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NTSB assigns investigator to lead TBM 900 crash probe
The US National Transportation Safety Board has assigned a lead investigator to examine the cause of a Daher-Socata TBM 900 crash off the coast of Jamaica on 5 September, but says it is unable to begin the probe until the wreckage has been located. The seven-seat single-engined turboprop – registration N900KN – plunged into the sea 12nm (22km) off the coast of Jamaica, after flying hundreds of miles beyond its intended destination. The occupants of the high-speed turboprop were US businessman and president of the TBM Owners and Pilots Association Larry Glazer and his wife. Glazer was US launch customer for the TBM 900, having taken delivery of the fourth-generation TBM in March.
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Airbus To Deliver Qatar A380s, Possible Delay To A320neo Testing
Airbus will deliver the first of ten A380s to Qatar Airways but may delay the first flight of the A320neo due to possible engine issues. After a three-month dispute that had blocked delivery of the A380s, Qatar has agreed to take the new jet, people familiar with the matter said. Airbus declined to comment. Qatar Airways, which had refused to take delivery of the first three aircraft, citing concerns about the quality of the cabin interior, was not available for comment. In July, its chief executive said he would seek compensation for the delay.
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Alcoa Signs USD$1 Billion Deal With Boeing
Alcoa has signed a long-term supply contract with Boeing that is worth more than USD$1 billion. The contract is the largest ever between the two companies, said Alcoa, a longtime Boeing supplier. It did not disclose a precise value or time frame for the deal. Alcoa has been expanding its aerospace business and announced a USD$2.85 billion deal in June to buy jet engine part maker Firth Rixson. Although it helped create the modern aluminum industry more than a century ago, Alcoa is eager to produce higher-margin, specialized parts for aerospace and automotive customers, even if they contain other metals or no aluminum at all.
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Boeing, Airbus Studying Production Increases
Boeing and Airbus are seriously considering whether to increase production rates on the 737 and A320. Airbus is studying whether to increase production of the A320-family aircraft beyond the 46 a month already targeted for 2016, with a decision possible by year-end, Airbus Americas President Barry Eccleston told the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit in Washington. "If we're going to make that decision, we would want to make that decision as soon as possible, because the market's already there," Eccleston said. Separately, Boeing has considered increasing production of the 737 to more than 47 a month, Chief Operating Officer Dennis Muilenburg said at the summit. Boeing's current 737 output is 42 a month, with plans to lift the rate to 47 a month in 2017.
LinkAirlines
ACT A300's gear collapse traced to undetected fatigue
French investigators have determined that fatigue cracking in the undercarriage of an ACT Airlines Airbus A300B4 freighter caused the left main landing-gear to collapse after touchdown in Afghanistan. The aircraft (TC-ACB) had been arriving at Bagram after a cargo service from Bahrain on 1 March 2010. Its crew had already been alerted to a possible problem during the visual approach to runway 21 because cockpit indications showed the left main gear was not locked, and an absence of pressure in the green hydraulic system. The A300 carried out two passes of the airport in order for air traffic controllers to observe the state of the undercarriage. It appeared normal but the pilots opted for a minimum-speed approach at 160kt. About 18s after touchdown, during braking, the left gear collapsed, says French investigation authority BEA. The A300 departed the runway and came to rest 2,000m beyond the threshold. All five crew evacuated without injury.
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Air France-KLM targets annual EBITDAR growth with new plan
Air France-KLM will today detail its new business plan, Perform 2020, aimed at supporting its group target of lifting EBITDAR by 8-10% annually between now and 2017. The plan follows on from its Transform 2015 initiative, the first phase of its restructuring. "Transform 2015 will be completed by the year end having fully delivered on its objective of significantly improving the group’s competitiveness and delivering a €1 billion-plus reduction in costs," says Air France chief executive Alexandre de Juniac. Air France-KLM returned to profit, recording a modest gain €130 million ($173 million), at an operating level in 2013, but heavy net losses have continued. "Perform 2020, the strategic plan we are launching today, will be supported by two main levers: growth, which we are looking to capture in a number of areas, and competitiveness combined with financial discipline," says de Juniac. "This is why the ambitious initiatives we are launching today will go hand in hand with redoubled efforts to reduce costs and restructure activities which remain loss-making."
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American succeeds in re-banking Miami hub
American Airlines has re-banked its hub at Miami International Airport, scheduling flights close together to make connections easier and boost revenue. "An additional person per flight will make a difference," said Robert Isom, chief operating officer for American, who estimated re-banking will provide $200 million in annual cost savings. Next year, the carrier plans to re-bank its hubs at Chicago and Dallas-Fort Worth.
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American flight attendants to access manuals on tablets
American Airlines has deployed electronic manuals for flight attendants on tablets instead of paper manuals. "The tablet allows us to reduce our dependency on paper products and to share important safety information with our flight attendants more quickly," said Hector Adler, vice president of flight service for American Airlines.
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Delta extends seasonal service to Virgin Islands
Delta will extend its new Saturday service between Atlanta and St. Croix through Aug. 15. The seasonal service, which begins on Dec. 20, originally was scheduled to end on May 10. Representatives from the U.S. Virgin Islands' Department of Tourism recently spent several weeks in Atlanta and Minneapolis telling consumers, travel agents, tour operators and the media about the new Delta service.
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Airlines boost customer service via social media
Airlines have ramped up customer service hiring to ensure they can respond to passengers over social media. "Most airlines are finding social media channels to be a very cost-effective way to deal with customer service issues as well as marketing opportunities," said Ragy Thomas, the founder of Sprinklr.
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Gogo, T-Mobile collaborate on in-flight texting services
Gogo and T-Mobile US are partnering to provide free in-flight texting and "visual voice mail" on phones using airplane mode. The service will debut on more than 2,000 U.S. aircraft on Sept. 17.
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Apple Watch could make traveling easier, experts say
The Apple Watch, slated for release in 2015, could make traveling easier by offering mobile boarding passes, experts say. The smart watch could include maps of airport terminals and relay information on flights through beacon technology, according to experts.
LinkAirports
Heathrow, Gatwick Airports Have Busiest Month Ever
The UK's two biggest airports, London's Heathrow and Gatwick, both reported their busiest months on record in August as they battle to be chosen by the government as the site for expansion. Heathrow, Britain's busiest airport, said on Thursday over 7 million passengers travelled through its terminals in August, topping July's record-high of 6.97 million passengers. That was 1.3 percent higher than in the same month last year, boosted by a 15.3 percent increase in passenger traffic with Mexico and a 9.3 percent rise with China. Gatwick carried 4.4 million passengers, up 8.2 percent on August last year, helped by a 13.6 percent rise in travel to the United Arab Emirates, and a 34.8 percent increase in the number of passengers traveling to Istanbul in Turkey. A government-appointed commission is due to make a recommendation on where to expand London's airport capacity next year, from a short-list of two options at Heathrow, to the west of London, and one at Gatwick, to the south.
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LAX to feature 20 new brands in Terminal 2
Westfield Group today revealed details of the new-look retail and food & beverage offer at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Terminal 2, where it is master concessions developer. The company will introduce 20 new brands (see below), including nine from Southern California, amid the US$300 million transformation of T2. Westfield’s 16,100sq ft dining and retail collection will introduce eight new airport firsts, as the developer targets a +35% increase in sales from this development compared to the previous T2.
LinkUAV
Portugal police force furthers UAV use
The Portuguese police force is one year into using fixed-wing unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) as part of an initiative to offer low-cost airborne surveillance. The Polícia de Segurança Pública (public security police/PSP) is using Portuguese company Tekever’s systems, the acquisition of which comes under a three-part initiative that is currently seeing the PSP assess its rotary-wing requirements. In its initial assessment the PSP considered different options, but opted for cost-effective UAVs, including the Tekever AR1 Blue Ray hand-launched system, which was designed for use by law enforcement personnel.
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Aviation Quote
I didn't take this job to preside over a bankruptcy. I refuse to accept that United Airlines is collateral damage from Sept. 11.
— Jack Creighton, new chairman and CEO of UAL Corporation, 28 October 2001. UAL entered bankruptcy on 9 December 2002.
On This Date
---In 1916... The 1st pilotless radio-controlled aerial bomb is tested in the United States. It is actually a small biplane that can fly radio-guided for 50 miles with 308 pounds of bombs aboard.
---In 1918…The US Army Air Service and French Army assemble over 1200 war planes for the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, in what is at the time the largest aircraft force ever assembled for a single operation. The Allies would win the battle.
---In 1961…A predecessor of the first Harrier fighter jet, the experimental Hawker Siddeley P.1127 makes the first transition between horizontal and vertical flight.
---In 1992…Space Shuttle Endeavor launches on the 50th Space Shuttle mission, STS-47. On this flight, the first African American woman, Mae Carol Jemison, and the first Japanese citizen, Mamoru Mohri, enter space. Also, Mark Lee and Jan Davis are the first couple to marry in space.
---In 1994…A man named Frank Eugene Corder flies a Cessna 150 into the south lawn of the White House, killing himself. He was supposedly drunk and had no intention of harming the President, but merely sought attention. President Bill Clinton was not home at the time.
---In 2006…First flight of the Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter.
---In 2008…British charter airline XL Airways UK, a subsidiary of the XL Leisure Group, ceases operations with immediate effect, due to a deteriorating financial position. 90,000 Britons holidaying abroad are left stranded. It had been the 3rd largest package holiday group in the UK. XL Airways France and Germany are sold and continue operations.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
Pope and The Paratrooper
The Pope dies unexpectedly and finds himself at the gates of Heaven at 0300. He knocks on the gate and a very sleepy eyed angel opens the gate and asks, "wadda you want?" "I'm the recently deceased Pope and have done 63 years of Godly works and thought I should check in here."
The Heaven's gate watch checks his clipboard and says, "I ain't got no orders for you here, just bring your stuff and we'll sort this out in the morning" Off they go to an old W.W.I.I. barracks, 3rd floor, open bay. All the bottom racks are taken and all empty lockers have no doors. The Pope stows his gear under a rack and climbs into an upper bunk.
The next morning he awakens to sounds of cheering and clapping. He goes to the window and sees a shiny convertible coming down from the golden headquarters building on the hill. The sidewalks are lined with Angels cheering and throwing confetti. In the back seat of the convertible is a ole Paratrooper, his Jump Wings shining on his chest, a cigar in his mouth, a can of beer in one hand and his other arm around a beautiful blonde Angel.
This upsets the Pope greatly and he runs downstairs to heaven's gates and says, "Hey, explain this to me, here I am, the recently deceased Pope, and I have spent 63 years doing Godly deeds on Earth and am here in open bay barracks, and I see this old Paratrooper that I know has committed every sin known to man, staying in the mansion on the hill and getting a hero's welcome. How can this be?"
St. Peter calmly looks up and says, "We get a Pope up here every 20 or 30 years, but this is the first Paratrooper we've ever had".
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