Good day to you all, from Aziziyah, downtown suburb of Dhahran.

Read all about these articles and more……….in this issue.

PLANE NEWS.com 26/10/2008

Monday
Qantas Says Passenger Demand Down
Australia's Qantas Airways said on Monday that passenger demand had fallen in all travel classes.

Turkish Airlines Passenger Numbers Up
THY Turkish Airlines, one of the fastest-growing airlines in Europe, carried 16.8 million passengers in the January to September period, a rise year-on-year of 14.3 percent, it said on Monday.

Alitalia Commissioner Says It Has Liquidity
Alitalia has enough liquidity to operate until the start of December, the Italian airline's bankruptcy commissioner told trade unions on Monday, according to a union source present at the meeting.

Tight Credit Spells Trouble For Aircraft Makers
The availability of financing, mainly for new commercial aircraft, will dwindle in 2009 as lenders worldwide pull back amid a credit crisis, according to an analyst.

Tuesday
Greek Strike Disrupts Flights
Flights to and from Greece were disrupted, public services and banks shut and urban transport ground to a halt on Tuesday when Greek workers walked off the job in protest over the government's economic policy.

Boeing, Striking Union To Restart Talks
Boeing and its striking machinists union said they will resume talks this week as they look to end a stoppage that has halted production at Boeing's Seattle-area plants for six weeks.

Austrian Air Sale At Risk As Bidders Ask For Time
The sale of a stake in loss-making Austrian Airlines appeared to hang in the balance on Tuesday as one bidder said it did not make an offer and two others asked for more time.

Paris, Amsterdam Airports Strike Alliance
Paris and Amsterdam airport authorities forged a cost-saving alliance on Tuesday and agreed to take an 8 percent cross-shareholding, driving up shares in state-controlled Aeroports de Paris.

Wednesday
Boeing Profit Falls On Strike
Boeing reported sharply lower third-quarter profit on Wednesday after a strike by its plane assembly workers wiped out almost a month of production at its Seattle-area plants.

Alitalia September Passenger Numbers Down 28 Percent
Passenger numbers at Alitalia were down 28 percent in September year-on-year, as the Italian airline teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, data from the Association of European Airlines revealed on Wednesday.

Thursday
EU To OK Alitalia Plan, But Loan Illegal
The European Commission will approve an Italian investor group's takeover plan for struggling airline Alitalia but not a EUR300 million euro (USD$386 million) state loan, la Repubblica newspaper said on Thursday.

Boeing Says 787 Delivery Delay To China Probable
Boeing said delivery of its new 787 Dreamliner to China "probably" would be delayed, but the ongoing strike made it impossible to say when passengers would be able to travel in the ultra-modern plane.

Lufthansa Mulls Austrian Air Buyout Offer
Lufthansa is considering a buyout offer to Austrian Airlines' free float shareholders in its bid for the loss-making carrier, Austria's Takeover Commission said on Thursday.

Friday
Ugly Duckling No More, Rescued Alitalia Turns Heads
Alitalia, the strike-prone Italian airline that nearly went bust last month, has become the unlikely object of a deepening Franco-German tussle for an alliance even as its government rescue runs into fresh snags.

Argentina To Seize Airline Aerolineas
Argentina's government has decided to seize the country's biggest airline, Aerolineas Argentinas, because talks with the current owners over a price have broken down, a local newspaper reported.

Air France-KLM In Profit Warning, To Cut Costs
Air France-KLM succumbed to the global financial crisis with a profit warning on Friday, sending shares in Europe's largest airline group down almost 10 percent.

AVIATION WORLD NEWS
Date: Monday 20 October to Sunday 26 October, 2008

Civil News

Winch fails in helicopter rescue
Monday October 20, 2008
An inquiry has begun after a winch failed on Portland Coastguard's new rescue helicopter during an emergency call-out in which a man later died.
The new AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter was scrambled on Sunday when a diver surfaced unconscious off Weymouth. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the primary winch got stuck while the victim and a winchman were being hoisted up.

They were re-lowered to a dive boat and then met by the helicopter on land. The man, in his 50s and from Somerset, was later pronounced dead in hospital.
The MCA said he continued to receive resuscitation treatment from the winchman throughout the rescue, and that the winch failure did not contribute to his death.
The AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters have only been in use at Portland and nearby Lee-on-Solent Coastguard, Hampshire, for six months.

The winch failure comes one week after the helicopters at both sites were grounded at night, until further notice, because of problems with specialist equipment on board.
An MCA spokesman said: "There is no evidence to suggest that the failure in the helicopter's primary winch was a contributory factor to the diver's death.
"The pilot determined that it would prove quicker to lower the diver and the winchman back to the ground, before landing to transfer the diver to the aircraft," he said.
"The process of transferring the diver from the deck of the dive boat to the helicopter took less than three minutes.

"The alternative was to use the helicopter's secondary winch which would have proved more time consuming." The spokesman said winch failures were an "unusual but well-rehearsed scenario" and that all helicopters were fitted with two winches.
Night-time cover He said the Lee-on-Solent Coastguard helicopter provided cover for Portland for the rest of Sunday, and that the affected hardware had now been replaced.
"We are saddened that despite everybody's best efforts, the diver could not be saved," he added. Portland Coastguard rents its new helicopter from contractors CHC Helicopter Corporation, which said it was investigating the cause of the failure with the hoist manufacturer "as a matter of urgency".

"Such an event is a very rare occurrence, and the individual hoist involved has been replaced," a spokesperson said.
"In the circumstances the crew adopted the quickest alternative means of transferring the diver to the helicopter for onward transportation to hospital."
AgustaWestland's UK branch were unavailable for comment.
Helicopters with full night-time capability are providing cover at both Portland and Lee-on-Solent until the specialist equipment problems are fixed.

Pilot Arrested After Failing Breath Test
Monday October 20, 2008
A United Airlines pilot has been arrested on a passenger plane at London's Heathrow Airport on suspicion of being above the legal alcohol limit, police said on Monday.
Officers boarded a United Airlines plane at Terminal 1 before it was due to take off on Sunday and arrested the 44-year-old under transport safety laws. The pilot, who has not been named, was given police bail to January 16 next year, pending further inquiries.
A United Airlines spokeswoman said he has been suspended from duties, but declined to name the flight or give further details of the incident.
In a statement, the airline said: "United Airlines' alcohol policy is among the strictest in the industry and we have absolutely no tolerance for abuse or violation of this well-established policy. "Safety is our number one priority and the pilot has been removed from service while we are co-operating with the authorities and conducting a full investigation.

Airplane Maker EADS to Build Air Academy in Oman
Monday October 20, 2008
MUSCAT - The European maker of the Airbus family of commercial jets, plans to open an air academy in the Gulf Arab state, to train both local and foreign pilots, project officials said on Sunday. "EADS has proposed the academy and we have accepted," Mohammed Sakr al-Amry, Undersecretary of Civil Aviation, told Reuters.

An EADS project official said the academy would be built in the industrial city of Sohar, which is slated to see a new airport completed in 2012.
"The academy will be fully funded by EADS and is proposed to be built at the new airport in Sohar," said Xavier Azan, managing director of Dubai-based Offset Development Company.

World's Second Highest Airport To Open This Month
Monday October 20, 2008
The world's second highest airport, in an ethnically Tibetan part of China's southwestern province of Sichuan, will open this month, a Chinese newspaper said on Monday.
The airport, in the mainly Tibetan area of Kangding, is 4,280 metres (14,040 ft) above sea level, second only to Qamdo Airport in Tibet at 4,334 metres.

The Chengdu Daily said China Eastern Airlines would start regular flights to Kangding before the end of October, flying from Yunnan's provincial capital Kunming to Kangding via Sichuan's capital, Chengdu. The airport had originally been scheduled to open in May. The newspaper did not explain the delay, but Tibet and other Tibetan parts of China experienced violent unrest this spring. The CNY960 million yuan (USD$140.6 million) airport is in a poor area near the scenic Gongga Mountains.

It is in an area so remote that Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai, writing more than 1,000 years ago, said it was easier to get to heaven. The government hopes the airport will bring in much needed tourist dollars and investment. The airport is designed to handle 330,000 passengers a year and can accommodate 120-seat Boeing 737s and Airbus A319s.
China has embarked upon a multi-billion dollar program in recent years to revamp old airports and build new ones, especially in the country's remote west, as a way of boosting the economy. In 2006, China opened Tibet's third airport, in Nyingchi, which is nearly 3,000 metres above sea level.

Hackers Renew Airline-Ticket Scam Spam
Tuesday October 21, 2008
Targets Continental Airlines, raises price of bogus ticket to stay up to date.
In a reprise of a summer tactic, hackers are trying to trick people into infecting their PCs with malware by sending them e-mail that poses as bogus airline-ticket invoices and boarding passes, a security company said today. The spam, which claims to be from, Continental Airlines thanks the recipient for using a new "Buy flight ticket Online" service. It also provides a log-in username and password and says the recipient's credit card has been charged more than $900, according to Trend Micro Inc. research.

The message says the attached .zip file includes an invoice and "flight ticket." In fact, noted Trend Micro, the archive file contains an executable
file "e-ticket.doc.exe," which is actually a Windows worm that downloads and installs other attack code to the PC."It's the old double-extension trick to hopefully fool the user to double-click the attachment," said Joey Costoya, a Trend Micro researcher, in an entry to the company's security blog."The phrase 'Your credit card has been charged ...' will just add more worry for the user, convincing him more to examine [and] double-click the 'flight details," Costoya added.

An almost-identical attack hit consumers last July when hackers sent spam that masqueraded as mail from Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines. Among the few differences: The current campaign has dramatically bumped up the amount supposedly charged to recipients' credit cards. In July, the figures were often in the $400 range. Airline ticket prices jumped this summer as fuel costs climbed, a fact Continental recognized when it posted its third-quarter earnings last Friday. The airline, which reported a net loss of $236 million for the quarter, blamed both high fuel prices and Hurricane Ike for its poor performance.

According to Continental, its jet fuel averaged $3.49 per gallon during the quarter, up from $2.16, a 62% increase. Fuel prices peaked at $4.21 per gallon during the period, Continental said. The malware used in July also differed from the attack code spotted by Trend Micro. Three months ago, hackers tried to plant an identity-stealing Trojan horse on users' Windows PCs. The Trojan horse had made a name for itself in 2007 as the malware used to rip off more than 1.6 million customer records from Monster Worldwide Inc., the company that runs the popular Monster.com job site.

BAA Reports Dramatic Fall In Passenger Numbers
Tuesday October 21, 2008
Passengers numbers through BAA’s UK airports fell by 5% last month, compared to September in 2007.
The seven airports operated by BAA handled 13.3 million passengers in September, and 113.4 million in total since January, a fall of 1.4% for the nine month period.
European charter traffic fell by 12.6%, partly down to the collapse of XL Airways.
North Atlantic traffic was down by 6.8% and other long-haul routes by 6%.
European scheduled traffic achieved the best result with a drop of just 2.2%.
At Heathrow, passenger total fell by 3.6% overall, despite a 9.6% increase in North Atlantic traffic.

European scheduled traffic at Heathrow was down by 8.1%.
At Gatwick, North Atlantic traffic fell by 44% mainly due to the introduction of the ‘Open Skies’ Agreement which saw many carriers switch to Heathrow.
But at Gatwick, European scheduled traffic was up by 8.8%.
Stansted’s passenger total fell by 4.7% overall, with European scheduled traffic down by 2.9% and domestic by 0.8%. Southampton recorded a drop of 4% overall, with European scheduled traffic down 8.6%. In Scotland, Edinburgh traffic was 2.9% lower and Aberdeen saw a 4.2% drop in passengers.

The largest drop was at Glasgow (–11%) where the loss of XL and Zoom services exacerbated already weak charter and North Atlantic results.
But Glasgow’s European scheduled traffic was 3.7% up on last year. In total BAA’s airports recorded a 1.3% drop in air transport movements during September and a 2.3% reduction in air cargo tonnage.

Despite the overall loss of cargo traffic, both Heathrow (+2.5%) and Stansted (+3.8%) recorded increases. BAA said it remained confident that the long-term growth prospects for aviation are good. “Historically, air traffic growth recovers from short-term shocks such as those currently being played out in the financial markets, as evidenced by the growth in traffic after the Gulf wars, 9/11 and the Asian economic problems in the late 1990s and the fact that sales of commercial civilian aircraft remain buoyant,” it said in a statement.
But the figures were greeted with less enthusiasm from Ryanair, which claimed BAA’s long-term growth prospects were “awful”.

“The figures prove yet again that high cost, price increasing, badly run airport monopolies like the BAA simply don’t work,” said CEO Michael O’Leary. “Having almost doubled passenger charges at Stansted over the past 18 months, it is no surprise that passenger numbers are declining at the BAA’s airports, while traffic in Ryanair, and at other more competitive airports across the UK has continued to grow in September.

“These declining BAA traffic figures (which will get worse as we move through the winter) prove yet again that the BAA monopoly has failed British tourism, it has failed its airline users, it has failed consumers, and it must now be broken up in order to allow competition to provide efficient facilities and lower costs where the BAA monopoly has patently failed.”

EU Clears Spanish Aid For Rolls-Royce Engine
Wednesday October 22, 2008
The European Commission on Wednesday approved EUR35 million euros (USD$46.2 million) of aid from the Spanish government for the development of a low-pressure turbine for a Rolls-Royce aircraft engine. The public funding to Industria de Turbo Propulsores (ITP) from an agency of the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism will be reimbursed according to the success of the project, the EU executive said in a statement.

The engine, the Trent 1000, is being developed by Rolls-Royce for the Boeing 787 aircraft.
The project complies with EU rules on state aid for research, development and innovation and does not threaten to distort competition in the 27-country bloc's single market, the Commission said. "We have taken into account that none of ITP's competitors voiced concerns during the public consultation," Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in the statement.

Qantas Inaugurates Los Angeles A380 Service
Wednesday October 22, 2008
Australia’s Qantas Airways today kicked off scheduled service with its new Airbus A380 between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia. The first Qantas flight from Melbourne to the U.S. on the jumboliner landed on Runway 25L at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at about 7:30 a.m. Qantas will fly one daily roundtrip between the city pair in an operation that it estimates will generate $623 million per year in “economic activity,” including “more than 3,000 local jobs and $156 million in wages.” It expects that within four years, LAX will serve more A380 flights than any other airport in North America.

The inaugural A380 flight taxied to LAX’s Tom Bradley International Terminal for passenger disembarkation before being repositioned for an arrival ceremony at the Flight Path Learning Centre at the LAX Imperial Terminal, where a Boeing 707, the first passenger jet from the U.S. manufacturer, was parked alongside in the airline’s original livery. A ceremony to commemorate the first flight included a speech by actor/pilot John Travolta, who also serves as a Qantas ambassador. This first Qantas A380 service to the U.S. will be complemented by flights from Sydney to Los Angeles beginning on Friday, before the airline inaugurates A380 operations to Singapore and London.

Qantas has ordered 20 Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered A380s, which will be configured for 450 passengers. The airplane has 14 first-class seats, 72 business-class seats, 32 “premium economy” seats and 332 economy-class seats. Now the second-largest customer after Dubai’s Emirates Airline, Qantas was the first to conclude contract signing for the A380 in November 2000 with an initial order for 12 aircraft–its first from the European manufacturer. Including low-cost subsidiary Jetstar, the Qantas group now has ordered 110 aircraft directly from Airbus.

British Airways' Move to Terminal 5 Complete
Thursday October 23, 2008
Services to 12 long-haul destinations moved across successfully this week.
British Airways has completed its move into Heathrow’s Terminal 5 with the transfer yesterday of services to 12 destinations from Terminal 4. The move affects passengers to Boston, Dubai, Calgary, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Montreal, Denver, Seattle, Dhaka and Shanghai. Flights to Islamabad, currently suspended after the bomb blast in the city in late September, will also operate from terminal 5 when they resume.

A BA spokesman said the move had “gone well”, in contrast to the botched opening of the terminal in March. The transfer of long-haul services to the terminal were phased in a effort to avoid a repetition of the chaos. Some 500 flights operated from the terminal yesterday, carrying 64,000 passengers. The latest move now means that just a handful of BA services now operate from other terminals. Flights to Bangkok, Singapore and Sydney will continue to operate from terminal 4 until next year, when they move to a dedicated check-in zone in terminal 3. These flights are run in conjunction with BA's oneworld partner Qantas, which will move its services to terminal 3 next year. BA also plans to move its Barcelona, Helsinki, Lisbon, Madrid and Nice services, currently operating from terminal 1, to terminal 3 on 27 January 2009.

BAE Systems: London City Airport will survive credit crunch
Friday October 24, 2008
Smaller hubs like London City Airport will have a greater change of surviving the credit crunch compared to the holiday airports, claims BAE systems.
Deputy vice president of sales and marketing and asset management, Stewart Cordner, said that because smaller airports tend to specialise in niche routes they have are better suited to the current economic climate than larger holiday airports.

"I think there is a certain element of survivability in there, inherent in the regional aircraft side of things," he said. London City Airport saw its fourth consecutive year of double-digit percentage growth: it is now handling over two per cent of all London passengers, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). "Stansted for example - the summer season is over, winter season it will drop down, you get to a ski season but London City should be survivable," added Mr Cordner.

According to the CAA, the biggest growth in passenger numbers at the London airports was at Gatwick, which served a million more passengers in 2007 than in 2006.

Ryanair to close base in Valencia
Friday October 24, 2008
Budget airline Ryanair is to close its base at Valencia in Spain with the loss of 70 weekly flights, it has announced. The move will affect 750,000 passengers a year and 750 jobs in the region could be lost, according to the airline. It has been prompted by a disagreement with the local authorities over the allocation of marketing funds.

The Irish carrier has been flying from Valencia to 10 destinations around Europe - all flights on those routes will be cancelled from 4 November. Ryanair blamed the decision on "the refusal of the Comunitat Valenciana to engage in constructive discussions in relation to the promotion of the airport and its routes across Ryanair's network in Europe".

The airline said its investment of more than £85m - in the form of two aircraft based there - would be moved to another of its bases, with an announcement expected next week.
Ryanair employs about 60 people directly in Valencia and a spokesman said those people would be offered the chance to relocate as the aircraft they support are moved to another base.
 The company said it had wanted to cooperate with the tourism department of the Comunitat Valenciana after the announcement of its new Valencia base in August last year.
But a Ryanair statement added: "At the same time as the Comunitat Valenciana was telling Ryanair that no funds were available for such co-operative activity, they were granting a 12 million euro [£9.6m] award of marketing support to the local airline, Air Nostrum, who delivered neither growth nor international passengers to the region.
"Furthermore, the Comunitat Valenciana ignored Ryanair's request for engagement on these important promotional issues and indeed more recently turned down all reasonable requests for meetings."

Ryanair deputy chief executive Michael Cawley said: "This is a very black day for the airport of Valencia and the city and region which it serves. "Without any assistance or cooperation from the local tourism board, Ryanair has already shown the possibilities which are uniquely available through its low fares."

He added: "However, the naked subsidisation by the Comunitat Valenciana of competitor airlines at the expense of Ryanair and the refusal by the same party to engage in any meaningful discussion with Ryanair have meant that continuation of our base at the airport is untenable." Ryanair's assertion that 750 jobs would be lost in the area is based on an assumption that every thousand passengers it takes into the area leads directly to the creation of one tourism related job.

Military News

UK launches Chinook upgrade work
Monday October 20, 2008
Efforts to bring the UK Royal Air Force's fleet of Boeing CH-47 transport helicopters to a common configuration have been launched, with funding secured to start modernisation work on eight of its 40 Chinook HC2/2As. Dubbed Project Julius, the work includes the integration of digital avionics and an engine upgrade to Honeywell's T55-714 standard, and builds on existing efforts to provide Bowman battlefield communications connectivity and successor identification friend-or-foe equipment.

Meanwhile, so-called reversion work on the RAF's eight previously stored Chinook HC3s is on track, with the first extended-range aircraft to soon arrive at RAF Odiham in Hampshire for trials of its replacement analogue cockpit, integrated by Qinetiq.
Originally intended to support special forces operations, the aircraft will be formally delivered for squadron service between May 2009 and February 2010, and will be operated for up to five years before also undergoing modernisation under Project Julius.

The RAF plans to perform a further life enhancement modification to its 48-aircraft fleet after 2015, says Chinook force commander Gp Capt Andy Turner.
Twelve crews from the RAF's Odiham-based 18 and 27 squadrons are participating in the three-week Exercise Jebel Sahara near Marrakesh, Morocco until 28 October. Focused on tasks including rapid reaction deployment and environmental training in hot and high conditions, the manoeuvres represent the first occasion since 2005 that the Chinook force has trained alongside the RAF's AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin-equipped 28 and
78 squadrons.

Three Chinook HC2/2As and two Merlin HC3s have been committed to the exercise, operating as Joint Helicopter Force (Morocco). The aircraft are also providing support to training activities involving the British Army's Royal Gibraltar Regiment and Moroccan ground forces. The RAF expects to next year increase its overseas training activities with the Chinook to also include arctic operations in Norway and amphibious work in the Mediterranean. Turner says this work will "build a broader capability base and give more balanced crews" than the current training emphasis on supporting combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

USAF SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND GETS OK TO BUY 16 AC-27 GUNSHIPS
Monday October 20, 2008
FT. WALTON BEACH, FL -- Air Force Special Operations Command has received Pentagon approval to purchase 16 L-3 Communications-Alenia AC-27 gunships, according to a senior service official. The approval -- delivered via program decision memorandum II -- also gives the Air Force the OK to install a medium-caliber cannon on the aircraft, according to Brig. Gen. Bradley Heithold, AFSOC’s top acquisition officer.

His comments came during an Oct. 7 presentation during a munitions conference here.
In addition to either a 30-millimeter or 40-millimeter gun, the AC-27 will fire stand-off, precision-guided munitions like the Northrop Grumman-built Viper Strike bomb, the one-star said.
Viper Strike is a gliding munition capable of stand-off precision attack using GPS-aided navigation and a semi-active laser seeker, according to a Northrop fact sheet.
“We’re going to put a small precision-guided munition on the airplane, a medium-caliber weapon on it and [we are] going to put [on] a couple of sensors,” Heithold said.
The Air Force Research Laboratory is testing the 30-millimeter and 40-millimeter guns and mounts at Eglin Air Force, FL, base “right now,” he said.

The light gunship program -- officially designated the AC-27 Stinger II -- has the support of U.S. Special Operations Command chief Adm. Eric Olson, Heithold said. The aircraft’s nickname is based on the Fairchild AC-119K Stinger gunships, which were designed to hit Viet Cong trucks on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Vietnam during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz also is strongly supportive of the gunship program, according to Maj. Gen. Herbert Carlisle, director of the service’s legislative liaison division. But this past summer, lawmakers shot down a Pentagon proposal to move $32 million to allow AFSOC to buy one AC-27 prototype aircraft. The money was part of a July omnibus reprogramming request.

“From what we know so far, that is not a feeling of Congress that it’s not a valid program or it’s not the right way to go,” Carlisle said during an Oct.
8 presentation at the same weapons conference. “It was just they didn’t want to allow the . . . new starts in the omnibus reprogramming.” In addition the House and Senate Appropriations defense subcommittees stripped funding in fiscal year 2009 for the air service’s portion of the joint Army-Air Force JCA program, according to the conference report on the FY-09 defence spending bill.

“We think we can recover from [those procurement cuts] and continue with the program and we’re going to continue to push,” Carlisle said. Industry sources claim the removal of Air Force C-27J purchases would drive up the cost of Army airlifters.
L-3 and Alenia presented the Army with its first JCA last month and held a formal delivery ceremony in Texas this week. -- Marcus Weisgerber

Crash Blamed On Pilot Following Too Closely PC-12
Monday October 20, 2008
The July 8 crash of a small special operations plane trying to land at Hurlburt Field, Fla., happened because the pilot tried to land too closely behind a larger AC-130U Spooky gunship and got caught in the gunship’s wake turbulence. None of the three pilots in the PC-12 was seriously hurt, the report said.

But damage to the plane from the 319th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt was set at $3.8 million, making it a Class-A mishap in Air Force Safety Center talk.
Onboard were civilian instructor pilot Robert M. Howard III, Capt. Peter McWilliam and Capt. Michael Ellis. As the plane approached Hurlburt’s runway at 11:35 p.m. and about 100 feet high from the south, the aircraft suddenly rolled to the left. The single-engine, propeller-drive plane was beginning to turn upside down, when Howard stopped the roll.

But before he could get the plane upright, the PC-12’s left wing struck the ground, sending the plane skidding 669 feet across a field before stopping on a paved overrun.
The board concluded that Howard didn’t wait for the turbulence from the gunship to subside.
As he tried to the land the PC-12, the 47-foot-long plane was caught by the AC-130U’s wake. Air Force rules require at least a two-minute separation between slow-moving heavy planes, like the AC-130U, and small, light planes, the investigation noted. The PC-12 trailed the gunship by about 40 seconds. All of the pilots had enough flight experience to be aware of the dangers of wake turbulence, but none of them was concerned about the dangers as the plane approached Hurlburt, the report said.

The board also found that air traffic controllers had not issued any wake turbulence advisories even though Air Force rules required to them do so.
The controllers told investigators they assumed that since both aircraft and crews were from Hurlburt, the crews were aware of potential turbulence dangers.

Air Force special operators began flying the small planes in 2005, with the idea of delivering troops or cargo in rugged airplanes that could land on remote airfields or roads and not attract as same attention as an Air Force C-130 touching down. The PC-12 that crashed had been used as a trainer and leased by the Sierra Nevada Corp., for the Air Force’s use. Versions of the PC-12 flown on operational missions are owned by the Air Force and designated as U-28s Depending on how the PC-12’s interior is configured, the aircraft can carry up to nine passengers or around 3,000 pounds of cargo if passenger seats are removed.

Vulcan Bomber Grounded For Three Weeks
Monday October 20, 2008
The Vulcan bomber that landed at Farnborough on Thursday last week has been grounded at the airport for up to three weeks. The XH558 Vulcan, the only airworthy model of its kind in the world, touched down at Farnborough on Thursday after taking part in the celebration fly-past to mark the 100th anniversary of Samuel Cody’s historic first flight in the UK.

The Cold War-era bomber, which was designed to carry Britain’s nuclear weapons into the Soviet union, had been due to fly out again on Saturday to take part in an air show in Leicestershire. However the famous delta-winged plane was forced to stay at Farnborough after engineers found a fault in the braking system.

It is expected that XH558, which was decommissioned in 1993 and made its dramatic return to the Farnborough Airshow in July after a £7 million refurbishment, will be stuck in Farnborough for between two and three weeks until spare parts can be found.

IAF`s Second VIP Aircraft To Arrive Shortly
Tuesday October 21, 2008
New Delhi, Oct 20: The Indian Air Force is all set to receive the second of its three Boeing Business Jets (BBJs) shortly, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday. "The aircraft has a range of 3,140 nautical miles and has the capacity to carry 60 passengers," he said.
Necessary guidelines for the usage of VIP aircraft were there with the IAF and were being implemented thoroughly, he said.

"Guidelines for use of VIP aircraft are already there and are being implemented meticulously by concerned agencies and they apply for the BBJs also," Defence Minister said.
VIP aircraft are used by the President and Prime Minister for official purposes and are operated by a Delhi-based squadron of IAF.

US Navy Plane Crashes in Afghan Military Base
Tuesday October 21, 2008
KABUL, (KUNA) -- A US Navy plane "overshot" the runway at a military base in Afghanistan and crashed on Tuesday but no casualties were reported, said the US military. A US military statement said the accident resulted with a crew member breaking his ankle.
Without giving more details, the military said the Navy P-3 Orion aircraft was seriously damaged in the crash. The incident happened at the US' main Bagram military base, located some 35 kilometers north of the central Afghan capital, Kabul. The crash was being investigated, said the brief statement.

Navy Reassigns Commander of P-3 That Crashed
Friday October 24, 2008
BRUNSWICK — Navy officials have temporarily reassigned the officer piloting a Brunswick-based plane that crashed Tuesday at Bagram Airfield in eastern Afghanistan, according to a release from Naval Air Force Atlantic issued today. The release said Cmdr. Llew Lewis, commanding officer of a Navy squadron assigned to Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing FIVE based at Brunswick Naval Air Station, was at the controls of the P-3 Orion aircraft when it overshot a runway at Bagram Airfield on Tuesday.

No one was killed, but one crew member, who has not been identified, sprained an ankle as a result of the crash, base spokesman John James told The Times Record Tuesday.
James said the plane's right main landing gear collapsed and both right engines caught fire.
Navy officials are investigating the crash, the release said. Capt. James Hoke has reassigned Lewis from command of the squadron pending its completion, according to the release.
"That is standard procedure to temporarily reassign personnel pending the outcome of any aircraft investigation," James said.

In the meantime, Cmdr. Craig Lee, executive officer of the squadron, has temporarily assumed command of the squadron. Mass Communications Specialist 2 David Hewitt, of Brunswick Naval Air Station's Public Affairs Office, said he could not indicate how many people were on the plane at the time of the crash or how long the investigation will last.
But the crash rendered the P-3 out of commission, resulting in a multi-million-dollar loss. P-3 Orions, 23 of which fly out from Brunswick, were last produced for the U.S. Navy in 1990 for $36 million apiece.

Tuesday's crash was the first in decades involving an aircraft stationed at Brunswick Naval Air Station. According to Times Record research, the last time a Brunswick-based plane crashed was Sept. 22, 1978, when eight crew members died in Poland after a structural failure caused a Navy P-3 to break up in flight

BAE Flies First Saudi Typhoon From 2007 Deal
Tuesday October 21, 2008
London - BAE Systems has flown the first aircraft destined for Saudi Arabia in a multibillion-pound deal signed last year. A second Saudi aircraft is due for completion in the next few weeks. Work on the Saudi contract is gathering pace even though the British have yet to secure export approval from Washington for American equipment used in the combat aircraft.
The first flight of the Saudi jet on Oct. 20 came just 24 hours before Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) took delivery of the first of a new generation of Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft with full multirole capability. The arrival of the two fighters at the Coningsby air base in eastern England marks the start of deliveries of some 91 Tranche 2 aircraft scheduled to be handed over to the RAF over the next few years. Twenty-four of the RAF's Tranche 2 aircraft are being diverted off the production line to meet the requirements of export customer Saudi Arabia to obtain early delivery slots of the potent multirole fighter.

Minister for Defence Equipment and Support Quentin Davies said: "Typhoon is delivering a world-class capability to the RAF and is the cornerstone of the UK's air defence capabilities. Today's arrival of the second Tranche is an important milestone delivering to the RAF an aircraft with more powerful computer systems and the ability to carry heavier weapons - the next generation of Typhoon. "Typhoon directly employs some 16,000 aerospace and engineering staff in some of the UK's leading companies. Militarily and industrially this programme is successfully delivering the capabilities the country needs."
 

 

The production of Typhoon Tranche 2 will maintain 16,000 direct jobs within the UK's defence industry through its principal contractors BAE Systems on its sites in Warton and Samlesbury in Lancashire and Rolls Royce in Bristol. Other key suppliers include Selex Galileo in Edinburgh.

The Saudis are buying 72 Typhoons in a huge deal with the British, agreed last year.
The first of those Saudi-bound aircraft flew for the first time Oct. 20 from BAE's production site at Warton in northwest England. A second aircraft destined for the Saudi Air Force is also expected to be completed this year, along with a further two RAF aircraft. London and Riyadh are continuing to discuss the acquisition of additional Typhoon aircraft. These could be drawn from the UK’s Tranche 3 commitment.

While Saudi Arabia wants to carry out final assembly of the last 48 of its 72-aircraft order in country, how this is to be accomplished remains to be finalized.  Saudi company Alsalam Aircraft Co. will almost certainly lead this effort in country, with one of its sites to be used as the final assembly line. A BAE spokesman confirmed the flight had taken place.
At least eight Typhoons on the BAE production line are destined for the Saudi Air Force. Saudi pilots are already in the United Kingdom training with the RAF.

Deliveries to the Middle East oil producer are scheduled to get under way mid-2009 if the British government obtains export clearance from Washington.
Approval has been held up for months as a result of a U.S. Justice Department investigation into alleged British corruption in the earlier sale of Tornado aircraft to the Saudis.
In February, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is responsible for approving U.S. technology exports, asked the Department of Justice whether the Typhoon sale would prejudice the ongoing corruption investigation. The committee is still awaiting a reply. The Eurofighter consortium of BAE, EADS and Finmeccanica recently completed delivery of the 148 aircraft contracted for in Tranche 1 to the British, German, Italian and Spanish air forces. Forty nine of those were for the RAF.

Later deliveries of the Tranche 1 aircraft to the British had a limited-air-to-ground capability using precision guided bombs. The new Tranche 2 aircraft with up rated computers and strengthened airframe will eventually be capable of carrying Storm Shadow cruise missiles, Paveway IV bombs and a range of other weapons. Negotiations over the delivery of the third, and final, tranche of aircraft for the four nations is at a crucial stage. Budget difficulties in Britain and Italy could lead to the final deal for 236 aircraft being split into two batches, with some ordered now and the remainder a few years later.

Forget the Tanker, Let's Pick a Chopper
Wednesday October 22, 3008
On the heels of the disastrous air refuelling tanker dispute, the Air Force is now delaying its choice to build a new fleet of combat, search and rescue helicopters, the $15 billion CSAR-X program. Boeing won the contract, but Lockheed Martin (partnering with AgustaWestland) and Sikorsky, owned by United Technologies successfully protested the decision not once, but twice, keeping the three-year-old competition alive.

The Air Force had planned to choose a winner soon, but now comes word that the decision will have a "minor delay" as the service amends rules for bidders. With the tanker cloud hanging over it, the amended requirements aim to "clarify how the Air Force will make its source selection." In other words, let's be very, very clear why Boeing is going to be chosen again (kidding...I think). The statement came from Assistant Secretary for Acquisition Sue Payton, who was removed from the tanker competition after the GAO basically accused the Air Force of lying to Boeing while choosing Northrop Grumman. Payton says, "The Air Force has full confidence in the CSAR-X source selection process." The specific changes will be made public later, but why make any changes at this point? "This clarification underscores the Air Force's commitment to a fair and transparent competition, consistent with the Secretary of the Air Force's focus on Acquisition excellence." By the way, Payton says the changes have nothing to do with the Defence Department Inspector General's audit of whether the Air Force changed the requirements improperly earlier in the CSAR-X competition.

On the heels of the disastrous air refuelling tanker dispute, the Air Force is now delaying its choice to build a new fleet of combat, search and rescue helicopters, the $15 billion CSAR-X program. Boeing  won the contract, but Lockheed Martin (partnering with AgustaWestland) and Sikorsky, owned by United Technologies successfully protested the decision not once, but twice, keeping the three-year-old competition alive.

Aviation Week cites sources who believe a decision won't come down until May or June--yikes!--when there's a new guy in the White House. That may not be good for the bidders no matter who wins the November election. Many believe Sen. Barack Obama will cut defence spending, and Sen. John McCain has already been critical of the CSAR-X program. And even when a winner is picked, what's the over-under on another protest?

Coroner Damns RAF and MoD Over Hercules Disaster That Cost Ten Lives
Wednesday October 22, 3008
A CORONER at the inquest into the deaths of ten servicemen in a Hercules air crash has attacked the RAF for failing to fit a crucial safety feature that could have saved the crew.
Wiltshire coroner David Masters said the fact that the Ministry of Defence and RAF had not equipped the aircraft with ESF – explosion-suppressant foam – was a factor in the tragedy.
Had the aircraft's wing tanks been fitted with ESF, the men may well be alive today, the inquest was told.

Last night, the victims' families accused the RAF of failing to protect men serving their country. "The failure to fit ESF was, on the facts found, a serious systemic failure and a contributory factor in the loss of the aircraft," said Mr Masters. "There was a loss of opportunity for the survival of the crew by that failure."

Ruling that the men were unlawfully killed, the coroner highlighted the fact that intelligence was not passed on about a previous attack by insurgents on US Blackhawk helicopters on the same day in the same area.
Nine RAF personnel and one soldier died when the aircraft was shot down by enemy fire in Iraq in January 2005 – the largest loss of life to the RAF in a hostile act since the Second World War.
Among the coroner's recommendations was for all RAF combat aircraft to be fitted with fuel tank "inerting" systems – which do the same job as ESF. Summing up at Trowbridge town hall, the coroner said the two-month hearing was hampered by a lack of data recording important decisions before the incident.

The criticism referred to an apparently unrecorded decision taken by RAF commanders not to fit the vital safety feature on Hercules aircraft, after they were advised to do so in a military research document in 2002.
The data only came to light after a document trawl while the inquest was adjourned over the summer.
The Hercules C-130K, flight XV179, from RAF Lyneham's 47 Squadron, was hit by insurgents after flying a special forces mission. Enemy fire pierced a fuel tank in the right wing, causing an explosion. The plane crashed into the desert 25 miles north west of Baghdad. Witnesses told the inquest the crew was flying low, at about 150ft, to avoid the threat of surface-to-air missiles.

The 2002 report, sent to senior RAF figures, said Hercules wing tanks were the most vulnerable parts of the planes, liable to explode if hit by small-arms fire. And the report said a way to reduce the risk was to "retro-fit" the aircraft with "dynamic foam" for the wing fuel tanks – something that was not acted on until after the plane was shot down.
American Hercules have had ESF since the 1960s.

A major issue at the heart of the inquest was the failure to pass on intelligence warnings about the two US helicopters being shot at. The inquest heard an e-mailed incident report was left unopened by an unnamed British intelligence officer.

Mr Masters said: "The system in place failed the captain and crew of that aircraft and this should never be allowed to happen again." Concluding the inquest, Mr Masters told the families: "These men will never be forgotten. They were so brave, but so unlucky to die."
'They didn't protect our boys' THE families of the Hercules crash victims said yesterday they felt their loved ones had been let down by the RAF.

Many sat in tears as the coroner, David Masters, made a series of recommendations after highlighting serious failures that contributed to the loss of the aircraft. In emotional scenes after the case, the families said the "world will be watching" to see that the recommendations are followed. Pauline Stead, the mother of David Stead, the Hercules captain, said: "We are truly disappointed that the RAF failed to protect our boys, who were all highly skilled and professional members of this crew and who were doing a very difficult job in a hostile terrain in the service of their country."

She said warnings about the aircraft's vulnerability went unheeded by many people for many years. However, she was comforted by the fact that all the Hercules fleet have now been fitted with ESF – explosion-suppressant foam.

"As a result of this, all aircrew and their passengers travelling in these aircraft now have the protection that David and his crew were denied."It is very sad that it took this tragedy to happen before anything was done." Pilot: Failure to fit safety feature in aircraft 'criminal' A FORMER Special Forces pilot yesterday branded "criminal" a failure by the Ministry of Defence and the RAF to fit a standard safety measure to the Hercules aircraft shot down in Iraq.
Nigel Gilbert, who used to fly Hercules and knew many of the crew, said after the inquest: "I'm lost for words. Anger just doesn't describe it."

The key safety modification that 47 Squadron's plane lacked was ESF, explosion-suppressant foam, which stops fuel tanks exploding if hit by enemy fire. Evidence presented at the inquest showed senior British military figures were told about this vulnerability in 2002. But there was a failure to order ESF, or even tell the men on the front-line of the danger they were in. Mr Gilbert said: "This is not just incompetence; I think it was a deliberate decision not to provide that essential protection, a dereliction of duty."

He said he flew RAF Hercules in Afghanistan in 2002, unaware of its vulnerability to projectiles, or that "a single bullet could have brought it down".
He began campaigning for all UK Hercules to be fitted with ESF in January 2006, after being told that only five of the RAF's fleet of more than 45 were to be fitted.

Taiwan - All military Aircraft Grounded Except Patrol and Search Planes
Wednesday October 22, 2008
Taiwan has grounded all military aircraft, except for those on search and routine patrol missions, for safety checks after a jet fighter and anti-submarine helicopter crashed on consecutive days, the Defense Minister Chen Chao-min said Wednesday. Chen told lawmakers at the Legislative Yuan Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee that all military aircraft not on search and patrol missions have been grounded for three days and will not be allowed back in the air until they pass a new round of safety checks.
Chen said he felt "sorry, upset and extremely sad" over the crash of an anti-submarine helicopter off Taiwan's east coast Tuesday evening -- the second military tragedy in two days. A Taiwanese-made indigenous defence fighter (IDF) went missing near the Taiwan-held Penghu Islands chain Monday morning.

"I offer my utmost apology to the country for the loss of the two military aircraft and the lives of the people aboard," Chen said. The S-70C anti-submarine helicopter, carrying five officers, crashed in waters 62 nautical miles off Hualien County in eastern Taiwan around 6: 44 p.m. Tuesday, leaving one dead, two injured, and another two missing.

Helicopter captain Liu Shih-chen, who sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries, and head mechanic Tang Chih-hsun, who suffered cuts on his right leg, were airlifted from Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital by helicopter Wednesday morning to Tri-Service General Hospital in Taipei for emergency treatment.

As of press time, the Navy as well as the Coast Guard were still searching for co-pilot Ou Shih-wen and surveillance officer Huang Chi-sheng, who have gone missing since the crash.
The fifth crew member, surveillance petty officer Chu Chun-teh, was killed in the crash, and his body has been retrieved from the sea. The pilot and co-pilot of the missing IDF remained unaccounted for as of noon Wednesday. Fragmented human remains that may be from one of the aircraft's two missing pilots were found Tuesday, along with more debris from the aircraft, according to the Air Force.

Russia To Keep Upgraded Su-25 Strike Aircraft Until 2020
Wednesday October 22, 2008
MOSCOW - Russia will keep a modernized version of its Su-25 strike aircraft in service with the Air Force until 2020, an aircraft industry official said on Monday. (VIDEO) The Su-25 Frogfoot is a single-seat, twin-engine combat aircraft developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau to provide close air support for ground troops."Considering the fact that Russia is not planning to develop a new strike aircraft in the near future, we will continue to upgrade outdated Su-25s into a modernized version, Su-25SM, until 2020," said Yakov Kazhdan, general director of an aircraft maintenance and repair plant in the Moscow Region.

The Su-25 aircraft has been in service with the Russian Air Force for more than 25 years. In 1999, Russia adopted a program to upgrade part of its aging Su-25 fleet. The Air Force received the first six modernized Su-25SM planes in December 2006. The Su-25SM version features the Panther fire-control system with the Kopyo-25 radar in a rebuilt nose and the Glonass satellite navigation system. It also has a redesigned cockpit with a new HUD and two large colour LCD monitors.

"Thanks to thorough modernization, the combat capabilities of the aircraft have increased threefold," Kazhdan said. The Su-25SM can carry more than 4,000 kilograms (8,800 pounds) of weaponry, including R-73M2 (AA-11 Archer) short-range air-to-air missiles and can provide close infantry support regardless of weather conditions or time of day.
The Russian Air Force is planning to equip at least two air regiments with Su-25SM planes in the future.

Swiss Look To Tighten Rules On Arms Export
Thursday October 23, 2008
Earlier this year the Swiss government was heavily criticised after it emerged that a Swiss-built plane was used by the Chad military to carry out attacks on rebels in neighbouring Sudan. The Pilatus aircraft had been sold to Chad under the express condition that it would only be used for training purposes.
Stung by the affair, the government said yesterday that it intends to tighten legislation to prevent a similar occurrence in the future. It wants to have the final say on export permits for so-called dual-use material—items that can be used for both civilian and military purposes—in cases where it feels Switzerland’s interests could be compromised.

WRS’s Adam Beaumont spoke to Tom Cassee, secretary of the Group for Switzerland without an Army, which is campaigning to put an end to Swiss arms exports. He began by asking Cassee for his reaction to the news. A Chadian military airplane—an armed Swiss-made Pilatus PC-9—is stationed at the airport of N’Djamena in February 2008.

Israeli Air Force Plane crashes, two killed
Thursday October 23, 2008
An Israeli Air Force plane crashed some 30 minutes after taking off from a military air base in southern Israel on Wednesday afternoon, killing a flight instructor and his 19-year-old student, the military said. The plane was an Israeli Zukit, a military spokesman in Tel Aviv said. The student was identified as Ilan Carmi from central Israel.
The spokesman said search-and-rescue forces were called to the scene.

Witnesses told Israeli media that they found parts of the plane dispersed across 200 metres, with two bodies lying nearby. The cause of the accident was not immediately known. Israeli Air Force Commander Major General Udi Nahushtan has appointed a committee to investigate the crash, the spokesman said.

C-27J For An 'Undisclosed' Country of the Mediterranean Area
Thursday October 23, 2008
4 C-27J for Morocco , confirmed this morning
Rome, Italy - The aircraft has been chosen by different Armed Forces, among them the Italian one"The C-27J Spartan, the only true new generation medium military airlifter, is a twin engine turboprop tactical transport aircraft with state-of-the-art technology, avionics, propulsion and systems; it provides high performances, high cost effectiveness, extreme operating flexibility and it is the only aircraft of its class offering interoperability with heavier airlifters. The airplane has been already ordered by the Hellenic, Italian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Romanian Air Forces, US.Army and US.Air Force and by an 'Undisclosed' country of the Mediterranean area (4 C-27Js) for a total of 121 aircraft.

First Tranche 2 Capability Enhancements in Flight Test
Friday October 24, 2008
Flight tests for the advanced capabilities covered by the Phase 1 Enhancement (P1E) programme for Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 2 weapon systems have commenced with today’s first flight of a Paveway IV on Instrumented Production Aircraft IPA2 at Alenia Aeronautica’s facility in Turin, Italy.

First phase aeromechanical integration tests (Flutter, Vibration) of this new 500lb precision guided store are to be conducted at Alenia Aeronautica. Further trials will follow on IPA1 at BAE Systems and IPA4 at EADS CASA in configurations of up to six air-to-surface stores in order to prove the safe release of the new P1E weapons from the aircraft. This flight test phase will also include the 1000lb dual mode precision guided EGBU-16 bomb. The test data gained in these trials will allow the air vehicle aspects of the P1E capability development to be progressed.

IPA7 at EADS Deutschland will also join the P1E air vehicle trials in 2009 to prove handling qualities and carefree handling with the Paveway IV weapon. Avionics flight trials involving all four Tranche 2 standard Instrumented Production Aircraft are to follow this first test campaign, leading to service release of P1E(a) Capabilities in 2011.

The start of P1E flight trials marks a significant step towards the availability of an Enhanced Multi-Role Capability on Eurofighter Typhoon which is being developed under the First Batch of Enhancements Contract, agreed with the Core Nations in March 2007.
Eurofighter CEO, Aloysius Rauen, stated: "The insertion of new capabilities onto Eurofighter Typhoon represents the consortium's drive to provide our customer Air Forces with a weapon system that meets all current and projected mission requirements. These new technologies and new weapons will make the best even better."

The Purchase of the EC635 Will Proceed as Planned
Friday October 24, 2008
The purchase of the EC635 will proceed as planned: visit the media to final assembly Alpnach Berne, 24.10.2008 - On 24 October 2008 media operators have been able to visit the assembly line of RUAG Aerospace of Alpnach (Canton Obwalden). The purchase of EC635 and delivery of equipment to the Air Force will proceed as planned.

The EC635, a new helicopter of the Air Force, is built in Germany by the firm Eurocopter (EC) of Donauwörth. The purchase of airplane model next all'Alouette III, is provided by the Program armament 05 and the Air Force will receive a total of 20 aircraft.

While the first four EC635 have been built entirely in Germany, in the workshops of Eurocopter, in accordance with the contract final assembly of the remaining 16 EC635 is made to Alpnach company RUAG Aerospace. So far have been delivered to the Air Force seven helicopters. As for performance, quality, deadlines and costs, the project proceeds according to reports in the message on the program of armament 05.

The contractor Eurocopter and armasuisse, center of the Department for purchases and technology, have clarified matters raised cog in the testing of a helicopter. A electronic equipment due to the civil and military, the CG dell'EC635 for the Air Force is slightly downgraded from most of the more than 650 other equipment EC135 and EC635 model currently used. Because of this fact, in certain situations exercise may happen that the limit permitted rear of the center of gravity is exceeded. Following that finding, the Eurocopter has developed the necessary adjustments. As a first measure, has resolved the issue for the EC635 intended for air transport of Confederation (EC635 VIP), equipped with an air conditioning system, including a counterweight in the bug. Since the proposed measure would not cause the excess of the weight specified in the contract, armasuisse approved this solution. The adjustment will be made by Eurocopter in correntezza and is also applicable to 18 helicopters for army.

For use in the Air Force, this involves the introduction of temporary restrictions as a precaution until the completion of the rectification transactions "single pilot" are allowed, because of the weight in queue, only if the pilot seat is occupied by a passenger or another crew member. As for helicopters for troops, pilots ensure provisionally charged with an appropriate respect for the limits imposed by the CG. This is a routine task normally required for all aircraft. The press conference was held in Alpnach follow in the same event organized for journalists to Donauwörth last May after a visit to the workshops of Eurocopter.

Navy Lynx Makes Emergency Landing
Friday October 24, 2008
The helicopter developed a fault while flying over the Channel A Royal Navy helicopter has made an emergency landing near a Dorset beach after getting into difficulty while flying out over the Channel. Eyewitnesses said the Lynx helicopter landed on Charmouth seafront.
Sam Scriven, of the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, said four military helicopters were travelling together when one landed. No-one was hurt.

He said the crew was waiting for the aircraft to be repaired before returning to RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset. Roy Osborne, of the Seadown Caravan Park, said the helicopter had been forced to come down on his land "yards from the beach".
He said he had spoken with the Royal Navy crew and had been told problems began 10 miles (16.1 km) from the Dorset coast.

"They were on their way back from France after an air show and said they had a fault in the oil cooler," he said. "Luckily they had two mechanics on board."
He said a second helicopter also landed on the seafront temporarily so that a third mechanic could disembark. A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman confirmed a Lynx helicopter came down due to a fault and no-one was hurt.

Joint Strike Fighter Completes Testing at Edwards AFB
Friday October 24, 2008
An F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, marked AA-1, lands at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Oct. 23. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Integrated Test Force concluded an air start testing here. (Air Force photo by Senior Airman Julius Delos Reyes) http://www.afmc.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/081023-F-3571D-394.jpg
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The prototype F-35 Joint Strike Fighter AA-1 completed an air start test here Oct. 23, validating the aircraft's ability to shut down and restart its engine in flight. This ensures the aircraft can regain power and fly safely in the event of an unanticipated engine flameout.

The JSF Integrated Test Force showed the test points to 20 members of the local, national and international presses that same day as part of an F-35 media day. The aircraft arrived here Oct. 1 from Lockheed Martin's plant at Fort Worth, Texas."It is a great day at Edwards AFB," said Col. William Thornton, 412th Test Wing commander. "It is a great day for our country and our friends, allies and partners around the globe. The F-35 is a significant increase in combat capability, but more importantly, it will provide America's crucial dominance in air power."

According to Doug Pearson, Lockheed Martin vice president of the F-35 Integrated Force, the test marks the beginning of the "largest flight test program in history."
"This is the most comprehensive flight test program ever assembled," Mr Pearson said. "We performed the test here because we needed to understand how we can support this complex piece of machinery. We also needed to understand how our team, both contractor and government, can function."

Edwards AFB was chosen for the air start testing because of its "unmatched combination of location, facilities and people," Colonel Thornton said. "Its remote location allows us to test advanced aerospace vehicle safely. We have miles and miles of lakebed runways.
"But of course, our greatest treasure is our people," he continued. "There is no finer group to conduct this flight testing. With this testing, we continue to learn how great an aircraft the F-35 JSF is. This is a result of years of work."

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