NewsAirlines
ACT highlights 747F crew's experience
ACT Airlines has given figures for the total hours logged by the pilots of a Boeing 747-400F that crashed in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek. The Turkish carrier – which confirms that a total of 37 people were killed in the crash, including four crew members – says the captain had 10,821 flight-hours, including 833h on 747s, while the first officer had 5,910h, of which 1,771h were on the type.
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Flight recorder retrieved from 747 crash debris
Investigators have retrieved the first flight recorder from the wreckage of a Boeing 747-400F which crashed in the vicinity of Bishkek Manas airport. The ACT Airlines aircraft, operating under the MyCargo brand, came down to the west of the airport following a flight from Hong Kong.
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Climbing EgyptAir A300 involved in serious Belgian airprox
French investigators have detailed a serious airprox incident in which an EgyptAir Airbus A300-600 freighter climbed through its assigned altitude. The aircraft (SU-GAY) had been operating from Ostend to Cairo on 1 January this year, and had been cleared to climb to 21,000ft.
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Hawaiian Airlines to Connect Lihue with Kona
Hawaiian Airlines announced that it will begin new daily service between Lihue Airport on Kauai and Kona International Airport on the island of Hawaii on March 12. Flights will depart Kona at 9:38 a.m. and arrive in Lihue at 10:36 a.m. From Lihue, flights are scheduled to depart at 3:44 p.m. and arrive in Kona at 4:44 p.m.
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Southwest hopeful for future of US flights to Cuba
Southwest Airlines hopes the Trump administration keeps commercial travel between the US and Cuba open for business. "Those flights have high demand both from the US and from Cuba and obviously we're hopeful that we can continue to operate them," said Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly.
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Wideroe turns to jets with Embraer 190-E2 order
Scandinavian regional carrier Wideroe is to step up to jet operation, having opted to take up to 15 Embraer 190-E2 re-engined aircraft. The agreement comprises three firm jets and purchase rights on a further 12, the Brazilian airframer states, with deliveries commencing in 2018.
LinkAirports
MCO partners with M2mobi to offer updated mobile app
Orlando International Airport has launched an improved mobile app that aims to offer travellers more information, including on the retail and F&B facilities. Mobile developer M2mobi created the app, which adds a range of features to the maps and way finding that was the basis of the existing version.
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Exacting Nature at the Jacksonville International Airport
You checked your luggage and printed the boarding passes. The liquids in your purse are less than three fluid ounces, and your carry-on is the perfect size for the overhead bin. To top it all off, you even wore your TSA-approved socks, the ones covered in a pizza pattern that make the officer with the scanning wand smile every time. But any knowledgeable traveler should add one more thing to this list—leave time to enjoy the abundance of art on display at the Jacksonville International Airport.
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Military
Italy presses ahead with AW129 attack helicopter replacement
Italy has begun the process of replacing its army’s fleet of AW129 attack helicopters, signing a multi-year, €487 million ($515 million) contract with Leonardo, which will see the nation’s aerospace champion develop a successor aircraft. However, defence ministry documents indicate that the new design will use a number of parts from in-production helicopters, including weapons and dynamic components.
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Italian deal opens M-345 order book
The Italian air force has taken a step towards modernizing its basic trainer fleet, with Leonardo receiving a contract to produce an initial five Aermacchi M-345s. Announced on 13 January, the M-345 deal was signed with the Italian defense ministry’s National Armaments Directorate, along with a separate one linked to starting work on the country’s next-generation attack helicopter. Together, these are worth more than €500 million ($530 million), Leonardo says.
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Aviation Quote
For God’s sake, open the door!
- Captain Patrick Sondheimer, Germanwings 9525, 10:32 local time, 24 March 2015
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Editor's Choice
Trivia
Space Shuttle
1.
What United States president signed an order that officially began the space shuttle project?
A. John F. Kennedy
B. Richard M. Nixon
C. Jimmy Carter
2. What year was the first space shuttle mission launched?
A. 1977
B. 1979
C. 1981
3. What shuttle was used to repair the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993?
A. Challenger
B. Discovery
C. Endeavour
4. How many successful U.S. shuttle missions had taken place before Challenger disintegrated into a ball of fire in 1986?
A. 9
B. 24
C. 99
5. What was the first shuttle to be launched following the Challenger disaster?
A. Atlantis
B. Discovery
C. Endeavour
6. What was the first shuttle to dock with Russia's Mir space station?
A. Atlantis
B. Columbia
C. Enterprise
