A Piper Lance and a Mooney Cadet made fatal contact near the approach path of Runway 22 atCaldwell, N.J., Friday evening at about 7:30 p.m. The two aircraft impacted approximately one and a half blocks apart in a residential neighborhood in Fairfield, N.J. Both pilots were killed. No one on the ground was injured and the NTSB is investigating…Boeing rolled out its 777 ER at a lavish ceremony at its Everett, Wash., plant last week. The plane, sporting an elaborate paint scheme, carries 365 passengers and will travel 1,400 miles farther than a standard model. Air France will get the first production model, after a year of flight-testing…It’s not often there’s a press release because an aircraft has flown 100 hours, but theU.S. Navy felt sufficiently moved to mark the milestone in a new test program for the V-22 Osprey. The complicated tilt-rotor craft has had numerous safety problems, including a fatal crash during a rapid descent. Testing that particular maneuver will begin soon…There could be labor peace at Boeing soon, assuming the company’s 19,000 engineering andtechnical workers follow their union’s recommendations. Under the new deal, workers get pay hikes, better benefits and a 6 percent ratification bonus. And they get to design and build airplanes, too…AOPA is trying to stop Louisiana Sen. John Breaux from slipping legislation into the last-minute agenda that would allow sports teams to dictate airspace use over stadiums. The legislation is aimed at advertising banner towers but could potentially affect hundreds of small airports by establishing TFRs around major sports events…The Portland Rose Festival is canceling its annual air show because it’s become too difficult and too risky. Show organizers said there were “too many obstacles” to overcome. Among them were noise complaints from neighbors…EAA’s Young Eagles Program has carried 100,000 young potential pilots this year. That brings the nine-year total to more than 860,000 and puts the program in line to reach its goal of a million flights by Dec. 17, 2003, the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ flight.
On The Fly…
Key Takeaways:
- A fatal mid-air collision occurred near Caldwell, N.J., killing both pilots; concurrently, the V-22 Osprey test program reached 100 hours amidst ongoing safety concerns, and the Portland Rose Festival canceled its annual air show due to various difficulties.
- Boeing celebrated the rollout of its new 777 ER long-range aircraft and is on the verge of securing labor peace with its engineering and technical workers via a new union deal.
- AOPA is actively campaigning against proposed legislation by Sen. John Breaux that could establish new airspace restrictions (TFRs) around sports stadiums, potentially impacting numerous small airports.
- The EAA Young Eagles Program continues its success, flying 100,000 young people this year and nearing its goal of one million flights by December 2003, coinciding with the Wright brothers' flight anniversary.
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