Two Satellites Boosted From French Guiana Late Thursday

Arianespace successfully carried out the 54th Ariane 5 launch in a row on Thursday, orbiting two telecommunications satellites. Boosted into orbit were Amazonas-3 for Spanish operator Hispasat, and Azerspace/Africasat-1a for the Azerbaijani operator Azercosmos 0JSC and the Azerbaijan Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies.

Facility Was Announced In 2011

Production is underway at the new Bombardier Aerospace transitional facility in Morocco. Following a graduation ceremony held on February 1 at the Institut des Metiers de l'Aeronautique (IMA), 18 aircraft assemblers began production of the first Bombardier components to come out of its Moroccan manufacturing facility.

American Airlines, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital Team Up For The Program

A special group of teenage amputee patients from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children will soon head for the slopes of Winter Park, CO. The group will fly via American Airlines for the 32nd annual amputee ski trip, which is also supported by the hospital's generous donors. This year, 13 teenagers will participate in the all-expense-paid ski adventure at Winter Park's National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD).

JetNet Celebrating At 2013 HAI Heli-Expo

The aviation intelligence firm JetNet is celebrating 25 years of delivering professional aircraft research services, and will present their full range of software products and services at this year’s Heli-Expo next month in Las Vegas. The company's 2012 overview of the helicopter market, taken from their comprehensive global database of piston and turbine helicopters, reveals a market experiencing a slow but steady recovery.

First In South America For The Company

A flight training facility has been opened in Brazil by Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sim-Industries. It is the first South American flight training facility for the company. The Sim-Industries Brasil Sao Paulo Training Center provides academic and simulator instruction for pilots flying commercial passenger and cargo jets.

The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform At The Heart Of A New Program For Realistic Simulation Of Aircraft Strength And Performance

Dassault Systèmes has announced a partnership with Airbus to expand the use of Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform’s realistic simulation applications (SIMULIA). This will accelerate the structural analysis and virtual testing of their next generation aircraft, starting with the A350-900. The company designs 3D software, 3D Digital Mock Up and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) products.

Says Private Aviation Now More Accessible For Individuals And Businesses

AirSprint, a private aviation company with corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, AZ, and Calgary, Alberta, Canada, will debut its new Advantage Lease Program this month. The AirSprint Advantage Lease Program, available to individuals or business travelers who fly more than 50 hours per year, provides enhanced operational and financial flexibility by allowing individuals to lease an interest in the Citation CJ2+ light jet aircraft.

Aircraft Now Part Of The Midwest Fleet Available For Private Charter

A Bombardier Learjet 60 has been added to the Midwest fleet of jet charter service provider JetSelect Aviation. This private jet will be based at the Capital Airport (KSPI) in Springfield, MO.

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FAA Sanctioned Test Flights Resume

Over the weekend Boeing performed a successful test flight with one of its 787 test flight aircraft as part of the ongoing investigation into the Dreamliner's APU battery issues. Test flights with the 787 were authorized Thursday by FAA Administrator Michael Huerta and DOT Secretary Ray LaHood. The flight departed from Boeing Field at 12:32 p.m. Pacific time on Saturday, Feb. 9, with a crew of 13 onboard (Boeing pilots and flight test personnel). The flight lasted 2 hours and 19 minutes, landing back at Boeing Field at 2:51 p.m. Pacific time. The crew reports that the flight was uneventful.

Also: Fed Indicts Helo Personnel, Barnstorming On The TSA, New Name For NBAA Convention, Dynon, L-39 SAFO

At a news conference today, NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman identified the origin of the Jan. 7 battery fire that occurred on a Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston Logan Airport, and said that a focus of the investigation will be on the design and certification requirements of the battery system. Among the names being mentioned to replace Ray LaHood as Secretary of Transportation is NTSB chair Deborah A.P. Hersman, and some in the know say she is the leading candidate for the post. When Felix Baumgartner stepped off his capsule into the fringe o

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Sold At Bonhams Auction For Nearly $270,000

The Gipsy Moth biplane from the seven-time Oscar-winning motion picture "Out of Africa" sold for a world auction record €201,250 (just under $270,000) to an anonymous telephone bidder in Kenya. The airplane is on its way back to the country after nearly three decades, having found a new home in Kenya at the Bonhams auction at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, on Thursday.

Avincis Group Has Ordered 16 Of The Aircraft For Various Customers

The first of 16 completed S-92 helicopters that will be used by Avincis Group to provide transportation for its customers' offshore oil and gas crews and for search and rescue has been delivered by Sikorsky Global Helicopters (SGH).  The aircraft order announced in February 2012 is the largest single purchase of S-92 helicopters to date.

High-Altitude, Long-Endurance Aircraft Also Receives Software Upgrades

Boeing's liquid hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye unmanned aircraft system has completed taxi testing at Edwards Air Force Base in California as it progresses toward its second flight. During the testing, which occurred Feb. 6, the Phantom Eye demonstrator aircraft sitting atop its launch cart reached speeds up to 40 knots, or approximately 46 miles per hour.

Research Shows Nearest Planet Suitable For Liquid Water May Be Just 13 Light-Years Away

Using publicly available data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope, astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) estimate that six percent of red dwarf stars in the galaxy have Earth-size planets in the "habitable zone," the range of distances from a star where the surface temperature of an orbiting planet might be suitable for liquid water.

Claims To Have Captured The RQ-170 In December, 2011

Iranian television has aired footage it says was taken from equipment aboard an RQ-170 Sentinel UAV Iran claims to have captured in December, 2011. The Tehran government claims that the images on the video are of a U.S. UAS base in Kandahar, as well as a landing in eastern Iran.

Has Placed A Petition On The White House 'We The People' Website Focusing On Sporting Events, Presidential Visits

The Director of Operations at McMahon Helicopters in Canton, MI, has posted a petition on the White House "We The People" website in an effort to convince the government to reduce the size and duration of TFRs over sporting events and during Presidential visits.

Aero Linx: Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC) The commercial aviation industry operates in an increasingly complex economic and regulatory environment that demands proactive and timely responses. Our industry needs the support of a dynamic Association offering efficient safeguards in advance of any changes in our regulatory, fiscal and legal environment. Since 1934, ATAC has continued to demonstrate its effectiveness and leadership as the organization representing the interests of the Canadian aviation industry both nationally and internationally. ATAC members benefit from over 76 years of the association's experience, assistance and representation. Members also benefits from the support and involvement of other me

When Able WHEN ABLE- When used in conjunction with ATC instructions, gives the pilot the latitude to delay compliance until a condition or event has been reconciled. Unlike "pilot discretion," when instructions are prefaced "when able," the pilot is expected to seek the first opportunity to comply. Once a maneuver has been initiated, the pilot is expected to continue until the specifications of the instructions have been met. "When able," should not be used when expeditious compliance is required.

"Sporting Event Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) prohibit aircraft flight operations within a 3 nautical mile radius of the venue. Every MLB, NFL, and NCAA Football games (with seating capacities 30,000 or greater) carry a TFR beginning one-hour prior to the event – extending to one-hour after the event. There are thousands of these TFRs annually costing aviation businesses millions of dollars in lost revenue. 3-nautical mile radius restrictions are large enough to blanket entire metropolitan areas – shutting down aviation business for the duration in every major market. Worse yet, Presidential TFRs create restrictions with a 30+ nautical mile radius around the President. This is thousands of square miles of airspace. TFRs need to be reduced SIGNIFICANTLY in size