"No Way In The World" Is Eclipse Interested in Columbia Bid

As soon as the word hit that GA heavyweight Cirrus Design was interested in wrestling fellow GA heavyweight Cessna for control of the pivotal assets of Columbia, the rumor mill went into overdrive. It was if the rumor-mongers decided that the pot wasn't stirred enough as it was... so all of a sudden the "E" word starts popping up as a possible suitor for Columbia.

NBAA Cites "Wake Up Call"

Following the FAA's Emergency Order Of Revocation against AMI Jet Charter, Inc., of Burlingame, CA, the industry has responded with suspicion and concern. On October 4, 2007, the FAA issued an emergency order suspending AMI's air carrier certificate "until such time as AMI demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Acting Administrator, with documentation, that it had sufficient management personnel  and the management structure, management systems and record systems, including  record systems that show the qualifications of its pilots and the airworthiness status of its aircraft, in place to maintain effective and safe operational control and ensure the safety of its Part 135 operations."

Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (VAQ) 132, the “Scorpions”, were welcomed home to Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, Oct. 6, after a deployment to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. The Scorpions were deployed for seven months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

NATA Sends Letters To Members Expressing Anger

The following letter was sent to NATA members by President Jim Coyne concerning the recent Certificate action undertaken by the FAA against AMI Jet Charter, Inc., of Burlingame, CA. Coyne really took the FAA to task here and describes their actions as, "...driven more by arrogance and a failure to understand how Part 135 is different from Part 121 than by true concerns about the safety of operations conducted on AMI aircraft. "

Kas Thomas' "Fly The Engine" Is Back... and Better Than Ever!

One of the best and most concisely written books we ever read was none other than former TBO Advisor Editor Kas Thomas' "Fly The Engine." Easy to read, well-detailed, long on insight and short on BS; FTE was a book that we thought EVERY piston pilot should keep no farther away than arm's length... FMI: http://flytheengine.blogspot.com, www.lulu.com/content/1291090

NASA and the U.S. Air Force will jointly celebrate 50 years of space and the 60th anniversary of the Air Force with the World Space Expo from Nov. 1 to Nov. 4, at the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

The fourth modernized Global Positioning System (GPS) Block IIR satellite built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Air Force is set for launch aboard a Delta II rocket on Oct. 17, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The GPS constellation provides critical situational awareness and precision weapon guidance for the military. The worldwide system also supports a wide range of civil, scientific and commercial functions - from air traffic control to the Internet - with precision location and timing information.

Illegal Passenger Enters Island Via Wheel Well

A man managed to stowaway in a wheel well on a Singapore Airlines aircraft flying from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore last week. The fly-for-free incident has prompted Malaysian officials to order a probe into how he breached security, which has the Palestinian national in jail there, according to Malaysian national news agency Bernama.

“We did not miss one sortie we were requested for... We also flew an unprecedented amount of hours. I don’t think a Navy Prowler squadron has ever logged 3,900.” Source: Cmdr. Jeff Graf, VAQ 132 commanding officer, Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron, the “Scorpions”, as they were welcomed home to Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, Oct. 6, after a deployment to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. The Scorpions were deployed for seven months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.