Civil Aviation Development & Discussion

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 18 Oct 2013 22:25

^^

An aircraft maintenance engineer, who was the last to handle the panel which fell off a Delhi-Bangalore Air India flight last Saturday, has been suspended. In all probability, this engineer “forgot to screw back this panel”, an airline official told Firstpost. This official also said though the incident was regrettable, it never had “any safety implications since the panel fell off when the aircraft had already landed on the runway.

That sets the matter at rest, hopefully , but speaks a lot about quality of manpower in Air India maintenance crew and its supervision.

Arunkumar · Post by **Arunkumar** » 19 Oct 2013 11:45

There was series in Air-crash investigation where in maintainence manager fails to fasten the de-icing panel on the elevator and also fails to report it to the next person on the shift. The next morning the plane takes off and mid-way the de-icing panel breaks-off and the plane plunges down like a stone. Quite scary on what a loose de-icing panel can do.

neerajb · Post by **neerajb** » 24 Oct 2013 19:00

Singha wrote:maybe it flew clean and safe out of the bottom. if it had hit one of the tailplanes on the way back, things could get nasty though the FCS could likely still manage to preserve controlled flight using the wing controls....I wonder if FCS is designed to operate like this in degraded mode as control surfaces or combinations of them are progressively lost...?

There is a concept called Propulsion Controlled Aircraft (PCA) developed and tested by NASA's Dryden flight research center in the late 90s which utilizes the differential thrust in a multi engine aircraft for aircraft control in case of total hydraulic failure. The idea is to use engine power to pich up/down and to roll/yaw. Humans can't make throttle adjustments that quick/precise to control the aircraft in a safe manner so a software was developed which utilized autothrottle to control the aircraft. More details here http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news ... -DFRC.html

Ironically it was not adopted by industry.

Cheers....

sampat · Post by **sampat** » 28 Oct 2013 17:53

Open Letter to Air France

I am yet to hear anything good about KLM or Air France. Don't understand why people chose to travel with them.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 28 Oct 2013 22:06

The First A350 XWB Takes Off - With Cockpit Views

neerajb · Post by **neerajb** » 29 Oct 2013 10:36

sampat wrote:Open Letter to Air France

I am yet to hear anything good about KLM or Air France. Don't understand why people chose to travel with them.

Shameless. Similar thing happened to me on AI. I was booked on ZRH-BOM-MAA. ZRH-BOM was AI codeshare with Swiss. When I landed at BOM, AI kept deferring the departure time and after a good 5-6 hours of our original scheduled daparture, we finally got onboard the flight to MAA. Even after boarding, the plane didn't take off, we kept waiting and passengers kept on boarding. Then I realised that AI was actually using BOM-MAA flight as a shuttle for all the passengers arriving in BOM, who had a further connection to MAA.

Cheers....

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 29 Oct 2013 21:37

Well, that air france complaint letter has gone viral

manish · Post by **manish** » 04 Nov 2013 20:36

Reports now coming in that there are now unexplained delays in the Chennai airport privatisation - the announcement on shortlisted bidders scheduled for today has now been pushed to December 23, 2013.
Chennai airport privatisation: Naming of shortlisted bidders postponed

The Airport Authorities of India (AAI), which was supposed to announce the name of shortlisted bidders today for the management of Chennai Airport, has decided to postpone the announcement to December last week of this year. Meanwhile, a source said that GVK is the front runner for the over Rs 2,000 crore.

An official from the Airport Authority said that the date to announce the name of the shortlisted bidders has been postponed to December 23, 2013. The decision has to come from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, added the official.

GVK was one of the nine companies shown interest on the Chennai Airport. The others include IL & FS Transportation Networks Limited, Essar Projects (India) Ltd, Essel Infraprojects Limited, CIAL, Fraport Saudi Arabia – KAIA, Abdullah Kirimli (Celebi Havacilik Holdings A S), GMR Airports Limited and Sahara Group.

It is quite intriguing to note the little hint being dropped regarding GVK.

IMVHO, considering Chennai's strategic importance in the scheme of things perhaps it is better to let it be in the hands of either GVK or GMR considering their experience and track record with the rest of the Top 5 airports in the country. But then again, perhaps more competition should also be welcomed in the interest of growing the sector and to prevent any possible cartelization.

On the other hand, hearts must be beating fast at both GMR and GVK as the management control over MAA is sure to alter the competitive landscape in the Indian airports drastically, especially in the south of the country. This is the single largest threat as well as opportunity for GVK and GMR esp in relation to their current ownership concessions at BLR and HYD respectively.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 04 Nov 2013 23:39

Windshield of Air India Dreamliner cracks during landing at Melbourne airport

What's with Dreamliner? One bad news after another keeps coming at regular interval.

NEW DELHI: In its latest series of mishaps, the windshield of a Dreamliner of Air India cracked as the plane landed at Melbourne airport today though there was no threat to about 100 people on board, airline officials said.

Air India's local manager Madhu C Mathen said the windshield of the aircraft which landed at Melbourne this morning suffered damage and a new one was being brought in tomorrow's flight.

"The new windshield will be fixed and the aircraft will be ready soon," he said, adding that the passengers were adjusted in other flights for their onward journey.

AI-311 was operating from Delhi to Sydney via Melbourne with around 80 passengers and 12 crew members.

Air India officials here said the Dreamliner was grounded at Melbourne following the incident but maintained that the cracks on the windshield caused no threat to the aircraft as these were made of very thick glass and plastic material.

"Engineers and materials (including the windshield) are being sent by AI-302 (Delhi-Sydney-Melbourne)," one of them said.

Air India sources said the airline would conduct an internal probe to find the cause of the incident, which according to some officials could have occurred during the flight.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 06 Nov 2013 13:44

if they were so thick , how did the crack happen

ManjaM · Post by **ManjaM** » 06 Nov 2013 20:59

Boeings previous couple of windshield cracks have been related to faulty wiring of the window heater.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2 ... 07,2084342

The nature of cracks on the windshield on the 787 and earlier 777 might indicate a similar issue.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 09 Nov 2013 09:56

New PS-90A3

PS-90А3 turbofan

PS-90A3u, PS-90A3u1, PS-90A3u-76 turbofans

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 09 Nov 2013 11:56

Marten wrote:The windscreen probably delaminated. Not sure how many layers the Dreamliner w/s has, but it would be surprising if it cracked through and through.

Since it doesn't cost me to post a hypothesis: Microfissures probably. Cause: Unknown/Incorrect Install/Application?

Windshield cracks are not unusual. It happens on the airbus too. Usually traced back to pressurization issues. In this particular case, apparently the windshield heater failed.

manish · Post by **manish** » 17 Nov 2013 13:21

manish wrote:In another important development, the mighty 777-X family has its first confirmed commitment, with Lufthansa signing up for 34 of the gigantic 777-9X which will be by far the largest, heaviest and the most powerful twin-engine jetliner ever built and will bring to the table advanced tech engines and folding wings (necessitated by its massive wingspan) a la carrier borne naval aircraft.

The 777 is the modern wide-body classic much in the way the 747 was in its prime and operates in a league of its own with hardly any direct competition in its primary market. The 777-X development will simply take it a notch higher, away from all competition from below while simultaneously jeopardising the future prospects of the A380 and its own larger brother the B747-8.

Boeing just launched the 777X formally at the Dubai Air Show with a big bang!

259 orders/commitments on launch day from Lufthansa, Etihad, Emirates & Qatar!

Emirates just put down the single largest jetliner order in history (by $ value) with a stunning $76 billion order for 150 Boeing 777X planes!

BTW Etihad became the launch customer for the shorter 777-8X version.

All this means that the B777 now officially takes the crown of the best selling wide-body of all time from the B747, with orders easily crossing 1500 total and drawing ever close to being the first to hit 2000 frames ordered!

Reports say some big ticket Airbus orders are lined up for later in the day including a possible 50-plane mega order for the A380 by Emirates.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Nov 2013 16:01

dubai seems to be sinking some 200b into being a airport hub between new plane orders and the new airport.
they must have one of the largest and newest fleet of heavies already.

manish · Post by **manish** » 17 Nov 2013 16:25

Singha wrote:dubai seems to be sinking some 200b into being a airport hub between new plane orders and the new airport.
they must have one of the largest and newest fleet of heavies already.

Oh yes they do - and they are a wide-body only airline to boot.
EK is the largest operator of A380s in the world - a total of 140 ordered.
EK is the largest operator of B777s in the world - a total of 177 B777 'classic' plus 150 B777X models ordered.
EK is the only operator to fly every model of B777 ever produced - B777-200/200ER/200LR/300/300ER/777F and now the 777X just adds to it.

BTW Etihad just took the craziness to another level and placed an order for 50 of Airbus A350s, 36 A320neos and 5 A330-200F freighters.

This is beginning to look like the recent India-Aus ODI final when sixes and fours had lost all meaning.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Nov 2013 17:39

the account team who landed these deals will likely use bottled champagne instead of water to wash their faces for a while.

qatar is opening a new hub airport for its airline in doha in 2014.
UAE has opened its 2nd airport to civilian airlines recently
abu dhabi is trying to compete with its flashier brother not just with etihad but a new port to rival dubai .. needless to say its airport is being expanded.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/world ... .html?_r=0

so within 1 hr flight of each other we will have 3 of the biggest airports in the world. for reaching into africa and the middle east , most of the time they are the only options. if you want to fly to kampala or nairobi or addis ababa either go to europe and fly back or go via gulf.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 17 Nov 2013 19:35

As I said long ago when I discovered Qatar as the best bet travel to India from the eastern seaboard in the US, this is the modern day dhow service all on oil money. This party will last a long time.

The trio are going to take other airlines to the cleaners for travel to non-European destinations.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Nov 2013 20:19

unlike european airports and airlines, perhaps atleast some good number of indics will find decent jobs in this trinity ecosystem.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 17 Nov 2013 22:07

Very true. When I pass through Doha (have not done other hubs recently) I see more and more indics doing all levels of jobs right from security guards all the way up. When my mom traveled alone on Qatar, the person who helped her was Indian/Nepali and spoke in Hindi with her. No different than traveling via Air-India, but with better ground service. Very easy to find interpreters if need be too.

manish · Post by **manish** » 17 Nov 2013 22:26

Boeing has released a lot of new images and animations featuring artist's impressions of the new 777X.

It's pretty interesting to note the renderings with the folding wingtips which will help the aircraft squeeze itself into 'Code-E' stands where the existing B777/B747-400 used to park.

BTW, do note the enormous GE-9X engines which are now said to have expanded their fan diameter from already massive 128" to 132" or so - I guess the overall diameter + cowling would now almost certainly be on the verge of exceeding the B737 cabin width which is around 136-138" or so!!

Massive indeed!
PS: Sorry for the large in-line image, couldn't find a smaller one online yet

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 18 Nov 2013 01:08

Emirates just ordered 50 A380s and 150 777Xs at the Dubai Airshow. That's an extraordinary number of planes!

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Nov 2013 06:47

GE90 definitely not as big as 737 fuselage. EMB-145 / ATR-72 maybe.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... -300ER.jpg

manish · Post by **manish** » 18 Nov 2013 08:33

Singha wrote:GE90 definitely not as big as 737 fuselage. EMB-145 / ATR-72 maybe.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... -300ER.jpg

GD saar, the GE-90 is surely not as big as the B737 fuselage (~3.7m or ~148") and I certainly did not claim it was. But the overall diameter of the GE-90 with 128" fan dia was 135", already approaching the cabin width of B737 which is ~3.5m (~139").

So my point was that with the fan dia now increased to a massive 132", the overall dia is likely to be even larger for the GE-9X and not for the GE-90. Even if the dia is a couple of inches (at most) below the cabin width, it still drives home the point about the massive size of the engines.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 14 Dec 2013 09:41

C919 May Be Largely Limited To Chinese Market

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 15 Dec 2013 08:41

BIAL T1 phase2 is now completed and will be inaugurated by the CM today I think. this ups capacity from 12.5 mil/pa to 20 mil/pa and makes it 3rd biggest airport now, crossing chennai and hyd. checkin counters is upped to 83.

on the downside, some new user fees will surely be brought in using the expansion as a cover.

Santosh · Post by **Santosh** » 16 Dec 2013 08:49

Mumbai's sparkling new T2 will be inaugurated quietly by Manmohan on Jan 15 along with Metro phase 1, Monorail and a new elevated SEAR that connects T2 to Western suburbs. All are about 2 years late at least. T2 capacity will be about 40 mil pax. The SE pier was also supposed to be done by now but the vast slums are still not cleared even after 7 years since privatization.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 16 Dec 2013 10:25

looks like a solid vote bank for the local MLA/MP.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 17 Dec 2013 07:51

Lots of Bangladeshis in the slums around the Mumbai airport.

manish · Post by **manish** » 17 Dec 2013 09:09

Singha wrote:looks like a solid vote bank for the local MLA/MP.

Yup.

My understanding is that the current BOM airport team is actually doing a wonderful but thankless job of running a 30m+ pax terminal amidst all those constraints and challenges.

I am told that BOM has something like ~1300 acres of space available operationally at present to run the whole show, with the rest of the land being largely under encroachment.

Contrast this with DEL (~4500 acres), BLR (~5000 acres) and HYD (~5500 acres) and you realize the reason behind the constant pining for a greenfield airport serving Mumbai.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 17 Dec 2013 12:30

Real Estate in Mumbai is worth more than gold and its not easy to get the slum dwellers out if not the Vote Bank MLA they would get a stay from court and the case will drag on. These people have been staying there since donkeys years and since then expanded on humanitarian grounds too its difficult to evict them unless the Government does give them a offer they cannot refuse.

I am just wondering all these years/decades what were the AAI doing when they started building slum and encroaching , i guess they were just too careless and they didnt even have security around the area.

More than any thing I see the slum and unguarded/non-barricaded area as security risk something the terrorist can easily exploit.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 17 Dec 2013 12:30

Star Alliance Renews Air India Invitation

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 19 Dec 2013 18:54

Competition Commission slaps Rs 1 crore penalty on #Etihad for non-disclosure of information in #Jet deal"

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 20 Dec 2013 16:21

Probably connected to someone in a mandal sort of way......

Perfect guy for flight safety too

Pilot, who slept at work and flew damaged flight, is now heading Air India ops

Here is a reason why Air India will continue to be a white elephant for the government. SPS Suri, a pilot who was once suspended by aviation regulator DGCA for endangering passengers and has over a dozen operational lapses to his 'credit', has now been appointed as national carrier's head of operations. According to a Mumbai Mirror report, Suri, 58, has been with the airline since 1983. Among his violations here are are a few notable ones: He once flew a damaged flight to Shanghai thereby putting to danger over 200 passengers' lives; he has violated immigration and aviation guidelines; he once fell asleep during a flight; and he came for work late, worse still did not turn up at all. In July 2012, Suri apparently failed to report an incident of mid-air turbulence that resulted in damage to the aircraft and injuries to about 20 persons on board. Mid Day had exposed how Suri even restrained his crew from reporting the incident or even talking about it. In July 2012, Suri apparently failed to report an incident of mid-air turbulence that resulted in damage to the aircraft and injuries to about 20 persons on board. Reuters. "Everything was fine during the first one and a half hours of the journey. The trouble started following an announcement for all passengers and crew to be seated; approximately 10 minutes later the aircraft entered an air pocket, experiencing major turbulence. Passengers fell down on the floor, most of armrests were damaged, the overhead baggage locker opened up and some of the gear tumbled down on passengers, pillows and blankets were flying around inside the plane and one of the toilets partially caved in," a crew member had told Mid Day. Suri was supposed to make a special report but instead he only reported a mild turbulence. The matter was not even reported to the airline or DGCA. Later, he was grounded by the airline management after he failed to report an incident of turbulence faced while operating the flight with an Airbus 330 aircraft. Despite his suspension, Suri was given authorisation by the airline's management to fly on Delhi-Dubai sector as additional crew member on 1 August 2012. This was in violation of immigration and aviation guidelines. After having been de-rostered, it was illegal for Suri to have travelled as a crew member. Following this incident, civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh even directed Air India management to withdraw the facility available to pilots to travel as an additional crew member during time off or leave with immediate effect. What's worse is that the incident wasn't a one-off. According to the Mirror report, Suri had in 2009 also fallen asleep during a flight from Tokyo to Delhi while in 1987 Suri had reported late for a flight, delaying it by several hours. Despite such violations, Air India has gone ahead and appointed Suri as the head of operations, a move which is being opposed by the airline's pilots too. Suri may have slept at work only once. Given the sorry state of affairs at Air India, it is clear that the aviation authorities have been sleeping at the work for the last many years. Suri's appointment shows that they continue to do so. And that Air India will remain a millstone around the government's neck.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 20 Dec 2013 16:38

chetak wrote:Perfect guy for flight safety too

Pilot, who slept at work and flew damaged flight, is now heading Air India ops

Perfect indeed.......Stalin will be proud

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Dec 2013 23:00

Air India to sell 7 Dreamliners to raise Rs. 5,200 crore: report

girish.r · Post by **girish.r** » 23 Dec 2013 14:22

Austin wrote:Air India to sell 7 Dreamliners to raise Rs. 5,200 crore: report

Normal for airlines to generate capital. Hope they can also restructure their routes now.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 24 Dec 2013 09:47

The art of hospitality in Mexican (Sukhoi Superjet in Mexico) photo essay

http://www.sdelanounas.ru/blogs/45267/

Any idea what is the tab like thinge the pilot is holding and why do they use it ?

http://sdelanounas.ru/i/c/n/v/f_cnVzc29 ... 2Nw==.jpeg

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 24 Dec 2013 10:34

Antonov-158 hot-and-high testing complete

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 01 Jan 2014 12:28

PICTURE: Comac starts tests on C919 iron bird rig