Bell’s new twin certified Bell Helicopter’s latest light-medium twin, the 429 GlobalRanger, received its much anticipated certification from Transport Canada Civil Aviation and the FAA on July 1 – almost two and a half years after the prototype made its first flight. Bell completed 2300 hours of flight testing using five prototypes towards achieving certification

New DCP sets out Defence project priorities The 2009 Defence Capability Plan (DCP) was released at July’s Defence+Industry Conference in Adelaide. This latest version of the DCP differs from previous incarnations in that it will be updated annually, and that it only covers funding and project timeframes for four years instead of the decade-long plans

Qantas announced on June 26 that it was deferring its order for 15 Boeing 787-8s by four years and is cancelling orders for 15 of the larger 787-9s. Qantas says that decision was not influenced by the latest first flight delay (see p18), noting it has been working with Boeing on the changes to its

Commercial Boeing Buys Vought 787 Business Following Recent Speculation, Boeing Announced on July 7 That It Had Reached Agreement With Vought Aircraft Industries to Acquire Its North Charelston, South Carolina Production Facilities Which Produce the Rear Sections of the Boeing 787. “integrating This Facility and Its Talented Employees Into Boeing Will Strengthen the 787 Program