News
JAL 787 caught fire in Boston just 18 days after delivery from Boeing
The Japan Airlines (JAL) Boeing 787 that caught fire Jan. 7 in Boston had been in the airline’s possession for just 18 days. More details about the fire and the aircraft are emerging as the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) provides further updates, but finding a cause for the blaze continues to be elusive for investigators. According to NTSB, the aircraft was delivered to JAL on Dec. 20, 2012. At the time of the fire, which occurred after passengers and crew had deplaned from a Tokyo-Boston flight, the 787 had logged 169 flight hours with 22 cycles.
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ANA Cancels Another 379 Flights
All Nippon Airways, which has the biggest fleet of Boeing 787s cancelled another 379 flights scheduled for February 1-18, almost doubling the number of its cancellations. The latest cancellations brings the number of ANA flights stopped since the January 16 emergency landing in western Japan to 838. All 787s have been grounded since January 17 due to unexplained battery problems.
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Japan Eased Safety Standards For 787 Rollout
The Japanese government stepped in to give Boeing's grounded 787 Dreamliner and its made-in-Japan technology a boost in 2008 by easing safety regulations, fast-tracking the rollout of the groundbreaking jet for Japan's biggest airlines, according to records and participants in the process. The concessions by an advisory panel to Japan's transport ministry reflected pressure from All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) and a push to support Japanese firms that supply 35 percent of the 787, people involved in the deliberations told Reuters news agency. "I believe the request for the changes came initially from the airlines. Ultimately, it was a discussion of measures to lower operating costs for the airlines," said Masatoshi Harigae, head of aviation at Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency, one of the outside advisers who urged the eased regulatory standards.
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NTSB Still Unable To Find Cause Of 787 Fire
Further testing still has not found the cause of a battery fire aboard a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 in Boston earlier this month, the National Transportation Safety Board said. In a statement released on Sunday, the safety regulator said "no obvious anomalies were found" in its initial investigation of an undamaged battery aboard the plane and that a more detailed examination would follow.
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Air France Launches Regional Airline Hop!
Air France-KLM has formed a new French regional airline unit called Hop! to respond to competition from low-cost rivals. Hop! will operate 530 daily flights to 136 destinations in Europe from March 31 with one-way fares from EUR€55 (USD$74), the company said. The launch of the new airline - which has been created through the merger of regional units Brit Air, Regional Air and Airlinair - is part of a reshuffle of the group's loss-making short and medium-haul operations.
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Discussion
Ryanair fiscal 3Q profit up 21%, raises profit forecast
Ryanair has posted a net profit of €18.1 million ($24.3 million) for its fiscal third quarter, up 21% from €14.9 million year-over-year. Revenue was €969 million, up 14.8% year-over-year from €844 million. Passengers carried rose 3% to 17.3 million. The Irish low-cost carrier’s (LCC) fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31, 2012. The carrier raised its full-year profit guidance from a previous range of €490-€520 million to €540 million due to the improved results.
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OLT Express Germany ceases operation
OLT Express Germany ceased operations Jan. 27 after owner Panta Holdings B.V would not agree to support a restructuring program. OLT Express Germany said management and its 450 employees had agreed to a 25% cut in salaries to continue operations; it also had agreements in place with creditors. In December 2012, the carrier announced plans to temporarily suspend 12 routes from German regional airports from early January. It attributed the route changes to high fuel prices and expectations it could not meet its year-end forecast.
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Discussion
Fastjet eyes Kenya's Jetlink amid Fly540 legal challenge
Fastjet has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Kenyan airline Jetlink Express, which it says will provide a platform for launching operations in the east African country this year. The announcement comes within hours of news that Fastjet subsidiary Fly540 has commenced legal action over the repayment of $6.78 million in debt - a move that had threatened to postpone the launch of Fastjet's planned base in Nairobi, Kenya. "Under the terms of the MOU, Fastjet and Jetlink are working together to create a joint venture which will give a platform for the launch of the Fastjet brand in Kenya," the low-cost startup says.
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Inadequate de-icing caused near-stall on Danish ATR
Norwegian investigators believe a Danish Air Transport ATR 42-300 entered an uncommanded climb, and came close to stalling, as a result of inadequate de-icing. The inquiry into the event has highlighted the importance of de-icing all critical surfaces. While departing Bergen, the aircraft lifted off without any control input, 10kt below rotation speed. It continued a shallow, low-speed climb despite both control columns being moved to their fully-forward position and the engine power being increased, says Norwegian investigation board SHT. Airspeed fell away and the ATR's stick-shaker activated, along with an audio alarm, warning the pilots that the turboprop was approaching a stall.
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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries plans second MRJ assembly line
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is studying the possibility of building a new assembly facility near Japan's Nagoya airport to ramp up the planned production rate of its Mitsubishi MRJ regional jet. "MHI is currently studying whether it would be possible to secure a plant site adjoining Nagoya airport, anticipating the production volume increase of the MRJ," says a spokesman. "MHI would conduct final assembly of the MRJ there if the site is secured." He adds that it is still unclear when, should the site be secured, construction will begin and how long it will last.
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Afghanistan’s Kam Air rejects drug smuggling allegation
Kam Air, Afghanistan's largest private carrier, has angrily rejected media reports alleging that it smuggles opium on passenger flights to Tajikistan. The airline was responding to a Wall Street Journal report in which US military officials said it regularly transported "bulk" quantities of opium between the two countries. The newspaper said Kam Air has now been barred from receiving US military contracts as a consequence of the findings, which were not formally announced by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
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Cessna hopes for modest gains in 2013 after bleak Q4
Cessna's deliveries will be "modestly higher" in 2013 despite an unexpectedly slow conclusion to 2012, parent company Textron says. Fourth-quarter revenues for the business and general aviation manufacturer plunged 10% year-on-year to $901 million as jet deliveries declined from 67 to 53. Jet deliveries for the full year declined by two to 183 compared with 2011. Cessna's hopes for a rebound this year are based mainly on the slightly delayed arrival of three new aircraft types, including a new Sovereign, the Citation M2 and the Citation X.
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Engineers discover culprit behind F-35B fueldraulic line failure
Engineers working on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) have identified the likely culprit behind a fueldraulic line failure on 16 January that led to the temporary grounding of the US Marine Corps' B-model aircraft. "Government and industry engineering teams investigating the origins of a failed propulsion fueldraulic line on an F-35B Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant have identified the probable cause and are developing a return to flight plan to lift the suspension of flight operations," the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) says. According to the JPO, engineers have ruled out any design or maintenance problems. "Evidence revealed a quality discrepancy from the company that produces the fueldraulics line," the JPO says. "The investigation determined the line was improperly crimped."
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AIM-9X Block II performing better than expected
The Raytheon AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder is about halfway through its operational testing and, thus far, the weapon is performing better than expected with one exception, the US Navy says. "AIM-9X Block II missile has accomplished approximately half the planned objectives of operational test (OT) and is on track to complete on schedule by the end of the [third quarter] of 2013," says the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), which manages the dogfighting missile for the US Department of Defense. "Analysis completed to date indicates that the missile is exceeding performance requirements in all areas, including lock-on after launch (LOAL)."
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Other News
EasyJet chairman Michael Rake has announced plans to step down as easyJet non-executive director and chairman this summer. Rake, who has been easyJet chairman since January 2010, survived an attempt by easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou to have him removed by vote at an extraordinary general meeting in August 2012. Haji-Ioannou said Rake was tainted by his concurrent position as deputy chairman of Barclays where he was incumbent throughout the Libor rate-fixing scandal. Haji-Ioannou also believed that Rake, who is also employed by BT Group and McGraw-Hill, had too many public company roles to devote enough time to easyJet.
Finnair CEO Mika Vehvilainen has resigned to take a new position as CEO of Finnish cargo and load handling specialist Cargotec. Vehvilainen will leave Finnair Feb. 28 to take up his new role with Cargotec March 1. The outgoing CEO acknowledged there has been some “tough moments” during his leadership, but added: “I believe now is a good time to leave Finnair in the hands of my future successor. The company is heading toward a positive financial result and we are in a better position to build the kind of Finnair that upcoming major investments require.” Finnair has promoted COO Ville Iho to deputy CEO. He will lead the airline until a new CEO can be appointed. “Mr. Iho has a broad and long experience at Finnair, having worked in the company since 1998 and in the executive board since 2009,” the airline said in a statement.
Lufthansa Technik has announced plans to cut 650 jobs by 2015 as part of an extensive reorganization program. The planned changes are part of Lufthansa Group’s cost-cutting program, SCORE, to improve operating results by at least €1.5 billion ($2 billion) by the end of 2014. It said 400 out of 650 jobs will be eliminated at Lufthansa Technik’s home base in Hamburg, which houses 8,000 employees. “We have already implemented many innovations in production and optimized processes there, and now we intend similar improvements in administration,” Lufthansa Technik executive board chairman August Wilhelm Henningsen said in a statement.
Hawaiian Airlines pilots have ratified a tentative agreement on new contract terms covering the operation of Airbus A321neos. Hawaiian’s pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). On Jan. 7, the airline agreed to acquire 16 new A321neos, plus nine options. The new acquisitions were contingent upon new agreements with its pilots and flight attendant unions. According to a company statement, Hawaiian is in talks with the Association of Flight Attendants about a similar agreement. The A321neo fleet expansion is expected to generate roughly 1,000 additional jobs for the carrier. The airline said the 190-seat A321neo aircraft will “complement Hawaiian’s existing fleet of widebody, twin-aisle Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 aircraft used for long-haul flying between Hawaii and the US West Coast.”
GKN Aerospace has become a tier one member of the UK’s Manufacturing Technology Center. The company joins other major UK-based aerospace manufacturers, including Airbus and Rolls-Royce, as a high level member of the center, which has been founded in direct response to the UK government’s national manufacturing strategy.
Air Arabia and Indian carrier IndiGo have each taken delivery of their first sharklet-equipped Airbus A320s. Air Arabia is the first Middle East operator of the modified aircraft, while IndiGo is the Indian launch customer.
Air Lease Corp. has signed a five-year lease with Turkey regional carrier Corendon Airlines for one Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which is scheduled for delivery in February. Corendon has experienced significant annual passenger growth since the airline launched in 2005.
Aviation Quote
Definition of 'pilot': The first one to arrive at the scene of an aircraft accident.
Anonymous
On This Date
---In 1908... The Imperial All-Russia Aero Club is founded and raises money through public subscription by imperial decree.
---In 1920... President Woodrow Wilson appoints Orville Wright to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).
--- In 1959... The first jet passenger service across the United States is begun by American Airlines using Boeing 707 jet airliners.
---In 1964…Unmanned Apollo 1 Saturn launcher test attains Earth orbit.
---In 1976…Zeiss planetarium in Hague destroyed by fire.
---In 1984…Space Shuttle 41-B (STS-11) Challenger launched.
---In 2005… Nonstop flights between mainland China and Taiwan take off for the first time since 1949.
Daily Video
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Humor
Heaven Or Hell
There once was a helicopter pilot who lived his whole life without ever taking advantage of any of the people he worked for. In fact, he made sure that every job he did resulted in a win-win situation for someone. One day while walking down the street he was tragically hit by a bus and he died.
His soul arrived up in heaven where he was met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter himself. "Welcome to Heaven," said St. Peter. "Before you get settled in though it seems we have a problem. You see, strangely enough, we've never once had a helicopter pilot make it this far and we're not really sure what to do with you."
"No problem, just let me in." said the master of all things with a rotorhead.
"Well, I'd like to, but I have higher orders. What we're going to do is let you have a day in Hell and a day in Heaven and then you can choose whichever one you want to spend an eternity in."
"Actually, I think I've made up my mind...I prefer to stay in Heaven" said the pilot in fine smart-ass tradition. "Sorry, we have rules..." And with that St. Peter put our hero in an elevator and it went down-down-down to hell. The doors opened and our aviator friend found himself stepping out onto the putting green of a beautiful golf course. In the distance was a country club and standing in front of him were all his friends - guys, that he had worked with and they were all dressed in party suits, and blue jeans, wearing cowboy hats, and looking like a very non-standard, but happy group, and cheering for him. They ran up and shook his hand, and they talked about old times. They played an excellent round of golf and at night went to the country club where he enjoyed an excellent steak and lobster dinner. Our wizard of rotor winged flight met the Devil who was actually a really nice guy, and not at all like a senior officer. He had a great time drinking, telling jokes, drinking, and telling war stories, drinking, and dancing. Oh, and there was some drinking.
Our aviator was having such a good time that before he knew it, it was time to leave. Everybody shook his hand and waved good-bye as he got on the elevator. The elevator went up-up-up and opened back up at the Pearly Gates and found St. Peter waiting for him. "Now it's time to spend a day in heaven." So our faithful pilot spent the next 24 hours lounging around on clouds and playing the harp and singing. He had a great time and before he knew it his 24 hours were up and St. Peter came and got him.
"So, you've spent a day in hell and you've spent a day in heaven. Now you must choose your eternity.
"The master of all that has rotor blades paused for a second and then replied, "Well, I never thought I'd say this, I mean, Heaven has been really great and all, but I think I had a better time in Hell."
So St. Peter escorted him to the elevator and again the pilot went down-down-down back to Hell. When the doors of the elevator opened he found himself standing in a desolate wasteland covered in garbage and filth. He saw his friends were dressed in rags and were picking up the garbage and putting it in sacks. The Devil came up to her and put his arm around him.
"I don't understand," stammered the (seldom) confused helicopter pilot, "yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and a country club and we ate lobster, and we danced and had a great time. Now all there is a wasteland of garbage and all my friends look miserable."
The Devil looked at him and smiled, "That's because yesterday we were recruiting you, but today you're staff."
Trivia
General Trivia
1. A pilot is number two for takeoff behind a McDonnell Douglas MD–80 and notices that the right elevator of the jetliner is up while the left elevator is down. To whom should he report this?
2. On June 1, 2009, an Air France Airbus A330-200 operating between Rio de Janeiro and Paris crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in the vicinity of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. What is the ITCZ and what causes it to develop?
3. What is the maximum amount of lift that the wings of a typical, 2,000-pound general aviation airplane are allowed to develop?
4. How many aircraft carriers did Germany have during World War II, and what were (was) their (its) name(s)?
5. What well-known aircraft accident was the impetus for establishing the Federal Aviation Agency (later named the Federal Aviation Administration) in 1958?
6. What is unique about the Boeing 737-700IGW?
4. How many aircraft carriers did Germany have during World War II, and what were (was) their (its) name(s)?
5. What well-known aircraft accident was the impetus for establishing the Federal Aviation Agency (later named the Federal Aviation Administration) in 1958?
6. What is unique about the Boeing 737-700IGW?
