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EASA certifies landing alert system for A320 family
EASA has certified a new altitude monitoring function on Airbus A320-series airliners, according to NAVBLUE, Airbus’ flight operations and air traffic management subsidiary.
The altimeter setting monitor, an element of the Honeywell SmartLanding system, cross-checks GPS altitude against barometric corrected altitude and issues an alert to pilots if a barometric reference setting error is detected. It is the first of three functions of a landing surveillance suite NAVBLUE is developing to complement the Airbus Runway Overrun Protection System (ROPS).
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Wing receives FAA’s first certificate for drone deliveries
The first air carrier certificate for a commercial drone delivery service in the US has been awarded by the FAA to Wing, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet.
Armed with its Part 135 operator’s certificate, Wing now plans to engage with communities and businesses in Blacksburg and Christiansburg in southwest Virginia, close to where it has been trialing delivery drones with the Virginia Tech-run Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) test site.
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Boeing executive defends 787 site after quality oversight report
A top Boeing executive has fired back at a recent New York Times article painting the airframer’s North Charleston 787 production site as suffering from quality oversights.
The 20 April article, based on company documents and interviews with more than a dozen former and current employees, describes the North Charleston site as having an atmosphere where employees faced pressure to complete aircraft at the expense of quality.
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OPINION: No winners if Airbus-Boeing WTO saga carries on
One central plot device in the Charles Dickens classic Bleak House is a long-running court case referred to as Jarndyce v Jarndyce.
A dispute over inheritance, the legal fight drags on for generations until the whole estate is consumed and the case is eventually abandoned.
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OPINION: Stratolaunch hopes to avoid Spruce Goose's fate
Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose – more formally known as the H-4 Hercules – was until 13 April this year the largest aircraft ever to have flown. Conceived as a WWII transatlantic troop carrier, the fighting had, mercifully, ended before the flying boat finally flew, for just a few seconds, in 1947. Retirement followed.
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Judge tosses Bombardier’s suit against Mitsubishi America
A federal judge has dismissed Bombardier’s claims that Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation America violated trade secret laws.
However, a 15 April court order leaves in place similar allegations brought by Bombardier against MRJ flight testing company AeroTec and several of its staffers.
LinkAirlines
JetBlue confident for year despite Q1 earnings decline
New York-based JetBlue Airways posted a 2019 Q1 net income of $42 million, down 54% from the $90 million posted a year ago, but operating revenue was up 6.7% to $1.9 billion. The company, posting its first-quarter results April 23, said it was confident of seeing a unit-revenue "acceleration" into the fall. JetBlue's Q1 RASM declined 3.1%, or near the bottom end of its most recent guidance. The company started the year with a projection of down 2% to up 1%.
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Norwegian’s Paris cabin crews threaten strikes this week
Airlines operating in France are gearing up for strike-related disruption as Norwegian Air Shuttle cabin crews plan to down tools from April 24 over pay and working conditions and the powerful French union the SNPL threatens a week-long walkout in May.
LCC Norwegian is facing possible disruption as cabin crew at its Paris Charles de Gaulle base plan to go on strike on April 24, 25 and 26, a spokesperson for the airline said.
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Belavia receives two E-Jets for fleet renewal
Belavia Belarusian Airlines took delivery of two Embraer E-Jets, an E195 and an E175, on April 20 and 21.
The Minsk-based carrier expects delivery of another E195 by the end of April. The aircraft, leased from Nordic Aviation Capital, are configured in a dual class, with the E195 seating 107 passengers and the E175 seating 76.
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Hong Kong Airlines confirms it was served court orders
Hong Kong Airlines’ (HKA) directors and managers have been served court orders related to management issues.
The airline confirms that it has received the orders, but adds in a statement that the orders are temporary, “pending further confirmation by the court and are subject to change”.
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Seoul mandates massive credit package for Asiana
Asiana Airlines appears set to receive a liquidity injection of W1.6 trillion ($1.4 billion) from creditors, led by state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB).
Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance confirms that creditors plan to buy W500 billion in Asiana perpetual bonds, and extend the embattled carrier a KRW800 billion credit line.
LinkAirports
Philippines’s Clark Airport closed after earthquake
Philippines’ Clark International Airport has closed temporarily following a strong 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the main island of Luzon the night of April 22.
Part of the departure hall’s roof has collapsed, injuring seven, and there are cracks in the control tower.
LinkMilitary
Missiles and F-35 drive Lockheed Martin’s sales higher
Sales of various types of missiles and the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter pushed up Lockheed Martin’s revenue in the first quarter of 2019 about 23% year on year to $14.3 billion.
Profit rose even faster, as net earnings in the first quarter of 2019 rose about 42% to $1.7 billion.
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Bell working to secure IFR approval on 407GXi 'by August'
Bell is still working towards gaining instrument flight rules (IFR) certification for its 407GXi to make the light-single compliant with the US Navy (USN) requirement for a new trainer helicopter.
Although Bell submitted its 407GXi-based offer for the TH-XX contest on 2 April, the manufacturer says it is working to secure IFR approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration by the service's deadline of August.
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General Trivia
1. What does he mean when a sailplane (glider) pilot returns from a flight and reports having had a sled ride?
2. Runway numbers sometimes have a single-letter suffix. Runways 16R, 16L, and 16C, for example, represent right, left and center runways. What is the meaning of Runway 16T, for example?
3. Why is it important when making an emergency, off-airport landing on unimproved ground in a North American P–51 Mustang to land with the landing gear retracted?
4. When referring to the missions of some Consolidated B–24 Liberators during World War II, what were “Carpetbaggers” and “Joe holes”?
5. By what four names was the Curtis P–40 known?
6. What was a “Denver go-valve?”
