Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Only in Calif: Kawasaki helo takes bullet on landing


The FAA is reporting that a Kawasaki Vertol KV107 helicopter
(built by Kawasaki under license from Boeing) was fired upon as
it landed in the vicinity of Twain Harte, a California city in the central
Sierra Nevada mountains, on September 15. The helo was being
used in a logging operation by Oregon-based, Columbia Helicopters.

According to the FAA report, N192CH "during a logging operation,
was shot at; on landing, a bullet was discovered near the center
of the tail section."

A spokesman for Columbia tells me that the incident occurred on the first day
of hunting season in the area. Pilots, after hearing the impact and being radioed
by the ground crew that they had heard shooting, decided to land. The bullet traveled
completely through the tail, so no evidence is available as to what kind of gun
it came from. "We've never had this situation before," says the spokesman. He suggests the pop-shot was probably a mistake and not the effort of anti-logging activists.

If that's the case, the hunter involved may want to see his or her eye doctor.

(Photo, of N192CH in happier times, is courtesy of Columbia Helicopters)

Friday, September 14, 2007

FlexJet's Learjet 60XR: What's wrong with this pic?


Bombardier Aerospace's fractional ownership arm, Flexjet, has taken delivery of its very first Learjet 60XRs, a new and improved version of the venerable Learjet 60.

It's a momentous occasion no doubt, but something funky's going on with the picture that was included with the press release.

Not the odd colours mind you, those showed up when I pasted the picture in. Its more that the pilots look too big, and a bit baffled by being made the focus of a press release, as any self-respecting pilots would. Even stranger, check out how their shadows fall one way while the Learjet 60XR's goes the other way. Weird.

Maybe Bombardier exists in a different universe, one with two suns...

Hawker Hunter working for Embraer in Brazil



Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, Embraer, uses a Hawker Hunter as a chase plane. These pictures were taken in early August as the Hunter helped keep track of Embraer's newest executive jet entrant, the Phenom 100 Very Light Jet.






Thursday, September 13, 2007

Is a FREE FLIGHT in a new CIRRUS really FREE?




Ok. After receiving a glossy advertisement mag called the Aircraft Owner montly buyers guide in the snail mail yesterday, the third one in as many months, I've finally succumbed to the generous offer on the cover....


John, (how did they know my name?)

Cirrus wants to take you flying! For a complimentary demo flight in an new Cirrus (the grammatical error is theirs, not mine), simply return the personalized invitation reply card on page 11. We will contact you to arrange your flight.


That's it. I'm filling it in today and mailing it back to my new friends. For some reason they want to know, "How soon are you planning to purchase your next aircraft?" To which I'll answer, "12+ months", as opposed to 1-3 months, or 3-6 months, or 6-12 months. I'm a journalist. I'll have to save up a bit (like 20 years)....

Wednesday, September 12, 2007


Here's the Embraer Phenom 100 during a recent test flight in Brazil.....