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United States aviation news

Airbus nears deal to sell 37 A321 jets to Delta: sources

European planemaker Airbus is close to a deal to sell 37 current-generation A321 passenger jets to Delta Air Lines, three people familiar with the matter said. Such a deal would be worth $4.3 billion at list prices. Airbus declined to comment. A Delta spokesman said "no decision has been made on any aircraft transaction." If confirmed by the airline's board, which has the fi...

A350 XWB full-flight simulator installed at Airbus Training Center in Miami

Airbus Training Center (ATC) in Miami – part of the growing worldwide network of Training by Airbus* facilities – has installed its first A350 XWB full-flight simulator. The A350 XWB simulator has received Level-D** qualification from both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).  This is the first A350 XWB full-flight...

Blackhawk gains EASA approval of PT6A-140 for Cessna Caravan upgrade

Blackhawk Modifications, the leading provider of engine upgrades for turboprop aircraft, announced the continued growth of their portfolio of worldwide certified engine upgrades with the European Aviation Safety Alliance (EASA) approval of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 engine upgrade for the Cessna Caravan and Grand Caravan. The added performance and value associated with the Blackhawk X...

U.S. poised to approve Boeing fighter jet sales to Qatar, Kuwait

The U.S. government is poised to approve two long-delayed sales of Boeing Co fighter jets to Qatar and Kuwait, and could announce the multibillion-dollar deals during President Barack Obama's visit to the Gulf this week, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Both deals have been stalled amid concerns raised by Israel that equipment sent to Gulf states could fall into the wrong...

DARPA VTOL X-plane takes flight in miniature

It may look like a backwards airplane with a collection of fans for wings, but a miniature test version of DARPA's Vertical Take-off and Landing Experimental Plane (VTOL X-Plane) took to the skies recently. According to the builder, Aurora Flight Sciences, the subscale vehicle demonstrator (SVD) prototype of the LightningStrike successfully completed a series of takeoff, hover, and landing man...

Boeing proposes 3D printing "ice" for aircraft certification

In another potential aerospace application for 3D printing, Boeing has filed an application with the US Patent Office for a way to make artificial "ice." The company isn't planning on making novelty ice cubes for the first class passengers (yet), but has come up with a way of printing plastic and composite shapes that can be tacked onto the wings and other surfaces to simulate icing...

FedEx Employee Falls Asleep While Loading Packages on Plane

A FedEx employee who works at the company’s Memphis hub ended up in Lubbock, Texas, last Friday after he fell asleep on the job. According to KJTV-TV, the unidentified worker was loading packages on the plane when he became extremely exhausted and fell asleep. Without noticing him in the back of the airplane, the pilots departed Memphis like normal. But sometime during the flight, the wor...

You can fly ’em, but you can’t shoot ’em

The FAA wants people to stop shooting drones. At least 12 drones have been shot out of the sky in five U.S. states and the Federal Aviation Authority says it’s a federal crime, according to a report in Forbes. Even if they’re over your house. Even if they’re carrying running chainsaws. The FAA says you can’t shoot them down and you can’t disturb or interfere with s...

Helicopter crashes on train tracks near Baltimore-Washington Airport

A helicopter crashed on rail tracks near Baltimore/Washington International Airport on Saturday, sparking a brush fire and delaying Amtrak train service along a major passenger route, officials said. The crash, which injured three on board, resulted in delays to Amtrak service between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., according to the railroad's statements and social media posts. An Amtrak...

Producers of Tom Cruise's Mena sued for wrongful death after plane crash

Last September, American film pilot Alan Purwin and Carlos Berl of Colombian were killed when a plane used for the Tom Cruise film Mena crashed in Colombia. Now his widow, Kathryn Purwin, has filed a wrongful death suit against producers on the project. According to court documents obtained by EW, Cross Creek Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, Vendian Entertainment, and Quadrant Pictures are name...

Plenty of Passengers, but Where Are the Pilots?

DELAYS or cancellations because of bad weather or mechanical problems are exasperating but common occurrences in air travel, but increasingly, passengers aren’t making it to their destinations for yet another reason: not enough pilots. The gate agent may not tell you that’s why you’re grounded, but a dearth of qualified pilots is disrupting, reducing and even eliminating flights....

FedDev Ontario provides $4.87 million for Flying Colours expansion plans

The Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario has announced a $4.87 million finance injection into Flying Colours the Canadian aviation services company that deals with aircraft refits. Maryam Monsef, Canadian minister of democratic Institutions, and Navdeep Bains minister of innovation for science and economic development, announced the deal. A global aviation services compan...