NewsIncidents/Accidents
Tequila bottles found inside unfinished Air Force One jet at Boeing Texas plant
Not one, but two empty tequila bottles were found inside one of the planes currently under construction at Boeing’s San Antonio manufacturing facility.
Two factors make this seemingly innocuous incident rather alarming: one, alcohol is strictly prohibited in Boeing’s San Antonio plant, and two, the 747-8s that are currently being constructed are future Air Force One jets.
LinkAirlines
The United States Finally Relaxes Its European Travel Ban
The United States is officially making plans to lift the ban on travel to the States from November. Visitors from previously banned countries will be required to be double vaccinated to enter, with those who remain unvaccinated being subjected to even stricter COVID testing requirements. The move has been widely applauded by the aviation and travel industry.
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Atlas Air and DHL Express extend agreements for 20 freighters
Atlas Air, Inc., a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc., announced it has entered into contract extensions with DHL Express to continue operating 20 freighter aircraft in support of their fast-growing express and e-commerce markets.
These agreements build on the long-standing strategic partnership between Atlas Air Worldwide and DHL, which began in 2008 and included DHL acquiring 49% of AAWW’s subsidiary, Polar Air Cargo, as well as a long-term agreement for six dedicated 747-400Fs to operate on key Trans-Pacific routes.
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Volotea records growth of 136% in Greece this past summer
Volotea, the airline of small and mid-sized European cities, shared its summer activity report for the Greek market today. Despite a season once again affected by the COVID 19 crisis, Volotea achieved good results this summer. The airline transported over 400,000 passengers between June and August, representing a 136% increase on the same period last year.
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Iberia proposes to its unions the negotiation of an ERTE for organizational and productive reasons
The slowdown in the economic recovery, together with the growing uncertainty about whether force majeure ERTEs will be applied to the airline sector and under what conditions, have motivated Iberia’s decision to start negotiations with its unions on an ERTE for organizational and productive reasons.
Due to the slow recovery of both long-haul and connecting flights as well as business travel and the prohibitions, restrictions and quarantines still in force in many countries, Iberia considers it essential that the extension of the force majeure ERTE that the Government and the social partners are negotiating include the air sector to safeguard the employment of workers in the sector.
Link
Indian airlines allowed to carry 85% of passenger load capacity
Indian domestic carriers are eligible to carry up to 85% of passenger load capacity as per an order by the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on September 18, 2021.
"After review of the current status of Scheduled Domestic Operations vis-a-vis passenger demand for air travel [...] 72.5% capacity may be read as 85 % capacity," stated the order by MoCA.
The order surfaced after MoCA reported a 34% increase in domestic passenger traffic during August 2021 compared to July 2021.
LinkAirports
Atlas Air and DHL Express extend agreements for 20 freighters
Atlas Air, Inc., a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc., announced it has entered into contract extensions with DHL Express to continue operating 20 freighter aircraft in support of their fast-growing express and e-commerce markets.
These agreements build on the long-standing strategic partnership between Atlas Air Worldwide and DHL, which began in 2008 and included DHL acquiring 49% of AAWW’s subsidiary, Polar Air Cargo, as well as a long-term agreement for six dedicated 747-400Fs to operate on key Trans-Pacific routes.
Link
Volotea records growth of 136% in Greece this past summer
Volotea, the airline of small and mid-sized European cities, shared its summer activity report for the Greek market today. Despite a season once again affected by the COVID 19 crisis, Volotea achieved good results this summer. The airline transported over 400,000 passengers between June and August, representing a 136% increase on the same period last year.
Link
Iberia proposes to its unions the negotiation of an ERTE for organizational and productive reasons
The slowdown in the economic recovery, together with the growing uncertainty about whether force majeure ERTEs will be applied to the airline sector and under what conditions, have motivated Iberia’s decision to start negotiations with its unions on an ERTE for organizational and productive reasons.
Due to the slow recovery of both long-haul and connecting flights as well as business travel and the prohibitions, restrictions and quarantines still in force in many countries, Iberia considers it essential that the extension of the force majeure ERTE that the Government and the social partners are negotiating include the air sector to safeguard the employment of workers in the sector.
Link
Indian airlines allowed to carry 85% of passenger load capacity
Indian domestic carriers are eligible to carry up to 85% of passenger load capacity as per an order by the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on September 18, 2021.
"After review of the current status of Scheduled Domestic Operations vis-a-vis passenger demand for air travel [...] 72.5% capacity may be read as 85 % capacity," stated the order by MoCA.
The order surfaced after MoCA reported a 34% increase in domestic passenger traffic during August 2021 compared to July 2021.
LinkMilitary
Lockheed, Airbus offer enhanced A330 MRTT tanker for USAF
Lockheed Martin presented the LMXT, a variant of the Airbus A330 MRTT that it has tailored for the US Air Force’s KC-Y program.
With the second part of the United States Air Force fleet modernization project about to begin, Lockheed Martin unveiled its proposal on September 17, 2021. The aircraft, heavily based on Airbus’ tanker, will offer an extra 12 tons of fuel compared to the A330 MRTT of other operators (and 27 tons more than Boeing’s KC-46 Pegasus.) The manufacturer did not specify how that increased capacity would be achieved.
Link
India purchases phased out Mirage 2000s from France
The Indian Air Force (IAF) inked a deal to purchase 24 phased-out Mirage 2000 aircraft from the French Air Force, according to sources quoted by the Hindustan Times on September 17, 2021.
Out of 24 aircraft, 16 will reportedly not be used for flying but rather as salvage for spare parts to ensure operational continuance for the IAF's current fleet of 49 Mirage 2000s.
Link
Aviation Quote
The air is an extremely dangerous, jealous and exacting mistress. Once under the spell most lovers are faithful to the end, which is not always old age. Even those masters and princes of aerial fighting, the survivors of fifty mortal duels in the high air who have come scatheless through the War and all its perils, have returned again and again to their love and perished too often in some ordinary commonplace flight undertaken for pure amusement.
- Sir Winston Churchill, 'In The Air,' Thoughts and Adventures, 1932
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Trivia
General Trivia
1. What was the longest-duration passenger flight ever made by an airline using an airplane powered by reciprocating engines?
1. 23 hours 19 minutes
2. 20 hours 19 minutes
3. 17 hours 19 minutes
4. 14 hours 19 minutes
2. Which of the following was the only operational Century-series fighter not deployed over Vietnam?
5. Convair F-102 Delta Dagger
6. Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
7. Convair F-106 Delta Dart
8. McDonnell F-110 Spectre
3. Multiengine pilots know that it can take substantial rudder-pedal force to arrest the yaw created by a failed engine when operating at minimum-controllable airspeed (VMC). The maximum force allowed by aircraft certification regulation Part 23.149 is
9. 75 pounds.
10. 100 pounds.
11. 150 pounds.
12. 200 pounds.
4. True or false; For instrument-rated pilots: A pilot is cleared to “cruise at 9,000 feet,” for example. This means that the pilot is cleared to execute the instrument approach at his destination airport.
5. True or false; The Beech King Air was the first civilian turboprop airplane produced in the United States.
6. True or false; American pilots know that when two airplanes are on converging courses, the airplane on the others right has right-of-way. In England (and a few other countries), however, the airplane on the others left has right-of-way.
