SHOF - Scenery Hall of Fame - Aviation & Flight Sim NewsConcept: This newsfeed is about presenting information on a wide range of aviation subjects of interest to pilots and flight-sim enthusiasts. The author is also the Webmaster of The Scenery Hall of Fame.Air Force To Fly Airbus- March 3, 2008 Anyone who thought the drawn-out battle to choose the new generation Air Force tanker aircraft ended with the Pentagons decision Friday to go with the Northrop-GrummanEADS consortium likely has another think coming. "This won't be pretty," Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., told The Seattle Times Saturday. "There will be a firestorm of criticism on Capitol Hill, Dicks, whose Seattle-area district depends heavily on Boeing for its economic well-being, warned. Although the loss of the $40 billion deal is..http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004253027_tankerpolitics01.html Tangier Island Airport Runway Improvements Approved- March 3, 2008 The Accomack County, Virginia Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Monday night to approve funding that will literally pave the way for long-awaited runway and apron improvements at the Tangier Island Airport, located in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Over the years, pilots have developed a love-hate relationship with the lumpy, bumpy runway at Tangier Island, which is best known throughout the mid-Atlantic region for its land-that-time-forgot local atmosphere. Ron Wolff, chairman of the Accomack..http://www.tangierisland-va.com/history/ A 1928 Biplane Returns To The Sky- March 3, 2008 A 1928 Boeing Model 40C biplane, lovingly restored by Pemberton and Sons Aviation of Spokane, Wash., flew this Monday for the first time in 80 years. "The airplane is very controllable and pleasant with excellent ground handling, good elevator and rudder, and heavy but effective ailerons," Addison Pemberton said in the Nordo News. "The visibility is very poor but not difficult. The overwhelming surprise is stability." Pemberton flew the airplane for about 20 minutes, and said he was able to fly.http://www.hangarbuddy.com/addisonpemberton.aspx FAA Is Checking Whether Flight Crew Fell Asleep- March 3, 2008 We've heard about airline pilots falling asleep in flight before, but this report is even stranger than usual -- it was 9 o'clock in the morning, and the flight was a 45-minute hop from Honolulu to Hilo. Local TV station KGMB9 said it obtained a radar track of the flight, which showed it stayed at 21,000 feet and flew past the Hilo airport about 15 miles out to sea before turning around and returning to descend. The FAA confirmed that it is checking into the incident. Air traffic controllers...http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/4199/40/ DC-9 Runs Amok At Venezuelan Airport- March 3, 2008 There were apparently no serious injuries but it looks like it might be awhile before an Aserca Airlines DC-9 is back in service after a bizarre accident at Simon Bolivar Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, last week. According to the aviation Web site volarenvenezuela.com,the aircraft apparently left a hangar with both engines running and crossed a runway and a taxiway before coming to rest with at least part of its gear collapsed in the infield. Details are sketchy but the report says whoever...http://www.volarenvenezuela.com/vev/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2291 Students Left Hanging By Silver State Closure- March 3, 2008 Shocked by the downfall of Silver State Helicopters, the Nevada-based flight school that declared bankruptcy earlier this week, former students and employees are telling AVweb they face major financial losses. Silver State Helicopters abruptly shut down operations at its 34 nationwide locations on Sunday afternoon, leaving more than 800 employees without jobs and more than 2,500 flight students saddled with millions in debt. Company president and founder Jerry Airola has yet to speak publicly...http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/%E2%80%9Dhttp://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/... Germans Ready To Try Flying Nude- March 3, 2008 A German travel agency says it will offer the country's first-ever nude tourist flight in July, flying up to 55 passengers to a Baltic beach resort in a chartered aircraft. "It's an unusual gap in the market," travel director Enrico Hess told Reuters. Passengers cannot undress until they are on board, he said. "But then they will be able to enjoy the hour-long flight in the way God intended." Commenters at the Web site for Britain's Telegraph were uncomfortable with the concept. "Rubbing more...http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080129/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_germany_nudism_flight;_ylt=AtGDtCGAE... Cars On Runways Unsafe At Any Speed- March 3, 2008 Just a day after five teenagers were killed while speeding down a runway in a BMW at a private Florida airport, a woman was arrested for allegedly driving drunk on a runway at Grand Junction Regional Airport, in Colorado. The 36-year-old woman was found by police just after 3 a.m., when her car got stuck. "The vehicle was high-centered on electrical conduits and the wheels spun as she applied the accelerator," the officer wrote in an arrest affidavit, according to the Vail Daily. Police at the..http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20080129/NEWS/563631379 Light Sport Aircraft Sales Continue To Grow- March 3, 2008 Almost twice as many light sport aircraft were sold in 2007 as in 2006, according to numbers compiled by Dan Johnson at bydanjohnson.com. By year's end, 565 new fixed-wing LSAs had been registered, bringing the total fleet to 1,118 airplanes. Johnson said he expects the numbers to continue to grow. "I've forecast 1,000 units in 2008 and doubling that again in another year or two," said Johnson. "If I'm right, LSA may someday meet or exceed all other single engine pistons in the USA."...http://www.bydanjohnson.com/ |