This AD is prompted by the structural test of a production 750XL wing which indicates the wing has less strength than previously calculated.

Sales Reach Double-Digits In Six Weeks

Airbus Industrie has announced sales of its new A318 Elite corporate jetliner (top) have reached double-figures, with five firm orders from an undisclosed multinational corporation. The deal takes A318 Elite sales to 13 aircraft plus eight options, and those of the Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) Family to more than 60.

Apparent Dispute Between Wife, FA

We're not quite sure what exactly happened Monday aboard a Continental flight at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport, but at least a few passengers were irked as a dispute involving the wife of pastor Joel Osteen delayed holiday travel plans for many.

Court Rules He Poisoned Activist's In-Flight Meal

If you're traveling on Garuda Air Indonesia, you might want to think twice about ordering the noodles. They were the last thing democracy and human-rights activist Munir Thalib ate -- because, an Indonesian court ruled Tuesday, they were laced with arsenic. And the man that did the lacing, according to the court, was Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto.

Score Another One For All-Time Best-Selling Airliner

The record-breaking Boeing 737 -- an aircraft that almost didn't make it past its first few years of production due to niggling problems and sluggish sales -- just set a new milestone likely to remain in the books for a long while. With an order for 10 737-800s from Xiamen Airlines, total orders for the all-time, best-selling 737 have surpassed the 6,000 mark.

Discovery Casts Spotlight On Mallard's Age

NTSB investigators on the scene of Monday's tragic crash of a Chalks Ocean Airways seaplane off the coast of Miami said Wednesday the Grumman Mallard had cracks in its main wing spar that had likely gone unnoticed for some time -- but stopped just short of saying that was the only reason the aircraft's right wing separated from the airplane just after takeoff.

NOTAM: 5/1818 Issued: 12/21/2005 16:50 Effective: 12/22/2005 18:00 - 12/26/2005 15:30 State: MD Facility: ZDC - WASHINGTON (ARTCC),DC. Type: VIP Description: HAGERSTOWN/THURMONT, MARYLAND, DECEMBER 22-26, 2005 LOCAL.

Sawyer Aviation Has The Right Idea

Aero-News has learned Scottsdale, AZ-based Sawyer Aviation is donating a portion of their Discovery Flight gift certificate proceeds for December to the state chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Another One?

A Bombardier Learjet 45, N417FX, with nine people onboard made a successful emergency landing at St Louis's Lambert Field just after 11 am EST Wednesday, after the plane's nosewheel did not retract fully after takeoff from a nearby airport.

Part Two Of ANN's Interview With The EAA's Tom Poberezny: The Year That Will Be

It was an interesting year for the Aero-Biz... and few organizations had as big a stake in 2005 as did EAA. Boss Tom Poberezny went through the year, warts and all, with ANN Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell to talk out the best and worst of 2005, and to check with the Poberezny crystal ball for a gander at our collective prospects for 2006.

Those Trumpets And Hoofbeats You Hear Is AOPA...

Yet another showdown is brewing between private pilots, corporate airlines and airport operators, with Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport considering charging landing fees for private aircraft.

And Yes, The Gravity Sensors Are Installed Correctly

NASA is expected to announce Wednesday all systems are go for next month's expected return of the Stardust space probe. Scientists are also confident the ending will go much better than the last time the agency tried something like this.

IAMAW Strike Affects 2006 Flights

Irish no-frills airline Ryanair announced Tuesday it was trimming its flight schedule during the first three months of 2006 due to late deliveries of new aircraft from Boeing.

No Flying From Nauru For Awhile

For any of our readers on the remote island state of Nauru, we suggest you get used to staying put for a little while... or, buying a plane of your own. Aero-News has learned that island's one-and-only airline, Air Nauru, has had its only aircraft repossessed.

Main Structure Completed; Next Up, Engines

With the installation of horizontal tails on the first F-35, the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) team has completed assembly of the aircraft's major structural components. The next milestone in the aircraft's march to first flight is engine installation, planned for early 2006, with the jet's first flight expected in Fall 2006.

The Sweep Continues...

Bellview Airlines -- whose Boeing 737 went down outside Lagos in an October 23 accident that claimed all 117 people onboard -- has become the third airline to be grounded by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) this month. The move comes one day after another Bellview aircraft made an emergency landing in Accra, the cap

Opens Up SA160 To Co-op Ownership

Symphony Aircraft Industries tells Aero-News the company has signed an agreement with LetsFly.org to participate in its cooperative program. This partnership makes it possible for LetsFly members to own a share of a brand-new Symphony 160 for a nominal initial investment, low monthly fees and reduced per hour flight costs. It also allows pilots to open a local flight center cooperative with ownership of a Symphony 160.

Charged With Assault, May Face Two Years In Jail

Earlier this week, New Jersey police arrested a man accused of shining a laser pointer into the cockpit of a hovering news helicopter.

First Apache Equipped With Stinger Missiles

Boeing has delivered the first AH-64D Apache Longbow multi-role combat helicopter for the Japanese government to Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), the Japanese aerospace company teamed with Boeing to produce the Apache Longbow in Japan. Two AH-64DJP Apaches will be delivered to the Japanese government by FHI in March 2006.

"This isn't designed to make a portion of general aviation traffic go away. The intent of the program is to share the expenses." Source: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport aviation director Tom Jorgiello, on the airport's consideration of collecting user fees from corporate and private pilots operating from the field. Airlines operating from FLL, such as Spirit Air, have called on GA to start paying their "fair share" of expenses to maintain the airport -- as well as in hopes of potentially driving the costs to the airlines down. Proposals ranging from a flat fee for all aircraft under 15,000 -- penalizing pilots of Piper Cubs as much as corporate Lear operators -- to an increase in the airport's 6-cent-per-gallon fuel tax are being

NOTAM: 5/1775 Issued: 12/20/2005 21:20 Effective: 12/21/2005 14:55 - 12/21/2005 18:25 State: MD Facility: ZDC - WASHINGTON (ARTCC),DC. Type: VIP Description: BETHESDA, MARYLAND

NOTAM: 5/1770 Issued: 12/20/2005 18:50 Effective: 12/21/2005 17:00 - 12/21/2005 19:00 State: MN Facility: ZMP - MINNEAPOLIS (ARTCC),MN. Type: HAZARDS Description: ELY MN