Aviation industry

Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Ohio Department of Development Director Lisa Patt-McDaniel, Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut, and regional and local leaders today joined GE Aviation President and CEO David Joyce for an announcement of a $161 million investment at the company’s global headquarters in Evendale near Cincinnati.

The project will revitalize the headquarters and is expected to retain more than 5,000 Ohio jobs.    » read more »

House Passes Legislation Introduced by Western New York Lawmakers to Strengthen Aviation Safety, Pilot Training and Passenger Confidence in Wake of Flight 3407 Tragedy

October 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Congressman Chris Lee (NY-26), Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) today called passage of H.R. 3371, the Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009, a strong first step forward to improve the safety of air travel in the United States.    » read more »

H.R. 3371 is the Strongest Bill Considered in 50 Years

October 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives today passed historic aviation safety legislation introduced by Congressman Jerry F. Costello (D-IL), Chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee. H.R. 3371, The Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009, enhances airline safety by significantly increasing the flight hours required for commercial first officers and strengthening pilot training.

The bill, introduced in July, is the product of extensive hearings and roundtables with pilots, airlines, family groups and other stakeholders exploring recent regional airline crashes and pilot workforce issues.    » read more »

Legislation addresses recent incidents, including Comair 5191

WASHINGTON (October 14, 2009)—This afternoon, Rep. Ben Chandler supported H.R. 3371, legislation to make air travel safer by strengthening requirements for pilot hiring, training, and pilot fatigue.

“All passengers deserve to be safe in the air—it doesn’t matter which airline you fly,” Chandler said. “It concerns me that the last six fatal commercial airline crashes in the United States were all on regional carriers, and that includes Comair Flight 5191 in Lexington.”    » read more »

Boeing, Honeywell’s UOP and Government of Mexico Launch Research and Advocacy Collaboration to Drive Commercial Use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels

CARTAGENA, Colombia, Oct. 14, 2009 – Boeing [NYSE: BA], the Airports and Auxiliary Services agency (ASA), an arm of Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transport, and Honeywell’s UOP today announced a collaboration to identify, research and further the development of a commercially viable market for Mexico-sourced sustainable aviation biofuels.    » read more »

The Report Supports the Delegation’s February 2009 Letter Objecting to TSA’s Proposed Large Aircraft Security Program as Disproportionate with the Actual Threat

June 23, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Alaska Delegation responded today to a recent finding by the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security that General Aviation poses little risk to aircraft security.

In a report entitled “TSA’s (Transportation Security Administration) Role in General Aviation Security,” the Inspector General’s office concluded, “We determined that general aviation presents only limited and mostly hypothetical threats to security.”    » read more »

EVERETT, Wash., June 23 -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) today announced that first flight of the 787 Dreamliner will be postponed due to a need to reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft.

The need was identified during the recent regularly scheduled tests on the full-scale static test airplane. Preliminary analysis indicated that flight test could proceed this month as planned. However, after further testing and consideration of possible modified flight test plans, the decision was made late last week that first flight should instead be postponed until productive flight testing could occur.    » read more »

ST. LOUIS, June 22, 2009 – The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has completed its acquisition of eXMeritus Inc., a Fairfax, Va.-based company that provides hardware and software to federal government and law enforcement organizations for sharing information securely across classified and unclassified networks and systems.

eXMeritus will operate within Boeing Integrated Defense Systems' Network and Space Systems unit. The acquisition, announced on June 15, 2009, is part of Boeing's strategy to expand its presence in the cyber and intelligence markets. Terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.    » read more »

Airlines continue to send repair work abroad despite security and safety concerns

June 18, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill this week followed up on a series of Department of Transportation Inspector General reports that have exposed gaping loopholes in the security and oversight of foreign repair work on domestic, commercial aircraft.

McCaskill questioned the heads of the national and regional airline associations about the industry’s increasing outsourcing of airline maintenance, including to non-FAA certified repair facilities.    » read more »

Says Positive Attitude Abounds for Tanker Contest

June 18, 2009 -- PARIS, FRANCE - Alabama Governor Bob Riley today wrapped up the first leg of his Economic Development and Jobs Mission in France, where he attended the Paris Air Show, the world’s premiere aerospace and aviation exposition.

Among the top priorities for the Governor, and perhaps the hottest topic of the air show, was the ongoing competition between Northup-Grumman/EADS and Boeing to build the next generation of aircraft refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force. The Air Force last year selected the Northrop tanker over the alternative offered by Boeing, but the deal was jettisoned by Defense Secretary Robert Gates after federal auditors found technical errors in the selection process.    » read more »

GEnx launch, Mubadala agreement, engine sales and services are show highlights

LE BOURGET, France — June 18 2009 – With its unveiling of the fastest selling large jet engine in GE history – the GEnx – and its strategic agreement with Mubadala Development Company, GE (NYSE: GE) and its joint ventures, CFM* and Engine Alliance+, announced more than $8 billion in orders at this week’s Paris Air Show, which is held at Paris’ Le Bourget airport.    » read more »

HOUSTON, June 17 -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced the results of its Jan. 7, 2009, biofuel demonstration flight, which was conducted in partnership with Boeing, GE Aviation/CFM International, and Honeywell's UOP. The biofuel blend performed as well as or better than traditional jet fuel, displaying an approximately 1.1 percent increase in fuel efficiency over traditional jet fuel in different stages of the demonstration flight.

Overall life cycle greenhouse gas emissions related to using a biofuel of the nature used on the Continental demonstration flight are estimated to be reduced by 60 percent to 80 percent as compared to traditional jet fuel.    » read more »

Murray Demands Halt to Illegal, Unfair Airbus Subsidies in Letter to E.U.; Calls subsidies "trade-distorting," "completely unacceptable," and "a major step in the wrong direction"

June 16, 2009 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to Ambassador John Bruton, head of the Delegation of the European Commission to the U.S, expressing deep concern over reports that Airbus is seeking $5 billion in additional launch aid from four European Union countries, and urging an end to Airbus subsidies.    » read more »

Boxer and Snowe craft legislation on NTSB recommendations, greater FAA oversight for flight safety following Buffalo commuter plane crash

June 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) today announced the One Level of Safety Act, bipartisan legislation to restore confidence in America’s commercial aviation industry by addressing a number of the issues that came to light during the recent National Transportation Safety Board hearings on the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 outside of Buffalo, New York.    » read more »

PARIS, June 17, 2009 – The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] will dedicate funding to further development of the F-15 Silent Eagle program, with the goal of a flight demonstration in the third quarter of 2010. The announcement came at the Paris Air Show following meetings with potential customers and reaffirmed a commitment to the prototype program made by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems President and CEO Jim Albaugh at the air show on June 14.    » read more »