Army Pilot Plans Autogyro Record

Circumnavigating the globe is hard enough, but one pilot is planning to do so in a rather challenging environment. On Monday, a British Army helicopter pilot described to reporters his plans to become the first person to fly around the world in an open-cockpit autogyro. Warrant Officer Barry Jones, 37, aims to set a world record when he flies more than 25,000 miles across 25 countries in three and a half months.  Jones entered the record books in February last year when he flew 579 miles across the UK in seven hours and 23 minutes.

Italy Buys Three 415 Amphibious Aircraft

Bombardier Aerospace announced Monday that the Government of Italy has purchased and taken delivery of three Bombardier 415 amphibious aircraft. With this order, the Italian Department of Civil Protection is increasing its fleet to 16 aircraft, which are scheduled to enter service for the 2004 fire season. The contract with Italy also contains an option to install a Search & Rescue system kit to convert one aircraft to the new Bombardier 415MP multi-purpose version, a variant which is expected to be certified later this month. The Bombardier 415 has a maximum speed of 375 km/h (235 mph) and in an average mission of 11 kilometers (six nautical miles) distance from water to fire, it can complete nine drops within an hour, deli

The International Council of Airshows has hinted for several months that something "Really New" was in the wind for airshow sponsorship programs. They weren't just blowing smoke. A program expected to serve as a model for a number of sponsor-dependant industries has been announced in which Dr. Pepper and 7-Up will pony up an amount confirmed to be "well into 6 figures" for a specific series of airshow program sponsorships.

Manufacturer Rolls Out Jet at Its Main Assembly Facility

On Monday, Embraer opened the gates of its main Brazilian manufacturing facility in Sao Jose dos Campos to roll out the EMBRAER 190, the largest commercial airplane ever manufactured in Brazil. The rollout ceremony was attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Sao Paulo State Governor Geraldo Alckmin, cabinet ministers, customers, partners and suppliers, Brazilian and international news media as well as Embraer employees. The EMBRAER 190 seats 100 passengers at a generous four-abreast 32-inch pitch cabin -- or up to 108 in a higher density configuration at 31-inch pitch. Embraer's newest airliner has already attracted 100 firm orders from launch customer JetBlue Airways, and another 10 firm order

Mars Rover Examines Rocks

Opportunity, the Mars rover, has made another giant leap for mankind. On Sunday, the rover took microscopic images of a bedrock outcropping on the surface of Mars that scientists hope will answer questions about whether the rock could have formed in water. The images will help scientists understand what the environment was like when the rock was formed, said Jim Erickson, deputy mission manager. The microscopic images and other tests could shed light on whether water — a key ingredient for life — ever flowed freely on Mars. NASA used an instrument Monday to determine the rock's chemical makeup.

American Airlines Pilot Plugs Christianity During Flight

Flying can often be thought of as a spiritual experience, but one American Airlines pilot is taking things a bit far. The unnamed Captain recently asked Christians on his flight to identify themselves and suggested the non-Christians discuss the faith with them. The case was handed over to the airline's personnel department for an investigation, airline spokesman Tim Wagner said Sunday. The pilot also told passengers he would be available for discussion at the end of the flight. He was not scheduled to fly during the rest of the weekend, but it is safe to assume he went to Church on Sunday.

FBI Arrests Man Boarding Plane With Gun   

Some people will try anything to get onboard their flight...even packing heat. A man tried to take a loaded handgun aboard an airliner Sunday by falsely claiming he was a law enforcement officer. Cleve Unselle Burley, who was traveling alone, was bound for Dallas to catch a connecting flight to Las Vegas. He presented false identification in an effort to justify his carriage of the handgun. TSA screeners at Louis Armstrong International Airport noticed the handgun in Burley's carry-on luggage when it went through magnetometers.

US Airways Opens Dialogue With Pilots Union

In a positive sign, US Airways and its pilots union began negotiations this week over less-restrictive and lower-paying contracts to fly its new regional jets. US Airways views the regional jets as an essential piece of a plan that includes lowering its costs to better compete with discount carriers, such as Southwest Airlines and JetBlue. The union says pay rates for regional crews are significantly lower than those paid to US Airways' mainline pilots and are among the lowest in the regional airline industry.

Seeks 'Fair Treatment' In Friendly Fire Case  

The American fighter pilot caught up in a tragic case of friendly fire is getting some much-needed support from Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The Governor is asking federal officials to ensure fair treatment of the Illinois fighter pilot charged in the deaths of four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. Blagojevich also wants permission for one of his staff members to attend the pilot's court-martial. The governor's request, made in a letter sent Sunday to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, came after Blagojevich met pilot Maj. Harry Schmidt's wife, Lisa, last month. Schmidt faces a charge of dereliction of duty for mistakenly dropping a bomb on a squad of Canadian troops in April 2002. Schmidt has said he thought

Executive Jet Management added three new aircraft to its charter fleet in January.  EJM now manages more than 100 aircraft in over 50 locations throughout the country to meet the growing demand for retail charter and to support the NetJets Fractional Aircraft Ownership Program.

Calls Again For Cost Reductions

It's no secret, US Airways has been fighting for survival over the last couple of years. The good news is that the company's cost-cutting measures have proved to be somewhat successful over the last year. The airline reported a $98 million net loss for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, greatly improved compared to a $794 million net loss in the year-ago period. The airline retained Morgan Stanley to "investigate potential asset sales" but emphasized that these are just "exploratory" measures and no decision has been made to sell anything.

You've read it... you know you have. An industry mainstay for more than 25 years, the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge is one of the first and most important publications a pilot may read. Previously known as Advisory Circular (AC) 61-23C, the FAA's new edition of this popular reference manual accounts for regulatory and procedural changes that have occurred since the last revision in 1997, and is re-listed as the FAA-H-8083-25.

Women in Aviation, Int'l has announced a special fund-raising event to be held Friday, March 12, at the Reno Hilton Hotel, during the 15th Annual Women in Aviation, International Conference. The Donor and Volunteer Special Recognition Night will feature a new documentary honoring the WASP. WAI also plans to recognize and thank the many donors to the WAI Endowment Fund, "volunteers who make the annual conference a success, sponsoring companies and all of those organizations that contribute to the expansive experience of the conference."

Full Service FBO Slated to Open at Tampa International Airport (TPA) Early Fall 2004 Air BP Aviation Services has announced that it will provide fuel and related services to Tampa International Jet Center at (TPA). The newest addition to the Air BP Network is scheduled to open for business in mid-summer of 2004. The $15 million dollar, completely modern facility will feature a total of 160,000 sq. ft., including terminal area. The facility will also boast a 12,500 sq ft canopy for covered aircraft arrivals and departures.

Aero-News: Quote of the Day

"The development and production of the EMBRAER 170/190 family has been a total team effort by the world's leading aerospace companies. This rollout is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of all the industrial teams involved in the design of this product" Source: Mauricio Botelho, President and CEO of Embraer, speaking at the Embraer 190's rollout ceremony. The 190 is being prepared for its maiden flight, expected to take place in the coming weeks following the rollout ceremony. The first aircraft, S/N 0001, will be joined by three additional aircraft for the flight test and certification campaign, which will be complete in the third quarter of 2005.

Civilian and military dignitaries cut the ribbon to officially open a modern operations center that monitors the heavily traveled skies around the nation's capital Feb. 3. The Joint Air Defense Operations Center, called "JADOC" for short, is staffed around the clock at Bolling by Air Force and Army National Guard personnel to watch for potentially dangerous aircraft such as the hijacked jetliner that crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

AD NUMBER:  2004-03-07

 MANUFACTURER: Airbus SUBJECT:  Airworthiness Directive 2004-03-07 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Airbus Model A320-111, -211, -212, and -231 series airplanes. This AD requires repetitive inspections forfatigue cracking around the fasteners attaching the pressure panel to the flexible bracket at frame36, adjacent to the longitudinal beams on the left and right sides of the airplane; and repair asnecessary. This AD would also provide an optional terminating action for the repetitive inspections. This action is necessary to detect and correct fatigue cracking around the fasteners attaching the pressure

AD NUMBER:  2004-03-04

MANUFACTURER: BAE Systems SUBJECT:  Airworthiness Directive 2004-03-04 SUMMARY:  This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to all BAE Systems(Operations) Limited (Jetstream) Model 4101 airplanes. This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking in the casing of the nose landing gear (NLG), and corrective action if necessary. This action is necessary to find and fix cracking of the NLG casing, which could result in failure of the NLG, and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane during takeoff and landing. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition.

AD NUMBER:  2004-03-08

MANUFACTURER: Learjet SUBJECT:  Airworthiness Directive 2004-03-08 SUMMARY:  This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Learjet Model31, 31A, 35, 35A (C-21A), 36, and 36A airplanes, that requires modification of the drag angles ofthe fuselage and engine pylons to gain access to the shear webs of the forward engine beams;repetitive inspections of the shear webs of the forward engine beams for cracks; follow-onactions; and modification/repair of the shear webs of the forward engine beams, as necessary,which terminates the repetitive inspections. This action is necessary to prevent significant structural damage to the engine

AD NUMBER:  2004-03-05

MANUFACTURER: Boeing SUBJECT:  Airworthiness Directive 2004-03-05 SUMMARY:  This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Model 777-200 series airplanes. This action requires a surface high frequency eddy current inspection of the webof the aft pressure bulkhead, repetitive inspections, and corrective action, if necessary. This action is necessary to detect and correct cracks or damage to the web of the aft pressure bulkhead, which could enlarge if undetected, leading to rapid decompression of the airplane andconsequent possible loss of flight critical systems. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe conditi