Civil Air Patrol - Paine Field Squadron - Latest Aerospace News

Aviation Week and Space Technology: House Moves To Ease Restrictions On Satellite Exports

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:30:23 +0000

Commercial satellites and their components currently fall under the U.S. Munitions List, with its tighter export restrictions.

General Aviation News: NTSB to present findings on experimental aircraft

Sun, 20 May 2012 19:06:02 +0000

WASHINGTON, D.C — The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a board meeting May 22, to consider the findings of a draft safety study on experimental amateur-built (E-AB) aircraft. Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 20th, 2012 by Janice Wood. No comments. © GAN 2012.

General Aviation News: Nebraska governor declares May General Aviation Appreciation Month

Sun, 20 May 2012 18:47:34 +0000

Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman has declared May “General Aviation Appreciation Month.” Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 20th, 2012 by Janice Wood. No comments. © GAN 2012.

General Aviation News: Reno Blue Ribbon Panel findings to be released Tuesday

Sun, 20 May 2012 18:31:21 +0000

On Tuesday, May 22, the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) will release the findings and recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Review Panel, commissioned in January to review the National Championship Air Races and identify potential areas that could be changed or modified to further improve safety. Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 20th, 2012 by Janice Wood. No comments. © GAN 2012.

Air Force Top Stories: Retired master sergeant now on-air TV meteorologist

afnews@dma.mil (Scott King) — Sun, 20 May 2012 15:30:00 +0000

He can be seen live most weekends and periodically throughout the week on KHQ 6 News delivering weather forecasts for the Inland Northwest Washington. Meteorologist Dave Law owes a great deal of his success to his 23 years in the Air Force.

"My four years as the Chief of Weather Operations at Fairchild (Air Force Base) was the grand finale of my extraordinary Air Force career," Law said. "It's simply been an amazing journey, especially when I look back to basic training where it all began."
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Air Force Top Stories: Law authorizes moblizing reservists to respond to natural disasters

afnews@dma.mil — Sun, 20 May 2012 15:11:43 +0000

New authority in this year's Defense Department authorization act allows reservists in Air Force Reserve Command and other reserve components to be called to duty in response to natural disasters or emergencies in the homeland. The law also permits mobilizations for extended periods to support theater security missions around the world.

Except for a crisis involving a weapon of mass destruction, the reservists historically have been prohibited from providing a homeland disaster response.
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General Aviation News: AOPA Live premieres weekly news show

Sun, 20 May 2012 13:50:42 +0000

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has unveiled the AOPA Live This Week news broadcast. The new television-style webcast, created by Executive Producer Warren Morningstar and hosted by AOPA Pilot Editor-In-Chief Tom Haines, offers a look at the week in general aviation. Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 20th, 2012 by Janice Wood. No comments. © GAN 2012.

General Aviation News: Digital Torque Tester debuts

Sun, 20 May 2012 13:44:00 +0000

When technicians reach for a torque wrench, they need to know it’s properly tested and ready to perform. The new Digital Torque Tester (DTT) from Snap-on Industrial ensures just that, company officials say. Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 20th, 2012 by Janice Wood. 1 comment. © GAN 2012.

General Aviation News: Apps provide weather flying tips for general aviation pilots

Sun, 20 May 2012 13:41:06 +0000

Sporty's has released a four-part weather flying series, now available for iPad and iPhone, featuring general aviation weather expert Richard Collins breaks down the challenges and opportunities for flying in the different seasonal weather conditions. Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 20th, 2012 by Janice Wood. No comments. © GAN 2012.

General Aviation News: Aircraft Spruce carries new aviation refueling pumps

Sun, 20 May 2012 13:27:20 +0000

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. now offers a line of aviation refueling pumps and meters manufactured by Great Plains Industries, Inc. There are four pumps to choose from based on required fuel flow and voltage, and the pumps are for use with avgas 100LL or JetA. Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 20th, 2012 by Janice Wood. No comments. © GAN 2012.

General Aviation News: Lewis University slates Aviation Summer Camp

Sun, 20 May 2012 13:11:07 +0000

A summer aviation camp for high school students will held June 18-22 on Lewis University’s Main Campus in Romeoville, Ill. Participants will have the opportunity to fly in Cessna 172s each day, take a behind-the-scenes tour of O’Hare Airport, participate in various aviation classes, use flight simulators, and learn about the aviation industry from current professionals in aviation. Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 20th, 2012 by Janice Wood. No comments. © GAN 2012.

General Aviation News: VFR into IMC fatal for two

Sun, 20 May 2012 12:12:22 +0000

This May 2010 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others. Aircraft: Piper Seneca Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Lincoln, Mont. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The airplane was one of a flight of 12 participating in a guided air tour. The instrument-rated pilot was attempting a VFR cross-country flight over mountainous terrain. Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 20th, 2012 by Meg Godlewski. No comments. © GAN 2012.

NASA: Shuttle and Station News

Sun, 20 May 2012 08:30:14 +0000

Air Force Top Stories: Air Force Marathon sells out in record time

afnews@dma.mil — Sat, 19 May 2012 17:33:20 +0000

The 2012 Air Force Marathon was already destined to be the largest ever, and now it will be the quickest to sell out completely as well.

The final 50 spots for the full marathon were snapped up early May 18 to make the sell-out official.

"I'm amazed at how this race has taken on a life of its own," said Rob Aguiar, the newly-installed race director. "We raised the cap by 1,500 runners from last year and still sold out sooner."

It is still possible to get in the race by going to www.usafmarathon.com and visiting the section on 2012 Charity Partners. Runners can arrange to get a spot by running for one of the eight charitable organizations that still have spots.
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Air Force Top Stories: Air Force Cross recipient soars among 'eagles'

afnews@dma.mil (Ashley M. Wright) — Sat, 19 May 2012 17:10:51 +0000

Next to the signatures of the "Candy Bomber," a Tuskegee Airman, the sixth chief master sergeant of the Air Force and a Vietnam prisoner of war, Air Force Cross recipient Tech. Sgt. Robert Gutierrez placed his name as the only current active-duty enlisted Airmen to be named an "Eagle."

Two members of the Air Command and Staff College's Gathering of Eagles team visited here recently to lay the foundation for Gutierrez's experience as a member of a distinguished group of air power legends.
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NASA EDGE: NASA EDGE: Mission X 2012

Sat, 19 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

NASA EDGE visits Cumberland School in East London for Mission X 2012!

Popular Science - Military, Aviation and Space: SpaxeX's Historic ISS Cargo Ferry Launch Aborted at the Last Second

Sat, 19 May 2012 15:39:14 +0000

Just one half-second before liftoff, computers aborted the launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket early this morning, delaying the dawn of the commercial space age at least until Tuesday. After all nine engines ignited, launch control detected abnormally high pressure inside the center engine and terminated the countdown. The next available launch window for an historic rendezvous with the International Space Station comes early-morning Tuesday, but NASA and SpaceX engineers will first have to inspect the engine and locate the source of the problem. You can read more about this historic mission here.

Aviation Week and Space Technology: SpaceX Troubleshoots Engine; Looks to May 22

Sat, 19 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

The company's flight computer found high chamber pressure in the No. 5 first stage engine.

Air Force Top Stories: CSAF presents rescue pilots multiple medals in ceremony

afnews@dma.mil (Tech. Sgt. Richard A. Williams, Jr.) — Sat, 19 May 2012 03:21:00 +0000

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz presented two Distinguished Flying Cross medals with valor, each, to Col. Christopher Barnett and Maj. John Creel during a ceremony at the Pentagon May 18.

Both officers received the medals for two separate battles in Afghanistan. On April 4, 2009, Barnett and Creel flew their HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter through multiple fire fights and a blinding sandstorm to save the lives of more than 40 Special Forces Soldiers and an Afghan National Army member near Kajaki, Afghanistan.
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Air Force Top Stories: Lt. Col. James H. Howard

afnews@dma.mil — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:47:36 +0000

James H. Howard, as a major and fighter pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces, he earned the Medal of Honor in aerial combat in World War II. Before that, he had been a naval aviator and an ace in China, flying for Gen. Claire Chennault's famed Flying Tigers.

Flying in China was returning home in a way for Howard. His parents were missionaries in Canton where he was born April 8, 1913. He spent his first 14 years in China and spoke the language fluently. His youthful years in the Far East were climaxed by an encounter with bandits while on a hunting trip with his father, who was captured and held prisoner for 10 weeks. The younger Howard was in another car, and escaped.
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Popular Science - Military, Aviation and Space: Your Very Own Cleaner, Faster Plane, Now on Kickstarter

Fri, 18 May 2012 20:29:09 +0000

Synergy Aircraft John McGinnis

The Synergy aircraft, propelled by a fan in back and buoyed by a boxy tail, promises to be cheaper, safer, quieter, and vastly more efficient than a jet airplane. The hitch is that it doesn't quite exist yet, but it's nearly halfway to its goal on Kickstarter, so now is your chance to invest.

The shape is not unlike the jets of the future we looked at in our May issue, but the technology is very different. A quarter-scale flying prototype was unveiled a year ago, demonstrating the unique "induced drag reduction" method developed by inventor John McGinnis.

I'm very curious to see the full-size prototype in action.

Air Force Top Stories: Injured Airman reunites with family just four days after IED attack

afnews@dma.mil (Master Sgt. Denise Johnson) — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:22:00 +0000

Staff Sgt. Brian Williams, who is deployed from the 87th Security Forces Squadron here, suffered serious injuries after an improvised explosive device detonated while he was on a mission April 25 outside Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan.

That same day, Williams, who is a military working dog handler, was transported to the KAF trauma center where he underwent the first of several surgeries on his left leg. He was subsequently transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany before arriving at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., just four days later on April 29.
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Air Force Top Stories: New process to save Airmen time, effort during change of station

afnews@dma.mil (Alex Salinas) — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:14:00 +0000

Starting at the end of May and going through February 2013, officials here will help test a new procedure to centralize steps military members take to get their permanent change of station orders and other actions prior to out-processing.

The project, spearheaded by the Air Force Personnel Center, will transfer PCS relocation tasks from Randolph military personnel sections to the Total Force Service Center in San Antonio.

"The centralization is part of a bigger initiative to transform personnel services delivery with a goal of saving Airmen time and effort when they access personnel services," said Master Sgt. Andrea Hall, the AFPC Personnel Reliability Program and Air Force Relocations Operations superintendent. "The Air Force Personnel Center is committed to caring for Airmen and one way we do that is ensure they are able to access all personnel services."
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Popular Science - Military, Aviation and Space: Book Review: Why You Are the Future of Video Games

Fri, 18 May 2012 19:33:02 +0000

Lesbian Spider Queens from Mars Anna Anthropy

In Rise of the Videogame Zinesters, Anna Anthropy wrests gaming out of the hands of the mainstream

The internet revolution has changed the way we create and showcase work. Amateur videos recorded on cellphones are getting more eyes than the latest ABC midseason replacement. The blog has brought democracy to the written word. Cheap technology and digital distribution make it easier than ever before for your little brother's band to be heard around the world. Why hasn't this populist revolution happened to video games?

In her new book Rise of the Videogame Zinesters: How Freaks, Normals, Amateurs, Artists, Dreamers, Drop-outs, Queers, Housewives, and People Like You Are Taking Back an Art Form, Anna Anthropy looks at the daunting technological barrier to the medium's growth, and presents a solution.

Because serious programming has been a prerequisite of game development, the people who put in the effort to make games are predominantly the people who have been playing them, and they make games like the ones they play. Coupled with the rising cost of making a blockbuster game, you have an industry that is allergic to risk. It's a feedback loop that's threatened to make the medium creatively stagnant.

The picture is less bleak outside of the mainstream. Indie game developers have more channels than ever to distribute their work. Every console has its own online market place, and breakout successes like Angry Birds and Draw Something are changing the way we think about the viability of mobile gaming. This digital revolution is already happening. It's allowed somebody like Anthropy, a transgendered game design school dropout, to buck the system and gain critical acclaim outside the mainstream, with her own brand of games that mash up '80s arcade hits and transgressive gender politics. She released her first game, Calamity Annie, a lesbian western shooter, in 2008, the year that Grand Theft Auto IV shattered sales records by giving the audience more of the same old thing. Anthropy has always stayed comfortably at the fringes of the indie scene, a position nearly impossible before the internet age. As somebody who created her own niche in the industry and has never censored herself to make herself commercial, she is an excellent guide into the world of game design as a form of self-expression. Her latest game, Dys4ia, is a short collection of autobiographical mini-games, playable for free online, chronicling her hormone replacement therapy. Meanwhile, mainstream games wouldn't know what to do with a transgendered character if it hit them in the face.

"Every game that you and I make right now -- every weird experimentation, every dinky little game about the experience of putting down your dog -- makes our art form larger."But even the growth of the indie scene isn't enough for Anthropy. "What I want from videogames," she writes, "is for creation to be open to everybody, not just to publishers and programmers." Will every game be worth playing? Of course not. Some garage bands should stay in the garage. Then what is the point? Zinesters isn't about creating game for other people: for most of the medium's life, its been packaged and sold for other people to enjoy. Indie games are now gaining attention because of their financial success. There has been no equivalent to home movies or personal journals. The subliminal message in the book is to remove commerce from the equation completely.

The technological hurdles can now be overcome - the programming language Scratch, for example, is specifically made for children to create their own games - but there is still the perception that making a game is the domain of programmers. Zinesters aims to demystify the digital wizardry.

Before even starting Anthropy excuses the reader. "Your first game will be rough and derivative." Quality is not the aim here: Anthropy wants more games by more people. What she offers here isn't the normal racket that artist-targeted how-to books tend to peddle. This is not How to be a Successful Game Developer in 5 Easy Steps or Make a Blockbuster Videogame! "Nor is she writing for the designer who is hoping to hone their skills. Zinesters sets itself apart from excellent game design tomes like Steve Swink's Game Feel and Raph Koster's A Theory of Fun and Game Design, by not assuming a familiarity with game design. Because there are so many tools available to the would-be developer, all of which she gets into, the advice in Zinesters is creative and not technical. The advice sounds rudimentary ("Task #3: Teach Your Character to do Something"), but it acts more as a catalyst for ideas and brainstorming. Anthropy, herself a lecturer of game design and a meticulous designer, does not demand formal proficiency here. Zinesters advocates self-expression before all else. The point is not to make a good game, but to make a game, itself a radical notion in a medium that has long been an oligarchy.

Rise of the Zinesters is about education. It is a how-to, indie history lesson, design theory 101, a manifesto, and, surprisingly, as memoir. It serves as an entry into the importance of games and how to make them. But it also is about why making them for ourselves is important.

"Every game that you and I make right now -- every five-minute story, every weird experimentation, every dinky little game about the experience of putting down your dog -- makes the boundaries of our art form (and it is yours) larger."

Like a skilled developer, Anthropy, who has been at the vanguard of this movement for years, does not explicitly point the way, but, instead, gently guides.

Air Force Top Stories: Fairchild senior NCO reflects on dignified transfer mission

afnews@dma.mil (Master Sgt. Michael Stewart) — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:09:09 +0000

I could hear the voice over the two-way radio call out "wheels rolling." That was everyone's cue to get into position and not move. Everyone was at parade rest waiting for the families to arrive.

I was nervous, more nervous than at any point in my military career. My heart was pounding so loud I was sure everyone on the flightline could hear it. I even had to remind myself to breathe. My ears could pick out every little sound, from the faint hum of my camera's internal motor, to the buzzing of insects.
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Air Force Top Stories: 'Pink slime' products to be permanently removed from commissary shelves

afnews@dma.mil (Brandice J. O'Brien) — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:54:30 +0000

In recent weeks, "pink slime" oozed from the headlines.

While commissary officials assure customers that the lean finely textured beef antibacterial process has been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration for decades, the officials made the decision recently to phase out these products in response to customer concerns.

"Although the USDA continues to assure us this process is safe, we have listened to our customers and modified our contracts to require that our ground beef suppliers only sell us products not treated with the LFTB process," said Chris Burns, the Defense Commissary Agency director of sales at DeCA Headquarters in Fort Lee, Va.
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FAA News and Updates: Join FAA's Child Safety Education Effort

Fri, 18 May 2012 17:31:48 +0000

May 18-Check out the FAA's new child safety website and information toolkit.

Air Force Top Stories: Deployed Airmen achieve maintenance milestone

afnews@dma.mil (Staff Sgt. J.G. Buzanowski) — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:43:36 +0000

For aircraft maintainers deployed to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, the month of April was one for the record books.

Air Force leaders track metrics in eight categories each month that reflect the overall readiness of flying units. It's an accomplishment for an aircraft maintenance unit to surpass the standard in all eight areas; when four units do it in the same month, it's "unprecedented."

During the month of April, the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron aircraft maintenance units for the E-3 Sentry, U-2, E-Q4 Global Hawk and KC-10 Extender reported "green" across the board.
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Popular Science - Military, Aviation and Space: The Dawn of the Commercial Space Age is (Probably) Happening This Weekend

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:25:28 +0000

SpaceX's Falcon 9 Takes Off SpaceX

SpaceX's Dragon heads for the ISS in a historic first flight for the commercial space industry

Update: After abnormally high pressures were detected inside the Falcon 9's center engine, this morning's launch was aborted at the last second. The next available launch window is this Tuesday.

Tomorrow morning, whether they realize it or not, Americans will likely wake up to a new era. Though nothing will be outwardly different, a fundamental shift in the nature of spaceflight will commence during the wee morning hours. Call it a defining moment, or a milestone, or simply call it what it is: the dawn of the private spaceflight industry's real presence in outer space.

Barring some unforeseen setback, at 4:55 a.m. EDT, a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft--both built by private spaceflight firm SpaceX--will blast off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida en route to the International Space Station with the goal of becoming the first privately built spacecraft to rendezvous with the ISS. This is the partial culmination of NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, which aims to do two things: jumpstart the commercial space industry's ability to service low Earth orbit, and get NASA out of the low Earth orbit transportation business so it can once again focus on pushing the boundaries of space exploration.

Both of those goals are meaningful. For NASA, that (hopefully) means a return to days of boldly going where no man has gone before (to Lagrange points, for instance, or to asteroids and eventually Mars). But more so this weekend belongs to SpaceX. The company has once made history by being the first private company to launch and successfully retrieve a spacecraft from Earth orbit. A successful rendezvous with the ISS followed by a successful return of cargo to Earth will ring up so many "firsts" for the company that its place in spaceflight history will be secure.

Because, simply put, that's what this weekend is: historic. It's a shame almost no one is going to be awake to see it get underway.

Tomorrow's rocket launch marks a passing of the torch that's beyond symbolic.

As launches go, this is business as usual. But it marks a passing of the torch that's beyond symbolic. NASA wasn't the first to go to space, but it became the best. Post-Apollo, both the Russians and the Americans proved they could make regular trips to low Earth orbit and back--albeit at a high financial cost. What SpaceX and the rest of the private space industry aims to do is bring low Earth orbit even closer to home by proving that space is no longer only reserved for wealthy governments--that everyday civilians can access space at regular intervals and at a reasonable cost. Fifty years after we first went there the space immediately around the planet will cease to be a frontier and become a settled and civilized place.

On Saturday morning, the company's Falcon 9 rocket will lift off as it has before, carrying a Dragon capsule full of non-essential cargo skyward. The real point of this mission is to prove that SpaceX can safely maneuver its robotic capsule on orbit prior to linking up with the ISS.

To that end, from the moment the Dragon capsule reaches its preliminary orbit and deploys its solar arrays it will be undergoing something of an audition that will last for several days. A series of carefully orchestrated engine firings will bring it closer to the ISS, during which time it will test its Absolute Global Positioning System, which uses GPS satellites to determine its precise position in space. It will conduct a free drift demonstration, wherein all of its thrusters will be powered off and the spacecraft will simply float. And at the opposite extreme, it will try out its abort function to make sure that in an emergency, it can quickly clear the vicinity of the ISS.

If all of that goes well, Dragon will approach within 1.5 miles of the ISS on the third day of its flight (Monday) and perform what's known as a "fly-under," in which it will fly below the station while testing out its relative GPS against the space station's and link up with it via UHF communications to ensure the astronauts aboard the ISS can exchange commands and data with the spacecraft. After all of that, on mission day four (Tuesday), NASA will either call off the demonstration or allow the docking to proceed.

Here things begin to liven up again. Having made a huge loop around the ISS from its place below it to points in front of and above it, the spacecraft will take up residence behind and below it once again. The final approach will take hours. A series of go/no-go tests will be completed at various distances from the ISS as the spacecraft inches closer. LIDAR and thermal imaging systems will be checked and rechecked. And after all this delicate dancing, at just 32 feet from the ISS, astronauts aboard will finally use the station's robotic arm to snare the Dragon capsule and reel it in. It will remain berthed to the ISS for two weeks.

And only now do we finally come to the exciting--and most important--part. Both Russia and the European Union currently have robotic space vehicles that they send to the ISS carrying cargo and supplies, vehicles that are then decoupled and discarded in Earth's atmosphere, where they burn up upon re-entry. These spacecraft work, but they are clearly wasteful; they are single-use spaceships. Dragon will go a mile further by returning to Earth to be used again. After days and weeks of waiting and watching and testing and then simply being docked, the capsule will return home in a matter of hours.

Just four hours after being decoupled from the ISS it will begin its de-orbit burn, which will last about seven minutes. All said, re-entry will take half an hour. Some 250 miles off the Pacific Coast of the U.S., Dragon will come splashing down--just like the Mercury and Gemini and Apollo capsules from NASA's golden age. But packed with cargo sent back from the ISS, the Dragon will really be more akin to a Space Shuttle. America will once again have the ability to go into space and safely return--something we've done hundreds of times before and yet, five decades and billions upon billions of dollars after first punching a hole in the sky and entering the space beyond, something totally new.

The Experimental Aircraft Association: Reno Races Receive Conditional Approval for 2012 Event

Fri, 18 May 2012 15:59:22 +0000

The Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority Board has given a one-year special permit to the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) to hold the annual Reno National Championship Air Races, provided RARA obtains $100 million in insurance coverage, according to a report in the Reno Gazette-Journal. The permit also stipulates that RARA must pay any increase in insurance rates incurred by the authority for holding the races, which are scheduled for September 12-16 at Stead Airport.

Air Force Top Stories: Air Force vice chief nominated to be next USAFE commander

afnews@dma.mil (Tech. Sgt. Markus M. Maier) — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:50:21 +0000

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced May 11 that the president has nominated Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Phil Breedlove to be the next U.S. Air Forces in Europe commander.

If confirmed by the Senate, Breedlove will replace Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, who the president nominated to become the next Air Force chief of staff after Gen. Norton Schwartz retires this August.

"I am deeply honored to be nominated," Breedlove said. "If confirmed, going to USAFE would be like going back home. I was stationed in Europe as a young officer and again as a commander at Aviano (Air Base, Italy), 16th Air Force and, most recently, 3rd Air Force.
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Air Force Top Stories: Culture training enhances language skills effectiveness

afnews@dma.mil (Karen Harrison) — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:22:00 +0000

On any given day, the Defense Language Institute English Language Center hosts international military students from more than 100 countries to participate in general and specialized English language training.

These students, invited by the Department of Defense's Military Department Secretaries, come to DLIELC to learn English through cultural and language immersion.

The majority of international military students that study at the center participate in one of 19 English language courses. These classes prepare them for follow-on training at American military bases throughout the U.S or train them to teach English in their country of origin.
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Air Force Top Stories: Air Force Week in Photos

afnews@dma.mil — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:15:00 +0000

This week's photos feature Airmen around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

View the slideshow.

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CAP Features: S.C. members serve as victims for 'Blazing Fury' disaster drill

Fri, 18 May 2012 05:00:00 +0000

(1)
South Carolina Wing members portraying victims as part of “Operation Blazing Fury” are directed to triage areas for treatment at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport as others are carried from a U.S. Air Force C-17 for the same purpose.

(2)
Cadet Airman Annie Kate Lee of the Emerald City Composite Squadron receives treatment from a triage nurse before transport to an area hospital participating in the disaster drill.

Photos by Maj. Kathryn Dowling

Maj. Kathryn Dowling
Commander
Emerald City Composite Squadron
South Carolina

SOUTH CAROLINA – Members from six squadrons participated April 25-26 in the full-scale "Blazing Fury” disaster-response exercise, portraying victims of injuries flown into Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport for emergency treatment after a wildfire breached the boundaries of a nuclear facility in Florida.

The morning of the exercise, after billeting for the night at Joint Base Charleston, the members were flown to Greenville-Spartanburg International on a U.S. Air Force C-17. Upon arriving, they were triaged and sent to numerous area hospitals.

The officers and cadets came from the Anderson, Charleston, Emerald City, Kershaw, Lexington and Walterboro composite squadrons.

Along with Civil Air Patrol and the Air Force, organizations from South and North Carolina taking part in the drill included the National Guard, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, emergency medical services, local and airport police and K-9 units.

General Aviation News: Wanna go for a ride?

Fri, 18 May 2012 04:18:17 +0000

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho -- Whenever someone asks..."Do you wanna go for a ride?"... I hope your default answer is yes. AeroMark's Thomas Hoff grabbed my elbow, pointed at Addison Pemberton's Boeing Model 40C on his ramp and asked, "You wanna go for a ride?". Uh, YEAH... Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 17th, 2012 by Ben Sclair. No comments. © GAN 2012.

NASA: Breaking News: NASA Invites Media To Annual Lunabotics Mining Competition

Fri, 18 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

More than 50 teams of undergraduate and graduate students from eight countries will come to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida May 21-26 to take part in the third annual Lunabotics Mining Competition.

Aviation Week and Space Technology: Arianespace Downplays Competition

Fri, 18 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Says newcomer SpaceX still has to prove itself and that China poses no competitive challenge.

NASA: Breaking News: NASA Chief Technologist To Attend Cleveland Manufacturing Event

Fri, 18 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

NASA Chief Technologist Mason Peck will join agency and Ohio officials to name nine small and medium-sized Ohio manufacturers that will receive NASA assistance to solve technical problems with new or existing products.

General Aviation News: From survivor to student pilot

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:08 +0000

Jennifer Julian, 54, is a double lung transplant survivor. Scratch survivor. She's a "thriver." And today, she is a student pilot. Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 17th, 2012 by Ben Sclair. 5 comments. © GAN 2012.

General Aviation News: Are you vulnerable to a default attack?

Thu, 17 May 2012 23:57:56 +0000

This is a quick warning concerning CCTV systems. If you continue to use the default username and password for your Internet-based, remote-viewing-enabled CCTV cameras, you may have already been hacked, according to Wired Magazine’s Kim Zetter. Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 17th, 2012 by Dave Hook. No comments. © GAN 2012.

General Aviation News: FAA seeking comments on new flight blocking proposal

Thu, 17 May 2012 23:40:55 +0000

The FAA is accepting comments until June 8 on its latest proposal to allow pilots to block their flight information from public view. Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 17th, 2012 by Janice Wood. No comments. © GAN 2012.

General Aviation News: General Aviation Airports Study released

Thu, 17 May 2012 22:15:22 +0000

The FAA has released a study called "General Aviation Airports: A National Asset." The 18-month study was conducted "to capture the many diverse functions of general aviation (GA) airports," FAA officials said, in the hopes that the "general public will have a better understanding of GA airports in the community and within the national air transportation system." Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 17th, 2012 by Janice Wood. 2 comments. © GAN 2012.

Popular Science - Military, Aviation and Space: What Is Google's Semantic Search?

Thu, 17 May 2012 21:30:16 +0000

Google Semantic Search Google's new Knowledge Graph dives into the semantics of your search, putting questions in context so you can find what you want. Andromeda the galaxy, or something else? Google

You searched "Kings." Do you mean the hockey team, basketball team, or something else?

One of Google's stated goals is to index all of the world's information, the ever-changing mass of combined knowledge and snarky commentary that lives on the Internet. Today this index is getting some context, with billions of attributes and connections linking millions of individual nouns - Things, in Google's parlance. This type of context-informed dataset is frequently known as the semantic web, but Google is avoiding that term and calling it Knowledge Graph.

Human conversation is built on context, explained Jack Menzel, product management director of search at Google. But for a computer, it doesn't exist. Ask a person about "Kings" and the response will probably be another question, to put your query in context. Are you talking about the L.A. Kings? Or playing cards? Or a TV show? Google's new search algorithm seeks to disambiguate your results, much like a person would in a conversation, Menzel said.

"Understanding is part of being a human. For computers, it would be like if we suddenly pick a language that neither of us can speak. It's just a collection of sounds," he said. "What search engines have lacked so far, until today, was the notion that those words refer to a thing. If we maintain a representation of a thing, we can use that to better understand both what you are asking for and what the web itself is talking about."

If you're logged into Google, you may be seeing this new function already - it started rolling out May 16 and will be complete for all logged-in English language users by the 18th. Type in a search term, and instead of listing what you might interested in, the search will provide you a set of options. Menzel uses "Andromeda" as another example. You could choose between the galaxy, the Greek myth, the Swedish metal band, and so on.

To do this, Google set about indexing universal definitions, using every public database from Wikipedia to the CIA World Factbook to Google's own products. The result is a new set of 500 million people, places and things, with 3.5 billion connections among them. Along with allowing you to narrow your context, search results now contain little connections and suggestions to augment an initial search term.

People search results come with biographical information, for instance; places results come with data about the place; and so on. Search for Frank Lloyd Wright, and you'll see a Wikipedia-based summary of him, a biographical sketch, and a Google-curated list of houses he designed, which will take you to further information if you click.

Definitions of things are inherently contextual - whether your first definition of Kings is a hockey team, a basketball team, a TV show or a gang depends on who you are and where you are. Google will also make some determinations based on your search profile and especially your location, Menzel said. He used an example of place near Google's Mountain View, Calif. offices - when he searches "Great Bear," Google brings up a northern California recreation area and a coffee shop in Santa Cruz. In your location, it will probably bring up something else. But personalization is still incomplete, he said.

The ultimate goal is a smarter search that thinks like a person would, taking your individuality and context into account. It's not just about knowing that a thing is a thing, Menzel said - "it's what's important about that thing, what's relatable about that thing. and the connections about that thing. How can we take this understanding of the world, and make it so we can improve your information?"

Air Force Top Stories: Fighters to fly air defense exercise to prepare for NATO summit

afnews@dma.mil — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:57:02 +0000

Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region fighters will be active in the skies over Chicago on Friday in preparation for the next week's NATO summit.

Exercise Amalgam Virgo 12-NATO, a NORAD air defense exercise, will be held in the greater Chicago area to allow interagency partners an opportunity to work collaboratively in this environment, officials said.

The Amalgam Virgo exercise comprises a series of training flights held in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, the NATO Summit Joint Operations Center and the Continental U.S. NORAD Region's Eastern Air Defense Sector.
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The Experimental Aircraft Association: EAA Director Charlie Precourt Selected for Astronaut Hall of Fame

Thu, 17 May 2012 20:35:59 +0000

Congratulations to Charlie Precourt, a member of the EAA board of directors, who was inducted into the prestigious U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame on May 5. Precourt is best known for his 15 years at NASA, where he qualified as a space shuttle astronaut in 1991 and flew on four space shuttle missions, logging more than 932 hours in space.

General Aviation News: Continental’s Mattituck Services to close

Thu, 17 May 2012 19:52:02 +0000

AVweb is reporting that Mattituck Services, one of the northeast's longest-established engine shops, will close at the end of May, according to officials at Continental Motors, who said that some of the 23 affected employees will move to Continental's facility in Fairhope, Alabama, which offers similar services on overhauls and factory service. Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 17th, 2012 by Janice Wood. No comments. © GAN 2012.

Air Force Top Stories: Airman's vigilance, quick thinking prevents tragedy

afnews@dma.mil (Senior Airman Michael Charles) — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:38:52 +0000

While preparing for her night shift, Senior Airman Lanea Trevino noticed something odd about the shower stall next to hers. The shower supplies, visible through the half opened curtain, had remained untouched for the entire time she had been there.

"It was strange," said Trevino. "I had seen nobody else in the facility so it was odd that an entire set of supplies would be left."

While some might dismiss the empty shower stall and shower supplies as a case of forgetfulness, Trevino decided to walk through the facility to be sure. After noticing that one other individual was in a toilet stall, she knocked and asked the person if she had left her shower supplies. There was no response.
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Air Force Top Stories: Expanded Palace Chase applications due June 1

afnews@dma.mil (Debbie Gildea) — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:31:00 +0000

Some active duty officers who are unable to separate because of an active duty service commitment may still be able to take advantage of the Expanded Palace Chase program, said Lt. Col. Tara White, Air Force Personnel Center retirements and separations chief.

"This isn't a new program," White said, "but we want to remind eligible officers that it's available so they don't miss the application window."

Air Force officials announced last December that the Palace Chase Program and other voluntary force management initiatives would be implemented to help meet authorized end strength levels. Eligible officers who are interested may still be thinking about the option, but waiver applications are due to AFPC by June 1, she explained.
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Air Force Top Stories: Active duty service commitment waiver request window closing soon

afnews@dma.mil (Debbie GIldea) — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:28:37 +0000

Active duty Airmen who would like to retire or separate but have an active duty service commitment that prevents them from doing so may be eligible for a waiver, said Lt. Col. Tara White, Air Force Personnel Center retirements and separations chief.

"We announced this opportunity last December as one of several voluntary force management programs under way for this fiscal year. The application deadline is approaching, so we want to remind eligible members that the window is closing soon," White said.
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Air Force Top Stories: Prior enlisted retirement restriction waiver requests due by June 1

afnews@dma.mil (Debbie Gildea) — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:24:49 +0000

Prior enlisted officers with eight years of active duty commissioned time may be able to retire through the Air Force 10-8 Commission Waiver Program, which was originally announced last December, Air Force Personnel Center officials reminded Airmen today.

"AFPC announced this program last December as a voluntary force management initiative designed to help us meet mandatory end-strength," said Lt. Col. Tara White, AFPC retirements and separations chief. "But, the application window closes June 1, so interested eligible members need to act quickly or they will miss their opportunity,"
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General Aviation News: Pilots sought for SC disaster drill

Thu, 17 May 2012 18:48:46 +0000

Nonprofit aviation service organization AERObridge is asking pilots in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia to participate in a full-scale hurricane disaster exercise in South Carolina on June 5, according to a report at AOPA.org. The pilots will conduct aerial reconnaissance, and airlift equipment and supplies in support of relief operations. Learn more here. Continue Reading »

===> Posted on May 17th, 2012 by Janice Wood. 1 comment. © GAN 2012.

The Experimental Aircraft Association: Kickstarter.com Approves Synergy Aircraft Project

Thu, 17 May 2012 18:44:02 +0000

If at first you don't succeed ... The Synergy aircraft project, looking to generate funding to proceed with its potentially game-changing aircraft design, has been approved by Kickstarter.com after initially being denied by the crowdfunding website. Kickstarter.com provides an effective way for creative people to generate grassroots funding efforts.

Air Force Top Stories: B-1 aircrews make history by employing laser JDAMS

afnews@dma.mil (Airman 1st Class Hrair H. Palyan) — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:34:03 +0000

B-1 Lancer aircrews from here employed laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions against moving targets during a weapon system evaluation program exercise May 14 through 16.

Aircrews from the 37th Bomb Squadron and 34th BS employed six GBU-54 laser JDAMs against targets on the Utah Test and Training Range near Hill Air Force Base, Utah, as part of the Air Force's air to ground WSEP, known as Combat Hammer.

"Combat Hammer provided us with the unique opportunity to employ weapons in real-world scenarios and evaluate the weapon and aircraft-to-weapon interface in great detail due to the telemetry kits on the weapons," said Lt. Col. Stuart Newberry, the 37th BS commander. "This data, when coupled with scenarios usually unavailable to us except in combat scenarios, provides us with an opportunity to validate and refine our tactics, techniques and procedures ... as well as adjust training plans and combat standards."
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Popular Science - Military, Aviation and Space: PopSci Q&A: NASA Just Gave You A Telescope. What Will You Look At First?

Thu, 17 May 2012 18:30:13 +0000

Galaxy Evolution Explorer NASA

For the first time, NASA turns over the reins to a functioning spacecraft

If you follow NASA at all, you know the agency has had some funding troubles of late, forcing changes to its manned spaceflight and Mars exploration programs. Among more high-profile woes, the strapped budget almost doomed one of the agency's cheapest missions, the prolific Galaxy Evolution Explorer. But Chris Martin had another idea.

Yesterday NASA formally loaned the telescope to Caltech, the first time the space agency has turned over the reins to a functioning spaceborne asset. It may not be the last, however - if funding pressures persist, the GALEX experiment could pave the way for many future spacecraft adoptions.

Click to launch the photo gallery

GALEX, an ultraviolet telescope, was supposed to last two years, and it's been cruising in low-Earth orbit for nine years now. It was up for decommissioning in 2011, but Martin and members of the telescope's science consortium were able to stretch that out another few months. Last November, he approached NASA's Astrophysics Division to ask about taking on responsibility for the scope. This spring, the spacecraft was placed on standby mode and NASA gave the OK to transfer it. On Monday the space agency signed a formal agreement ceding control of the spacecraft.

"NASA sees this as an opportunity to allow the public to continue reaping the benefits from this space asset that NASA developed using federal funding," said Paul Hertz, NASA's Astrophysics Division director. "This is an excellent example of a public/private partnership that will help further astronomy in the United States."

PopSci talked to Martin, the telescope's principal investigator, about his pioneering idea, what GALEX has already told us about the universe, and his big plans for the telescope's future.

PopSci: So who owns the telescope now?
Chris Martin: The original idea was to transfer the title, but that led to an issue of liability. In the end we actually solved it, because (builder) Orbital Sciences agreed to assume liability, but in the meantime, NASA figured out a different way of doing it through a Space Act agreement. That's really a loan, so there is no transfer of liability. That worked out better for the president and board of trustees of Caltech.

PS: Why did you want to keep it running?
CM: It's a small explorer, so it's one of NASA's smallest set of missions, about $100 million in development. Yet it's been extremely productive scientifically with many interesting discoveries, ranging from stars in our own galaxy, to galaxies in the nearby universe that look like early young galaxies - "teenager" galaxies. There have been hundreds of papers from this telescope. So we felt very bad about shutting it down, and we knew we could operate it at very low cost.

My No. 1 issue was, we hadn't completed the whole sky survey. With GALEX, there is no limit in the brightness we can look at. The Milky Way is very bright. A year ago, we tried out pointing the satellite at much brighter regions, and found the data is very high quality. So now we have the ability to essentially look in all directions of the sky. There's about 20 percent of the sky, mostly in the direction of the Milky Way, to complete. That's my No. 1 goal.

PS: What will this tell us about the cosmos?
CM: This [survey] is in the UV spectrum, centered around 2,000 Angstroms. It's sensitive to hot massive stars as well as other sources of radiation which are not visible, or infrared, or other bands. It gives you a very different picture of, for example, a galaxy, or the evolutionary life of a star. To survey the remaining 20 percent would take about another 4 to 5 months. We're still looking for support to do that.

PS: What else are you going to do with it?
CM: We have an international collaboration of 16 institutions, and they are interested in studying the history of galaxy evolution. One of the original purposes of GALEX was to study galaxy evolution in UV, and especially a region of the sky that is well served by other telescopes.

A group of Israeli universities [Weizmann Institute of Science, Tel Aviv University, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and the University of Haifa] are interested in studying the dynamic variable UV sky. When a black hole swallows a star, it produces this flash that lasts for many weeks. An object will suddenly become bright in UV, and that can mean that it's a black hole in a distant galaxy, or it can also mean it's a star exploding, a supernova. So we have a very exciting possibility of detecting the first moments of a supernova explosion, in a blinding UV flash.

Another partner is Cornell, and they're interested in surveying the Kepler field. Kepler is looking at stars with transiting exoplanets, and UV provides incredibly important information for understanding the stars themselves, their variability, their star spots, as well as helping look for planets. So we're finding multiple new science paths for GALEX.

There's plenty of science remaining to be done, and at very low cost, about $100,000 per month. Compare that to the operations cost of other NASA missions, and it's rock bottom.

PS: GALEX may not be as famous as spacecraft like Kepler or Hubble, but it's done some pretty amazing things. What are some of its most important finds?

CM: We found that galaxies were much more actively forming stars 8 billion years ago than they are today. That's one thing. It used to be thought that galaxies have a standard type, and we now understand that galaxies can change their types or qualities over cosmic time. A galaxy which may have been elliptical may have stopped forming stars, and become like a spiral galaxy, or a galaxy in between the two, over the history of the universe.

Third, we discovered the nearby universe looks more like young galaxies from the early history of the universe than it does the dinosaurs in the backyard.

The final thing is that around many galaxies, there are large gigantic zones of star formation that were not known before. We haven't explained them yet, but it's likely that there's new galaxy-building material coming from the region between galaxies and creating new stars in the very outskirts of galaxies.

PS: Now that you've figured out how to get a NASA loan, do you think this will happen with other spacecraft?

CM: GALEX has the unique feature that the operations cost is very low, and the science impact of these ongoing extended operations continues to be very high. $100,000 is a chunk that can be swallowed by many organizations, and a month of observations gives you a huge amount of data. So we think it's cheap in that respect. But I think other missions will be contemplating this as we go forward.

It's a new kind of arrangement, so I would expect that it would open doors. it's already piqued interest in a number of corners. We're looking for private foundations which might be interested in being a part of this new paradigm space mission.

Air Force Top Stories: British JTACs, pilots train like they fight

afnews@dma.mil (Airman 1st Class Jarrod Grammel) — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:07:00 +0000

The sound of 30 mm guns from Moody A-10s ring through the air over Grand Bay Bombing and Gunnery Range almost daily. However, it's not every day these pilots are guided to their targets by British joint terminal attack controllers.

Five British service members trained with Moody A-10C Thunderbolt II pilots, May 6 to 10, with the goal to train like they fight, and strengthen the relationship between these international forces.

"We are currently fighting in a NATO conflict, so we cannot operate on our own," said British army Sgt. Maj. (Master Sgt.) Gareth Thomas, 20th Armored Brigade JTAC instructor. "Most of the aircraft we use downrange are from the U.S. Air Force and Navy. It's important we train with them here so we can understand the different capabilities. We also come out here to maintain our current qualifications as JTACs."
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Popular Science - Military, Aviation and Space: Astronaut Don Pettit Creates the First Mailing Address in Space

Thu, 17 May 2012 17:32:08 +0000

Don Pettit Plays Angry Birds in Space NASA

The International Space Station is in constant motion, whipping around the Earth at some 17,000 miles per hour. But according to current ISS inhabitant and NASA astronaut Don Pettit, there's no reason why a bullet-fast orbital space station with no fixed location shouldn't have a fixed mailing address--after all, Navy ships have mailing addresses, as do remote outposts like McMurdo Station in Antarctica--and he's devised just such a postal nomenclature to satisfy this need via his NASA blog.

My sleep station, a coffin-sized box, is located in the fifth deck space of Node 2. From an Earth-based perspective, I pop out of my sleep station as if I were coming out of the floor. I am thus situated on the International Space Station (ISS) in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees (the angle of our orbit plane to the equator) and an average altitude of 400 kilometers. It occurred to me that my address should be: Node 2, Deck 5, ISS, LEO 51.603.

In this system, the "zip code" is 51.603, the first three digits representing the orbital inclination (which should help future space couriers locate the address on orbit) and the last two digits being a designator for the ISS itself. The station is the third such space station at this orbital location, after the Salyut series of stations and Mir. Pettit reasons that this nomenclature should work until the orbit becomes clogged with up to 99 space stations.

Postage rates, however, are likely going to be astronomical.

[NASA Blogs]

Air Force Top Stories: Air Force libraries serve 'delicious' summer reading program

afnews@dma.mil (Kris Campbell) — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:52:09 +0000

The Department of Defense summer reading program returns this month to more than 250 installation libraries, including 74 Air Force libraries, with a goal to encourage and support a love of reading among military children and families.

This year's theme is "Reading is so Delicious!" and library visitors may participate in a range of free activities. Last year's "A Midsummer's Knight's Read" theme inspired military children around the globe to read and dream and resulted in an increase of more than 400 percent in program participation. Air Force library officials hope for similar levels of participation this year.
more...

The Experimental Aircraft Association: TIG Welding: Chromoly DVD an Essential Guide for Builders

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:29:42 +0000

EAA's new DVD, TIG Welding: Chromoly, is a must-have for anyone planning on TIG welding a fuselage. Mr. TIG, Wyatt Swaim, does a fantastic job of explaining the TIG welding process, and more importantly, showing the viewer exactly what is happening during each phase.

The Experimental Aircraft Association: Cessna, Lear Announce New Jets at EBACE

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:27:11 +0000

Cessna Aircraft Company and Bombardier announced new jets on Monday at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE). For Cessna, the Longitude medium-sized, long-range business jet has room for up to eight passengers, a range of 4,000 nautical miles, and a maximum speed of Mach .86.

AOPA News: FAA modifies regulation on Class D taxi operations

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:25:42 +0000

A final rule still open for comment will codify as regulation a practice already implemented by the FAA: Abbreviated taxi clearances are no longer given.

AOPA News: Incursions put focus on special-use airspace awareness

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:20:50 +0000

Following several recent incursions into restricted areas in Arizona, AOPA is joining with the Air Force to raise the awareness of pilots of the flight-planning needs, and collision avoidance and situational awareness requirements of flying in or near airspace shared by military and civilian aircraft.

The Experimental Aircraft Association: Carroll Shelby Passes Away

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:20:12 +0000

EAA joins the automotive and aviation communities paying tribute to icon Carroll Hall Shelby, who passed away in Dallas on Thursday, May 10, at the age of 89. An EAA member from 1988 to 2010, he was a frequent AirVenture attendee, signing autographs and participating in numerous activities including the Gathering of Eagles fundraiser.

FAA News and Updates: FAA Offers Tips on Child Safety

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:51:12 +0000

General Aviation News: Teaching and Testing CFIT Avoidance seminar created

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:32:32 +0000

The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) recently delivered the eighth in its series of "Seminar-in-a-Box" products for use by the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam), "Teaching and Testing CFIT Avoidance." Continue Reading »

General Aviation News: Tennessee EAA Steam Plant Fly-In slated

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:25:52 +0000

EAA Chapter 1343 and GTO Aviation are hosting a Tennessee Valley Regional Fly-In and Expo on Saturday June 23, at Sumner County Regional Airport (M33) in Gallatin. This all-day event will feature a pancake breakfast, live music, catered lunch, displays, vendors, educational sessions and plenty of airplanes. Continue Reading »

Popular Science - Military, Aviation and Space: Pretty Space Pics: Centaurus A Captured in a Whole New Way

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:15:58 +0000

Centaurus A in a Whole New Way ESO

Some 12 million light-years from Earth in the southern constellation of Centaurus, the most prominent source of galactic radio emissions in the sky rests in the galaxy Centaurus A. Here, a truly gigantic black hole 100 million times more massive than our sun is (most likely) ejecting huge amounts of energy as it helps rip another galaxy apart, and the European Southern Observatory has snapped a brand new image of the elliptical galaxy in stunning new resolution.

From its perch in Chile's Atacama Desert, the ESO's Las Silla Observatory produced this stunning astro-image using its Wide Field Imager, capturing the elongated, elliptical shape of Centaurus A and the opaque glow of its billions of older stars surrounding the dusty core of the galaxy--or perhaps galaxies. Astronomers believe that the strong radio signals emanating from Centaurus A could partially be caused by a galactic collision as the larger elliptical galaxy rips apart a smaller spiral galaxy that wandered too near.

AOPA News: Survey: Santa Monica airport not 'key' issue

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:11:31 +0000

For 30 years, AOPA and airport advocates in Santa Monica, Calif., have worked to defend the city airport from attacks by opponents whose vocal campaigns obscured a lack of voter support for their efforts. Now, a study commissioned by AOPA has shown that most of those voters prefer that the city turn its attention elsewhere.

General Aviation News: Compensation survey now available

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:05:06 +0000

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has published the results of its 2012 survey of salaries and benefits for pilots, line-service personnel, and maintenance technicians, but you have to buy the report to get all the details. Continue Reading »

General Aviation News: TrustedFuel.com launches

Thu, 17 May 2012 13:08:03 +0000

TrustedFuel.com, an online resource center for aviation fuel handlers, is now live, built with a range of information, technical data, specifications, training tools and links to additional industry guidance. Continue Reading »

General Aviation News: Cross-wind crimps Cessna

Thu, 17 May 2012 12:09:19 +0000

This May 2010 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others. Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Jekyll Island, Ga. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot landed with a five knot crosswind. During the roll-out, he noticed a shimmy in the nose-wheel and pulled back on the yoke in an effort to raise the nose to offload the strut. Continue Reading »

AOPA News: AOPA Live begins new weekly news show

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:39:05 +0000

AOPA's new television-style webcast, AOPA Live This Week, created by Executive Producer Warren Morningstar and hosted by "AOPA Pilot" Editor in Chief Tom Haines, offers a comprehensive look at the week in general aviation.

AOPA News: FAA report: GA an asset to nation

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:17:41 +0000

Over the last century, general aviation airports have evolved from unpaved strips to a vital network of aviation hubs that contributed $38.8 billion to the economy in 2009, says a new FAA study.

AOPA News: Changes urged for Iowa military plan

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:21:29 +0000

AOPA has asked for several changes to a temporary military operations area that the Air Force proposes to establish in western Iowa this September.

AOPA News: Nebraska recognizes GA value

Thu, 17 May 2012 06:31:43 +0000

With a stroke of the governor's pen on May 16, Nebraska joined a growing list of states proclaiming support for - and recognizing the value of - general aviation, including the jobs and other opportunities flying creates.

CAP Features: CAP contributing to female flier increase, Minn. members tell TV stations

Thu, 17 May 2012 05:00:00 +0000

(1)
Cadet Airman 1st Class Kayla Frandrup and Maj. Paul Van Brunt field Girls Aviation Day visitors' questions about opportunities for female cadets in CAP.

(2)
Cadet Airman 1st Class Kayla Frandrup at the CAP booth for Girls Aviation Day at Airlake Airport.

Capt. Joseph Bradfield
Public Affairs Officer
Minnesota Wing

MINNESOTA – Women have contributed to aviation since its beginnings, dating back to E. Lillian Todd’s aircraft designs at least as early as 1906, but Federal Aviation Administration statistics show only about one in 25 of the vapor trails overhead flow from an airliner flown by a female transport pilot.

Overall, the FAA shows only females accounting for only one in 15 pilots of aircraft, private or commercial.

The numbers also show, however, that the number of female pilots has actually been trending slowly upward in recent years. And Civil Air Patrol, particularly its cadet and aerospace education programs, can claim a significant role in that development, members of the 130th Composite Squadron said recently during televised interviews in connection with the third annual Girls Aviation Day at Lakeville’s Airlake Airport.

The squadron took part Saturday in the event, sponsored by Aeroism Flight Academy and created in partnership with the Minnesota Ninety-Nines, Experiment Aircraft Association Chapter 25 and the Airlake Aero Flying Club.

In advance of Girls Aviation Day, Maj. Paul Van Brunt, a flight instructor for the squadron as well as its deputy commander for seniors and public affairs officer, coordinated with two Minnesota-St. Paul television stations – NBC affiliate KARE and its CBS counterpart, WCCO – for a feature about CAP’s role in developing female pilots and aviation professionals.

Bryan Piatt of KARE-St. Paul interviewed Cadet Airman 1st Class Kayla Frandrup from the air in Van Brunt’s Piper PA 28R-200 for a video spot used as part of an announcement about the then-upcoming aviation day.

Frandrup told Piatt her interest in aviation began when she was 16, thanks to a ride local pilot Julie Clark offered her and her siblings in her T-34 in 2010.

At that point, Frandrup said, she knew she wanted to earn a pilot’s license. While she was taking flight lessons at Airlake, she learned of CAP’s cadet program.

“I liked it right away – the military discipline, learning leadership, and all the opportunities it presented,” she said.

Frandrup said female representation in CAP is higher than in the FAA statistics, but she does her part to increase it still more, such as helping staff a recruitment booth at Girls Aviation Day.

Now a freshman studying for her nursing degree at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, the cadet is close to qualifying for her pilot’s license.

“I only need two solo cross-countries and some prep, and then I should be ready to test,” she said.

While she would like to combine nursing and flying as a career, she said, she’s going to keep flying for her own pleasure, regardless.

NASA: Breaking News: NASA Administrator to Deliver Commencement Address at University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Thu, 17 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will provide the commencement address to the 2012 graduating class of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Md., on Friday, May 18, at 10 a.m. EDT.

NASA: Breaking News: Updated Coverage for NASA/SpaceX Launch and Mission to Station

Thu, 17 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

The second SpaceX demonstration launch for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) is scheduled for liftoff on Saturday, May 19.

NASA: Breaking News: NASA Announces 2012 Space Technology Research Fellowship Grants

Thu, 17 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

NASA has selected the 2012 class of Space Technology Research Fellows.

NASA: Breaking News: NASA's Deputy Administrator to Discuss Future of Commercial Spaceflight with Industry Representatives

Thu, 17 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver will participate in a teleconference on Thursday, May 17, at 2 p.m. EDT with representatives of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation to brief journalists on the future of human commercial spaceflight.

Aviation Week and Space Technology: NASA's Dawn Uncovers New Secrets About Vesta

Thu, 17 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has confirmed that one of the largest objects in the Main Asteroid Belt is actually a tiny planet-like body that formed around a molten interior.

General Aviation News: CALPILOTS newsletter online

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:27:44 +0000

The May-June 2012 California Pilots Association newsletter is now online at CALPILOTS.org. Continue Reading »

General Aviation News: Don’t ask, don’t tell

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:01:46 +0000

It's no surprise to anyone in the aviation industry to hear that the pilot population is shrinking. Sure, it's sad – but it's not a surprise. We all know it's shrinking. If only there were something we could do to reverse that trend. Good news — there is. In fact that trend can be reversed relatively easily, and reasonably quickly, too. I know that's true because it's happening right here in my neighborhood. With a little nudge from you and your aviation-minded friends, it could happen in your neighborhood, too. Continue Reading »

General Aviation News: Security toolkit from across the pond

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:06 +0000

I want to share a resource with you that takes high level security concepts and brings them down to earth. Do you want to know the latest ideas on security lighting? Maybe you don’t, not because security lighting isn’t important, but perhaps you’re too busy to read and digest the meaning of an author’s words. Wouldn’t it be easier to see examples of, say, bad and good security lighting? Security by Design, a part of the Association of Chief Police Officers and headquartered in London, England, created a practical toolkit for improving security. The toolkit deals with residential areas, but with a little imagination the concepts it presents can easily be applied to airports and airport businesses. Continue Reading »

Popular Science - Military, Aviation and Space: ViviSat: An On-Call, Robotic Doctor for Ailing Satellites

Wed, 16 May 2012 20:30:51 +0000

Mission Extension Vehicle A ViviSat Mission Extension Vehicle (front, gold satellite) approaches an ailing geostationary satellite and prepares to dock. ViviSat

Aside from a couple particularly nasty collisions, dead satellites comprise the bulk of our planet's space junk problem - as they die, get fried by radiation and become zombies, or are decommissioned, there's nowhere for them to go. ViviSat aims to change that by servicing satellites where they are, pushing them into new orbits and allowing them to live longer.

ViviSat, which was founded last year, says it is in contract negotiations with satellite providers to work as a sort of on-call satellite doctor. When a satellite ends up in the wrong orbit or needs extra power to maintain it, ViviSat can launch a Mission Extension Vehicle to rendezvous with it.

It would launch on an ATK rocket, which could fit two at a time. Once it reaches orbit, it unfurls a solar array and sensors to track down the satellite it's meant to assist. When it reaches its target, it uses proximity sensors and other tools to dock with the ailing orbiter, and then it could push it into a different orbit. It wouldn't add fuel or take anything off the host satellite, which ViviSat says is a plus, because satellite builders may not want a third-party company tinkering with its massively expensive spy array or whatnot.

About 350 satellites orbit Earth in geostationary paths, and every year, about 25 of these run out of fuel, according to the company. Maybe 10 of those 25 are good candidates for an MEV servicing - not a huge number, but one that could still cut down on space waste.

ViviSat is a partnership between rocket launcher ATK and U.S. Space, which will manage the missions. At a conference this spring, ViviSat officials said government and private entities are interested in their services. The company just released this animation explaining how its MEV would work.

Popular Science - Military, Aviation and Space: The Pentagon is Investing Millions to Advance the Future of 3-D Printing Tech

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:24:02 +0000

3-D Makerbot-ing The Pentagon is getting into 3-D printing in a big way--$30-million big. Andy Dingley via Wikimedia

President Obama's nationwide push for innovation in manufacturing reaches across agencies from the National Science Foundation to the Department of Energy, and now it's reaching all the way into the Pentagon where $60 million is being set aside for investment in 3-D printing technologies. The DoD will fund a network of agencies, academic institutions, and companies to build on 3-D printing tech with the overarching goal of building aerospace and weapons technology faster.

Of that $60 million, half will be allotted to researchers between now and fiscal 2014, with more than half of that--some $18.8 million--being handed over in fiscal 2012 alone. That means, adjusting for the usual bureaucratic waste, there should be somewhere between many and many-many millions spent to advance 3-D printing tech this year alone under a framework that will hopefully push for the meeting of meaningful benchmarks.

Three-dimensional printing (or additive manufacturing, or rapid prototyping) is of course a fairly nascent technology that nonetheless holds great promise. While private companies like Makerbot, Stratasys, and even Hewlett-Packard have pushed the boundaries of the technology by developing less-expensive and more accessible printing systems to more people, the industry on the whole hasn't really benefitted from a huge injection of investment or a meaningful mandate from a body like the DoD--one that, when it puts its mind and money to something, can actually enable technological leaps forward.

The 3-D printing industry was already doing fine--some analysts expect it to grow to $3.1 billion by 2016--but a little help from Uncle Sam can't hurt. If you or your academic institution/non-profit organization thinks it can add some expertise to the pilot program, the Pentagon is taking proposals until June 14.

[NextGov]

The Experimental Aircraft Association: Hundreds of Young Eagles Soar With EAA Chapter 18

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:02:55 +0000

EAA Chapter 18 in Milwaukee helped the Wisconsin National Guard 128th Air Refueling Wing open its Armed Forces Week event last Saturday and Sunday (May 11-12) by conducting a large Young Eagles rally at Mitchell International Airport (MKE). Members of the chapter flew a total of 319 kids with about 15 volunteer aircraft and pilots each day.

The Experimental Aircraft Association: Comment Period Open for Revised BARR Rules

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:58:50 +0000

Aircraft owners, operators, and the public have until June 8, 2012, to comment on the FAA's revised rules for the Block Aircraft Registration Request program. The BARR program allows aircraft owners to prevent real-time public access to flight information, which includes departure and destination airports, plus actual altitude, speed, and location of the aircraft.

FAA News and Updates: FAA Raises Awareness on Child Safety

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:54:23 +0000

NASA: Breaking News: NASA Survey Counts Potentially Hazardous Asteroids

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Observations from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have led to the best assessment yet of our solar system's population of potentially hazardous asteroids.

NASA: Breaking News: NASA Lends Galaxy Evolution Explorer to Caltech

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

NASA is lending the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, where the spacecraft will continue its exploration of the cosmos.