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Aviation News & Opinion

01 April 2006 cfidarren.com announces new features of the website to be loaded this summer for the June update. New features include audio & video podcasts featuring a monthly aviation news podcast(audio), video clips from aviation ground schools, and audio safety seminars. All the new audio visual content can be downloaded for viewing on devices as simple as an MP3 player, the Apple iPod, and your laptop.

19 March 2006 Another airplane ticket tax? Unbelievable but some european airlines are adding an HIV tax on tickets purchased there. From $1 to $50 will be directed towards HIV relief in developing countries. The leader? France who will implement it first this coming July.

03 March 2006 Morgan Freeman busted altitude. The FAA wanted to give him a 90-day suspension for it. He argued with the help of a lawyer that it was too long of a suspension. "...its important to keep current. Too much time off from flying is not good. So I did my 45 days when I was working [on a film] and I couldn't fly anyway." I wondered isn't 45 days too long also?

28 February 2006 The aircraft you'll never be able to fly will be turned over to the USAF in a special ceremony tomorrow. Its the first of 50 combat ready Bell/Boeing CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.

20 February 2006 Are you on the list? There are 325,000 terrorists on the list. One of them a four year old boy. One thing is guaranteed, if you're on the list, you are subject to the domestic spying program. You wont be able to fly. When you buy a car a report is made in your honor. A white house official reports that only a small fraction of those names on the list are US citizens and most are not within the USA. That should be of some small comfort.

03 February 2006 One of the most successful airlines in the world is posting huge 2005 losses and will most likely report losses for 2006. Information at http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2006/dot018_06/html/dot018_06.html shows them with poor on-time stats. Browse their list and see who is about to stumble.   Check out the interesting story about them here http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticleSearch.aspx?storyID=298238+02-Feb-2006+RTRS&srch=jetblue for a perspective on all their failings as an airline.

01 February 2006 cfidarren.com announces new features of the website for the April update. Included in the next major update is a slightly new look, a "Best Bets" list for the best of cfidarren.com, a guestbook of reader comments, and online courses. The most exciting part of the website is the new onlineBFR which allows students to get a refresher on Part 91, the special emphasis areas, and techniques to prevent the most common aviation accidents. The feature can be accessed through the Login page. Under development is the onlineIPC.

01 February 2006 Northwest airlines has 8,952 flight attendants. They are looking for $1.4 billion in wage and benefit cuts. Mix the two together and you have the makings of a great outsourcing project. Voila. Northwest announces tomorrow that they will hire 800 foreign flight attendants to beef up the ranks on international flights which will save about $20 million annually. This will have a huge effect on NWA's operating costs for those already profitable flights.

28 January 2006 The crap is hitting the fan for air traffic controllers. First they outsourced the FSS function. Now they're renegotiating contracts for FAA employees in the air traffic organization. FAA Administrator Blakey states, "We cannot afford an agreement like 1998 that saddled the FAA with excessive costs, archaic work rules, and restrictions on our ability to modernize the system." and goes on to say, "...the stakes for taxpayers in these negotiations couldn't be higher. Under the 1998 agreement, base salaries for controllers have soared by 75 percent - from $64k in 1998 to $113k in 2005... average cash compensation now exceeds $128k with a total compensation (including benefits) of $165k a year." For the controller's perspective, visit the National Air Traffic Controller's Association website.

27 January 2006 Robinson Helicopters made 805 helicopters in 2005 and declared it was a very good year. Bell Helicopters sold 780 helicopters in 2005. Cessna sold 822 single engine piston aircraft, introduced the G1000 certified option, and sold the 6000th single engine aircraft since restarting production in 1996.

26 January 2006 Boeing has finished design on a 737-900ER aircraft which breathes new life in the aging 737 family. Lion Air from Indonesia will be the first customer with a 30 airplane order.

25 January 2006 China will surely become the worlds next superpower and a threat to American sovereignty. China has been rumoured to have purchased an old Russian aircraft carrier and is rebuilding it as you read this. Civil & military aviation has ramped up in China with the opening of several flight training schools. Expect a very large airforce in the coming years with the ability to reach North American shores.

19 January 2006 Hawaiian Helicopter Tour Pilot Glen Lampton crash a Eurocopter AS350 during heavy rain on September 23. The crash resulted in three deaths and two survivors including the pilot. Hawaii decided to charge him with manslaughter with a trial set for July 26th. Its a dangerous precedent in that its the first time an aviator is charged criminally for doing his job.

16 January 2006 Robinson manufactures its 4000th R22 helicopter for a flight school in Australia. The R22 was developed in 1975 and type certificated in 1979.

1 January 2006 Welcome to a new year. Who's on the list of new airline bankruptcies?   Who'd fail this year. My prediction is that JetBlue will see rougher times. Evidence of this can be found in their very public maintenance failures. One such incident had aircraft landing with the nose gear going the wrong way. A surprise of the season will be Northwest, the sleeping giant with profitable asian routes. With mounting labour discord, increased domestic pressure, and mounting fuel costs with the pending Iran war, Northwest will see blood red. Look for both to post huge losses in the future.

1 January 2006 Happy New Year. This website celebrates its 4th year in operation. Devoted to providing free information to students & instructors, this website has exceeded 100,000 hits. Thank you for making this website a success. cfidarren.com announces new features to the website including a feedback form on most content pages, an about this website page that provides technical details about the website design, and a revised student login area to retrieve student training plans & access paid content. Coming soon is an aviation quotes page that provides some of the best quotes about what we do.

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