It Could Be The War's Biggest Single Loss Of Life

From the US Marine Corps... The tragic helicopter crash in western Iraq today claimed the lives of 30 Marines and one sailor, confirmed Marine Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, commanding general of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, in a statement from Iraq.

Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc. and Velocity, Inc., Sebastian FL, maker of the popular canard aircraft kit, have announced that "the design for our XL-5 experimental plane to add the BRS parachute due to customer requests has reached the final stage and we have received our first orders..."

NYT Warning On Charters: Do We Have A Problem Here?

By ANN Senior Editor Pete Combs In my other life -- the one I live before running into the phone booth, donning my red cape and editing Aero-News every day -- I'm a local radio news guy. As such, I interact freely with the host of our morning talk show (WINK/WNOG in Fort Myers and Naples, FL). Many times, I find myself defending my profession against a barrage of criticism about media bias. A lot of times, my comments amount to, "Don't shoot the messenger." Case in point: a story published in the New York Times on Tuesday.

Town Still Looking For Feds To Pay For Damaged Strip

The town of Las Cruces, NM, is still trying to figure out who will pay for about $2.1 million in damage to a runway at the local airport.

Open Skies Agreement In Hand, Flag Carrier Is Shopping

What do you do after your very big democracy negotiates an open skies agreement with the world's OTHER very big democracy? Why, you go shopping, of course!

It'll Still Hurt On April 15th -- But This Could Make It A Lot Less Painful

The W-2s are in the mail, and you're about ready to schedule that painful visit with your tax preparation professional. AOPA can't lessen that pain, but it can give you and your tax advisor information that may help you with tax issues concerning your aircraft.

"Major Milestone" For Webster

ELITE Simulation Solutions recently completed installation of a new iGATE Model G500 series Advanced ATD at Daniel Webster College's Nicholas N. Tamposi Aviation Center. This latest addition is the school's third ELITE Advanced ATD to join its simulation fleet.

Corporate Angel Network Celebrates Milestone Flight

It's actually a pretty amazing statistic when you think about it. On January 24th, Corporate Angel Network (CAN) celebrated its 20,000th flight for cancer patients. That's a lot of mercy.

Rand Study Suggests Rounding Up Weapons May Be Better Bargain

To hear the Rand Corporation tell it, trying to develop an anti-missile system for commercial aircraft should take a back seat to trying to get those ubiquitous missiles off the market altogether.

Industry Calls For Systematic Approach To Evaluating Threat Risk

The Air Transport Association and its member airlines believe that the threat of terrorism, particularly aviation terrorism, can best be defeated by close cooperation between government and industry. Such cooperation should focus primarily on the rigorous application of systematic risk management techniques. This approach permits risks to be assessed and prioritized, and available resources are deployed accordingly through a layered systems approach to security. This pragmatic approach offers the best course for the United States.

Two Aircraft To Be Equipped With Guardian

Northrop Grumman Wednesday announced it will install and flight test its commercial aircraft protection system on a Boeing 747 and MD-11 this year.

And Military Buys Will Help

Moderate production of aviation turboshaft engines will take place in the near future despite an essentially flat civil turboshaft outlook, with the slight uptrend being propelled by major military rotorcraft programs (including re-engining efforts). According to Forecast International's "The Market for Aviation Turboshaft Engines" analysis, several of those programs will hit their stride later in the 2005-2014 period, compensating for weakening civilian turboshaft engine production. 

Now Fly The "Mile High City" At Mile-High Resolution

Flight Sim Add-On Software publisher, PC Aviator, is out now with the second title in its MegaCITY USA 2005 series – MegaCITY Denver.

Bush Administration Wants Him As Deputy Secretary Of Homeland Security

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Wednesday welcomed news that President Bush intends to nominate Michael Jackson as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

To Be Installed On B-737s

Air Sahara, a private airline in India, has picked Rockwell Collins to provide avionics for three Boeing 737NG aircraft with deliveries scheduled to begin this year.

Organization Wants Help In Fighting 10-Percent Ethanol Requirement In Auto Gas

EAA Government Services e-mailed an e-Alert to its Montana members this week asking for their help to amend legislation that mandates all gasoline sold to consumers for use in motor vehicles contain 10 percent denatured ethanol. EAA is concerned because there are many aircraft that cannot operate safely on fuel blended with ethanol products.

"While we mourn the loss of these heroes, we will honor their sacrifice by continuing our mission to bring democracy to the people of Iraq. To the families of these brave men, our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to you in this most difficult time. All Marines, sailors and airmen of the 1st Expeditionary Force mourn the tragic loss of our brothers in arms." Source: Marine Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, commanding general of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, in a statement from Iraq, on the crash of a CH-53 Sea Stallion in western Iraq early Wednesday. All 31 soldiers on board were killed. There was no immediate indication whether the aircraft was shot down -- but Sattler noted the weather was pretty bad in the region at the time.

NOTAM:  5/0757  Issued:  01/26/2005 18:10  Effective:  01/28/2005 16:30 - 01/28/2005 20:00  State:  VA  Facility:  ZDC - WASHINGTON (ARTCC),DC.  Type:  VIP  Description:  LEWISBURG, WEST VIRGINIA, JANUARY 28 2005 LOCAL. 

NOTAM:  5/0770  Issued:  01/26/2005 23:30  Effective:  01/27/2005 16:00 - 01/27/2005 18:00  State:  UT  Facility:  ZLC - SALT LAKE CITY (ARTCC),UT.  Type:  HAZARDS  Description:  WEST OF SALT LAKE CITY UT. 

AD NUMBER: 2004-26-10 MANUFACTURER: Rolls Royce (CORRECTION) SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-26-10 SUMMARY: The FAA is superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for certain RRD Tay 611-8, Tay 620-15, Tay 620-15/20, Tay 650-15, Tay 650-15/10, and Tay 651-54 turbofan engines with ice-impact panels installed in the low pressure (LP) compressor case.