SAN DIEGO /California Newswire/ — At 8:30 a.m. today, two Pilatus PC-12s will depart Lindbergh Field on a goodwill mission to Quito, Ecuador. The flight is scheduled to touch down in Quito on March 31, exactly 75 years later to the day that the first such flight was made in a 1931 Ryan Brougham piloted by Theodore Gildred, Sr. - who stayed in Ecuador following his epic journey to establish that country’s first air mail service.

LOS ANGELES /California Newswire/ — The Russian Nights Festival in Los Angeles presented by Moscow’s Stas Namin Center today unveiled its most impressive and diverse schedule to date. From April 2-8, 2006, the City of Los Angeles will celebrate the rich culture of Russia, past and present, with an exciting new festival program featuring the best from the worlds of film, modern dance, music, theatre and contemporary art.