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Thursday, August 14, 2008 FAA Seeks Penalties Against American Airlines for Deferred Maintenance, Other Violations By FlyingNews @ 3:45 PM :: 638 Views :: 0 Comments :: Commercial Airlines, FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced actions totaling $7.1 million in civil penalties against American Airlines for improperly deferring maintenance on safety-related equipment and deficiencies with its drug and alcohol testing programs and exit lighting inspections. The FAA asserts that in December 2007, American used the wrong provisions of its Minimum Equipment List (MEL) to return two MD-83 aircraft to service after pilots had reported problems, and flew the planes 58 times in violation of FAA regulations. The MEL contains components and systems without which the aircraft may operate safely under specific limitations, as proven by the operator or manufacturer. Read More..

Wednesday, August 06, 2008 Boeing Awarded $28.8 Million E-6B Upgrade Contract By FlyingNews @ 8:28 PM :: 762 Views :: 0 Comments :: Military Aviation The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a $28.8 million sole-source U.S. Navy contract to upgrade the service's fleet of 16 E-6B airborne command, control and communications aircraft. In support of ongoing E6-B spiral development activities, the first phase of the Internet Protocol Bandwidth Expansion program will use commercial-off-the-shelf technology to increase the aircraft's wideband communications capabilities, allowing for real-time data transmission on the jet. Work on the first aircraft will be completed in 2010. Read More..

Tuesday, August 05, 2008 Delta to Become Only Major U.S. Airline to Offer Broadband Wi-Fi Access on Entire Domestic Mainline Fleet By FlyingNews @ 10:33 AM :: 599 Views :: 0 Comments :: Commercial Airlines Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) customers traveling throughout the continental United States will soon be offered the added convenience of broadband Wi-Fi access onboard the airline’s domestic fleet of more than 330 mainline aircraft. Delta is joining with Aircell®, a 17-year leader in airborne communications for business and commercial aviation, to install the company’s Mobile Broadband Network on the carrier’s domestic fleet. The system, Gogo™, will enable Delta customers traveling with Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs, to access the Internet, corporate VPNs, corporate and personal e-mail accounts, as well as SMS texting and instant messaging services. Gogo will be available to customers for a flat fee of $9.95 on flights of three hours or less, and $12.95 on flights of more than three hours. Read More..

Tuesday, August 05, 2008 Boeing Next-Generation 737 Carbon Brakes Earn FAA Certification By FlyingNews @ 10:32 AM :: 485 Views :: 4 Comments :: Commercial Aircraft Manufacturers Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced that it earned certification last week from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for its new carbon brakes designed for the Next-Generation 737. The brakes, supplied by Messier-Bugatti, also entered service last week when Boeing delivered a Next-Generation 737-700 to Delta Air Lines -- the first of 10 737-700s the airline will receive over the next several years. Read More..