http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/index.html en-us Copyright 2008 AVweb. All rights Reserved. editor@avweb.com webmaster@iproduction.com 1000Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:58:10 CST 1000Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:58:10 CST IPS - www.iproduction.com Women make up only 6 percent of the pilot population in the U.S. In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Mary Grady explores the reasons why. Click here to read more and add your own theories. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/AVwebInsiderBlog_WomenInAviation_WhereAreThey_201590-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Passenger rights groups are applauding the Department of Transportation's decision to levy $175,000 in fines after 47 passengers were held onboard a regional jet overnight on the ramp at Rochester, Minn., on Aug. 8. The DOT fined Continental Airlines and ExpressJet, who operated Continental Express Flight 2816 from Houston with an intended destination of Minneapolis-St. Paul. It fined Mesaba Airlines, which provided ground handling services for the Rochester Airport, $75,000 for its role in the incident, which resulted in the passengers being confined to the aircraft from about 12:30 a.m. to 6:15 a.m. "I hope that this sends a signal to the rest of the airline industry that we expect airlines to respect the rights of air travelers," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We will also use what we have learned from this investigation to strengthen protections for airline passengers subjected to long tarmac delays." The plane was diverted to Rochester because of bad weather and that's when a bad night got worse for the pax, according to the DOT. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/AirlinesFinedForRampDelay_201586-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS With an international U.N. climate-change summit coming up in Copenhagen next month, a group of business aviation associations this week set targets to achieve carbon-neutral growth by 2020 and improve fuel efficiency an average of 2 percent per year through 2020. They also said that by 2050 they aim to produce half as much carbon waste as in 2005. "These aggressive targets are largely based on developments and advancements in four areas: technology, infrastructure and operational improvements, alternative fuels, and market-based measures," the groups said in a news release.Meanwhile, at a conference in France last week, Cessna CEO Jack Pelton said the aviation industry needs governmental help to ensure continued improvement in fuel efficiency. Otherwise, he said, "We risk damaging the growth and vitality of the aviation industry, one of the most dynamic, forward-looking and innovative sectors in the world, and an essential part of both the world's transportation system and the global economy." http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/GASetsCarbonEmissionsTargets_201585-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS A company in India is ready to launch the country's first small-airplane air-charter service, starting with a fleet of two Cirrus SR22s. Air Car seats are priced competitively with business-class airline tickets and half the price of other air-charter options, entrepreneur Manav Singh told Business Standard. The company will fly out of Delhi and serve destinations within a 300-mile radius, including several emerging cities that lack airline service. "Air Car offers the option to travel faster to these places at reasonable rates," said Uttam Kumar Bose, a partner in the launch. Air Car has another 10 SR-22s on order. The company plans to add two or three airplanes each quarter and expand nationwide by 2013, according to the Standard. The company is also working to offer package deals to corporate clients. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/AirTaxiLaunchesInIndia_201583-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Jay Olburg and Scott Ross have cooked up another fantastic video production, this time showcasing a 1941 Waco SRE owned by Steve and Tina Thomas and a '36 ECQ-6 flown by Bob Grist on their way to the Brodhead Grass Roots Fly-In. Enjoy! http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/votw/ViralVideo_WacosToBrodhead_GrassRootsFlyIn_201582-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS >>> AVWEB FUEL FINDERCURRENT PRICE FOR 100LL: $4.52 (down 1¢ from last week)CURRENT PRICE FOR JET A: $4.24 (up 1¢ from last week)Fuel prices provided weekly by AirNav, based on prices from the past 2 weeks. Changes are relative to last week's prices. /TEXT_ONLY-->AVweb's latest "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to another TAC Air location, this time the one Lexington, Kentucky.AVweb reader Melvin Price spent a little more time at KLEX than he intended and got to know the FBO well when his Piper Malibu's battery died just prior to departure:The line man immediatedly brought the battery cart, but my battery was so low that it could not maintain the alternators online. ... The adjoining maintenance shop was contacted, and they offered to charge my battery for three hours. ... While waiting for the battery to charge, the ladies behind the counter offered me the crew car and directions to a good lunch spot. ... I was very impressed with the entire operation, and the best part was that I did not have to pay for the three different external starts nor for the battery charge, although I offered. ... [E]xcept for losing a few hours of time, my visit to Lexington's TAC Air was exemplary in all ways.Keep those nominations coming. For complete contest rules, click here.AVweb is actively seeking out the best FBOs in the country and another one, submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday! http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/fbo/FBOOfTheWeek_TACAir_KLEX_LexingtonKentucky_201580-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Overheard over the Florida panhandle this week.Jax Center:"Airliner 123, Jacksonville Center. Climb and maintain FL 320."[20 seconds later]Jax Center:"Airliner 123, Jacksonville Center. Climb and maintain FL 320."[30 seconds later]Jax Center:"Airliner 123, do you copy Jacksonville Center?"Airliner 123:"Airliner 123. Climb and maintain 320. Sorry — we were on our laptops."Jax Center (laughter in the background) :"Roger that. I guess that's going to be you guys' version of our 'Say again. I was on the landline.'"Mac Tichenorvia e-mail http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/shortfinal/ShortFinal_AviationHumor_201579-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS An Idaho farmer who uses an unmanned aircraft for precision farming hopes to find a market for his specialty UAV. Blair calls his 9-foot wingspan unmanned reconnaissance aircraft "a hobby plane on steroids." It weighs in at about ten pounds, carries two digital cameras, is onboard-GPS-guided, usually flies between 400 and 2,000 feet AGL, cruises at about 35 mph and can cover up to 640 acres in less than half an hour. The vehicle provides Blair with on-demand service (in winds less than 20 mph), taking pictures of his wheat, barley, pea, lentil and garbanzo bean crops, plus hay and cattle on his 1,500-acre Idaho farm. The system provides substantially more flexibility at a lower cost than satellite and fixed-wing aircraft. (The latter once cost him about $9,000 per flight.) Blair says using a UAV allows him to make timely and localized highly efficient adjustments to his crops and land both during and after the growing season, boosting his productivity while saving money on seed and fertilizer. "With unmanned aircraft systems, we're trying to bring everything together so a farmer can have everything at his fingertips whenever he wants," Blair said. He's already filed paperwork seeking the FAA's approval for the next step -- commercialization. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/farmer_plane_faa_crop_uav_blair_commercial_201575-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS A European court, amid strong airline protest, has set rules for the monetary compensation of passengers based on the distance of their scheduled flights and the amount of time by which passengers were delayed. Maximum compensation is 600 Euros (about $900). Specific guidelines define compensation rates that begin at 250 Euros ($375) to be determined by the time of delay and the distance of flight. The airlines have not yet proposed that passengers pay compensation to them if they provide early arrival, but speaking for Virgin Atlantic, spokesman Paul Charles called the judges "cuckoo." Charles said, "The idea that a technical fault is within an airline's control is absurd." The regulations stipulate conditions for reimbursement of ticket costs and a return flight to the original departure point or re-routing "under comparable transport conditions" to their destination. Passengers delayed by more than three hours could receive as much as those whose flights were canceled, according to the Telegraph UK. This is a European Court of Justice ruling. That means that the task of interpreting its final meaning will be left to national courts. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/airline_passenger_delay_compensation_ruling_201574-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Customer demand, not government regulation, forced a 70-percent improvement in the fuel efficiency of jet aircraft over the past 40 years and further improvement should be modeled on industry and public-sector cooperation, according to Cessna CEO Jack Pelton. Pelton delivered his remarks at an annual international environmental congress meeting near Paris. Failure to work together in partnership, said Pelton, could stifle progress. Pelton said the greatest industry improvements have been made as "the result of customer demand and market forces, not regulation." He noted that during the same period jet engines saw their market-driven 70-percent efficiency improvement, federally regulated auto industry standards correlated with improvements closer to 15 percent. Pelton also made his case for Cessna as a good environmental citizen, noting that the company's green contributions have gone beyond technological developments in aviation. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/cessna_pelton_emission_regulation_aircraft_201573-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS The FAA is proposing limits on the ability of airlines, flight schools, fractional ownership programs and other certificated organizations to hire former FAA personnel to represent them before the FAA in FAA matters. The FAA rule would specifically prevent former FAA safety inspectors and managers from representing a company if the individual had any direct oversight of said company at any time during the preceding two years. Current rules covering federal employees (and therefore FAA employees) may not appear especially different, but according to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, "the 'cooling off' period we're proposing actually exceeds the restrictions applicable to most businesses that hire former federal employees." The rule would not prevent companies from hiring the former inspectors to work in other capacities -- they could become maintenance techs, flight instructors, dispatchers, etc. -- but they could not serve in a position that placed them between a company and the FAA in matters related to the agency. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/faa_employee_conflict_interest_rules_201572-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS A malfunctioning router was behind the system-wide slowdown of the air traffic control system last Thursday. The glitch occurred in Salt Lake City at the fortunate hour of about 5 a.m. EST. At that time, the router's impending failure resulted in the delivery of misinformation about flight paths and weather to controllers. The problem remained unresolved for four hours, forcing the FAA to lighten the workload of controllers and leading to delays of about 45 minutes to 80 minutes at the nation's busiest airports -- less than a bad weather day. But unlike weather, and although it was only the second such failure in about 15 months, this problem was theoretically avoidable and effectively crippled the transference of information across a network that delivers phone, e-mail and flight data to air traffic controllers. It's also an example of the layers of modern hardware that the FAA has had to connect with archaic technologies still in place throughout the system. "This is like going into the house and having to redo the plumbing and electrical," the Flight Safety Foundation's William Voss told The Wall Street Journal of Thursday's failure. "It's essential for anything else to work." http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/air_traffic_flight_faa_modernization_flight_plan_salt_lake_city_201571-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS When that med mission Westwind went into the water off Norfolk Island in the Pacific last week, everyone got out alive. But how hard is it to do that? During the day, not so bad. At night? Not so easy. It's been on Paul Bertorelli's mind lately, and he's dedicated a post on the AVweb Insider blog to explaining how training and discipline make it possible. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/AVwebInsiderBlog_SuccessfulDitching_201578-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Although supplies are limited, Teledyne Continental said this week that it's beginning to ship replacement valve lifter units to replace several thousand faulty units installed in O-240, O-360, O-470, O-520 and O-550 engines. TCM says "an issue" with a vendor component required the recall of those defective lifters under MSB09-8. The affected lifters are subject to excessive rates of wear. The company says airplanes should be grounded until the lifters have been replaced. The part numbers are PN657913 for exhaust valves, 657915 for intake valves and 657916 for either exhaust or intake. Look here for a list of affected engines. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/TCM_Shipping_Replacement_Lifters_201570-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Proposed Senate bills in the wake of Northwest Airlines' October 21 NORDO flight past MSP have some pilots on edge, fearing they may bring about "grotesque consequences," according to an article published Thursday in USA Today. Because the now notorious Northwest pilots of Flight 188 claimed they had been distracted by laptops, electronic devices in the cockpit quickly became the target of proposed legislative bans. However, pilots are concerned that such a ban could hamper attempts to introduce safety and situational awareness oriented equipment, including portable electronic charts, electronic airport maps and e-checklists/flight manuals. While building those systems into existing and fixed cockpit hardware is possible, it's also costly and the bills' opponents fear that more cost-effective solutions may be legislated out of the mix. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/flight_188_legislation_201568-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Solar Impulse, the manned aircraft that will attempt to travel nonstop around the world flying day and night on solar energy alone, moved under its own power for the first time last week. The carbon-fiber aircraft was propelled by its own four motors (not at full power) over approximately 2 km at speeds no greater than about 10 knots, but the team was "very excited" about the tests, according to BBC News. It's an airplane that's "the size [a wingspan of more than 200 feet] of an Airbus and the weight [about 4,000 pounds] of a mid-sized car," Solar Impulse Chief Executive Andre Borschberg said. Special precautions were taken for the initial ground taxi testing. An additional undercarriage was placed under the cabin as can extra safeguard in case the aircraft's regular undercarriage unexpectedly failed. The taxi test took place at the aircraft's home at Dubendorf aerodrome in Switzerland where, in about two weeks, team leaders hope it will take a first hop. Then, after flying just a few meters over the runway to prove its flight characteristics, the real tests will begin. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/solar_impulse_motor_taxi_201567-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS But how is that they would make several attempts at a runway in poor weather, miss those approaches, and deem it a better bet to ditch in the ocean instead? At night. Norfolk Island's unique geography may shed light on this, according to Paul Bertorelli's post on the AVweb Insider blog. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/AVwebInsiderBlog_WestwindPacificOceanDitching_201577-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS The FAA's flight plan processing automation failed on Thursday morning, causing widespread flight delays and cancellations nationwide. It's the second time in 15 months that a widespread outage has degraded the agency's ATC automation, forcing controllers to enter flight data into ARTCC processing systems by hand. FAA spokesman Paul Takemoto told the Wall Street Journal early Thursday that the outage began around 5:15 a.m. and delays on the East coast rippled westward as the sun came up. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/FAA_ATC_Automation_Fails_201564-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS The TSA has announced plans to impose stricter security requirements on FAA-certificated repair stations in the U.S. and in other countries. This week, we'd like readers to gauge the security threat posed by repair stations.Plus: Last week, we asked if some historic aircraft are just too rare and historically precious to be flown by groups like the Commemoraitve Air Force; click through to find out where AVweb readers stand on the issue. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/qotw/QuestionOfTheWeek_RepairStationSecurity_TSA_201562-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS The crew, a medical team, the patient and the patient's spouse aboard a medical evacuation flight from Samoa to Australia were uninjured after the Pel-Air Westwind jet ditched in the open ocean in weather that prompted the pilot to ditch rather than trying for the airport at Norfolk Island. In a news release Pel-Air Chairman John Sharp said weather deteriorated as the aircraft commander, Capt. Dominic James, made several tries to get on the pavement for a scheduled fuel stop at Norfolk. As his fuel dwindled he made the hard decision and it worked out. "They performed an intricate landing on water in darkness resulting in the evacuation of everyone safely and quickly," he said. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/NoInjuriesInWestwindDitching_201561-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Douglas Johnson of Belmont, North Carolina serves up a high-contrast shot with great perspective that's practically mesmerizing as our latest "Picture of the Week." The boneyard's never looked so good as in the photos Douglas sent us this week. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/potw/PictureOfTheWeek_201559-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Our cup did runneth over AOPA Summit last week, but we managed some time to shoot another brief video on cool products we saw, including a Cirrus engine modification from Next Dimension, Flightline Systems' new AuRACLE Engine Monitor for legacy twins, a nifty flashlight that's really a glove, and a new Cessna 210 inspection guide from the Cessna Pilots Association. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/exclusivevids/ExclusiveVideo_AOPASummit2009_ProductMinutes_201558-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS There's no more dangerous type of word in journalism than the superlative and since aviation is full of the biggest, fastest, oldest, and coolest things on the planet you'd think we'd know better. Our inbox filled Tuesday with readers pointing out that Buffalo Airways does not operate the last C-46 Commandos as our Monday story on the Ice Pilots NWT television series incorrectly stated. By far the majority pointed to the four workhorses toiling for Fairbanks-based Everts Air as cargo and fuel haulers. Interestingly, we didn't hear from anyone at Everts but we got dozens of emails from their friends and airport neighbors. A quick check of the FAA registry turns up 25 C-46s but it's not clear how many are airworthy. We also heard that there might be some Commandos working in South America, perhaps even in passenger service. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/C46KeepWorking_201557-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Owners of older Mooneys now have a new option when it's time for an engine overhaul. Lycoming recently received the FAA OK to replace the original IO-360 Lycoming engine in Mooney M20E, M20F and M20J models with a new or remanufactured IO-390-A3A6 engine. The engine provides more horsepower as well as improved climb and cruise performance, while maintaining the same footprint as the IO-360 engine, Lycoming says. The new STC shows the company's commitment to legacy aircraft, says Dennis Racine, Lycoming director of marketing and program management. About 50 service centers across the country have been authorized to complete the installations. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/LycomingOffersNewEngineOptionForLegacyMooneys_201556-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood last week hosted the first meeting of a new advisory committee on the future of the country's aviation industry. "This is not going to be just another advisory committee," LaHood said in his blog post. "I am not commissioning some report to fill space on my bookshelf. This committee will make a difference." The group includes representatives from airports, air carriers, management, labor, manufacturers, general aviation and consumer groups, who are to address the industry's challenges and map the way forward. "This country has an aviation system that is losing billions of dollars, shedding jobs, and using an aging infrastructure," said LaHood. "It's time to get to work fixing it." http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/HighLevelCommitteeToAddressFutureofAviation_201555-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS US Airways Capt. Chesley Sullenberger said the new book Fly By Wire, by William Langewiesche, "greatly overstates how much it mattered" that the Airbus A320 he ditched in the Hudson had some automated systems, according to The New York Times. Sullenberger told the Times, "There are some situations where the automation will protect a pilot, but at the same time a highly automated airplane makes possible other types of errors, so it's a mixed blessing. And greater knowledge is required to fly a highly automated aircraft." He added, "Others in the industry knowledgeable about these technical issues know there are misstatements of fact in 'Fly by Wire.'" Langewiesche said he was mystified by Sullenberger's reaction, according to the Times. "There have been some characterizations of the book that are wrong," he said. He added that he didn't think the role of fly-by-wire was "critical" to the outcome, "but it was functioning, it's part of the story." http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/SullenbergerFindsFaultWithLangweischeBook_201554-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Embraer and General Electric will flight-test a renewable jet fuel by early 2012, the companies said on Wednesday. They plan to use a renewable biofuel made from sugar cane, developed by Amyris Biotechnologies, which is based in California and operates a subsidiary in Brazil. The test will be flown using a jet owned and operated by Azul Linhas Aereas, a new Brazilian airline. The goal is to accelerate the introduction of a renewable jet fuel with significantly lower carbon emissions and to provide a long-term sustainable alternative to petroleum-derived jet fuel, Embraer said in a news release. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/EmbraerGEPlanBiofuelFlight_201553-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS When the 2010 Winter Olympics launch in Vancouver next February, it will keep many local GA operators grounded for up to eight weeks, with losses of up to $5 million, CanWest News reported on Tuesday. "We don't dispute the fact there is an issue of security, we just find this is very long," said John McKenna, CEO of the Air Transport Association of Canada, which represents about 200 operators. Flight schools will have to ground students, passengers for charter flights and floatplanes will be diverted to sites with security gates, sightseeing and banner-towing flights will be restricted, and more. About two dozen small airports are affected, including several just across the border in the U.S. The restrictions will last from Jan. 29 to March 24, to accommodate both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and will be enforced by U.S. and Canadian fighter jets. The ATA is asking the government to compensate the affected businesses. But meanwhile, the operators of the Official Olympics Airport at Vancouver are thrilled that they can expect an additional 231,000 passengers during the event. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/WinterOlympicsATrialForCanadianAviators_201551-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS The Carter Copter folks have been developing their unique rotary aircraft technology for years, powering through setbacks and making slow progress, and this week they announced their first customer agreement. Carter's deal gives 40-year exclusive use of their technology for unmanned aircraft systems to AAI Corp., a subsidiary of Textron Inc. Textron is no stranger to aviation -- the corporation also owns Bell Helicopter, Cessna, and Lycoming Engines. In a news release, AAI said it will provide guidance, support and resources to Carter for continued development of its Slowed Rotor/Compound (SR/C) technology. Their goal is to build an unmanned, turbine-powered aircraft that could deliver 3,000 pounds of cargo across 1,300 nm at 250 knots, or that could be deployed for surveillance missions with up to 24 hours' endurance http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/TextronSubsidiaryToDevelopCarterRotorTechnology_201544-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Anyone who's bought a new Continental engine, had theirs rebuilt or had top end work done since June 19, 2009 could be affected by an emergency AD requiring replacement of the hydraulic lifters installed in those engines. There have been at least three cases in which the lifters wore out in as little as five hours. Teledyne Continental Motors issued a mandatory service bulletin (PDF) Nov. 3 and the FAA issued the emergency AD after assessing the MSB. The AD includes part numbers 657913, 657915, or 657916, in Model 240, 360, 470 and 520 engines. Although 550-series engines are not mentioned in the AD, there are reports that they are also affected. The lifter problems have also delayed rebuilds that were on the bench when the problems became known. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/EmergencyADAffectsTCMLifters_201543-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS