Says FAA, Military Response Was Poorly Coordinated

Like the rest of us humans, the military's air defense command as well as its civilian control agency were dazed and confused by the events of 9/11, according to a new report from the committee studying the terror attacks.

Investigation Finds Florida Man Died Seconds Before Impact

The 80-year old pilot of an ultralight trainer that crashed in southwest Florida died of a heart attack before the aircraft hit the ground Sunday, according to the widow.

Test Pilot: "The Aircraft Is Spectacular"

Sikorsky Aircraft's first production S-92 helicopter took to the Connecticut skies on June 14, accomplishing a successful first flight and ushering in a new era in civil rotorcraft.

Parachute Deployment Saves Pilot and Plane in Oklahoma When Fuel Line Fails

The pilot of a Flightstar Ultralight powered by a Rotax 447, by all reports, considered last Sunday an ideal day for flying until his aircraft's motor began to sputter. Instead of panicking at 800 feet, Ron Elrod, a 56-year-old Shawnee, Oklahoma attorney, deployed his BRS parachute. Seconds later, Elrod's plane landed safely in wooded terrain one mile south of Tecumseh (OK). After a frantic 3-hour search and rescue, Elrod was found by local law enforcement and walked away from the incident without suffering any major injuries to himself or his plane. "It is my opinion that had I not deployed the BRS unit, I would not have survived this crash," stated Elrod. "The device saved my life."

Klyde Just Loves Those Turbopumps....

FAA Bashes Its Own Proposal

AOPA says a proposed FAA noise regulation would hurt safety and small businesses. Ironically, so does FAA.

Part Two: Talking About The New LH-10 Ellipse

(Tuesday, we published the first ten questions with LH Aviation co-founder Frederic Hubschwerlen on his new company and its new aircraft -- the LH-10 Ellipse. The aircraft debuts this week at the Avia Expo in France. Here, now, is the second part of that interview. --ed.)

Vice President Cheney Comes To Call

Vice President Cheney is scheduled to deliver remarks on the improving economy Friday at Adam Aircraft's manufacturing facility in Englewood (CO).

You've seen, for several years, what a great job our stringers, news-spies, and helpers have done at a number of high-profile aviation events. Now, we're looking ahead to the big one: Oshkosh. A few of our former stringers now work, full or part-time, for Aero-News... others have created great opportunities for themselves as a result of working with ANN. But... it's time for a few "newbies."

Returns to the Sky at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2004

Through a special arrangement that allows a well-known B-17 bomber to return to the sky, the Experimental Aircraft Association's hugely popular national B-17 tour will be back in the air beginning at the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in, scheduled for July 27-August 2 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh. The return comes less than three months after the tour was temporarily halted when a gear malfunction sidelined EAA's B-17 "Aluminum Overcast."

United Waits, Delta Warns

NOTE: Shortly after we went to press and, we learned that the UAL loan guarantee request was denied by the ATSB. According to an official statement... "The Department of Transportation remains prepared to consider United's application in the event that United submits a request for reconsideration accompanied by additional financial information."

NATA Likes It

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended an industry compliance deadline for its 2002 revisions to oil spill response and prevention rules, according to an agency source familiar with the EPA's plans. The EPA announcement, in today's Federal Register, is a result of key industry groups, including NATA, pressuring the agency for exemptions from the spill prevention, control and countermeasure (SPCC) rule, which applies to a wide range of industry sectors, including aircraft fueling.

"We have a problem here. We have a hijacked aircraft headed towards New York, and we need you guys to, we need someone to scramble some F-16s or something up there, help us out." "Is this real-world or exercise?" "No, this is not an exercise, not a test." Source: Telephone exchange between a controller at Boston Center and the Northeast Air Defense Sector on September 11th, 2001, as the first of four hijacked aircraft headed for its target. The 9/11 commission has now issued a report saying America's civilian and military systems simply weren't prepared for a domestic attack on that terrible day.

Space Commission Recommends Much Greater Space Role For Private Firms

As Mojave Airport becomes a spaceport and Scaled Composites gets ready for a shot at the Ansari X-Prize, it's perhaps not surprising that the government is thinking more and more about getting private firms involved in the exploration of space.

AD NUMBER: 2004-12-09 MANUFACTURER: McDonnell Douglas SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-12-09 SUMMARY: This amendment supersedes an existing airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain McDonnell Douglas Model MD-11 airplanes, that currently requires, among other actions, replacement of the existing air driven generator (ADG) wire assembly in the right air conditioning compartment with a certain new wire assembly. This amendment requires replacement of the ADG wiring and two associated clamps; inspection of the ADG wiring for correct wire identification, riding, and damage, and inspection of the associated routing/clamps for correct installation; and corrective actions if necessary. The actions specified by

AD NUMBER: 2004-12-15 MANUFACTURER: Boeing SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-12-15 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Boeing Model 777-200 series airplanes, that requires a onetime general visual inspection of wire bundles route daft of electrical disconnect panel AC2162 to determine their installation and separation, and corrective actions, if necessary. This action is necessary to prevent damage to the stabilizer cut out circuit wires in the bundles due to contact between the bundles and the adjacent galley water drain tube and hydraulic tubes, which, if followed by an active fault in the stabilizer command circuit, could result in undesired stabilizer motion

AD NUMBER: 2004-12-14 MANUFACTURER: AvCraft Aerospace GmbH SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-12-14 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Dornier Model 328-100 series airplanes, that requires an inspection of the alternating current (AC) power cables,realignment of the AC power cable retaining clamp, and corrective actions if necessary. This action is necessary to prevent chafing of the AC power cables against the alternator, which could result in a short circuit and impaired performance of AC-powered components, possibly leading to loss of flight-critical information to the flight deck and reduced controllability of the airplane. This action is intended to address