Aero-News Network: The aviation and aerospace world's daily/real-time news and information service

AA Executive Jumps To Virgin Atlantic

Craig Kreeger New CEO At VA

Craig Kreeger has been named as the new CEO at Virgin Atlantic Airline. Kreeger moves to the UK carrier from American Airlines, where he held the role of Senior Vice President - Customer Service. The appointment is effective February 1.

New Berlin Airport Facing 'Indefinite' Delays

Airport Officials Say German Media Reports About Capacity 'Incomplete And Misleading'

Berlin's new Brandenburg airport, which was to have opened in June of last year, may not open until sometime in 2015, and when it does, some media reports indicate it will immediately be over its planned capacity.

Geisinger Health System Orders A Fifth EC145

Part Of Company's Fleet Modernization And Upgrade Program

Health services company Geisinger Health System headquartered in Danville, PA, has ordered a fifth EC145 for its Life Flight program. The new helicopter acquisition is part of Geisinger’s fleet modernization and upgrade plan based on the proven and popular EC145 platform.

Commercial Spaceflight Federation Announces New Members

Boeing, Paragon Join At Executive Level

The Commercial Spaceflight Federation announced Tuesday that several companies have joined the organization. “Interest and activity in commercial spaceflight continue to blossom at both traditional and new space companies,” said CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria. “It is very satisfying to see the Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s membership expand to include such a preponderance of the players in the commercial space panorama.”

NASA's Kepler Mission Discovers 461 New Planet Candidates

Four In Their Sun's 'Habitable Zone'

NASA's Kepler mission announced Monday the spacecraft has discovered 461 new planet candidates. Four of the potential new planets are less than twice the size of Earth and orbit in their sun's "habitable zone," the region in the planetary system where liquid water might exist on the surface of a planet.

U2 Spy Plane Documentary Set For Release

Project Supports Veterans Via The Gary Sinise Foundation

Award-winning actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise and Sleeping Dog Productions, the award-winning aviation and historical documentary production company, are set to release “High Flight”, the documentary narrated by Sinise that also chronicles his 2011 experience at Beale Air Force Base in California preparing for his flight in a U2 spy plane.

USAF Takes Delivery Of Two Additional Global Hawks

Inventory Of The Unmanned System Expands To 37 Aircraft

Two Global Hawk unmanned aircraft have been delivered to the U.S. Air Force by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NGC). Both aircraft were delivered ahead of schedule in late November.

Iberia Airline Reaches Tentative Agreement With Pilots Union

Restructuring Plan Includes Salary And Staff Cuts

A tentative agreement has been reached between Spain's Iberia Airline and its pilots' union on a restructuring plan that includes both staff and salary cuts, but the union says it does not necessarily support the plan as it's currently written.

Indian Government To Acquire Airbus Military A330 MRTT

Detailed Negotiations To Begin For As Many As Six Of The Multi-Role Aircraft

Airbus Military is pleased to confirm that it has been selected by the Government of India as the preferred bidder to supply its A330 MRTT Multi Role Tanker Transport to the Indian Air Force (IAF). The decision follows a lengthy and thorough selection process including the completion of extensive flight demonstrations in India by the A330 MRTT during which the aircraft refuelled multiple types of IAF fighters and operated from the high-altitude IAF base at Leh.

Spacecraft And Science Instrument Integration For NASA's IRIS Mission Complete

Final Testing Underway At Lockheed Martin Facility In CA

The spacecraft and science instrument integration for the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) – NASA's next Small Explorer (SMEX) Mission – has been completed, and final testing is underway. IRIS was designed and built at the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Advanced Technology Center (ATC) in Palo Alto, CA.

FastFin System For Bell 412EP Approved For Installation In Japan

Emergency Response Aircraft First To Be Equipped In That Country

The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau has approved the BLR Aerospace FastFin Tail Rotor Enhancement and Stability System for installation on Bell 412EP helicopters.

Airborne 01.08.13: NAFI Loses Boss, Boeing Sets Records, ANN Ready For Sebring

Also: EAA Doesn't Like 'Cliff', Gulfstream Hires, FAA Wings At Sebring, AIA Worries About Sequestration, Rescue Helo Gets Dunked

After several tough years which saw NAFI engaged in a number of scandals and the separation of a significant relationship with the EAA, the fortunes of the National Association of Flight Instructors continue to crash and burn. Boeing says it completed 2012 with a record setting performance. 1,203 net commercial airplane orders were booked in 2012, the second-largest number in company history. The company also delivered 601 airplanes, the most since 1999. Boeing's unfilled commercial airplane orders at the end of the year stoo

NTSB Investigating Dreamliner Fire Incident In Boston

Found APU Had Severe Fire Damage

The NTSB has released an update on its formal investigation of Monday’s fire aboard a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 at Logan International Airport in Boston. There were no passengers or crew on board at the time. One firefighter received minor injuries.

Airlines For America Opposes Proposed Pilot Rule Changes

Legislation Introduced To Extend Crew Duty And Rest Limits To Cargo Pilots

Airline industry trade organization Airlines for America (A4A) on Monday reaffirmed its support for the FAA's pilot duty and rest times rule, which was "rigorously analyzed" over a two-year period, and urged Congress to reject recently-introduced legislation by Congressmen Michael Grimm (R-NY) and Tim Bishop (D-NY) to extend those rules beyond passenger airlines to all-cargo carriers.

U.S., Canada Think Ahead To 'NORAD Next'

Governments Discuss Future Of Joint Military Air Defense

More than a half century since it was established to confront the Cold War threat, North American Aerospace Defense Command is at a new crossroads as officials in the United States and Canada determine the capabilities it will need to confront emerging challenges and threats in the decades ahead.

NASA's Green Aviation Research Throttles Up

Eight Demonstration Concepts Focus On Five Areas To Improve Airliner Efficiency

NASA has selected eight large-scale integrated technology demonstrations to advance aircraft concepts and technologies that will reduce the impact of aviation on the environment over the next 30 years, research efforts that promise future travelers will fly in quieter, greener and more fuel-efficient airliners.

Pan Am Acquires Airline Career Academy (ACA) Flight School

Company Provides Private, Instrument And Commercial Multi-Engine Training With A Fleet Of Approximately 50 Aircraft

Pan Am International Flight Academy announced today that it has acquired Airline Career Academy (ACA), a pilot training academy specializing in JAA/EASA and FAA Ab Initio training. ACA will be integrated into Pan Am's operations to offer world class professional pilot training programs that enhance Pan Am's core business of comprehensive solutions for airlines.

NTSB Prelim In MT Accident Indicates Pilot Was 'Noncertificated'

Had Filed An Instrument Flight Plan For Trip From Coolidge, AZ, To Libby, MT

A pilot flying to a company function in Libby, MT last month was "noncertificated", according to a preliminary report from the NTSB. The pilot and one passenger were fatally injured when the airplane, a Beech B100, impacted terrain just after midnight local time after being cleared for the GPS-A approach to Libby Airport (S59). He had reported the field in sight at about 7 miles and cancelled his flight plan.

Ball Aerospace Employees Named AIAA Associate Fellows

Introduced At Association Sciences Meeting Monday

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. employees Dr. Jeanette Domber and Dr. Lisa Hardaway have been elected Associate Fellows of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Domber and Hardaway were inducted with 175 other new Associate Fellows from around the world at the 51st AIAA Sciences Meeting Monday in Dallas, Texas.

NORAD Exercise Planned For Washington, D.C. Region

Early Morning Flights May Be Noted January 9

North American Aerospace Defense Command and its geographical component, the Continental United States NORAD Region (CONR), planned to conduct exercise Falcon Virgo 13-04 beginning Wednesday morning Jan. 9 between midnight and 0200 EST in the National Capital Region, Washington D.C.

Aero-News: Quote Of The Day (01.09.13)

"We have made a lot of progress in our research toward very quiet aircraft with low carbon footprints. But the real challenge is to integrate ideas and pieces together to make an even larger improvement." Source: Fay Collier, ERA project manager based at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA.