Unusual Current Events

[1LT Leskowat]

Time to get a new reindeer...
The Associated Press - www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/special_packages/coffee_break/12926509.htm

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Danish Air Force has paid about $5,000 in compensation to a part-time Santa Claus whose reindeer died of heart failure when two fighter jets roared over his farm.

The animal, named Rudolf, was grazing at the farm of Olavi Nikkanoff in central Denmark when the screaming F-16 jets passed overhead at low altitude in February.

The reindeer collapsed and died, leaving Nikkanoff with the prospect of only one animal pulling his sleigh next Christmas.

He complained to the air force, which agreed to compensate him for the cost of the reindeer and veterinary expenses.

“We got a letter from Santa complaining about his reindeer’s death and looked into it seriously,” air force spokesman Capt. Morten Jensen said. The air force checked flight data and veterinary reports and concluded the planes had caused the animal’s death.

Nikkanoff said he would use the money to buy a new reindeer before Christmas.

[1LT Leskowat]

Salmon Thirty Salmon on final

General Aviation News - www.generalaviationnews.com/editorial/articledetail.lasso?-token.key=12262&-token.src=index&-nothing

11/18/2005

The expression "landing a big fish" takes on a new meaning this fall as Alaska Airlines begins flying a 737-400 painted to resemble a chinook salmon.

Dubbed the Salmon-Thirty-Salmon, the seafood-inspired paint job was completed with a $500,000 grant from the Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board. The 737 symbolizes the role the airline plays in the state's fishing industry, hauling 30 million pounds of seafood each year. For more information: AlaskaAir.com.

Yep - this is it!


Don't miss this! Lots more Salmon-Thirty-Salmon pics (high-resolution) that you can download for wallpaper!
Here: www.alaskasworld.com/newsroom/asnews/images/inc_photos.asp

[1LT Leskowat]

Youngest pilot around?
General Aviation News - www.generalaviationnews.com/editorial/articledetail.lasso?-token.key=12264&-token.src=index&-nothing

11/18/2005

Parker Henderson may just be the youngest pilot in the United States. The teen celebrated his 14th birthday on Oct. 10 by making his first solo flight in a Schweizer 2-33 sailplane. Henderson, who lives in Laguna Niguel, Calif., started taking flying lessons shortly after his 13th birthday at Hemet-Ryan Airport, which just happens to be the same airport at which aviation legend Chuck Yeager learned to fly at during World War II.

Good old-fashioned competition kept Henderson on track. The youngest in his family, the teen's father and 19-year-old brother are both private pilots. The high school freshman was determined to fly solo at a younger age than his brother.

Henderson, whose interest in flying was sparked when he was able to take the controls of an airplane on an EAA Young Eagles flight when he was 8 years old, plans to earn his single-engine land certificate on his 16th birthday.

[Honey]

FAA regs says he can't earn his private pilot till he is 17. I tried. It does take a lot of commitment to solo on your 14 b-day.

[<>Major_Havoc<>]

That salmon plane is awesome.

[R2]

I wish I could fly at that age.

[<>Major_Havoc<>]

I dont think its legal

[1LT Leskowat]

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Two U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform a mirror formation during the Aviation Nation Air Show at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. (11/14/05 AP photo)

[1LT Leskowat]

CHICAGO -- Air Force Thunderbirds pass and review as a missle rail falls off the last F-16 Fighting Falcons' right wing, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2005, during the during the Chicago Air and Water Show, in Chicago. The planes landed safely at the Gary/Chicago Airport in Gary, Ind., after the afternoon incident, and no one was injured, officials said. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds canceled an aerial performance Sunday because of safety concerns following the midair accident at the Chicago Air and Water Show. (08/22/05 AP photo)

www.wftv.com/slideshow/2691965/detail.html?qs=;s=22;w=400

[<>Major_Havoc<>]

Thats awesome the first one looks like a computer animated picture lol

[1LT Leskowat]

Navy Crewman Survives Partial Ejection From A6 Jet


Summary: The remarkable story of bombardier/navigator Lt. Keith Gallagher whose ejection seat accidentally deployed during flight. He was partially ejected, pushed through the canopy, and became stuck with the upper half of his body exposed to the rushing air outside of the plane. The pilot managed to slow down the A-6 jet and land on the aircraft carrier from which the flight originated and it was a miracle that Gallagher survived.

Read Lieutenant Keith Gallagher's Account at www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/p/partialeject.htm

Read the Pilot's account and others' along with more pictures at www.gallagher.com/ejection_seat/

We must train and learn to trust each other with our lives as the many people in the crew of the plane and the carrier did.

[1LT Leskowat]

Marine pilot rescued off Florida Coast
6 Dec 2005 - www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/06/marine.crash/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Coast Guard rescued a Marine pilot Tuesday after his aircraft plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of St. Augustine, Florida.

The Marine, who was in the water for more than four hours, was returned to Florida for medical treatment.

The Coast Guard said the pilot was suffering from mild hypothermia, but he appeared to be in good condition.

The U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier went into the water about 20 miles east of St. Augustine. Witnesses reported seeing a parachute deploy from the aircraft, and the pilot's wingman saw him eject, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard and Navy began searching for survivors immediately.

Coast Guard rescuers transported the pilot to Naval Station Mayport, near Jacksonville, Florida, where the rescuers are stationed.

The Harrier "jump jet" is a single-seat combat aircraft that can take off and land vertically, giving it the flexibility to operate from a variety of ships and makeshift airfields.

Because it can hover or fly at supersonic speeds, it is particularly well suited for combat air support over Marine ground troops, according to the Marine Corps Web site.

The plane was based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Cherry Point, North Carolina, and was on a routine training mission, Marine officials said.

[Beetlebailey]

WOW that's amazing

[Major Destruction]

Leave it to CNN to screw up the facts. The Harrier is not supersonic.

[1LT Leskowat]

One of the unforseen advantages of a pressurized cabin:


Many more pictures of what NOT to do with an airplane...