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Flying today? You might experience delays
Thursday11:09 a.m.
If you’re flying today, be sure to check with the airline before leaving for the airport. An equipment outage that affected flights nationwide this morning has been fixed, the Federal Aviation Administration reports. The equipment is back in service, but some flights may still be delayed throughout the day.
At the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, there are some minor delays from the outage, said airport spokeswoman Valerie Wise. The AirTran Airways flight scheduled to arrive at 12:24 p.m. and depart for Atlanta at 12:54 has been canceled. It’s the only flight to be canceled in Wichita because of the glitch, Wise said.
Still, Wise said, passengers should call the airlines for updated flight information. The flight schedule may be OK here, but it may affect a connecting flight in another city.
“What you’re going to see now, the airlines unfortunately are going to have to try to get everything back in sync,” said FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory. “They have to try to get back to their schedules, and at the same time, they’re going to have to try to reposition the planes.”
In addition, some flight crews may be “timing out,” Cory said.
The problem began when one of two FAA centers that handles flight plan information had a problem with the system that files those plans. The other center picked up as much of the information as possible, but some of the overflow had to be entered manually, Cory said.
Flight plans are filed before a flight departs. They include information about the flight, such as the planned destination, route and fuel on board.
Flights in the air were safe, the FAA said. “We could always see planes on radar and talk to them,” Cory said.
NASA willing to cooperate with China on space exploration
Wednesday11:16 a.m.
NASA wants to cooperate with China in its space exploration endeavors, the head of the US agency said on Tuesday, according to a report by French news agency, AFP. Beijing aims to send a manned mission to the moon by around 2020.
“I am perfectly willing, if that’s the direction that comes to me, to engage the Chinese in trying to make them a partner in any space endeavour. I think they’re a very capable nation,” NASA chief Charles Bolden said.
China has been spending billions on its space program to try to close the gap with Western nations.
Wichita Aero Club to offer “on-air summit” of top management panel event, seeks sponorships
Wednesday11:03 a.m.
WICHITA–The next Wichita Aero Club meeting features a panel that brings the top executives of Wichita’s aircraft companies together. Organizers expect a record turnout for the event. They’re also planning an “on-air-summit” streamed live over the Internet for those unable to attend.
Panel members include Jack Pelton of Cessna Aircraft, David Coleal with Bombardier Learjet, Bill Boisture with Hawker Beechcraft, Bill Greer with Airbus North America Engineering, Jeff Turner with Spirit AeroSystems and Scott Strode with Boeing Integrated Defense Systems in Wichita. The event will be moderated by Mac McClellan, editor-in-chief of Flying magazine.
The Wichita Aero Club is offering sponsorships for the event for $2,000 to cover expenses and pursue future opportunities, it said. Logos of the sponsoring companies will be displayed online and throughout the event, organizers said.
The luncheon will be held at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15 at the Wichita Airport Hilton. The on-air summit will begin at 12:15 p.m.
For more information, contact Dave Franson at dfranson@wichitaaeroclub.org or call 316-681-4491. For lunch reservations, call 316-641-5962 or go to www.wichitaaeroclub.org.
Irish bookmaker betting 1-2 odds Dreamliner flies before the Airbus A400M
Nov. 17, 200911:48 a.m.
Forget Texas Hold ‘em tournaments. An Irish bookie is taking bets on whether Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner will fly before Airbus’ A400M military transport aircraft.
Both planes are supposed to take their maiden flights by the end of the year. Both programs have been hit by numerous delays. Some commentors are speculating that the flights may be pushed into next year, the bookmaker, Paddy Power, notes.
Paddy Power bills itself as Ireland’s largest bookmaker and a leading provider of gaming services. It’s offering odds of 1-to-2 that Boeing’s Dreamliner will take to the skies first.
It’s offering 6-to-4 odds that the Airbus A400M will fly first.
“This has the makings of a very interesting race with obviously billions on the line for both airlines,” Paddy Power said in a statement. “Our betting suggests that Boeing is the early leader, but this could obviously change very fast.”
Frequent flier miles for plastic surgery
Nov. 17, 20097:30 a.m.
Most frequent flier programs trade miles for things like free flights or stays in a hotel. But Finland’s biggest airline, Finnair Oyj, has come up with a new twist on its awards program. It’s offering free plastic surgery in exchange for air miles.
According to the airline’s Finnair Plus website, it takes 1.32 million points for lower lid surgery. The surgery would be performed by Nordstrom Hospital in Helsinki, Finland. A consultation with the hospital is needed first, according to the website.
Earning the 3.18 million points for breast augmentation surgery requires 120 round-trip, business-class flights between Helsinki and New York, according to Bloomberg.
Piper Aircraft to hold Wichita engineering job fair
Nov. 17, 20097:30 a.m.
Piper Aircraft representatives will be in Wichita Friday and Saturday to host an engineering job fair.
The Vero Beach, Fla.-based planemaker is seeking engineers for a variety of positions, it says, including airframe design, stress analysis, electrical and avionics design, mechanical systems, pwerplant design, instrumentation, aerodynamics or performance and manufacturing/industrial. Piper is also looking for a tool designer, estimator and director of manufacturing. The company has intermediate, senior and lead positions available.
The job fair will be held 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on November 20 and 21st at the Broadview Hotel at 400 W. Douglas. The company says to e-mail a resume to wichitajobfair@piper.com to be considered for a scheduled interview.
Dubai Air Show brings announcements
Nov. 16, 200911:23 a.m.
As the Dubai Air Show opened on Sunday, Cessna Aircraft and Hawker Beechcraft had a number of announcements.
Cessna said the company and its line of aircraft is well-positioned to meet the needs of the Middle East over the coming years. The Middle East has felt the impact of the financial crisis, but will continue to grow through its “ambitious development plans.”
Cessna also said it delivered a Citation Sovereign to Arab Wings of Jordan, an executive air charter operator in the Middle East, and a Citation Mustang entry-level aircraft to the Egyptian Aviation Academy. It will deliver three additional Mustangs to the company this month.
It also delivered a Citation XLS+ to the Etablissement National de la Navigation Aerienne of Algeria.
Hawker Beechcraft, meanwhile, said it delivered the 10th Beechcraft King Air B200-series aircraft to Serco Defence, Science and Technology in the United Kingdom for use with the Royal Air Force.
It also said that a King Air completed its first non-stop transatlantic flight. The modified aircraft flew from Wichita to Bournemouth International Airport in the United Kingdom with a single stop in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The more than 4,000 nautical mile trip was completed in less than 12 hours.
Boeing faces possible class-action suit over 787
Nov. 16, 200911:01 a.m.
The problems just keep on coming. Boeing is now facing a possible class-action lawsuit over its 787 Dreamliner, according to Dow Jones Newswires.
The suit is filed on behalf of an institutional investor in federal court in Illinois. It alleges that Boeing executives and directors made misleading statements between May 4 and June 22 about the testing results on the 787 Dreamliner, and the company’s ability to meet its revised schedule.
In June, Boeing postponed the first flight, which had been scheduled for June 30, because it had to reinforce an area in the side-of-body section, the suit said.
The 787 Dreamliner is two years behind schedule.
Boeing modifies two more 787 Dreamliners
Nov. 16, 200910:55 a.m.
Boeing has completed installing reinforcements on “side-of-body” sections of two more 787 Dreamliners. The company also says it is on track to fly the 787 by the end of the year.
Problems have forced the company to move back the delivery dates for the Dreamliner five times. It’s now two years behind schedule.
Over the weekend, employees finished reinforcing the full-scale static test airframe and the second Dreamliner designated for flight test. Installations on the first flight-test airplane were completed last week.
The modification includes installing new fittings at 34 stringer locations within the joint where the wing is attached to the fuselage.
