If black boxes survive air crashes — why don’t they make the whole plane out of that stuff?
— George Carlin
Airport parks fuel trucks around a luxury jet to collect delinquent fees
A local newspaper in Hazleton (Pennsylvania) has reported that a luxury twin-engine Rockwell Sabreliner jet parked at the Hazleton Municipal Airport has not paid $625 or five months worth of aircraft parking fees and that the airport manager has responded by ordering fuel trucks to be parked around the aircraft to prevent it from taking off.
That move came after two pilots arrived at the airport with documents showing they were hired to fly the aircraft to St. Louis (Missouri) for refurbishment on behalf of someone in Pittsburgh who had made a $35,000 deposit for the refurbishment.
However, just who owns the aircraft and is thus responsible for paying the airport fees is not exactly unclear. According to FAA records (which are often not be up-to-date), a lawyer bought the aircraft in 2005 for $2.6 million through a corporation formed with a former mayor of the town and apparently the corporation still owns the aircraft with its office address being the same as that of the lawyer’s law firm. The problem is the lawyer is now sitting in prison for paying $2.8 million in bribes to judges and had agreed to forfeit the jet as part of a plea agreement. His law firm has also stated that he has had nothing to do with the jet for two or three years – meaning he has no intention of paying the fees.
Meanwhile, the person in Pittsburgh who attempted to have the jet flown out shares the same last name as a Pittsburgh real estate developer who wants to build a massive airport in the area and whose firm the lawyer is a former principle of while the former mayor of the town still remains a principle of.
As for the jet itself sitting at the Hazleton Municipal Airport, it would not be a good idea for any pilot to try and start a jet engined aircraft surrounded by fuel trucks but it looks like at least the airport has a pretty good shot at collecting those fees! After all, it’s a $2.6 million jet that someone obviously now wants while the fees owed are just $625.
Laser pen attacks on aircraft near the Leeds Bradford Airport
Two Sundays ago, there were four separate laser pen attacks on passenger aircraft near Leeds Bradford Airport at Yeadon in West Yorkshire. Specifically, the Wharfedale Observer reported that police received reports of laser pens being shone from the 
Horsforth area at 10:28 pm, the Ackworth or Featherstone area at 10:50 pm, the Huddersfield or Dewsbury area at 11:55 pm and Bradford at 11:59 pm. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is carrying out an investigation of each incident while the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) is leading the call for tough action and wants to see stronger regulations on laser pens in general.
The BBC later reported the arrest of a 14 year old after a laser pen was repeatedly pointed at the West Yorkshire Police helicopter in what sounds like a separate incident. The boy has since been released on bail pending further inquiries.
Of course and for pilots, it goes without saying as to how dangerous a laser pen attack can be while trying to fly an aircraft as it can lead to temporary blindness. Richard Toomer of BALPA has been quoted as saying:
People who do this maliciously – or even through ignorance – are playing Russian roulette with people’s lives
Moreover, a quick search on Amazon.co.uk reveals plenty of laser pens available for between £1 to £5 give or take – meaning its all too easy and cheap for a minor to get a hold of one.
The good news is that the number of laser pen attacks on aircraft flying into Leeds-Bradford Airport has fallen since a change in the law that now makes it a criminal offence but that airport remains one of the worst-hit airports in the UK as according to CAA figures, there have been 22 incidents up until June. And while that’s down from 80 during the whole of 2011, its still too high.
Nevertheless, Police said crew on board the police helicopter in the West Yorkshire attack was able to use specialist equipment to direct officers on the ground to an address in Bradford where they made an arrest – meaning those who abuse laser pens should be on notice that they can be tracked down and arrested.
British pilot verses a Devon tornado and a panicked passenger
The Daily Mail recently told the story of how a pleasure flight over the British countryside turned nightmarish with a close encounter with a tornado. Apparently a Cessna 150 had taken off from Eaglescott Airfield at Burrington, Devon, with a London pilot named Mark Wagner (who has more than 30 years of flying experience) at the controls and passengers Paul Scantlebury and Terry Gilbert to enjoy views of the North Devon countryside.
However and within the span of a few minutes, the sky quickly turned black, turbulence started shaking the aircraft violently and a tornado appeared – causing at least one passenger to panic:
He said that Mr Gilbert started shouting instructions at the pilot: ‘I clearly remember Terry screaming "Head for the middle of the twister, it’s the safest place. I saw it in a film."
‘The pilot very calmly said, "No, no Terry that’s wrong.
"We just have to stay away from it and land back at Eaglescott."
The aircraft was able to safely land but the incident also shows how the weather can quickly change from clear blue skies to something dark and menacing that can cause passengers unaccustomed to flying in a small aircraft to panic. Luckily the experienced pilot visibly kept his cool as the last thing a pilot needs to do is anything that would cause passengers to panic even further.
One of the passengers was able to snap this amazing photo as a souvenir:
Cotswold Airport to host the Best of British Show this weekend
This weekend, Cotswold Airport near Kemble in Gloucestershire will be hosting the first ever Best of British Show to showcase the best in British innovation, culture, food and drink and of course, aviation.
Specifically, visitors will be treated to a three-hour air show featuring the Red Arrows with the provisional timetable (weather permitting) for the air displays being:
- Silver Stars Parachute Team to open show at 10am
- 1-2pm Air Display ONE
- 3.30-5.00pm Air Display TWO
- 5.45-6 Spitfire to close show
And while there is no GA-Fly-In for this year’s show, there will be pleasure flights each day in either a helicopter or a classic DeHavilland Rapide with flights in the later available for booking here.
Otherwise, tickets for the show cost £15 for adults and £5 for kids if ordered online at the bestofbritishshow.co.uk while tickets bought at the gate will cost £20 for adults and £7 for children.
GA flight from Sydney to London on a fuel made from plastics
Few pilots are probably also readers of Plastics & Rubber Weekly or BusinessGreen but both publications have articles about Pilot Jeremy Rowsell who intends to fly from Sydney to London in a Cessna 182 powered from a fuel made out of plastic waste. Specifically, Jeremy’s “On Wings of Waste” project will attempt to break two records:
- To be the first to fly via plastic waste fuel at 100% treatment.
- To break a flight time from Sydney to London for a single engine piston plane.
To break those records, Jeremy will use a fuel produced by Ireland based Cynar PLC – company that is developing and has a patent applied for a technology to convert a wide range of end of life plastics (ELP) into liquid fuels. The plastic-derived fuel has already been tested 
in cars but Jeremy’s flight will be the first real-life trial in an aircraft.
However, Cynar chief executive Michael Murray has stated that the fuel needs more testing and trials but it should be just fine in a diesel engine not going beyond 8,000 feet. Jeremy will also be needing 400 litres to complete the London to Sydney flight with that amount of fuel requiring around five tonnes of plastic waste to produce. Hence and if large quantities of plastic waste can be secured, plastic based fuel could become a green fuel alterative for small general aviation aircraft but there is no mention of costs in either article and whether plastic based fuel will be competitive with more traditional fuels.
As for the flight itself which is scheduled for autumn (and more likily for November), Jeremy plans to stop along the 10,000-mile route at Darwin, Christmas Island, Sri Lanka, Oman, Jordan and Malta. He will also be cruising at 5,000 feet for stretches of up to 13 hours before reaching London six days later.