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A350 begins south-east Asian flight tests
Airbus's fifth aircraft in its A350 test fleet, MSN5, has commenced a series of flight tests between Singapore and Hong Kong. The series of function and reliability tests will look at how the the A350-900 will perform in typical airline service, with an emphasis on short turnarounds, operating in hot, tropical conditions, and the impact of the environment on aircraft systems. On a 29 July flight, the aircraft departed Singapore during mid-morning with about 51t of fuel, and took over 5h to fly to Hong Kong.
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Airbus terminates Skymark order for six A380s
Airbus has informed Japanese carrier Skymark Airlines that its order for six A380s has been terminated. The airframer says it has taken the action "in accordance with its contractual rights". Skymark had already disclosed that it was discussing with Airbus a possible cancellation of the 2011 order. But Airbus says that, "in light of [Skymark's] expressed intentions" in respect of the A380, it has "notified" the airline that the purchase order for the six aircraft "has been terminated".
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Flights Delayed By Military Exercises In China
Military exercises have become a new headache for Chinese carriers, causing hundreds of flight delays and cancellations just as they are grappling with a sharp decline in earnings. In one of the most serious air disruptions so far, authorities issued a red alert on Tuesday, resulting in a near shut down of 20 airports in eastern China between 2 pm and 6 pm local time. Air traffic capacity could fall by three quarters at Shanghai's two main airports, they warned. The military exercises, which political analysts say are larger in scope and duration than in years past, come amid an increase in tensions with Japan and other Asian nations, although the government has called them annual and routine. The delays could affect flights until mid-August, Beijing's Public Security Bureau said last week.
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FAA seeks lower height limits on buildings near airports
The Federal Aviation Administration wants to reduce height limits on buildings near airports, but the proposal has sparked disputes between airlines and airports that support the change, and development interests worried about hurting property values. The FAA says buildings should be shorter to bolster safety at 388 airports nationwide, to give pilots more options up to 10 miles from an airport in case one of an airliner's two engines fails while taking off or landing. The policy change would affect 4,000 tall buildings near airports and 4,000 more that are planned nationwide, according to a 2012 analysis by the Weitzman Group real-estate consultants in New York. Many more developments that haven't yet filed applications with the FAA could be affected, according to study author Peter Bazeli, senior vice president of Weitzman.
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HondaJet plans international expansion, CEO says
HondaJet, based in Greensboro, N.C., recently announced plans to expand into Latin America and China. President and CEO Michimasa Fujino said he sees a lot of potential in Brazil and China. The aircraft manufacturer could also soon move into Japan as the country prepares for the 2020 Olympic Games.
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MH17: ICAO task force pursues accurate threat analysis
ICAO is establishing a task force which aims to examine ways to reinforce the collection of accurate information about conflict zones, and improve their risk assessment during route planning. The senior-level task force – which government and industry representatives will be invited to join – is being set up in the wake of the loss of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, possibly after a missile strike, over Ukraine. ICAO secretary general Raymond Benjamin, speaking during a briefing in Montreal, said the destruction of MH17 was “unacceptable” and had raised “troubling concerns” about operating over regions caught up in armed conflict.
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Swiftair Crash: Crew of ill-fated MD-83 asked to turn back
French government officials have disclosed that the crew of the Swiftair Boeing MD-83 which crashed in Mali had sought to turn back during the flight. The aircraft came down while operating an Air Algerie service from Ouagadougou to Algiers on 24 July. French foreign affairs minister Laurent Fabius told a briefing that the weather was “bad” during the night flight and that the crew had asked to divert.
LinkAirlines
American Airlines to launch service to Cap-Haitien, Haiti
American Airlines is adding flights from Miami to a second city in Haiti. The airline based in Fort Worth, Texas, announced Monday that daily service between Miami International Airport and Cap-Haitien, Haiti, would begin Oct. 2. The route joins the airline's current nonstop service from Miami to Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince.
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Delta to offer Salt Lake City-Amsterdam flights
Delta Air Lines will add a second trans-Atlantic route from its Salt Lake City hub next spring, launching nonstop service to Amsterdam in 2015. Delta will begin flying the Salt Lake City-Amsterdam route on May 1, starting with five flights a week before going to daily service on May 17. Delta will fly the route on a seasonal basis into October using Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.
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Delta offers customers free in-flight entertainment
Delta Air Lines announced that, starting Aug. 1., economy-class passengers will be able to stream free movies and TV shows on their own devices and via seat-back screens. The airline will still charge for certain premium content, and the new service will not be available on its regional jets.
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United to bolster operation performance at 3 hubs
United Airlines plans to rebank flights at its hubs of Chicago, Denver and Houston to allow shorter times between connecting flights for passengers. "We have more confidence in our operational reliability going forward to permit those connections to occur without undue misconnects," said United CEO Jeff Smisek.
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United Airlines debuts globe-trotting safety video
Not to be outdone by the song and dance of Virgin America’s latest safety video, United is rolling out a new safety film of its own. Shot across a raft of United Airlines destinations, the video pays tribute to the kangaroos of Down Under with an oh-so-subtle "remove the pouch" instruction, much to the whimpering of the nearby kangaroo troop...
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WestJet to add four 767-300s, exercise five Q400 options
WestJet will acquire four Boeing 767-300ER aircraft to launch its first widebody flights in late 2015, and the carrier's regional subsidiary WestJet Encore has converted options to acquire five additional Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprops. The 767s will initially operate routes between cities in Alberta and Hawaii, says WestJet, adding that it "expects to expand its operation into overseas markets starting in the summer of 2016." The carrier does not say who it is acquiring the widebodies from. The announcement, made in the airline's second quarter 2014 earnings release, comes roughly two weeks after the carrier announced it was in the "advanced stages" of sourcing the aircraft.
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WestJet's Q2 Profit Rises 16 Percent
WestJet Airlines reported a 16 percent rise in quarterly earnings, helped by a 5.5 percent rise in revenue passenger miles. The Calgary, Alberta-based airline said its net profit rose to CAD$51.8 million (USD$47.9 million) in the second-quarter ended June 30, from CAD$44.7 million a year earlier. Revenue rose 10.3 percent to CAD$930.7 million. WestJet's revenue per available seat mile rose about 5 percent in the second quarter ended June 30 compared with a year earlier. Load factor rose to 79.6 percent from 79.4.
LinkMilitary
Australia pushes for Harpoon integration on P-8As
Negotiations have commenced between Boeing and the US Department of Defense to secure integration of the AGM-84 Harpoon Block 1G anti-ship missile with the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, on behalf of the type’s Australian customer. Canberra announced in February it had approved the acquisition of eight P-8As for the Royal Australian Air Force, plus four options.
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Australian auditors slam bungled NH90 procurement
In a scathing report, Australian auditors have blamed a series of procurement errors and “development deficiencies” for the delayed service entry of the nation’s fleet of NH Industries NH90 helicopters. Final operational capability (FOC) for the rotorcraft is now not anticipated before April 2019 – almost five years late. In the meantime, the Australian Army Aviation Corps has had to continue operating its fleet of aging Sikorsky S-70A Black Hawks beyond their planned retirement date. The Royal Australian Navy has been left with a capability gap following the withdrawal from service of its Westland Sea King 50As in 2011.
LinkGeneral Aviation
New Mooney ownership reveals relaunch plans
Mooney Aviation returned to Oshkosh after a five-year hiatus in grand style, revealing a backlog of 14 orders, delivering the first aircraft off a restarted production line and disclosing plans to offer a diesel engine-powered version. A US-based company with Chinese investors led by Jerry Chen, a former aerodynamics professor at the University of Southern California, acquired Mooney last October, resurrecting the Texas-based company after it was forced into its latest round of bankruptcy in late 2008. Mooney has a rich history with 85 years of existence,” says Chen. “Our plan is to continue to build an organization that will be sustained for another 85 years and beyond.”
LinkAviation Quote
Airshow flying is tough, it's even tougher if you do something stupid. Don't do nuthin dumb!
— Ralph RoyceOn This Date
---In 1909... The Rinji Gunyo Kikyu Kenkyu Kai (Provisional Committee for Military Balloon Research) is formed in Japan.
---In 1914…Norwegian pilot Tryggve Gran makes the first crossing of the North Sea by airplane, flying his Bleriot from Cruden Bay, Scotland to Revtangen, Norway. Unfortunately for Mr. Gran, Europe was focused on the conflagration which would become World War I, which had begun brewing a month earlier with the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, and Gran’s feat received little attention.
---In 1921... Swiss pilot, Francois Durafour, achieves a daring first by landing his airplane on the slopes of Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain in the Alps.
---In 1924... Two Japanese airmen, Yukichi Goto and his flight engineer Minezo Yonezawo, return to Osaka after completing the first flight around Japan. The flight covers 2,727 miles and takes over 33 hours.
---In 1935... Lieutenant Frank Akers of the U.S. Navy becomes the first person to make a “blind” landing at sea. His biplane has a hooded cockpit allowing him to see only his controls and instruments. He lands on the USS Langley.
---In 1958…First flight of the de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou CF-KTK-X.
---In 1971…All Nippon Airways Flight 58, a 727-200 (JA8329) collides with a Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-86F fighter jet (92-7932) 26,000 feet above Shizukuishi, Japan, killing all 162 on board the airliner. The fighter pilot ejected and survived. At the time it was the deadliest air disaster in history.
---In TWA Flight 843, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar (N11002) departing New York’s JFK Airport (JFK) for San Francisco (SFO), aborts takeoff shortly after liftoff, skids off the end of Runway 13R and burns. Despite the fire and only three available exits, all 280 passengers and 12 crew manage to escape with their lives. The NTSB would conclude pilot error was to blame for the accident, but witnesses say the plane was on fire before it lifted off.Daily Video
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Trivia
How about some General Aviation for a change?
Identify the airplanes:
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miamiair wrote:How about some General Aviation for a change?
