The F-35 Performs Vertical Landing Inching Closer To Full Deployment

The F-35 inches closer to widespread deployment with the US Armed Forces and the US Marines specifically following tests of the VSTOL version of the craft that enable vertical or short take off and landings.

The F-35 would replace the A/V-8 Harrier jets, which were originated in the United Kingdom.



However, full deployment is going to be delayed after announcements made earlier this year. Costs have also more than doubled, which makes is a ripe candidate for further cuts.

The F-35 is supposed to have three variants - an Air Force version, a Navy carrier-based version that will fly beginning later this year, and the Marine Corps VSTOL version. The Air Force version has been in testing since 2006

Hold the Phone: Sen. Menendez and I Agree

Something has to be done to improve air traffic control at Teterboro Airport. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-NJ, wants to see that happen with a new traffic tower. It is long overdue, and it would be the last major airport in the New York metro area to receive a new tower.

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez wants the Obama administration to pay for a new traffic tower at Teterboro Airport that would give controllers improved visibility and provide them with more modern equipment.

In a letter to President Obama on Wednesday, Menendez asked that money be included in the administration’s fiscal year 2011 budget request, citing two recent crashes involving Teterboro as inspiration for upgrading the small but busy airport.

Menendez did not offer specifics, but air traffic controllers say the Federal Aviation Administration should build a tower anywhere from 10 feet to 50 feet higher so they see over trees surrounding the airport.

The existing 34-year-old structure is about 100 feet tall, though controllers say the height of the tower was not a factor in an Aug. 8 air collision over the Hudson River that killed nine people.

The Port Authority operates Teterboro, which handles mostly general aviation and charter aircraft rather than the major airlines, but it is an integral part of the airspace. Newark Liberty and JFK airport have already received new towers and LaGuardia Airport is currently building a vastly improved tower.

More than just building a tower is involved. It involves including new technologies that make the airport operations safer. That's the real issue here, and while tower height was not a factor in a recent spate of crashes, providing new technologies that make those operations safer are needed in the heavily trafficked airspace which overlaps the aircraft arriving and departing from one of the busiest airports in the nation - Newark Liberty.

Developing: Plane/Helicopter Crash In Hudson River

This is a developing story, where a plane and a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River.

A helicopter went down in the Hudson River Saturday.

The aircraft entered the water near 14th Street. The Fire Department responded to the scene.

Initial reports say the helicopter collided with a small plane.

There was no word of injuries or survivors.

Multiple casualties are reported.

The two aircraft crashed Hoboken, N.J., just before noon, with wreckage falling into the water and on land on the New Jersey side, witnesses said.

It is unclear how many passengers were involved. Witnesses said the small plane was a Cessna.

Witnesses said one victim was already pulled out of the water and taken to Pier 40.

The plane took off from Teeterboro airport, and soon reported engine failure. It then hit a helicopter over the river.

The helicopter was a member of the Liberty Tours fleet and offered flights to tourists, according to CNN.

UPDATE:
At least 6 people were on board the Liberty Tours helicopter, which operates out of the 34th Street Heliport. The collision took place around 14th Street, but because the current pushes South, the searches are now moving towards Lower Manhattan. FDNY, NYPD and Coast Guard are on the scene attempting to locate anyone from on board the craft.

This particular corridor is heavily trafficked with helicopters on various tours, with an emphasis on Ground Zero, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty.