50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United States aviation news

Vintage Boeing B-52 gets new long-range Lockheed cruise missile

The Boeing B-52H is the vintage bomber that just won’t quit, and now the Cold War-era “Stratofortress” is being outfitted with one of America’s newest and longest-range conventional cruise missiles. Lockheed Martin has been put on contract to arm the 54-year-old aircraft – which has outlived many of those who predicted its retirement – with the extended-range...

Boeing, EVA Airways Finalize Taiwan's Largest Ever Commercial Airplane Purchase

Boeing and EVA Airways today finalized a historic order for up to 24 787-10 Dreamliners and two 777-300ER (Extended Range) jetliners. The order, valued at more than $8 billion at current list prices, marks the largest single commercial airplane purchase in Taiwan aviation. "EVA participated in development of the Boeing 777-300ER and became a launch customer in 2005...

13 Passengers on Flight from Mexico Skipped Customs at JFK, Officials Say

Several passengers were mistakenly allowed to bypass checking in with customs and security officials after arriving on an international flight at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City over the weekend due to a security snafu, according to the airline. American Airlines Flight 1671 arrived at JFK from Cancun, Mexico, at 8:50 p.m. Friday.When the plane landed, some of the passengers left...

NBAA's 2015 Show in Las Vegas Is Strongest Since Downturn

The National Business Aviation Association’s Convention & Exhibition last week was the strongest edition of the annual show since the economic downturn. The November 17 to 19 event in Las Vegas attracted some 1,100 exhibitors and better than 27,000 attendees, marking the highest level of participation since 2008, when there were more than 30,000 visitors. The 2014 attendee coun...

Second and third Gulfstream G500 join flight test program

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. announced that a second and third Gulfstream G500 aircraft (T2 and T3) joined the flight test campaign with successful completion of their initial flights. T2 focuses on flight loads validation, while T3 is the main test bed for the G500 avionics systems. T2 took off at 9:07 a.m. from Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport on Friday, Nov. 20. Flight Test pilots...

LAX’s Kardashian Klass VIP terminal has a serious side

Camera-shy public figures will be able to escape the prying eyes of fellow passengers and the press at Los Angeles International Airport in a new VIP terminal that will be built to “to transfer passengers to and from scheduled commercial aircraft, designed for passengers who desire a more private boarding process, such as professional athletes, entertainment personnel and government dip...

Honeywell Engines and Electronics to Power Cessna's New Citation Longitude Business Jet

Honeywell Aerospace will power the new Citation Longitude super mid-size business jet from Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company. Honeywell's newly designed engine will provide Longitude operators with improved fuel efficiency and reliability while reducing emissions and noise. The Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engine is the latest in Honeywell...

Boeing, GE Capital Aviation Services Celebrate Delivery of Lessor's 500th Boeing Airplane

Boeing announced the delivery of the 500th Boeing airplane to GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS). The Next-Generation 737-800 will be leased to Kenya Airways and is the 401st 737 delivered to the leasing company. "This is a major milestone in our 20-year association with Boeing," said Norm Liu, President and CEO, GECAS. "We are proud to take delivery of our 500th Boeing airplan...

NASA orders first manned SpaceX flight to ISS

NASA has placed an order with private spaceflight company SpaceX for a manned mission to the International Space Station in 2017. The Dragon spacecraft can carry up to seven people in lower Earth orbit. "The authority to proceed with Dragon's first operational crew mission is a significant milestone in the Commercial Crew Program and a great source of pride for the entire SpaceX team,&...

U.S. expects F-35 to be part of Canada's next jet competition

The Pentagon expects the new Canadian government to allow Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter aircraft to compete to replace Canada's aging CF-18 jets, despite the Liberal Party's stated opposition to the planes, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work said on Saturday. But Work cautioned after talks in Canada that how the fledgling government sets its requirements for the compe...

United and Pilots Union Agree in Principle to Extend Contract

United Continental Holdings Inc and its airline pilots union reached an agreement in principle on Friday to extend the labor contract that covers United's more than 12,000 pilots by two years, the airline said. United's contract with the Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA) had been due to run through early 2017. The union and United, the second-largest U.S. airline by...

The Air Elite Network continues global growth

World Fuel Services has announced that six new locations have signed with the Air Elite Network since EBACE 2015. The Air Elite Network has now 49 Diamond Service FBOs. The Air Elite Network is working towards opening up 150 worldwide locations. The new members since EBACE 2015 in Geneva are Sky Services in Milan and Venice, Italy; Dassault Falcon Services in Paris Le Bourget, France; Kaiser...