And You Should See What's Coming, Says Company

Diamond Aircraft reports that its first quarter results were the best ever, with 57 units delivered through March 31st, 2004. But the real story is in the future, as indicated by the record number of orders received in April 2004. During the single week of Sun 'n' Fun 2004 alone, Diamond received 167 secured deposits from customers and its Diamond Regional Distribution Centers (DRDC's). Significantly, 41 of these orders were actual retail sales, with the balance being DRDC orders.

There is a nervous cloud hanging over this week's ASTM Sport Pilot F37 Consensus Standards meeting in Salt Lake City. When the light sport aircraft community decided to climb onboard with the ASTM International, (originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials), in order to deliver the mandated industry consensus standards demanded by the FAA for a full Sport Pilot program, the fear was that there was no way that such a standard could be delivered soon enough after the expected rule to avoid months, or even years, of chaos...

Takes The Gold At SWRFI In Rotorcraft Competition

David Keck remembers BJ Schramm. After spending about 600 hours building his HeliCycle in Georgetown (TX), Keck got a week-long visit and a complete familiarization course from the designer himself. After his very first flight in the HeliCycle T62T-32, Keck says he landed and shouted to Schramm, "Thanks for a great helicopter BJ!"

Klyde Keeps Playing With The TSA AND The Media...

Crash Injured Pilot, Killed Deputy

When a Hughes H-269A-1 went down in the woods near Louisburg (NC) a week ago, records show 33-year old Benjamin T. Barrick was at the controls. There's just one problem, according to the FAA: Barrick had no rating.

Pilot Unaccounted For

The search continues in the Arizona desert near the Mexican border for a Royal Singapore Air Force pilot whose F-16C (file photo of type, right) crashed during a training mission Wednesday night.

Reprieve!

There is now hope that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill may not close its Horace Williams Airport (IGX) as originally scheduled on January 1 of next year. Two years ago, AOPA President Phil Boyer asked state legislators to intercede when UNC Chancellor James Moeser proposed closing the airport, which has no federal grant obligations, to develop a new campus.

Four Dead In Northern Ontario Accident

Police divers in northern Ontario have found the bodies of three Americans and a Canadian who died when their de Havilland DHC-2 float plane went down in a lake near Kenora. By Thursday, they were figuring a plan of attack to recover the bodies from the lake bed.

Boeing Plant Purchase "Too Big"

Just earlier this week, everything seemed so warm and friendly between Boeing and British-based GKN PLC, a company that makes aerospace and automotive parts. Boeing reportedly wants to sell its manufacturing plants in Kansas and Oklahoma. GKN, which has already purchased the Boeing commercial aircraft plant in Hazelwood (MO), confirmed it was interested. Then came Thursday. That's when the Reuters news agency reported GKN had suddenly lost interest and "walked away" from the deal.

NASA Sends Wreckage To Aerospace Corp.

The first pieces of Space Shuttle Columbia debris, loaned to a non-governmental agency for testing and research, are on their way from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (FL) to The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, (CA).

Airmen Help Bring Iraqi Infant To America

Medical teams from the 791st Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron assisted with the medical evacuation of a critically ill 8-month-old Iraqi girl May 18 and 19. Fatemah Kalil Hassan was transferred to the Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, to undergo specialized treatment for an abnormal growth of a blood vessel on the right side of her face and neck. The life-threatening growth was obstructing her airway, officials said.

To Be Demonstrated at Alabama Army Facilities

The EADS North America "All American C-295 Tour" is coming to two US Army facilities in Alabama this week as part of a 32-day tour to demonstrate the medium-sized military airlifter's capabilities for US Army and National Guard missions.

Will Help Decipher Black Boxes

Investigators from the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan were in China Thursday, helping to recover the twin black boxes from the wreckage of an IL-76 transport aircraft after it made a forced landing and burned Tuesday. Seven people on board the aircraft were killed.

NOTAM: 4/4417 Issued: 05/20/2004 15:17 Effective: 05/21/2004 16:25 - 05/21/2004 20:50 State: LA Facility: ZHU - HOUSTON (ARTCC),TX. Type: VIP Description: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, MAY 21, 2004. 

NOTAM: 4/4414 Issued: 05/20/2004 15:08 Effective: 05/27/2004 20:45 - 05/30/2004 23:59 State: CA Facility: ZOA - OAKLAND (ARTCC),CA. Type: AIR SHOWS/SPORTS Description: MOFFETT FEDERAL AIRFIELD, SUNNYVALE, CA.

"It's a blast! My indicated airspeed the entire trip was 100 mph. I wasn't as tired as I thought I would be after flying that distance in a small helicopter." Source: David Keck, named last weekend as the Grand Champion-Rotorcraft at the Southwest Regional EAA Fly-In in New Braunfels (TX). Not only did he win the competition -- Keck says he set a flight distance record for the HeliCycle in getting there from his home in Georgetown (TX), about 75 miles away.

How Do You Want Your Payload: Boiled Or Over Easy?

A team of seventh and eighth-graders from Discovery Middle School in Madison (AL), will compete in the world's largest model rocket contest Saturday, May 22, in The Plains (VA). Let's just hope the weather is better this year than it was last.

AD NUMBER: 2004-10-10 MANUFACTURER: Boeing SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-10-10 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Boeing Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, and -900 series airplanes equipped with certain Honeywell start converter units (SCU). This amendment requires replacement of the SCU of the auxiliary power unit (APU) located in the electrical and electronics (E/E) compartment with a new or modified SCU. This action is necessary to prevent overheating of the electrical connector of the SCU,which could create an ignition source and possible fire in the E/E compartment and cause damage to certain electrical wire bundles on the E2-2 shelf. S

AD NUMBER: 2004-10-07 MANUFACTURER: Bell SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-10-07 SUMMARY: This amendment supersedes an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for Bell Helicopter Textron Canada (BHTC) Model 407 helicopters which requires a one-time replacement of certain oil cooler blower bearings. Also, the existing AD requires adding a limitation and caution to the rotorcraft flight manual (RFM) and inspecting, replacing, and lubricating certain bearings at specified intervals. This amendment adds certain segmented drive shaft bearings to the applicability and requires modifying the oil cooler blower inlet ducts and airflow shields and replacing certain bearings. Thereafter, this amendment requires

AD NUMBER: 2003-07-11 MANUFACTURER: Rolls Royce SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2003-07-11 SUMMARY: This amendment supersedes an existing airworthiness directive (AD), that is applicable to Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) (formerly Rolls-Royce Deutschland GmbH, formerly BMW Rolls-Royce GmbH) models BR700-710A1-10 turbofan engines with fan disc part numbers(P/Ns) BRR18803, BRR19248, or BRR20791 installed, and BR700-710A2-20 turbofan engines with fan discs P/Ns BRR19248 or BRR20791 installed. That AD currently requires initial and repetitive inspections of these fan discs for cracks, and if necessary replacement with serviceable parts. This amendment requires the same inspections but with longer intervals