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Must Be Those Cute Chutes… While last week’s first-quarter production numbers showed that GA manufacturing is creeping out of its recent doldrums (though still far from its peak), the data also revealed some subtle shifts taking place in the industry. “This is a historic day for Cirrus,” company spokesman John Bingham told the Duluth News […]

Of course, GA pilots in the area are opposed to the airline’s position and AOPA President Phil Boyer was at the meeting, along with hundreds of potentially affected pilots. Boyer even met with Minnesota Gov. Tom Pawlenty on the issue. Boyer told the commission that Minneapolis’ system of hub and reliever airports is a model […]

Or Maybe Close Some Airports… Northwest Airlines is suggesting one or two Minneapolis-area reliever airports could be closed or some 2,000 private aircraft owners could be charged to reduce the financial toll on airlines using Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). The airline is the biggest customer of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which runs MSP […]

Another way to gauge recovery (albeit unscientifically) is by the number of aircraft in the air. AVweb columnist Don Brown works at Atlanta Center (ZTL) and he says record-high traffic has caught everyone’s attention there. “As far as the controllers at Atlanta Center can tell, the recovery is already here,” Brown told AVweb. He said […]

The perspective granted by recent history may offer a glimpse at just how “recovery” is relative. Compare Friday’s figures with those of the first quarter of 2001 and you might want to put away the champagne in favor of a shot of scotch. The recent improvement compares with overall sales from the early 2001 boom […]

GAMA Figures Indicate Recovery… Finally, there’s some evidence the long-anticipated (and, perhaps, optimistically forecast) recovery in the aviation industry may have begun. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s (GAMA’s) first-quarter delivery and billing stats show healthy increases on both sides of the ledger for the full range of GA aircraft. Some cautious observers may be quick […]

But it’s not only customers that are coming from overseas. More than a third of the aircraft’s components are being built offshore (notably in Japan, surprise, surprise) and that’s set an undertone of grumbling to the jubilation in Washington State, where the aircraft will be assembled. “It’s unfortunate that they didn’t trust us to do […]

All Nippon Airways Orders 50 Dreamliners… With U.S. airlines increasingly looking elsewhere for aircraft, Boeing decided to do the same in its quest for customers for the 7E7 Dreamliner. The strategy paid off with the largest single order in the company’s history (and not from a U.S. company) on Monday and the official launch of […]

Just to add some intrigue to the process, Raytheon ran recruitment ads for flight service specialists and air traffic control specialists in a San Diego newspaper. The ads, run by Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC, say the company is “anticipating the following opportunities at a variety of locations throughout the United States.” AVweb contacted the […]

The official line from the FAA is that nothing has changed on the timing of any privatization decision. FAA spokesman William Shumann told AVweb that the selection will take place sometime between December and March. Also, at Senate hearings last week, Department of Transportation Inspector General Ken Mead said the determination will be made “by […]