center rock , inc. is a manufacturer of drilling equipment headquartered in berlin , pennsylvania .

the company was founded in 1998 by brandon w. fisher .

center rock made headlines in 2002 when its equipment was instrumental in the quecreek mine rescue in pennsylvania , in which nine miners were rescued after being trapped for 78 hours in a flooded mine .

in 2010 , center rock assisted in the rescue of 33 miners trapped for 69 days as a result of the copiapó mining accident in chile .

the company provided a special hammer bit for the drill that enabled a rescue shaft to be completed much faster than originally anticipated .

center rock

2 , 000 - foot hole bored by a drill made by center rock of berlin , pa .
at center rock , our priority is to get you down the hole safely , productively , and efficiently .
we are honored that miss mahler chose to share her excellence with students at the rock center for dance .
rudy lyon , lead product designer for center rock , drives our rock drilling research , design , development , marketing , and operations activities . he holds numerous downhole and water - powered rock drilling patents .
breakthrough innovation , superior products and services . outstanding technical support . genuine drilling expertise . delivery ultimate impact : center rock !
the hbs arthur rock center accelerator is a highly immersive program designed specifically for hbs student founders of early - stage startups .
center rock has a full range of face designs , button configurations , and shank styles in many sizes up to a 20″ ( 508 mm ) head to match the application and rock they are drilling in .
tom foy , 61 , who still lives in berlin , was one of the quecreek miners but has worked for center rock for nearly five years .
center rock owner brandon fisher , just back tuesday night from chile , fielded dozens of interview requests — and hoped to sneak away for some sleep .
center rock manufacturers a full line of air rock drilling tolls and accessories including our down the hole ( dth ) hammers and bits from 3 . 5″ to 36″ ( 89 - 914 mm ) diameter , casing advancing overburden drilling systems , and are a leading global manufacturer / supplier of the cri standard , revers circulation , hdd and utility multi - hammer lp canister drills . coupled with outstanding service , center rock is a one stop rock drilling shop capable of supplying the tools for your rock drilling requirements .
center rock’s drill used advanced drilling technology to break through to the chilean miners trapped 2 , 070 feet underground at the san jose mine in copiapo , chile .
although quecreek helped put center rock on the map , it was the company ' s lp drill — or low - profile drill — developed five years ago that has seen the company grow from 16 to 75 employees and put the company at the center of the chilean rescue , dorcon said .
center rock inc , berlin , pa back in pennsylvania , center rock inc , a small company in berlin , heard that the mine rescue could take until christmas . brandon fisher , president and ceo , and richard soppe , manager of dhd sales & product development , knew that center rock’s technology could help aid in the rescue of the 33 miners , and return them to their families long before the projected date of christmas . julie fisher , director of sales , immediately contacted the southern alleghenies planning and development commission . this agency helps to connect pennsylvania manufacturing companies with trade representatives throughout the world in order to grow international trade . there was currently a representative in chile to help center rock make contact with the proper people to present their ideas and technology . concurrently , one of center rock’s distributors , drillers supply international , owner greg hall , cypress , texas , and drillers supply s . a . , owner mijali proestakis , antofagosta , chile , reached out to center rock about the availability of their tools . drillers supply was an integral part in convincing the chilean officials to accept their plan . their team virtually eliminated the language barriers . igor proestakis , a field engineer for drillers supply , picked the center rock crew up from the airport when they arrived in chile , dropped them off when they left , and every day in between . igor , along with greg and mijali were on the rescue site the entire time with center rock . this was the creation of what the world came to know as “plan b” .
schramm inc . of west chester , pa . , makes the t - 130 drill used to make the hole ; center rock makes the 28 - inch wide canisters that function as the bit . each canister contains four air hammers and four drill bits that move in tandem to dig through rock .
nothing is more important to drilling success than drill bits that cut straight and fast through all types of rock . that’s why we offer our customers the best value in rock drilling bits .
foy said center rock volunteered to help in chile after officials there confirmed the miners were still alive aug . 22 , but said soon afterward that they expected it would take until christmas to dig a rescue shaft .
center rock offers one of the most complete lines of down the hole drills and downhole bits ranging from 3 . 5” – 36” ( 89mm – 914mm ) which are designed for peak performance in all rock drilling applications including but not limited to ; foundation & geotechnical drilling , blasthole drilling in quarries & mines , waterwell & geothermal boreholes , oil & gas underbalanced drilling , horizontal directional drilling , and utility transmission & distribution rock sockets .
at the colorado school of mines rock physics lab we research rock and fluid properties for exploration and reservoir monitoring . much of our work relates to energy exploration and ground water reservoir monitoring . our most current projects center on fluid distributions in rocks and how these distributions affect characteristics such as wave attenuation , velocity dispersion , and seismic signature .
center rock force ® ( rf ) hammers feature a high efficiency and tunable valved air cycle to optimize performance on your compressor . many models also feature a heat resistant steel valve which keeps on working even in the most demanding quarry and mining applications .
brandon fisher , left , president of center rock , the pennsylvania company whose hammer - style drill heads created the hole that reached the 33 trapped miners in chile , poses for the press with colleague richard soppe at the san jose mine near copiapo , chile .
roto loc® is an overburden rock drilling system for casing advancement , developed by center rock , inc . with wings that lock in place and are easily retractable , roto loc® is able to drill straight , full diameter holes through any formation , including pinnacle limestone and karst . roto loc® saves you money because there isn’t any expensive starter casing j - teeth or ring bits needed .
the arthur rock center for entrepreneurship is a vital resource to hbs students and a champion for entrepreneurship at hbs . our goal is to help you navigate the multitude of programs and resources available to students and alumni in the hbs and harvard ecosystem and in locations around the globe .
center rock has a brief , but storied , history . founded in 1998 , the company ' s profile rose appreciably in july 2002 , when it pitched in during a similar rescue to free nine miners trapped underground for more than three days in the flooded quecreek mine a few miles away .
center rock was founded in 1998 by brandon fisher , a former ingersoll - rand sales rep for the east coast . fisher knew the drilling industry lacked a product provider that could also quickly react to customer on - site needs . in other words , he built us as a servicing manufacturer .
don’t miss out on what’s happening . join the rock list and be the first to know about upcoming events , special offers and more .
they said , ' well , heck , they ain ' t getting out till christmastime , and i know and brandon knows and we all knew we could get down to them faster than that ,
foy said .
we proved that center rock is a little company , but they do big things .
in the next few days , the first 40 meters of the rescue shaft was cased to reduce the danger of any falling rock . center rock’s now three person crew in chile , brandon , richard , and julie fisher , who had flown to chile two weeks before the break through , came home on tuesday , october 12th . they watched the rescue unfold with many of their fellow employees at the berlin , pa office , feeling an enormous sense of pride and teamwork .
underground construction technology / utility / horizontal drilling can be a challenge and the low profile ( lp ) drill series from center rock is up to the task . the advanced engineering of the drills provides a cost effective solution for rock drilling and excavation requirements up to 144″ ( 3657 . 6 mm ) in diameter . our drills have been used by some of the nation’s largest building , roadway , and mining contractors to quickly drill holes to the exact size required by their specifications .
take a peek at our insider’s guide to what’s happening at rockefeller center . fashion , art , music , shopping , dining and design–there’s something amazing going on every day of the year .
as rescuers brought 33 chilean miners one by one in a metal capsule through a 2 , 000 - foot hole bored by drill bits made by center rock inc . of berlin , pa . , workers in the small southwestern pennsylvania community occasionally paused their daily routines to follow computer news feeds . lunch was brought in to help them celebrate .
october 9 , 2010 ( the san jose mine in copiapo , chile ) – the center rock drill being used to reach trapped miners more than 2 , 000 feet underground , often referred to as “plan b” by the media , has broken through to the miners today , far ahead of the earlier projections that drilling might take until christmas .
center rock’s cr line of down - the - hole drills are reliable drilling workhorses that stand up to the most demanding conditions you can find . a valveless air cycle provides consistent drilling performance and reliability foot after foot and year after year . some models are available with integrated jetted backheads as well as bit retainer systems for deep - hole drilling applications .
president & ceo dave pietrzykowski ( dave p ) says ; “challenge us and you will be pleasantly surprised with how rapidly we can respond when it comes to designing , manufacturing , and delivering quality drill bits , downhole drills , accessories , and other specialty drilling products . more and more drillers are choosing center rock products to help get the job done right . ”
center rock is an exclusive north american distributor for wassara water hammers . wassara technology uses water to power the hammer . this makes it the ideal choice for most drilling applications in ground engineering – for drilling in sensitive areas as well as for drilling long straight holes . the water - powered dth hammer is capable of penetrating any formation such as ; hard rock , boulders , concrete , limestone , granite , till , water - rich formations and dense clay while maintaining speed and straightness . the jet grouting hammer also enables jet grouting in one single pass .
proud employees of a small drilling company too remote to have cable television found themselves wednesday at the center of the world ' s biggest news story — but they still had to get the day ' s work done .
cri’s rock xtreme ® ( rx ) line of dhd’s represent the cutting edge of rock drilling and technology . high performance , outstanding reliability , simplicity , and low operating cost are the primary features of the rx line . the low cost , tube - free , and robust rx bit will deliver unmatched reliability and life to keep you in the hole .
rock summer fellowship is for the students who are exploring their entrepreneurial paths as either founders starting a new venture or those joining early - stage start - ups , during the summer .
once the 26″ lp drill broke through to the miners on october 9th , center rock’s and the entire worlds’ prayers had been answered . richard soppe stated , “it was the greatest moment of my life when we broke into that mine ahead of time and knew that those 33 guys were going to come out alive . ” brandon fisher , agreeing with richard , said , “i think it was the most amazing feeling that anyone who was out there will feel their entire life . ”
1200 or 2400 series breakout / make - up systems , water and oil injection systems , hammer honey and hammer honey eco rock drill oil , customized mobile work shops , soap houses , dog houses and mist houses .
as we broaden our search for new energy sources and as our geophysical data and resolution continue to improve , we will also need to be concerned with issues such as phase changes , fluid - rock interaction , compositional heterogeneity , and thermal effects .
from the beginning on august 5 , 2010 , there was a major mine collapse at the san jose mine in the atacama desert near copiapo , chile . to the world’s disbelief , 17 days later , the 33 miners that signed into the mine that day had all survived the collapse of 700 , 000 tons of rock and had made their way to a safe room .
richard soppe , our sales and r & d manager for downhole drilling products , has more than 35 years of genuine drilling experience , including major projects such as the world’s first and second live lake taps ( 20’ - diameter shafts , 100’ - deep under 250’ of water ) . he also worked extensively on the alaskan pipeline and the beaver dam in arkansas , overcoming the longest , deepest , hardest rock overlapping pile secant wall ever undertaken .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd html 4 . 01 / / en
urltoken
has the market volatility got you nervous ? these cartoons may give you a little comic relief .
but machines still needed to be oiled , floors still needed to be swept — and somebody still had to answer the phones , which were ringing off the hook .
we still have customers who still need products today , so we ' re working and we ' re celebrating ,
inside sales manager becky dorcon told the associated press .
the kids won ' t let me go back ,
said foy , a married father referring to his four children , ages 34 to 38 .
i gave the mining up . i wasn ' t about to put them through that again .
in an exclusive interview with the daily american of somerset , fisher said he and wife , sales director julie fisher , were back in berlin in time to watch on television as the first miner was pulled from the hole where he and his colleagues had been trapped since aug . 5 .
fisher , 38 , and richard soppe , 58 , his director of construction and mining tools , spent 37 days with scant sleep drilling the rescue shaft . julie fisher joined them about two weeks ago , and relatives and friends gathered to welcome them home tuesday .
when i saw the first guy looking healthy , that ' s what it ' s all about ,
fisher told the newspaper .
but the mission is not over until the last guy is out .
fisher was especially drawn to miner mario sepulveda espina , with whom fisher interacted by video during the drilling process .
espina , the second miner pulled from the shaft , made made a bizarre request while still underground : wigs . officials granted espina ' s request , fisher told the daily american , and the miner wore one in front of a video monitor , joking about what shampoo did to his hair — perhaps a reference to a commercial in which a wig - clad troy polamalu blames his big hair on shampoo .
he was a practical joker ; he used humor to keep the morale up ,
fisher told the newspaper .
everybody here has been giving 110 percent since the day brandon got in contact with the people of chile and it was thought he was going and our tools were going to be used ,
she said .
© 2013 the associated press . all rights reserved . this material may not be published , broadcast , rewritten or redistributed .
javascript is required to view our full story experience . please enable javascript in your browser preferences .
we make and distribute a complete line of air - drilling tools , services , and accessories . leading global drilling , oil - and - gas , construction , mining , and foundation contractors trust us for optimum performance , even in the most challenging operating conditions .
“we’re always looking for the next best way to drill into the earth – and that ongoing search fuels my excitement , ” claims fisher .
warren lay , our design engineer , has more than a quarter of a century of actual drilling expertise . dan stoner is our key point of contact for product innovations and sales for the oil - and - gas market . both of these men are highly skilled at solving the toughest customer problems – right in the field .
slant face bit from 4 . 75” to 12” ( 120 . 5 mm – 305 mm ) .
accepts all sondes , 15” & 19” ( 381 - 482 . 6 mm ) and ditch witch®
the 33 miners were rescued flawlessly , approximately one miner every 25 minutes , beginning late night october 12th and all day on october 13th .
33 chilean miners , found to be alive in the 33rd week of the year , 33 days of drilling , rescued on 10 / 13 / 10 , which equals 33 when added together .
118 schrock drive , p . o . box 307 , berlin , pa 15530 phone : 814 . 267 . 7100 toll - free : 888 . 267 . 9004 fax : 814 . 267 . 6382
373 mason - dixon hwy , berlin , pa 15530 phone : 814 . 267 . 7100 toll - free : 888 . 267 . 9004 fax : 814 . 267 . 3841
the new venture competition will provide the structure and milestones you need to accelerate your progress as you put entrepreneurship principles into practice .
our world - class entrepreneurship faculty are the thought leaders with deep understanding of the startup experience necessary to test , launch , and scale new ventures . they author cases used in business schools around the world and bring those same case protagonists into the classroom to share their real - world experience .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1 . 0 transitional / / en
urltoken
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd html 4 . 0 transitional / / en
urltoken
detecting pore fluids and their effects are the ultimate goals of almost all geophysical and petrophysical investigations . we strive to identify fluid types , extract their properties , predict pore pressures , and detect fluid motion . the important aspects of fluids are as much a function of their chemistry , distribution , and mobility as well as their simple bulk properties . common pore fluids include hydrocarbons , carbon dioxide , drilling mud filtrates , water , and brines . properties can be quite diverse . hydrocarbons can range from light gases to semi - solid heavy oils . heavy oils are of particular interest recently because of their new significance as a dominant hydrocarbon resource . seismic properties of these fluids , such as bulk and shear moduli ( yes , heavy oils have a shear modulus ) are dominated by the content of high - molecular - weight components .
whether you’re spending the day or just stopping by , be sure to check our calendar for the latest happenings .
stay completely in the loop and connect with us on facebook , twitter and instagram .
i believe that love is the greatest thing in the world ; that it alone can overcome hate ; that right can and will triumph over might .
this website is currently being re - built . some information is out - dated . facebook and instagram are active daily
congratulations to ballet legend , miss roni mahler for being awarded the prestigious lifetime achievement award , presented by rhee gold .
sometimes what is right in front of us , all around us , is the least obvious because we aren’t awake . happiness is not derived from having a lot . success does not come from doing too much . quality is more important than quantity . less is almost always more . simplicity is more beautiful than complexity . the long - term has greater meaning than the short term . excellence comes from commitment not fro
m instant gratification . we usually want everything now . not because we need it but because we are conditioned to live this way . for dancers and dance makers this means remembering that hard work , sustained training , intense focus , attention to detail , openness to being transformed into a different person and authentic artistic expression will result in a powerful light that no one can turn off or ignore . this path to truth and enlightenment is one that so very few choose to accept… . . but we all have the capacity .


air afrique was a pan-african airline , that was mainly owned by many west african countries for most of its history .

it was established as the official transnational carrier for francophone west and central africa , because many of these countries did not have the capability to create and maintain a national airline , and had its headquarters in abidjan , ivory coast .

the carrier was a member of the international air transport association ( iata ) as well as the french union 's smaller iata-like ataf .

air afrique began a steady decline in the early 1980s , yet many years later the company was still considered the most reputable carrier in west africa , and even one of the top five airlines of africa .

mismanagement , corruption , and the downturn in the aviation industry after the 11 september 2001 attacks led the airline to a crisis that ended with its liquidation in early 2002 .

even though there were plans to revive the airline with the creation of a new company , they never materialised , as it was succeeded by short-lived afrinat international airlines .

air afrique

includes flights of air afrique , air inter , air madagascar , air mali , air vietnam , royal air cambodge , royal air lao , royal air maroc , tunis air and uta ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn )
includes flights of air afrique , air inter , air liban , air madagascar , air mali , air vietnam , royal air cambodge , royal air lao , royal air maroc , tai , tunis air and uat ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn )
includes flights of air afrique , air alpes , air cambodge , air comores , air djibouti , air inter , air madagascar , air vietnam , cameroon airlines , royal air lao and uta ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn )
includes flights of air afrique , air alpes , air cambodge , air comores , air djibouti , air guadeloupe , air inter , air madagascar , air vietnam , cameroon airlines , royal air lao , royal nepal airlines and uta ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn )
about air afrique , the airlines company based in ivory coast . find the iata code , icao code and call sign of air afrique . also find the domestic and international airports to which air afrique flights operate service .
armée de l ' air marocaine - page 112 - afrique / proche orient - air - defense . net
includes flights of air laos , air liban , air vietnam , royal air cambodge , royal air maroc , tai and tunis air ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn )
les mains noires : 062° air afrique vol . 01 - selected by tristan cordier
. this is 1990 ' s air afrique livery with
1990s
colors .
staff of the bankrupt west african airline , air afrique , plan to begin industrial action on monday against air france .
the debt - ridden air afrique is officially to go bankrupt after years of crisis .
air afrique : lomé - geneva , geneva - lomé , october 197 . . .
vintage posters advertising travel and tourism to various parts of africa , by air afrique , air france and german african airlines .
air afrique retro logo ivoirian airline aviation t - shirt - $ 15 . 99 | picclick
chad ' s transport minister mahamat saleh ahamat , who is also the head of the air afrique board , said negotiations aimed at creating a new air afrique
are currently going on .
of the mid - 1990 schedule from air afrique . this page rounds out the last of the
air afrique was created on the premise that many small african countries cannot afford their own national airline .
five air afrique airbus planes have been impounded by creditors since 1999 , the most recent in february .
i think there was an incident with an air afrique a300 , but aint too sure about that .
the international air transport association ( iata ) lists air afrique as one of the top five airlines in africa , alongside egyptair , kenya airways , royal air maroc and south africa airways .
given below is a list of airport to which the ivory coast based air afrique flights operates service . find the international as well as domestic airports ( airports in ivory coast ) to which air afrique flies .
from being one of africa ' s main carriers , air afrique is now down to operating just one plane .
despite initial assurances about support for an air france plan , unveiled last august , to create a new company , consensus between air afrique ' s african members and air france has been slow to emerge .
includes flights of air afrique , air ivoire , libiavia and rai - réseau aérien interinsulaire reseau aerien interinsulaire ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn )
having been a frequent flier with air afrique , i have mixed feelings about the airline as it passes into history .
afrinat president , samule ofori , told the bbc ' s world business report the collapse of air afrique has left a big vacuum in air services to the region .
the 40 - year old air afrique also shut down in february after the 11 shareholding countries and part - owner air france could not agree on a rescue plan .
besides privatisation , air afrique is also talking to air france about a commercial alliance .
air afrique is looking at some kind of codesharing agreement to france and other parts of europe . this hasn ' t been finalised yet but it ' s definitely in the pipeline ,
says tirvengadum .
this has angered air afrique staff and some shareholders who see the company as an african success story despite its financial troubles .
air afrique was created on the very sensible premise that many small african countries can ' t afford their own national airline .
over the years air afrique has taught me patience in adversity , low cunning and the tactical use of a sharp elbow .
are shown as non - stops , meaning air afrique a300s and dc - 10s landed in southern france before reaching roissy .
iata ( international air transport association ) represents some 265 airlines comprising 83 % of global air traffic .
the french flag carrier is taking over both the name and routes of air afrique , once a proud symbol of african independence .
the move follows an agreement last year with french flag carrier air france on a bail - out package that would lead to the creation of a new airline called nouvelle air afrique .
includes flights of air congo and channel air bridge ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn )
even in its glory days , when it ran an impressive network of flights around the region , air afrique had the occasional wobble .
link to pointe - noire , one of air afrique ' s southernmost destinations . the schedule helpfully provides links to european destinations such as
air afrique returned its sole remaining aircraft to the leasing company in mid - january before the aircraft was seized for the payment of arrears .
enter the name of a country or city or airport in the search box below to know if air afrique flights fly to that destination .
once on board , air afrique was usually very comfortable - the hostesses were impeccably elegant , from their swept back hair to their manicured fingernails .
this airbus a300 of the airlines company air afrique registered in ivory coast under the registration tu - tah is available in 1 : 400 scale .
the african governments have said they don ' t accept this condition , but there are other problems to resolve before the new air afrique can emerge .
air afrique has no more planes , returing its last two pair of leased aircraft last month . six other planes were seized by creditors in october .
in the early 1990s , the economic crisis hit airlines worldwide and led to a series of mergers . air france , uta and air inter merged to form one of the world ' s largest air transport groups , the air france group , on january 12 , 1990 ( after air france acquires uta stake )
and there are other problems to resolve before the new air afrique can emerge , including what to do with the company ' s debts and its staff .
although no longer in operation since 2002 , air afrique was an abidjan - based francophone central and west african official transnational carrier that was founded in 1961 .
owner description : morocco is a marvellous country . the hot air ballooning is the average ideal to discover of it the secrecies and the heat of its inhabitants , ciel d ' afrique hot air ballooning over morocco since 1990 .
on my last two return trips with air afrique , two of the flights were nearly 20 hours late and my luggage got left behind in paris three times .
this would happen even if the air afrique office had closed by the time you arrived on friday evening and the deadline expired before it reopened on monday morning .
on the eve of the w ii , as the airline industry entered trhe world economy , french air travel services were provided by five airlines : air france and its subsidiary air france transatlantique ( for north america ) , aéromaritime , specialized in central africa , air afrique ( which , in 1937 , brought together l . a . n . a . , lignes aériennes nord africaines , the régie air afrique , and the régie malgache ) and air bleu , set up in 1935 , for domestic mail transport , by beppo de massimi , with didier daurat , as director of operations .
in february , mr ericsson announced plans to lay off some 2 , 000 employees , half of air afrique ' s staff but later backtracked , offering voluntary retirement .
these include : who can pay off the debts of the old air afrique and what happens to the staff of the soon - to - be - liquidated company .
this douglas dc - 8 - 63 of the airlines company air afrique registered in ivory coast under the registration tu - tcf is available in 1 : 400 scale .
air afrique , which has been in a financial crisis and bailed out four times since 1993 , is carrying debts estimated to be 332bn cfa francs ( $ 431m ) .
air afrique will continue its operations _ which have virtually ground to a halt _ until a judge rules on the bankruptcy declaration and its assets are liquidated , mahamet said .
, the obscure domestic airline of the republic of the congo . all three national airlines mentioned here ( along with air afrique itself , of course ) are now defunct .
the privatisation of air afrique has been on the drawing board for several years , but no solutions have cropped for dealing with the company ' s crippling debt of $ 464m .
ten transport ministers from 11 african countries that have a stake in air afrique are meeting in abidjan , ivory coast , to decide the future of the cash - strapped carrier .
the world bank denies that the organisation itself proposed liquidation , stressing it was only forwarding the recommendations of the us consultancy , which it funded to prepare air afrique for privatisation .
shareholders of debt - ridden air afrique agreed to declare the airline bankrupt thursday , marking the end of a symbol of regional integration that has survived for more than four decades .
' s roberts international airport ; while the connection between liberia and the u . s . is obvious , it was neither francophone nor a member of the air afrique consortium .
, either in - directly via another air afrique city , or direct once weekly on a dc - 10 , in addition to the non - stop uta services to cdg .
on june 22 , 1999 , air france and delta air lines signed a long - term agreement , laying the foundations for a global alliance .
includes flights of braathens safe , cimber air , linjeflyg , maersk air and thai international ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn )
while many airlines have suffered falls in passenger revenue since the 11 september attacks in the united states , african leaders and company employees blame mismanagement for air afrique ' s chronic problems .
plagued by debts , short of aircraft and without a strategic partner , the outlook remains tough for air afrique . but chairman sir harry tirvengadum is banking on a new privatisation plan .
at its centre is a move towards privatisation , which itself is no mean ambition . if successful it would make air afrique one of only a tiny band of african flag carriers to extract themselves from state control . air afrique may then also get the chance to re - emerge as a force in african aviation . most observers believe that once the region ' s upheavals subside , only three or four sub - saharan airlines will remain as serious international players . with a fair wind , air afrique has the potential to claim its place among them .
air afrique has been hit by strikes since jeffrey erickson , the former chief executive of failed us airline twa , and his team were appointed as interim managers in january to restructure the company .
the african countries that own the bankrupt airline air afrique have recommended at a meeting in ivory coast that it should be liquidated in the hope that a new , viable company can be created .
the countries meeting in abidjan said they hoped a new company - to be named new air afrique - would rise from the ashes with a share capital worth the equivalent of about $ 50m .
in 1988 , air france and air inter took a major technological step forward with the airbus a 320 , the first fly - by - wire plane .
as the oldest air transport company in france , the compagnie générale transaérienne takes the air france family tree back to 1909 . it mainly operated airships and seaplanes .
launched in 1961 , air afrique began life as a symbol of regional pride , linking the capitals of its 11 african member states to each other and to paris , capital of the former colonial ruler .
continuing with air afrique week , and continuing with the pages of the airline ' s 1990 schedule first posted by airline memorabilia , the services to new york , the airline ' s only american destination .
on june 22 , 2000 , four major airlines : aeromexico , air france , delta air lines and korean air , launched skyteam , a powerful global alliance , focused entirely on customers and aimed at meeting their expectations with high quality , seamless service .
jet propulsion was responsible for the significant changes in air transport in the early 1960s .
in 1965 , air france moved its head office to the paris - montparnasse district .
includes flights of air congo ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn )
dynamicafrica : vintage posters advertising . . . / poster art / advertising / air afrique / colonial imagery / ruth mayer / paul landau / deborah kaspin / sue peabody / tyler stovall / west africa — jordanna matlon
ce airbus a300 de la compagnie aérienne air afrique , enregistré en ivory coast sous l ' immatriculation tu - tah est disponible à l ' échelle 1 : 400 . le fabricant aeroclassics a produit cette miniature à l ' échelle 1 : 400 en 2014 , sous la référence actutah , en édition limitée de 360 exemplaires à travers le monde . cette livrée de air afrique est sortie en 1990 . particularité :
1990s
colors .
ce douglas dc - 8 - 63 de la compagnie aérienne air afrique , enregistré en ivory coast sous l ' immatriculation tu - tcf est disponible à l ' échelle 1 : 400 . le fabricant aeroclassics a produit cette miniature à l ' échelle 1 : 400 en 2008 , sous la référence actutcf , en édition limitée de 222 exemplaires à travers le monde . cette livrée de air afrique est sortie en . particularité :
1970s
colors .
allowed vented fuel to be carried back into the cabin heater air intake causing a fire .
the capture of hussein ali mohammed hariri , 21 , on friday during the foiled hijacking of an air afrique dc - 10 has put switzerland for the first time in the uncomfortable position of holding a major middle eastern terrorist suspect .
the loss of the four a310s has clearly been a considerable handicap . the chairman claims that air afrique is managing to maintain 95 % of its services , by decreasing aircraft down times , raising utilisation rates and increasing pilot flying hours .
as for air inter , it provided services on a tight - knit domestic network , purchased vickers viscounts and offered as early as 1963 , the world ' s firts air travel saver cards .
includes flights of air atlas ( timetable enclosure to summer 1948 booklet containing general info etc . )
the french carrier air france , has offered to buy a big stake . but according to ivory coast president laurent gbagbo , air france has insisted that the new company has a monopoly on certain routes .
delta air lines is looking at austin as a possible point of network growth in the coming years .
it is difficult not to be impressed by how calm and collected sir harry tirvengadum has remained since his arrival as chairman of air afrique . with the financial and political headaches besetting the carrier , he could have been forgiven for regretting that he ever ventured beyond the calmer waters surrounding air mauritius , the stable and profitable airline that he left early last year .
new ceo is one jeffrey erickson , a former twa chief , whose airline consultancy is advising air afrique . the airline has adopted a new color scheme and arranged for a small fleet of new airbus a330s . hope they see brighter skies soon . rgds russ
shareholders made the unanimous decision to seek bankruptcy after hearing a report on the airline ' s financial situation , chad ' s transport minister saleh ahmet mahamet said after a meeting of shareholders in the capital of ivory coast , air afrique ' s hub country .
at the same time , air france continued to expand . over thirty agreements and alliances were signed or developed with us carriers such as delta air lines , and also with european , asian and african carriers .
recognize your favorite air or space enthusiast . add his or her name to the museum’s wall of honor .
after circling for an hour , unable to locate the air field , the plane ran out of fuel .
air union and les lignes farman operated flights in western europe . the compagnie internationale de navigation aérienne ( cidna ) , formerly franco - roumaine , flew to eastern europe , and air orient set up in 1930 , from air union - lignes d ' orient , formerly messageries transaériennes , extended its network to the far east .
air afrique , launched in 1961 , is 68 . 4 % owned by 11 west african states ( benin , burkina faso , central african republic , chad , congo , ivory coast , mali , mauritania , niger , senegal and togo ) , 11 . 8 % by air france , 8 . 9 % by the french development agency and the rest by three private stockholders .
it also benefits from two hubs that are among the world ' s leading airports in terms of development potential : paris - charles de gaulle 2 for air france , and seoul inchon , korean air ' s hub .
six planes have now been repossessed for non - payment , and hotel reception desks in the region , instead of referring you to the timetable , stick up little hand - written notices to announce that air afrique might be planning to run a flight to paris on friday .
but the plans have stalled over the question of who would pay for layoffs and future competition between the new firm and national carriers in the member states . a key issue is air afrique ' s exclusive flight rights in member states , which give it a competitive advantage .
as for air inter , the french domestic carrier innovated with tricolour flights and tiered pricing depending on flight times .
includes flights of pal - philippine air lines and viasa ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn )
in 1972 , air france set up a cargo division and developed this activity , which grew considerably . in 1974 the boeing 747 freighter , known as the super pelican joined the fleet of boeing 707 freighters known as the pelican ( 1965 ) . air france thus became one of the leading airlines for the transport of air freight and mail .
many people travelling from the region are forced to fly via destinations in europe with airlines like lufthansa or air france .
air france wants to retain these rights , but member states have said they want to opt for more open skies .
although codesharing would be a benefit , air afrique ' s primary need is for a strategic equity partner that would provide some badly needed funds . the debt - ridden carrier lost nearly cfa7 billion last year and some cfa23 billion the year before . it has not been helped by a 50 % drop in the value of the cfa franc against the usdollar over the past few years . nor by the war in the democratic republic of congo ( the former zaire ) . that meant the suspension of services to brazzaville for nine months last year , costing air afrique an additional cfa13 billion .
in 1933 , air orient , air union , the société générale de transport aérien ( s . g . t . a . formerly lignes farman ) and the c . i . d . n . a . ( formerly franco - roumaine ) , started up a joint airline named société centrale pour l ' exploitation de lignes aériennes ( s . c . e . l . a . ) . the airline was named air france , in august 1933 , following the takeover of the assets of the bankrupt aéropostale . air france was officially inaugurated at the paris - le bourget airport on 7 october 1933 . using the air orient winged seahorse logo , it moved into air orient ' s offices at 2 , rue marbeuf in paris .
at the same time , new computer systems were implemented : alpha 3 and gaetan by air france , utamatic by uta , and arma and sirene by air inter . they brought a greater flexibility and additional time - savings to the booking process .
at the end of the 1996 - 1997 financial year , the results came in : air france was profitable once again .
includes flights of aero portuguesa and air atlas ( timetable enclosure to winter 1947 - 48 booklet containing general info etc . )
- - turbulence contributed to one injury aboard eastern air lines airbus a300b4 - 203 near indianapolis on march 29 , 1987 .
montreal - the international air transport association ( iata ) released data for the 2016 safety performance of the commercial airline industry .
rumours are running rife that if and when the sale does go ahead , air france will be among the first looking to raise its stake and snap up an african partner . as an existing shareholder , with 12 . 7 % of the airline , the french flag carrier would clearly have first refusal in any share offer , but tirvengadum is characteristically relaxed .
it is true that air france is interested in increasing its stake , but we ' ve yet to finalise anything with them ,
he says . as part of the plan , air france ' s own government owner may purchase and lease back to air afrique the a310s seized by creditors in july after debt defaults .
in 1961 , air france set up its operations and workshops in the extended and modernised buildings of the paris - orly airport .
air france launched its 1999 - 2002 corporate plan aimed at evolving from a national carrier to a world - class airline major .
air commodore dan suleiman , chief john odigie - oyegun , bola tinubu and other self - exile nadeco chieftains return to nigeria .
auriac ' s majestic and slightly menacing elephant dominates this superb 1965 poster for air afrique . the clever use of colour creates an almost luminous effect around the elephant whist the far smaller jet above gives the design a wonderful sense of depth which accentuates the size of auriac ' s elephant . this is simply a wonderful design .
air france coped with the situation by diversifying its offer and developing its cargo operations . it became one of the first airlines in the world to become committed to developing mass air travel , notably with travel promotions such as vols vacances ( 1979 ) . it introduced its business class ( 1981 ) , followed by air france le club ( 1983 ) to meet the demands of its business customers .
estimer l ' incidence des traumatismes et des décès dus à des accidents de la route pour toute la population des usagers et pour les différents groupes d ' usagers de la route , en afrique .
includes flights of air ceylon and rutas aéreas de colombia ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn ) rutas aereas de colombia
i chose 1980 to best account for the changeover period from older first - generation jets and propliners to modern fleets . most of the companies listed have perfect records pre - dating that year . several , including air jamaica , oman air , and tunisair , have never recorded a fatality . allowing for one fatal mishap since 1980 takes in , just for starters , royal air maroc , taca , and yemenia , just to name a few . even the much - maligned air afrique , a west african collective that went bust in 2001 , listed but a single accident in over three - plus decades of flying . ghana airways , another african star until its demise in 2004 , had an even cleaner record , marred by a single fatality in 1969 .
the us attacks shook up air travel in africa with the collapse of swissair in october and the bankruptcy of belgian airline sabena in november .
air inter was set up on november 12 , 1954 , on the initiative of a group of private sector carriers and bankers . its mission was to promote a streamlined network of domestic air services between french cities . in 1955 several companies invested in air inter , including air france ( 24 % ) , the french railways - sncf ( 24 % ) , and the caisse des dépôts et consignations ( 4 % ) . on march 16 , 1958 , it operated its first flight to strasbourg , but its scheduled passenger operations only really started in 1960 .
air france developed a staff - backed , wide - scale strategic plan , the corporate plan , which covered the period 1994 - 1996 .
on june 26 , 1945 , the french civil aviation industry was nationalized and the former private company air france became state - owned . a decision on december 29 , 1945 terminated the activities of the rlaf and turned the entire french airline network over to the société nationale air france .
air afrique has initiated its fleet rationalisation with the delivery of one of its first of two airbus a330 - 200s , on lease from international lease finance . the west african multinational carrier , which flies five airbus a300s , two a310s and two boeing 737 - 300s , will use the pratt & whitney pw4168 - powered 232 - seaters on international services .
the remaining fleet is based around a core of three a300b4s , with two newer longer - range a300 - 600rs and additional regional boeing 737 - 300s leased in from ilfc . on the cargo side , air afrique has been leasing in three or four freighters at a time , depending on demand , currently including boeing 707s and an antonov an - 12 .
in july 1987 , air france introduced in - flight video on all its long - haul airbus a300 , then on all its boeing 747 .
includes flights of air ceylon , rutas aéreas de colombia and viasa ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn ) rutas aereas de colombia
air france was one of the first international airlines to acquire jets . after the de havilland comet , grounded for technical reasons , air france put into service the caravelle and the boeing b707 in 1959 / 1960 , for which it had signed purchasing agreements in 1956 . according to the slogan of the day , air france operated
the best two jets on the largest network in the world , which then on covered 350 , 000 km .
the crash is the first involving airbus in the united states . the last a - 300 accident occurred feb 12 , 2000 , aboard a air afrique flight at dakar , senegal . there were no casualties . the last fatal a300 crash occurred feb . 16 , 1988 , aboard a china airlines flight in taipei , taiwan . there were 196 fatalities in that incident .
les forces royales air ( fra ) marocaines prennent réception de 4 premiers avions d ' entrainement turbo - propulsé t - 6c texan ii . . .
13 apr 2013 , pk - lks , 737 - 800 , 38728 / 4350 , ff 5 feb 13 , lion air ; bali , indonesia .
20 apr 2012 , ap - bkc , 737 - 200adv , 23167 / 1074 , ff 13 dec 84 , bhoja air ; islamabad , pakistan .
02 nov 2010 , pk - liq , 737 - 400 , 24911 / 2033 , ff 08 apr 91 , lion air ; pontianak , indonesia .
22 may 2010 , vt - axv , 737 - 800w , 36333 / 2481 , ff 20 dec 2007 , air india express ; mangalore , india .
the air afrique flight took off from douala runway 12 at 13 : 16 gmt on an ifr flight plan to lagos , cruising altitude 16500 feet . last radio contact was with kano at 13 : 25 when the crew estimated leaving the fir around 13 : 38 . two minutes later the aircraft struck mount cameroon in a straight climb at 6500 feet ( 800 m below the peak ) .
air gabon is operating in an important , emerging area of the world ,
said doug groseclose , vice president of international sales for boeing commercial airplanes .
we are pleased to be a part of air gabon ' s success , and we look forward to contributing to the airline ' s continued success .
this new fleet renewal and expansion will make air gabon a leader in the 21st century with a family of airplanes that deliver the best value to its customers .
20 aug 2011 , c - gnwn , 737 - 200 combi , 21067 / 414 , ff 08 may 75 , first air ; resolute bay , canada .
now that the war , with the inevitable misery and destruction , was over , an abundance of douglas dc3 and dc4 surplus american aircraft and the construction of the french bloch 161 languedoc new technology aircraft enabled french air transport to take off again . air travel was gradually changing , increasingly becoming the rule rather than the exception .
in 1995 , air france set up its head office at roissy at the heart of its operations . by upgrading its products , the company offered its customers a new concept in air travel , particularly with the new seat - bed in the espace première cabin and an entire range of new ground and in - fligt services .
air afrique base : abidj financials 1997 revenues : cfa267 billion net loss : cfa6 . 6 billion passenger traffic passengers : 940 , 700 revenue pas km : 2 . 6 million load factor : 62 . 3 % ownership majority 70 . 4 % cfa zone states : benin , burkina faso , central african republic , chad , congo , ivory coast , mali , mauritania , niger , senegal and togo . remainder : 12 . 2 % air france ; 13 . 7 % with french and african development banks ; 3 . 2 % dhl . in - service fleet :
amuwo , ‘kunle , et al . , ed . nigeria during the abacha years ( 1993 - 1998 ) : the domestic and international politics of democratization . ibadan : institut français de recherche en afrique , 2001 . web . < urltoken > .
this shook up the economics of air travel and competition became even fiercer . price wars , the haphazard development of charter airlines , and chronic overcapacity characterized this period .
international routes in tabular and domestic routes in network ( route map ) format includes flights of kar - air ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn )
they have to decide whether they want to keep an integrated tool of transportation or not ,
air france representative louis bedoucha said after thursday ' s meeting .
the renewal of air gabon ' s fleet is part of a complete economic , financial , technical and commercial strategy undertaken by its shareholders
, said emmanuel nze - bekale , chairman of air gabon .
the new planes will allow the company to regain and extend its market share in a more and more competitive environment .
the african governments have said they do not accept this condition and have threatened to find a new partner in the event air france should pose what they term excessive demands .
all routes in network ( route map ) format + international routes in tabular format includes flights of kar - air ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn )
dear guest , many thanks for your kind and very detailed review . yes , maurice who founded ciel d ' afrique 25 years ago and operating in marrakech since then is a great pilot and inspiring for all team to make this flying experience even more special .
kenya airways plans to make an initial bid for 49 % of air tanzania , with the eventual aim of buying the entire stake on sale . bids close on 31 july .
with the new global alliance which flies over 174 million passengers a year and boasts 985 aircraft ( passenger and cargo ) , air france is ready to take off into the new millennium . its recent investments in major regional carriers ( proteus , regional airlines , britair ) have enabled it to strengthen its position on the french market and in regional air services .
c ' est surement vrai vu que lm n a pas fait mention de leur livraison ( dixit le raisonnement d aesa ) . pour rester serieux le sabr n existe que sur le papier , les premiers aesa d afrique ont plus de chance d etre lybiens ou algeriens
in 1948 , air france became a national company , a state - owned corporation governed by the civil aviation code . passenger traffic increased by an average of 14 % per year .
all this is enough for one man to contend with , but tirvengadum also has to juggle with his fair share of politics . it is difficult enough handling one state owner . air afrique effectively has a dozen . moreover , there is a risk of some cultural sensitivities encroaching . unlike his predecessors , tirvengadum is not french , a fact believed by many in the industry not to have over - impressed some in france or several french - speaking african politicians .
air france has offered to buy a big stake , but according to ivory coast president laurent gbagbo , the french carrier has insisted that the new company has a monopoly on certain routes .
kenya airways , one of africa ' s most profitable airlines , plans to bid for a stake in rival air tanzania , 75 % of which is due to be privatised this year .
little by little , french civil aviation became increasingly organized , encouraged by the french government , which substantially a business that was structurally loss - making . an initial merger took place in 1921 between c . g . t . and les messageries aériennes . les messageries aériennes and les grands express aériens subsequently merged under the air union brand . aéronavale joined air union in 1926 .
in 1974 , air france and uta moved into the new airport , paris - charles de gaulle terminal 1 . air france was the launch airline for the airbus a300 , europe ' s first medium - haul wide - bodied aircraft . uta operated the douglas dc10 , first flying it in 1973 as part of the technical cooperation with klm , sas and swissair ( kssu group )
on july 1 , 1988 , the deregulation of the european air transport industry , due to be fully implemented by 1993 , was gradually phased in . competition increased significantly and became the norm .
danish edition includes flights of braathens safe , cimber air , linjeflyg , thai international and widerøe ' s flyveselskap ( from the collection of diederik r . vels heijn ) wideroe wideroes wideroe ' s
dear ' ' carol d ' ' , ' ' maurice and his team ' ' would like to thank you for having shared this flying experience with our balloons , with the ' ' original ' ' ballooning cie operating in marrakesh since 25 years when maurice created ciel d ' afrique .
commercial air transport began with the carriage of mail . at the time , passenger transportation was developing fast , but was still reserved for a very select few ( only 6786 passengers in 1922 ) .
in june 1987 , air france iberia , lufthansa and sas jointly developed a new global distribution system ( gds ) - amadeus - which was able to compete with the large - scale american systems .
- - on dec . 24 , 1994 , air france a300 was hijacked to algiers , algeria ; three of the 267 passengers were killed . commandos later stormed the aircraft and killed four hijackers .
3 apr 1996 ; 73 - 1149 , 737 - 200 / ct - 43a , 20696 / 347 , ff 27 mar 74 , u . s . air force ; near dubrovnik , croatia :
during the same year , air france was the launch carrier for the airbus a340 , a wide - bodied long - haul aircraft with an operating range of 14 , 350 km . it enabled air france to increase its non - stop services on long - haul routes ( 252 seats ) , and went into operation two years after the roll - out of the boeing 747 - 400 super jumbo jet .
the longer term shape of the fleet has yet to be determined , but it will depend on network changes . the airline is looking principally at us routes . air afrique operates four to seven services a week to new york kennedy from abidjan and dakar , with frequencies changing according to seasonal demands . the airline uses its a300 - 600s or a310s at present but this imposes constraints on capacity . tirvengadum says that the
ideal
' aircraft for the route would be an airbus a340 or boeing 767 .
- - on june 27 , 1976 , air france a300 was hijacked to entebbe , uganda . all aboard were taken hostage . an israeli commando raid freed some . seven of the 258 passengers were killed .
eva hart was 7 years old when she survived the wreck of the titanic ( her father died ) . here’s a quote from her that seems to relate just as well to modern air travel after crashes .
air gabon was designated a national carrier in 1968 . in may 1977 , gabon withdrew from the air afrique consortium and began operating its own international services from west africa with a fleet of new boeing airplanes . the airline currently operates a 747 - 200 combi , a 767 - 200er , a 727 - 200 and a 737 - 200 on an extensive network of passenger and cargo services between west africa , south africa and international destinations including rome , london , dubai , united arab emirates , and nice , marseille and paris , france . they also serve an extensive network within africa to johannesburg , douala , lome , abidjan , cotonou , bamako , abidjan , dakar , malabo , bangui , kinshasa , pointe noire and lagos .
as the airline struggles under its increasing debt burden and lack of aircraft , it is easy to be impressed by the chairman ' s optimism and to be convinced that he is the man to steer the airline out of trouble .
give me a chance ! you ' ve got to remember that british airways took over 10 years to become really successful , and i ' ve only been chairman of air afrique for 18 months ,
he points out . time , however , is one luxury the airline can ill afford .
with a privileged geographical position , senegal aspires to regain its position as a natural hub in the field of air transport , as was the case in colonial times and at the beginning of independence until the 1980s .
- - on july 3 , 1998 , iranair a300 was shot down by a surface - to - air missile from the uss vincennes near the straits of hormuz . all 16 crew and 274 passengers were killed .
the privatisation plan replaces a rescue proposal by tirvengadum ' s predecessor yves roland - billecart . he had asked the 11 air afrique states to provide cfa1 billion each , with another cfa20 billion due from asecna , the interstate agency which oversees aviation safety and navigation among the french speaking states of west africa . this would have rid the airline of its cfa31 billion in back payments , after which the intention was to set up a new company . but while asecna had the funds , the member states did not and the plan failed .
24 july 1987 ; air afrique dc10 ; flight 56 : en route rome - paris : the aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from rome to paris when the plane was hijacked by a single hijacker and diverted to geneva , switzerland to refuel . while on the ground the hijacker shot and killed one passenger . the hijacker was subsequently killed by swiss police who stormed the plane . none of the 15 crew members were killed , while several passengers were injured while fleeing the plane , none of the other 141 passengers were killed .
amuwo , ‘ . , bach , d . c . , & lebeau , y . ( eds . ) 2001 . nigeria during the abacha years ( 1993 - 1998 ) : the domestic and international politics of democratization . institut français de recherche en afrique . doi : 10 . 4000 / books . ifra . 623
on 20 august 2011 , the boeing 737 - 210c combi aircraft ( registration c - gnwn , serial number 21067 ) , operated by bradley air services limited under its business name first air , was being flown as first air charter flight 6560 from yellowknife , northwest territories , to resolute bay , nunavut . at 1642 coordinated universal time ( 1142 central daylight time ) , during the approach to runway 35t , first air flight 6560 struck a hill about 1 nautical mile east of the runway . the aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and an ensuing post - crash fire . eight passengers and all 4 crew members sustained fatal injuries . the remaining 3 passengers sustained serious injuries and were rescued by canadian military personnel , who were in resolute bay as part of a military exercise . the accident occurred during daylight hours . no emergency locator transmitter signal was emitted by the aircraft .
air france became a member of the international civil aviation organization ( icao ) as well as of the international air transport association ( iata ) , founded in 1945 , and took its place among the world ' s major airlines . the french government authorized the setting up of new airlines , the tai ( transports aériens intercontinentaux ) in 1946 , and sati in 1948 , which subsequently became uat ( union aéromaritime de transport ) in 1949 .
that same year , the navette shuttle service was launched from paris - orly to marseille , nice and toulouse , then bordeaux in 1999 . it strengthened air france ' s position in europe ' s biggest domestic market .
with a new airport scheduled to open in 2017 and a new airline , senegal wants to densify its air transport industry . the authorities want to learn from bad experiences to start a real take off of this sector .
the ciel d ' afrique team laid on an amazing experience . from the early morning pickup , to the sumptuous breakfast after the flight , their attention to detail was excellent . the flight is conducted with every attention to safety and the experience could not have been more serene and enjoyable . watching the sun rise over the atlas mountains , floating serenely above the desert in the safe hands of the ciel d ' afrique team is an experience not to be missed . as we came into landing , we watched another balloon company mistakenly land its balloon on some electricity wires . we were glad to be travelling with the original and best balloon flight operator in marrakech .
morocco , the twenty - fifth nation to operate the f - 16 , ordered twenty - four block 52 aircraft in 2009 . the two - tone beige color scheme with gray underside is unique to the moroccan air force .
go back to the year 1985 , for example . in that twelve - month span , 27 — twenty seven ! — serious aviation accidents killed almost 2 , 500 people . we had the jal crash outside tokyo with 520 fatalities ; the arrow air disaster in newfoundland that killed 240 american servicemen ; the air - india bombing over the north atlantic with 329 dead , etc . two of history’s ten deadliest disasters happened within two months of each other !
after everything is said and done , travel by commercial air is still the safest way . our nations roads and highways are still the most unsafe places . a person is safer in a combat zone than driving on our highways .
first things first : contrary to what has been reported ad nausaeum , the aircraft that crashed in mali last week was not the property of air algerie , the national airline of algeria . the md - 83 airplane was owned and flown by a spanish contractor called swiftair , on behalf of air algerie . this was a spanish - registered aircraft staffed by spanish crew , and not an “african airline , ” as virtually every commentator and correspondent has erroneously described it .
the financial crisis in the early 1930s , which inevitably left its mark on civil aviation , and the political determination of pierre cot , minister of aviation , resulted in the first major restructuring of the french air transport industry in 1933 .
le premier f - 16d block 52 + destiné à l ' armée de l ' air marocaine ( fra ) a fait ses vols d ' essais à fort worth . une photo a été publiée hier par le constructeur lookhead martin .
under the agreement , which included dissolving the old airline , african member states would reduce their majority stake in a new firm from 68 percent to 22 percent , while air france would increase its stake from 12 percent to 35 percent .
l ' incidence des traumatismes et des décès dus à des accidents de la route est élevée en afrique . étant donné que les rapports fondés sur des registres sous - estiment les chiffres réels , il est nécessaire de procéder à un enregistrement systématique des données sur les traumatismes et les décès dus à des accidents de la route pour pouvoir déterminer leur véritable incidence .
korean air is another . in 1999 , korean was put under faa sanction and had a code - sharing arrangement with delta temporarily severed after an earlier string of fatal incidents . people still hold this against them , despite the south korean government’s ambitious overhaul of its entire air system and despite a sterling critique by icao in 2008 . it ranked south korea’s aviation safety standards , including its pilot training and maintenance , as the highest in the world , beating out more than a hundred other countries .
idachaba , enemaku . “chronology of major political events in the abacha era ( 1993 - 1998 ) ” . amuwo , ‘kunle , et al . . nigeria during the abacha years ( 1993 - 1998 ) : the domestic and international politics of democratization . ibadan : institut français de recherche en afrique , 2001 . ( pp . 341 - 363 ) web . < urltoken > .
mitsubishi aircraft started flying the mrj90 in november 2015 . for 31 months , the test fleet has performed standard trials , mostly out of public view . in public , the mrj90 test fleet has been shown parked in a static display of a major air show .
for starters , these were very different accidents in very different parts of the world , occurring under very different circumstances . and partly because air crashes have become so rare , we tend to fixate on them when they do happen , which messes with our perspective .
in 1945 , air france and the french postal services set up thre centre d ' exploitation postale , called the postale de nuit ( night mail ) . it was run by didier daurat to begin with , and then by raymond vanier as of 1st january 1948 .
with a redesigned service , a new fleet , a new marketing plan and a reinforced technical partnership , air gabon is actively preparing for its place in the third millennium by responding to a changing and ever more demanding market ,
chairman nze - bekale said .
dear ' ' mark g ' ' from china , many thanks for your detailed post . obviously , you pay attention to details . . . so do we as as you said , ciel d ' afrique is the original hot air balloon company in marrakesh ( actually even in morocco ) and from far the more qualified for safety of the flights , with no incident in 25 years operation here . we also design our own balloons with the worldwide leading factory , ultramagic , where we buy brand new balloons for ourselves , we do not use old and tired advertising balloons at the very end of their lives . our balloons are made of a special and unique material , ' ' hyperlast ' ' ultra - resistant and actually the most expensive , but with no comparison to others . and last , all our balloons are followed by air traffic and air authorities every 6 months , strictly maintained and insured . all this to ensure only the pleasure of flying over marrakech countryside for 1 hour flight , first at altitude of 1000 meters high to have a full panorama over the region including atlas snowy mountains , and then a low altitude flight to discover the living of the area . original experience is there