U.S. Coast Guard seach-and-rescue crews are responding to a
reported downed Cessna aircraft with four people aboard in the
vicinity of Freeport Bahamas Airport, Bahamas, Monday morning.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported the crash to the
Coast Guard 7th District at approximately 11 a.m. The aircraft
reportedly left Ormond Beach Municipal Airport, Fla,. and was
en route to Bahamas Airport.
A MH-60 helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater is
currently on scene responding alongside the Bahamas Air Sea
Rescue Association and the Royal Bahamian Police Force.
The plane is a 1978 Cessna 340A (tail number N340MM) registered to Aqua Sun Investments Inc. of Ormond Beach, Fla., according to FAA records.
Northrop Grumman Corp. and the U.S. Navy offered a glimpse of the future of carrier aviation on Sunday by conducting a series of cooperative flights from the aircraft carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), using an X-47B Unmanned Air System (UCAS) and an F/A-18 Hornet.
The flights - the first time manned and unmanned carrier aircraft have operated together in the same carrier controlled landing pattern at the same at the same time - took place in the Eastern Atlantic. They offered Northrop Grumman and the Navy an opportunity to collect data that will help reduce risks associated with integrating unmanned aircraft with conventional manned carrier operations.
"The X-47B has again pushed the boundaries of the UCAS program by demonstrating that it can operate seamlessly with conventional carrier assets in one of the most demanding environments in the world," said Capt. Beau Duarte, the Navy's UCAS program manager.
During the flights, the X-47B flew in the landing pattern with the F/18-Hornet at approach speeds of 120 miles per hour, at a pattern altitude of 1,200 feet. Mission operators aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt had full control of the X-47B during flight maneuvers that involved several planned precision approaches to the carrier.
At the completion of the manned/unmanned flight trials, the X-47B landed safely aboard CVN 71, catching and quickly releasing the arresting cable before folding its wings and taxiing clear of the landing area.
Northrop Grumman, the Navy's UCAS prime contractor, designed and produced the program's two X-47B air vehicles.
Northrop Grumman's UCAS industry team includes Pratt & Whitney, GKN Aerospace, Eaton, General Electric, UTC Aerospace Systems, Dell, Honeywell, Moog, Wind River, Parker Aerospace, Sargent Aerospace & Defense, Rockwell Collins and Lockheed Martin.
A Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) aircraft under the control of U.S. Northern Command experienced a hard landing at 4:53 p.m. EDT on Sunday at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.
The aircraft was on a fire-fighting mission when the aircrew became aware of a potential malfunction of the nose landing gear. The crew executed an emergency landing at Hill AFB and the aircraft sustained damage upon landing which included a small fire. No one was injured.
The aircraft belongs to the Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing located in Cheyenne, Wyo.
Since July 20, Department of Defense aircraft have conducted 131 air drops and discharged more than 244,000 gallons of retardant.
Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard C-130 aircraft assigned to units in California, Colorado, North Carolina and Wyoming are capable of dropping fire retardant using C-130 aircraft and U.S. Forest Service supplied MAFFS units. Aircrews, maintenance crews and support personnel undergo special training and certification to perform these missions each year.
The
online advertising website ClixSense will shut it's doors for good in
Rome, N.Y., this week. “We are relocating the business to
Hampstead, N.C.,” company officials said in an announcement posted on the ClixSense website Tuesday.
“On
Thursday, Aug. 7, ClixSense will shut it's doors for good in Rome,” company officials said. “The ClixSense ownership will remain the same, as
will the ClixSense staff. Two of our staff (Becki and Aaron) will
remain in and work from New York while myself and Joe will continue
to run the business from Hampstead.
“This
move was more of a personal decision rather than a business one. But
because North Carolina is one of the top states in the U.S. to
conduct business (according to Forbes.com), we feel this will be a fantastic move for ClixSense. We look
forward to continued success from North Carolina.” While using ClixSense,
consumers can actually get paid for their web browsing, up to $0.02 for every
website visited or advertisement viewed. The income you earn is paid
directly to you every month, and its free, CLICK HERE.
Space Exploration Technologies' (SpaceX) founder Elon Musk announced Monday a strategic decision to build a launch site in the outskirts of Brownsville, Texas, where the company plans to fly its signature Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX already has launch sites at Vandenburg Air Force Base, Calif. and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The new site will be at Boca Chica Beach, on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico and saddling the Rio Grande.
The much anticipated decision finally came after more than three years of analyzing sites in Georgia, California, Virginia, Alaska, Puerto Rico and Florida. Earlier this month, the project was given the green light by the Federal Aviation Administration, as part of the federal environmental process.
The Greater Brownsville Incentives Corp. committed $5 million as part of the overall incentives package proposed to SpaceX for the commercial launch site and command center.
SpaceX plans to create 500 jobs over a 10-year period and invest $80 to $100 million in capital investment. The project entails three separate components: the rocket launch site, a control command center and a ground tracking station, all within two miles of each other.
"Our unique geographic location and proximity to both the equator and the Gulf of Mexico, gave Brownsville an advantage over the other locations being considered by SpaceX," said Jason Hilts, president and CEO of the Brownsville Economic Development Council.
The direct economic impact by SpaceX would be more than $51 million annually in salaries. Economic experts figure another 300 to 400 jobs will be created from suppliers either moving to or expanding in the Brownsville area.
The Federal Aviation Administration has approved the Billings Flying Service application for a restricted type certificate on the Chinook CH-47D helicopter. According to Al Blain, co-owner of Billings Flying Service, this is the first and only type certificate for the CH-47D helicopter.
Billings Flying Service bought the first two CH-47Ds that were sold through military auctions earlier this year. They are one of three civilian operators to purchase the model, but the first to obtain the restricted category type certificate so quickly.
Billings Flying Service has uncommon experience operating heavy-lift helicopters such as Sikorsky S61, Eurocopter 330J, and various Bell mediums. Billings is already completing modifications so the Chinooks can be fully optimized for the vehicle reference operations their clients require.
"Billings Flying Service has a backlog of customers who are excited to begin utilizing all of the extraordinary capabilities of this aircraft," Blain said.
Gary Blain, co-owner of Billings Flying Service said, "The CH-47Ds will be incorporated into our fleet for our customers for every mission segment it currently performs including construction and firefighting. The Chinook offers the heaviest lift capacity available and will outperform the Sky Crane considerably on a hot, high day."
Billings Flying Service is based in Billings, Mont.
Southwest Airlines on Monday added new flights for customers' travel through early March, bringing two additional destinations to the carrier's complement of cities with new nonstop service to and from Dallas (Love Field). Flights between the heart of Dallas and both San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport begin Jan. 6.
Along with the additions of Oakland and San Francisco, this will give Dallas customers access to a total of 33 destinations via nonstop service on Southwest Airlines by Jan. 6.
Beginning Oct. 13, Southwest will add nonstop service from Dallas (Love Field) to Baltimore/Washington, Chicago Midway, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, and Ronald Reagan Washington National.
On Nov. 2, Southwest will add additional nonstop city offerings from Dallas (Love Field) to Atlanta, Ft. Lauderdale, Nashville, New York (LaGuardia), Phoenix, San Diego, Orange County/Santa Ana, and Tampa.
