Babbitt Placed On Leave Of Absence, Future Unclear

ANN Real-Time Update, 120511, 17481, ET: EAA President, Rod Hightower, has weighed in as well with the following statement, “This is a most unfortunate development, particularly in light of the many positive contributions made by Administrator Babbitt as head of the FAA. There will be no rush to judgment by EAA as we await the facts and further information.”  ANN Real-Time Update, 120511, 1551, ET: AOPA President, Craig Fuller has just furnished a statement to ANN, "At moments like this there tends to be a rush to judgment in Washington, DC. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt brings considerable passion, experience and skills to a position that is vital to th

Pilot Gets Wrapped Up In Setting Up Autopilot... Passenger Alerts Him To Rising Terrain

Oh boy.... there isn't a pilot alive that can't relate to getting all wrapped up in some issue in the cockpit when they should have had their head engaged on other issues... like flying the airplane and avoiding terrain. Surprisingly; this accident was survivable (as so few of them are), but the lessons are here to be absorbed by one and all... LOOK WHERE YOU'RE FLYING!

Pair Of Piper Seminole Level 5 FSTDs Valued At $700,000

A generous donation from the Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust brought Florida Institute of Technology two Frasca 242 Piper Seminole Level 5 Flight Simulation Training Devices (FSTDs). The simulators, valued at $350,000 each, are housed in the Emil Buehler Center for Aviation Training and Research, at Melbourne International Airport, home of FIT Aviation.

Five-Year Support Program Helps Airline Maintain Highest Levels Of Flight Crew Training

A a five-year Long-Term Support Agreement (LTSA) has been signed by CAE and US Airways through which CAE will assist the airline with simulator planning and engineering for six Airbus A320 and A330 full-flight simulators located in the United States in Charlotte, North Carolina and Phoenix, Arizona.

Multi-Role Helo Designed Primarily For ASW and ASuW Missions

The first NH90 NFH helicopter has been delivered to the Norwegian Armed Forces by AgustaWestland. The delivery ceremony took place November 30 at the company's Vergiate facility. The aircradft is the first of 14 NH90s intended to replace the Lynx helicopters for the Coast Guard in addition to providing helicopter ASW capability to the new Nansen class frigates.

Liquid Oxygen/Hydrogen Upper Stage Moves Forward

Aerojet, a GenCorp company, announced Monday that it has successfully completed a major milestone in the development of a ground demonstrator for the Next Generation Engine (NGE) program. Aerojet, with its partner Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc. (FTT), recently completed the Preliminary Design Review of the turbopump assembly before an independent review team comprised of third party turbomachinery experts.

Aircraft To Be Deployed In Darwin, Queensland, And South Australia

The final production Tiger helicopter ordered by the Australian Defense Force was delivered by Australian Aerospace Thursday. The two-crew helicopter, many of which are now entering into service with armed forces around the world including operational use by French Army in Afghanistan Tiger ARH022 was accepted by Defence at local defence manufacturer Australian Aerospace's Final Assembly plant on Brisbane Airport.

Largest Airlift Provider in Afghanistan Chosen To Renew Support Of DoD Operations

The United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) has exercised two renewal options for AAR to provide airlift support in Afghanistan through October of 2012. The first option has a value of $99 million and is part of a task order awarded to AAR in October, 2010. The second option has a value of $51 million and is part of a task order awarded to AAR in August, 2011.

Expands Lease Holdings At French Vally Airport In CA

Ikhana Aircraft Services (Ikhana) said Monday it has implemented Component Control’s Quantum MRO and Logistics Solution package to support management of the manufacturing, maintenance, repair, and overhaul operations at Ikhana’s production facilities in Murrieta, CA. Quantum will be used across all divisions of Ikhana Aircraft Services to streamline business operations, improve logistics, and enhance our customer service offering.

AD NUMBER: 2011-24-10

MANUFACTURER: Bombardier, Inc. Model DHC-8-201 and -202 airplanes with FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) ST00753NY (Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) STC SA97-106) installed.

AD NUMBER: 2011-25-04

MANUFACTURER: Certain Quest Aircraft Design, LLC (Quest) Model Kodiak 100 airplanes.

Airborne Has More Fascinating Stories This Week For You -- And a Surprise!

We're continue to get RAVE reviews over the debut of Airborne... and great ideas as to where we need to broaden our horizons as we continue to develop this program. Episode Three continues the weekly series of Aero-News programs that are evolving into something even more amazing over the next few weeks. As matter of fact, this episode is solid 22 minutes in length! Keep in mind that we're still early in an evolving program of news offerings -- and that we at ANN don't play with the status quo very well or for very long. We have AGGRESSIVE and innovative plans for '

Sheriff's Dept. Touts Operating Costs, Capabilities

California's Tulare County features lots of agriculture and recreational opportunities, but the sheriff now has a big-city asset available - a surveillance aircraft. The department has leveraged $20,616 in seized drug money to get a federal grant for about ten times that amount, and has used it to buy its own Flight Design CTLE, the law enforcement variant of the popular LSA.

Horrific Accident Shows Aircraft Leveled Off Til Impact

The more we report on accidents, the more we shake our head in disbelief at the nature of these things. Although details are still somewhat sparse, the much-reported accident that killed six people on board an Aero-Commander 690 Turbo-Prop reveals that the this was a new airplane to the owner and that the aircraft had pretty much leveled off and was flying level when it impacted terrain in the Superstition Mountains. The only real lesson we can take out of this at such an early stage? KNOW your terrain and be very wary of what's ahead... this accident occurred some 150 feet below the crest of the terrain they hit... and outside of some yet undisclosed but possible interference, should have been known and avoided by the pi

James Lovell's Hand Calculations Saved Spacecraft

The phrase, "Houston, we have a problem," is a famous line from the 1995 Ron Howard movie,"Apollo 13." Now, the handwritten notes of Commander James Lovell, including the calculations which led to the safe return of the spacecraft to Earth, have brought $388,375 at auction.

Klyde Weighs In On The AAL CH11 Bankruptcy Filing

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

Kate Hanni Says Airports Should Have Plans For Diversions

FlyersRights.org, a coalition that grew out of passenger frustration during egregious tarmac stranding incidents five years ago, has surveyed large and medium airline hub airports in the US to find out how many are prepared to handle flights which are diverted. So far, it looks as though travelers, especially on international flights, remain at risk of long periods sitting on the tarmac.

Nearly Three Percent Across The Board, With An Additional Bump For FOs In 2013s

Horizon Air and its pilots, represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters APA Local 1224, jointly announced Thursday that the neutral arbitrator responsible for choosing the 2012-2013 wage structure most appropriate for the Horizon Air pilots has ruled that there should be a 2.8 percent increase for all pilots in 2012 and an additional 1.2 percent increase for first officers in 2013.

Will Manufacture Interior Components For 787s

Boeing celebrated the opening of its new Interiors Fabrication facility in North Charleston on Thursday. The Interiors Responsibility Center South Carolina team will manufacture 787 interior parts including stowbins, closets, partitions, class dividers, floor-mounted stowbins used by flight attendants, overhead rests for flight-crews and flight attendants, video control stations and attendant modules for Boeing South Carolina.

Aero Linx: NASA- Beginner's Guide to Rockets The Beginner's Guide to Rockets will help you learn the basic math and physics that govern the design and flight of rockets. We'll look at many different kinds of rockets, from stomp rockets, which are a special kind of artillery shell, to bottle rockets, to model rockets, to full scale boosters. We'll look at the similarities and the differences in these rockets and include some instructions for making and flying your own rockets.

Specific Impulse A measurement of a rocket's relative performance. Expressed in seconds, the number of which a rocket can produce one pound of thrust from one pound of fuel. The higher the specific impulse, the less fuel required to produce a given amount of thrust.

"I was cleaning out some old stuff on a bookcase and found it. My kids took all they wanted and I donated a lot of my collection to museums. I decided to put this up for auction so that someone who is really interested in this piece of history can enjoy it...  I didn't even have a calculator to do the arithmetic. I had to ask the people in Houston to double-check my numbers." Source: Apollo 13 Astronaut, Jim Lovell, discussing the calculations contained in the handwritten notes which led to the safe return of the spacecraft to Earth. Those notes