The new Fighter Provenance Fountain Pen from London-based luxury goods firm Dunhill does not take its name in vain: the limited edition writing instrument is made from the original aluminum engine casing taken from the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine of the legendary World War II Spitfire MK1 fighter plane. Produced in very small numbers due to the scarcity of the material, the pen's details also reflect this iconic aircraft - the bolt and rivet effects in the original aluminum; the tapered edges echoing the aerodynamics; and a window feature on the side of the barrel displaying level of ink and even the pen clip design directly references the shape of the spitfire propeller. The cap is also created using plexiglass which is exactly the same material used for the bubble canopy of the late 1930's and early 1940's fighter planes. The pen nib is 18 carat gold with rhodium plating and the instrument is presented in a lacquered Alfred Dunhill display box.

[via JustLuxe]

This week USA Airways unveiled the latest seating option for business class travelers on trans-Atlantic flights. The Envoy Suite offers four abreast seating in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone design in a business class cabin. The redesigned cabin layout allows each customer to face forward and away from the aisle in a lie-flat, 180° recline seat with direct aisle access. The seats offer a panel that includes a 110-volt universal power outlet, satellite telephone and USB port as well as an entertainment system with a 12.1" adjustable touch-screen. The Envoy Suite will make its debut on one of US Airways` Airbus A330-200 aircraft in December 2009 with the remainder of the A330-200 fleet installation completed by summer 2011 for a total of 15 aircraft. Each A330-200 will offer 20 Envoy Suites.

Taking advantage of the burgeoning interest in top-drawer turboprops, seen by many to be a more economical alternative to jets in tough times, comes the $2.8 million Daher-Socata TBM 850 (above). The stylish plane, the product of a merger between Socata, founded in 1911, and French aerospace firm Daher, offers the advantages of the cruising speeds typical of light jets, but with the economical direct operating costs of a single-engine turboprop. And of course it's a lot cheaper. Equipped with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A engine offering responsive handling and sporty performance, the TBM 850 can climb to 31,000 ft in as little as 20 minutes, fly over 1,400 nautical miles, and slip into a 2,000-ft. airstrip or a mountain runway. It accommodates six people including pilot and co-pilot in its luxurious, air-conditioned cabin.

[via JamesList]

The new Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350i (above) is an updated, luxury version of a turboprop plane that's been a big seller since 1964. The economic crisis has caused many corporations to consider swapping expensive jets for more efficient and less costly turboprops like the classic King Air. Beechcraft has added in luxury features and finishes found on much more expensive Hawker business jets to make the $6.6 million King Air 350i a competitive choice. It's billed as is the most luxurious, most comfortable and most capable turbine aircraft ever offered in its class, period. The company compares it to a Range Rover - very refined with rugged underpinnings and exemplary safety features. With the most flexible and technologically advanced cabin ever introduced in a twin turboprop, the plane can ferry 9 passengers in the morning and then be reconfigured into an ultra-luxe VIP shuttle for 2 that same afternoon.

One of the world's richest men, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal of Saudi Arabia has been divesting himself of his hotel assets lately but one thing he doesn't seem to be set to give up is his Airbus A380 which will be the first private jet for this model. He hasn't officially said that he is the owner of the plane but just about everyone is certain that the Saudi prince will be making this his new flying palace. We've been covering this one for a while, including the rumor that the exterior will be painted gold. Now some interior plans have been revealed including a special cylindrical elevator will carry his Rolls-Royce into his own on-board garage. The plane will also include a Turkish bath, concert hall, ample private quarters and a boardroom. One amazing detail is the airplane equivalent of a glass-bottom board, a floor made from a giant screen that will show where the plane is flying over. The lavish plane is said to cost around $488 million. More images are up over at Gadling.

You don't often hear "gourmet" and "airplane food" in the same title, but that's because Lufthansa hasn't teamed up with the chefs of The Ritz-Carlton until now!

Naturally, creating meals that can be mass produced and still impress at 30,000+ feet is quite the culinary challenge. Some of the best chefs in the industry, including Denver's Andrés Jiménez, New York's Thomas Surowka and Jacques Sorci, DC's David Serus, San Francisco's Nathan Beriau, Boston's Clayton Van Hooijdonk, and Ritz-Carlton Vice President, Culinary Corporate Chef George McNeill teamed up to create the finest airline dining experience we've ever seen, and they held an event at the NYC loft home (above) of Barry Appelman (father of the AOL Instant Messenger) and Ildiko Sragli to kick off the collaboration and allow guests to sample the culinary masterpieces!

The First Class and Business Class menus on Lufthansa flights will now include items like:

• Omelette with Mushroom Ragout, Potato Rösti, and Bacon
• Smoked Trout Mousse with Poached Leeks and Whole Grain Mustard Vinaigrette
• Seared Cod in Artichoke and Carrot Broth with Roasted Garlic
• Spinach Stuffed Gnocchi with sautéed Cremini Mushrooms and Pine Nuts in a Vegetable Butter Sauce

Have a look through our gallery below to see some of the mouth-watering dishes that will now be available in First and Business Class on Lufthansa flights!

France's fashionable leader Nicolas Sarkozy isn't going to let the economy stand in the way of his new plane. The London Times reports that Sarkozy will be getting a new Airbus A330-200 plane that is bigger than the planes used by other European leaders but not as big as President Obama's Boeing 747-200 otherwise known as Air Force One. The ten-year-old plane was bought from Air Caraibes, the Caribbean airline, and will be outfitted with desks for Sarkozy and a secretary, a meeting room for 12 people and seating for 60 passengers as well as a bedroom and a private bathroom.

Overall the cost of the plane is expected to be 176 million euros (around $227 million) including the refit and the plane should come into service next year. The Times article says that Sarkozy wanted a new plane but went with a used one to save money. The new plane is part of an official fleet in which six Falcon corporate jets will be swapped out for a pair of Falcon 7Xs and four Falcon 2000s.

A Canadian company is reviving the classic de Havilland Twin Otter turboprop plane that's beloved for its ability to fly and land in any kind of climate. After a 20-year lapse Viking Air will be offering the 19-seater planes this summer at a starting price of $3.9 million. The new Twin Otter Series 400 has been upgraded with modern technology to improve performance and safety while sticking to classic looks and functionality. It's a highly maneuverable, rugged and versatile aircraft which can be flown safely at various speeds from 80 to 160 knots. The high winged 52-ft. plane is powered by twin Pratt & Whitney turbine engines and can be equipped with wheels, floats, skis, or tundra tires to land on water, sand, snow or even the shortest and roughest of runways. It's also available with a luxe VIP interior.

We see a lot of vintage cars on this site but not so many vintage planes. Bonhams in London is set to auction off a very collectible plane on April 20, a two-seat Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire. The plane is airworthy and comes from a private source but will be auctioned at the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon, near London. The plane has an estimated value of £1.5 million. This Spitfire has been restored and is a historic Warbird ready to fly. It was delivered to the Royal Air Force's No 33 Maintenance Unit at Lyneham in Wiltshire and later sold in 1948 to the South African Air Force and was eventually rediscovered in a Cape Town scrap yard. General Aviation News reports that it is the second Spitfire offered by Bonhams within the past seven months. A non-airworthy Spitfire sold for around £1.1 million.

NASCAR champ Clint Bowyer got an early Christmas present this week when he took delivery Monday of his Beechcraft Premier IA. Bowyer, a Kansas native, was in Wichita for the delivery. He toured the Hawker Beechcraft manufacturing plant and signed autographs for employees. Bowyer plans to use the single-pilot business jet to help him keep up with the demanding schedule of being a race car. Bowyer is a three-year veteran of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series and drives a Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing (RCR) in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. His new purchase doesn't sit well with everyone. Given the troubles plaguing NASCAR this season at least one blogger finds his extravagance to be in poor taste.

Usually when I hear of something in need of a home it's a kitten or maybe a puppy. Today's homeless item is a bit bigger, it's Texas Raiders, a member of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). This World War II B-17 Bomber is one of 12 still capable of flight and it is losing its Houston home. Aero-News Network reports that the owner of the hangar that houses Texas Raiders will terminate the lease effective November 30, 2008 leaving the $3.5 million plane homeless. The CAF Gulf Coast Wing has to vacate the hanger and the vintage bomber is not flightworthy so another hangar is needed to complete the restoration process. They are seeking anyone in the Houston area who can offer a standard lease or donation agreement to allow the bomber to remain in Houston. Else it will have to go to go to the Commemorative Air Force Headquarters in Midland, Texas and will have to be partially dismantled basically undoing six years of volunteer restoration. It last flew in November 2001 to celebrate the opening of the National D-day Museum in New Orleans, LA.

In these days when it seems like not a lot of people are in a plane buying mood, LoPresti Aviation makers of the LoPresit Fury, have created a Fury buyer-protection plan. Basically, instead of using your deposit and putting that money toward keeping the business afloat, they will have potential Fury buyers instead secure a position with a Certificate of Deposit in the customer's name.This way only the customer can access the money and it earns interest until the plane is ready. There is no penalty for canceling an order and the customer can access the CD whenever they need to. Basically it's like putting your money in a nice safe CD and then blowing it all on a plane. But hey, it's not like you were going to put it in the stock market anyway.

[via General Aviation News]

For the big purchases in life sometimes it's easier to share the burden. In the escalating real estate market, many people opted to go in on houses together. Now there is a new service helping potential plane owners defray the high cost of aircraft ownership by partnering up. The Aircraft Partnership Association is a new website designed to make sharing aircraft ownership easier.

The site not only helps people find potential partners but also helps them work out the details such as financing, insurance and legal and tax issues. The Aircraft Partnership Association also has goods and services supplier members who help about the partner members. The site will also help with ooperating the partnership, providing online management services for scheduling flights and maintenance and bookkeeping.

Annual membership dues will be $29 but during the initial building phase they've chopped that down to $9.99.

[via General Aviation News]

Japan Airlines (JAL) has created a new suite for JAL first class and a new seat for their business class which they will be introducing on US routes. The airline will launch the JAL Suite in first class and the JAL Shell Flat Neo Seat in business class when the airline introduces new 777-300ER aircraft on US routes, starting with the Tokyo - New York route on August 1, 2008.

The suitse in JAL First Class are 20% more spacious than the airline's current seat in first class and only suites are available in the JAL First Class cabin set in a 1-2-1 configuration. The suite includes a seat upholstered in gray leather which converts into a full-flat bed. In the 180° position the seat combines with an ottoman located at the opposite end of the compartment to create one of the largest and widest, most comfortable sleeping areas in first class. When the seat is in the upright position, the ottoman can be used as a seat for a guest. The sliding table can be placed between the seat and ottoman. Passengers, seated in the pair of suites who are traveling together can lower privacy partitions located between them. Each suite comes with Bose noise-cancelling headphones and a personal 19-inch personal TV screen and stowage spaces for bags and small items and a laptop power point. Those in the suites can also whatever they like off the menu whenever they would like with choices of Japanese or Western full-course menus. For sleeping a cabin attendant can place a Tempur-Pedic mattress on the seat bed along with a down comforter and a pillow a well as offer special JAL loungewear.

The new business class seat reclines to 171 degrees and has a 15.4 inch personal TV screen. The business class cabin also features the "Sky Gallery," one wall of the cabin shows a a photographic exhibition that will be regularly changed over the year. The first exhibit, in collaboration with Fuji Film, will be a series of photographs of forests in Japan entitled 'Forest Forever'. The gallery will be located directly opposite a self-service bar counter, where passengers can enjoy snacks and beverages at anytime.

In a move that surprises no one given the recent shuttering of business-class-only jet services MaxJet Airways and Eos Airlines, Silverjet, the last of the three, has folded. The London-based company failed to get a necessary $5 million in emergency funding to continue operations. The rise in the price of jet fuel doomed the business which was never profitable in its 16-month run. Lawrence Hunt, the chief executive of Silverjet, says on the Silverjet website that it might not be over yet, if he is able to get new investors with deep pockets the company will start up again. Unfortunately given the track record of business-class-only airlines, which despite the obvious appeal, seemed doomed to failure, he will have a tough road ahead.