NewsCivil/Commercial Aviation
Two Turkish Airlines Pilots Freed In Lebanon
Two kidnapped Turkish pilots arrived in Istanbul after leaving Lebanon on Saturday and nine Lebanese hostages freed from Syria landed in Beirut, completing a hostage exchange after months of uncertainty. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan greeted the Turkish Airlines pilots on the tarmac as they disembarked from a Qatar Airways jet and were met with cheers from family members. The Lebanese, seized by Syrian rebels in May 2012, were freed and left northern Syria for Turkey a day earlier as part of the deal negotiated by Qatari mediators. At Beirut Airport, friends and relatives cheered as the men walked onto the tarmac.
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Cost Of Berlin's New Airport Rising
Berlin's long-delayed new airport, which is still without an opening date, will cost more than expected, a member of its supervisory board, Rainer Bretschneider, said on Sunday. Noise insulation and the large terminal building were driving costs beyond the expected EUR€4.3 billion, Bretschneider told German broadcaster ZDF, and additional levies were payable for every month the airport remains closed.
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Discussion
Vietnamese Carriers Plan Fleet Expansion
Vietnam's fledgling airline industry is poised for a boom as local competition heats up with fleet expansions, new routes and planned share offers that are set to make it one of the world's fastest growing markets. Even as the local economy chugs along at about 5 percent growth, its slowest pace in 13 years, demand for domestic air travel is growing by double digits. That is translating into a surprisingly robust new source of business for Airbus, Boeing and regional aircraft makers such as Mitsubishi Aircraft, Bombardier and Embraer. IATA expects Vietnam to become the world's third-fastest growing market for international passengers and freight next year, and second-fastest for domestic passengers. Vietnam's Aviation Department expects 15 percent growth in domestic passengers this year, more than double last year's 7 percent rise.
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Boeing cuts 747-8 production to 1.5 per month
Boeing will again reduce the pace of production of the 747-8 to 1.5 per month, but the company says that it remains committed to the programme over the long-term. The move comes six months after Boeing cut production from two per month to 1.75. The 747-8 Intercontinental has failed to attract new orders from airlines, and the 747-8 Freighter variant has endured a prolonged slump for air cargo traffic. Although Boeing previously voiced confidence that sales could rebound, suppliers such as LMI Aerospace said they were preparing for further production rate cutbacks beyond the reduction to 1.75 last April.
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Bombardier goes all in with Learjet 85
Bombardier re-affirmed on the eve of the NBAA convention that the Learjet 85 will enter service around the third quarter of next year, despite the fact that the aircraft has yet to make its maiden flight. “We are still on track to fly before the end of the year and deliver next year,” Steven Ridolfi, president of Bombardier’s business aircraft division, tells Flightglobal. “I think right now the focus is [the] first flight.” Ridolfi made his comments at Learjet’s facility in Wichita, Kansas, on 17 October, moments before the company unveiled its first Learjet 85 to the public.
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Bombardier identifies CDB as first CSeries buyer in China
Bombardier has identified China's CDB Leasing as a previously undisclosed potential buyer for 15 CSeries aircraft. The conditional purchase agreement signed on 8 July 2012 also includes options for CDB Leasing to buy another 15 CSeries aircraft. If CDB confirms the order, Bombardier would deliver five 110-seat-class CS100 and 10 135-seat-class CS300 aircraft.
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SAS-branded ATR 72-600 enters Jet Time fleet
Danish operator Jet Time has taken delivery of the first ATR 72-600 with which it will conduct regional services for Scandinavian Airlines. SAS Group agreed the wet-lease with Jet Time – which is taking six ATRs from lessor Nordic Aviation Capital – earlier this year.
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Second Suspect Arrested In LAX Ice Bombs Case
A second airport employee was arrested on Friday in connection with two dry ice explosions at Los Angeles Airport, police said. Miguel Angel Iniguez, a 41-year-old employee of airport contractor Servisair, was taken into custody while he was working at the airport, Los Angeles police said in a statement. Police officials did not detail the allegations against Iniguez but said he was a supervisor for 28-year-old Dicarlo Bennett, a Servisair baggage handler who pleaded not guilty on Thursday to explosives charges.
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Hawk trainer iPad trial to start in South Africa
South African air force pilots are to trial the use of iPad tablets with the service’s Hawk lead-in fighter trainers, following the recent completion of “rigorous testing” by airframer BAE Systems. An initial four iPads were delivered to South African officials in September, and will be used to display data such as weather forecasts, landing trajectory information and aircraft technical publications in the cockpit. Pre-trial activities by BAE included conducting ground tests to assess the potential effects of rapid aircraft decompression on the tablet, and any risk of it causing electromagnetic interference for other onboard systems. The question of where to install the iPad was also addressed, with the solution involving a pilot strapping the device to his/her right thigh, above where printed reference cards would traditionally be stowed in a flight suit.
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Gulf states request air-launched weapons worth $10.8 billion
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are seeking to acquire advanced air-launched weapons worth a combined $10.8 billion, to equip their respective fleets of Boeing F-15 and Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters. In total, the Gulf states have requested the purchase of more than 9,500 individual weapons, to be supplied by US manufacturers Boeing and Raytheon, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) says.
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United Continental announces one-time charges for Q3
United Continental Holdings said the carrier's third-quarter results will include $177 million in one-time charges for a labor agreement and merger-related expenses. The carrier will reports its earnings for the quarter on Oct. 24, and analysts predict a profit of $1.54 per share.
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Mexican carrier to order A320s, sources say
VivaAerobus, a Mexican carrier, will confirm an order for 40 Airbus A320s soon, sources say. The airline's fleet now consists of Boeing 737-300s. The low-cost carrier has scheduled a news conference for next week.
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Furloughed FAA, NTSB employees go back to work after shutdown
Furloughed workers at the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board began returning to work after the government shutdown ended on Thursday. Around one-third of the FAA's staff was furloughed during the 16-day partial shutdown, while the NTSB operated with a skeleton staff of fewer than 25 workers.
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Timeline established for AA-US Airways merger trial
American Airlines, US Airways and the Justice Department have laid out the documents and exhibits for the upcoming antitrust trial on the proposed merger between the two carriers. The trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 25, and closing arguments are scheduled for Jan. 6.
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IATA makes progress with permanent bag tags
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) Baggage Working Group has created standards for permanent luggage tags, making progress with XML-based messaging standards and the 10-digit license plate. Notably, since 2007, the baggage mishandling rate has been reduced by more than 50% and that rate is expected to further improve.
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Aviation Quote
You can shoot down every MiG the Soviets employ, but if you return to base and the lead Soviet tank commander is eating breakfast in your snack bar, Jack, you've lost the war.
— Anonymous A-10 Pilot, USAF
On This Date
---In 1929... The Colonial Flying Service and Scully Walton Ambulance Company organize the United State’s 1st civilian air ambulance service.
---In 1960…First flight of the Hawker P.1127 (tethered flight). Predecessor to the Harrier.
---In 1961…First flight of the Breguet Atlantique.
---In 1966…First flight of the Yakovlev Yak-40.
---In 1986…British Airways is offered for public sale by the British government.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
Cuban girl's mother vs. a white girl's mother
A Cuban girl and a white girl were friends. The Cuban girl slept over the
white girl's house. It was 3 a.m., and they were still up. The white girl's mother came downstairs and said, "Honey, don't you think it's time for you
to go to bed?"
The white girl responded, "Shut up Mother, I don't want to go to sleep!"
Her mother said," Okay, honey. You can go to bed later." The Cuban girl was very intrigued by what happened and decided to use that when she got home.
The next night the Cuban girl's mother said to the Cuban girl, "Chica, go to bed! It's late!" The Cuban girl shouted," Shut up Mami, I don't want to go to sleep!" The Cuban girl's mother took one look at her & raised her eyebrow...
The Cuban girl started to blink, looked around, and asked, "Where am I?"
A lady came over to the bed and answered,
"You're in the Intensive Care Unit, Sweetie."
Trivia
General Trivia
1. What is an aerial train?
2. The most common configuration for a twin-engine business jet is for an engine to be mounted on each side of the rear fuselage. What was the first twin-engine turbine airplane to be so configured?
3. What is it called when a) ice becomes water vapor without becoming water in the process, and b) water vapor becomes ice without becoming water in the process?
4. True or false; Supersonic airplanes generate three sonic booms.
5. The world's first radio-equipped air traffic control tower began operation in 1930 and served
A. Cleveland, Ohio.
B. Indianapolis, Indiana.
C. Newark, New Jersey.
D. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
