Investigators are moving a plane that crashed at the Naples Airport early Wednesday morning.

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German Smuggler Sentenced in Australia
George’s Point of View
The exchange rate is always changing. Investors and travelers always keep their eye on the rates because day to day, it can make quite a difference on how much jingle you have in your pocket. For the rest of the world, exchange rates are not something one much notices unless the price of certain goods out of a particular location suddenly go up due to one or another international factors. So I wonder if the fiduciary value of the Australian gecko and skink has skyrocketed in Germany.
Who knew Germany had a market for Australian reptiles?
Apparently Hans Kurt Kubus had an inside track or perhaps had corralled the Australian reptile market. Although he’s no Bernie Madoff, nor even Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (notorious Nigerian who attempted to blow up a Detroit-bound jet), Hans Kurt Kubus has a special brand of notoriety. He will go down in the history books as the gentleman caught smuggling 44 live lizards in his underwear (although one might normally not call someone with reptiles in his underwear a gentleman. He is more likely to found in psychological therapy somewhere for zoophilia.) Mr Kubus was caught at the airport. One can only envision an embarrassing moment. Fortunately for the lizards (or perhaps fortunately for Kobus’s unmentionables), the reptiles were contained in a package and not running loose on his person. One can only imagine the psychological damage to the lizards.
The world will now remember Hans Kurt Kubus as the German who collects reptiles who was caught red-handed (red-panted?) at Christchurch International Airport last December.
For two counts (trading in exploited species and hunting protected wildlife), Kobus has been jailed for 14 weeks, must pay $3,540 NZ, and will shortly be deported to Germany.
Protection of the species is only one factor. One can only imagine a worst-case scenario of Germany potentially awash in geckos (although climate-impaired for German winters), the kudzu of the lizarding world– to the detriment of the naturally occurring species. No doubt, Germans are thankful the scourge has been nipped in the bud. Or at least briefly amused.
The lizards have been valued at $2,000 euros each.
Pinnacle Raises Security Bar. Maybe
The passenger’s luggage tripped security in Tulsa, and so Pinnacle security detained it. However, the passenger who owned the luggage was free to travel to his destination.
However, this is what is unclear to me:
The bag flunked, and stayed in Tulsa. The passenger, however flew to Memphis, although his luggage was arrested (explosives detection.) Shouldn’t they have taken him off the flight with his luggage?
So after he arrived in Memphis, law enforcement interviewed him, and he passed. But they’ll be shipping his luggage to him later. Does something seem strange here?
Germania Pilot Lands on Wrong Runway
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Kevin Gutt
What: Germania Airbus A319-100 en route from Cochstedt to Las Palmas
Where: Las Palmas
When: Jan 14th 2012
Why: After being cleared to land on runway 21R, the pilot touched down on runway 21 L. There was no other traffic on the runway at the time.
The pilot apologized and the tower controller chided as one might expect.
The incident is under investigation.


Plane that crashed New Year’s Day at Naples Airport wasn’t a tenant
An emergency landing at Naples Airport led to damage to at least two buildings.
British Airways Strike
Strike dates will be from 22 December to 2 January.
The airline plans to cancel domestic UK flights first and keep as many international services flying as possible.
Customers who have tickets for flights during the strike period can exchange for other calendar dates. (Options are to refund, rebook or reroute.)
Under contest are new staff contracts which include a single on-board management grade, no seniority, promotion on merit, and pay set at market rate plus 10%. British Airways is under pressure to restructure and permanently reduce its costs.

An off-duty pilot stepped in to help fly a Boeing 737 after the first officer fell ill mid-flight
The unwell first officer sat in the cabin for the rest of the flight while his off-duty colleague helped out in the cockpit.