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NEWS

Delta buys stake in Aeromexico
Delta Air Lines said it is buying a 3.5 percent equity stake in Mexican airline Aeromexico for about USD$65 million. The agreement builds on an existing commercial alliance between the airlines and will more closely link Delta's network to Mexico, the company said in a statement.
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TAM returns to profit on FX strength
TAM, Brazil's largest airline, posted a profit in the second-quarter, reversing a net loss a year earlier as a stronger currency helped cut debt-servicing costs, offsetting rising fuel prices.
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Virgin Atlantic sees tough year ahead
British airline Virgin Atlantic said market conditions had become tougher in recent months due to higher fuel prices and weakening consumer confidence, with this week's London riots and US market turmoil unlikely to help sentiment.
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Thai Airways confirms deal for A350-900s and A320s
Thai Airways International has confirmed a deal to buy four Airbus A350-900 and five A320 aircraft. The airline included these in a 13 June announcement about a 37-aircraft acquisition as part of its fleet modernisation programme.
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Kenya Airways considers launching 'Jambo Jet' LCC
Kenya Airways is considering setting up a low-cost subsidiary that would operate on domestic and regional routes, the carrier confirmed to ATW. It stressed it is “too early to discuss the details and planning around Jambo Jet,” referring to the name of the LCC.
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Tiger Airways Australia flights will resume Friday
Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority has lifted the suspension of Tiger Airways Australia and the airline will resume services Friday. However, for the month of August TT will be limited to 18 flights a day. Operations initially will be restricted to the Melbourne-Sydney route. Flights to other Australian cities will follow in September, it is understood. CASA grounded the airline July 2 over safety concerns resulting in a number of management changes
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Emirates' Clark still unsure about A350-1000
Emirates Airline President Tim Clark remains skeptical about the Airbus A350's operating performance, and is particularly leery about the A350-1000.
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Indian fighter competition nears finals
The winner of the Indian air force’s $12 billion Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) fighter competition should soon emerge, as the government is set to formally begin the process of identifying the lowest bidder in early September.
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China's first aircraft carrier begins sea trials

China's first aircraft carrier held its first sea trial on Wednesday, 10 August 2011. Officials said the trial was on schedule and that afterwards the ship will dock for further work. The August 2009 US Office of Naval Intelligence report "The People's Liberation Army Navy: A Modern Navy With Chinese Characteristics" had stated that "This carrier is expected to become operational in the 2010 to 2012 timeframe, and will likely be used to develop basic proficiencies in carrier operations."
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Hypersonic flight test scheduled for today
If all goes well, the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle II will launch Aug. 11 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, near Los Alamos, Calif., and splash down nearly 4,900 miles away -- and 30 minutes later -- near The Marshal Islands. The test flight is the product of DARPA funding and Lockheed Martin production. The arrowhead-shaped glider is a vehicle that will be attached to an eight-story-tall Minotaur IV rocket. It is part of a system intended to reach speeds of up to Mach 20 to deliver a military strike anywhere on earth within one hour.
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Other News

Boeing delivered a 777-300ER to Air China, the first of 19 of the type the carrier has on order. The aircraft will be used on long-haul flights Frankfurt, London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle, and for the gradual replacement 747-400s currently serving North American routes.

Royal Jordanian took delivery of its third Airbus A330-200. The aircraft is on an operating lease valid until January 2017.

Jet Midwest purchased 10 MD-82/MD-83s from American Airlines. The aircraft will be made available for lease and sale.

FLY Leasing Ltd. has agreed to purchase a $1.4 billion portfolio of 49 aircraft previously managed by Australia-based Global Aviation Asset Management. The aircraft are currently on lease to 23 airlines.




AVIATION QUOTE
Keep thy airspeed up, less the earth come from below and smit thee.
— William Kershner



ON THIS DATE

August 11th

--- In 1906... Mrs. C. J. S. Miller becomes the first woman passenger in an airship. The 40-hp craft is owned and operated by her husband, Major Miller.

---In 1915... The U.S. Naval Observatory asks Eastman Kodak to develop a special aerial reconnaissance camera that could be used from an airplane flying at heights of 3,000 ft. to 6,000 ft.

---In 1952... British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) inaugurates its new weekly service between London and Colombo, the capital of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

---In 1956…The Cessna 620, a pressurized business airplane propelled by four piston engines, makes her maiden flight. Cessna soon determines that there is no market for the aircraft, and with only one prototype built (N620E) cancels the project about a year later.

---In 1962…Andrian G. Nikolayev becomes the third Russian in space, flying aboard Vostok 3.

---In 1972…NATO signs a development contract for the MRCA (Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) programme, which will eventually result in the Panavia Tornado.

---In 1980…First flight of the Learjet Longhorn 50.

---In 1982…A bomb explodes in a seat cushion aboard Pan Am Flight 830, killing 16-year-old Toru Ozawa and injuring 15 others. The plane, a 747-100 (Clipper Ocean Rover, N754PA), makes an emergency landing in Honolulu and is repaired. The perpetrator, Mohammed Rashed, is arrested in Greece seven years later and convicted of murder, but freed eight years later. Rashed has also been indicted in the US, and is currently on the FBI’s most wanted list.

---In1984…President Ronald Reagan jokes during a radio sound check that he had “signed legislation that would outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in 5 minutes.” The joke is not broadcast live (contrary to some accounts) but when word of it spreads, the Soviet Army is put on high alert for about 30 minutes.

---In 1986… A modified Westland Lynx sets a new helicopter world speed record of 249 mph (401 km/h)



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE








HUMOR

The Copilot

I am the copilot. I sit on the right.
It's up to me to be quick and bright;
I never talk back for I have regrets,
But I have to remember what the Captain forgets.
I make out the Flight Plan and study the weather,
Pull up the gear, stand by to feather;
Make out the mail forms and do the reporting,
And fly the old crate while the Captain is courting.
I take the readings, adjust the power,
Put on the heaters when we're in a shower;
Tell him where we are on the darkest night,
And do all the bookwork without any light.
I call for my Captain and buy him cokes;
I always laugh at his corny jokes,
And once in awhile when his landings are rusty
I always come through with, "By gosh it's gusty!"
All in all I'm a general stooge,
As I sit on the right of the man I call "Scrooge";
I guess you think that is past understanding,
But maybe some day he will give me a landing.




TRIVIA

Aircraft ID

Soviet Heavy Metal

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Some more info on the Daily video:

This video was shot on Dec 14th after a hydraulic line failure in our 404 Titan forced us to make an emergency landing with the gear up. The emergency blow down bottle had a valve malfunction as well so there was no option available from that point on other than to find a place to sit it down. At the end of the slide down the runway there was a small fire on-board which I extinguished before exiting the aircraft with my crew member closely on my six . I'd like to send my thanks out to my crew member, the engineers in Wichita and to the ground crew mechanics at Mountain Home Airport in Arkansas for their assistance in relaying the communications with the engineers at Cessna, and for their mechanical knowledge that they shared with us during this unusual situation we found ourselves in.

Zak wrote:Some more info on the Daily video:

This video was shot on Dec 14th after a hydraulic line failure in our 404 Titan forced us to make an emergency landing with the gear up. The emergency blow down bottle had a valve malfunction as well so there was no option available from that point on other than to find a place to sit it down. At the end of the slide down the runway there was a small fire on-board which I extinguished before exiting the aircraft with my crew member closely on my six . I'd like to send my thanks out to my crew member, the engineers in Wichita and to the ground crew mechanics at Mountain Home Airport in Arkansas for their assistance in relaying the communications with the engineers at Cessna, and for their mechanical knowledge that they shared with us during this unusual situation we found ourselves in.

Nicely landed, all that considered

I'll leave the trivia for now incase anybody else wants a go

ANSWERS:

1. Ilyushin Il-28 (BREWER)
2. Myasishchev Mya-4 (BISON)
3. Myasishchev Mya-40 (BOUNDER)
4. Sukhoi Su-24 (FENCER)
5. Tupolev Tu-22M (BACKFIRE)
6. Tupolev Tu-16 (BADGER)
7. Tupolev Tu-22 (BLINDER)
8. Tupolev Tu-160 (BLACKJACK)
9. Tupolev Tu-128 (FIDDLER)
10. Tupolev Tu-95 (BEAR)