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• Contracts for January 03, 2013
• Today in the Department of Defense, 1/4/2013
• Parents Honor Son's Memory Through Camp Hope
• Obama Signs $633 Billion Defense Authorization Act
• General Officer Assignments
• Senate Confirms Clarke as Air National Guard Chief
• Security Force Arrests Taliban Leader in Kandahar Province
• Face of Defense: Germany-based Soldiers Rescue Family
• Resolve: Lose Weight in 2013
• Propwash

Contracts for January 03, 2013 Posted: 03 Jan 2013 02:12 PM PST You are subscribed to Contract Announcements for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Contracts for January 03, 2013 01/03/2013 04:01 PM CST FOR RELEASE AT 5 p.m. ET No. 005-13 January 03, 2013 CONTRACTS ARMY             Analytical Services Inc., Huntsville, Ala., (W9113M-13-D-0001); COLSA Corp., Huntsville, Ala., (W9113M-13-D-0002); Engineering Research and Consulting Inc., Huntsville, Ala., (W9113M-13-D-0004); DMD, Huntsville, Ala., (W9113M-13-D-0003); Quantum Research International Inc., Huntsville, Ala., (W9113M-13-D-0005); Radiance Technologies Inc., Huntsville, Ala., (W9113M-13-D-0006); Sigmatech Inc., Huntsville, Ala., (W9113M-13-D-0007); System Studies and Simulation Inc., Huntsville, Ala., (W9113M-13-D-0008); and Warfighter Solutions L.L.C., Huntsville, Ala., (W9113M-13-D-0009); were awarded a $997,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee, multiple-award-task-order contract between nine contractors. The award will provide for the systems engineering and technical assistance services in support of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. Work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 20, 2017. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 11 bids received. The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity.              Lockheed Martin, Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $755,134,781 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of PATRIOT Advanced Capability-3, which includes support for Foreign Military Sales, and related services. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie; Lufkin, Texas; Camden, Ark.; Chelmsford, Mass.; and Ocala, Fla.; with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2015. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-13-C-0068).              AeroVironment Inc., Monrovia, Calif., (W911QY-13-D-0073); Altavian, Gainesville, Fla., (W911QY-13-D-0074); Elbit Systems of America LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, (W911QY-13-D-0075); Innovative Automation Technologies LLC, Gainesville, Fla., (W911QY-13-D-0076); and Lockheed Martin Corporation, Owego, N.Y., (W911QY-13-D-0077); were awarded a $248,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract between five contractors. The award will provide for the manufacturing, testing, packaging, marking, storage and shipping services. Work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 20, 2017. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with five bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Natick, Mass., is the contracting activity.             BAE, Wayne, N.J., was awarded a $226,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of components, repairs, maintenance and services in support of the Doppler GPS Navigation Sets. Work will be performed in Wayne, N.J., and Austin, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 1, 2017. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-13-D-E013).              Day and Zimmerman Lone Star L.L.C., Camden, Ark., (W52P1J-13-D-0013); American Ordnance LLC, Middletown, Iowa, (W52P1J-13-D-0014); and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, Marion, Ill., (W52P1J-13-D-0015); were awarded a $209,400,000 firm-fixed-price contract between three contractors. The award will provide for the procurement of 60mm, 81mm and 120mm Load Assemble Pack Propelling Charges and Complete Inert Models. Work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 21, 2017. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with five bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity.              Lockheed Martin Corp., Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $197,604,608 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of existing contract to procure Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System unitary rockets. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie; Lufkin, Texas; Camden, Ark.; and Ocala, Fla.; with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2015. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-12-C-0151).              Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., was awarded a $194,911,914 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2014. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with three bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-D-0159).              Atlantic CommTech Corp., Norfolk, Va., (W912DY-13-D-0012); Evergreen Fire and Security, Tacoma, Wash., (W912DY-13-D-0013); Infotec Systems Corporation, Summerville, S.C., (W912DY-13-D-0014); Integrated Security Solutions, Kalispell, Mont., (W912DY-13-D-0015); and LVW Electronics, Colorado Springs, Colo., (W912DY-13-D-0016); were awarded a $160,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract between five contractors. The award will provide for the services in support of various access control point systems and other related systems. Work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 27, 2017. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with seven bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity.              General Electric, Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded a $138,270,542 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the technical, engineering and logistical services in support of the T700 series turbine engines. Work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2013. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-12-D-0015).             General Dynamic Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded a $132,713,523 contract. The award will provide for the services in support of M1A2S Abrams Tank production for Foreign Military Sales. Work will be performed in Lima, Ohio, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2014. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-13-C-0104).              SERCO Inc, Reston, Va., (W15QKN-13-D-0001); High Performance Technologies Inc., Reston, Va., (W15QKN-13-D-0002); CACI Technologies Inc., Chantilly, Va., (W15QKN-13-D-0003); Universal Technical Resource Services Inc., Cherry Hill, N.J., (W15QKN-13-D-0004); DCS Corporation, Alexandria, Va., (W15QKN-13-D-0005); EOIR Technologies Inc., Forest Hill, Md., (W15QKN-13-D-0006); Wise Web Connections LLC, Dover, N.J., (W15QKN-13-D-0007); and Nexagen Networks Inc., Marlboro, N.J., (W15QKN-13-D-0008); were awarded a $74,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract between eight contractors. The award will provide for the engineering services in support of the Armament Software Engineering Center. Work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 21, 2017. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with nine bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity.              Raytheon Co., Andover, Mass., was awarded a $72,600,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure PATRIOT 3 Lot Spares in support of Foreign Military Sales. Work will be performed in Andover, Mass., and El Paso, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2015. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-09-G-0002).              The Boeing Co., Mesa, Ariz., was awarded a $71,026,920 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure Apache AH-64D helicopters in support of Foreign Military Sales. Work will be performed in Mesa, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2017. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-09-C-0147).              Bay West Inc., St. Paul, Minn., (W912DQ-13-D-3006); EA Engineering, Science and Technology Inc., Hunt Valley, Md., (W912DQ-13-D-3003); FPM Remediations Inc., Rome, N.Y., (W912DQ-13-D-3003); GEO Consultants L.L.C., Kevil, Ky., (W912DQ-13-D-3005); Hydro Geo Logic Inc., Reston, Va., (W912DQ-13-D-3000); and Kemron Environmental Services Inc., Atlanta, Ga., (W912DQ-13-D-3008); were awarded a firm-fixed-price contract between five contractors. Work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 20, 2017. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 15 bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Mo., is the contracting activity.             JLG Industries Inc., McConnellsburg, Pa., was awarded a $56,635,781 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure All-Terrain Lifter Army Systems. Work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 27, 2013. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-07-D-A001).             Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $56,554,774 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure M982A1 155mm Precision Engagement Projectiles. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz.; McAlester, Okla.; Farmington, N.M.; Camden, Ark.; Healdsburg, Calif.; Anniston, Ala.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Joplin, Mo.; Lowell, Mass.; Corona, Calif.; Inglewood, Calif.; Chino, Ill.; Sweden; and United Kingdom; with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2014. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15QKN-08-C-0530).              Pocal Industries Inc., Scranton, Pa., was awarded a $49,900,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of 120 mm M1020 Ignition Cartridges, Inert M1020 Cutaway Model and Inert M1020 Ignition Cartridges. Work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 27, 2019. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with three bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15QKN-13-D-0018).              Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., was awarded a $42,289,271 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2014. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with three bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-D-0159).              General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc. Scranton, Pa., was awarded a $41,530,837 fixed-price economic-price-adjustment contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure M795 Metal Parts. Work will be performed in Scranton, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2014. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15QKN-08-C-0244).              The Boeing, Mesa, Ariz., was awarded a $39,600,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to fund the Apache 64D Block III. Work will be performed in Mesa, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2013. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-12-C-0055).              DRS Tactical Systems Inc., Melbourne, Fla., was awarded a $38,038,700 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of the Movement Tracking System and related services. Work will be performed in Melbourne, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 6, 2014. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-13-F-0007).              AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Md., was awarded a $35,785,761 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to retrofit Shadow Unmanned Aircraft Systems Air Vehicles to the Tactical Common Data Link Configuration. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 28, 2015. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-08-C-0023).             Telephonics Corp., Farmingdale, N.Y., was awarded a $33,189,984 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of the Encrypted Aircraft Wireless Intercom System. Work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 20, 2017. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-13-D-0055).              MIT, Cambridge, Mass., was awarded a $32,000,000 cost-sharing contract. The award will provide for the study, development and creation of equipment and material. Work will be performed in Cambridge, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2017. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Research Triangle Park, N.C., is the contracting activity (W911NF-13-D-0001).              Raytheon Co., Andover, Mass., was awarded a $30,293,284 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the Surveillance System Supply and Support for the Rapid Aerostat Deployment Configurations. Work will be performed in Andover, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2017. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with two bids received. The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity (W9113M-13-C-0009).              Boecore Inc., Colorado Springs, Colo., was awarded a $30,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the Command Information Management System Information Technology Services for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. Work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2018. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 16 bids received. The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., is the contracting activity (W91260-13-D-0001).              Science Applications International Corp., McLean, Va., was awarded a $29,012,095 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure Joint Logistics Integrator services for the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Family of Vehicles. Work will be performed in Kuwait and Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of May 21, 2013. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-12-C-0432).              General Dynamics Information Technology, Fairfax, Va., was awarded a $28,354,887 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the warehouse operation services. Work will be performed in Kuwait, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 29, 2013. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with five bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-11-C-0019).              Science Application International Corp., McLean, Va., was awarded a $28,178,688 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the ammunition supply and theater storage services within Kuwait. Work will be performed in Kuwait, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 29, 2013. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with four bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-11-C-0005).             EADS North America Inc., Herndon, Va., was awarded a $26,298,512 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure contractor logistics support for Mission Equipment Packages for the Light Utility Helicopter program. Work will be performed in Columbus, Miss., with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2016. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-06-C-0194).              Raytheon IDS, Andover, Mass., was awarded a $22,737,644 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure PATRIOT Technical Refresh Spares in support Foreign Military Sales. Work will be performed in Andover, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2014. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-09-G-0002).              Raytheon Co., Andover, Mass., was awarded a $22,165,493 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure PATRIOT Spare Parts in support of the Foreign Military Sales. Work will be performed in Andover, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2014. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-09-G-0002).              The Boeing Co., Mesa, Ariz., was awarded an $18,384,393 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure Apache Block III Aircraft in support of Foreign Military Sales. Work will be performed in Mesa, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2013. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-12-C-0089).              Thales Raytheon Systems Co., Fullerton, Calif., was awarded an $18,549,840 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure Sentinel radars and spares in support of Foreign Military Sales. Work will be performed in Fullerton, Calif., and Forest, Miss., with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2013. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-11-C-0301).              Longbow L.L.C., Orlando, Fla., was awarded an $18,197,282 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the services in support of the Fire Control Radar Systems on Apache AH-64D Helicopters. Work will be performed in Orlando, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2015. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-13-C-0028).              Marinex Construction Inc., Charleston, S.C., was awarded a $17,943,374 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the dredging services in support of Savannah and Brunswick Inner Harbor. Work will be performed in Savannah, Ga., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 27, 2013. One bid was solicited, with two bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-13-C-0003).             Lifecycle Construction Services L.L.C., Washington, D.C., was awarded a $16,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the various construction services. Work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 1, 2016. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 28 bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-13-D-0003).              STG Inc., Reston, Va., was awarded a $16,380,141 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the non-personal information technology services and support. Work will be performed in Sierra Vista, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2013. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Huachuca, Ariz., is the contracting activity (W91RUS-13-C-0003).  U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND             Alaska Airlines, Seattle, Wash. (HTC711-13-D-C001); Atlas Air, Purchase, N.Y. (HTC711-13-D-C002); Evergreen International Airlines, INC., McMinnville, Ore. (HTC711-13-D-C012); Federal Express Corp., El Segundo, Calif. (HTC711-13-D-C003); Kalitta Air L.L.C., Leesburg, Va. (HTC711-13-D-C004); Miami Air International Inc., Miami, Fla. (HTC711-13-D-C005); National Air Cargo Inc., Ypsilanti, Mich. (HTC711-13-D-C006); Northern Air Cargo, Anchorage, Alaska (HTC711-13-D-C007); Omni Air International, Tulsa, Okla. (HTC711-13-D-C008); United Parcel Service Co., Louisville, Ky. (HTC711-13-D-C009); US Airways Inc., Tempe, Ariz. (HTC711-13-D-C010); and World Airways Inc., Peachtree City, Ga. (HTC711-13-D-C011) have received an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, fixed-price award for international commercial scheduled air cargo transportation services.  Services encompass time definite, door-to-door transportation service for less than full pallet loads (non 463L palletized), including the movement of general, refrigerated, oversized, hazardous material (HAZMAT), and life and death cargo services for both domestic and international shipments.  The performance period for the base year is Feb. 1, 2013 to Jan. 31, 2014, with four one year option periods from Feb. 1, 2014 to Jan. 31, 2018.  This contract was a competitive acquisition.  The estimated program value for this program has an overall five-year maximum ceiling program value of $694,038,028 with a contract guaranteed minimum award amount of $2,500 per awardees.  The contracting activity is U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. NAVY             Science Applications International Corp., McLean, Va., is being awarded an estimated $222,462,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee/cost-plus-incentive-fee/firm-fixed-price contract for technical support to provide systems engineering, integration, testing, large-scale fabrication, non-developmental item procurement, interim repair and maintenance services and training.  Contract funds in the amount of $25,000 will be obligated at the time of award.  The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $667,388,000.  Work will be performed in Charleston, S.C. (90 percent) and Norfolk, Va. (10 percent), and is expected to be completed by January 2014.  If all options are exercised, work could continue until January 2016.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This contract was competitively procured by full and open competition via the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center e-Commerce Central website and the Federal Business Opportunities website, with five offers received.  The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, Charleston, S.C., is the contracting activity (N65236-13-D-2800). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY             Randolph Engineering Inc.*, Randolph, Mass., was issued a modification exercising the third option year on SPM2DE-10-D-7544.  The modification is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract with a maximum $35,983,733.  The contract covers the selection of a manufacturer for the Optical Electronic Catalog program which covers the 48 contiguous states (including the District of Columbia), Alaska, Hawaii, Europe, and the Pacific making available for purchase various optical frames and accessories using the Electronic Catalog system.  Location of performance is in Massachusetts with a Jan. 21, 2013, performance completion date.  Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies.  There were four responses to the FedBizOPps solicitation.  Type of appropriation is fiscal 2013 Defense Working Capital funds.  The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.              Dispensers Optical Service Corp.*, Louisville, Ky., was issued a modification exercising the second option year on SPM2DE-11-D-7548.  The modification is a fixed-price with economic-price adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity type contract with a maximum $19,455,634 for various optical lenses.  Location of performance is in Kentucky with a Jan. 12, 2013, performance completion date.  Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies.  There were five solicitations with three responses.  Type of appropriation is fiscal 2013 Defense Working Capital funds.  The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.  CORRECTION DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY             C.R. Bard Inc., Murray Hill, N.J., was issued a modification exercising the first option year on contract SPM2D0-11-D-0013/P00005.  The modification is a fixed-price with economic-price adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum $46,673,903 for medical and surgical products.  There are no other locations of performance.  There were seventeen responses to the Web solicitation.  Type of appropriation is fiscal 2013 Warstopper funds.  The date of performance completion is Dec. 5, 2013.  The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.  *Small Business     U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) On the Web: http://www.defense.gov/Contracts/ Media Contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132 Public Contact: http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1 Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your User Profile Page. 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Parents Honor Son's Memory Through Camp Hope Posted: 03 Jan 2013 02:02 PM PST William "Mike" White, founder of Camp Hope for wounded warriors, left, chats with Army Capt. Joe Bogart, a wounded warrior who said the camp restored his sense of independence. U.S. Army photo by Michael William Petersen Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution   Defense Department News Through Facebook On American Forces Press Service's Facebook page, you can post comments and share news, photos and videos. Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Forces-Press-Service/65137437532 or search for American Forces Press Service at Facebook.com. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time by clicking on your 'User Profile' page at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOD/subscriber/edit?preferences=true#tab1. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. 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Parents Honor Son's Memory Through Camp Hope 01/03/2013 02:55 PM CST Parents Honor Son's Memory Through Camp Hope By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill., Jan. 3, 2013 - With a simple idea and their fallen Marine son's Servicemembers Group Life Insurance check, a retired soldier and his wife are honoring his memory through a program that's bringing new hope and self-confidence to wounded warriors. The entrance to Camp Hope, founded by William "Mike" White and his wife, Galia, to honor their fallen son, Marine Pfc. Christopher Neal White, welcomes wounded warriors to the camp's healing experience. U.S. Army photo by Michael William Petersen (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. William "Mike" White, an equipment operator at the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command here, remembers as if it were yesterday the dreaded knock on the door as he and his wife, Galia, learned that their son, Marine Pfc. Christopher Neal White, had been killed. The young White, an avid outdoorsman who grew up in rural Kentucky, died in Iraq's Anbar province two days after Father's Day, 2006. Heartbroken and guilt-ridden that he had convinced his wife to allow their son to join the military, White struggled to find meaning in their personal tragedy. "I had to take a negative and make it a positive. It had to be done," he said. Alone on a hunting trip -- an endeavor he and his son had often shared -- White came up with the inspiration for Camp Hope. "I wanted to start a place for our wounded guys, to teach them that even if they have one arm or one leg or no arms or no legs or they're blind, that they could still get out and enjoy the outdoors," he said. "Little did I know it was going to lead to where we are today." The Whites used Christopher's SGLI payment to buy Chris Neal Farm, a 170-acre retreat in southeast Missouri, and home of Camp Hope. Five years later, Camp Hope is exceeding everything the senior White could have imagined. Hundreds of combat-wounded warriors from across the United States have flocked there to participate in everything Christopher White loved: skeet shooting, hunting, fishing, hiking, exploring the great outdoors and relaxing around an ever-burning fire pit. The idea, White explained, is to allow wounded warriors to experience the healing powers of nature as they focus on what they can do, instead of what they cannot. Operated through private and corporate donations and a legion of volunteers, Camp Hope provides a supportive, loving environment and a renewed sense of community to wounded warriors, White explained. "We are really not doing anything special other than offering them a place and an opportunity to be able to get back and talk with other folks whose boots have been in the same dirt," he said. White is the first to admit that he had no grand plan when he and his wife founded Camp Hope. "Everything that has happened has pretty much been an accident," he said. "You can't plan some of the things that have happened. There is no way. It just happens." But the healing effect, he said, is undeniable. "There is a magic thing about Camp Hope. I can't explain it. I really can't," White said. "All I know is that it does things for the good for people. It gives a lot of hope to a lot of people. It changes their attitude when they are there." Army Sgt. Bobby Lee Lisek, a severely wounded warrior who attended the very first gathering at Camp Hope, said he was amazed at the transformation within himself. "Camp Hope is the greatest place ever. They don't hold you or hold you back. They don't say, 'No you can't.' There is no limit to what you can do here," he said. Admitting to White that he'd been struggling with suicidal thoughts before arriving at Camp Hope, Lisek said, "I don't know where I'd be today if I didn't have somewhere to go like Camp hope. I'm just at peace here." So much at peace, in fact, that Lisek volunteers his time regularly as a hunting guide, helping other visitors to Camp Hope experience the same kind of transformation he did. Army Capt. Joe Bogart, another Camp Hope veteran, said the experience gave him a renewed sense of independence. "I got part of my old self back," he said. "I healed in ways I didn't know I needed to." For Army Spc. Adam Berkemeier, the healing came through taking on new challenges. "They push me to do more because they know I am capable of more," he said. For Army Staff Sgt. Jonathan Kinnamore, who called his visit to Camp Hope "one of the best experiences I've had in years," healing came through camaraderie with fellow wounded warriors. "I had forgotten how to socialize," he said. "It was good to be able to sit around the fire pit and talk with people who had been in the same place I had been in and who knew what was going on, what I'm going through. It helped me relax for the first time in a long time." The Whites' work at Camp Hope has received national recognition. In 2010, the Army honored White with its prestigious Spirit of Hope Award, and the National AMVETS Ladies' Auxiliary presented him its Humanitarian of the Year award. Veterans groups and individual and corporate sponsors have stepped up their support as volunteers or donors, covering all costs for veterans to participate and even sponsoring special trips to Alaska and other destinations. The camp has become such a success that White hopes to open a second Camp Hope, near Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest to reach more wounded warriors. Once it's operational, White said he plans to rely on wounded warriors who have attended the camp themselves to run its day-to-day operations. He even envisioned it creating a ripple effect, with Camp Hopes scattered around the country to help wounded warriors heal. White said the calls he regularly receives from parents and spouses, thanking him for the difference Camp Hope has made in their loved ones' lives, is the driving force that keeps him motivated to drive on. "That's our payday," he said. "That's what makes us continue to do what we do." Six years after his son's death, White still gets choked up when he talks about the enthusiastic young boy who loved the outdoors and dreamed of becoming a Marine. Making things right after losing him would be impossible, he admitted. "But now that we know we've been able to help some of these young folks coming back, even saving some of them from committing suicide or hurting themselves, it makes it a little bit easier to accept," he said. "Camp Hope is all about Helping Other People Excel. And as it honors Christopher's memory, that's exactly what it does for these wounded warriors."   William "Mike" White, founder of Camp Hope receives the National AMVETS Ladies' Auxiliary's Humanitarian of the Year award during a March 20, 2010, ceremony. Courtesy photo Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution

Obama Signs $633 Billion Defense Authorization Act Posted: 03 Jan 2013 12:09 PM PST You are subscribed to American Forces News Articles for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Obama Signs $633 Billion Defense Authorization Act 01/03/2013 02:01 PM CST Obama Signs $633 Billion Defense Authorization Act By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2013 - President Barack Obama signed the $633 billion fiscal 2013 National Defense Authorization Act into law yesterday. The legislation, which cleared Congress last month, authorizes the department to act in any number of instances. "There are certain things that cannot be done without [the authorization act]," said a senior defense official speaking on background. The act allows the department to institute pay raises, bonuses and incentive pay for personnel. "All military construction has to be authorized under this act," the official said. It includes a 1.7 percent pay raise for military personnel, and contains $527.5 billion for DOD's base budget, $88.5 billion for overseas contingency operations and $17.8 billion for national security programs in the Energy Department and Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. It also extends the Commanders' Emergency Response Program that has been used in Afghanistan and Iraq. It authorizes a one-year extension of the Afghan Infrastructure Fund and extends the Coalition Support Fund and the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Fund.  In Iraq, the law authorizes U.S. training activities, the official said. The law also authorizes changes needed to deter sexual assault in the military. In addition, it establishes the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission which will examine all aspects of military compensation. Officials stress that any possible changes to military retirement benefits that the group recommends will not affect current service members. Air Force structure was of some concern to the department going into the process, but officials say they were pleased with the outcome. The Air Force also received 32 more C-130 aircraft than requested. "But the Air Force is allowed to do everything else. They are allowed to do their divestures and moves," the official said. "The only thing kept out of service's force structure plan was we had to keep the Global Hawk Block 30 [unmanned aircraft]." The act raises the co-pay for medications under TRICARE through 2022. The legislation also limits any annual increases in pharmacy co-payments to increases in retiree cost of living adjustments. "It is a little bit toward what we need to start paying for how much health care is costing," the official said. The authorization also provides DOD funds for servicewomen who need abortions in case of rape or incest. "So they don't have to take leave and come home or go out on the economy," the official said. "This is the first time this has been approved." Among other programs, the act authorizes the defense biofuel initiative as well as counternarcotic authorities. "We use this a little bit in Afghanistan, but it's mostly in the southern border and Colombia," she said. "It has to get done." Passage of the legislation is particularly important this year because the department is operating on a continuing resolution through March which may be continued again through the rest of the fiscal year. The resolution maintains funding at 2012 budget levels.  Without this authority, "Things really do shut down," the official said. "It actually is things that keep the war going and things that ... keep the economy going because it is pay, recruiting, military construction," the official said. Related Sites: Fiscal 2013 Budget Proposal Related Articles: Panetta Thanks Congress, Seeks End to Sequestration Legislators Avoid Fiscal Cliff, Delay Sequester Process Defense Department News Through Facebook On American Forces Press Service's Facebook page, you can post comments and share news, photos and videos. Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Forces-Press-Service/65137437532 or search for American Forces Press Service at Facebook.com. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time by clicking on your 'User Profile' page at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOD/subscriber/edit?preferences=true#tab1. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please e-mail support@govdelivery.com. Have another inquiry? Visit the online FAQ at http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx for up-to-date information. Get the help you, your family, and fellow servicemembers need, when you need it. Visit www.WarriorCare.mil to learn more. Check out the National Resource Directory at www.nationalresourcedirectory.org, a new web-based resource for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them from the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs. This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Department of Defense. Visit us on the web at http://www.defense.gov/. Updates from the U.S. Department of Defense

General Officer Assignments Posted: 03 Jan 2013 10:49 AM PST You are subscribed to News Releases for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. General Officer Assignments 01/03/2013 12:30 PM CST IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 004-13 January 03, 2013 General Officer Assignments             The chief of staff, Air Force announced today the following assignments:              Brig. Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, who has been selected for the rank of major general, deputy director for operations, J-3, Headquarters, U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii, to commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force - Afghanistan; Air Combat Command; deputy commander - Air; U.S. Forces - Afghanistan; and deputy chief of staff - Air, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, Kabul, Afghanistan.              Brig. Gen. Jay B. Silveria, deputy chief, support, Office of Security Cooperation - Iraq, U.S. Department of State, Baghdad, Iraq, to vice commander, 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic), Air Force Space Command, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.              Brig. Gen. Thomas F. Gould, vice commander, 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic), Air Force Space Command, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., to deputy chief, support, Office of Security Cooperation - Iraq, U.S. Department of State, Baghdad, Iraq.     U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) On the Web: http://www.defense.gov/releases/ Media Contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132 Public Contact: http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1 Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your User Profile Page. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please e-mail support@govdelivery.com. Updates from the U.S. Department of Defense

Senate Confirms Clarke as Air National Guard Chief Posted: 03 Jan 2013 08:57 AM PST You are subscribed to American Forces News Articles for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Senate Confirms Clarke as Air National Guard Chief 01/03/2013 10:52 AM CST Senate Confirms Clarke as Air National Guard Chief National Guard Bureau ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 3, 2013 - Air Force Lt. Gen. Stanley E. "Sid" Clarke III, commander of the Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and 1st Air Force, has been confirmed by the Senate to be the next director of the Air National Guard. Air Force Lt. Gen. Stanley E. "Sid" Clarke III, commander of the Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and 1st Air Force, has been confirmed by the Senate as the next director of the Air National Guard. Courtesy photo (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Clarke will replace Lt. Gen. Harry "Bud" Wyatt, who is retiring this month. Wyatt has led the Air National Guard since February 2009. Clarke said he is eager to take charge of an organization that comprises 106,000 people. "I look forward to the opportunity to lead the best Air National Guard in our nation's history," he said. "The Air National Guard, and the 106,000 men and women who make it work, has served our nation and our communities with great distinction in combat and during numerous domestic crises." Wyatt, who intends to retire in Oklahoma, said Clarke is the right person, at the right time. "Sid has served here at the Pentagon and has a wealth of command and staff experience," Wyatt said. "He will help shape and guide the Air Guard as we forge ahead to the future." As the Air Guard's director, Clarke will be responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, plans and programs affecting more than 106,000 Air Guard members in more than 88 flying wings and 200 geographically separated units throughout the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands. Clarke has served as the deputy director of the Air National Guard and as the assistant adjutant general for Air for the Alabama Air National Guard. At 1st Air Force, he commanded four direct reporting units, 10 aligned Air National Guard units, and a large number of active air defense alert sites -- including aircraft, air defense artillery, and up to 15,000 active duty, National Guard, Air Force Reserve and civilian personnel. Clarke is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flight hours, including more than 100 in combat, in the T-38, C-26, A-10 and F-16. Prior to his NORAD assignment, Clarke served as the senior defense official and defense attaché in Turkey. He was commissioned in 1981 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at the University of Georgia. He has served in various operational and staff assignments including duty as an A-10 and F-16 instructor pilot. He also has commanded a squadron, fighter wing and air expeditionary wing. Biographies: Air Force Lt. Gen. Stanley E. "Sid" Clarke III Related Sites: Air National Guard National Guard Bureau   Defense Department News Through Facebook On American Forces Press Service's Facebook page, you can post comments and share news, photos and videos. Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Forces-Press-Service/65137437532 or search for American Forces Press Service at Facebook.com. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time by clicking on your 'User Profile' page at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOD/subscriber/edit?preferences=true#tab1. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please e-mail support@govdelivery.com. Have another inquiry? Visit the online FAQ at http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx for up-to-date information. Get the help you, your family, and fellow servicemembers need, when you need it. Visit www.WarriorCare.mil to learn more. Check out the National Resource Directory at www.nationalresourcedirectory.org, a new web-based resource for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them from the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs. This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Department of Defense. Visit us on the web at http://www.defense.gov/. Updates from the U.S. Department of Defense

Security Force Arrests Taliban Leader in Kandahar Province Posted: 03 Jan 2013 08:45 AM PST You are subscribed to American Forces News Articles for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Security Force Arrests Taliban Leader in Kandahar Province 01/03/2013 09:26 AM CST Security Force Arrests Taliban Leader in Kandahar Province From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 3, 2013 - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader during an operation in the Shah Wali Kot district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported. The arrested Taliban leader was responsible for the planning and execution of vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, officials said. He also oversaw the transfer and delivery of IEDs to insurgents operating throughout the district. Also today, a combined force arrested three insurgents during a search for a Haqqani facilitator in the Khost district of Khost province. The sought-after Haqqani facilitator coordinates the movement and transfer of weapons, explosives and IED components to insurgents within the district. In Afghanistan operations yesterday: -- Taliban leader Mubariz Jaan was killed by a combined force in the Andar district of Ghazni province. Mubariz Jaan was responsible for gathering intelligence and directing attacks against Afghan civilians and government officials. Prior to his death, Mubariz Jaan was coordinating attacks against Afghan police in the province. -- A combined force arrested a Taliban leader and killed one other insurgent in the Pul-e Khumri district of Baghlan province. The arrested Taliban leader financed IEDs, other weapons and ammunition for insurgent attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. Prior to his detention, he was facilitating the movement of IEDs and suicide bombers for attacks in the province. -- In the Hisarak district of Nangarhar province, a combined force killed Taliban leader Abdullah and four other insurgents. Abdullah was responsible for directing and participating in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. Prior to his death, Abdullah was reporting the movement of Afghan and coalition forces to insurgent leaders.   Related Sites: NATO International Security Assistance Force   Defense Department News Through Facebook On American Forces Press Service's Facebook page, you can post comments and share news, photos and videos. Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Forces-Press-Service/65137437532 or search for American Forces Press Service at Facebook.com. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time by clicking on your 'User Profile' page at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOD/subscriber/edit?preferences=true#tab1. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please e-mail support@govdelivery.com. Have another inquiry? Visit the online FAQ at http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx for up-to-date information. Get the help you, your family, and fellow servicemembers need, when you need it. Visit www.WarriorCare.mil to learn more. Check out the National Resource Directory at www.nationalresourcedirectory.org, a new web-based resource for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them from the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs. This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Department of Defense. Visit us on the web at http://www.defense.gov/. Updates from the U.S. Department of Defense

Face of Defense: Germany-based Soldiers Rescue Family Posted: 03 Jan 2013 08:44 AM PST You are subscribed to American Forces News Articles for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Face of Defense: Germany-based Soldiers Rescue Family 01/03/2013 10:23 AM CST Face of Defense: Germany-based Soldiers Rescue Family By Ignacio Rubalcava U.S. Army Garrison Baumholder BAUMHOLDER, Germany, Jan. 3, 2013 - An early morning drive here turned into a nightmare for Heather Majorwitz and her two children, Kaitie and Bret. Heather Majorwitz thanks the soldiers who rescued her and her children from an automobile accident at U.S. army Garrison Baumholder, Germany. Courtesy photo (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. They were on their way to school recently when their car hit a patch of ice and started to skid across the road toward an oncoming bus. Majorwitz, a librarian at a local elementary school, swerved to avoid the bus and slid off the road, rolling her car. "One minute we were on the road and the next we were hanging from our seatbelts," Majorwitz recalled during a recent recognition ceremony held at U.S. Army Garrison Baumholder here. The car's wheels were still turning when a group of soldiers from the 421st Multifunctional Medical Battalion came upon the scene. Without hesitation, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Vladimir Sequera and three other soldiers stopped their Humvee and dashed out to help. The children were already making their way out of the car's shattered back window when the soldiers approached. Sequera and the other soldiers, Sgt. 1st Class Winston Smith, Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Lehman and Sgt. Cheryl Henneberry quickly brought the children to safety and wrapped them with their jackets to stay warm. By then, Majorwitz was trying to get out of the car and Sequera and the other soldiers turned their attention to helping her. "When we saw the vehicle we immediately pulled to the side. We all had the same thought. There's somebody in the vehicle," Sequera said. "We didn't know if they were American or German. We just wanted to help." "I just remember the car rolling and lots of glass. I felt blessed to walk away from the wreck but I also felt really blessed that we had soldiers there that would go above and beyond and help us. You guys are my heroes," Majorwitz said. "I'm glad that we were there to help out. I don't think it's a hero thing. I think it's a human behavior that we help each other out. It is part of what we do in the military," Sequera said. Madeleine Dwoiakowski, public affairs officer for the Baumholder garrison, drives the same route on her way to work. "I saw soldiers and hoped that none of our guys were injured, not knowing that the soldiers were actually assisting on the scene," Dwoiakowski said. "I then saw the car and it looked like it had gone through a press. They were extremely fortunate to walk away with no injuries and they were also equally fortunate that the soldiers were there almost immediately to help." For Majorwitz, it was the scariest moment she's experienced as a mother. "I wasn't sure if the children were OK. Everybody said they were OK but even at the hospital I wasn't sure," she said. "My little boy gets anxious about things and I was worried that he'd have this anxiety and wouldn't want to ride in a car again." Majorwitz explained that they had a flat tire once and for the next year her son checked the tires before getting in the car. But her son "was fine, he was a trooper," Majorwitz said. Turning to Sequera, she added, "I think he was fine because you guys were there immediately. There wasn't that second to even worry about it because we were taken care of right away." Later, Majorwitz, called her 15-year-old daughter in the states and told her why she enjoys working with soldiers and their families. "This is why I do what I do to serve these guys, because they're there and they step in -- no matter what," Majorwitz said. "It's automatic, because that's who they are. This makes me even more proud to be able to teach the kids of our soldiers because I know that they're out there taking care of everybody else." Majorwitz expressed her gratitude to the soldiers who rescued her and her children. "I think that's why you are soldiers," Majorwitz said, as she fought back tears. "We could have died but we didn't. We were very fortunate all around so I just want to thank you." Majorwitz then embraced Sequera and repeated her appreciation for their help. "You guys are my heroes," she said.     Defense Department News Through Facebook On American Forces Press Service's Facebook page, you can post comments and share news, photos and videos. Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Forces-Press-Service/65137437532 or search for American Forces Press Service at Facebook.com. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time by clicking on your 'User Profile' page at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOD/subscriber/edit?preferences=true#tab1. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please e-mail support@govdelivery.com. Have another inquiry? Visit the online FAQ at http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx for up-to-date information. Get the help you, your family, and fellow servicemembers need, when you need it. Visit www.WarriorCare.mil to learn more. Check out the National Resource Directory at www.nationalresourcedirectory.org, a new web-based resource for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them from the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs. This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Department of Defense. Visit us on the web at http://www.defense.gov/. Updates from the U.S. Department of Defense

Resolve: Lose Weight in 2013 Posted: 03 Jan 2013 08:30 AM PST Veterans Health Administration Update: Inside Veterans Health Resolve: Lose Weight in 2013 01/03/2013 08:00 AM EST VA has a program that can help Veterans successfully lose weight and change their lives. It’s called MOVE! Find out how it can help you lose weight and keep it off. Connect With Us.   You have received this message because you are subscribed to Veterans Health.  Access your Subscriber Preferences to make changes to your subscription or Unsubscribe.  Get this as a forward? Sign up to receive updates from Veterans Health.  Have questions or problems? Please contact support@govdelivery.com for assistance.    Sent to smart_z64.1111@blogger.com on behalf of US Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration · 810 Vermont Avenue, NW · Washington, DC 20420 · 877-222-VETS (877-222-8387)

Propwash Posted: 03 Jan 2013 01:16 AM PST ----------------------------------------------------------------- Aero-News Network "Propwash" E-Mail Aero-News Summary A Free E-Mail Newsletter ISSN: 01.03.13 Issue 157/03 Aero-News.Net 'Propwash' Daily News Provided to registered subscribers, Daily: ISSN: 1530-9339 For Subscribe/Unsubscribe procedures: Manage Your Subscription here For Subscribe/Unsubscribe procedures and Privacy Statement, scroll to end. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to this day's ANN 'Propwash' Daily News Brief. We welcome and encourage your comments, criticism and suggestions... and hope that you'll become active members of the ANN community, though we'd like to ask you one big favor... PLEASE TELL EVERYONE ABOUT AERO-NEWS! NEWS SUMMARY: Remember... You Have to Go to www.aero-news.net to read the WHOLE story! There's much more! ----------------------------------------------------------------- ANN Daily Sponsor: 01.03.13 Edition: Huerta Confirmed FAA Administrator One Of Dozens Of Presidential Nominations Approved By The Senate On First Day Of 2013 There were no long, drawn-out hearings and pointed questions that often make up the political theater surrounding the confirmation of a Presidential appointee. On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate approved dozens of President Obama's choices for government posts, including Michael Huerta to be FAA Administrator. Huerta was named acting Administrator over a year ago when Randy Babbitt was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence ... a charge that was later dropped. Huerta will now hold the position for at least five years. Huerta's confirmation had been held up by South Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint, who according to Politico had expressed issues with Huerta's labor policies. DeMint also wanted to be sure that if Mitt Romney had been elected President, the Republican would be able to appoint the person he wanted as FAA administrator. When President Obama was re-elected, DeMint dropped his objections, and the confirmation went forward. Industry reaction began to come in Tuesday night. "Michael Huerta's proven leadership and clear grasp of the imperatives of NextGen make him the right choice to continue leading the FAA, and we applaud the members of the U.S. Senate for taking this decisive action on his confirmation," said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. "Administrator Huerta's commitment to safety and improved efficiency of our nation's airspace will benefit the traveling public and ensure we continue to build a more vibrant aviation industry that is so important to our nation's economy and workforce." “GAMA congratulates Michael Huerta on his confirmation by the U.S. Senate as FAA Administrator," said Pete Bunce, president and CEO of GAMA. "During his tenure as FAA Deputy Administrator and Acting Administrator, he has proven to be an effective leader for the FAA. We look forward to continuing our work with him on such critical issues as improving certification processes and practices globally , advancing NextGen and ensuring compatibility with SESAR, and furthering critical investments in general aviation safety and infrastructure. Much progress has been made under Mr. Huerta’s direction and the general aviation industry looks forward to working with him to achieve much more in the future.” FMI: www.faa.gov For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=5d9ada59-2616-40a3-a93c-ef6ec4b9abb4 ----------------------------------------------------------------- ANN Selects 'Best Of The Breed' 2012: GA 'Plane Of The Year'--Diamond's DA40 XLS After Surviving A Tough Year, We Think There Are Still A Few Things To Celebrate Final Compilations by ANN Editor-In-Chief/Roving Aeronaut, Jim Campbell Each year, we put our heads together, look over reader input as well as our own reports and other sources of info and try to recognize the VERY BEST aircraft in a number of pivotal categories. This particular series will cover the aircraft we consider to be the VERY BEST of the whole breed. In the past, we have broken these awards into a number of categories but the plain fact of the matter is while there is much to be thankful for as far as 2012 is concerned (the survival of the industry, most of all), there are few categories in which there were products that distinguished themselves sufficiently to permit such an award. So... we're only going to offer awards to planes in categories in which there is a clear and pervasive winner. But first, let's start at the top with our Plane Of The Year (The Best Of Them All -- Regardless of Category) As this year came to a close, we made some tough decisions as to what constitutes a "Best of Breed" and how wide we wanted to cast the net. As noted in past years, it struck us that naming an overall "best" aircraft across the entire spectrum of general (or sport) aviation is probably no longer reasonable. Which isn't to say that we won't make a selection... but that we reserve the right not to do so if no specific aircraft steps up to deserve the title. There are simply too many aircraft that have distinguished themselves in too many outstanding ways for one to readily be called better than the other on an overall basis and too much junk cluttering the aero-universe (confusing the issue), to boot.. and worse than that, there are some exceptional aircraft out there that are now built by companies that (in our opinion) have proven that they can no longer be trusted -- and as good as their products have been in the past, the current state of the company leaves us no choice to but to discard ANY consideration of their products. In the case of Cirrus Aircraft, for instance, whose problems have been extensively documented, we simply do not trust the company as far as we could throw any of their product line... and while their current products were principally developed some time ago by far more talented people (in our opinion) than are running the Chinese-owned ship at the moment, we simply believe that an aircraft that is built by a company we do not trust, can not itself, be trusted -- at least not with our family and/or friends on board. Which brings us to the object of this year's award... a solidly built little four seater built by a trustworthy company that has weathered a fair amount of tough times without selling its soul. We speak, specifically, of the Diamond Aircraft DA40 XLS -- an outstanding GA airplane with one of the most impressive safety records in recent times. With a modern glass cockpit and digital autopilot now available, the 150 knot DA40 XLS has a 720 nm range at 75% power, burning all of 10GPH -- and can easily handle 20 kt crosswinds (and more... as I have personally confirmed for myself). Delightful handling, excellent low-speed manners, phenomenal crash-worthiness (despite comparatively few crashes to test such an attribute), incredible visibility, and lovely styling make the DA40 XLS a winner... even in an awful economy when justifying one's flying dollars has become harder than ever. We'd love to see a turbo-charged version (especially if Diamond can convince Tornado Alley to do some of their turbo-voodoo for the 200 HP Lycoming), and we have great hopes that the larger/faster DA50 may someday see the light of day. But until then, the DA40 simply is the best combo of machine, manufacturer and dollar value that we know of. Best of all, though, the aircraft is built by Diamond Aircraft... a (principally) North American manufacturer (with European manufacturing outlets as well) -- a company that has proven the ability to weather many difficulties without themselves screwing over customers in the process. With solid management and uncommon vision, Diamond Aircraft is one of the few companies that we can say we trust... without serious reservation... and that's a comforting thought when you're loading up yourself and three people you care about for a day of committing aviation. Further... Diamond should have a solid future ahead of it. With the upcoming DA52 (possibly one of the most exciting planes on the known 'piston' horizon), the eventual entry into the single-engine jet market (as tough as the economy has made THAT product line), and even better ideas on the drawing board, DA is equipped to survive and be around to support its customer base -- and should outlast some of the once-bright stars that have lost their luster by selling their souls and abandoning their faith with their customer base and development partners. Diamond is a winner... and in such tough times, and with such difficulties yet (as an industry) to be surmounted, we do not know of any company as well equipped to serve the GA market as Diamond Aircraft is today... Diamond and the DA40 XLS have our highest recommendation. Coming In The Next Few Days... More planes that distinguished themselves in terms of value and reliability, more products that deserve serious kudos and our ever-so-controversial list of some of 2012's annual "Hero's and Heartbreakers" -- Stay Tuned! FMI: www.diamondair.com For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=b68a4f81-9a10-4e19-9528-692cfad86c60 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Classic Aero-TV: Col. Mark Tillman (4)--The Most Important Left Seat In Aviation An Honored Flyer Tells Of His Service To America (Part 4 -- Final) OK... we gotta tell you... this one was one of the best speeches we have EVER heard at any aviation event... and it occurred this year at the 2012 AEA Convention and Tradeshow. The kind folks of Universal Avionics pulled off quite a coup and arranged for a truly inspiring speaker for one of the most important gatherings in all of aviation -- the opening ceremonies of the 55th Annual AEA International Convention and Trade Show. And Universal's choice knocked it out of the park. Former Air Force One Command Pilot Colonel (ret) Mark W. Tillman, the United States’ 12th Presidential Pilot, served as Commander of Air Force One from 2001-2009. Col. Tillman was at the controls of Air Force One on September 11, 2001, keeping President Bush out of harm’s way and connecting the flying oval office to the nation’s first responders. He was also the first pilot to fly the Commander-in-Chief into a war zone. The challenge was unprecedented – it was a “Zero Fail Mission”. A truly amazing aviator, in 2004 Tillman was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was also promoted to brigadier general by the President of the United States -- the first military line officer to receive this honor (not confirmed by the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee). One of his more extraordinary adventures took place as he became the first pilot to fly the commander in chief into Baghdad. The challenge was unprecedented -- safely transport the most targeted man in the world into the heart of terrorism. One mistake would have left the president vulnerable to attack and would have cost the lives of U.S. service members. Tillman personally orchestrated and executed this covert operation with flawless success. His planning, done entirely in secrecy, allowed for a complete surprise to the world. Please join ANN in this four part tribute and presentation of Col. Tillman's exciting speech at the 55th Annual AEA International Convention and Trade Show. FMI: www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=19148, http://www.universalavionics.com, www.aea.net, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/featurestories.cfm?ContentBlockID=ba76c701-2400-4e96-8402-b55c2b093da3 ----------------------------------------------------------------- APA Board Approves Framework For Potential AA, US Airways Merger Terms Of The Preliminary Agreement Not Disclosed By The Union In a move that could have implications for the emergence of AMR Corp, the parent of American Airlines and American Eagle, from bankruptcy, the board of the Allied Pilots Association (APA) voted to approve a preliminary labor framework that would be put in place should American merge with US Airways as it comes out of Chapter 11 reorganization. The 11-5 vote came after three weeks of behind-the-scenes talks facilitated by AMR's creditors committee, according to a report appearing in the Wall Street Journal. Approval by the APA board is just one step in the process. The framework would also have to be approved by the US Airways pilot union, as well as both airlines. "If these other parties agree to the terms of the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) that APA has approved, the MOU would serve as a framework for an agreement if American Airlines and US Airways proceed to merge," the APA said in a news release. "If there is no merger between the two carriers, the MOU would be rendered null and void." Since filing for Chapter 11 reorganization over a year ago, American has said that it hopes to emerge from bankruptcy as a stand-alone airline. The pilots' union has for several months vocally supported a merger, with US Airways most often mentioned as the carrier with which American would combine. US Airways has also been pushing for a merger with AMR's creditors. AMR's board will next meet January 9th, though it is not likely that a full merger plan could be presented at that time. In the news release, the APA said "We recognize that our members are understandably interested in being briefed on the specifics of the MOU. Due to a judicially enforceable non-disclosure agreement and relevant Securities and Exchange laws, APA cannot disclose the terms that our Board has approved at this juncture. We are in discussions with the other three parties to the MOU process and the Unsecured Creditors’ Committee about the timetable for their review, and when we would be permitted to divulge specific details if the MOU is approved by the respective parties. We will continue to provide regular updates as MOU-related developments warrant." FMI: www.alliedpilots.org For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=20566572-ee33-43d3-8118-e530d79bddf2 ----------------------------------------------------------------- EAA Chairman Calls Huerta With Personal Congratulations NBAA Also Sends Message Of Congratulations To The New Administrator Jack Pelton, EAA Chairman of the Board, called Michael Huerta personally on Tuesday to offer the organization's congratulations after Huerta was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as permanent Administrator of the FAA. Huerta had served as acting administrator for a year after Randy Babbitt's resignation in December 2011. "We have had a good working relationship with Administrator Huerta and we look forward to that continuing," Pelton said. "He has been supportive of GA in several areas, such as setting up the FAA's fuels program office that will provide leadership in finding viable alternatives to 100 low-lead fuels." Pelton also pledged EAA's support on recreational aviation safety matters and a continued positive working relationship that seeks solutions for issues that face EAA members and GA. EAA's philosophy on working collaboratively with federal agencies and the GA community to find solutions and create opportunities continues a half-century of relationship-building efforts that began with EAA Founder Paul Poberezny in the 1950s. In a statement, NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen praised the move by the Senate as well. "Throughout his tenure at the FAA, Michael Huerta has demonstrated strong leadership skills, and an in-depth understanding of issues, including the need for continued transformation to a Next Generation Air Traffic Control System [NextGen], which will produce safety and efficiency gains in America's aviation system," Bolen said. In a recent letter to Bolen, Huerta made clear his appreciation for the size and diversity of the business aviation community, and its importance to the country. "Business aviation helps companies serve their customers and maintain their products more quickly in order to stay ahead of the competition," Huerta said, adding that the industry "contributes positively to our nation's balance of trade." At a recent industry forum, Huerta confirmed the FAA's commitment to addressing issues important to the entire general aviation community, including the need to press forward with implementation of NextGen. FMI: www.eaa.org, www.nbaa.org For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=5c0d842a-98be-4c76-8415-8f80c77c0b8e ----------------------------------------------------------------- ANN 2012 Year In Review: Sport Aviation Reno Had Its Revival, Rotax Began Delivering Injected Engines, And A New Airplane From Vans The Reno Air Races made a comeback following 2011's tragic accident at the event, which was just one of the good-news stories this year from the world of sport aviation. There was a brand-new airplane from Vans shown for the first time at Oshkosh, and Felix Baumgartner completed his record-setting skydive from the fringe of space. On the down side, the NTSB released its report on accidents in the Experimental/Amateur-Built category, which showed a disproportionately large number of fatalities particularly in the early months of ownership, Glasair was sold to a Chinese investor, and Rod Hightower ended his short tenure with EAA. Cinch up those shoulder harnesses ... here are some of the top stories in Sport Aviation from 2012. January Reno Air Racing Association president Mike Houghton said that the organization's objective was to have a full air race event in 2012, but that there is still a great deal of work to be done. At the much-anticipated hearing held by the NTSB on air show and air race safety, witnesses made a handful of suggestions for improving safety, while the industry strongly defended its safety record. Yakima, Washington-based light aircraft designer and manufacturer Cubcrafters announced that it would deliver the 200th CC11 series Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) in February. Throughout the 2011 calendar year, the NTSB conducted a study of Experimental Amateur-Built (E-AB) aircraft to evaluate the safety of this growing and innovative segment of general aviation. Release of the study was planned in the spring. Viking Aircraft Engines released its new gold edition engine, which was on display at the 2012 Sebring Aviation Expo held January 18 to 22 in Sebring, Florida. February EASA certified the XtreamAir XA41/Sbach 300, the singe-place version of the company's popular two-place aerobatic aircraft. Its design is based on the already-certified XA42/Sbach 342. The ICON A5 amphibious Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) successfully completed a demanding regimen of spin-resistance test flights. The FAA National Kit Evaluation Team (NKET) approved and published amateur building checklists for the new Onex Single-Place, Folding-Wing Sport Pilot Aircraft. March The Double NASA Challenge winner Pipistrel Virus SW was offered with the new Rotax 912 iS fuel injected engine. In the first of several practice jumps leading up to a record-setting skydiving attempt, Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian BASE jumper aiming to break the world freefall record by jumping from 120,000ft above the earth’s surface, moved a step closer to achieving his dream after the successfully completion of a test flight from 71,581 ft. An Advisory Circular released March 12th by the FAA carried some long-awaited good news for owners of experimental category aircraft. Updated Advisory Circular (AC 39-7D) on Airworthiness Directives (ADs) formally set FAA policy that ADs are not applicable on non-type certificated aircraft, except when specifically noted. In preparation for the S-LSA American certification, Lisa Airplanes continued its series of test runs at both Chambery-Savoy Airport and Bourget Lake. The Slovene pilot Matevž Lenarcic, who was flying around the world in his modified Virus SW 914 Turbo, made a successful flight over the world’s tallest mountain, Mt. Everest. April NTSB Chair Deborah A.P. Hersman held a news conference in Reno Tuesday to announce recommended changes in how air races are conducted in an effort to improve safety. For most, making a solo circumnavigation of the planet would be an accomplishment in any aircraft. Matevž Lenarcic touched down back in Slovenia after successfully circumnavigating the world in a Pipistrel Virus SW 914 Turbo. May ICON Aircraft announced that it successfully completed spin-resistance testing of its A5 amphibious LSA to the standard specified by the FAA for Part 23 certified aircraft. A hang glider pilot who was involved in a tragic accident in which a woman fell to her death was held in jail until a camera memory chip he swallowed passed through his system. Kyle Franklin released a carefully worded statement via Facebook, indicating "Kyle Franklin and Franklin's Flying Circus are no longer affiliated with in any way and cannot support nor endorse The Moonlight Fund Inc. due to deep philosophical disagreements over the handling of donated funds. A cease and desist order has been sent in regards to 'Amanda's Wings'" It appeared that the EAA had killed off its support and long-standing relationship with a very popular cross country air race known as the AirVenture Cup. The first customer-built example of the new Onex single-place, folding-wing, aerobatic sport aircraft flew for the first time. Bill Fisher of Jackson Tennessee flew his AeroVee powered, standard gear Onex, serial number ONX0018 on May 10th. The FAA began offering transponder code 1202 for glider pilots to use when not in contact with ATC. The new code will help ATC differentiate gliders, which have unique flight and maneuvering limitations, from other VFR traffic. June EASA certified the first types in a newly created certification category for light aircraft. Following the PS-28 Cruiser from Czech Sport Aircraft and the Flight Design CTLS-ELA, the Evektor SportStar RTC is the third aircraft type to be certified under new specifications designed specifically for Light Sports Aircraft (LSA). When it received delivery of a CubCrafters Carbon Cub in June, directSky became the aircraft manufacturer’s dealer to service the European market. The FlyNano electric prototype airplane made its first flight. The single-place open-cockpit floatplane concept was unveiled at the Aero 2011 trade fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany. After almost ten years in the aircraft float business, the maker of Full-Lotus floats decided to focus on production of its non-aviation products. All the design rights, inventory and production tooling for the Full-Lotus float line have now been sold to Aircraft Floats Manufacturing, Inc. July The NTSB issued a lengthy list of recommendations to the FAA concerning the operation of Experimental and Amateur-Built (E-AB) aircraft. ICON Aircraft announced that its A5 Light Sport Aircraft will be powered by the new Rotax 912 iS engine. The two companies collaborated during the development of both the Rotax 912 iS engine and the A5 to ensure a seamless integration of the new Rotax. Team RV announced it would perform twice at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012: on Monday and Wednesday. Glasair Aviation LLC (Glasair), and Mr. Fang Tieji, Chairman of Jilin Hanxing Group co., Ltd., announced that Mr. Fang had acquired Glasair's kit-aircraft manufacturing assets. Glasair Aviation manufactures the very popular Glasair, Glastar and Sportsman lines of personal aircraft, having delivered approximately 3,000 planes which are being built and/or flown all over the world. Just Aircraft of Walhalla, SC, demonstrated the latest variant of their popular Highlander Homebuilt aircraft in the Ultralight area at EAA's AirVenture. The RV-1 designed and built by Dick VanGrunsven, which was the basis for the entire line of RV series of aircraft designs, was dedicated in a ceremony in front of hundreds of RV fans that assembled in the hot Wisconsin sun to see it transferred to its new home ... the EAA AirVenture Museum. The RV-14 ... the newest airplane from Van’s Aircraft which Vans says continues and improves on the legacy of the most successful side-by-side two-seat kit aircraft in history ... was introduced at AirVenture in Oshkosh. After 13 years of steady leadership from Carl von Hirsch and his team, Quicksilver Manufacturing became Quicksilver Aeronautics, with new owners who say they plan to offer pilots fresh choices in familiar aircraft designs. NTSB Chairman Debbie Hersman addressed a large crowd at Oshkosh concerning what has been described as an alarming accident rate among homebuilt kitplanes. The recently-completed study encompasses 10 years of data from 2000-2010. Cessna said it would be moving the 162 Skycatcher into a primary aircraft category, and out of the Light Sport Aircraft category. This move will aid in the certification process with countries worldwide. The Pipistrel Aircraft Team received two prestigious awards at AirVenture. August Following the story that first broke on ANN involving the sale of Glasair Aviation to a Chinese entity, Mikael Via, President and CEO of Glasair Aviation, announced his resignation from the Washington based general aircraft company that he has led for over 11 years. Something of the darling of AirVenture at Oshkosh this year, the founders of Lisa Airplanes, which is developing the Akoya Amphibious Ski Plane LSA, decided to place the company into receivership "in order to protect its future." Pipistrel received notification from the FAA that they could not validate that Pipistrel aircraft were built in Italy, and they have advised that until they finished their investigations that no more Pipistrel aircraft will be registered in the USA in the LSA category. As part of its continuing investigation into the September 2011 crash of a highly modified P-51D airplane at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada, the NTSB opened the public docket. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) granted a Type Certificate (TC) for the new Rotax 912 iSc aircraft engine only five months after its introduction. The St. Marys, GA, airport authority voted to shut down The Jumping Place ... a skydiving operation based at the airport ... by revoking its permit to operate. The NTSB determined that deteriorated locknut inserts found in the highly modified North American P-51D airplane that crashed during the 2011 National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada, allowed the trim tab attachment screws to become loose, and even initiated fatigue cracking in one screw. September After three years in production and a fleet of well over one hundred aircraft, the CubCrafters Carbon Cub SS is evolving for 2013, the company said. After a flight time of 69 hours and two minutes Team France 1, the 17th and last remaining competitor in the air in the Gordon Bennett Balloon Race 2012 landed safely and claimed victory in one of the world’s oldest aviation challenge events. As part of a celebration of aviation, Yves "Jetman" Rossy took to the skies with fellow "Breitling Flyer" pilot, Nigel Lamb in the renowned Spitfire MH434. The NTSB indicated that the pilot of a Polaris Polar Star flying boat which went down on July 20, 2011 had been consuming alcohol prior to his flight. Six balloon teams representing three nations and featuring some of the world’s greatest gas balloonists prepared to compete in the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta’s America’s Challenge race for gas balloons. In what has become an annual four-day event, 95 professional BASE jumpers gathered in Malaysia to plunge from the top of the 1,380 foot tall Kuala Lumpur Tower. October For the first time in its history the America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Race had a gas problem. A worldwide helium shortage forced the 2012 event into an all hydrogen-lifted challenge. WACO Classic Aircraft won FAA STC approval for installation of the S-TEC System 55X autopilot in the WACO YMF-F5C and 5D. Shortly after the five teams in the 2012 America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Race on a Sunday evening in Albuquerque, New Mexico, race officials predicted a flight to the east coast was not out of the question. That prediction came true – 3 fold. Vans Aircraft announced at the AOPA Summit in Palm Springs, CA, that it is planning to offer a factory-built version of its RV-12 LSA beginning next year. After flying to an altitude of 128,097 feet in a helium-filled balloon, Felix Baumgartner completed a record breaking jump for the ages from the edge of space exactly 65 years after Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier flying in an experimental rocket-powered airplane. The U.K. company developing an electric-powered racing airplane hopes to be able to break the speed record for electric aircraft next year. The founder of The Electric Aeroplane Company (Teaco) in Gloucestershire, U.K. said the airplane may be "substantially faster" than any previous electric-powered aircraft. The EAA Board of Directors accepted the resignation of President and CEO Rod Hightower. Hightower planned to return to St. Louis to reunite with his family. November A massive series of frauds using various online "Daily Deal" sites to sell warbird adventure flights to the unsuspecting public, promising all kinds of thrills in either an Extra 300 or SF-260 Marchetti... aircraft to which (to the best of our knowledge/research) David Riggs had NO documented access. When Quicksilver Manufacturing became Quicksilver Aeronautics earlier this year, the ownership change for the Temecula, California company triggered a requirement to prove the company’s kits meet the provisions of Experimental Amateur Built category. Quicksilver announced several kits had received their letter of authorization from the FAA. Tecnam North America launched the new P92 Echo Classic Light at a special introductory price through the end of 2012. December An Italian LSA manufacturer plans to set up shop in Kissimmee, FL. The City of Kissimmee’s Economic Development Office said in a news release that Italico Aviation is opening an LSA manufacturing facility at Kissimmee Gateway Airport. The first Flight Design CTLSi airplanes powered by the new fuel-injected Rotax 912 iS engine have landed in the U.S., and many have reportedly been delivered to customers both in the United States and abroad. Kyle Franklin is returning to the airshow circuit with a truly monstrous bipe he calls... 'Dracula.' Evolving over a nine-year design and construction period, Dracula was completed in secrecy... 'The tapering fuselage, speed ring cowling, and sloped windshield hearken back to the racing airplanes of the 1930’s. Score one for grassroots advocacy. The State of New Mexico, which had proposed a general ban on amphibious aircraft and seaplanes from all of its state parks, relented following an effort spearheaded in part by 'The Seaplane Forum' online. FMI: www.aero-news.net For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/featurestories.cfm?ContentBlockID=fd23592a-1693-460f-a4ba-2aade81d6ec3 ----------------------------------------------------------------- ANN 2012 Year In Review: Aerospace With Shuttles Retired To Museums, NASA Says It Is Making Progress Towards 'What's Next' In Space ... Commercial Companies Getting The Job Done This year saw the retirement of the Space Shuttle Fleet to museums from coast to coast, and sparked a lot of navel-gazing about what is next for America in space. While we continue to buy rides to ISS from Russia, commercial companies made progress towards servicing the station, with SpaceX completing the first non-government delivery to the outpost. Here are some of the top stories from the final frontier for 2012. January A test version of NASA's Orion spacecraft soon made a cross-country journey, giving residents in three states the chance to see a full scale test version of the vehicle that it is hoped will eventually take humans into deep space. SpaceX's much anticipated launch of an unmanned Dragon spacecraft to dock with ISS was postponed, with no new launch date set for the test. United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced that Mike Leinbach had joined the company as the Director of Human Spaceflight Operations. NASA could test its payloads on Earth under realistic flight conditions before sending them into space by using a technology flown by Draper Laboratory. February The first flight of the Orion crew capsule is being planned for sometime in 2014, though a specific target date has not been identified. The Soyuz spacecraft that was to carry the next ISS crew to the station on March 30 developed problems and was not able to fly, according to sources inside the Russian space agency Roscosmos. NASA received the National Research Council (NRC) report "NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities," which provides the agency with findings and recommendations on where best to invest in technologies needed to enable NASA's future missions in space. United Launch Alliance (ULA) said it completed two key milestones leading toward the certification of the Atlas V launch vehicle for human spaceflight. As part of NASA's ongoing efforts to foster development of a U.S. commercial crew space transportation capability to and from low Earth orbit and the International Space Station, NASA issued a call for industry to submit proposals for the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability Initiative. As the commercial spaceflight industry prepared for its first commercial launches, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation announced the creation of a new coalition to bring suborbital spaceflight to students, teachers, researchers, and companies across the country. March The heads of the International Space Station (ISS) agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States met in Quebec City, Canada, on March 1, 2012, to review the scientific, technological, and social benefits being produced through their collaboration, and to discuss plans for further broadening these benefits by continuing to advance the human exploration of space. A laptop which contained command codes for the International Space Station was stolen in 2011, according to Congressional testimony from the NASA Inspector General. It was one of 48 pilfered from the agency between April 2009 and April 2011. Europe’s ambition of touching down at the Moon’s south pole by 2018 was boosted by recent test firings of the craft’s thrusters. The robot lander will prove new techniques for sending humans to the Moon and assess lunar hazards. Ten years ago on March 14th, SpaceX was founded with the goal of helping make the human race a multi-planetary species. The company says it remains firmly committed to this goal. Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of Boeing’s integrated Commercial Crew Space Transportation system, which includes the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 spacecraft, was completed on March 12. SpaceX continued to prepare for its COTS 2/3 test flight in which it sent the Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. In testimony before a U.S. House subcommittee considering the FY2013 budget for the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation, or AST, the Associate Administrator in charge of the office said that he expects space tourism to get underway within the next two years. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden issued a statement regarding the efforts announced by Jeff Bezos to recover main engines from the Saturn V first stage rocket of Apollo 11. April Spaceport America planned to extend its main runway by 2,000 feet to accommodate Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo. The New Mexico Spaceport Authority Board approved the extension. Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) announced it had assembled a team of outside experts to help the company create the world’s safest human spaceflight system. A new organization that will focus exclusively on NASA's human spaceflight programs was introduced by United Launch Alliance (ULA). Departing from the Kennedy Space Center, the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery was riding aboard the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) 905. The orbiter, having been retired from flight with the ending of the Space Shuttle program, was on its way to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy facility near Dulles Airport. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a bill into law he says will position Colorado to capitalize on significant new opportunities in commercial space transportation. Florida Governor Rick Scott signed into law a space territory measure that will strengthen the ability of Cecil Airport in Jacksonville to compete as a commercial horizontal launch spaceport. As the space shuttles are shuffled off to be museum pieces, two companies are looking at older technology as in their bid to supply boosters for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS). SpaceX said in an e-mail that it has decided to delay it's COTS 2 launch, citing technical difficulties. Wind tunnel testing of a scale model of the Dream Chaser orbital crew vehicle has been completed in the Oran W. Nicks Low Speed Wind Tunnel at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. May Sierra Nevada Corporation began flight testing of its Dream Chaser Space System with a successful captive carry of a full scale Dream Chaser Flight Vehicle near the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Colorado. SpaceX conducted a successful static test fire of the Falcon 9 rocket it hopes will launch a Dragon capsule to the International Space Station May 7th. The software glitch which cropped up during the test firing of a Falcon 9 rocket Monday means another delay for the launch of SpaceX's COTS 2 and 3 combined flight. SpaceX said it would be pushing its COTS 2-3 demonstration launch back to May 19th while its own and NASA scientists finish evaluating computer code which controls the launch. SpaceX finished an important evaluation of a prototype Dragon spacecraft designed to carry people into orbit. This key milestone is part of SpaceX's partnership with NASA under a funded Space Act Agreement to advance the design of crew transportation vehicles. Hundreds turned out in Brownsville, TX for a public hearing on the proposed SpaceX satellite launch site in Cameron County, and virtually all comments showed a supportive public. The second demonstration mission for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program got under way as SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. SpaceX reports that its Dragon spacecraft completed key on-orbit tests as part of a historic attempt to be the first commercial company in history to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station. SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft returned safely to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean a few hundred miles off the coast of southern California. The return of the vehicle marks the successful completion of the first commercial mission to supply the ISS. June Virgin Galactic announced that its vehicle developer, Scaled Composites (Scaled), has been granted an experimental launch permit from the FAA for its suborbital spacecraft, SpaceshipTwo, and the carrier aircraft, WhiteKnightTwo. The successful flight of a Falcon 9 Rocket and Dragon capsule to the International Space Station may open the door for the launch of military satellites by SpaceX ... a goal said to be more elusive than flying cargo for NASA. It must have been a sinking feeling on the part of the tow boat captain when the space shuttle Enterprise crunched ever so slightly into a navigation marker for a New York Railroad bridge. The shuttle was being towed to a temporary stop in New Jersey ... the first leg of its final voyage to the Intrepid Museum in Manhattan. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), chairman of the House Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations subcommittee, said he had reached an agreement with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden regarding the future of the commercial crew program. The Air Force confirmed the successful de-orbit and landing of the second X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) for their Rapid Capabilities Office. The FAA and NASA signed an historic agreement to coordinate standards for commercial space travel of government and non-government astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station (ISS). One of the crew to attempt China's first docking between two spacecraft in orbit was also that country's first woman in space. The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Science and Space held a hearing entitled “Risks, Opportunities, and Oversight of Commercial Space." Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex planned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, July 1 with a program that includes NASA officials discussing the historic spaceport and the dynamic transformation underway to support the next generation of space exploration. SpaceShipTwo (SS2) went two steps closer to making its first powered flight, after the suborbital space vehicle successfully completed its first glide flight test since a recent integration period for rocket motor systems and maintenance, and the spaceship’s engine, RocketMotorTwo (RM2), underwent another successful full duration test fire ... on the same day. The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST) and the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) prepared forecasts of global demand for commercial space launch services for the 10-year period from 2012 through 2021. Three Chinese astronauts, including the first Chinese woman to fly in space, returned safely to Earth following a 13-day mission in which they successfully docked their Shenzhou 9 capsule to the Tiangong 1 space lab prototype already in orbit. The landing was broadcast live on Chinese state television. July A non-profit organization founded by a former NASA astronaut announced it is planning to build, launch, and operate the first privately funded deep space mission ... a space telescope to be placed in orbit around the Sun. The first space-bound Orion capsule arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida where technicians will turn it into a fully functioning spacecraft ahead of a test flight slated for 2014. The Midland Development Corporation (MDC) and XCOR Aerospace jointly announced the establishment of XCOR’s new Commercial Space Research and Development Center Headquarters that will be created over the next eighteen months. NASA partner Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completed an important design review of the crewed version of its Dragon spacecraft. The concept baseline review presented NASA with the primary and secondary design elements of its Dragon capsule designed to carry astronauts into low Earth orbit, including the International Space Station. United Launch Alliance (ULA) completed a crucial milestone in its on-going development and certification of the Atlas V launch vehicle for human spaceflight. ULA successfully completed the fifth milestone of its Commercial Crew Development (CCDev2) Unfunded Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA. NASA has selected six proposals it says will improve the affordability, reliability and performance of an advanced booster for the Space Launch System (SLS). The awardees will develop engineering demonstrations and risk reduction concepts for SLS heavy-lift rocket. August A report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicates that the U.S. provides less commercial space launch indemnification for third party losses than China, France, and Russia, according to recent studies. Space Florida – the State of Florida’s spaceport authority and aerospace economic development agency – and the FAA's Office of Commercial Space (FAA-AST) – partnered in November 2011 to commission a study prepared by The Tauri Group, on the forecast 10-year demand for suborbital reusable vehicles. The House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics held a hearing to examine the potential launch markets and applications for suborbital reusable launch vehicles (SRVs). NASA announced new agreements with three American commercial companies to design and develop the next generation of U.S. human spaceflight capabilities, enabling a launch of astronauts from U.S. soil in the next five years. An image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the Curiosity rover still connected to its 51-foot-wide (almost 16 meter) parachute as it descended towards its landing site at Gale Crater. Neil Armstrong, who in 1969 became the first human to walk on the surface of the Moon, underwent a quadruple coronary bypass after four blocked arteries were discovered during a routine checkup. While there has not yet been an official announcement, word around the aerospace community is that Mojave, CA-based XCOR will be establishing a presence on the east-central coast of Florida, building engines and maybe spacecraft at a facility at the Kennedy Space Center. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced new milestones in the nation's commercial space initiatives from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The latest advances made by NASA's commercial space partners pave the way for the first contracted flight of cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) this fall and mark progress toward a launch of astronauts from U.S. soil in the next five years. The Dream Chaser Space System successfully completed its first milestone as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative. Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announced the achievement of the milestone Thursday. Dr. Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon -- just scant minutes after Neil Armstrong took the historic first step, issued a statement in memory of his friend and fellow Apollo 11 astronaut, Neil Armstrong. September Space shuttle Endeavour, mounted atop NASA's modified 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), was set to make the final ferry flight of the Space Shuttle Program era from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida headed to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). NASA's Mars Curiosity team finished robotic arm tests in preparation for the rover to touch and examine its first Martian rock. Tests with the 7-foot arm have allowed the mission team to gain confidence in the arm's precise maneuvering in Martian temperature and gravity conditions. NASA released a request for proposals for the first of two contract phases to certify commercially developed space systems in support of crewed missions to the International Space Station. Endeavour made the last leg of its journey to becoming a museum piece. Following an overnight stay at Edwards AFB in California, NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), with Endeavour riding on its back, performed a low flyby northbound to Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved H.R. 4158, a bipartisan bill introduced by Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Ralph Hall (R-TX) to confirm full ownership rights to artifacts received by Apollo-era astronauts from their space missions. California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law the Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act, AB 2243. This law provides the necessary liability protections for compliant companies in the state, should any spaceflight participant who has acknowledged the risks sustain any bodily injury during spaceflight activities. SpaceX’s Grasshopper vertical takeoff and landing test vehicle (VTVL) took its first test flight hop from the company’s rocket testing facility in McGregor, Texas. October NASA has a plan on the drawing board that would establish an outpost some 277,000 miles from the Earth, according to documents obtained by a Florida newspaper. The space station would maintain an orbit beyond that of the moon, and be a "staging area" for potential Lunar and Martian missions. Orbital Sciences Corporation rolled the first stage of its Antares rocket to the launch pad of the nation's newest spaceport - the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, VA - while in Florida, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) moved ahead with preparations for an Oct. 7 launch to the International Space Station for NASA's first Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission. The Dragon capsule reached its planned orbit of 212 miles above Earth, despite a single engine failure about a minute into the mission, and was on course to catch up to the station. While SpaceX celebrated its successful launch to the International Space Station, the launch was not without a problem. Fortunately for the company, and probably for the commercial space industry as a whole, the engine problem experienced by the spacecraft as it lifted the Dragon resupply vehicle into orbit did not cause the mission to fail. Virgin Galactic said that it has taken 100% ownership of its sister company, The Spaceship Company (TSC), by acquiring the 30% stake held by Scaled Composites (Scaled) since TSC’s formation under a joint venture with Virgin Galactic. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft was berthed to the International Space Station at 0803 CDT Wednesday, a key milestone in a new era of commercial spaceflight. The delivery flight is the first contracted resupply mission by the company under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) partner Blue Origin has successfully fired the thrust chamber assembly for its new 100,000 pound thrust BE-3 liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen rocket engine. NASA was looking at the possibility of awarding up to $1.5 million in its Centennial Challenge Program for the development of solutions for integrating unmanned aircraft into the National Airspace System. NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) partner Blue Origin conducted a successful pad escape test at the company's West Texas launch site, firing its pusher-escape motor and launching a full-scale suborbital crew capsule from a simulated propulsion module. A Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Dragon spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean a few hundred miles west of Baja California, Mexico. The splashdown successfully ended the first cargo delivery flight contracted by NASA to resupply the International Space Station. November Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completed its first three performance milestones for NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative, which is intended to lead to the availability of commercial human spaceflight services for government and commercial customers. SpaceX’s Grasshopper – a 10-story vertical takeoff and landing (VTVL) vehicle -- rose nearly two stories off the ground in an 8-second duration test hop conducted on November 1. The rocket rose 17.7 feet, hovered, and touched back down safely on the pad at SpaceX’s rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas. NASA, the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), and their international partners selected two veteran spacefarers for a one-year mission aboard the International Space Station in 2015. NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) successfully used an experimental version of interplanetary Internet to control an educational rover from the International Space Station. A Los Angeles judge handed down a temporary ruling in favor of NASA's JPL in a case involving a former employee who claims he was fired because of his religious beliefs. December The aerospace and space sectors make critical contributions to Canada's prosperity and security, but if those sectors are to remain vibrant and competitive over the next 20 to 30 years, relevant public policies and programs will need to keep pace with rapidly changing global conditions. NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft entered a new region at the far reaches of our solar system that scientists feel is the final area the spacecraft has to cross before reaching interstellar space. Warning that "we're getting closer to a 'Thelma and Louise' moment, when we careen off into the void," AIA President and CEO Marion C. Blakey told attendees at AIA's Year-end Luncheon Wednesday that "the time for real work, real negotiation and a real solution" to sequestration "is now." NASA announced that it has selected three companies to conduct activities under contracts that will enable future certification of commercial spacecraft as safe to carry humans to the International Space Station. The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing Wednesday with a panel of distinguished experts to hear their perspectives on NASA’s strategic vision and the future of America’s space program. NASA named the site where twin agency spacecraft impacted the moon in honor of the late astronaut, Sally K. Ride, who was America's first woman in space and a member of the probes' mission team. SpaceShipTwo undertook its 23rd glide flight in the pre-powered portion of its incremental test flight program. This was asignificant flight in that it was the first with rocket motor components installed, including tanks. SpaceX's Grasshopper took a 12-story leap towards full and rapid rocket reusability in a test flight conducted December 17, 2012 at SpaceX’s rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas. FMI: www.aero-news.net For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=16a23221-2b4e-4ebb-a06f-ab74a704bf17 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Boeing 737 MAX Gets Milestone Order From Aviation Capital Group More Than 1,000 Orders For The Re-Engined Single-Aisle Airplane To Date A milestone order pushing the number of 737 MAX airplanes on the books over 1,000 was announced Wednesday by Boeing and Aviation Capital Group. The leasing company placed an order for 60 airplanes, consisting of 50 737 MAX 8s and 10 737 MAX 9s, which was finalized in December 2012. The 737 MAX has now accumulated more than 1,000 orders. "This order is a major step in building our broad portfolio of modern, fuel-efficient airplanes," said Denis Kalscheur, chief executive officer of ACG. "The 737 MAX enables us to offer our customers airplanes that provide the fuel efficiency, reliability and passenger comforts needed to grow in tomorrow's marketplace." The order, worth $6 billion at current list prices, further illustrates the strong demand for the 737 MAX in the airplane leasing industry. "We are proud of the confidence that ACG has placed in the 737 MAX," said John Wojick, senior vice president of Global Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The 737 MAX will deliver to ACG's customers unsurpassed efficiency in the single-aisle market as well as improved environmental performance." The Next-Generation 737 is the most fuel-efficient and reliable single-aisle airplane today with an 8 percent per-seat operating cost advantage over the nearest competitor. The 737 MAX builds on these strengths with advances in fuel-efficiency and environmental performance. Equipped with new LEAP-1B engines from CFM International and improvements such as the Advanced Technology Winglet, Boeing says the MAX reduces fuel burn and CO2 emissions by 13 percent while maintaining the 8 percent operating cost advantage over future competition. These efficiencies have powered the 737 MAX to the impressive order milestone. With ACG's order, the 737 MAX has orders for 1,029 airplanes from airlines and leasing companies worldwide. "Reaching 1,000 orders in just over a year's time from our first order validates the exceptional value the 737 MAX offers our customers," said Bob Feldmann, vice president and general manager, 737 MAX. "Customers are expressing confidence in our ability to deliver improved performance on schedule." (Image provided by Boeing) FMI: www.boeing.com For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=58ec5033-9c77-4554-abf4-9118fe35892a ----------------------------------------------------------------- Boeing Back On Top Ends 2012 As The World's Number One Planemaker Boeing expects that when it tallies up all of the orders and deliveries for 2012, it will once again emerge as the world's number one manufacturer of commercial airliners. If so, it would be the first time in a decade that the company has bested its European rival Airbus. Boeing expects that the final numbers will show 585 commercial deliveries for 2012. That would be the highest total since 1999, when the numbers were boosted by the final deliveries of McDonnell Douglas airplanes from Long Beach, CA. Similarly, the 2012 order book stood at 1,121 aircraft in mid-December, which is second only to 2007's all-time sales record, according to a report in the Seattle Times. Boeing has been on a hiring spree over the past several months to accommodate the demand, but some analysts say that the future is not totally clear. The competition between Boeing's re-engined 737 MAX and the Airbus A320neo is just getting underway with neither airplane as yet flying. And orders for the 747-8 have fallen, leading to concerns about the company's production levels of its biggest jumbo. There are also labor concerns, with the prospect of an engineers' and technical workers' walkout early this year. But marketing executive Ranty Tinseth told the paper that 2013 will see the 737 MAX, 787-9 and -10, and 777x programs moving forward, and he says that there is "no plan" to cut 747 production "at this time." Tinseth also predicts that the engineers union will come to an agreement with the planemaker before a strike deadline in January. Boeing will release its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2012 at 0730 EST on Wednesday, January 30. Boeing Capital Corp. results will also be released at that time. FMI: www.boeing.com For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=22785e4d-3a8b-44f1-b75e-36deefcb71b9 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Principato, Hendricks Applaud Senate Confirmation of Huerta's Nomination Calls Full Time Administrator Critical To Moving Aviation Policy Forward Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) President Greg Principato and NATA President and CEO Thomas L. Hendricks issued statements Wednesday in response to the Senate’s confirmation of Michael Huerta’s nomination to be Administrator of the FAA. “I applaud the Senate’s decision to put partisan differences aside and move Acting Administrator Huerta’s nomination forward. The national aviation system is a key driver for the US economy," Principato (pictured) said. "Given the challenging fiscal times facing our country and our industry, we need a full time Administrator who can dedicate the next five years to working with all industry stakeholders to create a national aviation policy that will ensure the country remains both an economic engine and be globally competitive well into the 21st century.” "NATA applauds the U.S. Senate's leadership in confirming Michael Huerta as FAA Administrator," stated NATA President and CEO Thomas L. Hendricks. "We look forward to continuing to work with Administrator Huerta on aviation initiatives." Huerta was confirmed by the Senate on New Year's Day as one of several Obama nominees considered to be non-controversial. He will now serve a full five year term as the head of the agency. Huerta was named Acting Administrator by President Obama following the resignation of Randy Babbitt late in 2011 after his arrest on charges of driving under the influence. Babbitt was later cleared of those charges. Huerta's nomination had been held up by South Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint until after the election. DeMint removed his objections to the nomination last month. FMI: www.aci-na.org, www.faa.gov For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=6deb8b7b-5f4f-4b08-9e3b-684098d84a1b ----------------------------------------------------------------- CAP's New Governance Structure Fully Implemented Civil Air Patrol Begins The New Year With A New Way Of Doing Business The Civil Air Patrol's new governance structure, which is now fully implemented, has changed the role of CAP’s leadership and even the relationship between its 61,000 volunteers and CAP National Headquarters’ 100 employees. The changes reinforce the Board of Governors’ authority to make strategic policy, shift nonstrategic issues to the national commander, focus the wing commanders’ role on operations and establish a “one CAP” approach to decision-making in which volunteers and NHQ work together to achieve common goals. “The merging of the two staffs – paid and unpaid professionals – provides for a seamless organizational structure,” said CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Chuck Carr (pictured, below). “We are all on one team now.” CAP Board of Governor Chairman Brig. Gen. Rich Anderson described the changes as a “paradigm shift” for policy-level decisions that will prove correct: “With the wing commanders focused on day-to-day missions, making decisions that are important to the membership, that’s where there will be considerable benefit to be realized.” CAP’s new governance structure was unveiled Aug. 24 at the 2012 Annual Conference in Baltimore. Initial implementation took place on Oct. 1 when the BoG approved an updated CAP Constitution and Bylaws that incorporated the provisions of the new governance structure. In keeping with the new Constitution and Bylaws, Carr, whose appointment as national commander was confirmed by the BoG, submitted the name of Brig. Gen. Joe Vazquez for confirmation as vice commander and he was confirmed. Vazquez has no specified term and may serve sequential commanders if nominated and confirmed by the BoG. On Nov. 3, the newly created CAP Senior Advisory Group selected Col. Tim Verrett of the Pacific Region and Lt. Col. Jayson Altieri of the North Carolina Wing as CAP at-large BoG members. The selections, which increased the number of at-large members from two to four, were the first made under the new governance structure. Another key initiative associated with the new governance structure – updating 48 regulations to reflect the changes – was completed by CAP’s staff on Dec. 31. With the governance structure in place, the members and staff will now focus on implementation of the organization’s two-year strategic plan – the first ever developed jointly by CAP and the BoG. Achievement of the plan’s six priorities – which emphasize funding; resource, skill and youth development; public awareness; aerospace education; and institutional excellence – will be used as the basis for the national commander’s and chief operating officer’s annual performance evaluations. “It’s a 360-degree evaluation with input from the CAP-U.S. Air Force commander,” said Carr, “so it is incumbent on all of us to do our very best for the organization in implementing the plan.” California Wing Commander Col. Jon Stokes summed up the organization’s sentiments about CAP’s changes in governance: “Though there were a lot of concerns about the changes and who would be affected in the organization, the concerns were for naught. Five years from now, we will reflect on these changes and know they were for the good and for our continued growth as an organization.” FMI: www.gocivilairpatrol.com For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/military.cfm?ContentBlockID=e3535068-d26e-46c5-918d-6c8346ddf9e5 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Shanghai, China Gulfstream G450/G550 FFS Certified To Level D Highest Level Of Certification Offered By The CAAC A Gulfstream G450/G550 full-flight simulator (FFS) in Shanghai, China, built by CAE has received Level D certification, the highest-fidelity certification, by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The training program will be offered at the Shanghai Eastern Flight Training Center (SEFTC), in Shanghai Pudong Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone starting in early 2013. Shanghai is CAE's tenth business aviation training location worldwide. "We have been serving the aviation community in China for more than 20 years; we've sold more than 65 commercial aviation simulators to airlines in China over the years and we operate one of the largest training centers in China; we are pleased to expand our presence and to now offer business aviation training," said Jeff Roberts, CAE Group President, Civil Simulation Products, Training and Services. "China and other areas of Asia are emerging as business aviation growth markets, and we are leveraging CAE's long history in the region to bring training and services close to where our customers operate." The G450 / G550 pilot training programs will feature standard CAE courseware in Mandarin as well as English. SEFTC is China Eastern Airlines' training center. It also operates 11 CAE-built FFSs for Airbus and Boeing aircraft types. Other CAE business aviation training programs announced and to be offered in Asia in the future include the Bombardier Global 5000, Global Express, Global Express XRS and Dassault Falcon 7X. FMI: www.cae.com For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbus.cfm?ContentBlockID=dcc8e6bf-c1b6-43db-aa7a-83b99c10aa44 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Air Methods Orders HEMS Helicopters From American Eurocopter Year-End Deal Valued At More Than $80 Million Air Methods Corp has placed an order with American Eurocopter Corp. for 22 new helicopters valued at more than $80 million. With the order, Air Methods, based in Englewood, CO., continues to equip its fleet with new aircraft incorporating the latest in safety and technology improvements. Air Methods already operates more than 330 Eurocopter helicopters, comprising about 80 percent of its fleet. "We truly value our on-going partnership with Air Methods," said Marc Paganini, President and Chief Executive of American Eurocopter. "This acquisition demonstrates their faith in our ability to deliver safe, high quality products so they can best serve their demanding mission requirements. I pledge my continued support of their existing fleet and these new aircraft for decades to come." The Air Methods order includes: 10 EC-130T2, a large capacity single engine aircraft; six AS350B3e single-engine aircraft; and six EC-135P2e helicopters. "Our Eurocopter helicopters order is part of our commitment to having the most modern fleet in the helicopter emergency medical services industry and to support future growth opportunities," said Archie Gray, senior vice president, Air Methods Aviation Services. "These three Eurocopter airframes combine performance, speed, and good operating costs, making them great choices for our operations." The EC-130T2 is the newest addition to the Eurocopter product line with a Fenestron-enclosed tail rotor that reduces noise and enhances passenger and crew safety. The EC-135P2e is an improved version of the top selling light twin-engine helicopter with an increased capacity for carrying equipment or fuel. Air Methods already operates 86 EC-135s. The A350B3e is the latest update to Eurocopter's single engine aircraft and is equipped a new Turbomeca Arriel 2D engine with a dual digital engine control system. This modern engine offers increased reliability and decreased maintenance costs and is fitted with an Engine Data Recorder. The AS350 B3e cockpit, with its dual LCD-screen Vehicle and Engine Multifunction Display (VEMD), allows the pilot to check at a glance key aircraft performance parameters, reducing pilot workload and enhancing safety. The new helicopters will be delivered beginning in mid-2014 through 2015. Completions of the aircraft will be performed by United Rotorcraft, a division of Air Methods. (Image: EC-130T2 unveiled at HeliExpo 2012 provided by Eurocopter) FMI: www.eurocopter.com For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbus.cfm?ContentBlockID=28dd3641-6d2b-4d50-abb2-1561fd5f07d7 ----------------------------------------------------------------- China Airlines To Lease Four New 777-300ERs Carrier Modernizing Its Long-Haul Wide-Body Fleet China Airlines will lease four new Boeing 777-300ERs from GE Capital Aviation Services Limited (GECAS), the leasing company announced Thursday. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2014, beginning the modernization of the airline’s long-haul wide-body fleet. All four leased aircraft come from GECAS’ existing order book with Boeing. In November 2011, GECAS announced it will lease four new Airbus A330-300 aircraft to China Airlines. Delivery of the first two aircraft from GECAS’ existing order book with Airbus was in October and December 2012. “GECAS has been incorporating our global expertise to offer our respectable customer, China Airlines, solutions that meet their operational and financial needs while China Airlines continues to succeed as a flagship carrier in Taiwan and global player of the airline industry,” said Norman Liu, CEO of GECAS. “One of China Airlines’ priority missions is to streamline our fleet and upgrade our service quality. As such, China Airlines extensive fleet renewal program has allowed us the opportunity to upgrade our long haul fleet by selecting the state-of-the-art 777-300ER. Combined with superior passenger comfort, the 777-300ER offers the highest degree of operational flexibility and economy,” said Mr. Huang-Hsiang Sun, President of China Airlines. In addition to the four A330-300s and four 777-300ERs scheduled for delivery in the next three years, GECAS currently leases eight E190s to Mandarin Airlines, a subsidiary of China Airlines. Founded in 1959, China Airlines is a full-service flag carrier of Taiwan, operating a fleet of 72 regional and international aircraft to over 112 destinations in 28 countries across Asia and to Oceania, Europe and the U.S. (File photo) FMI: www.ge.com For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=52e24bc9-ec1d-4f1b-8d6a-cf5166f6a134 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Final Wedgetail AEW&C Airborne Mission Segment Design Accepted By Australia Completes Acquisition Of Airborne Early Warning And Control Aircraft And Mission Systems The Commonwealth of Australia has completed its acquisition of six Boeing 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft and related mission systems by accepting the final design of the Wedgetail airborne mission segment. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) operates the aircraft, which provide Australia with advanced airborne surveillance, communications and battle management. "Australia has worked closely with Boeing and its industry partners to deliver a world-class Airborne Early Warning and Control capability," said Air Vice Marshal Chris Deeble, Wedgetail program manager, Defence Materiel Organisation. "The performance of the Wedgetail in recent high-end coalition exercises indicates that we are delivering a cutting-edge warfighting capability to the RAAF." "The collaboration between the RAAF, Boeing and our suppliers is proof that a strong government-industry partnership can do great things," said Rick Heerdt, Boeing vice president and program manager, Airborne Surveillance, Command and Control. "A robust support program is now in place to ensure Wedgetail's long-term service and success." Besides six AEW&C aircraft, the Wedgetail program also includes ground support segments such as the Operational Flight Trainer, Operational Mission Simulator and Mission Support System. All are located in the AEW&C Support Center at RAAF Base Williamtown in Newcastle. Boeing completed delivery of four AEW&C aircraft to the Republic of Korea in 2012. Four additional AEW&C aircraft are in production for Turkey. (Image provided by Boeing) FMI: www.boeing.com For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/military.cfm?ContentBlockID=c0f421ef-a016-4041-af1b-231b8ea1df23 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Mitsui Bussan Aerospace Appointed Official Japanese AW169 Distributor Has Filled The Role For The AW139 Since 2005 Companies in Japan who plan to acquire a new AW169 helicopter will be dealing with Mitsui Bussan Aerospace (MBA), which has been appointed as the official distributor for the all-new aircraft in Japan. AgustaWestland said in announcing the move that it further strengthens its partnership with MBA, which has been the official distributor of the AW139 in Japan since 2005. “By appointing MBA as the official distributor of the latest addition to the AgustaWestland product range, we are confident the AW169 will find similar market response setting new standards in its category," said Andrew Symonds, AgustaWestland’s Head of Region, NE Asia. "By doing so MBA also becomes a distributor for two out of three types in our Family of new generation helicopters introducing unprecedented levels of capabilities, mission effectiveness and cost savings for aircraft support and training.” The helo manufacturer says the AW169 4.5 ton class is "set to be the most advanced and cost effective helicopter in its class for several missions." The AW169 is part of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters that includes the AW139 and AW189 models, which share a common cockpit layout, design philosophy and maintenance concept. The company says this commonality will allow more effective operations for customers operating helicopter fleets across the 4 to 8.5 tonne categories. More than 70 AW169 helicopters have now been ordered by customers worldwide for a wide range of missions including corporate transport, air ambulance, law enforcement, utility and offshore transport. With three prototypes already flying and a fourth prototype planned in 2013, the AW169 is on schedule to achieve certification in 2014. (AW169 prototype file photo provided by AgustaWestland) FMI: www.agustawestland.com For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbus.cfm?ContentBlockID=71891576-50dc-4608-a7b5-5d0e407fb6d0 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hubble Eyes A Wanderer Dancing The Dance Of Stars And Space Galaxy NGC 1097 Hosts A 'Supermassive' Black Hole The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has provided images of the heart of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1097. This face-on galaxy, lying 45 million light-years away from Earth in the southern constellation of Fornax (The Furnace), is particularly attractive for astronomers. NGC 1097 is a Seyfert galaxy. Lurking at the very center of the galaxy, a supermassive black hole 100 million times the mass of our sun is gradually sucking in the matter around it. The area immediately around the black hole shines powerfully with radiation coming from the material falling in. In this image, the larger-scale structure of the galaxy is barely visible: its comparatively dim spiral arms, which surround its heart in a loose embrace, reach out beyond the edges of this frame. The distinctive ring around the black hole is bursting with new star formation due to an inflow of material toward the central bar of the galaxy. These star-forming regions are glowing brightly thanks to emission from clouds of ionized hydrogen. The ring is around 5000 light-years across, although the spiral arms of the galaxy extend tens of thousands of light-years beyond it. NGC 1097 is also pretty exciting for supernova hunters. The galaxy experienced three supernovae (the violent deaths of high-mass stars) in the 11-year span between 1992 and 2003. This is definitely a galaxy worth checking on a regular basis. However, what it is really exciting about NGC 1097 is that it is not wandering alone through space. It has two small galaxy companions, which dance “the dance of stars and the dance of space” like the gracious dancer of the famous poem The Dancer by Khalil Gibran. The satellite galaxies are NGC 1097A, an elliptical galaxy orbiting 42,000 light-years from the center of NGC 1097 and a small dwarf galaxy named NGC 1097B. Both galaxies are located out beyond the frames of this image and they cannot be seen. Astronomers have indications that NGC 1097 and NGC 1097A have interacted in the past. The picture was taken with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys using visual and infrared filters. (Image provided by NASA) FMI: www.nasa.gov/hubble For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=596da2bc-cbbd-401c-9635-b7b3af1548ba ----------------------------------------------------------------- NASA's Opens Destination Station Exhibit In Mesa, Arizona Interactive Exhibits Show What Life Is Like Aboard ISS Arizonans can get a sense of what spaceflight is like following the opening of NASA's Destination Station exhibit at the Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa. The interactive exhibit reveals the inside of America's orbiting laboratory while educating visitors about the vast array of science and research being done in low-Earth orbit. "This exhibit is a magnificent way for children, especially, to be able to imagine what it is like for astronauts living in space," said Kathy Eastman of the museum. "It brings to life what many children dream about when they look at the stars." The exhibit opening is a precursor to more NASA activities coming in 2013. Destination Station is NASA's International Space Station Program national awareness campaign, promoting station research and opportunities, educating communities about the people living and working on the station, and communicating the real and potential benefits for our everyday lives. The exhibit is free with admission to the museum. NASA will be sponsoring many activities that will be open to the public at various locations in the Phoenix and Tucson areas Feb. 21 through March 3. The space station is a multinational research facility and the largest spacecraft ever built. It is an official U.S. National Laboratory where astronauts and scientists from around the world conduct experiments in fundamental life, physical, Earth and space science, as well as human health, technologies for space exploration and the improvement of life on Earth. FMI: www.nasa.gov/destinationstation For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=7f3cf5e5-7c67-4f3f-88f9-0146392fb03d ----------------------------------------------------------------- Qatar Airways Files Legal Claim Against Airport Contractor New International Airport Opening Delayed For Months Officials of Qatar Airways have filed a legal claim amounting to some $600 million against a contractor for delays in opening a new international airport in Doha. The suit, filed against Lindner Depa Interiors (LCI), claims the contractor is responsible for pushing the opening of the New Doha International Airport from December 2012 to the second half of 2013, according to a report appearing in Construction Week online. Qatar will operate the airport after its opening. The primary issue appears to be the completion of 19 airport "lounges" which LDI was to have completed by last summer as part of a $250 million contract. The total cost of the airport is reportedly about $15.5 billion. In a statement on its website, LDI said that the company is "currently in arbitration proceedings with the New Doha International Airport (NDIA), with whom it was contracted to work. LDI was denied full access to the project site for the first nine months of the sixteen months project. This delay, combined with NDIA’s refusal to pay acceleration costs recommended by its own management consultancy, meant LDI was unable to start all interior contracting work on site as planned. As a result, LDI was unable to meet its original contract completion date." The company said it "acknowledges Qatar Airways statement as a false and misleading representation of the facts around the New Doha International Airport (NDIA) project. LDI is deeply disappointed by the allegations made by Qatar Airways and rebuts all claims. Furthermore, LDI has never had a contract or relationship with Qatar Airways, nor has it received any legal claim from the airline." FMI: www.depa.com/english/home, www.ndiaproject.com For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=b23c984c-5327-4380-8890-cae3edae5f79 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Texas Hopes To Establish Vertical Launch Spaceport But Hurdles Such As Limited State Resources And Environmental Concerns Could Stymie The Project In November of 2011, SpaceX said it was looking for a site on which to build a new launch facility. In April, 2012, SpaceX said it was considering a launch site in Texas, and in the fall of last year, the commercial space company bought land in Cameron County, TX along the Gulf of Mexico on the Mexican border. But Texas is in competition with states like Florida, which has an established launch infrastructure in place. Georgia and Puerto Rico are also maneuvering to lure SpaceX, according to a report from the Associated Press. SpaceX already has a presence in Texas, with a rocket manufacturing and testing facility in McGregor. State officials say they hope that a facility that SpaceX would not have to share with NASA and the U.S. Air Force would be attractive to the commercial space company. But some Texas elected officials say that the state's resources could be better spent on other projects in the region, such as the establishment of a new medical school being championed by the University of Texas Board of Regents, according to the AP. State Representative Rene Oliveira (D) said she does not know if Texas could ever reach a point that it would be competitive with Florida or Puerto Rico for a launch site. The FAA would also have to complete an environmental impact study on the site before any construction could begin. SpaceX has said that just because it has bought the property does not mean it will build a launch facility in south Texas. (ANN staff image SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral, FL.) FMI: www.spacex.com, www.texas.gov For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=bfd985b1-bcd1-443f-b8e7-91ab19051720 ----------------------------------------------------------------- ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbell via the link below. Please include the following information when submitting a story idea or lead: who the intended subject is, a general story outline of said subject, important dates or deadlines for the story lead, and any appropriate contact information for both yourself and related subjects. What kind of content is welcome? The Aero-TV crew is always enthusiastic about new ideas and leads that are provided by our viewers. It is our aim to provide aviation coverage that our viewers find important, relevant, and meaningful to the industry. If you believe that you have such a story, please do not hesitate to contact us; however, please bear in mind that some stories are better suited for our print department rather than our video department. What is Aero-TV looking for when reviewing story submissions? When reviewing story submissions, our production crew is looking for three main elements: does the feature idea provide interesting visual elements, is it newsworthy, or does it share a compelling story? When we use the term “visually interesting,” we are referring to our ability, as a video production crew, to document the story in a dynamic way. For example, if you have a lead story on new aircraft being developed, access would be an extremely relevant consideration: will we be able to show imagery of the new aircraft? Will we have access to the location where the aircraft is being developed and built? Will we be able to either shoot or obtain footage of the aircraft in flight? Such questions help us determine whether we will be able to provide our viewers with visual representations of the presented story. Finally, the Aero-TV crew remains committed to our quest of sharing the heart of aviation with our viewers. We are looking for stories that demonstrate this passion and commitment both for the field of aviation, as well as its impact on the community at large. No story is considered “small” in our eyes; if an aviator or an aviation-related story has touched you, we want to hear about it. These are the elements that make up this great industry and we want to share them with our viewers. FMI: I Have A GREAT Story Idea For Aero-TV For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/featurestories.cfm?ContentBlockID=49012d68-9791-44e9-a05f-537b0f49daf5 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Aero-News: Quote Of The Day (01.03.13) Aero-News: Quote of the Day ANN's Quote of the Day usually derives from current news, though we reserve the right to pick quotes out of history that have a bearing on the day's events and issues. Sometimes, you'll find them timely and in keeping with the content of the day's news... and sometimes, they'll just be thought-provoking. Reader suggestions and comments are welcome... and if particularly intriguing, timely, or poignant, may themselves become future Quotes of the Day. Let us hear from you, folks! Aero-News Quote of the Day "Given the challenging fiscal times facing our country and our industry, we need a full time Administrator who can dedicate the next five years to working with all industry stakeholders to create a national aviation policy that will ensure the country remains both an economic engine and be globally competitive well into the 21st century.” Source: ACI-NA president and CEO Greg Principato on the confirmation of Michael Huerta as Administrator of the FAA. FMI: www.aci-na.org For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/featurestories.cfm?ContentBlockID=5facd4d3-aed6-48b5-a485-890519f15819 ----------------------------------------------------------------- ANN's Daily Aero-Term (01.03.13): Delta T Aero-Terms! Aero-Terms are designed to be a daily reminder of the terms, names, acronyms and explanations of the unique language that populates the aviation world. Aerospace, sport aviation, fixed wing, helo, you name it... it's all fair game. Aero-Terms should serve as a quick but intriguing reminder of the terms you may use every day, or an introduction to an aspects of the Aero-World you may not yet be familiar with. ANN also encourages readers to go beyond the FMI link, and further research any intriguing terms. Suggestions for future Aero-Terms are ALWAYS welcome, as are additions or discussion of the explanations given for each Aero-Term. Delta T Change in temperature. A simple representation of the mean lapse rate within a layer of the atmosphere, obtained by calculating the difference between observed temperatures at the bottom and top of the layer. Delta Ts often are computed operationally over the layer between pressure levels of 700 mb and 500 mb, in order to evaluate the amount of instability in mid-levels of the atmosphere. Generally, values greater than about 18 indicate sufficient instability for severe thunderstorm development. Can also refer to the difference in temperature between the surface of a lake and 850mb, typically used to determine lake effect snow potential. FMI: http://w1.weather.gov/glossary/index.php?letter=d For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/featurestories.cfm?ContentBlockID=d744a92d-159e-4f42-aff9-bb122dfddfa8 ----------------------------------------------------------------- ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (01.03.13) Aero-Linx! Scouring the information super airways can sometimes be a tough, if educational, task for the Aero-News staff... but it also allows us to check out some truly neat and exciting sites, so it's not that bad a gig. On any given day, we may check dozens (and often hundreds) of different sources for story ideas, and facts confirmation. And, as is the nature of our business, much of this is done on the Internet. The ANN gang decided we probably shouldn't keep some of the neat sites, info resources, and organizations we've discovered to ourselves... so we decided to bring you Aero-Linx. These are the sites that WE check out -- when we need added perspective, a new spin on a day's topic... or just want to escape into cyber-aero-space for awhile. Look for some of our favorite sites, coming each day to ANN via Aero-Linx. Suggestions for future Aero-Linx segments are always welcome, as well. Aero Linx: National Coalition for Aviation Education The National Coalition for Aviation Education is a membership organization that was formed in 1993 when the founding member groups signed a formal charter and established a partnership with the FAA. Together with the FAA, they actively promote aviation and space education while supporting schools' initiatives at the local, state and national levels. The NCAE was formed in a cooperative spirit between the aviation industry and the FAA to present a united voice on aviation education issues. They work with aviation educators, government officials and industry representatives to marshal education resources and use aviation to train American's young people. FMI: www.aviationeducation.org For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/featurestories.cfm?ContentBlockID=313fb894-cccb-4535-b821-75b1a5d1ba8e ----------------------------------------------------------------- AD: GA200 (Pty) Ltd Airplanes (Revision) AD NUMBER: 2012-18-10 R1 PRODUCT: All GA200 (Pty) Ltd Models GA200 and GA200C airplanes. SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2012-18-10 R1 ACTION: Final Rule SUMMARY: This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as failure of the wing strut bolt through the main spar. The FAA is issuing this AD to require actions to address the unsafe condition on these products. DATES: This AD is effective January 31, 2013. FMI: AD For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbus.cfm?ContentBlockID=30a3b359-7930-4f4d-8f28-cf695ce03d8f ----------------------------------------------------------------- AD: Airbus A300 AD NUMBER: 2012-25-06 PRODUCT: Certain Airbus Model A300 B4-2C, B4-103, and B4-203 airplanes; and Model A300 B4-601, B4-603, B4-620, B4-622, B4- 605R, and B4-622R airplanes. SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2012-25-06 ACTION: Final Rule SUMMARY: The FAA is superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for the product listed above. That AD currently requires performing a one-time detailed visual inspection of the forward fitting at frame (FR) 40 on both sides of the airplane for cracks, and repair if necessary. This new AD requires repetitive detailed inspections of the forward fitting at FR 40 without nut removal, and a one-time eddy current or liquid penetrant inspection of the forward fitting at FR 40 with nut removal, and repair if necessary. This AD was prompted by reports that new cracks were found in the FR 40 forward fitting. The FAA is issuing this AD to detect and correct cracking of the FR 40 forward fitting, which could result in a deterioration of the structural integrity of the frame. DATES: This AD becomes effective January 30, 2013. FMI: AD For the WHOLE story, go to http://www.aero-news.net/news/commair.cfm?ContentBlockID=e71f7048-5fb8-447c-8049-973e8b094cb5 ----------------------------------------------------------------- ANN Senior Staff Roster J.R. 'Zoom' Campbell CEO/Editor-In-Chief jim@aero-news.net Glen Moyer Aero-Cast Producer gmoyer@aero-news.net Tom Patton News Editor editor@aero-news.net Nathan Cremisino Ashley Hale Aero-TV Video Production Team Aero-TV HQ MKTG Inquiries Marketing Director mktg@aero-news.net Note: This newsletter is supported solely by sponsors like the one(s) listed herein. We stand 100% behind every ad that we run. If you ever have a problem with a company that advertises here please contact us and we will try to get it resolved. -- Aero-News Network Aero-News Network POB 305, Green Cove Springs, FL, 32043. 863-299-8680, www.aero-news.net ANN Aero-Casts /podcasts Provided to registered subscribers, Daily. 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This Is His Address Get ANN's Free News Ticker We have designed a small "portable" News Ticker that will offer current ANN headlines about what is happening in the aviation world. It can be copied to virtually any Web site (including YOURS!) on the Internet by simply requesting the code and permissions from us. In addition to staying abreast of the latest headlines, you can click on any one of these News Tickers, no matter who's site it is on, and then go directly to ANN to read the news, in-depth, anytime you choose. You may request the code using our request form by logging on to www.aero-news.net/ANNTicker.cfm For those of you with web sites, be sure to drop us an e-mail at editor@aero-news.net and we'll be sure to check out your site for inclusion in our link sites, shortly. AND... don't forget to send your news and press releases to us via news@aero-news.net ! We want our coverage to include EVERY facet of aviation... so we need ALL the feedback we can get! 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