Chilean Air Force commander denies hiding info about plane crash

 Jorge Rojas says the aircraft was in ‘perfect working order’ until the time of the crash.

In an attempt to put an end to probing investigations into the Juan Fernández Island plane crash, the head of the Chilean Air Force (FACh) on Wednesday denied the existence of any hidden vital information.

FACh Cmdr. Jorge Rojas met with Appeals Court Minister Juan Cristóbal Mera at 8 a.m. on Wednesday and gave him access to the military accident report. Mera was appointed to oversee the investigation. This comes two days after Defense Minister Andres Allamand gave FACh 48 hours to deliver all important information regarding the plane crash.

Shortly after the meeting, Rojas issued a brief statement asserting the institutional transparency of FACh.

“I want to emphasize on behalf of the Air Force in Chile that the information regarding the crash has never been a military secret,” Rojas told Radio Bio Bio. “I have given the minister the entire history of maintenance processes of the CASA 212 aircraft. Information which certifies that the system was in perfect working order until the time of the accident.” 

The plane carrying military personnel, a news team, officials of the National Council for Culture and the Arts and volunteers from the Lift Chile Challenge crashed into the sea on Sept. 5, 2011 near the Juan Fernández Island (also known as Robinson Crusoe Island). All 21 passengers on board were killed.

Following the crash, the military had been reluctant to reveal information regarding the plane and the circumstances of the crash, describing these details as military secrets. 

An investigation carried out by La Tercera revealed that the plane had at least one maintenance order pending before the crash occurred. This applies specifically toward a set of bolts connecting the two halves of the control column, which had been described by the pilot as in need of repair. 

Mera was also given access to inspect the remains of wreckage of the CASA 212 aircraft. 

Due to heightened public interest in story, Secretary General of the Government, Andrés Chadwick, has also stepped in the debate.

"The government's commitment is that all research is done as swiftly as possible,” Chadwick told Radio Cooperativa. “We want all the information to be available to the judge and to ensure there is total and absolute transparency."

Low-flying planes to spray for gypsy moths in Clark, Logan counties

The Ohio Department of Agriculture plans to dispatch low-flying airplanes in late April to spray 350 acres in Clark and Logan counties for gypsy moths.

The 100-acre Clark County target area is on Saint Paris Pike between Upper Valley Pike and Hominy Ridge Road. The 250 acres in Logan County are near East Liberty.

April 19 is the tentative first date of spraying, but the timing will depend on the weather.

The destructive moth has been spreading through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. Clark and Logan counties are in a transition zone between infested and uninfested areas.

In its caterpillar or larval stage, the gypsy moth “feeds on the leaves of trees and shrubs and is especially fond of oak,” said a department press release. “A healthy tree can usually withstand only two years of defoliation before it is permanently damaged.”

Ohio State University Extension Agent Pam Bennett says infestations are unpleasant.

“I can tell you that you don’t want these caterpillars on our trees and in our backyards,” Bennett said. “They are extremely messy to the point that you stand under an infested tree and literally hear their frass (leavings) drop from the tree.

“The longer we can keep them out the area, the better.”

The Department of Agriculture said it sprays affected areas with Foray, a “naturally occurring bacterium found in the soil that interferes with the caterpillars’ feeding cycles.”

Foray “is not toxic to humans, pets, birds or fish,” the release said.

Although fond of oaks, the moth feeds on more than 300 tree and shrub species.

Maps of the areas to be treated are listed by county at www.agri.ohio.gov, and updates on days of treatment are available by calling (614) 387-0907.

This summer, a 900-acre area of Clark County in the same vicinity will be treated in the mating disruption phase of the gypsy moth program.

2 US Marines killed, 2 injured in Morocco

RABAT, Morocco — Two U.S. Marines were killed and two severely injured in the crash of a hybrid aircraft in Morocco on Wednesday, officials said.

The Marines were taking part in joint U.S.-Moroccan military excercises located in the south of the country based in Agadir, said U.S. Embassy spokesman Rodney Ford in Rabat, who gave the toll.

Capt. Kevin Schultz, a Marine spokesman at the Pentagon in Washington, confirmed that the aircraft involved was an MV-22 Osprey, which takes off and lands like a helicopter and flies like an airplane. The aircraft was participating in a U.S.-Moroccan military exercise known as "African Lion."

The Osprey was flying from the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, a defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the matter is in the early stages of investigation.

The annual exercise which began in 2008 runs from April 7 to 18 and involves 1,000 U.S. Marines and 200 soldiers, sailors and airmen. They were working with some 900 Moroccan soldiers.

According to the U.S. Marine website, the exercise involved "everything from combined arms fire and maneuver ranges, aerial refueling and deliveries of supplies, to command post and non-lethal weapons training."

The main unit involved in the exercise is the 14th Marines, a reserve artillery regiment based in Fort Worth, Texas, but also includes members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

The goal of the exercise is to train the two countries' forces to work together.

Further information about the crash was being withheld until the next of kin of the killed and injured Marines were notified, said Rodney Ford, spokesman of the U.S. Embassy in Rabat.

The MV-22, a joint venture of Boeing Co. and Textron Inc.'s Bell Helicopter, is designed to carry 24 combat troops and fly twice as fast as the Vietnam War-era assault helicopters it was to replace.

The Osprey program was nearly scrapped after a history of mechanical failures and two test crashes that killed 23 Marines in 2000. But development continued, and the aircraft have been deployed to Iraq.

While the General Accounting Office questioned the Osprey's performance in a report last year, the Marine Corps has called it effective.

An Air Force version of the aircraft crashed in Afghanistan in April 2010, killing three service members and one civilian contractor.

___

Plane 'suffered fuel supply problems' before fatal crash in Salford killed pilot Ian Daglish

A light aircraft that crashed into two houses in Peel Green in Salford, killing the pilot, probably suffered a fuel supply problem, an air accident report revealed.

 No-one on the ground was hurt but the Piper PA38's pilot, Ian Daglish, 59, died later in hospital, the report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said.Mr Daglish's 19-year-old passenger Joel McNicholls was seriously hurt in the crash on the morning of July 29 last year.Leaving Manchester/Barton City Airport, the aircraft suffered an engine stoppage on take-off at about 200ft. It rolled to the left, with the extension roof of the first house most likely being struck by the aircraft's right wing. 

The underside of the aircraft then hit the side wall of a neighbouring house, with the wrecked and on-fire aircraft coming to rest in a driveway between the two homes.The AAIB report said: "The account of the passenger and the findings from the investigation support a fuel supply problem as being the most likely cause of the engine stoppage."The AAIB went on: "Although other potential causes for the engine stoppage could not be eliminated from the investigation, the most likely cause, based on the available evidence, was that stiffness of the fuel selector valve and wear on the rod connecting it to the selector handle, may have resulted in the valve being in an intermediate position during the take-off.

 "This would have reduced the fuel flow to a level too low to sustain continuous engine operation."The report added: "The suddenness of the engine stopping and the limited time available to react to it probably resulted in the pilot omitting to lower the nose before the aircraft stalled."Once the aircraft stalled, it is highly unlikely that he could have recovered the aircraft in the height available."Father-of-two Mr Daglish, from Alderley Edge, Cheshire, was a military historian and wrote a series of books about Second World War battles. He described himself on his website as a "battlefield mythbuster".Colin Maher, whose home was hit, said at the time that he had run into his garden and saw the plane alight.

 "I heard a man shout for help and just put a hosepipe on him," Mr Maher told the BBC.Man dies after light aircraft crashes into houses in SalfordParents' hopes as son hurt in Salford plane crash is brought out of coma

Read more at: http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1491041_plane-suffered-fuel-supply-problems-before-fatal-crash-in-salford-killed-pilot-ian-daglish

 

Man dies after light aircraft crashes into houses in SalfordParents' hopes as son hurt in Salford plane crash is brought out of comaSalford plane crash boy volunteered for flight just before take-off

Read more at: http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1491041_plane-suffered-fuel-supply-problems-before-fatal-crash-in-salford-killed-pilot-ian-daglish

Quick-thinking pilot shares his tale

AN 83-YEAR-OLD pilot has told of the terrifying moment he was forced to crash-land his home-made plane into trees near Coleambally last week.

Rudy Meyer, a retired Coly rice farmer whose extraordinary life is the subject of an upcoming book, was taking off in his home-made ultralight from the local airstrip about 9am on Thursday morning when disaster struck.

Mr Meyer lost control of the plane when luggage he had packed in the second cockpit of the aircraft came loose and jammed the controls.

With the plane flying about 12 metres above the ground, Mr Meyer had to act fast, ditching the plane in a clump of boree trees.

He remained conscious throughout the ordeal, even calmly calling his wife Dorothy on his mobile phone to tell her: “I’ve crashed the plane”.

Mr Meyer, who was heading to the Temora air show at the time, suffered a compound fracture of the right heel and a fracture of the left ankle heel and is likely to remain in the Canberra Hospital for up to three months.

Speaking to the Coly-Point Observer on Monday, Mr Meyer said the accident would not deter him from continuing his life-long passion for flying.

“I will fly again,” he declared. “Flying isn’t dangerous when you do the right thing.

“I remember just as I got airborne, some luggage came loose and pushed up against the joystick so I couldn’t move it.

“I tried to elevate the plane but I couldn’t and I hit the trees. I was very fortunate really, the wing took the brunt of the punishment and the fuel tanks didn’t ignite.”

-The Observer

Private airline steps in to carry Air Tanzania Company Limited passengers

Kigoma airport workers look at an ATCL aircraft 5H-MWG on April 9th

The Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) management has entered into an agreement with Precision Air to carry its already booked passengers for a week while finalizing the maintenance of another plane expected to start operations next month. 


This follows the crash of its plane while taking off at the lake side town of Kigoma on April 9th in which all the 35 passengers and crew aboard cheated death.

Speaking in an interview with The Guardian yesterday in Dar es Salaam ATCL’s Acting Managing Director Paul Chizi said they were depressed over the recent incident as they were gearing up to improve the company’s situation.

Chizi noted that they had agreed with Precision Air to carry its already booked passengers for a week.

“We decided to find other options that would see that our customers are never stranded because of lacking our services…we are collaborating with Precision Air to see that they transport our customers for one week, ” explained Chizi.

He said all the 35 passengers and crew aboard the ill-fated plane were transported back to Dar es Salaam and it would see to it that all its passengers who had previously booked with ATCL were transported as arranged.

“We had a meeting on Monday to see how we would resume services. The decision we reached is to find other options to ensure our customers who had earlier booked flights with us do not get stranded, hence we agreed with Precision Air to do so until all the passengers have been transported,” he said.

On Monday, 35 passengers and crew aboard an Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATC) flight ‘Ft 119’ from Kigoma to Dar es Salaam cheated death after the plane crashed on take-off at the lake-side town.

By David Kisanga, The Guardian 

Source: http://in2eastafrica.net

$3 Million Sent to Assist Lambert Cargo Campaign

CLAYTON (KMOX) – Efforts to land a cargo hub at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport are getting a $3 million cash infusion, though not everybody agrees with writing the check.

“That particular project is not strong enough or firm enough” to warrant the grant, St. Louis County councilwoman Colleen Wasinger said after casting the lone “no” vote Tuesday on steering community development block grant funds from Lemay to Lambert.

Wasinger stressed that she does have confidence in the Midwest Hub Commission and in its leaders, she just believes that the efforts are futile until state legislators step-up with support.

“It’s a band-aid until the state legislature takes up the issue, which I do not believe will happen this session,” she said. “It may very well happen next year.”

Improvements to be Made to Trenton-Mercer Airport Taxiway

Editor's Note: The following is a news release issued recently by the Mercer County administration.

Mercer County announces it received a New Jersey Department of Transportation grant of $25,625 to go toward the necessary engineering for rehabilitation and improvements to taxiways H, B and F at Trenton-Mercer Airport in Ewing.

This latest grant adds to the $973,750 received from the Federal Aviation Administration for the project, bringing the total, with the county’s apportionment, to $1,025,000. Work is scheduled to begin this summer.

“Mercer County is extremely pleased to have received this $1,025,000 grant for taxiway improvements at Trenton-Mercer Airport and we thank State DOT Commissioner James Simpson for his continued support,” said Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes. “We continue to make upgrades and improvements at Trenton-Mercer that keep our airport competitive with other regional airports and attractive to potential carriers, and we believe Trenton-Mercer is vital to the continued economic growth in Mercer County and the surrounding region.”

“Our public use airports fill an important niche in New Jersey’s vast and varied transportation network,” state DOT Commissioner James Simpson said. “Public use airports provide a recreational option for residents as well as convenience and mobility for businesses and their clients. Support of these facilities through state and federal grants helps promote economic growth.”

Hughes agreed. “Trenton-Mercer is an economic driver in our region that generates, according to a state study, more than $217 million in economic impact to our regional economy and generates more than 2,000 jobs in our area. For Mercer County alone, the airport provides $1.5 million in local property tax revenue.”

Improvements, which include lighting and draining upgrades, are important because these primary taxiways at Trenton-Mercer provide access and egress to some of the airport’s heaviest users. TTN is home to more than a dozen aviation tenants, including several Fortune 500 companies.

Zenith STOL - custom cargo belly pod for luggage

 by zenithairco on Apr 10, 2012 

Dennis Sapp's custom-built belly cargo pod for the Zenair STOL CH701 light sport utility kit plane adds to the versatility for the popular Zenith STOL "sky jeep" airplane.http://www.zenithair.com

Pilot walks away after Fargo plane belly landing

FARGO, N.D. (WTW) — A plane belly-landed at the Fargo airport when its landing gear didn't go down.

Assistant Fargo fire chief Leroy Skarloken says the pilot wasn't injured after the Tuesday night landing.

The pilot was flying a Beechcraft Bonanza. He wasn't identified. The plane wasn't carrying any passengers.

The cause of the landing gear problem isn't known.

The airport's operations weren't affected by the accident. On Wednesday morning its website says scheduled flights are arriving and departing on time.

Alleged pot pilot released on bail

FITCHBURG -- An Oregon man charged with trafficking about 75 pounds of marijuana into Fitchburg Municipal Airport on Sept. 27 was released on $5,000 bail after his arraignment in Worcester Superior Court on Tuesday morning.

Hoang Nguyen was already free on $50,000 bail set in Fitchburg District Court.

Nguyen pleaded not guilty to trafficking marijuana, according to District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.'s spokesman, Paul Jarvey.

Nguyen flew out of Santa Monica, Calif., to Grundy, Ill. where he refueled using cash and slept in his plane, court records state. A suspicious airport manager tipped off Homeland Security, which sent a plane to follow Nguyen.

State police troopers were waiting for Nguyen when he landed in Fitchburg.

Troopers and a police dog found three duffel bags filled with marijuana valued at about $370,000, as well as $77,000 in cash, an iPad and maps, Fitchburg District Court records state.

Nguyen worked as a flight trainer and then as a commercial pilot for SkyWest Airlines for five years, according to court documents.

If convicted, he could lose his plane.

Nguyen must check in with the Probation Department weekly while out on bail. His next scheduled court date is June 6.

Bomb threat forces jet to land at Comox: Korean Air Boeing 777-200, HL7734, flight KE-72

A Korean Air flight bound for Seoul from Vancouver International Airport with 134 passengers on board was intercepted by two U.S. Air Force fighter jets and forced to land in Comox Tuesday because of a bomb threat phoned to a U.S. call centre for the airline.

The plane was sitting at Comox Airport. Its crew of 13, headed by Canadian pilot Stow Andrew Chisholm, put the total at 147 people on board.

The passengers and crew were taken off the plane and into a hangar where they are being screened in a safe location, said 19 Wing Comox spokesman Lt. Trevor Reid.

"[Our] priority remains with the safety of the passengers and support to the RCMP, who are the lead agency for response to this situation," Reid said Tuesday evening. "Wing emergency personnel have responded to the location and secured the aircraft in accordance with standard procedures."

"There were no obvious injuries suffered by anyone on board and everyone is being taken care of," said Comox Mayor Paul Ives. Police, fire crews and B.C. Ambulance paramedics were at the scene.

"It's too early to tell if they are staying the night or headed back to Vancouver," Ives said, adding that 19 Wing Comox had enough space and sleeping quarters to accommodate them.

The threat was received around 3 p.m., about 25 minutes after takeoff from Vancouver.

The plane was diverted while it was over Haida Gwaii. Korean Air flight 72 was escorted into Comox at about 5: 30 p.m. by U.S. air force F-15 fighter jets scrambled from Portland, Oregon, the Victoria Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre said.

"Twenty-five minutes after take off from Vancouver International Airport, the U.S. call centre received a call that there was a threat on board the aircraft," Penny Pfaelzer, a spokeswoman for Korean Air, said in a statement.

"After discussion with the related departments, we decided to turn the aircraft."

On Monday, Korean Air flight 72 was delayed for two hours as authorities swept the plane, said James Koh, a Vancouver-based regional manager for the airline. "The RCMP and the Vancouver airport security checked our plane, but there were no problems, so our flight departed with a two-hour delay."

Military and commercial flights share the 10,000-foot runway at Comox Airport and military personnel operate the air control tower.

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines investigates Zest Air-Cebu Pacific wingtip collision

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Wednesday started a preliminary investigation on the wingtip-to-wingtip collision of Cebu Pacific and Zest Air airplanes in Puerto Princesa Airport late Tuesday.
 
In an interview with GMA News Online, Capt. Amado Soliman Jr., head of CAAP’s aircraft investigation inquiry board, said, “as per the report we got, the wingtips of both aircrafts have been damaged.”
 
Soliman noted the black box of both aircraft will be ‘read out’ in Singapore as part of the investigation.
 
A black box also known as a flight data recorder is a device use to record an aircraft’s performance parameter.
 
“Ang eroplano kasi hindi porke nakita mo na may damage ganun na lang ‘yun. Malalaman ang stress ng structure ‘pag na-read na ‘yung black box. We will be able to determine the G-force[s] that applied in the collision,” he explained.
 
“G-forces” push on a free-moving object, such as an airplane, with 1G equivalent to the force of normal gravity.
 
He did not say how much damage the budget carriers incurred from the accident. “We do not make estimation or assess damages.”
 
No one was reported hurt or injured in the incident.
 
Around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the wingtips of Zest Air and Cebu Pacific airplanes collided. The Zest Air aircraft was loading passengers, while the Cebu Pacific plane was taxiing out of the Puerto Princesa tarmac.
 
Asked when the investigation will be over, Soliman said that an accident investigation follows no time frame as a probe usually is “very fluid.”
 
A year earlier, a Cebu Pacific plane also figured in an accident in the same airport. One of its planes burst a tire upon nighttime landing when the plane touched down in a grassy area of the Puerto Princesa Airport. —VS, GMA News

One dead after crop duster plane crash in Moree

The pilot of a crop duster plane has died after it crashed and caught fire in a vacant paddock east of Moree on the Gingham Rd towards Mugindi.

Emergency services are on the scene and Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators are on their way.

Hector International Airport battling bird problem

Fargo, ND (WDAY TV) - Hector International Airport is battling a big threat: Birds. Pilots are now on the lookout even more after a recent flight was diverted and delayed after a bird hit a plane.
 
Hector International Airport is battling a big threat: Birds. Pilots are now on the lookout even more after a recent flight was diverted and delayed after a bird hit a plane.

Sanford Pilot Justin Fosberg says sometimes hitting a bird is hardly noticeable.

Justin Fosberg – Sanford Pilot: "Unless you saw it, you won't even know if you land."

The other times it can cause some serious damage.

Justin Fosberg: "Impact the wing, landing gear, at that point we return to the airport, have maintenance come out, take a look at it."

Crashing into animals sharing the skies is a risk pilots take when they take off Last week a red-tailed hawk crashed into a plane, delaying the flight for hours.

Justin Fosberg: "It's part of flying. That's where the birds live. It's where they are."

To prevent these problems, plans are in place nationally to keep birds from calling Hector International Airport home.

Shawn Dobberstein – Hector International Airport Manager: "To minimize insects and so forth by different spraying techniques."

Another one of the ways Hector battles birds is by keeping all this grass here nice and short. That stops birds from nesting here. If that doesn't work there are always fireworks.

Shawn Dobberstein: "Different shells, pistol, shotgun, there are companies that specialize in that."

Hector International Airport manager Shawn Dobberstein says the fight for the skies is endless, yet there's always ways to improve.

Shawn Dobberstein: "We send staff out to different training to find different techniques trying to minimize the effect birds have."

While research continues, communication is key to preventing pilots and passengers from potentially dangerous crashes.

Justin Fosberg: "Keep other pilots aware so if you do see any birds on takeoff to relay that information to the tower."

Hector also tries to prevent sunflowers from being planted near the airport. It's a big draw for birds.

The airport's insect sprays, fireworks, and grass-clipping techniques may sound threatening for the bird population, but they're perfectly safe says Doug Leier of North Dakota Game and Fish.

The insect sprays meet regulations. Leier says there's nothing to worry about, since most of the birds airports battle have a strong population.

Doug Leier – ND Game and Fish: "There is definitely a priority, and the priority is on human health and safety versus one individual animal."

The airport works with Game and Fish on a regular basis.

Plane lands without landing gear at Hector; pilot unhurt

FARGO – Crews are cleaning up an airport runway here after a plane made a belly landing at Fargo’s Hector International Airport.

A lone pilot was the only person on the plane. He was not injured, said Assistant Fire Chief Leroy Skarloken.

The Fargo Fire Department was called to a northeastern runway at the Hector International Airport about 7:30 tonight after reports of the plane’s landing gear not working.

“(The plane) bellied down into the runway,” Skarloken said.

The exact malfunction of the landing gear is not yet known.

Skarloken said the private plane was a type of Beechcraft Bonanza, with four to six seats for passengers.

The pilot was able to walk away from the crash and without destroying the plane, Skarloken said.

“Seems like he brought it in pretty well,” he said.

Although there was some debris on the runway, which Skarloken said will be cleaned off, the airport was not shut down.

All flights were listed as departing and arriving on time, according to the airport website.

Pilot pleads not guilty to flying pot into Fitchburg airport

WORCESTER — An Oregon man who allegedly piloted a small plane carrying 74 pounds of marijuana from California to Fitchburg last year pleaded not guilty to a marijuana trafficking charge this morning in Worcester Superior Court.

Hoang H. Nguyen, 31, was arrested Sept. 27 by state troopers and federal agents after the plane landed at the Fitchburg airport. A state police dog alerted authorities to the presence of narcotics and, after obtaining a search warrant, investigators said they found three duffel bags filled with marijuana, along with $77,000 in cash.

Documents on file in Fitchburg District Court indicate Mr. Nguyen, a former commercial pilot and flight instructor, left Santa Monica, Calif., on Sept. 26 and stopped at an airport in Grundy, Ill., to rest. An airport manager there contacted officials at the Homeland Security Air Marine Operations Center after seeing Mr. Nguyen pay cash for fuel and then sleep in his plane with two large suitcases, according to the documents.

A Homeland Security Interdiction Plane followed Mr. Nguyen's plane to Fitchburg, the records show.

State police said the marijuana had a bulk value of about $370,000.

Mr. Nguyen, formerly of Hillsboro, Ore., is now living in Garden Grove, Calif., according to records in Worcester Superior Court, where his case was transferred after he was indicted Feb. 9.

At the request of Assistant District Attorney Timothy M. Farrell and Mr. Nguyen's appointed lawyer, Leonard J. Staples, Judge James R. Lemire released Mr. Nguyen on previously posted bail of $5,000 cash and continued his case to June 6.

As a condition of release, Mr. Nguyen was ordered to report once a week to the Probation Department by telephone.

Jet Airways pilots warn Directorate General of Civil Aviation of legal action

Jet Airways pilots have warned of legal action against the country’s aviation regulator for allegedly tweaking safety rules that decide the flight duty hours of the crew to suit commercial interest of airlines. On Monday, the Society for Welfare of Indian Pilots (SWIP), a body formed by pilots from the largest domestic carrier, served notice to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) demanding withdrawal of last minute amendments of the rules in view of passenger safety.

The legal notice, a copy of which is available with HT, states that the DGCA has been deliberately making changes in the new rules in the name of giving “clarifications” to Air India and Jet Airways.

The new rules originally scheduled to come into effect by February 15 were implemented only on March 25. Currently, the rules are applicable on domestic operations and short-haul (more than 10 hours) international flights. Both Jet Airways and AI have been allowed to operate long-haul international flights according to previous rules.

The concessions granted to Jet Airways and AI include allowing them to fly without an extra pilot as mandated by the new rules for long-haul flights and doing away with the provision of providing the crew two nights rest before their next duty.

“This is blatant disregard of passenger safety which ought to be the primary concern while having such rules,” said a SWIP member requesting anonymity.

Salinas plane crash victim was FAA traffic controller: N45R, Extra 300

The Salinas resident who died in the Easter Sunday crash of an aerobatic, single engine plane east of the Salinas Municipal Airport was an air traffic controller at the Monterey Regional Airport tower, FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer confirmed on Tuesday.

David Gary Ostendorf, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the 7 a.m. crash. He was originally from Minnesota.

“He was outstanding” as person and a co-worker, Monterey tower office manager Sandi Edwards said on Tuesday.

The pilot was identified as George Alfred Mellone III, 32, of Yuma, Arizona. 

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 45R        Make/Model: E300      Description: EXTRA FLUGZEUGBAU GMBH EA-300
  Date: 04/08/2012     Time: 1357

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: SALINAS   State: CA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A FIELD , THE 2 PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED, 
  3 MILES FROM SALINAS, CA

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   2
                 # Crew:   2     Fat:   2     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    


OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: SAN JOSE, CA  (WP15)                  Entry date: 04/09/2012 

NTSB: Pilot overwhelmed by g-forces in Reno crash

The pilot of the P-51 Mustang that crashed at an air show in Nevada last September experienced overwhelming g-forces during the onset of the incident, and was incapacitated almost instantly, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

The NTSB said the pilot experienced more than 9 g's of force -- meaning nine times the force of gravity -- which is well beyond the ability of the human body to remain conscious. The force deformed the plane's fuselage, forced the tail wheel to deploy and likely resulted in the plane's trim tab -- a piece of the plane's tale -- to fly off the aircraft, the safety board said.

The pilot of the Galloping Ghost and 10 spectators were killed in the September 16 crash. In addition, more than 60 spectators were injured.

The safety board released details on the crash at a news conference in Reno, but said it would be months before it determines the probable cause of the accident. Nonetheless, the board issued a number of recommendations it said should make conditions safer before the next Reno Air Race scheduled in September.

Foremost among the recommendations: the NTSB said all of the unlimited class aircraft like the P-51 Mustang should be made to demonstrate their airworthiness before participating in a public air race.

The P-51 aircraft, The Galloping Ghost, was flying the fastest it had ever flown on the Reno course since the plane had been modified in 2009, the safety board said.

"This pilot, in this airplane, had never flown this fast on this course," said NTSB chairwoman Deborah Hersman.

Tuesday's news conference also cast strong doubt on at least two widely-held beliefs about the accident.
The first was that 74-year-old pilot Jimmy Leward took desperate, last-minute actions to avoid hitting the crowds in the grandstands. The NTSB said that Leward was likely incapacitated in the first second of the accident sequence. The plane experienced g-forces exceeding the 9-g limit of the plane's accelerator, Hersman said. It is difficult for trained pilots to remain conscious with even 5 g's, Hersman said.

Photos show the pilot is not visible in the canopy just two seconds into the accident sequence, and is seen bent forward and leaning to the right in a later photo, Hersman said, indicating he lost consciousness early in the mishap.

Tuesday's news conference also refuted theories that the loss of the plane's trim tab caused the plane crash. Photos show the trim tab departing the plane six seconds after the accident sequence began, meaning its departure was likely a result of the mishap, not its cause.

Hersman noted that the aircraft was highly modified to improve its speed. Its 37-foot wingspan had been reduced to 29 feet.

A lot of work remains to be done before the safety board rules on the probable cause of the accident, Hersman said.

"This is an ongoing investigation," she added. "What we're seeing is a lot of very heavy forces on this aircraft and this pilot and what we're working on now is what precipitated that."


NTSB Identification: WPR11MA454
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, September 16, 2011 in Reno, NV
Aircraft: NORTH AMERICAN/AERO CLASSICS P-51D, registration: N79111
Injuries: 11 Fatal,66 Serious. 
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
On September 16, 2011, about 1626 Pacific daylight time, an experimental North America P-51D, N79111, impacted terrain following a loss of control while maneuvering at Reno Stead Airport, Reno, Nevada. The airplane was registered to Aero-Trans Corp, Ocala, Florida, and operated by the pilot as Race 177 under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Casualties on the ground included 10 fatalities and 74 injured. As of the time of this preliminary report, eight of the injured remain hospitalized, some in critical condition. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed for the local air race flight, which departed from Reno Stead Airport about 10 minutes before the accident.

The airplane was participating in the Reno National Championship Air Races in the last event of the day. The airplane had completed several laps and was in a steep left turn towards the home pylon when, according to photographic evidence, the airplane suddenly banked momentarily to the left before banking to the right, turning away from the race course, and pitching to a steep nose-high attitude. Witnesses reported and photographic evidence indicates that a piece of the airframe separated during these maneuvers. After roll and pitch variations, the airplane descended in an extremely nose-low attitude and collided with the ground in the box seat area near the center of the grandstand seating area.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration examined the wreckage on site. They documented the debris field and identified various components of the airplane’s control system and control surfaces. The wreckage was removed to a secure storage facility for detailed examination at a later date.

The airplane’s ground crew noted that the airplane had a telemetry system that broadcast data to a ground station as well as recorded it to a box on board the airplane. The crew provided the ground station telemetry data, which includes engine parameters and global positioning satellite system data to the NTSB for analysis. The onboard data box, which sustained crush damage, was sent to the NTSB’s Vehicle Recorder laboratory for examination. Investigators recovered pieces of a camera housing and multiple detached memory cards from the airplane’s onboard camera that were in the debris field. The memory cards and numerous still and video image recordings were also sent to the Vehicle Recorders laboratory for evaluation.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Reno Air Race Association are parties to the investigation.

NTSB releases recommendations for air races

RENO, Nev. (AP) - Air race pilots should take their modified aircraft on a dry run before participating in certain types of competitions and should possibly wear flight suits to help them withstand high gravitational forces, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

The recommendations were among seven the board offered during a news conference in Reno, nearly six months after a crash at the Reno National Championship Air Races that killed 11 people and seriously injured more than 70 spectators.

"We are not here to put a stop to air racing," said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman. "We are here to make it safer."

Investigators are still trying to piece together exactly why 74-year-old Jimmy Leeward's souped-up P-51 Mustang rocketed straight up before pitching nose first onto the tarmac just feet from a VIP viewing area on Sept. 16. Officials say that technical finding could take months.

The NTSB said telemetry data shows the plane was traveling at 530 mph when it pitched violently upward, exerting a force of at least nine times the normal force of gravity on the pilot's body, or 9 Gs. The NTSB said that appears to have incapacitated the pilot as blood rushed from his brain.

By comparison, experts say, F-16 fighter pilots, who wear special suits to counter the G-forces, can typically take 9 Gs, but only for a limited time. And those are modern planes designed with tilted seats intended to help keep blood flow to the brain. Average roller coasters expose riders to about 2 to 3 Gs, but only for brief moments.

Leeward was not wearing a special G-suit as he piloted the World War II-era aircraft.

"We know very well that that is at the limit for human beings, and it is very difficult for people to maintain awareness at 5 Gs - 9 Gs is significant," she said. "But more importantly is the rapid onset in less than a second of this increased load."

The board recommends that race organizers provide training to pilots on how to mitigate the effects of high G-forces. Board members also want organizers to see whether it's feasible to require the flight suits during the races.

A Houston-based attorney who represents 18 victims and family members in a lawsuit filed in Texas against the pilot's family, a mechanic on the aircraft and the Reno Air Racing Association said the recommendations were encouraging.

"There's never been a call to end air racing, but it can be done much more safely," said Tony Buzbee, whose lawsuit seeks tens of millions of dollars in damages.

Officials say Leeward's plane, the "Galloping Ghost," was heavily modified and had never been flown as fast as he was racing it that day on that course. To ramp up the aircraft's speed, the plane's wingspan had been shortened from about 37 feet to about 29 feet, and flight controls were changed.

The safety board recommended that aircraft owners flying in the "unlimited class" provide an engineering evaluation when they race a plane with major modifications and test it out before the day of the event.

"Our investigation found that this pilot in this airplane had never flown this fast on this course," Hersman said.

The NTSB also called on the Federal Aviation Administration to correct what it said were numerous errors and discrepancies in its guidance for race course designs, including the distance that spectators should be from the edge of the course. The FAA said it was already acting on the NTSB recommendation.

Hersman said it's possible that putting more distance between the planes and the spectators could have helped, but stopped short of saying the tragedy could have been prevented by such a change. "I don't think we can say what the outcome would have been," she said.

The Reno Air Racing Association is moving ahead with plans to hold the event this fall at Reno Stead Airport. It's the only event of its kind, where planes of fly wing-tip-to-wing-tip around an oval, aerial pylon track, sometimes just 50 feet off the ground and at speeds that can top 500 mph.

An FAA team will conduct a review of Reno Air Racing Association operations, the race course and proposed spectator areas, the agency said.

The recommendations will also be helpful to organizers of other air shows as the aerial events season begins, NTSB spokesman Nicholas Worrell said.

Few leads, no suspects in Mulia runway rampage: Police

Ambushed: The Twin Otter aircraft of domestic carrier Trigana Air is seen with its front resting on a building at the airport of Mulia town after gunmen fired on the plane as it landed. 

Picture: AFP 

The police say they have few leads in the attack on a civilian aircraft by gunmen in Papua on Sunday, casting doubts on government efforts to bring peace to the country’s easternmost region.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saud Usman Nasution said in Jakarta on Monday that investigators had no significant leads in the incident at Mulia Airport in Puncak Jaya.

Saud said that neither could the police connect the runway shooting with other deadly incidents in the regency. “We are still working on that.”

Meanwhile, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s spokesman, Julian Aldrin Pasha, said the incident indicated the continued volatility in Papua.

“The President has received reports about the incident and he was shocked. The President has ordered the security authorities to launch a special probe to address the incident,” Julian told reporters at the Presidential Office on Monday.

A Twin Otter plane operated by privately run Trigana Air was attacked by gunmen on Sunday morning, shortly after it landed at Mulia Airport in Puncak Jaya.

The plane crashed into a nearby warehouse after the pilot lost control. Leiron Kogoya, a journalist from the Papua Pos, died from a gunshot wound to the neck, while four other people onboard, including the pilot and first officer, were injured.

“Attacks on commercial aircraft are a serious threat. We are dealing with armed groups. The perpetrators must be brought to court. In the meantime, the authorities will guarantee that the situation is sufficiently conducive for residents to conduct their daily activities,” Julian added.

At the same airport in October 2011, Mulia Police chief Adj. Comr. Dominggus Octavianus Awes was shot dead by an unidentified assailant who fled with his pistol.

The police have not identified or arrested suspects in a host of violent incidents in Papua and West Papua, including attacks on police officers and journalists.

Leiron, the Papua Pos reporter, was the third person killed in Puncak Jaya in 2012. A civilian and an officer assigned to a National Police Mobile Brigade special operations unit were also shot dead by unknown assailants in January in separate incidents.

Neither has anyone been arrested for the killings of seven people in Mulia in 2011, or for the six slain in 2010.

Lt. Gen. (ret) Bambang Darmono, the chairman of the Special Unit for the Acceleration of Development in Papua and West Papua (UP4B), said the Trigana incident would unlikely have any repercussions. “I just returned from Mulia. I saw people living normal lives as if there had never been a shooting. The local market was packed and everything looked normal,” he said.

The UP4B is tasked with accelerating infrastructure development and coordinating central and regional government programs in mountainous areas of Papua where 1.5 million indigenous people live.

Poengky Indarti, director of the human rights watchdog Imparsial, questioned government efforts to improve security in Puncak Jaya.

“The area is proven to be vulnerable to attacks,” she said.

The Trigana attack might have been orchestrated by those who wanting to benefit from sowing chaos in the region, she added.

Source:  http://www.thejakartapost.com

Safety fears after crack on Scottish ambulance helicopter rotor blade

SCOTLAND’S air ambulance helicopters are undergoing daily checks after a safety scare where a crack was found on a rotor blade – a defect experts claim could cause the aircraft to crash.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) issued an emergency alert over the Eurocopter EC135 model after a fault was found with one of the Scottish Ambulance Service’s two aircraft.

Daily inspections are now being carried out on the helicopters, based at Inverness and Glasgow.

The crack on the main rotor blade was discovered during a routine inspection and led Easa to order a worldwide inspection of about 1,000 helicopters of the same model.

The Scottish Ambulance Service said its helicopters were “safe and serviceable”.

A spokesman said: “The part was replaced immediately and Bond is carrying out detailed daily inspections of the aircraft in line with the Easa directive.”

It is the second time in two years that the safety of the EC135 model has raised concerns.

In October 2010 air safety bosses warned that part of the transmission to the main rotor was not up to standard.

The latest fault was a crack on the lower hub-shaft flange of a main rotor hub shaft.

A report by Easa said an engineering and laboratory investigation has already found that deformed safety pins used to secure blade bolts could have caused them to rotate.

It adds: “This condition, if not detected and corrected, could lead to further crack propagation, possibly resulting in main rotor hub failure and consequent loss of the helicopter.

“The investigation is on-going and the cause of the cracking has not been determined year.”

Easa has ordered safety inspected to be carried out on aircraft before their first flight each day while the investigation continues.

The agency said the fault could also affect Eurocopter’s EC635 model, an aircraft used by the Swiss air force and the armed forces of Jordan and Iraq.

A spokesman for Bond Air Services said it was working with Eurocopter to identify the exact cause of the defect and was doing all it could to comply with the new safety orders.

He added: “Upon detecting a crack during a scheduled maintenance check on one of our EC135 helicopters, we followed our safety plan and immediately notified Eurocopter and our client, the Scottish Air Ambulance Service.

“A special check of all our EC135s was immediately carried out before their next flight, without a further finding.

“Eurocopter also promptly initiated a worldwide EC135 fleet inspected, which has confirmed this, up to now, the only occurrence across the worldwide fleet in over 2.3 million flight hours since the first helicopter was manufactured over 15 years ago.

The two EC135s were handed to the Scottish Ambulance Service in 2000. The organisation also has two fixed-wing planes,.

Based in Inverness and Glasgow they respond to emergency calls such as road accidents and requests from remote, rural or island clinicians to provide speedy medical care and transportation to mainland hospitals.

http://www.scotsman.com

Augusta-area airports close out high-volume Masters Week

Masters Week ramps up the volume of customers for restaurants and hotels, and the airports are no different.

Officials at Daniel Field, Augusta Regional Airport, Thomson-McDuffie Regional Airport and Aiken Municipal Airport all agreed that this year’s tournament week brought excellent traffic levels and smooth logistics.

Statistics and exact numbers won’t be available for several weeks, but Becky Shealy, Daniel Field’s vice president for business development, said this year’s numbers should be high.

Wednesday seemed to be the busiest day, Shealy said, followed by Friday as, she assumed, visitors wanted to be home for the weekend. On Friday, there were more than 100 airplanes parked at Daniel Field.

The high volume of traffic through Daniel Field and other regional airports is especially notable this year, she said, since Masters Sunday coincided with Easter.

“Anytime Masters falls on Holy Week, that Sunday we’re a little slower,” she said. “Wednesday through Friday, though, were incredible.”

Keith Bounds, the manager for the Thomson-McDuffie Regional Airport, said his airport had great traffic numbers this year but definitely saw an impact from the Easter weekend.

“It was still a great week, but we never really ran out,” he said. “We’re assuming that’s because of the Easter holiday.”

Masters Week brought in a significant amount of extra traffic at Aiken Municipal Airport, said Mike Laver, the owner of Aiken Aviation Enterprises Inc., which operates the airport.

“We believe that we had twice as many airplanes as last year,” Laver said. “I think people are traveling more again in corporate jets. There was a period on Friday where we had airplanes landing every few minutes.”

At one point, Laver said he counted 50 jets parked at Aiken Municipal Airport, not including others that had already come and gone. He is still compiling a final count.

Corporate jet travel has been rebounding in the past few years, after travel “totally deteriorated” from 2007 and 2008 with the economic downturn, he said.

“This year, we’re back to seeing huge numbers,” Laver said.

He added that he received a call Friday asking whether Aiken Municipal Airport had available space because airports in Augusta and Thomson had reached their parking capacities.

He also attributes the increase in traffic to facilities and services recently added to Aiken Municipal Airport. In January, an instrument landing system was installed, and a new lighting system was completed a week before the tournament, he said.

New facilities have also been added, and runways were recently painted. The instrument landing system, in particular, has been an asset.

“In a lot of cases, some of the large, corporate flight departments will not plan to go into an airport that doesn’t have these services and facilities. The airport is looking good, and we have good capacity here,” Laver said. “When it all boils down, we’re really not a lot further in time from the Augusta National than the other airports.”

Augusta Regional Airport communications manager Lauren Smith said there were no major delays, and airport officials expected to see many travelers leave Augusta through Monday and into Tuesday.

“We still consider it a Masters travel day,” she said.

http://chronicle.augusta.com

Recovered bomber: 'There's Canadian blood in that aluminum'

OTTAWA — After a half century rusting at the bottom of a Belgian swamp, Canadian Halifax bomber LW682 will shine again, but this time atop the Bomber Command memorial in London.

Aluminum from the vintage warplane will be formed into sheets and used to make the memorial's roof.

A uniquely Canadian contribution to the grand new memorial — the largest built in London in 200 years — the edifice's history-soaked roof holds special meaning for Karl Kjarsgaard.

"There's Canadian blood in that aluminum," he said. "We know that wreckage contains (the crew's) essence."

A director of the Bomber Command Museum of Canada — located near his home in Nanton, Alta., 98 kilometres south of Calgary — Kjarsgaard has made it his personal mission to recover and restore downed Halifax bombers wherever they may be.

Shot down over Nazi-occupied Belgium in May of 1944, Halifax LW682 crashed into a swamp. All eight crewman — seven Canadians and one Briton — perished. Five bodies were recovered and buried by German troops while the remaining three were lost to the bog when the plane sank.

In 1997, with a grant from Heritage Canada, Kjarsgaard led a group called Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada) to Belgium to recover the bomber. After draining the swamp and digging down almost eight metres, they struck pay dirt.

Read more:  http://www.edmontonjournal.com

"Missing Man" Formation - Gamla Uppsala Kyrka

by Sundbro Ponderosa on Apr 9, 2012 

Missing Man" flygning över Gamla Uppsala Kyrka 30 mars 2012

Poles protest president's plane crash outside Russian Embassy

PROTESTERS have set fire to an effigy of Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, claiming the 2010 plane crash in Russia in which Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others died was an assassination.

Supporters of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the dead president's twin brother, rallied in front of the Russian Embassy in Warsaw today (yesterday local time) - the eve of the anniversary of the April 10, 2010, crash.

They said they do not believe the crash was an accident, as probes by Russian aviation authorities and Poland's government commission have concluded.

Kaczynski, the leader of the opposition nationalist Law and Justice party, has been fuelling assassination theories.

His backers also protested in front of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's and President Bronislaw Komorowski's offices.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au

A More Affordable Private Jet

Victor CEO Clive Jackson on his new private jet charter service

SeaRey - Almost Done! Chesapeake Sport Pilot, Bay Bridge Airport (W29), Stevensville, Maryland

The SeaRey will be on display at the Bay Bridge Boat show April 19-22nd at the Bay Bridge Marina.  

Read more: http://www.chesapeakesportpilot.com

Air Tanzania’s only plane crashes in Kigoma after bodged takeoff attempt, 39 passengers and crew all survive

The financial input by the government of Tanzania into a rescue attempt for ATCL has yesterday come crashing down, pun fully intended, when the airlines single operating plane, a Bombardier Q300 crashed upon a bodged takeoff attempt in Kigoma, according to reports from a regular aviation source in Dar es Salaam.   Thankfully there were no casualties reported amongst the 39 passengers and crew of flight TC119 but the aircraft suffered severe damage to the hull, the undercarriage and had one engine and part of the wing torn off, resulting in a probably write off for the plane.   

Perhaps the government now sees that they have been flogging a dead horse.

Read more:  https://wolfganghthome.wordpress.com/

Florida-Based Silver Air May Replace Colgan Air at Bridgeport, Morgantown Airports

We've told you that Colgan Air is dropping its service from three of West Virginia's airports including those in Bridgeport and Morgantown but will continuing to serve them until the airports find a substitute.

North Central West Virginia Airport Interim Director Rick Rock said Florida-based Silver Air has bid on the service through the Essential Air Service program.

Rock said Silver keeps its planes at Dulles in Washington so it may make plans more accessible but overall the changes will be minimal.

"Schedule will be the same," Rock said. "So the average customer is not going to see a lot. But hopefully they'll see an improvement in the operational effectiveness."

Silver is the only airline that bid on the service.


http://www.wboy.com

Sheriff's volunteer pilot alleged to transport illegal aliens. Imperial County Airport (KIPL), California

By SILVIO J. PANTA | Imperial Valley Press

A volunteer pilot with the sheriff’s Air Squadron is among four defendants who face federal charges in connection with the alleged transporting of undocumented immigrants, officials said Thursday.

Philip Kubeck, a 52-year-old Calexico resident, was arraigned last week along with two other co-defendants in El Centro federal court following their arrest Saturday for allegedly trying to smuggle a group of six immigrants who were here illegally at the Imperial County Airport.

Kubeck is suspected of getting paid $10,500 for a flight to Salinas with undocumented immigrants on board that day, court records read.

A fourth defendant who was also arrested in a separate incident at the airport that same day was 38-year-old Lionel Ramirez, who Border Patrol authorities believe is a pilot tied to the attempted smuggling of more undocumented immigrants.

Kubeck, who Imperial County Undersheriff Fred Miramontes said was with the squadron since 2005, posted bail. He and co-defendants Antonio Alvarez-Naja and Claudia Rivas-Heras, two Mexican nationals who have not posted bail, faces charges of illegally transporting aliens, harboring illegal aliens and aiding and abetting, according to the criminal complaint.

The next court appearance for all four defendants is Thursday.

On July 15, Border Patrol authorities saw a vehicle later determined to be registered to Kubeck leave a suspected stash house and head to the county airport, according to the complaint.

Six people exited Kubeck’s vehicle and ran toward an airplane they boarded before it quickly went airborne. Kubeck not only piloted the aircraft but “is the most frequent pilot of the airplane,” the complaint read.

Border Patrol agents conducting surveillance at the county airport last weekend spotted a group of four people “hastily” walk toward an airplane followed by two others with Kubeck opening the pedestrian gate for them, the court record reported.

“The six individuals and Kubeck entered the plane and Kubeck closed the door to the airplane,” the complaint read.

Material witnesses, identified as Antonia Manjarrez-Camacho, Arturo Sanchez-Ramirez and Salvador Garcia-Avalos — all of whom were here illegally — told authorities they were going to pay about $1,500 each to be flown to the Salinas Airport, the complaint read. It did not specify whether Kubeck was to a receive all, or a portion of, that money.

The court record did say Manjarrez and Sanchez have been passengers on flights Kubeck piloted in the past. In addition, Alvarez told authorities that he had been in contact with Kubeck and agreed to pay him $10,500 for the flight to Salinas.

“Alvarez stated this was the fourth time he has used a charter flight with the same pilot to circumvent U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints,” the court record reported. Alvarez identified Kubeck as the pilot in an alleged smuggling event of which authorities took a photo, according to the record.

Miramontes said this is the only time a volunteer pilot with the squadron was arrested in connection with flying undocumented immigrants. Kubeck is no longer a member of the volunteer air squadron, Miramontes said.

While he was careful to note that Kubeck’s alleged role in the smuggling case is the isolated act of “one individual,” Miramontes said Kubeck’s arrest has nothing to do with the squadron of 20 volunteers, most of whom are retired.

As the pilots are volunteers, “they are governed by themselves,” Miramontes said.

“This is the first time this has happened,” the undersheriff said of the squadron. “It doesn’t mean the group is bad.”

U.S. Border Patrol Agent Adrian Corona said that authorities “do see this as a threat” and are going to use whatever resources in keeping a watchful eye on airports in the Imperial Valley.

Corona declined to give too many specifics about the investigation, but said surveillance of the airports has stepped up since 2010.

Anyone who knows of suspicious activity going on can call the Border Community Threat Hotline at 1-800-901-2003.

Source:  http://articles.ivpressonline.com

Kings Point, Florida: Seaplane makes emergency landing - No injuries reported

This seaplane made an emergency landing in the Kings Point community. 

(Ari Hait/WPBF)

KINGS POINT, Fla. - A seaplane made an emergency landing late Monday afternoon, WPBF 25 News has learned.

Few details were immediately available, but WPBF reported the landing happened in a lake or a canal near the intersection of Linton Boulevard and Jog Road in Kings Point.

The pilot set the plane down in a body of water shortly after 4 p.m., Capt. Don DeLucia, spokesman for Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, said.

There were no injuries, DeLucia said.

Gulfstream hires former Navy test pilot to safety officer position created after fatal crash

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. has hired a former Navy test pilot to be its first aviation safety officer, a position the business jet manufacturer created after four employees were killed in a crash a year ago.

The Savannah-based company announced Monday that the job will be filled by Tom Huff, a pilot with more than 25 years of experience who retired from the Navy earlier this year. Huff's last job in the military was commanding the Maryland-based Naval Test Wing, Atlantic.

He comes to Gulfstream after one of the company's G650 jets crashed in New Mexico in April last year. Investigators said the plane went down after takeoff as the crew was simulating an engine failure. Four employees died.

Gulfstream says Huff will have independent safety oversight over its flight operations.

http://www.therepublic.com

Kingfisher employees get salaries after 4 months

MUMBAI: A large section of Kingfisher Airlines employees, including pilots and engineers, received their salaries today after a delay of nearly four months, airline sources said on Monday.

"In fact, we paid the salaries of all employees on April 4 itself. However, due to some back-end problem in one of the banks, a section of employees could not get it then," they said.

Chairman of the crisis-hit airline Vijay Mallya had on last Tuesday assured his employees that their salaries would be disbursed in a staggered manner from April 4 to 10.

The airline has salary accounts in HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and ICICI.

Besides, the airline has also paid the second instalment of Rs 9 crore towards the TDS as per the directives of the Tax tribunal, the sources said. The airline has outstanding dues of about Rs 349 crore.

Mallya is also understood to have informed DGCA about the payments made, as the aviation regulator had expressed concern that delays in salaries would impact Kingfisher's operations and affect the air travellers.

Facing the heat from employees, particularly the pilots and engineers who had had put the airline on notice by giving a deadline of April 20 to clear all their pending dues, Mallya had issued an e-mail to pacify the agitating staff.

Admitting that the salaries were "seriously overdue", Mallya in his letter promised to pay their salaries and other dues in a staggered manner, saying the problem had arisen as its bank accounts were frozen by tax authorities.

The tax authorities had last week de-freezed the accounts on March 31 after the airline paid Rs 44 crore to the Income Tax department and another Rs 20 crore to the Service Tax authorities. 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com