1. U.S. passenger jet nearly collided with drone in March: FAA

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    By Alwyn Scott, Reuters, May 9, 2014

    NEW
    YORK (Reuters) – An American Airlines Group Inc aircraft almost
    collided with a drone above Florida earlier this year, a near-accident
    that highlights the growing risk from rising use of unmanned aircraft,
    the U.S. air safety regulator said.

    The pilot reported
    seeing a small, remote-control aircraft very close to his plane while
    preparing to land at Tallahassee Regional Airport, said Jim Williams,
    manager of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Unmanned Aircraft
    System Integration Office.

    “The airplane pilot said
    that the UAS was so close to his jet that he was sure he had collided
    with it,” Williams said at an industry conference on Thursday, referring
    to an unmanned aircraft system.

    The aircraft, operated
    by an American subsidiary, did not appear to be damaged when it was
    inspected after the March 22 incident, Williams said.

    But the incident served to highlight the risk of remote-control aircraft, he said.

    U.S. passenger jet nearly collided with drone in March: FAA

    “The
    risk for a small UAS to be ingested into a passenger airline engine is
    very real,” Williams said. “The results could be catastrophic.”

    The
    FAA currently bans the commercial use of drones in the United States
    and is under growing pressure to set rules that would permit their
    broader use. Hobby and many law-enforcement uses are permitted.

    Last
    year, the agency began establishing test sites where businesses can try
    out commercial uses. [ID:nL2N0K90QW] Two of the centers have started
    working ahead of schedule.

    “The FAA is working
    aggressively to ensure the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems
    into the national airspace,” the agency said in a statement.

    The
    March incident was reported to the Tallahassee control tower by the
    pilot for Bluestreak Airlines, a US Airways commuter carrier. US Airways
    is part of American Airlines.

    The plane, a Bombardier CRJ-200, was a traveling from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Tallahassee.

    It
    was at 2,300 feet and about five miles from the airport when it
    encountered the remote controlled jet. The FAA investigated but could
    not identify the pilot of the drone.

    American said it
    is “aware of the published report alleging an incident with one of our
    express flights and we are investigating.”

    The airline said it would share any information with the FAA and would not comment further.

    The incident was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

    In
    his address to the Small Unmanned Systems Business Expo in San
    Francisco, Williams also showed videos of several drone accidents,
    including one in which a drone crashed into a crowd during the running
    of the bulls in Richmond, Virginia, last fall.

    The crash was caused by a battery failure and resulted in minor injuries, he said.

    Williams
    also noted the “Miracle on the Hudson,” in which birds hit the engine
    of a flight leaving New York, prompting an emergency landing on the
    river.

    “Imagine a metal-and-plastic object, especially that big lithium battery, going into a high-speed turbine engine,” he said.

    (Reporting by Alwyn Scott; Editing by Diane Craft)

  2. Someone…

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    A rain drop looks very small to the eyes
    But somewhere, a thirsty flower waits for it.
    My message seems very small
    But it means, someone, somewhere, remembers you.
    Source: desicomments

Hermit of Tbeng Mountain

Sachjang Phnom Tbeng សច្ចំ​​ ភ្នំត្បែង is a very long and interesting story written by Mr. Chhea Sokoan, read by Jendhamuni Sos. You can click on the links below to listen. Part 1 | Part 2

List of Khmer songs