Livermore Municipal Airport (KLVK), California: Plane owned by flying club damaged in battery fire

 

Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Engineer John Hatges, left, and firefighter Ed White finish extinguishing an engine fire in a Cessna 152 at the Livermore Airport on Saturday morning. No one was injured in the fire, which ignited as a pilot tried to start the plane's engine.

 (Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department)

LIVERMORE -- A small plane was heavily damaged after a fire began Saturday morning as the pilot tried to start its engine at the Livermore Municipal Airport. 

No one was injured. 

The fire was reported at 9:38 a.m. in an outdoor plane parking area near the airport's control tower. Firefighters arrived about 13 minutes later and quickly extinguished the blaze, keeping it confined to the plane's engine compartment, according to Battalion Chief Joe Testa of the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department.

The plane was a 35-year-old Cessna 152 owned and operated by the Flying Particles flying club of Livermore, Testa said.   The fire was likely related to the battery and was not suspicious, he added. 

The pilot told firefighters that the plane might be a total loss due to the cost of repairing it. 

The Flying Particles club was founded in 1957 by employees of the old University of California "Radiation" Laboratory who wanted to share the costs of plane ownership, according to its website. The club owns three Cessna planes -- including the one damaged in the fire Saturday -- and a Piper. 

Source:  http://www.contracostatimes.com

Air India area sales manager collapses and dies at work in Abu Dhabi airport office: Rajesh Parekh suffered from a heart problem

Air India’s Abu Dhabi area sales manager collapsed and died at work in the airline’s airport office on Saturday afternoon.

Airport doctors examined Rajesh Parekh, who was suffering from a heart problem, and declared him dead. His body, which is now kept at the mortuary in Abu Dhabi, is to be sent home to India after completing the necessary paperwork.

His two sisters, one in India and the other in USA, are expected to arrive in Abu Dhabi soon to claim the body.

Parekh, 53, who hailed from Mumbai, had been working in the UAE capital for almost 31 years. His death was mourned by colleagues and the Indian community in Abu Dhabi.

Air India Abu Dhabi informed its customers and employees that a day of mourning will be announced later. "We deeply mourn the demise of Mr Rajesh Parekh, area sales manager, Abu Dhabi on February 9. His family is expected to arrive to receive his mortal remains. A prayer meeting will be held in Abu Dhabi after the cremation. Date will be advised later," said a condolence message from Air India Abu Dhabi office.

Akbar Travel manager dies in Dubai

The Dubai branch manager of Akbar Travels, an Indian travel and tourism company, died on Saturday night, Akbar Travels said in a statement.

Ahmed Khasim of Akbar Travels Dubai said the 65- year-old Krishna Swamy, who hailed from Chennai in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, passed away on Saturday night after cardiac arrest.

“His wife Radha Swamy and their three sons,  Sampath Swamy, Anand Sabu and Babu Swamy are here and his only daughter Vanitha Dutta, who is in the USA, will come for the funeral at the Jebel Ali crematorium.

“He went home after work and at about 10.30pm he was suffering from chest pain and an ambulance was called. He was rushed to Rashid Hospital where he died,” added Ahmed Khasim.

The deceased was in charge of the Deira, Karama and Al Qouz branches of Akbar Travels.

Akbar Travels is an agency selling Air India tickets.

Source:   http://www.emirates247.com

Airline safety: Watchdog warns that Canadians are at ‘unnecessary risk’ of runway overruns

Canada’s transportation safety watchdog is sounding the alarm about runway overruns, worried that foot-dragging by Ottawa on implementing tougher safety regulations and an unwillingness by airports to install safety measures are endangering the public.

The rate of runway overruns in Canada is twice the world average — and four times the world average when runways are wet. 

An overrun occurs when a landing aircraft exceeds the available runway, running off the end.

With accidents showing little sign of decreasing, an exasperated Transportation Safety Board took the unusual step last month of taking to social media to make its point, tweeting a video expressing its concern.

Federal Aviation Administration investigates plane crash in Sunnyside, Washington

Two men suffered minor injuries Saturday afternoon when their small plane crash-landed in the parking lot of a Sunnyside city park and flipped over into a cluster of nearby trees.

Witnesses said they saw a small, single-engine plane strike power lines that cross Interstate 82 about 12:40 p.m., according to a news release from the Sunnyside Police Department.

The plane then made an attempt to land in the parking lot of South Hill Park, which is less than a half-mile north of the interstate. Police said the plane landed, then crashed through a cyclone fence before coming to rest in a field on private property.

No one on the ground was injured, but damage to the 1963 Piper Cherokee was extensive, according to police.

One wing was torn off and the other was badly damaged, said Trish Combs, who was inside the community center when the plane came down. “It hardly looked like a plane.”

Combs, who spoke with the pilot, said the plane might have suffered control problems.

Authorities did not release the names of the men on board the plane when it crashed, or details regarding where the flight had begun or was headed.

The National Transportation Safety Board is the lead agency on a joint investigation with the Federal Aviation Administration into the crash.

Police directed further inquiries to the FAA, which did not return calls.

The community center is located in the city’s South Hill Park, a 17-acre park west of South First Street.

Multiple airlines expressing interest in Arcata/Eureka Airport; Additional service could start by summer

Eastbound? Flights from the Arcata/Eureka Airport could touch down in Denver, Phoenix or Salt Lake City as soon as this summer.

Humboldt County is currently negotiating with airlines to provide flights to and from the regional airport, in the hopes that additional service will reduce ticket prices and increase flight traffic.

Multiple destinations are being discussed, but Redwood Region Economic Development Commission Executive Director Don Ehnebuske said they are not releasing which airlines are in negotiations.

”We're not naming names yet,” he said.

Ehnebuske said they've spoken with one airline twice, and are meeting with another at their headquarters in March.

”We don't expect to have any real news until April or May,” he said, adding that service would likely start within weeks of an agreement. “They start quite rapidly.”

First District Supervisor Rex Bohn also declined to name airlines, but said several destinations are being explored: Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle, Salt Lake City and Denver.

The county is luring airlines with a subsidy partially funded by a $750,000 Small Community Air Service Development Program grant. An additional $250,000 in funding came from the Headwaters Fund and more than 70 local donors, including businesses, tribes, individuals and local governments.

The air service grant -- funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation -- comes with restrictions, including that a newly secured destination must be east of the Arcata/Eureka Airport, and cannot be a destination that grant money has been used to connect to previously, Ehnebuske said.

Humboldt County was awarded an air service grant in conjunction with Redding to provide air service to the Los Angeles International Airport in 2004.

”That's where we had Horizon for nine years flying,” Ehnebuske said.

Restrictions dictate that the county can't use grant money to seek service to Seattle or Los Angeles, Bohn said, but airlines are still expressing interest in connecting to those markets.

Because Los Angeles is a common destination for flyers out of Humboldt County, the Board of Supervisors had been seeking relaxation on the federal grant restriction through lobbying efforts.

Humboldt County spokesman Sean Quincey said the county recently abandoned the effort, directing lobbying firm Waterman & Associates to push for other federal changes of interest to the county.

”The DOT made it clear that (the grant) couldn't be used for LAX,” Quincey said. “Even if we pursued legislation for it, DOT wouldn't be open to legislation that would be retroactive.”

Some have raised concerns about the revenue guarantee, stating they don't want what happened with Delta Airlines to repeat itself. Delta ended its local service in 2010, surprising many county residents, after accepting a $500,000 Headwaters Fund revenue guarantee in 2008.

RREDC has been seeking a second airline since Horizon stopped flying out of the Arcata/Eureka Airport in 2011. The commission said it hopes bringing back a second carrier would reduce prices for residents and convince more to fly again.

About 50,000 fewer passengers fly out of the airport now, according to RREDC, which results in a loss of about $5 million to the community. United Airlines, the county's lone carrier, flies to San Francisco International Airport.

Bohn said airport staff has been putting in an “immense amount of work” on securing the second airline, which he hopes will help local businesses and the tourism market.

”We hope to see something come to fruition soon,” he said.

Source:   http://www.times-standard.com

The Anchorage Museum opens a major exhibit celebrating a century of flight

One hundred years ago, the sound of an internal combustion engine in the sky was first heard in Alaska when James and Lilly Martin sold rides to Fairbanks thrill-seekers. James had built the biplane himself. Lilly was the first woman pilot in England. Alaskans thought the gizmo was a hoot, but no one seemed to grasp the commercial potential.

Within 20 years, the gizmo's ability to go places where there were no roads made it indispensable to life in the territory.

On Friday, the Anchorage Museum opened an exhibit titled "Arctic Flight: A Century of Alaska Aviation," a look at the lore and legacy of flying machines in the last frontier.

The show isn't so much about the principles of flights, said Anchorage Museum curator Julie Decker, but "about how flight changed the way of life in Alaska."

"Arctic Flight" features a number of historic photos and films capturing how airplanes in Alaska went from a novelty to the workhorse of arctic exploration to military necessities to a commercial fact of life. It includes items from aircraft piloted in Alaska by Wiley Post, Roald Amundsen, Charles and Anne Lindbergh and pieces of equipment associated with Alaska's pioneer pilots, from a piece of Carl Ben Eielson's Hamilton Metalplane to Ellen Paneok's parka. There's a shirt made from the skin of the Norge, the only dirigible to have gone over the North Pole, a section of the nose from the first DC-3 in Alaska and a wing from a warplane with Soviet markings that crashed near Fairbanks on its way to the Eastern Front.

Younger viewers may need to have some things explained, like the plumbers pot, a stove used to melt lead but adopted by bush pilots as a way to keep their oil and engines warm.

"I never saw so many plumber pots in my life until I came to Alaska," said Jeremy Kinney of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, co-curator of the exhibit.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is the beautifully restored Stearman biplane borrowed from the Alaska Aviation Museum. Getting it onto the third floor was a trick, said Decker. "We couldn't get it into the elevator," she said. "We had to rig it up the stairs."

In the section dedicated to Alaska's airlines, you can watch an ad for now-defunct Wien Airlines showing the Stearman in flight.

It may be the oldest aircraft in Alaska to remain in flying condition, but it's not entirely alone. Kinney marveled at the old planes he saw parked near Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and at Lake Hood. "If you like old airplanes, Alaska is the place to see them," he said.

One of the themes of the exhibit is anthropological, said Kinney. "It illustrates how air travel became part of the life of a community. It's a pretty exciting example of how people see a tool and adapt it for their particular use."

And it raises question, said Decker, like: "Do we still not have roads because of the airplane?"

Organizers were pondering how things may have shifted because of planes. On the one hand, they made travel between Alaska and the Lower 48 more practical and faster. On the other hand, Alaska remains a wilderness with scattered communities largely separated from one another, hobbled by distance and bad weather. One hundred years after the first flight in Fairbanks, perhaps there hasn't been that much change after all, Decker said.

Perhaps. But I once got drawn into an argument over what was the greatest invention of the 20th century. "The airplane" was my instant answer. Others said that was an old-fashioned choice. They thought cellphones, television or the Internet were surely more important.

I stand by my pick. Imagine for a moment a world in which powered flight never happened, either because it was physically impossible or because no one ever figured it out.

Now imagine what Anchorage and Alaska would look like in that flightless world.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com

Travelers get a more luxe layover as airports class up with spas, celebrity cuisine, high-end redesign

CHICAGO - Getting stranded at an airport once meant hours of boredom in a kind of travel purgatory with nothing to eat but fast food. These days, it can seem more like passing through the gates of Shangri-la to find spas, yoga studios, luxury shopping, and restaurant menus crafted by celebrity chefs in terminals with calming, sleek design.

Stung by airline bankruptcies and mergers, more U.S. airports are hunting for alternative revenue streams by hiring top design firms to transform once chaotic and dreary way stations into places of Zen-like tranquillity and luxury where people actually want to get stuck - and spend money. Airports are putting what one designer calls "terminal bliss" on display in hopes of drawing in more passengers and revenue.

"It's classy, it's very classy. . . . It makes you feel good about the layover," said Marty Rapp, 70, who got rosy-cheeked with the help of a large glass of merlot under ice-crystal chandeliers at Chicago-O'Hare's Ice Bar, whose white and softly reflective decor gives the feeling of being secluded in an igloo - where everyone is drinking and merry.

Airport redesign has been accelerating in the United States over the last 10 years, fueled by a combination of factors including an airline industry that, beset by bankruptcies and consolidation, is less able to shoulder as much of the operating costs for city-owned airports through landing fees and gate rental. More revenue from better retail and dining helps make up the shortfall.

At the same time, travelers are becoming savvier and want more than just to get from Point A to Point B. The airport has become almost a destination in its own right, a place worthy of stopping off for a while for a little shopping or pampering.

"There's the ability to go swimming at some airports, there's the ability to actually perfect your golf swing at some airports, there is the ability to - it's not just getting a quick massage on your shoulders - it's almost really going to a spa in some cases," said Bill Hooper, an architect at global design firm Gensler, which has transformed airport terminals, including San Francisco's Terminal 2, whose abundant natural light, art installations, and cool club feel set a new benchmark for contemporary airport design.

The United States and Canada still lag behind Europe and Asia in the number of airports that are architectural gems and the array of unique offerings. Stockholm's Arlanda Airport offers a wedding package, so couples can tie the knot in the control-tower balcony. And Seoul's Incheon International Airport is building a six-level terminal that will include a soaring glass-paneled ceiling giving passengers the feeling they are passing through a terrarium-like wonderland, with a babbling brook, tropical plants, and butterflies.

But American airports are catching up. Space-age-looking redevelopment at Denver International Airport slated to be finished by 2015 includes a Westin hotel and conference center with a rooftop pool and views of the Rockies. With an outdoor plaza for events and a fast new rail line, the airport hopes to be seen as an extension of downtown, about 23 miles away.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport opened a nearly mile-long walking path over mosaic floor art inside Terminal D in April. There are two optional cardio step courses leading up 55-foot-high staircases, and the path ends up at a free yoga studio, where barefoot travelers get a view of taxiing aircraft as they stretch behind light-diffusing screens.

In a sense, airports have taken some of the members-only airline club lounge experience and opened it up for all.

"They're actually trying to create the same sort of sanctuary concept for the more casual traveler," Hooper said.

Business travelers in particular are catching on and actually evaluating the offerings to pick which airport to spend their layover in.

"Montreal [airport] has a smoked-meat place . . . that if I'm booking travel and I need to go back on the East Coast, sometimes I'll say, 'Can you get me to Montreal for an hour layover so I can have a smoked beef sandwich?' " said Wil Marchant, 40, who works for a financial services firm in Winnipeg.

The transformations are paying off.

Concessions revenue from food, beverage, retail, and services at U.S. airports reached $1.5 billion in 2011, up 12 percent from the year before, according to Airports Council International-North America, which represents the vast majority of governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports.

The new business model has helped airports like San Francisco International, which finished its major refurbishment of Terminal 2 in April 2011. The design is sleek, super-modern, and playful, with children and adults spinning in comfy swivel chairs around coffee tables placed at every gate. Check-in desks, imposingly high at some airports, were lowered to look more like hotel concierge desks.

"What we were aiming for is a four- or five-star hotel experience for passengers in the terminal building," said airport director John L. Martin.

The average spent per passenger at the terminal is now about $14. That's 22 percent more than domestic travelers spend at the airport's other terminals.

At O'Hare, where once there was little more than hot dogs and souvenir shops, domestic terminals are now dotted with restaurants led by celebrity chefs like Rick Bayless, piano bars, and a tranquil aeroponic herb garden - a mini forest of green on a quiet mezzanine level.

"It's pretty amazing. . . . I didn't expect that to be here," said grad student David Janesko, 30, reading a book in a comfy lounge chair beside the garden on his way to see family in Pittsburgh.

But airport bliss doesn't come cheap, and its price can be a little jarring for passengers.

Back at the Ice Bar, which offers 23 vodkas and four kinds of ice (crushed, cubes, or sphere), blues musician and actor Cedric "Catfish" Turner was lamenting that his Jack Daniel's on the rocks cost $11. But he needed it, he said, to ease a headache from a long layover. 

Source:  http://www.philly.com

Belgian boy fools airport security, flies without ticket

Moscow: A 12-year-old Belgian boy managed to sneak into the international departure zone of the Brussels airport and boarded a plane to Spain without a ticket. Belgium's RTBF broadcaster said the boy, whose name was not disclosed, was spotted by a police officer in the airport of the southern Spanish city of Malaga on Saturday.

Asked where his parents were, the child answered in French that they were registering for a flight. It turned out, however, that the boy arrived in Malaga on a Jet Air flight without a boarding pass or ID.

The air carrier and security services of the airport are studying CCTV camera footage in an attempt to find out how the child managed to pass a security check and board the plane, because minors are not allowed to travel without being accompanied by an adult.

Asked where his parents were, the child answered in French that they were registering for a flight.

"There are many question marks in this case. If this child arrived in Malaga by taking one of our flights, we should know how he got there. If there was an error, it is important to know where it occurred," Jet Air spokesperson Florence Bruyere was quoted as saying.

The child was declared missing by his parents. The reason why the boy had suddenly decided to travel to Spain without informing his parents was not clear.

http://ibnlive.in.com

New plans for OR Tambo

OR TAMBO International Airport management is close to concluding a partnership deal with development companies to expand the facility.

The airport's newly appointed general manager, Tebogo Mekgoe, said the partnership will focus on the commercial development of land previously owned by arms manufacturing company Denel.

Mekgoe said the airport's investment in the area will be minimal. Developers will build with their own money and operate for a number of years and the airport will earn rental income from them as the land will be leased.

The airport management is also conceptualizing a new passenger terminal to be built in the future.

Mekgoe, who has been at the airport's helm for three months following Chris Hlekani's departure to the SA Post Office, has asked Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) for R300m for capital expenditure for this year.

He said the money will be used for the maintenance and refurbishing of OR Tambo International Airport.

The airport generates an estimated R4bn in revenue annually for Acsa, of which 42% comes from commercial operations.

Mekgoe said the airport management wants to unlock the commercial value of the non-aviation land and to improve the access of passengers to the airport. The airport is currently using only 60% of its capacity.

The airport is still battling to reach 19million passengers, a number last seen in 2007, before the financial crisis crippled the aviation industry.

Passenger numbers last year reached 18million and Mekgoe expects them to be remain flat this year.

That view is supported by flight schedules submitted by airlines this year.

Mekgoe, who has been with Acsa for almost 13 years, said this non-growth is due to the current economic pressures.

The Acsa-owned airport is working with South African Airways and the South African National Roads Agency on new access routes into the airport in addition to its efforts to unlock commercial value.

Mekgoe would not be drawn into discussing the estimated value of the project as he has not taken it to the market yet.

* This article was first published in Sunday Times: Business Times

Tazewell County Airport (KJFZ), Richlands, Virginia: Richlands Youth Baseball League looks to use empty airplane hangar as practice diamond

 

Hangar at Tazewell County Airport

CLAYPOOL HILL, Va. — An area intended for flying planes is now being used to catch fly balls. 

Jerry McReynolds, manager of the Tazewell County Airport, said the Richlands Youth Baseball Boosters Club has been given permission from the airport board to practice in the new hangar whenever it is empty in hopes the league will draw more people to the facility.

“They are not currently using the hangar, but have permission to use it,” McReynolds said. “The new hangar has not been rented out yet, and they asked if they could use the space since it isn’t being rented out. The airport authority board thought it would be a good idea to support the youth league and that it would get more exposure for the airport.”

McReynolds said the league can move their equipment out quickly and will only be using the hangar until the weather warms up.

“All of their equipment is mobile so it can be moved out at a moments notice if the hangar is needed,” he said. “They are only using half of the hangar. They will mainly be using the hangar after hours and on weekends. You can still use the other portion of it to store aircraft overnight. Right now, they are using it to practice during adverse weather conditions. Once things warm up they will be back outside. We have an agreement with them for about a year, but nothing is set in stone. When the weather warms up they will probably be practicing outside.”

John Clifton, with the Southwest Virginia Baseball Association, recently asked the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors for a $5,400 grant so the youth league could ensure their practices did not cause any damage to the hangar.

“We have a usage lease on the hangar at the airport, and are there at the pleasure of the airport board,” Clifton said. “We have half of the big hangar to practice baseball indoors. All of it is for the kids. What we are looking to do is to get enough money to protect this structure from our activity. We have until the end of February to get everything out of our current building, and the airport board has been kind enough to take us in to that hangar. We want to put our stuff inside of that building and make sure we don’t do any damage to that building and turn it back to the county at a moments notice better than we left it.”

Clifton said the baseball league approached the airport authority about using the hangar after losing the lease on their current facility. Clifton said the baseball program is a positive activity for youth from across Tazewell County.

“Kids from all over the county can use it as long as we have insurance on them,” Clifton said. “We will continue to use it as long as we are able to. This will give our kids the ability to be competitive year-round. Everything we would put up there we should be able to take down. Nothing attached is permanent. We are completely non-profit and do fund raisers for our end of it. It’s expensive to play sports anymore. Everything you do costs money. We are just asking for a small contribution.”

Board of Supervisors Chairman John Absher and Eastern District Supervisor Charles Stacy both agreed to donate $1,350 from their district funds to the league while Northwestern Supervisor Seth White provided the remaining $2,700 from his fund.

McReynolds said hosting the youth league at the airport is a good way to advertise the facility.

“The airport is on top of a mountain by itself,” he said. “It’s so amazing how many people in the immediate area have never been to the airport. This will bring up the young people and their parents. This could get the youth interested in flying. The more people who see the airport, the more people know about it. This is good exposure.”

Though the new hangar is not being used at the moment, McReynolds said there are nine planes being stored at the facility with room for many more.

“There is another corporate hangar available for aircraft and all of the T-hangars are full,” McReynolds said. “The corporate hangar as of right now has an aircraft in there that was being housed on the ramp during the wintertime.The person who was renting that sold his plan and turned the corporate hangar back to the airport authority. He have nine aircraft currently being stored on the premises and we have room for about 10 more inside the hangars.”

McReynolds said the airport is also working on several renovations.

“We also have some major construction going on to put in an automatic weather briefing station for our pilots,” he said. “We are also going to have a new ramp and taxiway behind our new hangar done in March or April. We are repainting the terminal building with new carpet. We will have new striping on the runways. We have a lot going on this year.”

Additionally, McReynolds said the airport saw more corporate traffic last year than ever before.

“The airport is doing really well,” McReynolds said. “We had a record on our business aircraft this past year. I think the airport is very important to the region. Sometimes, this airport is the first place people ever see, so it is a very important part of the economy. The airport is here to serve the community for whatever the need is. We want everyone to be satisfied with the facilities we have here.”

Story:   http://bdtonline.com

Boeing completes 'uneventful' test flight of 787 Dreamliner

Sat Feb 9, 2013 7:25pm EST

Feb 9 (Reuters) - Boeing Co completed what it called an uneventful flight on Saturday of a test 787 Dreamliner, its first since the airplanes were grounded more than three weeks ago after a series of battery-related problems.

The test flight to gather detailed information on the airplane's lithium-ion batteries lasted two hours and 19 minutes, taking off from and returning to Boeing Field in Seattle, Boeing said.

"The crew reports that the flight was uneventful," Boeing said in a statement.

The 50 Dreamliners in commercial service were grounded worldwide on Jan. 16 after a series of battery-related incidents including a fire on board a parked 787 at Boston's Logan International Airport and an in-flight problem on another airplane in Japan.

The groundings have cost airlines tens of millions of dollars, with no solution yet in sight.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday it would allow 787 test flights, under more stringent rules, to monitor the batteries in flight.

Boeing said the information gathered during the flight was part of the investigations into the battery events that occurred in January and that additional details could not be shared.

The airplane is Boeing's fifth 787 flight test airplane, marked as ZA005, and the only member of the test fleet in service. The flight had a crew of 13, including pilots and testing personnel, Boeing said.

Boeing said no flights of the airplane were planned on Sunday, but it planned to resume flights early in the coming week. Boeing does not provide advance flight schedules.

The test flight departed Boeing Field at 12:32 p.m. Pacific time (3:32 p.m. ET/2032 GMT) and landed at 2:51 p.m. (5:51 p.m. ET/2251 GMT), the company said.

Source:   http://www.reuters.com

Stillwater Regional (KSWO), Oklahoma: Airport opens newly constructed taxiway

January 31, 2013 

By Chase Rheam
Stillwater NewsPress

STILLWATER, Okla. — Airport Director Gary Johnson spoke to a group of Stillwater residents and officials as the Stillwater Regional Airport opened their newly constructed taxiway with a ribbon cutting Thursday.

The more than $4 million dollar project was created for many reasons including safety.

"This airport was designed in the 40s and the taxiways went all through the apron which is the place where you load and unload planes and people and it's not a good design to mix all of that," he said.

He said the FAA changed design standards in the 1960s.

"And probably 800 airports in the country had this same configuration and have been working to get all of them changed to a parallel taxiway configuration which is where we are striving to get with our main runway," Johnson said.

The airport has had the construction of a new taxiway in its plans for 10 years.

"We're very excited that this day is here and that this project is in the ground and it's going to serve the users for 50 years to come and more," Johnson said.

Union County Airport (KMRT), Marysville, Ohio: No Injuries Reported When Aircraft Tire Blows At End Of Runway

MARYSVILLE, Ohio - The Ohio Highway Patrol in Marysville confirmed that emergency crews were called to the airport when an aircraft blew a tire at the end of the runway.

The incident occurred just after 10:30 a.m. at the airport on Clymer Road in Marysville.

Officials responding to the scene said there was no damage to the plane and no injuries reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified of the incident.

Good Samaritans Pull Aircraft-Crash Victims to Safety from Everglades Canal

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

Two occupants of an ultralight aircraft that crashed into a Florida Everglades canal early Saturday were pulled from the water by Good Samaritans who worried alligators would get to them first. 

 Jesse Kennon and Reynaldo Ordaz, tour guides at Original Coopertown Airboat, sprang into action when they saw the crash happen shortly before 10:30 a.m. near the airboat business at 22700 SW 8th St.

The aircraft’s riders, a man and woman, had been trying to land on a levee near the airboat business, when things went horribly wrong.

“We were watching him start to land,” Kennon said of the pilot. “He was almost on the ground. A gust of wind caught him and moved him sideways. And when it did, it put him in the canal system.”

When Ordaz and Kennon ran toward the canal, they saw the crash victims surfaced from the water, Kennon said. The woman freed herself, but the man still was buckled into the aircraft, Ordaz said.

“They were strapped down to that flying thing, so I jumped in the water as soon as I could,” Ordaz said.

Ordaz helped “because I know what’s in there: Gators,” he said.

“I helped them kind of get unstuck, and I helped them to the shore,” he said.

The aircraft occupants looked “shocked,” he said.

The man, who had a gash on his hand, "was pretty banged up,” Ordaz said. He was taken by helicopter to Kendall Regional Medical Center, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. The woman didn't need to be taken to a hospital.

By 1 p.m., a tow truck arrived to pull the tiny red, black and white aircraft from the water.

Visitors at the airboat business, which also has a restaurant and gift shop, said they, too, saw the crash.

“We saw the ultralight coming down fast,” said Tom Petrak, one witness. “It looked like he was going to hit the power lines and it just dived, crashed on the ground and then fell right into the water.”

Ordaz and Kennon both said they were glad that they were there to help.

“It’s what you got to do when you see somebody in trouble. And if you can help them, go for it,” Ordaz said.

Kennon said: “We’re here all the time, so you just think about trying to get the people out of the water. That’s all. That’s the only thought you’ve got in your mind, to get them out and make sure they’re not hurt.”

The crash remains under investigation.
 

 

An ultralight plane that crashed on Saturday morning is pulled from an everglades canal.

  Anthony Romano, NBC 6 

The accident was reported shortly before 10:30 a.m. By 1 p.m., a tow truck arrived to helped pull the aircraft from the water.

WEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. - One person was hospitalized Saturday morning after a small aircraft crash in West Miami-Dade, according to Miami-Dade Fire Dispatch. 

 Shortly after 11 a.m., crews were called to the scene off of Tamiami Trail, west of Krome Avenue. An ultralight aircraft was carrying two people when the accident happened.

Witnesses say the aircraft was trying to land on the levee when it caught some wind and went into the water.

A woman was pulled from the water, witnesses say she was fine and walking around after the crash. A man, also pulled from the water, needed to be airlifted to a hospital.

The NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating this crash.
===========

One of two occupants on board a ultralight aircraft was taken to a hospital Saturday after an accident left their aircraft submerged in a waterway outside a restaurant and gift shop in the Florida Everglades, officials and witnesses say. The person was taken to Kendall Regional Medical Center, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. The person's latest condition wasn't available.  

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – An ultralight aircraft careened into a body of water in Southwest Miami-Dade on Saturday, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s Terry Duprewe. 

The accident happened around 9 a.m. Saturday near 22700 SW 8th Street, about five miles west of Crome Avenue.

Two passengers were on board, and were removed from the water. One man suffered a gash to one of his arms. The man was airlifted to Kendall Regional Hospital, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue reported.

Two people were on board the ultralight aircraft.

An FAA investigator is en route to the scene to assess the situation. 

http://miami.cbslocal.com

Ottawa, Canada: Pilot, passenger escape injury as small plane lands in snowy field

Firefighters and Ottawa police officer near the scene of where a plane went down in the Greenbelt near Woodroffe Avenue and Slack Road in Ottawa on Saturday, February 9, 2013. No one was injured. 

Photograph by: Mike Carroccetto, The Ottawa Citizen 

A plane made an emergency landing in a field near Woodroffe Avenue and Slack Road, Feb. 9, 3013. 

Image courtesy Ottawa Fire Services. 

A plane made an emergency landing in a field near Woodroffe Avenue and Slack Road, Feb. 9, 3013. 

Image courtesy Ottawa Fire Services.

Ottawa police Sgt. Christina Wolfe walked a kilometre to the site of an emergency landing by a small plane in a field near Woodroffe Avenue and Slack Road on Saturday, February 9, 2013. 

Photograph by: Mike Carroccetto, The Ottawa Citizen 

A tail can be seen near where a plane went down in the Greenbelt along Woodroffe Ave. near Slack Rd. in Ottawa on Saturday, February 9, 2013. Police say the plane landed belly down and no one was injured.

 Photograph by: Mike Carroccetto, The Ottawa Citizen 

Firefighters on snowmobile and Ottawa police officer walking through snow en route to the site of an emergency landing by a small plane in a field near Woodroffe Avenue and Slack Road in Ottawa on Saturday, February 9, 2013.

Photograph by: Mike Carroccetto, The Ottawa Citizen 

Ottawa police Sgt. Christina Wolfe walked a kilometre to the site of an emergency landing by a small plane in a field near Woodroffe Avenue and Slack Road on Saturday, February 9, 2013. 

Photograph by: Mike Carroccetto, The Ottawa Citizen 

Ottawa emergency vehicles line the Transitway near the scene where a plane went down in the Greenbelt along Woodroffe Ave. near Slack Rd. in Ottawa on Saturday, February 9, 2013. The plane landed belly down and no one was injured. 

Photograph by: Mike Carroccetto, The Ottawa Citizen

OTTAWA — Ottawa firefighters waded through knee-deep snow to get to a plane after it made an emergency landing in a field Saturday afternoon. 

 Ottawa Fire Services were called to the area of Woodroffe Avenue and Slack Road shortly after 2 p.m. after the plane, reported to have engine troubles, contacted airport firefighters.

The plane landed almost a kilometre into a field off Woodroffe Avenue, which made it difficult for emergency crews to get to the two people who were in the aircraft.

When the first four firefighters on scene walked through the snowy field, they saw two people standing beside the plane waving.

Firefighters carried a “rescue basket” that looks like toboggan and carries forcible entry tools to help free the two people in case they were trapped in the plane.

Firefighters shut off the fuel supply after they found the plane upright, sitting on it’s belly in the snow.

The plane didn’t appear to have any major damage.

Marc Messier, Ottawa Fire Services spokesman, said two snowmobiles were called in to take the patients to Ottawa paramedics who were waiting on the nearby transitway.

Ottawa paramedics said they assessed the two patients and they were not injured.

Ottawa police will hold the scene until Transport Canada investigators arrive.

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

TRACON: The Making Of Africa’s Aviation Hub?

The Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) says it hopes to be a leading Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) worth over N30 billion in the next three years.

Considering the infrastructure it has put in place, which, it says, remains a world-class, it means the nation’s air services facilitator would need an N11 billion boost to reach that target in three years.  NAMA also has some other big “dreams,” the most significant being the making of “a low-incident ANSP (zero-accident)” airspace in Nigeria.

Doable? “All ambitious, but achievable,” says Mazi Nnamdi Udoh, the managing director and chief executive officer, who currently calls the shots at the Agency.

A series of far-between, but far-reaching, air disasters in the last nine years — the most recent being the Dana crash and its protracted controversy — have created passenger phobia that has kept the domestic arm of the aviation business in a punctuated genuflection.

Operators cry of bad business, not so much as a result of low patronage, but due to harsh operating and financial environment: The N400 billion Intervention Fund for the Aviation sector turned out to be a huge controversy, while most of the banks are less than willing to go all the way with loan-seeking airlines.

Consequently, the Federal Government, through the Aviation Ministry, has perfected plans to purchase a number of   aircraft for willing operators in an arrangement that would help willing local operators get long-term facilities.

In deed, managers of the Nigerian Airspace have no other choice than to ensure that things really work.

NAMA, just like its other sister organizations, in the aviation sector, are constantly reforming, training staff, buying and installing whatever there is to meet growing expectations at home and abroad.

Nigeria is central to global aviation business and only a vibrant ANSP that is run as business concern would be able to tap into the potentials. Because the Airspace presents itself as a shorter route for aircraft traveling to the American continent from Asia, it is often the bride of most international airlines.

Since NAMA makes (or is expected to make) its revenue from airlines using or flying over the Nigerian airspace, this potential could be properly harnessed to attain most, if not all, of these targets.

But bringing NAMA’s dreams to fruition will have to depend on carrying all of current efforts to a winning conclusion, which only comes with lesser government participation in the business of providing navigation services.

But Nigeria is, perhaps, one of the few countries, where ANSPs are still run as government business.

The United States and the United Kingdom, the aviation templates of which are variously copied by developing nations, are mere investors in the business.

So, how can the airspace truly become Africa’s aviation hub? Beyond providing the physical airport infrastructure (which falls within the domain of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)) and sound standards/quality regulation (almost an exclusivity of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), sustaining a safe airspace is key.

If all the indices are right, maybe NAMA could achieve its target of joining the league of world-class providers, in just three years.

Udoh is an engineer of repute and probably understands the nitty-gritty of getting there; at least, he and his foot soldiers (technical managers) at NAMA promised that much.

Reeling out statistics in a telephone conversation yesterday, General Manager (Surveillance), Nwankwo Ifeanyi Francis, said the current value of NAMA – thanks to the now completed “world-class” Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) — is N19 billion.

This is a give-and-take estimate, according to Mr. Nwankwo, who observed that the dream of Nigeria’s aviation sector sitting as the African hub would not be ambitious enough going by the strategic position of the country.

The Agency said it beefed up capacity to be able to provide services for international airlines, which, hitherto, relied on US satellite services while flying over the ocean waters.

As a roadmap to becoming Africa’s leading ANSP, Udoh said the Agency is driving towards self-sustenance on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), access to funds for capital projects, diversification to non-aeronautical revenue sources and human capacity development, among others.

The Agency says it has already succeeded in some areas, specifically, the TRACON project, safe tower, total VHF Radio Coverage, AIS Automation, procurement of Navigational Aids for designated airports, and rehabilitation of 13 control towers.

Others are solar power project, ICT enhancement, VSAT network, Fibre Optics Rings and Mobile Control Tower.

The technical room of the TRACON facility at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos, as recently unveiled by the Agency, represents a convergence of technology that could help the NAMA achieve other set targets.

In Nigeria’s first practical move to comply with the International Civil Aviation Organization's  (ICAO) principle of separating aviation service providers from the main regulatory agency, NAMA was established in 2000 with a mission to provide safe, efficient, effective and economic air navigation services.

Over the years, efforts have been made to evolve effective airspace architecture by building and strengthening the Agency’s infrastructure and manpower base.

With staff strength of 2,500, it currently has presence in 25 airports with additional nine en-route installations.

Known as Kano Flight Information Region (Kano FIR), the Nigerian Airspace, according to NAMA, contains a sub-FIR, administered by Lagos. The FIR is divided into four sectors — Kano West, which interfaces Niamey FIR (Niger); Kano East, which interfaces Niamey, N’djamena and Brazzaville FIRs; Lagos West, which interfaces Accra FIR; and Lagos East interfacing Accra and Brazzaville FIRs.

Udoh’s targets, according to him, are achievable and will guarantee safety and increased airspace capacity, as well as provide practical benefits to all stakeholders — pilots, airlines and passengers alike.

But completion of the TRACON  project is just the beginning of a journey to making Nigeria an African aviation hub.

Source:  http://www.ngrguardiannews.com

Kingfisher Airlines lenders to meet in two weeks: A series of meetings on the troubled airline’s debt have remained inconclusive

Mumbai: Lenders will meet again to discuss about the debts of Kingfisher Airlines Ltd sometime in the next two weeks, State Bank of India chairman Pratip Chaudhuri said on Saturday. 

A series of meetings have remained inconclusive as the troubled airlines could not give any concrete assurance on returning the money owed to banks.

Air India wastes crores on planes, pilot training

 

 Published on February 7, 2013 

 In a shocking revelation Air India is found to have wasted public money to the tune of crores.  More dirt on Arvind Jadhav, the ex-CMD of Air India who stands accused of not correcting the willful mismanagement of chairman of a training committee that he had appointed. The mess created due to pilot's training caused huge loss to Air India.

TODAY: Agencies to conduct crash drill on Lake Erie: Marblehead residents who spot rescue crews on icy Lake Erie this morning shouldn't be alarmed — it's just a test

A full-scale disaster drill will simulate the crash of a commuter plane carrying 50 passengers into ice-covered Lake Erie just north of Marblehead's Coast Guard station.

The exercise will take place from 10 a.m. to about 3 p.m. Numerous airboats, helicopters and shore-based rescue crews will be present.

Dozens of federal, state and local emergency response teams — including the U.S. Coast Guard, Ohio National Guard and the cities of Lakeside, Marblehead and Sandusky — will use the drill to evaluate their response plans and capabilities for a mass-rescue operation.

"Practice is the only way to ensure you have a life-saving skill when you really need it," said Sandy Waggoner-Hovest, president of Resource Solutions Associates, a local firm providing emergency response volunteers to simulate plane crash victims.

Pick up a copy of Sunday's Register for full coverage of this large-scale emergency drill.

Brevard County, Florida: Air ambulance makes emergency landing after bird strike

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. —   A hospital helicopter had to make a quick landing after striking a bird Friday night.

According to a spokesperson for Health First, the hospital's air ambulance, First Flight, struck a bird while in-flight as they were responding to an emergency call.

The hospital said the aircraft landed safely and that the crew was treated for minor injuries.

The helicopter, which landed at Viera Hospital, has been taken out of service, according to the hospital.

Helicopter company not releasing info about malfunctions: Aeromed had mechanical problems again during critical call (With Video)

LEE COUNTY – Tonight we're learning more about problems surrounding Lee County's new medical helicopter service. Last night we told you how the victim of a car crash had to be transported by ambulance because the helicopter - once again - had mechanical problems. Four in your Corner investigator Mike Mason continues our coverage and is working to get you answers.

We all know Lee County's Medstar program had its share of problems, that's why it was shut down. But now a private company has taken over and it seems they don't want the public to know about their problems.

"Dan" at Aeromed made it clear today...they don't want to speak with us.

Dan: “I can't go on record for anything, so.”

Mike Mason: "Okay."

Florida's Sunshine Law requires public agencies to provide information, whether it's good or bad.

For example: when the Medstar scandal unfolded, we received documents showing how Medstar billed patients illegally and the program did not meet federal requirements. But Aeromed is a private company and they may choose to keep their problems private as well.

Arnold MacAllister: "I don't think you're going to get any information that's useful out of the county unless you dig for it."

Arnold MacAllister was Medstar's pilot. EMS workers told him about an incident last Saturday involving a car crash on Burnt Store and Pine Island Road in Cape Coral. He says when Aeromed arrived on scene there was a major malfunction.

Arnold MacAllister: "When the crew landed there when they got out the door, the sliding door came off the tracks."

Aeromed has had similar problems in the past. Mechanical failures grounded the chopper during a critical car crash in Estero last September. We asked the interim county manager for info regarding this latest incident but she said we'd have to contact Aeromed to address those questions. So we went to Aeromed's office...but they didn't have much to say.

Mike Mason: "Why didn't someone call me back? You said in a matter of moments somebody would call me back."

We did manage to get an incident report and one of the 9-1-1 calls from the county.

911 Operator: "Tell her to be still and wait for help to arrive."
Caller: "She's being as still as can be and people are holding her hand."

Reports show last weekend's crash involved a vehicle and a pedestrian.

911 Caller: "The daughter was letting her mother out of the car and she didn't get out fast enough."

Aeromed was requested at 1:38pm but at 2:06pm Aeromed had to cancel due to mechanical problems. So for 28 long minutes crews were counting on Aeromed to transport the victim....but they had to resort to an ambulance instead.

We wanted to know why this happened and what is being done to fix it but at this point... Aeromed is keeping tight-lipped.

Mike Mason: "Who can I get information from? That's what I need to know."

Dan: "I contacted someone to have them contact you back so..."

Dan at Aeromed told us someone would be calling us to discuss the problems but so far we haven't heard anything. When we do we'll let you know.

Story and Video:  http://www.fox4now.com

Emergency Landing In Reagan County, Texas

A pilot in a vintage World War II aircraft made an emergency landing in Reagan County on Friday.

The pilot set the  restored airplane down on FM 1357 in northern Reagan County just after noon.

The Reagan County sheriff says the pilot lost power at an altitude of about 8500-ft,  and was able to glide it down onto the highway.  He had to steer into a pasture  to avoid a truck on 1357.

The pilot was not injured - the plane was damaged.

Watch Video:   http://conchovalleyhomepage.com

Cessna 150A, N7200X: Plane lands safely during emergency landing near North Texas Regional Airport/Perrin Field (KGYI), Sherman/Denison, Texas

GRAYSON COUNTY, TX -- A pilot's plane lost power before making an emergency landing near the North Texas Regional Airport Friday evening. 

 Assistant Grayson County Fire Marshall David Gallagher says a plane landed safely in a wheat field off 289 near Hagerman Road before 6 p.m.

Gallagher says at this time they are not sure why the pilot lost power. He says no one else was in the plane and the pilot was not injured. Gallagher says the pilot made smart decisions to land safely.

"He had several thousand hours as a pilot and he knew he was not going to make the runway so he saw this field over here so that's when he diverted and came down and put it down in this field," Gallagher said.

Gallagher says the pilot is from the Dallas area and was about to make a pit stop at the North Texas Regional Airport to fuel up before heading home.
 
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N7200X

http://registry.faa.gov/N7200X

Ghana: Five Forty Aviation Withdraws Licenses From Fastjet

Five Forty Aviation Limited has withdrawn the licenses it granted to Lonhro Aviation (BVI) Ltd which operations in Ghana, Angola, and Tanzania not to use the Fly540 brand with immediate effect.

This is due to the failure on the part of FastJet's Africa Operations to comply with the respective license agreements signed with the company.

In June 2012, FastJet (formerly known as Rubicon Diversified Investments plc) acquired Lonrho Aviation (BVI) Ltd ("Lonrho Aviation") thereby gaining control of the assets and liabilities of Lonrho Aviation's three subsidiaries namely Fly 540 Angola - Sociedade de Aviação Civil SARL ("Fly540 Angola"), 540 Ghana Limited ("Fly540 Ghana") and Fly540 (T) Limited ("Fly540 Tanzania").

FastJet's Africa Operations have been licensing the Fly540 brand from Five Forty Aviation since 2008. FastJet flies three Fly540-branded planes in Angola and two in Ghana. It flew two planes using the Fly540 brand in Tanzania until November 2012.

On 24 January 2013, lawyers representing Five Forty Aviation Limited wrote to Fly540 Angola, Fly540 Ghana and Fly540 Tanzania respectively to inform them that if they did not demonstrate compliance with the terms and conditions of the license agreement within seven days, the Company's lawyers would withdraw their ability to use the Fly540 brand.

Specifically, the conditions that are not being adhered to are as follows: Payment of outstanding license and other fees of US$6.9m, US$0.5m and US$0.3m for Fly540 Tanzania, Fly540 Angola and Fly540 Ghana respectively as well as failure to disclose financial information for December 2012; contrary to the licence agreement and despite several reminders, FastJet's Africa Operations have not provided information to the company's Head of Safety to demonstrate compliance with Five Forty Aviation's accepted safety systems; and failure to provide the Company's Quality Manager with reports demonstrating that the quality systems are in operation.

As FastJet's Africa Operations have failed to respond, notice has been given to Fly540 Angola and Fly540 Ghana to re-paint their aircrafts in a neutral color.

Additionally, FastJet's Africa Operations have to re-brand all of the sales offices, removing the Fly540 brand; return all materials containing the Fly540 logo; and rename the companies other than 540. Also, as per the license agreement, the Company has written to the Civil Aviation Authority in all three countries informing them of the withdrawal of the licences.

Don Smith, CEO of Five Forty Aviation, said in press release withdrawing the FastJet licenses: "We had no choice but to take this action because the most worrying aspect of non-compliance with the licensing agreement is that we have no way of assuring that the planes are safe to fly. We have not received any safety reports for the past three months from FastJet's Africa Operations and we believe that one plane, which flew with defects from Tanzania and landed in Nairobi on 14 December, should not have flown."

Instructively, Five Forty Aviation Ltd is a low cost airline in Africa that, operating as Fly540, offers flights to destinations in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Sudan. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, Five Forty Aviation was established in 2005 and commenced operations in 2006. It is the first low cost airline in Africa to provide intra-country flights, and domestic flights outside of South Africa.

Source:  http://allafrica.com

Dyckesville, Wisconsin: Coast Guard uses mannequins for ice training

Coast Guard rescue training underway

In the bay off Dyckesville, there are 20 plastic statues - The Coast Guard asks people to leave them alone

DYCKESVILLE - If you are near the waters of Green Bay near Dyckesville, you may have noticed some activity from the U.S. Coast Guard in the area. It is only a training exercise, but what they're searching for is most unusual. 

 The Coast Guard is indeed out on the ice searching for mannequins. There are twenty in all, placed in hiding spots across the bay.
  
So if you see one of them out on the ice, the Coast Guard says please leave it alone.

Crews loaded an airboat with mannequins. For the next two weeks, the plastic statues and two snowmobile decoys will spend all day and all night out on the ice.

“There's some targets that are about 3 1/2 miles that way, and then they're all about 2 1/2 to 3 miles apart,” said Randy Szcepanski, Bayside Ice and Marine Recovery.

It's a new training method the Coast Guard hopes will improve efficiencies when it comes to ice rescue.

“We're going to have a couple of different search platforms, H-65 helicopters, SPC airboat, run certain special patterns,” said Don Decker, project manager.

Decker says the helicopter will search a grid pattern, similar to an ocean rescue.

A Coast Guard airboat launched as well. Crew members will rely on their eyes on the ice, and in the air to spot their targets.

“It can potentially save lives running a more effective search. You can cover a greater area in a shorter period of time, said Decker.

The test area covers 64 square miles. But those who use this part of the lake on a regular basis say it's time well spent.

“I think with the way the ice conditions have been the last couple of years, I think it's really going to pay off. Because we're going to just keep seeing the ice move around like that,” said Szcepanski.

In the meantime, if fishermen or snowmobilers run into one of the mannequins out on the bay, the Coast Guard has one piece of advice.

“If you see our mannequins out on the ice, please let them be, they're perfectly happy where they are,” said Decker.
 
So how many winter calls does the Coast Guard get?
  
Across the entire Great Lakes region, the agency has responded to 356 calls in the last four years.
  
That averages out to about 89 calls a year for assistance.

Story and Video:   http://www.fox11online.com

Jacksonville naval station could fly armed drones

Navy could soon fly helicopter-like surveillance drones called 'Fire Scout'  

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -  The Navy could soon be flying armed drones one day on the far side of the world from a remote piloting station in Jacksonville.

A one-of-a-kind center for drone pilot is expected to be up and running within a few months, according to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. He is scheduled to inspect the under-construction facility and be briefed on the program Monday morning.

Nelson, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, will also see first-hand an existing center where the Navy is already flying unmanned helicopter-like surveillance drones, called the "Fire Scout."

The Navy reportedly wants to begin using armed Fire Scouts by next year, and plans to begin tests on an armed version in March.

Gary Belson is an army veteran who says this is a major military job creator for Jacksonville.

"I believe that it probably will," said Belson. "Absolutely."

Belson pointed out that these drones are unmanned aircrafts that can be remotely controlled from here in Jacksonville for lethal strikes from the air in war zones halfway around the world.

"It's relatively recent, but their ability to do it now has been enhanced because of our technological capabilities that have been improved," said Belson. "Because they don't have to put a live person into the area of harm, they can do it with a mechanical thing."

Belson said he's adamantly against the use of unmanned drones to watch over U.S. citizens.

"Using it domestically for certain issues, I personally don't support it for that," said Belson.

The U.S. military’s increasing use of unmanned drones, especially those used for lethal strikes, along with the pending nomination of drone-supporter John Brennan as CIA director have brought the use of drones to center stage.

Brennan testified on Thursday before the Intelligence Committee on the possibility of a special court being created to oversee the use of killer drones.

There is growing debate in states and cities over the use of unmanned drones by law enforcement. Nelson said police will not be trained to pilot drones at the Navy’s center.

Currently, Naval Air Station Jacksonville serves as the Navy’s only training center for operators of MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopters.

The robocopter, which the Navy said it primarily uses for surveillance and intelligence gathering missions, has previously been deployed to hunt for pirates off Africa, track drug smugglers in South America and was used during the Libyan civil war in 2011.

The Navy has previously said it plans to purchase 175 of the unmanned helicopters. The Fire Scout training center opened its doors just this past July.

A new state-of-the-art 8,983-square-foot facility to train operators of a second drone, called the Triton, which is designed to scan the oceans, broke ground last September and is slated to open this fall.

The long-range drones, known as Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or BAMS, can cover 2,000 nautical miles of sea and fly in for a closer look at suspicious ships.

Nelson said he has been a supporter of the surgical use of force via drones.

Story and Video:   http://www.news4jax.com

Jogja Air Show 2013 halted due to death of senior aviator

Preparations for the 2013 Jogja Air Show — due to be opened on Saturday at Depok Beach in Bantul, Yogyakarta — were suspended for a couple of hours on Friday in remembrance of a senior aviator and patron of the Indonesian Aero Sport Federation (FASI), Her Triyono Karto Wisastro.

Her Triyono, 66, was killed in a traffic accident on his way to Depok Beach for the event’s final rehearsal.

“The agenda today [Friday] is location checking and official rehearsal but we stopped as soon as we heard about the fatal accident to show our respect for this figure,” Jogja Air Show 2013 coordinator Maj. Andi Abadi said on Friday.

He said the organizing committee offered to pick up Her Triyono but he rented a car instead and drove it himself to the air show site.

It is suspected that Her Triyono had a heart attack when driving the car that hit at least four motorcycles along the Jl. Ring Road in Singgosarean, Banguntapan, Bantul, killing himself and one of the motorcycle riders.

“Both died instantly at the scene of the accident,” Bantul Traffic Police chief Adj. Comr. Setyo Heri Purnomo said.

The dead motorcyclist was identified as Sugiono, who rode a Honda motorcycle with a local registration plate. Two other riders, Purwadi and Triyono, sustained serious injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Setyo said the accident occurred at about 7:30 a.m.

“All of a sudden, the car began to swerve. It hit the road divider and entered the fast lane of the traffic going in the opposite direction. It kept on going and again hit the road divider before entering the slow lane and hitting four motorcycles,” he said.

Sugiono and his motorcycle was dragged until some 20 meters long and stopped only after the car, a Toyota Avanza, hit the road divider.

“Because the driver died, the investigation is stopped and the case will be settled in a family settlement,” Setyo said.

Suspicions that the driver suffered a heart attack were roused as no traces of attempted braking were uncovered, the victim’s tongue also showed signs of biting.

“I saw the car was behaving erratically, it cut into the opposite direction lane,” one of the hit motorcyclists, Agil Prasetya, 22, said.

Agil said he did not know what happened next because he was then hit by the car.

“My motorcycle bounced away and then the next thing I knew I was in the fast lane,” said Agil, a student from Jambi.

Source:  http://www.thejakartapost.com