Longmuir Out

It's been no secret that things have been "tense" of late, at NBAA. But with the recent news that NBAA was losing critical staffers such as Cassandra Bosco and Bob Blouin, it was obvious that all was not right in bizjet-land. The turbulence couldn't last without something hitting the fan... and it didn't. The upshot? Shelly Longmuir and Bob Warren are OUT, Cassandra and Bob Blouin are back... but there are, reportedly, more changes in the wind.

It was a year ago Wednesday that, under cover of darkness, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley bulldozed huge X's in the runway at Meigs Field. The move enraged pilots and made Daley a lightning rod in the battle of security versus the right to fly. Now, Daley says the decision to unilaterally close Meigs was "one of the best" he's made since becoming mayor of Chicago.

It was a pleasure flight -- given to 88-year old Joseph Frost by his son, Robert, as a birthday present. The elder Frost seemed in good spirits as he climbed into Bill Allen's PT-17 (file photo of type, below). They chatted about the recent California forest fires and politics. And then, without warning, Frost took off his helmet and tried to jump out of the open-cockpit aircraft.

Low fare service is one thing, but when the airline is operating out of a temporary building without a permit -- well, British authorities say that's just not cricket.

As if we don't have enough spam to deal with, organizers of the annual Sun 'n Fun event have resorted to using the trashy email concept to promote their 2004 event. One of ANN's loyal readers tipped us off to the Sun 'n Fun's latest headache, which caught him totally off-guard.

It's a pretty sweet deal. CEOs of some major corporations don't just get the corporate jet. They also make hundreds of thousands of dollars by leasing the jet back to their employers. That has some critics of overblown executive paychecks up in arms.

It probably wasn't until after he'd landed that a 68-year old German retiree learned how close he'd come to being shot out of the sky.

Bombardier Aerospace says Greece's Hellenic Air Force (HAF) has taken delivery of the first of two Bombardier 415 MPs in Search and Rescue (SAR) configuration. The aircraft, which had been sold previously to the HAF, has been modified in cooperation with SAAB Nyge Aero AB of Sweden.

When a crisis occurs at a commercial airport, how do officials communicate quickly and efficiently with emergency response teams, reporters, regulators and the public? The Manahan Group (TMG), a Charleston (WV) advertising and public relations firm and its web development partner, www.e-commatrix.com, have come up with a new online communications system -- AirAlert™ -- that it says will revolutionize crisis response at airports in the US, Canada, England and Mexico.

Forget the airport. Did 23-year old Daniel Bowers miss his exit? Bowers, flying for Package Express, was forced down after an airport spokeswoman said his Piper PA-32 Saratoga (file photo of type, above) lost oil pressure. Unable to make it back to Raleigh-Durham Airport (NC), he opted for a landing on nearby I-540.

NOTAM:  4/2703  Issued:  04/01/2004 16:12  Effective:  04/01/2004 17:00 - 04/01/2004 20:00  State:  AK  Facility:  ZAN - ANCHORAGE (ARTCC),AK.  Type:  HAZARDS  Description:  THOMPSON PASS NEAR VALDEZ, AK. THOMPSON PASS BLK 02. 

A Wright Flyer simulator on loan to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University April 7-11 will give participants the chance to experience the excitement of the Wright brothers during their historic flight at Kitty Hawk (NC), just over 100 years ago. The simulator, a full-size replica of the Wright Flyer, will be supervised by Embry-Riddle students in the first-floor atrium of Embry-Riddle's Aviation Building. It will be available April 7-9 on a walk-in basis.

This could become NASA's version of the X-Prize, only contestants wouldn't be trying to get their spacecraft into low orbit. They'd be trying to land on the moon.

The Iraqi republican guard may have had luck on their side that miserable Baghdad day, but they did not know who was flying the A-10 Thunderbolt II they had just hit with a rocket. Capt. Kim Campbell of the 75th Fighter Squadron, speaking to a large crowd at the Smithsonian Institution’s Air and Space Museum on March 24, said she knew there would be considerable risk involved in the mission. But she said that it is the nature of the beast for an A-10 attack pilot.

"I pulled back on the stick. I tried to get him over the field. I held him as long as I could. He damn near took my arm with him." Source: Source: PT-17 owner Bill Allen, after 88-year old Joseph Frost committed suicide this week by jumping from the aircraft's front seat. Frost, who suffered from an inoperable brain tumor that was robbing him of his vision, died when he hit some power lines, about a half-mile from Gillespie Field in El Cajon (CA). The FAA and NTSB are investigating.

Not only is the weather better here than at home, but their deployment is providing them with a great training environment, said Airmen from of the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D. About 300 people from various specialties arrived here in February to support Minot’s six B-52 Stratofortress aircraft conducting operations in the Pacific. Some wing Airmen said what they have learned and experienced operating in the Pacific Rim has been invaluable.

NASA's futuristic Starship 2040 -- a traveling space transportation exhibit that gives visitors a look at human space flight as it might exist 40 years from now -- will help celebrate science at Pensacola's annual Festival on the Green on April 2-3 at the University of West Florida campus.

AD NUMBER: 2004-07-02 MANUFACTURER: Airbus SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-07-02 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) that is applicable to all Airbus Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes. This action requires a one-time general visual inspection to determine the part number and serial number of both main landing gear (MLG) sliding tubes, and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. This action is necessary to detect and correct cracking in a MLG sliding tube, which could result in failure of the sliding tube, loss of one axle, and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition.

AD NUMBER: 2004-07-03 MANUFACTURER: Dassault SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-07-03 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Dassault Model Mystere-Falcon 50 series airplanes, that requires one-time detailed inspections for structural discrepancies of various fuselage attachments; and corrective actions, if necessary, to restore the structure to the original design specifications. This action is necessary to prevent early fatigue,corrosion, or fretting, which could result in structural failure of major components of the airplane and reduced structural integrity of the airplane. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition.

AD NUMBER: 2004-06-16 MANUFACTURER: Fairchild Dornier SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-06-16 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Dornier Model 328-100 series airplanes, that requires repetitive inspections of certain support arms of the ground spoiler assemblies for cracking, and replacement of any ground spoiler assembly having cracking with a new ground spoiler assembly. This amendment would also require certain inspections for discrepancies of the ground spoiler assemblies and the flap of each wing; and corrective actions if necessary. This action is necessary to prevent failure of the support arms due to cracking, which could result in loss