Amid numerous reports of problems at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, a new story hitting the wires further indicates that things are in some turmoil at the much vaunted aero-historical landmark. Christopher Rogine, 48, a volunteer at the Old Rhinebeck flight facility for many years, is being criminally charged with possession of stolen property after he attempted to sell an Apollo Command Module recovery parachute on eBay last month. The eBay description noted that, "The condition is in perfect (sic). No rips, tears or discoloring. Have packaging paperwork. It has been confirmed that this is the main parachute of that historic mission 30 years ago." Rogine claimed to have had legal possession of the chute for over 20 years, having allegedly been given the property by the

First Color Photos Sent From Columbia Memorial Station in Gusev Crater The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has captured its first color image of Mars. It is the highest resolution picture ever taken of another planet.

AOPA has filed a formal complaint with the FAA over limitations on aircraft operations that the city of Pompano Beach, Fla., has imposed on pilots at Pompano Airpark (PMP). Among other things, the restrictions are an attempt to limit flight training. "AOPA has endeavored, both informally and formally, to resolve the issue, but the city council decided to go ahead with the restrictions and 'see what the FAA will do,'" said AOPA Vice President of Airports Bill Dunn. "In the face of such intransigence, AOPA had no choice but to defend the airport and pilots who operate there by filing a formal complaint." The federal government deeded what became Pompano Airpark to the city as war surplus following World War II. Part of the deal was that the city must use the land as an a

NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe has announced plans to name the landing site of the Mars Spirit Rover in honor of the astronauts who died in the tragic accident of the Space Shuttle Columbia in February. The area in the vast flatland of the Gusev Crater where Spirit landed this weekend will be called the Columbia Memorial Station. Since its historic landing, Spi

ANN Correspondent Kevin "Hognose" O'Brien was kind enough to research and translate the full text of the press release published by Swiss officials in their prohibition against Flash Airlines.... the operator of a Boeing 737 which went down last week off the coast of Egypt and into the Red Sea. We present it here for your edification... FOCA Prohibited Flash Airlines From Landing The Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA) issued a landing prohibition against the Egyptian aviation firm Flash Airlines in October, 2002. The grounds for that were, deficient condition of its airplanes. In the following, the measures taken by FOCA in connection with Flash Airlines are laid out. Last Saturday, a machine from the Egyptian aviation business Flash A

Summary: The final rule amends the regulations governing service difficulty reports (SDRs) submitted to the FAA by aeronautical repair stations. The FAA is clarifying which type of failures, malfunctions, and defects repair stations must report. The FAA is also replacing certain section references with part references to eliminate the need to revise repair station regulations again if the FAA further revises SDR rules. Major Highlights: On July 30, 2001, the FAA issued "Repair Stations; Final rule with request for comments and direct final rule with request for comments,'' (66 FR 41088; August 6, 2001). In that rulemaking action, FAA amended Sec. Sec.  145.63 and 145.79 by, among other changes, replacing the phrases "serious defect'' and "oth

Anti-Missile Devices Will Supposedly Protect Commercial Aircraft

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology division has announced that teams led by BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman and United Airlines have been selected for agreement negotiations. The team will be expected to develop a plan and test prototypes to help determine whether a viable technology exists that could be deployed to address the potential threat that MAN-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) pose to commercial aircraft. “The President and the Secretary are taking a very aggressive approach on measures to counter the potential threat of shoulder-fired missiles,” said Dr. Charles McQueary, Under Secretary, Science and Technology. “These efforts are par

Boeing's airliner deliveries for 2003 total some 281 birds... some 100 less than last year. Finishing up the year with 71 airframe deliveries in the Fourth Quarter (down from 86 in 4Q/02), this year's total is down from 381 in 2002 and a whopping 527 in 2001. How the mighty have fallen... Boeing's Fourth Quarter stats included 47 single-aisle 737s; 12 777s; three 767s; five 747s; one 757; and three 717s. Unofficial estimates put Boeing's annual delivery totals below Airbus for the first time, as Airbus had already delivered 263 airframes through just the 3rd Quarter of 2003. 

Surprise! A TFR For Washington, DC! NOTAM: 4/0121 Issued: 01/06/2004 18:16 Effective: 01/07/2004 16:25 - 01/07/2004 18:35 State: WA Facility: ZDC - WASHINGTON (ARTCC),DC. Type: VIP Description: WASHINGTON, DC, JANUARY 7, 2004.

Max-Viz, Inc. has announced the first ever Transport Canada Enhanced Vision Systems certification for an EVS-1000 system on a Bombardier Global Express, engineered and installed by Montreal Dealer/Integrator ABC Completions Inc. The US registered Bombardier Global Express was awarded Canadian Supplemental Type Approval on December 19th and is expected to have the equivalent US STC this month. "This Transport Canada certification is an enormous win for Max-Viz and our dealer, Montreal based ABC Completions," said Jim Tuttle, Max-Viz CEO. "We do not consider our EVS-1000 a competitor to the future Bombardier Enhanced Vision System (BEVS) rather we believe that it is a complimentary system. Max-Viz products provide an exceptional view of terrain, taxiways, runways and obstacles

A NorthWest Airlines Boeing 757 was landed by a "solo" pilot Tuesday morning after the Captain of the flight lost consciousness approaching Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. Descending through 12,000 feet on a short flight from Milwaukee, WI; NWA Flt 1949's Captain Roy Schooler passed out in the cockpit somewhere over Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In accordance with proper procedure, the First officer took command, stabilized the aircraft and sought medical attention for his Captain.

CharterAuction has announced that its sales activity for December 2003 was up 100%. The company attributed the jump to the U.S. government's elevation of the national threat level from Elevated to High risk of terrorist attack, among other factors. "There are a number of factors that contributed to our high numbers for the end of the year. First and foremost, our clients' concerns about safety were intensified with the raising of the national threat level from yellow to orange. Our clients want more control over their travel plans, their timing and their comfort," said Nate McKelvey, CEO of CharterAuction.

NAVAIR’s E-2 Integrated Test Team (ITT) has completed flight testing of the Navy’s new eight-bladed NP2000 propeller at Patuxent River, Md., successfully concluding a challenging series of developmental test and evaluation efforts that commenced in the summer of 2000. Development of the NP2000 was initiated in the mid nineteen-nineties when the Navy sought a viable replacement for the four-bladed HS54460 propellers utilized by its E-2 Hawkeye Command and Control and C-2 Greyhound aircraft. The new propeller incorporates several enhancements over its predecessor and is projected to reduce maintenance costs. Design features that facilitate these savings are a reduced parts count, the ability to replace individual propeller blades on the wing and a maintenance panel

Failure of a turbine blade caused an F-16C Fighting Falcon to crash in an unpopulated area near Rosepine, La., on Sept. 22, according to a report Air Force officials released Jan. 6. The pilot ejected in a sparsely wooded area about 12 nautical miles southwest of Fort Polk Army Airfield. The aircraft was part of a six-ship, unopposed surface-attack training mission, and was assigned to the 147th Fighter Wing at Ellington Field in Houston. The engine turbine blade failed because of fatigue, although there were no external signs of excess fatigue during routine inspections, according to the Aircraft Investigation Board report.

Boeing's board of directors has elected James A. Bell as chief financial officer for the $54 billion global aerospace company. A 31-year veteran of the company, Bell has been Boeing’s acting CFO since Nov. 24, 2003. Bell, 55, served as senior vice president of finance and corporate controller since October 2000. “James Bell is a superior financial leader,” said Boeing President and CEO Harry Stonecipher. “He is a proven, highly skilled manager who has intimate knowledge of our strategy and champions fiscal transparency. James will be a key member of our leadership team.” As the corporate controller for Boeing, Bell has been responsible for managing the company’s financial and cost accounting, external reporting, cost policy, com

The NBAA has announced new Maintenance Management Workshops, to be held March 11, 2004, in West Palm Beach, FL, and August 25, 2004, in Seattle. Organized by the NBAA Maintenance Committee, these Workshops will provide aviation maintenance managers an opportunity to learn the latest information on issues affecting the maintenance community. Topics to be addressed include Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issues, environmental and aviation regulations, personnel and asset management, aircraft reliability and productivity measures.

Raytheon Aircraft’s in-house repair station has received the FAA’s highest award – the Diamond Award – for maintenance excellence. The Diamond Award is the FAA’s highest honor for training, and recognizes professional technicians and their employer. A facility must have at least 25 percent of its employees participating in the FAA’s Maintenance Technician Program. A total of 185 of the 198 Raytheon Aircraft repair station employees, or 95 percent, will qualify for an individual award. The company’s goal for 2004 is 100 percent participation. Individual qualifications range from the Bronze to the Diamond Award. To receive an award, each individual must have a minimum of two hours of FAA regulations training, in addition to a number of

"AOPA has endeavored, both informally and formally, to resolve the issue, but the city council decided to go ahead with the restrictions and 'see what the FAA will do...' In the face of such intransigence, AOPA had no choice but to defend the airport and pilots who operate there by filing a formal complaint." Source: AOPA Vice President of Airports, Bill Dunn, speaking about AOPA's aggressive decision to file an FAA complaint over restrictions placed on the Pompano Beach Airport by the city of Pompano Beach.

Stan Mackiewicz has joined the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) as representative, government and industry affairs. Mackiewicz comes to NATA having recently served as a business development and government affairs consultant to several aerospace companies. Previously, he was executive director of Embry-Riddle's Aviation and Space Technology Academy in Daytona Beach, FL. He also served as president of the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA). Additionally, he has held management positions with UNC Airwork, Sundstrand, Williams International and Avco Lycoming. "I'm delighted to welcome Stan to our government and industry affairs staff," said NATA president James K. Coyne. "His depth of experience and knowledge in our industry--especially in d