China 'on' for aircraft carrier

When you watch how aircraft (Picture Above the retired F-14 Tomcat coming in for a landing)land and take off from an aircraft carrier it's pretty amazing choreography. It's took a decades of experince to fully utilised it. It's more avident in US Navy, other than the others. At least eight other countries have one or two aircraft carriers, including India and Thailand.

China remains the only major global power without aircraft carriers in its fleet. For years, military leaders have weighed the pride that such vessels would bring the nation with the costs and complexity of operating the giant ships, continually postponing a decision.

But now public sentiment is running strongly in favor of launching a program to build aircraft carriers, and some military experts say construction may be inevitable China already has three decommissioned aircraft carriers, all bought from Russia . Military engineers dissected two to see how they worked, then moored them as tourist attractions. The third, the Varyag, is at a secret military base in Dalian , on the Yellow Sea.

Meanwhile, mystery surrounds the Varyag. The huge ship was only 70 percent built— still without engines or rudders— when China bought it for $20 million , far more than its scrap value. The vessel was towed from the Ukraine around the Cape of Good Hope, arriving in Dalian early in 2002. Some foreign experts say China is restoring the flight deck.

"I . . . believe the Varyag will serve as a transitional platform to train pilots and to perfect doctrine— both how to use a carrier and how to sink one," said Fisher, who's the vice president of the International Assessment and Strategy Center in Alexandria, Va .

A Hong Kong -based publication, Kanwa Asian Defence, reported in September that some Chinese-built J-10 fighters now carry tail hooks needed for carrier landings. Kanwa said China would wait until the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games had passed to announce its plans to build aircraft carriers "due to concerns over its international image

While Soviet studies of carrier aviaton were commenced as long ago as 1952. At the time of Korean war still raging. But by then, the west had four decades of experinece. Even today, a further five decades on, they have still not caught up. But the gap has closed enormously.
Soviet have a flight trials commenced on Tbilisi in 1989 with an Su-27 Flanker, MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-25 Frogfoot. All aircraft was extensively modified for the task.

Until now there is not much news off what really going on Soviet Navy. We haven't seen anything yet comparable to US Navy aircraft carrier or probably we won't.

USAF suspended F-15s flight

A well known McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle a front line fighter as it's known before acquired by Boeing is really a classic fighter. First flight 27 July 1972 and entered service in March 1974 in order to counter the emergence of the MiG-23 and MiG-25. Basically an old design of the 70's although always ugraded along with the development of latest radar, engine, missile system and avionics. Since it's replacement already in service that's Boeing F-22 Raptor. Now it's slowly phase out or upgraded and offer for sale to US allies.

The Air Force has suspended some F-15 flights, citing a possible structural failure discovered after one of the fighter jets crashed in central Missouri.
All "non-mission critical" flights were suspended Saturday, a day after the Missouri Air National Guard jet crashed in a wooded area about 120 miles southwest of St. Louis, the Air Force said in a release dated Sunday.

The pilot ejected and was released from a hospital Saturday after treatment for a dislocated shoulder, broken arm and minor cuts. No one else was hurt.
The Air Force described the grounding as a precaution, but said preliminary findings indicate the aircraft may have suffered a structural failure. It did not elaborate, saying the crash remains under investigation.

The Air Force said more than 700 F-15s are in its worldwide inventory, although they are being replaced by the F-22 Raptor. They have been in use since the mid-1970s.
The Air Force said it will ensure that mission requirements are met for operations normally accomplished by the fighter. F-15s fly from bases in the U.S., England, Japan and the Middle East.

Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Bentley said Monday the F-15s will remain available for combat or anything requiring a combat response such as a terrorist attack, but otherwise they're grounded indefinitely.

"It's not a decision made lightly," Bentley said. "Until we can find out what the problem is, it's the safest thing to do."

Bentley would not speculate on how long the grounding would last.

Col. Robert Leeker, commander of the 131st Fighter Wing, said Friday the single-seat F15C Eagle that crashed had been engaged in one-on-one training fights, in which speeds of 400 to 450 mph are typical. There was no contact between the plane and its partner in the mock fight. The crashed plane was built in 1980.

The crash of an airplanes usually not depend whether it's new or old work horse, although old plane usually comprises of multitude of reason for failure, some time it's depend on luck either.

Low Cost fare that not really low

Around Europe cheap flights have transformed the continent's travel, and a rise in tourism has been seen. Nowhere in Europe has this been more important than the United Kindom, an island nation.

But now the writing is on the wall for low cost airlines operating out of the UK and other European countries as the Conservative Party - once a campaigner and implementer of lower taxes - has called for purchase tax to be introduced to domestic flights.

The tax would add up to 17.5 per cent on to the cost of a flight from one British city to another, but while flights to the European mainland and popular holiday islands such as Menorca aren't specifically mentioned, one travel company believes the new policy will inevitably lead to higher fares for flights not just within Britain, but elsewhere too.

Around Asia although cheap flight is not really cheap after all, after all kind of taxs that's usually won't be mentioned on the fares along with transport charges to the airport 50 miles away from city then the fares thats 9.99 (9.99 is a booking fares, not a normal fares that usually cost more)would than become 50.00 or more.

By the way low cost airlines boom still going on by intoducing new planes and new route, like the new Airasia (Picture Above New Airbus A320) KL-Singapore route, the most controversial route that at last open to them after years of lobby to the Malaysian Goverment,to be fair Firefly the low cost airlines, subsidiary of MAS now is allowed too.

Although what happen elsewhere might effected Asian Airlines industries along with oil price increasing and the hope to see totally low cost fares is there remain to been seen next year.