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Thursday, July 31, 2008 PIPERJET MAKES FIRST FLIGHT By FlyingNews @ 6:51 PM :: 577 Views :: 0 Comments :: Business Aircraft Manufacturers Piper Aircraft announced today that its revolutionary PiperJet – the first pure, jet-powered, turbofan design in the company’s 71-year history – made its first flight at 11:11 AM today from Piper Headquarters in Vero Beach, Fla. "Today marks the beginning of a new era for Piper Aircraft as the company literally takes flight into a whole new realm of performance, luxury and capability," said Piper President & CEO James K. Bass. "With this major milestone in the PiperJet’s development, we are witnessing our future – one that is built on a strong and lasting heritage and reputation for innovation and excellence." Read More..

Thursday, July 31, 2008 Lycoming Announces IO-390 Engine By FlyingNews @ 6:48 PM :: 822 Views :: 0 Comments :: Aircraft Engines At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2008, Lycoming announced the expected FAA certification of the IO-390-A1A6 by November 2008. Upon certification of this initial version, the IO-390 Series will become a permanent member of the Lycoming certified engine family. Lycoming developed the certified IO-390 in response to airframe manufacturers and aircraft owners who have requested a higher horsepower, four-cylinder version of Lycoming's successful IO-360, 200hp engine models. For several years, the uncertified version of a 390 Lycoming engine, the IO-390-X, has been powering many homebuilt and kit aircraft in the experimental market. Read More..

Thursday, July 31, 2008 U.S. Government Releases $1 Billion in Funding for Production of Six Lockheed Martin F-35B STOVL Aircraft By FlyingNews @ 6:46 PM :: 419 Views :: 0 Comments :: Military Aviation The U.S. Department of Defense has released $1 billion of funding to acquire six Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft as part of the second Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract for the F-35. The LRIP 2 contract, worth $2.2 billion for a total of 12 aircraft, was awarded in May. At that time the government authorized six conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35As, with release of $933 million, and gave provisional approval for the STOVL jets pending certain requirements. Those stipulations were met by the first flight of the initial F-35B test aircraft on June 11 and by completion of a propulsion system review on July 22. The government exercised the option for the STOVL aircraft and released the $1 billion on July 22. Read More..

Thursday, July 31, 2008 London Air Services Orders Five Learjet 85 Aircraft By FlyingNews @ 6:39 PM :: 381 Views :: 0 Comments :: Business Aircraft Manufacturers Bombardier today announced that London Air Services (LAS) has placed firm orders for five Learjet 85 aircraft, valued at approximately $86 million U.S., based on the 2008 list price of typically equipped aircraft. LAS is the first Canadian operator to place a firm order for the new all-composite jet. Read More..

Thursday, July 31, 2008 Emirates Airline buys 60 Airbus wide-body aircraft By FlyingNews @ 6:24 PM :: 434 Views :: 0 Comments :: Commercial Airlines, Commercial Aircraft Manufacturers Dubai based Emirates Airline has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for 30 Airbus A350XWB plus 30 A330-300s. The agreement was signed between Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline and Group and Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO on the occasion of their first A380 delivery in Hamburg, Germany. At the 10th Dubai Airshow in 2007, Emirates signed a firm order for 70 A350 XWBs with an option for 50 more. Today’s agreement includes the firming up of 30 of these A350 XWB options and will eventually increase Emirates’ total order for the A350 XWB to 100. Read More..

Friday, July 25, 2008 Delta TechOps Signs Engine Maintenance Agreement with Alaska Airlines By FlyingNews @ 12:50 PM :: 429 Views :: 0 Comments :: Commercial Aircraft Manufacturers, Aircraft Engines Delta Air Lines’ (NYSE: DAL) maintenance division – Delta TechOps – has inked a seven-year contract with Alaska Airlines to provide exclusive engine overhaul and repair services for the CFM56-7 engines that power Alaska’s fleet of Boeing 737-700 and 737-900 aircraft. The deal, worth more than $200 million, leverages Delta’s unique partnership with Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corporation to provide Alaska with a comprehensive engine maintenance solution with industry leading quality and economics. Read More..

Friday, July 25, 2008 MD-11 Boeing Converted Freighters to Support Aeroflot Cargo Growth Plan By FlyingNews @ 12:47 PM :: 479 Views :: 0 Comments :: Commercial Aircraft Manufacturers, Air Cargo The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] is helping Aeroflot Cargo improve its operational efficiency and adapt to growing market demands by providing three leased MD-11 Boeing Converted Freighters (BCFs). The companies joined in celebrating the freighters' recent entry into service at a ceremony marking Aeroflot Cargo's new fleet and the resulting operational improvements at the carrier's facility at Frankfurt-Hahn airport. Read More..

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 Garmin G1000-equipped Cessna Caravan Earns EASA Certification By FlyingNews @ 7:39 PM :: 431 Views :: 0 Comments :: Business Aircraft Manufacturers Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today it has achieved European Aviation Safety Agency certification to deliver Caravan models with Garmin G1000 integrated avionics as standard equipment. Cessna earned Federal Aviation Administration certification for the upgraded configuration and began deliveries in April. Read More..

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 Boeing, Qatar Announce C-17 Globemaster III Order By FlyingNews @ 7:36 PM :: 516 Views :: 0 Comments :: Military Aviation Boeing [NYSE: BA] and the government of Qatar signed an agreement on July 21 for the purchase of the C-17 Globemaster III airlifter to provide new strategic-airlift mobility capabilities for the Qatar Armed Forces (QAF). Qatar will sign a Foreign Military Sales agreement for contractor logistics support with the U.S. Air Force. Boeing will begin deliveries from its Long Beach, Calif., C-17 factory, in summer 2009. Read More..

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 AMERICAN EUROCOPTER DELIVERS EC120 TO CORPORATE HELICOPTERS By FlyingNews @ 7:27 PM :: 558 Views :: 0 Comments :: Helicopters American Eurocopter today announced the delivery of an EC120 to Corporate Helicopters, a helicopter service provider based in San Diego, California. Corporate Helicopters performs a diverse set of missions including VIP/corporate transport, aerial film and photography, EMS, firefighting, television news/ENG, and tourism. This EC120 will serve the VIP/Corporate transport industry. “The EC120 was chosen because it is more technologically advanced and offers more advantages than its competitors on the market,” explained Ivor Shier, President of Corporate Helicopters. “Customers today are more sophisticated. They want their helicopters to have style and to provide comfort, performance, excellent visibility and low noise signatures. The EC120 offers all of this and more.” Read More..

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 The Qatar Armed Forces Sign Contract For 18 AW139 Helicopters By FlyingNews @ 7:15 PM :: 388 Views :: 0 Comments :: Helicopters AgustaWestland is pleased to announce that the Qatar Armed Forces has signed a contract for 18 AW139 medium twin helicopters. These aircraft will be operated by the Qatar Emiri Air Force supporting various government agencies to perform several roles including utility, troop transport, search and rescue, border patrol, special forces operations, law enforcement and homeland security. The contract value is in excess of €260 million and includes crews training and initial spares package. This contract marks the continued success of the AW139 in the Middle East market with over 100 units now sold in the region. This order increases the sales total to more than 370 helicopters ordered by over 100 customers in nearly 40 countries. Additionally, this order further expands the success of the military-configured AW139 in the market having already been ordered by the Irish Air Corps and the UAE Armed Forces. An Irish Air Corps’ AW139 helicopter was recently showcased in the AgustaWestland static display at Farnborough International Air Show 2008. Read More..

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 Lycoming Engines Launches the Thunderbolt Signature Series TIO-360-EXP By FlyingNews @ 4:17 PM :: 736 Views :: 0 Comments :: Aircraft Engines Lycoming Engines, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, today launched the TIO-360-EXP Thunderbolt engine. The Signature TIO-360-EXP is a non-certified turbo-normalized intercooled fuel injected gasoline engine that is nominally rated at 180HP from sea level to greater than 20,000 feet altitude. The engine is approved for use on ASTM D910 100LL and Lycoming approved aviation grade 91/96UL unleaded fuels specified in Service Instruction 1070 without performance restriction. Future approval for use of EN228 and ASTM D4814 automotive based fuels with supplemental Lycoming specifications for safe operation in aviation applications is planned upon completion of further evaluation. Read More..

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 Cessna Completes Third Airframe for SkyCatcher Development Program By FlyingNews @ 4:14 PM :: 444 Views :: 0 Comments :: General Aviation, Small Aircraft Manufacturers Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today at the Farnborough International Airshow its engineering team has completed a third airframe in its development of the Model 162 SkyCatcher. The third airframe serves as an ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) test article and has started static testing. The primarily aluminum aircraft will meet ASTM standard F2245 for the light sport category. Two aircraft are being used for flight testing. The SkyCatcher prototype conducted its first flight March 8, followed by the May 1 flight of the first production model. The aircraft have accumulated nearly 80 hours for ASTM flight testing, which will be completed later this year. The second airframe is being equipped with a production interior and will debut at EAA AirVenture July 28-Aug. 3. Read More..

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 FAA Expands Runway Status Lights Nationwide By FlyingNews @ 4:08 PM :: 417 Views :: 0 Comments :: FAA Acting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Robert Sturgell today announced new initiatives designed to improve runway safety at busy U.S. airports, including the installation of Runway Status Lights at major airports across the country. The agency expects to award a contract this fall to install the system at 20 additional airports over the next three years. “Severe runway incursions are down,” said Sturgell. “And, we’re putting technology and procedures in place to keep it that way. We’re making changes on the runway and in the cockpit that are going to make a significant difference.” Read More..

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 Porter Airlines Orders Two More Bombardier Q400 Airliners By FlyingNews @ 4:04 PM :: 430 Views :: 0 Comments :: Commercial Airlines, Commercial Aircraft Manufacturers Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Porter Airlines of Toronto has placed a firm order for two Q400 airliners. The transaction involves the conversion of two of ten options which were taken by Porter when the airline placed a firm order for ten Q400 airliners in 2006. Based on the list price for the Q400 aircraft, the value of the contract is approximately $52 million US. Porter has now placed firm orders for a total of 14 Q400 airliners, which includes its original order announced in February 2006, a subsequent transaction in March this year, and the order announced today. Read More..

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 Boeing, Malaysia Airlines Announce Order for 35 Next-Generation 737s By FlyingNews @ 4:03 PM :: 410 Views :: 0 Comments :: Commercial Airlines, Commercial Aircraft Manufacturers Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Kuala Lumpur-based Malaysia Airlines today announced the airline has ordered 35 Next-Generation 737-800 airplanes. The order is valued at more than $2.6 billion at current list prices. The airline also has acquired purchase rights for an additional 20 Next-Generation 737-800s. Today's announcement was made at the Farnborough International Airshow by Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Scott Carson; Malaysia Airlines Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer Tengku Azmil Zahruddin; and Boeing Commercial Airplanes Vice President, Sales, South and Southeast Asia Dinesh Keskar. Read More..

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 AerCap becomes launch customer for new Airbus A320/A321 freighter By FlyingNews @ 3:42 PM :: 415 Views :: 0 Comments :: Commercial Aircraft Manufacturers, Air Cargo Netherland based leasing company AerCap today signed a firm contract with Airbus Freighter Conversion GmbH (AFC) to convert 30 of AerCap’s passenger A320/A321s into freighter aircraft (P2F). “The A320 and A321P2Fs are setting new standards in the feeder freighter market “, says Klaus Heinemann, Chief Executive Officer of AerCap. “This order will strengthen and expand our portfolio with the most and only modern aircraft in the small freighter segment.” Read More..

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 Asiana Airlines orders 30 Airbus A350 aircraft By FlyingNews @ 3:40 PM :: 368 Views :: 0 Comments :: Commercial Airlines, Commercial Aircraft Manufacturers Asiana Airlines of South Korea has signed a contract with Airbus for the purchase of 30 A350 XWB aircraft, plus 10 options. Delivery of the aircraft will begin in 2016 and the airline will take a combination of all three variants of the A350. The carrier will operate the aircraft on its regional and long haul routes. “The A350 will play a key role in the Asiana fleet of the future,” said Park Chan-Bup, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Asiana Airlines. “In placing this order today, we are ensuring that we will remain at the forefront of the airline industry, offering our passengers the very highest levels of comfort while operating only the most modern, fuel-efficient aircraft.” Read More..

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Aeroflot orders five Airbus A321s By FlyingNews @ 1:14 PM :: 360 Views :: 0 Comments :: Commercial Airlines, Commercial Aircraft Manufacturers Russian flag carrier Aeroflot has signed a contract with Airbus for the purchase of five A321 aircraft to add to its growing medium haul fleet. The contract was signed at the 46th Farnborough International Airshow. Powered by CFM International CFM56-5 engines, Aeroflot’s A321s will feature a spacious and comfortable two-class cabin layout, and will be deployed on the airline’s extended European and domestic networks. Read More..

Thursday, July 10, 2008 University of North Dakota Orders 25 Cessna 172 Skyhawks By FlyingNews @ 8:49 PM :: 436 Views :: 0 Comments :: General Aviation, Training, Small Aircraft Manufacturers Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, today announced it has entered into a multi-year contract with the University of North Dakota for Cessna 172 Skyhawks. The first four of 25 Skyhawks to be delivered in 2008 were handed over yesterday during a ceremony at Cessna's facility in Independence, Kan. The aircraft will be used for flight training. The university's John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences (UND Aerospace) is an international leader in collegiate and contract aviation education. On average, enrollment of flight students tops 1,000 and total flight training hours surpasses 90,000 each year in more than 120 aircraft. Read More..

Wednesday, July 09, 2008 ExpressJet Announces Fleet Allocation Plans By FlyingNews @ 8:44 AM :: 339 Views :: 0 Comments :: Commercial Airlines ExpressJet Airlines announced today that it will suspend flying under several lines of its at-risk flying operations in September 2008. ExpressJet mutually agreed to terminate its agreements with Delta Air Lines effective September 1, 2008 and will cease its branded (XE) commercial passenger flight operations on September 2, 2008. The 39 aircraft currently used in these operations will be among those returned to the lessor no later than June 2009. Read More..

Tuesday, July 08, 2008 Boeing Teams With Canadian Firm to Build Heavy-Lift Rotorcraft By FlyingNews @ 2:37 PM :: 381 Views :: 0 Comments :: Helicopters, Commercial Aircraft Manufacturers The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and SkyHook International Inc. today announced a teaming agreement to develop the JHL-40 (Jess Heavy Lifter), a new commercial heavy-lift rotorcraft designed to address the limitations and expense of transporting equipment and materials in remote regions. Boeing has received the first increment of a multiyear contract from SkyHook to develop the new aircraft. "SkyHook secured the patent for this neutrally buoyant aircraft and approached Boeing with the opportunity to develop and build the system," said Pat Donnelly, director of Advanced Rotorcraft Systems for Boeing. "We conducted a feasibility study and decided this opportunity is a perfect fit for Advanced Systems' technical capabilities." Read More..

Monday, July 07, 2008 NTSB TO INVESTIGATE INCIDENT INVOLVING MIDWEST AIRLINES PLANE CARRYING SENATOR OBAMA By FlyingNews @ 12:33 PM :: 601 Views :: 0 Comments :: Flying Accidents, NTSB The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an incident at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport in which a chartered Midwest Airlines airplane carrying Senator Barack Obama made an uneventful precautionary landing due to a suspected flight control anomaly. At about 9:30 a.m. CDT this morning, a McDonnell Douglas MD-81 airplane (N804ME), operated by Midwest Airlines as Flight 8663, diverted to St. Louis, Missouri, during a flight from Chicago, Illinois to Charlotte, North Carolina. There were no injuries to the 48 passengers and crew. Read More..

Monday, July 07, 2008 THE-JET by CIRRUS MAKES INAUGURAL FLIGHT By FlyingNews @ 12:24 PM :: 393 Views :: 0 Comments :: Business Aircraft Manufacturers Cirrus Design Corporation announced that the most highly anticipated aircraft in the company’s history, currently called ‘The-Jet’, made its first flight at approximately 10 AM CDT today, July 3rd, 2008. The 45-minute flight was conducted from company worldwide headquarters at the Duluth International Airport, Duluth, MN and the aircraft performed flawlessly. The-Jet is an all new personal aircraft that blends the best of both the high performance single-engine class and the very light jet (VLJ) category. Unsurpassed interior space, single engine fuel efficiency, flexible seating options for a family of up to seven, state-of-the-art advanced avionics and flight systems and the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) are each hallmarks of the new design. Read More..

Monday, July 07, 2008 Boeing Delivers Next-Generation 737 to Sunwing Airlines of Canada By FlyingNews @ 12:19 PM :: 351 Views :: 0 Comments :: Commercial Airlines, Commercial Aircraft Manufacturers The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] this week delivered a Next-Generation 737-800 to Toronto-based Sunwing Airlines. The third new Next-Generation 737 to be delivered to Sunwing and the first to be operated on lease from lessor Aviation Capital Group (ACG), the airplane is equipped with performance-enhancing Blended Winglets, which improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 4 percent. Read More..

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 U.S. Transportation Secretary Peters Announces Opening of Military Airspace for July Fourth Weekend By FlyingNews @ 12:50 PM :: 416 Views :: 0 Comments :: FAA, Government The U.S. military will again make airspace available for commercial airline flights off the East Coast during the July Fourth weekend to help reduce delays for air travelers, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced today. The airspace released by the military over the upcoming weekend will allow airlines to plan alternate routes in one of the country’s most heavily flown aviation corridors. “Today’s announcement will help ensure that travelers don’t have to celebrate Independence Day by being stuck on an airplane,” said Secretary Peters. Read More..

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 Boeing Installs Engines on 1st P-8A Poseidon By FlyingNews @ 12:42 PM :: 407 Views :: 0 Comments :: Military Aviation Boeing [NYSE: BA] installed two CFM56-7B engines on the U.S. Navy's first P-8A Poseidon June 21 in Renton, Wash. The on-schedule assembly closely follows the aircraft's wing-to-body join and "power on" milestones. Following final functional checks, the Boeing-led Poseidon industry team will conduct initial engine runs. Boeing will deliver the first test aircraft to the Navy in 2009. Read More..