The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has made a change to its online flight planning member benefit. Starting in 2015, AOPA will return to the AOPA Internet Flight Planner (AIFP) powered by Jeppesen, retiring the current flight planner,

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has made a change to its online flight planning member benefit. Starting in 2015, AOPA will return to the AOPA Internet Flight Planner (AIFP) powered by Jeppesen, retiring the current flight planner,

Concorde introduces heated batteries for cold weather ops

Cold temperatures increase the internal resistance, which decreases a battery’s capacity and slows its ability to accept charge current. For years, operators in cold climates have made it a practice to endure the inconvenience of removing batteries from aircraft, transporting and...

WHO declares air travel safe despite fears over Kenya Airways flights to West Africa

WHO declares air travel safe despite fears over Kenya Airways flights to West Africa

Kenya Airways temporarily suspends flights to Liberia, Sierra Leone

Kenya Airways has temporarily suspended its commercial flights to Liberia and Siera Leone effective August 19, 2014 following a situation risk assessment by Kenya’s Ministry of Health. The two countries have been affected by the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus disease

Passenger jet plunged 5,000ft into busy flight path as pilot napped and co-pilot worked on computer

A jet carrying 300 people plunged 5,000ft while the pilot slept and the co-pilot was on her computer. Both failed to realize the Jet Airways plane had fallen from 34,000ft until they were told by air traffic controllers while flying over Turkey. Turkish air-space is busier than normal as airlines avoid conflict zones like Iraq and Ukraine. The crew were ordered to take the Boeing 777 from 29,000ft back up to 32,000ft as it flew from Mumbai to Brussels. A source said: “The pilot was taking a controlled rest. The co-pilot was supposed to ensure the aircraft flew on its assigned path. “She didn’t realize the aircraft had dropped below its assigned level.” But the crew didn’t report the incident to India’s Directorate General of Aviation. India’s Jet Airways was alerted by an anonymous text and the pilots have been suspended. The aviation watchdog is investigating. Jet Airways has also launched an internal inquiry.

US firms to help lobby for direct flights to Kenya after the US-Africa Summit ties

Direct flights between Kenya and the United States are on track to begin early next year, Kenya’s Transport minister has said. The government is counting on the support of three US business giants — Delta Airlines, Boeing and General Electric — to lobby for clearance and set in motion the process of launching the scheduled flights. Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau said this on Thursday as he revealed details of discussions with US regulators and firms during last week’s US-Africa summit, which saw more than 40 African leaders hosted in Washington, DC. He said the Kenya government had fruitful talks with the US Federal Aviation Authority and the Transport Safety Authority about progress towards Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport attaining FAA’s Category One status. This is required of all airports before they can have direct flights into the US.

EBOLA CLIPS AIRLINES

As Ebola continues to claim more lives in West Africa, Nigeria announced another case of the disease on Thursday, bringing the total confirmed cases in Africa’s most populous country to 11.

Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu told reporters in Abuja, the capital, that the latest patient is a doctor who helped treat the first Ebola case in the country, Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer, who arrived from Liberia last month with the virus and died on July 25. All those who are ill with Ebola in Nigeria had direct contact with Sawyer.

Ebola has killed more than 1,000 people and sickened nearly 2,000 in its current West African outbreak, which has hit Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. So far, Nigeria has recorded three deaths.