ARTICLES
An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight A first division by design among aircraft is between lighter-than-air, aerostat, and heavier-than-air aircraft, aerodyne. Examples of lighter-than-air aircraft include non-steerable balloons, such as hot air balloons and gas balloons, and steerable airships (sometimes called dirigible balloons) such as blimps (that have non-rigid construction) and rigid airships that have an internal frame.
In heavier-than-air aircraft, there are two ways to produce lift: aerodynamic lift and engine lift.
In the case of aerodynamic lift, the aircraft is kept in the air by wings or rotors (see aerodynamics).
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Atmospheric Scientists Develop Experimental Ice Forecasting Tool Atmospheric Scientists recently improved the ability to forecast icy conditions at altitudes used by regional airliners. Using graphical displays and advanced weather prediction models, they can now quantify the safety risks by guiding aircraft away from areas where icing is likely to occur. The improved analysis differentiates between conditions where icing should be light and where it should be heavy
Of all the dangers weather can pose to an aircraft, ice is often considered the worst. For three decades, the National Transportation Safety Board has repeatedly called icing a threat to air safety. Now there's a new technology that could save travel time, money, and lives.
Even with the most up-to-date weather information, commuter and small aircraft pilots are vulnerable to ice build-up on the wings.Learn More
European carriers urge EU action to stem 2012 losses
The Assn. of European Airlines (AEA) predicts its member airlines will post a € 1 billion ($1.3 billion) to €2 billion EBIT loss for 2012 and is urging European institutions and the EU's 27 member states to take concrete action to improve this outlook.
AEA's 2012 forecast follows IATA's forecast last week that European airlines will fall to a $4.4 billion loss in 2012 if governments fail to resolve the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis ATW Daily News, Dec. 8.
'There is one certainty for 2012: it will not be an easy ride for European airlines. The prospect of high external costs and depressed demand is not a good combination,'said AEA secretary general Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus, noting that even the negative outlook for Europe's network carriers 'is heavily dependent on a swift and effective political solution to the sovereign debt crisis.'
AEA's 35 airline members made significant progress in cutting their internal costs and streamlining operations to offer 'extremely competitive' products, but soaring external costs--such as fuel and taxation--continue to hamper industry profitability, he said.
Saudi's Riyadh airport to triple in size over 5 yrs
Saudi Arabia plans to expand its capital's airport three-fold in size within the next five years, a senior civil aviation official said on Monday, as passenger traffic rises rapidly.
The Riyadh airport is one of 27 in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia's airport traffic has reached 50 million passengers
European carriers urge EU action to stem 2012 losses
The Assn. of European Airlines (AEA) predicts its member airlines will post a € 1 billion ($1.3 billion) to €2 billion EBIT loss for 2012 and is urging European institutions and the EU's 27 member states to take concrete action to improve this outlook.
AEA's 2012 forecast follows IATA's forecast last week that European airlines will fall to a $4.4 billion loss in 2012 if governments fail to resolve the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis ATW Daily News, Dec. 8.
'There is one certainty for 2012: it will not be an easy ride for European airlines. The prospect of high external costs and depressed demand is not a good combination,'said AEA secretary general Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus, noting that even the negative outlook for Europe's network carriers 'is heavily dependent on a swift and effective political solution to the sovereign debt crisis.'
.TSA To Deploy AIT Units To 16 Additional Airports
TSA Monday announced 16 airports that are set to receive recently purchased millimeter wave Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) units. The machines will be deployed with new automated target recognition (ATR)
No agreement on aviation emissions at COP17
No agreement was reached on how to deal with carbon dioxide emissions from aviation and shipping at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that concluded Sunday in Durban, South Africa.
The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17), which ran from Nov. 28-Dec. 9, discussed progress on key issues dealing with climate change--including extending the Koyoto Protocol--but failed to reach an agreement
Protest against Kerala's 5th airport project
As protests against the setting up of a private airport at Aranmula in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district go on, promoters of the greenfield project have dismissed the allegation of land grab and said vested interests are behind the controversy. Since last week, people living around the site of Kerala's fifth airport are protesting against a notification issued by the state industries department declaring 500 acres of land spread across the Mallappuzhasserry, Kidangannur and Aranmula villages as an industrial area.