One Pilot Killed, Another Injured After Ejecting

ANN REALTIME UPDATE 06.26.06 1935 EDT: The Navy has confirmed one pilot was killed, and another seriously injured, after both ejected moments after their planes collided over central California, near the town of King City.

Inflight Internet Venture In Trouble

Citing lack of demand by US airlines for inflight wireless internet access, Boeing is considering selling or closing down its six-year-old Connexion by Boeing internet venture.

NOTAM Number: FDC 6/0867 Issue Date: June 24, 2006 at 15:14 UTC Location: 17 Miles North East of Glenwood, New Mexico near SILVER CITY VORTAC (SVC) Beginning Date and Time: Effective Immediately Ending Date and Time: Until further notice Reason for NOTAM: To provide a safe environment for fire fighting aircraft operations Type: Hazards Replaced NOTAM(s): N/A Pilots May Contact: Albuquerque (ZAB) Center, 505-856-4580

British Chef Gives Surprising Answer

This story may cause some animated discussions down at your local watering hole. British chef and restaurateur Marcus Wareing has gone on record in the UK saying he thinks the meals passengers receive on airliners, is far better than the food served at local pubs in London.

Airplane Cleaning Company Enjoys Racing Windfall

Stock car racing is big business in North Carolina... just ask Ryan Brenneman.

Man Sued Over Accessibility In 2002

Is it discrimination... or the agreed-upon outcome of an earlier court settlement? That's the question posed by the case of a Miami air traffic controller who says he received a surprise gift from the FAA for his 50th birthday: a pink slip.

Report Says Pilots Left Over Safety Issues

Improper repairs and undocumented maintenance procedures could have led -- at least in part -- to the December 19, 2005 accident that downed a Grumman G73 Mallard flying for Chalk's Ocean Air.

Two Storms, Two Airports... And A Lot Of Broken Planes

The tornado "just came through in an instant," Lima County Regional Airport (KAOH)manager Cindy Pyles told the local paper. But what a destructive instant it was.

As If Pilots Didn't Have Enough To Worry About...

If you fly out of a seaside airport, you'd best be on the lookout for some nefarious ne'er-do-wells. They're big, they have a taste for fish... and they may be drunk. They're pelicans... and four of the large birds are in custody in Southern California on suspicion of being drunk, after one of them flew into a car's windshield as three of its similarly addled brethren looked on.

Tom Turner's Aero-Craft 101: More On Taildragger Flyin'

ANN Daily Touch N Go: 06.26.06 (ANN's Short-Form Daily News Program) ANN Daily Aero-Briefing: 06.26.06 (ANN's Long-Form Daily News Program) ANN Special Feature -- Tom Turner's Aero Craft 101: 06.26.06 (ANN Special Feature, with more from Tom Turner on learning to fly a tailwheel-equipped aircraft.)

Wife Says Pilot Husband Would Rather Fly Than Eat

"If I die tomorrow, I've had the greatest life and I've conquered more than I thought I could." Those were the words Tim Harbison told the Tallahassee Democrat his neighbor Al Fitzgerald always used to say.

NOTAM Number: FDC 6/0892 Issue Date: June 25, 2006 at 3:16 UTC Type: Hazards

NOTAM Number: FDC 6/0880 Issue Date: June 24, 2006 at 23:50 UTC Type: Hazards

NOTAM Number: FDC 6/0873 Issue Date: June 24, 2006 at 19:11 UTC Location: Alamosa, Colorado near ALAMOSA VORTAC (ALS) Beginning Date and Time: Effective Immediately Ending Date and Time: Until further notice Reason for NOTAM: To provide a safe environment for fire fighting aircraft operations Type: Hazards Replaced NOTAM(s): N/A Pilots May Contact: Denver (ZDV) Center, 303-651-4248

NOTAM Number: FDC 6/0911 Issue Date: June 25, 2006 at 18:47 UTC Type: Hazards

NOTAM Number: FDC 6/0917 Issue Date: June 25, 2006 at 20:18 UTC Type: Hazards

NOTAM Number: FDC 6/0933 Issue Date: June 26, 2006 at 1:34 UTC Type: Hazards

Bell Helicopter has announced that a new agreement has been reached with UAW Local 218.  The three year contract was ratified by the membership at a vote taken Sunday, June 25, 2006. Officials from the Union notified Bell of the acceptance vote late Sunday afternoon. The vote was 67% in favor.

Excel-Jet President Bob Bornhofen has had the chance to catch his breath and update ANN on the results of Thursday's unfortunate flight test accident, involving their single Sport-Jet prototype.

A Robinson R44 Newscopter served as the aerial platform for Dallas Morning News photographer Smiley Pool while he took his Pulitzer Prize winning photographs of hurricane-devastated New Orleans.

Klyde Wades Into The User Fee Battle... Watch Out!

Teachers from across the U.S. and around the world will experience first hand the application of math, science and engineering principles to human activities in a weightless or low-gravity space environment under the new Northrop Grumman Corporation Weightless Flights of Discovery program unveiled this weekend.

Is Taliban Seeing Imaginary Helos?

The Combined Forces Command – Afghanistan tells ANN that the Taliban have made yet another false claim of shooting down a U.S. helicopter Saturday, while two coalition troops were killed, officials reported. The Taliban claim came as at least 65 insurgents were killed during recent firefights with coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Report #31, 11 a.m. CDT, Saturday, June 24, 2006

A shipment of supplies began its journey to the International Space Station Saturday as the ISS Progress 22 cargo ship was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Aero-Tips!

Oh the irony! Pilots live for two things -- time in their logbooks, and speed across the ground. The two goals are almost counterproductive.

Aero-Linx!

The Red Bull Air Races are fairly new, originating in 2003. Top pilots race against the clock around a predetermined course.

Aero-Terms!

A ring or arc that encircles the sun or moon. Halos are caused by the refraction of light through the ice crystals in cirrus clouds.

"We are on the verge of achieving FAA certification, and are thrilled to be gearing up to begin delivering airplanes to our customers... While the majority of our certification program has been completed, we have faced ongoing supplier delays to obtain TSOs for their systems that have pushed back our projected late June certification by another several weeks. Although this is frustrating to the customers that are so eager to receive this aircraft - and the Eclipse team members who have been working night and day to avoid this delay - we are very proud that the Eclipse 500 will be the first VLJ to be certified by the FAA"

Source: Vern Raburn, President and CEO of Eclipse, speaking about the final road to certification for the revolutionary VLJ

NOTAM Number: FDC 6/0799 Issue Date: June 23, 2006 at 17:30 UTC Location: Goshen Municipal Airport, Goshen, Indiana near GOSHEN VORTAC (GSH) Beginning Date and Time: July 01, 2006 at 19:30 UTC Ending Date and Time: July 02, 2006 at 2:00 UTC Reason for NOTAM: The 2006 Freedom Fest Airshow Type: Airshow Replaced NOTAM(s): N/A Pilots May Contact: South Bend (SBN) Air Traffic Control Tower, 574-236-8405

NOTAM Number: FDC 6/0807 Issue Date: June 23, 2006 at 18:44 UTC Location: Cherry Capital Airport, Traverse City, Michigan near TRAVERSE CITY VORTAC (TVC) Beginning Date and Time: June 29, 2006 at 15:50 UTC Ending Date and Time: July 02, 2006 at 19:30 UTC Reason for NOTAM: The National Cherry Festival Air Show Type: Airshow Replaced NOTAM(s): N/A Pilots May Contact: Traverse City (TVC) Air Traffic Control Tower, 231-947-0453

NOTAM Number: FDC 6/0763 Issue Date: June 23, 2006 at 12:52 UTC Location: W. K. Kellogg Airport, Battle Creek, Michigan near BATTLE CREEK VORTAC (BTL) Beginning Date and Time: July 02, 2006 at 16:00 UTC Ending Date and Time: July 04, 2006 at 23:00 UTC Reason for NOTAM: The Battle Creek Field of Flight Airshow Type: Airshow Replaced NOTAM(s): N/A Pilots May Contact: Battle Creek (BTL) Air Traffic Control Tower, 269-962-7878