The Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) for the UAE passed its critical design review phase, keeping the program on schedule. The first of two aircraft being converted by Provincial Aerospace Ltd (PAL) of Canada are to be qualified in the first half of 2011, with service entry slated for later in that year.PAL and Thales signed the...
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The debut of the Boeing AH-6i light attack/reconnaissance helicopter at the Dubai Airshow this month was just the latest iteration in this aircraft’s long and complicated history. The design first flew in the 1960s as the Hughes Model 300. It was adopted by the U.S. Army as the OH-6A and further developed for civilian customers as the Models 500 and 530....
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Although the supply of French Rafale combat jets to the UAE was not finalized at the Dubai Airshow, there were plenty of indications that negotiations are going well. In an unusual departure from custom, the former head of the UAE Air Force gave a detailed interview on the progress of the deal to The National, the main newspaper in Abu Dhabi. General...
moreBreaking with a tradition that has seen major military procurements signed and announced only in Abu Dhabi, the UAE government sealed deals for new training and AEW&C aircraft during the Dubai Airshow this month. Pilatus secured the new basic trainer, an order for 25 PC-21s worth $521 million, to also include several training simulators with all systems and...
moreRecently installed chief of staff of the Indonesian air force, vice marshal Imam Safaat, outlined a modernization plan for the service’s pilot training while speaking at the ceremony in which he took over from Marshal Subandrio. The Indonesian air force has operated some 20 Hawk Mk 53s and eight OV-10 Broncos for approximately 30 years, and to upgrade the...
moreEarly this morning the FAA’s computerized system for loading flight plans failed, causing widespread traffic delays of up to 90 minutes and some airline flight cancellations. Between approximately 5:15 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. EST the Nadin (national airspace data interchange network) system failed at both its Atlanta and Salt Lake City locations due to a router...
moreDisclosing its financial results for the first three quarters of the year, Dassault on November 12 indicated that the backlog for Falcon business jets is still suffering from cancellations, while deliveries are much less affected. As of September 30, the 2009 order intake was negative, at minus €2 billion (approximately $3 billion), a number that includes...
moreEven though DOT Secretary Ray LaHood told the “Future of U.S. Aviation” forum last week that NextGen is not just an aviation or DOT issue, the Obama administration is sending differing signals about whether it would support a proposal for federal assistance for aircraft equipage. Senior White House economic aide Lawrence Summers and a broad industry...
moreA settlement has been reached in one of a number of lawsuits stemming from the September 2008 crash of a Learjet 60 in which Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein was injured. According to Los Angeles County Superior Court papers, the widow of pilot James Bland, who died in the Columbia, S.C. crash, will receive $406,250 and his 17-year-old daughter will receive $25,000 a...
moreIn its latest business jet market prediction covering the next 10 years, Forecast International calls for worldwide production of 11,277 business jets worth an estimated $197 billion. According to the report, total production will decline for the next two years to a low of 716 aircraft in 2011 before beginning its rise through the end of the forecast...
moreThe Transportation Security Administration (TSA) yesterday released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) to strengthen aircraft repair station security. The proposed regulation has been in the works since 2003, when Congress ordered the TSA to develop security requirements for repair facilities within eight months. The deadline passed with no results and...
moreThe employees of Hawker Beechcraft’s Little Rock operation are facing the company’s next round of layoffs. Hawker Beechcraft employs about 8,000 workers company-wide, including approximately 800 at the Little Rock completion center. The company announced last February it planned to lay off 2,300 employees this year due to the down economy. Last May about...
moreClifford Development and Stevens Aviation have expanded their Clifford Citation 550 and S550 engine conversion partnership. Stevens Aviation will install an optional Rockwell Collins three-display Pro Line 21 IDS that is certified in a dual AHRS (attitude-heading reference system)/turbulence radar configuration. Clifford Development has certified 35...
moreThe European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has certified Embraer as a Part 147 maintenance training organization. The approval covers the four E-Jets of the Embraer 170/190 series (170, 175, 190 and 195). KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ regional subsidiary KLM Cityhopper, the first customer for Embraer’s training, began the program last month at its headquarters...
moreChris Erickson, chief repair station officer and compliance officer at Erickson Air-Crane, has been elected president of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) at the association’s annual board meeting. Erickson assumes the presidency after two years as the association’s senior vice president. Dr. Hans Jürgen-Loss, vice president of quality...
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