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Qantas’ low-cost carrier Jetstar has changed its operating procedures following a mishandled missed approach during an attempted instrument landing system (ILS) approach at Melbourne on July 21, 2007. A report released today by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) found that the go-around didn’t work as intended for two primary reasons
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Cessna’s new Citation CJ4, the fastest-yet of all its Citation 500 series jets, made its first flight on February 17. Sources say the new CJ4, also the first aircraft to built on Cessna’s new production line, is exceeding earlier predictions on top speed, climb performance and range. AOPA reports the aircraft is delivering a top TAS of 452 KIAS against original predictions of 435, a range of 1963 nautical miles compared to predictions of 1825, and a direct climb (without step climb requirement) 45,000 feet in 28 minutes.
Qantas today announced a half-year net profit before tax of $90 million on a revenue of $6.9 billion.
The statutory result was in line with guidance provided last December of “between $50 and $150 million.”
Talking up the super-modest result, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said that while the global aviation industry remained in loss, the Qantas Group had been profitable.
QantasLink’s new ski season schedule will will allow passengers to fly direct to Australia’s most elevated airport at Mt Hotham and be on the slopes within 45 minutes of landing. It’s going to be a pretty busy 45 minutes for those of us who take that long to get their boots and skis on. QantasLink Executive Manager Mr Narendra Kumar, said the two-and-a-half-month schedule would operate an average of three return flights each week, increasing services in the peak period to maximise tourism opportunities for the local region throughout the season.
Boeing has contracted Mincham Aviation, a small-to-medium Adelaide enterprise (SME), to manufacture four assembly-spare-part sets for the CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Contract terms were not disclosed.
Global power systems company Rolls-Royce has selected a graduate from Melbourne’s RMIT to join its prestigious Graduate Leadership Development Program.
Jason Seris from Melbourne, Australia, was selected following his internship at Rolls-Royce in Indianapolis, US, working with the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team.
Boeing’s B747-8 Freighter took to the sky this week for the first time, and as successfully as everybody expected.
Billed as “the world’s most efficient freighter,” the freighter variant incorporates all the structural, systems and performance enhancements of the passenger version, although it looks a little different
The United Kingdom Air Accidents Investigation Branch (UK)/AAIB has released its final report on B777 loss of engine power and crash-landing in January 2008 at London-Heathrow.
Hawker Pacific has delivered the first of five additional new King Air 350 twin turboprop light transport aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) 38 Squadron in Townsville. The King Air 350 was modified and prepared for RAAF service by Hawker Pacific’s specialist modifications team including its avionics subsidiary, Australian Avionics.
Dassault has selected Hawker Pacific to provide product support for its Falcon 7X customers based in Asia, following the newly certified high-end business jet’s entry into service later this month.
Through its Singapore Service Centre and soon to be launched joint venture Shanghai Hawker Pacific facility, the company also will aid Dassault in introducing the all-new aircraft into China in the second quarter of this year.
A new group of peak Australian aviation bodies warns that the government’s National Aviation Policy White Paper has “missed a great opportunity to establish more aviation jobs in Australia and to help the industry deliver better services to Australians.”
Boeing today announced that its Sydney based Ken Morton would assume responsibility for company communications across the Asia-Pacific region. He succeeds Mark Hooper, who returns to Seattle from Hong Kong to a senior role in Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Air Force AP-3C Orions have achieved an extraordinary seven years of continuous Middle East operations, providing crucial support to Australian and coalition forces.
Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal (AIRMSHL) Mark Binskin said the Orions had flown more than 1750 missions involving 16500 flying hours supporting Operations Bastille, Falconer, Catalyst and Slipper.
Qantas today launched direct services between Canberra and Darwin, setting up new tourism, government and business links between the National Capital and the Top End.
Group Executive Qantas Airlines Commercial, Rob Gurney, said the new route was a response to demand from the government and business sectors and Darwin’s growth.
In January the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) published a comprehensive report titled Answering the Call to Action on Airline Safety and Pilot Training in response to concerns about growing risk surrounding airline travel – particularly on regional carriers’ services.
In a press release that accompanied the report, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt explained, “The report lays out our initial actions to improve and revise pilot training and to develop an effective pilot fatigue rule. We also share what we have done to begin what must be an ongoing dialogue with airlines and unions to strengthen professionalism in the aviation industry and create mentoring programs for our nation’s pilots. This report is a snapshot of our work, which is by no means finished.”
Search teams are working to recover the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 that crashed shortly after takeoff at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport during a raging storm last Monday.
Automated signals from the devices have already helped searchers to identify the exact location of the recorders in water 1300 metres deep, about 10 km west of Beirut Airport, but it has not yet been confirmed whether they are still attached to the aircraft fuselage.
Four major Australian resource companies and the Flight Safety Foundation have developed and launched a unique new program to streamline the flight safety auditing of air operators contracted to transport resource industry workers and executives.
In Western Australia alone. Some 25,000 resource industry workers are transported by fly-in-fly-out contractors, and similar substantial operations are in place in Queensland, South Australia, the Northern Territory and the Bass Strait oil rigs. All these operations involve a range of chartered aeroplanes and helicopters, as well as dedicated airline aircraft on charter to the resource sector.
Victims’ families affected by the May 2005 Lockhart River air disaster are dumbfounded at an Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) decision on January 22. They believe the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has seriously bungled its handling of an application for a foreign aircraft air operator certificate (FAAOC) to PNG-based Trans Air Ltd, the company whose Swearingen Fairchild Metroliner crashed during an approach to Lockhart River in bad weather with the loss of all 13 passengers and two crew.
Hawker Pacific has signed up a sale worth close to US$3 million for seven diamond flight training aircraft, building on its successful 14-aircraft (almost $5m) deal with Massey University last March. Six new single Lycoming-powered Diamond DA-40 four-seat trainers and a twin-engined DA42L, also Lycoming powered, will join the University of New South Wales’ (UNSW Aviation) fleet during the first quarter of this year. The six DA-40s will be powered by the 180HP Lycoming IO-360-M1A Avgas engine, and the DA42L360 by two counter-rotating versions, also of 180HP… READ MORE
Fly Synthesis’ fun-flying product range now includes six separate Italian-built light sport and ultralight aeroplane types, the most popular of which is its Texan Top Class 600 LSA. Having won my RAA pilot certificate in a Texan 550, I was more than happy when Australian Director Caz Monteleone invited me to update my Texan experience at his Donnybrook base on Melbourne’s northern fringe.
Another US Airways Airbus struck a flock of Canada geese yesterday, shortly after takeoff from Greater Rochester, N.Y. for Charlotte, N.C. This time however the crew of the Airbus A319 lost the use of only one engine and was able to return and land at its departure airfield without further damage to the aircraft and with its 124 passengers unharmed.
Attention anyone conducting retail business on GAAP or other Commonwealth-owned airports. Airport tenant Bema Gold (Australia) Pty Ltd yesterday was before the Victorian Civil Administration Tribunal (VCAT) seeking relief against forfeiture of its premises at Moorabbin Airport. It sought a declaration that the premises are retail premises within the meaning in the Retail Leases Act 2003. And they had a win.
Helicopter pilot training professionals contacting AviationAdvertiser say they were appalled to hear that the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) was not investigating the training helicopter crash on Mount Barney near Kyogle on January 28.
The Japanese Ground Self Defense Force has chosen Enstrom Helicopter Corporation to supply the next generation of training helicopters for the JGSDF Pilot Training Program. The program calls for the first evaluation helicopter to be delivered in 2010, with a total of 30 aircraft to joipn the program by 2014.
