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CDC Director: Zero risk of transmission on flight
Health officials say the risk of spreading Ebola through air travel is extremely low because the disease is not airborne, travelers from affected countries are screened before boarding and it cannot be transmitted if there are no symptoms present. "At this point, there is zero risk of transmission on the flight," CDC Director Tom Frieden said. "It does not spread from someone who doesn't have fever or other symptoms." WHO officials echoed that message saying, "The risk of a traveler becoming infected with Ebola virus during a visit to the affected areas and developing the disease after returning is extremely low, even if the visit included travel to areas where primary cases have been reported."
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Airbus to use lithium batteries eventually for A350
Airbus plans to outfit the A350 with lithium batteries starting in 2016. The A350 recently received certification for nickel-cadmium batteries from European safety regulators. "We gave a little time to the authorities to review the certification requirements for a lithium solution," said Didier Evrard, the program chief for the A350.
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Boeing raises 737 yearly delivery target to 624 in 2018
Boeing has announced a plan to further increase 737 production to 52 aircraft per month, or 624 aircraft per year, in 2018. The latest capacity boost adds to existing plans to raise production from 42 currently to 47 per month in 2017, as Boeing introduces the 737 Max in the third quarter of that year. “Our thorough analysis tells us the single-aisle market continues to expand and is the fastest growing, most dynamic segment of the market,” says Boeing marketing vice-president Randy Tinseth, in a news release. Boeing has more than 4,000 orders for the 737NG and the 737 Max in the backlog. The 737NG is expected to remain in production through the second quarter of 2019, with the last delivery to Ryanair.
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Lessor deals a longer-term goal for MRJ team
Mitsubishi Aircraft is not immediately expecting an MRJ order from the leasing community, despite the regional jet type having amassed 191 firm orders plus 184 option or purchase-right commitments. "We are in discussions with certain lessors," the Japanese airframer's executive vice-president of sales and marketing Masao Yamagami told Flightglobal at the general assembly of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) in Barcelona yesterday. He says lessors generally need a larger customer base before committing for an order. "Our sales team has done a good job in securing six customers, but we don't have the customer base yet for lessors," he says.
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Nearly 750 Flights Cancelled In Chicago
Stormy weather and operational problems caused by a fire last week at a Chicago-area air traffic control facility forced the cancellation of nearly 750 flights on Thursday at Chicago airports. Nearly 450 flights at O'Hare Airport have been cancelled and delays are averaging 20 minutes, according to the city's department of aviation. Nearly 300 flights were cancelled at Midway Airport and some flight delays were averaging 20 minutes or more. Southwest Airlines, the largest airline serving Midway, cancelled all flights after noon. The National Weather Service said much of the Chicago area would get about an inch of rain from severe thunderstorms on Thursday.
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Airlines

Airlines Battle Ebola With Heat Scans, Hand Wash
Airlines and airports handling travel to countries worst hit by the Ebola epidemic are trying to prove that flying to West Africa is safe, following concerns that the first case diagnosed in the United States could curtail services. Some airlines have already suspended or cut back flights since the summer, and only one European carrier now offers direct services to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. However, those still operating have taken measures to protect passengers and crew. The US Ebola case, involving a man who arrived from Liberia last month, has led to worries about a spread of the virus outside West Africa, where at least 3,338 people have died in the worst outbreak on record.
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Delta reports traffic rose 5.4% in Sept.
Delta Air Lines Inc. said Thursday that a key revenue figure rose 2 percent in September as corporate flying and demand for travel within the U.S. offset "pressure" on international revenue. The figure — revenue for every seat flown one mile — rises when airlines fill more seats, charge higher average fares, or both. Airlines have kept prices up by limiting the addition of flights. Traffic rose 5.4 percent, as passengers flew 16.95 billion miles last month. Both U.S. and international flying increased.
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Delta, Virgin Australia add 3 cities to codeshare agreement
Virgin Australia is expanding its codeshare arrangements with Delta Air Lines within the United States to cover three new destinations from Los Angeles – Nashville, Kansas City and Raleigh/Durham. Flights between Los Angeles and Nashville will operate daily, Los Angeles to Kansas City services will run twice a day and 10 flights per week will be available on the Los Angeles to Raleigh/Durham route. Launched in 2011, Virgin Australia’s tie-up with Delta now allows Australian travellers to book flights to over 245 North and Central American destinations on a single airline ticket – over half of the roughly 450 destinations on Virgin’s world map.
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Emirates Says Ebola Hitting Demand For Africa
Emirates' president Tim Clark said demand for flights to Africa from Asia has fallen due to concerns over the Ebola virus. "There are indications that demand in the east is coming off a little bit because of the perception that Ebola is Africa-wide," Clark told an Africa-focused investment event in Dubai. "There are segments of our business in China, Taiwan, Vietnam etcetera that are fairly cautious about what they are doing, but for every one of those we lose, we're filling with something else." Emirates in August suspended flights to Guinea, where the Ebola outbreak originated, but has continued flying to other affected destinations. Clark said the airline was not considering halting any other African routes.
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JetBlue to debut nonstop service between Las Vegas, San Francisco
JetBlue Airways announced it will offer non-stop service between San Francisco and Las Vegas starting early in 2015. The New York-based airline will operate two daily flights starting on January 5, 2015, using Airbus A320 aircraft. The planes can accommodate a total of 150 passengers, 42 in the airline’s Even More Space premium economy lite section and 108 standard seats. The Even More Space section offers seats with 38” to 39” of pitch while the coach section has seats pitched at 34”. All seats are 17.8” wide. Passengers will have complimentary access to the airline’s Fly-Fi in-flight Internet service.
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Military

Australia to buy up to four more C-17s
The Australian Government has announced its intention to buy an additional two and possibly up to four Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transports for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). In a media statement issued on 3 October, defense minister David Johnston said the process to purchase two aircraft had already begun through a request for pricing and availability through the US Government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. He added that a decision on two more aircraft would be informed by the outcomes of 2015 Defence White Paper and Force Structure Review processes. “Since the first delivery in 2006, we have seen the C-17A Globemaster perform exceptionally well at the forefront of Australia’s military operations and humanitarian work,” Johnston says.
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Israel casts doubt on Egyptian MiG-35 discussions
Israeli intelligence experts have expressed doubts about the viability of ongoing negotiations for a possible sale of Russian RAC MiG-35 fighters to Egypt. Speaking in late September, RAC MiG general director Sergei Korotkov said he was planning to travel to Egypt in October for talks on a proposed deal. Egyptian military personnel visited the MiG-35 production site recently, and the nation has previously been reported as interested in acquiring 24 of the type. The Russian corporation has expressed hopes that the negotiations will result in a deal, but added that the situation will be clearer after the planned talks in Cairo.
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Rotary Wing

Sikorsky rolls-out high-speed Raider rotorcraft
Sikorsky has completed the prototype for a revolutionary rotorcraft design that could dramatically improve the speed and hover capabilities of traditional helicopter. After four years of internal research and development, the company on 2 October revealed the S-97 Raider, which combines dual coaxial rotor blades and a tail propeller to combine the hover capability of a helicopter with the speed of an airplane. “The rollout of a new helicopter is rare," says Sikorsky vice-president of technology and innovation research and engineering Chris Van Buiten. "The rollout of a new configuration is rarer still." Raider has dual coaxial rotors for vertical lift and a tail propeller for forward thrust. The combination allows for flight characteristics that are physically impossible for existing rotorcraft designs.
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Corporate

​Cessna upgrades Latitude range, take-off performance
Cessna has claimed an early edge over its closest competitor after announcing a 200nm (370km) improvement in range and a 9% reduction in take-off roll for the Citation Latitude. With one-third of the certification program left to complete, Cessna now lists the still-developmental midsize jet with a 2,700nm range at long-range cruise speed and a take-off distance of 1,118m (3,668ft). It is the program’s third announce range increase for the Latitude, which was unveiled with an announced range of 2,000nm. “The entire team is focused on ensuring we exceed customer expectations with the new Citation Latitude,” says Scott Ernest, president and chief executive of parent Textron Aviation.
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Aviation Quote

If we went into the funeral business, people would stop dying.

— Martin R. Shugrue, Vice-chairman Pan Am.

On This Date

---In 1785... Jean-Pierre Blanchard makes the 1st manned balloon ascent in Germany.

---In 1942…The first A4 rocket, later dubbed the V-2, flies from Peenemünde, covering 190 km (119 miles) in 296 seconds at five times the speed of sound, reaching an altitude of 84.5 km (53 miles).

---In 1954…First flight of the Douglas XF4D-1.

---In 1967…William J. Knight sets a new airspeed record in a North American X-15, of Mach 6.72 (4,543 mph, 7,297 km/h). This is the fastest flight that the X-15 will make.

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Humor

Read The Supplement

A bit of Background is in order: CFB Edmonton (Namao) is a military field just outside of Edmonton. All aircraft touching down at Namao require a PPR (Prior Permission Request) number, and have to recite it to the controller at first contact. Our flying club is civilian/military, and all our aircraft have permanent PPR's. One day, we were sitting around listening to the scanner, when a Tomahawk from a local flight school announced inbound for circuits. The controllers asked for the PPR #, and the pilot said they didn't know about one. We expected the aircraft to turn away, but the controller cleared them right-base for 29. We now pick up the audio from this momentous day:

Tomahawk: "F-XAA is final 29, touch and go."

Tower: "XAA is cleared touch and go, 29".

Tomahawk: "F-XAA is final 29, touch and go"

Tower: "F-XAA is cleared touch and go, 29. How many more circuits were you planning on making?"

Tomahawk: "We thought we'd make one or two more."

Tower: "Roger. I just wondered because we were calculating your landing fees, and you're up to $13,000 now."

Tomahawk: "THAT WAS OUR LAST ONE!!!!!"

Tower: "Just kidding. Next time, read your flight supplement."

Trivia

Google Airports

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HINTS:
1. Take the highway to Hershey, its nearby, but more than three miles.
2. Homecoming for pilots dressed in blue and yellow.
3. Not the caviar, but the plane was hatched here.
4. Forty-niners and Giants
5. Not even in the city it is named after, Greek letter Delta
6. An air patch with a good bit of history, opposite of empty.
7. Duck, Gold scandals, stop a tank.
8. After a Cat 3 warning goes out, it is time to bail out.
9. One world member main hub
10. No, its not a Cuban flag, Rum and cruise ships.

miamiair wrote:

Rotary Wing

Sikorsky rolls-out high-speed Raider rotorcraft
Sikorsky has completed the prototype for a revolutionary rotorcraft design that could dramatically improve the speed and hover capabilities of traditional helicopter. After four years of internal research and development, the company on 2 October revealed the S-97 Raider, which combines dual coaxial rotor blades and a tail propeller to combine the hover capability of a helicopter with the speed of an airplane. “The rollout of a new helicopter is rare," says Sikorsky vice-president of technology and innovation research and engineering Chris Van Buiten. "The rollout of a new configuration is rarer still." Raider has dual coaxial rotors for vertical lift and a tail propeller for forward thrust. The combination allows for flight characteristics that are physically impossible for existing rotorcraft designs.
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