Warplanes.com is again giving away five handcrafted model planes to our friends on Twittersphere to showcase one of the major reasons why we’re still the number one in the model plane industry – and that’s having modelers with the highest level of craftsmanship.

This contest is open to all twittizens especially aviation enthusiasts, model plane collectors or simply anyone who just wants to own one of these eye candies. If you win, you can pick any model plane you want included in this Halloween Sale list.

How to enter:

Simple! Just RT (ReTweet) this message from @_WarPlanes:

RT @_WarPlanes We’re giving away #warplanes Halloween treats! RT this 2b eligible to win 1 of 5 model planes from this list: http://3.ly/WP3

You can also post as many #warplanes as you’d like! The more #warplanes hashtag you use, the better the chance at winning. The hashtag #warplanes is important because it is our way to track the tweets of our participants.

We will announce the winners on Twitter so follow Daniel (@_WarPlanes) to keep yourself in the loop!

This contest will only run for 7 days from the starting date, that’s October 20th to October 27th, 2009.

Selection of Winners:

Five winners of model planes, who will be randomly selected, will then be contacted right away via Twitter DM (Direct Message). The lucky ones must supply Warplanes with his/her name, mailing address and telephone numbers. Prizes will be shipped upon receipt of this information. Below is the schedule of announcement of winners:

First winner: October 21 11:59am EDT

Second winner: October 21 10:00pm EDT

Third winner: October 22 10:00pm EDT

Fourth winner: October 23 10:00pmEDT

Fifth winner: October 23 10:00pm EDT

Note:

Prizes such as model planes are not convertible to cash. We are doing this just for fun and to give everyone a chance to own a model airplane from Warplanes, but if less than 100 people joined the contest, we have the right to change the rules and give away a smaller prize or extend the time limit. So please help spread the word by retweeting! Thanks so much and good luck!

Northrop Grumman will begin acceptance tests on the first Euro Hawk variant of the RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) following its official rollout at Palmdale, Calif., Oct 8.

The first international version of the UAV, which differs from previous variants in having six wing-mounted signals intelligence (SIGINT) pods, will require revised flight control software. This is being finalized for the start of taxi tests, currently expected to start in February.

Northrop Grumman also is working with the U.S. State Department to secure diplomatic clearance for the German-owned Euro Hawk to ferry the short distance to Edwards Air Force Base during its first flight, which is targeted for March. There the aircraft will conduct six months of envelope expansion work before transiting to Germany.

Northrop Grumman Euro Hawk program manager Jim Kohn says “we’re working on the route right now,” but current plans call for a direct flight along the great circle route via Canadian airspace. Previous trans-Atlantic flights from the west coast have transited via Florida, but Kohn says the shorter route will reduce flight time by around six hours.

Following delivery to EADS’ Manching site in Germany around Sept/Oct 2010, a full-up SIGINT suite will replace dummy payloads used up until then. After several months of ground clearance and test operations the aircraft will be handed over to the German Luftwaffe in 2011 for six months of concept of operations development work. This is expected to lead to a German request for proposals for a further four production Euro Hawks with contracts due in late 2012.

Northrop Grumman is currently planning to dovetail the Euro Hawk production with U.S. Air Force aircraft in Lots 12 and 13. Northrop Grumman hopes the Euro Hawk — the first variant for a foreign customer — will be a pathfinder for “a huge” international market, says company strike and surveillance division general manager Duke Dufresne. Aside from sales to Germany and NATO, the Global Hawk also is being eyed by Australia, Spain, Korea and Japan, amongst others, he says. “That’s why this is so significant,” Dufresne adds.

The Federal Aviation Administration may be expanding its investigation into suspected structural problems found in a small portion of American Airlines jets, according to Wall Street Journal.

At least one of the Fort Worth-based airline’s McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series jets was believed to be in such poor shape that it was ferried out without passengers to a maintenance base at low altitudes to avoid stressing the fuselage by pressurizing it. It cited unnamed people familiar with the matter.

But American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner told the newspaper the carrier has responded to the agency’s formal “letter of investigation”. According to Wagner, any actions or precautions taken this year “whether airplane movements or repairs, were done with the highest level of safety in mind”.

Last month, an FAA official said regulators were investigating repairs to the rear bulkhead of aircraft in the aging fleet.

The Journal also reported Saturday that preliminary FAA findings showed as many as 16 jets that were operated for months despite substandard repairs.

The first Typhoons to be deployed overseas have touched down in the Falkland Islands. The aircraft, from RAF Coningsby, flew into the South Atlantic Islands to take over Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duties from the Tornado F3s that will return to Britain later this year.

Squadron Leader Rich Wells and Flight Lieutenant James Bolton made RAF history by flying the state-of-the-art high tech jets for 18 hours from the UK to the Mount Pleasant Complex (MPC), stopping off at Ascension Island located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

During the trip the pair were accompanied by air-to-air refuelling tankers (VC10s and a TriStar), and as they flew into the MPC were joined by two F3s from 1435 Flight and a Hercules.

Sqn Ldr Wells, the first to land, said: “I think both of us are incredibly proud especially as it was a Typhoon first.”

Two more Typhoons will be flown in to join the first two, to take over from the four Tornados of 111 Squadron based at RAF Leuchars.

The Tornado F3 fleet is to be taken out of service in 2011.

A Typhoon advance party was flown into the Falklands prior to the aircraft’s arrival and engineers drawn from the Typhoon squadrons at RAF Coningsby are also now at the MPC ready to look after the aircraft.

The Typhoon has taken on the QRA duties for the British Forces South Atlantic Islands and police the skies above the Falkland Islands.