Hurricane Sandy: Teterboro Airport (KTEB), New Jersey

A car is partially submerged in flood waters on road leading to Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, New Jersey, October 30, 2012. Millions were left reeling in the aftermath of monster storm Sandy as New York City and a wide swath of the eastern United States struggled with epic flooding and massive power outages. The death toll climbed to at least 30.

 REUTERS/Chelsea Emery

Credit: REUTERS 

 Published date: 10/30/2012

 http://www.airnav.com/airport/KTEB

Financial woes ground 2013 air show

The organizers of the Wide Bay Australia International Air Show say it is disappointing they have had to cancel next year's event due to financial problems.

The biennial event generates about $1.5 million for the Bundaberg economy and brings in up to 20,000 tourists.

The air show's vice-chairman, Neil McPhilips, says there is an opportunity to gain more sponsors for the 2014 show, with dates now moved.

"It actually clashes with Australia's largest air show which is held in Avalon, near Geelong in Victoria, and this has given us the opportunity to actually move the Wide Bay International Air Show out from clashing with that air show," he said.

"That is an issue that has been highlighted to us by trade exhibitors, saying it just too difficult to attend two air shows in the same year."

Mr McPhilips blames the cancellation on a lack of State Government and corporate funding.

http://www.abc.net

AMERICAN FALLS, IDAHO - Suspect arrested in stolen plane case

 

Brian Haynes

AMERICAN FALLS — Five years since a small single-engine airplane was stolen from the American Falls Airport, and with the statute of limitations running out on charging someone for the crime, the Power County Sheriff’s Office believes one of the men responsible is now in custody. 

Brian Haynes, 66, was arrested in Fairfield, Mont., Sunday on the orders of U.S. Marshals in Pocatello, after a warrant was issued by the Power County Prosecutor. And Jackie Morris, chief deputy of the Power County Sheriff’s Office says they aren’t done yet.

 “There is one more active warrant and more people could be charged,” Morris said.

Det. Sgt. Max Sprague first investigated the case in 2007, eventually turning it over to federal law enforcement. He took that case back earlier this year as leads developed.

A 2003 AMD Alarus was stolen from American Air at the American Falls Airport in 2007, and Sprague said he worked the case for about three months when he decided to take all he had to the FBI and ask them to work the case.

They took the case, and that meant the agency had complete control over the case.

But Sprague eventually found himself working another case involving Haynes, and felt some of the information from that case would be helpful to the FBI and their efforts in the 2007 case. He contacted them and gave them that information.

 But in his conversations with the FBI, Sprague eventually decided he wanted to bring that case back to Power County. That was in May.

“I worked nonstop on that for about five months,” he said. “Every warrant I executed brightened the picture a little bit.”

Sprague said he eventually ended up in Texas at a location where he believes the airplane in question was flown and then taken apart.

With the Oct. 14 statute of limitation deadline on charging someone in the crime fast approaching, Sprague was able to compile all that he had and submit it to Power County Prosecutor Randy Kline, who issued the warrant for Haynes, as well as one for another person on Oct. 9.

Morris said Monday evening that detectives were in route to Montana to interview Haynes. He said depending on the results of that interview, and extradition proceedings, Haynes could be transported to Power County as soon as a couple of days or as long as two weeks.
 
“It will be up to him to decide whether or not he fights extradition,” Morris said.

 Haynes is charged with grand theft and conspiracy to commit grand theft, both felonies. He is being held on a $75,000 bond.

Story and photo:  http://www.idahostatejournal.com

FedEx donates Boeing 727 to Fox Valley Technical College: Plane to be key prop at new public safety training facility

 

 GREENVILLE — Construction won’t begin until spring on the new Fox Valley Technical College public safety training center but a significant private donation announced today will add realism to training of emergency personnel. 

 FedEx Corp. is donating a Boeing 727 to Fox Valley Technical College to be used for training by emergency medical, police and fire personnel at its new public safety training center being built on the south end of the airport.

“This public safety training center is an outdoor tactical training facility unlike any other that exists in the country because of all the elements being pulled together, all the various public safety personnel training that we plan to be doing there,” said FVTC President Susan May as she accepted ownership of the Boeing 727-200F aircraft from FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., today in a ceremony at the Outagamie County Regional Airport.

May said the plane will be used for training simulation exercises at the training center scheduled to open in the fall of 2014.

FVTC, a nationwide leader in many areas of public safety training, will use the prop for training to include: control and removal of disruptive passengers, managing a hostage crisis, performing search and rescue in a simulated crash or fire, and render aid to a passenger or crew member having a heart attack or other emergency.

“As we retire this 727 from our fleet, we are proud to give back to the aviation community,” said David Sutton, FedEx managing director, aircraft acquisition and sales. “The donation of this aircraft by FedEx is just one example of the many ways we support educational endeavors, reflecting the community spirit shared by all FedEx employees in the communities where we live and work.”

“This means we can train on an actual real aircraft, perfect scenarios for extrication, getting on the plane and putting out fires,” said Gary Wunsch, fire chief, Outagamie County Airport public safety.

The $32.5 million facility was the centerpiece of the $66.5 million FVTC building referendum approved by voters in an April referendum.

Story and video:    http://www.postcrescent.com

New Airport For Koh Phangan

Popular Full Moon Party island Koh Phangan is in the news with the announcement that a new airport is underway.

Private airline operator Kan Air is behind the project with plans to fly ATR-72 turboprops between the island and Bangkok's Don Mueang.

Construction of facility is underway and expected to complete before the end of 2013.

Both Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are seeing an upswing in their tourism markets along with a surge in new hotel development.

http://www.thephuketinsider.com

Air New Zealand gets hands on new plane

The first of up to 12 new aircraft to operate on Air NZ's regional routes has been handed over to the airline in France 

 Air New Zealand has taken delivery of the first of up to 12 new Europe-built aircraft to operate on regional routes.

The ATR 72-600 was handed over in Toulouse on Tuesday, and the airline has an agreement to buy six more of the turboprops with an option for a further five at a total cost of $US270 million ($NZ330m).

The 68-seat aircraft will join Air New Zealand subsidiary Mount Cook's fleet in mid-November.

When the deal was announced last October, Air NZ said the first two aircraft were due by the end of this year with two more to come in 2013 and others delivered annually thereafter.

"The investment in these aircraft ... comes during a period when other businesses have shied away from significant investment in assets," chief executive Rob Fyfe said.

The aircraft, which the airline says is the most efficient in its class, will operate on Auckland-New Plymouth and Auckland-Nelson routes.

In March, Air NZ grounded its 11-strong fleet of ATR 72-500 aircraft for checks after cracks were found around the cockpit windows of one aircraft during routine maintenance.

Three of the aircraft, used by the airline since 1999, needed repairs.

http://money.msn.co.nz

Sky Manor Airport (N40), Pittstown, New Jersey: Hurricane Sandy blows roof off hangar, smashes aerobat's 'dream' plane

 

Rick Epstein / Hunterdon County Democrat 

Hurricane Sandy blows roof off hangar, crushes planes

 

Rick Epstein / Hunterdon County Democrat 

 

Rick Epstein / Hunterdon County Democrat

 

Rick Epstein / Hunterdon County Democrat

 

Rick Epstein / Hunterdon County Democrat

 

Rick Epstein / Hunterdon County Democrat

 ALEXANDRIA TWP. — Hurricane Sandy blew the roof off a hangar at Sky Manor Airport and when it fell back way off-kilter it crushed three airplanes belonging to aerobat Kendal Simpson.

Simpson, who grew up in Holland Township and and now lives in Phillipsburg, feels bad enough about the two monoplanes, but the destruction of the red two-seat biplane is the heartbreaker. It's the one he built from a kit and that he flies in air shows.

On Tuesday, Oct. 30, at about 5 p.m., he and some friends were in the wrecked hangar assessing the damage. Although the stunt plane looks like it could be pulled out fixed, Simpson said, "It's a total loss. The frame is twisted and the wings are bent." A precision stunt plane is not like a car — "You don't just yank it back straight and go driving down the road with it." Only two of the three planes are insured.

Besides the massive damage to Sky Manor's hangar, Simpson estimates the value of the three destroyed planes at about $330,000. "That's why we live in a small house and drive really beat-up vehicles," he said, a spark of humor showing through his sadness.

The stunt plane, a Pitts Model 12, was the product of 2,000 hours of labor, completed two years ago. His website, acronut.com, shows pictures of him and the red plane on the ground and in the air. His performance, which was most-recently presented at the Duluth (Minn.) Airshow in September, is described as "an exciting, full-throttle, high-energy, smoking, tumbling biplane routine... There is just something about a two-winged beast that everyone seems to enjoy."

One of the friends who was picking through the rubble with him called the biplane "Kendal's dream." Although Simpson would only give a "maybe" about starting over, his friend, who had helped him build the plane, predicted, "He'll have another one."

Story, photos and comments:   http://www.nj.com

http://acronut.com/web/index.php

http://www.skymanorairport.com
 
http://www.airnav.com/airport/N40

 

Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III, N207DS: Interview with Doug Sheffer of DBS Helicopters... High-Elevation Helicopter Rescue Below Snowmass Mountain

Published on October 30, 2012 by highcountrynews 

West Elk Mountain Rescue and Western State College mountain rescue team help Doug Sheffer, from DBS Helicopters, rescue an injured climber.

 Video shot by Ira Houseweart 

 

Flight for life 

Neil LaRubbio | Oct 29, 2012

Something about helicopter pilots chasing bank robbers, busting spies and saving castaways impressed six-year-old Doug Sheffer. The Whirlybirds television episodes, over 50 years ago, were heroic and exciting and everything he seemed born to do. While his father tried to waylay those childish ambitions, it wasn’t too many decades before Sheffer had owned his own fleet of choppers, a crew of pilots and a backlog of dangerous jobs throughout western Colorado.

A few weeks ago, Sheffer, now owner and sole pilot of DBS Helicopters based out of Grand Junction, Colo., received a call from a Gunnison County sheriff about a hiker that had been found below Snowmass Peak in the West Elk Mountains of Western Colorado. Jeff Lodico, separated from his party, took a bad fall and spent the night out in the cold. When wilderness responders from West Elk Mountain Rescue and Western State Colorado mountain rescue team found him, he had broken all the fingers on one hand, his wrist, his arm, all of his ribs and a lower leg. He had a punctured lung and his skull was fractured. I couldn’t help but watch video of the rescue with awe.

Sheffer honed his helicopter skills after facing ridiculous environmental conditions generated by the West’s extreme geological formations. He took Helicopter Aircrew Training System courses in British Columbia from flight instructors who train Chinook and Blackhawk pilots for the most sophisticated military missions, including navigating unique wind currents along sheer mountainsides. He’d need all that training to rescue Lodico.

I spoke with Sheffer about the rescue and about his work last week. He doesn’t drink. He’s not crazy, and he speaks with a level of calculation and continuity I’ve only heard in aviators.

Read more here:  http://www.hcn.org/hcn/blogs/goat/flight-for-life   

Tulip City Air Service promotes Quenga, hires Bartlett: West Michigan Regional Airport (KBIV), Holland, Michigan

Holland —  Tulip City Air Service has promoted Dwight Quenga to director of operations of Tulip City Air Service Inc. of Holland.

Quenga has been with the company since 1998 and has held several positions and will now oversee the management of the daily flight operations as director of operations.

Rex Bartlett was hired as chief pilot and will oversee the training and scheduling of pilots as well as assisting the director of operations and the president. Bartlett has more than 30 years of experience in the aviation field.

Story and photos:  http://www.hollandsentinel.com

http://www.tulipcityair.com

http://www.airnav.com/airport/KBIV

Cessna 421, HC-CIK: Guyana seizes Ecuadorian aircraft; Brazilian pilot missing

 

Brazilian pilot Goncola Ferreira Lima Neto

 

 The plane several weeks ago at the Ogle International Airport.

 

 

The repainted and renumbered aircraft on the Lethem Airstrip.

Guyanese police on Monday seized an Ecuadorian-registered airplane on an illegal airstrip but so far authorities were unable to say whether anything illegal was found on the aircraft.

Aviation Minister, Robeson Benn, however, said authorities were treating the movement and discovery of the Cessna 421 aircraft as suspicious.

“He did not arrive where he should have arrived and explanations given did not gel with what was seen in terms of the activities at the aircraft and also too in terms of where he should have been when he gave certain explanation to where he was when he called in,” Benn told a news conference.

Brazilian pilot Goncola Ferreira Lima Neto, the lone occupant, has not been located, according to Benn. “The pilot is being sought by the law enforcement,” he said.

The aircraft departed Guyana’s Ogle International Airport at 19:40 hours (GMT) Saturday for Boa Vista, Brazil and was discovered on Sunday on the illegal airstrip at Pirara, Rupununi in southern Guyana.

A search was launched after air traffic controllers received garbled radio communication from the pilot and eventually lost contact with him.

Sources say the Cessna aircraft, bearing the registration HCCIK, was found on the airstrip but tucked in under a forest canopy. “The important thing to note is that the aircraft did not crash-land,” said the source. He also allegedly filed an inaccurate flight-plan, said the source.

The source said the aircraft was originally blue and white but when it was found, it was painted red and white. Benn added that the registration number was also changed but he declined to say which country the new number represented.

At the time the aircraft was first spotted, according to sources, a truck was nearby either on-loading or offloading something.

Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Airworthiness inspectors are on the ground to determine whether the aircraft is safe enough to be flown to the coast for safe-keeping.

Investigators from the Guyana Police Force and the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) have been dispatched to the location. Benn could not immediately say whether guns, ammunition or drugs have been found. “The aircraft is being examined, off course, with some circumspection,” said Benn.

The Aviation Minister said since arriving from Trinidad, the aircraft had been here for two months ostensibly on a technical stop.

Ecuadorian authorities are to be notified and Guyanese authorities are to check their records to ascertain whether the airplane had previously visited Guyana.

Story and comments:   http://www.demerarawaves.com

Nothing illegal was found aboard the Ecuadorian-registered airplane that was seized Monday in Pirara, North Rupununi and the aircraft has been flown to Lethem for further inspection, officials said.

A senior official of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) also said that no one has been arrested. Brazilian pilot Goncola Ferreira Lima Neto has not been seen or heard from since.

The official explained that now that the plane is at Lethem more inspections would be conducted to ascertain whether it is fit enough to be flown to the coast for safe keeping.

The CANU official credited the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) with providing critical support to police and the anti-drug agency in locating and taking control of the twin-engine Cessna 421 aircraft.

Aviation Minister, Robeson Benn said the airplane was located on the illegal airstrip Sunday after air traffic controllers lost contact with the pilot.

Benn has said that Guyanese authorities are treating the movement and location of the aircraft as suspicious. Authorities said the pilot filed inaccurate information about the plane for the flight-plan to Boa Vista. When the craft was found, it was partly sprayed into different colors and its Ecuadorean registration, HC-CIK, was changed.

The plane arrived here two months ago and remained at Ogle International Airport on a “technical stop” until its departure at 3:40 PM (Guyana Time) on Saturday.

After an intensive search, the plane was spotted at 12:29 PM Sunday on the illegal airstrip partly hidden under the forest canopy.

Story and comments:  http://www.demerarawaves.com

Civil Aviation authorities and local law enforcement are trying to find a Brazilian pilot after his aircraft was found abandoned on an illegal airstrip, sprayed in a different color and with a changed registration number, just over a day after he set out for his homeland.

Pilot Gonçalo Ferreira Lima Neto, 41, who had previously been involved in a mishap a year ago in Brazil, was last heard from on Sunday, when his plane was sighted far off his projected pathway.

The plane was seized by Civil Aviation Authorities early yesterday morning at an illegal airstrip in the community of Pirara in Region 9. “The aircraft was at an illegal airstrip east of Pirara and activities of some great concern were underway,” Transport Minister Robeson Benn told a press briefing yesterday. Both the serial number and the striping of the aircraft had been changed,…..

Story and comments:   http://www.stabroeknews.com

Nigerians top list of private jet owners in Africa, Spend N1.3 trillion on Wonders on Wings

WITH Nigeria holding the record of a country with the highest private jet ownership in Africa, the aviation sector has brought into sharp relief the paradox of a nation that is endowed with huge oil resources but where only a few are wealthy.

In a country where the average Nigerian lives on less than $1 a day, there is a super rich class of business moguls, bankers, preachers, politicians and oil magnates whose private ownership of jets is more than that of any other country.

While the rich can afford such luxuries, the economic crisis in the nation is seen in a situation where the aviation sector needs financial succor from the Federal Government.

Indeed, worried about the critical state of the nation’s aviation industry, the Federal Government is proposing a fresh round of intervention for airlines.

The new intervention fund would be different from the N100 billion given to airlines three years ago to help them boost their operations.

While some judiciously used the funds, others reportedly diverted them.

Also, government has ensured that access to the funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) would be on the basis of a single digit interest and it is for a long term.

A top official of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) told The Guardian that the ownership of the state-of-the-art jets in Nigeria had grown to over 200 in 2012 from 50 in 2008.

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State had on October 7, 2012 acquired a brand new Bombardier Global 5000 (N565RS) for his exclusive use. He is said to glide all over Rivers State while holding the throttle levers himself.

The jet was primarily bought from Bombardier in Canada for $45.7 million through the Bank of Utah Trustee account.

Sources said Amaechi traded off the state’s current Embraer Legacy 600, saying it was too expensive to maintain. The sources said $5 million was added to the proceed of the traded plane that enabled the government to buy the latest airplane.

The oil-rich Rivers State already owns an AW139 helicopter, which it leased to a commercial airliner. The state then turned around to patronize the airline’s VIP Sikorsky S76C helicopter.

Last year, the state government sold its Dash 8-Q200 aircraft to Cross River State for $6 million. Cross River State then leased the plane to Aero Contractors to undertake commercial flights to and from Obudu airstrip in the state.

Amaechi is just one of many state chief executives that own airplanes.

Aircraft manufacturers like Bombardier, Gulf Stream, Embraer, Hawker Siddley and Challenger have made Nigeria their huge market because of the demand for these aircraft types by wealthy Nigerians.

The common brands of private jets in Nigeria are Hawker Siddley 125-800 and 900XP, Gulfstream 450, 550 and 650; Bombardier Challenger 604, 605; Global Express; Embraer Legacy and Falcons.

According to an official of Bombardier, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer, Nigeria ranks behind the United States, United Kingdom, and China among countries that top their orders for the supply of the aircraft type; just as there are indications that N1.30 trillion may have been expended in the last seven years. Nigeria is said to top the market for private jet ownership.

The Managing Director of Aero Airlines, Captain Akin George, had recently spoken on the increasing number of private jets being parked at most of the aprons of Nigerian airports.

He was particularly piqued that most of the private jets carry foreign registration credentials rather than Nigerian registration.

The decision to register the jets in foreign countries, particularly in South Africa, is said to be informed by the notion that in case the owners want to resell the jets, they would warrant a bigger value from buyers.

He had subsequently called on the authorities concerned in the country to make registration processes in Nigeria friendly and attractive.

The economic downturn in Europe and the United States had made Nigeria and China to become two of the fastest growing private jet markets in the world.

There are many factors that have encouraged the rise of acquisition of customized jets, which cost between N2.4 billion and N9 billion.

Chief among these is the fact that flight schedules in the aviation industry are no longer flexible.

Again, the dearth of aircraft and the huge passenger traffic that is not commensurate with the capacity of the airlines has made air travel difficult for those who wish to travel by air.

In a situation like this, wealthy Nigerians would opt to acquire their own private jets to save time that would have been wasted waiting for flights whose times of departure are not known.

According to Aviation and travel expert, Olumide Ohunayo, the flight schedules of most commercial airliners that are not flexible have made it attractive for those who can afford private jets to acquire them.

Recurring delays and an inherent socio-political and economic system that thrive more in spontaneity rather than rigorous planning, according to Ohunayo, are other contributory factors.

His words: “Worldwide, they are taxed and made to pay higher charges to fund the civil aviation system and to reduce congestion, but that is not the case here.”

The new intervention fund of the Federal Government for the aviation sector is about a 16-year facility, which is expected to boost domestic aircraft operations.

This time around, the fund whose exact amount is yet to be disclosed would be paid to aircraft manufacturers or lessors for airlines to acquire newer fleet.

Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah-Ogiewonyi made the disclosure in Abuja at the weekend in an exclusive interview with The Guardian.

She said the intervention fund given to the carriers did not grow aviation, adding that, “we wanted a direct growth for a better impact than what we currently have in place and our strategy to utilizing it is to have a tripartite, triangular if you like, system where the CBN with the approval of the Ministry of Finance pays directly to aircraft manufacturers of the leasing company.

“The leasing company would in turn bring the aircraft to our airline operators. The airline operators would now have access to brand new aircraft. If not brand new, but relatively brand new aircraft. You and the passengers will have access to functional airline that can take you to where you want to go safely and aviation remains the preferred mode of transportation,” she added.

She explained that a thorough audit of the airlines was carried out when she assumed office, stressing that there were airlines which were half-dead, financially weak, ineffective, inefficient and predicted that they (airlines) would collapse in six months because of their poor standards.

Airlines in Nigeria have shown signs of ailment, as all of them are heavily indebted to banks, aviation agencies, fuel marketers to the tune of over N250 billion.

Piqued by the development, the apex bank in September sent a circular banning financial institutions from extending further credit to Nigerian airlines.

According to the CBN, this will prevent the airlines from further escalating their huge debt profiles by borrowing more money.

Unlike in Nigeria, the United States gives bankruptcy protection like the chapter 11 protection, just as stakeholders call for more support for the carriers.

They noted that the domino effect of a crisis-ridden sector would lead to pain for operators and passengers

Oduah-Ogiemonyi regretted that Nigeria- airlines were yet to benefit from the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) with other nations.

The minister stated that for the country to tap into the air pact, the government would go into Joint Venture (JV) with airlines it has BASA pact with.

Nigeria has 85 BASA agreements that are completely underutilized and could not be utilized because none of the nation’s carriers has the capacity to reciprocate or operate into destinations as provided for in the air agreement, as they are very small and fragmented.

Her words: “We are not getting the commercial benefits. We have not been benefiting commercially from the relationships and we say we can do that. Now is the time to look at them so that we can empower them. We have viable routes that we cannot utilize because we lack the capacity.

“We proposed to have a marriage, a joint venture between the bigger airlines and us. In doing so, airline operators were given the opportunity to work with the big ones and the big ones will domesticate their activities as it applies to Nigeria; meaning they will do the Nigerian route and still have access to our international route.

“You can see the opportunity we are giving them access to, which ordinarily on their own, they would not have direct access to. For instance, they can do Nigeria-London; they can do Nigeria-New York and Nigeria-Dubai.”

 http://businessnews.com.ng

Passengers injured during a hot air balloon accident felt the pilot was more concerned with packing away his equipment than helping them

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has this month published a report into the incident on March 5, 2011, when a landing went wrong at Ulpha, near Broughton.

The report describes how the pilot of the balloon, carrying 16 passengers, tried to land in the Dunnerdale Valley at around 4.05pm.

But wind took the balloon off course, forcing it into some trees. The pilot had to abandon his efforts and climb back up but, as he did, the basket brushed through branches for around 100 metres before being dragged through taller trees.

Speaking directly after the accident, one passenger, Adrian Treharne described an “almighty crash”.

The civil servant, from north Yorkshire, said: “It was like a car crash, but it all happened fairly slowly.

“Branches were constantly raining down.”

After getting clear of the branches, the balloon landed four minutes later on Birker Fell. As it did, it hit a barbed wire fence and tipped on to its side.

The report describes how, after making the balloon safe, the pilot helped the passengers from the basket.

One passenger, who spent two days at Furness General Hospital after the crash, said a branch “jabbed” her in the ribs and she felt sore on her right side.

Others reported minor injuries and back and neck pains.

The report said: “Some commented on the lack of attention to their welfare after landing and the relative priority accorded them over the need to pack and recover the balloon and its equipment, despite several of them showing signs of shock.”

A Virgin Balloon Flights spokesman said: “All pilots and crew are trained for rare situations of this kind, but we have reiterated that they should seek medical assistance as a precaution, even if a passenger declines, as in this case.

“We did not contact passengers directly after the flight as we did not have sufficient details, but once these were in hand, we contacted passengers, including those who had contacted us in the meantime, and offered refunds.

“We cooperated fully with the AAIB and the recommendations from the report will be shared with our pilots to further improve safety.”

Source:  http://www.nwemail.co.uk

Mexico's Interjet starts Monterrey-Havana flights

Low-cost carrier Interjet has started offering twice-weekly direct flights between the northern Mexican industrial city of Monterrey and Havana in an effort to spur tourism, aviation officials said.

The new route will help expand international flights to other destinations, such as the United States, Central America and South America, Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte, which manages the Monterrey airport, said in a statement.

The Monterrey-Havana flights will be offered on Thursdays and Sundays using A320s with the capacity to carry 150 passengers, the company, which manages 13 airports in nine Mexican states, said.

A total of 51,766 Mexicans visited the island in the January-August 2012 period, Cuban Embassy figures show.

Cuba welcomed 76,300 visitors from Mexico in 2011 and expects the new flights to boost these figures.

Interjet began operations in Mexico in December 2005 and offers service on 40 routes to 27 destinations. 

http://latino.foxnews.com

Drill - Aircraft Down in lake near I-76 & Pecos Street (Colorado)

"Drill ongoing on RED NE including several agencies with divers, boats, etc....   Coroner's representative is en route as well since they just switched from rescue to recovery mode."

Read more:  http://forums.radioreference.com/colorado-radio-discussion-forum/252307-drill-aircraft-down-lake-near-i-76-pecos-st.html

Eppley Airfield (KOMA), Omaha, Nebraska: FedEx jet lands safely

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A FedEx jet has landed safely at Eppley Airfield in Omaha after reporting possible problems with its landing gear.

The cockpit crew had reported that an indicator light raised the concern after the plane took off from Omaha on Tuesday morning.

The pilot declared an emergency and turned the jet back toward the airport.

The plane landed without incident around 8:45 a.m. as fire and rescue crews stood ready with their equipment.

http://www.airnav.com/airport/KOMA

Where sirens fail, Civil Air Patrol pilots fly in: Volunteers took to the air over parts of Oahu to warn of the tsunami

Hawaii Civil Air Patrol tsunami warning aircraft paid special attention to Kaa­awa and Kahana Bay late Saturday night because Civil Defense officials had told them the sirens in those areas were malfunctioning. 

 Using sirens attached to their aircraft, Civil Air Patrol pilots went aloft to warn residents of the tsunami generated by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake off British Columbia that was expected to hit Hawaii at 10:30 p.m.

Tony Ferrara, CAP director of operations, said state Civil Defense called on CAP volunteers just before 8:30 p.m. Saturday to perform the tsunami warning mission like others it has done for the past 55 years.

Within minutes eight CAP small-engine Cessnas were airborne — three at Kauai, three at Oahu, one at Maui and one at Hawaii island. The flights were completed by 11:30 p.m., but the aircraft were kept fueled and on standby until 1 a.m. Sunday in case they were needed for damage assessment.

Ferrara said the alert time Saturday was a lot shorter than March 2011 after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck Japan.

"Then we had a seven- to eight-hour warning," Ferrara said. "But our people responded as they were trained to do. Everything went off smoothly."

Lt. Col. Robert "Bob" Becka, commander of CAP's Hono­lulu flight, flew to Koko Head on Saturday night and later was diverted to the Wai­anae Coast because of cloudy conditions.

"Fortunately, there wasn't much traffic on the road, and I could see where the police were working," Becka said.

Becka said volunteer CAP pilots turn on their sirens whenever they see lights on the beach.

"It's done intermittently," said Becka, whose flight path Saturday covered the Wai­anae Coast to Kahuku.

CAP pilots on Maui did extra flybys around the Lahaina area because of the possibility that people on the beaches hadn't heard earlier warnings.

Niihau residents were notified by Civil Air Patrol flights and the Robinson family.

The CAP's tsunami warning mission began 55 years ago.

A Hanalei Civil Air Patrol cadet squadron was about to hold its weekly meeting on Kauai on March 11, 1957, when it received a radio message from its headquarters in Hono­lulu that a massive earthquake off Alaska had triggered a tsunami that was expected to hit Hawaii within an hour.

The cadets, under the leadership of a lieutenant, Kai Davis, jumped into their jeeps, which were equipped with sirens, and drove through Hana­lei Valley and Haena sounding the alarm. Going door to door, the CAP cadets are credited with alerting 300 to 400 Kauai residents, who took refuge at the Hana­lei lookout.

At least one wave reached 32 feet above normal sea level at Haena, causing enormous damage along a 15-mile strip of Hana­lei. Kauai's North Shore sustained an estimated $2 million in damage.

LAST year, at 10:01 p.m. on March 10, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach and Hawaii Civil Defense issued a tsunami alert. CAP planes began sounding the tsunami warning at 10:18 p.m.

Waves generated by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake near the east coast of Honshu, Japan, were expected to hit Kauai at 3:07 a.m. March 11 and Oahu seven minutes later.

"It was a moonless Friday night," recalled Becka, who climbed into the cockpit of a Cessna 182 just before midnight March 10. "Everything was pitch black."

Even before the alert was issued by the Hawaii Civil Defense emergency operating center in Diamond Head crater, the Hawaii Wing of the Civil Air Patrol had launched Becka and pilots in seven other small Cessnas to broadcast aerial warnings to low-lying inundation areas where there would be a danger to residents, swimmers, surfers and campers, many in areas where there are no emergency sirens.

"Timing is essential," said Becka, who recalled seeing the campfires of people on the beach and issuing warnings to ships offshore.

Telephone and cellphone service can easily become overloaded and ineffective, said Becka, a U.S. Postal Service area maintenance specialist who has a part-time job as a flight instructor.

The March 2011 and Saturday's missions were unusual because the CAP wing normally does not conduct night operations.

Each of the CAP aircraft has a speaker system attached to the lower portion of the plane's fuselage to warn people to go to higher ground.

The airborne sirens are necessary, said veteran CAP pilot John Gleeson, a former World War II B-24 bomber pilot, to ensure everyone gets the warning.

"Civil defense sirens have been known to fail," said Gleeson, 89, "and some remote areas aren't covered by the sirens."

On Saturday morning, Feb. 27, 2010, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center notified the Hawaii State Civil Defense of a tsunami generated by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Chile. Hawaii State Civil Defense immediately alerted the Civil Air Patrol.

Eight Civil Air Patrol aircraft were sent aloft — two on Kauai, two on Hawaii island, two on Maui and two on Oahu. The planes began sounding the tsunami warning at 6 a.m., five hours before the tsunami was supposed to hit. CAP aircrews reported campers shining their flashlights and breaking down their campsites after receiving the warnings.

During a recent one-hour orientation flight from CAP's hangers on Lagoon Drive, Becka and Gleeson, a CAP volunteer since 1980, followed the flight path over Oahu's South Shore from Waikiki Beach, around Diamond Head, Hawaii Kai, Maka­puu, Wai­ma­nalo, Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay, Puna­luu, Kahuku, Wai­mea Bay and Hale­iwa. The CAP conducts monthly tsunami warning training missions.

During the orientation flight, Becka, who joined the CAP in 1993 in Florida, flew the red, white and blue four-seater Cessna 182T at 1,000 feet for safety reasons.

However, during an airborne warning mission a CAP pilot may drop to as low as 500 feet to get the attention of beachgoers, campers and even boaters at sea.

"Boaters may be unaware that a tsunami warning has been issued," said Becka, one of CAP's 1,382 volunteers. Flights are generally kept to within two miles of shore.

CAP flight crews also will perform search, damage assessment and photo flights. CAP volunteers fly aerial missions, staff the incident command center and maintain and operate the radio communications net and aircraft.

In July 2002, CAP volunteers were instrumental in locating a small plane that went down on Maui. And in February 2004 the Hawaii Civil Air Patrol located a missing air ambulance that had crashed near Hilo.

The Hawaii wing, which is one of 52 in the country, maintains 11 aircraft — eight single-engine Cessna 182s and two single-engine Cessna 172s, and one glider at Dillingham Airfield. All members of the CAP are volunteers, and the organization is funded annually by a nearly $100,000 grant from the state.

Besides responding to emergency rescue calls, the CAP also works with the Hawaii Air National Guard's 199th Fighter Squadron in air-intercept missions during which its planes act as hostile aircraft. CAP planes also perform similar missions to test Navy warships' ability to track and destroy low-flying hostile aircraft.

The Civil Air Patrol was created in December 1941, one week before the Japa­nese attack on Pearl Harbor, by more than 150,000 people concerned about defense of America's coastline. The Hawaii CAP Wing was established on Jan. 22, 1947.

President Harry Truman designated it in 1945 as a federally chartered civilian corporation. Two years later Congress charged the CAP with aerospace education, cadet programs and emergency services as its three primary missions.

In October 2000 Congress passed legislation making it a volunteer civilian auxillary of the Air Force.

Story and photo:   http://www.staradvertiser.com

HAWAII CIVIL AIR PATROL

Membership: 1,382, all volunteers

 
Established: 1947 

Aircraft: Eight single-engine Cessna 182s and two single-engine Cessna 172s at CAP hangars off Lagoon Drive, one glider at Dillingham Airfield 

Mission: Aerospace education, cadet program, emergency services

Emergency missions: 11 in 2011, five so far in 2012 

Tsunami training missions: One per month

Source: Hawaii Civil Air Patrol

C-FBCW, Cessna 560 Citation V (1192) Can-West Corporate Air Charters based Calgary

http://ow.ly/i/14KCU  TSB Photo

Record #1

Cadors Number: 2012C4699

Reporting Region: Prairie & Northern

Occurrence Information

Occurrence Type: Incident

Occurrence Date: 2012-10-30

Occurrence Time: 1223 Z

Day Or Night: night-time

Fatalities: 0

Injuries: 1

Canadian Aerodrome ID: CYEG

Aerodrome Name: Edmonton International Airport

Occurrence Location: Edmonton International Airport (CYEG)

Province: Alberta

Country: CANADA

World Area: North America

Reported By: NAV CANADA

AOR Number: 154091-V1

TSB Class Of Investigation:

TSB Occurrence No:

Aircraft Information

Flight #:

Aircraft Category: Aeroplane

Country of Registration: CANADA

Make: CESSNA

Model: 560

Year Built: 1992

Amateur Built: No

Engine Make: PRATT & WHITNEY-CAN

Engine Model: JT15D-5D

Engine Type: Turbo fan

Gear Type: Land

Phase of Flight: Landing

Damage: Unknown

Owner: CAN-WEST CORPORATE AIR CHARTERS LTD

Operator: CAN-WEST CORPORATE AIR CHARTERS LTD. (5659)

Operator Type: Commercial

Event Information

Aerodrome or runway shutdown

Runway excursion

Detail Information

User Name: Ridley, Rod

Date: 2012-10-30

Further Action Required: No

O.P.I.: System Safety

Narrative: C-FBCW, a Cessna Citation operated by Can-West, was landing on Runway 02 at Edmonton when Tower observed sparks emanating from the aircraft upon landing. The aircraft skidded off the runway and came to rest near the Taxiway B4 exit. One of the two crew was injured; there were no passengers on board. Runway 02/20 is NOTAM'd closed until 1900z (1300 local time). TSB report to follow.

http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab20/bizjets101/C-FBCWCitation560VEdmontonaccident.jpg

C-FBCW Cessna 560 Citation V (1192) Can-West Corporate Air Charters based Calgary

EDMONTON - A team of Transportation Safety Board investigators is looking into a landing accident Tuesday morning at the Edmonton International Airport. 

 Emergency crews responded to the accident around 6:30 a.m., airport spokeswoman Traci Bednard said.
 
Two people on board the plane, a Cessna Citation 560, walked away from the crash without any injuries, Bednard added.
 
The plane was en route from the City Centre Airport for a regularly scheduled landing at the international.
 
The aircraft remains on the runway and can’t be moved until after TSB officials finish their investigation, meaning the airport currently has only one operational runway.
 
“We provide access to the site (and) they do the investigation,” she said. “Then they have to tow the aircraft off the runway. We still expect it to be some time.”
 
The closure, coupled with Tuesday morning’s icy weather, has already caused some delays for travellers, but she said some of those delays are just a few minutes.
 
She urged travellers to check the airport website for any flight delays.
 
“It’s really good practice, today especially, to be checking the website,” she said.
 
There are currently at least 14 affected flights, with most delays listed between five and 30 minutes.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada has deployed a team of investigators to an aircraft accident at the Edmonton International Airport Tuesday.

Traci Bednard, a spokesperson with the Edmonton International Airport, confirms there was an incident at the EIA.

Global News has learned that the accident happened around 6:30 Tuesday morning. There were two people on board the Cessna Citation 560 when it approached from the City Centre airport for a scheduled landing at EIA.

Bednard says the aircraft experienced a "hard landing" on Runway 2.

The two people on board were not injured, and were able to walk away from the crash.

The plane remains on the runway, which will remain closed for a few hours. TSB investigators began examining the scene shortly after 9 am Tuesday. The TSB will gather information and assess the occurrence.

Airport officials say air passengers could see some delays later Tuesday because the aircraft has closed runway 2, and because there is freezing rain in the area.
 
http://www.globalnews.ca

Pilatus PC-12: The Greatest Single

 

Published on October 29, 2012 by Pilatus Aircraft Ltd 

 ~

Based in Stans, Switzerland, Pilatus Aircraft Ltd was established in 1939. Seventy percent of all PC-12s which come off the production line in Stans, Switzerland are finished to customer specifications (interior and exterior livery) in Colorado. The American subsidiary is also responsible for PC-12 marketing, sales and servicing activities in North and South America.

Bigger, faster luxury jets in demand: Market boosted by CEOs seeking global range

Dallas: Corporate executives are increasingly seeking jets that can fly as far as New York to Shanghai and cruise just under the speed of sound, tilting the market toward the biggest, most luxurious models.
 
Jets sold over the 11 years through 2022 will average $25 million (Dh91.8 million) per plane, according to a study by Honeywell International, up 8.7 per cent from an estimate of $23 million last year.

The market is likely to reach $250 billion for the 11-year period, up from $230 billion in a similar period through 2011.

“It has to do with the global growth patterns and the need for companies to reach out to other parts of the world to do business and to do it productively,” said Robert Wilson, president of the Business & General Aviation unit of Honeywell, which released the survey before this week’s National Business Aviation Association conference in Orlando, Florida.

Demand for jets that don’t need refuelling on intercontinental flights is propping up the market after deliveries of mid-sized and light planes fell last year.

Canada’s Bombardier is leading the drive with the Global 8000, which will travel 14,631 kilometres. General Dynamics’s Gulfstream is set to deliver the first G650, which travels 12,964km and boasts a top speed of Mach 0.925, this year.

Those jets have $50 million-plus price tags, more than 10 times that of models that can’t make it across the US without refuelling. Of jet deliveries last year, heavy jets rose by 2.8 percentage points to 41 per cent while light jets’ share of deliveries slipped 3.1 percentage points to 40 per cent, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Large plane sales have been buoyed by big companies that have better weathered weak growth and can afford long-range jets, said Brad Thress, chief of business jets for Cessna, a unit of Providence, R.I.-based Textron.

Earlier this year, Cessna announced its longest-distance jet ever, the Citation Longitude, with a range of 7,408km. The rapid growth for jets in emerging markets also favours large planes, Steve Ridolfi, president of Bombardier’s business- jet unit, said in an interview.

In countries like China, corporate jets are used mostly by company owners who travel to Europe or the United States. Also, China doesn’t have the general-aviation airports and services that allow more use of small aircraft for domestic flights.

“These emerging markets grow first from the top. It’s the billionaires who buy first, and then you go down the pipe,” Ridolfi said in an interview. “So when you talk about China, it’s big airplanes first.” In the next five years, the number of jets in China will increase an average of 30 per cent per year, Wilson said. Russia will grow 15 per cent and India 18 per cent per year.

Participants in the survey of 1,500 companies with private fleets pointed to range as the top reason for choosing an aircraft, Wilson said.

From 2012 through 2022, large jets are forecast to account for 42 per cent of planes sold and 69 per cent of the total dollar cost, Wilson said. Mid-size jets will make up about 28 per cent and only a fifth of the dollar value. Light and mid-sized jets, which sell best in mature markets like the US and Europe, will rebound when smaller companies have more clarity about the US taxes and budget cuts, Europe’s recession and the slowdown in Asia, Thress said.

Many people start out with a light jet, such as the four-seater Citation Mustang, and then trade up for larger ones as their business grows, he said. “The interest is out there,” Thress said in an interview.

“We just think that people could use a little bit of confidence and stability in the economy.”

Cessna’s jet deliveries fell in the quarter that ended in September to 41 from 47 a year ago after having increased in the previous two quarters. The company expects to begin deliveries of the Citation M2, which will be its second-smallest jet, in the second half of 2013.

Gulfstream delivered 28 large jets in the quarter through September, up from 20 the previous year, General Dynamics, based in Falls Church, Virginia, said in an October 24 statement. The longer-range jets from Bombardier and Gulfstream have created more competition for customers of Boeing’s business jets, which have less range at 11,482km although about three times the cabin space, said Steve Taylor, president of Boeing’s business jet unit.

“While we’re still pretty different products, there are some customers in between those products,” Taylor said.

“When they were able to do city pairs we couldn’t, well, that would drive some customers across.” Honeywell forecasts deliveries of 680 to 720 new business jets this year compared with 683 planes last year, excluding Boeing and Airbus private jets. Purchase expectations for new jets weakened in Asia, which makes up about 4 per cent of the world fleet, Wilson said.

In Latin America, which has about 10 per cent of the world fleet, they rose. NetJets, the private jet unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, ordered as many as 120 of Bombardier’s longest-range Global aircraft last year in a deal valued at $6.7 billion. The Columbus, Ohio-based provider of private jet services also placed a $9.6 billion order in June for as many as 425 new mid-sized aircraft from Cessna and Bombardier on expectations that market will eventually rebound, Pat Gallagher, chief of sales at NetJets, said in an interview.

For now, flying farther and faster is what’s in demand, he said. “We’re doing a lot more flights to Russia and Brazil and China and other faraway places than we used to,” Gallagher said.

“As companies start to do business more globally, they need aircraft that can get them there.”

http://gulfnews.com

What Really Goes On in the Cockpit

In his first novel, Captain Art Samson provides a stunning exposé of airline accidents and the underlying pilot complicity. Seen through the eyes of Brad Morehouse, a former Navy Blue Angel and junior pilot at mythical Omega Airlines, Samson’s narrative bristles with actual accounts of harrowing tragedies that plagued the industry late in the last century and the groundbreaking program, called CRM, responsible for the safety turnaround. These days, Captain Samson also addresses organizations and corporations about how CRM principles can create a seismic shift in fields ranging from medicine to manufacturing.

 
 Published by Art Samson 
~
Art Samson, Delta Airlines retired captain and author of The Captain's Airline, was instrumental in developing and delivering Crew Resource Management training which has opened lines of communication at Delta, leveled the airline's hierarchy, standardized operating procedures and engaged the entire organization in the airline safety equation. 

Whether addressing audiences in the medical, industry, financial, aviation or any other fields, Captain Samson discusses the critical steps that must be taken to: Change an organization's culture Secure buy-in from leadership Create an environment of open communication Analyze project ROI Allocate resources to decrease costs and improve efficiencies in the system 

Other public speaking topics include: The basics of effective interaction within high performance teams The six critical risk-management skills: Preparation Decision making Team building Situational awareness Workload management Communication Creative problem solving 
~

 

Published by Art Samson 
~
In his first novel, The Captains Airline , Captain Art Samson provides the reader a stunning exposé of airline accidents and the underlying pilot complicity. Seen through the eyes of Brad Morehouse, a former Navy Blue Angel and junior pilot at Omega Airlines, Samson's narrative bristles with actual accounts of harrowing tragedies that plagued the industry late in the last century.

Bend, OR (PRWEB) October 30, 2012

Every day US airlines and foreign carriers serving the US conduct more than 27,000 flights. That’s a total of nearly 10 million flights a year in which flight crews make decisions that literally mean the difference between life and death for themselves and their passengers. Today the safety performance of major American air carriers is unparalleled—not a single fatality in a decade. Compare that to 100,000 annual US deaths due to medical error. That would be like having two fully loaded 737s smash into the ground every single day of the year. However, not long ago the airlines’ safety record was abysmal.

Now a new aviation thriller—The Captains’ Airline: Pushing Back from the Brink—provides an action-packed account of the horror and heroism that occurred on the far side of the cockpit door in the years preceding the current calm. This fast-paced new novel by Captain Art Samson, a 35-year Navy and Delta Airlines pilot, details the near collapse of mythical Omega Airlines, known throughout the industry as the captains’ airline because of its top-down cockpit management style. When one pilot blunder after another catapults the company to the brink of extinction, protagonist and former Navy Blue Angel pilot Brad Morehouse is asked to serve on a blue ribbon committee of Omega’s most talented leaders to create a training regimen known as Crew Resource Management (CRM). The program, which in real life is reputed to have saved many lives and potentially kept an airline alive as well, will dramatically transform the airline’s entire culture along with the lives of Samson’s all too human characters.

The story unfolds in vivid detail as the committee examines actual accidents and authentic, bristling accounts of airplanes falling from the sky into the everglades and streets of San Diego. While the committee members delve into the gut-wrenching experience of surviving an accident, of individuals haunted by failure, and of teams narrowly conquering impending disaster, Samson’s characters also experience the price of aviation calamity firsthand.

As a gripping novel, The Captains’ Airline will have aviation buffs—or indeed everyone who travels by air—perched on the edge of their seats. But there is more. In actuality, the team culture and critical decision-making dynamics fostered by aviation’s CRM has provided airline crews of every major US carrier with the interactive skills necessary to respond to the challenges fostered by an increasingly complex work environment. It has opened the lines of communication, leveled the hierarchy, standardized operating procedures and engaged entire organizations in the safety equation. The whole world saw CRM in action when the team led by Captain Chesley Sullenberger worked together so perfectly during a water landing on the Hudson River which everyone on that USAIR flight survived. Without such teamwork, the outcome would likely have been catastrophic.

Captain Samson played a key role in developing and delivering CRM training at Delta. Now the former director of Delta’s pilot instructor school in Salt Lake City is frequently asked to speak about how CRM principles can create a seismic shift in fields ranging from medicine to manufacturing.

For more information about Captain Samson’s riveting new novel or his public speaking, please visit http://www.thecaptainsairline.com or contact Art Samson at 541.222.0066; artsamson(at)msn(dot)com.

Read more:  http://www.prweb.com

Boeing Gets $3 Billion Deal With Rostech for 737 Max Jets

Boeing Co.  won a commitment from Aviation Capital Services LLC for 35 737 Max jets, marking the first accord with a Russian company for the latest variation of the world’s most widely flown passenger jet.

Aviation Capital, a unit of State Corporation Russian Technologies that is known as Rostech, is an aircraft leasing company established in February 2011, and the commitment with Boeing has a value of more than $3 billion, the companies said.

Boeing’s Max will feature more fuel-efficient engines and will compete with Airbus SAS’s upgraded A320neo series after a commercial debut now scheduled for 2017. Boeing, based in Chicago, has 858 orders for the 737 Max, after dominating this year’s Farnborough Air show with the airliner.

“Russian airlines will gain an advantage on global markets and will be able to increase their activity both within the country and internationally,” the leasing company said in a release.

The companies didn’t say which of two Max models were being sold. The Rostech order will be added to Boeing’s official tally once firm. The 737 Max 8 lists for $100.5 million, and the Max 9 for $107.3 million.

Purchase rights for 35 737s were part of a 2010 agreement between Chicago-based Boeing and Rostech in which the Russian company agreed to buy 50 single-aisle planes. Plane buyers typically don’t pay catalog prices. The statement didn’t provide information about Aviation Capital’s existing fleet.

http://www.businessweek.com

Etihad forced to postpone Addis Ababa launch

Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority rejected the airline’s application for the required operating permit

Abu Dhabi: Etihad Airways on Tuesday confirmed that the airline had been forced to postpone the launch of its flights to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, after the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority rejected the airline’s application for the required operating permit.

This decision comes despite the existence of a Memorandum of Understanding concluded by the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Government of Abu Dhabi in June 2007.

Based on this agreement, Ethiopian Airlines commenced scheduled passenger flights to Abu Dhabi in July 2008, suspending the service 12 months later.

The national airline of the United Arab Emirates five times per week service was scheduled to commence on November 2, 2012. Over a period of six months, the UAE Government has held several meetings to resolve this situation, with the final meeting in Addis Ababa ending in failure last week.

Unfortunately, due to lack of any positive outcome Etihad Airways has had no alternative but to postpone the launch of flights between Addis Ababa and Abu Dhabi until further notice. The airline said: “The actions of the Ethiopian CAA ignore the Memorandum of Understanding between Abu Dhabi and Ethiopia. They are also very much against the best interests of consumers, who are being denied the opportunity to experience Etihad Airways’ service,” Etihad said in a statement.

“We will continue to push for terms of the MoU to be honoured. In the meantime, we deeply regret any inconvenience caused to our customers and business partners by this delay,” the airline said.

Etihad Airways is contacting all passengers who have booked to fly on the planned service and will offer a full refund, or will assist passengers to make flight arrangements with another carrier.

http://gulfnews.com

Trotyl found on wreckage of Polish president Kaczynski's board? Tupolev 154M, Accident occurred April 10, 2010 near Smolensk Air Base, Russia

Poland’s Rzeczpospolita newspaper has published an article titled Trotyl on Tupolev Wrechage, which claimed Polish prosecutors and bomb experts had found traces of trotyl and nitroglycerin on the wreckage of the crashed Tu-154 near Smolensk. 

This allegation was supported by Poland’s Prosecutor General Andrzej Seremet.

The Rzeczpospolita daily said Polish experts used advanced technologies to discover particles of explosives on some thirty passenger seats and the plane’s skin.

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has been informed about the findings. Polish Prosecutor’s Office said it was going to make an announcement of its stance in near future.

 A key witness in the case of the Polish Tu-154 airliner crash near Smolensk in 2010 has been found dead at his home near Warsaw. Investigators think the witness had killed himself, according to an official of the district prosecutor’s office, Dariusz Sliepokura.

The flight engineer of a Polish Yak-40 plane, Riemigiusz Mos, was found hanged in a Warsaw suburb late on Sunday.

The body was found in the basement of a residential house where he lived together with his wife, the prosecutor’s office official said in a live interview with Radio Poland. According to him, neither police, nor prosecutors have reasons to suspect that third persons could be involved in the death of the 42-year old Mos.

Mos was in the cockpit of his Yak-40 airliner that landed at Smolensk-Severny airport just one hour before the presidential Tu-154 had attempted to land at the same airport but crashed, killing all 96 people on board, including Polish President Lech Kaczynski. Mos could hear the communication between the Tu-154 crew and the Smolensk air traffic controllers via his onboard radio. Russia’s Investigation Committee is probing into the case of illegal photos of Smolensk plane crash victims being taken and leaked to the web, committee’s spokesman Vladimir Markin told journalists today.

A Polish news agency earlier reported that Poland's Prosecutor General Andrzej Seremet was going to call for Russian Investigation Committee’s chief Alexander Bastrykin to initiate a probe into this case.

Photos depicting bodies of the crash victims appeared in the Russian blogosphere a month ago. Some of them were apparently shot in the morgue. Poland has published results of DNA tests, which proved the bodies of Smolensk crash victims had been “mixed up,” said Zbigniew Rzepa, spokesman of the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office.

The lab tests were conducted by two separate organizations in Bydgoszcz and Vrotslav. Their results clearly showed two bodies had been incorrectly identified.  Six bodies of Smolensk crash victims were exhumed last week over suspicion of having been confused. Identities of three victims were eventually confirmed, while the bodies of Anna Walentynowicz, an activist of the Solidarity movement, and Teresa Walewska-Przyjalkowska had been mixed up, pathologists said.

Russia has granted a Polish request for more documentation concerning the crash of the Polish presidential jet near Smolensk in April 2010. A total of 58 volumes have already been sent to Poland.

The crash killed all 96 people on board, including lawmakers, Generals, Ministers, President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria Kaczynska.

The President was leading a Polish delegation to commemorative events in Katyn, where Stalin’s secret police massacred captured Polish officers in 1940.

Voice of Russia, RIA, TASS