NewsCivil Aviation
CSeries back in the air for fourth test flight
After a 27-day hiatus, the first CSeries aircraft took off from Montreal’s Mirabel airport today for its fourth test flight. The flight, which follows a second round of ground vibration testing, comes the evening before Bombardier is set to announce its third quarter financial results on 31 October. The aircraft, a 110-seat CS100 variant, left Mirabel’s runway 24 at 15:36 local time and climbed northeast from the airport, reaching an altitude of 12,000ft, according to FlightAware.com
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Boeing spreads 777X design work to Charleston, Moscow, defense sites
Boeing today announced that many of the component details for the 777X aircraft family will be designed by the company’s engineers located outside the Puget Sound region of Washington state. Continuing a trend of distributing design work on new commercial aircraft, “much of the detailed design” on the 777X will be done at Boeing’s new factory in Charleston, South Carolina, and several sites normally associated with the company’s defense programs, Boeing says. The list of 777X design teams includes Boeing’s missile defence centre in Huntsville, Alabama, the soon-to-be-shuttered C-17 site in Long Beach, California, the cargo rotorcraft factory in Philadelphia and the fighter and weapons production complex in St. Louis, Missouri.
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Boeing Nearing USD$87 Bln Orders For 777X
Boeing is talking to four airlines on orders for its redesigned 777X airliner valued at up to USD$87 billion ahead of next month’s Dubai Airshow, Bloomberg news agency reported. The report, quoting people familiar with the matter, says that Cathay Pacific Airways is considering buying up to 25 aircraft in an order which could be announced before the Dubai event.
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Flight recorders of Lao Airlines' crashed ATR 72 yet to be recovered
Two weeks after its ATR 72-600 crashed into the Mekong river, Lao Airlines says it still has not been able to retrieve the turboprop's flight recorders. “Unfortunately, while the signal from the black box continues to be detected and despite relentless efforts by the recovery team which remain ongoing in the search area, this has yet to be retrieved,” says its vice-president Somsamay Visounnarath. The carrier had expected to retrieve the flight recorders last week when recovery teams lifted the rear fuselage of the turboprop, where the recorders are located, from the Mekong river with a crane. Laos' department of civil aviation later said that the recorders could have fallen out in the process.
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US Air, American Drawing Up Proposed Settlement
US Airways and American Airlines will offer to give up some takeoff and landing slots at Washington's Reagan National Airport as part of a attempt to get the US Justice Department to allow their merger to proceed, a Dow Jones report said on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the process. US Airways, AMR and the Department of Justice all declined to comment on the report. The companies' stock prices have been buoyant recently as investor sentiment has increased that a deal can be reached to create the world's largest air carrier. In a complaint filed in August aimed at stopping the proposed transaction, the Justice Department focused on Reagan National. The two carriers control a combined 69 percent of takeoff and landing slots at the airport, which is used by many members of Congress to travel to and from their home districts.
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ANA Feels Profits Squeeze From Weak Yen
ANA said a weakened yen, the result of policies to revive the Japanese economy, have hurt profits, forcing Japan's largest carrier to almost halve its outlook for operating profit this business year. The carrier, which has to pay more for fuel in yen terms when the Japanese currency falls, also faces less appetite by Japanese to travel overseas where their yen buys less. The carrier trimmed its operating profit forecast for the year to March 31 to JPY¥60 billion (USD$612 million) from JPY¥110 billion.
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Hawaiian Airlines sets its sights on China
Hawaiian Airlines will launch service to Beijing in April 2014 to attract Chinese leisure travelers to the island. "The opportunity for Chinese visitors to Hawaii is almost limitless," said Mark Dunkerley, president and CEO. The airline plans to use Airbus A330 long-haul jets for service to China and other international markets.
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Southwest to offer tablet rentals on select routes
Southwest Airlines has announced that iPad2 tablets will be available for rent to passengers on flights between Oakland, Calif., Denver and Chicago Midway. The airline will offer the tablets at "Watch TV on the Fly" libraries at its terminals.
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Delta to launch 757s with flat-bed seats in business class
Delta Air Lines has upgraded its business class on three of its Boeing 757s with flat-bed seats. "Delta customers traveling from New York and Los Angeles continue to tell us that the comfort of full flat-bed seats is a meaningful element of their travel experience," said Tim Mapes, senior vice president of marketing for Delta. "This expansion demonstrates our commitment to listening to what customers value most and then acting quickly to provide it."
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Airline fares more affordable now than 50 years ago
The cost of airline fares has dropped by 50% in the past 50 years when adjusted for inflation, experts say. The drop in cost takes into account ancillary fees as well. "We've democratized the skies," said Derek Thompson, a senior editor at The Atlantic. "We've brought airlines, which were formerly unaffordable to 80% of the country, to the people."
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Union agrees to contract with United Airlines
United Airlines announced today that agreements were ratified by several work groups, including roughly 28,000 employees represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union. The workers represented include baggage handlers; reservations, ticket counter and gate workers; and storekeepers from both United Airlines and Continental Airlines. The carriers merged in 2010.
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Spirit Airlines reports Q3 profit
Spirit Airlines, a low-cost carrier, said on Wednesday that quarterly profit nearly doubled as its flights increased. Net income was $61.1 million, or 84 cents a share, in the third quarter, compared with $30.9 million, or 43 cents a share, a year earlier, the company said on Wednesday.
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House advances bill requiring TSA to consult industry before enacting major policy changes
A House committee advanced legislation that would require the Transportation Security Administration to consult with industry groups before rolling out changes in policy. The bill aims to prevent the scenario that occurred this year when the TSA attempted to change its carry-on policy without consulting stakeholders.
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NTSB member encourages additional training for pilots
A federal crash investigator urged a conference of aviation safety officials Tuesday to better train pilots to avoid stubborn problems such as stalls. Earl Weener, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, recalled four separate fatal crashes over the past two decades that he said involved stalls, with pilots basically pulling the plane's nose up too much until the aircraft fell to the ground. "The question in my mind is why did the crew continue to pull back on the elevator all the way to the ground," Weener told about 300 people attending the Flight Safety Foundation's International Aviation Safety Summit, rather than leveling off to regain power and speed.
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IATA chief wants seamless, quicker travel by 2020
Tony Tyler, IATA's director general and CEO, wants to see hassle-free air travel by 2020. This means utilizing tools to make it easier for travelers to get from curbside to boarding, as well as using risk-based security models. "That would deliver tremendous value to passengers and our vision is to work with our airport and technology partners to make it a reality by 2020," he said.
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JetBlue to begin installation of ViaSat Wi-Fi service
JetBlue Airways announced plans to start installing satellite-based Wi-Fi on its fleet in a few weeks. The ViaSat service will be installed on up to 85% of JetBlue's fleet by the end of next year. "We believe this will become a game-changer for the in-flight Wi-Fi experience," said CEO Dave Barger.
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Column: Etiquette tips for airline passengers
Forget paying extra for more legroom seats. These days I’d pay to sit next to someone who keeps his socks on. On recent flights I’ve had bare feet beside me, on the back of my armrest, on the bulkhead in front of me. Once, upon feeling something push through the sliver of space where the seat back and bottom meet, I reached behind me and grabbed a stranger’s toes.
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Embraer adds business jet production to Fla. plant
Embraer announced this week that it will add an assembly line for the Legacy 450 and 500 business jets to its Melbourne, Fla., plant starting in 2014. The company said that it delivers about 50% of its jets to U.S. customers, and most of the parts for their aircraft come from U.S. suppliers.
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Automatic traffic: Unmanned 'tower' of the future takes shape in W.Va.
It began when a small airport in mountainous West Virginia, the only nontowered airport in the state with commercial service, failed to convince the FAA to fund a control tower but refused to take "no" for an answer. "No matter how hard we tried, we just couldn't develop the numbers to justify building a tower," said David Byers, a college professor and airport consultant who has supported many efforts by local officials seeking towers. "Normally that's the end of the story."
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Seoul yet to decide on Light Attack Helicopter plans
South Korea has yet to decide on the configuration of its planned indigenous Light Attack Helicopter (LAH) but says it remains fully behind the plan despite the potential to purchase off-the-shelf alternatives. Industry sources at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition say that the nation remains committed to development of the type, which will complement the 36 Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters it will begin receiving in 2015.
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Former helicopter maintenance director pleads guilty to falsifying documents
Levi Phillips, former director of maintenance for Carson Helicopters Services, recently pleaded guilty to falsifying the documents of a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter that crashed in 2008. The cause of the crash was cited as incorrect loading based upon false weight-and-balance and takeoff performance documentation; pilots used the documents to calculate their maximum payload.
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Sierra Nevada still in a Dream despite crash landing
America’s dream of getting astronauts to space and home again without having to suffer the embarrassment of sending them to Kazakhstan for a Russian Soyuz flight has taken an uncertain step forward. The drop-test of a US-built spaceplane concept appears to have validated its airworthiness, but its maker – Sierra Nevada – remains cagey about the extent of the damage done when its 1min glide from 12,500ft (3,810m) ended in a crash landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Sierra Nevada space systems head Mark Sirangelo described the Dream Chaser’s flight as perfect, until a “landing gear anomaly” sent it skidding off the runway into the sand. In a briefing with journalists on the 26 October drop from an Erickson-operated Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane helicopter, Sirangelo said on 29 October that the left landing gear did not deploy, causing the unmanned craft to land on its left side in the dirt next to the runway. The craft, he said, was repairable and left with all its components in place, and the runway at NASA’s Dryden research centre suffered no damage.
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F-35B strikes tank with guided bomb in test
A Lockheed Martin F-35B has completed its first guided weapons delivery test, striking a tank with a GBU-12 Paveway II weapon, according to Lockheed Martin. The test happened 29 October at the Edwards Air Force Base Precision Impact Range Area in California, Lockheed says in a media release.
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Eurofighter unveils new upgrade plan
The Eurofighter consortium has unveiled a road-map for the development of a number of further enhancements to the Typhoon combat aircraft to be fielded by operators from late 2015. Unveiled at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition on 30 October, the development contract was signed by Eurofighter and the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA). Its proposed Evolution Package 2 consists of a number of improvements including radar enhancements and upgrades to the defensive aids sub-systems (DASS).
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Blue Angels are set to fly again
Sun 'n Fun President and CEO John "Lites" Leenhouts recently announced that the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels will return to the event scheduled for April 1 to 6, 2014 at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Florida. "It is exciting for us to offer our guests the stellar precision that represents the piloting skills of all naval aviators," said Leenhouts.
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Aviation Quote
You lived and died alone, especially in fighters. Fighters. Somehow, despite everything, that word had not become sterile. You slipped into the hollow cockpit and strapped and plugged yourself into the machine. The canopy ground shut and sealed you off. Your oxygen, your very breath, you carried into the chilled vacuum, in a steel bottle.
— James Salter, The Hunters, 1956.
On This Date
--- In 1933... France’s air minister Pierre Cot formally inaugurates the country’s national airline, Air France.
---In 1947…The Avro Tudor 4 enters service with British South American Airways.
---In 1956... The US Navy R4D-5 Skytrain Que Sera Sera, commanded by Rear Admiral George Dufek, becomes the 1st airplane to make a landing at the South Pole.
---In 1959… Colonel G. Mosolov sets a new airspeed record of 2,387 km/h (1,483 mph) in the Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-66.
---In 1960… BEA retires the DC-3, its last piston-engined airliner serving out of London-Heathrow, from scheduled passenger service.
---In 1977…a Pan Am Boeing 747SP circumnavigates the world over the two poles.
---In 1990… the Australian airline industry is deregulated. Airlines are allowed to select their own routes and set their own fares.
---In 1994…American Eagle Airlines Flight 4184 crashed in Roselawn, Indiana after a flaw in the ATR-72's deicing system lead to a buildup of ice on the plane's wings.
---In 1996…Air Tahiti Nui formed.
---In 1999…EgyptAir Flight 990, a Boeing 767 on its way Cairo, Egypt, was deliberately crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Nantucket, Massachusetts by the co-pilot as a way of committing suicide. All 217 passengers and crew members on board were killed.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
Blackbird
SR-71 Blackbird pilot Brian Shul tells of the following exchange: "One day as Walt (my back-seater) and I were screaming across Southern California 13 miles high, we were monitoring various radio transmissions from other aircraft as we entered Los Angeles airspace. Although they didn't really control us, they did monitor our movement across their scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its ground speed.
'90 knots,' Center replied.
Moments later, a twin engine Beech requested the same.
'120 knots,' Center answered.
We weren't the only ones proud of our ground speed that day as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, 'Uh, Center, Dusty 52 requests ground speed readout.'
There was a slight pause, then the response, 'Dusty 52, 525 knots on the ground.'
Then came another silent pause. Just as I was thinking to myself how ripe the situation was, I heard the crackle of our radio as Walt transmitted 'Center, Aspen 20, you got a ground speed readout for us?'
There was a longer than normal pause. 'Aspen 20, I show you at 1,742 knots.'
No further speed inquiries were made after that."
Another one for good measure:
In another popular SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center reported receiving a request for clearance to flight level 600 (60,000 feet). The incredulous controller, with some disdain in his voice, asked, "How do you plan to get up to 60,000 feet?"
The SR-71 pilot responded, "We don't plan to go up to it, we plan to go down to it!"
Trivia
General Trivia
1. Talton Higbee _______ and John Paul _______ began a Waco dealership in 1925 and in 1927 were awarded a contract to carry the mail using Wacos. After a series of mergers and acquisitions, their company eventually became part of what is now American Airlines. What current, well-known organization bears their names?
2. How did FIDO help to bring home British bomber crews during World War II?
3. How is it possible for four airplanes to fly in formation so that the distance between any one of these airplanes and any of the other three is the same?
4. What is the difference between Victor airways, T-routes, and Q-routes?
5. What airport was first in the world to have an airline passenger terminal and first to have an airport hotel?
6. Most are familiar with the Royal Air Force’s Lancaster and Mosquito bombers. What were the RAF’s Washington bombers?
5. What airport was first in the world to have an airline passenger terminal and first to have an airport hotel?
miamiair wrote:3. How is it possible for four airplanes to fly in formation so that the distance between any one of these airplanes and any of the other three is the same?
