Indy Transponder 20-JAN-2012 1145z

Protesters try to disrupt showpiece Bahrain Air show - Reuters | Anti-government protesters tried to disrupt the Bahrain airshow on Thursday, burning tyres which sent up columns of smoke as the authorities attempt to show life is returning to normal in the troubled Gulf kingdom....

Reno Air Race CEO optimistic about permits - San Francisco Examiner | The head of the Reno Air Races Association said Thursday he expects to secure the required $100 million in insurance and all the permits needed to run the 50th annual national championships in September, despite a deadly plane crash at the event last year....

Tuskegee Airmen commemorative group has local 'Red Tails' event - Pioneer Press | In conjunction with the new movie "Red Tails," the Commemorative Air Force Red Tail Squadron is hosting a fundraiser. The CAF Red Tail Squadron is dedicated to restoring airplanes and telling the story of the Tuskegee Airmen and Red Tails, who were African- American pilots in World War II. Their trail-blazing efforts are memorialized in "Red Tails," which opens today and stars Terrence Howard....

Pittsburgh area's Tuskegee Airmen praise film's attention - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review | Dr. Harry Lanauze's office in McKeesport office resembles a shrine to aviation. A picture of a bomber hangs from the wall behind his desk, just a few feet from a slightly tattered copy of the private pilot's license, received in 1985. The nose of a tiny model Cessna peers out from a bookcase across the room. But it's the image in the waiting room, a P-51 fighter, that sparks the most memories....

Portland veteran, 91, sees George Lucas' WWII movie 'Red Tails,' one of few survivors of era - Oregon Live | Carl Deiz munched through a tub of buttered popcorn this week at a private screening of George Lucas' blockbuster "Red Tails." At 91, he was the oldest person in the downtown Portland theater. He was also the only one who knew something firsthand about those elite black pilots who overcame racial barriers to become one of the finest U.S. fighter groups in World War II. ...

Mustang on Ice - Vintage Wings of Canada | The 442 Squadron Mustang delivers an icy and granular blast to the face of photographer Dave O'Malley | You call your self a warbird mechanic? Really? You short pants wearing, candy-assed, sun-block covered, flip-flop shod, sunny weather warbird mechanics from Kissimmee, Florida, Mojave, California, or sunny Jindalee, Queensland have nothing on the grease-covered, snowsuit-wearing, frozen-to-the-core, toque-capped and smiling Merlin Wizards at Vintage Wings of Canada. If you work with the hangar doors open in Florida, the breeze is lovely. If you do that in Canada... it's deadly. If you bash your knuckles in a Canadian winter, no need to get a bandage... the blood freezes in a few seconds and God help you if you lick a wing....

Volunteers fuel love of aviation - Sun Live | A passion for planes is what fuels the volunteers at Classic Flyers to lend a helping hand at the museum. Tauranga resident Garret Horwitz has been volunteering at Classic Flyers museum in Mount Maunganui for the last two and half years....

The Greater Fort Wayne Aviation Museum - Visit Fort Wayne | In 1984, a handful of concerned citizens founded The Greater Fort Wayne Aviation Museum. Believing that the people of Allen County deserved to know their local aviation history, the group gathered pertinent material about Fort Wayne’s history from aviation enthusiasts. They placed the items in a prominent location for travelers — display windows located on the secured side of the Lt. Paul Baer terminal of Fort Wayne International Airport (FWA)....

WWII bomb found near site of Winter Youth Olympics - Sports Illustrated | An aerial bomb from World War II was found at a construction site Thursday, forcing the postponement of the daily medals ceremony at the Winter Youth Olympics....

US Air Force Photo

Aviation: It’s ALWAYS About The Passengers - JetWhine | Last Saturday was not a good day for transportation, but for once the bad news was not about aviation. An immense cruise ship — the Costa Concordia — capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the west coast of Italy where rocks near the shore sliced open the ship’s hull with Titanic-like fury. Most of the 4,200 people are accounted for and while nearly a dozen people lost their lives, any losses were needless and simply compounded by some actions of the crew....