Model Airplanes

His story is similar to thousands of American hot rodders. Per Martinsen has had a passion for cars since he was old enough to know what one was. Hot rods got his interest early, and in his youth he was fascinated by the rods he saw in various magazines and on the streets around town. As he grew older, his interest in hot rodding evolved into direct participation with an assortment of project cars.

One of the things that makes Per’s story different than the typical American hot rodder is that he lived in Norway. It’s just as easy to love hot rods on the other side of the Atlantic. Building one 3,500 miles away from their native habitat, however, comes with some challenges. But nothing that can’t be overcome with passion and determination.

Per’s taste has always leaned toward earlier rods—specifically Fords. His first project, and his first Deuce, was a Fordor sedan that he bought when he was 20. Other early Fords followed, but the one we’re here to talk about is this incredible 1932 highboy roadster, a project that has spanned an ocean and a continent, from Oslo to L.A.

The car had been advertised in a local newspaper when Per bought it back in the ’80s. He started working on it in his parents’ garage. Step one was to swap the chassis for the one that had been under his 1932 sedan. The roadster was still under construction when Per moved to Los Angeles to attend college. While living

Article source: http://www.hotrod.com/articles/1932-ford-roadster-american-hot-rod-european-sports-car/

And they say this set of wings in going to grow our local economy.

Brandon Pavlish, Cirrus Aircraft Employee: “You don’t really see that in Grand Forks, right? It’s a cool product like those high-end cars you see.”

Cirrus Aircraft rolled out what they’re calling a revolutionary airplane.

This is the game changer that Cirrus airplanes says is going to change the industry, and Grand Forks has a lot to do with that.

One of the things that makes this model different is the exclusion of a wall separating the pilot in the cockpit from the rest of the crew.

But this is really a personal airplane where you sit in the left seat and get ready for takeoff.

Taking off is what Cirrus sees in their business projections.

Dale Klapmeier, Cirrus Aircraft CEO: “There are 600 orders on the books that we have to get off. Our maximum rates for this airplane will be just over 100 a year, so there’s a lot of work ahead.”

For Brandon Pavlish, a Grand Forks man who’s been managing the local Cirrus manufacturing plant for 4 years, says he sees more jobs on the horizon.

Pavlish: “When I started there we were just a little over 80 employees, now we’re over 200 employees.”

And Cirrus is estimating these planes will double the size of their company.

“We’re looking at adding over 10 percent of employees year over year with the growth of the jet for the next couple of years so it’s pretty exciting.”

If you’re in the market for a new personal airplane,

Article source: http://www.wdaz.com/news/north-dakota/4184140-2-million-own-first-its-kind-personal-jet

WASHINGTON — The F-35 program is not “out of control” as President-elect Donald Trump famously tweeted this month, but more can still be done to tamp costs down, the head of the F-35 program office said Monday.

During a Dec. 19 briefing with reporters, Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, the F-35 program executive officer, struck a conciliatory tone when asked about Trump’s recent comments about the F-35 joint strike fighter. Last week, the president-elect slammed the F-35’s high price tag, warning the Defense Department and industry alike that “billions of dollars can and will be saved” on military equipment when he steps into office.

Bogdan said Trump’s desire to root out waste and efficiency is commendable, but noted that the program has come a long way since 2011, when it hit a Nunn-McCurdy breach.

“I have no doubt that given the controversy on the F-35 program over the years, that there’s a perception that this program is out of control,” he said. “That’s in the past. So, if given the opportunity, I would like to try and explain to the new administration that this is a vastly different program from 2011 on. … I’ll just lay the facts out on the table, and I’ll let them make their own judgments.”

Trump and his transition team had not been briefed on the joint strike fighter program before he made his fateful tweet, which sent Lockheed Martin stock careening down to $245.70 before rebounding back to more than $250 a share. The team

Article source: http://www.defensenews.com/articles/f-35-chief-disputes-trumps-characterization-of-out-of-control-program

WASHINGTON — For want of a secure bracket, the F-35B weapons bay caught fire.

That line may not have been included in the famous “for want of a nail” proverb, but it explains an October mishap in which a fire broke out on a Marine Corps F-35B during a training flight at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina.

According to Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, who leads the F-35 joint program office, the root cause of the fire was a loose bracket, which —when functioning properly — holds electrical wires away from other components in the weapons bay. The bracket became loose, causing the wiring to move and chafe at its own insulation, creating a spark. Those electrical wires sit next to hydraulic lines and other flammable parts, further increasing the risk of a fire.

Thankfully, the pilot landed the aircraft safely and was not injured. F-35B flight operations have continued despite the mishap.

“We knew about this problem long before that [incident], and all of our airplanes were being retrofitted with a new bracket,” Bogdan said during a Dec. 19 briefing to reporters.  

The engineering work for the bracket retrofit has been finished, but the aircraft affected by the fire, assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 501, had not been modified with the new hardware yet. Instead, aircraft with the original brackets underwent periodic inspections to check whether the bracket is still sturdy.

“It had passed its previous inspection, but the bracket still became dislodged,” Bogdan

Article source: http://www.defensenews.com/articles/f-35-chief-loose-bracket-sparked-f-35b-fire