Honoring National Guard unit before deployment Bookmark and Share

GREENSBORO — A few weeks from now, troops from C Company, 1-131st Aviation will be saying goodbye to their loved ones.

The National Guard unit, based in Salisbury, is deploying to Iraq.

Saturday, about 400 family members and friends gathered at the Koury Convention Center for a ceremony honoring C Company.

To tunes from the 440th Army Band, C Company marched in.

Their loved ones applauded and cheered.

The deployment ceremony was a chance for them to honor the 84 servicemembers before they leave for Fort Hood, Texas, in the coming days for final training.

C Company’s UH-60 “Blackhawk” helicopters fly air assault, transport and medical evacuation missions to support troops on the ground.

Brig. Gen. James Gorham, speaking on behalf of the state adjutant general, told the troops they were “the best Blackhawk aviators in the U.S. Army.”

And he praised their dedication.

“Lord knows you’re not getting rich doing this job,” Gorham said.

“You joined out of a sense of duty, to be part of something bigger than yourselves.”

He presented Capt. Darrell Scoggins, commander of C Company, with a North Carolina flag to fly over the unit’s base in Iraq.

In accordance with tradition, Scoggins will return the flag when his soldiers come home once more.

Addressing the troops, Scoggins said he was proud of their training and accomplishments.

“What we do in aviation is both an exciting and a dangerous job,” Scoggins said.

“I am fully committed to the safe return of each and every one in this unit.”

Also present was N.C. Secretary of Crime Control and Public Safety Reuben Young.

He brought greetings from Gov. Bev Perdue.

As the state’s homeland security coordinator, he thanked the soliders and wished them well.

“And we will be praying both for your successful mission and your safe return,” Young said.

C Company’s call sign is the Killdevils, after North Carolina’s Kill Devil Hills where the Wright brothers flew the first airplane.

During the unit’s last deployment, from October 2004 until January 2006, the Killdevils captured more insurgents and enemy munitions than any other aviation company.

As Staff Sgt. Mark Jackson sang Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” family members in the audience wiped their eyes. When he reached the line in the song, “and I’ll gladly stand up next to you, and defend her still today,” the soldiers of C Company stood as one.

Holding her two boys — Will, 4, and Caelan, 3 — Tricia Schmit of Albemarle looked brave as she stood to leave after the ceremony.

Steve Helmandollar, their father, is a Blackhawk pilot.

Schmit, the boys and his daughter, 15-year-old Grey Helmandollar, are trying to be positive.

“I kind of understand a little bit more than I did when I was younger,” Grey said.

“We’re just trying to get ready,” Schmit said.

After the ceremony, Scoggins said one of his biggest concerns is making sure family members have all of the information and support they need.

“I want to be sure that’s happening,” he said.

Part of that process unfolded before Saturday’s ceremony.

Spouses and family members of the troops attended the first Yellow Ribbon program meeting.

They learned about insurance benefits, setting up powers of attorney and other steps they should take before their loved ones deploy.

Donna Gosney, leader of the Family Readiness Group, said she wanted to be sure family members were ready.

This will be his second deployment overseas.

Gosney helps coordinate the unit’s phone support tree.

“Once a month, they will call to do what we call a ‘well check,’” Gosney said.

They’ll make sure that the troops’ families have everything they need.

If the stress gets to be too much, Gosney said counseling and support services are available.

She will also be working with members of the community to gather donations for the troops.

But Gosney, too, is the spouse of a soldier.

Her husband, Sgt. First Class Leo Gosney, is a member of C Company.

The hardest part for her, she said, is not knowing her husband is out of danger.

“I will miss him, but I’m here where it’s safe,” Gosney said.

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AAR Receives $27 Million Order for Specialized Shelters

AAR (NYSE: AIR) announced today that it has received a $27 million order for specialized shelters to be used for the U.S. Army's Standard Automotive Tool Set (SATS) program. To date, AAR has delivered more than 2,000 of these specialized shelters as part of a 10-year ID/IQ contract.

"We have a successful track record of providing versatile mobility solutions and are grateful for the opportunity to support the U.S. Army's SATS program," said Timothy J. Romenesko, President and Chief Operating Officer of AAR CORP. "We take pride in knowing that our products are used to improve efficiencies and facilitate field repairs in support of U.S. Army Combat Service and other national priorities that require specialized and durable mobility products."

AAR Mobility Systems designs and manufactures specialized rapid deployment equipment and mobile tactical shelters used to mobilize, deploy and sustain forces.

AAR is a leading provider of products and value-added services to the worldwide aerospace and government and defense industries.  With facilities and sales locations around the world, AAR uses its close-to-the-customer business model to serve aviation and government and defense customers through four operating segments: Aviation Supply Chain; Government and Defense Services; Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul; and Structures and Systems. More information can be found at www.aarcorp.com.

Named One of the Most Trustworthy Companies by Forbes.

This press release contains certain statements relating to future results, which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These forward-looking statements are based on beliefs of Company management, as well as assumptions and estimates based on information currently available to the Company, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated, including those factors discussed under Item 1A, entitled "Risk Factors", included in the Company's May 31, 2010 Form 10-K. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize adversely, or should underlying assumptions or estimates prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described.  These events and uncertainties are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many are beyond the Company's control.  The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. For additional information, see the comments included in AAR's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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.Gulfstream new flagship crashes on test flight - Four dead

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who were lost,” said Joe Lombardo, president, Gulfstream Aerospace.

The accident is under investigation by Gulfstream, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford said the plane went down shortly after taking off from Roswell International Air Center. The G650's landing gear collapsed, Lunsford said, and the plane burst into flames.



The luxury jet was one of five in flight-test mode. Savannah-based Gulfstream has more than 200 firm orders for the G650, which carries a price tag of $64.5 million and when certificated will be the fastest civil aircraft in the world. It has already achieved the high speeds and the first G650 was expected to be delivered in 2012.



“We are cooperating 100 percent with the investigation,” Lombardo said.


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U.S. Senate urged to support biofuelsWASHINGTON, March 31 (UPI)

 Biofuel advocates urged members of a U.S. Senate panel to increase support for an industry touted as one that will help wean the country from oil imports.

In a hearing designed to air out concerns in advance of the 2012 Farm Bill, Jeff Broin, chief executive officer of Poet LLC, an ethanol producer, told the Senate Agriculture Committee that farmers required consistent support for biofuel production, The Detroit News reported Thursday.

"If (farmers) see the government wavering in support of a government program, they back away," Broin said.

Earlier this week, President Barack Obama said sharp reduction in oil imports required "biofuels made from things like switch grass, wood chips and biomass."

At the Senate hearing, Michigan State University chemical engineering Professor Bruce Dale said, "There's no way to a sustainable transport sector without sustainable biofuels."

Dale said government support is needed for delivery infrastructure for biofuels, such as fuel pumps dedicated to new fuels, the newspaper said.

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Dayton to lose its lone international flight

There will soon be less "international" flying at Ohio's Dayton International Airport.

The airport will lose its only regularly scheduled nonstop international flight when Air Canada discontinues its regional service to Toronto on May 1. The service is operated by Air Canada affiliate Air Georgian.

"Unfortunately, the route did not perform to our expectations," Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick tells the Dayton Business Journal.

Air Canada's Dayton-Toronto route had been hit with declining passenger totals, according to the Business Journal, which says "the airport averaged about 250 passengers monthly on the route" in 2010.

Air Canada launched the service in 2008 with two daily round-trip flights, but pared that back to a single daily flight last fall.

The Dayton Daily News adds "Terrence Slaybaugh, Dayton's director of aviation, said Air Canada ultimately decided to concentrate on its (nonstop) service from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to Toronto. The service from Cincinnati is aboard 50-seat regional jet aircraft, compared with a 19-seat Beechcraft 1900 turboprop plane from Dayton."

Dayton International is about 65 miles from central Cincinnati and about 80 miles from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International.

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Air traffic supervisor suspended, asked Southwest 737 to check on private plane

The Federal Aviation Administration has suspended an air traffic supervisor after "totally appropriate" actions brought a Southwest Airlines flight too close to a small private plane over Florida on Sunday.

Bloomberg News describes the incident, writing "the controller in central Florida asked the Southwest crew at 12,000 feet to fly closer to a single-engine Cirrus aircraft to check on a crew that had been out of radio contact, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement today."

The Associated Press says "the Southwest crew agreed, was directed toward the (Kissimmee-bound) Cirrus and reported the aircraft in sight, the agency said."

USA TODAY adds "the pilots on Southwest Flight 821 were so close to the single-engine plane at about 5 p.m. on Sunday that they could see two people in the cockpit, the FAA said."

The Orlando Sentinel says "both planes landed safely. But the agency said the Sunday incident brought a Boeing 737, Southwest Airlines Flight 821 from Phoenix, too close to the private plane, a Cirrus SR22, violating FAA rules about safe separations between aircraft."

The Southwest flight had 137 passengers and a crew of five, according to CNN.

"By placing this passenger aircraft in close proximity to another plane, the air traffic controller compromised the safety of everyone involved. This incident was totally inappropriate," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt says in a statement. "We are reviewing the air traffic procedures used here and making sure everyone understands the protocols for contacting unresponsive aircraft."

As for the pilots involved in the incident, Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King tells The Dallas Morning News they've been placed "on paid leave pending the conclusion of the investigation."

Of course, for air traffic controllers, the incident is the second in about a week.

USA TODAY's Alan Levin writes it "comes after a supervisor controlling traffic at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport fell asleep for at least 24 minutes shortly after midnight on March 23. Two airliners landed at the airport before the controller was awakened, the National Transportation Safety Board said."

The Wall Street Journal adds:

    Taken together, the incidents indicate "there is something basically wrong" with the mind set and discipline of portions of the FAA's controller work force. "Supervisors establish the tone and the culture," said John Goglia, a former safety board member, but the two events "raise questions about their ability to think and appropriately separate aircraft."

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Southwest flight makes emergency landing, 'hole' found on top of jet

A Sacramento-bound Southwest Airlines flight declared an in-flight emergency this evening and diverted to Yuma, Ariz., because of "rapid decompression in the cabin," The Arizona Republic reports.

The Sacramento Bee writes "Southwest Airlines Flight 812 made a rapid descent to 11,000 feet after the incident occurred and later landed safely at Yuma Marine Corps Air Station/International Airport at 4:07 p.m. (7:07 p.m. ET), FAA spokesman Ian Gregor wrote in an email."

Southwest issued a statement shortly after 9:30 p.m. ET, saying:

    Southwest Airlines Flight 812, the scheduled 3:25 pm departure from Phoenix to Sacramento today, diverted to Yuma, Ariz due to loss of pressurization in the cabin. Upon safely landing in Yuma, the flight crew discovered a hole in the top of the aircraft. There are no reported Customer injuries. One of the Flight Attendants, however, received a minor injury upon descent.

Sacramento's KCRA TV reports that "the plane descended 16,000 feet in a minute, according to the flight-tracking website called flightaware.com."

There were 118 people on the flight, which had taken off from Phoenix en route to Sacramento. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-700, according to flightaware.com.

The FAA's Gregor tells The Associated Press that the cause of the decompression wasn't known as of 10 p.m. ET Saturday.

As for the "hole," several passengers described what they saw to the various media sources reporting on the incident.

"You can see daylight through it," a passenger identified as Brenda Reese is quoted as saying to KCRA by cellphone.

"It's at the top of the plane, right up above where you store your luggage," Reese added to AP in a telephone interview. "The panel's not completely off. It's like ripped down, but you can see completely outside."

AP writes "Reese said there was 'no real panic' among the passengers, who applauded the pilot after he emerged from the cockpit following the emergency landing."

Another passenger on the flight -- identified only as "Cindy" -- describes the scene to Sacramento's CBS 13.

"They had just taken drink orders when I heard a huge sound and oxygen masks came down and we started making a rapid decent. They said we'd be making an emergency landing," CBS 13 quotes the woman as saying. "There was a hold (sic) in the fuselage about three feet long. You could see the insulation and the wiring. You could see a tear the length of one of the ceiling panels."

"An FAA inspector is en route to investigate," CNN reports on its website.

Southwest says in its release that it "will work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as they investigate this event."

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Essential Air Service cuts could ground rural communities

effectiveness  and cost  of the program.

Thirty years and counting

EAS has a lengthy history, dating back to 1978 when the Airline Deregulation Act took effect. The concern was that once the government stepped back from regulating routes and fares, certain areas of the country would lose all airline service. So through a series of temporary measures that eventually became permanent, the government began subsidizing airlines to serve routes they would have abandoned. Today the U.S. Department of Transportation subsidizes commuter airline service to approximately 140 communities throughout the United States that "otherwise would not receive any scheduled air service." A detailed guide to EAS is available on the DOT's website.

When I served on the DOT's Future of Aviation Advisory Committee last year, reform of Essential Air Service was among the recommendations we provided to DOT Secretary Raymond LaHood. Recommendation #13 reads: "First, as an interim measure, limit the communities within the contiguous 48 States that are eligible for air service subsidies to those that were receiving it on a date specified in 2010. Second, update the criteria for EAS eligibility, recognizing there are communities that are or can be efficiently served by other modes of transportation through 'leakage' to nearby airports that provide good connections and often low-fare service, or intermodal transportation services."

Several of us on the FAAC were vocal in noting that many small and rural communities—including but not limited to those in Alaska—still rely heavily on EAS. However, we also acknowledged that in some communities EAS has come to define government pork.

The waste comes primarily from that phenomenon known as "leakage," whereby citizens of subsidized communities drive to outlying airports, primarily served by low-cost carriers, thus negating the need for those subsidies. In discussions with DOT officials, we were told: "There's a lot of leakage." In fact, the DOT estimates it occurs in more than 90% of EAS communities. But while our suggestions were directed to the DOT, another vision of reform was taking place in Congress.

Time to sunset?

Last month Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, introduced the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2011. If this legislation is approved in its current state, it will terminate the EAS program on Oct. 1st, 2013, in all states except Alaska and Hawaii. In a press release, the majority members claim that sunsetting EAS will provide "savings of approximately $400 million over four years."

As deficit cutting takes center stage in Washington, EAS is somewhat vulnerable, and subsidized airline routes that support light passenger loads are particularly vulnerable. Case in point: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported that aircraft have often flown empty on an EAS route between Atlanta and Macon, creating an actual subsidy of $464 per passenger when calculated by ridership. This prompted one Republican congressman to label it as an example of "the most wasteful government spending."

However, there remains support for EAS in both chambers of Congress. In March, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, met with Secretary LaHood to plea for keeping EAS in his home state and throughout the U.S.

Then there's Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.V.), the top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, who recently stated the bill crafted by Republicans would "break the commitment" made to rural communities: "By cutting off this critical lifeline, rural Americans were told that the FAA now stands for 'Find Another Airport.' I think this is wrong and I will continue to work with my colleagues in a bipartisan fashion to honor the promise that Congress has made to people in rural America."

As much of the budget debate occurs along party lines, when it comes to EAS it appears that geography often trumps ideology. For example, 28 members of the Alaska State Legislature voted unanimously in February to urge Congress to continue funding, through legislation sponsored by a Republican.

Support for EAS has come from other quarters as well. One is a coalition of four key aviation trade organizations with vested interests: the Airports Council International-North America, the American Association of Airport Executives, the National Association of State Aviation Officials and the Regional Airline Association. In a joint letter to Congressional representatives they wrote: "Cutting EAS would be a deathblow to the economic health of hundreds of small communities across the nation. It is unimaginable that a business would start up in, or relocate to, a community where the closest commercial airport is located over two, four, six or even eight hours away." The letter concluded: "[E]liminating EAS outright in the lower 48 states is the wrong thing to do, and now is the worst time to do it."

Will EAS live?

The fate of the Essential Air Service program seemingly will be decided within the coming months or even weeks. But what of the communities that may lose air service? Do you live in a subsidized town and worry about EAS cuts? Or do you feel that EAS is a waste of taxpayer funds? Please share your thoughts with us.

Read previous columns

Bill McGee, a contributing editor to Consumer Reports and the former editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter, is an FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher who worked in airline operations and management for several years. Tell him what you think of his latest column by sending him an e-mail at USATODAY.com at travel@usatoday. Include your name, hometown and daytime phone number, and he may use your feedback in a future column.

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Aviation Bill: Foretelling What’s to Come For Surface Transportation?

If today’s FAA vote in the House is a preview of the upcoming debate over funding for the nation’s surface transportation infrastructure, we can foresee fights between the House and Senate over funding levels and the loss of key public services.

The House aviation bill would cut funding to rural airports. Photo: Maine Airports

The House will vote today on a proposal to bring aviation spending down to FY2008 levels, spending $59.7 billion over four years. That means reductions in spending on equipment, airport improvements, and staffing. Safety enhancements and security are casualties of the House bill. Meanwhile, the Senate is pushing for a shorter-term bill, funding aviation at $34.5 billion for just two years. The wisdom of a Democratic majority with such a narrow margin betting that it’ll be stronger in two years is open to debate.

According to USA Today, “FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt says uncertainty about FAA funding already has prompted the agency to pause in its efforts to certify new aviation technology and could even slow the opening of aircraft manufacturer plants, thereby reducing jobs.” Sounds like what we’ve been hearing from state DOTs, transit agencies, and the construction industry about the uncertainty of funding for roads and transit.

Perhaps more significant than the (rather predictable) spending cuts is the House’s willingness to end federal subsidies for rural air service. Many rural airports would have no commercial service if it weren’t for federal assistance to the airlines. It’s reminiscent of the GOP plan to privatize rail and let Amtrak die a slow death, knowing full well that private rail services will never be able to make a profit off the highly-subsidized, long-distance rural routes that Amtrak runs at a loss as a public service. The Senate would not only keep the rural air service program, it would double its funding.

The Transportation Committee has said that it will start the surface transportation bill once the FAA reauthorization is complete, so here’s hoping the two houses come to an agreement on the sticking points soon and pass the bill. Leaders in both chambers say they are looking forward to marking up a transportation bill in May.

CAE announces civil aviation training centre development and simulator contracts valued at approximately C$45 million

China Southern Airlines and CAE are expanding their joint venture aviation training centre in Zhuhai, China to include two additional Level D FFSs purchased from CAE- a CAE 5000 Series for the Boeing 737NG and a CAE 3000 Series for the Sikorsky S-76C++ helicopter. This will mark the first CAE 3000 Series civil helicopter full-flight and mission simulator in Asia. With this contract CAE concludes fiscal year 2011 with 29 civil full-flight simulator sales.

CAE has also signed a multi-year agreement with Virgin America to develop and support a new pilot training centre near the airline's home base in San Francisco, USA. As part of this agreement, CAE will install an existing CAE-owned Airbus A320 Level D full-flight simulator (FFS), which will be updated to the latest Airbus configuration.


Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the ITEXPO East, February 2-4, 2011 Miami Beach Convention Center, FL.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the ITEXPO East, February 2-4, 2011 Miami Beach Convention Center, FL.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the ITEXPO East, February 2-4, 2011 Miami Beach Convention Center, FL.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the ITEXPO East, February 2-4, 2011 Miami Beach Convention Center, FL.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the ITEXPO East, February 2-4, 2011 Miami Beach Convention Center, FL.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the ITEXPO East, February 2-4, 2011 Miami Beach Convention Center, FL.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the ITEXPO East, February 2-4, 2011 Miami Beach Convention Center, FL.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the ITEXPO East, February 2-4, 2011 Miami Beach Convention Center, FL.

"This expansion in Zhuhai further strengthens our position in Asia and demonstrates CAE's commitment to provide the highest-quality aviation training solutions for our customers around the globe, including commercial aircraft, business aircraft and civil helicopter operators," said Jeff Roberts, CAE Group President, Civil Simulation Products, Training and Services. "Our tailored, turnkey solution for Virgin America brings together CAE's capabilities in simulation technology, regulatory liaison, facilities design, simulator support, and training centre management in a total package that only CAE can effectively deliver." China Southern Airlines "Civil aviation traffic continues to grow rapidly in China and throughout the region. Therefore, it is important that we continue to grow training capacity to meet the increasing demand," said Mr. Tan Wan'geng, President and CEO of China Southern Airlines "Our partnership with CAE has been very successful, and the quality of the pilot training has met all expectations." Also included in the Zhuhai expansion are CAE Simfinity integrated procedures trainers (IPTs) for the B737NG and S-76C++ and a helicopter CAE Simfinity Virtual Simulator (VSIM). The S-76C++ FFS, IPT and VSIM will enable training for common S-76 variants including S-76A, S-76A++, S-76C+ and S-76C++. The FFSs, IPTs and VSIM will be ready for training in 2012.

Virgin America "We selected CAE as our partner because of their leadership in training centre management and advanced flight simulation technology," said Bob Weatherly, Senior Vice President of Operations at Virgin America. "They designed a training solution that addresses our unique requirements as a new and growing airline." The A320 FFS will be ready for training later this year. CAE will also provide training centre operations support for the simulator, including regulatory support and all simulator maintenance and engineering activities.

Virgin America will have access to additional A320 FFSs at other CAE training centres in North America and the Airbus Training Centre in Miami, USA. These training facilities are part of the Airbus-CAE Training Cooperation global network.

CAE will market available simulator time at the new Virgin America San Francisco facility to other A320 operators. This will be the 33rd location in CAE's global training network of professional aviation training centres.

About CAE CAE is a world leader in providing simulation and modelling technologies and integrated training solutions for the civil aviation industry and defence forces around the globe. With annual revenues exceeding C$1.5 billion, CAE employs more than 7,500 people at more than 100 sites and training locations in more than 20 countries. We have the largest installed base of civil and military full-flight simulators and training devices. Through our global network of 33 civil aviation, military and helicopter training centres, we train more than 80,000 crewmembers yearly. We also offer modelling and simulation software to various market segments, and through CAE's professional services division we assist customers with a wide range of simulation-based needs. www.cae.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITOR NOTES: China Southern Airlines With this expansion, Zhuhai will become CAE's 11th location globally featuring civil helicopter training. Current locations include: Dubai, UAE; Stavanger, Norway; Aberdeen, Scotland, UK; as well as Morristown and Phoenix, USA. Two CAE joint venture military training centres also offer civil helicopter training: Bangalore, India and Sesto Calende, Italy. New locations announced recently include: Mexico; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and a helicopter ab initio program at CAE Global Academy, Gondia, India.

More than 12,000 pilots train annually at the Zhuhai Flight Training Centre, located in Guangdong province. This order will bring the total number of CAE-built simulators that the facility operates to 17, maintaining its position as the largest independent flight training centre in China. The centre also features FFSs for the Airbus A320 family, A330, Boeing 737 Classic, Boeing 757, Boeing 777, and Embraer ERJ 145. Customers include Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Sichuan Airlines, and others. The joint venture company was established in 2002.

Virgin America CAE also provides Airbus A340 and Boeing 747 pilot training for Virgin Atlantic Airways at the CAE Training Centre in Burgess Hill, UK, and provides training support services for V Australia's CAE-built Boeing 777 FFS installed at CAE's facility in Silverwater, New South Wales, Australia.

Virgin America is a low fare airline that has created 1,900 jobs and welcomed more than 11 million guests since its August 2007 launch. The airline's Airbus A320 Family aircraft feature custom-designed mood-lit cabins, touch-screen in-flight entertainment and standard power outlets at every seat and fleetwide WiFi. In January 2011, Virgin America announced plans to triple its fleet size by 2019 with a firm order for 60 new Airbus A320 Family aircraft - including the first commercial order for the new eco-efficient Airbus A320neo engine option. Virgin America flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Cabos, Cancun and Chicago (starting May 25, 2011). In only three years of flying, Virgin America has won numerous awards for customer service and their environmentally friendly fleet and sustainability commitment. 

Top 11 Algae Biofuel and Biochemical Trends From 2011-2020

  Texas, USA –  The following article is an excerpt from a technology, investment, and market study titled Algae 2020, Vol 2 (2011 update) from market research firm Emerging Markets Online. The excerpt provides a summary of findings and highlights 11 key trends for the algae industry from 2011 to the year 2020.

Renewable Oils for Biofuels and Biochems

The “brewery” model in algal biofuels ventures is known for low-cost, high tech production using standard industrial fermenters. Solazyme is leading the charge in the algae-based brewery/fermentation model, followed by veteran algae producer Martek with support from BP.  We expect to see companies similar to Solazyme emerging in 2011-2012 worldwide using the microbial brewery model to produce “Renewable Oils” via fermenting sugars as seen with Amyris (green crude and renewable diesel from yeast), Virent (green diesel), LS9 (renewable diesel from bacteria), and others emerging in this space.

Where there is cheap sugar, and cellulosic sugars from ag and industrial waste, these commercial ventures will find advantages. Where lower-cost, economically advantaged sugars are available in the U.S., EU, China and India, expect increasing military use for collaborative R&D deployment tests.

Biofuels and Drop-In Fuels

In the biggest markets in Europe, the U.S., Brazil, China and India, government mandates are requiring large oil and gas refiners to blend biofuels into their existing infrastructure. Most oil and gas companies facing blending mandates, military suppliers, and auto manufacturers and transport companies considering fleet-wide upgrades to higher biofuels blends wish to find fungible fuels that are compatible with existing engines, pipelines, storage systems and petrol stations.

Algae 2020, Vol 2 finds a common theme among algae leaders that have progressed into pilot and demonstration-scale projects. In addition to biodiesel and ethanol, these organizations are able to produce drop-in replacement fuels from microalgae, and blue-green algae also known as cyanobacteria and other microbes. Military, aviation, government, and petrochem organizations all demand fungible, drop-in fuels and prefer to work with advantaged producers with scalable technologies for R&D and deployment.

Green Chemicals and Polymers

In the capital markets, investors have far more confidence in market demand as a measure of long-term opportunity in transport fuels and petrochemical derivatives. For this reason, the early leaders in advanced algal and microbial fuels are diversifying and targeting existing petrol, diesel and aviation markets, as well as related biofuels markets for green chemicals, polymers and power generation. The diversification of biofuels companies beyond one fuel — ethanol and biodiesel — to include a portfolio of advanced biofuels represents a wise long-term strategy to inspire investor confidence.

Oleochemical Consumer Products

Algae 2020, Vol 2 observes an emerging trend in commercial and privately funded algae projects. Increasingly, the focus among start up and VC-backed algae ventures is on high-value products including: livestock and fishmeal, omega 3s, health products, cosmetic and pharmaceutical uses. Most algae farmers seek these highest value products for key addressable markets first, and then plan to scale up operations over time for commercial biofuels production.

Many ventures will pursue these high-value, addressable markets to develop cash flow for operations, resources and staff, and establish early brand identity. Analyst contributors to Algae 2020, Vol 2 see the high value, small market focus as the short-term strategy on the pathway to the mid to longer-term commercialization of biofuels.  The longer-term strategy for producing algal biofuels closer to petroleum price parity improves significantly as algae producers reach larger economies of scale in industrial, deployment-stage algal biomass production systems.

Scalability

Why are some algae companies attracting capital, and scaling up their enterprises while others continue to peer into the “valley of death” from the laboratory to the pilot phase? Of the 100+ or so companies involved in the algae space, less than 25 have moved from the laboratory to the pilot phase during the economic recession. Few have been able to convince investors to risk placing $10 million USD or more to make this necessary transition.

If an algae venture is not (a) able to demonstrate and prove its technology works on a small scale or (b) produce more than 1000 tons of algal biomass or at least 100 gallons of algal oil with its partners, it is unlikely investors will take serious notice. Notably, some companies have been able to attract investment based on initial proof of concept at the lab/bench scale via strategic partnerships, early-stage VC money, and government grants.

Seaweed

Seaweed has gained favor with petrochemical majors Statoil, Dupont, ENAP because it grows faster than terrestrial crops, has a high sugar content for conversion to ethanol and advanced biofuels, absorbs more airborne carbon than land-based plants, has no lignin, can be easily harvested compared to microalgae, requires no pretreatment for ethanol production, and can be harvested up to six times a year in warm climates.  Seaweed biofuels include ethanol, methanol and biobutanol. BP-Dupont’s Butamax will collaborate with BAL, a leader in the field to produce biobutanol for drop-in fuels and chemicals.

Emerging Markets Growth

U.S. and EU-based algae producers and licensors of technology are increasingly looking to the Emerging Markets in Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East for faster economic growth, increasing market demand, and more supportive government and regulatory climates for accelerated commercial growth. This follows a key trend by Shell and BP, who invested $12 and $8 billion, respectively in sugar-based conglomerates in Brazil to produce ethanol, bio-butanol, drop-in fuels, and bio-based chemical products.

Government R&D

Governments in the U.S., EU, Brazil, China, India, Canada, and other worldwide regions are funding algae R&D collaborative initiatives at universities and laboratories, public-private partnerships, pre-commercial demonstration stage enterprises, pilot and prototype-stage endeavors.

The most funded or awarded ventures bring together clusters of industry, government, academia, cleantech investors, and producers to share and collaborate on key challenges and opportunities. Some government algae R&D ventures are now phasing into pre-commercial, deployment-stage algae ventures using pond, photo-bioreactor, and fermentation based production systems. Government R&D, deployment, and commercialization support continues to expand into new countries and territories worldwide.

Capital Light, Global Exports

Many pre-commercial, VC and angel-backed ventures are increasingly pursuing a two-pronged strategy. The first strategy seeks to license technology to partners with capital to develop and scale up the pre-commercial enterprise to commercial levels.  This is also known as the capital light strategy. The second strategy is for producers to export technology to local partners in global geographies with advantaged environments for sunlight, operating expenses, market growth, and government support.

Strategic R&D Partnerships

Suppliers and buyers are forming early stage R&D relationships in the algae space. Some algae producers now have collaborative R&D partners with big industry players, such as the Exxon-Synthetic Genomics $600 million collaborative for green crude development, the Algenol-Dow for bioproducts, BP-Martek for algae fermentation, Shell-HR Biopetroleum for hybrid PBR-pond development, Chevron-Solazyme for green crude and drop-in fuels and Dupont-BAL for biobutanol from seaweed.

Global Deployment Partnerships

Current economic and regulatory tradewinds in the northern countries of the U.S. and EU are shifting algae technology exports southward and east to Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. An increasing number of partnerships are forming and leveraging advantages in technologies, economies, and geographies.

Long-term tradewinds favor large-scale production supplies of algae from the Americas, the Middle East and Asia with increasing demands for algal biofuels, products and technologies from China and India.

This article was written by Will Thurmond, CEO of market research firm Emerging Markets Online, keynote speaker, author of Algae 2020 Vol 2 (February 2011) and Biodiesel 2020 studies, and market trends columnist for Biofuels Digest and Biofuels International. 

Congress seeks to bridge distance on air-travel bills

Consumer protection for airline passengers, funding for airport improvements and the efficiency of the nation's air-traffic system are among the issues at stake in wide-ranging legislation moving through Congress.

    * The House bill would look at possibly requiring airlines to compensate fliers for bags that arrive late. Above, luggage at LAX airport.

      By Bob Riha, Jr., USA TODAY

      The House bill would look at possibly requiring airlines to compensate fliers for bags that arrive late. Above, luggage at LAX airport.

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By Bob Riha, Jr., USA TODAY

The House bill would look at possibly requiring airlines to compensate fliers for bags that arrive late. Above, luggage at LAX airport.
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Separate versions of the legislation in the House of Representatives and Senate contain many provisions that could affect fliers.

Among them: provisions that would write into law passenger protections from lengthy delays on the tarmac; cuts in federal subsidies to airlines for flying into rural airports; and more options for people who want to fly non-stop from the West Coast to Washington, D.C.

The bills also could have sweeping implications for the efficiency of air travel. They contain several provisions that would push the Federal Aviation Administration to speed up the introduction of new technology that promises to make flights flow more smoothly.

The legislation, which sets guidelines for the FAA, expired in 2007. Attempts to update policies for the agency that oversees flight have been blocked since then, most often by fights over labor issues. Leaders in the House and Senate have vowed to move the legislation this year, although bills in the two chambers differ significantly.

The Senate passed its version of the bill in February. The House bill has been approved by the transportation committee and could come up in the full chamber as early as this week. If the House bill passes, the differences would be worked out in a conference committee.

Highlights:

•Consumer protection. Following a federal rule enacted last year, the Senate's bill would require airlines to return aircraft to the gate if a flight is delayed on the tarmac for more than three hours. It also says airports must develop plans for dealing with such lengthy delays. Writing the protection into law makes the protection harder to overturn.

The Senate bill would create criminal penalties for airport security screeners who distribute images created by body scanners, which peer through clothing in search of weapons or explosives. The Transportation Security Administration, which oversees aviation security, prohibits copying or distributing the images.

Noting that more airlines are charging passengers for checked bags, the House bill would require a study of the feasibility of requiring airlines to compensate passengers for bags that arrive late.

•Airport construction. Spurred by the election of dozens of fiscally conservative new members, the House version would cut funding on several fronts, including grants to airports for runway maintenance, safety enhancements and security. The proposal would cut funding to $3 billion a year, a 14% decrease from the $3.5 billion in place since 2006.

Airports believe that the cuts would reduce their ability to keep up with future capacity demands, says Greg Principato, president of the Airports Council International. The Senate would increase funding to $4 billion a year for airport projects.

•FAA spending. The House also wants to cut FAA spending to 2008 levels, saving $4 billion over four years, a roughly 7% reduction. House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica, R-Fla., says the agency could cut that money without jeopardizing air safety or the ongoing program to modernize the air-traffic system over the next decade.

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt says uncertainty about FAA funding already has prompted the agency to pause in its efforts to certify new aviation technology and could even slow the opening of aircraft manufacturer plants, thereby reducing jobs.

The Senate supports giving the FAA $17.5 billion this year, a 16% increase over the House.

•Rural flights. The House would end federal subsidies to airlines that fly to rural airports that otherwise would not have commercial service. Airports in Alaska and Hawaii would still be eligible for federal subsidies.

The Senate would keep the program, nearly doubling the funding to $200 million. Senate commerce committee Chairman John Rockefeller, D-W.Va., whose state relies on the flights, vows to keep the subsidy.

•Non-stop to D.C. Fliers who want to fly non-stop to Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., would get more flights. The airport currently has a cap restricting long-distance flights.

The House bill would add 10 new non-stops to or from the West Coast, and the Senate would add 16.

•Air-traffic modernization. Both bills would set timetables and goals for the FAA to improve the efficiency of flight routes. The effort is linked to the FAA program known as NextGen that will introduce more accurate, satellite-based technology to guide jets in future decades.

The legislation calls on the FAA to add highly accurate satellite-guided routes into large commercial airports in the next few years, which will trim airline fuel costs and can also reduce delays.

The Senate would force airlines to equip jets with technology required in the modernization plan sooner than under current FAA guidelines.
•Cockpit distractions. Both bills would outlaw use of cellphones, laptops and other personal electronic devices by pilots for non-work purposes on the flight deck of an airliner. The proposals were prompted by a Northwest Airlines flight that flew past its destination on Oct. 21, 2009, while the pilots were working on their company-issued laptops.

Airlines' Quarter Signals Strength to Come

ATLANTA (TheStreet) -- The first quarter of 2011 may be a defining period in the recent history of U.S. commercial aviation, because it demonstrated that the industry has likely developed a capacity to weather sudden and dramatic cost challenges.
As fuel prices rose rapidly during the quarter, airline fares increased along with them, in "an unprecedented display of pricing discipline in this industry, to make sure we're getting the price of our product covered," said Delta(DAL_) President Ed Bastian at last week's J.P. Morgan transportation conference. "We've had eight [fare] increases since the start of the year, four of those led by Delta."
At the conference, both United(UAL_) CEO Jeff Smisek and US Airways(LCC_) US Airways President Scott Kirby proclaimed they had never seen anything like it. The industry has had "a round of price increases that has been faster than I've seen in 16 years in the industry," Smisek said.
Kirby noted that "the last six to eight weeks have given us one really good data point that the industry has restructured." After oil prices began to rise, "the industry responded more aggressively than I have ever seen," he said, adding that industry earnings this year are likely to be similar to down only slightly from last year. The industry made about $2.3 billion in 2010, reversing a year-earlier $3.2 billion loss.
Historically, airlines as a group have been unable to move quickly to recoup lost revenue because someone always held out, limiting the scope of fare increases. In the early 1990s, floundering, bankrupt Eastern kept fares low as it spent its creditors' money. In the middle of the last decade, Southwest(LUV_), protected by wise fuel hedging at a time when few competitors had capital to allocate to hedging, resisted efforts to boost fares.
Those days appear to have ended, not only because the top seven airlines are financially healthy, but also because the three low-fare carriers -- soon to be two low-fare carriers following the Southwest/AirTran merger -- have generally signed on to more rational pricing.'

Decisions by Pilots to Land Criticized

The air-traffic control supervisor who created a furor last week by nodding off at Washington's Reagan National Airport also has sparked an industry debate over how pilots should respond to such situations.

When the lone controller on duty in the tower around midnight failed to reply to repeated radio transmissions from a pair of jetliners, both pilots quickly decided to land anyway.

There wasn't discussion with approach controllers at a separate facility about diverting to one of the region's other fields. Audio tapes indicate the first jet was on the ground only a few minutes after the initial sign of a communication problem. Both planes, carrying a total of more than 160 people, landed safely.

Now, a number of safety experts inside and outside government contend the pilots also shoulder blame in the incident. These experts fault the cockpit crews for forgoing what they contend would have been a safer option to land elsewhere, or at least stay in a holding pattern to determine why the Reagan National tower went silent for more than half an hour.

The first jet was a Boeing 737 operated by AMR Corp.'s American Airlines unit, followed by an Airbus A320 flown by the United Airlines unit of United Continental Holdings Inc.

The pilots of another American Airlines jet descended below 2,000 feet and also were preparing to touch down without receiving landing clearance from the tower, when the dozing controller came back on the frequency.

"It was clearly inappropriate to land without a clearance" from the tower and "it is preposterous to say there was no violation and it was a perfectly safe procedure," said Loretta Alkalay, the former top lawyer for the Federal Aviation Administration's Eastern region.

If a tower controller can't be reached for any reason, she said, "it is absolutely not up to the pilots to decide to land as though it was an uncontrolled airport."

Pilots have procedures for landing at fields that aren't manned by controllers, including checking weather conditions, broadcasting positions frequently on a common frequency and listening to what activity there may be on runways or taxiways. But when an airport tower is scheduled to be manned round the clock—as is Reagan National—Ms. Alkalay said she "never heard of a situation where the FAA says it's okay for pilots to decide, on their own, it's safe to land."

Richard Healing, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said Sunday that he was "more than a little surprised" the jets landed instead of flying on to nearby Baltimore-Washington International Airport or Dulles International Airport in the Virginia suburbs.

The biggest potential hazards stemmed from planes or vehicles crossing runways in the darkness, without anyone alerting the pilots of the landing jets. "The safest approach would have been to divert," according to Mr. Healing. "It might have inconvenienced some passengers, but it wouldn't have compromised safety."

On Sunday, a spokesman for the NTSB said "the actions of the flight crews are one of the things" under investigation.

A United Airlines spokeswoman declined to comment.

An American Airlines spokeswoman said its pilots complied with procedures "clearly spelled out by the FAA," and didn't require tower clearance once Reagan National was deemed to be an uncontrolled airport. She said the weather was good, crews were aware of other airborne traffic and also followed appropriate procedures to taxi to the gate.

The views of safety experts span a wide spectrum. Mark Rosenker, the former chairman of the safety board, on Sunday said that based on preliminary information, the pilots apparently acted appropriately. "They would have had enough time to talk to company dispatchers to get some situational awareness," he said. "I wouldn't call them cowboys"

According to Mr. Rosenker, the cockpit-voice recorders also may reveal that before landing, the pilots attempted to reach company officials at the airport to find out about runway conditions and any unusual factors at the field.

So far, the FAA's focus has been almost entirely on what controllers did wrong. The head of the agency last week said he was "personally outraged" by the tower controller's behavior, while other FAA officials began looking at the budget implications of eliminating single-person staffing at towers. On Friday, the agency reminded approach controllers—often located dozens of miles from airports and who have authority over a much larger swath of air space—that "proper procedures dictate that they must offer pilots the chance to divert" if a control tower remains silent.

But as new details about the Reagan National incident emerged over the weekend, they prompted stepped-up criticism faulting the pilots for poor decision-making. Even some commercial pilots, who described infrequently landing at airports without local-controller assistance when it was past the scheduled closing time of those towers, said the United and American crews should have sought more information and probably taken more time to assess the situation.

An FAA spokeswoman said pilots have wide latitude in deciding where to land, as long as an airport isn't officially closed. According to tradition and practice, pilots also have the right to disregard controller commands if they believe there is an emergency situation or safety threat. But in this case, according to safety experts critical of actions by the pilots, the crews apparently failed to adequately exercise their independent judgment once the approach controller indicated it would be appropriate for the planes to land on their own.

Since the jets didn't report any fuel emergencies or other onboard difficulties, these experts said, there was no compelling safety reason to get on the ground as fast as possible. "I think they should have diverted ...and for the FAA to condone what happened is a big mistake," according to Greg Feith, a former safety board investigator who now runs his own aviation consulting firm. Neither the pilots nor the approach controllers "would have known if there happened to be a truck or a disabled aircraft stuck on the runway," according to Mr. Feith. And since there were fully-staffed airports open, less than 20 miles away, landing there would have been "in the interest of aviation safety."

According to the FAA, about 100 small, uncontrolled airports around the U.S. serve commercial traffic but don't have controllers at any time. Mr. Feith and other safety experts said that for airline pilots who land at those locations, the approaches and touchdowns are planned in advance with specific conditions and restrictions in mind. Unexpectedly going in without tower clearance, they said, reduces safety margins and can be especially hazardous if there is some sort of emergency. Certain U.S. airlines expect pilots to divert whenever there is a problem establishing communication with an airfield's tower.

Calling for a nationwide review of the air-traffic control systems backup procedures, FAA chief Randy Babbitt on Friday said: "I am determined to make sure we do not repeat Wednesday's unacceptable event."