Photo of Panama Crash victims, Michael and Talia Klein

Panama City, Panama (AP), December 25, 2007 – The bodies of a California businessman, his teenage daughter and the Panamanian pilot of a plane that crashed over the weekend were found Tuesday in Panama’s mountains, officials said. A 12-year-old American girl survived.

Michael Klein, 37, Talia Klein, 13, and pilot Edwin Lasso, 23, were found dead in a mountainous region of Panama known as Las Ovejas, about 270 miles west of the capital, the civil protection agency said.

Francesca Lewis, a friend of Talia’s who was traveling with the Kleins, survived and was hospitalized with hypothermia and multiple traumas, said the agency in a statement. The severity of her injuries was not immediately clear.

Aviation authorities said the cause of the crash was not yet known, but RPC radio reported that witnesses saw the plane flying at a very low altitude around noon Sunday amid buffeting winds.

The group’s plane disappeared en route from Islas Secas, off Panama’s Pacific coast, to the Chiriqui volcano, about 285 miles west of the capital, Panama City.

The flight normally would have taken about 45 minutes, but controllers lost contact with the craft at about noon on Sunday.

Klein was on vacation with the two girls at an eco-resort he owns in the Central American nation, said ex-wife Kim Klein in a telephone interview with the Associated Press. The three had been scheduled to return to Santa Barbara, California, on Monday, she said.

She traveled to Panama on Monday morning and had offered $25,000 to anyone who could locate it.

Rescue workers and volunteers combed a mountainous area of western Panama on Tuesday looking for the wreckage.

Dense tropical foliage, mountainous terrain and heavy rains had been making air and land searches in the Chiriqui province extremely difficult, Rolando Rodriguez said earlier Tuesday.

Michael Klein was the chief executive officer of Pacificore LLC, a Santa Barbara-based company that manages several hedge funds and founded two companies in the 1990s before becoming president and CEO of eGroups Inc., which was the world’s largest group e-mail communication service.

According to an official of the Panamanian Civil Aviation (AAC), they were searching for a small aircraft which went missing in western Panama on Monday.

The aircraft was reported to be a Cessna 172, which disappeared from radar while flying from the Pacific island of Isla Seca to the town of Volcan in the heavily wooded Chiriqui province in Panama on Sunday, said Victor de la Hoz, an AAC official.

The rescue search earlier was suspended earlier due to bad weather.

During an operation last Dec. 23, Coalition Airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

A-10 Thunderbolt IIs engaged enemy combatants who were in firing positions and compounds northwest of Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan. The A-10s employed guided bomb unit-38s, cannon rounds, and general purpose 500-pound bombs. Enemy improvised explosive device teams were also struck. The on-scene joint terminal attack controller reported the strikes as successful. A-10 expended flares during a show of force demonstration southeast of Bagram. Additionally, the A-10s fired cannon rounds on compounds held by enemy combatants. The missions were deemed a success. Enemy positions and compounds near Nangalam were struck by GBU-38s and cannon rounds fired from A-10s. The JTAC confirmed the munitions destroyed the intended targets.

F-16 Fighting Falcon dropped a GBU-38 to destroy an enemy rocket site located northeast of Baqubah, Iraq. The JTAC reported the bomb destroyed the target and observed secondary explosions. Enemy personnel in Baghdad were struck by a GBU-38 dropped from an F-16. Coalition forces encountered hostile fire from the enemy combatants. The strike was assessed as successful by the JTAC. A Royal Air Force GR-4 Tornado showed continued presence in a show of force performed in Baghdad. The mission achieved the desired effect.

In total, coalition aircraft flew 46 close-air-support missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These missions supported coalition ground forces, protected key infrastructure, provided over watch for reconstruction activities and helped to deter and disrupt terrorist activities.

Furthermore, Air Force C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster IIIs provided intra-theater heavy airlift support, helping to sustain operations throughout Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa.

Approximately 136 airlift sorties were flown, 436 tons of cargos were delivered and 3,466 passengers were transported. This included approximately 40,800 pounds of troop re-supply air-dropped in Afghanistan. Coalition C-130 crews from Australia, Canada, Iraq and Korea flew in support of operations in Afghanistan or Iraq.

On Dec. 22, Air Force, French, and RAF tanker crews flew 41 sorties and off-loaded approximately 2.8 million pounds of fuel to 229 receiving aircraft.

Cessna 421 custom model

This week we turn the spotlight on the Cessna 421 custom model ordered by Evelyn, wife of hobbyist Gary. She was pleased after we showed her the custom model we made just for her:

It looks really nice. This is a Christmas gift and I don’t want to chance that my husband will
see it before I get home. Thanks for all your work and coordination.

Ma’am, we hope your husband likes your Christmas gift! Happy Holidays from us here at TMC Pacific Modelworks!

Want to order a custom model as well? Let us know! You might see your custom model in this spot next time.

Learn more about the Custom Models we offer, order yours today!

Panavia Tornado, RAF

The Panavia Tornado is a jet engine fighter-bomber jointly developed as the Multi-role combat aircraft - or MRCA - by Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. It first flew on August 14th, 1974. International co-operation continued after its entry into service within a tri-nation training and evaluation unit operating from RAF Cottesmore in Rutland in the English Midlands.

The Panavia Tornado has three variants namely the fighter-bomber strike/reconnaissance Interdictor/Strike (IDS), the suppression of enemy air defenses IDS-based Electronic Combat/Reconnaissance (ECR), and the interceptor Air Defense Variant (ADV). Tornado IDS was operated by Germany, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and United Kingdom. It is said to be the world’s most sophisticated, capable interdiction and attack aircraft. It has a large payload, long range, and high survivability. Tornado ADV was operated by Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom. The difference between the IDS and ADV was the fuselage. The ECR was operated by Germany and Italy. On the 21st of May 1990, the ECR was delivered for the first time. It has an emitter locator system designed to locate enemy radar sites.

The Tornado worked with different countries and associations. On the 14th of August 1974 with Luftwaffe, it flew for the first time from Manching to West Germany. On the 27th of July 1979, the first service delivery was made. The Tornado with Italian Air Force took part in the first Gulf War in 1991. They lost one plane to AAA. In 1999, during the Kosovo war, Aeronautica Militare used IDS for bombing and ECR for the suppression of enemy. Royal Air Force used Tornado GR1s on Gulf war. GR4 was used in 2003 invasion of Iraq and in help with UK and coalition forces in Iraq. On the 26th of March 1986 was the first flight of the Royal Saudi Arabia Tornado IDS. On the 9th of February 1989 the first Saudi ADV was delivered.