AHI to feature H125 at Ga. expo

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Airbus Helicopters Inc. will exhibit the Seminole County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office H125 AStar at the 2016 Airborne Law Enforcement Association Annual Conference and Expo in Savannah, Ga., from July 18-23. The sheriff’s office operates two H125’s to conduct a wide variety of law enforcement missions, including search & rescue and aerial firefighting with a Bambi bucket. AHI produced the sheriff’s H125 at the company’s Columbus, Miss., production facility. Metro Aviation, in Shreveport, La., installed the law enforcement completion package. The H125/AS350 AStar-series helicopters are the most widely purchased by U.S. law enforcement agencies - more than 240 are in use nationwide, with 75 delivered over the past five years. (Source: Airbus Helicopters Inc. 07/18/16)

Blue Angels select 2017 team

 The Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration team announced July 16 its officer-selectees for the 2017 air show season. The squadron selected three F/A-18 pilots, an events coordinator, C-130 Marine pilot, flight surgeon, supply officer, and administration officer to join a previously selected executive officer for the 2017 team. The newly selected 2017 officers include pilots Lt. Brandon Hempler, 32, of Wamego, Kan.; Lt. Damon Kroes, 34, of Fremont, Calif.; and Lt. Nate Scott, 31, of Danville, Calif. The new events coordinator will be Lt. Dave Steppe, 31, of Birmingham, Ala., an Auburn University graduate. The C-130 pilot will be Marine Capt. Kyle Maschner, 33, of Scottsdale, Ariz.; flight surgeon Lt. Juan Guerra, 31, of Ocala, Fla.; supply officer Lt. Bryan Pace, 32, of Fitzwilliam, N.H.; and administration officer Lt. j.g. Timothy Hawkins, 37, of Scranton, Pa. Blues expected to return for 2017 are Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Ryan Bernacchi; pilots Lt. Lance Benson, Lt. Tyler Davies, and late-season replacement Cmdr. Frank Weisser; C-130 pilots Marine Maj. Mark Hamilton, and Marine Maj. Mark Montgomery; maintenance officer Lt. Samuel Rose; and public affairs officer Lt. Joe Hontz. (Source: Blue Angels media release 7/16/16)

MS-wide biz ops with Japan

Mississippi-wide meetings – in Tupelo, Olive Branch, Jackson, and Long Beach - to discuss growing business opportunities between the state and Japan. Dates: July 25-26. (Source: Mississippi Development Authority 07/16)

UAV anti-collision project

TEL AVIV – An American-Israel technology foundation selected a team from Honeywell and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to develop an anti-collision system aimed at allowing unmanned aerial vehicles to operate in civilian airspace. The joint development project is slated for flight testing on the IAI Heron-1 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) in mid-2018, the firms announced July 11. The Honeywell-IAI Sense-and-Avoid (SAA)-equipped Heron medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS prototype will be tested in Israeli airspace in 2018 after development work is conducted in Tel Aviv and multiple American locations. (Source: Defense News 07/11/16) Central Mississippi Note: The U.S. locations were not announced. Stark Aerospace, a subsidiary of IAI North America, is an aerospace company located in Columbus, Miss., at the GTR Global Industrial Aerospace Park. Stark produces the Hunter MQ-5B Tactical UAS used by the Army in support of operations around the globe.

1st AF North command change

The top leadership of the Continental U.S. Aerospace Defense Region’s 1st Air Force (North) held a change of command July 11 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Outgoing commander, Lt. Gen. William H. Etter relinquished command to Lt. Gen. R. Scott Williams. Williams, an F-16 Viper pilot, comes to Tyndall from duty at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait where he served as Chief of the Office of Military Cooperation. Central Mississippi Note: Williams was a student pilot and T-38 instructor in the mid-1980s at Columbus AFB, Miss. (Source: 1st Air Force 07/11/16)

Major MS airport, port & rail grants

The Mississippi Department of Transportation awarded grants to regional and municipal airports, ports, public transit systems and railroads throughout central and north Mississippi. Grants were approved for the following regional and municipal airports: $201,429 for Corinth-Alcorn County Airport; $151,650 for George M. Bryan Field in Starkville; $272,303 for Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus; $34,670 for Tupelo Regional Airport. Grants for North Mississippi ports: $140,000 for Lowndes County Port in Columbus; $90,050 for Port of Aberdeen; $400,000 for Port of Amory; $490,050 for Port Itawamba in Fulton. Railroad grants: $438,244 for Mississippi Delta Railroad of Clarksdale; $391,545 for Mississippian Railway Inc. of Fulton. (Source: WTVA 07/07/16)

Ex-NASM pilot may rejoin Blues

The Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration team may be bringing back a 2009 opposing solo pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Frank Weisser, to fly that position – and return to its traditional six-jet performances again before the end of the current air show season. Weisser may be joining the Blues next week. He is tentatively scheduled to begin flying sorties with the team following the Seattle, Wash., air show in early August. The Blue Angels are expected to be ready for the return of its six-jet shows by the Sept. 3-5 Cleveland (Ohio) National Airshow. Weisser is tentatively coming back to fill a void of the team following the death of opposing solo pilot Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss, who was killed during a June 2 training flight in Tennessee. Weisser, an Atlanta native, is a 2000 Naval Academy graduate. He went through aviation indoctrination an primary aviation training at NAS Pensacola – home of the Blue Angels. He completed intermediate and advanced flight training at NAS Meridian, Miss., and earned his Wings of Gold in November 2002. Operationally, Weisser deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005 and flew 34 combat missions from aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt. The naval aviation joined the Blues in September 2007. He served as the narrator and VIP Pilot in 2008, and opposing solo and NATOPS officer in 2009. (Source: IN Weekly blog 07/07/16)

Boyles new lead of MNG

JACKSON, Miss. - Maj. Gen. Augustus L. Collins, adjutant general of Mississippi, has announced his retirement from the Mississippi National Guard (MNG), effective Aug. 31. Brig. Gen. Janson D. Boyles will take charge Sept. 1. In 2005, Boyles, a native of Jackson, Miss., served as Executive Officer for the 168th Engineer Group of the MGN during Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. In 2009, he was in Afghanistan with the 168th Engineer Brigade of the MNG. Most recently, he served in Kosovo as Chief of Staff of the KFOR Forces, a NATO Division deployed as part of Operation Joint Guardian. Boyles is a graduate of Mississippi State University where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering. In 2005 he received his Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. (Source: WCBI 07/05/16)

Camgian awarded $7.7M Army pact

Camgian Microsystems Corp. of Starkville, Miss., was awarded a $7,737,765 Army contract for a Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict radar demonstration, integration, and advancement project. Work will be performed in Starkville, with an estimated completion date of April 11, 2018. (Source: DOD 07/05/16)

Forest firm earns $28.2M mod pact

Raytheon Co. of Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $28,291,573 modification to a previously awarded contract for hardware kits in support of the Phalanx Close-In-Weapon-System program. Work will be performed in Forest, Miss. (50 percent); Dallas, Texas (28); El Segundo, Calif. (13), and Andover, Mass. (9). It is expected to be completed by February 2018. The Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (DOD 07/01/16)

Hainsey join aerospace group

COLUMBUS, Miss. – Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant has appointed Mike Hainsey, executive director of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport, to the board of directors for the Aerospace Alliance, a multi-state group designed to establish the region as an aerospace and aviation corridor. The Alliance’s four member – Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana – share the goal of promoting the region’s common assets in the aerospace industry to take advantage of opportunities to grow the sector across the region. Hainsey will join with business and economic development professionals to represent Mississippi. (Source: WTVA 06/30/16)

Greenwood firm earns NC pact

R.C. Construction Co. Inc. of Greenwood, Miss., was awarded a $16,026,182 contract to repair Green Ramp North, Phase II, at Pope AFB, North Carolina. The estimated completion date of the contract is Aug. 21, 2017. Army Corps of Engineers of Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity. The "Green Ramp" is the north-south parking ramp at the west end of Pope AFB's east-west runway used by the Army to stage joint operations with the Air Force. (Source: DOD 06/30/16)

Ex-UA prez is MSU provost

Dr. Judith L. “Judy” Bonner, a longtime senior administrator and former president at the University of Alabama, is the new provost and executive vice president at Mississippi State University. A native of Wilcox County, Alabama, Bonner was selected following a national search. (Source: Clarion-Ledger 06/25/16)

MS exec guilty of exporting to Iran

WASHINGTON – Erdal Kuyumcu, 44, CEO of Global Metallurgy LLC of Burnsville, Miss., has pleaded guilty to exporting specialty metals from the U.S. to Iran. The Justice Department says the CEO admitted to one count of conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The firm was accused by federal investigators of trying to send a metallic powder composed of cobalt and nickel to Iran without obtaining a license from the Treasury Department. Kuyumcu and a co-conspirator arranged for the metallic powder to be shipped to Turkey and on to Iran, the feds charged. He could face up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine at sentencing. (Source: WTVA 06/14/16) The powder can be used to coat gas turbine components, including turbine blades for use in aerospace, missile production and nuclear applications. Exporting the metals without the license is illegal.

AHI med-helos for India

DALLAS - Air Medical Group Holdings, a leading U.S. provider of air medical transport services, has ordered new Airbus Helicopters H130s to launch the first-ever dedicated helicopter emergency medical services operation in India. The H130s are undergoing completion at Airbus Helicopters Inc. They will be equipped with specialized air medical equipment packages. The helicopters will be dedicated solely to medical transport missions. The first H130 is expected to be delivered to Aviators Air Rescue in the second half of 2016. (Source: Market Wired 06/13/16) AHI has a large manufacturing plant at Columbus, Miss.

ATK-Iuka supports ULA launch

Orbital ATK Inc., a global aerospace and defense technologies company, supported the launch of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla, on June 11. The rocket launched a classified satellite, designated NROL-37, for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office in support of a national security mission. Orbital ATK-produced structures and components on the ULA Delta IV heavy launch vehicle contributed to “another successful launch today," said Steve Earl, VP/GM of Orbital ATK's Aerospace Structures Division. Orbital ATK's contributions to the ULA Delta IV heavy rocket include 10 key large composite structures, including three thermal shields that house and protect the engines during flight, three center-body structures that connect the liquid oxygen (LO2) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) tanks, the composite interstage on the center common booster core, the nose cones on the two strap-on boosters and one set of X-panel structures that connect the upper stage LOX tank with the upper stage hydrogen tank. The large-scale composite structures measure around 5.4 yards in diameter and range from one to 15 meters in length. Orbital ATK produced them all using advanced hand layup, machining and inspection techniques at the company's manufacturing facility in Iuka, Miss. (Orbital ATK 06/11/16)

'Missing man' above Kuss funeral

The Blue Angels’ commanding officer, Cmdr. Ryan Bernacchi, will conduct a press briefing in Durango, Colo., at 6 p.m. CDT on Friday, June 10, one day before the unit’s fallen teammate, Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss, is laid to rest in his hometown. Cmdr. Bernacchi will provide a statement on behalf of the Blue Angels at the County Administration Building. Kuss, 32, was killed in an aircraft crash during a team practice in Tennessee on June 2. On Saturday, June 11, a private motorcade of family and friends will start a procession at 12 noon CDT to Greenmount Cemetery. The cemetery will be closed to the public. Four aircraft from Carrier Air Wing 8, assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, and Marine Aircraft Group 31 out of Beaufort, S.C., will conduct a joint "missing man" formation over the cemetery. (Source: Naval Air Forces 06/09/16)

Ex-astronaut charged in deaths

Former NASA astronaut James Halsell Jr. was charged with murder in the June 6 vehicular accident deaths of two female pre-teens east of Tuscaloosa, Ala. Halsell, who lives in Huntsville, was on his way to pick up his son in West Monroe, La. He crashed a rental car into the rear of a second vehicle occupied by the victims, and their father. (Source: NBC New York 06/06/16) Halsell completed Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss., in 1979. He became an astronaut in July 1991. A five flight veteran, Halsell logged more than 1,250 hours in space.

Navy air boss urges squad safety

The first week of June was a difficult one for Naval Aviation culminating with the loss of Blue Angel No. 6 pilot, Marine Capt. Jeff “Kooch” Kuss, in a mishap in Smyrna, Tenn. Capt. Kuss was an incredible Marine, husband and father, and an inspiration to so many; his loss will be felt across the nation. Being a naval aviator is an inherently dangerous profession and our aviators knowingly accept that risk in service to their nation, but it still pains us greatly when we experience the untimely loss of a valued aviator and shipmate. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, fellow Marines and Blue Angel teammates. That loss was the third Class A flight mishap in an eight-day period that began with Strike Fighter Squadron 211’s (VFA-211) mishap on May 26 and Electronic Attack Squadron 133’s (VAQ-133) hard landing May 29. (Also, an Air Force Thunderbird crashed in Colorado. The pilot ejected safely.) At this time, there is no indication that these three incidents have a common thread, nor a direct connection to any readiness or resourcing issues. These three (Navy) mishaps will be thoroughly investigated, and we will learn from them all. Regardless of trends or causal factors, three mishaps in just over a week warrants awareness, attention and leadership focus. … I am relying on my Naval Aviation leadership to engage their air wings and squadrons to emphasize a focus on safety. They’ll do this by encouraging open discussions about the recent mishaps with ready rooms and taking a deeper look at both operational risk management and crew resource management, factoring in how the recent mishaps might relate to each squadron’s current operations. History has demonstrated that trying to explain why we got two-thirds of the way through the fiscal year with only one class A flight mishap is just as difficult as trying to explain or connect the last three mishaps. Naval aviation is an unforgiving business, but I have full trust and confidence in my leadership team’s ability to help arrest these trends. - Navy Blog from Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker is Commander, Naval Air Forces. (Navy Live 06/08/16) The Gulf Coast has a host of Navy training and reserve aviation squadrons from NAS Meridian, Miss, Naval Air Stations Pensacola and Whiting Field, Fla., and NAS-Joint Reserve Base New Orleans. The Blue Angels' home base is at NAS Pensacola.

Airbus builds THOR with 3-D

In Norse mythology, Thor, was the god of thunder. Airbus introduced its mighty, new creation with the same name using addictive manufacturing. The company showcased the world’s first 3-D printed aircraft at the ILA Berlin Air Show 2016. Airbus’ THOR (Test of High-tech Objectives in Reality) weighs about 42.3 pounds and measures less than 13-feet long. “This is a test of what's possible with 3-D printing technology,” says Detlev Konigorski, developer of THOR for Airbus. While THOR turned heads, the European manufacturer still has a way to go before it can introduce its first 3-D printed passenger jet. Additionally, CFM International - a joint venture between GE Aviation-Snecma (Safran) has incorporated 3-D technology within its LEAP engine, which features 19 printed fuel nozzles in its combustion system, lowering its weight overall by 25 percent. (Source: MRO Network 06/07/16) GE Aviation has two aviation systems manufacturing plants in Mississippi – Batesville and Ellisville. Airbus North American has a helicopter production center near Columbus – building Army UH-72A Lakota helicopters.