Manufacturer Rolls Out Jet at Its Main Assembly Facility

On Monday, Embraer opened the gates of its main Brazilian manufacturing facility in Sao Jose dos Campos to roll out the EMBRAER 190, the largest commercial airplane ever manufactured in Brazil. The rollout ceremony was attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Sao Paulo State Governor Geraldo Alckmin, cabinet ministers, customers, partners and suppliers, Brazilian and international news media as well as Embraer employees. The EMBRAER 190 seats 100 passengers at a generous four-abreast 32-inch pitch cabin -- or up to 108 in a higher density configuration at 31-inch pitch. Embraer's newest airliner has already attracted 100 firm orders from launch customer JetBlue Airways, and another 10 firm order

American Airlines Pilot Plugs Christianity During Flight

Flying can often be thought of as a spiritual experience, but one American Airlines pilot is taking things a bit far. The unnamed Captain recently asked Christians on his flight to identify themselves and suggested the non-Christians discuss the faith with them. The case was handed over to the airline's personnel department for an investigation, airline spokesman Tim Wagner said Sunday. The pilot also told passengers he would be available for discussion at the end of the flight. He was not scheduled to fly during the rest of the weekend, but it is safe to assume he went to Church on Sunday.

FBI Arrests Man Boarding Plane With Gun   

Some people will try anything to get onboard their flight...even packing heat. A man tried to take a loaded handgun aboard an airliner Sunday by falsely claiming he was a law enforcement officer. Cleve Unselle Burley, who was traveling alone, was bound for Dallas to catch a connecting flight to Las Vegas. He presented false identification in an effort to justify his carriage of the handgun. TSA screeners at Louis Armstrong International Airport noticed the handgun in Burley's carry-on luggage when it went through magnetometers.

US Airways Opens Dialogue With Pilots Union

In a positive sign, US Airways and its pilots union began negotiations this week over less-restrictive and lower-paying contracts to fly its new regional jets. US Airways views the regional jets as an essential piece of a plan that includes lowering its costs to better compete with discount carriers, such as Southwest Airlines and JetBlue. The union says pay rates for regional crews are significantly lower than those paid to US Airways' mainline pilots and are among the lowest in the regional airline industry.

Calls Again For Cost Reductions

It's no secret, US Airways has been fighting for survival over the last couple of years. The good news is that the company's cost-cutting measures have proved to be somewhat successful over the last year. The airline reported a $98 million net loss for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, greatly improved compared to a $794 million net loss in the year-ago period. The airline retained Morgan Stanley to "investigate potential asset sales" but emphasized that these are just "exploratory" measures and no decision has been made to sell anything.

AD NUMBER:  2004-03-04

MANUFACTURER: BAE Systems SUBJECT:  Airworthiness Directive 2004-03-04 SUMMARY:  This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to all BAE Systems(Operations) Limited (Jetstream) Model 4101 airplanes. This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking in the casing of the nose landing gear (NLG), and corrective action if necessary. This action is necessary to find and fix cracking of the NLG casing, which could result in failure of the NLG, and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane during takeoff and landing. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition.

AD NUMBER:  2004-03-07

 MANUFACTURER: Airbus SUBJECT:  Airworthiness Directive 2004-03-07 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Airbus Model A320-111, -211, -212, and -231 series airplanes. This AD requires repetitive inspections forfatigue cracking around the fasteners attaching the pressure panel to the flexible bracket at frame36, adjacent to the longitudinal beams on the left and right sides of the airplane; and repair asnecessary. This AD would also provide an optional terminating action for the repetitive inspections. This action is necessary to detect and correct fatigue cracking around the fasteners attaching the pressure

AD NUMBER:  2004-03-05

MANUFACTURER: Boeing SUBJECT:  Airworthiness Directive 2004-03-05 SUMMARY:  This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Model 777-200 series airplanes. This action requires a surface high frequency eddy current inspection of the webof the aft pressure bulkhead, repetitive inspections, and corrective action, if necessary. This action is necessary to detect and correct cracks or damage to the web of the aft pressure bulkhead, which could enlarge if undetected, leading to rapid decompression of the airplane andconsequent possible loss of flight critical systems. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe conditi