May 31
JobelleAir Force, News Barack Obama, c-130, C-130 cargo aircraft, c-130 hercules, c130, cargo aircraft, f-16, F-16 fighter jets, f16, fighter jets, Obama, Poland, usaf f-16 falcon
President Barack Obama announced Saturday that the United States has agreed to send F-16 fighter jets and C-130 cargo aircraft to train in Poland, a move Polish leadership welcomed as a sign of the U.S. commitment to defend Central and Eastern Europe.
In a quick first step, F-16s from the California Air National Guard will work alongside Polish F-16s this July in a training exercise as part of the preparations for the EURO 2012 soccer tournament. Other F-16s and C-130s will be rotated to Poland starting in 2013. Despite Polish media reports before Obama’s visit, the agreement does not deploy any F-16s for long periods and does not transfer any from a key NATO base at Aviano, Italy.
In addition to the sending of F-16s and C-130s to Poland, Obama and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk discussed the new missile defense plan and said U.S. and Polish military will conduct talks on deploying land-based interceptors in Poland in 2018.
Obama came to Poland from that summit, noting that as a member of NATO, Poland is entitled to the same pledge of support as any NATO nation. “We defend each other,” Obama said.
“No US F-16s are being deployed permanently in Poland,” said a White House aide on condition of anonymity. “What we are talking about is regular rotations of U.S. military aircraft to Poland for training and exercises – four per year. U.S. aircraft will come for a few weeks to Poland and then return to their home station.”
Temporary or not, the dispatch of U.S. pilots to Poland sent a message of assurance to Polish leaders who are skittish about Obama’s work to improve relations with Poland’s old nemesis, Russia.
Seeking to improve commercial and personal ties, Obama also announced that he’ll ask Congress to change a law so that Poles can visit the United States without visas. Obama also met Saturday with some of the veterans of the Solidarity movement who first challenged Soviet rule and helped usher in the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Source: The Modesto Bee
May 30
JobelleAir Force, Navy, News Blue Angels, Blue Angels Team, Capt. Greg McWherter, F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Hornet Blue Angels, Lynchburg Regional Air Show, Navy Cmdr. Dave Koss, U.S. Naval Academy
The leader of the Navy’s celebrated Blue Angels flight team is stepping down after admitting to leading jets in an “unacceptably” low-altitude stunt at Lynchburg Regional Air Show on May 22.
Navy Cmdr. Dave Koss volunteered to be relieved of his duties, after admitting days following a performance at Lynchburg Regional Air Show that the movement he carried out “had an unacceptably low minimum altitude” and was not in accordance with airborne standards, according to a statement from the Naval Air Forces.
“This maneuver, combined with other instances of not meeting the airborne standard that makes the Blue Angels the exceptional organization that it is, led to my decision to step down,” Koss said in the statement.
Even though the maneuver went off without injuries and all members of the Blue Angels Team landed safely, after a safety review several of the team’s shows were cancelled, including a midweek show at the U.S. Naval Academy and performances scheduled over the Memorial Day Weekend.
Koss will be replaced by Capt. Greg McWherter, who was the previous Blue Angels‘ commanding officer, for the duration of the season.
The Blue Angels Demonstration Team currently flies the F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter, an aircraft with both fighter and attack capabilities. Their performance season runs from March to November.
Source: abc News
May 30
TynibelleNews aircraft model, airplane model, aviation, custom model, display, endeavour, Endeavour spacecraft, Endeavour STS-133, helicopter model, jet model, model aircraft, model airplane, model display, model helicopter, model planes, NASA, plane model, plaque model, replica, space shuttle endeavour, tank model, wood, wood model plane, wood plane model, wooden airplane model, wooden model airplane
Early May 25, Endeavour astronauts Drew Feustel and Mike Fincke sailed through a third mission spacewalk outside the International Space Station, installing an anchor for the Canadian robot arm and extending a backup power cable to the Russian segment.
The two men also successfully demonstrated an abbreviated airlock protocol before the spacewalk for the prevention of decompression sickness. The 7-hr. spacewalk concluded at 8:37 a.m. EDT.
Feustel and Fincke spent much of the extravehicular activity (EVA) outside Zarya and Unity, the station’s oldest modules and the region separating the station’s U.S. and Russian segments. The Power and Data Grapple Fixture they installed on Zarya will anchor the robot arm, extending its 58-ft. reach over the Russian modules.
The mechanical limb is used frequently during spacewalks to position astronauts as well as their equipment at remote work sites for repairs and maintenance. The new location also would permit a potential relocation of the U.S. Permanent Multipurpose Module delivered to the station during the Endeavour STS-133 mission earlier this year.
The jumper cables extended from the U.S. segment will serve as a backup power source to the Russian segment, which houses docking ports for the Soyuz lifeboats and Progress supply vehicles as well as life support equipment and research volume.
The Endeavour spacewalkers also finished the installation of a wireless communications antenna atop the U.S. Destiny lab. Work on the antenna during the first mission spacewalk on May 20 was interrupted when a carbon dioxide sensor failed in Greg Chamitoff’s spacesuit. The system permits astronauts inside the station to send commands and receive data from external experiments.
According to the previous airlock protocol, astronauts were required to isolate themselves in the station’s airlock on the eve of a spacewalk, while the pressure inside was lowered. Just prior to their departure, the spacewalkers left their confinement briefly to eat and use the bathroom. That was followed by periods in which the astronauts would breathe pure oxygen and exercise to purge their bodies of nitrogen before returning to the airlock.
The new protocol eliminates the overnight airlock stay, substituting an hour-long session ahead of the spacewalk for breathing pure oxygen followed by a lowering of the airlock pressure.
Next is a nearly hour-long session in which the astronauts alternate light exercise with rest while in their spacesuits. Another almost hour-long rest period with the astronauts on oxygen precedes the start of the spacewalk.
Fincke and Chamitoff are scheduled to begin the final mission spacewalk on May 27 at 12:46 a.m. EDT.
-aviationweek.com
-wikipedia.org
May 27
JobelleAir Force, Navy, News 33rd Fighter Wing, Edwards Air Force Base, F-35, F-35 fighter plane, f-35 jsf, F-35A, F-35B, F-35C, F-35C variants, Master Sgt. Timothy Weaver, Tech. Sgt. Lucas Delk, Tech. Sgt. Miguel Aguirre
Seven airmen from the Air Force’s 33rd Fighter Wing are at Naval Air Station Patuxent River for 75 days to gain first-hand experience maintaining the F-35B and F-35C variants, while those aircraft continue flight test and evaluation. They are the second group from the Wing to visit the F-35 test facility at Pax River.
Lockheed Martin is scheduled to deliver the F-35A aircraft AF-8 to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and the first joint training squadron later this year.
“It is beneficial working around the F-35B and F35-C variants,” said Master Sgt. Timothy Weaver, crew chief, and member of the 33rd Fighter Wing. “With this being a joint program, we learn a lot about how each branch handles maintenance. We are learning how the Marines operate, how the Navy operates, and sharing how we operate.”
“The C and A variants have a lot of the same systems, but some of the parts are in different locations,” said Weaver. He serves as the lead Air Force maintainer and production supervisor over the day-to-day activities on a flight line. He was also instrumental in the stand-up of the training wing at Eglin.
Eager to know what to expect before AF-8 arrives at Eglin, the maintainers volunteered for this assignment.
Tech. Sgt. Miguel Aguirre, armament specialist, and a quality assurance specialist, is here to gain knowledge of how the Lockheed Martin team performs maintenance. He will be responsible for overseeing the contractor-performed maintenance for AF-8 at Eglin. While there are no weapons being tested yet, Aguirre is the only armament specialist in the Air Force to work directly on the F-35.
“We are the eyes and ears for the group,” said Aguirre. And from what he has seen so far, “from a maintenance perspective, the JSF is user-friendly.”
“Procedures require that we start small,” said Tech. Sgt. Lucas Delk, crew chief, who performs similar duties to the Navy’s plane captain. “It is real exciting to see the F-35, and get hands-on experience.”
Delk noted minor differences between the Air Force and Navy’s carrier variants, but said “the meat and the potatoes are the same.”
Weaver’s team looks for any opportunity to get their hands dirty, and when they cannot, they are watching and gaining knowledge. “There is always work going on,” he said.
The AF-8 test asset is currently in Fort Worth, Texas, undergoing airworthiness testing prior to transfer to Eglin. The F-35A conventional take-off and landing model is undergoing testing at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Source: U.S. Navy
May 27
TynibelleNews aircraft model, airplane model, aviation, custom model, display, helicopter model, jet model, model aircraft, model airplane, model display, model helicopter, model planes, NASA, Orion, plane model, plaque model, replica, tank model, wood, wood model plane, wood plane model, wooden airplane model, wooden model airplane
NASA will continue its contract with Lockheed Martin for development of the George W. Bush-era Orion crew exploration vehicle, rechristened the Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) by Congress, but it will stretch out the contract while it figures out how to build a heavy-lift “Space Launch System” (SLS) to carry it beyond low Earth orbit.
The U.S. space agency has spent about $5 billion on Orion since it was started as the shuttle follow-on under the Constellation program. Now that it is being “phased” with the SLS, managers don’t know yet what it will cost to complete the development.
“The cost on it is going to depend on how long it takes to phase out these things, to some degree,” NASA Associate Administrator for Exploration Doug Cooke told reporters May 24 in announcing the decision by Administrator Charles Bolden to continue building Orion under its existing contract.
Lockheed Martin already is ground-testing its first Orion at its Denver facility, and plans to refurbish that article for a later test flight in a schedule that could lead to piloted operations as early as 2016.
However, Cooke says it will be “early summer” before NASA makes its final choice on the SLV design, and that will be the pacing item in building the government-owned transportation system Congress ordered last year to take astronauts into deep space. To begin operations in 2016, Lockheed Martin needs to test its first unoccupied Orion in 2013, and Cooke says NASA has not picked a launch vehicle for that or any subsequent test flights of the capsule-shaped vehicle.
“We basically have to look at it in an integrated approach, along with the launch vehicle development,” he says. “There are spikes in development at times, so you want to try to make those happen at the right times and the most optimum sense, so it might slow things down a little bit on one versus another, depending on how things work out.”
The pace of SLV development will depend on how much heritage hardware is used, he says.
The agency’s tentative design reference mission for the SLV uses space shuttle main engines and other existing components to speed development, and the final design may reuse even more technology, but Bolden has placed himself at loggerheads with Congress by saying NASA can’t meet its 2016 deadline for flying SLS.
The lag will make it even more important for NASA to begin using commercial cargo and crew vehicles to support the International Space Station.
Cooke says Orion will continue to have a “backup” role as station support, but it won’t be the most efficient way to get there when used with the heavy-lifter, even after it is ready to fly.
Cooke says NASA considered using commercial vehicles to get exploration crews to low Earth orbit for transfer to vehicles going deeper into space, and ultimately decided to stay with Orion.
The MPCV contract also will use new approaches to cost-cutting, he says, and make the “most efficient use of the NASA and contractor workforce.”
As envisioned in Bolden’s decision, the Orion-based MPCV will carry four crew for as long as 21 days in 316 cubic ft. of habitable space, using a solid-fuel escape tower to achieve 10 times the safety of the space shuttle.
-aviationweek.com
May 26
JobelleAir Force, News Eurofighter pilots, Gerry Connelly, RAF, RAF Eurofighter, RAF Eurofighter pilots, RAF Typhoon, Tornado fighter jets, Tornado palne
Two RAF Eurofighter pilots were sent home in late March after they were caught drinking hours before they were to fly combat missions over Libya. The men, based at Gioia del Colle in Italy, returned to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire at the end of March.
The disciplinary action followed a night’s drinking, but the MoD was unable to confirm whether the pilots were declared unfit to fly.
The incident at the Gioia del Colle base, where the RAF’s Typhoon and Tornado fighter jets are based, is understood to have led to a temporary alcohol ban for other RAF personnel serving in the Mediterranean.
In a statement, the MoD said: “Two RAF personnel have been returned from detachment in Gioia del Colle following inappropriate behaviour; this has not affected the RAF’s ability to sustain its current commitments.
“Individuals who are found to have fallen below the high standards of conduct demanded by the RAF can face appropriate internal action.”
Gerry Connelly, a retired Air Vice Marshal and former commander at RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire, described the news as “disappointing”.
The ex-fighter pilot said: “What’s gone on, we don’t know – but what I do know for certain is that the RAF takes a very firm view of any activities like drinking in and around flying, particularly in these sorts of conditions because clearly the two don’t mix.
Twelve of the UK’s Tornado jets and six Typhoon fighters – used to carry out bombing missions and patrol the no-fly zone – are stationed there.
The aircrafts’ pilots have so far flown more than 70 sorties, according to the MoD.
Source: BBC News
May 26
TynibelleNews a330, A330 jet, air france, Air France A330, airbus a330, aircraft model, airplane model, aviation, custom model, display, Flight 447, helicopter model, jet model, model aircraft, model airplane, model display, model helicopter, model planes, plane model, plaque model, replica, tank model, wood, wood model plane, wood plane model, wooden airplane model, wooden model airplane
The Air France A330 that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean two years ago apparently had its pilots distracted with faulty airspeed indicators and failed to properly deal with other vital systems, including adjusting engine thrust, according to people familiar with preliminary findings from the plane’s recorders.
The final moments inside the cockpit of the twin-engine Airbus A330, these people said, indicate the pilots seemingly were confused by alarms they received from various automated flight-control systems as the plane passed through some turbulence typical on the route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. They also faced unexpectedly heavy icing at 35,000 feet. Such icing is renowned for making airspeed-indicators and other external sensors unreliable.
Ultimately, despite the fact that primary cockpit displays functioned normally, the crew failed to follow standard procedures to maintain or increase thrust and keep the aircraft’s nose level, while trouble-shooting and waiting for the airspeed sensors and related functions to return to normal.
Slated to be disclosed by investigators on Friday, the sequence of events captured on the recorders is expected to highlight that the A330 jet slowed dangerously shortly after the autopilot disconnected. The pilots almost immediately faced the beginning of what became a series of automation failures or disconnects related to problems with the plane’s airspeed sensors, these people said.
The crew methodically tried to respond to the warnings but apparently had difficulty sorting out the warning messages, chimes and other cues while also keeping close track of essential displays showing engine power and aircraft trajectory.
The Air France pilots were never trained to handle precisely such an emergency, according to safety experts and a previous report by France’s Bureau d’Enquetes et d’Analyses, which is heading up the investigation. All 228 people aboard Flight 447 died in the accident.
The senior captain, Marc Dubois, appears to have been on a routine rest break in the cabin when the fatal chain of events started, according to safety experts familiar with the details, but the cockpit-voice recorder suggests he may have rushed back to the cockpit to join the other two Flight 447 pilots.
-online.wsj.com
May 25
JobelleNavy, News Capt. Dee L. Mewbourne, CV 63, CVW-1, Enterprise, Enterprise (CVN 65), F-14, F-14 Tomcats, F/A-18F Super Hornet, FA-18F, USS Enterprise, USS Kitty Hawk, USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63)
An F/A-18F Super Hornet from the Red Rippers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11 became the 400,000th aircraft to land on USS Enterprise’s (CVN 65) flight deck May 24.
The Super Hornet was manned by Lt. Matthew L. Enos and Weapon System Officer Lt. Cmdr. Jonathan Welsh for its historic landing. Enos said he is honored he was the pilot to put Enterprise on the short list of aircraft carriers with 400,000 landings.
“This is a day I will never forget,” said Enos. “This has been a great deployment even without this feat. Being able to do this is just the icing on the cake.”
Enterprise is only the fourth Navy aircraft carrier to have more than 400,000 carrier landings, and is the only carrier still in commission to surpass the number. Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1, Enterprise’s embarked air wing, was honored to be a part of this great achievement.
“I’m glad we were able to be here to pull this off,” said Capt. Jeffrey L. Trent, commander of CVW-1.
Below the flight deck Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 3rd Class Joseph R. Naval was manning the number two arresting gear engine when the 400,000th arrested landing was made.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to say you had a hand in making the history books,” said Naval. “It’s not a big surprise though, working on a ship as old as Enterprise means all of us on board are making history every day.”
USS Enterprise’s achievement falls on a historic year for naval aviation. One hundred years ago marks the birth of naval aviation, only eight years after the Wright brothers flew their historic flight.
In her 50 years of service, Enterprise has wowed many people and set many records. She is the first nuclear-powered carrier and the first nuclear carrier to transit the Suez Canal. Enterprise was the first carrier to fly F-14 Tomcats and is the longest warship in the world. This achievement of 400,000 landings is one more record added to the list.
“I think it’s only fitting that a squadron with the impressive history of the ‘Red Rippers’ is the one to make this landing,” said Capt. Dee L. Mewbourne, commanding officer of Enterprise. “We are witnessing history.”
The other three carriers with more than 400,000 traps are USS Lexington (CV 16), USS Independence (CV 62) and USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63).
Source: U.S. Navy
May 25
TynibelleNews Air Astana, aircraft model, airplane model, aviation, custom model, display, E-190, E-190s, helicopter model, jet model, model aircraft, model airplane, model display, model helicopter, model planes, plane model, plaque model, replica, tank model, wood, wood model plane, wood plane model, wooden airplane model, wooden model airplane
On May 23, Monday, Embraer delivered an E-190 to Air Astana, the first of the type the airline has received and the first of two it had been slated to take this year.
Leased by KC from Florida-based Jetscape, the aircraft will be used to “right size routes and fill a capacity gap between its Fokker and Airbus fleets,” according to an Embraer statement. It will used to fly a mix of domestic and international city pairs from Almaty and Astana.
KC also signed a lease agreement with Air Lease Corp. for two additional E-190s scheduled to be delivered in 2011 and 2012, Embraer stated, adding that the carrier is also is in discussions with the manufacturer about an order for two more E-190s.
KC’s E-190 is configured in a dual-class layout, with 97 seats—nine in business class and 88 in economy class. “The aircraft’s seating capacity will efficiently complement our narrow body fleet, flying where it would be uneconomical to deploy larger aircraft, without compromising passenger comfort. Its range, efficiency and size are ideal for Air Astana and will enable us to grow our domestic and Central Asia network,” said KC President Peter Foster.
Embraer said KC also signed a service contract for Embraer’s Pool Flight Hour Program to cover its E-190s.
-atwonline.com
May 25
JobelleAir Force, News Blue Angels, c-130, c-130 hercules, F/A-18, F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Hornet Blue Angels, F/A-18B
The Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, The Blue Angels, have cancelled the practice demonstration and air show scheduled for May 24 and 25 at the United States Naval Academy (USNA).
This cancellation is due to a safety stand down period imposed by the team’s commanding officer after a lower-than-normal maneuver that took place during the team’s last performance at Lynchburg Regional Air Show, May 22 in Lynchburg, Va.
Following this low maneuver all aircraft landed safely without damage or injury to personnel.
During the training stand-down the team will remain in Pensacola for additional training and air show demonstration practice. It has yet to be determined if the Blue Angels will perform the flyover at the USNA graduation May 27, 2011.
The United States Navy’s Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, first performed in 1946 and is currently the oldest formal flying aerobatic team. The squadron’s six demonstration pilots fly the F/A-18 Hornet in more than 70 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States each year, where they still employ many of the same practices and techniques used in their aerial displays in 1946.
The show narrator flies Blue Angel 7—a two-seat F/A-18B—to show sites. The Blue Angels use this jet for backup, and to give demonstration flights to civilians (usually members of the press). The #4 slot pilot often flies the #7 aircraft in Friday “practice” shows. The Blue Angels use a United States Marine Corps C-130T Hercules nicknamed “Fat Albert” for logistics, carrying spare parts, equipment, and to carry support personnel between shows.
Source: Aero-News Network, Wikipedia
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