Bombardier Lands First US C-Series Customer with Delta Order
Delta Air Lines has committed to purchasing 75 aircraft to add to its fleet from the manufacturer, along with the option for an additional 50.
Category Archives: Planes
JetBlue takes delivery of first U.S.-built Airbus aircraft
The A321 was built at the Airbus manufacturing plant in Mobile, Ala.
Boom, the startup that wants to build supersonic planes, just signed a massive deal with Virgin
Orders Dry Up for Big Planes
The people over at Jalopnick’s Flight Club have noted that orders for both the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A380 are minimal. No one ordered the Boeing 747-8 this year, and they have two cargo versions they did build waiting for a buyer. Boeing is reducing production to 16 per year, from 24 over a…
US Ordering Additional Inspections of Boeing 737s
The Federal Aviation Administration said it would seek more detailed inspections for cracks on the tops of Boeing 737-300, 400, and 500 series aircraft. This is a direct result of a hole that tore open in a Southwest Airlines jet back in 2009. They will be expanding rules to include new inspection methods with scanning…
Boeing 737- Unsafe At Any Altitude?
Clive Irving is an expert on Boeing. He wrote a 1993 book on the history of the 747. The 737 is the bestselling commercial airliner. Nearly 10,000 have been produced over 40 years. Irving says there are serious issues with the fuselage design of the 737. Specifically, he says that the skin is too thin.…
Is A Turboprop In Your Flying Future?
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Image by matt.hintsa via Flickr"][/caption] Out with the new, in with the old. After years of seemingly inevitable decline in the face of competition from jets, turboprops are making a comeback as oil prices remain high. ATR, a turboprop manufacturer partly owned by Airbus parent EADS, received firm orders for 157…
The Little Twin Engine That Can’t
Strong headwinds have led to sharp increase in the number of transatlantic Continental Airlines flights forced to make unscheduled stops to refuel, the Wall Street Journal reports. The airline, owned by United Continental Holdings, has pushed the envelope by aggressively using the Boeing 757 on transatlantic flights. The plane is smaller and cheaper to operate…
Own A (Big) Piece Of Concorde History
Is there an 18 foot hole in your air travel collection? If so, you won’t want to miss an auction currently underway. For only 1.25 million Pounds, you can own an 18 foot long 3.5 ton engine, together with operating manual and certificatw of authenticity. The engine was used on one of British Airway’s Concordes,…
Southwest Does the Right Thing and Grounds Airplanes
On Friday, a Southwest Airlines flight lost cabin pressure after the fuselage ruptured. This is not the first time that this has happened, of course. There was an unrelated incident last year where a Southwest plane made an emergency landing after decompression, and Southwest has even grounded some of its fleet before.
Boeing Rolling Out the New 747
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image via Wikipedia"][/caption] While the 787 Dreamliner is still experiencing serious delays, the latest iteration of the Boeing 747, the 747-8, is set to roll out today. The 747-8 Intercontinental boasts new wings, a new tail, a sharper nose, state of the art engines, and a new cockpit. The Boeing 747…
2nd Anniversary of the Miracle on the Hudson
Two years ago, US Airways Flight 1549, outbound from New York’s LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte’s Douglas Airport, suffered a bird strike, which disabled its engines. The flight, operated by an Airbus A320, was piloted by now legendary Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, and first officer Jeffrey B. Skiles.
The ATR Turboprop
Earlier today, September 13th, an ATR-42 turboprop crashed in Venezuela(More on that here). It seemed like a good time to share a few facts about the aircraft.
Airlines Finally Figure Out People Hate 50-seater Regional Jets
We’ve never been particularly fond of fifty seater regional jets. They don’t have the comfort that we desire in an airline experience. It is not that we object to a smaller aircraft, but merely the idea that a smaller aircraft has to be a significantly less pleasant experience than a larger one.
Flight Wisdom Briefing 22
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Our editor is back from his trip. Check out his review on the Auto Train. Meanwhile, back into the swing of things. Lots of business to take care of.
Flight Wisdom Briefing 18
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This is Briefing 18. We’re still eager to get guest editorials. Those of you interested, please contact us. A guest editorial would be a 1-3 minute opinion on a relevant topic of your choice. It can be recorded over Skype or alternate digital means. We’re sure, while you aren’t tired of the Flight Wisdom Guru, you’d welcome additional variety.
Flight Wisdom Briefing 14
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[caption id="attachment_1706" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Lavatory - Virgin America A320"][/caption] This is the Flight Wisdom Guru with Briefing #14, once again reporting in from Flight Wisdom HQ…We ran a little long today, and will try to have a second briefing out tomorrow afternoon, to catch up before the weekend rush. Show Notes Virgin Atlantic to Launch…
Flight Wisdom Briefing 13
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Helper Monkeys, new site developments, and a Fly Girls editorial….this time on the Flight Wisdom Briefing
Flight Wisdom Briefing 10
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After this Briefing, our editor will be heading on the road for a few days. Lots of interesting things going on, but we’re bringing along our portable recording equipment to report on it.
Flight Wisdom Briefing 7
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Lots of exciting new service in this briefing. We have tried a few different variations of our opening and closing. We’ll continue to mix it up a bit, but if you have any suggestions on how to improve the Briefing, please contact us.
Flight Wisdom Briefing 5
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We wanted to get a special release of the briefing in commemoration of Peter Graves.
Flight Wisdom Briefing 3
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Image by Dave Sizer via Flickr As we continue to perfect the Brief, we offer a new opener, as well as a tribute to this Day in Aviation History. Tune in. Notes: American Eagle’s New Service to Augusta WestJet Launches New Frequent Flier Program 787 Begins First Flight Tests outside of Washington United orders 25…
The 787 Dreamliner Takes to the Skies
Today is a historic day in the history of flight, one of many, but one we are happy to share with our fellow aviation enthusiasts. We couldn’t be there, so we have sourced some of these pictures from David Parker Brown at AirlineReporter.com.
Air France A380 Arrives in New York
The first Air France flight to New York using the Airbus A380 landed today. The flight included the 380 winning bidders in an auction that raised 300,000 euros for five humanitarian projects for children in need. The plane will begin daily service on the route from New York-JFK to Paris-Charles de Gaulle on Monday.
Lufthansa to Bring Back In Flight WiFi
Image via Wikipedia Lufthansa is bringing back in-flight wi-fi. As reported by Upgrade Travel, Lufthansa will be the first transatlantic carrier to put out a comprehensive plan for wi-fi connectivity after Boeing discontinued its in-flight wi-fi offering. Lufthansa’s system, called Flynet, is Panasonic-based, and uses a satellite based network, like Row 44, which is working…