deicer

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-011921a-mobile-launch-platform-2-demolition.html

One can only say... WOW! World's fastest RC aircraft hits a stunning 548 mph – without a motor (newatlas.com)

Just throwing up one of many of the hottest memes right now...

I know it isn't aviation, however, you have to appreciate the engineering!

Open up and say 'ahhh'...

https://jalopnik.com/canadian-airline-uses-hacked-up-neons-as-baggage-tracto-1846034558 Canadian Airline Uses Hacked-Up Neons As Baggage Tractors Photo: Cody / Twitter (Other) Watching an airport operate can help pass the time while you’re waiting for a flight. As you watch the orchestra of people and vehicles prep a plane for its flight, a baggage tractor will certainly join the effort. Bearskin Airlines at Thunder Bay International Airport in Ontario, Canada, has a very weird way to haul baggage around: It hooks baggage carts to hacked-up Neons, an econobox sold with Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth badges — all the same car, though. These appear to be from the 1996-99 generation. These pictures come our way from an epic Twitter thread from the airline’s passengers. If you need a good laugh today I highly recommend it. I’m used to seeing hacked up Dodge Neons doing stupid stunts on a Gambler 500, not doing serious operations at an international airport. Yet here we are. Photo: Dave / Twitter (Other) I love it! Aside from the Neon that’s clearly missing its roof and doors, the airline appears to have two others with golf cart service bodies grafted onto the back. Woah. Once I stopped laughing, I realized this actually makes some sense. Hear me out. 00:05/01:02SKIP AD A decent baggage tractor like this TUG MA-50 costs a lot of money. These are heavy-duty machines meant to withstand big loads, a lot of abuse and years of service. Photo: Legacy GSE Sales (Other) A Neon — especially a beat up one — costs a tiny fraction of the price of a baggage tractor. These are cars an airline can buy for $500. Wrecked ones are probably even cheaper. Take a reciprocating saw to the roof and install a tow hitch on back: Boom! You have a baggage tractor. This is airline cost-cutting to the absolute extreme. A cut-up Neon isn’t nearly as strong or as robust as a real baggage tractor, but passengers of the airline have reported seeing a small fleet of the things over the years. So, apparently they do the job. I love seeing regular passenger vehicles adapted for aviation use, though seeing a Neon haul around baggage is definitely a first for me. These sort of remind me of those 4x4 pickup trucks cut in half and adapted to tug float planes around.

2 meter accuracy at a range of 43 miles! https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a35059608/army-extended-range-cannon-artillery-system/

https://www.blogto.com/music/2021/01/man-who-screamed-why-are-you-closed-outside-toronto-eaton-centre-gets-metal-remix/

Air New Zealand Re-Routes North American Flights So Crews Won’t Have To Overnight In LA Or San Francisco – CBS Los Angeles (cbslocal.com) Air New Zealand Re-Routes North American Flights So Crews Won’t Have To Overnight In LA Or San Francisco California’s COVID-19 situation is so bad, Air New Zealand will re-route its North American flights so their crews can overnight in Honolulu, rather than Los Angeles or San Francisco. Starting Monday, all of Air New Zealand’s cargo flight crews traveling to the United States will overnight in Honolulu. Flight crews on the airline’s passenger flights will be routed via Honolulu starting on Feb. 2. The airline says one set of crews will fly between Hawaii and California, while another set of crews will fly the route between Hawaii and New Zealand. Re-routing Air New Zealand’s North American flights allows its employees to overnight in a lower-risk destination, the airline said. “While it’s important to keep trade routes open and passenger services operating for our customers, looking after our people is our first priority,” Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran said in a statement. New Zealand has had one of the best responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the world and has had fewer than 2,200 total cases since it began.

Don't remember if it was posted before, but worth a second look...

Ordinary Day - Canadian Physicians Virtual Choir - YouTube

Now that the Festive season is over, y'all need to relax... Got me a Giblet Jacuzzi! - YouTube

X-15 fastest flight ever. https://youtu.be/4p30E3LGIaM

Acemaker Airshows and the Erickson Air Collection flying over Oregon on Vimeo

Had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Turner when she came through T2 all those years ago. Wonderful personality, friendly to the staff that approached her, and a smile that glowed. She was a tiny little thing though. Love this video, and it's even more impressive when you see her energy and she was 70 years old at the time!

If you are looking for a new toy... https://www.warhistoryonline.com/cold-war/m-a-s-h.html For Sale – Star of the TV Show M.A.S.H. COLD WAR INSTANT ARTICLES NEWS Jul 21, 2020 Jack Beckett © Platinum Fighters S/n 263 was used in various action movies. Its most notable role was starring in the hit television show M.A.S.H. This Bell 47-D1 s/n 263 was built in July 1951 at the Bell Aircraft Assembly plant in Niagara, New York. It was delegated to the U.S. Navy and was used as a helicopter trainer until 1958 when it was surplussed out of the Navy. © Platinum Fighters In 1972 it was purchased by Adrian Grieve, owner and operator of Pathfinder Helicopters in Riverside, CA. It was completely rebuilt to Bell Helicopter specifications and received a Standard Airworthiness Certificate in 1973. ADVERTISING © Platinum Fighters © Platinum Fighters ADVERTISING © Platinum Fighters In the opening scene where two helicopters are flying formation, 263 is closest to the camera, In the second scene, 263 is the second helicopter on approach to the landing pads. © Platinum Fighters © Platinum Fighters During the ten years that M.A.S.H. was filmed, 263 was utilized many times both as set dressing and in flying scenes. 263 was utilized in the final departure scene of the final episode, one of the most watched TV episodes of all time. © Platinum Fighters © Platinum Fighters ADVERTISING For sale by Platinum Warbirds Call us toll free: +1800 210 1951 Email Simon Brown simon@platinumfighters.com Email John Rayner john@platinumfighters.com Another Article From Us: Fantasy Hanger – Spitfire For Sale Yours for Just $2 Million When filming ended in 1981, 263 was sold to a rancher who used it for crop-dusting and counting cattle. Several years ago it was sold to the current owner who restored it back to its original MASH TV show configuration.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/boeing-faa-senate/2020/12/18/b1ce57b6-414d-11eb-8db8-395dedaaa036_story.html Boeing ‘inappropriately coached’ test pilots during review of 737 Max after crashes, Senate investigators say Dec. 18, 2020 at 6:53 p.m. EST Senate investigators concluded that Boeing “inappropriately coached” government pilots for a simulator test that was part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s efforts to ensure that the company’s 737 Max could be made safe to fly again after two deadly crashes. The conclusion is contained in a report issued Friday by the Senate Commerce Committee on an investigation that was launched after the Max crashes but that ultimately broadened to unearth numerous safety problems across the FAA. The July 2019 simulator test was designed to determine whether pilots could quickly react to faulty software implicated in the two crashes, which killed 346 people. A whistleblower alleged that Boeing officials prompted test pilots to be ready to use the correct controls to respond, telling them, “Remember, get right on that pickle switch.” Even with that prompt, one of the pilots took four times longer to respond than Boeing and the FAA had assumed. A Transportation Department lawyer prohibited an FAA employee, whom investigators understood to be one of the pilots, from answering questions about the incident in an interview, according to the report. “The Committee concludes FAA and Boeing officials involved in the conduct of this test had established a predetermined outcome” to reaffirm their assumptions about pilot reactions, the investigators wrote. The incident suggests that problems arising from the close relationship between Boeing and the FAA, which other investigators have said affected the initial safety certification of the Max, also affected at least the early stage of efforts to reauthorize the jets to fly. “We have learned many hard lessons from the Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Flight 302 accidents, and we will never forget the lives lost on board,” Boeing said in a statement. “The events and lessons learned have reshaped our company and further focused our attention on our core values of safety, quality, and integrity.” In a statement, the FAA said that it was reviewing the committee’s report and that it thoroughly reviewed the Max after the crashes. “We are confident that the safety issues that played a role in the tragic accidents involving Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 have been addressed through the design changes required and independently approved by the FAA and its partners,” the agency said. The 100-page report, which relies on thousands of documents and allegations from 57 whistleblowers, outlines problems with the FAA’s oversight of the aviation industry. Investigators concluded that whistleblowers regularly face retaliation and that private companies seek help from agency managers when inspectors seek to enforce safety rules. The report says “systemic deficiencies” at the FAA pose an “unnecessary risk to the flying public.” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the committee’s chairman, said the investigation’s findings were troubling. “The report details a number of significant examples of lapses in aviation safety oversight and failed leadership in the FAA,” Wicker said in a statement. Wicker and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the panel’s top Democrat, have proposed legislation to give the FAA greater independence from the industry and to strengthen whistleblower protections. The House passed a similar bill in November. The FAA said it gave the committee unprecedented access to conduct its investigation and that it was committed to following laws that prohibit retaliation against whistleblowers. The Senate committee’s report comes a month after the FAA lifted its ban on the jetliner, which had been grounded for 20 months. The two crashes, in Indonesia and Ethiopia, occurred five months apart and brought intense scrutiny to one of the United States’ most storied companies, Boeing, and the FAA. Multiple investigations found issues with the process that the FAA followed for certifying that the newest version of Boeing’s 737 was safe, while raising questions about whether the agency was too deferential to the manufacturer. In signing the order that allowed the jets to resume service, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said the global aviation community could be certain that the 737 Max was safe to fly. “We have not left anything to chance here,” he said. “I would put my own family on it, and we will fly on it.” American Airlines will be the first U.S. carrier to resume 737 Max service. The airline will offer one daily round trip between Miami International and New York’s LaGuardia airports beginning Dec. 29, then will expand the number of Maxes in operation next year. Senate investigators said the FAA and the Transportation Department were reluctant to take part in the committee’s review, delaying the release of documents to the committee and failing to make employees available for interviews. “The level of cooperation by the FAA and DOT has been unacceptable and at times has bordered on obstructive,” investigators wrote. While a similarly scathing report by the House Transportation Committee was more focused on problems with the initial design and approval of the Max, the Senate panel’s review was sweeping. It encompassed allegations about Southwest Airlines, cargo carrier Atlas Air, the training of FAA inspectors and the safety of small operators in Hawaii. The report identified ongoing concerns with the FAA’s oversight of Southwest, saying agency leaders repeatedly failed to act when safety issues were raised. The report cited an instance in October 2019 when the director of the agency’s office of audit and evaluation recommended that 49 planes Southwest purchased from foreign carriers be grounded until they could be properly inspected. Dickson refused, giving the airline months to complete work to fix the problems, according to the report. In a statement, Southwest said it has worked to improve its practices and oversight, adding, “The success of our business depends, in and of itself, on safety, and while we work to improve each and every day, we do not tolerate any relaxing of standards that govern ultimate safety across our operation.” Whistleblowers who contacted the committee also provided examples of communications between FAA managers and those at companies they are charged with overseeing. The communications, according to the report, “clearly supported the perception of ‘coziness.’ ” Former FAA senior managers who now work in the private sector continue to deal directly with former supervisors and subordinates in their new jobs. A senior manager who retired from the government in 2016 serves as senior director of regulatory compliance and director of maintenance at Southwest Airlines, according to the report. And a senior official at the airline told investigators that the company traded on its relationship with one of the FAA’s top officials to get “favorable treatment” from a local agency office. The agency said the official always acted properly.

It's a shame that is has collapsed. We can only hope that they either rebuild or construct another elsewhere to continue the scientific research of our universe.