NewsIncidents/Accidents
Ryanair Boeing 737 gets RAF fighter escort over bomb threat note
Bomb threats onboard and fighter jets outside ‒ Ryanair FR1902 flight passengers had quite a journey on July 13, 2020.
Ryanair flight FR1902 took off from Krakow John Paul II International Airport (KRK), Poland. The Boeing 737 aircraft, registered as SP-RSQ, was heading towards Dublin Airport (DUB), Ireland. As it was flying over Norfolk, England, the pilots declared an emergency.
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Kenyan DHC-8 carrying aid crashes in Somalia
A cargo plane carrying supplies to a flood relief mission crashed while landing at Beledweyne airport, in central Somalia.
The de Havilland Canada DHC-8-400 freighter 5Y-VVU, operated by Blue Bird Aviation, was arriving from Djibouti Airport (JIB) carrying supplies for the soldiers of the African Union aiding flood victims of the Hiran region in Somalia.
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F-16 fighter jet crashes in New Mexico, pilot injured
A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The pilot managed to eject.
The F-16C Viper belonged to the 49th Wing, operating from Holloman AFB. The aircraft crashed as it was about to land at the base, on the early evening of July 13, 2020.
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LATAM Flight Attendant Injured As A319 Makes Sudden Movement
Last Thursday, there was an accident on a LATAM Brasil service to Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport from Aracaju’s Santa Maria Airport. Crew on the Airbus A319-100 performed a maneuver in manual flight to reduce the speed on the aircraft. However, this move caused a flight attendant to fall, which resulted in serious injuries.
LinkCommercial
Complete Airbus A321XLR customers list: who ordered the aircraft?
More than a year ago, the Airbus A321XLR made headlines and made heads turn at the Paris Air Show 2019. The travel landscape was much different, however. Yet the A321XLR could retain its hot stock and for those who ordered the aircraft, help them recover faster from the current crisis. But which airlines have it on order?
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Russian-Chinese disagreement causes delays for ambitious CR929
A fight over responsibilities will push first deliveries of CR929 to 2028-2029, Russian media reports. The aircraft was conceived as a joint project between Chinese COMAC and Russian UAC, mass production was planned to start in 2025.
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Textron Aviation Layoffs Total More Than 1,100
Textron Aviation today announced its largest workforce reduction since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, with plans to lay off 800 employees, most of whom are in Wichita. The manufacturer of Beechcraft and Cessna aircraft also noted these layoffs will affect hourly production workers.
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Boeing Delivered Just 20 Commercial Aircraft In The Second Quarter
Boeing delivered just 20 aircraft in the second quarter of 2020. The American aerospace manufacture has been hit by the perfect storm of the grounding of one of its most popular passenger products tied with the current COVID-19 pandemic. Deliveries have fallen by 78% year on year and even more since the first quarter of 2019.
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GE, Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney : Who Rules the Engine Market?
When it comes to engines, much like plane manufacturers, there are a few players leading the market. GE, Rolls Royce, and Pratt & Whitney are likely the names you hear the most when looking at the industry (or looking out the window). But which of these three giants is the leader? And what planes do they power ?
LinkAirlines
Air China adds first ARJ21 to its lineup
China’s third-largest airline has reported the inaugural flight of its first ARJ21 regional jet, the much-celebrated domestically produced addition to its fleet, consisting of numerous Boeing and Airbus narrow-body aircraft.
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United Nations Sides With Qatar Over Airspace Blockade Case
In June 2018, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) ruled it had jurisdiction to handle a dispute brought by the State of Qatar, which accused its neighbors of breaching an international convention governing international aviation. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has today rejected an appeal regarding this issue by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
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Emirates' Airbus A380s Return To The Skies Tomorrow
After spending almost a third of the year grounded, the Emirates fleet of Airbus A380 aircraft will return to the skies tomorrow. Emirates is the largest A380 operator. However, it will initially relaunch operations of the type with a much-reduced network.
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South African Airways Rescue Plan Approved
Creditors have today approved a rescue plan to save loss-making South African Airways (SAA). The South African government now needs to come up with at least 10 billion rand ($596 million) to fund the airline.
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Ryanair Protests Irish Quarantine With Flight Schedule Cuts
Ryanair has canceled around 1,000 flights in protests of the Irish Government’s refusal to review a blanket 14-day quarantine rule. The low-cost carrier says that the quarantine will result in the loss of 200,000 passengers from its Irish airports, hence the flight cuts.
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Around 15,000 Delta Staff Are Interested In Leaving Voluntarily
Delta Air Lines may yet see a lower level of involuntary layoffs than it had thought. The airline, which sent buyout and early retirement offers to most of its workforce of 90,000, has reportedly had a very positive response, with around 15,000 thought to have applied for such packages.
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Thai Airways Suspends Normal Operations Until September
Blaming continuous immigration restrictions and government measures, Thai Airways has extended the suspension of its international flights until September. Thai Airways has not flown international services for several months now. It looks like being a while longer before Thai’s distinctively liveried aircraft return to the skies.
LinkAirports
Coronavirus Travel Advisory: Passengers Arriving At NYC Airports Must Fill Out Health Form Or Face Up To $2,000 Fine
Here’s how it works at airports: When a traveler arrives at the gate they must have a new Department of Health form filled out. They will be met by an enforcement team, which will check phones or paperwork to confirm. If the form is not filled out, the traveler could face a hefty fine.
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UK airports require urgent business rates relief following traffic collapse
The Airports Operators Association (AOA) has called for urgent business rates relief in line with that afforded to the hospitality, leisure and retail sectors.
The need is due to the unprecedented collapse in passenger numbers induced by COVID-19, whilst airports are still paying over half a million pounds a day in business rates.
LinkMilitary
U.S. Air Force orders eight pre-production Boeing F-15EX fighters
The U.S. Air Force officially signed the first order for eight Boeing F-15EX Advanced Eagle fighter jets on July 13, 2020. These pre-series aircraft will allow the military and the manufacturer to test and fully define their applications. The first contract is estimated at $1.2 billion.
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Aviation Quote
The cockpit was my office. It was a place where I experienced many emotions and learned many lessons. It was a place of work, but also a keeper of dreams. It was a place of deadly serious encounters, yet there I discovered much about life. I learned about joy and sorrow, pride and humility, fear and overcoming fear. I saw much from that office that most people would never see. At times it terrified me, yet I could always feel at home there. It was my place, at that time in space, and the jet was mine for those moments. Though it was a place where I could quickly die, the cockpit was a place where I truly lived.
- Brian Shul, Sled Driver; Flying The World's Fastest Jet, 1992.
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Trivia
General Trivia
1.Modern aviation transceivers used in the United States can transmit and receive on as many as _____ frequencies, and their range is 118.00 to _____ MHz.
a. 720, 135.975
b. 720, 136.975
c. 760, 135.975
d. 760, 136.975
2. Everyone knows that Charles Lindbergh was first to fly solo and nonstop from New York to Paris. The second pilot to do this was
a. Giuseppe Bellanca.
b. Clarence Chamberlin.
c. Max Conrad.
d. Wiley Post.
3. Which of the following does not belong?
a. automatic
b. coupled
c. fixed
d. manual
e. pressure
4. True or False: A glider has never been flown nonstop across the United States (without being towed while en route).
5. True or False: Pilots not only are required to turn on their anticollision lights when flying at night, they also are required to turn them on during daylight, VFR conditions in all classes of airspace.
6. True or False: Lycoming began manufacturing engines in 1907, only four years after the Wright brothers’ first powered flight.
7. True or False: No American pilot was an ace in both World War II and the Korean War.
