When a small aircraft crashes or a person goes missing, a volunteer organization is often the first called in to help. Civil Air Patrol, or CAP, is group of volunteers thousands strong across the United States. They carry out more than 90 percent of all federal inland search and rescue missions in the country.
KSTP had a rare opportunity to fly with Minnesota's 130th Composite Squadron of CAP on Sunday, October 28th, while they performed a training exercise out of Airlake Airport in Lakeville.
As an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, CAP saves an average of 80 lives per year. They also train cadets ages 12 through 20 in aerospace and leadership.
"I feel for the families because they don't know where they are and we're trying to find them and we're doing the best we can, but it's hard," said 130th Composite Squadron Cadet Kayla Frandrup.
"They have the opportunity to help other people and somebody that's in an emergency situation," said 13th Composite Squadron Deputy Commander Major Paul Van Brunt. "The best thing they can have is to know that somebody is going to respond and come and help them or find them if they are lost or down or injured."
There are more than 1,400 CAP members in Minnesota and more than 61,000 in the country.
Story and video: http://kstp.com
Thursday, November 01, 2012
Springfield-Branson National Airport (KSGF), Missouri: Springfield hopes improved terminal for private planes will help boost business
SPRINGFIELD-BRANSON NATIONAL AIRPORT — The private planes
that you might associate with the 1% – actually affect every airline
passenger in Springfield.
General aviation accounts for 11% of the airport’s budget, or $1.4 million dollars. If you take that money away, officials say the airport would raise money from somewhere else – like ticket fees.
The City of Springfield presents its five-year capital improvements program to Planning and Zoning on Thursday. In that plan are projects that focus on general aviation.
Officials say the current general aviation terminal is out-dated and overwhelmed. They say adding new hangers to the terminal will keep current customers happy and help new business take off.
“If an executive comes into an airport and the general aviation is inadequate, the impression is we’re a backwoods town and not with it like other cities,” says Mark Burgess, director of operations at OzAir, a charter plane service. “That means a lot.”
Burgess flies executives from nearly 50 companies in the Ozarks.
There are 17 more who have their own jets: American Products. Assembly of God, Bass Pro Shops, BKD, Bristol Manufacturing, CDP Aviation (Coca Cola), Distribution Air (Redneck Trailer), Five Star Aero (Peterbilt of Springfield), Foster Health Care Group, Great Southern Bank, Hiland Dairy Company, John Q Hammons, Loren Cook Company, O’Reilly Automotive, Ozark Air LLC (Petroleum Properties, Inc. – used to be Webster Oil Co.), Prime Aire, and Tandem Air (Hutchens Industries).
To view the complete Capital Improvements Program, visit http://www.springfieldmo.gov/boards/planzone/pdf_files/cip1318.pdf
Story and video: http://www.kspr.com
http://www.flyspringfield.com/ga.htm
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KSGF
General aviation accounts for 11% of the airport’s budget, or $1.4 million dollars. If you take that money away, officials say the airport would raise money from somewhere else – like ticket fees.
The City of Springfield presents its five-year capital improvements program to Planning and Zoning on Thursday. In that plan are projects that focus on general aviation.
Officials say the current general aviation terminal is out-dated and overwhelmed. They say adding new hangers to the terminal will keep current customers happy and help new business take off.
“If an executive comes into an airport and the general aviation is inadequate, the impression is we’re a backwoods town and not with it like other cities,” says Mark Burgess, director of operations at OzAir, a charter plane service. “That means a lot.”
Burgess flies executives from nearly 50 companies in the Ozarks.
There are 17 more who have their own jets: American Products. Assembly of God, Bass Pro Shops, BKD, Bristol Manufacturing, CDP Aviation (Coca Cola), Distribution Air (Redneck Trailer), Five Star Aero (Peterbilt of Springfield), Foster Health Care Group, Great Southern Bank, Hiland Dairy Company, John Q Hammons, Loren Cook Company, O’Reilly Automotive, Ozark Air LLC (Petroleum Properties, Inc. – used to be Webster Oil Co.), Prime Aire, and Tandem Air (Hutchens Industries).
To view the complete Capital Improvements Program, visit http://www.springfieldmo.gov/boards/planzone/pdf_files/cip1318.pdf
Story and video: http://www.kspr.com
http://www.flyspringfield.com/ga.htm
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KSGF
Air Force job fair set for 'Hire a Vet Month'
The Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Airman and Family Readiness Center will pay tribute to National "Hire a Vet Month" with a Veteran's Job Fair at the Wright State University Nutter Center.
The job fair is set for Nov. 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is open to military veterans, active duty military, reservist, guard and their families, Department of Defense civilian employees and the general public. Military uniform or business attire is required for entry.
More than 80 potential employers will be attending and include: FedEx, MacAulay Brown, Lockheed Martin, NCR, Wright State University, Verizon, Miami University, Reynolds & Reynolds, GE Aviation-Vandalia, Time Warner, Cardinal Health, Primerica, CINTAS, Trotwood Police Department, AutoZone, Federal Air Marshals, Peerless Technologies, DP&L, City of Dayton and more.
Employers will be looking for technical experience in the following areas: Acquisition Logistics, Acquisition Management, Contract Management, Intelligence Analyst, Information Technology, Test & Evaluation, Program/Project Management, Defense Intelligence, Network Engineer, Electrical Engineering, Oracle DBA, Security Management, Procurement, Logistics, Software Developer, Finance & Contract management, Foreign Military Sales, Strategic Planning, Quality Assurance, Data base Admin, Configuration & Data Management, Program Analyst, Accountants, Operations research, Human Resource Administrators, IT & Communications Information Systems, Cost Analysts, Mechanical Engineering, Technical Training, Tech Support, Help Desk, Web Developers, Program Directors, Business Administrators.
Attending employers will also be looking for non-technical positions, such as: Production Supervisor, Department/Retail managers, C-MGR trainee, Shift Leaders, Maintenance Technicians, Law Enforcement, Patrol Officers, Finance Technicians, Tellers, loan Officers, Warehouse Workers, Commercial Sales, Route Sales Drivers, Nursing, Residential Specialist, Psychiatrists, Therapists, Social Work, Case Managers, STNA, LPN, RN, Health Care, Home health Care, Assisted Living, Custodial Workers, Customer Services, Merchandising, Cashier, Receivers/Stockers, Loaders, Retail Sales, Staff Support, Cooks, Food Service Workers, Child Care/Development, A&P Mechanics, Welders, Machine Operators, Bus Operators, Transportation Supervisors, Package Handlers, Installation Technicians, Bilingual Tech Support & Tele-Health Customer Service Rep, Painters, Pharmacy, Class A CDL Drivers, Machinist, CNC Programmer, Shipping Clerk/Manager, Mechanical/Electronic Assembly, Prepress OPR, Estimators, Manual Mill/Lathe, Tool Making, Screw Machine, Electricians, Electronics, Mechanics, HVAC, Plumbing, Operations Managers/Supervisors, Loss Prevention, Phlebotomists, Carpenters, Store Managers, Medical Billing, and Production Jobs.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com
The job fair is set for Nov. 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is open to military veterans, active duty military, reservist, guard and their families, Department of Defense civilian employees and the general public. Military uniform or business attire is required for entry.
More than 80 potential employers will be attending and include: FedEx, MacAulay Brown, Lockheed Martin, NCR, Wright State University, Verizon, Miami University, Reynolds & Reynolds, GE Aviation-Vandalia, Time Warner, Cardinal Health, Primerica, CINTAS, Trotwood Police Department, AutoZone, Federal Air Marshals, Peerless Technologies, DP&L, City of Dayton and more.
Employers will be looking for technical experience in the following areas: Acquisition Logistics, Acquisition Management, Contract Management, Intelligence Analyst, Information Technology, Test & Evaluation, Program/Project Management, Defense Intelligence, Network Engineer, Electrical Engineering, Oracle DBA, Security Management, Procurement, Logistics, Software Developer, Finance & Contract management, Foreign Military Sales, Strategic Planning, Quality Assurance, Data base Admin, Configuration & Data Management, Program Analyst, Accountants, Operations research, Human Resource Administrators, IT & Communications Information Systems, Cost Analysts, Mechanical Engineering, Technical Training, Tech Support, Help Desk, Web Developers, Program Directors, Business Administrators.
Attending employers will also be looking for non-technical positions, such as: Production Supervisor, Department/Retail managers, C-MGR trainee, Shift Leaders, Maintenance Technicians, Law Enforcement, Patrol Officers, Finance Technicians, Tellers, loan Officers, Warehouse Workers, Commercial Sales, Route Sales Drivers, Nursing, Residential Specialist, Psychiatrists, Therapists, Social Work, Case Managers, STNA, LPN, RN, Health Care, Home health Care, Assisted Living, Custodial Workers, Customer Services, Merchandising, Cashier, Receivers/Stockers, Loaders, Retail Sales, Staff Support, Cooks, Food Service Workers, Child Care/Development, A&P Mechanics, Welders, Machine Operators, Bus Operators, Transportation Supervisors, Package Handlers, Installation Technicians, Bilingual Tech Support & Tele-Health Customer Service Rep, Painters, Pharmacy, Class A CDL Drivers, Machinist, CNC Programmer, Shipping Clerk/Manager, Mechanical/Electronic Assembly, Prepress OPR, Estimators, Manual Mill/Lathe, Tool Making, Screw Machine, Electricians, Electronics, Mechanics, HVAC, Plumbing, Operations Managers/Supervisors, Loss Prevention, Phlebotomists, Carpenters, Store Managers, Medical Billing, and Production Jobs.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority: Statement of Governor Bob McDonnell on US DOT Inspector General Final Report on MWAA Governance
A federal audit report released today by the Department of Transportation's Inspector General details $220 million in no-bid contracts awarded by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement regarding the US DOT Inspector General's Final Report on Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Governance released earlier today. This report, requested by Congressman Frank Wolf, comes on the heels of the May 15, 2012, interim report which identified numerous areas of concern regarding the policies and practices of the MWAA Board of Directors. The Final Report is entitled: "MWAA's Weak Policies and Procedures have lead to Questionable Procurement Practices, Mismanagement, and a Lack of Overall Accountability".
Read more: http://www.governor.virginia.gov/news/viewRelease.cfm?id=1485
RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement regarding the US DOT Inspector General's Final Report on Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Governance released earlier today. This report, requested by Congressman Frank Wolf, comes on the heels of the May 15, 2012, interim report which identified numerous areas of concern regarding the policies and practices of the MWAA Board of Directors. The Final Report is entitled: "MWAA's Weak Policies and Procedures have lead to Questionable Procurement Practices, Mismanagement, and a Lack of Overall Accountability".
Read more: http://www.governor.virginia.gov/news/viewRelease.cfm?id=1485
Inspector general audit details hiring, ethics abuses at Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
A federal audit report released today by the Department of Transportation's Inspector General details $220 million in no-bid contracts awarded by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
Thursday, November 1, 10:09 AM
By Lori Aratani
The Washington Post
A federal audit of the regional airports authority has found widespread problems in its contracting and employment practices.
The report on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority found that employees received thousands of dollars in gifts from contractors and that nepotism was common in the authority’s human resources department.
Slated to be released Thursday morning, the audit by the Transportation Department’s inspector general follows an interim report on MWAA released in May. The 50-page final document, obtained by The Washington Post, highlights new areas of concern, particularly with the authority’s hiring practices.
MWAA, which operates Dulles International and Reagan National airports and the Dulles Toll Road, is overseeing the $5.6 billion Silver Line project extending Metrorail to Tysons Corner, Dulles Airport and Loudoun County.
The new report offers fresh ammunition for critics of the authority’s operations and its stewardship of the Silver Line project, which is one the nation’s largest infrastructure investments. The report does not name individuals cited but did include their job titles.
Authority officials have scheduled a Thursday afternoon news conference to respond to the report’s findings.
In the examination of hiring practices, the report details several incidents in which relatives of the vice president of human resources were employed in his department. It also said proper criminal background checks were not done on new employees and, as a result, employees with known criminal convictions worked at the authority “in sensitive and management positions for more than a year.”
Read more here: http://www.washingtonpost.com
Thursday, November 1, 10:09 AM
By Lori Aratani
The Washington Post
A federal audit of the regional airports authority has found widespread problems in its contracting and employment practices.
The report on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority found that employees received thousands of dollars in gifts from contractors and that nepotism was common in the authority’s human resources department.
Slated to be released Thursday morning, the audit by the Transportation Department’s inspector general follows an interim report on MWAA released in May. The 50-page final document, obtained by The Washington Post, highlights new areas of concern, particularly with the authority’s hiring practices.
MWAA, which operates Dulles International and Reagan National airports and the Dulles Toll Road, is overseeing the $5.6 billion Silver Line project extending Metrorail to Tysons Corner, Dulles Airport and Loudoun County.
The new report offers fresh ammunition for critics of the authority’s operations and its stewardship of the Silver Line project, which is one the nation’s largest infrastructure investments. The report does not name individuals cited but did include their job titles.
Authority officials have scheduled a Thursday afternoon news conference to respond to the report’s findings.
In the examination of hiring practices, the report details several incidents in which relatives of the vice president of human resources were employed in his department. It also said proper criminal background checks were not done on new employees and, as a result, employees with known criminal convictions worked at the authority “in sensitive and management positions for more than a year.”
Read more here: http://www.washingtonpost.com
United States Upgrades Israel's Aviation-Safety Rating
November 1, 2012, 1:08 p.m. ET
By DOUG CAMERON
The Wall Street Journal
U.S. regulators said Thursday they had upgraded Israel to a top-tier aviation-safety rating, a move that would allow El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. and its Israeli rivals to boost flights to and from the U.S. and expand partnerships with other carriers.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the agency restored Israel to the Category 1 safety status it lost in December 2008. The upgrade followed an inspection last month of the country’s facilities and procedures.
Israel’s promotion comes as a number of other countries with large aviation markets—notably Indonesia and the Philippines—seek to regain their own top-tier safety ratings from U.S. and European regulators.
The FAA ratings and those overseen by the European Union apply to countries, rather than individual airlines, and include elements such as airport and air-traffic control procedures and staff training. Countries that lack a Category 1 rating fail to comply with standards laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a branch of the United Nations.
The U.S. downgrade in 2008 reflected concerns about Israel’s oversight of private aviation, rather than about its commercial carriers or security matters.
“Israel’s civil-aviation authority worked with the FAA on an action plan so that its safety-oversight system fully complies with ICAO’s standards and practices,” the U.S. agency said in its statement.
The upgrade is particularly important for Israel’s three main carriers: El Al, Arkia Israeli Airlines and Israir Airlines, though only El Al currently flies to the U.S. All three airlines were unable to expand service to the U.S. or code-share with U.S. carriers as long as their country lacked Category 1 status.
The trio have faced tougher competition on routes to and from Europe since Israel reached an open-skies aviation deal with the EU earlier this year, ending market-access restrictions. Israel has an open-skies pact with the U.S., but its airlines were unable to take advantage of the opportunities.
North America accounts for about a fifth of El Al’s total capacity, and Tel Aviv to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport is its busiest international route, with service to Newark, N.J., ranking fifth. El Al has a limited alliance with JetBlue Airways Group Inc. that doesn’t include code-sharing, a practice in which carriers cross-sell each others’ tickets.
JetBlue said it had no immediate plans to expand the pact.
An El Al representative wasn’t immediately available for comment.
The restrictions imposed by safety ratings have prompted airlines to look for innovative ways to add service. Cebu Air Inc. of the Philippines last month unveiled plans to fly to Guam and Hawaii, a move that would provide U.S. carriers with a rare instance of competition from Asia’s fast-growing low-cost airline sector.
The company’s Cebu Pacific unit is seeking approval to launch flights from Manila to Guam in April, though it would have to use aircraft and crews rented from another airline based in a country with a Category 1 rating.
The U.S. downgraded the Philippines’ aviation-safety status to Category 2 in January 2008. The EU also included the Philippines on its aviation blacklist, barring any flights to the region by Filipino airlines. The Philippines is the second-most-populous nation, after Indonesia, to lack a Category 1 rating from the FAA.
Source: http://online.wsj.com
By DOUG CAMERON
The Wall Street Journal
U.S. regulators said Thursday they had upgraded Israel to a top-tier aviation-safety rating, a move that would allow El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. and its Israeli rivals to boost flights to and from the U.S. and expand partnerships with other carriers.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the agency restored Israel to the Category 1 safety status it lost in December 2008. The upgrade followed an inspection last month of the country’s facilities and procedures.
Israel’s promotion comes as a number of other countries with large aviation markets—notably Indonesia and the Philippines—seek to regain their own top-tier safety ratings from U.S. and European regulators.
The FAA ratings and those overseen by the European Union apply to countries, rather than individual airlines, and include elements such as airport and air-traffic control procedures and staff training. Countries that lack a Category 1 rating fail to comply with standards laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a branch of the United Nations.
The U.S. downgrade in 2008 reflected concerns about Israel’s oversight of private aviation, rather than about its commercial carriers or security matters.
“Israel’s civil-aviation authority worked with the FAA on an action plan so that its safety-oversight system fully complies with ICAO’s standards and practices,” the U.S. agency said in its statement.
The upgrade is particularly important for Israel’s three main carriers: El Al, Arkia Israeli Airlines and Israir Airlines, though only El Al currently flies to the U.S. All three airlines were unable to expand service to the U.S. or code-share with U.S. carriers as long as their country lacked Category 1 status.
The trio have faced tougher competition on routes to and from Europe since Israel reached an open-skies aviation deal with the EU earlier this year, ending market-access restrictions. Israel has an open-skies pact with the U.S., but its airlines were unable to take advantage of the opportunities.
North America accounts for about a fifth of El Al’s total capacity, and Tel Aviv to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport is its busiest international route, with service to Newark, N.J., ranking fifth. El Al has a limited alliance with JetBlue Airways Group Inc. that doesn’t include code-sharing, a practice in which carriers cross-sell each others’ tickets.
JetBlue said it had no immediate plans to expand the pact.
An El Al representative wasn’t immediately available for comment.
The restrictions imposed by safety ratings have prompted airlines to look for innovative ways to add service. Cebu Air Inc. of the Philippines last month unveiled plans to fly to Guam and Hawaii, a move that would provide U.S. carriers with a rare instance of competition from Asia’s fast-growing low-cost airline sector.
The company’s Cebu Pacific unit is seeking approval to launch flights from Manila to Guam in April, though it would have to use aircraft and crews rented from another airline based in a country with a Category 1 rating.
The U.S. downgraded the Philippines’ aviation-safety status to Category 2 in January 2008. The EU also included the Philippines on its aviation blacklist, barring any flights to the region by Filipino airlines. The Philippines is the second-most-populous nation, after Indonesia, to lack a Category 1 rating from the FAA.
Source: http://online.wsj.com
Astronauts begin spacewalk to fix space station cooling system
Two astronauts are floating outside the International Space
Station today (Nov. 1) in an effort to isolate and repair an ammonia
leak in part of the orbiting lab's cooling system.
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams
and Japanese spaceflyer Akihiko Hoshide officially begun the spacewalk —
also known as an extra-vehicular activity, or EVA — this morning at
8:29 a.m. EDT (1229 GMT). They're expected to stay outside for about 6
1/2 hours, NASA officials said. You can watch live coverage of the
spacewalk here on NASA TV
.
Each of the orbiting lab's eight huge solar arrays has its own associated power system, and circulating ammonia helps cool this gear down. The spacewalk's first objective is to find the source of the leak, which could affect one of these power channels if it's not addressed soon.
"We don't know exactly where the leak is," space station manager Mike Suffredini of NASA told reporters during a teleconference last Friday (Oct. 26). "It's possible the leak is in the PVR itself, the [photo-voltaic] radiator itself. It could be in the pump system, or it could be in any one of the [coolant] lines." [Gallery: Building the International Space Station
]
On Thursday's EVA, Williams — commander of the station's current Expedition 33 mission — and Hoshide will make their way over to the port side of the station's backbone-like truss. They'll reconfigure some lines in the affected coolant system and install a spare radiator to see if that stops the leak.
"We're real suspicious of the radiator," said spacewalk flight director Mike Lammers, of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "It kind of stretches out there and is susceptible to micrometeorite impacts."
Because the leak is so slow, it will likely take several weeks before it's known if the fix works, officials said.
If ammonia continues to escape, the station's operators will eventually have to try something else. For example, they may direct astronauts to swap out some of the coolant system's pump gear on another spacewalk. But there likely won't be an urgent need for a new fix, since the spare radiator should provide enough ammonia to keep the coolant system operating until next October or so, officials said.
NASA and its space station partners have known about the ammonia leak since 2007, and they've taken measures to deal with it before. Astronauts aboard the space shuttle Endeavour
recharged the coolant system with 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) of ammonia last year.
Spacewalks are always challenging, but Thursday's EVA is unlikely to throw anything at Williams and Hoshide that the two astronauts can't handle. In late August and early September, the duo replaced a vital power unit
over the course of two spacewalks, defeating an unexpectedly stubborn stuck bolt in the process.
"I would say this is an average-skill-level EVA — maybe slightly more challenging than an average EVA," said lead spacewalk officer Allison Bolinger of the Johnson Space Center.
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams


Each of the orbiting lab's eight huge solar arrays has its own associated power system, and circulating ammonia helps cool this gear down. The spacewalk's first objective is to find the source of the leak, which could affect one of these power channels if it's not addressed soon.
"We don't know exactly where the leak is," space station manager Mike Suffredini of NASA told reporters during a teleconference last Friday (Oct. 26). "It's possible the leak is in the PVR itself, the [photo-voltaic] radiator itself. It could be in the pump system, or it could be in any one of the [coolant] lines." [Gallery: Building the International Space Station

On Thursday's EVA, Williams — commander of the station's current Expedition 33 mission — and Hoshide will make their way over to the port side of the station's backbone-like truss. They'll reconfigure some lines in the affected coolant system and install a spare radiator to see if that stops the leak.
"We're real suspicious of the radiator," said spacewalk flight director Mike Lammers, of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "It kind of stretches out there and is susceptible to micrometeorite impacts."
Because the leak is so slow, it will likely take several weeks before it's known if the fix works, officials said.
If ammonia continues to escape, the station's operators will eventually have to try something else. For example, they may direct astronauts to swap out some of the coolant system's pump gear on another spacewalk. But there likely won't be an urgent need for a new fix, since the spare radiator should provide enough ammonia to keep the coolant system operating until next October or so, officials said.
NASA and its space station partners have known about the ammonia leak since 2007, and they've taken measures to deal with it before. Astronauts aboard the space shuttle Endeavour

Spacewalks are always challenging, but Thursday's EVA is unlikely to throw anything at Williams and Hoshide that the two astronauts can't handle. In late August and early September, the duo replaced a vital power unit

"I would say this is an average-skill-level EVA — maybe slightly more challenging than an average EVA," said lead spacewalk officer Allison Bolinger of the Johnson Space Center.
Read more here: http://www.foxnews.com
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