Aero-News Network: The aviation and aerospace world's daily/real-time news and information service

Aero-News Featured Aero-Casts For Monday 06.20.11

ANN Daily Aero-Briefing: 06.20.11 (ANN's Long-Form Daily News Program) ANN Special Feature: General Aviation Earns a D-Minus - 06.20.11 (ANN Special Report, with CFI Bob Miller)

NASA Reveals New Batch Of Space Program Artifacts

Items Represent Significant Accomplishments By The Space Agency

NASA is inviting eligible education institutions, museums and other organizations to examine and request space program artifacts online. The items represent significant human spaceflight technologies, processes and accomplishments from NASA's space exploration programs.

Boeing Phantom Eye HALE Completes Vibration Tests

High-Altitude Long Endurance UAS Preps For First Flight

The Boeing Phantom Eye high altitude long endurance (HALE) UAS completed 12 days of ground vibration and structural mode interaction tests this month at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, CA.

Sikorsky CH148 Cyclone On Display At Paris Air Show

Public Debut Of The New Multi-Mission Helicopter

The Sikorsky CH148 Cyclone helicopter will debut in a static exhibit at the 49th International Paris Air Show. In a news release Thursday, Sikorsky said the aircraft on display was built under Sikorsky's Canadian Maritime Helicopter Project (CMHP).

Canadian North Pilots Ratify Tentative Labor Agreement

Nearly 80 Percent Of Ballots Cast Were In Favor Of The Pact

Pilots for Canadian North (CNP) have successfully ratified a tentative agreement, with nearly 80 percent of those who cast ballots voting in favor of the pact.

ILFC Announces 114 Aircraft Leases

Company CEO Says Focus Is On "Expanding Customer Relationships"

International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), which is owned by American International Group, announced Thursday that it has entered into 114 lease commitments so far in 2011.

1st 'Head-Of-State' A320 Corporate Airliner Delivered By Fokker

Twenty Six Seats In VIP Configuration

Fokker Aircraft Services (FAS) has successfully handed over a 26-seater Head of State VIP configured A320 to Masterjet, based at Le Bourget, France.

Australian Navy To Acquire New Combat Helicopters

Has Received Government Approval For Purchase Of 24 MH-60R Helos

Australian Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare said Wednesday that the Australian Government had approved the acquisition of 24 MH-60R Seahawk 'Romeo' naval combat helicopters at a cost of over $3 billion.

Crews Building AF's First MTC Flight Sim At Nellis

Delivery Is Underway With Completion And Handover Planned For October

The Air Force's first Mission Training Center simulator is being set up at Nevada's Nellis AFB as part of a $109.1 million contract with L-3 Link Simulation and Training.

Bored Passengers Caught Cutting Up On Airport Security Cams

Airport Says Antics Raise Security Questions

A couple of guys who's flight was cancelled at DFW recently found some unorthodox ways to keep themselves entertained ... and it was all caught on airport security cameras.

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Aero-TV: Future Cessna Flt Training -- Positioning the Skycatcher

As LSA Slowly Integrates Itself Into The Flight Training Biz, The Skycatcher Stands Ready

I don't have to tell you that the entire aviation biz has seen better days and if you've been reading ANN, of late, you know that we're bound and determined to craft a new future for the aviation world. While aviation has its share of promising and not-so-promising aspects to consider, we still believe that the LSA program has much to offer... though it has been poorly managed and incompetently led from the get-go... and worse than that, we're hearing deeply disturbing reports that the FAA may not be willing to leave well-enough alone.

Klyde Morris (06.20.11)

ATYPICAL Threats? Yeah, DHS Should Know ALL About That...

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

NBAA's Bolen Responds To WSJ Front Page Article

Says Paper Portrayed Biz-Av In An Irresponsible Way

NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen sent a letter to the Wall Street Journal following a front page article "Corporate Jet Set: Leisure vs. Business" in its June 16th edition.

MESSENGER Provides New Data About Mercury

NASA Says Tens Of Thousands Of Hi-Res Images Being Transmitted Back To Earth

After nearly three months in orbit about Mercury, MESSENGER's payload is providing a wealth of new information about the planet closest to the Sun, as well as a few surprises.

Five Hurt In MN Balloon Accident

Pilot Edward Chapman Most Seriously Injured When Balloon Went Down

World record-holding balloon pilot Edward Chapman was reported to be seriously injured Thursday evening during a landing attempt just southwest of Minneapolis. Four other people on board were slightly injured.

'First-Ever' Charting Solution For iPad EFBs Now Available

Electronic Solution Launched By Allied Pilots Association, American Airlines

The Allied Pilots Association (APA) announced Thursday that American Airlines has begun final testing of Apple iPad tablet computers equipped with electronic-charting functionality.

LM Reports F-35 Flight Testing Ahead Of Goals

Four Hundred Eleven Flight Completed As Of June 14

Since the last F-35 flight test program update issued May 11, Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II has conducted 93 test flights, bringing the total number of flights for the year to 411.

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (06.20.11): Obscuration

Obscuration Any phenomena in the atmosphere, excluding precipitation, that reduces horizontal visibility. According to the National Weather Service, some of the obstructions to visibility include blowing and widespread dust, fog (including freezing fog and patchy fog), haze, mist, sand and blowing sand, smoke, blowing spray, and volcanic ash. It is reported as "X" in an observation and on the METAR.

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (06.20.11)

Aero-Linx: Brief History of UAVs The concept of unmanned aerial vehicles was first used in the American Civil War, when the North and the South tried to launch balloons with explosive devices that would fall into the other side’s ammunition depot and explode. This concept was also used by the Japanese for around a month in World War II, when they tried to launch balloons with incendiary and other explosives. The idea was that high-altitude winds would carry them to the United States, where the dropping bombs would cause panic. Apparently, both these ideas were not effective.

Aero-News: Quote Of The Day (06.20.11)

"We will continue to oppose the government's move to dismantle this congressionally enabled program, because whether you're a top executive, or one of the countless mid-level managers, salespeople, marketing representatives or technicians who make up the vast majority of a business airplane's passengers, the simple fact is that boarding that airplane should not be tantamount to sacrificing the confidentiality of the company’s business activities." Source: NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen, in comments sent via a letter to the Wall Street Journal following a front page article "Corporate Jet Set: Leisure vs. Business" in its June 16th edition.