Aero-News Network: The aviation and aerospace world's daily/real-time news and information service

Army Identifies Soldiers Lost In Iraq Helo Midair

OH-58D Kiowa Warriors Collided Near Kirkuk

The US Army has identified the four soliders who were killed in Iraq Monday, when their helicopters collided during nightime operations about 20 miles west of Kirkuk.

Starbucks Latest Company To Forgo Corporate Jet

Company Has Less Than 20 Flights On New G550

For whatever reason -- be it the economy, White House pressure, or bickering shareholders -- selling off corporate jets is all the rage right now. Seattle-based coffee conglomerate Starbucks Corp. is the latest company to forgo one of its company jets.

Aero-News Featured Aero-Casts For Thursday 01.29.09

Will Work For Code: Microsoft's FSX Development Team

ANN Daily Touch N Go: 01.29.09 (ANN's Short-Form Daily News Program) ANN Daily Aero-Briefing: 01.29.09 (ANN's Long-Form Daily News Program) ANN Special Feature -- Will Work For Code: 01.29.09 (ANN Special Report, with Microsoft's FSX Development Team.)

Mars Rover Team Diagnosing Unexpected Behavior

Spirit Grows Increasingly Unresponsive

The team operating NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit plans diagnostic tests this week, after Spirit did not report some of its weekend activities, including a request to determine its orientation after an incomplete drive.

One Victim Identified In SMO Marchetti Accident

Plane Crashed Shortly After Takeoff

Two persons onboard a SIAI Marchetti SF-260C were killed Wednesday evening when their aircraft crashed after takeoff from the Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO).

Boeing Says Fasteners All Right For First 787 Flight

Faulty Attachments Located In Hard-To-Reach Areas

Boeing has announced it will make the first flight of its new 787 Dreamliner without replacing faulty fasteners in some hard-to-reach areas of the plane, to avoid further delays in development of the popular new plane.

Failure To 'See And Avoid' Led To 2007 Helo Midair, NTSB Rules

News Helicopters Were On Scene Over Police Pursuit In Phoenix

It's a lesson drilled into the mind of any student pilot: first and foremost, fly the aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board determined Wednesday that mantra wasn't followed in a 2007 midair collision over Phoenix, AZ.

GAMA's Bunce Says LASP Has Severe Shortcomings

Maintains Program Won't Measurably Improve Security

Pete Bunce, president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) told Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials at Wednesday's public meeting in Houston, TX, that the burdensome requirements proposed in the Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) will not provide commensurate security benefits and would severely limit the utility of general aviation aircraft, causing irreparable harm to the industry.

American Cuts 767-300 Capacity Due To Lack Of Rafts

Audit Determined Seat Change Took Planes Out Of Regs

The next time you're onboard an American Airlines trans-Atlantic flight, you may notice fewer people onboard. The Fort Worth, TX-based airline will limit the number of passengers allowed to fly onboard its Boeing 767-300s, after the carrier found the planes did not have the required number of life rafts onboard.

Gates Says KC-X May Be Resurrected By Spring

USAF May Just Get A New Tanker After All...

The procurement by the US Air Force of a new aerial tanker, tentatively dubbed KC-X, has turned into a protracted political battle involving Boeing, Northrop Grumman and EADS.

Teamsters Ask For Outsourcing Moratorium In Stimulus Bill

Want Aircraft Maintenance Work Kept In-Country

Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week, urging her to include in the stimulus bill a moratorium on outsourcing aircraft maintenance to foreign repair stations.

Aero-TV: Cirrus Close-Up -- The Known Ice Protection System

More "Up Close" Info On GA's Latest FIKI Certified Bird

Just a few weeks ago, ANN broke the exciting details on Cirrus new "Known Ice Protection" option for Cirrus SR22 and Turbo models. Aircraft are available for sale now, with FAA certification for operations in known icing conditions expected in Q2 of 2009.

NTSB Holds NASCAR Flight Department, Pilot Responsible For C310 Accident

Plane Was Released & Operated Despite Knowledge Of Electrical Problem

The National Transportation Safety Board determined Wednesday that a July 2007 aircraft accident in Sanford, FL was caused by a series of poor decisions, both by corporate flight department management and by the pilots that flew the accident aircraft.

Fuller Says GA Must 'Build For Tomorrow' In First Public Speech

Tells Wichita Aero Club "We Cannot Afford To Focus Only On The Problems Of Today"

The future for general aviation is bright, but it will require collective action by individual pilots and industry leaders to realize GA's potential, AOPA President Craig Fuller told the Wichita Aero Club on Wednesday.

EADS Bows Out Of Air Force One Replacement RFI

Will Focus Its Efforts On Securing KC-X Contract

It's an interesting news day when a company both confirms it was part of a particular program, then subsequently announces it will withdraw from that effort.

Tax Group Says Stimulus Bill Includes Some Good News For GA

H.R. 598 Includes Bonus Depreciation, Increase To Section 179 Expensing Return

Want some good economic news for a change? Aviation Tax Consultants, which helps aircraft owners navigate the taxation travails inherent to such a large purchase, tells ANN that House Resolution 598 -- the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009," better known as the stimulus bill -- contains a number of provisions that will impact general aviation in a positive manner.

Airline Reinstates Pilot Safety Program

ASAP's Back At Delta... Thanks To Northwest

Delta Air Lines signed a memorandum of understanding this week with the Air Line Pilots Association and the Federal Aviation Administration to reinstate its Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) covering pre-merger Delta pilots.

Sun Country Posts Small Profit In Fourth Quarter

Reports Of Our Death Have Been... Well, You Know

We're not going to call the turnaround in fortunes for St. Paul, MN-based Sun Country Airlines "miraculous"... though for a company many chalked up for dead last October, news of a fourth quarter profit is nothing short of amazing.

NTSB Sends Team To Lubbock To Investigate ATR Accident

Plane Crashed On ILS Approach To Downwind Runway

The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a team to investigate Tuesday's downing of an ATR-42 operated by Empire Airlines for FedEx.

Spirit FAs: 'We Are Safety Professionals, Not Billboards'

Take LCC To Task For Innuendo-Laden Ads, Alcohol Promotion

Flight attendants with low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines say management recently launched a series of "degrading and demeaning" advertisements... and they've had enough.

CubCrafters Begins Shipping Carbon Cub Kits

Work Continues On Company Demonstrator

CubCrafters announced Wednesday it has shipped the first three Carbon Cub Wing Kits and the first Carbon Cub Fuselage Kit. The company is currently producing the kits at a rate of two per month.

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (01.29.09)

Aero-Linx!

The organization called the Ancient Order of The Pterodactyl is the result of the hopes, aspirations and hard work of a small band of kindred spirits.