December 17
Airservices announced recently that they had won a contract to provide expertise in management of tower air traffic control services at 4 towers in Hawaii and 2 at Guam and Saipanel in the Pacific
 
US pilots and training schools will finish up being the beneficiary - not Australians
 
In the USA control towers are open to competition and all Airservices have done is to push out the local American owned competitors by submitting a lower tender

Dick Smith - often regarded as a "True Blue" Aussie within the media - was quick to respond
 
"Isn't it extraordinary that the very same week Airservices Australia bowed to union pressure and reversed the more efficient NAS US style airspace system in Australia, they have used exactly the same airspace system to win a contract in the USA to provide lower cost services to American aviation businesses"

December 17
A Fire-Ant baiting Bell 47 helicopter crashed at Purga about 15nm SW of Archerfield
 
The 43yo pilot escaped without injury - the B-47 chopper not so lucky - it is considered a write-off

Previous Report HERE 

December 15
Two men escaped injury after their ultralight aircraft had a forced landing near Collinsville in central Queensland
 
The pilot and passenger walked away unhurt after their aircraft developed engine problems on a pleasure flight to the Whitsundays

December 21
The world's most expensive fighter jet, the $260 million F/A-22 Raptor stealth fighter (only commissioned on October 28, 2004), has crashed while departing Nellis Air Force Base 8nm north of Las Vagas in the USA

 
News reports have the new fighter jet crashing "...in a ball of flames during take-off"
 
The aircraft "...crashed on the runway take-off but the pilot managed to eject to safety"