NEWS
Dana Air MD-80 crashes in Lagos; Allied Air 727 crashes in Accra
A Dana Air Boeing MD-80 with about 150 people onboard crashed into a building in Lagos, Nigeria, Sunday. Photographs from the scene show the aircraft destroyed and extensive damage to buildings in the area. There were no immediate reports of survivors. Associated Press reported that flight 997 was flying between Abuja and Lagos, Dana’s home hub.
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Turkish Airlines Abandons Talks With LOT
Turkish national carrier Turkish Airlines said on Friday it had withdrawn from talks for a possible partnership with Poland's LOT.
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Airbus converges on A320 sharklet retrofit
Airbus is closer to defining a formal modification program to retrofit its "sharklet" wing-tips on baseline A320s, but is still prioritising the forward-fit production process. The airframer has already rolled out the first example of an A320 with wings built to the sharklet-compatible standard. Speaking at an event in Toulouse at the end of May, Airbus executive vice-president for programmes Tom Williams said the airframer intends to construct 100 aircraft this year with the reinforced wing.
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Winglets and anti-ship missile top latest additions to C295
Airbus Military has revealed plans to flight-test several further enhancements for its C295 medium transport and special mission aircraft. These will include the addition of efficiency-boosting winglets and an anti-ship missile. Outlining the company's objectives for the next 12 months, head of engineering Miguel-Angel Morell says the company will also look to test the integration of head-up displays linked to an enhanced vision system, and to fly with an onboard inert gas generation system (OBIGGS) intended to boost the twin-turboprop's battlefield survivability.
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Lufthansa launches first 747-8I flight from FRA-IAD
Lufthansa flight LH416—the first Boeing 747-8I passenger service that flew from Frankfurt to Washington Dulles landed at 12:45 local time Friday, 10 min. ahead of schedule. Flying time was 7 hr. 57 min.
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Search team recovers SSJ100 flight data recorder
A search team has recovered the flight data recorder (FDR) of the Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 that crashed on a demonstration flight in Indonesia May 9 killing all 45 people on board. The cockpit voice recorder was recovered May 17.
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US, EU mutually recognize each other’s air cargo security regimes
The US, the European Union (EU) and Switzerland have agreed to mutually recognize each other’s air cargo security procedures and rules, a move aimed at streamlining duplicative screening practices and other time-consuming security protocols on transatlantic airfreight lanes. “Air cargo traffic between the EU and the US amounts to over a million tons a year traveling each way across the Atlantic, which is over 20% of all outbound air cargo from the EU [according to 2010 figures],” the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and European Commission (EC) noted in a joint statement.
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United to slash 1,300 at Houston Intercontinental, cites SWA Hobby flights
United Airlines said it will cut 1,300 jobs at Continental Airlines’ former main hub of Houston Intercontinental (IAH). It said the job reductions are necessitated by the Houston city council’s approval of Southwest Airlines’ plan to fly internationally from Houston Hobby (HOU) starting in 2015.
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AF-KLM shareholders rebel against Gourgeon bonus
Air France-KLM (AF-KLM) shareholders have refused overwhelmingly to validate the €400,000 ($495,256) bonus paid to Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, former CEO of AF-KLM. In total, 78.8% of shareholders voted against, 19.44% voted in favor and 1.76% abstained.
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Thai to move forward with plans for ultra low-cost carrier
Thai Airways International will press on with plans for an ultra low-cost carrier despite increasing concerns about growing capacity impacting the Thai aviation market. Thai's outgoing president Piyasvasti Amranand told the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand the carrier is “working on the setting up of an ultra low-cost airline with Nok Airlines sometime next year,” but did not elaborate.
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Fabrice Bregier takes over as Airbus president and CEO
Former Airbus COO Fabrice Bregier has taken over as Airbus president and CEO for a five-year term. He replaces Tom Enders, who succeeds EADS CEO Louis Gallois. The company announced the management changes, made at Thursday’s annual general meeting, in January.
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Beijing cuts domestic fuel prices by 5%
The Chinese government has cut domestic jet fuel prices by 5% to CNY7,509 ($1,181) per ton as international fuel prices keep falling. This is the third time the Chinese government has reduced domestic jet fuel prices this year. Beijing cut domestic fuel prices 3.8% to CNY7,360 in January and 1.6% to CNY7,932 per ton in May. The Chinese government has raised fuel prices three times this year.
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Other News
Air France-KLM (AF-KLM) shareholders have refused overwhelmingly to validate the €400,000 ($495,256) bonus paid to Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, former CEO of AF-KLM. In total, 78.8% of shareholders voted against, 19.44% voted in favor and 1.76% abstained. The outcome was not wholly unexpected. CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta said that “in view of the vote of the state and the votes by mail already received, it is very likely that [the] resolution … is dismissed." He said the vote was essentially a technicality in line with legal requirements.
Thai Airways International (TG) will press on with plans for an ultra low-cost carrier despite increasing concerns about growing capacity impacting the Thai aviation market. TG outgoing president Piyasvasti Amranand told the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand the carrier is “working on the setting up of an ultra low-cost airline with Nok Airlines sometime next year,” but did not elaborate.
Airbus: Former Airbus COO Fabrice Bregier has taken over as Airbus president and CEO for a five-year term. He replaces Tom Enders, who succeeds EADS CEO Louis Gallois. The company announced the management changes, made at Thursday’s annual general meeting, in January.
Chromalloy’s turbine engine component repair station in the Netherlands has received approved organization exposition certification from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. The certification will allow the station to provide FAA-approved designated engineering representative repairs on All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines components.
Sabena technics won an exclusive landing gear support contract from South African carrier Airlink, covering its fleet of eight BAe146-RJ85 aircraft.
A J Walter Aviation has a five-year power-by-the-hour contract with Somon Air covering its fleet of four Boeing 737NG aircraft. The contract includes locating a main base kit at Dushanbe Airport to support the carrier.
Crane Aerospace & Electronics was selected by Goodrich Aerostructures to provide proximity switches and targets for the nacelle assembly on the Airbus A350.
American Airlines failed to agree on cost-cutting measures with its flight attendants' union, setting the stage for a judge to rule on voiding the contract for the bankrupt carrier, a subsidiary of AMR Corp, the union said in a statement late on Friday.
AVIATION QUOTE
‘You’re on your own’ was all he said that day long years ago
So long his name and face are lost in memory’s afterglow;
Nor do I recollect of pride or joy or doubt or fright
Or other circumstance which marked that time for solo flight
The cryptic words alone endure : he said ‘you’re on your own’
And down through time I’ve found it so — the test’s to walk alone
Not that one choose to draw aside in churlish mein or vein,
From common lot of what life holds of pleasure, toil or pain
But that the call’s to rise and cruise alone with dreams unshared
Or plan alone for some far goal, for which none else has cared
Or fight alone for what you hold is worth a warrior’s strife
And ask no gain or fame or aught beyond the joy of life.
I owe a quenchless debt to him who bade me seize my fate
And hang it on the faith that I to it was adequate
For when he said ‘you’re on your own’ and sauntered on away
I knew that here, in four short words, was youth’s first judgment day
Not wit to learn, not test of skill, not pride to satisfy,
But will to walk down life in faith that life is theirs who try.
— Gill Robb Wilson, Flying magazine, Janurary 1961.
ON THIS DATE
---In 1783... In Annonay, France, the Montgolfier brothers, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne, give the first public demonstration of their hot-air balloon by sending up a large model made of linen lined with paper.
--In 1784... Madame Elisabeth Thible of Lyons, France, is the first woman to make an untethered balloon flight.
---In 1927... The first non-stop flight from New York to Eisleben, Germany is made by Americans Clarence D. Chamberlain and Charles A. Levine in a Bellanca monoplane. They fly 3,905 miles in 42 hours, 15 minutes.
---In 1942…Battle of Midway is fought, the turning point in the Pacific War. Japan loses four carriers, Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū, and Hiryū. America loses USS Yorktown.
---In 1959… Max Conrad flies a Piper Comanche from Casablanca to New York, setting a new lightplane distance record of 7,683 miles (12,365 km).
---In 1974…Construction of OV-101, the first Space Shuttle, begins. It later will be named Enterprise.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
HUMOR
Shipping Boeings
The B-24 was the crate they shipped B-17s in.
— A saying some B-24 crews have concerning B-17s.
TRIVIA
WW2 Luftwaffe
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 Jericho
The Sirens of Jericho
The Trumpets of Victory
2. This out-of-date bomber was used for high altitude reconnaissance 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 WW2 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?
Ernst Udet
Ernhard Milch
Kurt Student
Walter Wever
4. Many medium bombers that Germany had were converted into night fighters when the need arose. Which of those was unpopular with its crews?
Junkers 188
Junkers 88
Dornier 217
Messerschmitt 110
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?
Elimination of the evaporative cooling system
Demands that poor french engines power the He-177
Demands that the He-177 be built out of wood
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?
Junkers 88, Junkers 87
Junkers 88, Junkers 87
Dornier 215, Heinkel 111
Heinkel 111, Dornier 17
7. This is the only bomber in World War II to have a top speed of over 460mph, what was it?
Arado 234
Heinkel 111P
Arado 232
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 armor was necessary to protect the pilots of ground attack aircraft Henschel came up with the HS-129, what was its nickname?
armored Panzer destroyer
The flying tank
The flying armoured car
the flying assualt gun
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-282, Do-215
He-115B, Bf-110E
Fi-167, Ju-87C
Ju-87T, Bf-109L
