New C-17A Delivered

C-17A 07-7185 (P-185) was delivered to the USAF today and will be based at Charleston AFB. The aircraft tookoff from Rwy 30 at 0855, commencing a left turn to set up a left base pattern back to Rwy 30 for the traditional low pass and wing wave goodbye to the DAC employees who built her. As always it is a spectacular sight to witness a C-17A delivery.

Clay Lacy DC-3 Visits Orange County

The beautifully restored DC-3C N814CL (cn 34370) taxies for takeoff on one of several sightseeing flights operated on March 23. (Photo by Michael Carter)

Monday March 23, Clay Lacy brought his United DC-3C N814CL (cn 34370) to Orange County (SNA). He was providing special sightseeing flights which were operated out of Signature Flight Support.

Alaska Airlines Wi-Fi Demo

Alaska Airlines 737-790 N644AS (30795/1277) rolls for takeoff bound for Seattle sporting the Wi-Fi test dish on the upper rear fuselage. (Photo by Doug Kerr)

Alaska Airlines 737-790 N644AS (30795/1277) is now sporting a Wi-Fi dish as the carrier is in the testing phase for this new in-flight service. Once testing is complete, the carrier will install the system on it's entire fleet and best of all it will be free.

On The Mend

I have not made many updates the past week as I injured my back at work last Monday. It wasn't bad until Thursday when it went completly out and I could hardly move. Doing Physical Theropy now and it is feeling better so I am able to resume updates.

Thanks and Cheers
Michael Carter

Fed Ex Threatens 777F Cancelations

FedEx said that it will cancel 15 firm orders for 777Fs if a proposed US House of Representatives bill that calls for the delivery giant to be governed by the National Labor Relations Act rather than the Railway Labor Act becomes law.

FedEx will begin taking delivery of 15 777Fs in September and those deliveries are not in jeopardy. But earlier this year it exercised options on 15 additional 777Fs valued at $3.75 billion, bringing its firm backlog for the type to 30, and took options on an another 15. It said that its agreement with Boeing contains a clause that allows it to cancel the order if its labor status is changed.

FAA reauthorization legislation cleared by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, already controversial because it seeks to sunset airline alliances' antitrust immunity every three years, includes a provision that would switch FedEx from the RLA to the NLRA.

Since FedEx was founded as an airline in 1971, it has fallen under the jurisdiction of the RLA, which forces railway and airline workers to go through a long arbitration process before taking work actions and bars the formation of localized unions. Rival UPS, considered a trucking company, falls under the NLRA, which allows workers to organize on a local level and has fewer barriers to work actions.

UPS long has lobbied for a change in FedEx's status. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents truck drivers and other workers at UPS, also has pushed for the change so it can unionize FedEx workers. Currently only FedEx pilots are unionized.

FedEx said the change would create "upheaval" and that it no longer would be able to afford the additional 777Fs, "30 out of 45 airplanes we won't be buying if our RLA status is changed by Congress," a company spokesperson told Reuters yesterday.

Avondale Partners analyst Donald Broughton wrote in a research note that "thousands of jobs" at Boeing and GE could be affected if FedEx were to cancel its 777F order. "We find it more than a bit intriguing that now congressmen will have to vote against Boeing, GE and the creation of thousands of unionized jobs for machinists. . .in order to change the labor law status of FedEx in an attempt to possibly help the Teamsters union," he commented.

Boeing has taken no official position on the legislative proposal. House Transportation Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.), who spearheaded the FAA reauthorization bill, dismissed FedEx's statements as "huffing and puffing."

(Air Transport World - ATWOnline)

New G450 Arrives in Long Beach

G450 N458GA (cn 4158) on short final to Rwy 30.

(Photo by Michael Carter)

New G450 N458GA (cn 4158) arrived in Long Beach this afternoon from Savannah /Hilton Head (KSAV) as "Gulftest 17" at 15:28 PST. The new Gulfstream was still wearing it's basic green amber tech finish.

March C-17A Visits Long Beach

C-17A 05-5142 (P-142) visits Long Beach.

(Photos by Michael Carter)

C-17A 05-5142 (P-142) which is based at March AFB in Riverside County, paid a visit home to Long Beach as it retreived the last of the equipment used during the recent visit by President Obama. The aircraft departed Long Beach at 1625 PST for parts unknown.

C-17A 07-7185 (P-185) takes to the Skies

C-17A 07-7185 (P-185) captured on short final

to Rwy 30 at Long Beach.(Photo by Michael Carter)

The latest C-17A 07-7185 (P-185) performed her first pre-delivery test flight on Tuesday March 17 returning to Long Beach at 17:28 PST. C-17A 07-7186 (P-186) is now on the Long Beach flight preparing for her first engine starts.

A Couple More Photos From President Obama's Long Beach Arrival

A huge crowd along the AAA and Boeing parking lot on the east side of the Rwy 30.

(Photo by Michael Carter)
Our normally quite DeVry parking lot was packed as well even ran into a couple very rude visitors that thought they owned the parking lot. (Photo by Michael Carter)

In my earlier post I should have said it was the first time that Air Force One VC-25A (747-2G4B) 82-8000 had been to Long Beach, sorry for any confussion.

I've added a couple photos that shows the crowds lining the approach end of Rwy 30, I have never seen so many people in the area as I did yesterday.

Air Force One Comes to Long Beach

Air Force One on short final to Rwy 30 at Long Beach.

(Photo by Michael Carter)
Smokes the mains on Rwy 30. (Photo by Michael Carter)

Air Force One arrived in Long Beach at 15:05 PST marking the first time that Air Force One has visited Long Beach Airport (LGB). Long Beach was utilized this trip as the normal landing site Los Alamitos Air Base is having Rwy structural issues and can't take fixed-wing aircraft over a certain weight.

President Obama is in town for a couple days to attend a Town Hall meeting and make several other engagements while visiting SoCal.

Allegiant Air Comes to San Diego Airport (SAN)

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority announced this week that Allegiant Airlines will be adding nonstop flights between Monterey Peninsula Airport and San Diego International Airport (SDIA) beginning May 3, 2009. Allegiant Air operates a low-cost, high-efficiency, all-jet airline offering air travel both on a stand-alone basis and bundled with hotel rooms, rental cars and other travel related services.

The airline will operate three times weekly between Monterey and San Diego with service on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Beginning May 3, flights leaving San Diego will depart at 11:20 a.m., arriving in Monterey at 12:40 p.m. Flights will depart Monterey at 9:20 a.m., arriving in San Diego at 10:40 a.m. The self-proclaimed "Official Airline for Sunshine" will utilize 150-seat, MD-80 series, jet-aircraft on the routes.

"The addition of these three weekly routes to Monterey will allow leisure travelers a quicker route to California’s second largest city," said Thella F. Bowens, Airport Authority President/CEO. "We welcome the more affordable and convenient options Allegiant Air offers to travelers to vacation in San Diego."

"We are extremely pleased to add San Diego and the Southern California region to our growing roster of world-class leisure destinations," Maurice J. Gallagher, Allegiant Air President & CEO said. "This is an exciting new market for our airline and our customers. We look forward to a successful relationship with the airport, area resorts and community leaders."

(San Diego Airport - Press Release)

Qantas A380 Fleet Having Fuel System Issues

Qantas A380-842 VH-OQA (014) rolls out on Rwy 25L at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

(Photo by Michael Carter)

Qantas was forced to withdraw its three A380s from service Monday because of unrelated fuel system problems that came after what had been described as the best entry into service of any aircraft with Australia's national airline.

One A380, QF's first, had technical troubles in Sydney Saturday and was delayed 19 hr. before taking off for London Heathrow. On the return trip, the aircraft suffered a fuel leak and passengers were transferred 12 hr. later to a 747-400. Engineers in London fixed the leak and the A380 was back in service yesterday.

The remaining A380s were removed from service due to fuel system problems and were returned to service yesterday after fixes were made. The airline stated that two A380s were declared unserviceable with a "fuel tank indication system problem." One QF engineer who spoke to ATWOnline said that the issue related to the Fuel Quantity Indicating System and some microbiological contamination, which resulted in faulty FQIS readings.

Since entering service in October 2007, the 13 A380s flying with Singapore Airlines, Emirates and QF have flown 31,750 hr. and 3,300 revenue flights, with 97.8% leaving on time.

(Air Transport World - ATWOnline)

U.S. Air Force Takes Delivery of New C-17A

07-7184 (P-184) returns to Long Beach on February 26th following a pre-delivery test flight. (Photo by Michael Carter)

The U.S. Air Force today took delivery of it's 184th C-17A with the delivery of 07-7184 (P-184). The aircraft departed Long Beach Airport at 10:58 PST bound for it's new home at Charleston AFB. The USAF still has another 20 aircraft slated for delivery thru mid 2010 which will take it's C-17A fleet to 205 aircraft.