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NEWS

Air Canada Takes Aim At Competition Bureau
Canada's competition watchdog is wrong in opposing a planned joint venture between Air Canada and United Continental, Canada's biggest airline said. In a submission made to the Competition Bureau on Monday but only made public on Tuesday, Air Canada said the regulator's opposition was "fundamentally misconceived" and would unwind long-standing agreements with United, which have benefited passengers on trans-border routes.
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UAC Expects To Sell 100 Planes At Russia Airshow
Russian state-owned United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) expects to sell 100 Superjets and MS-21 civilian aircraft at Moscow's airshow, President Mikhail Pogosyan told reporters on Tuesday.
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Qantas restructuring to include route and job cuts
The Qantas Group announced the largest restructuring in its history Tuesday with the aim of returning its international division to profitability. The program includes cutting routes, laying off staff, retiring aircraft and deferring deliveries.
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US majors post $876 million net profit in second quarter
The US's seven largest airline companies (counting Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways as one) earned a collective net profit of $876 million for the second quarter, ATW calculated. The result is essentially cut in half from a $1.63 billion net profit in the prior-year period, but it is notable that six of the seven companies were in the black.
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MAKS: Ilyushin Finance plans to take up to 20 CSeries
Russian lessor Ilyushin Finance has signed a tentative agreement to take up to 20 Bombardier CSeries twinjets, a potential landmark deal for the type. Ilyushin Finance is to acquire seven CS300s and three CS100s under a pact - so far amounting to a letter of intent - which includes purchase rights on another 10 aircraft.
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Delta tests iPads as electronic flight bags
Delta Air Lines is striving to overhaul the way it communicates with its pilots. Part of that effort includes the possibility of using Apple iPads as electronic flight bags. Steve Dickson, senior vice president of flight operations at Delta, said Delta has deployed 22 iPads for pilots to test. The devices are loaded with various software, and pilots are able to customize them by downloading other applications.
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Blog: End restrictions on foreign ownership of U.S. airlines
Blogger Christine Negroni says the restrictions mandated by the Federal Aviation Act on foreign ownership of U.S. airlines are outdated. "U.S. airlines are left watching the party, creating code shares and partnership agreements with foreign airlines, and wondering just how adequate a substitute these deals are for the real thing," writes Negroni.
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Air service to many small cities is at risk
Airlines are finding it increasingly difficult to service small cities because of persistently high fuel prices and economic conditions. The federal government has been subsidizing air service to some areas, but that might be about to change as lawmakers seek cutbacks to the Essential Air Service program.
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Air Lease orders 19 Boeing jets with option for 4 more
Air Lease has announced that it has ordered 14 737-800 single-aisle jets, along with five 777-300 Extended Range wide-body aircraft, from Boeing in a deal worth $2.5 billion. Air Lease also has the option to buy four additional 737s. "This order for Next-Generation 737-800s and 777-300ERs is a key building block in the foundation of our growing commercial leasing fleet," said Air Lease CEO Steven F. Udvar-Hazy. "With this order, we'll be able to offer our clients a most economical, fuel-efficient and versatile airplane, suitable for a variety of profitable missions."
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Airbus is prepared for possibility of economic downturn
John Leahy, sales chief at Airbus, said the European plane maker would manage its order book as it did from 2008 to 2010 if the economy takes a turn for the worse. However, Airbus also expects demand for its medium-haul jets to allow it to keep pressure on Boeing. "I think Airbus will keep the production at least flat if not increasing during this period because of such demand from places like Asia, India and lower-cost carriers around the world," said Leahy.
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Trusted travelers will remain subject to random screenings
The Transportation Security Administration's new Trusted Traveler program will vet travelers' information -- including their name, birthday and gender -- against intelligence information. Although the enrolled travelers will not have to remove their shoes or computers from their cases, they will be subject to random full screening. The TSA said that eventually a bar code will be used to alert agents as to who is enrolled in the program.
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Column: Hair pat-downs raise profiling questions
Two African-American females believe that they were profiled by the Transportation Security Administration after agents asked to pat down their hair, writes columnist Joe Sharkey. Agents patted down the women's naturally curly hair after they passed through a full-body scanner without setting off an alarm. The TSA denies that the screening was racially motivated. "All passengers are thoroughly screened coming through the screening checkpoint," said TSA spokeswoman Kristin Lee. "Additional screening may be required for clothing, headgear or hair where prohibited items may be hidden."
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Lawmaker asks TSA to stop security questioning
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., has requested that the Transportation Security Administration end its expanded behavior-detection program that involves questioning travelers. Thompson says the program unfairly singles out minorities and is not scientifically proven. A TSA spokesman said the agency would address Thompson's concerns.
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Saudi proposes cargo fix settlement
Saudi Arabian Airlines has agreed to pay US$14 million to settle claims that it conspired to inflate the price of air cargo shipments. The agreement with Saudi airlines stems from claims filed by direct purchasers of airfreight shipping services who accused the airlines of conspiring to raise freight rates between 2000 and 2006.
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Other News

Flydubai will launch weekly Dubai-Ahmedabad service Aug. 27.

Eastern Airways will increase 11-times-weekly Southampton-Aberdeen flights to 16-times-weekly Sept. 5.

Pegasus Airlines will launch thrice-weekly Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen-Donetsk Boeing 737 service Sept. 6.

Frontier Airlines will start Embraer 190 flights from Kansas City to Houston (10-times-weekly) and Las Vegas (six-times-weekly) Nov. 1.

Etihad Airways will initiate daily Abu Dhabi-Nairobi Airbus A320 service April 1.




AVIATION QUOTE

Flying is done largely with the imagination.

— Wolfgang Langewiesche, 'Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying,' 1944.



ON THIS DATE

August 17th

--- In 1910... The first English Channel crossing by an airplane with a passenger is made by John Moisant who takes his mechanic in his two-seater Blériot on the flight from Calais, France to Dover, England.

---In 1946... The first person to be ejected from an airplane by means of its emergency escape equipment is Sergeant Lambert at Wright Field in Ohio.

--- In 1978... Ben Abruzzo and crew make the first transatlantic crossing by balloon, taking 5 days 17 hours to travel from Presque Island, Maine USA to Evreux, France in the Double Eagle II.

---In 1988… President of Pakistan Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq dies in the crash of a C-130 Hercules transport near Bahawalpur, Pakistan.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE





HUMOR

Career Change

A gynecologist was getting sick of his job and decided that he needed a career change.

He"d always enjoyed tinkering with engines so thought he"d become a mechanic. So he went along to mechanics school and the final test was to strip the engine completely and reassemble it back into perfect working order. Our gynecologist friend did the test and anxiously awaited his results.

The day he received the results, he got quite a surprise -- he got 150%. He quickly phoned the instructor and asked about the high mark.

The instructor said, ?No, that's right. First, I gave you 50% for stripping down the engine -- a very thorough job. Next, I gave you 50% for reassembling it -- a fantastic job really. And then I gave you a 50% bonus for doing it all through the tail pipe.?



TRIVIA

F4U Corsair

1. What aircraft company developed and built the F4U Corsair?
Douglas
Grumman
Vought
Lockheed

2. Because of its impressive combat prowess, the Japanese had a nickname for the Corsair. What was it?
Angel of Death
Whistling Death
Grim Reaper
Fork Tailed Devil

3. Which engine powered the Corsair to speeds in excess of 400 mph?
Pratt and Whitney R2800 double wasp 18 cylinder
Pratt and Whitney R1830 twin wasp 14 cylinder
Wright R2600 double cyclone 14 cylinder
Wright R1820 cyclone 9 cylinder

4. Though initially designed as a carrier borne fighter, first deliveries of the Corsair were made to the United States Marine Corps. Why?
Insufficient power at take off for carrier decks
Insufficient numbers of aircraft
Insufficient visibility forward for carrier operations
Initial problems with rear folding landing gear collapsing

5. Because of high demand, two other companies were contracted to produce the Corsair under license. What were these two companies?
Brewster and Goodyear
North American and Curtis
Lockheed and Douglas
Boeing and Republic

6. The Corsair racked up an impressive kill ratio against the Japanese. How many Japanese aircraft were shot down for every Corsair lost in combat?
6
4
14
11

7. The TV series "Baa Baa Blacksheep" and later "Blacksheep Squadron", starring Robert Conrad among many other up-and-comers, loosely followed the experiences of which US Marine Corps Fighter Squadron?
VMF-44
VMF-214
VMF-311
VF-17

8. Flying his Corsair from the deck of HMS Formidiable, this Canadian pilot single-handedly sank a Japanese destroyer. Who was he?
Johnny Johnstone
Robert Hampton Gray
Douglas Bader
George Richardson

9. The inverted gull wing design of the Corsair, though different in function, resembled a feared aircraft of the early European conflict in 1939-1940. Which?
Junkers Ju87
Focke Wulf FW152
Focke Wulf FW190
Junkers Ju88

10. The Corsair experienced the longest production run of any American piston-engined fighter.
True
False

1. Vought
2. Whistling Death
3. Pratt and Whitney R2800 double wasp 18 cylinder
4. Insufficient visibility forward for carrier operations
5. Brewster and Goodyear
6. 11
7. VMF-214
8. ?
9. Junkers Ju87
10. True

ANSWERS:

1. Vought. Initial development began in 1938 by a team under Tex B Biesel and the Corsair made its maiden flight in May, 1940.

2. Whistling Death. "Fork-tailed devil" was the nickname given by the Luftwaffe to the P-38 Lightning while the other 2 are fictitious. The "Whistling Death" moniker was applied by Japanese pilots during the Okinawa and Rabaul campaigns where Corsair pilots literally "ruled the skies.”

3. Pratt and Whitney R2800 double wasp 18 cylinder. The Wright 2600 was fitted in the B-25 Mitchell. The P+W 1830 was fitted to the B-24 Liberator and the Wright 1820 to everyone's favorite, the B-17 Flying Fortress.

4. Insufficient visibility forward for carrier operations. From prototype to first production, the cockpit of the Corsair was moved back almost three feet to accommodate more fuel tanks. This seriously hampered the pilots view over the nose of the aircraft. This was overcome in time due to the immense power available to the pilot on take off. Corsairs flew quite successfully from both US Navy and Royal Navy carriers.

5. Brewster and Goodyear. Brewster aircraft received the designation F3A-1, while those built by Goodyear were designated FG-1.

6. 11. Serving primarily in the Pacific Theatre with the US Navy, US Marine Corps, Royal Navy and Royal New Zealand Air Force, Corsairs flew 64,051 combat sorties destroying almost 3,000 Japanese aircraft with a loss of only 189 of their own!

7. VMF-214. Major Gregory 'Pappy' Boyington was shot down and taken prisoner by the Japanese on January 3rd, 1944 and was interned in various Japanese POW camps for the remainder of the war. Sadly, he passed away in 1988 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

8. Robert Hampton Gray. He was killed in the attack on the Japanese destroyer Amakusa on April 9th, 1945, being awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously. To this day, a memorial stands to commemorate Lt Gray's heroism overlooking Onagawa Bay on the Japanese island of Honchu, the only memorial to the Allies on the Japanese home islands.

9. Junkers Ju87. The famed Junkers Ju87 "Stuka" crank-winged dive-bombers terrorized Allied ground troops during the blitzkrieg stages of the war, often with pin-point accuracy

10. True. From production commencement in late 1941 until the last one roled off the line in December 1952 to supply French Forces in Indo-China, over 12,500 Corsairs were produced. More than 1,800 Corsairs flew alongside jets in Korea with US Forces.