Virgin Galactic names crew for return to space in late May

Virgin Galactic has named the mission specialists who will take part in the upcoming Unity 25 mission. Unity 25 is the final assessment of the full spaceflight system and astronaut experience ahead of the first commercial flight, ‘Galactic 01’, planned for late June.

Beth Moses is the veteran space traveller of the Unity 25 cabin crew. As Virgin Galactic’s Chief Astronaut Instructor, this is Beth’s third flight to space. In 2019, she became the first woman to fly aboard a commercial space vehicle. It was after that mission that Beth was awarded her commercial astronaut wings by the FAA.

Before joining Virgin Galactic in 2013, Beth served as the Extravehicular System Manager for the International Space Station at NASA. She holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Purdue University. And on top of all that, no one at Virgin Galactic more thoughtfully shares the transformative power of experiencing the majesty of our planet from space than Beth.

Christopher Huie, known to his teammates as “Chuie”, is an Aerospace Engineer and Senior Manager on Virgin Galactic’s Flight Sciences Engineering team. In the six years he has been with the company leading the External Loads Engineering discipline, Chuie’s thoughtful approach to both his work and to those he works with has set him apart as a leader at Galactic. 

The University of Maryland Clark School of Engineering graduate is intimately familiar with VSS Unity and VMS Eve having worked on nearly every component of the spaceship’s and mothership’s designs, helping to ensure both structural integrity and mission success. He is the co-founder of and spokesperson for Virgin Galactic’s Black Leadership in Aerospace Scholarship and Training (BLAST) Program, mentoring college students with the aim of increasing the number of Black leaders in the aerospace industry.  Chuie, who hails from Florida, is the son of Jamaican immigrants and will become only the 19th Black astronaut in the world.

Jamila joined Virgin Galactic in 2019 where she has been an integral part of our team, leading internal communications. Jamila proudly hails from the Land of Enchantment and borderlands, just an hour’s drive from where she will fly to Space at The Gateway to Space at Spaceport America, New Mexico. 

Jamila attended New Mexico State University, studying linguistics, museum conservation, anthropology, and studio art. As a Latina woman of Purépechan-Mexican roots, a visual artist, and a communications professional who speaks four languages, Jamila will bring a different perspective from the pilots and engineers who have flown before her. 

Like many of our customers, Jamila doesn’t come from a technical or engineering background, making her well-placed to evaluate our customer readiness program. Jamila will become the third Virgin Galactic woman to fly to space, joining the first 100 women astronauts in history.

Luke Mays joined Virgin Galactic in March of this year as our newest Astronaut Instructor. Luke comes to Galactic from NASA where he spent several years training astronauts with a focus on creating repeatable, scalable training programs. 

In addition, Luke is skilled in working with international and multi-cultural astronaut candidates, making him well-suited for Galactic’s worldwide customer base. In his 25 years in aerospace, Luke has developed a training style that focuses on cultivating personal and professional growth.

For all of his experience training future astronauts for space missions, this mission, all of Virgin Galactic’s Astronaut Instructors will have flown to space giving the entire team the invaluable experience needed to prepare our Future Astronauts and researchers.

Images Virgin Galactic

Digitisation driving boom in cyber security and fraud detection sectors

Digitisation driving a boom in cyber security and fraud detection sectors

Research by digital identity security specialists, ID Crypt Global, has shown that the market size of both the fraud detection software development and cyber security software development sectors have increased notably year on year, with this growth expected to continue through to 2025. 

ID Crypt Global analysed the estimated market size of both sectors and how they have grown in recent years, as well as estimating where they will sit come 2025. 

Fraud Detection Software Development (FDSD)

The figures show that the size of the FDSD sector currently sits at £877m, having increased by 16.9% in the last year alone - the second-highest annual rate of increase seen in the last decade. 

The current market size of the FDSD sector has also increased by 66.5% since the start of the pandemic and is now some 161.3% larger than it was a decade ago. 

Cyber Security Software Development (CSSD)

Like the FDSD sector, the CSSD sector has shown strong growth over the last year, with a 10.7% increase in market size placing the size of the sector at £961.4m in 2022. 

The sector has also grown by 29.5% since the pandemic and is some 110.5% larger than it was a decade ago. 

Future Growth Forecast

Philippine Airlines looks to Airbus and the A350-1000 for future long-haul fleet.

Philippine Airlines selects A350-1000 for future long-haul fleet

Philippine Airlines has signed an MoU - Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus for the purchase of nine A350-1000s. 

Under the Philippine carrier’s Ultra Long Haul Fleet project, the A350-1000 will be operated on non-stop services from Manila to North America, including to the East Coast of the US and Canada.

The new aircraft will join two A350-900s already in service at the airline and currently flying to destinations in North America, Asia and Australia. As with the A350-900, the PAL A350-1000s will be configured in a premium layout with separate Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins.

Captain Stanley K. Ng, President and Chief Operating Officer of Philippine Airlines, said that the range of the A350-1000 would enable the airline to fly non-stop transpacific and transpolar routes in both directions all year. These will include some of the longest commercial flights in the world, such as those linking the Philippines with New York and Toronto. With an expanded A350 fleet, PAL will have the ability to once again provide a direct link from the Philippines to Europe.

“The A350-1000 combines greater range capability with the higher capacity we need to serve future demand. It’s the perfect aircraft to enable PAL to meet its expansion plans in a sustainable way, while offering passengers the highest levels of onboard comfort. We are committed to offering our passengers the best possible travel experience, and these state-of-the-art aircraft will enable us to do just that as we carry out our mission to connect the world, and grow trade and tourism.”

Christian Scherer, Airbus' Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Flying passengers farther and in greater comfort, the A350 brings a step-change in fuel efficiency and an immediate significant contribution to reduced emissions. These are the attributes that have made the A350 the choice of leading airlines worldwide. We look forward to working closely with our long-standing customer Philippine Airlines as it moves forward with its long-haul fleet modernisation programme.” 

Transcend Air Taps IAI North America as Defense Partner

Transcend Air has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with IAI North America to be its defence partner for the development of military applications of its Vy Family of high-speed Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft powered by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). 

Transcend is developing high-speed VTOL aircraft for commercial, VIP, and military markets. The company has received multiple U.S. DoD R&D contracts to advance the design of its scalable Vy Family of aircraft, with military variants targeted to enable the critical strategic transition to runway-independent operations for both special ops and regular Air Force applications. IAI NA is the U.S. subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (“IAI”), Israel’s largest aerospace and defence company. IAI is a technology and innovation leader specializing in developing and manufacturing state-of-the-art systems for air, space, sea, land, cyber, and homeland security, with notable products including both the Gulfstream G-280 super-midsize business jet and the wings for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Gregory Bruell, CEO & Co-Founder of Transcend Air, explained: “Our R&D contract awards over the past two years have made it very clear that there are urgent military applications for the Vy family of aircraft. IAI NA is an ideal partner to help us militarize these aircraft for DoD customers.”

Textron Aviation to add emergency autoland system to its Beechcraft Denali aircraft cockpits

The Beechcraft Denali cockpit features the Garmin G3000 intuitive avionics suite with high-resolution screens and touchscreen controllers May 08, 2023 11:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Textron Aviation has confirmed it is adding the revolutionary Garmin Emergency Autoland system to its new clean-sheet design Beechcraft Denali single-engine turboprop. The new feature is being implemented into the aircraft’s development and flight test program and will be available as a standard feature at the time of entry into service.

The Garmin Emergency Autoland system is the world’s first certified system of its kind. It provides a means for the aircraft to land automatically in the unlikely event of pilot incapacitation. A passenger can activate the Emergency Autoland system by pressing a dedicated button in the cockpit. Once activated, the system immediately takes control of the aircraft and informs ATC of the emergency. It then calculates a flight path to the most suitable airport or runway, while avoiding terrain and adverse weather, initiates a stabilized approach and automatically lands the aircraft, bringing it to a stop before shutting down the engine.

“The Autoland system is an excellent addition to the Beechcraft Denali and the G3000 avionics suite, and we’ve included it in the program as a direct response to continued conversations with our customers,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president, Sales & Flight Operations. “The feature makes the Denali even more desirable to a wider audience as it adds yet another element of assurance and peace of mind for pilots and passengers.”

Textron Aviation is aligning the Beechcraft Denali aircraft certification timing, which is expected in 2025, to the certification timeline for the new Catalyst engine. The Denali is the first aircraft powered by the new, more efficient engine.

Supernal and Inmarsat partner on advanced air mobility vehicle connectivity

Supernal and Inmarsat announced a partnership to define the application of satellite connectivity in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Together, the companies will conduct testing and data sharing to optimize hardware and network systems, which will lead to the safe and efficient integration of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles into the airspace.

During vehicle testing, Supernal will connect its eVTOL to Inmarsat's Velaris SATCOM service to assess capabilities such as aircraft state and telemetry monitoring. Velaris builds on Inmarsat's vast three-decade experience in air traffic management communications and is powered by its high resilience ELERA global satellite communications network.

"Supernal is pleased to collaborate with Inmarsat to test the feasibility of integrating space-based and terrestrial data links to serve the Advanced Air Mobility industry," said Ben Diachun, Chief Technology Officer, Supernal.

Low-cost one way private jet discounted rates.....

Listed below are upcoming empty-leg opportunities from FLYJETS for the week of May 9th.  Details and booking is on the FLYJETS website. 

JetBlue Appoints Michael Erbeck Vice President, Safety

JetBlue Appoints Michael Erbeck Vice President, Safety

JetBlue, New York’s Hometown Airline, today announced the appointment of Michael Erbeck as the carrier’s new vice president, safety. He will report to Warren Christie, JetBlue’s head of safety, security, fleet operations, airports, and JetBlue University.

As vice president, Erbeck will lead JetBlue’s safety office, with oversight of the safe operations of the airline’s 1,000+ daily flights across a growing network spanning the Americas, U.K., and Europe. He will lead the execution of JetBlue’s long-term safety strategy to identify and eliminate or minimize safety risks to company operations, and work to evolve the company’s already vibrant Safety Management System (SMS).

Additionally, Erbeck will oversee all safety-related programs including occupational health, safety awareness, and safety and environmental compliance programs, to promote a robust safety culture. Finally, he will serve as the primary liaison between JetBlue and regulators including the FAA, NTSB, and OSHA, on matters of safety and compliance.

Erbeck joins JetBlue with nearly 30 years of aviation experience at United and Continental Airlines. Until 2021, he was a vice president at United, leading the carrier’s large global hubs at Newark and Washington Dulles airports. At EWR, Erbeck oversaw an average of more than 420 daily departures with a team of 14,000 employees and at IAD, about 245 daily departures and nearly 4,200 employees.

Quebec airport screening officers to see 12.5% pay increase over two years

Screening officers at various Quebec airports have ratified new two-year labour contracts that include 12.5% wage increases retroactive to March 2022. For the first time ever, Quebec screening officers, i.e., at the Dorval and Quebec City airports and the 12 regional airports, bargained as a common front.

Syndicat des Métallos/United Steelworkers union spokespersons elatedly reported that “Quebec’s screening officers have the best conditions in Canada. Negotiations were long and arduous, but we’re happy with the results. We’re proud of the fact that we negotiated as a united front and stood together all the way to the end; this helped lift everyone up. And negotiations will resume in less than a year. Before you know it, the process will start up all over again so that we can keep up with inflation,” explained Marc Bourget, President of Local Union 9554, which represents the 987 Montreal airport screening officers.

A night premium has also been introduced at the Montreal airport. The wage enhancements will also apply retroactively to all forms of compensation (including overtime, holidays, vacations and pensions).

During April 2023, the Latvian airline airBaltic carried 330,000 passengers

During April 2023, the Latvian airline airBaltic said it carried exactly 330,000 passengers, up 35% on the same month last year.  The carrier performed 3260 flights, marking a 3% increase from April 2022 and an average of just over 101 people per flight. 

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “The summer season has officially begun and we are already seeing a rise in the number of carried passengers – an increasing number of people are choosing airBaltic as their preferred airline. This is likely due in part to our recent launch of 20 new routes from all four bases, which have generated significant interest. As a result, we anticipate even greater increase in passenger numbers during the summer season.”

airBaltic provides flights to more than 70 destinations from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius and Tampere, offering connections to a wide range of destinations in the airline's route network in Europe, Scandinavia, the CIS and the Middle East.

The carrier which is majoritively owned by the Latvian Government recently started its new summer programme from Tallinn, which features new leisure destinations such as Split (Croatia), Rhodes (Greece), Dubrovnik (Croatia), and Heraklion (Greece). 

It was earlier this month that airBaltic celebrated its first anniversary of operating a base outside of the Baltic's, in Tampere, Finland. To mark the occasion the carrier introduced two new direct destinations from the city to Milan and Nice. The airline connects Tampere with eight destinations and will continue to base one of its Airbus A220-300 in Tampere for the summer season.

Mega order for 737 MAX jets from Ryanair........up to 300 aircraft

The Irish low-fare airline Ryanair has made its largest Boeing order with up to 300 jets to help it dominate the European travel market.

The deal includes a firm order for 150 737-MAX 10 jets and options for 150 more aircraft. When finalized, and subject to all options being exercised, this deal is valued at over $40bn at current list prices and is the largest order ever placed by an Irish Company for US manufactured goods.

Ryanair has deployed a growing fleet of 737-MAX 8 -200 aeroplanes to accelerate its post-pandemic recovery and meet strong travel demand. The 197-seat 737-MAX 8-200 model has helped the airline reduce fuel use and emissions by over 20% compared to the older 737s they are replacing and reduces the space allotted to customers.  The new order adds the larger 737- MAX 10 variant, which with give the airline 228 seats to fill on each flight.  

The bombastic Ryanair Group CEO Michael  O’Leary said: "Ryanair is pleased to sign this record aircraft order for up to 300 MAX-10s with our aircraft partner Boeing.  These new, fuel-efficient, greener technology aircraft offer 21% more seats, burn 20% less fuel and are 50% quieter than our B737-NGs."

According to the airline, this order will help it create 10,000 new jobs which will be located across all of Europe’s main economies where Ryanair operates and is either the No.1 or No.2 airline.

"The Boeing-Ryanair partnership is one of the most productive in commercial aviation history, enabling both companies to succeed and expand affordable travel to hundreds of millions of people," said Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun. "Nearly a quarter century after our companies signed our first direct aeroplane purchase, this landmark deal will further strengthen our partnership. We are committed to delivering for Ryanair and helping the airline group achieve its goals."

Given the size and scale of the transaction, it will be subject to shareholder approval at the next Annual General Meeting on September 14th. 

Canada Jetlines signs deal with The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) Programme........Discounts for students....

Canada Jetlines has signed a contract with the ISIC Programme that will see Canada Jetlines provide discounted airfare rates to University enrolled students globally. This agreement complements many other private user group agreements whose members benefit from private rates with Canada Jetlines.

"Canada Jetlines is very pleased to partner with ISIC and its 4.5 Million student members worldwide. We are looking forward to providing access to reduced-rate travel options for students as they discover the joy and education associated with travel. We have a world-class organization that is reaching out every day to new partners and stakeholders that will benefit from our products and services and we are especially proud to launch this programme,” said Canada Jetlines’ Chief Commercial Officer, Duncan Bureau.

“We are excited to partner with Canada Jetlines to bring value to our ISIC members who love to travel and see the world. This partnership is welcomed as we prepare for a busy year ahead for students,” says Corey Grist, Director of Operations and Services at ISIC Canada.

The International Student Identity Card is the only internationally recognized student ID, making cardholders members of a truly global club. Every year more than 4.5 million students from 130 countries use their ISIC to take advantage of offers on travel, shopping, museums, and more, worldwide.

Is Virgin Orbit's future secured after 30 indications of interest received?

The troubled space launch system, founded by Sir Richard Branson in 2017, Virgin Orbit has confirmed that more than 30 indications of interest have been received under the court-approved bid procedures of its Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection plan. 

The company said these letters of interest came from multiple parties that proposed to continue to operate the business as a going concern and retain current employees in an integrated enterprise.

Company CEO Dan Hart said: “I’m pleased with the number and quality of the indications of interest we’ve received, which we believe reflects the innovative ideas and hard work the team has put into the development of this unique system. I look forward to continuing to work with those who have expressed interest and other parties as we approach the final bid deadline.”  The bid deadline for final binding offers is set for later this month.

Of course, at this stage, it is by no means clear how realistic any of these indications of interest are, how they are to be financed or who they are from, although it is believed that Elon Musk's SpaceX is not one of those interested parties. 

Whilst the early phases of a buy-out continue, there is no guarantee that any winning bidder will continue to operate the Virgin Orbit business as a going concern, retain current employees or indeed result in any return to the company's shareholders. There is a little more hope on the horizon for the company than there was before. Also to that end,  the Virgin Orbit team is going ahead with the final integration of the next rocket toward launch, which is currently planned for later this year.

Virgin Orbit has already delivered commercial, civil, national security, and international satellites into orbit, via its Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rockets which are carried under the wing of a modified former Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 jet. 

The first launch from a UK base ended in disaster which has led the company to file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in the U.S. where it is based.

Jason Shaw said: "I think there is a future for Virgin Orbit, although,  maybe some fundamental changes might be needed to its delivery system.  I would have liked to have seen a better interaction between Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit, I'm sure they could have found a way to fire LauncherOne from one of the Virgin Galactic launch aircraft, had they been more involved and entwined from the start." 

It is understood the UK Government is watching the situation with keen interest,  in 2019 the UK's Space Agency awarded the firm £7.35 million to enable it to operate from Cornwall Airport Newquay.    

A dislodged filter caused Virgin Orbit's failed UK launch it was revealed in April.

New premium long-haul carrier set to start in September..........Himalaya Jet

A new airline could soon be taking to the skies in leased Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to fly to Mumbai, Delhi and Kathmandu from London and Paris.

The plan is for Himalaya Jet, a company set up by the Gurung family, who co-own the Miss World contest, to start flights later this year, possibly in September.  Travel Trade Gazette reports the fledgling airline has an office at London Heathrow's Terminal 2 and another potential destination is Sydney, Australia. 

Gary Noakes at TTG writes that this proposed carrier follows hot on the heels of two other Indian start-up airlines, Flypop which will fly from London Stansted and has already sorted out its first aircraft and Hans Airways, which intends to operate between Birmingham and Amritsar.  

Other possible destinations listed on Himalaya Jet website include New York, Washington DC, Toronto, Zurich, Frankfurt, Madrid, Rome and Vienna. The new carrier aims to connect selected cities in Asia, Europe and North America with point-to-point premium long-haul full-service direct flights.  It claims the services between operational cities will both save time and be an estimated 30% cheaper than other airlines. 

If the plans come to fruition, the airline hopes to have a fleet of around 18 aircraft by the end of its third year, according to aviationa2z and although Himalaya Jet is set to start with Boeing 787 jets, it is also in talks to lease Airbus aircraft, possibly A330 or A350 jets from aircraft leasing companies.  

This could be an exciting time for fresh start-ups to shake the aviation industry, which is already climbing to near pre-pandemic levels of traffic and more people expressing desires to travel more widely than before. 

Although, starting a new airline is never easy, just ask Richard Branson. However, Himalaya Jet is not alone, according to various reports, the company is getting support from the StartupBoeing team from the US manufacturer.  The StartupBoeing team assists entrepreneurs in launching new airlines. From concept through launch, StartupBoeing offers guidance, review, analysis, data, resources, contacts, and referrals to qualified startup airlines.

Condor and BrewDog present vacation beer Ferien Lager

Brewed in Berlin and around the world with Condor: from now on, the ideal vacation companion will be served on board Germany's most popular vacation airline. Together with BrewDog, the experimental beer brand from Berlin, the variety "Ferien Lager" was developed. The pleasantly light lager not only whets the appetite for vacation in terms of taste, but also comes in a can with a yellow-striped Condor look to match. With the new beverage, the vacation airline is expanding its generous in-flight catering offering.

Christian Schmitt, COO of Condor: "We are looking forward to serving our guests, together with BrewDog, "Ferien Lager". Whether en route to a beach vacation or on the way to the next adventure trip, the creation is the ideal companion to get in the mood for time away already on board. Even more, the cans were designed in our sunny Condor stripes."

With an alcohol content of 5.0%, "Holiday Lager" is a light pale that features a balanced combination of Simcoe, Sapphire, Hüll Melon and Cascade hops. This unique blend of hops not only gives the beer a fruity flavor, but also provides an incomparable aroma.

"We are excited about this wonderful partnership: vacation flyer meets pale lager, the result is a "vacation lager" - and a very special one at that. Left naturally cloudy, brewed with real aroma hops and a lot of time. The result is a wonderfully honest pale with an approachable character," explains BrewDog Germany CEO Adrian Klie.

The joint project was implemented with a lot of passion and is the starting signal for the cooperation. "Ferien Lager" is available now on every Condor flight, as well as in the BrewDog online store at www.brewdog.de. Travel with Condor can be booked with tour operators and in travel agencies, and flight tickets are available at www.condor.com and by phone.