T-45 Goshawk Becomes Fifth Navy Aircraft Tested For Camelina-Based Jet Fuel

The Navy's alternative energy program expanded Aug. 24 when a T-45 training aircraft completed a successful biofuel flight at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, MD. The "Salty Dogs" of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 flew the high-performance jet trainer on a biofuel mixture of petroleum-based JP-5 jet fuel and plant-based camelina. The high oil content of the camelina seed makes it a valuable source of renewable and sustainable energy.

Swiss Agency Develops "Holistic" Airline Safety Ranking

The independent Swiss agency "Air Transport Rating Agency" says it has developed a new scientific "holistic safety rating" for commercial airlines. Although the European Union publishes a "black list" of dangerous airlines, there are real differences in terms of safety among the other airlines belonging to the "white list".

Five-Segment Solid Rocket Booster Burn Expected To Last About Two Minutes

NASA and Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) will conduct a full-scale test of a five-segment, solid rocket motor at the ATK Aerospace Systems test facility in Promontory, Utah, at 1605 EDT, Thursday, Sept. 8. The static firing of the five-segment solid rocket motor, designated Development Motor-3 (DM-3), will last approximately two minutes.

Researcher Says It's "Unlike Anything We've Seen Before"

Two studies appearing in the Aug. 25 issue of the journal Nature provide new insights into a cosmic accident that has been streaming X-rays toward Earth since late March. NASA's Swift satellite first alerted astronomers to intense and unusual high-energy flares from the new source in the constellation Draco.

Both Airports In Line For Safety Improvements

The FAA has recently handed out grants to St. Louis Downtown Airport (KCPS) in Cahokia and Sauget, IL, and Raleigh County Airport (KBKW) near Beckly, WV, for safety improvements.

Aircraft Fly Primarily Drug Interdiction Missions

A third P-3 Orion with a new Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) kit was delivered recently to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) by Lockheed Martin. This P-3 Orion joins the two similar aircraft that CBP is currently operating to support its critical homeland security missions.

Aircraft Will Undertake Firefighting And Disaster Relief Missions

The Hiroshima Prefecture of Japan has signed a contract for an AW139 medium twin helicopter, according to a joint news release from AgustaWestland and Mitsui Bussan Aerospace. This aircraft will be used by the Hiroshima Prefecture Disaster Relief Department to perform fire fighting and disaster relief missions.

Airshow To Celebrate 100 Years Of Naval Aviation

The California Capital Airshow (CCA), set for September 10-11 in Sacramento at Mather Airport, will honor several important anniversaries, according to the show's organizers. A highlight of the show will be a fighter jet demonstration by an F/A-18 Hornet and a legacy flight starring a Grumman F6F Hellcat to mark the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation.

Aero Linx: National Hurricane Center Our People (Who We Are): A team of science, technical and administrative specialists dedicated to our mission and vision. Mission (Why We Exist): To save lives, mitigate property loss, and improve economic efficiency by issuing the best watches, warnings, forecasts and analyses of hazardous tropical weather, and by increasing understanding of these hazards. Vision (What We Hope to Achieve): To be America's calm, clear and trusted voice in the eye of the storm, and, with our partners, enable communities to be safe from tropical weather threats.

Hurricane The name for a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 74 miles per hour (65 knots) or greater in the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. This same tropical cyclone is known as a typhoon in the western Pacific and a cyclone in the Indian Ocean.

"This test of the T-45 with a 50/50 blend of biofuel represents another significant milestone in the long list of detailed flight test and demonstrations of the F-18 Super Hornet, the MH-60S, and the V-22... Our commitment to the aggressive test schedule for drop-in replacement fuels for JP-5 and F-76 keep us on pace for the 2012 demonstration and 2016 deployment of the Great Green Fleet." Source: Rear Adm. Phil Cullom, Director of the Chief of Naval Operations Energy and Environmental Readiness Division, commenting on the Navy's alternative energy program -- which expanded Aug. 24 when a T-45 training aircraft completed a successful biofuel flight at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, MD. The "Salty Dogs" of Air Test and Evaluation Sq