News

A Boeing 737-800 carrying 171 passengers out of Amsterdam for Paris Wednesday moved KLM to say it was “the first airline in the world” to operate a commercial flight on biokerosene (a used cooking oil, Jet-A mix), with more to come. KLM said that by September 2011, it will begin 200 more flights, flying the […]

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) has signed an agreement with Ryanair to develop the C919, a new mid-size commercial jet, and, according to Ryanair, the deal creates real competition for Airbus and Boeing. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said his company is “seriously interested in the development of a 200 seat variant of the […]

The normal fast pace of the morning push at JFK slowed to a crawl Wednesday morning as 150 love-struck turtles turned runways into expressways (in turtle terms) to love. About 6:45 a.m. pilots of outbound aircraft reported the reptilian jaywalkers (MP3), who clearly hadn’t heard the tower’s takeoff clearances. The controller, who kept his good […]

The Space Shuttle Atlantis, NASA’s fourth shuttle, is set to lift off on mission STS-135 on July 8, at 11:26 a.m. EDT, marking the final time a NASA space shuttle is scheduled to fly. The mission comes 30 years after the program began and is scheduled to be a 12-day mission that will deliver parts […]

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), AOPA and other groups responded with “deep concern” to proposed tax changes suggested by President Obama during a press conference, Wednesday. Obama said, “The tax cuts I’m proposing we get rid of are tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, tax breaks for oil […]

Icon Aircraft, which has been working for several years to bring its amphibious A5 LSA to market, this week announced it has secured $25 million in funding, enough to complete its engineering program, set up for manufacturing, and start production. “There is a lot of work and some risk still ahead,” said CEO Kirk Hawkins. […]

Bankruptcy proceedings involving Narco Avionics appear to be complete but those hoping to get their radios and nav equipment back are being advised to get those arrangements made sooner rather than later. It appears the landlord of the building that housed Narco in Fort Washington, Penn, and secured creditors who now control what’s left of […]

Although the issue of interference with GPS seems to be far from resolved, LightSquared is busy lining up customers for its new broadband network. The company issued a news release Tuesday saying that voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) firm netTALK has entered into a “multi-year wholesale agreement” to buy bandwidth from LightSquared. “We are extremely […]

Top executives with Bombardier are actively dispelling predictions the company will hive off its struggling Learjet division to Chinese interests and concentrate on its highly profitable line of large-cabin business jets. In an interview with the Montreal Gazette, the newspaper says Bombardier Aerospace President Guy Hachey and Steve Ridolfi, president of the business jet division, […]

Airbus set a record at Paris last week for the most airplanes ever sold at an airshow by any manufacturer, with 730 orders worth over $70 billion. The A320neo, which promises 15 percent less fuel burn plus more range and payload than the popular A320, led the pack with 667 orders, making it the best-selling […]