NewsCommercial
AVIC MA700 Aircraft Orders Reach 185
AVIC Aircraft said it had signed initial agreements to sell 185 MA700 turboprops to nine domestic and foreign companies. Still in development, the 70-seat MA700 is China's next generation turboprop after the MA60. Financial terms of the order were not disclosed. China is keen to develop a successful aviation industry to prove it can match the United States and Europe. But it has been held back by inexperience, a shortage of local aerospace design and engineering talent, and well as a lack of home-grown companies with the necessary technology.
LinkAirlines
Air Canada exec discusses growth strategy
Duncan Bureau, vice president of global sales for Air Canada, discusses the carrier's growth in a Q&A. "When you look at our total capacity, you're looking at about 10% growth year over year, and 90% of that is going to be focused on the international market," he said.
Link
Delta aircraft to sport logos on bellies of planes
Delta Air Lines plans to paint its logo on the belly of its aircraft for greater visibility from the ground. "It fits with our brand promise of being thoughtful and innovative and really adds a unique element to what is already a sleek and modern aircraft livery," said Adam Pinsley, a graphic designer for the carrier, in a statement.
Link
Ethiopian 787 fire probe seeks assurance on battery defenses
Investigators are seeking assurances that aircraft systems powered by lithium batteries are adequately protected against short-circuit, after formally attributing the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 ground fire to thermal runaway in the emergency locator transmitter. The aircraft sustained serious damage in the fire which broke out while it was parked, empty, on a remote stand at London Heathrow on 12 July 2013.
Link
LOT Sale Talks To Continue After CEO Departure
Poland's treasury said it will continue talks with a potential investor for flag carrier airline LOT despite the resignation of its chief executive. CEO Sebastian Mikosz, who helped save LOT from bankruptcy, unexpectedly resigned from his post on Tuesday. Media reports said he left after 2-1/2 years because the treasury, which controls LOT, had stalled talks with an investor. "Justifying his decision, chief executive Mikosz said that his mission, entrusted him in February 2013, has been fulfilled," LOT said in a statement.
Link
Southwest pilot meets with 5-year-old fan
Mike Hickey, a pilot for Southwest Airlines, met with Hudson, a 5-year-old who waved at Hickey's plane as it took off from Albuquerque, N.M. "I think Hudson has a great future as a pilot," Hickey said. "It's just a love for aviation. I could spot that in him right away."
Link
Indonesian Rescuers Find No Crash Survivors
The recovery of the bodies of the 54 people from the Trigana Air aircraft that crashed two days ago in Indonesia's Papua province has been hampered by poor weather. Major-General Heronimus Guru, operations director at Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, told a news conference in the capital that the passengers' remains were being put into body bags for evacuation.
LinkAirports
BWI hosts record number of passengers in FY2015
The number of passengers at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport flew to new heights in the 12 months that ended in June, with more than 22.7 million passengers over the fiscal year, officials said Tuesday. The 2.4 percent increase in passenger traffic came after declines in 2014 and 2013. The previous record of 22.6 million passengers was set in fiscal 2012.
Link
Sea-Tac set new record for passengers in June
A record number of passengers passed through Sea-Tac International Airport in June, making it the most heavily traveled month in the airport’s history. A total of 4,011,247 travelers walked through the terminal in June. That tops the monthly record set in 2014.
Link
Tallahassee Airport, business leaders discuss value of increased air service
JetBlue Airways taking off from Tallahassee International Airport? That’s the hope of a grassroots campaign asking businesses to draft letters of support for direct service from the low-fare airline to South Florida. The campaign was mentioned this weekend during the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce getaway conference, attended by roughly 550 business leaders, entrepreneurs and elected officials.
Link
Military
Argentina to retire Mirage fleet
Argentina is reportedly planning to retire its air force's mixed fleet of Dassault Mirage fighters in November, as budget constraints force the government to make cuts to its inventory. Pictures have surfaced of the Argentine Mirages’ participating in a retirement ceremony observed by air force chief Brig Gen Miguel Callejos, although the fleet will remain in service for a further three months.
Link
Israel upgrades F-16Is to cope with missile threat
Israel is upgrading its Lockheed Martin F-16I combat aircraft with several undisclosed systems in order to cope with the increased threat from surface-launched missiles. A senior air force officer tells Flightglobal that intelligence reports indicate that the enhancement is necessary.“The threats we are facing and will face, according to intelligence assessments, require the installation of new systems," he says.
Link
Lockheed Skunk Works designing next-gen U-2 spy plane
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works is designing a next-generation high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) surveillance airplane, known internally as RQ-X or UQ-2, as an optionally-manned successor to the U-2 and Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk. U-2 program officials told reporters at the Skunk Works headquarters in Palmdale, California, that its engineers have been mulling designs for stealthy HALE platform that would combine the best of the U-2 and its unmanned rival, the Global Hawk.
Link
Aviation Quote
It was the first airplane . . . that could make money just by hauling passengers.
— C. R. Smith, president of American Airlines, regarding the DC-3. The DC-3 specifications were shaped by AA.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Trivia
General Trivia
1. The airport elevation shown on instrument approach charts is almost always the
a. highest point on any runway.
b. highest point on the longest runway.
c. highest point on the primary instrument runway.
d. the elevation of the airport reference point.
2. The first product advertised by skywriting appears to have been
a. Baby Ruth candy bars.
b. newspaper, The Daily Mail.
c. Cuban cigars.
d. American cigarettes.
3. Which of the following World War II bombers was armed with the most guns?
a. B-17 Flying Fortress
b. B-24 Liberator
c. B-25 Mitchell
d. B-29 Superfortress
4. A member of which of the following famous American families was a three-time U.S. National Soaring Champion, set numerous distance records, funded the Soaring Society of America during the Depression, and headed the U.S. Army's American Glider Program for Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold during World War II?
a. Aronson (Ronson lighters)
b. du Pont
c. Ford
d. Rockefeller
5. Who are the Quiet Birdmen?
a. A fraternal organization of pilots founded by Charles Lindbergh.
b. An informal organization of pilots who have experienced and survived an actual engine failure.
c. A fraternal organization of sailplane enthusiasts founded by Orville Wright.
d. An organization of pilots with hearing and/or speaking disabilities.
6. The first pilot to fly a complete circle in an airplane was
a. Glen Curtiss.
b. Alberto Santos-Dumont.
c. Orville Wright.
d. Wilbur Wright.
miamiair wrote:Delta aircraft to sport logos on bellies of planes
Delta Air Lines plans to paint its logo on the belly of its aircraft for greater visibility from the ground. "It fits with our brand promise of being thoughtful and innovative and really adds a unique element to what is already a sleek and modern aircraft livery," said Adam Pinsley, a graphic designer for the carrier, in a statement.
