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Air Lease Corp. to raise $700 million for aircraft purchases
US lessor Air Lease Corp. (ALC) will raise $700 million through a public offering, which may be used for commercial aircraft purchases. On Jan. 16, ALC said it will be issuing $700 million of senior unsecured medium-term notes, with an interest rate of 4.25%, maturing on Feb. 1, 2024. “The company intends to use the net proceeds of the offering for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things, the purchase of commercial aircraft and the repayment of existing indebtedness,” ALC said in a statement issued Jan. 16.
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Chinese regional Joy Air moves to mainline operations
Chinese turboprop operator Joy Air will move into mainline operations, thanks to help from its new majority owner, the Xi’an city government. Initial mainline aircraft will be Boeing 737-800s from the fleet of former major shareholder Okay Airways, industry sources said. One 737-800 is already in Joy’s fleet. In line with common Chinese municipal practice, the Xi’an government evidently plans to build up Joy to support local economic growth. In doing so, it will supplement HNA Group carrier Changan Airlines, which is also based at the northwestern city.
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Brazil regulator to withdraw 10 Avianca Brazil A320 family jets
Brazil's civil aviation regulator is withdrawing the registrations of 10 Airbus A320 family aircraft in Avianca Brazil's fleet, dealing another blow to the financially troubled carrier. The withdrawals from Brazil's aircraft registry will occur within five working days, after which the aircraft must be returned, says ANAC. The move is in response to a request from lessor GECAS, it adds.
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Investigators puzzle over 707's fatal short-runway overrun
Iranian investigators have yet to disclose why a Boeing 707-320C attempted to land at a general aviation airport with a short runway, during which it careered into a residential area. The aircraft, part of the Iranian air force fleet, overran runway 31L on 14 January and crashed through a perimeter wall located almost immediately beyond the runway surface.
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AA may delay air-traffic projects as US shutdown continues
The partial shutdown at FAA is likely to delay several major airspace-modernization and safety initiatives, including implementation of new approach procedures at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and the roll-out of taxiway-landing warning systems at major US airports. The shutdown forced FAA to cancel a key meeting with dozens of stakeholders that was meant to serve as a final approval of new procedures for triple-simultaneous approaches at IAD in instrument meteorological conditions.
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Samoa Airways set to take 737 Max 9
Samoa Airways has signed a tentative agreement to lease a Boeing 737 Max 9 from Air Lease that will replace its sole 737-800. The carrier states that the new jet is scheduled to be delivered in March, and will be configured with 16 business and 173 economy class seats.
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Jet Airways delays delivery of some 737 Max 8s
Embattled Indian carrier Jet Airways appears to have delayed delivery of at least three new Boeing 737 Max 8s. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that three 737 Max 8s (MSNs 44864, 44616 and 44615) were handed over by the manufacturer in November and December 2018, but are not scheduled for delivery to the airline until February.
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Boom details noise goals for Overture supersonic airliner
Boom’s Overture supersonic airliner will be as quiet on takeoff and landing as subsonic aircraft flying similar routes today, the startup said, providing more insight into its efforts to reconcile the high- and low-speed requirements for its Mach 2.2 commercial aircraft.
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Austrian Airlines to close six regional crew bases, replace Q400 fleet
Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines will close six regional crew bases as the carrier replaces 18 Bombardier Dash 8 Q400s with Airbus A320s, the latest move in a new strategy to improve performance. Local crew bases in Altenrhein (located in Switzerland near the Austrian border)—as well as in the Austrian cities of Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz and Salzburg—will close, affecting around 200 flight crew.
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India mandates more PW1100G checks
India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation has imposed new operating restrictions and inspections on Airbus A320neo aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofan engines. Following consultation with operators GoAir and IndiGo, the regulator issued a directive on 17 January barring PW1100G-powered A320neos from operating flights to Port Blair, along with a series of inspections on the engines to identify and correct potential low-pressure turbine (LPT) blades and dry face seal failures.
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Etihad 777s are first -200LRs to head for teardown
Middle Eastern carrier Etihad Airways is parting out two Boeing 777-200LR widebodies, which appear to be the first 777s of a current production model to be retired. UK parts specialist AJW Group has acquired one of the twinjets for disassembly. The 2007-vintage 777 (registered A6-LRC), powered by GE Aviation GE90-110B engines, arrived at Cotswold airport in the UK on 12 January, aircraft part-out specialist Air Salvage confirms.
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Airbus aims to boost A320 production when engine makers are ready
Airbus is eager to further increase production of A320 family aircraft, but first needs engine makers to commit to increased engine delivery volumes. "We are preparing for a decision to go to higher rates," says Airbus head of commercial aircraft Guillaume Faury. "The engine makers have so far refused to commit to higher volumes. We know this is a discussion that's going to take place this year," he told reporters on 16 January.
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Singapore commits to “small” F-35 procurement
Singapore has confirmed that it will replace its Lockheed Martin F-16s with the F-35, but will assess a “small number” before deciding on its long-term fleet. The country’s defense ministry announced the decision to acquire to acquire the F-35 in a brief statement on its website.
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US Air Force looks at using F-35 as ballistic missile interceptor
The US Air Force and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) are examining integrating the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II into the US ballistic missile defense system. The stealth fighter’s abilities, especially its sensors, were highlighted as part of the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Review, released on 17 January, which stressed Russia, China, Iran and North Korea’s growing arsenal of cruise and ballistic missiles as a potential threat to US security.
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Aviation Quote

Some things simply are inherent to the design of the bird and cannot be made better without going and getting a new generation of spacecraft. That's as true for the Space Shuttle as it is for your toaster oven.

- Michael Griffin, NASA Administrator, regards Space Shuttle safety, eve of launch of STS-114, 25 July 2005

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Trivia

General Trivia

1. “I apparently was the first to pilot a heavier-than-air aircraft in controlled flight. I also was first to use the term, ‘aero plane,’ and even wrote a small book with that title. I died following a crash in an aircraft of my design, and my last words were, ‘How is the machine?’ Who am I?”

2. True or False? A pilot is about to land an airplane with the right landing-gear leg and nosewheel extended but with the left landing-gear leg stuck in its well. The ailerons are equipped with conventional trim tabs that are controllable from the cockpit. During landing and rollout, the right aileron tab should be deflected fully downward.

3. Why did some airmen training at Midland, Texas, during World War II have a higher incidence of black eyes than airmen training elsewhere?

4. How can you tell the difference between a U.S. Naval aviator and a traditional Naval officer who does not fly simply by looking at their feet?

5. A pilot wants to fly a perfectly rectangular pattern while in the left traffic pattern for Runway 36 when the wind is strong and from the northeast. This requires that the radius of all turns be the same with respect to the ground. Assuming a constant airspeed throughout the pattern, the most steeply banked turn will be required when turning from
a. base to final.
b. crosswind to downwind.
c. downwind to base.
d. upwind to crosswind.

6. True or False: Most of the American aircraft that took off from Oahu during the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor were shot down.

7. True or False: It is legal for a VFR-only pilot to fly extended distances in a small airplane above a solid undercast with no more than the instruments required for VFR flight.

8. Who was the first woman in the United States to become a licensed glider pilot?

3. Why did some airmen training at Midland, Texas, during World War II have a higher incidence of black eyes than airmen training elsewhere?

BACK IN TIME: MAAF was world’s largest bombardier training facility

Newcomers to Midland may not be aware of the community’s wartime role, but in 1941 the city became home to the “Hell-From-Heaven Men” when the Midland Army Air Forces Bombardier School was constructed at what was then known as Sloan Field.

Located about 10 miles east of the city on U.S. 80, Midland Army Air Field (MAAF) played a significant role in the wartime effort by training more than 6,600 bombardier cadets after the June 12, 1941, announcement that an Army Air Corps’ Bombardier College was to be built in Midland.

And it was the featureless nature of the Staked Plains that was the reason for Midland’s selection. As World War II naval aviator Jack Edwards explained it, West Texas offered “better flying weather than anywhere else in the country and relatively mild climate. Forced landings were a helluva lot easier to get away with in this country than anywhere else.”

The wide open spaces around Midland also offered plenty of open ground for the placement of bomb targets and strafing ranges.

So when the bombardier training facility was constructed at a cost of $5.5 million, the entire community was wholeheartedly supportive of the new facility. That support was visibly evident in the fact that after its first year of operation, the bombardier school had nearly doubled in size.