NewsIncidents
American Airlines Unloads Irate Passenger For Refusing To Wear A Mask
A passenger has become one of the first to be kicked off a plane for not wearing a face mask. American Airlines removed Brandon Straka from a flight on Wednesday after five staff members asked him to wear one. Mr Straka took to social media to express his outrage, stating that wearing a mask is not federal law.
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Vietnam Airlines A321 Suffers Cracked Windshield From Hail Mid Air
A Vietnam Airlines Airbus climbing out of Ho Chi Minh City last week hit torrential rain and hail, cracking both windshields. The incident caused the pilot to declare a PAN PAN and return to Ho Chi Minh City. There were no reported injuries to either passengers or crew.
LinkCommercial
FAA Chief Will Pilot The 737 MAX Before Its Recertification
Today’s Senate hearing saw the FAA chief, Stephen Dickson, getting a grilling from a number of senators, some in person and some by remote video. Dickson kept his cool though, giving several updates to progress on the 737 MAX, including the fact that he plans to fly it himself before certification is issued.
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The Interesting Reason Why The Airbus A300 Got Its Name
The Airbus A300 was the first official Airbus aircraft built. But why did Airbus choose the name A300 for its first aircraft and not a title like the ‘de Havilland Comet’ or the Concorde, or even start its series at ‘001’?
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Supersonic AS2 Just a Starting Point for Aerion
As Aerion Supersonic targets the middle of the decade for first flight of its AS2 supersonic business jet and service entry by 2027, the company is taking a multi-decade view of its business plan with aspirations to build an AS3 that would dwarf the size of the business jet, move into hybrid and all-electric power, and eventually offer hypersonic aircraft.
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Has COVID Killed The Airbus A340?
Recently we’ve talked a lot about the effect of COVID-19 on the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747. However, we’ve not touched so much on the fate of the Airbus A340, despite multiple carriers sending them to storage and retirement. Could COVID effectively mark the end of the Airbus A340 era?
LinkAirlines
Hong Kong Airlines hopes for government support amid Covid-19
Hong Kong Airlines hopes that the city’s government can also provide it with backing amid the coronavirus pandemic after extending HK$27.3 billion ($3.52 billion) in support to flag carrier Cathay Pacific.
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IAG Pulls Plug on Low-Cost Subsidiary Level Europe
Level Europe, the low-cost subsidiary of International Airlines Group (IAG) has ceased trading with immediate effect and intends to file for insolvency, the company announced on Thursday. The Vienna-based airline blamed the impact of the coronavirus and the related travel restrictions or border closures for its demise. Its flights have been grounded since lockdown restrictions were imposed in Europe from mid-March.
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Qantas Halts All Intl Flights As Australia Stays Closed
Qantas confirmed it has cancelled all international flights through late October in response to a statement from the Australian government indicating that it may not reopen the country’s borders until 2021. On Thursday, the airline said it will operate services to New Zealand, since the two countries are establishing an air bridge to permit cross-border travel, and gradually increase domestic flights in the coming weeks to reach 15 percent of pre-Covid-19 levels.
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Most Passengers Are Leaving New Flight Bookings Until The Last Minute
Flight bookings are on the up. Globally, although demand is still a long way off what it was a year ago, there’s a steady upwards trend in terms of flights, interest and reservations being made. However, there’s another trend emerging: very last-minute bookings. In fact, the vast majority of passengers are booking with three days or less before their departure, and that’s a problem for airlines.
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How Do Standby Airline Tickets Work?
To fly standby used to mean that you would show up at the airport and try to get a cheap, discounted ticket on an undersold flight. While the name still exists, it has morphed into something of an extra service that ticket-holders can invoke, given that certain conditions apply. This article takes a look at what the concept of flying standby means today.
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JetBlue To Lay Off Staff For The First Time In Its History
JetBlue has a long track record of never having furloughed a member of staff. However, a leaked internal memo suggests its streak could be coming to an end, as the airline is reportedly preparing to move to subcontracting positions at some of its airports. Around 300 workers could be at risk, although it is likely not all of these will have to leave the airline.
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500 Delta Employees Have Tested Positive For COVID-19
500 Delta Air Lines employees have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the airline’s CEO, Ed Bastian, during today’s shareholder’s call. Unfortunately, 10 of those infected have sadly passed away.
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Southwest Sees Demand Rise As 1/5 Of Fleet Remains Grounded
Southwest is slowly seeing demand rise as the aviation industry passes the low-point of the pandemic crisis. The US low-cost carrier revealed the news yesterday in an 8-K filing. The airline additionally said that only around 20% of its fleet is currently grounded, including its 737 MAX aircraft.
LinkAirports
Around 70% Of Flights To Beijing Are Cancelled Amid Second Wave
Beijing canceled 1,255 flights yesterday amid fears that a second wave of infections is hitting the city. The cancellations amount to about 70% of daily capacity, a sharp blow to the recovery of the aviation market in China. These cuts are likely to continue, as the city raises its alert levels in the face of new infections. Let’s find out more.
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Manchester Airport first in UK to launch a new free way to keep queues shorter - and help social distancing
Manchester Airport has become the first in the UK to have a pre-booking system for security to keep passenger queues shorter.
In a bid to reduce crowding as flights start to ramp up again, and amid restrictive social-distancing rules, hub bosses have introduced 15-minute security slots as part of a trial.
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EASA COVID-19 monitoring programme adds Munich Airport
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has added Munich International Airport (MUC) to its list of pilot airports intended to set an example of safe travel during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
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London City Airport survey results outline positive attitude to flying post-COVID-19
As the UK begins to look beyond COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, and its businesses begin to take the first steps towards recovery, a survey of London City Airport’s (LCY) customers has shown that many travellers plan to get back in the air as soon as possible.
LinkMilitary
More Bad News for Boeing's Pegasus: Trash Inside Its New Refueling Tankers
Boeing delayed delivery of a new KC-46A Pegasus tanker after finding trash in the new airplane's fuel tanks. The discovery was made in a tanker bound for Seymour Johnson Air Base. It’s the latest in a series of incidents in which garbage has been found inside the new made tankers, potentially causing serious safety issues.
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US Navy’s AARGM-ER completes critical design review
The US Navy (USN) recently completed a critical design review of Northrop Grumman’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER) missile, a new air-launched weapon intended to destroy enemy radar and communications systems.
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Germany picks Hensoldt for Eurofighter AESA radar integration
Berlin has approved a contract for sensor house Hensoldt to complete development, production and integration work on an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for its air force fleet of Eurofighter combat aircraft.
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It Will Cost £900,000 To Repaint The UK's 'Air Force One'
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sent an A330 air-to-air refueling tanker to Cambridgeshire for repainting. The grey military jet will be getting a patriotic red, white and blue makeover, at a cost to the taxpayer of almost a million pounds. The move has sparked criticism, coming at a time when much of the country is on shaky financial ground and concerned for the future.
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Aviation Quote
Aeronautics was neither an industry nor a science. It was a miracle.
- Igor Sikorsky
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Editor's Choice
Trivia
General Trivia
1. Which of the following does not belong?
A. Inability to arrest sink rate
B. Lack of pitch authority
C. Lack of roll control
D. Lack of yaw control
2. Pilots are familiar with a variety of “V” speeds, such as Vx, Vy, and VNE. Why is the letter “V” used to designate these speeds?
3. Airframe manufacturers of yesteryear created some cryptic model designations for their aircraft. Among such aircraft was the Meyers OTW and the Howard DGA. What do these letters represent?
4. Following WW2, what famous pilot and Medal of Honor recipient was seen on television as a professional wrestler and referee?
5. With the exception of Rogers (dry) Lake at Edwards AFB, what is the longest runway in the United States and how long is it?
