Notams

Boeing will delay the initial flight of its new 787 Dreamliner another two months, and the move "acknowledges the enormous challenges of assembling the world's first composite-based commercial jetliner," Businessweek.com reported. The company maintains that the 787 will be delivered on time. Industry watchers expected a delay, the report said. The first flight would now likely take place in mid-November to mid-December, some three months behind the original schedule.

China needs pilots

China's expanding civil aviation sector faces a shortage of 2,000 pilots over the next several years, reported Reuters from Beijing. An official said there would be an effort to get more women into flying careers. Gao Hongfeng, the deputy head of China's General Administration of Civil Aviation, predicted the country would need an additional 9,000 pilots by 2010 as airlines add aircraft at a rate of up to 150 a year. But China has the capacity to train only about 7,000, he said.

VLJ air-taxi service gets FAA OK

Dayjet has received FAA authorization to fly Eclipse 500 very light jets, the company announced. The company is readying its VLJ fleet to launch its so-called "Per-Seat, On-Demand" jet service, operating under FAR Part 135 charter rules with two-pilot crews.

Airplanes to stay full

Summer's airline delays and packed planes may not disappear with the coming of fall. Reuters reported that the airline industry "will try and keep planes flying as full as possible as it transitions from the hectic summer travel season to a much slower autumn."