Okaloosa County Airports Director Greg Donovan has submitted his
resignation to accept the director’s position at Pensacola International
Airport.
His final day on the job will be March 1 and he will start at Pensacola March 3.
To read Greg Donovan's letter of resignation, click here.>>
The move is a homecoming of sorts. Donovan was assistant director at the Pensacola airport before he came to Okaloosa.
“I’m very excited about rejoining the Pensacola team,” Donovan said.
“It is a wonderful thing to be asked to come back. I worked there for
seven years and the team over there thought highly enough of me to ask
me to come back as their leader, and that’s very gratifying.
“Going to Pensacola is big career move for me and good for my family,”
he added. “I still live in Gulf Breeze, so the opportunity to go back to
Pensacola International is outstanding. It’s a little bit more than
double the size in terms of emplacements as VPS (Northwest Florida
Regional Airport).
It’s a good career move for my part.”
The County Commission hired Donovan in January 2008 to replace the retiring Jerry Sealy.
Since then Donovan has overseen the terminal expansion, the opening of a
Helen Back restaurant and the development of the USO center at
Northwest Florida Regional.
Destin Airport and Bob Sikes Airport in Crestview also have seen similar successes.
He also served as the acting head of the Tourist Development Council
for several months last year after the TDC financing scandal erupted.
“Greg’s just been a phenomenal asset the years he’s worked here in
Okaloosa County,” County Administrator Jim Curry said. “It’s not only
(the) major advancements at our regional airport that are obvious, but
we also have the Destin and the Bob Sikes Airport in Crestview, and all
three of those facilities have grown significantly. My hat’s off to him.
He’s done a really great job.”
Curry said the search for a new airports director could take four to
six months. Advertisements for applicants could go out as early as next
week.
Curry will appoint an interim airports director to oversee the
department after Donovan leaves, but no decision on who that will be has
been made yet.
Curry will retire sometime between May and October, and the search
already is on for his replacement. Curry said it would make sense for
the new county administrator to have a hand in choosing an airports
director.
“It’s a very important position and we begin immediately the advertising,” Curry said.
Donovan said he has cultivated many strong business relationships in
the past five years and hopes those will continue in his new position.
He said all the airports in Northwest Florida waste a lot of resources
trying to persuade customers to fly in to or out of one airport over
another, when those funds could be used more constructively to bring
more people to the region.
“The true approach toward regionalism is to help each other when we
can,” Donovan said. “There’s always been a level of competition between
Pensacola and VPS and all the other airports in the region. But I’ve got
a pretty unique perspective now, having worked at both Pensacola and
VPS and now back to Pensacola. My goal is to be able to unite and bring
some further steps forward in diplomacy and working together. There will
be opportunities, I think, where the airports could collaborate
further.”
Story and Reaction/Comments: http://www.nwfdailynews.com
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Regional airports to get overflow Super Bowl air traffic
WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports
HAMMOND, LA (WAFB) - The excitement for Super Bowl XLVII is building. Thousands of fans have flown in to south Louisiana for the week-long party - many of them on private jets. That it means business is taking off for smaller airports.
The party in the Big Easy is already in full swing, but those coming to town on private planes will be flying in non-stop all weekend long.
"When New Orleans fills up, and Lake Front fills up then it will be Hammond that they start sending aircraft to. And we've already been notified that they're looking to send 40 aircraft our way, which puts us up to about 117 aircraft," said Jason Ball, director or Hammond Regional Airport.
Ball says this is a big deal for smaller regional airport; but he says he and his crew have everything under control.
"We have an air traffic control tower that was brought in just for this event," said Ball. "Ours won't be done until 2014, so the state and the guard brought one in from Alexandria."
Pilot and aircraft owner Erin Pierce says the last time the Super Bowl was in New Orleans, airports around the state did get some overflow travelers but nothing like what they are about see in the next few days.
"There's just a lot of options for people to get into aircraft...private aircraft to go flying instead of using the airlines. And the airline's less pleasant if you don't want to take your shoes off and go through a full body scanner," said Pierce.
With all of the excitement behind the big game, its festivities and all New Orleans has to offer tourists, Ball also hopes this is an opportunity to promote the Hammond area to folks from all over the world.
"We'll get the FBO's to put in the aircraft, some information about our area...about the entire Northshore area...That way when they are sitting on the runway, waiting to take off, they have a little something to read and possibly can look at a long-term commitment or a long-term relationship," said Ball.
There are rumors that a few celebrity guests could be on some of those flights. If this is true, Ball says their names will not be released, but he will not be passing up the chance to take a picture of a star.
Story, video and photos: http://www.wafb.com
HAMMOND, LA (WAFB) - The excitement for Super Bowl XLVII is building. Thousands of fans have flown in to south Louisiana for the week-long party - many of them on private jets. That it means business is taking off for smaller airports.
The party in the Big Easy is already in full swing, but those coming to town on private planes will be flying in non-stop all weekend long.
"When New Orleans fills up, and Lake Front fills up then it will be Hammond that they start sending aircraft to. And we've already been notified that they're looking to send 40 aircraft our way, which puts us up to about 117 aircraft," said Jason Ball, director or Hammond Regional Airport.
Ball says this is a big deal for smaller regional airport; but he says he and his crew have everything under control.
"We have an air traffic control tower that was brought in just for this event," said Ball. "Ours won't be done until 2014, so the state and the guard brought one in from Alexandria."
Pilot and aircraft owner Erin Pierce says the last time the Super Bowl was in New Orleans, airports around the state did get some overflow travelers but nothing like what they are about see in the next few days.
"There's just a lot of options for people to get into aircraft...private aircraft to go flying instead of using the airlines. And the airline's less pleasant if you don't want to take your shoes off and go through a full body scanner," said Pierce.
With all of the excitement behind the big game, its festivities and all New Orleans has to offer tourists, Ball also hopes this is an opportunity to promote the Hammond area to folks from all over the world.
"We'll get the FBO's to put in the aircraft, some information about our area...about the entire Northshore area...That way when they are sitting on the runway, waiting to take off, they have a little something to read and possibly can look at a long-term commitment or a long-term relationship," said Ball.
There are rumors that a few celebrity guests could be on some of those flights. If this is true, Ball says their names will not be released, but he will not be passing up the chance to take a picture of a star.
Story, video and photos: http://www.wafb.com
Albertville, Alabama, considers air taxi service
Albertville residents could soon grab a taxi from Albertville to Panama City — an air taxi that is.
Advanced Flight Solution, a company based out of Guntersville, is looking to start an air taxi service that will operate out of the Albertville Regional Airport, according to Airport and Economic Development Director Jerry Cofield,
Tackle Trap
Cofield said the service allows someone to rent a plane and a pilot and go wherever they need to go.
“In my opinion this is another step to bring our airport into a complete-commercialized situation,” Cofield said. “This is continued growth, and it is continued economic development potential for this airport and this area.”
On Monday, the Albertville City Council will consider granting the request from Brett Kelley, and Cofield said Kelley is ready to get the operation off the ground as soon as he gets permission.
Source: http://www.sandmountainreporter.com
Advanced Flight Solution, a company based out of Guntersville, is looking to start an air taxi service that will operate out of the Albertville Regional Airport, according to Airport and Economic Development Director Jerry Cofield,
Tackle Trap
Cofield said the service allows someone to rent a plane and a pilot and go wherever they need to go.
“In my opinion this is another step to bring our airport into a complete-commercialized situation,” Cofield said. “This is continued growth, and it is continued economic development potential for this airport and this area.”
On Monday, the Albertville City Council will consider granting the request from Brett Kelley, and Cofield said Kelley is ready to get the operation off the ground as soon as he gets permission.
Source: http://www.sandmountainreporter.com
Pocatello Regional (KPIH), Idaho: Airport Snow Removal
For the first of a new video series called ISJ Reports we tackle how the Pocatello Regional Airport handles snow removal in the winter.
500-600 people expected at Montana Aviation Conference
An estimated 500 to 600 people are expected to attend the annual Montana Aviation Conference Feb. 28–March 2 at the Copper King Inn in Butte, according to Pat Shea,Bert Mooney Airport manager.
The theme is “Reach For It.’’
“The list includes everyone from airports from around the state, the Montana pilots association (general aviation), Montana antique aircraft association and numerous breakout sessions and vendor booths to cater to all aviation interests for both professionals and enthusiasts,’’ he said.
He said around 20 different sessions ranging from the tales of an Alaskan pilot to Montana earthquakes are planned. Sessions will be available for all aviation interests and opportunities to meet with representatives from the FAA, TSA, NTSB and Customs Boarder Protection.
Chris Fisk, a native of Dillon and a Butte High history teacher, will be the speaker for the opening luncheon Thursday. Fisk is known for his humor and his unusual approach to teaching history.
Commander “JR” Hansen will be the featured speaker for the Friday luncheon. Hansen is a graduate of Butte High. Hansen entered the Navy in 1993 after receiving his commission from NROTC at the University of Washington. Commander Hansen went on to fly the F/A – 18.
Ralph Hood is the featured speaker for the Saturday night banquet. Hood’s theme, “It’s Clear on Top,” is how he has humorously woven his experiences as a pilot into motivational speaker. A full-time professional speaker, Hood writes for a national aviation trade magazine and taught an aviation management course for Southern Illinois University.
Source: http://mtstandard.com
The theme is “Reach For It.’’
“The list includes everyone from airports from around the state, the Montana pilots association (general aviation), Montana antique aircraft association and numerous breakout sessions and vendor booths to cater to all aviation interests for both professionals and enthusiasts,’’ he said.
He said around 20 different sessions ranging from the tales of an Alaskan pilot to Montana earthquakes are planned. Sessions will be available for all aviation interests and opportunities to meet with representatives from the FAA, TSA, NTSB and Customs Boarder Protection.
Chris Fisk, a native of Dillon and a Butte High history teacher, will be the speaker for the opening luncheon Thursday. Fisk is known for his humor and his unusual approach to teaching history.
Commander “JR” Hansen will be the featured speaker for the Friday luncheon. Hansen is a graduate of Butte High. Hansen entered the Navy in 1993 after receiving his commission from NROTC at the University of Washington. Commander Hansen went on to fly the F/A – 18.
Ralph Hood is the featured speaker for the Saturday night banquet. Hood’s theme, “It’s Clear on Top,” is how he has humorously woven his experiences as a pilot into motivational speaker. A full-time professional speaker, Hood writes for a national aviation trade magazine and taught an aviation management course for Southern Illinois University.
Source: http://mtstandard.com
Clarenville Airport, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: Night landings temporarily halted following airstrip damage
The Clarenville airstrip was closed to night landings for a week earlier this month, as a result of damages caused during snow clearing operations.
The Department of Transportation and Works confirmed this week that the runway edge lights were damaged on Jan. 17. The snow-clearing service is done by a company under contract to the department.
A spokesperson for the department said they learned of the damage the following day and issued a NOTAM, or notice to airmen, that the airstrip wasn’t available for night landings. Aircraft were permitted to land during the day while the department excavated soil to fix underground wiring.
The department completed repairs on Jan. 24 and the NOTAM was lifted so aircraft could begin landing at night once again.
The department spokesperson said permanent repairs will have to wait until the spring when the ground thaws.
The airstrip is located 12 kilometres north of Clarenville.
Source: http://www.thepacket.ca
The Department of Transportation and Works confirmed this week that the runway edge lights were damaged on Jan. 17. The snow-clearing service is done by a company under contract to the department.
A spokesperson for the department said they learned of the damage the following day and issued a NOTAM, or notice to airmen, that the airstrip wasn’t available for night landings. Aircraft were permitted to land during the day while the department excavated soil to fix underground wiring.
The department completed repairs on Jan. 24 and the NOTAM was lifted so aircraft could begin landing at night once again.
The department spokesperson said permanent repairs will have to wait until the spring when the ground thaws.
The airstrip is located 12 kilometres north of Clarenville.
Source: http://www.thepacket.ca
Santa Monica Airport Commission responds to test results of a muffler that could be used by local flight schools
If flight schools take to the idea, attaching mufflers to some of
their planes planes could make life more peaceful for residents living
near Santa Monica Airport.
The city tested a German-made muffler, called QuietFlight, on a Cessna 172 in December and recorded positive results, the Santa Monica Airport Commission learned Monday night.
"You hear [the plane] coming toward you the same way, but it disappears once it moves past you," said Stelios Makrides, the airport's operations and noise management supervisor.
At its next meeting, the commission will consider asking the City Council to discount landing fees for aircraft that use mufflers.
See also: Tension Escalates Between Airport Commission, City
"In some parts of Europe, mufflers [are used as] incentives," said John Fairweather, founder of a local advocacy group, Community Against Santa Monica Airport Traffic. "I think that’s what we should do in Santa Monica."
City staffers are working on a proposal to charge landing fees to Santa Monica Airport-based aircraft. Currently, fees for landing at the airport are charged to aircraft not based at the airport. A nexus study assessing fees charged at other general aviation airports will be presented to the commission in February and to the City Council in April.
"The city has wide latitude in structuring its airport fees," said Deputy City Attorney Ivan Campbell. "I don’t think the problem would be compliance… it would be whether or not it makes sense to the operators."
The city estimated that of the approximately 30 flight school planes operating at the airport, the majority are Cessna 172s. The total cost of installing mufflers (there are manufactures who make quieting systems for a variety of aircraft) would be about $300,000, commissioners said Tuesday.
Airport staffers did two tests in December using the same Cessna 172 from Justice Aviation, one of six flight schools at Santa Monica Airport. On one day, the measured sound from the plane without the muffler, and on another—when weather conditions were nearly identical—they measured the noise with the muffler.
Owner Joe Justice could not immediately be reached for comment.
At a monitoring station on 18th Street, between Dewey and Navy streets in Santa Monica, they recorded a reduction in "single event noise exposure levels" between 4.8 dBA to 8.3 dBA. At the west end of Penmar Golf Course on Warren Avenue in Venice, there was a reduction between 3.5 dBA to 5 dBA.
The duration of the noise decreased, too, Makrides wrote in a report. At the Santa Monica station, there was a reduction of between 2 to 6 seconds (or about 17 to 46 percent), and at the Venice station between 4 to 9 seconds (or approximately 33 to 56 percent).
"It goes without saying that an 8.3 dBA reduction in SENEL for the normal 'fly neighborly' departure path could truly be a game changer in terms of mitigating neighborhood noise impacts from prop planes," Community Against Santa Monica Airport Traffic wrote Sunday on its website.
CASMAT said the muffler has the potential to "get rid of the continuous lower level droning of pattern flying for all neighborhoods in the pattern flying loop, as well as reducing the impact of the actual takeoff overpass for the observer."
Michele Perrone questioned whether the muffler would actually help residents in Santa Monica's Ocean Park neighborhood. "Most of our noise is coming at us," she said. "Maybe it's not going to help us."
About 40 percent of Santa Monica Airport traffic is generated by aircraft that stay within the local traffic pattern or the airport's designated controlled airspace, and many of those operations are takeoffs and landings by pilots-in-training, according to Airport Services Director Robert Trimborn.
"Airport staff receives numerous noise complaints from residents regarding these repetitive types of local operations especially during weekends and holidays when most people are at home," Trimborn said in June, when the council considered paying pilots to conduct training flights at other Los Angeles-area airports.
"It does seem like flight schools are becoming more and more prominent in the discussion and recommendations we’re making," commissioner Ofer Grossman said Monday night.
Story: http://santamonica.patch.com
The city tested a German-made muffler, called QuietFlight, on a Cessna 172 in December and recorded positive results, the Santa Monica Airport Commission learned Monday night.
"You hear [the plane] coming toward you the same way, but it disappears once it moves past you," said Stelios Makrides, the airport's operations and noise management supervisor.
At its next meeting, the commission will consider asking the City Council to discount landing fees for aircraft that use mufflers.
See also: Tension Escalates Between Airport Commission, City
"In some parts of Europe, mufflers [are used as] incentives," said John Fairweather, founder of a local advocacy group, Community Against Santa Monica Airport Traffic. "I think that’s what we should do in Santa Monica."
City staffers are working on a proposal to charge landing fees to Santa Monica Airport-based aircraft. Currently, fees for landing at the airport are charged to aircraft not based at the airport. A nexus study assessing fees charged at other general aviation airports will be presented to the commission in February and to the City Council in April.
"The city has wide latitude in structuring its airport fees," said Deputy City Attorney Ivan Campbell. "I don’t think the problem would be compliance… it would be whether or not it makes sense to the operators."
The city estimated that of the approximately 30 flight school planes operating at the airport, the majority are Cessna 172s. The total cost of installing mufflers (there are manufactures who make quieting systems for a variety of aircraft) would be about $300,000, commissioners said Tuesday.
Airport staffers did two tests in December using the same Cessna 172 from Justice Aviation, one of six flight schools at Santa Monica Airport. On one day, the measured sound from the plane without the muffler, and on another—when weather conditions were nearly identical—they measured the noise with the muffler.
Owner Joe Justice could not immediately be reached for comment.
At a monitoring station on 18th Street, between Dewey and Navy streets in Santa Monica, they recorded a reduction in "single event noise exposure levels" between 4.8 dBA to 8.3 dBA. At the west end of Penmar Golf Course on Warren Avenue in Venice, there was a reduction between 3.5 dBA to 5 dBA.
The duration of the noise decreased, too, Makrides wrote in a report. At the Santa Monica station, there was a reduction of between 2 to 6 seconds (or about 17 to 46 percent), and at the Venice station between 4 to 9 seconds (or approximately 33 to 56 percent).
"It goes without saying that an 8.3 dBA reduction in SENEL for the normal 'fly neighborly' departure path could truly be a game changer in terms of mitigating neighborhood noise impacts from prop planes," Community Against Santa Monica Airport Traffic wrote Sunday on its website.
CASMAT said the muffler has the potential to "get rid of the continuous lower level droning of pattern flying for all neighborhoods in the pattern flying loop, as well as reducing the impact of the actual takeoff overpass for the observer."
Michele Perrone questioned whether the muffler would actually help residents in Santa Monica's Ocean Park neighborhood. "Most of our noise is coming at us," she said. "Maybe it's not going to help us."
About 40 percent of Santa Monica Airport traffic is generated by aircraft that stay within the local traffic pattern or the airport's designated controlled airspace, and many of those operations are takeoffs and landings by pilots-in-training, according to Airport Services Director Robert Trimborn.
"Airport staff receives numerous noise complaints from residents regarding these repetitive types of local operations especially during weekends and holidays when most people are at home," Trimborn said in June, when the council considered paying pilots to conduct training flights at other Los Angeles-area airports.
"It does seem like flight schools are becoming more and more prominent in the discussion and recommendations we’re making," commissioner Ofer Grossman said Monday night.
Story: http://santamonica.patch.com
Almost quarter of a million new jobs potentially created with extended runway in Birmingham
Birmingham Airport has today posted a video online of aerial imagery of the work carried out so far on its runway extension.
The runway, which is being extended to 3,003 meters, will offer larger aircraft the further take-off space that's needed for carrying more fuel. This will allow the airport to reach destinations once unavailable to Midlanders.
Birmingham Airport is predicting that the runway will be completed in 2014.
The runway extension will be wholly funded by the Airport Company at a cost of £33 million.
In addition, the Airport is making a further investment of £13 million for the construction of a new air traffic control tower and radar system, which will be operational in early 2013 – plus £9m on resurfacing the entire runway.
The strong economic profile of the Midlands means that businesses are crying out for direct connectivity from their local airport so it makes no sense that 3.3 million passengers from the West Midlands last year flew from airports in the South East, adding congestion on the roads and at Heathrow, which is already 99.2% full.
Our passenger growth could create in excess of 243,000 jobs in the region according to a new report by the West Midlands Economic Forum. – Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s CEOWith the runway extension opening up so many new long-haul route opportunities from Birmingham, the Airport is actively talking to existing and new airlines to explore new markets and routes from the Midlands.
Story: http://www.itv.com
Franklinton (2R7), Louisiana: Airport plans... Mayor Fleming discusses facility
DAILY NEWS PHOTOS/Lucy Parker
If approved for funding through the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development’s Aviation Division, town officials would like to make improvements to the 3,000-foot runway at the Franklinton Airport.
A single-engine plane is tied down at the Franklinton Airport. The five-year plan for the facility calls for additional hangars, where pilots could store their planes, to be built. Also pictured is an out-of-service Aviation Maintenance & Machine Shop.
During a special Board of Aldermen meeting Monday morning, a Selection Committee that included Mayor Wayne Fleming, Alderman Richard Dillon, Alderman Brad Orman and airport manager Tom Shedd presented its recommendation for an engineering consulting service. The committee’s recommendation of KSA, an Alexandria firm, was unanimously approved.
The committee members, who had a difficult task in evaluating the five bids that had been submitted, did a wonderful job, Fleming said.
The mayor also discussed the town’s long-range plans for the airport, which currently consists of the airport facility, a runway and a couple of hangars. He said the idea is to update the airport and bring it back up to standard.
The proposed work would be done in phases over a five-year period, through grant funding from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development’s Aviation Division. Fleming said the town hopes to receive up to $500,000 in funding over five years.
The newly selected engineering firm will be responsible for applying for the funds, writing out the plans for the airport and putting those plans into effect, “depending on the monies that we can receive,” Fleming said.
Among the planned work, the town is looking to make improvements to the runway and put up new fencing at the airport, Fleming said.
“At the present time we have two roads that lead into the airport,” he said. “We will close one of those, and we will have an automatic gate.”
Fleming said town officials are considering building more hangars since this has been requested by pilots wanting to “park” their planes at the airport. Another proposed addition is a small, secure building for use by pilots.
“It will have a desk where they can sit down and map out where they might be going from there,” he said.
Restroom facilities, not currently available, would be added, too, Fleming said. The installation of a fuel system for airplanes is also being considered.
While there is already a good deal of activity at the airport and a number of planes flying in, the proposed improvements would be beneficial to Franklinton’s economy, Fleming said. For example, someone has expressed interest in the possibility of reopening the small airplane-repair shop at the site, and the new hangars would be available for rent through the town, he said.
Thus, an upgraded airport would be a good thing for Franklinton, “particularly since it’s not costing the town anything,” Fleming said.
Story and Photos: http://www.gobogalusa.com
Committee favors airport becoming city of Yakima department
YAKIMA, Wash. — The idea of private management for the Yakima Air Terminal — one proposed solution to its ongoing financial and operational problems — has been rejected in favor of the facility becoming a department within the city of Yakima.
A joint committee of officials from the city of Yakima, Yakima County and the airport board recently rejected two proposals submitted last week for private management. Two management proposals were submitted: one by staff at the Yakima Air Terminal and one from ABS Aviation, a Tampa, Fla.-based company that offers management and marketing services for private and public aviation entities.
Yakima City Manager Tony O’Rourke previously promoted the idea of contracting out airport operations and management as a way to achieve cost savings for the airport at 2400 W. Washington Ave. The idea for private management came up after the city decided to assume sole ownership of the 825-acre facility earlier this month. That process is still in the works and will require formal approval from Yakima County, a co-owner with the city. County officials have indicated their support for the idea.
ABS Aviation proposed to manage and operate the airport for a $540,000 annual fee. The Yakima Air Terminal staff, in its proposal, estimated personnel costs to manage and operate the airport to be $568,652 for 2013 and dropping to $542,549 in 2014 with the retirement of a senior airport maintenance specialist. The proposals would have covered only personnel and airport management.
The airport has an annual budget of about $1.12 million, which includes personnel, management, maintenance, fees, utilities, office supplies and other expenses.
Ultimately, the selection committee found that neither proposal would sufficiently improve the airport’s financial position in the long term, O’Rourke said Tuesday in a telephone interview.
Another problem with the ABS Aviation proposal, O’Rourke said, was that the committee felt the company wouldn’t take full responsibility for the airport.
With the city in the process of taking sole ownership of the airport and becoming more involved in projects such as a master plan update and air service development, making it a city department seems a better approach, he said.
“Since we’ll be heavily engaged with the airport anyway, it makes sense,” O’Rourke said.
O’Rourke said the city will likely retain most of the airport staff for this new department to run day-to-day operations.
Story and Reaction/Comments: http://www.yakimaherald.com
A joint committee of officials from the city of Yakima, Yakima County and the airport board recently rejected two proposals submitted last week for private management. Two management proposals were submitted: one by staff at the Yakima Air Terminal and one from ABS Aviation, a Tampa, Fla.-based company that offers management and marketing services for private and public aviation entities.
Yakima City Manager Tony O’Rourke previously promoted the idea of contracting out airport operations and management as a way to achieve cost savings for the airport at 2400 W. Washington Ave. The idea for private management came up after the city decided to assume sole ownership of the 825-acre facility earlier this month. That process is still in the works and will require formal approval from Yakima County, a co-owner with the city. County officials have indicated their support for the idea.
ABS Aviation proposed to manage and operate the airport for a $540,000 annual fee. The Yakima Air Terminal staff, in its proposal, estimated personnel costs to manage and operate the airport to be $568,652 for 2013 and dropping to $542,549 in 2014 with the retirement of a senior airport maintenance specialist. The proposals would have covered only personnel and airport management.
The airport has an annual budget of about $1.12 million, which includes personnel, management, maintenance, fees, utilities, office supplies and other expenses.
Ultimately, the selection committee found that neither proposal would sufficiently improve the airport’s financial position in the long term, O’Rourke said Tuesday in a telephone interview.
Another problem with the ABS Aviation proposal, O’Rourke said, was that the committee felt the company wouldn’t take full responsibility for the airport.
With the city in the process of taking sole ownership of the airport and becoming more involved in projects such as a master plan update and air service development, making it a city department seems a better approach, he said.
“Since we’ll be heavily engaged with the airport anyway, it makes sense,” O’Rourke said.
O’Rourke said the city will likely retain most of the airport staff for this new department to run day-to-day operations.
Story and Reaction/Comments: http://www.yakimaherald.com
Hagerstown Regional(KHGR), Maryland: Airport to finish repainting taxiway lines
Hagerstown Regional Airport plans to use $12,298 in leftover revenue from a past passenger facility charge to finish repainting lines on taxiways this year, Airport Director Phil Ridenour said Monday.
The $12,298 is left over from a past $4.50 passenger facility charge that began in March 2002, according to Ridenour and Herald-Mail archives.
At that time, the passenger facility charge was increased from $3 to $4.50 to raise $308,000 to pay for construction of a building to house snow removal equipment, to buy snow removal equipment, and to buy a wheelchair lift device, according to Herald-Mail archives. The $4.50 fee was expected to end after that money was raised, around January 2004.
Ridenour did not know when the charge ceased, but said it was several years ago.
Ridenour said the leftover $12,298 will be applied toward the estimated $19,000 cost to finish repainting taxiway lines when the weather improves this year.
The painting project began late last summer, with the first part being paid for with about $21,000 in operations funding, he said. Operations funds will cover the difference between the $12,298 and the actual cost of the second part of the repainting, he said. Bids need to be submitted for this year’s part of the project so the actual cost is not yet known, he said.
An FAA inspection in March 2012 determined that the taxiways needed repainting because the paint had faded, Ridenour said. The paint used on taxiways contains glass beads for reflectivity and the beads get scraped off by plows or faded by weather, he said.
A statement on the airport’s website as late as Monday afternoon stated the “Airport is hereby providing notice of its intent to submit an application for authority to impose and use a Passenger Facility Charge (PFC).”
The statement linked to a document about an opportunity for public comment regarding a proposed $4.50 charge with “N/A,” for “not applicable,” listed for when the fee would start and stop.
Ridenour said a passenger facility charge is not being proposed for the airport, but that the Federal Aviation Administration requires airport officials to submit an application, as if the airport was going to charge a passenger facility charge, so the airport can use the leftover revenue for the taxiway project.
The application and process are necessary to ensure the project is eligible for the passenger-facility-charge revenue, according to the FAA.
A public hearing was held at the end of December or early January about the proposal to use the leftover passenger facility charge funding for the painting work, but no one showed up to comment, Ridenour said.
The statement had been removed from the airport homepage as of Monday night. Ridenour said earlier that it was to be removed from the website on Jan. 22, but the webmaster wasn’t contacted to remove it, he said.
Story and Video: http://www.herald-mail.com
The $12,298 is left over from a past $4.50 passenger facility charge that began in March 2002, according to Ridenour and Herald-Mail archives.
At that time, the passenger facility charge was increased from $3 to $4.50 to raise $308,000 to pay for construction of a building to house snow removal equipment, to buy snow removal equipment, and to buy a wheelchair lift device, according to Herald-Mail archives. The $4.50 fee was expected to end after that money was raised, around January 2004.
Ridenour did not know when the charge ceased, but said it was several years ago.
Ridenour said the leftover $12,298 will be applied toward the estimated $19,000 cost to finish repainting taxiway lines when the weather improves this year.
The painting project began late last summer, with the first part being paid for with about $21,000 in operations funding, he said. Operations funds will cover the difference between the $12,298 and the actual cost of the second part of the repainting, he said. Bids need to be submitted for this year’s part of the project so the actual cost is not yet known, he said.
An FAA inspection in March 2012 determined that the taxiways needed repainting because the paint had faded, Ridenour said. The paint used on taxiways contains glass beads for reflectivity and the beads get scraped off by plows or faded by weather, he said.
A statement on the airport’s website as late as Monday afternoon stated the “Airport is hereby providing notice of its intent to submit an application for authority to impose and use a Passenger Facility Charge (PFC).”
The statement linked to a document about an opportunity for public comment regarding a proposed $4.50 charge with “N/A,” for “not applicable,” listed for when the fee would start and stop.
Ridenour said a passenger facility charge is not being proposed for the airport, but that the Federal Aviation Administration requires airport officials to submit an application, as if the airport was going to charge a passenger facility charge, so the airport can use the leftover revenue for the taxiway project.
The application and process are necessary to ensure the project is eligible for the passenger-facility-charge revenue, according to the FAA.
A public hearing was held at the end of December or early January about the proposal to use the leftover passenger facility charge funding for the painting work, but no one showed up to comment, Ridenour said.
The statement had been removed from the airport homepage as of Monday night. Ridenour said earlier that it was to be removed from the website on Jan. 22, but the webmaster wasn’t contacted to remove it, he said.
Story and Video: http://www.herald-mail.com
Letters to the editor: Don't allow seaplanes on Waldo Lake
Published: Monday, January 28, 2013, 4:00 AM
Updated: Monday, January 28, 2013, 4:09 AM
By Letters to the editor
Regarding "Oregon agency wants to allow seaplanes at Waldo Lake" (OregonLive.com, Jan. 16): Waldo Lake is the wrong place to allow seaplane use.
Waldo Lake's unique water quality makes it one of the cleanest lakes in the world and an unparalleled scientific and recreational resource.
Last year, just six seaplane landings took place on Waldo Lake. Though each of those landings had the potential to introduce invasive species, a similarly catastrophic risk is that a single crash landing would contaminate this pristine lake for generations of Oregonians. Waldo's spring-fed sources and short summer season don't allow the lake to readily purge itself of significant gas and oil contamination.
The state of Oregon is the primary steward of this lake. Under Oregon law, seaplanes are treated as motorboats while on the water. Oregon seaplane owners should not have privileges that other motor boat owners don't have.
Common sense and the preference of most Oregonians strongly suggest that stewards of the state's resources should protect Waldo's extraordinary water quality by removing all gas engines from the lake's surface.
H. "Woody" Fine
Eugene
Story and Reaction/Comments: http://blog.oregonlive.com
Updated: Monday, January 28, 2013, 4:09 AM
By Letters to the editor
Regarding "Oregon agency wants to allow seaplanes at Waldo Lake" (OregonLive.com, Jan. 16): Waldo Lake is the wrong place to allow seaplane use.
Waldo Lake's unique water quality makes it one of the cleanest lakes in the world and an unparalleled scientific and recreational resource.
Last year, just six seaplane landings took place on Waldo Lake. Though each of those landings had the potential to introduce invasive species, a similarly catastrophic risk is that a single crash landing would contaminate this pristine lake for generations of Oregonians. Waldo's spring-fed sources and short summer season don't allow the lake to readily purge itself of significant gas and oil contamination.
The state of Oregon is the primary steward of this lake. Under Oregon law, seaplanes are treated as motorboats while on the water. Oregon seaplane owners should not have privileges that other motor boat owners don't have.
Common sense and the preference of most Oregonians strongly suggest that stewards of the state's resources should protect Waldo's extraordinary water quality by removing all gas engines from the lake's surface.
H. "Woody" Fine
Eugene
Story and Reaction/Comments: http://blog.oregonlive.com
Laser aimed at Coast Guard on approach to Kahului Airport, Hawaii
Lt. Aaron Gastaldo
Lt. Casey Corpe
Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL
KAHULUI, MAUI (HawaiiNewsNow) - Another bright green laser forced a Coast Guard plane to abort its landing during a training mission on Monday night. The HC-130H Hercules aircraft was approaching the Kahului Airport with seven crew members were onboard when someone aimed a laser at the plane. Only co-pilot Lt. Aaron Gastaldo, 38, was affected.
"At 4,000 feet, I noticed a green flash off my left side, a little bit to my left, and I looked down and there was a green laser," said Gastaldo.
The plane immediately returned to Barbers Point on Oahu.
"It's upsetting because we had to call another pilot in who can't spend time with his family, and there's also a gap in the service that we provide to the public as far as distressed mariners," said Gastaldo.
Laser pointers can cause flash blindness or a temporary loss of night vision, but doctors cleared Gastaldo to fly again. This was the third laser incident in a little more than a year for Coast Guard crews based at Barbers Point.
Someone pointed a long-range laser at a helicopter two miles offshore of Oahu in October 2012. Another chopper encounter happened in December 2011. The FAA received 46 reports of laser incidents in Hawaii in 2012, up from 36 in 2011.
"It is difficult, but I know the federal agencies and state agencies are getting better at pinpointing," said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Casey Corpe. "They will try and pinpoint that location and prosecute anybody if they do find them and it is a federal offense."
"It's not a game, so people that are doing it need to stop, and if you know people that are shooting aircraft with lasers, they need to stop, tell their friends to stop," said Corpe.
Police in Dallas, Texas arrested a man who allegedly beamed a laser at a police helicopter tracking a burglary suspect on Monday. The pilot was able to pinpoint the source and officers on the ground nabbed a 22-year-old man.
There were 3,482 last reports nationwide in 2012, according to the FAA.
Story, photos, video: http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com
Kabul Protests United States Drug-Running Allegations
Photo Credit: Courtesy, European Pressphoto
Agency
A U.S. soldier looked on as one of Kam Air's jets arrived at a Kabul Airport parking area in February 2012.
January 29, 2013, 4:33 p.m. ET
By MARIA ABI-HABIB
The Wall Street Journal
KABUL—The U.S. military's blacklisting of Afghanistan's largest private airline on allegations that it is trafficking opiates has sparked a diplomatic crisis with Kabul, with the Afghan government defending the airline, demanding to see proof of any wrongdoing and raising a rare threat of legal action.
The airline, Kam Air, also denied the allegations, reported by The Wall Street Journal on Friday, and said it has asked the U.S. military to show it the evidence. In Tajikistan, through which U.S. military officials say the drugs are allegedly smuggled by Kam Air, officials also protested.
On Tuesday, spokesmen for Central Command referred questions to the U.S.-led military coalition in Afghanistan, which declined to comment. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul also declined to comment.
Earlier this month, the U.S. military's Central Command barred Kam Air from bidding on U.S. military contracts, acting on the results of an investigation by Task Force 2010, the anti-corruption unit of the U.S.-led coalition force in Afghanistan. U.S. Army Maj-Gen. Richard Longo, the force's commander, declined to make public the details of the evidence it passed to Centcom, saying they are classified.
U.S. officials familiar with the probe say the investigation looked into the alleged use of Kam Air to smuggle opium "in bulk" around Afghanistan and to Central Asia. The airline's only civilian route to Central Asia is a flight between Kabul and Dushanbe, the Tajik capital.
Afghanistan accounts for some 90% of the world's illicit opiates, according to United Nations statistics, with Tajikistan one of the main smuggling routes to markets in Russia and Europe.
The Afghan government and Kam Air learned about the blacklisting during inquiries from the Journal.
Afghanistan's council of ministers, which met to discuss the Journal report this week, called the U.S. allegations against Kam Air "an irresponsible act" and called on U.S. authorities to share the information they have on the matter with Kabul.
"If the allegations are not proved, the Afghan government will ask for legal restitution [to restore the airline's] prestige and compensation of any loss resulting from the announcement against Kam Air," the council said in a public statement. The statement didn't make clear how the government would seek restitution.
The U.S. allegations come at a sensitive time for the Afghan government, as its flagship state-run carrier, Ariana Afghan Airlines, is in merger discussions with Kam Air, according to people familiar with both parties. The new entity could see Kam Air assume managerial responsibilities, according to the parties.
In a statement on Tuesday, Kam Air said it was "shocked" by the U.S. allegations.
"In our 10-year history, we have carried some six million passengers domestically and regionally, without a single reported incident of drug trafficking—however small. Few airlines—even in the U.S.—can boast such a record," the statement said. The allegations of opium smuggling may be "directly related to the fierce competition under way between Kam Air, as the leading Afghan carrier, and international contractors," the airline added.
Officials in Tajikistan also complained about the U.S. move. "This statement by the U.S. military undermines not only Kam Air's authority, it also undermines Tajikistan's international prestige," Mahmadyusuf Shodiyev, a spokesman for Dushanbe International Airport, told the local Asia-Plus news agency Tuesday.
The Afghan government says the damage caused to Kam Air's reputation will impact Afghanistan's already weak economy. Even Afghan President Hamid Karzai uses the airline for some diplomatic trips, a presidential spokesman said.
"We are taking this issue very seriously and will definitely take action if we find that Kam Air is smuggling drugs. But that's why the ministers' meeting is requesting the U.S. to share its evidence," said Mr. Karzai's spokesman, Aimal Faizi. "If the Afghan government is supposed to take action, the U.S. should have shared this report with us before speaking to the media."
Mr. Faizi added that the country's Ministry of Interior is investigating the issue and airport security, while the ministries of foreign affairs and transportation are following up on the allegations with the U.S. Embassy and military in Kabul.
Although Kam Air said in its statement that it would "fight for our good name and the future of Afghan aviation," a lawyer for the airline said no legal action was being planned at this point.
"Kam Air is counting on American standards of fair play, transparency and due process to be exercised by the U.S. government authorities in this case," said the attorney, Ward Scott. "We are simply seeking an opportunity to present the facts and address these allegations and are hopeful this will promptly result in a removal of the ... ban."
Story and Photo: http://online.wsj.com
Dream of making World War II era plane fly in Oklahoma unites aviation fans... Project that was started in 1999 is nearing completion
James Dudnelly attaches a small hose on the engine. engine. On ground are his son, James Dudnelly Jr. and Bill Hayes, far left. The elder Dudnelly is the group leader. Hayes is director of operations. The younger Dudnelly paints parts for the plane.
Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman Jim Beckel - THE OKLAHOMAN
GUTHRIE — When the A-26 Invader light bomber now sitting in a hangar at a Guthrie airport finally takes to the sky it won't exactly be a miracle, but it will be a testament to the value of people working together for a common goal.
The World War II era A-26 was acquired by the Sierra Hotel Group of the Commemorative Air Force in Arkansas in 1999. It was brought to Wiley Post for a few years before being moved to the Guthrie airport.
The vintage aircraft has become a magnet of talent and time. The restoration group, made up of about 48 members, has logged 28,500 hours working on the plane that was essentially rebuilt from scratch.
The group has spent nearly $500,000. Some of the money comes from contributions and grants. But the labor is all theirs. And there is still a lot of work to be done. The group hopes to have the plane flying within 18 months to two years.
So what keeps them coming back every Saturday?
“We ask ourselves that a lot,” retired Air Force Col. Rick Hudlow said. “It's a museum piece on its own. It has a history. This airplane in particular has an interesting story. We looked at it as a heckuva challenge, and we wanted to fly it.”
Hudlow, 87, flew during World War II, Korea and Vietnam. At one point he flew with actor Jimmy Stewart during Stewart's time as a reservist after World War II.
“Having him on base was a lot of fun, particularly on Friday afternoon at happy hour,” Hudlow said. “He knew every dirty RAF and Air Force song ever written, and he would play the piano with two fingers and sing.”
Tom Parsons, 70, spent his career at Tinker Air Force Base as a structural repair mechanic before retiring last year. Most Saturdays he's at the hangar in Guthrie by 7:30 a.m. Like the rest of the group, he'll work for 12 hours, breaking only for lunch and the occasional story.
“It's a whole lot of fun,” Parsons said. “I'm dead tired when I get home, but when I was working at Tinker I was more exhausted mentally because, believe it or not, some government jobs are stressful. I come here on Saturday morning and it feels like 15 minutes go by and it's time to go home.”
When Parsons talks about seeing the plane fly his eyes light up.
“When you hear those engines fire up it's like magic,” he said. “There's no other sound like it in the world.”
The plane that inspired their work and passion has a unique history. It was made in 1945 by Douglas Aircraft in Tulsa. Later it was deployed in Korea and again in Vietnam when it was leased to the French military during their involvement in what would become the Vietnam War.
When it was no longer in use by the military it became a corporate plane, ferrying executives for several companies over the years. It was eventually acquired by a group in Arkansas that flew it for several years, apparently unaware of its structural problems.
“It was badly damaged,” Hudlow said. “The tail was about to come off and one of the wings was broken and they apparently didn't know that. It could have come off in flight. They're lucky they all didn't get themselves killed.”
Hudlow used contacts at Boeing to have critical pieces engineered and manufactured. Though the company no longer made those types of parts or used that metal, the engineers he talked with wanted to see the plane fly.
“About a year later a big box came, and it had the parts we needed,” Hudlow said.
There were seemingly endless problems beyond a broken wing. The plane's electrical system was a mess. And what's worse, there were no schematics.
Bill Hayward, 81, who spent 28 years as a project leader for the Federal Aviation Administration, started from scratch and drew the schematic necessary to overhaul the system. He also designed a new instrument panel.
Like the others, he has a great passion for aviation. He makes the trip up from his Dallas-area home most Saturdays.
“I started flying when I was 16, and I spent nine years in the Air Force,” Hayward said. “After I got out of the Air Force I wanted to do something else in aviation. The profession has a lot of romance to it when you get right down to it.”
Group leader Jim Dudnelly, 57, has spent his career working in aviation, but his involvement in the project is a way to honor his father.
“My dad was a World War II veteran, and I've always been interested in that period,” he said. “We're just trying to keep those memories alive as a way to honor the men and women who made those sacrifices.”
And when the plane does fly, it will be the culmination of many Saturdays spent at an airport hangar in Guthrie.
“When you decide you're going to do something that everyone says is impossible and you're hardheaded enough to do it anyway there's a lot of satisfaction in that,” Hudlow said.
Story, photos, video: http://newsok.com
Aviation restoration facility relocates to Chicago/Rockford International Airport (KRFD), Illinois
The Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) is welcoming a vintage aircraft restoration facility that is relocating its base of operations to Rockford.
Code 1 Aviation has recently moved to a hangar at RFD and will provide aircraft maintenance, restoration, avionics, sales, training and consulting services for owners and operators of ex-military, “warbird”-type aircraft.
The company provides maintenance services to clients around the world.
“Our team includes structural and sheet metal specialists, avionics and systems technicians, engine and airframe mechanics, and more,” said Code 1 Aviation President Nathan Jones. “We also provide import/export services, crating and shipping, and other specialty services. We know how to get through the maze of government regulations and procedures that go along with owning and operating these specialized airplanes.”
“Code 1” is a military aviation term for an aircraft that is in perfect condition, and is ready to fly with no discrepancies.
Code 1’s specialists have decades of experience with aircraft as diverse as World War II fighters, 1950s-era jet fighters, MiGs and various other Eastern-bloc aircraft, and even helicopters.
Code 1 Aviation will also provide aircraft sales and brokering for warbird owners, and those who are in the market for an aircraft.
Code 1 Aviation also operates a maintenance facility in Lakeland, Fla.
From the Jan. 30-Feb. 5, 2013, issue
Code 1 Aviation has recently moved to a hangar at RFD and will provide aircraft maintenance, restoration, avionics, sales, training and consulting services for owners and operators of ex-military, “warbird”-type aircraft.
The company provides maintenance services to clients around the world.
“Our team includes structural and sheet metal specialists, avionics and systems technicians, engine and airframe mechanics, and more,” said Code 1 Aviation President Nathan Jones. “We also provide import/export services, crating and shipping, and other specialty services. We know how to get through the maze of government regulations and procedures that go along with owning and operating these specialized airplanes.”
“Code 1” is a military aviation term for an aircraft that is in perfect condition, and is ready to fly with no discrepancies.
Code 1’s specialists have decades of experience with aircraft as diverse as World War II fighters, 1950s-era jet fighters, MiGs and various other Eastern-bloc aircraft, and even helicopters.
Code 1 Aviation will also provide aircraft sales and brokering for warbird owners, and those who are in the market for an aircraft.
Code 1 Aviation also operates a maintenance facility in Lakeland, Fla.
From the Jan. 30-Feb. 5, 2013, issue
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Amirkhanian Shahram Charl COMMANDER, N393GX: Aircraft struck powerlines and force landed in a field, near Westminster, Maryland
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 393GX Make/Model: EXP Description: GYROCOPTER
Date: 01/29/2013 Time: 2130
Event Type: Incident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
City: WESTMINSTER State: MD Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT STRUCK POWERLINES AND FORCE LANDED IN A FIELD, NEAR WESTMINSTER, MD
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Landing Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: BALTIMORE, MD (EA07) Entry date: 01/30/2013
http://registry.faa.gov/N393GX
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N393GX.html
WESTMINSTER, Md. —A private aircraft crashed in Carroll County.
Fire officials said they received the call around 4:20 p.m. Tuesday for a crash in the 700 block of Oak Tree Court in Westminster.
SkyTeam 11 Capt. Roy Taylor reported that a gyrocopter took off from Clearview Airpark Airport, where the aircraft was based, and crashed a short distance away.
The Carroll County Sheriff's Office identified the pilot as Shamram Amirkhanian.
Authorities said Amirkhanian was flying the experimental gyrocopter too low and clipped some power lines, causing it to crash into an open field. They said the pilot was not hurt.
The Carroll County Sheriff's Office is handling the investigation. No charges will be filed, authorities said.
Source: http://www.wbaltv.com
Plane crash investigation comes to an end - Niles, Michigan
We have new information about the deadly ultralight plane crash in Niles on Saturday. Michigan State Police say the FAA is no longer involved in the investigation. In fact, the FAA investigation is over as of right now.
Sergeant Steve Barker said the FAA surveyed the crash and because the ultralight aircraft did not reach the FAA’s weight limit, it was not registered and therefore they couldn't do anything more. Now it's in the hands of the Michigan State Police.
According to Sergeant Barker an autopsy was completed Sunday and now they are waiting for results.
In the meantime, the investigation is over, unless something comes up in the toxicology report, but they believe it was some sort of malfunction of either the plane's engine or controls.
Chris Mckenna's family was cleaning up the site around 10 Monday morning.
I spoke with Chris's brother Pat who said he too believes that this was not a pilot error.
He says Chris has been flying for over 30 years and always takes the proper precautions before going out, and that includes looking at the weather.
When I asked what kind of guy Chris was, he said he was always happy, always willing to take the shirt off his back to help others and it shows by the feedback we have seen from viewers.
“He was a great man, mentor and friend. Always had a smile on his face and made everyone laugh. He will be greatly missed” says Josh Chupp.
“He was a good man and a long time mason/and friend... My prayers go out to his family he will truly be missed” says Charles Perry.
A lot of love and prayers being sent to this family during a very hard time as you can well imagine.
As of right now, there is no new information on the single engine plane that crashed at the Warsaw Airport after cross winds tipped the aircraft as it tried to land.
Source: http://www.wndu.com
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: NA Make/Model: EXP Description: EXP- ULTRALIGHT
Date: 01/27/2013 Time: 0139
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: NILES State: MI Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO TREES VICINITY NILES, MI
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 1 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Pleasure Phase: Cruise Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: SOUTH BEND, IN (GL17) Entry date: 01/28/2013
New Lamborghinis go faster than planes on runway at Miami International Airport (KMIA), Florida
Airplanes weren't the only things moving fast and furiously along the runways at Miami International Airport on Monday.
For a few minutes in the afternoon, the south runway became a speedway as 12 new Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster sports cars took a ride on it, warming up at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour.
What came next was the first-ever high-speed auto demonstration on the runway as five Aventadors individually attempted to beat the airport's150 mph maximum aircraft take-off speed.
And surpass it they did. Easily.
"The high-speed test runs exceeded 180 mph, so the cars beat the speed of any aircraft currently taking off from our runways," airport spokesman Greg Chin said.
The speed test event was part of several festivities planned in Miami for the launch of the 2013 Aventador LP 700-4 and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Italian luxury automotive brand.
The new Aventador, which can be ordered at Lamborghini Palm Beach, Lamborghini Miami and a Lamborghini dealership in Orlando, has a list price of $445,300, according to Lamborghini.
Some of the Aventador's features include a lightweight two-piece removable roof, a 700-horsepower, 6.5-litre V12 engine, hand-crafted leather interior upholstery and a two-tone exterior finish.
The two-seater sports car can accelerate from zero to 62 miles per hour, or 100 kilometers, in only 3 seconds flat and has a top speed of about 217 mph/350 km, according to Lamborghini.
Lamborghini Palm Beach in West Palm Beach already has takers for the new Aventador.
"We are sold out through summer 2015 [and] we have deposits and orders for these vehicles," General Manager David Irving said Monday. "We couldn't be more excited. The Aventador has been very well received in South Florida."
Why Miami for the launch of the new Aventador?
"Lamborghini wanted to introduce its newest and most anticipated vehicle in a market that is one of the top markets in the U.S.," Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann said in a statement. "Additionally, Miami's position as a premiere luxury lifestyle destination makes it a perfect location for the launch of Lamborghini's newest and most extreme open-top vehicle."
The 10-day Aventador launch program kicked off with a 40-car parade along Collins Avenue in Miami Beach at noon Monday and will feature several dealer and media experiences where attendees can test-drive the car.
Story and Reaction/Comments: http://www.sun-sentinel.com
Suspect pleads to opening fire on airplane
WICHITA FALLS — An Olney man pleaded guilty in Wichita Falls Tuesday to charges of shooting up an airplane.
Stephen Paul Riley, 41, appeared in federal court before U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Dallas.
Riley, who will remain on bond, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the release. Sentencing is set for May 21.
According to documents filed in the case the incident occurred Feb. 22, 2008. A pilot flew his crop-dusting aircraft over property adjacent to the Flying Lead Ranch owned and occupied by Riley. The documents claimed Riley shot the aircraft with a firearm, striking it with multiple bullets. One bullet struck the rudder cable and nearly severed it. A bullet or bullet fragment also struck the V-strut bar, approximately one and one-half inches from the connector bolt. Bullets, or bullet fragments, caused a hole in the aircraft’s left rear wing and indentations on the plane’s left side. The bullet holes and other damage indicated that the aircraft had been shot by someone on the ground discharging a firearm upward into the air. The aircraft was leased by Keeter Aerial Spraying of Olney.
Documents also claimed that prior to the incident, Riley threatened Keeter’s owner, both in person and by phone, that he would shoot down any crop-duster that flew over his hunting ranch.
In August 2010, officials with Texas Parks and Wildlife, seeking evidence of illegal hunting, executed a search warrant at the Riley's property and discovered a disc that contained video footage of Riley firing approximately 23 shots at another Keeter aircraft spraying the same field in July 2007. In September 2010, when questioned by a Texas Ranger, Riley admitted to shooting at Keeter aircraft on more than one occasion.
The case is being investigated by the Texas Rangers and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Miller is in charge of the prosecution.
Riley's ranch specialized in offering a place for hunting of deer, turkey and other game. When authorities searched his property, they reportedly found video showing Riley shooting at cropduster planes. The search also produced theft charges against Riley. Attempted murder charges were filed against him by Palo Pinto County authorities in connection with the airplane shootings.
Story: http://www.timesrecordnews.com
Stephen Paul Riley, 41, appeared in federal court before U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Dallas.
Riley, who will remain on bond, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the release. Sentencing is set for May 21.
According to documents filed in the case the incident occurred Feb. 22, 2008. A pilot flew his crop-dusting aircraft over property adjacent to the Flying Lead Ranch owned and occupied by Riley. The documents claimed Riley shot the aircraft with a firearm, striking it with multiple bullets. One bullet struck the rudder cable and nearly severed it. A bullet or bullet fragment also struck the V-strut bar, approximately one and one-half inches from the connector bolt. Bullets, or bullet fragments, caused a hole in the aircraft’s left rear wing and indentations on the plane’s left side. The bullet holes and other damage indicated that the aircraft had been shot by someone on the ground discharging a firearm upward into the air. The aircraft was leased by Keeter Aerial Spraying of Olney.
Documents also claimed that prior to the incident, Riley threatened Keeter’s owner, both in person and by phone, that he would shoot down any crop-duster that flew over his hunting ranch.
In August 2010, officials with Texas Parks and Wildlife, seeking evidence of illegal hunting, executed a search warrant at the Riley's property and discovered a disc that contained video footage of Riley firing approximately 23 shots at another Keeter aircraft spraying the same field in July 2007. In September 2010, when questioned by a Texas Ranger, Riley admitted to shooting at Keeter aircraft on more than one occasion.
The case is being investigated by the Texas Rangers and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Miller is in charge of the prosecution.
Riley's ranch specialized in offering a place for hunting of deer, turkey and other game. When authorities searched his property, they reportedly found video showing Riley shooting at cropduster planes. The search also produced theft charges against Riley. Attempted murder charges were filed against him by Palo Pinto County authorities in connection with the airplane shootings.
Story: http://www.timesrecordnews.com
Home for Good Dog Rescue Gives Four Lucky Canines a New Leash on Life: Monmouth Executive Airport (KBLM), Belmar/Farmingdale, New Jersey
Home for Good Dog Rescue, a Summit-based foster center for dogs, gave four lucky canines a soaring start for great new lives on Sunday at Monmouth Executive Airport.
Credits: Home for Good Dog Rescue
SUMMIT, NJ - Home for Good Dog Rescue, a Summit-based foster center for dogs, gave four lucky canines a soaring start for great new lives on Sunday at Monmouth Executive Airport.
The four dogs, Bert, Ernie, Cassie and Cedric, were flown into Monmouth from South Carolina by a non-profit volunteer group of pilots called Pilots N Paws on Thursday afternoon just after 1:30 p.m. This was the first time the organization had used air, instead of driving vans, as a means of travel for the animals.
Volunteers from Home for Good Dog Rescue greeted them with signs and smiling faces, according Rob Cicirelli, the organization’s director of marketing and operations.
“It was a lot of organizing but definitely worth it,” Cicirelli said. “It was awesome.”
According to Cicirelli, the date was changed twice for the event due to weather and preparing the dogs. The pilots landed earlier than originally anticipated, but it was a great outcome for the dogs, pilots and volunteers.
“We definitely plan on working with Pilots N Paws again,” Cicirelli said. “It’s good to work with someone with the same goals.”
Cedric, a 12-week-old lab mix, was adopted on Monday night. Cicirelli said the other three won't be far off, since applications to adopt them have already been submitted. He expects them to be adopted within the week.
Since the organization’s launch in August 2010, they have placed 1,600 dogs in homes, with 800 adopted out last year alone. Their return rate for dogs is four percent, compared to the eight percent national average. For Cicirelli, it is about quality of the homes for the dogs, not quantity.
“We want to make sure these dogs find the right home,” he said.
All of the dogs are held in foster families after they are picked up weekly by the organization. Home for Good Dog Rescue does not have a shelter, but Cicirelli says this better acclimates the dogs to a family environment. The next adoption event is being held on Saturday, Feb. 2, at Petsmart in Bridgewater from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Anyone interested in adopting a dog can visit the organization’s website at www.homeforgooddogs.org to fill out an application and set up a meet and greet with the dog. To donate, visit the site or send donations to PO Box 324, Summit, NJ 07902.
Story: http://thealternativepress.com
Flying with Fido: Lake Placid pilot gives back by rescuing dogs
D.J. O’Neill of Lake Placid, seen here with his Cessna 185 Skywagon I and his dogs Chaka and Zozo, flies his airplane to locations throughout the Northeast to rescue dogs and bring them to no-kill shelters or adoptive families.
Photo Credit: Enterprise — Chris Morris
LAKE PLACID - A dog is a man's best friend, as the saying goes. A local pilot is doing his best to return the favor.
When he's not working on his patients' teeth at High Peaks Dental in Lake Placid, 48-year-old D.J. O'Neill takes to the skies in his single-propeller airplane - a red and white Cessna 185 Skywagon I, to be exact - to rescue dogs from animal shelters in other parts of the U.S.
"I'm a sucker for a dog," O'Neill told the Enterprise recently. "I just want to help them out because they need people to speak for them. So it was like, 'Yeah, I can step up and do this.'"
O'Neill, who grew up in White River Junction, Vt., fell in love with flying at age 10. His father was also a pilot and owned a 1948 Stinson airplane. O'Neill would often tag along with his father on flights, but there was one problem.
"I would puke," he said. "Basically, I couldn't hold it down, and I would decorate the plane every time Dad would take me up. I think out of self-preservation he started me to fly, and by flying I got distracted. And I got distracted, so I wouldn't think about other things, and I'd fly the plane and I was OK."
O'Neill earned his pilot's license when he turned 18, and he's been flying ever since.
O'Neill has made his living as a dentist for 23 years: first at an office on the Akwesasne Indian reservation and then at High Peaks Dental in Lake Placid. All the while, he has kept his plane, which is currently parked in a hangar at the Lake Placid Airport, and he continues to fly as an amateur pilot.
So how did O'Neill end up rescuing dogs? O'Neill said it all started with a news report on CBS' "60 Minutes" about Pilots N Paws, a South Carolina-based nonprofit organization founded in 2008 by Debi Boies and Jon Wehrenberg. Boies, a self-proclaimed animal lover, and Wehrenberg, a pilot, teamed up to rescue a Doberman pinscher from a shelter in Florida. After successfully bringing the dog back to South Carolina, the duo founded Pilots N Paws to link pilots with animal rescue groups.
Kathleen Quinn is executive director of Pilots N Paws. She said there's no shortage of dogs that need to be adopted, and there are plenty of people willing to take them in - the problem is getting the dog from point A to point B. That's where the pilots come into play, Quinn said.
"There's kind of a saying - the $100 hamburger," she said. "Pilots are always looking for an excuse to fly. It usually costs about $100 an hour to fly, so they'll fly an hour somewhere just to go have a fast-food hamburger, and then fly back. So if you give them a reason that has a lot of meaning, I think that's one thing that really draws our pilots to our organization - not only can they do their passion, which is flying, but then they're saving a life."
That was the case for O'Neill, who said he's always looking for a good reason to fly. After learning about Pilots N Paws, he contacted Boies and signed up.O'Neill has since flown five rescue missions, all in the Northeast.
The process is straightforward. O'Neill said it generally starts with an email from Donna Kraan of Bridges to Safety, an animal rescue group based in New Jersey. Kraan, who operates out of Ontario, Canada, will tell O'Neill where the dog needs to be picked up and where it needs to go. Sometimes, O'Neill picks up more than one dog, although his plane is fairly small and space is limited.
Before he leaves, O'Neill borrows dog crates from the Tri-Lakes Humane Society in Saranac Lake. Then he flies to his destination, picks up the dog and brings it back to meet with animal rescue workers in the Northeast, who in turn bring the dogs to no-kill shelters or adoptive families.
Kraan explained that many U.S. animal shelters are "grossly over-populated" and that many of them end up euthanizing cats and dogs that can't be placed in homes.
"What our rescue (group) does is, if we see a dog that we feel we can place, we will pull it, hopefully find a foster home for it or an immediate adopter - that's rare. Usually we have them sent to a foster home," she said.
Rescue groups like Pilots N Paws and Bridges to Safety are extremely active. Kraan said in any given month, her group will help rescue up to 20 dogs. Quinn said Pilots N Paws, which has enlisted more than 3,000 pilots since it was founded five years ago, coordinates about 12,000 rescue flights per year, and that number keeps growing.
"We don't only fly dogs," Quinn added. "We fly cats, we've flown baby chickens, baby ducks - we had a pilot in South Carolina who flew two small donkeys, actually. And in Florida, we have pilots who do a lot of wildlife-type rescue work where they'll fly wildlife from the Everglades to different sanctuaries. We've flown military dogs for our servicemen."
Pilots N Paws also made headlines last year when it worked with Navy SEALs in Afghanistan to fly an injured steppe eagle to a bird sanctuary in western New York.
For O'Neill, working with animal rescue groups has been a rewarding experience. He said the hardest part of the process is parting ways with the dogs. On his last mission, he rescued a shepherd mix that he brought to the shelter in Saranac Lake.
"Handsome dog," O'Neill said. "I would've taken him myself if I didn't have my two already. I think it's one of the occupational hazards of flying dogs. You're like, 'Hmm, I'll take him.'"
For more information about Pilots N Paws, visit www.pilotsnpaws.org.
Source: http://adirondackdailyenterprise.com
Piper PA-32-260 Cherokee Six, N1967E: Hudson plane crash victim talks to Eyewitness News
YONKERS (WABC) -- One of the victims who survived a single-engine plane crash into the icy Hudson River near Yonkers over the weekend is now home and speaking out.
The pilot, 39-year-old Denise De Priester, of East Windsor, N.J., and 43-year-old passenger Christopher Smidt, of Colonia, N.J., survived 20 minutes in the frigid waters before they were rescued by an off-duty cop and his son.
Smidt talked to Eyewitness News reporter Marci Gonzalez outside his home Tuesday, saying he has been taking flying lessons from his friend Denise for about a year and a half. On Sunday, she picked him up at Old Bridge Airport.
And less than an hour into the flight, they started having mechanical problems.
"We both knew that there was a problem, and we both knew that we were going down," he said. He said all he could think about as the plane plummeted toward the water was his kids.
"The first thing I did was call my wife," he said. "I said, 'Listen, don't even say anything. This is what happened. Tell the kids I love them, and I gotta go.' Then I hung up the phone and I called 911."
The plane quickly filled with water after impact, and the 911 call captured the frantic moments that followed.
On the call, Smidt frantically shouts, "We are in the plane. The plane is taking on water."
County police dispatcher Melissa Seymour ascertains that the pair has flotation vests, then says, "I need you to get out of the plane and let me know when you're out...I need you to get out of the plane so you're not trapped."
Smidt then calls to De Priester, "Get out! Get out!...We're going down!"
Once he escapes, he yells, "The water's freezing!" He then tells Seymour he can't make it to shore.
She assured them a boat was en route, and then lost contact.
CLICK HERE to hear the audio of the 911 call.
The 43-year-old correction officer swam for nearly 30 minutes, battling the current and trying to stay above water until help arrived.
"One point, I figured that was it," he said. "I was so cold. I couldn't feel any part of my body. I couldn't even move. And I just kept screaming and screaming. And Denise was like, 'Hold your energy. Stop!' I'm like, 'No, no, I'm not going to stop yelling until someone hears me.'"
Eventually, someone did. Three off-duty Yonkers police officers, a retired colleague - and the 12-year-old son of one of them - happened to be at a boat club on the river and commandeered a boat.
They plucked the freezing Smidt and De Priester from the river.
Smidt, a correctional sergeant from Colonia, N.J., also spoke at a ceremony honoring rescuers at City Hall in Yonkers, N.Y. on Tuesday.
When Smidt was pulled into the boat, "His hands were shaking," recalled 12-year-old Dan Higgins Jr., who had rushed to help with his father, an off-duty police detective. "...I took off my jacket and he wrapped it around his hands so he wouldn't freeze."
"It feels good that I helped these people and I'm just glad they're alive," the young rescuer said.
"The first thing I told them was, I think I said 'I love you guys,'" Smidt said. "I mean, there's nothing else to say."
He says it's because of them that he is back at home with his wife and his kids.
"You never know when it's going to be your time," he said. "And that wasn't our time."
De Priester, who did not attend the ceremony, also is out of the hospital now.
Smidt, asked if he'll fly again, replied: "Absolutely."
CLICK HERE to see pictures from the Hudson plane crash.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 1967E Make/Model: PA32 Description: PA-32 Cherokee Six, Six, Saratoga, Turbo
Date: 01/27/2013 Time: 2225
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
City: YONKERS State: NY Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT FORCE LANDED IN THE HUDSON RIVER, THE 2 PERSONS ON BOARD WERE
RESCUED WITH UNKNOWN INJURIES, NEAR YONKERS, NY
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk: 1
# Pass: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk: 1
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Landing Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: GARDEN CITY, NY (EA15) Entry date: 01/29/2013
http://registry.faa.gov/N1967E
Piper PA-46-500TP Malibu Meridian, C-GMHP: Three Hills Airport, Alberta, Canada
Photo Credit: Courtesy of RCMP
Photo Credit: Courtesy of RCMP
One person was injured when this plane crashed at the Three Hills Airport when it was trying to land during inclement conditions on Tuesday morning.
(Supplied/RCMP)
Three people walked away from a plane crash in Three Hills on Tuesday morning.
The plane had departed from the northern Alberta town of La Crete and was approaching its destination of Three Hills Airport at 9:15 a.m.
“They were on their approach to Three Hills and just before they were about to land, they lost visibility for just a couple seconds,” said RCMP Const. Seth Adair.
The landing gear hit the ground about 25 metres short of the runway and the left wing clipped a snowbank, sending the plane bouncing onto the runway.
It came to a rest on the tarmac, but emergency crews had to contend with a fuel leak remove the left wing to extricate the three people on board the Piper PA-46-500TP Malibu Meridian.
One of the two passengers suffered minor injuries — chest pain — in the collision. The pilot was uninjured.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has been notified.
RCMP say no charges have been laid.
“There was nothing (criminal). It was just weather related,” said Adair.
The pilot has 13 years experience, said Adair.
“They were on their approach to Three Hills and just before they were about to land, they lost visibility for just a couple seconds,” said RCMP Const. Seth Adair.
The landing gear hit the ground about 25 metres short of the runway and the left wing clipped a snowbank, sending the plane bouncing onto the runway.
It came to a rest on the tarmac, but emergency crews had to contend with a fuel leak remove the left wing to extricate the three people on board the Piper PA-46-500TP Malibu Meridian.
One of the two passengers suffered minor injuries — chest pain — in the collision. The pilot was uninjured.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has been notified.
RCMP say no charges have been laid.
“There was nothing (criminal). It was just weather related,” said Adair.
The pilot has 13 years experience, said Adair.
Nebraska lawmakers to review oversight of crop dusters
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker wants to put the Department of Aeronautics in charge of handling complaints against crop-dusters.
The Legislature's Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday to discuss which state agency should oversee aerial pesticide sprayers.
Current law requires the Department of Agriculture to settle complaints, but state Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha says the agency takes too long. Krist, a pilot, says complaints should be settled within 90 days.
Krist says the Department of Agriculture lacks expertise in federal aviation standards, which govern how aerial pesticide companies operate. He argues that the Department of Aeronautics keeps a closer eye on federal aviation rules, and is a better authority to decide whether a pilot has flown negligently.
__
The bill is LB15.
The Legislature's Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday to discuss which state agency should oversee aerial pesticide sprayers.
Current law requires the Department of Agriculture to settle complaints, but state Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha says the agency takes too long. Krist, a pilot, says complaints should be settled within 90 days.
Krist says the Department of Agriculture lacks expertise in federal aviation standards, which govern how aerial pesticide companies operate. He argues that the Department of Aeronautics keeps a closer eye on federal aviation rules, and is a better authority to decide whether a pilot has flown negligently.
__
The bill is LB15.
Drone training ratchets up in preparation for FAA guidelines
By Cheryl K. Chumley
The Washington Times
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Flight training schools have taken a tip from the Federal Aviation Administration’s estimates that 10,000-plus commercial drones will be operational in the United States in the next few years, and bolstered their course selection. Even community colleges now offer training on remote piloting, NBC reports.
The hold-up to drone use outside the military is the lack of regulatory control; however, the FAA is expected to release its policy for commercial drone flights by 2015. Once that occurs, the industry will explode and thousands of drones will fly the U.S. skies within five years, some project.
What’s needed is drone pilot training. NBC reports that only three schools offer full degrees in drone piloting — but that 358 other institutions of learning, including universities and community colleges, offer certificate training and permit programs. The FAA oversees the training, which is targeted primarily for police departments in high crime areas, NBC found.
“We make it clear from the beginning that we are civilian-focused,” said Alex Mirot, an assistant professor at Embrey-Riddle, in charge of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Science program, in an NBC report.
Law enforcement has yet to obtain the legal right to fly drones over populated areas. Mostly, police departments are buying them in preparation for the issuance of FAA guidelines that will allow for flights over neighborhoods and communities.
Story and Reaction/Comments: http://www.washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Flight training schools have taken a tip from the Federal Aviation Administration’s estimates that 10,000-plus commercial drones will be operational in the United States in the next few years, and bolstered their course selection. Even community colleges now offer training on remote piloting, NBC reports.
The hold-up to drone use outside the military is the lack of regulatory control; however, the FAA is expected to release its policy for commercial drone flights by 2015. Once that occurs, the industry will explode and thousands of drones will fly the U.S. skies within five years, some project.
What’s needed is drone pilot training. NBC reports that only three schools offer full degrees in drone piloting — but that 358 other institutions of learning, including universities and community colleges, offer certificate training and permit programs. The FAA oversees the training, which is targeted primarily for police departments in high crime areas, NBC found.
“We make it clear from the beginning that we are civilian-focused,” said Alex Mirot, an assistant professor at Embrey-Riddle, in charge of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Science program, in an NBC report.
Law enforcement has yet to obtain the legal right to fly drones over populated areas. Mostly, police departments are buying them in preparation for the issuance of FAA guidelines that will allow for flights over neighborhoods and communities.
Story and Reaction/Comments: http://www.washingtontimes.com
In Japan, Dreamliner Woes Test Cozy Corporate Ties
Updated January 28, 2013, 9:52 p.m. ET
By PHRED DVORAK And DANIEL MICHAELS
The Wall Street Journal
The woes of Boeing Co.'s Dreamliner jet are straining one of the aviation world's coziest relationships: that between Boeing and its customers and suppliers in Japan.
All Nippon Airways Co., the first and largest operator of Boeing's new 787, cancelled 459 flights through Jan. 31 after battery fires on two Dreamliners prompted global regulators to ground the planes nearly two weeks ago. Rival Japan Airlines Co. which flies seven Dreamliners and suffered a fire, has also been hit by the plane's stoppage.
It's not just the airlines that are affected. More than a third of each 787 is built by Japanese manufacturers before being sent to the U.S. for assembly. Roughly 43% of Japanese aerospace employment is linked to Boeing projects, Boeing says.
Much of the investigation into the Dreamliner's problems has centered on smaller Kyoto-based GS Yuasa Corp. maker of the Dreamliner's troubled batteries, and Kanto Aircraft Instrument Co., a company south of Tokyo responsible for the circuit board that controls the battery pack. So far, there is no indication that either company's products were at fault.
Japan's 787 operators and builders still are standing by the high-tech plane. But signs of frustration, rarely expressed in Japan, are emerging.
"As an airline person, it's exasperating to think that we've got 17 cutting-edge planes sitting here that can't fly," says Shinzo Shimizu, ANA's vice president in charge of corporate planning, in a recent interview.
Boeing's troubles come as a recent wave of deregulation is shifting Japan's market. Five years ago, almost every jetliner flying in Japan was a Boeing. Since then, Boeing's rival Airbus has scored a string of small wins with fast-growing upstart airlines. The unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co.'s new customers include two budget carriers recently established by Boeing stalwart ANA.
Today, Airbus says 44 of its planes fly in Japan. More are entering the market, including the two-deck Airbus A380 Superjumbos, which upstart Skymark Airlines Inc. expects to start flying in 2014.
ANA and Japan Airlines remain dedicated to Boeing, but they face increasing pressure from lenders to reassess the risks of relying on one plane supplier. Bankers argue that encouraging competition between Boeing and Airbus would offer more bargaining power, says a financier close to the airlines.
The Japanese carriers traditionally didn't bargain hard with Boeing, partly because their purchases support Japanese manufacturers, according to several people familiar with the market.
As a result, ANA paid significantly more for its Dreamliners than other buyers outside Japan that ordered soon after, as Boeing cut the price after early sluggish sales, according to information reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The deals were likely renegotiated later after delays stalled the program, according to people familiar with the purchase.
Mr. Shimizu at ANA declined to comment on Dreamliner pricing. He says the carrier gets competing presentations on new planes and its relationship with Boeing is unchanged by the 787 glitches.
Others are less upbeat. The Dreamliner's troubles are "going to have some effect on the relationship" between Boeing and its Japanese partners, says Geoffrey Tudor, a consultant and former Japan Airlines spokesman. Boeing delivered the Dreamliners more than three years late, which made some customers "very unhappy," and the current woes are adding to frustrations, he says.
In other markets, the Dreamliner's delays and problems might prompt customer defections. But Japanese companies do so much business with Boeing that their fortunes are closely linked.
ANA and Japan Airlines flaunt their allegiance to Boeing. ANA, which as the Dreamliner's launch customer was deeply involved in the design of the jet, boasts that its "passion persuaded Boeing" to use a durable Japan-made paint on the 787 and that the Dreamliner's composition is "Japan 35%; Boeing 35%; Others 30%."
When the Dreamliner faced big delays between 2007 and 2010, Japanese aviation exports plummeted 25%, according to industry data.
The ties go back to U.S. support for Japanese reconstruction after World War II. In the 1970s and 1980s, Japanese airlines, urged on by the country's powerful trade and finance ministries, also became big buyers of U.S. planes, partly—industry insiders say—to help offset a huge trade imbalance.
Meanwhile, Boeing gave Japanese manufacturers increasingly large parts of its planes to build, providing decades of lucrative business for companies like Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. The Japanese government kicked in with subsidies and support.
"Ever since the war, Japan's aviation industry has been basically America," says Yuji Tanahashi, a trade official who recalls introducing Toray Industries Inc., the maker of the carbon-fiber materials for the Dreamliner's vaunted light-weight body, to Boeing back in the late 1980s.
"Over the past 60 years, we have worked very closely with our Japanese customers to supply aircraft that meet their business needs and growth objectives," said Boeing spokesman Doug Alder.
In the 1990s, Boeing studied Japanese car manufacturing techniques and Boeing sales people studied Japanese, prompting a dramatic transformation of many of its factories.
A pivotal moment in Boeing's relationship with Japan was its decision in the early 1970s to develop an aircraft just for Japanese airlines. JAL and ANA had wanted the big 747—built initially for long international routes—to ferry hundreds of people over short domestic hops.
Boeing stripped out most of the galleys for serving food, added more than a hundred seats, and reinforced the undercarriage so it could bear the stress of several takeoffs and landings per day.
JAL eventually became the biggest buyer of 747s. After a JAL jumbo crashed in 1985, killing 524 people, the airline seriously considered hedging its risk by buying planes from a different maker, says Hideo Inagaki, a former JAL aircraft-maintenance specialist who is now principal analyst at consultant Japan Aviation Management Research.
"In the end, JAL gave priority to the long relationship [with Boeing] and didn't take action," Mr. Inagaki says.
JAL says its relationship with Boeing remains unchanged following the latest 787 incidents.
Airbus has fumed at Boeing's hold and the financial support its Japanese suppliers get from Tokyo. European Union officials have estimated that the Japanese government helped finance up to 70% of the Dreamliner's development cost in Japan.
"The suggestion that the Japanese government provided 70% of the financing for the 787 was as ludicrous when it was raised years ago as it is today," said Boeing spokesman Tim Neale, "Airbus has never attempted to prove its assertion that the Japanese government subsidized a single penny of the 787s development costs."
Still, when the EU took the U.S. to the World Trade Organization in 2005, in response to a U.S. case against Airbus, EU officials refrained from throwing the book at Japan.
Although European lawyers saw a strong case against Tokyo, Airbus officials feared that they'd never sell a plane in Japan if it were pulled into the trade case, according to people familiar with the decision.
Boeing's ties haven't stanched economic pressures on Japanese airlines. JAL filed for bankruptcy in 2010, and though it emerged successfully last year, the company's reorganization has increased pressure on all carriers' costs and efficiency. If Skymark can fill its Airbus A380 profitably, industry officials say, ANA and JAL may be forced to order superjumbos themselves.
For now, Boeing has been focused on damage control in Japan, industry officials say. The plane maker has given ANA daily updates on the 787 situation, and its head of sales flew over from Seattle last week to personally apologize for the problems and explain how Boeing is cooperating with U.S. investigators, said Mr. Shimizu.
As for future airplane purchases, ANA will look carefully at both Airbus and Boeing models when it comes time to choose successors for its bigger Boeing jets, the 777 and possibly the 747, Mr. Shimizu said.
—Jon Ostrower contributed to this article.
Source: http://online.wsj.com
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