IDF Model Planes Armed with Knives Take Down Gazan Firebomb Kites – The Jewish Press

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Writer

The IDF has been dealing for many weeks with Hamas’ new weapons – the firebomb kites that land in Israeli agricultural land, igniting fires and inflicting severe damages on local farmers. On Friday, the IDF began to use a new weapon against the kite threat – radio-controlled model airplanes with knives attached to their wings.

The test of the new means of combating the firebomb kites began for the first time on Friday, when model pilots from the IDF logistics division took to the air. The model aircraft operators managed to drop at least 7 kites that threatened to land in Israeli territory.

The enclosed video shows how the pilot maneuvers near the kite and finally manages to sever the kite’s control line.

During the day there were violent riots in five locations along the Gaza border, with the participation of some 15,000 Arabs, who torched tires and threw stones at IDF forces. The Arabs also sent firebomb kites into Israeli territory.



Posted in Model Airpanes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Experimental Aircraft Association chapter plans Discover Aviation Day

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Writer



Youths ages 8-17 will have a chance to take to the skies May 19 as the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1252 hosts the annual Discover Aviation Day and Young Eagles Flight Rally at Lorain County Airport.

Pilots, flight instructors and flight schools will be at the event to explain more about their airplanes, allowing young people and adults alike to discover how airplanes work and how safety is the prime concern before every flight, according to a news release.

Other activities scheduled include face painting and crafts for the younger children, a pancake breakfast, burgers and hot dogs for a small donation, model airplane and drone displays, bake sale and the Discover Aviation Center AvLab, a mobile simulator that flies like a real airplane along with other flight simulators.

Those attending the flight rally are asked to come to The Lorain County Airport beginning at 9 a.m. to register for their flight, the release stated. Flights will begin at 9:30 a.m. ,weather permitting, with registration closing at noon. Parent or legal guardian must be present.

Call Mike McCoy at 440-915-8691 or Vicki Koziol

Article source: http://morningjournal.com/general-news/20180512/experimental-aircraft-association-chapter-plans-discover-aviation-day

Posted in Model Airpanes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Israel using model airplanes to combat Gaza’s ‘attack kites’

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Writer

Israel is employing small remote-controlled airplanes to battle the phenomenon of incendiary kites in the Gaza Strip, Hadashot news reported Friday night.

The military is using the planes, armed with cutting knives on their wings, to cut the kites’ wires, thus preventing them from carrying their payload of firebombs over the border and sparking fires in Israel.

According to the report on Friday the tiny aircraft’s operators managed to down seven kites flown towards Israel.

For the past several weeks, Gazans have been regularly flying kites outfitted with containers of burning fuel, often including charcoal and bags of sugar to ensure a long, slow burn.

The kite tactic was introduced as part of the weekly “March of Return” demonstrations at the border fence, which began on March 30 and are due to continue through mid-May.

The kites have regularly sparked fires in Israeli fields, and the army has struggled to thwart the new weapon.

Article source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-using-model-airplanes-to-combat-gazas-attack-kites/

Posted in Model Airpanes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Southwest Airlines has been faced with fines, union safety complaints

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Writer

Southwest Airlines runs its planes hard. They make many short hops and more trips per day than other U.S. airliners, which adds to wear and tear on parts, including the engines.

As the investigation into last week’s deadly engine failure continues, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly could face questions about whether the company’s low-cost business model — which puts its planes through frequent takeoffs and landings — is putting passengers at risk.

Some aviation safety experts said they see no reason for alarm. And, in fact, Southwest’s safety record is enviable: Until last week, no passenger had died in an accident during its 47-year history.

Still, the Dallas-based airline has paid millions over the past decade to settle safety violations, including fines for flying planes that didn’t have required repairs. Twice in the past nine years, holes have torn open in the roofs of Southwest planes in flight.

National Transportation Safety Board said a fan blade that had snapped off the engine was showing signs of metal fatigue.

The union representing Southwest mechanics recently accused the company of pressuring maintenance workers to cut corners to

Article source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-southwest-airlines-safety-investigation-20180424-story.html

Posted in Model Airpanes | Tagged | Leave a comment

SpaceX’s upgraded rocket soars with satellite for Bangladesh

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX lifted Bangladesh’s first satellite into orbit Friday using an upgraded rocket designed for dozens of repeat flights including back-to-back, same-day launches.

SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk said launching the same rocket twice within 24 hours will be “crazy hard,” but he hopes to pull off the feat as early as next year.

This latest and final version of the company’s Falcon 9 rocket — capable of more than 10 reflights, possibly even 100 — made its debut Friday. It soared from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center into a hazy afternoon sky, carrying a communication satellite named Bangabandhu-1 after the founding father of Bangladesh. A last-minute abort halted Thursday’s try.

This newest booster landed on an ocean platform following liftoff as planned. “What a great sight!” the launch commentator announced as cheers and applause filled SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California. The booster will be taken apart for analysis before flying again in a few months. Musk’s goal is to eventually have little if any prep work between launches.

The whole point of reusability — multiple flights with swift turnarounds, airplane-style — is to shave launch costs.

“This is a ridiculously hard thing,” Musk told reporters before Thursday’s postponement. “It has taken us … 16 years of extreme effort and many, many iterations and thousands of small but important development changes to get to where we think this is even possible. Crazy hard. We still need to demonstrate it. It’s not like we’ve done it. But it can be done.”

The Falcon 9

Article source: https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/spacex-s-upgraded-rocket-soars-with-satellite-for-bangladesh-1.3924837

Posted in Model Airpanes | Tagged | Leave a comment

Real Time Investigation: Who Killed James Miller, Part 3

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Writer

–>

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that
supports HTML5 video


–>

In order to understand why the murder of James Miller was so shocking, we’re exploring who exactly he was. James Miller was a dedicated professor at Goshen College, a devout Mennonite and a model airplane enthusiast. Miller was not a man who anyone imagined would die in a senseless murder.

By the admission of his peers, Miller worked to make the college a destination for future doctors. As the chair of the biology department, acceptance rates to med school were very high.

“I think that’s evidence that Jim was a capable teacher.”

Article source: https://www.abc57.com/news/real-time-investigation-who-killed-james-miller-part-3

Posted in Model Airpanes | Tagged | Leave a comment

Southwest Airlines is inspecting virtually its entire fleet of planes after fatal accident

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Writer

The accident took place when an engine fan blade fractured, sending shrapnel into the fuselage, killing Jennifer Riordan, a bank executive and mother of two from New Mexico. The flight from New York to Dallas made an emergency landing in Philadelphia. It was the first fatality of a passenger in Southwest’s 51-year history and the first passenger to die on a U.S.-based carrier in nine years.

Article source: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-engine-inspections-southwest-20180423-story.html

Posted in Model Airpanes | Tagged , | Leave a comment