Spirit Airlines, Pilot Union Agree To Extend Temporary Restraining Order

Spirit Airlines has reached an agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) to extend indefinitely the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the U.S. District Court (Southern District of Florida), directing the pilots to restore the status quo while the company and union remain in mediated contract negotiations. The TRO will remain in effect until a collective bargaining agreement is signed and ratified or, if applicable, the parties are released from mediation by the National Mediation Board.

Spirit pilots have been urged to resume picking up open flying time. The extended TRO replaces the need for Spirit to seek a Preliminary Injunction (PI) in federal court. 

“On behalf of our customers and fellow Spirit team members, we really appreciate the effort of our pilots who are taking on open flying to restore the operation,” said John Bendoraitis, Spirit Airlines’ Chief Operating Officer.

The federal court granted the company's TRO motions after Spirit detailed how ALPA and the other named defendants are purposely and unlawfully disrupting the airline's operations, leading to hundreds of canceled flights, which has negatively impacted thousands of Spirit customers' travel plans. A federal court hearing is scheduled for May 15.

In a statement released by ALPA after the TRO was first imposed, the union said: “Spirit pilots are committed to helping impacted passengers and the company restore normal operations. Spirit pilots were instrumental in returning operations to normal in 2015 and several times since then by going above and beyond their schedules, and waiving contractual restrictions in order to accept more flying. The court has spoken and Spirit pilots will fully comply with the order handed down, which is completely in line with our overriding goal: the resumption of normal operations. We call on the company to join forces with ALPA and the Spirit pilots to do just that.” 

Snowbirds Airshow Pause Related To A 'Close Call' During Performance

The Canadian newspaper The Star reports that the team was performing a maneuver called the "Double Take", in which for aircraft fly in formation with two inverted at about 300 feet above the ground. One of the aircraft encountered turbulence from the jet in front of it, causing control issues. The pilot of that aircraft managed to recover, but at a very low altitude, according to team commander Lt.-Col. Brad Wintrup.

The team returned to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan for additional training. The team's normal practice time was cut short this spring due to poor weather. Wintrup said that the team needs to fly at least once per day, seven days a week during training periods to build confidence and muscle memory. Often, the team flies as often as two or three times per day.

The team normally begins training in October for the next year's season. This year, several incidents including the one in Ft. Lauderdale led to the stand-down and additional practice.

Airflite Named Newest Piper Dealer

Airflite currently owns 18 Piper Seminoles and Senecas. As a lessor, owner, operator, maintainer and parts supplier, Airflite is uniquely positioned to guide and support current and future Piper customers through the selection, purchasing and operating phases of Piper Aircraft ownership.

 
"For many years Airflite has been a proud and highly satisfied owner of Piper products. Piper's value proposition and desire to engage with Airflite and the Customers in the region is exciting and promising for our future relationship and for aircraft owners and operators in the region. This Agreement represents another important step in building a diverse and robust Aircraft and Helicopter Sales and Brokerage capability at Airflite", said Airflite's General Manager, Kristian Constantinides.
 
Mr Nick Jones, Airflite's Vice President of Aircraft Sales, added "This Agreement provides Airflite with the opportunity to communicate the benefits Piper's wide range of products directly to our aircraft owners in Australia and New Zealand. As an example, we are looking forward to introducing the Piper M600 to the market through demonstration tours later in the year." 

"Airflite has the experience, presence and passion throughout Australia and New Zealand to become a dominant player in the sales of new Piper aircraft," said Piper Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Customer Support Ron Gunnarson. "We are delighted to add Airflite to our global network of Dealers.  The company's reputation, knowledgeable personnel and strategic locations at Perth, Moorabbin, and Jandakot provide an ideal foundation for growing sales of new Piper airplanes in this important region."

Singapore Airlines to retire four A380s by 2Q18

Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi) will retire four of its A380-800s by March of next year, ahead of the expected delivery of three new aircraft of the same type. The fleet change plans were highlighted in its annual report which was released last week.

Other aircraft to be removed from the fleet are two A330-300s, two B777-200s and one B777-200(ER). Their removal will make way for the addition of ten A350-900s as well as the afore-mentioned A380-800s.

Presumably, Singapore will be looking to phase out the elder of its A380s. According to ch-aviation fleet data, the oldest of the aircraft in Singapore's fleet are 9V-SKA (msn 3), 9V-SKB (msn 5), 9V-SKC (msn 6), 9V-SKD (msn 8) and 9V-SKE (msn 10) all delivered during 2006 and 2008 and leased from DS Aviation/Doric Asset Finance.

The carrier anticipates that the changes in its fleet will lead to a marginal capacity increase of 0.4%

Nigerian pilot becomes first African to fly solo around the world

Cape Town – A Nigerian born pilot for Air Djibouti Ademilola "Lola" Odujinrin has made history by becoming the first African pilot to fly solo around the world. 

In a statement, the Djibouti Ports and Free Zone Authority (DPFZA) said that Odujinrin had completed the final leg of his historic journey, landing safely at Washington Dulles International Airport. 

"The pilot has completed the entire circumnavigation in a Cirrus SR22, stopping in more than 15 countries on five continents, returning to Washington DC, where his journey began back in September," the statement said.

The flight was part of Project Transcend, a foundation which aimed to inspire young people to achieve their goals regardless of their personal circumstances. 

Odujinrin, who has logged 4 000 hours as a commercial Boeing 737 pilot since his pilot licence six years ago said: "Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of one day flying around the world. We have a responsibility to lead by example and follow our dreams. I want African children to think: 'I can do this too!'. 

"I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Air Djibouti’s Chairman, Aboubaker Omar Hadi, and Cardiff Aviation’s Chairman, Bruce Dickinson, who have supported me throughout this journey. Without them this would not have been possible," said Odujinrin.

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of Air Djibouti Aboubaker Omar Hadi said that with such an initiative the state owned airline was hoping to inspire "a new generation of pilots in Africa and help to pave the way for the aviation industry to thrive in the region.  

"The benefits will be felt within the region, as this will encourage more intra-African trade and sustainable economic development".

American Airlines pilot dies after episode on flight

Albuquerque - An American Airlines pilot has died after becoming ill just before his plane landed in Albuquerque.

During the flight from Dallas-Fort Worth, the captain declared an emergency and landed the plane at Albuquerque International airport.

The plane taxied to a gate and was met by paramedics, who were unable to save William "Mike" Grubbs, 58, a Dallas-based co-pilot.

Passengers were apparently unaware of the gravity of the incident during the last minutes of the flight but said the captain told them after landing that they would not be able to exit the plane immediately because of a medical emergency.

There was no immediate word of the cause of death.

Land the plane

Grubbs joined the airlines in 2010 as a pilot of Boeing 737s after flying smaller planes for American Eagle.

The pilots' union said Grubbs lived in Lebanon, Tennessee and said it was offering help to his family. He was married and was the father of a son, who will graduate from college in May.

Pilot deaths during flights are rare. In most cases, the other pilot in the cockpit has been able to land the plane without further incident.

Pilots must pass regular medical exams. In 2009, the Federal Aviation Administration raised the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots from 60 to 65 and some have suggested raising it again to help deal with a shortage of pilots.

Forensic expert suggests explosion downed EgyptAir jet

Cairo - Body parts recovered from the crash of EgyptAir Flight 804 showed signs of burns and were so small that they suggested the jet was brought down by an explosion, a member of the team examining the remains said Tuesday. But the idea of a blast was promptly dismissed by the head of Egypt's forensic agency as "baseless" speculation.

The cause of Thursday's crash of the EgyptAir jet flying from Paris to Cairo that killed all 66 people aboard still has not been determined. Ships and planes from Egypt, Greece, France, the United States and other nations are searching the Mediterranean Sea north of the Egyptian port of Alexandria for the jet's voice and flight data recorders, as well as more bodies and parts of the aircraft.

Egypt's civil aviation minister has said he believes terrorism is a more likely explanation than equipment failure or some other catastrophic event. But no hard evidence has emerged on the cause, and no militant group has claimed to have downed the jet.

Leaked flight data indicated a sensor detected smoke in a lavatory and a fault in two of the plane's cockpit windows in the final moments of the flight.

An Egyptian forensic team was examining the remains of the victims for any traces of explosives, according to a team member and a second official, both speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to reporters.

The team member said the fact that all 80 body parts recovered so far were very small and that some showed signs of burns suggested an explosion.

"There isn't even a whole body part, like an arm or a head," said the forensic official, who examined the remains.

He said at least one part of an arm has signs of burns - an indication it might have "belonged to a passenger sitting next to the explosion."

"The logical explanation is that an explosion brought it down," he said, adding that if there was a blast, the cause was not known.

Mere assumptions

But Hisham Abdel-Hamid, head of the Egyptian government's forensic agency, dismissed the suggesting, telling the state-run MENA news agency: "Whatever has been published is baseless and mere assumptions."

France's aviation accident investigation agency would not comment on anything involving the bodies or say whether any information has surfaced to indicate an explosion.

Other experts were divided on whether the state of the remains necessarily suggested an explosion.

Philip Butterworth-Hayes, an aviation systems expert, said such damage was unlikely if the plane was intact when it hit the water.

"Normally an impact is not going to do that to a human body in a seat belt," he said, adding that in some aircraft hit the water, bodies are found relatively intact.

"Normally the human frame can withstand quite severe deceleration, which is what happens when a plane hits the water," Butterworth-Hayes said.

But David Learmount, a consulting editor at the aviation news website Flightglobal, said a water impact could have such a devastating effect on those in the plane.

"Hitting water after a fall from that height is like hitting a cliff face," he said.

There also have been contradictory reports over the last moments of Flight 804.

Greece's defence minister said radar showed the aircraft turned 90 degrees left, then a full 360 degrees to the right, plummeting from 38 000 feet (11 582 meters) to 15 000 feet (4 572 meters) before disappearing at about 10 000 feet (3 048 meters).

Controversy

But the head of Egypt's state-run provider of air navigation services denied that, saying the plane did not swerve or lose altitude and disappeared from radar while at its normal altitude of 37 000 feet.

A Greek military official insisted that all radar data available to Greek authorities showed the plane swerving and losing altitude. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to reporters.

Egypt's investigative team said 18 batches of wreckage have been brought to Cairo's criminal investigation units for examination.

It added that priority was to locate the flight data and cockpit voice recorders - the so-called "black boxes" - and to retrieve more bodies.

A French patrol boat is carrying a doctor to help with the search for remains. Anything it finds would first be reported to Egyptian authorities and French justice officials, the French Navy said.

Relatives of the victims were giving DNA samples to the forensic team in Cairo to help identify the remains, a security official said. The official also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to reporters.