50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United States aviation news

Honeywell Aerospace releases upgrades to Primus Epic

Honeywell Aerospace has released new software upgrades for Primus Epic, its integrated cockpit system. One of the new features to be installed during the upgrades is the IntuVue 3-D Weather Radar Hazard 2.0, which detects hail and lightening, whereas the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) coupled autopilot, DynaCharts integrates arrival and departure terminal charts with the navigation...

United Offers Pilots 13% Raise in Bid to Find Labor Peace

United Continental Holdings Inc., seeking labor peace five years after the airline's creation in a merger, is offering pilots a raise in a proposed contract that would put them at or near the top of the U.S. industry's pay scale, two people briefed on the plan said. The tentative deal calls for a 13 percent increase in 2016, followed by annual boosts of 3 percent and 2 percent, said the...

JetBlue Shakes Up Pilot Hiring by Training Them From Scratch

JetBlue Airways Corp., breaking with historical practices at U.S. airlines, plans to recruit potential pilots with no flight experience and provide its own training under a proposal awaiting approval from federal regulators. The program would be the first of its kind in the U.S. and would be similar to those used by some European and Asian carriers. Candidates still would have to meet U.S. requ...

Meridian Adds Gulfstream G200 Maintenance

Teterboro, N.J.-based Meridian Jet Center, an FBO and Part 145 certified repair station, received FAAauthorization for maintaining the Gulfstream G200 (formerly the IAI Galaxy). Gulfstream produced 250 G200s between 1999 and 2011. “Our highly trained technicians now have the ability to support our customers with a wider range of options,” said Jo...

JetBlue Launches Amazon Streaming on All Planes Equipped With Fly-Fi

Just in time for the holidays, JetBlue has announced that it will premiere Amazon Video unlimited streaming entertainment this week on over 150 aircraft equipped with its free Fly-Fi broadband Internet. Through its partnership wth Amazon, JetBlue lets Amazon Prime members access tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes, including exclusive Amazon Original Series at no additional cost. All Je...

Op-Ed: All-male APEX emerging tech panel needs women’s voices

With tech-savvy women worldwide making key travel decisions these days for themselves and their families and Nielsen reporting last fall that women slightly outpaced men in smartphone ownership in the United States – and are projected to control a whopping $28 trillion of consumer spending in the US alone – it was disheartening to see so few women in attendance at the recently con...

KLM’s Boeing 787 offers new cabins, connectivity

As the latest airline to place Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner into service KLM had the opportunity to revisit its inflight product and set a new course for the airline. It has done precisely that, introducing new products for World Business Class, Economy Comfort (premium economy) and economy class. The products were put on display during a series of demo flights this past weekend over Ho...

Historic touchdown for Blue Origin’s New Shepard space vehicle

Commercial spaceflight start-up Blue Origin has achieved a historic first by vertically landing and recovering the launcher stage of the New Shepard suborbital system after delivering a payload to space. The successful recovery mission comes seven months after the maiden flight of the rocket, which led to an unsuccessful recovery of the vertical launcher. Several attempts by Elon Musk’...

A Secret Air Cargo Operation Called "Aerosmith" Could Give Amazon a Major Advantage over Its Rivals

Amazon may be involved in a secretive air cargo operation based in Ohio, furthering the e-commerce company's ambitions to enter the shipping industry, according to an in-depth report by Motherboard. The operation, referred to as "Aerosmith," launched in September by an unknown corporation and is run by the Ohio-based aviation holding company Air Transport Services Group (ATSG...

Wireless Data Loader Offered for Primus Epic Cockpits

Maintenance personnel tasked with downloading data from Honeywell Primus Epic and Primus 1000/2000/SPZintegrated cockpits can now do the job securely and quickly with a new wireless data loader. The easily upgraded hardware and software will also enable a new mobile application for maintenance and flight personnel. “Honeywell understands the desire for easy-to-access maintenance solu...

Boeing, BOC Aviation Announce Order for 22 737s

Deal for 11 Next-Generation 737s and 11 737 MAX 8s fulfills growing customer demand for new technology, fuel efficient airplanes Boeing and BOC Aviation, announced an order for 22 737 airplanes, building on the leasing company's existing order book to fulfill customer demand. The order, consisting of 11 Next-Generation 737-800s and 11 737 MAX 8 airplanes, will be posted to Boeing...

VistaJet Adds Challenger 350s to U.S. Fleet

VistaJet, partnering with Priester Aviation, has expanded its services with the introduction of the Challenger 350 to its U.S. fleet. Priester Aviation is operating three VistaJet-owned Challenger 350s for VistaJet’s Flight Solutions Program. VistaJet is the agent for customers of the program. Europe-based VistaJet announced plans in late 2013 to expand into...