China, one of the world’s fastest growing economies, plans to unveil its first home-made jumbo jet engine in 2016. The engine will outfit the locally developed C919 aircraft and put them in competition with global players Airbus and Boeing.
“China is expected to complete the research on its first jumbo jet engine in 2016 and begin to apply [...]

American Airlines Inc. has completed the retirement of its Airbus A300 fleet with its last flight touching down at New York’s JFK International Airport shortly after midnight on Monday. The Airbus A300 wide-body jet began flying for American more than 21 years ago after Boeing could not deliver the B767s quickly enough to meet their needs.

Republished from PlaneTalking
As Afghanis head to the polls in crucial elections, a high-tech surveillance balloon thousands of feet overhead will help to ensure the integrity of the process by providing round-the-clock video and audio to security forces on the ground in Kabul.
The “aerostat” balloon was deployed earlier this month, and it flies beyond the range [...]

Republished from PlaneTalking.com
Boeing has recently completed a critical design review for Required Navigation Performance procedures (RNP) in work at Panama’s Tocumen International Airport and Howard Airport.
The critical design review, which took place at the Copa Airlines training center in Panama City, assesses the “fly-ability” of the procedures and ensures compatibility with airline crew procedures. RNP [...]

NATS Services Ltd (NSL) has developed and put into service the world’s first full safety certified remote airport contingency control room that can keep flights moving through Heathrow airport in the event of a serious problem at the airport’s main control tower.
The Virtual Contingency Facility (VCF) was developed following discussions with BAA and the airlines, [...]

The two controllers on watch at New Jersey Teterboro Airport at the time of the mid-air collision of the Piper PA-32 Saratoga and the Eurocopter were suspended . The controller in charge was reportedly involved in inappropriate conversations on the telephone at the time of the accident, while the supervisor was not in the building as was required.
While [...]

The rules of VFR flight dictate “see and be seen”, however, the pilots of the two aircraft which collided over the Hudson River very likely did not see each other. It is the pilots’ responsibility to look for and avoid other aircraft, but with no Air Traffic Control or Flight Information Service being provided there, [...]

The profession of Air Traffic Control is one in which credit is seldom attributed to the men and women who watch over our skies, but here’s a story from NATCA that is truly touching:
“MIAMI – At 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday [August 4,2009] morning the pilot of a Lifeguard flight from St. Thomas bound for Miami [...]

WiFi in-flight is becoming a popular add-on for airlines with AirTran recently joining the ranks of carriers to provide internet service onboard its flights. Carriers already offering the service include Southwest, JetBlue, and Virgin America. US Airways, Delta and American Airlines have started the installation of WiFi on their fleet with completion expected in 2010. [...]