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Airbus aims for regional electric jet by 2050
Airbus has partnered with Daher-Socata to develop electric jets, with the goal of debuting a regional electric jet by 2050. The two companies have created an E-Fan prototype so far, an electric training aircraft that seats two.
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FAA approves 787-9 assembly in South Carolina
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved a production certificate for Boeing South Carolina to deliver 787-9 aircraft to customers, the company announced on 5 March. Boeing opened a second final assembly line for the 787 in North Charleston, South Carolina, in 2011, augmenting two more lines established in Everett, Washington. The FAA issued a production certificate, titled PC 700, to the North Charleston facility in July 2012, but it was limited to the 787-8. After successfully passing an FAA audit, the amended certificate now includes the 787-9, Boeing says.
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Pilots give reasons for flying at different altitudes
This is a bit of a strange Ask Cranky in that it’s actually a question I’m asking myself. To pilots, this is an elementary question, but I’ve had this conversation with other window-seat lovers and they want to know the answer as well.
LinkAirlines
'Minor' injuries result from MD-88 LaGuardia crash: Delta
Delta Air Lines confirms some passengers or crew suffered minor injuries when one of the company's Boeing MD-88s skidded off a runway and into a raised seawall at New York's LaGuardia airport on 5 March. "Preliminary reports indicate some minor injuries," the carrier says in a recent media update, without providing additional details. "Passengers deplaned and moved to the terminal on busses." Delta adds, "there was a fuel leak from one of the wings".
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Emirates 'confident' that subsidy claims unfounded
Emirates Airline president Tim Clark is "confident" that allegations of the airline being subsidised are unfounded, as the carrier's US mainline rivals turn up the heat in a battle over US open skies with the Gulf. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines released documents today that they say point to $40 billion of state subsidies for Emirates and two other Gulf carriers - Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways. The US carriers are calling for their government to start talks with the UAE and Qatar, and potentially limit how the Gulf carriers can serve the USA.
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JetBlue focuses on Florida for growth
JetBlue Airways has set a goal of 100 departures per day by 2017 from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., writes columnist Adam Levine-Weinberg. "By orienting its recent growth toward the domestic market rather than international routes, JetBlue is flying where the supply demand balance is most promising," he writes.
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Norwegian Air Pilots' Strike Continues After Talks Fail
Norwegian Air Shuttle has held new talks with its striking pilots but no solution was found to the six-day conflict, a spokeswoman said. "There was contact during the night," Anne-Sissel Skaanvik said. "The positions taken by the parties remain far apart." Pilots are demanding a collective agreement with parent company Norwegian Air Shuttle, instead of its local subsidiary Norwegian Air Norway, and for uniform terms across the Nordic region. They went on strike after talks broke down on Saturday.
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Qatar looking to expand investments in other airlines
Qatar Airways is aiming to increase its near-10% shareholding in European airline group IAG and invest in other carriers too, chief executive Akbar Al Baker confirms. "We would like to increase our stake in IAG," he said at the ITB travel trade show in Berlin yesterday. However, it remains unclear when that might happen, with Al Baker saying only: "We will consider it when the time comes."
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Southwest on-time performance is high despite winter weather
Despite winter weather during February, Southwest Airlines reported on-time performance of 77.4% for the month, according to FlightView..
LinkAirports
LaGuardia closes after Delta MD-80 accident
New York's LaGuardia airport has been closed until at least 19:00 local time following an incident in which a Delta Air Lines Boeing MD-88 skidded off a runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The incident occured around 11:00 local time, according to reports. The aircraft, which appears to be registration N909DL, was inbound from Atlanta with 125 passenges and five crew, Delta has said. Media reports, citing unnamed sources, say that no passengers were seriously injured. The New York Post reported that fuel was leaking from the aircraft and that firefighters were spraying foam to prevent fire.
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Minn. airport adds lactation centers to its amenities
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has opened two lactation centers for nursing mothers. The private rooms are equipped with comfortable chairs and outlets for breast pumps and other equipment.
LinkRotary Wing
Sikorsky considers shuttering, selling light helicopter lines
Sikorsky has canceled production of the S434 light single helicopter and divesting two other light helicopter production lines is under consideration, company officials say. The S434, S300 piston-powered single and turbine engine S333 production lines were acquired when Sikorsky acquired Schweizer Aircraft in 2004. Partly because of low orders, absorbing the company has been costly for the rotorcraft giant, says Dan Hunter, director of commercial programmes.
LinkRegulatory
ATSB concludes 2013 A330 loss of separation investigation
The Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB) has published its final report into a loss of separation incident involving two Qantas Airways Airbus A330-200s on 20 September 2013, and the failure of one aircraft’s traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS). The report corroborates details of the incident initially published in the preliminary report in October 2013 about the “serious incident,” which occurred at midday 17km west of Adelaide. It also lists a number of remedial actions that were subsequently undertaken.
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Aviation Quote
The Wright brothers flew through the smoke screen of impossibility.
— Dorothea Brande
On This Date
---In 1935... U.S secretary of commerce signs a special air traffic regulation that prohibits air flights over parts of Washington, D.C.
---In 1951…the Martin aircraft company gains production rights to the English Electric Canberra as the B-57.
---In 1965... The first nonstop transcontinental helicopter flight across the United States — flown off the deck of the carrier USS Hornet at San Diego, California to the deck of the carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt off Jacksonville, Florida — is completed successfully. A U. S. Navy Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King flies 2,116 miles.
---In 1966…A BOAC Flight 911, a 707-436 en route from Tokyo to Hong Kong, encountered clear air turbulence close to Mount Fuji; the sudden violent gusting caused the vertical stabilizer to detach from the aircraft, following which the aircraft entered an uncontrolled dive. The 707 progressively broke up as a result of aerodynamic over-stressing of the airframe, then struck the ground near the foot of the mountain. All those on board died.
---In 1970…BEA opens its charter service, BEA Airtours.
---In 1974…Mars 7 failed to go into orbit about Mars and the lander missed the planet. Carrier and lander are now in a solar orbit.
---In 1986... Japan Air Lines embarks the world’s heaviest man, an 880-lb Austrian flying from Frankfurt, Germany, as a passenger; 16 seats are removed from the cabin to make room for him.
---In 1986…USSR's Vega 1 flies by Halley's Comet at 8,889 km.
---In 1990… What was to be the final flight of an SR-71 (972) set 4 international speed records while being delivered to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum at Dulles International Airport. Los Angeles to Washington DC, 2,404 miles, 67 minutes 54 seconds, 2404 miles at an average speed of 2124 MPH. Over Kansas City to Washington DC in 26 minutes. Over St. Louis to Cincinnati in 8 minutes, 32 seconds, a new city to city aviation record. It was also the first time that a sonic boom had transversed the entire length of the United States. Pilot Ed Yeilding and RSO T. “JT” Vida. SR-71s were retired from service. The SR-71 was the only operational military aircraft never to be shot down or lose a single crewman to enemy fire.
---In 2003…Hooters Air begins service, operated by Pace Airlines. The business would last less than three years.
---In 2003…Air Algerie Flight 6239 crashes on takeoff from Tamanrasset, Algeria, killing all but one of the 103 on-board. The Boeing 737-200 (7T-VEZ) suffers a contained engine failure on rotation and is unable to maintain altitude, coming back to Earth a few thousand feet beyond the runway….
---In 2007… ANA announces orders for 4 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
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