Leasing Company Has 74 Dreamliners On Order

International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), a wholly owned subsidiary of American International Group, Inc., announced today that Ethiopian Airlines, one of the fastest growing airlines in Africa, has agreed to lease three of Boeing’s new Dreamliner 787-8 aircraft.

CTOP Explained At Education Session At NBAA Convention

In the not-too-distant future, aircraft operators facing an en route constraint will have the opportunity to identify a range of reroute options they prefer and, thanks to a new air traffic management (ATM) tool called the Collaborative Trajectory Options Program (CTOP), may be able to minimize the impact of airspace constraints. CTOP is scheduled to roll out in autumn 2013.

Names New Senior VP, Executive Director Of Helicopter Development

FlightSafety International has promoted David Davenport to Senior Vice President of the company, effective November 1, 2012. David Powell has joined the company as Executive Director, Helicopter Business Development.

Corporate Customer Council (C3) Initiative Launched

Rolls-Royce announced Tuesday it has accelerated the expansion of its global network of Authorized Service Centers (ASCs) for corporate aircraft. In May of 2012 the company announced that it intended to increase its service center network from nine to 19 by year end. Rolls-Royce will now have agreements in place with 34 maintenance providers worldwide by the year-end deadline.

Says The Airline Misled Passengers Concerning Actual Price Of Tickets

The U.S. Department of Transportation has fined Air France $85,000 for violating the department’s full-fare advertising rules and ordered the carrier to cease and desist from further violations. “Consumers deserve fair treatment from airlines when it comes to price advertising, including up-front disclosure of taxes and fees they must pay in order to fly,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.

Enhancements Include Advance Rotor Blades, Performance And Handling Boosts

The Defense Acquisition Board decision regarding full-rate production for the Apache Block III helicopter program was announced late last month by Army officials at a briefing in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Apache project manager Col. Jeffrey Hager confirmed that the Apache Block III is being re-designated as an AH-64E model.

Challenges Theory That Giant Collision Of Two Planets May Have Produced Both Bodies

New research, funded by the NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI), theorizes that our early Earth and moon were both created together in a giant collision of two planetary bodies that were each five times the size of Mars. This new theory about how Earth’s moon formed is challenging the commonly believed “giant impact hypothesis.”

Authorization Will Remove 120 Pounds Of Paper From Each Flight

Flexjet on Tuesday announced that it has received conditional authorization from the FAA for the use of Apple iPads as Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) for fractional flights conducted under Part 91 Subpart K. The Phase 5 authorization comes after six months of validation testing of the device across Flexjet’s fleet of aircraft and acceptance of its standard operating procedures.

Data Suggests Storm Was More Powerful Than Originally Estimated

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has tracked the aftermath of a rare massive storm on Saturn. Data reveal record-setting disturbances in the planet's upper atmosphere long after the visible signs of the storm abated, in addition to an indication the storm was more forceful than scientists previously thought.

First Interior Delivered Earlier This Year

The FAA has certified a new Off Shore Airliner (OSA) interior design developed by AAR for Sikorsky’s S-92 fleet of offshore utility aircraft. In addition to the composite interiors for the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter program, AAR also provides precision machining services for several hundred aircraft.

Recognized For The Second Year In A Row By Commander, Navy Region Southeast For the second consecutive year, Commander, Navy Region Southeast selected Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville as the 2012 Installation Excellence Award nominee for the Commander, Naval Installation Command's (CNIC) Installation Excellence Award Oct. 31. The station was also the recipient of the CNIC Installation Excellence Award and the 2012 Presidential Installation Excellence Award.

Cuts Ribbon On New, Expanded Facility

Professional Aircraft Accessories, a Greenwich AeroGroup company, cut the grand re-opening ribbon and welcomed guests in to see their new 20,000 square-foot expansion Thursday. The addition brings their total facility size to approximately 60,000 square feet and accommodates the growth of the company’s landing gear service area, accessory shop, instrument and avionics lab as well as an expanded machine shop and paint shop.

'Dear Mr. Campbell.... Thank You For (Possibly) Saving My Life'

News/Observation/Analysis By ANN Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell I hardly know where to begin... but what started as yet another ridiculous fraud by one of aviation's most infamous aero-crooks appears to have taken on a new and far more dangerous path. Over the course of the last few years, we've written a few times about the exploits of a multiply-convicted felon and con-man, David Riggs... best known for terrorizing hundreds with an L-39 buzz job over the Santa Monica pier that hurt the rep of aviators all over the west coast.

Here's The Links To The Three Daily Airborne Episodes From Our Amazing NBAA 2012 Coverage!

ANN is pleased to have made it through the there tumultuous days of NBAA 2012 without a scratch (which has not always bneen the case... honest). We're even more pleased to revisit the three amazing episodes we webcast EVERY day of the convention... 

Airborne at NBAA2012--10.30.12: TFR Tomfoolery, New Sovereign, Kestrel De-Ice

Airborne at NBAA2012--10.31.12: NBAA Politics, HondaJet, Eclipse Update

Airborne at NBAA2012--11.01.12: Part 145 Worries, Nextant, Pe

Conducts Aerial Surveys Of Hurricane Damage In Virginia

When a request came out for someone to fly an aerial survey of the town of Saxis on the Eastern Shore of Virginia after Hurricane Sandy, the newly formed Virginia Volunteer Pilots Group (VVPG) put out a notice to their members and three of them immediately responded to the call. Pilots for Christ, Virginia Chapter; Mercy Medical Airlift; and Pilots N Paws all volunteered for the mission.

Fully Integrated Flight Deck For BizJets, GA Aircraft

An an advanced, next-generation cockpit design has been developed by Innovative Solutions & Support. The NextGen Cockpit/IP II flight deck is optimized for business and general aviation aircraft.

Fence Is Constructed Across Runway Overrun Safety Area

There is a fued underway between the owner of the Lealand Fly Fishing Ranch and pilots who use California's Sanoma Valley Airport (0Q3). Ranch onwer Josh Frazier has erected a solid-log fence across the airport's runway safety overrun area.

Klyde Plays Politics... His Way

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

Two Aviation Icons Continue To Make History

Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) and Viking Air Limited have entered into a 10-year General Terms Agreement to supply PT6 engines, including the PT6A-34 for the Twin Otter aircraft. The announcement came Monday during the NBAA's 65th annual meeting and convention in Orlando, Florida.

Featured In The Latest James Bond Movie

AgustaWestland's AW101 and AW159 Lynx Wildcat helicopters have staring roles in Skyfall, the 23rd James Bond adventure, which had its world premiere in London on 23rd October 2012. Staring Daniel Craig as James Bond, Skyfall sees the AW101 helicopter performing several dramatic sequences in the film.

State-Run Media Reports 11 Minute Test Flight Wednesday

China's new J-31 stealth fighter reportedly flew for 11 minutes on Wednesday, according to reports from that country's state-run media. Deployment of the airplane is likely still years away.

Azores High A semi-permanent, subtropical area of high pressure in the North Atlantic Ocean that migrates east and west with varying central pressure. Depending on the season, it has different names. In the Northern Hemispheric winter and early spring, when the Icelandic Low dominates the North Atlantic, it is primarily centered near the Azores Islands. When it is displaced westward, during the summer and fall, the center is located in the western North Atlantic, near Bermuda, and is known as the Bermuda High.

Aero Linx: Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountain and Deserts of The American West This site is dedicated to the memory of those men and women who lost their lives in service to our nation, especially those who remain missing and unaccounted for, in the vastness of the American West and the Pacific Ocean.

"Without question, the activities of David G Riggs qualifies him, in our opinion, as one of the most dangerous men in all of aviation. Con-man, felon, fraud, reckless flyer.... all these terms and so many more combine to make us increasingly concerned that his activities will not only be found to have contributed as a hazard to the lives and livelihoods of others, as well as someone who can bring great and unwelcome scrutiny upon aviation -- all because (IMO) he has no concern for the welfare of others." Source: ANN Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell's, observations about our most recent story about the infamous David Riggs... possibly the most dangerous man in all of civil aviation.