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NEWS

Walsh: BA 'prepared' for cabin staff strike
British Airways CEO Willie Walsh said he believes the carrier is "as prepared as we can be" for a flight attendants strike with a contingency plan including 23 aircraft wet-leased from other UK and European airlines.
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IATA: Recovery 'solid' but strength varies by region
Both passenger and cargo demand are rebounding, particularly in Asia and developing markets, but there are "very large geographical differences" in the recovery and rising fuel costs hamper the "ability to turn stronger demand into profit," IATA stated in its latest "Airlines Financial Monitor" released yesterday.
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New tax threatens to slow Indian recovery
Optimism regarding the gradual recovery of India's commercial aviation industry was dampened yesterday in Hyderabad as the India Aviation show and conference opened amid concerns that a new 10% tax on domestic tickets could stifle growth.
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AF KLM unveils summer strategy in line with 'tentative' recovery
Air France KLM said it plans to reduce its summer schedule capacity by just 0.3% year-over-year, comprising an 8% lift in long-haul ASKs and a 4% reduction in the medium-haul network, as "tentative signs of recovery, depending on the country, have been perceived."
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Pentagon considers Super Hornet "viable offer"
The Pentagon says it needs more time to consider whether to buy 124 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets in light of a "viable offer" for a multiyear contract from Boeing. When Congress authorized the Navy to negotiate a multiyear purchase of the jets, it gave the service until March 2010 to make the decision. In February, Navy officials said an offer from Boeing did not provide enough savings to justify the purchase, but the new offer would save the service 10% over yearly purchase of jets.
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Northrop Grumman said to be close to tanker bid decision
Northrop Grumman Corp. says it is closer to making a decision on whether to submit a bid with European partner EADS for a multibillion-dollar aerial tanker competition for the Air Force, but there is no news on when the company would decide. Northrop and EADS won a previous competition with an Airbus A330-based tanker, but the $35 billion deal was canceled following a protest from Boeing, and Northrop agreed to bid on the follow-up competition only after significant changes were made to the Air Force's draft rules.
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Other News

SAS Group President and CEO Mats Jansson told Dagens Nyheter that the company likely will be sold to another airline once it recovers financially. "My understanding is that, after this crisis is over, SAS will be part of a structural deal," he said, according to Reuters. "It is tough out there and there are obvious synergies and advantages to be had from being part of a bigger entity."

Two weeks ago the Swedish government said it intends to reduce its 21.4% share in the group, but right now Jansson said he is focused on completing the previously announced SEK5 billion ($695 million) rights issue. SAS said it plans to unveil the subscription price on April 6, with the subscription period scheduled for April 15-29. The board will propose a reverse split in order to reduce the number of shares following the issue. "First we have to get the capital injection from shareholders and then get the cash flow positive again so that SAS will be an interesting object again," Jansson said. "From 2011 we will begin to show positive figures on the bottom line."

FAA yesterday announced that two New York JFK tower employees, a supervisor and an air traffic controller, are on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into "an incident last month when a child was permitted to talk with pilots on an air traffic control frequency." The widely available audio clips feature a child making five transmissions to pilots preparing for takeoff. A male voice can be heard saying, "This is what you get, guys, when the kids are out of school." In one transmission, the child says, "JetBlue 171 contact departure," to which the pilot responds, "Over to departure JetBlue 171, awesome job." Another voice adds, "Wish I could bring my kids to work."

FAA said that unofficial visits to ATC operational areas such as towers and radar rooms will be suspended during the investigation and that it will conduct a full-scale review of policies and procedures related to facility visitors. "This lapse in judgment not only violated FAA's own policies, but common sense standards for professional conduct. These kinds of distractions are totally unacceptable," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said. The National Air Traffic Controllers Assn. released a statement condemning the incident, saying, "It is not indicative of the highest professional standards that controllers set for themselves and exceed each and every day in the advancement of aviation safety."
Discussion

Air Slovakia ceased operations Tuesday owing to financial troubles and unpaid debts. It is the third Slovakian airline to shut down in the past six months following SkyEurope Airlines and Seagle Air. Air Slovakia was founded in 1993 and operated two 737 Classics and one 757-200.

Dutch authorities arrested a Swedish man about to pilot a Corendon Airlines 737 from Amsterdam to Ankara with a forged license Tuesday evening. The suspect used to have a valid Commercial Pilot's License but had been flying for 13 years with the forged document for companies in the UK, Belgium and Italy, spending some 10,000 unlicensed hr. in the air. Apparently he had received a validation of the forged Airline Transport Pilot License allowing him to operate Turkish commercial aircraft. An arraignment hearing has been scheduled for Friday.
Discussion

Turkish Airlines applied to the country's Capital Markets Board for approval to increase its registered share capital from the current TRY500 million ($325 million) to TRY2 billion.

Continental Airlines will make economy seats with 7 in. of extra legroom available for purchase at check-in or within 24 hr. of departure beginning March 17. Number of available seats will depend on the aircraft and pricing "will vary depending on a number of factors, including the length of flight and the market," CO said.

Boeing announced the delivery of two 777 freighters to Southern Air, which will operate them on an ACMI contract with Thai Airways. Southern also operates 16 747Fs.

Aeronautical Engineers Inc. yesterday delivered its first completed 737-400 converted freighter to Istanbul-based MNG Airlines, which plans to use the aircraft on routes connecting Istanbul Ataturk to Paris Charles de Gaulle, London Luton and Cologne. The aircraft, converted at AEI's Miami facility, can carry a maximum payload of 47,100 lb.

American Airlines flew 8.44 billion system RPMs in February, a 2.2% decline from the year-ago month, while capacity dropped 4.2% to 11.18 billion ASMs. Load factor rose 1.5 points to 75.5%. American Eagle Airlines flew 527.3 million RPMs, up 1%, against a 1.3% cut in capacity to 790.5 million ASMs. Load factor increased 1.5 points to 66.7%.

US Airways said last month's winter weather in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US cost the company around $30 million in lost revenue. Passenger RASM was up approximately 0.5 point as a result of the resulting capacity reduction. Group airlines flew 3.99 billion RPMs in February, down 4.8% year-over-year, against a 5.8% fall in capacity to 5.17 billion ASMs. Load factor rose 0.7 point to 77.2%.

EasyJet CEO Andy Harrison, who will leave the airline at the end of June, yesterday was named CEO of Whitbread effective Sept. 1. Whitbread owns hotel and restaurant brands in the UK.

IATA named Gulf Air CCO Willy Boulter regional VP-Asia/Pacific.

US Airways announced the retirement of Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, 59, who famously piloted an A320-200 to an emergency water landing on the Hudson River in January 2009. Sullenberger became a member of US's flight operations safety management team in September. Doreen Welsh, 59, a flight attendant who worked the flight, also retired.
Discussion



AVIATION QUOTE

There is not much to say about most airplane journeys. Anything remarkable must be disastrous, so you define a good flight by negatives: you didn't get hijacked, you didn't crash, you didn't throw up, you weren't late, you weren't nauseated by the food. So you're grateful.

— Paul Theroux, 'The Old Patagonian Express,' 1979.



AEROSPACE TERM

Heavy Cosmic-Ray Primaries

The positively charge nuclei of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium up to atomic nuclei of iron.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE





HUMOR

Area 51

You've heard of the Air Force's ultra-high-security, super-secret base in Nevada, known simply as "Area 51?"

Well, late one afternoon, the Air Force folks out at Area 51 were surprised to see a Cessna landing at their "secret" base. They immediately impounded the aircraft and hauled the pilot into an interrogation room.

The pilot's story was that he took off from Vegas, got lost, and spotted the Base just as he was about to run out of fuel. The Air Force started a full FBI background check on the pilot and held him overnight during the investigation.

By the next day, they were finally convinced that the pilot really was lost and wasn't a spy. They gassed up his airplane, gave him a terrifying "you-did-not-see-a-base" briefing, complete with threats of spending the rest of his life in prison, told him Vegas was that-a-way on such-and-such a heading, and sent him on his way.

The next day, to the total disbelief of the Air Force, the same Cessna showed up again. Once again, the MP's surrounded the plane... only this time there were two people in the plane.

The same pilot jumped out and said, "Do anything you want to me, but my wife is in the plane and you have to tell her where I was last night!"



TRIVIA

General Trivia

1. What was the longest-duration, nonstop passenger flight ever made by an airline using an airplane powered by reciprocating engines?
a. almost 21 hours
b. almost 25 hours
c. almost 29 hours
d. almost 33 hours

2. What gesture of kindness helped Charles Lindbergh to become first to fly nonstop from New York to Paris?
a. Admiral Richard Byrd, a competitor, allowed him to use Roosevelt Field.
b. Amelia Earhart gave him a St. Christopher medal.
c. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia waived a traffic citation that otherwise would have required his appearance in Manhattan the day after the day of his departure.
d. Local politicians waived a regulation that banned flights over their township before 9 o’clock on Sunday mornings.

3. Who was the first and perhaps only pilot given formal permission by the U.S. Navy to fly any of its aircraft at any time?
a. Gregory “Pappy” Boyington
b. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle
c. Charles A. Lindbergh
d. Edward V. “Eddie” Rickenbacker

4. True or false; Ejection seats have yet to be incorporated in military helicopters.

5. True or false; Chicago is called the “Windy City” because it is so windy there.

6. True or false; When operating an aircraft in Russia, all altitude assignments are given in meters. When cleared to descend to and maintain 1,500 meters, for example, a pilot is expected to descend to and maintain 1,500 meters above the airport, not above sea level.

1. What was the longest-duration, nonstop passenger flight ever made by an airline using an airplane powered by reciprocating engines?
c. almost 29 hours

2. What gesture of kindness helped Charles Lindbergh to become first to fly nonstop from New York to Paris?
a. Admiral Richard Byrd, a competitor, allowed him to use Roosevelt Field.

3. Who was the first and perhaps only pilot given formal permission by the U.S. Navy to fly any of its aircraft at any time?
b. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle

4. True or false; Ejection seats have yet to be incorporated in military helicopters.
False. There is a Russian helicopter that can drop it's blades at the point of ejection (not sure which one)

5. True or false; Chicago is called the “Windy City” because it is so windy there.
False, seems too obvious.

6. True or false; When operating an aircraft in Russia, all altitude assignments are given in meters. When cleared to descend to and maintain 1,500 meters, for example, a pilot is expected to descend to and maintain 1,500 meters above the airport, not above sea level.
Must be false.

ANSWERS:

1. (c) During World War II, Qantas Empire Airways operated “Double Sunrise Flights,” Consolidated PBY Catalinas that carried a handful of passengers and mail between Perth, Australia, and Galle, Ceylon, a distance of 3,580 nm. Average flight time was 28 hours.

2. (a) Byrd had the exclusive right to use Roosevelt Field, the best runway from which to make lengthy, heavy-weight takeoffs, and made it available to his rivals, Lindbergh and Chamberlain. Only Lindbergh used it.

3. (c) The permit read, in part, that “the commanding officers of all Naval units are authorized to place service equipment at [Lindbergh’s] disposal, either for local or cross-country flying.”

4. False. The Russian Zvezda K-37 seat system is used in the Kaman Ka-50 Black Shark and Ka-52 Alligator helicopters. Thankfully, the system first fires explosive bolts to jettison the rotor blades.

5. False. Chicago got this nickname because of its reputation for being the home of blowhard politicians. The windiest major city is Boston, which averages 12.5 mph. Chicago averages 10.4 mph.

6. True. An altimeter setting that provides altitude above sea level is called QNH; a setting that provides height above an airport is called QFE.