Another tragedy has added to the New Year's rash of airline accidents, as a Yakovlev 40 crashed Tuesday on approach to the airport in Uzbekistan's capital of Tashkent. A top United Nations (UN) official was on Uzbekistan Airways flight 1154, which claimed the lives of at least 35 passengers.

Ya Wanna Land? That'll Be $20! ANN has received a number of complaints in the last few days describing the "exorbitant" new landing fees enacted by the Catalina Conservancy that controls the once popular Catalina Airport. The airport, which has been a popular "100 Dollar Hamburger" destination (there is a restaurant near the airport with pretty good '$120' burgers...), is located in the center of the Island, at 1602 feet elevation. It hosts a single 3250 foot runway and is managed by The Catalina Island Conservancy. Built in 1946, the airport was constructed to improve access to the island, which was formerly accessible only by boats and amphibious aircraft. The runway was constructed by blowing up two local mountains and using "200,000 truckloads of r

Some 45 aircraft operated by the US Air Force Academy have been grounded for safety issues. An Academy maintenance contractor was found to have some discrepancies in their record-keeping of USAFA aircraft, described as "contractor maintenance irregularities" during a January 9th investigation, causing the Air Force to issue a grounding order until the matter can be properly investigated. Academy staffers indicate that the order will remain in place until an investigation is conducted and completed, "Academy officials will keep affected aircraft on the ground until confidence is restored in the safety of the maintenance program and permanent fixes are in place for all discrepancies identified." The contractor, Doss Aviation, of Colorado Springs has ordered an internal audit o

Methinks We're About To Get Screwed... Again Tuesday night's promos for the Wednesday edition of CBS's much-maligned (for good reason) Evening News is carrying a story on GA Airport Security and it does NOT look good. One of the text promos starts out, "There are thousands of general aviation airstrips around the country with little or no security. How can that be after 9-11? We'll have the story on Wednesday's CBS Evening News." There is also a video promo on the CBS Evening news site. The promo starts with what appears to be a Cessna 172 flying into the center of the screen with the header "Garage For Your Plane?" It then segues into, "But What About Local Airport Security?" Uh oh... It gets worse. The next sound byte is particularly w

An Apache helicopter went down near Fallujah, Iraq, Tuesday according to US Central Command officials. There were no injuries and the incident is under investigation. The downing is the third in two weeks, though in this case, the aircrew emerged unscathed. The area around the AH-64 was secured quickly and an inspection of the aircraft conducted. A military spokesman, Col. William Darley said, "It was apparently downed by enemy fire." The AH-64 Apache gunship was hit near the town of Habbaniyah, close to the western region near where a medevac helicopter was downed a week ago with the loss of all none aboard. A Kiowa was shot down Jan. 2nd, killing the pilot.

ISS Status Report #04-3, 2 p.m. CST, Monday, Jan. 12, 2004 With the help of Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri, flight controllers traced the apparent cause of a tiny pressure decay on the International Space Station Sunday to a braided flex hose that is part of the window system in the U.S. Destiny Laboratory. After extensive pressure checks on Saturday and Sunday in the Russian Progress resupply ship, the Pirs Docking Compartment, the Soyuz return vehicle and the U.S. Quest Airlock revealed no leaks, the crew used an ultrasound leak detector device for a second time at the Lab window, and detected an audible hissing noise emanating from the flex hose. That hose is hooked up to quick disconnect devices as part of a system

Here's some aggressive marketing that should get a few folks to look closer at Air Chartering... NetJets has announced that beginning February 1, 2004, it will expand the operating area for its Gulfstream IV-SP and Gulfstream V aircraft, allowing the company to waive ferry charges for owners of these aircraft when flying aboard these aircraft. The ferry charge waiver applies to flights that originate or terminate in the continental US. "At NetJets we recognize that our NetJets owners frequently use our large cabin aircraft for international travel," said Richard Santulli, Chairman and CEO of NetJets. "This is another example of NetJets being responsive to the needs of our owners by providing them the ability to use NetJets aircraft when pursuing international business o

AOPA and the T-34 Association are telling the FAA that the proposed timeframe for owners of Beechcraft T-34 Mentors to comply with an airworthiness concern is too short and needs to be extended. The FAA issued an Airworthiness Concern Sheet (ACS) following a recent fatal T-34 accident involving a wing-spar failure. The FAA also issued Flight Standards Information Bulletin FSAW 03-11, Special Inspection for T-34 Mentor Aircraft, which requires each flight standards district office to inspect every T-34 in its district for compliance with an earlier wing spar airworthiness directive (2001-13-18), annual or 100-hour inspection, and general aircraft condition. The FAA also intends to require owners to comply with Raytheon Service Bulletin SB57-3329. But doing so could mean owners woul

As previously reported on ANN, USUA has announced that 3rd party liability insurance is now available for USUA members. And now, the applications for this program have been posted online. This new USUA program is being administered by First Flight Insurance Group located in Kitty Hawk NC- a leading provider of sport aviation insurance- and underwritten by Lloyds of London. USUA states that, "It is important to note that this policy will offer 3rd party liability insurance coverage for non-commercial operations only. First Flight presently offers a more comprehensive coverage package to commercial operations (instructors and flight schools), and have done so for several years. They offer a variety of plans ranging from commercial 3rd Party Liability to full coverage, designed to fi

The NTSB recommends that the FAA: Require that Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60 series engine starter-generators be electrically isolated from the rest of the engine. (A-03-58) Require that Pilatus PC-12 and PC-12/45 airplanes up to serial number (SN) 231 be equipped with a central advisory and warning system that will display engine magnetic chip detector warnings during all phases of flight. (A-03-59) Require on Pilatus PC-12 and PC-12/45 airplanes the installation of a magnetic chip detector, in accordance with Pilatus Service Bulletin No. 79-005, or an equivalent device, in the accessory gear box oil-drain to monitor the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67B engine's entire oil system, as soon as the necessary parts become available. (A-03-60)

American Utilicraft Corporation's FF-1080, a cargo-plane project that was hampered by the damage done to aviation in the wake of 9/11, may be on the mend. AUC and WSI Hong Kong, Ltd., have jointly announced that the companies have entered into an arrangement for 300 aircraft and exclusivity for the Far East air freight markets. John J. Dupont, President and CEO of American Utilicraft Corporation, and Ruben O. Caputo, President and CEO of WSI Hong Kong, Ltd., signed a Letter of Intent to facilitate on-going discussions and negotiations for positions on 300 FF-1080 Freight Feeder Aircraft, including exclusive rights for sales and support in the Far East Markets. This represents the Company's efforts to launch "back into the market" post 9/11, and solidifies the C

Another VIP TFR NOTAM:  4/0302 Issued: 01/13/2004 17:00 Effective: 01/14/2004 05:10 - 01/15/2004 19:05 State: CA Facility: ZLA - LOS ANGELES (ARTCC)PALMDALE, CA. Type: VIP Description: FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, JANUARY 13-15, 2004 LOCAL

Veteran NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao (right) will replace William S. McArthur, Jr., as the commander of Expedition 9, the next mission aboard the International Space Station. The change in crew assignment is a result of a temporary medical issue related to McArthur's qualification for this long duration flight. Because of medical privacy considerations, no information about McArthur's condition will be made public. As a member of the Expedition 9 backup crew, Chiao has been training alongside McArthur for months. Chiao joins Russian Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Valery I. Tokarev for the six-month mission. The Expedition 9 crew is scheduled for launch aboard a Soyuz spacecraft in April. European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers is the Board Engineer rounding out the

Strike fighter aircraft from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1, flying from the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) in the North Arabian Gulf, attacked an enemy mortar position near Balad, Iraq, north of Baghdad, Jan. 9, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Two Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 86 F/A-18 Hornets from Enterprise’s embarked carrier air wing each dropped a 1,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition in the attack, striking the enemy position. This strike was the carrier’s first use of precision-guided munitions since the beginning of the new year. Enterprise strike fighters last struck a target in Iraq Nov. 28.

PC Aviator Inc, has released its MegaScenery USA 2004 Volume 2: New York, a high-resolution photorealistic scenery for Microsoft’s Flight Simulator 2004, featuring New York city and 22,000 square miles of surrounding area. MegaScenery USA Volume 2: New York is the second title in the MegaScenery series and features some of the USA’s (and the world’s) busiest airspace, and the world’s biggest metropolis New York City and surrounding areas including areas of New York State, New Jersey and Connecticut. Created from 5 meter per pixel satellite imagery, MegaScenery New York captures the true essence of this area of North Eastern United States. Flight simulator pilots can now cruise the skies above New York city (The Big Apple), plus an extensive 22,000 squ

I continue to be amazed at all the ways the intensely rugged little R-22 (file photo, below) is being worked throughout the world.... but herding cattle? This, I gotta see... DESCRIPTION A MESQUITE HELICOPTER SERVICE, N7061V, ROBINSON R-22 ROTORCRAFT, WHILE HERDING CATTLE, TAIL ROTOR STRUCK A TREE AND THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED, NO INJURIES REPORTED, 10 MILES SOUTH OF ENCINO, TX

A group of Air National Guard F-16 fighters, recently re-engined with new Pratt & Whitney (P&W) F100- PW-229 engines, has achieved a year of flying in which the engines have performed flawlessly -- a condition known as "Code One" (and better known to pilots as "Thank God"). The aircraft are of the "Block 42" F-16 configuration. Block 42 aircraft were originally built starting in 1988 and powered by P&W F100-PW-220 engines. The -229 retrofit program was initiated by the Air National Guard in 2000 to provide a more powerful engine and bring the Block 42 F-16s up to current combat capability. Thus far, 15 out of 51 aircraft have been re-engined. "Demands on the Air National Guard are increasing, and the need for increased thrust and more reliable aircraft has never

For Sale: Robinson Heli R22 (all) Beta 685hrs SFOH, KY197A, KT76A, Apollo GPS, bubble doors, aux fuel, digital clk, vert.compass, primer, heat/defrost, Florida.  Exterior Quality: 9, Interior Quality: 9 Used, will sell for $109,700.00 (or best offer)

Appointed Senior Manager – Areas Sales Raytheon Aircraft Services (RAS) has appointed Tom Genovese as Senior Manager – Area Sales. In this capacity, Genovese will oversee all RAS regional sales managers and drive new sales in the areas of aircraft maintenance, avionics, refurbishments and modifications. He reports to Skip Madsen, vice president – Operations for RAS. Genovese is a graduate of Wichita State University, and most recently served as Central Region Area Sales Manager for Honeywell. He is an IFR-rated pilot with 500 hours.