Live Event: World War II aircraft to pass over Loudoun County

To honor the heroes who fought in World War II (WWII) and those on the home front who produced the tanks, ships, and aircraft that enabled the United States and its Allies to achieve victory, one of the most diverse arrays of World War II aircraft ever assembled will fly through Loudoun County, Va., on Friday before passing over Washington, D.C. for the main event. The flying formation, known as Arsenal of Democracy World War II Victory Capitol Flyover, is celebrating the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.

The flyover will include dozens of WWII aircraft flying in 15 historically sequenced warbird formations overhead. The formations will represent major battles from Pearl Harbor through the final air assault on Japan, and concluding with a missing man formation to “Taps.” Never before has such a collection of WWII aircraft been assembled at one location, to honor the large assemblage of veterans gathered at the WWII Memorial for a ceremony.

The DCNewsroom blog in Purcellville, Va., will make “an attempt” to provide live video of the flying formations as they pass over Loudoun County. Check the “Live Video Events” page for details.

The first formation is estimated to be over the Lincoln Memorial
 at 12:10 p.m. EDT on Friday. The Arsenal of Democracy aircraft will depart from Culpeper Regional Airport and Manassas Regional Airport about 40 minutes before the flyover begins. These aircraft will then proceed to a holding point about 10 miles west of Leesburg where they will begin the flight down the Potomac River towards D.C. As they approach the Lincoln Memorial, they will turn East and proceed down Independence Avenue. At the completion of the flyover of the WWII Memorial, the aircraft will turn south and begin their flight down the Potomac River and back to their original airports.

On Saturday, a selection of the planes will be featured at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport for a one day exhibition. The display will be open to the public 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT. No advance tickets are required.

Stay tuned to the DCNewsroom for updates.

FAA partners with CNN to help expand unmanned aircraft operations in US

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is partnering with three leading U.S. companies who have committed extensive resources to perform research that will help the agency determine if and how they can safely expand unmanned aircraft operations in the United States.

The partnering effort, known as Pathfinder Program, was announced by FAA Administrator Michael Hureta on Wednesday at the Unmanned Systems 2015 conference in Atlanta, Ga.

“The unmanned aircraft industry is changing faster than any segment of the aviation industry,” Hureta said. “People are finding new ways to use these devices on almost a daily basis.” Three companies reached out to the FAA to work with the agency and explore three key types of unmanned operations.

CNN will be researching how visual line-of-sight operations might be used for newsgathering in urban areas.

PrecisionHawk, a manufacturer, will be surveying crops in rural areas using unmanned aircraft flying outside of the pilot’s direct vision.

BNSF Railroad will explore the challenges of using these vehicles to inspect their rail infrastructure beyond visual line-of-sight in isolated areas.

“We anticipate receiving valuable data from each of these trials that could result in FAA-approved operations in the next few years,” Hureta said. “They will also give insight into how unmanned aircraft can be used to transform the way certain industries do business – whether that means making sure trains run on time, checking on the health of crops, or reporting on a natural disaster.

“Integrating unmanned aircraft into our airspace is a big job, and it’s one the FAA is determined to get right. Earlier this year, we took an important step forward by releasing a proposed rule that laid out a flexible framework for allowing the routine use of small unmanned aircraft. It included a number of common sense provisions, like not flying near airports, at night, or more than 500 feet off the ground. It also recommended requiring the operator to be able to see the unmanned vehicle at all times.

“The FAA received more than 4,000 public comments on the proposal, and we’re working to address them before finalizing the rule.

“This, however, takes time – so we’re actively looking for other ways to expand the use of unmanned aircraft in the meantime. We’re receiving valuable information from our six national test sites. We’re also accommodating requests for some commercial operations. The Pathfinder program is our latest step in the right direction – and I’m eager to see the results.”

Whole Foods opening in Pierce County, Wash.

Whole Foods Market will open its doors in University Place, Wash., on Thursday. This is the first Whole Foods Market store in Pierce County, and the eighth location in Washington state.

To celebrate the grand opening, Whole Foods Market will host a "bread-breaking ceremony" at 8:30 a.m. University Place Mayor Denise McCluskey and Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber Member Tom Pearson will join Whole Foods Market regional leadership, local suppliers and community partners to break a 4-foot-long loaf of challah bread, and welcome shoppers into the neighborhood's new shopping destination. Doors open and shopping begins at 9 a.m. The new store is located at 3515 Bridgeport Way W. in the Village at Chambers Bay.

The first 75 visitors to the store on Thursday will receive a Whole Foods Market gift card with a mystery value between $10 and $100. Gift cards will be distributed starting at 6:30 a.m. Grand opening festivities will also include free coffee and live music from the Curtis High School Pep Band.

In fiscal year 2014, the company had sales of more than $14 billion and currently has more than 417 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Most popular posts April 2015

1.) Southwest Airlines continues major flight expansion from Dallas - In April, Southwest Airlines started operating more time-saving daily itineraries between Dallas Love Field and nine additional cities around the United States (Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis, Ind.; Memphis, Tenn.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Panama City Beach, Fla.; Portland, Ore.; Sacramento, Calif.; San Jose, Calif.; and Seattle, Wash.) and launched Saturday-only flights between Dallas and Charleston, S.C. [Full story]

2.) Cessna 180 pilot goes missing in Alaska - U.S. Coast Guard and Air Force assets were called to search for a missing pilot near Perry Island in Prince William Sound, Alaska. [Full story]

3.) Remains of missing pilot found in Alaska - The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for a missing pilot near Perry Island in Prince William Sound, Alaska, after his remains were discovered April 15. [Full story]

4.) Ohio State University orders five Cessna 172 planes -  Cessna Aircraft Company announced at the Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In and Expo that it has signed a long-term agreement with The Ohio State University’s Flight Education program. [Full story]

5.) Video: X-47B conducts first Autonomous Aerial Refueling - The X-47B successfully conducted the first ever Autonomous Aerial Refueling of an unmanned aircraft in April, completing the final test objective under the Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System demonstration program. [Full story]

A new Climax Utilities all-time high sales month

Continuing a trend that has prevailed through the first quarter of 2015, Climax Utilities sales hit a new all-time high last month. April total sales hit $4985.46 virtual dollars, up 143 percent from March, the company's previous all-time high. Climax is a virtual electricity and water company created on ProEconomia.

• April 2015 total sales: $4985.46 virtual dollars
• March 2015 total sales: $2049.10 virtual dollars

• April 2015 average sales per day: $171.91 virtual dollars
• March 2015 average sales per day: $66.10 virtual dollars

“Just one month ago Climax sales rate showed a year ending total over $8,000 virtual dollars. At the current rate I now predict year ending sales to reach over $20,000,” said Climax Utilites CEO Brothel.

ProEconomica is a strategy game, in which you have the possibility to convert your virtual currency into real money. It is one of the few business games where you are rewarded for your daily activity.

Other developments; 

-Out of 2,500 U.S. players on ProEconomia, Climax Utilities CEO Brothel is ranked 83. 

-Out of 300 virtual SHOP companies on ProEconomia, Climax Utilities is ranked 43.