Post by Major Destruction on Sept 1, 2006 14:11:27 GMT -5
I haven't posted this in a while because there hasn't been much of interest, but this week there's some good stuff.
PRESIDENTIAL TRAVEL ON THE RISE, LOOK OUT FOR TFRs
If President Bush's travel schedule this past week is any indication, expect large pop-up temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) around the country from now until the November election. Pilots flying in the mid-Atlantic area are cautioned that the president is scheduled to be at Camp David, Maryland, until Sunday, September 3. Read the notam. To stay on top of TFRs as you plan your flying activities, see AOPA's TFR Web page and download AOPA's Real-Time Flight Planner. Also, check out the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's online course, Know Before You Go, to help you stay out of trouble in today's complex airspace. Do you have legal protection? Consider the AOPA Legal Services Plan. Call 800/USA-AOPA or visit AOPA Online. AOPA wishes you a safe holiday weekend.
COMMUTER JET CRASH CALLS FOR VIGILANCE, TECHNIQUE
While not making any judgments on the causes of the fatal crash Sunday of a commuter jet in Lexington, Kentucky, it highlights the need for every pilot to remain vigilant during ground operations. To help ensure that you know where you are in reference to taxiways and runways, always use an airport diagram and mark the runway in use with the heading bug. Once you're on the runway, verify that the compass and heading indicator agree and confirm that you're on the assigned runway. Pilots should also know the meaning of all airport signs and markings. To help you brush up on signs and markings, review the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's Runway Safety online course and Runway Flash Cards. Airport diagrams are available free to all pilots on the foundation's Web site.
BIZ JET, GLIDER COLLIDE IN MIDAIR; ALL WALK AWAY
A high-speed midair collision over Nevada on Monday afternoon left a business jet nearly crippled and a glider in pieces, but everybody involved, by some incredible stroke of luck, turned out OK. The incident occurred over the Pine Nut Mountains at 16,000 feet when a Raytheon Hawker 800XP jet collided with a Schleicher ASW-27 glider. The Hawker had its nose sheared off and suffered other airframe damage. From looking at photos of the incident, it appears that the glider's wing spar shattered the left side of the instrument panel. The jet was forced to make an emergency gear-up landing in Carson City. One pilot reported minor injuries while the other pilot and three passengers were unhurt. The pilots' names were not immediately released. The glider pilot, Akihiro Hirao, 58, of Japan, had a more traumatic ride. He bailed out and was found walking in a canyon hours later, according to local press reports. He suffered only minor injuries. He declined an interview. Photo courtesy of NewsCarsonCity.com.
STEVE FOSSETT SOARS TO 50K FEET
Just say the name Steve Fossett, a longtime AOPA member, in any news story, and it probably means a new aeronautical record has been set. Fossett, 62, and former NASA test pilot Einar Enevoldson, 74, unofficially broke the world absolute altitude record for a glider on August 29 by surfing mountain waves to 50,671 feet over Argentina. The men wore spacesuits in the unpressurized glider, named Perlan (an extensively modified German-built DG-505 glider), equipped with foot heaters and hand muffs to ward off the -70-degree-F temperatures. "This record is special," Fossett said in a statement on his Web site. "We have made attempts in New Zealand, USA, and Argentina over a period of five years—so this is a hard-won success." This is Fossett's 116th official world record spanning five sports: balloons, airplanes, sailboats, airships, and gliders. Fossett told ePilot that he wants to donate the glider to a museum. While Fossett plans to move on to other projects, he said Enevoldson wants to design and build a glider and take it to 100,000 feet. For more on wave soaring and the Perlan Project, see the story from AOPA Pilot.
PRESIDENTIAL TRAVEL ON THE RISE, LOOK OUT FOR TFRs
If President Bush's travel schedule this past week is any indication, expect large pop-up temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) around the country from now until the November election. Pilots flying in the mid-Atlantic area are cautioned that the president is scheduled to be at Camp David, Maryland, until Sunday, September 3. Read the notam. To stay on top of TFRs as you plan your flying activities, see AOPA's TFR Web page and download AOPA's Real-Time Flight Planner. Also, check out the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's online course, Know Before You Go, to help you stay out of trouble in today's complex airspace. Do you have legal protection? Consider the AOPA Legal Services Plan. Call 800/USA-AOPA or visit AOPA Online. AOPA wishes you a safe holiday weekend.
COMMUTER JET CRASH CALLS FOR VIGILANCE, TECHNIQUE
While not making any judgments on the causes of the fatal crash Sunday of a commuter jet in Lexington, Kentucky, it highlights the need for every pilot to remain vigilant during ground operations. To help ensure that you know where you are in reference to taxiways and runways, always use an airport diagram and mark the runway in use with the heading bug. Once you're on the runway, verify that the compass and heading indicator agree and confirm that you're on the assigned runway. Pilots should also know the meaning of all airport signs and markings. To help you brush up on signs and markings, review the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's Runway Safety online course and Runway Flash Cards. Airport diagrams are available free to all pilots on the foundation's Web site.
BIZ JET, GLIDER COLLIDE IN MIDAIR; ALL WALK AWAY
A high-speed midair collision over Nevada on Monday afternoon left a business jet nearly crippled and a glider in pieces, but everybody involved, by some incredible stroke of luck, turned out OK. The incident occurred over the Pine Nut Mountains at 16,000 feet when a Raytheon Hawker 800XP jet collided with a Schleicher ASW-27 glider. The Hawker had its nose sheared off and suffered other airframe damage. From looking at photos of the incident, it appears that the glider's wing spar shattered the left side of the instrument panel. The jet was forced to make an emergency gear-up landing in Carson City. One pilot reported minor injuries while the other pilot and three passengers were unhurt. The pilots' names were not immediately released. The glider pilot, Akihiro Hirao, 58, of Japan, had a more traumatic ride. He bailed out and was found walking in a canyon hours later, according to local press reports. He suffered only minor injuries. He declined an interview. Photo courtesy of NewsCarsonCity.com.
STEVE FOSSETT SOARS TO 50K FEET
Just say the name Steve Fossett, a longtime AOPA member, in any news story, and it probably means a new aeronautical record has been set. Fossett, 62, and former NASA test pilot Einar Enevoldson, 74, unofficially broke the world absolute altitude record for a glider on August 29 by surfing mountain waves to 50,671 feet over Argentina. The men wore spacesuits in the unpressurized glider, named Perlan (an extensively modified German-built DG-505 glider), equipped with foot heaters and hand muffs to ward off the -70-degree-F temperatures. "This record is special," Fossett said in a statement on his Web site. "We have made attempts in New Zealand, USA, and Argentina over a period of five years—so this is a hard-won success." This is Fossett's 116th official world record spanning five sports: balloons, airplanes, sailboats, airships, and gliders. Fossett told ePilot that he wants to donate the glider to a museum. While Fossett plans to move on to other projects, he said Enevoldson wants to design and build a glider and take it to 100,000 feet. For more on wave soaring and the Perlan Project, see the story from AOPA Pilot.