Low demand for A380 as A350 nears flight-testing

There is no shortage of candidates for feedstocks from which to make biofuels, from camelina to poplar and switchgrass to wood chips. But it is taking time to find ones that can be sustainably cultivated, harvested and transported in the quantities required to make commercial volumes of jet fuel.

What a difference a decade makes. In 2000, China's labor rates were a fraction of those for U.S. workers, the dollar was strong, oil prices were relatively low, and the promise of access to the Chinese market had manufacturers hopping to get into China.

Speaking of strain on systems, the Swissport baggage handlers went on strike, unannounced, at the Brussels Airport on May 12. I had the joy of experiencing this firsthand when I landed there for a connecting flight on May 13. I didn't learn of the strike until 15 min. before Brussels Airlines announced the boarding of my flight to Vilnius, Lithuania.

Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) on May 14 issued pilot-related “immediate” safety recommendations to Lion Air as it continues to investigate the April 13 crash of a Boeing 737-800 at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali (AW&ST April 22, p. 11.) The aircraft touched down in water just short of Runway 09, following a non-precision VOR/DME instrument approach.

In its first shipment results after emerging from bankruptcy, Beechcraft is reporting a more than 50% pickup in its turboprop and piston aircraft deliveries.

FAA is reversing course on its plan to end federal funding for 149 contract towers on June 15. The decision follows the passage late last month of The Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013 (RFDA), which provides FAA the ability to shift $253 million in funds to cover operations.

A group of House lawmakers is pushing to set a 2015 deadline for FAA to release a rule that would dramatically overhaul certification regulations for small aircraft. Kansas lawmaker Mike Pompeo (R), joined by Reps. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) and Rick Nolan (D-Minn.), last week introduced the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013. It calls on FAA to issue a rule by Dec. 31, 2015, that would essentially implement the recommendations of the Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC).