LCDR Deren To Take Over For Major Shipley

The Blue Angels have assigned former Blues' pilot LCDR "JD" Deren to take over for the slot left open by the departure of a pilot released "for undisclosed medical reasons." USMC Major Daniel Shipley, of Summit, NJ, had flown the #3 Hornet, off the leader's left wing since the beginning of the new season before his release. Shipley will be reassigned to new, non-Blues, duties. 

EAA Teams Arrive At Van Nuys To Inspect Aluminum Overcast

EAA aircraft maintenance teams arrived in California on Thursday morning to assess the damage to the B-17 "Aluminum Overcast," as the airplane suffered a landing gear failure after safely landing at Van Nuys Airport late Wednesday afternoon.

NASA's O'Keefe Reportedly Sold On Robot Repair Mission To Hubble

Sending a robot to do the work of a human astronaut may be just the ticket for prolonging the life of the Hubble Space Telescope. At least, that's the thinking at NASA HQ these days.

Will Fly The Western Provinces

The China Flight Inspection Center of Air Traffic Management Bureau of General Aviation of Civil Aviation of China has signed contracts for two Citation XLS business jets.

SJ30-2 Part Headed For San Antonio

Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation says its Martinsburg (WV) Assembly Plant has completed and shipped its final component for the first airframe structure produced in its new high technology manufacturing facility at Martinsburg.

Nobody's Happy About That

EAA, NAFI, and IAC members, along with other general aviation groups, learned about a planned expansion of the Detroit Class B airspace at an FAA public hearing on April 27. The plan shows an expanded area to the northeast and the southwest, plus raising the Class B airspace ceiling from 8,000 feet to 10,000 feet MSL. The Class B area due east of the airport that lies within Canadian airspace will not be modified and those ceilings will remain at 8,000 feet MSL due to international agreements.

Klyde Gets Back To His Old Buddies At The TSA!

Beats Out Boeing, Raytheon For Huge Missile Contract

Lockheed-Martin is the winner in competition to build the Joint Common missile, designed to give the various military branches a single air-to-ground attack platform.

F-16 Leads Civilian Aircraft Out Of Trouble

Usually, when a GA aircraft driver sees an F-16 off his wing, it means trouble. Chances are, he's busted some last-minute TFR and the F-16 means there's going to be a day of reckoning (at least one) upon landing. But in the case of an anonymous C-172 pilot, the Falcon was the most welcome sight he'd ever seen.

And, Yes, It'll Be Good For Global Aerospace, Too

Sport pilot/light-sport aircraft will favorably affect the aviation insurance business, said Global Aerospace Executive Vice President John D'Angelone, a keynote speaker at this week's 28th annual Aviation Insurance Association conference in Las Vegas (NV).

"I stayed on the line with the woman and Bishop in a three-way call. We got to see them fly in right over us. It felt awesome to get them on the ground safely." Source: Danielle Prince, a seven-year veteran dispatcher at the Genesee County (MI) 911 Center. She took the call from a passenger aboard a Cessna 172 Saturday after the pilot, who was flying above the clouds, lost all power to the cockpit. Prince contacted the pilot's home field -- Bishop Airport in Flint (MI). The tower there called the 127th Fighter Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard and an F-16 escorted the aircraft to a hole in the overcast.

NOTAM: 4/3933 Issued: 05/05/2004 23:00 Effective: Immediately - Until Further Notice State: AZ Facility: ZLA - LOS ANGELES (ARTCC)PALMDALE, CA. Type: HAZARDS Description: GRAND CANYON, AZ.

NOTAM: 4/3934 Issued: 05/05/2004 23:57 Effective: 05/06/2004 12:00 - 05/09/2004 02:00 State: ID Facility: ZLC - SALT LAKE CITY (ARTCC),UT. Type: HAZARDS Description: 10 W JOHNSON CREEK (3U2), ID. 

"The Ship Is Like A Fine Wine; It Doesn't Get Older, It Gets Better"

USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), currently the Navy's only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier, turned 43 years old April 29, with an under way cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate the beginning of another year in the life of America's oldest active Navy ship.

For Sale: Cessna 150G

C-150G N3486J 5000TTE, 30 hrs SMOH completely refurbished with new radios, interior and virtually zero-time engine, but still unpainted! For details and pics email bobjans@amazed.nl Exterior Quality: 5, Interior Quality: 7 Used, will sell for $15,000.00

I'm not sure how to do this... but we at ANN, and I would imagine many others in the aviation world, are sharing (in a small way) in the grief being felt by one of sport aviation's most respected friends and leaders, John Ballantyne. John's wife, Diane, succumbed to her battle with a long-term illness on Wednesday.

AD NUMBER: 2004-05-10 MANUFACTURER: Boeing (Correction) SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-05-10 SUMMARY: This amendment supersedes an existing airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Boeing Model 767 series airplanes, that currently requires repetitive detailed visual inspections of the aft pressure bulkhead for damage and cracking, and repair if necessary. That AD also requires additional eddy current inspections prior to the airplane accumulating 25,000 flight cycles. This amendment requires a reduction of the interval for the detailed and repetitive eddy current inspections. The actions specified in this AD are intended to prevent fatigue cracking of the aft pressure bulkhead, which could result in r

AD NUMBER: 2004-09-19 MANUFACTURER: Airbus SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-09-19 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Airbus Model A319 and A320 series airplanes, that requires modifying the electrical bonding of the fuel return line in each wing between ribs 7 and 8. This action is necessary to reduce the potential for electrical arcing within the fuel tank due to insufficient electrical bonding, which could result in a fire or explosion in the fuel tank. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition.

AD NUMBER: 2004-09-15 MANUFACTURER: Empresa SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-09-15 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain EMBRAER Model EMB-135 and EMB-145 series airplanes, that requires replacement of the nose landing gear wheel nuts and associated inner and outer seals; and reidentification of the landing gearstrut. This action is necessary to prevent separation of the wheels from the nose landing gear due to the failure of the outer wheel bearings, and consequent loss of control of the airplane during takeoff and landing. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition.