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Commercial, Military, Products, Public Service, Services
By Staff Writer | June 1, 2006
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Insurance Tumult Means Consumer Gains, Problems for Safety Initiatives
Insurance companies will soon be fighting for helicopter operators' business, driving premiums down and pumping more underwriting dollars into the market, according a top aviation insurance broker.
Larry Mattiello, president of the brokerage Airsure Limited, said musical chairs among top insurance executives and the high level of activity across the board in helicopter operations are combining to lure insurers that have shunned the general aviation market. With just a handful of insurers in the market, operators had to fight recently just to get coverage and swallow premium increases in the process.
"For the next two years as a consumer, you're about to have one of the best rides of your life watching aviation insurance companies battle for your business," he told operators gathered in Dallas May 4 for a safety forum hosted by FlightSafety International. Mattiello said the developing situation is unprecedented "in my nearly 30 years in the business."
Since the start of the year, top executives of major insurers like USAIG have retired only to start up new operations targeting aviation markets. At the same time, said Mattiello (who also serves as insurance advisor to the Helicopter Assn. International), property-and-casualty insurers that have avoided aviation are on the prowl for experienced underwriters to help them set up aviation units.
While that may be good financial news for operators, it may undercut efforts to raise safety standards. Leaders of the International Helicopter Safety Team have pointed to lower premiums based on strong training, equipment and safety records as one motivation for operators to get behind their drive to lower helicopter accident rates 80 percent in 10 years.
Likewise, operators who through stringent training, equipment and operational requirements have gained the financial edge of lower premiums over less diligent competitors may see that edge dulled.
"In order to get their portfolios up and cash flowing," Mattiello said, insurers "will compromise underwriting standards to get that business. I'm afraid that's going to happen to extremes. It will be a problem. Other drivers, other motivators in the insurance financial world" than training, equipment and operating records will come into play in setting premiums.
U.S. Army Eyes Bigger ARH Buy
U.S. Army officials are looking to acquire 112 more Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters than originally planned from Bell Helicopter. The Army last July awarded a Bell-led team a contract to provide 368 by 2013 under a program valued at $2.2 billion. In late April, industry sources said, Army officials indicated they wanted the total acquisition bumped up to 480.
Lt. Col. Neil Thurgood, the Army's ARH program manager, referenced the high number in an ARH briefing at the American Helicopter Society International's Forum 62 May 9 in Phoenix. "The original buy for the ARH was 368 aircraft," he said. "It's now 480 aircraft."
He stressed afterwards that the change is tentative pending higher approvals. But ARH team members seemed less tentative. In fact, as Thurgood spoke at the Forum, Rockwell Collins' web site said the Bell-led team "will design, test, produce and deliver 480 ARHs to the U.S. Army."
"One hundred 12," one top Bell official at the Forum said. "That's a lot of aircraft."
That development came in a good week for the ARH program. A 925-shp Honeywell HTS900-1 engine underwent its first ground run in an ARH prototype on May 8 and the dual-centrifugal compressor for the upgraded, 970-shp HTS900-2 for the aircraft completed its first rig test May 5. Bell later moved the first ARH prototype from the factory floor to a flight hangar at its XworX facility in Arlington, Texas in preparation for first flight within three months.
FAA Decision to Bring Weather, Comm Services to Gulf of Mexico
Offshore operators in the Gulf of Mexico have finally convinced the U.S. FAA to provide communications and weather-reporting services in the region, though their success came in a roundabout way.
GoMex operators working with the Helicopter Assn. International have prodding the aviation agency to adopt an inexpensive plan to close the weather and communications services gap. That plan called for the FAA to invest a small amount of money--initially about $12 million--to immediately install weather-reporting and comm gear on platforms in the Gulf. In exchange, platform operators offered the space for the gear and helicopter companies offered transportation for installation and maintenance crews, both free. They couldn't get the FAA to bite.
Enter Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B), an air traffic system that UPS--nearly alone among airlines--has been trumpeting. The system's proved its worth in Alaska, where radar coverage is sparse. Now the FAA has decided to make the GPS satellite-based ADS-B, which allows equipped aircraft to talk with ATC and track surrounding traffic and get weather updates, the foundation of its next-generation ATC system. The FAA has asked for $80 million in its Fiscal 2007 budget to begin initial ADS-B implementation.
One of the first applications, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey said at a May 2 FAA headquarters briefing, will be in the Gulf of Mexico. HAI President Matt Zuccaro, at Blakey's side, praised the move. The area in which offshore operators fly, roughly 250X500 mi., has an average of 650 helicopters making 7,500 trips a day to 5,000 facilities, he said. They fly about 38,000 hr. and conduct 2.1 million operations a year, carrying 2.6 million passengers, he added, with the majority of that below 5,000 ft.
"They do that without the ability to communicate with ATC, which cannot see them, and without real-time weather," Zuccaro said. "ADS-B is going to dramatically change the way business is done in the Gulf."
Sikorsky Begins Assembly of X-2 Demonstrator
Sikorsky Aircraft's new president, Jeff Pino, has reaffirmed that company's commitment to fly its X-2 technology demonstrator by year's end.
Pino's predecessor, Steve Finger, startled attendees at last year's American Helicopter Society International annual forum by unveiling the initiative, which is aimed at proving that an aircraft can fly in excess of 250 kt. and maintain the unique vertical-lift characteristics of a helicopter. X-2 will use a coaxial rotor, auxiliary propulsion, active vibration and other things to pursue that goal.
"We are on track to fly the demonstrator in '06," Pino told this year's Forum 62. "It may be in December, but it will be in '06."
While skeptics argue, among other things, that Sikorsky can never get the configuration's lift-over-drag properties high enough to be viable, "we've conquered that--at least analytically. L/D is significantly better than back with the XH-59A" Advancing Blade Concept demonstrator in the 1970s.
The first round of X-2 testing is complete, Pino said, and assembly of the prototype has begun at Sikorsky's Schweizer Aircraft subsidiary. Ground runs are slated for next month.
IHST Team to Take Safety Initiative On the Road to India and Points East
Leaders of the International Helicopter Safety Team, fresh from the presentation of their plans and schedule for cutting the helicopter accident rate 80 percent in 10 years, are carrying their message beyond North America.
The co-chairs of the joint industry-government team, HAI President Matt Zuccaro and Dave Downey of the U.S. FAA's Rotorcraft Directorate, plan to travel to New Delhi this month to participate in a conference there on improving civil and non-combat military helicopter safety. They plan to follow that trip with ones to Asia, Australia, and South America, all aimed at enlisting government and industry support for their safety initiatives.
At the American Helicopter Society International's annual Forum 62 last month in Phoenix, members of the international team laid out an ambitious schedule that calls for completing analysis of helicopter accident reports and safety studies by late this year and recommending measures to address the most common causes of such accidents by next January.
Team members are seeking input and participation from helicopter operators. For information on the effort, visit www.ihst.org.
U.S. Congressional Office Launches EMS Safety Review
The U.S. Government Accountability Office, a branch of Congress, is the latest federal agency to undertake a review of the safety of helicopter emergency medical services.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board recently undertook separate reviews of helicotper EMS safety.
The GAO launched its review at the request of Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), a member of the House of Representative's Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which oversees the FAA. Officials familiar with the probe said the request had been pending for nearly a year. GAO investigators are said to be aiming to provide Costello with a report by year's end. After it is sent to him, it may be made public.
The GAO generally focuses on the role of the federal government and the performance of its agencies in matters of concern to a member of Congress. For this study, GAO investigators reportedly are focusing on nature and scope of the fixed- and rotary-wing EMS sector, unique safety and operational issues associated with it, and federal and state oversight of its safety and operations. GAO investigators have visited FAA Flight Standards inspectors and large helicopter EMS operators. They also observed the early May meeting of the Air Medical Safety Advisory Council and attended a subsequent safety forum in Dallas hosted by FlightSafety International.
Auditors Say Delays, Power Shortfall Plague Australian Tiger Program
Australia's initiative to upgrade its military helicopter fleet by acquiring 22 Eurocopter Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters is under fire from government auditors who say it is bogged down with technical problems and delays.
A review by the Australian National Audit Office found early production aircraft failed to meet requirements for weight, engine power, crash resistance, ability to fly over water and weapons system performance.
The auditors said the Turbomeca MTR390 engines for the aircraft "are contractually deficient because they are unable to deliver the required power output at the maximum operational requirement." An option to replace the existing engines could add Australian $110 million to the $1.96-million project.
The most important problem, according to the auditors, appears to be with the Tiger's avionics. The auditors said the aircraft cannot yet operate at night or in bad weather in Australian civil aviation airspace.
The defense ministry has accepted some Tigers but imposed operational limitations on them, including a requirement that they may only be flown by instructors and experienced aircrew.
The ministry wanted the Tigers in service by December 2004. The auditors said there is no clear indication when full operational capability will be attained. The ministry's contract is with Eurocopter subsidiary Australian Aerospace. Under it, the first four Tigers were to be built in France and the rest in Brisbane.
Australian Navy Grounds Sea Sprites; Defense Minister Orders Program Review
The Royal Australian Navy last month grounded its 10 Super Sea Sprites and Australia's defense minister has ordered a review of whether the project should be scrapped.
According to Kaman Aerospace, which makes the aircraft, the navy had encountered "an anomalous flight condition" on a training aircraft that was attributed to the airspeed sensor. The navy suspended flight operations pending resolution. Kaman said it believes that it has determined the anomaly's cause and has a plan to resolve the issue.
The Super Sea Sprite project dates back 10 years, with nearly Australian $1 billion spent on 11 helicopters, of which 10 have been delivered. The Super Sea Sprite was chosen for the ANZAC frigates and the cancelled ocean-going patrol boats, for which the Sea Hawk would have been too big. The Sea Hawk has been working with the Anzacs successfully.
New Zealand is operating its version of the Super Sea Sprite and is said to be well pleased with the helicopter. Australia's aircraft, however, have a special integrated electronics, with unique capabilities. Kaman changed subcontractors and the navy wanted as much Australian- supplied equipment as possible. Given the change of the original systems contractor, Kaman had problems from the start.
Kaman on May 16 said it "has been working closely" with the navy and "believes the program is close to completion." Last month, it said, it finished the last of about 400 pre-qualification software tests of the "technology-advancing Integrated Tactical Avionics System" (ITAS) software, and is preparing for the final qualification testing to be witnessed by Australia. "This process is expected to be followed by acceptance of the fully capable helicopters," Kaman said.
Boeing Weighs Future of Canard Rotor/Wing
Boeing is evaluating whether potential customers remain interested in development of its canard rotor/wing technology and whether it can recover from technical problems following the April 12 crash of the second of two demonstrator aircraft.
Answers to those two questions will determine whether the company pursues the concept further.
The crash at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz. destroyed the X-50A Dragonfly unmanned aerial vehicle. An investigation is continuing. Any decision on continuation of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-funded project will await its conclusion, said Clark Mitchell, Boeing's canard rotor-wing project manager. The investigation is expected to wrap up this month.
The initiative's objective is to test two foundational technologies--reaction-drive and a stopped rotor. The X-50A uses a conventional turbofan engine that diverts engine exhaust through exit nozzles in the rotor tips during rotary-wing flight. Once in full forward flight, the engine exhaust is diverted through a nozzle at the rear of the aircraft. The rotors then stop spinning and lock in place to become wings, providing lift.
The second aircraft crashed on the sixth of 11 planned flights in the test program. It had not yet performed the conversion from rotary-wing to fixed-wing flight.
Unconventional Weapons Used Against U.S. Helicopters--In The U.S.
Two men have been arrested for unusual attacks against helicopters in the United States.
In April, an illegal immigrant was sentenced to 38 months in a federal prison for a rock-throwing incident in July 2004. Antonio Eretza-Florez was a passenger in a stolen vehicle near Huachuca City, Ariz. when a police officer tried to stop the car. During the resulting pursuit, the stolen vehicle was forced off the road and became stuck. Eretza-Florez tried to escape on foot into the desert. When a U.S. Border Patrol helicopter spotted him and directed law officers toward his location, he picked up several rocks and started throwing them at the helicopter, requiring the pilot to take evasive action. Eretza-Florez will also be on 36 months supervised parole following his release from prison.
Also in April a man was arrested in Newport Beach, Calif. for allegedly pointing a powerful laser into the cockpit of a police helicopter, temporarily blinding the pilot. Peter Kontos could face up to three years in prison if found guilty of hitting the cockpit with the laser, reported to be 30 times more powerful than a standard laser pointer.
The helicopter was responding to a reported burglary near Kontos' home. The pilot was able to trace the source of the beam to Kontos' home. When police searched it, they reported finding cocaine and more than $100,000 in cash. Kontos is considered a suspect in the embezzlement of more than $1 million in funds from the condominium association that he once served as the association president.
MD Turns Five MD600Ns Over to Turkish National Police for Inspection, Acceptance
MD Helicopters on May 9 presented five MD600N helicopters to the Turkish National Police for inspection and acceptance. Police representatives, including their team leader and four pilots, were on hand at MD's Mesa, Ariz. facility site to begin that inspection and acceptance process.
The aircraft, the remaining five of 10 ordered by the Turkish National Police, are to be stationed in varied locations throughout Turkey. The police service headquarters its existing MD600Ns at Ankara and Istanbul. The aircraft are used for general law enforcement missions, including surveillance and patrol missions, in various regions of the country. Four of the new helicopters incorporate infrared systems to further assist law enforcement missions.
According to MD, one authority from the Turkish Police Aviation Dept. said the police have been successfully operating the five helicopters previously delivered. The company cited this official as saying the police are quite happy with the aircraft's performance.
"I take great pride in presenting the remaining MD600Ns to the Turkish National Police, taking one more step forward in demonstrating our deep commitment to our global customer base," said Lynn Tilton, MD chairman and acting CEO.
U.K. Defense Ministry Signs Off on Joint SAR As Private Finance Initiative
The U.K. Ministry of Defence and Transport Dept. have approved pursuit of a more integrated national search-and-rescue capability as a private-finance initiative competition.
The defense ministry and the Transport Dept.'s Maritime and Coastguard Agency currently jointly provide SAR services in the United Kingdom and the international seas and airspace for which it is responsible.
Together, they provide 24-hr. military and civil helicopter SAR service from 12 bases around the country with Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Sea Kings and civilian helicopters under contract to the coast guard agency.
Under the next stage of the Joint Search and Rescue-Helicopter (SAR-H) project, the defense and civilian agencies plan to replace this capability with a single contract under which military aircrews would train and work alongside civilian counterparts trained to the same standards. The defense ministry and coast guard agency would continue to manage SAR services, which would be financed privately under the scheme approved May 9.
Decisions have yet to made regarding what type or number of helicopters would be used, where they would be based and how long the SAR contract would run.
However, U.K. officials said, the SAR-H project has developed a detailed requirement specification to ensure that all aspects of the service requirement are met. Key performance indicators will be set and performance measured against these to ensure a high level of service is maintained.
Kaman's BURRO+ Logs 12-Hr.-Plus Flight in UAV Demo
Kaman Aerospace's BURRO+ vertical takeoff unmanned aerial vehicle demonstrated its mission endurance April 28 with what the company said was a 12-hr., 17-min. flight and simulated mission without refueling.
Based on Kaman's K-MAX helicopter, the BURRO+ departed Kaman's airfield in Bloomfield, Conn. at 0613 local with safety pilot John McGonagle on board and flew a pre-programmed, three-leg course repeatedly, autonomously landing at 1830. The flight path took the aircraft over western Massachusetts, Connecticut and eastern New York. The flight was intended to demonstrate BURRO+'s high-endurance capability.
"The Army is very interested in high-endurance capabilities in its new unmanned systems," said Bob Johnson, U.S. Army program manager. "Persistence over the battlefield is a key performance indicator and I am very impressed with this double-digit endurance proven by BURRO+."
The high-endurance demonstration aircraft utilized a modified version of the conformal firefighting belly tank that Kawak Aviation Technologies developed and certified for K-MAX with the backing of helicopter operator Superior Helicopter ("Broadening the Base," August 2005, page 24. Kawak modified the tank for Kaman to carry fuel instead of water.
D.C. Police Get Second AS350
Washington's Metropolitan Police Dept. has taken delivery of its second Eurocopter AS350B3.
N911AS joins its older hangar mate, N911DC, a 2001 AS350B3, at the South Capitol Street Heliport 2 mi. south of Capitol Hill.
The new aircraft is equipped with a Bendix aviation radio suite, Garmin 530 GPS with a terrain avoidance system, and Technisonic TBFM-6158 multi-band police radio. Mission equipment includes a forward-looking infrared imager with color video camera, search light, and AeroComputers mapping system.
The department's Helicopter Branch is one of the oldest police aviation operations in the United States. Formed in the 1960s, it began with a small fleet of single-engine Bell 47s. In the mid-1980s, it switched to the Hughes/McDonnell Douglas 500 series of single-engine, four-place turbines for patrol and a pair of surplus Bell UH-1s for tactical operations.
In 1996, deep budget cuts throughout the city government closed the Helicopter Branch, and its entire fleet of aircraft was sold off. In December 2001, the police chief revived the aviation program with a leased 1986 AS350BA retired from the California Highway Patrol. That aircraft was soon replaced by a new AS350B3--Story and Photo by Ernie Stephens
Eastern India Gets First Time Air Ambulance
The BM Birla Heart Research Center has launched an air ambulance service for eastern India, the first time this type of service has been available in the area.
The air ambulance service is being provided to the 4.6 million people of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in West Bengal, with the facility available for patients of BM Birla and the Calcutta Medical Research Institute. A single Bell 206, based in the Dum Dum Airport, is being provided by Rescue Services.
But availability of the service to the city will depend on demand. "We are ready to bring the facility closer to the heart of the city if the demand for it is good," an official said. "This is the first time that such a facility is being launched in eastern India. If the authorities see that there is a good demand for such emergency medical services then they will also increase the number of choppers."
U.S. Army Aviation Takes Over Unmanned Aerial Systems
The U.S. Army has shifted responsibility for training operators and maintainers of intelligence-gathering unmanned aerial systems from the U.S. Army Intelligence Center to the Aviation Warfighting Center.
On April 19, the service activated the provisional Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Battalion at Fort Huachuca and transferred that training authority to it from the 305th Military Intelligence Battalion.
The shift to the Aviation Warfighting Center, home of Army aviation, reflects the technical and doctrinal evolution of UAVs in the Army. While UAVs play an increasing role in the traditional areas of intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, the operational impact of UAVs and their importance to air power needs and future combat is just beginning to be appreciated.
"The potential for other mission for our unmanned systems is limitless--homeland defense, disaster relief, combined arms operations, stability and support operations, and contingency operations to name a few," said Brig. Gen. E. J. Sinclair, commanding general of the Aviation Warfighting Center.
"Our soldiers will continue to adapt our unmanned systems to accomplish their assigned missions safer and more efficiently than ever before," he said.
* H-1--Two Bell Helicopter UH-1Ys and two AH-1Zs finally flew flown to Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif. May 9 to begin their delayed operational evaluation. The U.S. Marine Corps program's OpEval is slated to last six months.
*Firefighting--Taiwan has expanded its tender for nine firefighting helicopters to include aircraft equipped with water buckets. This will expand the field of competitors to include the AW139, Bell 412EP and Mi-17.
*Transport--Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration has given Eurocopter the green light to begin production development for the first of 245 new military transport helicopters with a total value of between $6 billion and $8 billion. Actual production is expected to begin in 2011.
*Heavy Lift--CH-53K program managers are expected to announce the engine and cockpit providers within the next couple of months. Engine bids were due to Sikorsky, which is managing the program for the U.S. Marine Corps, May 22.
*Shipborne--U.S. Navy's newest amphibious ship, USS San Antonio, is expected to complete aircraft dynamic interface testing later this month. The "first of class tests" evaluate the safety of operations of Naval/Marine helicopters on-board the ship. The USS San Antonio can support up to CH-53E and MV-22 size aircraft.
*Utility--Thailand has asked the U.S. government for permission to purchase six MH-60s, including 14 GE T700 engines, valued as high as $246 million based on future options. Orders for the first two are expected within the next three months.
*Utility--First of Four Super Lynx 300s for the South African Air Force has flown and will start flight testing prior to being shown at Farnborough Air Show.
*Attack--Boeing will roll out the 501st AH-64D Longbow Apache in early August, the last to be built under the first two multi-year contracts. Boeing also is working to extend its Block 2 AH-64D line to replaced AH-64Ds lost in combat.
EH101: Large Field of Fire, Small Footprint
A relatively small footprint, anti-brown out capability and large field of fire are major attributes of AgustaWestland's EH101-based contender for the U.S. Air Force's Combat Search and Rescue-X aircraft competition, according to the company. The bid is being made by Team US101, the collaboration of Lockheed Martin, AgustaWestland, and Bell Helicopter.
Team US101 is offering an upgraded version of the EH101 powered by three 3,000-shp General Electric CT7-8C engines, the same engine going onto the U.S. Marine Corps' VH-71 presidential helicopter. Stephen Moss, CEO of AgustaWestland North America, said a major advantage of the 101 is a footprint smaller than Boeing's HH-47, which he said is the only other battle-proven competitor. The -47 has a length of nearly 99 ft. with rotors turning compared to the roughly 75 ft. of the 101, Moss said. Boeing officials counter that their aircraft's tandem- rotor configuration allows most of that length to be usable cabin volume for CSAR crews rather than the less usable space of a tail boom on tail-rotor-equipped aircraft.
Other design advantages of the 101, according to Moss, include the rotor tips on the British Experiment Rotor Program (BERP) main-rotor blades. He said the rotor blades are designed to push dust or snow away from the helicopter rather than pull it into the fuselage area. Another is the small, aft mounted sponsons that allow a door gunner to fire directly down, and to some extent below the aircraft. While having three engines increases engine cost and maintenance, it also increases the chance of completing the mission, Moss said. "With a twin-engine helicopter, if you lose one engine, the remaining engine will allow you to land safely or possibly return to your home base. With triple redundancy, if you lose one you can still continue on and complete the mission."
USAF Developing New SkyTote UAV
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory will begin the next cycle of testing on the SkyTote UAV this month at Camp Roberts, Calif. SkyTote is a hybrid fixed/rotary-wing aircraft that takes off and lands vertically using counter rotating propellers, then transition to horizontal flight like a conventional aircraft in flight. The design concept is essentially like the Convair XFY-1 Pogo developed in the 1950s.
It is being developed by AeroVironment of Monrovia, Calif. for the lab. Research on the SkyTote began in 1998. Since then, it has grown from a 2-ft. to an 8-ft. vehicle to be more realistic, although the aircraft is a concept demonstrator and not a working system, according to Tom Cord, the lab's SkyTote program manager.
"We are not trying to reach a certain performance and capability," he said. "We are trying to show that a hovering UAV with a fast, forward speed is a likelihood. It's something we can do in a simple way," he said.
Sikorsky Puts Out Call for Engineers
A projected doubling in its business from 2003 to 2008 has sent Sikorsky Aircraft on a hiring frenzy to fill a need for more than 300 engineers covering both civil and military aircraft.
The company will hold job fairs over the next few months covering states in which Sikorsky has facilities where the new employees would be working, including Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Alabama and New York. Areas of particular interest are for engineers trained in systems, flight controls design and analysis, structural analysts, air vehicle design with CATIA experience, electrical and avionics.
Mark Miller, Sikorsky's vice president, research & engineering, said the company is "ramping up several new military and commercial programs at a rapid pace, while continuing to invest in innovative research and development projects that set the stage for continued growth in the future." He emphasized that while the company is looking for engineers with aerospace backgrounds, "our experience has demonstrated that many of our finest engineers have often come from other industries."
Engineering candidates interested in a career at Sikorsky or its subsidiaries can view job postings on the internet at www.sikorskycareers.com.
Texas Starflight Gets Second EC145
The Austin/Travis County, Texas EMS/Rescue program has accepted delivery of their second new single-pilot IFR Eurocopter EC145, which was converted to EMS operations by Metro Aviation under contract to American Eurocopter. Both aircraft are identically equipped for emergency medical and rescue operations, including cargo hooks and external hoists.
Each has Metro's STC'd SPIFR system, which is night-vision goggle-compatible, and the Metro 145M-100 EMS interior capable of transporting three attendants and two patients, a single patient with four attendants, or conversion to special operations in 10 min.
Stanley Hiller Dies At 81
Stanley Hiller, Jr., one of the last great pioneers of the helicopter industry, died April 20 of complications from Alzheimer's disease.
The son of an early pioneer in airplane and airplane engines, Hiller was born Nov. 15, 1924, and started his business career at the age of 12 making mini-racing cars. By 15, with help from his father (left in the large photo), he was head of a company grossing over $1 million a year making aircraft parts for the military in preparation for the rapidly approach war.
In the early 1940s, he formed Hiller Aircraft Co. and developed an early model of the helicopter for the U.S. Navy. He founded United Helicopters, Inc. in 1945. There he developed his first helicopter, the Commuter. The successor to the Commuter was the 360, which he got certified by the Civil Aeronautics Agency in 1948 and which was only the third helicopter to receive certification. This led to his highly successful line of helicopters. Hiller's helicopters gained famed initially in the jungle wars of Malaysia and French Indochina in the late 1940s, and then the Korea War. Hiller's most famous helicopters, the UH-12E, are still in use today.
Helinet AviationSigns Pacts Aimed At Tapping Gov't Markets
Helinet Aviation Services has signed teaming agreements with Cambridge Systems Inc. and EC America designed to help Helinet penetrate the federal government market for its products and services, especially the company's family of gyro-stabilized, high-definition multi-sensor airborne imaging systems. The Van Nuys, Calif.-based company will now be featured on the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) schedule, a critical step in selling to federal agencies.
The teaming agreement will allow Helinet to market its services and products, particularly its Cineflex gyro-stabilized digital camera system, to federal agencies such as the Homeland Security Dept.
Its agreement with EC America will help guide and accelerate Helinet through the government scheduling process, while the Cambridge Systems agreement will allow the Cineflex system to be integrated into "a multi-tiered security solution, which encompasses public transportation, port security and emergency response applications," said Chris Snyder, Helinet vice president of government business development.
Cambridge will also provide additional opportunities to Helinet through small business set aside contract vehicles, he said.
Andrew Schreiner, Cambridge System's director of business development, said his company "chose to partner with Helinet because their state-of-the-art Cineflex gyro-stabilized digital camera system technology is ideally suited for long range reconnaissance, and identification recognition from up to 5 mi. away."
EADS North America has received a $709,000 contract to develop program software for the shaft engine test instrumentation program that allows the shaft engine test system to support the VH-71 presidential helicopter.
CHC Helicopter Corp. has been awarded a three-year contract renewal, plus options, by Tullow Oil Plc., for the provision of a sole-use AW139 helicopter commencing in July, 2006, and a seven-year contract renewal, plus options, by Perenco UK Ltd., also for the provision of a sole-use AW139 commencing later this year. Both aircraft will be based at CHC's base at North Denes, England, replacing older model aircraft.
Lockheed Martin Corp. was awarded a $16.1 million firm-fixed-price contract for radar frequency interferometer systems for the Apache AH-64D Helicopters. It also received an estimated $51 million advance acquisition contract for long lead efforts and materials associated with the production and delivery of the fiscal year 2007 full rate production of 25 Lot V MH-60R helicopter mission avionics systems.
Boeing was awarded a $67.6 million contract for remanufacturing of AH-64As and FMS AH-64As to AH-64D Apache Longbow Aircraft, as well as a $44.4 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for remanufacture of six AH-64D aircraft. It was also awarded a $120.3 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for reliability and safety and recapitalization overhaul for fielded AH-64s.
Boeing was also awarded six multiple delivery orders in the total amount of $301.4 million for spare parts for the CH-47 Chinook, as well as a $7.5 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for long lead parts for the CH-47.
Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. was awarded a $16.5 million modification to a firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Kiowa Warrior safety enhancement program.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh presented a top Search and Rescue award to Master Aircrewman (MACR) Nicholas Petch, from Scarborough, on Monday 8th May. Petch won the Billy Deacon Search and Rescue Memorial Trophy has been won by MACR Petch for his `exceptional fearlessness in the face of danger' in March 2005 while attempting to save the lives of a mother and two children who were swept off the sea wall at Scarborough North Bay.
Member Ellen Engleman Conners resigned from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board effective May 31. President Bush appointed her chairman of the board in March 2003 and she served in that capacity for two years. Her term as a board member was to expire on Dec. 31, 2007.
Rolls-Royce has name Adm. Vern Clark, U.S. Navy (Ret.) to the board of Rolls-Royce North America Holdings Inc. Clark was the Navy's chief of naval operations and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Wingspeed Corp. has named David Borkowski vice president of world wide sales, responsible for XLLink Voice and Data Communication System products.
CHC Helicopter Corp. named Rick Davis acting chief financial officer, succeeding Senior Vice President and CFO Jo Mark Zurel, who the company said resigned for personal reasons. Davis had been vice president of financial reporting.
June 22-23--Conklin & de Decker `s Fourth Annual Commercial Operators & Management Tax Course, Dallas on June 22-23, 2006. Contact: David Wyndham, (508) 255-5975; E-mail: email@example.com; Web: www.conklindd.com/Store/pdf/COMSeminar.pdf.
July 8-9--Imperial War Museum Flying Legends Air Show, Duxford War Museum, Duxford, England. Contact: 44-1223-835-000; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com; Web: iwm.org.uk.
July 15-16--Royal International Air Tattoo 2006, Fairford, UK. Contact: www.airtattoo.com.
July 18-23--Farnborough International Air Show, Farnborough, England. Contact: 44-20 7227 1043; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com; Web: www.farnborough.com.
July 24-30--EAA Airventure 2006, Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wisc. Contact: (920) 426-6523; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com; Web: www.airventure.org.
July 26-30--International HeliDays Plus, Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England. Contact: Elfan Ap Rees, 011-44-(0)1934-822-524; E-mail: email@example.com. Web: www.helidays.freeserve.co.uk.
Aug. 10-12--Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (LABACE 2006). Congonhas Airport, S�o Paulo, Brazil. Contact: Dan Hubbard, (202) 783-9360; E-mail: email@example.com; Web: www.nbaa.org.
Sept. 16-18--National Guard Assn. of the United States 128th General Conference and Exhibition, Albuquerque, N.M. Contact: Web: www.ngaus.org.
Oct. 17-19--NBAA 59th Annual Meeting and Convention, Orlando Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla. Contact: NBAA (202) 783-9000; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Web: www.nbaa.com.
Nov. 14-15--Heli-Power, Olympia Conference Centre, London, England. Contact: Claire Lynam, 44-(0) 1628 606950; E-mail: email@example.com.
Dec. 3-4--Middle East Business Aviation (MEBA), Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Contact: Barbara Saunders, 971-4-390-8161; E-mail: email@example.com; Web: www.dubaishow.org.


text:
Give the kids what they want out of a vacation, and they won't be the only ones smiling
Author CHRIS WRIGHT
IT'S FUNNY HOW idealism trumps practicality when it comes to family vacations. Determined to do right by our children, we haul them around the Louvre or stuff them into lumpy sleeping bags, wondering what went wrong when the inevitable wailing starts. Well, Mom and Dad, here's what went wrong: Kids don't want to build character when they go on holiday. They want to have fun. The trick is finding a resort that provides so much of what kids want that they don't even realize they're getting what they need.
The Rocking Horse Ranch in Highland, N.Y., has miles of riding trails that allow kids to get in touch with their inner Wyatt Earp (or Calamity Jane) and catch up on the fresh air and exercise they've missed while hunched over their computers "doing homework." Other outdoorsy activities at this family-run dude ranch include rock climbing, horseshoe pitching and marshmallow roasting. Oh, and there's the Red Ryder BB Gun Shooting Gallery, too.
Anyone who's seen Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (or, for a more current movie reference, Avatar) has probably dreamed of hanging out at a place like the Out 'n' About Treesort, which comprises 18 treetop cabins ranging from basic to semiluxurious. Located amid 36 acres of wilderness in Takilma, Ore., it's a spot where kids can commune with nature in ways that get their adrenaline flowing. Everywhere you look, there are ladders, swings, rope bridges and tree-to-tree zip lines. There's ground-floor stuff, too, like arts and crafts workshops, swimming and hiking. The Treesort even puts on oddball entertainment at night, such as juggling acts and medicine shows, in the unlikely event that any of its guests has an ounce of energy left.
There are also zip lines at Sentosa, but that's no surprise, given that this resort has pretty much every kid-friendly activity on the planet. Situated on a 1,236-acre island in the Singapore Strait, Sentosa is a jumble of marine parks, luge rides, interactive cinemas, cable cars, laser shows, wave pools, indoor skydiving facilities and terrifying roller coasters. Even the edifying options here come with a thrill: The pretty Butterfly Park, for instance, is right next door to the ew!-inspiring Insect Kingdom.
For more sedate families, there's sun, sea and cartoons at Aulani, a Disney resort on Oahu. Aunty's Beach House has caregivers to keep the small-fry busy, and there's a teen spa for older kids — allowing Mom and Dad a little time to themselves — plus scavenger hunts, fireside storytelling and chats with Mickey Mouse. The resort has made a genuine effort to incorporate elements of local culture, so don't be surprised to hear your offspring warbling "E Hula Mai 'Oe" on the plane home.
Culture likewise abounds at The Athenaeum in central London. Located a scone's throw from Buckingham Palace, the hotel treats even its youngest visitors like royalty. Kids get their own concierges, who will have learned in advance their guests' favorite food, reading material and music so that these may be provided upon arrival. The concierges will also arrange theater tickets and help plan itineraries. Even if the latter results solely in your precious ones making a beeline for the tony fashion retailers of Oxford Street, they'll stumble across a hundred historical landmarks on the way.
If the kids seem more interested in celebrity than aristocracy, try Atlantis Paradise Island, the Bahamas resort where running into folks like Justin and Britney in the lobby is not outside the realm of possibility. Tweens will swoon at the carefully crafted cool factor here. There's a mini mall with hamburger joints and pizzerias that are perfect hangouts for honing an air of nonchalance. And there's Crush, a teen nightclub that's strictly adult-free between 9 p.m. and midnight, and which glows with iPads, gaming cabanas and video walls. The educational possibilities at Crush seem limited, but — who knows? — maybe the ability to request songs via touchscreen will come in handy in a professional environment one day.
For an even closer brush with fame, stay at Hollywood's Sheraton Universal Hotel, a.k.a. the "Hotel of the Stars." The big attraction is a short tram ride away: Universal Studios Hollywood, which offers daily behind-the-scenes tours. Jimmy Stewart worked here, as did W.C. Fields and Elizabeth Taylor. Your children won't know who these people are, and they'll be too busy thinking about seeing the Shrek special-effects show to care, but there's a chance they'll soak up some culture while wandering these hallowed lots — and that alone is surely worth the price of admission.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Workshop Proceeding
Review of the WATERS Network Science Plan (2010)Water Science and Technology Board
Proper management of water resources has become a critical issue, driven by population growth, urbanization, changing land use patterns, and climate change. The Water and Environmental Research Systems (WATERS) Network, proposed for funding through the National Science Foundation, is one initiative that could provide advances in basic science needed to respond effectively to that challenge. The WATERS Network would integrate hydrologic observatories and experimental facilities across the United States, linking them with high-performance computing and telecommunications networks.
This National Research Council report, sponsored by National Science Foundation, finds that the WATERS Network Science Plan outlines a compelling vision for ways in which new, integrative hydrologic, engineering, and social science research can help address pressing water management concerns while advancing water science and education. However, the argument for the need to construct a simultaneously operated national observatory network is less convincing. The report recommends that the WATERS team bolster its case for a national network or consider other funding mechanisms that would allow phased construction. The WATERS team should also coordinate and collaborate with related government and nongovernment agencies and organizations at an early stage.


text:
WITH A $500* Visa® Prepaid Card
by mail-in or online rebate on qualifying purchases of $500 or more when you use your BRP Card 1/1/19 through 02/29/20.
©2019 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. In the U.S.A., products are distributed by BRP US Inc. Offers valid in U.S.A. only. The terms and conditions may vary depending on your state and these offers are subject to termination or change at any time without notice. Offer may not be assigned, traded, sold or combined with any other offer unless expressly stated herein. Other conditions may apply. Void where prohibited by law.
*All rebate offers are subject to credit approval. Make a qualifying purchases of $500 - $4,999.99 to receive a $50 Visa prepaid card, or for a qualifying purchase of $5,000 - $9,999.99 to receive a $250 Visa prepaid card, or for a qualifying purchase of $10,000 or more to receive a $500 Visa prepaid card. Purchases must be made between 1/1/19 - 02/29/20. Complete purchase must be made on the BRP Card. One Visa prepaid card per transaction. Not valid on prior purchases. Visa prepaid card is given to you as a rebate and no money has been paid by you for the card. Prepaid Card is issued by MetaBank®, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. No cash access or recurring payments. Can be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. Prepaid Cards expire after 6 months; unused funds will forfeit after the valid through date. Card terms and conditions apply.The BRP Card is issued by Citibank, N.A. The BRP logo is a trademark of Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. or its affiliates.
ATTENTION: This business has a 2.75% cash discount included in all pricing. All purchases made with a bankcard will not receive the cash discount and a small 2.75% adjustment in price will be applied and shown on your receipt. Cash Discount Services provided by: Focus Merchant Services 1-866-996-8401.


text:
Tamiflu for Children Temporarily in Short Supply in U.S.
January 09, 2014
By Bill Berkrot
In what is shaping up to be a tough and widespread flu season in the United States, one of the leading medicines used to treat children with severe influenza is in short supply.
"There has been strong and early demand for Tamiflu Oral Suspension (OS) and we are experiencing a temporary delay in the packaging of Tamiflu OS," said Tara Iannuccillo, a spokeswoman for Roche Holding AG's Genentech unit which manufactures the drug and uses distributors to supply retail pharmacies with the product.
"A brief shortage of OS is expected through mid-January. We may be unable to fill complete orders from distributors for a limited time," Iannuccillo added.
Tamiflu (oseltamivir) is used to reduce the severity of the flu when taken at the outset of symptoms. The oral suspension of the drug is primarily prescribed for children under the age of 13 and for people who have difficulty swallowing.
The delay in packaging of the liquid version has not impacted supplies of regular Tamiflu 75 milligram capsules, Genentech said.
The flu is spreading quickly this season, with 25 states already reporting cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thousands of people die every year from flu, which typically peaks in the United States between the months of October and March. This season's virus has killed six children in the United States so far, according to CDC data.
Roche said it expects to have additional supply of Tamiflu OS available in mid-January.
"We expect that these new supplies should meet demand for OS overall and we will continue to receive and ship out new supplies of Tamiflu OS and capsules throughout the flu season," Iannuccillo said.
If the drug is unavailable in a particular area during the shortage, pharmacists can mix the capsules into an oral suspension for people who need it.
Meanwhile, the CDC is recommending that people continue to get flu shots to prevent the virus.
"We are seeing a big uptick in disease in the past couple of weeks," Dr. Joe Bresee, chief of Epidemiology and Prevention in the CDC's Influenza Division, said last week.
"There is still a lot of season to come. If folks haven't been vaccinated, we recommend they do it now," he said.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Click For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp


text: James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), U.S.–European Space Agency–Canadian satellite observatory proposed as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and scheduled to be launched by an Ariane 5 rocket in 2021. The JWST will have a mirror 6.5 metres (21.3 feet) in diameter, seven times larger than that of the HST, and will orbit the Sun in a Lissajous pattern around the second Lagrangian point, about 1.5 million km (930,000 miles) from Earth on the planet's nightside. The telescope is designed primarily to detect light in the infrared in order to observe sources such as the first galaxies and protostars that radiate at those wavelengths. Since infrared satellite observatories must be protected from thermal radiation, a sun shield about 150 square metres (1,600 square feet) in area will be deployed to protect the telescope. Since there is no rocket wide enough to hold the JWST, both the sun shield and the mirror will be launched folded and will unfold when the telescope reaches its proper orbit.


text:
Not sure the technical name for this case lol but it's found at Michaels too. The following pictures below are each side of the box and close ups of some of the embellishments. It was made for the youngest son of my husbands cousin. His room is done in John Deere and he loves matchbox cars so this is what I came up with. The sides and inside was altered with fabric wrapped around cardboard and hot glued to the wood. All the other embellishments were added with hot glue also. All supplies except fabric was found at Michael's. Fabric was bought from Hobby Lobby.
Front of case. The tacks along the box are actually iron on embellishments that I just used to look like tacks. Hot glued to the fabric. Name is Glittered Chipboard and the praying hands are card charms.
The back side was decorated with farming embellishments and both ends were decorated with cars, trucks, & farming equipment. These embellishments were painted wood decorations that were premade. The vehicles were magnets but I used them on the sides.


text:
On this page, you will learn to enable USB debugging in Cat S40. You will be able to start enabling USB debugging on your Cat S40 by following the steps below. If you own any one of Cat devices and want to enable USB debugging on your Cat device, read the rest of article. You can also download Cat S40 USB drivers to prevent unrecognized USB connections.
Steps to enable USB debugging in Cat S40
- Go to App drawer on your Cat S40
- On your phone, go to Settings→About Device/Phone
- You will have to look for Build Number of your Cat S40
- Just tap over build number section about 7 to 10 times
- After tapping over build number, your device will display popup message saying that "you are now a developer"
- This will simply, unlock Developer Options menu in your Cat S40 Android device
Recommended Cat device tutorials (You should read)
You might want to know how to install Cat S40 USB drivers to be able to establish fine connection between smartphone to PC for firmware flashing purpose. Do follow the given useful articles below:
Do comment below about Cat S40 Android device if you have any problems while enabling USB debugging.


text:
Change the default interval for checking if the website is up
We ping your website according to the Monitoring interval. If that increases your server load, we recommend increasing the interval.
- Log in to your Pro account. (Need help logging in?)
- Click Pro Clients and select Pro Sites.
- Click Websites in the left sidebar.
- Hover over the website and click Open website dashboard.
- Click Uptime Monitor in the left sidebar and then click Uptime Settings in the upper-right corner.
- In the General section, select the Monitoring interval and then click Save Changes.


text:
We're working hard on the FB page to keep it updated with all the news we post up on here on SA. Facebook is a huge part of social media so we are making sure we include it in all of our work here on SA. Spread the word to your friends, hit us up and LIKE us, and let us know what you think.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)


text:
Precision Leveler Providing Shape Correction for Boron-Clad Material
There are 0 comments | Post a comment
Monday, December 1, 2008
Ceradyne Canada, Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada, a manufacturing division of Ceradyne Inc., Costa Mesa, CA, installed a precision leveler to accompany a new rolling mill used to process boron-clad material. The leveler, a 3.5 Series machine from B&K, of Formtek-Maine, Clinton, ME, features 17 work rolls —3.5-in. dia.—and a 100-hp drive to provide shape correction to material in thicknesses to 0.330 in. and lengths to 192 in. It also has a special, low passline height of 32 in. to allow the material to move directly from the rolling mill through the leveler and onto conveyors.
Other leveler features: manually adjustable upper backups, a power tilt head and power-adjustable backup roll to allow for the correction of edge wave, center buckle, cross bow and coil set.
See also: Formtek Group, Inc., Ceradyne, Inc.
Related Enterprise Zones: Coil Handling, Materials/Coatings


text:
Mplus Home
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Two-part modeling
Mplus Discussion
Growth Modeling of Longitudinal Data
Michael Spaeth
posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 - 10:26 am
I have a question regarding two-part modeling and the Brown et al. (2005) article which one can download from your hp.
1) the authors recommend to check for the the growth-shape in both parts separately. Referring on ex. 6.16, does this mean I can set an exclamation mark in the binary-model row and binary "data-two part"-row, to test the shape for the cont-model and vice versa for the binary model, or do I have to modify the data and test each part "really" separately?
2) the authors refer to log likelihood chi square testing to compare the nested model. Where do I find these relevant likelehood values for this testing? mplus depicts only H0 likelihood value. I'm using MLR with numerical integration.
3.) Are there any other strategies to fit two-part models?
4) I plan to fit a two part model in an intervention group and control group. After that i want to do multiple goup modeling. Is it necessary that the growth shape of both parts of the intervention group is equal to the correspondend parts of the two-part model of the control group (e.g. both groups have a linear slope in the binary part and a quadratic slope in the cont-part)... I know, that this is a necessary condition in normal LGM multiple group comparison.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 - 10:49 am
1) You can simply comment out the model part and the variables in the USEV list (and categorical list).
2) The LLs should be used. I don't think using chi-square testing for the continuous part is correct, because that is acting as if the missing data was seen in the data.
3) See the Kim & Muthen 2-part factor analysis paper on this web site.
4) This is the same as for regular growth. I think one type of intervention effect could be that the growth shape changes after the intervention, so I wouldn't restrict myself there.
Michael Spaeth
posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 - 5:20 am
Thanks a lot Prof. Muth�n!
1.) o.k.
2.) The "HO Value"? I have used MLR for both parts, just as it is described in ex 6.16. Is it also possible to use ML, because then i can use the values without correction and this is not so time-consuming!? Articles related to two-part give no hint regarding this issue...
3.) thanks!
4.) just to clarify: both corresponding parts in control and intervention group must have the same growth shape to do multiple group? So if that is not the case, i would follow the covariate approach as described in Brown et al. (2005) to test for intervention effects...
Michael Spaeth
posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 - 8:24 am
2.) I've done some calculations since my last post. two-part indeed helped to normalize my data, so I'm guite sure that I can modify ex. 6.16 with regard to: MLR=ML and tranformation = log into transformation = none, right?
If that is right, only question no. 4 is still a little bit unclear for me :-).
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 - 11:36 am
2) Yes, the H0 LL value. No transformation is ok, but log transformation is more statistically sound. ML might be sufficient.
4) If you have an intervention dummy covariate influencing a slope growth factor, then the intervention and control group should have the same growth shape for this influence to be seen as an intervention effect.
Michael Spaeth
posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 - 2:31 am
thanks again...! my last questions so far: I've done a log-transformation in two-part and after that I was not able to find a sufficient fitting growth shape for the continuous part. In detail: With log transformation my alcohol-use mean decreased from t1 to t2 which hinders the growth shape to be modelled in a linear or quadratic fashion. In the untransformed data I found this was not the case. The mean increased from t1 to t2.
Any possible reasons for that?
4) how can one statistically test for intervention effects if the continuous parts have not the same shape? (the binary parts do have)
Michael Spaeth
posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 - 5:58 am
sorry, short question concerning 1.) again... I've done separated growth shape analyses for both parts. The final solution fitted very well in both parts. Then I combined the final solution from both parts to "one" two-part model as in ex. 6.16, to let the growth factors correlate and to introduce my covariate. The unconditional model derived from the separate analyses fits very poor and I got a PSI-Error without no hint for possible reasons in Tech4. Also when I introduce my covariate.
In addition: When i comment out the model parts as you recommend under 1.), to do separate analyses, my N reduced due to missings on all measurement points, but this warning didn't upcome when I did analyses with the whole model (correlated growth factors as in ex 6.16) and analyses are done with the whole N. Also the estimated means for the continuous part slitely differ between the "whole" model and separate analyses...
I'm a little bit confused...
Michael Spaeth
posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 - 6:05 am
forgot to mention, that my N reduced only in the separate analyses for the continuous part, as expected
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 - 6:21 pm
I will try to answer these questions briefly so not to get into statistical consulting which we can't offer.
2:31 post:
If a variable increases in mean over time, the log of that variable should also increase over time since log is a monotonic transformation. Perhaps you include the zero part of the variable when you studied the unlogged variable - if the number of zeros decrease over time the mean might increase.
Regarding intervention effect with different growth shapes for control and tx groups, you can estimate the different mean curves and compute (via Model constraint) the estimated mean difference between the curves at any time point.
5:58 post:
The models estimated from each part separately should not differ that much in parameter values from the joint model - if big differences occur this might be a sign that the joint model is misspecified. A typical cause might be that more random effects need to be correlated across the processes. This could also resolve the Psi message - which might be due to several (more than 2) latent variables having a linear relation.
The analysis of the joint model benefits from the "MAR" approach to missing data where you always have observations on the binary part but not always on the continuous part. Having observations on at least the binary part keeps the individual in the analysis sample.
Michael Spaeth
posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 - 3:09 am
Regarding log: No, I only added "Transform none" to the separated cont-model (binary model was comment out). No zeros are included in log and none-log analyses, N was equally decreased in both analyses. But I have many values within the range of 0.1 to 0.99.
Leah Rohlfsen
posted on Monday, January 28, 2008 - 3:46 pm
I am doing a two-part growth model for males and females. I am trying to fit the model without predictors.
First, is it necesary to use algorithm=integration? It is NOT telling me I have to unless I try to correlate iu with sy, which I don't think I need to do.
Second, when I run the model, I am getting estimates and est./s.e. for the means, thresholds, variances and residual variances but I am not getting the est./s.e. for the growth factors or intercepts. Instead it is giving me .999. Is this problematic or unusual?
I am new to these models, so I really appreciate your help! I have included the syntax for my model statment in case it helps.
iu su |
iy sy |
[bin3$1 bin4$1 bin5$1 bin6$1 bin7$1](2);
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Monday, January 28, 2008 - 3:55 pm
Please send your input, data, output, and license number to
Michael Spaeth
posted on Thursday, January 31, 2008 - 6:56 am
In my understanding mplus always uses algorithm = integration in the binary part of the model and in the whole model regardless of specifying covariances. This leads to my problem. I want to test for influences of covariates on my outcome (time variant and time invariant). These tests include mediational effects. The manual declares that it is not possible to use Model indirect command in conjunction with algorithm = integration. Which options do I have to test for mediational effects in two part models? It would be best if these options include time variant and time invariant mediational testing. Thanks!
Leah Rohlfsen
posted on Thursday, January 31, 2008 - 10:04 am
I want to make sure I completely understand the estimate for the mean of the 'iu' parameter in two-part models for two classes. For latent class #1, the estimate is -1.247 and for latent class #2, the estimate is .000. How are these interpreted? Is the estimate for class #1, the log odds of having any of the outcome COMPARED to class #2? Is it appropriate to exponentiate -1.247 (=.287) and then subtract it from 1 (1-.287 = .713) and say class #1 is 71% less likely to have any (outcome)compared to class #2?
Similarly, in regular latent class modeling with two groups for an ordinal outcome, the estimate of the mean of 'i' for group #1 is .000 and for group #2 it is -.037. Are these interpreted similar to above (it is an estimate of the intercept in comparison to the other group)? Is this why one group's estimate is .000?
Also, if the estimate for one of the groups (classes) is not significant, then there are no siginificant differences between the groups (classes) in the intercept (i or iu)?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, January 31, 2008 - 4:52 pm
Model Indirect for algo = integration has not been implemented yet because it is more complex. However, for any model you can use Model Constraint to define a mediation parameter, say m = a*b, and this gives you a SE for it so you can test it. But note that it is not obvious (to me) that this product formula holds for the two-part model, or how it would have to be modified. - Perhaps something for a methods paper? Perhaps Dave MacKinnon at ASU knows or is interested.
Leah Rohlfsen
posted on Friday, February 01, 2008 - 2:26 pm
This is a question in regards to the post on Thursday, Jan 31st at 10:04 am. I may not have been clear in my question...is there any other information that I can give to help you answer my question?
Thank you. I really appreciate your help!
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Friday, February 01, 2008 - 3:26 pm
Going back to your question from Jan 31 at 10:04:
[iu] refers to the mean of the random intercept of the binary part of the 2-part model. The binary part is a logistic growth model for experiencing the event in question. Individual differences in development over time of this probability are expressed by random growth factors. So a good place to read more about this is in books on binary random effects growth modeling such as Applied Longitudinal Analysis by Fitzmaurice, Laird and Ware. With the twist that you have two latent classes.
Extracting a quick answer from this for you, note that the probability of u=1 (observing the event) at the time point where the time score is zero (often the first time point) is directly related to [iu] as
(1) P(u=1) = 1/(1 + exp(-L)),
where L = logit = log odds for u=1 vs u=0 = -t + [iu] with t denoting the threshold parameter. Here [iu] = 0 for one class and estimated freely for the others. From (1) you can compute the probability of u=1 for each class when the random intercept is at its mean (note that you have to condition on the mean). And as you say, in line with regular logistic regression with a binary outcome and a binary covariate (the latter being your latent class), you can exponentiate [iu] to get the odds ratio (I would not subtract from 1 etc, but simply talk in terms of odds ratio). But talking in terms of probabilities may be more down to earth.
And, yes, one group having mean zero is to provide this reference group.
And, yes, on your last question.
Michael Spaeth
posted on Friday, February 08, 2008 - 10:48 am
Bengt, back to your answer from Jan. 31 at 4.25pm
Thank's! Yes it would be best to contact him! Together with Cheong and Khoo he recommends parallel process modeling for testing mediational effects in LGM (2003). I have a strong theory for my mediational effect so the, in fact, correlational relationship between mediator and outcome wouldn't mind me. Is it possible to use this approach in mplus two-part modeling? It seems to me, that there is no model indirect command needed in the case of parallel process modeling. This would help me to investigate mediational effects with my covariates specified as time invariant (T1 value and time averaged). I also investigate their mediational effects within my two part model specified as time variant covariates. For this case I also see no other way instead of asking a specialist like MacKinnon.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Friday, February 08, 2008 - 5:59 pm
You can have a parallel process growth model in the 2-part modeling framework. But a regular auto-regressive parallel process (cross-lagged model) wouldn't be able to have the 2-part structure.
Michael Spaeth
posted on Saturday, February 09, 2008 - 6:15 am
just to clarify, it makes sense that my first process (mediator) is normal LGM and my second process is 2-part and that I regress 2-part both growth-parameters on LGM growth parameters?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Sunday, February 10, 2008 - 9:31 am
Yes, that seems fine. But build up this complex model in small steps.
Michael Spaeth
posted on Monday, February 11, 2008 - 12:37 am
thank's so far, your comments are very helpful! yes, this model building promises to be fun...
Michael Spaeth
posted on Wednesday, April 09, 2008 - 10:37 am
I have quite large residuals in the continuous part, when I add the both parts to a complete model (correlated growth parameters, in a separate continuous model it fits fine). I have tried a lot of modifications and nothing helped. Then I let "iy" predict "sy" to control for iy-baseline. I looked at the residuals and found a substantial improvement but BIC and AIC (as a rough indicator of the whole two part model) got worse. What's going on there!?
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, April 09, 2008 - 10:56 am
Please send your input, data, output, and license number to
Li Lin
posted on Wednesday, September 08, 2010 - 1:55 pm
Could you tell me what is wrong with following code? Mean estimate for growth factors was not in output, and all growth factors ON x were 0 for both population and replicates average. Thanks!
MONTECARLO: NAMES = ...; CUTPOINTS = x(0);...GENERATE = u1-u4(1); MISSING = y1-y4; CATEGORICAL = u1-u4; MODEL POPULATION: [
; iu su1|
; iu su2|
; [u1$1-u4$1*1.7](1); [
su1*-.15 su2*0.01]; iu*1.45; iy sy1|
; iy sy2|
; [
]; y1-y4*.5; [iy*0 sy1*0 sy2*0]; iy*1; y1*.2; iy WITH sy1*.1; iu WITH iy*0.9; iu ON x*-.35; su1 ON x*-.25; iy ON x*-.15; sy1 ON x*-.5; MODEL MISSING:...; MODEL: iu su1|...(as in POPULATION)
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, September 08, 2010 - 2:58 pm
Please send this question to
with your input, output, and license number.
matteo giletta
posted on Wednesday, January 30, 2013 - 9:21 pm
I am conducting some two-part growth curve models and I have a question about the plot of the curve. Before conducting a two-part model I have conducted a model for the frequency part only to check my model fit. The model fit was really good with a significant linear slope. However I cannot understand why when I plot the means of the growth curve, the values range from -0.5 to 0, whereas actually the outcome ranges from 0 to 4. I have the same problem when I try to plot the effect of a covariate on the slope of the frequency part.
How do I explain this?
Thanks a lot!!!
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Thursday, January 31, 2013 - 8:39 am
Please send the input, data, output, and your license number to
matteo giletta
posted on Thursday, January 31, 2013 - 12:33 pm
Hi Linda,
I think I found out the problem: in two-part models a log transformation is used for the continuous part of the model. That would explain my negative values.
xiaoyu bi
posted on Tuesday, December 24, 2013 - 2:47 pm
Hi, Linda,
I am running a two-part LGM by looking at # of medical conditions (ranging from 0 to 8) people have over time. I got error messages (please see below) when I ran the code. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated? Thank you so much!
data twopart:
names = medcon1 medcon2 medcon3 medcon4 medcon5;
binary = bin1-bin5;
continuous = cont1-cont5;
transform = none;
analysis: estimator = mlr;
model: ib sb |
ic sc |
ib with sb @0;
output: tech1 tech8;
The erro message I got are:
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, December 24, 2013 - 5:16 pm
Are you sure you want ib WITH
? Growth factor are likely to be correlated within a process. You may want to try with all 4 across-process WITH statements @0. Or, have all 6 WITHs free. You may also want to analyze the binary part by itself to see if you need a free sb variance.
Mary E. Mackesy-Amiti
posted on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - 12:36 pm
I am using 2-part data with log transformation in a growth model. For the plot of observed and estimated means, I was wondering if there is a way to get the geometric mean instead of the arithmetic mean for the observed values?
Mary E. Mackesy-Amiti
posted on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - 12:43 pm
Please disregard my previous message
posted on Friday, March 07, 2014 - 4:29 pm
Dear Dr. Muthen,
Do you have an example how to fit a two-part model using long format data? I know how to do that using wide format data, but for my current case, I have to use long format data. Otherwise, I have to create 70 more variables with missing values for everyone using wide format data.
Thank you so much,
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Friday, March 07, 2014 - 4:51 pm
I'm sorry, but I don't think I do. That would be using 2 variables, binary and cont's. Should be doable.
posted on Friday, August 01, 2014 - 5:26 pm
I have a quick question about how intensive a potential model might be for MPlus to handle.
I'm doing an autoregressive latent panel model. One set of factors at 2 time points is continuous. The other set is zero inflated with non-integers, so two-part modeling will be necessary.
All of this data is complex survey, so weights need to be applied, and I'm also going to need to estimate the model in a multilevel framework. This is because I want to see if a level 2 variable moderates the cross-lagged effects at level 1.
Before I go down the rabbit hole I want to make sure I'm not at a threshold of MPlus capability, so is this going to be maxing out the capabilities of MPlus?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Saturday, August 02, 2014 - 2:58 pm
The speed will depend on the number of random effects that you specify and the sample size. The more of them, the slower the speed of the ML numerical integration.
posted on Sunday, August 03, 2014 - 9:06 am
In regards to speed: What's the status of using MPlus on clusters? Last I knew, it was cost-prohibitive for our University to put MPlus on a cluster with current licensing agreements.
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Sunday, August 03, 2014 - 12:43 pm
Mplus has not been developed for clusters.
anonymous Z
posted on Friday, February 05, 2016 - 12:28 pm
Drs. Muthen,
I am fitting a two-part model. For Part 1 (the binary part), the variance of the linear slope was not significant. However, when I added treatment condition as one covariate, it showed that the treatment was a significant predictor of the linear slope for the binary part. Does this sound right to you? Can a covariate have significant effects on a parameter estimate without significant variance?
Thanks so much!
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Friday, February 05, 2016 - 6:00 pm
Yes, this is a common finding. Perhaps due to higher power when the covariate is included.
anonymous Z
posted on Friday, February 05, 2016 - 8:55 pm
Dr. Muthen,
Thanks for your prompt response. So did you mean that I can explain the results as that the treatment has effects on the slope growth factor for the binary part even though the variance is not significant?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Saturday, February 06, 2016 - 4:54 pm
posted on Thursday, March 03, 2016 - 1:36 am
Dear Dr. Muthen,
can two-part modelling be adopted in a cross-lagged model?
In the mplus mannual, after specifying
NAMES = y1-y4;
BINARY = bin1-bin4;
CONTINUOUS = cont1-cont4;
there is further specification in the growth model,
su@0; iu WITH sy@0;
I wonder whether anything similar like this (su@0; iu WITH sy@0;) should be done if the data are used in a cross-lagged model. Thank you very much for your answer.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, March 03, 2016 - 6:57 pm
Q1. Yes, but the model gets more complex since the two-part variable is both a DV and an IV.
The fixing of slope variance for the binary part is mostly to simplify the model. It is up to you if that is appropriate.
Christoph Weiss
posted on Tuesday, September 20, 2016 - 1:53 am
Hello Linda,
i want to run a two part model. I have used exactly the code from example 6.16. But I get the message: �Categorical variable BIN1 contains less than 2 categories.�
Other Questions are:
- at which point (place in the code) do I implement the other variables (not only the count variable(s)) from the model?
- at which point (place in the code) do I implement the actual model code?
Thank you for helping.
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, September 20, 2016 - 5:56 am
Please send the output, data, and your license number to
Kerry Lee
posted on Thursday, August 09, 2018 - 2:37 am
Dear Prof Muthen,
I want to use a cut-point of 3 for creating a two-part binary variable. This works fine when the variable is not transformed (i.e., count for the variable tallies with count from SPSS).
However, when I use the DEFINE command to scale the variable (VAR = VAR/1.5), adjusting the cut-point does not have any effect. The output under "COUNTS FOR CATEGORICAL VARIABLES" shows that a value above the cut-point is included.
Would appreciate your advice.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, August 09, 2018 - 2:09 pm
Please send your full output to Support along with your license number. The data would also be useful to have.
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SUNY Canton Student Entrepreneur Wins National Leadership AwardMonday, March 12th, 2007
Between studying business administration at SUNY Canton and running his own business, Karl Ortmeyer is accustomed to using his time productively.
The Potsdam native recently won a national leadership award through the National Republican Campaign Committee's Business Advisory Council (BAC). As a result, he will be invited to participate in periodic strategy sessions and provide input on the economic and tax issues.
"Karl is a no-nonsense SUNY Canton student intent on making the most of his business courses," according to Associate Professor of Accounting Janice Robinson. "He loves real world experience and prefers to work with motivated self-starters," she said.
While studying for his degree, Karl has already begun his own computer consulting business, Liberty Information Resource Management. Ortmeyer said business is growing faster than normal start-ups. "We're not making a killing, but I'm 21 years old and I have my own office."
Ortmeyer will share his own experiences with the BAC to hopefully benefit all small business. "Small businesses are essential to the continued development of the American ideal of competitiveness and free trade," Ortmeyer pointed out. "American small businesses have always driven the new ideas of this country."
"Karl is utilizing his education to augment his business savvy," said SUNY Canton Assistant Professor of Technology Management Charles Fenner. "He instantly grasps academic concepts and directly applies them to his business."
Fenner went on to say that Ortmeyer does what he sets his mind to and will make an excellent politically active business advocate in both his pre- and post graduate careers.
Ortmeyer is an active member of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and was on the President's List for outstanding academics during the Fall 2006 semester.


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With WEBFLEET's easy-to-use interface and simple installation you can optimise your vehicle and fleet tracking directly from the office. Register time, mileage and the location of each of your vehicles historically and in real-time.
Whether your drivers are parked or on the move, get their precise, mapped location with WEBFLEET. This can help with proof of delivery and allows you to monitor working-time guidelines compliance.
Identify where to make savings by tracing previous trips. Our vehicle tracking system accurately records hours worked or hours spent behind the wheel and remembers where each vehicle in your fleet has been for up to 90 days in the past. This feature of the vehicle tracking and fleet tracking system provides an instant overview of vehicle movements, highlighting anomalies and exposing patterns in your business.
WEBFLEET provides alerts instantly when a vehicle enters or leaves a previously designated area or nominated geo-zone.
No-one likes to feel being watched. Employees, and those representing them, will often express concerns about the privacy of vehicle tracking solutions. We take these concerns seriously, and have developed our products accordingly. We are controlled and audited by an external Data Privacy Officer to ensure data privacy compliance. Besides this, your drivers will have full control of their personal privacy. Once they're off duty, they just switch to 'private' mode on their TomTom professional navigation device. The vehicle tracking function is then disabled, and they can go about their personal business.
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Already 50,000 clients are achieving more with WEBFLEET


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Starting in May you can buy a high-tech Volvo that promises to save the lives of cyclists and pedestrians, even when you can't.
It would happen in one of those emergency situations where electronics in the form of radar, cameras and electronic control modules outdo human reactions. It's new technology, so I wouldn't ride in front of one of these Volvos to see how it works. Gizmag coverage
Welcome to the future. Google has cars that drive themselves using even more elaborate technology. They're driving thousands of miles in the Bay Area and working quite well, but it took more than a decade to get to this level.
Misguided video
When you watch Volvo's promotional video, you'll roll your eyes at the cyclist's idiotic maneuver that puts him in the car's path. I'd rather see a more likely scenario – texting distracted driver drifts into a cyclist from behind.
This technology will take a while to find its way into less expensive cars. In the meantime, what about 18-wheelers? They need this technology more than cars. An add-on would be nice.
These advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are rapidly making their way into the mainstream. Some systems are being mandated by government, especially in Europe. Others are finding industry advocates, such as insurance companies, for reduced insurance costs.
Radar for cyclists
While the technology that goes into these systems is way over my head, I met a cyclist and technologist who has designed an affordable tracking system for detecting cyclists.
Ron Moore, who lives in Santa Rosa, calls his technology Roadar and it's based on ultra-wide band (UWB) radio signals. Roadar on Facebook
UWB, which has been around for a long time, almost made it into the mainstream before Intel pulled out in 2009. Shortly thereafter the organization driving its acceptance in IEEE folded, slowing UWB's adoption for commercial use.
UWB has a lot going for it, such as low power, extreme accuracy and lack of signal interference, so it may yet find an application. The U.S. military has done some research on UWB for radar with some success.
The only catch with Roadar is that both the car and the cyclist/pedestrian need hardware, although the system could be implemented in a smartphone using software as long as it had UWB. The car needs a receiver and the cyclist needs a transmitter.
While people online are taking potshots at the Volvo technology — cyclists and non-cyclists alike — we're seeing the start of a much safer future with Volvo's technology. It will just take some time for systems to mature and for society to adapt.


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Yankees-Red Sox Last
Not only was Jon Lester in good enough shape to stick around and do interviews after the Red Sox 9-5 loss to the Yankees – he did them standing up. The impact point just below the right knee is just red right now – he expects a bruise by morning – and he insists he will not only make his next start but he will not even limit his next in-between starts throwing session.
5 Comments
Hi KO!
Glad to see that your Yankee's are doing so well this year. Maybe you guys could send some of that good karma over to Chicago for the Cubbies next year?
Hope your dad is feeling better.
Glad you were able to make it out to the game. As a veteran of the hospital watch many times over, sometimes you just have to grab those little moments of normalcy wherever you can find them.
Also glad to hear Lester seems to have come out of the incident relatively unscathed other than probably seeing his career flash before his eyes.
Best to you and yours…
Hi, Keith. We always miss you when you are not on Countdown. I hope your father is doing decently. We are looking forward to your return in these MOST important days of health care HOPEFULLY reform!!
Thanks for the heads up! I was worried about the guy. I'm not a Red Sox fan in the least but I want to see a good match up. Glad he's going to continue playing.
My MLB question of the day:
In an attempt to liquidate a few excess rings, trophies, watches, etc, why would Nails have run the risk of being caught on Japan TV at a Beverly Hills pawn shop when he could have used the discreet envelope provided by Cash4Gold and gotten a 20% bonus during their $200 million buying spree?


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Over time contaminants can build up and cause the finish of your Awlgrip/Awlcraft 2000 paint to appear dull. You can restore the gloss of a freshly painted boat and prevent the premature aging caused by contaminates by following these steps:
- Wash your Awlgrip or Awlcraft surface with Awlwash mixed with water (1-2 capfuls in a bucket of water for washing) using soft, non-abrasive cloths and rinse well. Doing so on a regular basis (once per month) will help control dulling buildup.
- Solvent cleaning of Awlgrip only: Awlprep and Awlprep Plus can be used to aid in removal of stains or markers.
- Solvent cleaning of Awlcraft 2000 only: Awlprep or mild solvents should be used.
In both cases apply solvents with soft cloths and do not allow the chemicals to dry on surface or soak. Wash with Awlwash to prevent remaining solvent to attack paint. As always when working with solvents, test in an inconspicuous area first.
Distilled white vinegar and hot water will aid in removing salt stains, always follow with Awlwash.
Protecting the Surface
Awlcare can be applied to the surface like a wax to remove pollutants (such as diesel soot), protects the finish and leaves a glossy shine. Awlcare should be applied regularly to protect against pollutants. It can be removed with Awl-Prep Plus (Awlgrip only) when it's time to repaint. What to avoid with Awlgrip and Awlcraft 2000:
- Abrasives
- Polishing compounds
- Traditional waxes as they tend to break down rapidly, yellow and attract dirt
- Acid based products such as teak or metal cleaners and strong solvents on Awlcraft 2000, Awlbrite Clear or Awlspar Varnish.
- Trapped moisture from supplies as paint can blister or delaminate


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BLOX - Dirty [Utah Unsigned Hype]
"UT Rapper Blox is back from his debut "iMonster" release but this time on top of black magic and skateboards he is now using strippers and Dubstep...will he succeed?...(evil laugh)"
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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Say hello to DIG, the fabulous new restaurant owned by Joey Giannuzzi — of The Green Gourmet — and Robert Greenfield, of the former Greenfield's on Atlantic. DIG, which debuted on June 17th on West Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach — just west of Military Trail — stands for Doing it Green, so you can choose from a fabulous array of delicious, gourmet comfort food that is also clean, green cuisine.
You can feast on a ten-foot salad bar, stocked with locally grown, organic ingredients, along with two of Chef Joey's famous house-made organic soups each day. If hummus makes you smile, you can opt for organic hummus — your way — from a tableside cart with an array of nifty add-ins. The green interior design sports floor-to-ceiling windows where you can gaze at the organic vegetable garden that supplies plenty of healthy ingredients to the dishes.
Chef Joey's scratch menu includes a free-range half-roasted chicken; grass-fed beef short ribs, dairy-free and bread-free jumbo lump crab cakes; natural turkey meat loaf; his famous vegetable lasagna; grass-fed filet mignon and skirt steak; and organic Irish salmon. For lighter fare, there is a locally grown heirloom tomato salad with his house-made mozzarella and organic pesto; DIG's signature organic chopped salad; South Florida's only organic classic Caesar salad; Thai lettuce wraps; grass-fed beef and chicken satay with peanut sauce; and all natural turkey wraps with organic veggies and organic tzatziki sauce. There are also grass-fed beef and bison burgers, veggie burgers, and all natural turkey burgers.
Another swell restaurant feature is the organic juice and smoothie bar. DIG's full bar incorporates a list of refreshing cocktails, and adult smoothies, made of organic gin, vodka, tequila, and rum. The wine list, by the bottle and the glass, and an array of beers — on tap and by the bottle — both include organic selections. BTW, DIG also serves 100 percent organic fountain soda — eight flavors are offered, including rhubarb, root beer, ginger ale, and vanilla cream. You can also sample a different flavor of infused water, daily, such as orange rosemary, cucumber mint, and lemon basil varieties.
DIG also offers a daily happy hour from 5:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m., with drink specials and yummy bar bites, at reduced prices. DIG is open for lunch and dinner, daily, starting at 11:00 a.m. DIG is located at 5199 West Atlantic Avenue (just west of Military Trail) in Delray Beach, Florida. Please phone 561.638.0500 for additional information and reservations.
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The State Library and Archives of Florida provides access to a multitude of published and unpublished resources for the study of Native American history and culture. In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, this series highlights materials in the collection that speak to the past and ongoing influence of Native peoples in Florida history.
The Second Seminole War (1835-1842) is regarded by historians as the longest and costliest Indian war in United States history. The conflict began in December 1835 with an event known as Dade's Battle, or, from the American perspective, the Dade Massacre.
The battle took place along the Fort King Road near modern-day Bushnell. Seminole and black warriors opened fire on U.S. troops under the command of Major Francis L. Dade as they passed along a section of the road bordered by saw palmetto and pine scrub. The initial volley killed half of the white soldiers and within hours all but three of Dade's 110 men lay dead on the battlefield. Only one soldier survived long enough to recount the American defeat.
The account of the battle below was attributed to the Seminole leader Halpatter Tustenuggee (Alligator) and published in John T. Sprague, The Origins, Progress, and Conclusion of the Florida War (New York: D. Appleton & Company, 1848). Alligator's account provides insight into the Seminoles' war strategy and the tactics that yielded several victories in the early stages of the Second Seminole War. His account is significant because it represents one of the few available from the Native American perspective.
Spellings used in the original are retained, with minimal notes in brackets for clarification when necessary.
Alligator's Account of the Dade Battle
"We had been preparing for this more than a year. Though promises had been made to assemble on the 1st of January, it was not to leave the country, but to fight for it. In council, it was determined to strike a decided blow about this time. Our agent at Fort King [General Wiley Thompson] had put irons on our men, and said we must go. Oseola [or Osceola] said he was his friend, he would see to him.
"It was determined that he [Oseola] should attack Fort King, in order to reach General Thompson, then return to the Wahoo Swamp, and participate in the assault mediated upon the soldiers coming from Fort Brooke, as the negroes there had reported that two companies were preparing to march. He was detained longer than we anticipated. The troops were three days on their march, and approaching the Swamp. Here we thought it best to assail them; and should we be defeated the Swamp would be a safe place to retreat.
"Our scouts were out from the time the soldiers left the post, and reported each night their place of encampment. It was our intention to attack them on the third night, but the absence of Oseola and Micanopy prevented it. On the arrival of the latter it was agreed not to wait for Oseola, as the favorable moment would pass.
"Micanopy was timid, and urged delay. Jumper earnestly opposed it, and reproached the old chief with indecision. He addressed the Indians, and requested those who had faint hearts to remain behind; he was going, when Micanopy said he was ready. Just as day was breaking we moved out of the swamp into the pine-barren. I counted, by direction of Jumper, one hundred eighty warriors. Upon approaching the road, each man chose his position on the west side; opposite, on the east side, there was a pond. Every warrior was protected by a tree, or secreted in the high palmettoes.
"About nine o'clock in the morning the command approached. In advance, some distance, was an officer on a horse, who, Micanopy said, was the captain; he knew him personally; had been his friend at Tampa. So soon as all the soldiers were opposite, between us and the pond, perhaps twenty yards off, Jumper gave the whoop, Micanopy fired the first rifle, the signal agreed upon, when every Indian rose and fired, which laid upon the ground, dead, more than half the white men. The cannon was discharged several times, but the men who loaded it were shot down as soon as the smoke cleared away; the balls passed far over our heads.
"The soldiers shouted and whooped, and the officers shook their swords and swore. There was a little man, a great brave, who shook his sword at the soldiers and said, 'God-dam!' no rifle-ball could hit him. As we were returning to the swamp, supposing all were dead, an Indian came up and said the white men were building a fort of logs. Jumper and myself, with ten warriors, returned.
"As we approached, we saw six men behind two logs placed one above another, with the cannon a short distance off. This they discharged at us several times, but we avoided it by dodging behind the trees just as they applied the fire. We soon came near, as the balls went over us. They had guns, but no powder; we looked in the boxes afterward and found they were empty. When I got inside the log-pen, there were three white men alive, whom the negroes put to death, after a conversation in English.
"There was a brave man in the pen; he would not give up; he seized an Indian, Jumper's cousin, took away his rifle, and with one blow with it beat out his brains, then ran some distance up the road; but two Indians on horseback overtook him, who, afraid to approach, stood at a distance and shot him down. The firing had ceased, and all was quite when we returned to the swamp about noon.
"We left many negroes upon the ground looking at the dead men. Three warriors were killed and five wounded."


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Contact: Peter Genzer, (631) 344-3174 | Written by Chelsea Whyte
February 28, 2014
EVENT: PubSci, Brookhaven National Laboratory's new quarterly science café and conversation series, kicks off with an event on March 11 entitled, "Big Bang Physics and the Building Blocks of Matter." At the event, physicists working at Brookhaven Lab's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), the last operating particle collider in the U.S., will discuss what drives their curiosity:
All are welcome to come, join the conversation, and talk about science in plain language with:
Hoptron Brewtique in Patchogue will provide a lively setting for anyone interested in engaging in discussions with these scientists in a casual way. You don't need a degree to join the conversation, but you do need to be over 21. (The venue's rules, not ours.) Admission is free.
WHEN: 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, 2014
WHERE: Hoptron Brewtique, 22 West Main Street, Patchogue, NY 11772.
DETAILS: PubSci is a quarterly science café presented by Brookhaven National Laboratory's Stakeholder Relations Office. PubSci brings expert scientists to public venues to discuss cutting-edge topics and research in an informal setting.
To download the PubSci poster, please visit: www.bnl.gov/pubsci.
Media interested in attending are asked to RSVP to Tara Sheils, email@example.com, (631) 344-2400 or Chelsea Whyte, firstname.lastname@example.com, (631) 344-8671.
2014-11614 | INT/EXT | Newsroom


text:
Publisher's description
This file is a printer driver for Canon IJ printers.
- Windows 8 has been added as a supported OS.
Download / Installation Procedures
1. Click the link, select [ Save ], specify "Save As", then click [ Save ] to download the file.
Memo :
If you select [ Run ] ( or [ Open ] ) instead of [ Save ], the file will be automatically installed after it is saved.
2. The downloaded file will be saved in the specified place in the self-extracting form ( .exe format ).
3. Double-click the downloaded EXE file to decompress it, then installation will start automatically.
Uninstall Procedures
If needed, you can uninstall this program using the Control Panel.
Note :
The steps below are for Windows 7. This procedure may be different for other OSes.
1. On the Start menu, click Control Panel, and then, under Programs click Uninstall a Program.
2. A page will open with a list of installed programs. Double click on the program that you want to uninstall.
3. Click "Yes" then "OK", this will complete the uninstallation process.


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Sto Corp., headquartered in Atlanta Georgia, is an innovative world leader and producer of a broad range of versatile cladding and coating systems for building construction, maintenance and restoration. Sto Corp. has achieved ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management) as well as ISO 9001:2008 certification at all of our North American locations, which are located strategically across North America to serve our more than 200 distributorships in the U.S. and Canada.
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