FAA Investigates Near-Collision Claim: The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a claim by an Alaska flying instructor that a C-17 assigned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson overtook her single-engine Cessna while flying a practice mission near Wasilla last month, reported the Anchorage Daily News. Instructor Heidi Ruess, with Arctic Flyers, said the cargo airplane came within 100 feet of her aircraft on Sept. 20. The military denies that the C-17 came any closer than 500 feet, according to the newspaper.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…