50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United States aviation news

First RAAF P-8A takes shape at Renton final assembly line

Boeing has released two photos of the first Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft undergoing final assembly at the manufacturer’s Renton facility just outside Seattle. The first photograph, taken on March 11, shows the wings being joined on the aircraft, while the second photograph shows the tail being added. Acquisition of eight P-8As for the...

Boeing Runs Up the Score on Airbus

More and more, it looks like the sky's the limit for Boeing 737 sales.  2016 is not looking like a good year for Airbus . In the perpetual, and perpetually renewing, race to sell the most airplanes in a calendar year, Airbus has beaten Boeing with a stick for three years running. But 2016 looks to be the year that Boeing turns the tide. And how. Keeping score Last week, we ran...

Bell speeds 525 prototype to 200kt

Bell Helicopter has now taken its developmental 525 super-medium twin to a speed of above 200kt (370km/h) as it prepares for the arrival of the programme’s third flight-test vehicle. The Dallas-based manufacturer says the Relentless has accumulated over 300h of flight and ground testing across its two certification prototypes. Envelope expansion work is “nearly complete”, i...

Airbus nears deal to sell 37 A321 jets to Delta: sources

European planemaker Airbus is close to a deal to sell 37 current-generation A321 passenger jets to Delta Air Lines, three people familiar with the matter said. Such a deal would be worth $4.3 billion at list prices. Airbus declined to comment. A Delta spokesman said "no decision has been made on any aircraft transaction." If confirmed by the airline's board, which has the fi...

A350 XWB full-flight simulator installed at Airbus Training Center in Miami

Airbus Training Center (ATC) in Miami – part of the growing worldwide network of Training by Airbus* facilities – has installed its first A350 XWB full-flight simulator. The A350 XWB simulator has received Level-D** qualification from both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).  This is the first A350 XWB full-flight...

Blackhawk gains EASA approval of PT6A-140 for Cessna Caravan upgrade

Blackhawk Modifications, the leading provider of engine upgrades for turboprop aircraft, announced the continued growth of their portfolio of worldwide certified engine upgrades with the European Aviation Safety Alliance (EASA) approval of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 engine upgrade for the Cessna Caravan and Grand Caravan. The added performance and value associated with the Blackhawk X...

U.S. poised to approve Boeing fighter jet sales to Qatar, Kuwait

The U.S. government is poised to approve two long-delayed sales of Boeing Co fighter jets to Qatar and Kuwait, and could announce the multibillion-dollar deals during President Barack Obama's visit to the Gulf this week, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Both deals have been stalled amid concerns raised by Israel that equipment sent to Gulf states could fall into the wrong...

DARPA VTOL X-plane takes flight in miniature

It may look like a backwards airplane with a collection of fans for wings, but a miniature test version of DARPA's Vertical Take-off and Landing Experimental Plane (VTOL X-Plane) took to the skies recently. According to the builder, Aurora Flight Sciences, the subscale vehicle demonstrator (SVD) prototype of the LightningStrike successfully completed a series of takeoff, hover, and landing man...

Boeing proposes 3D printing "ice" for aircraft certification

In another potential aerospace application for 3D printing, Boeing has filed an application with the US Patent Office for a way to make artificial "ice." The company isn't planning on making novelty ice cubes for the first class passengers (yet), but has come up with a way of printing plastic and composite shapes that can be tacked onto the wings and other surfaces to simulate icing...

FedEx Employee Falls Asleep While Loading Packages on Plane

A FedEx employee who works at the company’s Memphis hub ended up in Lubbock, Texas, last Friday after he fell asleep on the job. According to KJTV-TV, the unidentified worker was loading packages on the plane when he became extremely exhausted and fell asleep. Without noticing him in the back of the airplane, the pilots departed Memphis like normal. But sometime during the flight, the wor...

You can fly ’em, but you can’t shoot ’em

The FAA wants people to stop shooting drones. At least 12 drones have been shot out of the sky in five U.S. states and the Federal Aviation Authority says it’s a federal crime, according to a report in Forbes. Even if they’re over your house. Even if they’re carrying running chainsaws. The FAA says you can’t shoot them down and you can’t disturb or interfere with s...

Helicopter crashes on train tracks near Baltimore-Washington Airport

A helicopter crashed on rail tracks near Baltimore/Washington International Airport on Saturday, sparking a brush fire and delaying Amtrak train service along a major passenger route, officials said. The crash, which injured three on board, resulted in delays to Amtrak service between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., according to the railroad's statements and social media posts. An Amtrak...