• NASA will be holding a yard sale to offload a plethora of space-related items, ranging from Space Shuttle parts to yummy space food, and other memorabilia. Though the items are free, the buyers would need to pay for the preparation and shipment of the items, which will certainly cost a pretty penny. However, these items are only allowed to go to museums and related organizations, not to private citizens.
• Five members of the Italian Air Force died yesterday when a C-130J of theirs crashed in Pisa, Italy after a touch-and-go. The aircraft was their first in with the refueling modification.
• Baltia Air Lines, an operation that has been looking to begin flights between St. Petersburg, Russia and New York’s JFK, has obtained their first aircraft, a 747-200 from Logistic Air. The aircraft was paid for in full, and Baltia Air plans to make profit right from the gate (no pun) after they complete all necessary FAA requirements sometime in 2010.
• US Airways made some major adjustments by pushing back orders of 54 Airbus aircraft while they “bolster” their financial strength. This would affect a wide range of aircraft types, including Airbus A350s, pushing some to as late at 2017.
• Lufthansa says that issues at Airbus are causing the delay of their first Airbus A380’s delivery a few weeks longer than expected.
• Emirates will be starting Airbus A380 service between Dubai and Paris one month earlier than expected on December 29th.
• Airbus’s newest military aircraft, the A400M, has completed its first slow, 20-knot taxi test. They are expected to have the aircraft perform its first flight before the year’s end.