NewsAccidents/Incidents
Loose Dog Delays Toronto Flights For An Hour
Last Tuesday morning, all traffic was halted at Toronto Pearson Airport for an hour. The reason? A runaway Spanish rescue dog named Crystal, who roamed the runways for over 12 hours. The search effort to locate her involved the control tower, night vision cameras, and a falconer.
Link
Over 2,000 Portuguese Arrivals Have Refused To Take A COVID Test
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, passengers arriving into Portugal from high-risk countries have been required to take tests for COVID-19. However, Portugal’s border force has revealed that some travelers have been refusing to do so.
LinkCommercial
First serial Ilyushin Il-112V aircraft to be delivered in 2023
The Russian Aerospace Forces will receive the two prototypes of the Ilyushin Il-112V cargo plane in 2021, while the first production units should arrive two years later. The new twin-engine turboprop should eventually replace the Soviet-era An-24 and An-26 transport aircraft.
Link
FAA warns about Boeing 747 & 767 fuel tank ignition risk
The Federal Aviation Administration released two new airworthiness directives (AD) which require the airlines of the United States to modify their Boeing 747s and Boeing 767s fuel tank monitoring systems in order to prevent the risk of ignition within the tanks.
Link
What Happened To The Boeing 797 ?
Back at the start of 2019, Boeing planned to bring to the market a brand new aircraft dubbed the 797. It would have filled in the middle of the market and ushered in a new age for Boeing. What happened, and why didn’t Boeing move ahead with the type ?
Link
Only 35 Passenger Boeing 747s Remain In Service
It’s no secret that the COVID-19 crisis has decimated the global Boeing 747 fleet. For many airlines, the retirement of the Queen of the Skies had already been earmarked for environmental reasons. However, the lack of need for large capacity airliners during the pandemic seems to have been their final downfall.
LinkAirlines
Malaysia Airlines pilots and crew to be retrained for sales, IT
Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) offered a new reskilling and upskilling program for the company’s most pandemic-affected employees. Malaysia Airlines pilots and cabin crew are offered to gain new skills in management, audit, sales or IT helpdesk areas.
Link
Alitalia rushes to hide under the Italian government wing ?
A state-appointed administrator of Alitalia said that Italy’s flag carrier needed to be nationalized by the country’s government as soon as possible to remain afloat.
Giuseppe Leogrande, who was appointed Alitalia administrator by the government in December 2019, has spoken to the Parliament of Italy on October 7, 2020. Leogrande urged the government to rush to nationalize Alitalia in order to ensure the air carrier’s business continuity.
Link
Icelandair sells 3 Boeing 757s: jet price jumps over book value
Icelandair Group is selling three Boeing 757-200 aircraft to an unidentified customer. The Group will sell the jets under a higher price than its current book value.
Icelandair announced that the net sale price of the three Boeing 757-200 aircraft was approximately $21 million, which is $2-3 million above the book value.
Link
Southwest Launches 4 New Routes From Miami
Southwest Airlines continues its assault on the Florida market, adding a total of seven new destinations for the winter season. Miami will see four routes added, while Palm Springs gets three. The airline has also revealed it will be flying to the ski resort of Montrose from December, connecting it to Dallas Love Field and Denver.
Link
Air Canada Sells Nine Boeing 737 MAXs For Leaseback
Air Canada has sold nine of its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to two aircraft leasing firms. The aircraft will remain flying with Air Canada, but the airline will be liable for lease payments to the respective owners moving forwards.
Link
easyJet Reports First Annual Loss In 25 Years Of History
For the very first time in its 25-year history, easyJet is reporting an annual loss. In a statement issued Thursday, the budget carrier warned of losses up to $1.1 billion. While it has raised over $3 billion in liquidity since the beginning of the pandemic, the airline’s CEO is calling for bespoke aid from the UK Government.
LinkAirports
New York Airports Start Offering Rapid COVID-19 Tests
Time frames to get COVID-19 tests results back are shrinking fast. Not so long ago, it was taking days. Now, private enterprise is coming up with tests that generate results within minutes. One such business, XpresCheck, is now operating testing stations at two New York airports that promise results within 15 minutes. That kind of rapid result service offers a path out of the current mess the airline industry finds itself in.
Link
Calls made for UK government to reverse decision to end airport tax free sales
Airports Council International (ACI) World has joined with the Duty Free World Council (DFWC) and the Tax Free World Association (TFWA) to urge the UK government to reverse its decision to end airport tax free sales to international passengers for all goods other than alcohol and tobacco.
Link
What will airports be like post-pandemic?
There’s no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on the travel industry.
The global sector lost $320bn (£244.5bn) in exports in the first five months of the year and put more than 120 million jobs at risk, the chief of the UN said in August. Cancellations and suspensions to holidays and flights continue to occur around the world, and public confidence in flying is at an all-time low.
LinkMilitary
Structural crack reportedly found on Japan F-2 fighter jet
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) reportedly grounded its Mitsubishi F-2 multirole fighter jets after a crack was found in the wing during the post-flight inspection of one aircraft on September 8, 2020. The grounding lasted a month, during which the whole fleet was thoroughly inspected for further cracks.
Link
Skyborg dozen: 13 companies developing US drone fighter jet
In the closing days of September 2020, the Skyborg Vanguard program completed its second phase of awards and now includes 13 companies competing for a design of the loyal wingman – a drone that will accompany U.S. fighter jets into battle.
Link
France to place Dassault Rafale fighter jet emergency order
The French Ministry of the Armed Forces confirmed an order for 12 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault Aviation to replace the second-hand aircraft taken from the French Air Force inventory for the benefit of Greece. The contract must be signed before the end of 2020.
Link
Aviation Quote
One cannot look at the sea without wishing for the wings of a swallow.
- Sir Richard Burton
Daily Video
Editor's Choice
Trivia
WW2 Luftwaffe
1. The JU-87 "Stuka" was not a pretty site to look at, all the less so when it was hurtling towards you at an 80 degree angle, but it was not pleasant to hear either. It had a siren on its port landing gear. What was the nickname the crews gave this device?
The Horns of the Reich
The Trumpets of Jericho
The Sirens of Jericho
The Trumpets of Victory
2. This out-of-date bomber was used for high altitude reconnaissance by Germany for a short period of time after the Battle of Britain. Which was it?
Junkers 88P
Junkers 86R
Dornier 217N
Dornier 23R
3. Germany shortly before WW2 is commonly believed to have had little interest in long range heavy bombers, but in fact it had one of the largest supporters of long range bombers from the get-go. Who was he?
Ernst Udet
Ernhard Milch
Kurt Student
Walter Wever
4. Many medium bombers that Germany had were converted into night fighters when the need arose. Which of those was unpopular with its crews?
Junkers 188
Junkers 88
Dornier 217
Messerschmitt 110
5. The He-177 was a great aircraft when it worked. What was one of the things the RLM (Reichsluftministerie) did that caused the 177 to go from a great bomber to a great disaster?
Elimination of the evaporative cooling system
Demands that poor french engines power the He-177
Demands that the He-177 be built out of wood
Underpowered BMW 132 Bramo engines
6. Which one of the three German Battle of Britain bombers could carry the most tonnage, and which could carry the least over a short distance?
Junkers 88, Junkers 87
Junkers 88, Junkers 87
Dornier 215, Heinkel 111
Heinkel 111, Dornier 17
7. This is the only bomber in World War II to have a top speed of over 460mph, what was it?
Arado 234
Heinkel 111P
Arado 232
Junkers 388K
8. The Junkers 287 was the intended replacement for the aging Stuka in 1944. With forward swept wings, two Junkers 003 turbojets and something interesting captured from the Americans, the JU-287 would have been a formidable ground attack/bomber aircraft. What was the American "contribution"?
Landing gear taken off B-24's
Rockets of P-47 wing racks
Guns off of P-51D fighters
Norden bombsights off of B-17's
9. Ground attack was a field of bombers in which the Germans excelled. Convinced that more armor was necessary to protect the pilots of ground attack aircraft Henschel came up with the HS-129, what was its nickname?
armored Panzer destroyer
The flying tank
The flying armoured car
the flying assualt gun
10. The Germans had originally decided to build one carrier known as the Graf Zeppelin. What were the two types of aircraft that were designed to be based on the carrier?
Fi-282, Do-215
He-115B, Bf-110E
Fi-167, Ju-87C
Ju-87T, Bf-109L
