50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United States aviation news

Spirit Air’s Ousted CEO Walks Away With $1 Million and Free Flights for Life

Ben Baldanza resigned his position as Spirit Airlines CEO and also his board position on January 4. His separation agreement with the airline was revealed Friday evening in an SEC filing by the company. Baldanza will receive $1 million divided into monthly payments over the next two years and he will consult for the airline for one year. His annual salary at Spirit had been $500,000 as...

Constant Aviation and Lone Star AOG to merge

Constant Aviation is merging with Lone Star AOG. The combined companies will operate under Constant Aviation and the full transition will take 30 days. “The AOG business at Constant Aviation has been growing consistently the last year.” Stephen Maiden, president & CEO at Constant Aviation said: “The AOG business at Constant Aviation has been growing consistently the las...

UAV registrations at 181,000; model aircraft group fights rule

FAA administrator Michael Huerta said the mandatory registration process for recreational unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has proceeded smoothly, with 181,000 registrations completed so far. The number of registrations represents owners of UAVs weighing between .55 lbs. and 55 lbs.; an owner can register multiple vehicles using the same number. FAA launched a registration website Dec. 21. &l...

Man arrested for repeatedly pointing laser at news helicopter

He allegedly pointed a green laser at least four times -- three cases from outside, plus once through an apartment window -- at a TV news helicopter racing to the scene of a New Jersey fire. And because of that, Stiven Lopez-Bender now faces the prospect of five years in federal prison. Authorities arrested the 26-year-old on Thursday, a day after a criminal complaint was filed accusing him...

Associated Air Center Completes FAA STC Certification for Installation of CPDLC/FANS System on BBJ

Associated Air Center , through its in-house Organization Designation Authorization delegation, has obtained a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the installation of a Controller-Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC) System — as part of the requirements for Future Air Navigation System (FANS) — on a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) VIP ...

Boeing Achieves Record Commercial Airplanes Deliveries in 2015

Boeing delivered 762 commercial airplanes in 2015, 39 more than the previous year and most ever for the company as it enters its centennial year. “The Boeing team has worked hard to achieve strong performance,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner. “Our team did a fantastic job achieving higher deliveries and getting our products to our custo...

FAA Proposes $417,500 Civil Penalty Against FedEx

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes a $417,500 civil penalty against FedEx of Memphis, Tenn., for allegedly operating an aircraft that was not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations. The FAA alleges that FedEx failed to rebalance a horizontal stabilizer tab control surface on the Boeing 727 after repainting the pa...

Boeing, Air China Finalize Order for Six 777-300ERs

Boeing and Air China announced an order for six additional 777-300ER (Extended Range) jetliners. The order is valued at more than $2 billion at current list prices and bolsters Air China’s long-haul widebody fleet as it looks to expand its international network. “The 777-300ER has consistently proved its value as a long-haul flagship for our customers around the world, making it the...

Cessna Drops Citation CJ2+ from Product Lineup

The Cessna Citation CJ2+ is no longer in production, as the Citation M2—an upgraded CJ1 with Garmin G3000 avionics—and CJ3+ “have proven to be a great fit for our customers in this space,” a Textron Aviation spokeswoman confirmed. The CJ2+ (Model 525A) has been built on the same production line as the CJ3+ and CJ4, so “we could build it if required for a customer miss...

Boeing wins $855 million contract for T-38C logistics support

Boeing Co has been awarded a contract worth $855 million to provide "avionics component integration and contractor logistics support" for T-38C aircraft, the Pentagon said on Monday. The work is expected to be completed by January 2026, the Department of Defense said in its daily digest of major contract awards. It said two offers had been received but did not identify the compan...

Pilot in Alaska crash took the plane without permission

A pilot who crashed a small Civil Air Patrol plane into office buildings in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, was using the search-and-rescue aircraft without permission, the organization said Monday.   Civil Air Patrol national spokeswoman Julie DeBardelaben said pilot Doug Demarest did not make a request to fly, as required. Demarest was the only person killed on Dec. 29 when the Cessna...

Paramount Business Jets Celebrates 10th Anniversary by Establishing New Scholarship Opportunity

Worldwide aircraft charter provider Paramount Business Jets (PBJ) recently marked 10 years of assisting clients across the United States and around the globe with their charter aircraft needs by establishing a new scholarship opportunity for college students considering careers in aviation and aerospace. Founded July 1, 2005 in Manhattan, New York and now headquartered in Leesburg, Virginia, Pa...