Airplanes

A government watchdog said Wednesday that federal officials approved a new type of small jet despite problems with the plane's design and production, overruling safety concerns. The Transportation Department's inspector general, Calvin Scovel, told lawmakers that the Eclipse 500 won certification despite "unresolved design problems."

Israel wants to buy 25 fighter jets equipped with the latest military technology from the United States with an option to purchase an additional 50 in a deal worth more than $15 billion, officials said. The sale of the F-35, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter, would be the first to a country outside of the U.S. and eight partner nations collaborating on the airplane, officials said.

As if ads in public bathrooms and elevators aren't enough, some airlines are looking at placing them all over the cabin, from tray tables and window shades to overhead bins and bulkheads. Forget the discreet ad on the ticket jacket. The plane's cabin, once a sanctuary from commercialism, is being invaded by advertisers, whom airlines see as another source of revenue amid high fuel costs and a slumping economy.

Boeing Co. delivered 23% fewer aircraft in the third quarter as the world's No. 2 commercial airplane maker shuttered operations for most of last month because of a strike by machinists. Shipments reached 84 planes, Chicago-based Boeing said. The total is down from 109 built in the same period of 2007 and puts the company further behind in its plan to surpass larger commercial rival Airbus this year.

Federal agents have seized a private jet belonging to Broadcom co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III, claiming it was used to carry drugs. According to court documents, the FBI took the plane in July at Orange County's John Wayne Airport and contends Nicholas used it to transport drugs to various locations across the globe for further distribution. Nicholas has pleaded not guilty to charges in two separate indictments.

The last two years haven't been easy for Broadcom billionaire Henry T. Nicholas III. He split up with his wife. He was accused of manipulating stock options at Broadcom Corp., the Irvine microchip company he co-founded. And federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against him, saying he supplied Broadcom clients with drugs and prostitutes. On Monday, however, Nicholas received some good news: He might be getting his private jet back. U.S. District Judge Cormac J.

Ared flag alert was on, making it a perfect time for one final water drop for the Super Scooper pilot who for 13 years has led Canadian firefighters' assault on Los Angeles-area brush fires. Chief water bomber pilot Jean-Pierre Guay is retiring from a 32-year career flying the unique plane that skims over lakes and the ocean to load water and then sprays it over flaming hillsides. He returns to snowy Quebec on Wednesday after a ceremony at which county supervisors will thank him for his service.

Boeing Co. said it was delaying deliveries of its 747-8 freighter and intercontinental airplanes because of design changes, limited engineering resources and an eight-week strike that shut the company's factories. The Chicago-based aerospace firm said the first freighters now would be delivered in the third quarter of 2010 instead of in late 2009, as previously planned. The first passenger planes will be delivered in the second quarter of 2011, rather than in late 2010. Separately, Boeing reached a tentative settlement on a four-year contract covering nearly 21,000 engineers, scientists and technical workers after talks that were delayed by a machinists union strike.

Boeing Co. expects delivery delays for its planes to exceed eight weeks, accounting for a strike's effect, time for suppliers to restart production and inspections of defective parts. The Chicago company, whose machinists started returning to work Nov. 2 after a 57-day walkout, has begun notifying airlines of their new delivery dates, a spokesman said.

An internal investigation by the CIA found that agency officials engaged in a cover-up to hide agency negligence in the downing of a private airplane over Peru in 2001 as part of a mistaken attack on an aircraft suspected of carrying illegal narcotics. Excerpts of an internal CIA report released Thursday accuse agency officials of lying to members of Congress and withholding crucial information from criminal investigators and senior Bush administration officials.