FAA grants Santa Claus special operating authority for Christmas Eve flight

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Wednesday it has granted Santa Claus and his reindeer special operating authority to perform air-cargo-delivery services directly to rooftops throughout the United States on Christmas Eve.

In addition, for the first time ever, the FAA issued Santa a special commercial space license to visit the International Space Station using his StarSleigh-1 space capsule powered by the Rudolph Rocket. The mission license includes both launch and reentry operations and will occur from a U.S.-based spaceport.

Being a world humanitarian, Santa knows this Christmas is different from other years and he wholeheartedly agrees with the FAA decision to give priority to flights carrying COVID-19 vaccines and other cargo critical to the nation’s response to the ongoing public health emergency.

In addition, Santa has informed the FAA he will fly healthy during his journey by wearing a face mask on his flight to set a good example for everyone who is traveling by air this holiday season.

To ensure Santa and all other pilots have a safe trip, the FAA is asking the public for assistance and avoid creating a serious safety risk with drones and lasers. Sending up a drone to take a picture or video of an aircraft or sleigh is distracting to the pilots and will scare the reindeer, while holiday laser-light displays aimed into the sky can temporarily blind pilots.

Follow Santa’s progress as he travels across the U.S. by visiting the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) website, where NORAD tracks Santa’s Christmas Eve voyage.

airBaltic takes delivery of two Airbus A220-300 aircraft

Chorus Aviation Inc. announced Wednesday the delivery of two new Airbus A220-300 aircraft to airBaltic of Latvia. The aircraft (MSNs 55094 and 55095) are the final two of five units placed on long-term lease with the airline through a committed sale and leaseback transaction announced on November 20, 2019.

In December 2013, airBaltic became the first operator of the A220-300 aircraft and in May, the carrier re-launched as an all Airbus A220 airline. airBaltic is offering flights to more than 65 destinations from all three Baltic countries.

"We applaud airBaltic's successful resumption and expansion of services across Europe," stated Joe Randell, president and chief executive officer, Chorus.

New Beechcraft King Air 260 turboprop aircraft

Textron Aviation is launching an exciting new era for its renowned Beechcraft King Air 200 series of aircraft with the introduction of the Beechcraft King Air 260 turboprop. Assembly production for the new King Air 260 is already underway, and certification and deliveries are expected in early 2021.

The announcement comes on the heels of the recently introduced Beechcraft King Air 360, which features the latest enhancements to the cockpit and cabin. The King Air 360 achieved Federal Aviation Administration type certification in October, and customer deliveries are underway.

Key enhancements to the King Air 260 are the addition of the Innovative Solutions & Support ThrustSense Autothrottle, along with a new digital pressurization controller. The cockpit also offers the Collins Aerospace Multi-Scan weather radar system as a standard feature on every King Air 260.

“We place an immense value on our conversations with our customers, and the investments we make in our aircraft are a direct result of listening to their input,” said Ron Draper, Textron president and CEO, in a company press release.

The ThrustSense Autothrottle supports pilots in their critical mission of delivering people or cargo by automatically managing engine power from the takeoff roll through the climb, cruise, descent, go-around and landing phases of flight. This enhancement reduces pilot workload and is designed to prevent over-speed or under-speed, over-temp and over-torque conditions.

Another key update in the cockpit is the new digital pressurization controller, which automatically schedules cabin pressurization during both climb and descent, reducing pilot workload and increasing overall passenger comfort. The pressurization gauges have been integrated with the powerful Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion flight deck.

The Collins Multi-Scan RTA-4112 weather radar provides pilots with a fully automatic system that it optimized to detect short, mid and long-range weather. The system is designed to present an accurate picture of the weather around the aircraft, further reducing pilot workload.

DCNewsroom blog celebrates 10 years of news and information

January 2009 - DCNewsroom first appears on Twitter.

December 28, 2010 – One year later the DCNewsroom blog is created to cover aviation, government, industry, space and stock market news.

January 25, 2015 – DCNewsroom covers the emergency landing of a Cirrus SR-22 aircraft in the Pacific Ocean (Single-engine airplane preparing to ditch in Pacific Ocean). This story stands as the most popular article on the blog today. (Dramatic video shows pilot ditch Cirrus plane in Pacific Ocean)

July 31, 2020 – DCNewsroom hits a record 57,218 pageviews in one day since its start in 2010. This record still stands today.

May 4, 2020 – DCNewsroom Twitter account reaches over 400 followers.

May 2020 – With over 860 published articles online, the DCNewsroom has logged over 691,950 pageviews in 10 years.

First delivery of Beechcraft King Air 360 turboprop aircraft

Textron Aviation proudly celebrated the entry into service and first delivery of its Beechcraft King Air 360 turboprop aircraft on Thursday. The event was commemorated in a special delivery to its launch customer – Stamoules Produce Company, Inc. The California-based business selected the King Air 360 as its first-ever aircraft purchase, Textron said in a company press release.

Stamoules Produce Company is a family-owned business based in the San Joaquin Valley of central California, often referred to as the cantaloupe center of the world. Specializing in growing and harvesting fruits, vegetables and nuts on its 17,000 acre farm, Stamoules Produce Company has steadily expanded its business since it began in 1927.

“When selecting our first aircraft, we looked for a product that would not only give us the performance and flexibility we need to grow our business, but also by a company with a trusted name and expertise in the industry – and we found that in the King Air 360 and Textron Aviation,” said Katie Stefanopoulos, a family member, who will also serve as corporate pilot for the new aircraft.

The King Air 360 cockpit features the addition of the Innovative Solutions & Support ThrustSense Autothrottle. The autothrottle supports pilots in their critical mission of delivering people or cargo by automatically managing engine power from the takeoff roll through the climb, cruise, descent, and go-around phases of flight. Another key update in the cockpit is the new digital pressurization controller, which automatically schedules cabin pressurization during both climb and descent, reducing pilot workload and increasing overall passenger comfort.

Other upgrades include a lower cabin altitude at the aircraft’s certified ceiling of 35,000 feet – more than 10% lower when compared to the King Air 350i. The improved cabin altitude level provides greater comfort for passengers, especially during longer flights.

CBL Properties, one of the largest shopping mall owners, files bankruptcy

CBL Properties announced Monday they have filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in order to implement a plan to recapitalize the company, including restructuring portions of its debt. “Through this process, all day-to-day operations and business of the company’s wholly owned, joint venture and third-party managed shopping centers will continue as normal,” CBL officials said in a company press release. “CBL’s customers, tenants and partners can expect business as usual at all of CBL’s owned and managed properties.”

Headquartered in Chattanooga, Tenn., CBL Properties owns and manages a national portfolio of shopping malls. CBL’s portfolio is comprised of 107 properties across 26 states, including 65 high-quality enclosed, outlet and open-air retail centers and eight properties managed for third parties.

“After months of discussions and consideration of a number of alternatives, CBL’s management and the Board of Directors firmly believe that implementing the comprehensive restructuring through a Chapter 11 voluntary bankruptcy filing will provide CBL with the best plan to emerge as a stronger and more stable company,” said Stephen Lebovitz, chief executive officer of CBL. “With an aggregate of approximately $1.5 billion in unsecured debt and preferred obligations eliminated and a significant increase to net cash flow, upon emergence, CBL will be in a better position to execute on our strategies and move forward as a stable and profitable business.”

As of Sept. 30, CBL had approximately $258.3 million in unrestricted cash on hand and available-for-sale securities. The company’s cash position, combined with the positive cash flow generated by ongoing operations, is expected to be sufficient to meet CBL’s operational and restructuring needs.

The company has filed various customary motions with the court seeking several types of relief to allow CBL to meet necessary obligations and fulfill its duties during the restructuring process, including authority to continue payment of employee wages and benefits, honor certain customer and vendor commitments and otherwise manage its day-to-day operations as usual.

CBL stock closed Monday at $0.09 per share, down -40.4% for the day.

Air Canada Rouge returns to the skies

The departure of Air Canada flight AC1810 from Toronto to Cancun on Monday marked the return of Air Canada Rouge to the skies.

"Air Canada Rouge remains an important part of our overall strategy in rebuilding Air Canada's global network," said Mark Galardo, vice president, Network Planning and Alliances at Air Canada. "As leisure traffic resumes, we will progressively add Air Canada Rouge to select North American leisure markets from Eastern Canada."

Air Canada Rouge flights are operated with narrow-body Airbus aircraft featuring a choice of Premium Rouge and Economy services.

Air Canada has been at the forefront of the airline industry in responding to COVID-19, including being among the first carriers globally to require customer face coverings onboard and the first airline in the Americas to take customers' temperatures prior to boarding.