NewsCommercial
Boeing Says It Could End 747 Production
Boeing could end production of the iconic 747, as it faces falling orders and pricing pressure, according to a regulatory filing. "If we are unable to obtain sufficient orders and/or market, production and other risks cannot be mitigated, we could record additional losses that may be material, and it is reasonably possible that we could decide to end production of the 747," Boeing said.
LinkAirlines
Alaska Airlines to put Space Bins on Boeing Sky Interior 737s
Alaska Airlines will retrofit all 34 of its Boeing Sky Interior 737s with Space Bins, the larger overhead bins created by Boeing. The Seattle-based carrier will modify the 737s, mostly -900ERs, with the Space Bins, which increase the space for overhead carry-on baggage by up to 50%. Alaska was the launch customer for the product.
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Allegiant Air pilots ratify labor agreement
Las Vegas-based low-cost carrier Allegiant Air pilots, represented by International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), have ratified the airline’s first union contract. Allegiant and IBT have been negotiating in mediated sessions with the National Mediation Board since February 2014. More than 85% of voting Allegiant pilots voted to ratify the contract.
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American extends sponsorship agreement with NFL's Panthers
American Airlines and the NFL's Carolina Panthers have extended their sponsorship agreement for another five years. The airline celebrated the deal with Panthers players on hand at American's Charlotte, NC, hub. "We've been partners with the Panthers since 2006," said Fernand Fernandez, American's vice president for global marketing. "What better place to invest than with a winning team?"
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Austrian Airlines’ technical subsidiaries eye third-party markets
Austrian Airlines’ technical subsidiaries, Innsbruck-based Tyrolean Technik and Austrian Technik Bratislava (ATB), are planning a closer cooperation with an eye on third-party markets. Both subsidiaries derive about 60% of their revenue from other customers in addition to Austrian Airlines. Austrian Airlines is a Lufthansa subsidiary.
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Etihad opens LAX lounge as airport looks to improve facilities
Etihad Airways has opened a dedicated premium passenger lounge in the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), its third lounge in the US and first on the West Coast. Etihad Aviation Group president and CEO James Hogan, Etihad Airways SVP-Americas Martin Drew and LA World Airports CEO Deborah Flint were at the July 25 opening ceremonies. The 407 sq m LAX lounge, like the New York JFK lounge, picks up on Etihad’s “modern Arabian” faceted branding. It includes a dining area, bar, relaxation area, shower facilities, and a prayer room.
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Flybe issues profit warning on Brexit uncertainty
UK-based regional airline Flybe has warned it will take a £2.5 million ($3.3 million) full-year profit hit because of currency fluctuations following the UK’s decision to exit (Brexit) the European Union (EU). “Although Flybe has hedged 90% of its USD and fuel requirements for this financial year, the impact of a stronger USD since the EU referendum vote will have a negative impact of £2.5 million on full-year profit, if rates remain at current levels,” Flybe said in a first-quarter trading update released July 27.
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Icelandair 2Q net profit rises 17%; downgrades outlook
Icelandair has reported a 2016 second-quarter net income of $26.2 million, up 17% from a $22.4 million profit in the year-ago period; however, the airline has downgraded its outlook because of market uncertainty triggered by Brexit and recent terrorist attacks. “The group’s operations over a challenging period were successful and we have never seen better second-quarter results,” Icelandair president and CEO Björgólfur Jóhannsson said, adding that this was partly because of the airline’s growth strategy.
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JetBlue's seatback screens will be Bluetooth enabled
JetBlue is planning to incorporate Bluetooth technology into in-flight entertainment systems aboard Airbus A320 jets. This will enable streaming of content from mobile devices onto seatback screens.
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Flight Simulator In MH370 Captain’s Home Plotted Indian Ocean Course
A home flight simulator owned by the pilot of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was used to plot a course to the southern Indian Ocean where the aircraft is believed to have gone missing, the Australian agency in charge of the search said. But the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) said the presence of the simulator data did not prove that the pilot had intentionally crashed the Boeing 777.
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United Airlines increases service connecting Newark, St. Kitts
United Airlines is increasing service from Newark Liberty Airport to St. Kitts by 50% this November. Winter service to the Caribbean commences Nov. 19.
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United Airlines adds fingerprint scanning to mobile app
United Airlines' updated mobile app includes a fingerprint scanner so that users will not have to repeatedly type in their password.
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Virgin Australia Full-Year Loss Widens On Charges
Virgin Australia’s full-year net loss has more than doubled from a year ago, hurt by one-off costs of a restructure to cut capacity amid stiff competition. Sydney-listed Virgin posted a net loss of AUD$224.7 million (USD$169 million) for the year to June 30, compared with a AUD$93.8 million loss in 2014/15.
LinkAirports
McCarran International saw largest June traffic increase in 9 years
Nevada's McCarran International Airport saw the highest passenger traffic numbers since 2007, with more than 3.7 million passing through the facility.
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China Eastern, China Southern to move to Beijing New Airport
China Eastern and China Southern Airlines, along with other SkyTeam member carriers, plan to move to Beijing New Airport when it opens in 2019, according to the CAAC. Air China and other Star Alliance member carriers are expected to remain at Beijing Capital Airport, which has a slot shortage, making it increasingly difficult for carriers to get approval to boost flight frequencies and open new routes.
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Singapore’s Changi Airport to invest $25.8 million in technology upgrades
Singapore’s Changi Airport has earmarked S$35 million ($25.8 million) over the next six years to upgrade the facility’s customer interaction, ground services and data handling capabilities. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) have said they will invest more than S$20 million on a new Smart Apron airport-wide wireless (Wi-Fi) communication network over the next six years, and an upgraded initiative to encourage airlines to move to self-service passenger handling.
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Military
World's fastest flight record still stands on 40th anniversary
On July 28, 1976, Eldon Joersz flew his US Air Force Blackbird 2,194 mph above Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, setting a record for world's fastest flight that still stands 40 years later. "I'm honored to help remember this great airplane and the men who flew her, designed her, built her, and those who maintained and supported her," he said.
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Netherlands, Luxembourg agree joint A330 MRTT buy
A multinational initiative to acquire a pooled fleet of Airbus A330 multirole tanker/transports has edged closer to take-off, with the Netherlands and Luxembourg agreeing to buy an initial two examples. Agreed with Airbus in a 28 July contract via the OCCAR defence procurement body, the acquisition is the first part of a potentially broader activity being pursued by the European Defence Agency and several other nations.
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First flight for Israel's F-35A Adir
Lockheed Martin completed the first flight of an F-35A Adir for the Israeli air force on 25 July, just one month after rolling the aircraft out at its Fort Worth site in Texas on 22 June.
LinkGeneral Aviation
Cessna unveils updated Turbo Stationair
Cessna Aircraft unveiled the Stationair Turbo HD at AirVenture this week, an enhanced version of the Stationair T206H. The new model includes a Garmin G1000 avionics suite with synthetic vision and dual LCD screens and a turbocharged 310-horsepower Lycoming TIO-540-AJ1A engine.
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Aviation Quote
Mishaps are like knives that either serve us or cut us as we grasp them by the blade or the handle.
- James Russell Lowell
Daily Video
Editor's Choice
[/quote]Trivia
General Trivia
1. What airplane produced by a well-known aircraft manufacturer was rejected by the U.S. Army in 1973 because it could be brought down by bow and arrow?
2. What is the largest, post-World War II, piston-powered, twin-engine airplane designed from scratch and produced exclusively as a general aviation airplane?
3. Why should every dedicated pilot fly at least once to KFFA?
4. Several types of liaison airplanes served the U.S. military during World War II. Best known of these were the first five, the L-1, L-2, L-3, L-4, and L-5. Can you identify these utilitarian “L-birds?”
5. Almost everyone has heard of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, but what is the Lightning II?
6. U.S. military flight-crew positions often have nicknames. What are the official positions of a boomer, a GAFO (pronounced GAY-fo), a raven, a GIB (pronounced gib), and a whizzo?
7. The Pratt & Whitney J58 (JT11D) engines that powered the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird use JP-7 fuel so inert that it could not be ignited with spark or ignition plugs. How was this exotic fuel ignited during engine start?
8. On November 13, 1942, and after having survived in a life raft in the western Pacific for 23 days, Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, Col. Hans Adamson, and Pvt. John Bartek were found by the pilot of a Vought-Sikorsky Kingfisher, a U.S. Navy seaplane. What was so unusual about the subsequent rescue?
miamiair wrote:5. Almost everyone has heard of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, but what is the Lightning II?
World's fastest jet crew reunites with SR-71 spy plane
For the first time in 40 years, the fastest jet flight crew in the world reunited with the once super-secret spy plane that put them in the history books.
At the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia, retired U.S. Air Force pilot Maj. Gen. Eldon "Al" Joersz and Lt. Col. George "GT" Morgan climbed into the cockpit Thursday of their Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird on the 40th anniversary of their record-breaking flight.
The jet -- designed with 1960s analog technology -- set a record that still stands today: 2,193 mph.
That's more than three times the speed of sound -- literally faster than a speeding bullet.
"It wasn't supposed to be that big of a deal," Joersz told CNN last year on the phone. "We knew we were going to be setting some records, but we didn't look at it as something that would endure this long."
