miamiair/forum/images/avatars/gallery/first/user54/1.pngoffline(netAirspace FAA) 14 Dec 11, 10:07
NEWS
Boeing buoyed by Southwest's 737 Max commitment Boeing said Southwest Airlines' (SWA) commitment announced Tuesday for 208 737s, including 150 of the Max variant re-engined with CFM International Leap-1B powerplants, represented its largest-ever firm order (both in terms of units and value) and provided a major boost to the Max program, for which SWA will serve as the launch customer. Link
Southwest places order for 208 737s including 150 Max variants Southwest Airlines (SWA) has placed a firm order for 150 Boeing 737 Max aircraft and 58 Next-Generation 737s. The deal marks the first firm order for the Max, a re-engined variant. With the SWA order, Boeing said it has 948 commitments and orders from 13 customers for the Max. The order also makes Dallas-based SWA the Max launch customer. Link
Ethiopian increases Star Alliance presence in Africa Ethiopian Airlines (ET) on Tuesday became the 28th member of Star Alliance, as the alliance network in Africa grows. ET is Star’s third carrier based in Africa, joining Egyptair and South African Airways. ET serves 62 international and 17 domestic destinations. Link
Air China subsidiary Dalian Airlines to launch Dec. 26 Air China’s (CA) new subsidiary Dalian Airlines is expected to launch Dec. 26 on the Dalian-Shenzhen route. It received an operating certificate last week from CAAC. CA holds an 80% stake and the Dalian Baishui Zhengtong company, representing the Dalian municipal government, holds the remaining 20% stake in the carrier. Link
Iberia Signs Deal To Offset Strike Impact Iberia, owned by International Airlines Group, said it had reached agreement with 30 transport companies to offer travel alternatives for passengers who may be affected by strike action this month. Link
LAN, TAM Merger Clear For Takeoff - Source The merger between Chilean airline LAN and Brazilian counterpart TAM is likely to win approval with restrictions from Brazil's antitrust agency Cade, a high level official in the regulator said on Monday. Link
Zimbabwe Seeks Cash For Seized Plane Zimbabwe's state-owned airline was scrambling for cash on Tuesday to secure the release of a plane seized in London by a US firm over a USD$1.2 million debt, a senior airline official told state media. Link
South Korea receives second 737 Peace Eye Boeing has delivered the second Peace Eye 737 airborne warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft to South Korea. The aircraft was delivered to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) base at Gimhae, the Peace Eye fleet's main operating base. Link
Japan likely to choose F-35 for F-X requirement Japanese media have reported that Tokyo will choose the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II to fill its F-X requirement. Several major Japanese publications cited sources as saying that Tokyo favoured the F-35A in the 40-aircraft deal. The reports suggested that the decision will be officially announced this Friday. Link
Seoul raises concerns about Global Hawk price South Korea has raised concerns about the price of the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Block 30I Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle and could open a tender for a high altitude long endurance (HALE) UAV. Link
Air Tour pilot deviated from standard route An air tour helicopter pilot flying four passengers on a Part 135 sightseeing trip from Las Vegas to the Hoover Dam deviated from the standard air tour route shortly before impacting terrain in a mountainous terrain 14nm east of the city, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report on the 7 December accident. Link
Boeing secures 800 commitments for 737 Max, executive says Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, wrote in a blog entry that the aircraft manufacturer has secured nearly 800 commitments for the 737 Max. Boeing plans to deliver the 737 Max, an updated version of its 737, in 2017. Southwest Airlines has announced an order for 150 737 Max aircraft from Boeing. Link
American, creditors are scheduled to appear at bankruptcy hearing Creditors were to join American Airlines for a court hearing in New York this week. AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines, filed for bankruptcy in November. The bankruptcy judge planned to hear three procedural motions about the case. Link
Column: Southwest Airlines baggage policy weighs on revenue Although Southwest Airlines' amenity of free checked bags remains popular with consumers, the carrier has less revenue as a consequence of its policy, writes columnist Adam Levine-Weinberg. "Southwest (like the other airlines) needs to support a baggage crew on the ground, but unlike other carriers, has to pay these costs out of the base airfares it charges, instead of baggage fees," he writes. Link
JetBlue passenger traffic, capacity are on the upswing Passenger traffic on JetBlue Airways jumped 11% in November, as the carrier continued to boost capacity. The carrier increased capacity by 7.7% for November compared to the same month last year. Load factor rose to 83.3% in November. Link
First 11 months of 2011 were safest for air travel since 1945 From January through November, 2011 has been the safest year to fly since 1945. Beginning in 1945, the International Civil Aviation Organization has collected airline safety data every year. In the first 11 months of 2011, the global accident rate was 2.16 per 1 million take-offs, with North American accident rates at 1.18 per one million. Link
Air-traffic control should be computerized, inventor says British inventor David Parkinson wants the air-traffic-control system to be computerized for greater efficiency. "We've already done it on the railways," Parkinson said. "Many people assume that train signals are still controlled manually by signalmen, but in truth the system was automated years ago." Link
Police officer accidentally fires gun found in carry-on A police officer accidentally fired a gun found in a passenger's carry-on bag Sunday at the Atlanta airport. The gun was pointed down, and the officer's face was grazed by a pellet fragment. The traveler said he forgot the gun was in his bag. He was arrested and charged with carrying a deadly weapon at a public gathering place. Link
Company warns travel agents of rise in fraudulent tickets More cases of fraudulent airline tickets were uncovered in the past few months, Airline Reporting Corp. says. The company reported 82 incidents of fraudulent tickets issued from August through November. Many of the tickets were issued after a "phishing" e-mail sent to travel agents required them to log in to a website with their information; the site turned out to be fraudulent. Link
Other News
Perth's Skywest to add 5 new ATR 72-600s: Singapore-based leasing company Avation PLC has inked a contract for five ATR 72-600s plus eight options in a deal worth over $295 million (including the options). The aircraft, to be delivered in 2013 and 2014, will be operated by Perth-based Skywest Airlines (XR) on a range of routes on behalf of Virgin Australia (VA).
Aviation industry may have to support Green Climate Fund: Governments may target the aviation industry to support the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which was set in motion at the17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Boeing has received type-design approval from the FAA for up to 330-min. extended operations (ETOPS) for its 777 fleet. The new FAA approval allows airlines that operate routes in the south Pacific, over the North Pole, and from Australia to South America and southern Africa to fly the most direct routes. The first airline to purchase the new longer ETOPS option is Air New Zealand (ANZ), which completed the world’s first commercial 240 min. ETOPS flight between Los Angeles, Calif., to Auckland, New Zealand using a 777-300ER. ANZ chief pilot Captain David Morgan said one of the key benefits of the new 240 min. ETOPS operations is a reduction in carbon emissions. “The new ETOPS operations enable us to fly a more direct route between airports, which means we can get our customers to their destination a little quicker and at the same time reduce the amount of fuel required, resulting in fewer carbon emissions being emitted,” Morgan said. ANZ was also the first airline to secure 180 min. ETOPS approval for its 767 operations between Auckland, Nadi, Honolulu and Los Angeles in December 1989.
[b]Emirates Airline (EK) has begun to outfit its Airbus A380 aircraft with OnAir Wi-Fi Internet connectivity. The new Wi-Fi service will initially launch on 11 of its 19 A380s in service, though the system is scheduled to be installed across its entire fleet of 71 A380s on order.
CAE doubled the size of its LAN Airlines training center for pilots and cabin crew. The six-bay, $40 million facility has two simulators for the Airbus A320, two for the Boeing 767-300ER, as well as a 3D flat-panel integrated procedures trainer for training on the Airbus A320 and A340. With this expansion, the center is able to train 4,500 pilots and 3,000 cabin crew per year.
FlightPath International and Ethiopian Airlines have entered into an agreement for the development and implementation of a Multi-crew Pilot License training program. The two companies will work with the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority.
Mechtronix Systems has received approval from French Civil Aviation Authority’s Directorate General for Civil Aviation and EASA for its ATR 72-600 Flight Simulation Training Devices (FSTDs) at the ATR Training Center in Toulouse, France. The Mechtronix FSTD for the new ATR-600 series "is the first to be qualified for that aircraft type anywhere in the world," Mechtronix said.
Boeing and Africa-based flight training organization 43 Air School have agreed to offer a comprehensive pilot training program, to maintain and enhance aviation safety in Africa and around the world, in a three-phase program. Program graduates will be qualified as a Boeing Next-Generation 737 first officer.
AVIATION QUOTE
There is a peculiar gratification on receiving congratulations from one's squadron for a victory in the air. It is worth more to a pilot than the applause of the whole outside world. It means that one has won the confidence of men who share the misgivings, the aspirations, the trials and the dangers of aeroplane fighting.
— Captain Edward V. 'Eddie' Rickenbacker, USAS.
ON THIS DATE
December 14th
---In 1903... Wilbur Wright makes the first and unsuccessful attempt at powered flight at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. His aircraft stalls after 3 ½ seconds in the air and crash-lands 105 feet away.
---In 1920…An AT&T Handley Page 0/400crashes in Cricklewood, UK killing four. Likely cause was fog.
---In 1956…Brazil becomes the first country in Latin America to acquire an aircraft carrier, purchasing HMS Vengeance from the United Kingdom.
---In 1959… Cdr L Flint sets a new altitude record of 103,389 ft (31,513 m) in a F-104 Starfighter.
---In 1965... A Learjet 23 executive transport shows off its impressive capabilities by climbing to 40,000 feet in 7 minutes 21 seconds with seven people aboard.
---In 1977…First flight of the Mil Mi-26.
---In 1984…First flight of the Grumman X-29.
--- In 1988... Japan Air Lines says its future Boeing 747-400s will be fitted with personal video screens in the first and business class.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
The Recruiter
While talking to a potential recruit, the military recruiter said, "Exactly what kind of job are you looking for in the military?"
The high school kid said, "I'm looking for something with an enlistment bonus of about $20,000, where I won't have to work too hard, and won't have to deploy overseas.
The recruiter said, "Well, what if I could hook you up with a skill that allowed you to come straight in as an E-7, where you'll only work weekdays, and you can have the base of your choice and stay there as long as you want?"
The young recruit sat up straight and said, "Wow! Are you kidding?"
The recruiter replied, "Yeah, but you started it."
TRIVIA
IATA and ICAO Airpots
Listed is either the IATA or the ICAO code for some airports, add the missing code
1. LEMD 2. EDDF 3. EGLL 4. LFSB 5. ANC 6. YYZ 7. SJU 8. TNCM 9. RJAA 10. SYD
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
