A Cirrus Design SR20 has gone down about 1 mile North of Lancaster, CA's Fox Field. N526CD, an aircraft known to be used for flight instruction through Gene Hudson Flight Training, went down just before 1400 PST while reportedly conducting takeoffs and landings at Fox.

Catching many by surprise with their announcement of a new bizjet at NBAA 2005 was one thing, but the news just keeps on coming as ANN has confirmed that the first flight of the Spectrum 33 took place on Saturday. It was a short hop to reposition the aircraft for test operations off of a longer runway in Provo, but a first flight none-the-less -- and a decidedly successful one at that.

Ultimate Flight Still On!

After getting slightly banged up in a ground incident last week, the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer is expected to fly to Kennedy Space Center, FL on Thursday, January 12 -- six days later than originally planned.

ANN has received a copy of an internal FAA letter in which FAA Administrator Marion Blakey announces the appointment of their new CIO. As FAA's new CIO, David Bowen will be in charge of the FAA's IT strategy and the whopping $2 billion budget that this requires. 

NOTAM: 6/0242 Issued: 01/09/2006 18:20 Effective: 01/12/2006 12:00 - 01/13/2006 20:00 State: PR Facility: ZSU - SAN JUAN (ARTCC),PR. Type: HAZARDS Description: VIEQUES ISLAND, PUERTO RICO

The NTSB has issued a preliminary report on the tragic accident that resulted in the crash of a Chalks Ocean Airways' G-73 Turbine Mallard, N2969, and all 20 passengers and crew aboard.

Drifted Outside Landing Zone, Into Rough Waters

A parachutist with more than 10,000 jumps and his skydiving student lost their lives Friday when they overshot a landing area while on a tandem jump near Dillingham Airfield on Mokuleia, HI. 

Order For 68 Aircraft, Including 50 Dreamliners

Barring a last-minute upset, India’s national carrier, Air India, is expected to move forward with its expansion plans this week by signing a contract with Boeing for the purchase of 68 aircraft.

Second Accident In Five Weeks Claims Guard Commander

There are conflicting reports coming from Northern Iran regarding the nature of an accident involving a Dassault Falcon 20 twinjet Monday near the Turkish border. It is believed that as many as 13 died in the accident, including the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards ground forces.

Claim Improper Maintenance, Faulty Design Led To Mishap

It's something you might not think about very much, but lawsuits involving the families of aircraft that go down during wartime are not unheard of. Now, the widows of three servicemen killed when their MH-53 Pave Low went down in Afghanistan two years ago are suing defense contractors.

Tom Turner's Aero-Craft 101: Transitioning To A New Aircraft

ANN Daily Touch N Go: 01.09.06 (ANN's Short-Form Daily News Program) ANN Daily Aero-Briefing: 01.09.06 (ANN's Long-Form Daily News Program) ANN Special Feature -- Tom Turner's Aero-Craft 101: 01.09.09  (ANN's Feature News Program, with Tom Turner on transitioning to a dif

Applicability: EC130 B4 helicopters pre modification MOD 07 3572.

Source: DoD Will Also Seek Anti-Trust Protections

The US Department of Defense has given its conditional approval to a proposed merger of two struggling rocket launch programs, according to an unnamed defense insider, to the chagrin of other DoD suppliers such as Northrop Grumman and others wary of a quasi-monopoly.

Cites Twelve Accidents In Less Than Two Years

"I believe that there is something intrinsically wrong with this plane." So said Colorado Representative Tom Tancredo to a Denver television station last week... and frequent Aero-News readers know what aircraft he's talking about.

Swooped Into The Line Of Fire Between Troops, Civilians At My Lai

Aero-News is saddened to report the loss last week of someone whose name probably wouldn't ring a bell with many of our readers -- or, to the untold people saved by his act of courage on one of the darkest days of the Vietnam War.

Klyde: No Love For The TSA In 2006, Either!

Also, BMW To Design A350 Interior

It hasn't come down to a recount -- yet -- but representatives from Airbus Industrie report a surge of aircraft orders in December have brought it much closer to matching Boeing's record 1,002 net orders for 2005.

Say That Fast Three Times... And Then Go Around

It could have been a very real emergency, with a very disastrous outcome: an aircraft attempting an emergency landing Friday in Solapur, India had to circle the runway -- twice -- to wave off as many as 500 spectators and athletes gathered on the field for a game of cricket.

Aero-Tips 01.09.06

IFR, you drone through the drizzle and fog near your destination. There are only two approaches into your destination airport, and either one requires you maneuver quite a way past the field before lining up on the final approach course. Do you have other options? Yes—you can ask for the contact approach and fly directly to the airport.

Aero-Linx!

Aviation videos proclaims itself the world's largest database of aviation videos! Search for videos by country, type airplane, even by most popular video. Enough to hold your attention for a while. Might want to put your earplugs in, some are a bit loud, almost like being there.

ACE Aerobatic Competency Evaluators are responsible for certifying approximately 90% of today’s aerobatic pilots. The remainder is certified through the EAA Warbird ACE program or Formation Flying, Inc. (FFI). Endorsements from more than one association are possible. So you’ll need an A.C.E. to be an “ace”.

"It was the ability to do the right thing even at the risk of their personal safety that guided these soldiers to do what they did. [They] set the standard for all soldiers to follow." Source: Army Maj. Gen. Michael Ackerman, in a 1998 ceremony honoring US Army pilot Hugh Thompson, Jr., Lawrence Colburn and Glenn Andreotta with the Soldier's Medal, the highest award for bravery not involving conflict with an enemy. The men were awarded the honor for their heroic efforts to stop the 1968 My Lai Massacre. Thompson -- who passed away last week -- landed their helicopter between attacking US soldiers and Vietnamese civilians, as Colburn and Andreotta trained their door guns on the troops to prevent further attack.