Lex Anteinternet: Wars and Rumors of War, 2023, Part 2. The United States shoots down a Chinese spy balloon.

Lex Anteinternet: Wars and Rumors of War, 2023, Part 2. The Gatherin...: 

Feb 4, cont.

China v. US.

Perhaps for the first time since World War One, a US aircraft has shot down a balloon.

Lex Anteinternet: Wars and Rumors of War, 2023, Part 2. The Gatherin...

Lex Anteinternet: Wars and Rumors of War, 2023, Part 2. The Gatherin...: 

China

China has been overflying the United States with a spy balloon.   The US pondered shooting it down, but concluded its intelligence gathering abilities are limited, and it would be more dangerous as a falling object.  

Yesterday it was over Montana.

Lex Anteinternet: The 2023 Wyoming Legislative Session. Commercial Pilot Scholarship

Lex Anteinternet: The 2023 Wyoming Legislative Session. End of the f...: HB202 would provide for scholorships for students wanting to be commercial pilots.

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0202

Pilot student loan payments.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Walters, Northrup, Sherwood, Sommers and Western and Senator(s) Gierau and Landen

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to education; providing financial assistance to students obtaining commercial pilot certificates; requiring pilots licensed under this act to fly commercially as specified or repay funds expended by the state; requiring students to satisfy a residency requirement to qualify for the program; allowing the community college commission to forgive student debt where undue hardship exists; requiring reports; providing an appropriation; requiring rulemaking; and providing for effective dates.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.  W.S. 21‑18‑227 is created to read:

21‑18‑227.  Wyoming airline pilot loan repayment program; eligibility criteria; procedures; program reporting.

(a)  The Wyoming airline pilot loan repayment program is created to be administered by the Wyoming community college commission established under W.S. 21‑18‑201. Applicants shall have a Wyoming residence, as defined in W.S. 22‑1‑102(a)(xxx), or shall be graduates of a Wyoming high school and may apply for loans from the program in accordance with this section.

(b)  To qualify for a loan under this section, the applicant shall:

(i)  Be enrolled in good standing in a program at a Wyoming community college for the purpose of receiving an aviation or related degree and a commercial pilot certificate;

(ii)  Intend to obtain an airline transport pilot certification; and

(iii)  Apply for federal financial assistance.

(c)  Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this program, loans under this section may be granted to qualified applicants to pay the cost of attendance for the aviation or related program and the commercial pilot certificate specified under paragraph (b)(i) of this section.

(d)  A loan provided under this section shall not exceed the cost of tuition fees for the approved program and the cost of earning the commercial pilot certificate, reduced by the amount of any Pell or other federal grant and any employer based financial assistance received by the applicant.

(e)  A recipient of a loan under this section may repay the loan without cash payment by earning an airline transport pilot certification and actively engaging in commercial aviation as an airline transport pilot employed by an airline that regularly flies into airports within Wyoming for three (3) years.

(f)  Any recipient of a loan under this section who fails to:

(i)  Complete the academic program for which the loan was provided shall commence cash repayment of the loan no later than forty‑five (45) days after the recipient leaves the academic program;

(ii)  Obtain employment in the targeted occupation specified in subsection (e) of this section within two hundred forty (240) days after successfully obtaining the airline transport pilot certification, shall commence cash repayment of the loan within two hundred eighty‑five (285) days after successfully obtaining the airline transport pilot certification;

(iii)  Obtain the airline transport pilot certification within two and one‑half (2 1/2) years after completion of the aviation or related program and commercial pilot certificate shall commence cash repayment of the loan.

(g)  Loan repayment options under this section may be deferred for a period not to exceed five (5) years while a loan recipient is serving on full‑time active duty with any branch of the military services of the United States.

(h)  The Wyoming community college commission shall have the powers and duties specified under W.S. 21‑18‑202(c) to implement this section and shall establish terms and conditions of loans issued under this section, including:

(i)  Interest rates and loan terms;

(ii)  The form and process for loan application, review and award;

(iii)  Criteria under which students may be relieved from having to repay loans and interest thereon, in whole or in part, where the requirement to repay would cause undue hardship;

(iv)  Criteria for determining the cost of attendance as used in establishing the loan amount for aviation or related programs and commercial pilot certificates based upon each semester or summer school session of full or part‑time program attendance.

(j)  Funding of the loan program established under this section shall be by appropriation of the legislature. The community college commission shall transfer approved loan amounts to the appropriate Wyoming community college.

(k)  Cash repayment of loans and interest thereon shall be credited to the general fund.

(m)  The community college commission shall annually review the loan program established under this section and report to the governor and the legislature in accordance with W.S. 9‑2‑1014 regarding program results, funds received and loans issued during the preceding academic year, together with the status of all outstanding loan commitments and repayments under the program. 

(n)  Any person who receives a loan under this section shall continue to receive funding for the program as the person remains eligible as required by this section.

(o)  Repayment of loans provided under this section shall continue as specified by this section until all loan obligations have been satisfied.

Section 2.  There is appropriated one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000.00) from the general fund to the Wyoming community college commission for purposes of providing loans for students seeking aviation related degrees and commercial pilot certificates under W.S. 21‑18‑227 as created by section 1 of this act for the period beginning July 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2026. This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation on June 30, 2026 shall revert as provided by law. It is the intent of the legislature that an appropriation to fund the student loans authorized by this act be included in the community college commission's standard budget request for the 2027‑2028 fiscal biennium.

Section 3.  The community college commission shall promulgate all rules necessary to implement this act.

Section 4.  

(a)  Except as otherwise provided by subsection (b) of this section, this act is effective July 1, 2023.

(b)  Sections 3 and 4 of this act are effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.

Sunday, January 21, 1943 (and 1973). Lost flights

Lex Anteinternet: Sunday, January 21, 1943 (and 1973). Lost flights: 

Sunday, January 21, 1943 (and 1973). Lost flights

Today in World War II History—January 21, 1943: 80 Years Ago—Jan. 21, 1943: Stalingrad airlift ends when Soviets take Gumrak Airfield, the last Luftwaffe field in the city.

On Sarah Sundin's blog.

Obviously, by this point, the German 6th Army, or what was left of it, was doomed.   

FWIW, other sources report this as occurring on January 22.

Pan Am Flight 1104 crashed into a hillside in Mendocino County, California, due to bad weather and low visibility, killing all on board, including Rear Admiral Robert H. English, the commander of the the US submarine fleet in the Pacific.  The clipper had been en route from Hawaii.

The Civil Aeronautics Board determined:

Failure of the captain to determine his position accurately before descending to a dangerously low altitude under extremely poor weather conditions during the hours of darkness.

It took ten days to find the wreckage.

On this day in 1973, Aeroflot Flight 6263, crashed at Perm, killing four in the impact. Thirty-five survivors would freeze to death awaiting rescue.

Areoflot ranks number 1 in airline fatalities, with the rankings as of mid summer 2023 being as follows:

Areoflot - 11,270 fatalities

Air France - 1,756 fatalities

Pan Am - 1,652

American Airlines - 1,453 fatalities

United Airlines - 1,217 fatalities

Avianca - 992 fatalitie

Denver International Airport. Clearing the snow.

 

Lex Anteinternet: Best recruiting poster ever

Lex Anteinternet: Best recruiting poster ever:  

Best recruiting poster ever

 

Lex Anteinternet: Friday, January 5, 1973. Airport Screening makes its US debut.

Lex Anteinternet: Friday, January 5, 1973. Airport Screening makes ...: 

Friday, January 5, 1973. Airport Screening makes its US debut.

Mandatory screening of airline passengers went into effect in the United States.

Salt Lake City Airport.

Lex Anteinternet: The 2023 Wyoming Legislative Session. The Waking Up Edition (Vol 1).

Lex Anteinternet: The 2023 Wyoming Legislative Session. The Waking ...: 

This thread on our companion blog deals with legislation in the 2023 Wyoming Legislative Session.  I noted one that pertains to a type of aircraft, drones, here:

The second takes on drones over property.

SENATE FILE NO. SF0034

 

 

Trespass by small unmanned aircraft.

 

Sponsored by: Joint Judiciary Interim Committee

 

 

A BILL

 

for

 

AN ACT relating to crimes and offenses; creating the crime of trespass by small unmanned aircraft; providing a penalty; providing definitions; and providing for an effective date.

 

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

 

Section 1.  W.S. 6‑3‑308 is created to read:

 

6‑3‑308.  Trespass by small unmanned aircraft.

 

(a)  A person is guilty of trespass by small unmanned aircraft if the person causes a small unmanned aircraft to enter into the immediate reaches of the airspace over the private property of a landowner and the entry substantially interferes with the landowner's or his authorized occupant's use and enjoyment of the land. For purposes of this section "aircraft", "unmanned aircraft" and "small unmanned aircraft" means as defined in 14 C.F.R. 1.1 as of September 13, 2022.

 

(b)  Any person convicted of violating subsection (a) of this section shall be punished by a fine not to exceed seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), by imprisonment not to exceed six (6) months, or both.

 

Section 2.  This act is effective July 1, 2023.

 

(END)

No flying those drones to the annoyance of others, in other words.

I didn't cover them all, however, there are a couple of others.  Here's one:

2023

STATE OF WYOMING

23LSO-0110

 

 

 

SENATE FILE NO. SF0032

 

 

Prohibiting drones over penal institutions.

 

Sponsored by: Joint Judiciary Interim Committee

 

 

A BILL

 

for

 

AN ACT relating to crimes and offenses; prohibiting the use of unmanned aircraft systems as specified; authorizing the department of corrections to take reasonable actions against unmanned aircraft systems trespassing over or in penal institutions; providing definitions; providing penalties; providing exceptions; requiring rulemaking; and providing for effective dates.

 

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

 

Section 1.  W.S. 6‑5‑214 is created to read:  

 

6‑5‑214.  Unmanned aircraft systems and correctional institutions; definitions; penalties.

 

(a)  As used in this section:

 

(i)  "Contraband" means as defined in W.S. 6‑5‑213(c)(i);

 

(ii)  "Penal institution or correctional facility" means as defined in W.S. 6‑5‑213(c)(ii);

 

(iii)  "Unmanned aircraft system":

 

(A)  Means an unmanned, powered aircraft that:

 

(I)  Does not carry a human operator;

 

(II)  Can be autonomous or remotely piloted or operated; and

 

(III)  Can be expendable or recoverable.

 

(B)  Does not include:

 

(I)  A satellite orbiting the earth;

 

(II)  An unmanned aircraft system used by the United States Government or a person who is acting pursuant to a contract with the United States Government;

 

(III)  An unmanned aircraft system used by the state for purposes of state business;

 

(IV)  An unmanned aircraft system used by a law enforcement agency, emergency medical service agency, hazardous materials response team, disaster management agency, or other emergency management agency for the purpose of incident command, area reconnaissance, personnel and equipment deployment monitoring, training, or a related purpose.

 

(b)  Except as authorized by a person in charge of the penal institution or correctional facility, no person shall intentionally:

 

(i)  Photograph, surveil, broadcast or otherwise record a penal institution or correctional facility through the use of an unmanned aircraft system;

 

(ii)  Convey or attempt to convey contraband to a person confined in a penal institution or correctional facility through the use of an unmanned aircraft system; or

 

(iii)  Deliver or attempt to deliver a deadly weapon into a penal institution or correctional facility through the use of an unmanned aircraft system.

 

(c)  Any person who violates paragraphs (b)(i) or (ii) of this section is guilty of misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than one (1) year, a fine of not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000.00), or both. Any person who violates paragraph (b)(iii) of this section is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than ten (10) years, a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00), or both.

 

(d)  A person who uses an unmanned aircraft system under one (1) or more of the exclusions specified in subdivisions (a)(iii)(B)(II) through (IV) of this section shall provide reasonable notice of the intended use of the unmanned aircraft system at the penal institution or correctional facility to the person in charge of the institution or facility.

 

(e)  The person in charge of a penal institution or correctional facility may take or authorize the use of reasonable actions to prevent or stop the use of unmanned aircraft systems operating in violation of this section consistent with rules and regulations promulgated by the department of corrections pursuant to W.S. 25‑1‑105(h).

 

Section 2.  W.S. 25‑1‑105 by creating a new subsection (h) is amended to read:

 

25‑1‑105.  Powers of department; care of persons committed outside of state.

 

(h)  The department of corrections shall promulgate rules specifying reasonable actions a person in charge of a penal institution or correctional facility may take to stop or prevent a violation of W.S. 6‑5‑214(b).

 

Section 3.  The department of corrections shall promulgate any rules necessary to implement this act.

 

Section 4.  

 

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, this act is effective July 1, 2023.

 

(b)  Sections 3 and 4 of this act are effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.

 

(END)

And here's one that pertains to manned aircraft.

SENATE FILE NO. SF0033

 

 

Defining aircraft for purposes of hunting prohibitions.

 

Sponsored by: Joint Judiciary Interim Committee

 

 

A BILL

 

for

 

AN ACT relating to game and fish; providing a definition of "aircraft" for purposes of the prohibition on the use of aircraft for hunting and other purposes as specified; and providing for an effective date.

 

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

 

Section 1.  W.S. 23‑3‑306(a) is amended to read:

 

23‑3‑306.  Use of aircraft, automobiles, motorized and snow vehicles and artificial light for hunting or fishing prohibited; exceptions; penalties.

 

(a)  No person shall harass, pursue, hunt, shoot, or kill any Wyoming wildlife except predatory animals with, from, or by use of any aircraft, automotive vehicle, trailer, motor‑propelled wheeled vehicle, or vehicle designed for travel over snow. No person shall use any aircraft, to aid in the taking of any Wyoming wildlife, except predatory animals, whether by spotting or locating the wildlife, communicating with any person attempting to take the wildlife, or by providing other aid to any person taking the wildlife. Nothing in this subsection shall apply to the use of any aircraft by governmental agencies, their employees, contractors or designees performing any lawful duties. The commission may exempt handicapped hunters from any provision of this subsection. For purposes of this section "aircraft" means any machine or device capable of atmospheric flight including but not limited to an airplane, helicopter, glider, dirigible or unmanned aerial vehicle.

 

Section 2.  This act is effective July 1, 2023.

 

(END)

Dirigible?

Tragedy. P63 hits B-17 at Dallas Airshow. (Graphic)

I'm sorry, it's hard to see how this could happen.

First Jump. October 20, 1922

Lt. Harold R. Harris bailed out of a Leoning PW-2A over Dayton, Ohio, being the first U.S. military pilot to make an emergency parachute exist from an aircraft.  The aircraft crashed at 403 Valley Street without injuring anyone.

Harris.  He wasn't the first man saved by parachute, contrary to what this caption states.  Balloon crews had used them during World War One and passengers in disabled aircraft had used them before this day in 1922 as well.  He was the first aircraft pilot to use one.

Harris was a test pilot, and unlike many in that field, he lived a long life, serving in the military twice as well as having a role in commercial aviation.  He died at age 92 in 1988.

The crash site.

Indeed Crimean pilot Pavel Argeyev, who had served in the French and Imperial Russian militaries, died this day in an aircraft accident in Czechoslovakia, which he was flying as a test pilot.

This Day in Aviation: Lieutenant Commander Virgil Childers (“Squash”) Griffin, Jr., United States Navy, made the first takeoff from an aircraft carrier of the U. S. Navy.

This Day in Aviation: Lieutenant Commander Virgil Childers (“Squash”) Griffin, Jr., United States Navy, made the first takeoff from an aircraft carrier of the U. S. Navy.

Vought VE-7 approaching the USS Langley in October 1922.  This is the same ship, with the same sort of aircraft, involved in the item noted above.