You are at netAirspace : Forum : Air and Space Forums : netAirspace Daily News

News

Incidents

Hainan Airlines Boeing 737 Windscreen Cracks Near Sanya, China
A Hainan Airlines 737 suffered a cracked windshield during takeoff yesterday from Sanya on a flight to Beijing. The crew were forced to return to Sanya and landed safely 40 minutes after departure. Let’s find out more.
Link

Russian nuclear-capable bombers intercepted by US aircraft near Alaska
Russian nuclear-capable bombers were intercepted and escorted by U.S. fighter jets during a flight over neutral waters near Alaska.
The first Russian formation consisted of two Tu-95 bombers, accompanied by two Su-35 fighter jets and an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft, which came within 20 nautical miles of Alaskan shores, according to NORAD.
Link

Commercial

Airbus Nets No New Orders But Also Avoids Cancellations In May
On Friday, Airbus announced its order and delivery results for May. Altogether, the manufacturer netted no new orders for the month. However, despite the aviation industry being rocked by the global health crisis, it can take some consolation in reporting that there were no cancellations either.
Link

Rolls Royce Commits To Net-Zero Carbon By 2050
Today, Rolls-Royce has announced that it has joined the UN Race to Zero campaign, intending to lead the way in the climate challenge the world faces. It is committed to becoming net-zero carbon in its operations by 2030. Moreover, the engine specialist is pledging to help all the sectors in which it operates to reach net-zero carbon by 2050.
Link

Could The Airbus A380 Ever Make A Comeback?
When Airbus gave the A380 final notice, many assumed that this was the beginning of the end for the plane. With little demand for the type in the second-hand market, and unsuitability for the cargo market, how could the A380 make a comeback? It turns out there may be one market left untapped.
Link

Final Airbus A380 Fuselage Parts Travel To Toulouse
The world’s largest passenger aircraft is bowing out. The very last fuselage parts for the A380 left the Airbus facilities in Saint-Nazaire last week. Having traveled to the manufacturer’s final assembly line in Toulouse, it will form part of the final superjumbo before the model goes out of production in 2021, a mere 16 years after its maiden flight.
Link

Boeing Delivered Just 4 Aircraft In May & None Were Passenger Jets
Boeing only delivered four aircraft in May. This was far below what Boeing usually delivers and was less than April’s count. However, in a very unusual month for Boeing, none of the four aircraft delivered were passenger jets. Three were freighters, while a fourth was a plane for the US Navy.
Link

Airlines

Finnair launches €500 million rights issue
Finnair has launched a €500 million rights issue a month after securing a €600 million state-backed loan.
The Finnish carrier’s Asia focussed long haul business model has left it exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and last month it posted a €91.1 million Q1 loss, off the back of two profit warnings.
Link

British Airways Is Now Selling Art To Raise Funds
British Airways is selling a collection of artwork from its lounges and head office in order to raise money according to sources. The news of the unique fundraising idea comes at a time when the airline is in consultations regarding up to 12,000 job cuts.
Link

American Airlines Sees Higher Loads And Lower Cash Burn This Month
American Airlines is starting to see its fortunes improve. In today’s 2020 Annual Shareholder Meeting, CEO Doug Parker stated that the airline’s load factors had increased dramatically since May. And, coupled with aggressive management, American has also reduced its daily cash burn rate to $40 million per day this month.
Link

Delta Air Lines Expects Revenue To Fall By 90% In Q2
Today, Delta Air Lines warned that it expects its second-quarter revenue to be 90% down compared to the same time last year. In the airline’s regulatory filing, it also confirmed that capacity is down by 85% compared to last year. Unlike previous years where estimations could be reasonably accurate, a second wave of the virus could completely disrupt any recovery plans so Delta’s plans for recovery could be ruined.
Link

European Commission Approves €1.2 Billion TAP Air Portugal Bailout
The European Commission has today approved the Portuguese government’s plan to bail out flag carrier TAP Air Portugal. The ruing made today in Brussels now paves the way for the Portuguese government to loan TAP Air Portugal €1.2 billion ($1.36 billion) to help it through the COVID crisis.
Link

Bamboo Airways Set To Operate Its First Flight To Italy
Following a program of repatriation flights to the European Union, Bamboo Airways is now set to operate its first flight to Italy. The Vietnamese carrier was due to launch regular European flights in March, but the current lack of travel demand has caused this to be postponed for the foreseeable future.
Link

American Airlines Set To Reactivate 140+ Narrowbody Aircraft
In the wake of its service uptick announcement, it has been revealed today that American Airlines will be bringing back more than 140 narrowbody aircraft from storage over the next few weeks. To cope with a capacity increase that will see the restoration of 55% of its planned domestic flights, the airline will bring back 83 Airbus A320 family aircraft along with 58 Boeing 737s, which had previously been stored around the US.
Link

China Express Purchases 100 Chinese COMAC Aircraft
China Express Airlines is set to purchase 100 new Chinese COMAC aircraft. The deal would see the regional airline take both the ARJ21 and C919, with deliveries starting later this year. The ARJ21 will likely be the first delivered.
Link

Cebu Pacific Explains Why LCCs Can’t Cut Onboard Services
Airlines around the world rely heavily on ancillary revenue for their overall income. For low-cost carriers, buying all those little added extras can make up a considerable proportion of their total revenue. Apple Ignacio, Director of Ancillaries at Cebu Pacific, has spoken this week about the impact on LCCs of the loss of ancillary revenue as a result of cutting buy onboard services.
Link

Wizz Air Wants 100 Aircraft Based In Abu Dhabi By 2035
Wizz Air is going full force when it comes to its new Abu Dhabi hub. The low-cost carrier aims to expand to 100 aircraft in the new base by 2035, says CEO Jozsef Varadi. In a recent webinar, Varadi expressed his excitement about launching Wizz Air’s new hub by the end of 2020.
Link

A History Of America’s Failed Airlines
When people think of American’s failed airlines, they tend to focus on the big names – TWA, Pan Am, Eastern, and Continental. But there are hundreds of American airlines out there that have failed. We can’t cover them all, but in this article, we look at five American airlines and why they failed.
Link

Airports

World's largest aircraft lands in Shannon with PPE
The world's largest aircraft has landed in Shannon Airport this afternoon with a consignment of Personal Protective Equipment for medical staff.
The Antonov AN-225 cargo transporter began its journey in China and has made stops in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Germany.
Link

Orlando International Airport sees ‘best day in months,’ officials say
ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando International Airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell said she never thought a 79% drop in passenger traffic would be a good day but compared to travel numbers seen during the coronavirus pandemic, Sunday was a good day.
Link

Healthy building certification for SFO’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1
It appears as if aviation has another new facility to be proud of as San Francisco International Airport’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1 has become the first airport terminal in the world to achieve Fitwel certification, a building rating system that provides guidelines on how to design and operate healthier buildings.
Link

Amsterdam Schiphol still planning to have a ‘Hyperloop’ link
Amsterdam Schiphol today confirmed that it is still looking at introducing a revolutionary ‘Hyperloop’ ground transport link in the future.
The new transport system essentially involves pods capable of holding people, freight and cars being transported at super high speeds inside sealed tubes, that theoretically make it possible to travel hundreds of kilometre distances in minutes rather than hours.
Link

Aviation Quote

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.

Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But, we've never lost an astronaut in flight; we've never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle; but they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together.

For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, 'Give me a challenge and I'll meet it with joy.' They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.
We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.

And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them.

I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don't hide our space program. We don't keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That's the way freedom is, and we wouldn't change it for a minute. We'll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue. I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA or who worked on this mission and tell them: "Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it."

There's a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, 'He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.' Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete.
The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'
Thank you.

- President Ronald Reagan - January 28, 1986

On This Day

Click Here

Daily Video

Editor's Choice

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