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Israel Halts Fire

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza fired salvoes of rockets into southern Israel on Sunday, defying a unilateral cease fire called by Israel and threatening to reignite three weeks of violence that has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians and turned Gaza’s street into battlegrounds.

The Islamic militant Hamas has been battered badly by the Israeli onslaught, and it was not clear how seriously it intended to try to jeopardize the cease-fire. The rocket fire resumed as a slew of foreign leaders headed to Egypt to try to cement an end to the war.

In Gaza, people loaded vans and donkey carts with mattresses and began venturing back to their homes to see what was left standing after the punishing air and ground assault the tiny seaside territory endured. Bulldozers began shoving aside rubble in Gaza City, the territory’s biggest population center, to clear a path for cars while medical workers sifting through mounds of concrete discovered dozens of bodies in the debris.

Israel quieted its guns and grounded its attack aircraft before reaching a long-term solution to the problem of arms smuggling into Gaza and Israel’s declaration that it would keep soldiers in Gaza until militants hold their fire raised the prospect of further clashes with Hamas, which has said it would fight on until Israel pulls out.

The cease-fire went into effect at 2 a.m local time after 22-days of fighting that killed some 1,200 Palestinians, about half of them civilians. Thirteen Israeli’s also died.

Israel decided to hold its fire just days ahead of Barack Obama’s inauguration Tuesday as president of the United States. Outgoing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the Bush administration welcomed Israel’s decision.

Israel originally said it would continue its offensive until it received international guarantees that Hamas would not rearm, as militants did during a 6-month truce that preceded the war. In a step toward achieving those guarantees, Israel on Friday won a U.S. commitment to help crack down on weapons smuggling into Egypt and from there, to Gaza.

But Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Saturday that his country would not be bound by the agreement. Egypt’s cooperation is essential if the smuggling is to be stopped.

National World War II Museum Displays Nazi Plane

NEW ORLEANS – The National World War II Museum unveiled a Nazi fighter plane rarely exhibited in the United States and it will be displayed in a simulated dogfight with its British adversary on September 11.

The Germans built more than 30,000 Messerschimdtt Bf 109 from 1939-1945 and the fighter scored more verified kills than any other World War II aircraft. They looped, dived and rolled in dogfights over London with British Spitfires during the Battle of Britain in 1940.

The National Museum’s Supermarine Spitfire IVB has been part of its collection since 1998, two years before it opened. It will be displayed in a stimulated dogfight with the Messerschimdt Bf 109-G, which among is only handful in U.S. collections, though there are more on display in Europe.

The recently purchased fighter was assembled with parts from crash sites, former manufacturers and some new pieces.

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C-17 Makes First After-Dark Landing in Antarctica

PEGAUSUS ICE RUNWAY, Antarctica – A C-17 Globemaster III aircrew from McChord Air Force Base in Washington, performed the first known after dark landing in Antarctica using night vision goggles on September 11.

The McChord aircrew, consisting of active duty Airmen from the 62^nd Airlift Wing and Reservists from the 446^th Airlift Wing, verified the C-17’s capability to access McMurdo Station, Antarctica, by landing in complete darkness using night-vision technology in combination with reflective cones.

The mission was flown as part of Operation Deep Freeze, which is commanded by US Pacific Command’s Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica. Headquartered at Hickman AFB, Hawaii, and led by 13^th Air Force, JTF SFA’s mission id to provide air and sealift support to the National Science Foundation and US Antarctic Program.

There is no sunlight in Antarctica for several months of the year, from around late March to the middle of August. The night vision goggle concept will make it easier and safer for C-17 aircrews to get into Antarctica any time of the year.

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Top 10 Light Planes

10. Mooney M20 – Manufactured in 1955 with wooden wing spars that required lots of inspections to keep in airworthy condition, the Mooney M20 quickly became an all-metal aircraft. Different variants of the family were produced in three fuselage lengths and the M20’s engine power and cruise speed grew until it became the fastest production piston single available. Some 52 years after the Mooney M20 first flew it is still in production as the Mooney M20TN Acclaim.

9. de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk – The Chipmunk was the first aircraft produced by the de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited. The fully aerobatic Chipmunk first flew in 1946 and soon became the primary trainer of the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Air Force and smaller air forces worldwide.

8. Fieseler Fi 156 Storch – First produced in 1936, the Fi 156 quickly became known as the Storch because of its long undercarriage legs, its wide cockpit and its large wings made it look like a long-legged bird. The Storch was the Luftwaffe’s standard liaison and spotting plane during the Second World War and became famous for its amazing short-takeoff-and-landing performance.

7. Yakolev Yak-18 – The Yakolev Yak-18 entered service in 1946 as the primary two-seat trainer for the Soviet Air Forces. The early Yak-18A was built in large numbers and later versions were developed as aerobatic and light transport aircraft.

6. Boeing Stearman – Stearman became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934, began building its Model 75 biplane basic trainer in the early 1930s. The U.S. Army Air Force adopted the rugged and reliable aircraft as a primary trainer, the Kaydet, and the aircraft also became a basic trainer for the U.S. Navy.

5. Piper PA-29 Cherokee – Manufactured in 1960, the four-seat, all-metal PA-28 Cherokee is still being produced 47 years later. One of the most recreational and touring single-engine piston aircraft of the modern era, the Cherokee became a family of models with over a dozen members, the Cherokee 140 and the Saratoga II.

4. Beechcraft Bonanza – The Beechcraft Bonanza made its first appearance in 1945 as the model 35. From 1959 until 1995 Beech also produced another version of the Bonanza, the model 33 Debonair.

3. de Havilland Tiger Moth – Derived from the earlier de Havilland Gipsy Moth, the elegant DH-82 Tiger Moth biplane was developed in the 1930s and became the standard primary trainer for the Royal Air Force and the air forces of most of other Commonwealth countries throughout the Second World War.

2. Piper Cub, PA-11 and Super Cub – Developed from the 1930 Taylor E-2 Cub by Piper, the two-seat Piper J-3 Cub taildragger became the primary trainer of the U.S. Civilian Pilot Training Program and four-fifths of all U.S. military pilots in the Second World War received their initial flight training in the type.

1. Cessna 172 Skyhawk – The most-produced light aircraft in history, the Cessna Skyhawk first appeared in 1956 and is still in volume production today. Dozens of versions of the Cessna 172 and the closely related Cessna 175 have been produced in the U.S. and in France. Offering a high-wing design, a low stall speed and a high degree of stability at low speeds, the Cessna 172 is an excellent search-and-rescue aircraft and forms the backbone of the Civil Air Patrol in the United States. The type is also operated by many air forces throughout the world.

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Russian Tupolev Tu-160s Land in Venezuela

MOSCOW, Russia – Russia downplayed the two Tu-160 Blackjack strategic long-range bombers that flew to Venezuela on Thursday in the first such flight since the Cold War, saying the bombers carried no live weapons (nuclear or otherwise) and would turn back to Russia next week.

Russian analysts said it was the first time strategic bombers have landed in the Western Hemisphere since the Cold War. The foray, and the coming military exercises with an avowed US enemy, is like to strain the tense relationship between Moscow and Washington.

The Tu-160 bombers arrived in South America ahead of planned joint military maneuvers between Russia and Venezuela – maneuvers that appear to be a tit-for-tat retort to the United States for sending warships to deliver air to U.S. allied Georgia following last month’s war.

Russian Air Force Maj. Gen. Pavel Androsov said in televised comment that the Tu-160s were only carrying test missiles. The jets would conduct several test flights over neutral waters then return to Russia on Monday. That indicates that the jets would not participate in military exercise that Venezuela and Russia plan to hold in the Caribbean Sea sometime this year.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he had ordered the Tu-160s to make the flight at the invitation of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has expressed interest in flying the massive bombers.

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Military Modelworks

Military Model Planes is the home of top-quality model planes, ships, helicopters and wall plaques. The scale model planes are handcrafted and modeled accurately using high-quality materials by renowned master craftsmen. Military Model Planes is committed to deliver only the finest quality military model planes right to your doorstep. Crafted with dedication and passion, each part of modeled airplanes are assembled with extraordinary precision based on the original blueprints. Every detail of the original airplane is replicated on the model plane, markings to markings.

Military Model Planes offers more than 1,000 variations of planes used by the U.S. Government branches such as the Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Army, government departments and more of other nations. Aside from military model planes, commercial airplanes, helicopters, ships, NASA models and wall plaques are found here. Replicas of your own airplane can also be done, precise and accurate measuring and duplication will be instantly at work. High-quality results will meet your personal specifications.

The world class quality of the model planes Military Model Planes offer are more than collectibles, gifts, souvenirs and sculptures but a representation of great pride and victorious achievements.

Pilot Error Blamed for Fatal F-15 Collision

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Two inexperienced F-15C Eagle pilots made errors that caused a fatal mid-air collision during a combat training mission over the Gulf of Mexico, Air Force investigators concluded in a report released Monday.

Both pilots misjudged how close they were to each other and had less than two seconds to react before Capt. Tucker Hamilton’s wing sliced into 1^st Lt. Ali Jivanjee’s cockpit in the Feb. 20 accident, investigators said.

“The cause of this mishap was pilot error. Both men failed to clear their flight paths and did not recognize their impending high-aspect, mid-air collision,” said Brig. Gen. Joseph Reynes, the head of the seven-member Air Force Accident Investigation Board.

Jivanjee, 26, of San Dimas, California died instantly. Hamilton, who is now assigned to a non-flying position in Germany, ejected with minor injuries. The single-seat fighter planes were destroyed – an $ 83 million loss for the Air Force.

The report said both pilots did not have enough time flying the F-15 to be experienced in the aircraft. Jivanjee had fewer than 120 hours of flight time in the aircraft and Hamilton had flown it just under the required 500 hours, the report said.

Investigators said they found no mechanical or structural problems in the two, nearly 30-year-old fighter jets, which were part of the Air Force’s aging and problem-plagued F-15 fleet. The 1979 and 1981 F-15s flown by the two Eglin Air Force Base pilots were in good condition, Reynes said.

The Air Force largely grounded its F-15 fleet from Nov. 3, 2007, to Jan. 10 after an F-15 broke apart in mid-air over Missouri. An investigation found that 160 of the Air Force’s nearly 700 F-15s had defects. Last month, another F-15 crashed and killed one pilot during a training mission over the Nevada desert.

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Philippine Air Force C-130 crashes

MANILA, Philippines – A Philippine Air Force C-130 cargo planes crashed off a Southern coastal village with nine people on board.

Body parts and debris were found in the Bukana village on the outskirts of Davao City. Colonel Isagani Silva said the recovered debris included combat boots, a plane wheel and a folder containing the plane’s flight plan.

Lieutenant General Pedrito Cadungog, Air Force chief, said the C-130 took off from the International Airport in Davao City on Monday evening.

The flight was bound for the Eastern city of Iloilo, where it was supposed to arrive about two hours later. But Cadungog said the Air Force lost contact with the plane about 10 minutes after it took off.

One fisherman in Bukana village said he saw a ‘flash of light’ from the plane before it entered nearby waters. The planes was supposed to pick up Presidential security guards from Iloilo City for transport back to Manila.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was in Iloilo City to attend the wake of an army lieutenant colonel killed in an ambush by Muslim separatist rebels in a Southern province last week.

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Maintaining and Cleaning Your Wooden Desktop Models

Collectors and hobbyists spend most of their time and effort on crafts, collectibles, action figures and the list goes on. Models made from resin, plastic, glass and non-organic materials are the easiest to maintain. Others would prefer to collect those made from wood, paper and organic materials which is harder to maintain and make it last for another decade. For some instances, wooden desktop model planes. Most of the time, wood does not go well with humidity and moist as it softens, destroys and forms mold on our wooden models. Mold is a function of temperature, relative humidity and time; mold often appears when wood is exposed to dusty, moist and warm places.

To keep your model airplanes and other collectibles made of wood in A+ condition and clean, here are some tips that help.

1. Make sure the materials, paint and varnish used are safe on wood. To find out, model should have gone through extreme quality check.
2. Once model is out of the box, locate a spot where air goes through; free from dust and accidental water drippings. Glass cabinets keep your models safe and free from dust.
3. When cleaning, use a dry clothe and apply a protector that will not ruin the finish. Mineral oil helps.
4. In case mold starts to grow, easiest solution is to put it out on direct sunlight – it stops the growth but mold must be wiped off with a damp clothe and dry it quickly.
5. For worse mold cases, bleach and water solution will do followed by a light coat of mineral oil. Letting air go through is still needed.
6. For best results, keep models in a room below 30 degrees Fahrenheit or over 110 degrees Fahrenheit and away from the basement, your collection doesn’t belong there.

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