Oct 30
NinaBlog Articles Coast Guard HC-130, HC-130 Hercules, HC-130 model plane, HC-130 plane, HC130
A Coast Guard HC-130 from Air Station Sacramento flew to Astoria, Oregon to pick up almost 300 rescued migratory birds and transport them back in Sacramento.
The birds, that are federally protected, were rescued by the Wildlife Center of the North Coast in Astoria, Oregon. A request for the transport came from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife after the center that was tending to the birds was overwhelmed by the number of animals it was receiving. The birds are being affected by a red tide phenomenon in the area that is impacting their ability to survive in the aquatic environment.
“The epidemic numbers of seabirds soiled by the ocean slime quickly overwhelmed the one wildlife rescue facility in the Oregon area,” said Jay Holcomb, Executive Director of the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) “International Bird Rescue has stepped in, as has PAWS (Progressive Animal Welfare Society) in Washington to help by taking on birds. Time is of the essence as these aquatic species, built for life on the water and requiring special housing and care to make it through the rehabilitation process. More birds are in need of rescuing. With word that the Coast Guard plane is arriving Monday, the wildlife center in Astoria is able to continue admitting new patients.”
The HC-130 left Sacramento and flew to Astoria with three seabird specialists from the International Bird Rescue Research Center. The HC-130 Hercules returned and the birds were transferred to a state-of-the-art oiled wildlife facility in San Francisco Bay to be washed and rehabilitated.
http://www.warplanes.com/hercules-hc-130-uscg-model-airplane-1048.asp
Oct 29
MarianneBlog Articles
The booster rocket used in test flight was badly dented when it fell into the Atlantic because of a deflated parachute, NASA said Thursday.
The new Ares I-X, completed a two-minute flight Wednesday. The launch itself went well, officials said, but one of three parachutes on the booster failed to work properly.
All three parachutes opened, but one ended up deflating for unknown reasons, said NASA spokesman Allan Beutel, that caused the booster to hit the ocean with extra force.
The Ares I-X is a prototype of what’s supposed to replace the space shuttles and ultimately fly to the moon. The White House, though, may nix those plans.
During Discovery‘s launch in August, a parachute on one of the two boosters ripped slightly. The other parachute compensated, however, and the retrieved booster was not damaged. Engineers still do not know what caused the problem.
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Oct 29
NinaBlog Articles C-17, c-17 globemaster, C-17 Globemaster III, c17 globemaster
The first Boeing C-17 Globemaster III purchased by the NATO Airlift Management Organization and the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) consortium officially joined the Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW) at Papa Air Base, Hungary, as part of a ceremony commemorating the activation of a new airlift capability for 10 NATO and two Partnership for Peace nations.
The advanced airlifter, known as SAC 01, is the first of three C-17s that will be assigned to the HAW in western Hungary this year and will soon start flying missions in support of the International Security Assistance Force operations in Afghanistan.
The unique SAC approach to shared use of the strategic airlifter is viewed as a model for the future acquisition and management of defense capabilities. The SAC nations will share acquisition and operating costs for the C-17s over the nearly 30-year course of the agreement. SAC 01 has been contributed by the United States, a member of the consortium. Hungary agreed to both host the wing at Papa Air Base and to register the C-17s under the Hungarian flag.
“Boeing is proud that the C-17 is a part of this historic day,” said Jean Chamberlin, Boeing vice president, Global Mobility Systems. “It’s the only aircraft capable of performing all of SAC’s airlift missions – strategic and tactical, military and humanitarian, brigade airdrop and aeromedical evacuation — and it can do all of that using standard runways or short, austere airfields.”
The SAC group includes 10 NATO nations — Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, United States — and Partnership for Peace members Sweden and Finland.
Oct 29
MarianneBlog Articles
Boeing Company will open a second assembly line for its long-delayed 787 jetliner in South Carolina, expanding beyond its longtime manufacturing base in Washington state to take advantage of economic incentives and a nonunion work force.
The decision ended in interstate competition for the huge factory, with South Carolina production of a plane crucial to Boeing‘s future but one plagued by problems stemming partly from the company’s reliance on suppliers spanning the globe.
About 55 airlines have ordered some 840 of the planes since the program was launched in 2003 — far more than any other Boeing plane at the same stage of development.
Boeing also has long complained about the business climate in Washington and frequent strikes by production workers. At Boeing‘s plant in North Charleston, workers last month voted against continued representation by the International Association of Machinists.
Boeing has postponed the plane’s inaugural test flight and deliveries five times, putting it more than two years behind schedule. The delays have cost Boeing credibility and billions of dollars in anticipated costs and penalties.
The company could break ground in South Carolina as soon as next month, with the first 787 slated to leave the factory in the first quarter of 2012. The company aims to produce 10 of the planes a month by 2013. By comparison, it makes about 31 of its 737s and seven of its popular 777s a month.
Oct 28
NinaBlog Articles c-130, c-130 hercules, C-130 Hercules model plane, c-130 model plane, C-27 Spartan model plane, c-27j, C-27J Spartan, c27j
The U.S Air Force is planning to add the C-27J Spartan, the latest propeller-driven air lifter planned for the Air Force inventory, are steadily progressing.
In April, through Resource Management Decision 802, Defense Secretary Robert Gates moved the C-27J program and its related direct support mission from the Army to the Air Force. Since April, the Air Force and Air Mobility Command (AMC) have taken a serious approach to building the program, officials said.
The Air Force will field 38 C-27Js, operated by the Air National Guard. Two are currently going through qualification and operational testing.
According to Air Force officials, the C-27J is an “extremely rugged” aircraft, designed for austere environments. And, although it has yet to complete its testing, they say it should thrive in the “dirt.”
“Think of the C-27J as a ‘mini-Herc’ — it looks like and acts like a C-130, but it is about half the size (3.5 pallet positions versus 6 to 8 pallets for the C-130),” Colonel Capone said. “This smaller size brings efficiency of scale to the Air Force’s portfolio of air lifters.”
AMC and Air Force officials plan to continuously review and update the C-27J using input from field commanders until it is incorporated into joint doctrine.
Oct 28
Marianne
US government regulators have revoked the licenses of the two airline pilots who flew an Airbus passenger jet past their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles last week.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday the Northwest Airlines pilots had violated numerous regulations, including failing to comply with air traffic control instructions and clearances and operating carelessly and recklessly.
The pilots — first officer Richard Cole and captain Timothy Cheney — told investigators they lost track of time and place while working on their laptop computers.
The National Transportation Safety Board has not taken or examined the laptops that the pilots were using, spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz said Tuesday.
Delta Air Lines Inc., which acquired Northwest last year, has suspended the two pilots pending an investigation.
There are no federal rules that specifically ban pilots’ use of laptops or other personal electronic devices as long as the plane is flying above 10,000 feet, said Diane Spitaliere, an FAA spokeswoman.
Delta said in a statement that using laptops or engaging in activity unrelated to the pilots’ command of the aircraft during flight is strictly against the airline’s flight deck policies. The airline said violations of that policy will result in termination.
Oct 27
NinaBlog Articles F3 Tornado RAF, raf tornado, tornado f-3, tornado f3, tornado gr4, typhoon
One of the RAF’s most successful fast jet plane has reached 17 years defending British interests in the South Atlantic while the integrity of UK airspace’s maintenance is ongoing.
The Tornado F3 fighters of 111(F) Squadron based at RAF Leuchars in Scotland have given air defense cover from the Faroe Islands to the Falkland Islands by patrolling UK and NATO Air Policing Area One and by providing aircraft and manpower for 1435 Flight at Mount Pleasant Airfield.
Now in its twilight years, armed F3s and their crews nonetheless maintain a quick reaction alert (QRA) capability 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year to counter any airborne threat in two areas on opposite ends of the globe.
Four Tornado F3s will remain based in the South Atlantic until the autumn when they will be replaced by the Typhoon, the RAF’s latest multi-role combat aircraft, on a one-for-one basis.
The handover will be a historic moment for the veteran fighter which first deployed to the South Atlantic in 1988 to replace the Phantom F1.
The deployed Tornado F3s will then be dismantled in the Falkland Islands before being flown back to the UK where they will be ‘recycled,’ and used as spare parts for the Tornado GR4 aircraft currently operating in support of NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, 111(F) Squadron will continue to support UK operations as part of Northern QRA. The Tornado F3 Force will finally stand down in 2011.
Oct 27
MarianneBlog Articles
The Navy announced October 13 the decision to deploy the USS Freedom (LCS 1) early 2010 to the Southern Command and Pacific Command areas ahead of her originally scheduled 2010 maiden deployment.
According to Navy leaders, littoral combat ships (LCS) are needed now to close urgent warfighting gaps.
The Freedom will have an immediate impact on fleet readiness and global reach as an asset with unique combat capabilities and the ability to meet littoral tasking not previously seen in the modern cruiser or destroyer fleet.
In evaluating options for deploying the Freedom earlier than originally scheduled, the Navy took into consideration several key factors including combat systems testing, shakedown of the ship systems and overseas sustainment with a new conceptof operations and crew training. To facilitate the early deployment, the Navy adjusted the Freedom testing schedule, prioritized testing events needed for deployment and deferred others not required for the missions envisioned during this deployment.
The Freedom recently completed Industrial Post Delivery Availability 2, which also supported an early deployment.
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Oct 26
NinaBlog Articles ch-47 chinook, chinook
At least 14 Americans were killed in two helicopter collided on Monday, military officials said. It was one of the deadliest days of the war for U.S. troops.
Quoting military sources, NBC News reported that seven American servicemen and three U.S. civilians were among the dead in a crash in the country’s west. Meanwhile, a US Army Ch-47 Chinook helicopter seen in operation in southern Afghanistan. Two helicopters collided in southern Afghanistan, killing four American troops and wounding two more, the military said.
Eleven American servicemen, one U.S. civilian and 14 Afghan civilians were also injured in the crash in western Afghanistan.
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Oct 25
MarianneBlog Articles
A Malaysian woman who gave premature birth to a boy on board an airplane minutes before it landed will get free flights for life along with her child, an airline official said Friday.
Liew Siaw Hsia, 31, gave birth on budget carrier AirAsia‘s flight from Penang to Kuching on Wednesday.
AirAsia spokesman Nazatul Mokhtar said Friday that the flight was diverted to nearby Kuala Lumpur for an emergency landing when Liew started labor pains. He says Liew was 27 weeks pregnant, 11 weeks short of the full term.
A doctor on the flight helped the woman deliver while the plane was still 2,000 feet in the air in its final approach to land.
Mother and son were rushed to a nearby hospital after the plane landed. Their condition late Friday was unknown, though Nazatul said earlier that they were both in good shape.
Liew and her son will get lifetime of free flights.
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