Good day all
For all the competition aerobatic fans The Sports Aerobatic Club of SA will be hosting their annual “Ace of Base” competition at Vereeniging Airfield on the weekend of the 1 and 2 December, all the top SA pilots should be there. What makes “Ace of Base” special is that anyone from any class stands a chance of walking away with the title of Ace of Base as all Classes compete on a percentage basis.
Read more about last years “Ace of Base Competition” here
After the success enjoyed by the Children’s Flight concept the founder Felix Gosher has decided to open this up to the elderly, specifically the elderly that have never had the honour of experiencing flight. The fun day will be held at Rand Airport on Saturday 1 December. Menno Parsons and Nigel Hopkins will be flying to entertain everyone present.
Brits will once again be hosting the SA LANDING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Entry Fee: R200 per Aircraft
There are two categories:
Advanced - for experienced pilots
Fun - for novices
The format will be two rounds of 4 landings each:
- Powered approach with any flaps
- Forced Landing with any flaps
- Forced Landing with no flaps
- Powered approach over 2 m obstacle at 50 m
The 7 biggest problems facing SAA right now
South African Airways CEO, Vuyani Jarana, briefed the Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises on Tuesday (27 November) – detailing his progress in implementing the airline’s turnaround strategy.
Jarana said that in the 2017/18 financial year SAA incurred more losses than budgeted due to its inability to execute its strategy.
In addition, he outlined seven of the key issues currently facing the embattled national carrier and how it was hampering his turnaround plan.
These include:
A weak balance sheet and negative equity;
Liquidity challenges;
Negative publicity about SAA;
Previous board dynamics which are not helpful;
Suppliers have lost confidence in SAA;
Forensic reports pointing to rampant corruption;
Banks closing credit lines to the national carrier.
SAA informed the committee that it has revised its strategy and turnaround plan to build a commercially focused airline with customer experience as its cornerstone.
The approved 2019/2023 corporate plan forecasts to break even by the 2021 financial year, it said.
The airline will incur financial losses of R5.2 billion and R1.9 billion for the financial years 2018/19 and 2019/20, respectively and thereafter SAA expects to be profitable for the remainder of the five-year period.
During the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement, the airline received an additional R5 billion special appropriation to help the airline pay off its debt.
On the government guarantees that the airline requires, the committee questioned if the guarantees required will be able to keep SAA liquid.
Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan, said banks want government guarantees but also want to know the plans that are in place to be able to turn the national carrier around.
ExecuJet celebrates strong Q4 in Europe with extended fleet
ExecuJet, part of the Luxaviation Group, is celebrating a strong conclusion to 2018 with the signing of four new aircraft in Europe.
The business aviation operator has engaged the management of a Bombardier Challenger 605 and an Embraer Phenom 300, both available for full charter services through ExecuJet. It has also signed an Embraer Legacy 600 and a Bombardier Global 6000, to be privately managed on the owners’ behalf.
The aircraft will all be based in Zurich, Switzerland, with the exception of the 12-seat Challenger 605, which will be based on the Isle of Man.
Niclas von Planta, Vice President, ExecuJet Europe, says: “We are thrilled to be signing off 2018 with four fleet additions in Europe. We are committed to providing our customers and clients with the very best service, and part of this stems from ensuring they have a wealth of aircraft available to charter. We look forward to welcoming our clients onto these newly acquired aircraft and will continue to seek similar fleet additions in the months ahead.”
ExecuJet manages more than 160 business jets worldwide, across six regions – Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
Piaggio Declares Insolvency
Piaggio Aerospace, which is wholly owned by Mubadala, based in Abu Dhabi, says it “is no longer financially sustainable” and has entered “extraordinary administration,” a type of insolvency procedure that will allow the company to restructure its debt. In a statement, the company cited “continued uncertainty and current market conditions” and said “the key fundamental assumptions of the restructuring plan approved in 2017 have not materialized.” Mubadala had planned to invest up to $342 million in the company over five years.
As recently as the Farnborough airshow, in July, the company was upbeat. “We started a new transformational path, which is already boosting production line and orders,” Renato Vaghi, CEO of Piaggio Aerospace, said at the show. The Evo turboprop has attracted generally good reviews, with users appreciating its performance, economy and comfortable cabin.
Piaggio Aerospace has been celebrating its first 100 years in the aviation business this year. In November 1917, the company formally entered the aviation industry with the takeover of OfficineAeronautiche Francesco Oneto, in Pisa, and it was incorporated in January 1918.
Embraer Projects Market Demand of 1,390 New Jets with up to 150 seats for China
Embraer released its latest outlook for the Chinese commercial aviation market during the 12th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, which forecasts that the region will take delivery of 1,390 new jets with up to 150 seats over the next 20 years (valued at USD 82 billion at list price).
“According to statistics, the Asia-Pacific market enjoyed the strongest growth in terms of passenger volume in 2017. In China, specifically for the domestic market, the growth rate was 13.3%. Thanks to the steady pace of economic growth, continuous investment in airport construction, the implementation of basic air service plans, and the increasing number of middle class that fueled the demand for air travel, we believe for the next 20 years, aircraft with up to 150 seats will enjoy huge potential in China,” said Arjan Meijer, Chief Commercial Officer of Embraer Commercial Aviation.
Over the last few decades, China has introduced a series of favorable policies to support the air traffic growth and made great achievements in airport construction.
According to CAAC’s plan, more than 50 new airports will be built during the 13th Five-Year Plan. By 2035, another 140 new airports will be constructed and most of the newly-built airports will be regional. With the increased number of airports, the market calls for more regional aircraft with an appropriate number of seats to develop new routes.
At the same time, data shows that the top 30 airports in China handle nearly 80% of total passengers, which result in the saturated capacity and shortage of slots in hub airports. Therefore, Embraer holds the view that airlines will put more efforts on the second and third-tier cities with abundant aviation sources.
“Embraer E-Jets and E-Jets E2 Smart Fleet with appropriate size will perfectly match the market demand of second and third-tier cities and satisfy the needs of various airlines. With high economics efficiency and excellent performance, the E-Jets and E-Jets E2 will create more value to our Chinese customers, explore potential markets for airlines, improve accessibility for travelers, and contribute to the development of regional aviation in China,” said Guo Qing, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for China, Embraer Commercial Aviation.
In order to meet the increasing demand for travel, Embraer has launched the E-Jets E2, the newest generation of Embraer jet, aiming to build the most efficient and comfortable single-aisle family of aircraft with up to 150 seats. To date, the E-Jets E2 program has logged 270+ orders, of which 130+ are firms. In China, Embraer has logged 22 E-Jets E2 commitments.
In April 2018, Embraer delivered world’s first E-Jets E2 to Widerøe of Norway. Currently, three E190-E2s have accumulated more than 2,500 flight hours with Widerøe, achieving outstanding schedule reliability of around 99%.
