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Rockford man sentenced to 15 months for pointing laser at aircraft
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — 45-year-old Brenton Wells was sentenced to 15 months in prison and 3 years probation for aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft over the Chicago-Rockford International Airport, potentially blinding the pilots.
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Spirit AeroSystems to halt 737 airframe production in January
Wichita airframe manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems will suspend production of Boeing 737 fuselages in January 2020 in what amounts to a massive fallout from the grounding of the 737 Max.
“Boeing directed the company yesterday to stop all 737 Max deliveries to Boeing effective Jan 1, 2020, due to Boeing’s announced temporary suspension of 737 Max production.” Spirit says in a 20 December media release. “Spirit will continue to communicate with Boeing regarding the timetable for resuming production.”
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Severstal takes delivery of winglet-equipped Superjet 100
Sukhoi’s civil aircraft division has delivered the first Superjet 100 with the ‘sabrelet’ winglet modification to Russian carrier Severstal Aircompany, following approval from the federal regulator.
The aircraft (RA-89135) features a new winglet intended to generate a 4% reduction in fuel costs.
LinkAirlines
Crashed An-12 descended far below Lviv glideslope in low visibility
Ukrainian investigators have disclosed that the Antonov An-12BK which crashed at Lviv two months ago had descended far below the glideslope during a low-visibility approach in darkness.
Investigation authority NBAAI says the Ukraine Air Alliance aircraft was arriving for a technical stop to refuel as part of a service between Vigo and Istanbul on 4 October.
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United extends 737 Max cancellations through June
United Airlines will pull its 14 Boeing 737 Max aircraft from its schedules through 4 June as the US Federal Aviation Administration’s safety review of the grounded aircraft extends into 2020 and carriers remain uncertain when those fleets could be cleared to return to service.
The Chicago-based carrier had previously removed the Max from its schedule through 4 March.
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Air Canada receives its first A220
Air Canada has taken delivery of its first Airbus A220, placing the Montreal-based carrier on track to launch its first A220 revenue flights in January.
Airbus announced the delivery, the first of 45 A220-300s destined for Air Canada, and released a photograph of the aircraft.
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Atlas 767 crash probe considers whether pilot nudged crucial switch
Investigators have carried out a series of observations to examine whether pilots of an Atlas Air Boeing 767-300 freighter could have accidentally activated a go-around switch while operating other flight controls.
The 767 entered go-around mode while descending for approach to Houston on 23 February, apparently triggering an in-flight upset during which the aircraft was pushed into a steep dive.
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LOT wet-leases four A320s from Avion Express
LOT Polish Airlines is wet-leasing four Airbus A320s from Avion Express next year.
The leases run till the end of May. Two of the aircraft will start flying for LOT from 14 January, and the other two will commence operations on 1 February.
LinkAirports
Heathrow third runway delayed by ‘at least 12 months’
Heathrow now expects to complete its third runway “between early 2028 and late 2029” – rather than in 2026 as previously targeted – following a Civil Aviation Authority review of expansion costs.
As part of its economic regulation of the airport’s operator, the CAA on 19 December published a policy update and consultation on the early costs of capacity expansion.
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SITA to install Scan&Fly self-service bag drop at 18 airports
SITA has announced plans to install its Scan&Fly self-service bag drop at 18 airports across five countries within the Americas as part of its efforts to transform the airport experience.
The technology allows passengers to check-in their bags in under 40 seconds, speeding up the process and limiting passenger waiting and queuing times.
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Holy smoke – Amsterdam Schiphol cigar boutique makes €379,000 sale
Someone must really love smoking as a passenger has just spent €379,000 on a unique humidor and some Cuban cigars at the Exqusite boutique at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
More specifically they have paid the money for a unique Cohiba 50 Aniversario Humidor and its accompanying cigars after a visit to the high end spirits and cigar boutique shop and certified “Habanos Specialist” at Amsterdam Schiphol.
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Brussels Airport unveils its 'magical winter wonderland'
Brussels Airport has declared its intention to pamper its passengers this holiday season after decking its halls with Christmas trees, festive animations and fairy-tale lighting.
Also on the agenda is live music, children’s entertainment and special Christmas settings for the best Instagram photos and selfies!
LinkMilitary
America establishes sixth military branch: US Space Force
The US Space Force (USSF) was established as the sixth military branch of the US armed forces on 20 December 2019 when President Donald Trump signed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.
The new service will reside within the US Air Force (USAF), under the leadership of the secretary of the air force, Barbara Barrett.
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Boeing KC-46A to resume cargo and passenger flights after cargo lock fixes
The US Air Force is again allowing Boeing KC-46A Pegasus in-flight refuelling tankers to carry passengers and cargo, lifting a ban after accepting Boeing’s cargo-lock retrofit.
The USAF announced in September that during test flights multiple cargo-floor restraint locks malfunctioned and came unlocked. At the time, in-service KC-46As were transporting cargo. The service suspended cargo and passenger flights as a precaution.
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USA approves $78m upgrade to Argentina’s recently bought P-3C aircraft
The US State Department approved a potential $78 million upgrade package for four Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft which Argentina recently purchased through the Pentagon’s Excess Defense Articles programme.
The possible Foreign Military Sale would include equipment and support services, such as four turboprop engines for each airframe, plus four turboprop engines as spares, the US Defense Cooperation Agency says in a notification on 19 December.
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Serbia adds locally produced weapons to H145M fleet
Integration of domestically produced weapons onto Serbia’s fleet of newly acquired Airbus Helicopters H145Ms is nearing completion.
Live firings of unguided S8 80mm (3.1in) rockets from the platform were performed on 19 December at the Nikinci test range in the north of the country using Serbia’s fifth and final example of the light-twin.
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Aviation Quote
Air Power is, above all, a psychological weapon—and only short-sighted soldiers, too battle-minded, underrate the importance of psychological factors in war.
- B. H. Liddell-Hart
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Trivia
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?”
