50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United States aviation news

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...

Boeing rolls out first 737 MAX

Boeing has marked the on-schedule roll out of the first 737 MAX with a low-key ceremony at its Renton manufacturing facility just outside Seattle. The 737 MAX 8, named Sprit of Renton, emerged from the factory and went into the paint hangar on November 30, which Boeing said was “the precise date determined when the MAX development schedule was defined more than four years ago”....

United Airlines to Stop Flying to Dubai

United Airlines on Wednesday said it will cancel flight service between Washington and Dubai starting in late January, meaning no U.S. passenger carrier will fly direct to the Gulf states. The move comes after the U.S. government awarded a government contract for travel on the route in 2016 to rival JetBlue Airways Corp and its codeshare partner Emirates, which will operate the Washington-...

GAMA/Build A Plane Aviation Design Competition Registration Now Open

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and Build A Plane announced today that they are sponsoring the fourth Aviation Design Challenge. Registration for the competition to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education among U.S. high school students is open to the first 100 schools that enter. In three years, the STEM curriculum upon which the competition is...