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

NEWS

Superjet responds to Delta RFP
Delta Air Lines has received a bid from the Sukhoi Superjet 100 in response to a request for proposal for as many 200 narrowbodies, according to sources close to the situation. The Superjet is now confirmed among five likely bidders for Delta's contract.
Link

US major airlines earned combined $2.32 billion in 2010 net income
The US's eight largest airline companies (counting United Airlines and Continental Airlines as one) earned collective 2010 net income of $2.32 billion with all but American Airlines profitable for the full year.
Link

US Senate approves FAA reauthorization bill by 87-8 vote, awaits House action
The US Senate late Thursday passed a two-year, $34.5 billion FAA reauthorization bill by an 87-8 vote, and now waits on the House of Representatives to act on the proposed four-year, $59.7 billion bill approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday.
Link

LAN Airlines inks order for three 767-300ERs
Boeing announced Friday that Chile's LAN Airlines ordered three 767-300ERs valued at $493 million at list prices. With the new order, LAN has ordered 33 passenger 767s in total, the manufacturer said.
Link

Delta 737-800 suffers engine failure, sheds turbine blades
A Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-800 was forced to make an emergency landing today after it experienced a contained engine failure shortly after take-off and shedded engine parts onto the ground.
Link
Discussion

Vibrating cockpit seat proposed for pilot alerts
Boeing has floated the possibility of using vibrating cockpit seats as an alternative mechanism to visual and aural indicators on the flightdeck.
Link


Other News

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings is "in a transformative phase" in which it is solidifying profitability and is poised to escalate earnings further when new Boeing 747-8Fs begin delivering, President and CEO William Flynn told investors last week. Speaking to the Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. Transportation and Logistics Conference, available via webcast, he noted the company's record annual net profit of $143 million for 2010 reported last week, representing an 86% improvement over 2009 net income of $76.2 million.

US Dept. of Transportation said that the nation’s largest carriers recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 79.8% for 2010, an improvement over 2009’s 79.5% on-time arrival rate, citing it as further proof that April’s tough tarmac delay rule has been effective.

Ferrovial last week successfully completed the previously announced sale of aviation ground handling firm Swissport International to private equity firm PAI Partners for €695 million ($943.7 million). Swissport, which will continue to be led by President and CEO Per Utnegaard, said it "will now continue to pursue its growth strategy."

Pinnacle Airlines Corp. said Friday that its pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Assn., ratified a new collective bargaining agreement. It added that the single contract covers pilots at all three of its operating subsidiaries—Pinnacle Airlines, Mesaba Aviation and Colgan Air—and completes negotiations that were underway at Pinnacle and Colgan prior to Pinnacle's acquisition of Mesaba last summer. Pinnacle has 1,305 pilots, Mesaba has 1,080 and Colgan has 541.

ICAO said 14 Middle East and south Asian member states attending a regional conference on air transport security in New Delhi last week agreed to a "roadmap" for taking collective action. "Among the measures included in the roadmap are actions that states will take to strengthen security screening procedures by ensuring that professionals are appropriately trained and equipped," the organization said in a statement.

Bmi will launch London Heathrow service to Bergen and Stavanger April 1 (daily) and to Casablanca April 2 (four-times-weekly). It also will take over three of the four daily Lufthansa flights from Birmingham and Manchester to Frankfurt from March 27.

Wizz Air will launch thrice-weekly Skopje-London Luton service June 20.

Canadian North will increase weekly Yellowknife-Edmonton Boeing 737 service to four-times-weekly from April 2.

Sky Work Airlines will launch six-times-weekly Dornier 328 Bern-London City service March 27.

Porter Airlines on April 13 will increase Montreal-Halifax service from four-times-weekly to “up-to” twice-daily; four-times-weekly Moncton-Ottawa to nine-times-weekly, and 19-times-daily Ottawa-Toronto service to “as many as” 21-times-daily.



AVIATION QUOTE

It occurred to me that if I did not handle the crash correctly, there would be no survivors.

— Richard Leakey, after engine failure in a single engine Cessna, Nairobi, Africa, 1993.



ON THIS DATE

February 21st

• In 1911... A new 1910 Wright Type B Flyer owned by Collier’s magazine publisher Robert F. Collier, arrives at San Antonio, Texas on rent to the U.S. Army for $1.00 per month to supplement the aging Wright biplane first accepted on August 2, 1909.

• In 1919... The prototype of the first US-designed fighter to enter large-scale production, the Thomas-Morse MB-3 (to be made by Boeing), makes its maiden flight.

• In 1979... Former astronaut Neil Armstrong climbs to 50,000 feet in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in just over 12 minutes in a Gates Learjet Longhorn 28, breaking five world records for business jets.

• In 1984... Racing driver Henri Pescarolo and Air France pilot Patrick Fourticq land their Piper Malibu in Paris after a flight from New York, setting a speed record of 14 hours 2 minutes for a single-engined lift aircraft across the North Atlantic.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE





HUMOR

Blonde Fighter Pilot

"So, a blonde fighter pilot was flying in a two ship one day. She was flying her heading just fine, when all of a sudden her wingman called, "We have Migs coming in at 6 o'clock!" She quickly took a thought, looked at her watch and said, "It's okay! It's only 5:30!"



TRIVIA

Douglas/McDonnell Douglas GI Products Scramble

1. YERKRSAID
2. HKSKAWY
3. HPNOAMT
4. DEMNO
5. DVRINEA
6. YASNKRIT
7. USLNTAEDS
8. AKSYRY
9. AVCHO
10. YNHISTGK

1. YERKRSAID - Skyraider
2. HKSKAWY - Skyhawk
3. HPNOAMT - Phantom
4. DEMNO - Demon
5. DVRINEA - Invader
6. YASNKRIT - Skytrain
7. USLNTAEDS - Dauntless
8. AKSYRY - Skyray
9. AVCHO - Havoc
10. YNHISTGK - Skything

Answers:

1. YERKRSAID is SKYRAIDER.
2. HKSKAWY is SKYHAWK.
3. HPNOAMT is PHANTOM.
4. DEMNO is DEMON.
5. DVRINEA is INVADER.
6. YASNKRIT is SKYTRAIN.
7. USLNTAEDS is DAUNTLESS.
8. AKSYRY is SKYRAY.
9. AVCHO is HAVOC.
10. YNHISTGK is SKYNIGHT.

I still prefer Skything.