deicer

Some days it really was like this...

https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/25/business/boeing-faa-report-workers-pressure-hnk-intl/index.html Boeing workers pressured to put speed over quality, FAA says Boeing factory workers felt pressured to prioritize production speed over quality and said they did not receive enough training to properly perform their jobs, according to the results of a special investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published Wednesday. The never-before-disclosed results of a six-week-long FAA special audit are likely to pile more pressure on a company already facing a slew of problems, including questions about the safety of its planes and an ongoing strike by 33,000 union workers, its first in 16 years. In January, a door plug blew off a 737 Max operated by Alaska Airlines shortly after takeoff. Although no one was killed or seriously injured, the incident has sparked numerous federal investigations, one of which revealed the plane had left a Boeing factory without the four bolts needed to hold the door plug in place. Wednesday’s report was made public by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which is due to hold a hearing expected to feature testimony by FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker. The “findings reveal the extent of troubling production problems, including Boeing’s struggle to adequately train and equip manufacturing personnel, thoroughly document and control nonconforming parts, and conduct adequate quality inspections,” said the report, which was released to the subcommittee’s members as a memo. Whitaker previously testified in June that the FAA took a “too-hands-off” approach to regulating the aviation giant. The new report doesn’t spare the FAA, highlighting its own role in Boeing’s failures. “These findings demonstrate an ongoing and persistent struggle by the FAA to ensure that Boeing is maintaining the highest safety standards across its manufacturing facilities,” it added. “The newly released information raises questions about the effectiveness of the FAA’s oversight of the company.” The report documented instances of safety lapses and shortcuts routinely taken by Boeing employees. One of the more egregious examples, according to the audit, was a Boeing mechanic who used an improvised measuring device to check gaps between components. “This tool is mechanic made, unauthorized, uncalibrated, unmarked, not inventoried or stored,” the report said. “The mechanic has admitted to using this tool for at least three years. When asked how other door mechanics take this measurement, he stated they all do the same.” The report also highlights an “absence of process control for scrap articles,” an issue raised by a whistleblower in a CNN report earlier this year. During testimony in front of the House Aviation Subcommittee on Tuesday, Whitaker said the FAA has flooded Boeing’s Renton, Washington 737 plant with its own inspectors, tasking them with individually blessing each new plane that rolls off the factory floor. Whitaker told members of the House that Boeing has made strides in tackling unresolved jobs that “travel” on new airplanes as they move down the production line. But there is still much work to be done on fixing Boeing’s safety culture, he said. “I think the safety culture change is going to be a long-term project,” Whitaker said. “I think it’s going to take years of delivering that safety message and the employees actually seeing that safety is more important than production before that culture to change.”

https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/23/business/boeing-raises-offer-strike/index.html Boeing is raising its offer to end the strike Boeing said Monday it has raised its offer to the International Association of Machinists union to end the strike by 33,000 union members that has now entered its 11th day. The new offer would give members a 30% raise over the four-year life of the contract, including an immediate 12% raise, up from the 25% in overall raises and an immediate 11% raise that membership voted almost unanimously against on September 12, just before walking off the job at Boeing plants on the West Coast. “We heard your feedback,” said a statement from Boeing to union members on its website. “We’ve made significant improvements to provide more money in key areas.” The new offer also doubled a signing bonus to $6,000, and increased the money that Boeing would contribute to 401(k) plans of union members to match contributions they make themselves. But it did not restore the traditional pension plan that union members lost 10 years ago in a previous labor agreement. The strike, which has brought production of commercial jets to a near-halt, is the first at the troubled aircraft maker in 16 years. Despite its many problems – including the loss of more than $33 billion over the last five years – Boeing is still a major force in US manufacturing and vital to America’s air transportation system. It is the country’s largest exporter, and by its own estimates contributes $79 billion to the US economy, supporting 1.6 million jobs directly and indirectly at suppliers spread across all 50 states. An IAM spokesperson said the union did not have an immediate comment on the new offer. In a decision that took place just before the strike began, 95% of union members voted against the previous tentative labor agreement. The company said that the new offer is contingent on a contract being ratified by September 27. Union members have expressed anger over the concessions they have given up since the last strike in 2008, such as the loss of pension plans, which they agreed to only after Boeing threatened to move production of two new aircraft to non-union plants. The company had already moved production of the 787 Dreamliner to a nonunion plant in South Carolina. That plant continues to operate during the strike. While Boeing may not lose any sales due to the strike, the inability to assemble and deliver planes already ordered by airlines cuts off a vital source of cash. Boeing gets most of its payment only upon delivery of an aircraft to an airline. The company has announced that many of its nonunion staff will be furloughed without pay one week out of every four during the duration of the strike, and that it will cut back purchases to suppliers and vendors in an effort to save cash. It said it will also reduce pay of top executives.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/company-news/2024/09/18/low-pay-for-junior-air-canada-pilots-poses-possible-hurdle-to-proposed-deal/ Low pay for junior Air Canada pilots poses possible hurdle to proposed deal Low entry-level pay in the tentative deal between Air Canada and its pilots could be a stumbling block ahead of a union vote on the agreement, some aviators and experts say. While the tentative agreement's cumulative 42 per cent wage hike over four years applies to all flight crew — a big topline gain after a decade of two per cent annual raises — many could still feel left out of the windfall. Under their current contract, pilots earn far less in their first four years at the company before enjoying a big wage increase starting in year five. Some employees had been pushing to fully scrap the so-called “fixed rate” provision, where earnings stay flat regardless of the type of aircraft flown. (Typically, wages increase with the size of the plane.) But the proposed deal announced Sunday would merely cut the four-year period of lower pay to two years, according to a copy of the contract summary obtained by The Canadian Press. Even in years three and four, wages would be substantially lower than in year five. The hourly rate jumps by up to 39 per cent in the fifth year, a far greater leap than in any other period, the term sheet shows. On the assumption that pilots work roughly 75 hours per month — a common baseline in the industry — newer recruits currently earn between $55,000 and $77,000 per year. Under the would-be agreement, that range would rise to between $75,700 and $134,000 versus nearly $187,000 in year five, and more than $367,000 for an experienced captain flying a Boeing 777. Experts say as many as 2,000 of the carrier’s roughly 5,200 active pilots may earn entry-level wages following a recent hiring surge. Many come on board after lengthy careers at other airlines, rather than straight out of flight school. After averting a strike this week, some pilots worry that the ongoing pay disparities could prompt pushback from rank-and-file flight crew and jeopardize the deal, which is up for a vote next month. One Air Canada captain who said he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter said newer colleagues had highlighted that criticism, but he hoped they would assess the contract in its entirety, from scheduling to pensions and health benefits. Some Canadian carriers offer higher pay to junior flight officers but no pension plan, noted the pilot. Another captain said that if resistance to the deal gathers momentum, it will stem mainly from the relatively low pay for recent hires — a provision that dates back to a concession made by the Air Canada Pilots Association more than a decade ago. An online pilot forum appeared to show signs of frustration in the ranks. One user's post complained the tentative agreement confirms Air Canada as “the captain’s airline” — rather than a carrier ideal for younger aviators. Another claimed that a dearth of quality-of-life improvements means that “a no vote is expected and even desired.” A third said the contract failed to fix the "bottom of the scale." “I would be kind of **bleep** that I have to work until year three and year four to get some recognition of differentiation by aircraft type,” said John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University. “You’re still discriminating against the junior pilots,” he said. “The rank and file appear to be upset that it’s still there.” Air Canada declined to comment on the provisions of the contract, but said it recognizes the pilots’ contributions. “We have an agreement with and endorsed by the union negotiating committee and the MEC (master executive council), and now they will present and explain it to the membership prior to the vote,” said spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick. The union's Air Canada contingent said the agreement would generate about $1.9 billion in additional value for pilots. "In addition, the agreement addresses other key issues, including work rules, retirement and overall quality-of-life benefits, while helping to close the gap in wages between Canadian pilots and their American counterparts," the executive committee said in an email. Despite the pay disparity between flight crews at Air Canada, the deal would still see a new hire earn $87.48 per hour — more than first officers currently make in their fifth year — according to the contract summary. Before the ratification vote takes place, the Air Line Pilots Association will present the fleshed-out agreement — yet to be completed as of Wednesday evening — in a series of roadshows and virtual townhalls for members. Duncan Dee, former chief operating officer at Air Canada, said the smaller starter salary reflects training costs for pilots when they switch to a new plane type. "If they move from a narrow-body to a wide-body or from a Boeing to an Airbus, there's a training component to that move which the company pays for," he said. "There's a huge training cost for airlines when they do that." He also noted the 42 per cent pay hike marks a large step up from what WestJet pilots notched last year, when they secured a 24 per cent wage bump over four years. South of the border, pilots at Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines in 2023 reached agreements that included four-year pay boosts ranging from 34 per cent to 40 per cent. Dee said a fixation on the first few years of decades-long flying careers at Air Canada would be "misplaced." "The focus should rightfully be on the totality," he said. "The onus is now on the bargaining committee who negotiated this deal to explain themselves to their membership to justify how they were able to come to this deal."

The next step in autonomous flight is being introduced... https://www.cnn.com/travel/embraer-e2-enhanced-takeoff-system/index.html Automatic takeoffs are coming for passenger jets and they’re going to redraw the map of the sky In late 1965, at what’s now London Heathrow airport, a commercial flight coming from Paris made history by being the first to land automatically. The plane – A Trident 1C operated by BEA, which would later become British Airways – was equipped with a newly developed extension of the autopilot (a system to help guide the plane’s path without manual control) known as “autoland.” Today, automatic landing systems are installed on most commercial aircraft and improve the safety of landings in difficult weather or poor visibility. Now, nearly 60 years later, the world’s third largest aircraft manufacturer, Brazil’s Embraer, is introducing a similar technology, but for takeoffs. Called “E2 Enhanced Take Off System,” after the family of aircraft it’s designed for, the technology would not only improve safety by reducing pilot workload, but it would also improve range and takeoff weight, allowing the planes that use it to travel farther, according to Embraer. “The system is better than the pilots,” says Patrice London, principal performance engineer at Embraer, who has worked on the project for over a decade. ”That’s because it performs in the same way all the time. If you do 1,000 takeoffs, you will get 1,000 of exactly the same takeoff.” Embraer, London adds, has already started flight testing, with the aim to get it approved by aviation authorities in 2025, before introducing it from select airports. Just like Airbus, Embraer has been taking advantage of Boeing’s recent troubles and has been gaining market share, and is now the leading manufacturer of commercial jets with up to 150 seats. It has delivered almost 1,700 aircraft from its popular E-Jet family, introduced in 2004. Earlier this year, American Airlines announced an order for 90 E175 planes – a regional jet with a capacity of about 80 passengers – with the intent to convert its entire regional fleet to Embraer aircraft by 2030. In 2018, Embraer revamped some of the models in the family with new engines, wings and avionics, calling them E2. Two variants are now in service, the E-190-E2 and the slightly larger E-195-E2, seating up to about 140 passengers, which puts them in direct competition with the Airbus A220. Just over 120 E2 aircraft have been delivered so far, with Canada’s Porter Airlines, Brazil’s Azul and The Netherland’s KLM Cityhopper currently the largest operators. Embraer has orders for about 200 more. It’s on these planes that the company is going to introduce its new automated takeoff system. “I had the pleasure of flying the system on the real airplane a week ago, and it’s amazing,” says Luís Carlos Affonso, senior vice president of engineering and technological development at Embraer. “We believe that the training for pilots will be very limited, because you don’t really change the procedure.” During an automated takeoff, Affonso says, there is only one key deviation from current procedures. “You do not rotate yourself. You have your hands on the yoke, and the airplane rotates itself,” he says, referring to the action of pulling back on the controls to make the plane’s nose go up. “In the auto landing, you also have to keep your hands on the controls, and the airplane lands itself. It’s the same here. All the rest remains identical and when the airplane crosses 200 feet in altitude, the system reverts to the normal autopilot and autothrottle, so life goes back to usual.” Before reaching that altitude, however, the system would have made it possible for the plane to take off earlier and use less of the runway. As a result, the takeoff distance – which is calculated from the release of the brakes until the plane reaches 35 feet of altitude – is reduced compared to a manual takeoff. No tail strikes Crucially, the system allows the plane to take off as early as possible and more steeply, but without ever incurring a tail strike — a dangerous situation in which the tail of the plane touches the runway or an obstacle as the aircraft lifts off, sometimes as a result of pilot error. “If you’re a pilot, you have to give some room for error,” says Affonso. “But because this system is so precise and consistent, you don’t need the same margins and you can operate closer to the optimum in the initial rotation, as if you were closer to touching with the tail. Except you will not.” Embraer says this optimization allows for an increase in takeoff weight, which means either more passengers or more range — up to 350 nautical miles. This opens up destinations that are precluded with the same combination of airport and aircraft, but without the automated takeoff system. For now, Embraer plans to introduce the system at three airports: London City in England, Florence in Italy and Santos Dumont in Brazil, but the company says it’s receiving interest for more. What happens in case of an emergency? The system reacts in the same way as the normal autopilot, sounding an alarm and giving controls back to the pilots. “I tested the system in failure cases, especially when you lose an engine,” Affonso says. “It is amazing how you get a workload reduction, especially during a failure. Whenever you reduce the workloads, you make for a safer operation.” However, Affonso adds, this is not a first step towards total automation, or even getting rid of one of the pilots. “We are just adding one phase, which is the takeoff phase, where you now can have the autopilot engaged,” he says, “but it’s far from from autonomous, because the pilot is there, and if there is a failure, the pilot is the one that will take control.” According to Gary Crichlow, an aviation analyst at Aviation News Limited, at this stage it’s too early to tell how the benefits touted by Embraer for the system will translate into real-world operation. “In principle, allowing the system to select and perform the optimal takeoff profile automatically seems like an extension of what has become standard practice in other parts of the flight envelope, rather than a radical step towards a fully autonomous aircraft,” he says. But as with every other system enhancement ever created, he adds, it all comes down to the implementation” “Whether the system is as readily retrofittable as expected, whether it proves to need no additional training, how well it handles real-world operation, and of course, whether it actually results in a significant improvement in operational efficiency – only time will tell.”

Maybe Alaska will be exposed to the benefits of Airbus vs Boeing leading to a fleet renewal?

British Airways new safety video.

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/from-an-apartment-in-vancouver-to-a-storage-container-near-saskatoon-how-2-teenagers-airplane-finally-gets-unveiled-to-family-decades-later-in-ontario-1.7032557 From an apartment in Vancouver to a storage container near Saskatoon, how 2 teenagers’ airplane finally gets unveiled to family decades later in Ontario /content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/9/10/robert-wong-and-cf-baa-1-7032596-1726000713202.jpgRobert Wong and the CF-BAA, Feb 26, 1938. (Photo from Robert Wong collection) Alex Arsenych CTVNewsToronto.ca Journalist Follow |Contact Updated Sept. 14, 2024 3:52 p.m. EDT Published Sept. 10, 2024 4:52 p.m. EDT Share Link X Reddit LinkedIn Email Decades after soaring through Vancouver's skies, spending years in a storage container in Saskatoon, and finally being restored in Ontario, a plane built by hand by two teenagers at the height of the Great Depression will be unveiled to their family for the first time. Robert Wong and his younger brother Thomas "Tommy" Wong were two of 12 children. Their family originally lived in Nanaimo, B.C., with their father working as a coal miner before they moved to Vancouver, living in Market Alley, where dozens of Chinese labourers lived at the time. As a child, Robert loved to build model airplanes. When he saw an article in Modern Mechanics(opens in a new tab) detailing how to craft a Pietenpol Sky Scout – a single-seater, wood-and-fabric plane powered by a Model T Ford engine – he sought to construct it himself. Download our app to get alerts on your device(opens in a new tab) RELATED STORIES Divers find remains of Finnish WWII plane that was shot down by Moscow with a U.S. diplomat aboard World’s first flying car receives approval for test flights in the U.S. Hundreds of flying taxis to be made in Ohio, home of the Wright brothers and astronaut legends "This was 1935. We're pretty sure he saw this article with the plans, and he said, 'Oh, it's just like (my) model airplanes,'" Evelyn Wong, Robert's daughter, told CTV News Toronto. Robert, 17 at the time, and Tommy, 14, spent two years cutting the wood for the plane – using their free time during the school holidays to build it – while their mother and her friends stitched together the fabric right onto the fuselage of it. "They had no choice where to start to build because … there was a time of great discrimination against Chinese, and it was during the depression," Evelyn Wong said. At this time in Canadian history, the Chinese Immigration Act(opens in a new tab), also called the Chinese Exclusion Act, forced all Chinese people living in Canada to register with the government or face severe penalties, including deportation, in an effort to halt Chinese immigrants from coming to the country. This act was in effect until 1947. In the first test flight of the plane, piloted by Leonard Foggin, Evelyn said the plane flew until it landed on a single wing tip and tilted onto its nose. "(The media) said if the plane hadn't been so well built by these two young men, or boys it would have been, structurally, far more damage and the instructor could have got hurt, but it was so well done," Evelyn said. "They had to totally redo the landing gear system and the ignition system." They fixed the plane, called the CF-BAA, in Robert's final year of high school, and he flew the aircraft on his own without a hitch. The plane was sold to someone in Vancouver before Robert started college(opens in a new tab). For a time during the Second World War, Robert trained pilots out of Windsor Airport with the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, where he trained them on how to navigate, land and manoeuvre aircrafts and Tommy eventually became a Royal Canadian Air Force Warrant Officer. After the war ended, Robert moved to East York while Tommy went in Etobicoke(opens in a new tab). They first opened Wong's Air School at Barker Airport in 1945, but after a fire burnt their hangar, they signed a lease at Toronto Island Airport and launched Central Airways. The air school turned out to be Canada's largest flight-training school by 1950. Robert Wong in cockpit, Tommy Wong with earplugs standing on the right when they started Central Airways, 1945. Toronto Chinese Canadian community leaders Chong Ying, and E.C. Mark. (Courtesy of Arlene Chan) Decades after, the hunt to find the CF-BAA again ignited. "Don MacVicar went on a treasure hunt. It's just amazing. It's just like (finding) a needle in a haystack," Evelyn Wong said. The hunt for the CF-BAA Donald MacVicar, who co-founded the Eva Rothwell Resource Centre in Hamilton, told CTV News Toronto he was amazed by the Wong brothers' story and how they built this airplane from their Chinatown apartment. It catalyzed his impassioned, unrelenting search to find where the CF-BAA ended up. MacVicar ploughed through research to find who exchanged hands with the CF-BAA, learning it moved from Vancouver to Canora, Sask. "The trail went dead," MacVicar said. He combed through obituaries and cemeteries to see if he could track down the ancestors to see who it was last sold to and find out where the Wong brothers' plane was. After numerous calls, mass emails to a plethora of Saskatchewan-based airports, and a Saskatoon Phoenix article detailing the Wongs' history, MacVicar finally heard from someone with a solid lead of where the Pietenpol could be – in a storage container in La Ronge, Sask., about four hours north of Saskatoon. The CF-BAA inside the container it was stored in. (Courtesy of Donald MacVicar) "Everybody that had this plane knew that it was something unique and never wanted to destroy it. So now, how do we get it out of the container, and then get it back to Hamilton?" MacVicar, who is based out of Stoney Creek, Ont., said. MacVicar said Campbell Harrod, a plane restorer in Dundas, Ont., bought the plane so he could restore it. "He drove 6,000 kilometres there and back with a pickup truck and a trailer, and picked up the pieces of it, and has brought it back to Guelph," MacVicar said. Now, the family – coming in from all across the globe including Evelyn coming in from Singapore, and Evelyn Wong's older sister, Roberta Lau from California – will see the plane with its original fabric, on Sept. 13 in Guelph. Eventually, MacVicar says Harrod plans to restore the plane so it can grace the skies again in about five years time. Evelyn Wong with dad Robert Wong at Central Airways,1961 (left), Roberta Wong (Lau), 1970's , Toronto Island Airport (re-named Billy Bishop Airport). (Courtesy of Roberta and Ray Lau) "It's just a fantastic feeling to see the aircraft and to see the size," Lau told CTV News Toronto. "We saw many pictures, so that won't surprise me when I see it (though) probably in person to feel and touch it." Then the following day, and decades after their father and uncle passed away, the Wong brothers will become the first Asian Canadians inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame – something made possible after sending 16 "heartwarming" letters of support for them to be commemorated and a plethora of documents highlighting their contribution to the aviation industry. Robert died in 1987, and Tommy died nearly two decades later in 2006. "Robert and Tommy trained thousands to fly over the course of their careers, with many of their pilot graduates going on to work for major airlines across North America, ensuring their lasting legacy as pioneers in the history of Canadian aviation," Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame historian Jonathan Scotland told CTV News Toronto in an emailed statement. In honour of their family's story reaching new heights, Evelyn Wong published a children's book, "Ready to Fly,"(opens in a new tab) illustrating the story of the CF-BAA in hopes other kids will chase after their dreams. "We do want to inspire them to reach for the sky and believe that you can do it."

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/investing/2024/09/13/the-worlds-most-desperately-needed-airplane-is-back-in-production/ Canada Is Making the World’s Most Desperately Needed Airplane After the world posted its worst year for wildfires, with an area roughly the size of Nicaragua scorched in 2023, one plane model has become the most important aircraft on Earth. A specialized amphibious firefighting plane — commonly called a Canadair after its original manufacturer — is unique in the market for its size and maneuverability. It can hold as much as 1,621 US gallons (6,137 liters) of water — about 20 bathtubs full — and travel at more than 200 miles per hour (322 kilometers per hour). In a quick swoop, the planes scoop up water from lakes or seas — filling up in 12 seconds — and fly as low as 100 feet (30 meters) above burning infernos to douse flames. As climate change makes wildfires more frequent and intense around the world, these acrobatic water-bombers are needed now more than they’ve ever been before. Yet they were out of production for almost 10 years. This has now changed. De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd., which acquired the rights to the aircraft in 2016, reached new agreements with European Union countries this year to provide 22 DHC-515 firefighter planes, the brand successor of the Canadair. The order will be the first time De Havilland makes these €50 million ($55 million) planes. While production won’t finish until the end of 2026 at the earliest, the EU is willing to wait for a firefighting plane considered incomparable to anything else available. “The so-called Canadair is the only functioning, operational aircraft in that category in this moment of time,” Hans Das, deputy-director general for European civil protection and humanitarian aid operations at the European Commission, said in an interview. “Over the last few years, we have seen forest fires expanding into all of Europe. Nobody escapes anymore.” Wildfires have been raging across the continent this year — most ferociously in Greece and Turkey — as the world recorded its hottest summer ever. Across the Atlantic, Brazil’s Amazon rainforest has been on fire, wafting toxic smoke into the country’s largest city Sao Paulo in recent weeks. In North America California battled one of its worst wildfires on record in July and blazes have raged across De Havilland’s home province of Alberta. Fires were still smoldering under the snow in Canada in March after unprecedented wildfires in 2023. Most firefighters are on the ground during a wildfire, but planes play an important role in helping dowse fires with water or stopping the spread with retardant. “As fires continue to increase both in number of fires and in the scale, there is just more and more need for aerial firefighting assets to help support those firefighters on the ground so they don’t get their butt kicked,” Paul Petersen, executive director of the United Aerial Firefighters Association, said in an interview. Petersen estimates the world needs twice the amount of firefighting aircraft currently available to meet demand. Riva Duncan, a retired fire chief with the US Forest Service, agreed that demand has been exceeding aircraft availability. “The growing number of fires we’re having, the lengthening of the fire season into a fire year, larger, more destructive fires — we need every tool in the toolbox to be able to manage these fires and aircraft’s a big part of that,” she said. Quebec-based Bombardier Inc., the previous manufacturer of the Canadair planes, sold off the unit in 2016 as it dealt with a series of financial difficulties. From 2015 until the new EU order, the firefighter planes had been out of production. De Havilland first discussed restarting production of the planes in 2019, but due to the high costs, it needed a firm commitment of a minimum number to get their suppliers on board for parts, according to Neil Sweeney, De Havilland vice president of corporate affairs. He said the EU’s order for 22 planes was enough to start things up again. The EU started looking at expanding its aerial firefighting fleet in 2020 — taking on board supply chain lessons learned during the Covid pandemic. With fires happening simultaneously across the continent, the bloc found sharing resources across countries does not work if there aren’t enough planes. “When everybody is facing the same difficulty, then the system gets paralyzed,” Balazs Ujvari, a spokesperson for the European Commission, said in an interview. “If your house is burning then you cannot also help the neighbor’s house that is burning.” For this fire season, the EU has access to 26 firefighting planes from nine member states. De Havilland said there are approximately 160 Canadair planes in operation in 10 countries: Turkey, Morocco, Canada, the US, France, Croatia, Spain, Italy, Greece and Malaysia. There are other aircraft capable of water bombing, but they either hold less extinguishing agent or they’re good for one big drop before needing to return to a station for a slower refill. Canadairs, on the other hand, can circle back and skim an open body of water again and again, refilling almost at full speed. While countries around the world have made regional deals to share aerial firefighting resources, including lending out aircraft during off-seasons for wildfires, climate change has been making this a logistical nightmare. Countries are dealing with longer fire seasons and places that previously didn’t have many fires are seeing them more regularly. This is one reason De Havilland expects to see more demand for firefighting aircraft in the future. The other is that many countries will be keen to upgrade aircraft in their fleet — which may be up to 50 years old. Over time, planes that scoop salt water can suffer from corrosion, and in warmer climates they may begin to rust. The new DHC-515 aircraft will have similar water capacity to its predecessor, but will have a few upgrades. These include improvements to the water drop control system, the avionics, the rudder control and the air conditioning. Mike Flannigan, a research chair in emergency management and fire science at Thompson Rivers University, said De Havilland may have cornered a market for these types of planes now, but other manufacturers will likely sense an opportunity as wildfires become a more difficult problem for countries to tackle. “I expect they might get some competition eventually if this market continues to grow,” he said.

Calhoun is making $33 Million on his new package approved in May 2024. And he'll be getting golden parachute as well. https://apnews.com/article/boeing-shareholders-ceo-compensation-investigations-2216aff126c2c48f03294ae3541bf7b6 The new guy will be getting $22 Million per annum. https://www.seattletimes.com/business/see-how-new-boeing-chief-kelly-ortbergs-pay-compares-with-was-best-paid-ceos/

Maybe he and the executive should put some skin in the game. Say a 25% pay cut at their level to show sincerity?

A little speed tape and it'll be good to go!

These countries are just taking a lesson from big corporations and 'monetizing' their 'commodities'. Who knows what's next? Maybe they'll charge for every bag brought in? Charge extra for snacks? The revenue streams are endless.....

It's not just the pilots. When we all took the cuts back in the day, it took 12 years just to get back to where we were prior. That was with shorter term contracts as well. I am behind you all the way. Everyone else is watching with a great deal of interest where this will go.

https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/air-canada-pilots-reject-salary-increase-chances-of-strike-action-with-air-travel-disruption-in-the-mid-september-heres-new-updates-you-need-to-know/ Air Canada pilots reject salary increase, chances of strike action with air travel disruption in the mid-September: Here’s new updates you need to know In a significant escalation of labor tensions, Air Canada pilots have overwhelmingly rejected a 30% wage increase proposal from the airline. This decision raises the likelihood of a potential strike, which could disrupt air travel across Canada as early as September 18th, according to the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), the union representing more than 5,400 Air Canada pilots.

It is better to have useless knowledge than to know nothing. Seneca the Younger

Biggest improvement in this is the Starlink system. Was on a cruise back in the spring, and for that many pax and crew (they all had devices) service was pretty good! Having a couple hundred pax on an aircraft is small compared to several thousand on a boat.

Part of the problem is that growth isn't even across the spectrum. That's changing though... https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=63025 In-brief analysis September 5, 2024 Batteries are a fast-growing secondary electricity source for the grid Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, early release 2023 Annual Electric Generator Report (for annual data 2010–23) and our July 2024 electric generator inventory (for July 2024 data) Note: Annual data are end-of-year operational nameplate capacities at installations with at least 1 megawatt of nameplate power capacity. Utility-scale battery energy storage systems have been growing quickly as a source of electric power capacity in the United States in recent years. In the first seven months of 2024, operators added 5 gigawatts (GW) of capacity to the U.S. electric power grid, according to data in our July 2024 electric generator inventory. In 2010, only 4 megawatts (MW) of utility-scale battery energy storage was added in the United States. In July 2024, more than 20.7 GW of battery energy storage capacity was available in the United States. Battery energy storage systems provide electricity to the power grid and offer a range of services to support electric power grids. Among these services are balancing supply and demand, moving electricity from periods of low prices to periods of high prices (a strategy known as arbitrage), and allowing electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, to be stored until needed instead of curtailing those sources at times when they produce more electricity than is consumed. Energy storage systems are not primary electricity sources, meaning the technology does not create electricity from a fuel or natural resource. Instead, they store electricity that has already been created from an electricity generator or the electric power grid, which makes energy storage systems secondary sources of electricity. Energy storage systems use more electricity for charging than they provide when supplying electricity to the electricity grid. Secondary sources of electricity such as batteries are included in our Annual Electric Generator Report and in our preliminary monthly electric generator inventory data because they provide the capacity to meet load even though energy storage systems do not generate electricity directly. Most U.S. utility-scale battery energy storage systems use lithium-ion batteries. Our data collection defines small-scale batteries as having less than 1 MW of power capacity. Small-scale battery data are reported separately from utility-scale battery systems. Other types of energy storage systems include pumped-storage hydroelectricity, flywheels, and compressed air. More detailed information about how batteries and these other systems work is available on our Energy Explained page about energy storage for electricity generation.

Some very specific dates mentioned here. Just curious as to why.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/2024/09/04/air-canada-offers-pilots-a-30-pay-boost-as-strike-deadline-nears/ Air Canada Offers Pilots a 30% Pay Boost as Strike Deadline Nears (Bloomberg) -- Air Canada has offered to boost the pay of more than 5,000 pilots by about 30% within the next three years, according to people familiar with the matter, as it seeks to prevent a strike. Pilots at Canada’s largest airline would received a minimum 20% increase up front, followed by annual raises over a three-year period, said the people, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. Pilots with one to four years of service would receive more, the people said. The offer means that a captain with 10 years of service flying a widebody aircraft such as a Boeing 777 with a current salary of just over C$350,000 ($259,000) per year may see an increase of more than C$100,000 over the life of the contract, the people said. The airline’s offer also includes improvements in pension and health benefits. Air Canada and the Air Line Pilots Association have been in talks for more than a year. The last contract, a 10-year deal that was ratified in 2014, provided pay increases of about 2% annually. The pilots haven’t received a raise since last year. Air Canada pilots are paid less than half of what industry counterparts receive, the union has said in previous statements. ALPA’s local head, Charlene Hudy, declined to comment on the specifics of the proposal. But entry-level wages for pilots are an issue, she said. “One-quarter of our pilots have a second job, with almost 80% of those needing the job out of necessity,” she said. “We are trying to change that.” A meeting between the parties is expected later this week. As of last week, the talks had “completely stalled,” Hudy added. In August, the pilots voted 98% to give the union authorization to strike, and they’re in a position to walk off the job in the middle of September if there’s no deal. The airline introduced a rebooking policy for customers with travels between Sept. 15 and Sept. 23. The union seeks to close the pay gap with large US airlines, which have given their pilots substantial pay increases. Last year, ALPA reached a four-year agreement with United Airlines Holdings Inc., providing pilots a total compensation increase of as much as 40%, including an immediate pay boost of 13.8% to 18.7%. “When it is in force, we want our pilots to remain the best-paid commercial pilots in Canada by far,” Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said by email. “We are open to any solution to reach a reasonable settlement, including arbitration.” Canada’s No. 2 airline, Onex Corp.-controlled WestJet Airlines, agreed to a contract in 2023 that included a 24% compensation bump over four years.