miamiair/forum/images/avatars/gallery/first/user54/1.pngoffline(netAirspace FAA) 25 Mar 11, 09:32
NEWS
FedEx pilots approve two-year contract After less than six months of negotiation, FedEx pilots have agreed to a new labor deal that includes a 3% pay raise, lump-sum payments and new safety programs. The contract is valid for up to two years, though pilots have the option to shelve it after the first year. Some of the thornier issues governing work rules were put off pending final FAA regulations on pilot rest. "This is a positive departure from aviation industry negotiations which regularly fail to produce agreements in a timely fashion," said Capt. Scott Stratton, a union official. Link
Boeing: Still "open" to a re-engined 737 Boeing's chief financial officer on Wednesday sought to downplay reports that an all-new narrow-body model is a done deal. CFO James Bell, who is also corporate president, told an investors' conference that re-engining remains a possibility and that the current 737NG is selling "more than we can build." Bell also refuted rumors that Boeing plans to back away from the sort of widespread outsourcing that contributed to delays for the 787. "We believe the 787 model is the appropriate model. Obviously, we will take lessons learned and make minor adjustments, but we think that's the right model," he said. Link
NTSB: DCA controller admits to sleeping on job A 20-year FAA air traffic control supervisor working in the tower at Washington National airport told the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators that he fell asleep "for a period of time while on duty" early on the morning of 23 March. Link
Airport tower staffing levels under review following DCA incident Two commercial flights landed Wednesday without guidance from the control tower at Washington Reagan National Airport, leading to speculation that the controller on duty had fallen asleep. After failing to get a response from DCA, the pilots contacted a regional control center that guided them to a safe landing. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood immediately ordered the FAA to add a second controller to the midnight shift at DCA, and he instructed FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt to review staffing levels at other towers across the country. Link
Boston Logan rolls out the red carpet for frequent furballs Boston Logan International Airport tries to take care of all of its passengers -- especially the 2,000 pets that pass through annually. "We tagged it as an emerging customer demographic," says Robert Donahue, chief of the Massachusetts Port Authority Fire Rescue Department. "For the customer -- the dog -- we want to provide compassionate services." Those services include pet ambulances and workers with special training in animal first aid and CPR. Link
Forecast: Smartphones could trigger automatic check-ins By the end of this decade, sensors will detect passengers' smartphones as soon as they enter the airport, checking them in automatically for their flights. That's the prediction from travel technology company Amadeus IT Holding, which says that thanks to a smartphone feature known as near field communications, "the airlines may not actually have human interaction with the passenger until they are on board." Link
Column: US Airways aims for greater loyalty in its loyalty program US Airways has overhauled its frequent flier program to provide added incentives to passengers stuck between elite status levels. Special Dividends will offer new awards -- club passes, wine discounts and so forth -- at specified intervals between the major 25,000-mile thresholds. "The end result is that by putting additional bonuses in reach for elite members, it might help sway them to keep flying US Airways instead of straying to another airline," writes columnist Brett Snyder. Link
Turkish Airlines' 2010 profit down 48% Turkish Airlines reported 2010 net income of $191 million, down 48.3% from a $369.5 million net profit in 2009, marking the second consecutive year the carrier's net earnings dropped by around 50% year-over-year. Link
Embraer signs MOU with China's ABC bank to support aircraft financing Embraer said it signed an MOU with ABC Financial Leasing Co., a subsidiary of Agricultural Bank of China, covering up to $1.5 billion in aircraft financing and leasing support for Embraer aircraft sales in China and other markets. Link
AirAsia selects Clark as location for new Philippines base AirAsia Inc., the Philippines-based affiliate of AirAsia Group announced late last year, will be based at Clark’s Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, the former Clark Field air force base, AirAsia Group said Thursday. The airline plans to start operating international flights from the airport in the fourth quarter. AirAsia initially said operations would commence in the 2011 third quarter. Link
Lufthansa Cargo looks toward growth following strong 2010 Lufthansa Cargo, which rebounded from a €171 million ($242.1 million) operating loss in 2009 to post a €310 million operating profit in 2010, is eyeing future growth. "Last year we presented the worst-ever LHC results, this year the best ever," CFO Peter Gerber pointed out following Lufthansa Group's recent earnings release. Link
GE, Rolls-Royce to self-fund F136 after stop-work order General Electric and Rolls-Royce will spend their own money to keep the F136 engine alive as the company and its supporters in Congress fight a 90-day stop-work order issued on 24 March by the US Department of Defense (DOD). The joint venture has opposed self-funding the alternate engine for the Lockheed Martin since 2006, when the DOD first attempted to eliminate the program's funding. Link
A400M completes low-speed take-off tests Airbus Military has completed low-speed take-off tests with its A400M transport, with the work having provided a spectacular photo opportunity using one of its development aircraft. Performed at Istres in southern France, the process was intended to determine the A400M’s minimum unstuck speed – the lowest at which it can safely take off. Link
Rafale destroys Libyan jet, as France steps up action The French air force has stepped up the intensity of its Operation “Harmattan” activities against pro-Gaddafi forces, launching its first MBDA SCALP-EG cruise missiles and also destroying a Libyan aircraft which had violated the UN-mandated no-fly zone in the country. Link
Star Alliance trials aircraft seats for possible joint procurement Global airline group the Star Alliance is studying various economy-class seats with the aim of selecting a common seat architecture that could be jointly procured and installed by its member airlines. Link
P&W completes assembly of first geared turbofan slated to power the MRJ Pratt & Whitney has completed assembly of the first PurePower PW1217G geared turbofan designed for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet. The engine is rated at 17,000lbs (76kN) of thrust, and is the third PW1000G powerplant to complete assembly. P&W now plans to deliver it to its West Palm Beach, Florida facility for testing. Link
Other News
Air Berlin announced an agreement with GE Capital Aviation Services for the financing of 12 new aircraft, comprising five Airbus A320s, three A321s and four Boeing 737-800s, all equipped with CFM engines. This sale-and-leaseback transaction, worth $1 billion at list prices, is covering deliveries due in the first three quarters of 2012, according to the carrier.
The African Development Bank Board of Directors approved a $40 million second lien corporate loan to Ethiopian Airlines for the purchase of five Boeing 777-200LRs. The aircraft are part of ET's investment plan for 2010-2018 to replace older aircraft and expand capacity on long-haul routes to and from Africa.
US FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said the agency is "thoroughly investigating" an incident that occurred shortly after 12 a.m. Wednesday at Washington National Airport in which two aircraft, a United Airlines A320 and a American Airlines Boeing 737, were unable to make contact with a non-responsive DCA tower and landed with assistance from a regional ATC center.
SITA said it was approved as an electronic fares filing agent by both the US Dept. of Transportation and the Canadian Transportation Agency, becoming just the second approved filing agent after airline-owned ATPCO.
The city of Chicago, having won agreement last week from American Airlines and United Airlines to move forward with $1.17 billion in O'Hare International expansion work, on Wednesday said it planned to issue more than $1 billion in revenue bonds next month "in order to finance runway and other enabling capital projects at the airport."
The search for the wreckage of Air France Airbus A330-200, which crashed June 1, 2009 en route to Paris CDG from Rio de Janeiro killing all 228 people, resumed Monday. The fourth phase of the sea search operations, which is being co-funded by AF and Airbus, will last through July and includes an exploration of over a 10,000 sq. km. area in the Atlantic Ocean with a deep-sea robot equipped with upgraded equipment. Searchers hope to locate the aircraft’s flight data recorders and other debris that might help define the cause of the crash.
AVIATION QUOTE
An airplane might disappoint any pilot but it'll never surprise a good one.
— Len Morgan
ON THIS DATE
March 25th
• In 1917... One of the greatest fighter pilots of WWI, Canada-born Lt. Col. William Avery Bishop, scores his first combat victory over an Albatros single-seat fighter while flying a Nieuport.
• In 1926... Willie Messerschmitt, a graduate of Munich Technical High School and already an experienced designer of light aircraft and sailplanes, forms the Messerschmitt Flugzeugbau G.m.b.H.
• In 1960... The first NASA flight in the X-15 hypersonic research program gets under way when test pilot Joseph A. Walker makes the first of his flights in this aircraft.
• In 1993... The first woman Concorde pilot makes her first flight as First Officer of the daily supersonic London-New York route. British-born, Barbara Harmer, is one of only 17 co-pilots in the British Airways Concorde fleet.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
The Crew Chief
A pompous minister was seated next to a Crew Chief on a Flight to Texas. After the plane was airborne, drink orders were taken. The Crew Chief asked for a whiskey, which was brought and placed before him. The flight attendant then asked the minister if he would like a drink.
He replied in disgust, "I'd rather be savagely raped by brazen whores than let liquor touch my lips."
The Crew Chief then handed his drink back to the attendant and said, "Me too. I didn't know we had a choice."
TRIVIA
Aircraft Names
Provide the aircraft name and designation based on the clue.
1. If one is going up on an escalator, he is a(n)??? 2. Part of one of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s plays where a fat lady sings. 3. A motor town sports team with nine players. 4. A religion practiced on the west side of Hispanola. 5. Something from space that streaks across the sky. 6. A bomber that has the name of the state surrounding a national capital. 7. Three stars on this constellation’s belt. 8. Marcus Vick was one of these, now he is one of these. 9. You hear strange sounds outside your house, it isn’t one of these yet, they have broken in. 10. There’s a statue dedicated to this god in the city that held NAS’s first meet.
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
Nosedive/forum/images/avatars/gallery/first/default.pngoffline25 Mar 11, 17:45
1. A Led Zep song 2. Tom Cruise Movie 3. 1985 Champs 4. A religion, if stereotypes are to believed, widely practiced in New Orleans. 5. Been Afflack and Aerosmith were featured in this sh*tty movie. 6. Our favorite French lawyer would question the accuracy of this clue. 7. You'd find a galaxy on this cat's belt. 8. Douchebag and jackass aren't planes, but pilots. 9. Ehhhh take Quesos, stoped caring. 10. Where?
"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest." Mark Twain
miamiair/forum/images/avatars/gallery/first/user54/1.pngoffline(netAirspace FAA) 26 Mar 11, 11:49
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
