1. Search resumes for NY pilot in vintage jet crash
KINGSTON, N.Y. — State police in New York have resumed a search for the pilot of a vintage military jet that crashed into ice on the Hudson River as it came in for a landing at a Kingston airport.
Authorities said divers went back into the water Sunday morning to look for pilot Michael Faraldi, 38, of Germantown, who is missing and feared dead.
The accident happened at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday near the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, which spans the river midway between Albany and New York City.
Faraldi was piloting the plane from Nashville, Tenn., to an airport in Ghent, N.Y., state police said.
The jet, a British-made BAC 167 Strikemaster, was headed to Kingston-Ulster Airport from an airfield Johnstown, Pa., when it went down, the Federal Aviation
2. Fairfax County Police Aviation Unit Important for Rescue, Pursuit
Once the Fairfax County Police aviation is dispatched to an emergency, one of the two Bell 407 helicopters can be airborne in two minutes. From their base in Fairfax, they can get to the furthest edge of the county in seven minutes--tops.
“When you’re going 120 knots, you get there pretty fast,” said Andrew Edgerton, a civilian pilot in the unit. “Everybody turns it on when it becomes go time.”
Fairfax County police has had a full-time aviation unit since 1982, said unit Commander Andy Hill. The unit is composed of six pilots (two sworn officers and four civilian), 10 flight officers who serve as EMTs and operate the helicopter’s cameras, a mechanic and a commander. Unit members are paid regular police salaries. The unit flies between one and two regular patrols daily and sometimes get called for medivac missions several times a day. In 2010, the unit airlifted 92 patients to hospitals, Hill said. From Jan. 1 through Feb. 10, the unit has flown 135 missions. In 2010, the unit flew 1,204 missions.
Since he was a child, Edgerton said he wanted to fly helicopters. For the last six-months Edgerton has served as one of the four civilian pilots in the unit.
“When you’re first learning to fly, it’s humbling,” Edgerton said. “It’s as close as you can get to a magic carpet.”
All FCPD pilots have to have a minimum of 1,000 hours of flight time before they can apply for the position, Hill said. They must also have a night flying rating, he said. Individuals wanting to serve as flight crew members are sworn police officers who apply internally.
Officer Jon Kaminski has been a flight crew member in the unit for the last three years, serving eight years total with the department. Flight crew members must complete a two-year emergency medicine program at Northern Virginia Community College before they can begin flying on missions. On each flight, there is a pilot and two crew members.
“Most of the calls we go on are high priority calls,” Kaminski said. “We have everything an ambulance has on board.”
The two Bell 407 helicopters have been equipped with life saving machines, medicines, spotlights and a special camera that can read a license plate from the air if they’re involved in an aerial pursuit. The two helicopters were purchased for just over $1 million each without all of the specialized equipment, one in 1996 and the other in 2000, Hill said.
Keeping the helicopters airborne is the responsibility of mechanic Jeff Young. Preventative maintenance is done after every 50-hours of flight time and a complete check is done on each helicopter after 300 hours of flight time, Young said. More than 600 hours of flight time requires more in depth maintenance, he said.
Kaminski said the helicopters do have some restrictions they can fly in. Severe inclement weather can ground the helicopters he said and in some cases with larger patients, the unit may not be able to transport them. In order to go up at night especially, you have to be able to see three miles ahead, Kaminski said. If the weather gets bad, they have to be able to get 1,000 feet off the ground and they can’t go up in freezing rain, he said.
“We work like cops and live like firemen.
3. Regulators clear way for Ohio GE Aviation center
DAYTON, Ohio — Regulators say no more environmental cleanup is needed at the southwestern Ohio site where General Electric Co. plans a research and development center.
The Dayton Daily News reports a document issued by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency clears the way for the $51 million GE Aviation center. It will develop advanced electrical power systems for airplanes, ships and other vehicles.
The University of Dayton owns the land, and school treasurer Philip Chick says construction is on track to begin by summer. The university, GE and the city's development arm are working on plans for the center. It's slated to open late next year.
GE Aviation is a GE unit based in Evendale. It has said it will hire 10 to 15 scientists for the facility, and others will transfer in.
4. Carolinas Aviation Museum Acquires "Miracle on the Hudson" Flight 1549 Airframe from Chartis
President of the Museum. "Never before has an insurance company preserved an aircraft like this and I think Chartis and their partners should be commended for the foresight they have shown with their visionary contribution to future aviation safety."
Mark Meyeroff, President of Chartis Aerospace Insurance Services, Inc., said, "Following the second anniversary of the miracle landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson, Chartis and US Airways are pleased to recognize this remarkable rescue effort and achievement in airline safety. Along with our insurance partners, we are delighted to assist in providing this historic aircraft to the Carolinas Aviation Museum so that future generations of air safety experts and aviation enthusiasts can learn from this important chapter in aviation history."
About the Carolinas Aviation Museum:
Founded in 1992 and located at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the Carolinas Aviation Museum´ mission is to preserve the history of aviation in the Carolinas and educate the society about aviation and its importance to the community.
The Carolinas Aviation Museum is 501 (c) 3 nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of corporate donors and for more information on the Carolinas Aviation Museum, please visit our Website at www.carolinasaviation.org : .
About Chartis
Chartis is a world leading property-casualty and general insurance organization serving more than 45 million clients in over 160 countries and jurisdictions. With a 90-year history, one of the industry´s most extensive ranges of products and services, deep claims expertise and excellent financial strength, Chartis enables its commercial and personal insurance clients alike to manage virtually any risk with confidence.
Chartis is the marketing name for the worldwide property-casualty and general insurance operations of Chartis Inc. For additional information, please visit our website at www.chartisinsurance.com : .
All products are written by insurance company subsidiaries or affiliates of Chartis Inc. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions and is subject to actual policy language. Non-insurance products and services may be provided by independent third parties. Certain coverage may be provided by a surplus lines insurer. Surplus lines insurers do not generally participate in state guaranty funds and insureds are therefore not protected by such funds.
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