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NEWS

Singapore Airlines to receive 15 more A330s; Airbus deepens China commitment
Airbus said it finalized an agreement with Singapore Airlines under which the carrier will lease 15 new A330-300s to be delivered by the manufacturer from 2013-2015 to join an existing fleet of 19 A330-300s currently operated by SIA.
Link

Chinese carriers slash fares, improve service to compete with high-speed rail
Chinese carriers facing pressure from the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail service scheduled to start Thursday are slashing air fares and making other adjustments to remain competitive.
Link

Oman Air focuses on 'long-term' prospects; CEO Hill to retire at year end
Oman Air CEO Peter Hill said the carrier is "here to stay for the long term" and "the government of Oman is ready to support us in a difficult time."
Link

Airbus coy on A320 winglet retrofit details
Airbus is yet to disclose full technical details of a plan to offer large winglet retrofit on its A320-family aircraft as it prepares to start producing new-build aircraft with a "sharklet" wingtip modification. US carrier JetBlue Airways, which has pressed for a retrofit option, is to be a launch customer for the retrofit programme. It is already intending to take sharklet-equipped A320s from 2013.
Link

Real-world Global Hawk outperforms tests
Despite a dismal initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) report about the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 30, the US Air Force reports a relatively high operational reliability rating.
Link

Delta outfits wide-body aircraft with full flat-bed seats
Delta Air Lines announced that it has installed full flat-bed seats on more than 25% of its wide-body aircraft, including its Boeing 777s and 767-400ERs. The airline is planning to continue installing the new premium seats in its planes. Delta said its entire wide-body fleet will have full flat-bed seats by the end of 2013.
Link

Republic pilots choose Teamsters for representation
Pilots employed by Republic Airways Holdings opted to have the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represent them, but challenges lie ahead. With certification of the June 27 vote count, the Frontier Airline Pilots Association no longer exists as a pilots' union representative, but it plans to continue to voice concerns.
Link

DOT watchdog says various factors result in ATC errors
Calvin Scovel III, inspector general for the Department of Transportation, says a variety of factors contribute to air traffic controller errors. Fatigue has been blamed for many issues, but Scovel suggested that staffing and training also play a role.
Link

TSA agents raise concerns about scanner safety
Some Transportation Security Administration agents believe that scanners used at airport screening stations may lead to cancer. Documents released by the Electronic Privacy Information Center show that TSA supervisors at Boston's Logan International Airport stated that a "growing number of transportation security officers have thus far been diagnosed with cancer." TSA agents at the Atlanta airport have also raised concerns. In response, the TSA said the scanners have been tested to ensure they meet safety standards.
Link


Other News

ICAO adopted a code of conduct to oversee the collection, sharing and use of aviation safety information. "Transparency and sharing of safety information are fundamental to a safe air transportation system. The new code of conduct will help ensure that the information is used in a fair and consistent manner, with the sole objective of improving safety," said ICAO Council President Roberto Kobeh González.

US Dept. of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that US airlines collected almost $5.7 billion from baggage fees and reservation change fees in 2010.

Boeing opened a new 787 vertical fin assembly line at its production facility in Salt Lake City. Operated by Boeing Fabrication, the 35,000 sq. ft. composite assembly line will build the vertical fin assemblies for 787s built at Boeing's South Carolina facility. The Boeing Salt Lake City facility is scheduled to deliver its first vertical fin to Boeing South Carolina during the fourth quarter.

Coopesa RL signed a contract with Ecuador's Tame to perform a C check on an Airbus A320. This is the fourth C check performed by Coopesa for Tame. Coopesa has US FAA and EASA approval for A320 family aircraft; it has performed 32 C checks in the last 18 months.

Fokker Aircraft Services received US FAA approval covering airframe maintenance and overhaul for all Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737NG series “N” registered aircraft.

Gate Gourmet extended its contract with SAS, covering catering and provisioning services at the airline's three main hubs in Copenhagen, Stockholm/Arlanda and Oslo as well as other locations in Scandinavia, for an additional two years to 2016. Separately, they reached a five-year extension of an existing agreement covering catering services at more than 15 locations worldwide, now expiring in 2016.



AVIATION QUOTE

A pilot who says he has never been frightened in an airplane is, I'm afraid, lying.

— Louise Thaden



ON THIS DATE

June 30th

---In 1909... In opening demonstration flights before the U.S. Army at Fort Myer, Virginia, Orville Wright makes the first flight with the new Wright A built to replace the one destroyed in September 1908.

---In 1914... Glenn Curtiss takes up nine passengers in New York in his seaplane America, built for Rodman Wanamaker, to make an attempt on the £10,000 prize offered by the Daily Mail for the first transatlantic crossing in a heavier-than-air machine.

---In 1948... The Air Parcel Post Bill becomes U.S. law, establishing domestic air parcel post and raising first class postage rates for air mail from five cents to six cents.

---In 1955…The Boeing B-52 enters operational service with the 93rd Bomb Wing.

---In 1960…The English Electric Lightning enters operational service with No. 74 Squadron RAF at RAF Coltishall.

---In 1962…First flight of the Vickers VC-10.

---In 1963…First flight of the Saab 105.

---In 1977... Italian Professor Enrico Forlanini’s steam-powered helicopter is tested at Alexandria, Egypt.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE





HUMOR

Blackbird

SR-71 Blackbird pilot Brian Shul tells of the following exchange: "One day as Walt (my back-seater) and I were screaming across Southern California 13 miles high, we were monitoring various radio transmissions from other aircraft as we entered Los Angeles airspace. Although they didn't really control us, they did monitor our movement across their scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its ground speed.

'90 knots,' Center replied.

Moments later, a twin engine Beech requested the same.

'120 knots,' Center answered.

We weren't the only ones proud of our ground speed that day as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, 'Uh, Center, Dusty 52 requests ground speed readout.'

There was a slight pause, then the response, 'Dusty 52, 525 knots on the ground.'

Then came another silent pause. Just as I was thinking to myself how ripe the situation was, I heard the crackle of our radio as Walt transmitted 'Center, Aspen 20, you got a ground speed readout for us?'

There was a longer than normal pause. 'Aspen 20, I show you at 1,742 knots.'

No further speed inquiries were made after that."

Another one for good measure:

In another popular SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center reported receiving a request for clearance to flight level 600 (60,000 feet). The incredulous controller, with some disdain in his voice, asked, "How do you plan to get up to 60,000 feet?"

The SR-71 pilot responded, "We don't plan to go up to it, we plan to go down to it!"



TRIVIA

Airliners

1. Which company built the ill-fated Comet?
Hawker Siddeley
De Havilland
Handley Page
Vickers

2. Which of the following does not belong?
DC-5
DC-6
DC-4
DC-7

3. Who was primarily responsible for the design and development of the Constellation?
Juan Trippe
Malcolm Loughhead (Lockheed)
Howard Hughes
Glenn Martin

4. Which Convair model was the company's last entry in the commercial airliner market?
990
240
880
340

5. Which passenger plane was never used as Air Force One?
Douglas DC-7
Lockheed Constellation
Douglas DC-6
Boeing 707

6. Which of the following is not a jumbo jet?
Boeing 747
McDonnell Douglas MD-82
Lockheed L-1011
Douglas DC-10

7. What was the designation of the four-engine jet airliner being produced by Airbus prior to the A380?
A350
A321
A320
A340

8. Before Boeing introduced its long-haul 747-400 series, a smaller version of the 747 was built that had a range of almost 7,000 miles. What was the designation of this popular 'mini-jumbo'?
747-250
747-SB
747-SP
747-200

9. During the 1950s turboprop aircraft made up a large portion of the commercial airliner fleet. Which of the following was not a turboprop?
Lockheed Electra II
Bristol Britannia
Vickers Viscount
Martin 404

10. In the romantic era of the Clippers, Pan Am bought flying boats from Martin, Sikorsky and Boeing. What was the designation of the airplane built by Boeing for service in the fabled Clipper fleet?
307
247
377
314

1. De Havilland
2. DC-5
3. Howard Hughes
4. 990?
5. Douglas DC-7? (or DC6?)
6. McDonnell Douglas MD-82
7. A340
8. 747-SP
9. thought they were all props, no idea which one isn't turbo
10. 314

Regarding the 747, didn't it sometimes get called "Sutter's Balloon" for some reason? I seem to remember reading that way back when I was in 3rd or 4th grade.

Lucas wrote:Regarding the 747, didn't it sometimes get called "Sutter's Balloon" for some reason? I seem to remember reading that way back when I was in 3rd or 4th grade.

That was for the 747SP, which originally had been designated 747SB for "Short Body" after the 747 Program's Chief Engineer, Joe Sutter. Hence, "Sutter's Balloon.

miamiair wrote:

Lucas wrote:Regarding the 747, didn't it sometimes get called "Sutter's Balloon" for some reason? I seem to remember reading that way back when I was in 3rd or 4th grade.

That was for the 747SP, which originally had been designated 747SB for "Short Body" after the 747 Program's Chief Engineer, Joe Sutter. Hence, "Sutter's Balloon.

Ah ha! I seemed to recall SB being in their somewhere, but I thought it must have just been some childhood mistake. That's the the concise and accurate summary. Kinda strange how that Sutter's Balloon bit popped back into my mind while reading today's Daily.

1. Which company built the ill-fated Comet?

De Havilland


2. Which of the following does not belong?
DC-5


3. Who was primarily responsible for the design and development of the Constellation?

Howard Hughes


4. Which Convair model was the company's last entry in the commercial airliner market?
990


5. Which passenger plane was never used as Air Force One?
Douglas DC-7


6. Which of the following is not a jumbo jet?

McDonnell Douglas MD-82


7. What was the designation of the four-engine jet airliner being produced by Airbus prior to the A380?

A340

8. Before Boeing introduced its long-haul 747-400 series, a smaller version of the 747 was built that had a range of almost 7,000 miles. What was the designation of this popular 'mini-jumbo'?

747-SP


9. During the 1950s turboprop aircraft made up a large portion of the commercial airliner fleet. Which of the following was not a turboprop?

Martin 404

10. In the romantic era of the Clippers, Pan Am bought flying boats from Martin, Sikorsky and Boeing. What was the designation of the airplane built by Boeing for service in the fabled Clipper fleet?

314