Free Republic

Two US military aircraft have been fired at during an evacuation mission in South Sudan, wounding two service personnel. One is said to be in a critical condition, and it is thought at least one of the planes was damaged. South Sudan has blamed the attack on renegade troops. Officials said the aircraft were heading to Bor, the capital of the state of Jonglei and the scene of some of the country's worst violence in the past week. After being fired at the planes turned around and headed to Kampala in Uganda. From there the wounded service personnel were flown...

Six American soldiers have died in a crash involving an aircraft in southern Afghanistan, the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) says. The cause of the crash in Zabul is unknown and an investigation is under way, Isaf said. Initial reports indicated there was "no enemy activity in the area" at the time of the incident, a short statement said. US defence department officials confirmed the victims´ nationalities. The deputy governor of Zabul province told the Associated Press news agency that a Nato helicopter had crashed in the remote district of Shajau. It was not clear if he was referring to...

HONOLULU (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board said it will try to recover the plane that crashed off the Hawaiian island of Molokai after the aircraft was spotted in the water.

HONOLULU -- Crews will try to salvage the plane that crashed off the Hawaiian island of Molokai.... Hawaii Health Director Loretta Fuddy was the sole fatality.... A 200-foot recovery vessel will leave Honolulu Harbor on Tuesday night and crews will attempt to pull the plane out of the water Thursday morning, Weiss said, adding that the effort will be paid for by an insurance company....

The health director who approved the release of President Obama’s birth certificate has died in a plane crash, Hawaiian officials said Thursday. Loretta Fuddy died after the Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft she was travelling on went down shortly after leaving Kalaupapa Airport at around 3:15 p.m. local time (10:15 a.m. ET) on Wednesday. The other eight people on board were rescued, Richard Schuman, president of Makani Kai Air, told NBC News early Thursday, adding that that there was no indication as to why the plane had crashed. Fuddy hit the headlines two years ago when she approved a waiver request...

<p>KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) - Police in Jamaica say authorities have seized 3,300 missile warheads and a machine to make missiles and bullets.</p> <p>Deputy Police Superintendent Steve Brown said Friday that custom officials discovered the weapons late Thursday aboard a ship at Kingston Wharf.</p>

The "Affordable Aircraft Act" coming soon! The Affordable Aircraft Act, a new program under development which if enacted will allow every American to own a new approved (and in many cases cost subsidized) airplane. nickname: "Obamaplane". The U.S. government is contemplating new legislation called "The Affordable Aircraft Act" which declares that every citizen MUST purchase a new aircraft, by April 2016. These "affordable" aircraft will cost an average of $154,000 - $355,000 each. This does not include taxes, hangar fees, licensing and registration fees, nor ongoing costs of fuel, docking, hangar and storage fees, maintenance or repair costs or pilot...

Members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) are reporting that they are being "stopped, questioned, and searched" without cause by armed agents from the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection agency and "other law enforcement agencies". An email went out to members detailing the searches and a request for donations. The letter does not address the legality of such serarches or the expansion of intrusion into Americans lives. Below is the text of the letter Dear _________, Over the past few months, AOPA has received more and more reports of pilots like you being stopped, questioned,...

(CNSNews.com) - Ryan Crocker, who was a career diplomat with long experience in the Middle East, and who served as the U.S. ambassador to Syria from 1998 to 2001, says “there’s every chance we’ll lose aircraft” if U.S. planes enter Syrian airspace. During an August 23 National Public Radio (NPR) interview Crocker was asked about possible U.S. military action against Syria. “I was in Lebanon when the Israelis invaded in June of 1982, and the entire Syrian air force was basically just destroyed in a matter of hours because of inadequate air defenses,” said Crocker. “The Syrians learned from that...

The first story that popped up on my computer was NOT declining durable goods orders. It was a story on Yahoo that “Miley Cyrus Snatches Crown for Queen of Obscene” from Lady Gaga. mcob But back on the planet earth, US durable goods orders was expected to decline -4.0%, but fell more than expected at -7.3%. This comes after a print in June of +4.2% (which was revised downward to +3.9%). dg082613 This is the 2nd worst drop in durable goods print since January 2009. But if we remove transportation (such as airplane orders), durable goods orders only fell -0.6%....

Israeli aircraft struck a terror target south of Beirut, Lebanon, on Thursday night, said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. According to the statement, a direct hit was identified and all aircraft returned safely to their bases. The IDF statement said that the airstrike came in response to Thursday afternoon’s rocket attack from Lebanon at northern Israel. "Yesterday's attack is a blatant breach is Israeli sovereignty that jeopardized Israeli civilian life. Israel will not tolerate terrorist aggression originating from Lebanese territory. The IDF will continue to operate to safeguard the State of Israel and its civilians," said the statement. Four rockets were...

The Federal Aviation Administration is missing key information on who owns one-third of the 357,000 private and commercial aircraft in the U.S. — a gap the agency fears could be exploited by terrorists and drug traffickers.The records are in such disarray that the FAA says it is worried that criminals could buy planes without the government's knowledge, or use the registration numbers of other aircraft to evade new computer systems designed to track suspicious flights. It has ordered all aircraft owners to re-register their planes in an effort to clean up its files.About 119,000 of the aircraft on the U.S....

Just Aircraft Founder Gary Schmitt wasn’t sure anyone else would be interested in the no-compromises bush airplane that he wanted to own and fly. But in the year since the South Carolina firm introduced its SuperStol, the company has shipped 38 kits, added staff, and is backlogged until April of next year. “It turns out there are quite a few people who want to do the same kind of backcountry flying that I like to do,” Schmitt said. “It’s come as sort of a surprise to us.” The two-seat SuperStol has leading-edge slats that deploy automatically at high angles...

Dual-Fuel Configuration In Proof-Of-Concept Airplane Airplane manufacturer Aviat Aircraft, Inc. and Minneapolis-based Aviation Foundation of America, will unveil the first dual fuel, piston powered aircraft to operate on both compressed natural gas (CNG) and aviation gasoline. The Aviat Husky CNG will be on display outside the Innovations Pavilion throughout AirVenture 2013 this week.

I am writing a novel set in Russia and need some help with airplanes. Does anyone you know the make of any Russian plane that would regularly fly into the coldest regions? I flew into Enta (Komi Republic) one time and landed on skis. (rear loading, about 15-20 pax) It was surreal. And cool, I mean cold! :-) Thanks for any help.

(CNN) - An Asiana Airlines' Boeing 777 crashed and burned Saturday while landing at San Francisco International Airport, sending up a large plume of dark smoke from the aircraft, which lost its tail and much of its roof.

Where do aircraft go to rust away after death? Often, their final resting places are more emotionally evocative than human cemeteries.

Some pilots of the Texas Flying Legends Museum talk about World War II, The Veterans, and why we must keep their legacy alive.

Since 1998, they have introduced a range or piston driven light aircraft that have proven popular with kit enthusiasts -- the two-place Sonex, Y-tail Waiex and the Onex single-seater. Now they've unveiled the jet-powered SubSonex. The "pre-prototype" SubSonex JSX-1 has been flying since August, 2011. It looks like its piston relatives, except that instead of a propeller, a surprisingly compact PBS TJ-100 turbojet engine is mounted on the top rear of the fuselage, directly in front of the distinctive Waiex Y tail. The TJ-100 puts out only 247 pounds of thrust, but that's enough to propel this tiny 400 lb...

QUINCY (CBS) – A mystery in Quincy continues to deepen: Who is flying around the city from dusk to dawn, for the past ten days or so? “It’s frightening, not just weird, but frightening,” said one resident of the Wollaston section. Every night for nearly the last two weeks, residents have spotted a low-flying aircraft doing loops over the city. WBZ has learned the FAA knows what’s going on, but the agency isn’t telling. “I mean it is strange. I don’t know if they’re looking for somebody, I have no idea,” one resident told WBZ. It’s not the state or...