Full-Power Run Achieved In Only Five Hours!

The possible roadblocks to the successful completion of the Eclipse 500 program are falling one by one... and it's starting to look as if "Raburn's Folly" may turn into "Raburn's Goldmine." Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. tells ANN that have successfully completed the first run of its new PW610F turbine engine selected by Eclipse Aviation Corporation to power the twin-engine Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet (VLJ).

LAX-Dulles Flight Pegged For Special Scrutiny

What has the TSA so interested in United Airlines Flight 200? That evening flight from Los Angeles to Washington (DC) appears to be under intense government scrutiny.

Helicopter Scares in New York, Philadelphia

The three people who were on board a WNBC-TV helicopter are counting their lucky stars after the aircraft slammed into one building and fell onto another Tuesday evening. Neither the reporter nor the two crew members on board was seriously hurt.

Temporary Bomb Detection Stations To Be Built In Two Terminals

For passengers at DFW Airport (TX), the word of the day is "shlep." By the end of this month, passengers will have to carry, drag, hustle -- shlep -- their checked luggage through temporary bomb detection stations in terminals B and E. The TSA has ordered the Texas airport to begin testing all luggage for explosives by May 31st.

Test Team Touts Canadian Hospitality as Factor in Mission Success

Osprey No. 24 returned to NAS Patuxent River on the afternoon of April 29 after spending six months conducting aircraft icing tests from Canadian Forces Base Shearwater near Halifax, Nova Scotia. During the detachment, Osprey No. 24 logged 67 hours, 37 of which were in actual icing conditions.

For X-Prize Organizers, The Answer Is Millions

Entrepreneurs Anousheh Ansari and Amir Ansari, today announced a multimillion dollar contribution to the X PRIZE Foundation which runs an international competition among private spaceships designed to fly the general public into space. On this day, the 43rd anniversary of astronaut Alan Shepard's suborbital flight into space, the X PRIZE competition is being renamed the ANSARI X PRIZE Competition to reflect the newly-established title sponsorship. The ANSARI X PRIZE is modeled after the $25,000 Orteig Prize won by Charles Lindbergh in 1927 for his historic flight from New York to Paris.

Space Agency Reps Testify Before Space Commission

Apparently caught up in President Bush's vision of a lunar colony and a manned mission to Mars by 2030, European and Asian space agencies made it plain earlier this week: They want in.

Live Frog Hops Out Of Passenger's Salad

When you eat on board a commercial flight these days, every bite is precious. A bag of peanuts is nice. A cold sandwich is the passenger's equivalent of gastronomic Valhalla. But a salad... when was the last time you saw one of those in the air? So imagine the surprise of a Qantas passenger headed from Melbourne, Australia, to Wellington, New Zealand, when she attacked her salad, fork in hand -- and a frog jumped out of the bowl.

"They absolutely tear everything apart inside the flight bag, every piece of professional literature, flight manuals, head sets, they empty the overnight bag. It's being scrutinized at a level I have never seen in over 25 years of flying." Source: Anonymous crew member on UAL Flight 200, from LAX to Dulles. The Washington Times quotes the ALPA, which says that flight has been deemed a "flight of interest" by the TSA. Crew members have to endure a second round of security screening, which includes an invasive inspection of their personal belongings. The aircraft is "sanitized" before each flight and even the pilot briefer is being followed around by a security detail.

The US Navy MH-60S fleet combat support helicopter passed a significant milestone recently by eclipsing the 50,000 flight hour mark. "The significance of this event is particularly noteworthy because the program went from the drawing board to fleet introduction in just a few years," said Paul Martin, Sikorsky's Senior Vice President for Government and Advanced Development Programs. "The aircraft was initially fielded simultaneously in three separate locations and has exhibited exemplary readiness and safety records."

NOTAM:  4/3904  Issued:  05/05/2004 15:03  Effective:  05/06/2004 12:00 - 05/06/2004 15:00  State:  VA  Facility:  ZDC - WASHINGTON (ARTCC),DC.  Type:  HAZARDS  Description:  WASTON, VA.

NOTAM:  4/3888  Issued:  05/05/2004 01:20  Effective:  Immediately - Until Further Notice  State:  AK  Facility:  ZAN - ANCHORAGE (ARTCC),AK.  Type:  HAZARDS  Description:  12 MILES NORTHEAST OF BIG LAKE, ALASKA. 

NOTAM:  4/3915  Issued:  05/05/2004 17:05  Effective:  05/05/2004 18:00 - Until Further Notice  State:  ID  Facility:  ZSE - SEATTLE (ARTCC),AUBURN,WA.  Type:  HAZARDS  Description:  ATHOL, ID. 

NOTAM:  4/3854  Issued:  05/04/2004 01:26  Effective:  Immediately - Until Further Notice  State:  CA  Facility:  ZLA - LOS ANGELES (ARTCC)PALMDALE, CA.  Type:  HAZARDS  Description:  SANTA YNEZ, CA. 

NOTAM:  4/3919  Issued:  05/05/2004 17:20  Effective:  Immediately - Until Further Notice  State:  CA  Facility:  ZLA - LOS ANGELES (ARTCC)PALMDALE, CA.  Type:  HAZARDS  Description:  TEMESCAL, CA. 

Visit Comes Amid Three-State Glitch

FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey and Congressman John L. Mica (R-FL, Dist. 7) today visited Harris Corporation's headquarters in Melbourne (FL) Tuesday, to meet with company executives and tour the FAA's Primary Network Operations and Control Center (PNOCC), which is also located in Melbourne and operated jointly by Harris and the FAA. The PNOCC is the main operations center from which the FAA's nationwide communications network is monitored and managed. The PNOCC is part of the $1.9 billion FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI) program awarded to Harris in July 2002. The visit came as a mysterious computer glitch forced controllers to ground all flights in New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana for up to two hours.

Now Leads Marketing Effort At IndUS

Scott Severen is the new marketing honcho at IndUS Aviation, having been named as Director of Sales and Marketing for North America.

AD NUMBER: 2004-09-23 MANUFACTURER: Fokker SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-09-23 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to all Fokker Model F27 Mark 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, and 700 series airplanes, that requires repetitive inspections of the control panel of the direct current (DC) generator for discrepancies, and replacement of any discrepant part. This action is necessary to prevent loss of both DC generator systems and loss of several other airplane systems, which could lead to the pilot's inability to maintain controlled flight. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition.

"Aluminum Overcast" Damaged in Gear Malfunction at Van Nuys

EAA's much-flown Boeing B-17 bomber "Aluminum Overcast," a World War II-era aircraft currently touring the West Coast, suffered significant damage Wednesday when its landing gear collapsed during a landing operation at the Van Nuys, CA, airport.

NOTAM:  4/3929  Issued:  05/05/2004 20:39  Effective:  Immediately - Until Further Notice  State:  MD  Facility:  ZDC - WASHINGTON (ARTCC),DC.  Type:  HAZARDS  Description:  BALTIMORE, MD. FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS WITHIN BALTIMORE HARBOR TUNNEL