Model Airplanes

Nine years after production ended for Boeing’s 717 jetliner, the former sales dud is one of the most sought-after aircraft in the world.

Boeing built just 155 of the 100-seaters, and most are near the age when airlines start thinking about a trade-in. But valuations and lease rates are soaring thanks to a mix of cheap fuel, Boeing’s US$1.5 billion bet on ensuring the model stays in service and Delta Air Lines’ decision to use the plane as a replacement for its smallest regional jets.

Delta, Hawaiian Holdings, Spain’s Volotea and Australia’s Qantas Airways are all ready to pounce if a used 717 comes on to a market that now has none to buy or rent. Their only current prospect is a plane parked in Turkmenistan, according to FlightGlobal’s Ascend database.

“Everyone’s in them for the long haul,” said Daniel Pietrzak, Delta’s managing director for fleet transactions. “They look brand new. They’re great.”

The 717’s surprise resurgence bucks the usual trajectory of orphan aircraft, which rarely gain popularity once assembly lines shut down. Instead, global demand has outstripped supply since Delta started assembling a large and growing fleet in 2012, taking advantage of favourable rental terms and a drop in jet-kerosene prices that makes older planes attractive.

“They’re kind of the market-maker,” said Robert Agnew, president and chief executive of aviation consultant Morten Beyer

Article source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11509851

By UCF Today  //  September 8, 2015

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Article source: http://spacecoastdaily.com/2015/09/ucf-professor-lands-1-1-million-grant-pioneers-new-technology/

Nine years after production ended for Boeing Co.’s 717 jetliner, the former sales dud is one of the most sought-after aircraft in the world.

Boeing built just 155 of the 100-seaters, and most are near the age when airlines start thinking about a trade-in. But valuations and lease rates are soaring thanks to a mix of cheap fuel, Boeing’s $1.5 billion bet on ensuring the model stays in service and Delta Air Lines Inc.’s decision to use the plane as a replacement for its smallest regional jets.

Delta, Hawaiian Holdings Inc., Spain’s Volotea and Australia’s Qantas Airways are all ready to pounce if a used 717 comes onto a market that now has none to buy or rent. Their only current prospect: a plane parked in Turkmenistan, according to FlightGlobal’s Ascend database.

“Everyone’s in them for the long haul,” said Daniel Pietrzak, Delta’s managing director for fleet transactions. “They look brand new. They’re great.”

The 717’s surprise resurgence bucks the usual trajectory of orphan aircraft, which rarely gain popularity once assembly lines shut down. Instead, global demand has outstripped supply since Delta started assembling a large and growing fleet in 2012, taking advantage of favorable rental terms and a drop in jet-kerosene prices that makes older planes attractive.

“They’re kind of the market-maker,” said Robert Agnew, president and chief executive officer of aviation consultant Morten Beyer Agnew Inc. “If Delta weren’t there, the airplane might be struggling.”

Values have risen more than 17 percent this year, to range from $7.5 million to $10.5 million, while

Article source: http://www.columbian.com/news/2015/sep/07/one-time-flop-now-hot-for-boeing/

Today-Sept. 18

•Event: Coat Drive, Mars Hill Baptist Church, 66 Mars Hill Road, Petal. Drop off at the collection box under the covered porch. Coats will be sold for $1 at Fall Community Clothes Closet on Sept. 19.

Today-Sept. 25

•Exhibit: International Posters for a Digital Age, Southern Miss’ Gallery of Art and Design, George Hurst Building.

Today-Sept. 27

•Exhibit: Escape to Tranquility: The New American Landscape, Lauren Rogers Museum of Art. Forty-five paintings featuring landscapes without human interaction or presence.

Today-Sept. 29

•Event: Baby Story Time, 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays, “Mother Goose on the Loose,” Hattiesburg Library. For babies birth to 2 years.

Today-Sept. 30

•Event: Fifth- and sixth-grade pottery classes, 3:30-5 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Carriage House Studio. Supplies included. To sign up or for details: (601) 649-6374, LRMA.org under “classes” or email mbuchanan@LRMA.org.

Today

•Concert: Southern Miss School of Music Connoisseurs Series: Tetraphonics Saxophone Quarter, 7:30 p.m., Marsh Auditorium.

•Lecture: Ordinary People in the Ming-Qing Transition in China, 6 p.m., Southern Miss’ Liberal Arts Building, Room 102.

•Book signing: Carole Lund and Thomas Malone, authors of “The Spirit of the Pearl: The Life, Legend and Legacy of T.D. ‘Dobie’ Holden,” will hold a book signing from 5-7 p.m. at Main Street Books in downtown Hattiesburg. The book is a biography of the longtime Pearl River Community College

Article source: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/2015/09/06/community-calendar/71816804/