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Airlines Look For More Federal Cash… The clouds just refuse to lift for the struggling U.S. airline industry. Skyrocketing jet-fuel prices, piled-up security costs, escalating insurance premiums, self-help efforts that focus on lower prices, possible war, and no sunshine in sight. On Monday, the Air Transport Association (ATA) said if war against Iraq begins, the […]

Raytheon Looks To The Outside… They’ve tried layoffs, belt-tightening and other in-house economies and now to save money Raytheon is looking at farming out some of its production work. In a letter sent to employees earlier this month, Raytheon Aircraft CEO Jim Schuster outlined plans to send some of the work currently performed in house […]

Revocation Rule Unconstitutional?… Pressure is mounting on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to change the controversial rule that allows it to unilaterally force the suspension and revocation of any airman’s certificate (mechanics are also subject to the rule). Currently, the only appeal is to the TSA. Don Young (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Transportation Committee, […]

Two Saudis Suspended, Two Get Certificates Back… The Transportation Security Administration has suspended the airman certificates of two Saudi Arabian Airlines pilots and restored the flying privileges of two others. The Saudi Press Agency said airline lawyers are appealing the suspensions of Moen Hassan Zarie and Tarek Hassan Jifry under the recently announced rule that […]

Engine In Same Family As Mustang’s… As AVweb speculated two months ago, the Eclipse 500 and Cessna Mustang will use derivatives of the same engine. Eclipse Aviation announced Wednesday that Pratt and Whitney Canada (PWC) will build the engines for the five-place 500. The announcement comes three months after Eclipse terminated a contract with Williams […]

Coming Soon To A City Near You?… While the D.C.-area air defense identification zone (ADIZ) doesn’t affect most of us, pilots throughout the country are on notice that it could happen to them at any time. The FAA told the alphabets that if intelligence sources become aware of a threat anywhere else in the country, […]

FAA Asks If We Heard Them The First Time… In the face of growing legislative and publicity campaigns to prevent such a move, the FAA continues to insist there are no plans to privatize air traffic control. “We have absolutely no plans or desire to expand or increase contracting out of air traffic services,” FAA […]

Avcorp’s Bank Demands Loan Repayment… The financial difficulties of an obscure Canadian aerospace company could have far-reaching effects in the business and commercial jet sector. Avcorp, of Vancouver, B.C., makes airframe components for the new Cessna Sovereign and CJ3 jets, the Eclipse 500, Bombardier regional jets and Boeing airliners and has been ordered to repay […]

D.C. Stingers Target Them… The agency we occasionally love to hate told AVweb it’s looking out for GA interests as various security-inspired measures — including jeep-mounted anti-aircraft stinger missiles freshly redeployed this week around the capital — seemingly put the crosshairs on an already-targeted GA sector. FAA spokesman Greg Martin said the agency went to […]

Next-Generation ATC Communications Go Digital… Last Wednesday, the FAA gave $16 million to ITT Industries of Fort Wayne, Ind., and $21 million to Harris Corp., of Melbourne, Fla., to come up with prototype designs for NEXCOM, the Next Generation Air/Ground Communications System. NEXCOM will integrate data link with digital voice, to make more-efficient use of […]