Aircraft News - North America.

Oct 1, 2007 Low-cost simulation is bringing a new kind of helicopter pilot training to the market, and making it far more widely available. Sep 28, 2007

Proposal uses taxes to fight global warming. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has drafted climate legislation. The proposal includes a 50-cent-a-gallon tax on gasoline and jet fuel, phased in over five years, on top of existing taxes. Sep 27, 2007

Pilot retirement age increased under House proposal: The House voted on Sept. 20 in favor of a proposal that would raise the mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots from 60 to 65. A similar provision is also in the FAA reauthorization bill pending before the Senate. However, some believe that the measure could be stripped out of the bills as they wind through the lawmaking process. Sep 24, 2007

Record Business Jet Deliveries Forecast. Deliveries of business jets could hit an all-time high this year as strong corporate demand offsets concern about rising fuel costs, according to the industry's most closely watched forecast. Overall deliveries of more than 1,000 business jets are expected this year, up from the previous record of 861 in 2006, according to the forecast by Honeywell International (makes cockpit electronics, engines and power units), based on interviews with 1,400 flight departments at companies around the world, mixed with information from plane makers and an assessment of general economic conditions. Honeywell expects more than 1,300 new business jet deliveries in 2008. The sharp rise in deliveries reflects a surge in sales for business jet makers over the past three years, benefiting companies such as Gulfstream, Cessna, Canada's Bombardier and France's Dassault Aviation. Sep 24, 2007 Record Business Jet Deliveries Forecast Deliveries of business jets could hit an all-time high this year as strong corporate demand offsets concern about rising fuel costs, according to the industry's most closely watched forecast. Sep 24, 2007 Air New Zealand, Boeing, Rolls-Royce Air New Zealand, Boeing and Rolls-Royce are to conduct a biofuel demonstration flight in a move they say is designed to help accelerate the development of alternative fuels for use in commercial aviation. The three companies are due to sign a memorandum of understanding today and ANZ says in a statement that they will [sup.3]work together on projects aimed at ensuring that commercial aviation continues to become more environmentally sustainable[sup.2]. Boeing says in a statement of its own that a demonstration flight is planned for the second half of 2008 using an Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400 that will be powered in part by biofuel. Sep 29, 2007 Astronics, Embraer Astronics Corp, which makes devices for the aerospace industry, said Monday it will provide exterior lighting systems for Brazilian aircraft company Embraer. Sep 24, 2007 Beechcraft, Fort Lauderdale  A fixed-wing twin-engine Beechcraft 18 crashed alongside the busy Interstate 95 in Fort Lauderdale in Florida on 23 September. The pilot of the small cargo aircraft is in a critical condition in hospital with a broken leg, broken arm and a large gash on his forehead. Fire rescue crews were amazed to find the pilot alive, said sheriff's office spokesman Mike Jachles. "There was no cockpit when they arrived on scene," he said. "He was breathing and conscious. He told the medics the engine cut out on take-off." The pilot (now in a critical condition) of cargo aircraft, a Beech 18, surveys the carnage shortly before being hospitalised Sep 24, 2007 BOC Aviation, Airbus, IAE  BOC Aviation chose IAE V2500s to power up to 20 Airbus A320 family aircraft including 10 firm and 10 options, worth $240 million if all options are realized. Sep 24, 2007 Boeing Boeing's A160T Hummingbird unmanned rotorcraft has completed an 8h flight, it's longest yet, carrying a 450kg (1,000lb) payload. The helicopter reached an altitude of 5,000ft (1,500m) on the 26 September flight from Victorville, California. It was carrying a simulated battlefield resupply payload. "The ability to carry a 1,000lb payload and fly for that duration puts the A160T in a category by itself," says programme manager Jim Martin. First flown in June, the A160T is a turbine-powered version of the Hummingbird unmanned rotorcraft originally designed by Frontier Systems, which was acquired by Boeing in 2004. Boeing is building 11 A160Ts for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and US Special Operations Comm Sep 29, 2007 Boeing Boeing said each GoldCare partner will be responsible for providing 787 customers with systems for the 787 "at guaranteed levels of availability, managing the maintenance of parts removed from aircraft and ensuring that equipment reliability is optimized." The GoldCare team already includes SR Technics, GE Aviation, Hamilton Sundstrand, Rockwell Collins, Honeywell, Thales and Air Cruiser. Sep 27, 2007 Boeing' Kidde Aerospace & Defense, Monogram Systems and Moog were added as partners for Boeing's 787 GoldCare lifecycle support program. Kidde, an operating unit of Hamilton Sundstrand, is the exclusive supplier of fire detection and suppression systems for the 787. Monogram Systems will provide the complete water and waste systems for the aircraft while Moog will supply the primary flight control actuation system, which will control all of the primary flight control surfaces including spoilers and horizontal stabilizer. Sep 27, 2007

Boeing

Boeing Dreamliners to fly to China: Several of the carriers awarded China routes have ordered Boeing 787 Dreamliners, raising the likelihood that the Asian nation will see the new jets on its runways. Northwest has already announced that it will fly the Dreamliner on its China routes. The carrier will be the first U.S. airline to take delivery of the 787, starting in August of next year. Sep 26, 2007

Boeing

Boeing is offering India its CH-47F Chinook helicopter in response to the country's expected need for 12 medium- to heavy-lift helicopters. Boeing's bid will highlight the CH-47F's high-altitude and lift capability in hot conditions, a must-have for conditions in India, according to Chuck Allen, Boeing's vice president and general manager for rotorcraft systems. Sep 26, 2007

Boeing

Canada's Air Force has asked Boeing to construct a couple of prototypes of upgraded CH-47 Chinook helicopters. Canadian Air Staff Chief Lt. Gen. Angus Watt confirmed that upgrades have been requested but declined to discuss specifics. Sep 26, 2007 Boeing, Air France, Ocean Airlines The first of six ex-Air France Boeing 747-200Fs is about to enter service with Italian cargo airline Ocean Airlines. Sep 28, 2007

Boeing, Air New Zealand, Rolls-Royce

Boeing Air New Zealand and Rolls-Royce announced on Sept. 28 a Memorandum of Understanding to conduct a biofuel demonstration flight designed to help accelerate the development of viable and sustainable alternative fuels for commercial aviation uses. Boeing is exploring second-generation biofuel feed stocks and processes that have the potential to reduce greenhouse gases throughout their entire lifecycle. The demonstration flight is planned for the second half of 2008 using an Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400 equipped with Rolls-Royce engines. Boeing is in discussions with fuel-source providers around the globe to identify potential biofuels that are available in suitable quantities for laboratory and jet-engine performance testing and in compliance with stringent aviation requirements. Additional details will be announced closer to the actual demonstration flight date. Sep 28, 2007 Boeing, Airbus Boeing took the lead over Airbus in commercial airplane orders in the third quarter, according to an early tally, as both aircraft makers kept drumming up business from fast-growing Asian markets and got some late-period purchases from venerable European carriers. Sep 28, 2007

Boeing, Grumman

Navy takes delivery of first Boeing Super Hornet EA-18G to replace its Grumman EA-6 Prowlers. Boeing delivered the first Super Hornet EA-18G "Growler" aircraft to the Navy on Sept. 24. The Growler features radar-jamming equipment and other gear designed to knock out electronic devices and disrupt enemy air defenses. The Navy will buy three Growlers to test during 2008, and the jets are scheduled to be deployed in 2010. The Navy has agreed to buy 85 at about $60 million each by 2013. Sep 26, 2007

Delta Air Lines, McDonnell-Douglas

Jet engine fire grounds Delta Air Lines flight in Indianapolis; no one hurt. An airliner headed from Indianapolis to Atlanta on Thursday Sept. 27 afternoon never got off the ground when an engine caught fire, according to Indianapolis International Airport officials. The McDonnell-Douglas MD-88 airplane stopped on a runway and the fire was put out by airport firefighters, said Susan Sullivan, spokeswoman for the Indianapolis Airport Authority. Delta Flight 1253, with 132 passengers and a crew of five, was scheduled to leave Indianapolis for Hartsfield Jackson International airport at 3:02 p.m. Sept. 27, said Susan Elliott of Delta Air Lines corporate communications. The jet was ready to make a departure from Indianapolis when the pilots thought they had a blown tire, the takeoff was aborted and airport firefighters were called, and found the fire in the left engine of the two-engine airliner. No injuries were reported., a bus was sent to the airplane to pick up passengers and return them to the terminal where they were rebooked on other flights. Sep 28, 2007 Delta Air Lines, New York JFK Delta Air Lines[sup.1] expanded service will be operated with a mix of Boeing 737-800s, 757-200s and 767-300ERs. The 737s will serve Latin America while the 757s and 767s will operate transatlantic service. Delta said it is reconfiguring its schedule to limit the number of departures during peak hours at JFK and will shift some transatlantic flights to after 7 p.m. All Delta turboprop flights will be eliminated from JFK. Sep 27, 2007

Eclipse Aviation

Eclipse Aviation CEO Vern Raburn sees a lot of room for improvement in his company's production processes. Suppliers have let the manufacturer down, either by delivering components late or by not ensuring the quality of what went out their doors. Internally, Raburn says, some managers were not up to the challenge: "They talked the talk, but they could not walk the walk." Sep 24, 2007 Lockheed Martin Defense contractor Lockheed Martin, maker of the F-22 fighter, said Thursday it would repurchase 20 million additional shares as part of an existing buyback program. Sep 27, 2007 Lockheed Martin Lawmakers on Thursday are expected to probe senior US Air Force and Lockheed Martin Corp. officials over cost disparities on an $11.7 billion military transport plane program. Sep 27, 2007 Nordam Group, General Electric Nordam Group signed an exclusive seven-year repair and overhaul agreement for General Electric CF6-80C2 thrust reversers with China Airlines under which it will perform all major bonding repairs and overhauls at its recently expanded Singapore repair facility while supporting CA's execution of component maintenance manual repairs with on-site training and equipment. Sep 24, 2007

Northrop Grumman, Airbus

Northrop Grumman has announced that its first KC-30 Tanker aircraft flew for the first time Tuesday. Northrop Grumman said its D-1 aircraft "flew for nearly four hours and will be the first aircraft delivered to the U.S. Air Force if the Northrop Grumman team is awarded the KC-X contract. Contract award is currently expected in December 2007 or early January 2008." The KC-30 aircraft is based on a commercial Airbus A330-200F freighter. Sep 28, 2007

Pemco Aviation Group, Boeing

Pemco Aviation Group is protesting the Air Force's award to Boeing of a $1.1 billion contract for maintenance services for the Boeing KC-135 air to air refueling tanker. The protest was filed with the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which will make a recommendation within 100 days. Boeing officials say the contract was properly awarded. Sep 24, 2007 Rockwell Collins, Redifun Simulation Rockwell Collins and Redifun Simulation, a Texas company, announced today that they have settled claims by Rockwell Collins that proprietary and copyrighted images and models were used by RSI. Sep 28, 2007

Sikorsky Aircraft

Sikorsky Aircraft is marketing its International Black Hawk, a less expensive version of the transport helicopters used by the U.S. military. The company hopes to produce 24 to 30 of the aircraft annually starting in 2011. Potential customers are in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Observers expect the helicopters to cost $1 million to $2 million less than the latest conventional Black Hawks. Sep 28, 2007 SkyWest Airlines, Denver International Airport  A SkyWest Airlines plane was isolated and searched at Denver International Airport on Thursday after a suspicious item was removed from a passenger's checked luggage, but nothing alarming was found on the aircraft, authorities said. Sep 27, 2007

US Airways

US Airways in no hurry to use integrated seniority list: US Airways CEO Doug Parker says he wants to negotiate a new pilots contract but is in no hurry to adopt the seniority ruling approved this week by the Air Line Pilots Association. "I don't believe we're going to get a contract ratified that has that list go into effect immediately," Parker says. "There's no way." Sep 24, 2007

ZZ

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