Israel's Transport Minister Hopes To Change Minds In Washington

Israeli media report Israeli Aircraft Industries and has been stopped cold in its attempts to fly civilian aircraft equipped with the Flite Guard anti-missile system inside the United States. The reports come as IAI announced Thursday it will begin testing the Flite Guard system in June.

The Kindler, Simpler, MORE Affordable Diamond Four Seater (Part One)

Few companies populating the GA market right now seem to be making more inspired development decisions than Diamond Aircraft. While Cirrus and Lancair are (justifiably) taking bows for the exciting performance and sales numbers they'e pumping into the GA landscape, Diamond Aircraft has crept up from a point of near-obscurity to claim a place as a leader in the General Aviation market… and if our intuition is at all accurate, the probable top spot within a matter of two-three years.

Charter Service: Pilot "Performed Admirably, If Not Heroically"

This week's crash of a Piper Warrior on Hawaii's Big Island was caused by a rare micro-burst -- a sudden and very intense downdraft, according to the aircraft owner.

It Doesn't Matter Where You Are, Klyde'll Find You.... Even In Orbit!

P4Y-2 Crashed Fighting Forest Fire

The crash of a Consolidated-Vultee P4Y-2 firefighting tanker two summers ago was caused by an 18" crack in the left wing. That's the assessment of NTSB investigators who probed the downing of Tanker 123 in Estes Park (CO). It was one of two aircraft to go down in fatal accidents while fighting that fire.

Taking On SWA In Philly

Southwest Airlines is flying out of Philadelphia and, for US Airways, this means war. The Washington Post reports US Airways, which has decided to make a do-or-die stand in Philly, is lowering walk-up fares by 40-percent and dropping Saturday-stay requirements on most flights to the City of Brotherly Love.

60 Years After Going Missing In WWII

April 29, 1944. Sgt. John Bonnassiolle -- "Jack" to his friends -- was a gunner aboard a B-24, flying only his third combat mission, when his bomber was shot down. All ten crew members were killed. The wreckage and the crew's bodies remained lost. Paulette Gooch was only seven years old when her brother, Jack, died. Since that day, she's often wondered what became of her brother. She says it haunted her, not knowing what happened, not knowing that Jack had finally been laid to rest.

SWA Asks Kelleher To Step In On Labor Talks

Herb's back. The founder of Southwest Airlines has returned to the fold at the company's request, hoping to break a two-year old logjam in contract negotiations with its flight attendants.

"This is not a crew safety issue. There are still two functioning gyros on orbit and we have the Russian propulsion system (from the Soyuz spacecraft which is currently docked with the ISS) to maintain attitude." Source: NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries, reporting a failure of a stabilization gyroscope aboard the International Space Station. The gyro is one of four aboard the ISS that prevent it from tumbling and keep its solar panels oriented toward the sun. There are four gyros on board the ISS. This is the second failure. Kelly confirmed that one of the remaining gyros is troublesome -- that its instrumentation indicates it needs more lubrication. Humphries says the station can operate on as few as two gyros. But, he says, if a third gyroscope fails, the ISS will

AOPA To FAA: Don't Mandate Big N-Numbers

AOPA on Monday told the FAA to reject a petition from a group called Stop the Noise, asking for mandatory under-wing display of two-foot-high N numbers so aircraft could be more easily identified. AOPA told the FAA that requiring aircraft owners to put large N numbers on the undersides of their wings would serve no purpose and that the FAA has its own studies that already prove the point.

Sport Pilot Petition Drive Ends April 25

It's coming! It's coming... Of course, it might need a little help to get here. And that's just what the EAA wants -- your help. In less than a week, thousands of EAA members and other aviation enthusiasts have signed a petition to the Federal Office of Management and Budget urging it to expedite release of the proposed sport pilot/light sport aircraft rule when it returns from FAA in the next few weeks. This rule is a huge step for those who are looking to overcome personal time or financial burdens that keep them from pursuing their aviation dreams, or for those who want a viable way to return to the sky.

NOTAM:  4/3531  Issued:  04/22/2004 18:42  Effective:  04/23/2004 15:55 - 04/23/2004 18:35  State:  MO  Facility:  ZKC - KANSAS CITY (ARTCC),MO.  Type:  VIP  Description:  KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI APRIL 23, 2004. 

NOTAM:  4/3483  Issued:  04/21/2004 18:42  Effective:  04/22/2004 16:00 - 04/25/2004 21:00  State:  SC  Facility:  ZJX - JACKSONVILLE (ARTCC),FL.  Type:  AIR SHOWS/SPORTS  Description:  MCAS BEAUFORT, SC.

NOTAM:  4/3532  Issued:  04/22/2004 18:53  Effective:  04/23/2004 19:40 - 04/23/2004 23:50  State:  FL  Facility:  ZMA - MIAMI (ARTCC), FL.  Type:  VIP  Description:  CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA, APRIL 23, 2004. 

NOTAM:  4/3530  Issued:  04/22/2004 18:18  Effective:  04/23/2004 14:00 - 04/23/2004 20:10  State:  FL  Facility:  ZMA - MIAMI (ARTCC), FL.  Type:  VIP  Description:  NAPLES, FLORIDA, APRIL 23, 2004. 

NOTAM:  4/3481  Issued:  04/21/2004 18:07  Effective:  Immediately - Until Further Notice  State:  PA  Facility:  ZNY - NEW YORK (ARTCC),NY.  Type:  HAZARDS  Description:  CRYSTAL LAKE, PA. 

NOTAM:  4/3528  Issued:  04/22/2004 17:39  Effective:  04/23/2004 19:30 - 04/24/2004 00:55  State:  IN  Facility:  ZID - INDIANAPOLIS (ARTCC),IN.  Type:  VIP  Description:  INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, APRIL 23, 2004 LOCAL. 

NOTAM:  4/3497  Issued:  04/22/2004 00:26  Effective:  Immediately - Until Further Notice  State:  HI  Facility:  ZHN - HONOLULU (ARTCC),HI.  Type:  HAZARDS  Description:  MILOLII HAWAII. 

ALPA's America West Pilots Puff Out Their Chests

ALPA says the hard work and sacrifices of its pilots, along with the rest of America West Airlines' employees, were directly responsible for the airline's dramatic turnaround from 2003 to 2004, according to the leader of the America West unit of the pilots' union.

That's It, No More Backups

One day after the new tenants arrived aboard the International Space Station, NASA says a second of four critical gyroscopes used to stabilize the station has failed. While the ISS can operate on just two gyros, the failure means there is no longer a margin of error.