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NEWS

EasyJet's Michels steps down amid shareholder dispute
EasyJet deputy chairman David Michels stepped down Friday as the airline moved to avoid yet another lengthy dispute with Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the carrier’s founder and largest shareholder.
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COMAC chairman resigns to take Hebei governorship
Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) chairman Zhang Qingwei stepped down from overseeing the company that, among various projects, produces the C919 aircraft. The move was made following his appointment by China's central government in Beijing to be acting governor of Hebei province.
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Aegean expects full-year loss
Aegean Airlines (A3) reported a 19.8 million euro ($28.7 million) net loss for the 2011 first half, an improvement over the 32.6 million euro deficit incurred in the year-ago period, but warned it is heading for a full-year loss as Greek economic crisis continues to bite. Second-quarter deficit was 3.5 million euro compared to the 7 million euro loss posted in the first quarter. Revenue increased 10% to 295.2 million euro with second quarter sales increasing 24% and reversing the first quarter’s decline.
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Relevance of 717 to Southwest continues to diminish
Southwest Airlines continues to see less of a role for the Boeing 717 as the markets the aircraft serves increasingly become unviable in a high fuel cost operating environment. Through its acquisition of AirTran finalised in May, Southwest obtained 88 of the small narrowbodies. Citing the small role 88 aircraft play in the combined AirTran-Southwest fleet of roughly 700 aircraft, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly declared to attendees today at the International Aviation Forecast Summit hosted by the Boyd Group that the 717 does not "bring any unique benefit that Southwest cannot get with the 737".
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German defense ministry receives first Challenger 5000
Bombardier has delivered the first of four Global 5000s for use by the German ministry of defense on VIP transport and medevac flights. The aircraft was delivered to German Operating Aircraft Leasing (GOAL) on 25 August.
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Cordner Aviation offers BAe 146 conversion for mining sector

German Aircraft remarketing and conversions specialist Cordner Aviation Group has unveiled a new variant of the BAe 146/Avro RJ aimed at the mining and energy sector. Dubbed the "Surveyor", company president Stewart Cordner envisages a market for five to six aircraft per year.
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EASA issues guidance for carriers testing Koito seats
Airlines operating aircraft with seats made by Koito Industries can test designated clusters of seats when seeking to meet the conditions of an airworthiness directive (AD) issued by EASA, according to guidance released by the agency.
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Airlines are resuming NYC-area flights today
Irene, the hurricane that has eased into a tropical storm, forced airlines serving the New York City area to ground planes, but carriers are planning to resume service today. The storm prompted the cancellation of thousands of flights and is expected to cost carriers millions of dollars. "Our hope is that the operation will be completely back to normal by Tuesday morning," said Todd Lehmacher, a spokesman for US Airways Group.
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Air Canada flight attendants reject tentative deal
The union representing Air Canada's flight attendants says that nearly 90% voted against a tentative agreement with the carrier. Jeff Taylor, spokesman for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, says the vote sends a message to the carrier. The union plans to organize a strike vote. Air Canada says it does not anticipate service to be interrupted by the union's rejection.
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FAA center focuses on safety, on-time arrivals
The Federal Aviation Administration's Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Warrenton, Va., is responsible for keeping the nation's aviation system running safely and efficiently. The center's staff of about 40 people is in constant communication with air traffic controllers to resolve delays and safety issues. The promise of a new air traffic control system, NextGen, is to minimize delays and increase capacity. It still faces significant challenges, as the airline industry is reluctant to invest in high-priced technology without assurances. "Frankly, for many airlines, it's expensive to upgrade the aircraft with this new technology, and until they know there's going to be a return on the investment, it's difficult to make that case," said Air Transport Association spokesman Steve Lott.
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787 approval revives delivery race with 747-8F
Delivery of the first new generation 747-8F is being pushed toward the end of September, while regulatory approval of the 787 puts delivery of that plane around the same time next month. The first passenger flight for the 787 is scheduled as a special charter from Tokyo to Hong Kong in October.
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Commentary: Airport subsidies present issues in Ely, Nev.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has fought to keep the Essential Air Service program, which provides subsidies for rural air service. People in Ely, Nev., have benefited from the program, which is "our only link to the outside world," said Mayor Jon Hickman. But the issue presents a philosophical issue for many residents of Ely, who want to cut government spending.
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Aftermath of Irene will continue to affect travelers
Tropical Storm Irene, downgraded from hurricane status, caused the cancellations of thousands of flights on the East Coast. The ripple effect of those flight cancellations is expected to affect travelers across the nation. Thomas Hendricks with the Air Transport Association shared how the airlines are ramping up for business as usual. "Once we start the flying schedule, we'd like to get back up to speed as quickly as possible," he said.
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Terror attacks cause significant changes to air travel
The 9/11 terror attacks changed air travel for travelers, airports and airlines, some frequent fliers say. Travelers say the Transportation Security Administration's security measures are overly aggressive and intrude upon privacy rights. Separately, some experts say the airlines remain vulnerable to security risks, while others say the measures are key to keeping commercial aviation safe. "There is no doubt in my mind that it's safer to fly today than it's ever been," said aviation security consultant Doug Laird.
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Other News

Cathay Pacific Airways (CX) will introduce premium economy to its fleet in the second quarter next year, the airline confirmed. In a statement Monday, CEO John Slosar said the new cabin would be introduced on all of the Hong Kong carrier’s long-haul routes: Ultra-long flights to Europe and North America and medium-haul services to Australia, the Middle East and other destinations.

Boeing & Airbus: Recent market declines should not pose a material risk to the aircraft delivery outlook over the next three to four years, according to Bernstein Research. The New York research group said that the backlogs at Airbus and Boeing are almost double where they stood at the beginning of previous downturns.

Tiger Airways Holdings Ltd. appointed acting CEO Chin Yau Seng as the airline’s permanent CEO with effect Nov. 1. Chin, a former Silk Air CEO, been with the Singapore Airlines Group more than 15 years. Chin will succeed Tony Davis, who leaves the airline Nov. 1.

Air Berlin appointed Marcus Puffer as manager of loyalty and partnerships Department. He will take up his post Nov. 1.

Air Austral has taken delivery of the first of two Boeing 777-200LRs it has on order.

Egyptair resumed service to Bagdad Aug. 27 for the first time in 21 years. MS will operate Cairo–BGD flights four times weekly. It also operates thrice weekly service between CAI and Arbil in Iraq's northern Kurdish region.

FlyDubai launched its third route into India Aug. 27, a weekly Dubai–Ahmedabad service. The carrier now serves 39 destinations. It has also taken delivery of its 19th Boeing 737-800.



AVIATION QUOTE

Electronics were rascals, and they lay awake nights trying to find some way to screw you during the day. You could not reason with them. They had a brain and intestines, but no heart.

— Ernest K. Gann, 'The Black Watch,' 1989.



ON THIS DATE

August 30th

---In 1913... American inventor Lawrence B. Sperry successfully demonstrates the first gyroscopic automatic stabilizing device for powered airplanes when Lt. Patrick N. L. Bellinger pilots a U.S. Navy flying boat designated C-2 and relinquishes full control to the autopilot.

---In 1933... Air France, France’s national airline, is formed.

---In 1952…First flight of the Avro Vulcan.

---In 1969…First flight of the Tupolev Tu-22M.

---In 1971…ACES (Colombia) is formed.

---In 1982…First flight of the F-20 Tigershark 82-0062.

---In 1994…Lockheed and Martin Marietta announce their intention to merge. They will form Lockheed-Martin the following year.

---In 1999…Last flight of Reno Air.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE





HUMOR

Marine Gate Guards

Two airmen were driving across country on leave. They come to a Marine Corps base and decide to visit. They approach the gate and the Marine Guard walks up to the driver's window, and taps on it with his nighstick. The driver rolls down the window, and the Marine smacks him in the head with the stick. The driver says, "Why'd you do that?

The Marine says, "You're on a United States Marine Corps Base, son. When I come up to your car, you'll have your ID card ready."

Driver says, "I'm sorry, We're in the Air Force, and we didn't know."

The Marine examines the I.D. card and gives it back to the driver.

The Marine walks around to the passenger side and taps on the window. The passenger rolls his window down, and the Marine smacks him with the nightstick.
The passenger says, "What'd you do that for?"

The Marine says,"Just making your wishes come true."

The passenger says, "Huh?"

The Marine says, "I know that as soon as you pull away you're gonna say, 'I wish that sucker would've tried that stuff with me!'"





TRIVIA

Aces Of The Luftwaffe

1. I first went on ops in October 1940 with 6./JG52. Although I was in combat with the RAF on numerous occasions, it was not until September 1941 that I recorded my first victory, this coming after my unit's transfer to the Eastern front. In May 1943 I was promoted to Staffelkapitän of 7./JG52 and five months later, I recorded the Staffel's 1000th victory, my 154th. In April 1944 I left JG52 and Russia behind for short-lived Reichsverteidigung (Defense of the Reich) duties as Staffelkapitän of 1./JG5. After a few weeks (which included downing a B-17 and three "Indianer") I was on the move again, this time to command II./JG11. I gained a further 10 "Ami's", (including 3 P-47's in three minutes) before being wounded for my seventh (and final) time on 12 August, 1944. Upon recovery, I was re-assigned as Gruppenkommodore of III./JG26, where I was to serve until the unit was disbanded in late March, 1945. In April, I joined many of my fellow eagles in JV44. After a hasty conversion course, scored my final two kills (#'s 196 and 197) flying the Me-262 Schwable. Who am I?
Hubertus von Bonin
Walter Krupinski
Wilhelm "Willi" Batz
Helmut Lipfert

2. I was posted to 2./JG2 on 1 November, 1939 and scored my first victory on 14 May, 1940. I remained with this staffel until 11 November, 1942 when I was given command of 6./JG2; at this point my score stood at 45 victories. II/JG2 was posted to Tunisia and I was appointed as acting Gruppenkommodore during this period. On February 9, 1943 I was credited with six P-40s and two P-38s in the space of 23 minutes; six days later I claimed three Spitfires and four P-38's in one mission, six of these in a fifteen minute span. Following further duties in the Reich (March/April 1943) , forming a new unit (IV./JG54), I was given command of II./JG54. In the east I was to realize even greater exploits; among these were: four missions where I scored five kills, three missions with six kills, two with seven, one of eleven and one with thirteen. This last feat puts me in the company of only two others; fellow "Grünherzflieger" Emil Lang, and the renowned Hans-Joachim Marseille. I finished my combat career in command of II./JG7, accumulating my final twelve victories (inc. 10 B-17s) at the controls of the Me-262. I was among the first to be certified as a "double" jet ace. I am (by far) one of the most controversial pilots of WW II as with regards to my claims record. Who am I?
Erich Hohagen
Erich Rudorffer
Kurt Buhlingen
Josef "Sepp" Wurmheller

3. I was commissioned with the rank of Leutnant on 1 September, 1938 while flying the Ar 68 with II./JG134. With the advent of war, I recorded my first kill (JG2's first or second, depending on which source you trust), on 22 November, 1939. On 5 June, 1940 I scored 4 victories (three Bloch 151s and an MS 406) in 13 minutes; the following day I got two more 151s. My star rose quickly from this point forward. I was given command of my Staffel, (3./JG2) on 1 August and received the Ritterkreuz on the 27th. On 9 September, after being promoted Hauptmann on the fourth, I was made Gruppenkommodore I./JG2. This is a mute testimony to the severity of both the fighting, and of our personnel losses, at the height of the "Angriff auf England". On 5 October I scored 5 kills in two missions. For this feat I was awarded the 4th Eichenlaub of the war and shortly thereafter, promoted Major and given command of JG2; all this coming at the ripe old age of 25yrs (making me the youngest major in the entire Wehrmacht). On the morning of 28 November 1940, I scored my 55th victory, making me (at the time) the leading ace in the war . At about 17:00 (local time) that same day I scored my 56th, and final, victory. Who am I?
Rudolf Pflanz
Werner Mölders
Helmut Wick
Otto Bertram

4. I spent my entire combat career in the west, fighting with JG2 from December 1939, until my final flight on 2 March, 1944. I was somewhat of a "slow starter" as I spent much of my early career on TD (Temporary Detachment) with non-combat duties. This changed on 10 June, 1941 when I was made Staffelkapitän of 7./JG2, a position I would hold for the next sixteen months. In November 1942 I was made Grupppenkommodore of III./JG2. It was in this period that a fellow pilot and I developed the "head on" attack, that brought much initial success against the USAAF "Viermots" (literally- four-motors). On 5 February, 1944, I was the first Jagdflieger to achieve 100 victories while operating exclusively on the Channel front; among these were 26 B-24's & B-17's, making me the leader in "Viermot" kills at the time. Who am I?
Georg-Peter Eder
Rudolf Pflanz
Walter Oesau
Egon Mayer

5. While the western Allies adopted the practice of awarding "partial" kills, the Luftwaffe employed a more rigorous points system for aerial combat scoring. Under this system, one particular category of victory was the "Herauschuss", awarded for separating a bomber from its formation ("pulk"). How many points were awarded for this feat when the targeted aircraft was a four engined bomber?
3
1/2
1
2

6. Of all the *major* scorers in the Luftwaffe, I hold the distinction of the highest kill per sortie ratio, almost 74 percent. I received the Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillianten (Diamonds), one of only ten combat aviators to achieve this distinction. My entire operational career was spent in the seat of a Bf 110. Who am I?
Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer
Hans-Joachim Jabs
Helmut Lent
Heinrich-Alexander zu Sayn-Wittgenstein

7. Due to my skill as a pilot, I served as a flight instructor for most of my career in the Luftwaffe. As the war situation continued to deteriorate, I was eventually called into combat service, initially with 5./JG301. At the time, this unit operated the Fw 190A-5 and A-6 in a mission profile known as "Wilde Sau" (literally: Wild Boar). For the next ten months I stayed primarily assigned to this role, also serving with 1./NJG10 and 5./JG300 in the period. In September 1944 I was reassigned to 10./JG300, which operated a stripped down version of the Bf 109G-6/AS to hunt the RAF's Mosquito intruders. In November an administrative reorganization transfered the Mosquito mission to II./NJG11 and we initially operated as "Sonderkommando Stamp", then later as a Sonderkommando bearing my name, up until January 1945. Re-equipment with the Me 262 brought a further re designation, this time to 10./NJG11. I was responsible for testing of the Me 262B-1a/U1 but most of my jet kills were achieved while flying the standard day fighter "Schwable" which equipped my unit. Who am I?
Hajo Herrmann
Kurt Welter
Walter Oesau
Wolfgang Falck

8. Although I was selected for multi-engine training, I managed to persuade the "powers that be" to assign me to fighters; this was the first of many victories I would score. On the outbreak of war my unit, I./JG51, was assigned to fly defensive patrols on the western frontier of the Reich. Although I got plenty of flight time I saw no combat. Early in 1940 I was reassigned as an instructor and served as such for the next sixteen months, seven of these on exchange to Romania with 3./JG28 (9./JG52). In late May 1941 I finally flew my first combat missions (CAP and strafing, no air-to-air) in support of Operation Merkur. III./JG52 finally moved forward into the Ukraine on the first of August; I scored my first kill on the fourth. One year later I was Staffelkapitän, had 112 kills and wore the Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub und Schwerten around my neck. Within the next 52 days I would shoot down 90 aircraft, becoming the first person to break the 200 mark, earn the fifth set of Brilliante of the war and be "asked" to cease flying combat missions. Who am I?
Wilhelm Batz
Hermann Graf
Otto Kittel
Günther Rall

9. I entered the Luftwaffe in 1935 and completed my fighter pilot training in 1937. Upon graduation I was assigned as an instructor. Repeated requests for an operational transfer were denied and eventually I logged over 5,000 flying hours in an instructional capacity. The advent of the USAAF's appearance in 1942 brought a rise in the need for operational fighter pilots; my transfer to Jagdgruppe Ost for advanced combat training came on 20 December,1942. Upon receiving operational status I was posted to Stab II./JG52, assigned as Adjutant to Gruppenkommodore Johannes Steinhoff. As such, my duty was to focus on the administrative aspects of the Gruppe's operations! I still managed to fly the odd operational sortie, and scored my first kill on 11 March, 1943. Persistence finally got me assigned as Staffelkapitan of 5./JG52 in May 1943. By the following April I had scored 120 kills and was given command of III./JG52 on the nineteenth of the month. I was to remain at the helm of this unit until 31 January 1945, flying alongside such luminaries as Erich Hartmann and Walter Wolfrum. Following this I was assigned as Gruppekommodore of II./JG52, then based at Veszprem, Hungary. Conditions were chaotic by this point and a good portion of my time was again dedicated to administrative duties. As the end drew nearer I laid the foundations for the final flight of II./JG52, husbanding resources that made it possible for the Gruppe to escape Russian captivity by relocating to the München area in the period May 4-8, 1945. Who am I?
Helmut Kühle
Johannes Wiese
Adolf Borchers
Wilhelm Batz

10. All of my 301 credited victories were achieved while flying with II./JG52 although I held other commands towards the end of the war. All of these victories came while on the Ostfront and I was awarded the Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub und Schwerten for my exploits. My last mission came to an ignominious end when I was severely injured while crash landing my Me-262 in a clearing, near my units airbase at Riem. I am the second highest all time scorer; who am I?
Manfred von Richtofen
Max Immelmann
Oswald Boelcke
Gerhard Barkhorn