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ALPA board elects new president, national officers
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) has elected Joe DePete, a FedEx Express pilot and the union’s first VP and national safety coordinator, to serve as its 11th president. The election took place during ALPA’s 47th biennial board meeting Oct. 17.
Link
Turkish Technic grows third-party MRO business
Turkish Technic has grown its third-party maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) to 25% of its total revenue, up from 15% two years ago, through more efficient use of its existing facilities.
Link
AvWeek Forecast: World MRO market will be $862 billion in next decade
A newly released Aviation Week Intelligence Network 2019 Commercial Fleet and MRO Forecast, shows that the commercial air transport fleet, for which growth is underpinned by multiple macro-economic trends, will experience growth of 2.8% on deliveries of nearly 23,200 turbofan- and turboprop-powered aircraft over the coming decade.
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UK CAA plans for ‘hard Brexit’
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) wants to stay within the EASA system after the UK exits the European Union (Brexit) next year, but given that the UK government has not determined how it will exit, the CAA is preparing for a hard Brexit, a scenario where no mutually beneficial deal is reached.
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Singapore and Peru sign liberalized aviation agreement
Singapore has signed an Open Skies agreement with Peru, allowing their airlines to fly any number of passenger and cargo services between both countries as well as beyond to any third country, with no restrictions on capacity, frequency, aircraft type or routing.
LinkAirlines
Aeromexico posts 3Q net loss on currency depreciation, high fuel prices
Aeromexico reported a MXP617 million ($32.9 million) net loss for the third quarter of 2018, reversed from a MXP344 million net profit in the year-ago quarter.
The Mexico City-based full-service carrier cited a combination of a nearly 7% year-over-year (YOY) depreciation of its national currency and a 46% increase in Mexican peso-dominated fuel prices for the loss.
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Cobalt Air suspends operations after last-minute investor drops out
Cypriot carrier Cobalt Air collapsed after its 49% Chinese shareholder pulled out and a replacement investor failed to come through with the necessary money.
State-owned Aviation Industry Corp. of China (AVIC) was the largest shareholder in the Larnaca-based LCC, which had been flying since June 2016.
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Air France reportedly nearing pay agreement with unions
Air France is nearing a deal with its workforce in a months-long pay dispute following negotiations between the new Air France-KLM Group CEO Benjamin Smith and the French airline’s unions. A spokesman for the SPAF pilots’ union, which represents about a quarter of Air France pilots, told ATW’s sister publication Aviation Daily Oct. 18 that an official proposal of a 4% pay increase would be submitted for signature on Friday, Oct. 19
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British Airways plans Charleston's first European nonstop
British Airways will land in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2019, offering the city's first scheduled nonstop transatlantic service.
The Oneworld Alliance carrier will offer twice-weekly service between Charleston and London Heathrow with a 214-seat Boeing 787-8 from 4 April to 24 October, the Charleston airport says.
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Swiss sends Airbus jets to Joramco for base maintenance
Joramco has won a five-year airframe maintenance contract from Swiss.
The deal covers C-checks and heavy maintenance on Swiss's Airbus A320, A330 and A340 fleets, says the Jordanian MRO provider.
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ATSB investigating Scoot 787 in-flight engine shutdown
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating an engine failure involving a Scoot Boeing 787-9 that occurred on 11 October.
The aircraft, registered 9V-OJE, was descending into Perth during a flight from Singapore when there was "an uncommanded in-flight shutdown of the right engine."
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Corrosion and cracking led to Qantas A380 engine shutdown
An in-flight engine shutdown involving a Qantas Airbus A380 on 20 May 2017 has been traced back to cracking caused by corrosion resulting from cleaning chemical residues in one of its Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines.
LinkAirports
Grand opening for new duty free shops at Vilnius International Airport
Travel Retail Vilnius, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gebr Heinemann, yesterday officially opened its new-look main walk-through duty free shop at Vilnius International Airport.
The conversion of the shop follows the six-year contract extension agreed between Vilnius International Airport and Travel Retail Vilnius at the beginning of 2018.
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Biometrics to make travel more seamless than ever before at Heathrow
Heathrow is to launch the airport’s first end-to-end biometrics trial, bringing facial recognition to each point of the departing passenger’s Journey. Heathrow passengers are set for a biometric revolution as the airport announces plans for a full-scale roll out of new biometric services from the summer of 2019.
LinkMilitary
Portugal picks AW119Kx for light helicopter requirement
Portugal has ordered five Leonardo Helicopters AW119Kx light-singles for multirole missions in a deal worth over €20 million ($23 million).
Link
Manila eyes Gripen for future fighter force
The Philippines has identified the Saab Gripen as the best candidate for the nation’s fighter requirement.
The government-owned Philippine News Agency recently quoted defence secretary Delfin Lorenzana as saying that the Swedish fighter is the best option in terms of price and capability.
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Aviation Quote
If the employees come first, then they are happy. A motivated employee treats the customer well. The customer is happy so they keep coming back, which pleases the shareholders. It's not one of the enduring green mysteries of all time, it is just the way it works.
- Herb Kelleher, Southwest Airlines CEO, in Lee, W. G., 'A Conversation with Herb Kelleher,' Organizational Dynamics, volume 23, issue 2, Autumn 1994.
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Trivia
The Buff In Vietnam
1. How many crew members were on a typical bombing flight during missions over Vietnam?
Various
4
6
8
2. How many engines are on a B-52-B?
4
8
6
10
3. How many bombs could a fully loaded B-52-D carry?
112
58
32
108
4. From how many bases did B-52 aircraft fly to drop bombs over Vietnam?
4
1
3
2
5. What B-52 model was the most heavily used during bombing missions over Vietnam?
B-52-D
B-52-G
B-52-A
B-52-F
6. What B-52 model was the most heavily used during bombing missions over Vietnam?
B-52-D
B-52-G
B-52-A
B-52-F
7. How many B-52 aircraft were lost to enemy action during the 'Christmas Bombing' campaign?
15
27
0
6
8. At which U.S. Air Force base were all B-52 crew members trained during the 1960's and 1970's?
Plattsburg AFB New York
Barksdale AFB Louisiana
Castle AFB California
March AFB California
9. In which seat position did the Electronic Warfare Officer sit on a B-52?
Lower deck, left side
Lower deck, right side
Upper deck, right front
Upper deck, left rear
10. What magnetic compass system was the PRIMARY magnetic compass system for the B-52?
J-4 Compass
N-1 Compass
ANG 1 - Astrotracker
NAV 12 Compass system
11. In 1963, just prior to the Vietnam War buildup, the U.S. Air Force had the largest number of B-52 aircraft in its fleet. How many B-52's did the U.S.A.F. possess at that time?
725
1091
650
456
12. The B-52 was produced at two different sites in the U.S. One was at Wichita, Kansas. Where was the other?
Los Angeles
Atlanta
Long Island
Seattle
13. What was the function of the ANALE24 system as it was used on the B-52?
Radio Telecommunications
Bombsite mechanism
Chaff dispenser
Radar navigation set
14. During an actual bomb run, which crew member (other than the pilot) sometimes handled steering of the aircraft?
Electronic Warfare Officer
Co-Pilot
Navigator
Radar navigator
15. During the Christmas bombing effort (1972) how many B-52 aircraft were lost to Mig Jet fighters?
0
5
2
7
