Ground Stop Lifted after NYC Air Traffic Halt

JFK, LGA and EWR Are Experiencing Delays of 30 Minutes to 1 Hour after Smoke and Odors Occur at TRACON Center

CBS News, NEWYORK, Oct. 13, 2010

(CBS) CBS News has received reports that normal operations have resumed after a halt of all departures and arrivals at New York airports.

The FAA website reported earlier that all three New York airports have halted takoffs and landings due to fumes, smoke and odors at the regional air traffic control center.

New York TRACON controls the airspace above John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and La Guardia Airport.

Reported departure delays are about one hour, while arrivals are delayed about 30 to 45minutes.

"Local fire department is on scene," says Jim Peters of the FAA. "A few controllers stayed behind to handle flights remaining in the air. However, with limited staff most flights will be held at the gate or put into holding pattern."

Peters expects possible major delays in the region as soon as the situation is resolved.

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PT Angkasa Pura to expand five airports

Antara News, Friday, October 15, 2010 20:48 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - PT Angkasa Pura I plans to expand five airports in the country in the next two or three years with an investment reaching Rp4 trillion, its president director, Tomy Sutomo said here on Friday.

"The airports to be expanded are Ngurah Rai in Denpasar, Bali, Sepinggan in Balikpapan, Adi Sutjipto in Yogyakarta, Juanda in Surabaya and Ahmad Yani in Semarang," he said after signing a collective labor agreement for 2010-2012 between the company`s board of directors and employee association and union.

He said the expansion was needed to increase service in the airports. In general, he said, the airports are already overcapacity making their service to decline.

Citing an example he referred to the case of Ngurah Rai airport in Bali which was initially designed for accomodating 1.5 million passengers a year but was now accomodating more than 9.5 million passengers a year consisting of 4.5 domestic and five foreign passengers.

He said the first to be expanded would be Ngurah Rai early next year.

The enterprises ministry as the shareholder and the ministry of transportation have already given the permits, he said.

He said the documents for bidding some works had already been prepared and hopefully the project would all be completed in 2013.

He said for Ngurah Rai around Rp2 trillion would be needed, Rp1.25 trillion of it from loans and the rest from the company`s internal cash.

He said the company would cooperate with the Bali provincial government to help clear 129,000 square meters of land needed for the project.

The company expected its income this year to reach Rp2.361 trillion with a net profit of around Rp500 billion.

Until the third quarter this year, the state-owned airport operator company for the eastern region already earned Rp1.79 trillion.

VP receives two Chinese astronauts

Antara News, Friday, October 15, 2010 16:22 WIB | Science & Tech

Jakarta(ANTARA News) - Vice President Boediono at his office here on Friday receivedtwo Chinese astronauts, Zhai Zigang and Ni Haisheng.

Thevisit of the two Chinese astronauts to the vice president is expected tostrengthen relations between the two countries in science and technology.

At themeeting with Vice Presdient Boediono, Zhai Zigang and Ni Haisheng wereaccompanied by Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Zhang Qiyue.

"Weare proud that our astronauts can come to Indonesia, while in China it is verydifficult to meet them," Zhang Qiyue said.

TheChinese envoy admitted that outer space cooperation between Indonesia and Chinahas lasted for a long time.

Zhangpointed out that an Indonesian satellite was recently launched with a rocketcarrier from China.

Inaddition, he said there was also personnel exchange in technology transfer.

"Thisvisit will show that we want to cooperate further with Indonesia in outer spacearea," the Chinese envoy said.

Speakingto reporters at the vice presidential office, the two Chinese astronautsrevealed their experiences while they were in outer space.

NiHaisheng said Indonesian archipelago was seen as a beautiful cluster of pearlsfrom outer space.

"Indonesiais made up of thousands of islands scattering along Equatorial line and fromouter space it is seen as a cluster of beautiful, sparkling pearls,"Haisheng said.

MeanwhileZhai Zigang said his presence in the outer space was a mysterious experience.

"Inouter space we are floating because there is zero gravitation force. We arelike swimming fish. It is black there but transparent. The stars are seenbrighter and more beautiful than being seen on earth," he said.

Analysts believe Bolden may hold talks on possible co-operation
in space with China during his six-day visit [AP]

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Homeless Person’s Candle Sparks Devastating Train Fire

Jakarta Globe, October11, 2010

Jakarta.Twenty economy-class train carriages parked at Rangkasbitung Station in Lebak,Banten, were burned early on Monday morning.

The fire at Rangkasbitung Station on the outskirts
of Jakarta destroyed 20 train carriages and
disrupted train schedules.(Photo courtesy of
Metro TV)

Thecarriages were part of the Rangkasbitung-Tanah Abang commuter train that servesone the busiest routes into Jakarta.

Priatnajaya,head of the Lebak Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), said a candle that was beingused by a person sleeping on the train was believed to have sparked the blaze.

“Thefire spread rapidly to other carriages,” Priatnajaya said, adding that the fireoccurred at 1:45 a.m.

“Fourfire trucks were deployed to stop the fire. The firefighters worked for threehours before they finally managed to put it out,” he said.

Theincident disrupted the train schedule. Every day, one train would leave everyhour from Rangkasbitung to Tanah Abang station in Central Jakarta. The earliesttrain departs at 4 am.

However,due to the incident around 500 passengers who usually board the 5:20 a.m. trainhad to wait for a relief train from Manggarai Station in Jakarta.

The headof Rangkasbitung Station was not available for comment.

Antara

FAA cites fire risk in bulk lithium battery shipments

BBC News, 8 October 2010

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The US airline regulator has warned carriers shipments of lithium batteries may ignite if exposed to high heat in flight, risking a "catastrophic event".

Bulk lithium battery shipments are already
banned from passenger aircraft

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the batteries, widely used in consumer products, could ignite in a fire, overwhelming suppression systems.

The FAA said a US cargo flight that crashed last month near Dubai carried a shipment of lithium batteries.

The warning did not apply to batteries carried by passengers, the FAA said.

"Common metal shipping containers, pails and drums, are not designed to withstand alithium metal cell fire," the agency warned in a statement, adding no containers have been tested or approved to mitigate the risk.

Bulk shipments of the batteries are already banned from passenger aircraft, the agency said.

The agency said a United Parcel Service flight that crashed near Dubai last month was carrying large quantities of lithium batteries.

"Investigation of the crash is still underway, and the cause of the crash has not been determined," the agency said. "We... believe it prudent to advise operators of that fact."

Dozens of incidents have been recorded in which lithium batteries ignited in flight, but it remains unknown what caused the fires.

The Day Before Disclosure (Free online HQ video)

FREE SCREENING in HQ of the award winning UFO-documentary "The Day Before Disclosure"!

We have decided to put the film up for free, because we want the world to see whats going on.

It can be screened at: www.thedaybeforedisclosure.com

We welcome everyone who wants to be a part of the disclosure movement, or who just is curious.

You will also find DVD versions and an archive of full lenght interviews on the website.

And, please help us spread the word and send a link to those you think should see the film.

Best regards,

Terje Toftenes

Producer/Director

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UFO closes Chinese airport

An airport in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, was forced to shut to prevent passenger jetscrashing into a UFO, according to reports.

Telegraph.co.uk, By Our Foreign Staff, 5 Oct 2010

Three flights to Baotou from Shanghai and Beijing were reportedly forced to circlethe airport until the UFO disappeared.

Photo:GETTY IMAGES

Two other flights were diverted away from Baotou and to the nearby cities of Ordosand Taiyuan. The airport was shut for around an hour "to guaranteesafety" according to a spokesman.

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Witnesses reported a bright light shining in the sky on September 11 around two-and-a-half miles away from Baotou airport, before suddenly vanishing.

The incident was the eighth reported UFO sighting in China since the end of June.

Xiaoshan International airport near the eastern city of Hangzhou was shut down on July 8 because of a UFO, although officials later confirmed the object sighted abovethe airport had been part of a military test at a nearby airbase.

In the far-western province of Xinjiang, another sighting on June 30 is thought to have been a missile test.

A number of sightings in Sichuan province may also be linked to the local custom offlying illuminated kites at night.

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Indonesia train crash kills dozens

BBC News, October 2010 Last updated at 02:47 GMT

One train had been stationary at Petarukan station

A traincrash near the Indonesian city of Pemalang in Central Java province has killedat least 35 people, officials say.

Dozensmore were hurt and many bodies were trapped in the carriages, though almost allhave now been retrieved.

Thecrash happened before dawn, when a train from the capital Jakarta hit astationary train at Petarukan station.

Officialssaid the most likely reason for the accident was a signalling error.

TheBBC's Karishma Vaswani in Jakarta says train accidents are common in Indonesia,with officials often citing human error, badly maintained trains and a lack ofinvestment in rail infrastructure as the causes.

Highspeed

Thetrain from the capital was heading to Surabaya when it crashed into the back ofanother train bound for Semarang that was stationary at a platform at about0300 on Saturday (2000GMT Friday).

Thetrain from Jakarta was travelling at high speed, officials said.

Most ofthe dead and injured were in three carriages which were derailed andoverturned.

At least40 people are reported injured, many with broken bones or burns. All have nowbeen taken from the scene and are being treated in hospital.

Onewitness living close to the station told Agence France-Presse news agency:"Suddenly I heard a loud crashing and the sound of many people crying. Isaw many passengers had been thrown outside the carriages."

Onepassenger on the stationary train told AFP: "It was really scary. I wentoutside and realised that the rear carriages had been smashed."

Nationalpolice spokesman Iskandar Hasan said: "The suspected cause of the accidentwas a mistake in the traffic management system."

Transportministry spokesman Bambang Ervan added: "It may have been mechanical.We're checking to see if the signals of the parked train were workingproperly."

Therewere also reports of a second train crash in the town of Solo, which left oneperson dead.

Mr Ervansaid that information was still being collected on casualties there.

Six diedin a train crash in East Java in June.

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Special team assigned to probe plane crash in Bandung

Antara News, Friday, September 24, 2010 15:19 WIB

Bandung,West Java (ANTARA News) - The National Committee for Transportation Safety(KNKT) has assigned a team to investigate the plane crash that happened duringthe Bandung Airshow (BAS) at Husein Sastranegara airport on Friday.

Fortunately,the happening did not disrupt the airport`s flight schedules or the program ofBAS ITSELS, the commander of the Husein Sastranegara air base, Col Asep Dadang,said.

"Thesituation in the airport has turned to normal," Asep said here on Friday.

A Cessnaaircraft crashed while flying low over the Bandung Air Show 2010 arena hereFriday at around 10.15 am local time.

Dark andthick smoke billowed from the ill-fated plane as it hit the ground at theairport where the show is being held.

The fateof the pilot was still unknown. Evacuation cars were still on standby near thescene of the accident.

Light aircraft crash-lands during training

The Jakarta Post | Mon, 09/20/2010 10:18 AM

JAKARTA: An unpowered glider used to train aviation students crash-landed Sunday at a golf course in Pondok Cabe in Pamulang in South Tangerang.

“The aircraft went down from an altitude of between 500 meters and 750 meters,” Pondok Cabe Airfield chief Swarop Widodo was quoted as saying by news portal tempo-interaktif.com.

Aviation instructor Rudi Ardi sustained minor injuries while his student, Ivan Ardiananda Garuda, broke a leg during the incident.

“They were taken to Fatmawati Hospital for treatment,” Swarop said.

He added that the aircraft was owned by the Indonesian Aerosports Federation (FASI).

Police are investigating the incident.

“We have deployed a team to the scene to investigate the cause of the accident,” Pamulang Police chief Comr. Agus Widartono said.

Witnesses said the glider appeared to lose control and crashed into a large tree. — JP

Makassar’s Sultan Hasanuddin Airport ‘Embarrassed’ by Flooding Incident

Jakarta Globe, Rahmat & Putri Prameshwari | September 19, 2010

Makassar. Indonesia’s already much-derided airport network received another blow over theweekend as the international airport in Makassar found itself underwater .

Departuredrop off - Sultan Hasanuddin International
Airport

Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport, the main gateway to the eastern half of the country and one of five airports being prepared for inclusion in the Asean Open Skies scheme, was flooded in up to half a meter of water until Saturday following heavy rains on Friday.

Airport operator Angkasa Pura I, which manages airports in Indonesia’s east, said a 2.5 kilometer storm drain that was supposed to carry rainwater away overflowed after particularly heavy rain.

The result was ankle-deep flooding in three of the airport’s waiting rooms, as well as in the international departure lounge.

The airport’s apron was also flooded in up to 30 centimeters of water, while the airport’s basement bore the brunt of the inundation with 50 centimeters of water.

Purwanto,the general manager for Angkasa Pura I’s Makassar office, said the storm drain could not cope with the heavy rain. “The airport wasn’t designed to take a huge amount of water,” he said. “We have four water pumps, but we couldn’t use anyof them because the water volume was too high.”

Officials declined to state how many flights were affected.

The flooding also forced airport authorities to turn off the electricity to several sections of the terminal building, adding to passengers’ inconvenience.

Hakamuddin Jamal, an Angkasa Pura I commissioner present at the airport at the time, acknowledged that the incident “embarrassed” them.

“This isone of Indonesia’s biggest and most luxurious airports,” he said.

The airport said it would be adding more storm drains next month as well as repairing the roof and the network of drains running beneath the terminal in abid to prevent more flooding.

The flooding happened a day after the country’s main gateway, the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, suffered a second blackout in as many months.

However,Tri Sunoko, director of Angkasa Pura II, which manages airports in the western part of Indonesia, said that Friday’s two-minute blackout did not disrupt flights or passenger services .

“Reports that up to 112 flights were delayed are not true,” Angkasa Pura II corporate secretary Harry Cahyono said.

Nearly 300 U.S. pilots have attempted suicide - Ufos?

Disclose.tv, Fri Sep 17, 2010 8:35 am

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Is it possible that pilots see other craft and are suffering because of the pressure not to talk?

Granted they may see secret military projects but what about UFOs?

Is there a connection?

UFO Images From Recent Airliner Flights

At least 292 American pilots have attempted suicide in the past three years.

Another fifteen U.S. pilots have been diagnosed with, or been treated for, schizophrenia.

The shock figures have been revealed by the Boston Herald, quoting figures from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The news follows a serious incident at Boston's Logan International Airport in May when a distraught JetBlue pilot threatened to “harm himself in spectacular fashion” an hour before takeoff.

The Herald's Jessica Heslam's review of FAA medical records for 2008, 2009 and 2010, found that 2,700 pilots have been treated for alcohol abuse, and that nearly half of these have been diagnosed as alcoholics.

A similar number, 1,377 pilots, were found to be abusing drugs, while another ninety four were diagnosed as being drug-dependent.

23 pilots have been treated or diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, while another eighty have suffered major affective disorders, including bipolar disorder, and another two have been diagnosed with paranoia.

The Boston Herald article said the FAA was unable to confirm what number, if any, of the affected pilots had been grounded.

More than half-a-million pilots are certified medically fit to fly in the United States. “The FAA is committed to making sure our nation’s commercial and general aviation pilots are medically fit to fly,” FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown was quoted by the Boston Herald as saying. “We have rigorous medical standards and will not issue medical certificates if the pilot has a condition that would create an unsafe situation for the pilot or passengers.”

Pilots are required to undergo medical evaluations every year. Once they turn forty they are subjected to bi-annual tests.

If a pilot is determined to be an alocholic, he or she is disqualified from flying, and must go through an “extensive” medical re-certification process and post-rehabilitation follow-up program before they are recertified to fly, according to the FAA.

Source: http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=685233

Secondary Source: http://www.beamsinvestigations.org.uk/hilary-porter.html

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Another UFO shuts down another airport, this time in Mongolia

The voice of Tucson, by Cherlyn Gardner Strong on Sep. 13, 2010, under UFOs

Saturdaynight saw the shutdown of another airport, due to another UFO.

Reports from People’s Daily Online and Shanghai Daily confirm these reports from the news outlet Dbw.cn. The airport in Baotou in Inner Mongolia was forced to delay the landing of three planes originating from Shanghai and Beijing. The airport was shutdown for nearly an hour, due to the appearance of an unidentified flying object.

According to reports, the object was seen hovering about four kilometers east of the Baotou airport at around 8:00 pm, with the three planes delayed for safety reasons.

China’s Xiaoshan Airport was also shutdown for about an hour earlier this year, on July7th, due to a UFO.

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Empty street

The Jakarta Post, Antara | Fri, 09/10/2010 11:32 AM 

Few vehicles are seen passing Jl. Jenderal Sudirman, a main thoroughfare Central Jakarta which is usually congested, during the Idul Fitri holiday on Friday. Millions of Jakarta residents had left the city to go to their hometowns to celebrate the holiday. Antara/Yudhi Mahatma

Two Lion Air planes have engine trouble

Antara News,Tuesday, September 7, 2010 04:42 WIB

Banjarmasin,S Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - Two Lion Air planes on a flight on theBanjarmasin-Surabaya route have been interrupted on their scheduled flights fortwo days in a row at Syamsudin Noor Airport in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.

Hundredsof passengers were stranded a few hours due to engine failure, said theinformation from reliable sources, Monday.

Irlan,the South Kalimantan Branch Manager of Lion Air, in Banjarmasin said that oneof the aircraft were being repaired.

"Asa result of the engine problem, about 165 passengers had been stranded onSunday, but they were later transferred to another plane," he said.

200 China pilots 'falsified resumes'

The Sydney Morning Herald, AFP, September 6, 2010

China said on Monday it is investigating the qualifications of the nation's
commercial pilots after revelations that more than 200 of them had falsified their resumes.

The probe comes after 42 people died on August 24 when a Brazilian-made regional jet flown by Henan Airlines crashed at a small airport in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province.

At least half of the pilots in question worked for
Shenzhen Airlines

Fifty-four passengers and crew survived the crash, in which the plane missed the runway, sparking speculation that pilot error was to blame.

The investigation was launched by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the country's aviation regulator, the central government's news website said.

The resumes of more than 200 Chinese commercial pilots were found to have been falsified, the report said, with some of them embellishing their flight histories.

At least half of the pilots in question worked for Shenzhen Airlines, which owns Henan Airlines, the government report said.

Investigators were looking into the possibility of pilot error in the Henan Airlines crash, it added.

The crash was China's first major air disaster in nearly six years.

Authorities have already ordered safety checks of the country's fast-growing civil aviation fleet of 1300 planes in the wake of the disaster.

Last week, the aviation administration said it was looking for crash clues related to the plane's manufacturer, operator, crew, maintenance record, and with air traffic management and the airport authorities.

Authorities in central Henan province have also ordered the airline to change its name to prevent the crash from tarnishing the province's image. The company had previously been known as Kunpeng Airlines.

The accident occurred after the plane missed the runway and crashed into a field next to the airport, cracking the cabin and triggering an explosion and subsequent fire, state media reported earlier, citing an initial probe.

Two killed as light planes collide on Isle of Wight

BBC News, 4 September 2010

Two people have died after a collision between two light aircraft over the Isle of Wight.

The crash was witnessed by people in the Havenstreet area, between Newport and Ryde, just after 1700 BST.

One aircraft, carrying two people, came down in remote woodlands in the Haven street area and both occupants were killed.

The other aircraft was damaged, but landed safely at Bembridge Airfield. One person was taken to hospital.

Hampshire Police are at the scene of the fatal crash.

They said they were working to identify the victims of the crash.

Officers are due to stay at the scene overnight.

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2 lawmakers among 6 dead in Mexico plane crash

MSNBC, 9/3/2010 9:52:08 PM ET 

OAXACA, Mexico — A plane crash in southern Mexico killed all six people on board Friday, including two federal legislators and two mayors-elect.

Oaxaca state Public Safety Secretary Javier Rueda said the aircraft went down as it neared the airport in the Pacific coast beach town of Huatulco.

Reps. Guillermo Zavaleta and Juan Huerta were killed along with the mayors-elect of Huatulco and Juquila, another town in Oaxaca state, Rueda said.

Zavaleta and Huerta both belonged to the National Action Party of President Felipe Calderon, who issued a statement sending his condolences to the families.

The pilot and a local coffee grower were the other two people killed.

The plane took off from Mexico City on Friday morning. The cause of the crash was unknown, but authorities said inclement weather and possible pilot error were being investigated.

President: Relocating the capital city an option

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 09/03/2010 8:21 PM

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono offered on Friday to relocate the capital from Jakarta as one of options to overcome problems facing the metropolitan city, particularly traffic congestion.

"Build a completely new capital, which will serve as the real capital, the real government center," the president was quoted by Antara during a breaking of the fast gathering with members of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) at the Jakarta Convention Center.

He said Indonesia could learn from Australia and Turkey, which relocated the capital and government center altogether to solve various problems.

Another option is maintaining Jakarta as the capital but moving the center of government to a new place as Malaysia did, the president said.

He said it would take around 10 years to realize any of the options.

The president called for a thorough discussion to decide which option would be chosen, saying it would cost the country a lot. Malaysia, for example, spent Rp 80 trillion to relocate the government center from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya.

"I will listen to inputs from many parties," he said.

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