Model Airplanes

Mr. Farinas said that Cuban officials even decided in the past against working with the Mexican company, Damojh Aerolíneas, also known as Global Air, after the flight crew that came with the lease got lost in the air on one trip. But they eventually reversed the decision, he said, “probably out of desperation.”

Adel Yzquierdo Rodríguez, Cuba’s transportation minister, said Saturday that Cubana had been renting the plane for less than a month from Damojh, and that under the rental arrangement, the Mexican owner was responsible for the aircraft’s maintenance.

Analysts sometimes disagree about which is more to blame for Cuba’s troubled aviation industry: the American embargo of the island or the country’s own history of economic mismanagement.

Some experts say the sanctions have crippled the nation’s ability to gain access to the vendors and financing needed to get new aircraft. The Cubans themselves have made the case numerous times, blaming the decades-old sanctions for their aging planes, which include Russian-made aircraft that are difficult to find parts for.

“If it were not for the embargo, they would be able to access a robust capital market for financing Western aircraft,” said Samuel Engel, the senior vice president at ICF Consulting and an expert in the international airline industry.

But many analysts say that, while a process is involved, Cuba can indeed get access to such markets, as well as planes.

“The embargo does play a role in inhibiting business with Cuba, but

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/19/world/americas/cuba-plane-crash.html

Seth Robbins @SethRobbinsDBNJ

An investigation into a crash that killed an Embry Riddle-Aeronautical University student and his flight instructor has found that another plane at the university had a crack in a bolt attachment within its wing, according to a federal aviation investigation.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued a report this week that showed when inspectors examined a second Piper PA-28 aircraft, they found a fatigue crack that was similar to cracks found in the left wing of an ERAU plane that crashed April 4 after its wing fell off in mid-air. That crash killed Zack Capra, a 25-year-old Navy veteran taking his commercial pilot license test, and Federal Aviation Administration pilot examiner John S. Azma, a father of four.

The NTSB report did not say that the second inspected plane was part of ERAU’s fleet. But a search of FAA records showed the plane is registered to the university.

Investigators also examined nine planes of the same model and “similar vintage” from two flight schools in Florida and one in Texas. Evidence of cracks were not found in them, the report stated.

Embry-Riddle spokesman James Roddey said that the “NTSB investigation is ongoing, and as such, we have nothing to add to the recent investigative update.”

The school’s fleet of about a half dozen Piper PA-28 aircraft remains grounded, and it’s not clear whether they will ever be flown again.

According to the report, the second plane’s wings were removed, and an inspection of its left

Article source: http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20180518/second-plane-at-erau-shown-to-have-crack-in-its-wing

If you were to see me strolling down the sidewalk on a beautiful spring day at first glance you might think that I could possibly be a musician — or maybe even a newspaper columnist.

Come to think of it, you would most likely not think of either option.

But back to the musical portion of the program.

You may recall me mentioning in a column or two my brief career as a violinist. The problem with most juvenile “musicians” is that the sounds emanating from the instrument of choice rarely resemble music.

My long-suffering violin teacher, Mr. Forzene, however, resembled what one would imagine would be a comic book version of his line of work: frizzy hair, skinny, nervous (especially when he heard me clomping up his stairs) and very impatient.

As far as my personal ability, in a word I stunk.

I continued sawing away on my faux Strad until I turned 14 and wisely gave it up. “Thankfully” may have been a better word.

I worked after school and Saturdays at Roe’s Bakery, the only baker in town. He lived next door to us, and foolishly offered me employment at 60 cents an hour. This gave me adequate funds to have the ability to waste my money instead of my parent’s.

A couple of doors down from the bakery was a catch-all store, Dastrup’s, with a soda fountain and lots of odds and ends. They carried model airplanes, comic books, and, believe it or not, ukuleles and harmonicas. I wanted

Article source: http://www.reporterherald.com/columnists/what-a-life/ci_31888925/note-about-musical-talents

A local timeline of the day’s events for the Royal Wedding, including where to watch, where to buy proper snacks, and where to find everything else Harry and Meghan.  

Article source: http://www.cbs8.com/story/38228711/victories-of-spirit-recognizing-those-whove-overcome-huge-challenges