News

As we reported last week, the Liberty Foundation’s pristine B-17 Liberty Belle was lost near Chicago in an unfortunate set of circumstances that started with a fire on board. It became an injury-free off-airport landing (all seven on board got out safely) and ended with the loss of the aircraft because fire trucks couldn’t get […]

A train carrying subassemblies for Boeing from Wichita to Everett, Wash., was hit by a tornado earlier this week and, based on this video posted to YouTube by StormChasingVideo.com (it’s the first 40 seconds) it seems likely there will be, at a minimum, some supply-chain disruptions at the Boeing plant. As the storm chasers mention […]

It was well known on opening day at the Paris Air Show that the Airbus A380 demo plane had “brushed” a building and wouldn’t be able to fly but it wasn’t clear exactly what had happened. Well, the accompanying photos, which are circulating on the Internet but appear to have originated at AirlineReporter.com, give a […]

Stanmore Cooper was once convicted for making and delivering a false writing while renewing his pilot certificate and his case has now reached the Supreme Court, where it may decide the scope of the 1974 Privacy Act. Cooper is HIV-positive and once disclosed his condition in order to receive Social Security benefits, but withheld it […]

A Southwest pilot who thought he was chatting with his co-pilot was actually talking over the ATC frequency when he made disparaging remarks about flight attendants, lacing his comments with hateful slurs and swearing. A Houston TV station acquired a recording of the March 25 remarks and posted it online this week. On the recording, […]

The Paris Air Show this week provides a venue for companies to show off their “green” initiatives. Two jets flew in from North America powered by alternative fuels. A Gulfstream G450 operated by Honeywell flew across the pond with “Honeywell Green Jet Fuel,” derived from camelina, mixed in a 50/50 blend with standard jet fuel […]

Russian planemaker Sukhoi will make a business-jet version of its SuperJet 100 regional airliner. The company announced the new aircraft Tuesday at the Paris Air Show and said market demand was behind the decision. It expects to be able to sell up to 100 of the $50 million business jets over the next 20 years. […]

Bell Helicopter announced at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday that it will sell off its BA609 civilian tiltrotor to AgustaWestland, which has been a partner in the program. Bell will continue to supply engineering services and key components for the aircraft. The decision will free up R&D resources for the V-22 Osprey and other […]

Perception is everything in the business jet industry these days and a European charter and leasing broker says changing those perceptions is her formula for success. Gabriella Somerville started UK-based ConnectJets in 2009 during the depths of the financial and identity crisis that gripped the industry. In a podcast interview with AVweb, she said the […]

It was just before midnight and foggy on Monday night when a Tupolev 134 on approach to the Petrozavodsk Airport in northwestern Russia hit trees and power lines, crashed and burned, killing 44 people. There were eight survivors, according to The Associated Press, who were rescued from the wreck by local citizens. The air traffic […]