Yet another attempt

 Hello World!

It is a new year already. April 25, 2024, to be precise.

Going to restart the blog, again. In an umpteenth effort. 

Today, we celebrate The Jakarta Post's 41st anniversary. It was such a great journey so far, full of ups and downs, (missed) opportunities and tough challenges. 

Ready for take off.... (hopefully)

Delayed flights is a common thing in aviation, but not this late :)

Well, as people always say, better late than never. Hopefully my blogs can really spread their wings and more importantly soaring high.

There have been so many news and development in the past while this blog was inactive.

At home, how the LCC are not so low-cost anymore as they started to use the ceiling price and charge for checked baggage. For popular routes, it is better to simply take the full service airlines. The LCC, however, may still rule in the routes less flown, especially to smaller towns or those linking secondary cities.

The aviation sector is also waiting for the fate of Airbus-Emirates deal on more orders for Airbus A380 jumbo jets. Will we soon see the demise of A380, the toppled King of the Sky?

A different story is for the Queen of the Sky who is celebrating her 50 years. It turned out to be that Boeing 747 and I share the same birthweek and not that many years apart. (ouch..... I am getting old, soon).

Another attempt

After being abandoned for quite some time, I will try to revive this blog. Finger crossed.

Merpati Nusantara Airlines' Xian MA-60 at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport. Taken on June 10, 2011.

Pesawat kitiran aka baling-baling

Banyak orang di Indonesia yang tidak mau naik pesawat kitiran atau baling-baling dengan alasan "pesawatnya kecil", "guncangannya terasa sekali" dan beribu satu alasan lainnya.

Yang paling kacau adalah alasan teknologi pesawat baling2 sudah kuno dan ketinggalan zaman.

Kalau alasannya karena takut goncangan sih masih bisa dimaklumi karena pesawat kitiran rata2 kecil sehingga lebih rentan terkena guncangan atau turbulensi seperti misalnya kelas Cessna 172 atau NC-212. Tapi toh ada juga pesawat baling-baling yang sebesar "Gaban" seperti C-130 Hercules dan A-400M Atlas.

Kalau dipikir2 lagi, sebagian orang yang "menolak" naik pesawat kitiran adalah orang2 yang sombong karena hanya mau naik pesawat jet. Kenapa sombong? Karena mereka hanya tahu kota besar yang memiliki bandara besar yang dapat didarati oleh pesawat jet.

Mereka tidak tahu bahwa tidak semua bandara di Indonesia dapat didarati oleh pesawat jet dan bagaimana peaswat baling2 yang kecil itu telah menghubungkan berbagai kota dan daerah terpencil di Indonesia dengan pusat2 keramaian.

Semua jenis pesawat sudah ada peruntukannya, mulai dari yang kecil mungil sampai yang raksasa.

RBA on flight training

C295 or NC295 or CN295 at HLP

Aft starboard view

Ready to fly again

Requesting permission to take off.

Merpati Nusantara Airline's MA-60 at HLP.

Bloomberg reported that Brazil seeks Embraer order from fighter jet supplier

Indonesia harus bisa meniru Brazil dalam soal penanganan akuisisi sistem persenjataan sehingga tidak merugikan industri dalam negeri. Brazil mensyaratkan pembelian 12 pesawat angkut jet Embraer KC-390 untuk pembelian 36 pesawat tempur yang sedang dalam proses tender. Ini baru offset tingkat tinggi.

Berikut laporannya dari Bloomberg:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aA31lkXXe2oY

Dirgantara, GMF renew maintenance deal

JAKARTA: State-owned aircraft producer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) and PT GMF AeroAsia, renewed their agreement for aircraft maintenance recently.

The new agreement was signed Thursday by Dirgantara president director Budi Santoso and GMF president director and CEO Richard Budihadianto, in Bandung.

Both companies announced the new agreement in a joint media statement sent Thursday.

Replacing a 2003 agreement, the new agreement will be valid for three years and covers general maintenance, parts and components, tools and equipment, testing and laboratory services and engineering services.

The new agreement also deals with marketing, repairs, modifications, aircraft, components and systems overhaul, spare parts procurement, manufacturing services, IT, training and the utilization of facilities and other capabilities.

Richard said local repairs and overhaul firms only absorbed around 30 percent of the total domestic aircraft maintenance spending - worth US$750 million in 2009. He expected this market to expand to around $2 billion by 2014.

Budi said Dirgantara had plenty of facilities that could be used by GMF, including a surface treatment facility certified by the National Aerospace and Defense Contractor Program, which could reduce GMF's dependence on foreign parties. - JP

First published on The Jakarta Post on Saturday, April 3, 2010

GMF receives EASA rating for Airbus A320

JAKARTA: State-owned aircraft producer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) and PT GMF AeroAsia, renewed their agreement for aircraft maintenance recently.

The new agreement was signed Thursday by Dirgantara president director Budi Santoso and GMF president director and CEO Richard Budihadianto, in Bandung.

Both companies announced the new agreement in a joint media statement sent Thursday.

Replacing a 2003 agreement, the new agreement will be valid for three years and covers general maintenance, parts and components, tools and equipment, testing and laboratory services and engineering services.

The new agreement also deals with marketing, repairs, modifications, aircraft, components and systems overhaul, spare parts procurement, manufacturing services, IT, training and the utilization of facilities and other capabilities.

Richard said local repairs and overhaul firms only absorbed around 30 percent of the total domestic aircraft maintenance spending - worth US$750 million in 2009. He expected this market to expand to around $2 billion by 2014.

Budi said Dirgantara had plenty of facilities that could be used by GMF, including a surface treatment facility certified by the National Aerospace and Defense Contractor Program, which could reduce GMF's dependence on foreign parties. — JP

First published on The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, March 9, 2010