It's turning out to be an even bigger week for aviation than we expected. With the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first powered flight just over a week away, The Lancair Company is celebrating a century mark of its own - the delivery of the 100th Lancair Columbia certified aircraft. "Having the two milestones fall so close to one another is a fitting coincidence," said Lancair President Bing Lantis. "This delivery is symbolic in that The Lancair Company has seen more than its share of challenges, but we've persevered and today our outlook for the future is limitless. I don't know how Orville and Wilbur felt after their flight a century ago, but we're very excited." The company's 100th aircraft, a Lancair Columbia 350 (N241GB), rolled out of the factory escorted by

For the 16th consecutive year, the Eagles Flight Team from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University took first place at the Region IX NIFA SAFECON (National Intercollegiate Flying Association Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference) competition. The annual event was held Nov. 12-15 at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. This year, 75 students on five university teams from the Southeastern United States took part in landing and navigation events in the categories of Aircraft Recognition, Computer Accuracy, Instrument Flight, Message Drop, Navigation, Power Off and Short Field Landings, Preflight, and Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation.

The annual air-show confab got started under CAVU Texas skies on Sunday afternoon, as hundreds of air show promoters and performers met at the Wyndham-Anatole Hotel just outside downtown Dallas. In a change of scene from the traditional Las Vegas get-togethers, some attendees were seen wandering the hotel, looking for the casino, and wondering out loud where the Keeno girl was. This high dollar hostelry is the largest in Dallas, and as some were arriving on Saturday night, they walked into the cities largest single charity event, the black tie “Crystal Ball” that pulls in more than 4 million dollars in one night. It’s also the same hotel that hosted President Reagan for the 1984 GOP Convention. It really is “THE” gathering in the air show

A good friend of ANN happens to be Rotax dealer and service center operator, Phil Lockwood... who clued us in on an unusual occurence in the Rotax world. Phil tells us that the US importer for Rotax Aircraft Engines is offering some serious (never seen before) incentives on NEW ENGINES. It's something of a year-end clearance sale, somehting you see quite rarely at Rotax, and Phil notes this represents some substantial savings for those who can act quickly. What this means are price reductions of as much as $1,661.00 off (serious dollars!) on 912-914 series four stroke models and up to $393.00 off their two stroke models. This sale is available to US customers who purchase from available stock before December 24th, 2003.

An unidentified pilot escaped serious injury Saturday when his single-engine Cessna apparently encountered engine trouble, forcing him to make a crash-landing in Watsonville (CA). "It was doing good until the plane sunk into the mud and flipped over on its top," said Ron Hart, a battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "He did an excellent job of getting that plane on the ground. As we say in the emergency services field, any landing you make is a good one."

Remember that poor pipeline patrol pilot who unwittingly flew over the Presidential motorcade in Philadelphia earlier this year? The Pennsylvania legislature certainly does. AOPA President Phil Boyer was the honored guest of state Rep. Gene McGill (R-Dist. 151) as the state House of Representatives on Monday passed by a near-unanimous vote a resolution sponsored by McGill that calls on federal security officials to reduce the size of Presidential movement temporary flight restrictions (TFRs). The four-page resolution also calls for authorities to "reconsider the need to issue such restrictions based on nonspecific threats and ways to improve the timely dissemination of flight restriction information to pilots."

Strike Looming? The pilot union leadership for Mesaba Airlines voted unanimously to decline arbitration to settle the pilot contract between Mesaba and ALPA. The Mesaba ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC) -- made up of 12 pilot- representatives -- made the following statement in the resolution declining the NMB offer: " ... the Mesaba MEC does not view binding arbitration as an acceptable option to settle the contract, in accordance with the mandate of the Mesaba pilot group ... "

At the 2003 ICAS show in Dallas, 11 rows of displays, more than 200 exhibitors, ranging from the Thunderbirds to the Berlin Airlift Commemorative Flight to the Red Barron Pizza Squadron are holding forth on their teams and services. When you come through the doors, the first thing that catches your eye, and looks mighty threatening, is the “SHOCK WAVE JET TRUCK!” Gleaming in chrome and yellow and orange, inside and up close, it’s an awesome display. Just past the Peterbilt, there’s a replica carrier deck, and on the deck you’ll find a genuine World War II F4F/FM2 “Wildcat”. Cavanaugh Flight Museum hails from Addison, Texas, in the northern suburbs of Dallas, and Director Doug Jeanes realized last year at ICAS that he wouldn’t b

The U.S. Army Parachute Demonstration Team, The Golden Knights, is coming off a “great 2003 season” and getting ready for new challenges in 2004. Their new commanding officer, LtCol. Paul McNamara says his two demonstration teams and three competition teams have their eyes firmly set on the mission, which will keep them as the winningest sports team in the history of the Department of Defense, and actively carrying the recruiting message to tens of thousands of potential soldiers across the country. The team will also be celebrating their 45th Anniversary, and in May will be opening their new headquarters at Fort Bragg. As the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels announced their schedules on Monday morning, the ‘Knights are still working out details and scheduling,

The FAA tells ANN that the following kit has been added to the kit listing since Oct. 16, 2003: 1) The Avi-Pro Aircraft, Ltd, Model Bearhawk Quick-build Kit, Bear Tracks Assembly Manual, dtd June 2002, was evaluated by the Manufacturing Inspection Office and has been found to be eligible with respect to the "major portion" requirement of 14 CFR part 21, subpart H, section 21.191(g). NOTE: The kits are manufactured at the Avi-Pro Aircraft, Ltd, facility in Atlixco, Mexico.

Forty-two percent of all fatal airline accidents since 1994 -- aside from the September 11th attacks -- can be attributed to maintenance problems. The Charlotte Observer reports that's up 16 percent from the decade before. "To fix a problem, you've got to admit you have a problem and identify it. We haven't gotten to admitting the problem yet," said NTSB member John Goglia. "Unless we start dealing with these issues sooner rather than later, we're going to pay the price and that could mean more deaths."

The extraordinary aerial attack that made Pearl Harbor a focal point for one of the largest conflcits the world has ever known, is still giving up its dead. A sailor missing in action from the attack on Pearl Harbor has been identified and returned to his family for burial. He is Fireman Second Class Payton L. Vanderpool, Jr., of Cowgill, Missouri. Vanderpool was aboard the USS Pennsylvania in dry dock at Pearl Harbor when the December 7, 1941 attack began. The ship was hit by a Japanese bomb that penetrated the main deck and detonated below deck. It was further damaged when a nearby destroyer, the USS Downes, exploded. More than 50 sailors and marines died on the USS Pennsylvania. Vanderpool was among six still missing after the attack.

Four NASA astronauts have been chosen to fly on the newly created Space Shuttle mission, STS-121. It is the mission following the Space Shuttle's Return to Flight. Veteran astronaut Steven W. Lindsey (Col., USAF--pictured below) is the commander of STS-121. Mark E. Kelly (Cmdr., USN) is the pilot; Carlos I. Noriega (Lt. Col., USMC, Ret.) and Michael E. Fossum are the mission specialists. Other crewmembers will be named later. STS-121 was added to the flight schedule to help accommodate the growing list of requirements originally assigned to the Return to Flight mission. The crew will re-supply the International Space Station with equipment and consumables. They will also continue the testing and development of new hardware and procedures designed to make Space Shuttle flight

The rates for certain federal excise taxes (FET) and fees are on the way up for commercial transport operations booked after December 31, 2003. That includes transportation provided by Part 135 on-demand cargo and passenger operators. The new tax amounts to 7.5% of revenue for domestic overflights. Operators who are required to collect and remit the federal excise taxes imposed on certain commercial air transportation operations must implement the new rates for all applicable transportation occurring after December 31, 2003. These fees, along with all other components of the FET on transportation, do NOT apply to those few Part 135 aircraft operators who continue to meet the small aircraft exemption criteria.

Qatar Airways has purchased two Bombardier Global Express ultra long-range business jets aircraft and signed an option for two additional Global Express for regional and intercontinental VIP on-demand travel. The aircraft will join Qatar Airways’ large and growing VIP fleet, which currently includes high-end Airbus A340-200, A310-300, A320 and A319CJ aircraft. Three additional VIP aircraft, two A330-200 and an A340-500 will also shortly join the fleet. The first Qatar Airways Global Express is scheduled for delivery in mid-2004, the second in late 2004. The aircraft will feature a 13-passenger, three-compartment configuration with a crew rest area. The Flight division of Qatar Airways will operate the aircraft from its base at Doha International Airport.

Expedition 8 Commander and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri Friday wrapped up a busy week aboard the International Space Station. ISS activities included scientific experiments ranging from behavior of plasma dust subjected to radio waves in a vacuum to investigation of stresses on the feet and legs during spaceflight. Kaleri completed the first run of the Russian Plasma Crystal-3 experiment on Thursday, after preparations on Monday and experiment setup on Tuesday. The largely automated experiment studies crystallization of plasma dust subjected to high-frequency radio waves in a vacuum chamber...

"RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secret Service and the Federal Aviation Administration to consider reducing the size of Presidential movement TFRs and to reconsider the need to issue such restrictions based on nonspecific threats and ways to improve the timely dissemination of flight restriction information to pilots." Source: An amazing resolution from the Pennsylvania Legislature in which the State House of Representatives passed (by a near-unanimous vote) a resolution calls on federal security officials to reduce the size of Presidential movement temporary flight restrictions (TFRs).

For Sale: Speed Canard Believed to be the FASTEST US CERTIFIED PRODUCTION AIRCRAFT using an O-320 Engine! This Ultimate Flying Machine is unique - one of only two US certified SC-01Bs flying in the USA. Based at Reid-Hillview, San Jose, CA. Exterior Quality: 10, Interior Quality: 9 Used, will sell for $145,000.00 (or best offer)

AD NUMBER: 2003-24-14 MANUFACTURER: McDonnell Douglas SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2003-24-14 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to all McDonnell Douglas Model DC-9-81 (MD-81), DC-9-82 (MD-82), DC-9-83 (MD-83), DC-9-87 (MD-87), and MD-88 airplanes. This action requires one-time inspections to detect discrepancies of electrical wiring installations in various areas of the airplane, and corrective action if necessary.

Issued Due to Law Enforcement Activity NOTAM: 3/1608 Issued: 12/08/2003 22:10 Effective: Immediately - Until Further Notice State: SC Facility: ZTL - ATLANTA (ARTCC),HAMPTON,GA. Type: HAZARDS Description: ABBEYVILLE, SC.