Bloomberg reports that Airbus is scaling back plans to increase production of the A320 and A330 lines. Here is the story. This prompts us to highlight an item in The Wall Street Journal piece below: Boeing won't up production to catch up delivery delays due to the strike (though this is really no surprise).

Original Post:

With Boeing dominating the news in recent months due to delays with the 787, the 747-8, the controversy over the KC-X program and the labor difficulties, a little news about Airbus is refreshing.

As previously reported, Airbus has its own delay issues with the A400M military program. A380 delays continue to make news from time-to-time. The Wall Street Journal just published a long piece about Airbus, saying the European company is "unshaken" by economic turbulence. Unlike most WSJ articles, this one is free. It's worth a read.

Meantime, from what we are hearing in the market, Airbus continues to make efforts to benefit at the 787's expense by selling the A330 to disappointed 787 customers. Sales of the A330 have been more than healthy and with the anouncement that the company is designing an A330 Heavy with longer range, Airbus is making a concerted push to further expand the A330 market.

With the 787 troubles, Boeing doesn't have delivery slots (beyond the occasional hold-back) until 2017 or 2020, depending on who you believe. Airbus has A330 delivery slots as early as 2012. The A350 is scheduled to go into service in 2013 (which, given the A380 performance and the 787 issues, draws a lot of skepticism even at this early date) but Airbus believes the A330 could be produced alongside the A350 for another decade--as a passenger airplane. While an A350 Light is being discussed that would clearly be a replacement for the A330, this plane probably would not be available until 2015 or later, if at all.

Boeing contemplates a second line for the 787, something that is required if there is any hope to catch up on program delays in a reasonable amount of time. But the question not only is when can Boeing do this but also where will a second line be established. Common sense says do it at the Everett, WA, plant where the 787 line is now. But the IAM strike and the likelihood of one by SPEEA suggests Boeing management has had enough and we think it entirely possible a second 787 line could be opened in a right-to-work state.

(For non-Americans, a right-to-work state means no unions required.)

If this happens, might an interim period be undertaken for Line 2 to cover production while Line 1 is shut down and moved alongside Line 2 in the right-to-work state? Call us conspiratorial, but we certainly see a scenario where this could happen. We believe the odds are much better than 50-50 that the replacement airplanes for the 737 and 777 won't be built in Washington State. Why, then, keep the 787 here? The 747 and the 767 will die here, but these are both at the end of their life cycles anyway (final outcome of the KC-X program being the only variable).

Airbus, meanwhile, chugs along with the A380 (and A400M) the only hiccups (or up-chucks, as the case may be). The company is working on improvements to the A320 that will reduce fuel burn by several percentage points; Boeing is only doing minor improvements that customers hope will gain as much as 3% fuel improvements but say could be as little as 1%.

Pratt & Whitney began testing its Geared Turbo Fan on the A340-600 test bed owned by Airbus. Although Airbus cautions against reading anything into the use of the A340 as the platform, observers speculate that this could lay the groundwork for Airbus to put the GTF on the A320 as an interim step toward a full replacement airplane, not expected before 2018 or 2020. An A320 GTF theoretically could be certified by 2012 or 2013.

Boeing responds by saying the GTF could be fitted on the 737, but the problems are greater than on the taller A320. CFM International is working toward certification of its new LEAP-X powerplant, an entirely new engine, which is promised to reduce fuel burn around 12%-15%, similar to the GTF. But certification isn't promised until 2016.

Airbus' A330 Heavy, it says, will have more range than early models of the 787 (something Boeing disputes) because its analysis concludes that the 787 will be heavy and fuel burn promises of the GEnx and Trent 1000 engines won't live up to promises. Meantime, Boeing works on a Product Improvement Package for the 777 which Emirates says provides a 10% operating cost improvement.

Airbus will likely finish this year with a substantial sales lead over Boeing.

777 SATURDAY 7PM - 11PM

There is also a procedure for the circulation of the fuel on the ground by a certified mechanic to prevent the formation of ice.

This AD is a result of the problems encountered in January 2008 by a British Airways Boeing 777 which failed to respond to a command for increased thrust while the aircraft was on approach to London Heathrow airport and landed short of the runway. the interim report suggested ice formed in the main fuel tank supply system during low fuel flow conditions in cruise flight. This ice then dislodged and caused a restriction in fuel supply during high flow conditions during approach.

No doubt there will be more measures to prevent the formation of ice from the engine and aircraft manufacturers but in the mean time the FAA are counting on this procedure to prevent the recurrence of the fuel restriction and loss of engine power.

About these winglets -

• The winglets will be 3.4 meter in height.
• Will increase performance and cut fuel consumption
• Faster Take-offs
• Lesser noise
• Can increase the resale value of the aircraft
• This refit will be largest ever installed on a commercial aricraft

And More -
Air New Zealand has also decided to install "new Swedish
dryers in all 42 of its jet aircraft.

They will remove up to 400 kilograms of moisture from the floors
and ceilings of aircraft and reduce fuel costs even further." The electrically powered dryers will be fitted in the
company's 777s, 767s, 737s and its Airbus SA A320 aircraft. "

A lot of US Airlines have fitted winglets on Boeing 737s (look at any of the Southwest airlines' airplanes). I think the step by Air New Zealand is worth all the praise. Rather than just saving on the fuel bill, their carbon emmissons will be lower, which means that they are doing a great job for the environment for us, our kids and their kids. 

From One News -

It's the mother of all winglets, designed for a jumbo. And while
the four-metre version never made it into production, Air New
Zealand's chief pilot Dave Morgan wants them on all the airline's
jets.

"The shape of the winglet reduces the drag, we get more lift,"
says Morgan.

Accident to Boeing 777-236ER, G-YMMM
at London Heathrow Airport on 17 January 2008

link

We all know Project Opensky works. His Airbus and Boeing families are probably the best freeware models in the web. Recently, as you viewed on fsGreece, they released also CRJ and Embraer aircraft (also in HAF livrery). Now they release the Boeing 777-200 version 2.

We can read this version is to replace version 1 which has been with us since FS2000. Similar to the first version, which was the first aircraft to have an early flex wing system, version 2 introduces yet another wave of innovative features into the FS world. Created from scratch, this plane utilizes XML gauge controlled animation with backup animation mode. This allows users to fine tune the moving parts to their own liking. Other features includes reverser block doors, GSUs, and high resolution textures. Also the Virtual Cockpit Released!
What I can say more? Download it!

The snarling, fiendish face of the devil can clearly be seen in the boiling clouds of the storm over wind-whipped Keystone Heights, Florida.

It appears in only one frame of a strip of photos taken with a state-of-the-art Canon SLR digital camera with a super wide angle lens, Clontz said.

“And I did.

"Later, when I found the photo of Satan among the 35 exposures on my memory card, I knew instantly that it wasn't some quirk of the lens. I knew I had recorded the image of an evil that lurks behind every bad thing that happens in the world. I realized I'd captured a picture of the Devil."

Just a short time ago I scrolled down the page of my blog and there it was. My total visits = 777. Seeing as how I received a dream message last night which I beleive to be about some changes in my life I am paying attention to the messages that are coming by way of dreams, numerology, and nature. The nature thing is a whole long post and I won't get into that right now.

As far as looking at the number strictly from a numerology point of view the number 777 if a message from our spirit guides would indicate that a lesson has been learned. It is a sign of achknoledgement and achievement - you have learnt a lesson that your spirit guides want you to learn about your life. This does resonate with me because recently I have gone through several changes in my life.

More on the number 777

First of all, many people think they know what the number 777 means. They associate it with luck sometimes because of casino slot machines. But 777 is not 7 -7 -7 but is seven hundred and seventy-seven. It is also not the opposite of 666. 777 is reference one time int he bible and the word priest 777 times. Not that you needed to know that but I found these facts very interesting.

In hebrew letters cooresponde to numbers and Gematria is the process in hebrew of adding the numbers together. There are hundreds of phrases that equal the numbers 777 as well as hundreds probably in the bible alone. For example:

The above information is referenced from: http://www.ridingthebeast.com/numbers/nu777.php

Also consider 7 Seals 7 Trumpets 7 Vials in The Book of Revelation and based on ascension this would take place supposedly in 2012 and would not be the end of the world but a new beginning...Heaven on Earth.

Wynne said USAF should also be more candid with the public, which he believes should have been told that "Boeing did not bid the 767 tanker." Instead, he explained, Boeing “bid an amalgamation of a 767 [air]frame, with the 777 avionics and 787 components.” USAF “should have been clearer that [Boeing’s proposal] was not a 767 anymore.”

Via: Ares (of course)

These would be ex-air force or retired commercial pilots, or someone who worked at a professional level in the aviation industry. The main thing was that they knew what they were talking about and could write a story accordingly.

All that seems to have gone by the board with today’s, sensation seeking tabloids intent on selling as many copies as they can with scant regard for truth or accuracy. Even worse is TV ‘breaking news’ where the channel is trying to be the first on air with the ‘news’ at any cost.

We don't have Aviation Correspondents any more. We have people with an 'ology' in 'journospeak' and a vivid imagination instead.

Time and again an aviation incident is blown out of all proportion or just badly misreported by (so-called) journalists with little interest in establishing fact from fiction before submitting their copy.

Headline: ‘Stricken jet plunges/plummets thousands of feet in seconds!!!!'  'pilots wrestle frantically with the controls!!!!’ (Add ‘narrowly missed school/convent/old people’s home/hospital’ etc. to taste)

No it didn’t. Passenger aircraft cruise at up to 40,000 feet, an altitude where the air is too thin and too cold for people to breath. If exposed to such an environment a healthy human has just 12 seconds of useful consciousness at moderate activity levels and 15 seconds with minimal activity. Thereafter consciousness is lost and brain damage can occur.

The lower the altitude the higher the period of consciousness – 5 minutes and 10 minutes at 25,000 feet and at 12,000 feet you can breath and function normally again. Even that is conservative. People have successfully climbed Mount Everest (27,000 feet) without oxygen!

That is why, in the event of sudden cabin decompression, breathing masks drop from compartments above the seats and the flight crew will initiate a speedy and controlled descent to 12,000 feet or lower.

Newspapers please note - this is NOT a plunge or a plummet. It is a controlled maneuver at a descent rate of between 4,500 and 5,000 feet per minute (6,000 fpm in some circumstances) that from 40,000 feet to 12,000 feet will take 5-6 minutes.

A skydiver reaches a terminal velocity of around 120 mph (10,500 fpm) before opening his parachute. Now that’s a plummet!

During a recent Boeing 747 cabin decompression, video footage taken by a passenger during the emergency descent (they were still wearing their masks) showed meal trays still sitting firmly on tables.

QANTAS cabin decompression

One passenger reported that, when the aircraft levelled out at 10,000 feet, his glass of beer was still where he had placed it on his tray table when the masks dropped with not a drop spilled.

Hardly the terrifying plunge that some journo's would have you believe.

Generally there is little difference in aircraft attitude (nose down) during an emergency descent compared with a normal approach to land at an airport. It's the vertical speed that matters.

Pilots do not ‘wrestle with controls’. If they did they'd probably break something! At the cruising levels where modern passenger aircraft operate, computers are in control. Even an emergency descent is pre-programmed into the Flight Director and controlled by the Auto Pilot.

Quite often during a flight the seat belt signs will be switched on and passengers will be asked to return to their seats and strap in because of air turbulence caused by weather conditions near the aircraft.

Clear air turbulence or CAT is a bit different. If an aircraft flies into an area of CAT then, yes, there will be abrupt and significant changes of altitude and unsecured people and objects inside the cabin will experience weightlessness and/or positive G forces with resulting injury and damage. It is a thoroughly frightening but, thankfully, quite infrequent experience because most modern passenger aircraft have weather radar that can warn the flight crew of the existence of CAT ahead. Training and experience can also assist the flight crew to predict the possibility.

Headline: ‘Terrified passengers screamed and prayed!!!!’ ‘My life flashed before my eyes!!!!’

Well, mayhap as Catweazle was want to say. Given the standard of driving in Thailand my life flashes before my eyes several times during a routine trip from Chonburi to Bangkok on the motorway!

Look again at the video taken during the Qantas 747’s emergency descent. It all looks pretty calm to me. If anyone was crying it would have been children experiencing ear pain due to the rapidly changing air pressure and not knowing how to counteract it.

As on many similar occasions, this situation was under control and the passengers knew that. It does not need a sensation seeking journo to invent things that were simply not happening nor to embroider the accounts extracted from passengers who have just disembarked and who are still trying to put the experience into perspective for themselves.

Yes - accidents do happen - sometimes unavoidable but more often man-made and it is here that a responsible press can help by drawing attention to inadequacies before accidents happen rather than sensationalising the aftermath.

The 1-2-Go crash at Phuket was caused by management greed in bending and ignoring basic safety regulations and in employing pilots of questionable ability (because they were cheap). There were some badly frightened passengers who survived that tragedy whilst 90 people, including both pilots, died.

By drawing attention to what Udom Tantiprasongchai, the gangster who runs this apology for an airline along with its sister airline Orient Thai, was up to then this tragedy might have been avoided. The press, particularly the Thai press, manifestly failed the public on this occasion.

Then there was the Adam Air crash in Indonesia where a serious mistake by a less than experienced flight crew (they inadvertently switched off the auto pilot at cruising altitude) resulted in loss of aircraft control while both were concentrating on trouble shooting an instrument malfunction that was, in itself, of no particular significance. The aircraft entered an unrecoverable dive and hit the ocean at a very high speed. There were no survivors.

No journalist could possibly know what happened in the cabin during the 2-3 minutes it took for those unfortunate people to die but, by publicising that airline's well known inadequacies earlier, they might have hastened it's demise before this needless loss of life.

Thank God we can count on the sheer professionalism of flight and cabin crews generally - like the BA 777 at Heathrow and the above-mentioned Qantas 747 off the Philippines and the way in which they managed their respective emergencies. Consider also that the vast majority of air flights - day by day, year by year, are just as professionally conducted.

The popular press rarely reports the positive aspects of air travel but then, I suppose, such mundane stuff doesn't sell potential refuse wrapping.

V Australia, Virgin Blue's long-haul offshoot, was supposed to launch its service from Sydney to Los Angeles on December 15th, but due to the strike at Boeing headquarters has forced the launch until February of next year!

The airline has suspended advanced sale of tickets for travel December 15 2008 to February 28th 2009.

The strike is very unfortunate! The way the airlines work is that they use the delivery date for new airplanes to add new flights and sell tickets in advance. Any delay in delivery date means loss of revenue for the airlines. The aircraft manufacturer might have to pay delay costs to the airlines (depends on the contract). This seems to be a big opportunity for Airbus (Airbus had problems with A380 and A350 deliveries which now seem to be on track).  

From Herald Sun -

Virgin Blue
said Boeing had advised it of the delay and said it cannot predict the
duration of the dispute at its Seattle plant and therefore could not
guarantee the delivery date of V Australia's launch aircraft.
V Australia has three Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in the advanced stage production at the plant.
Virgin
Blue said it had a revised the V Australia launch date and expects its
offshoot to commence services on February 28, 2009.

V Australia's Executive GM Scott Swift said - (from here)

In a letter to passengers with tickets booked, V Australia executive GM Scott Swift said the carrier was "very sorry to have to tell you" of the deferred launch.

"Boeing has advised us that it cannot predict the duration of the strike. It is in these circumstances that we feel we have no choice but to delay our V Australia launch and have nominated a revised V Australia launch date of 28 February 2009 to protect the interests of our Guests," said Swift.

"We are one of a number of airlines impacted by the strike. V Australia has three Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in advanced production at the factory. The strike has no bearing on services operated by Virgin Blue, Pacific Blue or Polynesian Blue," he said.

---

If you have difficulty understanding the current world financial situation, the following should help...

Once upon a time in a village in India, a man announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10.
The villagers seeing there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them.

The man bought thousands at $10, but, as the supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their efforts.

The man further announced that he would now buy at $20. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again.

Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms.

The offer rate increased to $25 and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch it!

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now act as buyer, on his behalf.

In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers: 'Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at $35 and when he returns from the city, you can sell them back to him for $50.'

The villagers squeezed together their savings and bought all the monkeys.

Welcome to WALL STREET!

Tuesday

PRaP 9/30/2008

“777”

Very interesting that the Stock Market closed down 777 points yesterday.  Most will say it is a coincidence, others won’t care, some will say it is a doomsday warning, I say it is God telling us that He is here and He sees what we are doing and we need to bring Him glory if we want to succeed.  What is it we need to do?  Repent and return to Jesus!  Of course this is so simple that people will laugh and ignore it.  This country is on the verge of becoming another hotspot for the radical Islamics to attack once again.  Don’t believe me.  Proposition 8 in California is a good example.  This proposition redefines marriage as a man and man or woman and woman to be included with a man and woman.  What does that mean?  The radical Islamic groups have their eyes upon the vote of this proposition and have warned that if this proposition passes they will hit the U.S. harder than ever before.  They have warned that what happened on 9-11-2001 will be child’s play.  So do you think God is here?  Why was that specific number there at the exact time that it was?  Do you have a walk with Christ?  If you do then you have no worries about coming events because no matter the outcome you will walk in Christ.  Should non-believers and lukewarm Christians in the “Christian Trough” be worried?  I think so because God is still here and satan is still in control of things that happen here.  I tell you what, he is dancing around with great joy in his victory he thinks he has here in the U.S. but I guess the True Christians will wake up and stop him or they won’t.  The one world government and one currency that was prophesied is just around the corner.  Ladies get your burqas ready they will soon be in fashion here in the U.S.  Maybe I am just full of it?  Maybe none of this will come to pass.  Let me ask you this, if it does, will you be ready?

Matthew 24

Key Scripture:

Matthew 24:42
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
Matthew 24:41-43 (in Context) Matthew 24 (Whole Chapter)

The boys and girls of Wall Street, the politicians on Capitol Hill and every American saw their 7 Up yesterday.  The Dow Jones index of the top 30 US stocks had its largest numerical one day loss  EVER - 777 points, which was nearly 7% of its total on Monday Morning and the much heralded $700Bln deal never happened.....and they say lucky number 7 ........ooops...back to the drawing board...but not today as its a Holiday.. :-) impending financial doom, but we must still respect our Holidays..... God Bless The very Un U S of A.... 

Its a Holiday here tomorrow too (Cyprus Independence Day), isn't great getting a public holiday right in the middle of the week ? Two days on, a day off and two days back at work. Why can't all weeks be like that ? In fact I might just start a campaign... 2, 1, 2 every week....sign here ......No Cyprus footie tonight..more on teams ..later in the week..

Stay Happy  and click here for a 7up of your own...as the rabbit says ....

http://www.7up.com/

:-)

Nikki Finke reports that today the Dow suffered the worst point drop ever because the financial bailout bill failed in the House Of Representatives, surprising damn near everyone. "This is terrible news for media stocks, Wall Street, and Main Street as the credit markets literally start to shut down," Finke writes.

Today's market plunge was the biggest single day drop ever, even worse than post-9/11. Though the 1987 crash was worse proportionately. So sayeth CNN:

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 777.68, surpassing the 684.81 loss on Sept. 17, 2001 -- the first trading day after the September 11 attacks. However the 7% decline does not rank among the top 10 percentage declines.

Can the bailout be saved? Who knows. But I am happy I finally got to use that sweet Charlie Sheen image from Wall Street.

[Deadline Hollywood Daily]

[CNN]

THAT'S ALL I HAVE BC I HAD TO MINGLE...OR DRANK TOO MUCH, I DON'T REMEMBER. TOMORROW I WILL UPLOAD THE REAL PICS BY MO SATARZADETH.

2AM UPLOADING...

FAM TIME.