June 19 
Steve Fossett has launched his balloon at Northam in West OZ for his 6^th attempt to circumnavigate the globe solo in a hot-air based balloon

"Steve's 5^th attempt (in August 2001) ended when he landed about 30 miles south of Bage in Brazil"


News report on that aborted attempt HERE

 June 18 
In California USA a fire-fighting C-130 Hercules broke up in flight while trying to control a forest fire near the Yosemite National Park

"The tanker's right wing appears to have failed followed by the left wing with the aircraft rolling slightly left before impact"

The 3 crew members on the 4 engine prop-jet did not survive the explosive impact

 June 14 
A US military MC-130 special forces transport aircraft, a 'Combat Talon' with 10 POB, has crashed on take-off in eastern Afghanistan

The accident occurred near the hilly Bande Sardeh Dam in Paktika province 130km south-west of the Afghan capital Kabul

Military reports from the area have 3 fatalities and of the remaining 7 injured, none are considered to be serious

Hostile enemy fire is a negative in the crash

 June 21 
A low flying Saab Viggen fighter jet putting on a show at a military airport near Uppsala, 60km north of Stockholm, burned 6 persons on the ground, 3 seriously

"Swedish officials did not say how low the plane was flying, but a news release from the air base said a group of seven people was watching a jet exhibition 75 metres from the runway"


The fighter was about 10m above the group

 June 14 
The OZ Government has received 3 final bids for Sydney's Kingsford Smith airport which is expected to go for about OZ$4.5 billion

 June 14 
A Skyfox Gazelle ultralight was landing at the Caloundra airport on the Sunshine Coast when it 'flipped'

The 20 year-old pilot, the only person on board, was apparently braking hard after landing - as media reports have it - when the nose-wheel collapsed and it 'nosed-over'

The young female pilot was extracted OK - bit shaken and with minor injuries

   ...there was no reports of the aircraft 'ballooning' on approach which may have occurred just prior to touchdown!