Russian MiG 31s collide ...

(CNN) -- Two Russian pilots aboard a MiG-31 fighter jet were killed when it crashed Tuesday, state media said.

The plane crashed minutes after take off from a military airport in the Perm region, the state-owned Ria Novosti news agency said.
It was on a routine training flight, the news agency said, citing the defense ministry.
A similar jet crashed in the region last year, but the pilots were able to parachute to safety, the news agency said.

Following the crash, the defense ministry grounded all MiG-31s while it investigated the cause.
The plane was not carrying weapons when it went down, said Itar-Tass, another official news agency.

US: terrorists may use small planes to mark 9-11.

Washington (CNN) -- U.S. officials say terrorists could try to use small aircraft in attacks, but have no specific information that such a plot is in the works, according to a new notice distributed by federal officials.

"Violent extremists with knowledge of general aviation and access to small planes pose a significant potential threat to the Homeland," according to an intelligence bulletin issued by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.

But according to the alert, U.S. officials "do not have current, credible information or intelligence of an imminent attack being planned against aviation" by al Qaeda or its affiliates.
In the alert, which was obtained by CNN, officials say as recently as early 2011, al Qaeda was considering options for targeting aviation "possibly believing such operations would have a greater impact than other types of attacks." Among the strategies al Qaeda members have discussed are using a private aircraft to carry explosives, finding a Western operative who could easily travel to the United States or Europe to get flight training or renting private planes for attacks, "believing supervision would be lax due to the large number of private aircraft."

Minutes after Flight 93 crashed Global travel alert on 9/11 anniversary 9/11 10 years later Heroines of 9/11
The bulletin was issued to state and local law enforcement agencies on Friday, a little over a week before the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. Al Qaeda operatives killed nearly 3,000 people in those attacks by hijacking four commercial airliners and turning them into missiles, and some of the terrorists had received flight training in the United States.

Matthew Chandler, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said although there is no specific intelligence about a plot, alerts are regularly shared with law enforcement partners on "evolving tactics that could be used by violent extremists to carry out attacks against the United States." He noted al Qaeda and others have targeted aviation since the 1990s and persist in seeking aviation training.

Chandler said the bulletin is intended to "highlight the need for continued awareness and vigilance."
U.S. officials including President Barack Obama have expressed concerns about so-called lone-wolf attackers who do not belong to terror organizations and have no co-conspirators, but believe in a radical ideology. The intelligence alert says a lone wolf who engaged in an aviation attack would be particularly hard to detect, because "their plans to misuse or steal small aircraft would be difficult to monitor and predict."

In the past, some members of Congress, including West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller have expressed concern about possible security vulnerabilities in the general aviation sector.

Amarillo gets Rick Husband's Space Shuttle Trainer!

By AZIZA MUSA
aziza.musa@amarillo.com
A space shuttle training aircraft once piloted by Rick Husband is taking one last flight — to Amarillo.

Because NASA has discontinued the shuttle program, the training aircraft is no longer needed, said Richard Clark, chief of aircraft operations at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The space agency had four training aircraft and gave one to the Texas Air & Space Museum, 10001 American Drive, near Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport.

NASA officials are scheduled to deliver it Thursday from Houston, and a few days later the aircraft will be available for public viewing, museum operations manager Richard Warner said.

Warner said all shuttle pilots, including Husband, trained using the aircraft.

Husband, an Amarillo native, was commander of the space shuttle Columbia’s final mission. Husband and six other astronauts died Feb. 1, 2003, when the shuttle broke up while re-entering Earth’s atmosphere.

Museum Board President Ron Fernuik said the aircraft is a significant gift to the city because it is “bringing one of our own home.”

“This gives us a tangible part of the space program in Amarillo,” he said. “It allows us to be a part of what Rick Husband was and what he was trying to do.”

The aircraft was upgraded from its original production version — a Grumman Gulfstream II — to simulate the space shuttle, Fernuik said.

The pilot’s side of the cockpit was revamped to emulate the controls and visuals an astronaut would use, he said.

Exclusive! White Triangle Over Amarillo- Stealth Airship?

Click to enlarge:



Myself and a group of local aviation photographers were having our usual Saturday lunch at Rick Husband /Amarillo Airport when we spotted a strange object in the sky

In our group was a cop - three were computer techs (including myself) another was a NWS employee - a meteorology student (who works at the local National Weather Service ) - one was a teacher - another is an Amarillo Emergency Service volunteer.

That said - we call ourselves ASAP - for Amarillo Society of Aviation Photographers. We meet almost every Saturday to have lunch and photograph what ever pops into the airport.

Saturday was no exception - and in fact we were treated to a visit (quick turn) by two F/A 18s - one painted in Russian Aggressor colors and an E2C Hawkeye. Not to mention we shot photos of the one of many V-22s out on test hops from the Bell Textron plant just up the road.

One of the photogs (Jay McCoy) caught sight of a glint - way up in the atmosphere and said, "What the heck is that?"

We all turned to see it. It was almost straight up - maybe five degrees off 12:00 o'clock position a little to our west.

Whatever it was it looked much higher than the common NASA weather balloons (launched from Fort Sumner, New Mexico) that sometimes drift over Amarillo - the last one we I saw was 119,000 feet. This object looked much higher.

The object was almost in the sun - but it glinted bright.

At first sight I thought it was a star visible in daylight - and not much more.

Someone in the group suggested it was the ISS - but it appeared not to be moving - only glinting.

You could not tell what it was with the naked eye - or a 300mm lens for that matter - but it was very bright.

I raised my camera and since I was the only one with a decent telephoto - I was the only one to take a photo.

I couldn't see anymore detail on full zoom - but shot two frames anyway.

I was backing up to get a better view of it - and promptly fell off a concrete step (about a drop of two feet) almost loosing my camera. Fell right on my arse I did.

Everyone helped me up - asked if I was OK - I was.

I was more concerned about protecting my camera gear than myself. I only suffered a sore ankle and some wounded pride.

Anyway, once my dignity had been restored - we all looked up back up into the sky - we could no longer see the object. Either clouds that were moving in obscured it - or it had otherwise left our view.

I didn't think much more about it - until I got home and loaded up the images into my computer.

TECH DETAILS:

Camera; Nikon D-70S with 70 to 300mm ED lens

Full EXIF data and the raw images are available on request for analysis by qualified persons and media.

LINK FOR FULL SIZE PHOTO # 1

LINK FOR FULL SIZE PHOTO # 2 HERE

All images copyright (C) Steve Douglass and require permission for re-posting or publication.


Comparison photo: Southwest Airlines 737 at 30,000 feet - Lens focal length : 240mm
Click to enlarge:



Comparison photo # 2 AIRBUS 380 at 35,000 feet - focal length 290mm.
click to enlarge:

Mirage fighter colides with Lithuanian jet trainer

(CNN) -- A French Mirage 2000 jet fighter collided with a Lithuanian plane during a training mission Tuesday in Lithuania, the French Defense Ministry said.

No one was hurt during the training exercise at an air force base in Siauliai, Northern Lithuania, military officials from both countries said.

Two French jet fighters and and a Lithuanian jet trainer were in the air when one of the jet fighters collided with the Lithuanian plane, officials said.
Both pilots of the Lithuanian L-39 Albatross ejected and are safe. Their plane crashed.
The French jet landed, Lithuanian officials said.