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February 18, 2009

CAE 5000 Series Simulator Surpasses 15,000 Hours Of Training

Aeroflot, Zhuhai Flight Training Centre Sims Latest To Earn Level D Cert

CAE announced Wednesday its CAE 5000 Series full-flight simulator (FFS), which was launched in March 2007 and entered service a year ago, has surpassed 15,000 hours of training in its first year of service.

First Trials Begin Wednesday At TUL

Airline passengers may soon be able to skip passing through metal detectors and instead be screened by whole-body, millimeter-wave imaging devices, the Transportation Security Administration announced Tuesday.

Program Mirrors Similar Campaign By British Low-Cost Airline

Call it a sign of the times. JetBlue Airways announced this week it will fully refund tickets for passengers who book travel on the low-cost carrier, but are then involuntarily laid off from their full-time jobs.

LCROSS Mission Among Launches That May Be Postponed

NASA's ongoing delay with the launch of the space shuttle Discovery may have a negative impact on a number of scientific missions scheduled for launch over the next several weeks, Florida Today reports.

Company Expresses Confidence Sale Will Proceed

Mike McConnell, president and General Manager of Eclipse Aviation, contacted ANN Wednesday afternoon to confirm news of furloughs at the Albuquerque, NM-based planemaker... summarizing the events as a "good news/terrible news situation."

From The Scene Of Flight 3407, With CFII Bob Miller

ANN Daily Touch N Go: 02.18.09 (ANN's Short-Form Daily News Program) ANN Daily Aero-Briefing: 02.18.09 (ANN's Long-Form Daily News Program) ANN Special Feature -- From The Scene Of Flight 3407: 02.18.09 (ANN Special Report, with CFII Bob Miller of "Over The Airwaves.")

Pratt & Whitney Completes First IAE V2500 SelectOne Retrofit

Adds New Life To 38,000-Hour Turbofan

Pratt & Whitney's Columbus Engine Center in Georgia has become the first in the world to retrofit an International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500-A5 engine to the V2500 SelectOne engine.

AD NUMBER: 2009-02-08 MANUFACTURER: Turbomeca SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2009-02-08 SUMMARY: The FAA is superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for Turbomeca Turmo IV A and IV C series turboshaft engines.

AD NUMBER: 2009-04-02 MANUFACTURER: Pratt & Whitney SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2009-04-02 SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Pratt & Whitney (PW) PW4090 and PW4090-3 turbofan engines with front turbine hub, part number (P/N) 53L601, installed.

AD NUMBER: 2009-04-03 MANUFACTURER: Rolls Royce SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2009-04-03 SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Rolls-Royce Corporation (RRC) AE 3007A1E and AE 1107C turbofan/turboshaft engines.

Group Also Sees Net Income In Q1 2009

Mesa Air Group announced Wednesday net income of $15.5 million in the first quarter of FY 2009, on operating revenues of $265.1 million. That compares to a net loss of $2.8 million recorded by the regional operator over the same period in FY 2008.

Low-Cost Pioneer Was 87

If you've ever been cramped into a too-small seat on a trans-Atlantic super-saver fare, you may thank Sigurdur Helgason. And we sincerely mean that.

Two Lost In Downing Of Delta Connection Academy SR20

Victims Identified As Instructor, Student

A flight instructor and student pilot were killed Tuesday when their Cirrus SR20 crashed in a wooded marshland area of southern Volusia County near Deltona, FL.

"R44 Grand" Includes Dual Sagem Panels

Crownair Companies tells ANN it will display the Robinson R44 helicopter with an upgraded Sagem Avionics Integrated Cockpit Display System at the Heli-Expo 2009, Static Display # 40, February 22 through 24 in Anaheim, CA.

AD NUMBER: 2009-04-01 MANUFACTURER: Wytwornia SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2009-04-01 SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product.

ANN Daily Aero-Briefing: 02.18.09

GA aircraft deliveries were down in 2008, but GAMA is hopeful.
NBAA and GAMA bring back "No Plane, No Gain."
And the TSA isn't making any new friends in Alaska.

Spon

More AERO-Casts

ANN Daily Touch-And-Go: 02.18.09

GA aircraft deliveries were down in 2008, but GAMA is hopeful.
NBAA and GAMA bring back "No Plane, No Gain."
And the TSA isn't making any new friends in Alaska.

More AERO-Casts

ANN Special Feature: CFI Bob Miller, Flight 3407 - 02.18.09

ANN's Paul Plack and CFI Bob Miller of Over The Airwavestalk about Bob's work with local media on coverage of Continental 3407. Bob lives six miles from the crash site.

FMI:

More AERO-Casts

Aero-TV At The US Sport Aviation Expo: LSA Conversations 2009

Three Questions For LSA Fans

Recently, we started featuring some of the people, planes and products of the just-concluded 2009 US Sport Aviation Expo. During this event, we chatted up a number of the attendees to seek their insights on what interested them, the plight of our economic malaise as it relates to the LSA game, and other topics. We found a number of highly engaged folks, with a great deal of interest in the LSA business who had a number of concerns, as well as opinions, about the industry and its viability. Here are just a few of the many remarks we recorded last month.

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Economic Stimulus Bill Includes Return Of Bonus Tax Depreciation

Write Off At Least 60 Percent Of A New Aircraft Purchase!

Regardless of how you feel about the nearly $800 billion economic stimulus bill signed into law this week, there's at least some good news to report if you're planning to buy a new aircraft in 2009. And if you were on the fence about an aircraft purchase before, this news should go a long way toward convincing you to sign on the dotted line.

Three Questions For LSA Fans

Jim Hall Says ATR 42, Q400 Have Inherent Risks In Icing

Even as the National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation into the downing of Continental Connection Flight 3407 near Buffalo, NY -- and investigators take pains to note it's too soon to draw any conclusions about what caused the fatal crash -- a former head of the NTSB says all twin-engine turboprop airliners should be grounded immediately.

Plane Impacted Vacation Home On Oregon Coast

Relatives of the victims of the August 2008 downing of a Cessna 172 near Gearhart, OR have filed suit against the estate of the plane's pilot, the pilot's employer, and the owners of the rental home the plane crashed into.

Anaheim Is The Place To Be For Whirlybird Enthusiasts

We're just days away from the start of Heli-Expo 2009, the latest iteration of the world's largest helicopter gathering dedicated to the international helicopter community. This year's event will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA starting Sunday, February 22 through Tuesday, February 24.

Chicken Little Update: Texas Streak Was Meteor, Not Satellite

Object Was On Wrong Trajectory To Have Been Manmade, Scientist Says

If you live in North Texas, you can probably take off those hard hats now. Officials are fairly certain the fireball that streaked over Austin and Dallas -- and even up over Oklahoma, Kansas and southern Nebraska -- was probably a rare meteor event, and not debris from last week's satellite collision over Siberia.

Aircraft Will Enhance CBP’s Northern Border Security Mission

Tuesday morning, federal and state dignitaries opened the US Customs and Border Protection Unmanned Aircraft Operations Center of North Dakota, bringing enhanced security operations to the US-Canada border.

Land Purchased Under AIP Has Gone To The Dogs... Literally

Commissioners of the Port of Orcas in Washington State's San Juan Islands are preparing to butt heads with the FAA in support of local dog owners.

Cessna, Diamond, Remos To Be Among Exhibitors

On the same day news surfaced that sales of piston-engined aircraft were down precipitously in 2008, came the announcement a group of leading general aviation aircraft manufacturers and aircraft dealers plan to showcase their products throughout the southeastern US... in hopes of turning that tide around.

New DHS Chief Calls For 'Side-By-Side Comparison' Of Threats, Tactics

While the Obama administration has been no friend of general aviation so far, it may be about to make airline travelers happier. The Wall Street Journal reports reforms to TSA airport screening may be on the way.

Aero-Linx!

The National EMS Pilots Association is a professional organization dedicated to serving pilots involved in the air-medical transport industry, and to improving the quality and safety of those services. Formed in 1984, NEMSPA helps EMS helicopter and fixed-wing pilots to keep abreast of current industry issues, thereby contributing to each flight program that has NEMSPA members.

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (02.18.09): Lufbery Circle

Aero-Terms!

This air tactic was purely defensive in nature, and could only be mounted by flights of multiple planes working together. The tactic involved all members of the defending formation forming a horizontal circle in the air when attacked. This way, each plane would theoretically protect the plane in front of him. It was thought that an attacking fighter would be unable to attack any member of the formation without coming under fire himself. The tactic was intended for slower, less capable aircraft when attacked by aggressive enemy fighters.

"I think the prudent thing to do ... is ground the aircraft."

Source: Jim Hall, who served as the chief of the National Transportation Safety Board from 1994 until 2001. Hall has called all twin-engine turboprop airliners to be grounded immediately, claiming planes such as the ATR 72 and the Bombardier Q400 may suffer from inherent safety issues in icing conditions due to their relatively slow speeds, and the nature of their deicing systems.