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United States aviation news

Agreement on Capitol Hill: Drones are on collision path with airliners

With airline pilots reporting close encounters with unmanned drones more than three times a day, it’s just a matter of time before there is a mid-air collision that could carry deadly consequences. That was the virtual consensus on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as lawmakers, pilots, experts and the Federal Aviation Administration gathered to discuss how to keep millions of privately owned dro...

Lockheed reaffirms F-35 production target despite supplier statement

Lockheed Martin has re-affirmed the full-rate production goal for the F-35 programme remains 17 aircraft per month, despite a supplier’s statement on 7 October that it is significantly less. Full rate production volume is factored into the production learning curves that drive Lockheed’s cost reduction targets for the F-35. In the early years of the programme, Lockheed expected to b...

Air Charter Service transports containers for California wildfire residents

Air Charter Services (ACS) has transported seven tonnes of plastic containers for California residents to pack belongings and evacuate their homes to escape wildfires in the North of the state. ACS used a Boeing 737-300 from Arlington Municipal Airport in Texas to McClellan Airport in Sacramento before the containers were distributed to those in need. The wildfires in the Valley...

Delta Sues Regional Airline After Pilot Action Grounds Planes

Delta Air Lines Inc. is suing Republic Airways Holdings Inc., claiming that the regional airline company failed to fly some Delta Connection flights. Republic has said it curtailed flying for regional affiliates of Delta, American and United because of a pilot shortage that it has blamed partly on a labor dispute with pilots. Delta sued Republic in a state court in Atlanta on Monday. In the...

Spaceport Colorado submitting FAA license application this month

Spaceport Colorado intends to submit its application for a commercial spaceport license by the end of the month with the aim of securing approval in the second quarter of 2016, says air and spaceport director David Ruppel. If successful, Spaceport Colorado can begin offering horizontal launch services in what is becoming an increasingly crowded market, with 10 US sites already approved by the F...

SNC's updated Dream Chaser to resume flight tests

Sierra Nevada Corporation is preparing its full-scale Dream Chaser engineering test vehicle for the second round of atmospheric free-flight flight testing, and the reusable spacecraft is scheduled for delivery to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Test Centre in California by early 2016. The company has been enhancing the test vehicle since its first free-flight in October 2013, which ended in a cra...

Delta Is Removing Seats to Make Flight Attendants More Comfortable

Delta Air Lines Inc. is removing seats from 179 jets to make things less cramped - for flight attendants, not the passengers. The removal of two or three seats, depending on the aircraft model, reverses some of the carrier's seat additions of recent years. The action provides more space in the galleys, spokesman Michael Thomas said. "This is an investment to give our fligh...

JetBlue Plants a Seed with Farm-to-Tray-Table Concept

JetBlue Airways is trying to bring a little bit of country to the city - opening its own "farm" at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The 24,000 square-foot space -- less than half the size of a football field -- outside JFK's Terminal 5 is meant to educate travelers more than actually feed them. Although eventually JetBlue would like to serve items grown t...

NBAA: House Hearing Highlights Need for Action on UAS Regulations

 A hearing today before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's aviation subcommittee regarding the safe utilization of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) highlights the urgent need for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue federal regulations for the burgeoning industry, said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "It is clear that lawmakers share our...

Lufthansa announces new United States sales director

Lawrence Ryan has been appointed director of sales, USA for the Lufthansa Group. He is responsible for sales and promotional activities, overseeing corporate, retail, online travel agencies, group sales and leisure/specialty sales segments for key account management and field sales teams. Ryan succeeds Don Bunkenburg, who will take over the role of general manager for Japan, Lufthansa German...

JFI Jets Expands with ACP Jets Acquisition

Charter and management firm JFI Jets is expanding its fleet and adding a repair station with the acquisition of a West Palm Beach, Fla.-based ACP Jets. ACP Jets provides charter, management, maintenance and aircraft acquisition and consulting services. In addition to a Part 145 repair station, the company operates two Hawker800XPs a Citation X and four Gulstream ...

American Airlines Crew Talks About Once In A Lifetime Flight With Pope Francis

It was an airplane flight that changed Jeff Gross's life. The 47-year-old flight attendant was one of several dozen American Airlines employees chosen to work on the chartered airplane that ferried Pope Francis around the United States -- and back to Rome -- late last month. "When he walked through the cabin, it was like seeing God," said Gross, of Euless, who helped staff the...