Organization Says FAA's Inability To Meet A Deadline Shouldn't Be Industry's Problem

Perhaps it's the Aircraft Electronics Association's way of telling the FAA, "Failure to meet a deadline on YOUR part should in no way constitute an emergency on OUR part."

New Russian RJ Put Through Its Paces

The AN-148-100, a new regional jet, whose first flight took place on December 17, 2004, successfully performs the tests. On December 30, 2004 the weather allowed to perform six test flights.

From The Birthplace Of The Space Age, A Space-Age Airplane

By ANN Senior Correspondent Kevin "Hognose" O'Brien The importance of the island of Usedom to aerospace depends on your frame of reference. To an aerospace historian, it's where guided ballistic and cruise missiles got their start, at the German Army and Air Force test centers on the island's tip at Peenemunde. For an 80-year-old RAF Bomber Command vet, it's a memory of a tough, well-protected target. For a Cold War vet, it might have been a home base or a target folder (depending on what side you were on). For modern Germans, it's a nice place for a summer vacation on the Baltic Sea. But for us, today, it's the birthplace of a GA twin like none you've ever seen, the TT62 Alekto by High Performance Aircraft (

STC Approved

Power Flow Systems, manufacturers of the Power Flow Tuned Exhaust, has received FAA approval for an STC that increases the gross weight of the C172N model with the 0-320 engines. The only requirement is installing a cowl cooling lip and limiting flap travel to 30 degrees.

Commercial Aircraft Lit Up By Laser Near Nashville

Yet another civilian aircraft has been lit up by potentially dangerous lasers -- this one on a flight from Nashville to Chicago.

Airline To Cut Fares, Fees In Hopes Of Staving Off Bankruptcy

How do you stay out of bankruptcy court? Delta Airlines has an answer: cut prices and thereby cut profits. It's a gutsy move aimed at making Delta more competitive in the marketplace and it's just about to get underway, according to Time Magazine.

Claims Rugged Little Jet Cheaper, More Versatile Than Rivals

The ARJ21 (Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st Century), debuted at the Zhunai Air Show, is China's entry into the small commercial jet market -- one that the manufacturer says is cheaper to build, cheaper to fly and rugged enough for China's widely varied geography.

It's A Commander 112A!

Drum roll, please -— AOPA has announced its 2005 project airplane is a Commander 112 with a state-of-the-art Chelton FlightLogic instrument panel. The GA advocacy group says it has already purchased a 1974 Commander 112A for the Commander Countdown Sweepstakes. The aircraft is now headed to the avionics shop to be morphed into what AOPA promises will be "the finest flying test bed of advanced aviation technology you've ever seen."

"China's Aviation Sector Will Be Incomplete Without Developing Its Own Civil Aircraft Industry"

China is getting into the large commercial aircraft business, announcing plans to roll the first such airplane off the assembly line in 2018.

What Were They Thinking?

By ANN Senior Editor Pete Combs Dear Aviation Professionals of US Airways, What the hell were you thinking? I'm talking specifically to those baggage handlers and flight attendants who sicked out Christmas weekend, snarling the entire air traffic system and leaving holiday travelers stuck without their bags for days. Merry Freakin' Christmas.

New York Jury Rules Against Defunct Airline Over Unpaid Debts

Perhaps, given Southeast Airlines' financial woes, this won't make much difference. But a New York jury last week smacked the company with a $3.7 million judgement in the latest lawsuit over Southeast's debts.

Aviation Services Group Sends Supplies To Nations Hard-Hit By Tsunami

Aviation Services Group, a Dallas-based expeditionary logistics service provider, completed on January 1st a full cargo plane-load shipment of relief supplies for the Indian Ocean area Tsunami relief effort on a charter flight donated by Aviation Services. Aviation Services arranged the pick-up of critical basic necessity materials from Dubai, United Arab Emirates for subsequent non-stop air transportation to Colombo, Sri Lanka. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided the approximate 20,000 pounds of disaster relief supplies destined for use by Red Cross workers in Sri Lanka.

Helicopter Deemed "Irreplaceable" In Firefighting Operations

Russia's JSC Kamov-Holding says it has a contract for delivery of two Kamov Ka-32A11BC utility helicopters to Helicopteros de Sureste (HSE), the largest helicopter operator in Spain. Valery Lukin, Kamov's director general of JSC Kamov-Holding said the contract "is a logical development of our cooperation with the Spanish customer. The first two machines purchased by HSE past July proved extremely efficient in fire-fighting, so this decision to expand the Ka-32 fleet is no coincidence."

ALPA Calls Company A "Money Losing Operation"

If the Air Line Pilots Association has its way, the FAA will shut down Boston-Maine Airways. The ALPA says the airline should never have been granted "large jet aircraft authority" because Boston-Maine is "a money losing operation."

Plan: Modify 747-400 To Test Engines

L-3 Communications says its Integrated Systems (L-3 IS) subsidiary has been selected by Rolls-Royce for a contract valued at approximately $20 million. The job: develop a flying test bed for risk-reduction flight testing of the Trent 1000 engine, which Rolls-Royce has developed for the new Boeing 7E7 aircraft.

SEACOR Holdings Is The New Owner

Rowan Companies says it's sold Era Aviation to SEACOR Holdings. The deal was finalized last Thursday. The purchase price was approximately $118.1 million in cash, subject to post-closing working capital adjustments, according to Rowan.

"[C]ompanies owned and managed by the Mellon Group (owners of Guilford Transportation) have repeatedly transferred work from unionized to nonunion groups to avoid their collective bargaining obligations under the RLA (Railway Labor Act), repeatedly discharged pilots because they were unwilling to fly in violation of FAA safety rules, repeatedly refused to comply with final and binding decisions of system boards of adjustment as required under the RLA, and willfully violated environmental laws." Source: Part of a legal filing by the ALPA, accusing the Mellon Group of shutting down subsidiary Pan Am and transferring the work to another subsidiary, Boston-Maine Airways, in order to sidestep the union.

AD NUMBER: 2004-22-25 MANUFACTURER: Boeing (CORRECTION) SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-22-25 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Boeing Model 767-200, -300, and -300F series airplanes, that requires a one-time inspection for discrepancies of all wire bundles, including certain power feeder cables, of the electrical system in the forward cargo compartment ceiling at certain stations; and corrective actions if necessary.

AD NUMBER: 2004-24-06 MANUFACTURER: SAAB (CORRECTION) SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-24-06 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Saab Model SAAB SF340A and SAAB 340B series airplanes. This AD requires replacement of the actuator bracket attachment bolt (RABAB) of the main landing gear (MLG) with a new RABAB;reidentification of the MLG shock strut; an inspection for corrosion, fretting, other damage of certain RABABs; and applicable corrective actions.

AD NUMBER: 2004-26-11 MANUFACTURER: Bell SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-26-11 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the specified Bell Helicopter Textron (BHTC) model helicopters. This action requires certain checks and inspections of the tail rotor blades. If a crack is found, before further flight, this AD requires replacing the tail rotor blade (blade) with an airworthy blade.