Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 11:04 PM - Official TeamGrumman-List FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) (Matt Dralle)
2. 11:05 PM - Background on FlightPrep Fight Reveals Intriguing/Worrisome Details (GOLDPILOT@AOL.COM)
3. 11:07 PM - Official TeamGrumman-List Usage Guidelines (Matt Dralle)
Message 1
| INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
| NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
| LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
| SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
| Subject: | Official TeamGrumman-List FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) |
Dear Listers,
Please read over the TeamGrumman-List Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) below.
The
complete TeamGrumman-List FAQ including the Usage Guidelines can be found at the
following URL:
http://www.matronics.com/FAQs/TeamGrumman-List.FAQ.html
Thank you,
Matt Dralle
Matronics Email List Administrator
[ Note: This FAQ was designed to be displayed with a fixed width font such as
Courier. Proportional fonts will cause display formatting errors. ]
This FAQ can also be viewed in HTML online at the following address:
http://www.matronics.com/FAQ/TeamGrumman-List.htm
************************************************************
******* LIST POLICIES AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS *******
************************************************************
PLEASE READ. This document contains TeamGrumman-List policies and information
for new and old subscribers. Understanding the TeamGrumman-List policies will
minimize problems for the Administrator, and will help keep the TeamGrumman-List
running smoothly for all of us.
******************************************
*** Quick Start Guide to List Features ***
******************************************
There are many features available on the Matronics Email Lists and each
one is described in detailed below. However, using the List Navigator
you can quickly access the complete set of features available for this
List. The List Navigator can be found at the following URL:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?TeamGrumman-List
****************************************
*** How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe ***
****************************************
Simply go to the Web Page shown below and enter your email address and
select the List(s) that you wish to subscribe or unsubscribed from. You
may also use the handy "Find" function to determine the exact syntax of
your email address as it is subscribed to the List. Please see the
complete instructions at the top of the Web Page for more information.
The Subscribe/Unsubscribe web page is:
http://www.matronics.com/subscribe
Note that you will receive TWO conformation emails regarding your subsciption
process. The first verifies that your subscription/unsubsciption request
was received, and the second confirms that the process has been completed.
You should receive the first email within a few minutes of your request.
The second conformation will arrive in less than 24 hours. You cannot post
until you receive the second conformation email message.
*****************************
*** How to Post a Message ***
*****************************
Send an email message to:
teamgrumman-list@matronics.com
Your message will be redistributed to everyone currently subscribed
to the List.
*****************************************************
*** SPAM Fighter - You Must be Subscribed to Post ***
*****************************************************
When a new post is received by the system, the From: line of the message
is checked and compared against the current subscription list. If the
email address is found, the message is passed on to the List Processor.
If the email address isn't found in the current list of subscribers, it
is dumped. This serves to very effectively thwart 99% of the SPAM that
gets posted to the Lists.
Remember, however, that the syntax of your email address is very important
with regard to the configuration of your email application such as Outlook
or Eudora. For example, the following two email addresses may be
functionally equivalent, but only one would pass the Matronics Email SPAM
test depending on which was syntax was subscribed to the given List:
smith@machine.domain.com
smith@domain.com
Either email address syntax is alright, just be sure that you configure
your email application to match *exactly* the address you've subscibed to
the List.
**************************************
*** Enclosure Support on the Lists ***
**************************************
Limited posting of enclosures such as pictures, documents, and spreadsheets
is supported on the Lists. There are a number of restrictions, and these
are detailed below. Please abide by the rules put forth regarding the
content of enclosures.
These are some of the features and limits of enclosures on the Matronics
Lists:
1) Enclosures will only be posted to the Real Time version of the Lists.
2) Enclosures will NOT be included in the Daily Digest version of the Lists.
3) Enclosures WILL BE forwarded on to the BBS Forum Web site.
4) Enclosures will NOT be appended to the Archives.
5) Enclosures will NOT be available in the List Browse feature.
6) Only the following file types and extensions will be allowed:
bmp doc dwg dxf gif jpg pdf png txt xls
All other enclosures types will be rejected and email returned to
sender. The enclosure types listed above are relatively safe from
a virus standpoint and don't pose a particularly large security risk.
7) !! All incoming enclosures will be scanned for viruses prior to posting
to the List. This is done in real time and will not slow down
the process of posting the message !!
Here are some rules for posting enclosures. Failure to abide by these rules
could result in the removal of a subscriber's email address from the Lists.
1) Pay attention to what you are posting!! Make sure that the files
you are enclosing aren't HUGE (greater that 1MB). Remember that there
are still people checking they're email via dial up modem. If you post
30MB worth of pictures, you are placing an unnecessary burden on these
folks and the rest of us, for that matter.
2) SCALE YOUR PICTURES DOWN!!! I don't want to see huge 3000 x 2000
pictures getting posted that are 3 or 4MB each. This is just
unacceptable. Use a program such as Photoshop to scale the picture
down to something on the order of 800 x 600 and try to keep the
file size to less-than 200KB, preferably much less.
Microsoft has a really awesome utility available for free that allows
you to Right-Click on a picture in Explorer and automatically
scale it down and resave it. This is a great utility - get it, use it!
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
Look for the link "Image Resizer"
3) !! This would seem to go without saying, but I'll say it anyway. Do not
post anything that would be considered offensive by your grandmother.
And you know what I'm saying; I don't want to see anything even
questionable. !!
4) REMEMBER THIS: If you post a 1MB enclosure to a List with 1000 members
subscribed, your 1MB enclosure must be resent 1000 times amounting
to 1MB X 1000 = 1 Gigabyte of network traffic!! BE CAREFUL and
BE COURTEOUS!
Also see the section below on the Matronics Photo and File Share where
you can have your files and photos posted on the Matronics web server
for long time viewing and availability.
*******************
*** Digest Mode ***
*******************
Each day, starting at 12 midnight PST US, a new 'digest' will be started.
This digest will contain the same information that is currently appended
to the archive file. It has all of the headers except for the "From:"
and "Subject:" lines removed, and includes a message separator consisting
of a line of underscores.
Each day at 23:55 PST US, the day's messages as described above will be
combined and sent as a single message to everyone on the digest email list.
To subscribe to the digest list, use the same subscription web form
described above, and just select the Digest version of the List.
http://www.matronics.com/subscribe
Note that you *can* be subscribed to both the realtime and digest versions
of the List at the same time. This is perfectly acceptable.
Now some caveats:
* Messages sent to "teamgrumman-list-digest" will be forwarded to the standard
email list. In other words, you cannot post messages only to the
digest List.
* If you are subscribed to both the regular List and the digest List, you
will receive the realtime postings as well as the digest at the end of
the day.
* If you reply to the digest email, your message will be forwarded to the
normal list associated with the digest. Important Note: Please change
the subject line to reflect the topic of your response! Also, please
*do not include all or most of the digest in your reply*.
****************************
*** List Digest Browser ***
****************************
An archive of all the List Digests can be found online in either plain text
or HTML format. These archives contain the exact Digest that was posted to
the Digest email list on the given day. The Digest Archives can be found
at the following location:
http://www.matronics.com/digest
*****************************************
*** The "DO NOT ARCHIVE" Message Flag ***
*****************************************
At times, your message may concern something that is revelent only to a very
small number of persons or to a limited area, and you may not wish to archive
it. In such a case, simply put the following phrase anywhere in the
message:
do not archive
Your message will not be appended to the archive, but will be sent to List
email distribution as normal.
**********************************************
***** READ THIS - Automatic Unsubscribes *****
**********************************************
Note that if your email address begins to cause problems such as bounced
email, mailbox is filled, or any other errors, your address will be promptly
removed from the List. If you discover that you are no longer receiving
messages from the TeamGrumman-List, go to the following Web page, and look
for your email address and a possible reason for your removal.
The Matronics Email List uses utility called the "Email Weasel" that
automatically looks though the day's bounced email for addresses that
caused problems due to common things like "user is unknown", "mailbox
full", etc. If the Email Weasel removes your email address from the
Lists you will find record of it at the following URL:
http://www.matronics.com/unsubscribed
If the problem listed on the web site above has been resolved, please feel
free to resubscribe to the Lists of your choice.
*******************************
*** List Member Information ***
*******************************
If you have not done so already, please email me your phone numbers and
paper mail address in the following format:
smith@somehost.com
Joe Smith
123 Airport Lane
Tower, CA 91234-1234
098-765-1234 w
123-456-7890 h
Please forward this information to the following email address:
requests@matronics.com
I have a file of such things, that I typically use to contact you when
there are problems with your email address. The information will NOT
be used for any other commercial purpose.
****************************************
*** Realtime Web Email List Browsing ***
****************************************
Recent messages posted to the TeamGrumman-List are also made available on
the Web for realtime browsing. Seven days worth of back postings are
available with this feature. The messages can be sorted by Subject,
Author, Date, or Message Thread. The Realtime List Browser indexes are
updated twice per hour at xx:15 and xx:45. You can also reply to a message
or start a new message directly from the List Browser Interface (coming soon).
You do not have to be subscribed to the given list to use the List
Browser Interface in view-mode.
http://www.matronics.com/browselist/teamgrumman-list
*******************************************
*** Web Forums Bulletin Board Interface ***
*******************************************
A phpBB BBS web Forums front end is available for all TeamGrumman-List content.
content. The Forums contain all of the same content available via the email
distribution and found on the various archive viewing formats such as the
List Browse, etc. Any posts on the web Forums will be cross posted to the
respective email List, and posts to the Email List will be cross posted to
the web Forums.
You may view all List content on the Forums without any special login.
If you wish to post a message via the Web Forum interface, however, you
will need to Register. This is a simple process that takes only a few
minutes. A link to the Registration page can be found at the top of the
main web Forums page. Note that registering on the Forum web site also
enables you to send email posts to the Lists as well. You will also need to
Subscribe to the respective Email List as described above to receive the
Email Distribution of the List, however.
The Matroincs Email List Web BBS Forums can be found at the following URL:
http://forums.matronics.com
*********************************
*** Matronics Email List Wiki ***
*********************************
In an attempt to make it easy to store and find structured and often accessed
information, Matronics has installed a Wiki at:
http://wiki.matronics.com
The Wiki allows individuals to create web pages to contain useful information
for other users of the mailing lists and web site. Unlike an ordinary web page
where the content needs to be submitted to Matronics for inclusion, the Wiki
permits the users to construct their own pages and have them visible immediately.
While constructing pages for the Wiki is not difficult, some may not be
comfortable building pages. In that case, simply prepare the text and any
images and email it to:
wiki-support@matronics.com
One of the volunteers on that list will take your submission and construct
a Wiki page for you.
Often someone produces a particularly useful posting in email one one of the
Lists that would be of general interest. In that case Matronics may take that
post and convert it into a Wiki page.
*********************
*** List Archives ***
*********************
A file containing of all of the previous postings to the TeamGrumman-List is
available on line. The archive file information is available via the
Web and FTP in a number of forms. Each are briefly described below:
* TeamGrumman-List.FAQ
- Latest version of the TeamGrumman-List Frequently Asked Question
page (this document).
* TeamGrumman-Archive.digest.complete
- Complete file with most of the email header info removed and
page breaks inserted between messages.
* TeamGrumman-Archive.digest.vol-??
- Same as the file above, but broken up into small sections that
can more easily handled.
* TeamGrumman-Archive.digest.complete.zip
- Same as the TeamGrumman-Archive.digest.complete file above, but
in PKZIP format. Use "binary" data transfer methods.
* TeamGrumman-Archive.digest.complete.Z
- Same as the TeamGrumman-Archive.digest.complete file above, but in
UNIX compress format. Use "binary" data transfer methods.
Download Via FTP
----------------
The archive file is available via anonymous FTP from ftp.matronics.com
in the "/pub/Archives" directory. It is updated daily and can be found in
a number of formats as described above. (All filenames are case sensitive.)
ftp://ftp.matronics.com/pub/Archives
Download Via Web
----------------
The archives are also available via a web listing. These can be found
toward the bottom of the following web page:
http://www.matronics.com/archives
******************************************
*** Complete List Web Archive Browsing ***
******************************************
All messages posted to the TeamGrumman-List are also available using the
Email List Archive Browsing feature. With this utility, all messages
in the List are indexed, and individual sub-archives can be browsed.
http://www.matronics.com/archive/archive-index.cgi?TeamGrumman
*****************************************
**** High-Speed Archive Search Engine ***
*****************************************
You can use the custom, high-performance Matronics Email List Search Engine
to quickly locate and browse any messages that have been posted to the
List. The Engine allows the user to easily search any of the currently
available List archives.
http://www.matronics.com/search
****************************
*** File and Photo Share ***
****************************
With the Matronics Email List File and Photo Share you can share pictures
and other data with members of the List without having to forward a
copy of it to everyone. To share your Files and Photos, simply email
them to:
pictures@matronics.com
!! ==> Please including the following information with each submission:
1) Email Lists that they are related to.
2) Your Full Name.
3) Your Email Address.
4) One line Subject description.
5) Multi-line, multi-paragraph description of topic.
6-x) One-line Description of each photo or file
Prior to public availability of the files and photos, each will be scanned
for viruses. Please also note that the process of making the files and
photos available on the web site is a pseudo-manual process, and I try to
process them every few days.
Following the availability of the new Photoshare, an email message will be
sent to the Email Lists enumerated in 1) above indicating that the new
Share is available and what the direct URL to it is.
For a current list of available Photoshares, have a look at the Main
Index Page:
http://www.matronics.com/photoshare
**************************
*** List Archive CDROM ***
**************************
A complete Matronics Email List Archive CD is available that contains
all of the archives since the beginning of each of the Lists. The archives
for all of the Lists are included on the CD along with a freeware search
engine written by a list member. The CD is burned the day you order it
and will contain archive received up to the last minute. They make
great gifts!
http://www.matronics.com/ArchiveCDROM
**********************************
*** List Support Contributions ***
**********************************
The Matronics Lists are run *completely* through the support of it members.
You won't find any PopUpAds, flashing Banner ads, or any other form of
annoying commercialism on either the Email Messages or the List web pages
associated with the Matronics Email Lists. Every year during November
I run a low-key, low-pressure "Fund Raiser" where, throughout the month,
I ask List members to make a Contribution in any amount with which they
are comfortable.
I will often offer free gifts with certain contribution levels during the
Fund Raiser to increase the participation. The gifts are usually donated
by companies that are themselves List members.
Your Contributions go directly to supporting the operation of the Lists
including the high-speed, business-class Internet connection, server
system hardware and software upgrades, and to partially offset the many
many hours I spend running, maintaining, upgrading, and developing the
variety of services found here.
Generally Contributions range from $20 to $100 and are completely voluntary
and non-compulsory. I ask only that if person enjoys the Lists and obtains
value from them, that they make a Contribution of equal magnitude.
Contributions are accepted throughout the year, and if you've just
subscribed, feel free to make a Contribution when you've settled in.
The website for making SSL Secure Contributions is listed below. There are
a variety of payment methods including Visa and MasterCard, PayPal, and
sending a personal check.
If you enjoy and value the List, won't you make a Contribution today to
support its continued operation?
http://www.matronics.com/contributions
Thank you!
Matt Dralle
Email List Administrator
******************************************************************************
TeamGrumman-List Usage Guidelines
******************************************************************************
The following details the official Usage Guidelines for the TeamGrumman-List.
You are encouraged to read it carefully, and to abide by the rules therein.
Failure to use the TeamGrumman-List in the manner described below may result
in the removal of the subscribers from the List.
TeamGrumman-List Policy Statement
The purpose of the TeamGrumman-List is to provide a forum of discussion for
things related to this particular discussion group. The List's goals
are to serve as an information resource to its members; to deliver
high-quality content; to provide moral support; to foster camaraderie
among its members; and to support safe operation. Reaching these goals
requires the participation and cooperation of each and every member of
the List. To this end, the following guidelines have been established:
- Please keep all posts related to the List at some level. Do not submit
posts concerning computer viruses, urban legends, random humor, long
lost buddies' phone numbers, etc. etc.
- THINK carefully before you write. Ask yourself if your post will be
relevant to everyone. If you have to wonder about that, DON'T send it.
- Remember that your post will be included for posterity in an archive
that is growing in size at an extraordinary rate. Try to be concise and
terse in your posts. Avoid overly wordy and lengthy posts and
responses.
- Keep your signature brief. Please include your name, email address,
aircraft type/tail number, and geographic location. A short line
about where you are in the building process is also nice. Avoid
bulky signatures with character graphics; they consume unnecessary
space in the archive.
- DON'T post requests to the List for information when that info is
easily obtainable from other widely available sources. Consult the
web page or FAQ first.
- If you want to respond to a post, DO keep the "Subject:" line of
your response the same as that of the original post. This makes it
easy to find threads in the archive.
- When responding, NEVER quote the *entire* original post in your
response. DO use lines from the original post to help "tune in" the
reader to the topic at hand, but be selective. The impact that
quoting the entire original post has on the size of the archive
can not be overstated!
- When the poster asks you to respond to him/her personally, DO NOT
then go ahead and reply to the List. Be aware that clicking the
"reply" button on your mail package does not necessarily send your
response to the original poster. You might have to actively address
your response with the original poster's email address.
- DO NOT use the List to respond to a post unless you have something
to add that is relevant and has a broad appeal. "Way to go!", "I
agree", and "Congratulations" are all responses that are better sent
to the original poster directly, rather than to the List at large.
- When responding to others' posts, avoid the feeling that you need to
comment on every last point in their posts, unless you can truly
contribute something valuable.
- Feel free to disagree with other viewpoints, BUT keep your tone
polite and respectful. Don't make snide comments, personally attack
other listers, or take the moral high ground on an obviously
controversial issue. This will only cause a pointless debate that
will hurt feelings, waste bandwidth and resolve nothing.
- Occasional posts by vendors or individuals who are regularly
subscribed to a given List are considered acceptable. Posts by
List members promoting their respective products or items for sale
should be of a friendly, informal nature, and should not resemble
a typical SPAM message. The List isn't about commercialism, but
is about sharing information and knowledge. This applies to
everyone, including those who provide products to the entire
community. Informal presentation and moderation should be the
operatives with respect to advertising on the Lists.
-------
[This is an automated posting.]
do not archive
Message 2
| INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
| PREVIOUS | Skip to PREVIOUS Message |
| NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
| LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
| SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
| Subject: | Background on FlightPrep Fight Reveals Intriguing/Worrisome |
Details
Interesting article about FlightPrep............
Fighting to be continued, I'm sure.
David
____________________________________
From: propwashhtml@aero-news.net
Sent: 12/31/2010 11:42:53 P.M. Pacific Standard Time
Subj: Propwash
(http://www.aero-news.net/bannertransfer.cfm?id=1022&bannerurl=http://
www.dfc90.com)
(http://www.aero-news.net/bannertransfer.cfm?id=1090&bannerurl=http://
www.lycoming.com) (http://www.aero-news.net/)
(http://www.aero-news.net/aboutus.cfm) (http://www.aero-news.net/classif
ieds/index.cfm)
(http://www.aero-news.net/advertise.cfm)
<NOBR>Pr
01.01.11 Issue 133/01
ANN Senior Staff Roster
J.R. 'Zoom' Campbell
CEO/Editor-In-Chief
_jim@aero-news.net_ (mailto:jim@aero-news.net)
Paul Plack
Sr. E-Media Producer
_paulp@aero-news.net_ (mailto:paulp@aero-news.net) Tom Patton News Edito
r
_editor@aero-news.net_
(mailto:editor@aero-news.net?subject=Att:%20Tom%20Patton)
Nathan Cremisino
Jim Grosser
Ashley Hale
Aero-TV Video
Production Team
_Aero-TV HQ_ (mailto:publisher@aero-news.net?subject=Aero-TV%20HQ)
MKTG Inquiries
Marketing Director
_mktg@aero-news.net_ (mailto:mktg@aero-news.net)
Provided to registered subscribers, Daily. ISSN: 1530-9339
For Subscribe/Unsubscribe procedures: _/subscribe.cfm_
(mip://07130388/subscribe.cfm)
____________________________________
____________________________________
Welcome to this day's ANN Daily News Brief. We appreciate your joining us
as we try to keep an eye on all the news we can find of interest to
aviators and aviation-minded people all over the planet. We welcome and
encourage
your comments, criticism and suggestions... and hope that you'll become
active members of the ANN community. We'd like to ask you one big favor..
.
PLEASE TELL EVERYONE ABOUT AERO-NEWS!
Note: This newsletter is supported solely by sponsors like the one(s)
listed herein. We stand 100% behind every ad that we run. If you ever hav
e a
problem with a company that advertises here please contact us and we will
try
to get it resolved. -- Aero-News Network
____________________________________
NEWS SUMMARY
Remember... You Have to Go to _www.aero-news.net_ (mip://07130388/) to
read the WHOLE story! There's much more!
____________________________________
____________________________________
FlightPrep's Stenbock: FP Boycott 'The Collective Rage Of A Mislead Mob'
Background on FlightPrep Fight Reveals Intriguing/Worrisome Details
Continuing News/Analysis by ANN Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell
Aero-News Alert/Update, 12.31.10, 1658 ET: ANN has just learned that
_NavMonster.com_ (http://www.navmonster.com/) will go back online tomorr
ow,
January 1st, 2011... The site has JUST posted the following message: "You
spoke (in volumes!) and we've listened. We got all the lawyers and progra
mmers
together from both sides, and after some good discussions, an agreement
has
been reached. No more patent infringement worries."
More details to follow! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#) Original
Report: ANN continues to look into the growing amount of background data
surrounding one of the general aviation world's most recent controversies
.
This, while the anti-FlightPrep sentiment continues unabated and appears
to be
growing. As of this writing, the 'BoycottFlightprep.com' site has well ov
er
1000 signatures on its boycott petition and the online forum, net, and
twitter conversations continue to be overwhelmingly anti-FlightPrep.
As previously noted, the aero-brouhaha started when legal personnel
representing FlightPrep sued a highly-regarded (and free) online flight
planning
site by the name of RunwayFinder. Like many such sites, RunwayFinder's Da
ve
Parsons noted that his site was hand-coded and operated with very little
financial compensation. While Parsons shut the site's flight planning
functionality down for fear of running the meter on FlightPrep's astoundi
ng
assessment of potential financial damages (estimated to be as much as $3.
2
million per month), he decided to fight the patent's claims on his site
and
started a Legal Defense Fund in order to raise the necessary capital to
fight
the mess.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#) Since then
,
NavMonster had gone dark (see update at top of story!), SkyVector has
decided to pay up and a number of other sites have either curtailed servi
ces or
shut down altogether... leaving ANN to consider that in addition to all
the other questions involved, the FlightPrep battle might result in poten
tial
hazards to those aviators who had taken advantage of familiar flight
planning utilities to stay abreast of data needed for their flights... Wo
rse;
the lack of this data might produce a dangerous situation in which less
or
no information is imparted -- which might otherwise keep pilots out of
trouble.
A bit of a reach? Maybe...
But with at least two of the most favored flight planning sites (and thei
r
attendant functionality and familiarity to those who used them) curtailed
,
there is no question that less flight planning data was available on
demand to those pilots who are looking for same.
FlightPrep is obviously looking for a serious paycheck for the efforts
expended in achieving their patent approval... even though this effort ha
s
reportedly taken nearly a decade and had been refused at least seven time
s
before its completion. Software and patent pundits indicate that the
FlightPrep patent is quite vulnerable but fighting its effects are likely
to be
costly, simply because patent law is not cheap. Further; there are a numb
er of
credible reports that seem to show that FlightPrep is looking to expand
the
reach of its patent and that other companies working in the flight
planning arena, and not necessarily just those presenting such functional
ity
online, may soon be vulnerable.
But the quest for hard cash continues unabated at FlightPrep... with
reports that nearly everyone connected with the offering of any flight pl
anning
service was contacted by their attorneys seeking "confidential" consults
in
order to arrange for a licensing agreement. No one seems immune to their
quest for patent licensing moolah... AOPA, FlightAware, Jeppesen, you nam
e
it. And through it all, FlightPrep has apparently considered each and eve
ry
protestation an anti-American affront to their alleged genius.... hinting
at what appears to be considerable institutional arrogance.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
In a recent email exchange with _one of the persons who received an email
from erstwhile cyber-terrorist 'Dave Merril', _
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=9895d80b-2471-47
10-bac5-a87c37210ce7&Dynamic=1)
FlightPrep boss Roger Stenbock is alleged to have written that, "I base
my
affairs on the principles on which this country was founded - liberty,
free enterprise, fairness, and the rule of law, not on the collective rag
e of
a mislead mob stirred up on the internet."
Mob or not... the nearly unanimous condemnation of FlightPrep's business
practices (of late) should make any business person pause and consider.
In
other words... why is Stenbock/FlightPrep/et al "right" while thousands
of
others, many of whom are his customers no less, "wrong." There is no
question that FlightPrep is losing a LOT of business over the manner in
which
their practices are now perceived by the general aviation world... and on
e
wonders whether the balance between what they might gain through licensin
g (if
their patent survives what are now certain to be legal counters) and what
they lose through the boycott, might tip to an overall losing proposition
...
if it hasn't already.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Another factor in all this... and one that probably is beyond much of the
industry's reach to do anything about, is that current patent law and
regulation appears to be hopelessly broken. Trying to keep up with the ti
mes,
patent law has been reformatted and regurgitated to deal with tough issue
s
such as software design and other intellectual properties while a number
of
smart legal entities have learned to play the system like a violin... to
the
benefit of their clientele, but the reported demise of a number of
companies who ran afoul of the 'walks like a duck' test... in that they
bore
enough of a resemblance to the patent to make a lawsuit feasible and the
necessary defense nearly unaffordable. As a result, there is great sentim
ent in a
number of industries that today's patent laws and regs are anti-innovatio
n
and incredibly difficult to deal with... and ultimately, NOT in the best
interests of this country's progress or future prosperity.
And Finally... Our Opinion/Analysis?
_Despite the threats to ANN_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=9895d80b-2471-47
10-bac5-a87c37210ce7&Dynamic=1) and the fact
that FlightPrep would like us to shut up and say what they want us to say
, we
do recognize the legal validity of their patent... strictly as a matter
of
law. We do not believe, however, that the FlightPrep patent will survive
a
competent legal offensive... and we hope that RunwayFinder prevails. Also
;
in terms of 'aero-citizenship' we think that FlightPrep has pulled off on
e
of the dumbest moves we've seen since Wrong Way Corrigan went... well, th
e
wrong way. They could have done this in a wholly different way... but
instead they played bully, acted sneakily and then tried to limit all the
negativity associated by removing negative comments from their own sites
as well
as promoting a few aero-blogs who defended their greed. FlightPrep's
behavior has been at best, boorish, and at worst, dangerous. There comes
a time
when one has to look at one's self and ask what you want -- to be the
biggest pariah in GA since two FAA idiots tried to ground Bob Hoover --
or to
sheepishly admit that you screwed the pooch and that it's high time to tr
y
and rejoin with those who are trying to make general aviation great once
again -- while giving up their delusions of patent grandeur -- once and
for
all. Barring that, I do not see FlightPrep as a going concern by this tim
e in
2011... nor should they be.
The company's actions have been foolish, selfish -- and possibly far
worse. But more important and above all else, it is not a company that se
ems to
have the best interests of aviation at heart... and if that's the case...
the hell with them.
If you will allow me a Bible reference... the King James Version of the
Bible, Galatians 6: 7-9 notes that, "...for whatsoever a man soweth, that
shall he also reap."
We couldn't have said it better. More info to follow...
FMI: _www.RunwayFinder.com_ (http://www.runwayfinder.com/) ,
_www.boycottflightprep.com_ (http://www.boycottflightprep.com/) , _www.nav
monster.com_
(http://www.navmonster.com/) , _www.flightprep.com_
(http://www.flightprep.com/)
____________________________________
2010 Year In Review: Airlines
TSA, Mergers, Dreamliner Delays And A380 Engines Grab Headlines
A fairly major controversy swirled around TSA in 2010, as people began to
strongly resist the use of full body scanners and "enhanced pat-downs" at
airport security. Meanwhile, after finally getting off the ground, the
Dreamliner suffered a setback from an electrical fire and deliveries were
pushed
back again. On the plus side, research continued into the use of biofuel,
and airlines continued to order new airliners from both Boeing and Airbus
.
Here is a sampling of the airline stories ANN covered during 2010.
January
* The TSA issued _new security directives_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBl
ockID=3d7a782d-8981-444a-8de8-9609e5b9bbb4&Dynamic=1) Sunday to all
domestic and international air carriers with inbound
flights to the US effective January 4, 2010.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
* Mesa Air Group said Tuesday that it has commenced a _financial
restructuring_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=ace5c149-dfa8-
44f4-91e7-785373ccb63c&Dynamic=1) through the voluntary filing of
petitions to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in
the
United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
* Canadian government said it will _install full-body scanners_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=2532ca78-1ac6-
4bf5-aa4e-
dea7326a8b4b&Dynamic=1%20The%20) in all of that country's major airpor
ts
in the next two months, following the Christmas Day attempt to bring down
a
Northwest Airlines aircraft en route to Detroit.
* Barack Obama outlined his administrations' efforts to _beef up
intelligence_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=970fb917-7a4e-
461e-898b-7805fc4a6758&Dynamic=1%20President%20) and security systems
in the wake of a failed attempt to detonate an explosive device aboard a
Northwest Airlines flight bound for Detroit on Christmas Day.
* BioJet Corporation and Great Plains Oil & Exploration announced
they have _executed a Teaming Agreement_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=121248c0-7f05-
4207-bfba-dccfb81c5610&Dynamic=1) for
the purpose of producing renewable jet fuels. The companies plan to joint
ly
develop integrated Camelina cultivation and associated refinery projects
in
the U.S., Europe, South America, and Asia.
* _Civilian flights into Haiti were halted_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=57cd866f-ce8c-
4edc-9932-db8d48ce1c2d&Dynamic
=1%20) at the request of the Haitian government due to overcrowded
conditions at Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport following a mas
sive
earthquake. The government said there was no room for arriving aircraft
on
the ramp, and no fuel available for departing aircraft.
* Boeing completed _initial airworthiness testing_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=8b1afd81-9867-
4054-9f98-2419c3d20153&
Dynamic=1%20) on the 787 Dreamliner. This milestone will enable more
crew
members to take part in flights and will allow more airplanes to join the
flight test program.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
Dreamliner
* A TSA inspector must have thought it was going to be a harmless
prank, but _wound up unemployed_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=a9810dbb-f070-
45aa-9fb8-96f44ab01645&Dynamic=1%20) after
planting a bag of white powder in the suitcase of a college student.
* The FAA released its final 200-plus-page _"Call to Action"_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=6a1861c5-79f2-
4814-9bad-92
78c0a91c2e&Dynamic=1%20) on airline safety and pilot training. The
document is the culmination of a half-year's work by the FAA, the NTSB,
and the
DOT.
February
* It's a routine part of any aircraft evaluation, and yet you might
not think about _stalling an airliner_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=c712fd6a-67ae-
4e47-aeb1-057f5fb2364f&Dynamic=1%20) .
But Boeing's 787 Dreamliner pilots conducted the program's first stall te
sts
as part of the initial airworthiness program for the airplane.
* The NTSB determined that the crash of Continental Connection
Flight 3407, a Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 owned by Colgan Air, was the _fault
of the
pilots_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=e793961b-5a14-
403c-b9ea-15c7f2a2444d&Dynamic=1%20) not taking appropriate corrective
action when the accident sequence began.
* Continental Airlines and five individuals have been _named as
defendants_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=8263b45f-23dc-
4f36-bce0-9fd42a684f03&Dynamic=1%20) in a French lawsuit which seeks
to
determine the cause of the Air France Concorde accident ten years ago tha
t
killed 113 people and spelled the beginning of the end of the SST's flyin
g
days. They face charges of involuntary manslaughter.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
* As part of the FAA's "Call to Action" to enhance airline safety
following last year's Colgan Air accident in Buffalo, NY, the agency _ask
ed
for recommendations_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=b634c543-de4b-
4a6c-8072-81bc433087cd&Dynamic=1%20) to improve pilot
qualification and training requirements.
* The Boeing 747-8 completed a lengthy first flight after a nearly
three hour delay due to low ceilings.Reports indicate that the flight wen
t
"very well."
* Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said Thursday that a week
in March would be set aside for debate on the _FAA reauthorization bill_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=63963594-4199-
4271-b8
2b-ef95be4ef365&Dynamic=1%20) , which has been on hold in the U.S. Sena
te
for months.
* Nearly a year after the fact, TSA has _issued an apology_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=55b8ad44-55eb-
441d-bbea-1c24
65994ee7&Dynamic=1%20) to a Pennsylvania family who says their
physically-challenged son was required to remove his leg braces before cl
earing
security on a trip to Florida.
* The UK-based Balli Aviation Ltd. _pleaded guilty_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbus.cfm?ContentBlockID=86f042b6-b8d8-
4bb8-a799-e9622a2c7ca0
&Dynamic=1) to two counts of criminal information in connection with
its
illegal export of a 747 from the United States to Iran. Under the terms
of
the plea agreement, Bali agreed to pay a $2 million fine and five years
of
probation.
* Boeing recently unveiled the first 787 Dreamliner to feature
_interior components_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbus.cfm?ContentBlockID=ccfd65e0-0387-
481e-97eb-7bc166bec952&Dynamic=1) . The third flight test
airplane, ZA003, has a partial interior that provides a glimpse into what
the
passengers on the plane will eventually see.
* International Association of Machinists District 751 (IAM) and the
Boeing Co. have agreed on a letter of understanding that will allow some
members to _volunteer to be laid off_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbus.cfm?ContentBlockID=96ee8261-5226-
4b96-9e8d-0b2049dadb02&Dynamic=1) with
benefits.
* The NTSB says airlines and pilot's unions should use cockpit voice
recorders to _routinely monitor what goes on in the cockpit_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=d0b7430b-c0c0-
49c4-802c-7c6bdc1b5
8eb&Dynamic=1%20) , and not just for accident investigations ... a
suggestion that has received a cold reception from pilots and unions.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
* One of JFK International Airport's (KJFK) _busiest runways closed_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=193d9444-01a6-
4c19-
a753-376ddd9c6344&Dynamic=1%20) for an extensive renovation project th
at
is expected to last four months.
March
* The FAA placed two employees at John F. Kennedy Airport Tower are
on administrative leave following an incident last month when a child was
permitted to _talk with pilots_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=5fc28efe-4f1e-
4691-9c81-802015856224&Dynamic=1%20) on an air
traffic control frequency.
* Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who famously ditched a US
Airways A320 in the Hudson River over a year ago saving all aboard, said
he's
_calling it a career_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID89515c-3d67-
48c0-8de0-bd39ac4a0a4e&Dynamic=1%20) after 30 years with
the airline.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger
* The Coalition of Airline Pilot Associations (CAPA) reached out to
their membership, encouraging commercial pilots to _voice their opposition
_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=d12c394f-16e9-
42e3-
b9cb-85d1e44a4edb&Dynamic=1%20) to a bill that would allow air carrier
s
to use information obtained from a cockpit voice recorder (CVR) or a flig
ht
data recorder "to discipline or discharge a pilot or flight engineer for
actions that endanger the safety or well being of passengers."
* The No-Fly list ... one of the federal government's best-known
counterterrorism tools, has _nearly doubled in size_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=477bd9ca-d666-
4eed-b7db-cf0886c30d0d&Dynamic
1) since Farouk Abdulmuttalab allegedly attempted to bring down a
Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas day last year. According to a seni
or
intelligence official, the list currently stand at about 6,000 names up
from
about 3,400 before the bombing attempt.
* The Northwest Airlines pilots who had their airman certificates
pulled in an emergency revocation after they overshot their destination
airport by 150 miles _dropped their bid_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=894e432e-02f5-
40a5-ae3a-d39462e72b35&Dynamic=1%20) to
have the licenses returned, the FAA said Monday. Shortly there after, the
NTSB
determined that Northwest Airlines flight 188 overflew its destination
airport of Minneapolis by more than 100 miles and failed to maintain radi
o
communications because the _pilots became distracted_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=4ccd2765-5fab-
4ef0-b14c-132cc9dabccf&Dynami
c=1%20) by a conversation unrelated to the operation of the aircraft
* Boeing said that it will _accelerate planned rate increases_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=7ed02d89-1532-
435a-ac22-a
ec411aaa9a9&Dynamic=1%20) on both the 777 and 747 programs. The
accelerated rate increases will support increasing customer demand in the
recovering
airplane market.
* Boeing's Dreamliner completed _flutter and ground effects testing_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=ba9850c6-9eb5-
4eb7-
867b-44d2d1dd3783&Dynamic=1%20) , and apparently passed "with flying
colors."
* Boeing fired another shot in the word skirmish over the WTO
decision concerning European government subsidies for Airbus. The stateme
nt below
was issued following news reports quoting officials who indicated that th
e
United States has prevailed on _all of the major issues_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=5d4b997b-572f-
428a-a4c6-f0020ef48cb3&
Dynamic=1%20) in the WTO's final decision.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
* The second of President Obama's nominees for the top spot at the
Transportation Security Administration _withdrew his name from considerati
on_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=6de00fb9-7dd0-
49a4
-a146-c7db94d35716&Dynamic=1%20) due to growing questions concerning
his
background as a defense contractor.
April
* DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that the TSA will begin
implementing _new enhanced security measures_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=8fe8c60a-1491-
4830-8aef-fbd859cb309b&Dynamic=1%20)
for all air carriers with international flights to the United States to
strengthen the safety and security of all passengers.
* Boeing took _another visible step_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=8446bee5-1209-
42f4-b19c-92612995788f&Dynamic=1%20)
toward full 787 Dreamliner production by placing the first steel column
for its Charleston 787 Final Assembly and Delivery facility.
* Airbus took advantage of scheduled development test flights to
assess the impact on the aircraft and its flight systems _within the volca
nic
ash_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbus.cfm?ContentBlockID=7a00d69a-c462-
419b-8f91-94649a86d904&Dynamic=1) on aircraft over Europe.
* Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria, and 94 other
people were killed when the TU-154 they were aboard _went down on approach
_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/military.cfm?ContentBlockID=097F961E-5370
-46B2-879
0-F199535E84CA&Dynamic=1%20) to Smolensk in western Russia in a thick
fog.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
TU-154Officials said aircraft, which was the official Presidential plane,
struck tree tops and broke apart.
* The NATA 2010 Day on the Hill event drew nearly 100 association
members _to the Capitol_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbus.cfm?ContentBlockID=fb0bbcc7-b7eb-
4e04-8dae-88df41e33500&Dynamic=1) to visit their Members
of Congress and their staff.
* At least two airlines implemented policies to _send airplanes back
to the gate_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=fe0bb490-1d25-
4f6c-bba2-63ff98c5a284&Dynamic=1%20) if they are closing in on a
three-hour tarmac delay. New federal rules which go into effect April 29
limit how long passengers may be held on a plane to three hours, and airl
ines
who violate those rules face hefty fines.
* Ninety-three percent of Americans said they are willing to
_sacrifice some level of privacy_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=61d74574-5dfe-
4979-9f30-c0caa806ae49&Dynamic=1%20) to increase
safety when traveling by air, according to research conducted in January
and
February.
* New York Senator Charles Shumer (D) said that Spirit Airline's
decision to charge passengers for carry-on bags is _"a slap in the face to
travelers,"_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=356ab2cb-ee0d-
4fc4-8f05-bd832b8c22c7&Dynamic=1%20) and he wants the Treasury
Department to exempt luggage carried onto an airliner from additional fee
s.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
* As air travel in Europe moved slowly back to something resembling
normal, the European ash crisis continues to impact airlines, passengers
and cargo _around the world_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=23568729-d43e-
45c8-98fc-fc3ea8abfe26&Dynamic=1%20) .
* The U.S. DOT _denied the requests_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=705ccbee-468d-
4bd6-9694-a907f21bd1da&Dynamic=1%20)
of five airlines for a temporary exemption from the new rule limiting
tarmac delays. As a result, all U.S. carrier flights covered by the rule
will
be subject to its terms effective April 29.
* The FAA issued an InFO on Monday calling on air carrier operators
to _create and enforce policies_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=b00115fb-59d5-
4c2f-87e6-34b49e78167d&Dynamic=1%20) that will
limit distractions in the cockpit, and keep pilots focused on transportin
g
passengers safely.
May
* In a deal estimated to be worth $3.7 billion, UAL was allowed to
_buy the entire stock of Continental_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=5411f6a0-d869-
4841-8055-589f05a11c96&Dynamic=1%20) in an
all-stock transaction that is expected to close before the end of the yea
r
and will retain United's brand name. The combined value of the two
companies is estimated at well over $8 Billion.
* The NTSB issued a _probable cause report_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=f7d83f22-1310-
424d-a6ae-71dbe8e4c2f6&Dynami
c=1%20) for US Airways flight 1549, in which a US Airways A320 jetline
r
bound for Charlotte was ditched into the Hudson River after striking a fl
ock
of Canada geese shortly after departing New York=99s LaGuardia Airp
ort. All
of the 150 passengers and five crewmembers survived.
* A report from an aviation analyst indicated that Boeing may be
leaning towards a _wholesale replacement_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=4dfb677c-b51e-
4aef-84e4-89ec58521f0c&Dynamic=1%20) of
its workhorse 737, rather than the re-engining the airplane as had been
originally planned.
* The long-simmering dispute between British Airways and its cabin
crews _showed no signs of abating_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=b5239a6d-7a54-
4da9-bfce-c40fd2cbefdb&Dynamic=1%20) . Unite
the Union said Monday cabin crews plan to hold an additional 20 days of
strike action following their "overwhelming" rejection of the company
=99s offer
in a ballot last week.
* A Libyan Airbus A330 landing in Tripoli after a flight from South
Africa _reportedly "disintegrated"_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=41dbe4fb-88bb-
46dd-92f1-2dbaa0cbaaa4&Dynamic=1%20) on
landing at Tripoli Airport, killing 103 of the passengers and crew on boa
rd,
but leaving a "miracle" survivor ... an 8-year-old boy.
* President Obama's _third choice_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=DDB2E9FE-C81F-47
28-9319-1BA2C26205D7&Dynamic=1%20) to
fill the top job at TSA should have no trouble with an F.B.I. background
check, since his position was deputy director of the F.B.I.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
John Pistole
* A disruption of air travel in Great Britain was reportedly based
on an _inaccurate prediction_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=07d0bcb9-5c04-
447a-b078-a520af97b224&Dynamic=1%20) from the UK
Met Office.
* United Parcel Service (UPS) announced it was going through with
the _furlough of as many as 300 pilots_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=894c2606-fa80-
4c42-9bab-b9ebfbf76eda&Dynamic=1%20) as
part of a effort to cut $1.4 billion in overhead. The plan was first
unveiled in February.
* An Air India Express B737-800 carrying 167 passengers, including
4
infants, and 6 crew has overshot the runway on landing at Mangalore
airport. The initial casualty estimates for the accident _were correct_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=4d5908ac-ad28-
4f44-951d-0041
4ad011c0&Dynamic=1%20) . 158 people were killed in the crash, and that
8
have survived.
* The NTSB issued _24 individual recommendations_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=553bc2e7-7cad-
45eb-abe6-9087122efea5&D
ynamic=1%20) following the conclusion of its investigation into US
Airways Flight 1549, which famously ditched in the Hudson River with no
loss of
life following the ingestion of large birds into both engines of the Airb
us
A320.
* The NTSB issued _two urgent safety recommendations_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=d397119d-4c83-
4ece-9eae-a6a08f36bc
a8&Dynamic=1%20) to the FAA, one asking that the agency require operat
ors
of aircraft equipped with a particular model engine to immediately perfor
m
blade borescope inspections (BSI) of the high pressure turbine rotor at
specific intervals until the current turbine disk can be redesigned and
replaced with one that can withstand the unbalance vibration forces from
the
high pressure rotor, and the second seeking a requirement that the engine
manufacturer immediately redesign the disk.
June
* Talks between British Airways and it's cabin crews _broke down_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=99783110-b4a3-
4908-92b
9-cec7d09e0a8d&Dynamic=1%20) , prompting flight attendants to walk off
the
job on a busy travel weekend both in the UK and the U.S.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
* DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said that 100 percent of passengers
traveling within the United States and its territories were being _checked
against terrorist watchlists_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=f9b50730-d639-
47ec-a95c-38b0b88e4f88&Dynamic=1%20) through the
TSA Secure Flight program, which it calls a major step in fulfilling a ke
y
9/11 Commission recommendation.
* The CEO of the International Air Transport Association expressed
_"cautious optimism"_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=cb1dd234-8dee-
4d14-b4cd-ccc30d29563c&Dynamic=1%20) that the
international airline industry could see a return to profitability this
year.
* As a result of its pilot union's decision to strike, Spirit's
flights were _cancelled for several days_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=ded0f5f4-c4c2-
47c9-aaf6-362dbfb063e1&Dynamic=1%20) .
* The two pilots who said they were distracted by their laptop
computers and a discussion over airline scheduling will not be returning
to a
Delta cockpit, th_ e airline said_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID-ba1355-3f0b-
49f6-9cd2-62a4bc613c6d&Dynamic=1%20) .
* The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
unanimously reported out _John S. Pistole_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=ADC8A5EA-994F-41
80-B700-9FC09D7AA2E4&Dynamic=1%20) to be
Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and
Administrator of TSA.
* A second _production rate increase_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=2a2d5f2b-3b97-
4660-94fe-96826b4d8d63&Dynamic=1%20)
for the Next-Generation Boeing 737 program was announced by the
Washington state aircraft manufacturer, taking the rate from the previous
ly
announced 34 airplanes per month to 35 in early 2012.
* The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner with General Electric (GE)
engines, an airplane referred to as ZA005, _completed its first flight_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=766a4923-0afb-
44e6-89de-c49674
f02e3c&Dynamic=1%20) .
* After some very successful initial flight testing, the Dreamliner
program has been _dealt a bit of a setback_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=ad1e1c71-fdc2-
4f4d-a909aff2a41b464d&Dynamic=1%20)
, as Boeing recently identified a workmanship issue with the 787's
horizontal stabilizers.
* The FAA is proposing a significant expansion of its _icing
certification standards_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=a1772eef-bcd6-
42cb-bb44-db4f90a9f67c&Dynamic=1%20) , including a new
requirement that manufacturers show that airplanes can operate safely in
freezing
drizzle or freezing rain, conditions that constitute an icing environment
known as "supercooled large drops" (SLDs).
* United Airlines CEO Glenn Tilton and Continental chief Jeff Smisek
did not exactly receive a warm welcome from the U.S. House Transportation
Aviation subcommittee Wednesday in the first hearing concerning a _possib
le
merger of the two airlines._
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=9e1df7e2-159d-
44e6-b84b-575b584f9cea&Dynamic=1%20)
July
* While some of the large legacy carriers look for ways to join
forces ... Pinnacle Airlines Corporation announced that it has _acquired
Mesaba
Aviation_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=b8f3b241-674d-
4bcb-936d-3ed243819db8&Dynamic=1%20) , Inc. from Delta Air Lines for
$62 million.
* Reports of near collisions of aircraft in congested airspace are
increasing, according to statistics from the NTSB, and the bump seems to
correspond with an increase in the number of _less-experienced air traffic
controllers_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=9d167278-0a82-
4d27-936e-9a71dba42a40&Dynamic=1%20) training to replace retirees.
* Arrow Air Holdings Corp. (=9CArrow=9D) has _ceased sch
eduled service
operations_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID-55f6a3-d0f5-
4018-a3b1-1bacfc71e8e3&Dynamic=1) , effective immediately. In papers
filed with the US Bankruptcy Court in Miami the company declared assets
of
$10 million to $50 million and listed debts of $100 million to $500
million.
* The FAA issued an AD that requires operators of Boeing 757, 767,
and 777 airplanes to either inspect or replace certain _flight deck window
s._
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=93d540df-fed9-
4126
-b842-551f10f986ad&Dynamic=1%20) The AD only affects the forward viewi
ng
windows, not the side windows.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
B767
* Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Portland International Airport,
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Spokane International Airport and
Washington
State University _kicked off a a strategic initiative_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=5bcfb914-95a1-
4e32-aac8-9372dbaa2ae6&Dyna
mic=1%20) to promote aviation biofuel development in the Pacific
Northwest.
* TSA cast a broad net in search of potential screeners. They
instituted a recruiting campaign that was delivered to homes on _pizza box
es_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=1009cb15-3ade-
4d63-966e
-d6e619b0d650&Dynamic=1%20) .
* The head of Boeing's 787 program said in a conference call with
reporters that, while the company still plans to get the Dreamliner to th
eir
launch customer late in 2010, the delivery could slip _"a few weeks"_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=74ddf948-2415-
423c-98ad-a
bba96fc6172&Dynamic=1%20) into 2011.
* Major orders for both Boeing and Airbus at the top of the
Farnborough Air Show are indications of a strong economic recovery, right
? That was
the opinion of the leadership for the two rival plane makers, but analyst
s
aaid _it's not a sure thing._
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=f77f3bb4-c17b-
4a51-9fda-0086c873c76f&Dynamic=1%20)
August
* Airbus said it planned to increase the monthly production rate of
its A320-family aircraft to _38 per month_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=c1bdf5b9-81c8-
440c-a9b0-94c42a57e46e&Dynamic=1%20)
in August 2011 and to 40 per month in first quarter 2012.
* The airline industry met a key requirement of the 9/11 Act by
_screening 100 percent of air cargo_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=03f7e63c-5d93-
417c-9a5a-94fce5106bb2&Dynamic=1%20) on
domestic passenger aircraft.
* The Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA) which
represents over 28,000 professional airline pilots, issued a statement pr
aising the
US House and Senate _passage of the pilot safety bill_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=37620965-faaf-
459c-9859-16fe2ac46646&Dy
namic=1%20) which will greatly increase part 121 airline pilot
qualifications.
* Sources inside Boeing indicate that the final Dreamliner test
aircraft (ZA006) _may not fly until September 12_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=d266ca1b-6806-
4d9c-ac61-0f05c00d1e71&Dynamic=1%20
) , but it is still targeting the first delivery of a production aircraft
to launch customer ANA in the 4th quarter of 2010.
* The nation's largest airlines reported only three flights in June
with tarmac delays of _more than three hours_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=698a21dc-0b18-
4496-b9d8-c06b43eae7af&Dynamic=1%20
) , compared to 268 flights in June 2009 and with no increase in the rate
of canceled flights, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released
Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
* A Boeing 737-100 operated by Aerovias de Integracion Regional SA
_went down during a landing attempt_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=2fb62aa2-f983-
44db-b35e-ea06521b64db&Dynamic=1%20) in a
thunderstorm on San Andres Island in the Caribbean. There has reportedly
been only one fatality among the 131 people on board the aircraft.
* Two years ago, TSA _angered some police groups_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=f0af8e57-cf7e-
43e2-baf1-e4f5f2e6e8ed&D
ynamic=1%20) by issuing police-inspired uniforms and badges to its
screeners, which it calls "Transportation Security Officers," or TSOs.
* A small passenger airliner with 14 people on board _went down in
poor weather near Katmandu_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=d10aeee1-cd85-
4ce9-b70c-b6e33322468f&Dynamic=1%20) . The 11
passengers on board the aircraft were on their way to Lukla near Mt. Ever
est, a
popular spot for hikers. There were no survivors.
* A Chinese regional airliner with 91 people aboard _went down durin
g
a landing attempt_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=9cc3f268-d827-
4344-8827-65c832b94a26&Dynamic=1%20) after overshooting
the runway at Yichun city. 48 people have reportedly been rescued, with
20 of
those hospitalized.
* Boeing engineers loaded up the second 747-8 test aircraft to more
than 25,000 pounds over its 975,000 designed maximum weight, and _pointed
it
down the runway_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=56173d5d-6056-
49ed-b1a0-16b96f07fff2&Dynamic=1%20) .
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
747-8 Freighter
* Boeing said that it expects to deliver the first 787 in the middle
of the _first quarter 2011_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=6177452f-3443-
4dbf-b68e-08e6696c6ee2&Dynamic=1%20) . The delivery
date revision follows an assessment of the availability of an engine
needed for the final phases of flight test.
* Boeing said that it has _removed Mohammad "Mo" Yahyavi_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=75e74253-474a-
4113-8981-829877
8e5bdf&Dynamic=1) as the top executive of its delayed 747-8 program.
The
announcement came just one day following Boeing's announcement that the
first delivery of the 787 would be pushed into at least February of 2011.
September
* Two men who flew aboard a United Airlines flight from Chicago to
Amsterdam were arrested when they arrived in the Netherlands and charged
with _"Preparation of a Terrorist Attack."_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=a72e605d-5a09-
48fb-bd23-9c37af8b273d&Dynamic=1%20)
One of the two was allegedly carrying what were described as "mock bombs"
in
his luggage while in the U.S.
* Teamsters Local 513 in Florence, KY, said it planned to closely
monitor the _downsizing announced by Comair_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=9e32a9fd-543b-
4a5d-927f-b3480a1f6fe2&Dynamic=1) .
* A United Parcel Service 747-400 freighter wen_ t down shortly afte
r
takeoff_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=b2f98f1d-e874-
4cf3-af4e-9216e290a654&Dynamic=1) from Dubai after the crew reported
there was a fire in the cockpit. Both crew members were fatally injured
in
the accident.
* A six-member court of inquiry has been told _pilot error is to
blame_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockIDEB8737-7F39-
412C-B16A-0E8B8FADCCF1&Dynamic=1) in the Air India accident that took
the
lives of 158 people when it overshot the runway at India's hilltop airpor
t.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
Air India Express 737 File Photo
* _An investigation got underway_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=db39a134-66b6-
4c33-9a40-01b5effb368d&Dynamic=1%20)
in China to determine if pilots, mechanics, instructors, and other aviati
on
personnel there are actually qualified to do their jobs. The move was
triggered by the revelation that as many as 200 Chinese commercial pilots
may
have falsified their resumes in 2008 and 2009.
* U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator
Randy Babbitt announced a landmark _proposal to fight fatigue_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=8bda4e1f-9566-
4025-82e1-66aef3c34d9
7&Dynamic=1%20) among commercial pilots by setting new flight time, du
ty
and rest requirements based on fatigue science. An _NPRM was published_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=4da2ddff-b40c-
4960-820
8-e5dbc606fc85&Dynamic=1%20) in the Federal Register.
* The apparent cargo fire which is being investigated as a factor in
the recent downing of a UPS 747 freighter in Dubai _may lead to tighter
regulations_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=ab82068c-a60a-
4faa-bbab-ba6c4375b54b&Dynamic=1%20) on the transportation of
lithium batteries.
* The WTO handed its interim findings on complaints about alleged
_U.S. government subsidies_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=C5CEF2E7-B15D-
4BD3-B10F-FA9CFFC41203&Dynamic=1%20) for Boeing to
U.S. and European government officials. While details will likely be leak
ed
over the next few days, a final official report on the issue is not expec
ted
for six months to a year.
* After Congress voted to extend the FAA Reauthorization Bill for
another three months, the Teamsters Union _issued a call_ (http://ww
w.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=66a23ba6-fcf1-434e-9bec-
741f5585459b&Dy
namic=1) to the Legislature to pass the permanent reauthorization.
* Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray pledged to open a
preliminary review of Southwest Airlines' announced _acquisition of AirTra
n Airways_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=0141ae8c-abfd-
44c0-8
e10-ff25189cbc03&Dynamic=1%20) . Both Southwest and AirTran, respective
ly
the nation's largest and eighth largest carriers by passenger count, are
major airline operators in Ohio.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
* In remarks during the ICAO Triennial Assembly currently underway
in Montreal, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano urged representatives from
nearly 190 ICAO countries to approve an unprecedented _joint Declaration
on
Aviation Security_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=d3c5c788-acbb-
4c30-b4d0-786cf89ad10c&Dynamic=1%20) .
October
* United Continental Holdings, Inc., formerly UAL Corporation,
announced that a wholly owned subsidiary has merged with Continental Airl
ines,
Inc., and that Continental Airlines and United Air Lines, Inc. are now
wholly owned subsidiaries of _United Continental Holdings, Inc_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=04eb17a9-6e5a-
4ddd-a3bc-9bc2d84522d2
&Dynamic=1%20) .
* In a new study, "The Market for Regional Transport Aircraft",
Forecast International projected that 4,016 regional aircraft, valued at
some
$123 billion, _will be produced_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=c89ddeea-f858-
4bec-9b15-3036bc956c8f&Dynamic=1) from 2010
through 2019.
* The FAA had a bit of egg on its face over separation rules issued
for Boeing's new 747-8 and 787 aircraft. A spokeswoman said they were
issued _"prematurely,"_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=94da9bc3-3e04-
4bbe-9b24-68b1c7f1d8e2&Dynamic=1) and that there were "a
number of errors."
* American Airlines said that it is _sending recall notices_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=18e6dbed-bcab-
4acd-8c8b-7d0
3bcbd54dc&Dynamic=1%20) to 545 flight attendants and 250 pilots. Sever
al
factors contributed to the company's ability to recall.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
* The FAA issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) alerting
operators to results of new research on the risks associated with _transpo
rting
lithium batteries_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=56511f2f-65fc-
4a0d-b524-cdda9a86614b&Dynamic=1) as cargo on aircraft, and
recommended actions air carriers can take to reduce those risks.
* The nation's largest airlines reported only one flight in August
with a _tarmac delay of more than three hours_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=bd38f7e0-f34e-
4bbb-b9c1-5e7736b04964&Dynamic=1%20
) , compared to 66 flights in August 2009, with no change in the rate of
canceled flights, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released by
the U.S. DOT.
* The Board of Directors of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int
=99l
(ALPA), _elected Capt. Lee Moak_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=eac3fe89-9d72-
46dd-890e-c1b04149fba6&Dynamic=1%20) as ALPA
President, along with a full new slate of leaders. The team will guide th
e
pilots' union over the next four years.
* U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) released a letter to FAA
Administrator Randy Babbitt urging him to _reject a formal advisory group
=99s
recommendation_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=aab11335-05d9-
4f5c-8aa6-c1dedb574e28&Dynamic=1%20) to scale back the 1,500
hour training requirement enacted into law this summer.
* In a decision that could have far-reaching implications for
aviation, a federal judge ruled that the actual recording from the cockpi
t voice
recorder (CVR) made when Continental Connection Flight 3407 went down _ca
n
be introduced as evidence_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=755d7ebc-86c0-
4c85-a883-95675b504b47&Dynamic=1) in the wrongful
death suits filed in connection with the accident.
* The FAA went back to its original rule _setting the following
distance_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID-fcefe5-cdcf-
459b-b270-4616300b59cd&Dynamic=1) behind the new, larger 747-8 at ten
miles, after announcing the rule and then retracting it earlier in the mo
nth.
* Packages found abroad addressed to U.S. addresses _contained
"explosive materials"_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=a4710b68-0830-
4eb3-9997-b65ae952e130&Dynamic=1%20) according to President
Obama. Discovery of the packages caused some cargo planes to be grounded,
and led to a day of heightened tensions.
November
* Secure Flight, TSA's "behind-the-scenes watch list matching
program," _went into full effect _
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=4742c2b1-57f3-
4a2e-baab-ee8e2ba8b051&Dynamic=1%20) Nov. 1. TSA
says the program fulfills a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission by
assuming responsibility of watch list matching from individual airlines.
* _New security scanning equipment_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockIDe61b8f-f780-
438b-a217-4f3248a4d192&Dynamic=1)
has been approved for use in the U.S. and the U.K. TSA said that it was
approving six models of the Morpho Detection HRX Series X-ray screening
system
product line to its Air Cargo Screening Qualified Technology List, while
a
trace detection system from the same company has been approved for use in
the U.K.
* Qantas _grounded its entire fleet of six A380_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=59749684-df6f-
40bd-adff-301e8f1527af&Dy
namic=1) superjumbo airliners following an incident in which a plane
departing from Singapore suffered what appeared to be the catastrophic lo
ss of
an engine, forcing an emergency landing.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
ASTB Image
* A Cuban airliner carrying 68 Cubans and others from Europe and
Latin America went down, _fatally injuring all aboard_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=3844b7fd-1e02-
4825-9718-2ae7cedc80c4&Dynami
c=1) . The accident reportedly happened about 1742 EDT near about 220
miles east of Havana.
* The FAA has proposed to require _Safety Management Systems_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=dc5d21eb-a855-
4d11-85ed-f1
cc455be74e&Dynamic=1%20) (SMS) for most commercial airlines. Safety
management systems give operators a set of business processes and managem
ent
tools to examine data from everyday operations, isolate trends that may
be
precursors to incidents or accidents, and develop and carry out appropria
te
risk mitigation strategies.
* Boeing completed the _power on sequence_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=3edac644-7b95-
42e1-9474-18ba17a4da4a&Dynamic
1%20) for the new 747-8 Intercontinental... a milestone that enables the
program to begin functional tests on the airplane.
* In a letter to its 11,000 pilots, APA urged its members to _refuse
the full-body scans_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=fb9c8e59-439c-
4305-a910-3423bfd53cb6&Dynamic=1%20) and insist on
pat-down searches when clearing security at airports.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
* Rolls-Royce says it identified the Trent 900 engine component
which it believes _caused the failure_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=673c374b-a618-
47d0-a88f-b43a14b29a3a&Dynamic=1%20) of an
engine on the Airbus A380 operating as Qantas flight QF32 on 4 November
2010.
* The FAA has finalized a rule designed to protect most of today's
commercial planes and those designed in the future from _structural damage
as
they age_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=41aa1389-c8c6-
4ce6-b03f-2053ade81066&Dynamic=1%20) , in what the agency calls a
continuing effort to address aging aircraft issues.
* During approach to Laredo, Texas, Boeing's Dreamliner ZA002 _lost
primary electrical power_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=ed80e0bd-100b-
4fdb-96c0-e0bec789287e&Dynamic=1%20) as a result of an
onboard electrical fire. Backup systems, including the deployment of the
Ram Air Turbine (RAT), functioned as expected and allowed the crew to
complete a safe landing. The cause of the fire is still under investigati
on. The
FAA said the Dreamliner will be grounded until _the cause of fire_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=52b9389a-29
ff-4900-919c-
f20360195b71&Dynamic=1) was determined.
* Orlando Sanford Airport (KSFB) in central Florida says _it will op
t
out of TSA screening_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=322cf69c-1036-
49a7-98d1-f5173575ce9e&Dynamic=1%20) in favor of a
private contractor, but that may not end the controversy.
* A well-known former professional wrestler and Governor of
Minnesota said on a national radio show that he will _no longer be flying
commercial
airlines_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=17e87008-69f0-
4943-95b5-b76df5100701&Dynamic=1%20) because of TSA's search
procedures.
* Just as most of the media was heading off to start various
Turkey-oriented pursuits, Boeing admitted that it is _developing minor des
ign
changes_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=4296a8e5-5fe0-
4c87-b584-05995d9e308d&Dynamic=1%20) to power distribution panels on
the
787 and updates to the systems software that manages and protects power
distribution on the airplane.
* The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) announced that it
has named _Nicholas E. Calio_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=02771859-e22a-
45c2-aeac-6c4cc36a4436&Dynamic=1%20) as its
President and Chief Executive Officer, effective Jan. 1, 2011.
* The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has _given a green light_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=CC3473DC-4488-
4FEE-9302-
8464CA4413CB&Dynamic=1%20) to a plan developed by Qantas to return its
A380 aircraft to service. Qantas submitted a detailed A380 plan to CASA
which
sets out how the aircraft will be operated, additional safety measures an
d
required inspections.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
December
* A mother in a security line at Phoenix Airport who also happens to
be an attorney was reportedly placed in a _"specialty screening area"_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=4257decf-cd7a-
4f57-82f7
-1c50c1e590ec&Dynamic=1) by TSA agents when she objected to allowing
breast milk she was carrying to be x-rayed.
* Southwest Airlines pilots union has voted to _ratify a tentative
agreement_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=d1713415-1f75-
4833-9e7b-5cc8c7201f90&Dynamic=1%20) to add the Boeing 737-800 to the
current collective bargaining agreement. The agreement was reached betwee
n
the airline and the Southwest Airlines' Pilots' Association (SWAPA) in
October.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
* While the official preliminary report from the Australian
Transportation Safety Bureau reads like a sterile government document, of
ficials
said in a news conference that the _pilots of a Qantas A380_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=d4dfe1a4-d4a6-
4898-8d3e-034ba8cb5489
&Dynamic=1%20) which suffered an uncontained engine failure over Batam
Island after departing from Singapore prevented a major disaster from
occurring.
* Continental Airlines and one of its mechanics are _guilty of
homicide_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=96cd1fc2-26d4-
46e6-9101-b286a6724d16&Dynamic=1%20) in the 2000 accident which spelle
d
the beginning of the end of the Concorde, a French judge has ruled.
Continental said it would _appeal the ruling_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=64d035f5-95f2-
4d0c-9f00-558d47dcf318&Dynamic=1) .
* At least U.S. Congressman is asking TSA to _release inspection
reports_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=779dd320-0fd2-
46c3-8540-4d61028a8d43&Dynamic=1%20) that show whether or not X-ray
machines in airports to screen passengers and bags are emitting levels of
radiation low enough to meet requirements.
* In the ongoing Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB)
investigation of an engine failure involving a Qantas A380 aircraft over
Batam
Island, Indonesia on November 4, the ATSB _issued a safety recommendation_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=a79a2938-cd06-
40c5-9
798-844b53dfd13c&Dynamic=1%20) that identified a potential manufacturi
ng
defect with an oil tube connection to the high-pressure (HP)/intermediate
pressure (IP) bearing structure of the Trent 900 engine installed in some
A380 aircraft.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
NSTB Chair Hersman
* NTSB Chairman Deborah A. P. Hersman said that the recommendations
issued by a federal advisory panel dealing with child safety in aviation
are a step in the right direction, but they _do not go far enough_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=bac4552e-29ee-
414c-ba85-792b1f
52df14&Dynamic=1%20) to ensure the safety of the smallest children in
airplanes.
FMI: _www.aero-news.net_ (http://www.aero-news.net/)
____________________________________
2010 Year In Review: Aerospace
Budgets, Commercial Spaceflight Dominate The Year
In the aerospace world in 2010, you couldn't escape the word "budget."
Sweeping changes were made in the NASA budget, which could change the co
urse
of how Americans participate in space exploration, and commercial compani
es
made great strides in both space business and space tourism.
Here, then, is a sampling of the stories ANN reported in the category of
Aerospace in 2010.
January
* NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld, who participated in three
spaceflights to service the Hubble Space Telescope, _became the deputy dir
ector of
the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=c36bf86e-b2b
c-44b9-9d2c-369ce566f350&Dynam
ic=1) . The institute is the science operations center for Hubble and
the
James Webb Space Telescope, which is planned for launch in 2014.
* NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden _named David D. McBride _
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=6463ec8c-81b
d-4aed-8e
cb-c6d97669d270&Dynamic=1) director of the agency's Dryden Flight
Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, CA. "David has done a terrific
job as
the acting Dryden director, and I am pleased he will be continuing as
director," Bolden said. "David's expertise, leadership and flight researc
h acumen
will benefit NASA and the entire aerospace community."
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
David D. McBride
* NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, has _captured
its first look_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID 86867e-c1a
c-4404-978b-d9f0be0ca417&Dynamic=1) at the starry sky that it
will soon begin surveying in infrared light.
* The Navy's former Master Jet Base in Jacksonville, Florida,
received a _Launch Site Operators License_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=b7b27286-
481c-43a4-baf6-800b1143d317&Dynamic=1)
from the FAA, making it the nation's 8th designated horizontal launch
commercial spaceport.
* NASA launched an extensive investigation after a _small amount of
cocaine was found_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=979f3e2a-7b2
2-4cb2-a1e2-6671eae92aec&Dynamic=1) in a restricted area of
the processing hangar for shuttle Discovery at Kennedy Space Center, FL.
* The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, or ASAP, has released its
_2009 annual report_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=2620925a-
da73-4216-bae8-8680c6356523&Dynamic=1) . The
congressionally-mandated group of independent experts was initially estab
lished after the
Apollo 1 fire. The panel was critical of NASA's Commercial Crew plans for
human spaceflight.
* Reacting to that report, The Commercial Spaceflight Federation
said _it agrees_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=adc8ee2e-
d1c2-4894-8ea0-944365eaac4c&Dynamic=1) with the Aerospace Safety
Advisory Panel (ASAP) on its recognition of the importance of commercial
spaceflight both for cargo and crew missions, but disagreed with certain
other conclusions and finds some of the assertions in the ASAP's Annual
Report
to be incorrect.
* Pilot and skydiver Felix Baumgartner _announced his intention_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=bb37035e-880
0-47aa-b2
82-8721889741b1&Dynamic=1) to become the first person ever to break th
e
speed of sound with his own body. As a part of the Red Bull Stratos
mission, Baumgartner hoped to ascend to at least 120,000 feet in a capsul
e lifted
by a helium balloon and, protected by a pressurized "space suit," launch
a
freefall jump that could exceed Mach 1.0 - more than 690 miles per hour
-
before parachuting to Earth.
* _President Obama's budget_
(mip://07130388/.%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=
60584b8d-3b50-4322-abcc-344efbad1443&Dynamic
1) was reported to contain no money for a return to the moon. The
Constellation program that was to make that possible, as well as the Ares
I rocket
that would have replaced the Space Shuttle, and the Ares V heavy lift
booster, were all expected to be put off for years, if not a decade or mo
re
* But the Commercial Spaceflight Federation _praised NASA's
anticipated announcement_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=e6a3b280-50d
5-45e6-8e4b-5f74f6eddea9&Dynamic=1) of a $6 billion
competitive, commercial crew program, and welcomes the President's show
of support
for NASA with his significant planned increase for _NASA's overall budget
_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=e6a3b280-50d
5-45e6
-8e4b-5f74f6eddea9&Dynamic=1) .
February
* NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden _held a news conference_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=421d164d-
a91d-4ae4-b8d
e-d60bcfd6ca37&Dynamic=1) to outline the agency's budget for fiscal ye
ar
2011, in which the President zeroed out the Constellation and Ares progra
ms
which had been intended to return men to the moon.
* Buzz Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the lunar surface "
_strongly endorsed_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=0651e348-587
c-4691-bc6f-e74feca7c9ef&Dynamic=1) " the President=99s new
direction for NASA.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
* But U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), the ranking GOP member of
the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) and Related Agencies Appropriations
Subcommittee, _issued a statement_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=1580abf4-dc9
9-4959-a4b9-f0de8b9fb840&Dynamic=1) sharply
criticizing the Obama Administration=99s proposed NASA budget for
fiscal year
2011.
* And with the President's budget moving NASA away from carrying
humans into space, the agency _awarded $50 million_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=074ab66a-506
a-491e-80cd-2a65d7cfa94f&Dynamic
=1) through funded agreements to further the commercial sector's
capability to support transport of crew to and from low Earth orbit.
* Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) conducted a _three-day lon
g
demonstration_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=d58041c4-56b
d-44a7-a937-05ca860d52b2&Dynamic=1) of cargo loading and
unloading procedures for its Dragon spacecraft, which NASA has contracted
to
provide delivery services to the International Space Station (ISS) starti
ng in
2010.
* James Cameron, the writer and director of "Avatar" and "Titanic"
who served on the NASA Advisory Council from 2003 to 2005, published an
_op-ed in The Washington Post_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=5a975aa0-
8902-44c2-a400-b5eb46a5e140&Dynamic=1) endorsing
commercial human spaceflight and President Obama's new plan for NASA.
* NASA and its international partners began looking forward to
unprecedented _scientific opportunities_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=4ffef492-04b
e-43bf-a173-7c3000164332&Dynamic=1) aboard
the International Space Station (ISS). With station assembly nearing
completion, the ISS Partnership is looking forward to using the station
to its
fullest capacity.
* Two former leaders of the Republican Party, Newt Gingrich and Bob
Walker, _urged current members of Congress_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=2d6a2c45-118
3-4545-b33c-58b748dc2090&Dynamic=1)
to support President Obama's NASA budget, which was unveiled earlier this
month.
* The Commercial Spaceflight Federation enthusiastically welcomed
NASA's _announcement_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=ab82997a-6e9
0-4211-948c-708c61ebe3a7&Dynamic=1) that the agency will
fund dozens of science and education payloads to fly on commercial suborb
ital
vehicles built by companies including Armadillo Aerospace, Blue Origin,
Masten Space Systems, Virgin Galactic, and XCOR Aerospace.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
* The Space Exploration Alliance (SEA), the nation's largest
coalition of non-profit space advocacy groups, _made plans_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=16788d39-e40
a-4aeb-b182-c3995377c11e&Dyn
amic=1) for its annual visit to Capitol Hill.
March
* The USAF X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle _arrived in Florida_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=ac45e07e-3a5
3-47aa-9892-fe8
7c756e28e&Dynamic=1) to begin processing in anticipation of an April
19
launch aboard an Atlas V rocket. The robotic spacecraft is a continuatio
n
of the X-37 program originally designed by NASA to test next-generation
spaceflight technologies and transferred to DARPA in 2004.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
X-37B
* The Obama administration's desire to hand the reigns of human
space flight over to private companies ran into _stiff opposition_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=6b31f059-
dec2-4ede-b53b-220
28bd2312d&Dynamic=1) on Capitol Hill, and NASA Administrator Charles
Bolden is finding his management style the subject of some intense critic
ism as
well.
* Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Ranking Member on the Senate
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, introduced _legislation_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=4e5e0524-
8a41-4a
a2-859d-ada2093e8fed&Dynamic=1) to close the gap in U.S. human space
flight that will occur if the space shuttle is retired before the next
generation of space vehicle is developed.
* Boeing _officially turned over_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=7908e0b1-0ca
b-4b83-ab2c-804f398cac51&Dynamic=1)
the U.S. on-orbit segment of the International Space Station (ISS) to NAS
A
with the signing Friday of government form DD-250 at the conclusion of an
Acceptance Review Board meeting in Houston.
* At a meeting of the heads of the space agencies from the nations
partnering in the International Space Station program, the group _reaffirm
ed
the importance_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=e4c8415b-61c
8-4627-908d-6f814593e142&Dynamic=1) of full exploitation of
the station's scientific, engineering, utilization, and education potenti
al.
* SpaceX announced a _successful test firing_
(http://%20http//www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=5b0
c986a-c381-483c-8320-e101f98
fde85&Dynamic=1) of the inaugural Falcon 9 launch vehicle at Space Lau
nch
Complex 40 located at Cape Canaveral, FL.
* Two of the men who were part of NASA's lunar program _told the BBC
_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=9d518583-428
d-40
d0-a224-f190ca9ff05e&Dynamic=1) that the Obama Administration's decisi
on
to scrap a manned return to the moon could damage the nation's space
program.
* Virgin Galactic announced that its commercial manned spaceship,
VSS Enterprise, successfully completed its _first "captive carry"_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=e35c5f00-ca6
c-4b38-9f76-2144
9afb3809&Dynamic=1) test flight, taking off at 0705 PST from Mojave Ai
r
and Spaceport in California.
April
* Roger L. Easton was _recognized_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=ad17dfdd-476
5-43ac-ba60-067836b2e380&Dynamic=1)
by the National Inventors Hall of Fame for pioneering achievements in
spacecraft tracking and timing and navigation technology (TIMATION) that
led to
the development of critical enabling technologies of the NAVSTAR-Global
Positioning System (GPS).
* For the first time since women began flying in space 50 years ago,
_four were in space at the same time_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=4c2e716f-29f
f-4c67-9f64-2ef18f6d37f1&Dynamic=1)
aboard ISS when Space Shuttle Discovery docked at the outpost.
* A team led by NASA and Boeing _completed the first phase_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=b4c20315-884
7-4763-819c-b4
28e79c51bf&Dynamic=1) of flight tests on the subscale X-48B blended wi
ng
body aircraft at the agency's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards,
CA.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
X-48B
* NASA _signed_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=598b982e-04e
f-43ef-9ff0-5e9cf7b63d9f&Dynamic=1) a $335 million
modification to the current International Space Station contract with the
Russian Federal Space Agency for crew transportation, rescue and related
services
in 2013 and 2014.
* The first man to walk on the moon said President Obama's proposal
to _radically alter the nation's manned space program_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=73b4faa2-0c2
b-4ac8-b4a9-071817ba7866&D
ynamic=1) is "devastating."
* President Barack Obama _spoke to about 200 people_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=d3a19b7c-5eb
2-41c7-b412-f0b631675
47d&Dynamic=1) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, saying that he is "100
percent committed to the future of NASA." The President had a mockup of
the
Orion crew capsule as a backdrop for the speech, which earlier this week
he
decided should be back in the NASA budget as an escape vehicle for ISS.
* Air Force officials _prepared to launch_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=f23aa213-732
5-4d94-a976-eb586991bc72&Dynami
c=1) the U.S.'s newest and most advanced unmanned re-entry spacecraft
April 21 at Cape Canaveral Air Station, FL.
* NASA _made some changes_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=db883a8b-d73
9-432f-b672-18cb5bccb212&Dynamic=1) to the
target launch dates for the last two scheduled space shuttle flights.
May
* Potential major changes in the NASA budget not withstanding,
NASA's Pad Abort 1 flight test, a launch of the abort system designed for
the
Orion crew vehicle, _lifted off_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=f6a77e94-
0f78-419e-9693-c277eee52317&Dynamic=1) at 0700
MDT Thursday at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) near Las
Cruces, NM.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Orion Crew Module Mockup
* The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_held a full committee hearing_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=184d8eb3-05a
e-416b-8f96-014a28ba454f&Dynamic=1) on the
future of U.S. human space flight. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden,
Astronauts Neil Armstrong (Apollo 11) and Eugene Cernan (Apollo 17), Norm
an
Augustine, who chaired the Augustine Commission on human spaceflight, and
John P.
Holdren, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy all testified
before the committee.
* The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
along with its board of directors, named _Roger Myers_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=c9447751-
5020-464d-b4c2-deb1e437f5f5&D
ynamic=1) , general manager of Aerojet, as a 2010 Fellow.
* With spectacular weather and some of the finest professional and
amateur rocket researchers and hobbyists in the world to overlook the
proceedings, the 2010 TARC was an _unqualified success_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=d4890f10-5e5
a-42d9-9c8c-569636233821&Dynami
c=1) . A team from Penn Manor High School in Millersville, PA, took fir
st
place at the Eighth Annual TARC, Saturday, earning the title of national
champion.
* Virgin Galactic appointed George T. Whitesides as its first _Chief
Executive Officer_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=4eb257bf-faf
2-45e6-8592-77b741cbebce&Dynamic=1) . In this role,
Whitesides will guide the business through its transition from a developm
ent
project to a commercially operational business.
* Space shuttle Atlantis _delivered science experiments_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=d761f5aa-5ef
3-4ad1-9db4-4067e
b7c4fd5&Dynamic=1) and a new Russian laboratory to the International
Space Station, continuing the transition from station assembly to continu
ous
scientific research through the end of the decade.
* The Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) _launched a mission_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=ffbc6279-39e
d-4fce-be93-0797bd
1e32c9&Dynamic=1) to Venus that is carrying a probe to study the plane
t's
atmosphere as well as a spacecraft that will be powered only by a solar
sail.
* The Planetary Society joined the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, the American Astronomical Society, the Universiti
es
Space Research Association and other groups to _support the NASA budget
proposal_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=580dffe7-32b
0-42da-b7d0-f7bc0de89888&Dynamic=1) for fiscal year 2011.
* Space shuttle Atlantis and six astronauts ended a 12-day journey
of more than 4.8 million miles with an 0848 EDT landing at NASA's Kennedy
Space Center in Florida. It was Atlantis' _final planned mission_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=113d057b-ae0
9-41c9-9a1b-d0cb1
087a441&Dynamic=1) .
* Masten Space Systems _successfully demonstrated_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=27254073-e8d
b-478c-b120-24a88cb7d26
5&Dynamic=1) in-air engine re-light capability Wednesday at the compan
y's
test facility in Mojave, CA. Xombie, Masten's most-flown vehicle, became
the first VTVL vehicle to successfully re-light a rocket engine in flight
.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Masten Xombie
June
* During a visit to the John F. Kennedy Space Center Wednesday,
Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis (pictured, right) announced a _grant of
$15
million_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=72fbb116-0ef
9-49e2-a084-524472708f2f&Dynamic=1) to assist approximately 3,200
workers who will be impacted by the impending retirement of NASA's Space
Shuttle
Program.
* The day was not without its drama, but just minutes before the
launch window closed, SpaceX moved a _giant step closer_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=69cbef66-fa1
c-4b68-ae8e-c8d141d80a6b&Dy
namic=1) to commercial re-supply of ISS, and boosted the fortunes of
the
commercial space industry literally into orbit.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
First Falcon 9 Launch
* Bill Nye ... yes THAT Bill Nye known to millions of television
viewers as "The Science Guy" ... _took the helm_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=e3d5f11c-5c1
a-4158-812d-d44cbea7490e&Dynamic=1)
as the new Executive Director of the Planetary Society.
* Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Ranking Member of the Senate
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, said that NASA leadershi
p
was _skirting the law_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=017f6f6b-f80
7-4abb-a928-dc62c994437e&Dynamic=1) to shut down the
Constellation program after publicly announcing a decision to reprioritiz
e
work on the program.
* The Orion crew exploration vehicle took shape as the two halves of
the crew module were _fused together_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=7b991a89-
3edb-4414-a14c-4a68fe0b4489&Dynamic=1)
at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, LA.
* Former Mercury astronaut John Glenn, who later became a United
States Senator from Ohio and participated in a shuttle mission as a lawma
ker,
says that NASA _should not retire_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=21ef92f1-be2
e-4e98-aea4-9ff2c3b0a9fc&Dynamic=1) the
shuttle until a new U.S. space transportation system is ready to fly.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
* In an open letter to the United States Congress, a group of more
than 50 "space leaders" ... executives, former astronauts, space scientis
ts,
space journalists, and others ... _urged the legislature_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=12f05367-3cf
6-442e-a211-47b4b69d39
ac&Dynamic=1) to both fully fund the commercial crew to Space Station
program proposed in the President's FY2011 budget request for NASA, and
accelerate the pace and funding of NASA's human space exploration project
s beyond
Earth orbit.
* NASA began to make noises that the final two space shuttle flights
_would be delayed_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=e8bd6bc9-954
9-411b-8be8-2b4c7638c271&Dynamic=1) by several months,
extending the program until February of 2011.
* The President _submitted to Congress_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=689cfc99-2ec
8-45ce-91ac-8d24d7d5e556&Dynamic=1
) a fiscal year 2011 budget amendment that targets up to $100 million
toward spurring regional economic growth and job creation in the aerospac
e
industry.
* NASA senior managers met with their counterparts representing
other space agencies at the National Harbor, MD, to discuss
globally-coordinated _human and robotic space exploration_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=58826838-dab
9-488f-b832-34e62a358290&Dynamic=1) .
* President Obama announced the administration=99s new _Nation
al Space
Policy_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=04bd738f-9ed
8-4a6e-b16a-c9eb120ab9dc&Dynamic=1) , which he said expressed his
direction for the nation=99s space activities, and articulates his
commitment to
reinvigorating U.S. leadership in space for the purposes of maintaining
space as a stable and productive environment for the peaceful use of all
nations.
July
* NASA _adjusted target dates_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=f9d6ff88-aba
f-4de0-af97-f065ae1c699d&Dynamic=1) for
the last two shuttle missions because critical payload hardware for STS-
133
would not be ready in time to support the previously planned Sept. 16
launch.
* In an _interview with Al Jazeera television_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=f0b91c37-f5f
1-4fda-9f4b-174aaae007bf&Dy
namic=1) , NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (pictured) said his, and
by
extension NASA's "foremost" mission is to improve U.S./Muslim relations.
And
he said President Obama has given him that task. The White House _would
not back up that statement_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=9262bd8e-34c
f-4446-b201-581ad2a4e2f9&Dynamic=1) , as spokesman
Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama did not assign the new NASA
administrator the task of reaching out to Muslim governments.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Charles Bolden
* The Orion crew exploration vehicle successfully completed the
_Phase 1 Safety Review_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=87563e22-43f
1-4811-b8f4-a9aaabd096c4&Dynamic=1) of NASA's Human Rating
Requirements for space exploration in low Earth orbit and beyond.
* The FAA _approved_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=31dcfb04-817
8-49d2-b199-4427efd26f3e&Dynamic=1) a Launch Site
Operator's License for Space Florida to facilitate commercial launches fr
om
Space Launch Complex 46 (SLC-46).
* Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic _moved a step closer_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=0893e8b0-9f3
7-4d4b-9277-
b2b81702f293&Dynamic=1) to their first suborbital passenger flights wi
th
VSS Enterprise, as the ship flew for the first time with a crew of two on
board.
* Xtraordinary Adventures, in conjunction with RocketShip Tours,
began _taking reservations_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=9187adfc-95e
8-47fb-9acb-1626fb2fcefb&Dynamic=1) for space flights
on The Lynx, XCOR Aerospace's newest fully reusable rocket powered
suborbital vehicle. With the lowest published price in the industry, the
RocketShip Tours / Xtraordinary Adventures offers a complete package of
training,
medical screening and suborbital flight for $95,000.
* The Planetary Society _issued a statement_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=c0fc8dba-393
0-448f-af4a-a919c46b8a42&Dyna
mic=1) about the request that the U.S. House of Representatives suspen
d
the rules when voting on the NASA Authorization bill.
August
* The United States Senate _approved bipartisan legislation_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=118dfcab-4d7
a-40d2-9c1e-4
51cb3e0edd5&Dynamic=1) its authors say will safeguard America=99
s human
spaceflight capabilities, while balancing commercial space investment wit
h a
robust mission for NASA.
* Flight Engineers Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson completed
the third contingency spacewalk to _install a spare ammonia pump module_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=bae96f7e-
34b7-489
f-828e-a78297983b6a&Dynamic=1) on the S1 Truss. The original pump modu
le
failed July 31, and ground controllers powered down numerous station
systems and readjusted them to provide maximum redundancy.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
* NASA _hosted a forum_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=79ae4ca2-fa5
b-4616-85c4-b8b7e3fa4811&Dynamic=1) to present
an overview of common themes captured from industry responses to NASA's
Commercial Crew Initiative Request For Information (RFI).
* U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson _announced a plan_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=c991429a-
0cd6-407c-a802-cb299dc9263d&Dyn
amic=1) aimed at boosting the commercial rocket industry and attractin
g
thousands of jobs to Florida=99s Space Coast and further lessen the
impact
from the wind-down of the space shuttle program.
* WhiteKnightTwo, which is designed to serve as the launch platform
for Virgin Galactic's Spaceship Two, was _slightly damaged_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID-4e3e0a-61f
c-4608-a7c2-d132d5ebc
2c3&Dynamic=1) when the aircraft had what was described by Scaled
Composites as a mechanical problem with its left main landing gear.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
WhiteKnightTwo
* SpaceX successfully completed a _high altitude drop test_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=bae275ae-bed
3-44a8-ab6f-47
1d61988085&Dynamic=1) of its Dragon capsule - meeting 100% of test
objectives. This was the last in a series of tests to validate parachute
deployment systems and recovery operations before the craft's first launc
h.
* NASA said that it will be _supportive of commercial companies_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=519ef366-d7e
1-47e2-ae
6a-c9586dc01b75&Dynamic=1) who seek to build human-rated space vehicle
s,
and hoped to be able to offer $5.8 billion to back up those words.
September
* NASA's Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research Program (CRuSR)
_awarded_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=8c5ab979-
315b-4a0c-961a-cdf7291b6431&Dynamic=1) a total of approximately $475,00
0
to Armadillo Aerospace of Rockwall, TX and Masten Space Systems of Mojav
e,
CA. The awards will allow the two companies to perform test flights of
their experimental vehicles near the edge of space.
* NASA extended the Space Program Operations Contract with United
Space Alliance, LLC of Houston to March 31, 2011. The $909,593,590 contra
ct
extension _supports flight operations_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=91d2680d-b68
b-429f-bdcb-b7d0dab09b0c&Dynamic=1) for
the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs.
* The Canadian Space Agency _delivered_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=58dbc981-cab
6-4f2e-9e39-7dbefccd3ad0&Dynamic=1
) a test unit of its contribution to the James Webb Space Telescope,
successor of the Hubble Space Telescope, to NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center
in Maryland.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Canadian Space Agency Webb Guidance Sensor
* After undergoing a major overhaul and upgrades, the Boeing / NASA
X-48B Blended Wing Body research aircraft _resumed flight tests_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=70288d59-b5a
7-41b8-b05f-dc3c
d2ddfb62&Dynamic=1) from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwar
ds
Air Force Base, CA.
* The International Space Station partner agencies met via
videoconference to discuss _continuation of space station operations_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=311e1f46-fb8
b-4d7c-9704-7a37d2bf
eaf3&Dynamic=1) into the next decade and its use as a research
laboratory.
* The Commercial Spaceflight Federation said that it _strongly
supports_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=df15b3f3-d07
6-4257-ac39-f3ff60b8b222&Dynamic=1) Senate bill S.3729, the NASA
Authorization Act of 2010, which has been approved unanimously by the Sen
ate. The
House of Representatives _approved the bill_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=caf52d3a-8a3
7-4ceb-97b5-c71513cd9a6a&Dynamic=1)
with bipartisan support by a vote of 304 to 118.
October
* The FAA announced a _new grant program_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=b5c8e4d6-9db
0-415f-a76b-3891d26df105&Dynamic
=1) designed to fund projects that develop and expand commercial space
transportation infrastructure. The Space Transportation Infrastructure
Matching Grants will be awarded to four separate projects located in Alas
ka,
California, Florida, and New Mexico.
* SpaceX _continued preparations_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=02603deb-
b05c-4879-9efe-3608de4249ee&Dynamic=1)
for the next launch of a Falcon 9 rocket, which will include the first
flight of an operational Dragon spacecraft. November 8 is currently the
projected launch date.
* Space Experience Cura=C3=A7ao (SXC) and XCOR Aerospace, Inc. annou
nced
the signing of a _Memorandum of Understanding_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=f77be6da-eee
2-4ed5-9770-38666ce09db8&Dynamic=1
) (MOU) for the wet lease of a production version of the Lynx suborbital
spacecraft, pending United States government approvals.
* The Russian Space Agency Roscosmos said that the Soyuz TMA-20
spacecraft which is intended to transport a crew to the ISS in December
_was
damaged in transport_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=c3bc9b55-4e4
e-4cca-b0dc-12a6f4590ba5&Dynamic=1) to the Baikonur
cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
* In a flight that moved the world a big step closer to commercial
sub-orbital space tourism, Virgin Galactic successfully completed _the fir
st
piloted free flight of SpaceShipTwo_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=55d13285-fda
5-4d7a-8115-9806bc50ecd3&Dynamic=1) , named
the VSS Enterprise. The spaceship was released from its mothership at an
altitude of 45,000 ft and glided to a landing at Mojave Air and Space Por
t
in California.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
SpaceShipTwo First Glide Flight
* President Barack Obama _signed_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=21601ddc-964
0-4d1d-abe2-8549996bfed1&Dynamic=1)
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 20
10
into law setting spending levels for the space agency, and setting the st
age
for greater commercial participation in space.
* The Isle of Man Government _hosted entrepreneurs and innovators_
(http://%20www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=f764baf0-
1d9e-4c
e5-9a61-19f12764e8e2&Dynamic=1) from around the world last week for th
e
4th annual Google Lunar X PRIZE Team Summit.
* The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) _dedicated_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=06a85ab8-626
3-4d7b-9af9-85dbf5
6e48ba&Dynamic=1) the nearly two-mile long "Governor Bill Richardson
Spaceway" at Spaceport America , representing significant progress toward
launching commercial customers into space from the desert of New Mexico.
November
* The Space Shuttle Program Mission Management Team _decided to
delay_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=853bc74f-7e7
9-4204-8f6c-31812786c045&Dynamic=1) the final launch of Discovery by at
least one day. The shuttle is scheduled for an 11-day mission to the
International Space Station. It was the first in a series of delays that
would _push
the final launch into February_ (http:/
/www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=9f6071f4-1580-42cd-
9de7-9bee95d75da9&Dynamic=1) .
* NASA usually goes the other way ... that is to say ... up. But
when 33 miners were trapped nearly a half mile below the surface of the
earth,
a team of the space agency's employees was _called on to assist_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=bb13eb88-da5
9-402c-aa03-1a0
fe5f65f06&Dynamic=1) in the rescue.
* Nov. 2, 2000, marked the _10th anniversary_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=359938d5-c84
9-4406-b309-b18195e375ba&Dyn
amic=1) of the arrival of the first crew aboard the International Spac
e
Station to live and work aboard the orbiting laboratory. In a statement
commemorating that event, NASA administrator Charles Bolden called the
milestone significant for both NASA and its partners in the ISS.
* NASA selected _13 companies_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=4c1b1fe5-cc6
6-482d-a5a9-e61ba51017f1&Dynamic=1) for
negotiations leading to potential contract awards to conduct systems
analysis and trade studies for evaluating heavy-lift launch vehicle syste
m
concepts, propulsion technologies, and affordability.
* A _successful test-firing_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=1fc27c7e-50a
9-416e-ac88-5cc5e063f916&Dynamic=1) was
conducted of a liquid-fuel AJ26 engine developed to power the first stage
of
Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Taurus II space launch vehicle at NASA's John C.
Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
* At least one traditional airline is _testing the space tourism
waters_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=8447fe23-b5e
1-4451-a038-475f37237b57&Dynamic=1) . KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announce
d
that they were embarking upon a new relationship with Space Experience
Curacao (SXC).
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
XCOR Lynx Suborbital Spacecraft
* NASA Administrator Charles Bolden was among the heads of the
world's space agencies to _participate in a summit_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=ec818049-0d1
e-4215-8f73-ed177a3a6927&Dynamic=1
) held specifically for those leaders in Washington, DC.
* The FAA made SpaceX the first-ever commercial company to receive
a
license to _re-enter a spacecraft_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=d16751e0-e09
a-4367-9a57-f689c92e999e&Dynamic=1) from
orbit.
December
* As the International Space Station transitions from its assembly
phase to full utilization as a unique scientific outpost, NASA is _investi
ng
in the station's future_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=7f1b460a-e9c
b-4de0-8cc1-736f3a6a57a2&Dynamic=1) use by ensuring a
wide pool of organizations outside the agency have access to the orbiting
lab.
* The U.S. Air Force's first unmanned re-entry spacecraft _landed at
Vandenberg Air Force Base_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=2e2a6a0c-942
7-44f3-b70d-1362255640b7&Dynamic=1) .
* As 2010 neared its end, United Launch Alliance (ULA) _celebrated_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=61c55f3b-33c
9-4363
-b980-c6eead582fae&Dynamic=1) its fourth anniversary with 45 successful
launches in the company's 48 months of operation.
* NASA announced that the _first demonstration flight_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=7fe9d29e-ccd
2-478f-92ea-f6d7f7e
9d4b1&Dynamic=1) of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule for
NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program was scheduled
for
Wednesday, Dec. 8, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The
first
attempt was scrubbed after engineers discovered two small cracks in the
aft
end of the 2nd stage engine nozzle expansion. The spacecraft finally
_launched successfully_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=a8acab23-6c2
2-4207-980d-a7f46a1bba3c&Dynamic=1) a few days later.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
* NASA Administrator Charles Bolden _praised SpaceX_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=741c8c4c-f76
9-4408-adf7-5dc8fc5e2
068&Dynamic=1) on its successful launch of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying
a
Dragon demonstration COTS vehicle which is slated to begin carrying cargo
to
ISS next year.
* Who says rocket scientists don't have a sense of humor? Before the
successful launch, voyage, and recovery of SpaceX's Dragon Spacecraft, th
e
first time in history a commercial company has recovered a spacecraft fro
m
orbit, reporters were buzzing with news of a _"secret" payload_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=025efe09-af5
5-4b6b-bd0c-5e88
5b3d7d6d&Dynamic=1) , stowed on board.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
FMI: _www.aero-news.net_ (http://www.aero-news.net/)
____________________________________
2010 Year In Review: Gone West
ANN's Annual Review Of The Year That Was: Our Treasured Friends Who Have
Gone West in 2010
Aero-News pays tribute to the following aviators -- in body and in spirit
-- who slipped the surly bonds of Earth in 2010 -- some of whom were clos
e
friends, and all others our friends in spirit -- and extends our sincere
sympathies to their families, and to any of our readers who also lost a
loved
one last year...
Joe Shannon,88, ended a 70-year career in aviation on Tuesday after a
brief illness. He was an aircraft mechanic, tactical fighter pilot, air
show
performer, corporate pilot and civil aviation enthusiast that was inducte
d
into the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame in 1999. _ANN Report January 11_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/featurestories.cfm?ContentBlockIDEB960
6-E4FB-4E5
9-8EAB-4A0CA5D9590D&Dynamic=1)
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Joe Shannon
Wallace D. ("Dip") Davis passed away at the age of age 86. Davis enlisted
in the Army Air Corp and served during WWII as a Crew Chief on a B-24 and
in Aviation Education. _ANN Report January 12_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=4E25BDD5-BBAA-49
E1-A099-1A4085F3E63A&Dynamic=1%20)
Dave Richardson (aka DR), Line Service Manager of Million Air Toronto FBO
and Toronto Airways Limited (TAL) studied Helicopter Maintenance at North
Bay College and later applied for a line service position at the Toronto
Buttonville Municipal Airport. Some 25 years later, he was still there,
having
progressed to the role of Line Service Manager. _ANN Report January 20_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbus.cfm?ContentBlockID=C1A89BC7-795C-
4547-9D4
1-F53983EEC069&Dynamic=1)
Elliott Aviation co-founder Arlene Elliott passed away at the age of 91.
A
pilot in her own right (she soloed in a Piper Cub in 1936), Arlene instea
d
chose to focus on promoting general aviation, and is widely credited with
persuading banks to finance purchases of business aircraft, which enabled
a
broader range of entrepreneurs to gain access to these powerful business
tools. _ANN Report January 24_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=3A9AA3A1-9AF4-44
4F-96C7-7942DCFE4AC8&Dynamic=1%20)
Stephen O'Keefe, 70, died of internal injuries sustained after a hard
skydive landing at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport (KZPH). The veteran
parachutist's death was blamed on an unexpected gust of wind as he approa
ched the
ground near Skydive City. _ANN Report January 25_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=395033F0-0271-4E
F7-AD3A-93071072A932&Dynamic=1%20
)
Retired Air Force Lt. Colonel Lee A. Archer (below, left), who is widely
recognized as America's only black Ace pilot, passed away in New York Cit
y
at the age of 90. _ANN Report January 31_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/military.cfm?ContentBlockID=5CF31B2F-37CF
-4A68-A3E5-C3719663BB09&Dynamic=1)
The first woman to serve as major general in the Air Force, and the
Department of Defense, passed away in February. Retired Maj. Gen. Jeanne
M. Holm
is credited as the single driving force in achieving parity for military
women and making them a viable part of the mainstream military. _ANN Repo
rt
February 19_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/military.cfm?ContentBlockID=2FECA530-D326
-4BAC-8BEE-AE34EC1DB73E&Dynamic=1%20)
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Maj. Gen. Jeanne Holm
Morry Hummel, creator of the "Hummel Bird" and founder of Hummel Aviation
,
died at his home. Hummel began his love of aviation early, winning awards
for his model airplanes starting in seventh grade. He did metal work for
Howard Aircraft before moving to the experimental department at Curtis Wr
ight
in Columbus, OH. _ANN Report February 22_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbus.cfm?ContentBlockID=B3CB05E5-23FE-
4E72-AD8E-31E88049E754&Dynamic=1%20)
Up until her 90th birthday, Marguerite Lawrence visited the EAA AirVentur
e
at Oshkosh every year, selling tickets as a volunteer by day and sleeping
in a pup tent at night. Lawrence passed away at 93. _ANN Report February
24_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=DF347EA7-9DAC-47
C2-A
C3A-7E5849606D05&Dynamic=1%20)
John L. Baker, who served as the president of AOPA from 1977 through 1990
.
He was only the second person to serve in that capacity. _ANN Report March
11_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=75B9CC10-E702-4A
55-A668-E5E86271632D&Dynamic=1%20)
Elinor Smith (Sullivan), aviation pioneer and record-setting aviatrix die
d
at the age of 98. One of the youngest and most daring pilots of the 1920s
,
Smith's numerous records for endurance, altitude, and speed, along with
her work as a test pilot, left an indelible mark on the history of aviati
on.
_ANN Report March 24_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID-CFC701-48D2-4A
CA-A364-7C7CBA0ABF87&Dynamic=1%20)
Major Robert White, who flew the X-15 to an altitude of 314,750 feet, or
59 miles, becoming the first "winged astronaut." passed away in March. He
was the first to fly at Mach 4, Mach 5 and Mach 6; he was the first to fl
y a
winged vehicle into space. _ANN Report March 25_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=D1D593C8-E4C
4-46E1-B8F4-58D829CBD4E5&Dynamic
=1%20)
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Major Robert White
Aviation Lawyer David N. Zeehandelaar passed away following a battle with
lymphoma. He was 55 years old. He was a well known expert in aviation law
,
leading the aviation practice for the law firm Blank Rome L.L.P., and
handling litigation involving both major airline and commuter airline dis
asters
and accidents involving military aircraft and components. _ANN Report Mar
ch
25_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=606D7513-DD72-4B
27-B489-BB1E319E793C&Dynamic=1%20)
Morris Jeppson, one of the crewmembers on board the Enola Gay during her
historic mission which helped bring the war in Japan to a close, has pass
ed
away. The Weapons Test Officer was 87. _ANN Report April 10_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/military.cfm?ContentBlockID=0E0C1ED9-DB24
-44A6-86D7-51379A994
93D&Dynamic=1%20)
Wayne Rosenkrans, the former president and chief executive officer of
Jeppesen, passed at the age of 86. Mr. Rosenkrans joined Jeppesen followi
ng
service as an Army Air Corps F-47 pilot during World War II. _ANN Report
April
18_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=36CD118C-DC83-42
A0-A8E2-8D5FD1505789&Dynamic=1)
David Simons, who in 1957 flew a helium balloon to the edge of space,
passed away at his home in Covington, GA at the age of 87 years old. _ANN
Report
April 23_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=D905F8F2-0DD
C-442F-AB83-3E3A2A01DC56&Dynamic=1)
Stelio Frati, the Italian designer best known for the F.8 Falco but with
many other airplanes credited to his drawing board (no CAD for him), pass
ed
away in Italy at the age of 91. _ANN Report May 17_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=CD277BC9-7CB9-4E
12-9DE2-2A93E4B55D08&Dynamic
1%20)
Former NTSB Chairman Jim Burnett passed away in his hometown of Clinton,
AR, at the age of 62. Burnett, a Reagan appointee, served as Chairman of
the
body from 1982-1988. _ANN Report May 18_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=77E9E3DD-ECFE-40
E3-93E1-E81979FD12D9&Dynamic=1)
Ret. Col. Walker Mahurin, the Air Force's first double ace in World War
II, who later flew in the Pacific Theater and the Korean War, died at his
home in Newport Beach, CA. _ANN Report May 18_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/military.cfm?ContentBlockID=AD34F774-03A1
-4871-A5C9-51AC6C3AE633&Dynamic=1%20)
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Col. Walker Mahurin, (left) with fellow ace
Maj. Walter Beckham
Robert J. Serling, whose book "The President's Plane Is Missing" spent 21
weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, passed away at the age of 92
in Tucson, AZ. _ANN Report May 20_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=1A8C3F28-32B4-41
94-8F0E-C5FD3E7A42DA&Dynamic=1%20)
The last of 15 Navy men were awarded the Medal of Honor following the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor passed away, the oldest living recipient
of the
nation's highest award for valor. _ANN Report June 2_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/military.cfm?ContentBlockID=4DE2EC51-20DF
-4B24-88AD-FF1BFBDDD7EF&Dy
namic=1%20)
Dr. Paul Garabedian, an innovative mathematician who was among the first
to use computer modeling to design a fuel-efficient airplane wing, died
at
the age of 82 in New York. _ANN Report June 10_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=CD88BA09-2CA
0-42C3-97E4-6BE15ACA0BCC&Dynamic=1
%20)
Documented original Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. (Ret.) William H. Holloman,
III passed away on at Valley Medical Center, Renton, WA. He was 85 years
old. _ANN Report June 14_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/military.cfm?ContentBlockID=CEE4B961-DEFE
-41DE-9879-773E897DD485&Dynamic=1)
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Lt. Col William H. Holloman
The former director of the Stennis Space Center has died from
complications related to an insect sting. Roy Estess passed away at the
age of 71 at
his Tylertown, MS residence. _ANN Report June 29_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=581BAB32-856
F-4093-9DC5-5F06FFDC484B&Dynamic
1%20)
Considered by some to be one of aviation's most colorful pilots, Captain
Clyde "Frank" Lang, passed away in Houston, Texas, after a brief illness.
Lang was 87. _ANN Report July 20_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=D105A606-DDC3-
4372-BC63-3646C59A7C9C&Dynamic=1%20)
The Australian who is credited with coming up with the idea for the Fligh
t
Data and Cockpit Voice Recorders ... known simply as the "Black Boxes",
passed away in Australia at the age of 85. _ANN Report July 22_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=16F30449-C2AA-43
BE-9653-BF8E7DFC31E
1&Dynamic=1%20)
Reginald Levy started his 50th birthday like he did many days, departing
Brussels as a pilot for Sabena Airlines on a flight to Tel Aviv. The Boei
ng
707 Levy was flying was hijacked by Palestinian militants about half way
through the flight to Israel. The militants forced Levy to land the plane
at
what is now Ben Gurion Airport, and said they would blow it up if Israel
did not release 300 Palestinian prisoners. That pilot, who became famous
for
his cool-headed response to the hijacking, passed away in Dover in southe
rn
England at the age of 88. _ANN Report August 6_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=9D3AC5D2-3C9B-
4E0A-931B-D728B5BC3901&Dynamic
1)
A DeHavilland floatplane went down in Alaska in IFR conditions. On board
were a reported 9 people including retired Republican Senator Ted Stevens
.
Stevens and four others were fatally injured. _ANN Report August 10_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbus.cfm?ContentBlockID=F3413779-E0C8-
42E7-914B-074
F4257B7E5&Dynamic=1%20)
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Senator Ted Stevens
Another of the pioneers of the United State's early space program, John
New, who had been an engineer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center durin
g
the early days of satellite development, died at the age of 89. _ANN Repo
rt
August 17_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=88857429-9A2
9-43C5-A5E9-FCBF87D5C847&Dynamic=1%20)
Red Bull Air Race pilot Alejandro (Alex) Maclean was fatally injured at
the age of 41 in an accident in his native Spain. Maclean was practicing
aerobatics for an air show. _ANN Report August 18_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/sport.cfm?ContentBlockID=128A3E1A-4A75-41
C8-98B6-34ED6FC571DB&Dynamic=1)
Brig. Gen. Thomas C. Casaday of Birmingham, AL, Civil Air Patrol's
national commander in the late 1970s and a 1980 inductee into the CAP Hal
l of
Honor, died at the age of 92. _ANN Report August 22_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/military.cfm?ContentBlockID=BD8B7271-4FC2
-48CA-8654-44C3EC60F17C&Dynamic
1)
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announced the
death of Capt. Robert C. Truax, past president of the American Rocket
Society, organizer of the U.S. Naval Missile Test Center=99s propul
sion research
laboratory at Point Mugu, CA, and AIAA Honorary Fellow. Capt. Truax passe
d
away in Vista, CA,at the age of 93. _ANN Report September 22_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=CAAC7E0A-8AA
D-451D-98CE-C1CD4430A5
07&Dynamic=1%20)
David Cronin, who was the captain of United Airlines Flight 811 on
February 24, 1989, passed away Monday at his home in Nevada at the age of
81.
Flight 811, a 747-100, was enroute to Auckland, New Zealand. It has stopp
ed in
Honolulu and was climbing through FL220 when the forward cargo door blew
out, creating a gaping hole in the fuselage of the aircraft. _ANN Report
October 07_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=854088E5-3C94-
4FEF-919F-476EEF2F8EDC&Dynamic=1)
Joseph G. Gavin Jr., the man who led the team which designed the Lunar
Excursion Module (LEM) for the Apollo moon missions passed away in Amhers
t,
MA, at the age of 90. _ANN Report November 09_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=78912A7C-C88
A-4D64-BD5A-92BC81AAD1B1&Dynamic=1%2
0)
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Lunar Module Test Platform
Leslie Nielson, one of the stars of what became an iconic spoof of the
disaster movie genre 'Airplane!', passed away at his home in Fort Lauderd
ale,
FL. Nielson was 84. _ANN Report November 30_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=85C76AD8-194C-
4328-9440-C5710EC8C78F&Dynamic=1%20)
Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis, who died when their balloon when
down during the Gordon Bennett Trans-Atlantic race, were recovered off th
e
coast of Italy, according to a port official with the Vieste port in Ital
y.
_ANN Report December 10_
(http://www.aero-news.net/news/sport.cfm?ContentBlockID=041AAF68-94D0-43
93-9F6A-66301211B105&Dynamic=1%20)
FMI: _www.aero-news.net_ (http://www.aero-news.net/)
____________________________________
NTSB Issues Update On Jackson Hole B-757 Runway Overrun Incident
American Removed As A Party To The Investigation Over Data Recorder
Protocol
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#) In its
continuing investigation of the runway overrun of a jetliner in Jackson
Hole,
WY, the NTSB has developed the following factual information:
At about 1138 MST on Wednesday, December 29, American Airlines flight
2253, a B-757-200 (N668AA) inbound from Chicago O'Hare International Airp
ort,
ran off the end of runway 19 in snowy conditions while landing at Jackson
Hole Airport. No injuries were reported among the 181 passengers and crew
on
board.
The aircraft came to rest in hard packed snow about 350 feet beyond the
runway overrun area. An initial inspection did not reveal any structural
damage to the aircraft. Shortly after the aircraft came to a stop, in
accordance with American Airlines' procedures, the pilots pulled the circ
uit breaker
to the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) to preserve all of the recorded
information for investigators.
The CVR and DFDR (digital flight data recorder) arrived at the Safety
Board's recorder laboratory on Thursday evening, Dec. 30, where investiga
tors
were standing by to download the contents of both recorders. The CVR
provided a two-hour recording of excellent quality audio; the voices of
each of
the pilots on the flight deck were clearly audible. The DFDR provided 120
0
recorded parameters of flight data and captured the entire incident.
The crew, who were interviewed on Thursday evening, indicated that they
saw the runway prior to reaching the minimum descent altitude before
touchdown. Both crewmembers characterized the flight and approach to land
ing as
uneventful prior to the runway overrun. The first officer was the flying
pilot.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#) But
American has been removed as a party to the investigation because of a br
eech of
protocol in dealing with the aircraft's Flight Data recorder. The Safety
Board has long-established protocols for the handling and transportation
of
CVRs and DFDRs that contain recorded information from a commercial aviati
on
incident, which by definition is one where no serious injuries or
substantial damage to the aircraft or other property has occurred.
In such incident investigations, the Safety Board frequently asks the
airline involved to transport the recorders on their own aircraft as such
an
arrangement often provides the most expeditious means of conveying the
devices to Safety Board labs in Washington. The airline is instructed to
transport the recorders without delay and without accessing the informati
on
contained within them by any means. This practice has worked efficiently
and
without complication for more than 40 years.
During this incident investigation, the Safety Board learned that the
recorders were flown to Tulsa, OK, where American Airlines technicians
downloaded information from the DFDR; the CVR was not accessed by America
n.
"Although a thorough examination by our investigators determined that no
information from the DFDR was missing or altered in any way, the breach
of protocol
by American Airlines personnel violates the Safety Board's standards of
conduct for any organization granted party status in an NTSB investigatio
n,"
said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. "Because maintaining and enforci
ng
strict investigative protocols and procedures is vital to the integrity
of
our investigative processes, we have revoked the party status of American
Airlines and excused them from further participation in this incident
investigation."
American Airlines has assured the Safety Board that a full review of
proper procedures and internal controls would be undertaken to ensure tha
t such
an occurrence is not repeated. Despite their removal from party standing,
the NTSB will provide American Airlines with any and all information
needed to ensure a timely response to operational safety deficiencies
identified in the course of the investigation.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Cockpit Voice Recorder
The accident docket, which will contain additional factual information,
is
expected to be opened in 60-90 days. It will be available on the _docket
section_ (http://go.usa.gov/rjR) of the NTSB website.
FMI: _www.ntsb.gov_ (http://www.ntsb.gov/)
____________________________________
FAA Proposes Changes To Central Florida Restricted Areas
Navy Request Expansion Of Three Areas For Weapons Training
(mip://07130388/default.html#) The FAA has published an NPRM in the
Federal Register seeking comments on proposed changes to three restricted
areas
in central Florida. Under the proposal, the lateral and vertical limits
of
restricted areas R=932907A and R=932907B, Lake George, FL; and
restricted
area R=932910, Pinecastle, FL would be expanded. The U.S. Navy reque
sted this
action to provide the additional airspace needed to contain laser operati
ons
and other hazardous activities and to permit realistic training in curren
t
tactics. The FAA contends that action would enhance the margin of safety
for air traffic in the Lake George and Pinecastle, FL, areas.
According to the NPRM, the Pinecastle, FL, and Lake George, FL, restricte
d
areas have, for many years, satisfied military training requirements.
However, with the introduction of higher-performance and more versatile,
multi-role fighter aircraft, as well as advanced weapons systems and empl
oyment
tactics, the Navy now contends that available airspace at the Pinecastle
and Lake George complexes is inadequate to satisfy training requirements.
In
order to fully exploit the capabilities of today=99s fighter/attack
aircraft
and provide essential training that replicates the conditions units are
encountering today during wartime deployments, it is necessary to expand
the
vertical and areas. The U.S. Navy has proposed that the FAA expand R.2907
A,
R.2907B and R.2910 to provide enhanced air-to-ground weapons delivery
tactical training to transform the Pinecastle/ Lake George complex into
a
modern viable training asset.
The FAA is proposing an amendment to 14 CFR part 73 to realign and expand
the vertical and lateral limits of restricted areas R.2907A and R.2907B,
Lake George, FL, and R.2910, Pinecastle, FL. This proposal would expand
the
boundaries of R.2907A westward to encompass that restricted airspace
currently designated as R. 2907B. In addition, the vertical limits in tha
t section
would be raised to FL 230 to match the current R.2907A ceiling.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) New restricted airspace would be
established immediately to the north of the newly incorporated section of
R. 2907A.
This new restricted area would extend northward from the expanded R. 2907
A
boundary to abut the boundary of the southern half of existing restricted
area R.2906, Rodman, FL. The R.2907B designation would be redescribed to
identify this new restricted area. The new R.2907B would extend from 500
feet
MSL up to FL 230. It should be noted that R.2906 would not be modified
in
any way by this proposal.
This proposal would also expand and restructure R.2910. The current
designation, R.2910, would be removed and replaced by four sections: R.29
10A,
R.2910B, R.2910C and R.2910D. The new R.2910A would consist of existing
restricted airspace contained in the current northwest extension of R.291
0;
the current R.2910 circular area; and that existing part of R.2910 that
extends southeastward from the circular area.
The vertical limits of R.2910A would extend from the surface up to FL 230
.
The remaining section of the current R.2910 would be split into two new
subareas, designated R.2910B and R. 2910C, that would extend from the
surface to 6,000 feet mean sea level (MSL). Setting the ceiling of these
two
subareas at 6,000 feet MSL would provide airspace to enable nonparticipat
ing
aircraft to circumnavigate the R.2910 complex while remaining outside the
Orlando Class B airspace area. Also, dividing this part of the restricted
area into B and C subareas would permit sections not needed for the milit
ary
mission to be released to accommodate air traffic control requirements.
Additional new restricted airspace would be established within the
airspace that lies between the new R=932910A and the expanded R
=932907A. This new
area would be designated R=932910D. R=932910D would be bounded
on the north by R=93
2907A; on the south by R=93 2910A; on the east by the current easte
rn
boundary of the Palatka 1 military operations area (MOA); and on the west
by the
western boundary of the Palatka 1 MOA.
The deadline for comments on the NPRM is February 7, 2011.
FMI: _http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-32046.pdf_
(http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-32046.pdf)
____________________________________
Aero-News Featured Aero-Casts For Friday 12.31.10
2010 in Review - FAA vs TTF Agreements
ANN's Paul Plack debriefs Dr. Brent Blue of ThroughTheFence.org after his
Congressional testimony in September.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
This feature is in addition to our daily news briefing -- available in
either a quick "Touch And Go" format, or an expanded Aero-Briefing -- whe
re
you'll hear these stories:
The Shuttle Discovery may be further delayed.
Threatening e-mails appear to originate with someone at FlightPrep.
And the FAA proposes an AD for some TCAS models.
...And more
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#) _ ANN Dail
y
Touch-And-Go: 12.31.10_
(http://www.aero-news.net/podcasts/casts/7/ann-daily-touch-and-go-2010-12-
31.mp3) (ANN's Short-Form Daily News Program)
_ANN Daily Aero-Briefing: 12.31.10_
(http://www.aero-news.net/podcasts/casts/7/ann-daily-aero-briefing-2010-12
-31.mp3) (ANN's Long-Form Daily News
Program)
_ANN Special Feature: 2010 in Review - FAA vs TTF Agreements - 12.31.10_
(http://www.aero-news.net/podcasts/casts/3/ann-special-feature-2010-12-31.
mp3)
(ANN Special Report, with Dr. Brent Blue of ThroughTheFence.org)
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Check them out, let us know what you think and be sure to keep those
news-tips and program suggestions coming... ANN is ALL about what YOU wan
t to
know about in the world of aviation and aerospace.
FMI: _www.aero-news.net/podcasts_ (http://www.aero-news.net/podcasts)
____________________________________
Klyde Morris (12.31.10)
Klyde Gets A Break.... The Hard Way
FMI: _www.klydemorris.com_ (http://www.klydemorris.com/)
____________________________________
Air Traffic Growth Dipped In November
IATA Stats Shows Growth From Previous Months Slowing
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#) The
International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced international sc
heduled
traffic results for November showing 8.2% year-on-year passenger traffic
growth and a 5.4% increase for freight. The passenger load factor for
November averaged 75.6% while the freight load factor stood at 55.2% for
the
month.
November saw traffic growth slow from the 10% increase recorded in the
passenger business and the 14.5% growth in freight in October. The slowdo
wn in
2010 is partially skewed because of the exceptionally rapid rise in
traffic volumes recorded during the fourth quarter of 2009. However, when
viewed
in absolute terms, air travel fell by 0.8% and air freight fell by 1.1%
between October and November 2010.
This slower growth does not necessarily signal a negative trend. Even wit
h
the decline in November, passenger and freight traffic are still expandin
g
at annualized rates of between 5-6% which is in line with the industry's
historical growth trend.
"The industry is shifting gears in the recovery cycle. Growth is slowing
towards normal historical levels in the 5-6% range. Relative weakness in
developed markets is being offset by the momentum of economic expansion
in
developing markets. We see a strong end to 2010 that boosted the year's
profit
forecast to $15.1 billion. Slowing traffic growth is in line with our
projections for a reduced profit of $9.1 billion in 2011. That's a 1.5%
margin.
More hard work will be needed in the New Year to achieve sustainable
levels of profitability," said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's Director Genera
l and
CEO.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
According to the IATA, the level of international air travel is now 4%
above the pre-recession peak of early 2008. All regions, except Africa,
reported a slowing in year-on-year growth rates from October to November.
* Europe's carriers recorded 7.3% growth in passenger traffic, below
the 9.4% recorded in October. Overall travel performed by the region's
carriers is only slightly ahead of the pre-recession levels of early 2008
. In
absolute terms there was a 1.7% fall in traffic volumes for the region's
carriers between October and November. Industrial labor action and advers
e
weather conditions particularly affected Europe's carriers at the very en
d of
the month. The impact of these will continue to be seen in December's
traffic.
* North American carriers saw their growth slow from 12.4% in
October to 9.5% in November. Capacity growth in November was 9.5%, result
ing in a
load factor of 78.1%, the highest among the regions. November passenger
traffic levels for North American carriers equaled the pre-recession leve
ls
of early 2008.
* Asia-Pacific carriers saw their growth slow from 7.3% in October
to 5.8% in November. Capacity expanded relatively in tandem (5.9%) for a
load factor of 75.6%. Despite the region's strong economic growth and
financial performance, November traffic levels were still 2% below pre-re
cession
levels.
* Latin American carriers showed the most dramatic decline in growth
rates-from 4.9% in October to virtually zero in November. The lingering
impact of the Mexicana failure is the largest contributing factor in this
decline which resulted in a 2.1% absolute contraction of travel performed
by
the region's carriers between October and November. Adjusting figures to
eliminate the impact of Mexicana, the region would be experiencing growth
in
the low double digits. The region's load factor stands at 77.5%.
* Middle East carriers saw their growth rate decline from 17.8% in
October to 16.7% in November. The region's carriers handled 16% more traf
fic
in November than at the pre-recession peak in early 2008, showing that
they have gained market share over the course of the recession and the
recovery. The region recorded a load factor of 74.3%, below the global av
erage of
75.6%.
* African carriers were the only region to show an increase in
growth rates from October (12.6%) to November (16.4%). The region's carri
ers
moved 11% more travelers in November than they did at the pre-recession
peak
in early 2008.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
The report shows that the air freight recovery hit a peak in May 2010.
Compared to that peak, volumes have fallen 7%. The volume of air freight
in
November was equal to pre-recession levels of early 2008. IATA says
November's year-on-year growth of 5.4% is a significant shift from the 14
.5%
recorded in October. This was exaggerated by the exceptionally strong per
formance
in November 2009. In absolute terms, there was a 1.1% fall in freight
volumes from October to November. All regions, except Africa, showed dram
atic
drops in year-on-year growth rates from October to November.
"The year-end holiday season has been tough for travelers and for
airlines. Exceptionally adverse weather conditions in Europe and the US
resulted in
travel chaos. Passengers were inconvenienced. Airlines saw lost revenues
and saw costs rise. As the backlogs of stranded passengers clear and the
situation normalizes, there are two opportunities that must not be lost.
The
first is to learn and apply lessons from this difficult season so that al
l
stakeholders in the industry's infrastructure are better prepared for fut
ure
exceptional situations," said Bisignani.
FMI: _www.iata.org_ (http://www.iata.org/)
____________________________________
China Eastern Plans 50 Airbus Buy
Would Expand Seat Capacity Over 11 Percent
China Eastern Airlines told the Hong Kong stock exchange that it plans to
buy 50 Airbus aircraft of various types to be delivered in the next four
years. The list price on the airplanes is reported at $3.22 billion.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
China Eastern said Airbus made "significant price concessions" to get the
deal, according to the French news service AFP. The aircraft will fly und
er
China Eastern colors, as well as its Shanghai Airlines subsidiary.
Airbus and Boeing have both announced sizable deals with airlines in Chin
a
late in 2010. Projections from Boeing are that the Chinese market will
require over 4,300 new airliners over the next 20 years. The Chinese
government offered up a more aggressive forecast last month, saying that
there would
be as many as 5,000 airliners plying the country's skies in the next 15
years.
FMI: _www.flychinaeastern.com_ (http://www.flychinaeastern.com/) ,
_www.airbus.com_ (http://www.airbus.com/)
____________________________________
U.S. Navy Awards Contract For V-22 Enhancements
BAE Will Supply Interim Defensive Weapon Systems
The U.S. Navy has issued a contract to BAE Systems for the delivery of
Interim Defensive Weapons Systems (IDWS) kits for installation on the V-2
2
Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) announced
the
awarded a $14 million contract in a news release Thursday. The work will
be
performed by BAE Systems in Johnson City, and is expected to be completed
by December 2012.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
File Photo
In 2008, Hinchey used his position on the House Appropriations Committee
to secure $15 million to make the program operational. =9CDevelopin
g the
innovations that will provide greater protection to our service members
is a
tremendous undertaking, and I am pleased the work will be done here in th
e
Southern Tier,=9D Hinchey said in the release. =9CThis contra
ct will help
continue to bring federal money to Broome County to help fuel our region
=99s
economic recovery. I look forward to working with the Department of Defen
se to
ensure the project is seen through and jobs continue to be added to the
workforce for an array of defense projects in the region.=9D
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
File Photo
The IDWS provides 360 degrees of protection to troops during dangerous
missions, addressing concerns about the V-22=99s defensive capabili
ties.
FMI: _www.navy.mil_ (http://www.navy.mil/) , _www.baesystems.com_
(http://www.baesystems.com/)
____________________________________
NASA Awards Systems Engineering Contract For In-Space Servicing
Lockheed Martin Selected For $31.2 Million Project
(mip://07130388/default.html#) NASA has awarded a sole source contract
to
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company (LMSSC) of Greenbelt, MD, for
Systems Engineering for In-Space Servicing (SEISS). This cost-plus-fixed-
fee,
18-month contract has a value of $31.2 million.
LMSSC will provide systems and discipline engineering support to develop
and execute two demonstrations to test and verify new robotic servicing
capabilities using the Dextre robot aboard the International Space Statio
n. The
Canadian Space Agency's Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, or Dextre,
is a two-armed robotic system designed to perform intricate maintenance
and
servicing tasks, which previously would have required spacewalks.
The first demonstration will use a customized payload task box, Dextre an
d
specialized tools to robotically demonstrate refueling and repair tasks
in
orbit. Tasks will include locating, accessing and uncapping valves and
transferring simulated liquid fuel. During the second demonstration, Dext
re
will test and evaluate a variety of tools, sensors and instruments to sup
port
autonomous rendezvous and capture capabilities for orbiting spacecraft
systems.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is developing both demonstration
payloads. These demonstrations are intended to increase NASA's technical
capability to conduct robotic in-space servicing. The contract encompasse
s
requirements definition and verification, hardware design, support of fli
ght and
ground hardware/software development, and mission planning support.
FMI: _www.nasa.gov_ (http://www.nasa.gov/)
____________________________________
ANN FAQ: Personalize How YOU View ANN's TopNews Page!
You CAN Have It YOUR Way!
(mip://07130388/default.html#) Over the years, ANN has listened long and
hard to those of you who have so generously taken the time to suggest
upgrades and modifications to our site. ANN has designed several options
that
you can utilize to configure our homepage to your personal preference, as
well as your computer's abilities. Let's examine a few of the many option
s we
have engineered to allow ANN readers to get more out of the Aero-News
experience.
One of the most important of our many options is the system we designed
to
allow ANN readers to customize the story layout and visuals associated
with the reading of our TopNews page -- you can select thumbnailed pictur
es,
full-size pictures, no pictures, story summaries (that we call "teasers")
,
full stories... you name it.
To customize the way your page is presented, first find the image display
toolbar at the very bottom of the Aero-News TopNews homepage. There; you'
ll
see several options.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
Our website defaults to the "Normal" settings (unlike our staff -- we're
still looking for ours and let's face it, there's NOTHING about our
Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell, that merits the word "normal") the first
time it is
viewed on your computer. This means that the day's top story will be
displayed in full at the -- wait for it -- top of the page, with thumbnai
l
graphics that the user can then click on to see the larger pictures in a
seperate
"pop-up" window.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
The headlines for the rest of the day's stories will be displayed below
the top article, as well as articles from the preceding days. Clicking on
any
of these will bring that article to the top, with the remaining articles
displayed below.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
Notice that you DO NOT have to use your browser's "BACK" buttons to go
back to an article you've just seen -- you only have to scroll down and
click
on that article's headline!
Do you want to see a brief description (teaser) of all those articles?
Then you only have to click on the "Headlines & Teasers" button under the
"Article Display" heading to the left of the toolbar...
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
...And you'll see the first several lines of each article displayed. If
you want to read the full article, you only need to click on the "Read Th
is
Story" link provided with each item.
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
(Now would also be a good time to mention that our new Associate Editor
was chosen for his... well, we're not sure what, exactly, but it's safe
to
say it wasn't for his drawing abilities.)
You can also configure the site to display ALL stories and items in full.
Can you guess how to do this?
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
We're not kidding, though... it's probably not a good idea to select this
option if your computer is older than Hognose's glasses, with anything le
ss
than a high-speed Internet connection. Dial-up? Fuggedaboudit. Our site
is
worth the wait, sure... but you'll get to the news you want MUCH quicker
if you select one of the other options.
Next, let's look at the Image Display options. These are listed along the
same lines as the text options, with choices of either thumbnail-sized
graphics (that you can click on to make larger,) fullsize graphics, or ev
en NO
graphics at all -- but what fun is it to read something without the prett
y
pictures (hey, just ask Hugh Hefner...)?
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
Think you can handle ALL the articles, with FULLSIZED graphics? Select
both "All" options, text AND graphics... and then stand back as your PC
explodes. No, not really... but now would be a good time to remind you,
ANN is
not responsible for damage to yourself or your computer (grin... it's all
about the bandwidth, baby.)
Want to save your personal viewing choices for the next time you visit ou
r
site? Simply click the "Remember these Settings" button, and as long as
your computer accepts cookies you'll see our site in the same format next
time, every time (unless you deselect that option)!
(mip://07130388/default.html#)
FMI: _www.aero-news.net_ (http://www.aero-news.net/)
____________________________________
Aero-News: Quote Of The Day (01.01.11)
Aero-News: Quote of the Day
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#) ANN's
Quote of the Day usually derives from current news, though we reserve the
right to pick quotes out of history that have a bearing on the day's even
ts and
issues.
Sometimes, you'll find them timely and in keeping with the content of the
day's news... and sometimes, they'll just be thought-provoking.
Reader suggestions and comments are welcome... and if particularly
intriguing, timely, or poignant, may themselves become future Quotes of
the Day.
Let us hear from you, folks!
Aero-News Quote of the Day
"Because maintaining and enforcing strict investigative protocols and
procedures is vital to the integrity of our investigative processes, we
have
revoked the party status of American Airlines and excused them from furth
er
participation in this incident investigation."
Source: NTSB Chair Deborah Hersman discussing a protocol breech by
American Airlines over a Flight Data Recorder.
FMI: _www.ntsb.gov_ (http://www.loremipsum.com/)
____________________________________
ANN's Daily Aero-Term (01.01.11): Radio Altimeter
Aero-Terms!
Aero-Terms are designed to be a daily reminder of the terms, names,
acronyms and explanations of the unique language that populates the aviat
ion
world. Aerospace, sport aviation, fixed wing, helo, you name it... it's
all
fair game.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Aero-Terms should serve as a quick but intriguing reminder of the terms
you may use every day, or an introduction to an aspects of the Aero-World
you
may not yet be familiar with. ANN also encourages readers to go beyond th
e
FMI link, and further research any intriguing terms.
_Suggestions for future Aero-Terms are ALWAYS welcome_
(http://mailto:publisher@aero-news.net/?subject=Aero-Term%20Comment/Sugg
estion) , as are
additions or discussion of the explanations given for each Aero-Term.
Radio Altimeter
Aircraft equipment which makes use of the reflection of radio waves from
the ground to determine the height of the aircraft above the surface.
FMI: _www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/pcg/R.HTM_
(http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/pcg/R.HTM)
____________________________________
ANN's Daily Aero-Term (01.01.11): TDWR=93 Terminal Doppler Weather
Radar
Aero-Terms!
Aero-Terms are designed to be a daily reminder of the terms, names,
acronyms and explanations of the unique language that populates the aviat
ion
world. Aerospace, sport aviation, fixed wing, helo, you name it... it's
all
fair game.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
Aero-Terms should serve as a quick but intriguing reminder of the terms
you may use every day, or an introduction to an aspects of the Aero-World
you
may not yet be familiar with. ANN also encourages readers to go beyond th
e
FMI link, and further research any intriguing terms.
_Suggestions for future Aero-Terms are ALWAYS welcome_
(http://mailto:publisher@aero-news.net/?subject=Aero-Term%20Comment/Sugg
estion) , as are
additions or discussion of the explanations given for each Aero-Term.
TDWR
Terminal Doppler Weather Radar. TDWR provides information on windshear,
microburst, and gust front activity in the vicinity of the airport.
FMI: _www.faa.gov_ (http://www.loremipsum.com/)
____________________________________
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (01.01.11)
Aero-Linx!
Scouring the information super airways can sometimes be a tough, if
educational, task for the Aero-News staff... but it also allows us to che
ck out
some truly neat and exciting sites, so it's not that bad a gig. On any gi
ven
day, we may check dozens (and often hundreds) of different sources for
story ideas, and facts confirmation. And, as is the nature of our busines
s,
much of this is done on the Internet.
(mip://07130388/default.html#) (mip://07130388/default.html#)
The ANN gang decided we probably shouldn't keep some of the neat sites,
info resources, and organizations we've discovered to ourselves... so we
decided to bring you Aero-Linx. These are the sites that WE check out --
when
we need added perspective, a new spin on a day's topic... or just want to
escape into cyber-aero-space for awhile.
Look for some of our favorite sites, coming each day to ANN via Aero-Linx
.
_Suggestions for future Aero-Linx segments are always welcome_
(http://mailto:publisher@aero-news.net/?subject=Aero-Linx%20Suggestions,
%20Comments,%20R
ecommendations) , as well.
Aero-Linx: The Aerospace Medical Association
The Aerospace Medical Association is an umbrella group providing a forum
for many different disciplines to come together and share their expertise
,
including Federal and international agencies, on a broad range of issues
including aviation and space medical standards, the aging pilot, and
physiological stresses of flight. Members include aerospace medicine spec
ialists,
flight nurses, physiologists, psychologists, human factors specialists,
and
researchers in this field. Most are with industry, civil aviation regulat
ory
agencies, departments of defense and military services, the airlines,
space programs and universities. Approximately 25% of the membership is
international.
FMI: _www.asma.org_ (http://www.asma.org/)
ANN Supporting Staff Roster
Birgit Pauli-Haack
Web Administrator/Designer
Aero-News Network
POB 305, Green Cove Springs, FL, 32043.
863-299-8680, _www.aero-news.net_ ()
ANN Aero-Casts
_/podcasts_ (mip://07130388/podcasts)
Provided to registered subscribers, Daily. ISSN: 1530-9339
For Subscribe/Unsubscribe procedures:
_/subscribe.cfm_ (mip://07130388/subscribe.cfm)
To ensure future delivery of Aero-News Network's "Propwash" E-Mail
newsletters to your inbox (and NOT to your junk or delete folders), pleas
e add our
"From" address (either _propwashtext@aero-news.net_
(mailto:propwashtext@aero-news.net) , _propwashhtml@aero-news.net_
(mailto:propwashhtml@aero-news.net) , or _propwashpdf@aero-news.net_ (ma
ilto:propwashpdf@aero-news.net)
-- depending on the type of newsletter you subscribe to) to your address
book or e-mail whitelist.
____________________________________
_editor@aero-news.net_ (mailto:editor@aero-news.net) For General
Mail, Story Ideas, Questions or Concerns _mktg@aero-news.net_
(mailto:mktg@aero-news.net) For Advertising and Marketing Topics
_news-spy@aero-news.net_ (mailto:news-spy@aero-news.net) For Hot News Tip
s
and Story Leads _news@aero-news.net_ (mailto:news@aero-news.net) For
Calendar Items, Press Releases or Questions about ANN News Coverage
_publisher@aero-news.net_ (mailto:publisher@aero-news.net) For All Web an
d Html
Related Topics- Corrections Welcome! _jim@aero-news.net_
(mailto:jim@aero-news.net) Want to Get Right to the Boss? This Is His Ad
dress
Get ANN's Free News Ticker
We have designed a small "portable" News Ticker that will offer current
ANN headlines about what is happening in the aviation world. It can be co
pied
to virtually any Web site (including YOURS!) on the Internet by simply
requesting the code and permissions from us. In addition to staying abrea
st
of the latest headlines, you can click on any one of these News Tickers,
no
matter who's site it is on, and then go directly to ANN to read the news,
in-depth, anytime you choose. You may request the code using our request
form by logging on to _www.aero-news.net/ANNTicker.cfm_
(mip://07130388/ANNTicker.cfm) For those of you with web sites, be sure
to drop us an e-mail at
_editor@aero-news.net_ (mailto:editor@aero-news.net) and we'll be sure
to
check out your site for inclusion in our link sites, shortly. AND... don'
t
forget to send your news and press releases to us via _news@aero-news.net
_
(mailto:news@aero-news.net) ! We want our coverage to include EVERY face
t
of aviation... so we need ALL the feedback we can get!
Please Forward This Issue
If you haven't already done so, please forward this issue to one or two
of
your friends or business associates. Thanks so much!
____________________________________
Aero-News Network, POB 305, Green Cove Springs, FL, 32043.
Phone: 863-299-8680. Mobile: 863-860-5790
Copyright (c) 1998-2010.
Please do NOT reprint, publish, or host on your Web site without our
explicit permission. However, if you found this newsletter helpful, we gr
ant you
permission, and strongly encourage you, to e-mail it (unmodified) to a
business associate or a friend. Thank you.
"Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, an
d
not something you do in your spare time." Marion Wright Edelman
____________________________________
Message 3
| INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
| PREVIOUS | Skip to PREVIOUS Message |
| NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
| LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
| SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
| Subject: | Official TeamGrumman-List Usage Guidelines |
Dear Listers,
Please read over the TeamGrumman-List Usage Guidelines below. The complete
TeamGrumman-List FAQ including these Usage Guidelines can be found at the
following URL:
http://www.matronics.com/FAQs/TeamGrumman-List.FAQ.html
Thank you,
Matt Dralle
Matronics Email List Administrator
******************************************************************************
TeamGrumman-List Usage Guidelines
******************************************************************************
The following details the official Usage Guidelines for the TeamGrumman-List.
You are encouraged to read it carefully, and to abide by the rules therein.
Failure to use the TeamGrumman-List in the manner described below may result
in the removal of the subscribers from the List.
TeamGrumman-List Policy Statement
The purpose of the TeamGrumman-List is to provide a forum of discussion for
things related to this particular discussion group. The List's goals
are to serve as an information resource to its members; to deliver
high-quality content; to provide moral support; to foster camaraderie
among its members; and to support safe operation. Reaching these goals
requires the participation and cooperation of each and every member of
the List. To this end, the following guidelines have been established:
- Please keep all posts related to the List at some level. Do not submit
posts concerning computer viruses, urban legends, random humor, long
lost buddies' phone numbers, etc. etc.
- THINK carefully before you write. Ask yourself if your post will be
relevant to everyone. If you have to wonder about that, DON'T send it.
- Remember that your post will be included for posterity in an archive
that is growing in size at an extraordinary rate. Try to be concise and
terse in your posts. Avoid overly wordy and lengthy posts and
responses.
- Keep your signature brief. Please include your name, email address,
aircraft type/tail number, and geographic location. A short line
about where you are in the building process is also nice. Avoid
bulky signatures with character graphics; they consume unnecessary
space in the archive.
- DON'T post requests to the List for information when that info is
easily obtainable from other widely available sources. Consult the
web page or FAQ first.
- If you want to respond to a post, DO keep the "Subject:" line of
your response the same as that of the original post. This makes it
easy to find threads in the archive.
- When responding, NEVER quote the *entire* original post in your
response. DO use lines from the original post to help "tune in" the
reader to the topic at hand, but be selective. The impact that
quoting the entire original post has on the size of the archive
can not be overstated!
- When the poster asks you to respond to him/her personally, DO NOT
then go ahead and reply to the List. Be aware that clicking the
"reply" button on your mail package does not necessarily send your
response to the original poster. You might have to actively address
your response with the original poster's email address.
- DO NOT use the List to respond to a post unless you have something
to add that is relevant and has a broad appeal. "Way to go!", "I
agree", and "Congratulations" are all responses that are better sent
to the original poster directly, rather than to the List at large.
- When responding to others' posts, avoid the feeling that you need to
comment on every last point in their posts, unless you can truly
contribute something valuable.
- Feel free to disagree with other viewpoints, BUT keep your tone
polite and respectful. Don't make snide comments, personally attack
other listers, or take the moral high ground on an obviously
controversial issue. This will only cause a pointless debate that
will hurt feelings, waste bandwidth and resolve nothing.
- Occasional posts by vendors or individuals who are regularly
subscribed to a given List are considered acceptable. Posts by
List members promoting their respective products or items for sale
should be of a friendly, informal nature, and should not resemble
a typical SPAM message. The List isn't about commercialism, but
is about sharing information and knowledge. This applies to
everyone, including those who provide products to the entire
community. Informal presentation and moderation should be the
operatives with respect to advertising on the Lists.
-------
[This is an automated posting.]
do not archive
Other Matronics Email List Services
These Email List Services are sponsored solely by Matronics and through the generous Contributions of its members.
-- Please support this service by making your Contribution today! --
|