50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United States aviation news

Start-Ups Selling Seats on Private Jets Don’t Always Make It

Dannel Schwartz was agonizing over his wife’s 60th birthday gift when she proposed an idea herself. “She said, ‘You know, I don’t want to wait on another T.S.A. line. I want a private plane,’” said Mr. Schwartz, a retired rabbi who splits time between Florida and Maine. “We laughed. Then comes this email about how it would cost $4 a flight.” In...

Bell 505 Jet Ranger X makes Japan debut

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc.  company, announced the unveiling of the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday, June 7, 2016. This is the first time the Bell 505 has been on display in Japan and marks the beginning of a four-month demonstration tour across the region. Bell Helicopter leadership was available onsite at the unveiling to discuss the aircraft and it...

Cessna marks another program milestone, powers on first Citation Longitude

Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc.  company, today announced it has powered the electrical distribution system on the revolutionary Cessna Citation Longitude​ super-midsize jet, completing the next major step in the aircraft’s path to accomplish first flight this summer. This milestone occurs just three weeks after the company successfull...

Boeing wants in on the solar airplane craze

Boeing filed a patent application in recent weeks simply titled "Solar Powered Airplane," which proposes a wing-shaped drone with enormous winglets on either end completely covered in solar panels. The idea would be to make a drone capable of staying at high altitudes for long periods of time, similar to projects that are currently being undertaken at Facebook and Google. Why would Bo...

Titan Airways acquires brand new Phenom 300

Titan Airways has added a brand new Phenom 300 to its fleet.  The executive jet, which seats 9 passengers in ultimate comfort, was delivered to our London Stansted base on 27th May direct from the manufacturer in Fort Lauderdale, USA. The Phenom 300, the world’s most delivered business jet for the past three years, offers top-tier speed, climb and field performance, next-generat...

TAP Portugal Introduces A330 Aircraft and New Onboard Customer Experience on USA Routes

TAP Portugal today introduces new daily non-stop service to Lisbon from Boston’s Logan International airport. Launch fares for the new route start from just $799 (tax included), for roundtrip travel to Lisbon. With these new services, TAP is moving forward in the implementation of its network expansion strategy in the USA, thus allowing North American travelers to fly eas...

Avmax Certifies Lithium-ion Battery on Twin Otter Aircraft

True Blue Power and Avmax today announced the receipt of a Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) Part 23 Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for installation of the True Blue Power TB44 (46 amp hour) lithium-ion aircraft battery on Viking Air DHC-6 aircraft, commonly known as the Twin Otter. The two companies have applied for U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval of the same Pa...

Aerospace firm successfully tests solar-powered aircraft

A test pilot successfully flew a solar-powered prototype aircraft on Friday for a company that envisions manufacturing a fleet of drones to provide aerial internet service for an estimated 4 billion people worldwide. The test flight by Luminati Aerospace LLC took place at a former Northrop Grumman defense plant on eastern Long Island that once made military aircraft. Speakers at a ceremony befo...

: The FAA Says Airline Pilots Don't Need Psychological Testing

The Federal Aviation Administration has ruled out requiring psychological testing for airline pilots in favor of enhanced mental health support programs in response to a crash last year in which a German pilot deliberately flew an airliner full of passengers into a mountainside, agency administrator Michael Huerta said Thursday. Psychological tests are ineffective because they reveal a pilot&rs...

3 dead after plane crashes into car near Houston airport

Tree people were killed Thursday after a small plane crashed into a car in a parking lot near a Houston airport, fire officials said. Houston Fire Department spokesman Jay Evans said the plane crashed shortly after 1 p.m. into a car that was parked at a hardware store near Hobby Airport in the southeastern part of the city. Fire Capt. Ruy Lozano said offici...

Operations underway at Gulfstream's new Product Support Distribution Center

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. announced that its new Product Support Distribution Center (PSDC) has begun the core operations of shipping and receiving parts. The 405,868-square-foot/37,706-square-meter environment-friendly facility consolidated several of the company’s material distribution departments near the main Gulfstream Savannah campus. The climate-controlled PSDC, which was announce...

Human-carrying drone will start tests in Nevada

The first human-carrying drone has the green light to start testing as early as this year. The makers of EHang 184, an autonomous drone, will work with the state of Nevada on product development, flight testing and training. Huazhi Hu, founder and CEO of EHang, called the agreement a "big step" for the Chinese company. "[The partnership] will lay the foundation for its comm...