On The Fly…

A Learjet crashed in the mountains near San Diego yesterday, killing all five on board — two pilots, two paramedics and a nurse. The crew was based out of Med Flight Air Ambulance in Albuquerque, N.M….Two pilots and eight passengers died in the crash of a Beech 200 in Virginia last night. The Beech, owned by Hendrick Motorsports, was en route to a NASCAR race….An engine fell off a Kalitta Air 747 cargo plane in flight last week. It hasn’t been found and is probably in Lake Michigan. Finders keepers? The 747 was en route from O’Hare to JFK…

Quest Aircraft says its 10-place single-engine turboprop utility airplane, the Kodiak, completed its first flight on Oct. 14 in Idaho…

The X Prize Foundation is selling tickets to a celebration at the St. Louis Science Center on Nov. 6, when $10 million and the Ansari X Prize trophy will be awarded to the Mojave Aerospace Ventures/Scaled Composites team. Tickets are $275 and up; call for information, 314-289-4420; deadline is Nov. 1…

Wolf Aviation Fund is seeking grant proposals for projects that benefit or promote general aviation; deadline is Nov. 30…

Paul MacCready is the keynote speaker for the Lindbergh Symposium in Fort Myers, Fla., Nov. 13…

DOT named three to FAA Management Advisory Council: Charles Bolden Jr., of Tech Trans International; Russell Meyer Jr., chairman of Cessna; and Philip Trenary, CEO of Pinnacle Airlines. The council advises the FAA on policy, budget and regulations…

The NTSB last week issued a safety recommendation asking the FAA to familiarize all Part 135 single-pilot operators that carry passengers and operate over water with the Air Sunshine Flight 527 accident and emphasize the need for pilots to provide timely emergency briefings.