| Group restores classic airplane at Rubidoux airport
RUBIDOUX - When Flabob Airport pilots first laid eyes on the grounded DC-3 at Chino Airport in 2003, it was a far cry from the proud World War II-era airplane that had ferried a prime minister and a future queen of England. Her windows were permanently fogged over, a wing tip was crushed, and her motor was gritty and clogged by years of disuse. "The DC-3 is the plane that made commercial aviation viable. It was the backbone of the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II," said Jon Goldenbaum, a Vietnam War fighter pilot and retired commercial pilot. "It deserved better than this," he said. Goldenbaum and restoration companions Travis Gammill and Ken Brown said they saw tremendous possibilities in the grounded bird with the broken wing.
Funding row threatens to ground trainee pilots
More than 40 trainee pilots may never gain their wings after a Government decision to cut funding for their course. Helicopter pilot Andy Mott had been looking forward to flying after five months grounded by a broken leg. But on February 1, less than a week before he was due to begin training for his commercial licence, he learned Government funding for his course in Tauranga had been severed. Mr Mott is one of more than 40 pilots and prospective pilots in the North Island facing the possibility of not finishing or gaining qualifications because of a funding wrangle between private flight training provider Quantum Aviation and the Tertiary Education Commission. Mr Mott and the other pilots had applied for student loans through Quantum Aviation, which operates flight schools in Kerikeri and Whangarei, and sub-contracts to other providers in Auckland and Tauranga.
Barksdale AFB lands energy initiatives program
WASHINGTON - Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City has been named as one of two test bases in the nation for the Air Force's new energy initiatives pilot test program.“It's a good indication of Barksdale's place in our military hierarchy, not only in overseas combat, but also here at home," said U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery, whose congressional district includes both Barksdale and Fort Polk near Leesville.The program will look into fuel efficiencies and the introduction of alternative fuels in the bases' ground vehicle fleets and in aviation operations. It will evaluate ways to improve aviation fuel efficiencies by looking at flight planning, reducing excess weight and other initiatives. Best practices from the two energy pilot bases will be shared across the entire Air Force. .
Hill Air Force Base: Turbulence ahead for jet fighter
WASHINGTON - Major challenges lie ahead for the Joint Strike Fighter, the next-generation jet fighter expected to be key to the future of Hill Air Force Base, a report to Congress said Thursday.
While the Pentagon has already begun purchasing the planes , questions remain about the design, manufacturing and time frame for production, the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm, reported.
As a result, there is a "very significant risk" that the program, already saddled with a ballooning price and delays, could experience further cost increases and more missed deadlines, the GAO said. More problems could arise as the fighter is flight-tested.
Despite the hurdles for the fighter, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, says the Pentagon should remain committed to the program so the military has the technology "critical to our entire national defense."
"Whenever the next level of military hardware or technology is developed, there are going to be challenges.
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