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Hybrid-electric Islander would have 'three-year payback'
A new hybrid-electric powertrain for the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander could be ready for service entry by 2024, with savings on fuel expenditure enabling operators to pay off the conversion cost in around three years.
Announced last week, Project Fresson is an ambitious effort backed by the UK government to bring to market a hybrid-electric aircraft designed for short “sub-regional” sectors.
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CALC buys two Boeing 787s; commits to remaining MAX orders
Hong Kong-based China Aircraft Leasing Co. (CALC) announced in a stock announcement on Nov. 26 that it will be acquiring two Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
The specific variant was not revealed, but the lessor said deliveries will be completed by year end.
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FAA takes 737 Max airworthiness certificate issuance from Boeing
The Federal Aviation Administration has taken further control over certification of individual 737 Max aircraft, saying it will not allow Boeing itself to issue the airworthiness certificates that permit specific aircraft to be flown.
Boeing had previously had the ability to issue the aircraft-specific certificates under its FAA-granted organisational design approval.
LinkAirlines
Norwegian axing long-haul services from two Nordic capitals
Scandinavian budget carrier Norwegian is axing several transatlantic and Asian routes as a consequence of low demand and continuing problems with Rolls-Royce Trent engines on its Boeing 787s.
It is halting services to the USA from both Copenhagen and Stockholm, although it will maintain transatlantic operations from Norway.
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Emirates, SpiceJet sign codeshare, interline agreement
Emirates Airline and Indian LCC SpiceJet have signed a codeshare and interline agreement.
From early 2020, the codeshare agreement—SpiceJet’s first—covers routes common to both airlines from Dubai to Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kochi and Delhi.
Emirates’ customers can book and connect in Dubai on direct services to Amritsar, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Madurai, Jaipur and Pune, which are served by SpiceJet.
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El Al to test Melbourne route but complexity beckons
Israeli flag-carrier El Al is to test a service to the Australian city of Melbourne using Boeing 787s.
The airline says the trial flights will commence "in a few months", but it has not elaborated on the plans.
El Al disclosed its intention as it unveiled third-quarter financial results.
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ATSB flags Indonesia AirAsia over A320 pressurisation problem
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) issued a formal safety recommendation to Indonesia AirAsia, asking that it review its pre-flight safety briefing and safety information card.
This follows a pressurisation incident that took place on 15 October 2017, involving one of the carrier’s Airbus A320s, which returned to Perth after take-off. The aircraft, registered PK-AXD, was carrying 146 passengers and six crew members on board, and was bound for Denpasar.
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El Al agrees to lease another three 737-800s
Israeli flag carrier El Al has agreed to lease three more Boeing 737-800s, with the first to be delivered in December.
Another pair will arrive in April 2020, the airline states in a third-quarter results briefing. The twinjets will be leased for six years.
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Aviation Quote
The air around London and other large cities will be darkened by the flight of aeroplanes. . . . They are not mere dreamers who hold that the time is at hand when air power will be an even more important thing than sea power.
- Daily Mail newspaper, 1906.
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Trivia
General Trivia
1. What was so unique about the bomb dropped on North Vietnam to commemorate the 6 millionth pound of ordnance dropped on that country by the United States during the Vietnam War?
2.When the surface wind blows across a runway at a _____-degree angle, the crosswind component during takeoff or landing is half the reported wind speed.
3.There are four forces—one of them is P-factor—that contribute to the left-turning tendency of a single-engine, propeller-driven airplane. What force tends to yaw a tricycle-gear airplane to the right when raising the nose for liftoff?
4. Balloon fenders were used on
a. airplanes.
b. balloons.
c. dirigibles.
d. gliders.
5.During World War II, a pilot flying low over the coast of New Ireland (an island in Papua New Guinea) spotted a lone Japanese soldier striding across a beach and totally exposed to the approaching Corsair. The pilot was touched by the soldier’s bearing, stride, and dignity, his refusal to run for cover. Instead of firing his guns, he pulled skyward and sought another target. Who was this famous pilot?
6. True or False? A pilot may drop a bowling ball from his aircraft while in flight.
7. A pilot planning a flight at an FBO was overheard saying apologetically, “I’m postponing my flight because of poor visibility. I’m only a student.” What experienced pilot replied with, “That’s OK, son. So am I”?
8.Why is that sultry time of year between early July and early September referred to as the “dog days of summer”?
