The runway at Tampa Executive Airport was temporarily closed Saturday after a single-engine Bonanza landed with its gear in the up position. The pilot was the only passenger in the plane and was not injured, according to Tampa International Airport communications manager Danny Valentine. Valentine said the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration will investig...
A solar-powered airplane on a journey around the world was preparing to land in California on Saturday night to complete a risky, three-day flight across the Pacific Ocean. The Solar Impulse 2 was flying in a holding pattern off the San Francisco coast on 70 percent of stored energy while waiting for winds to decrease for landing at Moffett Airfield in Mountain View. The aircraft perfo...
India is set to flight test, in June, a home-grown reusable launch vehicle to demonstrate its capability to re-enter atmosphere and return to earth for more space missions, a top official said on Saturday. "The winged vehicle, in the shape of an aircraft, is on way to Sriharikota for the maiden flight test in June from our spaceport there," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) ch...
It has three floors, a gym and there is always a doctor on board. But getting a ride on Air Force One can be tricky. Only 13 journalists are allowed to travel with the president when he flies, and this week the BBC's Jon Sopel managed to bag a seat on the plane. As the BBC's North America editor, I travel all the time. From one regional airport to another on American airlines where the...
Facing frequent technical problems in its Dreamliner fleet, the absence of contractual provisions is hindering Air India’s efforts to get financial compensation from aircraft-maker Boeing. National carrier Air India, which is working to turnaround its fortunes, has been grappling with technical glitches with the “game-changer” Dreamliner aircraft since their induction in the f...
After an interminable wait in three security checkpoints, you finally make it to the terminal and settle in for a little bite of pre-flight food. Flying always gives you butterflies, so you skip the Cricket Bistro and instead grab a Soylent greenshake, chugging it as you make your way to the gate. After putting your hand through the biometric scanner, and hoverboard your way down the gangway be...
On the weekend when English football is gripped by FA Cup fever, Emirates has played its part with the unveiling of its latest themed Airbus A380 aircraft. The Emirates FA Cup A380 was presented ahead of the semi-final stage of football’s oldest cup competition, of which the Dubai carrier last year became the first title sponsor in its 144-year history. This season’s first semi-f...
Some years we see cataclysmically new products at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. Other years, it is a year of incremental improvements. This year was definitely one of those latter years. Stelia’s new optional extra-length addition on its staggered, fully flat bed with direct aisle access Solstys product, for example, which has often faced the issue of centre seats in particular...
The Finnish transport safety agency TRAFI is to become the first body to start using the new IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) after signing a memorandum of understanding at the IATA Ops conference in Copenhagen this week. According to Tony Tyler, DG and CEO of IATA, this may help “reduce redundant audits while maintaining adherence to the global standards and recommended practices tha...
Etihad Airways has taken a step forward in its digital innovation strategy with the launch of its travel app for the iPhone. The mobile app is one of many solutions being developed by the carrier as part of its Digital Guest Innovation strategy, it said in a statement on Saturday. “Through technology, we’re creating more personalised and tailored digital services and...
War planes have taken to the skies above Caboolture, north of Brisbane, to highlight the role of Australian aviators this Anzac Day long weekend. Seven World War I planes went on show with aerial manoeuvres, complete with gunners standing up in the rear. The event, hosted at the Caboolture Airfield by the Australian Vintage Aviation Society, wants to highlight Australia's little-known in...
PETALING JAYA: Rayani Air employees who announced plans to take over the airline have been described as “acting like children”, with the troubled airline’s chief executive suggesting that they “start their own airline if they are so smart”, according to Star Online. Rayani chief executive Ravi Alagendrran also dismissed a threat action by airline staff to recover u...
The idea of the electric plane has existed since the electric car came into existence. Imagine getting out of the plane only to see the flight attendants plugging a giant cable into a charging station. It sounds like something from the future, but an electric plane may not be as far away as people think. The electric plane would be far better for the environment, it would use rechargeable batte...
A flight to New York has been diverted to Ireland after declaring an emergency minutes after it took off from Manchester Airport. The plane was diverted to Shannon Airport in County Clare amid reports of smoke in a lavatory, according to tracking website Air Live. Pakistan International Airlines Flight 711 was due to fly to John F Kennedy International Airport after its departure schedu...
Investigators into the crash of an Air Algerie flight in Mali that killed 116 people in 2014 have called for expanded anti-icing protection and better procedures and training after the pilots lost control while trying to avoid a storm. A final report by France's BEA agency, presented in Mali and Paris, focused on the way pilots responded to problems initially caused by the icing of vital pr...
Barrel-rolls, skewed-loops, ‘Cuban diamonds’, Nesterov maneuvers… experience all the aerial stunts from the cockpit of a fighter jet in RT’s 360 panoramic video taken at a rehearsal for this year’s Victory-Day parade in Moscow. Russian Defense Force aircraft have been practicing their maneuvers at Kubinka, just outside of Moscow, with some 100 helicopters and airp...
Describing it as an "urgent safety issue," the Federal Aviation Administration has ordered modifications on specific General Electric engines on some 787 Dreamliners because an icing problem could force those engines to shut down in flight. Friday's FAA airworthiness directive stems from a January 29 incident aboard a 787 flying at about 20,000 feet. "Ice shed from the fan...
Deutsche Lufthansa AG Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr said the German carrier wants to play a role in the further consolidation of Europe’s airlines, while suggesting that full mergers aren’t the only option. Responding to reports that Lufthansa is exploring bids for Scandinavian Airlines parent SAS AB and the Condor arm of Thomas Cook Group Plc, Spohr said Friday that the sto...
CHC Group, one of the world’s two largest helicopter operators, this week announced that it had decided not to make an interest payment on its bonds that mature in October 2020. It was due to pay $46 million on Monday. Although investors in the 9.25% senior secured notes are not happy, the company has a 30-day grace period before it is technically in default on these bonds. CHC could...
Columbia Helicopters has signed a deal with the US Forest Service to provide five aircraft under contract to assist in battling wildland fires. The helicopters provided will include two CH-47D Chinook helicopters that are equipped with newly certified internal tanks that will permit the aircraft to fight fires in urban areas. The company’s two tanked CH-47D helicopters will report to thei...
Scoot, the low-cost, medium-haul arm of the Singapore Airlines Group, which operates an all-787 Dreamliner fleet, is set to launch operations to India beginning May. Scoot will start operating to Chennai and Amritsar from Singapore on May 24, and begin services to Jaipur on October 2. “Scoot is excited to bring our proposition of value travel and service with Scootitude to gu...
