Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts

By Star-Bulletin Staff

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Faulty fuel cell system grounds Kauai flight

A test flight off Kauai of a solar-powered flying wing was cut short when researchers decided against bringing its new fuel cell system on line, a NASA official said yesterday.

The decision was made by researchers after anomalies were recorded with the system designed to keep NASA's Helios Prototype aloft at night, project manager John Del Frate said at the Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif.

Del Frate declined to speculate about the cause of the problem.

The Helios team was prepared for surprises during the first flight with the fuel cell on board the remote-controlled wing that spans 247 feet and weighs about 2,400 pounds, Del Frate said.

"It's a shakedown flight," he said. "That's what we're here for."

Solar panels were used to power the aircraft's 10 electric motors during takeoff Saturday morning from the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai.

Solar power was also used in its ascent to 50,000 feet, with the fuel cell system scheduled to be switched on after the sun went down.

Plans had called for Helios, built by AeroVironment Inc., of Monrovia, Calif., to land around 4 a.m. yesterday, but it touched down shortly before midnight Saturday.

The aircraft will be inspected and flight data will be analyzed before the wing's next flight, which could come before the end of June, Del Frate said.

The flight was in preparation of a planned two-day endurance flight to the stratosphere in mid-July.

Ultimately, remotely piloted aircraft using a combination of solar and fuel cells may be able to stay aloft for weeks at a time, serving as environmental monitoring vehicles or telecommunications relays, Del Frate said.

Lane reopened after landslide wall erected

State transportation officials reopened a right-turn lane onto Kamehameha Highway from Kalanianaole Highway at Castle Junction on the Windward side yesterday after workers installed a temporary 1,400-foot concrete wall.

"We hope traffic could move at its more usual pace," said transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa.

Workers installed 70 sections of concrete barriers about 12 feet from the mountain, Ishikawa said. The wall was installed to protect motorists following three landslides at Castle Junction last month.

Meanwhile, the state is working with Earth Tech Inc. to prevent future landslides.

"We're still sitting down to come up with a design to tackle the problem," Ishikawa said.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

NORTH SHORE

Blaze forces firemen to return to Haleiwa

About a dozen firefighters returned to Haleiwa yesterday to battle hot spots caused by a brush fire near Opaeula Valley.

Fire Capt. Kenison Tejada said firefighters arrived on scene about 7:30 a.m. and had the fire out by about 12:45 p.m. The blaze started Saturday, burning about 50 acres. No homes or crops were threatened, Tejada said.

LEEWARD OAHU

Suspect apprehended in stabbing and theft

A 24-year-old man was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition yesterday after he was stabbed in the stomach several times in Waimalu, police said.

Police said a 29-year-old man approached a woman at Kanuku Street and Kamehameha Highway about 1:45 a.m. and demanded money. The suspect reached into her pants pocket and took an undisclosed amount of cash, police said.

The suspect, with no local address, then approached two men, 21 and 24, and punched one of them in the face several times, police said. The suspect left, then returned with a knife and stabbed the other man several times, police said.

Police arrested the suspect on suspicion of second-degree theft, second-degree assault and second-degree attempted murder.

Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers