NEWS
IndiGo A320 makes India’s first RNP approach landing
An IndiGo (6E) Airbus A320 conducted its first commercial Required Navigation Performance (RNP) approach Saturday, while landing at Kochi Airport (COK) on a scheduled flight from Bengaluru. The approach makes 6E—India’s largest low-cost carrier (LCC)—the first Indian carrier authorized to implement this fuel-saving practice.
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Copa to expand Panama City hub
Fast-growing Copa Airlines (CM)—which joined Star Alliance last week with subsidiary Copa Colombia—is eyeing further expansion this year of its Panama City (PTY) hub. CM CEO Pedro Heilbronn said in Panama City that a strong economy, ideal geographic location and increasing Latin American passenger traffic have all played a part in the carrier’s enormous growth.
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Russia’s S7 Airlines eyes all narrowbody fleet
Russia’s S7 Airlines, which includes Sibir (S7) and Globus (GH), is evaluating whether to phase out its two Boeing 767-300ERs within the next two years. S7 deputy CEO Anton Eremin said on the sidelines of the recent IATA annual general meeting and summit in Beijing that the carrier is “very much focused” on a narrowbody fleet. “The 767s are a niche aircraft for us ... Our Airbus A320 fleet operates 15 hr. per day, one of the highest utilization in the industry.”
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Northern European ANSPs form commercial cooperation alliance
Nine northern European air navigation service providers (ANSPs) have formed a commercial cooperation alliance—the Borealis Alliance—to improve efficiency, as well as reduce costs and environmental impact. The alliance includes the ANSPs of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden and the UK. Together, these nine organizations form Europe’s major transatlantic gateway, handling 3.5 million flights a year in 12.5 million sq. km. of airspace. They also make up the North European, Nordic, and UK-Ireland Functional Airspace Blocks (FABs).
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Three Police Die In Mexico Airport Shootings
Three federal police officers died in a shootout with suspected drug traffickers at Mexico City's airport on Monday, as panicked onlookers scrambled to take cover amid the latest sign of encroaching violence in the country's capital.
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Anti-Corruption Blogger Joins Aeroflot Board
Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny has been elected to the board of state-controlled airline Aeroflot, putting the anti-corruption blogger in a position of influence at one of Russia's most high-profile companies.
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Airlines Attack UK Government Over Aviation Policy
Britain's aviation industry said the government needs to come up with a clear, long-term policy to address capacity issues at its main airports, or face the prospect of falling further behind European rivals.
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Airbus Confident A350 Will Overcome Doubts
Airbus's revised target to deliver its new wide-body A350 passenger jet during the first half of 2014 is "challenging" but "achievable", the company's CEO Fabrice Bregier told the Financial Times on Monday.
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London Gatwick Boosted By Emerging Markets
London's Gatwick airport reported a strong rise in full-year profit, helped by traffic growth and the addition of new routes to emerging markets in Asia.
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Air Berlin crew's fatigued distress call faces safety probe
A serious incident in May in which the flight crew of an Airbus A330 operated by Air Berlin made a distress call to request an expedited landing in Munich due to pilot fatigue is being probed by Germany's air accident investigation bureau, BFU. However, some observers have questioned whether the crew's "pan pan" urgency call was genuine or was instead motivated by a desire to highlight concerns over EASA's planned flight-time regulations. The aircraft was approaching Munich airport after a flight from Palma de Mallorca on 5 May, when the pilots issued the distress call, asking air traffic control for permission to land without delay because, as the European Cockpit Association puts it, they felt "extremely fatigued".
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Indonesian F27 crash investigation to take three months
The Indonesian air force investigation into the 22 June crash of a Fokker F27 transport aircraft will take three months. In the interim, however, the air force declined to offer possible reasons for the crash, despite media speculation that the aircraft may have been suffering engine trouble.
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Danish F-16s to get Litening G4 targeting pods
Denmark is to acquire an undisclosed number of Northrop Grumman Litening G4 advanced targeting pods for use by its Lockheed Martin F-16s, with deliveries to start in August 2013.
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Wind tunnel tests for F-15 Silent Eagle CWB completed
Boeing has completed wind tunnel tests for the conformal weapons bay (CWB) of the F-15 Silent Eagle it is pitching in South Korea's F-X III requirement for 60 aircraft. The tests used a scale model of the F-15SE to assess the effects of various air speeds and flight angles, said Boeing in a statement. "The tests assessed enhancements made to the initial CWB design and confirmed the team's modelling analysis," it added.
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American Airlines makes concessions for pilots union
American Airlines has made concessions to its pilots union in an attempt to reach a labor agreement. The concessions include canceling a plan to furlough pilots, a profit-sharing plan and pay raises totaling 14.8% over six years. The Allied Pilots Association, which represents 10,000 pilots at American, whose parent company, AMR Corp., filed for bankruptcy in November.
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Weekend flights faced delays after fire, thunderstorms
Weekend flights were delayed due to storms in the Eastern U.S., as well as a fire at an air traffic facility. The fire at the Federal Aviation Administration center in Atlantic City, N.J., knocked out servers and communications. Heavy thunderstorms in the New York region also delayed flights.
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Harvard says it has developed coating for airplane wings to repel ice
Harvard University researchers say they have developed a coating for airplane wings that will prevent ice crystals from forming. The nanotechnology would affix a thin coating over the wing, and the coating's pores would be filled with oil or another liquid that repels water.
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Delta crew helped man propose to girlfriend in-flight
A man enlisted the aid of flight attendants aboard a Delta Air Lines flight last year to propose to his girlfriend of five years. The couple had met onboard a flight from Los Angeles to Denver. It was the best "proposal I've ever heard," said Lori Kessler of her fiance's proposal. "That's where we met. It would be fitting if it was on a plane."
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Other News
Thailand’s Transport Ministry has launched an internal investigation into what caused the breakdown in the air traffic control system at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) June 21 when all ATC radars stopped functioning for one hour, affecting 49 flights, the government news agency NNT reported. Airports of Thailand (AOT) has remained tight-lipped on the situation. According to the Bangkok Post, the main and back-up power systems simultaneously crashed, causing the delay of 21 take-offs and 15 landings. Thirteen flights were rerouted or returned to their departure point.
ATR has gained European certification for its ATR 42-600, joining the larger ATR 72-600 variant, which was approved last year. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification marks the end of a series of ground and in-flight tests that were accelerated by the ATR 42-600’s similarity to the ATR 72-600. ATR said the new variant will enter service this summer, serving the “niche market” for 50-seat turboprops. “Today we are the only manufacturer of 50-seater aircraft in the world and we estimate that, over the next twenty years, there will be a substantial potential market in this category,” ATR CEO Filippo Bagnato said.
Flight trials are underway in the UK in preparation for the maiden flight of a surrogate Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in UK shared (non-segregated) airspace later this year. The BAE Systems Jetstream aircraft, known as The Flying Test Bed, has pilots onboard, but can be flown as if it were an UAV. On successful completion of a series of flight trials, the aim is for the aircraft to operate using Instrument Flight Rules and under air traffic control in commercial airspace.
Jetstar Hong Kong, the joint venture low-cost carrier (LCC) being set up by China Eastern Airlines (MU) and Qantas Group (QF) subsidiary Jetstar, is on track to formally launch by the end of 2012 or early next year, according to MU chairman Liu Shaoyong.
Skyworld Aviation has arranged a two-year lease of an Avro RJ85 to Malmö Aviation, which was delivered to the Swedish airline May 24. It will also market an additional Avro RJ85 for Blue1.
International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), a wholly owned subsidiary of American International Group, Inc. (AIG), announced today that it delivered a Boeing 737-700 aircraft to Eznis Airways, the largest Mongolian privately owned airline. The new aircraft will expand Eznis Airways’ international operations and be used to better serve the country’s rapidly growing air traffic demand. As of the first quarter of 2012, inbound and outbound international traffic in Mongolia has increased by 30% compared to the same period last year.
An innovative Airborne Multi-Intelligence Laboratory (AML) developed by Lockheed Martin (LMT) for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) is now being used by the Italian Air Force in a live operational environment. Lockheed Martin signed a use agreement with the Italian Ministry of Defence (MoD) to provide the AML aircraft, three ground intelligence processing systems as well as flight crew and maintenance personnel for the plane. This agreement is for one year, with an option to extend to two years.
AVIATION QUOTE
Better to hit the far fence at ten knots than the close fence at VRef.
— Captain Rick Davies, Chief Pilot, Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (Queensland Section), advise given to new captains.
ON THIS DATE
---In 1869... Largest hydrogen balloon ever to make a free (untethered) ascent, makes a short flight from the Champs de Mars in Paris, France. It has a capacity of 424,000 cubic feet (c. 130,000 cubic meters).
---In 1909... The first commercial sale of an airplane in the United States is made as Glenn H. Curtiss sells one of his planes to the Aeronautic Society of New York for $7,500. This action spurs the Wright brothers to begin a patent suit to prevent him from selling airplanes without a license.
---In 1911... As spectators watch in amazement, Lincoln Beachey flies his Curtiss pusher biplane over Horseshoe Falls, the most spectacular of the Niagara Falls.
--- In 1936... The first flight of the first practical helicopter with two side-by-side rotors is made in Germany. Designed by Henrich Focke, the Focke-Achgelis FW-61 makes many flights, the longest being one hour and 20 minutes.
---In 1942…First flight of the Grumman XF6F Hellcat.
---In 1946... The U.S. Army Air Force and Navy adopt the “knot” and “nautical mile” as standard aeronautical units for speed and distance. A nautical mile is about 6.080 ft. (1,853 m), and knot is the equivalent of one nautical mile per hour.
---In 1948…the Berlin Airlift begins, with USAF, Royal Air Force, and British civil transport aircraft carrying supplies into West Berlin.
---In 1988…Air France Flight 296, Airbus A320-111 (registration F-GFKC) crashed near Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport, in the Franco-German border region of Alsace. The accident occurred during an airshow while the flight deck crew was performing a flypast at low height and speed. The aircraft overflew the airfield in good weather. Seconds later the aircraft struck treetops behind the runway and crashed into a forest, as a result of flying too low and too slowly. Three passengers died and about 50 were injured
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
The Parrot
On reaching his plane seat a man is surprised to see a parrot strapped in next to him. He asks the stewardess for coffee whereupon the parrot squawks, “And get me a whiskey you cow.” The stewardess, flustered, brings back a whiskey for the parrot and forgets the coffee.
When this omission is pointed out to her, the parrot drains its glass and bawls, “And get me another whiskey you bitch.” Quite upset,the girl comes back shaking with another whiskey but still no coffee.
Unaccustomed to such slackness, the man tries the parrot's approach. “I've asked you twice for coffee. Go and get it now, or I'll give you a slap.”
Next moment, both he and the parrot have been wrenched up and thrown out of the emergency exit by two burly stewards. Plunging downwards the parrot turns to him and says, “For someone who can't fly, you're a cheeky bastard.”
TRIVIA
AIRPLANE SCRAMBLE
1. DOOOOV
2. TUNREDCEHHFI
3. IVNTAELGI
4. RTNOAOD
5. ACNECRUEB
6. LIEZA
7. AORCSIR
8. ERASCUDR
9. STOECAGRRMA
10. IYRTNSAK
Queso wrote:Queso 26 Jun 12, 05:50
EXCELLENT choice for the picture today!
Air France Flight 296 was a chartered flight of a new fly-by-wire Airbus A320-111 operated by Air France. On June 26, 1988, it was flying over Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport (ICAO code LFGB) as part of an air show. The low-speed fly-by was supposed to take place with landing gear down at an altitude of 100 feet (30 m). Instead, the plane slowly descended to 30 feet, and crashed into treetops at the end of the runway, killing three passengers. Since the flight was also a demonstration flight of the Airbus plane, this was the first crash of the A320 aircraft. The cause of the accident is disputed, as many irregularities in the accident investigation were later revealed by the pilot of the ill fated flight.
