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NEWS

US airlines continue to resist capacity growth
US passenger airlines' capacity will be down 0.5% year-over-year in the fourth quarter after rising just 1.1% year-over-year in the third quarter, the US Air Transport Assn. (ATA) said Wednesday.
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Qantas doubles fiscal-year profit; 2H profit slumps
Qantas (QF) posted a net profit of A$249 million ($260 million) for its fiscal year ended June 30, more than doubling last year’s profit of A$116 million, but second-half profit slumped 83% to A$9 million.
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Bombardier Commercial Aircraft president to retire
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft president Gary Scott announced Wednesday he will retire Oct. 1. Bombardier Aerospace president and COO Guy Hachey will lead the company's commercial aircraft unit until a replacement is named, the Canadian manufacturer stated.
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South Korea receives three F-15K Slam Eagles
South Korea has taken delivery of three more Boeing F-15K Slam Eagles, with the final eight of its 2008 21 aircraft order to be delivered before April 2012. The aircraft departed Boeing's St Louis production facility on 16 August and arrived at Daegu AFB on 20 August, said Boeing.
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FAA investigates Southwest close call with fireworks mortar
The US FAA has posted air traffic control audio tapes revealing a near miss between a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a fireworks mortar the night of 10 July. A pilot on Southwest Flight 735, inbound to the Greenville-Spartanburg international airport in South Carolina at approximately 22:00, told controllers shortly after landing about two problems that occurred on the approach - a possible bird strike over the threshold and a "fireworks mortar" that exploded near the aircraft at 400-500ft AGL on final approach.
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Final parts arrive for first Charleston 787
Boeing's North Charleston, South Carolina final assembly line has received its first locally fabricated Boeing 787 aft fuselage, completing the final shipments for the first aircraft to be built at the company's new final assembly line, the company confirmed.
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Republic Airways CEO is open to nontraditional ticket sales
Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford says he would be willing to consider selling tickets through Internet search-engine sites, social coupon websites or other nontraditional providers as long as the efforts are profitable for the carrier. "There's a lot of experimentation going on right now. People want to see if this new channel can change travel patterns," Bedford said.
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Delta and Aeromexico aim to solidify presence in Mexican market
Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico are already SkyTeam partners, but the carriers are now working toward a possible joint venture in an effort to firm up their foothold in the Mexican market. The effort comes as other carriers strive to fill the void left by Mexicana, which exited the market more than a year ago.
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Australian watchdog tentatively approves Qantas-American deal
Qantas and American Airlines move a step closer to sealing their joint business agreement by gaining tentative approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The airlines, which are also partners through the Oneworld alliance, are striving to coordinate certain routes, scheduling and pricing. "The ACCC considers that the JBA is likely to result in new and improved products and services, including improved schedules and connectivity," said Rod Sims, chairman of the commission.
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Boeing will unwind 787-related inventory built up during delays
Boeing built up inventory related to the 787 Dreamliner worth about $16.2 billion during the three years of delays working on the composite-plastic airliner. The aircraft manufacturer expects to spend most of next year unwinding that inventory. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to approve the 787, and its first delivery is scheduled for next month.
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Trusted travelers may still face screening, Pistole says
Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole answers questions about a new trusted traveler program in this Q and A. He says participating travelers may not always be expedited through security. "There's a possibility and a probability as the system matures, but it won't be a guarantee because I don't want terrorists to start flying a lot and being able to game the system. That is the downside for those who want and recognize the benefits," Pistole said.
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Changes to DOT's tarmac-delay rule are needed
Amy Cohn, an associate professor of industrial and operations engineering at the University of Michigan, explains in an editorial how the Department of Transportation's three-hour tarmac-delay rule has affected the industry. Cohn says data from the time that the rule was implemented show that changes are needed. "Most importantly, passengers will benefit from fundamental changes to the underlying system, to reduce these causes of delay in the first place," Cohn writes.
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Other News

ANA Group announced its first Boeing 787 regular domestic service will be routes from Tokyo Haneda to Okayama and Hiroshima, both beginning Nov. 1. It will also operate a special charter flight between Tokyo Narita and Hong Kong Oct. 26-27.

Air Lease Corp. (ALC) announced new lease placements and acquisitions of Boeing aircraft, including a long-term lease agreement with XL Airways Germany for one 737-800 currently on lease to Air Berlin, slated for delivery in March 2012.

Lufthansa Group carrier Austrian Airlines (OS) will fall short of its target for a full-year positive operating result, OS supervisory board chairman Stefan Lauer said on the sidelines of a LH Airbus A380 ceremony in Vienna Monday.

Aer Lingus launched a new app and mobile website on which customers can plan and review flight details, check in, receive travel alerts, check real-time flight information and make a booking. The app is available for iPhone or Android as well as for Blackberry and Nokia phone users. Mobile and app check-in is available on routes between Dublin and London Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham, and scheduled to be fully rolled out network-wide over the next couple of months.

Singapore Airlines has begun accepting specific seat reservations in economy class. Previously, seat requests had only been available for suites, first and business class passengers.

IZAir will be renamed Air Berlin Turkey and will begin operations with the winter schedule from its new base at Antalya.

Air Mauritius (MK) posted a pretax loss for its first-quarter 2011 of €11.1 million ($15.8 million) compared to a loss of €11.3 million in the year-ago period, owing to higher fuel costs and the fragile European economy. MK warned that the highly volatile fuel prices could affect its full-year earnings.



AVIATION QUOTE

Flying for the airlines is not supposed to be an adventure. From takeoff to landing, the autopilots handle the controls. This is routine. In a Boeing as much as an Airbus. And they make better work of it than any pilot can. You're not supposed to be the blue-eyed hero here. Your job is to make decisions, to stay awake, and to know which buttons to push and when. Your job is to manage the systems.

— Bernard Ziegler, former Airbus Senior Vice President for Engineering, interview in William Langewiesche's Fly by Wire: The Geese, the Glide, the Miracle on the Hudson, 2009.



ON THIS DATE

August 25th

---In 1784... The son of a Scottish minister, James Tytler, makes the first manned balloon hop in England when his hot-air device makes a brief uncontrolled ascent with Tytler in the basket to an altitude of a few hundred feet.

---In 1912…Royal Navy aviator Wilfred Parke becomes the first pilot ever to recover from a spin, regaining control of his Avro Type G biplane 50 feet from the ground at Larkhill, England.

--- In 1919... The first daily commercial scheduled international air passenger service starts between London and Paris. A single fare to Paris is 21 pounds.

--- In 1932... The first woman to fly non-stop across the United States is Amelia Earhart. She flies in a Lockheed Vega.

---In 1995…First flight of the Airbus A319.

---In 1997…EouroAtlantic Airways is founded at Portela Airport, Lisbon, Portugal.

---In 2006…Rollout of first Block 20 RQ-4 Global Hawk at Northrop Grumman's Plant 42 manufacturing facility in Palmdale, California.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE





HUMOR

A Marine In Hell

A Marine dies in combat and wakes up to find he is in hell. He's really depressed as he stands in the processing line waiting to talk to an admittance counselor. He thinks to himself I know I lead a wild life but, Hell, I'm a Marine. We're expected to live wild lives. I wasn't that bad. I never thought it would come to this. "

Looking up he sees that it is his turn to be processed into hell. With fear and heavy heart, he walks up to the counselor.

Counselor: What's the problem, you look depressed?

Marine: Well, what do you think? I'm in hell.

Counselor: Hell's not so bad, We actually have a lot of fun. Do you like to drink?

Marine: Of course I do. I'm a Marine.

Counselor: Well then, you are going to love Mondays, On Mondays we drink up a storm. You can have whiskey, rum, tequila, beer, whatever you want and as much you want. We party all night long. You'll love Mondays. Do you smoke?

Marine: Yes, as a matter of fact I do.

Counselor: You are going to love Tuesdays. Tuesday is smoke day. You get to smoke the finest cigars and best cigarettes available anywhere. And you smoke to your heart's desire without worrying about cancer because you are already dead! Is that great or what? You are going to love Tuesdays. Do you like to fight?

Marine: Of course I do. I'm a Marine!

Counselor: You are going to love Wednesdays. That's Fighting Day. We challenge each other to fights to see who's the toughest in Hell. You don't have to worry about getting hurt or killed, because you're already dead.You are going to love Wednesdays. Do you gamble?

Marine: Show me a Marine who doesn't!

Counselor: You are going to love Thursdays, Because we gamble all day and night. Black jack, craps, poker, slots, horse races, everything! you are going to love Thursdays. Are you gay?

Marine: Of course, not! I'm a Marine!

Counselor: Oh (grimaces) , you're going to hate Fridays.



TRIVIA

Luftwaffe Bombers

1. The JU-87 "Stuka" was not a pretty site to look at, all the less so when it was hurtling towards you at an 80 degree angle, but it was not pleasant to hear either. It had a siren on its port landing gear. What was the nickname the crews gave this device?
The Horns of the Reich
The Trumpets of Victory
The Sirens of Jericho
The Trumpets of Jericho

2. This out-of-date bomber was used for high altitude reconaissance by Germany for a short period of time after the Battle of Britain. Which was it?
Junkers 88P
Junkers 86R
Dornier 217N
Dornier 23R

3. Germany shortly before WWII is commonly believed to have had little interest in long range heavy bombers, but in fact it had one of the largest supporters of long range bombers from the get-go. Who was he?
Walter Wever
Kurt Student
Ernst Udet
Ernhard Milch

4. Many medium bombers that Germany had were converted into night fighters when the need arose. Which of those was unpopular with its crews?
Dornier 217
Messerschmitt 110
Junkers 88
Junkers 188

5. The He-177 was a great aircraft when it worked. What was one of the things the RLM (Reichsluftministerie) did that caused the 177 to go from a great bomber to a great disaster?
Demands that the He-177 be built out of wood
Elimination of the evaporative cooling system
Demands that poor french engines power the He-177
Underpowered BMW 132 Bramo engines

6. Which one of the three German Battle of Britain bombers could carry the most tonnage, and which could carry the least over a short distance?
Dornier 215, Dornier 17
Junkers 88, Junkers 87
Heinkel 111, Dornier 17
Dornier 215, Heinkel 111

7. This is the only bomber in World War II to have a top speed of over 460mph, what was it?
Arado 232
Arado 234
Heinkel 111P
Junkers 388K

8. The Junkers 287 was the intended replacement for the aging Stuka in 1944. With forward swept wings, two Junkers 003 turbojets and something interesting captured from the Americans, the JU-287 would have been a formidable ground attack/bomber aircraft. What was the American "contribution"?
Landing gear taken off B-24's
Rockets of P-47 wing racks
Guns off of P-51D fighters
Norden bombsights off of B-17's

9. Ground attack was a field of bombers in which the Germans excelled. Convinced that more armour was necessary to protect the pilots of ground attack aircraft Henschel came up with the HS-129, what was its nickname?
The flying tank
armored Panzer destroyer
the flying assault gun
The flying armored car

10. The Germans had originally decided to build one carrier known as the Graf Zeppelin. What were the two types of aircraft that were designed to be based on the carrier?
Fi-167, Ju-87C
Ju-87T, Bf-109L
He-115B, Bf-110E
Fi-282, Do-215

Tough trivia today . . . can't get a single one without 'googling'

Cool Concorde pic too.