ProJet discontinues aircraft maintenance services at Leesburg Airport

ProJet Aviation announced Friday they are discontinuing commercial maintenance and repair operations (MRO) at Leesburg Executive Airport in order to focus on managed aircraft clients. The company plans to accommodate “emergency maintenance” requests for all Leesburg based and transient aircraft.

“This extremely difficult decision was made after almost two years of trying to turn around a shop that had struggled for years under previous ownership,” said Shye Gilad, CEO of Projet Aviation. In June 2012, Landmark Aviation sold all of its fixed base operator assets at Leesburg to ProJet.

“In no way is this a reflection of the hard work and commitment of our MRO team - despite their best efforts, the economics of operating the MRO at a large scale are simply not sustainable in the face of adverse external conditions,” Gilad said.

“We thank you for your business and regret that we will no longer be able to provide scheduled maintenance services,” Gilad said in an announcement to customers.

In 2012, Leesburg had 215 based aircraft and over 70,000 annual operations (takeoffs and landings). The airport is home to three flight schools in addition to a number of aeronautical service companies. Total employment at the airport is nearly 300.

Pilot fatally injured in F-15 crash

Officials confirmed Thursday the pilot of a F-15C Eagle was fatally injured when his jet crashed near Deerfield Valley, Va., on Wednesday.

The pilot's name is being withheld pending notification of family members and will be released when appropriate.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and we are doing all we can to support them during this very difficult time," said Air Force Col. James Keefe, commander, 104th Fighter Wing. "We ask that everyone respect the privacy of the family and allow them the time they need to grieve.”

An official safety board is being convened and the investigation into the crash is ongoing.

Background

At approximately 9:05 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Washington Center Air Traffic Control in Washington, D.C. lost radio contact with the F-15C aircraft stationed at the 104th Fighter Wing, Mass., and at approximately 9:30 a.m. the 104th Fighter Wing learned that the aircraft had crashed in a remote site near Deerfield Valley, Va.

The single seat F-15C aircraft was en route to Naval Air Station New Orleans to receive a radar system upgrade. There were no munitions on the aircraft during this flight. The pilot was flying a solo mission when he reported an in-flight emergency prior to the loss of radio contact with Washington Center.

First unmanned aircraft take-off/landing aboard Coast Guard icebreaker

U.S. Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) researchers successfully landed an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) on the flight deck of Coast Guard Cutter Healy Monday, marking the first time a UAS has completed a take-off and landing aboard a Coast Guard icebreaker.

UAS operators from AeroVironment, designers of the Puma All Environment UAS, working alongside researchers from the Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) and NOAA made necessary adjustments following several unsuccessful attempts to land the Puma AE on the icebreaker’s flight deck. High winds, heavy fog, and icing conditions delayed further attempts until Monday night when skies cleared enough for another attempt. UAS operators came close to landing the system on the initial attempt before managing three successful landings.

Researchers and crew aboard the Healy left Seward, Alaska, Aug. 8 to conduct testing of the Puma AE and other technologies for use as oil spill tracking tools. The UAS is equipped with an electro-optical and infrared camera allowing its operator to keep constant watch over the device’s target.

The Coast Guard RDC and NOAA hope to utilize UAS and other unmanned technologies to perform monitoring and search operations in the Arctic and other areas where hazardous conditions might otherwise place human observers in increased danger.

Coast Guard Cutter Healy is a 420-foot icebreaker homeported in Seattle, Wash.

F-15 fighter jet goes down over Shenandoah Valley

At approximately 9:05 a.m. EDT Wednesday the 104th Fighter Wing lost radio contact with an F-15C aircraft during a cross country mission over the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, the Air National Guard said in a press statement.

The pilot flying the F-15C made a report of an inflight emergency prior to radio contact being lost. Subsequently there were reports of dark smoke being seen around the aircraft at its last known location. Local law enforcement arrived on scene and confirmed the aircraft crashed.

"Information on this incident is developing rapidly and we are not going to speculate on what occurred or the status of the pilot", said Air Force Col. James Keefe, 104th Fighter Wing Commander. "We are hopeful that the pilot is ok, and the pilot will be in our thoughts and prayers as the events of this incident unfold."

The F-15C aircraft was in route to receive a system upgrade, and there were no munitions on the aircraft during this cross-country trip.

At this point the status of the pilot is not confirmed.

Cessna aircraft down near Bahamas, Coast Guard responds

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.

Video: Joint manned/unmanned flight trials aboard aircraft carrier

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.

Military C-130 'hard landing' reported, no injuries

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 153^rd 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.