On The Fly…

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The FAA issued an emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) for Cessna 402 and 414A aircraft, requiring increased spar inspections due to cracking, while a separate incident highlighted the critical importance of pre-flight fuel checks after a pilot crashed due to fuel theft.
  • Former Boeing executive Michael Sears was sentenced to four months in prison for his role in a job-for-contracts scandal involving employment discussions with a Pentagon procurement official during a significant tanker contract bid.
  • Air show performer Mike Goulian flew NBC Today Show host Ann Curry for an aerobatic experience, which will be featured in an upcoming segment on the program.
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Two Cessna 402’s, each with more than 20,000 TIS exhibited spar cracking and have led the FAA to issue an emergency AD, increasing the frequency of spar inspection and adding the aircraft model 414A. Aircraft with spar straps on each wing (per a previous AD) are not affected…

Another reason to always check your tanks before takeoff. An Ocean Isle, N.C., pilot found out the hard way that just because fuel was in the tanks yesterday doesn’t mean it’s there today. His Pulsar III homebuilt lost power and crashed in a marsh shortly after takeoff. There’d been reports of fuel thefts at the airport and there was less than two gallons in each of his tanks…

Air show performer Mike Goulian recently took NBC Today Show host Ann Curry for a spin and a roll and a loop and the result will be a segment on the show scheduled to air Wednesday between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. Eastern…

The latest casualty in the job-for-contracts scandal at Boeing is former executive Michael Sears. Sears admitted to having employment discussions with Pentagon procurement official Darlene Druyun while Druyun was deciding the fate of Boeing’s bid for a $20 billion tanker contract. He was sentenced to four months in prison.

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