Cape Air chief administration officer Linda Markham will be the next president of the Hyannis-based carrier, becoming the only woman president or chief executive of a North American airline, according to Cape Air. She will succeed president Dave Bushy, who is retiring, on March 18.
Markham, 49, started Cape Air’s human resources department in 2002 and worked her way up to executive vice president and chief administrative officer in 2010. She had no aviation experience before she joined Cape Air, which also operates Nantucket Airlines and has 1,000 employees and serves 37 cities. But now she’s hooked.
“Once you get bit by the bug, it’s really hard to leave,” she said.
Cape Air founder and chief executive Dan Wolf, who is also a state senator, said that having the country’s only woman airline president is significant only because it’s surprising that most carriers are run by men.
“It’s a stark reminder of how far we have to go,” he said.
Source: http://www.boston.com
February 13, 2013
Hernando airport's name not worth expensive fight
In Print: Thursday, February 14, 2013
At what moment will the Brooksville-Tampa Regional Airport include the input of aviation professionals and not be run by a puppet, a puppeteer and a puppet maker?
I am sure the residents of Hernando County enjoy knowing we are spending tax dollars to contest Tampa International Airport's interest in protecting its own identity simply because we lack the creativity and marketing strategy to develop our own brand unique to the history of our airport and county.
The County Commission was told that there were focus groups, studies, and surveys done to vet the name change, yet when I queried the depth of the vetting I was told that approximately $800 was spent, and most of that was on food and drinks for one meeting with a moderator.
Additionally, I have continued to ask how much the rebranding is going to cost the taxpayers to include the legal services to defend the name change, with no accurate response.
I guess the airport administration is still trying to figure out the cost of that horse even though they have already have committed to the cart.
If Brooksville-Tampa Regional Airport is the extent of our creativity in marketing why not just let Tampa Aviation Authority run our airport and save the hundreds of thousands for the salaries of our airport administration?
If the money to fight this legal battle was to come from Don Silvernell's, Gary Schraut's, or any of the commissioners' pockets, I feel more confident that the creative juices would flow once again.
Could the airport use a name change? Sure, why not.
Is it worth spending thousands or tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands to legally contest TIA's claim to its name? I certainly don't think so.
I ask every resident of Hernando County, if it was your money, which it is, would you seriously spend your money on defending a name change to Brooksville-Tampa Regional Airport or would you just build your own identity?
Robert S. Rey, Brooksville
Source: http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/letters
At what moment will the Brooksville-Tampa Regional Airport include the input of aviation professionals and not be run by a puppet, a puppeteer and a puppet maker?
I am sure the residents of Hernando County enjoy knowing we are spending tax dollars to contest Tampa International Airport's interest in protecting its own identity simply because we lack the creativity and marketing strategy to develop our own brand unique to the history of our airport and county.
The County Commission was told that there were focus groups, studies, and surveys done to vet the name change, yet when I queried the depth of the vetting I was told that approximately $800 was spent, and most of that was on food and drinks for one meeting with a moderator.
Additionally, I have continued to ask how much the rebranding is going to cost the taxpayers to include the legal services to defend the name change, with no accurate response.
I guess the airport administration is still trying to figure out the cost of that horse even though they have already have committed to the cart.
If Brooksville-Tampa Regional Airport is the extent of our creativity in marketing why not just let Tampa Aviation Authority run our airport and save the hundreds of thousands for the salaries of our airport administration?
If the money to fight this legal battle was to come from Don Silvernell's, Gary Schraut's, or any of the commissioners' pockets, I feel more confident that the creative juices would flow once again.
Could the airport use a name change? Sure, why not.
Is it worth spending thousands or tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands to legally contest TIA's claim to its name? I certainly don't think so.
I ask every resident of Hernando County, if it was your money, which it is, would you seriously spend your money on defending a name change to Brooksville-Tampa Regional Airport or would you just build your own identity?
Robert S. Rey, Brooksville
Source: http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/letters
Piper PA46-500TP, N32CA: Plane hits building at Central Nebraska Regional Airport (KGRI), Grand Island, Nebraska
No one was injured when a small plane hit the Trego Dugan terminal at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport Wednesday afternoon.
Just before 3 p.m. the Grand Island Fire Department and the airport's fire personnel were called to the scene because fuel was leaking from the plane.
Airport Executive Director Mike Olson said the Piper Meridian had been parked near the building and the pilot was preparing to taxi onto a runway. After he started the engine, he lost power to the brakes and the nose wheel so he couldn't stop the plane. The single-engine plane struck the front of the Trego Dugan terminal, breaking a window on the building, Olson said.
The plane's nose was dented. Olson said the plane is likely totaled because the turbo prop would have come to an abrupt stop when the plane hit the building and that would have damaged the engine.
The plane leaked fuel and a hazardous material team was on scene to assist with cleanup. Power was cut to the terminal and the building was temporarily closed to the public, he said.
"We're being cautious," Olson said.
The plane is owned by Croft Aviation LLC in Westminster, Colo. The fixed-wing, single-engine turbo-prop plane was manufactured in 2005 and has been owned by Croft Aviation since May 2012, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
According to FlightAware's online activity log, the plane left Sturgis, Minn., Tuesday and flew to Chicago. It left Chicago Wednesday en route to the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan airport. The pilot, whose name wasn't listed on the activity log, made a stop in Grand Island on the way to Colorado.
Story: http://www.starherald.com
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N32CA
Global Aviation Holdings Emerges From Chapter 11
Feb. 13, 2013, 4:52 p.m. EST
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga., Feb. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Global Aviation Holdings Inc. (the "Company') announced today that its plan of reorganization (the "Plan"), which was approved by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York on December 6, 2012, became effective today allowing the Company to complete its financial restructuring and emerge from Chapter 11.
The Plan reflects a global settlement with the Company's first and second lien lenders, the official committee of unsecured creditors, and the Company's labor unions, allowing the Company to exit from bankruptcy with reduced debt, a rationalized and lower cost fleet, and new five-year collective bargaining agreements with four of its five represented work groups. In connection with the Plan, the Company also secured an exit financing facility of $35 million. The exit facility, liquidity on hand, and reduced cost structure provide the necessary framework to effectively compete in today's marketplace.
"With today's successful emergence from Chapter 11, we are well positioned for success and can devote our full attention to growth and business development," stated Rob Binns, CEO. "We are emerging from bankruptcy as a much stronger company with significantly reduced debt and the appropriate aircraft fleet and operational structure to compete in today's challenging economic environment."
Binns added, "We want to thank our customers, suppliers, lenders, advisors, and dedicated employees for their support throughout the Chapter 11 process. The commitment of our stakeholders has been a key component to completing the necessary financial and operational restructuring of the Company."
Global Aviation Holdings Inc., based in Peachtree City, Ga., is the parent company of North American Airlines and World Airways. Global is the largest commercial provider of charter air transportation for the U.S. military, and a major provider of worldwide commercial global passenger and cargo air transportation services. North American Airlines, founded in 1989, operates passenger charter flights using B767-300ER aircraft. World Airways, founded in 1948, operates cargo and passenger charter flights using B747-400 and MD-11 aircraft. For more information, visit http://www.glah.com , http://www.flynaa.com , and http://www.woa.com .
SOURCE Global Aviation Holdings Inc.
http://www.marketwatch.com
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga., Feb. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Global Aviation Holdings Inc. (the "Company') announced today that its plan of reorganization (the "Plan"), which was approved by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York on December 6, 2012, became effective today allowing the Company to complete its financial restructuring and emerge from Chapter 11.
The Plan reflects a global settlement with the Company's first and second lien lenders, the official committee of unsecured creditors, and the Company's labor unions, allowing the Company to exit from bankruptcy with reduced debt, a rationalized and lower cost fleet, and new five-year collective bargaining agreements with four of its five represented work groups. In connection with the Plan, the Company also secured an exit financing facility of $35 million. The exit facility, liquidity on hand, and reduced cost structure provide the necessary framework to effectively compete in today's marketplace.
"With today's successful emergence from Chapter 11, we are well positioned for success and can devote our full attention to growth and business development," stated Rob Binns, CEO. "We are emerging from bankruptcy as a much stronger company with significantly reduced debt and the appropriate aircraft fleet and operational structure to compete in today's challenging economic environment."
Binns added, "We want to thank our customers, suppliers, lenders, advisors, and dedicated employees for their support throughout the Chapter 11 process. The commitment of our stakeholders has been a key component to completing the necessary financial and operational restructuring of the Company."
Global Aviation Holdings Inc., based in Peachtree City, Ga., is the parent company of North American Airlines and World Airways. Global is the largest commercial provider of charter air transportation for the U.S. military, and a major provider of worldwide commercial global passenger and cargo air transportation services. North American Airlines, founded in 1989, operates passenger charter flights using B767-300ER aircraft. World Airways, founded in 1948, operates cargo and passenger charter flights using B747-400 and MD-11 aircraft. For more information, visit http://www.glah.com , http://www.flynaa.com , and http://www.woa.com .
SOURCE Global Aviation Holdings Inc.
http://www.marketwatch.com
Cirrus SR22, N963CD: Impromptu interview - Video part of Black History Month - Mrs Williams, East Gadsden High School
Video by jowalker92
Published on Feb 10, 2013
Quincy Municipal Airport
Quincy Municipal Airport
"Mrs Williams (my sister) part 3 of video flying over East Gadsden High School were she teaches. Video is part of Black History Month were she did an impromptu interview of me regarding flying."
Boeing Looking at Interim 787 Fixes
February 13, 2013, 7:16 p.m. ET
By ANDY PASZTOR And JON OSTROWER
The Wall Street Journal
Two test flights of the Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner have so far failed to replicate or identify the cause of the battery malfunctions that grounded the jet, leaving the company increasingly focused on some low-tech interim fixes, according to government and industry officials.
With the global fleet of 50 Dreamliners out of service since mid-January, the officials anticipate the tough work of developing, testing and installing long-term battery fixes is likely to keep the planes on the ground until at least April.
More test flights are planned—including efforts to test potential fixes—although no significant new clues emerged to help pinpoint the cause of the problem. But to try to get the planes back in the air quickly, Boeing is now stepping up work on putting the lithium-ion batteries in a sturdy container to keep heat, flames and toxic chemicals from escaping if the power packs overheat. People familiar with the design of the container say titanium is a possible material for its construction.
The protective covering also would aim to keep moisture from the battery's internal workings, which experts said in some circumstances can lead to short-circuits and other problems.
Even in the past few days, according to people familiar with the details, the concept has gained traction and prompted increased discussions between Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration, because the likely timetable for various longer-term fixes has lengthened.
Any proposed short-term fix also is likely to include enhanced temperature sensors and other features to more quickly warn pilots about malfunctioning or overheating batteries aboard 787s.
The so-called containment box has some important precedents. When lithium-ion batteries are used aboard U.S. commercial or government satellites, safety experts say they often are enclosed in some type of external titanium protection. The thickness of the metal, which melts only at extremely high temperatures, is about one-quarter of an inch, according to one U.S. government expert.
Without discussing details of possible fixes, a Boeing spokesman said company experts are "working tirelessly in cooperation with our customers and the appropriate regulatory and investigative authorities," adding that "everyone is working to get to the answer as quickly as possible, and good progress is being made."
An FAA spokeswoman didn't have any immediate comment.
On a parallel track, according to government and industry experts, Boeing continues to look for longer-term, more complex solutions to avoid battery dangers. They include increased separation between cells inside the battery, keeping cells from shifting or swelling and preventing microscopic buildup of metal deposits that can cause short-circuits. But experts agree those efforts have been complicated and delayed due to the slow progress of accident probes on both sides of the Pacific.
At this point, however, it isn't clear if federal regulators—or congressional committees tracking developments—will accept short-term fixes that target symptoms rather than causes of the hazards. Leaders of the FAA and the U.S. Transportation Department previously said they wouldn't allow 787s to return to service until investigators identified the root cause of the two battery incidents that occurred last month aboard Dreamliners operated by two Japanese airlines and until Boeing installed and tested fixes to ensure such events couldn't reoccur.
Maintaining that position, though, may become more difficult for the agency if the investigation drags on without a clear-cut answer, while the Chicago plane maker and its airline customers clamor for relief.
Boeing's vice president of marketing, Randy Tinseth, told a supplier conference in Lynnwood, Wash., on Wednesday that the company's plans to build five 787s per month in its two Dreamliner factories would continue unabated. Boeing's Everett, Wash., plant builds four each month and its new North Charleston, S.C., plant supplies the balance. But as the production continues uninterrupted by the ongoing grounding, Boeing may be challenged to find space for all the completed 787s.
More than 50 undelivered production 787s are spread across Boeing's factories in Washington state and South Carolina, including at least 40 jets in Everett. Boeing has occupied smaller runways at its main campus with early 787s that already required heavy modification before delivery, but the plane maker is moving newly built aircraft to storage to make room on its flight lines. Whatever the interim or final fix for the 787's battery woes will be, each already-finished plane would need to be modified before delivery.
The space crunch is made even more severe by on-going construction on a ramp area in Everett that has been able to hold as many as six 787s in storage in the past. Boeing is converting the space to an operations depot for its modified 747s "Dreamlifters" that carry parts of the 787 around the world.
"We have space now, but won't speculate on the future," says Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel.
Source: http://online.wsj.com
By ANDY PASZTOR And JON OSTROWER
The Wall Street Journal
Two test flights of the Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner have so far failed to replicate or identify the cause of the battery malfunctions that grounded the jet, leaving the company increasingly focused on some low-tech interim fixes, according to government and industry officials.
With the global fleet of 50 Dreamliners out of service since mid-January, the officials anticipate the tough work of developing, testing and installing long-term battery fixes is likely to keep the planes on the ground until at least April.
More test flights are planned—including efforts to test potential fixes—although no significant new clues emerged to help pinpoint the cause of the problem. But to try to get the planes back in the air quickly, Boeing is now stepping up work on putting the lithium-ion batteries in a sturdy container to keep heat, flames and toxic chemicals from escaping if the power packs overheat. People familiar with the design of the container say titanium is a possible material for its construction.
The protective covering also would aim to keep moisture from the battery's internal workings, which experts said in some circumstances can lead to short-circuits and other problems.
Even in the past few days, according to people familiar with the details, the concept has gained traction and prompted increased discussions between Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration, because the likely timetable for various longer-term fixes has lengthened.
Any proposed short-term fix also is likely to include enhanced temperature sensors and other features to more quickly warn pilots about malfunctioning or overheating batteries aboard 787s.
The so-called containment box has some important precedents. When lithium-ion batteries are used aboard U.S. commercial or government satellites, safety experts say they often are enclosed in some type of external titanium protection. The thickness of the metal, which melts only at extremely high temperatures, is about one-quarter of an inch, according to one U.S. government expert.
Without discussing details of possible fixes, a Boeing spokesman said company experts are "working tirelessly in cooperation with our customers and the appropriate regulatory and investigative authorities," adding that "everyone is working to get to the answer as quickly as possible, and good progress is being made."
An FAA spokeswoman didn't have any immediate comment.
On a parallel track, according to government and industry experts, Boeing continues to look for longer-term, more complex solutions to avoid battery dangers. They include increased separation between cells inside the battery, keeping cells from shifting or swelling and preventing microscopic buildup of metal deposits that can cause short-circuits. But experts agree those efforts have been complicated and delayed due to the slow progress of accident probes on both sides of the Pacific.
At this point, however, it isn't clear if federal regulators—or congressional committees tracking developments—will accept short-term fixes that target symptoms rather than causes of the hazards. Leaders of the FAA and the U.S. Transportation Department previously said they wouldn't allow 787s to return to service until investigators identified the root cause of the two battery incidents that occurred last month aboard Dreamliners operated by two Japanese airlines and until Boeing installed and tested fixes to ensure such events couldn't reoccur.
Maintaining that position, though, may become more difficult for the agency if the investigation drags on without a clear-cut answer, while the Chicago plane maker and its airline customers clamor for relief.
Boeing's vice president of marketing, Randy Tinseth, told a supplier conference in Lynnwood, Wash., on Wednesday that the company's plans to build five 787s per month in its two Dreamliner factories would continue unabated. Boeing's Everett, Wash., plant builds four each month and its new North Charleston, S.C., plant supplies the balance. But as the production continues uninterrupted by the ongoing grounding, Boeing may be challenged to find space for all the completed 787s.
More than 50 undelivered production 787s are spread across Boeing's factories in Washington state and South Carolina, including at least 40 jets in Everett. Boeing has occupied smaller runways at its main campus with early 787s that already required heavy modification before delivery, but the plane maker is moving newly built aircraft to storage to make room on its flight lines. Whatever the interim or final fix for the 787's battery woes will be, each already-finished plane would need to be modified before delivery.
The space crunch is made even more severe by on-going construction on a ramp area in Everett that has been able to hold as many as six 787s in storage in the past. Boeing is converting the space to an operations depot for its modified 747s "Dreamlifters" that carry parts of the 787 around the world.
"We have space now, but won't speculate on the future," says Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel.
Source: http://online.wsj.com
Beech B19 Musketeer Sport, N2059L: Ephrata Municipal Airport (KEPH), Washington
EPHRATA, Wash. -- A small airplane crashed and went off the runway at the Ephrata Municipal Airport. A Big Bend Community College spokesman said nobody was hurt during the crash Wednesday afternoon.
The plane was being flown by a Big Bend Community College flight instructor and a student pilot. Director of Campus Safety & Security Kyle Foreman said only two people were on the plane which seats four.
Foreman said it is unclear what caused the plane to taxi off the runway.
A student and instructors were training around 1 p.m. Foreman said the flight instructor was teaching a touch-and-go landing when something went wrong. The pilot lost control and hit a sign and a light on the runway. Foreman said the plane came to a stop off of the runway.
The crash damaged the plane and it can not be flown according to Foreman.
Leaders at Big Bend Community are investigating. Foreman said the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to join the investigation.
Story: http://www.krem.com
Landing strip nixed for take off
PRINCETON — The Bureau County Board says more information is needed on a request for a conditional use permit by a rural Walnut farmer to build a private grass landing strip on family property.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Marc Wilt addressed the county board, saying the board’s approval of the conditional use permit is the first step in the process of building the landing strip on property which his family has owned since 1933. If local approval is granted, Wilt’s proposal would then be sent to the Illinois Department of Transportation’ Division of Aeronautics, which will determine if the proposal meets all state rules and requirements and if any alterations or changes are needed. The proposal will also be sent to the Federal Aviation Administration for an air space determination. The whole process could take about two years, Wilt said.
In presenting Wilt’s conditional use request to the county board, Zoning Committee Chairman Marsha Lilley said the developers of the proposed Walnut Ridge wind farm did have some concerns about the proposed landing strip, specifically whether the landing strip would interfere with the building of already-permitted wind turbines in that area.
Lilley said the Zoning Committee recommended on a 4 to 3 vote that the county board send Wilt’s conditional use permit request back to the Bureau County Zoning Board of Appeals to hear additional testimony on the possible impact of the landing strip.
Bureau County State’s Attorney Patrick Herrmann said the question to be answered is whether or not the proposed landing strip would interfere with the already-permitted use granted by the county board for the wind turbines. Expert testimony from a pilot could tell the committee and board how much land is needed to safely land a private plane.
Bureau County Zoning Officer Kris Donarski read a letter from Bill French, representing the Walnut Ridge developers, expressing his concerns about the location of the proposed landing strip. The county had granted conditional use permits for 150 Walnut Ridge turbines in 2008, with an extension granted in 2011 for another three years. The Walnut Ridge developers do not oppose the landing strip, but the company does have concerns about its location, he said.
In his comments, board member Joe Bassetti said he had no problem with the landing strip if it could be done safely. But since there is a safety question, his recommendation was to send the request back to the Zoning Board of Appeals for further study,
Board member Marshann Entwhistle said Wilt has to start the process with approval by the county board before he can send his proposal to the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration for their review and approval.
If the Walnut Ridge developers determine the landing strip hindered their own project, which has precedence, there could be a lawsuit filed against the county, Herrmann said.
After further discussion, Lilley’s motion to send Wilt’s request back to the Zoning Board of Appeals was approved on a voice vote, though not a unanimous one.
Story: http://www.bcrnews.com
At Tuesday’s meeting, Marc Wilt addressed the county board, saying the board’s approval of the conditional use permit is the first step in the process of building the landing strip on property which his family has owned since 1933. If local approval is granted, Wilt’s proposal would then be sent to the Illinois Department of Transportation’ Division of Aeronautics, which will determine if the proposal meets all state rules and requirements and if any alterations or changes are needed. The proposal will also be sent to the Federal Aviation Administration for an air space determination. The whole process could take about two years, Wilt said.
In presenting Wilt’s conditional use request to the county board, Zoning Committee Chairman Marsha Lilley said the developers of the proposed Walnut Ridge wind farm did have some concerns about the proposed landing strip, specifically whether the landing strip would interfere with the building of already-permitted wind turbines in that area.
Lilley said the Zoning Committee recommended on a 4 to 3 vote that the county board send Wilt’s conditional use permit request back to the Bureau County Zoning Board of Appeals to hear additional testimony on the possible impact of the landing strip.
Bureau County State’s Attorney Patrick Herrmann said the question to be answered is whether or not the proposed landing strip would interfere with the already-permitted use granted by the county board for the wind turbines. Expert testimony from a pilot could tell the committee and board how much land is needed to safely land a private plane.
Bureau County Zoning Officer Kris Donarski read a letter from Bill French, representing the Walnut Ridge developers, expressing his concerns about the location of the proposed landing strip. The county had granted conditional use permits for 150 Walnut Ridge turbines in 2008, with an extension granted in 2011 for another three years. The Walnut Ridge developers do not oppose the landing strip, but the company does have concerns about its location, he said.
In his comments, board member Joe Bassetti said he had no problem with the landing strip if it could be done safely. But since there is a safety question, his recommendation was to send the request back to the Zoning Board of Appeals for further study,
Board member Marshann Entwhistle said Wilt has to start the process with approval by the county board before he can send his proposal to the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration for their review and approval.
If the Walnut Ridge developers determine the landing strip hindered their own project, which has precedence, there could be a lawsuit filed against the county, Herrmann said.
After further discussion, Lilley’s motion to send Wilt’s request back to the Zoning Board of Appeals was approved on a voice vote, though not a unanimous one.
Story: http://www.bcrnews.com
Beechcraft B100 King Air, N499SW: ‘Wind down’ of Stinger Welding begins
MCA Financial, Group, Inc., the Arizona court-appointed receiver for Stinger Welding, Inc., on Monday issued a statement spelling an end for the bridge and span manufacturer.
According to the release from John W. Boyd, the senior managing partner for MCA Financial, “based on ... analysis, the decision has been made to begin an orderly wind down of Stinger’s operations in Montana.”
The brief, one-paragraph release stated the receiver, Lincoln County Port Authority and Kootenai River Development officials “are cooperating in an effort to attract a new user for the Stinger facility in Libby. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”
Last week, the receiver dramatically cut the role of Stinger Vice President Steve Patrick, effectively ending his day-to-day operation of the facility. However, Patrick is being retained in a consulting role.
Stinger Welding was the brainchild of CEO Carl Douglas who breathed life into the business as he tried to make a go of the business in Northwest Montana. However, Douglas was killed in a plane crash on Dec. 18 when his aircraft slammed into Swede Mountain just after midnight.
Source: http://www.thewesternnews.com
NTSB Identification: WPR13FA073
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, December 18, 2012 in Libby, MT
Aircraft: BEECH B100, registration: N499SW
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On December 18, 2012, about 0002 mountain standard time (MST), a Beech B100, N499SW, collided with trees at Libby, Montana. Stinger Welding was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The noncertificated pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage from impact forces. The cross-country personal flight departed Coolidge, Arizona, about 2025 MST on December 17th, with Libby as the planned destination. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the nearest official reporting station of Sandpoint, Idaho, 264 degrees at 46 miles, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the pilot had been cleared for the GPS-A instrument approach procedure for the Libby Airport. The clearance had a crossing restriction of 10,700 feet at the PACCE intersection, which was the initial approach fix for the GPS-A approach. The pilot acknowledged that clearance at 2353. At 2359, the airplane target was about 7 miles south of the airport; the pilot reported the field in sight, and cancelled the IFR flight plan.
A police officer reported that he observed an airplane fly over the city of Libby, which was north of the airport; the airplane then turned toward the airport. The officer went to the airport to investigate, but observed no airplane. He noted that it was foggy in town, but the airport was clear. He also observed that the rotating beacon was illuminated, but not the pilot controlled runway lighting.
When the pilot did not appear at a company function at midday on December 18, they reported him overdue. The Prescott, Arizona, Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) issued an alert notice (ALNOT) at 1102 MST; the wreckage was located at 1835.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) and investigators from the FAA and Honeywell examined the wreckage on site. A description of the debris field references debris from left and right of the centerline of the debris path. The debris was through trees on a slope that went downhill from left to right.
The first identified point of contact (FIPC) was a topped tree with branches on the ground below it and in the direction of the debris field. About 50 feet from the tree were composite shards, and a piece of the composite engine nacelle, which had a hole punched in it.
The next point of contact was a 4-foot tree stump with shiny splinters on the stump. The lower portion of the tree had been displaced about 30 feet in the direction of the debris field with the top folded back toward the stump. Underneath the tree trunk were the nose gear and a couple of control surfaces followed by wing pieces.
One engine with the propeller attached was about 50 feet from the stump, and on the right side of the debris path. Next on the left side of the debris path was the outboard half of one propeller blade; another propeller blade was about 10 feet further into the debris field.
Midway into the debris field were several trees with sheet metal wrapped around them. Near the midpoint of the debris field, a portion of the instrument panel had imbedded into a tree about 15 feet above the ground. The wiring bundle hung down the tree trunk to ground level. To the left of the instrument panel was one of the largest pieces of wreckage. This piece contained the left and right horizontal stabilizers, vertical stabilizer, and part of one wing with the landing gear strut attached. The rudder separated, but was a few feet left of this piece.
Next in the debris field was a 6- by 8-foot piece of twisted metal, which contained the throttle quadrant.
About 100 feet right of the debris path centerline and downhill from the throttle quadrant was a 10-foot section of the aft cabin. This section was connected by steel cables and wires to a 4- by 7-foot piece of twisted metal.
The furthest large piece of wreckage was the second engine; the propeller hub with two blades attached had separated.
According to the release from John W. Boyd, the senior managing partner for MCA Financial, “based on ... analysis, the decision has been made to begin an orderly wind down of Stinger’s operations in Montana.”
The brief, one-paragraph release stated the receiver, Lincoln County Port Authority and Kootenai River Development officials “are cooperating in an effort to attract a new user for the Stinger facility in Libby. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”
Last week, the receiver dramatically cut the role of Stinger Vice President Steve Patrick, effectively ending his day-to-day operation of the facility. However, Patrick is being retained in a consulting role.
Stinger Welding was the brainchild of CEO Carl Douglas who breathed life into the business as he tried to make a go of the business in Northwest Montana. However, Douglas was killed in a plane crash on Dec. 18 when his aircraft slammed into Swede Mountain just after midnight.
Source: http://www.thewesternnews.com
NTSB Identification: WPR13FA073
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, December 18, 2012 in Libby, MT
Aircraft: BEECH B100, registration: N499SW
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On December 18, 2012, about 0002 mountain standard time (MST), a Beech B100, N499SW, collided with trees at Libby, Montana. Stinger Welding was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The noncertificated pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage from impact forces. The cross-country personal flight departed Coolidge, Arizona, about 2025 MST on December 17th, with Libby as the planned destination. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the nearest official reporting station of Sandpoint, Idaho, 264 degrees at 46 miles, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the pilot had been cleared for the GPS-A instrument approach procedure for the Libby Airport. The clearance had a crossing restriction of 10,700 feet at the PACCE intersection, which was the initial approach fix for the GPS-A approach. The pilot acknowledged that clearance at 2353. At 2359, the airplane target was about 7 miles south of the airport; the pilot reported the field in sight, and cancelled the IFR flight plan.
A police officer reported that he observed an airplane fly over the city of Libby, which was north of the airport; the airplane then turned toward the airport. The officer went to the airport to investigate, but observed no airplane. He noted that it was foggy in town, but the airport was clear. He also observed that the rotating beacon was illuminated, but not the pilot controlled runway lighting.
When the pilot did not appear at a company function at midday on December 18, they reported him overdue. The Prescott, Arizona, Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) issued an alert notice (ALNOT) at 1102 MST; the wreckage was located at 1835.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) and investigators from the FAA and Honeywell examined the wreckage on site. A description of the debris field references debris from left and right of the centerline of the debris path. The debris was through trees on a slope that went downhill from left to right.
The first identified point of contact (FIPC) was a topped tree with branches on the ground below it and in the direction of the debris field. About 50 feet from the tree were composite shards, and a piece of the composite engine nacelle, which had a hole punched in it.
The next point of contact was a 4-foot tree stump with shiny splinters on the stump. The lower portion of the tree had been displaced about 30 feet in the direction of the debris field with the top folded back toward the stump. Underneath the tree trunk were the nose gear and a couple of control surfaces followed by wing pieces.
One engine with the propeller attached was about 50 feet from the stump, and on the right side of the debris path. Next on the left side of the debris path was the outboard half of one propeller blade; another propeller blade was about 10 feet further into the debris field.
Midway into the debris field were several trees with sheet metal wrapped around them. Near the midpoint of the debris field, a portion of the instrument panel had imbedded into a tree about 15 feet above the ground. The wiring bundle hung down the tree trunk to ground level. To the left of the instrument panel was one of the largest pieces of wreckage. This piece contained the left and right horizontal stabilizers, vertical stabilizer, and part of one wing with the landing gear strut attached. The rudder separated, but was a few feet left of this piece.
Next in the debris field was a 6- by 8-foot piece of twisted metal, which contained the throttle quadrant.
About 100 feet right of the debris path centerline and downhill from the throttle quadrant was a 10-foot section of the aft cabin. This section was connected by steel cables and wires to a 4- by 7-foot piece of twisted metal.
The furthest large piece of wreckage was the second engine; the propeller hub with two blades attached had separated.
Cessna T337C Super Skymaster, N2576S: Pilot killed in crash known for humanitarian flights
Paul Rooy, shown in a 2009 photo at New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport, was killed Wednesday when his Cessna 337 crashed near the airport on Wednesday. Rooy is the president of Friends of New Smyrna Beach Airport and was the plane's only occupant.
News-Journal file
“It was truly a workhorse,” said Mike Holoman, a longtime friend of Rooy said of the six-seat, twin-engine prop plane. “I mean, I’ve flown in the same plane halfway across the United States with him and his wife.
Federal investigators have begun their investigation to determine what caused that same small aircraft piloted by Rooy to crash Wednesday in a cow pasture shortly after takeoff from New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport. Rooy was killed in the crash and was the only person on board.
Shawn Etcher, air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, D.C., said Rooy, 56, was headed west after takeoff. The pilot took a left turn and then shortly thereafter said “mayday.”
“That was his last transmission,” Etcher said while at the crash scene Thursday.
The plane then struck a tree before hitting power lines and crashing into the field, Etcher said.
A witness on the scene, Rick Chapman, said he saw the plane hit the tree and power lines before it “disintegrated.” No one on the ground was injured.
Federal officials gathered wreckage that would be taken back with them to Washington. A preliminary NTSB report on the crash will be ready in the next five to 10 days. Plane crash investigations like this can take three months to a year to complete, Etcher said.
Rooy, a local patent attorney, was a certified engineer as well as president of the Friends of New Smyrna Beach Airport and one of the founders of the annual New Smyrna Beach Balloon & Sky Fest.
“He was very involved in the community,” said Holoman, a fellow pilot who is the treasurer for the Friends of New Smyrna Beach Airport. “He was very charitable in all that he did, not just in words but in deeds.”
That altruistic nature was evident in the humanitarian relief organization that Rooy ran with his wife, Mary Lightfine, called Volunteers Without Boundaries. Holoman said the couple would travel to disaster areas and bring back pets left homeless by disasters and find them new homes in the U.S.
“They did a lot of humanitarian work, he and his wife,” said Rhonda Walker, manager of the New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport. “I know that they flew some supplies to some other disaster areas and dropped them off.”
Walker said Rooy and other local pilots formed the Friends of New Smyrna Beach Airport in part as a response to a group of neighbors who had complained about noise from the airfield, and helped try to solve the issues.
“He wanted to show the best sides of the airport, the economic side, and that every pilot isn’t out to make the neighborhoods go nuts on us,” Walker said.
However, Holoman said the Friends of New Smyrna Beach Airport was mainly about keeping the airport open and thriving, especially after one of the runways had closed.
“He was all about making the airport viable, making it an economic benefit for the community,” Walker said. “He did a lot for this airport so his shoes are going to be hard to fill.”
Rooy and Lightfine took off from the New Smyrna airport two years ago in the Cessna T 337C Skymaster and flew to South America.
“They charted it as they flew on one of those messaging systems,” Walker said. “So you could know exactly where he was at any time and he would give any updates of things that they saw along the way.
“We watched him on that whole journey,” she said.
Etcher said there wasn’t any obvious weather issues during the short flight Wednesday — the crash was reported at 1:13 p.m. — but said it was a little “choppy.” That will be part of what investigators look at when they consider contributors to the crash including pilot error, mechanical malfunction or the environment.
Walker said the crash was the second with a fatality involving a plane that took off from New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport since she began working there in 1998. In September 2007, 74-year old Bruce Smith was killed when his single-engine airplane slammed into trees at the airport. He had just taken off when he radioed the control tower he was having problems with the aircraft.
Wednesday’s crash was the third fatal plane crash in Volusia and Flagler counties within a year.
Source: http://www.news-journalonline.com
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft photos
http://www.news-journalonline.com
Friends of New Smyrna Beach Airport: http://www.fonsba.com
http://registry.faa.gov/N2576S
The
remains of a small plane are strewn about a pasture off of Tumblin Dr.,
west of New Smyrna Beach, on Wednesday, Feb.13, afternoon, 2013,
News-Journal / Peter Bauer
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Federal officials were at the scene Thursday of a plane crash the day before that killed a local attorney who also was the president of a New Smyrna Beach airport group.
Shawn Etcher, air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, D.C., said Paul Rooy, 56, took off in his Cessna 337 from New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport and headed west. The pilot then took a left turn.
Rooy's last transmission was "mayday," Etcher said. The plane then struck a tree before hitting a power line and crashing into a field.
A witness on the scene, Rick Chapman, said he saw the six-seat, twin-engine prop plane hit the tree and power lines before it "disintegrated."
No one else was on board and no one on the ground was injured.
Etcher said there wasn't any obvious weather issues during the short flight -- the crash was reported at 1:13 p.m. -- but said it was a little "choppy." That will be part of what investigators look at when they consider contributors to the crash including pilot error, mechanical malfunction or the environment.
A preliminary NTSB report on the crash will be ready in the next five to 10 days, Etcher said. Plane crash investigations like this can take three months to a year to complete.
Federal officials were gathering the wreckage Thursday which will be taken back with them to Washington.
The aircraft is registered to Royalair Aviation Inc. out of Daytona Beach, which is owned by Rooy. Family members have not spoken about Rooy's death.
Dr. Arlen Stauffer, chairman of New Smyrna Beach Balloon & Sky Fest, said Rooy was known as a leader in the community and an experienced pilot.
Wednesday's crash was the third fatal plane wreck in Volusia and Flagler counties within a year.
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. -- One person is dead following the crash of a twin-engine airplane in New Smyrna Beach Wednesday afternoon. According to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, the Cessna 337 crashed just after takeoff from the New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport.
"It clipped the top of this tree and clipped the power line there and hit that rotten big tall pine tree over there and just disintegrated like it was made out of balsa wood when it hit the ground," said Pat Chapman, who witnessed the crash.
The plane broke apart on impact, killing the pilot, a sheriff's spokesman said.
Deputies identified the pilot as Paul Rooy, age 56, of Daytona Beach.
The crash happened in an empty field near a New Smyrna city sports complex.
According to officials, they believe Rooy radioed that he had an emergency.
Eyewitnesses said they could tell from the ground that something was wrong, and it appeared to them that the plane was trying to return to the airport.
"It was like he took off and must have gotten into some kind of trouble and tried to make a circle maybe going back to the airport and didn't make it," said Chapman.
No one else was aboard the plane and no injuries were reported on the ground, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will be involved in investigations surrounding the crash.
Story and Photos: http://www.actionnewsjax.com
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The pilot of a crashed plane is dead after a witness said the aircraft hit a tree, "disintegrated" and exploded in a field west of New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport.
The plane, a six-seat, two-engine Cessna 337, is registered to Paul Rooy, president of the Friends of New Smyrna Beach Airport, records show. Officials have not identified the person killed.
The plane had taken off from the New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport and went down sometime later in an open field near the city's sports complex, said Volusia County sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson. The tower manager at the airport called in the crash at 1:13 p.m.
The plane, a 1968 model, broke apart upon impact, killing the pilot, Davidson said. No one else was on board, and no one on the ground was injured, he said.
The aircraft is registered to Royalair Aviation Inc. out of Daytona Beach. State records show Royalair Aviation is owned by Rooy, a patent attorney, and that Rooy is president of the Friends of New Smyrna Beach Airport. The Friends organization advocates for businesses and private pilots who use the airport. In recent years Rooy and the organization had been in an ongoing battle with residents complaining about airplane noise.
A call Wednesday afternoon to Rooy's law office on South Ridgewood Avenue in Daytona Beach went to his voicemail. Rooy's home is in Daytona Beach Shores.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office is conducting a routine death investigation, while the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will be called in to investigate the cause of the crash.
Rick Chapman saw the crash while standing outside with his wife, when the plane went down on some property near their New Smyrna Beach home.
“He clipped one of my trees and then hit the power lines,” Chapman, 60, said. “That plane disintegrated.”
Chapman didn't expect anyone survived the crash, but he still ran to where the plane hit just in case.
Chapman said he saw one man dead inside of the plane.
“If there's anybody else, I didn't find them,” Chapman said.
Chapman said there was no fire, but the plane did explode on impact.
He said he and his wife saw the plane getting closer and closer and knew what was about to happen.
“I think he was trying to squeeze between two trees,” Chapman said. “He missed my barn by about 100 feet.”
Chapman said cows immediately rushed over to where the plane crashed, and neighbors and officials are having to bait them with hay to get them away from the crash site.
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February 12, 2013
Hummel H5, N144HV: Pilot speaks exclusively to KSBY about his emergency landing - San Luis Obispo County, California
The local pilot whose plane took a nose dive in Northern San Luis Obispo County on Monday, speaks exclusively to KSBY about how his plane went down.
David Dickey, a 55-year veteran pilot, said he's always loved aviation, so about a month and a half ago, he decided to make his own plane.
"I ordered the aircraft about two years ago from Ohio. A kit, I was the first kit builder. I built this in my garage in Shell Beach," said Dickey.
Dickey said Monday afternoon's sunny weather was the perfect day to take that single-engine experimental Hummel H5 out to the skies, and spread it's wings. An experimental aircraft means it's not a certified aircraft, like a Cessna, for example.
Dickey explains how he took off from Paso Robles Airport before 4pm, and then, "I was gonna fly it to San Luis Obispo, and I got about five miles further south from where we are now [Templeton]."
But then, his amateur aircraft's engine stopped working, right as he was entering Atascadero. Dickey said there was no time for fear to sink in. After notifying the Paso Robles Airport that he needed to make an emergency landing. The next thing he thought of, after he realized he could no longer fly the plane, was where to land it.
"And then I noticed the power lines were draped all over the place, so I went ahead and decided to take an in, and my straight in shot was in the, what I thought was the sandy shore river. Unfortunately it was the sandbar. Not unfortunately, because I did a good landing and I got down safely," said Dickey.
Dickey said he strategically landed in the sand bar at the end of Volpi Ysabel Road, to avoid people and houses. He said he's flown his Hummel H5 before, and doesn't know why the plane's engine stopped. Dickey plans on looking into it once he starts repairing the plane. He expects repairs to cost him around $3,000. Dickey said the plane cost $30,000 to make, and is glad he and the plane came out with only minor injuries.
"I'm very thankful, I think I did everything right," said Dickey.
Dickey suffered an inch-long gash and a burn from his seatbelt, after the plane came to a stop at about 50 miles per hour. He said the plane accident will not keep him away from flying, especially not from flying his beloved Hummel H5.
He said, "I intend to fix the aircraft, and I intend to fly it."
The Federal Aviation Administration said Dickey did not break any laws, and therefore will not be facing any charges. Although it said it is looking into why the plane lost engine power.
Story: http://www.ksby.com
Benton Field Airport (O85), Redding, California: Landing Lights Federal Aviation Administration Certified
REDDING, Calif. - Benton Airport’s recently moved runway is now safe to land according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA was on hand today to calibrate the airport's PAPI – or Precision Approach Path Indicator Lights – at each end of the runway.
The lights are designed to help pilots' landing remain on the correct approach angle to land on the runway safely.
An FAA jet made several approaches from both the North and South in order to certify that the landing lights were calibrated correctly.
The lights must be adjusted to within one one-hundredth of a degree to ensure the approach angle is just right.
http://www.krcrtv.com
The FAA was on hand today to calibrate the airport's PAPI – or Precision Approach Path Indicator Lights – at each end of the runway.
The lights are designed to help pilots' landing remain on the correct approach angle to land on the runway safely.
An FAA jet made several approaches from both the North and South in order to certify that the landing lights were calibrated correctly.
The lights must be adjusted to within one one-hundredth of a degree to ensure the approach angle is just right.
http://www.krcrtv.com
Missouri House blocks effort to keep governor off state plane
The Missouri House today thwarted an attempt to block the governor from using the state’s new $5.6 million plane.
During a debate over legislation that aims to continue provisions of the state Sunshine Law that protect security and safety plans from prying eyes, Rep. Mark Parkinson, R-St. Charles, proposed an amendment to bar the executive branch from using the state Highway Patrol’s new plane.
Highway Patrol commander Ron Replogle testified in a recent House committee meeting that the new plane, which Republican lawmakers have sought to tie to Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon in recent weeks, was needed because the state aircraft is often used by the executive branch and isn’t available for law enforcement. Nixon would use the new plane under the plan.
“This only applies to the brand new plane,” Parkinson said in explaining his proposal today to block the governor and others from using it.
But, seeing that the GOP-controlled chamber was not in favor of the restriction, Parkinson eventually withdrew his proposal.
“A lot of the members of this body don’t have the stomach to hold the executive on the second floor of this building accountable," he said.
Rep. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington, said it wouldn’t make sense for the state to block the governor's access to its new aircraft.
“I think it was stupid that we bought the plane. I think it was way out of line in the current economic climate,” he said. “The fact that we have it but would not use it would be further abuse.”
House members did adopt a provision that will classify flight logs as public documents. Already, the logs are released through Sunshine Law requests.
During that debate, Rep. Jeff Roorda, D-Barnhart, raised safety concerns and accused Republicans of turning unrelated legislation “into a ‘pull the governor’s pants down’ bill.’”
“I don’t think I’m trying to pull the governor’s pants down,” responded Rep. Caleb Jones, a Republican from California and the bill's sponsor.
Engler said the provision will ensure that the public can hold state officials accountable for their use of state aircraft.
The legislation, House Bills 256, 33 and 305, is expected to come up for final passage in the House later this week. It must also be approved by the Senate and the governor before it can become law.
Elizabeth Crisp covers Missouri politics and state government for the Post-Dispatch.
Source: http://www.stltoday.com
During a debate over legislation that aims to continue provisions of the state Sunshine Law that protect security and safety plans from prying eyes, Rep. Mark Parkinson, R-St. Charles, proposed an amendment to bar the executive branch from using the state Highway Patrol’s new plane.
Highway Patrol commander Ron Replogle testified in a recent House committee meeting that the new plane, which Republican lawmakers have sought to tie to Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon in recent weeks, was needed because the state aircraft is often used by the executive branch and isn’t available for law enforcement. Nixon would use the new plane under the plan.
“This only applies to the brand new plane,” Parkinson said in explaining his proposal today to block the governor and others from using it.
But, seeing that the GOP-controlled chamber was not in favor of the restriction, Parkinson eventually withdrew his proposal.
“A lot of the members of this body don’t have the stomach to hold the executive on the second floor of this building accountable," he said.
Rep. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington, said it wouldn’t make sense for the state to block the governor's access to its new aircraft.
“I think it was stupid that we bought the plane. I think it was way out of line in the current economic climate,” he said. “The fact that we have it but would not use it would be further abuse.”
House members did adopt a provision that will classify flight logs as public documents. Already, the logs are released through Sunshine Law requests.
During that debate, Rep. Jeff Roorda, D-Barnhart, raised safety concerns and accused Republicans of turning unrelated legislation “into a ‘pull the governor’s pants down’ bill.’”
“I don’t think I’m trying to pull the governor’s pants down,” responded Rep. Caleb Jones, a Republican from California and the bill's sponsor.
Engler said the provision will ensure that the public can hold state officials accountable for their use of state aircraft.
The legislation, House Bills 256, 33 and 305, is expected to come up for final passage in the House later this week. It must also be approved by the Senate and the governor before it can become law.
Elizabeth Crisp covers Missouri politics and state government for the Post-Dispatch.
Source: http://www.stltoday.com
Airplane mechanic program set to open in fall
Baton Rouge Community College officials plan to have a program to train airplane mechanics up and running by the fall, more than two years after originally hoped, officials said.
The program, which would produce federally-certified mechanics, is still being reviewed by the Federal Aviation Administration, said Mark Peeples, the program’s director.
“We are just waiting for them to get around to us,” Peeples said. “It’s always frustrating, but it’s just one of those things.”
Peeples said the FAA review includes an examination of the proposed curriculum for the program as well as site visits to the location to make sure the facilities are adequate.
FAA officials did not respond to a call to their Baton Rouge office.
When the program was first announced, in 2010, officials said they hoped to have it going by spring 2011.
Getting the program started, however, is contingent upon accreditation and funding and the accreditation process has taken awhile, Peeples said. He said it takes from 18 months to 24 months “to get the equipment and go through the federal bureaucracy.”
FAA officials have not given BRCC any indication of when the program might receive final approval, Peeples said.
When the program does start, it will have 25 students and take 18 months to complete, he said.
BRCC has rented a hangar at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport which will house the program until it can move into a new, $4 million facility.
The Airport Commission approved the issuance of $4 million in bonds to build the facility for BRCC on Feb. 5. That request must now go before the Metro Council for approval.
BRCC’s yearly rent on the new facility would repay the bonds over a 30-year period, airport officials said.
In the meantime, BRCC is offering students a course in avionics — “all the electronic equipment inside the aircraft,” Peeples said.
The avionics course requires an increasing level of computer proficiency with the prevalence of “glass cockpits” that contain few analog instruments, Peeples said.
Students taking the class start “touching airplanes immediately,” Peeples said. “That gets them interested.”
BRCC has acquired three airplanes for the two programs: a Cessna, a Beech with retractable landing gear, and a Boeing 727 that was donated by the New Orleans Hornets in 2011.
For airport officials, seeing the avionics and aircraft mechanic program up and running will be the fruit of years of effort.
“It was something that was already in the works before I got here” in 2001, said Ralph Hennessy, the airport’s assistant director of aviation.
Airport officials discussed the possibility of such a program with several schools, Hennessy said, but for various reasons it never got off the ground.
Sowela Technical Community College, Southern University at Shreveport and Louisiana Technical College in Lafayette also offer the certification.
There is a market for certified mechanics, Hennessy said.
“We like it because we have companies on the airport that like to hire aircraft mechanics,” he said. “Having a local workforce is a plus.”
A large part of the current mechanic workforce is getting close to retirement age, he said.
“It’s going to create a void there,” he said. “There is a market there that’s going to be growing in the future.”
Starting salary for an aircraft mechanic is in the low $40,000 range, Hennessy said.
Story: http://theadvocate.com
The program, which would produce federally-certified mechanics, is still being reviewed by the Federal Aviation Administration, said Mark Peeples, the program’s director.
“We are just waiting for them to get around to us,” Peeples said. “It’s always frustrating, but it’s just one of those things.”
Peeples said the FAA review includes an examination of the proposed curriculum for the program as well as site visits to the location to make sure the facilities are adequate.
FAA officials did not respond to a call to their Baton Rouge office.
When the program was first announced, in 2010, officials said they hoped to have it going by spring 2011.
Getting the program started, however, is contingent upon accreditation and funding and the accreditation process has taken awhile, Peeples said. He said it takes from 18 months to 24 months “to get the equipment and go through the federal bureaucracy.”
FAA officials have not given BRCC any indication of when the program might receive final approval, Peeples said.
When the program does start, it will have 25 students and take 18 months to complete, he said.
BRCC has rented a hangar at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport which will house the program until it can move into a new, $4 million facility.
The Airport Commission approved the issuance of $4 million in bonds to build the facility for BRCC on Feb. 5. That request must now go before the Metro Council for approval.
BRCC’s yearly rent on the new facility would repay the bonds over a 30-year period, airport officials said.
In the meantime, BRCC is offering students a course in avionics — “all the electronic equipment inside the aircraft,” Peeples said.
The avionics course requires an increasing level of computer proficiency with the prevalence of “glass cockpits” that contain few analog instruments, Peeples said.
Students taking the class start “touching airplanes immediately,” Peeples said. “That gets them interested.”
BRCC has acquired three airplanes for the two programs: a Cessna, a Beech with retractable landing gear, and a Boeing 727 that was donated by the New Orleans Hornets in 2011.
For airport officials, seeing the avionics and aircraft mechanic program up and running will be the fruit of years of effort.
“It was something that was already in the works before I got here” in 2001, said Ralph Hennessy, the airport’s assistant director of aviation.
Airport officials discussed the possibility of such a program with several schools, Hennessy said, but for various reasons it never got off the ground.
Sowela Technical Community College, Southern University at Shreveport and Louisiana Technical College in Lafayette also offer the certification.
There is a market for certified mechanics, Hennessy said.
“We like it because we have companies on the airport that like to hire aircraft mechanics,” he said. “Having a local workforce is a plus.”
A large part of the current mechanic workforce is getting close to retirement age, he said.
“It’s going to create a void there,” he said. “There is a market there that’s going to be growing in the future.”
Starting salary for an aircraft mechanic is in the low $40,000 range, Hennessy said.
Story: http://theadvocate.com
New eyes in the skies
Don Clarke cleans the windshield of one of the Guardian Air helicopters in a hangar at Pulliam Airport Wednesday. Clarke is a pilot who works for Air Methods. Guardian Air has six helicopters serving northern Arizona as well as one fixed-wing aircraft.
(Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun)
Soon after two shots rang out in Bushmaster Park two weeks ago, nearby residents listened to the sound of helicopter blades slicing through Flagstaff skies and watched Arizona Department of Public Safety pilots circle in search of their prey.
The agency was helping Flagstaff police track down several men involved in a daytime fight that included gunplay and left three with stab wounds near a playground.
One Thomas Elementary School teacher told a meeting of concerned Greenlaw residents that she and her students were comforted by the helicopter's audible presence during the ensuing school lockdown. It let the class know someone was looking out for them.
But years of state budget cuts to DPS staffing have left the Flagstaff-based Ranger helicopter operational only 49 percent of the time.
"As a result, some calls have literally gone unanswered," said DPS Aviation Administrator Terry Miyauchi. "It does have an impact (on public safety), but it's tough to measure."
NEW MISSION FOR GUARDIAN
In the Flagstaff region, Guardian Air, a division of the Flagstaff Medical Center, has stepped up to fill DPS' role in some search and rescue situations.
It was Guardian that responded when a Norwegian BASE jumper's parachute did not deploy properly and he plummeted to the bottom of the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers -- a drop of about 1,000 feet. The helicopter landed about 500 feet below the man and the pilots, together with a Sheriff's deputy, hiked to check on the deceased man.
Until recently, Guardian would not have been allowed to land in such an area.
The nonprofit helicopter group also flew rescuers to the bottom of Meteor Crater several weeks ago when a man jumped a fence and leapt into a 100-foot mineshaft. The Flagstaff DPS helicopter was out of service at the time and Kingman was unable to fly to the area because of bad weather blocking its path.
For the past several years, Guardian Air Director Wade Patten says his agency has been flying 12 to 15 flights annually in support of Coconino County Search and Rescue.
"There was concern over budget issues with the Department of Public Safety and we started to research how we could help," Patten said.
Guardian had to get approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to be allowed to land at more than its usual hospitals and designated landing areas, Patten said.
FMC has been covering the price of the flights out of its community service budget.
"We've done this as a public service, because we have to show we give back to the community," Patten said.
ONLY TWO AVAILABLE STATEWIDE
DPS has helicopters in Flagstaff, Kingman, Tucson and Phoenix, but only two of those aircraft are available statewide -- one in the north and one in the south -- at any given point.
"We can't adequately cover it with two," said Miyauchi, who oversees the aviation division. "If we lose any more staff, we wouldn't be able to cover the whole state."
To handle the budget cuts, their goal is to have the Flagstaff helicopter available to respond to the western part of the state whenever Kingman is down, and vice versa.
It takes an hour to fly from Flagstaff to Kingman.
The impact to public safety is amplified in a rural part of the state like Coconino County, where no other law enforcement agency provides air support.
DPS helps local agencies, like the Flagstaff Police Department and the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, on a regular basis and does not ask for reimbursement. Specifically, Miyauchi said aviation is a proven public safety asset during high speed pursuits.
The Kingman helicopter was unavailable to help police with pursuit during a car chase in that city on Monday. Despite a lengthy pursuit, the Flagstaff helicopter couldn't get to Kingman before the car crashed, injuring the suspect and two others.
A lift on the hiring freeze last summer has allowed the Aviation Bureau to hire three new helicopter pilots who are currently being trained. One of those pilots is expected to join the Flagstaff crew in the coming months and two others are slated for Kingman.
The additional pilot will make the Flagstaff helicopter available 75 percent of the time. It could be some time before the office is fully staffed again.
COPTERS CRITICAL IN SEARCHES
One of Ranger's critical roles is aiding Coconino County Search and Rescue looking for the lost or injured and pulling them out of precarious terrain.
"Coconino County and the Flagstaff area, with the mountainous terrain, the extreme weather and adventurous people -- this is one of the busiest areas for use of the helicopter," Miyauchi said.
DPS will assist Search and Rescue on 40 to 60 searches each year, which means most searches are aided by air support.
"We have a great relationship with DPS Aviation and DPS in general," said Search and Rescue Coordinator Sgt. Aaron Dick. "They are a critical component of what we do."
Dick said that the department has done a good job of making sure an aircraft is almost always available, but the staffing issues have meant it can often take longer.
Other than weather preventing the Kingman helicopter from reaching Flagstaff, DPS has been available almost every time it's been called to aid Search and Rescue.
Story and Photo: http://azdailysun.com
Dreamliner Customers Lean on 30-Year-Old Planes to Fill Network
By Robert Wall & Andrea Rothman - Feb 12, 2013 7:01 PM ET
Airlines waiting for the state-of- the-art Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner to return to the skies are relying on 30 year-old planes to fill gaps in their routes.
LOT Polish Airlines SA, the only European carrier so far with Dreamliners in service, said it is using Boeing 767s to work around its two grounded models, one of which is stuck in Chicago following its maiden trans-Atlantic traverse. U.K. tour operator Thomson Airways and Norwegian Air Shuttle AS, the next two European airlines due to receive 787s, said they will use other planes to avoid the risk of stranded passengers.
Reverting to older aircraft bears the danger of a marketing backlash, and airlines who typically plan network coverage months in advance risk an open flank if an aircraft doesn’t get delivered. Uncertainty over the duration of the grounding is further complicating planning, said Colm Barrington, chief executive officer of Dublin-based Fly Leasing Ltd.
“There is no doubt the 787 situation has caused strong interest in the A330 and 767,” Barrington said. “People are now talking about renewing leases that were set to expire.”
Boeing last week told airlines that are about to receive Dreamliners that handovers will be delayed after a Jan. 16 decision by U.S. regulators to ground the jet. The aircraft maker has not give airlines new delivery dates as it tries to identify a fix to electrical flaws that caused a fire on a Japan Airlines Co. jet.
Wet Lease
Lease extensions would require an airline to operate the asset for at least one additional year, Barrington said. Airlines can also rent jets from other carriers for shorter periods, including crews, in what is called a wet lease in aviation parlance. LOT said it would consider leasing another aircraft for the summer season.
The Jan. 16 decision by U.S. regulators to ground 787s has stranded 50 airliners after a fire on a plane that originated in a lithium-ion battery. The root cause of the short-circuit has still not been determined, making impossible predictions of when the plane may again be operational.
“If the market perception forms that it is a long-term issue, then that will give lessors the opportunity to push for stronger terms and longer leases on used 767 and A330 equipment,” said John Higgins, chief commercial officer at Avolon, which owns six A330s. For now, such renegotiations are still “isolated incidents,” he said.
Airbus Demand
The aircraft leasing business, created and championed by Steven Udvar-Hazy at International Lease Finance Corp. almost four decades ago before he set up Air Lease Corp., has expanded in recent years as airlines seek to avoid big outlays of cash and build in flexibility so they can adjust their fleets to boom or bust times.
Lessors today own about 35 percent of the installed airliner base, compared with less than 20 percent at the beginning of the century. Single-aisle aircraft such as Boeing 737s and Airbus SAS A320s tend to comprise the bulk of lessors’ portfolios, because the smaller planes are the workhorses of the industry and always in higher demand.
Still, larger models such as 787s, 777s, and A330s command premium lease rates and are required for long-haul routes, securing them a slot in many lessors’ portfolios.
Lease rates for the A330 were already strong even before the 787 woes. The Airbus wide-body “is liked by nearly every airline, from U.S. majors to Chinese carriers,” said Aengus Kelly, the CEO of Aercap Holdings. Aercap, with a portfolio of 333 owned and managed aircraft, has eight A330-200s, 22 A330-300s and three Boeing 767s.
Boeing Woes
Airbus had benefited from Boeing’s troubles with the Dreamliner even before the aircraft was grounded. The three-year delay of the 787 into service boosted demand for the 330 as a suitable substitute, even as Airbus works to introduce a new competitor, the A350, which is set for first flight this year and introduction to service in 2014.
The 787 capacity bottleneck risks to become more critical if it drags into the summer season for airlines when demand for jets peaks, said Barrington, whose leasing business manages five 767s and one A330.
Boeing will need to change the battery system on the 787 which may take months to complete, International Consolidated Airlines Group SA CEO Willie Walsh said on Feb. 10 in Dublin. IAG’s British Airways unit, which currently operates 14 767s in long-haul, expects to start taking delivery of 787s in May.
Delays in delivering the 787 have already eaten into spare aircraft capacity, John Strickland, director of airline advisory JLS Consulting, said in an interview. Airlines such as Norwegian, which is introducing a new product, also have find crew to operate the replacement aircraft.
“We are heading into a peak period for key parts of the aviation world so this is going to become a bigger issue in the coming months,” Strickland said.
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com
Airlines waiting for the state-of- the-art Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner to return to the skies are relying on 30 year-old planes to fill gaps in their routes.
LOT Polish Airlines SA, the only European carrier so far with Dreamliners in service, said it is using Boeing 767s to work around its two grounded models, one of which is stuck in Chicago following its maiden trans-Atlantic traverse. U.K. tour operator Thomson Airways and Norwegian Air Shuttle AS, the next two European airlines due to receive 787s, said they will use other planes to avoid the risk of stranded passengers.
Reverting to older aircraft bears the danger of a marketing backlash, and airlines who typically plan network coverage months in advance risk an open flank if an aircraft doesn’t get delivered. Uncertainty over the duration of the grounding is further complicating planning, said Colm Barrington, chief executive officer of Dublin-based Fly Leasing Ltd.
“There is no doubt the 787 situation has caused strong interest in the A330 and 767,” Barrington said. “People are now talking about renewing leases that were set to expire.”
Boeing last week told airlines that are about to receive Dreamliners that handovers will be delayed after a Jan. 16 decision by U.S. regulators to ground the jet. The aircraft maker has not give airlines new delivery dates as it tries to identify a fix to electrical flaws that caused a fire on a Japan Airlines Co. jet.
Wet Lease
Lease extensions would require an airline to operate the asset for at least one additional year, Barrington said. Airlines can also rent jets from other carriers for shorter periods, including crews, in what is called a wet lease in aviation parlance. LOT said it would consider leasing another aircraft for the summer season.
The Jan. 16 decision by U.S. regulators to ground 787s has stranded 50 airliners after a fire on a plane that originated in a lithium-ion battery. The root cause of the short-circuit has still not been determined, making impossible predictions of when the plane may again be operational.
“If the market perception forms that it is a long-term issue, then that will give lessors the opportunity to push for stronger terms and longer leases on used 767 and A330 equipment,” said John Higgins, chief commercial officer at Avolon, which owns six A330s. For now, such renegotiations are still “isolated incidents,” he said.
Airbus Demand
The aircraft leasing business, created and championed by Steven Udvar-Hazy at International Lease Finance Corp. almost four decades ago before he set up Air Lease Corp., has expanded in recent years as airlines seek to avoid big outlays of cash and build in flexibility so they can adjust their fleets to boom or bust times.
Lessors today own about 35 percent of the installed airliner base, compared with less than 20 percent at the beginning of the century. Single-aisle aircraft such as Boeing 737s and Airbus SAS A320s tend to comprise the bulk of lessors’ portfolios, because the smaller planes are the workhorses of the industry and always in higher demand.
Still, larger models such as 787s, 777s, and A330s command premium lease rates and are required for long-haul routes, securing them a slot in many lessors’ portfolios.
Lease rates for the A330 were already strong even before the 787 woes. The Airbus wide-body “is liked by nearly every airline, from U.S. majors to Chinese carriers,” said Aengus Kelly, the CEO of Aercap Holdings. Aercap, with a portfolio of 333 owned and managed aircraft, has eight A330-200s, 22 A330-300s and three Boeing 767s.
Boeing Woes
Airbus had benefited from Boeing’s troubles with the Dreamliner even before the aircraft was grounded. The three-year delay of the 787 into service boosted demand for the 330 as a suitable substitute, even as Airbus works to introduce a new competitor, the A350, which is set for first flight this year and introduction to service in 2014.
The 787 capacity bottleneck risks to become more critical if it drags into the summer season for airlines when demand for jets peaks, said Barrington, whose leasing business manages five 767s and one A330.
Boeing will need to change the battery system on the 787 which may take months to complete, International Consolidated Airlines Group SA CEO Willie Walsh said on Feb. 10 in Dublin. IAG’s British Airways unit, which currently operates 14 767s in long-haul, expects to start taking delivery of 787s in May.
Delays in delivering the 787 have already eaten into spare aircraft capacity, John Strickland, director of airline advisory JLS Consulting, said in an interview. Airlines such as Norwegian, which is introducing a new product, also have find crew to operate the replacement aircraft.
“We are heading into a peak period for key parts of the aviation world so this is going to become a bigger issue in the coming months,” Strickland said.
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com
Trenton Mercer Airport (KTTN), Trenton, New Jersey: Mercer County to apply for $2.5 million grant to rehab taxiways
EWING — The county is planning to apply for $2.5 million in state grants to rehabilitate three taxiways at Trenton-Mercer Airport, continuing ongoing work to upgrade the facility over the last several years.
The freeholder board is expected to approve the grant applications at a meeting Thursday. If the state Department of Transportation approves the funding, the county would be required to contribute 5 percent of the overall $2.6 million project cost.
The work would take place in two phases. The grant for the first phase would be worth about $1.5 million, with the county contributing $85,000. Part two would require $1 million in state funding and $56,000 from the county.
Last year the county was awarded a $1 million grant for a similar project on different taxiways. The airport, located in Ewing, has received more than $14 million in state and federal funding in recent years for rehabilitation and safety projects, county officials said.
The airport has long been used for corporate and private flights, and Frontier Airlines recently started daily commercial flights to a few destinations.
Last month the freeholders approved a $151,443 contract with C&S Engineering to examine how the main passenger terminal can be reconfigured for maximum efficiency.
With Frontier preparing to increase its flights from two to 20 per week, county officials said they want to ensure the terminal is operating smoothly and not crowded.
The county is also considering a long-term plan to build a new terminal in a different area of the airport.
Source: http://www.nj.com
The freeholder board is expected to approve the grant applications at a meeting Thursday. If the state Department of Transportation approves the funding, the county would be required to contribute 5 percent of the overall $2.6 million project cost.
The work would take place in two phases. The grant for the first phase would be worth about $1.5 million, with the county contributing $85,000. Part two would require $1 million in state funding and $56,000 from the county.
Last year the county was awarded a $1 million grant for a similar project on different taxiways. The airport, located in Ewing, has received more than $14 million in state and federal funding in recent years for rehabilitation and safety projects, county officials said.
The airport has long been used for corporate and private flights, and Frontier Airlines recently started daily commercial flights to a few destinations.
Last month the freeholders approved a $151,443 contract with C&S Engineering to examine how the main passenger terminal can be reconfigured for maximum efficiency.
With Frontier preparing to increase its flights from two to 20 per week, county officials said they want to ensure the terminal is operating smoothly and not crowded.
The county is also considering a long-term plan to build a new terminal in a different area of the airport.
Source: http://www.nj.com
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College--Superior launches new program to support Kestrel Aircraft manufacturing process
Moving at the speed of business may sound like a slogan of UPS, but some could argue the same thing about Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in Superior as they launch a new program developed to help students launch careers with Kestrel Aircraft Co.
It was July 2011 when when local officials approached Alan Klapmeier, Kestrel Aircraft’s chief executive office about bringing the company to Superior.
By July of this year — just two years later — remodeling will begin for the first 20 students to participate in an aviation composite technology program at the technical college in Superior.
Students have the option of earning a two-year associate degree or three-semester technical diploma if they already have their general education courses out of the way, said Charlie Glazman, dean of continuing education at WITC. The program will admit its first 20 students in August; another 20 students will have the opportunity to participate in the program in January, just two years after Klapmeier announced Kestrel was coming to Superior to build its K-350. The single-engine turboprop, carbon composite airplane that seats six to eight is being designed with performance standards for comfort, safety, versatility and convenience.
WITC partnered with Kestrel Aircraft to get a Wisconsin Covenant Foundation grant to develop the program.
“We started asking ourselves ‘what are we going to be able to do for these guys?’” Glazman said. “Sure, they’ll be hiring a few welders, some machinists, but there’s got to be something else.”
In talking with company officials, Glazman said WITC discovered one of the needs the company would have is for composite technicians.
“These are people who can take carbon fiber in rolling pieces of cloth and layer them upon one another, introduce resins and harders, compact to draw resin through it and bake it so it becomes as hard as steel,” Glazman said. “It takes a unique set of skills to be able to do something like that.”
Glazman said with no other program like it to teach the necessary skill in the state, WITC had to build the program from the ground up.
Steve Serfling, chief operating officer for Kestrel Aircraft, said the work to turn the carbon fiber into a structure that will be used in the plane is very exacting.
“One of the key things we talked about early on was the composite technology to make this airplane,” Serfling said. “It may sound simple, but you have to be very, very anal because the precision that we have to make the airplane and the process we use to make the airplane is very, very specific.”
Kestrel worked with Glazman and his team to develop the syllabus for the courses and will provide some of the materials needed to teach the program, in addition to offering internship opportunities to students to give them experience in the field.
“For a new business to grow, it needs to have the right kind of talent,” Klapmeier said. He said the right foundation and technical skill can take someone any place they want to go.
In addition to the new aviation composite technology program, WITC will also be offering a new online course in early childhood education, IT computer systems specialist and an HR management program coming in the fall, said Jena Vogtman, marketing and public relations associate with WITC.
“I am very proud of being able to promote and recognize the technical colleges in Wisconsin, especially in Superior, said Mayor Bruce Hagen. Hagen joined force with Douglas County Board Chairman to declare February Career and Technical Education month during an event to announce the new courses at WITC.
More information about the new programs will be posted on WITC website in the next few weeks. Go to witc.edu.
Source: http://www.superiortelegram.com
It was July 2011 when when local officials approached Alan Klapmeier, Kestrel Aircraft’s chief executive office about bringing the company to Superior.
By July of this year — just two years later — remodeling will begin for the first 20 students to participate in an aviation composite technology program at the technical college in Superior.
Students have the option of earning a two-year associate degree or three-semester technical diploma if they already have their general education courses out of the way, said Charlie Glazman, dean of continuing education at WITC. The program will admit its first 20 students in August; another 20 students will have the opportunity to participate in the program in January, just two years after Klapmeier announced Kestrel was coming to Superior to build its K-350. The single-engine turboprop, carbon composite airplane that seats six to eight is being designed with performance standards for comfort, safety, versatility and convenience.
WITC partnered with Kestrel Aircraft to get a Wisconsin Covenant Foundation grant to develop the program.
“We started asking ourselves ‘what are we going to be able to do for these guys?’” Glazman said. “Sure, they’ll be hiring a few welders, some machinists, but there’s got to be something else.”
In talking with company officials, Glazman said WITC discovered one of the needs the company would have is for composite technicians.
“These are people who can take carbon fiber in rolling pieces of cloth and layer them upon one another, introduce resins and harders, compact to draw resin through it and bake it so it becomes as hard as steel,” Glazman said. “It takes a unique set of skills to be able to do something like that.”
Glazman said with no other program like it to teach the necessary skill in the state, WITC had to build the program from the ground up.
Steve Serfling, chief operating officer for Kestrel Aircraft, said the work to turn the carbon fiber into a structure that will be used in the plane is very exacting.
“One of the key things we talked about early on was the composite technology to make this airplane,” Serfling said. “It may sound simple, but you have to be very, very anal because the precision that we have to make the airplane and the process we use to make the airplane is very, very specific.”
Kestrel worked with Glazman and his team to develop the syllabus for the courses and will provide some of the materials needed to teach the program, in addition to offering internship opportunities to students to give them experience in the field.
“For a new business to grow, it needs to have the right kind of talent,” Klapmeier said. He said the right foundation and technical skill can take someone any place they want to go.
In addition to the new aviation composite technology program, WITC will also be offering a new online course in early childhood education, IT computer systems specialist and an HR management program coming in the fall, said Jena Vogtman, marketing and public relations associate with WITC.
“I am very proud of being able to promote and recognize the technical colleges in Wisconsin, especially in Superior, said Mayor Bruce Hagen. Hagen joined force with Douglas County Board Chairman to declare February Career and Technical Education month during an event to announce the new courses at WITC.
More information about the new programs will be posted on WITC website in the next few weeks. Go to witc.edu.
Source: http://www.superiortelegram.com
Donation Funds Aircraft Mechanic Program
The North Valley
Occupational Center Aviation Center, which trains students in aviation
mechanics, has received a $100,000 donation, avoiding a potential
closure or relocation.
Si Robin and Betty Robin, owners of Sensor Systems Inc. in Chatsworth, made the contribution, which should keep the school open another year while a new lease with Los Angeles World Airports can be negotiated. Sensor Systems is the largest aircraft antenna manufacturer in the U.S.
The school, which has operated at the Van Nuys Airport for 40 years, has been struggling in recent months as the Los Angeles Unified School District has had severe budget cuts and the rent has increased.
The center has 75 students enrolled in the two-year program, which is a 50-percent decrease from its enrollment prior to budget cuts.
Aircraft maintenance firms, commercial carriers and aerospace companies hire students from the program.
http://www.sfvbj.com
Si Robin and Betty Robin, owners of Sensor Systems Inc. in Chatsworth, made the contribution, which should keep the school open another year while a new lease with Los Angeles World Airports can be negotiated. Sensor Systems is the largest aircraft antenna manufacturer in the U.S.
The school, which has operated at the Van Nuys Airport for 40 years, has been struggling in recent months as the Los Angeles Unified School District has had severe budget cuts and the rent has increased.
The center has 75 students enrolled in the two-year program, which is a 50-percent decrease from its enrollment prior to budget cuts.
Aircraft maintenance firms, commercial carriers and aerospace companies hire students from the program.
http://www.sfvbj.com
Lancair 360: Two injured in Colusa County, California, plane crash
Two Ukiah men were injured when their plane crashed into the edge of an almond orchard near Williams this morning.
The identities of the men were not immediately available, but Colusa County sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Erdelt said that heavy smoke in the cockpit forced the two-seat Lancair 360 to the ground.
The two men were on their way from Ukiah to Tahoe, Erdelt said.
“There was some light smoke in the cockpit so they started to descend,” Erdelt said. “Then the smoke got heavier and they ended up crashing.”
The craft, considered an experimental plane, hit some almond trees west of East Camp Road and about a mile south of Highway 20.
One man was airlifted to Enloe Medical Center in Chico with what was described as major injuries. The other man was taken by ambulance to Colusa Regional Medical Center, but also was expected to be airlifted to an area hospital, Erdelt said.
The accident, which happened about 11:30 a.m., is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
http://www.appeal-democrat.com
The identities of the men were not immediately available, but Colusa County sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Erdelt said that heavy smoke in the cockpit forced the two-seat Lancair 360 to the ground.
The two men were on their way from Ukiah to Tahoe, Erdelt said.
“There was some light smoke in the cockpit so they started to descend,” Erdelt said. “Then the smoke got heavier and they ended up crashing.”
The craft, considered an experimental plane, hit some almond trees west of East Camp Road and about a mile south of Highway 20.
One man was airlifted to Enloe Medical Center in Chico with what was described as major injuries. The other man was taken by ambulance to Colusa Regional Medical Center, but also was expected to be airlifted to an area hospital, Erdelt said.
The accident, which happened about 11:30 a.m., is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
http://www.appeal-democrat.com
Man sued after pirate radio broadcast interferes with airport tower: Robens Cheriza named in federal suit, accused of ignoring $20,000 fine
A West Palm Beach man whose home-based pirate radio station interfered with air traffic control tower transmissions at Palm Beach International Airport is being sued by the federal government.
Federal prosecutors filed a summons against Robens Cheriza in federal court Tuesday, instructing him to respond within 21 days to a lawsuit demanding that he pay the $20,000 fine issued against him by federal broadcast regulators last year.
According to the lawsuit, filed Jan. 9, Cheriza has ignored the Federal Communications Commission's order to pay the fine — called a forfeiture order in FCC documents — since last April.
Cheriza violated federal broadcasting laws by "willfully and repeatedly" transmitting a radio signal without a license in the spring of 2011, according to the lawsuit. The summons was filed Tuesday.
According to FCC records, the sounds of a party being broadcast from Cheriza's home interrupted the control tower frequency at Palm Beach International Airport on April 1, 2011.
The airport incident prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to file a complaint with the FCC the next day.
"Safety of the traveling public is the FAA's top priority," said Kathleen Bergen, an FAA spokesperson, in a statement. "We work closely with the FCC to identify and eliminate interference with air traffic control communications."
Agents with the FCC's Enforcement Bureau in Miami went to work after receiving the complaint, deploying "direction-finding techniques" to zero in on an antenna mounted to a West Palm Beach home.
Agents went to the house and the station "all of a sudden went off the air," just moments before they went inside, FCC records state.
Once inside the home, Cheriza brought agents to an enclosed patio, where they noted an FM broadcast transmitter connected to an antenna. The transmitter was hooked up by audio cables to an "operational broadcast studio" comprised of a PC, laptop, microphone and audio mixer.
Cheriza told agents he owned the studio and its equipment. He said he had been operating the station on 107.3 MHz for about a month, the FCC said. Cheriza also said he knew that operating an unlicensed FM station was illegal.
"In addition, Mr. Cheriza confirmed that he broadcast a party live from his residence on the evening of April 1, 2011," and that the audio transmission interfered with the control tower frequency, according to an FCC notice issued against Cheriza on Feb. 1, 2012.
Interference from pirate radio also became an issue in Hollywood in late 2012, when dozens of people reported not being able to use their keyless entry systems while parked at the Hollywood Police station.
In that case, police found that somebody had set up a bootleg station on the roof of a nearby bank building, which jammed the signals of drivers' keyless entry systems. The station, broadcasting on 104.7 FM, played Caribbean music around the clock, police say.
In 2012, a Fort Lauderdale resident was fined $20,000 for running a bootleg radio station. In 2011, a North Lauderdale man was arrested after deputies said he was operating a pirate station that played Haitian music.
The FCC notice to Cheriza warned him that he would be fined $20,000. The notice told Cheriza to respond in writing if he wanted to challenge the fine by having it lowered or canceled.
Cheriza ignored the notice, according to the federal suit. On April 3, 2012, the FCC ordered that he pay the $20,000 fine. He hasn't yet paid, according to the federal lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, is asking that Cheriza pay the $20,000 fine plus costs and interest.
Cheriza couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.
Story and Reaction/Comments: http://www.sun-sentinel.com
Federal prosecutors filed a summons against Robens Cheriza in federal court Tuesday, instructing him to respond within 21 days to a lawsuit demanding that he pay the $20,000 fine issued against him by federal broadcast regulators last year.
According to the lawsuit, filed Jan. 9, Cheriza has ignored the Federal Communications Commission's order to pay the fine — called a forfeiture order in FCC documents — since last April.
Cheriza violated federal broadcasting laws by "willfully and repeatedly" transmitting a radio signal without a license in the spring of 2011, according to the lawsuit. The summons was filed Tuesday.
According to FCC records, the sounds of a party being broadcast from Cheriza's home interrupted the control tower frequency at Palm Beach International Airport on April 1, 2011.
The airport incident prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to file a complaint with the FCC the next day.
"Safety of the traveling public is the FAA's top priority," said Kathleen Bergen, an FAA spokesperson, in a statement. "We work closely with the FCC to identify and eliminate interference with air traffic control communications."
Agents with the FCC's Enforcement Bureau in Miami went to work after receiving the complaint, deploying "direction-finding techniques" to zero in on an antenna mounted to a West Palm Beach home.
Agents went to the house and the station "all of a sudden went off the air," just moments before they went inside, FCC records state.
Once inside the home, Cheriza brought agents to an enclosed patio, where they noted an FM broadcast transmitter connected to an antenna. The transmitter was hooked up by audio cables to an "operational broadcast studio" comprised of a PC, laptop, microphone and audio mixer.
Cheriza told agents he owned the studio and its equipment. He said he had been operating the station on 107.3 MHz for about a month, the FCC said. Cheriza also said he knew that operating an unlicensed FM station was illegal.
"In addition, Mr. Cheriza confirmed that he broadcast a party live from his residence on the evening of April 1, 2011," and that the audio transmission interfered with the control tower frequency, according to an FCC notice issued against Cheriza on Feb. 1, 2012.
Interference from pirate radio also became an issue in Hollywood in late 2012, when dozens of people reported not being able to use their keyless entry systems while parked at the Hollywood Police station.
In that case, police found that somebody had set up a bootleg station on the roof of a nearby bank building, which jammed the signals of drivers' keyless entry systems. The station, broadcasting on 104.7 FM, played Caribbean music around the clock, police say.
In 2012, a Fort Lauderdale resident was fined $20,000 for running a bootleg radio station. In 2011, a North Lauderdale man was arrested after deputies said he was operating a pirate station that played Haitian music.
The FCC notice to Cheriza warned him that he would be fined $20,000. The notice told Cheriza to respond in writing if he wanted to challenge the fine by having it lowered or canceled.
Cheriza ignored the notice, according to the federal suit. On April 3, 2012, the FCC ordered that he pay the $20,000 fine. He hasn't yet paid, according to the federal lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, is asking that Cheriza pay the $20,000 fine plus costs and interest.
Cheriza couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.
Story and Reaction/Comments: http://www.sun-sentinel.com
Authorities ID body found near Ryan Field Airport (KRYN), Tucson, Arizona
Appel's body was discovered Friday near the scene of a plane accident in the area of
Ajo Highway and South Postvale Road by a woman who was walking her
dog.
Jeffrey Scott Appel
(Source: Pima County Sheriff's Department)
TUCSON - Remains found Friday by a woman walking with her dog and children west of Tucson have been identified.
Investigators with the Pima County Sheriff's Department say the body was that of Jeffrey Scott Appel, born in August of 1965.
They also say obvious signs of trauma were found on the victim, whose body had been in the desert for some time.
The woman approached deputies to report the body while they were in the area investigating a small plane crash about a mile and a half away, near Ryan Field.
When deputies initially examined the remains, they couldn't tell much about the body, except that it looked like it had been there, covered with a blanket, for some time.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call 911 or 88-CRIME.
http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com
More cargo, fewer flights at Detroit Metro Airport
Cargo traffic was up but the total number of flights was down at Detroit Metro Airport last year, the Wayne county Airport Authority reported today.
The airport also saw more international travelers.
Cargo shipped increased 6% over 2011, to 483 million pounds. The increase in cargo traffic at Metro bucked a worldwide trend, which saw air freight decline 1.5% last year.
Meanwhile, the total number of flights at the airport -- including both passenger and cargo take-offs and landings -- fell 3.4%, to 427,814.
Thirty two million passengers flew through Detroit Metro last year, about the same as in 2011. But the proportion of those who were international travelers was up.
About 2.8 million international tourists flew through Metro, up 6.8% from the year before.
Delta remains the airport’s largest passenger carrier, with 78.5% of traffic. Southwest and subsidiary Air Tran are second, with 5.3% of passengers. Spirit is third, with 4.6%. Some new domestic routes will begin this year, including a Southwest non-stop to Fort Myers, a Spirit non-stop to Denver and Frontier’s non-stop to Trenton, N.J.
http://www.freep.com
The airport also saw more international travelers.
Cargo shipped increased 6% over 2011, to 483 million pounds. The increase in cargo traffic at Metro bucked a worldwide trend, which saw air freight decline 1.5% last year.
Meanwhile, the total number of flights at the airport -- including both passenger and cargo take-offs and landings -- fell 3.4%, to 427,814.
Thirty two million passengers flew through Detroit Metro last year, about the same as in 2011. But the proportion of those who were international travelers was up.
About 2.8 million international tourists flew through Metro, up 6.8% from the year before.
Delta remains the airport’s largest passenger carrier, with 78.5% of traffic. Southwest and subsidiary Air Tran are second, with 5.3% of passengers. Spirit is third, with 4.6%. Some new domestic routes will begin this year, including a Southwest non-stop to Fort Myers, a Spirit non-stop to Denver and Frontier’s non-stop to Trenton, N.J.
http://www.freep.com
NASA cuts leave void in Clear Lake
Frankie
Camera, owner of Frenchie's Italian Restaurant, a traditional hangout
in Clear Lake, says he has seen lunchtime business drop 30 percent.
Empty restaurants, a struggling floral shop and a "transition center" packed daily with job-seekers are among the lingering effects of the loss of thousands of aerospace jobs in the Clear Lake area.
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Read more: http://www.houstonchronicle.com
Medical helicopter plagued with problems?
A matter of life and death! Former EMS workers say Lee County's medical helicopter is literally falling apart, risking the lives of patients in need of life-saving services. Since the county's Medstar helicopter was grounded due to a billing scandal.
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