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UK pilots alarmed at prospect of EU deal failure
UK cockpit crew representatives are expressing alarm at the possibility that the government is prepared to withdraw from the European Union without a trade agreement. Pilots union BALPA claims that such a decision could leave UK carrier unable to operate, and disrupt ticket sales long before the formal exit date in March 2019.
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Sharm el-Sheikh ban 'for good reasons': UK transport secretary
UK transport secretary Chris Grayling has not given any firm indication as to when the government will lift restrictions on operations to Sharm el-Sheikh airport. The UK ban on flights was imposed almost two years ago over suspicions that sabotage had brought down a Russian-operated Airbus A321 shortly after departing the Egyptian resort.
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Monarch collapse: Politicians scrap over EU vote effect
UK politicians have clashed in parliament over the degree to which the decision to withdraw from the European Union influenced the collapse of leisure carrier Monarch Airlines. Transport secretary Chris Grayling insisted that the airline's failure was "not an issue about Brexit", as he defended the government's handling of the aftermath during a 9 October parliamentary session on 9 October.
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Garuda Indonesia retires last Boeing 747-400
Garuda Indonesia formally retired its final Boeing 747-400 from service at a ceremony on 9 October. The last 747 in the airline's fleet, registered PK-GSH, operated its last flight on 6 October from Madinah to Makassar carrying Haj pilgrims, followed by a ferry flight from Makassar to Jakarta, says the SkyTeam carrier.
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Air NZ to deploy 787-9s on Houston route
Air New Zealand will deploy its premium-heavy Boeing 787-9s on the Auckland-Houston route from December, alongside larger 777-200ERs. The first of the newly configured 787s arrived at the Star Alliance carrier’s Auckland base on 8 October, following its ferry flight from Charleston, South Carolina.
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JetBlue calls for review of possible Air Canada-United JV
JetBlue Airways is calling for a public review of a possible joint venture between Air Canada and United Airlines, similar to its push for one of Delta Air Lines planned tie-up with Korean Air. The New York-based carrier asks the US Department of Transportation for a public review of any joint venture proposal submitted by the Star Alliance carriers under the antitrust authority they were granted in 1997, it says in a letter to DOT secretary Elaine Chao on 6 October.
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Aeromexico schedules March 2018 Max debut
Aeromexico will begin commercial service with the Boeing 737 Max 8 in March 2018. The SkyTeam Alliance carrier will debut the latest generation of the 737 family on flights between Mexico City and Cancun on 23 March 2018, schedules published over the weekend show. The date was first reported by the website Airlineroute.
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UK defends Bombardier with outright rejection of Boeing case
Boeing's trade case against Bombardier over the CSeries has been categorically rejected as having no merit by the UK government, which has urged the US airframer to withdraw the complaint immediately. But the government, while robustly defending the Bombardier operation in Belfast, is aware that it risks unbalancing its relationship with Boeing at a time when US trade links hold particular importance, given the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.
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Flight testing of A330P2F begins
German modification and maintenance specialist Elbe Flugzeugwerke has started test flights of the first Airbus A330 it has converted from passenger to freighter configuration. EFW says the A330-300P2F conducted a first sortie on 4 October. It lasted only "several minutes" as a result of stormy weather. However, three further flights – including a 6h second sortie – have since been completed by the aircraft, EFW says.
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Gulfstream announces range extensions for G500 and G600
Gulfstream is showing off its latest types – the G500 and G600 – with full interiors at the static this week, as it completes the final stages of the G500’s flight test campaign, ahead of entry into service early next year. It has also announced range extensions for the two large-cabin aircraft. While the Savannah-based airframer had expected to have a demonstration version of the G500 certificated this year, the aircraft will now not reach that benchmark until “early next year”. However, president Mark Burns said at a press conference this morning that the original schedule for first customer delivery would still be met.
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Fire and fury, the next Korean air war
A second Korean conflict has never been far from the minds of American and South Korean defence planners. The conflict of 1950-1953, which claimed over 1 million lives, never actually ended: an armistice stopped the fighting, but technically Seoul and Pyongyang are still at war, pending a "final peaceful settlement". This seems as remote as ever, with North Korea ramping up its ballistic missile programme and refining its nuclear weapons. Meanwhile the unpredictable, often jingoistic, messaging of President Donald Trump has stoked tensions. The stage is set for a miscalculation that could lead to war. However a conflict actually starts, there can be no doubt that one of Seoul's and Washington's trump cards is airpower.
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P&WC starts testing 2,000hp turboprop demo's
Pratt & Whitney Canada has launched a series of component demonstrators for a future 2,000shp turboshaft engine for the general aviation market, says Nicholas Kanellias, vice-president of marketing for general aviation. P&WC has dangled the prospect of the next-generation turboprop engine for several years, but is yet to commit to a timeframe for a launch decision and entry into service.
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Horizon Air pilots blast Alaska management over service cuts
Pilots at Horizon Air, the Portland, Oregon-based regional subsidiary of Seattle-based Alaska Air Group, have publicly blamed Alaska management for service cuts and aircraft deferrals.
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Air Austral signs agreement to take 49% of Air Madagascar
Reunion-based Air Austral has finalized its equity joint venture with Air Madagascar, agreeing to take a 49% stake alongside the Madagascan government which will maintain a controlling 51% shareholding.
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Emirates to be launch Boeing 777X operator
Emirates Airline will be the first operator of the Boeing 777X and expects to take delivery of the first aircraft in early 2020, Emirates president Tim Clark says. The delivery, which a Boeing spokesperson confirmed, means that Emirates will skip ahead of 777X launch customer Lufthansa and become the widebody’s launch operator.
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German MRO provider HTC to service Sukhoi Superjet 100
HAITEC Aircraft Maintenance (HTC) signed a service agreement with SuperJet International (SJI) for first-class line and base maintenance on the Suhkoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100). The agreement will enable HTC to access the necessary services to provide maintenance activities, including spare parts, ground support equipment and tools, training, aircraft documentation and engineering support, the MRO provider said in an Oct. 9 statement.
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Air New Zealand launches Wi-Fi trial on 777-300ER
Air New Zealand has begun the first operational trials of its new onboard wi-fi service, which eventually will be rolled out across its international jet fleet. The first of Air New Zealand’s aircraft to be fitted for wi-fi is a Boeing 777-300ER. More will be fitted during the next few months, and the airline intends to introduce the service on the remainder of its 777-300ERs by June 2018. The carrier plans to begin introducing wi-fi in its 777-200ERs from April 2018.
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Air France, Vietnam Airlines launch joint venture
Air France and Vietnam Airlines launched a joint venture (JV) to optimize services between France, European destinations and Vietnam Nov. 1.
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Aegean to add 18 new routes in 2018
Greek carrier Aegean Airlines will add 18 international routes - including 11 new destinations - in 2018, as it seeks to strengthen its competitive position in both Greece and Europe.
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Air Lease Corp. sold seven aircraft, delivered three in 3Q
Air Lease Corp. (ALC) sold seven aircraft and delivered three newly built aircraft during the 2017 third quarter, the Los Angeles-based lessor said Oct. 9.
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London Gatwick eyes drone applications
London Gatwick Airport is considering using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more commonly known as drones, for safety and security monitoring.
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Aviation Quote

It's better to miss the lead story at 6 . . . than to become the lead story at 11.

- Bruce Erion, President of the National Broadcast Pilots Assn., 1999.

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Trivia

Who am I?

Thanks to Queso for today’s trivia.

1. First flown in 2001, I was the longest airliner in production and I can seat 419 in my 2 class seating arrangement. Who am I?

2. I am very famous for the shark-toothed paint job that one group of my operators put onto my nose. Almost 14,000 of my type were built and operated by 28 different nations including the United States and the Soviet Union. I guest-starred in movies along side the likes of John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and John Belushi. Who am I?

3. I am a 2-seat, rag-and-tube plane first sold in 1964 who loves to fly upside-down and do loops and spins! In fact, my name is my primary reason for flying, (roughly) spelled backwards! Who am I?

4. I have been the King of the Skies for over 30 years, maintaining an air-superiority for the 4 countries who operate my type with an unmatched 104-to-0 kill ratio. One of my type once had an in-flight collision with another aircraft and it's skillful pilot safely landed the aircraft in spite of missing the entire right wing! Who am I?

5. I was the first (and perhaps only) aircraft to have flown with an operating nuclear reactor aboard. I was so heavy the designers went through several landing gear designs to help spread my tremendous weight across the tarmac. In fact, my payload was almost as much as the empty weight of one of the aircraft I replaced! And even though there were several innovative features included in my design such as my "pusher" engines and propellers, I was replaced in service by much faster aircraft after just a few years. Who am I?

6. Developed from a fighter jet design originally planned for Switzerland, my name is sometimes used synonymously as "business jet". I set the standard for small jets with two engines at the rear and a T-tail. Sleek and quite beautiful for the early 1960's era in which I was introduced, I could carry my 2 crew and 6 passengers up to 1,500 miles at well over 500 mph and up to 41,000 feet. The Argentine Air Force even used a couple of my type during the Falklands Island War to act as decoy strike aircraft sent to attack British ships! Who am I?

7. Operated by a tire and rubber company, I am 192 feet long, 59.5 feet tall, and 50 feet wide. I have a cruising speed of 35 mph in calm wind and I carry 6 passengers. You may have seen me circling major sporting events, and two of my type played a major role in the movie "Black Sunday". Who am I?

8. 7,000 of my type earned our keep transporting and evacuating troops in the jungles of Vietnam. We've served with every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, several civilian branches of government, as well as being dependable and reliable money-makers for civilian businesses in jobs such as spraying crops, moving logs and carrying oil workers to and from offshore platforms. My design was also modified by making it much slimmer and lighter to produce one of the most successful gunships ever created and it was named after a snake, even though I share a name with a Baby. Who am I?

9. I am the only commercially successful supersonic passenger aircraft ever produced (thus far). Who am I?

10. I am most successful mass produced light aircraft in history. My type was first flown in 1955 and is still in production. As of 2008, more than 43,000 of my type had been built. I have seats for 4 people and can do a reasonable job of carrying them 600 nm at a speed of about 120 knots. My high wing, tricycle landing gear, and fixed-pitch prop design features and reasonable acquisition and operating cost make me a popular choice as a training aircraft as well. Who am I?