Aviation Conspiracy: Are Small Jet Crashes Increasing!!!

The graphic (website) version of this newsletter can be accessed at:
http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/newsletter410.htm

Quote of the Week: "Sadly the FAA continues to short staff control towers
in an effort to control costs while they eschew safety and efficiency"
comment by Senator "Chuck" Schumer who has inserted himself in the FAA/Air
Traffic Controller contract dispute

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Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter
#411.............................................. ...........................January
14, 2006 Past newsletters can be accessed at:
http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/ACNewsmenu.htm The PASSUR airport flight
tracking system at many major U.S. airports http://www.passur.com/sites.htm
(you must have Java installed to view it). If you want to get the newsletter
sent to you every week, sign up to AviationWatch. Bill Mulcahy


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Are Small Jet Crashes Increasing!!!

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As Bill Sees It: (Editorial) Is The Small Jet Danger To Residential Areas
Increasing? The crash of a small business jet on Friday near California's
Van Nuy's Airport, which narrowly missed several homes, shows the danger of
the increased use of small jets at airports located near, or in some cases
surrounded by, residential areas. The Associated Press stories said that the
jet that crashed had a full load of 3,400 "pounds" (why not gallons?) of
fuel on board. More and more we see the use of smaller jets at airports. How
long will it be before one of these flying bombs, filled with thousands of
gallons of fuel, hits a crowded apartment house as it takes off or lands?

More FAA Duplicity And Obfuscation With The Eastern Region Airspace
Redesign Plan!!! Thanks to aviation activist, Robert Belzer, for sending me
the latest FAA "update" on their Airspace Redesign Plan for the NY/NY/
Philadelphia Region. Predictably, the (January 2007) update gives no new
information at all. All it says is that "The FAA is in the process of
identifying the Preferred Alternative for this project which will be
followed by five public meetings (one per state in the study area) to
discuss noise mitigation strategies for that preferred alternative." This
looks like a typical effort by the FAA to get communities to fight with each
other over who is selected as the new noise dumping ground while the FAA
sits back amused as the great "decider."

Senator Schemer Gets Involved In FAA/Controller Dispute: I see a story this
week that New York's senator Chuck Schumer is getting involved in the FAA
management versus the air traffic controller battle. What's really is behind
Schumer's interest in the FAA? Only the most uninformed and naive can
believe it has anything to do with aviation safety. Schumer has been
interested in influencing the FAA ever since he was a congressman. I
remember I was at a Rockaway, N.Y. City community meeting with him. It was
called because we had found out we had been selected as the sole JFK Airport
"preferred nighttime overflight route" (the planes STARTED coming over at
midnight!!!) for JFK Airport planes and wanted answers from "our"
congressman. Schumer cleverly avoided answering the very few questions he
allowed. I later found out that he attended a rally for convicted Israeli
spy, Jonathan Pollard, in the Lawrence, Long Island community (which was not
part of his congressional district) that had gotten their night flights
dumped on us. Obviously Schumer had a close association with some people in
that community. Congressman Schumer liked to portray himself as a fighter
against airport expansion, while Senator Schumer voted to remove flight
limitation "caps" at LaGuardia Airport! These flight caps were later
restored by the FAA because of safety concerns. No doubt now Schumer is
pushing the FAA's plan to "increase the capacity" of LaGuardia by the use of
larger planes. In my opinion Schumer's only interest in the FAA is his
ability to influence their unjust, racist and corrupt routing policies for
wealthy communities, like Lawrence, Long Island, that he wants financial and
political support from. Also, the ability to influence FAA policies means
that other politicians, whose communities are effected by FAA decisions,
would have to crawl to Schumer for help with the FAA.

California: Small Plane Narrowly Misses Several Homes: LOS ANGELES - Federal
authorities were scouring the wreckage of a small jet crash to determine
what caused it to go down near a suburban airport, killing two people
aboard. Several witnesses said a nose compartment door was open as the plane
lifted off. Moments after the twin-engine Cessna Citation lifted off Friday
morning from Van Nuys Airport in the San Fernando Valley, the pilot radioed
the tower with a request to return, the National Transportation Safety Board
said. The business jet, which was heading to Long Beach to pick up two
passengers and continue to Prescott, Ariz., was cleared to land but it never
made it. A tower controller noticed the plane "wobble" as it turned around,
then it crashed about a half mile north of the airport and within 100 feet
of several homes, said NTSB investigator Howard Plagens. No nearby
structures appeared to be damaged. The jet was carrying a full load of 3,400
pounds of fuel and burst into flames, said Assistant Fire Chief Tim Manning.
Firefighters sprayed foam and quickly put out the fire, he said.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/4468387.html



Senator Schumer Inserts Himself Into FAA/Air Traffic Controller Dispute!!!
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Sen. Charles Schumer charged Wednesday that a festering
labor standoff between the government and air traffic controllers is risking
safety at upstate airports. The Democratic senator said the Federal Aviation
Administration is keeping control towers far understaffed, which he
characterized as a widespread problem that is being felt across the Empire
State. In upstate New York, there are currently 164 controllers guiding
planes in and out of local airports, when according to the senator there
should be 192. Albany, for instance, has 26 full-time controllers instead of
the 30 allowed by the FAA, Schumer said. "It started as a labor dispute, but
now it's become a safety issue. The FAA cuts are absurd," he said.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wi...gion-apnewyork

Illinois: Plane Piece Crashes Through Homeowner's Roof!!! CHICAGO - A small
piece of metal that crashed Friday through the roof of a home located near
Midway Airport fell off an airplane that experienced engine failure on a
flight from Milwaukee, federal authorities said. The engine piece came to
rest 2 feet from the foot of a bed where homeowner Dorothy Gohn was
sleeping. She was not injured. The multi-engine aircraft, apparently being
used as a cargo plane, landed safely without any indication of distress to
air traffic control, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a
statement. But the pilot should have reported the engine failure to
authorities, said Tony Molinaro, an FAA spokesman. Instead, FAA inspectors
found the plane themselves, with significant engine damage and some wing
damage, in a hangar at Midway Airport, he said. "If the pilot knew about
this, it has to be reported," Molinaro said. "Our investigation will look
into exactly what was going on and why it was not reported."
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twinci...s/16448993.htm



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Important Aviation News Stories This Week

Schumer: FAA staffing of air traffic controllers risks safety

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wi...gion-apnewyork

January 10, 2007, 5:56 PM EST

saying union numbers are misleading and towers are well staffed in most
locations

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Sen. Charles Schumer charged Wednesday that a festering
labor standoff between the government and air traffic controllers is risking
safety at upstate airports.


Democratic senator said the Federal Aviation Administration is keeping
control towers far understaffed, which he characterized as a widespread
problem that being felt across the Empire State.

In upstate New York, there are currently 164 controllers guiding planes in
and out of local airports, when according to the senator there should be
192. Albany, for instance, has 26 full-time controllers instead of the 30
allowed by the FAA, Schumer said.

"It started as a labor dispute, but now it's become a safety issue. The FAA
cuts are absurd," he said.

At Syracuse-Hancock International Airport, there are 20 active controllers
for an authorized staffing level of 30, according to the air controllers
union.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the union's numbers don't reflect the
actual staffing needs of individual facilities.

"We have a staffing plan to put the right number of controllers in the right
place at the right time," said Brown. "We feel that most locations around
the country are well-staffed right now and there may be a few facilities
here and there where we have a couple fewer controllers than what we want."

The union has warned that the number of controllers eligible for retirement
will rise sharply this year, to about 10 percent from last year's two
percent.

Bill Mulcahy wrote:
As Bill Sees It: (Editorial) Is The Small Jet Danger To Residential Areas
Increasing? The crash of a small business jet on Friday near California's
Van Nuy's Airport, which narrowly missed several homes, shows the danger of
the increased use of small jets at airports located near, or in some cases
surrounded by, residential areas. The Associated Press stories said that the
jet that crashed had a full load of 3,400 "pounds" (why not gallons?) of
fuel on board. More and more we see the use of smaller jets at airports. How
long will it be before one of these flying bombs, filled with thousands of
gallons of fuel, hits a crowded apartment house as it takes off or lands?


Yo, moron, 540 gallons of jet fuel hardly qualifies as "thousands of
gallons of fuel"!!!!

By the way, when are you going to start screaming for birds to be
banned from the skies? Haven't you ever watched an Alfred Hitchcock
movie? Birds are deadly!!!! They will peck out your eyes!!!!
AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

In article ,
"Bill Mulcahy" wrote:

Are Small Jet Crashes Increasing!!!

You are such a loon. And "no," to answer your question. Aviation
continues to get safer, despite the low-altitude maneuvering we do to
appease noise nazis like you.

[VNY Crash]. shows the danger of
the increased use of small jets at airports located near, or in some cases
surrounded by, residential areas.

No, it shows the danger of MORONS like yourself buying houses near
airports, the bitching because of the airplanes. If your purchase of
the house predated the airport's construction, you have an argument. If
not, then shut your hole.


The Associated Press stories said that the
jet that crashed had a full load of 3,400 "pounds" (why not gallons?)

I thought you were the "expert," Bill. You tell us.

Senator Schemer...

Wow, name-calling. You learn that from Rush Limbaugh?