Maria Batlle, young Dominican student aviation pilot school from the Yuvina Foundation Green Airport, was selected by Abingdon Watches for a scholarship from the renowned annual conference of women pilots, WAI (Women in International Aviation), held this year in Dallas, Texas.

Abingdon Watches specializes in making watches for women pilots.

Batlle also has the rank of “Commander: in the “AND”, The Dominican Naval Auxiliaries and takes part in training and live search and rescue operations in the Dominican Republic.

Batlle, who was congratulated by the Ambassador of Curaçao for being the only woman present at the training conducted with the Dutch Coast Guard with the Dominican Navy and the AND last year.

Also, she is known as Supermaria VJ (LiveVideo Performer & artist), and is Creative Director at McCann Erickson advertising agancy in the Dominican Republic.

Congrats to Maria, Woman in Aviation

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Get Out of the Water!

Air Swimmers are the hottest toys of 2011!

Air Swimmers swim through the air with incredibly smooth and life-like motion. These amazing fish provide hours of remote control indoor fun in even the smallest of rooms (not for outdoor use). They require only four AAA batteries (one in the body, three in the controller) and have complete up, down and 360 degree turning control.

Simply fill your Air Swimmers with helium inexpensively at any party store, florist shop, or grocery store that carries balloons. The body is made from a high quality, durable nylon material that will stay inflated for weeks! You can fill it again and again. Remote control has never come to life so magically!

A Boeing 787 jet took corporate loyalty to new heights when it “drew” the letters “787″ followed by the company’s logo across several thousand miles of North American skies. The etching of the letters and logo, while not visible from the ground, can be seen in the flight path plans.

“Boeing’s 19 hour test flight of the 787 Dreamliner was a great opportunity to test the limits of the 787, FlightAware’s flight tracking, and the FAA’s flight plan system,” FlightAware Chief Executive Officer Daniel Baker tells Yahoo News. “It was the longest domestic flight we’ve ever handled and it required three FAA flight plans to accomplish, not to mention dozens of people coordinating the flight overnight.”

FlightAware, which provides live flight tracking, coordinated with Boeing on delivering the unusual and spectacular images.

“This wasn’t a joy ride,” wrote Boeing’s vice president of marketing Randy Tinseth on the company’s blog. “It was an 18 hour Maximum ETOPS (Extended Operations) Duration flight test for a 787-8 with GE engines. Our team coordinated with the many air traffic control centers, choosing the routing to avoid restricted airspace. In the end, the flight covered over 9,000 nautical miles.” The path stretched between Iowa and Washington State.

Boeing conducted another sky drawing back in August, reports Wired, when the 747-8 Freighter outlined a “747″ over several states. The BBC reported on the Dreamliner’s maiden commercial voyage last October, traveling from Tokyo to Hong Kong.

It’s an exciting time for air travel enthusiasts. Billionaire developer Paul Allen recently unveiled designs for his company’s Stratosphere plane, which is designed to take passengers on commercial voyages above Earth’s orbit.

From Yahoo News

From Boeing Official News

Boeing unveiled its hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye unmanned airborne system during a ceremony in St. Louis on July 12. The protester, who stay in the air at 65,000 feet for up to four days, is powered by two 2-liter four-cylinder engine providing 150 horsepower each. It has a wingspan of 150 feet, will cruise at about 150 knots and can carry up to a payload of 450 pounds.

“Phantom Eye is the first of its kind and could open a whole new market in collecting data and communications,” Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works, said today at the opening ceremony in St. Louis. ”It’s a perfect example of turning an idea into a reality. It defines rapid prototyping efforts and demonstrate the art-of-the-possible when dealing with constant intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance. Capabilities inherent in the design of Phantom Eye willingness to offer game-changing opportunities for our military clients, civil and commercial matters. ”

Boeing Defense and Space Security President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg addresses the crowd of employees gathered in St. Louis to see the Phantom Eye, a hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial system.

Later this summer, Phantom Eye will be shipped to NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California to begin a series of soil tests and taxis in preparation for its first flight in early , 2011. That first flight is expected to last between four and eight hours.

“The program is moving quickly, and it’s exciting to be part of a unique aircraft,” said Drew Mallow, Phantom Eye program manager for Boeing. ”The hydrogen propulsion system will be key to the success of Phantom Eye. It is very efficient and offers great fuel economy, and its only byproduct is water, so that an aircraft is also environmentally responsible.”

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Test Flight Video from Boca Chica Beach, near the Las Americas International by Naval Auxiliaries member and Pilot Javier de Lara, Taking off and Landing his Amphibious Ultralight.

Experimental Aircraft building and flying has presented a lot of interest in domestic and international pilots due to the attractive locations in the Dominican Republic for  amphibious and regular experimental aircraft and ultralights.

Several Dominican built airplanes have been in the international air show scene as well as international pilots that have chosen the island as bridge or  base of operations for their flying adventures.

Some Experimental / Ultralights in Dominican Republic

Oscar Imbert Lancair / “El Pollito”

One of them was famous dominican Architect Oscar Imbert, with his Yellow Lancair Legacy / HI700. The Lancair was built in Dominican Republic, and was flown into EAA’s AirVenture 2009, where  it was on display near  Air Venture main entrance gate as part of international guests of the prestigious air show.

Detlef Heun and Liliana Tragliamonte / RV-7

The couple from Argentina and Germany, Liliana Tagliamonte and Detlef Heun also chose the Dominican airports as part of their Flight around the world project. The couple are flying a modified RV-7 around the world while filming their adventure and right now are stationed at the Dominican city of Sosua in the North Shore, making the final production details to their World flight DVD. The couple’s RV -7 was also on display on EAA’s Air Venture for the last 3 years, making Wisconsin part of their journey around the globe.

Experimental / Ultralight Regulations in the Dominican Republic

Fly Dominican Republic receives many inquiries about ultralight and experimental regulations for the Dominican Republic. All ultralight regulations for the Dominican Republic are available for download from the IDAC, http://idac.gov.do/ on their RAD 103 about Ultralight aircraft.

FLYDR readers can download a public copy of the document here : RAD-103 – Vehiculos Ultralivianos

These are the latest sea trials of the F-35B on the USS Wasp. They were  very successful, with 74 VL’s and STO’s in a three week period. The media and the program critics had predicted that we would burn holes in the deck and wash sailors overboard. Neither of which happened. You will notice a sailor standing on the bow of the ship as the jet rotates. That was an intentional part of the sea trials.

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth generationmultirole fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defensemissions with stealth capability. The F-35 has three main models; one is a conventional takeoff and landing variant, the second is a short take off and vertical-landing variant, and the third is a carrier-based variant.

The F-35 is descended from the X-35, the product of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. JSF development is being principally funded by the United States, with the United Kingdom and other partner governments providing additional funding. The partner nations are either NATO members or close U.S. allies. It is being designed and built by an aerospace industry team led by Lockheed Martin. The F-35 took its first flight on 15 December 2006.

From Wikipedia

The Dominican Naval Auxiliaries celebrate their 2nd year of activities.

The Dominican Naval Auxiliaries (AND), are celebrating their 2nd Anniversary. This is the second year of activities of the  naval auxiliaries, doing Search and Rescue, Accident prevention, Coastal surveillance, preemptive education, vessel security checks and environmental protection among other activities.

The AND commodore Jose Antonio Najri, Vice Commodore Freddy Reyes and Executive Director Juan Carlos Porcella, are inviting all their party members to the annual anniversary lunch, in the presence of the Dominican president Leonel Fernandez Reyna and importante members of the Dominican Navy.

The Naval Auxiliaries have an specialized Aerial Body of members, serving Search and Rescue missions on the Dominican territory in coordination with the Dominican Navy and the US Coast Guard Service and Auxiliaries. which have provided extensive training and coordination on the AND activities.

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THOMPSON NAMED DIRECTOR OF SALES & SPECIAL EVENTS AT SUN ’n FUN

SUN ’n FUN CAMPUS, LAKELAND, FL. – December 5, 2011 SUN ’n FUN President John R. “Lites” Leenhouts announced that Irene Thompson has been named Director of Sales & Special Events for SUN ’n FUN Fly-In, Inc. and its Florida Air Museum. In making the announcement, Leenhouts said he “was very impressed with Thompson’s extensive and varied experiences including the planning and production of high level events and visits while she served as Director, Protocol/Executive Services at the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) at MacDill AFB, Tampa, FL”. He added, “these events included responsibilities for the entertainment and reception for very significant world figures, including the King of Jordan, President Bill Clinton, and Saudi Arabian dignitaries.” “These experiences”, he noted “and the planning skills they required provide SUN ‘n FUN with a seasoned, knowledgeable professional prepared to actively promote the unique array of event-based facilities available on the SUN ‘n FUN campus to Polk and Hillsborough County organizations throughout the year.”

Irene Thompson joins SUN ‘n FUN after an accomplished 21 year Air Force career that included ten highly challenging assignments and in-country living deployments in England, Korea, Germany, and Iraq. “The diversity of these assignments”, Lites noted, “has prepared Irene Thompson to address the specific needs of the array of potential clients for whom SUN ‘n FUN will offer a home for their event or activity”.

Irene Thompson, earned her Bachelor of Science, Psychology, from Fayetteville State University and a Masters of Science, Public Administration from Troy State University, Troy, Alabama. Her distinguished Air Force career included an array of assignments including Military Support Flight Commander, 100th Service Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, England, Wing Executive Officer, 96th Air Base Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Chief of Protocol, Air Force Special Operation Command Headquarters, Hurlbart, FL, Joint Personnel Officer, US Forces Korea, Youngsan, Korea, Director, Protocol/Executive Services, USCENTCOM, Tampa , FL, Director, Manpower & Personnel, USCENTAF & 9th Air Force, Shaw Air Force Base, Sumter, SC, Director of Protocol, United States Air Forces Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Director, Executive Support, Multi-National Forces-Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq, Deputy Political Advisor (POLAD) and Plans & Staff Officer, US Air Forces Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Joint Policy Officer, US Central Command J5, Tampa, FL, Senior Analyst, Joint Interagency Training Specialist, US Special Operations Command and US Central Command, and Joint Staff J7, Tampa, FL.

Irene is a resident of Tampa where she is involved in the activities of her teenage daughter and son. Her interests are varied and include snow skiing, golf, the arts, fishing and travel.

SUN ’n FUN, a 501(c) (3) not–for–profit organization based in Lakeland, Florida, is best known for its annual International Fly–In & Expo. The Fly-In event is the primary source of funding for an expanding menu of year–round, aviation-oriented education programs offered through the Florida Air Museum (FAM). FAM is a separate 501(c) (3) not–for–profit organization that was named the state’s “Official Aviation Museum and Education Center” by the Florida legislature in 2003. FAM has initiated education programs for aviation enthusiasts of all ages – especially young people – featuring valuable “hands on” learning experiences primarily through science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) initiatives. SUN ’n FUN and FAM provide ongoing support to the Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA), a high school career academy located on the SUN ’n FUN campus that was created in partnership with the Polk County School Board, Polk State College, the University of South Florida Polytechnic, Gulf Coast Avionics and other education-minded organizations. A growing scholarship program provides financial support to ensure these education programs are accessible to all. For more information lease visit www.sun-n-fun.org.