The World of Aviation

The Royal Australian Air Force’s first two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters have been upgraded with the final iteration of the aircraft’s Block 3i interim software release, the Department of Defence has confirmed. “The two Australian F-35A have been loaded with the final release of Block 3i (3iP6) during September 2016,” a

UK-based Virgin Group has replaced its representative on the Virgin Australia board. Virgin Australia said in a statement on Tuesday John Patrick (JP) Moorhead has stepped down from the board, effective immediately. He has been replaced by Warwick Negus as Virgin Group’s nominated representative. Negus is currently a board member of Australian Securities Exchange-listed companies

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is planning further expansion in Australia from 2018 when the airline takes delivery of the A321neo. The long-range narrowbody is likely to lead to Philippine Airlines offering nonstop flights between Manila and Brisbane, president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista says. Currently, PAL serves the Queensland capital via a Manila-Darwin-Brisbane routing using

NEW ALLOCATIONS REGISTRATION/TYPE/SERIAL NUMBER/DATE/OPERATOR/PREVIOUS REGISTRATIONS ACY/5 Aeroprakt A32 Vixxen 020 10/11/16 John Graham, “Withersfield” Withersfield Qld 4702 ARA/5 Air Tractor AT-802 802-0446 31/10/16 Agair Logistics, PO Box 99 Stawell Vic 3380 EC-LSS N8521D BKR/5 MBB BK117B-2 7179 30/11/16 Rotor-Lift, PO Box 275 Rosny Park Tas 7018 ZK-INI N5405G D-HBHV DIU/5 Aeroprakt A32 Vixxen 021 9/11/16

  Australia’s aviation safety regulator is seeking industry views on potential changes to pilot medical requirements. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has released a discussion paper entitled “Medical Certification Standards”, which outlines six potential options that could be considered for future consultation. CASA acting chief executive and director of aviation safety Shane Carmody said

Christmas has come early for Bell Helicopter with the receipt of Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) type certification for its new Bell 505 Jet Ranger X. The type certification, received on December 21, means Bell has met its target for certification of the aircraft before the end of 2016. While Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification