Wasps wreaking havoc on planes at Brisbane Airport

A wasp population is wreaking havoc on planes and impacting aviation technology at Brisbane airport, with ecologists working to solve the problem. The invasive keyhole wasp, only found at Brisbane airport is the species behind the infestation, creating problems for aviation crews by making mud nests inside pilot tubes, a hollow device used to calculate the plane's speed.

MALAYSIA A330-323 9M-MTK (MSN 1388)

Covers for the tubes have been deemed the best solution to the problem, but in 2018 a Malaysian Airlines flight took off with the covers still in place. As a consequence, crews were unable to determine the plane's speed, putting all on board at risk. The results of an investigation into the incident have just been released. "The consequences of taking off without reliable airspeed indicators can be catastrophic, and it has played out that way around the world in the past," Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said.

"There was a number of points along the way and a number of decisions that were missed that should have kept that plane on the ground."

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has released the final report from its systemic investigation into a serious incident where a Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330 with 14 crew and 215 passengers on board took off from Brisbane Airport with no airspeed information.

Shortly after the aircraft arrived in Brisbane from Kuala Lumpur on the 18th July 2018, a support engineer placed covers on the aircraft’s three pitot probes (airspeed sensors) to prevent them from being blocked by mud wasps, a known hazard at Brisbane Airport.

However, during the turnaround and before the aircraft departed for the return flight to Kuala Lumpur the covers were not removed. This was despite there being requirements for multiple walk-around checks by the aircraft captain, engineer and dispatch coordinator, all intended to identify unsafe conditions such as the fitment of pitot probe covers.

Consequently, the aircraft’s primary instrument displays showed red speed flags in place of airspeed indications from early in the take‑off, and the flight crew did not respond in time for the take-off to be safely aborted.

Once airborne the flight crew climbed the aircraft to 11,000 feet where they performed troubleshooting and other procedures, including shutting down the aircraft’s air data systems. This activated a system installed on some Airbus aircraft called the back up speed scale (BUSS), which displayed a safe flight envelope for flight crew to maintain.

Using the BUSS and airspeed management procedures, and assisted by air traffic control, the flight crew brought the aircraft safely back to Brisbane.
On the night, several individuals from different organisations had separate, key roles in detecting aircraft damage or other unsafe conditions such as the fitment of pitot probe covers. However, these checks were omitted entirely or only partially completed, for a variety of reasons including inadequate communication and reduced diligence.

“Had all the relevant pre-flight inspections been completed, and conducted thoroughly, it is very likely that the pitot probe covers would have been seen and removed,” Mr Mitchell noted.

A report from the ATSB said the wasps have now spread beyond control.

Ecologist Alan House is working with Brisbane Airport to solve the problem.
"The wasps as far as this study showed preferred Boeing 737s and A320, A330," he said.
"Eradication... would not have been too difficult 10 years ago.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Malaysia Airlines

Code: MH/MAS

Aircraft: Airbus A330-323

Registration: 9M-MTK

Serial Number: 1388

Engine:  2 x PW PW4168A

First Flew: 30/01/2013

Test Registration: F-WWYT

Passengers sing Baby Shark to comfort upset boy on six-hour flight

Doo-doo-doo-doo-don't cry! Heartwarming moment plane passengers sing Baby Shark to comfort upset boy on six-hour flight from Dubai

The young child had become very upset on a flight from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, to the Albanian city of Tirana last week.

Rather than simply sitting in silence for the six-hour flight, other people on the plane decided to try their best to cheer him up, breaking into a rendition of the famous children's song.

A video of the sight, taken by Dubai-based radio host Parikshit Balochi and posted on his TikTok on Thursday, March 10, has now been viewed more than 7 million times.

In the footage passengers on the FlyDubai flight can be seen smiling as they clap and sing the song.

The camera pans to the upset boy, who is being held in the arms of a man, and seems to be calmed slightly by the tune as he watches them sing.

Mr Balochi said that the child was sitting next to him and had been 'crying nonstop'.

'First individually people sitting around him tried distracting him, but when nothing worked out a group of guys, including me, started singing Baby Shark and more people joined in,' he said.

The video has warmed hearts across the world, with people on TikTok praising the passengers for their actions.

@missylight205 said: 'It literally costs nothing to be a decent person. We need more of this.'

@itsmillennialsarah said: 'See what can happen when we all work together instead of against each other?'

@aishasree added: 'Do we still have this kind of people? I love their kindness and vibe.'

@hkrai.x said: 'How was there so many kind humans on the plane all at once! I love this'




Story sourced from here
Plane passengers sing Baby Shark to comfort crying boy on six-hour flight from Dubai [VIDEO] | Daily Mail Online

Air Canada restarts Brisbane and Auckland flights

AIR CANADA EMBRAER E190 C-FHKI (MSN 150)

With travel confidence continuing to improve in 2022, Air Canada is making the most of the upbeat mood. The Star Alliance member will boost its Sydney-Vancouver flights to a daily schedule as of the 1st May, up from the current four days a week, in the face of Qantas’ own thrice-weekly Sydney-Vancouver service.

Air Canada will also bring back direct Brisbane-Vancouver flights – the only carrier serving this trans-Pacific corridor – beginning 1st July from Vancouver (on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) and July 3 from Brisbane (on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday).

Auckland is also back on Air Canada’s map, with three flights a week from the 10th November.

The Brisbane and Auckland flights will be handled by Air Canada’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which – like the Sydney-Vancouver Boeing 777 – feature spacious Signature Class lie-flat business suites and WiFi.

Business class travellers and those with top-tier frequent flyer status can begin their journey from Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland from the lounges of Star Alliance partner Air New Zealand, with the Signature Suite lounge at Vancouver slated to reopen by mid-year.

• Vancouver-Sydney flights ramp up to daily from 1st May
• Vancouver-Brisbane flights resume 1st July
• Vancouver-Auckland flights resume 10th November

Story sourced from here

Air Canada restarts Brisbane, Auckland flights; Sydney goes daily - Executive Traveller

Pilot issues mayday alert at Sydney airport

A pilot issued a ”mayday” call to Sydney Airport’s air control after experiencing a possible “flight control malfunction” just moments before landing.

A ‘mayday’ call signalled to Sydney Airport air control has been recorded after a FedEx aircraft was forced to abort a landing during its final approach to the runway shortly before 10.30pm on Saturday.

The FedEx flight FX9075 on a journey from Singapore was on its final approach to Sydney, according to the Sydney Morning Herald,when the pilot reportedly changed course just kilometres from the runway.

According to the FlightRadar flight tracking map, the pilot clearly changed course during the decent and diverted west over Brighton-Le-Sands before ascending again to nearly 3000 feet, the data shows.

A ‘mayday’ call signaled to Sydney Airport air control has been recorded after a FedEx aircraft was forced to abort a landing during its final approach to the runway shortly before 10.30pm on Saturday.

The FedEx flight FX9075 on a journey from Singapore was on its final approach to Sydney when the pilot reportedly changed course just kilometres from the runway.

According to the FlightRadar flight tracking map, the pilot clearly changed course during the decent and diverted west over Brighton-Le-Sands before ascending again to nearly 3000 feet, the data shows.

In a statement provided to news.com.au, the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau said further investigations into what occurred are ongoing.

“The ATSB is gathering further information into the circumstances of an occurrence where a MD-11 freighter aircraft conducted a missed approach and issued a mayday call while on approach to land at Sydney Airport on Saturday evening.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: FedEx

Code: FX/FDX

Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-11F

Registration: N576FE

Serial Number: 48501

Aircraft Registration History
30/09/1992  Garuda - EI-CDK  
21/09/1997  Varig - PP-VPP  

10/03/2005  Fed Ex - N576FE 

British Airways 747 is now an exclusive PARTY PLANE

BRITISH AIRWAYS BOEING 747-436 G-BNLW (MSN 25432)

After more than 13,000 flights, one of BA’s jumbo jets can be booked for everything from parties to weddings.

The Boeing 747 revolutionised air travel when it first took to the skies in 1969. Now, after an impressive five decade production run, one iconic jumbo jet is gearing up for perhaps its most ambitious role yet – as a ‘party plane’ available for weddings, birthdays and private events.

Sporting British Airways’ classic ‘Negus’ livery – a distinctive red, white and blue design that featured across the fleet from 1974 to 1980 – the 747 was put out to pasture in October 2020 after completing 13,398 flights and racking up an impressive 118,445 flight hours.

Its last passenger flight was from Miami to Heathrow on the 6th April 2020.

But this Queen of the Skies wasn’t quite ready for retirement just yet.

She was purchased for a token £1 by Cotswold Airport, near the village of Kemble in Gloucestershire, England, with airport CEO Suzannah Harvey revealing grand plans for the old girl.

Harvey said she was offered her pick between four retired BA 747s, but the choice was an easy one, describing the British Airways livery created by feted British design agency Negus & Negus as “the most beautiful one they’ve ever produced”.

An extensive 14-month interior makeover saw the economy class ceiling panels, seats and overhead luggage compartments removed to open up the spacious cabin.

The jumbo now sports a large, multi-space dancefloor matched by an impressive lighting rig, DJ booth and bar seating. The galley kitchen has also been converted into a cosy walk-up bar, although the first class cabin and the cockpit remain untouched, should you need a space to sit down and catch your breath.

The Cotswold Airport 747 Negus is now available for weddings, birthdays, launches and any other event you’d care to hold inside a jumbo jet.

Rates start at around £1000 (AUD $1,911) an hour, with a 24-hour full day hire setting you back some £12,000 (AUD $22,934) – still, it’s a small price to pay to experience a piece of aviation history.

For what it’s worth, the first Qantas Boeing 747-438 is now in residence at Australia’s Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) Aviation Museum at Albion Park, one hour south of Sydney.

VH-OJA (MSN 24354) arrived on the 8th March 2015 as a gift from Qantas after Qantas cancelled a plan to retire her to an ‘aircraft graveyard’ in Victorville, California and instead donated the historic aircraft to HARS to be preserved.

It was the 12th Boeing 747-400 to be built by Boeing.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: British Airways

Code: BA/BAW

Aircraft: Boeing 747-436

Registration: G-CIVB

Serial Number: 25811

First Flew: 3rd February 1994

Engines: 4 x RR RB211-524G

Stored: 16th March 2020

Bamboo Airways to fly Sydney, Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City

        

IATA ICAO Callsign QH BAV BAMBOO

     

Vietnam’s newest international airline is headed to Australia, with flights from both Sydney and Melbourne.

Vietnam's Bamboo Airways is soaring into Australian skies, with non-stop flights from both Sydney and Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City – (formerly known as Saigon) – as well as Hanoi set to take off.

The new services capitalise on a fast-growing market and what was one of Asia's most popular tourism destinations prior to the pandemic, while also serving the large Vietnamese population in Sydney and Melbourne. Vietnam intends to remove most restrictions on international tourists from the 15th March.

While Hanoi is the Vietnamese capital, Ho Chi Minh City is a drawcard for Bamboo's debut, being the nation's commercial hub and a primary destination for business and tourism alike.

Executive Traveller understands March 30 will see the launch of twice-weekly services from Sydney to Ho Chi Minh City, as well as Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City, with the option of growing both routes to four flights per week later in the year "subject to demand."

Those will be followed on April 27 with the first direct service between Melbourne and Hanoi; this will start at just one flight per week, again with the intention to add flights as demand grows.

"We expect the upcoming regular nonstop Vietnam-Australia route of Bamboo Airways will help maximize passengers' benefits when traveling between the two countries while making a substantial contribution to the promotion of bilateral cooperation in economy, culture, and people-to-people exchange," said Nguyen Manh Quan, Executive Deputy General Director of Bamboo Airways.
More Australian cities to come?

Bamboo Airways has its eye on additional Australian cities, with Truong Phuong Thanh, Deputy General Director of Bamboo Airways, describing the opening of the Melbourne-Hanoi route as "a crucial premise for Bamboo Airways to further expand the non-stop flight network to other destinations in Australia, and to connect Australia with countries in Europe and Asia through Vietnam as a transport hub."

Prior to Covid-19, Bamboo Airways’ rival Vietnam Airlines and Qantas' low-cost arm Jetstar connected Melbourne with Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, while Vietnam Airlines ran direct Sydney-Hanoi flights on its own Boeing 787.

Bamboo Airways JSC, operating as Bamboo Airways, is a Vietnamese leisure airline owned by the FLC Group, registered in Quy Nhơn, Vietnam, with a head office in Cầu Giấy District, Hanoi. Founded in 2017, the airline launched operations on the16th January 2019. It operates a mixed fleet of narrowbody and widebody aircraft, and has hubs at Noi Bai International Airport and Tan Son Nhat International Airport.


Ho Chi Minh (SGN) to Melbourne (MEL)

QH88 will depart SGN on Saturday at 1.30 arrive MEL 14.00 - (Inaugural 26th March) 

Melbourne (MEL) to Ho Chi Minh (SGN)

QH89 will depart MEL on Sunday at 10.00 arrives SGN 14.20 -  (Inaugural 27th March) 

Hanoi (HAN) to Melbourne (MEL)

QH82 will depart HAN on Wednesday at 18.30 arrives MEL 7.00 (next morning) (Inaugural 18th May) 

Melbourne (MEL) to Hanoi (HAN)

QH83 will depart MEL on Thursday at 10.00 arrives HAN 16.40 (Inaugural 19th May) 

Ho Chi Minh (SGN) - Sydney (SYD)
QH86 will depart SGN on Tuesdays at 18.30 arrive SYD 7.00 (next morning) -  (Inaugural 29th March) 

Sydney (SYD) - Ho Chi Minh (SGN) 

QH87 will depart SYD on Wednesdays 11.30 arrive SGN 16.15 (same day) -  (Inaugural 30th March) 


As of October 2021, the Bamboo Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft:

                            In Service         On Order
Airbus A319-100      1
Airbus A320-200      6 
Airbus A320neo       6 
Airbus A321-200      3
Airbus A321neo       5                     1
Boeing 787-9           3                     11
Embraer E190          5         
Total                   29               12

10 Year Old delays Alaska Airlines arrival with hijacking threat

An Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Orlando was held up last Sunday evening due to an incident with a 10-year-old prankster. Authorities have said that the 10-year-old boy had AirDropped a message about hijacking the plane to another passenger, who alerted a crew member. Speaking to WKMG, an unnamed passenger explained:

"We’re taxiing in and all of a sudden the plane gets interrupted with a peculiar notice that we’re going to park on an active runway for a moment. After that, they said there was a threat to the plane and that we are not going to be approaching any terminal for any time soon.”

Armed police were dispatched to clear the situation. The plane was left parked away from the terminal for over an hour before clearance was given for the flight to continue to its gate. Another passenger has said:

"We were looking (up and down the plane) for the perps, but we’re not seeing any. Our concern was that it was a bomb threat because they kept us far from any terminals.”

The threat was quickly determined as not credible. Police cleared passengers one by one before the family of the prankster was escorted off the plane. Passenger Ryan Ruitt described the parent’s reaction to police:

“As soon as they got up, it was, like, the saddest thing. The mood just switched because the mom was crying and was, like, ‘I’m so sorry everybody. I’m so sorry.”

The minimum age for federal aviation crimes is 11 years old, so no charges have been filed.

Alaska Airlines released a statement on the incident:

"After Alaska Airlines flight 16 from Seattle landed in Orlando, it parked remotely because of a potential threat that was later deemed non-credible. Police boarded and cleared the aircraft. The plane continued to its gate and passengers deplaned as normal," they said. "We take safety seriously and we apologize for the inconvenience for our guests."

AirDrop issues

This week’s incident was not the first of its type, with a similar one taking place in San Francisco back in July 2021. United Airlines Flight 2617, also to Orlando, was deboarded after a teenager airdropped an image of an airsoft gun to other passengers. Police determined that the photo had been taken at an earlier date, and they did not have the toy firearm with them.