USGS plans airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey in California

The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting a market survey to find companies eligible to compete for a contract to conduct an airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey in San Joaquin Valley, Calif. The contractor will be required to provide digitally recorded and processed airborne geophysical and ancillary data.

“The USGS requests airborne geophysical data covering areas in the southern San Joaquin Valley, Calif., using magnetic and electromagnetic methods,” USGS officials said in contract documents released Sunday. “An electromagnetic system is required that can image lithologic variations, groundwater salinity variations, and structural controls on groundwater flow within agricultural and suburban areas. These data are intended for rigorous inversion and interpretation of the 3-D hydrogeologic conditions of the subsurface. These data will be used in aquifer and salinity mapping, the design of groundwater monitoring strategies, and the characterization of geologic structures.

“The goal is to provide high quality airborne geophysical data that will be used for quantitative hydrogeologic framework and groundwater salinity studies.”

Companies interested in competing for the contract must contact the USGS by July 16.

First Air merges with Canadian North airline

Makivik Corp. and the Inuvialuit Corporate Group (ICG) announced Friday they have signed an agreement in principle to merge First Air and Canadian North in order to provide the best possible essential air services across the Arctic.

Following execution of definitive agreements and the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals needed to establish a strong new entity, the proposed Pan-Arctic airline will operate under the name "Canadian North" and aircraft will feature new First Air livery, including its Inukshuk logo. Headquarters for the proposed airline will be located in Ottawa. The parties expect to complete the merger by the end of 2018.

The companies believe this merger will:

• Improve Arctic air services by offering customers greater reliability, better on-time service, and fewer interruptions;
• Further enhance safety by enabling newer aircraft across the network, as well as specialization in maintenance of B737 and ATR aircraft;
• Improve sustainability and efficiency of Arctic air services thus enabling the airline to more effectively meet demand across vast service areas while addressing challenges related to pilot shortages; and
• Contribute to Northern and Inuit economic development by creating a wholly Inuit-owned, new airline focused on Canada's North.

"Air service is not a luxury for Northerners; it is a vital lifeline which requires ongoing investment," said Patrick Gruben, chair of the Inuvialuit Development Corp.

A report commissioned by the Government of Nunavut supports the need for more efficiency in Nunavut air transportation services; a merger of First Air and Canadian North is the only viable way to both meet and exceed these essential needs for Nunavummiut and all Northerners.

“Customers of First Air and Canadian North will not see changes to services, including fares and scheduling, while we work toward achieving regulatory approval and finalizing the merger,” Makivik said in a company press release.

US Navy looks to test Close-Range Armed Unmanned Air Vehicles

The U.S. Navy released a Request For Information (RFI) on Friday as part of a market survey to determine the availability, technical capability, and logistics capability of industry to provide specific information to Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane Division about Commercial Off-The-Shelf Close-Range Armed Unmanned Air Vehicles (CRA-UAVs). The RFI document includes CRA-UAVs that are developed but not yet in production, but can reasonably be expected to be in the status of test-ready articles for comparative testing in April 2019. CRA-UAVs include armed UAVs that have a range of up to 50 kilometers and endurance time of five minutes to six hours. “Ordinary Close Range-UAVs are usually used only for reconnaissance and surveillance tasks; however the CRA-UAVs that NSWC Crane Division seeks should be armed for immediate firing on targets found during reconnaissance and surveillance flights,” the Navy said in the RFI.

NSWC Crane is presently conducting this market survey seeking information from industry, U.S. government, and academia, to analyze alternatives and consider various CRA-UAVs for future procurement. These can be either hover-type or loiter-type CRA-UAVs.

The CRA-UAVs that NSWC Crane Division seeks should meet the following:

• Carry armaments which may include small arms, rockets, grenades, and less-than-lethal weapons and devices, or combinations of weapons and devices.
• Have a wireless remote safe, arm, and fire capability, allowing safe, arm, and either fire, or return to safe while in flight.
• Once armed, CRA-UAVs must be able to be remotely placed back into the safe mode, allowing the CRA-UAVs to safely return to the launch point.
• Be capable of single person operation (pilot is the gunner) or double person operation (pilot and gunner separate individuals).
• Be compatible with common tactical mobile Smartphones or other mobile devices.
• May include remotely-controlled gimbals or mounted remote firing stations.
• May include concepts for non-line of sight operation, such as signal repeaters.

New Western Sydney Airport due for completion in 2026

Bechtel, a global leader in project management, engineering, procurement and construction, has been selected by WSA Co as its Delivery Partner and Project Manager for the Western Sydney Airport, a $5.3 billion greenfield facility in Badgerys Creek, New South Wales. This will be a landmark project for both New South Wales and Australia, and is due for completion at the end of 2026.

Western Sydney Airport will provide much-needed additional aviation capacity to meet growing demand in the Sydney basin and improve access to flights for people in Western Sydney.

Alaska Airlines launches new nonstop service between San Jose and New York

Alaska Airlines launched nonstop service between Mineta San Jose International Airport and John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York City on Friday.

With the addition of the new service, Alaska now operates 15 flights a day to JFK from six West Coast gateways including Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco; San Jose; and Seattle.

With the addition of this new and expanded JFK service, Alaska provides 38 daily flights to 19 nonstop destinations from San Jose.

Timed with the flight expansion, Alaska's newest Lounge is now open on the mezzanine level of Terminal 7 at JFK.

Alaska gates and the Alaska Lounge are located in the same terminal as Global Partners British Airways and Icelandair, providing guests traveling through JFK with convenient access to a combined 10 daily flights to top global destinations across Europe.

Flying car goes on display in UK, full certification expected in 2020

Inspired by nature, engineered by men and evolved over time, the PAL-V Liberty flying car will have its aviation debut at the Farnborough International Airshow this month. Between July 16 and 20 the PAL-V can be found in hall 4 at stand 4100. On July 21 and 22 the PAL-V will be in the static display area. It's the very first time that the PAL-V Liberty is present at an airshow and in the United Kingdom.

Over the past years, PAL-V concentrated all efforts on perfecting its design and setting up the production process and supply chain.

Robert Dingemanse, CEO of PAL-V, stated: "The production model is the moment of truth. The moment where the wall between fiction and facts is torn down. A production model is the last stage in the research & development process before starting full production and delivery. All certifications required for commercialization will be granted on the basis of this production model.”

The certification not only guarantees the safety of the flying car but also is the approval that the vehicle can be driven on the roads and flown in the air. Dingemanse said: "Once full certification is granted in 2020 we will hand over the keys of the PAL-V Liberty to our first customers."

Putting a price tag on the most coveted trophy in hockey

The Stanley Cup is the most coveted trophy in hockey. And every year, professional hockey teams across the United States and Canada battle it out in hopes of winning this stunning prize and become a part of history. And while many people know and love everything that the Stanley Cup represents, not many people know the history of the cup’s creation and how it got to where it is today. Along with that, even fewer people know that the Stanley Cup not only has an intrinsic value, but an inherent one as well. That’s right - even though the trophy is considered priceless, there is a definite value attached to it.

The cup stands at 35¼ inches tall and weighs around 34 pounds. And, surprisingly, the Stanley Cup is made out of 459 troy ounces of pure silver. The metal content alone gives the Stanley Cup a lot of value, but it’s rich history and appeal to hockey fans the world over make that value skyrocket.

The Stanley Cup was named after the Lord Stanley of Preston, who was appointed as the Governor General of Canada in 1888 by Queen Victoria. Once he and his family moved to Canada, he developed a passion for ice hockey and grew to champion the sport. But, it was really his sons that took hockey from a popular hobby to a proper sport.

Lord Stanley’s sons were instrumental in the formation of the sport of hockey. For instance, they collectively created one of the first hockey teams in Canada, established the Ontario Hockey Association, and started ice hockey in Great Britain. But they felt that there was still something missing. That’s where the Lord Stanley makes history.

Lord Stanley gave them an elaborately decorative bowl . He bought it for around $50.00, which would equal around $1,300 in today’s society. He had the words "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup" engraved on one side of the outside rim, and "From Stanley of Preston" on the other side. And, even though he made one of the most important investments into the sport, Stanley never actually saw a Stanley Cup championship game, and he never had the opportunity to present the cup to a winning team.

One of Lord Stanley's original conditions of the trophy was that each team could add a ring to the cup to commemorate their victory, and that’s a tradition that has followed in varying degrees to the present day. If you look closely at the trophy, you can see much of the journey that the Stanley Cup, and ultimately, the sport of hockey, has been through since the 1800s.

Based on the current spot price of silver, the Stanley Cup would set you back over $7,500.

Thursday night in Las Vegas, the Washington Capitals could close out the Golden Knights and claim their first Stanley Cup title and Lord Stanley's decorative bowl will make its way to Washington, D.C.