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A spokesman for DeWine admits the senator is reconsidering his previous position. Mike Dawson told The Columbus Dispatch that the senator must weigh whether the ban is worth risking all the funding in the bill for Ohio airports and other provisions. According to the Dispatch, DeWine still favors the privatization ban but he’s not sure […]

The Fight For Every Vote… With a couple of weeks to go before an extended funding deadline, the lobbying equivalent of trench warfare has taken over the battle for the FAA Reauthorization Bill as those on both sides of the Air Traffic Control privatization issue launch a vote-by-vote campaign to get their version passed. Congress […]

Boyd also said that consumer demands for more comfort and jetway boarding will flatten the demand for smaller regional jets in favor of those that seat 100 and up, and code-share alliances among the major airlines will continue to grow. Another analyst at the conference, Jamie Baker of J. P. Morgan, said that by 2006 […]

FAA Numbers Too Optimistic?… The FAA is not the only outfit around to announce its vision of the aviation future, and this week The Boyd Group, of Evergreen, Colo., held its annual forecast conference, in Nashville, Tenn., and on several points offered views that differ from the FAA’s ideas. For starters, aviation consultant Michael Boyd […]

Safire Aircraft has kept a low profile, as it transitioned from the S-26 program to the six-seat Safire Jet design and set up shop in Opa Locka, Fla., and acquired 300 orders. At the show, company officials announced that the Williams F-J33 engine — currently undergoing certification — will provide 1,530 pounds of thrust to […]

FAA Administrator Marion Blakey and Congressman John L. Mica both expressed frustration with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association’s ongoing battle with the contract-towers issue, which Blakey characterized as a “non-issue.” Mica indicated the debate is holding up the pending FAA Reauthorization Bill, which among other things provides $100 million for the general aviation post-9/11 […]

Big Expectations… The biggest business aviation event of the year kicked off with lots of news and hoopla, as The National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA) 56th Annual Meeting & Convention opened its doors on Tuesday. While last year’s exhibitors and attendees displayed residual uneasiness a year after 9/11 and amidst a struggling market, the mood […]

Joseph Padilla hopes to find some additional clues to piece this disturbing mystery together. While his hopes are high, he understands the gravity of the situation. Right before the jet departed, his brother was seen boarding the aircraft with a Congolese mechanic. As the aircraft taxied to the runway, several witnesses reported seeing the jet […]

Joseph Padilla, the missing pilots brother, told AVweb the trail of clues has gone somewhat cold. However, Padilla told AVweb the FBI investigated and interviewed a pilot who claimed to have overheard a conversation by an aircraft mechanic that detailed the location of the jet. The mechanic in Beirut, according to Padilla, said the aircraft […]

Brother Claims Misconceptions Reported… Over the last few months AVweb has reported on the strange disappearance of an African-based Boeing 727, reportedly modified to serve as an air tanker. While some subsequent reports speculated the jet had been found sporting a new paint job in Guinea, the actual location of the aircraft has never been […]