Photo © EBACE Show Management

The 12th Annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) fires up today in Geneva, Switzerland, with announcements of new aircraft, awards and industry outlooks. The conference, which runs from May 14th - May 16th, 2012, is Europe's largest business aviation event, and features over 400 exhibitors from around the world, in addition to at least 60 aircraft static displays.

Lear is making news with the announcement of the Lear 70 and Lear 75 program launch. The aircraft are expected to enter into service in early 2013, with customer orders and letters of intent for 50 aircraft. The Lear 70 and 75 will feature improved engines and performance, enhanced cabin improvements as requested by customers, and the anticipated Vision Flight Deck with the G5000 avionics package. Gulfstream is showing up huge with static displays of the G280 and G650, both of which are expected to receive final certification soon and will begin deliveries Read More...

Photo © Heinz Weber/flickr

Did Cessna forget to do its homework?

This past week, the company's new light sport aircraft, the Skycatcher, ran into certification problems with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). It would seem that while the FAA does not require certain production standards or a type certificate for light sport aircraft, EASA does.

Cessna even chose to comply with ASTM standards even though it wasn't required. (ASTM, or the American Society for Testing and Materials, is an internationally-known entity that produces and implements voluntary standardization programs.) And then they went even further above and beyond ASTM requirements during stress testing.

So what does EASA want from Cessna for the Skycatcher to be certified Read More...

Photo © NASA/Carla Cioffi

It was a sad day for some when the space shuttle Discovery made its final flight on Tuesday. The shuttle landed at Dulles International Airport earlier this week after a short airshow that brought people out onto the streets to watch the shuttle, atop a 747, fly over the White House.

Discovery was sent into space 39 times over 27 years and flew more than any other shuttle. It was a workhorse, and will now retire in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.

So what now? NASA has plans to create a Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), made from the design of the Orion (a previous NASA project that was decommissioned), and meant to fly beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). The Orion MPCV will be the next multi-mission spacecraft for human space travel.

They're also going forward with the Space Launch System, which is a deep space exploration program that NASA claims will be sustainable and affordable. The SLS is supposed to carry us beyond our current limitations.

So although we're sad to see the Discovery retire, we look forward to new NASA programs that may put us on Mars soon!

Photo © NASA Earth Observatory

I noticed a couple of airlines were getting involved in Earth Day activities, so I thought I'd check out what the others were doing as well. This is just a quick list- there are many more projects, giveaways and charity events at these airlines and more. I wish I could include them all!

• JetBlue, which has hubs at many eco-friendly airports, is planting a tree this Earth Day for every customer that travels on Earth Day. The airline expects about 83,000 passengers, and the corresponding trees will be planted in Haiti in an effort to help rebuild after the 2010 earthquake.


• Southwest Airlines is hosting an entire week worth of activities as part of their Earth Day celebration, with activities, giveaways and charity. They will hold a Composting Lunch & Learn where they'll give away 200 compost bins to attendees, and SWA is also the sponsor of Earth Day Dallas.


• Alaska Airlines offered 10% off for one day only Read More...