The World Of Aviation

KLIA SHOPPERS CASH IN THEIR REWARDING WIN - malaysiakini

2009-03-21T01:53:00.004+08:00

KLIA names winners of the first installation of the three-part KLIA Shopping Campaign and launches phase 3 of the campaign

· Dato’ Koh Cheng Keong named lucky winner of the RM50,000.00 cash Grand Prize

· 36 weekly winners with RM5,000.00 cash each

· Third phase expected to be even more exciting with cash prizes worth RM330,000 up for grabs

SEPANG, MARCH 2008 – When Malaysia Airports Commercial Services Division called Dato’ Koh Cheng Keong to let him know that he was the winner of RM50,000.00 cash Grand Prize of the first phase of the KLIA Shopping Contest, Dato’ Koh Cheng Keong was not surprised at all because being a frequent traveller, he shops regularly at KLIA and remembered participating in the shopping campaign.

Dato’ Koh Cheng Keong was at KLIA on March 19, 2009, along with the other lucky shoppers to receive their rewards for shopping at the Gateway to the Nation. The other shoppers were the weekly winners of the 3-month contest and they took home RM5,000.00 each. The first phase of the KLIA Shopping Campaign took place on August 26 to November 16, 2008.

Having just concluded the second phase on March 3, 2009, the Shopping Campaign is now in its third and final phase which kicked off today and will end on June 11, 2009.

In this third phase, shoppers stand to win great prizes worth almost RM750,000 (USD 205,000) which include a Bumper Prize of RM30,000 (USD8,200) in cold, hard cash, three Easy Prize of RM5,000 (USD 1,400) cash each, 12 lots of RM10,000 (USD 2,800) cash for Weekly Prize and a brand new, luxury car worth RM420,000.

“We want to ensure that it is rewarding for passengers who shop at KLIA, from the variety available to the value they get when they purchase something at our airports. On the same theme, the prizes offered for the KLIA Shopping contests are made very attractive; they comprise cash prizes, holiday packages and an award winning Lexus GS300,” said Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Aris Othman, Chairman of Malaysia Airports.

“As KLIA evolves to become more than just an airport, the excitement is palpable with the activities that we have organised. The past 3 months, we have had Santa Claus making an appearance to deliver gifts of joy during Christmas, Lion and Dragon dances for Chinese New Year with ang pow giveways and Cupids shooting arrows of gifts vouchers during Valentine’s. The atmosphere is not unlike a vibrant shopping centre!” he added.

“Continuing our efforts initiated last year, we hope that through the KLIA Shopping Campaign we will be able to create more awareness of the retail and dining offerings available at KLIA and LCCT-KLIA, strengthen the “KLIA Shopping Real Value, Real Style” brand presence among our visitors. We also want to increase the involvement of our surrounding community of Sepang, hence we are ‘opening’ and repositioning KLIA as more than just another airport, but as a lifestyle destination where the community can come and enjoy performances or spend quality family time without the hustle and bustle of busy KL,” he said.

With 27 million passengers passing through its gates in 2008, KLIA Shopping targets to capture the shopping money of just a slice of these passengers. The first phase of the shopping campaign received 26,257 entries.

To qualify for the initial tier of the contest, shoppers only need to spend a mere value of RM150.00 (USD47) at any retail or F&B outlets at KLIA and LCCT-KLIA. The second tier, the Weekly Prize requires shoppers to spend between RM250.00 (USD78) to RM499.99 (USD155). The final tier, which is the Bumper Prize, is open to all shoppers who spends RM500.00 and above.

Making the contest more exciting this time round, participants who qualify for any tier of the contest with a single receipt stand to DOUBLE the prize money. However shoppers, as with the previous two contests, are still allowed to accumulate a maximum of 3 receipts within 24 hours of the first purchase, for each entry. Shoppers who swiped their MasterCard when making the purchases and enter the contest using those MasterCard receipts will be awarded an extra entry for every qualified, correct entry.

The KLIA Shopping Campaign is open to shoppers of any retail and F&B outlets at KLIA and LCCT-KLIA who spend RM150.00 and above in a single receipt or up to a maximum of 3 accumulated receipts within the same day. Shoppers who spend a minimum of RM 250.00 are rewarded with an instant gift.

All participants from the first, second and this third phase of the KLIA Shopping Campaign are eligible to vie for the Ultimate Grand Prize of a RM420,000.00 Lexus GS300.

The award winning, luxury car is sponsored by UMW Toyota and together with them as official sponsors, MasterCard Worldwide too is offering additional rewards for MasterCard holders who spend in KLIA and LCCT-KLIA.

In total, the entire KLIA Shopping Campaign offers up RM 2.7 million worth of prizes and rewards to shoppers of KLIA and LCCT-KLIA. Among the Grand Prizes are RM 560,000.00 cash, RM 260,000.00 worth travel packages, and a host of other lucrative prizes.

For more information on the latest happenings at KLIA and more importantly how to win the lucrative prizes of the KLIA Shopping Campaign, log on to shopping.klia.com.my or visit the campaign redemption booths at KLIA and LCCT-KLIA.

About Malaysia Airports

Malaysia Airports operates and manages 39 airports in Malaysia: 5 international, 16 domestic and 18 Short Take-Off and Landing Ports (STOL Ports). It also has operations in Kazakhstan, India and Turkey. On November 30 1999, Malaysia Airports became the first airport company to be listed in Asia. KL International Airport (KLIA), its flagship airport was thrice voted as the World's Best Airport (15-25 million passengers per annum) in the 2005 AETRA awards, 2006 ACI-ASQ awards and 2007 ACI-ASQ awards while the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT-KLIA) was named CAPA Low Cost Airport of the Year at the CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence 2006. KLIA was also voted 2^nd Best Airport Worldwide and in the Asia Pacific categories for 2007 ACI-ASQ awards. Malaysia Airports has also been entrusted to host the 2008 World Route Development Forum (ROUTES), the first airport operator in Asia to be given the honour of hosting the world-class airport-airlines event.

# # #

Corporate Communication Division, Malaysia Airports

For further information, kindly contact:-

Faisally Ahmad Rusdy at 03–78407184 / 012–6846575 / email: faisally@malaysiaairports.com.my or Noor Hafiza Ruslan at 03-78407174 / 012-2114773 / email: hafiza@malaysiaairports.com.my

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KLIA Shopping awarding lucky shoppers with RM230,000 cash and launching of the KLIA Shopping Penultimate Phase - malaysiakini

2009-03-20T01:49:00.002+08:00

This is a gentle reminder for the KLIA Shopping Campaign event tomorrow where KLIA Shopping will be awarding lucky shoppers with RM230,000 in cash and launching the Penultimate Phase of the KLIA Shopping Campaign.

Below are details of the event:

Date: 19 March 2009 (Thursday)

Time: 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm

Venue: Level 5, KLIA, Sepang, Malaysia.

We look forward to seeing you at the event tomorrow.

Thank you.

Regards,

Sabrina Gregory

JIREH CONSULT

Tel.: +603-7710 8122

Fax: +603-7710 9122

JIREH BrandInk | PR, EVENTS & ADVERTISING | ABSOLUTE CLARITY

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Electric Aircraft Symposium Aims To Get Electric Planes Off the Ground - malaysiakini

2009-03-13T03:23:00.001+08:00

With all the fuss about the environmental impact of fuel-guzzling cars and trucks, it's easy to forget that modern light aircraft often still use leaded gasoline, and to top it off, they pump out CO2 as they buzz through the skies.

Electric propulsion seems ideally suited to aircraft, that can fly above clouds in the search for solar power, and where the lighter engineering offered by a compact motor and lack of fuel tank promises for a more efficient aircraft than is possible with a conventional gasoline engine. Even Boeing is taking the topic very seriously, and last year demonstrated the first flight in a hydrogen fuel cell-powered light aircraft. As well, Pipistrel has an electric self-launching motor-glider in production, the Taurus Electro, that is reportedly the first of its kind to market.

But why aren't there more hybrid or all-electric aircraft buzzing through the skies? You'd think the advantage of quieter flying and the climbing cost of aviation fuel would be tempting enough, (never mind the eco-benefits) in our increasingly noise-polluted and expensive world, to get both aircraft makers and carriers on board.

That's the sort of topic that will be raised at the upcoming Electric Aircraft Symposium due to kick off at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos starting April 24. It's an annual meeting run by the same group--The Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency Foundation--responsible for running NASA's Personal Air Vehicle/General Aviation Centennial Challenges, which are both schemes designed to promote development of aircraft.

And this year the CAFE Electric Aircraft meeting is going to concentrate on a million-dollar competition, in the same vein as the X-Prizes, that's intended to spur fuel-efficient aircraft engine design. In the competition, hybrid crafts will have to manage over 100 miles per gallon at over 100 mph. There will also be sessions on climate change, renewable energy in aircraft design, nanotube battery technology, and advanced electric motor design.

Electric air vehicles are clearly a hot topic this year, as the IEEE at its 35th Industrial Electronics Society meeting in Porto is also running a special session on "More Electrical Aircraft" in November.

For the time being electric-powered aircraft aren't likely to displace our fast, efficient but fuel-guzzling jets...but through the work of CAFE and the IEEE it looks like "personal transport" aircraft may make the switch to eco-friendly power sometime soon.

MAS Engineering hopes to maintain Qantas aircraft - malaysiakini

2009-03-13T03:11:00.002+08:00

Malaysia Airlines Engineering and Maintenance (MAS EM) is hoping Qantas Airways will send some of its aircraft to Malaysia for heavy maintenance checks.

MAS EM senior general manager Roslan Ismail said in an interview that he is hoping Qantas may have heavy maintenance checks on Airbus A380s as well as Airbus A330s and some of its Boeing 747s done in Malaysia rather than Australia.

He also says MAS EM and Qantas are proceeding with plans to establish a joint venture that will utilise MAS EM's heavy maintenance facilities in Kuala Lumpur.

He says the two sides were originally planning to start the venture in this year's third quarter but now it will start in next year's first or second quarter.

"They [Qantas' maintenance and engineering bosses] said give them a few months to sort things out," he says.

"They have a new CEO at Qantas and they have this union problem."

Qantas executive general manager government and corporate affairs David Epstein says, however, that there are no immediate plans to send aircraft to Malaysia for maintenance work.

He says it is too early to make decisions on A380 work and there are no plans to send 747s to Malaysia as this work is carried out in Australia.

He also says Qantas has been in talks with its engineering workforce about having A330 work carried out at Qantas' maintenance base in Brisbane.

In addition, Epstein says no discussions are currently taking place on the proposed MRO joint venture with MAS, adding that it will not be possible to have it operating early next year as Roslan hopes.

Qantas appointed Alan Joyce as new CEO late last year and the unions in Australia are opposed to efforts to outsource work overseas.

But MAS EM has made inroads with Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), the regulatory body that needs to be won over if Qantas is to be permitted to outsource work to Malaysia.

CASA has already granted MAS EM regulatory approval to work on Australian-registered A330s, Boeing 737s and 747s.

MAS EM is well placed to get A380 work because Roslan says Qantas has no A380 hangar, although Epstein says Qantas has a 747 hangar at Sydney Airport that has been altered to accommodate A380s.

Roslan says MAS EM has a purpose-built aircraft hangar at Kuala Lumpur International Airport that can fit two A380s and one other widebody simultaneously.

Malaysia Airlines has ordered six A380s with the first to be delivered in January 2011. But MAS EM needs to have 20-25 A380s to work on to justify the investment in equipment to carry out A380 maintenance, says Roslan, adding that it is hoping Qantas can provide the necessary aircraft.

The Australian carrier has already come to loggerheads in the past with unions over efforts to get work done in Malaysia.

A few years ago Qantas was looking to get MAS EM to convert some of its 737-300s to freighters. But following union pressure, Qantas ended up doing the work in Australia at its facility in Avalon near Melbourne.

Melaka Airport Runway Extension To Complete By September - malaysiakini

2009-03-11T01:13:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 -- Work to extend the runway of the Melaka International Airport in Batu Berendam is expected to be completed in another six months.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said a loan of RM65 million meant for the extension of the runway was approved by the federal government early last month.

"The runway will be extended by 400 metres from the current 1,800 metres. Upon completion, the Melaka International Airport will be able to cater for bigger aircraft like Boeing and Airbus, " he told reporters after witnessing the signing of a term loan agreement worth RM50 million between Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad and Casa Del Rio Sdn Bhd to build a hotel, a boutique and an apartment in Melaka, here today.

He also said the state government believed it could achieve its target of 7.4 million tourist arrivals in the first six months this year.

Maxis Partners MAS, Aeromobile On Mobile Communications - malaysiakini

2009-03-06T16:05:00.002+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 -- Maxis Communications Bhd has teamed up with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AeroMobile to enable its post-paid customers to use mobile phones and BlackBerry-type devices while flying on MAS aircraft equipped with the AeroMobile system.

Maxis post-paid subscribers will be able to use their mobile communications services available include voice calls, SMS, email and GPRS services, the three parties said in a joint statement Thursday.

"The ultimate aim of this partnership is for Maxis, MAS and AeroMobile -- all leaders in their respective industries -- to leverage on each other's strengths to bring more value to our customers," said Maxis chief marketing officer Matthew Willsher.

Willsher said post-paid customers will also be able to make and receive voice calls at RM15 per minute, send or receive data at RM100 per MB and SMSes sent are charged at RM3 per SMS, while receiving SMSes is free of charge.

As an introductory promotion, Maxis is offering SMS at RM2 per SMS from now until April 15, he said.

MAS commercial director Datuk Rashid Khan said the airline will continuously invest in technology while looking at innovative ways to enhance its products and services to meet the global demands and expectations of customers.

"This is one of the in-flight service comforts that we are introducing on a trial basis for our customers as a Five-Star Value Carrier and we expect these new capabilities to further enhance the high-quality customer service that our passengers have come to expect from MAS," he said.

AeroMobile chief executive Bjorn-Taale Sandberg said: "Clear passenger demand exists in Asia for in-flight mobile services, we are proud to be associated with MAS, Asia's first airline to offer in-flight mobile services."

AirAsia To Offer 200 Free Seats To London - malaysiakini

2009-03-06T03:24:00.002+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 -- Low-cost carrier, AirAsia, will be giving away 200 free seats to London from today onwards in conjunction with its global countdown campaign to commemorate its inaugural flight to London scheduled for March 11, 2009.

Its low-cost long-haul carrier, AirAsia X, would operate the sector.

In a statement here today, AirAsia said it would organise roadshow games and the participants needed to answer simple questions on the company to get a chance to win the tickets.

It said two return seats would be offered at every roadshow at strategic locations in the Klang Valley from today until March 11.

The roadshow will kick off at Jalan Raja Chulan in Kuala Lumpur, it said.

AirAsia said similiar roadshows would be held in Singapore, Bangkok and Jakarta from March 10 and the finale would be the ground events in London from March 11-13.

MAS To Introduce Satay In Economy Class - MALAYSIAKINI

2009-03-03T16:00:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 -- Beginning this month, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) passengers travelling on Economy Class to domestic and selected Asean countries will be able to enjoy satay, typically served only in Business and First Class cabins.

Packaged in a meal box, passengers will enjoy a choice of beef or chicken satay skewers and peanut sauce, served with kampong fried rice and accompanied by creme brulee and premium chocolate.

"Malaysia Airlines is proud to be able to bring a taste of Malaysia to the world through our signature satay dish, which has been recognised to be world-class," said its Inflight Services General Manager Hayati Ali in a statement here Monday.

She said satay, the national carrier's award winning signature dish, will be served on domestic flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching, Miri and Kota Kinabalu and also on selected Asean flights out of Kuala Lumpur throughout this month.

In addition, Hayati said, passengers also will be thrilled to know that sweet treats such as premium chocolate or ice cream will also be handed out as giveaways during the school holidays from March 14 to 22.

"We are continuously innovating all aspects of our services and products in our transformation journey to be a Five-Star Value Carrier in line with our commitment to delivering the highest quality at affordable prices," she said.

Mach Number, Mach Tuck, Speed of Sound And Transonic.

2009-02-28T18:09:00.003+08:00

Mach number

In the flow of a fluid, the ratio of the flow velocity, V, at a given point in the flow to the local speed of sound, a, at that same point. That is, the Mach number, M, is defined as V/a. In a flowfield where the properties vary in time and/or space, the local value of M will also vary in time and/or space. In aeronautics, Mach number is frequently used to denote the ratio of the airspeed of an aircraft to the speed of sound in the freestream far ahead of the aircraft; this is called the freestream Mach number. The Mach number is a convenient index used to define the following flow regimes: (1) subsonic, where M is less than 1 everywhere throughout the flow; (2) supersonic, where M is greater than 1 everywhere throughout the flow; (3) transonic, where the flow is composed of mixed regions of locally subsonic and supersonic flows, all with local Mach numbers near 1, typically between 0.8 and 1.2; and (4) hypersonic, where (by arbitrary definition) M is 5 or greater.

Perhaps the most important physical aspect of Mach number is in the completely different ways that disturbances propagate in subsonic flow compared to that in a supersonic flow. Shock waves are a ubiquitous aspect of supersonic flows. See also Compressible flow; Shock wave; Sonic boom; Supersonic flight.

Mach Tuck

Mach Tuck is an aerodynamic effect, whereby the nose of an aircraft tends to pitch downwards as the airflow around the wing reaches supersonic speeds. Note that the aircraft is subsonic, and traveling significantly below Mach 1.0, when it experiences this effect.

Shock wave on upper surface of wing moves rearwards as aircraft mach increases

Initially as airspeed is increased past the critical Mach number, the wing develops an increasing amount of lift, requiring a nose-down force or trim to maintain level flight. With increased speed, and the aft movement of the shock wave, the wing’s center of pressure also moves aft causing the start of a nose-down tendency or “tuck.” If allowed to progress unchecked, in an aircraft not designed for supersonic flight, Mach tuck may occur. Although Mach tuck develops gradually, if it is allowed to progress significantly, the center of pressure can move so far rearward that there is no longer enough elevator authority available to counteract it, and the airplane could enter a steep, sometimes unrecoverable dive. In addition as the shockwave goes towards the rear, it can impinge upon the elevator control surfaces and this can greatly exacerbate the nose down tendency. Partly for this reason, supersonic and subsonic aircraft often have an all-moving tailplane (a stabilator) which lacks separate elevator control surfaces.

Historically, recovery from a mach tuck has not always been possible. In some cases as the aircraft descends the air density increases and the extra drag will slow the aircraft and control will return.

For aircraft such as supersonic bombers or supersonic transports such as Concorde that spend long periods in supersonic, Mach tuck is often compensated for by moving fuel between tanks in the fuselage to change the position of the centre of mass. This minimises the amount of trim required and significantly reduces aerodynamic drag.

Speed Of Sound

The speed at which sound travels in a given medium under specified conditions. The speed of sound at sea level in the International Standard Atmosphere is 1, 108 feet per second (or 658 knots, or 1, 215 kilometers per hour).
Sound is a vibration that travels through an elastic medium as a wave. The speed of sound describes how much distance such a wave travels in a certain amount of time. In dry air at 20 °C (68 °F), the speed of sound is 343 m/s. This also equates to 1235 km/h, 767 mph, 1125 ft/s, or about one mile in five seconds. Although it is commonly used to refer specifically to air, the speed of sound can be measured in virtually any substance. Sound travels faster in liquids and non-porous solids than it does in air.

Transonic

F/A-18 flying at transonic speed

Transonic is an aeronautics term referring to a range of velocities just below and above the speed of sound (about mach 0.8–1.2). It is defined as the range of speeds between the critical mach number, when some parts of the airflow over an aircraft become supersonic, and a higher speed, typically near Mach 1.2, when all of the airflow is supersonic. Between these speeds some of the airflow is supersonic, and some is not.

Most modern jet powered aircraft spend a considerable amount of time in the transonic state. This is particularly important due to an effect known as wave drag, which is prevalent in these speed ranges. Attempts to combat wave drag can be seen on all high-speed aircraft; most notable is the use of swept wings, but another common form is a wasp-waist fuselage as a side effect of the Whitcomb area rule.

Severe instability can occur at transonic speeds. Shock waves move through the air at the speed of sound. When an object such as an aircraft also moves at the speed of sound, these shock waves build up in front of it to form a single, very large shock wave. During transonic flight, the plane must pass through this large shock wave, as well as contending with the instability caused by air moving faster than sound over parts of the wing and slower in other parts. The difference in speed is due to Bernoulli's principle.

Transonic speeds can also occur at the tips of rotor blades of helicopters and aircraft. However, as this puts severe, unequal stresses on the rotor blade, it is avoided and may lead to dangerous accidents if it occurs. It is one of the limiting factors to the size of rotors, and also to the forward speeds of helicopters (as this speed is added to the forward-sweeping (leading) side of the rotor, thus possibly causing localized transonics).

The Tuck Under Roll Turn

2009-02-28T17:50:00.004+08:00

The tuck under roll turn is a fancy turn jet pilots sometimes perform during exhibitions. They love to use this maneuver after a low pass in front of the crowd.

Fly straight and level past your imaginary reviewing area. (1)
Pull the nose up slightly and apply hard left stick to start an aileron roll. (2)
When you have completed three-quarters of the roll (on your side with the cockpit facing to the right), stop the roll and pull back hard on the stick to perform a maximum rate turn to the right. (3)

Figure. The Tuck Under Roll Turn

Fly MAS Using MasterCard And Win Business Class Tickets To London, Melbourne And Shanghai - malaysiakini

2009-02-18T15:15:00.000+08:00

SUBANG, From now until February 19, MasterCard cardholders who fly Malaysia Airlines (MAS) stand a chance to win business class tickets to London, Melbourne or Shanghai.

According to MAS Commercial Director Datuk Abdul Rashid Khan, MasterCard International Worldwide cardholders who purchase any products from the on-going Malaysia Airlines Travel Fair (MATF ’09) will automatically be in the running to win business class tickets to the three destinations.

Three winners will be chosen from among cardholders who charge their purchases to their MasterCard. Each winner will receive two MAS Business Class air tickets for travel commencing in Kuala Lumpur.

The prizes will be awarded based on the highest amount spent, with the first prize winner getting a pair of Return Business Class air tickets to London. Subsequently, the second prize comprises Return Business Class tickets to Melbourne while the third prize winner gets a trip for two to Shanghai.

"MasterCard International Worldwide has been a firm supporter of the Malaysia Airlines Travel Fair and they return as ‘Official Card’ for the sixth consecutive year," Abdul Rashid said in a statement here, Monday.

"This year's fair offers customers the choice of 55 destinations and the chance to travel just seven days after securing their booking. So check out the fares, use MasterCard to facilitate the payment and who knows, you could be a winner," he said.

Over one million seats have been up for grabs at discounts of up to 70 percent off the prevailing market fares since February 10.

In conjunction with the travel fair, MASholidays is offering a promotion whereby those who purchase MASholidays packages worth RM1,500 or more in Peninsular Malaysia will be eligible to win a Caltex StarCard worth up to RM400 and a cash rebate of up to RM1,000 towards the purchase of a 42" Samsung LCD TV.

"These are just some of the many ways that Malaysia Airlines aims to reward its customers. The MATF will be running for only a few more days. I hope members of the public will take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy the lowest fares and best deals that we have on offer," Abdul Rashid said.

Customers can visit the offices of over 600 participating travel agents in Malaysia and over 1,500 agents from Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Malaysia Airlines will also offer these attractive deals through its website http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/ and ticketing offices in Malaysia and in selected ASEAN countries.

MAS Reduces International Fuel Surcharge - malaysiakini

2009-01-29T14:32:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, -- Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has removed the fuel surcharge for its Singapore and Brunei flights effective Jan 30.

In addition, by Feb 1, the fuel surcharge on flights from China would be reduced by up to US$100.Flights from Australia and New Zealand will see a reduction of up to US$210 while those from the Middle East will have a drop of up to US$150, MAS said in a statement today.

Africa and North American flights will also see a reduction of up to US$160 and US$185 respectively, it announced.

The national carrier has slashed fuel surcharges on international flights by as much as 73 percent after taking into account the decline in fuel prices, competitive pressures and the need to boost air travel during this period of economic slowdown.

Its commercial director Datuk Rashid Khan said MAS had always offered competitive fares benchmarked on a route by route basis.

"Our stand is that the total amount the customer pays must be competitive, whether it's the fares alone or fares in combination with the fuel surcharge. What's important is the total sum of the parts," he said.

Oil prices have fallen by almost three-quarters since hitting a record high of US$147 in July 2008, MAS highlighted.

Despite this, MAS' fuel cost was still higher compared to when the surcharge was first introduced in 2004, it said.

"Fuel remains our biggest cost and our bill for FY2008 will be higher than FY2007 as the fuel surcharge only covers about 30% of the fuel cost," said Rashid.

MAS reduced the fuel surcharge for domestic travel within Malaysia on Jan 14 It had earlier reduced the fuel surcharge for travel from Malaysia to Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Paris, Germany and from other points of sales for various destinations.

India's Kingfisher Airlines To Fly To KL - malaysiakini

2009-01-19T19:15:00.002+08:00

NEW DELHI, -- Kingfisher Airlines, India's second largest private airlines, will soon start daily flights from Chennai to Kuala Lumpur.

India's Civil Aviation Ministry is said to have granted permission for the airline to fly the Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Singapore sector.

The Economic Times reported today that the Kingfisher, owned by the United Breweries Group, controlled by Indian industrialist, Vijay Mallya, would fly the new routes.

"We have granted permission to Kingfisher to operate daily services on three more international sectors, including Chennai-Kuala Lumpur, with immediate effect," a ministry official was quoted as saying.

The paper however did not name the official.

"The Aviation Ministry has asked the airlines to conduct proper study of air tr+affic on new routes before announcing the launch.

"In case the airline launches its services on new routes without a market survey, it may be forced to withdraw flights later. This must be avoided," said the official.

After Jet Airways, Kingfisher is one of the most preferred airlines in the domestic circuit. As of last year its share of Indian aviation market stood at 27 percent.

According to recent ministry data, the Bangalore-based airline, along with its budget carrier, Kingfisher Red, flew 11.26 million passengers last year, only next to Jet Airways that carried 12.01 million passengers.

MAS Offers 250,000 Seats In Weekend Sale - malaysiakini

2009-01-19T19:11:00.002+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, -- Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is offering the lowest prices this weekend for its domestic one-way destinations within West and East Malaysia with fares starting from RM39 nett.

Customers will continue enjoying premium services including refreshments, convenient schedules, on-time departures, a 20kg baggage allowance, allocated seats and other benefits, said its senior general manager, network revenue and management, Dr Amin Khan.

"We are offering our best deals with up to 250,000 seats on sale. These promotional fares are only possible as we have removed the domestic fuel surcharge from Jan 14," he said in a statement on Thursday.

Customers will also pay an all-time low fare starting from RM69 nett for flights from and to Kuala Lumpur to all destinations in Sabah and Sarawak. The special fare is also available for travel from Johor Baharu to Kuching.

Seats are on sale on Jan 17-18 on Malaysia Airlines' website, www.malaysiaairlines.com . The travel period is from Feb 5 to Aug 31 this year.

Meanwhile, the tickets for the "Weekend Specials" must be purchased online at least 30 day before departure.

Beechcraft Aircraft History

2009-01-17T23:50:00.000+08:00

Founded in 1932 by Walter H. Beech, the Beechcraft company has been producing aircraft ranging from single engine piston airplanes to corporate and private jets. The company is based out of Wichita, Kansas. The first Beechcraft aircraft to take to the skies was an airplane called the Beech Staggerwing model 17 back in November of 1932.

For many years Beechcraft remained a family owned business run by Walter Beech and his wife Olive Ann Mellor Beech. In 1950, Walter Beech suffered from a heart attack and Olive Beech took the role of being the president and CEO of the company.

Olive Beech remained president and CEO up until February 8th, 1980 when during that time the company was purchased by the Raytheon Company. In 1994 Raytheon merged Beechcraft with their Hawker division. Just eight years later in 2002, the branding of Beechcraft was brought back to begin production back of their Kansas division.

In 2007 Raytheon sold Raytheon Aircraft to Hawker Beechcraft and they continue to product aircraft out of Wichita, Kansas which is an area shared with their leading competitor, the Cessna Aircraft Company.

Jet Engine Theory

2009-01-15T23:38:00.000+08:00

Centuries ago in 100 A.D., Hero, a Greek philosopher and mathematician, demonstrated jet power in a machine called an "aeolipile." A heated, water filled steel ball with nozzles spun as steam escaped.

Over the course of the past half a century, jet-powered flight has vastly changed the way we all live. However, the basic principle of jet propulsion is neither new nor complicated.

Centuries ago in 100 A.D., Hero, a Greek philosopher and mathematician, demonstrated jet power in a machine called an "aeolipile." A heated, water filled steel ball with nozzles spun as steam escaped. Why? The principle behind this phenomenon was not fully understood until 1690 A.D. when Sir Isaac Newton in England formulated the principle of Hero's jet propulsion "aeolipile" in scientific terms. His Third Law of Motion stated: "Every action produces a reaction ... equal in force and opposite in direction."

The jet engine of today operates according to this same basic principle. Jet engines contain three common components: the compressor, the combustor, and the turbine. To this basic engine, other components may be added, including:

A nozzle to recover and direct the gas energy and possibly divert the thrust for vertical takeoff and landing as well as changing direction of aircraft flight.
An afterburneror augmentor, a long "tailpipe" behind the turbine into which additional fuel is sprayed and burned to provide additional thrust.
A thrust reverser, which blocks the gas rushing toward the rear of the engine, thus forcing the gases forward to provide additional braking of aircraft.
A fan in front of the compressor to increase thrust and reduce fuel consumption.
An additional turbine that can be utilized to drive a propeller or helicopter rotor.

The Ramjet / Scramjet Engine

2009-01-14T23:34:00.001+08:00

A ramjet has no moving parts and achieves compression of intake air by the forward speed of the air vehicle. Air entering the intake of a supersonic aircraft is slowed by aerodynamic diffusion created by the inlet and diffuser to velocities comparable to those in a turbojet augmentor. The expansion of hot gases after fuel injection and combustion accelerates the exhaust air to a velocity higher than that at the inlet and creates positive push.

Scramjet is an acronym for Supersonic Combustion Ramjet. The scramjet differs from the ramjet in that combustion takes place at supersonic air velocities through the engine. It is mechanically simple, but vastly more complex aerodynamically than a jet engine. Hydrogen is normally the fuel used.

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KLIA CELEBRATES CHINESE NEW YEAR WITH PERFORMANCE BY 3 TIMES WORLD CHAMPION LION DANCE - MALAYSIAKINI

2009-01-14T21:10:00.001+08:00

KLIA CELEBRATES CHINESE NEW YEAR WITH PERFORMANCE BY 3 TIMES WORLD CHAMPION LION DANCE

Other highlights include top Dragon Dance Troupe, God of Prosperity and Acrobatic Performances

SEPANG, January 14, 2009 – Chinese New Year at the KL International Airport (KLIA), this time around is assured to be a celebration that will leave many passengers and visitors in awe with a special performance by the three times world champion Khuan Loke Lion Dance troupe.

Joining the Lion Dance for a special performance on 29 January 2009, is the 2007 Winner of the Top 10 Malaysia Dragon Dance team. Together, they have promised a spectacular performance befitting the airport’s international image.

This sensory feast of sights and sounds of lion and dragon dance is heightened with acrobatic performances and appearance of the KLIA Shopping God of Prosperity. KLIA has geared up for the lunar new year with decorations of red lanterns, filling the entire airport with festive propitious colour.

In the run up to the first day of the Year of the Earth Ox, the rhythmic beats of the drums and clanging of cymbals that accompany the traditional Lion Dance will be heard throughout the airport at 6pm – 8pm on 20, 22 and 24 January 2009.

The Khuan Loke Lion Dance troupe will be showcasing two Northern lions, which feature distinctive shaggy coat of hair. A significant element of Chinese culture, these two lions will symbolically usher in all good things - health, happiness, longevity and prosperity. The Lion and Dragon Dance will be conducting a walkthrough in the airport on the days of their performance.

Amplifying this mood of celebration at KLIA are agile acrobats who will be displaying precision in special performances alongside the Dragon Dance on the peak performance day.

Meanwhile the God of Prosperity is expected to make special visits to KLIA and LCCT-KLIA to hand out “fortune” during the appearance days. The KLIA God of Prosperity will be roaming the airport for 4 hours at 6pm – 10pm from 23 – 25 January and 29 - 31 January 2009 to surprise travellers and visitors at random with exclusive KLIA Shopping ang pow packets filled with shopping vouchers, oranges and fortune cookies on behalf of KLIA Shopping. The shopping vouchers can be instantly redeemed at any of the retail outlets in KLIA or LCCT-KLIA, giving further instant reward and adding more value to shopping at the Gateway to the Nation.

There will also be a team of strollers at hand to entertain passengers and visitors with popular Chinese New Year wishes and messages as they shop throughout the period of 19 January to 2 February 2009.

All in all, KLIA is a hive of activities this festive season as it continuously drums up the shopping atmosphere following the launch of the second phase of its Shopping Campaign in early December.

But, it is not just audio and visual sensory that await passengers and visitors of KLIA this season. This Chinese New Year, the atmosphere of prosperity and good luck can certainly be experienced in the ongoing KLIA Shopping’s “The Magic Continues…” Campaign. The second phase of the three-part-contest-within-an-Ultimate contest will reward a lucky shopper with a Bumper Prize of RM 40,000 worth of travel package to any destination of their choice.

Shoppers can also vie for other prizes through “The KLIA Magic Continues…” Campaign including an exclusive travel package worth RM 10,000 and a trip to anywhere in the world worth RM 15,000. Divided into three different tiers of qualification and prizes, “The Magic Continues…” is open to shoppers who spend as little as RM150 at KLIA and LCCT-KLIA.

At the end of the entire shopping campaign, one lucky shopper will truly be struck by the luck of the Ox when he/she is rewarded for shopping at KLIA or LCCT-KLIA with the Ultimate Grand Prize of a brand new, luxury car - the RM 420,000 Lexus GS300.

Official sponsors of the KLIA shopping campaign are Lexus and MasterCard. Every shopper who used their MasterCard for purchases automatically doubles their chances to win the many lucrative prizes offered throughout the shopping campaign.

A total of RM 2.7 million worth of prizes await shoppers in this KLIA Shopping Campaign. The prizes include Grand Prizes of RM 520,000 cash, RM 280,000 worth of travel packages and a host of other monthly and weekly prizes. Shoppers are also rewarded with instant gifts during the campaign.

For more information, visit our redemption booths at KLIA and LCCT-KLIA or log on to shopping.klia.com.my.

Come on down to KLIA this Chinese New Year and be enthralled with the activities in store.

WHEN

WHAT

WHERE

19 January to 2 February 2009

[6pm – 10pm]

Chinese New Year Strollers

· Main Terminal Building

· Satellite Building

· Contact Pier

20 January 2009 [6pm to 8pm]

22 January 2009 [6pm to 8pm]

24 January 2009 [6pm to 8pm]

Lion Dance

· Main Terminal Building

· Satellite Building

· Contact Pier

29 January 2009 [6pm to 8pm]

Dragon Dance

· Main Terminal Building [Main Stage Area]

23 – 25 January 2009

[6pm – 10pm]

29 – 31 January 2009

[6pm – 10pm]

God of Prosperity Appearance

· Main Terminal Building

· Satellite Building

· Contact Pier

· LCCT-KLIA

29 January 2009 [6pm to 8pm]

31 January 2009 [6pm to 8pm]

Acrobatic Performance

· Main Terminal Building [Main Stage Area]

About Malaysia Airports

Malaysia Airports operates and manages 39 airports in Malaysia: 5 international, 16 domestic and 18 Short Take-Off and Landing Ports (STOL Ports). It also has operations in Kazakhstan, India and Turkey. On November 30 1999, Malaysia Airports became the first airport company to be listed in Asia. KL International Airport (KLIA), its flagship airport was thrice voted as the World's Best Airport (15-25 million passengers per annum) in the 2005 AETRA awards, 2006 ACI-ASQ awards and 2007 ACI-ASQ awards while the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT-KLIA) was named CAPA Low Cost Airport of the Year at the CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence 2006. KLIA was also voted 2nd Best Airport Worldwide and in the Asia Pacific categories for 2007 ACI-ASQ awards. Malaysia Airports has also been entrusted to host the 2008 World Route Development Forum (ROUTES), the first airport operator in Asia to be given the honour of hosting the world-class airport-airlines event.

# # #

Corporate Communication Division, Malaysia Airports

For further information, kindly contact:-

Faisally Ahmad Rusdy at 03 78407184 / 012-6846575 or email:faisally@malaysiaairports.com.my

What Does The Interior of a $17 Million Dollar Gulfstream IV Look Like?

2009-01-13T23:44:00.002+08:00

You might be wondering what an expensive Gulfstream IV looks like on the inside. Here is a 1990 Gulfstream IV that is actually listed for sale in an aircraft classifieds ads web site. This airplane is absolutely beautiful. When you think of a vehicle being almost 20 years old, you don’t really consider that to be too valuable. With airplanes, it seems to be different. This particular Gulfstream IV is selling for just under $17 Million dollars. I absolutely enjoy checking out the luxury aircraft interiors of expensive airplanes.

They say that pictures tell a thousand words, check out this photo of the beautiful interior of this 1990 Gulfstream IV.

So what makes this Gulfstream so special? Perhaps, it is the 13 passenger configuration that is equipped with some very modern and luxorious items such as two lavatories, single bed and gallery, microwave oven, beige leather seating, satin nickel metal, beige print fabric, maple wood with high gloss finish and tan wool carpeting. Sounds all nice doesn’t it?

Airplane Parts Definition And Function ( Part 9 ) - Flats And Slats

2009-01-13T23:19:00.003+08:00

The amount of lift generated by a wing depends on the shape of the airfoil, the wing area, and the aircraft velocity.

During takeoff and landing the airplane's velocity is relatively low. To keep the lift high (to avoid objects on the ground!), airplane designers try to increase the wing area and change the airfoil shape by putting some moving parts on the wings' leading and trailing edges. The part on the leading edge is called a slat, while the part on the trailing edge is called a flap. The flaps and slats move along metal tracks built into the wings. Moving the flaps aft (toward the tail) and the slats forward increases the wing area. Pivoting the leading edge of the slat and the trailing edge of the flap downward increases the effective camber of the airfoil, which increases the lift. In addition, the large aft-projected area of the flap increases the drag of the aircraft. This helps the airplane slow down for landing.

The next time you fly in an airliner, watch the wings during takeoff and landing. On takeoff, we want high lift and low drag, so the flaps will be set downward at a moderate setting. During landing we want high lift and high drag, so the flaps and slats will be fully deployed. When the wheels touch down, we want to decrease the lift (to keep the plane on the ground!), so you will often see spoilers deployed on the top of the wing to kill the lift. Spoilers create additional drag to slow down the plane.

Several Flights Delayed Due To Fire At LCCT - malaysiakini

2009-01-09T18:40:00.000+08:00

SEPANG, Jan 9 -- A small fire at a store room of a shop at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) here affected operations at the terminal and caused several flights to be delayed.

Malaysia Airport Berhad (MAB) general manager Datuk Azmi Murad said the fire broke out at about 11 am due to a minor accident in the store room, which was undergoing renovation at the terminal.

He said the situation was brought under control and operations, including the passenger check-in counters, were able to resume as normal at 12.30pm.

"There was no casualty or loss of life reported in the incident," he told reporters after accompanying Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri on a visit to the KL International Airport here today.

He said the fire caused the building to be engulfed in thick smoke and for public safety and to prevent any untoward incidents, passengers and workers in the terminal were asked to vacate the building.

Azmi said the incident also caused several incoming and outgoing flights to be delayed.

Meanwhile, Sepang district police chief Supt Zahedi Ayob, when contacted, confirmed the incident and said the fire brought under control in 15 minutes.

"It is learnt that a short-circuit occurred when a worker was said to have wrongly cut a wire, causing a fire to happen," he added.

Three fire engines from the Fire and Rescue station at the KLIA and another by MAB rushed to the scene when alerted of the fire.

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Airbus Meets A380 Delivery Target For 2008 - malaysiakini

2009-01-02T16:10:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, -- Airbus has met its target of delivering 12 A380 aircraft for this year.

In a statement here Wednesday, Airbus said the final super jumbo was delivered to Dubai's Emirates airline on Tuesday.

"We have met our 2008 delivery schedule," president/chief executive officer Tom Enders said.

The first super jumbo was delivered to Singapore Airlines on Oct 15, 2007 and five more were delivered to the airline last year.

Meanwhile, Australia's national carrier Qantas Airways received three.

The in-service super jumbo fleet has flown more than 21,000 revenue flight hours in more than 2,200 commercial flights carrying more than 890,000 passengers, it said.

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Composite Materials

2008-12-30T21:32:00.002+08:00

Various composite materials are used in structures such as the Boeing 777 because of their strength, and weight savings. Composites also offer resistance to fatigue, corrosion and impact damage.

Composites are different from metals. They are combinations of materials differing in composition or form. The constituents retain their identities in the composites and do not dissolve or otherwise merge completely into each other although they act together. Reinforced concrete is an excellent example of a composite structure in which the concrete and steel still retain their identities. The steel bars carry the tension loads and the concrete carries the compression loads. In aircraft construction the term composite structures refers to fabric resin combinations in which the fabric is embedded in the resin but still retains its identity.

Advanced composite materials consist of new high strength fibers embedded in an epoxy matrix. These composites provide for major weight savings in airplane structures since they have high strength to weight ratios. When replacing aluminum structure with graphite/epoxy composite weight reductions of 20% or better are possible. Weight reduction is the greatest advantage of composite material and is one of the key items in decisions regarding its selection. other advantages over conventional structure include its high corrosion resistance and its resistance to damage from cyclic loading (fatigue).

The major disadvantage of using advanced composite materials in airplane construction is the relatively high cost of the materials.

Composite Hybrids: Hybrids are made by the addition of some complementary material such as fiberglass or kevlar to the basic carbon fiber/epoxy matrix. The added materials are used to obtain specific material characteristics such as greater fracture toughness and impact resistance, and should be considered for areas subject to foreign object damage. The addition of carbon / epoxy to fiberglass structure is used to provide additional stiffness.

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Inside The Engine Radial

2008-12-29T22:59:00.003+08:00

Master-and-articulating-rod Assembly

The master-and-articulating-rod assembly is used on X-type engines, radial-type engines, and on some V-type engines. The master rod is similar to any other connecting rod except that it is constructed to provide for the attachment of the articulated rods on the big end.

The articulated rods are fastened by knuckle pins to a flange around the master rod. Each articulated connecting rod has a bushing of nonferrous metal, usually bronze, pressed or shrunk into place to serve as a knuckle-pin bearing. The knuckle pins may be held tightly in the master-rod holes by press fit and lock plates or they may be of the full-floating type.

If the big end of the master rod is made of two pieces, the cap and the rod, the crankshaft is made of one solid piece. on the other hand, if the rod is made of one piece, then the crankshaft may be of either two-piece or three-piece construction. Regardless of the type of construction, the usual bearing surfaces must be supplied.

It should be understood that the type of connecting rod used in an engine depends largely on the cylinder arrangement. If the cylinders are arranged in a line parallel to the crankshaft, the connecting rod is similar to that used in most automobile engines. However, certain types of aircraft engines have a system of connecting rods connected to the same crankshaft bearing, called an articulating connecting-rod assembly. The main rod or master rod joins one of the pistons with the crankshaft, and the other rods, called articulating rods or link rods, connect the other pistons to this same master connecting rod.

AirAsia And Sime Darby Confirm Interest In Developing New LCCT - malaysiakini

2008-12-23T20:57:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 -- AirAsia and Sime Darby Bhd have confirmed their interest in jointly developing and operating a private Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negri Sembilan.

In its filing to Bursa Malaysia, AirAsia said both had jointly expressed an interest to the government on this matter.

"The LCCT project is in the initial planning phase. The company and Sime Darby are engaged in preliminary discussions with state and federal authorities," it said today.

Meanwhile, Sime Darby, in a separate filing said the collaboration was an intergral part of the company's plan for its Negeri Sembilan Vision City (NSVC).

The NSVC is part of Sime Darby's Central Vision Valley property development project spanning Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

It was reported that Sime Darby, who will build the airport, is expected to take up a majority stake in the joint venture. AirAsia will operate the airport.

The proposed LCCT has attracted various parties interested in setting up operations there,including Tune Hotel, a bus terminal, retail malls and factories.

KLIA UNVEILS A NEWLY TRANSFORMED SHOPPING EXPERIENCE - MALAYSIAKINI

2008-12-19T22:20:00.000+08:00

The East Zone is launched... (from left to right) Dato' Azmi Murad, Dato' Seri Bashir Ahmad, Pn. Fai' zah Khairuddin and Tn. Hj. Umar Bustamam

KLIA UNVEILS A NEWLY TRANSFORMED SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

Second Phase of KLIA Shopping Campaign Launched to Continue Rewarding Shoppers at the Airport

SEPANG, 9 December 2008 – Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (Malaysia Airports) earlier today unveiled the completed first phase of the KL International Airport (KLIA) Satellite Retail Optimisation Project (SROP). The 14-month SROP, which began on May 18, 2008 is set to transform the shopping experience at the Satellite Building and is undertaken in a phase-by-phase approach to minimize disruption to the airport operations. The launch of the new East Zone also signaled the start of the second phase of the ongoing KLIA Shopping Campaign, which offers up a total of RM 2.7 million worth of prizes to shoppers at KLIA and LCCT-KLIA.

Malaysia Airports Managing Director Dato’ Seri Bashir Ahmad said, “The launch today not only marks the completion of the fist phase of the SROP on the targeted time but also the continuance of the KLIA Shopping Campaign which started in August this year. As KLIA improves and gets better for passengers, we are also rewarding travellers who shop at the airport. Combined, the KLIA Shopping Campaign and SROP are aimed at rewarding shoppers while providing them with competitive retail experience that surpasses other airports in terms of variety and price.”

The transformation of East Zone that started in May 2008 was completed as scheduled on October 17, 2008. Works at the East Zone, which took 5 months to complete gave this wing a new definitive look that is more contemporary.

The newly transformed East Zone also marks the birth and presence of new outlets at the Satellite Building namely Choc Shop International, Dome, Eraman Malaysia, Harrods, Handicraft outlet - Made in Malaysia, L’Occitane, My Gadgets electronic store, Sports and Luggage, Pusrawi Medicare, RHB Bureau de Change and Tie Rack.

In conjunction with the unveiling of the new East Zone, the KLIA Shopping Campaign also featured a special opening promotion designed to make shopping more exciting at the new East Zone. Emphasising the attractive pricing of items at KLIA, the ‘Guess the Price’ game is open to shoppers who spend just RM150 (USD 45) and above at the East Zone outlets. ‘Guess the Price’ requires shoppers to guess the cumulative price of the items displayed at the booth, all of which are available at the East Zone. All participants of the game will walk away with a token and if guessed correctly, shoppers stand a chance to win up to RM500 (USD140) worth of shopping voucher to do a little bit more shopping at KLIA. The ‘Guess the Price’ game will be available for a limited time, until the end of December in accordance with this season of giving and shopping for gifts.

”Shoppers at KLIA will be also pleased to know that this second phase of the KLIA Shopping Campaign will overall reward shoppers with even more prizes. This time round, shoppers who spend just RM150 (USD 45) and above are automatically entitled to vie for lucrative prizes which include a top seasonal Bumper Prize of RM40,000 worth of travel package to any destination of their choice,” said Dato’ Seri Bashir.

“With the special promotions and especially the increase in the variety of offerings, shoppers at KLIA will have a more exciting and enriched shopping experience at KLIA. Further strengthened by our KLIA Shopping Campaign, shoppers at KLIA will be rewarded and stand to win a myriad of exciting prizes just for shopping here. Also, with our Low Price Guaranteed programme, shoppers will find that shopping at KLIA is comparable if not better than shopping downtown,” Dato’ Seri Bashir added.

The second shopping contest under the KLIA Shopping Campaign offers up for grabs RM 500,000 worth of prizes to lucky winners including travel packages worth up to a total of RM 250,000 and more. Ultimately, shoppers may drive away with a brand new luxury car. Besides the main prizes, shoppers are rewarded with instant gratification for their support and participation in the campaign.

The KLIA Shopping Campaign is divided into three shopping contests, each with its luring Grand Prizes, weekly prizes and instant gifts. Participants in any of the three contests also stand a chance to drive home the ultimate Grand Prize of an award winning, brand new RM 420,000 Lexus GS300.

In total, there are RM 2.7 million worth of prizes to be won through the KLIA Shopping Campaign. Among the Grand Prizes are RM 520,000 cash, RM 280,000 worth of travel packages to exciting places around the globe and a host of other prizes to reward shoppers who just spend a minimum amount of RM150 at KLIA or LCCT-KLIA.

Official sponsors of the KLIA Shopping Campaign 2008/2009 are MasterCard International and Lexus. MasterCard holders who make purchases with their card in KLIA stand to double their winning chances at the KLIA Shopping Campaign.

To find out more about the shopping contest, log on to shopping.klia.com.my or visit our redemption booths at KLIA.

About Malaysia Airports

Malaysia Airports operates and manages 39 airports in Malaysia: 5 international, 16 domestic and 18 Short Take-Off and Landing Ports (STOL Ports). It also has operations in Kazakhstan, IndiaTurkey. On November 30 1999, Malaysia Airports became the first airport company to be listed in Asia. KL International Airport (KLIA), its flagship airport was thrice voted as the World's Best Airport (15-25 million passengers per annum) in the 2005 AETRA awards, 2006 ACI-ASQ awards and 2007 ACI-ASQ awards while the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT-KLIA) was named CAPA Low Cost Airport of the Year at the CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence 2006. KLIA was also voted 2^nd Best AirportAsia Pacific categories for 2007 ACI-ASQ awards. Malaysia Airports has also been entrusted to host the 2008 World Route Development Forum (ROUTES), the first airport operator in Asia to be given the honor of hosting the world-class airport-airlines event.

AirAsia Offers 100,000 Free Seats In Massive Regional Campaign - malaysiakini

2008-12-17T22:47:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR - AirAsia is offering 100,000 free seats from its hubs primarily in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Johor), Thailand (Bangkok) and Indonesia (Jakarta) in its massive regional marketing campaign as part of its initiative to support Thailand's travel, trade and tourism.

The campaign, aptly themed "Get Your Baht To Thailand", "Mai Pen Rai Thailand" and "Same Same Thailand".

The Thailand tourism sector has been severely affected by the declining number of visitors due to the recent political upheaval.

This proactive campaign, initiated by the "People's Airline", is a joint collaboration between AirAsia and Tourism Authority of Thailand to bring back tourists and businessmen by reinstating the core message that it is now safe to travel back to the country.

In a statement Tuesday, AirAsia Group Chief Executive Officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said the airline hoped this campaign will instil confidence among travellers and help boost tourism.

"With close to 800 domestic and international flights weekly to and from various points in Thailand, we are more than confident the country's tourism will bounce back," he said.

The 100,000 free seats allocation include all international flights on AirAsia's route network in Thailand.

Free seats are also available for domestic destinations. The seats also include routes from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket, Chiang Mai and Krabi.

This regional campaign will be launched exclusively online at www.airasia.com for the booking period between Dec 17-19 for travel between Jan 6 and March 31, 2009.

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MAS To Open Ticketing Office At Subang SkyPark - malaysiakini

2008-12-15T20:15:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 -- Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will open a ticketing office at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport's Subang SkyPark by February next year to cater to the needs of customers, particularly those in the suburban areas.

"The new office will offer all services for MAS, Firefly, MASWing and many more," said MAS chairman Tan Sri Dr Munir Majid.

Construction work will start next week, he said at the airline's newly upgraded ticketing office at KL Sentral here today.

MAS currently has ticketing offices at Putrajaya, KL Sentral and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Operations at its former head office in Jalan Sultan Ismail here will be closed down.

On the new upgraded office, Munir said its was part of the airline's plan to consolidate its ticketing operations in the Klang Valley.

The KL Sentral office, which is currently serving more than 20,000 customers a month, is operating daily from 4.30am to midnight daily.

Asked about target sales after the upgrading exercise, Munir said: "Sales will increase not just by having the office, but having products that attract people to come to our outlet."

"For example, sales have increased tremendously when the Everyday Low Fares promotion was introduced," he said.

Munir said low fares campaign resulted in a 150 percent increase in online bookings.

"In Australia, online ticketing sales increased by 1,700 percent," he said.

Aircraft Engine Theory - The Four-Stroke Five-Event-Cycle Principle

2008-12-15T19:32:00.008+08:00

The Intake or Admission Strok

During the intake or admission stroke, the piston moves downward as a charge of combustible fuel and air is admitted into the cylinder through the open intake valve. At the completion of this stroke the intake valve closes. This is event No. 1.

The Compression Stroke

During the compression stroke, the crankshaft continues to rotate, the piston is forced upward in the cylinder, and both intake and exhaust valves are closed. The movement of the piston upward compresses the fuel-air mixture. This is event No. 2.

Power or Expansion Stroke

As the piston approaches the top of its stroke within the cylinder, an electric spark jumps across the points of the spark plugs and ignites the compressed fuel-air mixture. This is the ignition event, or event No. 3. The intake and exhaust valves are closed.

Having been ignited, the fuel-air mixture burns. It expands as it burns and drives the piston downward. This causes the crankshaft to revolve. Since it is the only stroke and event that furnishes power to the crankshaft, it is usually called the power stroke, although it is sometimes called the expansion stroke for purposes of instruction. This is event No. 4. The intake and exhaust valves are closed.

The Exhaust or Scavenging Stroke

During the power or expansion stroke, the hot gases obtained by combustion exert tremendous pressure on the piston to force it to move downward, but near the end of the stroke this pressure is greatly reduced because of the expansion of the gases. At this stage, the exhaust valve opens as the crankshaft continues to revolve and the piston is again moved upward in the cylinder by the connecting rod. The burning gases remaining in the cylinder are forced out through the exhaust valve, hence this stroke is usually called the exhaust stroke, although it may be called the scavenging stroke for purposes of instruction. This is event No. 5. One engine cycle has been completed.

Summary of Events

To summarize the events, it is found that the charge of fuel and air was admitted into the cylinder during the intake stroke (event No. 1); the piston compressed the fuel-air mixture during the compression stroke (event No. 2); the electric spark ignited the compressed fuel-air mixture as the piston approached the top of its stroke within the cylinder (event No. 3); the fuel-air mixture burned and the expanding gases drove the piston downward during the power stroke (event No. 4); the burned gasses were forced out of the cylinder during the exhaust stroke (event No. 5)."

This five-event sequence of intake, compression, ignition, power, and exhaust, is a cycle which must take place in the order given if the engine is to operate at all, and it must be repeated over and over for the engine to continue operation.

None of the five events can be omitted, and each event must take place in the proper sequence. For example, if the gasoline supply is shut off, there can be no power event, but the mixture of gasoline and air must be admitted to the cylinder during the intake stroke. Likewise, if the ignition switch is turned off, there can be no power event, but the ignition must occur before the power stroke can take place.

Airfoils & Lift

2008-12-15T01:42:00.003+08:00

The angle of incidence is measured by the angle at which the wing is attached to the fuselage.

An airfoil is a device which gets a useful reaction from air moving over its surface. When an airfoil is moved through the air, it is capable of producing lift. Wings, horizontal tail surfaces, vertical tails surfaces, and propellers are all examples of airfoils.

Generally the wing of small aircraft will look like the cross-section of the figure above. The forward part of an airfoil is rounded and is called the leading edge. The aft part is narrow and tapered and is called the trailing edge. A reference line often used in discussing airfoils is the chord, an imaginary straight line joining the extremities of the leading and trailing edges.

Angle of Incidence: The angle of incidence is the angle formed by the longitudinal axis of the airplane and the chord of the wing. The longitudinal axis is an imaginary line that extends lengthwise through the fuselage from nose to tail. The angle of incidence is measured by the angle at which the wing is attached to the fuselage. The angle of incidence is fixed --it normally cannot be changed by the pilot. (An exception is the Vought F8U Crusader.)

Bernoulli's Principle: To understand how lift is produced, we must examine a phenomenon discovered many years ago by the scientist Bernoulli and later called Bernoulli's Principle: The pressure of a fluid (liquid or gas) decreases at points where the speed of the fluid increases. In other words, Bernoulli found that within the same fluid, in this case air, high speed flow is associated with low pressure, and low speed flow with high pressure. This principle was first used to explain changes in the pressure of fluid flowing within a pipe whose cross-sectional area varied. In the wide section of the gradually narrowing pipe, the fluid moves at low speed, producing high pressure. As the pipe narrows it must contain the same amount of fluid. In this narrow section, the fluid moves at high speed, producing low pressure.

An important application of this phenomenon is made in giving lift to the wing of an airplane, an airfoil. The airfoil is designed to increase the velocity of the airflow above its surface, thereby decreasing pressure above the airfoil. Simultaneously, the impact of the air on the lower surface of the airfoil increases the pressure below. This combination of pressure decrease above and increase below produces lift.

Lift: Probably you have held your flattened hand out of the window of a moving automobile. As you inclined your hand to the wind, the force of air pushed against it forcing your hand to rise. The airfoil (in this case, your hand) was deflecting the wind which, in turn, created an equal and opposite dynamic pressure on the lower surface of the airfoil, forcing it up and back. The upward component of this force is lift; the backward component is drag.

Pressure is reduced is due to the smaller space the air has above the wing than below. Air cannot go through the wing, so it must push around it. The surface air molecules push between the wing and outer layers of air. Due to the bump of the airfoil, the space is smaller and the molecules must go faster. According to Bernoulli's Law, faster air has lower air pressure, and thus the high pressure beneath the wing pushes up to cause lift.

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Boeing Schedules 787 Dreamliner First Flight For Q2 2009; First Delivery For Q1 2010 - malaysiakini

2008-12-12T21:08:00.003+08:00

Boeing has announced an updated schedule for its all-new 787 Dreamliner programme that moves the commercial jet's first flight into the second quarter of 2009 and first delivery into the first quarter of 2010.

The new schedule reflects the impact of disruption caused by the recent Machinists' strike along with the requirement to replace certain fasteners in early production airplanes, it said in a statement.

"Our industry team has made progress with structural testing, systems hardware qualification and production, but we must adjust our schedule for these two unexpected disruptions," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Scott Carson.

Prior to the strike that halted much of the company's commercial airplane work from early September into November, the 787 was to make its first flight late in the fourth quarter of 2008, it said.

First delivery was slated for the third quarter of 2009, said Beoing.

"We're laser focused on what needs to be done to prepare for first flight," said Pat Shanahan, 787 programme vice-president.

"We will overcome this set of circumstances as we have others in the past, and we understand clearly what needs to be done moving forward."

Included in the preparations for first flight, Shanahan said, are finalising and incorporating remaining engineering changes and completing systems testing, qualifications and certification.

Boeing is evaluating the specific impact of this delay on customer delivery dates and will provide customers with updated schedules once completed.

The company is also determining any financial impact from this schedule change and will incorporate that into updated financial and overall airplane delivery guidance that will be released at a later date.

Airplane Parts Definition And Function ( Part 8 ) - Spoilers

2008-12-12T21:00:00.002+08:00

Spoilers are small, hinged plates on the top portion of wings. Spoilers can be used to slow an aircraft, or to make an aircraft descend, if they are deployed on both wings. Spoilers can also be used to generate a rolling motion for an aircraft, if they are deployed on only one wing. This slide shows what happens when the pilot only deflects the spoiler on the right wing.

Spoilers Deployed on Both Wings

When the pilot activates the spoilers, the plates flip up into the air stream. The flow over the wing is disturbed by the spoiler, the drag of the wing is increased, and the lift is decreased. Spoilers can be used to "dump" lift and make the airplane descend; or they can be used to slow the airplane down as it prepares to land. When the airplane lands on the runway, the pilot usually brings up the spoilers to kill the lift, keep the plane on the ground, and make the brakes work more efficiently. The friction force between the tires and the runway depends on the "normal" force, which is the weight minus the lift. The lower the lift, the better the brakes work. The additional drag of the spoilers also slows the plane down.

Spoiler Deployed on Only One Wing

A single spoiler is used to bank the aircraft; to cause one wing tip to move up and the other wing tip to move down. The banking creates an unbalanced side force component of the large wing lift force which causes the aircraft's flight path to curve. (Airplanes turn because of banking, not because of the force generated by the rudder.

On the figure, the airplane's right wing spoiler is deployed, while the left wing spoiler is stored flat against the wing surface (as viewed from the rear of the airplane). The flow over the right wing will be disturbed by the spoiler, the drag of this wing will be increased, and the lift will decrease relative to the left wing. The lift force (F) is applied at the center of pressure of the segment of the wing containing the spoiler. This location is some distance (L) from the aircraft center of gravity which creates a torque

T = F * L

about the center of gravity. The net torque causes the aircraft to rotate about its center of gravity. The resulting motion will roll the aircraft to the right (clockwise) as viewed from the rear. If the pilot reverses the spoiler deflections (right spoiler flat and left spoiler up) the aircraft will roll in the opposite direction. We have chosen to name the left wing and right wing based on a view from the back of the aircraft towards the nose, because that is the direction in which the pilot is looking.

When you travel on an airliner, watch the wings during turns. The pilot rolls the aircraft in the direction of the turn. You will probably be surprised at how little deflection is necessary to bank (roll) a large airliner. But be warned that there is a possible source of confusion on some airliners. We have been talking about rolling the aircraft by using a spoiler near the center of the wing chord to decrease the lift of one wing. On most airliners, the aircraft is rolled by using ailerons to increase the lift on one wing and decrease the lift on the other wing. This produces an unbalanced force, which causes the roll. You can tell whether an airliner is using spoilers or ailerons by noticing where the moving part is located. At the trailing edge, it's an aileron; between the leading and trailing edges, it's a spoiler. (Now you can dazzle the person sitting next to you on the plane!)

160 AirAsia Passengers Stranded In Bangkok Back Home - malaysiakini

2008-12-02T18:50:00.002+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 - Some 160 AirAsia passengers who were stranded in Bangkok since Nov 24 following the closure the Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports in the Thai capital after being overrun by anti-government protestors, arrived at the LCCT Terminal in Sepang on Monday night.

They were flown back on a 'rescue flight' arranged by the airline to bring back its passenger via the U-Tapao air base outside Bangkok.

The passengers all expressed how glad they were to be back after the 'harrowing' time spent waiting for a flight home.

Housewife Khadijah Mohd Shah, 64, said she was very grateful to be listed on the 'rescue' flight.

Khadijaah said she was in Bangkok to visit her son who works in Pattaya.

Businessman V. Pathmanathan, 43, said he had brought his family to Bangkok for a holiday and did not expect the turn of events.

"I was shocked by what was happening. There were thousands of protestors at Suvarnabhumi Airport and later followed by hundreds of soldiers.

"Luckily a friend brought us out of there. I really feared for the safety of my family," said Pathmanathan, who was accompanied by his wife, mother-in-law and three children.

For Koay Bee Leng, 30s, a private sector employee, she and her husband were supposed to be back at work on Monday.

"We had to take emergency leave and will return to our jobs tomorrow," she said.

Yaw Damper

2008-12-02T18:38:00.002+08:00

Yaw Damping is provided by two completely independent dampers which can be operated singly or simultaneously. The prime function of the system is to minimise Duch Roll by providing automatic rudder displacement proportional to and opposing the amount of yaw experienced.
One yaw damper controls the upper rudder the other the lower. Each yaw damper has an associated coupler which operates as a rate gyro and senses yaw. The damper system then provides the necessary rudder movement to oppose and damp out the yaw. Rudder displacement resulting from yaw damper input is limited to 5 deg to prevent full rudder being applied in the event of a yaw damper malfunction.
The lower yaw damper is powered electrically from the Essential Radio Bus, upper yaw damper is powered from the No 2 Radio Bus.
Two yaw damper warning flags on the rudder and elevator position indicator are biased out of view when the respective yaw damper is engaged. Some aircraft have green lights instead of the warning flags, lights are green when the damper is engaged.
Each yaw damper controls it's associated rudder through a transfer valve on the rudder power unit. The upper damper uses system B, the lower damper system A. The loss of either hydraulic system pressure will result in the loss of the associated yaw damper. If this occurs a loss damper disengaged warning will NOT occur.
The only common circuitry between the yaw dampers and the autopilot is an interlock that requires at least one yaw damper to be on in flight before the autopilot can be engaged.

MAS Lands Young Pilots With Mara Help - malaysiakini

2008-11-26T17:14:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 -- Malaysia Airlines (MAS) collaborates with Mara and the Asia Pacific Flight Training (APFT) academy in the recruitment of young pilots, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said today.

Mara would finance the trainee pilots identified by MAS to undergo training at the APFT academy, he told the Dewan Rakyat when replying to Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) who had asked him to state the government's policy on the employment of young pilots, particularly by MAS.

"Pilots in MAS make up 7.2 per cent of the total number of the airline's employees. Seventy per cent of the pilots are young (aged below 40 years)," he said.

Ong said the country's airlines recruited pilots in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations and the Civil Aviation Regulations 1996.

He said the people should not doubt the capability of the young pilots, and they should accept the exodus of MAS pilots to other airlines for more lucrative income as a market phenomenon.

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Airplane Parts Definition And Function ( Part 7 ) - Ailerons

2008-11-24T00:38:00.003+08:00

Ailerons can be used to generate a rolling motion for an aircraft. Ailerons are small hinged sections on the outboard portion of a wing. Ailerons usually work in opposition: as the right aileron is deflected upward, the left is deflected downward, and vice versa. This slide shows what happens when the pilot deflects the right aileron upwards and the left aileron downwards.

The ailerons are used to bank the aircraft; to cause one wing tip to move up and the other wing tip to move down. The banking creates an unbalanced side force component of the large wing lift force which causes the aircraft's flight path to curve. (Airplanes turn because of banking created by the ailerons, not because of a rudder input.

The ailerons work by changing the effective shape of the airfoil of the outer portion of the wing. As described on the shape effects slide, changing the angle of deflection at the rear of an airfoil will change the amount of lift generated by the foil. With greater downward deflection, the lift will increase in the upward direction. Notice on this slide that the aileron on the left wing, as viewed from the rear of the aircraft, is deflected down. The aileron on the right wing is deflected up. Therefore, the lift on the left wing is increased, while the lift on the right wing is decreased. For both wings, the lift force (Fr or Fl) of the wing section through the aileron is applied at the aerodynamic center of the section which is some distance (L) from the aircraft center of gravity. This creates a torque

T = F * L

about the center of gravity. If the forces (and distances) are equal there is no net torque on the aircraft. But if the forces are unequal, there is a net torque and the aircraft rotates about its center of gravity. For the conditions shown in the figure, the resulting motion will roll the aircraft to the right (clockwise) as viewed from the rear. If the pilot reverses the aileron deflections (right aileron down, left aileron up) the aircraft will roll in the opposite direction. We have chosen to name the left wing and right wing based on a view from the back of the aircraft towards the nose, because that is the direction in which the pilot is looking.

When you travel on an airliner, watch the wings during turns. The pilot rolls the aircraft in the direction of the turn. You will probably be surprised at how little deflection is necessary to bank (roll) a large airliner. But be warned that there is a possible source of confusion on some airliners. We have been talking here about rolling the aircraft by using a pair of ailerons at the very trailing edge of both wings to increase or decrease the lift of each wing. On some airliners, the aircraft is rolled by killing the lift on only one wing at a time. A plate, called a spoiler, is raised between the leading and trailing edges of the wing. This effectively changes the shape of the airfoil, disrupts the flow over the wing, and causes a section of the wing to decrease its lift. This produces an unbalanced force with the other wing, which causes the roll. Airliners use spoilers because spoilers can react more quickly than ailerons and require less force to activate, but they always decrease the total amount of lift for the aircraft. It's an interesting trade! You can tell whether an airliner is using spoilers or ailerons by noticing where the moving part is located. At the trailing edge, it's an aileron; between the leading and trailing edges, it's a spoiler.

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AirAsia May Fly To Uzbekistan, Says Abdullah - malaysiakini

2008-11-19T01:15:00.003+08:00

TASHKENT (Uzbekistan), Nov 18 -- Low-cost carrier, AirAsia may fly to Uzbekistan in a move to establish air links between the two countries.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he had informed the AirAsia group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes on the matter and the latter had agreed to study it as soon as possible.

"Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov wanted us to establish air linkages and I think AirAsia could play that role as it is a low-cost carrier," Abdullah who is on a third-day of the four days official visit to this country told Malaysian journalist, here.

At the moment, Uzbekistan Airways flies twice a week to Malaysia and vice-versa while Malaysian Airlines cooperated with the airline through code-sharing basis.

On the lack of implementation of Memoranda of Understandings (MOUs) signed in the past, Abdullah believed the business climate in this country would improve as the country further liberalise its economy.

The MOUs include cooperations in the fields of air services, security and counter-terrorism, trade, tourism, mineral resources, information and communication technology.

Uzbekistan, the landlocked country located in Central Asia, gained independence in 1991 after breaking up from the Soviet Union.

Admitting it was quite difficult to deal import-export with landlocked country, Abdullah said both countries managed to increase their bilateral trade to US$40 million last year compared to US$12 million in 2006.

Malaysia's main export are vegetable oil, palm oil, electrical and electronic equipment, furniture, rubber products, printed material and leather produts while Uzbekistan's main export include cotton and air services.

Abdullah said although the trade figure increase significantly, the figure was still considered as small due to vast potentials of business opportunities both countries could offer.

For example, he said, Uzbekistan President was willing to offer more oil and gas concessions to Malaysian national oil company, Petronas, as it had shown tremendous capability in carry out its activities in the country.

Petronas has invested US$90 million thus far for exploration and oil and gas projects in four regions - Baisun, Aral Sea, Surkhanski and Urga.

Petronas investment in Uzbekisan in the next three years is estimated to be around US$150 million to US$200 million.

Abdullah said Petronas has also carried out its social responsibility project in this country by offering several scholarships to Uzbeks to study in oil and gas industry at the Universiti Teknologi Petronas in Malaysia.

Tourism he said was another potential areas for joint cooperation between the two countries as Uzbekistan could offer Islamic tourism package especially to visit Samarkand, city where Islamic civilisation began.

Wingtip Vortices and Wake Turbulence

2008-11-17T23:49:00.008+08:00

Wingtip Vortices

Today we are going to talk about Wake Turbulence and Wing Tip Vortices. Wake turbulence is best explained as a spinning mass of air, originating from the wingtips of a large heavy airliner, trailing backwards that may cause following aircraft to enter an "unusual attitude" of which recovery is doubtful. This usually occurs during still or light air conditions but WestWind Captains should be aware of it at all times.

As the wings of a large airliner pass through the air, lift occurs when the high pressure under the wing tries to fill a vacuum of the low pressure on top of the wing. As a byproduct of this lift, some air will circulate causing a "rolling effect" to take place behind the wingtips. What happens is two vortices (the left wing clockwise and the right wing counterclockwise as viewed from behind the airliner looking forward) develop and continue to spin until their energies are reduced. Most of the energy is within a few feet of the center of each vortex but pilots should avoid a region within 100 feet of the vortex core. Airliners which are heavy and in the clean configuration give off the most intense vortices. Captains, flying an airliner, with a shorter wingspan and lighter weight, trailing a "heavy", should be alert of the possibility of wake turbulence.

Wing tip vortices start at the moment a "heavy" leaves the ground. Prior to takeoff or landing pilots should note the point of liftoff or touchdown of a "heavy"(you can see this using SB and MP). What is needed, in this situation, is to takeoff or land before wingtip vortices can become a threat to your airliner. To do this we must takeoff before the rotation of the "heavy" ahead of us and, (if landing) land at a point on the runway further down from where the "heavy" has touched down.

Wingtip vortices trail upward and outward from the wingtips of a "heavy" and spin in a counterclockwise motion. When they reach their highest point (depending on weight and speed of the "heavy") they start to sink towards the ground. Once they hit the ground they will roll laterally at about 2 or 3 knots. A crosswind may keep the upwind vortice in the runway area for an extended time. The worst condition is a light quartering tailwind. In this case the upwind vortice will move towards and up the runway making the judgment of where to touchdown difficult.

This video shows how wingtip vortices generate. It is simple and to the point:

If you were following a "heavy" on an ILS approach, it is possible to experience wake turbulence as you proceed down the glideslope. In this case you would fly your approach descending "one dot" below the glideslope center position (fly above the glideslope). In a previous post I stated that the autopilot should be used down to minimums. Here is one case where you would "hand fly" the approach - keeping your glideslope path "one dot below" to avoid any wake turbulence.

It is possible to experience wake turbulence while you are on the ground waiting to take off. For example, if you were at the hold short line on the taxiway leading to the runway threshold and it was downwind of an approaching "heavy" then you could experience wake turbulence as the "heavy" lands. In this case the hold short lines of the taxiway are 280 feet from the centerline of the runway (for designated runways for "heavies").

Another case, that could "ruin your day", is doing a "missed approach" following a "heavy" that also "missed". In this case it would be wise to fly your missed approach at your best angle of climb airspeed to get to your initial missed approach altitude.

The controllers responsibility (for VFR Flight) is to allow for a two minute "hold time" before clearance to takeoff behind a "heavy". In cases where the Captain accepts a "visual" approach, it is the Captain's responsibility to stay clear of any wake turbulence condition. In all cases the Captain is the final authority for safe flight.

: Wingtip Vortices with Crosswind from the right

Airplane Parts Definition And Function ( Part 6 ) - Rudder

2008-11-14T01:41:00.004+08:00

At the rear of the fuselage of most aircraft one finds a vertical stabilizer and a rudder. The stabilizer is a fixed wing section whose job is to provide stability for the aircraft, to keep it flying straight. The vertical stabilizer prevents side-to-side, or yawing, motion of the aircraft nose. The rudder is the small moving section at the rear of the stabilizer that is attached to the fixed sections by hinges. Because the rudder moves, it varies the amount of force generated by the tail surface and is used to generate and control the yawing motion of the aircraft. This slide shows what happens when the pilot deflects the rudder, a hinged section at the rear of the vertical stabilizer.

The rudder is used to control the position of the nose of the aircraft. Interestingly, it is NOT used to turn the aircraft in flight. Aircraft turns are caused by banking the aircraft to one side using either ailerons or spoilers. The banking creates an unbalanced side force component of the large wing lift force which causes the aircraft's flight path to curve. The rudder input insures that the aircraft is properly aligned to the curved flight path during the maneuver. Otherwise, the aircraft would encounter additional drag or even a possible adverse yaw condition in which, due to increased drag from the control surfaces, the nose would move farther off the flight path.

The rudder works by changing the effective shape of the airfoil of the vertical stabilizer. As described on the shape effects slide, changing the angle of deflection at the rear of an airfoil will change the amount of lift generated by the foil. With increased deflection, the lift will increase in the opposite direction. The rudder and vertical stabilizer are mounted so that they will produce forces from side to side, not up and down. The side force (F) is applied through the center of pressure of the vertical stabilizer which is some distance (L) from the aircraft center of gravity. This creates a torque

T = F * L

on the aircraft and the aircraft rotates about its center of gravity. With greater rudder deflection to the left as viewed from the back of the aircraft, the force increases to the right. If the pilot reverses the rudder deflection to the right, the aircraft will yaw in the opposite direction. We have chosen to base the deflections on a view from the back of the aircraft towards the nose, because that is the direction in which the pilot is looking.

On all aircraft, the vertical stabilizer and rudder create a symmetric airfoil. This combination produces no side force when the rudder is aligned with the stabilizer and allows either left or right forces, depending on the deflection of the rudder. Some fighter planes have two vertical stabilizers and rudders because of the need to control the plane with multiple, very powerful engines.

AeroMobile shows us its rack on a Boeing 777 - malaysiakini

2008-11-11T21:15:00.001+08:00

Malaysia Airlines has been trialling AeroMobile's mobile phone and data services over the last few weeks, garnering the distinction of becoming the first carrier in Asia to offer such services.

The AeroMobile system was installed on a Malaysia Boeing 777-200 aircraft during a routine maintenance check.

Malaysia Airlines managing director and CEO Dato Seri Idris Jala says the trial will be conducted to gauge passenger behaviour and acceptability. "If the evaluation findings are positive, we aim to roll out the system throughout the remainder of our widebody aircraft fleet next year."

I asked AeroMobile to send along a photo of its equipment installed on a 777.

The image below shows part of the installation (three of the six boxes), installed on the 'E7 rack' in the crown of the aircraft cabin above the ceiling panels.

The AeroMobile equipment (three avionics units in this shot) is the equipment to the left of the orange boxes. The two thick black cables are the 'leaky feeder' ('radiating RF cables') which are installed down both sides of the full length of the aircraft cabin providing a signal to passengers' mobile phones

Eurocopter Deal To Be Tabled In Parliament In Shortly - malaysiakini

2008-11-11T20:55:00.002+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 -- The Public Accounts Committee's (PAC) report on the RM1.604 billion Eurocopter deal is expected to be tabled in parliament in a day or two, PAC chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said.

"We have asked for the report to be completed speedily. As in previous PAC reports, it is being prepared in verbatim form," he told reporters at the parliament lobby on Tuesday.

The PAC, at its meeting in Nov 3, concluded that there was no procedural irregularities in the deal to purchase 12 Eurocopter's EC725 helicopters.

The committee, in its two-week scrutiny on the technical and financial aspects of the deal, found that the procedures followed were in accordance with internationally-accepted procurement practices.

Azmi said the committee had carried out its task and made recommendations where necessary.

"Let's now wait for the report to be tabled in parliament," he said.

Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) had raised the matter in and outside the Dewan Rakyat, saying the PAC should table the findings in a proper manner so that members could debate it accordingly.

AirAsia removes fuel surcharge, offers free seats - malaysiakini

2008-11-11T17:04:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia's AirAsia today abolished fuel surcharges on all its flights and said it will give away half a million free tickets next year in an attempt to lure travelers amid the global slowdown.

AirAsia Chief Executive Tony Fernandes said the region's biggest budget carrier will offer 500,000 free seats for travel between June 22 and Oct. 24, 2009, on all its domestic and international destinations.

"It will be completely free. Passengers will only have to pay airport tax,'' Fernandes told a news conference.

He said the recent steep drop in fuel prices has allowed AirAsia to adopt the bold strategy, adding that the loss of revenue should be offset by higher ticket sales, which will also be bolstered by new marketing strategies.

Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes (right) and Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad at the launch of new low AirAsia air fares on Tuesday. - Starpic by Kevin Tan

Fernandes said AirAsia is the first carrier in the world to abolish fuel surcharges, which became a standard industry practice a few years ago as oil prices rose on their way to peaking at nearly $150 a barrel in mid-July. But since then, crude prices have tumbled because expectations that slower global growth will mean less demand.

"We want to do is get rid of these surcharges,'' Fernandes said. "The best way to do it is aggressive marketing and low fares.''

Eliminating the surcharges is expected to cost AirAsia about 940 million ringgit ($63 million) a year.

Fernandes said the move will boost Malaysia's economy as well as domestic and regional tourism by encouraging travel.

When AirAsia started in December 2001, it focused on flying within Malaysia. It has since expanded to Southeast Asia and China, and is scheduled to launch flights to India next month.

Malaysian Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Samad praised the decision.

"Anything that reduces costs to consumers and keeps money in their pocket gets my support,'' he told reporters after the announcement. "What we need now is optimism instead of grumbling and quarreling.''

Fernandes added that he could not guarantee that the removal of fuel surcharges would not hit AirAsia's profits, but said the company does not anticipate that would happen. He refused to say what the possible losses might be.

He noted AirAsia does not hedge its fuel purchases like other airlines do. To protect against the possibility of prices going up, some carriers make advance orders at current prices.

Fernandes said AirAsia will not implement a corresponding increase in base ticket prices with the removal of fuel surcharges, but said he could not guarantee that the surcharge would not be re-imposed if oil prices surge again.

"It would be foolish of me to say that fuel surcharges will not be imposed again but we will resist it for as long as possible,'' Fernandes said.

Wet Paper Sack ( Honeycomb Structure )

2008-11-10T18:23:00.008+08:00

Wet Paper Sack

Did you know that many airplanes use paper for strength?

Imagine a PB&J sandwich. Now imagine that the 'bread' is made of fiberglass, and the Jam is made of a thick slice of perforated paper. If you do like I do when I eat a PB&J, then you smash it really thin before eating it. This is, in essence what composite honeycomb is. Have a look:

Now, having a thick core like this is actually a 'good thing'. It keeps the structure light and gives it strength. These are also 'good thing's for airplanes.

But there's a problem. When paper gets wet, what does it do? It falls apart, right? that means that if water somehow got into your composite then your core can fail, the composite colapses and *poof*, no more structural member. Now, normally, well made composites are sealed from the atmosphere. H2O can't get in, and everything is fine.

Just for fun, though, let's imagine that there's a small crack in the composite. It's tiny, hardly even visible; in fact, you can't see it but it's there. Let's say this composite is part of an airplane that does lots of takeoffs in a hot tropical climate. At 30,000 ft the air temperature is -50. What might happen to the warm, moist air that gets into the composite? It condenses, right? Right. As Julia Roberts once said 'Big mistake. Huge!' Now do this, say 500 more times, and now the water starts to pool in the composite. Check this out:

The green sections represent water in the composite. If this were a paper core, then it wouldn't be long before that core fails, and quickly thereafter, the rest of the composite. And failure or delamination, as it's called, is caused by not just water, but almost any type of fluid that can saturate the paper. Here's a report from the TSB of Canada detailing the delamination due to hydraulic fluid:

http://www.tsb.gc.ca/en/media/fact_sheets/A05F0047/recs_a0606_goudou.asp

In order to find this kind of problem, you pretty much have to x-ray or scan the structure. Have YOU seen any x-ray or scanning equipment at the airport? (other than at security, smart***) How does the airline know if this is happening? Short answer: in my opinion, they don't. At least not until a thorough inspection happens. The fix is problematic, too. Heating up the composite can blow up the sealed water, destroying the structure, and trying to suck it out is no good either. Best just to not let it happen. The FAA is starting to take a closer look at maintenance procedures, lately, and trying to determine if more and closer inspection needs to be done to prevent water ingress.

In the meantime, we keep flying.

Btw, what happens to freezing water as it cools? it EXPANDS, right? Right....Happy thoughts until next time.

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MAS, Boeing Offering Holiday Packages - malaysiakini

2008-11-10T17:57:00.002+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 -- In a move to provide customers with more value for money, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is partnering with Boeing in offering holiday packages to Rome, Kunming, Yogyakarta, Saigon and Bangkok.

"Whilst we expect very encouraging response to the Global Online Sales offer, we are making it more exciting for our customers who purchase these offers.

"Not only they will get to plan early and buy tickets to the destinations of their choice but also stand a chance to surprise themselves by winning our reputable Golden Holiday packages at absolutely no additional cost for yet another vacation," said MAS senior general manager (sales) Datuk Bernard Francis in a statement, Monday.

A total of 26 international destinations go on sale for three days beginning tomorrow until Wednesday with MAS' Global Online Sales.

It includes Xiamen and Kunming, Male and New Delhi, Dubai and Istanbul, Paris and London as well as Sydney and Auckland, with one way fare starting from as low as RM429 for Male and New Delhi, RM759 to Sydney, RM999 to Paris and RM1,069 to London.

Fares does not include taxes and surcharges.

Turtle Airships, Military Blimps, Hybrids, and Civilian Dirigibles

2008-11-10T02:11:00.004+08:00

Turtle Airships

Picture (click to enlarge):

Subjects: Why "turtle"?

Because it has a SHELL. A hard, facted, durable, all weather, strong shell. Unlike blimps or zeppelins; which are built as glorified balloons...which can leak and tear and fall apart in sunlight.

Because it is FAST. The incrongruity of a fast Turtle is meant to surprise and intrique. Blimps and zeppelins are slow because of the flexibility and lack of structural strength of their fabric and laminate envelopes. The Turtle shell makes it strong, rigid......and fast. To 200mph.........

Because it is AMPHIBIOUS. Blimps and zeppelins land and tie up at mooring masts. They need large ground crews to land. The Turtle airship, on the other hand, can land anywhere. It can land on an unprepared field, or land in the water.........just like a turtle.

Because it looks like a turtle. The bow and stern planes give the impression of a turtles' four legs sticking out from its' shell. The position of the three bottom hulls appears much like a turtles' head and forelimbs underneath its' shell.

Because its' "slow, but sure". At one third the speed of a large jet......it is safe and steady. No turbulence. No banking or climbing like an airplane. Quiet. Calm. No jet lag. Comfortable........with walk around room and private staterooms. Totaly safe. No high speed make-or-break approaches to runway landings. No wind shear dangers. Immune to the same bombing, shooting, missiles, or hi-jack attempts that threaten airplanes.

Because it's SOLAR POWERED. Just as a cold blooded turtle climbs out of the water and soaks up the sun.........so Turtle Airships collect sunlight in photovoltaic solar cells in order to generate electricity for power. With fuel cells and a bio-diesel back up capability, it makes the Turtle airship into a truly "green" technology; and changes flight forever.

Because who could ignore, or ever forget......A FLYING TURTLE ??!!

Eco-friendly Turtle Airship design

intro: It certainly doesn’t hurt to have, eco-friendly one like the Turtle Airship that Darrell Campbell, the designer of Millennium Airship is working on. The picture is that of a Millenium Airship.

Subjects: Eco-friendly Features:

• The outer frame-work of the Airship to be made of titanium, aluminum or stainless steel would be incorporated with amorphous thin films of photovoltaic cells to harness solar energy.

• The electricity produced runs the electric motors and propellers of the Airship.

• The electric motors use lighter super conducting magnets rather than copper wires.

• The excess energy produced in the day is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, to function as fuel cell as an alternate during night and cloudy conditions.

• Bio-diesel powered generators are also built-in to circumvent any remote chances of solar and fuel cells’ failure.

Millennium Airship, Inc.

Picture (click to enlarge): Millennium Airship, creators of a revolutionary new hybrid heavy lift aircraft, the SkyFreighter.

Intro: Millennium Airship Inc. founded in August 1998. The primary goal of the company is to design, engineer, build, market and operate the world's first HEAVY-LIFT AIR VEHICLE that is: lighter-than-air, all-weather, amphibious semi-rigid, multi-mission, hybrid. The key feature of this aircraft will be in that it is so maneuverable, that it can operate in and out of virtually anywhere (land or sea) where there is enough space to accommodate its size.

Subjects: DARPA (Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency) WALRUS PROJECT

"Fort to the Fight" Unit of Action - At a meeting organized by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, JCS J-4 Mobility Division in April 2001 at the Pentagon, the desire for a prototype demonstration of "SkyFreighter" was requested by all branches attending. We fully believe this airship and it's unique capabilities will provide our Armed Forces with a "mission" diverse transport that can get the troops, armor and supplies to the point of conflict. And, provide Homeland Security Agency with a smaller version of "SkyFreighter" for Extended Duration (3 days) Maritime Coastal Patrol and Drug Interdiction. The military requires an air vehicle that can lift 500 plus tons, cruise at 100 mph, travel 12000 miles in 7 days, and fly at altitudes up to 20,000 feet. The Millennium Airship, Inc DARPA Proposal was mailed on March 30 to DARPA. Even though the DARPA project has been cancelled for now, all branches of the military and Homeland Security have definite requirements for this aircraft.

Benefits

1) Because of its massive lifting capacity, SkyFreighter can bring the "Fort to the Fight."
2) SkyFreighter can land almost anywhere, land or sea. No airport or ground support required.
3) Unlike all other airships, SkyFreighter does not need ballast transference when loading or unloading.

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Military Blimps

4 New 'Blimp' Designs Bring Return of the Airship

Picture (click to enlarge): Aeros’s new ballast-free airship design may soon be tested for the Pentagon in a demonstration craft.

Intro: Always on the verge of a seeming comeback, airships are back in the spotlight, touting new technologies. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency recently announced funding for an innovative, ballast-free airship technology created by Aeros Aeronautical Systems, based outside Los Angeles. The Aeroscraft ML866's potentially revolutionary Control of Static Heaviness system compresses and decompresses helium in the 210-ft.-long envelope, changing this proposed sky yacht's buoyancy during takeoff and landings, Aeros says. It hopes to end the program with a test flight demonstrating the system. Other companies are planning their own first flights within the next few years. Each has a design that it promises will launch a new era of lighter-than-air transportation.

Picture (click to enlarge): HAA

Picture (click to enlarge): SA-60

Picture (click to enlarge): Skycat-20

Boeing to Build SkyHook Neutrally Buoyant Rotorcraft

Picture (click to enlarge): SkyHook Lifting Off (Source: Boeing)

Intro: Boeing and SkyHook International have announced that they intend to team up for a new aircraft called the JHL-40 (Jess Heavy Lifter). The JHL-40 is a new commercial heavy lift aircraft that is intended to transport equipment and materials in remote and harsh regions such as Alaska or the Canadian Arctic.

Boeing will build the JHL-40 neutrally buoyant rotorcraft for SkyHook, which will own, maintain and operate the JHL-40 for commercial clients.

Subjects: The aircraft utilizes a helium filled envelope that provides enough lift to make the JHL-40 aircraft, engines, and crew neutrally buoyant. The four rotors will generate lift that is only needed to support the payload. According to Boeing and SkyHook, the JHL-40 will be able to lift loads as heavy as 40 tons and transport them up to 200 miles without refueling.

Boeing's New Heavy Lifter

Picture (click to enlarge): SkyHook in Transit (Source: Boeing)

Intro: You can bet the Army will be looking into this for their Joint Heavy Lift platform. Believe it or not, something very similar to this is discussed in great detail in the original Defense Science Board report on Sea Basing.

When you start thinking about this technology, and the maturity potential, the absence of a military commitment to date is curious. We tend to think there is a lot of capability here long term.

Picture (click to enlarge): From Giant Blimp, Deflated [>]. A quote - No! Nooooo! Say it ain't so, Darpa! The Walrus program -- the fringe-science agency's awesomely, almost insanely, ambitious plan to build an aircraft carrier-sized blimp -- is over, Defense Technology International discovers.

Picture (click to enlarge):

From BAE SYSTEMS FLOATS AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM AT FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL [>]. A quote - A 22 meter long airship, originally developed by balloonist and adventurer Per Lindstrand, could become the latest addition to BAE Systems growing portfolio of autonomous systems. The GA22 airship, perfect for deployment into roles such as communications relay stations, will be updated and adapted to carry payloads, such as high tech surveillance equipment at up to 150 kilograms in weight, to heights of more than 6,500 feet. BAE Systems plan to integrate their existing Unmanned Autonomous Systems into the GA22 making the technology more accessible to potential users.

Picture (click to enlarge):

From Time for TARS Along USA’s Southern Borders [>]. A quote - An aerostat is a lighter-than-air craft that relies on a ground tether for movement and often for power as well, as opposed to blimps which are self-powered, free-flying craft.

Picture (click to enlarge):

From Where Did All the Airships Go? [>]. A quote - A few years ago, the Air Force was all excited about "near space," the area between 65,000 and 325,000 feet above sea level. The plan was to put lighter-than-air ships up in this region above the jet stream for persistent surveillance. I, too, got excited, because I love everything and anything to do with lighter-than-air vehicles. But one by one, many of the near space efforts have been killed off or scaled back (although some appear to go on, as Bill Sweetman notes over at Aviation Week's ARES blog).

Hybrid Airships

Airlines.net - Lockheed Martin P-791

Picture (click to enlarge): Picture of the Lockheed Martin P-791 aircraft. (Lockheed Martin's Secretly Built Airship Makes First Flight (Feb 5, 2006) [>])

Intro: N791LM (cn 0001) I was at the Blackbird Air Park when suddenly this black project hybrid airship took off. It has been secretly built by Skunkworks as a heavy-load carrier. To gain more span to act like a wing, the P-791 is three pressurized lobes joined together. It uses four air cushions as landing gear, located on the outer lobes. It appears to have four propellers-two at the tail and two on the sides. A hybrid airship derives most of its lift by lighter-than-air gas, the rest by its shape and span.

Subjects: From Wikipedia [>]: The P-791 is an experimental aerostatic/aerodynamic hybrid airship developed by Lockheed-Martin corporation. The first flight of the P-791 was made on 31 January 2006 at the company's flight test facility on the Palmdale Air Force Plant 42. According to press reports, the designation "P-791" has no particular meaning.

Although Lockheed-Martin is developing a design for the DARPA project WALRUS, the company claims that the P-791 is unrelated to WALRUS. Nonetheless, the design represents an approach that may well be applicable to WALRUS. Some believe that Lockheed-Martin has used the secret P-791 program as a way to get a "head-start" on Worldwide Aeros Corporation, the other Phase I WALRUS competitor.

Picture (click to enlarge):

From The Hybrid Aircraft Flies - A Press Release According to Aviation Week [>]

Picture (click to enlarge):

From It's a hovercraft, it's a blimp... [>]. A quote - It's an experimental craft called the P-791, made by Lockheed-Martin. The lumbering take-offs and landings are curious. It's alleged to be over 60 meters (~200 feet) long.

Civilian Dirigibles

Picture (click to enlarge): From Luxury Airship Filled With Helium, Rich People [>]

Picture (click to enlarge): From As-Yet Unbuilt Aeroscraft ML866 Nonetheless Officially Launched [>]

Picture (click to enlarge): From Blimp News! The Strato Cruiser Luxury Blimp Concept Design [>]

Picture (click to enlarge): From Zeppelins are Back, Too [>]

Picture (click to enlarge): From Alameda Naval Air Museum [>]. Goodyear Blimp "Spirit of America" (N10A), Photo by John Shupek

Picture (click to enlarge): From Horizon blimp one of just 20 in the world [>].The Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey airship will cruise the state through October.

Picture (click to enlarge): From The future of hyperblimps (and some necessary background) [>]

Picture (click to enlarge): From Blimp catches some eyes on Day 1 [>]. DAVID AHNTHOLZ / Daily News. The Ginn Resorts blimp circles over Quail West on Friday during the first round of The ACE Group Classic.

Picture (click to enlarge): From Inventors to Start Work on Second Personal Blimp [>]

Picture (click to enlarge): From Seeing London by airship [>] gallery. The Stella Artois Airship, built by Zeppelin, prepares for take-off in Essex. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty

Picture (click to enlarge): From Seeing London by airship [>] gallery.

Picture (click to enlarge): From Seeing London by airship [>] gallery.

Picture (click to enlarge): From Seeing London by airship [>] gallery.

Picture (click to enlarge): From Solar Power Generating Blimp for Disasters [>]

History and Galleries

Picture (click to enlarge): From Countryman & McDaniel [>]

Picture (click to enlarge): From Welcome to modern-airships.info [>]

Picture (click to enlarge): From official website of Goodyear Blimp [>] gallery.

Picture (click to enlarge): From Alert the amphibious squadron! [>]. A quote - I don’t often link to interesting posts from Modern Mechanix because once you start, where do you stop? But I am compelled to point out this one which reprints an October 1934 Modern Mechanix and Inventions article about an American (presumably) idea for a solar-powered flying airfield.

Airplane Parts Definition And Function ( Part 5 ) - Stabilators

2008-11-09T20:27:00.002+08:00

At the rear of the fuselage of most aircraft one finds a horizontal stabilizer and an elevator to provide stability and control of the up-and-down, or pitching, motion of the aircraft nose. On many fighter planes, in order to meet their high maneuvering requirements, the stabilizer and elevator are combined into one large moving surface called a stabilator. Because the stabilator moves, it varies the amount of force generated by the tail surface and is used to generate and control the pitching motion of the aircraft. There is usually a stabilator on each side of the fuselage and they work in pairs; when the right stabilator goes up, the left stabilator also goes up. This slide shows what happens when the pilot deflects the stabilators.

The stabilator is used to control the position of the nose of the aircraft and the angle of attack of the wing. Changing the inclination of the wing to the local flight path changes the amount of lift which the wing generates. This, in turn, causes the aircraft to climb or dive. During take off the stabilators are used to bring the nose of the aircraft up to begin the climb out. During a banked turn, stabilator inputs can increase the lift and cause a tighter turn. That is why stabilator performance is so important for fighter aircraft.

The stabilators work by changing the angle of attack of the horizontal stabilizer. As described on the inclination effects slide, changing the angle of attack of an airfoil changes the amount of lift generated by the foil. With greater downward deflection of the leading edge, lift increases in the downward direction. With greater upward deflection, lift increases in the upward direction. The lift force (F) is applied at the center of pressure of the the stabilator which is some distance (L) from the aircraft center of gravity. This creates a torque

T = F * L

on the aircraft and the aircraft rotates about its center of gravity. The pilot can use this ability to make the airplane loop or dive.

On most aircraft, the horizontal stabilizer and elevator are separate pieces with the elevator being connected to the stabilizer by a hinge. These aircraft rely on changing the shape of the tail airfoil to produce a change in the down force for control. On some aircraft, the pitch stability and control is provided by a canard which is a horizontal surface placed forward of the center of gravity (a tail in the front). The Wright brother's 1903 flyer used a forward elevator for pitch control.

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AirAsia is Top Brand from Emerging Markets - malaysiakini

2008-11-07T20:45:00.004+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, 7 November 2008 – AirAsia, the leading and largest low-cost carrier in Asia, has been recognized as the ‘top brand to watch’ in the UK Trade & Investment’s New World Brands annual report. AirAsia is the only South East Asian company to make the list of top ten brands from emerging markets across Brazil, Russia, India and China.

New World Brands, which was produced in co-operation with the Economist Intelligence Unit, examines many of the world’s fastest-growing and most innovative companies from emerging markets. AirAsia is ranked

above other successful companies such as Chery Automobile, Haier, Marcopolo, Reliance, and Springs Global.

AirAsia currently flies to more than 60 destinations and boasts the lowest operating cost of any carrier worldwide. The airline has optimised costs by operating a faster turnaround time, improving aircraft utilization and crew efficiency, and providing a pay-per-use passenger service, all of whi

ch results in savings which are passed back to consumers in the form of low fares.

Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group CEO, said: “This is a great achievement for AirAsia to be recognized as a top new world brand and reflects our hard work and pioneering attitude to make air travel an affordable reality for everyone across Asia. We always focused on being a global brand and the investment is now beginning to reap the rewards.”

According to the report, leading brands from emerging markets are “shaking up industries” and challenging conventional business wisdom while benchmarking themselves against global standards.

Tony Fernandes added: “Despite the current challenging market conditions, AirAsia is still going strong. We have successful joint ventures in Thailand and Indonesia, as well as AirAsia X, the low-cost, long-haul subsidiary of AirAsia. Our fleet in Malaysia has been fully upgraded with the more modern Airbus A320s. We are vigilant in our efforts to maintain AirAsia’s notoriously low fares, and our disciplined low-cost model sets a global standard for airline efficiency.”

AirAsia was also rec

ently ranked Top 5 among Asia Pacific’s airline brands, ahead of Malaysia Airlines and Qantas, among others, in the Top 1000 Brands 2008 survey conducted by TNS for Hong Kong-based Media magazine.

Aircraft Winglets

2008-11-06T21:56:00.003+08:00

Many of us who fly regularly have most probably seen a so-called winglet or wingtip device at the end of the wing of an airliner at least once. It is showing up more and more often on more and more types of aircraft, thus we felt it’s time to give an overview to our readers about these sometimes funny, sometimes cool and stylish looking aircraft parts.

Winglet on Virgin Atlantic A340-600 - c by Dan Valentine on Airliners.net

History, Reason and Benefits

The initial theoretical concept goes back to times before even the Wright Brothers first took to the skies in 1905, but it was picked up and developed by Richard T. Whitcomb of NASA after the 1973 oil crisis - in order to reduce fuel consumption. The first tests were carried out in 1979/80 in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force. At almost the same time, but independent of any U.S. military organization, a private jet producer, LearJet exhibited a prototype in 1977: the LearJet 28 that featured the first winglets on a jet and a production aircraft. Flight tests made with and without winglets showed that the winglets increased range by about 6.5 percent and also improved directional stability for the LearJet- these two factors are the major reasons behind using this facility at any fixed wing aircraft ever since.

A winglet is a (near) vertical extension of the wing tips. The upward angle of the winglet, its inward angle as well as its size and shape are critical for correct performance - this is why they can look quite different. Air rotating around the wing strikes the surface of the winglet that directs it in another direction - thus creating an extra force, basically converting otherwise wasted energy to thrust. This is a small contribution but can save a lot for an operator in an aircraft’s lifetime. Another potential benefit of winglets is that they reduce the strength of wingtip vortices, which trail behind the plane. When other aircraft pass through these vortices, the turbulent air can cause loss of control, possibly resulting in an accident.

Winglet Types

In general any wingtips that not end the wing simply horizontally are considered as some kind of a winglet. Even though in strictly technical terms Wingtip Fences are not real extensions of the wing, and Raked Wingtips do not have a vertical part, they are still widely considered as winglet variants.

WINGTIP FENCES are a special variant of winglets, that extend both upward and downward from the tip of the wing. Preferred by European plane-maker Airbus, it is featured on their full product range (except the A330/340 family and the future A350). The Airbus A300 was actually the first jet airliner to feature this kind of solution by default, but it was a very small version of the tool. Provided that most of the Airbus planes (including all A320 family jets) feature such wingtip fences, this may be the most seen and most produced winglet type. Even the new Airbus A380 double-decker features wingtip fences.

Airbus Winglets as seen from the outside

Airbus Winglets as seen from onboard

BLENDED WINGLETS (the real “Winglets”) are the most popular winglet type, leveraged by Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, Bombardier but also by Russian Tupolev and Iljushin. Blended winglets were first introduced on the McDonnel Douglas MD-11 aircraft in 1990 with launch customer Finnair (it also features a smaller winglet at the bottom side of the wing). In contrast to Airbus who applies the wingtip fences by default on most of their aircraft (and the winglets on the A330/340 family), blended winglets are considered by Boeing for example as an optional extra feature on their products, except for the Boeing 747-400. For some of the older Boeing jets (737 and 757) such blended winglets have been offered as an aftermarket retrofit, these are the newer, tall designs and do not connect to the tip of the wing with a sharp angle, but with a curve instead. These winglets are popular among airlines that fly these aircraft on medium/long haul routes as most of the real fuel savings materialize while cruising. Longer flights mean longer cruising, thus larger fuel savings. And they also server as marketing surface for airline logos or web addresses usually.

Just recently the Boeing 767-300ER has received 3.4 m high (!) winglets produced by Aviation Partners Inc. with American Airlines as the launch-customer with Air New Zealand and Hawaiian Airlines following with orders of 5 and 8 aircrafts respectively. 141 shipsets have been pre-sold already as the forecasted fuel savings range around 4%-6% for medium/long-range flights. Airbus earlier tested similar blended winglets designed by Winglet Technology for the A320 series, but determined that their benefits did not warrant further development and they stayed with the wingtip fences instead. Aviation Partners Boeing claims that winglets on 737s and 757s have saved a collective 1.2 billion gal. of fuel since they were introduced and 11.5 million tonnes of CO2 while reducing those types’ noise footprint by 6.5%. It has sold winglets to 140 airlines and 95% of all 737NGs are fitted with them. It is working on four winglet concepts for the 777 and hopes to finalize a design for that aircraft type by December, 2008.

Blended Winglets on Several Aircraft Types

RAKED WINGTIPS are the most recent winglet variants (they are probably better classified as special wings, though), where the tip of the wing has a higher degree of sweep than the rest of the wing. They are widely referred to as winglets, but they are better described as integrated wingtip extensions as they are (horizontal) additions to the existing wing, rather than the previously described (near) vertical solutions. The stated purpose of this additional feature is to improve fuel economy, climb performance and to shorten takeoff field length. It does this in much the same way as “traditional” winglets do. In testing by Boeing and NASA, raked wingtips have been shown to reduce drag by as much as 5.5%, as opposed to improvements of 3.5% to 4.5% from conventional winglets. Airliners to use raked wingtips: Boeing 747-8, Boeing 767-400ER, Boeing 777(-200LR; -300ER; and freighter versions) plus the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350. The 747-8, the 787 and the A350 will have special, new kind of wings, which do not have a separate winglet, but have raked, and blended wingtips integrated - without a sharp angle between the wing and the winglet.

Raked Wingtips on the new Boeing 787 and Airbus A350

As you can see, wingtips/winglets have developed and changed very much over the last 30 years, but are becoming the standard, which is not proven better by anything else than the wing designs of future aircraft by the largest airplane-makers that feature a built-in winglet at the tip of their new, revolutionary wings.

No Problems For Airlines To Reduce Surcharges If Global Oil Prices Are Stable, Says Lajim - malaysiakini

2008-11-05T21:04:00.004+08:00

Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) and AirAsia Bhd have no problems reducing their fuel surcharges if the global oil prices are stable, said Deputy Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Lajim Ukin.

"AirAsia still imposes a fuel surcharge of RM50 and MAS RM60 because the global oil prices are still not stable," he said in reply to a question from Hiew King Cheu (BN-Kota Kinabalu) at Dewan Rakyat here today.

Hiew wanted to know why the two airlines' fuel charges had not been reduced when the global oil prices had gone down.

Lajim said at one time the surcharge for flights between Malaysia and South Korea had rose to US$98 but now had been reduced to US$62.

Airasia X Plans Destinations In Europe And India For Airbus A330 - malaysiakini

2008-11-04T16:22:00.003+08:00

SEPANG, -- AirAsia X, the long-haul affiliate of low-cost airline AirAsia Bhd, plans to expand its destinations to Europe, including the United Kingdom, by March next year and also fly to 10 cities in India in the next five years.

These routes would be served by the new Airbus A330 aircraft that the carrier had ordered, said chief executive officer Azran Osman Rani.

AirAsia X has received its first 25 new Airbus A330 last Saturday, and more are scheduled to arrive from end of this year until 2013.

"There is an opportunity now to accelerate on the orders because some airlines are deferring their orders for financing reasons. If we can get the aircraft sooner, we can open up more routes faster," he told reporters after celebrating the airline's first anniversary at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal here, Monday.

Azran said the airline aimed to cover destinations which are more than four hours in flight duration from Kuala Lumpur, completing the existing AirAsia network.

The 25 new Airbus A330 aircraft ordered by AirAsia X together with AirAsia Bhd's order of 175 aircraft were estimated at a value of about US$6.6 billion.

According to Azran, AirAsia X is confident that it will be able to source the fund to finance the order given its positive cashflow.

"We have already generate positive cashflow since April this year and this is the reason why we managed to convince the finance institution," he said.

The airline, he added, had clinched the deal to finance the first few planes and would talk with banks, both local and foreign, for the other aircraft.

In conjunction with AirAsia Xs first anniversary, the airline will be giving away free seats to all its destination, including the Gold Goast, Perth and Melbourne in Australia and Hangzhou in China.

Launched in January 2007, the company currently flies four times weekly to the Gold Coast, six times weekly to Perth and five times weekly to Hangzhou.

CAP 393 : AIR NAVIGATION ORDER ( ANO )

2008-11-04T02:07:00.005+08:00

CAP 393

AIR NAVIGATION: THE ORDER AND THE REGULATIONS

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Airplane Parts Definition And Function ( Part 4 ) - Horizontal Stabilizer - Elevator

2008-11-02T22:17:00.002+08:00

At the rear of the fuselage of most aircraft one finds a horizontal stabilizer and an elevator. The stabilizer is a fixed wing section whose job is to provide stability for the aircraft, to keep it flying straight. The horizontal stabilizer prevents up-and-down, or pitching, motion of the aircraft nose. The elevator is the small moving section at the rear of the stabilizer that is attached to the fixed sections by hinges. Because the elevator moves, it varies the amount of force generated by the tail surface and is used to generate and control the pitching motion of the aircraft. There is an elevator attached to each side of the fuselage. The elevators work in pairs; when the right elevator goes up, the left elevator also goes up. This slide shows what happens when the pilot deflects the elevator.

The elevator is used to control the position of the nose of the aircraft and the angle of attack of the wing. Changing the inclination of the wing to the local flight path changes the amount of lift which the wing generates. This, in turn, causes the aircraft to climb or dive. During take off the elevators are used to bring the nose of the aircraft up to begin the climb out. During a banked turn, elevator inputs can increase the lift and cause a tighter turn. That is why elevator performance is so important for fighter aircraft.

The elevators work by changing the effective shape of the airfoil of the horizontal stabilizer. As described on the shape effects slide, changing the angle of deflection at the rear of an airfoil changes the amount of lift generated by the foil. With greater downward deflection of the trailing edge, lift increases. With greater upward deflection of the trailing edge, lift decreases and can even become negative as shown on this slide. The lift force (F) is applied at center of pressure of the horizontal stabilzer which is some distance (L) from the aircraft center of gravity. This creates a torque

T = F * L

on the aircraft and the aircraft rotates about its center of gravity. The pilot can use this ability to make the airplane loop. Or, since many aircraft loop naturally, the deflection can be used to trim or balance the aircraft, thus preventing a loop. If the pilot reverses the elevator deflection to down, the aircraft pitches in the opposite direction.

On many fighter planes, in order to meet their high maneuvering requirements, the stabilizer and elevator are combined into one large moving surface called a stabilator. The change in force is then created by changing the inclination of the entire surface, not by changing its effective shape as is done with an elevator. On some aircraft, the pitch stability and control is provided by a horizontal surface placed forward of the center of gravity (a tail in the front). This surface is called a canard. The name is the French word for duck and it is used because the shape when viewed from above resembles a duck with bulges near the neck.

Civil Aviation Inspection Procedure ( CAIPs )

2008-11-02T21:26:00.012+08:00

CAIPs are now available here as a Soft Copy.

These are the Civil Aircraft Inspection Procedures (CAIPs) which are no longer published by the CAA.

Together with the new version CAAIPs, these are the most essential publications for your Part-66 studies. In Module 7 for example, these CAIPs will answer about 80% of the questions. They are essential reading material for Modules 2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13,14,15,16 and 17

CAIPs are not printed by the CAA any longer. They are technically obsolete for use in aircraft maintenance and have been replaced by the new CAAIPs, which are updated regularly and which are free to download from the CAA website (see below).

The electronic versions is in one indexed file, each page a high definition scan. You can print from the electronic versions or use to read from your screen. Each chapter is indexed.

This version of CAIPs is the last version to be produced by the CAA before they were withdrawn from print. They include the chapters, and sections of chapters which are omitted from other copies of CAIPs commercially available on the internet. They do not include very old chapters long since withdrawn by the CAA, and which are not used by the CAA examiners to select CAA questions. They also do not include the chapters on aircraft regulations - which have long since been obsolescent, and are replaced with updated versions in the new CAAIPs freely available (see the CAA website).

The CAIP is available to be downloaded here:

CAIP Part 1: http://www.ziddu.com/download/3250095/CAIPPartI.pdf.html

CAIP Part 2: http://www.ziddu.com/download/3250223/CAIPPartII.pdf.html

Sec-Gen Skips PAC Hearing On Eurocopter Deal - malaysiakini

2008-10-30T21:22:00.005+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 -- The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has put off its hearing on the Eurocopter deal after the Finance Ministry secretary-general did not turn up.

PAC chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said that Thursday's hearing was supposed to discuss the financial aspect of the helicopter purchase but in less than one hour, it had to be postponed because the ministry was only represented by a low-rank officer, namely the under-secretary.

"The person's position is high but not as high as the officer we want; we want the Finance Ministry secretary-general himself to be present.

"This is because as custodian in purchase transactions, finances and so on, the responsibility is on the Finance Ministry secretary-general. So, we postponed today's hearing to Monday, Nov 3," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

He said the PAC viewed the matter seriously because the helicopter purchase was a high-profile issue and required the top-level officer to be present to give explanation during which the officer may be assisted by his subordinates.

Asked whether the secretary-general gave any excuse for his failure to turn up, Azmi said the excuse given was not very convincing.

He said that on Monday, the PAC would also recall the Defence Ministry Technical Division because there were several issues that need to be answered by the people responsible.

He said that at this stage, the PAC saw no necessity to summon the prime minister or his deputy to give briefing regarding the purchase.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim called for the setting up of an independent commission to probe into the helicopter purchase.

Establishing the independent commission was the only transparent way in dealing with the issue, he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

Deferment Does Not Mean Cancellation, Says PAC Chairman - malaysiakini

2008-10-30T17:19:00.005+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 -- The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is going ahead with the meeting to scrutinise the proposed purchase of Eurocopter helicopters as the deal in still on the table.

PAC chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said the deferment of the purchase of 12 Eurocopter EC725 Cougar helicopters to replace the ageing Nuri aircraft did not mean that the government was cancelling the deal.

"It's a deferment... it's not a question of cancelling the deal. Deferment is not cancellation," said Azmi when asked on the rationale of the PAC meeting when the government had already announced that the deal had been put on hold.

Earlier the PAC received a briefing on the acquisition of the EC725 helicopters following outcry among certain quarters that the price was exorbitant.

Azmi said the briefing was organised by the Defence Ministry and attended by the ministry's Secretary-General Datuk Abu Bakar Abdullah and Royal Malaysian Air Force Chief Gen Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin.

"We do our part, which is within the framework of our duty as the PAC committee. We have everybody here together with opposition members.

"Today (the meeting) is on the technical side (of the deal); tomorrow, it's on the financial aspect. We will only get the overall picture after the briefings," he said.

Azmi said the tender process for the helicopter was still at an early stage.

"A letter of intent is just an intent. It's not even an order; it's only an intention to buy," he said, referring to the letter of intent which the Finance Ministry had issued to Eurocopter.

He said that the deal had not reached the price negotiation stage yet.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced on Tuesday that the government had put on hold the purchase of the helicopters at a cost of RM1.679 billion until the global economic situation stabilised.

Abdullah said that the government had to focus its attention on more important projects which would directly benefit the people.

The PAC meeting continues tomorrow.

AirAsia Offers Free Seats To Singapore - malaysiakini

2008-10-29T17:48:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 -- Asia's largest low-cost airline, AirAsia, is launching a free seat campaign to celebrate its newly added frequencies and services to Singapore from East and West Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

"We are thrilled to be adding frequencies and introducing new services to Singapore.Giving out free seats to our customers is the perfect way to share the excitement with them," Regional Head of Commercial AirAsia, Kathleen Tan said in a statement Tuesday.

To celebrate, the airline is giving away free seats to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Pekanbaru, Phuket and Bangkok.

Customers only have to bear the fuel surcharges, airport tax and admin cost.

The free seat promotion will commence on Oct 29-Nov 2 for the travel period of Dec 1, 2008-July 31, 2009.

"While other airlines are cutting back on routes, we are expanding and have the ability to service the underserved markets," she added.

This offer is available exclusively via online at AirAsia's website at www.airasia.com.

Petronas Deepavali 2008 Ads

2008-10-23T21:44:00.002+08:00

AirAsia Further Improves 5-Star Service Quality Upgrades On-Time Guarantee to 2 Hours - malaysiakini

2008-10-23T20:01:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, 23 October 2008 – At last a low cost carrier that can compete with full service airlines but still has low fares – AirAsia.

AirAsia, the leading and largest low cost carrier in Asia, adds another sparkle to its already 5-star service by enhancing its On-Time Guarantee, an innovative protection provided by the airline for guests who are affected by flight delays.

Beginning 1 November 2008, the AirAsia On-Time Guarantee cuts its waiting time from three to two hours, making guests affected by flight delays of more than two hours eligible to receive an e-gift voucher. Each e-gift voucher is worth RM200 and may be used to buy a seat on another AirAsia flight or redeemed for any AirAsia product or service.

Commenting on the upgraded On-Time Guarantee, AirAsia Group Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes said: “The gap between us and full-service airlines has narrowed from our first day and I dare say we are better than many of them. AirAsia no more has to play second fiddle. We have as good, if not better, service than many other airlines.”

The enhanced On-Time Guarantee is a benefit passed on to AirAsia guests as a result of the airline’s improved on-time performance for flights across its entire network. In just a matter of three months since the AirAsia On-Time Guarantee was launched in June this year, the number of AirAsia flights that were delayed by an hour or more has dropped from 3% in July and 4% in August to 2% in September. As a direct effect, AirAsia has seen its on-time performance for flight departures improving from 89% in July and 85% in August to 90% in September.

On-time performance of flights refers to the departure of flights within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure times. AirAsia is the only airline in the world that provides its guests an innovative protection like the On-Time Guarantee.

AirAsia flies an average of 12,000 flights every month on over 100 routes covering more than 60 destinations in South East Asia and China.

Tony said: “The enhancement of AirAsia’s On-Time Guarantee shows our commitment to deliver 5-star service to our guests. It also highlights our confidence in our ability to fly our guests on time without compromising safety and quality of service. As AirAsia grows, our guests’ expectations also grow, and we are determined to not only meet but surpass these expectations. The enhanced On-Time Guarantee is our commitment to our guests, who have enabled us to grow into the leading low-cost carrier in Asia Pacific.”

“With AirAsia, guests can enjoy low fares and at the same time experience 5-star service at an altitude of 30,000 feet. Now we can offer this enhanced On-Time Guarantee with our other 5-star offerings - brand new Airbus A320 aircraft with leather seats, fun and friendly cabin crew and ground staff, a vast array of food selections, largest number of destinations, highest flight frequencies to individual destinations, and a 5-star smile that allows us to challenge the best of premium airlines. There’s no reason for not flying with AirAsia, even as we embrace an economic slowdown,” he added.

“That the enhancement of our On-Time Guarantee is closely tied with our improved on-time performance for flights shows us in AirAsia that the more efficient we are, the more we can give back to our guests. I am confident that knowledge of this will drive all of us at AirAsia to strive for better efficiency in the airline while delivering superior quality service to our guests,” said Tony.

AirAsia has recently been ranked Top 5 among the most recognized and admired airline brands in the Asia-Pacific region in a survey conducted by leading market research company TNS. Notably, AirAsia was the only low-cost carrier to be listed among the ‘Top 10 Asia-Pacific Airlines’, which saw it coming ahead of other full-service, legacy carriers including Qantas and Malaysia Airlines.

AirAsia X Set To Take Delivery Of New Airbus A330 - REF MALAYSIAKINI

2008-10-21T21:04:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 - Friday, Oct 31 marks yet another significant milestone for AirAsia when its low-cost long-haul affiliate, AirAsia X takes delivery of the first brand new Airbus A330, which is expected to reduce the airlines fuel consumption and maintenance costs.

The handing over ceremony comes more than three weeks after AirAsia bade farewell to the final Boeing 737-300 aircraft on its Malaysian operations. The low-cost short-haul airline, has now switched to Airbus A320 fleet, which is expected to help the airline save through fuel efficiency.

A group of Malaysian journalists who are on this assignment, will return to Kuala Lumpur on this ferry flight (inaugural flight) on board the new A330-300 on the same day, after the official hand-over in Toulouse, France.

Toulouse, dubbed Ville Rose ("Pink City") because of its distinctive pink buildings, is the aircraft manufacturers headquarters.

AirAsia X, whose shareholders include the Virgin Group of U.K., is helmed by its 36-year old Chief Executive Officer Azran Osman-Rani, previously Senior Director of Business Development at private satellite TV operator Astro, with key team members, comprising young, driven and dynamic individuals, having a wealth of experience in the aviation industry.

"The new A330 will enable AirAsia X to dramatically reduce operation costs. With the new aircraft, we can reduce costs from 4.0 cents per available seat kilometre (ASK) to 3.5 cents per ASK, which is significantly lower than the cost of 7.5 to 8.0 cents per ASK on traditional carriers," Azran told a media briefing last week.

He said AirAsia X's A330 is tailor-made for its low-cost long-haul service. The aircraft features specifications "never before used on an aircraft of any other airline before. It features a pioneering global design that will lead to a whole new category of aircraft."

Its brand new A330 will feature leather seats onboard, with optional XL seats for extra comfort and luxury; set meals for dining at 30,000 feet in the air; comfort kits; and an advance seat request option, together with an all-new inflight entertainment system.

"An all-new aircraft fleet gives us a strong differentiation against airlines that operate aged aircraft. The new aircraft will lower our fuel consumption and maintenance costs and enable us to raise our efficiency level by up to 30 percent. The new aircraft is the main factor in changing the global aviation industry," said Azran.

AirAsia X, which complements AirAsia's current extensive route network, covers destinations between four and eight hours in flight duration from Kuala Lumpur.

The first Airbus A330 will be the first of a batch of new fleet of 25 aircraft AirAsia X has ordered from Airbus.

Both AirAsia and AirAsia X, are no frills carriers. AirAsia's Airbus A320 has a 180-seat capacity while the Airbus A330 has more than 330 seats. The long haul affiliate provides both economy and XL seats while AirAsia operates a single seater.

During the trip, the media will visit the final assembly line of the A330 aircraft in Toulouse.

France is home to four Airbus manufacturing sites, along with three final assembly lines and the company's headquarters. The manufacturing sites form the Centres of Excellence for aircraft nose sections, centre fuselages and engine pylons and nacelles.

Nearly 11,500 people are employed at sites in Toulouse, where the final assembly of all Airbus aircraft takes place except for the A318, A319 and A321 (which is performed in Germany).

A new final assembly line has been built especially for the A380. One of the largest construction jobs of its kind in the world, it is named after the late Jean-Luc Lagardere, who was co-chairman of Airbus' main shareholder, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS).

Final assembly of Airbus aircraft includes joining the forward, centre and aft fuselage sections, mating the wings to the fuselage, which is followed by the installation of the horizontal tail plane, fin, engine pylons, landing gear and engines.

Integration of the systems in the cockpit, plus system tests, also are carried out, including avionics, electrical, hydraulic, flight control, air conditioning, fuel tank pressurisation and landing gear.

Cabin furnishing for the wide body A330/A340 is carried out in Toulouse prior to final delivery.

At the Saint-Eloi area of Toulouse, engine pylons are manufactured, while at Blagnac, electrical assemblies are built, along with the repair, modification and preparation of spares for in-service aircraft.

As part of the Airbus Centre for Excellence for aircraft cabin and cargo customisation, Toulouse is responsible for the customer definition of cabins, design and painting. A mock-up centre is included in the resources at Toulouse.

Toulouse activities also include flight and ground testing of aircraft, as well as research, design and development.

One of the three major Airbus training centres is also based at Toulouse.

The other three are in Miami, Hamburg and Beijing.

Nearly 4,500 people are employed at Airbus' central entity in Toulouse, situated close to Toulouse-Blagnac International Airport.

Airbus has 16 sites in France, Germany, Spain and the UK, and fully owned subsidiaries in the US, China, Japan and the Middle East. Spare parts centres are located in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Washington, Beijing and Singapore.

MAS Aims To Cut Down RM1 Billion In Costs By Year-End - REF MALAYSIAKINI

2008-10-20T22:25:00.003+08:00

PETALING JAYA, Oct 20 - Malaysia Airlines (MAS) aims to cut down RM1 billion in costs by year-end on the back of uncertainties in the global economy, managing director/chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Idris Jala, said Monday.

"We need to go for dynamic pricing in response to the changing operating and business environments in the way we price our fares, fuel surcharges and reduce capacity," he told reporters after unveiling the airline's new initiative -- All-Inclusive All Fares -- here today.

Idris said the airline had to reduce costs, particularly those that did not add value to customers' services.

"These include managing fuel hedging, fuel efficiency as well as maintenance and handling cost," he said.

He said for the past three years, MAS has managed to reduce costs by RM1.8 billion.

"For this year, up to now, we have already reduced nearly RM600 million of cost," he said.

Idris said MAS would continue its transformation and be innovative in order to survive and be resilient to face tougher economic environment through its Business Transformation Plan 2.

Citing its Everyday Low fares launched in May, he said, it managed to recover some of the costs, including fuel cost.

"We must be able to survive the difficulties. We want to be the Toyota of the airline industry," he said in analogy. Idris said the seats offered in the All-Inclusive Low Fares represented 30 percent of surplus seats which would otherwise be unsold through normal price.

"These provide the airline with the ability to recover some of the fuel costs which would otherwise be lost as the seats are perishable," he said.

The new MAS initiative offers lowest fares to destinations within Malaysia, Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) and Australia.

Besides the further 50-73 percent cut in fares for domestic and Asean destinations in Everyday Low Fares promotion, the customers would now know upfront the total amount they would have to pay for the low fares advertised including of taxes, surcharges and fees.

Over two million seats are available for travel period between Dec 11 2008 to July 31, 2009.

The sales starts today till Nov 9,2008.

On the new campaign, he said, it would help the airline in terms of load factor.

"As we slash our Everyday Low Fares, I think it will generate tremendous demand and will help in load factor," he said.

Idris said at the end of second quarter, load factor was at about 69 percent globally.

He said MAS has been reducing fuel surcharges according to route by route and flight to flight.

Commenting on the ability of government-linked companies (GLCs) to be resilient to external economic challenges, Idris said the GLCs Transformation Plan launched by the government has been successful.

"The plan is beginning to bear fruit," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today said that GLCs have performed well and managed to achieve their targeted Key Performance Indicators for the year despite uncertainties in the global economy.

AirAsia X Prefers Stansted Airport Due To Connectivity - REF MALAYSIAKINI

2008-10-14T21:12:00.004+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 - Malaysia's premier long haul, low cost carrier, AirAsia X is starting its flights to London next March and has stated a preference for using Stansted Airport due to good connectivity.

Its chief executive officer, Azran Osman-Rani said today that the airline was however still finalising operational details for the inaugural flight.

"We hope to announce this year the start of sales for the flight to London," he told reporters on the sidelines of the the 14th World Route Development Forum (Routes KL 2008) here.

Stansted Airport is located 56km north-east of London.

Azran also said that the global economic uncertainity had in no way affected AirAsia X's business operations and in fact, it had registered a higher customer demand.

"Operationally, things are going well," he added, while indicating that the airline did not anticipate any problem in securing financing for its new fleet of aircraft ordered.

He also said that the higher oil prices has not affected AirAsia X as much as others, as the new aircraft were fuel efficient.

He disclosed that AirAsia X would pick up the first of its 25 units of wide-bodied A330 aircraft, by the end of the month and receive another by the year's end. Three more aircraft would be delivered next year.

AirAsia X, which began operations in November 2007, currently flies to Australia's Gold Coast and Perth as well as Hangzhou in China.

The airline has stated it would launch flights to Melbourne next month.

ASEAN 'Open Sky' Policy To Benefit Aviation Sector, Travellers - ref malaysiakini

2008-10-13T21:12:00.002+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 - The Association of South-East Asian Nations' (Asean) open sky policy is set to benefit the sector as well as the travellers.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) managing director, Datuk Seri Bashir Ahmad, said Asean could not emulate the open sky agreement between the European Union and the US."Although we cannot emulate them, we can open up among ourselves on a consensus basis," he told reporters at the 14th World Route Development Forum (Routes KL 2008) here today.

The forum, hosted by MAHB, is attended by 2,500 delegates.Bashir said the Asean way would benefit the travellers.He said the bilateral air services agreement between Malaysia and Singapore has resulted in the growth in the traffic.

"When the government allows Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia Airways to fly here early this year, the market grew by 10 percent from 1.3 percent in 2006-2007," he said.

The Asean open sky policy will allow flights between capital cities in Asean without limitations.

UTeM Designs Wireless Computerised Helicopter Control System - REF MALAYSIAKINI

2008-10-10T17:39:00.002+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 - The Electrical Engineering Faculty of Universiti Teknikal Melaka (UTeM) has designed a computerised wireless helicopter control system using remote control.

"The helicopter control unit was developed using graphical user interface (GUI) and the Visual Basics software. GUI is connected using wireless camera to transfer the image directly for analysis," Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Datuk Prof Madya Dr Abu Bakar Mohd Diah said in statement here today.

The project named "Design and Implementation of Computerised Helicopter Control System" was developed by Nor Sarizan M. Youb, Alias Khamis, Hairol Nizam Mohd Shah, M. Herman Jamaluddin and Hyreil Anuar Kasdirin.

The GUI comprised a video display and helicopter control buttons while the wireless camera was placed under the body to capture images of areas covered.

Prof Abu Bakar said the control buttons next to the video display would be used to control the helicopter's movement whether to ascend, descend, move to the right or left.

The system's advantage was its ability to interact between man and machine from a distance making it essential for monitoring purposes.

"Applications that can be linked include security monitoring by enforcement authorities. It can also be useful in agriculture," he said.

The project won the silver medal at the 19th International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition (ITEX 2008) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) in May.

It would be representing UTeM at the British Invention Show (BIS 2008) in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom from Oct 15-18.

AirAsia AWARDED Best Asian Low-Cost Carrier - REF MALAYSIAKINI

2008-10-10T15:39:00.004+08:00

BANGKOK, 09 October 2008 – For the second time, AirAsia bagged the Best Asian Low-Cost Carrier award from Asia Pacific’s leading travel news publisher, TTG.

The Best Asian Low-Cost Carrier award went to AirAsia after industry stakeholders including travel agents, tour operators and destination management companies voted for the airline in a three-month poll conducted by TTG. AirAsia’s win in the TTG Travel Awards 2008 reflects the airline’s vast popularity in the travel industry. The airline won the same coveted award in 2005.

AirAsia received the award for being the low-cost airline “providing the best service, network and schedules; for being the most agent-friendly in terms of reservations, confirmations and for having the most professional sales and marketing teams in terms of innovative ideas, incentive programmes and servicing,” said TTG.

AirAsia Regional Head of Commercial, Ms. Kathleen Tan was present at the ceremony at the Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre, Central World, Bangkok to receive the award on behalf of the airline. Over 700 industry professionals attended the event.

AirAsia Regional Head of Commercial, Ms Kathleen Tan said, "We are extremely honoured to be named Best Asian Low Cost Carrier by TTG, and recognition of our low cost model by our industry peers. The aviation industry is going through turbulent times with uncertainties of where oil is heading. This is a period where airlines are consolidating, re-thinking strategies and deployment of route network. In AirAsia, we have placed a huge order of 175 Airbus 320s and 25 Airbus 330’s for AirAsia X and we believe there is a silver lining in every cloud and looking forward to have some exciting challenges ahead of us. Technology has changed the dynamics of air travel, consumers buying habits and patterns. With our low fares, we see more families, youths and even companies on incentives travel flying with AirAsia.”

“AirAsia has flown over 55 million guests and we are certain, our innovation through the internet has made travel booking seamless, fast and convenient to the new generation of travellers, thus accelerating travel demand and changing travel landscapes. The buzz in Asia was even more evident after the recent Beijing Olympics and AirAsia remains committed to make travel effortless with our low fares, allow more people to fly and connect more points to enhance our network and stimulate travel demand, especially for the leisure market. We hope to continue to raise our bars of service level and work closely to support our industry partners to boost travel demand and thank them for supporting AirAsia,” concluded Kathleen.

AirAsia Group flies to all ASEAN countries and to China and Australia. It operates an extensive network of over 106 routes and has six hubs – Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia; Bangkok in Thailand; and Jakarta and Bali in Indonesia.

About AirAsia

AirAsia, the leading and largest low-cost carrier in Asia, services the most extensive network in South East Asia with over 105 routes. Within the grasp of six years of operation, AirAsia has carried over 50 million passengers and grown its fleet from just two aircraft to 72. The airline today is proud to be a truly ASEAN airline with established operations based in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, servicing a network stretching across 11 ASEAN countries.

AirAsia was recognised as one of the Top 50 Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company Magazine and the winner of the prestigious Airline Strategy Award 2008 in the Finance Category.

AirAsia Eyes America, Europe And Africa - Ref Malaysiakini

2008-10-07T21:27:00.004+08:00

SEPANG, Oct 7 - Low cost carrier AirAsia is eyeing new routes in America, Europe and Africa following its success in establishing operations in 11 Asean countries.

AirAsia Group chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said the new routes plan was not an impossible feat and will be profitable for AirAsia in future considering the good passenger growth rate it has recorded in Asean countries such as Indonesia and Thailand.

He, however did not say when the plans will become a reality.

Asked on the passenger growth rate amid the slowdown in world economy, he said it would all depend on how many new planes AirAsia will receive next year.

"Next year, we expect to receive nine new Airbus planes," he told reporters after attending a farewell ceremony for AirAsia's remaining Boeing 737 which made its last flight from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah to the Low Cost Carrier Terminal here today.

He also said that AirAsia was in a strong position to capitalise on whatever the economic situation, adding that air travel will be in business as usual because people needed to travel and that the budget airlines offered the best options currently.

Fernandes refused to comment on the privatisation plans for AirAsia.

At the event today, he also paid tribute to Boeing, saying that AirAsia started off with two Boeing 737s which had rendered them a wonderful service, and got them where they are today.

Replacing the Boeing 737 for the more fuel efficient Airbus A320 is an important step for AirAsia's ongoing efforts to minimise its carbon footprint. In addition, the saving AirAsia makes on fuel consumption will be passed on as low fares to its customers, he added.

SIA, SilkAir Offer Up To 15 Flights Daily On Singapore-KL Route From December 1 - REF MALAYSIAKINI

2008-10-06T11:31:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, - Singapore Airlines (SIA) and SilkAir are offering up to 15 flights daily between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur from Dec 1.

"We have extended and strengthened our cooperation with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) by including our sister airline, SilkAir, in our ongoing code-sharing arrangement with MAS on the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route," said SIA executive vice-president (marketing and the regions) Huang Cheng Eng in a statement Monday.

SilkAir chief executive Chin Yau Seng said this was the first time SilkAir was flying to Kuala Lumpur and the airline is excited about the prospects for this new route.

SilkAir will commence twice daily flights between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur from Oct 26 while SIA will operate five daily flights. From Dec 1, both airlines will operate four flights each.

Together with MAS, the three carriers will offer up to 15 flights a day.

Boeing Consolidates Aviation Training Organizations Under the Alteon Name - Ref Malaysiakini

2008-10-06T10:56:00.003+08:00

SEATTLE, - The Boeing Company announced on Thursday it was combining Alteon, a wholly owned subsidiary, and existing training groups within Boeing Commercial Airplanes to form a new, unified training organisation.

The new training organization retains the Alteon name as a business unit within Boeing Commercial Aviation Services.

"The combined expertise of our Commercial Airplanes and Alteon teams will better serve our customers’ training needs by providing them with a more comprehensive suite of aviation training and flight services," said Lou Mancini, vice president and general manager of Commercial Aviation Services in a statement issued in Seattle yesterday. "This is yet another way that Boeing is helping to ensure our airline customers operate more efficiently."

The new organisation takes advantage of both Commercial Airplanes and Alteon resources to provide customers with a single integrated business that encompasses all development, deployment and delivery of aviation training and flight services.

It also supports both customers who need courseware and instructor-led training as well as those who need only to rent simulator time. In addition, for those customers who have invested in their own simulators, Alteon can provide Boeing data and hardware to operate the simulators as well as updates and upgrades.

"With the new organisation, we will be able to present a single face to the customer across our global network and a consistent level of excellence in aviation services," said Sherry Carbary, president of Alteon. "This consolidation reinforces our commitment to pursuing innovative solutions to meet our customers' needs by providing a comprehensive portfolio of capabilities in training and flight services delivered by our skilled and impassioned work force."

The new organization includes 1,400 training professionals. Alteon serves more than 400 customers around the world, delivering 330 training programs accepted by more than 100 regulatory authorities. It has more than 100 full-flight simulators in 20 locations on six continents.

AirAsia X Awarded Worlds Best New Airline 2008 - REF MALAYSIAKINI

2008-09-29T00:15:00.004+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, -- AirAsia X, the low-cost, long-haul affiliate of AirAsia, has made Malaysia proud after being named the winner of the "Best Newcomer" Award at the prestigious 2008 Budgie World Low Cost Airline Awards held last night at the London Queen Elizabeth II Centre.

AirAsia X, whose shareholders include the Virgin Group, was commended for its ground-breaking new business model and excellence in launching its services across Asia Pacific.

AirAsia X beat British Airways subsidiary airline, Open Skies, as well as Jin Air and K-Rabi, to the "Best Newcomer" accolade.

It also received the highest number of nominations among all entries. In total, AirAsia Group was shortlisted in four categories, including "Best Low Cost Airline", "Best Low Cost Airline: Asia Pacific" and "CEO of the Year".

Since its inaugural flight to Australia's Gold Coast in November 2007, AirAsia X has announced daily flights to Hangzhou, China, Melbourne and Perth, with plans to launch services to London as early as next year.

At the ceremony to receive the award, Azran Osman-Rani, CEO AirAsia X, said: "It is a great honour for us to receive this award and be in the same peer group with other winners such as Southwest Airlines, EasyJet and Virgin Blue.

"The recognition of our pioneering model proves that Malaysian companies can succeed in the global marketplace. Were proud to keep the Jalur Gemilang flying high," he said in a statement from London to Bernama Friday.

Azran said despite tough market conditions in 2008, AirAsia X has provided its guests with lowest fares to long-haul destinations many have never had the opportunity to travel before, alongside an enhanced travel experience, including comfortable leather seats and a newly launched "5 star" menu.

"The result has been tremendous and we have already recorded load factors of over 300,000 passengers since inception," he said.

Present was Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group CEO and founder of AirAsia X. The Budgie World Low Cost Airline Awards recognises leaders, innovators and pioneers in the global low-cost aviation industry.

This years awards were judged by renowned industry consultants including John Hanlon, secretary-general of European Low Fare Airline Association, John Strickland, CEO of JLS Consulting, Jay Sorensen, CEO of IdeaWorks and Peter Harbison, Executive Director of Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.

Skypark Subang Terminal To Sport An Awe-inspiring New Design - REF MALAYSIAKINI

2008-09-25T18:07:00.002+08:00

Skypark Subang Terminal, will be a new dominating landmark at the refurbished Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah airport, with its awe-inspiring design.

The design accentuates the airport as a modern and contemporary icon under an urban rejuvenation programme.

The overall goal is to transform the airport through design intervention and make it a vibrant destination for travellers.

"Changes in social conventions and the higher demands of discerning travellers, provided the new dimensions for SkyPark Subang Terminal which is being refurbished at RM40 million," said Subang SkyPark Sdn Bhd's chief operating officer, Janardhanan Gopala Krishnan in a statement today.

He said the refurbishment is geared to cater to an initial 2.5 million passenger traffic anticipated in 2009.

"We are working closely with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd to meet passenger expectations and delights. It will be an airport with a difference," Janardhanan said.

The full refurbishment works of SkyPark Subang Terminal is set to be completed by November this year.

Firefly Aims To Become Profitable Next Year

2008-09-21T17:39:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 -- Community airline, Firefly, aims to become profitable by the next financial year ending Dec 31, 2009, its managing director Eddy Leong said Friday.

He said Firefly's new generation turboprop aircraft would help it save cost, increase seat capacity and help it turn around in the long run.

"Firefly is also targeting 1.5 million passengers next year," he told reporters at the company's buka puasa here Friday.

Leong said the airline has taken delivery of two aircraft and expected another three this year with five more in 2009.

He said the ten new-generation turboprop aircraft cost the company US$186 million (US$1=RM3.42).

Leong said the airline, which faced trying times this year, had no plan to revamp its fare structure.

"We have been maintaining the same fare structure even with the recent fuel increase. There is no need for drastic changes," he said.

He said even with the higher fuel prices, people still preferred travelling by air.

Leong said Firefly would also be adding new routes -- between Subang-Johor Baharu, Subang-Pekan Baru, Subang-Medan, and Subang-Koh Samui -- effective Oct 26.

How to book your tickets:
1. Via its website www.fireflyz.com.my
2. Via its call center at +603 7845 4543 (opens daily 8 am - 9 pm)
3. Via Penang Sales Office
4. Via appointed Malaysia Airlines Ticketing Offices in KLIA and KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu and Kuantan
5. Via appointed Airline Marketing Representatives in Phuket and Koh Samui
6. Via any travel agents registered with Firefly

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Airplane Parts Definition And Function ( Part 3 ) - Wing Geometry Defination

2008-09-21T14:41:00.007+08:00

This slide gives technical definitions of a wing's geometry, which is one of the chief factors affecting airplane lift and drag. Actual aircraft wings are complex three-dimensional objects, but we will start with some simple definitions. The figure shows the wing viewed from three directions; the upper left shows the view from the top looking down on the wing, the lower right shows the view from the front looking at the wing leading edge, and the lower left shows a side view from the left looking in towards the centerline. The side view shows an airfoil shape with the leading edge to the left.

Top View

The top view shows a simple wing geometry, like that found on a light general aviation aircraft. The front of the wing (at the bottom) is called the leading edge; the back of the wing (at the top) is called the trailing edge. The distance from the leading edge to the trailing edge is called the chord, denoted by the symbol c. The ends of the wing are called the wing tips, and the distance from one wing tip to the other is called the span, given the symbol s. The shape of the wing, when viewed from above looking down onto the wing, is called a planform. In this figure, the planform is a rectangle. For a rectangular wing, the chord length at every location along the span is the same. For most other planforms, the chord length varies along the span. The wing area, A, is the projected area of the planform and is bounded by the leading and trailing edges and the wing tips. Note: The wing area is NOT the total surface area of the wing. The total surface area includes both upper and lower surfaces. The wing area is a projected area and is almost half of the total surface area.

Aspect ratio is a measure of how long and slender a wing is from tip to tip. The Aspect Ratio of a wing is defined to be the square of the span divided by the wing area and is given the symbol AR. For a rectangular wing, this reduces to the ratio of the span to the chord length as shown at the upper right of the figure.

AR = s^2 / A = s^2 / (s * c) = s / c

High aspect ratio wings have long spans (like high performance gliders), while low aspect ratio wings have either short spans (like the F-16 fighter) or thick chords (like the Space Shuttle). There is a component of the drag of an aircraft called induced drag which depends inversely on the aspect ratio. A higher aspect ratio wing has a lower drag and a slightly higher lift than a lower aspect ratio wing. Because the glide angle of a glider depends on the ratio of the lift to the drag, a glider is usually designed with a very high aspect ratio. The Space Shuttle has a low aspect ratio because of high speed effects, and therefore is a very poor glider. The F-14 and F-111 have the best of both worlds. They can change the aspect ratio in flight by pivoting the wings--large span for low speed, small span for high speed.

Front View

The front view of this wing shows that the left and right wing do not lie in the same plane but meet at an angle. The angle that the wing makes with the local horizontal is called the dihedral angle. Dihedral is added to the wings for roll stability; a wing with some dihedral will naturally return to its original position if it encounters a slight roll displacement. You may have noticed that most large airliner wings are designed with diherdral. The wing tips are farther off the ground than the wing root. Highly maneuverable fighter planes, on the other hand do not have dihedral. In fact, some fighter aircraft have the wing tips lower than the roots giving the aircraft a high roll rate. A negative dihedral angle is called anhedral . Historical Note: The Wright brothers designed their 1903 flyer with a slight anhedral to enhance the aircraft roll performance.

Side View

A cut through the wing perpendicular to the leading and trailing edges will show the cross-section of the wing. This side view is called an airfoil, and it has some geometry definitions of its own as shown at the lower left. The straight line drawn from the leading to trailing edges of the airfoil is called the chord line. The chord line cuts the airfoil into an upper surface and a lower surface. If we plot the points that lie halfway between the upper and lower surfaces, we obtain a curve called the mean camber line. For a symmetric airfoil (upper surface the same shape as the lower surface) the mean camber line will fall on top of the chord line. But in most cases, these are two separate lines. The maximum distance between the two lines is called the camber, which is a measure of the curvature of the airfoil (high camber means high curvature). The maximum distance between the upper and lower surfaces is called the thickness. Often you will see these values divided by the chord length to produce a non-dimensional or "percent" type of number. Airfoils can come with all kinds of combinations of camber and thickness distributions.

World Aviation Academy Malaysia

2008-09-17T16:22:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 17 -- Kuwaits Al-Aqeelah Group will be investing US$400-500 million over a period of time to set up an international aviation school, World Aviation Academy, in Malaysia in response to the growing demand for industry personnel.

Through its aviation arm, Aqeeq Aviation Holding, the group will initially put in US$100 million to jumpstart the academy which will train those involved in almost every aspect of the industry, from pilots to technicians and crew.

Aqeeq Aviation president and chief executive officer, Captain Abdullah Bastaki told Bernama that by 2020, the requirement for both civil and military pilots will exceed 300,000 personnels and that did not even include the technicians, cabin crew, or even air traffic controllers.

"The growth is hitting all sides. The academy is a necessity for the aviation industry today," he said in an interview here, recently.

More importantly, Abdullah said the academy would serve the needs of the middle eastern countries, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as well as this region.

"All these regions are thirsty for a proper and well established (aviation) education. It is different from than just taking a license. Now the aviation language is in English, which is standard and mandatory. Malaysians have a good command of the English language, which really brings it in line with the aviation industry requirement today," he said.

He added that they were also looking to produce more number of students, about 1,000 personnel yearly, with the help of state-of-the-art training technology such as the latest simulators and equipments. There will be less emphasis on using aircrafts which are subjected to unavoidable factors like weather, he added.

The group is in the midst of scouting for the perfect location to set up the academy and has identified several locations including Senai in Johor, Kuantan in Pahang and Batu Berendam, Melaka.

Abdullah said when the time is right, the aviation group intends to upgrade the academy into a university where they might outsource an existing aviation university to be the operator instead of starting from scratch.

"When we are ready, we will discuss with the Ministry of Higher Education to get the approval. But I don't see that (getting university status) as more than two-three years after we start. By then, we should be ready to give a university education in the academy and we are looking (to tie-up with) those from North America and Europe," he said.

Abdullah stressed that it will be also necessary for trainees to not only learn the technical side of the industry but also the management and financial aspects of it.

The courses offered at the university would see the students getting an aviation degree, and they would be also given special courses which will cover the areas of running an airline "It will be a mix of the financial, operational and technical parts," he said.

According to Abdullah, the academy will be the group's biggest project by far and expect it to contribute significantly over a period of time.

"Now the group owns four airlines, and we are also running an airport in Iraq. But by comparison, the academy supercedes all the others. It is the jewel in the crown. The academy can contribute more than 80 percent to the group in the next five years," he said.

In addition to the academy, Aqeeq Aviation would also be setting up a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Centre and a Completion Centre in the vicinity.

In likening the academy and these centres to a medical school and its affiliate hospital, Abdullah said the centre would serve as training ground for technicians besides being open for business.

"With the delay in aircraft orders, people tend to keep old airplanes. And once it passes five years, you need a lot of maintenance for it. So the MRO is a good business as it will attract aircrafts here, but at the same time, you will educate technicians," he said.

The MRO market today is estimated at US$58 billion, and is expected to grow US$60-70 billion in the next five to 10 years. Abdullah said the good thing about aviation was that the market was not dependent on the local business. If a plane from US makes a stop over in Malaysia, the aircraft can have its MRO done here, he pointed out.

"We are also adding a Completion Centre, something which we already started in Oman. We will bring used airplanes and convert them into an executive VIP aircraft.

"We found that in order to get a new aircraft these days, the waiting is six to seven years sometimes, and the minimum payment US$40-200 million. If you refurbish a used aircraft, within six months to a year you can get a complete executive airplane which can be used in a much shorter time," he said.

Abdullah said Aqeeq Aviation was also looking at partnering or acquiring local aviation academies and small MRO businesses in order to strengthen the academy's operation and make it uniquely Malaysian.

"Even for the simulator software firms, they can come in together with us and build up the academy so that it will be built by existing Malaysian industry personnel and services. We are looking at acquisitions or participation from them, and this can reduce the lead time required to start the academy to within just a year," he said.

"We are looking at partners who are not just purely investing, but can contribute to the business," he said.

He added that the group has identified its partners from Kuwait who can bring added value to the project. "We insist to have well-known international partners, like people who are in the equipment business, or in the training business, people who can do other part of aviation training like air traffic control."

At the same interview, Captain Lars Mydland, a partner and consultant in the academy said history showed that the current high-priced fuel issue clouding the aviation industry was temporary.

"If you look from 1972 until now, we have lots of crisis, such as oil crisis and September 11. But, if you look, it has been a continuous expansion (for the aviation industry) from 1972 until now. The industry is very quickly adapting and based on what has been put in order, the industry needs qualified personnel," he said.

EASA Examination Services

2008-09-14T05:50:00.001+08:00

CAA International offer JAR FCL & Part 66 exams from our UKCAA question banks, to aviation authorities and to candidates direct worldwide.

Examination Services

CAA International provides exam centres in global venues enabling candidates to sit JAR FCL and EASA Part 66 exams which will credit towards a UK CAA/EASA licence in conjunction with UK CAA approved training where required.

We have access to extensive question banks, which are continuously updated to ensure a vast databank of questions. This not only meets the demand from industry, but also produces well motivated, professional, and above all, safe pilots and engineers graduating with the well-recognised training standards associated with JAR-FCL and EASA Part 66.

Malaysia Venue

Our Malaysian venue is available from December 2008. The centre is based at the British Council offices and will offer identical exams to those sat in the UK following the UK exam timetable.

Kuala Lumpur Centre
British Council
Ground Floor, West Block
Wisma Selangor Dredging
142C Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Telephone +60 (0)3 2723 7900

Car Park

There is a car park in Wisma Selangor Dredging and an open air parking area between Wisma Selangor Dredging and Hotel Maya.

Plan your Bus Route

RapidKL – 105, 106
Metrobus – 28, 78, 79

(Alight at the bus stop located right in front of Wisma Selangor Dredging or Bangunan Angkasaraya).

Nearest LRT Station

Kuala Lumpur centre is just a 5-minute walk from Bukit Nanas

How to find our Kuala Lumpur Venue

Downloadable Examination Timetable

Candidates that have already booked exams in the UK may transfer to the Malaysian venue.

Kuala Lumpur Prices

Part 66 engineering exam - £67 per paper

JAR FCL ATPL exam - £91 per paper

Application forms

Please complete an application form and payment form as appropriate and fax the form to +44 (0) 1293 573992.

Examination services to Departments of Civil Aviation

CAA International also offers an exams service to Departments of Civil Aviation who need to issue their own professional licenses and ratings but don’t have the required resources or expertise to develop their own question bank and exams system.

The task of developing a national flight crew licensing system can be both costly and time consuming. The examination service offered by CAA International is designed to assist states with the operation of their own national licensing system, removing the need for pilots and engineers to rely on foreign licences. Contact us for further information.

Email: exams@caainternational.com

MAS Wings Twin otter crashed in Ba kelalan

2008-09-14T05:22:00.001+08:00

MIRI: A light passenger aircraft crashed after overshooting the runway while landing at the Ba?Kelalan airport, about 120 miles east of here, on Saturday. All 14 people onboard are safe.

The DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, belonging to Malaysia Airlines? subsidiary MASWings, crashed at the end of the runway at the short take-off and landing airport (STOLport) as it came in to land at 9.34am, said Ba?Kelalan state assemblyman Nelson Balang Rining who was briefed by officers of the Lawas Department of Civil Aviation.

The pilot, co-pilot and all 12 passengers were unhurt in the incident, which badly damaged the aircraft, he said when contacted by Bernama.

Nelson, who is now in Lawas, said the weather was ?considerably fine? when the aircraft took off from Lawas STOLport at 8.45am.

In KUCHING, MASWings managing director Dr Amin Khan, when contacted by Bernama, said the aircraft, on a Miri-Lawas-Ba?Kelalan flight, skidded about 10 metres from the runway.

?There were no casualties or serious injury. It is the standard procedure to ensure flight safety. We took all the safety measures,? he said.

He said an investigation would be made on the cause of the accident and that MASWings engineers based in Miri would be flown to Ba?Kelalan to assist in the probe.

Dr Amin said the accident did not affect MASWings schedule of flights and that the runway at Ba?Kelalan airport remained open.

MASWings makes three flights a week to BA?Kelalan, which is reached easily by air. The land route requires the use of a timber track from Lawas town.

The 19-seater Twin Otter aircraft was one of the five operated by MASWings for its rural air services (RAS) in Sarawak.

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Turbine Engines ( Part 1 )

2008-09-11T17:23:00.001+08:00

To move an airplane through the air, we have to use some kind of propulsion system to generate thrust. The most widely used form of propulsion system for modern aircraft is the gas turbine engine. Turbine engines come in a variety of forms.

This page shows computer drawings of four different variations of a gas turbine or jet engine. While each of the engines are different, they share some parts in common. Each of these engines have a combustion section (red), a compressor (cyan), a turbine (magenta) and an inlet and a nozzle (grey). The compressor, burner, and turbine are called the core of the engine, since all gas turbines have these components. The core is also referred to as the gas generator since the output of the core is hot exhaust gas. The gas is passed through a nozzle to produce thrust for the turbojet, while it is used to drive the turbine (green) of the turbofan and turboprop engines. Because the compressor and turbine are linked by the central shaft and rotate together, this group of parts is called the turbomachinery. The operation of the turbojet, afterburning turbojet, turbofan, and turboprop engines are described on separate pages.

Because of their high power output and high thermal efficiency, gas turbine engines are also used in a wide variety of applications not related to aeronautics. Connecting the main shaft of the engine to an electro-magnet will generate electrical power. Gas turbines can also be used to power ships, trucks and military tanks. In these applications, the main shaft is connected to a gear box (much like the turboprop) and the resulting power plant is called a turboshaft engine. In the late 1960's, turboshaft powered race cars competed at the Indy 500.

You can explore the design and operation of different turbine engine by using the interactive EngineSim Java applet. You can select the engine type and vary any of the parameters which affect thrust and fuel flow.

Airplane Parts Definition And Function ( Part 2 )

2008-09-11T17:01:00.002+08:00

Airplanes are transportation devices which are designed to move people and cargo from one place to another. Airplanes come in many different shapes and sizes depending on the mission of the aircraft. The airplane shown on this slide is a turbine-powered airliner which has been chosen as a representative aircraft.

The fuselage, or body of the airplane, is a long hollow tube which holds all the pieces of an airplane together. The fuselage is hollow to reduce weight. As with most other parts of the airplane, the shape of the fuselage is normally determined by the mission of the aircraft. A supersonic fighter plane has a very slender, streamlined fuselage to reduce the drag associated with high speed flight. An airliner has a wider fuselage to carry the maximum number of passengers. On an airliner, the pilots sit in a cockpit at the front of the fuselage. Passengers and cargo are carried in the rear of the fuselage and the fuel is usually stored in the wings. For a fighter plane, the cockpit is normally on top of the fuselage, weapons are carried on the wings, and the engines and fuel are placed at the rear of the fuselage.

The weight of an aircraft is distributed all along the aircraft. The fuselage, along with the passengers and cargo, contribute a significant portion of the weight of an aircraft. The center of gravity of the aircraft is the average location of the weight and it is usually located inside the fuselage. In flight, the aircraft rotates around the center of gravity because of torques generated by the elevator, rudder, and ailerons. The fuselage must be designed with enough strength to withstand these torques.