martin, based on the mix of the forum members I’m going to guess that you’re a pilot in a European country. I was curious, how much time do you need to qualify for an ATPL over there? Also when you said you would most likely end up with one of the loco carriers, I’m curious if they hire pilots who have just gotten their ATPLs? I know over here in Canada a pilot qualifies for his ATPL at 1500 hrs (and must write two, self study exams) however a 1500 hour pilot with an ATPL will be lucky to find himself as F/O on a metro or 1900 let alone an F/O on a 737 with a loco. Air Canada will hire at 3500 hours (when they’re hiring, however that hasn’t been for some time) and either put you right seat in a CRJ/320 or stick you as a “10 to 10” pilot on the A340. The only other large airline in Canada, Westjet, looks for between 4000 and 5000 hours for right seat in a 737. Just kinda interested to find out the differences in aviation communities.

At CYYC we get daily service from DHL (727), Emery Worldwide (727), UPS (A300) and FedEx (A300). CargoLux flies in 3 times a week with their 747s and the occasional An-124 stops by with parts for the nearby oil patch. Although it doesn’t really count as cargo, we get C-17s and the like from the RAF as they fly supplies and equipment to CFB Suffield (2 hour drive to the south of Calgary) where British troops train on a regular basis.

Although an interesting idea, I doubt an A322 will ever see the light of day. Upon speaking with my friend’s dad who is an A319/20/21 driver for AC I was told that the A321 uses the same wing as the A320. This has resulted in a very high wing loading for the A321 to the point where he believes the wing is maxed out. Any further stretch to the fuselage would most likely mean a complete redesign of the wing, a process that is most likely way too costly in the current economic environment.

Definately good news. One of the other things I heard on the news today is that part of US Airways plan is to invest “heavily” in acquiring regional jets. Anyone have any bets as to which manufacturer they will end up chosing?

I’d like to see the Canadian Airlines “proud wings” livery back in action. It’s a shame it was with us for such a short time.

RE: Airliner World 2010

Just a brief comment on Air Canada.
I believe that Air Canada will continue to be around for a very long time. Regardless of a cabotage agreement with the US, the Canadian government has made it very clear as of late that they will not be willing to allow the flag carrier to fail. The Canadian government forced Air Canada to step in and save Canadian Airlines just a few years ago and it would be rather ridiculous if that decision was made irrelevent by allowing Air Canada to fail. Also, let’s not forget that just over ten years ago, Air Canada was a crown corporation and the pet project of many Members of Parliment that have now risen to influencial positions. (it’s interesting to note that the MP that proposed the name change from Trans Canada Airlines to Air Canada is none other than the current Prime Minister, Jean Chretien). Further proof can be seen in recent remarks by the Minister of Transport who has said the government will explore the possability of loan guarentees to Air Canada, reducing a security surcharge on tickets and working with the Minster of Industry to revise a program that offers foreign airlines cheap deals on Bombardier regional jets that isn’t currently available to domestic airlines. (right now it’s substantially cheaper for a foreign carrier to purchase the jets than a Canadian airline to purchase Canadian jets that helps to create more Canadian jobs for both companies). The only question that remains is in what form will Air Canada survive, the more common belief being that Air Canada will only serve as an international flag carrier with very limited domestic service.

Cheers,
Binx

RE: Airbus Versus Boeing

I’d have to say that Airbus is the stronger of the two manufacturers as it goes into the future. The current offerings of a/c from Airbus all share one key thing: cockpit commonality. This concept has only become a major consideration in the last 20 years or so and it should be noted that Airbus had the freedom to incorporate this concept because it was building an entire line-up of a/c from the ground up during the same time frame.

Boeing, on the other hand, was a victim of its own success. It had already developed a complete line-up of aircraft when this whole idea of cockpit commonality came to light. A perfect example is the 737. When Boeing had to make the decision (both in the 80s with the -300/-400/-500 and the 90s with the -600/-700/-800/-900) to design an entirely new aircraft or to simply redesign an old one it had to take into account the airlines that already operated the type. If Boeing was to come out with an entirely new a/c there was no guarruntee that existing customers would order the new aircraft in the future. By simply redesigning the a/c there was a much smaller risk customers would jump ship in favour of another manufacturer since their pilots could operate the newer models with minimum training. This was a great short-term strategy but now Boeing has been left with a line-up that has very little commonality in a time when funds to develop an all new line-up are limited thanks to the current economic climate.

Airbus has also been very good at offering airlines amazing deals on a/c purchases to get its foot in the door. Once an airline begins to incorporate Airbus aircraft into its fleet the cockpit commonality is a major draw and the airline tends to lean towards fleet renewal using Airbus aircraft. (A perfect example is Air Canada, which was origionally going to order the 737 until Airbus made an offer it couldn’t refuse. After choosing the A320 over the 737 Air Canada has chosen Airbus to renew its fleet and now proudly claims it operates a fleet that is 90% Airbus products) Boeing has gotten itself into a tight spot and I haven’t seen any indications that it is going to radically change its way of thinking. (Remember, the 777 was origionally just supposed to be a stretched 767 to try and keep as many existing 767 customers as possible. That is until airlines finally beat some sense into the people calling the shots). Unless things change, and soon, I think we’ll be hearing alot more from Airbus and alot less from Boeing in the years to come.

Cheers,

Binx