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Swiftair MD-83 lost speed before rapid spiral descent
French investigators have determined that a Swiftair Boeing MD-83 lost over Mali entered a rapid spiral descent from which it failed to recover. But the inquiry is being hampered by a lack of usable information on the cockpit-voice recorder. The aircraft, operating an Air Algerie service from Ouagadougou on 24 July, had deviated to the left of its flightpath to skirt around a storm system covering the northern tip of Burkina Faso.
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FAA: We will endorse NextGen plan by Oct. 18
Edward Bolton, the assistant administrator for NextGen at the Federal Aviation Administration, pledged to endorse a plan for NextGen developed by the airline industry by Oct. 18. The plan includes performance-based navigation and other measures to improve efficiency.
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MH17: Ukraine lifts ceasefire as initial wreck search ends
International investigators are to withdraw temporarily from the site of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 crash in Ukraine, with some areas yet to be examined. The Ukrainian commission into the loss of flight MH17 says there are “at least” three areas of territory containing wreckage which “remain unexplored”. But the initial search phase is being wound up in the face of a continuing threat from separatists, it claims.
LinkAirlines
Air Algerie Cockpit Voice Recorder Unintelligible
Cockpit voice recordings from the Air Algerie jet that crashed last month in northern Mali are unintelligible, investigators said, depriving them of vital information on what sent it into a plunge that killed all 116 passengers and crew. The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft, en route to Algiers, crashed into the ground on July 24 south of the Malian town of Gossi, near the border with Burkina Faso. Experts in Paris have been examining the two black boxes retrieved from the wreckage. They have been unable to extract information from one, Remi Jouty, president of France's BEA air accident investigator, told a news conference.
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Airlines boost Hawaii-Australia service
Hawaiian Airlines, Qantas and Jetstar are boosting flights from Australia to Hawaii because of a tourism boom. "We are interested in further expansion in Australia," said Hawaiian Airlines CEO Mark Dunkerley. The carrier plans to add service to Brisbane later this year, and could consider service to Perth in the next few years.
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Delta CEO says airfares are a bargain
Richard Anderson, CEO of Delta Air Lines, said today's airfares when adjusted for inflation are "still one of the great bargains for American consumers." During his appearance on CNBC, Anderson also discussed his objections to the Export-Import Bank.
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Hawaiian transports more passengers in July
Hawaiian Airlines reported a 2.3% increase in July passenger traffic on a year-over-year basis. The carrier transported 957,876 passengers in July as its load factor rose to 84.6% for the month.
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Malaysia Airlines Shares Suspended
Malaysia Airlines said on Friday it has halted trading in its shares pending an announcement. The carrier did not elaborate but there are reports that state investor Khazanah, which owns 69 percent of MAS, plans to take it private as the first step in a major restructuring.
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MAS to undergo 'comprehensive review and restructuring'
Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional will undertake a major review of Malaysia Airlines' (MAS) business and subsequently restructure the carrier. In its statement to Bursa Malaysia regarding its decision to take the carrier private, Khazanah says that it plans to “undertake a comprehensive review and restructuring of MAS.” Khazanah feels that privatising the carrier gives it greater flexibility for a restructuring, and will give it the freedom to put in place the necessary funding “for the next few years to sustain its operations and address its current high level of gearing”.
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Malaysia to privatise ailing MAS
Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional has decided to privatise Malaysia Airlines (MAS). In a statement on Bursa Malaysia, Khazanah says it will buy out publicly held shares of the carrier at a slight premium to their current market value. The deal will see Khazanah, which now holds 69.4% of the carrier, pay about MYR1.4 billion ($435 million) for the 30% of MAS held in other hands, making it the sole shareholder.
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United introduces mobile passport scanning
Travelers flying with United Airlines will now have the option of using mobile passport scanners to check in for international flights. The application is similar to those used to submit mobile bank deposits and can be used as early as 24 hours before departure.
LinkAirports
Dallas airport looks to expand after Wright Amendment expires
Dallas Love Field is looking for ways to expand after flight restrictions from the Wright Amendment expire in October. "Because space is limited, being efficient on how that space is used is our focus," said Mark Duebner, aviation director for the city of Dallas. A master plan includes retail and hotel development on airport property.
LinkMilitary
AirTanker pitches Voyager for NATO refuelling shortfall
European NATO nations could access spare capacity on the UK’s Airbus A330 Voyager tanker/transport fleet, under an initiative being promoted by the industrial consortium responsible for providing the aircraft. Detailed by AirTanker chief executive Phill Blundell, the proposal would allow the UK’s allies to use part of a “surge” fleet of five Voyagers, which will be supplied between early next year and mid-2016. These will follow a core inventory of eight converted aircraft in use with the Royal Air Force, and another operated by AirTanker crews on the civilian register.
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NATO to upgrade AWACS fleet
NATO’s fleet of Boeing E-3A airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft is to undergo a digital flightdeck update, under a programme worth around $250 million. Work in support of the upgrade has already been conducted by Boeing under an engineering, manufacturing and development (EMD) phase contract involving one of NATO’s 707-derived AWACS platforms. Flight testing with the enhanced aircraft is due to commence in the fourth quarter of this year, with the asset to be returned to use in December 2015.
LinkSpace
Rosetta arrival marks "new chapter" in solar system exploration
The European Space Agency this week declared a “new chapter in solar system exploration”, as its Rosetta spacecraft achieved the first ever rendezvous with a comet. Other spacecraft have managed brief comet fly-bys, but Rosetta has managed to get unprecedentedly close to 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko – the image below was taken on 6 August from a distance of just 130km (81 miles).
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Aviation Quote
Nobody who gets too damned relaxed builds up much flying time.
— Ernest K. Gann
On This Date
---In 1908... Wilbur Wright makes his first flight in Europe by flying the Wright Flyer A from the racetrack at Hunaudières, 5 miles south of Le Mans, France.
---In 1910... The first aircraft tricycle landing gear is installed on the US Army’s Wright airplane.
---In 1929... The Zeppelin LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin makes the first flight around the world by an airship. Captained by Hugo Eckener, the airship makes its 21,500-mile circumnavigation in 21 days and 7 hours.
---In 1934…James Ayling and Leonard Reid take off on what would become the first non-stop flight from Canada to England, completing the trip aboard their de Havilland DH.84 Dragon 30 hours and 50 minutes later.
---In 1946…The Convair B-36 takes its first flight. To this day, the six-engined bomber remains the largest piston-engined aircraft ever mass-produced. Its 230 ft wingspan is also the longest ever on a combat aircraft.
---In 1967…First flight of the Boeing 737-200.
---In 1989…Shuttle Columbia is launched on a classified Department of Defense mission, STS-28. Some experts believe two military communications satellites were deployed.
---In 2007…Virgin America began operations.
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On a WN Flight
"Welcome aboard Southwest Flight 448 to FNT. To operate your seatbelt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seatbelt and if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised. In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with two small children, decide now which one you love more."
[/quote][/quote]Trivia
Google Airports
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JLAmber wrote:Not a clue with today's trivia I'm afraid.
What are those odd patterns to the right hand side of number four?
