USA tester Kina ved deres kunstige øyer

Amerikanske Marinefartøyer beveget seg mandag innenfor 12 milsgrensen satt av kineserne. USA hevder freedom of the high seas,  mens kineserne er i  harnisk. Obama har vært presset til å vise besluttsomhet fra kongressen. Nasjonene som er naboer til området bifaller USAS handling.

Northrop Grumman skal bygge USAS nye bombefly

Dette ble bekjentgjort her i  går. Kontrakten er på 21,4 milliarder dollar og gjelder i utgangspunktet for 100 fly.

Check the P-3 fly into the eye of Patricia - Video from FlightClub

http://tinyurl.com/qghq82a

New York City, here we come.....

Nå gjøres klart for avreise til Big Apple for en ukes opphold. Denne gangen har vi kjøpt NYC card inkl. hop-on hop-off buss og båt. Intrepid er naturligvis med i denne ordningen. Jeg var i NY første gang i 1963 som besetning på SS Stavangerfjord. Jeg rakk tre turer over den sommeren. Samme år gikk den flotte skuta til opphogging. Jeg fikk såpass tid i land at jeg fikk med meg de vanligste severdighetene, inklusive The Rockettes i Radio City Music Hall. Intrepid har noen flytyper som jeg aldri har sett på nært hold. Jeg gleder meg egentlig mest til å se Vigilante og USS Growler, undervannsbåten som ligger fortøyd til en lekter ved hangarskipet. Her står også en BA Concorde, egentlig ganske malplassert oppi det hele selv om den er aldri så vakker. Som du ser av bildet så er det ikke bare USN maskiner som er på museet. Skal se hva jeg får blogget underveis. So long!

Photo: Intrepid Museum

Japans flyproduksjon - Teknisk Ukeblad

Mitsubishi-konsernets emst kjente fly er nok A6M (Zero). Selskapet skal også stå for sluttmonteringen av japanske F-35A og er i ferd med å sette passasjerflyet MRJ i produksjon. Foto: Mitsubishi/Wikimedia Commons/Lockheed Martin/Erlend T. Lygre

MITSUBISHI REGIONAL JET

På CV-en har de jagerflyene Zero og snart F-35. Nå bygger de Japans første passasjerfly på over 50 år

Mitsubishi.

Av  Per Erlien Dalløkken

Publisert 24. oktober 2015 kl. 06:00

 

 

For noen er nok Mitsubishi synonymt med firehjulstrekkere som Pajero og Outlander.
Men det enorme japanske industrikonsernet har en like rik historie som flybyggere.
Et nytt kapittel skrives i november, når det gjøres klart for jomfruferden med Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) - det første passasjerflyet som er produsert i Japan siden 1960-tallet.
Les også: Honda flyr med motorer over vingene

Lansert i 2008

Det har gått bare sju og et halvt år fra prosjektstart til første flygning med 90-seteren.
Utrullingen av det første MRJ-flyet skjedde i oktober for et år siden, mens bakketestingen startet i juni i år.
Det skjedde på Nagoya lufthavn der Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation har sin fabrikk og hovedkontor.
I forrige uke varslet Mitsubishi at jomfruferden med kortdistanseflyet, som opprinnelig var berammet til den siste uka i oktober, er utsatt til uke 46 på grunn av at rorpedalene må modifiseres.

Den første flygningen med MRJ er berammet til en eller annen gang i uke 44. Foto: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation ble stiftet i april 2008 rett i etterkant av at MRJ-programmet ble lansert.
Hovedeier er Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) som gjennom mange år har opparbeidet tung luftfartsindustriell erfaring både med egne fly, som lisensbygger og som underleverandør på for eksempel på Boeings landistansefly (767, 777 og 787).
Se det hektiske morgenrushet på Gardermoen i ett unikt 360-bilde

Zero og F-35

Mitsubishi-konsernet kan slå i bordet med 95 års erfaring som flybyggere. I all hovedsak er det militære fly som vil fylle de fleste sidene i jubileumsberetningen om fem år:
Fra det første kampflyet 1MF, som fløy første gang i 1921, via et av Andre verdenskrigs mest kjente jagerfly, A6M (Zero), til sluttmonteringen av det japanske forsvarets kommende F-35A. 

Den nye MRJ-fabrikken ligger ved Nagoya lufthavn. Foto: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation

Selskapet konstruerte og bygde selv kampflyet F-1 på 1970-tallet. Senere har MHI bygget amerikanskdesignede fly som F-2 (basert på F-16), F-15J og H-60 (basert på Seahawk/Blackhawk).
YS-11 var fram til nå Mitsubishis siste framstøt i sivil luftfart: Et turbopropfly som ble produsert i 182 eksemplarer i perioden 1962-1974 i samarbeid med Fuji og Kawasaki.
Japan vedtok å anskaffe samme kampfly som Norge for snart fire år siden. Men der norsk industri må kjempe om hver kontrakt, skal japansk industri både bygge fly og motorer selv. De første skrogdelene til det første japanskbygde F-35-flyet er i ferd med å samles i Nagoya i disse dager.

Langt og slankt

MRJ kommer i to utgaver med henholdsvis 70 og 90 seter, fire i bredden, men hittil er det bare den største versjonen som er bestilt.
Mitsubishi tar sikte på at dette flyet kan steppe inn på ruter som i dag flys av 50-setere.  

 

 

Ifølge Mitsubishi hentet de inspirasjon fra det japanske sverdet da de designet MRJs langstrakte nese. Foto: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation

MRJ90 er 35,8 meter langt som til sammenligning er midt mellom en Airbus A319 og A320. MRJ har derimot en langt slankere kropp. Innvendig kabinbredde er 2,76 meter sammenlignet med 3,70 meter i A320-serien.
Maksimal avgangsvekt på MRJ90LR er 42,8 tonn. Dette er versjonen med den største rekkevidden: 1 780 nautiske mil (3 310 kilometer).

 

Kongsberg-komponenter

Under vingene på MRJ henger de nye girede turboviftemotorene fra Pratt & Whitney.
PW1200G er betegnelsen på MRJ-motoren som er de minst kraftige i familien med henholdsvis 15 og 17 000 pund skyvekraft, altså 67 og 76 kN.
Også disse lages i Japan, av Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aero Engines.
GKN Aerospace Norway på Kongsberg er underleverandør på motoren.

Et par norske komponenter finnes også på MRJ. De sitter inne i PW1200G-motorene. Foto: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation

– Vi produserer akslinger og «turbine exhaust case» (TEC) og er eneleverandør av disse delene, opplyser Robert Grepperud som er program- og markedsdirektør i selskapet.
PW1000G-serien benyttes også av Mitsubishis konkurrenter i dette segmentet, Embraer E-jet (andre generasjon) og Bombardier CSeries.
I tillegg er motortypen et av valgene på Airbus A320 Neo, som nå er i ferd med å settes i drift, samt den kommende Irkut MC-21.
 

Etablert i Seattle

Hittil har Mitsubishi fått inn 223 bestillinger på MRJ.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) er lanseringskunde på flytypen og skal etter planen motta det første flyet av 15 bestilte i andre kvartal 2017.
Den største kunden er amerikanske SkyWest som har bestilt 100 fly med opsjon på samme antall.
I sommer åpnet Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation et utviklingssenter i Seattle der det skal arbeide 100 amerikanske og 50 japanske ingeniører.
Seattle Engineering Center (SEC) får ansvaret for de kommende flytestene som skal foregå fra Grant County lufthavn i Moses Lake fra andre kvartal 2016.
PS. Mens Toyota er inne på eiersida i MRJ (10 prosent), så har også Honda et eget flyprosjekt.
Det vesle privatflyet Honda Jet fløy for første gang i fjor sommer.

Helicopter - NH90 with problems. Now in Australia - AIN News

 

Australian MRH-90 Helicopter Problems Aired

by Chris Pocock

 - October 22, 2015, 12:45 PM

Australia ordered a total of 46 MRH-90s in 2004-06, 40 to replace the Army’s S-70A Blackhawks, and six to replace the Navy’s Sea Kings.

The Australian Ministry of Defence (MoD) is still voicing concern about the capabilities and performance of its NHIndustries MRH-90 Taipan helicopter fleet, nearly eight years after it received the first pair. But a senior official from Airbus Group Asia Pacific (AGAP) said that a series of remedies are pending, or already in effect. The developments were reported by Asia-Pacific Aerospace Report, an Australian newsletter.

Australia ordered a total of 46 MRH-90s between 2004 and 06, 40 to replace the army’s S-70A Blackhawks, and six to replace the navy’s Sea Kings. Most were to be assembled in Australia at a facility in Brisbane that is now part of AGAP. Delivery delays and initial technical issues led the MoD to place the MRH-90 on its “projects of concern” watch list in late 2011. At that time, a government minister said that many of the issues were shared with other customers for the NH-90.

The senior management of NHI has since acknowledged that the NH-90 was slow to reach maturity, and has reported a new effort to improve availability for all customers. But Rear Admiral Terry Dalton, the Australian MoD’s head of helicopters, said last month that the time taken to overhaul components was a major problem. He also noted that some capabilities had yet to be introduced, such as separated side guns, a fast roping repelling system, and a cargo hook for operations at sea. Initial versions of the latter two items proved unsatisfactory.

Charles Crocombe, AGAP vice president for government helicopters, this month told a naval aviation symposium in Australia that 33 Taipans had now been delivered, and the fleet is exceeding the flight hour “rate of effort” set by the MoD. He said that the army would test the new fast roping system next month, and that a new cargo hook had been designed. Better seating for fully combat-equipped soldiers had also been designed. Corrosion issues were being addressed, and the rotor head would be modified.

Beluga XL - Curt Lewis

Beluga XL Design Frozen, Airbus Says


FRANKFURT-Airbus will likely operate two types of outsize cargo aircraft-the Beluga and Beluga XL-given rising narrowbody-production rates, the airframer says.

"We plan mixed-fleet operations for a minimum of five years," says Bertrand George, head of the Beluga XL program. He adds that "we will adjust to our needs over time" and a decision about if and when the current Beluga fleet will be phased out is not expected before 2019.

The A330-based Beluga XL is configured so that it can use the same infrastructure that currently exists or is in the process of being introduced for the A300-based Beluga fleet. One of the main features has been kept -full-horizontal cargo access, achieved by lowering the cockpit below the main-deck cargo floor level.

Airbus reached a first crucial milestone in the Beluga XL's five-year development by freezing design. The aircraft is based on the A330-200F, and will feature a 227-ton maximum take-off weight, 15 tons short of the heaviest A330 passenger version that is now in service with Delta Air Lines and SAS. At its maximum payload of 53 tons, the aircraft has a range of 2,200 nm.

Design freeze at aircraft level is followed by the detailed design phase, which will essentially be completed by the end of 2016.

After a competition that involved all three A330 engine manufacturers-Rolls-Royce, General Electric and Pratt & Whitney-Airbus has selected the Rolls-Royce Trent 700 as the sole powerplant for the five Beluga XLs currently expected to be built. Airbus also signed a total care package with Rolls-Royce for the new fleet.

The first Beluga XL will enter service in 2019, followed by the second unit in the same year. Three more are currently planned to be built and Airbus aims to deliver one per year for the next three years to operating unit Airbus Transport International (ATI).

But these plans are all subject to change, and hinge upon the manufacturer's actual transport requirements five years from now. Airbus is currently studying to raise single-aisle production from 50 aircraft per month-an output to be reached by early 2017-to 60 or more before 2020, due to the strong demand for the A320neo and long wait times for new orders. A decision is due before the end of 2015.

A350 rates are increasing, too. One variable is future output of the A330: Airbus is slowing down from 10 to six aircraft per month ahead of the transition to the A330neo, but hopes that it can return the program to earlier levels once production of the new type has been phased in.

Transport requirements for the A350 in particular triggered the launch of the Beluga XL, as the current A300-based Beluga can only transport one A350 wing at a time, but the XL can take two, effectively doubling capacity for this particular kind of shipset. The XL is six meters longer and one meter wider than the standard Beluga. It has a six-ton payload advantage.

However, should Airbus need more lift, it can extend the life of the Beluga fleet, which it currently plans to retire by 2025. The first of the five in-service aircraft started flying for Airbus in 1995, and four more were delivered in subsequent years.

F-35 med i øvelse Green Flag i USA - AW&ST

 

F-35 Unscathed by Hostile Fire in Green Flag

Jun 18, 2015Amy Butler | Aviation Week & Space Technology

 

Not a single F-35 was “shot down” during the joint-force Green Flag exercises testing the jet and its pilots’ prowess operating it in a contested air-support role in the Western U.S. this month, according to U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Cameron Dadgar, head of the exercise and leader of the 549th Combat Training Sqdn. at Nellis AFB, Nevada. This is notable because A-10s and F-16s were defeated in the same conditions, operating in an environment with hostile aircraft and air defence radars.

Oshkosh 2015 Highlights - UAS Vision

Oshkosh: AirVenture Highlights 21 July 2015

From a Beech Starship to a gleaming Ford Trimotor, from the F-22 to the PB4Y-2, here’s a look at a slice of the variety of AirVenture 2015 at Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

 

USAF bombefly nær en avgjørelse - AW&ST

USAF: Bomber Decision 'Really, Really Close'

Oct 21, 2015Bill Sweetman | Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

 

LRS-B concept: Boeing

 

 

 

 

 

 

Announcement of the Pentagon’s choice of a contractor to build the Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) is “really, really close,” U.S. Air Force assistant secretary for acquisition William LaPlante said at a Pentagon media briefing Oct. ...

ATC - NextGen USA update - AIN

Data Comm Remains on Track for Expansion Next Year

The FAA remains on track to deliver its new Data Communications (Data Comm) system to more than 50 ATC towers and Tracons next year, followed by the en route centers in 2019, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told attendees of an Aero Club meeting yesterday in Washington, D.C. The agency, which has been testing the system in Newark and Memphis for the past two years, expanded Data Comm to Salt Lake City in August and then to Houston last month. The trials in Newark and Memphis “are delivering great results,” Huerta added.  Considered a key part of the FAA’s NextGen efforts, Data Comm transitions pilot/controller communications from the current analog voice system to primarily digital text. “Data Comm promises to ease congestion on our frequencies and to reduce the potential for misunderstanding critical safety information,” he said. While the FAA expands Data Comm, Huerta noted a number of other key milestones the agency has reached as part of the NextGen efforts, including the deployment of the En Route Automation Modernization (Eram) in March and completion last year of the installation of 634 ground transceivers that make up ADS-B core technology. He also noted that the agency has implemented numerous new satellite procedures in Houston, Washington, D.C., and Northern California.

F-35 - Motorvedlikehold til Rygge - Moss Avis

                                               

AIM valgte Rygge

KREVENDE: Vedlikehold av for eksempel F35- motorene er en jobb for en spesialist. Det jobbes hardt for å få spesialistene til Rygge. (Foto: Terje Holm)    

            

Onsdag kveld var styret i AIM Norway samlet på Eggemoen utenfor Hønefoss for å avgjøre hvor deres videre satsing skal skje. 
Men først torsdag formiddag ble det offentliggjort at Rygge blir foretrukket fremfor konkurrenten.
- Dette har vi jobbet for i to år, sier en meget tilfreds Paulsrud som fra oljemesse i Stavanger kunne glede omgivelsene med at det høyteknologiske vedlikeholdsarbeidet knyttet til de nye F 35- flyene skal etableres på Rygge.

Fordeler og ulemper

I en pressemelding klokken 10 kunngjorde AIM Norways administrerende direktør, Ove Haukaassveen, hvorfor Rygge og ikke Eggemoen er det foretrukne alternativ.
Der heter det blant annet: Mange fordeler og ulemper med de alternative lokaliseringer ble vurdert. I hovedtrekk har Rygge militære flystasjon fordelen med nærheten til Forsvarets operative miljø og tilstedeværende teknisk infrastruktur, i tillegg fremkommer i Forsvarssjefens Fagmilitære Råd å samle ytterligere aktivitet her. På Eggemoen har man klart å samle et ledende innovativt høyteknologisk aerospacemiljø, med blant andre Tronrud Engineering, ProxDynamics, Norsk Titan med flere, som samlet ville utfylle og passe godt med AIM inn i fremtiden.
LES OGSÅ: Fornøyde etter AIM-samtaler

Intenst arbeid

AIM Norway SF ble i desember 2014 valgt som en av 3 kandidater av amerikanske myndigheter til å utføre europeisk vedlikehold på F35-motorene. Selskapet har i ettertid jobbet intenst med å forprosjektere og planlegge testcelle og produksjon for en optimal og effektiv drift, samt å sikre en lokasjon for fremtiden.
Etter at Skedsmo kommune ga et klart uttrykk for at denne type aktivitet i det aktuelle perspektivet ikke var ønsket i det lange løp på Kjeller, så har selskapet sett nærmere på Gardermoen, Eggemoen og Rygge som mulige kandidater. Endrede behov på Forsvarets side medførte at Gardermoen ikke ble ansett som relevant videre i prosessen.

Finansiering

Etter en helhetlig vurdering besluttet styret å legge fremtidig motorvedlikehold til Rygge militære flystasjon i overensstemmelse med prosjektgruppens innstilling. Selskapet vil heretter gå videre med det praktiske arbeidet, med blant annet å sikre en langvarig finansieringsløsning i samarbeid med Forsvarsdepartementet.
- Det er viktig å understreke at selskapets nåværende aktivitet fortsetter uendret på Kjeller ut levetiden for F-16 og Sea King. Videre ser vi for oss produksjon av haleflater til F-35 på Kjeller i enda lengre tid fremover, skriver selskapet.
At det nå satses på Rygge, vil bety at mer enn 100 høyt spesialiserte fagfolk vi drive en meget utfordrende virksomhet derfra.
- Dette er tidenes løft for regionen, sier Paulsrud.

Spenning

Også ordfører Inger-Lise Skartlien er lettet over meldingen hun fikk klokken 09.58 torsdag.
- Jeg er kjempeglad, sier hun, og legger ikke skjul på at det har vært en spennende morgen.
- Vi trodde at vi skulle få beskjed i går, så det var noen timer med spenning i går også. Men all logikk tilsier at de måtte informere eiere og ansatte først. I dag har jeg underholdt meg selv med kontorarbeid, sier hun til Moss Avis.
Skartlien mener avgjørelsen vil vær positiv for hele mosseregionen, med etablering av kompetansearbeidsplasser, kanskje nye innbyggere og økte skatteinntekter.
- Og det betyr mye for Rygge og kompetansemiljøet der.
I første omgang er det 50 arbeidsplasser som kommer til Rygge, men på sikt vil hele AIM flytte, og da vil det være snakk om et par hundre arbeidsplasser.
I ettermiddag skal det nye kommunestyret i Rygge konstituere seg, og Skartlien regner med at de fleste allerede kjenner til avgjørelsen.
- Men det blir en hyggelig melding å gi til de som ikke har fått det med seg, sier hun.

Ventet med å informere

– Styret er blitt enige om at våre lepper er lukket. Avgjørelsen vil bekjentgjøres torsdag klokken 10. Vi må ha en avsjekking med eierne og ansatte på Kjeller må informeres. Ting må skje i en viss rekkefølge, sa styreleder i AIM Norway, Jan Erik Korssjøen, til Ringerikets Blad onsdag kveld.
Han sa også at det var en vanskelig beslutning å ta.
Mens gleden er stor i mossedistriktet, er skuffelsen stor på Eggemoen:
– Vi er selvfølgelig skuffet over AIM-styrets beslutning om å velge Rygge fremfor Eggemoen. Nå det er sagt, er vi svært stolte over å ha vært vurdert som et så aktuelt og sterkt alternativ at Eggemoen var med helt til finalen i en kamp mot svært kjente og veletablerte Gardermoen og Rygge. AIM stod til slutt med to jevngode alternativer som begge oppfylte de behov og kriterier som AIM har for en etablering. Vi tapte finalen med knappest mulig margin i AIM-styret i går, ved at flertallet valgte nærhet til forsvarsmiljøet på Rygge til fordel for det industrielle miljøet på Eggemoen, skriver Tronrud Engineering i en pressemelding, ifølge Ringblad.no.

Ledende aktør

AIM (Aerospace industrial maintenance) eies av Forsvarsdepartementet, og har utviklet seg til å bli en ledende aktør innen reparasjon, testing og vedlikehold av høyteknologiske motorer for fly og helikoptre. Med på flyttelasset følger en stab av spesialutdannede fagarbeidere, ingeniører og kompetansepersonell.
AIM varslet for et par år siden behov mer plass. Selskapets ledelse tilkjennega et ønske om å etablere seg på Gardermoen, mens Eggemoen og den militære delen av Rygge var kun å betrakte som potensielle reserveløsninger.
LES OGSÅ: AIM Norway sikter seg inn på Rygge
En intakt og velfungerende infrastruktur samt at eventuell flyaktivitet ikke vil rammes av samme begrensninger som for eksempel på Gardermoen, har talt til Rygges fordel.
Hans Bjørn Paulsrud og ryggeordfører Inger-Lise Skartlien er blant dem som varmt har talt Rygges sak, og de har blant annet løftet frem den geografiske plasseringen med nærhet til europavei og havn.
Onsdag formiddag møtte de AIM-ledelsen for å redegjøre for fordelene på den militære delen av flyplassen.
- Vi har hatt gode samtaler med AIM Norway, sa en meget tilfreds ryggeordfører Inger-Lise Skartlien til Moss Avis etter møtet.
Fra Rygge gikk turen videre til presentasjon på Eggemoen, hvor også styremøtet til AIM ble avholdt.
LES OGSÅ: På Rygge kommer man til dekket bord

RYGGE-KONKURRENT: Eggemoen flyplass utenfor Hønefoss. (Foto: Birgitte Henriksen )

Center of gravity - What may happen if you don`t calculate correctly? - Curt Lewis

Improper cargo loading blamed in 2013 Soldotna air taxi crash that killed 10

National Transportation Safety Board investigators on the scene a plane crash in Soldotna in July 2013 that killed 10. The NTSB released a report Wednesday concluding that improperly loaded cargo was likely to blame for the crash.

An investigation into a July 2013 air taxi crash in Soldotna that killed all nine passengers and the pilot has concluded that issues with the weight and balance of cargo and baggage were directly to blame, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a new report released this week.

Inaction by the Federal Aviation Administration also contributed to the crash, the NTSB concluded. The FAA doesn't require documentation of the weight-and-balance configuration for air taxi and commuter services operating single-engine planes, even though it's a requirement for multi-engine aircraft. The NTSB has been urging the FAA to change that since 1989.

"It seems likely that if the FAA had taken the recommended action in the 26 years since the NTSB first recommended it, the accident in Soldotna would have been prevented," the NTSB said in an Aug. 21 safety recommendation to the FAA.

The flight, which crashed on takeoff July 7, 2013, was operated by Rediske Air Inc., an on-demand charter service based in Nikiski. The plane had too much weight in the rear, "which resulted in an uncontrollable nose-up pitch leading to an aerodynamic stall," said the report, posted on the NTSB website Tuesday and publicized on Wednesday.

Two families from Greenville, South Carolina, were killed when the plane went down seconds after takeoff. The two couples with five children between them were headed across Cook Inlet to Bear Mountain Lodge for an overnight trip that included bear watching. The 42-year-old pilot, Walter "Willie" Rediske, was an experienced airman, son of the air charter's founder and its co-owner when he was killed.

The NTSB put the direct cause of the crash on Rediske Air's failure to determine the actual weight of cargo, including groceries for the lodge, and properly load it onto the single-engine, turbine-powered de Havilland DHC-3 Otter. The plane ended up slightly overloaded but significantly off-balance, the NTSB said in its final report on the crash.

Because the cargo and passengers weren't weighed beforehand, the NTSB used a variety of means to figure weights. For instance, investigators went to the store where grocery items were bought and, using a receipt provided by the lodge, weighed the items.

"This was a very exhaustive, very labor-intensive investigation," said Clint Johnson, chief of the NTSB regional office in Alaska. The NTSB released about 400 pages of key documents in September 2014, including the results of several tests and studies, but only now is announcing its conclusions.

The flight load manifest listed the weight of the lodge's cargo at 300 pounds, but the NTSB investigation found it was more than double that.

In all, the NTSB estimated that the loaded Otter likely exceeded the 8,000-pound maximum weight by just 21 or so pounds. But the center of gravity was off by at least 5.5 inches -- and that was enough to doom the flight, under the NTSB's analysis. The NTSB couldn't determine where all the cargo and bags were placed.

The center of gravity on a plane is like the fulcrum on a teeter-totter. If there is a large child on one end and a small child on the other, the latter end will go up, Johnson said.

Key evidence came from a smartphone video shot during takeoff, which investigators used to determine the plane's angle and air speed. The video also revealed that the flaps were down, in the landing position. The improperly loaded plane would have crashed even with the flaps in the correct position, the report said.

Efforts to reach Rediske Air directly were unsuccessful. An Anchorage attorney representing the Rediske family group that owned the plane said that the NTSB report is inconclusive.

"Willie Rediske was a very, very fine pilot," said the attorney, Robert Richmond. "We are not aware of anything he did that was inappropriate."

The NTSB first recommended the FAA require weight-and-balance documentation for single-engine planes in 1989 and did so again 10 years later. In August, as a result of the Rediske crash, the NTSB once again pushed the FAA to act and it underscored the issue in the new investigative report.

The FAA provided a brief statement Wednesday.

"The FAA will evaluate the report to determine if we need to take any safety actions," the agency said in an emailed response to questions. "Further, we take NTSB recommendations very seriously and will respond to them within the required 90 days."

Rediske Air did not weigh the passengers or cargo, and it didn't add 10 pounds to each passenger's estimated weight, another approved method, the NTSB said.

"The NTSB's investigation found that the load manifest that was prepared for the accident flight was grossly inaccurate," the August NTSB safety recommendation said.

The operator also didn't perform balance calculations, the NTSB said.

Had an accurate manifest been required, "it would have been clear that the airplane was loaded beyond its operational limitations," the NTSB said in August.

The crash has generated a number of lawsuits in state and federal court, most of which were filed just before the two-year statute of limitations ran out and are in early stages.

Representatives of the passengers have sued Rediske Air, the family partnership and the pilot's estate, and, in a separate but parallel suit, sued Bear Mountain Lodge, the plane manufacturer and companies involved with converting the original Otter to a turbine plane. Among other issues, they claim defects in the plane. The pilot's estate -- represented by his sister, Lyla -- is suing, too, in a case that names the manufacturers, Bear Mountain Lodge and even the family partnership for which she's still the agent.

The NTSB investigation didn't name any manufacturing defect or maintenance issue as a factor in the Otter crash.

The Otter is considered a reliable and versatile plane for Alaska air taxi and commuter services and not one especially tricky to load correctly, said Paul Roderick, owner of Talkeetna Air Taxi, which has four Otters in its fleet.

A requirement for operators to document the weight and balance of each flight would mean extra paperwork but wouldn't be too burdensome, he said.

Before the fatal crash, the Bear Mountain Lodge owner had brought supplies to load onto the plane in Nikiski. The pilot then made the short flight to Soldotna to pick up the passengers.

Seconds after takeoff, the plane's nose pitched up and it stalled. Even when the pilot pushed the control column all the way forward, he couldn't bring the nose down, the NTSB found.

Russerne tester ut nye våpen i Syria - New York Times

Jeg sakset dette bildet fra avisen. Det er åpenbart at Su-34 Fullback er et formidabelt fly. Nå testes det ut i ait-to-ground rollen med forskjellige typer våpen. Den er bl.a. sett slippe laserstyrte glidebomber. Målene er som kjent i hovedsak opprørsstyrker. IS angripes av og til for syns skyld, kan det virke som. Et amerikansk angrep mot Assads styrker vil helt klart bli sett på som en krigserklæring fra Putins side. Spennende tider.

Widerøe overtar SAS` bakketjeneste - DN

Illustrasjonsfoto: Aleksander Nordahl

Næringsliv 

Luftfart

Widerøe overtar SAS' bakketjenester i Norge

Overtar medarbeidere, bygninger, utstyr og handlingkontrakter.

Kathinka Hartwig

Publisert: 22.10.2015 — 09:45 Oppdatert: 22.10.2015 — 09:46

SAS og Widerøe har signert en avtale som innebærer at Widerøe Ground Handling (WGH) overtar virksomheten til SAS Ground Handling (SGH) i hele Norge, bortsett fra på OSL fra 1. februar 2016, opplyses det i en melding torsdag.

Det innebærer at WHG overtar medarbeidere, bygninger, utstyr og handlingkontrakter på 14 flyplasser.

- Overtagelsen av SGH gjør Widerøe Ground Handling til Norges største aktør innenfor bakketjenester på norske flyplasser, sier styreformann Stein Nilsen i WHG.

Samtidig utnevnes det ny administrerende direktør i handlingselskapet til Widerøe, Widerøes assisterende driftsdirektør, Christian Skaug.

Det nye selskapet skal betjene både SAS, Widerøe og eksisterende kunder, men har også ambisjoner om å vokse på flyplassene de er etablert på. WGH har i høst inngått en avtale med Wizzair og KLM på Torp som en del av den strategiske satsingen på bakketjenester i Norge, heter det i meldingen.

Drone - Pakkelevering - Video - UAS Vision

FAA Authorises Tests for Workhorse’s Horsefly

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted a Certificate of Authorization (COA) to the Ohio/Indiana UAS Center and Test Complex, which will allow Workhorse Group and the University of Cincinnati to continue their joint development of Workhorse Group’s Horsefly parcel delivery drone.

The Horsefly tests will take place at the Wilmington Air Park in Wilmington, Ohio.

The Horsefly  is an unmanned aircraft system (UAS)  which is designed to fly to and from a standard delivery vehicle. The Horsefly UAS has eight rotors, giving it the name “octocopter”. It has a payload capacity of 10 pounds, and can achieve a maximum speed of 50 mph and a flight time of 30 minutes.

After taking off from the roof of the delivery vehicle, the Horsefly is designed to navigate to the desired delivery point autonomously, using GPS navigation.

In a statement issued yesterday (14 October), Steve Burns, CEO of Workhorse, commented: “Obtaining this authorization from the FAA is a vital step forward in making our HorseFly drone a practical component of our package delivery system by testing the drone’s unmanned flying capabilities. We believe the pairing of the HorseFly drone and the Workhorse electric vehicle may usher in a significant improvement in reducing emissions and improving the efficiency of the delivery process.”

Workhorse has teamed with UC via the University of Cincinnati’s Research Institute (UCRI) to develop all of the systems necessary to execute precision take-offs and landings on the top of a standard delivery truck in a variety of weather conditions and package weights.

Drone - South Korea shows its unmanned Little Bird - UAS Vision

Korean Air Displays Armed Unmanned Little Bird

Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD) has developed an armed and unmanned version of the MD 500 Little Bird light attack and observation helicopter that it showcased for the first time at the Seoul International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (ADEX) 2015.

Speaking to IHS Jane’s at the event on 20 October, the manager of Korean Air’s Research and Development Center at Daejon, Won Jin Kim, said the Korean Air Unmanned System – Vertical Helicopter (KUS-VH), as the platform is designated, is currently a one-of-a-kind demonstrator aircraft that the company has built for the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) to potentially field once development is complete.

“We have one prototype aircraft at the moment,” he said. “The customer is currently undefined, but we are expecting a request for proposals from the [Korean] army in late 2016/early 2017. We will sell the helicopter to the Korean military if they want it.”

The RoKA is thought to have 175 manned MD 500 helicopters still in service (130 MD 500s in the observation role and 45 BGM-71 TOW missile-equipped Defender platforms in the light attack role) that were licence-built for it in the 1970s by KAL-ASD. As the licence builder for the type, KAL-ASD has the proprietary knowledge and skill sets necessary to convert these ageing helicopters into unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Presently, the company has removed all of the manned systems from the prototype and is in the process of installing the unmanned systems. The aircraft displayed at ADEX was fitted with mock-up sensor and weapon systems. According to Kim, the helicopter should be ready to make its maiden unmanned flight sometime in 2016.

As noted by Kim, KAL-ASD’s unmanned Little Bird is different from the H-6U Unmanned Little Bird (ULB) developed in the United States by Boeing. “The Boeing helicopter is optionally manned, whereas we wanted to take the concept a step further and have it completely unmanned.

Russland benekter eierskap til russiskbygget drone skutt ned over Tyrkia - UAS Vision

Russia Denies Ownership of Downed Drone

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Oct. 19 that a drone shot down by the Turkish air force on Oct. 16 was made in Russia, the online newspaper Vzglyad reports. ”The downed drone is Russian-made,” Davutoglu told the A Haber television channel.

“But Russia has told us that it doesn’t belong to them. It may belong to the al-Assad regime, Syrian Kurds or other forces.”

The Russian Defense Ministry said as early as Oct. 16 that the Russian air force had suffered no losses.

Denis Fedutinov, a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) expert and the chief editor of the Russian website UAV.ru, does not rule out that the downed aircraft did belong to the Syrian army or Kurdish guerrillas.

“Russia has already delivered unmanned systems to Syria,” he told Vzglyad.

“In particular, it supplied Pchela drone systems, a rather old development dating back to the Soviet era. However, according to some reports, short-range Eleron-3 drones have also been supplied in recent years.

“Essentially, these two facts suggest that Moscow has experience of working with Damascus in the supply of such equipment. In principle, we cannot rule out the delivery of any other systems, too.”

He admitted that he still could not recognize the aircraft in the photograph released by the Turkish authorities.

“My colleagues and I carefully looked at the pictures. We have not seen such a system at any public events. I think it is an undisclosed development,” he said.

Drone over Syria - Reaper filmet fra russisk jagerfly - UAS Vision

Russian Pilot Films US Drone Over

Syria

A video released today by the Russian Defence Ministry that shows a Russian fighter’s close intercept of an American MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle flying over Syria.

The Russian video was released on the same day that the U.S. and Russia agreed to a memo of understanding providing for the safety of their pilots over the skies of Syria. It was included in a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry titled “Presence of different aircraft in the air space of Syria has increased recently” that highlighted the need for a flight safety agreement between the U.S. and Russia.

Both countries had been negotiating an agreement to minimize risky aerial encounters over Syria in the weeks since Russia began airstrikes in Syria that it claims have been targeting ISIS.

The video shows the view from inside the cockpit of a Russian aircraft fast approaching the Reaper drone from underneath its right wing. In a smooth pass, the Russian fighter passes along its left wing before backing away. The Russian pilot’s helmet is reflected on the cockpit canopy during the encounter.

While the agreement was being negotiated, the U.S. told its pilots to maintain a 20-mile distance from Russian aircraft over Syria. U.S. officials acknowledged several incidents where American fighters and drones flying over Syria had been intercepted by Russian aircraft at close distances, including two recent incidents in which Russian aircraft came within 1,500 feet and 500 feet of manned American aircraft.

There have also been an unspecified number of close encounters involving American drones that had been intercepted by Russian aircraft at close distances, U.S. officials said.

“Russian pilots often have a visual contact of flights not only of the US jets but also of UAVs, including strike ones in the sky over Syria,” said a statement released last week by the Russian Defense Ministry.

Peter Cook, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters that those kinds of encounters were the reason why the memo of understanding was necessary.

“Our air crews continue to fly in a professional fashion, and this agreement, now — this understanding — obligates the Russians to do the same, and we again, call on them to abide by the protocols that they have now agreed to,” Cook said.

Stephen Ganyard, ABC News’ aviation consultant, described the encounter shown on the Russian video as “a controlled intercept, very routine.”

“These are the kinds of intercepts that all fighter pilots practice,” he added.

A U.S. official said the agreement was signed on behalf of the United States by Gen. Lloyd Austin, the commander of U.S. Central Command. Per a Russian request, the text of the document is not being made public, U.S. officials said.

“The MOU includes specific safety protocols for air crews to follow,” Cook said, referring to a memorandum of understanding. “These protocols include maintaining professional airmanship at all times, the use of specific communication frequencies and the establishment of a communication line on the ground. The U.S. and Russia will form a working group to discuss any implementation issues that follow.”

A U.S. official told ABC News that the agreement does not specify a numerical distance, but only refers in the text to a “safe distance” between coalition and Russian aircraft over Syria.

The agreement also calls for an unspecified “line of communication” between the U.S. and Russia that Cook said would be used as a real-time backup that would become available “should communication in the air break down for some reason.”

Cook made it clear that the agreement does not mean that the U.S. is cooperating or supporting Russia’s military action in Syria. “In fact, far from it. We continue to believe that Russia’s strategy in Syria is counterproductive and their support for the Assad regime will only make Syria’s civil war worse,” Cook said.

Surely, the Russian side was seeking agreement that is more substantial, the Russian Defense Ministry said, noting that is why a number of specific proposals aimed at deepening military cooperation between Russian and U.S. militaries in countering international terrorism was put forward.