AIN Blogs

AIN Blog: AirTran Ordered To Rehire Whistleblower Pilot
January 25, 2012 - 4:06pm
Nigel Moll
Air Tran Boeing 717

One of the pillars of modern aviation safety, cockpit resource management was introduced to commercial aviation more than two decades ago. Among other things, CRM was meant to draw the curtain on the era of the submissive copilot and flight engineer cowed by an overbearing “gear up, shut up” captain.
AIN's 2011 Year-End Report
January 24, 2012 - 3:54pm
Wilson S. Leach
Wilson S. Leach

Orville and Wilbur got things airborne just over one hundred years ago, and for the most part it has been a reasonably steady climb-out. But don’t try to sell that to today’s aviation executives. More than three years have passed since the Great Recession began, and an increasing number of my business colleagues are telling me they are tired of hunkering down. So am I.
AIN Blog: Man on a Mission
January 24, 2012 - 1:41pm
Curt Epstein
Garriott (l.) made it into space but not by the way he originally planned.

For fans of the U.S. space program, the next few years will be as much about looking at the past as gazing ahead to the future.
AIN Blog: Industry Eyes Potential A&P Shortage
January 23, 2012 - 5:16pm
Kirby J. Harrison
Maintenance techs working

When I wrote a story on the potential shortage of skilled labor, primarily among A&Ps, I had no idea it would draw 18 replies in the four days following its appearance in AINonline.
AIN Blog: Kestrel Aircraft Finds Money in Wisconsin
January 21, 2012 - 3:19pm
Mark Huber

Kestrel Aircraft CEO Alan Klapmeier pushed the recall button on January 16 and cashed in to the tune of potentially $118 million. The company is abandoning its plans to set up production of its single-engine turboprop K-350 in Maine in favor of Superior, Wis.
AIN Blog: A Tale of Two Industries
January 20, 2012 - 1:01pm
David A. Lombardo

I recently attended the SHOT Show (shooting, hunting and outdoor trades) in Las Vegas. It is the world’s largest gathering of shooters, hunters, law enforcement, military special operations and other shooting-related industries. This year’s show attracted more than 1,600 exhibitors and 60,000 people from all over the world.
AIN Blog: Video Game-maker Lawsuit Targets Textron Trademark Claims
January 19, 2012 - 11:01pm
Matt Thurber
Electronic Arts depiction of a Bell AH-1Z

Aw, c’mon, Textron. Seriously?

You don’t want Electronic Arts (EA) to use depictions of some of your rotorcraft in the video game Battlefield 3? You’re claiming that EA’s use of images of the AH-1Z, UH-1Y and V-22 infringe on your trademark and dress right?
AIN Blog: Looks Like the Gig Might Be Up for Regional Airlines
January 17, 2012 - 1:05pm
Gregory Polek
Pilot sleeping

It took quite a while, but the FAA finally did the right thing—to a point—when it announced that it would give passenger-carrying airlines two years to institute new flight/duty time rules.
AIN Blog: White House Response to “Take User Fees Off the Table” Petition
January 13, 2012 - 1:07pm
R. Randall Padfield

A total of 8,904 signatures on the petition, “Take User Fees Off the Table,” apparently were not enough to change the mind of President Obama. Today the White House issued its response, which only serves to reiterate his position:
AIN Blog: Defense Cuts, Strategic Guidance and 'Reversibility'
January 10, 2012 - 11:18pm
Bill Carey
President Obama announces defense strategy January 5 at the Pentagon.

More than the usual number of reporters descended on the Pentagon January 5, hopeful of learning how, specifically, the Department of Defense will cull billions of dollars from its budget over the next decade. Would the troubled F-35 program be further restructured or reduced? Would the V-22 get clipped?

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