Hey Pal
It was a difficult week in the life of Bryan. We had endless issues to deal with on podcast day, hence the late publishing of the show. On a positive note, Ryan and I maintained the discipline of publishing a show every week and as always were rewarded by a great sense of satisfaction and pride after we managed to get the show out to our listeners.
If I am being 100% honest, publishing a show every week is harder than it seems but it’s a non-negotiable for us.
Jiu Jitsu Challenge 🥊
My Jiu-Jitsu is coming along very nicely, I have got my fitness up to a decent level which is giving me the confidence to give my absolute everything during the rolling sessions.
I did not expect to enjoy the training so much. I am so lucky that I found the right club with the right group of guys. It is so important to associate with the right people.
There is a grading session later in the year, and I hope to get a stripe or two on my white belt.
Simaero Simulator Training ✈️
I spent a large part of last week developing a new exciting simulator session which focuses on MCC and CRM without the need for failed aircraft systems or horrendous weather. Instead, I used Innsbruck Airport in Austria for the exercise, which requires excellent situational awareness and modern crew coordination.
The exercise requires raw data navigation between the mountain ranges. Hopefully, we can try it out if I see you at the sim centre over the coming months.
Bryan Air 🆕
STORY OF THE WEEK 🎙
P&W geared engine chaos
Article Highlights
Airbus CEO expressed concerns about Pratt & Whitney's ability to adequately support its fleet of passenger jets with spare parts and engines. This comes after India's third-largest airline, Go First, filed for bankruptcy, attributing the decision to issues with Pratt & Whitney's GTF engines on its Airbus 320neo jets.
The CEO pointed out that the GTF engines' in-service support issues have led to airlines grounding planes temporarily.
Despite these issues, Pratt & Whitney informed investors that the time between maintenance visits had improved but admitted it was still not meeting the expectations of the company or its customers. The company is working on developing upgrades to address this.
KLM Cityhopper is also experiencing difficulties with the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engine family, specifically in fully deploying the Embraer E195-E2 aircraft
To address these issues, which do not affect flight safety, KLM Cityhopper is collaborating with Embraer and Pratt & Whitney to find a solution. In the meantime, it has made minor adjustments to its summer flight schedule and deployed alternative capacity by retaining E190s meant to be returned to lease companies.
Other airlines, such as airBaltic, have also faced problems with the supply of Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, resulting in the need to wet lease aircraft from other operators for the summer season.
Go First, which cited Pratt & Whitney's engine issues as a major contributor to its financial woes, has been granted bankruptcy protection by India’s National Company Law Tribunal. However, lessors have requested the deregistration of up to 42 of the airline's aircraft in recent weeks.
In a conventional high-bypass turbofan engine and a Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine like Pratt & Whitney's PW1000G, the fundamental operation of the engines is similar - both suck in air, compress it, mix it with fuel, ignite it, and expel the hot gases to produce thrust. However, there's a key difference in the way the fan (the large spinning blades at the front of the engine) is connected to the rest of the engine.
Conventional High-Bypass Turbofan: In a conventional turbofan, the fan is directly connected to the low-pressure turbine at the back of the engine via a shaft. This means they continuously spin at the same speed. If the turbine needs to spin fast to be efficient, so does the fan. But spinning the fan faster can make the engine louder and less fuel-efficient. There's a compromise to be struck between the efficiency of the turbine and the fan's efficiency.
Geared Turbofan (GTF): In a GTF engine, there's an additional component called a reduction gearbox between the fan and the low-pressure turbine. This gearbox allows the fan and the turbine to spin at different speeds. The turbine can spin very fast, which is good for its efficiency, while the fan can spin slower, which makes it quieter and more fuel-efficient. This uncoupling of the fan and turbine speeds allows each to operate at their optimal speeds, improving the overall performance of the engine.
So in simple terms, the main difference is the gearbox. This allows the GTF to be quieter, more fuel-efficient, and produce fewer emissions compared to a conventional high-bypass turbofan engine.
INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE NEWS ✈️
United pilots demand more pay
🔗 https://airlive.net/news/2023/05/14/united-airlines-pilots-picket-for-higher-pay/
Article Highlights
Pilots from United Airlines, one of the largest U.S. airlines, held picket lines at major airports advocating for higher pay.
These pilots have been in negotiation with airline management for a new contract, having worked without a pay raise for over four years.
Despite the protests, striking is unlikely due to federal laws which make it difficult for unions to conduct strikes in the airline industry.
The protests by United pilots follow strike-authorization votes from pilots at American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, indicating United pilots could potentially be the next to vote.
The goal for pilots at these three airlines (United, American, and Southwest) is to match or exceed the pay raise deal that Delta Air Lines reached with its pilots, which was a 34% increase over four years.
The highest pay at United for a captain is $369 an hour on two-aisle planes (known as "widebodies") and $297 an hour on "narrowbodies" such as Boeing 737s. On average, pilots fly around 75 hours per month.
Southwest pilots strike
🔗 https://simpleflying.com/southwest-airlines-pilots-union-authorize-strike/
Article Highlights
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) union has voted in favor of a strike authorization, with a 99% approval rate from nearly 10,000 members, due to slow negotiations with Southwest Airlines' management.
SWAPA's President Casey Murray criticized the "operational disaster" of Southwest Airlines, referring to repeated shutdowns due to extreme weather events and IT issues.
Southwest Airlines has responded to the vote by committing to improve its IT systems, with more than $1.3 billion allocated for investments, upgrades, and maintenance in 2023.
However, SWAPA finds these investments insufficient and criticizes Southwest for not addressing crucial issues in contract negotiations, such as scheduling and compensation.
SWAPA's strike authorization vote came after over three years of "direct negotiations", with little progress.
Spanish airline pilots propose summer strikes
🔗 https://simpleflying.com/spanish-airline-pilots-propose-summer-strikes/
Article Highlights
The Spanish Union of Airline Pilots (SEPLA) is considering a summer strike as part of their ongoing protest against a "minimum services" law applied by the Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agency.
This law requires pilots to service at least 90% of scheduled flights even during labor action protests against pay rates.
SEPLA will seek "precautionary measures" such as increasing strike days and extending strike activity to other labour groups, in an attempt to pressure airline management into negotiating a fair solution. This comes after the Spanish National Court found the Ministry 15 times in violation of the right to a full strike, particularly regarding pilots from Air Europa and Iberia Regional Air Nostrum who are seeking significant pay raises.
Airlines that could be dragged into the industrial dispute include Jet2, Norwegian, easyJet, Ryanair, Iberia, Vueling, Eurowings, Plus Ultra and Swift Air.
Cathay Pacific warns pilots about taxiing at slower speeds
🔗 https://simpleflying.com/cathay-pacific-warns-pilots-taxiing-slower-speeds/
Article Highlights
Cathay Pacific has conducted an internal investigation which revealed that its pilots have been taxiing at slower speeds than other airlines, causing runway congestion. The Hong Kong-based airline has communicated to its staff that disciplinary action may be taken against pilots for continued slow taxiing.
Taxiing at a slower speed than the average can have environmental implications, as it results in increased fuel burn, both for the taxiing aircraft and for approaching aircraft that may have to delay landing.
Cathay Pacific pilots might be taxiing slowly as a tactic to increase their total flight time and, consequently, their pay per flight. This is due to the significant salary cuts that the airline's staff, including pilots, faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the airline's operations recovering to 50% of pre-pandemic levels, staff salaries remain 30% lower than their pre-pandemic wages.
Turkish teases huge 600 aircraft order
🔗 https://simpleflying.com/turkish-airlines-huge-600-airplane-order/
Article Highlights
Turkish Airlines is planning a large 600 aircraft order, with the first part of the deal to be announced at the forthcoming IATA AGM in Istanbul. The airline's chairman, Professor Doctor Ahmed Bolat, revealed the plan at a recent event.
Bolat stated that Turkish Airlines aims to grow its fleet to 813 aircraft by 2033, maintaining an average growth of 7.6% over the next decade. The proposed order includes 200 widebody and 400 narrowbody aircraft.
The fleet expansion is part of Turkish Airlines' strategy to reach its target of carrying 170 million passengers within the next 10 years.
Both Boeing and Airbus are expected to be involved in the deals. The airline currently operates a mixed fleet, including both Boeing and Airbus aircraft, suggesting it may continue with a mixed fleet approach.
As part of its expansion, Turkish Airlines plans to launch flights to Melbourne or Sydney this year. However, the airline's current aircraft cannot make these flights nonstop. Bolat mentioned the possibility of using Airbus' A350-1000 for ultra-long-haul flights, like the Australia route, pending some range adjustments by Airbus.
A Cargolux Boeing 747F loses landing gear during an emergency landing
Article Highlights
A Cargolux Boeing 747-400F experienced significant damage when its right landing gear bogie detached during an emergency landing at Luxembourg Airport (LUX).
The issue arose when the aircraft, fully loaded with fuel for a long-haul flight to Chicago, was unable to retract its landing gear, necessitating a return to LUX and fuel dumping to reach a safe landing weight.
The landing gear detached during the landing roll, but the aircraft was able to come to a controlled stop without any injuries to personnel on board or on the ground.
The incident led to a temporary closure of the LUX runway, causing flight diversions until it reopened early on May 15, 2023.
YouTuber to plead guilty to a staged plane crash
Article Highlights
YouTuber and licensed pilot Trevor Daniel Jacob, 29, from California, faces up to 20 years in prison for purposely staging a plane crash in order to generate views on his YouTube channel.
In November 2021, Jacob flew his single-propeller plane with the intention of filming himself ejecting from the aircraft and parachuting to the ground. He had secured a sponsorship deal with a company and agreed to promote their wallet in the video.
After ejecting from the plane and filming his descent, Jacob informed the National Transportation Safety Board about the crash. Initially, he agreed to help locate the wreckage but later claimed he did not know where it was.
In December, Jacob and a friend used a helicopter to retrieve the wreckage, which Jacob later cut up and disposed of in an attempt to obstruct federal authorities from investigating the crash.
Jacob admitted to lying to federal investigators and the FAA about the cause of the crash, claiming the airplane’s engine had failed. His pilot license was revoked by the FAA in April 2022. His video of the staged crash has garnered 2.9 million views as of the time of writing.
AFRICAN AVIATION NEWS 🌍
SAA merger set for competition green light after Takatso shareholders agree on divestment
Article Highlights
The South African Competition Commission recommends that the Competition Tribunal approve the merger between Takatso Aviation and state-owned South African Airways (SAA), under which Takatso would acquire a 51% stake in SAA.
This decision follows an investigation by the commission, which concluded that the merger would substantially lessen competition in the domestic airline space due to the potential for sensitive information to be exchanged between SAA and Lift, which has connections with minority shareholders in Takatso.
To remedy this, Global Aviation and Syranix, which are involved in Lift and have a minority shareholding in Takatso, have agreed to divest from Takatso before the merger's implementation completely.
Despite the initial rejection of divestiture and employment conditions by the merging parties, they later agreed to them, leading to the commission's recommendation for conditional approval of the merger.
The merger, proposed in June 2021, would result in the South African government retaining a 49% shareholding in SAA through the Department of Public Enterprises.
The final decision on the merger is still pending and will be taken by the Competition Tribunal.
Have a power week ahead; no excuses, and get the job done.
Big Love
Bryan