50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United States aviation news

First Boeing 737 MAX Flight Expected Friday, January 29

As long as Mother Nature and other factors cooperate, the first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft is expected to take to the skies over Washington on Friday, January 29. The 737 MAX has received over 3,000 orders from more than 60 customers worldwide; although the Airbus A320neo has received more orders than the MAX program, the Boeing 737 is still the world’s best-selling commercial aircraft throu...

FAA approves Honeywell’s hardware for Inmarsat Global Xpress inflight wireless

Honeywell Aerospace’s JetWave™ wireless in-flight connectivity system has received U.S. Federal Aviation Administration approval for the Boeing 757. Honeywell’s JetWave is the exclusive hardware for aircraft to connect to Inmarsat’s Global Xpress, the only high-speed broadband satellite network spanning the globe that will provide fast, seamless and reliable connectivity ov...

Airport scare: Plow truck drives under plane on runway, narrowly avoids accident

Although there may not be a lot of planes taking off in the middle of the afternoon there is still always a lot of traffic on the runway at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Everything from fuel trucks to security cars move around the field, but only if they have permission from the tower. But on Sunday night a snow plow driver for some reason went through a mandatory stop area and on...

Enough of the crammed economy class seats — it’s time to do something!

One of the airline trends we’re watching in 2016 was started by Airbus last summer: packing 11 seats per row on its A380 superjumbo jets. It’s become a knee-crushing arms race, or, as the airlines like to call it, “cost savings.” But, who really wins? It’s not hard to argue that, in economy class today, the majority of the seats are too small. Given the la...

Air Force drones had a record number of crashes last year

The Air Force has a huge drone problem that's costing the military division a pretty penny. A total of 20 drones were completely destroyed or sustained at least $2 million in damages when they crashed in 2015, according to The Washington Post. That's the highest number of mishaps within a year so far, over twice the number of accidents in 2014. Half of those incidents involve the military&...

This Is How The Pentagon Knows Its Combat Aircraft Can Withstand A Blizzard

While the East Coast turns into a less-than-wonderful winter wonderland, the Department of Defense can rest assured that even their most advanced and finicky aircraft left out in the cold will be just fine. This piece of mind comes from testing done at the U.S. Air Force’s one-of-a-kind torture chamber: the McKinley Climatic Lab. 5 This huge testing facility was built in 1947 as part o...

Boeing Jumbo jet production fading

US aircraft maker Boeing is throttling back production of its biggest jet, the Boeing 747-8 Jumbo, and Europe's Airbus is likewise making fewer giant A380s. But experts say big jets may make a comeback in a decade or so. Boeing's head of passenger aircraft production, Ray Conner, announced Friday in New York that the company would reduce its annual production rate of Boeing 747-8 &q...

Private jets research from Gama Aviation

New research from Gama Aviation reveals that the three main airports servicing the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos see a significant spike in private jet activity in January as delegates fly in. In January 2015, there were around 896 business aviation flights at Zurich airport, and the corresponding figures for St. Gallen-Altenrhein and Samedan airports were 288 and 205 respectively. The...

Alaska Air Group Reports Record Adjusted Fourth Quarter 2015 and Full-Year Results and Raises Dividend 38%

Financial Highlights: Reported record fourth quarter net income, excluding special items, of $186 million, a 49% increase over the fourth quarter of 2014. Adjusted diluted earnings per share of $1.46 was a 55% increase over the fourth quarter of 2014. This quarter’s results compare to a First Call analyst consensus estimate of $1.40 per share. Reported record full-year net income, excl...

Boeing to Reduce 747 Production Rate, Recognize Fourth-Quarter Charge

The Boeing Company announced  it will lower the production rate on the 747-8 program to match supply with near-term demand in the cargo market. To account for the market and production impacts, the company will recognize a $569 million after-tax charge ($0.84 per share) when it announces financial results for the fourth quarter of 2015. “Global air passenger traffic growth and a...

United orders 40 737-700s to replace RJs

United Airlines has ordered 40 Boeing 737-700s as part of its programme to retire small regional jets. Deliveries of the 737s will begin in the middle of 2017 and will allow the Chicago-based carrier to reduce its fleet of 50-seat aircraft by more than half by 2019, it says. United had 256 50-seat regional jets at the end of 2015. "These aircraft are an efficient way to mee...

Van Nuys aviation firm ordered to pay $1.86 million to former saleswoman for sexual harrasment

A jury today ordered a Van Nuys-based aviation firm to pay $1.86 million to a former top saleswoman for the company, who alleged she was stalked on business trips by a then-FBI agent/client. A Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated for less than a day before finding that 47-year-old Doreen Olson Mackey was a victim of sexual harassment and retaliation in her lawsuit against Helinet Aviatio...