Airplanes

International Lease Finance Corp., the world's biggest aircraft lessor, said it may order 300 jetliners from Boeing Co. and Airbus to meet demand from airlines that can no longer afford to buy their own planes. ILFC, a Century City unit of American International Group Inc., said it might purchase 150 single-aisle aircraft from each manufacturer.

No one cracked a bottle of champagne on its nose. No one cut a ribbon. Perhaps that was because the maiden voyage of John McCain's new campaign plane was missing one vital ingredient: the senator himself. On Monday morning, his new 95-seat Boeing 737-400 left Washington with journalists and staffers, heading for Harrisburg, Pa., where the candidate had spent the night.

A 36-year-old man from Orange who allegedly shined a green laser beam at three commercial jets and a police helicopter in May appeared in federal court Monday, authorities said. Dana Christian Welch faces three charges of having "willfully interfered with and disabled, with a reckless disregard for the safety of human life" pilots flying Alaska, Delta and United airlines planes attempting to land at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, according to a grand jury indictment released by the FBI. Powerful laser beams aimed in pilots' eyes can cause temporarily blindness.

The Federal Aviation Administration is ordering U.S. airlines to conduct safety inspections to look for cracking on overwing frames on certain MD-80 series aircraft, a directive that could be a headache for an industry reeling from soaring fuel prices. The airworthiness directive, listed in the Federal Register on Tuesday, affects 670 MD-81, MD-82, MD-83, MD-87 and MD-88 aircraft registered in the United States. American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp.

Want to get away but tired of driving to a crowded airport and cramming into an airliner? How about hopping into a two-seat propeller plane that can be flown just about anywhere and land at the most remote places, including mountain lakes and desolate airfields. Better yet, a private pilot's license is not required. A Marina del Rey company, hoping to get more people to fly planes for fun, is building a recreational flying boat that can take off and land both on airstrips and on water.

Bob Dobry's little plane putt-putted over the coast. Below, three sea kayakers whirled their paddles in figure-eights; from the cockpit, they looked like water bugs scurrying across a pond. It was going to be a sunny day, and Hermosa Beach was already filling up. Incoming. "Scout 625 Alpha Papa," Dobry said into his radio, using his tail number. "We'd like to work the shoreline." "Six two five Alpha Papa," the control tower replied. "You'll be at 1,100 feet?" "Negative," Dobry said.

State legislators on Monday approved an advisory resolution encouraging the Federal Aviation Administration to honor Santa Monica's ban on the fastest jets that use the city's airport. The resolution, which passed the Assembly in July and the Senate by a narrow margin Monday, also called on the FAA to review the safety of flight operations at the airport, which is within 300 feet of residential neighborhoods.

Control-tower tapes show that the pilot of Barack Obama's campaign plane told air traffic controllers he had an emergency when he made an unscheduled landing in St. Louis last month, ABC News reported. At the time, the Federal Aviation Administration and Midwest Airlines, owner of the MD-80 charter airliner, said there was no emergency. ABC reported that tower tapes it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show that the pilot, who was having trouble controlling the pitch of the plane, told an FAA air traffic controller: "At this time we would like to declare an emergency and also have [crash equipment]

Air safety officials confirmed suspicions that an oxygen cylinder caused the explosion that blew a car-sized hole in a Qantas jet last month, forcing an emergency landing. Julian Walsh, acting executive director of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, said one of the seven emergency oxygen cylinders below the cabin floor had exploded on the Boeing 747-438. The cause of the explosion has not been determined.

When Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin sought to illustrate her frugality and flair to delegates at the GOP convention, she described how she had disposed of a corporate jet acquired by her unpopular predecessor. "That luxury jet was over the top," the Republican vice presidential nominee said to loud cheers Wednesday. "I put it on EBay." Palin's statement implied that the plane had sold through the online auction site, which is revered for empowering millions of small entrepreneurs.