An ExpressJet ERJ-145XL ferried out at 7:04am from Long Beach Aviation as BTA102 to Charlottesville-Albemarle (KCHO). The plane had brought people back from Tunica Muni (KUTA) as BTA650 the night before. Harrah's has a casino and hotel in Tunica, MS.
Sun Country 737-800 N801SY (c/n 30332/777) arrived from Denver Intl (KDEN) at 2:24pm as SCX8700 and parked Signature Aviation. The plane brought in the Colorado Avalanche hockey team. The plane ferried back to Minneapolis/St Paul Intl (KMSP) as SCX8700 at 3:07pm.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
CAF WWII Mitsubishi Zero to arrive into Long Beach
On TUE-02MAR, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) will be flying their Mitsubishi A6M - one of only three flyable worldwide - into AirFlite. The aircraft is going to be shipped to New Zealand for an airshow. The Zero is expected to arrive between 1230-1300 depending on wx. The CAF will arrange to defuel and prep the aircraft for shipping.
A trucking and crane company will arrive at approx 2200 to load the plane onto a lowbed trailer to be trucked to the port. The plan is to stage the trailer on Globemaster Way around 2200 and to have the Zero towed by AirFlite to TWY B just north of the Wardlow Gate. The crane will pickup the aircraft OVER the fence and place the aircraft onto the trailer. CHP will escort as an oversized load, starting at 0100.
A trucking and crane company will arrive at approx 2200 to load the plane onto a lowbed trailer to be trucked to the port. The plan is to stage the trailer on Globemaster Way around 2200 and to have the Zero towed by AirFlite to TWY B just north of the Wardlow Gate. The crane will pickup the aircraft OVER the fence and place the aircraft onto the trailer. CHP will escort as an oversized load, starting at 0100.
Historic B-17 flies into Long Beach
The B-17G "Liberty Belle" N390TH/297849/O-J (c/n 8643) will be on display at Signature Aviation this coming Saturday and Sunday(March 6/7). For tickets to fly on the plane, call (918) 340-0243. For more information on the Liberty Belle and the Liberty Foundation, check out http://www.libertyfoundation.org/
(Photo: Jeff Gritchen - Press Telegram)
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Boeing Slows C-17 Production
LONG BEACH - Boeing is cutting back production of its C-17 Globemaster from 15 to 10 jets annually in an effort to extend the Long Beach assembly plant's life beyond 2012.
The move is likely to result in future layoffs among the plant's 5,000-strong workforce, but how many and when will not be decided until later this year or early 2011, said Boeing spokesman Jerry Drelling.
Workers had been warned in recent months that job losses were possible because of reduced domestic demand for the massive cargo plane, Drelling added.
"We're still completing the analysis of any reduction in workforce, and we're striving to mitigate the impacts on our employees as much as possible," Drelling said. "But it's something that needs to be done given reduced demand domestically and to ensure the aircraft remains affordable in years to come."
The scaling back of production, expected to begin in mid-2011, comes as Boeing aggressively pursues international orders from customers that include India and possibly Saudi Arabia.
India submitted a formal request in January with the Department of Defense to negotiate the purchase of 10 C-17s, but those jets would not likely get built until 2013, forcing Boeing to scale back production to keep the plant operating long enough to secure foreign orders.
"This move allows us to reduce the annual production rate and lay the foundation to extend the line beyond 2012 with new and existing orders, preserving the C-17 as an affordable option for the future requirements of international and domestic customers," Drelling said.
Boeing has built 194 C-17s since production began in the early 1990s, and has 38 jets on order, including 29 for the U.S. Air Force, six for the United Arab Emirates, two for Qatar and one for the United Kingdom.
Qatar, which has purchased three C-17s so far, retains the option for two more and is expected to sign a deal in coming months.
Saudi Arabia has also reportedly expressed interest in purchasing several C-17s in coming years, but formal talks have not begun.
Boeing's announcement comes nearly a month after President Barack Obama requested in his proposed 2011 defense budget that domestic funding for the C-17 end, saying the 223 in service and on order are enough for the nation's needs.
President Obama had also sought to end support for the plane last year, but was overridden by the Senate and House, who included $2.5 billion for 10 more C-17s in the final defense budget. Those planes will be built in 2011 and 2012.
Still, given the mood in Washington and President Obama's insistence that funding must end for "unnecessary" military equipment, Boeing has focused increasingly on foreign orders.
To date, the aerospace giant has sold C-17s to Canada, United Kingdom, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and a NATO-led peacekeeping force based in Hungary.
Most of those nations have used the plane for humanitarian missions, including after the recent earthquake in Haiti, where dozens of C-17s from across the globe were called in to deliver tons of medical supplies, food, water, personnel and other relief aid to the devastated island nation.
The plane is favored because of its enormous payload and ability to land on short, unpaved runways.
Just hours before Boeing's announcement Tuesday, Long Beach Councilman Robert Garcia met with Congressmembers in Washington to gauge support for the C-17 as part of a diplomatic mission to the nation's capitol.
"We spent a considerable amount of time talking about the C-17, and my sense is that there remains strong support for keeping the plant open," Garcia said. "(Congress) understand how important this is to Long Beach and to the country. It's a critical asset."
Garcia was joined in Washington by Third District Councilman Gary DeLong and Long Beach Government Affairs Director Tom Modica.
"Ensuring the continuation of the C-17 plant and keeping those 5,000 jobs in Long Beach is my top priority right now," Garcia said. "It's on the top of most of our lists."
Drelling said the production cutback should be sufficient to sustain the line well into 2013. He said the plan is to build 15 jets this year, 13 in 2011 and 10 in 2012.
"We feel it will both buy us more time and help up maintain an affordable price for future orders, as well as giving the (Department of Defense) more time to consider their future airlift needs," Drelling said.
The move is likely to result in future layoffs among the plant's 5,000-strong workforce, but how many and when will not be decided until later this year or early 2011, said Boeing spokesman Jerry Drelling.
Workers had been warned in recent months that job losses were possible because of reduced domestic demand for the massive cargo plane, Drelling added.
"We're still completing the analysis of any reduction in workforce, and we're striving to mitigate the impacts on our employees as much as possible," Drelling said. "But it's something that needs to be done given reduced demand domestically and to ensure the aircraft remains affordable in years to come."
The scaling back of production, expected to begin in mid-2011, comes as Boeing aggressively pursues international orders from customers that include India and possibly Saudi Arabia.
India submitted a formal request in January with the Department of Defense to negotiate the purchase of 10 C-17s, but those jets would not likely get built until 2013, forcing Boeing to scale back production to keep the plant operating long enough to secure foreign orders.
"This move allows us to reduce the annual production rate and lay the foundation to extend the line beyond 2012 with new and existing orders, preserving the C-17 as an affordable option for the future requirements of international and domestic customers," Drelling said.
Boeing has built 194 C-17s since production began in the early 1990s, and has 38 jets on order, including 29 for the U.S. Air Force, six for the United Arab Emirates, two for Qatar and one for the United Kingdom.
Qatar, which has purchased three C-17s so far, retains the option for two more and is expected to sign a deal in coming months.
Saudi Arabia has also reportedly expressed interest in purchasing several C-17s in coming years, but formal talks have not begun.
Boeing's announcement comes nearly a month after President Barack Obama requested in his proposed 2011 defense budget that domestic funding for the C-17 end, saying the 223 in service and on order are enough for the nation's needs.
President Obama had also sought to end support for the plane last year, but was overridden by the Senate and House, who included $2.5 billion for 10 more C-17s in the final defense budget. Those planes will be built in 2011 and 2012.
Still, given the mood in Washington and President Obama's insistence that funding must end for "unnecessary" military equipment, Boeing has focused increasingly on foreign orders.
To date, the aerospace giant has sold C-17s to Canada, United Kingdom, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and a NATO-led peacekeeping force based in Hungary.
Most of those nations have used the plane for humanitarian missions, including after the recent earthquake in Haiti, where dozens of C-17s from across the globe were called in to deliver tons of medical supplies, food, water, personnel and other relief aid to the devastated island nation.
The plane is favored because of its enormous payload and ability to land on short, unpaved runways.
Just hours before Boeing's announcement Tuesday, Long Beach Councilman Robert Garcia met with Congressmembers in Washington to gauge support for the C-17 as part of a diplomatic mission to the nation's capitol.
"We spent a considerable amount of time talking about the C-17, and my sense is that there remains strong support for keeping the plant open," Garcia said. "(Congress) understand how important this is to Long Beach and to the country. It's a critical asset."
Garcia was joined in Washington by Third District Councilman Gary DeLong and Long Beach Government Affairs Director Tom Modica.
"Ensuring the continuation of the C-17 plant and keeping those 5,000 jobs in Long Beach is my top priority right now," Garcia said. "It's on the top of most of our lists."
Drelling said the production cutback should be sufficient to sustain the line well into 2013. He said the plan is to build 15 jets this year, 13 in 2011 and 10 in 2012.
"We feel it will both buy us more time and help up maintain an affordable price for future orders, as well as giving the (Department of Defense) more time to consider their future airlift needs," Drelling said.
(Kristopher Hanason - Press Telegram)
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Late C-17 Spotting Report
The second Qatar Air Force C-17 08-0201/MAA (c/n F-208) arrived on February 17th at 12:45pm and parked on the Signature ramp. The plane was moved to the north Boeing blast wall in the late afternoon and has been parked there since.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday 2-17-10
A US Marines Lockheed C-130 Hercules departed from Signature at 7:10pm and landed back at LGB at 8:00pm. The plane parked again at Signature.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
JetBlue's 10th Anniversary A320 visits LGB
JetBlue Airways A320-232 N569JB (c/n 2075) "Blues Brothers" arrived as JBU285 from McCarran Intl (KLAS) at 7:05pm and departed back to McCarran Intl (KLAS) as JBU288 at 8:09pm. The photos above were taken with my cell phone which explains the poor quality.
Monday 2-15-10
Qatar Air Force C-17 Globemaster III 08-0201/MAA (c/n F-208) arrived at Long Beach at 12:45pm and parked on the Signature ramp. The plane has since been moved to the Boeing run-up area where the old commerical production line predelivery use to be.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
JetBlue marks 10th anniversary
LONG BEACH - What began 10 years ago as a modest venture into the rough-and-tumble world of air travel has morphed into one of the city's top success stories of the past decade.
JetBlue Airways marked 10 years of international travel Friday with a celebration at Long Beach Airport, its West Coast base, where the carrier served some 2.3 million passengers in the past year.
Since its first flight out of Long Beach in August of 2001, about a year after the New York-based carrier's launch, JetBlue has carried more than 14 million people into and out of the city to and from destinations across North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.
"JetBlue has been a great partner with the community...employing about 700 people locally and becoming an important asset for this city," said Mayor Bob Foster, who joined city leaders, JetBlue and airport executives and airline workers for the milestone birthday. "JetBlue has woven into the community."
JetBlue's presence has coincided with tremendous growth at the airport, which for decades languished behind other regional airports like Los Angeles and John Wayne internationals, despite its regional proximity and available space.
Since 2001, when JetBlue arrived, passenger flights have jumped 390 percent in Long Beach, from 591,000 passengers to 2.9 million in 2009.
And much of that increase is directly attributable to the low-cost carrier, whose passengers have consistently constituted about 75 percent of total traffic at the airport.
Other carriers include Alaska, Horizon, Delta and U.S. Airways.
"Long Beach Airport would not be what it is today without JetBlue," said Mario Rodriguez, Long Beach Airport Director. "The airline has brought a lot of people to Long Beach that might not otherwise have visited."
Rodriguez also believes the carrier's presence has had a moderating influence regionally on passenger flight costs in recent years.
With 29 daily flights to 13 destinations, including New York City, Washington D.C., Seattle, Oakland and San Francisco, JetBlue and Long Beach have become major competitors to some of the region's larger and more established carriers and airports.
"They've pretty well set the bar for low-cost carriers and passenger service," Rodriguez said.
In fact, JetBlue was founded in the late 1990s by former employees of Southwest Airlines, which like JetBlue offers low-cost, no-frills flights to major urban centers across the country.
With an initial fleet of just 10 jets, JetBlue now operates 151 aircraft, profoundly impacting the 74-year-old Long Beach Airport's buildings, parking lots, rampways, runways and hangars.
In late 2009, officials broke ground on a $49-million, five-level, 1,989-slot parking garage just steps from the main terminal.
They're also pushing tens of millions into terminal improvements, airport security and other infrastructure to handle growing passenger loads.
"Long Beach was a great choice for us because of its location, low cost and room for growth...and passengers tend to enjoy it because its less crowded and easy to access," said Robert Land, a JetBlue spokesman. "It's been a solid relationship."
(Kristopher Hanson - Press Telegram)
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