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May 02, 2011

Say What? Cessna CEO Pelton 'Retires'

Unexpected: Textron Announces Pelton Retirement

OK... we're not sure what to make of this right now... but Textron Inc. has JUST announced that Jack J. Pelton, chairman, president and CEO of its Cessna Aircraft unit, has retired from the company, and that a search for his successor is underway. Textron Chairman and CEO Scott C. Donnelly will run the business until a successor is named.

ANN Daily Aero-Briefing: 05.02.11

Endeavour's launch is off until at least Sunday.
The FAA announces more management changes.
And the US airlines call for a national airline policy.

ANN Daily Touch-And-Go: 05.02.11

Endeavour's launch is off until at least Sunday.
The FAA announces more management changes.
And the US airlines call for a national airline policy.

More AERO-Casts

ANN Special Feature: Airplanes Can't Stall Themselves - 05.02.11

ANN's Paul Plack talks with CFI Bob Miller of Over The Airwaves about Bob's observation that airplanes can't stall without the help of pilots, and yet we keep having about one fatal stall/spin acci

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Master Instructor Program Revised for Glider Instructors

Improvements Help Glider CFIs Qualify for Master Accreditations

Master Instructors LLC recently announced revisions to its Master Instructor Continuing Education Program to improve participation by glider instructors. An advisory committee of five Master CFIs who also were experienced glider instructors developed a number of glider-specific recommendations that have been incorporated into the Master Instructor application package.

ANN Daily Touch-And-Go: 05.02.11 (ANN's Short-Form Daily News Program) ANN Daily Aero-Briefing: 05.02.11 (ANN's Long-Form Daily News Program) ANN Special Feature: Airplanes Can't Stall Themselves - 05.02.11 (ANN Special Report, with CFI Bob Miller)

ALPA: NTSB’s Empire Airlines Accident Report Shows Need for Standard Rest Rules

Urges Standards For All Airline Pilots

ALPA President, Capt. Lee Moak, issued the following statement in response to the NTSB meeting last week regarding the 2009 Empire Airlines Flight 8284 accident at Lubbock, Texas. “The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, commends the National Transportation Safety Board for its work to enhance aviation safety with a thorough review of the Empire Airlines accident. In its meeting, the Board discussed flight crew fatigue, flight operations in icing conditions, and the need to enhance crew resource management training for all airline pilots. Unfortunately, these safety concerns, which ALPA has pressed to address for decades, persist in our industry today, even in this period of remarkably safe airline operations...

More Than 330 Firm Orders And Commitments Are Reportedly On The Books

European planemaker Airbus says the exceptional commercial activity for its A320neo (new engine option) is led by a 100-aircraft order from international leasing company ILFC - which was announced earlier this week, finalizing a memorandum of understanding inked in March.

New Leader Brings Industry And Customer Knowledge To Manufacturer Of Scaneagle, Integrator Aircraft

Steve Morrow has been named by Boeing as president and CEO of its Insitu subsidiary, effective immediately. Morrow succeeds CEO Steve Sliwa, who retired April 1.

Objects Impacted At About 11,000 MPH

Late last year, astronomers noticed an asteroid named Scheila had unexpectedly brightened, and it was sporting short-lived plumes. Data from NASA's Swift satellite and Hubble Space Telescope showed these changes likely occurred after Scheila was struck by a much smaller asteroid.

Network Adjustments Planned For Frontier Operation

Republic Airways Holdings has amended its capacity purchase agreement with Delta Air Lines to provide for the addition of six dual-class E170 aircraft.

Partnership To Support FMS Procurement Of German MQ-9 Reaper

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, (GA-ASI) and RUAG Aerospace Services GmbH to offer the Predator B UAS to meet the surveillance needs of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Altaire Mockup To Visit Salina During Great Plains Air Expo

Piper Aircraft's Single-Engine Altaire Jet Mockup Along With A Dozen Other Aircraft Will Be On Display

Piper Aircraft's single-engine Altaire jet mockup, along with a dozen other aircraft, will be on display at the Great Plains Air Expo May 11 at America Jet at KSLN from 1000 to 1800 local time.

Versatile Engine Monitoring System Takes On Turbine Tasks

Flightline Electronics introduced the Auracle system some months back... and the engine monitoring game got quite a boost in the process, as the Auracle line worked heard and well to prove itself the most advanced, reliable engine management system available today for single and now twin-engine aircraft. The system offers comprehensive engine and fuel situational awareness, delivered on a stunning full-color glass panel display, with intuitive controls and easily recognizable indicators that mimic familiar analog gauges.

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National Gay Pilots Association -- Supporting the LGBT Aviation Community

The Aviation World Attracts Of All Manner Of Flyer

One of the things that never ceases to amaze those of us at ANN is the amazing breadth of humanity that finds its way to the aviation world. Man, woman, black, white, red, yellow, liberal, conservative, gay, straight... such titles disappear in seconds when such people are united by the common bond of aviation and the talk turns to flying. And at the 2011 Women In Aviation Convention, that was obvious to one and all as members of the NGPA participated in what has become one of the most positive gatherings of any that we know in all of aviation.

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STS-134 Gets To Wait Another Week For Launch

Shuttle Endeavour Launch No Earlier Than May 8

While the ANN crew sure enjoyed the few hours we spent last week at the cape in preparation for the launch of STS-1243... we sure did not enjoy the other ritual we have come to know all too well... the Launch Scrub. NASA managers have determined space shuttle Endeavour will not launch before Sunday, May 8, but will not officially set a new launch date until early this week. After Friday's launch scrub, Kennedy Space Center technicians searched for the cause of a failure in a heater circuit associated with Endeavour's hydraulic power system. The failure was found to be in a power circuit in a switchbox in the shuttle's aft compartment.

YouTube Video Suggests Real Problems With Tri-Engine Airliner

The data is quite sparse, but a video uploaded to YouTube by Russia Today sure suggests that a recent TU-154 TakeOff could have gone pretty wrong. The video shows the triple-engine airliner gyrating fairly aggressively in all three axes with significant yaw and roll excursions that sure seem to indicate that someone in the cockpit was not having a good time. If the video is for real (remember, this is YouTube), the TU-154 was able to be brought back to a safe landing at a Moscow airport despite the significant control issues clearly shown in the video. Minimal details currently available suggest that the aircraft was flown only by the flight crew and that no passengers were on board and that his might suggest that t

The Aviation World Attracts Of All Manner Of Flyer

Aero-TV: AuRACLE At AEA 2011 -- Branching Out to the Rotorcraft World

Versatile Engine Monitoring System Takes On Turbine Tasks

Flightline Electronics introduced Auracle system some months back... and the engine monitoring game got quite a boost in the process, as the Auracle line worked heard and well to prove itself the most advanced, reliable engine management system available today for single and now twin-engine aircraft. The system offers comprehensive engine and fuel situational awareness, delivered on a stunning full-color glass panel display, with intuitive controls and easily recognizable indicators that mimic familiar analog gauges.

As Flying Gets More Expensive, Will We Still Be Willing To Pay The Price?

Be honest; you’ve asked yourself this very question haven’t you? If you have a pilot’s license, own an airplane, or have any interest in aviation what so ever, you know what I’m talking about. There you are just going about your day when BOOM, the thought of seven dollar Avgas, $500 hangar rent, $2500 annuals, registration fees, taxes, and TSA restrictions to liberty flash through your head like that feeling when you realize you’ve left your wallet or purse on the gas station counter. Panic jolts the senses, a sick feeling comes over you, and until you have that wallet in your possession, nothing else matters. You know what I’m talking about. You just haven’t had

The Decision To Abort A Faltering Takeoff Is A Tough One

Sometimes it starts as no more than a weird feeling... other times, it has more concrete reasons... but the decision to abort a takeoff, in progress, can be one of the most critical in aviation. And sometimes, the only true arbiter as to he correctness of the decision relies on one simple questions... did everyone walk away in one piece? This time, they did... and we look forward to more info as to what might have caused the takeoff issues that led to the decision to abort.

Klyde Reveals Smelt Issues In ATC Controversy

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

Strategic Growth Initiative Expected To Begin Operations In May

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings said Friday that its Atlas Air, Inc. unit has been approved by the U.S. Department of Defense to begin providing passenger charter service for U.S. military personnel.

"The timing of today's closing in the current market environment could not be more important. With soaring fuel costs putting many airlines, yet again, in the red, Southwest brings many strengths to bear." Source: Gary Kelly, CEO, Chairman, and President of Southwest Airlines.

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.02.11): Azores High

Azores High A semi-permanent, subtropical area of high pressure in the North Atlantic Ocean that migrates east and west with varying central pressure. Depending on the season, it has different names. In the Northern Hemispheric winter and early spring, when the Icelandic Low dominates the North Atlantic, it is primarily centered near the Azores Islands. When it is displaced westward, during the summer and fall, the center is located in the western North Atlantic, near Bermuda, and is known as the Bermuda High.

Aero-Linx: Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group was formed in September 2008 with support and advice from the world's leading environmental organizations such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels (RSB). The group is focused on accelerating the development and commercialization of sustainable aviation biofuels. All members have signed a Sustainability Pledge, and believe that a key driver to a carbon neutral industry is advancing and adopting sustainable aviation biofuels. Sustainable aviation biofuels will perform equal to, or better than, petroleum based fuels and will have a carbon neutral lifecycle - production through use.

"The shuttle has three Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) that provide hydraulic power to steer the vehicle during ascent and entry. The hydrazine fuel lines on each APU have two heater circuits that prevent the fuel from freezing while the shuttle is in space." Source: NASA's description of the equipment (and their function) that forced Friday's launch scrub for the flight of STS-134... now scheduled for no earlier than May the 8th.