Airplanes

Southwest Airlines Co., under fire for missing required aircraft inspections, dropped a plan to move some maintenance operations to El Salvador from the U.S. The carrier ended talks about the idea with its mechanics union this week after the Federal Aviation Administration levied a $10.2-million fine for possible maintenance violations, a union official and a Southwest spokesman said Friday. The move highlighted Southwest's efforts to restore its reputation after the March 6 fine, criticism from some U.S. lawmakers and this week's grounding of 44 jets to verify that they underwent the proper inspections.

American Airlines said Sunday that its flights had resumed normal schedules after last week's mass cancellations and issued directions for customers seeking compensation or alternate flights. "It's been a good day. We're back to full operational schedule," spokesman Charley Wilson said. Late Sunday, the airline was still rerouting passengers whose flights had been canceled. "We are still scaling that peak," Wilson said. "We're not quite there yet."

Airbus said the ever-cheaper dollar and the high cost of metals were forcing it to raise jet prices. The European plane maker announced increases of as much as $4 million to catalog prices -- besides the 2.74% annual hike for 2007 already programmed. The extra charge is 1% and 3% of the new catalog prices, effective May 1. Airbus, which sells its planes in dollars while many of its costs are in euros, says each 10-cent rise in the euro against the dollar costs the company 1 billion euros ($1.59 billion)

The Federal Aviation Administration took legal action Wednesday to overturn a ban on the fastest jets that fly out of Santa Monica Airport, including aircraft popular among business executives. FAA officials served the city of Santa Monica with a cease-and-desist order challenging a municipal ordinance passed in November -- and effective today -- that bars jets with approach speeds of greater than 136 mph.

A federal judge Monday prohibited Santa Monica from enforcing a ban on high speed jets at its airport until further court hearings can be held on the restrictions. At the request of the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. District Judge George H. Wu issued a temporary restraining order to keep the city from banning jets with approach speeds ranging from 139 to 191 mph. City officials say the restrictions are necessary to protect airport workers and residents who live near runways.

The county Board of Supervisors voted 5 to 0 on Tuesday to spend up to $3 million to lease three firefighting planes during this year's fire season. One of the planes is an airborne command center; the other two are so-called super-scoopers that can drop massive amounts of water. The supervisors moved to initiate negotiations for the leases. Brush fires last fall burned more than 350,000 acres in San Diego County and destroyed more than 2,500 structures. County officials complained that air assets from the state and federal governments were slow to arrive.

A federal judge on Friday blocked the city from imposing a ban on high-performance jets at its airport until a court can determine whether the controversial restriction is legal. District Judge George Wu issued a preliminary injunction sought by the Federal Aviation Administration, which is contesting an ordinance banning jets that have landing speeds of 138 mph to 191 mph. The city claims the aircraft are at risk of running off the runway and hitting nearby houses. Wu's ruling kept in place a cease-and-desist order the FAA issued the city in late April.

Recent-model Gulfstreams are the Ferraris of private jets, with prices reaching up to $50 million each. Their sleek fuselages contain some of the most advanced control and navigation systems available. Fully fueled, the sophisticated jets with their plush interiors can fly 16 executives coast to coast at speeds of up to 527 mph -- about 0.80 on the Mach meter, not far from the speed of sound.

Boeing Co. said tests on the 787 Dreamliner's power systems were successful, putting the plane on schedule for its initial flight in the fourth quarter and delivery to customers next year. The so-called power-on process began June 11 for the Dreamliner, which will use more electricity than current models to help conserve fuel. Chicago-based Boeing's new carbon-composite aircraft has been delayed at least 14 months.

In the world of warbird collecting, Glacier Girl was a rare prize. The World War II-era P-38 fighter made an emergency landing on a Greenland ice cap in July 1942 while on a flight from Maine to England. The aircraft eventually was buried under a layer of ice and snow more than 200 feet thick. In 1992, Glacier Girl was excavated and later restored to flying condition -- one of a handful of airworthy P-38s known to exist.