50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United States aviation news

Massive, speedy robots ready to build composite wings for Boeing 777X

To fabricate the composite parts of the giant wings of Boeing’s 777X, Mukilteo-based engineering firm Electroimpact has designed and built a new generation of robotic machines that haven’t been previously shown to outsiders. Inside a new building just west of Paine Field in Everett, a team of young engineers recently gave outsiders the first glimpse at a technological advance critic...

AAC Completes First Head-of-state Boeing 787-8

Completions specialist Associated Air Center (AAC) redelivered the industry’s first head-of-state-configured Boeing 787-8 to an undisclosed customer. (In 1989, AAC completed the first head-of-state-configured 757-200 for the same customer.) AAC’s in-house team designed the interior. Its 2,404 sq ft of cabin space can accommodate 82 passengers in three cabin zones, while...

NYC Helitour Operators Forced To Accept 50% Flight Cut

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's (D) office announced a deal earlier this week that would force the city's five existing helitour operators using the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, located near Wall Street on the East River, to curtail flights by 50 percent by Jan. 1, 2017. Reductions will begin in April, with an elimination of all Sunday flights followed by further cuts of 20 percen...

INTERVIEW: Ed Bastian, Delta's CEO-elect

Ahead of his being named as Delta Air Lines' CEO-elect, Ed Bastian – a key architect in the carrier's success – spoke to LEK Consulting's John Thomas and Spencer Stuart's Michael Bell, who have been conducting a series of behind-the-curtain analyses for Airline Business to understand how the industry's top players excel Over the last five years, Delta A...

Donald Trump's plane makes emergency landing

Donald Trump's plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday because of engine trouble. The Boeing 757 was on its way from Mr Trump's home base of New York to Little Rock, Arkansas, where the property mogul and Republican presidential candidate was due to address a rally. The private jet landed safely at 4:40 pm after reporting engine problems, a...

Delta announces CEO Anderson will retire in May

Richard Anderson will retire as CEO of Delta Arlines effective May 2, as part of a succession plan that has been several years in the making, the company said Wednesday. "Under Richard's leadership, Delta has become the most profitable and best run airline that consistently delivers excellent customer service," said Dan Carp, chairman of the board. "The entire Board of D...

Rise mulls European move as US demand grows

US membership-based operator Rise is evaluating the European market, with a view to launching a modified version of its scheduled business aircraft service on the continent. Speaking on the sidelines of the Corporate Jet Investor conference in London on 1 February, Rise co-founder and chief operating officer Dan Caine said Europe could be the next step in its strategy to expand the programme gl...

Boeing Capital Upbeat on Market Growth

Boeing Capital projects that airlines and lessors generally will encounter few problems acquiring aircraft financing this year. It describes the market as healthy as order books remain strong, industry growth continues to outstripGDP and airlines continue to turn more profits than they have in decades, all the while low fuel prices offset the effects on economies of the commodities crisi...

Boeing Delivers First 787 Dreamliner to Saudia

Boeing and Saudia, Saudi Arabia's national airline, today celebrated the triple delivery of two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and a 777-300ER (Extended Range). A third Dreamliner will be delivered to Saudia within the next week. The airline ordered eight 787-9s in 2010. Saudia is no stranger to such large deliveries. In December 1999, Boeing delivered three 777s to Saudia....

Jet Aviation St. Louis Upgrades Aircraft Paint Shop

Jet Aviation St. Louis recently upgraded the controls for climate, air quality and final finish at its paint shop. It also acquired devices that analyze paint color tint, inspect pearl and metallic paints, measure the smoothness of the paint finish and assess the level of paint gloss. “Our new computerized and automated climate-control system, painter decontamination chambers, and pa...

Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference Reaches New Heights

Not even the looming threat of January’s winter storm Jonas was enough to dampen the enthusiasm for NBAA’s 27th annual Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference held in Tampa, Fla., as show organizers hailed the latest edition as the most successful in its history, surpassing the 25th-anniversary show in New Orleans. A slate of educational sessions–nearly 30 this year, d...

NASA transports its Mars crew capsule in the belly of a really weird cargo plane

NASA's Orion capsule — the spacecraft that could one day take humans to Mars — is going on an important flight today. Unfortunately it's not into space. Instead, the main structure of the vehicle is being transported from the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana, where the capsule was built, to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. That's where it will live until it goes on it...