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NEWS

Avalanche of aircraft orders expected at Paris Air Show
In a special report on Le Bourget, Buckingham said orders this week will be dominated by the A320neo, but the firm doesn't expect any announcement from Boeing on its plan for countering Airbus's narrowbody re-engining. Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Jim Albaugh said last month that the manufacturer is aiming to make an announcement on its future narrowbody aircraft "in the ballpark" of late 2011. He explained that Boeing is going through a "very deliberate" decision-making process on whether to re-engine the 737NG or build an all-new aircraft.
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Pratt looks to carry momentum to Paris
Pratt & Whitney enters the Paris Air Show with momentum on its side, having recently won several high-profile engine selections on the Airbus A320neo. New York-based Buckingham Research Group predicted that the PW1000G series engine will be the "surprise winners of the show in terms of orders ahead of expectations," with the PW1100G winning two-thirds of an expected high number of A320neo orders this week.
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Bombardier says CSeries orders to start picking up
There will undoubtedly be a great deal of focus on Bombardier's CSeries at this week's Paris Air Show as the manufacturer hopes its foray into the narrowbody aircraft sector will begin to fulfill expectations on the order side. It announced no CSeries orders at last year's Farnborough Airshow and, even with two orders announced this month, the order count numbers 103 to just five customers.
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Flydubai, two years old this month, targets 2012 profit
Flydubai expects to announce its first annual profit in 2012. "With 21 aircraft [by the end of 2012] we will have the right size to" operate sustainably, CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said in Dubai recently.
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Boeing May Have 737 Decision By Year-End
Boeing is aiming to make a decision on whether to re-engine or redesign its 737 narrow-body by the end of the year, but it is not making any promises, the chief executive of Boeing's commercial division said on Sunday.
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Airbus Revamps A350 In Challenge To 777
Airbus has confirmed plans to delay availability of some A350 aircraft to allow time to develop a bigger engine, opening up a second front in a market share battle with Boeing on the eve of the Paris Air Show.
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Other News

Boeing's 747-8 freighter is scheduled to land at the Paris Air Show Monday after crossing the Atlantic Ocean partially powered by biofuel. Boeing pilots Capt. Keith Otsuka and Capt. Rick Braun and Cargolux Capt. Sten Rossby were slated to fly the aircraft with each of its GE GEnx-2B engines powered by a blend of 15% camelina-based biofuel and 85% traditional kerosene fuel (Jet-A).

V2500: Even with the launch of the Airbus A320neo, the V2500 engine still has a long life ahead of it, International Aero Engines President and CEO Ian Aitken told ATW. Speaking in the lead up to the Paris Air Show, he noted that the March launch of an upgraded V2500 engine, the V2500 SelectTwo that will be offered on the A320 family as an "upgrade option" for the V2500 SelectOne, was just the first step in developing an advanced version of the powerplant.

GoAir, the Wadia Group-owned airline based in Mumbai, announced at a Thursday press conference that it has ordered 72 Airbus A320neos.

BAE Systems placed one BAe 146-300 (delivered) with Albanian Airlines configured in a 98-seat all-economy class layout. It joins two other BAe 146s at the airline, and will be utilized to increase frequencies on existing routes from the capital Tirana as well as for route expansion.

International Lease Finance Corp. said it has entered into 114 aircraft lease commitments so far this year, noting that it is "expanding" its global customer base and that airlines are "acknowledging" its "financial strength," as well as the "appeal" of its portfolio and order book.

Airbus delivered its 50th A380 to Singapore Airlines. It is SIA's 12th A380.

Avinco said it has placed five Boeing 737s and three Airbus A340s in 2011.

Boeing delivered its 275th 737NG aircraft to GE Capital Aviation Services June 17. China United Airlines will operate the 737-800.

Air Canada’s 3,800 customer service and sales workers, represented by the Canadian Auto Workers union, returned to work Friday following tentative agreement on a new labor pact.

United Airlines received notice from US FAA of a proposed a $584,375 civil penalty "for allegedly violating … regulations for random drug and alcohol testing of safety-sensitive employees." UA has 30 days to respond to the agency.

Air Berlin and British Airways reached a codeshare agreement. Beginning July 5, AB will place its code on BA flights from "various" German airports to London Heathrow, as well as BA flights from Frankfurt and Zurich to London City, and from Salzburg to London Gatwick. BA will place its code on AB flights from LGW to Nuremburg and from STN to Paderborn and Munster/Osnabruck. The cooperation agreement applies to flights to more than 40 European destinations served by the two airlines.

Sun Country Airlines will operate seasonal weekly Boeing 737-800 service from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Liberia, Costa Rica, from Jan. 13-April 13.

TAP Portugal will launch four-times-weekly Lisbon-Accra Airbus A320 service July 2.

EgyptAir will launch daily Alexandria-Dubai Airbus A320-200 service June 20.



AVIATION QUOTE

No matter how important a man at sea may consider himself, unless he is fundamentally worthy the sea will someday find him out.

— Felix Riesenberg



ON THIS DATE

June 20th

---In 1540... Joao Torto, in Viseu, Portugal, builds two pairs of cloth-covered wings, an upper and lower, which are connected by iron hoops. While preparing to jump from the town’s cathedral to the nearby St. Matthew’s fields, he is killed when the elaborated helmet slips over his eyes and he falls onto a roof.

---In 1897... Percy Pilcher is towed about 750 feet in the Hawk, the fourth of his hang gliders.

---In 1951... The first flight of aircraft with variable-sweep wings is made as the research aircraft Bell X-5, flies for 30 minutes at Edwards, California.

---In 1983…First flight of Bombardier Dash 8.

---In 1995…First flight of Boeing 767-300F.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE


Image © Nosedive, 2011.



HUMOR

What just happened here?

A military cargo plane, flying over a populated area, suddenly loses power and starts to nose down. The pilot tries to pull up, but with all their cargo, the plane is too heavy. So he yells to the soldiers in back to throw things out to make the plane lighter. They throw out a pistol. "Throw out more!" shouts the pilot. So they throw out a rifle. "More!" he cries again. They heave out a missile, and the pilot regains control.

He pulls out of the dive and lands safely at an airport. They get into a jeep and drive off. Pretty soon they meet a boy on the side of the road who's crying. They ask him why he's crying and he says "A pistol hit me on the head!"

They drive more and meet another boy who's crying even harder. Again they ask why and the boy says, "A rifle hit me on the head!"

They apologize and keep driving. They meet a boy on the sidewalk who's laughing hysterically. They ask him, "Kid, what's so funny?" The boy replies, "I sneezed and a house blew up!"



TRIVIA

General Trivia

1. Our presidential and vice-presidential candidates and their spouses are: John McCain, Cindy McCain, Sarah Palin, Todd Palin, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and Joe Biden. We Know that John McCain and Todd Palin are pilots. Who else is a licensed pilot?

2. Who was the first US president to get a pilot's license?
A. JFK
B. Ronald Regan
C. John Travolta
D. Dwight Eisenhower

3. Today the event in Oshkosh is called EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. It has been in existence, though not by that name, since 1953. What cities have hosted this event?
A. Oshkosh and Green Bay
B. Oshkosh, Milwaukee and Beloit
C. Oshkosh, Milwaukee and Rockford, Illinois

4. Describe the inception of the FAA.
A. In prehistoric times, three ape-like men hatched from dinosaur eggs and formed the FAA.
B. The FAA was formed 50 years ago by a presidential decree.
C. In the '60's, there were 5 guys who all had been turned down for a pilots license and vowed to get back at licensed pilots and formed the FAA.

5. Why was the FAA created?
A. The jetliners were coming.
B. There were lots of midair collisions.
C. Both A and B.
D. Too many general aviation pilots had bad attitudes.

6. Relating to aviation - what is SLOP?
A. What your wife fixes you for dinner when you get back very late from flying.
B. What your instructor calls the last three bad landings that you made.
C. An acronym for Strategic Lateral Offset Procedures.

7. When was the first hot air balloon launched and who were the passengers?
A. 1910 - Wilbur Wright and President William McKinley.
B. 1850 - General Santa Ana and his wife.
C. 1783 - A sheep, a duck and a rooster.

8. What is the altitude record of a manned balloon flight?
A. 52,000'
B. 72,000'
C. 102,000'

9. According to FAA regs what color should an airport windsock be?
A. Only orange
B. Orange or orange and white stripe
C. Orange, white or yellow

10. Which late-night talk-show host was a fighter pilot in the US Marine Corps?
A. Jack Paar
B. Steve Allen
C. Johnny Carson
D. Ed McMahon

Entirely unreliable answers from the realms of guesswork:-

1. Sarah Palin?
2. D. Dwight Eisenhower
3. B. Oshkosh, Milwaukee and Beloit
4. B. The FAA was formed 50 years ago by a presidential decree.
5. C. Both A and B.
6. C. An acronym for Strategic Lateral Offset Procedures.
7. C. 1783 - A sheep, a duck and a rooster.
8. B. 72,000'
9. A. Only orange
10. C. Johnny Carson

ANSWERS:

1. In 1982, when she knew she would be doing a lot of flying with her husband and so she could overcome her fear of flying, Cindy McCain got her private pilot's license.
.
2. D. Dwight Eisenhower got his pilot's license in 1939.
.
3. C. The EAA Convention as is was originally called, began in Milwaukee with 100 visitors. In 1959 the event became too big for the Milwaukee airfield and moved to Rockford, Illinois, where it stayed for 10 years. The event outgrew Rockford and was moved to Oshkosh where there are two long runways and lots of room for planes to park and room for tents for camping. This year they had 750,000 visitors and the EAA gathering has become one of the world's largest aviation events!
.
4. B. The FAA was formed on August 23rd, 1958 by President Eisenhower signing the Federal Aviation Act creating the FAA.
.
5. C. The advent of jetliners and too many midair collisions spawned the creation of the FAA.
.
6. C. With the advent of GPS and extremely accurate navigation, the odds of a midair collision, say over a VOR, or descending or climbing on an airway are very high. SLOP allows the pilot to offset his position by 1 NM. It is also used for wake turbulence avoidance from a preceding aircraft. SLOP does require ATC permission.
.
7. C. In 1783 a French scientist launched the first hot air balloon with a sheep, a duck and a rooster. The balloon stayed up for 15 minutes.
.
8. C. In 1960, Captain Joe Kittinger reached a height of 102,000' then parachuted out of the balloon. The Captain holds the record for the highest balloon flight and the highest parachute jump. He broke the sound barrier with his body. And, yes, he lived through it all!
.
9. C. The FAA regs say that the windsock may be orange, white or yellow.
.
10. D. Ed McMahon was a fighter pilot and also he was a flight instructor and a test pilot