Also: F-35 Update, Diamandis/Hawking and Zero-G, Fairchild 71, Honoring Paul at OSH14

A DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter impacted the tallest building in St. Louis on Monday, and the operator is nowhere to be found. The aircraft hit the side of the Metropolitan Square building and came to rest on a 30th floor balcony--OUCH. As most of us already know, Google is far more than a mega-Internet search giant. Their Google X Laboratory researches hundreds of product ideas every year. Apparently, one of many products on the table was a jet pack. We guess it would’ve been something like seen on the Jetsons or occasionally demonstrated at special events. One of t

We Asked... "Is It Time To Find Out Who's Willing To Stand Up And (Re-)Build Aviation's Future?" -- YOU Responded

A few days back I wrote an editorial piece entitled 'Lift/Thrust/Drag/Gravity vs Apathy' -- and at my invitation, several hundred of you responded. Like some other recent "Barnstorming" editorials, this piece produced some of the best and most insightful responses I've seen yet... even though some of them concern me.  Here are just a few of those responses...

Klyde v iPad... Who's Gonna Win?

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

Also: More Media Aero-Stupidity, Syberjet Breaks Ground, SpaceX Wins... For Now, WTC Jumpers Need Help

The air traffic controller who was found responsible for a mid-air collision between an airplane and a sightseeing helicopter in New York in 2009 has been transferred to Virginia and returned to duty. When another controller needed to warn pilot Steven Altman of the helicopter traffic, he was unable to do so because he was on the wrong frequency. According to a report in the New York Post, after being placed on paid suspension, the controller is back on the job. Pilot Steven Altman's widow told the paper that "he should have been fired, he should have

Precision Approach Radar Radar equipment in some ATC facilities operated by the FAA and/or the military services at joint-use civil/military locations and separate military installations to detect and display azimuth, elevation, and range of aircraft on the final approach course to a runway. This equipment may be used to monitor certain nonradar approaches, but is primarily used to conduct a precision instrument approach (PAR) wherein the controller issues guidance instructions to the pilot based on the aircraft's position in relation to the final approach course (azimuth), the glidepath (elevation), and the distance (range) from the touchdown point on the runway as displayed on the radar scope.

Aero Linx: Society of U.S. Army Flight Surgeons (SoUSAFS) The Society of US Army Flight Surgeons (SoUSAFS) serves to advance the science and art of Aerospace Medicine and its allied sciences, and its application to Army Aviation and the mission of the United States Army. We strive to foster the professional growth and development of its members and strive to improve the practice of Army Aviation Medicine and increase its application in support of the mission of Army Aviation.

“[We] focus more on not letting things get fully birthed that don't make sense.” Source: The Head of the Google X Laboratory, Astro Teller, in comments made along with a report that said that Google had considered producing a jet pack that “wasn’t a death trap.” However, it appears that part of the Google X Laboratory mandate is to produce something that is also practical. The jet pack didn’t pass muster.