miamiair/forum/images/avatars/gallery/first/user54/1.pngoffline(netAirspace FAA) 10 May 11, 09:31
NEWS
United Continental reports 8% to 9% passenger revenue growth in April United Continental Holdings reported a 1.1% increase in traffic for last month after declines in February and March. Increased demand for air travel has helped carriers report traffic improvements. United Continental, however, has struggled since combining operating data last year. The airline did see passenger revenue per available seat mile increase roughly 8% to 9% in April. Link
Southwest and AirTran to operate separately for now Southwest Airlines recently finalized its acquisition of AirTran Airways and provided more details about how it will structure its management going forward. For now, the low-cost carriers will operate separately, but Southwest is striving to obtain a single operating certificate by early next year. Eventually, the acquisition will bring Southwest to Atlanta. Link
Air Canada CEO urges pilots to ratify agreement Air Canada pilots are starting to vote today on an agreement that will create a low-cost carrier with results expected in a couple of weeks. Calin Rovinescu, chief executive officer at Air Canada, has pleaded with the pilots to approve the deal, saying the company needs to make changes as competitors encroach on its territory. Link
TG Group's bid to revive Mexicana collapses Ivan Barona and Avanza Capital are still in the running to revive Mexicana de Aviacion after a bid from TG Group failed. The effort to revive the troubled Mexican airline could end next month if offers from Ivan Barona and Avanza Capital fall through. The person assigned to govern Mexicana's bankruptcy could request another extension of its bankruptcy protection, but sources say that is unlikely. Link
Boeing says guidance for 2011 deliveries remains the same Boeing rejected reports that it is freezing production, saying that its 747-8 airplane deliveries for 2011 remain on track. "Production is not frozen. We are continuing to work on all airplanes, in all phases of production," said Jim Proulx, a spokesman for Boeing. "Our guidance for 2011 deliveries remains unchanged." Link
Commentary: Air traffic controllers' issues are being addressed Jim Marinitti, the union representative for Miami International Airport, explains how air traffic controllers in South Florida, as well as the rest of the nation, have faced criticism over isolated incidents. Marinitti says controllers handle about 70,000 flights each day with few incidents. "Falling asleep at a workstation is unacceptable. But there are serious workplace issues that need to be addressed rationally, especially with regard to scheduling of air traffic controllers," Marinitti writes. "Fortunately, that is happening with some urgency." Link
Air Force looks into its jets' oxygen generators Last week, the Air Force grounded its F-22 Raptors due to an issue with their oxygen generators. Other aircraft which might have similar issues have now been identified. "No other airframes have been stood down due to this investigation; however, a parallel investigation is taking place on the on-board oxygen generation systems on the A-10, F-15E, F-16, F-35 and T-6 aircraft," said Capt. Jennifer Ferrau, a spokeswoman for the Air Force. Link
Boeing exec says Mideast airlines need new planes Randy Tinseth, commercial airplanes vice president of marketing at Boeing, said that high fuel costs and political unrest in the Middle East might have some effect on its orders received from the Middle East, but the carriers there are going to need new planes soon. "We're clearly today at the beginning of an aviation upside cycle," Tinseth said. "There is every indication that the Middle East will lead the world in traffic growth in the foreseeable future." Link
United drops planned move to Amadeus Altea Amadeus and United Airlines, a unit of United Continental Holdings, said they reached an agreement to cancel United's planned move to Amadeus's Altea Suite of customer management solutions in two years. The decision comes nearly six years after United and Lufthansa chose the Altea IT solution to serve as the Common IT Platform for passenger service systems for the Star Alliance. Link
Star gives Air India July 31 deadline to meet entry requirements Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht said that Air India has until July 31 to fulfill the requirements to join the airline grouping or the carrier's invitation will be withdrawn."The process for AI to fulfill its requirements has now taken nearly four years," he noted. "We will not extend this deadline anymore. One day there must be a final point." Nevertheless, he added, "We expect that AI will make it." Link
Qantas engineers plan to strike Friday Qantas aircraft engineers are planning work stoppages starting on Friday after walking out of negotiations over their list of 28 demands, which include job security. Link
Lockheed delivers first production F-35 to US Air Force Lockheed Martin has delivered the first production F-35 Lightning II to the US military to reach a long-delayed milestone, but there remains no firm timetable for inducting the new aircraft into operational service. Link
Merpati president offers to quit after crash Merpati Nusantara's President Sardjono Jhony Tjitrokusumo has offered to resign after one of the airline's Xian MA60 turboprops crashed over the weekend. Link
USAF eyes A-10 for communications jamming role Four contractors will compete for a $200 million US Air Force program to develop and produce an electronic attack (EA) pod that will be installed on unmanned aircraft systems and manned aircraft including potentially the Fairchild Republic A-10. Link
Other News
Flydubai has inked an eight-year sale/leaseback agreement with MC Aviation Partners, securing $80 million in financing for the remaining Boeing 737-800NG the airline is due to receive this year. FZ will soon issue an RFP for the airline’s 2012 financing requirements. This will be the carrier’s 10th new 737-800NG aircraft, its final one to be delivered this year.
APG announced that China Southern Airlines and Asiana Airlines were activated in its APG Interline E-Ticketing, bringing the number of airlines included in the program to 74 worldwide. APG IET is open to all IATA and non-IATA scheduled airlines, with the sole condition that they are e-ticketing eligible on GDS. APG introduced the APG IET hub in cooperation with Heli Air Monaco (YO/747) in 2008, enabling airlines to interline with multiple other airlines through a single IET implementation. The solution is administered by APG’s Paris head office and marketed by APG-Global Associates around the world.
Rolls-Royce announced that the Trent 1000 for Boeing's 787 received 330-min. ETOPS approval from US FAA. "ETOPS approval marks a major milestone for the Trent 1000 program," Program Director Simon Carlisle said in a statement, adding, "We now look forward to supporting Boeing's own ETOPS program." The Trent 1000 recently passed 2,800 hr. of flight testing.
Dunlop Aircraft Tyres won a five-year contract with Icelandair Technical Services to supply new tires and provide retreading for a fleet of 16 Icelandair aircraft and 12 757-200s "flown by airlines in the Nordics and Russia," it said.
STG Aerospace has received its largest single order for its SafTGlo photoluminescent floorpath marking system in a deal to retrofit the Southwest Airlines fleet with SafTGlo ColorMatch. The system will be installed over the next few years, during the carrier's normal maintenance schedule.
TRIP Linhas Aéreas took delivery of the first of nine Embraer 190 jets that it will add to its fleet before the end of the year. The aircraft has a single-class configuration with 110 seats. "With this aircraft, TRIP intends to expand to more destinations in Brazil, taking advantage of the moment with its increased air transportation demand within the domestic market," the carrier said.
AVIATION QUOTE
Most pilots learn, when they pin on their wings and go out and get in a fighter, especially, that one thing you don't do, you don't believe anything anybody tells you about an airplane.
— Chuck Yeager
ON THIS DATE
May 10th
• In 1926... The first airplane flight over the North Pole is made by Americans Lt. Cdr. Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett in a Fokker F-VII/3m. Their total distance from Spitzbergen, Norway is 1,600 miles (2,575 km).
• In 1932... U.S. Army Air Corps Captain A. F. Hegenberger has become the first pilot in the world to make a “blind” landing using instruments alone, with no back-up co-pilot on board in Dayton, Ohio.
• In 1936... The German airship Hindenburg lands at Lakehurst, New Jersey after its first scheduled transatlantic flight.
• In 1983... The first all-woman flight crew to fly a round trip across the Atlantic is the Air France C-141 crew form the 18th Military Airlift Squadron, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
My Plane
During a readiness exercise, two Air Force security policemen were guarding entry to a bunker-like structure where aircraft were kept. When a pilot about to do a preflight check approached without his identification in plain view, one of the Air Force security policemen asked him for it. "I don't see why I have to show you my ID," the pilot snapped. "After all, it is my plane." "Sir, with all due respect, it may be your plane," replied the Air Force security man, "but it's sitting in my garage!"
TRIVIA
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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
Allstarflyer/forum/images/avatars/gallery/first/user72/1.pngoffline(Database Editor & Founding Member) 10 May 11, 13:16
In a string of clicks, I was seeing a couple of threads Kirk had started, googled Scotland since I've ribbed him in the past here and then found today also in aviation history something of Rudolf Hess
Seventy years ago on Tuesday, one of the most bizarre episodes of the Second World War took place in the Scottish countryside.
Rudolf Hess, the deputy leader of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime, parachuted out of a plane and landed in a field on the outskirts of Eaglesham, East Renfrewshire on the night of May 10, 1941.
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