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SkyWest orders 40 E-175s for United flights
US regional carrier SkyWest has ordered 40 Embraer E-Jets. It will operate the Embraer 175 regional jets under a capacity-purchase agreement with United Airlines. Deliveries of the aircraft - to be configured in a 76-seat, dual-class layout - are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2014 and conclude in 2015. The order also includes 60 "reconfirmable aircraft" which are subject to SkyWest winning CPA contracts from other US airlines. St George, Utah-based SkyWest is also taking options on an additional 100 aircraft.
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Erupting Alaska Volcano Disrupts Flights
One of Alaska's most active volcanoes, which has been belching ash and spewing lava since last week, has forced regional flight cancellations and dusted some nearby communities with ash, scientists and local officials said. Pavlof Volcano has sent up ash as high as 22,000 feet, with the cloud blowing eastward and the eruption showing no signs of abating, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. The lava from its 8,261-foot (2,518-meter) peak has also created huge steam clouds on meeting the mountain's snow.
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Global Business Aviation Sees Signs of Recovery
Leaders of the multi-billion dollar global business aviation industry see signs of recovery from four years of recession but they appealed to governments to ease the way ahead by cutting taxes and red tape. The call was issued by executives from Europe and North America before the opening on Tuesday of the EBACE conference and exhibition, a major annual showcase for aircraft builders, equipment suppliers and service companies. "The signs are encouraging," Ed Bolen, chief executive of the North American Business Aviation Association (NBAA), told reporters. "We are seeing progress in all sectors, but it is very fragile."
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Honda Passenger Jet US Certification Delayed
Honda Motor's small passenger jet will not be licensed to fly by authorities in the United States until the second half of 2014, a year later than the company originally planned, Honda said on Tuesday. Honda expects the US Federal Aviation Administration to certify the unconventional-looking HondaJet late next year, the company said in a statement. It had initially expected the aircraft to win flight approval in 2013, but this was held up due to a minor issue in the certification procedure, which has since been resolved. "There was a minor issue in the process of the engine approval, but the fundamental design of the jet is not being swayed by this," Honda spokesman Shigeki Endo said.
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Air Arabia Raises USD$350 Mln For Aircraft
Budget airline Air Arabia, the only publicly-listed carrier in the United Arab Emirates, signed a USD$350 million loan to finance its purchase of 10 new Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said in a statement on Tuesday. The Sharjah-based airline said Qatar National Bank and Abu Dhabi-based Commercial Bank International arranged the loan, without providing terms of the loan facility.
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Like any business, airlines need to cover their costs
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called on airlines to drop plans that would hike change fees. "Like any business, airlines need to cover their costs. An airline ticket is no different in some respects than a ticket to a concert or a ballgame, once the plane has left or the event has passed, there is no ability to sell the ticket," said A4A spokesman Vaughn Jennings.
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Senate to question DOT nominee Anthony Foxx this week
Anthony Foxx, President Barack Obama's nominee for transportation secretary, is scheduled to go before lawmakers to respond to questions before his nomination can be approved and voted upon. He is the mayor of Charlotte, N.C., and formerly served as a lawyer in the Justice Department and was a House Judiciary Committee staffer. His confirmation hearing will begin Wednesday.
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SFO plans to spend $4.1 billion in upgrades
The San Francisco International Airport plans to spend $4.1 billion over the next decade to improve the facilities, creating more than 36,000 jobs. The capital improvement projects will consist of Terminal 3 concourse and security area renovations as well as a complete renovation of the boarding area B in Terminal 1 and the opening of a 400-room luxury hotel on airport grounds.
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Boeing Open to Raising 787 Output Again to Shrink Backlog
Boeing Co. Chief Executive Officer James McNerney is open to another increase in production rates for the 787 Dreamliner so the world’s largest planemaker can shrink a backlog of 840 jets. A faster tempo would give Boeing a chance to attract new customers, McNerney said today an interview, as waiting times now run six years or more. Output is already supposed to double in 2013 to 10 a month, and he didn’t give a possible goal. “We haven’t decided to do that yet, because we’re just trying to keep our feet underneath us,” McNerney said aboard United Airlines (UAL) Flight 1 from Houston to Chicago as the 787 resumed U.S. flying after a three-month grounding. “That’s one thing we could do to bring the backlog down and make spaces for people who want to buy the aircraft.”
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France officially undecided on UAV selection
France remains in talks with both the United States and Israel over the purchase of large unmanned air vehicles (UAV). Despite reports that a selection has been made, France officially remains in discussions with both the US and Israel for replacement of its leased Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron UAVs. The replacements, either another batch of Herons or the General Atomics - Aeronautical Systems International (GA-ASI) Predator, are eagerly anticipated by the nation for its ongoing military operations in Mali.
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RAF Voyager launches tanker operations with Tornado
A UK Royal Air Force crew has flown the first air-to-air refuelling (AAR) training flight with the service's new A330 Voyager tanker/transport, just four months before its last Vickers VC10s are due to be retired. Performed from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 May in support of Panavia Tornado GR4s, the milestone followed the Ministry of Defence's approval of release to service for tanker operations. This was granted to Voyager fleet provider AirTanker Services on 16 May. Simulator-based training had previously been completed at Brize Norton for the first crews from the RAF's 10 Sqn to perform the AAR task.
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French NH90 school to start training flights
The NH Industries NH90 has been cleared to begin providing training for French crews at Le Luc air base in Provence. The ready-for-training milestone was declared in mid-May, clearing the way for joint training for French army and navy students to begin before the end of the month, says Col Arvind Badrinath, NH90 programme manager for France's DGA defence procurement agency.
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Aviation Quote

I confess that in 1901, I said to my brother Orville that man would not fly for fifty years. . . . Ever since, I have distrusted myself and avoided all predictions.

— Wilbur Wright, in a speech to the Aero Club of France, 5 November 1908.

On This Date

---In 1906... The Wright brothers are granted US patent No. 821,393 for their airplane control system.

---In 1929... Pan American Airways inaugurates a new passenger service from Miami, Florida to Managua, Panama with stops at Belize. The journey by a F.VII/3ns takes 56 hours.

---In 1946…First flight of the de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk.

---In 1967…The McDonnell Douglas DC-8-62 enters service with SAS.

---In 1967… Mele Vojvodich flew an A-12 (937) non-stop from Groom Lake to Kadena in 6 hours and 6 minutes, 6,873 miles. Due to the secrecy of the BLACK SHIELD operations, this flight was not recognized as a new transpacific speed record. (Q)

---In 1990... The German Luftwaffe flies the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter for the last time before it is withdrawn from service; the airplane was nicknamed “the widow-maker” because of its terrible safety record – in its five years of service, 110 Starfighter pilots were killed.

Daily Video

Editor’s Choice

Humor
Engine Blew Up

While cruising at 40,000 feet, the airplane shuddered and Mr. Benson looked out the window. “Good lord!” he screamed, “One of the engines just blew up!”
Other passengers left their seats and came running over. Suddenly the aircraft was rocked by a second blast as yet another engine exploded on the other side. The passengers were in a panic now, and even the stewardesses couldn't maintain order.
Just then, standing tall and smiling confidently, the pilot strode from the cockpit and assured everyone that there was nothing to worry about. His words and his demeanor made most of the passengers feel better, and they sat down as the pilot calmly walked to the door of the aircraft. There, he grabbed several packages from under the seats and began handing them to the flight attendants. Each crew member attatched the package to their backs.
“Say,” spoke up an alert passenger, “Aren't those parachutes?”
The pilot said they were. The passenger went on, “But I thought you said there was nothing to worry about?”
“There isn't,” replied the pilot as a third engine exploded. “We're going to get help.”

Trivia

Who am I?
Thanks to Queso for today’s trivia.

1. First flown in 2001, I am the longest airliner currently in production and I can seat 419 in my 2 class seating arrangement. Who am I?

2. I am very famous for the shark-toothed paint job that one group of my operators put onto my nose. Almost 14,000 of my type were built and operated by 28 different nations including the United States and the Soviet Union. I guest-starred in movies along side the likes of John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and John Belushi. Who am I?

3. I am a 2-seat, rag-and-tube plane first sold in 1964 who loves to fly upside-down and do loops and spins! In fact, my name is my primary reason for flying, (roughly) spelled backwards! Who am I?

4. I have been the King of the Skies for over 30 years, maintaining an air-superiority for the 4 countries who operate my type with an unmatched 104-to-0 kill ratio. One of my type once had an in-flight collision with another aircraft and it's skillful pilot safely landed the aircraft in spite of missing the entire right wing! Who am I?

5. I was the first (and perhaps only) aircraft to have flown with an operating nuclear reactor aboard. I was so heavy the designers went through several landing gear designs to help spread my tremendous weight across the tarmac. In fact, my payload was almost as much as the empty weight of one of the aircraft I replaced! And even though there were several innovative features included in my design such as my "pusher" engines and propellers, I was replaced in service by much faster aircraft after just a few years. Who am I?

6. Developed from a fighter jet design originally planned for Switzerland, my name is sometimes used synonymously as "business jet". I set the standard for small jets with two engines at the rear and a T-tail. Sleek and quite beautiful for the early 1960's era in which I was introduced, I could carry my 2 crew and 6 passengers up to 1,500 miles at well over 500 mph and up to 41,000 feet. The Argentine Air Force even used a couple of my type during the Falklands Island War to act as decoy strike aircraft sent to attack British ships! Who am I?

7. Operated by a tire and rubber company, I am 192 feet long, 59.5 feet tall, and 50 feet wide. I have a cruising speed of 35 mph in calm wind and I carry 6 passengers. You may have seen me circling major sporting events, and two of my type played a major role in the movie "Black Sunday". Who am I?

8. 7,000 of my type earned our keep transporting and evacuating troops in the jungles of Vietnam. We've served with every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, several civilian branches of government, as well as being dependable and reliable money-makers for civilian businesses in jobs such as spraying crops, moving logs and carrying oil workers to and from offshore platforms. My design was also modified by making it much slimmer and lighter to produce one of the most successful gunships ever created and it was named after a snake, even though I share a name with a Baby. Who am I?

9. I am the only commercially successful supersonic passenger aircraft ever produced (thus far). Who am I?

10. I am most successful mass produced light aircraft in history. My type was first flown in 1955 and is still in production. As of 2008, more than 43,000 of my type had been built. I have seats for 4 people and can do a reasonable job of carrying them 600 nm at a speed of about 120 knots. My high wing, tricycle landing gear, and fixed-pitch prop design features and reasonable acquisition and operating cost make me a popular choice as a training aircraft as well. Who am I?