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He’s Making a List, Checking it Twice – Santa Claus is Coming to Town

From One Continent to the Next, AirTran Airways Tracks Santa’s One-Night World Tour –

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 24, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — For the seventh consecutive year, AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAI), is providing its first of three Satellite-based Aviation Navigational Tracking Apparatus (S.A.N.T.A.) reports. The following information regarding Santa Claus’ international flight is based on data from AirTran Airways’ System Operations Control Center in Orlando:

As December is shaping up for a somewhat warm time of year in Antarctica, the first confirmed satellite data found Santa and his reindeers flying up to a rookery to watch newborn penguin chicks cluster and brood at their parents’ feet.

As Santa and his reindeer zipped up the coastline, they took to warmer summer climates in Santiago, Chile. Who can blame Santa for wanting to make a pit stop in a country known for its bountiful range of delicious desserts?

Satellite data indicates that Santa next headed west over the Pacific Ocean, bringing holiday cheer to the lush island of New Zealand to unassumingly watch a rugby match before beginning his trek through Asia.

As Santa covered Asia in record time, he slowed down to admire the terra cotta warriors and horse figurines in Beijing that date back to 210 BC. After a much-needed snack of cookies and hot chocolate on the Great Wall of China, Santa and his reindeer headed further west toward India.

The next S.A.N.T.A. update is scheduled to cross the national wire at 3 p.m. EST.

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    QBE Forms U.S. General Aviation Underwriting Group

    NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — QBE the Americas has announced the creation of a U.S.-based general aviation underwriting operation.

    Headquartered in Atlanta, QBE the Americas’ Aviation Team is designed to expand the company’s global aviation activities. QBE is already a major aviation insurance writer in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Pacific.

    The new team of seasoned aviation insurance professionals with a proven track record consists of William P. McGloin, Roger M. Ridings, Michael Clark and Russell Walker.

    “The U.S. is the largest market for general aviation in the world,” says QBE’s Chief Executive Officer for the Americas, John Rumpler. “We’re pleased to start this operation that will offer a broad range of coverage and bring our company full circle as a true worldwide provider for general aviation insurance services. The aviation team that has been created will work in collaboration with QBE Aviation European Operations.”

    General aviation insurance includes all types of aircraft except for military and major airlines. QBE the Americas’ Aviation Team of seasoned aviation professionals will work with personal-use aircraft owners, as well as corporations and airports to provide physical damage, liability and workers’ compensation coverage.

    QBE Insurance Group Limited is one of the top 25 insurers and reinsurers worldwide. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, QBE operates out of 49 countries around the globe, with a presence in every key insurance market. The Americas Division, headquartered in New York, conducts business through various property and casualty insurance subsidiaries in 10 countries. QBE’s Americas Division produced $4 billion in gross written premium in 2009 and an 89.7 percent combined operating ratio. QBE Insurance companies are rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best and “A+” by Standard and Poor’s. For more information, visit qbe.com.

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    Goodrich Receives Contract

    Goodrich Receives US Air Force Contract for C-130 Boltless Wheels and Carbon Brakes

    New equipment offers significant performance, cost, and maintenance advantages

    CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Goodrich Corporation (NYSE: GR) has received a follow-on contract from Defense Logistics Agency Aviation to supply over 1,600 carbon brakes and over 1,400 boltless wheels for the U.S. Air Force C-130 aircraft fleet. Deliveries will begin in October, 2011.

    “With our successful development and qualification efforts behind us, we are pleased to have received this retrofit production order to begin delivery of our advanced wheels and carbon brakes to the U.S. Air Force. Upon installation, C-130 pilots and mechanics will see immediate performance improvements and maintenance savings over the current equipment, increasing reliability and reducing life-cycle costs for the U.S. Air Force,” said Jim Wharton, vice president of sales and program management of Goodrich’s Aircraft Wheels & Brakes business.

    Goodrich’s C-130 wheel and brake retrofit features DURACARB® carbon brakes which provide lighter weight, longer life, higher performance and lower cost of ownership compared to steel braking systems. The boltless aircraft wheels employ a lock-ring design, substantially lowering maintenance time and costs, in addition to reducing parts count, when compared to traditional bolted aircraft wheels. Goodrich aircraft wheels and brakes are in service on more than 20,000 military, commercial, regional and business aircraft produced by manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Cessna, Embraer, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.

    Goodrich Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a global supplier of systems and services to aerospace, defense and homeland security markets. With one of the most strategically diversified portfolios of products in the industry, Goodrich serves a global customer base with significant worldwide manufacturing and service facilities.

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    Boeing Press Release:

    Statement on Virgin Blue’s Selection of the Next-Generation 737
    SEATTLE, Feb. 23, 2010 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] is delighted that Virgin Blue has selected the Boeing Next-Generation 737 for the replacement and expansion of its single-aisle fleet. We look forward to working with Virgin Blue to finalize the order, at which time it will be posted to the Boeing Orders and Deliveries Web site.

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  • Air Line Pilots Association Statement on Continental Airlines Flight 1404

    Release #08.61
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    WASHINGTON – The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, issued the following statement regarding the Continental Airlines Flight 1404 accident that took place in Denver on Saturday, December 20, 2008.

    “The thoughts of the Continental pilots and every member of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, are with the crew, passengers, and all who were affected by the accident that took place in Denver. ALPA is a party to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation and cannot comment on the accident at this time.”

    Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilots union representing 52,500 pilots at 36 airlines in the United States and Canada, including 5,000 Continental Airlines pilots.

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    Air Tran Boeing Engine Cover Falls Off Mid Flight


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Roel van der Velpen

    What: Airtran Boeing 717-200 en route from Indianapolis to Baltimore
    Where: Dayton
    When: Aug 12th 2010
    Who: 48 passengers and 5 crew
    Why: When the left engine developed problems after leaving Indianapolis, the crew diverted to Dayton where they made a safe landing and taxied to the gate.

    According to the video, passengers hopped alternative flights.

    Maintenance determined that the cowling of the left hand engine had separated. AirTran is flying in its own mechanics.

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    Boeing Relocating C-130 AMP, B-1 Program to Oklahoma City

    LONG BEACH, Calif., Aug. 2, 2010 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced it will relocate the C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) and B-1 Program from Long Beach to Oklahoma City. The move will begin with C-130 AMP starting in the first quarter of 2011 and conclude by the end of 2012 with the move of the B-1 Program.

    Both programs are part of the Maintenance, Modifications & Upgrades (MM&U) division of the Global Services & Support (GS&S) business unit of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. The programs now employ approximately 800 people in Southern California. About 550 positions will be relocated to Oklahoma City. The remaining positions will be reduced from the programs over the next two years as contracts are fulfilled.

    MM&U Vice President and General Manager Mark Bass said relocating the programs will help Boeing provide a more competitive cost structure for customers.

    “Making a decision like this is never easy, but as we reviewed our anticipated operating costs for the next several years, it became clear that Boeing needs to take major actions on these programs in order to remain affordable for our customers,” Bass said. “We remain committed to maintaining the excellent record of performance that our employees deliver for our U.S. Air Force B-1 and C-130 AMP customers during this transition.”

    During the move, some employees will be relocated, while other positions will be posted and hired locally in Oklahoma City. Company managers are determining which employees will be offered relocation to Oklahoma City. Boeing will provide assistance for workers who do not make the transition, including help in searching for other potential positions within the company.
    “We will communicate openly and often with our employees throughout this process,” Bass said.

    C-130 AMP brings commonality to the C-130 fleet by offering flexibility in assigning aircrew, regardless of the model design type, and reducing aircraft operating costs while addressing obsolescence and providing for future capability growth. The program recently was approved by the Air Force for low-rate initial production.

    The Boeing B-1 Program is modernizing the B-1 Lancer bomber to further enhance its conventional munitions capability. Multiple upgrades are being tested this year to improve the bomber’s capabilities.

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