Arik Begins Congo, Kinshasha Routes

 

Arik Air(W3): Lagos, Nigeria - Douala, Cameroon - Kinshasa, DRC

- Effective 5 December 2012

• W3121 LOS 1110 - 1240 DLA 1325 - 1525 FIH 73G | 37
• W3122 FIH 1610 - 1810 DLA 1855 - 2025 LOS 73G | 37

According to the CRS, Arik Air has 5th Freedom rights between Douala and Kinshasa.

Arik Air (W3), has announced the start of twice weekly flights from Lagos to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo effective 5 December 2012.

Kinshasa now becomes Arik Air’s third destination in Central Africa, with the new route set to operate each Wednesday and Sunday via Douala, Cameroon using a Boeing 737-700. Meanwhile First nation Nigerian Airline is to resume domestic operations sometime next year 2013

Cargo Plane Crash In Congo, Brazzaville

A cargo plane has crashed at Brazzaville airport while trying to land in a storm, killing around 30 residents and also the crew, emergency services and witnesses said.
Around 30 local people had been killed as the plane skidded off the runway and crashed into houses and a bar in the Congolese capital before crashing into a ravine, said Georgelin Massemba, head of the emergency services. Earlier Friday, emergency services had spoken of around 20 dead.
The crew, numbering three or four people, are thought to have died in the ensuing fire.
Another 20 or so people had been injured in the crash and taken to nearby hospitals, witnesses said.
The Ilyushin plane, registered with local company Aero-services, was flying in from the western port city of Pointe Noire carrying cars and other goods.
A journalist at the scene said the crash happened during a violent storm.
Two hours after the crash, firefighters were still scouring the wreckage to look for victims. Although the plane was to carry freight, they sometimes also carry people other than the crew.

Aviation Safety is reporting that the aircraft involved was likely an Il-76 (MSN 073410300-EK76300)

Women In Aviation: Female Pilot Achievers

In the world of Aviation if you think just because your a man you can have your way as an aviator. Think again! Unlike before aviation is fast growing with women Pilots or Aviatrices. You would have to work twice as hard inorder to break the ground breaking records our women of today are setting.
As of 2010, just over 7% of certified civilian pilots (both private and commercial) in the United States were women.
Let's see the Pioneer Pilots, of the past, present and future.

Above is Captain Berverly Burns !st woman to captain a Boeing 747
-Raymonde de Laroche, the world's first licensed female pilot on March 8, 1910; Belgian,
-Helene Dutrieu, the first woman to fly a passenger, first woman to win an air race (1910), and first woman to pilot a seaplane (1912); French,
-Marie Marvingt the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel and the
North Sea in a balloon (October 26, 1909) and first woman to fly as a bomber pilot in combat missions (1915); Russian,
-Eugenie Shakhovskaya was the first female military pilot; American,
-Harriet Quimby, the USA's first licensed female pilot in 1911, and the first woman to cross the English Channel by airplane; American
-Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic (1932);
-Bessie Coleman, the first African American female to become a licensed airplane pilot (1921);
-German, Marga von Etzdorf, first woman to fly for an airline (1927);
-Opal Kunz, one of the few women to train US Navy fighter pilots during World War II in the Civilian Pilot Training Program; and the British
-Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia (1930).
-Valérie André, a French neurosurgeon and member of the French army, became the first woman to fly a helicopter in combat, while serving in Indochina (1945).
-Jean Batten, a New Zealander, made a number of record-breaking solo flights across the world, including, in 1936, the first-ever solo flight from England to New Zealand.
-Sabiha Gökçen, born in 1913, Turkey, became the world's first female fighter pilot at the age of 23. She is also turkey's first female pilot.
In 1979, a Jamaican, Maria Ziadie-Haddad, became one of the first women in the Western Hemisphere to become a commercial jet airline pilot when she was hired by Air Jamaica 1968 Ltd as a B727 Second Office
In Japan, the first female captain for commercial passenger flights was Ari Fuji, who began flying as captain for
JAL Express in July 2010. Fuji was rejected from admission to Japanese pilot training school on the grounds of being too small (155 cm; standard was previously 163 cm, currently 158 cm as of spring 2010), so she got her pilot's license in the United States. There are currently a few other female pilots in Japan, though, as of 2010, no others in a captain role.
Hanadi Zakaria al-Hindi is the first
Saudi woman to become a commercial airline pilot
The Israeli Air Force's flight academy is open to female pilots. 24 female pilots have completed the course as of 2011.

In Nigeria, Captain Chinyere kalu is the 1st female pilot in Nigeria, currently heads the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology NCAT.

Adebule imoleye is the youngest licenced commericial airline pilot at 23,

Blessing Liman Nigerian Airforce first female fighter pilot, 25yrs old.

Kimberly Anyadike a born and based in the US is a Nigerian, she is known as the first African American teen to fly across the United States. She flew from
Compton, California to Newport News, Virginia in 2009. It took her 13 days to complete the flight The miles flown were 2,342miles. The plane used was a Cessna C-172. She was accompanied by safety pilot Ronnell Norman, a certified commercial pilot and Major Levi H. Thornhill, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot who at age 87, is a member of the elite
Tuskegee Airmen who flew during world war II.
One of my personal favourite woman achiever who i would proudly say i'm in contact with is Karlene Petitte although i have not meet her in person, yet, but she is one of the leading women in aviation in the USA she is type rated on a B727, B747, B747-400, B757, B767, and A330. Visit her blog karlenepetitt.blogspot.com for more about kerlene petitte her remarkable achievements and incredible donations towards aviation especially women, and drop your comments.
Never Underestimate a woman!!!

Picture Of The Day: Space Shuttle Cockpit

OMGod! The sight of this flight deck gives me a headache. Well this is the reason why i wanted becoming a pilot in the first place. It looks beautiful right? Its truly Amazing and a true work of Cockpit design Art!
That up there my friends is the flight deck of the space shuttle. ENDEAVOUR!

Nigeria Records Higest Airlift of Passengers This Year

By the end of December this year passenger movement on international routes would have risen to six million; the highest increase recorded in Nigeria’s air transport history.

By end of November the figure was already more than five million and it is estimated that over one million Nigerians would return from overseas during the Yuletide.

In 2011, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) recorded over 12 million passenger movements and 234,235 aircraft movements and out of the over 12 million passengers only four million were international passengers.

So the figure has increased by 50 per cent but there are indications that passenger movement in the domestic routes would be less than what was obtained last year because there was a slump immediately after the crash of Dana Air flight 0992, which killed 163 people.

Passengers on domestic destinations deserted the airports and it was in September that there was discernible increase in passenger movement but by then fares had become exorbitant because few airlines were operating so those who could not afford the high fares chose alternative means to get to their destinations.

The busiest airport was the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, which from January to October last year recorded 3,257,738 passengers on domestic flights and 2,237, 991 international flight passengers within the same period, the number of passenger movement to international destinations has doubled this year.

Many in the industry attributed the increase to high mobility of Nigerians who travel out of the country to do business, attend conferences and others who travel to study and go to hospitals overseas.

Only few travel for leisure, but many Nigerians travel out of the country every day “for many other reasons but not for holidays. Few go for holidays,”
Industry consultant and former chairman of the Federal Government’s Technical and Administrative Review Panel in the Aviation Industry, Group Captain John Obakpolor (rtd) said that domestic airline operation has become unprofitable now due to the fact that operational cost has gone up astronomically.

“Cost of jet fuel (Jet A1) which used to be N35.00 per litre is now N240.00. This has led to increase in fares which directly affect passengers’ inflow into the airport. In a country where minimum wage is N18, 000 it is difficult for many Nigerians to travel by and I can say that the number of Nigerians that travel by air is not more than 5.5 per cent of the nation’s population.”
But he described Nigeria as the bread basket of international travel in West Africa and beyond, remarking that many international carriers that operate into the country record profitable airlift from Nigeria, but ironically Nigerian airlines record successive failures.

“We did not protect our local operations because we granted so many entry points but Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) allows one entry, so if you allow more entries it should be reciprocated,” Obakpolor said, adding that Nigeria is not benefiting from its huge passenger market.

Test Pilots

If you are the Captain of let's say Emirates B777 or A380 and you rake in up to $80,000-$100,000 a year. One would say yes you have reached the height of your piloting career. Its a dream come true. For some pilots they just scratch the surface. There are a group of special aviators that go an extra mile in the world of aviation, "TEST PILOTS"
Test piloting is a branch of aviation that requires a special and authentic skill, a vast and wealthy knowledge for aviation or airplanes. Generally we know test pilots as those who write the aircraft manual for airplanes. Well its true that's just a fraction of their job specification, but it goes a whole lot deeper than that.
Test Pilots are not your average commercial airline pilots, they are very well above average pilots. Test pilots may work for military organizations or private, (mostly aerospace) companies. Testing military aircraft, in particular, is regarded as the most challenging and risky flying.
Unlike commercial airline pilots, test pilots are required to have a degree in an aviation related course like, aeronautical Engineering or aeronautic sciences, Aerospace Engineering or science, flight science etc. Accompanied with an advanced degree. Test pilots should be able 2 understand and have an in-dept knowledge about airplanes.

A test pilot must be able to:

-Understand a test plan;
-Stick to a test plan, flying a plane in a highly specific way;
-Carefully document the results of each test;
-Have an excellent feel for the aircraft, and sense exactly how it is behaving oddly if it is doing so;
-Solve problems quickly if anything goes wrong with the aircraft during a test;
-Cope with many different things going wrong at once.
-Test pilots must have an excellent knowledge of aeronautical engineering, in order to understand how they are tested and why.
Test pilots must be above average pilots with excellent analytical skills and the ability to fly accurately whilst following a flight plan.

Let's take a look at a summary of my favourite test pilot. Captain Mark Feuerstein. His achievements usually gets my head spinning everytime.

Capt. Mark Feuerstein is currently chief pilot of 747 programs for The Boeing Company. In this position, Feuerstein is responsible for engineering flight-test activities related to all Boeing 747 airplane models. He is also involved in design activities of the new Boeing 747-8I and 747-8F. He was appointed to this role in October 2007. Feuerstein joined The Boeing Company in 1997. His previous assignments include chief pilot for new airplane product development, assistant chief pilot 747, assistant chief pilot 787, and deputy military and special projects pilot. He has more than 7,000 hours of flight time in over 100 types of airplanes, and holds an FAA type rating in the 707, 737, 747, 747-400, 757, 767, 777, A-320 and A-330 airplanes.

Feuerstein received his bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University in 1981. In 1987, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School as an engineering test pilot. In 1994, he received his Masters of Science in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. He is also an associate fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and is the Boeing Commercial Airplanes pilot representative to SAE International's Flight Deck and Handling Qualities Standards for Transport Aircraft committee (S-7).
Mark served as assistant chief pilot for both the 747 and 787 airplane programs, and as the deputy Military and Special Projects pilot where his responsibilities included flight-testing of Boeing’s commercial derivative military airplanes, including the KC/RC-135, E-6 and E-767.
Talk about an impressive CV.

AIB Signs Contract with Canadian Firm to Build FDR/CVR Laboratory in Lagos

The Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, of the Aviation Ministry signed a contract with a Canadian firm CAE/Flight Scape  to set up FDR/CVR (Flight Data Recorder/Cockpit voice Recorder) laboratory in Lagos, for purposes of analyzing recorded tapes of crashed planes and also help with a prompt downloading of tape information.
The usual practice is Flight Data Recorder, FDR, and Cockpit Voice Recorded, CVR, of accident aircraft are taken overseas for analysis and interpretation, to facilitate investigation and report of probable cause of air accidents. Which terribly delays Investigative reports.

"The Bureau is recognized by ICAO as the most qualified/competent Air Accident investigation body in the sub region (Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation) and could render its expertise when needed and will be better placed within the sub-region

Meanwhile,

The Yakubu Gowon Airport in Plateau Stae, is being transformed into a cargo airport.
Yakubu Dati, the general manager (corporate communications) of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said that Federal Government was determined to make the country the hub of aviation in Africa.
He said the transformation is because of the rich agricultural potential of Plateau, adding that the airport would aid efforts to transport agricultural produce to other parts of the country and beyond.

“Aviation is the fastest and safest means of transportation and government is also working toward making it the cheapest”
I hope soooo....