50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United States aviation news

Top US airlines ban hoverboards over fire concerns

The three leading US airline groups have announced a ban on so-called hoverboards, saying their batteries present an unacceptable fire hazard. American, Delta and United airlines say the ban will apply to checked and carry-on luggage on all flights. A US government agency is investigating the two-wheeled scooters after receiving at least 10 reports of fires. Other airlines have already...

John Ratzenberger to Host Elite Aviation Products' Second Annual Aerospace & Defense Symposium

Elite Aviation Products, an advanced design, engineering, and manufacturing company within the aerospace industry, will host their second annual Aerospace & Defense Symposium at the Lyon Air Museum in Santa Ana, California. The event will include a wide variety of guests from original equipment manufacturers, financial institutions, industry leaders, media and elected officials.  ...

Aviation safety at risk as drone sales soar

When the pilot of an Alitalia jetliner reported seeing a drone while approaching New York's Kennedy Airport in 2013, the likelihood of a collision between a drone and a commercial jet seemed pretty remote. But over the past two years, aviation experts and regulators in the US have become increasingly concerned about the growing number of drones flying near airports and the risks they could...

World War II-era transport plane to anchor aviation museum

More than 70 years after it led Allied aircraft during the D-Day invasion, the C-47 That's All Brother is being readied for its new home in Dallas. Before it can fly to Texas, the historic World War II airplane is being resurrected from a Wisconsin aircraft boneyard, where it was discovered last year by an aviation buff. "As soon as the news broke, there was a lot of interest from m...

Boeing’s Rachelle Ornan-Stone: from Space Camp to Starliner

Dr Rachelle Ornan-Stone wanted to be an astronaut when she grew up. Instead, she’s the Regional Director of Cabin Experience and Revenue Analysis at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, with a background in psychology and design — and, yes, NASA — working on airline and spaceship cabin interiors. “The most exciting project that I’ve worked on to date was the design of the...

Study: It’s Only a Matter of Time Until a Drone Hits a U.S. Airliner

A new report on drone sightings and close encounters with aircraft finds that the proliferation of drones is quickly creating an unsafe environment in the air above U.S. airports. The Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College collected data from 931 incidents involving drones and manned aircraft in U.S. airspace from Dec. 17, 2013, to Sept. 12, 2015. A close encounter is defined by the...

Brawling Irish UFC Fans Force JetBlue Flight to Return to JFK

Fans flying to a UFC featherweight showdown in Las Vegas were treated to some in-flight fisticuffs when two brawling passengers forced their plane to return to New York. JetBlue Flight 611 was just 25 minutes into its flight Thursday night when the flying fracas erupted, the MailOnline reported. Passenger Damien Coyne told the site he was "embarrassed and angry" about the inci...

Pilots Bill of Rights 2 Wins Senate Commerce Approval

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee December 9 approved by voice vote a compromise version of the Pilots Bill of Rights 2 that addressed concerns raised last month during initial consideration of the measure. The bill, S.571, a follow-on to the original Pilots Bill of Right that would ease certain current third-class medical requirements and strengthen pilot protections during enforc...

Boeing Books US$1.1 Billion in Orders, Races to Hit Sales Target

Boeing Co booked 11 new jetliner orders worth about US$1.1 billion at list prices on Thursday, leaving it with about 180 more sales to land this month to meet its 2015 target. The world's largest plane maker also affirmed that orders will roughly equal the 755-760 jetliners it had expected to deliver to customers this year. European rival Airbus said this week it had booked 1,007 net ord...

Branson Airline Lands EUR304 Million - Without Selling Its Lucrative Heathrow Slots

Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways said it raised 220 million pounds (EUR304 million) from Europe's first-ever bonds secured against airport operating slots. The issue, backed by scarce take-off and landing positions at London's Heathrow airport, will help finance long- term investments including the purchase of new aircraft Virgin said. The deal is the company...

Delta, American and United Ban Hoverboards as a Fire Danger

The three largest U.S. airlines are banning hoverboards because of the potential fire danger from the lithium-ion batteries that power the devices. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines said Thursday they are banning hoverboards in checked or carry-on luggage. JetBlue Airways has already prohibited them. Hoverboards are motorized, two-wheel, skateboard-sized scooters th...

Two ATC agencies 'blacklist' 787 over position-data flaw

Most of the Boeing 787s delivered to date contain a software defect that, in at least five identified aircraft, have erroneously reported their location to controllers, prompting two air traffic management agencies to put the Dreamliner on a “blacklist” for certain services. Although it denies the software defect creates a safety hazard, Boeing says a service bulletin with instructi...