Aviation industry

Aug. 12, 2008 -- WASHINGTON -- NASA awarded a total of $97,000 in prizes at the 2008 General Aviation Technology Challenge. The challenge asked competitors to demonstrate innovations that would lead to aircraft that are safer, more affordable, easier to fly and also have less of a negative impact on the environment and on the communities that surround airports.

The challenge was managed by the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency, or CAFE, Foundation at the Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, Calif., from Aug. 4 through Aug. 10. All competitors had experimental licenses, as required by the Federal Aviation Administration, since aircraft were modified with new innovations for this competition.    » read more »

May 28, 2008 -- VERO BEACH – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today joined Jim Bass, president and chief executive officer of Piper Aircraft, to announce the aviation manufacturer’s plans to keep its headquarters in Florida and further expand manufacturing operations in Vero Beach.

Piper Cub: Photo by kptyson (CC)

Today’s announcement concludes Piper’s two-year site selection process. Piper, a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, will receive a $32 million incentive package as part of the agreement between the company, the state and Indian River County.    » read more »

Bills: Capstone Safety & Consumer Protection

April 9, 2008, Juneau, Alaska - Alaska Governor Sarah Palin today signed two bills into law that will increase aviation safety and protect consumers from unfair and deceptive practices.

Senate Bill 249, sponsored by Governor Palin, provides Alaskan airplane owners the opportunity to use a new low-interest loan program to purchase state-of-the-art avionics equipment for their aircraft.

A seaplane at Lake Hood, Alaska: Photo by Tom (CC)    » read more »

April 07, 2008 -- SHANGHAI, CHINA - Alabama Governor Bob Riley spent the first day of his business and trade mission to China focused on helping aviation and aerospace companies in Alabama gain access to the Asian powerhouse’s commercial market.

Governor Riley also toured a Chinese crane manufacturer that has supplied the state docks with cranes in the past and may again in the future.

The Governor began Monday attending the signing of an agreement between Fokker Airinc based in Fairhope and PPI PENG International. Fokker repairs airline hydraulic equipment and has 74 employees at its Fairhope facility. The agreement is designed to help Fokker tap into China’s growing civil aviation and aerospace industry.    » read more »

18 March 2008 -- The U.S. aviation agency has ordered a review of maintenance records at all U.S. airlines, after safety violations were reported at Southwest Airlines.

The acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Robert Sturgell, Tuesday said the recent lapse at one airline prompted the decision to confirm that all other carriers were in full compliance.

Sturgell said an initial review would be completed by March 28, and the full audit would conclude by the end of June.    » read more »

January 16, 2008 -- OZARK – Alabamians wanting to work in the state’s growing aerospace and aviation industry can receive specialized training at a new Aviation Training Center that Alabama Governor Bob Riley and other officials dedicated today at the Ozark campus of Enterprise-Ozark Community College.

The $10 million facility will house aircraft maintenance and simulation technology to provide state-of-the-art training for jobs in the aviation field.    » read more »

19 November 2007 -- Australia's largest airline, Qantas, is going on a buying spree for new aircraft to fend off competition. The country's power stations, meanwhile, top a list of the world's worst greenhouse gas emitters.

Australia's largest airline Qantas Airways said it would buy up to 188 new planes from U.S. manufacturer Boeing and European plane maker Airbus. The airline said the purchase would help Qantas defend its 65 percent share of the Australian domestic market and expand further into Asia.    » read more »