NewsCommercial
Boeing construction continues on 777X plant in Wash.
Boeing is continuing with construction on its $1 billion facility to build 777X wings in Everett, Wash. Steel frameworks for walls have been erected on the construction site, and the building is slated to open in 2016.
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Converting retired airliners into corporate jets
Kent Scott, founder and CEO Trident 737 ER, a company that converts Boeing 737 airliners into corporate jets, joins the Airplane Geeks podcast to discuss his lifelong career in aviation. Also on the show, the Bombardier Learjet 85 on hold, a Douglas F4D-1 Skyray and more.
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Global Air Freight Demand Up 4.9 Pct In December
Global demand for air cargo rose 4.9 percent in December as growth accelerated, driven by an uptick in world trade, IATA said on Wednesday. IATA said demand growth of 4.5 percent for the full year, compared with 1.4 percent in 2013, was driven by the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions.
LinkAirlines
Alaska Air Group reports Q4 profit
Alaska Air Group, the parent company of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, reported a profit of $125 million for the fourth quarter. Alaska Air Group has reported profits for 23 consecutive quarters. "We had a record year on almost every front, even as we approach the end of the second year with much more competition in Seattle," said Brad Tilden, president and CEO of Alaska Air Group.
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American Airlines to honor past airlines with amenity kits
American Airlines plans to honor its history by offering nine different amenity kits to premium passengers with logos of its past airlines. "We have more than 100,000 employees, each with their own unique story, and these retro amenity kits are a small tribute to the heritage of their careers and their legacy carriers," said Fernand Fernandez, vice president of global marketing for American
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Delta traffic rose 3.6% in Jan.
Total system traffic for Delta Air Lines rose 3.6% for January on a year-over-year basis. Meanwhile, consolidated passenger unit revenue for the carrier dropped by 3.5% in January compared to the same month last year.
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Delta to serve Starbucks coffee on all flights
Delta Air Lines and Starbucks have expanded their partnership, and the carrier plans to serve Starbucks coffee on all flights. "Going forward we'll be able to look at other parts of the travel experience, be it on the ground in our Sky Clubs or in other parts of the journey," said Mike Henny, director of onboard customer experience for Delta.
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Emirates' Clark strikes back in US open skies debate
Emirates president Tim Clark has hit back at an effort by the three US mainline carriers to lobby the US government to roll back open skies with some Gulf nations, calling the airlines' allegations "sweeping and unfounded". "I am surprised by reports that the three largest US carriers – each of which was a beneficiary of America’s unique Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization law - have presented a case against open skies access for some airlines including Emirates, based on claims of subsidies," says Clark in a statement to Flightglobal.
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Mesa commits to seven CRJ900s
Mesa Airlines and Bombardier have reached an agreement in principle for seven Bombardier CRJ900 NextGen aircraft with deliveries through the fourth quarter. “We are delighted to have the opportunity to order brand new aircraft from Bombardier and place them into service under a long-term capacity purchase agreement,” says Jonathan Ornstein, chairman and chief executive of the Phoenix-based regional carrier, in a statement. “Building on our core business with American and United, Mesa is now the fastest growing regional airline in the country.”
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TransAsia ATR 72 appears stalled before impact
The attitude and flight profile of theTransAsia ATR 72 that crashed after take-off from Taipei's Sung Shan airport - shown in high quality video of the aircraft's last few seconds - indicates it was fully stalled. An aircraft stalls when it’s flying too slowly to generate sufficient lift from its wings, and it starts to fall. In the video footage the aircraft first appears just above the top of a line of high buildings, the pilots holding the nose up to try to clear them. When clear, the left wing drops dramatically to a 90deg bank, the aircraft loses height rapidly, and the wingtip strikes a road before the aircraft tumbles into the river next to it.
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UPS posts Q4 earnings that meet analyst expectations
UPS reported net profit of $1.15 billion, or earnings per share of $1.25, for the fourth quarter. Analysts had predicted UPS would earn $1.25 per share. Chief Financial Officer Kurt Kuehn also predicted 2015 would bring a 6% to 12% improvement in profits.
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United in talks with Jamaican officials over nonstop flight from Denver
Airport officials from Montego Bay, Jamaica, are talking with United Airlines about launching a nonstop flight between Denver International Airport and the island nation after Frontier Airlines discontinued its service between DIA and Jamaica last year. Elizabeth Brown Scotton, chief commercial officer for Sangster International Airport, said she scheduled meeting time with DIA's largest carrier at the Routes Americas conference that is ongoing at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. The conference brings together officials from 283 airports, more than 80 airlines and 38 tourism authorities to discuss potential new nonstop flights across the world.
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Wizz Air Dusts Off London Share Listing Plan
Eastern European-focused budget airline Wizz Air has resurrected plans to list on the London Stock Exchange, seeking to raise EUR€150 million (USD$172 million) to help compete with Ryanair. Hungary-based Wizz pulled a plan for an initial public offering last June, citing market volatility in the airline sector. Wizz said the sale proceeds would help strengthen the company's balance sheet, giving it access to cheaper capital and boosting its ability to be more competitive on fares.
LinkAirports
Colo. airport hopes to add aerial firefighting research center
County and local officials in Loveland, Fort Collins and Larimer County, Colo., are working together to apply to open the state's first aerial firefighting research center at Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport. A handful of other municipalities around the state are also expected to submit proposals for the center.
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Mitsubishi Cautious About Kansai Airport Concession
Mitsubishi has become cautious about bidding for a license to operate Kansai airport in Japan due to the "challenging" list of conditions set by the government. The trading firm was one of nine Japanese companies the government had shortlisted in December to bid for the airport concession. The government expects to raise at least USD$17 billion from selling the license. The first round of bidding will close on February 16. This week, housing developer Daiwa House Industry, which had also been shortlisted, said it was not going to bid for the project.
LinkMilitary
Avro Lancaster KB882 seeks new home
The Canadian city of Edmunston, New Brunswick, has owned a historic Avro Lancaster KB882 since it was retired from the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1964. After many years outdoors, the bomber has fallen into disrepair, and the city does not have the funds to restore it. The city council is considering proposals for potential homes in four other cities.
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USAF speeds up development of new air-launched cruise missile
The US Air Force has both accelerated development of its long-range standoff weapon (LRSO) and dramatically increased funding to the program over the next five years. LRSO seeks a nuclear-capable replacement for the Boeing AGM-86 air launched cruise missile (ALCM) carried by the Boeing B-52 and Northrop Grumman B-2 bombers. Since 2012, four companies have been working on trade studies for the LRSO design: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon.
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Aviation Quote
The engine is the heart of an aeroplane, but the pilot is its soul.
— Sir Walter Alexander Raleigh. This is not that other Sir Walter Raleigh, who was beheaded nearly three hundred years earlier. This Sir Walter became the official historian of the RAF.
On This Date
---In 1919... The first regular, daily passenger service in the world is launched at Berlin’s city airfield. A German airline, Deutsche Luft Reederei, operates the new service on route from Berlin to Weimar via Leipzig.
---In 1920…The Royal Air Force College is established in Cranwell, Licolnshire.
---In 1929... Frank Hawks and Oscar Grubb land their Lockheed Air Express in New York after a record flight of 18 hours 20 minutes from Los Angeles.
---In 1946…TWA begins transatlantic service with the Lockheed Constellation flying the New York-Gander-Shannon-Paris route.
---In 1949... An Eastern Air Lines Lockheed Constellation lands at LaGuardia, New York, at the end of a flight of 6 hours 18 minutes from Los Angeles, a coast-to-coast record for transport aircraft.
---In 1951... The United States and Canada announce the establishment of the Distant Early Warning (DEW), the air defense system that uses more than 30 radar stations located across the northern portion of the continent.
---In 1958…A B-47 Stratojet on a simulated training exercise out of Homestead Air Force base in Florida collides with an F-86 Sabre. The bomber is carrying a 7,600-pound hydrogen bomb, which was jettisoned in an effort to reduce weight for a safe landing. The Sabre pilot ejects, the B-47 plane made it to Hunter Army Airfield safely, and the bomb, let go into the Atlantic Ocean, was never found. If you happen to reel it in on a fishing trip, please contact the United States Air Force.
---In 1958…Vanguard TV-3 back-up launches into Earth orbit; reaches 6 km.
---In 1962... A Sikorsky HSS-2 Sea King of the US Navy sets a world helicopter speed record of 210.6 mph, in the course of a flight between Milford and New Haven, Connecticut.
---In 1962…Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn within 16 degrees.
---In 1963…Soviet lunar probe failure.
---In 1967…Lunar Orbiter 3 - USA Lunar Orbiter launched. Orbited the moon, photographed the far side for potential Apollo 12 landing sites, then impacted on command.
---In 1972…First series of three SR-71 HABU flights launched at Kadena. At 14:16, 14:18 and 15:22.
These missions were coordinated sorties to lay down sonic booms over the Hanoi Hilton POW camp. These flight were designed to show solidarity with the prisoners. (Q)
---In 1972…Airlines in the United States begin mandatory inspection of passengers and baggage for weapons and explosives.
---In 1972…Aeroflot and Lufthansa team up to operate joint Moscow-Frankfurt flights.
---In 1972… NASA and de Havilland Canada extensively modify a C-8 Buffalo for STOL experiments.
---In 1974…Mariner 10 - USA Mercury/Venus Flyby - 526 kg - (November 3, 1973 - March 24, 1975) flew past Venus for a gravity assist to the planet Mercury. Mariner 10 was the first dual planet mission. Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft to have an imaging system. It recorded circulation in the Venusian atmosphere and showed the temperature of the cloud tops to be -23°C. Mariner 10 flew past Mercury 3 times on March 29, 1974, September 21, 1974, and March 16, 1975. These three encounters produced over 10,000 pictures with 57% planet coverage. It recorded surface temperatures ranging from 187°C to -183°C on the day and night sides. A weak magnetic field was detected but it failed to detect an atmosphere. Mariner 10 is now in a solar orbit.
---In 1982…Laker Airways ceases operations.
---In 1987…Soyuz TM-2 launches.
---In 1994…Clementine - USA Lunar Orbiter - (launched January 25, 1994) spent 70 days (between February 6 and May 5, 1994) in lunar orbit. The official name for Clementine is Deep Space Probe Science Experiment (DSPSE). It was a Department of Defense program used to test new space technology. Clementine was a new design using lightweight structure and propellant systems. Its four cameras mapped the surface of the Moon at 125-250 meters/pixel resolution. Clementine also used a laser to gather altimeter data which will make it possible to generate the first lunar topographic map.
---In 2012…MatlinPatterson, the private equity firm in control of World Airways and North American Airlines, takes its Global Aviation Holdings subsidiary carriers into Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization less than four years after shuttering fellow subsidiary carriers ATA Airlines and Arrow Air.
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