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Planenews Aviation News 
Sun Jan 24 11:54:02 EST 2010
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Yemenia Airlines Completes Purchase of 10 A320s from Airbus. - Yemenia, the official carrier of the state of Yemen, based in Sanaa, has signed a firm contract to buy 10 A320 Family aircraft from Airbus. The agreement follows the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at the Dubai air show.
Private Space Stations Edge Closer to Reality. - LAS VEGAS: With two prototype modules for a commercial space station already circling the Earth, Bigelow Aerospace is gearing up for a full-scale assault on space. For the upstart firm, it's about volume — and not entirely in the sense of quantity or number of items sold. The company's expandable module designs are designed to offer low-cost commercial volume in space, for rent or lease, not only to private sector interests, but also to national space agencies.
Iranian Plane Catches Fire on Landing. - A plane carrying pilgrims in Iran has caught fire while landing at Mashhad, in the north-east of the country. State media said almost 170 people were on board and that at least 46 were injured. There were no reports of fatalities. The plane, a Russian-built Tupolev 154 owned by Taban Air, suffered serious damage as it landed, losing its undercarriage and a wing. The rear end of the plane broke up after the passengers were evacuated.
PiperSport LSA Debut Highlights First Day of Sebring 2010. - The 6th annual Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo opened today at Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) to a steady stream of aviation enthusiasts coming through the gate. Piper Aircraft created the biggest buzz of the morning with the introduction of its entry into the light-sport aircraft (LSA) market, the PiperSport, while Tecnam Aircraft unveiled its newest LSA, the P2008, during early afternoon flights.
American Airlines to Lay Off 175 Pilots. - HOUSTON: American Airlines, the world’s second biggest carrier, has said it will furlough as many as 175 pilots in the first six months of the year 2010. The laying off will commence with 80 pilots at the end of February, American Airline spokeswoman Ms Missy Latham said in an e-mailed statement. “This was a painful but necessary decision,” Ms Latham said, adding that the reductions will “better align the size of our pilot organisation with the size of our current operation.”
The Lady and The Tiger, Comic Strip, and Women in Aviation. - Barbara Peterson got the aviation bug from her father, who flew C130s in Viet Nam. She is also an artist. Wondering why there isn't any more women pilots today than a century ago, she decided to write a comic strip about a woman pilot, Shannon Scott, who flies a Tiger Moth around the country.
Boeing, Ethiopian Airlines Announce Order for 10 737-800s. - SEATTLE (PRNewswire-FirstCall): Boeing (NYSE: (BA)) and Ethiopian Airlines today announced an order for 10 Next-Generation 737-800s. The order is valued at $767 million at list prices. The order previously was listed on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries Web site as unidentified.
Pilot Plans to Leap from 120,000 Feet, Break Sound Barrier in Fall. - Austrian pilot Felix Baumgartner on Friday announced a plan jump from a capsule at 120,000 feet or higher and freefall at speeds that could break the sound barrier before parachuting to Earth. The "Red Bull Stratos" mission hopes to establish four world records and provide data that could help with new standards in aerospace safety and enhanced possibilities for human flight.
Gates Says U.S. to Supply Drone Aircraft to Pakistan. - ISLAMABAD (Xinhua): The United States will supply drone aircraft to Pakistan which will significantly enhance the country's surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, visiting U. S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday.
Air Force, FAA Use Russian Aircraft to Move Mobile Air Traffic Control Tower to Haiti. - HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. (AFNS): In a true demonstration of the international support of the relief efforts in Haiti, U.S. Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration officials paired with a Russian airlift contractor Jan. 21 to deliver a mobile air traffic control tower to the Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport n Port-au-Prince. The structure will be used until a permanent facility can be rebuilt, according to FAA officials.
Airbus’ A400M Talks Near Crunch Point. - Airbus and seven European governments appear set to push talks about saving the multi-billion euro contract for the A400M military transport aircraft right up to a self-imposed January 31 deadline.
Founder of SpaceX Refutes Report Slamming Safety Standards. - A commercial space pioneer and a former astronaut are answering claims by an independent advisory panel that private companies do not meet NASA human-rating standards and last year's presidential review of the space program did not adequately consider safety.
EAA’s Replica 1909 Bleriot XI Nears Completion. - EAA staff and volunteers from The Aeroplane Factory have been hard at work for more than three years building a replica 1909 Bleriot XI monoplane, the same model Louis Bleriot designed, built, and flew over the English Channel more than 100 years ago. Now the finish line is in sight, and it’s looking more and more like AirVenture 2010 attendees will have a chance to see the completed replica spring to life.
1,400 Planes Waiting to Bring Aid to Haiti. - WASHINGTON: With more than 1,400 planes still waiting to bring aid to Haiti, the commander of U.S. forces in the region said Thursday that officials have opened a third alternate airport to hasten the movement of relief supplies for earthquake victims.
Piper Enters the Light Sport Aircraft Market With The PiperSport. - SEBRING, Fla.: Piper Aircraft, Inc. announced details and unveiled its all-new PiperSport here today, underscoring its foray into the Light Sport Aviation segment with a world-class aircraft that speaks to Piper’s heritage in bringing seminal, entry-level airplanes to market while offering features and performance normally found in more expensive, high-end aircraft.
Delta Expands Private Jet Operation. - Delta Air Lines' private jet subsidiary, Delta AirElite, is buying Segrave Aviation, nearly doubling the size of its own fleet. Atlanta-based Delta said the all-cash acquisition of Kinston, N.C.-based Segrave will add 21 aircraft to AirElite's fleet of 24 planes. It will also improve Web bookings and other options for customers of Delta AirElite, which is based in Cincinnati.
Stickshaker.org Aviation Forums. - A new web forum for pilots has been established that is set to shake up the existing aviation websites. Stickshaker.org was created by a diverse group of airline pilots who were looking for an alternative to the highly moderated mainstream aviation forums.
GA Relief Flights to Haiti Start. - Missionary Flights International (MFI) is joining forces with Samaritan’s Purse to begin earthquake relief flights to Haiti Jan. 13, using the MFI Douglas DC–3 aircraft. Since the airport in Port-au-Prince has been damaged, the aircraft must first go to Cap-Haïtien to clear customs. Airlines have canceled flights to Port-au-Prince.
Military Training, Experience Pays Off for Helicopter Pilots. - Keith Owens gets to help people just as he did in the military, but he doesn’t have to worry now about people shooting at him. Owens, 49, is the base line pilot with Air Evac Lifeteam located behind Muskogee Regional Medical Center.
Sikorsky in US Helicopter Deals Totalling $1.52 bln. - WASHINGTON (Reuters): United Technologies Corp's (UTX.N) Sikorsky Aircraft won two U.S. military helicopter contracts worth a total of $1.52 billion, the Defense Department said on Tuesday.
Stop Paying The Airlines to Carry Your Bags. - Now that the airlines have raised, yet again, their fees for checked bags, it’s time to take another look at the alternative: shipping your bags, or better yet (if you’re staying in one place once you arrive) just the contents of your bag ahead of your arrival using economical ground shipping services.
United Airlines Flying Help to Haiti. - CHICAGO: United Airlines Flight 9902 is taking a full load of water, supplies, and relief workers to Haiti Wednesday. The flight is expected to land before noon central standard time. Over the next month, United plans to send 30 flights to Port-au-Prince to support earthquake victims and disaster relief agencies.
Republic Airways Donated Aircraft to Transport Orphaned Children From Haiti. - Republic Airways Holdings (NASDAQ: (RJET)) reported on Tuesday that it successfully completed an operation to rescue 53 orphaned children from Haiti. The carrier provided an Embraer 170 aircraft to transport the children to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, where they received medical attention.
NASA Low Noise, Electric VTOL Personal Air Vehicle. - Conceptual design focusing on the ability of a redundant electric propulsion system to provide new capabilities for Vertical Takeoff and Landing aircraft. Specifically utilizing electric motor variable rpm to accomplish a low tipspeed prop-rotor (400 ft/sec tip speed at hover and 200 ft/sec at cruise) to accomplish an order of magnitude reduction in community noise for close proximity operations (30-40 db reduction). The variable rpm capability also achieves a 25% improvement in prop-rotor efficiency through operation at optimal advance ratios.
Boeing Awarded Long-Term Support Contract for Australia’s Wedgetail 737 AEWC Program. - SEATTLE: The Boeing Company [NYSE: (BA)] today announced that it has been awarded a five-year In-Service Support contract for Project Wedgetail, Australia's 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) program. The contract from Australia's Defence Materiel Organisation is worth approximately US$600 million.
Saab Serves Notice in Linkping. - As a result of continued streamlining measures and synergies within the Aeronautics business area, the defence and security company Saab is to serve notice to 115 factory employees at Saab AB in Linkping.
Using a Mechanical Cushion to Protect a Crashing Helicopter. - UNLIKE fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters tend to spend a lot of time flying close to the ground, especially during military and emergency missions. Anything that helps occupants survive a collision with the ground is therefore to be welcomed. Hence the interest in a new system that NASA, America’s space agency, is testing to make helicopters safer.
Raw Video: Army Begins Helicopter Drops in Haiti. - The 82nd Airborne has begun dropping in supplies and troops by helicopter in Haiti, to the cheers and waves of Haitians gathered nearby. (The Associated Press)
Paper Airplanes Soar to New Heights in Japan. - Being that most things in life are relative with the possible exceptions of being dead and pregnant, every sport has it limits, barriers, goals and records (and the hopes of breaking them). The world of competitive paper airplane throwing is no exception. In that flighty cosmos, a 20-second flight is exceptional, 25 or better is world class and thirty is well, at least until now, unheard of.
Adventurer Sets Sights on The Sun for an ‘Impossible’ Dream. - (CNN): When Bertrand Piccard came up with his audacious plan to fly around the world in an aircraft powered only by the sun, he found that airplane manufacturers were skeptical such a plane could be built. So who built the first model of "Solar Impulse," Piccard's $72-million solar-powered craft? A company that makes ships.