back to you shortly on those. Damn school holidays.

ANZ biofuel flight data: 1.2% fuel burn cut, 60%-75% CO2 reduction on 12-hr. 747 flight
Air New Zealand yesterday revealed the results of its Dec. 29 747-400 biofuel test flight at the Eco-Aviation conference presented by ATW and Leeham Co. in Washington, saying that data gathered from the 2-hr. flight show that a 50/50 blend of jatropha-based fuel and standard jet fuel could reduce fuel burn by 1.2% and carbon dioxide emissions by 60%-75% on an average 12-hr. 747 flight.
http://atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=16733

This is the reason why Big Gov needs to leave the Airlines alone with the carbon credit scam. The airlines and manufacturers are the most proactive when it comes to finding solutions to fuel burn and emissions.

1. Sounds can't travel in Space.

2. No flipping clue.

3. Mix and Match
1. Dallas Love Field d. State governor
2. General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport e. State legislator
3. La Guardia Airport b. Mayor
4. Lambert – St. Louis International Airport f. U.S. Army aviator
5. Chicago O’Hare International Airport g. US Navy’s first ace
6. McCarran International Airport h. U.S. Senator
7. Washington Dulles International Airport c. Secretary of State
8. William P. Hobby Airport a. City’s first licensed pilot

1. Sound can't travel in space because it's a vacuum, and sound requires air to travel.

2. 1924.7 - c

3. (Five of these I don't know, even though I've been to nearly all of them )
Dallas Love - Army Aviator
Logan - City's 1st licensed pilot
La Guardia - Mayor
Lambert - State guv
O'Hare - U.S. Navy's first ace
McCarran - U.S. Senator
Dulles - Secretary of State
Hobby - State legislator

UPDATE

Boeing's 787 sales strong despite recession
Boeing is confident that the new 787 aircraft will be the company's best plane. "The good news is that we have what I'm confident will be the best-selling airplane of all time, which gives us time to work on profitability," said Jim McNerney, chairman and chief executive. There have already been more than 800 orders for the plane.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-200 ... smartbrief

UPS seeks $40 million savings to avoid pilot furloughs
Roughly 10% of UPS pilots could face furloughs if their union fails to come up with $40 million in savings through job-sharing, early retirements and other measures. UPS already has cut costs by about $1 billion, but plunging cargo shipments have left the company with "approximately 300 more pilots than we need," according to a spokesman. UPS says it needs $40 million in pilot savings this year, $38 million next year and $53 million in 2011.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... 0465.story

US Airways wants to double cap on stock shares
US Airways is asking shareholders to authorize the issuance of up to 400 million shares of stock, doubling the current ceiling of 200 million shares. Amid a tight credit market, US Airways raised additional capital earlier this month by selling almost 17.5 million shares. That offering, plus convertible notes and equity awards, puts the company near its current limit. US Airways says it has no current plans to issue additional shares but does "intend to continue to consider transactions from time to time that could result in such issuances."
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-air ... -can-issue

Delta reverses course on international luggage fee
Delta Air Lines has decided to scale back its $50 fee for checking a second piece of luggage on all international flights. Only passengers traveling between the U.S. and Europe will be charged the fee. "We constantly monitor the industry landscape to ensure our fares and fees are competitive," said spokeswoman Betsy Talton.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/t ... lta27.html

Detroit's airport may be key to revival
Detroit for some may symbolize the collapse of American industry, but Delta Air Lines sees the city as a transportation gem. "We're most excited about the future of Detroit, its role as the primary Asian gateway from the East Coast," says Glen Hauenstein, a Delta executive vice president. "Not only is the airport beautiful, but to fly from the East Coast, it is the most direct route to Asia." Transportation infrastructure has always been the key to economic growth, says professor John Kasarda of the University of North Carolina. "Detroit Metro Airport is the region's primary infrastructure asset (and) the speedy connectivity it provides to area businesses can help Detroit's economy transform to new sunrise industries."
http://www.thestreet.com/story/10506078 ... ently.html

April sees slower decline in international traffic
International air traffic was down again in April, but the 3.1% slide was much less drastic than the 11.1% plunge in March, a trade group said on Wednesday. Every region except Latin America and the Middle East experienced declines. North American carriers saw a 4.2% drop in international traffic, which nearly matched a 4% reduction in capacity. Cargo continued its steep fall, down 21.7% from year-ago levels.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1243423 ... smartbrief

Opinion: A shame slot auction plan shelved; now NextGen is needed
A plan to auction airport takeoff and landing slots would have helped ease congestion in the nation's airways, the Washington Post editorial board writes. However, airlines opposed the plan, and last year the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia kept it from moving ahead. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood earlier this month announced that the plan would not go forward but said easing congestion remains a priority. The Washington Post goes on to say that what's ultimately needed to relieve congestion is "the full implementation of the satellite-based NextGen radar system."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 03100.html

DHS to test biometric ID for departing visitors
Beginning this week, international visitors departing the U.S. from Atlanta and Detroit will have to "check out" with immigration authorities, who will scan passports and fingerprints. Robert Mocny, head of the US-VISIT program under the Department of Homeland Security, says the biometric data will help reduce the threat posed by stolen passports. "There are tens of millions of lost or stolen passports that circulate the globe on the black market used by international criminals and terrorists. This [biometric verification] puts a stop to that," he says.
http://fcw.com/articles/2009/05/27/web- ... ilots.aspx

Expedia permanently waives booking fee for airline tickets
Online travel giant Expedia says its fee-free promotion for airline tickets booked on the site will become permanent. The move is seen as a challenge to the airlines' own booking engines, which have benefited in the past from fees charged by Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity. Studies have shown that nearly one-third of customers who research airfares through online agencies eventually book their travel through airline sites.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1243462 ... smartbrief

Answers:

Sound is a series of compression waves that move through air or other materials. Because space is a vacuum and void of such material, there is no sound.

(b) The flight was made by German pilot Klaus Ohlmann in a Schmepp-Hirth Nimbus 4DM in South America in21 JAN 03.

1. Moses Lee Love – (f) U.S. Army aviator
2. Edward Lawrence Logan – (e) State legislator
3. Fiorello La Guardia – (b) Mayor
4. Albert Bond Lambert – (a) City’s first licensed pilot
5. Lt. Commander Edward “Butch” O’Hare – (g) U.S. Navy’s first ace
6. Pat McCarran – (h) U.S. Senator
7. John Foster Dulles – (c) Secretary of State
8. William Petus Hobby – (d) State governor