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NEWS

Southwest completes AirTran deal; operations initially remain separate
Southwest Airlines is starting to emerge as one of the largest players in the airline industry following its acquisition of AirTran Airways, which was completed Monday. The carrier has made several changes, including serving a number of larger cities and overhauling its frequent-flier program. However, Southwest initially will retain AirTran's practices of bag fees and seat assignments.
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Global airline alliances emerge as powerful forces
A decade ago, global airline alliances tended to be marketing agreements that received little attention from travelers. Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld have bolstered the idea of airline alliances as they offer travelers streamlined access to the world and become dominant forces in the industry. "To continue to grow, airlines have to expand abroad, but it's impractical and, in some cases, impossible for carriers to do much expansion on their own. That's why we've seen the alliances become so popular," said Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst at Forrester Research.
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Group aims to make black boxes easier to find post-accident
An international aviation group said it is interested in improving the digital flight data and voice recorders of aircraft, commonly known as black boxes, to make them easier to find after an incident. The crash of an Air France flight in June 2009 shed light on the issue of retrieving black boxes when they fall into the sea. Investigators only recently found the Air France black box on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.
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Emissions trading scheme costs compound for UK aircraft operators
The EU's emissions trading scheme doesn't start requiring aircraft operators to cover carbon emissions until early next year. However, operators assigned to the U.K. already are being subjected to charges to cover the scheme's administrative costs. Zimmer, a corporate flight department based in the U.S., took a single flight to Europe in 2010, emitting 87 metric tons of carbon. The flight resulted in a charge of $3,409.
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Embraer posts nearly fourfold rise in first-quarter profit
Embraer reported first-quarter net income of $106.3 million under IFRS accounting standards, an almost fourfold increase from a $27 million profit in the year-ago period. The company noted the earnings increase in part was owing to an income tax benefit of $2.6 million in the 2011 first-quarter compared to a tax liability of $50.1 million in the year-ago quarter.
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WestJet reports 24th consecutive quarterly profit
WestJet reported first-quarter net income of C$48.2 million ($50.8 million), a big increase over a C$2.4 million profit in the year-ago period, as revenue jumped 24.7% year-over-year to C$772.4 million. The period marked the Calgary-based LCC's 24th straight quarter in the black.
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Republic narrows loss but struggles continue at Frontier
Republic Airways Holdings reduced its loss for the first quarter ended March 31, but its branded flying under the Frontier Airlines banner continued to be a drag on earnings as the parent of Republic, Chautauqua, Shuttle America, Frontier and Lynx posted a loss of $22.4 million, improved from a deficit of $36.5 million in the year-ago period.
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Phantom Ray first flight raises funding hopes

First flight of the Boeing Phantom Ray on 27 April cleared a critical step in the company's search for external funding, but no obvious fiscal streams have appeared on the horizon for the stealthy unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV).
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Marshall Aerospace to supply auxiliary tanks for Boeing's KC-46A
Details have emerged of another configuration item for the US Air Force's future fleet of Boeing 767-based KC-46A tankers, with Marshall Aerospace to supply the type's integrated-body fuel tanks.
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Improving single-aisle capability key to low-cost carrier growth
Continuous improvement in single-aisle airliner capability has been central to the development of low-cost airlines, according to Oliver Wyman consultant Blair Pomeroy. He expects that the availability of a re-engined Airbus A320neo - and any counter-offer from Boeing - will provide further opportunities for airlines to expand their scope of operations.
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Republic alludes to A320neo place holder deposit
Frontier Airlines parent Republic Airways Holdings has placed an aircraft place holder deposit with Airbus for the re-engined A320neo, according to a company executive. Speaking during a 3 May earnings call Republic controller Joe Allman explained of the $19.9 million investment activities conducted by the company during the first quarter, $8 million entailed "a place holder deposit on Airbus neo aircraft".
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Other News

Airbus confirmed Korean Air has ordered five A330-200s, which brings KE’s orders for the type to 30, of which 23 have already been delivered.

French Air Accident Investigation Bureau (BEA)Tuesday announced the investigation team searching for wreckage of the Air France Flight 447 located and retrieved the cockpit voice recorder. “It was raised and lifted on board the Ile de Sein by the Remora 6000 ROV at 02:40 UTC this morning,” BEA said in a statement. On Sunday, the ROV retrieved the doomed A330’s memory module of the flight data recorder.

IATA reported that scheduled international passenger traffic (RPKs) rose 3.8% in March compared to the year-ago period, down sequentially from the 5.8% year-over-year increase recorded in February. Capacity growth of 8.6% pushed load factor down 3.5 percentage points to 74.6%.

Qatar Airways plans to acquire a 33% stake in Cargolux Airlines International, QR CEO Akbar Al Baker told reporters in Dubai on Monday. “Yes we are, 33% ... We are to sign an agreement with them, in the next few weeks. We see there are synergies. Qatar Airways would like to expand and I always said we would only be interested [in other airlines] if they are healthy and well-established,” Baker reportedly told media. He did not mention the value of the planned transaction.

Egyptair Maintenance & Engineering will provide Saudi Arabia budget carrier Nasair with heavy checks for five of its Airbus A320s.

Rockwell Collins said it has opened a new 16,000 sq. ft. Seattle service center to "enhance the company’s ability to provide asset management and testing" for Boeing and 787 customers. The center employs 38 and houses spare pools and updated 787 test equipment.

EgyptAir Maintenance & Engineering received renewed EASA part 145 approval, and added Boeing 757-200/300s, 767-200/300s, and Airbus A330-200/300s to its current capabilities. The audit was carried out at its Cairo, Sharm El Sheikh and Dubai stations. It is expected to receive the annual EASA audit on all EGME activities within the coming few months.

SR Technics inked a five-year Integrated Component Solutions contract with Garuda Indonesia valued at $36 million to provide ICS for its 43 Boeing 737NGs. It already provides ICS for the carrier's Airbus A330s.



AVIATION QUOTE

The pilot is still the pilot, whether he is at a remote console or on the flight deck. With the potential for thousands of these unmanned aircraft in use years from now, the standards for pilot training need to be set high to ensure that those on the ground and other users of the airspace are not put in jeopardy."

— Mark Rosenker, NTSB Chairman, verbal comments following the release of the NTSB's first report on a UAV accident, 16 October 2007.



ON THIS DATE

May 4th

• In 1911... The U.S. War Department approves a suggestion that S.C.No.1 (the Wright Flyer accepted by the Army August 2, 1909) be put at the disposal of the Smithsonian Institution for exhibition purposes following refurbishment.

• In 1924... The first helicopter flight in a closed circle is made in France by Etienne Oehmichen’s helicopter No.2. The previous month, it established a world record by flying 1,182 feet (360 meters).



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE





HUMOR

An emergency Landing

According to "The Australian," an airliner recently encountered severe vibration in flight.

The captain decided to make an emergency landing, and switched on the seat belt sign.

The vibration stopped immediately.

A passenger emerged from a lavatory and explained that he had been jogging in place inside.



TRIVIA

General Trivia

1. What country has the world’s worst weather?

2. What is the greatest speed ever attained by a human being in flight?

3. Explain how it is possible for two aircraft to maintain a constant distance and bearing from each other while both maintain the same true heading and altitude, yet are flown at different true airspeeds (in no-wind conditions)?

4. What famous pilot also was a bantamweight boxer who won a West Coast Amateur Championship and became a professional boxer?

5. What U.S. airline was first to operate an all-turbine (turbo-prop) fleet, and what U.S. airline was first to operate an all-jet fleet?

6. A pilot is speaking to an FSS specialist and is overheard saying, “I am going to praise God.” Why does this make perfect sense to the specialist?

7. Who was the first politician to use an airplane to travel between campaign stops?

1. If you go by wind speed, it's Australia, where a wind speed was clocked higher than on Mt. Washington, the previous record holder.

2. It was during an Apollo moon mission. Don't know which one.

3. the faster airplane turns in a constant circle farther away from a center point than the slower airplane turning in the same constant circle.

4. GEN Jimmy Doolittle

5. No idea on either.

6. No idea.

7. Hitler.

ANSWERS:

1. The United States is subjected to hurricanes, flooding, drought, heat and cold waves, blizzards, and the worst tornado activity on Earth.

2. Eugene Cernan, Thomas Stafford, and John Young reached 21,542 knots (24,791 mph) while returning from the moon in Apollo 10 on May 26, 1969. They had to come home in a hurry because two of the three fuel cells providing electrical power and water had failed.

3. The aircraft fly along different parallels (circles) of latitude and cross meridians at the same rate. Because the sizes of the circles vary with latitude, airspeed must be proportional to the size of the circle. In other words, the airplane flying the larger circle is flying faster than the airplane tracking the smaller one.

4. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, who was only 5 feet 4 inches tall, boxed professionally under the name of Jimmy Pierce, an attempt to deceive his mother into believing that he had given up boxing.

5. Bonanza Airlines when it replaced its Douglas DC–3s in November 1960 with Fokker (Fairchild) F-27 Friendships, and TWA when it retired its last Lockheed Constellation in April 1967.

6. Praise God Airport (KY16) is near Carter, Kentucky, and the private airport is the pilot’s destination.

7. Adolph Hitler used a Junkers Ju-52, during his 1932 political campaign.