August 3

2011 -- U.S. Rep. John L. Mica (R-FL), the Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, released the following statement today on the Senate’s failure to approve a House-passed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) extension and allow the continued partial shutdown of FAA programs:

“Senate Democrats have no one to blame but themselves for this partial shutdown of FAA programs and airport projects,” Mica said.

“Senate Democrats had a House-passed FAA extension before them for two weeks but chose to do nothing,” Mica continued. “Instead of passing this simple bill, Senate Democrats chose to protect outrageous ticket subsidies, as much as $3,720 per ticket in Ely, Nevada, on the backs of 4,000 furloughed FAA employees and thousands more out-of-work airport construction workers.

“The House sent the 21st FAA extension to the Senate on July 20th, two weeks ago. Instead of passing this bill, which includes modest reforms to reduce exorbitant airline ticket subsidies and language the Senate already approved in February, the Senate chose to play politics and protect their pork,” Mica added.

“There are no labor provisions in the House-passed extension. House Republicans don’t vote in the Senate. Airlines don’t vote in the Senate. There are a number of unresolved issues in negotiations with the Senate, including the NMB labor provision. We have been willing to compromise, willing to negotiate, find common ground. But powerful Senate Democrats have chosen to protect an airline ticket subsidy program on the backs of thousands of FAA employees and airport construction workers. Now they plan to engage in a personal and political media bludgeoning of folks who disagree with them. I remain ready to negotiate in good faith and get those people back to work,” Mica concluded.

2010 -- An Antonov 24 passenger plane crashed while on final approach to Igarka Airport, Russia.

Flight KTK-57 had originated at Krasnoyarsk-Cheremshanka Airport for the three hour and ten minutes flight to Igarka, Russia. Eleven occupants were killed in the accident.

2010 -- "Niqab security outrages at Canadian airports," Daniel Pipes Blog.

2010 -- A jury in Brooklyn found two men who attempted to blow up fuel tanks in 2007 at John F. Kennedy International Airport guilty.

Abdul Kadir, 58-years-old, and Russell Defreitas, 66-years-old, were both convicted on conspiracy charges. Prosecutors claimed that the two men were attempting to kill thousands of people by blowing up fuel tanks in an attempt to rival or even outdo the 9/11 attacks.

Their defense attorneys said that the two men were just talking nonsense and had no capacity to carry out an attack of that magnitude.

1994 -- A B-52 launched a research satellite using a Pegasus rocket.

1994 -- King Hussein of Jordan, a licensed pilot, flies his Lockheed L-1011 over Jerusalem, marking the first Jordanian overflight of Israeli airspace.

1984 -- Terrorists set off a bomb at Madras Airport (MAA), killing 32 people.

1982 -- The YA-10B flew its first test flight at Edwards AFB, California in the night attack evaluations program.

1981 -- German WW I Ace Vizefeldwebel Fritz John Jacobsen died at Nürnberg, German.

1981 -- U.S. Air Force air traffic controllers manned civilian airport facilities in the U.S. to replace striking air controllers.

The U.S. Air Force's assistance allowed civilian air operations to continue service despite the widespread strike.

1977 -- Cadet First Class Edward A. Rice Jr. of Yellow Springs, Ohio, becomes the first African-American commander of the Cadet Wing at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

1975 -- The worst accident ever involving a Boeing 707 occurs in Morocco as a chartered Alia Royal Jordanian flight crashes on approach to Agadir-Inezgane Airport (AGA), killing all 188 on board.

The plane, registration JY-AEE (formerly N797PA, Pan Am’s Clipper Northwind) had apparently strayed from its prescribed course as it began its descent, leading to its right wing and no. 4 engine hitting a ridge at approximately 2,500 feet.

1973 -- The U.S. Air Force accepted its first F-5E for flight testing at Edwards AFB, California.

1972 -- The F-15 Eagle completed its first supersonic flight.

It reached Mach 1.5 during 45-minute test flight at Edwards AFB, California.

1971 -- Russian Chief Designer Georgi Nikolayevich Babakin died.

He was Chief Designer at the Lavochkin Design Bureau from 1965 until his death.

Under his supervision the unmanned spacecraft were developed that returned soil from the moon, placed the Lunokhod rover on the lunar surface, and landed probes on the surfaces of Mars and Venus.

Some people believe his sudden death, which coincided with the loss of the Soyuz 11 crew and the N1 rocket booster, had a strongly demoralizing effect on the Soviet space efforts.

1975 -- Chief Designer of the Atlas ICBM Karel Jan Charlie Bossart died.

1956 -- The first missile wing in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Air Forces in Europe, the 701st Tactical Missile Wing, established.

The Wing was activated on September 15, 1956, at Hahn Air Base, Germany.

1955 -- President Eisenhower signs the Civilian Airport Modernization Bill.

The legislation establishes a long-term program of federal government aid toward the construction of airports in the United States.

1954 -- Captain R.T. Shepherd pilots the first untethered flight of the Rolls-Royce Flying Bedstead, a test vehicle designed to for explore the possibilities of using thrust for vertical or near vertical flight.



1950 -- SA-16 amphibious rescue aircraft began flying sorties along the Korean coast to retrieve U.S. pilots forced down during operations.



1950 -- Lt. Gen. George E. Stratemeyer, Far East Air Force Commander, ordered Fifth Air Force to destroy key transportation facilities between the 37th and 38th parallels in Korea in Far East Air Forces Interdiction Campaign No. 1.

1938 -- Maj. Vincent J. Meloy led three B-17s of the 2nd Bomb Group at Langley Field, Virginia on a goodwill mission to Bogota, Colombia through August 12.

1929 -- Emile Berliner died.

He invented the gramophone in 1887. Later, he became a pioneer in helicopter design. He began, in 1907, designing his helicopter with tandem intermeshing rotors. The 36-hp rotary engine he developed with the Adams-Farwell Company was the first application in aviation of the rotary engine, and had a weight advantage. He founded the Gyro Motor Company to promote rotary engines in aviation.

1921 -- Lieutenant John A. Macready of the U.S. Army Air Corps finds a new use for airplanes when he sprays a patch of ground infested with caterpillars.

This practice becomes known as crop dusting.

1904 -- In a dirigible named California Arrow, Thomas Scott Baldwin carries out the first circular flight by an airship in America.

As one of the leading motor builders in America, Glenn Curtiss received the attention of the balloonist Baldwin. In 1904, Baldwin flew his airship—-the California Arrow—-at the St. Louis World’s Fair. The ship was powered by a Curtiss motorcycle engine. After the fair, Baldwin interested Curtiss in not only building engines, but also working in the budding field of aviation, and the two men grew close.

1861 -- John La Mountain becomes the first balloonist to use boats for aerial operations in a military conflict.

Using the Union tug Fanny, he ascends from its deck to a height of 2,000 ft. to conduct aerial reconnaissance of Confederate forces during America's Civil War.