NewsBalloon hit left A319 pilots with airspeed problemPilots of a TAM Airbus A319 did not cope effectively with unreliable airspeed indications after the aircraft collided with a plastic banner being towed by a hot air balloon, blocking four air data sensors. The aircraft struck the banner at 12,000ft after taking off from Rio de Janeiro on 17 June 2011, as it flew the standard PORTO 6 departure from Santos Dumont airport. Its crew had been advised of the presence of hot air balloons in the terminal airspace. But Brazilian investigation authority CENIPA says the crew’s attention was “diverted” because the captain was demonstrating a flight-management system function to the first officer.
LinkEU Countries To Support "Imperfect" Emissions CompromizeEuropean countries expressed support for an "imperfect" compromise to curb global aviation emissions on Wednesday but still face pressure to drop a key demand - to be able to apply the EU's carbon trading scheme to foreign air carriers. Delegates to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) are meeting in Montreal to try to agree on a path toward creating a global market-based mechanism by 2020 that would help limit growing carbon emissions in the sector. Debate at the ICAO's triennial assembly on Wednesday focused on the most contentious aspect of a global deal - a framework to allow national or regional market-based schemes to apply to airlines before 2020.
LinkSouthwest Airlines Fires Crash Landing PilotSouthwest Airlines said on Wednesday it fired the pilot of a plane that crashed at New York's LaGuardia Airport in July after it touched down on its front landing gear. "Upon completion of our internal review of the Flight 345 accident, last week the captain was terminated and the first officer is being required to undergo additional training," a Southwest spokeswoman said in a statement. The carrier added that it was cooperating in the National Transportation Safety Board probe of the incident. The NTSB said in August that it found the jet's two pilots exchanged control of the Boeing 737 plane shortly before the landing on July 22.
LinkDiscussionRyanair Fined For French Work Law BreachA French court imposed EUR€10 million (USD$13.5 million) of fines and damages on Ryanair on Wednesday for work law breaches and the airline said it would appeal to European courts. The ruling, linked to the treatment of local workers employed on foreign contracts, came days after Ryanair unveiled plans to overhaul an "abrupt" corporate culture and ease a reputation for treating customers badly. "By refusing to submit to French law... Ryanair managed to dump its social costs, which in turn allowed it to reduce its operating expenses, particularly those relating to staff," the prosecutor said in the ruling by a court in southern France.
LinkChina Proceeding Cautiously On C919 JetChina's largest domestically produced aircraft, the C919, may not enter service until early next decade, a delay that gives dominant rivals Boeing and Airbus time to launch their upgraded single-aisle planes first. The Comac C919, which will compete with the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 family of aircraft, was scheduled for its first flight next year, but that has now been delayed until 2015, which pushes the first delivery to around 2017 or 2018, local media have reported. Officials from The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) told Reuters news agency there was a new timeline, but declined to give details. Sources from the state-owned firm and its Western suppliers of systems said the Chinese company is still getting to grips with the complex project.
LinkEmbraer to unveil improvements across business jet platforms Embraer will unveil several improvements to its midsize Legacy 500 and mid-light Legacy 450 business jets on 21 October, at the NBAA Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas. The Brazilian airframer will also reveal enhanced versions of its entry-level Phenom 100 and ultra-large Lineage 1000, it says, as well as displaying its full business jet line-up at the annual industry gathering. During a 25 September briefing, Embraer remained tight-lipped about the enhancements to the jets. But it said it is still aiming for certification and service entry of the eight-passenger Legacy 500 in the first half of 2014 – over a year later than originally planned, due to software glitches with the aircraft’s fly-by-wire control system.
LinkGE unveils newest fuel-saving material for aircraft enginesGeneral Electric has revealed that its Passport 20 engine, destined for the Bombardier 7000 and 8000 ultra-long range business jets, will be partly made using a new form of ceramic matrix composite material, with a wide range of potential applications in the aviation industry. The disclosure by GE on 1 October of the oxide-oxide CMC material in the 16,500lb-thrust (75kN) Passport 20 adds another key data point in the company’s product strategy. GE is investing billions to develop new materials that are lighter and can survive in hotter temperatures. Such materials allow designers to eliminate the elaborate cooling systems that are necessary to prevent metals inside the engine from melting, but reduce fuel efficiency.
LinkGE to launch upgrade for H80 turbopropGeneral Electric will soon launch an upgrade for the H80-series turboprop engine family, to increase its power rating and fuel efficiency. “There are some improvements we can make,” says Brad Mottier, vice-president and general manager of GE Aviation’s business and general aviation division. A company meeting is scheduled for the week of 7 October, to decide on the timing of the formal launch for the next-generation H80 engine, Mottier adds.
LinkFirst commercial UAV flights meet mixed success The first FAA-approved commercial flights of unmanned air vehicles (UAV) met with mixed results following a successful first flight and unsuccessful second. The first flight occurred on 12 September, including the successful launch and recovery of an Insitu ScanEagle. The aircraft, which is routinely flown by the US and UK navies, amongst others, conducted a 36-minute test flight over the Chukchi Sea near northern Alaska.
LinkSmall aerospace companies most at risk from US shutdownSmall aerospace suppliers are likely to be hardest hit if the US government shutdown that began on 1 October over a budgetary impasse continues for weeks or even months, according to industry officials. “They will feel the pain,” says Ali Bahrami, vice-president of civil aviation for the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and former head of the US Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Transport Airplane Directorate in Seattle, Washington. Although the FAA has furloughed 15,000 employees, the air traffic control system was not immediately impacted by the shutdown. Moreover, large aerospace manufacturers like Boeing have employees authorised by the FAA to oversee portions of the airworthiness certification process during the shutdown, Bahrami says.
LinkUS Navy activates first F-35C squadronThe US Navy has stood up its first official Lockheed Martin F-35C squadron in order to train aviators to operate the aircraft. The squadron, VF-101, has been formed using two F-35s, and more will be delivered. Four additional F-35Cs are at NAS Patuxent River for aircraft testing. The F-35C is scheduled to be the final version of the aircraft put into service, with an initial operating capability expected in 2019.
LinkRolls-Royce to set up Global Hawk engine depotRolls-Royce has won a $49 million contract to establish an engine maintenance facility at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. The new facility will perform depot-level maintenance on Rolls-Royce’s AE 3007H, which powers the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned air vehicles (UAV) flown by the US Air Force (USAF) for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The new facility is a public-private partnership, and will be staffed by both Rolls-Royce and US Air Force personnel. Though the US Navy has discussed joint maintenance operations with the USAF for maintenance of the MQ-4C Triton, the Navy’s maritime patrol variant of Global Hawk, there are currently no plans for Navy personnel to join the new facility.
LinkSikorsky receives prototype S-97 Raider fuselageAurora Flight Sciences has shipped the largely carbonfibre fuselage for the S-97 Raider helicopter to Sikorsky’s West Palm Beach flight test centre in Florida. Manufactured at Aurora’s Bridgeport facility in West Virginia, the structure will form part of a prototype of the high-speed compound rotorcraft, which will have a maximum gross take-off weight of 4,990kg (11,000lb). Revealed in 2012, the design draws on Sikorsky’s past experience with flying the X2 coaxial-rotor technology demonstrator.
LinkJudge rejects DOJ delay for AA-US Airways caseThe Department of Justice will not be able to delay its antitrust case against US Airways and American Airlines because of the government shutdown, a judge ruled. "A stay at this point would undermine this schedule and delay the necessary speedy disposition of this matter," U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said.
LinkState of Texas drops out of DOJ merger suitTexas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday that the state was removing itself as a plaintiff in the Department of Justice's lawsuit to block the proposed merger between US Airways and American. "This is a positive development for American and US Airways," said airline consultant George Hamlin. "The suit was presented as a united front between the federal government and a number of states. The front is no longer united."
LinkSouthwest is deciding on international destinations, exec saysBob Montgomery, vice president of airport affairs at Southwest Airlines, said the carrier is still deciding on international destinations. "Right now, we are taking the number of potential passengers and the potential profitability into consideration (of new locations)," Montgomery said. Southwest plans to fly from Houston's Hobby Airport to destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
LinkKey metric at Delta rose by 5.5% in SeptemberPassenger revenue per available seat mile, a key metric for airlines, rose by 5.5% at Delta Air Lines in September. The carrier's consolidated traffic also increased by 1.8% for September on a year-over-year basis as Delta boosted capacity by 1.7% for the month.
LinkBoeing deliveries could be affected by government shutdownWhile airlines will continue flying during the government shutdown, aircraft manufacturers could be affected. Boeing said it will continue to deliver aircraft, but will not be able to make deliveries if the aircraft requires certification by the Federal Aviation Administration. "We urge Congress and the Administration to reach an agreement quickly to avoid further impacting the nascent economic recovery," said Jean Medina, spokeswoman for Airlines for America.
LinkAirlines offer personal touch through optional servicesAirlines continue to expand optional services for travelers, allowing customers to determine which services they value and want to purchase. "It offers the potential for an airline to better tailor service to the needs of individual customers," said Jay Sorensen, CEO of IdeaWorks. "They can click and buy the amenities they want rather than the airline deciding what is bundled in the base fare."
LinkReport: Boeing contributed $70B to Wash. economy As a preface to the campaign to win local work on the next Boeing jet, a new report commissioned by advocates for the aerospace industry estimates the jet-maker directly and indirectly injected $70 billion into the local economy last year. Ten years after the state Legislature passed a massive package of tax reductions and other incentives to persuade Boeing to put its 787 Dreamliner assembly line in Everett, the report is designed to lay out what’s at stake this time around. Boeing is considering where to locate final assembly and wing fabrication of the 777X — a pending new version of the 777, which is currently built in Everett.
LinkJetBlue premium service will appeal to core customer, CEO saysDave Barger, the CEO of JetBlue Airways, said the carrier's premium service will appeal to its core customers. "Our core customer, really out of New York to L.A. and San Francisco, tends not to be the corporate customer," he said. "It is a small business owner, it is a high-end leisure traveler, it is someone making a special trip."
LinkPassenger traffic drops at Fla. airportFewer passengers traveled through Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Fla., in the first seven months of 2013. Passenger traffic dipped 1.7% to 361,000 passengers when compared to the same time period in 2012.
LinkReport examines when to purchase flights You’re still here? Go buy your tickets—go! Data analyzed by online flight-booking service Kayak indicate that early October is the best time to book US domestic flights for travel around Christmas or New Year’s. And if you’re traveling around Thanksgiving, the moment has already passed.
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