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Skydiver Felix Baumgartner breaks sound barrier, altitude record
Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner today broke a 51-year-old record for the world's highest skydive from 128,000ft, and became the first human to break the sound barrier in free fall. Baumgartner exceeded M1.24 near the beginning of a roughly 4min 22sec free-fall from nearly 37km above the Earth, or 25,000ft higher than the previous record set in 1961. "Sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you are," Baumgartner said moments before delivering a salute and jumping, the curvature of the Earth visible from the camera attached to his capsule.
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AirAsia drops bid to acquire Batavia Air
AirAsia (AK) has dropped plans to acquire Indonesian carrier Batavia Air (Y6) after they failed to reach an agreement, according to local news reports. “We will continue to seek strategic partners to develop our business,” Y6 chief Yudiawan Tansari told Dow Jones. AK could not immediately be reached for comment.
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WestJet names new regional airline Encore
Canada’s WestJet (WS) has named its new regional airline WestJet Encore. The Calgary-based regional carrier will launch in the second half of 2013 to underserved regional airports.
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Norwegian creates subsidiary for 787 arrival
Low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY) has created a long-haul subsidiary—Norwegian Long Haul—to accommodate the 2013 arrival of its first Boeing 787-8. DY is buying three and leasing five 787s, with the first due to arrive in April 2013 and enter service in early summer. Initial routes will be from Oslo and Stockholm to Bangkok and New York. Details have not yet been confirmed on which New York airport will be used.
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Court Issues Warrant Against Kingfisher's Mallya
An Indian court issued a warrant against billionaire Vijay Mallya and his Kingfisher Airlines on Friday, an airport operator that is suing the company said.
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Profitable Q3 For US Carriers, Concerns Loom
US airlines are expected to report solid profits for the third quarter, thanks to steady demand and fuel prices that declined toward the end of the period, but signs of slowing growth could spell challenges for the rest of the year.
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Finnair Seals Flybe Deal On European Routes
Struggling Finnish carrier Finnair said on Friday that British low-cost airline Flybe would start to operate one-third of its European routes from October 28.
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Pegasus Completes Large Plane Order - Report
Istanbul-based budget carrier Pegasus Airlines' chairman Ali Sabanci said the airline had completed a large aircraft order agreement, according to a report in the Turkish daily Dunva.
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US Air Force announces formal accident investigation for GPS launch anomaly
The US Air Force (USAF) has convened an accident investigation board (AIB) to examine an incidence of lower-than-expected thrust from the 4 October launch of a GPS satellite. While the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV launch from Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, successfully placed the Boeing GPS-IIF satellite into the correct orbit, the Rocketdyne RL-10 upper stage produced less thrust than anticipated.
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Russian's next-generation bomber takes shape
Confirmation came on the occasion of the Russian air force centennial celebrations in August. Addressing media, air force commander-in-chief Lt Gen Victor Bondarev revealed that development of a new strategic bomber, the PAK-DA, had commenced. Its name is a Russian acronym that approximates to "future aviation complex for long-range aviation", and the aircraft is intended to supplement and partially replace the Tupolev Tu-160s, Tu-95MSs and Tu-22M3s now forming the backbone of Russia's land-based strategic bomber fleet.
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Other News

London Heathrow airport debate intensifies: The debate about how to address capacity shortage at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) is intensifying, with calls for a solution getting more urgent. This week, the Policy Exchange think-tank issued a report calling for a new hub airport, to be located in southeast England, with enough capacity to accommodate anticipated demand increases.

Air Astana (KC) plans to launch an initial public offering (IPO) in 2013 to raise funds. According to KC CEO Peter Foster, the IPO may take place in next year’s third quarter. Foster said it is not reasonable to sell fewer than 15%-20% of shares. KC is a joint venture between Kazakhstan’s national wealth fund Samruk Kazyna and BAE Systems, which hold 51% and 49% shares, respectively. The carrier’s IPO will be a part of a program—called People’s IPO, in which only Kazakhstan citizens will be able to buy shares—launched by the Kazakhstan government. Through the program, several companies from different segments—including oil, gas and transport—will raise funds on the domestic market.

The AviancaTaca group of airlines will unify all members under the single Avianca brand name starting in the first half of 2013. Each member carrier will keep its own separate legal corporate status but will be authorized to do business under one brand name. During the first stage, Avianca, Tampa Cargo and the TACA group of airlines—TACA International, Lacsa, TACA Peru and Aviateca—will adopt the single brand name in the 2013 first half. Aerogal will join them in the second half. Since the Avianca and TACA group of airlines merged, it has implemented 45 new routes, increased ASKs by 37% and simplified its fleet by reducing it from 11 to four aircraft family types. It also unified their respective frequent flyer programs into a single product, LifeMiles, and joined Star Alliance.

A J Walter Aviation has signed power-by-the-hour agreements with four customers—Air Moldova (A320s), Cosmo Airlines (A320s), BH Air (Airbus aircraft) and AeroSvit Airlines (Boeing 737CL/NGs).

Lufthansa Technik AG and GE Aviation have signed a long-term cooperation agreement for material supply, also extending to the supply of OEM spare parts and parts repairs of CF6-80C2 and CF34 engines operated by Lufthansa Technik customers.

Spirit Aftermarket Customer Support signed a supply agreement with Ethiopian Airlines to provide thrust reverser, fuselage and wing component spare parts for the carrier’s fleet of five Boeing 737-700s, seven 737-800Ws, four 757-200s, two 757-260Fs, 12 767-300s, five 777-200LRs and one 787.

Delta TechOps signed a three-year time and materials contract with NEOS to provide maintenance and repair on the Italian carrier’s CFM56-7B engines.

Aviation Quote

No guts, no glory. If you are going to shoot him down, you have to get in there and mix it up with him.

— General Frederick C. 'Boots' Blesse, USAF.

On This Dateo

---In 1783... The 1st man to ascend in a tethered balloon is French scientist Jean Pilatre de Rozier. His hot-air Montgolfier balloon ascends to 84 feet – the length of the rope holding the balloon.

--- In 1913... Lieutenant Ronin makes the 1st official airmail flight in France.

---In 1927... Captain Dieudonne´ lands in Brazil becoming the 1st person to fly non-stop across the South Atlantic. The 2100-mile flight takes just over 18 hours.

--- In 1939... New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia dedicates an airport in Flushing bearing his name. La Guardia airport is the costliest to build at the time, $45 million.

---In 1988…First flight of the Eurocopter EC 135.

---In 1999…Allegiant Air commences operations.

---In 2003… Yang Liwei becomes the People's Republic of China's first man in space.

Daily Video

Editor’s Choice

Humor

The Parrot

On reaching his plane seat a man is surprised to see a parrot strapped in next to him. He asks the stewardess for coffee whereupon the parrot squawks, “And get me a whiskey you cow.” The stewardess, flustered, brings back a whiskey for the parrot and forgets the coffee.

When this omission is pointed out to her, the parrot drains its glass and bawls, “And get me another whiskey you bitch.” Quite upset,the girl comes back shaking with another whiskey but still no coffee.

Unaccustomed to such slackness, the man tries the parrot's approach. “I've asked you twice for coffee. Go and get it now, or I'll give you a slap.”

Next moment, both he and the parrot have been wrenched up and thrown out of the emergency exit by two burly stewards. Plunging downwards the parrot turns to him and says, “For someone who can't fly, you're a cheeky bastard.”

Trivia

General Trivia

1. What large aircraft was considered so slow that its pilots used to say the navigator needed a calendar more than a chronograph?

2. Normal, Utility and Aerobatic category aircraft are stressed for 3.8, 4.4 and 6 Gs, respectively. What is the maximum allowable load factor for transport category jetliners?

3. Many airplanes are equipped with electrical inverters. What is the purpose of an inverter?

4. A pilot on a cross-country flight looks down and sees the tallest waterfall. Where is he?

5. Many multi-engine airplanes are equipped with ice protection plates. Where are they installed and what is their specific purpose?

6. What did aircraft designers Larry Bell, Donald Douglas and James McDonnell have in common?

7. What was the only American-built airplane to see action in WW1?

8. True or false; The simple square knot is one of the best to use when tying down an airplane with rope.

9. True or False; The circumnavigating Rutan Voyager, and the Spirit of St. Louis and at least one thing in common. Neither of them had brakes.

10. True or False, Two space shuttles are orbiting the Earth at the same speed and altitude. One however is a thousand miles behind the other. For the laggard to catch up with the leader, he should add thrust in the direction of travel.

11. Flutter can destroy an airplane and is a function of:
Calibrated Air Speed
Equivalent Airspeed
Indicated Airspeed
True Air Speed

12. Which of the following does NOT belong:
Emu
Gooney
Kiwi
Ostrich
Penguin

13. With respect to pilot qualifications, which of the following does not belong?
Controllable-pitch propeller
Flaps
Engine with more than 200 hp
Retractable landing gear