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.
A combined Navy and Air Force program is seeking to build a smaller version of a ubiquitous air-to-air missile that could give advanced aircraft, such as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, greater magazine depth in a high-end fight.