Flybe, Finnair to jointly acquire Finnish Commuter Airlines UK-based Flybe and Finnair announced they will jointly acquire Finnish Commuter Airlines, the Finnish regional carrier owned by privately held Finncomm Oy, for €25 million ($36.2 million) in cash. The acquisition will be made through a new joint venture, to be called Flybe Nordic, in which Flybe will hold 60% and Finnair 40%. Link
Hawaiian Airlines leases three 717s to boost interisland flights Hawaiian Airlines said it leased three additional Boeing 717-200 aircraft to meet increasing passenger demand, and has also purchased its existing fleet of 15 leased 717-200s from Boeing Capital Corp. in a refinancing transaction aimed at reducing its long-term fleet costs. Terms of the transactions were not released. Link
Garuda Indonesia orders four additional A330s Garuda Indonesia placed a firm order for four A330-300s and converted three previously ordered A330-200s into -300 models, Airbus said Friday. Link
EASA starts inspecting Superjet for European certification European authorities have started inspecting the Sukhoi Superjet 100 as part of the effort to certificate the twinjet outside Russia. The preliminary inspection of prototype 97005 is being undertaken at Toulouse Blagnac airport to support the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee's type certificate procedure. Link
Republic cites ‘incentives’ in Leap selection for A320neo Incentives from engine-maker CFM International swayed Republic Airways Holdings' decision to select the Leap-X1A powerplant for its tentative order for 80 Airbus A319neo and A320neo twinjets, the Indiana, USA-based company said. Link
Probe into grounded Tiger continues Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is continuing investigations into safety concerns at grounded Tiger Airways Australia, following the first formal meeting with the airline yesterday. No outcome resulted from the 2½h meeting yesterday, said a CASA spokesman. "It was an opportunity for Tiger to provide information to us and for us to ask questions. We continue to work through the issues," he added, saying that the discussions took place in a "professional" manner. Link
Other News
Turkish Airlines launched twice-weekly Istanbul Ataturk-Basra service and will increase it to thrice-weekly Tuesday, from when the service will be operated via Necef. It also launched three weekly IST-Naples flights and thrice-weekly IST-Islamabad Boeing 737-800 service.
Etihad Airways reached a codeshare agreement with Czech Airlines under which OK will launch four-times-weekly Prague-Abu Dhabi Airbus A319 flights Sept. 21.
Lufthansa will launch thrice-daily Frankfurt-Aberdeen service Oct. 30 operated by an LH CityLine Embraer 190.
Wizz Air will launch thrice-weekly Lodz-London Luton service Sept. 13.
AVIATION QUOTE
I've learned that it is what I do not know that I fear, and I strive, outwardly from pride, inwardly from the knowledge that the unknown is what will finally kill me, to know all there is to be known about my airplane. I will never die.
— Richard Bach, Stranger to the Ground, 1963.
ON THIS DATE
July 5th
---In 1912... Captain Charles Chandler and Lieutenants Thomas Milling and Henry Arnold are presented with certificates qualifying them as the U.S.’s first “Military Aviators.”
---In 1927... Lady Bailey establishes a new light airplane altitude record of 17,283 feet, in a de Havilland D.H. 60 Moth, at the company’s airfield in Edgeware, Middlesex.
---In 1940... The first American paratrooper unit is formed at Fort Benning, Georgia.
---In 1944... The first U.S. rocket-powered military aircraft, the MX-324, flies at Harper Dry Lake, California. The pilot, Harry Crosby, makes the voyage.
---In 1961…General Curtis LeMay of the Air Force, expresses interest in a bomber version of the A-12. The Q-bay located behind the cockpits (later the ANS bay) was envisioned as the bomb bay. (Q)
---In 1979... French aviation pioneer and aircraft manufacturer Emile Dewoitine dies at the age of 87.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
Engine Blew Up
While cruising at 40,000 feet, the airplane shuddered and Mr. Benson looked out the window. “Good lord!” he screamed, “One of the engines just blew up!”
Other passengers left their seats and came running over. Suddenly the aircraft was rocked by a second blast as yet another engine exploded on the other side. The passengers were in a panic now, and even the stewardesses couldn't maintain order. Just then, standing tall and smiling confidently, the pilot strode from the cockpit and assured everyone that there was nothing to worry about. His words and his demeanor made most of the passengers feel better, and they sat down as the pilot calmly walked to the door of the aircraft. There, he grabbed several packages from under the seats and began handing them to the flight attendants. Each crew member attatched the package to their backs.
“Say,” spoke up an alert passenger, “Aren't those parachutes?”
The pilot said they were. The passenger went on, “But I thought you said there was nothing to worry about?”
“There isn't,” replied the pilot as a third engine exploded. “We're going to get help.”
TRIVIA
Who am I? Thanks to Queso for today’s trivia.
1. First flown in 2001, I am the longest airliner currently in production and I can seat 419 in my 2 class seating arrangement. Who am I?
2. I am very famous for the shark-toothed paint job that one group of my operators put onto my nose. Almost 14,000 of my type were built and operated by 28 different nations including the United States and the Soviet Union. I guest-starred in movies along side the likes of John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and John Belushi. Who am I?
3. I am a 2-seat, rag-and-tube plane first sold in 1964 who loves to fly upside-down and do loops and spins! In fact, my name is my primary reason for flying, (roughly) spelled backwards! Who am I?
4. I have been the King of the Skies for over 30 years, maintaining an air-superiority for the 4 countries who operate my type with an unmatched 104-to-0 kill ratio. One of my type once had an in-flight collision with another aircraft and it's skillful pilot safely landed the aircraft in spite of missing the entire right wing! Who am I?
5. I was the first (and perhaps only) aircraft to have flown with an operating nuclear reactor aboard. I was so heavy the designers went through several landing gear designs to help spread my tremendous weight across the tarmac. In fact, my payload was almost as much as the empty weight of one of the aircraft I replaced! And even though there were several innovative features included in my design such as my "pusher" engines and propellers, I was replaced in service by much faster aircraft after just a few years. Who am I?
6. Developed from a fighter jet design originally planned for Switzerland, my name is sometimes used synonymously as "business jet". I set the standard for small jets with two engines at the rear and a T-tail. Sleek and quite beautiful for the early 1960's era in which I was introduced, I could carry my 2 crew and 6 passengers up to 1,500 miles at well over 500 mph and up to 41,000 feet. The Argentine Air Force even used a couple of my type during the Falklands Island War to act as decoy strike aircraft sent to attack British ships! Who am I?
7. Operated by a tire and rubber company, I am 192 feet long, 59.5 feet tall, and 50 feet wide. I have a cruising speed of 35 mph in calm wind and I carry 6 passengers. You may have seen me circling major sporting events, and two of my type played a major role in the movie "Black Sunday". Who am I?
8. 7,000 of my type earned our keep transporting and evacuating troops in the jungles of Vietnam. We've served with every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, several civilian branches of government, as well as being dependable and reliable money-makers for civilian businesses in jobs such as spraying crops, moving logs and carrying oil workers to and from offshore platforms. My design was also modified by making it much slimmer and lighter to produce one of the most successful gunships ever created and it was named after a snake, even though I share a name with a Baby. Who am I?
9. I am the only commercially successful supersonic passenger aircraft ever produced (thus far). Who am I?
10. I am most successful mass produced light aircraft in history. My type was first flown in 1955 and is still in production. As of 2008, more than 43,000 of my type had been built. I have seats for 4 people and can do a reasonable job of carrying them 600 nm at a speed of about 120 knots. My high wing, tricycle landing gear, and fixed-pitch prop design features and reasonable acquisition and operating cost make me a popular choice as a training aircraft as well. Who am I?
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
