On The Fly…

Mooney Aerospace Group Ltd (MASG) says an arbitration decision awarding $23.9-plus million to AP Long Beach Airport LLC is not binding and will ultimately be decided by a jury. The case went to arbitration after MASG terminated its lease at the Long Beach airport. Mooney believes that California law allows jury trials while separately seeking arbitration…

Crew error is blamed in the crash of Beechcraft King Air 200 that killed Macedonia’s president, six associates and the two pilots, according to a report issued by Bosnian, Macedonian, U.S. and NATO investigators. The report says the aircraft was functioning normally prior to the Feb. 26 crash, but the crew made “procedural mistakes” on their approach to the Mostar Airport. The plane crashed into a hill in heavy fog about five miles from the airport…

You only think your backside gets tired on commercial flights now. Starting June 28, Singapore Airlines will offer the longest nonstop commercial flight ever, an 18-hour flying marathon between Singapore and Los Angeles! They’re doing it because they can, and because the nonstop flight saves both time (four hours) and money that they aren’t having to pay another airport…

A multimillion-dollar donation by venture capital entrepreneurs Anousheh and Amir Ansari has changed the name of the X PRIZE to the ANSARI X PRIZE. $10 million will be awarded to the first private organization to build and fly a ship that carries three passengers 62 miles into space, returns safely, and does it all again with the same ship two weeks later…

Actor/pilot Dennis Quaid will emcee the National Aviation Hall of Fame enshrinement event in Dayton, Ohio, July 17. Quaid, who starred in the 1983 movie, “The Right Stuff,” will help honor the ’04 Hall of Fame class, one of whom is an Apollo astronaut…

Leave it to British bookies, who will encourage wagers on just about anything. The group gamebookers will allow you to make a number of bets on budget airline Ryanair and CEO Michael O’Leary. You can bet on whether O’Leary will stick with the company, be honored by the queen, or run for president of Ireland … or wager whether the airline will make its first trans-Atlantic flight this year.