50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United States aviation news

Air Force One: A trip with special M&Ms and James Bond

It has three floors, a gym and there is always a doctor on board. But getting a ride on Air Force One can be tricky. Only 13 journalists are allowed to travel with the president when he flies, and this week the BBC's Jon Sopel managed to bag a seat on the plane. As the BBC's North America editor, I travel all the time. From one regional airport to another on American airlines where the...

New York-bound flight diverted to Ireland after declaring emergency

A flight to New York has been diverted to Ireland after declaring an emergency minutes after it took off from Manchester Airport. The plane was diverted to Shannon Airport in County Clare amid reports of smoke in a lavatory, according to tracking website Air Live. Pakistan International Airlines Flight 711 was due to fly to John F Kennedy International Airport after its departure schedu...

FAA orders 'urgent' engine fixes for Boeing 787 Dreamliners

Describing it as an "urgent safety issue," the Federal Aviation Administration has ordered modifications on specific General Electric engines on some 787 Dreamliners because an icing problem could force those engines to shut down in flight. Friday's FAA airworthiness directive stems from a January 29 incident aboard a 787 flying at about 20,000 feet. "Ice shed from the fan...

CHC sets hard deadline

CHC Group, one of the world’s two largest helicopter operators, this week announced that it had decided not to make an interest payment on its bonds that mature in October 2020. It was due to pay $46 million on Monday. Although investors in the 9.25% senior secured notes are not happy, the company has a 30-day grace period before it is technically in default on these bonds. CHC could...

Trump Can't Fly His Private Jet Anymore Because He Didn't Pay the $5 Registration

For the past few months, Donald Trump has been too busy presenting insane plans about funding his wall and confusing 9/11 with 7-Eleven to fork over the measly $5 necessary to register his private plane, and now the Trump jet is grounded, the New York Times reports. Earlier in April, the Times reported the plane had been making the rounds with an expired registration since February 1. Because o...

Bell V-280 taking form in Amarillo

Bell Helicopter’s third-generation tiltrotor, the V-280 Valor, is literally coming together in Amarillo, Texas, as the company enters the final stages of mating the wing with the fuselage. It’s a moment of truth for the engineers and fabricators who have been working on prototype aircraft, which is being prepared to fly in September 2017 as part of the US Army’s Joint-Mul...

Textron Aviation bolsters factory-direct Citation, King Air and Hawker support programs

Textron Aviation Inc. announced it has added new factory-direct coverage programs – Pre-Buy Assurance, Extended Care and King Air Direct – furthering its commitment in supporting the world’s largest installed fleet. Through these new programs, Citation, King Air and Hawker customers can increase efficiency, reduce costs and optimize the value of their aircraft. “As the m...

Solar plane successfully departs from Hawaii with no fuel

 Two pilots are slowly carving their way into a new future of solar-powered flight as one embarks on the latest leg of their around-the-world journey in a plane powered only by the sun. After some uncertainty about winds, the Solar Impulse team took off from Hawaii on Thursday, and hours later it was still ascending over the Pacific attempting to reach a high altitude before night sets in....

XTI Aircraft exceeds $1 million in equity crowdfunding investments

After capturing the imagination of the public with its TriFan 600 vertical takeoff airplane, XTI Aircraft Company (XTI) is accelerating its development program and redoubling efforts to translate excitement about the aircraft into $3 million in actual investments. The $3 million milestone is essential to fund important next steps in an accelerated development program that in...

First RAAF P-8A takes shape at Renton final assembly line

Boeing has released two photos of the first Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft undergoing final assembly at the manufacturer’s Renton facility just outside Seattle. The first photograph, taken on March 11, shows the wings being joined on the aircraft, while the second photograph shows the tail being added. Acquisition of eight P-8As for the...

Boeing Runs Up the Score on Airbus

More and more, it looks like the sky's the limit for Boeing 737 sales.  2016 is not looking like a good year for Airbus . In the perpetual, and perpetually renewing, race to sell the most airplanes in a calendar year, Airbus has beaten Boeing with a stick for three years running. But 2016 looks to be the year that Boeing turns the tide. And how. Keeping score Last week, we ran...

Bell speeds 525 prototype to 200kt

Bell Helicopter has now taken its developmental 525 super-medium twin to a speed of above 200kt (370km/h) as it prepares for the arrival of the programme’s third flight-test vehicle. The Dallas-based manufacturer says the Relentless has accumulated over 300h of flight and ground testing across its two certification prototypes. Envelope expansion work is “nearly complete”, i...