Iran to unveil homemade two-seat aircraft July 1

Iran would introduce a homemade two-seat airplane on July 1, marking the Industry and Mine Day, said a Ministry of Industries and Mines official here Wednesday.

Abdolhamid Samareh-Hashemi added the first phase of Iranian Aluminium Co. (IRALCO) with a 120,000 ton production capacity in Arak, the capital of Markazi Province, would be also inaugurated, creating 500 jobs.

He said 57 projects valued at 10.208 billion dollars and financed by foreign investors was approved in the last Iranian calendar year (ended March 20, 2007), showing a 538 percent increase when compared to that of its preceding year.

Source: mehrnews.com Read More..

Boeing extends life of Long Beach aircraft plant

Southern California's last major airplane factory got a reprieve Tuesday as Boeing Co. announced it would keep open its Long Beach production line for the C-17 Air Force transport for at least six more months.

With no new orders, the sprawling plant next to Long Beach Airport had been scheduled for closure by mid-2009 with the rollout of the last C-17. It would have dealt a major economic blow to the region.

But Boeing told its Long Beach workers Tuesday morning that the company would invest its own money to keep the line going until at least 2010, with the hope of securing more orders from the Air Force and foreign nations.

"We're putting some skin in the game," said Rick Sanford, a Boeing spokesman in Long Beach. "We're committed to keeping the line viable until we get funding."

The decision was hailed by lawmakers and local officials who have been fighting to keep the plant open.

"This is good news," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who has been seeking additional congressional funding for the Air Force to buy more C-17s.

It also drew support from the Air Force, which has maintained that it wants to buy more C-17s but can't do so until after 2010 because of budget and planning constraints.

The gap would have meant shuttering the plant and then restarting it months later at a cost of more than $500 million.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday at the Paris Air Show, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne called Boeing's decision a "very good gesture on their part."

For Boeing the move would help prevent disrupting the C-17 Globemaster III's supplier chain at a time when many aerospace companies are enjoying double-digit growth in their commercial aircraft business. Boeing risked higher production costs as it renegotiated contracts with emboldened suppliers.

Still, Chicago-based Boeing had until now resisted taking the financial risk of paying for parts for planes that had yet to be ordered.

With 31,000 workers in Southern California, Boeing is the region's largest private employer. Of that total, 5,500 work on the C-17 in Long Beach.

With the C-17's future still up in the air, Boeing's decision to keep the line open for an additional six months is a bold one, said Robert Swayze, manager of economic development for Long Beach: "It's a little bit nervy to think about building $200-million airplanes on spec, and that's really what they're doing."

Long Beach officials have been lobbying Congress in an effort to secure funding for more C-17s to prolong the plant's life and preserve its contribution to the local economy.

In addition to its direct payroll, the plant provides jobs for about 5,300 workers at suppliers around Southern California, city officials estimate. Only about 15% of the plant's workers are Long Beach residents, giving other Southland cities a stake in the factory's survival, said Swayze, who heads the so-called Red Team of C-17 boosters.

"It's terrifically important to the Long Beach economy, but it's even more important to the regional economy," Swayze said. "It's a regional economic asset." Including the indirect employment, the plant generates economic activity of well over $1 billion a year, officials said.

In addition to its economic significance, the plant also provides a meaningful tie to the state's past as a major aircraft producer.

"It's California's last major aircraft production facility," Swayze said. "California used to be the home of the aircraft industry, and this is what's left."

But in March, Boeing began telling some suppliers to stop producing parts for the large four-engine jet. It takes about 34 months from the production of the first part to final assembly.

Boeing executives said Tuesday that they were telling suppliers to continue making parts for the plane beyond the 190 that have been ordered so far with the anticipation that Congress would provide funding for an additional 10 aircraft. Boeing has delivered 165 C-17s so far to the Air Force.

The decision was based on "continued bipartisan congressional support and increasing signs that the U.S. Air Force has requirements for 30 additional C-17s," a Boeing executive said.

By Peter Pae and Martin Zimmerman, Times Staff Writers
The full of this article's can be read on the source at: Los Angeles Times Read More..

Frequent fliers can sleep on it

Frequent-flier miles for credit card purchases, hotel stays . . . and now mattresses. AirTran Airways has begun a partnership with the parent company of Sealy Posturepedic and Stearns & Foster giving A-plus Rewards members up to 16 credits -- enough for a round-trip coach ticket -- for buying a mattress set via CreditsWhileYouSleep.com . AirTran now flies from Logan International Airport and 55 other destinations.

Make a connection via helicopter hop
Continental Airlines Inc. is the latest airline to set up a New York City code-share ticketing alliance with US Helicopter Corp. Continental passengers booked on flights out of Newark Liberty International Airport can buy flights through continental.com for the 8-minute, $159-plus chopper flights to Newark from the East 34th Street Atlantic Metroport or downtown heliport and check baggage at heliports through to their Continental flight.

Brazilian airline partnering with Delta
Another new baggage-and-ticketing partnership starts July 1, giving Delta Air Lines Inc. passengers flying to and from Brazil faster connections through Rio De Janeiro and Sao Paulo to 58 Brazil destinations and 8 other South American cities served by GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes.

By Peter J. Howe
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company

Read more from the source at: Boston Globe Read More..

India takes a hit over Russian fighters

BANGALORE - India's relations with Russia have hit an air pocket, with the Russians seeking to renegotiate the terms of a US$8.5 billion deal to supply India with Sukhoi fighter aircraft. The new pricing terms that the Russians are proposing would require India to fork out another half-billion dollars.

Under the deal to supply the multi-role combat aircraft to India, Russia's Irkutsk Corp has already supplied 60 Su-30s. Russia is willing to deliver another 40 fighters at the cost escalation of

2.55% per annum as agreed under the original deal. However, for the remaining 138 Su-30s to be assembled by the Bangalore-based Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Russia wants the cost-escalation rate to be hiked to a minimum of 5%.

India and Russia both need the deal, so a compromise is likely, such as settling for a cost-escalation rate of about 4%, above the current 2.55% but below the 5% now being demanded. Or India could pay in euros. But a bitter taste will remain.

Russia is also considering increasing the cost of the 44,570-tonne aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov (renamed by India as INS Vikramaditya) that it was to make available to India by August 2008. The proposed price rises were conveyed to a delegation of top Indian officials that was in Moscow last week.

This has injected a perceptible chill into India-Russia ties. Except for a few years following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, when relations cooled, India's relationship with Moscow has been close. For decades, India has viewed Moscow as a reliable friend that backed its development priorities and provided its defense forces with most of its hardware. While trade and economic cooperation were important parts of the bilateral relationship, it was the military component that constituted the backbone of the friendship.

The friendship has survived despite India's warming relations with the United States in recent years. It is Russia that remains India's top military partner, notching up annual sales worth $1.5 billion, and it is with the Russians that Delhi's cooperation has more depth.

The multibillion-dollar Sukhoi program is said to be the largest in Indo-Russian military cooperation, which has contributed immensely to India's indigenization efforts. In another example, the BrahMos missile, which has been co-produced by India's Defense Research and Development Organization and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia, will be jointly exported by the end of this year.

The Indian Air Force loves its Sukhois for their domination of the skies. The Sukhois have replaced the Russian MiG-21s as the mainstay of India's fighter fleet. Four contracts have been signed since 1995 for the supply of Sukhois; the first provided for the purchase of eight Su-30K and 40 Su-30 MKI, the second of 10 Su-30 K, the third for licensed production of 140 Su-30 MKI, and the most recent in March for 40 Su-30 MKI.

What has irked India now is not only the hike in the cost of the fighters but also the suddenness with which the Russians raised the issue. As recently as March, the Russians had not indicated any problem with the cost-escalation rate of 2.55%, complain officials.

The Russians attribute the higher costs to the depreciation of the US dollar and the strengthening of the ruble, as well as double-digit inflation in Russia.

As for the Gorshkov, it seems that the aircraft carrier will arrive only around 2010 instead of next year. Refurbished at a cost of $1.5 billion, which includes 16 MiG 29K aircraft, the Gorshkov project is now going into a cost overrun of more than $113 million - and there were no provisions for this in the contract.

Last week, the Russians told the Indian delegation that the delivery of Gorshkov is being held up by a funds crunch at the Sevmash shipyard in northern Russia, where the carrier is being refurbished. They said the shipyard had grossly underestimated the length of cabling the carrier needed. The Russians told India that if it wants the carrier delivered on time, Delhi will have to cough up more. India is concerned with the delay as its other aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, is due for retirement soon.

Indian officials point out that much has changed in Russia's dealings with India. In the past, Moscow might have indulged India with "friendly prices" and allowed a foreign-exchange-strapped India to pay for purchases in rupees. But today things are different: Moscow wants to hike rates after contracts are finalized.
Yet Russia says little has changed in its approach to India. With regard to the cost escalation for the Sukhois, it says that as a special gesture to India, it will consider reducing the proposed rate of 5% to 4.5%. It has also said it will continue with the current 2.55% annual escalation rate if India is willing to pay with the more stable euro.

The Sukhoi and Gorshkov troubles come close on the heels of a spat over allowing each other's civilian aircraft into their airspace. When Russia decided to ban Air India and Jet Airways from its airspace this month, India hit back by barring Aeroflot and Transco. An open collision was avoided with the two sides agreeing to maintain the status quo of an earlier bilateral civil-aviation agreement.

Officials say that while India remains appreciative of the Russians for providing it with military equipment when the West had been reluctant to do so during the Cold War years, India nonetheless has had problems with Russian military supplies.

Indian military officials have been irritated for some time with the severe shortage of spare parts and the huge delays that dog delivery of Russian equipment. Delivery of the Sukhois, T-90S main battle tanks and Talwar-class stealth frigates have been delayed by years. It is not just with regard to supply of new acquisitions that the Russians are running late, but repair and overhaul of past acquisitions are also behind schedule, complain officials.

By Sudha Ramachandran
The full of this article's can be read on the source at: Strategy Page Read More..

Mallya approaches SpiceJet cautiously

New Delhi: Liquor baron Vijay Mallya’s thirst for low-cost airlines seems to have become insatiable. Kingfisher is now planning to spread its wings once again, by targeting SpiceJet.

After gulping down 26 per cent of the country’s largest low-cost airline, Air Deccan, the promoter of Kingfisher Airlines has dropped hints that he is interested in acquiring a stake even in Delhi-based budget carrier SpiceJet.

SpiceJet is India's second largest low-cost airline with a market share of nine per cent. SpiceJet operates over 83 daily flights in 14 cities with 11 Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

When asked about his interest in SpiceJet, Vijay Mallya said: “I am certainly interested, and if you are asking me if I am talking about it, the answer is no. Am I going to get it? The answer is I don’t know.”

On May 31, Mallya's United Breweries Group bought a controlling stake in Deccan Airways worth Rs 550 crore.

The Indian aviation industry has already seen several mergers with Jet Airways taking over Air Sahara and the Indian Airlines being merged with Air-India. Mallya’s latest move is part of the consolidation taking place in the Indian skies

The full of this article's can be read on the source at: Yahoo! India News Read More..

Jumpjet Launches Aircraft-Sharing, Fee-Based Private Jet Business Model

Jumpjet, a new corporate aviation player, this month took to the skies, claiming to offer private jet flights "for less than the cost of most airline tickets." Founder and CEO Will Ashcroft said the program undercuts the cost of fractional jet ownership, stored-value jet cards and direct charters as Jumpjet members share aircraft, pay a monthly membership fee and in many cases face tighter reservation requirements.

The provider has three tiers of monthly memberships for individuals and a more customizable offering for corporate clients. The model is similar for all programs: Members pay a monthly membership fee and are allocated a designated number of flights and guests per month.

However, depending on membership level or corporate contract, there are limitations, such as advanced booking requirements, the possibility of sharing aircraft with travelers from other companies and less flexible reservation changes. As Ashcroft noted, "You can't change reservations unless there's a dire emergency; you can't call from the golf course." However, Ashcroft said that keeps costs down.

"Our corporate programs absolutely are custom-designed," Ashcroft said. "A small company that has five executives can pay somewhere between $7,500 and $10,000 a month and get up to five roundtrips a month. They can use the aircraft to pick up clients, send themselves out as a team or as an individual."

Ashcroft said companies could select a six- or 12-month plan, for which they are debited every month. He also said Jumpjet offers reports to corporate clients on usage, "so they can have additional information that a corporation might need versus an individual."

Res System Stress-Test

Ashcroft said the company has been signing corporate clients and stress-testing the Jumpjet reservations system. Ashcroft last month said about 50 business clients had opted for the program.

"We've even had companies with 45,000 employees contact us," he said. "We tell them, before you get rid of the corporate flight department, before you have everyone in the company fly on a corporate jet, let's look at this by division or by unit because that's where our specialty is. We're very cautious to explain that other members may show up on the aircraft, but they are guaranteed to get the aircraft within five days."

Santa Fe, N.M.-based Jumpjet handles reservations and gives clients access to 5,000 domestic destinations from its originating cities—Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles/Orange County, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.—with plans to expand into Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico later this year.

By Jay Boehmer
Read more from the article's source at: Business Travel News Read More..

Helicopter flight academy coming to Stewart

Silver State Helicopters plans to open a helicopter flight academy at Stewart International Airport in Orange County this month.

Company president, founder and CEO Jerry Airola said this morning that the program would offer people the chance to earn private and commercial pilot licenses and eventually work for the company. Silver State provides a wide variety of services, including charters, tours and air ambulance across the United States.

"We train local people to fly for us so we can build a commercial company around them," said Airola, who is in town to announce the company's arrival at a press conference tomorrow at Stewart.

Silver State will hold a career opportunity seminar at 3 p.m. tomorrow at the New Windsor, N.Y., airport. The training costs $70,000, but he said students don't have to pay for it until six months after they graduated the program.

Silver State has more than 2,600 students enrolled in 34 flight training locations across the country.

By KHURRAM SAEED, THE JOURNAL NEWS. Contact: KSAEED@LOHUD.COM

Read more of this article's from the source at: TheJournalNews.com Read More..

A380 takes to our skies

IT has an 80m wingspan and can carry more than 500 people.

But the world's largest passenger airliner launches into the sky with cabin noise you could expect from a cruising car. The large but quiet future of long-haul air travel was revealed yesterday when Qantas and Airbus took the first Australian passenger flight of the A380 into Sydney's skies.

Frequent flyers, Qantas staff, media and VIPs including Qantas board member General Peter Cosgrove, TV host Kerri-Anne Kennerley and pioneering female pilot Nancy Bird Walton toured the double decker behemoth as it swept low over Sydney Harbour, the Opera House and Canberra on a two-hour trip, part of an Airbus promotional tour.

Passengers were impressed with the super jumbo's quiet take-off, extra leg room and overhead clearance.

"I think the noise level on take-off is dramatically lower than you would normally experience on a 747," said Roger Thiedeman of the UK-published Airways magazine.

"Admittedly we didn't have a full load of passengers or baggage but it's good. I think the seat pitch is good, I am just a shade under 6ft and I can picture myself here on a long flight. I don't think it would be terribly uncomfortable."

The touring A380 has an Airbus cabin design, which includes first and economy seats on the bottom deck and economy and business class seats on the top, along with a small lounge. Furnishings are mostly pale. There are stairs at the front and back of the aircraft.

Big bird: The world's largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380,
takes off on a demonstration flight from Sydney airport yesterday.
Picture: AFP

Qantas has ordered 20 of the aircraft that were originally due to start being delivered last year. The first is now due in August next year and will fly from Melbourne to LA.

Details of the cabin design for Qantas have not yet been released.

The cabin can be designed with about 550 seats, but executive general manager John Borghetti said planes would have between 450 and 500 seats to allow for the cabin design the airline wants.

Read the rest of this article's at: www.news.com.au Read More..

Airbus lands US$2.4b Aer Lingus plane deal

LONDON : Irish airline Aer Lingus announced on Wednesday an order for 12 new Airbus airliners worth 2.4 billion dollars (1.78 billion euros) to boost its expansion on transatlantic routes.

Aer Lingus will take delivery of six new wide-bodied A350 XWBs and six new A330 300E aircraft from 2009 onwards, the company said in a statement which added that it had obtained "substantial discounts."

The A330s will be delivered between 2009 and 2011, while the A350s will be delivered between 2014 and 2016. The carrier added that it has the option to purchase a further six A350 XWB jets for delivery by 2018.

The order brings troubled European group Airbus a new customer for its long-haul A350, which was designed to compete with the 787 Dreamliner manufactured by US rival Boeing.

Last week, Boeing had won an order for 27 Boeing 737-800 jets from Aer Lingus' key low-cost rival Ryanair in a deal worth 1.9 billion dollars at list prices. Ryanair owns about one quarter of Aer Lingus stock.

"We are pleased to announce this investment in new long haul aircraft," said Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion in the statement.

"These aircraft are key to our growth ambitions which include new routes to the United States following the Open Skies agreement."

The push into the US market has been made possible after EU transport ministers earlier this year cleared plans to free up transatlantic routes between Europe and the United States under a so-called "open skies" deal.

Read the rest of this article's at: Channel NewsAsia Read More..

Up, up and away: Look in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a glider

If you thought Tuesday was a beautiful day from the ground, imagine what it looked like from the sky. Well, pilots in 36 glider planes didn’t have to imagine as gliders from around the country competed for the second week.

The weeks of competition encompassed both regional and national contests at the Albert Lea Municipal Airport where gliders would soar for hours on end through the picturesque southern Minnesota airways, hoping to be the fastest glider in the bunch.

“It was a good flight,” said glider pilot and competitor Roy Bourgeois after he finished a four and a half hour flight. “I’m happy to be back at this point.”

Tuesday’s competition had gliders taking off from Albert Lea, flying to Sleepy Eye, Osage, Iowa; almost to Faribault and back. Roy was the first to take off in the open class and the first to get back, but he said he felt his time was a little slow.

“I saw a good piece of Minnesota today,” said Roy, who is originally from Boston. “It’s a pretty state.”

The picturesque scenes from the sky aren’t the only reason the gliding competitors often find themselves in Albert Lea. Roy and his son Dan, who is from Denver, said they have met only friendly and supportive faces in town.

“The people are just a pleasure to meet and speak with,” Roy said.

While the friendly people are a plus, the gliders have been coming to Albert Lea since 1992 to compete, and unfortunately this year brought frustrating weather conditions. Last week was intended for the Region 7 Competition, but those gliders only saw one day of decent weather and two are needed to make an official contest. Dan, who intended to fly in the regionals, didn’t get to compete.

“We just got unlucky on the weather,” said Paul Remde of Cumulus Soaring, who managed the competition.

The U.S. Open Class Nationals Championship and the 18-Meter Class Nationals Championship flew this week, ending today, and had three good days of flying so far. Four are needed to make an official contest and glider pilots are hoping today brings them good weather. These particular competitions had the largest outcome Remde had ever seen, at 58 gliders competing in both races.

A gliding competitions is much like any other race. Contestants have to hit a few different marks on the flight plan and then return home with the fastest time. However, most gliders do not have an engine so they must be towed up into the air to start and soar on thermals, much like a hawk. To gain altitude the glider circles around in a thermal and then glides to the next thermal until it reaches its destination.

Some gliders reach up to 100 mph between thermals, depending on the weight of the plane. The heavier the plane the better so most carry water weight, which they then dump as they come to a landing. Tuesday’s competition saw gliders stay in the air for four and a half hours, flying almost 300 miles.

By Sarah Kirchner

Read more of this article's from the source at: The Albert Lea Tribune Read More..

Qatar Airways signs contract for 80 A350 jets worth $16 billion

PARIS: Qatar Airways extended a much-needed boost to European jetmaker Airbus on Wednesday by ordering 20 extra A350s, making the airline the largest customer for the wide-body jet with a total order of 80 planes worth US$16 billion (€11.8 billion).

A "memorandum of agreement" was signed by Qatar Airways President Akbar Al Baker in the presence of new French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Qatari Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The A350 is Airbus' challenger to Boeing Co.'s 787 long-range, mid-sized aircraft.

"It's an enormous order," said Airbus Chief Executive Louis Gallois, who was also present at the signing. "It's one of Airbus' biggest ever orders."

He said that other orders could be in the pipeline, without giving more details.

The Qatar Airways agreement for 20 A350-800s, 40 A350-900s and 20 A350-1000s, would be worth some US$16 billion (€11.9 billion) at list prices, but such large purchases usually receive deep discounts. The agreement replaces an earlier one for 60 A350s signed in 2005.

Airbus has also been losing customers to U.S. rival Boeing in the market for mid-sized jets and was forced last year to launch a costly redesign of the planned A350 to compete with Boeing's 777 and 787 Dreamliner, due to enter service in 2008.

Wednesday's agreement comes after a report Tuesday in German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung that carriers including Qatar Airways — but also Singapore Airlines Ltd., Emirates and the International Lease Finance Corp. — were pressing Airbus for changes to the A350's fuselage design. Airbus denied it planned any changes.

"Airbus is offering the A350 and continues to offer it with the composite panels which we believe are the best solution," Airbus spokeswoman Barbara Kracht said in response to the report Tuesday.

The European planemaker has bet heavily on future demand for superjumbos to serve the world's increasingly congested major airports, yet its A380 craft has been beset by legal, technical and managerial problems. Two years of accumulated delays to the 555-seater A380 have wiped more than €5 billion (US$6.6 billion) off Airbus' profit forecasts for 2006-2010. It also has also been suffering from a falling dollar — the currency in which it sells its planes.

Gallois said Tuesday that Qatar has expressed an interest in investing in Airbus parent EADS, but there have been no specific discussions about the state becoming a shareholder. Sarkozy has vowed his government will seek new investors for EADS, seeking changes to the shareholder pact as existing stakeholders Lagardere SCA and DaimlerChrysler AG seek to reduce their holdings.

The French state owns 15 percent of EADS, while Paris-based Lagardere owns 7.5 percent. Their combined stake is balanced by German holdings by Stuttgart-based DaimlerChrysler and a consortium of private and state-run investors.

Qatar is a U.S.-allied sheikdom in the Persian Gulf that sits atop the world's largest field of natural gas. The country of 800,000 is quickly growing rich on income from exports of natural gas, which is financing the rapid expansion of the capital, Doha, and bankrolling the state-owned airline.

A tourism boom in the Middle East is contributing to the region's air traffic growth, powering the rapid expansion of airports and airlines. The International Air Transport Association forecasts that international passenger air traffic in the Middle East will expand by an average annual growth of 6.9 percent until 2010.

Middle Eastern carriers currently account for just 9 percent of long-haul capacity worldwide, but are responsible for nearly a quarter of all global long-haul aircraft deliveries over the next decade.

Qatar and EADS will sign a contract next month in Doha for radar coverage across the Qatari region, according to David Martinon, a spokesman for Sarkozy.

Airbus claims its A350, made from carbon fiber wings and composites will be lighter per seat and more economical than existing crafts.

The 787's first test plane is scheduled to be ready in July with the plane entering commercial service next May. To date, Boeing has racked up 568 orders for the 787, which it says will be 20 percent more fuel-efficient than comparable jets.

Shares in European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. NV fell 1.1 percent to €22.98 (US$30.94) in Paris.

---
Associated Press Writers Christine Ollivier and Jim Krane contributed to this report.

Source: International Herald Tribune Read More..

US Airways adds new West Coast route from Charlotte

On Monday, US Airways started non-stop service to Portland, Ore., from its hub in Charlotte with one daily round-trip flight. The carrier uses Airbus A320 aircraft configured with 12 seats in first class and 138 in coach.

"This new route is another example of the strong national network we have as a result of the America West-US Airways merger in September 2005," Andrew Nocella, US Airways Senior Vice President of Schedule Planning and Alliances, says in a press release from March that announced the new service.

In addition to the new Charlotte-Portland service, US Airways plans to upgrade its Philadelphia-Portland route on July 19 with a seasonal second daily round-trip flight.

By Ben Mutzabaugh

Source: blogs.usatoday.com Read More..

Airport new device to protect from terorist treat

A new technology by using hand-held scanners can be use to detect any explosive material like a just small liquid that suspected can be use to make a bomb on aircraft/airplane. This hand-held scanners has tested the device at Miami International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport. Now the testing is ongoing in Los Angeles, Detroit and Las Vegas.

This new technology is a new kind of protection for the passenger, airplane crew, the airport, and to us too, because this will give us a more safety feeling during air travel. The terrorist treat of constructing bombs onboard from a small liquid material has been said by the authorities (read the press released: TSA Expands Airport Scanning Of Liquids from www.cbsnews.com)

So, feel safe during your air travel.
Read More..

DayJet prepares for takeoff

Promising that on-demand air taxi service is just over the horizon, DayJet Corp. invited potential customers to Boca Raton Airport on Friday to view one of its new mini-jets and chat with company pilots who will fly the five-seat aircraft all around Florida.

"This is an exciting start-up with a new concept that should become very popular with business travelers," said Guenn Stevenson of Coral Springs, who piloted Boeing 737s at US Airways for 15 years before coming to DayJet as program manager. "The aircraft are light but very responsive, and the state-of-the-art computer systems are just amazing."

The arrival of an Eclipse 500 jet signaled that DayJet is getting close to starting operations, using the first 10 of its aircraft to serve Boca Raton, Gainesville, Lakeland, Pensacola and Tallahassee. Company officials predict the first flights will come by the end of June or early in July -- many months behind schedule because of delays in aircraft deliveries.

Company officials also confirmed Friday that DayJet had signed a lease to house its corporate offices at the Florida Atlantic University research park -- within view of the runway its planes will use at Boca Raton Airport.

To date, DayJet has received three jets from Eclipse Aviation of Albuquerque, N.M., and they are being used to train pilots and receive required certifications from the Federal Aviation Administration. Several other planes are close to completion, DayJet spokeswoman Vicky Harris said.

Despite not having a track record, the so-called air taxi service is attracting a lot of interest around the state. Company officials say they have signed up 700 people for annual memberships at $250 apiece. As part of the deal, customers agree to make four one-way or two round-trip flights a year at fares to be determined.

"There probably are 1,000 more potential members with whom we're in discussions," Harris said.

Created by Citrix Systems founder Ed Iacobucci, DayJet wants to appeal to business travelers frustrated by the time it takes to use major airports and their inability to fly directly to many cities within the state. Depending on how much leeway those travelers have in their schedules, they could pay anywhere from $1 to $4 a mile for a DayJet flight.

Whether the idea will fly and bring Iacobucci hefty profits is still a big question. Industry analysts have been skeptical.

"I just don't think [air taxis] are going to be a big seller," Michael Boyd, of the Colorado research firm The Boyd Group said recently. He said, however, he thinks the Eclipse 500 program will be successful for other uses, including corporate aviation.

And Richard Aboulafia of the Virginia-based Teal Group, also expressed skepticism.

Very light jets "might let a few charter operators make some cash, but we're talking a few score aircraft, not thousands," he wrote on his Web site in March.

But for a DayJet pilot like Rick Hemphill, of Pompano Beach, who formerly flew Boeing 777s for American Airlines, "this is a great idea being implemented with a great aircraft. I think it will become very popular."


By Glenn Singer, South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Contact: gsinger@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6612

Source: Sun-Sentinel.com Read More..

Jet to raise $400mn via rights issue

The country's largest private airline, Jet Airways, which recently acquired Air Sahara for Rs 1,450 crore, today said it would raise $400 million through a rights issue to fund its expansion plans.

The Naresh Goyal promoted airline is currently in talks with investment bankers to finalize the modalities of the rights issue, which is expected in the next four months.

Industry experts said that Jet Airways could offer nearly 25 million fresh shares to existing shareholders at the prevailing stock price.

However, this will not dilute the stake of the promoter. Jet's promoter Naresh Goyal owns 80% stake in the airline.

"I am open to dilute my stake at right time. I am committed and I trust this airline. Therefore, I want to keep the control of the company," Goyal said.

Besides raising 15% of the cost of its $2.5 billion bill for 20 wide-bodied aircraft for international operations and 10 Boeing 737s for domestic operations, the airline is scouting funds for working capital and other expansion plans.

In addition to $400 million, Jet Airways is also looking at raising $50 million for turning around Air Sahara, which is now re-branded as JetLite. The source for this funding is yet to be decided.

"We expect to turnaround JetLite in a year's time. I firmly believe there is no low cost carrier in India. Therefore, I do not want to disappoint my passengers. With fewer frills, I will however, be giving a small packed lunch or other food items on JetLite flights, which will not cost as much," Goyal said, on the sidelines of the presentation of its newly-acquired Boeing 777-300 ER and Airbus 330 aircraft.

Source: www.business-standard.com Read More..

Aircraft crash in Serdang, Indonesia

Indonesia - An aircraft without a passenger, has crash in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra today at 9.30 local time. The pilot has injured in this accident, and he has been taken to the hospital.

Irwin, the pilot who fly this aircraft, has been injured his chess because of the broken front window glass. The plane was crash because of a wind turbulence.

According to a witness of the accident, the plane's wing hit a bamboo tree.
This aircraft is belong to PT Perkebunan Nusantara II Tajung Morawa. The aircraft used to spread an insectisida chemical to the tobacco farm.

In the time of crash, this aircraft bring a chemical material. Because of this chemical is flammable, the local police has ask the people to stay away, and make a no smoking warning to the people's in the crash site. The plane was crash in a swamp next to river.

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Blue Angels regroup for N.C. show, first since fatal crash

Tragedy comes as no surprise to U.S. Navy Cmdr. Kevin Mannix, who has spent 21 years as a Navy pilot, his career boasting nearly 900 aircraft carrier landings and air combat during the first Gulf War.

That includes last month's fatal crash of a fellow Blue Angels pilot during a show in South Carolina.

But for Blue Angels pilots, whose demeanor is a key part of the job, the tragedy offers another opportunity to perform the mission they were first given six decades ago: promote the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines Corps to the world.

"Our ability to bounce back and do our mission is the same as every other squadron in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps," said Mannix, minutes after practicing Thursday at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, where the team on Saturday will perform its first show since the crash April 21.

"The only difference is there's a lot more visibility on us because we are in the public eye. That's our job and that's what we do. I think a lot more media was focused our way on this specific mishap."

Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis, 32, died when his No. 6 jet went down during the final minutes of a performance at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in Beaufort, S.C. The Pittsfield, Mass. native was in his first year flying in formation with the team.

An investigation into the cause of the crash, the Blue Angels' first since 1999 and the 26th fatality in the team's 60-year history, could take several months, according to the Navy.

The Blue Angels typically fly their F/A-18A Hornets six days a week, but they stayed on the ground for nine days after the crash, canceling scheduled performances May 5 and May 6 at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

Saturday's show will feature only five jets. Lt. Cmdr. Craig Olson, 37, of Kirkland, Wash., replaced Davis a couple of weeks ago. Olson, who flew with the Blue Angels from 2003-05, will practice with the team for a few more weeks before flying in a show, Mannix said.

Mannix said there was a lot of anxiety among the pilots before they flew for the first time after the crash.

"We lost a brother, a great friend, a great American, actually," Lt. Cmdr. John Allison, who flies the No. 5 jet, told reporters Thursday after practice. "But we're trying to move forward and think about flying, you know, think about our jobs."

During Thursday's practice, the team flew in its traditional delta formation, the triangle lineup they were in when Davis crashed. Olson practiced as one of two solo members, hitting mach speeds and performing head-on near misses with Allison.

Each year, the Navy considers up to about 70 pilots for the squadron. The final six pilots train constantly between January and March at El Centro Naval Air Facility, Calif., and are stationed at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida.

The team is scheduled to fly 66 air shows this year at 35 locations across the country.

The Blue Angels fly without the traditional G-suits, which most jet pilots wear to avoid blacking out during maneuvers that exert strong gravitational forces. The suits inflate and deflate air bladders around the lower body to keep blood in the brain and heart.

The air bladders can cause a pilot to bump the control stick, so the Blue Angels learn to manage the G-forces by tensing their abdominal muscles.

After a fatal crash, one of the best responses is to get back into the cockpit, team members said, and grace the skies with twirls, climbs, dives and near misses at around 350 mph and only inches apart.

"It feels good for the team to go back and do it," Mannix said Thursday, "including myself all the way down to the maintainers to do what we do for the American public, to get out there and show them we are resilient in what we do."

By STEVE HARTSOE, Associated Press Writer
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FAA reauthorization act opposed by many Alaska pilots

More than 1,700 pilots, all members of the Alaska Airmen's Association, have signed a petition opposing the Federal Aviation Administration's reauthorization bill, and a newer recent U.S. Senate version.

The Alaska Airmen's Association petition acts as support for a joint resolution in the Alaska Legislature to oppose any national legislation that increases fuel tax, adds user fees, and takes the FAA from Congressional oversight.

“When more than three pilots agree on anything it represents something of a miracle,” said Joe Pearson, president of the Alaska Airmen's Association at the Alaska Airmen's Association 10th Annual Tradeshow and Conference.

The association's petition followed a collective call to action by aviation groups nationwide. Big organizations, such as the National Business Aviation Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Experimental Aircraft Association, are calling for pilots nationwide to respond what the FAA is billing as the “Next Generation Transportation Financing Reform Act of 2007.”

The legislation was introduced by Sen. John D. Rockefeller, D-W.V. and chair of the subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. The bill would increase user fees and fuel taxes for individual aircraft owners who fly the U.S. skies. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., was co-sponsor of the bill to provide funding for air traffic control modernization.

Joint Resolution 18, currently in the Alaska House and Senate, opposes the proposed legislation, which would increase the price of aviation gas, known as AVGas, from 19.4 cents a gallon to 70 cents a gallon, and would increase the tax on aviation fuel, Jet A, from 21.9 cents a gallon to 70 cents a gallon. The measure would also implement fees for the use of the National Airspace System.

In addition the resolution identified that Congress would loose its oversight of the FAA, making it easier for the administration to privatize some of its services.

The joint resolution has language that identifies Alaska's dependence on aviation and says that such an increase in taxes and user fees, in combination with a reduction of airport funding, would be detrimental to the state's residents.

Leading the charge for business owners of aircraft against the proposal is the National Business Aircraft Association.

“The NBAA, while recognizing that the recent Rockefeller Senate bill is an improvement over the FAA's proposal, does not support either bill,” said Steve Brown, vice president of operations for NBAA at a presentation at the Alaska Airmen's Association Tradeshow in Anchorage.

The Airmen's petition was sent on Monday May7th to the Alaska Senate, where senators and house representatives were working on some technical wording before passing the resolution.

In the meantime the U.S. Senate passed a modified version of the reauthorization act that differed from the original FAA version and included support from Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska.

This bill addresses the need for increased funding for airport modernization; improved air cargo infrastructure; and increased funding for the Essential Air Service program, which connects small communities to the national transportation system by ensuring a minimum level of scheduled air service, Stevens said in a blanket press release issues May 4.

“More than 140 rural communities across the nation, including 39 in Alaska, currently benefit from this program. While this bill is a step in the right direction, I will be looking for feedback from Alaskans in order to make this legislation better,” Stevens said. “It is important that the FAA reauthorization continue to move forward through the process because the residents of Alaska depend on aviation more than any other state. Aviation is of particular importance to Alaska because more than 70 percent of our communities can be reached throughout the year only by air. Rural air service is literally a lifeline for many Alaskan communities.”

One feature in the Rockefeller Senate Bill is a $25 fee for each leg of an instrument flight, referred to as a user fee. Alaska pilots point out that this will encourage unsafe flying to avoid paying the fee.

“I can see where if you are an instrument rated pilot, you might fly VFR (visual flight rules) when you should file and fly IFR,” said Lee Ryan, a pilot with Arctic Transportation Services. “This will just up the CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) accident rate in Alaska.”

While the major pilot groups in Alaska are against the legislation the Alaska Air Carriers Association is taking an impartial stance on the Senate version of the Act.

“We are neutral on the fuel tax issue, but, oppose the user fee and removal of Congressional oversight in the reauthorization bill,” said Wilfred “Boyuck” Ryan, president of the AACA.

One Alaska pilot and a representative of the AOPA stated yet another concern about the safety of the Act at a meeting during the Alaska Airmen's Association Tradeshow.

“When the price of fuel goes up, pilots will fly less,” said Tom George, from Fairbanks. “Less flying means rusty pilots, who are not proficient, and are a formula for more accidents.”

By Rob Stapleton. Contact: rob.stapleton@alaskajournal.com
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JetBlue replaces Neeleman as CEO

NEW YORK -- David Neeleman stepped down as chief executive of JetBlue Airways Corp. on Thursday, giving up operational control of the airline he built from a scrappy low-fare upstart into a perk-heavy carrier with nearly 600 daily flights.

Neeleman is being replaced as CEO by Dave Barger, who has been president, but will stay on as chairman.

The move comes less than three months after two winter storms forced JetBlue to cancel nearly 1,700 flights. Neeleman acknowledged Thursday that it was time for him to step aside and let the operating experts take over.

"I think the board has been talking about this for a long time," Neeleman said in an interview.

Neeleman had been CEO since 1998. He said he will focus on strategic initiatives by staying on as chairman.

Still, its quite a change for a business whose brand, some analysts say, became intertwined with Neeleman's personality.

"He has embodied the personalized service of that airline," said Richard Levick, president and CEO of Levick Strategic Communications in Washington.

However, pure energy can only carry a chief executive so far.

"While Neeleman's infectious enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit was perfect for the company in its early start-up and hyper growth phases, as the company matures, a renewed focus on operations will likely make JetBlue a stronger business," wrote William Greene, an analyst at Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc., in a research note.

Neeleman concedes that his entrepreneurial skills didn't translate well to the operational side of his business.

Storms on Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day essentially shut JetBlue down, forcing the cancellation of nearly 1,700 flights and stranding thousands of travelers throughout the Northeast.

To prevent a recurrence, JetBlue drafted a "customer bill of rights," under which the company now issues vouchers to some customers who experience delays.

The canceled flights and vouchers cost JetBlue $41 million, contributing to the company's first quarter loss of $22 million, or 12 cents a share. That was an improvement over the year-ago quarter, but was less than analysts had originally expected.

Last month, JetBlue lowered expectations for the rest of the year.

Neeleman said the change at the top isn't a direct result of JetBlue's storm meltdown. He characterized it as "a natural evolution" of JetBlue's leadership structure.

Neeleman said the change came at the request of the company's board, which wanted to separate the CEO and chairman jobs.

"It's just really good governance," Neeleman said.

Ray Neidl, an analyst at Calyon Securities, said the change isn't surprising. JetBlue has been consistently "rotating" new managers into the company in recent quarters, he said.

But one can't ignore the impact the storms had on JetBlue, he said.

"That was probably the final straw" for Neeleman, Neidl said.

Neeleman said JetBlue's hiring of Russell Chew as chief operating officer in the aftermath of the storms may have accelerated the timing of the CEO change. Chew's presence allowed Barger to focus less on day-to-day operations and more on managing the entire company, which in turn freed Neeleman to return to his roots as a corporate strategist.

"An entrepreneur comes in and he founds the company and then it gets going," Neeleman said of himself. But then, he said the entrepreneur found himself operating a growing, complicated business - which is not his strong suit. JetBlue operates more than 575 flights daily to 52 destinations.

"It's always tough to kind of let it go," Neeleman said.

Barger, 49, will retain his role as president. He joined JetBlue as president and chief operating officer shortly after Neeleman founded the airline in 1998.

Neeleman rejected any suggestion that JetBlue is a permanently damaged company.

"I don't think anyone ... thinks that we're walking wounded," he said.

Indeed, on Monday JetBlue said its April traffic grew 11.6 percent on a 12.8 percent expansion in capacity.

Levick says JetBlue customers are extremely loyal and have been willing to overlook the carrier's storm problems as an anomaly.

Neeleman said the subject of any change in his compensation did not come up with the board. Neeleman made $257,672 last year in salary and other compensation, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Barger made $521,998.

Neeleman owns about 10.8 million JetBlue shares, or 6 percent of those outstanding.

Shares of JetBlue rose 49 cents, or 4.7 percent, to close at $10.89. The stock is off 36 percent since mid-January, when it hit an intraday high of $17.02.

By JOHN WILEN, AP Business Writer
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Doomed Jet Took Off While Others Waited

Three jetliners sat ready for takeoff at Douala International Airport, their crews waiting for a massive thunderstorm to move away.

Just a few minutes past midnight, all three radioed air traffic control to check the weather report. They were told the storm would take another hour to dissipate, and the Cameroon Airlines and Royal Air Maroc crews opted to wait it out.

But Capt. Francis Mbatia Wamwea of Kenya Airways Flight 507, already delayed for an hour and carrying scores of passengers with onward connections to catch, judged the weather had improved sufficiently to permit departure for Nairobi, Kenya.

Less than a minute after takeoff early on May 5, the Boeing 737-900 slammed into a jungle swamp during a raging storm, killing all 105 passengers and the nine-member crew.

The dead included Dr. Albert Henn, an AIDS expert who worked at Harvard University and had a home in Barnstable, Mass.; businesspeople from China, India and South Africa; Cameroonian merchants; a Tanzanian returning from peacekeeping duties in Ivory Coast; a U.N. refugee worker from Togo; and Anthony Mitchell, a Nairobi-based correspondent for The Associated Press.

The six-month-old plane was of the newest generation of the world's most popular airliner, which has an excellent safety record. It was only the second time a 737-800 has crashed with the loss of all on board. In September, a plane belonging to Brazil's Gol Airlines collided with an executive jet over the Amazon jungle, killing 154.

After Wamwea gave the go-ahead, the Kenyan Airways crew radioed the tower, pulled away from the gate, and taxied toward Runway 12, heading roughly southwest from the airport. The Douala tower cleared the flight for takeoff a few minutes later, instructing it to report on reaching 5,000 feet.

The pilot acknowledged the clearance from the tower. It's unclear what time that final voice transmission was received from the jet, but the plane nose-dived into a swamp on the outskirts of Cameroon's commercial hub only 30 seconds after becoming airborne.

Wamwea's decision to depart into one of the violent tropical storms that regularly ravage equatorial Africa during the rainy season was most likely the pivotal factor in a sequence of events that led to the crash, said a Cameroonian investigator and a government pilot assisting the probe of Flight 507, both speaking on condition of anonymity because the inquiry was still under way.

Kenya Airways chief executive Titus Naikuni said investigators would have to make the final assessment. The probe was likely to take months.

"We don't want to start speculating here," he said Friday in Kenya. "So whether the pilot did the wrong thing or the right thing, I cannot answer that."

Investigators said they cannot yet discount other factors, including mechanical failure, pilot disorientation or even sabotage. But no sign of a blast or fire has been found so far by the search teams, which include seven experts from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and two Boeing representatives.

Flight crews are responsible for the decision whether to take off or land in bad weather, usually depending on guidelines from their airline. And while air traffic control can take measures to halt flights, including closing down airports, such drastic actions are highly unusual outside the northern hemisphere, where heavy winter snows can block runways and bring traffic to a standstill.

The Douala airport is not equipped with weather radar, but the 737-800 is. Pilots routinely take off into stormy weather and then rely on radar to guide them around the towering thunderheads that can cause structural damage to aircraft.

Wamwea, 53, was an experienced flier with about 8,500 hours on jets. He had joined Kenya Airways 20 years ago and enjoyed the reputation of a diligent and professional pilot.

The co-pilot, Andrew Kiuru, was only 23 and had joined the airline a year ago after completing flight school in South Africa.

The cockpit voice recorder has not been found, so no details of the final exchanges between Wamwea and Kiuru are available. It remains unclear who was flying the plane at the time, but Wamwea would have had the ultimate authority.

The flight data recorder has been recovered.

Two minutes after Flight 507 would have been expected to reach 5,000 feet, the point at which it had been instructed to check in, Douala Area Control Center issued a distress message. This is normal practice by air traffic control when unable to establish immediate contact with an aircraft, a frequent occurrence. But controllers, who had lost sight of the plane fairly quickly because of the storm, were not unduly worried because the plane had fuel for six hours of flying time.

A search was launched at 2:44 a.m. when a French radar station sent in a message that an airplane distress signal had been picked up. A Cameroonian air force plane and two helicopters first flew over a region far to the south, basing their search on the distress signal that was in fact hundreds of miles away from the actual crash.

It is unclear why the signal was so far off the mark, but it appears the plane's emergency locator beacon's final signal was garbled - indicating a false position.

The wreckage was found 40 hours after takeoff by a hunter who chanced upon it in a mangrove swamp. The site is less than 3 1/2 miles from Runway 12. Experts calculate that the plane was in the air for only 30 seconds and had never climbed over 3,000 feet.

Commercial jets regularly fly over the area, one of several standard departure routes from Runway 12. Villagers living nearby said they heard planes passing overhead during the night - and a particularly loud boom that sounded like a thunderclap.

Since there were no witnesses to the crash, investigators have pieced together the known facts and formulated several theories on what could have happened.

The wreckage indicated the plane flew nose-first into the ground at a nearly 90-degree angle. It was found buried deep in a crater of reddish-brown muck with only tiny bits of the rear fuselage and wings left above ground. Trees nearby were smashed, but otherwise the jungle canopy was intact, making the site almost invisible from the air.

Investigators said the nose dive indicated that a violent gust of wind may have flipped the airliner over, throwing it into a fatal fall. Although modern jets can usually fly through storm clouds, storms in Africa are particularly violent at this time of the year, investigators said.

The location of the wreckage also indicates the pilot was banking sharply to the right. This would have exposed the raised left wing to the gust, investigators said.

The low altitude would have made it impossible to recover from the resulting dive.

By SLOBODAN LEKIC, Associated Press Writer
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