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Aircraft Partnership Assocation Makes Plane Sharing Easier

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

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]

Tags: aircraft, plane, private planes

Japan Airlines Unveiles New First Class and Business Class Seats

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

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.

Gallery: Japan Airlines New Seats

Tags: airplane, flight, japan airlines, JapanAirlines, plane

Silverjet Closes Up Shop

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

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.

Tags: business, eos, jet, maxjet, plane, silverjet

Eos Airlines Files For Bankruptcy

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

When MAXJet, one of the airlines doing the London to New York business class flights folded last December I wondered who might be next. Now it seems that the answer is Eos Airlines. The NY Times reports that the company has stopped flights and filed for bankruptcy protection. When MAXJet stopped operations it was Eos that picked up their stranded passengers. Eos ran their final flights on Sunday.

In February, British Airways announced a new business-class service from London to New York. The airline has two Airbus A318 to service the new route, fitting them with lie flat beds for 31 passengers. They will likely be competing against Silverjet, the remaining small carrier doing business flights from London to New York. Eos had offered flights on Boeing 757s reconfigured with 48 seats that turned into flat beds. The flights offered gourmet foods and wines and individual DVD players at the seats for prices ranging from $3,500 to $9,000 roundtrip. The airline was a success but was simply not making enough money and failed to raise a necessary $50 million additional financing to help pay debts.

Tags: airline, business jet, eos, plane, silverjet

SeaMax, Flying Boat

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Wings

The flying car is still yet to successfully get off the ground but the flying boat is another matter. SeaMax has announced that their new SLSA flying boat has been delivered to the first customer in the U.S. The amphibious aircraft is now in stock certified as a Special Light-Sport Aircraft (SLSA) seaplane with electric retractable landing gear. The two-seater cruises at 115 mph. The introductory price for these airplanes is $127,000. Check out the gallery for pictures of the plane in water mode.

Gallery: SeaMax Flying Boat

Tags: amphibious, boat, plane, seamax

8 Reasons to Get A Private Jet

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

I hardly think that anybody with the means to fly in a private jet versus a public plane has need of being convinced which is better, but just in case this list of 8 reasons to get a private jet will certainly seal the deal. Massages, gourmet coffee and catered meals are just the beginning. Forget leg room and a lap tray, on your own plane you can have luxury sleeping arrangements (your own huge bed) and all kinds of other conveniences like wireless internet access, big screen televisions, and even a better view out the windows.

I was convinced at "massages."

Tags: air travel, airplane, AirTravel, jet, plane, private, travel, traveling, wings

The A2, Plans For Hypersonic Flight

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

The race for the next supersonic flight is on. I've mentioned the QSST concept before now here comes the A2 airplane which takes things a step further It is a hypersonic plane designed by Reaction Engines in England. The A2 is designed to carry 300 passengers at a top speed of 4,000mph and will run on a liquid hydrogen engine. The A2 will be twice the size of the biggest current jumbo jets and could fly between Europe and Australia in less than five hours. Don't look for this one anytime soon, the company has said that the aircraft could be operating within 25 years.

Tags: flight, hypersonic, plane, reaction engines, ReactionEngines

Google Founders Get Yet Another New Jet

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Those Google guys must really be into over-sized private jets, because they're at it again! Apparently having 3 private jets, including a Boeing 767, with landing rights on NASA's Moffett Airfield wasn't good enough for them as they've now added a Boeing 757 to their ever-growing fleet.

Although smaller than the 767 they already have, obviously the 757 is still a large aircraft. Why does Google need so much in the way of wings? Who knows really, but a move like this sure is to get people talking.

Tags: 757, 767, air, airplane, boeing, boeing 757, boeing 767, Boeing757, Boeing767, google, jet, jets, NASA, plane, private, private jet, private jets, PrivateJet, PrivateJets

The Spice Girls Posh Plane

by Sandy Maple (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Celebrity Shopping

This isn't the actual plane the Spice Girls have leased for their upcoming world tour, but the real deal will likely look quite similar. Nicknamed Spice Force One, the Boeing 757 that will carry the reunited girl group around the globe will sport official Spice Girl reunion artwork on the fuselage and interior accommodations fit for both diva and child. In addition to a makeup parlor and a creche, the plane will be outfitted with a dining room, business center, state-of-the-art bathrooms, a media center and sleeping quarters.

Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell will all travel aboard the flying palace with their families, management, assistants and bodyguards. Also on board will be chefs, nannies and assorted VIP types. Dancers, staff and stage hands won't be roughing it either, making their way to the tour stops aboard two other jets - Spice Force Two and Three. All told, the Spice Girls will reportedly spend between £7million and £10million moving themselves and their entourage around the world for their highly-anticipated reunion tour, which kicks off December 2 in Vancouver.

Tags: airplane, boeing 757, Boeing757, plane, spice-force-one, spice-girls, spice-girls-plane, spice-girls-tour, spice-girls-tour-plane

The Piper Matrix

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

The latest aircraft from Piper is the Matrix, a cabin-class, six-seat aircraft which is based on the Malibu Mirage model but is an unpressurized aircraft which reduces the price but also limits the pilot's ability to fly above bad weather. The Matrix has a 350 horsepower piston engine and has a maximum cruise speed of 215 knots with a fuel range of more than 1,345 nautical miles at the aircraft's maximum operating altitude of 25,000 feet (where supplemental oxygen is necessary). Piper has announced that they have received over 100 domestic orders for 2008 production. The Matrix sells for $757,000.

[via Palm Beach Post]

Tags: matrix, piper, plane, private plane

Luxury Luggage: Style Meets Airlines

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags, Luxury Travel & Hotels

What kind of luggage you carried used to be a simple choice of personal style and durability, but in the post 9/11 world things are different. Regulations for air travel are not only much stricter than they used to be, but they're also changing all the time. Having a set of luggage that you both love and can use/is in compliance for more than one trip is a valuable thing these days!

But thankfully the luggage market is stepping up the the challenge, especially the brands with upscale globe-trotting clientele bases. They're coming out with bags that are lighter than ever, tougher than ever, and of course, more stylish than ever. Many companies are even providing carry-on essentials like ziplock plastic bags and appropriately sized plastic bottles. And that's helpful, seriously.

Tags: air travel, airline, airlines, airplane, airplanes, AirTravel, bag, bags, luggage, plane, planes, travel

The Google Private Jet Gets to Park on NASA's Runway

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Google is getting more and more famous for spoiling and splurging on its employees every day it seems. A couple of years ago the two founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, made headlines when they purchased a used Boeing 767 which they converted to a large customized private jet. Now they're making headlines again as they have negotiated a $1.3 million deal to with NASA to both use the Moffett Field runway and to have parking spaces for Google's over-sized private Boeing jet and 2 other smaller jets. The Google execs get an exclusive parking spot within mere minutes of headquarters, and NASA gets both the annual income and the chance to put scientists on board Google flights for research purposes.

All the other high rollers in the area are just drooling with envy.

Tags: boeing, boeing 767, Boeing767, google, jet, larry page, LarryPage, NASA, plane, private jet, PrivateJet, runway, sergey brin, SergeyBrin

Airbus A380 Luxury Plane Tickets Sell for $100,000

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

You've been reading about it, you've been hearing about it, and now it's finally happened: those two tickets up for auction for a luxury suite (plus all kinds of other goodies) on the maiden voyage of the Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 have finally sold -- for $100,000. That sounds like a lot of money to pay for a flight from Singapore to Sydney, but of course it's on an Airbus, it includes a lot of other perks, and that's actually a lot less than what the airline was hoping to get for charity (the "Buy it now" was $380,000). What a bargain!

Tags: 380, A380, airbus, airfare, airline, airlines, auction, bid, bidding, charity, doubledecker jet, DoubledeckerJet, flight, fly, jet, most expensive, MostExpensive, plane, singapore, singapore airlines, SingaporeAirlines, ticket, tickets, wings

Steve Fossett Missing

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

I've followed the adventures of Steve Fossett for several years now so I was sad to hear that the millionaire aviator has gone missing in the mountains of Nevada. Fossett has set records for circumnavigating the world by by balloon and airplane. On Monday he took off from a private airstrip in Nevada in a single-engine Bellanca plane, apparently on the lookout for desert locations for a planned attempt at the land-speed record.

Rescue planes have been scouring the area but have been hampered by the fact that he did not file a flight plan. Fossett's friend and partner in global adventures, Richard Branson released a statement saying he was confident that Fossett would be found alive. Fossett has survived a number of crash landings and is also an athlete who has swum the English Channel, raced in the Ironman Triathlon and completed the grueling Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across Alaska.

Tags: adventurer, expire-images:2008-9-4, millionaire, plane, richard branson, RichardBranson, steve fossett, SteveFossett

Cessna Skycatcher Plane

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

The latest light sport aircraft is this small plane, the Skycatcher from Cessna. The Skycatcher has a Garmin glass cockpit, and a Teledyne Continential O-200D engine. The lightweight plane has been selling at an introductory price of $109,500 (for the first 1,000 orders) and has been selling fast, receiving 400 orders within the first two days of the Airventure conference. The plane will cruise at 118 knots (136 miles per hour) with a range of 470 nautical miles. The Skycatcher website features more photos and videos of the new plane. Cessna plans to build 700 planes a year once the assembly line is up to production in 2011. The company plans to certify the SkyCatcher in 2008 with the first customer delivery scheduled for 2009.

Tags: aircraft, cessna, plane, skycatcher

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