http://planenews.com Your aviation news and services. en-us gil@keskydee.com (Gil Gruson) gil@keskydee.com (Gil Gruson) 2009-07-03T23:32:27-04:00 hourly 1 2009-07-03T23:32:27-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10683 Belly up to the space bar boys. The dark beer masters are serving up a wild contest that will let two lucky people ride for free aboard the suborbital Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo spacecraft... 10683@http://planenews.com Space Business 2009-07-03T10:04:17-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10682 Around this time last year, Jack and Kate Tiffany, of Spring Hill, Ohio, Jim Hammond, of Yellow Springs, Ohio, and the crew of Leading Edge Restorations were anticipating the flight of the recently restored Pitcairn PA-18 Autogiro to Oshkosh for AirVenture 2008. However, the rotor blades were significantly damaged during testing about a week prior to Oshkosh and the flight had to be called off... 10682@http://planenews.com Gyros 2009-07-01T10:11:55-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10681 The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit made history June 25 when it used two MV-22B Ospreys assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced) to conduct a ship-to-shore emergency medical evacuation of a Sailor from the USS Bataan... 10681@http://planenews.com Military 2009-07-01T10:11:28-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10680 KAMRA: The final assembling of Pakistan's first JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter aircraft began on Tuesday. The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, inaugurated the work at the Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (AMF) of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex... 10680@http://planenews.com Engineering 2009-07-01T10:11:14-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10679 A follow on to the Solar Impulse electric airplane that rolled out in Switzerland in June may circle the world in 2012. The development model, unveiled by Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, will fly at the end of 2009 and gather data for the final model. It can fly both night and day using batteries and solar power... 10679@http://planenews.com Engineering 2009-07-01T10:10:49-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10678 NASA continued to develop its future moon landing program this week by getting a positive test on the rocket it might use to land humans on the moon and increasing the budget for the spacecraft it will use to get them there... 10678@http://planenews.com NASA 2009-07-01T09:21:09-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10677 WICHITA, Kan.: Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that it has received a $750 million, 10-year contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide engineering support for the B-52 bomber. Under the Engineering Sustainment Program (ESP) contract, Boeing employees in Wichita, Oklahoma City, and Shreveport, La., will perform engineering assignments that maintain the B-52 as a ready, reliable and viable asset to the Air Force. 10677@http://planenews.com Business 2009-07-01T09:19:16-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10676 HOUSTON: As America celebrates its 233rd birthday this holiday weekend, there will be an extra light in the sky along with the fireworks. Across the country, Americans will be treated to spectacular views of the International Space Station as it orbits 220 miles above Earth. 10676@http://planenews.com Space Station 2009-07-01T09:18:51-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10675 EVERETT, Wash. (PRNewswire-FirstCall): Boeing (NYSE: BA) has completed another milestone in the assembly of its first 747-8 Freighter by joining the wing to the fuselage. Workers attached the 40-foot (12 m) fuselage section to the center wing box in the final assembly bay at the factory in Everett, Wash. The wing and center section are now being prepared for final body join, when the assembly will be connected to the forward and aft fuselage sections. 10675@http://planenews.com Engineering 2009-06-29T12:01:10-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10674 Flying to the moon is not easy feat but communicating with as well as relaying information to and from rocketing space probes  is the most critical part of the mission. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission launched June 18 is using modified General Dynamics Advanced Multi-Mode Transceivers that support data rates of up to 512 kbps to send health and status updates and receive command instructions from NASA. LRO will communicate at S-Band frequencies through the NASA Ground Network and Deep Space Network (DSN). The S band ranges between 2 GHz and 4 GHz and is the usual frequency for many satellites... 10674@http://planenews.com Space 2009-06-26T13:50:56-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10673 One way or another nine out of 10 adult Americans get weather forecasts an average of more than three times each day, adding up to 300 billion forecasts each year. And not only that, most people were satisfied with weather forecasts and had fairly high confidence in forecasts with a lead time of one to two days, despite appearances to the contrary. If you lived in the oft-clouded-over Northeast this month, you pretty much hate the weather folks at this point, but that wasn’t part of the survey... 10673@http://planenews.com Meteorology 2009-06-25T07:00:00-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10672 Waco Classic President Peter F. Bowers got to thinking one day, “What’s changed about our product?” Little had changed with the luxury Waco Classic biplane, other than the introduction of glass cockpits and aircraft entertainment systems. So he developed a new model with a larger, 300-hp Jacobs R755-A2 radial engine. The 275-hp engine of the older model is still available... 10672@http://planenews.com Aviation News 2009-06-25T07:00:00-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10671 WASHINGTON, D.C.: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Randy Babbitt today announced an expedited review of flight and rest rules and called on U.S. airlines and unions to respond, by July 31, with specific commitments to strengthen safety at regional and major airlines by insisting that airlines obtain all available FAA pilot records, among other actions. 10671@http://planenews.com FAA 2009-06-24T21:24:06-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10670 Flightglobal has obtained exclusive pictures of Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnight Two mothership Eve at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport in Arizona after a speedbrake actuator failure diverted it from its New Mexico destination. On Friday 19 June the mothership was to overfly the ground breaking ceremony for Spaceport America, which is to be located 72km (45 miles) north of New Mexico’s Las Cruces city. The spaceport will be the world headquarters for the spaceline Virgin Galactic when it is operating commercially... 10670@http://planenews.com Space Business 2009-06-24T21:14:44-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10669 The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee recommended Tuesday that the production of all MV-22 Ospreys be halted, saying that after more than two decades the hybrid aircraft still can’t complete the missions for which it was designed... 10669@http://planenews.com Military 2009-06-24T10:17:20-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10668 CHICAGO (Dow Jones): Boeing Co.’s (BA) announcement Tuesday of another holdup on its new 787 Dreamliner didn’t sit well with investors already wary of problems surrounding the company’s defense programs and pension-cost headwind. Shares of Boeing, which have sunk on worries about the 787 as well as the weak commercial aircraft market, traded recently at $43.46, down 7.5% for the day. That’s well off the year-high of $76.48. 10668@http://planenews.com Business 2009-06-24T10:16:59-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10667 United Airlines said Monday that it plans to cut 600 additional flight attendant jobs, effective Aug. 31, as the carrier struggles with lower-than-anticipated attrition and a steep drop in air travel... 10667@http://planenews.com Airlines 2009-06-24T10:16:40-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10666 LONDON (Reuters): Virgin Atlantic plans to take delivery of 10 Airbus A330-300 aircraft by 2012, allowing the airline to expand while awaiting delivery of Boeing’s long-delayed 787 Dreamliner... 10666@http://planenews.com Business 2009-06-24T10:16:21-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10665 EVERETT, Wash. (PRNewswire-FirstCall): Boeing (NYSE: BA) today announced that first flight of the 787 Dreamliner will be postponed due to a need to reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft. 10665@http://planenews.com Business 2009-06-23T11:09:14-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10664 The idea was good – help business travelers mostly zip through airport security checks. But those perks apparently weren’t enough as Clear, the largest of the registered travelers service with over 165,000 members shut down last night... 10664@http://planenews.com U.S. Security 2009-06-23T11:08:49-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10663 Kavlico, a global business unit of Custom Sensors & Technologies (CST) has recently designed a low cost, stainless steel configuration pressure sensor for low pressure range measurements of 0–1 PSI through 0–350 PSI gage, absolute, or differential. The highly reliable pressure sensor has an MTBF of 300,000 hours at nominal operating temperature. 10663@http://planenews.com Engineering 2009-06-21T07:00:00-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10662 Unbeknownst to the 247 passengers on Continental Flight 61, the captain, a 60-year-old veteran of the airline, had died over the Atlantic of a suspected heart attack. The co-pilot and a reserve pilot, who was in the cockpit to allow the regular pilots to rest, took over and finished the flight... 10662@http://planenews.com Aviation News 2009-06-20T07:00:00-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10661 Cirrus Aircraft is facing two multimillion-dollar lawsuits. A jury has awarded a $14 million judgment against several parties, including Cirrus and the University of North Dakota, in an action that may yet be appealed. And L-3 Avionics seeks $21.7 million from Cirrus in a contract dispute... 10661@http://planenews.com Law and Rights 2009-06-20T07:00:00-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10660 Yuneec International’s E430 electric-powered aircraft made its first flights in China on Friday morning, June 12. After further flight testing is completed, the composite airplane will be shipped to the United States, where company officials hope to gain certification in the experimental category. Once that’s achieved, Yuneec plans to ship the aircraft to Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture 2009, where Yuneec hopes to show the aviation world a glimpse into the future of recreational aviation... 10660@http://planenews.com Engineering 2009-06-20T07:00:00-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10659 PARIS: On the edge of the airfield at Le Bourget, a Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet jet fighter looms with imposing menace. In front of it sits a dinky Boeing ScanEagle, just 4 feet long with a 10-foot wingspan, with model-airplane looks, a little rotor turned by a two-stroke engine, and a flimsy plastic airframe... 10659@http://planenews.com UAVs 2009-06-20T07:00:00-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10658 LE BOURGET, France (Dow Jones): European commercial aircraft builder Airbus has racked up orders and commitments from airlines for 120 jets at the Paris Air Show this week, Chief Operating Officer-Customers John Leahy said Friday. The unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co NV (EADSY) is waiting for a final signature. 10658@http://planenews.com Business 2009-06-19T13:41:59-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10657 PARIS: India-based Paramount Airways has signed a memorandum of understanding to buy 10 Airbus A321 aircraft with an option for an additional 10, European aircraft maker Airbus said. 10657@http://planenews.com Business 2009-06-19T13:41:33-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10656 Wizz Air, the largest Central and Eastern European low cost - low fare airline, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to buy 50 more A320s. This will take their total orders up to 132 aircraft. All Wizz Air aircraft will be configured in a comfortable single-class layout, seating up to 180 passengers. No choice of engine has been made yet... 10656@http://planenews.com Business 2009-06-19T13:39:56-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10655 The French private airline Aigle Azur has placed a firm order with Airbus for one new A319 aircraft. This is the first time the airline has purchased an aircraft directly from Airbus. The new A319 will be configured in a comfortable two-class layout and will be powered by CFM-56 engines from CFM International... 10655@http://planenews.com Business 2009-06-19T13:39:08-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10654 Zest Airways Inc (ZestAir) of the Philippines has placed a firm order with Airbus for its first brand new single aisle A320. The aircraft will join an existing fleet of two A320s that the airline purchased in the open market in 2008... 10654@http://planenews.com Business 2009-06-19T13:37:58-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10653 EVERETT, Wash. (PRNewswire-FirstCall): Final assembly has begun on the first Boeing (NYSE: BA) 787 Dreamliner destined for delivery to launch customer ANA (All Nippon Airways) of Japan. ANA and Boeing launched the 787 program with a firm order for 50 of the all-new composite jetliner. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2010. 10653@http://planenews.com Engineering 2009-06-19T13:36:19-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10652 PARIS (Dow Jones): The French president’s office and French aerospace group Dassault Aviation SA (AM.FR) Friday said talks over the sale of 60 Rafale jet fighters to the government of the United Arab Emirates are progressing well. Adeal with the U.A.E. is crucial for the company’s prospects and the government’s export hopes. The French State has been Dassault Aviation’s only Rafale. 10652@http://planenews.com France 2009-06-19T13:35:39-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10651 STRATFORD, Conn.: Connecticut-based Sikorsky Aircraft says a slumping commercial aerospace market is the reason it had to cut its global work force by 2 percent this week... 10651@http://planenews.com Russia 2009-06-19T13:34:50-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10650 The current status of general aviation (GA) operations does not present a serious homeland security vulnerability requiring the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to increase regulatory oversight of the industry, according to a report released by The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) this week... 10650@http://planenews.com TSA 2009-06-19T13:34:06-04:00 http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10649 WASHINGTON (AFP): Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday a move by US lawmakers to reject his advice and fund the production of a dozen more F-22 fighters was a "big problem." The US House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday passed an amendment extending production of the F-22 Raptor, a sophisticated stealth fighter aircraft the Pentagon has sought to scrub... 10649@http://planenews.com Politics 2009-06-19T13:33:40-04:00