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Walking (and Exercising) in the Air

January 25th, 2012

Top athletes hoping to represent Team GB and ParalympicsGB are sharing their exercise techniques in a wellbeing video for British Airways customers, available on flights from February, which can be viewed here: Wellbeing Video

World Champion heptathlete Jessica Ennis, Olympic medal gymnast Louis Smith and Paralympic medallist Shelly Woods feature in the ten-minute film demonstrating a number of exercises tailored towards in-flight wellbeing.

Luisa Fernandez, British Airways sponsorship manager, said: “We’re proud to be using some of our Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls in this wellbeing video.  With their sporting backgrounds they are perfectly placed to share their exercise techniques to enhance the in-flight experience.”

“As official airline of Team GB and ParalympicsGB, we will be flying athletes to and from training camps in the coming months, so they will benefit from the wellbeing video too!”

The film includes footage of Jessica Ennis in training, as well as demonstrating exercises – ankle circles and walking on the spot. Louis Smith showcases his talent on a pommel horse, followed by a series of related exercises, including up and down body movements and shoulder stretches. While wheelchair athlete Shelly Woods offers her expertise by demonstrating shoulder exercises and neck release movements that customers can join in with.

Health and wellbeing is an important part of flying, and in-flight exercises can help reset the body clock to the time zone. The airline also offers a carefully selected menu and relaxation podcast on board to benefit customers, as well as advice on combating jetlag and maximising sleep available on ba.com

British Airways is the official airline partner of the London 2012 Games, and is supporting Jessica Ennis, Louis Smith and Shelly Woods on their journey. For a preview of the film, please visit: www.youtube.com/flybritishairways

January 25, 2012 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Boeing and Norwegian Announce Order for 100 737 MAX; 22 Next-Generation 737s

Record order from a European airline, valued at $11.4 billion at list prices

Norwegian is first European 737 MAX customer
Boeing and Norwegian Announce Order for 100 737 MAX; 22 Next-Generation 737sBoeing and Norwegian Announce Order for 100 737 MAX; 22 Next-Generation 737s

OSLO, Norway, Jan. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Norwegian have announced a firm order for 100 fuel-efficient 737 MAX airplanes and 22 Next-Generation 737-800s. The total order is valued at $11.4 billion at list prices and represents the largest-ever Boeing order from a European airline.

Oslo-based Norwegian is the first European carrier to finalize an order for the 737 MAX. The order supports Norwegian’s plans to build on the success provided by its fleet of Next-Generation 737-800s for its rapidly expanding operations.

“Norwegian has become one of the largest 737 operators in Europe and has been a valued Boeing partner since the airline was established,” said Aldo Basile, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president Sales, Europe. “Since it began operating in 2002, Norwegian has achieved tremendous success with its low-cost model, providing significant value to both its passengers and shareholders.”

“This is a historic day for Norwegian – we have secured our fleet renewal for years to come and are very pleased with the agreement with Boeing,” said Norwegian’s CEO Bjorn Kjos. “Boeing has played a major part in our strategy to develop a cost efficient and environmentally friendly operation with high customer satisfaction. We are very happy to continue our valuable cooperation and we are proud to be the first 737 MAX customer in Europe.”

“The 737 MAX will deliver fuel savings better than any competing single-aisle airplane on the market,” said Basile. “We’re really pleased to provide this great performance to Norwegian. Improved financial performance and improved environmental performance go hand-in-hand as fuel burn is lowered.”

The 737 MAX is the new-engine variant of the world’s best-selling airplane and builds on the strengths of today’s Next-Generation 737. The airplane will be powered by CFM International LEAP-1B engines which will reduce fuel burn and CO2 emissions by an additional 10-12 percent over today’s most fuel-efficient single-aisle airplane. The 737 MAX will have the lowest operating costs in the single-aisle segment with a 7 percent advantage per seat over tomorrow’s competition.

This order continues the momentum for the 737 MAX. With the Norwegian order, the 737 MAX has orders and commitments for more than 1,000 airplanes from 15 customers and the Next-Generation 737 family has orders for more than 6,300 airplanes.

Norwegian currently operates a fleet of 62 airplanes: 48 Next-Generation 737-800s and 14 737-300s. Including today’s announcement, Norwegian has 184 unfilled orders for Boeing airplanes including: 100 737 MAX airplanes, 78 Next-Generation 737-800s and six 787 Dreamliners from Boeing and leasing company partners.

Carrying nearly 16 million passengers in 2011, Norwegian is the third-largest low-cost airline in Europe. Norwegian currently operates more than 300 routes across Europe into North Africa and the Middle East and employs approximately 2,500 people.  The company was listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in 2003.

I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Stunning A320neo sales success continues in 2012

25 January 2012 Press Release

Norwegian, one of the largest low-cost airlines in Europe, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus for 100 A320neo aircraft. The agreement, which makes Norwegian the latest customer for the A320neo and also a new customer for Airbus, was signed by Bjørn Kjos, Chief Executive Officer, Norwegian and John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers.

The new aircraft will support Norwegian’s growth and modernisation strategy.  Norwegian (the brand name of Norwegian Air Shuttle AS) operates a network across Europe into North Africa and the Middle East, and is rapidly expanding its low cost operations. The new aircraft will feature a single class cabin layout, seating approximately 180 passengers. Norwegian’s engine decision will be announced at a later date.

“The A320neo will enable us increasing capacity while decreasing our operating costs,” said Bjørn Kjos, Chief Executive Officer, Norwegian. “With this aircraft we will continue to boost our reputation for offering high quality, low fares service with the most modern and eco-efficient fleet of aircraft in Scandinavia”.

“We are very pleased to welcome Norwegian as an all-new Airbus customer. Their A320neo commitment is a further demonstration of the undisputable success of the A320neo’s record-setting credentials. The A320neo sets new industry standards for eco-efficiency and passenger appeal.” said John Leahy.

Over 8,300 A320 Family aircraft have been ordered and some 5,000 delivered to more than 340 customers and operators worldwide reaffirming its position as the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft Family. The A320neo has over 95 percent airframe commonality making it an easy fit into existing fleets while offering up to 500 nautical miles (950 kilometres) more range or two tonnes more payload at a given range.

The A320neo is a new engine option for the A320 Family entering into service from 2015 and incorporates latest generation engines and large “Sharklet” wing tip devices, which together will deliver 15 percent in fuel savings. The reduction in fuel burn is equivalent to 1.4 million litres of fuel – the consumption of 1,000 mid size cars, saving 3,600 tonnes of C02 per aircraft per year. The A320neo NOx emissions are 50% below CAEP/6, and this aircraft also has a considerably smaller noise footprint.

I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Teaching Kids Math and Science Through Flying

Last week I posted a speech given by the FAA acting administrator, Michael Huerta.  In that speech he made the following remark:

To continue our transformation, the FAA is working with many partners to develop and foster a workforce that is schooled in the STEM disciplines – science, technology, engineering and math.

This is not a matter of focusing on high schools or junior colleges. To do this, we must reach down into middle school and start fostering the kind of attention on STEM disciplines early on.

There’s both a huge demand and a huge shortage for these kinds of skills in the United States.

To promote STEM education, we are mentoring teachers and working with others to hold boot camps for educators. We encourage teachers to give their lessons with an aeronautical twist. For example, when we teach the laws of Sir Isaac Newton, we ask them to consider using the four forces of flight as an example – lift, weight, thrust and drag.

If they are going to talk about navigation, we ask, why not use a visual flight rules sectional chart to teach the lesson rather than the typical road atlas?

There’s a myth that aeronautics is so difficult that the average teacher can’t handle it, and we want to bust that myth.

The Aspen School District is answering this call, and taking it one step farther.  They are proposing a program that would teach students to fly as part of the math and science curriculum.  I wish my school had offered something like this, then I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

It is based on a program in Albuquerque, NM that was started in 2005.  The program allows students in grades 4-12 to take flying lessons towards their pilot’s license along with classroom work in aerodynamics and applied mathematics.

The program even has an initial investment from a local couple, Lawrence and Joan Altman, in the form of a $50,000 donation.  They made the donation because of their concern with the declining level of education in America.  According to the National Academy of Sciences over half of the engineering degrees awarded by American universities are given to foreign-born students.

With further cuts on the horizon for the Aspen School District, the Altman’s are hoping other concerned residents will follow their lead and help raise the level of education in the area.  If this program is to really take off it will require a good amount of outside funding.

In 2009 the Albuquerque schools spent about $70,000 on the program, and students were required to pay about $50 per hour of flight training.  That is a fraction of the price that normal flight training costs, which could help inspire more kids to pursue flying which is a very good thing.

Throughout all of my years of education I continually asked how I would use information in the real world.  By teaching math and science in a setting where it is actually applied, students are more likely to enjoy it, as well as continue to pursue it.

We can only hope that programs like this will continue to pop up throughout the country in all the industries that rely on math and science.

I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.