50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United States aviation news

Affordable Hypersonic Jets Could Be High-Flying Reality by 2023

Hypersonic aircraft and weapons that can fly more than five times the speed of sound may seem like a futuristic fantasy, but defense giant Lockheed Martin says it is committed to making these ultrafast innovations a reality. In fact, Lockheed Martin is doubling down on hypersonic aerospace technologies, Lockheed officials said recently at the company's Media Day. "Lockheed Martin co...

747-400 Global SuperTanker gets ready for action

The world’s largest aerial firefighting asset, the Boeing 747-400-based Global SuperTanker, is almost ready to begin commercial operations. Jim Wheeler, president and chief executive of Global SuperTanker Services, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, expects the US Federal Aviation Administration to approve an amended supplemental type certificate in early May. Investment group A...

Comlux America gains EASA 145 certificate

Comlux America has been awarded a Foreign EASA 145 Certificate making them the first stand-alone EASA certificate holder in the USA. The certificate allows Comlux to perform base maintenance and interior completions on European Union (EU) registered aircraft not type certificated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Since 2011 Comlux America has held an EASA supplement to their FAA...

Boom Is Serious About Building the Supersonic Passenger Jet of the Future

Already made up of a number of heavy-hitters in the aerospace industry, Boom just signed a deal with Virgin to make affordable supersonic travel a reality. It's been twelve-and-a-half years since the Concorde retired, and we haven't seen a viable supersonic passenger jet since, though not for want of trying. Many outlandish concepts have been proposed, and some feasible designs supporte...

Atlanta airport evacuated after bomb scare

The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was briefly evacuated Wednesday morning over a suspicious package that turned out to be a false alarm, though officials said they are continuing to work with law enforcement to monitor the situation. An unattended bag at the busy Atlanta airport received a “positive hit” from a canine explosives team around&nbs...

Amazon Has Spent Nearly $10 Million Lobbying for Drone Delivery

Amazon wants a future where drones will drop off practically anything you order within 30 minutes. To push legislation that will ensure the skies are filled with its autonomous, flying delivery robots, the e-commerce giant has ramped up its lobbying strategy in Washington, D.C. Amazon spent $9.4 million on lobbying in 2015, almost twice the total from the year before, according to records from...

The American Concordes that never flew

In November 1962, the British and French governments announced a deal that caused great distress in the boardrooms of American planemakers. The two countries announced plans to jointly build a new airliner, one that would be able to fly at more than twice the speed of sound. The aircraft – to be called ‘Concorde’ – would be the most advanced civilian aircraft in the worl...

Former colleague of FlyDubai captain tells of clues to crash

A German pilot who worked alongside the captain of Flight FZ981 has spoken of his shock at news of the crash in Russia, and his fears for former colleagues at FlyDubai after Saturday’s tragedy. The 39-year-old has been flying jets since 1998 and received his lead position command for a commercial airliner in 2005. He worked with the experienced Cypriot captain, Aristos Sokratous, for an a...

Updated Business Aviation Fatigue Management Guide Endorsed by ICAO

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recently endorsed a business aviation fatigue management guide that contains recommendations originally made by NBAA and the Flight Safety Foundation. In the most recent version of the Fatigue Management Guide for General Aviation Operators of Large and Turbojet Aeroplanes, several groups, including ICAO, the International Business Aviat...

First Airbus aircraft produced in the U.S. takes flight

The first Airbus aircraft produced in the U.S. Manufacturing Facility has flown for the first time. The A321, destined for JetBlue took off from the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley in Mobile, Alabama, at 9:36 a.m., performed its test sequences, and landed safely at 1:02 p.m.  The aircraft was flown by Test Pilots Mark McCullins and Bruce Macdonald. They were accompanied on the flight by Flight...

Eisenhower's Granddaughter Visits His Air Force One in Arizona

The nation's first Air Force One, which sat abandoned in the Arizona desert for more than a decade, is almost ready to take flight again. Columbine II, a Lockheed VC-121 Constellation 48-610, which once ushered President Dwight D. Eisenhower, received a VIP farewell reception Friday night. Among the attendees was the president's granddaughter, Mary Jean Eisenhower, who was born in Wa...

StandardAero Authorized as Major Maintenance Provider for Honeywell HTF7000 Turbofan Engines

 StandardAero has been authorized by Honeywell Aerospace as major maintenance provider for repair and overhaul services (MRO) for the Honeywell HTF7000 family of turbofan engines, powering Bombardier Challenger 300/350, Embraer Legacy 450/500, Gulfstream G280 and the recently announced Cessna Citation Longitude business jets. StandardAero will also own and maintain HTF7000 rental bank engi...