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Commercial

After nearly 13,000 Harvey cancellations, Irma is new threat to airline flights
Another hurricane threat has emerged for airlines this week with Irma threatening to snarl U.S flight schedules. That comes just as the industry was trying to get back on track in Texas following Hurricane Harvey.
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Hurricane Irma: Will it affect your flight plans?
Hurricane Irma has wreaked havoc on flight schedules in the northern Caribbean, shutting down several of the region’s airports while forcing cancellations at dozens of others.
Now, Irma appears headed toward Florida, where the storm could further disrupt flights at airports there.
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United Aircraft Corp. narrows net loss in 1H
Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) has reported a 1H 2017 net loss of RUB6.6 billion ($111.7 million), narrowed from a net loss of RUB7.3 billion in 1H 2016.
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Boeing boosts China 20-year demand outlook to 7,240 new aircraft
Boeing has forecast China will require 7,240 new aircraft through 2036, valued at approximately $1.1 trillion, according to the US manufacturer’s annual China Current Market Outlook released Sept 6. Boeing’s new estimate is 6.3% higher than last year’s projection.
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European carriers call for action on escalating ATC delays
Airlines for Europe (A4E) has again complained to Europe’s air navigation service providers (ANSPs) about escalating air traffic control delays.
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IATA: Air freight traffic continues to rise in all regions
Worldwide air freight traffic in July increased 11.4% compared to the same period last year as an uptick in global trade and rising export orders have boosted the sector, according to IATA’s July Air Freight Market Analysis.
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MRJ resumes flight tests with FTA-4
Mitsubishi Aircraft has returned one of its MRJ regional jet prototypes to flight testing, as the investigation into an engine flameout last month continues.
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Authority slates organisation of fatal An-2 air show flight
Russian investigators have disclosed that the Antonov An-2 which crashed at an air show at Balashikha, killing both pilots, should not have been flying as its airworthiness certificate had expired nearly five years earlier.
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CHC Helicopter flies first H175 mission
Restructured offshore specialist CHC Helicopter has performed its first revenue flight with the Airbus Helicopters H175 super-medium twin.
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Late-running Ka-62 helicopter to make service entry in 2020
Russian Helicopters intends to begin certification trials of its late-running Kamov Ka-62 medium-twin in early 2018, leading to certification and service entry in 2020.
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Global Passenger Traffic Growth Slows
The growth in worldwide passenger traffic demand slowed slightly in July as the effect of lower airfares eases off.
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Global Air Freight Demand Rise in Double Digits
Global air freight demand grew by over 11 percent in July as international trade and business confidence grew, IATA said in its monthly update.
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Airlines

AirBaltic to replace Bombardier Q400s with jets
Latvian carrier airBaltic, which is in the process of being reprivatized, plans to phase out its 12 Bombardier Q400s and replace them with either CSeries or Embraer E195-E2s.
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United, Spirit revise 3Q revenue guidance, citing Harvey impact
United Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Delta Air Lines have all released revised outlooks for their respective third-quarter 2017 financial performance, with United in particular projecting a four-point drop in its pre-tax margin guidance for 3Q 2017.
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Ryanair cuts free hand luggage allowance
Irish LCC Ryanair will cut its regular hand-luggage allowance from two pieces to just one in a bid to reduce boarding delays.
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SkyWest orders 25 Embraer E175s
SkyWest, parent of US regional carriers SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet Airlines, will buy 25 Embraer E175 regional jets.
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United orders 10 more A350 XWBs; converts -1000s to -900s
United Airlines has converted an order for 35 Airbus A350-1000s to 45 of the smaller -900s, updating a previously existing deal made at the 2013 Paris Air Show.
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Air Berlin further shrinks long-haul network
Air Berlin is to terminate all long-haul flights from the German capital and discontinue an Orlando service from Dusseldorf.
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WOW Air expands to Dallas/Fort Worth; Europe fares begin at $99 one way
WOW Air is expanding again in the U.S., this time adding Dallas/Fort Worth to its quickly expanding route map here.
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Delta flight races Hurricane Irma to Puerto Rico and back -- and wins
Delta Air Lines prides itself on its completion factor, but a Wednesday flight literally dodged a hurricane.
Flight 431 pushed away from the gate New York’s JFK airport at 8:12 a.m. in a race to San Juan ahead of Hurricane Irma, according to FlightAware.com, the online tracking service.
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Airports

Changi airport Terminal 4 to begin operations on 31 October
Changi Airport Group (CAG) says nine airlines will shift their operations to T4 over a one-week period.
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Indianapolis airport lands first-ever non-stop route to Europe
Indianapolis has become the latest mid-size airport to land a non-stop route to Europe.
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World-famous St Maarten airport flattened by 185mph winds of Irma
Hurricane Irma ripped through Princess Juliana International Airport Wednesday
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Military

News photo reveals new Northrop stealth design concept
Northrop Grumman confirms that a previously unpublicised design concept for an apparently stealthy aircraft was revealed in a photograph as part of a Los Angeles Times newspaper articleabout a top company executive.
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US review finds no foul play in Kenyan fighter deal
A US Government Accountability Office report found no fault in a proposed foreign military sale to Kenya, but the US lawmaker spearheading the investigation into the L-3 Communications contract opportunity is not satisfied.
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Slovakia shows off new Black Hawk
Slovakia has publicly displayed one of an initial pair of Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawks as it begins the progressive retirement of its current Russian-built inventory.
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Aviation Quote

The development of air power in its broadest sense, and including the development of all means of combating missiles that travel through the air, whether fired or dropped, is the first essential to our survival in war.

- Viscount Hugh M. Trenchard, 1946

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Trivia

DC-10 Trivia

1. The DC-10 made its first commercial flight in August, 1971. Which major air carrier had the distinction of making this first flight?
A. Air Canada
B. Pan American Airways
C. American Airlines
D. United Airlines

2. In a single-class configuration, what was the maximum number of passengers that a DC-10 could carry?
A. 420
B. 340
C. 380
D. 300

3. The DC-10-30AF, an all-freighter version of the airliner, was used most prolifically with FedEx, with orders starting in the mid-1980s. But for which airline was this variant originally designed?
A. Alitalia
B. Japan Airlines
C. Delta
D. British Airways

4. DC-10s have been involved in a number of accidents and incidents over the years. One notable disaster occurred in March, 1974, when a Turkish Airlines DC-10 crashed near what major city?
A. Berlin
B. Athens
C. Paris
D. Madrid

5. Another notable DC-10 accident occurred in July, 1989, when United Airlines Flight 232 crashed in which midwestern U.S. city?
A. Sioux City, Iowa
B. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
C. Omaha, Nebraska
D. Sioux City, South Dakota

6. The July, 2000, crash of Air France Flight 4590, the only crash of the legendary Concorde, was caused by a piece of titanium that fell off a DC-10 that had lifted off several minutes before the Concorde took off. Which airline owned the DC-10 from which the fatal piece of metal fell?
A. VARIG
B. Lufthansa
C. Continental
D. Northwest

7. The KC-10 Extender, the aerial refueling tanker based on the DC-10, was developed to increase the US Air Force's strategic reach across the globe. In what year did the KC-10 enter operational service?
A. 1980
B. 1982
C. 1983
D. 1981

8. In 1994, ORBIS International began flying a DC-10 aircraft that had been converted for use as what?
A. A private VIP transport
B. A flying eye hospital
C. A flying dental clinic
D. A space-launch platform

9. The company 10 Tanker Air Carrier, LLC, modified a DC-10 to fight forest fires in rural areas. The aircraft could drop how much water or retardant on a fire in a single pass?
A. 18,000 U.S. gallons (68,137 liters)
B. 15,000 U.S. gallons (56,781 liters)
C. 12,000 U.S. gallons (45,425 liters)
D. 21,000 U.S. gallons (74,494 liters)

10. The last DC-10 in service with a major American passenger carrier was retired in January, 2007. That airline, Northwest Airlines, used the aircraft to fly from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, to which destination?
A. Mexico City
B. London
C. Honolulu
D. Tokyo

1. A
2. C
3. B
4. C
5. A
6. C
7. B
8. B
9. D
10. D

ANSWERS

1. C, American Airlines. The DC-10 was the first commercial aircraft designed after the merger of the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. On its own, Douglas had tremendous success in commercial aviation, with the prop-driven DC-3 and the jet-powered DC-8. McDonnell had more success in space, as the designer of the Mercury and Gemini space capsules. American ordered 25 of the first series of DC-10 aircraft, and made the inaugural commercial flight--a round trip between Los Angeles and Chicago--on August 5, 1971.

2. C, 380. The DC-10 was known as a widebody aircraft, boasting a fuselage width of 19 feet, 9 inches (6.02 meters) and an interior width of 18 feet, 2 inches (5.54 meters). The interior featured two aisles for maximum maneuverability for passengers and flight crew. The Series 30 variant, operated by intercontinental carriers like Lufthansa and KLM, was capable of transporting passengers a distance of 5,900 miles (9,493 kilometers).

3. A, Alitalia. Over the years, FedEx has made extensive use of the DC-10 and its successor, the MD-11F, to ferry cargo around the world. Other carriers, like Martinair and World Airways, have also used DC-10s for cargo-carrying operations, either from native all-freighter versions or from passenger jets converted to carry cargo.

4. C, Paris. Turkish Airlines Flight 281 experienced a blowout of its cargo doors during takeoff from Orly Airport. The plane went down in a forest in the suburb of Ermenonville, killing all 333 passengers and 13 crew on board. The cargo door problem was not a new one--an American Airlines flight experienced a similar emergency after taking off from Detroit in June, 1972, and made a successful emergency landing--but the fixes to reinforce the locks on the doors were not mandatory at the time. The crash was the worst aviation disaster in history prior to the Tenerife Disaster in March, 1977.

5. A, Sioux City, Iowa. On the first leg of the DC-10's flight from Denver to Philadelphia, the number-two engine, which is set in the tail, experienced shattering of the fan disk. The shrapnel severed the hydraulic lines of the aircraft, rendering its control surfaces, and the number-two engine, useless. Using only the thrust levers of the surviving two engines, the crew managed to get the plane to Sioux City, only to crash on the runway during landing. A total of 110 passengers (out of 285) and 1 crew member (out of 11) died in the crash. The late Charlton Heston starred as Flight 232's captain, Al Haynes, in a 1992 made-for-TV movie about the crash.

6. C, Continental. The stray piece of titanium punctured a tire on the Concorde, sparking a fire in the fuel tanks which led to shutdown of two of the aircraft's four engines. All 100 passengers, all nine crew, and four people on the ground were killed as the Concorde could not stay in the air. The metal had been part of the thrust reverser assembly on a DC-10 bound from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris to what is now George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

7. D, 1981. The KC-10 could carry up to 356,000 pounds (160,200 kilograms) of fuel, a load twice as heavy as the older Boeing KC-135 Jet Stratotanker. The fuel boom could transfer fuel to other aircraft at a rate of 1,100 gallons (4,180 liters). It could also be used as a cargo aircraft, capable of carrying a maximum payload of 170,000 pounds (76,560 kilograms) from 27 pallet positions, and as a transport aircraft that could carry a maximum of 75 passengers.

8. B, Flying eye hospital. The DC-10 Series 10 that ORBIS International converted to use as a flying eye hospital replaced an aging Douglas DC-8 for which parts were becoming more expensive and harder to come by. The aircraft contains facilities to allow for eye operations, as well as a 48-seat classroom and audio-visual laboratory. In 2008, United Airlines and FedEx announced it would donate a newer DC-10 Series 30 Freighter aircraft to replace the older DC-10.

9. C, 12,000 USG. The entire fire-fighting payload of the modified DC-10 could be released from tanks on the aircraft's centerline in just eight seconds. The number of drops made by the aircraft was dependent on how quickly the aircraft's tanks could be refilled and by the proximity of a major airfield that could support the aircraft. The California Department of Forestry first made use of the aircraft on a contract basis in July, 2006, to fight fires burning in the Sawtooth Complex in San Bernardino County, which is where 10 Tanker Air Carrier, LLC, is based.

10. C, Honalulu. Despite the problems that plagued the DC-10, it became one of the safest and most reliable aircraft to ever fly. A total of 446 aircraft--386 for civilian use and 60 KC-10 Extenders for the US Air Force--were built between 1968 and 1988. The last DC-10 was delivered to Nigeria Airways in 1989.