Mig And Sukhoi To Join Forces

Russian leading airplane manufacturing companies MiG and Sukhoi recently indicated they are interested in Russian Vice Premier Boris Alyoshin's proposal to form a single national aircraft manufacturing company within the next two years. "We take great interest in the idea of the unification of all Russian air forces into a single fist. This is a normal concept and in the perspective we are ready to participate in the formation of the single Russian air-holding," a Sukhoi corporation representative told a RIA Novosti correspondent. The MIG company representative noted in his turn that "if the government decides to form in the near future a single airplane manufacturing holding than MiG as a state enterprise will just simply abide wi

No Injuries, As Elevator Hits Chopper On Landing Pad

Imagine trying to write to explain this one to your superiors. A spokesman for F.E. Warren Air Force Base said an elevator at Presbyterian-Saint Luke's Medical Center in Denver (CO) rose and struck the tail of a UN-1N Huey helicopter while it was sitting empty on the landing pad. No one was in the elevator at the time. The US Air Force helicopter, which was not occupied at the time, was damaged at the Denver hospital's landing pad on Thursday. A three-member Air Force crew was on a routine training mission and had parked the aircraft on the helipad, according to a military spokesman. The elevator sustained $25,00 to $35,000 damage in the accident, according to Stephanie Lewis, a hospital spokeswoman.

15 Wing Celebrates 20K Hours

A Canadian Forces flying instructor at 15 Wing has surpassed 1,000 flying hours on the CT-155 Hawk jet, making him the first pilot in Canada to do so. Captain Dave Boudreau (standing right) of Dalhousie, N.B., completed his thousandth-hour flight Nov. 17 during an annual proficiency check at 15 Wing. A small ceremony was held Dec. 5 to mark the occasion and Wing Commander Colonel Alain Boyer took the opportunity to present Capt. Boudreau with a 1,000-hour patch for him to wear on his flying suit. The ceremony also marked a milestone for the fleet of 18 Hawks that are flown at both 15 Wing Moose Jaw and 4 Wing Cold Lake in Alberta as part of the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) pilot-training program. Recently the fleet rea