It’s all about putting a smile of the faces of kids who often don’t have much to smile about. Australian pilots and owners are bringing happiness into the lives of children and their families who face a serious illness or extreme adversity, and the movement is growing beyond all expectations.  It’s a once-a-year event. FunFlight Australia, a non-profit organisation set up especially for the purpose, arranges fun flights for these children in co-operation with local aero clubs and owner/pilots, and the whole operation is conducted with great care and underlying professionalism.

At the 2009 Dubai Air Show, Airbus announced commitments across its product range covering a total of 33 aircraft, valued at over US$5.3 billion. These commitments include firm orders for 15 aircraft worth more than US$3.6 billion, plus memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreements for a further 18 aircraft totalling around $1.7 billion.

The Boeing Company has demonstrated that its mobile laser weapon systems can perform a unique mission: track and destroy small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).  During the U.S. Air Force-sponsored tests at the Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, Calif., the Mobile Active Targeting Resource for Integrated eXperiments (MATRIX), which was developed by Boeing…

Following airspace studies by CASA’s Office of Airspace Regulation, airspace classifications in the Newcastle region have been changed  to class E airspace within 25 nautical miles of Williamtown when the local military air traffic control services are not being provided.  At those times class E airspace will apply from 4500 feet up to the base of the existing class E at 8500 feet.

This means that in the new class E airspace aircraft operating to instrument flight rules (IFR) will be provided with separation by en route air traffic controllers from the Airservices Australia Brisbane air traffic centre. Aircraft in the class E airspace must carry and use a transponder.

Nevada based Aerion Corporation has chosen Dubai’s biennial airshow to consolidate its commitment to becoming first to market a supersonic business jet.

Aerion Vice Chairman Brian Barents says that following its launch at Dubai two years ago, Aerion now holds “about 50” letters of intent to purchase the US$80 million jet

Gippsland Aeronautics (GA) is negotiating with a potential equity partner as it prepares for expansion into new markets.  Airvan also now has Argentinean certification, with a demonstrator now sold to its distributor Aerotec in Mendoza, Argentina.  Co-founding director George Morgan says that although the equity deal is not yet over the line, the new potential partner is a large overseas multinational which has equity in companies all over the world, and which specialises in technologies.  The Latrobe Valley based manufacturer has won certification for the turbocharged variant of its eight-seat utility GA8 Airvan in Europe and the USA, and is already building a prototype turboprop GA10…

Qantas said today that industrial action planned by professional engineers from this evening would not have any impact on airline operations.  Qantas Group Executive Government and Corporate Affairs, David Epstein, said the airline had continued to negotiate with the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia (APESMA) during the week on the latest Enterprise Bargaining Agreement.  The union plans to commence protected industrial action at 5pm this evening…

Qantas has defined its plans to overhaul its domestic airport check-in, which it says will halve check-in times for its customers at Australian CityFlyer ports.

Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce told the National Aviation Press Club yesterday the Airport of the Future initiative would begin next year with the introduction of “next generation check-in.”

British Airways has launched a new intercity service using two relatively small Airbus A318s to fly its premium passengers direct on the first long-haul flights between London City Airport and New York’s JFK International Airport in super-luxury.  In standard configuration the smallest jet of the Airbus “family” normally carries eight first-class passengers and 99 in economy.  But the British Airways version is configured for an all-business service, with just 32 seats that convert into fully-flat beds, with on-board connectivity provided by an Airbus-SITA joint venture called OnAir, so passengers can work during the flight via e-mail, web surfing and mobile phone text messaging.