A tele-conference with the principals of the North American OMF Aircraft operation discussed the bankruptcy of their German parent company Wednesday. While the news that ANN broke recently certainly casts a negative light on the future of the highly regarded OMF 160, and its future siblings the diesel powered OMF 135D and the Four-Place OMF-250; Company President Paul Costanzo was modestly optimistic about the future of their programs. Due to legal language incorporated in the investment contract reached between SGF (the Canadian Gov't investment arm) and OMF Gmbh; the Canadian company will be able to buy controll

The news is looking a bit better for globe-trotting RV Flyer, Jon Johanson. But... not a lot better. Jon has been offered safe passage home via transport aircraft but his RV-4 will have to stay until it can be shipped back by boat, later this winter. Worse; Jon will have to pay for it all... and it isn't going to be cheap. Trying (Hard) to discourage unplanned and unannounced visits to Antatrctica, the National Science Foundation and other controlling interests at McMurdo, are taking a very hard line on the issue of Johanson's having got stuck at McMurdo station when headwinds forced him down. Antarctica New

Gulfstream Aerospace has received the FAA TC for its new large-cabin, ultra-long-range G500 business jet. Gulfstream received G500 certification four months after its sister ship, the large-cabin, ultra-long-range G550, was certified and two months after the introduction of the large-cabin, ultra-long-range G450. "Receiving the TC is a result of our employees' and suppliers' focus and dedication as well as the FAA's ardent and continual support of our aircraft development programs," said Bryan Moss, president, Gulfstream. "As a result of everyone's diligence in accomplishing each milestone set forth in the aggressive certification schedule, the G500 program remains on schedule with customer deliveries to begin early next year." The G500 is one of eight aircraft that comprise

In another addition to Eclipse Aviation's increasingly international reach; Eclipse and the UK's Hampson Industries PLC, have signed a contract under which Hampson will manufacture the empennage assembly for the revolutionary Eclipse 500 jet. The agreement represents the largest single contract ever awarded to Hampson and reflects Eclipse's commitment to partner with the most capable suppliers worldwide. The contract has an estimated value of $380 million USD. Under the contract, Hampson's Aerospace Fabrications & Assemblies Division will assemble the complete empennage structure of the aircraft, including component parts and large stretch-formed components. Completed assemblies will be delivered direct to Eclipse Aviation's manufacturing facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico,

Hartzell tells ANN that a new three-bladed propeller is now available for a wide range of Beech Bonanzas and Debonairs. The new propeller is a hybrid design to maintain the outstanding structural characteristics of the existing Bonanza blade while incorporating improvements in the tip section like those found on Hartzell's newer "Blended Airfoil" blades. The objective was to offer a larger diameter propeller for improved performance without increasing the noise signature of the propeller. As a result, at 82 inches in diameter the new propeller is 2 inches larger than the previous Bonanza propeller and provides an increase in take-off and climb performance. Pilots are also reporting an increase in cruise performance. Like the previous Top Prop for Bonanzas, this propeller comes wit

The EAA AirVenture Museum is celebrating the centennial of powered flight in grand style Dec. 13-20, as a full week of activities to inspire and entertain aviation enthusiasts of all ages. Highlighting the week's events will be a live showing, via satellite, of the re-creation of the Wright brothers' first flight from Kitty Hawk, N.C., on Wednesday, Dec. 17. This flight, in an exact reproduction of the Wrights' 1903 Flyer, is the centerpiece of EAA's Countdown to Kitty Hawk celebration, sponsored by Ford Motor Company. On the evening of Dec. 17, renowned test pilot Dick Rutan (below, right) will be the featured speaker at a banquet hosted by EAA that commemorates the Wrights' 12-second flight that changed the world.

Mesaba Aviation has received notification from the National Mediation Board indicating the start of a 30-day cooling-off period in the airline's contract negotiations with ALPA. If the two sides fail to reach an agreement, ALPA could call a strike beginning at 12:01 a.m. EST on Jan. 10, 2004. "We will continue to negotiate with ALPA during the cooling-off period and we remain optimistic that we can reach an agreement that avoids a work stoppage," said John Spanjers, president and chief operating officer of Mesaba Aviation. "Our goal has remained the same since the beginning of the negotiation process: a market-based contract that positions the airline for growth and long-term viability. Our operation will continue as scheduled through early January, and we will make every eff

For airshow performers and promoters, providers and suppliers, the International Council of Air Shows is the one place where they can get together at the end of every year, have some meetings, trade some knowledge, and trade stories about what went right and what went wrong in the year gone by. The 35th Annual ICAS got underway Monday morning in Dallas, with the opening general session, with a Wright Brothers glider hanging from the ceiling, and a high energy airshow promotional video blasting from three huge screens across the front of the room. ICAS Chairman Harry Wardwell (below) welcomed several hundred people to the show, and pointed out that the first airshow was in the late morning of December 17th, 1903, when about a dozen people witnessed the Wright brothers take to

Flight-testing of new advanced composite rotor blades for the Boeing-built AH-64D Apache Longbow logged an important milestone on Thursday, Nov. 6, as part of a program designed to enhance the performance of the aircraft while reducing its overall operating costs. The flight test was a key milestone in the proposed Block III upgrades for the U.S. Army. Lasting 30 minutes, the test included a variety of forward, rearward and sideward maneuvers to confirm the structural integrity of the blades. All points on the test card were successfully completed. Produced by Boeing in Mesa, Ariz., the advanced composite rotor blades are designed to have longer service lives than the standard metal blades now in service on the AH-64D. The test flight followed four years of development by Bo

My dad frequently said “Doesn’t matter how good your airshow is…if people don’t know about it.” He was talking about marketing and promotion, and ICAS handed out awards Tuesday for airshow promotional materials and ads that did the best job in drawing in people and sponsors  and the dollars from both. There were more than 500 entries, the largest batch ever, and they were divided into 27 categories. We’ll present the winners here, and only wish we could print all the jokes Ric Peterson was using between the awards. He had some zingers.

The price of the Express Series 2000RG kit will increase, as of December 31st, 2003, to $75800. Even so, this bird is still priced thousands below many competing retractable gear SportPlane kits. The Express Series 2000RG features a cabin class useful load of 1875 pounds, 375 pounds more than available in other kits and even ahead of certified aircraft in the top end of the light aircraft price range. Fuel capacity is 140 gallons verses 90 and the 2000RG can carry that extra 50 gallons of fuel and still fill all four seats plus luggage. The large rear seating and luggage areas make your passengers feel like they are in a cabin class aircraft.

Experts at Warner-Robins AFB are evaluating the C-5 Galaxy's current health, service life and long-term viability as the first phase of an on-going study to decide the aircraft’s future. The four-phase C-5A Structural Risk Analysis and Model Revalidation study began here at the request of Air Mobility Command officials. "We're going to provide a quick look at the C-5's status, and AMC (officials) will use that information to see if the C-5 is a good candidate for future investment and upgrades," said Col. Frank Bruno, strategic airlift directorate director. "If our tear-down analysis indicates that the plane is structurally sound, then they may consider it as a future investment. If not, they may be hard-pressed to invest more dollars."

On the eve of President Bush's expected announcement about a new initiative with NASA, the Coalition for Freedom of Information (CFi) with support from SCI FI Channel, has announced the filing of a lawsuit against the space agency in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The filing comes as a result of the government agency's refusal to release its records concerning the 1965 UFO incident near Kecksburg, PA. Today is the 38th anniversary of the incident. "Our lawsuit is aimed at getting NASA to tell the public what it knew and when it knew it," said Ed Rothschild, Executive Director of CFi. The lawsuit against NASA is the first of several against government agencies, including the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense, which have been stonewalli

"The US actually don't run a gas station in Antarctica... and nor does New Zealand. Currently he is unable to get fuel." Source: A wholly unsympathetic Antarctica New Zealand Chief Executive Lou Sanson, commenting to the media on the plight of globe-trotting RV-4 Pilot Jon Johanson, who had to make an unscheduled landing in the Antarctic's McMurdo Station after unforecast headwinds left him short on fuel during a world record flight. 

The Washington State Department of Agriculture has obtained a court order that prohibits a long-time aerial applicator from performing further commercial pesticide work without a license. The injunction was issued Dec. 5 by Grant County Superior Court. Operating Pearson Aircraft in several states, Phil M. Pearson often has worked out of the Wilson Creek Airport in Grant County. WSDA assessed an $1,800 penalty against Pearson this past summer for applying pesticides without a license and he owes several thousand dollars as a result of fines levied in the 1990s for violations of state pesticide law.

The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) reported in its annual state-of-the-industry address that commercial aircraft sales and employment had fared better than expected in 2003 and it predicted a return to growth in 2005-2006. AIA also presented the industry's election year issues for 2004. AIA President and CEO John W. Douglass called on the presidential candidates to support the development of a national aerospace policy to promote aerospace careers, accelerate basic research in future technologies, and lower barriers to trade for aerospace manufacturers. He said AIA is preparing an investment plan that will be released early next year calling for an increase in federal R&D spending between 2004 and 2008. Speaking to 350 representatives of the media, industry and g

As the centerpiece of Marine aviation support for many years, the CH-46E assault helicopter remains the primary aircraft for Marine combat troop transport. Yet, the T58-GE-16 engine used to power it has suffered from reliability and power degradation, becoming what some have described as “tired iron.” The engine has been made a top fleet safety concern. Now, a $300 million Engine Reliability Improvement Program (ERIP) managed by NAVAIR’s PMA-226 will deliver 446 much-improved T58-GE-16A engines to the fleet. The first four engines were delivered in April 2003 to HMM-266, located at Marine Corps Air Station New River, NC. On 25 November 2003, ERIP achieved Initial Operational Capability (meaning one operational squadron with full logistics support in place), under

Tenzing Communications and ARINC Incorporated have announced an agreement making it even easier for airlines to equip their fleets with inflight email connectivity and give passengers immediate access to their email, both during flight and on the ground. Alan McGinnis, CEO of Seattle-based Tenzing said, "Passengers asked for email connectivity and we listened. Through this collaborative partnership with ARINC, we are making it even quicker and easier to stay connected with wireless in the sky and on the ground."