Jon Johanson was to have flown out of McMurdo-Scott Base in Antarctica Saturday after becoming the first pilot ever to fly an experimental single-engine aircraft over the South Pole. Now, Johanson is at the center of a controversy between Australia and its two closest allies -- New Zealand and the US. Officials from New Zealand and the United States see Johanson's attempt as a huge imposition and have refused to sell him the fuel he needs to get home. Hence, Johanson has been stranded. Johanson left Invercargill, New Zealand, December 7th on a record-setting flight to Ushuaia, Argentina in his home-built RV4. But the plan was a risky one at best. The landing at McMurdo-Scott was unplanned, according to a Johanson news release. "[H]eadwinds were much stronger than forecast. With ai

Aviation adventurer Jon Johanson should be flying back to New Zealand from the McMurdo-Scott Base in Antarctica, where he was stranded for several days after his record-breaking flight over the South Pole. Johanson was the first to fly an experimental home-built aircraft over the southernmost point on Earth, but didn't have enough fuel to buck headwinds that stood between him and his planned landing in Ushuaia, Argentina. When asked by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) how he got into this mess in the first place, Johanson replied from McMurdo-Scott, "Oh, I guess it's because I proved I'm as human as everybody else, unfortunately. We were trying to make the best decisions we could as a team and we basically left the final decision just a little bit too late and, for sa

A Cessna 414 from Tampa (FL) went down in Tennessee Thursday, killing three people and severely injuring a fourth. Among the dead is David Jochman, an award-winning pilot described as a pilot with a passion for flying.

More VIP Traffic NOTAM:  3/1733  Issued:  12/12/2003 16:15  Effective:  12/13/2003 20:00 - 12/13/2003 20:50  State:  NY  Facility:  ZNY - NEW YORK (ARTCC),NY.  Type:  VIP  Description:  PAWLING, NEW YORK DECEMBER 13, 2003. 

The Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA), wants its negotiating committee to look at ways it can come to an "interim investment agreement" with Northwest Airlines before its March 2004 meeting. "We believe all stakeholders must ultimately share in solving NWA's problems, but recognize that a pilot investment could represent an intermediate step on the way to a long-term solution," NWA Master Executive Council (MEC) Chairman Capt. Mark McClain said. "Since April, the NWA pilot group has recognized the long-term viability problems facing our company and that an investment by labor will need to be part of the solution."

Score one for the missile shield. A Raytheon Company Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) landed a knock-out punch to a ballistic missile in space during an Aegis BMD Program flight test off the Hawaiian coast Thursday. 

"Oh, I guess it's because I proved I'm as human as everybody else, unfortunately. We were trying to make the best decisions we could as a team and we basically left the final decision just a little bit too late and, for safety's sake, the best decision was to come back here to McMurdo. We had thought we could continue on and maybe land on one of the basins over on the Arctic peninsular, but when you are 10 hours away, the weather over there can be very, very fickle and you wouldn't want to wind up in that part of the world with low fuel, so the only real safe option was to come back here." Source: Australian aviation adventurer Jon Johanson, speaking to Australia's ABC Network from Antarctica. After becoming the first person ever to cross the South Pole in a homeb

National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Chairman of the Board Donald E. Baldwin has accepted a position on the Board of NBAA Member The Whitewind Company. Baldwin resigned his current position with the Coca-Cola flight department effective December 30, 2003. In accordance with the NBAA Bylaws, Baldwin will retain his chairmanship with no interruption in leadership. NBAA's Executive Committee is composed of Baldwin, Kenneth E. Emerick of GM Worldwide Travel Services as Vice Chairman, Jeffrey W. Lee of IBM Corporation as Treasurer, George A. Saling of Altria Corporate Services as Immediate Past Chairman, and Shelley A. Longmuir as NBAA President and CEO.