07 OCT 2009 _____________________________________ *Pilot loses license after fatal jet crash in Tehachapi, Calif. *Small jet forced to land without gear at Elmendorf *4 injured when plane from Okla. crashes in Texas *FedEx Express installing new fire suppression system in 74 planes ************************************** Pilot loses license after fatal jet crash in Tehachapi, Calif. The former Air Force captain received a revocation order after a Fourth of July aerial display ended with two deaths. Federal authorities have revoked the pilot's license of a veteran aviator who flew in a July 4 aerial display in Tehachapi, Calif., that ended with the fatal crash of a vintage Soviet military jet with two people aboard. The Federal Aviation Administration canceled the airline transport pilot and ground instruction certificates of Douglas E. Gilliss of Solana Beach, a former U.S. Air Force captain and Vietnam War veteran with decades of aviation experience. The FAA sent Gilliss a revocation order Sept. 28, a copy of which was obtained by The Times on Tuesday under the federal Freedom of Information Act. Gilliss was one of several pilots who participated in a formation flyover of three Aero Vodochody L-29 Delfins, once the standard jet trainer of the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations during the Cold War. Gilliss flies with the Thunder Delfins, a group of L-29 enthusiasts. During the flyover, one Delfin fell out of formation and slammed into Old Town Road, killing David Zweigle, 42, the city's airport director, and Robert Chamberlain, 63, of Morrison, Colo., a retired airline pilot and former Air Force test pilot. The aircraft, which was owned and flown by Zweigle, passed over a park and missed several houses before impact. FAA officials say that Gilliss violated federal regulations by flying over densely populated areas at less than 1,000 feet. They also assert that Gilliss improperly carried a passenger and falsely claimed in a pilot's log that he had checked out Zweigle in the L-29 before the crash. Zweigle was required to demonstrate his ability to fly the L-29 to an FAA-designated flight examiner before he could act as the pilot in command of the aircraft. FAA officials say Gilliss was a flight examiner at the time. "You have demonstrated that you lack the required care, judgment and responsibility to hold any airman certificate," the FAA stated in the revocation order. Gilliss declined to comment, except to say that he would appeal the decision. In an earlier statement, he said the L-29s avoided populated areas and flew between 1,200 and 1,500 feet, well above the minimum required altitude. He said the planes did not present a hazard to the public because they proceeded along the area's railroad tracks and not directly over the city of about 35,000. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-revoke7-2009oct07,0,6427074.story *************** Small jet forced to land without gear at Elmendorf   ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- An Army aircraft was forced to perform a gear-up landing at Elmendorf Air Force Base Tuesday afternoon. According to a public information officer at Elmendorf, the left main landing gear on a Citation 560, a corporate executive-style jet, did not come down. The jet circled the runway several times before deciding how to land. "They came over a few times and we confirmed the gear was not down, and between the tower and crew they decided how they were going to land: Gear up or gear down. And they decided gear up to where the aircraft landed on one level area," said Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Reynolds with the Elmendorf Air Force Base Fire Department. The jet landed at 3:24 p.m., and none of the three crew members on board were injured, said a public information officer at Elmendorf. Reynolds said that considering the circumstances, the landing was pretty uneventful. "Just before it landed she cut the power and landed nice and soft. A little bit of sparks, no fire, very little smoke and by the time our trucks got on scene all three guys were off the aircraft." There was no immediate word on what caused the landing gear malfunction. More information will be released as it comes available. http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=11269912 ************** 4 injured when plane from Okla. crashes in Texas RHOME, Texas (AP) — Authorities say four men are being treated at Texas hospitals after a twin-engine airplane that took off from Oklahoma crashed in Texas. The Federal Aviation Administration says the Beechcraft King Air went down about 2:45 p.m. about 20 miles northwest of Fort Worth. FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford says the plane had taken off from Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City and was bound for Fort Worth's Meacham Airport before its pilot reported engine failure. Lunsford says the pilot was in contact with air traffic controllers before the crash. Wise County Sheriff's spokesman Johnny Britton says the four passengers range in age from 64 to 84 and were transported to area hospitals. Two were in serious condition and the others suffered non-life-threatening injuries. **************** FedEx Express installing new fire suppression system in 74 planes After seven years of design and development, FedEx Express is installing its new fire safety systems in 74 of its international route planes. The automatic fire-suppression system features a network of infrared thermal sensors, foaming agent generators and an overhead cargo container injector. If the sensors detect heat, the technology located above each cargo container is activated while alerting crew members. The system also dispenses a fire-suppression foam to control and extinguish a potential fire. The FSS system has proven effective against Class D fires, or those started by combustible metals such as lithium, magnesium titanium, potassium and sodium. It is the only aircraft fire safety system in use today that is effective against Class D fires, according to a FedEx news release. FedEx Express, a subsidiary of Memphis-based FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), began installation of the FSS system on its MD-11 freighters in April 2009 and plans to have the installation complete on all 59 of its MD-11s by early 2011. The delivery company also plans to install the system on its new Boeing 777 Freighters, which begin international service in the company’s fleet by early 2010. Each installation requires about 700 man hours. “The in-flight safety of crew and cargo is a top priority at FedEx Express, leading to our development of this enhanced fire-safety technology,” said Joel Murdock, FedEx Express’ managing director of strategic projects. “After seven years of design and development, we’re proud to see this proprietary technology take flight on a variety of aircraft in the FedEx fleet, representing another strong step forward in our air-safety initiatives.” The system enhances air safety because of its automatic activation and its overhead design. It also allows the plane’s crew more time to safely land, especially important on lengthy international flights where a safe landing spot can be up to three hours away. http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2009/10/05/daily16.html ******** curt-lewis ****************