Boeing halts 787 line for a month Boeing has instituted an approximately one-month hold on the 787 final assembly line and a halt in structural deliveries to its Everett factory due to supplier part "spot shortages" and "remaining engineering changes", the company confirmed, another in a series of halting stops and starts as the production system works to get beyond two aircraft per month. Link
Airbus aims to break Boeing's monopoly at American Airlines Airbus is offering American Airlines $6 billion in preferential financing to entice the carrier away from Boeing. The European aircraft manufacturer is offering 130 of its A320s and 130 of its A320neos. American Airlines operates a fleet of all-Boeing jets. While Boeing wants to keep American as a customer, the company must strike a balancing act to ensure that any deal with the airline won't hurt its position with other carriers. Link
Thai Gripens declared operational Thailand has declared its first six Saab Gripen fighters to be operational, following two years of training for its air force personnel. The announcement was made at a ceremony at the Royal Thai Air Force's Wing 7 base in the southern province of Surat Thani, said Saab. Link
Angara An-24 ditches after engine fire
At least five occupants of a Russian-operated Antonov An-24 have been killed after it ditched on the River Ob during a domestic flight. Russia's Angara Airlines, which was operating the services, stated that the aircraft suffered a fire in its left engine prior to attempting an "emergency landing on water". Link
Lufthansa A321 partially powered by biofuel to enter service Friday Lufthansa plans start its scheduled biofuel flights Friday, launching a six-month trial in which an IAE V2500-powered Airbus A321 will operate on the Frankfurt-Hamburg route. Link
Qantas says it will pass Australia's carbon tax to passengers The Australian government’s carbon dioxide tax announced Sunday will cost Qantas up to A$115 million ($124 million) a year and passengers will foot the bill; the airline said Monday it will raise fares by up to A$8. Link
Air France to revise business model, operate more point-to-point routes As part of a new Air France strategy to give no-frills carriers a run for their money and regain some of the market share lost to lower cost rivals, the carrier on Monday released details of its revised business model that includes deploying Airbus A320s from several regional bases on point-to-point short- and medium-haul routes. Link
Qantas long-haul pilots vote for August industrial action Qantas’ long-haul pilots on Monday voted overwhelmingly for industrial action—expected to take place in early August—to drive home demands for higher wages, re-grading and job security. The move threatens to bring the airline’s long-haul operations to a standstill. The industrial action will also impact many transcontinental domestic services to Perth from Sydney and Melbourne, which are flown by international crews. Link
Iridium is set to provide traffic-control services Iridium Communications is poised to obtain regulatory approval to provide traffic-control and navigation services to planes crossing oceans. Iridium will use digital data to monitor jets as they traverse isolated routes to help airlines reduce emissions, save fuel and avoid storms. About 150 Boeing 737s, 747s, 757s and other models of United and Continental planes are slated to be equipped with Iridium equipment. Link
Airbus A380 is poised to carry more American passengers The Airbus A380 made its first commercial flight in October 2007, flying from Singapore to Australia to emerge as the world's largest passenger plane. Since then, A380s have carried more then 12 million passengers around the world. Starting this summer, more American passengers will be flying on A380s despite the fact that no U.S. carriers fly the Airbus planes. Link
Analysis: Embraer faces changing competitive landscape Embraer, currently led by CEO Frederico Curado, has proven to have good timing over the past 20 years by launching the ideal aircraft at the right time, analysts said. However, the competitive landscape of the aircraft industry is changing, raising questions about whether Embraer can continue its winning streak. Link
Bomb implant threat may force TSA to rethink security The threat of bomb implants may force the Transportation Security Administration to use trace detection swabs capable of detecting explosives below the skin. The TSA has acknowledged that scanners will not necessarily detect implanted bombs. "As a precaution, passengers flying from international locations to U.S. destinations may notice additional security measures in place," the TSA said in a statement. Meanwhile, some travelers are concerned about the new threat. "It won't stop me from traveling, but I'll just have to continue to be more aware," said Ryan Begin, who was passing through Dulles International Airport. "And I think airports and the TSA will just have to be more aware." Link
Other News
Spring Airlines is accelerating the pace of its Japanese market expansion. The carrier operates thrice-weekly Shanghai-Ibaraki service and is scheduled to open a twice-weekly Shanghai-Takamatsu route this week. It also plans to start Shanghai-Kyushu flights this year and a Shanghai-Hokkaido route next year. Spring delayed the opening of new routes in Japan owing to the natural and nuclear crises in March.
US Airways recorded an "all-time record" of 87.1% for its average mainline June load factor, up 0.2 point over June 2010. It operated 5.73 billion mainline RPMs for the month, up 2.5% year-over-year, against a 2.3% lift in capacity to 6.58 billion ASMs. US expects 2011 system capacity to be 1% higher than 2010; mainline capacity is projected at 1.5% higher. It is scheduled to take delivery of 12 Airbus A321s in the second half of 2011 and 12 A320 family aircraft in 2012 (to replace Boeing 737-300s/400s).
US FAA proposed a total of $275,500 incivil penalties against two regional airlines and an MRO provider. The agency called for a $77,500 fine against Dallas-based American Eagle Airlines because its line maintenance contractor at Richmond., Va., allegedly used uncalibrated tools to test the anti-freeze used for de-icing aircraft. Also, FAA alleges the tools were not specified for use by the airline’s FAA-approved general maintenance manual and its ground de-icing program. The alleged violations took place between Feb. 13 and March 9, 2010, FAA stated.
Aer Lingus will launch weekly Cork-Las Palmas service Oct. 30. It will launch Cork service to Barcelona (thrice-weekly) and Rome Fiumicino (twice-weekly) this winter, as well as twice-weekly Belfast service to Rome Fiumicino and Alicante.
Turkish Airlines will increase its four-times-daily Los Angeles-Istanbul Ataturk service to five-times-daily Aug. 31, and up to daily from March 26, 2012.
Flydubai will start weekly Dubai service to Kazan (Sept. 14) and Ufa (Sept. 17).
Mahan Air will operate weekly Airbus A310-300 Tehran-Larnaca service through Oct 29.
AVIATION QUOTE
One particular circumstance distinguishes the sea commander from his equals in most other spheres. He stands the same chance of death, mutilation or capture as the least experienced sailor in his fleet. What affects others will affect him personally. This fact 'concentrates the mind wonderfully', as Dr Johnson remarked of a man who was to be hanged in a fortnight.
— Oliver Warner, prologue to Command At Sea: Great Fighting Admirals from Hawke to Nimitz, 1976
ON THIS DATE
July 12th
---In 1785... The first manned balloon ascent in Holland is made by Jean-Pierre Blanchard in Hague.
---In 1901... Alberto Santos-Dumont, making an attempt on the Deutsch prize in Paris, lands his dirigible No.5 in the Trocadéro gardens after one of the cords controlling the rudder snaps. He uses a ladder to repair the machine where it lies before taking off again.
---In 1916…The United States Navy armored cruiser North Carolina becomes the first ship to launch an aircraft by catapult while underway, launching a Curtiss flying boat piloted by Lieutenant Godfrey Chevalier. (GQF)
---In 1937…Mikhail Gromov, A. B. Yumashev, and S. A. Danilin establish a new distance record of 10,148 km (6,303 miles) from Moscow to San Jacinto, California, USA via the North Pole in a Tupolev ANT-25, covering the distance in 62 hours 17 minutes. (GQF)
---In 1944... The British Royal Air Force (RAF) puts the first operational jet-powered airplanes into service.
---In 1945…An Eastern Air Lines flight en route from Boston. Massachusetts, to Miami, Florida, with stops in Washington, D.C. and Columbia South Carolina, collides with a United States Army Air Forces A-26 Invader bomber 3,100 feet above Syracuse, South Carolina, (about 20 miles from Florence, South Carolina). The commercial pilot, G. D. Davis, lands his airliner in a cornfield. One passenger, an infant, is killed aboard the airliner. A-26's tail is sheared off; two aboard the bomber die and one is able to parachute safely. (GQF)
---In 1966…First flight for the Northrop M2-F2, a heavyweight lifting body based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers. (GQF)
---In 1980…First flight of the KC-10 Extender, the military in-flight refueler version of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30. (GQF)
---In 1988…First flight of the The Scaled Composites Triumph, a twin-engine, business jet prototype designed and built by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites for Beechcraft. It was known officially as the Model 143, and internally at Scaled as the "Tuna". Also was the first first flight for the Williams FJ44 turbofan on the "Tuna", which was a joint venture from Williams International and Rolls-Royce. (GQF)
---In 1994…A Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules flies the 10,000th United Nations relief flight into Sarajevo. (GQF)
---In 2000…Hapag-Lloyd Airlines Flight 3378, an Airbus A310, lands 500 meters short of the runway in Vienna after running out of fuel in flight. There are no serious injuries or fatalities. (GQF)
---In 2005…John Leonard King, Baron King of Wartnaby, passed away. He was a businessman famous for leading British Airways from an inefficient, nationalized company to one of the most successful airlines of recent times. (GQF)
A flight attendant was out golfing one day off when she hit her ball into the woods.
She went into the woods to look for it and found a frog in a trap.
The frog said to her, "If you release me from this trap, I will grant you 3 wishes."
The flight attendant freed the frog and the frog said, "Thank you, but I failed to mention that there was a condition to your wishes-that whatever you wish for, your captain will get 10 times more or better!"
The flight attendant said, "That would be okay," and for her first wish, she wanted to be the most beautiful flight attendant in the world - beautiful enough to make people stop flying SQ. The frog warned her, "You do realize that this wish will also make your captain the most handsome pilot in the world, an Adonis, that other flight attendants will flock to."
The flight attendant replied, "That will be okay because I will be the most beautiful flight attendant and he will only have eyes for me."
So, KAZAM - she's the most beautiful flight attendant in the world!
For her second wish, she wanted to be the richest flight attendant in the world.
The frog said, "That will make your captain the richest pilot in the world and he will be ten times richer than you."
The flight attendant said, "That will be okay because I'm such a devoted flight attendant that what is mine is my captain's and what is my captain's is mine."
So, KAZAM she's the richest flight attendant in the world!
The frog then inquired about her third wish, and she answered, I'd like a mild heart attack."
Moral of the story : Flight attendant are clever bitches. Don't **** with them
TRIVIA
Google Earth
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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
I'm completely baffled by most of the airports today, but I think that's solely from my hours at work. Yesterday, there was a question about a landplane that lands without landing gear down. I need the answer to that bugger. :D
No hints for today except that, 1 through 6 are in the land of pancake syrup flavor, # 7 is flavor of a different, smoky kind, and you better learn to habla if you want something in 8-10.
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
Answers: 1. YHZ, Halifax Int'l, Halifax, NS, Canada 2. YUL, Montreal - Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Int'l, Montreal, Canada 3. YQX, Gander Int'l, Gander, NF, Canada 4. YZF, Yellowknife, Yellowknife, NT, Canada 5. YYZ, Lester B. Pearson Int'l, Toronto, ON, Canada 6. YVR, Vancouver Int'l, Vancouver, BC, Canada 7. HAV, Jose Marti International, Havana, Cuba 8. LPA, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain 9. TFS, Tenerife Sur - Reina Sofia, Canary Islands, Spain 10. TFN, Tenerife Norte - Los Rodeos, Canary Islands, Spain
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
