Memorial In Planning Stages

Four days after his Sukhoi SU-31 crashed a half-mile from shore in Fort Lauderdale (FL), the wreckage of Ian Groom's aircraft was recovered Tuesday.

A Eurocopter AStar news helicopter, operating under contract for a local NBC affiliate, went down late Tuesday, injuring the three people on board. The helicopter went down at 1820 while working a story in Brooklyn, NY. Video of the accident shows the aircraft rotating swiftly before impacting the side of a building, sustaining significant fuselage damage and then impacting on the roof of a nearby building.

Air France Lands KLM, Alitalia Left To Grapple With Bankruptcy

Air France and Holland's KLM Airlines completed their merger Monday night, making the new airline the third biggest in the world -- behind American and United. The deal, reportedly worth $1.03 billion, did not include Alitalia, the Italian carrier that had hoped to be part of the final package. Now, Italian officials are scrambling for a way to bail out the troubled airline, hoping that Alitalia can reach a restructuring deal with its unions.

Agency Affirms AOPA Argument Against Anti-Aviation Antagonists

The aviation industry has won a small battle against those who would see aviation curtailed and harmed for their own selfish interests. The FAA has turned down a petition from a Massachusetts anti-noise group to require aircraft owners to put two-foot-high N numbers under their wings.

Three Airline Leaders See Big Changes Ahead

It's like watching a game of Russian roulette. The honchos of the country's three biggest airlines, all sitting at the same podium, all agreeing that a lot of legacy carriers will soon go the way of the dodo. The biggest unasked question at the table: who's gonna get it?

Ethics Watchdog Will Report Violations To Government

As part of a deal being negotiated with the Air Force, Boeing has hired an outside ethics watchdog to look over its shoulder in the wake of two major defense contracting scandals.

Robinson, Cirrus Sales Still Climbing

New Helicopter production figures for the first three months of 2004 show Robinson leading with 158 deliveries followed by Bell with 16, Sikorsky with 8, and Schweizer with 7. Robinson deliveries for the quarter included 104 R44s and 54 R22s, a record high for the company. This is an 82% increase over the first quarter of 2003 when Robinson delivered 57 R44s and 30 R22s. A look at the 1Q/04 stats shows that Cirrus shipped 1 Cirrus SRV, 38 Cirrus SR20s, and 66 Cirrus SR22s as compared to Cessna's 8 172 Skyhawks, 53 172S Skyhawks, 20 182 Skylanes, and 8 182T Skylanes. The totals add up to 105 four seaters for Cirrus Design and 89 Cessna Skyhawks and Skylanes (their only four seaters).

Measures Include Biometrics And RFID

The TSA says eight airports have been selected to participate in TSA's Access Control Pilot Program which will test Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, Anti-Piggybacking technology, advanced video surveillance technology and various biometric technologies.

Transponder "Malfunction" Causes F-16 Scramble

There's probably nothing more embarrassing than an equipment malfunction that draws attention to your aircraft. Well, on second thought, there probably are more embarrassing things, but you can be the captain of a Singapore Airlines Airbus A340-500 is wishing all of them upon himself right about now. The aircraft, headed from Singapore to Los Angeles, apparently suffered a transponder malfunction which reset the transponder to indicate a hijacking aboard (7500). That's the captain's story, according to the FAA.

US Says Information Vital To War On Terrorism

Governments of the European Union want the multi-national parliament to go ahead and approve an agreement with Washington to share passenger data, including credit card information and meal preferences, with US intelligence services.

Turbo Commander Was Taking Them Home To Mexico City

Seven Mexican drug agents are dead after their Turbo Commander mysteriously exploded on a flight from Juarez to Mexico City Sunday. All seven were federal officers who flew anti-drug missions over the mountains of Chihuahua.

North Carolina Tower Crew Knew It Was In Trouble

The bodies of two people killed in a North Carolina general aviation accident have been recovered from an apartment complex lake near Cary (NC). The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

NOTAM: 4/3854 Issued: 05/04/2004 01:26 Effective: Immediately - Until Further Notice State: CA Facility: ZLA - LOS ANGELES (ARTCC)PALMDALE, CA. Type: HAZARDS Description: SANTA YNEZ, CA.

NOTAM: 4/3857 Issued: 05/04/2004 03:14 Effective: Immediately - Until Further Notice State: CA Facility: ZLA - LOS ANGELES (ARTCC)PALMDALE, CA. Type: HAZARDS Description: TEMESCAL, CA.

NOTAM: 4/3862 Issued: 05/04/2004 12:30 Effective: 05/13/2004 17:50 - 05/16/2004 16:15 State: MD Facility: ZDC - WASHINGTON (ARTCC),DC. Type: AIR SHOWS/SPORTS Description: ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, MD.

Boeing has acquired Frontier Systems Inc., developer of the A-160 Hummingbird and Maverick unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Frontier’s platforms and technologies add to Boeing’s portfolio and capabilities in unmanned systems that include the Joint Unmanned Combat Air System X-45, ScanEagle and other concepts under development. Terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.

Global Aviation Launches Full-Service FBO at Hillsboro Airport

Global Aviation has expanded its offerings to include Fixed-Base Operator (FBO) services at Hillsboro airport (HIO). With its regional FBO capabilities, Global Aviation now offers the concierge and maintenance services desired by corporate executives and private aircraft operators around the world.

Troubled Airline Plans To Bring Back More Than 1,000

Financially-troubled Delta Airlines is about to recall 1,060 pilots laid off in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Traffic is that good.

"There will be fewer of the legacy, or network carriers. What is harder to fathom or figure out are which ones are going to make it." Source: American Airlines CEO Gerald Arpey, speaking at a round-table discussion in Fort Worth (TX) on the future of the airline industry. His fellow panelists, Continental CEO Gordon Bethune and Southwest President Jim Parker, agreed that change is in the wind. But, while Arpey and Bethune said the field of competitors will probably be narrowed to just two or three legacy carriers and as many low-cost carriers, Parker suggested that the number of airlines in the business might not drop.

For Sale: Sonerai II

90% complete, all materials to finish, 1600 CC stock VW engine, Monnett Super Vee Conversion, Imron paint Exterior Quality: 9, Interior Quality: 9 New, will sell for $7,500.00