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Bombardier sues Mitsubishi over alleged theft of trade secrets
Bombardier has sued the aircraft unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., alleging the Japanese company recruited Bombardier employees with the intent of acquiring proprietary trade secrets for use in its Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) program.
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UK pilots urge faster action on UAV education, registration
The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) has urged the UK government to bring forward its program of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone, education and registration following a near-miss over London it said could have had disastrous consequences.
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PICTURES: A330-800 nears first flight as engines fitted
Airbus insists the maiden flight of its A330-800 will be conducted “in the near future”, after the aircraft emerged with its engines installed.
The aircraft – the smaller of the two A330neo family members – was painted in the airframer’s house colours in February this year, without its Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines fitted.
LinkAirlines
LaudaMotion to close two Austrian bases in cost-cutting measures
Austria-based Ryanair subsidiary LaudaMotion will close two crew bases in Austria as part of a cost-cutting program, an airline spokesperson confirmed to ATW.
“We will close crew-bases in Graz and Salzburg in the coming months, affecting a total of 28 crew members [because of] costs and economic reasons; there are no plans to base aircraft at these airports.
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Al Baker says Qatar Airways could leave oneworld in 2019
Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker told members of the media Oct. 18 in New York that its oneworld membership is in question and the Doha-based carrier could leave the alliance in 2019.
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Qatar’s cargo operations goes transpacific
Fast-expanding Qatar Airways Cargo has begun operating services to Macau and onward to North America.
Macau is the airline’s fourth freighter destination in Greater China, with the 2X-weekly services to the southern Chinese city acting as a hopping-off point across the Pacific. The service will be operated by a Boeing 777F.
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British Airways unveils new customer service initiative
British Airways (BA) will make a multimillion-pound investment in staff training at its London Heathrow Airport hub, 10 months after a light snowfall there brought chaos to its services.
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China Southern to launch daily flights to Madrid
China Southern Airlines plans to open four medium- and long-haul services from its Guangzhou base in the three months beginning December, including daily flights to Madrid.
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IATA data shows declining airline profitability
Final airline financial data from 2Q indicate a drop in airline profitability compared to the year-earlier period. And while industry-wide cash flows have improved this year overall, there are significant differences between regions, according to IATA’s latest Airline Financial Monitor, released Oct. 17.
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Malaysia Airlines 737 aborts takeoff at Shanghai as tires burst
A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800 was forced to abort takeoff at Shanghai Pudong Airport after two tires burst as the aircraft was accelerating from runway 35R around 1:30 a.m. local time Oct. 21. The flight, MH387, had been bound for Kuala Lumpur.
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WOW Air makes changes to North American services
Icelandic LCC WOW Air is adjusting services on North American routes and plans to cancel three US services from Reykjavik Keflavik to Cincinnati (Ohio), St. Louis (Missouri) and Cleveland (Ohio). Flights to New York JFK and Dallas (Texas) will become seasonal services.
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CRJ900 hydroplaned and spun on Turku runway slush
Investigators have determined that a CityJet-operated Bombardier CRJ900 landed in a tailwind on a contaminated runway, on which it hydroplaned and spun more than 180° before coming to rest.
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PAL set to permanently retire A340s as A350 gains traction
Philippine Airlines (PAL) is on the verge of permanently retiring the Airbus A340-300, as its A350-900s get up to speed on long-haul routes.
The carrier has one A340-300 that can be put in use should there be a technical issue with another aircraft, says Jose Perez, vice-president of corporate communications at PAL.
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Air Niugini defers Shanghai route launch
Air Niugini has deferred the launch of its planned Port Moresby-Shanghai route, citing expected increased demand across its existing network.
The Papua New Guinean carrier had been scheduled to start the twice-weekly flights on 23 October 2018 using Boeing 767-300ERs, but on 22 October itannounced that the route will be shelved.
LinkAirports
First fully solar energy-powered airport in Cochin, Kerala wins award
Since the instillation of the solar panels, they have saved the equivalent amount of emissions to not driving 2400 million miles.
Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has been selected for the 2018 Champions of the Earth prize, the highest environmental honour instituted by the United Nations (UN).
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Operations begin at Hyderabad International Airport’s interim Terminal
Inaugurated on the 10th October 2018, the interim terminal has been built to cater to the growing passenger traffic while the airport is preparing for expansion, which will allow the airport to handle more than double the current capacity.
LinkMilitary
Saab gets first contract for T-X development phase
Saab has been awarded a $117 million contract covering its portion of the engineering, manufacturing and development phase of the US Air Force's T-X trainer project.
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Aviation Quote
About aerobatics: It's like having sex and being in a car wreck at the same time.
- Anonymous
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Trivia
General Knowledge
1. When a US Army Air Corps pilot earned their wings in WW2, the center of the wings contained a shield. Some wings contained a star(Command or Senior pilot), a "G"(a Glider pilot), or an "L"(a Liason pilot). What pilot wings contained a diamond?
2. True or False, a tandem airplane has two seats, one behind the other.
3. In 1943, the RAF's 617 Squadron flew Avro Lancaster bombers exactly 60 feet over three reservoirs at night before dropping "bouncing bombs" to destroy three German dams that were protected by torpedo nets. Altimeters were not sufficiently accurate, and there were no radio altimeters at that time. How did these pilots, "The Dam Busters" level off and maintain the required sixty foot height?
4. Estimate within ten knots the highest surface winds ever recorded anywhere (and not associated with a hurricane or tornado).
5. What biplane was produced in the greatest numbers?
6. Class A airspace begins at Flight Level 180. Flight into that airspace requires that a pilot have an instrument rating, that the airplane be IFR equipped and first receive an appropriate ATC clearance. How may a VFR-only pilot fly at FL240 without meeting any of these requirements and without special permission?
6. Class A airspace begins at Flight Level 180. Flight into that airspace requires that a pilot have an instrument rating, that the airplane be IFR equipped and first receive an appropriate ATC clearance. How may a VFR-only pilot fly at FL240 without meeting any of these requirements and without special permission?
