Inflatable Moon Base Gets Proposed

Experimental architecture firm Architecture and Vision is pitching their idea for an inflatable Moon base to accommodate the return of human exploration on the Moon. Their Moon Base Two design would be sent to the surface of the Moon via an Ares V heavy-lifter rocket where it would automatically deploy and inflate itself in preparation for occupancy by four astronauts for up to six months. Although it is designed to be a "long term" motel, Moon Base Two would allow for the study of a permanent human settlement on the Moon. If Bigelow says you can use blow-up space stations, why not a blow-up Moon base? No official response from NASA yet.



(Images: Architecture and Vision)
(Architecture and Vision via Gizmodo)

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CRJs play bumper cars in Baton Rouge

Three Canadian Regional Jets were damaged in a surface incident that took place Monday at the new ASA maintenance base at the Baton Rouge Airport. Allegedly a "young mechanic" flipped an engine starter switch on an aircraft to slowly spin the compressor blades for cleaning when the engine immediately spooled up to takeoff power. This sent the CRJ hurling into two adjacent aircraft causing serious damage in a chaotic frenzy that took only five seconds. The aircraft involved were two CRJ-200s and a CRJ-700 that belong to Delta Connection partner Atlantic Southeast Airlines. Damage is reported to be around $100 million with one aircraft likely becoming a write-off. Fortunately no one was injured in the incident that involved the local Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting crew although one witness told WAFB that they were surprised the entire hangar didn't go up in flames. I'm looking forward to the pictures on this one.

(WAFB)

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Cold War Redux?

The next US Air Force Chief of Staff has indicated that Russia would be crossing "a red line" if it were to place nuclear capable bombers in Cuba as hinted by a recent Russian report. "If they did I think we should stand strong and indicate that is something that crosses a threshold, crosses a red line for the United States of America," said General Norton Schwartz in a conformation hearing yesterday. The Russian newspaper Iszvestia cited an unamed senior Russian military official on Monday saying Russia may start regular flights by long-range bombers to Cuba. This rattling of the sabre is in response to the United States' plan to install ballistic missile defense systems in Eastern European countries. The US has repeatedly told Russia that an early warning radar in the Czech Republic and 10 missile interceptors in Poland is not an offensive threat but a defensive measure to protect the US and its allies (Russia included) against rogue nations (insert Iran here) securing ballistic nuclear capabilities. No word as to whether the Russian bombers would be based in Cuba or just make flights in and out for fuel but either way Schwartz comments "I would certainly offer the best military advice that we engage the Russians not to pursue that approach." The whole thing smacks of early 1960's Cold War tactics. I was hoping we were done with all that stuff. I don't have a fallout shelter anymore.

(Breibart.com)

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First look at new Russian/European spacecraft

This is what Russia and Europe is hoping will get them some boots on the surface of the moon to compete with NASA's Orion Program. It is a first look at a new spacecraft designed by Russian manufacturer RKK Energia and revealed at the Farnborough Air Show last week. I've got to agree with the boys over at Gizmodo, it does look like something out of the Ikea Kitchen Collection. The joint project is designed around the premise of getting four cosmonauts or 'euronauts' to the moon and back. Now the interesting thing about this flying crockpot is that it will be the first manned spacecraft to return to the Earth's surface by retro-rocket soft landing (which, I assume, is what is shown in the picture below). No word on how they expect to get that thing to the surface of the moon or back up without a lunar lander though. The ESA and their Russian counterpart, Roscosmos, are hoping to get their design aloft by 2018, or sooner if rocket modifications permit.


(BBC via Gizmodo)

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European skydivers have one bad weekend

Two separate stories...two different endings. This one has the happy ending. During a parachute competition in Germany, a skydiver got hung up on the landing gear of the aircraft he was jumping out of. The good news...there was one person left on the plane. The bad news...he was flying the plane. Five other British soldier skydivers had jumped out before the last guy whose chute partially deployed and got tangled on one of the wheels of the Britten-Norman Islander they were flying on. The pilot, aware of the problem, left the cockpit for about 30 seconds while at 3,000 feet above the Joint Service Parachute Centre at Bad Lippspringe to cut the parachute's cord with a knife. The Skydiver was able to deploy his reserve chute after falling free from the aircraft. I believe that warranted a free beer for the pilot from the skydiver at the airport pub.

Now the story with the not-so-happy ending, or should I say beginning. A 29 year old female skydiver in Rapla, Estonia was preparing to board a turboprop on the ramp for a jump at the local airfield when she apparently walked straight into one of the spinning propellers and was killed. Skydive Estonia, the club she belonged to, said she was an experienced skydiver with 224 jumps.

Both of these make be think of one of my favorite quotes about aviation from Captain A. G. Lamplugh:

Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.

Be safe.

(AVweb and Fox News)

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Air Force's last Daisey Cutter goes KA-BOOM!!

Airmen from the 711th Special Operations Squadron at Duke Field dropped the very last BLU-82 bomb over the Utah Test and Training Range on July 15th marking the end of its explosive career with the US military. Affectionately referred to as "Commando Vault", "Daisy Cutter", and my favorite, "the Cheeseburger", the BLU-82 was the largest conventional bomb in the US Air Force's fleet until its successor, the GBU-43/B MOAB (Massive Ordinance Air Blast, aka Mother Of All Bombs) surpassed it in size five years ago. The un-guided BLU-82 was originally designed to clear small forests for instant helicopter landing zones and was even in use as of Operation Enduring Freedom for a "significant psychological and tactical effect" according to Col. Jon Weeks, the 919th Special Operations Wing Vice Commander. The immense BLU-82 weighs in at 15,000 pounds and is so large, it has to be pushed out the back of a MC-130E Combat Talon transport aircraft and fall to the ground with a parachute as seen in the picture below. With a 38 inch fuse extender, the BLU-82 would detonate above ground wiping out everything without leaving a crater, hence the name Daisy Cutter. The newer MOAB surpasses the Daisy Cutter by 6,700 lbs and is GPS guided.



(U.S. Air Force photos/Capt. Patrick Nichols)
(Air Force Link)

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Air show interrupted for NWA emergency

The folks who showed up for the Dayton Air Show on Sunday got a little extra action for free when a Northwest Airlines flight made an emergency landing putting the festivities briefly on hold. The Boeing 757 was heading from Tampa to Detroit when one of its engines had an in-flight computer failure. The flight crew shut down that engine and made a precautionary lading at the Dayton International Airport, right in the middle of their annual air show. The show's commentator announced over the loudspeaker, "All right, a piece of cake," as the crowd applauded the safe landing and rollout of the 757. The air show continued after a 25 minute delay, but the passengers of the Northwest flight spent the rest of their trip to Detroit on a bus.

(photo credit: James Mepsted via Airliners.net)

(story USA Today)

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BUFF goes down off Guam

Most of you have already heard about this as it is a big story, but I'm a little late to get it up here. An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed about 30 miles off the coast of Guam this morning enroute to conduct a flyover at a parade ceremony. The AP is reporting that two crewmembers have been found, however their condition has not yet been released. No word as to whether or not they were the only crewmembers on board as the BUFF typically carries a crew of six. There is also no word on what caused the crash of this Barksdale AFB-based B-52 although the Air Force has already begun an investigation. This is the first loss of a B-52 since 1994 at Fairchild AFB, which coincidentally took place during a non-combat flight at an air show. Of course, this comes in the same year as another high profile bomber crash at Guam when a B-2 went down in February. We'll try to keep you posted as things develop with this.

(Danger Room)

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Man gets naked, tackled by pro soccer team on AA flight

American Airlines flight 725 diverted to Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City on Friday during its trip from Boston to L.A. after a passenger on board decided to strip down to his birthday suit. The male passenger, whose name was not released, emerged from one of the 757's lavatories completely nude when he was immediately confronted by Craig Tornberg, General Manager of the New England Revolution, a Major League Soccer team enroute to play in Southern California. Tornberg told the AP, "I said he should get back into the bathroom and put on his clothes. He said something strange to me. He said, 'I don't hear you. I don't see you." I thought that line never worked anymore, but the man complied and got dressed before making a beeline for one of the aircraft's emergency exits. That's when Tornberg and other members of the Revolution subdued the man who was then strapped to a seat by flight attendants. The flight crew elected to divert to OKC where the man was taken into custody and placed under psychiatric evaluation according to FBI spokesman Gary Johnson. Flight 725 continued on to L.A. one hour after the diversion minus one crazy naked guy.

(Fox News)

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Oriens glider so green it makes Ed Begley Jr. seem evil

Somewhere out there Al Gore is clapping for the ultimate concept in green air transportation, the Oriens glider. This ultra energy-efficient design recently won Roland Cernat the Lucky Strike Junior Designer competition for it's environmentally friendly innovation. Designed to be carbon-neutral, made from recycled materials, and completely recyclable itself, photovoltaic cells on top of its wings would provide power to an electric motor and retractable propeller mounted in front of the transparent fuselage. The see-through body would be made of polycarbonate while the frame of the aircraft would be constructed from a lightweight flax bio-compound that is CO2 neutral. While emissions free is the goal, a small internal combustion engine in the back could be used for safety purposes as a hybrid. Of course the main mission for this sleek little fellow is to coast effortlessly through the air as a glider with its highly aerodynamic body, V-tail, and "bionic loop" winglets tipping out its long wings. When you're all done with the Oriens, be sure to put it in your recycle bin and place it at the curb on Monday.




(Inhabitat via Gizmodo)

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AMAZING: Moon passes by Earth as seen from 31M miles away

Have to say this is pretty amazing...an alien's view of Earth with the Moon orbiting by. The video was taken from 31 million miles away by NASA's EPOXI spacecraft.

(BadAstronomy)

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Air Force buys palletized offices for cargo planes

4-Star General? First Class all booked up? Well you don't have to worry anymore because the US Air Force recently approved the purchase of palletized "offices in the air" which can easily be loaded into any military transport aircraft. These new luxurious accommodations should avoid the embarrassing mingling with grunts and ground pounders strapped to the canvas seat on the walls. The Senior Leaders In-transit Conference Capsule, or SLICC (pictured above), is an enclosed pod with work and rest areas that can be equipped with secure communications capabilities. The other is the SLIP, or Senior Leaders In-transit Pallet (pictured below), and is a lighted conference table with reclining chairs of which three are already in use by the Air Force with the intention of purchasing more. Both the SLICC and SLIP can be easily loaded and installed or removed from the Air Mobility Command's fleet of transports; and because of their compact design, unused space can still be occupied with cargo or "other passengers." Air Force Director of Maintenance Maj. Gen. Robert McMahon says the pallets "will allow senior leaders and dignitaries to perform their duties while traveling." He also adds, "because the pallets are on aircraft already equipped with defensive systems, and the fact that the planes don't look like they're carrying VIPs, travel will be safer into high-risk regions of the world." The Air Force intends on purchasing four SLIPs cost $290,000 each. The first SLICC will cost $2.7 million while two additional will carry a price tag of $1.9 million. Palletized secretaries not included.


(Air Force Link)

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Icon's A5 makes first flight, still very 007-ish

Less than a month after the Icon A5 was officially rolled out, the little amphibious Light Sport Airplane made its first flight last week according to an article from AVweb. The A5, with its sweet electrically folding wing design, launched from a lake in Southern California for the flight. "Everything went as well as an initial test flight possibly could go," said Jon Karkow, lead engineer and test pilot. This little carbon fiber beauty has garnered a lot of interest in its design and should be a crowd favorite at Oshkosh later this month where it will be on display. The $139,000 price tag is a nice incentive as well. Icon is anticipating deliveries in 2010 to all of those lucky pilots who will be making the rest of us green with envy. Who wouldn't want to fly this thing?


(AVweb)

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Another plane falls apart in the sky

A piece from a engine took out a chunk of pavement on a Missouri road after it fell off an airborne Delta Air Lines MD-88 yesterday. The aircraft, which had just departed St. Louis Lambert International Airport, shed one of its engine's tail cones that was about 18-by-20-inches or the size of a small wastebasket according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Tony Molinaro, a spokesman for the FAA, said Delta Flight 989 had just departed with 114 passengers when the flight crew heard a loud bang followed by an engine failure. The aircraft returned to STL and landed safely. This follows two 757s and a 767 shedding panels in flight earlier this year. What's the lesson here? Be sure to look up when you're outside. There may be an airplane about to fall on your head.

photo credit: Ivan Cholakov

(St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

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AirKnife takes a stab at AirSniper

I'll admit, when I first read about the half UAV/half assault rifle known as AirSniper, I laughed. Their "original" idea, X-Box controller, unique marketing style, and lack of a legitimate website made the whole thing seem like a joke. And then I saw they said they'd be at Farnborough, so I thought that maybe they're for real. Regardless, the whole thing seemed like an easy target to make fun of, and I wanted to at first, but recanted. Perhaps there really is a group (probably just one guy) who is trying to make a living like you and me by selling this idea of a killer drone that doubles as an infantry weapon. Well that didn't seem to stop blogger Chris Albon from poking a bit of fun at the AirSniper with his own idea, AirKnife. Anyway, click on both images for larger versions and tell me which one you think is for real. If any readers are at Farnborough, please stop by the UAV pavillion and let me know if you see the AirSniper. And remember, the enemy has guns and knifes too!



(Danger Room)

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NASA Needs Your Urine

NASA is at it again. This time their number one priority is collecting all the urine they can find, from anyone. NASA engineers are in the process of designing the Orion space capsule, which is one of the vehicles that will eventually take astronauts to the moon and be in space for a much longer time than any previous NASA missions, orbiting unoccupied in space for up to six months.

What is the big deal you ask? Getting rid of all the stored urine. According to NASA, urine is full of solids which clog up the urine venting system over a period of time. During a mission, the Orion capsule will be expected to process 30 liters a day, which translates into nearly 8 gallons of straight up urine. There is no such thing as "simulated urine" and there is only one way to get it, from the tap.

I hope they can get the toilet issue resolved so no other problems come up like the recent toilet issues on the ISS.

Below is what the memo actually said:

Sent: Friday, July 11, 2008 3:00 PM
Subject: Urine Collection Study Donor Request
Who: All Houston-SLS Associates, employees at 2200 Space Park, and any visitors to the building
What: Please donate your urine to our study
When: Monday, July 21 - Thursday, July 31 from 6 a.m. until goal amount is collected each day including weekends

The Orion Program will be holding a urine collection study starting Monday, July 21 and running through Thursday, July 31, 2008. We are looking for
donors as we need to collect a large amount of urine per day for the entire
11 day period. [...]

We will be hosting an informational meeting with encouraged attendance for
potential urine donors from 11-11:30 a.m. Thursday, July 17, 2008 in the
first floor conference room. In this meeting we will go over instructions
and guidelines for the study and introduce volunteers to the equipment that
will be used in the study. [...]

Please see the attached Donor Guide for further information on donating.

(NASA Watch)

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Millennium Falcon Cake

For all you Star Wars lovers out there, and I know you are out there...this cake is for you. The cake was made by Charm City Cakes in Baltimore, MD -- the bakery featured on the Food Network show Ace of Cakes.


(LaughingSquid)

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World's biggest A380 model lands at Heathrow

Construction of the world's biggest model of the world's biggest commercial jetliner is nearing completion at Heathrow Airport just North of Runway 09L/27R. The Emirates Airbus A380 was built by California-based Penwal Industries and is so large it had to be transported to Heathrow on a Polet Antonov AN-124. This bulging behemoth certainly makes the Lego A380 seem a bit diminutive. Some of the finishing touches include installation of the engines and placing the 'M' and 'T' on their respective sides in the word Emirates. These were left off initially as they are in the area where the fuselage barrels were joined. The A380 will now occupy a spot that was for years home to a one third scale British Airways Concorde. When BA decided to drop their advertising budget for the model, Emirates swooped right and took their place. Doesn't quite seem right, but oh well. Now can I get one to put in Aaron's lawn?



(Flight International)

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Neal Boortz gives PointNiner the nod

PointNiner got an awesome endorsement today from another aviation enthusiast who just so happens to also be the host of the nation's 6th largest syndicated radio talk show. Neal Boortz, the host of the Neal Boortz Show, placed PointNiner in with his "Reading Assignments" on the Nealz Nuze page of his website for July 15th. Somewhere towards the bottom of the stack he comments, "Here's a blog all you aviation nuts will enjoy" with a direct link to PointNiner.com. I've been a fan of Mr. Boortz for quite a while listening to him on KKAR 1290 in Omaha, so this really tickled me pink. Neal owns both a Mooney Ovation2 and a Super Decathlon. Now we just need some more celebs to give us a shoutout.

(Boortz.com)

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Banner-towing Cessna tries surfing instead

The pilot of this Cessna 150 had a lively 4th of July weekend. While towing a banner on Independence Day with his aircraft over the Surfside residential community beach just North of Seal Beach, California he lost engine power and was forced to ditch the aircraft in the ocean about 100 feet off the beach. The video starts up almost immediately after impact. Local life guards were able to drag the pilot and sole occupant out of the Cessna and back to the beach where he was transported to the hospital with minor injuries. The pilot did manage to drop his banner shortly before bringing her in.

(LiveLeak and Press Telegram)

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New photos from B-2 crash (again)

First was the takeoff crash of the B-2 on the island Guam back in February. Then two months later, the first photo was released. Two months after that, the videos of the crash were released along with the final investigation report. Now over a month after that, in true Pentagon fashion, the Air Force has released these new photos from the crash site at Anderson AFB when the B-2 Spirit of Kansas stalled on takeoff and augered in due to a "moisture buildup" on a sensor. Check out the guys inspecting the ejection seat at the bottom of the stack. Maybe in another two months, we'll get some more pictures or video of the world's most expensive aviation accident.





Photos courtesy of the United States Air Force

(Popular Mechanics via Danger Room)

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777 Freighter first flight

The newest member to the Boeing 777 lineup made its inaugural flight yesterday when world's first 777 Freighter took off for the first time at Paine Field in Everett, WA. The 777F, dubbed "the world's most capable twin-engine cargo airplane" by Boeing, completed a three and a half hour test flight with only one minor issue of transmitting telemetry data back to engineers on the ground. Some of the flight tests therefore had to be cut short but Boeing is already working on the issue to get her back up in the air soon. Based on the 777-200LR, the 777F "will be capable of flying 4,885 nautical miles (9,047 km) with a full payload, making it the world's longest-range twin-engine freighter." With 78 firm orders on the books, Boeing is anticipating certification by Q4 with delivery to launch customer Air France shortly thereafter. One of the most interesting features of the 777F is its main deck cargo door is actually located aft of the wing instead of aft of the cockpit like many cargo aircraft. I'm not sure the intent, but it should help with CG while loading I would suspect. When I finally see FedEx colors on one of these, I'll be a happy man.

(Boeing Press Release)

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FAA trying to woo teens for ATC jobs?

I can imagine a $100,000 hiring bonus would sound pretty sweet to any senior graduation from high school. But then that's the point, right? Well, that's what the FAA is hoping for as they undertake a massive recruitment project aimed at replacing its post-PATCO air traffic control workforce who are nearing retirement. They have even gone to the extent of "trolling" New York area high schools and placing ads on Craigslist and even popular social websites like MySpace in an attempt to attract some young talent. In fact, by 2011, 59 percent of all controllers will have less than five years on the job according to the New York Post representing a major shift away from a well experienced workforce. One area of particular focus are five TRACONs around the New York Area. While these represent some of the busiest airspace in this country, acting FAA Administrator Bobby Sturgell seems confident with bright, young, and enthusiastic talent, no matter where it comes from to take on this big responsibility as can be seen in the video below. Not everyone is too happy with this new approach, though. Barrett Byrnes, a traffic-controllers union official from JFK Tower commented that "Giving new people $100,000 bonuses while the people doing the work day in and day out, year after year are getting their brains kicked in is just a slap in the face." Unfortunately, the gals in the Fox News video are confused in to thinking ATC uses the latest and greatest in technology, which teenagers should be accustomed to. Got to love that WWII technology we call RADAR. At least these new classes of controllers should be around to see NextGen fully implemented in a shift from RADAR to satellite-based technology that has taken the FAA a bureaucratically appropriate amount of time.

(New York Post via Fox News)

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Surveillance camera captures USA Jet crash

It can be a bit difficult to make out, but this video from a surveillance camera captured the last few moments before that USA Jet DC-9 crash at the Saltillo Airport in Mexico last Sunday. The video shows the DC-9 enter what appears to be a significant roll on its final approach to the runway. A bright flash near the aircraft suggests it may have clipped a power line before exiting the frame and crashing on to a nearby road. The impact explosion fills the screen with white light. Unfortunately, one of the pilots did not survive. No word on the state of the other pilot.

(Flight International)

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Bombardier finally launches the CSeries

This announcement wasn't too much of a surprise, but it is good news nonetheless for Canadian manufacturer Bombardier. The much delayed, nearly shelved, redusted and refined C-Series aircraft was finally launched today at the Farnborough Air Show with launch customer Lufthansa signing a letter of intent for 60 aircraft. What was almost bigger news than the launch was Bombardier's announcement to build the C-Series final assembly plant at its Mirabel-Montreal site instead of a proposed Kansas City plant as hoped by this blogger. I am glad to see that highly contentious decision finalized though, just for the sake of seeing a C-Series aircraft in the air soon. Powered by the revolutionary Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan, the new C-Series of aircraft is being touted by Bombardier as "the greenest single-aisle aircraft in its class." Its 2 x 5 seating will lend to two initial developments of the C-Series. Both a 110-seater and a 130-seater aircraft are planned but I'm sure that could be adapted as is the thing to do with this manufacturer. Bombardier sees a market for 6,300 aircraft in the 110 to 149-seat category which they would love to fill with C-Series. Bravo, Bombardier. It's about time. Now, if we can only get Northwest to retire their DC-9s for some of these.

Here's what she'll look like in Lufthansa colors. Nice.
(photo credit: Flightblogger)

(via Bombardier)

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Introducing the new PointNiner feed widget!

We're proud to announce that PointNiner has teamed up with the cool folks at SpringWidgets to introduce our new Feed Widget. As you can see, the widget has taken the place of the old "Recent PointNiner Posts" section in the sidebar. It essentially does the exact same thing as the older version by letting you surf the titles of our recent postings, but this one looks 100x more modern than the old boring links did. The coolest part about this new widget is that you can get one too. If you click on the "Get your own PointNiner feed widget!" you'll be able to customize a reader box like the one below and place it anywhere you can squeeze a snippet of html on to a website like your MySpace or Facebook page. Or, if you are a super PointNiner nerd fan, you can even download the widget straight to your desktop to stay on top of the latest PointNiner news and postings.


And if you haven't already subscribed to PointNiner, don't forget to do so by clicking here. Subscribing allows you to retrieve the most recent posts from PointNiner as they are burned into the matrix through the magical and mystical powers of RSS. If you like to kick it old-school and get the latest PointNiner posts through email, you can also do that here. One last shout out, we'd like to thank the guys over at FeedBurner for keeping our crap burnin'.

The PointNiner Crew

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First 767 gets blended winglets, already looks sexier

Your looking at the first pictures of the first Boeing 767 to receive a pair of blended winglets from Aviation Partners Boeing. This American Airlines bird got her winglets pinned on this Thursday just down the street from PointNiner at American's widebody maintenance base at the Kansas City International Airport. In an article from HeraldNet, Aviation Partners Boeing claims 767-300ER operators can expect to see savings of 350,000 gallons of fuel each year with winglets. That's about a 6% savings and is quite the incentive considering how much jet fuel has gone up in price in the last few years. The winglets should also improve the jet's range by 360 nautical miles and increase the payload by 12,000 pounds. This has led the new 767 winglets to be quite popular with operators as 121 sets have already been ordered. Aviation Partners Boeing already has a large following from carriers with their highly successful 737 blended winglet program.



(photos copyright Todd Wade via Airliners.net)

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C-130 blown up (by the good guys)

What's the best way to remove a stranded C-130 from a barren field in a hostile area North of Baghdad? Well, if you are the US Air Force, the answer to that question is simple, blow it up. That's exactly what the 447th Air Expeditionary Group did this week when it was decided that "dismantling by a series of controlled detonations would be the safest and most effective way to remove the remainder aircraft to a safe location" according to Col. David Pavey the Group commander. The aircraft made an emergency landing in the area on June 27 after the flight crew experienced an in flight problem after takeoff from Sather Air Base, adjacent to Baghdad International Airport. The remaining pieces were hauled back to Sather AB by truck. Check out the video below. Explosions start to take place around 2:00 minutes into the clip. Click on any of the photos for a larger version.

(photo taken prior to detonation during setup)