As the owner of Gisborne's Farmers Air Limited, Mr Stevenson has been flying for 45 years and services over 25 farms in the Tararua District. His message was clear. "There are serious safety implications for aerial topdressers. I've seen far too many people killed by wires, poles and other obstructions - it's only a matter of time."

A 50-ton structure fell 246 feet to the frozen ground on Saturday when the blades of a turbine under construction east of Waverly caught wind and started rotating at a speed reaching 60 rpm. The hub housing the generating components of the Cannon II turbine and the structure's three 177-foot blades collapsed after spinning for hours at the mercy of the wind, says Waverly Light and Power General Manager Diane Johnson. A gust caught the blades prematurely on Friday.

One of the three 60-foot-tall wind turbines at the edge of the Perkins High School student parking lot lays on the ground. The pole was removed from the 4-foot deep, 60-ton concrete base. ..."We have no updates," he said. "The manufacturer is finalizing the investigation as to the malfunction of the blades."

Part of a wind turbine under construction broke apart Saturday morning. The problem started Friday when construction crews were installing a second wind turbine for Waverly Light and Power. During the process, a construction error caused the rotor and blades to start moving in the wind prematurely - spinning uncontrollably and unable to stop until it broke.

The construction company, ICS of North Dakota, lifted the wind turbine rotor assembly, to which the blades attach, 246 feet high into place late yesterday afternoon. After it was lifted it was discovered the blades were not ‘feathered' or turned properly so they could not catch the wind. In the position the blades are in, the wind caught the blades causing them to spin. When this was discovered, the Bremer county sheriff's department was notified and all personnel were evacuated, including two homeowners who were outside of the recommended danger zone.

The Federal Aviation Administration is saying "not yet" on the proposed wind farm project for Nantucket Sound, issuing a "Notice of Presumed Hazard" Feb 13. "Initial findings of this study indicate that the structure as described exceeds obstruction standards and/or would have an adverse physical or electromagnetic interference effect upon navigable airspace or air navigation facilities," the FAA notice issued Feb. 13 reads. "Pending resolution of the issues described below, the structure is presumed to be a hazard to air navigation."

The FAA's "Notice of Presumed Hazard" warns that the 130 proposed turbines could have an "adverse physical or electromagnetic interference effect upon navigable airspace or air navigation facilities." The report warns the rotating blades of the turbines could cause unwanted "clutter" in radar systems. To correct the problem, the FAA study recommends an upgrade of the radar system located at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, where regional air traffic control is conducted.

HYANNIS, Mass. -- After five years of strong objections by the Barnstable, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket airports and others on the safety of the 400,000 flights per year over Nantucket Sound, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today formally issued a Notice of Presumed Hazard for the Cape Wind project. Cape Wind is proposing a 44 story, 25 square mile wind project centered under the flight paths between Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. The project would affect FAA radar sites in North Truro, Nantucket, and Otis Air Force Base that provide detection of aircraft for Air Traffic Control (ATC).

Federal aviation officials issued a report today finding that the Cape Wind project, which calls for erecting 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound, would pose a "presumed hazard" for airplanes because of interference with air traffic control radar systems. "Initial findings of this study indicate that the structure as described exceeds obstruction standards and/or would have an adverse physical or electromagnetic interference effect," the Federal Aviation Administration said in the report.

Bill Fish wants the Municipality of Chatham-Kent to investigate homemade windmills after his neighbour's device came crashing through his roof during yesterday's high winds. He was shocked awake around 3 a.m. when an eight-foot-long wooden blade penetrated the roof, before piercing through the ceiling and wall in a sewing room of his Dufferin Avenue home, located outside of Wallaceburg in Chatham Township.

Three wind turbines at Perkins High School crashed Saturday when the blades broke off one of them. No one was hurt when parts of the fiberglass blades came off the turbine as it spun, winging the blades up to 40 yards away from the silver monopole tower, near the high school at 3714 Campbell St. The remaining two turbines will not be used until they are inspected and officials figure out what caused the blades to break.

A $30-million wind turbine project that threatens an airstrip owned by legendary Spitfire fighter pilot Jerry Billing got zoning approval Monday from town council in a 6-2 vote. ...Erik Billing told council that area pilots would be at risk trying to thread their way through some of the 120-metre high turbines just west of the airstrip. ...Essex County's official plan amendment dealing with alternative energy calls for a four-kilometer buffer around airstrips registered with Transport Canada.

A 65 ft blade that flew off the turbine came loose after bolts attaching it to the hub failed, not because of a collision, examination of the components has revealed. ..."The bolt failure was the effect not the cause of the problem. They have ruled out bolt fatigue and design problems, and we know that they were properly put on," said Dale Vince the co-founder of Ecotricity, which owns the farm.

A wind turbine at Perkins High School fell apart Saturday. ...He looked next door, where the three wind turbines at Perkins High School were spinning in Saturday's high winds, to see part of a turbine blade fly off and land in the student parking lot.

A wind farm turbine caught fire at the Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm in the early hours of Tuesday morning. ...The company said yesterday it expects the damage bill to be about $2 million, but it would determine an exact amount when it finishes its investigation.

A $6 million wind turbine has caught fire near Port Lincoln, starting blazes on the ground as embers fall. The fire, at the Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm about 30km southwest of the town, was first noticed by a boat about 1am.

City officials continue to investigate and keep tabs on how a Florida power company is meeting requirements for repairing their damaged and malfunctioning windmills here. ...FPL/NER owns and operates approximately 60 wind turbines in question. It's astonishing that there is a reported 40 percent that are malfunctioning, in disrepair, or need maintenance.

Pilots flying in and out of Wellington may be forced to change course with the construction of a new windfarm. The construction of 62 turbines from Makara Beach to Cape Terawhiti, west of Wellington, is due to begin next month. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) magazine Vector said the wind farm would require airspace changes within Wellington's "control zone" but the changes would not appear on Visual Navigation Charts (VNC) until November when updated charts were printed.

A sensor which should switch off a wind turbine in icy conditions has failed - for the second time. As reported in The Evening Telegraph last week, a faulty sensor on the turbine in King's Dyke, Whittlesey, was blamed for huge shards of ice flying off its blades and crashing into homes and gardens in November. ..."The turbine was shut down immediately after we were alerted, and will remain in this state until further notice."

A Meridian Energy witness was scrutinised for not considering Central Otago's harsh winter, which could shut down wind turbines in times of high demand. The Environment Court hearing into the $2 billion Project Hayes windfarm continued yesterday with wind energy consultant Graham White appearing for Meridian. He said in freezing humid condition wind turbines could ice up and no longer operate.