FAA Grounds All Cirrus Vision Jets over Angle of Attack Issues

The FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive that grounds the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet due to issues with the airplane's angle-of-attack and stall protection systems. (www.flyingmag.com) Plus d'info...

Pilot Report: Bombardier Global 7500

When Bombardier announced two new jets in the Global series—the Global 7000 and 8000—in 2010, the clear intention was that the Canadian manufacturer planned to take away the mantle of building the largest purpose-built business jet from Gulfstream Aerospace’s 7,500-nm G650ER. (www.ainonline.com) Plus d'info...

A man was arrested at JFK after TSA officers detected a handgun hidden inside a DVD player in his luggage

The TSA announced the arrest in a press release to their website Thursday, saying the gun was hidden in the New York-native’s checked bag, which triggered an alarm during security scanning. “TSA officers spotted a DVD player inside the checked bag. Upon further inspection, TSA officers detected a 9mm handgun wrapped in aluminum foil that was artfully concealed inside the DVD player,” the statement read. “The gun was not loaded.” TSA then contacted Port Authority Police, who found the man waiting… (www.airlive.net) Plus d'info...

The FAA has established a Joint Authorities Technical Review to conduct a review of the automated flight control system on the 737MAX

Experts from nine civil aviation authorities have confirmed they will participate in the Boeing 737 MAX Joint Authorities Technical Review (JATR) that the FAA established earlier this month. The JATR team will conduct a comprehensive review of the certification of the aircraft’s automated flight control system. The JATR is chaired by former NTSB Chairman Chris Hart and comprised of a team of experts from the FAA, NASA and international aviation authorities. (www.airlive.net) Plus d'info...

Jerrie Cobb, one of the most gifted female pilots in history, has died

Geraldyn “Jerrie” M. Cobb, a noted aviation pioneer and fierce advocate for women flying into space, died Thursday at her home in Florida, her family has said. She was 88. Cobb is perhaps most well known for her participation in what became known as the "Mercury 13," a group of 13 women who passed preliminary screening processes in 1960 and 1961 to determine their suitability as astronauts under the guidance of Dr. Randolph Lovelace. Cobb scored in the top 2 percent of all who had… (arstechnica.com) Plus d'info...

Airlines Are Taking Advantage Of Jet Airways Collapse

As Jet Airways flights finally come to an end, albeit temporarily, rival carriers are jumping in to take advantage of the gap in the market. Over the last week, numerous airlines have taken steps to add capacity, add routes and fill in the Jet Airways shaped hole in the skies. Even before Jet Airways completely suspended flights, they were struggling to stop the competition from encroaching on their turf. With only a fraction of their fleet in service, hardly any of their routes were still… (simpleflying.com) Plus d'info...

Picture: The first Airbus A350-900 of Air France is spotted in Toulouse

The first Airbus A350-900 for Air France is nearing completion. The aircraft, without the engines and and no livery on the hull, has been spotted out of the assembly line in Toulouse. The French flag carrier is expected to receive its first Airbus A350-900 this year in September. Air France-KLM has a total of 28 Airbus A350-900 on order with the European aircraft manufacturer, of which 21 are intended for Air France and seven for KLM. But according to the Dutch aviation news portal… (airlinerwatch.com) Plus d'info...

Emirates says goodbye to its last Boeing 777-300

Emirates is preparing to say goodbye to its last Boeing 777-300 in the fleet. The aircraft, which was delivered to the Gulf-based carrier in 2003, will be phased out soon. The aircraft is the shorter variant of the 777-300ER (Extended Range) and operated by Emirates on regional flights only. The company had a relatively small sub-fleet of 777-300 since 1999. The outdated planes have been taken out of service in recent years. In 2016, one was lost in a crash landing at Dubai airport. Emirates is… (airlinerwatch.com) Plus d'info...

Air Italy Defends Itself Against US Carriers Allegations

Milan-based carrier, Air Italy (IG), has issued a press release in which it defends itself against allegations made by American Airlines (AA), Delta (DL), and United (UA), that it is a threat to the US market. The US carriers blame Air Italy for being a Qatar Airways tool, looking to threaten the United States by connecting its hub in Doha through Air Italy’s Milan base. (airwaysmag.com) Plus d'info...

Boeing takes on risk for excess 737 parts held at Spirit AeroSystems

A regulatory filing from Spirit AeroSystems Inc. in Wichita offers new details on how the risks and costs of its staggered 737 production plan with the Boeing Co. are being handled. Boeing (NYSE: BA) announced earlier this month that it would trim its production to 42 of the aircraft per month as it works to get its 737 MAX back in service following two deadly crashes of the jet in just over five months. Spirit (NYSE: SPR) announced the same day that it had crafted a plan with Boeing to continue… (www.bizjournals.com) Plus d'info...

Toronto's Pearson airport poses serious crash risks

The Transportation Safety Board is recommending that the layout of two runways at Canada's busiest airport be changed to lessen the risk of collisions between aircraft. (www.cbc.ca) Plus d'info...

Brazilian authorities certify Embraer’s Praetor 600

Brazil’s civil aviation authority ANAC has granted a type certificate to the Embraer Praetor 600 super-midsize business jet, a milestone coming roughly six months after the airframer publicly launched the Praetor programme. Embraer calls the Praetor 600 “the most disruptive and technologically advanced super-midsize business jet”, noting the aircraft has 4,020nm (7,445km) range with four passengers. That is range enough to fly routes such as London to New York, Miami to Sao Paulo and Dubai to… (www.flightglobal.com) Plus d'info...

How the Boeing 737 Max Disaster Looks to a Software Developer

Design shortcuts meant to make a new plane seem like an old, familiar one are to blame (spectrum.ieee.org) Plus d'info...

British Airways Looks At Scrapping Reward Booking Fees

A number of airline points reporters have noticed something new from British Airways (BA). It appears to be trialing new Avios redemption prices with nearly zero cash to pay. This could mean that Avios redeemers can pay almost nothing for a flight. But it also may mean they are getting less value for their points. Head for Points finds that flights to Chania in Greece from the UK normally cost 20,000 Avios points and £25. Instead, the headline price is 25,000 Avios and £0.50. There is also… (simpleflying.com) Plus d'info...

Pilot Killed in Fiery Airplane Crash at Fullerton Airport

(KTLA) — A pilot died after a plane crashed and exploded into flames at the Fullerton Municipal Airport on Thursday, officials said. (fox40.com) Plus d'info...

India to allocate Jet Airways slots to rival carriers

280 slots were vacant in Mumbai and 160 in Delhi after Jet Airways ended operations (gulfnews.com) Plus d'info...

ANALYSIS: How Airbus fought its own pitch battle

Airbus has not been immune to the consequences of spurious air data, and unexpected incidents illustrate the difficulties designers and regulators face in predicting and avoiding unintended aircraft behaviour. (www.flightglobal.com) Plus d'info...

Boeing 797 Update – When Will The Plane Launch?

The Boeing 797 has been a frequent source of speculation for the last few years. When will it launch? Is that even what it will be called? Visit Boeing’s website and you won’t see it a single mention of the plane. Enter ‘797’ into the website’s search field and you’ll get a results that mostly contain department phone numbers that have 797 in them. However, search NMA and you’ll find that Mark Jenks is the vice president of the New Mid-Market Airplane (NMA) program. Of course, based on the… (simpleflying.com) Plus d'info...

Boeing has called its 737 Max 8 ‘not suitable’ for certain airports

Before last month’s crash of a flight that began in Ethiopia, Boeing Co. said in a legal document that large, upgraded 737s “cannot be used at what are referred to as ‘high/hot’ airports." (www.latimes.com) Plus d'info...

ANA completes the first test flight to Hawaii with its new Airbus A380

ANA (All Nippon Airways) successfully operated its first test flight of its first Airbus A380 to Hawaii. (worldairlinenews.com) Plus d'info...

Angola seeks FAA CAT. I status to enable TAAG Angola Air flights to the United States

The Instituto Nacional da Aviação Civil (INAVIC) of Angola today announced that it has hired The Wicks Group (TWG) to perform a Baseline Assessment of INAVIC’s safety oversight systems that will assist the Government of Angola in its efforts to obtain the FAA Category 1 safety rating needed for TAAG Angola Airlines (TAAG-SA) to launch direct flights between Angola and the United States. (www.wicksgroupconsulting.com) Plus d'info...

Race Pilot Recovers from Accelerated Stall less than 100 feet off the ground

Doesn't matter who or what airplane is flying, Aviate. Navigate. Communicate. Great debrief by the pilot himself. (www.boldmethod.com) Plus d'info...

US regulator sees no need for new Boeing 737 Max simulator training

The proposal by an FAA board stops short of requiring costly simulator training as it could complicate the grounded 737 Max aircraft's return to service (theprint.in) Plus d'info...

The future of Bombardier's CRJ900 program is at risk if no new orders received

Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare said the sustainability of the manufacturer's CRJ900 regional jet program relies on future orders. Bombardier president and CEO Alain Bellemare responded questions during an interview with The Canadian Press in Mirabel on Tuesday, April 16. Bellemare said the manufacturer was willing to keep the product line, but the current backlog of 54 CRJ900 guarantees production only through the end of next year. “We’re trying to keep this product line going because there… (airlinerwatch.com) Plus d'info...

American Airlines cancels all Boeing 737 Max flights for majority of summer

American Airlines has canceled all Boeing 737 Max flights for much of the summer season. Bradley said no airlines regularly fly Boeing 737 Max planes at their airport. American Airlines announced this weekend, a four-month extension of their cancellations of all flights aboard Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9. Boeing 737 Max aircraft were grounded worldwide after two deadly crashes within the span of a few months. (www.wwlp.com) Plus d'info...

Southwest CEO calls Delta 'squatters' at Dallas Love Field

Southwest Airlines Chairman and Chief Executive Gary Kelly made his dislike for Delta Air Lines' presence at Dallas Love Field clear Thursday, comparing the Atlanta carrier to a squatter. Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV), Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE: DAL) and the City of Dallas have been wrangled in a lawsuit over Delta using Southwest gate space at Love Field for years. Southwest has been trying to get Delta off its gate, while Delta has refused to leave and instead requested eight… (www.bizjournals.com) Plus d'info...

Virgin Atlantic to phase out its Boeing 747 fleet by 2021

One more operator is set to phase out its Boeing 747 fleet. British carrier Virgin Atlantic has announced that it would start a gradual removal of its Boeing 747-400s by 2021. Virgin Atlantic currently has eight 747-400 in its fleet. The company owns only three of them. The remaining five jumbo jets are leased from the American lessor GECAS. Virgin's Boeing 747s are between 18 and 23 years old. Virgin Atlantic will replace its jumbo jets with Airbus A350-1000s. The airline expects to… (airlinerwatch.com) Plus d'info...