Planenews Aviation News PortalYour aviation news and services.High Flyers: How Private Jet Travel Is Straining the System.- June 24, 2008 WASHINGTON (PRNewswire-USNewswire): As Americans prepare to pay extra for checked bags, wait in long lines, and endure crowded commercial flights this summer, super-wealthy private jet owners are enjoying tax breaks and luxury at the public’s expense...http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9568 A Plane With Wings Of Glass.- June 24, 2008 ScienceDaily: Imagine a plane that has wings made out of glass. Thanks to a major breakthrough in understanding the nature of glass by scientists at the University of Bristol, this has just become a possibility...http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9567 Fuel, a Necessary Commodity, Really!- June 22, 2008 Tired of hearing about fuel mismanagement accidents So am I. We’re losing, on average, several aircraft every week as pilots rediscover that adequate fuel andor proper configuration of the fuel system is not optional...http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9564 Challenges Ahead for New Space Investors.- June 22, 2008 NEW YORK: New startups hoping to make their mark on the space industry still face high entry barriers just to cover their initial costs, investors said Wednesday. The high cost and risks associated with new commercial ventures, as well as the bureaucratic government hoops they have to jump through, provide substantial barriers for nascent companies aiming for space, experts said during the 2008 Space Business Forum here presented by the Space Foundation, a non-profit advocacy organization...http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9566 Soaring Oil Prices Will Clip The Aviation Industry's Wings.- June 22, 2008 SCOTTISH Government plans to expand Edinburgh Airport run contrary to both environmental and commercial sense. This commitment ignores both the overwhelming imperative to tackle climate change, and recent realistic projections of future passenger numbers. The aviation industry is currently the fastest-growing source of climate-wrecking pollution and the window of opportunity we have to tackle climate change is closing. We must look again at the need for airport expansion...http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9565 Lego Airbus A380 Is Biggest Lego Airplane in the World.- June 21, 2008 Behold the biggest Lego airplane in the world, made after the largest passenger airplane in the world, the Airbus A380. Made at a 1:25 scale-9.5-foot long, 10.5-foot wingspan, 3.2-foot tall, the Lego A380 uses 220 pounds (100kg) of bricks. That’s a mindblowing 75,000 pieces in eight colours, 15 Lego Millennium Falcons. With that amount of bricks, and knowing how long my Falcon is taking, I’m not surprised that it took 600 hours for the entire team of professional Legoland model...http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9563 787 Dreamliner Fatigue Airframe Departs Factory.- June 21, 2008 EVERETT, Wash.: Boeing NYSE: BA yesterday moved the 787 Dreamliner designated for fatigue testing from the final assembly factory in Everett, Wash., to another production bay at the facility, where assembly work will continue. The move paves the way for the second flight-test airplane to advance to the next position in the production line today.http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9562 Tehran, Moscow Close to Deal to Build Airliners in Iran.- June 21, 2008 TEHRAN (RIA Novosti): Iran and Russia have reached a preliminary agreement on the joint production of Russian Tu-204 and Tu-214 medium-haul passenger airliners in the Islamic Republic, Fars agency said on Saturday citing a senior Iranian industry official...http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9561 Space Tourism Firms Set for Big Leaps.- June 21, 2008 NEW YORK: Two space tourism firms hoping to give fare-paying customers the rides of their lives are set to take some major steps forward in coming months. On July 28, the suborbital tourism firm Virgin Galactic will unveil the first WhiteKnightTwo mothership for its planned fleet of SpaceShipTwo spaceliners designed by aerospace veteran Burt Rutan and his company Scaled Composites...http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9560 House Approves Bill for Extra Space Shuttle Flight.- June 21, 2008 WASHINGTON: Brushing aside White House objections, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a one-year NASA authorization bill that would require the space agency to conduct an extra space shuttle mission to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the International Space station...http://planenews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9559 |