Silver State Photo News Winter 2004

Silver State Photo News

Reno - Las Vegas - Elko - Laughlin

A subsidiary of Images of Light Internet Press Service

www.ilips.net

Last Updated June 10, 2005

Update June 6, 2005 ~ Precious Metal will travel to Reno once the weather clears in Florida. The Rolls Royce Griffon-powered racer was kept on the ground due to a series of strong thunderstorms that moved across Florida. We missed Tunica but will be at Reno for the Reno National Championship Air Races and Aviation Nation 2005, the latter at Nellis AFB, Nevada, eight miles north of the Las Vegas strip off Interstate 15. This year salutes the Vietnam Veteran with Operation Welcome Home, which has been underway since January. The final event of the 2005 season for Operation Welcome Home is the Nellis AFB Air Show, Aviation Nation 2005, and Precious Metal will be appearing at Nellis for Boyd Gaming's Las Vegas Style Air Racing demonstration, featuring the Unlimited Class racers of The World's Fastest Motorsport! 2005 events include potential Demonstration Races in Oshkosh. In the Spring. Lake Air Inc. opened its new FBO at Ft. Lauderdale. New Precious Metal gear will be advertised soon at the Precious Metal Air Racing Team "Pit Stop," our Official Online Webstore! Volunteers ~ thank you for all your support! More stories and photos coming to the website soon...

Tanker 240, a Canadair CL-215 Super Scooper on approach to Van Nuys Airport, California, November 26, 2003. One of two in service at Van Nuys, the CL-215 operates from local area lakes and the nearby Pacific Ocean in fighting urban and remote Wildfires in the hills, mountains and desert areas surrounding Los Angeles, California.

The CL-215 is able to scoop water off local reservoirs and lakes at a speed of approximately 80 mph, taking in 1,200 gallons into its tanks during each skimming operation. The aircraft can operate for a period of four hours at a time. The CL-215 is flown by a crew of two.

World's Longest Commercial Jetliner

A four-engine, 380-passenger, China Eastern Airbus A340-600 makes its approach to Runway 24R at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday, November 23, 2003. China Eastern is Mainland China's first A340-600 operator.

The Airbus A340-600 has an overall length of 245 ft. 5in (the 747-400 is 231 ft. 10 in.), a wingspan of 208 ft. 2 in. and a height of 58 ft. 4 in. The fuselage is 18 ft. 5 in. wide. The jetliner is powered by four Rolls Royce Trent 556 engines rated at 56,250 lbs. of thrust. Maximum Takeoff Weight is 804,700 lbs. Maximum Landing Weight is 560,000 lbs. Operating Weight Empty is 390,400 lbs.

Range is 7,500 Nautical Miles. Cruising Speed is Mach .083 and Maximum Speed is Mach .086. The aircraft first flew on April 23, 2001. Deliveries began in 2002. Operators include Cathay Pacific, South African Airways, Virgin Atlantic, ILFC, Iberia and Air Canada.

Stretched Commuter Turboprop Q400

A Horizon Air Bombardier (Canada) Q400 turboprop transport on short final to Runway 24R at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The Q400, one of 15 currently operated by Seattle-based Horizon Air, is equipped with a Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics Heads-up Guidance System (HGS) and was recently certified for single-engine approach during Cat. III weather minima operations -- a first for a commercial regional airline aircraft.

Horizon Air serves LAX with the Q (for "Quiet") 400, Bombardier Regional Jetliner and Fokker F-28 Fellowship.

Lockheed Martin F/A-22 Fighter Makes its Public Debut

The new Lockheed F/A-22 Raptor made its public debut today at the Edwards AFB Air Show, in California's Antelope Valley. The Raptor took off after mid-day and performed a steep climb-out witnessed by a crowd of roughly 250,000 people.

Boeing To End Production of 757 Twinjet

Final twinjets to roll off the Seattle production lines in 2004.

Left: A National Airlines Boeing 757 on short final to Runway 24R at Los Angeles in 2002.

Super Scoopers in the Fight Against the Simi Valley/Newhall Fires

A six image gallery showing Air Operations of the Canadair CL-214 against a California Wildfire extending from Newhall west through Simi Valley.

Silver State News is the first mainstream or alternative, print or online newspaper publication, to feature a regular, year-round column, about Air Racing in its Sports Section ... where the "World's Fastest Motorsport" belongs! Silver State News is also the first mainstream or alternative, print or online newspaper, to feature an Aviation section, due to the importance of Aerospace to the World Economy and Politic.