Precision Turbines Receives JT15D-4B STC Boca Raton, Florida-based Precision Turbines has achieved its first supplemental type certificate for Citation II operators, which allows the company to replace Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 engines with JT15D-4B engines without time limits...Read More
US Airways: Merger "Good For Competiton, Consumers And Choice"
Stephen Johnson, executive vice president for government affairs at US Airways, answered questions from lawmakers on the proposed merger between US Airways and American Airlines. "The creation of the new American Airlines will be good for competition, consumers and choice," Johnson said at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing Tuesday...Read More
EADS Forecasts Higher Earnings For 2013
EADS, the parent company of Airbus, predicted higher earnings for 2013. Airbus plans to deliver at least 600 planes in 2013, after delivering 588 planes in 2012. "We'll focus on the profitable areas where we have advantages," said EADS CEO Tom Enders, noting that the company is planning to scale back defense work...Read More
Air-Traffic Controller Furloughs Wouldn't Begin Until April 1, LaHood Says
The U.S. air travel system is expected to operate as business as usual for at least a month before controller furloughs would begin if the sequester takes effect Friday. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says furloughs prompted by the sequester would not begin until April 1. The majority of the 72 towers that may close overnight have such low traffic at those time periods that the evening shifts could be eliminated now under Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, Bloomberg data show...Read More
Gulfstream G650 Sets Four City-Pair Records In Five Days
Gulfstream's new flagship aircraft, the G650, recently established four city-pair speed records in five days, connecting cities in the U.S., the Middle East and Russia...Read More
Beechcraft Emerges From Bankruptcy As Stronger Company, CEO Says
Beechcraft has emerged from bankruptcy with plans to sell off its business-jet line of aircraft. The company, formerly known as Hawker Beechcraft, plans to sell the Hawker line of aircraft. "Beechcraft has emerged from this process a stronger company with both financial and operational strength and stability," said Bill Boisture, CEO of Beechcraft...Read More
End of An Era As Hawker Is Shut Down
The emergence from bankruptcy of Hawker Beechcraft last week not only marked the beginning of the new Beechcraft Corp., but also signaled the end of the Hawker business jet line. Choosing to focus instead on its turboprop products, government contracts and aircraft service, the Wichita-based manufacturer...Read More
AA, US Airways Executives To Testify Before House Panel
Executives from American Airlines and US Airways plan to testify today about the benefits of a merger before a House subcommittee. The Justice Department has to review the merger before it can progress to ensure that the merged carrier does not violate antitrust policies...Read More
JetBlue Discusses "Sharklet" Retrofit For Fleet With Airbus
JetBlue Airways is in discussions with Airbus over retrofitting most of its aircraft fleet with "sharklet" wingtips. The sharklets reduce fuel burn to improve the efficiency of aircraft. JetBlue estimates the carrier could save up to $350,000 a year in fuel costs for each aircraft equipped with sharklets...Read More
Column: U.S. Airlines Not Satisfied With 21 Cents Per Passenger
Airlines for America recently reported 2012 results for 10 U.S. carriers, including combined profit of $152 million, which translates to "a scant 21 cents" for each passenger, Ted Reed writes. This compares with profits of $5.7 billion at Ford and $41.8 billion at Apple last year...Read More
Airbus Forecasts Demand For Nearly 10,000 Aircraft in Asia-Pacific
Airbus forecasts strong demand for aircraft from the Asia- Pacific region in the next 20 years. The aircraft manufacturer predicts the region will buy 9,870 aircraft for a total of $1.6 trillion over the next two decades...Read More
FAA Will Carefullly Consider Dreamliner Battery Fix
In May of 1979, an American Airlines DC-10 went down departing Chicago's O'Hare International Airport following the separation of the number one engine from the wing. The accident resulted in the fatal injury of 273 people, including two on the ground.In January of 2013, the battery of an ANA Dreamliner (pictured in NTSB photo) caught fire while sitting at the gate at Boston Logan International Airport. No one was injured, though other battery issues were soon discovered aboard other Dreamliners...Read More
USAF Awards Contract To Build Iraq F-16 Block 52 Full Mission Trainers
The U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, OH, has awarded a contract to L-3 Communications' Link Simulation & Training (L-3 Link) division to build two F-16 Block 52 Full Mission Trainers (FMTs) for the Iraqi Air Force...Read More
American Airlines Requests Merger Approval From Judge
AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines, asked a bankruptcy judge to approve its merger with US Airways. "The combination of the two airlines will result in superior value for all stakeholders," American said in its filing with U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane...Read More
Premier IA Crash In Georgia Not An Overrun Accident
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has confirmed that the February 20 crash of a Beech Premier IA at Thomson-McDuffie County Airport (HQU) in Georgia (30 miles west of Augusta) occurred as the jet attempted to go around and did not involve a runway overrun, as local officials had initially reported. Five of the seven people aboard the aircraft were killed...Read More
Why Global Hawk Block 40 May Be Killed
The Global Hawk was once the U.S. Air Force's procurement darling, a premier unmanned air system primed to take over or augment key intelligence-collecting missions for the service. Now, however, after more than 10 years of addressing urgent needs in recent wars, service leaders may terminate the Northrop Grumman aircraft...Read More
MV-22 Ospreys Land On USS Bonhomme Richard
For the first time while forward-deployed, amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) conducted landing operations with the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, Feb. 19. The MV-22 Osprey is designed as the medium-lift replacement for the Marine Corps CH-46E Sea Knight assault support helicopter. The Osprey can operate as a helicopter or a turboprop aircraft and offers twice the speed, six times the range and three times the payload of the CH-46E...Read More
Pratt & Whitney F117 Engines Surpass 10 Million Flight Hours On C-17 Fleet
Pratt & Whitney's F117 engine, which powers the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III airlifter, recently exceeded 10 million engine flight hours. At the same time, the C-17 exceeded 2.5 million flight hours while supporting military and humanitarian mission in support of U.S. and allied troops around the globe...Read More
U.S. Airlines Deliver Record-Setting Operational Performance Year
Industry trade organization Airlines for America (A4A) reports that U.S. airlines delivered one of their best years ever for operational performance, built on their safety record, and achieved a narrow profit as expenses grew faster than revenues for the second consecutive year...Read More
Bombardier Now Expects 2014 Launch Of Learjet 85
Bombardier posted a difficult financial report for 2012, and while the 4th quarter revenues were up by a about a half-billion dollars, the overall year was down about $1.5 billion. Revenues totalled $4.8 billion for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2012, compared to $4.3 billion for the corresponding period last fiscal year. For the year, revenues totalled $16.8 billion, compared to $18.3 billion for the last fiscal year...Read More
Rolls-Royce Completes T56 Engine Enhancement Testing The USAF, in conjunction with Rolls-Royce, has completed the final element of testing for the Series 3.5 enhancement for the T56 engine, leading to military qualification and FAA certification later this year...Read More
Airline Mergers Help Keep Industry Stable, Spirit CEO Says
Ben Baldanza, CEO of Spirit Airlines, says he welcomes the US Airways-American Airlines merger as a stabilizing force in the industry. "It also means likely that the gap in costs between Spirit and bigger players is getting wider, which creates more growth opportunity for us," he said...Read More
Japanese Investigators Find ANA Dreamliner Battery Miswired
The Japanese Transport Ministry said Wednesday that a battery in the auxiliary power unit (APU) aboard an ANA Dreamliner which was forced to make an emergency landing January 16 was incorrectly connected to the main battery that overheated. But they have not said definitely that the miswiring was the cause of the failure...Read More
US Air Force Selects Boeing For C41SR Targeting System
Boeing received a $3 million contract to provide the Line of Sight-Short (LOS-S) laser targeting system for the U.S. Air Force.The LOS-S is designed to support the Air Force's Battlefield Air Operations Kit Program, with the goal of upgrading the airman's equipment suite, Boeing said. The contract includes priced options for additional production systems, with a potential value of more than $100 million if all options are exercised...Read More |