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IAF aircraft bombed two Hamas weapons plants in northern and central Gaza Strip overnight Saturday, as well as an arms smuggling tunnel in the southern Strip. Masked Palestinian terrorists... According to the IDF Spokesperson's Office, the attack was in response to the Kassam rocket launched at Israel on Saturday morning. Palestinian sources said five people were wounded in the attack. On Saturday morning, a Kassam rocket fired from Gaza hit the Sha'ar Hanegev region, causing no casualties or damage. Israel reacted with little enthusiasm to reports on Saturday that Hamas had reached an agreement with other terrorist groups in Gaza...

The U.S. Air Force has a morale problem with its combat pilots. The issue is lack of action for the pilots. That, plus the increased use of unmanned aircraft, and the very real prospect that the age of the manned combat aircraft may be coming to an end. This is made worse with hundreds of fighter pilots being assigned to operating Predator and Reaper UAVs. This was not popular duty, even though the pilots still draw flight pay. It is tedious work, although the UAV operators often saw more combat action than they did when piloting F-16s or F-15s. The...

An American company is offering two Su-27 fighters, for the bargain price of $5 million each. The aircraft are demilitarized, but recently refurbished. Since the refurbishment, the aircraft have been in the air only 16 hours, and the engines only have 19 hours of use. The aircraft were purchased, from Ukraine, last year by an American firm (Tac Air), to assist the U.S. Air Force is determining how the Su-27 performs. This work is apparently done, and now the Su-27s are no longer needed. The electronics are up to date, and qualified maintenance services are available, in Nevada (where Tac...

Wichita Suffers From Bizjet Downturn AVIATION WEEK Joseph C. Anselmo janselmo@aviationweek.com William Garvey william_garvey@aviationweek.com Wichita, Kan. A severe downturn in the aviation industry has led to the loss of 30,000 jobs in Wichita as the impact from mass layoffs at companies such as Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft and Bombardier Learjet has rippled through small suppliers and the economy, according to Mayor Carl Brewer. Unemployment in this aviation-dependent city of 364,000 has hit 9.7% as business jet and general aviation manufacturers have throttled back on production after mass cancellations of existing orders and a dramatic reduction in new orders. "That type of...

It was all set up so perfectly. The NFL schedule gods gift-wrapped a home game featuring a rookie quarterback--- who by the way had only started 16 college games--- to feast upon for the much-anticipated season opener in front of the Texans faithful. After all, this is supposed to be the season where the franchise had finally turned the corner; a season that on paper, is considered to be the best team ever fielded by the Texans organization, after a solid draft and a myriad of off-season moves. There is no way a team slated to challenge for supremacy in...

Pathetic. Atrocious. Embarrassing. Disgusting. Feel free at any time to add your own negative adjective to describe the Houston Texans performance on Sunday in the season opener against the New York Jets at Reliant Stadium. The 70,718 fans in attendance, mostly wearing white at the Texans request, should get a refund. Now we all understand that this was just one game, but enough is enough. Every year we get so excited and believe this is our year, just to have to sit there and watch a terrible product on the field. Under head coach Gary Kubiak, the Texans are beginning...

England, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- British aviation regulators say the investigation into the accidental takeoff of a vintage Cold War bomber is closed.

Some Jets like to spend their free time tweeting on their Twitter pages or playing video games on their PS3s. Thomas Jones, the AFC's leading rusher in 2008, unwinds by watching "The Golden Girls." Sure, he also watches other old-school shows such as "The Cosby Show" and "Saved by the Bell," but there's just something about Bea Arthur. "My favorite thing to do to relax is watch 'The Golden Girls' marathon," Jones admitted yesterday during a rare interview at SUNY Cortland. "It kind of puts me in the mind-set of how things kind of used to be. When I see...

Something strange happening in the skys over Phoenix. Pairs of Jets (not commercial) are flying in traffic patterns not used for commercial flights (to my knowledge). They sound like fighter jets (at 18000 feet - or so) going toward S. Calif. Many sets of two flying in alternate flight paths (north and south of Phoenix) and two jets flying pattern (probably out of Luke AFG). The two local jets are flying a search pattern and go dark from time to time. Making hard right and left hand turns. Started at or before 9:45 Arizona Std time. That is when I...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House leaders have dropped plans to spend $550 million in the Air Force budget on passenger jets used by lawmakers and senior government officials, officials said on Monday. The House of Representatives reversed the move to upgrade the executive jet fleet after public criticism, opposition from other lawmakers and the Defense Department had said it did not need more planes that it had requested. "If the Department of Defense does not want these aircraft, they will be eliminated from the bill," Representative John Murtha, chairman of a House panel on defense appropriations, said in a statement....

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Facing controversy over a plan to use taxpayer money to purchase new aircraft for the U.S. government officials, the House of Representatives said late Monday that it would cut back its spending plans by more than $100 million.

BREAKING...Just Announced on Greta's Show on FOX. The word has been received by FOX from the Wall Street Journal that Congress has scrapped the plans to purchase the eight new jets. You can see the earlier article in the WSJ regarding the dissention in Congress over this planned spending here: Opposition Emerging to House's Jet Spree The news broke about 15 min. ago, and details are not posted on FOX's website as yet. However, Greta congratulated the American Public and the politicians who opposed this spending. The original request was "...for $220 million to buy four passenger jets, including two...

Remember all the outrage when the public learned that Citigroup was going to spend money on new corporate jets despite needing billions of taxpayer dollars to remain afloat? Well, we’ve found another group that is wasting taxpayer dollars on unnecessary passenger jets. Despite the recession, higher than expected budgetary outlays and lower revenues, one group propped up by a virtually unlimited amount of taxpayer dollars and whose debt is supported by the explicit guarantee of the full faith and credit of the American people has decided to double the number of passenger jets it is buying. They go by the...

House doubled request for VIP jets over Obama Administration requestFour executive jets are not enough for Madam Speaker, she requires twice that number. Opposition Emerges to House’s Jet Spree By BRODY MULLINS and T.W. FARNAM The Wall Street JournalWASHINGTON—Bipartisan opposition is emerging in the Senate to a plan by House lawmakers to spend $550 million for additional passenger jets for senior government officials. The resistance to buying eight Gulfstream and Boeing planes comes as members of both chambers of Congress embark on the busiest month of the year for official overseas travel. The plan to upgrade the fleet of government...

The House's bid to buy new executive jets on the Pentagon's budget has broadened a conflict between Congress and the administration over defense priorities. "It forces us to take money from things we do need to fund and redirect it for things we don't need," Geoff Morrell, a spokesman for Defense Secretary Robert Gates, said Friday. "And in a time of war, we just can't afford that." Lawmakers' move to upgrade the fleet of government jets -- used for travel by lawmakers and other senior government officials -- is just one of more than 1,000 spending projects lawmakers added to...

House Pencils in Millions for Jets the Air Force Did Not RequestHouse lawmakers approved millions for military jets the Air Force did not request. But an aide says the decision was made to speed up the replacement of an aging fleet. FOXNews.com Wednesday, August 05, 2009 Congress is supposed to be taking a knife to the federal budget. But when it comes to new military equipment, they've traded their knife for a spoon -- tossing in scoops of cash that the Pentagon hasn't even requested. The latest example comes with the House approving more than $500 million for eight passenger...

The object was spotted by the pilot of Olympic Airways flight 266 from Athens, and the sighting was corroborated by staff at Athens Airport and a nearby Greek air force base. Pilots of two other passenger jets also reported seeing the body.The eyewitnesses described it as looking like a large star, although it was moving erratically and constantly changing shape.Two fighter jets were sent to investigate the sighting over the Greek capital in November 2007 but the object shot up into the sky and vanished before they could get a clear view.

President Barack Obama admitted Tuesday it was "a mistake" to send a Boeing 747 and an F-16 fighter jet buzzing over lower Manhattan. Speaking before a meeting at FBI headquarters in Washington, Obama said he was as in the dark as everyone else about the photo op fly-by, but made no secret of his disapproval. "It was a mistake, as was stated," Obama said. "And it will not happen again." Obama did not specifically apologize, although the White House military director did on Monday. The president declined to answer a reporter's question on whether Louis Caldera, director of the White...

ISLAMABAD – Pakistani jets and attack helicopters bombed Taliban positions in a district near the capital Tuesday, the military said, in an expansion of an offensive against militants seemingly emboldened by a much-criticized peace deal. Troops and heavy artillery also joined the operation in Buner, which follows urgent calls from the United States for Islamabad to step up its fight against the militants, who moved into the region this month from the nearby Swat Valley. They set up checkpoints, patrolled streets and warned locals to abide by strict interpretations of Islam. The offensive will cause major strains on an already...

Jets Buzz Ms Liberty

http://home.comcast.net/~bzee1b/Travis/Travis.html

F15's loudly buzzing downdown D-town now. Several circular passes and up the Detroit River. Maybe this is practice for tomorrows home baseball opener.

http://home.comcast.net/~bzee1b/Fleetwk08/Fleetwk08.html

CoolPix for Vets!

Check this out: http://home.comcast.net/~bzee1a/

Check this out: http://home.comcast.net/~bzee1a/

The brief Brett Favre era in New York is over. Favre has informed the Jets he is retiring after 18 seasons in the NFL, FOXSports.com has confirmed, ending a record-setting career in which he was one of the NFL's premier quarterbacks. The move was first reported by ESPN. The Jets also confirmed the news on their Web site late Wednesday morning. "I had a great conversation with Brett this morning," Jets chairman Woody Johnson said. "Considering that he came from a totally different environment and joined our team during training camp, his performance last season was extraordinary." The 39-year-old instructed...

The F22 jet program is under attack by Democrats threatening to cut funding to such a high cost project. However, wouldn't it be a REAL stimulus package if they simply funded the F22 more, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, funding our economy by $12 billion, and best of all--funding a project that's completely American-made. The F35 is the same story, generating billions of dollars of foreign investment by NATO allies.

Hypocrisy, Inc. came to town on Tuesday. The rich hypocrites arrived in their fleet of private jets. From Robert Frank at the Wall Street Journal. Yet it may come as a surprise that at a time of financial crisis and Green correctness, many of the wealthy are choosing to arrive by private jet. According to an article in Bloomberg, as many as 600 private jets were expected to touch down in D.C. for the inauguration. The runway at Washington Dulles was closed Saturday to allow as many as 100 small planes to park. And the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said...

If House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass) has his way, companies with corporate jets will not receive any future bailout money. resident-elect Obama has asked President Bush to seek the remaining $350 billion before he takes office. Meanwhile, Frank introduced legislation with a wide range of restrictions on how the rest of the funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) may be spent. One provision in Frank’s legislation specifically prohibits companies that own, lease, or hold an ownership stake in private planes from receiving money, unless they can show the Treasury secretary that they are in the...

The biofuel's developers showcased its algal origins A US airline has completed the first test flight of a plane partly powered by biofuel derived from algae. The 90-minute flight by a Continental Boeing 737-800 went better than expected, a spokesperson said. One of its engines was powered by a 50-50 blend of biofuel and normal aircraft fuel. Wednesday's test is the latest in a series of demonstration flights by the aviation industry, which hopes to be using biofuels within five years. The flight was the first by a US carrier to use an alternative fuel source, and the first in...

<p>FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP)—New York Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, speeding and driving without insurance after being pulled over by police last weekend.</p> <p>Ellis, the Jets’ longest-tenured player, was stopped last Saturday in Hanover, N.J., a few miles from the team’s training facility after speeding, the Daily Record of Morris County reported on its Web site Thursday.</p>

China signed its biggest aircraft export agreement, in terms of both number of jets and contract value, Tuesday at the 7th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai city of southern Guangdong province. The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) will sell 25 ARJ21-700 regional jets to GE Commercial Aviation Services of the United States. Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang, who announced the opening of the six-day airshow, attended the signing ceremony of the sales contract. The deal is valued at five billion yuan (733.1 million U.S. dollars).The first jet will be delivered in 2013 and then another will...

Meet Mr. Jet. Diehard fan David Findel paid the record $400,000 for the rights to the two best seats at the new Meadowlands stadium, and he says they're worth every penny. BIG GREEN MACHINE: David Findel , here with Jet legend Joe Namath, shelled out big bucks for... the rights to two seats on the 50-yard line

Arriving in New York last Friday, Brett Favre sounded as if he had taken a page from Bull Durham's Nuke LaLoosh. "I'm here for one reason," he told reporters. "I'm here to help the Jets win." It would have been refreshing if at least one of the worshipful media folk at the press conference had replied, "Well, actually, Brett, you're here because after months of vacillating on your retirement and putting the Packers through hell -- and forcing them into using a valuable draft pick on an extra quarterback because they didn't know whether you'd be playing for them this...

The Brett Favre era in Green Bay is now officially over. But his legendary career is not. The month-long saga has finally come to an end, with the Packers agreeing to trade their future Hall-of-Fame quarterback to the New York Jets, FOXSports.com first reported Wednesday night. "We're going to take this one year at a time," Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum said on a conference call early Thursday morning. "We're excited to have Brett on the team this year."

Just in...

92 photos of the world's coolest fighter jets.

(IsraelNN.com) El Al Airlines said it is negotiating with Boeing on the purchase of four new 777-220 jets, with delivery beginning in 2012. The airline said no final agreement is expected after several weeks and is subject to approval of the executive board, Reuters News Agency reported. All of El Al's planes are made by Boeing, and it would have the option to convert its purchase to 777-300 jets by the end of this year. El Al recently bought two 777 planes for its routes to the United States and Asia and said additional planes are needed to meet a...

Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton welcomed her traveling press corps aboard her campaign plane Wednesday with a humorous riff on the standard flight attendant speech familiar to commercial air travelers. "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, and welcome aboard the maiden flight of Hill Force One," Clinton said over the plane's intercom as it taxied down the runway en route to Reno, Nev. Nevada holds precinct caucuses Saturday; polls show Clinton in a tight three-way contest here with Barack Obama and John Edwards. "My name is Hillary and I am so pleased to have most of you on board," she said. "FAA...

4th, 5th generations of Sa'eqe jet fighters to be produced Tehran, Jan 5, 2008 IRNA Commander of the Air Force of the Islamic Republic Army Brigadier General Ahmad Mighani said here Saturday that the Iranian army is to produce the fourth and fifth generations of Saeqe jet fighters which cannot be discovered by radar. The new stealth fighter planes is to produced in the near future, he said. The new generations will be fully manufactured by Iranian experts, he said. Two fighter planes from the Azarakhsh (Thunder) generation were successfully test flown in Tehran on September 20. The fighter planes,...

Black holes are weird. Well, duh, right? But they do something that surprises most people: besides hoovering down almost everything nearby, they can also eject material as well. And by eject, I mean send it out screaming at nearly the speed of light and heated to a bazillion degrees. Picture from Chandra of the active galaxy pair 3C321 The image above is from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and it’s all about this scary scenario. Let’s take a walk down the gravity well, shall we? Basically, as matter swirls down into the maw of the hole, it forms a flattened disk...

Sunday isn't only Jets vs. .Patriots. It could be Spy vs. Spy. According to league sources familiar with the situation, the Jets were caught using a videotaping device during a game in Foxborough last season that resulted in the removal of a Jets employee. After Gillette Stadium officials saw him using the recorder early in the game, he was told to stop and leave the area. He had been filming from the mezzanine level between the scoreboard and a decorative lighthouse in an end zone. The camera was not confiscated by the Patriots or stadium security. Tuesday night the Jets...

Excerpt - Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi arrives in Paris Monday for a high-profile visit set to usher in multi-billion-euro nuclear and aviation contracts, even as critics lashed President Nicolas Sarkozy for welcoming the former pariah. Staying in a heated Bedouin tent pitched near the Elysee presidential palace, Kadhafi is expected during the five-day visit to approve the purchase of three billion euros (4.4 billion dollars) of Airbus planes, a nuclear reactor and possibly Rafale fighter jets. ~ snip ~

Iran to Buy 24 Jet Fighters from China October 24, 2007 Ha'aretz Yossi Melman Iran has signed a deal with China to buy two squadrons of J-10 fighter planes that are based on Israeli technology, the Russian news agency Novosti reported yesterday. The 24 aircraft are based on technology and components provided to China by Israel following the cancellation of the Lavi project in the mid-1980s. The engines of the J-10 are Russian-made. The total cost of the planes is estimated at $1 billion, and deliveries are expected between 2008 and 2010. The estimated operational range of the aircraft, with...

October 19, 2007: Thailand has decided to replace its aging F-5 fighters with a dozen Swedish JAS-39 Gripen fighters. These will cost about $55 million each (with spares, support and training.) The 14 ton JAS-39 is roughly comparable with the latest versions of the F-16. It is also used by Sweden, South Africa, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. The first six will be delivered before 2011, the second six will not all arrive until 2017. The slow delivery is because Thailand does not have the money to buy the aircraft all at once. At the same time, two Swedish Erieye...

Carl Mayer of New Jersey is unhappy because the Patriots were caught illegally videotaping the Jets’ defensive signals in New England’s 38-14 season-opening pasting of the Jets. The lawsuit states that because other teams found illegal videotaping by the Patriots, Jets ticket holders should be compensated for all Jets-Pats games in Giants Stadium since Belichick became coach in 2000. The two calculated that because customers paid $61.6 million to watch eight “fraudulent” games, they’re entitled to triple that amount - or $184.8 million - in compensation under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act and the New Jersey Consumer...

Sweden offers joint development of jets, submarines to India NEW DELHI: Keen to cast off the ghost of the Bofors kickbacks scam, Sweden has proposed new avenues of defence cooperation to India, including joint development of jet fighters and submarines. "The Swedish government is proposing to invest in Gripen fighters and is keen that India too take a investment stake in jointly developing these new generation fighters," visiting Swedish Vice Minister for Defence H G Wessburg said. Gripen is one of six jets vying for India's biggest ever global tender worth over Rs 42,000 crore (10 billion dollars) for the...

As another type of fighter jet is about to begin training over the Navy base on Boca Chica Key, little has been done to resolve neighbors' concerns about the current class of fighter jets that pilots fly while training there. Nearly two months ago, the Navy promised to hold a public meeting to discuss changes to its Air Installation Compatible Use Zones, so-called "AICUZ maps" that show areas of high noise and accident potential, where development is dissuaded. No meetings have been held. The Navy in July asked the County Commission to approve the maps and set land-use guidelines that...

US denies Russian jets buzzed Pacific base By Paul Willis and agencies Last Updated: 11:19am BST 10/08/2007 America has rebuffed claims by Russia that two of its warplanes buzzed a US military base on the Pacific island of Guam, claiming the bombers were at least 300 miles away. Russia claimed yesterday that US fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the two Tupolev-95 warplanes as they resumed the Cold War era practice of flying over Western offshore military installations. A 1999 encounter between an F15 Eagle and a Tu-95 Bear Seen as an attempt by a resurgent Russia to show off...