The World of Aviation

Air New Zealand subsidiary Eagle Air has resumed limited operations after grounding its fleet of 18 Beech 1900D turboprops yesterday over hairline cracks discovered in the tails of at least three of the aircraft. Eagle Air said it would put four of the planes back in service today after they were inspected and cleared to

Fijian national carrier Air Pacific has hired former Virgin executive Aubrey Swift as its chief commercial officer. Mr Swift will be responsible for marketing, planning, revenue management, freight, global sales and all other commercial activities of the airline, Air Pacific said. He takes over from interim chief commercial officer Subodh Karnik. Mr Swift has worked

Boeing’s Unmanned Little Bird H-6U helicopter successfully performed 14 autonomous takeoffs and landings from a ship during test flights in July in another milestone for robot flight. The tests, conducted from a private ship off the coast of Florida, used a commercial off-the-shelf takeoff-and-landing system combined with Unmanned Little Bird’s automated flight control system. Two

NASA has flown a scale model of its updated blended wing-body research aircraft in a small step toward what many believe will be a giant leap in aircraft design. The Boeing-designed X-48C took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California yesterday morning (US time) and reached an altitude of 5,500ft before landing nine minutes

Boeing has been awarded an $18 million US Army contract for Phase II of its Adaptive Vehicle Management System (AVMS) program, designed to improve helicopters’ manoeuvrability and performance. The advanced rotorcraft flight control system, a joint development project between Boeing and the Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD), reduces aircrew workload and overall operating costs,

Singapore based leasing company Avation has taken delivery of an ATR 72-600 turboprop as part of an agreement with Skywest and Virgin Australia. The 74-seat aircraft is the first of nine 72-600s ordered by Avation for use on regional routes in Australia. Avation has already placed six 72-500s in Australia as part of its deal