Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Major safety training exercise at Asheville Regional Airport (KAVL), North Carolina

ASHEVILLE — Asheville Regional Airport public safety officials will conduct a major safety training exercise Thursday at the airport.

Area fire departments, law enforcement agencies, emergency medical personnel and hospitals from Buncombe and Henderson counties will take part in the training focusing on disaster response.

The training, which takes place every three years, is required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

“Our first priority is passenger safety, and the purpose of this practice is to continue our training and to work with our mutual aid partners from both Henderson and Buncombe counties,” said airport Public Safety Chief Jeff Augram.

The training is set for 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will not disrupt operations, airport spokeswoman Amy Burritt said. Announcements will be made letting travelers know that emergency activities they may see or hear are training exercises, she said.

Free as a bird: Videos taken by the Barefoot Bandit himself shows what he saw as he stole planes and cars across the United States



Self-shot video of the 'Barefoot Bandit' on his cross-country theft spree has emerged, giving a fascinating look into what Colton Harris-Moore's life was like during his two-year spell on the run. In the videos, obtained by KOMO News, Harris-Moore captured the raindrops on the wind shield of one of the many cars he stole, and the views of islands off South Carolina from the cockpit of a plane- far from his Washington state home. Harris-Moore was finally caught by police in the Bahamas on July 11, 2011 when police were forced to shoot the engine of a boat that he was using to try to escape.

One video is clearly shot from the cockpit of a single-engine plane, and when it pans to the instrument panel it is clear that he is flying 17,500 feet over the South Carolina coast near the resort town of Hilton Head. His destination on that flight appears to be Treasure Cay in the Bahamas which may place that as his final journey that eventually ended his two years on the run. He crash-landed the plane off Abaco Island, and was caught by police shortly after. The variety in the videos gives a glimpse into how extensive his crime spree truly was. One video shows him in the driver's seat of a car, surrounded by open fields and listening to a country music song on the radio.

Though there are no road signs for clues, the call signs from the radio station hint that the video in question was shot in Boise, Idaho. Another contrast in scenery is one video where he is seemingly playing laser tag in a very vegetated forest. The red flickers of lasers appear sporadically. Harris-Moore was locked up in January, following a two-year, international crime spree of break-ins, and boat and plane thefts, earning his nickname because he regularly went about his crimes with no shoes on.

His law-breaking captivated the country and frustrated authorities, baiting detectives with messages left at crime scenes. But it ended in a storm of bullets in the Bahamas in 2010, when he was arrested after crash-landing a plane stolen from an Indiana airport. Prior to hearing his sentence, Harris-Moore apologized to his victims and for bragging about his crimes in emails.  'I now know a crime that took place overnight will take years to recover from,' the 20-year-old said in court. He particularly apologized for stealing planes, saying his arrogance led him to keep alive his dream of flying.  'What I did could be called daring, but it is no stretch of the imagination to say that am lucky to be alive … absolutely lucky,' he said. 

'I should have died years ago.'

He now could face spending the remainder of his six-and-a-half-year jail sentence in solitary confinement, in a move that the Department of Corrections has said is for his own protection. Harris-Moore, 21, was sent to the intensive management unit at Walla Walla State Penitentiary in Seattle, alongside convicts facing the death penalty. Selena Davis, spokesperson for the department, told him: ‘You're there by yourself. No one can pose a threat to you.’ She added that it is common practice for high-profile inmates to be segregated for their own protection, but Harris-Moore’s attorney, John Henry Browne insisted that the extra protection was neither wanted nor needed and has asked state officials to intervene. 

He called it absurd that Harris-Moore, a non-violent felon, be subjected to the same conditions as murderers, adding that he is concerned for his client’s mental health.Harris-Moore is allowed out of his cell for five one-hour stints each week, plus three 10-minute showers. He is allowed books but no television or radio. He has been visited frequently by Academy Award winning screen writer Dustin Lance Black, of Milk fame, who is said to have already completed a script for the movie due to be released about Harris-Moore's story.

Pilots To The Rescue: 16 dogs and 6 cats were rescued thanks to the help of two volunteers from Pilots N Paws


View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.

Seven thousand feet over Central Illinois, a chocolate lab puppy rests its head on the shoulder of pilot Pete Tobin, seemingly lulled to sleep by the hum of the plane’s engine.

“On every rescue there’s about one dog that stands out,” Pete says through the headset, “one that makes it special and makes it all worth it. This little guy is the most special one on this trip.”

Just hours ago, this special little guy was in line to be euthanized at the Wayne County Humane Society. Instead he and 16 other dogs, plus six cats, were taken to the Fairfield Municipal Airport, where they were loaded into the back of a small, single-engine Columbia 350. A plane that normally seats four humans is now flying 22 strayed, orphaned and unwanted animals to Chicago on a flight path towards a brighter future.

Pete and his wife, Karen Johnson, are part of a growing corps of aviators who volunteer their weekends and their personal planes to support rescue flights posted on an Internet forum called Pilots N Paws.

The organization was founded in 2008 and serves as an online meeting place for animal rescue groups to coordinate with more than 2,500 general aviation pilots willing to use their personal airplanes to transport shelter animals to towns where they could be adopted.

According to Pilots N Paws, more than 4 million unwanted pets are euthanized each year because of overcrowded and underfunded shelters in mainly rural locations. The pilots are able to save these animals by flying them to no-kill shelters or to adoptive families, often located hundreds of miles away. The pilots spend their own money to pay for the flight, which in the case of a Columbia 350, costs $400-plus for a tank of gas.

“I’ll take as many as we can,” says Karen, who spends her day job working as the president of a concrete cutting business based out of Morton Grove. “The alternative is they drown them, they take them out back and shoot them if it’s a puppy mill, and if it’s animal control they just euthanize them.”

For many of these animals, a rescue flight is their only chance of survival.

“Once you get in the air they mellow out quite a bit,” says Pete as he glances back at two puppies sleeping in the back seat. The Glenview couple says they stopped counting once they reached 50 animals carried aboard their plane on trips across the Midwest and the East Coast. But the record for most in one flight was on this day when 22 animals flew from Fairfield to Chicago.

A pair of beagles sit in one crate, while another contains a mother West Highland Terrier and her four babies. Only one dog was unable to fit safely aboard and had to be left on the ground to wait for a truck to carry him on the five-hour journey north. 

“Sometimes it’s so stressful,” Karen says about carrying the animals by truck. “They’ve had animals die being transported from Tennessee all the way to Chicago because it’s so much stress and so many more hours on the ground.” The rest of the pets enjoyed a smooth one-and-a-half hour flight.

After the Columbia 350 gracefully touches down at Chicago Executive, Pete taxis the aircraft alongside a van marked ARFMOBILE, where volunteers from Animal Rescue Foundation – Illinois are waiting to pick up the precious cargo. One by one, the cats and dogs emerge from the plane.  Their next stop is the no-kill shelter where they are spayed or neutered before being put up for adoption.

“They don t know that they need to be happy,” says ARF Illinois President Ann Persenaire, carrying a crate full of cats off the airplane. “They don’t know that life’s gotten good.”

If you would like to support these organizations, or adopt one of the animals, go to the following sites:

Fischer Aviation Has Signs! Essex County Airport (KCDW), Caldwell, New Jersey

Fischer Aviation, Inc. 
Essex County Airport (KCDW),  Caldwell, New Jersey

Air Jamaica still racking up losses

Steven Jackson, Business Reporter

 Air Jamaica continues to bleed red ink under new ownership, and was among the biggest drags on Caribbean Airlines Limited's (CAL) bottom line in 2011.

Still, Air Jamaica's US$38 million loss was a 75 per cent improvement over the previous year when the airline lost some US$150 million, according to the project manager on the divestment committee and a union expert.

Jamaica continues to own a piece of Air Jamaica by way of its 16 per cent stake in Caribbean Airlines - a connection that Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) representative Kavan Gayle says will require the Jamaican Government to address the airline's loss to protect jobs and passengers.

On the weekend, Trinidad Express reported that Trinidad's transport minister disclosed in parliament that Caribbean Airlines made a US$58 million loss and that Air Jamaica lost US$38 million.

Several efforts to clarify the figures with Caribbean Airlines were unsuccessful.

Fuel costs and administrative expenses were factored into the loss.

Former CAL chairman George Nicholas III was quoted as stating that the Trinidad government's withdrawal of a fuel subsidy put CAL's profit trajectory into a loss position.

"I can't verify those numbers, but it would be a significant improvement," said Air J project manager Dennis Chung on Tuesday.

"In the last year of operation I believe Air Jamaica made around US$150 million loss. It was averaging over US$100 million loss per year," Chung told Wednesday Business.

The Air Jamaica divestment committee was headed by Dennis Lalor, and included Cheryl Lewis from the Attorney General's Department, and Chung as project manager.

In December, Chung told the Gleaner that Government's minority stake in CAL comes without debt obligation.

Air Jamaica historically made some US$400 million annually between 2004 and 2006, but recorded a US$112.8-million loss in 2004; US$135.9 million in 2005, and projected US$74 million in 2006, according to Jamaica Public Bodies documents published by the Ministry of finance.

Subsequent publications omitted Air Jamaica, and the Economic and Social Survey published by the Planning institute of Jamaica only records revenues and passenger load factors. Over the past decade, Air Jamaica racked up more than US$1 billion in losses.

Gayle met with management last month but was not briefed on the financial performance or prospects for gliding the airline into profitability, he said. The airline, however, has conducted a series of job cuts over the year in an effort to consolidate its operations with its Trinidad parent.

Gayle questioned the reason for the continued losses, saying there ought to be a strategic plan to change its trajectory. The BITU represents 150 flight attendants and 75 pilots affiliated with Jamaica Airline Pilots Association.

"If you have a 16 per cent stake in the national carrier, then you should speak about it. They have been silent on it," Gayle said.

CAL officially acquired majority stake in Air Jamaica in May 2011.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com

Opinion/Letter: Flying into a cloud of debt

By John Jessamy

Parent company Caribbean Airlines recorded a loss of TT$39.5 million for 2011. Air Jamaica, the subsidiary, made a loss of TT$245.2 million. Why are we separating the losses of the two companies? The last time I checked CAL was subsidising Air Jamaica to the tune of US$21 million (TT$126 million) per year.

CAL pays the Jamaican pilots, ground staff, meals and other expenses. Therefore, Air Jamaica is a part of CAL. The total loss of CAL for 2011 is a whopping TT$584.7 million.This is in despite of a $2.4 billion revenue intake for 2011, according to the former chairman, George Nicholas. Is that really true, George? How many billions must CAL make before they could show a profit?

How can we believe the Minster of Finance, Winston Dookeran whenever he talks about CAL? We all remembered when he said that CAL was just taking over the lucrative routes of Air Jamaica. What happened really was a complete acquisition, not a merger of the cash-strapped airline. Why the minister was not truthful with us? If he was not truthful then how can we believe him now? The entire population was denied full disclosure of the agreement between CAL and Air Jamaica. Taxpayers must know the whole truth.

The true picture of our losses would drive us crazy. Let us look at the facts. Factor in the anticipated losses on the proposed transatlantic route to London from June this year. Caribbean Airlines has taken a step backwards by opening the London route. The previous BWIA board in its wisdom decided to cut the London route. It was a wise decision.

This route will not make a profit. If we take the cumulative loss of CAL/Air Jamaica of TT$584.7 million and a further $400 million, which represents the London losses, we estimate that the total loss of close to $1 billion for 2012.

But we do not have to worry. The T&T Treasury will be funding the loss. In a recent interview, the Minister of Transport, Devant Maharaj gave the following reasons for CAL remaining in business even though it cannot make a profit. He cited benefits to social and economic development, the role CAL is playing in bringing the Caribbean together, and providing transport for tourists.

All those reasons are political. The ability to make profits does not concern the minister. We must look at CAL not as a money-making airline but look at it for bringing benefits to the Caribbean. Give me a break! The cumulative losses of both BWIA and CAL could establish an entire capital city from the ground up.

CAL should think very seriously of only providing a service to Tobago at an unsubsidised price. If the airline cannot sustain itself, why should the Treasury have to bear the burden? So we stay in the airline business to provide an available aircraft for the senior officials to jet all over the world. There is even talk of opening the Mumbai route!

I have to disagree with an editorial that blamed the losses of CAL on maladministration. If you put the best minds of British Airways, Delta Airlines and American Airlines together to run CAL it would still not make a profit.

There are four factors to consider to make a profit in the airline business: efficient management of people, fleet, finances and attracting customers. Those factors are muted by increased labour costs, volatile fuel costs, dampened travel demand and deregulation. In short, when you are in the airline business, you are literally between a rock and a hard place. Then why are you in the airline business? It is a case of supply and demand. What is needed is to reduce the amount of players in the airline business so that the few who remain could at least break even. Caribbean islands are in the business for the sake of being in business and not for making a profit.

But we can afford to sacrifice the building of much-needed health care facilities, schools and other infrastructure. At all cost, CAL must be in the air. We are also helping our Caribbean neighbour, Jamaica.Yeah right! When will this madness stop!


John Jessamy
Fyzabad
Source:  http://www.trinidadexpress.com

Cayman Islands Airports Authority to hold exercise

The Cayman Islands Airports Authority will conduct an emergency exercise on Thursday, 10 May, simulating a cargo airplane carrying dangerous goods sliding to a stop in the cricket field near the runway in George Town.

This year’s full scale aircraft emergency exercise at Owen Roberts International Airport in Grand Cayman is taking place off airport property. “We have different plans for different emergency scenarios. Last year we did a water based scenario; this year will test our resources in an accident off the airport. It’s important to review and practice the various plans with our emergency partners,” said CIAA Senior Manager Safety Management Systems Andrew McLaughlin.

Last week, those partners gathered in the CIAA Airport Emergency Operations Centre, reviewed the plan and participated in a tabletop exercise simulation. Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Services, Emergency Medical Services, Hazard Management Cayman Islands, various commercial airline representatives, Department of Environmental Health and Government Information Services representatives joined airports authority staff in reviewing the actions that will take place on Thursday.

The plans, exercises, and inter-agency cooperation are all required by International Civil Aviation Organization. The airports authority is notifying residents there will be road closures and traffic disruptions around the cricket field and southwest end of the runway between 9am and noon.

Flybe Embraer 190 having problems starting at Belfast City Airport


'No Chance' of Survivors in Crashed Sukhoi Superjet 100-95, RA-97004 Wreckage

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/crashed-superjet-was-cleared-below-minimum-safe-altitude-375001/


http://www.dephub.go.id/knkt/ntsc_aviation/baru/pre/Preliminary_Report_97004_Released.pdf




 

The wreckage of a Russian Sukhoi passenger jet was found on Thursday on the side of a dormant Indonesian volcano and authorities said there was no chance any of the dozens aboard could have survived.

A helicopter pilot spotted the debris of Russia’s first post-Soviet civilian plane scattered over rocks and trees on the sheer face of Mount Salak outside the city of Bogor, officials said.

The twin-engine Superjet 100 vanished from radar screens south of Indonesia’s capital Jakarta on Wednesday, 50 minutes into what was meant to be a short flight to show off its capabilities to prospective buyers.

Initial efforts to locate the jet proved fruitless but the crew of an Indonesian military helicopter discovered the crash scene after the search resumed at first light on Thursday, officials said.

They said rescuers were trying to get to the wreckage by land and air, but that heavy fog was hampering visibility for helicopters and that reaching the crash site could take several hours by foot.

National rescue agency spokesman Gagah Prakoso said there was no sign so far of any survivors, and transport ministry spokesman Bambang Evian said there was no chance anyone could have lived.

“Looking at the location... the chance of surviving is none,” Evian told AFP. “But we are still waiting for a miracle.”

Devastated relatives of those aboard the ill-fated aircraft gathered at the Halim Perdanakusuma airport in Jakarta — used for military and some commercial flights — where the Sukhoi had taken off the day before.

Some wept quietly as friends tried to console them, while others sat in a state of shock, staring into the distance. Authorities took DNA samples to help in identification if remains are found.

A teary-eyed Yenni Cipta, 38, recalled that when her father, an aviation worker, had said farewell on Wednesday he had jokingly told her children: “Grandpa is going to a faraway place.”

Reports of the number on board varied, with local rescue officials saying the plane was carrying 46 people and Trimarga Rekatama, the company responsible for inviting the passengers, saying 50 were on board.

Those aboard were mostly Indonesian aviation representatives, but also included eight Russians — four of them crew and four Sukhoi employees — plus an American and a Frenchman, officials said.

The Sukhoi Superjet, a new passenger aircraft, is crucial to Russia’s hopes of becoming a major player in the modern aviation market, and a major accident would be the first disaster involving the type.

National search and rescue chief Daryatmo, who goes by one name, said the helicopter pilot had sighted the Sukhoi logo among the debris.

“We spotted the fragments at the coordinates where we lost contact with the plane,” he told a news conference.

The mountainous Mount Salak region rises 2,000 metres (6,500 feet) above sea level, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Jakarta. Indonesian officials have said the Sukhoi descended to about 6,000 feet shortly before it vanished.

The debris was found on the side of Mount Salak about 1,800 metres (5,900 feet) above sea level, said Lieutenant Colonel Mukhlis, a local military commander.

“We don’t know how big it is, what part of the plane, and the condition of the passengers,” he added.

The wreckage was spotted at about 9:30 a.m. local time, but by 3:00 p.m. rescuers still could not reach the site.

“Helicopters still cannot reach the site because of heavy fog, and our rescue teams are on their way on foot,” he said.

The rescue agency’s Prakoso said the operation could be deferred to Friday if the weather does not improve before dark.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters that “all efforts must be made in this rescue operation ... and the priority must be to save survivors, if any.”

The demonstration flight was part of an Asian tour to promote the aircraft, which is a joint venture between Sukhoi and Italy’s Alenia Aeronautica. It made its first commercial flight last year.

So far it is being flown by two airlines, Russia’s Aeroflot and Armenia’s Armavia, but orders have reportedly been confirmed with more, including Indonesia’s Kartika Airlines and Sky Aviation.

 http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/crashed-superjet-was-cleared-below-minimum-safe-altitude-375001/

http://www.dephub.go.id/knkt/ntsc_aviation/baru/pre/Preliminary_Report_97004_Released.pdf

No-frills air carrier is filling in gaps: Great Lakes Airlines is expanding service out of KMSP. By the end of 2012, the airline will have 14 destinations on its roster at Minneapolis-St Paul International, Minnesota

A little-known airline with a fleet of tiny planes is making its mark at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, snapping up routes to towns that legacy carriers have abandoned.

Meet Great Lakes, a no-frills newcomer that believes there's a lucrative opportunity in connecting rural America with bustling airports like MSP. The Wyoming-based airline is in the midst of adding more than a dozen new cities to its local roster, with the Twin Cities serving as its hub for 20 percent of its destinations.

The move comes as Delta Air Lines and other large carriers have deemed these rural routes unprofitable despite federal subsidies. Conversely, Great Lakes Airlines can profit handsomely from these destinations because its expenses are so much lower than the big carriers', analysts said.

And when it comes to cost-cutting, Great Lakes has gone extreme: CEO Chuck Howell said there's no soft drink service, and on some trips, there aren't any flight attendants -- or bathrooms.

"You spend a lot of time explaining," Howell said. Services on Great Lakes "aren't going to be the same."

The airline picked up 10 communities that Delta exited due to higher fuel costs and the retirement of smaller planes. With the addition of these cities and a few others, Great Lakes will fly to 14 destinations from the Twin Cities by the end of the year.

With hubs in the Twin Cities, Albuquerque, Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Las Vegas, Great Lakes is the nation's largest carrier of Essential Air Service routes -- a program that guarantees flights to small towns. About 42 percent of its total revenue comes from government subsidies.

Great Lakes' strategy of cutting costs to the bone helped it generate nearly $10.7 million in profits last year, more than double its earnings in 2010. The airline reentered MSP last year following an eight-year hiatus, starting service to Devils Lake, N.D., shortly after Delta ended service there.

Its new relationship with Delta is key because Great Lakes' strategy is to take over and work out deals to sell their tickets on major airlines' websites. Customers can buy a single ticket on Delta's website that will take them from small towns in Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota or Minnesota on a Great Lakes flight, and will transfer them at MSP to a Delta flight on their way to another destination, such as Orlando.

"Great Lakes sees an opportunity and is jumping on it," said Terry Trippler, owner of airline rules website ThePlaneRules.com. "They are picking up the spoils."

Great Lakes exited MSP in 2003 because it didn't sell its tickets through dominant carrier Northwest Airlines, making it more challenging to advertise its flights out of the Twin Cities. Delta bought Northwest in 2008.

With Delta's use of Great Lakes as a connecting airline, Delta is able to remove unprofitable service to small towns "off their plate, but they still get the business," Trippler said.

Delta spokeswoman Kristin Baur agreed, saying it lets the airline continue serving customers even though it has retired its smallest aircraft and exited some smaller communities.

Great Lakes Airlines is controlled by Great Lakes Aviation, now based in Wyoming. The company was founded in Iowa in 1979, named after its expansion in northwest Iowa's Great Lakes region.

Although there has been talk about the federal government ending subsidized service to some towns, Howell said the cuts under review would spare almost all of Great Lakes' destinations. Rising fuel costs has also put some pressure on Great Lakes, but Howell said he doesn't have any short-term concerns.

Great Lakes said it plans to make government subsidies a lower percentage of its total sales. The airline expects to increase its presence at larger hubs to offer more connecting flights, which is exemplified in its expansion of routes at MSP.

Great Lakes' no-frill reputation hasn't thrilled some small communities. Discounters such as Frontier Airlines fly bigger 50-seat aircraft, whereas Great Lakes uses cramped planes with just 30 seats and many with just 19.

"We weren't joyous about losing Frontier and getting Great Lakes, but we were happy it was Great Lakes and not any other Essential Air Service carrier," said Duane DuRay, airport manager for Gogebic-Iron County Airport in Ironwood, Mich, which has a population of about 5,000 people.

DuRay added that Great Lakes doesn't carry the same recognition as Frontier, so some people are disappointed.

DuRay said the fares are reasonable, noting that it costs $60 one-way to fly from Ironwood to MSP. For all flights, average fares for Great Lakes were $136.62 last year, up 8 percent from the year before.

Other rural passengers count their blessings. John Nord, an airport manager at Devils Lake Regional Airport in North Dakota, said he doesn't mind the planes not having a restroom. Nonstop flights to MSP are short, at a little over an hour, he said.

"If you were driving to a different airport in North Dakota, it's a longer ride," Nord said.

Source:  http://www.startribune.com

Brainerd Lakes Regional (KBRD), Minnesota: Adair's term extended - No ban on hiring interim airport manager


The Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport Commission Monday extended the term of Interim Airport Manager Rick Adair with no ban on his being hired for the full-time post. The commission voted 4-1 to appoint Adair as interim airport manager with no sunset date for the term at a rate of $33 an hour. Voting yes were Commissioners Rachel Reabe Nystrom, Beth Pfingsten, Kevin Goedker and Andy Larson. Voting no was Jeff Czeczok. The vote followed a failed motion (a 2-2 tie) conducted last week that would have prohibited Adair from being considered for the job. 

By Mike O'Rourke
The Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport Commission Monday extended the term of Interim Airport Manager Rick Adair with no ban on his being hired for the full-time post.

The commission voted 4-1 to appoint Adair as interim airport manager with no sunset date for the term at a rate of $33 an hour. Voting yes were Commissioners Rachel Reabe Nystrom, Beth Pfingsten, Kevin Goedker and Andy Larson. Voting no was Jeff Czeczok.

The vote followed a failed motion (a 2-2 tie) conducted last week that would have prohibited Adair from being considered for the job. Without an extension, Adair’s term would have expired June 1. Adair said last week he would not continue to serve if a motion ruled him out for the post.

After the vote Adair, who said he still hadn’t decided whether he would apply for the full-time job, said he wanted whatever was best for the airport. He said if the commission found a candidate with better qualifications he would be fine with that.

Before the vote, Chair Andy Larson, who was absent last week, said he had spoken with Adair and effective immediately Adair would no longer serve any role in the airport manager search committee process.

Goedker, a Brainerd City Council member, changed his position from a week ago. He said Tuesday that if the commission truly wants the best airport manager it would be a disservice to rule someone out for the job.

“To not consider somebody would not be in the best interest (of the commission),” Goedker said.

Pfingsten and Nystrom agreed.

Nystrom expressed confidence in the search committee and said the strong message she received from interested people was: “Let’s have the best qualified candidate we can,” she said.

Larson voted yes but said he was concerned because Adair had seen answers to a test that would be given to candidates. He also said it would be good to get fresh blood in the job and that a complete reset might have to be considered if Adair became a candidate.

Czeczok emphasized the importance of public perception and said the airport commission was found to have a conflict of interest last year by Brainerd City Attorney Tom Fitzpatrick when an airport commissioner (who has since resigned) owned a company that had oversight of the airport remodeling project.

He said that Adair, who had stepped down from his airport commission post to temporarily serve as airport manager, could be reappointed some day.

“This commission has thumbed its nose at public perception over the last year or so,” Czeczok said.
He also said a community member could be found to replace Adair since he was able to assume the position with little or no experience as an airport manager.

“We essentially are being held hostage,” he said of Adair’s conditions for continuing in his interim post.
Pfingsten said Patrick Krueger, an attorney hired by the airport commission, did not find that a conflict of interest existed with the situation with the commissioner who resigned last year.

“I’m not interested in a coronation of Rick Adair,” she said. “I’m interested in finding the best qualified candidate.”


American National Busted With Methamphetamine at Phillip Goldson International Airport, Belize


44-year-old American national David Michael Higgins who was busted at Phillip Goldson International Airport with point six grams of crystal meth was fined one thousand dollars after he pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of a controlled drug. Higgins was ordered to pay the fine forth with, in default two months imprisonment. He paid the fine and was released. 

The bust occurred around 12:10 p.m. on Saturday, May 5. Detective Constable Ervin Pech who is attached to the Anti Drug Unit, reported that he noticed that Higgins was acting suspicious when Higgins arrived at the airport on an American Airlines flight from Dallas, Texas. Pech said he introduced himself to Higgins and he informed Higgins that a search will be conducted on him. Pech said he took Higgins to the Special Branch office at the airport and the search resulted in the discovery of two transparent plastic bags containing crystal meth in the small pocket at the front of his pants. The bags were wrapped in tissue. 

Funcionamiento del ILS (Instrument Landing System) con Michael Kiske

 

by Northwind66 

 Video explicativo sobre el funcionamiento del ILS (Instrument Landing System) ó Sistema de Aterrizaje por Instrumentos, para todos aquellos apasionados por el mundo de la aviación, que quieran aclarar sus dudas sobre este sistema.

Este video fue complementado con los siguientes videos tomados de youtube:

1.- DESPEGUES VARIOS (donluisvii)
2.- CAT 1 ILS Landing at Birmingham Airport (EGBB) Cessna F406 (wordyuk)
3.- CAT II ILS Landing in Munich (alpinepilot)
4.- CAT IIIa (flythetube)
5.- Ed Force One Landing in Costa Rica (colacho666)
6.- Aterrizaje Viento Cruzado-Rwy 14 Zurich (TheWindsor)
7.- ILS (ckarling)

Las imagenes fueron sacadas de google!

Esperamos que este video sea de mucha utilidad para ustedes!

Taking flight above the waves


CLEARWATER - It's a flight from the future you can experience right now at a Tampa Bay area beach. A new water jet allows you to soar high above the waves, and there are only about a dozen places in the world you can take the flight. 

 The JetLev debuted at Tradewinds Resort at St Pete Beach this week.

"I've never seen anything like it before," said Doug Ferguson.

The ride is making waves and turning heads.

"I was just like, what is this? And then I wanted to come over (to see it). It would be like flying," said Erin Davis.

"I think it's gotten everybody's attention," Ferguson said.

Your old beach adventure ride gets an adrenaline upgrade with the Jet Lev. You can soar in the sky, at least for half an hour, traveling up to 25 mph.

"Thirty minutes is pretty exhilarating. You're pretty tired by the end of that session," said Tradewinds President Keith Overton.

Every little move changes your trajectory, above and below the surface. Two thrusters designed at the Jet Lev headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale fuel your flight. You're water-powered from an inverse jet ski motor, rushing the Gulf water up, then back out again through a pressurized tube.

"Flying 30 feet above the water at 28 miles an hour, there's really nothing like it," Overton said.

There are several maneuvers to try, from walking on water to the submarine.

"You dive under the water," explained instructor Thomas Wheat.

It's all part of the flight as instructors control your throttle from a boat.

From up to 30 feet in the air, you can almost make out all the dreamers back on the beach, staring at you and thinking about the glory of flight.

It costs about $300 to rent the Jet Lev at Tradewinds. Resort guests receive a discount. The ride includes a training session and 30 minutes of flight.

Source:  http://www.myfoxtampabay.com

Cape May County Airport (KWWD), New Jersey: Flight Deck Diner - Breakfast With Dave


Erma, NJ: For this last Thursday in March, ʻBreakfast with Daveʼ, the oldest established permanent floating breakfast in South Jersey, puddle-jumped to the Fight Deck Diner in the Cape May County Airport for some food and fun over easy. With the visibility clear to the horizon, Ed Sherretta, Lynn Massimino, Eddie Jurewicz, Paul Mathis, Jim Colubiale and Dave Smith glided in for a morning flight breakfast overlooking vintage aircraft while in the proximity of true aviation history.

To dramatize how late Jim and Eddie have been coming to breakfast the past several weeks, Dave grew a beard while waiting for them to arrive this morning! Once inside, the waitress escorted the group to their window table just in time for take off. After we were seated and fastened our seat belts, a preflight cup of coffee and tea was provided while the group individually studied the menu to find what their respective favorite inflight breakfast might be.

The Flight Deck menu offers all the basic elements for a great breakfast like eggs, omelets, pancakes and waffles, as well as daily specials named after airplanes like the BiPlane which features 2 eggs, 2 pancakes and two strips of bacon. Even special orders are no problem for the Flight Deck chef who made Jimʼs Hungry Man Omelet Italian Frittata style. Coffee was hot and fresh and flowed freely through out the breakfast flight.

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