Tanker Hornets Nest

http://blog.al.com/jdcrowe/2009/09/tanker_hornets_nest.html

 

 

The tanker contest is back where it belongs; in the hands of the Air Force.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says he will keep a close eye on the situation, but now trusts the Air Force to do what's best for the Air Force.

 

This news has Boeing shaking in their pumps. The Air Force already decided which refueling tanker they liked best. Their choice was the Northrop Grumman/EADS plane. It wasn't even close. The KC-45 won by a landslide. Had the last competitive bid been a Little League game it would have been called in the 2nd inning.

 

IAI and Airbus develop semi-robotic towbarless tractor

http://www.janes.com/news/transport/jar/jar090915_1_n.shtml

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Lahav Division is continuing studies
with aircraft manufacturer Airbus on the development of a semi-robotic
towbarless tractor called the TaxiBot Dispatch Towing System.

Major components of the TaxiBot concept include a towbarless FMC
Technologies (now JBT AeroTech) PTS-1 tug equipped with a unique
mechanical interface to the nose landing gear; a low-level control
function for driving the vehicle; and a vehicle electronics system
that provides high-level control for managing towing operations while
in pilot-control mode.

The Endless CAP

September 18, 2009: U.S. Predator UAVs mainly fly CAPs (Combat Air
Patrols). Each CAP requires 3-4 Predators (one doing the CAP, one or
two in transit to the CAP area and one on the ground undergoing
maintenance and repairs), and 80 airmen. Fifty of the troops are
overseas, taking care of maintenance, and landing and take offs. To do
this round the clock, each CAP requires two ground control stations.
One is overseas, to handle takeoffs and landings. The other ground
station is back in the United States, where 30 members of the squadron
operate the Predator, in shifts, as it patrols. Currently, the air
force has 35 CAPs operating in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, four of
them with Reapers (one of them is a British controlled aircraft).

You Can Fly The Martin Jetpack, If You Bid High

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?contentBlockId=89dd60cc-37a4-47c2-b0a7-f2ae1788d7bb

Company Auctions History Making Jetpack Flight On eBay
The country that brought the world jet boating and bungee jumping has
done it again, by now becoming the 'first' place in the world where
you can fly a jetpack.

New Zealand's Martin Aircraft Company unveiled its innovative new
aircraft, the Martin Jetpack, to the world last year.

Now they have announced another history making event, an auction on
eBay that will allow the winning bidder to become the first person,
outside their close development team, to fly the Martin Jetpack as a
fully fledged test pilot.

Aviation insiders will understand that it is highly unusual to offer
test pilot status by auction. But jetpack inventor Glenn Martin points
out "our aim is to make the easiest to fly aircraft in the world.
Because of the fly-by-wire systems we have developed in the last year,
we recently had a novice pilot fly solo quite safely with 12 minutes
of flight time."

FAA Announces New Efforts To Respond To Safety Concerns

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?contentBlockId=6829e8a5-da9d-4a53-b9c4-2bc766b64540

Airlines No Longer "Customers"
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt has announced a 'new' focus on
improving the agency's response to public safety complaints and
whistleblower contributions, as well as renewing efforts to ensure
consistent interpretation of agency regulations and policies. He also
outlined ongoing actions to ensure that air carriers comply with
safety directives while minimizing disruptions to passengers.

First Production Cessna Skycatcher Flies At Shenyang Factory

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=02eb787b-7b54-46c5-86d8-0f18e4b1b85c

Over 1000 Ordered Since Its Introduction At AirVenture 2007
The first production Skycatcher is off the ground. Cessna announced
Thursday that the first Model 162 Skycatcher fabricated and assembled
on production tooling flew Thursday at the factory in Shenyang in
northeast China. The aircraft performed a number of handling quality
tests during the flight.

Enhanced RavenView TacSim From SDS Int'l Now En Route To AFSOC

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1842350288

SDS International (SDS) recently received an order from the U.S. Air
Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) for 20 of its laptop-based
RavenView(tm) tactical simulation systems for use in training
AFSOC/Special Operations Command (SOCOM) forces.

FAA says airlines are no longer its 'customers'

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hb_IMUWF5KfKs9tYKX5ZhnoAiXPgD9APBLFO0

FAA says airlines are no longer its 'customers'
By JOAN LOWY (AP)

WASHINGTON — Responding to criticism that his agency has become too
cozy with companies it regulates, the new head of the Federal Aviation
Administration said Thursday the FAA will stop calling airlines
"customers," as he announced steps to ensure air carriers comply with
safety orders.

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, who took over the agency in June,
outlined a series of initiatives that address complaints by members of
Congress and others that the agency's relationship with airlines was
placing the industry's economic interests above passengers' safety.

During the Bush administration, the FAA adopted a business model for
evaluating its performance and began calling airlines, aircraft
manufacturers and others that it regulates "customers." The new term
is "stakeholder."