onsdag 31. august 2016

USA til Cuba for første gang på 50 år - CNN

Sjekk ut denne linken: http://tinyurl.com/hlwwpok

JetBlue maskinen gikk til Santa Clara, Ernesto "Che" Guevaras gravsted. Her et bilde derfra tatt av undertegnede:

Drones - Best way to kill them - Curt Lewis


The U.S. Military shot down a drone with a laser - in 1973

The incident was likely the first use of a laser as a weapon

Few things sound more 21st century than the phrase "laser weapons," but here's something you may not know. The United States government shot down a target drone with a laser in 1973, decades before laser weapons were considered ready for prime time. The incident, which took place in the New Mexico desert, happened more than 40 years before the U.S. military actually deployed a functioning laser weapon.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), the Department of Defense R&D organization that later gave birth to the Internet, had begun working on weapon lasers under a project known as Eighth Card. It was part of an effort to create a laser plane that could escort bombers in a nuclear war, protecting them from Soviet interceptor jets and surface-to-air missiles.

During a series of tests undertaken in mid-November 1973, the Eighth Card laser targeted a MQM-33B unmanned drone. The laser burned through the drone's skin and damaged its control systems, sending it wildly out of control. ARPA had thoughtfully added a parachute to the drone. The frame floated back to earth where the laser's effects could be studied.

Laser Weapon System deployed on USS Ponce.

Drone killer - Annie got her gun - Curt Lewis


Woman shoots drone: "It hovered for a second and I blasted it to smithereens."

Virginian used 20-gauge shotgun against offending aircraft thought to be paparazzi.

Jennifer Youngman (not pictured here), used a 20-gauge shotgun like this one to down the drone.
With a single shotgun blast, a 65-year-old woman in rural northern Virginia recently shot down a drone flying over her property.


The woman, Jennifer Youngman, has lived in The Plains, Virginia, since 1990. The Fauquier Times first reported the June 2016 incident late last week. It marks the third such shooting that Ars has reported on in the last 15 months-last year, similar drone shootings took place in Kentucky and California.

Youngman told Ars that she had just returned from church one Sunday morning and was cleaning her two shotguns-a .410 bore and a 20-gauge-on her porch. She had a clear view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and neighbor Robert Duvall's property (yes, the same Robert Duvall from The Godfather). Youngman had seen two men set up a card table on what she described as a "turnaround place" on a country road adjacent to her house.

"I go on minding my business, working on my .410 shotgun and the next thing I know I hear 'bzzzzz,'" she said. "This thing is going down through the field, and they're buzzing like you would scaring the cows."

Youngman explained that she grew up hunting and fishing in Virginia, and she was well-practiced at skeet and deer shooting.

F-104 again in another version than the one seen here a few days ago - Curt Lewis


Ageing fighter jets to launch satellites into space: Firm plans to fire rockets filled with CubeSats from F-104s
  • Aerospace firms are working to develop cheaper methods for launches
  • Their approach packs micro-satellites into a rocket aboard a fighter jet
  • F-104s would reach altitudes of 100,000 feet before launching the rocket
  • It will be available from 2018 for £190,000 ($250,000) for a 5 kg CubeSat

Launching satellites could be get a whole lot easier and cheaper if one Californian firm gets its way.
Rather than using a traditional rocket to take payloads into space, Mountain View-based firm CubeCab wants to fire microsatellites into orbit from to high altitude fighter jets.

By packing tiny CubeSats into a rocket-like canister and launching them at more than 100,000 feet, the space firm claims it will slash the costs of sending lightweight space tech into low Earth orbit.
Scroll down for video 

A US space firm is planning to slash the cost of sending micro-satellites into space by packing them into a rocket-like canister and launching them from F-104 fighter jets at more than 100,000 feet. Pictured is one of the jets, which were first used by the military in the 1950s

SLASHING THE COST OF SATELLITE LAUNCHES
Firms and research institutions looking to get satellites into orbit need to hitch a ride on a rocket.
But space and weight are extremely limited and lead times can be years.
Private space firms are looking to use fighter jets to deliver small payloads into space at a fraction of the cost.

The concept would see tiny CubeSats packed inside a small, lightweight 3D printed rocket which would be attached to an F-104 fighter jet.

After take-off, the jets would reach altitudes of more than 100,000 feet before the rocket is launched.
Californian firm CubeCab claims the approach would slash the cost to $250,000 (£190,000) and would be able to launch satellites within a month of receiving an order.

The use of CubeSats has exploded in recent years, with researchers and technology firms expanding the areas in which they can be used, in everything from atmospheric research to communications.
But in order to get into orbit, firms and research institutions need to hitch a ride on a rocket - with space and weight extremely limited.

CubeCab plans to shake things up by attaching its satellite payload to a fleet of ageing fighter jets, which first saw military service in the 1950s.

The F-104 jets are operated by Starfighters Aerospace, which launches its fleet from Cape Canaveral in Florida, the home of Nasa's space missions.

Starfighters' fleet is made up of retired F-104 jets from the Italian Air Force, which were taken out of service in 2004.

In order to launch micro satellites, a small rocket containing them is attached to the pylons under the wings - which would have been used to attach bombs mission during military runs.
Once launched from Cape Canaveral, the jets will reach altitudes of more than 100,000 feet, before the rocket launches and the canister of microsatellites is released into orbit.


According to CubeCab, it will be able to launch microsatellites weighing no more than 5 kg (11 lbs) into low Earth orbit for $250,000 (£190,000), opening up commercial satellite delivery to more research institutions and businesses.

'Small rockets are inefficient, making it difficult to make a profit,' the firm explains on its website.

A number of CubeSats have been released from the International Space Station (pictured centre), hitching a ride on resupply missions to the ISS

'We have a suite of technologies to optimise small launches so we can do it profitably. 

'There are other rockets under development, mainly for 20-500 kilogram payloads, which is still too large for the popular CubeSat standard which we address.

'At just 5 kg, ours is the smallest rocket, as measured by payload to LEO, under serious commercial development that we are aware of to date.'

CubeSat use has exploded in recent years, with researchers and tech firms expanding the areas in which they can be used
While the small rockets may still be in the development stage, CubeCab is confident that the service will be available by 2018 and will focus exclusively on 3U CubeSats - which are three of the 10 x 10 x 10 cm units stacked together, resembling a box kite.

Speaking to BBC Future, chief operating officer, Dustin Still said the firm is aiming for fast delivery times of around a month, vastly reducing the timescale of current launches, which can have lead times of years.
Mr Still said: 'A typical mission might be getting an order from a college to launch a cubesat into a specific orbit. 


'Within a few days later we should get the cubesat and load it into a rocket we have set aside for launch in Florida for regular equatorial orbits, or another facility or almost any location for a polar orbit launch.'

ANA with another type of RR Trent problems - Curt Lewis

ANA 787 Engine Vibration

Date: 30-AUG-2016
Time: 13:00 LT
Type:
Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Owner/operator: All Nippon Airways - ANA
Registration: JA814A
C/n / msn: 34493/69
Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 68
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: None
Location: near Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka prefecture -    Japan
Phase: En route
Nature: International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: Narita International Airport (NRT/RJAA), Japan
Destination airport: Mumbai/Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM/VBAA), India
Narrative:
A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner of All Nippon Airways operating flight ANA/NH829 from Tokyo/Narita, Japan to Mumbai, India returned to Narita due to vibration of No.1 engine (RR Trent 1000). The plane made a safe landing at Narita at 13:55 JST without shutting down the engine in trouble. The flight restarted by a replacement plane, JA828A, with six hours of delay. ANA states that this problem seems to be different from the cracking problems happened frequently at the blades of intermediate turbines of RR Trent 1000 engines. 

Landing with virtually no fuel - Lion Air - Curt Lewis


Reported:  Lion air Fuel Exhaustion on landing (Unconfirmed)

Last night (30th August), Lion Air flight JT 961 from Denpasar (DPS) to
Bandung (BDO), departed DPS at 1525 local, on an RPT flight.   Near BDO
pilot announces that due to storms they have to hold.  After some 35-45 minutes pilot announces that they are short of "avtur " (fuel).  Flight lands at BDO and apparently runs out of fuel on runway and is towed to terminal.  

ANA`s RR Trent problems - Curt Lewis


ANA Says Boeing 787 Turbine Blade Fix May Take 3 Years

What looked on Monday to be an issue that could be resolved relatively soon may, in fact, take up to three years to fix. That's according to Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA), which said Tuesday it may take that long to replace faulty turbine blades in the Rolls-Royce engines that power the airline's fleet of 50 Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) 787 Dreamliners.

Malaysian MH370 update - Curt Lewis


MH370 Search May Have Missed the Wreckage, Investigators Admit

Sonar indicates several potential resting areas for the missing 777 at the bottom of the ocean that warrant a closer look, the Australian team in charge says.

The undersea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 may have missed the wreckage, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, leading the search, admitted Tuesday to The Daily Beast.
The Daily Beast can also reveal the Dutch company providing one of the search vessels, Fugro, admitted as far back as June that there were gaps in sonar coverage of the ocean floor that needed further investigation.

As a result, a search that has so far cost $180 million and that was expected to end this summer could now be extended into next year. This will be encouraging news for the families of the passengers and crew on the flight who feared that the search was being prematurely curtailed.

Turbulence led to emergency landing at Shannon - BBC


Shannon Airport emergency landing: 16 in hospital

  • 24 minutes ago
  • From the section Europe

The Boeing 767-300 aircraft at Shannon Airport in County Clare after making an emergency landing this morningImage copyright RTÉ
Image caption The Boeing 767-300 aircraft at Shannon Airport in County Clare after making an emergency landing this morning

Sixteen people have been injured after turbulence prompted a transatlantic flight to make an emergency landing in the Republic of Ireland.
Fourteen passengers and two crew members were taken to hospital from Shannon Airport at about 06:00 BST.
The emergency landing in County Clare followed "severe and unexpected turbulence".
The United Airlines flight was travelling from Houston, Texas, to London Heathrow when it diverted. Airplane turbulence sends 12 to hospital 02:52

Story highlights

  • Severe turbulence shakes United Airlines Flight 880 en route to London from Houston
  • Three kids were among 12 people taken to a hospital after emergency landing in Ireland
(CNN)Severe turbulence rocked a Houston-to-London flight over the Atlantic, forcing its pilots to make an emergency landing early Wednesday in Ireland and sending 12 people to a hospital -- a flight one passenger called the most disturbing he'd taken in decades.
United Airlines Flight 880 landed unscheduled at western Ireland's Shannon Airport shortly before 6 a.m. local time so that people could receive medical treatment after "severe and unexpected turbulence," the airline said.
    The shaking began overnight about halfway over the Atlantic while many passengers were asleep, followed by "very, very severe drops in altitude," passenger Gregory Giagnocavo told CNN after landing in Ireland.
    "It was the most frightening and disturbing flight I've been on in 30 years," Giagnocavo said.

    Three children among the injured

    The Boeing 767-300 was carrying 207 passengers and 13 crew members. After it landed, 10 passengers and two flight attendants were taken to a hospital, United said.
    Three children were among them, University Hospital Limerick said. The 12 were treated primarily for soft tissue injuries, minor head injuries and lacerations, the hospital said.
    By late Wednesday morning, only a flight attendant remained in the hospital, according to the airline. The plane resumed its flight to Heathrow Airport at 12:11 p.m. (7:11 a.m. ET).

    'Babies crying'

    Giagnocavo said the scene on the plane was "pure chaos" before the emergency landing.
    "(A) flight attendant was cut on the side of her head, and blood was running down her arm," he said. "Babies crying -- and quite a few people very shook up. Loose things seem to be everywhere.
    "Fortunately it occurred when most people were sleeping, so most people were in their seats with seat belts on."
    Giagnocavo put the number of steep drops at four; another passenger, Nikki Hartin Boriac, said it was two.
    "(The first one) was a couple seconds, because it was long enough to think about it. While you're dropping, everything is flying up, so anybody who wasn't buckled flew up," she told CNN affiliate KTRK-TV in Houston. "And then we had a few bumps for a second, and then there was another really big drop."
    The flight attendant across from her "thought she was buckled, but she wasn't and she hit her head really bad," Hartin Boriac said.
    But flight attendants did well to keep people calm in the aftermath, she said.
    United "is providing care and support to customers and crew of Flight UA880," airline spokeswoman Erin Benson said.

    What caused the turbulence?

    The cause of the turbulence wasn't immediately known, the airline said.
    But CNN senior meteorologist Brandon Miller said the jet stream could be to blame.
    This map shows the winds around flight level during the journey of United Airlines Flight 880. Jet-stream winds in its flight path exceeded 125 mph. The color code at right refers to wind speed, measured in knots.
    "It appears that the flight path took the flight into what we call a 'jet max,' or the fastest part of the jet stream," Miller said. "This is an area which will often see 'clear-air' turbulence, as the wind speeds change rapidly with height. It is hard to avoid as well, as it would cost a lot of time and fuel to fly around the jet max, and you cannot see the turbulence -- hence the name 'clear-air,'" he said.

    Helikopter - EC175 går offshore Danmark - Rotor&Wing

    Undertegnede flyr EC175 i mai 2014


    Denmark Latest H175 Customer

    Amy Kluber
    Denmark is the newest country to operate Airbus Helicopters' H175. Including Mexico, the Netherlands, Scotland and Ghana, the aircraft is now operating in five countries.
    In Denmark, the seven-ton helicopter will support operator NHV Group's oil and gas transportation missions for Maersk Oil in the North Sea. NHV has already been operating in similar missions for other customers in the region since December 2014. So far, it received eight of the 16 H175s it has ordered.
    In Mexico recently, Transportes Aéreos Pegaso received an H175, which will support oil and gas operations and seismic exploring activities in the Gulf of Mexico.

    Have you busted minima? Sometime it`s the only option - Australia - AW&ST


    Two Boeing 737-800s Bust Minimums At Australian Airport In Bad Weather

    When busting minimums is the only choice
    A Tale of Two Boeings







    At the end of a remarkable chain of inaccurate weather forecasts and missed communications opportunities, two Boeing 737-800s operated by different Australian airlines had to bust minimums within minutes of each other at Mildura Airport to prevent really bad outcomes.
    It all happened on June 18, 2013. BoeingVH-YIR, operated by Virgin AustraliaAirlines as Velocity Flight 1384, and Boeing VH-VYK, operated by Qantas Airways Ltd. as Qantas Flight 735, were on scheduled passenger flights to Adelaide, South Australia.
    The story of what happened to these airplanes, crews and passengers is best told by the investigators of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
    Velocity 1384 departed Brisbane, Queensland, at 0638 Eastern Standard Time (UTC +10) with six crewmembers and 85 passengers on board. The estimated time of arrival at Adelaide was 0920. The captain was the pilot flying and the first officer (FO) was the pilot monitoring. The fuel on board at takeoff from Brisbane was 8,800 kg (19,401 lb.)This comprised flight fuel to Adelaide of 6,410 kg (14,132 lb.), variable and fixed fuel reserves of 1,540 kg (3,395 lb.) and additional fuel of 940 kg (2,072 lb.).
    Qantas 735 departed Sydney, New South Wales, at 0727 and had six crew and 146 passengers on board. The estimated arrival time at Adelaide was 0917. The captain was the pilot flying, with the FO as pilot monitoring. The fuel on board at takeoff from Sydney was 7,900 kg (17,416 lb.). This comprised flight fuel to Adelaide of 5,000 kg (11,023 lb.), variable and fixed fuel reserves of 1,600 kg (3,527 lb.) and additional contingency fuel of 1,300 kg (2,866 lb.).
    At 0700, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) issued an updated airport forecast (TAF) for Adelaide calling for a 30% probability of fog developing. At 0800, the BoM issued an updated trend forecast (TTF) that showed that fog had reduced visibility at Adelaide and was expected to clear by 0900.
    At this stage, the crewmembers of Qantas 735 were aware of the changes to the TTF and continued to Adelaide on the basis that the fog would clear prior to their arrival. In addition, they had sufficient fuel to hold for about 45 min. should the fog last longer than forecast and land with required fuel reserves.
    The pilots of Velocity 1384 were not aware of the changes to the forecast. They were advised of fog at Adelaide by ATC at 0844, once they changed to the en route sector frequency immediately prior to reaching the Adelaide terminal area airspace.
    The crew of Qantas 735 elected to hold at waypoint Black, about 48 nm from Adelaide, rather than continue their descent to the airport, which was still affected by fog.
    The crew of Velocity 1384 had commenced their descent to Adelaide and gathered further information about the conditions from the Adelaide tower controller. Based on the report from the Adelaide tower controller that conditions were not suitable for landing, and that there had been no successful landing attempts, the crew of Velocity 1384 elected to divert to Mildura, Victoria, at 0904.
    The observation reports issued by the BoM at that time indicated that the conditions at Mildura were above the alternate minima for the aircraft, despite the TAF for Mildura indicating a temporary deterioration during the forecast period. The crew’s estimated arrival time at Mildura was 0932.
    The crew of Qantas 735 heard Velocity 1384 broadcast their decision to divert to Mildura. On being informed by ATC that the latest trend forecast for Adelaide predicted a 30-min. delay in the fog clearing, and after gathering observation reports for Mildura, the crew of Qantas 735 also elected to divert there at 0913. Their estimated arrival time at Mildura was 0942.
    In making the decision to divert to Mildura, the captain of Qantas 735 reported that they were aware that they had the capability to conduct an autoland at Adelaide Airport. However, based on the reports of significantly better weather at Mildura, a diversion to that airport was assessed as preferable to continuing to Adelaide.
    The captain of Velocity 1384 similarly reported that they considered the option of an autoland at Adelaide. However, given the observations of the better weather at Mildura, they also concluded a diversion was a better option at that time.
    Arrival at Mildura
    At 0916, the pilot of an air ambulance flight departing Mildura made a call to ATC that conditions were deteriorating. He reported the cloud base was at 400 ft. MSL. At the time, neither Velocity 1384 nor Qantas 735 were on this frequency and therefore did not hear this transmission.
    At 0918, just after Velocity 1384 transferred to this frequency, the controller for this sector informed them of four other aircraft due to arrive at Mildura around their arrival time. This included Qantas 735. At 0922, Qantas 735 transferred to the same frequency and was advised of the arriving traffic.
    Also at 0918, the BoM issued a SPECI (special weather report) for Mildura, showing clouds at 200 ft. AGL but visibility in excess of 10 km (6.2 mi). The Mildura RNAV GNSS instrument approach to Runway 27 required pilots to be clear of cloud at a minimum of 660 ft. (493 ft. AGL), reducing to 560 ft. (393 ft. AGL) using an actual airport QNH (altimeter setting that shows airport ASL elevation when the airplane is on the ground). As the conditions had deteriorated below these minima, the RNAV GNSS approach could not be conducted in normal operations. The airport forecast for Mildura, valid at that time, contained a temporary deterioration with cloud at 600 ft. AGL.
    Between 0928 and 0932, three further SPECIs were issued for Mildura, indicating that visibility was decreasing in mist. As the Automatic Weather Information Service (AWIS) for Mildura was out of service, the inbound aircraft could not obtain this information from the AWIS.
    At 0936, the controller made a broadcast on the area frequency to traffic at Mildura, informing them of the details of the 0932 SPECI. This SPECI indicated broken cloud at 200 ft. and visibility of 2,100 meters (6,890 ft.) in mist. A review of data from the cockpit voice recorder of Velocity 1384 identified that, for the duration of the controller’s broadcast of the SPECI, the crews of Qantas 735 and Velocity 1384 were busy communicating on the Mildura common traffic advisory frequency.
    At 0937, the crew of Qantas 735 contacted the crew of Velocity 1384 to discuss the arrival and the crew of Velocity 1384 stated that they were tracking to the initial waypoint to commence the RNAV GNSS approach to Runway 27.
    At 0939, the crew of a QantasLink Bombardier DHC-8 (Dash-8) aircraft broadcast to traffic at Mildura that they were conducting a go around. The crew of Velocity 1384 asked for an assessment of the weather and were told by the Dash-8 crew that at the minima, they “couldn’t see anything.”
    At 0940, the crew of Qantas 735 contacted Velocity 1384 to advise that they were commencing the RNAV GNSS approach “due fuel.” The Velocity 1384 FO replied that they were “in the same boat,” but, after discussion between the captain and FO of Velocity 1384, they elected to hold and allow Qantas 735 to continue with the approach. This decision was passed on to the crew of Qantas 735.
    The crew of Qantas 735 applied a revised minimum to the approach that was 200 ft. lower than that published. This was based on the knowledge that the cloud base would preclude becoming visual via a normal approach. The crew reported that as they descended toward the revised minimum, the extent of the cloud reduced and they gained sufficient visual reference of the runway environment to continue the approach. At 0946, the crew of Qantas 735 broadcast that they had landed at Mildura. The aircraft landed on Runway 27 with the required fuel reserves intact, and the crew reported that the runway was visible once they descended below the cloud.
    At 0948, the crew of the Dash-8 asked Qantas 735 for their assessment of the weather. The crew replied that the cloud base was at 150 ft. AGL and that they had landed off the approach “due fuel.” At this time, a SPECI was issued for Mildura, showing visibility was now 900 meters (2,953 ft.) in fog and that the cloud was overcast at 100 ft. AGL.
    At 0950, Velocity 1384 sought an update on the weather from the Qantas 735 crew, who stated that the fog had appeared to be getting thicker but was now clearing, although the cloud was still below minima.
    At 0952, Velocity 1384 updated ATC that they were still holding due to the low cloud at Mildura. ATC asked them to nominate a latest divert time to proceed to a suitable airport. The FO replied that they did not have the fuel to proceed anywhere else. After obtaining further information from the crew, ATC initiated an alert phase and at 0958, after contacting the crew again, ATC activated the Mildura Airport emergency procedures.
    At 0954, the controller made another “all stations” broadcast with the latest TAF issued for Mildura, valid from 1000. This forecast predicted:
    Visibility of 3 km (1.9 mi.) in mist;
    Scattered cloud at 300 ft. AGL;
    An improvement in both visibility and cloud base in the hour from 1000;
    A 30% probability of the visibility reducing to 500 meters (1,640 ft.) in fog for the period between 1000 and 1200.
    Given their available fuel, the crew of Velocity 1384 determined that they needed to commence an approach just after 1000 to allow for a second approach if needed. They discussed conducting a “sighting” approach to ensure the aircraft was aligned with the runway from the RNAV GNSS approach. The captain was still the pilot flying; however, they briefed that if at any time during the approach the FO sighted the runway, then the FO was to take control and land.
    At 1002, Velocity 1384 transmitted that they were on a 4 nm (7 km) final for the RNAV GNSS approach. At 1004, as they were not visual with the runway, the crew initiated a missed approach from 132 ft. AGL. The FO reported that as they commenced the missed approach, it was possible to confirm that they were aligned with the runway by looking directly down. At 1012, ATC initiated a distress phase.
    The aircraft was positioned for a second approach, during which the cabin crew were briefed and prepared for an emergency landing, briefing the passengers to brace accordingly. At 1014, Velocity 1384 landed at Mildura in foggy conditions with fuel below the required reserves. As they taxied in, the captain told the cabin crew to stand down and normal arrival procedures resumed.
    The Investigators’ Analysis
    Following months of investigation, the ATSB observed that the Australian aviation weather reporting, forecasting and distribution systems are world-class but could use improvement. Company flight watch services at both air carriers are usually reserved for long-haul flights, leaving short-haul flight crews with the responsibility to pursue weather updates on their own once they are dispatched. In this situation, the observations and forecasts were changing quickly and information on Adelaide weather (and later Mildura’s weather) just didn’t form a picture for the crews in time to avoid the below-minimums approaches. The ATSB is suggesting further studies by Australian aviation civil and government agencies to see if improvements can be made.
    The Safety Bureau looked at decision-making in each cockpit and ultimately found that the pilots made reasonable decisions including the decision to bust minimums.
    ATSB Safety Issues
    Ultimately, the ATSB identified a series of “safety issues.” Also, as a result of this investigation, the Safety Bureau initiated a research investigation that will “initially examine the reliability of the airport forecasts for Mildura and Adelaide, before expanding to cover other major Australian airports.” The idea is just to see where the system can be improved.
    According to the ATSB, a “safety issue” is an event or condition that increases safety risk and (a) can reasonably be regarded as having the potential to adversely affect the safety of future operations, and (b) is a characteristic of an organization or a system, rather than a characteristic of a specific individual, or characteristic of an operating environment at a specific point in time. Here are the safety issues that arise from this event.
    The meteorological conditions at Adelaide Airport deteriorated below the landing minima while Velocity 1384 and Qantas 735 were en route to Adelaide.
    The inaccuracy of the forecast clearance of the fog at Adelaide Airport compelled the flight crews of Velocity 1384 and Qantas 735 to either conduct an emergency landing at Adelaide or divert to Mildura Airport.
    The actual weather conditions encountered by the flight crews of Velocity 1384 and Qantas 735 on arrival at Mildura were below landing minima and significantly worse than the airport forecast and weather reports used by both flight crews to assess its suitability as an alternate destination to Adelaide.
    On arrival at Mildura, Velocity 1384 and Qantas 735 had insufficient fuel to divert to any other airport and were committed to a landing in conditions below their landing minima.
    For many non major airports in Australia, flight crews of arriving aircraft can access current weather information using an Automatic Weather Information Service via very high frequency radio, which has range limitations. Where this service is available, air traffic services will generally not alert pilots to significant deteriorations in current conditions.
    Other factors that increased risk:
    The flight crew of Velocity 1384 did not obtain updated weather information for Adelaide while en route and were therefore unaware of the weather deterioration affecting the airport, limiting the options and time available to plan a diversion to an alternate destination airport.
    The flight crews of Velocity 1384 and Qantas 735 gave precedence to the airport weather reports at Mildura over the airport forecast when deciding to divert.
    Despite the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) knowing of the deteriorating weather at Mildura from other sources, by not passing on the inflight weather report of deteriorating weather from the departing air ambulance pilot, the controller removed an important source of information for use by the BoM.
    The inflight weather report given by the air ambulance pilot was not passed on to the flight crews of Velocity 1384 and Qantas 735 by the controller when they changed frequency in bound to Mildura Airport, removing an important source of information for flight crew planning and decision-making.
    The automatic broadcast services did not have the capacity to recognize and actively disseminate special weather reports (SPECI) to pilots, thus not meeting the intent of the SPECI alerting function provided by the controller-initiated flight information service.
    Last Thought
    These crews were led into a subtle trap when all tolerances added up unidirectionally, leaving only their exceptional airmanship to save the situation. However, the investigation does make the point well that pilot skills must include a high degree of skepticism when evaluating weather information and forecasts when marginal weather is forecast. 

    B747`s father dies - Joe Sutter - AW&ST

    Go to AW&ST photos here; Evolution of a Jumbo: http://tinyurl.com/jtfl8d2

    B747 #1 at Boeing Field, Museum of Flight, 2011 - Photo: Per Gram

    Joe Sutter, ‘Father Of The 747,’ Dies At 95

    Joe Sutter signs his book 747: Creating the World’s First Jumbo Jet
    Joe Sutter signs his book 747: Creating the World’s First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures From a Life in Aviation.
    Boeing








    LOS ANGELES—Joe Sutter, dubbed “Father of the 747” by the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, has died. He was 95. The cause of death was not revealed.
    As the former chief engineer of Boeing’s 747 program, Sutter is credited with leading the development of the first widebody aircraft, which ushered in the globe-shrinking age of mass air travel.
    Born March 21, 1921, Sutter was the son of a first-generation Slovenian immigrant working in the Seattle meat-packing industry. Fascinated by aviation as a boy, Sutter worked on a paper route and as a part-time production-line employee at Boeing to pay for his first semester studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Washington.
    After graduating, Sutter served for two years with the U.S. Navy during World War II, much of which was spent on submarine-hunting duties aboard the destroyer escort USS Edward H. Allen. Following postwar studies at the Navy’s aviation engineering school, Sutter accepted an engineering job with Boeing—turning down a better paying offer from California-based Douglas Aircraft at the request of his Seattle-born wife Nancy.
    After initial attempts to improve the aerodynamics of the bulbous Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, Sutter worked on Boeing’s first jet transport, the 367-80, or “Dash 80.” By now increasingly recognized for his engineering abilities, Sutter took bigger roles in the design and development of the company’s commercial jetliner family. Sutter was involved in developing an innovative wing-glove modification to increase the critical Mach number of the 707 wing for the 720B development. The change enabled the 720B to compete more effectively with the Convair CV-990 without a huge redesign of the whole wing.
    Sutter was also closely associated with the 727, Boeing’s first short-haul jet, and in particular the aircraft’s sophisticated flap design. Working with legendary Boeing designer Jack Steiner on the configuration of the 737, Sutter made the pivotal decision to place the engines beneath the wing “where they belonged” rather than at the tail. Sutter and Steiner each received the then-standard $50 payment for the patent on the “Baby Boeing”—Sutter for the engine placement and Steiner for the decision to make the cabin wide enough for six passengers abreast.
    Sutter will be best remembered, however, for leading the design of the 747 from 1965 onwards. It was Sutter who led the design away from the initial concepts of full-length double decker to the very wide single deck with twin aisles—the first widebody. The cross-section, which was large enough to seat 10 passengers across with two aisles, was drawn around the space required to accommodate two freight pallets on the main deck.
    At the time, with supersonic aircraft on the drawing board in Europe and the U.S., the 747 was expected to be used more as a freighter than as a passenger airliner. The decision to make the new aircraft capable of carrying cargo also led to the positioning of the flight deck above the main deck, creating the 747’s famous humped upper deck.
    In later years with Boeing, Sutter—first as vice president of operations and product development and later as executive vice president for engineering and product development—was closely involved in development of the successful and pivotal 757 and 767 models.
    In 1985, Sutter received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Ronald Reagan. In 1986, Sutter retired from full-time work at Boeing after a career spanning four decades.
    Sutter also served on the presidential commission which investigated the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986, and continued to work as a consultant to Boeing. He was closely involved with further developments of the 747, such as the 747-400 and 747-8, and for many years continued to visit airlines and discuss their future requirements, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

    Drone - Bell planlegger bevæpnet tilt-rotor for US Marines - UAS Vision

    Bell’s V-247 Armed Tilt-rotor Drone For Marines

    X-247-armed-drone-modelA sleek little model sits on the desk of Lt. Gen. Jon “Dog” Davis, Marine deputy commandant for aviation. What is that, we asked? The next tilt-rotor Bell Helicopter Textron hopes the Marine Corps will buy. But it’s not the V-280 Valor, the new manned tilt-rotor Bell plans to fly next year. It’s an unmanned tilt-rotor designed to give the Marines a drone that can do everything the Air Force’s armed MQ-9 Reaper does – and more. Especially taking off and landing from ships or from land where there’s no runway.
    “I think there is a big need for a UAS that can go aboard the sea base,” Davis told me in an interview last week. “General Neller says he doesn’t need a Reaper, but he needs a Reaper-like capability that can go from the sea base.” Gen. Robert Neller is the Marine Corps commandant.
    “This is what Bell is proposing,” Davis says, placing the model of Bell’s new concept on the table. “Single engine. It looks a lot like a V-280, doesn’t it?”
    One reason the Marines want such an aircraft is to reduce their reliance on Air Force Reapers — always in short supply — to support operations launched from the sea, Davis said.
    “It’s actually pretty exciting,” Davis said. “It’s a tilt-rotor, Group 5-size UAS that’s of great interest to the Marine Corps. Sea-baseable, Group 5 unmanned capability.” Davis added that “the unmanned platform could actually come faster than the manned,” an apparent reference to the
    Bell-V-280-Valor
    Bell-V-280-Valor
    The 10,500-lbs. maximum take-off weight Reaper, an MQ-1 Predator derivative made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, is a Group 5 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), the military category for drones weighing more than 1,320 lbs. Besides daylight and infrared video cameras and other sensors, the Reaper typically carries four AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and two 500-lb. guided bombs. But, crucially, it needs a runway.
    Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs), flotillas of three vessels with a couple of thousand marines and their own small air force aboard, currently rely on Air Force  Reapers and Predators launched from land bases to provide the capability the Marines want. The Marines would prefer to have their own, sea-based, armed Group 5 UAS.
    Another officer said the Marines’ desire to get its own Reaper-sized vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone partly reflects pressure from ground commanders to keep the Corps’ relevant in an era where ground combat is primarily special operations. “The Marine Corps does not have a Special Operations Aviation Regiment like the Army does,” this officer said. “I sense a lot of desire from the traditional ground component of the Marine Corps to support special operations, much like the U.S. Army Rangers. Having a higher-tier UAS is part of that.”
    For now, Bell is calling this previously unrevealed tilt-rotor the V-247, the numbers standing for the duration the Marines want one or more to be able to stay on station – 24/7. Bell plans to officially reveal the new concept at a Washington news event next month. Larger models of the V-247 are likely to appear at the Sept. 27-30 Modern Day Marine exposition at Quantico Marine Base, Va., and at the Association of the United States Army’s annual conference that begins Oct. 3 in Washington.
    The manned, 38,000-lbs. V-280 is one of two technology demonstrator aircraft being built under the Army-led Joint Multi-role Technology Demonstrator (JMR TD) program. The other is the SB 1 Defiant, a compound helicopter with coaxial rotors and a pusher propeller, being built by Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky in a team with Boeing Co. Both the Valor and Defiant are to make their first flights next year. No production is guaranteed, but the JMR TD program’s goal is to develop faster, more agile and more efficient vertical lift aircraft for all the military services.
    SB1 Defiant
    SB1 Defiant
    The desire for a Marine Corps Group 5 UAS is outlined in the official Marine Aviation Plan 2016, which labels the concept the MUX, a tortured acronym standing for “MAGTF Unmanned Expedition Capabilities,” the acronym within an acronym MAGTF standing for Marine Air Ground Task Force.
    “The Marine Corps requires a UAS that is network-enabled, digitally interoperable, and built to execute responsive, persistent, lethal, and adaptive full-spectrum operations,” the document says. “The concept of employment will be shipboard and expeditionary.”
    The Aviation Plan says that the MUX would be “a multi-sensor, electronic warfare” aircraft with “strike capability at ranges complementary to MV-22 and F-35,” referring to the Marine Corps version of the Osprey and the new Joint Strike Fighter. Such a shipboard compatible armed drone, the plan adds, will give Marine commanders “flexible, persistent and lethal reach.”
    “When I have V-22s in there, I have a 450-mile radius airplane, air refuelable,” Davis said. “I’ve got my F-35 that has a 450-mile radius and air refuelable. I have CH-53 (a heavy lift helicopter), which has about a 350-mile combat radius and air-refuelable.” Davis said. What the Marines need to go with those aircraft is an armed UAS with equal range and much greater endurance, he added..
    “The normal sea base operates about a 12-hour day flight ops,”Davis said. “What I’d like to be able to do is, when I’m getting ready to secure flight ops, launch one of these beauties and it’s refuelable.” Such a drone, he said, could be “your picket. It could be out there protecting the ship, protecting the fleet, giving us the deep view out there of the battle space when I don’t have manned platforms up.”
    The Aviation Plan notes that DARPA’s TERN (Tactically Exploited Reconnaissance Node) demonstrator, a VTOL flying wing being developed by Northrop Grumman, is to make its first flight in 2018 and could be among the candidate designs for the MUX, as could other “OEM (original equipment manufacturer) prototypes.” But with the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey now established as their medium-lift aircraft, Marine leaders now seem to have a bias in favour of tilt-rotors generally. In any event, with two new tilt-rotors on offer, that’s clearly what Bell’s banking on.