Twin Otters Still Grounded   

Forty-five training gliders and other aircraft grounded because of safety concerns have been cleared to fly, the US Air Force Academy announced Tuesday. However, three UV-18 Twin Otter planes used by the cadet parachute program remain grounded for a "few more days," Tech Sgt. Dean Miller said.

The institution's aircraft fleet which consists of motorized and non-motorized gliders, T-41s, Cessna 150s and Twin Otters, were grounded on Jan. 9 after officials discovered irregularities in maintenance records involving Doss Aviation of Colorado Springs. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which also conducts some flight training for the US Air Force Academy, was not a sunject of the investigation.

Safety concerns were heightened following the Jan. 2 engine failure of a twin-engine UV-18 Twin Otter aircraft. The aircraft was en route to Florida to pick up cadets participating in a parachuting competition when it was forced to land in Oklahoma.

Fortunately for the cadets in training, the resumption of flights will help get their schedules back on track.

FMI: www.usafa.af.mil