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NEWS

Qantas to eliminate most first class service as half-year profit plunges
Qantas yesterday reported a A$58 million ($52.2 million) profit for the half-year ended Dec. 31, down 72% from the A$210 million earned in the year-ago semester, and announced the elimination of first class service to all but two destinations in an effort to lift yield.
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AI to reduce fleet 28% as condition of government bailout
The Indian government yesterday announced final approval of an INR8 billion ($173.7 million) equity infusion into Air India parent National Aviation Co. of India, with the release of the funds "calibrated to the achievement of milestones laid down by the [cabinet]" including a 28% fleet reduction.
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IATA: 2009 accident rate for Western-built jets second-lowest ever, but fatalities rise
IATA reported that the accident rate in 2009 for Western-built jet aircraft was "the second-lowest in aviation history" at 0.71 hull losses per million flights, "equal to one accident for every 1.4 million flights."
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Pinnacle swings to 2009 profit, reiterates Colgan Q400 pilots properly trained
Pinnacle Airlines and Colgan Air parent Pinnacle Airlines Corp. reported net income of $41.9 million for 2009, turned around from an $11 million loss in 2008 when special charges dragged on the bottom line.
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Confusion Surrounds Use Of Exotic Weapons
While U.S. military acquisition and program officials continue to say they have stretched and innovated to focus on both conventional and irregular conflicts, they express a lack of direction and confusion when it comes to the day-to-day information war.
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NTSB dispatched to investigate Austin accident
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has dispatched an investigation team to Austin, Texas after a small plane crashed into an office building.
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Discussion

JAL shares to be delisted tomorrow
Japan Airlines' (JAL) shares will be delisted from Japan's stock exchanges tomorrow, following a filing for bankruptcy protection by the carrier last month.
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American Eagle to appeal FAA fine over repairs
American Eagle says a proposed fine of $2.9 million by the FAA does not involve "a safety of flight issue" but rather the airline's "technical compliance with the wording" of a mandatory safety directive. The FAA contends that the regional carrier improperly repaired landing-gear doors on its Bombardier regional jets in 2008. But American Eagle plans to appeal the fine, noting that its repair technique "was acceptable to the aircraft manufacturer at the time and has since been approved by the FAA for future repairs."
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Other News

Lufthansa said the four-day pilots strike scheduled for next week will cost it approximately €100 million ($136.9 million) and that the company's attorneys are examining whether the Vereinigung Cockpit action is legal. Its plan to weather the strike includes help from subsidiaries Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines. For example, OS will operate larger aircraft on flights from Vienna to Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich. "We are also studying using more capacity to Berlin or Cologne if LH needs us," an Austrian spokesperson said.

Swedish government intends to reduce its 21.4% stake in SAS Group. Deputy Prime Minister Maud Olofsson said, "We have previously said that we should reduce ownership in companies that operate in competitive markets and where there are no special reasons for continued ownership. SAS is one such company," the Associated Press reported from Stockholm. She said a divestiture would occur "at a suitable time" and that "in the long run, we don't see any intrinsic value in owning shares in an airline." The Danish and Norwegian governments each hold 14.3%. Sweden does plan to participate in the SEK5 billion ($696 million) rights issue announced by SAS last week. Its contribution would be approximately SEK1.1 billion, according to Reuters.

Niki President Niki Lauda said in Vienna that he will remain in charge of the LCC following Air Berlin's move to increase its share to 49.9% and that the airlines will work together to create efficiencies that will allow them to compete with heavyweights Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines. AB this week announced a €21 million ($28.8 million) investment in an additional 25.9% share of Niki and another €40.5 million in loans, but Lauda said he was "surprised by speculation in the media that I will leave the company. . .it is all nonsense. I am the boss and I will continue to be the boss."

Together the carriers hold more than a 20% market share in Vienna, and they have an agreement with the airport for exclusive use of the Pier West terminal once the new Skylink terminal is operational in 2012. In the meantime, Niki and AB will increase frequencies between VIE, Berlin and Dusseldorf while some AB flights from other Austrian airports could be absorbed by Niki. Lauda denied rumors that Niki will launch a long-haul operation. "We will do what we do best and stay with it," he said. It plans to increase its fleet of 11 aircraft to 27 by 2014, comprising 20 A320 family planes and seven E-190s. He expects 2010 revenue of €380 million and 3.5 million passengers, "with a clear positive profit." The number of employees will grow this year to 600 from 520.

Air France yesterday operated its first A380 flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Johannesburg, becoming the first airline to fly the aircraft to Africa. The 538-seat aircraft will operate three of AF's 10 weekly flights between the airports to March 28, at which point the route's overall frequency will fall to daily. When AF's third A380 enters service in April, CDG-JNB will be operated exclusively by the type. Its other A380 flies to New York JFK, and Tokyo Narita is scheduled to come online this year.

Separately, AF said it planned to resume flights to Port-au-Prince today with five-times-weekly service to Miami and five-times-weekly flights to Paris Orly via Pointe-a-Pitre. Both routes will be daily from March 1.

Also, Air France Industries Senior VP-Components and Services Pierre Bosse was named deputy CEO of Regional. He replaces Franck Terner, who was appointed VP of AFI. AFI VP-Component Services Strategy and Development Robert Anton will follow Bosse.

ExpressJet Holdings and United Airlines signed an agreement under which the regional will operate 32 ERJ-145s for United Express. The original deal announced last fall was amended to include an additional 10 145s from ExpressJet's corporate aviation fleet. It ended last month with 10 aircraft in operation for UA and will add six this month, six next month and 10 in May. Of the original 22 aircraft, half will be promised to UA until April 30, 2012, and the remaining half until April 30, 2013, with renewal options of up to five years. The 10 additional aircraft will operate for United Express through 2010 in ExpressJet livery and UA will hold an option to extend that flying as well. As part of the agreement, ExpressJet issued a warrant to UA for the purchase of 2.7 million shares of common stock for $27,000.

ILFC announced the following aircraft lease deals: Two new A320-200s to Air France for six years each (delivery in May and June); one 737-500 to Georgian Airways for three years (delivered in January); one used 767-300ER to GMG Airlines of Bangladesh for six years (delivery in March); two 737-400HGWs to Enter Air of Poland for three years each (delivery in March and April).

Royal Air Maroc will launch twice-weekly Casablanca-Warsaw service on March 30 aboard a 737-800.

El Al will launch thrice-daily Tel Aviv-Eilat service in the spring.

Continental Airlines will launch ERJ service from Cleveland to Green Bay (11-times-weekly) and Norfolk (twice-daily) on May 2.

AirTran Airways will launch service from Grand Rapids to Baltimore (twice-daily) and Orlando International (daily) on May 4.

ST Aerospace reported a S$194.6 million ($138.5 million) profit in 2009, down 17.1% from the S$234.7 million earned in 2008. Revenue declined 3% to S$1.88 billion.

Airbus announced the appointment of Executive VP-Quality Didier Lux to executive VP-customer services effective April 1. He will succeed new Executive VP-Engineering Charles Champion and will in turn be followed by Pilar Albiac Murillo, who was named head of quality and lean improvement.



AVIATION QUOTE

The thing I miss about Air Force One is they don't lose my luggage.

— President George Bush Sr.



AEROSPACE TERM

Heat Ablation

A measure of the effective heat capacity of an ablating material, numerically the heating rate input divided by the mass loss rate which results from ablation.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE


Image by ShyFlyer



HUMOR

An Aerospace Engineer and St. Peter

A promising young NASA aerospace engineer was killed in a horrific car accident and arrived in Heaven, protesting to St. Peter at the pearly gates. “St. Peter, I’m only 35. I’m much too young to die. I have a wonderful wife and family, so much to live for. Why in the world am I here?”

St. Peter looked through a huge stack of papers, looked over the top of his glasses and said, “Well, according to all of these hours on your time sheets, you’ve got to be at least 108.”



TRIVIA

3D ID

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10.

1's a Trident and 9's a Buccaneer.

I was working at a "fast-jet friendly" airfield when the UK retired its Buccs. We got low passes as a matter of course. But I'll never forget the sight of a Bucc head-on, right down in the weeds... Never mind "had to pull up to clear the portakabin", I'm not sure he could have lowered the gear.

1: Hawker-Siddeley Trident
5 reminds me of the PBY-5, but that had two engines...
7 might be some sort of Dassault Mirage
10 ought to be a Boeing 307

1. Hawker Siddley/Bae Trident 2E
2. Howard Hughes' racer, don't remember it's name.
3. ?
4. ?
5. Dornier of some sort?
6. North American Texan.
7. Dassault Mirage 2000
8. ?
9. Hawker Siddley/Bae Buccanear
10. Boeing 307

miamiair wrote:Lufthansa said the four-day pilots strike scheduled for next week will cost it approximately €100 million ($136.9 million) and that the company's attorneys are examining whether the Vereinigung Cockpit action is legal. Its plan to weather the strike includes help from subsidiaries Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines. For example, OS will operate larger aircraft on flights from Vienna to Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich. "We are also studying using more capacity to Berlin or Cologne if LH needs us," an Austrian spokesperson said.

That has got to be one of the most welcome side-effects of the takeovers that LH management could ever have dreamt of.

JLAmber wrote:1. Hawker Siddley/Bae Trident 2E
2. Howard Hughes' racer, don't remember it's name.
3. ?
4. ?
5. Dornier of some sort?
6. North American Texan.
7. Dassault Mirage 2000
8. ?
9. Hawker Siddley/Bae Buccanear
10. Boeing 307

I think you basically have #2 correct, it's a "Hughes Racer", AKA the H-1.

3. Curtiss SB2C Helldiver (CAF has one they are very proud of)
4. McDonnell F3H Demon
5. (Can't remember this one, right on the tip of my tongue!)
6. Douglas SBD Dauntless
8. Extra 300

miamiair wrote: EDITOR’S CHOICE[/color]


Image by ShyFlyer

Was this taken at Boise?

ABQ, I believe.

Qantas to eliminate most first class service as half-year profit plunges
Qantas yesterday reported a A$58 million ($52.2 million) profit for the half-year ended Dec. 31, down 72% from the A$210 million earned in the year-ago semester, and announced the elimination of first class service to all but two destinations in an effort to lift yield.

Who would have ever thought Qantas would be taking a page out of Southwest's book of success?

miamiair wrote:ABQ, I believe.

Just noticed that in the February photo contest...thanks much!

ANSWERS:

1. Hawker Siddely Trident
2. Hughes H-1 Racer
3. Curtis SB2C Helldiver
4. McDonnell F-3D Demon
5. Beriev Be-4
6. Douglas SBD Dauntless
7. Dassault Mirage 2000
8. Extra 300
9. Blackburn Buccaneer
10. Boeing 307 Stratoliner