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United States aviation news

Boeing Awarded $2.8B for KC-46A Tanker Initial Production

The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing [NYSE: BA] $2.8 billion on Aug. 18 for KC-46A tanker low-rate initial production. The award includes the first two “production lots” of 7 and 12 planes respectively, as well as spare parts. Including future options, Boeing plans to build a total of 179 of the 767-based refueling aircraft for the Air Force to replace their KC-135 fleet. “The...

Boeing, Nok Air Partner for Humanitarian Aid Flight

Boeing and Nok Air partnered today to launch a special humanitarian aid mission to Thailand. With the help of the international non-profit organization Vital Voices, whose mission is to invest in and empower women leaders, the airline's 22nd Next-Generation 737-800 will transport and deliver nearly 30 boxes full of relief items including clothes and school supplies. The it...

Hawaii's Paradise Helicopters signs fleet for Bell Helicopter Customer Advantage Plans

Bell Helicopter with the support of Able Aerospace Services, announced that Paradise Helicopters, a leading helicopter tour company in Hawaii, has signed its fleet of Bell 407s for the Customer Advantage Plan (CAP). Paradise is the first helicopter tour company to enroll in this new service solution. Bell Helicopter’s Customer Advantage Plans provide customers with comprehensive coverage soluti...

Man proves he can still fly a plane after 100 years

Percy Skinner decided he wanted to celebrate a milestone birthday in a unique way. “I turned 100 years old on June 17,” said Skinner. “Now I’m looking forward to 200.” Percy arrived at the airport along with several family and friends. They all were eagerly anticipating watching the man celebrate his milestone birthday with a milestone moment. With a gall...

Flexjet adds maiden Embraer Legacy 450

Flexjet LLC, offering travelers access to the world’s most luxurious fleet of private jets, today accepted its first Legacy 450 midsized business jet from Embraer (NYSE: ERJ). Flexjet becomes the first fractional fleet provider to take delivery of the Legacy 450, which the FAA certified in August 2015. Additional deliveries of the Legacy 450 are scheduled for later this year, with a total of five...

STS Line Maintenance Opens New Station in White Plaines, New York

STS Line Maintenance (STSLM), a division of STS Aviation Group, announces the opening a brand new line maintenance station in White Plaines, New York. The company will now provide on-call and scheduled aircraft services to all commercial and regional carriers operating out of Westchester County Airport (HPN). The new STS Line Maintenance station is powered by highly trained staff of Aircraft Ma...

Fitch: Commercial Aircraft Delivery Outlook Intact Despite Order Slowdown

Fitch Rating’s large commercial aircraft (LCA) delivery outlook for 2016 and 2017 is intact despite some weakness in parts of the widebody aircraft market, delivery deferrals across most regions of the airline industry, and a likely decline in new orders in 2016 compared to 2015. While Fitch is more cautious than at the beginning of the year, the record order backlog combined with other s...

FAA Announces Aviation Safety Rating for Indonesia

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced that Indonesia complies with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards and has been granted a Category 1 rating. The FAA first assessed Indonesia’s civil aviation authority in September 1997 and found it in compliance with ICAO standards and then...

Boeing will not raise 787 production

Boeing Co said it will not increase 787 output and could further cut 777 output unless sales of both jets improve, its clearest indication yet that its production of large jetliners may have peaked for now. "If the market's not going to demand it, we're not going to go," Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith said on the sidelines of an investor conference in New York by glob...

Boeing’s Crabtree optimistic for the rest of the year

The first half of the year has certainly been a rough  ride to date for the air cargo industry, but there is optimism in the air. Boeing’s Tom Crabtree, who is the US aircraft manufacturer’s air cargo airline market analyst, is sure there are better months on the horizon. He feels the industry is still on track to achieve growth in 2016 compared to 2015, and forecasts a bett...

Dreamliner makes history with plastic, outsourcing, design — and delays

By Dominic Gates When Boeing announced its vision for the new 787 Dreamliner in 2002, it was no surefire winner. Aviation pundits and many company employees openly questioned whether Boeing management was fully committed to remaining a power in the airliner business. Airbus was aviation's innovator then, pouring billions of euros into developing its new A380 superjumbo jet. Boeing seemed...

F-22 Raptor grounded by 20,000 bees

The US Air Force's F-22 Raptor may be the most advanced fighter jet in the world but even with $143 million-worth of stealth and supersonic capabilities, it proved to be no match for one unlikely adversary --- a huge swarm of honey bees. An F-22 aircraft from the 192nd Air Wing was temporarily grounded on June 11 after crew members at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia discovered nearly...