Originally Posted by DeadHead (Post 1011045)

Think I just threw up a little in my mouth....

Originally Posted by DeadHead (Post 1011045)

Think I just threw up a little in my mouth....

Originally Posted by tsquare (Post 1011048)

Meh.. much ado about nothing.

Originally Posted by trlaketige (Post 1011066)

Well maybe, maybe not. We are very lucky with the current DGS 747 instructors right now. They all flew the aircraft for many years, and some since its inception. In addition, 2 or 3 of them ran the -400 program at NWA. You aren't going to have people walk in off the street with those qualifications. Remember the -400 was only operated by NWA and UAL in the states. This doesn't mean that quality instructors from other fleets/aircraft can't be brought up to speed and provide a quality product. It just may take time.

Originally Posted by Bill Lumberg (Post 1011058)

I wouldn't mind flying one of those E190s. Something has to replace the dc-9s leaving, and I don't know anyone who would vote to give them to DCI.

Originally Posted by iaflyer (Post 1011070)

Not disagreeing, but I'm sure there are enough ex-B747-400 pilots who would want to work as DGS instructors. It's not just NWA and UAL that flew the -400 in the US. Atlas and Polar have been flying them for years, Kalitta Air has them, and there are I'm sure some retired pilots from foreign carriers such as Lufthansa, BA, KLM, Air France and all the Asian carriers. (Many of the Asian carries employed US pilots on contracts).

I doubt there will be a shortage of high qualified, retired pilots who'd love to teach as DGS instructors.

Originally Posted by Bill Lumberg (Post 1011038)

Embraer sees chances of Delta order

Monday June 20, 2011, 11:38 am EDT
By Cesar Bianconi

LE BOURGET, France (Reuters) - Brazilian planemaker Embraer sees "good chances" of firm orders from U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines, which will likely make a decision to renew its fleet by October, a top company executive told Reuters on Monday.

Embraer is competing to win orders from Delta, which will likely buy as many as 100 new regional aircraft to replace its aging fleet. The U.S. carrier could buy a total 400 planes among large, mid-sized and small jets.

"Our expectation is that Delta decides about all this in October ... they are in talks with everyone," Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva, who heads Embraer's commercial aviation unit, said in an interview at the Paris Air Show.

Silva's comments highlight Embraer's salesforce efforts to defend its market leader position in the regional jet market, which is slowly attracting rivals from China, Russia and Japan. Embraer said earlier in the day that it won orders for 39 E-190 regional jets worth $1.7 billion at list prices at the airshow.

Customers include Air Lease Corp, Air Astana, General Electric, Sriwijaya Air and Kenya Airways, Embraer said. The planemaker predicted demand for 7,225 regional jets in the next 20 years, worth $320 billion.

The world's biggest producer of regional jets is also close to sealing a deal for the sale of six to 10 jets to Republic Airlines, Silva said. Talks with Indonesian airline Garuda could produce a firm order within the next three months, he noted.

Sales announcements are easing worries about Embraer's near-term challenges, which include a strong local currency that drives up production costs, natural disasters and geopolitical tensions around the world that could disrupt deliveries, and a sluggish global economic recovery.

Sao Paulo-traded shares of the company rose slightly on Monday, the second day of gains. Embraer's U.S.-traded stock gained 0.4 percent to $31.82.

Among companies competing for the Delta contract are behemoths Boeing and Airbus, and Canada's Bombardier -- Embraer's archrival in the regional market.

Silva voiced concerns that plans by Airbus and Boeing to ramp up output in coming years could spark a glut of aircraft in global markets.

"Both of them are expecting to deliver 1,000 jets a year. That's a lot," he said.

"If there are disruptions in orders by Malaysia, India, or any global economic problem, it could be bad for the industry as a whole," he added.

(Writing by Guillermo Parra-Bernal, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

Originally Posted by scambo1 (Post 1010987)

anyone know if atl a330 is progged to fly india in addition to africa?

Originally Posted by forgot to bid (Post 1010928)

I'll take a modest 8,000 or so. :D

Originally Posted by tsquare (Post 1010943)

Then store them on the airplane, and let the company keep up with the revisions.