Boeing delivers LATAM's first 787-9 Dreamliner

Boeing and LATAM Airlines Group celebrated the delivery of the airline's first 787-9 Dreamliner. LATAM is leasing the new airplane from Amsterdam-based lessor AerCap.

LATAM Airlines Group will become Latin America's first operator of both the 787-8 and 787-9 variants of the Dreamliner family when the airline group launches 787-9 services on South American routes in April.

With this delivery, LATAM Airlines Group will have 11 787s in its fleet, the most in Latin America. The company is building a fleet of 32 787 Dreamliners, including 10 787-9s, over the next several years.

The 787-9 complements and extends the 787 family. With the fuselage stretched by 20 feet (6 meters) over the 787-8, the 787-9 will fly up to 40 more passengers an additional 450 nautical miles (830 kilometers) with the same exceptional environmental performance – 20 percent less fuel use and 20 percent fewer emissions than the airplanes it replaces.

Fifty-eight customers from around the world have ordered more than 1,070 787s, with more than 200 airplanes delivered.

Bunny Ranch owner seeks to hire prostitutes caught with Warren Sapp

Bunny Ranch owner Dennis Hof is blasting the city of Phoenix in the wake of the arrest of NFL legend Warren Sapp on prostitution charges.

Hof said he is asking the two women arrested to contact him directly, saying he will provide them with legal assistance, and then fly the two ladies to the Bunny Ranch where they can apply their adult trade safely and legally.

"I want to make honest working girls out of them," says Hof, "Street prostitutes are always at risk of being beaten up, or beaten out of their money by johns. This never happens at a legal, licensed, regulated brothel like the Bunny Ranch."

The 42 year-old Sapp, who was covering the yearly championship for the NFL Network, was busted by local cops at a Phoenix hotel and charged with soliciting a prostitute, and two counts of assault.

Months ago, Hof, the owner of seven legal brothels throughout the state of Nevada, had visited Phoenix, offering to put up $500,000 cash to build a temporary legal brothel to operate prior to the Super Bowl. Hof made his pledge in an effort to combat the crush of Super Bowl human sex trafficking, a yearly plague that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has called the "single largest human trafficking incident in the United States."

"This is a disgrace. The NFL couldn't even keep its own announcers from taking part in the heinous illegal sex trade that flourished during Super Bowl week," said Hof. "All this could have been avoided had city politicians simply approved my plan to set up a legal, safe, regulated brothel for those who wanted to have a little adult fun.”

NTSB releases report on fatal Boeing 747 crash in Afghanistan

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released their first public factual report for the ongoing investigation into the April 29, 2013 crash of a National Airlines Boeing 747 at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. The cargo flight crashed on takeoff on its way from Bagram to Dubai. All seven crew members were fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed.

The NTSB is specifically prohibited from assigning blame or apportioning liability for the accident under international treaty. However, Nolan Law Group, acting as attorneys for families of five crew members believes the newly released information strongly supports the claims that the fault for the accident rests with the aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, and with AAR Corp. and its subsidiaries who designed and manufactured the cargo handling system installed on the airplane.

According to information from the families' attorneys, the accident airplane was originally designed and manufactured by Boeing for use as a passenger airplane. Thereafter in 2007 and pursuant to an agreement between the operating airline and Boeing, the airplane was converted to a freighter which included installation of the aftermarket cargo handling system designed and manufactured by AAR's Telair subsidiaries.

At the time of the crash, National Airlines was transporting five Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles aboard the airplane. Nolan Law Group notes that prior to the crash another airline questioned the safety of such a transport, conducted an engineering safety study, and concluded that it was, in fact, unsafe and dangerous to transport five such vehicles. The firm further notes that airline also recommended limiting the transport to three MRAP vehicles, but when Boeing was consulted, it advised it had no objection to such a transport. It appears that Boeing did not share these safety concerns with other airlines, including National Airlines.

“The factual information released by the NTSB today suggests that the rear-most MRAP vehicle broke free from its restraints and penetrated through the rear pressure bulkhead of the airplane,” Nolan Law Group said in a press statement Tuesday. “There, due to Boeing's vulnerable design of the plane's hydraulic system, the MRAP tore through hydraulic lines powering the airplane's control surfaces and landing gear which took away the crew's ability to control the airplane. These events resulted in an excessive nose-up pitch and unrecoverable stall, the haunting dashboard video of which went viral on the internet and has been repeatedly aired by media outlets.”

The NTSB is expected to issue its final report and probable cause determination related to the crash later this year.

Chaucer Consulting joins mission to the Moon

Chaucer Consulting has been selected as the business program project manager for the preparatory stage of the Lunar Mission One initiative. Lunar Mission One will send an unmanned robotic landing module to the South Pole of the Moon - an area unexplored by previous missions. Chaucer's initial role for the mission is to advise, shape and enable the overall program during the next six months.

The mission will use pioneering technology to drill down to a depth of at least 20 meters - 10 times deeper than has ever been drilled before - and potentially as deep as 100 meters. “This will provide access to lunar rock dating back up to 4.5 billion years to discover the geological composition of the Moon, the ancient relationship it shares with our planet and the effects of asteroid bombardment," Chaucer said in a company press release. “Ultimately, the project will improve scientific understanding of the early solar system, the formation of our planet and the Moon, and the conditions that initiated life on Earth.”

"The Lunar Mission One project's progress will depend on the initial scoping and delivery of this preliminary stage,” said Chris Laslett, Chaucer Global CEO.

Lunar Mission One is being run by Lunar Missions Ltd, its operating company, to which
Chaucer will report.

Delta adds Boeing 717s for Los Angeles/San Francisco service

Delta Air Lines will introduce Boeing 717 aircraft on eight of the 15 daily flights between Los Angeles International (LAX) and San Francisco International airports in June, offering 40 percent more seats on its hourly nonstop Delta Shuttle.

"Our Delta Shuttle on the West Coast is designed to connect Silicon Beach to Silicon Valley," said Ranjan Goswami, Delta's vice president of Sales - West. "As we continue to grow in Los Angeles, upgrading to fuel-efficient 717s on a majority of our daily Shuttle flights is a logical next step in strengthening our position in this important market."

Delta launched its hourly nonstop Delta Shuttle product from Los Angeles to San Francisco in September 2013, adding a California perspective to its long relied-upon New York-based Shuttle. The mainline 717s seat 110 passengers. The remaining seven daily West Coast Shuttle flights will continue to be operated by Delta Connection partner Compass Airlines using 76-seat Embraer E175 aircraft. All shuttle flights offer access to First Class and Economy Comfort seating and feature Wi-Fi service, as does nearly every domestic Delta flight out of Los Angeles.

Last month, Delta announced plans to begin daily nonstop service to Shanghai in July. Pending foreign government approval, seasonal service from Los Angeles to Managua, Nicaragua, will also begin this summer. These new routes build on Delta's expansion in both international and domestic service from Los Angeles in recent months, including London-Heathrow in October; Dallas and Austin, Texas in November; and Vancouver, Canada in December.

From Los Angeles, Delta currently operates 154 peak-day departures to 48 destinations. At the airport, travelers passing through Los Angeles continue to enjoy the benefits of the $229 million expansion and enhancement of Terminal 5 at LAX, scheduled for completion in May 2015.

A definitive look at the sexual habits of Canadians

Hockey isn't the only activity that keeps Canadians busy in the winter. More than half of Canadians (56 percent) say they have more sex in the winter months, because it is a great way to stay warm. This is according to the Schick Hydro Silk TrimStyle Report, the definitive look at Canadians' sexual habits and preferences. The research was conducted by Environics Research Group between Jan. 9-16.

It may be no surprise that men are more likely than women to say they would like to have sex more often than they already do (57 percent), but nearly half of women (47 percent) say they would like some extra lovin' more often too.

More than eight in 10 Canadians (84 percent) would be more likely to do the horizontal mambo when their private parts are groomed and looking good. Plus, 73 percent prefer a partner who is neatly trimmed. Just nine percent of those surveyed responded "the hairier the better!"
 

Twenty-three percent of Canadian women say they would consider trimming their bikini area into a heart shape to surprise their partner on Valentine's Day. What's more surprising? The 10 percent of thoughtful women who would consider trimming their partner's favorite sports logo.

If you are like more than half of the nation who has sex at least once a week (57 percent), it's likely to be on the weekends. Make sure to knock before you enter on Saturdays, in particular, as that is the friskiest day of the week for most Canadians. Planning for some alone time? Schedule yourself in Monday to Thursday as those are the loneliest days of the week.

Although only one in five sexually active Canadians have done the deed with more than one person at the same time, one-third would jump at the chance to add to the fun.

Singapore-based airline receives first 787 Dreamliner

Boeing and Scoot Pte Ltd., on Monday announced the delivery of the Singapore-based airline's first 787 Dreamliner.

The 787 is a family of technologically advanced, super-efficient airplanes with new passenger-pleasing features. In addition to bringing big-jet ranges to midsize airplanes, the 787 will provide Scoot with unrivaled fuel efficiency and environmental performance, using 20 percent less fuel and with 20 percent fewer emissions than the airplanes it replaces.

The airline will take delivery of an additional 19 787 Dreamliners. The airplanes were originally ordered by parent company Singapore Airlines, which included ten 787-9 and ten 787-8s.

FBI begins market research to replace 'alert aircraft'

The FBI Mission Support Contracts Unit, in support of the Critical Incident Response Group, is seeking information about leasing, purchasing, or leasing to own, an alert aircraft, according to contract documents released Friday.

“The FBI is not requesting proposals at this time,” bureau officials said in the documents. “This is a Request for Information (RFI) only, and is issued solely for the purpose of market research. The FBI has not made a commitment to procure the item discussed.”

The FBI requires an alert aircraft to provide a rapid response to transport Department of Justice personnel world-wide in support of Counterterrorism and other sensitive FBI investigations. This need is currently met by leasing a Boeing 727-200 cargo aircraft. “This RFI is intended to seek industry input for the potential procurement, lease, or lease to purchase option, of a replacement,” the bureau said.

The alert aircraft must meet or exceed the following technical requirements: 

• New or pre-owned aircraft with new or pre-owned engines, if pre-owned the airframe needs to have been built in 1992 or later.
• Aircraft must be titled in the United States.
• Capable with or without interior modification of carrying no less than 75 to 100 passengers and associated bags (a minimum of two per passenger/large duffle-type bags) and transporting a minimum of 4,600 cubic feet of cargo.
• Capable of a minimum 3,500 statute mile range non-stop with 35,000 pounds of cargo and full passenger load.
• Minimum of one galley located in main passenger seating area.
• Minimum of one lavatory.
• Navigation and communication equipment needed to meet all requirements for worldwide travel, currently, and any requirements coming in the next two years.
• Securaplane camera system with three cameras or equivalent.
• Ku or Ka Band, Iridium, and/or Yonder Sat System Antenna or equivalent.
• TACSAT UHF antenna.

Questions regarding the RFI announcement should be submitted to the FBI by Feb.9. Companies interested in supporting the bureau should submit aircraft information by Feb. 17.

Most popular posts January 2015

1.) Single engine airplane preparing to ditch in Pacific Ocean - The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a distress call from a single engine aircraft running out of fuel approximately 975 miles north of the Big Island, Hawaii. [Full story] 

2.) Dramatic video shows pilot ditch Cirrus plane in Pacific Ocean - The pilot of a single engine Cirrus SR-22 aircraft (tail number N7YT) that ran out of fuel is safe after ditching his aircraft 253 miles northeast of Maui, Hawaii on Sunday. [Full story]

3.) Video: Another single engine plane ditched near Hawaii - The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued all four passengers aboard a second single engine aircraft that ran out of fuel and ditched approximately 11 miles west of Oahu, Sunday. [Full story]

4.) Retired EA-6B military jet to be towed through southwest Indiana - The U.S. Navy plans to partially disassemble and transport an EA-6B electronic warfare aircraft from Monroe County Airport, Bloomington, Ind., to a Naval Support Activity in Crane. [Full story]

5.) Small plane crash reported in Hood Canal, Washington state - Coast Guard crews and local responders are searching for survivors of a small plane that reportedly crashed into the Hood Canal near Seabeck, Wash., on Monday. [Full story]