Airplanes

Southwest Airlines Co. will pay a fine of $7.5 million for flying planes that had missed crucial safety checks -- $2.5 million less than government regulators initially ordered last year. The agreement announced by the Federal Aviation Administration also gives the Dallas airline nearly two years to pay the fine in three installments of $2.5 million each. The airline was fined for flying 46 airplanes on 59,791 flights without performing mandatory inspections for fuselage cracks.

Boeing Co. reported another sharp decline in orders for passenger and freight jets, as the global economic slowdown batters demand for aircraft. March orders for Boeing's commercial planes totaled six, down from 99 in the same month in 2008, according to the Chicago aerospace giant. In February, orders dropped to four from 125 a year earlier.

One of the largest brush fires of recent years continued to burn out of control Thursday in the Angeles National Forest near Castaic, perhaps portending one of the worst fire seasons in more than a decade, fire officials said. Searing summer temperatures and tinder-dry chaparral enabled the arson fire to consume more than 21,000 acres by Thursday afternoon, with vanguards of flame pushing higher into rustic hillsides.

As one of Los Angeles County's worst wildfires in recent memory continued to churn out of control Wednesday, the county's vaunted Super Scooper firefighting planes were nowhere to be found. Because of predictions by county fire officials that the planes would only be needed for about two months, beginning in mid-October, they are still in Canada. But late Wednesday, county Fire Chief P.

United Airlines has ordered $4.4 billion worth of airplanes from Boeing Co. and Europe's Airbus Industrie, with the lion's share going to Boeing, the airline announced Thursday. United ordered 27 wide-body jets--19 jumbo 747-400s, six 757s and two 777s--valued at about $3.5 billion from Boeing and 24 narrow-body Airbus A319s valued at $900 million. The Chicago-based UAL Corp. unit is the first U.S. airline to order Airbus' latest model, United and Airbus said.

Today's jumbo jetliner stretches more than 200 feet, stands six stories high at the tail, and typically carries 350 people. And anyone who has flown these technological marvels knows they involve waiting--lots of it. If you loathe that downtime at check-in, boarding, the luggage carousel and customs, brace yourself: Airplane builders are developing jetliners that in a few years will carry 550 people. Or 650. Or maybe 800.

Visitors to the recent Taste of Orange County at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station caused damage to four vintage aircraft on display at the base museum, a base official said this week. The event, which features food and wines from local establishments, was held at the base for the first time last weekend. "Basically, there were drunks swinging on and destroying these vintage aircraft," said Lorraine Dadamo, who volunteered at the museum throughout the event.

Aviation broker Roy D. Reagan and former Forest Service official Fred Fuchs were indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday on charges that they conspired to steal firefighting planes as part of a controversial property exchange program. The pair were charged with conspiracy and theft of government property, U.S. Atty. Janet Napolitano said. They are accused of conspiring to illegally convert 28 excess military aircraft valued at $28 million to private contractor use.