Tag Archives: Amazon

733 NOTAM Outage

The NOTAM outage and subsequent ground stop, why Amazon Air is selling cargo capacity, the runway incursion at JFK, the Airbus automated emergency diversion system, and an Australia News Desk report.

Aviation News

Here’s the latest on the NOTAM outage that caused flight delays and cancellations

On January 11, 2023, the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system failed and the FAA issued a domestic ground stop, leading to thousands of delayed and canceled flights. A corrupt database file has been cited as the cause of the failure. NAV CANADA reported issues with their NOTAM system on the same day. At the time, they did not believe the Canadian outage was related to the FAA outage. See FAA’s NOTAM computer outage affected military flights.

Amazon Air to Sell Surplus Capacity Onboard its Jets Ahead of Predicted Market Slump

In 2023, the global air freight market is forecast to shrink by about 25%. Amazon Air has decided to sell excess air freight capacity on its fleet of 97 wet-leased planes.

The FAA is investigating a near-miss between two passenger planes at JFK airport

A Delta Air Lines 737-900 (Flight 1943) was on its takeoff roll when ATC noticed an American Airlines Boeing 777 (Flight 106) crossing the active runway. The Delta plane stopped about 1,000 feet before the crossing. The American 737 returned to the gate and passengers disembarked. Due to a crew resource issue, the flight resumed the next morning. Customers were given overnight accommodations.

Airbus tests pilot assist that can automatically divert flights

Airbus is testing a pilot assistance feature called DragonFly, which can automatically divert a flight in an emergency. The system can pick a flight path to the best airport and communicate with air traffic control and an airline’s operations center. Even if the pilots are incapacitated, DragonFly can land the aircraft safely.

Australia News Desk

This week we have a follow-up on the news about Bonza Airline’s air operators certificate, which was approved by the regulator the day last week’s episode went live. There’s some consternation among the travel agent sector over Bonza’s decision not to service Sydney at all, but as we talked about last week, they’re trying a different strategy.  Time will tell if it works or not.

Australia’s Bonza awarded AOC

On the tourism front, two of China’s three major carriers – Air China and China Southern – are boosting their schedule for flights to Australia, in a move that many hope will see the lucrative inbound Chinese tourist market ramping back up.

China Southern, Air China boosting flights to Australia

And a new network of satellites from Skykraft, sporting significant levels of Australian-made components, has been successfully deployed over the country, in a move that will eventually allow more accurate and reliable tracking of aircraft and WHF communications in some of the more remote areas of the continent.

Australia’s largest ever satellite constellation now active

Mentioned

Airline Pilot Study –  A questionnaire for pilots to learn about what aspects of innovation might make an airline more attractive to pilots when they decide which airline to apply to fly for.

Rob’s Newest jet:

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, Rob Mark, and David Vanderhoof.

659 Jet Fighter Cockpit

We talk with a company that provides educational jet fighter cockpit experiences. In the news, Amazon Air adds turboprops to the fleet, Boeing 777X certification, a new 4K Ultra HD flight data recorder, Virgin Galactic approval for commercial passenger space flights, and exiting the aircraft after the door closes.

Launchpad Marzari in the cockpit.

Guest

Dewy Larson is the owner of DreamBIG Entertainment LLC, a company that gives you the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of a fighter jet. DreamBIG Entertainment travels exclusively within the United States, attending air shows, festivals, fairs, and other events. They share the history and the rare opportunity to experience fully restored A-7D Corsair II and F-18 Hornet cockpits.

The A-7 and F-18 Hornet cockpits tour the United States as a Mobile Interactive Aviation Museum. The DreamBIG experience runs from February to November and can be brought anywhere. For the latest schedule, visit the DreamBIG Entertainment LLC Facebook page.

Aviation News

Amazon Air set to add ATR turboprops to freighter fleet

Sources have told The Air Current that Amazon Air plans to add about 10 leased ATR 72-500 freighters to its fleet of Boeing aircraft. The company has a strategy to reach smaller communities with a one-day delivery service.

Citing a serious flight test incident and lack of design maturity, FAA slows Boeing 777X certification

Boeing is trying to certify the 777X but the FAA has informed the company that it has concerns and Boeing may have to increase the number of test flights planned. That pushes certification more than two years, probably too late 2023. FAA concerns include an “uncommanded pitch event” in a Dec. 8, 2020 test flight, a critical avionics system that does not meet requirements, and late hardware and software changes in the flight controls.

Appareo Announces 4K Ultra HD Flight Data Recorder with Cellular Data Offload

Appareo announced a new 4K ultra-high-definition AIRS-400 Airborne Image Recording System (AIRS), equipped for cellular data offload. The unit captures pilot intercom system audio, ambient audio, and detailed flight data. Using internal inertial measurement units, AIRS-400 captures WAAS GPS (altitude, latitude, longitude, ground speed, vertical speed), attitude data (pitch, roll, yaw), rates of rotation, and acceleration data (G forces) 

Airplane Geeks reporter-at-large Launchpad Marzari spoke with Chris Garberg, the president of Appareo Aviation.

FAA Approves Virgin Galactic For Commercial Passenger Spaceflights

With the upgraded space transportation operator license, Virgin Galactic could begin carrying paying passengers to space. It has been reported that Virgin Galactic currently has over 600 reservations for its planned commercial passenger space flights, with ticket prices running between $200,000 and $250,000. 

Man Injured After Jumping Out Of Airplane Taxiing At LAX

A United Express flight operated by SkyWest Airlines was leaving the gate but a passenger apparently felt compelled to exit the plane. He tried to get into the cockpit, then opened the emergency door, which deployed the slide, and out he went. Man injured after jumping out of airplane at LAX.

Mentioned

First a passenger drought. Now a water drought. Can California airports cope?

Drought Reveals 1960s Plane Crash In California Lake

Archer Adds Talent to their Team with over Twenty New Engineers from Aerion Corporation

609 Airline Cash Flow

United leverages its MileagePlus program to improve its balance sheet, one study says the Amazon Air fleet will grow to 200 aircraft, a British aircraft carrier takes a step towards operational capability next year, and Southwest Airlines wants you to provide a “customer health declaration” at check-in. Also, the Finland fighter competition, flight sim hardware from Thrustmaster, and how old is too old to get your pilot’s license?

Aviation News

Surprising Statistics About United MileagePlus

United is mortgaging its frequent flyer program to raise $5 billion

Cash flow remains a major concern for airlines. United announced financing of $5 billion secured through the airlines’ loyalty program. It’s part of their plan to have $17 billion in liquidity by the end of September. CNN says that’s 3 times the cash they normally have on hand. United estimates the value of its Mileage Plus program as a standalone business at $20 billion.

Amazon Air Fleet to Grow from 39 to 200 by 2028

A report from Joseph Schwieterman and Jacob Walls of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development predicts that the Amazon Air fleet will grow to 200 aircraft by 2028. The report, Insights into Amazon Air: 2020’s Transportation Juggernaut [PDF] was published on May 22, 2020.

HMS Queen Elizabeth ready to conduct carrier strike operations

After a six week test, the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth takes the next step toward operational capability in 2021 when it could deploy with two frigates, two destroyers, a nuclear submarine, as well as support vessels. The ship will also carry 24 F-35B jets, including US Marine Corps aircraft, in addition to a number of helicopters. The recent training demonstrated that carrier jets could be ready to take off on short notice and provide combat air patrols.

See also, Why Britain needs aircraft carriers and The Aircraft Carrier We Need.

Southwest now requires a ‘customer health declaration’ from passengers before flying

Southwest Airlines announced they’d require a “customer health declaration” from customers at online check-in. Customers must acknowledge an awareness of Southwest’s face covering policy and confirm they do not have symptoms of COVID-19. Also that they have not been diagnosed with or exposed, to COVID-19 in the 14 days prior to travel, and they do not have a fever when they travel. The declaration will appear during the online check-in process via the Southwest app, Southwest.com, SWABIZ.com, and the carrier’s mobile website. This is consistent with the recently published Southwest Promise.

Airlines ban alcohol on planes in response to Covid-19

A number of airlines are suspending all or part of their alcoholic drinks service in response to Covid-19.

Finding Finland’s next fighter jet: HX challenge

Under its HX fighter program, the Finnish Air Force plans to replace its F/A-18 C/D Hornet aircraft. Competing for the buy are Eurofighter, Boeing, Dassault, Lockheed Martin, and Saab.

Mentioned

EAA membership

Brian.

Thrustmaster revealed their new range of flight sim hardware, officially licensed by Airbus and designed for integration in civil aviation games including X-Plane 11 and Microsoft Flight Simulator. The range includes a modular sidestick, a dual thrust lever throttle with add-on modules, the Officer bundle pack (sidestick + throttle), and an all-new metal desk clamp.

RenegadeAV8R S2 EP24 – USAF Thunderbird #8 FLACK Promo

6-Year-Old Genius Kid Becomes Etihad Airways Pilot for a Day

Learn to Fly, Live your Dream and Get a Pilots’ License! –  eBook by Max Trescott. [PDF]

SkyVector Areonautical Charts

AirNav Airport Information

Wallingford Sign

541 Airline Cabins

We look at the airline cabin environment, cameras in seatback IFE systems, Alaska Airlines and Sisters of the Skies working for more industry diversity, bringing a gun on a plane, the Amazon Prime Air B767 crash, a new drone marking requirement, and the winners of the Chicken Wings comics giveaway.

Guest

Jennifer Coutts Clay, author of Jetliner Cabins detailing airline cabins

Jennifer Coutts Clay, author of Jetliner Cabins

Jennifer Coutts Clay is the principal of J. Clay Consulting, a consultancy based on over four decades of pioneering work in the airline industry. Jennifer is also the author of Jetliner Cabins: Evolution and Innovation which examines the history, evolution, and development of airline cabin interiors in great detail.

In our conversation, Jennifer explains airline considerations for seller-furnished or buyer-furnished equipment. We explore “trickle down product upgrades” from first class to business to coach, and what that means for the future of first class. Jennifer also explains how corporate travel departments have indirectly affected cabin design and fare structures, and the importance of minor miscellaneous items (MMI) to the passenger experience. We also discuss slimline seats, green cabin design, and future trends. Jennifer also gives us her perspective on the impacts of the Boeing 747 and the Concorde, both iconic aircraft.

At British Airways, Jennifer was the first woman to serve as Head of Operations and Sales for the Western US. After serving as the General Manager of Product Design and Development at Pan American World Airways for three years in the late 1980s, Jennifer became a consultant and now provides technical advice and marketing support to the aviation industry, with a focus on airline interior and corporate branding programs.

Jennifer has been featured, interviewed, and published by dozens of news media outlets, including The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes.com, Conde Nast Traveler, and CNN.com. She is a founding sponsor of the Crystal Cabin Awards, a founding member of the Pan American Historical Foundation Museum, and she serves on the Concorde Advisory Committee at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City.

Jetliner Cabins: Evolution and Innovation is available as an eBook from Amazon, the Apple App Store, and Google Play.

Jennifer Coutts Clay and the Concorde.

Jennifer Coutts Clay and the Concorde.

Aviation News

Airline seats now equipped with cameras — aimed at passengers

Seat-back entertainment systems on some American, United, and Singapore Airlines planes have cameras. All three airlines have said those cameras are part of the IFE systems from suppliers such as Panasonic and Thales. The airlines say the cameras are not activated and they have no plans to do so.

Alaska Airlines promises to bring more Black women pilots into the fold

The travel industry is dominated by white males, and Alaska Airlines has committed to hiring more African American female pilots. The airline has teamed up with the nonprofit Sisters of the Skies organization to sign a pledge promising to hire more Black woman pilots to its ranks.

According to Sisters of the Skies, “Currently, there are less than 150 black women pilots in the United States holding Airline Transport Pilot, Commercial, Military, and or Certified Flight Instructor Licenses.”

Man’s gun reportedly stolen from SFO baggage carousel

The man was traveling on a United flight with a properly checked gun. But the flight was delayed and the gun flew on a different plane. Apparently, when it did arrive, it sat on the baggage carousel for some time and was then stolen.

For information about flying with a firearm, see 9 Must Do Tips for Flying with a Gun on Gun Goals, a site dedicated to gun enthusiasts.

Amazon Prime Air 767 Crashes in Texas

An Amazon Prime Air B767-300 operated by Atlas Air crashed in Trinity Bay near Anahuac, Texas. The plane was flying from Miami to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. All three on board were lost.

FAA imposed this big change Saturday for drone pilots

Effective immediately, drone operators must display their aircraft registration number on the outside of the drone. Previously, the number could be located inside a component, like in the battery case.

Mentioned

Chicken Wings Comics – We announce the two winners of the book giveaway. Thanks to all who entered, and to Michael and Stefan Strasser at Chicken Wings for donating and autographing the books.

Credit

Outtro by Bruno Misonne.

457 Innovations in Flight 2017

We cover the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum’s 2017 Innovations in Flight Family Day and Outdoor Aviation Display with a series of interviews.

Max and David at the 2017 Innovations in Flight Family Day and Outdoor Aviation Display.

Max and David at the 2017 Innovations in Flight Family Day and Outdoor Aviation Display. Photo by Brad Jefferson.

We participated in the National Air & Space Museum’s 2017 Innovations in Flight Family Day and Outdoor Aviation Display. This annual event is held at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, adjacent to Dulles International Airport.

Innovations in Flight Interviews

We recorded a number of great conversations at the event. These follow, along with start times:

United States Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Nowland is Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. 2017 is the 70th anniversary of the USAF and the theme is Powered by Innovation. We talk about the shortage of pilots, the need to get more young people interested in aviation, and remotely piloted aircraft. [2:45]

Caroline Sheen is the Photography and Art Editor for Air & Space Magazine. We talk about finding photographs to support the articles. These come from many sources, such as archives, photographers, or Caroline herself. She gives us some tips for aviation photography and what she looks for as a photo editor. Be sure to look on newsstands for the special issue: 50 Greatest Moments of the Space Age. [15:16]

Christopher Watson is the FAA Emergency Communications Program Manager, Command and Control Communications Systems, under the Office of National Security Programs and Incident Response. Their emergency response vehicle was on open display and Chris describes how it responds to natural disaster relief, accident sites, and special security events. We also talk about the FAA’s B4UFLY smartphone app, a valuable resource for drone operators. [25:25]

Harry Hartfield with Amazon Prime Air described the company’s vision for package delivery: packages of five pounds or less delivered in 30 minutes or less. Amazon Prime has developed different drone models for different environments, and also sophisticated sense and avoid technology. [32:22]

Student Kathryn attended the event as part of a San Diego middle school trip to the East Coast. [37:58]

Hillel Glazer and his son Jacob flew their 1972 Piper Cherokee 180 to the event and had the aircraft on display. We talk about the flight in, the people who came by to look at the plane, and we watch the B-2 flyover. [41:05]

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

438 Airline and Airport On-time Performance

Airline and airport on-time performance measurements from OAG. Also, an update on the impact on aviation of new U.S. policies, a look at notable aviators in honor of Black History Month, air cargo expansion for Amazon Prime Air, aviation news from Super Bowl LI, and Boeing workers in South Carolina prepare to vote on union representation.

Punctuality League 2016 presents airline and airport on-time performance statistics.

Punctuality League 2016 presents airline and airport on-time performance statistics.

Guest

OAG analyst John Grant

OAG analyst John Grant

OAG aviation analyst John Grant started his career with the airlines, and continued with aviation consultancy services. We discuss the OAG Punctuality Report 2016 published January 2017. This annual report of airline and airport on-time performance is also available as a very useful Interactive Dashboard. The web-based tool allows you to visualize on-time performance, arrival capacity, and arrival frequency data by airline and airport category and region.

John explains how the rapid pace of airline schedule change and the desire for very current information has driven the services that OAG provides. We consider the huge history of data that is available and used by many organizations. While the printed schedules book is still the tool of choice for some, digitization and the desire for immediacy makes other OAG data formats more valuable for many others.

UK-based OAG maintains a huge network of air travel data and provides schedules, analytics, web and mobile flight tracking, articles, and reports.

Aviation News

Trump to meet with airline CEOs on Thursday: White House

President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with airline chief executive officers Thursday February 9, 2017. This continues the President’s series of meetings with the business community.

Former top diplomats, tech giants blast immigration order as court showdown looms

The travel ban is working its way through the judiciary system, and at this time the end result is far from certain.

AOPA: Executive Order Won’t Delay BasicMed

AOPA has updated this story with the latest information that BasicMed is still on track for May 1, 2017.

AOPA Live This Week – February 2, 2017

Benét Wilson is celebrating Black History Month by honoring a different aviator of color every day of the month. Follow her on Twitter as @AvQueenBenet. The Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor hosted a Tuskegee Airmen Hangar Talk to pay tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen and the vital role they played during World War II. Click to see photos of the event.

Colonel Charles McGee, courtesy Pacific Aviation Museum.

Colonel Charles McGee, courtesy Pacific Aviation Museum.

Colonel McGee fought in WWII, Korea and Vietnam, and holds a record for one of the highest three-war total of fighter combat missions of any pilot in United States Air Force history. Colonel McGee began his military service as one of the Tuskegee Airmen in the 332nd Fighter Group.

His career in the U.S. Army Air Corps and U.S. Air Force spanned 30 years and three wars, where he flew 409 aerial combat missions. During his military career, Colonel McGee was awarded the Legion of Merit with Cluster, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Bronze Star and the Air Medal (25 times).

Also honored at the Hangar Talk was WWII Tuskegee Airman Philip Baham. Baham served as a crew chief for the 337th Composite Group at Tuskegee Army Air Field. He is a dedicated volunteer at Pacific Aviation Museum, sharing his story with visitors as a greeter in the lobby of Hangar 37.

Amazon picks Kentucky airport as site for air cargo hub

Amazon announced it is creating a new centralized air hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG) to support its growing fleet of Amazon Prime Air cargo planes. When the hub opens, Amazon expects to create more than 2,000 new jobs engaged in loading, unloading, and sorting packages. In 2016, Amazon entered into agreements with two carriers to lease 40 dedicated cargo airplanes.

The Super Bowl’s Private-Jet Problem

Textron Aviation, Bombardier prep for the big game

Turkish Airlines Makes Powerful Superbowl Statement: Widen Your World

We look at aviation stories from Super Bowl LI, including the large volume of private jets flying in and out for the event, the swarm of Intel drones that accompanied the halftime show, and the Turkish Airlines commercial aired during the game.

Diapers on display as Boeing campaigns against Machinists in S. Carolina vote

Boeing production workers in North Charleston, South Carolina are set to vote February 15, 2017 on union representation by the International Association of Machinists (IAM). The company website https://weareboeingsc.com/ is filled with material intended to influence workers not to vote for union representation by the IAM. The IAM counters with their own page: https://www.facebook.com/boeingworkers/.

The Aviation Minute

Rob Mark comments on the FAA decision to allow the closure of Santa Monica Airport.

Listener Recording

Ruben asks why regulators like the FAA create the rules, but are also the ones that police the rules.

Aircraft wheel thermal fuse plugs

Aircraft wheel thermal fuse plugs. Illustration courtesy AME Voice.

Aircraft wheel thermal fuse plugs. Illustration courtesy AME Voice.

Last episode, listener Sam described how he was on the ground at Dubai airport waiting for a flight to be pushed back, when he  heard a loud explosion followed by the sound of hissing air. We suspected the nose wheel tire fuse plug blew. Well, we did a little research on aircraft wheel fusible plugs.

From Airliners.net: “Fusible plugs offer protection from tire blowouts caused by thermal expansion that is generated in the tire under extra hard braking conditions. These fusible plugs are fitted in the tubeless wheel hubs by means of a fusible alloy that melts under excessive heat conditions and allows the plug to be blown out by the tire air pressure. This prevents excessive pressure buildup in the tire by allowing the air to leak away slowly.”

See Aircraft Wheel thermal fuse plugs on the AME Voice blog.

Mentioned

Season 1 of Plane Resurrection is now on Netflix. Each episode follows the transformation of a wreck to a restored airplane, and presents the history of the aircraft. The first season’s episodes cover the P-51 Mustang, Hurricane, Triplane, Stearman, T6 Harvard, and Percival Q6. Must watch!

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

429 Corporate Flight Attendants

We examine the role and training of the corporate aviation flight attendant as the third crewmember. In the news, we look ABX Air pilot concerns and more broadly at the air cargo capacity needed to support Amazon.com, private airplane flights to Cuba, an NBAA conference focusing on security, a world’s best airline list, and some safety tips for air travel.

Guest

Susan Friedenberg

Susan Friedenberg

Susan Friedenberg is President and CEO, Corporate Flight Attendant Training & Global Consulting.

Susan describes the similarities and differences between commercial and corporate flight attendants, and why in many cases those on business jets require specialized training. We talk about the need for legislation that drives training regulations, and we discuss business aviation security and the the flight attendant as the face to the passenger. Susan explains why she started her training program and the makeup of the students who attend.

Susan teaches her training course in Long Beach, California and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She also conducts in-house training classes for U.S. and global clients. Susan consults for the business aviation community, and also does contract flying upon request.

Susan is an advocate for corporate aviation flight attendants and she wants to raise the standards for the third crew member in business aviation. She has been published in many business aviation trade journals, and was appointed to an Advisory Board position on the Corporate Pilots Association Board of Directors. Susan was an active sitting member for ten years on the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Flight Attendant Committee in Washington, DC. She served as the NBAA Flight Attendant Committee Vice Chairperson and represented Contract Flight Attendants throughout the United States on this committee for five years. She now serves on the national committee in the capacity of an esteemed advisory consultant.

Susan appeared as a business aviation expert on the Become a Corporate Flight Attendant episode of travel-based talk show The Jet Set.

Susan’s website is www.corporateflightattendanttraining.com and you can also find her on Twitter and Facebook. Recently published articles include:

News

Airline Used by Amazon Wins Order to End Cargo Pilots’ Strike

The Airline Professionals Association, Teamsters Local 1224 represent the pilots of ABX Air. As a result of their belief that a staffing shortage at the cargo carrier is harming the pilots, they called a strike, but a Federal District Court Judge granted ABX Air a temporary restraining order blocking the strike.

Private aviation company Wheels Up now taking wealthy executives to Cuba

Private airline Wheels Up announced it is offering all its members flights to and from Havana from 18 U.S. airports. They had been flying to Cuba on a limited basis for about a year. The travelers must still meet the the requirements of the 12 approved categories.

NBAA Sharpens Focus on Security with New Conference

The the NBAA will hold its inaugural Security Conference January 24-25, 2017. The Conference is intended to address security concerns for Part 91 and 135 operators. NBAA also is planning a pre-conference roundtable on the DCA Access Standard Security Program (DASSP).

Another ‘World’s Best Airline’ List, with a Surprise Winner

AirlineRatings.com has released their World’s best airlines for 2017 list. We look at their choices for best first class, best business class, best economy class, best cabin crew, and others.

11 Safety Tips to Memorize Before Your Next Flight

We look at the tips and relate them to cabin crew as well as to the flying public.

Airplane of the Week

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Richard VanGrunsven and the RV series of aircraft. David takes the feedback from our listener survey and tries to please two more listeners.

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Mentioned

Man charged over hoax calls to pilots, air traffic control at Melbourne airports

Teenage would-be pilot charged over hoax cockpit calls was sacked by Virgin

Former airline employee could endanger lives if released on bail over hoax radio calls, court told

Listener Ariel provided some aerial firefighting photos taken by Ori Gur from the Modi’in Police, and some photos he took at Ayalon regional fire station.

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Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

 

AirplaneGeeks 382 The Women of the Boeing Company

We talk with the author of Trailblazers: The Women of the Boeing Company. Also, inductees into the 2016 International Pioneer Hall of Fame, Chinese airline orders, Aviation Week’s Person of the Year, commercial flights to Cuba, Kuwait Airways drops a route, Amazon.com may start it’s own airfreight operation, and online search for empty GA seats gets some bad news.

Guest

Trailblazers book coverBetsy Case is a writer and the award winning author of Trailblazers: The Women of the Boeing Company. She says the book “acknowledges the inspiring women who helped make the company the success it is today.”

Trailblazers describes with words and photographs many of the women who have made their mark throughout the long history of the Boeing Company.

Betsy was a marketing writer at Boeing for 18 years and is the author of several Boeing Store books, including In Plane View: A Pictorial Tour of Everett Factory about the Everett factory, and The Jumbo Jet: Changing the World of Flight. She also authored Houseboat: Reflections of North America’s Floating Homes, she owned an advertising agency in Seattle, and she worked as a radio copywriter for several years. Betsy was also a whitewater river guide.

Find Betsy’s books on Amazon.com or at the Boeing Store.

News

Military aviatrices honored

Women in Aviation International has announced the inductees into its 2016 International Pioneer Hall of Fame: the Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training Program Class 77-08, Brenda E. Robinson, and Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger.

The ceremony will take place at the closing banquet of the 27th annual International Women in Aviation Conference, which will be held March 10-12, 2016, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Boeing Gets $10 Bil Order, But Delta Buys Used 777

China Southern Airlines said it will buy thirty 737 Next Generation and fifty 737 MAX narrow body planes. Xiamen Airlines (a unit of China Southern) is buying thirty 737 MAX jets.

At a presentation to investors, Delta Air Lines Co.CEO Richard Anderson said he was wrong about being able to buy a used Boeing 777 passenger plane for $10 million. Delta tweeted Anderson saying, “It was actually $7.7M.”

Person Of The Year: Delta Air Lines’ Richard Anderson

Speaking of Richard Anderson, he is Aviation Week’s Person of the Year 2015. AviationWeek gives the award to “the person who—for better or worse—had the greatest impact on aviation or aerospace over the year.”

US-Cuba aviation deal allows 110 scheduled flights a day

The State department says that after talks with Cuban officials in Washington, U.S. airlines can negotiate with the Cuban government for 20 routes a day to Havana, and 10 to each of nine other Cuba airports, for a total of 110 round-trip flights. This won’t happen immediately as Cuba needs to address airport, tourist, and even telecommunications capacity.

Kuwait Airlines Accused of Anti-Semitism with Israeli Ban

Kuwait Airways dropped its route from JFK International Airport to London Heathrow. In 2013, Israeli citizen Eldad Gatt complained to the U.S. Department of Transportation that he could not fly on the airline because he did not have the option in the online booking system to select Israel as the country issuing his passport. Kuwait Airlines says that Kuwait law prohibits business with Israelis and so they cannot recognize Israeli passports.

Reports: Amazon is starting its own air cargo operation, wants to use 20 Boeing freighter jets

There has been some buzz about Amazon.com creating it’s own air freight operation. In November, Motherboard published A Secretive Air Cargo Operation Is Running in Ohio, and Signs Point to Amazon. The Seattle times published Amazon in talks to lease Boeing jets to launch its own air-cargo business. Now Cargo Facts reports in Amazon building its own overnight airfreight operation, sources say that “Amazon.com Inc. is creating a logistics operation that will include overnight air operations in the US domestic market, potentially including the acquisition of at least 20 freighter aircraft.”

Cargo Facts says Amazon has a market cap of $316 billion, an annual growth rate of 18%, and net sales of $100.6 billion in the previous 12 months.

FAA Grounds ‘Uber for Planes’

In 2014, startup company Flytenow created a platform where people looking for a flight could look online for private pilots who were offering a seat. In court, the FAA argued that this scheme violates the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 and other FAA regulations because pilots who are compensated for their services must hold a commercial license.

Flytenow argues that the pilots are not operating as a common carrier because they are not operating for profit – only sharing expenses – and expense sharing is common in the aviation community. The only thing Flytenow is doing is bringing the process online.

Now an appeals court has sided with the FAA, and “…decided that posting to Flytenow constituted a form of advertising and expense-splitting was a form of compensation, thus placing private pilots operating through Flytenow in league with commercial pilots and their corresponding regulations.”

Coming to LAX: 13 ‘comfort dogs’ for frazzled fliers

The United Airlines program called United Paws is offering “comfort dogs” to travelers at seven airport hubs.

The Airplane of the Week

A Shaky Thing: a Christmas Story!

The Australia News Desk

Once again it’s Qantas all the way but this time our friend Richard Muirden was on board the first Qantas flight to San Francisco since 2011.

CASA goes for awareness rather than registration for drones.

To wrap things up, we have sad news:  It’s taken some thinking and some angst but Steve and Grant have decided it’s time to pull back from the Australia Desk and take a break. While the regular weekly (or at least, mostly weekly) episodes are going on hold, they’ll no doubt be back here and there if super important news from down under needs to be mentioned.

For now it’s so long and thanks for all the laughs as the boys sign out and take a well earned break. It’s Summer, it’s Christmas so it’s time to fire up the barbie and go hang out at the beach. Thanks to everyone for all the fun and who knows, we may be back before you know it.

Across the Pond

Major Tim Peake to the International Space Station

Pieter talks to Amjad Zaidi about the amazing response in the UK to Major Tim Peake’s launch to the International Space Station last week. Follow @AmjadPZaidi on Twitter.

Guest Recording

Micah, our Main(e) man, asks “Will The Circus Be Unbroken?”

Mentioned

Warbirds Downunder 2015 DVD Promo – Ninety-three warbird, antique, and military aircraft attended Warbirds Downunder. Find copies at the Temora Aviation Museum.

AHRLAC first public maiden flight Advanced High Performance Reconnaissance light Aircraft Paramount

Looptworks Carry-On Collection – A collection of bags, laptop sleeves and other small leather goods made entirely with upcycled seat leather from Alaska Airlines planes.

Credit

Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at brotherloverocks.com.