Summary: Photo courtesy of The Helicopter Museum Industry analyst Henry Harteveldt returns as our guest. Henry is now with Hudson Crossing. Previously, he was Chief Research Officer and Co-Founder of Atmosphere Research Group, and before that he was with Forrester Research. We talk with Henry about the merger of US Airways and American Airlines, including labor relationships, maintenance, competitive effects, the merging of company cultures, and other steps necessary before the deal is done. We also touch on airline brand loyalty and airline fees. The week’s aviation news: Airbus Abandons Plan to Use Controversial Batteries in New Jet Service Cuts May Follow Merger of Airlines Air Force increases projected KC-46 flying hours, crew ratio Cirrus ramps up Hiring in Duluth for VisionJet This week David takes a break from his Aircraft of the Week segment and gives his views on budget sequestration, a means of budget control used under the Budget Control Act of 2011. In this week’s Australia Desk report: We’re joined by Ben Ippolito, a PCDU team member and Air Traffic Controller, to discuss future changes to air traffic management in Australia and the news that authorities are looking at ways to better integrate civil and military systems. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net. In this week’s Across the Pond segment: This week we visit the world’s largest dedicated helicopter museum. With over 80 aircraft from all parts of the world its a wonderful place for all Avgeeks and certainly a hidden gem of a museum. For more, see The Helicopter Museum website, The Helicopter Museum on Facebook and @HeliCollections on Twitter. Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast. Mentions: FAA Directive Sheds Light On Emirates Engine Shutdown Lowest flyby ever, Argentinian FMA IA 63 Fighter plane’s incredible fly-by caught on camera Life as an Airline Pilot Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.
