Unforgotten: Airlines of the Past

Part one: USA. Nothing is a more sobering testament to the unpredictability of the airline business than the long list of carriers that are no longer with us. From Pan Am and Braniff to Ozark and Southern, here's a look at America's most colorful and influential airlines of yesterday. (thepointsguy.com) Mehr...

Flight chief at Horizon Air alarmed at pilots’ safety culture

In an urgent internal message on the eve of Thanksgiving, Horizon Air’s head of flight operations warned that a lax safety culture among the airline’s pilots had led to multiple potentially dangerous incidents in recent days. He called for urgent action to prevent a serious air accident. Hornibrook says that the two days before Thanksgiving were “the most difficult 48-hour period I have seen in my tenure with Horizon Air,” as he goes on to list the safety-related incidents that the airline saw. (www.heraldnet.com) Mehr...

NTSB Chief: Doors-off Helo Flight Was 'Death Trap'

In language that was uncharacteristically blunt and direct, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairman Robert Sumwalt accused the doors-off photo tour company NYONair, parent of FlyNYON, of turning “a perfectly good helicopter into a death trap” and characterizing it as “madness.” Sumwalt praised the airmanship of accident pilot Richard Vance. (www.ainonline.com) Mehr...

Chile says it lost contact with military plane headed to Antarctica, 38 on board

A Chilean air force C-130 Hercules that was bound for Antarctica and carrying 38 on board lost radio contact with the country’s control center Monday evening, a statement from the military said. The military had declared an alert and activated a search and rescue team. The transport plane carried 17 crew members and 21 passengers. Those on board were to check on a floating fuel supply line and other equipment at the Chilean base. (www.foxnews.com) Mehr...

Boeing removed a feature that protects its 787 planes during lightning strikes as a cost-cutting measure, even after FAA experts objected

Boeing removed a feature that protects its 787 planes during lightning strikes as a cost-cutting measure even after technical experts from the Federal Aviation Administration experts objected, according to a new report from The Seattle Times. The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will today grill FAA Administrator Steve Dickson about why the FAA's managers ultimately approved the change, which involved removing copper foil from part of the 787 Dreamliner's wings. (www.businessinsider.com) Mehr...

Coast Guard searching for helicopter that likely crashed in the Gulf of Mexico

NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard is searching for two people aboard an overdue helicopter that likely crashed in the Gulf of Mexico, Saturday. The tail number of the helicopter is N79LP and the owner is Panther Marine. Watchstanders at Coast Guard District Eight received a report at 10:37 a.m. from Panther Marine that the helicopter crew did not reach their destination. The passengers were transiting from one offshore platform to another but Panther Marine lost communications when they were 10… (www.wkrg.com) Mehr...

Effect of lightning strikes on Carbon Fibre (video and photos)

If you know a Boeing engineer, please pass this on. On average, every single airliner is hit by lightning once a year. Modern, metal planes are built to carry on perfectly safely even if they are struck but the very latest airliners are now being made of carbon fibre, which can be very badly damaged by lightning. So how are aeroplane designers making them safe to fly? BBC Transport Correspondent Richard Westcott was given exclusive access to the Airbus "Lightning Lab" based at Cardiff… (www.bbc.com) Mehr...

Unexpected repairs to Alaska Airlines freighters delay holiday season shipments

This week, Alaska Airlines announced that the three cargo jets that it uses to deliver freight to communities statewide needed repairs and would be pulled out of service. That means delays on rural deliveries during the holiday season. “It centers around the integrity of the bulkhead of the bulkhead known as a 9g rigid barrier wall,” said Alaska Airlines spokesman Tim Thompson. (www.alaskapublic.org) Mehr...

Embraer E2 anomaly spurs urgent revision of smoke procedures

The emergency directive from Brazil’s civil aviation regulator ANAC focuses on the 190-E2 and 195-E2 variants of the regional twinjet. (www.flightglobal.com) Mehr...

Four SpiceJet Pilots Fail Breathalyzer Alcohol Test

SpiceJet has grounded four pilots who failed preflight breathalyzer alcohol tests in separate incidents. (simpleflying.com) Mehr...

Video: First Air Canada Airbus A220 Performs Maiden Flight

Air Canada’s first Airbus A220-300 performed its maiden flight from Montreal-Mirabel, in Canada. The plane rolled out of the paint shop at Bombardier’s Mirabel facility in November. Air Canada is the North-American launch customer for the A220-300 and will eventually take delivery of 45 planes. The carrier also has 30 options to exercise, all of which will be used to replace the airline’s oldest Airbus A320 family aircraft and its entire Embraer E190 fleet. (airwaysmag.com) Mehr...

Spirit Airlines sues DOT over vacant Southwest Newark slots

Spirit Airlines (NK, Fort Lauderdale Int'l) has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) after the agency decided to withhold peak-period slots at New York Newark that previously belonged to Southwest Airlines (WN, Dallas Love Field). (www.ch-aviation.com) Mehr...

Barbie releases pilot and engineer dolls to encourage young girls into STEM subjects

Mattel’s Barbie has announced three new dolls in partnership with Virgin Atlantic. Created to encourage young girls to pursue careers in aviation, the three dolls include a pilot, engineer and member of the cabin crew. The new dolls are part of Barbie’s Dream Gap Project, which was launched to combat the fact that girls as young as five can start to limit self-belief and doubt their full potential. This initiative aims to level the playing field for girls globally and highlight role models… (www.standard.co.uk) Mehr...

Ryanair passengers ‘will not know if 737 Max is due to operate flight’

Ryanair’s aircraft allocation procedures mean passengers will not be told during the booking process whether or not their flights are due to be operated by Boeing 737 Max jets, according to group chief executive Michael O’Leary. (www.flightglobal.com) Mehr...