August  27 
Air traffic controllers in Brisbane have voted unanimously to support a national strike on Friday August 30^th

"...1,100 air traffic controllers are planning to walk off the job over a lack of progress in finalising a workplace agreement..."

Controllers have been trying to settle the agreement for some time and called off a previous strike in June'02

August  26 
NSW's new regional airline REX is offering a prize where the winner and 29 friends have a weekend away in a Saab 340 Turboprop to any two destinations in the REX network

"The winner must arrange to take the flight from Friday evening (after 7pm) to Sunday evening (before 10pm) between Regional Express served destinations with the final flight to return to the originating airport"

The draw will be held at midday on 3/10/02; the estimated retail value of the flight is around $20k

August  29 
Captain Julie Clark - USA heavy pilot - solo airshow performer performing 25 airshows each year for the past 22 - aircraft owner & restorer - and it all started after she was orphaned at age 15

The 53yo has "...in over 25,000 hours of flying including over 1000 airshows, never bent an airplane, never been violated by the FAA"

...and that makes US aviation legends!

August  23 
A Shangrila Air Twin Otter with 18 POB has crashed in western Nepal on approach to Pokhara (pop 95,000) 200 km west of Kathmandu

Officials say bad weather may have been a factor in the crash as the aircraft went into dense cloud; there were no survivors

Pokhara is the starting point for most of Nepal’s Himalayan trekking holidays

August  27 
Brisbane based carrier - Virgin Blue - is taking the new owners of Sydney airport to court over terminal charges

"The airline is arguing that after the airport's privatization the successful consortium led by Macquarie Bank, changed the terms"

The airport's owners are denying that they had a legally binding agreement in force when they took over the airport

August  23 
A SkyWest Fokker F-50 aircraft with 44 passengers on board was 40 minutes into a scheduled flight from Geraldton to Perth at night when the captain reported a hydraulic problem with the undercarriage

Emergency procedures were activated at the Perth airport but were not required

The Fokker F-50 is the updated replacement for the F-27 Friendship that replaced the DC-3 here in OZ