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RCAF Scrounging for Buffalo Parts

The Canadian military has been going to the literal ends of the earth to keep its aging search-and-rescue airplanes flying, underlining the desperate need for replacement aircraft following decades of delays and political squabbling. Top Defence Department officials were told in a secret briefing last year that the military had been forced to “purchase spare […]

A321T Begins U.S. Transcon Duty

American Airlines on Tuesday inaugurated service aboard the new Airbus A321T, the first of what will become a dedicated three-class fleet operating on transcontinental flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and JFK and San Francisco International Airport (SFO). American will initially operate the A321T between New York and Los Angeles, and will introduce the new […]

Evergreen Aviation Museum’s Future Cloudy

The world-class air museum developed by Evergreen International Aviation founder Del Smith may be in for some painful losses in the wake of the apparent collapse of Smith’s network of for-profit operation. The McMinnville, Oregon, museum housing Howard Hughes’ mammoth H-4 Hercules (better known as the “Spruce Goose”) is facing financial scrutiny, and the ownership […]

Delta Ends Domestic DC-9 Service

Delta Air Lines is retiring its last DC-9s, the oldest passenger plane in the fleet of the big U.S. airlines. Atlanta, Ga.-based Delta operated the final passenger flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta Monday evening. McDonnell Douglas delivered the first DC-9s in 1965, and eventually built 976 of them. The plane was noteworthy at the time because […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1911 – A quarter-million Indians watch a flying display in Calcutta by French pilot Henri Jullerot in his military biplane. 1913 – Birth of Pierre Le Gloan, French World War II flying ace. 1944 – First flight of the McDonnell XP-67 “Bat” or “Moonbat” (shown), an American twin-engine, single-seat interceptor prototype. 1960 – National Airlines […]

Popular Fly-In Defies Winter Weather

The runways were covered in snow and the wind made it feel like the temperature was below zero. Four small private planes landed, although recent snows likely mean the only arrivals by air for the rest of the winter will require skis, like the hydraulic retractable skis on Don Kiel’s Cessna 170B tail dragger. Kiel, 68, […]

Boeing 787-9 Heads South for Tests

The new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner touched down in Auckland, New Zealand, today, marking the new aircraft’s international debut. The extended version of the fuel-efficient wide-body jet will enter service later this year with Air New Zealand. And ahead of this official launch, Boeing’s second test aircraft flew across the Pacific Ocean from Boeing’s factory in […]

Canada Inducts Four to Aviation HOF

Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame (CAHF) will induct four new members at its 41st annual gala dinner and ceremony to be held in Calgary, Alberta, in May. The new members are: Clive J. Beddoe, founder of Westjet Airlines; Lorna De Blicquy, flight instructor and trailblazing advocate for the role of women in aviation; Robert P. […]

Lark Replicas Stay Grounded

Mark Marino of Duluth, Minn., and Kermit Weeks of Miami, Fla., can both attest that building an authentic replica of a more-than-a-century-old plane from scratch is no simple task. Today, Weeks had hoped to launch a replica of the Lark of Duluth — a quirky “flying boat” owned by Julius Barnes, a wealthy Duluth grain […]

One of a Kind: The Boeing XB-47D

By Steve Pace Photo courtesy of the Museum of the United States Air Force In the late 1940s and early 1950s, there were a number of turboprop engines in development. In the simplest terms, a propjet engine is gas turbine engine that uses its exhaust for thrust but also turns a propeller to provide high […]