The World of Aviation

The third Gulfstream G650 ultra-long range business jet made its first flight in late May and has joined the other two jets in the type’s test program. T3 will be used to measure aerodynamic loads and to test the G650’s new PlaneView avionics suite and ice protection systems. T1 has been employed on envelope expansion

As expected, the F-35 JSF program has been re-certified by the Pentagon as being vital for national security and as having no viable alternative in the wake of the program incurring a Nunn-McCurdy cost breach. The Nunn-McCurdy wire is automatically tripped when a program’s projected costs exceed its original estimate by 50 per cent, and means

The USAF has appointed Colonel Dawn Dunlop to head up the 412th Test Wing at Edwards AFB, the first such appointment for a female officer. Col Dunlop is a former T-38 instructor, F-15E operational pilot, and F-15 and F-22 test pilot, and was operations officer for the F-22 Combined Test Force at Edwards.

Virgin Blue CEO John Borghetti has started a major review of the airline’s network and product as it aims to increase its share of the corporate travel market and lower its exposure to the leisure market. According to a report in The Australian, the network review is expected to be completed by the end of

The Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAFI) is investigating how a V Australia Boeing 777 and an Air New Zealand 767 ended up in close proximity in airspace near Nadi. According to The Fiji Times, the incident happened on May 7 at approximately 1600hrs local time, with both aircraft in controlled airspace approximately 100nm from

Airservices Australia has announced that it will upgrade the instrument landing system (ILS) at Cairns Airport to increase its reliability. The upgrade will cost $3 million and will be undertaken before the onset of the wet season. The works are expected to be done in such a way that disruption to air traffic at the