The World of Aviation

The first two of six Erickson Air-Cranes have arrived in Australia to tackle this summer’s bushfire season, just as fires begin to rage in the country’s southeast as record November temperatures reach the low 40s. Elvis and Isabelle arrived in Melbourne via ship on November 21. The following day the fire-bombing helicopters were reassembled and flown off the wharf to nearby Essendon

Brisbane Airport Corporation has announced a new sponsorship arrangement with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Queensland where the airport will become its principal sponsor. “The RFDS is the lifeline for many Queenslanders living out in the regions, connecting them to Brisbane and vital health services and facilities across our state,” said BAC CEO Julieanne

AAPA, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, has raised doubts about the sustainability of the recovery in passenger and cargo volumes during recent months as it recorded another drop in figures during October. Noting that recovery remains ‘tentative’, AAPA said that passenger traffic during October reached 11.1 million, which was higher than the previous month

Queensland University of Technology engineers are creating a solar-powered UAV capable of providing 24-hour coverage to emergency services. Designed by PHD student Wessam Al Sabban and aerospace avionics engineering supervisor Dr Felipe Gonzalez, the Green Falcon solar UAV has completed its preliminary flight testing and with further development and funding, could be available for use

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating an incident where GPWS alerts went off during the landing of a Virgin Blue Boeing 737 at Darwin Airport on November 6. The aircraft, operating a flight from Brisbane, is understood to have been making its third landing attempt after two earlier approaches on a different runway

Qantas recorded the highest percentage of domestic on time departures during October, according to a recently released report from BITRE. During the month, 86.4 per cent of Qantas’s flights departed on time, followed by Virgin Blue at 84.7 per cent, Jetstar at 77.2 per cent and Tiger Airways at 74.2 per cent. The regional airlines