flynhigh

Surprisingly successful first high altitude test flight of Starship.

An 18 year old high school graduate is interested in enlisting in the Air National Guard. Recruiter says that since he answered that he has seen a mental health counselor for depression, that he is ineligible for service until 3 years since seeing the counselor. Reviewing the Air Force Waiver Guide, I'm finding different information than what the recruiter conveyed. Additionally, I'm not sure what the appropriate "Flying Class" is for this particular individual. Page 567 shows Table 1: Waiver potential for mood disorders. Said individual's goal is to be a Crew Chief. My main point of confusion is these two notes under the table; The first of these two states 2 years is required since completion of psychotherapy, while the second states 6 months. Aside from the difference between these and what the recruiter stated, this is significant as it has been more than 6 months since this individual completed psychotherapy. So, my question is, can anyone shed some light on which of these applies to an enlisted airman trying to get in as a crew chief? Is he eligibile now to apply for a waiver to enlist? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Another article providing good perspective on the accident, what warbirds represent, and how we should move forward. Forbes: Keep History Flying

Off-duty USAF CMSgt. survives B-17 crash and saves another despite injuries

From the collection of Lt. Col. Roy L. Scott. Instrument Pilot on Flickr The Cavemen's Bomber, B-1 on Flickr

A similarly interesting site. Searchable databases of accidents. While you don't get the full report for free, basic information regarding aircraft type, location, pilot name and cause are provided for free. Full reports can be purchased (I've bought a few myself). Aviation Archaeology I too have spent many hours on both of these sites.

Passenger identified as Vincent Losada, 93, of San Antonio. Mr. Losada, a B-17 bombardier, lost his right arm after being hit by flak while returning from his 25th mission in the European Theater. 93 year old San Antonio man identified as 2nd victim in fatal Fredericksburg plane crash 1st Lt Vincent Losada, 839th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group. Vincent Losada 1st Lt Losada, second from right in front row, with the rest of the crew of "The Big Drip Jr". Teare Crew Another shot of the crew of "The Big Drip Jr", 1st Lt Vincent Losada third from left in back row. Teare Crew The Big Drip Jr Two Purple Hearts

B-52 lost an engine over North Dakota. Being reported as literally losing the engine. Engine falls from B-52 bomber over North Dakota Edit - Sounds more like an uncontained failure.

A-26 nose gear collapse at KOSH. Sad sight, but everyone walked away.

Oshkosh sweeper was added to the Duluth Airport Authority's inventory of snow removal equipment this year. Shedding bristles from the sweeper did some damage at the 148th. http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/3672002-bristles-force-guard-ground-12-f-16s

Talk about the stars aligning. Amazing. Here's to a full recovery. SpaceShipTwo Pilot Speaks Through Dad

Mike's friends and co-workers at Scaled Composites have set up a memorial fund for his wife and two children (ages 7 and 10). This link has been distributed to the Society of Flight Test Engineers membership (Mike was a member), thus I'd consider it vetted. http://www.gofundme.com/MikeAlsbury

NTSB: SpaceShipTwo's Tail Boom Deployed Early http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/NTSB-SpaceShip-Twos-Tail-Boom-Deployed-Early223043-1.html It'll be interesting to find out if this was the cause. The unique nature of flight test instrumentation on-board likely means that a cause will be determined much quicker than the typical NTSB investigation. I imagine there's a hell of a lot of stress on that airframe when the rocket is burning. If the tail boom did go into feather mode during the burn, then an in-flight break-up wouldn't be an unreasonable response.

Tough week for the Mojave flight test community. An NTPS Slingsby went down killing the instructor (Mike Hill) and student (Ilam Zigante). http://www.ntps.edu/news/latest/ ABC has posted some photos from todays flight/mishap. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/fatal-virgin-galactic-crash-mystery-designers/story?id=26608625 EDIT: Added link to ABC News article.

http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/local/Skydiving-pilot-has-clean-flying-record-spotty-driving-record-231098581.html

Rumor mill today (at a certain airplane factory up Nort') was that they had GoPro footage, but were holding out until they had enough 0's in the purchase price. I guess this confirms that! N Edited to add that link below now contains video as well. Some stills here; http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/04/21308806-exclusive-images-show-skydivers-terrifying-collision-and-chaotic-plunge?lite

It's tough to lose any of The Greatest Generation, but Joe Gomer was a proud Duluthian, and Duluth was proud to have him. He was Minnesota's last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, and was a very humble person. I recall the first time I met him, at a Cirrus company picnic sitting quietly in his wheelchair watching Tora Tora Tora perform their practice airshow for the upcoming Duluth Airshow. He was a genuine man, and held no bitterness towards America's past; "We’re all Americans. That’s why we chose to fight. I’m as American as anybody. My black ancestors were brought over against their will to help build America. My German ancestors came over to build a new life. And my Cherokee ancestors were here to greet all the boats."-Joe Gomer rather was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for it. RIP Major Gomer. http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/280290/group/News/

Wisconsin Oktoberfest sightings...

He certainly made an impact on the aviation community. He will be missed.

Pic from afar of crash.

Bell's Two Hearted Ale. Stumbled across this about 4 months ago. Has been my favorite ever since. http://www.bellsbeer.com/brands/info/2 Bell's Brewery is based in Michigan, so not sure how far they distribute...

Boston Globe reporting one suspect in custody. http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/04/18/mit-police-officer-hit-gunfire-cambridge-police-dispatcher-says/4UeCClOVeLr8PHLvDa99zK/story.html