On The Fly…

Liberty Aerospace reports FAA test pilots have completed both stall and spin characteristic flight-testing in the Liberty XL2. The tests of the two-seat single-engine aircraft were performed using maximum gross aircraft weight and maximum aft center of gravity. During that time, they flew over 20 hours and completed 32 spins and numerous stalls in different aircraft configurations, including power-on, power-off, flaps-up and flaps-down at both 20 degrees and 30 degrees to simulate takeoff and landing stalls. The company announced it received its Type Inspection Authorization on Sept. 23…

JetBlue Airways has proposed an industry-wide plan to offer car-seat-style restraints on flights. The low-cost carrier is working collectively with Amsafe Inc., an Arizona-based aircraft seat belt manufacturer, to outfit its fleet of Airbus A320s with the new system. They proposed a webbed harness to constrain a child weighing between 22 and 44 pounds, which in many cases would apply to children between the ages of two and four. Lap belts would be used with the double-shouldered device to restrain the passenger around the torso. An adjustable strap would wrap around the seat to secure the device…

A new security threat has been identified by the federal government, which may affect the way airline passengers are screened. U.S. intelligence has concluded that pillows, coats and even stuffed animals can be used by Al Qaeda operatives to apply special chemicals to the material inside to transform them into bombs. In August, the Department of Homeland Security sent a memo to airlines and airport security officials around the world highlighting this possible risk. The report cited several indications that Al Qaeda is attempting to create a chemical called nitrocellulose to produce explosive devices that could be smuggled aboard airliners…

Sydney, Australias jet fuel supply is about 90 percent back to normal. As AVweb previously reported, Sydneys international airport has been forced to deal with a crippling fuel shortage, which caused the delay of several international flights. The shortage caused missed flights, and lawsuits have been threatened. The shortfall was the result of a delayed shipment as well as planned and unplanned production disruptions at local refineries.