The lavishly detailed NASM Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center was dedicated Thursday in front of an enthusiastic crowd of politicos and aviation devotees. The headliner, VP Dick Cheney, spoke effusively of the new facility and the history (and promise) it represents.  The new Smithsonian facility was built to house and display an immense collection of historic aviation and space artifacts. Named the "Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center," in honor of the guy who pretty much paid the bills for this amazing facility, the new museum is located at Washington Dulles International Airport, south of the main terminal at Dulles Airport in northern Virginia, near the intersection of Routes 28 and 50. The 760,057-square-foot building is situated on 176.5 acres and includes a large aviation exhibit han

Klyde Gets in The Wright Centennial Spirit

Rick Harris got a last minute call to drop what he was doing in Houston, and head north on Interstate 45. Bob Collings and most of his foundation staff were snowed in during the weekend blizzard, and someone would have to run the booth at ICAS. Rick was the man. The good news was, the display and brochures had all been shipped days earlier, and the booth was ready for set-up. So, after a couple of days of catching his breath, he was all smiles and handshakes when we stopped by for sit-rep on where things now fly for the folks from Stowe, Mass. “There’s plenty of good news for the 2004 season”, Harris says, The Corsair is up, and at American Aero in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, in flight test.” Earlier this year, a malfunctioning landing gear meant a bel

At times on the floor of the ICAS convention hall, the buzz was intense, the press of people and handshakes was unrelenting. In the middle of all that, Canadian Air Force Major Steve Will (call-sign “Swill”) was smiling and taking it all in. He’s the boss, the team leader for the Snowbirds, and with the announcement of their 2004 schedule on Monday, and 63 shows, he knows where he’s going, and he and the team are excited about that. “This is our first trip ever to Key West, right at the start of May, and we’ll be performing over the beach. In fact, we go from Key West to the a show north of the Arctic Circle, in little more than 2 weeks!” He’s referring to the town or village of Nunavut, followed a few weeks later by a visit to

Commemorative Air Force Director Bob Rice was pitching his organizations aircraft for three straight days in the ICAS trade show, all the time getting plaudits and congratulated for having the guts to call a safety stand-down for the entire fleet this fall, following the loss of two CAF aircraft. It had been a challenge. “The Flight Safety Review was very well received throughout the CAF” he told ANN. “The members understand the need. Already, about 75 percent of the flight crews have completed the review, which included going through the regulations, and doing risk assessment.”

The big announcement at ICAS was all about national sponsorship for all kinds of aviation events. Only problem was… the lawyers said “hold off on naming names” so the impact was not as spectacular as it could and should have been. ICAS Marketing Director Deb Mitchell (pictured below) has been working on this project for months, and she told ANN that it will signal a “defining moment” and a “major shift” in how airshows do business, and it will impact everyone, from performers to promoters, to the volunteers who make so many airshows happen. “We’re talking about major national sponsors…name brands, Fortune 500 companies” she said…”this will move the industry forward and it will become more of a bu

Two proposed airspace changes in Florida need to go back to the drawing board, AOPA told the FAA. In formal comments, the association said the plans to establish Class C airspace at Sanford Airport (SFB) and to modify the Class B airspace at Orlando International Airport (MCO) do not adequately take into account user concerns about safety and GA access to and efficient use of the airspace. AOPA called on the FAA to delay implementing the proposals so that they can be reevaluated, saying, "Airspace and safety issues were raised that lead the association to believe the FAA and users would be best served by revisiting the airspace user group process to work through the multitude of concerns raised by local airspace users." AOPA noted that the FAA did hold meetings to solicit pu

Check This TFR Carefully, Effective Times YET To Be Determined NOTAM: 3/1713 Issued: 12/11/2003 17:44 Effective: Undetermined - Undetermined State: MD Facility: ZDC - WASHINGTON (ARTCC),DC. Type: VIP Description: HAGERSTOWN/THURMONT, MARYLAND DECEMBER 12-14, 2003 LOCAL.

Check This TFR Carefully, Effective Times YET To Be Determined NOTAM: 3/1718 Issued: 12/11/2003 20:38 Effective: Undetermined - Undetermined State: MO Facility: ZKC - KANSAS CITY (ARTCC),MO. Type: VIP Description: KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI. DECEMBER 12, 2003.

Check This TFR Carefully, Effective Times YET To Be Determined NOTAM: 3/1716 Issued: 12/11/2003 20:15 Effective: Undetermined - Undetermined State: MS Facility: ZME - MEMPHIS (ARTCC),TN. Type: VIP Description: JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, DECEMBER 12, 2003 LOCAL.

It took 10 gallons of dark gray paint, 5 1/2 gallons of light gray paint and 3 gallons of silicon paint to give one F-117A Nighthawk an F/A-22 Raptor-style makeover. Lt. Col. Kevin Sullivan, the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group’s Detachment 1 commander, asked the 49th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron corrosion flight airmen to paint the detachment’s F-117 gray to evaluate whether it could have a substantial role in daytime combat operations. "The chief of staff wants to have a 24-hour stealth presence over future battlefields," said Lt. Col. Buck Rogers, Det. 1 operations officer. "We know our current black paint scheme wouldn't be a good color for daytime operations." With the project complete, the jet will participate in upcoming tests as part of a program cal

The California Science Center has invited the public to commemorate the first 100 years of powered flight by adopting one of its 10 on-site planes. The Science Center's new adopt-a-plane program, which officially begins the week of the Centennial of Flight, December 15, is open to both individuals and organizations. The donations will go toward providing essential ongoing care and preservation of the Science Center's 10 outdoor and indoor planes, including a recently installed replica of a Wright Glider, an A-12 Blackbird and a DC-8 passenger jet. Prices range from $500 for one of the smaller planes to just over $1,000 for a larger plane, and covers one of several cleanings needed per year.

The president has appointed Kirk Van Tine as the new acting Deputy Secretary of DOT... despite vociferous opposition by FedEx (and others) earlier in the year. While he has been nominated to fill the post on a permanent basis, the Senate has yet to pass judgement. In the meantime, his nomination has been fought at a number of political levels. The reason? Van Tine was at the forefront of efforts by the White House, trying to get $32 million in post-9/11 aid back from the freight company.

One of the most popular museums of the Smithsonian Institution celebrated its expansion with a preview day honoring military aviation veterans. Military aviators from conflicts as far back as World War II were invited to the "Salute to Military Aviation Veterans" Dec. 9, at the National Air and Space Museum's new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The center is located in Chantilly Va., less than 30 miles from the museum's flagship building in Washington. The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen. Richard B. Myers (above), addressed event attendees. "For a century, America's aviation veterans have bravely explored and expanded the limits of air power," Myers said. "They made America an air power -- the most innovative and respected in the world today."

In its most ambitious aircraft flight-test program ever, Gulfstream Aerospace has logged more than 400 hours of flight-testing in just six months as it continues to develop its newest business jet, the large-cabin, long-range Gulfstream G450. Gulfstream began the G450 development program under a blanket of secrecy in 2001 while it was still developing the recently certified large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G550 business jet. The G450 prototype aircraft completed its first test flight April 30, 2003. Since then, the G450 flight-test program has added three more test aircraft, allowing Gulfstream to evaluate multiple aspects of the aircraft simultaneously. Effective Friday, Oct. 31, 2003, the four G450 test aircraft have completed 117 flights, testing aerodynamic performance

"We must remember that American aviators and the rest of our armed forces and our coalition partners are engaged in the war on terror. I am very proud of those defending liberty today with courage and skill, in today's armed forces. It was the dedication and vision and determination of America's aviation veterans that really made contributions to America's freedom in the last century right through to today. That spirit lives on in one continuum as we fight this war on terrorism." Source: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers, speaking to veterans at a special preview of the Smithsonian's new museum. Myers addressed nearly 4,000 military aviation veterans, family members and attendees at the Salute to Military Aviation Veterans event. The

An interesting new book is now getting into circulation that discusses a few of the bird we WON'T Be commemorating this coming week. When you consider the hilarious attempts at flight that proceeded and followed the Wright brother's successful flight at Kitty Hawk 100 years ago (December 17), their achievement is even more amazing according to author Phil Scott. Scott describes the wild and wooly efforts of early aeronauts to soar like birds, some literally with flapping wings. He chronicles it all in a new book, "The Wrong Stuff?: Attempts at Flight Before (& After) the Wright Brothers," (Hylas Publishing/$24.95 Hardcover).

For Sale: Glasair II FT/TD/RG Series 1984 Glasair 1 FT. Award winning aircraft. IFR, Lycoming O320. For details see http://thayer.dartmouth.edu/~deej/glasair    Exterior Quality: 8, Interior Quality: 7 Used, will sell for $58,000.00

James Guyette, president and chief executive officer of Rolls-Royce North America (RRNA), will be the featured speaker at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s graduation ceremony for 426 students on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 10 a.m. in the university’s ICI Center. Guyette will receive the university’s Distinguished Speaker Award. Guyette oversees all Rolls-Royce companies and operations in North America, encompassing more than 8,000 employees at 70 facilities in the United States and Canada. In 2002, total RRNA sales exceeded $2.8 billion.

It wasn't an unexpected announcement in light of the extended medical leave of Cessna's highly respected Charlie Johnson, but ANN has just learned that Cessna has just announced the selection of a new CEO. Textron Inc. has just announced that effective immediately, Jack J. Pelton has been named president and chief executive officer of Cessna Aircraft Company, the world's leading producer of light and mid-size business jets and a flagship Textron company. Pelton will report to Textron Chief Operating Officer Steven Loranger and replaces Charlie Johnson, who has retired after more than 20 years with the company. For the past four months, Pelton (below, right), 45, has filled this leadership role at Cessna while Johnson was on medical leave.