United flight cancelled over upset pilot and his hat

A United flight from Salt Lake City to Denver was cancelled yesterday after one of the pilots announced to the passengers that he was too upset to fly. One of the passengers told USA Today that the pilot may have been involved in a labor-related dispute at the gate area just moments before passenger boarding. Apparently the pilot was confronted by other United pilots about him wearing his hat in public. It turns out the pilots of United that belong to the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA)have been not wearing their uniform hats recently in a protest to management over their labor agreement. The hat-wearing pilot was later overheard in a heated cellphone conversation where he said "he was going to complain to the union." Not too long after the passengers took their seats aboard flight 416 the pilot made an announcement over the aircraft's PA that was paraphrased by the witness as this:

"some of you may have witnessed an incident I was involved in at the gate. I'm not going to go into the details, but it was an interpersonal confrontation that upset me significantly to the point where I'm not focused enough to fly you to Denver. I feel like I may not be calmed and focused enough to fly to Denver for another hour."

Of course a collective groan went up from the cabin after that word. United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski told USA Today that the flight was indeed cancelled due to "internal company procedures designed to ensure flight crews are prepared to fly." All of the passengers were accommodated by the airline in some form. No word on whether or not he's still wearing his hat.

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NASA shelves science, uses reasoning to discover ice on Mars

There are a lot of real happy scientists out there today after NASA announced they have officially discovered ice on Mars with their Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft. The whole purpose of the Phoenix mission was to find ice, and hopefully organic life in the ice, which NASA is one step closer to today. So just exactly how do you determine if you've discovered ice on another planet? Forget fancy experiments and tests. All you have to do is take a picture of the ground one day, then do it again four days later, and see if anything has changed. That's what NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) did when examining the silvery looking substance in the bottom of the trench dug by Phoenix's robotic arm as seen in the picture. They show more of the substance on the left photo than in the right which was taken four days later from the same trench, referred to informally as "Dodo-Goldilocks". NASA scientists believe the substance is ice that has vaporized through the process of sublimation because the stuff obviously didn't get up and walk away on its own. Cheers to you, NASA! I hope you have the same luck finding organic life on Mars , unless they turn out to be evil Martian aliens.

Photo: NASA

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Hi-Res Mars and Space Photos

This isn't much of a story, however, I have discovered this great blog called "The Big Picture" and there are some amazing photos within this blog. A few of them are even Pointniner material. One is of Mars and the other post is of pictures from the recent NASA shuttle mission. See the respective links below and check them out.

Mars: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/06/martian_skies.html
Shuttle: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/06/the_sky_from_above.html

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787 Goes "Power-on" Successfully

EVERETT, Wash., June 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) has completed the Power On sequence for the first 787 Dreamliner, marking the completion of the next major milestone on the path to first flight later this year.

Power On is a complex series of tasks and tests that bring electrical power onto the airplane and begin to exercise the use of the electrical systems. The 787 is a more-electric airplane with the pneumatic, or bleed air, system being totally replaced by electronics.

"The team has made great progress in bringing the bold innovation of the 787 to reality," said Pat Shanahan, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. "There is plenty of work to be done between now and first flight, but with every step forward we grow more and more confident."

The Power On sequence began in early June with a series of pretest continuity checks to verify that the wiring installed in the airplane had been connected properly. Upon completion of those checks, the Boeing team plugged in an external power cart and slowly began to bring full power into each segment of the system, beginning with the flight deck displays. From that point forward, the pilot's controls were used to direct the addition of new systems to the power grid.

Note: the word "delay" is not found in the above press release. Congrats Boeing.



Photos: Boeing

Edited 2130Z to include photos.

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Woman charged for punching flight attendant on JetBlue flight

Elizabeth Szele, 35, of Woodside, N.Y. was charged today in a US District Court in Denver for punching a flight attendant on a JetBlue flight from New York to San Fransisco according to the Denver Post. The flight ended up diverting to Denver due to the escalating disturbance on board. Szele (pictured below) was apparently smoking on the flight and refused to put out her cigarette at the flight attendant's order. A report of the incident says Szele yelled obscenities and racial slurs at one of the flight attendants (a black male) when confronted. The flight attendants attempted to restrain her in her seat with plastic cuffs, but Szele was able to break free and subsequently punched one of the flight attendants in the face. The flight crew was finally able to restrain her a second time. She could face 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for interfering with a flight crew and a maximum 6 months in prison with a $10,000 fine for assault. Of course, not suprising, Szele doesn't remember a thing because she was all boozed up. The Daily News interviewd Szele's roomate who stated, "When she drinks vodka, she gets violent."

(Come on, you know you'd expect this from her.)

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Tron Guy buys sweet Tron Plane

Tron Guy, also known as Jay Maynard in the real world, recently purchased a $140,000 AMD-Zodiac Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) painted in a scheme to match his uber-sweet Tron Guy outfit. You may have seen Tron Guy on Jimmie Kimmel Live or other TV cameo appearances sporting his babe attracting costume from the 80's sci-fi movie, Tron. According to Wired, Maynard has been wanting to purchase a plane since he got his private pilot's liscense 20 years ago. His exacting specifications for his airplane included custom graphics and paint to match his home-made electroluminescent bodysuit.

Watch out, ladies. Tron Guy is in the sky and he's got you in his eye.

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Space weddings on the horizon? (pun intended)

This one's from the boys over at Gizmodo. For those thrill seekers who refuse to accept a traditional wedding ceremony, it appears they may be getting another option besides leaping from an airplane. Japanese wedding planner First Advantage will start selling tickets starting in 2011 for brides and grooms to tie the knot on a 1 hour long suborbital space flight. The company is teaming up with commercial spaceflight upstart company Rocketplane to use their (yet to be built) Rocketplane XP (not to be confused with Rocketplane Vista) to launch the soon-to-be newlyweds up 62.1 miles into space at a meager fee of only $2.2 million. If that seems a bit too rich for your blood, don't worry it comes as part of a package that includes a reception on the ground, a live broadcast, 4 days of rehearsal and even a space wedding dress. I hope they don't mean this:



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PointNiner a featured site on "Thirty Thousand Feet"

Not sure when this happened, but I just saw it and was thrilled. I guess PointNiner was named a featured site on the online aviation directory, thirtythousandfeet.com recently. Thanks, whoever you are. We hope you (and everyone else who visits) enjoy this blog as much as we enjoy doing it. To show our appreciation, we've added a graphical link back to Thirty Thousand Feet on the sidebar. Check it out when you get a chance. It's absolutely loaded with links to everything aviation related.

Continuing to satisfy that unnatural infatuation,

Aaron & Steve

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GAO tells Air Force, "not so fast" on new tanker

Of course we always knew it was never really over. In a big victory for Boeing today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) sustained a bid protest by the Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer over the Pentagon's decision to select the Northrop Grumman/EADS proposal for the KC-X tanker replacement program. The GAO press release states "the Air Force had made a number of significant errors that could have affected the outcome of what was a close competition between Boeing and Northrop Grumman". As if this project has been drawn out enough, the GAO is now proposing the Air Force "reopen discussions with the offerors,obtain revised proposals, re-evaluate the revised proposals, and make a new source selection decision." So instead of preparing to receive their 179 Northrop Grumman KC-45A's to partially replace the fleet of venerable KC-135's, it looks like the Air Force may be back to the drawing board on this one. Of course this decision has thrilled Boeing, who still hopes to supply the Air Force with its 767 based aerial refueler. Northrop Grumman, on the other hand, is still confident they will be producing the Air Force's next tanker, even with the re-evaluation. Round and round we go! I hope those mechanics can keep the 135's together at least another year longer than they were expecting.

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Cessna takes off from Interstate 95

So what do you do when there's no runway around to takeoff on? Make one yourself. And any old road will do just fine, such as Interstate 95 in Volusia County, Florida. That's exactly what this pilot did today after his Cessna 152 made an emergency landing on the interstate earlier in the day. Adrian Thompson came to the scene after a flight instructor and student forced a landing on the median when their engine failed. Thompson was able to make a repair at the site and receive FAA and local authorities' blessings to takeoff right on the freeway. I like how he merges right behind the semi. I guessing the camera was mounted on an overpass, which Thompson barely manages to clear.

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First Spartan for the US Army takes to the skies

Alenia Aeronautica took the first C-27J destined for the US Army up on its first flight today from their facility in Turin, Italy. This C-27J Spartan will be the first in a contract order of 78 Spartans under the Defense Department's Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program to supply a light tactical logistical support aircraft for the Army and Air Force. The 40 minute flight was just a small step towards conducting a 70 hour flight test program. The first Spartan is intended to join the Army's fleet by September of this year. By 2010, all C-27Js built for the US will be assembled in Jacksonville, Florida with outfitting conducted at L-3's facility in Waco, Texas. The Spartan team of Alenia and L-3 took a turn for the unusual recently when Boeing decided to drop its partnership in the deal.

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Animals shut down runway in New Delhi

Flights in and out of the New Delhi Airport in India were delayed yesterday after one of the runways became a temporary habitat for numerous lizards, birds, and jackals attempting to seek dry ground during the monsoon season. Animal rescuers were called in to round up the critters, but the effort took several hours and forced the delays of dozens of flights. Heavy rains over the last couple of days forced the animals to the airport runways where there is typically dry ground. Most of the animals were residents of the airport that fled their flooded burrows for the higher runways. The 2,000 acre airport has typically been the home to numerous jackals, porcupines, dogs, cats, and birds. An airport spokesperson explained that this is a fairly common occurrence during the monsoon season.

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Not everyone thrilled about TSA's new uniform

Remember that new uniform the TSA screeners are getting? Well they're being rolled out now and it seems that not everyone thinks its such a great idea. According to an article by USA Today an item of that uniform of particular contention is the new metal badge replacing the old uniform's embroidered badge. It seems as though airport police, the other toters of metal badges at airports, aren't too happy with TSA's new look. One of the reasons for the new uniforms, according to TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe is that "Some of our officers aren't respected". Well, that's nothing a shiny metal badge can't fix, right? One big problem seen by airport police is that unsuspecting travellers will go to TSA screeners for criminal or law enforcement matters according to Duane McGray of the Airport Law Enforcement Agencies Network, an airport police association. The real sworn law enforcement officers with firearms and arrest powers are not thrilled according to McGray who says they "It's another way of saying (to airport police), you're not important." Both the TSA and the Airport Law Enforcement Agencies Network admit there will be some growing pains with these new uniforms (and badges). Sounds like a battle of the power trips coming on here.

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V-STAR the "Humvee of the Air"?

Frontline Aerospace of Broomfield, CO announced recently that they are developing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with the versatility of an SUV. The VTOL-Swift Tactical Aerial Resource, or V-STAR is capable of aerial surveillance and targeting, attack, and even transporting supplies to combat soldiers. Frontline CEO, Ryan Wood, has dubbed it the "Humvee of the Air". I'll let you decide if that's a good thing or not. The most interesting feature of the V-STAR is its unique twin ducted fans that provide both lift and thrust, giving it Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) capability with the speed of a conventional propeller driven UAV. Frontline says it's strength lies in its payload being balanced on its central ducted fan, which is also its center of gravity. Wood sees the V-STAR delivering food and water to troops one minute, then converted to attack the enemy the next. No word on any customers yet.



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Stunt pilot pushes helo a little too hard (into the ground)

Dennis Kenyon has made a career out of crazy stunt flying. He also nearly killed himself doing just that on Friday when his Schweizer-Hughes 300 dug a hole in the ground with Kenyon at the controls during a performance at the Utah Rotorcraft Association Fly In in Cedar Valley. Kenyon was attempting a "wing-over" with either too much speed or not enough altitude when he crashed his tiny helicopter into the West Desert Airpark dirt infield. Suffering only minor injuries including bleeding from the head, the veteran stunt pilot is reconsidering early retirement.

Video is a little long with the good stuff only in the last 20 seconds.

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NASA's new space suits (codpiece included!)

NASA announced recently that they have awarded a contract to Oceaneering International Inc. of Houston to manufacture it's next space suits to be used on the Constellation Program. The program is requiring two different suits for two distinct purposes. The first suit, Configuration One (white-suit), will be used on Orion missions to "support dynamic events such as launch and landing operations; contingency intravehicular activity (IVA) during critical mission events; off-nominal events such as loss of pressurization of the Orion crew compartment; and microgravity EVAs for contingency operations." The second suit, Configuration Two (blue-suit) will support operations on the surface of the moon. This suit simply adds components to the Configuration One suit to make it "Moon mobile". Configuration One will have to be ready by the time manned Orion missions start in 2015, and Configuration Two will need to be ready for astronauts to walk on the Moon by 2020. That's funny to say, "astronauts walking on the Moon".

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New 787 cockpit shots from Flightblogger

Can I have this guy's job? Flightblogger has posted up some brand new 787 shots from the Spirit Aerosystems plant in Wichita. These show an entirely complete 787 flight deck. Do the airlines get excited to remove all the plastic coverings from their planes, like I get excited to do with my new toys? The bottom shot shows Dreamliner 4, 5, 6, and 7 forward fuselage sections lined up being prepped for the trip to Everett, WA. Now if he can somehow get a shot of the flight deck after the power on tests of Dreamliner 1 at Boeing. I'd love to see one of these babies all lit up.






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Foldable plane would make James Bond jealous

Finally, they have made a Swiss Army Knife that can fly. Well, not really. But the new ICON A5 Light Sport Airplane (LSA) is definitely the sexiest little plane I've seen in a while. Who wouldn't want something that looks like this? And it really flies to boot! This little guy can cruise up to 138 mph and even includes a deployable recovery parachute. Of course, if you choose to land it in the conventional manner (non-crashing), just fold the wings up and stick it in your garage.

Oh, did I tell you if you can't find a runway it can land on water too?



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New system gets pilots home on 1 wing and a prayer

Ever wonder what would happen to you if one of your wings broke off in flight? Perhaps you're prone to having wings blown off by enemy missles. No need to worry about that problem any more. Rockwell Collins is introducing a new automated system that makes use of an aircraft's inertial navigation system and GPS to automatically stabilize a damaged aircraft and bring it back safely for landing. The company recently tested its new damage tolerance system on a scale model of an F-18 with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and had amazing results. During the test flight, over half of one of the aircraft's wings is jettisoned. Amazingly, the on board computer regains control of the aircraft and lands it automatically. Rockwell Collins is promoting this new system for both UAVs and manned aircraft. The later especially due to the human nature to over react in emergency situations and perhaps the fatal flaw of providing too much control input. Damage tolerance, could potentially solve that problem.

To see an amazing video of the test, CLICK HERE.

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Camera captures tragic Panamanian helo crash

A CCTV camera in Panama City captured this amazing footage of the last few seconds of an ill-fated helicopter as it crashes onto the rooftop of a building. The helicopter, known only as SAN-100, was destroyed and sadly 12 of the 13 souls on board perished. Half of the passengers were Chilean federal police officers and the other half were Panamanian federal police officers.

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First STOVL F-35 makes first flight

History was made today when the world's first production aircraft that combines stealth, supersonic speed, and STOVL capabilities made its first flight in Fort Worth today. The Lockheed Martin F-35B piloted by Graham Tomlinson made a conventional takeoff and landing today, but the first production F-35B (known as BF-1) will make the transition to short takeoffs, hovers, and vertical landings next year as it becomes the second F-35 to join the test fleet. The first, an F-35A, has only conventional takeoff capabilities as required by its main customer, the US Air Force. The F-35B, will make full use of its Short TakeOff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) abilities when it enters service with the United States Marine Corp, and both the United Kingdom's and Italy's Air Force and Navy forces. The flight took place only a few weeks after the aircraft successfully completed its first hover pit test. Although it was only a 45 minute flight, it was a huge milestone for the advance war fighter that is scheduled to enter service with the Marines in 2012.

For a little more information on how this bad boy will hover, check out what Lockheed is saying about it:

Though nearly identical in appearance to the F-35A, the F-35B incorporates a counter-rotating shaft-driven lift fan positioned directly behind the cockpit. The lift fan, produced by Rolls-Royce, is turned by a drive shaft from the F-35’s massively powerful single engine, which features a swiveling rear exhaust nozzle that vectors thrust downward during vertical flight. The lift fan, engine and stabilizing roll ducts beneath the F-35B’s wings combine to produce 40,000 pounds of lifting force. Converting the F-35B from STOVL to conventional flight and vice-versa requires only the push of a button by the pilot.

Where can I get one?

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Pilot and Flight Attendant fined for drunken crazy naked woodland romp

So, what do airline crews do for fun on an average Wednesday night? That would be a good question to ask pilot Jeffrey Bradford and flight attendant Adrianna Connor, both of Pinnacle Airlines. That is because the two (pictured) just received $300 fines each for their little escapade on May 28th. Apparently these two decided to take their crew rest time in Harrisburg, PA to run off in the woods and get jiggy with it. Police were tipped off by neighbors that they had seen an intoxicated woman and a naked man in a wooded area just after the two left a diner in Harrisburg. A police helicopter was used to find the two using infrared technology. The best part? When Bradford was found by local law enforcement, he was hiding behind a shed wearing only a pair of flip flops and a wrist watch. You couldn't write this stuff if you tried.

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WhiteKnightTwo rollout in July, 1st flight in September, money in Branson's pocket

The Rocket Scientists (pun intended) over at Scaled Composites have announced that WhiteKnightTwo, the planned mothership of SpaceShipTwo, should be rolled out late next month in a public ceremony. The 100% composite successor to the original WhiteKnight could take to the skies by September. The incredible design of WhiteKnightTwo was one of the first posts on PointNiner and I've been quite interested to see where Scaled and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic take it. More than just a tug boat for SpaceShip2, WhiteKnightTwo is being heralded by company execs as an "open architecture" platform. Will Whitehorn, Scaled's President says, "WhiteKnightTwo is the world's most advanced payload carrier. It has the best fuel efficiency of any aircraft ever built in history." Some proposed applications for the twin boom fuselage include zero-G training, aerial firefighting, and even the tossing of micro-satellites into orbit. Of course, the main purpose in this aircraft's life is to haul SpaceShipTwo and her passengers up for their $200,000 a pop jaunt into sub-orbital space.

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B-2 crash videos released by Air Force

Remember that B-2 Stealth Bomber that crashed on takeoff from Anderson AFB in Guam back in February? Well the Air Force has finally released two videos that were taken of the incident. Keep in mind that the B-2 that crashed was #2 in a 2 ship formation, so you'll see the lead ship takeoff first before the "mishap" bomber crashes.

This first video was taken from a security camera being remotely operated and has no sound.



This second video was taken at ground level by an airman on the flight line. Again, no sound.



The Air Force has also released information on what they believe led to the $1.4 billion loss of the B-2. Moisture contamination on the fly-by-wire B-2’s air data sensors is suspected of leading to the onboard computer thinking the aircraft was pointed downward on takeoff roll and moving about 10-12 knots faster than its actual speed. This resulted in the bomber rotating way too soon and subsequently stalling before rolling to the port side and impacting the ground. Luckily, both crewmembers ejected from the aircraft and survived although one sustained a compressed spinal fracture from the ejection, though he is expected to recover fully. This particular accident is being referred to as the single most expensive aviation accident ever.

(Editor's note: Updated to include 2nd video at 18:30Z)

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Another low pass, prop-style

Not to be outdone by the F-16 video from a few days ago, this beast attempts the same thing. It's either an Antonov 24 or 26 (my Soviet guidebook is in my other pants) but these guys know how to get awfully low.

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Navy gets 1st Growler, enemy radar operators mess their pants

The US Naval Fleet received it's first EA-18G Growler aircraft today at a ceremony at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington. While the Navy had been testing the Growler in recent years, this aircraft will be the first to gain operational capability now that it has joined the U.S. Navy's Electronic Attack Squadron, (VAQ) 129. The Vikings of VAQ 129 have been operating the Growler's predecessor, the EA-6B Prowler, since 1971 with the Fleet Readiness Squadron at NAS Whidbey Island, which is home port for all airborne electronic attack aircraft in the Navy.

So what's so great about the Growler (other than a sweet name)? This next-gen aircraft leans on the airframe of the combat-proven F/A-18F Super Hornet to build the world's most capable airborne electronic attack aircraft with the equipment, advanced weapons, sensors and communications to totally obliterate enemy air defenses. The team of Boeing and Northrop Grumman have done a fabulous job creating this next great electronic attack system. The Vikings of VAQ 129 should be getting the first 5 fleet Growlers, which I'm looking forward to seeing on the deck of a carrier ready to strike around the world. Some poor soul manning an air defense scope is going to regret painting this bad boy with radar. Of course, it will all be over before he knows it.

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F-16 EXTREMELY low pass

WARNING: Do not try this at home!

This is what happens when you spend too much time in the desert. Not only low, but quite close to the cameraman and his buddies.

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Italian helo crashes into lake

Unfortunately, these days air shows and crashes seem to go hand in hand. This particular accident happened on Sunday at the Bracciano Lake in Italy in front of the Italian Air Force Museum, at Vigna di Valle airport. Sadly, Cap Filippo Fornassi of 1 Gr Sq of the Italian Army based in Viterbo last his life. The 2 other individuals on board the NH-90 helicopter were severly injured, but rescued. It looks like they were coming out of some sort of a loop when the helo got a little too close to the water.

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"Pistol pendant causes airport holdup"

That's how the brilliant title read in the Toronto Star after a woman was forced to remove her pendant shaped like a Colt .45 handgun at the security checkpoint in the Kelowna, B.C. airport. The Canadian Air Transport Authority (CATSA) officials felt the pendant posed a security risk to the other passengers on her WestJet flight. Marnina Norys, the 39-year-old PhD student owner of the pendant explained to the Star that the 5-centimetre pendant, with no bullets or moving parts was not actually a miniature handgun. That story obviously didn't fly with CATSA (pun intended). After the tiny pistol was thoroughly inspected by security screeners, Norys was forced to place the pendant in her checked baggage, or miss her flight. Since the incident, Norys has received a letter of apology from Dave Smith, director of screening operations with CATSA, that stated, "In retrospect, your revolver-shaped pendant is not a threat and should have been allowed on board the aircraft." Now, about that bump under your eye...

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Phoenix starts digging up Mars

The Phoenix Mars lander finally got its first scoop of Martian dirt yesterday. The image above was taken as a closeup of the scoop of dirt and was illuminated with LEDs. The tiny white particles are suspected to be either ice or salt. The bottom photo shows where the dirt was removed, an area referred to as "the Knave of Hearts." NASA should have Phoenix begin running tests on the dirt soon to determine composition. If only I could get one that scoops up dog poop.



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