April 2009 ~ lpn

Wednesday, 29 April 2009

U.S. and Bermuda Agree on General Aviation Preclearance Security

This week DHS Secretary Napolitano signed an agreement with Bermuda that paves the way for general aviation flights to be prescreened before leaving Bermuda so that they can be treated as domestic flights upon arrival in the U.S. Not only will the passengers and crew be screened before departure,...

By: Progress On 01:27

Flight to Israel Diverted to Boston

Friday night a Delta Airlines flight from JFK to Tel Aviv was diverted to Boston's Logan Airport after an "unruly" passenger tried to enter the cockpit. It is being reported that the Israeli national, who was subdued by fellow passengers, seemed to be suffering some sort of panic or...

By: Progress On 01:25

Tuesday, 28 April 2009

Presidential Plane Flight Causes Scare in New York City

This morning people in lower Manhattan, Staten Island and across the Hudson River in New Jersey got a scare when a Presidential 747 and an F-16 fighter made an unannounced flight over the region. The low-flying airplanes set-off a panic that led to the evacuation of dozens of offices....

By: Progress On 01:19

SAFRAN Buying Majority Stake in GE Homeland Protection

Anonymous let us know that Europe's SAFRAN is going to acquire 81% of GE Security's Homeland Protection business for $580 million. Both BODs have approved the sale, which is now subject to regulatory approval. SAFRAN decided to make this move in order to become a global player in airport...

By: Progress On 01:18

Swine Flu Pandemic Declared a Public Health Emergency

DHS Secretary Napolitano announced today that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will declare a Public Health Emergency today in response to the growing outbreak of Swine Flu in the United States. As of today there are 20 confirmed cases of Swine Flu in the U.S.Read moreBy...

By: Progress On 01:13

FAA Puts Airplane/Bird Strike Data Online

United States — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has finally made its Bird Strike Database available to the public. The records include data on airplane/bird collisions from 1990 through 2007. The online database is accessible from the FAA's Airport Wildlife Hazard Mitigation home page.Read moreBy Planet Data...

By: Progress On 01:11

U.S. and Bermuda Agree on General Aviation Preclearance Security

This week DHS Secretary Napolitano signed an agreement with Bermuda that paves the way for general aviation flights to be prescreend before leaving Bermuda so that they can be treated as domestic flights upon arrival in the U.S. Not only will the passengers and crew be screened before departure,...

By: Progress On 01:10

Customs Agency Seminar for International Trade Community

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is holding a seminar on the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Tuesday, April 28 in El Paso, Texas.ACE is the commercial trade processing system developed by CBP to facilitate trade while strengthening border security.CBP says that the target audiences for the ACE information seminar...

By: Progress On 01:09

Thursday, 23 April 2009

Will the Island of Love reunite?

Greetings from the the Republic of Cyprus where clear signs of summer are in the air and I have already reverted to wearing short sleeve shirts. Meanwhile, on the other side of the divide in Northern Cyprus last weekend elections were held. The resounding winners were the UBP, spearheaded by...

By: Progress On 06:13

HEATHROW: UK’s worst Airport

London Heathrow is the busiest airport in the world and the letters LHR are instantly recognizable to any frequent traveller. Yet, as often is the case in life, the busiest does not mean the best! A recent survey by consumer Watchdogs has branded Heathrow along with Gatwick and Stansted...

By: Progress On 05:54

Tuesday, 21 April 2009

India Launches All-Weather Imaging Satellite

India successfully launched two satellites Monday aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). One of which, the ANUSAT, is an experimental communication micro-satellite built by India's Anna University. The second satellite is the Israeli-built RISAT-2. And while some reports (here, here) peg this as a "spy satellite", Madhavan Nair,...

By: Progress On 23:34

Marine Arrested at Airport with Gun, Ammo, Bomb Materials

A U.S. Marine Corporal was arrested at Boston's Logan Airport on Sunday after an undeclared semiautomatic handgun, ammunition and "bomb-making materials" were discovered in his checked luggage during a layover from Las Vegas. The gun would have been legal had it been stored properly and the Marine declared it...

By: Progress On 23:33

Jamaica Plane Hijacking Over, Everyone Safe

On Sunday a gunman took the crew and passengers of a CanJet airliner hostage at Jamaica's Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. The suspect surrendered Monday morning and was arrested. The gunman is being described as a "mentally challenged" 20-year-old. He initially boarded the plane, took everyone hostage, and...

By: Progress On 23:32

Australia: Not Kidding, Snakes on a Plane!

On Tuesday (4/14) a Qantas jet had to be grounded in Melbourne because four baby Stimson's Pythons went missing. The reptiles escaped from a container in the Boeing 737-800's cargo hold. The snakes were not found so the plane was fumigated and put back in service.Read moreBy Planet Data...

By: Progress On 23:31

Peru: Peruvian Indians Seize Airport Over Land Protest

EFE reports that Peruvian Indians have occupied the airport in Atalaya and vowed not to leave until President Alan Garcia hears their demands about water and land regulations. The police claim the number of protesters is about 350, while a group representing the Indian community tells EFE it is...

By: Progress On 23:30

Tuesday, 14 April 2009

Mexico: Anti-Aircraft Weapon Seized by Police Near U.S. Border

According to an AFP report, Mexican police have seized what is described as an "anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on a van" and other heavy weaponry from a house on the Mexican side of the border with Arizona.Read moreBy Planet Data...

By: Progress On 23:22

France: Basque Terrorists Planned to Shoot Down Spanish King's Aircraft

The Basque separatist group ETA had plans in 2004 to shoot down a plane or helicopter carrying Spain's King Juan Carlos with a surface-to-air missile. French counterterror forces discovered a number of CD's that year which detailed elements of the plot, which also had Spanish ministers as potential targets....

By: Progress On 23:21

Somalia: Mortars Fired at U.S. Congressman's Plane in Mogadishu

U.S. Rep Donald Payne (D-NJ) was in Mogadishu, Somalia today on the first visit by a high-ranking U.S. official in years. While his plane was leaving the airport militants fired a number of mortars. The incident is being described as an attack targeting the Congressman.Read moreBy Planet Data...

By: Progress On 23:20

Uganda: Navy Divers Find Plane Wreckage in Lake Victoria

Service members from the U.S.-led Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) have located the wreckage of a Ilyshin II 76 aircraft that crashed in Lake Victoria on March 9. The Soviet-era aircraft was carrying tents and water purification units to Mogadishu from Entebbe International Airport when it...

By: Progress On 23:19

Israeli Fighters Intercept Delta Jet Approaching Israel

Israeli fighter jets were scrambled on Saturday to intercept an incoming Delta Airlines jet from NYC that failed to respond to air traffic controllers at Ben-Gurion Airport. The fighter pilots were able to communicate with the Delta pilot using visual signals and determined that there was a problem with...

By: Progress On 23:15

Sunday, 12 April 2009

Greetings from the West coast of Cyprus

Greetings from the West coast of Cyprus in the town of Paphos, which by all reports is feeling the effects of the global recession more than anywhere else on the Island of love.Firstly the Real Estate situation is nothing short of drastic here. During the boom time over the...

By: Progress On 15:54

Saturday, 11 April 2009

Fjording Around

From Oslo to Svalbard, a magic tour on the heels of the Vikings, in between huge glaciers and Swiss-style villages .One Norway,many Norways. There’s a land covered with conifers and birches, endless woods reaching far into the Northern wastes, and countless streams and waterfalls. And there’s the famous land...

By: Progress On 09:00

Tuesday, 7 April 2009

Authorities Uncover Plot to Export Aircraft Parts to Iran

The U.S. Justice Department announced Monday that an Iranian national, who is a legal U.S. resident, has been arrested and charged, along with ten other defendants, with participating in a conspiracy to illegally export U.S.-made military aircraft parts to Iran.Read moreBy Planet Data...

By: Progress On 23:14

Canadian Plane Thief Wanted to Die

Late last night (4/6) police apprehended the Canadian man who stole a Cessna 172 in Ontario, flew it across several U.S. states and landed in Missouri. According to a Missouri State Trooper who appeared on "Good Morning America" this morning, the thief, Yavuz Berke, 31, wanted the F-16s following...

By: Progress On 23:13

United Kingdom: Fuel Problem Forces Super Puma Landing on Offshore Rig

A helicopter transporting offshore oil workers over the North Sea had to make an emergency landing Monday (4/6). The BBC reports that a Super Puma operated by CHC made a "precautionary landing" on the Safe Caledonia rig after reporting a fuel problem. Last Wednesday a Super Puma flown by...

By: Progress On 23:12

Indonesia: 24 Dead in Indonesian Military Plane Crash

An Indonesian military airplane crashed into a hanger today (4/6) killing all 24 people on board. The plane, a Fokker 27, was trying to land at an airport in Bandung in West Java during a heavy rainstorm.Read moreBy Planet Data...

By: Progress On 23:10

North Korea Claims Rocket Launch Successful

North Korea followed through on its threat to launch a rocket Sunday (4/5). The secretive communist state claims it was successful and that the payload, a communications satellite, is now orbiting Earth. However, both the U.S. and South Korean militaries say this is simply not true and that all...

By: Progress On 23:09

Monday, 6 April 2009

North Korea Claims Rocket Launch Successful

North Korea — North Korea followed through on its threat to launch a rocket Sunday (4/5). The secretive communist state claims it was successful and that the payload, a communications satellite, is now orbiting Earth. However, both the U.S. and South Korean militaries say this is simply not true...

By: Progress On 03:40

Japan Gov't Issues False Statement About North Korea Launch

Japan — As if tensions over North Korea's imminent rocket launch/missile test aren't high enough, the Japanese government inaccurately released a statement earlier today that North Korea had in fact launched a rocket. The error was the result of Japan's Air Self-Defense Force being confused about radar information, a...

By: Progress On 03:39

Spy Satellite Battle - Pentagon vs. Intel Community

United States — The White House will soon be briefed on the options the U.S. has for pursing future secret intelligence-gathering satellite technology. And it should come as little surprise there are two camps with decidedly different opinions, with the Pentagon on one side and the Intelligence Community (IC)...

By: Progress On 03:38

Air Force Chooses New Nuclear Command HQ

United States — After a series of nuclear weapons-related mishaps in 2007 and 2008 the U.S. Air Force decided to create one command to be responsible for the Air Force's nuclear assets. Called the Global Strike Command, it provisionally stood up in January 2009, and now it has a...

By: Progress On 03:37

German Firms Admit Spying on Workers

The German unit of aircraft manufacturer Airbus has admitted to spying on its employees between 2005 and 2007. Former management at Airbus ordered that the banking details of the entire German staff (about 20,000 people) be reviewed and compared to those of Airbus suppliers. No irregularities were found.This revelation...

By: Progress On 03:35

No Survivors from North Sea Helicopter Crash

United Kingdom — Yesterday a Super Puma helicopter operated by Bond Offshore Helicopters crashed into the North Sea. There were no survivors. The helicopter was returning to Scotland from a BP oil platform when it went down with 2 pilots and 14 oil workers. Eight bodies have been recovered.From...

By: Progress On 03:34

Thursday, 2 April 2009

TOP TEN EVENTS IN APRIL 2009

Spring is in the air and love is all around or is it? Despite some encouraging rhetoric from the G20, the onset of spring is about the best news we are likely to hear from the mainstream media. There is more to life however than financial markets, terrorists, the...

By: Progress On 09:16

Wednesday, 1 April 2009

Greetings from Exotic Manila

Exotic greetings from Manila, otherwise known as the American capital of Asia. Its here in the Philippines that the greatest national export is actually people, which is not surprising with their excellent service attitude and work ethic. There are approximately 3 million overseas workers, however thousands of Philippino's are...

By: Progress On 10:36