Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Experimental Aircraft Association files petition in federal court

OSHKOSH - The Experimental Aircraft Association is looking for some relief from a half a million dollar bill from the government.

The
Experimental Aircraft Association announced Wednesday it is petitioning a federal appeals court to stop the payment to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The money is to pay for dozens of air traffic controllers during this year's AirVenture.

The
Federal Aviation Administration previously covered the costs, but the agency changed its policy this year due to federal budget cuts.

The
Federal Aviation Administration has yet to respond to the Experimental Aircraft Association's petition.

This year's fly-in begins on July 29.

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

China Nanchang CJ-6A airplane, N116RL: Accident occurred June 30, 2013 in Ocean City, Maryland

NTSB Identification: ERA13FA309 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, June 30, 2013 in Ocean City, MD
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/10/2014
Aircraft: NANCHANG CHINA CJ-6A, registration: N116RL
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

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.

Witness accounts and on-board video recordings of the accident flight revealed that the pilot initiated and performed a series of aerobatic maneuvers with the airplane before initiating a stall, rolling the airplane inverted, and entering a steady-state spin to water contact. The airplane completed 22 revolutions in the spin, with the engine running smoothly, and the stick held fully aft. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomaly. Review of the pilot's flight records revealed no evidence of formal aerobatic training. However, the records indicated that he had conducted aerobatic maneuvers, including, on at least one occasion, a flat spin.

The on-board video recordings showed no signs of pilot distress or incapacitation and indicated that the pilot was actively engaged in controlling the airplane and was providing control inputs to maintain the spin to impact. There was no indication of any distracting event or of the pilot attempting to diagnose, troubleshoot, or respond to a perceived in-flight control, system, or engine anomaly. There were multiple cues available to the pilot that the maneuver should be terminated, including an increasing ground presence/perspective from the out-the-window view and the rapidly decreasing altitude indicated on the altimeter in the panel. However, the pilot failed to terminate the maneuver at an altitude adequate to prevent impacting the water. Therefore, it is most likely that the pilot lost situational awareness during the aerobatic maneuver/prolonged spin and did not recover from the spin before impact.

Given the fact that this was a sustained aerobatic maneuver, it is possible that the pilot lost situational awareness due to target fixation, a phenomenon that can occur at varying levels ranging from a breakdown in an instrument scan to failing to pull out of an aerial application run. In these cases, the pilot has cues that a response is required and has the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully perform the response. However, because of the narrowing of attention resulting from the goal-directed activity associated with this phenomenon, a loss of overall situational awareness occurs and the appropriate response is not commanded/input. The circumstances of this accident are consistent with the loss of situational awareness due to target fixation. The pilot appears to have focused on the performance/sustainment of the spin maneuver and therefore misjudged or lost awareness of his exit altitude.


The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to terminate the intentional aerobatic spin at an altitude adequate to prevent impacting the water. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's loss of situational awareness due to target fixation during the prolonged aerobatic maneuver.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On June 30, 2013, about 1605 eastern daylight time, a Nanchang China CJ-6A airplane, N116RL, was destroyed during a collision with water following a spiraling descent, just offshore from Ocean City, Maryland. The certificated private pilot/owner and one passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The local flight departed Ocean City Municipal Airport (OXB), at 1532.

The pilot and passenger were friends and fellow officers with the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD), and the purpose of the flight was a local pleasure/orientation flight for the passenger.

Several witnesses provided written and verbal statements to local law enforcement, and the statements were largely consistent throughout. Most described the airplane as it descended in a steady-state, nose down spin to water contact. Some described a "flat spin" as well as describing the landing as "flat… a belly flop."

In a telephone interview, one witness said he was familiar with the accident airplane, and had watched it fly over Ocean City and its beaches many times. About 15 minutes prior to the accident, he heard the airplane's distinctive engine sound, so he called his friends' attention to it. The witness watched one loop, and one barrel roll, and described the maneuvers as "slow," "lazy," and some distance from shore. He said the airplane flew out of his sight to the north after that, and didn't notice the airplane return near his location.

The witness then next noticed the airplane in a spiraling descent. He did not see the airplane depart controlled flight, and said he'd never seen the airplane fly close to shore before. He added, "He has never been that low, or that close to the shore." When asked about the sound of the engine, he said there was none. When asked if he thought the sound of boats operating close by could have drowned the engine out, he said no.

The witness stated that nothing departed the airplane during the descent, and he said he noticed that the canopy was still on the airplane throughout its descent. He described the airplane in a shallow, nose-down, spiraling descent, and added that the airplane's attitude was nearly flat. The airplane finally "pancaked" into the water with a slapping sound, "like your hand slapping against the water."

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. His most recent third class medical certificate was issued November 12, 2009. 

Examination of the pilot's flight records revealed that he had recorded his flight experience in two logbooks, and then transitioned his recordkeeping to a computer-based spread sheet. Because of gaps, overlaps, and anecdotal evidence of flights taken after the last logged in the records, his total flight experience could not be reconciled. 

The pilot first logged flights as a student pilot in 1996 and took extended breaks from flying before he was issued his private pilot certificate on October 5, 2007. His log book entries ended on June 30, 2011, however; his spreadsheet entries predate that, and his most recent entry was April 14, 2013 which was 2.5 months prior to the accident.

The pilot logged 859 total hours of flight experience, of which 231 were in the accident airplane make and model. All of the 231 hours in the accident airplane were annotated on the spreadsheet. In the remarks section the pilot annotated Formation and Safety Team (FAST) formation flight training. There were brief or one-word entries such as "practicing rolls," "roll," and on November 11, 2012, "flat spin" , but no dual instruction in aerobatic maneuvering was noted anywhere in the pilot's flight records.

In an email exchange with his insurance agent, the pilot stated that the 10 hours of dual instruction he received in the accident airplane as required by his policy was not performed by flight instructors. The response explained that exceptions were often granted for "warbirds" in order to meet the requirement. In the pilot's logbook, three pilots were noted as having provided "CJ training." Of the three, only one was a flight instructor. All three were interviewed, and each said that they only provided familiarization training to the pilot specific to his Nanchang China CJ-6A airplane. At no time did they provide aerobatic training to the pilot. 

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The airplane was manufactured in 1980 and registered in the experimental exhibition category. It was a two-place, tandem-seating, basic military trainer. Its most recent annual inspection was completed on April 2, 2013, at 3,485.3 total aircraft hours.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

At 1621, the weather reported at OXB included few clouds at 600 feet, and the winds were from 200 degrees at 7 knots gusting to 17 knots.

WRECKAGE INFORMATION

Video footage as well as still photography revealed that the airplane appeared intact all the way to water contact. Sonar mapping and salvage divers revealed that the entire airplane rested together on the ocean floor, but was fractured in several places due to impact. The majority of the airplane was recovered on July 4, 2013. All major components were recovered with the exception of the left wing, and the vertical stabilizer. 

Examination of the airplane revealed that the engine was still attached to the firewall, but the upper two engine mounts were fractured due to impact. The firewall-mounted oil tank was crushed. The underside of the fuselage was compressed due to impact with water (hydraulic deformation) and the fuselage was fractured between the fore and aft cockpit stations. The left wing was separated due to impact and was not recovered. Recovery personnel cut the right wing. 

The empennage was fractured, torn, and separated from the fuselage due to impact, but remained attached by cables. Recovery personnel cut the cables to affect recovery. The vertical stabilizer was separated due to impact and was not recovered. The rudder, horizontal stabilizer, and the left-side elevator remained attached. The right-side horizontal stabilizer was cut to affect recovery, and the elevator was removed.

Control continuity was established from both cockpits, through cable, tube, and bellcrank cuts and breaks, to the flight control surfaces. 

The engine was separated from the airplane, and was rotated by hand at the propeller. Continuity was established through the powertrain and valvetrain to the accessory section with one exception. The pushrod for the number 4 cylinder exhaust valve was displaced due to impact, and would not actuate the rocker arm for valve movement.

The examination revealed no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical anomalies of the engine or airframe.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland, performed the autopsy on the pilot. The autopsy report indicated that each died as a result of "multiple injuries."

The FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicological testing of the pilot. The testing was negative for drugs, alcohol, and carbon monoxide.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

On July 8, 2014, two GoPro Hero self-contained video recorders and one Garmin Aera hand-held global positioning system (GPS) receiver were examined in the NTSB Recorders Laboratory in Washington, D.C.

The GPS receiver was damaged by impact and salt water immersion. Removal and download of the data chip revealed that no track data was recorded on the day of the accident.

The GoPro Hero video recorder was a high quality self-contained battery powered video and audio recorder. One camera was damaged and the flash memory card was wet from salt water immersion. The memory card was dried and data was recovered using the laboratory's file recovery software. The second camera was undamaged, and the memory card was downloaded normally.

The video recovered from the first memory card consisted of the entire accident flight from taxi, takeoff, enroute maneuvering and the start of the accident spin sequence. The portions of the accident flight captured by the second memory card consisted of the events that occurred just prior to the accident spin sequence through water impact. The angle of each video suggested that the first camera was mounted on the aft glareshield facing aft, and the second camera was hand-held by the passenger in the aft seat. 

A Recorder Laboratory Specialist reviewed the video and prepared a transcript of the events from each camera. Video from the first camera revealed that after takeoff the airplane climbed to about 5,000 feet and performed a series of maneuvers that included barrel rolls, banks of 60 degrees, as well as positive and negative pitch angles of 80 degrees or more. The passenger was seen holding a GoPro camera facing forward, and rudder movement was evident throughout the flight.

Beginning about 1604:00, video from the second camera showed the airplane pitched up through 70 degrees, roll through 120 degrees of bank and eventually rolled inverted, before it entered a steady-state, nose-down spin. The video showed the airplane stabilized in a 30-degree nose down attitude, wings level, the inclinometer (trim ball) displaced 1-2 ball widths to the right, and a 600 feet-per-minute rate of descent. As the airplane descended in the spin, the nosed-down pitch attitude decreased to about 20 degrees. The pilot's head was upright and faced forward, the control stick was fully aft, and the pedals moved somewhat, but remained generally neutral. The pilot and the airplane maintained this attitude through 22 complete revolutions before water contact at 1605:00. The pilot never released aft pressure on the control stick, and no evidence of remedial action was observed. The propeller was rotating and the engine sound was smooth and continuous without interruption all the way to water contact.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A friend of the pilot provided a written statement as well as video footage of flights he had taken with the accident pilot. The witness was not a pilot, but interested in taking lessons at some point in the future. He said that the accident pilot was not his instructor, but offered him advice with regards to study guides, practice tests, and map reading. During flights, he was given the flight controls, and allowed to practice navigation and steep turns. 

The pilot would assist him in donning a parachute, and go over "bail-out" procedures prior to each flight. The flights would depart to the east over the water, and then turn north and travel between 5 and 30 miles to perform aerobatic flight "as a safety precaution to any one on the ground should something go wrong." He said that during the flights, the pilot would perform loops, rolls, and on one occasion, "went vertical and put the plane into a stall."

A review of the video footage provided by the witness revealed views from a wingtip-mounted camera pointed back towards the fuselage, as well as a rear-facing view from a camera mounted on the aft-cockpit glareshield. The footage showed the airplane operating at low altitude over the ocean, as well as climbs that penetrated clouds. The airplane would be surrounded, and the ground would be completely obscured by clouds, for several seconds. The aerobatic maneuvers were also as the witness described them. The vertical climb, stall, and spin entry captured in the video provided by the witness was consistent with the accident spin entry.

The airframe and powerplant mechanic who maintained the accident airplane was interviewed by telephone and provided a written statement. He held an airline transport pilot certificate, flight instructor certificate, and had approximately 14,000 hours of flight experience, with 1,300 hours in the accident airplane make and model. He provided instruction and a "check-out" in the accident airplane to the pilot/owner after it was purchased. The instructor did not provide any aerobatic instruction to the pilot/owner, and said he did not think any formal aerobatic training had been provided to him. When it was explained that there was video evidence of the pilot/owner performing aerobatics in the accident airplane during several flights previous to the accident flight he said, "If I had known that, I would have put a stop to it."

When asked about the stall/spin characteristics of the accident airplane, the instructor said that the airplane had very predictable handling characteristics. The instructor stated, "You have to hold the airplane in a spin. The airplane will recover from a spin by itself. The second you release the stick, it will come out of the spin. The airplane will recover by itself from a fully developed spin in less than one turn. Once it is in the stall and spinning, you must hold the stick fully aft to maintain the spin." The instructor volunteered and stressed that "aerobatics over water is dangerous. It's disorienting." 

Among the Federal Aviation Regulations that address aerobatic flight, 
"…no person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight—
(b) Over an open air assembly of persons;
(e) Below an altitude of 1,500 feet above the surface."
According to U.S. Army Field Manual 3-04.301 (1-301) Aeromedical Training for Flight Personnel:
9-31. Fascination, or fixation, flying can be separated into two categories: task saturation and target fixation. Task saturation may occur during the accomplishment of simple tasks within the cockpit. Crew members may become so engrossed with a problem or task within the cockpit that they fail to properly scan outside the aircraft. Target fixation, commonly referred to as target hypnosis, occurs when an aircrew member ignores orientation cues and focuses his attention on his object or goal; for example, an attack pilot on a gunnery range becomes so intent on hitting the target that he forgets to fly the aircraft, resulting in the aircraft striking the ground, the target, or the shrapnel created by hitting the target.



NTSB Identification: ERA13FA309 14 
CFR Part 91: General Aviation  
Accident occurred Sunday, June 30, 2013 in Ocean City, MD
Aircraft: NANCHANG CHINA CJ-6A, registration: N116RL
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 June 30, 2013, about 1605 eastern daylight time, a China Nanchang CJ-6A airplane, N116RL, was destroyed during a collision with water following a spiraling descent, just offshore from Ocean City, Maryland. The certificated private pilot/owner and one passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The local flight departed Ocean City Municipal Airport (OXB), at 1532.

The pilot and passenger were friends and fellow officers with the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD), and the purpose of the flight was a local pleasure/orientation flight for the passenger.

Several witnesses provided written and verbal statements to the Ocean City Beach Patrol, the Maryland State Police, and the OCPD, and the statements were largely consistent throughout. Most described the airplane as it descended in a steady-state, nose down spin to water contact. Some described a "flat spin" as well as describing the landing as "flat… a belly flop."

In a telephone interview, one witness said he was familiar with the accident airplane, and had watched it fly over Ocean City and its beaches many times. About 15 minutes prior to the accident, he heard the airplane's distinctive engine sound, so he called his friends' attention to it. The witness watched one loop, and one barrel roll, and described the maneuvers as “slow” and “lazy” and some distance from shore. He said the airplane flew out of his sight to the north after that, and didn’t notice the airplane return near his location.

The witness then next noticed the airplane in a spiraling descent. He did not see the airplane depart controlled flight, and said he’d never seen the airplane fly close to shore before. He added, “He has never been that low, or that close to the shore.” When asked about the sound of the engine, he said there was none. When asked if he thought the sound of boats operating close by could have drowned the engine out, and he said no.

The witness stated that nothing departed the airplane during the descent, and he said he noticed that the canopy was still on the airplane throughout its descent. He described the airplane in a shallow, nose-down descent and added that the airplane’s attitude was nearly flat, and that it “pancaked” into the water with a slapping sound, “like your hand slapping against the water.”

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. His most recent third class medical certificate was issued November 12, 2009. No pilot logbook was recovered, but on his most recent insurance application, he reported 819 total hours of flight experience, of which 204 hours were in the accident airplane make and model.

The airplane was manufactured in 1980 and registered in the experimental category. Its most recent annual inspection was completed on September 12, 2012, at 6,576 total aircraft hours.

The majority of the airplane was recovered on July 4, 2014 and examination of the wreckage was scheduled for a later date. Video footage as well as still photography revealed that the airplane appeared intact all the way to water contact. Sonar mapping and salvage divers revealed that the entire airplane rested together on the ocean floor, but was fractured in several places due to impact. The left wing was lost during recovery.

A video camera was recovered from the cockpit, and forwarded to the NTSB Recorders Laboratory in Washington, DC, for download.

At 1621, the weather reported at OXB included few clouds at 600 feet, and the winds were from 200 degrees at 7 knots gusting to 17 knots.


OCEAN CITY, Md.- It's day four in the recovery efforts of the plane that, witnesses say, spiraled out of controlled and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.

Recovery crews in Ocean City told WBOC it's a race against time and 'Mother Nature.' There was zero visibility at sea Wednesday. In addition, waves continue to slam up against what's left of the wreckage. So crews have to move fast, which Maryland State Police spokesman Greg Shipley said they are.

"As of 11 o'clock today[Wednesday], there are divers from the salvage company out in the water, photographing the aircraft, making an assessment as to the conditions and how best to remove the aircraft from the waters," said Shipley.

Whether it be with inflatable bags to float it up to the surface or with a crane, the lead National Transportation Safety Board Investigator said crews are doing what they can without getting hurt. But just keeping an eye on the wreckage is tough.

Beach-goer Ed Taladay, of Ocean City, said he spotted the buoys at the crash site just days ago. However, today he said they vanished.

"They positioned those buoys and yesterday I couldn't see them, they were gone," said Taladay.

He heard the plane go down, and wants to see every piece recovered.

"My son saw the plane going down," said Taladay. He went on to describe what the deadly plane crash that happened Sunday later afternoon in Ocean City, "he said it looked like a whale. The tale of plane looked liked a whale. And I heard the impact and when I turned around it was already going down into the water."

But the NTSB can not figure out why this plane crash into the Atlantic waters until it's pulled from the sea floor.

"They believe it is still in that area, there may have been a shift that pulled the marker buoy under," said Shipley. "But they believe it is still in that vicinity and they will attach another buoy to it and then they will make the arrangements when to bring it out."

Town hall spokeswoman Jessica Waters said plans to remove the plane on Thursday is still on.


Source:   http://www.wboc.com

http://registry.faa.gov/N116RL

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch appeals judge's decision that $400,000 road near Sikorsky Airport should not have been built

Sikorsky Memorial Airport (KBDR), Bridgeport, Connecticut

STRATFORD - Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch will appeal a judge's decision that the city should not have built a new road near Sikorsky Airport on city-owned property in Stratford.

State Superior Court Judge Dale Radcliffe ruled that the city did not have to build a new gravel road, and that the taxpayers of Bridgeport did not have to pay $400,000 for it. Some taxpayers say building the road was a waste of their money.

The access road runs from three homes through Bridgeport's Sikorsky Airport to Sniffin Lane, and it replaces an old dirt road. Although it is a public road, at the entrance of it there are signs saying "airport property" and "no trespassing," and the road leads into the driveways of the three homes that benefit it.

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch says the city did the right thing paying for the new road because it makes the airport safer than it was before. However, he says a small portion of the plan was mishandled, and he suspended the airport manager who supervised the project.

Story and Video:  http://connecticut.news12.com

Vans RV-4, N220CP: Accident occurred July 03, 2013 in Hurricane, Utah

NTSB Identification: WPR13LA307
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, July 03, 2013 in Hurricane, UT
Probable Cause Approval Date: 07/30/2014
Aircraft: BOSON RV-4, registration: N220CP
Injuries: 1 Serious.

NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

During the landing with a tailwind, the airplane departed the runway and came to rest in a ravine about 100 yards from the departure end of the runway. The pilot did not recall the circumstances leading to the accident. Two witnesses reported that the airplane landed long. One witness further stated that the engine sounded normal and that the airplane was moving at a high rate of speed after touchdown. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s incorrect approach/descent path with a tailwind, which resulted in a long landing at an excessive groundspeed and a subsequent runway excursion.

On July 3, 2013, about 1715 mountain daylight time, an experimental amateur built Boson, RV-4, N220CP, sustained substantial damage from a runway overrun during landing roll, at the General Dick Stout Field Airport (1L8) Hurricane, Utah. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight which originated from Cedar City Regional Airport (CDC) Cedar City, Utah, about 1630, with a destination of 1L8.


In a written statement to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) the pilot reported that he did not recall the circumstances of the accident.

Two witnesses located near the airport runway reported that the airplane landed long and then departed the runway surface at the end of runway 19. The airplane came to rest in a ravine about 100 yards from the departure end of the runway. One witness stated that the airplane's engine noise was normal and the airplane was moving at a high rate of speed upon landing.

Examination of the accident site was conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, who was able to obtain flight control and engine continuity and reported no anomalies. The airplane's fuselage and wings sustained substantial damage.

A review of recorded weather data from the CDC automated weather observation station revealed at 1653 conditions were wind 320 degrees at 8 knots.

Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine was conducted by a certified airframe and powerplant mechanic, under the supervision of the NTSB IIC investigator-in-charge. Flight control continuity was established throughout all primary flight control surfaces from the cockpit controls. Braking continuity was established and the brakes and tires were unremarkable.

An engine run was accomplished using an external fuel source that was connected directly to the carburetor fuel port. An external battery was used to start the engine. The engine functioned normally throughout a various range of power settings and no anomalies were noted.

The examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical anomalies or failures that would have precluded normal operation. For additional information, see the Airframe and Engine Examination Report in the Public docket.


http://www.flickr.com

http://registry.faa.gov/N220CP

NTSB Identification: WPR13LA307 
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, July 03, 2013 in Hurricane, UT
Aircraft: BOSON CHARLES P RV-4, registration: N220CP
Injuries: 1 Serious.

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 may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On July 3, 2013, about 1715 mountain daylight time, an experimental amateur built Boson, RV-4, N220CP, sustained substantial damage from a runway overrun during landing roll, at the General Dick Stout Field Airport (1L8) Hurricane, Utah. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight which originated from Cedar City Regional Airport (CDC) Cedar City, Utah at about 1630 with a destination of 1L8.

Two witnesses located near the airport reported that the airplane landed long and then departed the runway surface at the end of runway 19. The airplane came to rest in a ravine about 100 yards from the departure end of the runway.

Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the fuselage sustained substantial damage. The airplane was recovered to a local storage facility for further examination.


Part of a plane can be seen at the scene of crash near the Hurricane airport Wednesday afternoon. One person was involved and was taken from the scene by Life Flight.
~

HURRICANE — A Washington County resident was injured Wednesday afternoon when a small passenger airplane he was piloting crashed south of the Hurricane Municipal Airport. 

“As he came to the airport (runway), it appears he was taking off, and for a reason unknown to us, lost altitude,” Police Chief Lynn Excell said. “He crashed into the ground and ended in Frog Hollow Wash.”

Excell identified the lone victim in the crash as a 74-year-old male “from the Hurricane area” but said he wasn’t prepared to release the exact city or other victim identification.

The Spectrum was later able to identify the pilot as retired U.S. Air Force Maj. John “Jack” Spey, who lists an Apple Valley address. Spey’s identity was confirmed by personnel at Dixie Regional Medical Center, where the pilot was taken by Life Flight helicopter.

DRMC Communications Director Terri Draper said shortly after 8 p.m. that Spey was listed in serious condition with unidentified injuries and would be flown to University Medical Center in Las Vegas for further treatment.

The tail section of Spey’s experimental two-seat Boson Charles P aircraft was visible from nearby 1100 West, immediately south of the airport runway, in an area surrounded by fields filled with farm animals. The crash did not ignite a fire in nearby brush, Excell said.

Hurricane emergency responders worked for more than half an hour to remove Spey from the plane. Excell said he hadn’t been close enough to the scene to determine the condition of the plane, but said it appeared to have landed upright.

The site will be secured until federal investigators arrive, he said.

No one answered a phone call to Spey’s number, but Spey told The Spectrum in 2010 he is a Vietnam veteran who gained some renown following his participation in an Air Force study on the effects of Agent Orange and other herbicides used during the war.

Spey flew C-123 cargo planes in Vietnam and Laos during the war. In transcribed interviews as part of a fall 2000 Vietnam Archive oral history project, Spey said he was born in Colon, Panama, in 1938 and attended schools in New York and California before entering the Air Force in 1956.

“The first spray missions were conducted in January of 1961. For the following three and a half years I served with Operation Ranch Hand flying what I call combat crop dusting,” Spey told the interviewer.


Source:  http://www.thespectrum.com

Why NASCAR legend thinks his jet is dumb

Concord Regional Airport (KJQF), North Carolina 

 Mark Martin parks his jet about 20 feet from the kitchen counter.

Martin, the ageless NASCAR driver, scoops microwaved brown rice into his mouth as he prepares for his latest journey: flying himself to a race in Michigan.

His comfort zone is a large airplane hangar at the Concord (N.C.) Regional Airport, adjacent to the runway and equipped like a luxury home, mahogany wood floors included. There's an upstairs bedroom, a living room with comfortable couches and a TV.

There are no walls between the kitchen, where Martin sits, and his shiny 2-year-old Citation CJ4.

"It's stupid," Martin says. "It's absolutely stupid. Don't let anyone ever try to justify the costs of owning a plane. ... But it sure is convenient."

Martin invited USA TODAY Sports to come along for his flight to Michigan, a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life of one of the sport's greats. A well-respected veteran whose career has spanned parts of 31 seasons in the Cup series, Martin is viewed as somewhat of a racing sage by his peers. He has 40 Cup wins and 49 Nationwide Series wins to go with five championships in the now-defunct IROC series. Though he has never won a Cup title or a Daytona 500, he has a record five runner-up finishes in the season standings.

A man known for being able to keep up with the times, Martin has a passion for rap music and a presence on Twitter and is an early devotee of Vine. Yet the real secret to his long-term success likely lies in keeping himself physically competitive — the 54-year-old routinely shares his regimen with his Twitter followers.

"If you look at the way he has treated his body, it tells you that this guy likes a challenge," says Jeff Gordon, Martin's former teammate at Hendrick Motorsports. "He likes to push himself, and he is disciplined. I think that's what gives you longevity in a sport when you have the talent."

His life as a pilot is just one of the changes Martin has seen.

"We used to take a van to Michigan," he says. "Heck, we drove to Riverside (Calif.)! But one year, after we drove to Riverside and I finished fifth, I caught a flight home."

He laughs at the memory, eager to recall his early days in NASCAR. This season, NASCAR introduced its sixth generation Cup series car. Martin has driven and won races in four of them.

"We raced hard but fair," he says of the days going door-to-door with David Pearson, Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip. "The definition of 'fair' has changed. It was, 'May the best man win' back then. You couldn't fight the inevitable of a faster car.

"Now, everyone is so close that you can't pass. And the slow cars now are not nearly as slow."

Yet Martin's experience gives him a connection to today's drivers. Teammates Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. have been "very kind" about listening to him, Martin says.

During Truex's six-year winless streak — recently broken at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway — Martin helped Truex stay positive.

"He's like, 'You're going to get one,' " Truex said. "Just keep doing what you're doing. You guys are awesome. You're fast. You're doing all the right things. Don't get discouraged when things don't go your way, because you're going to get a win.

"He was right. It's nice to see somebody like that understand what we're going through and give good advice."

'Get with it or get obsolete'


Martin finishes his rice cup and, with a wave of his hand, motions to follow him outside the hangar. A walkie-talkie in hand, he says into the radio, "Concord pick up IFR to ADG."

The radio crackles with sounds foreign to a non-pilot. Martin scribbles notes on a yellow Post-it pad and heads back inside.

Private aviation is expensive, but Martin says he tries to reduce costs. Not only does he prep the plane himself, he often also is the sole pilot (he enlists help to fly after races).

As he prepares for departure, his mind still is on how different racing is these days.

"At Darlington in '83, I finished third and there were only three cars on the lead lap. Fans today would lose their minds if that happened!"

Martin says TV deals "accelerated everything. That sent the sport through the roof, but we had to sell ourselves so strong that it created unrealistic expectations. We couldn't deliver that strong all the time, and it was a vicious cycle: We had to outperform everything we'd done before."

Martin picks up a remote control and silences the country music playing in the background. He hits another button, and the massive hangar door folds upward.

"We used to be able to shake hands with the fans and be nice — but that was when there were 15 or 20 people standing there," Martin says. "When there are 5,000, you physically can't do that anymore. We still give as much time as we did before, but now it's so diluted."

The sponsors require more time too, Martin says, which is why private planes are necessary. Drivers cannot take the time to drive to a track — that would mean the cancellation of appearances, team meetings and other business, he says.

He considers it all part of adapting.

"Get with it or get obsolete," he says. "Everything is an evolution, whether it's managing your time or setting up the race cars."

There was a time when Martin found himself being resistant to the marketing aspect that was sweeping the sport in the mid-1990s. But he quickly learned if he didn't embrace it, it would hurt his on-track performance.

Well-funded cars go faster.

"If I didn't embrace this thing I didn't know anything about, I would have been out of the sport at an early age," he says.

In the early '90s, Martin says he had strong input on his setups. He'd tell the team exactly what kind of springs he wanted to run in the cars. Sometimes, drivers would share information — he recalls doing so with Rusty Wallace.

And now?

"Drivers don't know what goes into the cars no more," he says. "It's too dang complicated. It's all computers that are figuring out what to put in there. Back in the day, we just dreamed something up and tried it."

As Martin backs the plane out of the hangar, two more passengers emerge: Jeff Burton and his son, Harrison. Burton and Martin, longtime friends and competitors, occasionally share a ride to the track.

Martin eyes the suddenly darkening skies.

"We might get a bump coming out!" he yells to the group.

"It'd be a lot safer to go around it," Burton offers.

"I'll do my best to avoid it," Martin says. "Other people fly right through that stuff, but I don't like to do that."

Martin's father, stepmother and half-sister died in 1998 when a plane piloted by the elder Martin crashed. Martin isn't afraid of flying but says bad weather "scares me really bad."

"I'm scared of snakes, too," he says with a shrug. "Everybody has their fears."


Story and Photo:   http://www.ksdk.com

No injuries as plane lands in Ray Township corn field

Romeo State Airport (D98),  Michigan


No one was injured when a pilot and flight instructor landed a troubled single-engine plane in a corn field in Ray Township on Wednesday afternoon.  

 Pilot William Rands and instructor James Alford set the white Cessna 182 down in the field on 31 Mile Road about a half-mile west of Romeo Plank minutes after they left Ray Community Airport and noticed the craft’s single engine had no oil pressure, Rands said.

“The engine didn’t sound right,” Rands, 69, a licensed commercial pilot, said. “It started vibrating worse and worse. We thought we were better off making a precautionary landing.”

Rands, a Grosse Pointe resident and a member of the Warren Flying Club in Troy, and Alford were testing the four-seat, fixed-wing aircraft for the club, which had recently acquired the craft.

They left out of Oakland/Troy Airport and planned to get fuel at Ray, but, Rands said, could not get close enough to the Ray fueling station because of ongoing construction at that facility.

They then left Ray and headed for Romeo State Airport.

“We checked all the instruments (as we left Ray),” Rands said. “Everything was fine.”

But not long into the flight west from Ray to Romeo, the engine started making a noise that troubled Rands and Alford, an Ann Arbor resident.

“It was subtle, just a little bit strange,” Rands said of the engine noise. “We were not making power.”

They spotted the corn field that was a short distance east of the Romeo airport, shut off the engine when the plane was about 200 feet in the air, and landed at about 4 p.m.

The plane’s wheels rolled about 300 yards in the field before the craft came to a stop.

“It was better to (land) in something like this than try to stretch (the flight to the airfield),” Alford said.

Rands said they never lost control of the craft.

“It was not a rough touchdown,” Rands said. “It was smooth. It wasn’t much different than landing in a grass field.

“This is my first experience with this kind of thing.”

A Federal Aviation Administration official was called to the scene to conduct an investigation. He looked over the plane and the landing site with Rands and Alford.

“There’s nothing immediately obvious,” the FAA official told Rands and Alford as he inspected the plane.

“Kudos to them,” Trooper Todd T. Lambert of the Michigan State Police said of Rands and Alford. “There was no damage, and no injuries.”

A company that will retrieve the plane for the Warren Flying Club was contacted, Rands said.

Story and Photos:  http://www.macombdaily.com


Story, Video, Photo: http://www.wxyz.com

Councilman: Municipal airport in poor condition

Blytheville Municipal Airport  (KHKA),  Arkansas


Eventually, the city of Blytheville may need a new municipal airport facility.

Guided by Sam Jackson, Councilman Kevin Snow, chairman of the Airport and Utilities Committee, recently toured the city-owned Blytheville Municipal Airport, which Snow said is in dire need of work.

Snow told the Airport and Utilities Committee Tuesday night that the hangars have dirt floors and no electricity.

He noted some renters have moved their aircraft to the Aeroplex because of the condition of the hangars, including one who left after mice kept getting in his plane.

"To say the least, that place out there is in bad shape," Snow said, noting the facility is missing out on revenue because of its deteriorating condition.

He added there are several empty hangars, and the ones occupied have low rent -- some getting hundreds a month less than hangars at the Jonesboro airport. The Kennett airport is also able to charge a higher rate than Blytheville because it is in better shape, according to Snow.

Snow said the city asset has been neglected too long, and the airport doesn't have the revenue to perform the needed work.

"He (Jackson) said this is an asset for the city -- and I agree -- that we need to take care of," Snow said. "In the end, this could be revenue-producing. It could be self-supporting and still bring money into the community."

Councilman Stan Parks said, "For some people flying in, it's their first impression of the city."

Snow noted in the past, the facility has utilized some grants for specific work like runway lighting and fencing.

He said the airport could seek a 10 percent matching grant, where, for instance, if the city puts down $30,000, the remaining $300,000 would be funded by the grant.

"He (Jackson) said -- and I probably agree -- that it would be cheaper in the long run just to build a new one," Snow said. "I don't think it's worth throwing money at this one."

Councilman John Musgraves suggested getting an estimate to rebuild and seeking grant funding.

"It's something that's going to take an investment," Snow said. "It's not something we can do right away this year. Don't get the wrong idea that I'm trying to push that. I'm not by any means. This is something that we need to be looking at because it's city property, and there's also negligence on the city's part if something happened to somebody."

He said the Airport Commission has invited Council members to attend its monthly meetings, and Snow plans to begin going to those meeting. The Airport Commission meets at noon on the second Tuesday of each month at the Holiday Inn.

Snow said Jackson is sending him the airport's financials for review as well.

He noted the airport manager, Jimmy Edwards, who doesn't draw a salary, lives out of town, but still helps out with the operations.

Story:  http://www.couriernews.net

Many witnesses, few clues after jet buzzes Ramapo

Ramapo got buzzed.

A twin-engine jet caused a stir Wednesday morning by cruising as low as 200 feet above the ground along the New York State Thruway, from Airmont Road to the Garden State Parkway extension, Ramapo police said.

The pilot even buzzed the Ramapo police station and Town Hall on Route 59.

Capt. Brad Weidel was driving along Remsen Avenue.

“A minute later this plane went over me — a large twin-engine jet with landing gear down,” Weidel said. “It was frightening. It went right over me, about 200 feet and I am being conservative since it could have been lower.”

The sighting occurred around 8:30 a.m., seen by several police officers and leading numerous residents to call police headquarters, Weidel said.

Officers estimated the plane flew between 200 and 500 feet above the ground, Weidel said.

At first glance, Ramapo police officers feared the plane was going to crash or try landing on the Thruway, Weidel said.

The Federal Aviation Administration told police it was not aware of any jets with problems flying over Ramapo, Weidel said. The Federal Aviation Administration also couldn’t identify the jet, he said.

Ramapo “formally requested that the
Federal Aviation Administration investigate this matter,” Weidel said, adding that the police also refereed the incident to the Rockland Intelligence Unit and the New York State Office of Homeland Security.

Weidel said the police are asking the public to provide any information on the low-flying plane, especially any video of the craft to help identify it.

This isn’t the first time in recent memory that western Ramapo residents have been startled by low-flying craft.

Four summers ago, Suffern resident John Diamond told The Journal News his house started to shake just after midnight when a low-flying plane passed over his home, which is a block away from Good Samaritan Hospital.

Ramapo officials said the Federal Aviation Administration told them that it was a passenger jet flying at 3,000 feet, but an
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman at the time could not confirm the event and said aircraft at that altitude would not result in rattling someone’s house.

Anyone with information about Wednesday’s incident is asked to call police at 845-357-2400.

Story and Comments/Reaction:  http://www.lohud.com

Lots of interest in low-flying aircraft

Flying low: Buzzing jet just a training exercise

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The military is not targeting Austin!

Repeat: The military is not targeting Austin! This is just a drill.

That's the word from Austin Bergstrom International Airport after several callers, emailers, social media devotees and others sent out queries about a low-flying, four-engine jet with a U.S. Navy decal near the tail buzzing Downtown Austin on Wednesday.

The aircraft was a Navy E6 from Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City and was making touch-and-go landings during a standard training procedure, ABIA said.

Based on wind direction, takeoffs and landings at ABIA were operating in a south flow. Using the airport's largest runway on the west side of the airfield, the plane stayed on the west side of the airport and near the downtown area.

Stand down! Repeat: Stand down!

That is all.


Source:   http://www.kxan.com

State to spray in Tukwila for gypsy moths July 8 - Washington

The state Department of Agriculture (WSDA) plans to spray in Tukwila to control gypsy moths starting at 5 a.m. Monday, July 8.

A pilot from Al’s Aerial Spraying, a Michigan-based contractor, is expected to depart Renton Airport shortly after 5 a.m., according to the WSDA. The flight should take from 25 to 30 minutes and it includes flying low over the tree canopy in the 180 acres that includes Fort Dent Park.

The flight target starts south of Foster Golf Links. City park officials and the Tukwila Police are aware of the flight. Residents may be aware of the low flying aircraft during the application. The pilot flies about 100 to 200 feet above the trees. The airplane is a bright yellow color.

The spraying purpose is to release tiny insect pheromone pellets to disrupt the possibility of mating between any adult gypsy moths. The mating disruption application is intended to prevent any small satellite populations from becoming established in the area.

WSDA works to keep gypsy moth from becoming established in Washington because:

·   Gypsy moth attacks up to 500 species of trees, shrubs and plants.

·   Gypsy moth spreads very rapidly. One female moth can produce up to a thousand caterpillars in a season.

·   Gypsy moth has few natural predators in the U.S. and the pest is affecting the environment in 19 East Coast and Upper Midwest states with a large financial impact. Gypsy moth is not established on any West Coast state.

·   Gypsy moth cannot be eradicated once it is permanently established.

·   If permanently established here, it would have a large impact on Washington’s timer, agriculture and horticulture industries.

·   WSDA detects gypsy moth in Washington every year—but no permanent population has developed due to trapping surveillance and eradication projects when a small population is detected.

Source:  http://www.tukwilareporter.com

Boeing MAX Pain Spans Globe, Hurting Carriers’ Profit and Growth: Grounding of jet is potentially more disruptive for smaller airlines abroad than big U.S. companies



More than four months after the grounding of Boeing Co. ’s best-selling 737 MAX, the passenger jet’s absence is hitting profits, crimping growth and throwing service schedules into disarray at airlines around the world.

Southwest Airlines Co., Boeing’s biggest MAX customer, said Thursday it would stop flying out of New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport this fall as it tries to offset the impact of the prolonged grounding. It also extended planned cancellations through Jan. 5.

While a handful of American carriers have been affected by the grounding, a big chunk of MAX sales have been to airlines outside the U.S., in markets where air travel is climbing dramatically and low-cost carriers are building up their fleets of such fuel-efficient, single-aisle planes. That trajectory makes the grounding potentially much more disruptive than it has been so far in bigger markets such as North America.

Low-cost carrier flydubai, the Middle East’s largest MAX customer, with 251 orders and 14 already in its fleet, has canceled 17% of its flying schedule following the grounding. Oman Air, the sultanate’s national carrier, with five MAX jets parked and orders for 25 more, recently canceled more than 800 flights through August. Carrier Ryanair Holdings PLC, Europe’s largest budget airline, said it expects a hit to 2019 profits, and it more than halved its summer 2020 passenger growth forecast to 3%.

“There is starting to be an impact on the winter schedules and 2020 plans,” said Brendan Sobie, chief analyst at CAPA-Centre for Aviation in Singapore. That is “likely to be much more significant than what we have seen so far given the size of the [MAX] fleet wasn’t that huge at the time of the grounding in March.”

Many of these smaller carriers have already been wounded by rising fuel prices, other cost increases and stiffer-than-expected competition. Now, they are feeling the most pain from the MAX grounding, too—both because the financial hit can be more extreme and because their smaller fleet sizes make them less flexible.

In Southeast Asia, one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world, capacity at budget carrier SilkAir is forecast to drop 3% over the next year, thanks largely to the grounding, parent company Singapore Airlines Ltd. said. SilkAir operates six MAX jets, with another 31 on order. The grounding has also delayed plans to transfer some of SilkAir’s existing planes to another group airline, Scoot, impacting that carrier’s passenger capacity growth, a group spokesperson said. The group as a whole still expects overall capacity growth of 6% at its three passenger carriers, led by strong numbers at Singapore Airlines.

Some airlines are opting to buy jets from Boeing’s chief rival, Airbus SE . In Saudi Arabia, fast-expanding Flyadeal opted against a deal for 30 MAX jets, this month announcing that it would purchase 30 Airbus A320neo jets and fly an all-Airbus fleet instead. Flydubai has also been in talks with Airbus to replace MAXs.

In March, international regulators and airlines grounded the jet world-wide following the crashes of MAX planes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Boeing is working on a software fix to its flight-control system and will need regulatory approval around the world before it resumes 737 MAX deliveries.

In some cases, Boeing is working with airlines to see them through the delays. Nigerian airline Green Africa Airways is considering a number of options including starting service with older model 737 NG jets if the MAX planes aren’t available by the time the company launches, people with knowledge of the matter said. Green Africa last year announced plans to buy up to 100 MAX jets, the largest deal for Boeing aircraft from an African carrier.

Some bigger airlines with large MAX orders have been able to plug the capacity gaps. In India, major MAX customer SpiceJet said in May that the grounding “could have led to huge cancellations and passenger disruptions,” but that it was able to lease planes to offset the loss of MAX jets. That is partly because the recent demise of another Indian flier, Jet Airways , has freed up 737s, industry analysts said.

“There was a ready-made set of tailored, engineered aircraft ready,” said Devesh Agarwal, editor of the industry website Bangalore Aviation. “If Jet had not gone under, then SpiceJet would have been quite significantly constrained.”

For many larger airlines, the grounding so far has been “an inconvenience,” said Greg Waldron, Asia editor at FlightGlobal, an industry publication. That is especially true for big players in China, where airlines operate 96 MAX jets—roughly one-fifth of the total delivered globally. State-run China Southern Airlines Co. is the country’s biggest MAX operator with 24 of the aircraft. But it also operates 470 other single-aisle jets, including Airbus A320s and older 737 versions, insulating it from significant MAX shock.

Air China , China Eastern Airlines Corp. and China Southern, the country’s three big state-run airlines, have joined other global MAX operators in demanding compensation from Boeing for financial losses related to the grounding, though they have not disclosed details. Boeing said this month it would set aside about $5 billion to compensate airlines that have suffered because of the extended grounding.

Two planes make emergency landings at RDU

Raleigh-Durham International Airport (KRDU), North Carolina

Morrisville, N.C. — Two planes made unscheduled landings and part of a terminal was evacuated during three unrelated emergencies Wednesday afternoon at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

No one was injured in the incidents, which all happened within three hours, airport officials said.

Just before noon, a private plane made a safe emergency landing after losing power in one of its engines. Airport officials did not say who owned the plane, which they identified as a Beechcraft Premier, or how many were on board.

Shortly after the emergency landing, the baggage claim area at Terminal 2 was evacuated after authorities found a bag leaking what was later determined to be liquid medication. The area was reopened about 1:30 p.m.

About 1:45 p.m., the crew aboard United Airlines flight 4495 requested to land at RDU after smelling smoke in the cockpit. The plane was carrying 46 passengers from Savannah, Ga., to Newark, N.J.

Airport spokeswoman Mindy Hamlin said the jet landed safely about 2 p.m.


Source:  http://www.wral.com

Plane makes emergency landing near Newton Falls, Ohio

NEWTON TWP., Ohio - A pilot may have his skill to thank for a safe landing in Trumbull County.

State troopers tell 21 News that pilot, Kenneth Padgett of Cortland, was maneuvering his small plane over Newton Falls when the engine died.

Padget was forced to land in a field near Route 534 and McClure East Road at 2:15 p.m.

No one was injured. An inspection of the planes engine determined that the float in the carburetor became stuck.

The Highway patrol forwarded the incident to the
Federal Aviation Administration in case further investigation is warranted.

Video:  http://www.wkbn.com

Story and Photo:  http://www.wfmj.com

Norfolk environmental group sues feds over eagles

Norfolk International Airport (KORF), Virginia

A local environmental advocacy group filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to halt the removal of bald eagle nests near Norfolk International Airport.

Federal law says bald eagles can only be moved as a last resort to protect people or the birds. The city claimed in a permit application that the proximity of the eagles to the airport endangered travelers.

But the group, Eagle On Alliance, contends in Wednesday’s filing that the federal agency did not require the city to pursue alternatives to removing the nests and that biologists have said destroying them wouldn't likely keep the eagles away.

Since October, seven nests have been removed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services Division. Officials have used fireworks, lights and paintball guns to shoo the two eagles away when they've returned.

In the suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Norfolk, the group says it hopes to stop the destruction of the nests before the eagles’ nesting season starts in the fall. The city’s permit expires Oct. 31.

The effort to relocate the eagles was spurred by a strike in April 2011, in which a female eagle eating a fish at the end of a runway was killed by a landing jet. Over the last 10 years, the airport has reported 236 wildlife strikes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, including seagulls, geese and foxes. Of those, three involved bald eagles.


Story and Comments/Reaction:   http://hamptonroads.com

Veteran Paragliders Criticize Instructor after Student's Death

SAN DIEGO -- Paragliding instructors in Utah and Southern California are criticizing one of their own for questionable safety practices after a 48-year-old student was killed during a lesson in Imperial Beach.

Henry Ho, a financial adviser from Windsor, Colo., died June 26 after slamming into rocks south of the terminus of Seacoast Drive, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office.

Ho was part of a class of ten students training under Dell Schanze, a Utah-based instructor, and two assistants.

None of the students were wearing helmets while practicing glider control and taking off on "touch-and-go" jumps of 15 to 20 feet on the beach, Schanze confirmed to San Diego 6 News.

Helmets are widely used in the industry and seen as standard practice, several certified instructors said.

"We do not even let anybody get into a harness, much less strap a paraglider to their harness without a helmet on first. It’s the first thing we teach," said Torrey Pines Gliderport instructor Billy Purden.

Schanze has a history of arrests and citations from daredevil stunts, including a BASE jump off the 125-foot historical Astoria Column in Oregon. The Imperial Beach City Council enacted emergency legislation last year after Schanze paraglided off a home.

"Anyone being critical of our training isn't competent to know or understand how the training really works," Schanze told San Diego 6 by phone Tuesday.

He said Ho's death was the result of "pilot error" and could not have been anticipated.

"Basically the pilot turned 180 degrees in the opposite direction of the direction he was supposed to go, and well trained to go."

"Does that suggest he was not properly trained?" asked San Diego 6 reporter Derek Staahl.

"No not in any way."

"Well how so?"

"I have a ton of video showing him with a complete mastery of all the basic skills."

"Then how did he make that error?" Staahl replied.

"It wouldn't be any more the case than if you sold someone a car and they went out and ran it into something clear out in the middle of nowhere," said Schanze.

Paragliding is prohibited in Imperial Beach, but enthusiasts are allowed to practice "ground work" on the sand so long as they don't become airborne, said Dean Roberts of the city's Public Safety Department.

Roberts could not be reached late Tuesday to see if "touch-and-go" jumps of 15 to 20 feet would be in violation of this ordinance.

Each student paid $2500 for the 10-day intensive course, Schanze said. But his business, Paraglider Mall, is not licensed to operate in Imperial Beach.

Roberts said last week Schanze could be subject to fines if the city found he was operating without a license.

Shane Denherder, a Utah-based instructor who worked for Schanze from 2010 to 2012, said his former boss regularly told students to lie to authorities if they were approached on the beach during training.

"He would tell them to not say that we're out here paying for training, but more that we're just a group of friends out here to fly," Denherder said.

Denherder said Schanze encouraged students to attempt highly advanced and dangerous maneuvers after just a few days of training. He said he long feared Schanze's confidence in his teaching ability could lead to an accident.

"Not to brag about my skills," Schanze told San Diego 6, "but I am currently the best pilot in the world and I have the best safety record."

He said the deadly crash was the first injury incident in his 12-year career.


Story, Video, Comments/Reaction:   http://www.sandiego6.com

State Police Air Wing Crew Details Watertown Manhunt, Prepares For July 4th

BOSTON (CBS) – They can be dispatched in an instant.

Every day, they train to be prepared for any mission.

On April 19th, the mission for the three-man Massachusetts State Police Air Wing Team based at Westover AFB was to check out a boat in Watertown, as part of the day long manhunt for the marathon bombing suspect.

Trooper Mark Spencer, the pilot says, “We followed a few leads that didn’t really pan out and then all of the sudden got a lead that did.”

The troopers used their Forward Looking Infrared Camera, called a FLIR, mounted on the helicopter, to see through the shrink wrap on the boat and they could clearly see a man moving inside.

Trooper Ed Mathurin operates the camera.  “When I put the camera on it, I was actually pretty surprised. Not only did I see a heat source,  but I actually saw the silhouette of a person.  The plastic was almost transparent. I could tell it was a human being, I could tell what he was wearing, It was a pretty good picture.”

PHOTOS: State Police Aerial Images From Watertown

Trooper Eric Fairchild says, “The first thing I thought of is we have to let the guys on the ground that there is someone in that boat.

Spencer says, “My two crew members… started shooting images of it back to the command post. Tactically speaking they talked everybody into it to tell them what was going on at the time because they couldn’t see what we could see.”

The team monitored every move that the suspect made to protect police descending on the scene on the ground below.

Trooper Spencer explains, “It’s important for us to be able to support the people on the ground.  The ground-pounders as we call them are the ones that are doing the most hands on work in that instance.”

Trooper Eric Fairchild communicated directly with Commanders in the Operations Center.  He says, “He was moving, he would be on his back and then his stomach.  He would be in the bow of the boat and move aft.”  Fairchild says they were trying to see what was in his hands, “When we first arrived it looked like he was pushing something up and thru the tarp and we couldn’t see what it was.”  Immediately after that, there was gunfire on the ground.  Fairchild says the suspect lay down, and then began crawling again.

Trooper Mathurin then says the ground crews moved in with more equipment.  “They used the bear cat, it’s an armored vehicle, and it has a large ramming pole on the front of it.  Essentially they drove up to the boat and started tearing the plastic away.”

Spencer says they were proud to play a role in helping to keep officers apprehending the suspect safe.  “Our focus at that point was to bring… the entire week and the events that occurred to an end.

We could all sense, Boston had enough, the world had enough, we had had enough and we needed to bring this guy to justice.”

For the Air Wing, every day brings a new challenge.

We were up with the Air Wing based in Lawrence, when they got the call to help find a woman who was stuck in a swamp in West Roxbury.  In minutes we were on the scene and spotted the woman struggling to get out.  The troopers from the Air Wing helped to guide in Boston Police to carry the woman out.

The team will also play an important role in the July 4th security operations, because what they can see in the air can be downlinked in real time to the Command Center on the ground.  They can check on roofs, and respond to any call for help.

Their powerful camera can see the ground from three miles in the air.  They will be patrolling the Esplanade, communicating the entire time with the Command Center.

Trooper Eric Fairchild says their goal is to: “Be available to the guys on the ground, be their eyes in the sky, whatever they need.  If they have a hard time checking a rooftop, we’ll be there.  We’ll be constantly downlinking to the ground.”

Trooper Spencer explains, “You’re a part of something big and hopefully we can make it so that it is the safest possible venue we can be at given the circumstances.”

Trooper Fairchild agrees, “A lot of times, it is nice when you have somebody overhead, telling you what they see, helping direct you to a situation.  It’s nice to know someone is up there watching over you, and that’s what we will continue to do.” 


Story, Video, Photos:  http://boston.cbslocal.com

EDITORIAL: Airport Management Connecticut Aviation Authority takes over Bradley, other airports

EDITORIAL

 Finally, the airports are under new management.

After two years of preparation, the Connecticut Airport Authority has taken over operation and management of Bradley International Airport and the state's five other general aviation airports (Danielson, Groton/New London, Hartford Brainard, Waterbury-Oxford, and Windham airports) from the state Department of Transportation. The Federal Aviation Authority approved the transfer last week, effective Monday. This is most welcome news, one that should bode well for the development of air travel and aviation-related commerce in the state.

The point of putting the airports under a quasi-public independent aviation authority, a model used at many major airports around the country, is that an authority is not hamstring by state contracting, purchasing and other rules, and thus has the flexibility to make real-time business decisions. The authority worked with the DOT over the past year, preparing for the transfer of authority, and provided some examples of how a more nimble management can work.

For example, the authority put in a cell phone parking lot at Bradley last fall — a temporary parking area for drivers picking up arriving passengers. Most airports have them. Bradley needed one. The DOT for whatever reason never created one, perhaps because of the bureaucratic hurdles, but the authority just went ahead and did it. Now drivers don't have to keep circling the airport, park on the shoulder of the road or pay to park in the garage.

The authority can offer incentives, such as marketing assistance or temporary breaks on airport fees, to acquire new routes. This is a standard business practice, but one that is difficult if not impossible to employ under state contracting rules. Using incentives, the airport added a half-dozen new routes this spring, including a nonstop flight to Los Angeles, a flight to Atlanta and more flights to Florida.

Going forward, the authority will push for more routes including transatlantic service, more customer amenities and more economic development around the airports. Bradley is the second largest airport in New England and according to a recent economic analysis contributes $4 billion in economic activity to the region including 18,000 full-time jobs. Those numbers are impressive; the state is now positioned to increase them.


Source:  http://www.courant.com

American Champion Aircraft 7GCBC, N255SF: Flight makes unexpected landing off FM 1818 near Diboll, Texas

A mechanical issue caused a Spring man to make an emergency airplane landing in an Angelina County field Wednesday afternoon.  Troy Navarro, 51, was en route from Brazoria County to the Angelina County airport in a single-engine American Champion 7GCBC when a mechanical issue forced him to make an unexpected landing around 1 p.m. in a field off FM 1818 near Diboll, according to Texas Department of Public Safety trooper David Hendry. 

http://registry.faa.gov/N255SF

Story and Photo:   http://www.ktre.com 

ANGELINA COUNTY, TX (KTRE)   -  A plane made an emergency landing in Angelina County off FM 1818 Wednesday afternoon. Both the pilot and his passenger were not injured in the crash.  Trooper David Hendry, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the plane was traveling from Brazoria County to the Angelina County Airport when it had some kind of mechanical problem that forced the pilot Troy Navarro, 51, of Spring, to make an emergency landing.

Because of the rugged terrain where the plane went down, Hendry said he was unable to give any specifics on exactly where the aircraft crashed. He said the plane crashed off of FM 1818 near Diboll.   Angelina County Sheriff's deputies and DPS troopers were on the scene.


Angelina County Airport (KLFK), Lufkin, Texas

Medical airlifts can result in steep price

A 46-year-old West Virginia motorcyclist escaped serious injury recently when he lost control of his 2007 Harley Davidson bike and landed in a ditch. He was airlifted from Wilderness Road in Bland County to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

According to Virginia State Police, the operator was knocked unconscious in the accident and was bleeding from his nose and mouth. He was treated at the Roanoke hospital and released later that evening.

“It’s an unwritten thing about when to fly a person out,” noted Lonnie Gay, EMS chief for the Bland County Rescue Squad. “We look at the overall status of the victim. Most of us have at least 15 years of experience in this line of work. We can usually tell when the person needs to go to a trauma center.”

After the decision to airlift the patient is made, Gay said, the Bland County Sheriff’s Office is notified. The dispatcher from that office calls the helicopter service, usually Wings in Marion, Gay stated.

“That’s because Wings is the closest,” he pointed out. “We call Wings first and if it’s not available we call Carilion Radford. “If a person is having a heart attack, he needs to be at a cath lab as soon as possible.”

Gay reported he was aware of the expenses to the patient associated with airlifting. He acknowledged the costs are thousands of dollars and some insurance policies cover them.

“Time is life,” Gay commented. “What’s your life worth?”

The Bland County Fairgrounds, the county’s schools and former school lots in Ceres and Hollybrook are landing sites. If needed, sections of main roads in the county can be blocked for helicopter landing.

Patients not airlifted from the scene, Gay stated, are transported by ambulance to Wythe County Community Hospital. Those from the Rocky Gap are usually taken to the hospital in Bluefield, he noted.

Virginia State Police Med-Flight

Med-Flight, the Virginia State Police Aviation Unit, provides free services. Many people are unaware of the organization.

The Virginia State Police Aviation Unit was established Jan. 1, 1984, with Med-Flight II beginning operations in Abingdon in 1987.

Other bases are in Richmond and Lynchburg.

Sgt. J.W. Ratliff is the aviation based supervisor for the Abingdon location. His unit covers a 60-mile radius of Abingdon.

According to him, the State Police provides the helicopter, pilot and building. The Wellmont Health Care System furnishes the medical crew (nurse and paramedic) at no charge.

Wellmont, Ratliff said, also donates $700,000 yearly to cover medical crew salaries, equipment and supplies.

“We are here to provide a service,” the sergeant stated. “If folks call, we will come.”

The issue of time, Ratcliff said, is often a major factor in emergencies. The helicopter service that can be at the scene the fastest is usually the one called, Sgt. Ratliff stated

He noted that Med-Flight II can fly from its base in Abingdon to Wythe County Community Hospital in 25 minutes. Wings Air Rescue, a private medical helicopter service in Marion, can be in Wytheville in 12 minutes, according to Ratliff.

Ratliff pointed out first responders at an accident scene decide when a victim or victims should be airlifted to a trauma center. The emergency room doctor, he said, makes the decision when a person is transported to the hospital first.

“It’s really a judgment call,” Ratliff remarked. “It’s better to err on the side of caution.”

He was referring to accident victims being airlifted to a hospital where they are often treated and released the same day.

Wythe County Community Hospital Procedures

 
Wythe County Community Hospital does not contract with any helicopter transport service, according to Theresa H. Dix, chief nursing officer. It has the options of using AirCare, Wings, LifeCare, LifeGuard, Med-Flight and Pegasus.

The choice is based on patient/family choice and services needed for the patient. For example, Dix said, a burn victim would be transported by Pegasus to the burn center at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville.

She also reported the emergency department physician/hospitalist or primary care physician decides if a patient needs to be airlifted to another facility. The receiving physician, Dix noted, may also make the call.


Source:   http://www.tricities.com

SG Private Wealth Advisors To Market Gulfstream V N765SG

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., July 3, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- SG Private Wealth Advisors announced today that it was selected to market the Gulfstream V private jet N765SG for sale and to advise on the acquisition and financing of a Gulfstream G550.

"We are truly excited for the opportunity to be involved in yet another aircraft transaction, especially given that N765SG was operated and maintained in an immaculate condition," said Dovi Frances, co-founder of SG Private Wealth Advisors.

"Last year, SG Private Wealth Advisors introduced a new platform for aircraft sales and acquisitions that presented aircraft owners with an alternative to the standard commission-based transaction. SG Private Wealth Advisors markets each specialty-asset we represent in a unique and creative fashion; we do not charge commission based fees and we do not hold an inventory of aircrafts for sale. These qualities makes our firm an impartial advocate for our clients; we only have their best interest in mind."

About the Gulfstream V
The Gulfstream V was the world's first private jet in the ultra long-range category. Described as 'the Ferrari of private jets', it is capable of flying anywhere in the world with comfort and speed: nonstop flights from California to China or from New York to England. The Gulfstream V is equipped with Rolls-Royce BR710-48 engines, each capable of handling 14,750 pounds of thrust. The aircraft has a range of 6,230 miles, can climb to an altitude of 37,000 feet in under twenty minutes, has a ceiling of 51,000 feet, and can maintain a long-range cruise speed of 459 knots.

About SG Private Wealth Advisors

SG Private Wealth Advisors is a Multi-family office founded by billionaire Sergey Grishin and entrepreneur Dovi Frances to provide advisory services to domestic and international high net-worth clients. The firm offers clients the benefits of a family office without the burden associated with owning and such a costly operation. SG Private Wealth Advisors services include: private banking, asset management, alternative investments, insurance, specialty assets and operations.

SOURCE SG Private Wealth Advisors

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