Model Airplanes

Bernie Leighton leans out an open-sided helicopter into a chilly breeze, Nikon camera glued to his
face as he focuses on his unsuspecting photographic quarry.

The celebrity in his lens is no Kardashian. It’s Etihad
Airways’ first 787 Dreamliner, parked outside Boeing Co. (BA:US)’s wide-body jet plant north of Seattle and an object of desire among
planespotters for a new, secrecy-shrouded paint scheme.

Leighton is angling for Internet fame as he stalks the 787,
already one of the most-chronicled industrial products on the
planet for its futuristic design and troubled start. Selling the
first aerial shot of the shimmering silver-and-gold Etihad plane
would also cover the cost of his $500 copter ride.

“I’d say there’s monetary reward, but not really,” the
27-year-old Leighton said beforehand, facing the hulking factory
and an adjacent airfield crammed with new Boeings. “It’s mostly
about pride, about keeping my streak going.”

In 4 1/2 years of professional planespotting, Leighton has
snapped more than 35,000 photos and garnered at least 7 million
Internet views. He’s among the growing ranks of “avgeeks” who
gather and share images of aircraft with the zeal displayed by
enthusiasts pursuing rare comic books, baseball cards and other
collectibles.

Their ardor creates opportunities as well as challenges for
Boeing. The constant surveillance means that the world’s largest
planemaker must play hide-and-seek to keep commercial projects
under wraps. Photos also sometimes signal factory woes, as when
a buildup of undelivered jets preceded the disclosure of
hairline wing cracks on some

Article source: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-11-25/as-other-paparazzi-chase-the-kardashians-they-stalk-dreamliners

A bipartisan group of 188 lawmakers is urging the Department of Transportation (DOT) to reject Norwegian Airlines’ bid to increase flights to airports in the U.S. and Europe. 

Norwegian Air is attempting to gain access to airports that are covered under the U.S. and European Union’s Open Skies agreement by registering its airplanes in Ireland, which is a member of the EU. 

The Scandinavian company has said it will be able to offer transatlantic flights for as low as $150 each way if its effort is approved by the Department of Transportation, where it has been pending for most of the year. 

However, a group of 188 lawmakers signed a letter this week to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx urging him to reject the Norwegian Air (NAI) bid because they said it would be unfair to U.S. airlines that register their airplanes domestically and abide by strict federal aviation rules. 

“We urge DOT to deny NAI’s pending application for a foreign air carrier permit,” the lawmakers wrote. “We remain concerned that granting NAI’s application for a foreign air carrier permit would not be in the public interest and would unfairly put domestic airlines at a competitive disadvantage. We also reiterate our belief that the business model of NAI does not comply with the provisions of the U.S.-EU Open Skies Agreement.” 

The letter, which was spearheaded by Reps. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) and Albio Sires (D-N.J.), comes ahead of a scheduled meeting between transportation officials in the Obama administration and their counterparts from the European Union about the

Article source: http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/225326-188-house-members-urge-norwegian-air-rejection