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All AIN news by date
Maintenance and Modifications
PAS Denies MD 902 Spares Problems
Police Aviation Services (PAS), UK distributor of the MD 902 to police forces, has denied British media reports that the helicopters are being grounded for
Regulations and Government
ERA pushes back hardon pax compensation regs
Regional airlines in Europe last month lodged a formal protest alleging that civil servants had misrepresented legislation about passenger compensation for
Air Wisconsin prepares for life outside the United fold
Last month’s decision by United Airlines to cut loose Air Wisconsin Airline Corp.
AvCraft guardian angles for quick sale
Regional jet manufacturer AvCraft Aerospace GmbH could end up in the hands of a new owner next month following the second bankruptcy involving the Dornier
Air Zimbabwe Buys Two MA 60s
Xi’an Aircraft Factory has landed the first sale of its new Pratt & Whitney Canada-powered MA 60 outside China with Air Zimbabwe’s order for a pair of the
Comair Adds Another Piece to Puzzle
Comair’s flight attendants last month voted to accept a new five-year contract that would pay new cabin crew about 20 percent less than current employees,
Aircraft
SkyWest To Take 20 More CRJ700s
SkyWest Airlines will fly another 20 CRJ700s for United Airlines as part of a deal that saw the St.
Aircraft
Wheelchairs in 50-seaters?
A proposed DOT rule to lower the threshold to require wheelchair availability in Part 121-operated aircraft from 60 to 50 seats has rung alarm bells within
Finance, Taxes, Insurance
Skyrocketing taxes, fees hitting regionals hardest
As a percentage of a $200 airline ticket, taxes and fees more than tripled between 1972 and 2004 thanks to inflation, a decline in the real cost of airline
Airports
Some airports heeding calls for cost control
When corporate headquarters in Atlanta called on Comair to fly Bombardier CRJs three times a day from Cincinnati into Missouri’s Springfield-Branson Region
Aircraft
Market for 50-seat jets spirals into a tailspin
Industry developments have conspired to depress the 50-seat jet market to its weakest position since the late 1990s.
Finance, Taxes, Insurance
ATOS, CSET tax airlines and FAA to limits
By just about anyone’s reckoning the FAA audit process known as the Air Transport Oversight System (ATOS) has turned into a horribly labor-intensive and ti
RAA’s policy influence cuts across sector lines
Five years as an association president might seem like a modest stint to some, but Debby McElroy has seen enough in her tenure at the RAA to last a lifetim
Avionics
Piper Bringing Avidyne Entegra Cockpit to Meridian Turboprop Single
The Piper Meridian turboprop single will soon receive a production-line upgrade to Avidyne’s Entegra cockpit as a replacement for the airplane’s original M
Avionics
S-Tec putting final touches on new digital autopilot line
If company marketing executives have their way, expect a flurry of announcements from autopilot maker Meggitt/S-Tec in the coming months.
Avionics
Gulfstream G550 and G500 Awarded Broadband Hardware STC
Gulfstream has received a third STC for installation of high-speed Broad Band Multi-Link (BBML) data systems, this time in the ultra-long-range G550/G500.
Aircraft
Raytheon Renames Garmin-equipped Piston Aircraft
Perhaps an indication of the sway Garmin has come to hold in the aviation industry, Raytheon last month announced a name change for the venerable Beech Bon
Cabin Interior and Electronics
Arinc and Telenor Launch AeroMobile Cellular Service
Preparing for the day when aircraft passengers are allowed to make cellphone calls in flight, Arinc and Telenor have created AeroMobile, a new service that
Aircraft
Eclipse's Solution: Eliminate Standby Instruments Altogether
Pilots checking out the flight deck of the Eclipse 500 may notice something missing.
Avionics
In an era of glass avionics, standbys sometimes ignored
Today’s highly capable glass cockpits certainly put old, round-dial standby instruments in the shade.
Avionics
IR cited by some as a key to improving EMS safety
Since 1999, the North American aero-medical transport industry, particularly its helicopter EMS community, has become increasingly introspective regarding
Safety
FAA Issues Another Primus Epic AD
After publishing a series of airworthiness directives earlier this year aimed at operators of certain aircraft equipped with Honeywell Primus Epic avionics
Avionics
Boeing Enlists Communications Firm To Develop Wireless EFB Technology
Boeing has selected Broadbeam, a New Jersey-based mobile communication specialist, to develop wireless electronic flight bag (EFB) technology for airlines.
ATC
Iridium in Talks with Manufacturers on Satellite Replacement Strategy
Iridium has entered into preliminary discussions with satellite manufacturers about potential replacements for its network of low-earth-orbit communication
Avionics
Cockpit upgrade STCs open floodgates
The scene at a recent aviation trade show illustrates perfectly what has become an industry-wide dilemma.
Aircraft
In The Works: Quest Kodiak
Quest Aircraft’s Kodiak turboprop single, which last month neared 100 flight hours, started FAA flight testing in late March.
Aircraft
In The Works: Eclipse 500
The Eclipse 500 program continued to gain steam last month with the successful first flights of the second (N502EA) and third (N504EA) certification flight
Aircraft
In The Works: Diamond D-Jet
Peter Mauer, president of Diamond Aircraft’s North American division, last month said components of the single-engine Diamond D-Jet were taking shape in an
Safety
VLJ parachute study falls short
Don’t expect to see Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS) parachutes on the first crop of very light jets.
