Ungrounded: Boeing Breathes Sigh Of Relief… Prepares For Aircraft Deliveries

/in

The FAA has rescinded the order that halted commercial operations of Boeing 737-8s and 737-9s. The move will allow airlines that are under the FAA’s jurisdiction, including those in the U.S., to take the steps necessary to resume service and Boeing to begin making deliveries. “We will never forget the lives lost in the two tragic accidents that led to the decision to suspend operations,” said David Calhoun, chief executive officer of The Boeing Company.

Read more

The Long Sad Saga Ends… 737 Max Returns To Service

/in

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson has signed an order that paves the way for the Boeing 737 MAX to return to commercial service. Administrator Dickson’s action followed a comprehensive and methodical safety review process that took 20 months to complete. During that time, FAA employees worked diligently to identify and address the safety issues that played a role in the tragic loss of 346 lives aboard Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.

Read more

Non-Deployed Naval Aviation Units Hold Safety Stand Down After Accidents

/in

It’s been a tough week for Naval aviation… Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell, Commander, Naval Air Forces, directed all non-deployed U.S. Navy aviation units to conduct a safety stand down Oct. 26. This stand down provides an opportunity for aviation commands to focus on how to further improve operational risk management and risk mitigation across the Naval Aviation enterprise.

Read more

First A321P2F Enters Into Service With Qantas

/in

Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) has achieved key milestones in the A321 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion programme with the delivery and entry-into-service on 2th October of the first converted aircraft to Qantas. This new P2F version is being leased by aircraft asset manager Vallair to Qantas, to operate services on behalf of Australia Post. Last month, following its flight tests, the newly completed aircraft had been delivered by EFW to Vallair.

Read more

Boeing Provides Third-Quarter Delivery Numbers

/in

Boeing has confirmed major program delivery numbers across its commercial and defense operations for the third quarter of 2020. “We continue to work closely with our customers around the globe, understanding their near-term and longer-term fleet needs, aligning supply and demand while navigating the significant impact this global pandemic continues to have on our industry,” said Greg Smith, Boeing executive vice president of Enterprise Operations and chief financial officer.

Read more

Shakeup! NASA, Boeing Confirm Changes for Starliner Crew Flight Test

/in

Veteran NASA astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore (shown below with Chris Ferguson-R) will join astronauts Mike Fincke and Nicole Mann for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, the inaugural crewed flight of the CST-100 Starliner launching to the International Space Station in 2021. Wilmore will take the place of Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson on the flight test as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Read more

Boeing Takes More Flak Over 787 Decision

/in

Boeing is taking serious flak for its decision to take all its 787 production to South Carolina. ‘Their decision to consolidate 787 production in North Charleston and abandon its Dreamliner line in Everett is disappointing and frustrating to the thousands of engineers, technical workers and pilots represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, IFPTE Local 2001,’ says SPEEA Union leaders state that they have asked Boeing for specifics about the move and which employees will be impacted. As many engineers and technical workers’ jobs span multiple programs, and Boeing having issues with its own “Worklife” employee system, it’s difficult to immediately know which employee groups are affected.

Read more

FAA Takes Another Step Towards Boeing 737 MAX Return

/in

The FAA posted the draft Flight Standardization Board (FSB) report on the proposed pilot training for the Boeing 737 MAX Tuesday afternoon, as FSBR B737. The report incorporates the recommendations from the Joint Operations Evaluation Board (JOEB) which recently met for nine days. The JOEB was comprised of civil aviation authorities from the United States, Canada, Brazil, and the European Union.

Read more

USMC Pilots… Time to Re-Up! Up to $210K Available For Retention

/in

It may be good to be a Marine… especially if you’re a pilot looking to re-up and stick around for the foreseeable future. A Marine Admin notice (MARADMIN) is offering SERIOUS bucks to keep their valued flying personnel on the job through the initiation of a Marine Corps Aviation Bonus (AvB) Program for FY21. The MARADMIN documentation states that “The AvB is a special pay utilized to increase the inventory stability of the aviation officer population.

Read more

EASA Completes Its Boeing 737 MAX Test Flights

/in

It’s been a LONG road back to redemption for the Boeing 737 MAX as, first, US test pilots and engineers, followed by their Canadian counterparts examined the updated hardware and software for the airplane in anticipation of a return to commercial flight sometime (reportedly) before the end of the year. Now,. It’s EASA’s turn — The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has now completed its test flights of the Boeing 737 MAX.

Read more