FBI - Their Small 'Air Force'

"How the FBI is using a ‘small air force’ to track suspects" PBS NewsHour 6/2/2015

Reminder, the public highway is NOT private.  Anyone can observe your car.

Also, you have news copters, fire department copters, Highway Patrol copters, on and on.  We should not expect anything in the open to be private.

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  According to the Associated Press, the FBI operates a fleet of undercover planes equipped with video cameras, some of which can also gather cell phone data.  The FBI says these flights target suspected criminals, and that a warrant is not necessary in most cases.  Gwen Ifill learns more from AP reporter Jack Gillum.

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  Even if Congress reined in government surveillance powers today, evidence of a different sort of privacy concerns surfaced, this time at the FBI.

The Associated Press reported that the FBI operates a fleet of undercover planes shielded by fake company names that flew surveillance over at least 30 cities in 11 states during a 30-day period.  They’re equipped with video cameras and sometimes equipment to gather cell phone area.

The FBI says the flights target suspected criminals and that, in most cases, a warrant is not necessary.

Jack Gillum is one of the reporters at the Associated Press on the story.

Describe the secret fleet that you guys wrote about.

JACK GILLUM, Associated Press:  Well, most often, if you were going to look up a tail number — that is the number that is emblazoned on the back of the plane — you might go to the FAA’s database of that aircraft.  Sometimes, it might say it belongs to Jack Gillum or a corporation, maybe Google, Microsoft, a corporate jet of sorts, but all of these aircraft belong to these sort of strange-looking companies, M.G. Research being one of them, a mix of letters, sometimes the word research, sometimes other names, that all trace back to a bunch of P.O. Boxes.

Now, this came to light after this aircraft was spotted and reported by The Washington Post in early May during some civil unrest following the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore.  Now, what we found is we wanted to look and see, are there are more aircraft like this, and started digging through FAA records and other air flight radar patterns to see just the full scope of this operation.

GWEN IFILL:  So, let’s go back to this idea of dummy corporations.  What’s the point of shielding the owners of these planes?

JACK GILLUM:  The FBI says that when they want to do this sort of fictitious company, it’s that they don’t want to give criminals on the ground a heads-up that when they look at the sky above they’re going to see a plane that belongs to the FBI or to the U.S. government.

They also say that they want to keep operational security.  So if you have — if know that it’s an FBI plane, you know where it takes off and lands, you might be able to sabotage it.  Now, that doesn’t really sit well in the minds of a lot of people for whom these planes are circling above overhead, and sometimes they get very concerned, even calling 911, asking who is this guy above my house and what is he doing?

AIRCRAFT - How Passenger Planes Are Built

Post by Sudhindra Rajkumar

UKRAINE - The Shooting Down of Passenger Plane MH17 (4 parts)

"MH17 crash in war zone poses security challenges, but may be aided by more ‘eyes’" (Part-1) PBS NewsHour 7/18/2014

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JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  Leaders from around the world called for an investigation into who shot down the Malaysian passenger plane.  But how can that be done in the middle of a war zone?

Hari Sreenivasan has that.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  For that, we turn to New York Times reporter Mark Mazzetti, and P.J. Crowley, who served as assistant secretary of state during the first Obama administration and is now a fellow at George Washington University.

Mark, I want to start with you.

From your sources in the intelligence community, is there any certainty on whether the surface-to-air missile was from Russia or from the rebels?

MARK MAZZETTI, The New York Times:  Not total certainty on that point.

You heard President Obama say — put the blame pretty squarely on Moscow today, saying either they did it themselves or they gave it to the rebels and they were doing this by proxy.  Either way, the president said, and as intelligence officials are sort of pointing out, it’s — Russia is escalating the conflict by introducing these surface-to-air missiles.

But you raise a good point.  Exactly how this happened, exactly how the missiles got there and when they got there is still an important point to — question to answer.

"Understanding the risks of flying in unfriendly skies" (Part-2) PBS NewsHour 7/18/2014

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SUMMARY:  For a closer look at the challenges on the ground at the site of the downed Malaysia Airlines plane in Eastern Ukraine, Judy Woodruff talks to Matt Frei of Independent Television News from Donetsk.  Science correspondent Miles O’Brien (NewsHour) joins in to discuss why the jetliner was on a flight path over a conflict zone.

"Did Russia destroy key evidence from the MH17 crash site in Ukraine?" (Part-3) PBS NewsHour 7/19/2014

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SUMMARY:  Ukraine accused Russia and pro-Russian separatists today of destroying evidence that could offer clues about the downing of the Malaysian Airlines plane that went down in Ukraine earlier this week.

"Kerry:  Evidence mounts pointing blame at pro-Russian separatists for MH17" (Part-4) PBS NewsHour 7/20/2014

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SUMMARY:  Pro-Russian separatist leader Alexander Borodai said today that critical evidence has been recovered from the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 that is believed to have been shot down Thursday near the Ukrainian-Russian border.  Secretary of State John Kerry said there was overwhelming evidence that pro-Russian separatists shot down the plane.

TECHNOLOGY - Switzerland, Solar-Powered Plane

"Solar-powered plane revealed in Switzerland" PBS NewsHour 4/13/2014

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SUMMARY:  Following 12 years of research and testing, designers and pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg debuted a huge solar-powered plane in Switzerland this week.  The plane, which boasts a wingspan wider than a 747's, is covered in more than 17,000 solar cells.  Hari Sreenivasan reports.

MALAYSIA - Flight MH370 Updated 3/25/2014

"Using social media to scour the ‘haystack’: More than 3 million join search for Flight 370 from home" PBS NewsHour 3/21/2014

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SUMMARY:  The overflow of information generated during a crisis like the Malaysian airliner gone missing can be just as paralyzing as the absence of information for those officials charged with searching.  A crowdsourced search for Flight 370 harnesses the energy and time of the more than 3 million people who have volunteered to scour satellite imagery.  Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports.

"Missing plane search focuses on new satellite imagery data" PBS NewsHour 3/22/2014

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SUMMARY:  After two weeks of searching, the missing Malaysian Airlines plane has yet to be found.  In recent days both Australian and Chinese satellite imagery have picked up on objects that could be aircraft debris.  What does this mean for search?  Hari Sreenivasan speaks with WSJ reporter Andy Pasztor about the technology authorities are using to find flight 370 and how it is affected by nature.

"Malaysian government says Flight 370’s final satellite ping ended over the Southern Indian Ocean" PBS NewsHour 3/24/2014

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SUMMARY:  Around the time the passengers on board Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 should have arrived in Beijing, their plane came down in the empty Indian Ocean 6,000 miles away — with no chance that anyone survived.  Tom Clarke of Independent Television News reports on the announcement on the presumed fate of the airliner by the Malaysian government.

"Still facing abyss of questions, what gives Malaysia confidence in its Flight 370 conclusion?" PBS NewsHour 3/24/2014

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SUMMARY:  After 17 days of searching for the missing airliner, Malaysian officials announced that they believe it went down in the Southern Indian Ocean and that no one survived.  Michael Schmidt of The New York Times joins Judy Woodruff to discuss lingering questions for the Malaysian authorities in light of their conclusion.

MALAYSIA - Security Failure on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

"Security failures of missing Malaysian flight spark concern" PBS NewsHour 3/9/2014

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HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  For more about whether the crash of that Malaysian jetliner was an act of terrorism, we are joined now from Washington by Rafi Ron.  He is an aviation security expert and former director of security at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport.

So, Mr. Ron, of what we do know we have a few things confirmed:  We had good weather.  We had experienced pilots.  We had solid safety records for both the airline and the aircraft.  We had no distress signal.  And then we have the incidence of these stolen passports.  Does it all point toward a security failure and terrorism.

RAFI RON:  There’s no question that there is a security failure by the fact that two people were allowed to board the flight with identities that do not belong to them.  But whether this security failure is connected in any way to the destruction of the aircraft – or the disappearance of the aircraft – it is still yet to be determined.  At this time there is no direct evidence to tie up the two events.

"How does a modern jetliner vanish without a trace?" PBS NewsHour 3/10/2014

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SUMMARY:  There are still many more questions than answers in the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.  Judy Woodruff asks former NTSB investigator Alan Diehl and former NTSB board member John Goglia to speculate on different known factors and possible theories.

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY - New Boeing Union Contract

"With money and jobs on the line, Boeing workers vote on critical labor contract" PBS Newshour 1/3/2014

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JEFFREY BROWN:  In November, machinist union workers at Boeing voted down a new contract extension.  Pensions were the most contested issue.  After Boeing offered several revisions, a new vote is taking place today, with results expected tonight.

The stakes are high: thousands of jobs and the building of Boeing's new 777X plane.  If the union approves the contract, Boeing says it will go ahead and build the plane in unionized factories in Washington State, the company's historic manufacturing home.  If there's another no-vote, Boeing says it may well go elsewhere.  And 22 other states responded to a solicitation from the company with proposals to build the new jet in their areas.

Joining us now:  Harley Shaiken, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who specializes in labor issues, and Richard Gritta, a professor of finance at the University of Portland, an expert on the airline industry.

Well, Harley Shaiken, and start us off.  Explain the pension and other issues here and the dilemma for the union members voting on this.

SAN FRANCISCO - Asiana Airlines Flight 214 Crash

From my 22yrs experience in U.S. Naval Air, as an Aviation Electronics Technician, I am familiar with aircraft landing systems used on the ground and on aircraft carriers.

There are two things about this incident that caught my attention off the bat:

• The fact that the ground Glide Slop system for the runway was not working.

• The pilot had no experience landing at this field.

There is also the question of what Flight Simulator training he had on landing a 777 at SFO.  Modern Flight Simulators can simulate landings at all major airports worldwide.

"Federal Investigators:  Asiana Airlines Plane Was Flying Below Necessary Speed" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 7/8/2013

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SUMMARY:  Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed landed at San Francisco International Airport, killing two passengers and sending more than 180 to the hospital.  Federal investigators say the plane was flying significantly below the necessary landing speed and was too low to the ground.  NewsHour correspondent Spencer Michels reports.

"Will Pilot Experience, Crew Fatigue Factor in Explanation of SFO Plane Crash?" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 7/8/2013

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SUMMARY:  Judy Woodruff talks to Deborah Hersman, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, and former managing director of the NTSB, Peter Goelz, for more on the crash of the Asiana Airlines flight and the continuing probe into the accident, including the pilot's technical experience and whether fatigue could have played a role.

AIRCRAFT - Boeing 787 Like Lithium-Ion Batteries a Long Concern

"Batteries Like Those on Dreamliner Raised Concerns" by DANIEL MICHAELS, Wall Street Journal 1/17/2013

Batteries similar to those at the center of the recent problems with Boeing Co.'s 787 Dreamliner have raised growing concerns with air-safety regulators in recent years.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ordered a halt to Dreamliner flights on Wednesday after two major battery malfunctions aboard the aircraft, and regulators world-wide followed the FAA's lead, effectively grounding Boeing's flagship jet.

Until now, the biggest worry about lithium-ion batteries centered on the kind used in electronics products, such as laptop computers and cellphones, that were shipped in bulk as air cargo or stowed in passengers' carry-on baggage. The Dreamliner is the first passenger plane to use big lithium batteries as a backup power source.

It remains unclear whether the Dreamliner's batteries, which are produced by Japanese battery maker GS Yuasa Co., caused the problems on two Dreamliners operated by All Nippon Airways Co. and Japan Airlines, respectively. Other factors, such as their wiring or installation, could have contributed to the incidents, industry officials say.

Whatever the cause, the power cells posed a risk because they are highly flammable under certain conditions. Lithium batteries are vulnerable to overheating if overcharged, or if discharged too rapidly, and overheated or damaged batteries can catch fire. They burn at extremely high temperatures, may emit flammable vapors, flames or sparks, and can even explode.

The danger is related to what makes the batteries popular: They can store large amounts of energy. They combine light weight and compact size with the ability to charge up and discharge quickly.

Over the past decade, aviation regulators have recorded dozens of incidents in which lithium batteries in consumer products have overheated or caught fire on planes or at airports. Stricter international safety rules kicked in this year to tackle the hazards of shipping such batteries by air.

Large shipments of the power cells are suspected of having played a role in the fatal crashes of two jumbo-jet cargo planes in 2010 and 2011 and the destruction of a smaller freighter in 2006, according to safety officials.

Despite the concerns about lithium batteries, they are being used more widely in aircraft. The U.S. military's new F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter jet uses lithium-ion batteries produced by a unit of French battery maker Saft Groupe SA. No safety incidents with the units have been publicly reported.

A spokesman for Lockheed Martin Corp., which builds the fighter, said in a statement that its batteries aren't from GS Yuasa, and that "we expect no impact [on the Joint Strike Fighter] program."

Europe aircraft maker Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co., uses small lithium batteries for emergency power on its two-deck A380 super-jumbo, which entered service in 2007.

Airbus plans to use bigger lithium batteries on its new A350 model, now in development, but those cells still will be smaller than those aboard the Dreamliner. Saft will supply the A350 batteries, Airbus said.

The Dreamliner is an unusual airplane because it relies on electric power for most of its functions.

Previous airliners from Boeing, Airbus and other manufacturers have used a combination of electrical and mechanical power drawn from a plane's engines.

The new Airbus A350 will use roughly one-third the electric power of the Dreamliner, Airbus officials said Thursday. The plane also uses two batteries in parallel where Boeing uses one, reducing the power that each one stores and discharges, Airbus officials said.

"We don't need as much power, and it's a different architecture on the A350," said Tom Williams, Airbus's executive vice president for programs. He declined to comment on how the 787 incidents might influence the A350's battery design. "We need to wait and see what the investigation tells us," he said.

As concerns about the batteries have increased, the FAA has conducted extensive testing of their performance. In at least one test, the batteries burned hot enough to melt test equipment, according to a person familiar with the results.

In another set of tests last year, the FAA caused lithium batteries in a laptop computer to ignite in the cockpit of a Boeing 737 jet. Pilots increasingly use laptop and tablet computers as replacements for the heavy maps and manuals they have long lugged around.

The test focused more on the smoke hazard from a fire than the damage caused by flames. To disperse the smoke, the testers boosted ventilation in the cockpit, replacing its air entirely once every minute, according to an FAA report of the test.

Nevertheless, the testing showed that a standard lithium laptop battery, which is much smaller than the models on the Dreamliner, "could pose a significant smoke hazard" in the cockpit, the report said. In one test, the smoke was dense enough to cause a "severe lack of visibility."

AIRLINES - Boeing Dreamline In Trouble?

"Boeing 787 Dreamline Incidents Prompt FAA to Make Comprehensive Review" PBS Newshour 1/11/2013

Excerpt

JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour): This week has been a bumpy ride, to say the least, for aviation giant Boeing and its new jet, a week capped by the government's decision to look closely at the plane's operating systems again.

Margaret Warner has the story.

MARGARET WARNER (Newshour): Boeing began delivering its sophisticated new 787 Dreamliner jet to much fanfare 14 months ago, after years of production delays. Now a series of recent incidents has raised concerns about the 50 planes in the air, so much so that, today, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Michael Huerta, announced a comprehensive review.

MICHAEL HUERTA, Federal Aviation Administration: The focus is on the design, production, and manufacture of the airplane. We're focusing on the electrical systems as the highest level of priority. Our focus is on what the data tells us and what we identify as potential issues there. And based on what we learn, we will take whatever appropriate action is necessary.

REMEMBRANCES - From My Navy Days

OK, it had to happen. This old geezer just has to reminisce on his 22 years in the United States Navy.

Here are 3 videos that say it all:

Dogfight: 4 Migs-17 vs. F-8 Crusader

F-8E Crusader versus Mig 21
Simulation




NOTE: The number 19 in the opening shot stands for CVA 19, the USS Hancock, which my squadron VF211 deployed on. The F8 with side-numbers 1xx one of our sister squadrons, our F8's had side-number of 2xx.

F8 Crusader carrier landing