Flight International articles from August 2007

Flight International archives from August 2007

Air Transport.(Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. and Airbus S.A.S.)
August 7, 2007... Spares MAX KINGSLEY-JONES loNDON A340 heading to breakers yard for the first time An ex-Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-300 looks set to be the first example of the type to be broken for spares. The 13-year-old A340 (MSN 0016) is managed...

Emirates undertakes A380 'fit tests' in Dubai.(Airbus S.A.S. and Emirates Airline)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: trials max kingsley-jones london A critical component will be the full- docking trials of the aircraft in the new Emirates Engineering Centre A joint Airbus/Emirates A380 test programme will be undertaken...

American links with AirCell to offer wi-fi broadband.(American Airlines Inc. and AirCell Inc.)
August 7, 2007... Byline: CONNECTIVITY john croft washington dc Service will initially be introduced on domestic routes operated by Boeing 767-200ERs American Airlines and airborne telecom provider AirCell will launch a wireless broadband connectivity...

Air India heralds 777 with A380 hint.(Boeing Co. and Airbus S.A.S. and Air India)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: EXPANSION NICHOLAS IONIDES SINGAPORE Flag carrier welcomes first -200LR variant of Boeing twinjet and reveals that ultra-large Airbus could figure in next order Air India is putting together a series of proposals which could...

787 output set to reach 16 a month.(production management of Boeing Co.)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: PRODUCTION Boeing 787 production could be set to reach up to 16 aircraft a month, says Ultra Electronics, one of the new twinjet's programme suppliers. The UK company's chief executive Douglas Caster says discussions are under way...

CAE to take over Air Canada flight training centres.(CAE Services Corp. and Air Canada)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: simulators CAE is to take over the operation of Air Canada's training centres under a deal that will see a majority of the airline's flight simulators relocated to the company's facility at Toronto Pearson airport. Another four...

China to follow ARJ21 with all-new 70-seat turboprop.(Xian Aircraft International Corp.)
August 7, 2007... Byline: exclusive leithen francis singapore Xian Aircraft will draw on country's regional jet experience to develop successor to MA60 An all-new large turboprop airliner is set to enter the market by 2015 developed by China's Xian...

Atran grounded following fatal An-12 accident.(Atran)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: SAFETY david kaminski-morrow london Russian authorities have suspended the operations of Moscow-based freight airline Atran following the fatal accident involving one of its Antonov An-12s at Domodedovo airport. Federal...

Throttle riddle emerges in TAM probe.(investigations of Airbus S.A.S.)
August 7, 2007... Byline: INVESTIGATION JOHN CROFT WASHINGTON DC & JACKSON FLORES RIO DE JANEIRO Jammed lever examined as it transpires that No 2 engine was not retarded on landing, preventing brakes from functioning "The engine 2 throttle is...

Thales sees wireless future for seatback systems.(Boeing Co. and Thales Aerospace )
August 7, 2007... Thales is also studying the feasibility of introducing airborne diagnostics IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT ANDREW DOYLE SEATTLE & LOS ANGELES Thales predicts that wireless in-flight entertainment systems will eventually...

Panasonic plugs in eXconnect deal.(contracts between Panasonic Avionics and Mitsubishi Electric Corp.)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: CONNECTIVITY MARY KIRBY WASHINGTON DC Panasonic Avionics has secured a commitment to equip an undisclosed operator's aircraft with its new in-flight broadband service, eXconnect, and expects to forge a number of other high-speed...

Exporters agree new government funding limits.(reports of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: TRADE Major aircraft exporting countries have signed a pact that limits government financing support on aircraft sales, says the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The agreement, announced on 30 July,...

Epic bids to win race for certification.(Epic Aircraft)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: very light jets jeffrey decker oshkosh Both the Victory (pictured) and Elite made their first public appearance at last month's AirVenture Epic Aircraft is taking steps to put its new very light jets in the lead of the race for...

Learjet 60XR makes tardy arrival.(Bombardier Inc.)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: deliveries The Bombardier Learjet 60XR mid-size business jet has entered service with Los Angeles-based Cloud Nine Aviation. The delivery comes nearly two years after Bombardier launched the programme and almost six months later...

in brief.(Ocean Sky Aviation)(Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.)(Neogen Corp. Elisa Technologies Div.)
August 7, 2007... OCEAN EXPANDS Ocean Sky Aviation has snapped-up Manchester, UK-based business aircraft charter and handling company Northern Executive Aviation. The move comes less than six months after the London-based business aircraft charter broker...

Airframers work to clear backlogs as orders mount.(Business Aviation)
August 7, 2007... Byline: output graham warwick washington dc Bombardier only major manufacturer not to show an increase in first-half deliveries Half-year delivery figures for business aircraft manufacturers show an industry still ramping up to handle...

Boeing, Boeing, gone?(contracts between Navy and Northrop Grumman Corp.)
August 7, 2007... Does the loss of one demonstrator contract spell the beginning of the end for the US manufacturer's combat aircraft business? The US DoD must face up to that possibility Rumours of Boeing's death have been greatly exaggerated. The death of...

Will Iran provoke a Mid-East arms race?(military policy of Iran)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... If Iran is indeed seeking a fighter aircraft upgrade of epic scale, as recent reports suggest, be prepared to see a US-sponsored arms race wash over the Middle East, with fifth-generation fighters and advanced early warning and control aircraft...

Anti-radar weapons tests under way.(Defence)
August 7, 2007... Byline: guided missiles graham warwick washington dc Upgraded HARM system aims at broader target range allowing missile to detect and locate emitters before launch Alliant Techsystems has begun flight testing an upgraded HARM anti-radar...

US Army armed reconnaissance helicopter put back by a year.(Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. and Army)
August 7, 2007... Byline: rotorcraft graham warwick washington dc Development of the ARH-70A armed reconnaissance helicopter has been extended by a year. In addition, final assembly has been relocated from Canada to the USA, first production deliveries to...

Fatigued C-130s get new wings.(Lockheed Martin Corp.)(TIMCO Aviation Services and MacB)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: transports With a large number of Lockheed Martin C-130s in service around the world facing fatigue problems, US technical services firm MacAulay-Brown has formed a team to refurbish centre wing boxes for foreign military operators...

Defence.(Lockheed Martin Corp. and BAE SYSTEMS PLC)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... The seventh and final Harrier GR9 replacement rear fuselage has been delivered by BAE Systems as part of a three-year, [pounds sterling]20 million ($40.6 million) UK Ministry of Defence programme to keep the aircraft available through their...

Hawks swoop on UAE for trainer evaluation.(BAE SYSTEMS PLC)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: CONTEST ISABELLE MALE LONDON Two Hawks will fly to the UAE this week for a two-week evaluation Two BAE SystemsHawk Advanced Jet Trainers will fly from the UK to the United Arab Emirates this week for a two-week, 30-flight...

India ripe for new transport partner.(Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and Irkutsk Aviation Industrial Association)
August 7, 2007... Byline: PROCUREMENT SIVA GOVINDASAMY SINGAPORE Russian deal to develop multi-role aircraft may collapse as New Delhi and Moscow row over programme funding India could seek new partners for its armed forces' Multi-role Transport...

Nimrod passes Sting Ray torpedo drop test.(BAE SYSTEMS PLC)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: reconnaissance MRA4 is due to enter service in 2010 armed with Sting Rays (inset) BAE Systems' Nimrod MRA4 has successfully released the Sting Ray torpedo for the first time, during the 75th flight of development aircraft PA02....

Thailand looks to build its own UAV capability.(usage of unmanned aerial vehicle)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: UNMANNED SYSTEMS SIVA GOVINDASAMY SINGAPORE An enhanced indigenously designed tactical class unmanned air vehicle could be in use by Thailand's military in 2008, in a move designed to cut its armed forces' dependency on foreign...

Korea Aerospace wins in Turkey.(Embraer Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. and Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd .)(Cessna Aircraft Co. and Turkish Aerospace Industries)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: BASIC TRAINERS Turkey has signed a contract with Korea Aerospace Industries for 40 KT-1 basic trainers. The country's SSM procurement agency eliminated Embraer's EMB-314 Super Tucano from a two-way competition in June and entered...

Features.(product development of Boeing Co.)
August 7, 2007... INSIGHT into the future PETER LA FRANCHI bingen, washington Not content to rest on its Scan Eagle laurels, US-based Insitu is about to take its next step in UAVs and aims to tap the market's commercial potential Five years after...

BRAZIL'S AVIATION CAPITAL PUTS ON A SHOW.(Latin American Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition )
August 7, 2007... Byline: LABACE The fourth Latin American Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (LABACE) will throw open its doors in SA[pounds sterling]o Paulo, Brazil to a thriving international business aviation community. Two years have lapsed...

Features.(design and construction of Navy)(product development of Boeing Co.)(usage of unmanned aerial vehicles)
August 7, 2007... A Level Systems ZALA 421-08 A hand-launched flying wing with one electric pusher propeller, the system has been under development for two years, with confirmed deliveries to the Russian ministry of interior affairs and the Gazprom...

Endurance, PAYLOAD AND SYSTEMS.(product information of unmanned aerial vehicles)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: CONFIGURATION The Insight UAV will have an endurance of 24h with an 11kg (24lb) payload, but in an overload configuration could carry up to 22kg for 8h. These figures exclude the nose-mounted electro-optical ball, with Insitu...

Features.(reports of Embraer Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A.)(Latin American Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition )
August 7, 2007... latin love affair Kate Sarsfield London This week's LABACE event in SA[pounds sterling]o Paulo takes place against a backdrop of a booming business aviation scene in Brazil and the rest of Latin America Latin America is piquing...

Shades of originality.(Delta Air Lines Inc. and Western Air Lines Inc. and McDonnell Douglas Corp.)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Your story on electrochromic windows (Flight International, 3-9 July) made this old-timer smile as it reminded him of a working meeting of the Air Transport Association on traffic forecasting. During this meeting, at the headquarters of...

TRAININGMoving the simulator goalposts.(usage of flight simulators)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... I often read the term "full-motion simulators" and cringe, because they are not full motion. To achieve that the simulator should be moving forward to simulate the forward speed of the aircraft. Therefore, they will never provide a true...

Give instructors a pay rise.(analysis of wages and salaries)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Your article "Innovating to beat the shortage" (Flight International, 3-9 July) quotes instructor salaries at Oxford as having been raised to attract/retain experienced pilots. Other innovative ideas to bring airline pilots back into the...

Insensitive to crash victims.(Letters and Flannel)
August 7, 2007... The photograph-and-caption-combination for your 10-16 July cover was insensitive to the relatives of those who perished, and to those severely injured in the 7 March Garuda Yogyakarta crash: some Australian victims have only just been released...

Vacuum testing puts Galileo back on track.(Spaceflight)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: NAVIGATION ROB COPPINGER london The European Space Agency's Galileo navigation satellite network programme reached another milestone last week with the resumption of vacuum testing in anticipation of a December launch of its...

Windtunnel finds crew vehicle mass savings.(Lockheed Martin Corp. and National Aeronautics and Space Administration)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: moon mission rob coppinger london Aerodynamic improvements to the launch abort system could allow NASA to increase the mass of its Orion crew exploration vehicle launch by 545kg (1,200lb), according to a testing report that has been...

USA seeks fast tactical launch ability.(Department of Defense and Congress. House)
August 7, 2007... Byline: SATELLITE DEFENCE GRAHAM WARWICK WASHINGTON DC Chinese anti-satellite test spurs push for reusable spaceplanes, with Congress set to approve additional funding "A 30-50% solution on time is worth more than 80% too...

Full power ahead at Nantgarw.(officials and employees of General Electric Co.)
August 7, 2007... Byline: WORK EXPERIENCE ALAN KELLY Aviation engineering's constantly evolving challenges keeps businesses such as GE on its toes - whether it's meeting the ever-increasing demands of customers or preparing for the much-anticipated launch...

Defence.(Westar Aerospace & Defence and Army )(Lockheed Martin Corp. and Air Force)(Bell Aerospace and Marine Corps)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... in brief WESTAR APACHE DEAL Qinetiq North America company Westar Aerospace & Defence has a new five-year contract with the US Army to continue upgrading the Apache Block III (AB3) attack helicopter. The AB3 programme will introduce new...

Boeing: competition would fix JASSM quality issue.(Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. and Air Force)(Brief article)
August 7, 2007... Byline: contracts stephen trimble washington dc Underperforming Lockheed Martin air-to-surface missile could be improved or replaced Boeing has raised a completely new option for the US Air Force to overcome cost and reliability issues...

UAVs come of age.(product development of unmanned aerial vehicles)
August 7, 2007... Byline: PETER LA FRANCHI LONDON Low entry costs have led to rapid growth in numbers of unmanned air vehicles in development or available to buy - for military and civil use. Here is our guide to 100 leading programmes on the market The...

ARJ21 secures its first export deal.(Air Transport)
August 14, 2007... Byline: SALE LEITHEN FRANCIS & SUPHANNEE SUDBUARIN VIENTIANE Commitment from Lao Airlines for two aircraft is first from non-Chinese carrier for ACAC's 90-seat twinjet AVIC I Commercial Aircraft (ACAC) has secured a landmark first...

ERJ gear issues continue to dog American Eagle.(American Eagle Airlines Inc.)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Byline: SAFETY JOHN CROFT WASHINGTON DC A nose-wheel steering failure has emerged as the likely culprit in an incident involving an American Eagle ERJ-145LR that hit three runway lights and a sign during a night roll-out at Madison...

FAA proposals for UAV integration ready for approval.(Federal Aviation Administration)
August 14, 2007... Byline: airspace peter la franchi washington DC Programme office also confirms parallel work on new policy allowing easier airspace access for small vehicles The US Federal Aviation Administration's unmanned aircraft programme office...

GA pilots to be quizzed on airspace infringements.
August 14, 2007... Byline: SAFETY DAVID LEARMOUNT loNDon Aircraft in controlled airspace, particularly those operating to airports with terminal control areas or zones, appear to be at greater risk than ever of collision with general aviation aircraft that...

ATR 42F makes Australian debut.(Air Transport)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Byline: cargo Jetcraft Aviation has begun operating an ATR 42-300 freighter on behalf of Virgin Blue parent Toll Group, which recently launched a domestic air freight operation within Australia. The aircraft is the first of two ATR...

SIA considers all-premium A340s.(Singapore Airlines Ltd.)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Byline: ultra long haul services SIA's A340-500s may operate to the USA in a one-class layout Singapore Airlines could switch to an all-business class offering for its Airbus A340-500-operated non-stop flights between Singapore and...

Superjet 100 poised for September debut.(Sukhoi Corp.)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Byline: ROLL-OUT The roll-out date has yet to be confirmed as it needs to be aligned with the schedules of officials Sukhoi's Superjet is taking shape at KnAPPO in Komsomolsk-on-Amur Assembly of the first Sukhoi...

Poor co-ordination led to Tu-134 crash.(reports of Interstate Aviation Committee )
August 14, 2007... Byline: SAFETY DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW loNDOn Russian investigators say critical information relating to deteriorating conditions was not relayed to crew of UTAir twinjet Poor co-ordination between air traffic controllers and...

An-12 suffered double engine failure.(reports of Interstate Aviation Committee )(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Byline: INVESTIGATION Russian investigators have discovered that both right-hand engines on an Atran Antonov An-12 simultaneously failed just after take-off from Moscow, before the freighter crashed in woodland. The An-12 was flying a...

Tanker paves way to civil 767 revival.(Boeing Co. and Air Force)
August 14, 2007... Byline: freighters STEPHEN TRIMBLE seattle Boeing bases design for USAF KC-X bid on new freighter derivative as it pursues more commercial and military sales Boeing has unveiled new hopes to revive and refresh the 767 production line...

Business.(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... US AIRLINES, which in June posted the worst on-time arrival rates since the US government began recording such data, completing only 68.1% of flights on time, says the US Department of Transportation. Atlantic Southeast Airlines, American...

Business.(BAE SYSTEMS PLC)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... BAE Systems The US Justice Department corruption investigation into its long-standing Saudi arms deals has notstopped BAE from stacking up a solid half year. Sales grew 8%, to [pounds sterling]6.89 billion ($14 billion), into a nearly one-fifth...

Business.(officials and employees of Adam Aircraft Industries)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Adam Aircraft, maker of the A500 twin-engined piston and A700 AdamJet very light jet, has named Fairchild, Teledesic and McDonnell Douglas veteran John Wolf as chairman and chief executive, and former Boeing and Bombardier executive Steve...

Business.(Quotation)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Quote of the week "If you do have to spend another hour on the plane you will at least be entertained" Virgin chairman Sir Richard Branson on air travel delays, in-flight entertainment systems and the launch of US domestic airline...

First Javelins to begin assembly by year-end.(Aviation Technology Group Inc. and Israel Aerospace Industries )(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Byline: DEVELOPMENT ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV Javelin will come in personal and trainer versions Aviation Technology Group and Israel Aerospace Industries plan to begin assembly of the prototype of the Javelin Mk10 very light jet before the...

Russia keen to ride fixed-base bandwagon.(Business Aviation)(aviation industry plans to develop more facilities)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Byline: INFRASTRUCTURE TOM ZAITSEV MOSCOW Boom in corporate jet industry sparks plans to develop 10 dedicated facilities, starting at Tatarstan's capital, Kazan The Russian republic of Tatarstan is to build a dedicated fixed-base...

Business.(growth of Elbit Systems Ltd.)(Financial report)
August 14, 2007... Acquisitions at home and partnerships abroad fuel Israeli defence contractor's ambitions Elbit Systems is poised to achieve a goal of doubling its business activities within the space of just two years, vindicating a decision to focus on...

Business.(DayJet Corp.)(Aero Vodochody Ltd.)(Meggitt PLC)(Financial report)
August 14, 2007... business briefs DAYJET PASSES FINANCE MILESTONE EXECUTIVE TRAVEL DayJet has closed debt facilities totalling $140 million to acquire its fleet of Eclipse 500 very light jets. The facilities include senior debt on the aircraft and...

Planting a seed.(Boeing Co. and OAK)
August 14, 2007... The pay-off for bridging the gap between the military and civil aerospace markets is there for both Boeing and OAK as each tries to transfer success in one sector to the other Russia's aerospace industry was once as great as America's, at...

Safety advance depends on reporting.(Eurocontrol )(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Slowly but surely Eurocontrol and the air navigation service providers in its member states are working on controlling different categories of risk-bearing operational mistakes. The latest target for action is airspace infringements - the...

Alenia secures overhaul deal for Libyan SF-260s.(Alenia S.p.A.)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Byline: OVERHAUL LUCA PERUZZI GENOA Libya bought 240 SF-260s, beginning in the late 1970s Alenia Aermacchi is to support a [euro]3 million ($4.1 million) refurbishment of 12 SF-260 primary trainers for the Libyan air force....

Defence.(equipment and supplies of Galileo Avionica)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... The first of five Tranche 1, Block 5-configured Eurofighter Typhoons delivered to the Italian air force has entered service. The aircraft is also the first for Italy to carry passive infrared airborne tracking equipment (Pirate) radar, made by...

Spider may have caused F-16 crash.(equipment and supplies of Lockheed Martin Corp.)
August 14, 2007... Byline: INVESTIGATION ANNO GRAVEMAKER ARNHEM Dutch investigation into Afghanistan accident in 2006 deems mechanical or pilot health problems unlikely A spider may have caused the pilot to shift his attention from flying...

Defence.(planning of Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd.)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Buoyed by the successful sale of its KT-1 trainer to Turkey, Korea Aerospace Industries is planning to push for further exports by adding light-attack capabilities to the aircraft. The light-attack version of the aircraft, which is being...

Features.(officials and employees of Irkutsk Aircraft Production Association)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... THE GENERAL DIRECTOR ISABELLE MALE FYODOROV's engineering pedigree Alexei Fyodorov was born in 1952 in Ulan Ude, the capital of the Buryat Republic, Russia. He graduated in 1974 as a specialised mechanical engineer and in 1989 became...

Features.(officials and employees of OAK)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... THE CHAIRMAN ISABELLE MALE from kgb to DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER Sergei Ivanov was born in Leningrad (now St Petersburg) in 1953. He began working for the KGB in 1975 after graduating from the interpreting department of Leningrad State...

Features.(management of OAK)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... OAK - a short history OAK is a government-owned corporation that covers design, manufacture and marketing of aerospace products. Russian president Vladimir Putin officially launched the enterprise in February last year, but the idea of...

Features.(product development of OAK)
August 14, 2007... growing a great oak HELEN MASSY-BERESFORD LONDON Is Russia's attempt to unite its aerospace interests around one organisation, United Aircraft or OAK - with Sukhoi at the forefront - beginning to pay off? Harnessing the potential...

Features.(Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Production Association)
August 14, 2007... new start for sukhoi AIMEE TURNER KOMSOMOLSK-ON-AMUR The company behind iconic Soviet fighters is enjoying a second life as developer of Russia's first modern airliner Built in the 1930s as an industrial centre by the Communist...

This week.(Northrop Grumman Corp. and Navy)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... EARLY WARNING First flight for Advanced Hawkeye The US Navy's E-2D Advanced Hawkeye carrier-based airborne early-warning aircraft flew for the first time on 3 August from Northrop Grumman's St Augustine, Florida plant. The E-2D is an...

This week.(contracts between Boeing Co. and Emirates Airline)
August 14, 2007... ORDERS MAX KINGSLEY-JONES loNDOn Emirates back in the frame for passenger 747-8 order UAE flag carrier among several potential new customers being courted by Boeing Boeing is in discussions with key new potential customers,...

This week.(Boeing Co.)(Air Moorea)(National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
August 14, 2007... briefing AIR MOOREA TWIN OTTER crashes on take-off ACCIDENT All 20 people on board an Air Moorea de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 are feared dead after the aircraft crashed shortly after take-off from Moorea island in French...

UK may add to aviation taxes to tackle warming.(United Kingdom. Department for Transport)
August 14, 2007... Byline: ENVIRONMENT AIMEE TURNER loNDon Air passenger duty set to stay - and DfT could impose further charges as it seeks to shape future policy The UK's efforts to gauge whether aviation meets the true cost of its effect on global...

This week.(Warrior (Aero-Marine) and Autonomous Systems Technology Related Airborne Evaluation & Assessment )(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... SEAPLANES PETER LA FRANCHI london Gull amphibian takes wing for Flight Refuelling Warrior (Aero-Marine) is negotiating an order from the UK Autonomous Systems Technology Related Airborne Evaluation & Assessment (ASTRAEA) consortium for...

Airbus exonerates FMS in Hapag-Lloyd crash.(Airbus S.A.S.)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Byline: INVESTIGATION DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON Seven years after a Hapag-Lloyd Airbus A310-300 crashed at Vienna after suffering fuel exhaustion, the release of the final report shows that Airbus contested initial conclusions relating...

Skunkworks fast-tracks UAV design job for Iraq commandos.(Lockheed Martin Corp.)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Byline: SPECIAL OPS PETER LA FRANCHI WASHINGTON DC Lockheed Martin Advanced Development Programmes has unveiled a new hand-launched short-range unmanned air vehicle that the company says is in limited series manufacture for a classified US...

ULA considers COTS bid.(National Aeronautics and Space Administration)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Byline: spaceFLIGHT ROB COPPINGER LONDON NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Demonstrations (COTS) phase one competitors, Rocketplane-Kistler (RpK) and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), could be facing competition from...

This week.(service introduction of Virgin America Inc.)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... START-UP Branson's US adventure takes off US start-up Virgin America inaugurated services last week from New York Kennedy and Los Angeles to its home base of San Francisco International. The launch follows a lengthy battle to convince...

This week.(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... EMISSIONS GRAHAM WARWICK WASHINGTON DC Biofuel flight test set for Virgin 747 Virgin Atlantic, Boeing and General Electric are within weeks of selecting the biofuel for a flight demonstration in the UK early next year. "We are working...

Lockheed faces $265m bill afterJSF charge glitch.(Lockheed Martin Corp.)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... Byline: PROCUREMENT STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC US government over paid without questioning repeated invoices submitted by F-35 supplier Lockheed Martin owes the US government at least $265 million after company employees discovered...

This week.(Boeing Co. and Airbus S.A.S.)(Brief article)
August 14, 2007... TRANSPORTS Chile takes A310s for presidential transport and tanking Chile is acquiring a pair of Airbus A310-200s for presidential transport and air-to-air refuelling duties under a $104 million deal with EADS. The European aircraft...