The World of Aviation

The RAAF has released this video footage of the first flight of its first F-35A Lightning II, which took place from Fort Worth on September 29. The aircraft, known to the RAAF as A35-001 and to manufacturer Lockheed Martin as AU-1, is scheduled for formal handover to the RAAF “later this year”, Lockheed Martin says, before being assigned to Luke

Virgin Australia has announced new codeshare routes with South African Airways (SAA) and Delta Air Lines. First, Virgin will add its VA airline code on South African Airways’ daily Perth-Johannesburg service, operated with Airbus A340-300 and A340-600 aircraft, from October 21. It builds on two carriers’ previously announced partnership, with SAA currently codesharing on Virgin’s

How glad lost tourist Outback Joe must have been when an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) dropped a 500ml water bottle within 2.6 metres of his desperate grasp near Kingaroy Airport in outback Queensland. The almost centimetre perfect drop – the next best attempt to deliver rations to this distressed hiker dropped the water bottle more

The founder of Ansett Airlines has been named as one of six new inductees into the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame (AAHOF). The Australian Air Force Cadets will also be presented with the Southern Cross Award for outstanding contribution to aviation by an organisation at the induction dinner on Saturday November 8 at Charles Sturt

Airbus has marked receiving type certification for its A350 widebody twin with a formation flight involving the five A350 flight test aircraft. The largely composite construction airliner has been awarded European EASA type certification in its initial A350-900 form, with Airbus saying US FAA certification will follow “shortly”. Certification paves the way for first delivery

Air New Zealand will have a competitor between Auckland and Shanghai over summer with China Eastern set to start a seasonal service on the route from December. Shanghai-based China Eastern has announced a four times weekly Auckland-Shanghai service using Airbus A330 aircraft starting on December 9, which will increase to daily in January 2015. The