Heli-Expo Under Way In Dallas February 12, 2012 By Russ Niles A clean-sheet design from Bell Helicopter is the highlight announcement so far at Heli-Expo in Dallas. The annual show got under way in Dallas on Saturday and on Sunday Bell unveiled the mockup of its much-anticipated 525 Relentless, a 16-passenger aircraft the company hopes will define the "super medium" category. As with business jets, bigger is generally selling better on the helicopter side and the Relentless will top out at about 18,000 pounds with a 400 mile range and a Garmin 500H panel. First flight is expected in 2014. Not all the success is in the big aircraft, though and Robinson Helicopters had plenty to talk about.
Antique Aircraft Records Preserved February 12, 2012 By Russ Niles The detailed historical record of the dawn of U.S. civil aviation will remain intact and accessible by the public thanks to a 15-year effort by a Minnesota antique aircraft enthusiast. The Herrick Amendment, named for Aviation Foundation of America President Greg Herrick, is part of the FAA reauthorization bill that is expected to be signed into law shortly. It orders the FAA to maintain the records of more than 1,200 aircraft that received an "Approved Type Certificate" between 1927 and 1939. Those records include technical drawings, test data and other information about the construction of the aircraft. In a podcast interview, Herrick said data was in danger of being destroyed by the FAA and was difficult to obtain by those who owned the aircraft because the agency invoked a ban on distribution of the material on the premise that it would violate the "trade secrets" of the current holders of those type certificates. Almost none of the aircraft are still in production and few of the original manufacturers are still around. The new law invalidates the trade secret claim for aircraft from that era. It's naturally of great importance to those who own or are restoring aircraft from those times but Herrick said it's important for other reasons, too.
Flight 93 Co-Pilot's Widow Pens Book February 10, 2012 By Glenn Pew Melodie Homer, widow of Flight 93 co-pilot LeRoy W. Homer Jr., has released the book "From Where I Stand: Flight 93 Pilot's Widow Sets the Record Straight" and is donating all proceeds. The book honors the deceased pilot and his role on September 11, 2001, when United Flight 93, a Boeing 757-222, was hijacked. The book also includes how the widow and her two children coped with their tragedy. Flight 93 was the only one of four hijacked aircraft not to impact a strategic target, crashing instead in a field at Shanksville, Penn. All proceeds earned from the sale of the book will be donated to support young adults seeking careers as professional pilots through the LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation.
University Develops Swarming Drones (With Video) February 10, 2012 By Glenn Pew
A research team at the University of Pennsylvania has successfully demonstrated close formation work among large networked groups of autonomous vehicles, and the results are visually captivating. The SWARMS project (Scalable sWarms of Autonomous Robots and Mobile Sensors) involves a team from the university's general robotics, automation, sensing and perception lab. Work there on autonomous multicopters has led to demonstrations of the vehicles performing obstacle navigation and precise maneuvering while flying in large formations and operating as a group of networked autonomous vehicles. In plain English, you'll want to watch all 16 of them autonomously fly a cross-over figure eight pattern at 1:22 in the video.
787 Completes Epic FlightAware Pattern February 10, 2012 By Russ Niles There's only one way to prove that an airplane will fly for a long time but the thought of spending 19 hours flying aimlessly got Boeing engineers channeling their artistic sides through FlightAware. The mission was to test a GE-equipped 787 for extended operations (ETOPS) so those involved decided to make it interesting. In 19 hours from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, the Dreamliner carved its initials across a swath of the Northwest before flying an intricate rendition of the company logo over the Dakotas, Nebraska and into Iowa.
RunwayFinder Closing February 10, 2012 By Russ Niles RunwayFinder, the chart and airport information website that was embroiled in legal action with FlightPrep a year ago, is closing. In a statement, owner Dave Parsons said the decision was made partly because of the FAA's intention to charge fees for chart downloads through its online charting division AeroNav. "While I understand AeroNav's need to re-capture costs, the new chart fees along with other licensing fees will put RunwayFinder firmly into the red," Parsons wrote. He said the money issues might have been overcome but there is also a lot of work that needs to be done to update the service. "I've had many people suggest alternatives, but unfortunately there is no way to keep it going (for reasons I can't disclose)," he wrote. The non-disclosure is likely a reference to an agreement he signed with FlightPrep last March that settled a well-publicized lawsuit over alleged patent infringement by RunwayFinder.
Input Error Triggers Stall Warning On Regional Jet February 10, 2012 By Glenn Pew Investigators have found that the crew of a QantasLink Boeing 717 with roughly 100 passengers experienced stick shaker activation during a 2010 flight on two of three approaches, because of pilot error prior to takeoff. The flight was out of Perth for Kalgoorlie and on the first approach, the stick shaker activated as the jet descended through 1,100 feet. The crew elected to go around and experienced the stick shaker again on a second approach as the aircraft passed through 350 feet. The third landing attempt was successful but not without difficulty. According to investigators, the captain had entered improper data that resulted in a weight calculation that was off by more than 21,000 pounds.
CEH: Negotiations Begin For CA Leaded AVgas Settlement February 9, 2012 By Glenn Pew Center for Environmental Health (CEH) director of research Caroline Cox told AVweb Thursday that aviation interests and CEH have started negotiations that could lead to an out-of-court settlement regarding the use of leaded avgas in California. According to Cox, "virtually all" the cases CEH has pursued in its 15 years have ended in settlements. Legally, CEH is entitled to 25 percent of any civil penalties imposed as the result of a settlement or court judgment. At issue is California legislation aimed to protect residents from toxins, which CEH says applies to leaded aviation fuel. Cox says she's not aware of any studies performed specifically in California that show elevated levels of lead in children living near airports, but referenced a North Carolina study.
FAA Funding Bill And The Labor Hurdle February 8, 2012 By Glenn Pew Long-term funding has finally returned to the FAA after a half-decade hiatus, and the bill will fund system upgrades, initiate a pathway for domestic drone use, and also address a key sticking point -- rules that affect pilot unions. Last summer, Congressional-level disagreements over language that would alter how airline workers could unionize and operate in part led to a temporary shut-down of non-essential operations at the FAA. For some time, it was thought that an agreement on long-term funding for the FAA would bypass labor issues, but the new bill does make changes to current union rules. For its part, ALPA criticized the bill for its inclusion of "provisions unrelated to aviation safety" but said that "the compromise was necessary to set the stage for the passage of this extremely important funding bill." Other unions were not as accepting.
Aviation Subcommittee Suggests GPS Protections February 8, 2012 By Glenn Pew The government announced Wednesday that "further investment cannot be justified at this time" to help LightSquared gain approval for its wireless broadband system and new GPS standards may be coming, Inside GNSS reported. The words were delivered by U.S. deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari in an aviation subcommittee hearing. Porcari concluded that LightSquared's most recent proposals were "simply not practical." LightSquared on Tuesday had asked the FCC to create technical standards that could protect GPS receivers from interference in the case that neighboring spectrums, such as those eyed by LightSquared, were utilized. And there may be some movement in that direction, perhaps not in the way LightSquared had hoped.
EAA, AOPA Moving Forward With Medical Change Request February 7, 2012 By Mary Grady AOPA and EAA are on track to submit a request to the FAA within the next one to two months, asking the agency to allow more pilots to fly without a medical certificate, AOPA said this week. Once the request gets to the FAA, however, the groups expect some delay, due to the recent resignation of Administrator Randy Babbitt and his replacement with an interim administrator. "AOPA and EAA strongly believe the exemption they plan to request is the next logical step in the journey begun when the FAA permitted sport pilots to use the driver's license medical standard," AOPA told AVweb this week. "Further, the associations believe the exemption will maintain or enhance aviation safety by improving knowledge and awareness of aeromedical factors through recurrent education for all pilots utilizing the exemption, and by encouraging pilots to continue flying aircraft with which they are already familiar."
Nominees Announced For Collier Trophy February 7, 2012 By Mary Grady Four nominees were named last week by the National Aeronautic Association for the 2011 Robert J. Collier Trophy, which honors the "greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America." The nominees are: Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy, the Gamera human-powered helicopter, and Pipistrel's Taurus G4 electric-powered airplane. "We are very proud of the nominations we received for the 2011 Collier Trophy," said NAA Chairman Walter J. Boyne. "Each of them -- in their own way -- mark significant progress in the advancement of aviation and aerospace on the planet, and we certainly welcome them to the Collier selection process."
Stolen Plane Crashes In California February 7, 2012 By Mary Grady A Cessna 172 that was stolen in Concord, Calif., over the weekend, crashed Sunday afternoon near Fresno, killing the person at the controls, who NTSB investigators said was not certified to fly the airplane. Felix Boston, of Walnut Creek, owned the airplane, and told the Fresno Bee he was unaware it was missing until he got a call from the NTSB. The 172 severed power lines and crashed into the bank of a canal, just about a quarter mile from a new housing development. The person who died has not been identified, but a local TV station described him as "a parolee in his 40s or 50s."
Red Bull High-Altitude Jump Back On Track February 7, 2012 By Mary Grady A plan to fly to 120,000 feet in a helium balloon then parachute back to Earth is back on schedule this week after a long hiatus, Red Bull said on Tuesday. The Red Bull Stratos team is working with Col. Joe Kittinger to break the record he set 52 years ago for the longest jump. The effort began in 2005 but was put on hold in 2010 while a legal challenge was sorted out. The dispute was settled out of court, a Red Bull spokesperson told AVweb, and the team is now making final preparations for the record attempt, to take place in Roswell, N.M. Felix Baumgartner, a certificated helicopter and balloon pilot and record-setting B.A.S.E. jumper, will make the jump.
Congress OKs Long-Term FAA Funding February 6, 2012 By Mary Grady The Senate on Monday voted to pass a four-year FAA funding bill that just last week was agreed on by a joint committee and then passed in the House on Friday. The bill now goes to President Obama. General aviation advocacy groups were united in applauding the bill. AOPA President Craig Fuller said the $63 billion in funding provides a "vital step" toward modernizing our air traffic system and improving our airports. Pete Bunce, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, said, "The policies contained in this bill are critical to the health of general aviation manufacturing." For about five years, the FAA has operated on short-term funding appropriations from Congress while waiting for a full reauthorization bill to be hashed out in Congress.
Another Aviation Movie In The Works February 6, 2012 By Mary Grady Hollywood's aviation films often prove disappointing to aviators -- though it might be argued that a bad flying film is still better than none -- and another one now in the works, starring Denzel Washington, provides a fresh chance to see if Hollywood can portray the life of a pilot in a way that rings true. Flight, which started production last October, tells the story of an airline pilot, played by Washington, who becomes a hero after coping with an in-flight emergency but then is revealed to have problems with drugs and alcohol. The director is Robert Zemeckis, who also directed Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, and Cast Away.
Flight Attendants Plan OccuFLY Event February 5, 2012 By Russ Niles Flight attendants from more than 20 airlines will "occupy" a section of LAX on Monday to protest labor provisions in a proposed FAA reauthorization bill. The OccuFLY protest, organized by the Association of Flight Attendants, is a reaction to change in voting standards for union organization that unions consider an attack on organized labor. "This controversial labor provision is nothing less than an attack by the 1% against the 99%," said AFA President
Veda Shook in a news release.
FAA UAS Rule May Reflect New Standards February 5, 2012 By Russ Niles The FAA's next major rulemaking effort may reflect a shift in agency standards that could hobble one emerging sector and set the tone for the rest of the industry, according to a Washington-based consultant. Gary Church, of Aviation Management Associates, has been representing companies developing unmanned aerial systems for several years and he told AVwebin a podcast interview he believes the forthcoming notice of proposed rulemaking on UASs will set a new standard for safety regulations. He said the agency appears to be aiming for a "do no harm" regime called a "targeted level of safety" that may realistically be unachievable. He also expects legal challenges to the current ban on commercial use of small UASs if the agency continues to drag its feet in establishing regulations.
Migration Pilots Defend FAA February 5, 2012 By Russ Niles Operation Migration (OM) has leapt to the defense of the FAA in light of the recent controversy over the use of allegedly paid pilots in the well-known aircraft-led migration of whooping cranes to Florida. In a letter to AVweb, OM spokesman David Sakrison said the temporary grounding of this year's migration resulted from the persistent complaints of an unidentified person outside of OM and was not initiated by the FAA, which has been supportive of the effort and had previously inspected and cleared all aspects of the operation. The LSA-category trikes flown by the OM pilots cannot be used commercially and OM and the FAA had previously agreed that while the pilots were paid OM employees, the flying was done voluntarily. However, the launching of a formal complaint by the same person obliged the FAA to open an investigation and the pilots voluntarily grounded themselves in Alabama to avoid any chance of being found in violation. "At that time, agency officials made it clear that they would work with us toward a solution, possibly through a permanent exemption from the 'flying for hire' prohibition," Sakrison wrote. The new rule is expected to be in effect in a few months, in time for the spring cycle of the migration. However, not even the blessing of the mighty FAA is more powerful than Mother Nature and the pilots won't be needed any longer.
Air Force Plan Would Cut 10,000 Airmen February 4, 2012 By Glenn Pew Nearly 10,000 of the Air Force's active National Guard and Reserve airmen would be cut next year if plans detailed Friday by the Air Force go into effect. Cuts will reportedly target the National Guard for more than half of the total personnel, aircraft and other equipment to be trimmed. Specific numbers trim 5,100 guardsmen, 3,900 active-duty members and 899 reservists. The Air Force Times has reported that the Air Force does not intend "to employ involuntary cuts in the active force to reach that goal." Changes will come to forces in all 50 states and cuts may not stop there. The plan brought immediate push-back.
American Airlines' Bankruptcy May Cost You February 3, 2012 By Glenn Pew As part of its bankruptcy reorganization, American Airlines could announce plans next week to lay off more than 13,000 workers and eliminate pension plans, or, warns one analyst, the end of the airline could be near. "American made promises to pilots" about "pay, benefits, retirement and employment," that in many cases "are not going to be kept," according to Glenn MacDonald, an economics professor at Olin Business School at Washington University, St. Louis. MacDonald believes the airline is not positioned to compete and generate sufficient profits to sustain operations without "significant reduction" in what it provides to employees. According to MacDonald, without those reductions, American "will soon be gone, not just reorganized," with pieces bought up by competitors. Whether that proves prescient or propagandist, pilots' pensions appear to be in the crosshairs and, you (the taxpayer) may be on the hook for something.
Kestrel Collecting Resumes February 2, 2012 By Glenn Pew Production may be about two years off and the facility has yet to be built, but Kestrel Aircraft Co. hopes to create 600 jobs in Superior, Wisc., over the next few years, and resumes are already coming in. The company currently employs about 50 engineers who are working to transform the Kestrel prototype single-engine six- to eight-seat turboprop into an FAA-certified production aircraft. Successful completion of that task precludes any mass hiring. New hires will also need a physical workplace and Kestrel will break ground on a 35,000-square-foot production facility this spring, likely by April. Wisconsin's Indianhead Technical College of Superior hopes to work with Kestrel to develop training courses that would address specific needs at Kestrel.
Where's My Flying Car? February 2, 2012 By Glenn Pew Back in 2003, the SEC filed a complaint against Moller International and Paul S. Moller, for the development and marketing of a Skycar -- on January 30, 2012, Moller International began promoting two new Skycar designs for the LSA category. The SEC's complaint cited "false and misleading statements" Moller used in promotional releases and soliciting "approximately $5.1 million from more than 500 investors." Moller settled by paying a $50,000 fine and agreeing to a permanent injunction. The latest "LSA" offerings from Moller International are currently available in brochure form. Specifications for one include a cruise speed of 237 mph -- about twice the light sport category's current cruise-speed restriction. A practical flying car with every-man usability has so far eluded the public, but we may have already been introduced to a design that shows promise, aside from the Terrafugia Transition roadable aircraft.
American Wants To Slash 13,000 Jobs February 1, 2012 By Russ Niles About 400 pilots are affected by sweeping layoffs proposed by American Airlines as it tries to emerge from bankruptcy. In a plan unveiled Wednesday, the airline announced it will lay off 13,000 employees, about 15 percent of its workforce, cancel unprofitable routes and retire old inefficient aircraft. "We are going to use the restructuring process to make the necessary changes to meet our challenges head-on and capitalize fully on the solid foundation we've put in place," CEO Thomas Horton said in a letter to employees. The employees have a different take.
DOT OIG: FAA Faces Controller Shortage February 1, 2012 By Glenn Pew Southern California, Atlanta, Chicago and New York were identified as areas that face the risk of having too few controllers as veteran controllers retire, according to a report (PDF) by the Department of Transportation. The FAA anticipated the problem, but efforts to train new recruits have seen too many fail to qualify for work at high-traffic facilities. To complicate matters, the report says those high-traffic facilities have seen attrition rates above the national average and many hold high numbers of controllers eligible to retire. The report concluded that "the Nation's most critical air traffic control facilities are facing significant staffing shortages" that "could lead to potential risks to their daily operations."The FAA has a different opinion and has issued a statement.
Super-Heroes Fly Over New York City (With Video) February 1, 2012 By Glenn Pew
What appeared to be human forms recently seen flying over New York city made passes along the Brooklyn bridge, flew past the Statue of Liberty, and some even performed loops -- they were also part of a viral marketing campaign. To promote a movie, three remote-controlled aircraft designed to look like flying people were flown by ground-based operators. The illusion is at least surreal and at most rather convincing. The RC people design is a product marketed by rcsuperhero.com, which offers "full scale RcSuperhero 78-inch show plane plans and kits, as well as hand tossed gliders shaped as flying people." Click through to see them in action.
GA Groups Welcome FAA Funding Bill February 1, 2012 By Mary Grady Aviation organizations reacted with relief this week to news that a $63 billion, four-year FAA funding bill has finally been agreed on in Washington. AOPA said, "General aviation pilots can celebrate" -- the bill left out user fees and doesn't increase taxes for avgas or jet fuel. The bill makes it possible for the government to create an incentive program to help GA pilots equip for NextGen, and authorizes $13.4 billion for airport improvement projects. It also addresses through-the-fence operations, allowing airport access to adjacent property owners. Other aviation groups, such as NBAA, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, and the Air Line Pilots Association, also reacted positively to the news.
Stratolaunch Starts Construction In Mojave February 1, 2012 By Mary Grady Stratolaunch Systems, the new company formed in December by Paul Allen to build a giant Burt Rutan-designed aircraft that will launch payloads into Earth orbit, has started construction on a production facility and a hangar at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Over the next year, the company plans to tear down a pair of 747-400 aircraft and salvage parts and subsystems to integrate into the new airplane. "Today marks the start of an exciting journey for us," said Gary Wentz, CEO of Stratolaunch. "We look forward to many years of great work in Mojave." The two new buildings together will comprise about 180,000 square feet of workspace and offices.
Agile Hawk Inspires UAV Design February 1, 2012 By Mary Grady
Goshawks can fly at top speed through dense forest, and researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are studying the birds to help design unmanned aerial vehicles that will fly at high speeds through city streets and other crowded environments. Emilio Frazzoli, an associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, said today's drones fly just fast enough to be able to stop within the field of view of their sensors. "If I can only see up to five meters, I can only go up to a speed that allows me to stop within five meters," Frazzoli says. "Which is not very fast." The trick the goshawk employs is to gauge the density of the forest, and speed past obstacles, knowing intuitively that, given a certain density, it can always find an opening through the trees.
Four-Year FAA Funding Bill Accelerates NextGen January 31, 2012 By Mary Grady For about five years, the FAA has limped along with 23 short-term funding appropriations from Congress, but on Tuesday, congressional leaders said they have reached agreement on a four-year, $63 billion funding bill. The legislation has not yet been released, but according to USA Today, the funding will accelerate the creation of the NextGen air traffic control system. A new post will be created -- the Chief NextGen Officer -- to oversee the effort, and a schedule for progress will be set. The bill also assures funding subsidies for rural airports at $190 million a year. New labor rules will make it harder for airline employees to unionize, requiring half the workers in a bargaining unit to petition for a vote to certify a union, an increase from the current 35 percent.
NASA App Uses ATC To Teach Math January 31, 2012 By Mary Grady A new free app from NASA is designed to help kids understand math by solving simulated ATC problems, but developers hope it will also inspire them to pursue a career in aeronautics. "Using an interactive game to spark their interest, while at the same time teaching them fundamental math concepts … is a perfect way to help cultivate the next generation of engineers and technologists," said Leland Melvin, NASA's associate administrator for education. The "Sector 33" app, which can be downloaded free from Apple's app store, allows the player to work a sector of airspace spanning Nevada and California, adjusting each airplane's path and speed to move as fast as possible while maintaining separation and avoiding thunderstorms.
FAA Medical System To Go Paperless January 30, 2012 By Mary Grady All applications for medical and student pilot certificates will be filed electronically instead of on paper by Oct. 1, the FAA said last week. In the January issue of the FAA Medical Bulletin (PDF), Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Fred Tilton said the paper system "allows for too many errors, leads to storage problems, and creates security risks." It also costs the FAA $150,000 every year to print, store, distribute, and mail Form 8500-8. The electronic MedXPress system will eliminate those problems and expenses, and will make it possible to offer new services -- for example, Tilton said, pilots and AMEs will be able to track the status of applications online. EAA and AOPA raised concerns about the change.
Pilot Charged With Manslaughter In Crash January 30, 2012 By Mary Grady A New Hampshire pilot faces manslaughter charges for a crash in January 2011 that killed his 35-year-old daughter. Steven Fay, 57, of Hillsborough, N.H., will be arraigned Thursday on one count of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the crash of a Cessna 310F twin, which killed Jessica Malin. Fay is accused of "unintentionally and unlawfully" causing Malin's death by means of "wanton or reckless conduct." According to the NTSB's factual report, Fay held a private pilot certificate for ASEL only, with no multiengine rating, although he had logged about 50 hours of multi instruction time. The airplane hit trees on final approach as the pilot was attempting a visual touch-and-go landing, about 90 minutes after sunset, at a small airport in Orange, Mass.
Bliss Named AVweb Publisher January 29, 2012 By AVweb Staff Aviation industry marketing and communications veteran Tom Bliss has been named Publisher of AVweb, effective immediately. Bliss, who is a 2200-hour commercial and instrument-rated pilot and owner of a Cessna P210, has operated Bliss Marketing Multimedia since 1983. He will lead the future sales and market development of AVweb, which is the world's premiere online aviation news source. "Tom brings an extremely well-rounded resume to his role as publisher," said Tim Cole, executive vice president of Belvoir Media Group, AVweb's parent company. "He is an accomplished pilot and a highly regarded and experienced marketing communications professional who understands our customers and can offer them valuable insights and creative solutions to meet their promotional needs."
Airport As An Oasis Of Calm January 29, 2012 By Russ Niles There's an airport where the symbol of inner peace and outer calm reigns and it's not in one of those little holding cages on the wrong side of the security lineup. San Francisco Airport has set aside 150 square feet of its sprawling footprint for the practice of yoga. The silent room is, perhaps appropriately, just inside where travelers reassemble themselves after security and was inspired by a comment made by a traveler to airport director John Martin, who has practiced yoga for 18 years. The traveler said the newly-renovated Terminal 2 had everything but a yoga room. "We took that charge to heart and here it is," Martin told the Half Moon Bay Patch. "It's already getting a lot of use. People love it."
Good-Bye Columbus? January 29, 2012 By Russ Niles Textron CEO Scott Donnelly says there are no plans to resurrect the Cessna Columbus wide-cabin business jet project even though big jets are selling well and the small-to-medium-sized business jet sector has struggled. "The large market is pretty well-served," Donnelly told a conference call to discuss the company's financials. "I don't think it would be the right use of our capital." Cessna is defending its dominance in the smaller jet sector against a methodical assault from Embraer and introduced two new models, the M2 and the Lattitude at NBAA in October, that are aimed directly at Embraer offerings. Meanwhile, Donnelly says there are signs of recovery in the market and Cessna made money last year.
FAA Cracking Down On UAS Use January 29, 2012 By Russ Niles
The Los Angeles Police Department last week warned L.A. realtors to stop renting remote-control aircraft to shoot aerial video and photos of their listings. "We are just trying to inform the public to ensure that before hiring these companies to operate these aircraft in federal airspace, that they are abiding by the federal regulations to ensure safety," police Sgt. George Gonzalez told the L.A. Times.The LAPD, which operates its own camera-equipped drone, said the images were obtained by an aircraft flying at "several hundred feet" and might have violated FAA guidelines. The practice has become a common sales tool (Google "aerial real estate photography") that occupies a gray area of airspace regulations in light of the low cost of increasingly capable and widely available remote-control aircraft. The latest measure may be an expansion of FAA action to shut down a California company's use of large helicopter drones for film and television work.
X-47 Drone Testing Sparks Ethical Warfare Debate January 27, 2012 By Glenn Pew Northrop Grumman's X-47B drone may represent "a major qualitative change in the conduct of hostilities" according to the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which reports to the Geneva Conventions. The X-47B is entering tests to see it land on the deck of an aircraft carrier, autonomously -- without in-cockpit or remote-pilot input. That sort of capability is only a precursor to what's coming. According to an Air Force report (PDF), the improvements in drone technology will eventually give drones the capacity to make life-or-death decisions while engaged in battle. And "increasingly humans will no longer be 'in the loop' but rather 'on the loop.'" And that, according to ICRC president Jacob Kellenberger, may challenge international law.
Border Patrol: Planes Used To Smuggle Immigrants January 27, 2012 By Glenn Pew Pilots have begun using small aircraft to smuggle illegal immigrants from the U.S.-Mexico border to inland airports, according to authorities who last week seized a Cessna from a Southern California airport and brought charges against one pilot. "It seems to be a new avenue they're using," Border Patrol Agent Adrian Corona told a local newspaper. Federal prosecutors say 30-year-old Lino Rodriguez-Chavez used a Cessna rented from Hemet-Ryan Flight School in Hemet, California, to fly a group of illegal immigrants from Imperial County airport to Hemet airport. The pilot appeared in court Monday, entered a not guilty plea and was released on $20,000 bond. Multiple flights have been intercepted by El Centro Border Patrol agents in the past few years.
Congress Funds FAA (For A Few More Weeks) January 26, 2012 By Glenn Pew The Senate Thursday followed the House and approved a stopgap funding measure that will carry the FAA through Feb. 17 at current funding levels. The temporary measure provides funds through airport taxes and precedes another vote on long-term funding, which is expected to take place in February. The temporary measure is the 23rd of its kind and it replaces another that was set to expire on Jan. 31. The last long-term FAA reauthorization bill expired in 2007. For two weeks in 2011, Congress failed to provide either temporary or long-term authorization for the FAA, leading the agency to temporarily furlough thousands of workers and possibly tens of thousands of contractors. Current reports suggest lawmakers are optimistic they can reach an agreement prior to the new Feb. 17 deadline.
Barefoot Bandit: "Anyone Else Would Have Died" January 26, 2012 By Glenn Pew In his courtroom appearances, Colton Harris-Moore, the late-teen who stole five airplanes as part of a two-year crime spree, appeared to be remorseful, but he saved his self-praise and color commentary for later, according to new reports. E-mails Harris-Moore sent from prison were monitored by authorities and detailed in a memorandum filed by federal prosecutors ahead of a hearing scheduled to take place in a Seattle court, Friday, Jan. 27. According to that document, the young man referred to police and the prosecution as "fools" and "swine," among more colorful language. Harris-Moore's attorney argues the clips are representative of isolated emotions cherry-picked from personal correspondence to negatively impact her client. As released, the e-mails appear to show the young thief had a distinctly more positive opinion of himself and, specifically, of his piloting abilities.
UPS Pilots Take On FAA January 25, 2012 By Glenn Pew The Independent Pilots Association, which represents UPS pilots, this week filed a court statement challenging the FAA's decision to exclude cargo operators from new pilot fatigue and rest rules. IPA called the FAA's decision "arbitrary and capricious, lacking in substantial evidence in the record or otherwise not in accordance with law." IPA says the FAA failed to provide an opportunity for affected or interested parties to review and comment on the cost-benefit calculations that drove its decision and ignored essential factors specific to cargo carriers. The court has ordered the FAA to respond.
Carriers Divert For Solar Storm January 25, 2012 By Glenn Pew Delta, Qantas and Air Canada reportedly were among operators that chose to alter routes Tuesday and Wednesday to avoid potential disruptions caused by the most powerful solar storm to hit earth since 2003. Some flights originally scheduled to fly transpolar routes were re-routed south, adding to flight times but reducing the risk of disruption to high-frequency radio communication used along the routes. The storms cause fluctuations in the Earth's magnetic field, and high frequency radios and other systems are susceptible to the interference. The re-routing was a precaution that not all carriers chose to take.
Electric Aircraft Symposium Set For April January 25, 2012 By Mary Grady The CAFE Foundation has announced the dates for this year's 6th annual Electric Aircraft Symposium, which will be held April 27 and 28 in Santa Rosa, Calif. The event focuses on practical knowledge and updates for electric aircraft builders. Speakers at the event will include representatives from Pipistrel, the winner of last year's $1.35 million Green Flight Challenge, as well as experts on electric batteries, UAVs, ultra-quiet liftoff technology, and new developments in electric LSAs. CAFE also will announce the details of a new Green Flight Challenge at the event. Online registration is open now.
FAA Funding Resolution In Sight January 24, 2012 By Mary Grady For the 23rd time since 2007, the U.S. House on Tuesday passed a short-term extension to the FAA's funding -- but it appears that a more permanent solution is imminent. Leaders in the House and Senate have reportedly worked out their differences and are ready to agree to a long-term funding plan. This week's extension gives them until Feb. 17 to work out the details. One of the thorniest points of contention, about labor rules, has been settled, with a provision that requires 50 percent of airline employees to favor a union before a union election is called, according to The Hill. The House and Senate also still have to work out the actual funding -- the House wants to approve just $14.8 billion, 15 percent below the Senate's $17.4 billion, for four years of operations, according to Business Week.
NTSB Reports On Homebuilt Study January 24, 2012 By Mary Grady The NTSB said this week it has completed the data-collection phase for a study on the safety of Experimental-Amateur Built aircraft. The study aims to "give the innovators and aviators in the community information about accidents that will result in a real and immediate safety payoff for them when they are flying these aircraft," said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman. NTSB investigators conducted in-depth investigations of 222 E-AB aircraft accidents that occurred during 2011. More than half of the accidents involved E-AB aircraft that were bought used, as opposed to having been built by the current owner, the NTSB said. Sixty-seven people died in 54 of the accidents.
A new art exhibit that uses discarded airplanes as canvases opens this weekend at Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Ariz., and on Monday curators released more photos of the transformed aircraft. Click here for an AVweb story about the show, click here to go to the museum website, and click here for a gallery of the newly released photos.
Tailhook Troublesome For Stealth Fighter January 23, 2012 By Mary Grady The tailhook might seem like a mature bit of technology for airplanes -- it's been in use for more than 100 years -- but Lockheed Martin is finding it a challenge to get the tailhook to work right on its high-tech F-35C Joint Strike Fighter stealth aircraft. A recent Defense Department report (PDF) about the test program said that during simulated carrier landings at Lakehurst, N.J., last year, the test aircraft "could not engage the arrestment cable. … Resolution of these deficiencies is needed for testing to support F-35C ship trials in late 2013." A Lockheed official, Tom Burbage, told the NavyTimes that a new design for the tailhook is already in the works and will be tested at Lakehurst in the second quarter of this year, with plenty of time to iron out the problem before sea trials begin.
Wings Remastered For DVD January 23, 2012 By Mary Grady Wings, the classic 1927 film about World War I pilots, is available on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time, as of this week. The film, which won the first-ever Academy Award for "Best Picture," has been "meticulously restored," according to Paramount Home Entertainment. "Featuring groundbreaking aerial dogfights and epic battle sequences, Wings is both a cinematic spectacle and a compelling story of love and sacrifice," says PHE. New techniques were developed to capture a "sense of authenticity" in the dogfight sequences, PHE says. The film was one of the first in which the actors actually flew in real airplanes. For the new release, digital techniques were used to restore the film frame by frame, and the original score has been freshly recorded with a full orchestra. Sound effects were re-created by Skywalker Sound.
Wing-Crack Checks Ordered For A380s January 23, 2012 By Mary Grady Twenty Airbus A380s must undergo inspections to check for cracks in the rib feet -- metal brackets that attach the wing ribs to the skin -- the European Aviation Safety Agency said in a directive (PDF) published on Friday. Cracks were previously found that originate in the ribs and extend to the skin panel attachment holes, EASA said, and inspectors who were checking for those cracks then found a "new form of rib foot cracking… [that] is more significant." These "Type 2" cracks, if not detected and corrected, "could potentially affect the structural integrity of the aeroplane," EASA said. Results of the inspections must be reported to Airbus. EASA added that it is continuing to investigate the problem, and further mandatory actions might be considered.
FAA Reauthorization Compromised Reached (?) January 22, 2012 By Russ Niles A compromise on an arcane bit of labor law will likely result in a long-term reauthorization bill approval in the next month or so. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) have struck a deal that will require a public hearing if the National Mediation Board wants to make changes to the Railway Act to make it easier for airline employees to unionize. The Washington Post's explanation is here.
Air Conditioning For LSAs January 22, 2012 By Russ Niles A Charlotte company has developed a lightweight air conditioning system that could find applications in a broad range of light aircraft. Corbi Air President Ron Corbi said that when he started flying the Alto Light Sport aircraft his company represents, he immediately recognized the need. "I wanted air conditioning and I was told it wasn't available so I decided to find it myself," he told AVweb. The answer came from a Colorado company that put together a 22-pound system that will fit most light sport and experimental aircraft.
Sport Aviation Expo officials say this year's show has set attendance records. Although no figures were released, sunshine and warm temperatures in Sebring drew significant crowds. At least one exhibitor reported brisk sales. Renegade Aircraft said it sold at least three aircraft at the show. The weather also boosted fly-in traffic and the normally sleepy central Florida airport was among the nation's busiest for a couple of hours on Saturday.
LSA Weight Increases For Safety Equipment? January 21, 2012 By Russ Niles Weight increases for light sport aircraft may be intended to allow for the installation of safety equipment, like ballistic parachutes, without affecting payload. Whether the weight increase will open legacy trainers like the Cessna 150 and 152 to be included in the category, as many people have suggested since the category was created in 2008, is not clear. In a podcast interview at Light Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla., Dan Johnson, president of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA), told AVweb the weight increase proposal, which is at the earliest stage of internal discussions at the FAA, may be compensation for a joint proposal by EAA and AOPA to the FAA to relax medical requirements for pilots of certified aircraft with no more than 180 horsepower. Many in the light sport sector were surprised and angered by the proposal when it was announced last fall, particularly because there was a lack of consultation, Johnson said. The weight increase idea could be a sign that respect for light sport is growing, Johnson said.
Medical Proposal Likely Delayed: Fuller January 21, 2012 By Russ Niles A joint initiative by EAA and AOPA to convince the FAA to offer medical certificate exemptions for certain limited GA operations will likely be delayed while the agency looks for a new administrator. In a town-hall meeting speech at Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring on Friday, AOPA President Craig Fuller said former FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt's resignation after a drunk-driving charge means the medical proposal will likely be shelved for a few months until a new administrator has been named and is up to speed. The joint proposal would exempt pilots flying day VFR in aircraft with not more than 180 horsepower from the third-class medical requirement. In a podcast interview, Fuller said he would support an increase in the maximum weight for light sport aircraft that is in the very earliest stages of consideration by the FAA. EAA President Rod Hightower, in response to a question from the floor, discussed the potential of a weight increase, for safety purposes, during his speech to the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) dinner on Thursday. Fuller also dropped some hints about the direction AOPA will be headed to improve student pilot retention.
Hightower On Weight Increase, New Pilots January 19, 2012 By Russ Niles The FAA has opened "a dialogue" about increasing the maximum weight for light sport aircraft as a safety measure, Rod Hightower, the president of EAA, said Thursday. In answer to a question following a speech at the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, Hightower stressed the preliminary nature of the FAA's consideration of the idea but he did acknowledge the idea is being floated internally at the FAA. In a later podcast interview, he called it an "interesting" opportunity to possibly enhance flight safety but he also said it hadn't reached the "discussion" stage. In the speech he told about 200 LAMA members that EAA is refocusing to concentrate on its core mandates, including renewed energy at the chapter level and encouraging new pilot starts.
Women In Aviation To Meet In Dallas January 18, 2012 By Mary Grady Women in Aviation International will hold their 23rd annual conference March 8 to 10, in Dallas, Texas, offering seminars, workshops, networking events, and a commercial exhibit area. The event brings together a wide range of aviation professionals, educators and enthusiasts from around the world, and welcomes men as well as women. The focus of the event is on networking and building successful careers in a variety of aviation fields. The show is also known for its closing banquet, when dozens of scholarships, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, are awarded to help women advance in aviation careers. The event also showcases the annual inductees to the Pioneer Hall of Fame.
First Aircraft Landing On A Ship, 101 Years Ago January 18, 2012 By Mary Grady Now that it's 2012, the Centennial of Naval Aviation is officially over, but the Navy nonetheless took note this week that 101 years ago, on Jan. 18, 1911, a pilot landed his airplane on a ship for the first time. A temporary platform, 120 by 30 feet, was built across the afterdeck of the armored cruiser Pennsylvania, anchored off the San Francisco waterfront. The ship's crew rigged a series of ropes across the platform to catch hooks attached to the landing gear of Eugene Ely's Curtiss Pusher biplane. Thousands of spectators lined the shore to watch the historic attempt. Ely flew around the ship to set up the landing course, then came in toward the stern. "Ely was prepared to handle the existing tailwind, but apparently did not expect the updraft that struck his lightly-loaded plane just as it reached the platform," says the Navy website. "Fortunately, he responded quickly, dove, and snagged the arresting gear about halfway up its length."
Red Tails Film Opens Friday January 18, 2012 By Mary Grady Red Tails, the George Lucas film about the famous Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, opens on Friday, and aviators around the country are eager to see it -- if they haven't already. Several advance screenings have been held, including one in the family theater at the White House last Friday, where President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a group of Tuskegee Airmen. Other Tuskegee groups around the country also have already screened the film. "I think the movie should get maybe four or five Oscars, at least," Arthur Green, president of a Detroit Tuskegee Airmen group, told the Detroit Free Press.The critics, of course, also got an advance look, and not all of them were won over. "Despite stunning aerial scenes and good intentions," writes Tish Wells for McClatchy Newspapers, "Red Tails is grounded by clumsy dialogue, a meandering plot and the occasional jarring anachronism."
LSA Expo Launches Thursday January 17, 2012 By Mary Grady The eighth annual event for light sport aircraft, the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, will be held Thursday through Sunday this week in Sebring, Fla. The event features demo flights, educational forums, social events, and aircraft displays. Under new management this year, the show is expected to be a little more upscale, while retaining its traditional focus on personal attention for prospective buyers, with a wide range of LSA aircraft on display. Thursday evening, the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association hosts a dinner gathering for all the vendors and players in the industry, with special guest Rod Hightower, the president of EAA. AOPA President Craig Fuller also will speak at a pilot town-hall event, followed by a question-and-answer period.
Wingsuit Flyer Injured In Crash January 17, 2012 By Mary Grady
Wingsuit flyer Jeb Corliss broke both legs in a fall after jumping from Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, on Tuesday. A YouTube video shows Corliss and a videographer jumping off together, and a few seconds later Corliss hits the mountainside and tumbles to a stop. He was evacuated by helicopter. Corliss, 35, has successfully jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge and the Eiffel Tower, and last September flew through a narrow mountain tunnel in China. Merle Collings, a spokeswoman for the Table Mountain National Park, told ABC Australia that Corliss did not have permission for the attempt. "The danger associated with base jumping does not allow us to issue permits," she said.
LightSquared Says GPS Tests 'Rigged' January 16, 2012 By Mary Grady A panel of representatives from nine government agencies said on Friday that LightSquared's proposed broadband service would cause "significant interference with GPS" and "there appear to be no practical solutions or mitigations" that would allow the two systems to co-exist. The National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Executive Committee (PNT) told the Commerce Department that no further testing of the system is needed. LightSquared was quick to protest, and filed a conflict-of-interest complaint against the "deeply flawed" process, claiming that PNT is biased in favor of GPS manufacturers.
Wisconsin Wins Kestrel Plant January 16, 2012 By Russ Niles Wisconsin has apparently outbid Maine in attracting Kestrel Aircraft. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker announced Monday that Kestrel's manufacturing and headquarters will be located in Superior, just across the border from Kestrel CEO Alan Klapmeier's home of Duluth, Minn. "I am pleased with the aggressive package we have put forth in conjunction with strong local support to make this major job creation contribution to Superior," Walker said in a news release. "This relocation will be a huge boost to the Superior-area economy." Kestrel will get $22 million in direct tax incentives from Wisconsin agencies and will be supported in application for $90 million in federal tax credits.
Teen Certificated In RV He Helped Build January 15, 2012 By Russ Niles Plenty of kids grow up around airplanes but not many are raised building the airplane in which they take their checkride. And to top it all off, Blake Crawford was signed off on his 17th birthday by a world-renowned aerobatic pilot who is also an FAA examiner. Debbie Rihn-Harvey, three-time national aerobatics champion and Southwest Airlines pilot, confirmed Crawford as the U.S.'s youngest certificated pilot last week after putting him through the paces in the RV-7A he and his father built throughout his childhood. Crawford was "bucking rivets at a young age," said his flight instructor Valerie Vaughn, of Dutch Wings Flight School at Houston Southwest Airport.
Australia Grounds Older Bonanzas January 15, 2012 By Russ Niles Australia has grounded all older-model Beech Bonanzas, Debonairs and Twin Bonanzas with the single pole style yoke attachment. The Civil Aviation Safety Administration (CASA) issued an airworthiness directive (AD) (PDF, one of four) on Beech model 33, 35-33, 35, 36 and 50 aircraft banning further flight (except for a single positioning flight) until the forward elevator cables have been inspected. The AD was issued after a cable failed on a Bonanza just before takeoff and inspection of a similar aircraft revealed damage to its cable in the same location. If the cable is frayed, it must be replaced before further flight and cables not showing any damage that are more than 15 years old have to be replaced within 60 days. Only aircraft that have had new cables since their last annual are exempt. Although the AD applies only to Australian-registered aircraft, things like this tend to spread.
A Crab And Kick Tutorial (With Video) January 14, 2012 By Russ Niles
While slip devotees might decry the crosswind coping techniques displayed in the accompanying video, the long lens and perfect angle offer an interesting perspective on the relative effectiveness of the crab-and-kick technique that is now clearly the norm for commercial airliners. The video, shot during a gusty storm in Dusseldorf just after the New Year, also testifies to the skill of some pilots in the technique and, in some cases, the ruggedness of modern landing gear. Rate the landings and takeoffs for yourself.
"Why We Need Aviation User Fees" January 13, 2012 By Glenn Pew A petition titled "Take Aviation User Fees off the Table" has been sent to the White House with well more than 8,500 signatures, and the White House has offered an official response. The response is titled "Why We Need Aviation User Fees." It presents the Obama administration's "conclusion" that "a $100 per flight user fee is an equitable way for those who benefit to bear the cost of this essential service." The response is signed by Dana Hyde, associate director for general government programs, Office of Management and Budget, who twice raises the issue that users must pay or do their "fair share." The fee would be targeted, omitting all piston aircraft. NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen has responded, calling the administration's position an "administratively burdensome, bureaucracy-building, foreign-style user fee scheme that has very little to do with actual costs imposed on the system."
Red Bull Air Race pilot and airshow performer Kirby Chambliss last year went to Mexico and flew his Zivko Edge 540 beneath a motorcycle as the bike performed a backflip between two ramps, according to TheSun.co.uk -- and now we have video. The motorcycle rider, Czech Republic's Petr Pilat, is billed as the youngest person to ever do a backflip on a motorcycle, having accomplished the feat at age 14. Chambliss is a highly accomplished aerobatic pilot who has demonstrated his skills all over the world. The Sun says the two met in November 2011, at Mexico City, to perform the stunt. Video and still photographs of the event are now available showing the motorcyle flipping over the airplane. At the end of the video Pilat exclaims, "I'm so happy that I'm still alive." Photography was provided by Mauricio Ramos of Mexico City. Click through for video and stills.
Uncommon Winds Challenge Long Haul Carriers January 12, 2012 By Glenn Pew The speed of prevailing winds over the North Atlantic trended higher in December than in recent history and that has led to some complications for United Continental airlines' Boeing 757s. Last year, when flying west over the North Atlantic, the airline landed twelve jets short of their destination because high winds slowed the jets' progress and ate into reserves. Last month, the carrier landed 43 flights out of 1,100 to refuel, a spokeswoman told the Boston Globe, and 57 flights were affected over a five-week period. Those jets are generally flying routes on full tanks.
Changes, Job Losses At EAA January 12, 2012 By Glenn Pew EAA Thursday announced that a reshaping of the organization will result in the termination of roughly 30 employees, but because other jobs will be added, the net reduction in workforce will be less dramatic. The change will "align our resources with our priorities," EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski told AVweb. The net effect should be closer to 15 jobs lost. The changes were not, he said, a reaction to immediate financial concerns. In the words of EAA president Rod Hightower, "This will strengthen our organization in several key areas to more effectively meet the needs of our members, donors and aviators.
Red Tails: Hollywood Didn't Want to Fund Because of Black Cast January 12, 2012 By Paul Bertorelli Famed director George Lucas says his soon-to-be-released movie on the Tuskegee Airmen almost didn't make it into theatres because the film industry didn't want to fund its release because of the all-black cast. "It's because it's an all black movie. It has no major white roles in it at all," Lucas said in an interview with Comedy Central's Jon Stewart this week. Lucas said Red Tails, which he funded himself to a budget of about $58 million, met nothing but closed doors in the film industry, which Lucas was depending on to market and distribute the film. He said Red Tails was expensive and cost more than traditional black-cast films that play to smaller audiences. "And they don't believe there's any foreign market for it," Lucas said, adding that if the film isn't successful, larger budgets for future films with black casts may be in jeopardy.
Domestic Drone Use Sparks Lawsuit January 11, 2012 By Glenn Pew The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Tuesday filed papers seeking to force the FAA to release information about use of drone aircraft and the identity of entities allowed to fly them inside the U.S. above an altitude of 400 feet. That specific kind of operation requires authorization from the FAA and as yet, the FAA has not made public any information regarding who has been granted the authorizations and how those recipients are using approved aircraft. Last April, the EFF sought records through the Freedom of Information Act and says it has not seen a response from either the FAA or the larger DOT. The use of drones in surveillance of U.S. citizens is not theoretical, according to at least one report.
Aviation Consumer: LSA Shoppers Face Financing Challenges January 11, 2012 By Mary Grady, Jeff Van West Shoppers in the market for a light sport aircraft have lots of choices, but according to a report in the February issue of Aviation Consumer, those choices get thin when it comes to finding a loan. "The LSA industry is stuck in a Catch-22," the report found, "where low volume of sales hinders financing, but the impediments to financing hinder sales volume." The impact of the credit crunch is widely variable. Well-qualified buyers are most likely to find financing for well-known LSA models that can show a track record of holding their value. But the report concludes that financing for less-common models or commercial use is virtually unavailable.
NTSB Investigates Air Show Safety January 10, 2012 By Mary Grady The NTSB held a hearing on Tuesday to learn more about safety standards used in air races and air shows, and although an FAA official said current regulations are adequate, NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman was less certain. "We have 11 ongoing investigations," she said at the close of the hearing. "Certainly, when there's accidents, we know that there's more that can be done." The board heard from a range of experts including air show organizers, regulators, and air show pilot Sean Tucker. Hersman said the panel showed that "if you have a great safety culture, it's always asking about what can be done better, and not saying we want to be complacent." The board doesn't create new regulations, but develops safety recommendations that are passed on to the FAA and other agencies.
FAA Introduces Mobile Site January 10, 2012 By Mary Grady The FAA on Tuesday launched a new mobile version of its website, providing access to various features that are useful to pilots. The mobile version provides N-number lookup, airport status and delays, a library of Advisory Circulars, a locator to find the nearest Flight Standards District Office, and on-the-go wildlife-strike reporting. The site also provides access to FAA news and a link to the agency's full website. FAA Mobile works with iPhones, the iPad, many Android phones, and the Samsung Galaxy tablet, although not all operating systems are supported; click here for the full list of compatible devices.
Pipistrel Launches Green World Flight January 9, 2012 By Mary Grady Pipistrel this week launched a fuel-efficient Virus-SW914 on a mission to circle the world and study the climate. The lightweight LSA, flown by Matevx Lenarcic, took off from Slovenia on Sunday and headed west to Morocco. Lenarcic aims to cross the Atlantic, then follow the coast of South America southward, fly across Antarctica, and head north across the South Pacific to New Zealand. He'll then cross Australia, Asia, and Africa. Along the way he'll fly over Mount Everest, take photographs, and collect atmospheric data from various altitudes in areas that have not been studied before.
Operation Migration Back In The Air January 9, 2012 By Mary Grady The FAA has reversed its recent decision to ground the pilots of Operation Migration, and will allow them to finish a flight leading whooping crane chicks to Florida from Michigan, The New York Times reported on Monday. The birds were grounded in Alabama last week after the FAA couldn't resolve a question about whether the flights, which are led by pilots flying trikes, violate rules regarding paid pilots. That issue, however, remains unresolved. The FAA said on Monday it is granting a "one-time exemption" so the flight can be completed, and then "will work with Operation Migration to develop a more comprehensive, long-term solution."
Seized Skyraider Heading To Museum January 8, 2012 By Russ Niles A federal judge has ordered an Alabama man to forfeit his AD-4N Skyraider after siding with the Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) branch of the Department of Homeland Security that the Vietnam-era close support aircraft was illegally imported to the U.S. ICE is turning the Skyraider over to the Navy for display in the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. As we reported in 2009, ICE agents seized the aircraft, which is in good flying condition, from Claude Hendrickson. In a news release, ICE said the aircraft and parts, including four 20-mm cannons, were "smuggled" into the U.S. because the plane is a "defense article" and Hendrickson hadn't done the required paperwork to import it and his hired pilot lied about it to customs agents. "The Skyraider aircraft, its cannons and parts are all subject to import licensing requirements as 'defense articles' under the Arms Export Control Act. Federal law prohibits the importation of defense articles without a license or permit," said Raymond R. Parmer, Jr., special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in New Orleans. "ICE aggressively investigates these cases in order to deter this type of illegal activity and protect those who abide by our nation's laws." When the feds initially took the aircraft, Hendrickson started a website. The site does not make reference to the Dec. 21 court ruling and Hendrickson did not immediately respond to an e-mail inquiry Sunday evening.
Green Beret "Forgot" Explosives In Bag January 8, 2012 By Russ Niles A Green Beret demolitions expert who twice had explosives confiscated by the TSA before he tried to board airliners over the holidays has been released to the supervision of his superiors at Fort Bragg on $50,000 bail. As we reported Jan. 1, Sgt. Trey Scott Atwater was arrested and charged with trying to bring explosives onto an aircraft after TSA screeners in Midland, Texas, found military-grade explosives in his carry-on. According to the Los Angeles Times, court documents revealed the explosives to be C-4 and also noted that Atwater had a smoke grenade taken from him before he boarded a Dec. 24 flight from Fayetteville, N.C., for the trip to Texas to visit relatives. In that case, he was given a stern talking to by the TSA and allowed to continue his trip. Other details revealed by the documents raise the question of whether the Fayetteville screeners may have missed the C-4 when they discovered the grenade, however.
Successful Parachute Ditching Off Bahamas January 8, 2012 By Russ Niles
A combination of good weather, good equipment and maybe a little good luck resulted in little more than some wet clothes for two Alabama residents who ditched off the coast of the Bahamas on Saturday. Richard McGlaughlin, 59, and Elaine McGlaughlin, 25, of Birmingham, were in a Cirrus SR22 just after noon when they reported engine trouble off Andros, southeast of Miami. From there, as is evident in this video by Petty Officer Third Class Sabrina Elgammal, everything seemed to go like clockwork.
Light Attack Contract In Limbo January 7, 2012 By Russ Niles Hawker Beechcraft, which is suing the Air Force over its plan to go with a Brazilian aircraft for its proposed light attack and support aircraft, has ramped up the publicity campaign to get back in the running. At a news conference on Friday, Hawker Beech CEO Bill Boisture told reporters the company's AT-6B was tossed out of the bidding improperly in favor of the Embraer Super Tucano, which is being developed with Sparks, Nev.-based Sierra Nevada Corp. "We believe there's been a flaw in the acquisition process," Boisture was quoted by the Wichita Eagle as saying. Boisture was accompanied by Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., who also said the process was flawed in that the Air Force and the Government Accountability Office have used procedural arguments to avoid explaining the decision and delayed the announcement of the contract award to Embraer by a week when it should have been made public the same day. "That is highly unusual," Pompeo said. The increasing pressure has caught the attention of Air Force brass and they've put the contract award on hold.
Woman Sneaks Into Russian Rocket Plant, Takes Photos January 7, 2012 By Glenn Pew Lana Sator may be something of a real-life Lara Croft (played in the film Tomb Raider by Angelina Jolie), in that she managed unauthorized access to very unique places -- in this case, a Russian liquid-fueled rocket plant. Sator apparently first studied the plant, NPO Energomash Academician, located on the outskirts of Moscow, from the outside -- both online and on foot before gaining access through a fence. The plant is an active facility owned by a company (NPO) that has participated in some of the leading rocket activities of our time. Sator's photos may be as stunning as the act. Click through.
Qantas: A380 Cracking Not A Problem January 7, 2012 By Glenn Pew Singapore Airlines and Qantas have found "small cracks" in the wing-rib feet of at least three of their Airbus A380 super-jumbo aircraft; both say the cracks are not a safety issue. The two carriers operate at least 24 A380s between them with about 25 more on order. One of the affected aircraft is the Qantas jet that in November 2010 suffered an en route uncontained engine failure. A Qantas spokesman said the company believes the cracking is unrelated to that event, according to investigators. Both carriers said Friday that repairs have been made.
New Zealand Balloon Crash Kills 11 January 6, 2012 By Russ Niles A fiery hot air balloon crash in New Zealand Saturday morning killed 11 people, making it the country's worst aviation accident in more than 30 years. Witnesses said the balloon, carrying five couples and the pilot, was on fire and some reported a 30-foot jet of flame coming from the basket as it came down in farmland near the town of Cartertown, about 50 miles northeast of Wellington on the country's North Island. Authorities said the balloon hit power lines before it caught fire and caused a brief power outage.
The Return Of Microsoft Flight January 5, 2012 By Glenn Pew Microsoft shut down the group responsible for its popular Flight Simulator X (FSX) in 2009 and by 2010 announced that a new game, "Flight," was in the works -- now it says that game will arrive this spring and it will be free (with limits). Microsoft Flight will be available free via download and will include "flying challenges," and "a variety of exciting missions" limited to a setting that mimics the Hawaiian islands. Extra content, including "new aircraft, regions and customization options," will be made available through an upgrade at a price yet to be announced. According to Microsoft, "players" will experience "authentic piloting procedures" and can "tailor the flight controls to match their skill level." Microsoft has posted some online samples of the Flight experience.
Cost Benefit Of Cargo Hold Fires January 9, 2012 By Glenn Pew The FAA believes lithium batteries can pose a threat to flight safety and bans them from the cargo holds of passenger aircraft, which carry fire-suppression systems, but that's not the case for cargo aircraft and the disparity is not sitting well with cargo pilots. The Independent Pilots Association (IPA), which represents UPS pilots, is seeking standards that will provide cargo crews with a reasonable expectation of survival should a lithium battery fire break out on board a cargo flight. Cargo carriers can carry thousands of batteries on one flight and each battery can burn at thousands of degrees. But without regulatory guidance each carrier is left to balance safety investments against short-term competitive interests.
Operation Migration Grounded Over Paid Pilots January 4, 2012 By Glenn Pew The ultralight aircraft-led annual pilgrimage of whooping cranes from Wisconsin to Florida has voluntarily suspended operations after a pilot raised concerns that the flights may run afoul of federal regulations. The problem is that ultralight pilots are not allowed to be compensated for their work and Operation Migration pilots, who fly ultralights, are compensated for theirs. The group's annual efforts use an ultralight aircraft to guide locally bred whooping cranes across the country to the birds' traditional winter migration destination. Once there, the birds mix with more experienced birds that guide the return. An attorney for the group -- which has operated for more than a decade -- says its pilots don't want to knowingly violate FAA regulations and are seeking a resolution.
Reno 2012 "Event" Will Follow 2011 Fatal Crash January 4, 2012 By Glenn Pew The Reno Air Racing Association announced Wednesday that it is enlisting safety experts and will formulate new procedures to guide an event this Sept. 12-16 that is yet to be called an air race. The group is still waiting for various approvals and permits from the FAA and Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority following the fatal crash of a modified P-51 Mustang, Galloping Ghost, at the Air Races, on Sept. 16 last year. Without racing permits, the association still plans to hold an event but, according to association president Mike Houghton, if racing is not allowed, the 2012 event will be the last. The need for permits is not unusual, but they aren't the only hurdle.
Cadets' Design A Finalist For UAV Program January 4, 2012 By Mary Grady The U.S. Air Force is down to two designs for its next drone project -- one from a military contractor, and one from a class of seniors at the Air Force Academy, the Air Force Times reported this week. The 2008 design by the cadets is still in the running because it's so simple and should be cheaper to produce, said Steve Brandt, a professor of aeronautics at the academy. "The cadet design has survived a lot of subsequent development and is still pretty much in its original form," he said. The design is "stable and sleek," according to the Times, with a 24-foot wingspan and two T-38 engines. Cadets are still involved with the project, managing the wind-tunnel tests for the design.
Boneyard Airplanes Become Art In Tucson January 4, 2012 By Mary Grady Six retired military airplanes have been transformed into "monumental works of art" for the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Ariz., the museum announced this week. The "Round Trip" exhibit, set to open on Jan. 28, will feature former Air Force aircraft that had been stored for years in desert "boneyards." Aircraft used as canvases include four DC-3s, a Beechcraft C-45 (a military version of the Beech 18), and a Lockheed VC-140 Jetstar (a 1960s-era jet used for military transport). The cockpit from a Boeing C-97 also was used as a canvas for the show. More than 30 artists from around the world took part in the project.
Boeing Will Close Wichita Plant January 4, 2012 By Mary Grady Boeing will close its facility in Wichita, Kans., by the end of next year, the company said on Wednesday, putting 2,160 employees out of work. "The decision to close our Wichita facility was difficult," said Mark Bass, a Boeing spokesman. "We recognize how this will affect the lives of the highly skilled men and women who work here." Over the last five years, programs in Wichita have come to a close or are winding down, the company said, and now defense budgets are declining and there is no new business on the horizon to justify future investments. The plant is the base for the company's B-52 and 767 international tanker programs and also provides support for flight mission planning and logistics.
LightSquared Gets 30-Day Extension January 3, 2012 By Mary Grady As broadband provider LightSquared continues to push for the right to use a communications spectrum that could interfere with GPS units, Sprint this week agreed to extend its Dec. 31 deadline for a $9 billion deal with the company another 30 days, according to Reuters. The agreement between the two companies to share network infrastructure is dependent upon LightSquared's getting the OK from the Federal Communications Commission, which so far has not been forthcoming. LightSquared has said the signal interference is due to poor design in GPS units. The Coalition to Save Our GPS has called LightSquared's claims "inaccurate and self-serving."
Eclipse Takes Demo Flights On Tour January 3, 2012 By Mary Grady Eclipse Aerospace is taking its jet on the road for the month of January, and offering demo flights at $750 each, the company said this week. The demo includes about an hour of ground school with an overview of the twin-engine jet's systems and avionics, plus about 40 to 50 minutes of flight time. Potential flyers must pre-register and be pre-approved for the flights, CEO Mason Holland told AVweb. Those who find the jet irresistible and sign up to buy one can deduct the demo cost from their purchase price. The jet will visit a dozen sites across the country; click here for the complete schedule and an online registration form. Static displays at each site are open to all, Holland said.
Rare WWII Wreck Found Off Florida Coast January 2, 2012 By Mary Grady A group of divers accidentally found the mostly intact wreckage of a World War II-era aircraft lying upside down on the sandy sea bottom off Jupiter, Fla., late last month. The airplane has been tentatively identified as a relatively rare Curtiss Helldiver SB2C. "There is only one left in the world that flies," said Randy Jordan, the dive-boat operator who found the wreck, which appears on video to be in nearly intact condition. "Nobody knew it was there, we just stumbled upon it," he told the local CBS12 news. "It's like finding a treasure."
Soldier Facing Airport Explosives Charge January 1, 2012 By Russ Niles A member of the U.S. military, stationed at Fort Bragg, has been charged with trying to bring explosives onto an airplane. Various news sources have identified Trey Scott Atwater, 30, as the person arrested at the airport in Midland, Texas, after a security screener spotted something in his carry-on bag. An unidentified type of military grade explosive was removed from the bag and taken by authorities. Atwater's rank and branch of the military were not immediately released.
Amputee Wants To Be Air Force Pilot January 1, 2012 By Russ Niles An Ohio ROTC student hopes to become the first high-leg amputee to be accepted for flight training in the Air Force. Matt Pirrello lost his leg in a parachute training accident 18 months ago but he remains determined to achieve his goal of becoming a military pilot, his dream since he was old enough to run around the house making airplane noises. Pirrello has overcome a lot of challenges since his accident and has rejoined his ROTC unit, taking part in all the physically demanding activities that entails. The ultra-conservative nature of the pilot selection process presents a fresh set of obstacles, however.
Europe's Hypersonic Airliner December 31, 2011 By Glenn Pew A project insider for a planned European hypersonic airliner is confident his program could in 2013 demonstrate that technological barriers can be overcome, but current economic conditions may stall the project. The European Space Agency's Lapcat program is working on the A2 aircraft, which aims to carry passengers beyond Mach 5 in long-range flight. Johan Steelant, the program's coordinator, told the BBC that while different systems and subsystems still need to be proven, "critical technology is not longer a blocking point." The blocking point now, it appears, may be the current atmosphere of economic austerity prevalent across Europe. But a large amount of funding has already been allocated.
Personal Electronic Device "B.S." December 31, 2011 By Glenn Pew Public backlash this week followed an FAA action on iPads and the widely reported ejection of a passenger for refusing to turn off his a personal electronic device (PED), but regulatory solutions remain elusive. The FAA recently OK'd the use of iPads for American Airlines pilots and actor Alec Baldwin was ejected from a flight for refusing to turn off his cellphone. That seeming contradiction fueled multiple articles this week claiming that specific gadgets are safe and the FAA's ban is excessive. The recent arguments, some of which call electronic bans "complete B.S.," may overlook the difficulty of regulating in the environment of rapid evolution that is modern electronics (today's Kindle is not tomorrow's), and the potential for device failures. In June, AVweb discussed the issue with Dave Carson (click for podcast), who co-chaired a federal advisory committee on portable electronic devices in aviation, and little has changed since then.
Kestrel Moving To Wisconsin? December 30, 2011 By Russ Niles Media in Duluth, Minn., and Superior, Wis., are reporting that a deal is close to site the new factory for Kestrel Aircraft in Superior, which is a few miles from Kestrel President Alan Klapmeier's home town of Duluth and just across the Wisconsin border. Klapmeier, who co-founded Cirrus in Duluth, took over Kestrel 18 months ago with plans to manufacture the turboprop single in Brunswick, Maine. It's not clear what happened with the widely publicized plans to build the aircraft at a decommissioned naval air station in Brunswick.
EU's Carbon Plan For Airlines Begins Jan. 1 December 29, 2011 By Glenn Pew The new year will bring with it a requirement that carriers flying into and out of European Union airports participate in a system meant to regulate greenhouse gas emissions that critics say may result in higher airfares. Cost of compliance with the EU's plan, which is generally described as a cap-and-trade program for carriers, is expected to range anywhere from $2 billion to $4 billion over roughly the next decade and translate to no more than $16 per seat for a trans-Atlantic flight. Under the rules, the entire flight's emissions -- not just that flown in EU airspace -- will be added to a total. If emissions standards are exceeded, carriers must pay a penalty. The Obama administration and at least three major airlines have fought to stop implementation of the program, which critics say could stimulate trade tensions and exert downward pressure on already weak economies.
Airline, Manufacturers Still Paying For 2008 Incident December 29, 2011 By Glenn Pew Almost 150 passengers have been paid up to $400,000 each for their experience aboard QF72, a Qantas Airbus A330 that suffered altitude deviations during a 2008 flight, and more lawsuits are in the works. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau found in a final report released last week that the faulty air data information resulted in a dive that included a 150-foot drop in two seconds. Sixty passengers, plus standing crew, were thrown into the ceiling. Some suffered lacerations and bone injuries. One suffered a brain injury. Two minutes later, the aircraft dropped again. Sixteen passengers now appear prepared to launch a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Airbus and Northrop Grumman, the manufacturer of the plane's Air Data Inertial Reference Unit.
The Lobby For Lithium Batteries On Aircraft December 28, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Rechargeable Battery Association (PRBA) Wednesday took aim at a recent FA study about the risks posed to aircraft by lithium batteries, calling it "scare-mongering" and distracting from important safety issues. The FAA's Freighter Airplane Cargo Fire Risk Model (PDF) assessed the likely number of U.S.-registered fire accidents through 2020. The answer, according to the study, is about one every other year. The FAA's findings assumed batteries contributed to two key incidents it used to develop its risk model. According to the PRBA, "no facts are presented that indicate any involvement of batteries in the incidents." When the batteries do burn, there is little doubt about their destructive potential.
Design A Paint Scheme, Win $1200 December 28, 2011 By Glenn Pew If the Pipistrel Panthera delivers on its performance numbers it could set a new standard of performance for four-place piston travel, but it could more certainly deliver 1,000 EUR to whoever submits a winning livery design. The company has opened a competition and is providing three digital images -- a side, top and bottom view -- for aspiring designers to use as their blank canvas. Pipistrel plans to unveil the Panthera, with the winning livery paint scheme, in 2012. The aircraft aims to cruise 1,000 nm with four aboard, fly into and out of grass or hard-surface runways, and burn 10 gallons per hour in cruise. Panthera's cruise will drive it at 200 knots behind a Lycoming IO-390. The deadline for submissions is looming, and there are specific guidelines.
Three Die In Medical Helicopter Crash December 28, 2011 By Mary Grady A Bell 206 helicopter on a flight to retrieve a heart for a transplant patient crashed in the woods early Monday morning in Jacksonville, Fla., killing the pilot and the two medical workers on board. The crash ignited a fire that burned about 10 acres of forest. The NTSB said there was no distress call from the pilot or any other warning prior to the crash. "It looked like a normal flight," said NTSB investigator Jose Obregon. About 90 percent of the aircraft was destroyed in the fire, Obregon said, which will make it difficult for investigators to determine a cause. The pilot, E. Hoke Smith, 68, was president and founder of SK Jets, of St. Augustine, a charter service operating seven jets and two helicopters.
GA Accident Numbers Show Improvement December 28, 2011 By Mary Grady General aviation accidents and fatalities both declined in 2010 for the fourth year in a row, AOPA said last week. Based on data from the National Transportation Safety Board, the total of 1,435 GA accidents was the lowest in 20 years. Fatalities for the year totaled 450, down from 478 in 2009. AOPA's Air Safety Institute is analyzing the data for its annual report. "Complacency remains the enemy of safety," said Bruce Landsberg, president of the AOPA Foundation. "Most accidents result from causes that have plagued aviation for years. That story, unfortunately, is little changed."
Complaints Intensify Over FAA Fatigue Rules December 28, 2011 By Mary Grady The union representing pilots who fly for UPS already has filed suit over new FAA fatigue rules that exempt cargo airlines, and now FedEx pilots also have expressed outrage over the rules' "casual dismissal of cargo pilots and their families." The rule "completely ignores the safety of cargo pilots and instead lets operators choose to ignore the safety improvements that will benefit pilots carrying passengers," said a statement from the FedEx Master Executive Council, which is part of the Air Line Pilots Association. ALPA welcomed the new rules last week but said it is "disappointed that cargo operations are being held to a lesser standard." According to the Wall Street Journal, ALPA officials now say they will fight against the regulations. Meanwhile, 2011 is shaping up to be the safest year ever for airline travel.
Gulfstream Ends G200 Production Run December 27, 2011 By Mary Grady The last G200 has rolled off the production line in Savannah, Ga., Gulfstream said last week. The business jet was among the first in the super-midsize category when it was certified in 1998, originally flying as the "Galaxy" before Galaxy Aerospace was acquired by Gulfstream in 2001. The last jet is the 250th in the line. The G200 will be replaced in the Gulfstream line by the all-new G280, which is scheduled to enter service next year.
Hawker Beechcraft Sues Over USAF Contract December 27, 2011 By Mary Grady Hawker Beechcraft says the U.S. Air Force hasn't given a fair shake to its bid to provide up to 55 airplanes for light air support, and on Tuesday, Hawker said it's taking the argument to federal court. The company said it has asked the Air Force -- twice -- to explain its choice, with no response, and late last week the Government Accountability Office declined Hawker's request to review the decision. The elimination of Hawker's AT-6 single-engine turboprop leaves only Embraer's Super Tocano in contention for the contract, which is worth nearly $1 billion.
TSA Crooners Sooth Holiday Crowds December 25, 2011 By Russ Niles While it might be hard for travelers to sing the praises of the U.S.'s airport security apparatus, that doesn't stop the TSA employees at LAX from belting it out for their customers in what has become a holiday tradition at one of the country's busiest airports. Uniformed, but smiling, dozens of the people who take your shampoo away and reach for places only your doctor usually examines charmed the holiday crowd with a pretty creditable rendition of a modern classic. Click here to view the video on the L.A. Times site.
Sebring Spruced Up For Expo December 23, 2011 By Russ Niles Those flying into the 2012 Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla., in January are in for a smooth surprise. Runway 18-36 is being rebuilt and will be a lot easier on the equipment and personnel. "The existing pavement section has exceeded its design life and is severely cracking," said Sebring spokeswoman Erin Ries. The airport is closed from 2300Z to 1200Z daily for the work until Jan. 17, just before Expo opens on Jan. 19. If you're planning to fly to Sebring in the meantime, don't forget to check the NOTAMs. The just-in-time work for the show is just the first phase.
The Full-Body Scan Legal Challenges December 23, 2011 By Glenn Pew The widespread deployment and use of X-ray based full-body scanners at airports is the new norm, but critics say the machines are ineffective, can cause cancer, and overstep civil rights -- because of that, legal battles continue. In late November, the European Commission linked X-ray "backscatter" machines to a number of cancer cases and moved to ban the machines from European airports. In the U.S., one security study found that subjects could fool the machines with relative ease. Meanwhile, the TSA has taken the position that individuals randomly selected for scans must comply with either exposure to the backscatter machine or a full-body pat down. Failure to submit to either could lead to detention or a fine. While most Americans seem content to comply, one organization taking issue with the agency's claims has presented legal challenges to the manner in which the machines were put online. AVweb's Glenn Pew spoke with Ginger McCall, counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, to learn what those challenges are and what they might accomplish.
Hope For FAA Funding Extension? December 23, 2011 By Glenn Pew Congress' inability to agree on a long-term reauthorization plan for the FAA has led to 22 temporary funding measures, and the latest one is set to expire Jan. 31. House and Senate leaders still disagree about labor provisions in a stalled long-term extension bill. When Congress last visited this issue in late July, a stalemate led to government inaction that resulted in a partial shutdown of the FAA. More than 4,000 FAA workers and possibly as many as 75,000 contract workers were sent on temporary furlough until Congress resolved to produce the most recent funding extension without addressing fundamental areas of disagreement. There are reports, however, that, this time, there may be cause for optimism.
Voyager Celebrates 25 Years, Pipistrel Pilot Looks Ahead December 22, 2011 By Glenn Pew Burt Rutan's Voyager flew around the world unrefueled and touched down at Edwards Air Force Base at 8:06 a.m. on Dec. 23, 1986, 25 years ago, and in a few days, a project from Pipistrel aims to achieve new world-rounding goal. Rutan's aircraft was piloted by his brother Dick and pilot Jeanna Yeager and made its 24,986-mile trip in just over nine days. It averaged 116 miles per hour while burning through nearly 7,000 pounds of fuel. The achievement earned the team multiple accolades, and was recognized with a Collier Trophy from the National Aeronautic Association for the greatest flying achievement in the United States that year. One pilot will set off early in 2012 in a Pipistrel aircraft with the intent to round the world in a fixed-wing aircraft, burning the least amount of fuel per distance flown. He will not be taking the shortest route possible.
UPS Pilots Take FAA To Court Over Fatigue Rules December 22, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Independent Pilots Association (IPA) filed a lawsuit Thursday on behalf of UPS pilots in an effort to force the FAA to include cargo carriers in new pilot rest rules finalized Wednesday. The FAA saw fit to apply the new rules to passenger flights only. It found that forcing cargo carriers to adhere to the new rest rules would cost that branch of the industry $214 million. An attorney for the pilots' union cited some of the FAA's other findings -- specifically that night operations and flying through multiple time zones increase the risk of pilot fatigue. Those conditions may confront cargo pilots as often, or more often, than their passenger-carrying counterparts, and that point was not lost on the pilots' union, or its attorneys.
FAA Finalizes Fatigue Rules Amid Criticism December 21, 2011 By Glenn Pew Pilots will have a 10-hour minimum rest period prior to flight duty with enough time during that period for eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, according to new rules (PDF) finalized Wednesday by the FAA -- there are other details and exceptions. Cargo operators will not be subject to the new rules unless they elect to opt in. Echoing the concerns of his cargo-carrying brethren, Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association President Capt. Steve Chase said, "It is our hope that lawmakers will reconsider the cargo carrier exemption and ensure that legislation meets the original intent of 'One Level of Safety.'" The NTSB voiced similar concerns Wednesday. The fact that the final rule will not take effect immediately has earned it criticism from safety advocates, and there are other concerns about the rule's details.
Air Force: Pilot's Failure Was Fatal December 21, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Air Force is blaming a veteran pilot for the crash of his F-22 fighter, saying he lost control of the airplane while preoccupied with fixing the oxygen system. Capt. Jeffey Haney had his mobility and vision restricted while flying an F-22 at 38,000 feet and 1,039 KTAS, at night, and then the jet cut off his oxygen supply. According to the accident report released last week, Captain Jeffrey Haney became distracted when his oxygen system stopped delivering oxygen. After initiating a descent, he allowed his F-22 to roll past inverted, unchecked. The fighter's attitude resulted in a vertical speed of -57,800 feet per minute. Haney failed to recognize that, according to the report, and also did not activate the emergency oxygen system. Haney attempted recovery from the resultant supersonic dive with a 7.4-G pull, three seconds before impact. Conditions in the cockpit revealed by the report may contribute some telling details.
Amelia Earhart Flies A Cirrus December 21, 2011 By Mary Grady Denver traffic reporter Amelia Rose Earhart is distantly related to the famous aviator, and says her parents gave her that name to inspire her -- and it worked. Earhart already has earned her private pilot certificate, and this week she's flying from Oakland, Calif., to Miami in a Cirrus SR-22 to re-trace one of her namesake's famous flights (and blogging about it, here). She's working on her instrument rating, and hopes to eventually follow Earhart's route around the world -- skipping the part about going missing over the ocean, of course.
Who Will Follow Babbitt? December 21, 2011 By Mary Grady With Randy Babbitt's recent departure from the FAA's top job after a drunk-driving arrest, the job is being filled by his former deputy, Michael Huerta, but speculation has already begun about who will be the next administrator. In an analysis by Politico on Tuesday, five names are floated, including several who are well-known in aviation circles -- NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman, former ALPA leader Duane Woerth, and former U.S. Rep. James Oberstar.
Aviation Consumer: Cirrus Safety Record Just Average December 20, 2011 By AVweb Staff When the Cirrus SR20 and 22 first appeared a dozen years ago, the models' full airframe parachute system and stall/spin resistant wing were expected to set new standards for light aircraft safety. But according to Aviation Consumer's January edition, the Cirrus line has achieved, at best, a middle of the road safety and accident record that makes its fatal accident rate a bit better than Mooney and Piper high-performance models, but a bit worse than the Columbia/Corvalis series and Cessna's venerable 172 and 182. The magazine studied accident records dating back as far as 30 years on 11 popular GA light aircraft. Among its findings are that the Cirrus overall accident rate is 3.25/100,000, placing it closer to the top of the list of airplanes Aviation Consumer considered and about half of the GA average overall accident rate of 6.3/100,000. Only Diamond's DA40 and DA42 had better overall accident rates -- dramatically so in the case of the DA40, whose overall rate is 1.19, a little more than a sixth of the GA average.
Icing Cited In TBM-700 Freeway Crash December 20, 2011 By Mary Grady All five people on board a Socata TBM-700 were killed Tuesday morning after the single-engine turboprop apparently lost a wing in flight, then spiraled to a crash in the median of busy Interstate 287 in New Jersey and burned. Nobody on the ground was hurt. The airplane had taken off from Teterboro just 14 minutes earlier, about 9:50 a.m., headed for Atlanta, the NTSB said on Tuesday afternoon. The pilot and ATC discussed reports of icing in the area. A chunk of the missing wing was found about a quarter-mile from the wreckage, lodged in a tree. The airplane belonged to Jeffrey Buckalew, 45, a New York investment banker, who was the pilot. Also on board were Buckalew's wife and two children, a co-worker, and a dog.
Seven-Year Sentence For Repeat Airplane Thief December 20, 2011 By Mary Grady Colton Harris-Moore, the teenager whose two-year crime spree included the theft of several airplanes -- which he taught himself to fly from manuals and videos -- was sentenced on Friday to serve seven years and three months in jail after pleading guilty to 33 counts of burglary and theft. Harris-Moore, now 20, was "pleased" with the sentence, according to his lawyer, John Henry Browne. "He was expecting the worst," Browne told The Associated Press. In a letter (PDF) to the judge, Harris-Moore apologized for his crimes and described the "euphoria" of his first flight, even though the weather was horrible. "My first thought after takeoff was 'Oh my God, I'm flying,'" he wrote. "I had waited my entire life for that moment." Harris-Moore flew the Cessna 182 stole from Orcas Island Airport in the dark into the teeth of a Northwest wind and rainstorm that grounded a lot of other aircraft and admitted he was lucky to survive. He eventually landed it hard near Yakima. He stole at least two more planes, a Cirrus SR22 and finally a Cessna Corvalis that he ditched in the Caribbean, where he was captured after police shot out the engine of a boat he'd stolen. He said he planned to use his prison time to study and he hopes to eventually go to college for aeronautical engineering.
Garmin Releases Trainer App For GTN 750 December 20, 2011 By Mary Grady Garmin announced on Tuesday it has released a new iPad 2 trainer app for its GTN 750 hybrid navigator, downloadable from the iTunes app store for $24.99. The iPad is an especially good training device, according to Garmin spokesman Carl Wolf, because of the touchscreen, which simulates the actual GTN 750 operation. "By using this tool, pilots can interact with the trainer like they would with the device in the cockpit," Wolf said. The GTN 750 was introduced in March.
FAA: Sport Pilot Examiners Don't Need A Medical December 19, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA has issued an amendment to its 2009 rule on Part 61 flight training to make several corrections and clarifications. To conduct flight tests for the sport-pilot certificate, examiners aren't required to have a medical certificate as long as they have a U.S. driver's license, the FAA now says. EAA welcomed the change. "While this correction is important to all sport pilot examiners, it was critical to the few examiners conducting practical examinations in weight-shift control, powered parachutes, and gyroplanes," said David Oord, EAA government and advocacy specialist. The change doesn't apply to sport-pilot flight tests in gliders or balloons. The FAA's amendment also clarified two other points.
FAA Plans VOR Reductions December 19, 2011 By Mary Grady As part of its strategy to upgrade the National Airspace System, the FAA last week proposed to reduce the number of VOR facilities to a "minimal operational network" by 2020. The agency said the minimum network would enable aircraft anywhere in the continental U.S. to proceed safely to a destination with a GPS-independent approach within 100 nm. The FAA will convene a working group to consider which VORs will be shut down. "Each facility will be evaluated on its own merits," the FAA said. The group will use "relevant operational, safety, cost, and economic criteria," along with input from industry stakeholders and the public, to reach its conclusions.
Survey: Have You Recently Stepped Up to a Turbine Airplane? December 19, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli
If so, Aviation Consumer would like to talk to your about your experiences with financing, training and insurance. For example, if you sold your Bonanza and upgraded to a Piper Meridian, what was involved? How has it worked out? Contact us through this form and we'll get back to you.
"Eagle Flight" Launches in January December 18, 2011 By Russ Niles EAA will roll out its new Young Eagles-style familiarization program for adults in January. In a year-end interview, EAA President Rod Hightower said the program, named Eagle Flight, will fly its first adult pilot wannabe in March. The name was presumably chosen from submissions by EAA members after the program was announced during EAA AirVenture last year. Hightower said that about a third of the 15,000 newly licensed pilots in 2010 were older than 34 and Eagle Flight aims to tap into the latent desires of many potential new pilots.
Contract Tower Closure Eyed December 18, 2011 By Russ Niles AOPA is reporting that the FAA is being pressured to close contract control towers at more than 100 GA-only airports. Quoting unnamed sources, AOPA says the Office of Management and Budget has made the suggestion that funding be pulled from contract towers at airports that don't have commercial service or high volumes of military traffic. The funding cuts would affect roughly half of the 248 contract towers, which are independently owned and operated facilities under contract to the FAA.
Bonus Depreciation May Be Back For 2012 December 18, 2011 By Russ Niles It appears 100-percent bonus depreciation will make a comeback for at least one more year when the full version of the contentious budget bill comes back before Congress in two months. The full version of H.R. 3630 (PDF) contains language restoring the tax measure that allows moneymaking businesses to write off the full value of major capital expenses, including airplanes, in a single tax year. Otherwise, the maximum write-off is 50 percent. Although the language made it through the House and was presented to the Senate, politics of the day dictated that a stripped-down version (PDF) of the bill dealing mainly with the payroll tax cut and Keystone pipeline be sent forth. Daniel Cheung, of Aviation Tax Consultants, told AVweb in a podcast interview he expects the bonus depreciation language to be back when the full bill is considered early next year.
AOPA, NBAA on FAA Chart Charges: Wait and See December 17, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli Both of general aviation's principal advocacy groups say they're taking a wait-and-see attitude toward last week's proposal by the FAA to radically raise the cost of digital charting data to the industry. AOPA and NBAA had representatives at the meeting last Tuesday, in which the FAA's AeroNav division said it wanted to charge about $150 a year for each end user of its digital charting data. Participants in the meeting told us this could more than double the cost of some chart apps and drive some free viewers from the market entirely, including perhaps the two DUATs vendors, which offer plate viewers.
NASA Backs Commercial Space Projects December 17, 2011 By Glenn Pew NASA may be dependent on Russia until at least 2017 to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station but the agency hopes to develop commercial alternatives soon. The agency is seeking to maintain development of at least two competing space taxi designs to fill the void left by the now-retired Space Shuttle. Today, NASA is funding four firms: Boeing; Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX); Sierra Nevada Corp.; and Blue Origin, which is a start-up owned by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com. That group notably does not include Stratolaunch Systems, a recently announced venture by Paul Allen and Burt Rutan that could create the world's largest aircraft as part of its own independent space program.
Iran: Spoofing Brought Down U.S. Drone December 17, 2011 By Glenn Pew Iran says that knowledge it gained through reverse engineering less sophisticated drones allowed it to trick an RQ-170 Sentinel drone into landing itself there, nearly undamaged, in early December. An Iranian engineer says specialists reconfigured the drone's GPS coordinates to tell the aircraft it was actually landing at its base in Afghanistan, the Christian Science Monitor reported Friday. The technique, called "spoofing," means that the Iranians did not need to crack the vehicle's encrypted remote-control systems or communications. According to the Monitor's source, the spoofing simply led the vehicle to land "on its own where we wanted it to." If true, and experts appear to believe it's plausible, this wouldn't be the first time U.S. drone systems have been compromised, but may be the culmination of previous efforts.
Airline Safety Improves Worldwide, Except For... December 15, 2011 By Glenn Pew The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says that as of November, "global safety performance is at the best-ever level recorded," with one notable exception. According to IATA, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States have seen their accident rate increase by 55 percent, year over year. That contrasts with global accident rates that are (so far this year) 22 percent better than last year. According to IATA, there were 75 accidents from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, 2011. That compares with 92 for the same period during 2010. The association says changes that have swept through other improved regions are coming to Russia.
Aerial Wolf Control Controversy December 15, 2011 By Glenn Pew Wildlife conservation groups are in an uproar after an old photograph was circulated online showing a U.S. Wildlife Services SuperCub painted with 58 paw-print decals -- one for each wolf shot from the aircraft. Wolves were removed from the endangered species list in 2011, but Idaho, Montana and Wyoming Wildlife Services agents have shot hundreds of wolves since 2009. The agency engages in the practice to protect sheep, cattle and other animals from the predation. Fish and Game officials have decided the aircraft would be a useful tool if trapping and hunting methods fall short. Conservation advocates are offended by the photo and the practice, but one part of the argument may warrant more attention.
Latest Tests Show LightSquared Disrupts Most GPS December 14, 2011 By Russ Niles Federal officials Wednesday confirmed earlier reports that signals from a nationwide broadband system proposed by LightSquared will significantly disrupt existing GPS service. In separate statements, the National Coordination Office for Spaced-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT), the Department of Defense and the Department of Transportation essentially said that under current circumstances, GPS cannot coexist with LightSquared's planned 40,000-tower network of high-speed wireless broadband transmitters. "LightSquared signals caused harmful interference to the majority of … general purpose GPS receivers," said Anthony Russo, director of PNT. The comments were based on recent test results that also showed the signals could affect TAWS. Cellphones are not affected significantly, according to the tests. LightSquared said it rejects the findings about the GPS receivers but is willing to work with the FAA on TAWS. The GPS interference, LightSquared claims, is the GPS industry's fault, which, regardless of the veracity of the claim, may be a moot point.
Court Orders U.S. To Pay Pilot's Family December 14, 2011 By Glenn Pew A District Court Judge has ordered the United States to pay $4.4 million to the family of a pilot killed in a 2005 plane crash after finding that a controller (currently serving as a front line manager) "breached his duty of care." Judge Edwin G. Torres found that controller Harvey Pake failed to provide accurate, complete weather information pertinent to pilot Michael Zinn's route of flight. He also failed to provide navigational assistance when asked, according to the court. The NTSB's full narrative suggests it may not be that simple. Zinn was flying a Cessna P337H, IFR, out of Boca Raton for Myrtle Beach in the afternoon. Pake told him he was heading toward heavy precipitation and Zinn announced a heading change. Pake became involved with another aircraft as Zinn flew into a Level 5 storm. Zinn was heard on frequency by controllers and other pilots screaming for help for two minutes before his radio went silent.
F-35 Woes Made Public December 14, 2011 By Glenn Pew A 55-page report this weekend made public a laundry list of flaws currently dragging on the F-35 fighter program and is complicated by a production plan called "Concurrency" that allows Lockheed Martin to churn out the jets while testing continues. Structural cracks, electrical gremlins and a "classified" problem are among those mentioned in the report. The program, already projected to cost one trillion dollars over the next 50 years, could now face another billion dollars in fixes. And aging fighters waiting to be replaced by the F-35 may have to hold the line years longer than originally expected.
Cockpit iPads Get FAA OK December 14, 2011 By Mary Grady American Airlines is the first U.S. airline to be officially approved by the FAA to use iPads as an electronic flight bag in all phases of flight, the FAA said this week. The airline received the approval on Dec. 1. The FAA said only two iPads are allowed to be operated in the cockpit at any one time, according to The New York Times. "This involves a significantly different scenario for potential interference than unlimited passenger use, which could involve dozens or even hundreds of devices at the same time," the FAA told the Times. American and Alaska Airlines previously have been using the tablets in the cockpit on an evaluation-only basis.
J. Lynn Helms, Former FAA Administrator, Dies December 14, 2011 By Mary Grady J. Lynn Helms, who served as FAA administrator from 1981 to 1984, died on Dec. 11, at his home in Westport, Conn., at age 86. Helms may be best remembered for his role during the 1981 strike by air traffic controllers. According to the Washington Post, Helms advised Reagan administration officials that air traffic safety would not be affected if more than 11,000 union controllers were fired. Helms kept ATC running with non-union workers, managers, members of the military, and new hires. Helms also served as a test pilot in the Navy, and was president of Piper Aircraft in the 1970s.
FAA AeroNav Meeting: Radically Higher Prices for Digital Charting Proposed (Updated) December 13, 2011 By AVweb Staff The FAA's AeroNav charting division told vendors this week that it proposes to charge end users of digital charting producers about $150 a year to close a $5 million shortfall in its budget due to declining paper chart sales. The new fee, if adopted, would presumably more than double the cost of some popular iPad and Droid applications such as ForeFlight and WingX. Plus, vendors selling through Apple's application channels would face additional charges. "To me, it's pretty clear that these prices are a non-starter. I know pilots aren't going to pay $150 for these products without screaming about it," one vendor told us.
Rutan, Allen Team Up For "Stratolaunch" December 13, 2011 By Mary Grady Aircraft designer Burt Rutan has teamed up again with investor Paul Allen -- who bankrolled Rutan's winning entry in the 2004 X Prize -- to build what they say will be the world's largest airplane, "Stratolaunch," capable of launching payloads into space. The composite aircraft, weighing 1.2 million pounds, with a 385-foot wingspan, resembles an upsized WhiteKnight, with twin fuselages joined by a long wing and a carrier mechanism in the middle. Plans call for six jet engines like those used on 747s, and booster rocket engines from Elon Musk's SpaceX. Test flights are planned for 2015.
FAA Proposes Stall-Recovery Change December 13, 2011 By Mary Grady Pilots of transport-category airplanes should be taught to reduce the angle of attack as their first response to a stall warning, the FAA said on Tuesday. In a new proposed advisory circular, the FAA says it aims to provide "best practices and guidance for training, testing, and checking for pilots to ensure correct and consistent response to unexpected stall warnings, and/or stick pusher activations." The AC is an apparent response to the Colgan Air and Air France crashes, in which the pilots' reaction to stall warnings was part of the accident chain. Jet pilots have often been trained to use power as the initial means of recovery, to minimize altitude loss.
Forecast: BizJet Sales To Recover Next Year December 13, 2011 By Mary Grady A recent report from Forecast International predicts that 2012 will see a turnaround in the business-jet market, with modest growth expected, ending a three-year trend of declining sales. The recovery will be slow, according to analyst Raymond Jaworowski. The improvement in 2012 will be "minor," he said, and "more substantial growth in build rates will have to wait until 2013." The production total in 2008 of 1,313 business jets may not be seen again until 2018.
Kids Use X-Plane To Learn Science December 12, 2011 By Mary Grady A new program offered by Build A Plane and Fly To Learn aims to help kids learn about science, technology, engineering, and math by building and flying virtual aircraft using X-Plane flight simulator software. "Not every school can or wants to build a real airplane," said Lyn Freeman, founder of Build A Plane, "but now everybody can build an airplane virtually, thanks to our new partnership with Fly To Learn." Fly To Learn has developed a curriculum that uses X-Plane to teach kids the basics of aviation and help them design and fly their own simulated aircraft. The groups plan to develop a nationwide competition with a "virtual fly-off."
Plane Hits Empty School December 11, 2011 By Russ Niles Authorities in the Philippines are focusing on the fuel system of a Beech Queen Air that crashed into a school in the Manila suburb of Paranaque City on Saturday killing at least 13 people, including 11 on the ground, and leveling the school. Only the two pilots and one passenger were aboard the aircraft. Because it was a Saturday, there were no classes and a much bigger loss of life was avoided. The plane exploded on impact and caught the school building and adjacent shanty homes on fire and it took three hours to quell the flames. The pilots had requested an emergency landing shortly after takeoff.
Rowdy Passengers "Chewed Through Restraints" December 10, 2011 By Russ Niles Air Canada officials told authorities that two rowdy passengers who caused the diversion of a Toronto-Beijing flight last week actually chewed through the restraints used by the crew and passengers to subdue them. The Vancouver Sun quotes CBC News as saying the pair, a couple of IT executives on a business trip, were so out of hand that the captain ordered the cabin "locked down" for 80 minutes as they made a run for the nearest airport, Vancouver International, to offload the troublemakers. George Campbell, 45, and Paul Wilson, 38, were immediately hauled before a judge where they pleaded guilty to mischief and were ordered to pay $72,000 in restitution. However, Air Canada has tallied up its expenses and estimates the fiasco cost it $200,000, not including a roughed-up flight attendant and a planeload of upset passengers.
Colorado Seeks Spaceport Status December 9, 2011 By Glenn Pew Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has sent a letter to the FAA seeking designation as a spaceport and the ability to create facilities for that purpose. Colorado ranks third for highest state revenue generated from the aerospace industry, according to the governor. It also hosts 140 aerospace companies, the Air Force Space Command headquarters and NORAD. The governor's target is Front Range Airport, about 20 miles east of Denver. If federally approved, Hickenlooper hopes to transform roughly 10,000 acres of land surrounding the airport into fertile ground for spaceport support services and the jobs that go with them. He appears to be hoping for a quick turnaround from the FAA.
Piper Seeks Forgiveness December 8, 2011 By Glenn Pew Piper is seeking to renegotiate a deal it made with the state of Florida and Indian River County to avoid paying back some government incentives, TCPalm reported Thursday. In 2008, Piper agreed to repay more than $1.5 million of a $10.7 million incentive package it received from the state and county if it failed to meet specific employment benchmarks. Piper has now written state officials to ask forgiveness for those government investments. In a letter to the state, Piper officials said, "This will help ensure the company can successfully continue to manage its financial affairs and accomplish its marketing, sales and employment goals in the future."
Iran And The Stealth Drone (With Video) December 8, 2011 By Glenn Pew
In a state TV broadcast, Thursday, Iran showed off what it says is a U.S. drone brought down in that country, but some observers have found reason to question portions of that account. The video broadcast shows two men in military garb walking around something that looks very much like an RQ-170 Sentinel drone aircraft. U.S. officials believe Iran is in possession of an RQ-170 that had been flown by the CIA and was lost over the country last week. At least initially, they appear less convinced that the object displayed in the video is that vehicle. U.S. officials claim the aircraft they lost was likely brought down due to a technical malfunction and did not immediately confirm that the video showed an authentic drone. Iranian officials have their own explanation.
Airshow Teams Announce 2012 Schedules December 8, 2011 By Mary Grady The Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy's Blue Angels released their 2012 schedules last week at the International Council of Air Shows annual meeting in Las Vegas. Both teams fly their first show in March -- the Angels at El Centro, Calif., and the Thunderbirds in Yuma, Ariz. The Thunderbirds also are scheduled to fly at Sun 'n Fun, in Florida, March 31 and April 1. The ICAS schedule can be downloaded here (PDF). Besides the military teams, however, much of the season's schedule remains to be filled -- the slot for EAA AirVenture, for example, is nearly empty -- but you might find your favorite airshow on the 13-page list.
Airline Fires Union Leader, Sparks Sickout December 7, 2011 By Glenn Pew Pilots at LIAT, a Caribbean airline, this week took action, crippling their employer with a sickout that cancelled 110 flights when their union leader was fired shortly after suggesting that pilots' pensions had been mismanaged by the airline. Captain Michael Blackburn had worked for LIAT for more than 35 years and chaired the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA). In November, Blackburn, as head of LIALPA, sent a letter to LIAT management stating that the carrier's decision to invest pilot pension funds into a now-failed investment program went against a court order and took place without consultation of company pilots. Blackburn also made public derogatory statements about the airline. Soon thereafter, the veteran captain was accused of a safety violation. Monday, he was dismissed. His fellow pilots responded, Tuesday, with a sickout action that cancelled nearly all LIAT flights. The union has vowed that the fight is not over.
GA Flight Honors Pearl Harbor Day December 7, 2011 By Mary Grady We don't normally associate general aviation aircraft with the events of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, 70 years ago this week, but a flight instructor and student out flying that day nearly collided with a Japanese Zero -- an event that was re-enacted Wednesday morning in Las Vegas. Cornelia Fort and her student were flying early on Dec. 7, 1941, above Honolulu in an Interstate Cadet, when the Zero sped straight at her, and she took over the controls to evade it. She immediately returned to the airport to land, and later wrote that "another plane machine-gunned the ground in front of me as I taxied back to the hangar." In commemoration of the day, the current owner of the Cadet, airshow pilot Kent Pietsch, flew a reenactment flight on Wednesday morning, with his brother Warren flying the world's only active Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighter.
New FAA Rules For Airborne Energy Systems December 7, 2011 By Mary Grady With more experimenters seeking to test airborne wind-energy systems aloft, the FAA said on Wednesday it has revised its policy to ensure the safety of the national airspace. The experiments no longer will be evaluated under the rules that govern moored balloons; instead, they must comply with the rules for structures exceeding 200 feet above ground level. "The purpose of this change in policy is to allow for the continued development of this emerging technology and to provide the FAA with data regarding these devices so that the safety and integrity of the NAS is maintained," the FAA said.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt Resigns December 6, 2011 By Glenn Pew A release was posted Dec. 6, 2011, to the FAA website under the title, "Statement from Randy Babbitt." That statement follows here in its entirety: "Today I submitted my resignation to Secretary Ray LaHood and it has been accepted. Serving as FAA Administrator has been an absolute honor and the highlight of my professional career. But I am unwilling to let anything cast a shadow on the outstanding work done 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by my colleagues at the FAA. They run the finest and safest aviation system in the world and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work alongside them. I am confident in their ability to successfully carry out all of the critical safety initiatives underway and the improvements that the FAA has planned. I also want to thank Secretary LaHood for his leadership and dedication to the safety of the traveling public."
HAI: "Public" Ops Need Clarity December 6, 2011 By Mary Grady The aviation industry needs to form a working group to help clarify the rules that apply to public-use aircraft operations, Helicopter Association International President Matt Zuccaro said on Friday. The distinction currently is often blurred, Zuccaro said, especially for contract operators. He added that most contract flights that are now flown as public-use actually could be accomplished under FAA rules. Zuccaro took part in the NTSB forum on public-use operations held on Wednesday and Thursday, last week.
Embraer Opens In Florida December 6, 2011 By Mary Grady Embraer opened a new customer center at the Melbourne, Fla., airport on Monday, and delivered the first U.S.-assembled Phenom 100 to its owner. The 58,000-square foot facility cost $50 million and took three years to build. It will house customer service and sales for the U.S. market, and also serve as the delivery site for Phenom 100s built in the U.S. The center features a vast atrium, a mockup showroom, five design studios, dining and event areas, and a delivery hangar. "It is a historic day for Embraer," said CEO Frederico Fleury Curado.
NBAA's Bolen Visits AOPA China December 5, 2011 By Yinjie Zhang A group headed by NBAA President Ed Bolen made its first stop in Beijing on Dec. 1 to visit AOPA China and discuss their interests in the Chinese business aviation market. In that meeting, Bolen's group met with Feng Zhang, Deputy Director General of AOPA China. The groups expressed strong interest in China's fast-growing market, especially within the economical and political landscape of Beijing, where AOPA China is based. Mr. Zhang expressed his view that public perception in China currently associates business aviation with luxury and wealth as opposed to productivity. Zhang noted that a clear shift of focus to business aviation's utilitarian values is needed to gain more government backing and broader market appeal. There were other concerns.
FAA Administrator Arrested For DUI December 5, 2011 By Glenn Pew Randy Babbitt, administrator of the FAA, was taken into custody Saturday by Fairfax County police and charged with driving while intoxicated, according to a news release from the city of Fairfax, Virginia. At about 10:30 p.m. Babbitt was seen driving on the wrong side of the road and was pulled over. He was alone in the car at the time and no accident related to the incident has been reported. After being taken to a local jail, he was released on a personal recognizance bond and faces a February 2 court date. The DOT has released comments regarding Babbitt's employment.
Hawker 200 On Hold December 5, 2011 By Mary Grady Hawker Beechcraft is slowing down work on its Hawker 200 light jet, the company said on Friday, citing the "fragile global economic situation." The program has been meeting its objectives, Hawker CEO Bill Boisture said in a letter to employees, but with the timing of a recovery uncertain, "the prudent management decision is to slow the pace of the completion of the Hawker 200 certification program until indicators reflect a healthier light jet market." He added that the company is increasing production rates for its turboprops and some of its jets to meet market demand.
Survey: Have You Deployed a Cirrus CAPS? December 5, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli
If so, our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, is interested in gathering some information on what the experience was like for a project on aircraft safety. Please contact us at avconsumer@comcast.net.
Air Force Cuts Back On Demo Flights December 4, 2011 By Mary Grady The U.S. Air Force will scale back single-ship demo flights for next year's airshow season, the Air Combat Command announced last week. "We face significant fiscal constraints," the ACC said in a statement (PDF). Those constraints require "tough decisions," and the ACC said it will scale back from sponsoring six single-ship demo teams to just one. The F-22 demo team will perform at up to 20 events. The A-10, F-16, and F-15 demos will not fly. The Air Force will continue to support a full season for the Thunderbirds airshow team.
Cessna Adds Inspections For Aging Aircraft December 4, 2011 By Mary Grady Cessna has launched an initiative to educate owners about new required inspections for the 145,000 single-engine aircraft in the 100- and 200-series that were built between 1946 and 1986. The supplemental procedures will be added into the service manuals this month for aircraft in the 100 series and in April for the 200 series. The added inspections mainly require checks of areas where corrosion and fatigue damage can occur. "The new inspection requirements we've developed are very simple, and are based on visual inspection that can be done quickly by a trained inspector during an annual inspection," said Beth Gamble, Cessna's principal engineer for airframe structures.
FAA Aims To Cut Commercial Accidents By Half December 3, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA's Commercial Aviation Safety Team said last week it will expand its proactive accident-reduction efforts with the goal of cutting the already-low fatality rate in U.S. commercial aviation 50 percent by 2025. The team also will start to include general aviation, helicopter operators, and the military in its programs. In addition to analyzing past accidents and their causes, CAST works to collect data on current aviation operations and incidents to identify emerging and changing risks and prevent accidents.
NTSB To Investigate Airshow Safety December 3, 2011 By Mary Grady The NTSB will hold a hearing next month to gather information about the safety of air races and airshows, the board said on Friday. During a one-day meeting on Jan. 10, the board will hear from regulators, aviation organizations, industry groups, and airport authorities to learn about safety practices, procedures and protocols. The board also will gather information about the safety regulations and oversight in the planning and execution of these events. In September, a pilot and 10 spectators were killed in an accident at the Reno Air Races, and several performers died in U.S. airshow accidents over the last season.
FAA Opens BARR December 2, 2011 By Glenn Pew The FAA announced Friday that it will no longer require operators to provide a valid security concern -- or any other requirement -- to participate in a specific program that prevents IFR flight information from being displayed online. Those who want to enroll aircraft in the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program for the sake of privacy, or any other reason, may now do so simply by properly asking. The National Business Aviation Association, Experimental Aircraft Association and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association all fought for that outcome and welcomed the change.
Lawmakers Block Safety Rule Change December 2, 2011 By Glenn Pew Pilot unions concerned that international safety standards are lacking when it comes to regulation of lithium batteries have (at least temporarily) lost out to industry and foreign government interests. A deal struck as part of the talks on long-term funding for the FAA blocks new battery shipment rules proposed by the Obama administration and reverts to what the pilot unions believe are inadequate international standards. Industries that ship products containing lithium batteries supported the provision that blocks the new rules. Top figures at both the Independent Pilots Association (IPA) and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) have voiced clear concern.
FAA Misses Deadline On Fatigue Rules December 1, 2011 By Glenn Pew Another deadline passed Wednesday without the FAA acting to finalize new rules aimed at pilot fatigue, and that brought ire from family members of the victims of Continental Flight 3407. The concerned parties have organized into the Families of Continental Flight 3407, an action group formed in remembrance of relatives lost to that 2009 crash, and to see through what they believe are necessary preventive changes in regulation. The FAA's original deadline for the pilot fatigue rules was Aug. 1. It was later moved to Nov. 30. The agency says it is "working aggressively" to complete the new final version of the fatigue rules "as well as separate rules that address pilot qualifications and training." The agency has met organized opposition in the past. Comments from one of the family members suggest he believes there may be more corrupt motives in the mix.
FAA Funds Biofuel Push December 1, 2011 By Glenn Pew The FAA will award $7.7 million to eight companies developing alternative fuels (biofuel), the agency announced Thursday, seeking a test product by next year. The companies will receive guidance from the FAA to develop an approved drop-in jet fuel alternative derived from sustainable sources for use in current systems and current infrastructure. Source matter will include alcohols, biomass, sugars and organic oils. The contracts themselves direct the companies to research quality control and long-term mechanical effects of burning biofuels in jet engines. Biofuel has already helped drive airliners and passengers across the United States as part of traditional/biofuel blends. Feasibility is one thing. Affordability and profitability wield their influence in the far more important arena of practical application, where real challenges remain.
Russian Lawyer To Challenge Aviation Authority November 30, 2011 By Glenn Pew Following a string of Russian aviation accidents, a Russian lawyer says he will ask Russia's Supreme Court to curb the authority of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), The Associated Press reported Wednesday. Formed in 1992, the IAC is a post Soviet Union era creation. According to lawyer Igor Trunov, it embodies a conflict of interest that prevents it from operating objectively in the interest of safety. Trunov would like to see the roles of regulatory oversight and investigation currently held by the IAC separated. He also argues that the IAC failed to determine a true cause in its investigation of the September crash that killed an entire Russian ice hockey team.
Europe Bans X-Ray Body Scanners November 30, 2011 By Glenn Pew The European Commission decided in November to ban airport body scanning X-ray backscatter machines after studies found a small number of cancer cases linked to use of the devices. The decision affects all airports in Europe, with an exception for U.K. airports that will be allowed to test them, but not deploy them permanently. According to the European Commission, "only security scanners which do not use X-ray technology are added to the list of authorized methods for passenger screening at EU airports." The commission does approve of full non-X-ray body scanners (radio wave scanners are among those used in the U.S.) when operated under specific guidelines and restrictions. In the U.S., the TSA uses more than 250 backscatter machines at the nation's 100 busiest airports and is unmoved by Europe's position. The degree of cancer risk varies somewhat depending on the source ... as does the degree of usefulness of the machines themselves.
NTSB Examines Public Aircraft Safety November 30, 2011 By Mary Grady More than 2,400 airplanes and helicopters operated by the federal government, known as "public aircraft," are not subject to FAA rules, and this week the NTSB is holding a two-day forum to examine the safety record of these operations. Public aircraft are used for high-risk endeavors such as firefighting, law enforcement, and search and rescue. "We have had accidents in the last few years where we go on scene and we still find confusion and a lack of clarity over who is responsible for oversight," NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman told Bloomberg News. "We are holding this forum to try to create a downward trend when it comes to fatalities and injuries in public aviation."
Supreme Court Hears Pilot's Medical Case November 30, 2011 By Mary Grady Pilot Stanmore Cooper wants to sue the government for the emotional distress caused when the FAA obtained his medical records from the Social Security Administration, and on Wednesday the case was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. A lower court already has ruled that Cooper's privacy rights were violated, but the Supreme Court will decide whether compensation must be limited to financial losses. Cooper, of San Francisco, was a private pilot until the 1980s, when he was diagnosed with HIV and let his medical lapse. In 1994, he reapplied for a medical certificate, but didn't reveal his diagnosis for fear he would be denied. The certificate was revoked after the FAA checked the medical records. Cooper pleaded guilty to a charge of making a false statement and was fined $1,000.
Pipistrel Promises $83K LSA Trainer November 30, 2011 By Mary Grady While Cessna recently announced a price hike to $149,000 for its Skycatcher LSA, Pipistrel says it plans to introduce a new LSA trainer early next year and sell it for about $83,000. The Alpha trainer aims to be "affordable to acquire [and] economical to maintain," the company said. "We believe no other LSA training aircraft is as cheap to run." The trainer will feature a beefed-up tricycle-gear undercarriage to handle student landings, 400 nm of range, cruise speed of 108 knots, and a fuel burn of 2.5 gallons per hour, Pipistrel said. The panel features conventional flight gauges supplemented by a Garmin GPS unit. The company plans to start U.S. deliveries as soon as April.
New Technology Promises Icing, Corrosion Protection November 29, 2011 By Mary Grady
A new product scheduled to come on the market early next year promises to provide a durable coating on metal surfaces that can make them repel water, providing resistance to icing and corrosion. The coating, called NeverWet, is a "super-hydrophobic" material that causes water and heavy oils to bead up and glide away. "Any object coated with our NeverWet coating literally cannot be touched by liquid," says the Ross Nanotechnology website. "Any liquid placed on this coating is repelled and simply rolls off without touching the underlying surface. Not only is this amazing to see, but it solves a myriad of problems." Although the company hasn't suggested the product has aviation applications, the GA community has already taken note -- EAA said the possibilities seem "endless," from keeping wings clean and ice-free to reducing friction for seaplanes.
Chapter 11 For American Airlines November 29, 2011 By Mary Grady American Airlines on Tuesday filed for bankruptcy protection, the last of the legacy airlines to do so. Flight schedules will not be affected, said AMR Corp. (PDF), the parent company of both American and American Eagle. American was the only major carrier that wasn't profitable last year, according to The Wall Street Journal. American said its labor contracts cost $600 million more each year than other legacy airlines pay. Those airlines, such as United and Delta, were allowed to void their labor contracts after filing Chapter 11, according to The Associated Press. Contract talks between American and its 8,000 pilots recently stalled.
Flying Commercial? Don't Expect Oxygen November 28, 2011 By Mary Grady An FAA order to remove supplemental oxygen from airline lavatories puts passengers and crew at risk, the Association of Flight Attendants told USA Today last week. The order, made earlier this year in conjunction with the FBI and TSA, was a "precautionary measure," the FAA said, because the chemical oxygen generators were easily accessible and could be "manipulated to create a flight hazard." The backup plan, if an aircraft decompresses at altitude and passengers or crew members are in the lavatory, is for flight attendants to assist them -- but the AFA says by the time it's safe for them to do so, it might already be too late.
Airspace Redesign Factor In Crash? November 27, 2011 By Russ Niles
he Thanksgiving Eve crash of a Turbo Commander near Phoenix could reignite debate over a controversial 2007 airspace redesign that substantially changed procedures for VFR aircraft flying in the area of the crash. To make more room for airliners approaching Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, the FAA lowered the floor of the Class B airspace east of Phoenix from 8,000 feet to 5,000 feet and extended it to 25 miles from the airport. The edge of that zone is within two miles of the Superstition Mountains where the Turbo Commander hit a cliff on a mountain that rises to about 5,000 feet Wednesday, killing all six people aboard, including three children. Although the NTSB is nowhere near to establishing a cause for Wednesday's crash, the airspace changes were called "overly complex" and the area of the Superstition Mountains was specifically mentioned in a 2006 letter from AOPA (PDF) to the FAA recommending major changes to the proposed airspace redesign.
New Life For Old Twin Otters November 27, 2011 By Russ Niles There is new life available for old Twin Otters in the form of an STC obtained by a California aircraft modification company. IKHANA Aircraft Services at Van Nuys has received FAA approval to remanufacture the fuselages of timed-out DHC-6-100, 200 and 300 aircraft. Twin Otters, which were built in Toronto from 1965 to 1988, are among the hardest-working types in their category, and many have reached or are getting close to the 66,000-hour/132,000-cycle life limit. IKHANA's program zero times an existing fuselage and gives it another full life limit. "This is not a standard aircraft refurbishment but an option for re-creating value by remanufacturing a previously timed out asset," the company said in a news release. As we reported in 2008, demand for Twin Otters is such that Viking Air, of Victoria, B.C., has resumed production under the original type certificate.
MSB Addresses TCM Turbo Engine Problems November 27, 2011 By Russ Niles Owners of certain new and rebuilt turbocharger-equipped Continental 520 and 550 series engines should be aware of a mandatory service bulletin (PDF) issued last week that will ground some airplanes immediately. There have been five instances where the starter adapter on engines produced since the beginning of 2011 have failed due to misalignment of parts within the adapter. Failure of the part causes the engine to ship all its oil overboard followed by catastrophic engine failure.
Yves Rossy Meets TED And Forms Up With Jet Team (Video) November 26, 2011 By Glenn Pew
TED, a nonprofit "devoted to ideas worth spreading," has released a video interview of JetMan Yves Rossy, and Rossy himself has generated yet another flight video after joining with two Breitling Jet Team L-39C Albatros jets for a formation flight. Where the new formation video showcases Rossy's in-flight control, the TED video helps to explain it. Rossy flies strapped to a two-meter wing powered by four microturbines. The engines together generate roughly 200 pounds of thrust and burn their entire fuel supply in less than ten minutes. The wing has no control surfaces. The TED video also provides candid insight into Rossy's failed attempt to cross the Strait of Gibraltar. The 52-year-old pilot has successfully flown his rig cross the English Channel and a section of the Grand Canyon.
More On ADS-B Mandate November 28, 2011 By Glenn Pew The FAA requires that you fly with ADS-B Out by 2020, but one member of a rulemaking committee last week told AVweb he expects many pilots and operators will opt to also equip with ADS-B In (which is not mandated) within the next few years. FreeFlight Systems' president and CEO, Tim Taylor, confirmed that the aviation rulemaking committee (formed by the FAA to examine all aspects of ADS-B In) found that the FAA had not yet made a valid business case to mandate ADS-B In. But Taylor believes benefits provided by ADS-B In, its availability and the mandate for ADS-B Out will drive roughly 40 percent of the flying community to equip for both parts of the system as early as 2014.
Thanksgiving Eve Crash Claims Six November 25, 2011 By Russ Niles The pilot of a Turbo Commander that hit a cliff near Phoenix Thursday was an acknowledged expert on the type and familiar with the area. Shawn Perry, his three children Morgan, 9, Logan, 8 and Luke, 6, and Perry's colleagues at Ponderosa Aviation, Russell Hardy, 31 and Joseph Hardwick, 22, died when their AC690 aircraft hit a cliff about 400 feet below a ridge in the Superstition Mountains Wednesday evening. Local media report that Perry picked up the children in Mesa from his ex-wife and was taking them to his home in Safford, in the southeastern part of the state, for Thanksgiving. The aircraft exploded on impact and started a brush fire.
Turkey Drop Aborted, "Pilot" Vows Return November 24, 2011 By Glenn Pew Thanksgiving feels like the right time to confirm that the town of Yellville, Arkansas, this year did break with tradition and did not punctuate its October Turkey Trot Festival by dropping live turkeys from an airplane ... though it may next year. According to the Arkansas Times blog, the drop was effectively discouraged when the FAA promised to send observers and to enforce FAR 91.15. (The regulation prohibits pilots from dropping any object from an aircraft that "creates a hazard to persons or property.") An effort by PETA also offered a $5,000 reward for the identity of the "phantom pilot" responsible for the drop flight. And so, the 2011 Yellville Turkey Trot Festival turkey drop didn't happen. Other popular festival events, the Miss Drumsticks Competition, for example, went on without a hitch. And the phantom pilot, or someone posing as that pilot, has vowed to return, according to the Arkansas Times.
Proposed Baggage Legislation Faces Blowback November 24, 2011 By Glenn Pew Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., appears to be taking some heat from online commenters after introducing legislation that would prohibit airlines from charging a fee for a passenger's first checked bag. The proposed legislation is called the Airline Passenger BASICS, or Basic Airline Standards to Improve Customer Satisfaction Act. Among other things, it would require airlines to tell passengers -- prior to their arrival at the airport -- about potential fees and any restrictions on weight size and number of bags. It would also prohibit fees for carry-on bags below a certain size. DOT statistics show that baggage fees account for about $7.7 billion in net earnings for airlines. Subtracting that figure would have amounted to a multibillion loss for airlines through most of the past three years. While there are some practical arguments for the legislation, some people have responded negatively.
Pilot's Helmet-Cam Films Fatal Crash November 23, 2011 By Glenn Pew One of two low-time pilots used a helmet-camera and filmed the crash that killed them both on July 10, 2010, near Oxfordshire, England, according to testimony by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). The information came to light in court and was reported by British news sources this week. Both pilots had less than 200 hours of flight time with some aerobatic training when they attempted a roll in a modified 1946 Stampe biplane. According to the coroner, the video confirms that the pilot who wore the helmet-cam was front-seat, but it does not help identify who was flying the aircraft. Investigators say the pair lost control at 3,500 feet and entered an inverted spin. AAIB senior inspector Andrew Blackie said the pair would have had 15 seconds to recover.
Big Demand For Smaller Boeing, Airbus Jets November 23, 2011 By Glenn Pew United Airlines, which now includes Continental Airlines, is reportedly in talks with major manufacturers to order up to 200 aircraft made up of Boeing and Airbus models, possibly by year-end. The news, reported this week separately by both Reuters and Bloomberg, comes hot on the heals of a "largest ever" order for 230 Boeing aircraft announced last week by Jakarta-based airline Lion Air, and a July order from Delta and AMR. The July deal accounted for 460 aircraft split as 260 from Airbus and 200 from Boeing. Industry analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group says U.S. carriers have been lured by re-engined narrow-body airliners that offer them competitive advantage. Aboulafia believes carriers are now jockeying for early positions. United may be considering other factors, as well.
China To Open More Airspace November 23, 2011 By Mary Grady Chinese authorities said last week they plan to open up nearly one-third of the country's airspace to general aviation flights next year, on a trial basis. Starting in January, airspace below 1,000 meters in northeastern, central, and southern China will be open, as well as the airspace above six pilot cities, according to China Daily. The new policy aims to stimulate the sales and use of private aircraft. Currently, private flights in China are hampered by the need for prior approvals that are complex and time-consuming.
Pilot Mistakes Road For Runway November 23, 2011 By Mary Grady It's not unusual for a pilot to land on a road in an emergency situation, but this week in Florida, a pilot mistook a road for a nearby runway, and landed there in his fully functional Cirrus SR22. The 23-year-old private pilot wasn't hurt, but the airplane hit a couple of mailboxes and a fence, damaging the prop and the wings. "I've never had an incident like this," Pasco County Sheriff's Sergeant Leslie Strube told the local Fox news station. "He indicated he thought he was landing over at Pilot Country [a nearby residential airstrip], and once he was on the ground, he realized he was in the wrong spot." A look at Google Maps shows that the long straight road in the equestrian development where the pilot put down is on a similar heading and close to the same length and width as the runway about a mile to the west.
Return Of Red Bull Air Races Delayed November 22, 2011 By Mary Grady When the Red Bull Air Races were canceled for the 2011 season, it was expected to be a one-year hiatus, but now officials are saying the races won't return until 2013. "There will be no races in 2012," spokeswoman Nadja Zele told RGJ.com. "A revamped concept and a fixed race calendar will be revealed in 2013. … Currently a core team is working intensively to bring Red Bull Air Race back better than ever." The Times of India recently reported that race organizers have been conferring with officials in Mumbai about staging a race there for the 2013 season.
Congress Shows Support For BARR November 22, 2011 By Mary Grady A bill that recently passed in Congress takes a major step toward reinstating the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program, NBAA said this week. The new appropriations bill contains a clause that prohibits the FAA from using any funds to prevent GA operators from blocking their flight data on public tracking sites. NBAA President Ed Bolen said the bill represents a clear "legislative victory," but the details of how the BARR program will be reinstated must still be worked out. The bill has been signed into law by President Obama.
NTSB: Cause Of Fatal Air Show Crash Unclear November 21, 2011 By Mary Grady Evidence shows that the engine quit on Kyle Franklin's Waco during an air show in March, but NTSB investigators had no luck finding out why, according to the board's final report, published this week. Franklin's wife, Amanda, who performed as a wingwalker in the show, suffered extensive burns in the forced landing and died about two months later. "Post-accident examination of the engine and its fuel system revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operations," the NTSB concluded.
G650 On Track For 2012 Deliveries November 21, 2011 By Mary Grady Gulfstream Aerospace has received a provisional type certificate for its new Gulfstream G650 from the FAA, the company announced last week. The approval keeps the company on track to start completing the interiors and deliver the first jets to customers in the second quarter of next year. The $65 million jets will be the fastest in the civilian fleet, squeaking past Cessna's Citation X with speeds up to Mach .925. Test flights were suspended for two months after four people died in a crash during flight testing in April, but the program now is meeting the original delivery schedule, the company said.
Survey: How's That Glass Panel Working Out? November 20, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli
Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, is conducting a survey on owner experiences with early model EFIS systems such as the Garmin G1000 and Avidyne Entegra installed in OEM aircraft no newer that 2007. The magazine is interested in finding out how these systems have held up in the field. For this survey, we're interested only in OEM aircraft, not experimentals or LSAs and not aftermarket glass. Click here to take the survey.
Airline Troubles Upset Passengers November 20, 2011 By Russ Niles
After enduring a nine-hour ground delay, one might think the last thing passengers would want is to stay on the aircraft after it arrived at its destination. That was the situation facing Hong Kong Airlines staff last week when more than 50 passengers refused to get off the flight when it finally arrived in Hong Kong from Singapore. The passengers staged the sit-in to protest what they considered inadequate compensation for the original delay, which was caused by a mechanical fault on the aircraft. They left the plane after 90 minutes and continued the protest inside the airport until the airline agreed to pay them about $150 instead of the $50 originally offered. Almost exactly the opposite occurred in Vienna last week when passengers had to dig into their wallets to continue their flight to England
Brazilian Charges Linger For Columnist November 20, 2011 By Russ Niles A New York Times columnist says he'll continue fighting a court ruling stemming from his coverage of a 2006 plane crash in Brazil even though the proceedings might seem ludicrous in the U.S. Joe Sharkey was onboard the Legacy 600 business jet that collided with a GOL Boeing 737, causing the airliner to crash and killing all 154 people aboard. Pilots of the damaged Legacy were able to land safely and all seven people aboard were uninjured. The pilots, Joe Lepore and Jan Paladino, were subsequently convicted of negligence and sentenced to four years of house arrest in absentia. Last week a Brazilian appeals court overturned a lower court's dismissal of defamation charges brought against Sharkey by the widow of one of the GOL passengers. The suit was based on a peculiarity of Brazilian jurisprudence that allows individuals to file suit if the country itself is dishonored by the publication of material deemed defamatory. In a podcast interview with AVweb, Sharkey says the case is difficult to grasp in the U.S. and other countries in which freedom of speech and the press are taken for granted, but it's become an ongoing drain on his time and money as he fights to clear his name, even if it is in Brazil. "The First Amendment means something to me," Sharkey, a longtime beat reporter and columnist, said.
OSU Plane Hit Nose-First, Weather Not A Factor November 20, 2011 By Russ Niles Investigators have ruled out weather as a factor in the crash that killed two Oklahoma State University basketball coaches and determined that the Cherokee 180 involved hit the ground nose-first. The crash killed OSU Cowgirls coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna. The pilot and aircraft owner, former state senator Olin Branstetter, and his wife Paula were also killed. The aircraft crashed about 4:30 p.m. in mountainous terrain 45 miles northwest of Little Rock, Ark. NTSB investigator Jason Aguilera told The Oklahoman the nose-down attitude leads to inescapable speculation on the flight's final moments. "That's pretty significant," he said. "That makes us feel as though there's a good chance there was a loss of control prior to impact." And while there's no initial indication that the size and type of aircraft had any bearing on the crash, size is apparently all that matters for OSU and other schools now assessing the transportation policies for staff and students.
Boeing Lands Biggest Deal, Ever November 18, 2011 By Glenn Pew Lion Air, a private Jakarta-based airline, has signed a commitment to order 230 Boeing aircraft with a street value of $21.7 billion -- Boeing's latest clean-sheet design, the 787, is not represented in the order. The order consists of 201 737 MAX single-aisle airliners (aircraft that are expected to first enter service in 2017) and 29 extended range 737-900ER jets, plus options for 150 more aircraft. Even without the options, those figures make this the largest deal Boeing has ever negotiated with a carrier by number of aircraft and dollar amount. The deal coincides with a visit to Indonesia by President Obama ... and one potentially relevant lawsuit brought Wednesday by the Airline Transport Association.
Committee: No Case For ADS-B Mandate November 18, 2011 By Glenn Pew A committee chartered by the FAA has determined that the FAA has yet to make a business case for mandated near-term ADS-B equipage and recommends the FAA not pursue such a mandate at this time. The Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) In Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) was formed in June 2010. Its mission is, in part, to "provide recommendations that clearly define how the community should proceed with ADS-B In while ensuring compatibility with ADS-B Out." ARC has concluded that "many of the ADS–B In applications show significant promise, but additional development and analysis are necessary before aircraft operators can justify investment or implementation decisions." As per its charter, the committee did offer ideas to change that.
Two Oklahoma State University Coaches Killed In Crash November 18, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli Two Oklahoma State University women's basketball coaches were killed in the crash of a Piper Cherokee in Perry County, Ark., on Thursday afternoon, the university said Friday. Coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna died in the crash, which occurred about 45 miles west of Little Rock at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Also killed in the crash was the presumed pilot and aircraft owner, Sen. Olin Branstetter, 82, and his wife, Paula. According to CNN and other news sources, the coaches were on a recruiting trip.
Pilot's Toilet Incident Sparks Terror Concerns (Audio) November 17, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Nov. 16 flight of Indianapolis-based Chautauqua Airlines operated as Delta Flight 6132, an ERJ-145 out of Asheville for LaGuardia, took a turn for the unusual when the captain stepped out of the cockpit and failed to return as expected. The flight was carrying 14 passengers and was progressing normally until, about 30 minutes from a holding pattern for LaGuardia, the captain left the cockpit to use the lavatory and got stuck there. Unable to force the door open, the captain pounded until he acquired the attention of a passenger. The captain endowed that passenger with his confidence and a message for the copilot. However, when the copilot received the message, recordings archived at LiveATC.net clearly show the copilot did not apply the same confidence to the messenger. "Someone with a thick foreign accent is giving me a password to access the cockpit," the copilot tells controllers, "and I'm not about to let him in." Click through for details and to listen to the rest of the exchange.
Pilot Lands Mustang After Aneurysm November 17, 2011 By Glenn Pew Danie Minnie was flying a Cessna Citation Mustang on Nov. 12, out of Bloemfontein for Johannesburg, South Africa, when he suffered an aneurysm -- he landed the plane safely but did not survive the larger event. Minnie, 43, suffered symptoms that included vomiting and paralysis that affected his left side. He contacted controllers who found him sounding confused. The pilot elected to return to his less populated point of departure. Minnie's brother, also a pilot, and his wife were at the airport to meet him when he landed. A local news station reported that Minnie "managed a perfect landing." Paramedics then took more than 40 minutes to remove Minnie from the aircraft as his condition worsened.
GA Responds To New FAA Fees November 16, 2011 By Mary Grady News reported by AVweb on Monday that the FAA plans to start charging for digital aeronautical data that is now available free brought quick reaction this week from the GA community. The board of the IMC Club, based in Norwood, Mass., posted an online petition at the White House website expressing opposition to the change. EAA said on Wednesday the news has "pilots everywhere up in arms." AOPA said the news has "sparked concern" throughout the industry. "We are anxious to see the FAA's proposal and will work to mitigate any impact on our members," said Heidi Williams, AOPA senior director of airspace and modernization. Representatives from the industry and the FAA will meet on December 13 in Maryland to discuss the policy. Changes are not scheduled to take effect until April 5 of next year.
NetJets Subsidiaries Sue IRS November 16, 2011 By Glenn Pew Four subsidiaries of NetJets are suing the IRS for a total of $643 million, saying that the agency wrongly applied ticket tax to the private flight operations they manage. According to the subsidiary companies, they do not act to transport the people that own the aircraft they manage but act as agents to assist owners in transporting themselves. The ticket tax, say the companies, should not apply to private owners or fees paid to operate and maintain privately owned aircraft. And by that argument, the IRS owes them.
United Pilots Cite Safety Concerns November 16, 2011 By Glenn Pew United Airlines pilots Tuesday released a 105-page report that blames lapses in flight safety on new procedures and poor training, according to The Associated Press. The report came from the pilots' union, the Air Line Pilots Association. The union is currently working through contract negotiations with United. In September, the union sought a judge's ruling to block the new training procedures. At that time, the union said the FAA was not properly monitoring safety. According to the new report, new procedures are so distracting that three separate flight crews almost landed gear up while trying to negotiate checklists. United management has a different opinion.
FAA Seeks "Accountability" From LSA Industry November 16, 2011 By Mary Grady An FAA official expressed concern at a recent industry meeting that light sport aircraft manufacturers need to do a better job of documenting their compliance with ASTM standards, EAA said last week. Earl Lawrence, the manager of the FAA Small Airplane Directorate, said it's important to get these basic tasks done right if the category is to be expanded, as some in the industry have proposed. The FAA is not interested in replacing the ASTM process with FAA certification, Lawrence said, but wants to see a successful, industry-led compliance and audit system in place. Dan Johnson, president of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, told AVweb that LAMA has proposed mandatory third-party audits to address these issues.
First Fine For Ramp Delay November 16, 2011 By Mary Grady American Eagle has been fined $900,000 for holding passengers on the ramp for more than three hours, the Department of Transportation said on Monday. This is the first time a fine has been assessed since the "tarmac-delay rule" went into effect in April 2010. American Eagle, a regional carrier affiliated with American Airlines, kept 608 passengers on board 15 flights for delays of up to 3 hours and 45 minutes at O'Hare International Airport on May 29. "We wanted to make sure the penalty was sufficient enough to send a message to other airlines that our first enforcement sets a precedent, and that these are serious matters," DOT Secretary Ray LaHood told The New York Times. It could have been worse -- under the law, the airline could have been fined $27,500 for each passenger, totaling $16.7 million for the violation.
FAA Expands Skyhawk AD November 15, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA wants to expand an airworthiness directive that affects the Cessna 172 fleet to include another 768 airplanes. A proposed AD published on Monday directs operators to inspect the fuel return line assembly for chafing and clearance, and if necessary to replace and adjust the line. The AD aims to prevent leaks that could lead to fuel vapors or fire in the cabin, and will cost operators up to $250 per aircraft. The original AD was issued in 2008. Since then, the FAA said, it has had a report of chafing found in an aircraft with a serial number that was not part of that AD.
New At Dubai: Sleek UAV; Twin-Rotor Helicopter November 15, 2011 By Mary Grady The 12th biennial Dubai Airshow is open this week, and it's the biggest ever for the venue, with about 1,000 exhibitors, 12 percent more than in 2009. Among the new designs that are getting attention are the United 40, a prototype UAV from Adcom with a sleek S-shaped fuselage and a tandem wing. "We like challenging aerodynamic concepts," said Adcom CEO Ali Al Dhaheri, in the Arabian Aerospace Online News. The hybrid-powered UAV has no elevators, but pitch is controlled by varying the incidence of the forward wing. It's designed to carry weapons. Also, Quest Helicopters, a new company based in Dubai, unveiled its design for a twin-rotor, fly-by-wire helicopter.
Dubai Firm Buys Majority Of Diamond Aircraft November 14, 2011 By Mary Grady Diamond Aircraft, based in Ontario, Canada, has sold a majority interest to Medrar Financial Group, a Dubai-based investment firm, the company announced Monday at the Dubai Airshow. Medrar will provide financing not only for the company's line of piston aircraft, but also for continued development of the single-engine D-Jet, according to Diamond's news release. Medrar has made a "significant commitment" to the company, according to Christian Dries, chairman of the Diamond Group. "Diamond has grown tremendously over the last decade and it will greatly strengthen our worldwide position to have a capable partner supporting our future growth and our existing business," Dries said.
FAA To Charge Companies For Online Charts, No Access For Individuals November 13, 2011 By Jeff Van West The days of inexpensive navigation and chart apps for your mobile devices appear to be numbered with the FAA's announcement that it will begin charging for downloads that were previously free starting April 5, 2012. A story in the December issue of our sister publication Aviation Consumer says the Aeronautical Navigational Products Directorate (Aeronav), which currently makes the latest charts and other navigational products available online for free, says it has to recover the costs associated with developing and hosting the products. That means charging fees to companies for those downloads and no longer allowing individuals access them at all. As of April 5, only those with distribution contracts with Aeronav will be able to download the data. The most noticeable impact will likely be on the small but increasingly popular industry segment (like ForeFlight and WingX) that develops flight-related apps for iPads and other consumer electronics. It will also have an impact on websites like RunwayFinder that use the data for their online products, some of which are currently available for free. How much impact isn't known because the FAA hasn't announced what it intends to charge for the data. Affected companies have been invited to a meeting Dec. 13 in Washington to hear details of the FAA's proposal and offer input to the final pricing structure and the distribution contract.
Wolf Fund Deadline Dec. 15 November 13, 2011 By Russ Niles Deadline for proposals for the Wolf Aviation Fund is coming up Dec. 15 and organizers are urging those with project ideas to get cracking on their applications. The idea of the Wolf Fund is to provide small grants to folks who have ideas that foster and promote GA. In the past, grants have been awarded for everything from helping disadvantaged youth in Alaska learn about building airplanes to encouraging Chinese women to learn to fly. The application process isn't complicated or necessarily time-consuming but there are things applicants need to know, so the first step is reading that page.
Porn On Planes? Maybe November 13, 2011 By Russ Niles Whether it's all just a publicity stunt or it's been Michael O'Leary's dirty little secret, the flamboyant owner of Ryanair certainly knows how to stimulate headline writers. The Irish entrepreneur's latest media bombshell is the suggestion that his no-frills airliners stream, among other things, porn to the handheld devices of passengers. He's also thinking about games, gambling and more wholesome fare like movies but it's the prospect of catching a glimpse of something creating heat besides the engines that has tweaked the Times, titillated the Telegraph and seared the Sun. "I'm not talking about having it on screens on the back of seats for everyone to see," he told the Sun. "It would be on handheld devices. Hotels around the world have it, so why wouldn't we?" Perhaps the Sun reporter didn't mention that hotels have doors with locks on them, too, but the problem with quoting O'Leary is that it's impossible to tell when he's serious.
"Retired" Rutan's Next Project November 12, 2011 By Russ Niles It's just natural to adapt to one's environment and when you're Burt Rutan in Idaho with too much time on your hands, that means designing an airplane to take advantage of the circumstances. "Going out and exploring little lakes and rivers in a STOL seaplane is a fantasy, I think, for a pilot," the legendary designer told EAA. "So having something that would be a high-speed boat, a very efficient boat for Lake Coeur d'Alene, and then convert into a seaplane to go to the rivers and small lakes and elsewhere is what I'm trying to do." Rutan admitted he's bored since retiring earlier this year from Scaled Composites, the Mojave-based aircraft and spacecraft design company he founded. And if Rutan's inspiration for what he calls 372-3 is any indication, this could be one of his most innovative designs yet.
Regulatory Changes, Economy Kill Airbus A340 November 12, 2011 By Glenn Pew Production of the Airbus A340 four-engine commercial jetliner has ended, making it Airbus' shortest-lived production model. The aircraft entered service in 1993, but soon began losing favor with carriers due to the economic factors associated with feeding fuel to and maintaining four engines. Demand for the A340 also took a major hit with the expansion of extended operations or ETOPS. As regulators increased the amount of time twin-engine aircraft were allowed to fly away from suitable landing sites under more lenient ETOPS regulations, four-engine aircraft lost a key competitive edge. And, Thursday, Airbus confirmed that it had sold zero A340s over the past two years. Meanwhile, some twin-engine jets from competing manufactures have done quite well.
Pax Witness Failure, ATC Notifies Pilots November 10, 2011 By Glenn Pew On March 3, 2011, a Dash 8 operated by Flybe between Exeter and Newcastle, UK, dropped a right main wheel on takeoff right in front of window-seated passengers, but it was Air Traffic Control that notified the crew, according to an AAIB report. The precise chronology of the event is not known, but passengers seated next to the high-wing's landing gear clearly saw the wheel fall shortly after takeoff. Tower controllers also witnessed something fall from the aircraft and alerted the pilot. The pilot then directed cabin crew to investigate. At that time passengers told the senior flight attendant what they'd seen. With confirmation, the pilot issued a Mayday, turned back to Exeter and prepared for landing while at least one passenger took pictures of the landing gear.
FAA Acts On Uncommanded Inflight Engine Shutdowns November 10, 2011 By Glenn Pew The FAA plans to impose mandatory fixes for nearly 700 GE turbofan engines Monday because the engines are unacceptably prone to uncommanded inflight shutdown due to ice and a 2007 fix didn't work. Government and industry experts have documented single or dual-engine shutdowns of GE's popular CF6-80C2B engines on more than 100 Boeing and Airbus jets from the mid-1990s through 2008, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The figures far exceed the expected inflight single-aircraft, multiple-engine shutdown rate of about one in one billion. Following the FAA directive issued in 2007, at least 10 uncommanded inflight shutdowns have been reported. On Monday, the FAA will formally propose a new fix.
Japan's Flying Sphere UAV (With Video) November 9, 2011 By Glenn Pew
The Japanese Defense Ministry unveiled at a trade show the latest version of a small unmanned spherical aircraft that can take off with vertical thrust, fly horizontally, and roll controlled across the ground. It has also demonstrated (on video) that it can maintain its position in space autonomously, while being batted at with a hand. The vehicle was constructed from about $1,400 in parts including carbon panels and foam, lithium batteries, a video camera and transmitter, plus electric motor. It is gyro-stabilized, can fly up to 37 miles per hour and easily negotiates obstacles like windows and enclosed stairwells. The latest model is the evolution of a series of prototypes (the seventh flew for the first time this summer). As with many current electric flying innovations, the vehicle is so far limited by a flight duration -- in this case, less than ten minutes. The Japan Defense Ministry hopes further development with produce an able search and rescue, intelligence and reconnaissance tool. Click through to watch what it can do in those ten minutes.
LightSquared Update November 9, 2011 By Glenn Pew A coalition of GPS manufacturers told the FCC Tuesday that there is still no reason to think that LightSquared's use of frequencies to provide broadband will not impair GPS signals as LightSquared expands its plans. According to the coalition, "there has been no suggestion that there will ever be an effective way to mitigate interference from its [LightSquared's] use of the upper 10 MHz without seriously degrading GPS performance." LightSquared has claimed that solutions exist for mitigating interference from use of a lower 10 MHz band. The coalition contends that claim has yet to be demonstrated and tested and that LightSquared has plans to move beyond that range, anyway. Meanwhile, an announcement Wednesday shows that LightSquared is doing anything but backing off of its plans.
Hit A Bird? FAA Needs To Know November 9, 2011 By Mary Grady General aviation operators and airports need to do a better job of reporting wildlife strikes, the FAA said this week. A recent study showed that out of more than 100,000 reports, only about 6,000 originated from GA operations, indicating a reporting gap. The agency hopes to improve those numbers by distributing 12,000 posters to GA airports that encourage reporting, and redesigning its wildlife-hazard website so it's easier to file the reports. The new posters also feature a Quick Response (QR) code for smartphone users.
Industry Finds Hope In Sales Trends November 9, 2011 By Mary Grady Despite this week's GAMA report showing a continuing decline in sales of GA aircraft, both Piper and Cirrus said they found some positive trends in the data. Piper noted in a news release that its delivery numbers have increased in each quarter this year, and revenues are up 19 percent compared to the first three quarters of 2010. Piper delivered 26 airplanes in the first quarter, followed by 33 and 34 deliveries in the next two quarters. Cirrus spokesman Todd Simmons said his company recently completed 20 airplanes that are now on their way to China for delivery, and if those had been counted in the GAMA data, Cirrus would have shown an increase over the third quarter last year -- from 61 deliveries to 68. The light sport aircraft segment also recently reported third-quarter delivery numbers.
Aviation Photo Wins National Geographic Grand Prize November 9, 2011 By Mary Grady From 6,000 photos submitted to a National Geographic photo contest, the grand prize this week went to an aerial shot of two aerobatic aircraft, shot by Evan Peers of San Carlos, Calif. "Sean Tucker and his son, Eric, were flying a photo shoot with Sean's new Challenger III biplane in Salinas last May," Peers told AVweb on Wednesday. "He had space in his Seneca photo plane and invited me to come along." Peers, an avid airshow fan and amateur photographer, had met Tucker at a local event. For the grand prize, Peers got to choose a trip for two from National Geographic Expeditions, and he and his wife will spend 12 days in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.
U.S. Airlines Launch With Biofuel November 8, 2011 By Mary Grady Both Continental and Alaska Airlines this week are launching their first passenger flights powered by biofuel. On Monday, a Continental Boeing 737-800 flew the first biofuel-powered commercial flight in the U.S., from Houston to Chicago, burning a blend of 40 percent algae-derived biofuel. United, the parent company of Continental, said it intends to buy 20 million gallons of the algae fuel per year, starting in 2014. Alaska Airlines said it will power 75 flights with a 20-percent biofuel blend, starting this week.
iPad Fix On The Way November 8, 2011 By Mary Grady A new software upgrade for iPads caused some problems last month for pilots who depend on the tablets for navigation, but Apple now says a fix is in the works, NBAA said on Tuesday. The iOS 5.0.1 software update will correct a file-management feature that was causing some files to be automatically deleted from chart databases. Apple has said the new version of the software should be released within the next two or three weeks, according to several technology websites.
Hilton Goldstein, developer of WingX Pro software for pilots, told NBAA that Apple hadn't informed developers that iOS 5 would contain the "clean-up" feature that deleted files in the background. For the new fix to work, he added, app developers will have to modify their code to mark files that shouldn't be deleted. One operator whose crews depend on iPads, CitationAir, told NBAA they have changed their procedures to ensure that in the future, any new operating systems must be thoroughly tested and approved before pilots can download them to their iPads.
Red Arrows Pilot Dies In Ejection Accident (Corrected) November 8, 2011 By Russ Niles For the second time this year a pilot in the RAF's Red Arrows air demonstration team has been killed in an accident, but in Tuesday's mishap it appears the aircraft never left the ground. Early details are sketchy but it appears the pilot was killed when the ejection seat activated while the aircraft was parked at RAF Scampton, the team's home base. "It would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of the incident until that inquiry is complete," Group Capt. Simon Blake told BBC News. "The investigation will determine the facts." In August a Red Arrows pilot died when his aircraft went down at the Bournemouth Air Festival.
Report: GA Sales Continue To Decline November 7, 2011 By Mary Grady Worldwide deliveries of new general aviation aircraft dropped almost 10 percent in the first nine months of 2011, compared to the same period last year, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported on Monday. The rate of decline is slower than it was over the same period last year, GAMA said, when deliveries fell 15 percent. Hawker Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture notified employees last week that more layoffs are coming, according to the Wichita Eagle. Boisture said his analysis shows little hope of market expansion for at least the next two years, citing slowing growth in China, the European debt crisis, and cuts in defense spending worldwide. Hawker will eliminate 101 jobs, according to the Eagle, bringing the company's total job loss for this year to 459.
787 Training Snags Hit ANA November 7, 2011 By Russ Niles Although Boeing has started deliveries of its three-years-late 787 Dreamliner, launch customer ANA is grousing about another costly hiccup in the timeline. Boeing touted the ease of transition to the 787 as a selling point, saying 777 pilots could make the switch in about a week. ANA says it's spending five weeks to train Dreamliner pilots and it's not finished reworking the curriculum set forth by the manufacturer. "We added what we thought was necessary," Capt. Hideaki Hayakawa told The Wall Street Journal. "We will be adjusting the content of the training, rather than its duration." It's up to airlines and the regulators of the country in which the aircraft are registered to determine the training required and the Japanese are notoriously conservative, but Airbus apparently wasted little time capitalizing on the training issue.
First Lawsuit Filed In Reno Crash November 6, 2011 By Russ Niles A $25 million lawsuit filed last week in Texas is the first in what is expected to be many following the Sept. 16 crash of a race plane at the National Championship Air Races in Reno. The crash of Jimmy Leeward's highly modified P-51 adjacent to a seating area killed 11 people, including Leeward, and injured more than 70. Among the dead was Craig Salerno, of Friendswood, Texas. The Associated Press reported Tony Buzbee, the lawyer for his family, cited the mods to the Galloping Ghost in his identification of "two groups of wrongdoers" the suit alleges are responsible for Salerno's death: "Those who pushed the limits of physics on the plane, being risk takers and reckless without regard for the people who might be watching them, and those who promoted and profited from hosting the show." Although there has been no indication so far that the crash will threaten the future of the Air Races, a crash the following day at a West Virginia airshow may be a factor in its cancellation next year.
737 MAX Engine Configuration Set November 6, 2011 By Russ Niles Boeing will add about eight inches to the nose gear of the existing Boeing 737 to squeeze 68-inch-diameter fans into the nacelles of the MAX variant announced in August. The engines, LEAP-1Bs from CFM in France, will offer comparable fuel savings and noise reduction to Airbus's re-engined A320neo but the relatively low-slung 737 was not originally designed for the huge fans that such efficient engines require. The lack of room had Boeing considering a clean-sheet replacement for the 737 because reworking the main gear would have been a major job on the existing aircraft, but the nose-gear tweak seems to have done the trick. Meanwhile, the redesigned 737 seems to have found favor with Boeing customers.
Jet Deal Raises Hackles In South Africa November 6, 2011 By Russ Niles An opposition member of the South African parliament is calling on the government to cancel the proposed purchase of two more long-range business jets, calling it an "outrageous extravagance" considering the plight of many people in the country. David Maynier, who is the "shadow" minister of defense is also asking for an investigation into the purchase and the general state of affairs in the South African Air Force's VIP Transport Squadron. Although it's common for governments to maintain a fleet of aircraft for use by government officials, Maynier is tweaked that both President Jacob Zuma and Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will have virtually exclusive use of each of the aircraft. Negotiations are already under way with Airbus and Boeing to see who gets the contract. South Africa already has a Boeing Business Jet for VIP flights. "The fact is that it is simply wrong to spend (1.6 billion South African Rand) on business jets when millions of people in our country do not have housing, health or access to basic services," Maynier said. "And these are no ordinary airplanes."
Sheriff's Built-To-Be-Armed UAV November 4, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Sheriff's Office of Montgomery County, Texas, has a drone thanks to a $300,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security -- it's built to carry weapons, though the Sheriff says he won't be using it that way. But that potential use isn't the only one riling locals. The 50-pound ShadowHawk unmanned vehicle is about the size of (and closely resembles) a large remote-control helicopter. It costs about $40 per hour to operate compared to $500 per hour for the manned alternative. According to the FAA, the county has received a limited Certificate Of Authorization to fly over unpopulated areas at altitudes no more than 400 feet. A report from the Government Accountability Office noted that 65 percent of drone crashes were due to mechanical failure. And practical use of the vehicle's potential future deployments raises concerns about shared airspace and midairs. Texas civil libertarians have also voiced concerns about invasion of privacy and others are concerned about the drone's potential to be armed and use force. The Sheriff says he has other plans.
US Airways, Unions Bring Jobs Back To U.S. November 3, 2011 By Glenn Pew As part of a union deal, US Airways is now hiring 400 customer service agent workers total in Phoenix, Reno, and Winston-Salem to replace positions formerly held in the Philippines. The deal came about as part of negotiations between unions brought together under the 2005 US Airways and America West Airlines merger. US Airways handles roughly 18 million customer service calls each year, and the airline's new hires will bring its U.S.-based customer service workforce to about 1,900. Hiring has already started.
E-Volo, Closer To Flying Car Functionality? (With Video) November 3, 2011 By Glenn Pew
A team of three men operating from Germany has designed, built and announced the successful flight test of a manned electric 16-rotor multicopter. The aircraft, which looks like (and may actually be) little more than four large remote-controlled multicopters rigged together with an aluminum frame, flew for 1 minute and 30 seconds. The rotors have independent power supplies and motor controllers, and are vastly more simple than conventional helicopters in their operation and maintenance. They've also proven to be highly agile, maneuverable and stable in smaller-scale remote-control operations. In large-scale flight, the proof of concept machine is controlled by a remote controller handset held by the pilot. The first flight was piloted by team member Thomas Senkel, who sat at the center of the rig in a seat mounted above what appears to be a silver inflated exercise-ball landing cushion. Current flight endurance, technical details, and plans for the future and video, after the jump.
Video: Brazil Police Ram Smuggling Aircraft? November 2, 2011 By Glenn Pew
A Brazilian website has posted a video that it says shows Brazilian federal police ramming an aircraft as the plane attempts to take off from a rural road, because the plane was suspected of operating as part of a smuggling operation. The video, shot from the back seat of the car, shows one man in the car dressed in street clothes holding what appears to be a semi-automatic weapon. As the car pursues the aircraft, the driver reportedly says "Don't fire! I will hit the wing. Do not fire!" Soon after that the car catches up with the single engine aircraft and appears to strike the left wing, sending shattered glass into the car's cabin. One man exits and the camera pans to show the low-wing single engine aircraft sitting on a collapsed left main gear. The armed man exits and shouts at the aircraft's occupants. Click through for video.
Aircraft Designer Lands After Heart Attack November 2, 2011 By Glenn Pew Steven R. Nusbaum, 65, formerly listed as designer and president of American Homebuilts Corp., made a safe off-airport landing after suffering a heart attack while flying in an experimental aircraft over a Chicago suburb, Tuesday. Nusbaum had been flying near his home at roughly 5:30 p.m., and was monitored by his son, Chance. Chance Nusbaum was monitoring the flight as the airplane abruptly descended. He arrived on scene to find the aircraft apparently undamaged with his father lying back in the seat. First responders brought an automated external defibrillator which provided two shocks to the pilot.
Senate Moves To Revive BARR November 2, 2011 By Mary Grady The Senate has passed a bill that would reinstate the Block Aircraft Registration Request program and allow aircraft operators to prevent their flight information from being displayed on aircraft-tracking websites. "We thank the Senate for approving this bill," NBAA President Ed Bolen said on Wednesday, "and we hope the House will finalize legislation to reinstate the program as soon as possible." NBAA and AOPA have also challenged the plan to dismantle BARR in the courts.
Crew Error Blamed In Russian Crash November 2, 2011 By Mary Grady One of the pilots in a Yak-42 that crashed during takeoff in September, killing 44 people, apparently was pushing hard on a brake pedal while pulling up on the yoke, investigators said on Wednesday. The three-engine jet had been chartered by a hockey team heading to Minsk for their season opener. "The take-off speed decision by the pilot -- 190 km/h -- was 20 km/h less than that required for the actual takeoff weight of 54 tons and nominal power regime of the engines," MAK technical commission chairman Alexey Morozov told a news conference in Moscow. It could not be determined which of the pilots was pressing on the brake.
767 Belly-Lands In Warsaw November 1, 2011 By Mary Grady
The crew of a 767 out of Newark made a successful gear-up emergency landing in Warsaw, Poland, on Tuesday, with sparks flying as the airplane skidded to a halt on the runway. The crew circled the airport for more than an hour, then landed with minimal fuel on a foamed runway, fire trucks standing by. Crews hosed down the fuselage with fire-retardant foam as a precaution, and the passengers were quickly evacuated via the emergency slides. The flight, with 220 passengers and 11 crew on board, was operated by LOT Polish Airlines. The airline said the jet's hydraulic system failed and the backup system worked only for the flaps, not the gear. Bronislaw Komorowski, the president of Poland, said he plans to award "state decorations" to the airplane crew. "To all those involved, I say thank you with all my heart," he told a news conference.
House Caucus Acts To Stall LightSquared November 1, 2011 By Mary Grady Congressman Sam Graves, R-Mo., chair of the House General Aviation Caucus, has asked the Federal Communications Commission to shelve LightSquared's request for a waiver until testing ensures that there will be no interference with all types of GPS devices, Helicopter Association International said on Monday. The conflict over the LightSquared deployment is intensifying, as the FCC is expected to rule by the end of this month whether to allow the company to launch, according to NBAA. LightSquared, in a statement on Friday, reiterated its position that it's up to the GPS industry to fix the interference problem by recalling and upgrading their devices.
Court Says FAA Misread Its Own Regs October 31, 2011 By Mary Grady A federal court has found that the FAA misread its own regulations during its review of aviation hazards presented by a proposed wind farm off Cape Cod in Massachusetts, the Boston Herald reported on Friday. "The FAA catapulted over the real issues and the analytical work required by its handbook," the court said in its 14-page opinion (PDF). The FAA said last year the Cape Wind project's 130 440-foot-tall towers, in a 25-square-mile area of Nantucket Sound, would present no hazard to air navigation. Opponents to the plan went to court to say the FAA hadn't given enough weight to the impact on VFR flights, and the court agreed. Project proponents said the FAA just didn't do a good enough job of explaining its "no hazard" finding to the court.
Laser Pointing Web Page Launched October 30, 2011 By Russ Niles The FAA has launched a page on its website to allow laser-pointing incidents to be reported online. Although penalties for shining a handheld laser at an aircraft have been beefed up (fines can be as high as $11,000) the number of reported incidents continues to climb. As of this month, there were about 2,800 reported incidents. Although there have been no reported crashes directly attributable to laser pointing, the FAA says it's serious business that warrants a serious response. "Lasers can distract or temporarily blind pilots who are trying to fly safely to their destinations and could compromise the safety of hundreds of passengers," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt told delegates to an Airline Pilots Association-sponsored conference on the topic last week.
Oil Light Started Vancouver Crash Sequence October 30, 2011 By Russ Niles The pilot of a Northern Thunderbird Air King Air 100 that crashed in Vancouver last week told passengers they were turning back to the airport because of a minor oil leak in one engine. He notified the tower and said an emergency stand-by from the airport fire department wasn't necessary. Ten minutes later, while the aircraft was on a stable approach, it suddenly veered left and crashed on a perimeter road just outside the fence, injuring all seven passengers and two crew as well as two occupants of a car that was hit by wreckage. Pilot Luc Fortin, 44, later died from burns. "That's our challenge: to determine why what appeared to be a benign indicator problem turned into such a tragic event," Transportation Safety Board investigator Bill Yearwood told reporters. A passenger onboard said the pilots' body language belied their otherwise calm demeanor.
ELT Homes In On Rescuers October 30, 2011 By Malcolm McLeod It's not often an ELT homes in on its would-be rescuers but that's the position Canadian search-and-rescue volunteers found themselves in last week. Members of the Regina, Saskatchewan chapter of the Civilian Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) hopped in a Cessna 172 to help a Canadian Forces search-and-rescue C-130 pinpoint the location of an ELT signal being broadcast from somewhere nearby. They quickly determined the signal was coming from a malfunctioning or accidentally activated ELT in the northern part of the city and returned to the airport to start a ground search. The Hercules went back to base. It was when the CASARA members were setting up their ground-based homing equipment that the story got more interesting.
SNF Hopes Insurance Covers Tornado-Related Costs October 30, 2011 By Russ Niles A total of 25 exhibitors and attendees whose airplanes were damaged or destroyed in the March 31 tornado at Sun 'n Fun have by now received an invoice from the show for the towing and environmental cleanup costs associated with their aircraft. In a podcast interview, SNF spokesman Jim Bernegger said the show's insurers did not cover those expenses because they consider them the responsibility of the individual owners and their insurance carriers. He said a letter accompanying the invoice recommends owners submit the invoice to their insurance companies as part of their overall claim. The total cost is about $90,000. Individual bills vary with the circumstances of the wreckage removal and the amount of oil, fuel and other pollutants spilled as a result, but all the bills are in the thousands of dollars. He noted SNF has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in tornado-related costs not covered by its insurance.
Qantas Ordered Back In The Air October 29, 2011 By Russ Niles Australia's labor tribunal Sunday ordered Qantas to resume operations a day after the airline locked out its employees and ceased operations. The tribunal Fair Work Australia also put an end to rolling walkouts by three of the airline's unions, which Qantas officials say led to the unprecedented action. In a showdown with pilots, baggage handlers and maintenance workers, Qantas grounded its aircraft Saturday and threatened to start shutting the airline down unless the unions stopped the sporadic strikes that have disrupted operations. "If this action continues as the unions have promised, we will have no choice but to close down Qantas part by part," CEO Alan Joyce said Saturday. "The airline will be grounded as long as it takes to reach a conclusion." He called the work stoppages a "high-handed ambush." Meanwhile, the unions say they were similarly shocked at the airline's dramatic action. The Australian & International Pilots Association claimed the shutdown was "pre-meditated, unnecessary and grossly irresponsible." Qantas normally flies more than 60,000 pax a day on 108 aircraft from 22 destinations, including, of course, the major city of Perth, where some folks not likely used to having their travel plans disrupted were briefly stranded.
Diamond Fleet Bounces Back After Hail Event October 29, 2011 By Glenn Pew Diamond aircraft is using the outcome of an Oct. 17 hailstorm that ravaged Middle Tennessee State University's (MTSU's) 20 Diamond aircraft and 5 Pipers to tout the repairability of its composite airframes. Hail cracked one canopy during the storm and put two holes in composite wing skins while also pelting other airframes, including some metal ones, collected on the ramp at Murfreesboro Airport, Tenn. MTSU called in Diamond representatives to assess the damage and, according to MTSU's Dr. Wayne Dornan, "the metal aircraft are going to be AOG (aircraft on ground) for an extended period pending repairs, while the Diamond fleet is again fully operational." That outcome may be due in part to Diamond's response.
Industry Coalition Forms To Fight Taxes October 28, 2011 By Glenn Pew A coalition of nearly 30 industry groups (including AEA, ALPA, AOPA and NATCA) has organized to fight aviation tax increases while supporting aviation spending programs. The Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) issued a statement Friday that urged Congress to "reject the proposed taxes" it says are part of a White House and Congressional Super Committee proposed debt-reduction plan. The same statement also said AEA "applauds the administration" for funding NextGen modernization efforts to the tune of $1 billion. According to AEA, the plan would impose two new taxes that would pay for general deficit reduction (unrelated to aviation). One described by AEA as a "user fee scheme" would apply a $100 per flight fee for "all flights" (excluding piston aircraft and other specific operations, according to AEA). A second fee would be collected in the form of a $5-per-trip passenger security tax. AVweb contacted AEA president Paula Derks and played devil's advocate to learn more about the proposal and the coalition's position.
AA Jackson Hole Overrun Transcript Released October 22, 2011 By Glenn Pew Video appeared to show that the thrust reversers of American Airlines Flight 2253 were slow to deploy before the 757-200 slid off the runway at Jackson Hole Wyoming last December -- now we know the crew thought so, too. The NTSB Friday released a transcript of the flight's cockpit voice recorder. The airliner had touched down safely under a 1,000-foot overcast with a broken layer at 400 and 3/4 mile visibility in light snow. At the moment the wheels touched, the flight's captain said "very good." Twenty-seven seconds later, the first officer (who had flown the landing) expressed his opinion of how events had developed since then by stating, "We're screwed." He then told the tower why: "And American ah twenty two fifty three is goin' off the end of the runway."
Inspector Gave Unauthorized Check Rides October 27, 2011 By Glenn Pew Teterboro-based aviation safety inspector Harrington Bishop, 63, entered a guilty plea in a federal court Thursday on charges of receiving illegal gratuities in exchange for what court documents allege were hundreds of unauthorized pilot check rides. Bishop had been assigned to the Teterboro FSDO. On available days off, weekends, and holidays, from May 2004 to February 2011, he allegedly took pilots on check rides at Cave Flight School at Flying W Airport in Medford, N.J. Pilots who flew with him on those occasions ultimately numbered in the hundreds. None of the flights were authorized, each one illegally paid Bishop, and in almost every case a certificate was granted to the tested pilot.
Midair Splits Bonanza In Two October 27, 2011 By Glenn Pew A twin-engine 1978 Piper PA-44-180 Seminole being flown Tuesday through maneuvers near Aurora State Airport, Oregon, collided with a flying Beech Bonanza V35, essentially cutting the single in half, sending its pieces to the ground and killing its pilot. The midair took place at about 4 p.m., in clear weather. The twin lost a section of its nose and was put down, safely, in a field. Its occupants, an instructor and student, walked away uninjured. The Beechcraft was piloted by retired Oregon State Police sergeant Stephen L. Watson. Debris from his aircraft came down over a one and one-half square-mile area, with the tail landing in a tree about a mile from the rest of the aircraft. Early reports appear to differ in their description of the initial collision.
F-22's Flying, Not Necessarily Fixed October 26, 2011 By Glenn Pew After an extensive investigation and grounding, the Air Force doesn't know why some F-22 pilots have suffered symptoms similar to oxygen deprivation while flying the fighter (including one last week) and has returned the full fleet to service. During the more than four months that the aircraft was grounded the Air Force failed to find a common thread that linked at least 12 reported incidents in which pilots reported hypoxia-like symptoms while flying the jet. According to Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz, the oxygen system was not the cause of a fatal crash during a November 2010 nighttime training mission. Prior reports published by the Air Force Times have stated that tests performed on Raptor pilots have found toxins in the pilots' blood. And reports previously published by the Air Force Times, and an Air Force accident report, suggest that not everyone is convinced the jet's oxygen system is trouble-free.
FAA AD Warns Of 757 Stabilizer Control Failure October 26, 2011 By Glenn Pew More than 700 Boeing 757s operated by U.S. airlines will need to be inspected for potential problems that "could lead to loss of control of the horizontal stabilizer," according to a proposed Airworthiness Directive from the FAA. The FAA says that it is responding to a report of extensive corrosion of a mechanism essential to the aircraft's horizontal stabilizer trim. Failure of the mechanism (a ballscrew) could lead to loss of control of the airplane like that experienced by Alaska Airlines Flight 261 on Jan. 31, 2000. In that case, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 suffered failure of the jackscrew that controlled stabilizer trim. The aircraft crashed into the Pacific after flipping inverted, killing all 88 aboard.
Flying Flicks: Red Tails, Flight For Survival October 26, 2011 By Mary Grady A major Hollywood movie about the Tuskegee Airmen is due in theaters soon, and meanwhile, a small documentary company has released a film about flying paragliders with wild birds in the Himalayas. Red Tails started production with LucasFilms in 2009 and will open in theaters on Jan. 20. "I've wanted to do this film for a great many years," said George Lucas, executive producer. "The Tuskegee Airmen were such superb pilots … It is an honor to bring to the screen a story inspired by their heroics." The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr.; trailers are online now. Meanwhile, Flight for Survival documents a different world -- the remote Himalayan region where today a small group of paragliders work to preserve endangered vultures.
Embraer's Super Tucano Now FAA-Certified October 26, 2011 By Mary Grady The Super Tucano turboprop, designed for light attack missions and military training, has been certified by the FAA, Embraer announced on Wednesday. The company said it will now plan a demo tour to U.S. military bases in an effort to win contracts for the aircraft. More than 150 of the airplanes are flying, and five countries use them in their armed forces. The U.S. military has lobbied Congress to send some of the Tucanos to Afghanistan, but so far funding has not been forthcoming.
GAO Examines "Concerns" About Composites October 26, 2011 By Mary Grady In a report (PDF) completed last month, the U.S. Government Accountability Office examined "safety concerns" about the use of composites in commercial aircraft. Based on research and interviews with experts, GAO investigators identified four key safety-related concerns with the repair and maintenance of composites in commercial airplanes, but added that none of the experts they talked to believed these concerns were insurmountable or posed "extraordinary safety risks." The FAA is taking action to help address its concerns, the GAO said, but added that "until these composite airplanes enter service, it is unclear if these actions will be sufficient."
Senate Asked To Review Colgan Investigation October 25, 2011 By Mary Grady Sen. Charles Schumer of New York on Tuesday asked the Senate's aviation subcommittee to schedule a hearing in response to last week's release of email exchanges relevant to the 2009 Colgan Air crash. "The fact that [these emails] were not shared with [NTSB] investigators compels us to take a closer look at how we investigate crashes to make sure NTSB has the best information possible when making critical safety recommendations," Schumer said. The emails, which were revealed by lawyers researching the case, show that airline staffers had expressed concern about the qualifications of the captain of Flight 3407 during his training. The airline's parent company, Pinnacle Airlines, said the captain was properly trained and certified.
WGRZ, a news station in Buffalo, N.Y., said Pinnacle sent them a statement saying it had provided over 400,000 pages of documents to the plaintiffs, including the emails in question, three months ago. "The plaintiffs asked Colgan to reconsider the confidential designation and we have voluntarily agreed to do so because we remain confident in our full compliance with FAA regulations governing our training processes, then and now," the airline said. The NTSB completed its 285-page report on the crash in March 2010, but the emails in question apparently were not among the documents examined by the board. "[Marvin] Renslow had a problem upgrading," stated a supervisor in one email. Another adds, "Anyone that does not meet the mins and had problems in training is not ready to handle the Q." Fifty people died in the crash of the Q400 in Buffalo, N.Y.
Dreamliner Break-Even Pegged At 1100 October 25, 2011 By Russ Niles Boeing will lift the curtain a little today on the financial aspects of its 787 program, but that didn't stop pundits from predicting what it will take to make the world's most expensive civilian aircraft development program make money. Rather than make its own prediction, Bloomberg tallied up the crystal balling of 18 analysts, averaged them and came up with Boeing's making its first buck on Dreamliner No. 1101. The magic number was undoubtedly much lower than that when Boeing embarked on the 787 program but a series of problems compounded to create a three-year launch delay. The first Dreamliner was delivered to ANA last month and was due to enter service today. The company has about 800 firm orders for the mostly plastic jet and based on previous programs should therefore have no trouble hitting the black.
House Rejects EU Aviation Tax October 25, 2011 By Mary Grady Representatives from both parties in Washington agreed on something this week -- the European Union shouldn't be allowed to unilaterally impose a carbon tax on aircraft flying there from the U.S. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that prohibits all U.S. airlines and general aviation operators from taking part in such a scheme, NBAA said. "Global aviation standards are overseen by the International Civil Aviation Organization," said NBAA President Ed Bolen, "and any new standards should be decided by ICAO." The EU, however, said it intends to enforce its carbon rules, despite the U.S. opposition.
Piper Mothballs Jet Project October 24, 2011 By Mary Grady Piper Aircraft announced on Monday it is "indefinitely suspending" further work on its Altaire single-engine business jet and will cut more than 200 jobs at its plant in Vero Beach, Fla. The news was not unexpected, coming just a week after the company appointed a new interim CEO and said it would "review" the program. Piper's news release on Monday said planned development costs had "risen above the point that were recoverable under foreseeable light-jet market projections." The deposits of Altaire position holders will be refunded, the company said.
Lawmakers Oppose User Fee October 23, 2011 By Russ Niles Opposition to a $100-per-operation user fee for business and commercial aircraft continues to mount among lawmakers. Last week, Republican members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee sent a letter to the Congressional Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction saying the fee proposed by the administration is arbitrary and could hurt the aviation industry. "The president's proposed $100 per flight fee is an arbitrary number with no basis for its establishment," John Mica, R-Fla., said in the letter to deficit reduction committee. He said the current method of taxing aviation through fuel consumption is efficient and should be maintained. The National Business Aviation Association heartily endorsed Mica's letter.
iPads Can Delete Charts, Plates October 23, 2011 By Russ Niles Those who use iPads for charts and approach plates are advised to pre-flight their devices before counting on them for navigation, thanks to Apple's latest operating system upgrade. iOS5 includes a file management feature that might be handy if you're downloading a movie, but could be inconvenient at the very least if it messes with your navigation-app databases. In an explanation on its website, flight-planning app provider ForeFlight says iOS5 will randomly delete data to make room for new files and that could include your charts and approach plates. The iPad does display a "cleaning" symbol by the app icon that it's busily deleting data from but that can be easy to miss. ForeFlight recommends several strategies to keep you from discovering that the latest Transformers has pre-empted the information you now need for your flight.
Video Cards Useless In Reno Crash Probe October 22, 2011 By Russ Niles Video memory cards and equipment recovered from the wreckage of Jimmy Leeward's P-51 at the National Championship Air Races last month in Reno were too badly damaged to be of any help in the investigation of the crash, the NTSB said Friday. However, a card retrieved from flight data equipment and telemetry received by the ground crew of the Galloping Ghost are still being examined as investigators piece together the five seconds between a normal home-stretch pylon turn and a high-speed dive that ended with a horrific crash that killed 11, including Leeward, and injured scores of others. "NTSB investigators continue to review the dozens of videos and hundreds of photographs provided to them by spectators at the air race," the board said in a news release.
Attorney: Internal Emails In Colgan Crash Troubling October 21, 2011 By Glenn Pew A lawyer for families of those killed in the February 2009 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 says that the carrier's internal emails prove it "chose profit over safety." The Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 crash killed 50, after the aircraft stalled at night in freezing conditions over Clarence Center, N.Y. Colgan emails sent between supervisors six months prior to the crash include exchanges about the man who would later fly as captain of the accident aircraft, Marvin D. Renslow. "Renslow had a problem upgrading," states one supervisor. Another adds, "Anyone that does not meet the mins and had problems in training is not ready to handle the Q." A response to that email states, "He is already off the list." Attorneys for the families say Renslow was promoted one month later. The crash came five months after that. Colgan is standing by its actions.
Air France 447 Final Words Transcript Leak October 20, 2011 By Glenn Pew A book titled "Erreurs de Pilotage" (Pilot Error) by French flight instructor Jean-Pierre Otelli provides a transcript of the last two minutes captured by Air France Flight 447's cockpit voice recorder, as the jet crashed at night into the ocean off Brazil in June, 2009, killing all 228 aboard. The BEA says disclosure of the transcript is a violation of European regulations and is also ethically improper. "Any attempt at interpretation at this stage is partial," the BEA said as part of a statement that also warned that the disclosure could be "harmful to all concerned." Air France has called the newly published information "unverifiable" and says it "impairs the memory of the crew and passengers who lost their lives." At this time, the information is widely available from numerous sources. AVweb has made some of it available after the jump.
A hail event at Murfreesboro Municipal Airport may have damaged up to 17 of 20 Diamond trainers operated by Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and left the school's entire fleet grounded, temporarily putting a stop to flight instruction for hundreds of students. MTSU has roughly 400 students studying in its professional pilot concentrations and it operates one of the largest fleets of Diamond trainers in the country. Diamond is sending experts from Canada to inspect potentially hidden (and apparent) physical damage to the Diamonds' composite skins. Dr. Wayne Dornan, Chairman of the school's Aerospace Department, told AVweb Thursday that the DA-40s operated by MTSU carry glass cockpits, some with synthetic vision, and cost roughly $365,000 each, new. MTSU also has five Piper Seminoles and they were also damaged. MTSU's aircraft weren't the only ones to suffer. The airport was hosting a regional competition and aircraft from other schools were also damaged.
Fly With Sully And Skiles October 20, 2011 By Russ Niles US Airways Flight 1549 pilots Capt. Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger (retired) and his FO on that day, Jeff Skiles, will be back in the cockpit together Nov. 18 but they have some work to do first. The Miracle on the Hudson pilots will be among the crew members on a fund-raising round-trip flight from Opa Locka Airport near Miami to Charlotte, N.C., in the Historical Flight Foundation's DC-7B. Foundation President Roger Jarman said Sullenberger and Skiles were invited along as celebrity passengers but they said they wanted to work their way to what was to have been their final destination in the Airbus Jan. 15, 2009. "They will be down here a week early getting checked out so they can be part of our live crew going to Charlotte and back," Jarman said in a podcast interview. Those who get the 20 or so remaining seats on the flight (details here) will be in for another treat after landing in Charlotte.
Boeing 787 Cancellations In China October 19, 2011 By Glenn Pew China Eastern Airlines has abandoned plans to acquire 24 Boeing 787 Dreamliners but will instead purchase 45 737s, and Boeing expects more changes. The company says it is expecting to see more cancellations (and more orders) for its newest jet as it works through mitigation with customers affected by the aircraft's delayed arrival to market. More than 800 orders for the airliner have been placed worldwide and Boeing expects to increase production of the airliner from two per month to ten per month by 2013. At least one analyst believes the loss of the early China Eastern orders could actually turn positive for Boeing, even if the manufacturer can only sell most of those lost order spots.
Tornado Hits The Million Hours Mark October 19, 2011 By Glenn Pew The RAF's twin-engine, variable-sweep wing, low-level attack Tornado has hit a milestone few other aircraft models may reach -- it has surpassed one million hours flying in 30 years with the RAF and 7,000 hours of combat operations. Tuesday one of the 131 Tornados still in service with the RAF was flown back to a BAE Systems facility at Warton, England, to celebrate the mark. The facility is the same one where the first Tornado ADV rolled out 30 years ago. The aircraft's exterior has shown little change over the years, but its systems have made giant leaps to keep up with advances in avionics and advancing technologies. RAF pilots still speak highly of the jet even when compared to modern attack fighters.
NTSB Cites FAA For Controller Fatigue October 19, 2011 By Mary Grady A tower controller fell asleep on the overnight shift in March due to fatigue that resulted, at least in part, from the FAA's scheduling practices, the NTSB concluded in a report released on Wednesday. Two air carrier flights landed at Reagan National Airport, in Washington, D.C., after the controller failed to respond. After the incident, which was widely reported in the media, the FAA began to schedule a second person on the mid-shift and expanded time off after each overnight shift to at least nine hours. "This new report indicates how swiftly the FAA reacted to correct the problem and NATCA continues to support those improvements," NATCA President Paul Rinaldi said in a statement on Wednesday.
"Soaring 100" Event Celebrates Wright Glider Flights October 19, 2011 By Mary Grady Hang glider enthusiasts will celebrate 100 years of sport soaring this weekend at Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina. The event marks the date of a glider flight by Orville Wright, on Oct. 24, 1911, that lasted for almost 10 minutes, setting a record that held for almost 10 years. That flight marked the start of the "sport and science of modern soaring as we know it today," according to the event organizers. A variety of sailplanes and hang gliders will fly into Kill Devil Hills between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. "For pilots, this is equivalent to landing on hallowed ground," says the event web site.
Virgin Galactic Dedicates Spaceport October 19, 2011 By Mary Grady As WhiteKnightTwo, the space vehicle designed by Scaled Composites, flew overhead on Monday, Sir Richard Branson celebrated the construction of a new spaceport facility in New Mexico that will support Virgin Galactic's space-tourism business. The 110,000-square-foot Gateway to Space building will serve as a combined operations terminal and hangar, with room to store two WhiteKnightTwo and five SpaceShipTwo vehicles. The soaring steel-and-glass building also will be used for astronaut training, mission control, and facilities for friends and families of space travelers. A public visitor area also is planned.
LightSquared vs. GPS: A $6 Solution? October 18, 2011 By Mary Grady LightSquared, the broadband company that has met with resistance from GPS users due to interference from its system, said last week technology company Partron America has developed a filter that costs only $6. This technology, along with several other prototypes, will undergo extensive testing in the coming weeks, LightSquared said. "Preliminary testing leaves LightSquared confident that the debate over our system and interference from GPS signals will be resolved," the company said in a news release.
Virgin To Develop Fuel From Industrial Waste October 18, 2011 By Mary Grady Virgin Atlantic CEO Richard Branson said last week his company is investing in technology that will develop low-carbon jet fuels from the waste materials produced in the steel industry. Virgin Atlantic aircraft will be using the new fuel within two to three years, Branson said. "With oil running out, it is important that new fuel solutions are sustainable, and with the steel industry alone able to deliver over 15 billion gallons of jet fuel annually, the potential is very exciting," Branson said. "This new technology is scalable, sustainable and can be commercially produced at a cost comparable to conventional jet fuel."
Another New CEO At Piper October 17, 2011 By Mary Grady Piper Aircraft interim CEO Geoff Berger is out, the company announced on Monday, and Simon Caldecott has been appointed the new interim CEO, effective immediately. Berger had been with the company since July 2010, when he replaced Kevin Gould, who had been appointed CEO in June 2009, replacing James Bass, CEO since 2005. Piper also said on Monday the Altaire jet program is being reviewed. "This is being undertaken to ensure the company is properly aligning business goals and light-jet market forecasts with investment strategies and economic forecasts," Caldecott said. Monday's news release said the company will announce the conclusion of this review "as soon as possible."
Duct Tape Airplane On Mythbusters October 16, 2011 By Russ Niles Can an airplane covered with duct tape actually fly? That question seems to have already been answered in 2009 by an Alaska pilot who fixed significant bear damage to the fuselage and tail of his Super Cub with the fabled repair-all and reportedly flew it away, presumably toward a more permanent solution. The tale and the accompanying photos made the rounds on the Internet and caught the eye of someone at the Discovery Channel's popular Mythbusters television program, They have since a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/mythbusters-duct-tape-plane/" target="_blank">wrapped up their investigation.
Brake Mistake Might Have Led To Crash October 16, 2011 By Russ Niles Russian media is reporting that investigators believe the crash of a Yak-42 that killed all members of an elite Russian hockey team last month may have been caused in part because the brakes were on during the takeoff run. As we reported at the time, the chartered trijet aircraft crashed in the Volga River moments after takeoff from Yaroslavl's Tunosha Airport in clear weather. Russian investigators have since been running simulations and they point to the braking issue as the first stage of the accident chain.
Light Attack Aircraft Test Rejected October 16, 2011 By Russ Niles Embraer and Hawker Beechcraft have another adversary in their competition to supply a light attack version of their training aircraft to the U.S. military. Both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have rejected a $17 million proposal to deploy four turboprop aircraft outfitted with precision-guided munitions to Afghanistan to see how they worked in a close support role for ground troops. Embraer was offering its militarized Super Tucano trainer and Hawker Beech has an attack version of its Texan II trainer it was hoping to supply for the experiment. Despite high-level support from both the Navy and Air Force, lawmakers apparently aren't interested, according to NavyTimes.com.
GAO Finds FAA Airport Oversight Needs Work October 14, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA needs to do more to ensure safety on the surface at airports around the country, according to a report issued this week by the Government Accountability Office. The agency should develop and implement plans to track and assess runway excursions and extend its oversight to ramp safety, the GAO said. Also, the report noted that the number of reported errors by air traffic controllers has nearly doubled from 2008 to 2011. While much of that increase may be attributed to changes in reporting procedures, the GAO said, the trends may also indicate an increase in the "actual occurrence of incidents." NATCA President Paul Rinaldi on Thursday issued a statement noting that, "The most important piece of the GAO study is this: the 'FAA has taken several steps to further improve safety at and around airports.' ... We take this report very seriously, and we are working every day to ensure Americans' safety in the skies."
Jet Crashes At Airshow In China, One Killed October 14, 2011 By Mary Grady One pilot ejected, but another crewmember of the JH-7 "Flying Leopard" jet performing in an airshow in China was killed on Friday when the aircraft nosedived into the ground and burned. The jet, operated by China's air force, was performing near the northern city of Xi'an. The pilot who ejected landed safely, suffering only minor injuries. The crash is under investigation and so far no cause is clear. The accident was caught on video, showing the jet nosing over from level flight and diving almost directly into the ground. Click here to watch.
Green Flight Challenge Final Results October 14, 2011 By Mary Grady The CAFE Foundation on Thursday released the final results from its NASA Green Flight Challenge, held two weeks ago in California. The figures show a "profound difference" in energy use between the two electric-powered winners and the runners-up, which were powered by gasoline and hybrid engines, according to Dean Sigler, posting at the CAFE blog. Those differences are "surprising," Sigler said, since all the competitors were "extremely clean" motorgliders, with lift-to-drag ratios between 25-to-1 and 35-to-1. Possible explanations for the differences could be the low cooling drag for electric aircraft and the overall efficiency of the electric motors, Sigler said. Detailed statistics for the four competing aircraft, including fuel consumption, time, and distance, are now posted on the CAFE blog.
Jeppesen Joins Aviation Green Alliance October 13, 2011 By Mary Grady The Jeppesen company has joined the Aviation Green Alliance as a founding member, the Lindbergh Foundation announced this week. The foundation launched the Alliance earlier this year to support industry efforts to address emissions, noise, efficiency and other environmental concerns in the aviation industry. Jeppesen CEO Mark Van Tine said the group "offers an opportunity for aviation-related companies and individuals to share best practices and establish innovative programs to help guide environmental stewardship." Other members of the group include Hawker Beechcraft, Cessna and Bombardier.
French Board Objects To Publication Of Cockpit Conversations October 13, 2011 By Mary Grady The French aviation accident investigation board, the BEA, on Thursday condemned an author's disclosure of cockpit conversations among the pilots who died in the Rio-to-Paris Airbus flight that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean in June 2009. A book by Jean-Pierre Otelli, Erreurs de pilotage, Tome 5 (Pilot Errors, Volume 5), includes literal transcriptions from the cockpit voice recorder that had not been published in the official reports, which included only excerpts. "This transcription mentions personal conversations between the crew members that have no bearing on the event, which shows a lack of respect for the memory of the late crew members," the BEA said in a statement (PDF). According to Bloomberg News, Otelli's book reveals "confusion, a lack of coordination, and denial among the flight crew as the jet plunged through the night sky toward the ocean surface."
Phenom 100 To Promote Science Education October 12, 2011 By Mary Grady Embraer, together with philanthropist Fabio Alexander, announced this week at the NBAA convention that it will provide a Phenom 100 business jet to Barrington Irving's Experience Aviation educational program for use as a flying classroom. Irving will fly the jet around the world while engaging students via live video feed and encouraging them to pursue education in science, technology, engineering and math. Students also will learn about history, geography, weather and culture. The project will reach more than one million students around the world, according to Embraer.
Judge's Ruling On Avgas Expected Soon October 12, 2011 By Mary Grady A federal judge in California has asked for more information before deciding whether to dismiss a case affecting the sale of avgas in California, the National Air Transportation Association reported this week. In a hearing last week in Fresno, Judge Anthony Ishii requested additional briefings to be filed by Wednesday before ruling on a motion to dismiss the case. His decision is expected within a week. The case was brought by a coalition of California FBOs and avgas distributors, who have asked the court to derail a suit brought by the Center for Environmental Health over the sale of leaded avgas.
Navy's X-47B Drone Flies Gear Up October 12, 2011 By Mary Grady The Navy's project to develop a tailless drone that can take off and land from ships at sea reached a milestone recently when the X-47B test aircraft retracted its landing gear and flew in cruise configuration for the first time. The successful test took place at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Sept. 30, the Navy said this week. "Reaching this critical test point demonstrates the growing maturity of the air system, and its readiness to move to the next phase of flight testing," said Janis Pamiljans, program manager for Northrop Grumman. The project team aims to complete takeoffs and landings from an aircraft carrier in 2013.
Reno Racer Beats Hughes Speed Record October 12, 2011 By Mary Grady Flying at 407 mph, Will Whiteside on Monday shattered a three-kilometer speed record that had previously been set by Howard Hughes in 1935 in his H1 racer, and which had since been broken only by the H1 racer replica, in 2002. Whiteside's Yak model 3U, which has been continuously refined over the last six years, beat the H1 replica's speed by 102 mph. The flight for the record speed over a three-kilometer closed course by a piston aircraft under 6,600 pounds was monitored by a representative of the National Aeronautic Association, but the result won't be official until it's vetted and accepted by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale.
New LASP Proposal Expected Soon October 11, 2011 By Mary Grady When the Transportation Security Administration proposed its Large Aircraft Security Program in 2008, the response from the aviation community was fast and furious, and now a revised version is expected to be proposed soon. The new LASP should be out in the next few months, EAA said on Monday, and a new public comment period will be designated. The original proposal attracted more than 8,000 comments, most of them "overwhelmingly negative," according to EAA. The new version is expected to have a higher minimum weight than the original 12,500 pounds, and will provide more flexibility to aircraft operators.
Pacific Ditching Caught On Video October 11, 2011 By Mary Grady
It's not often that a video camera is handy at the exact moment a pilot has to ditch, but that was the case when a pilot ferrying a Cessna 310 to Hawaii from California ran out of fuel on Friday. Charles Mellor, 65, told controllers he was running low on fuel when he was about 500 miles from Hilo, about 11 hours after his departure from Monterey. The Coast Guard sent an HC-130 Hercules from Air Station Barbers Point in Honolulu to escort the airplane. Coast Guard pilots maintained communications with Mellor for more than an hour until his engines quit, about 13 miles from land. After splashing down, Mellor climbed from the cockpit onto the wing. A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew assisted in the rescue, sending a rescue swimmer to fetch Mellor and help hoist him into the helicopter. Mellor was taken to a hospital in Hilo and later released. He suffered no significant injuries, the Coast Guard said.
Drone Computers Hit By Virus October 8, 2011 By Russ Niles Wired is reporting that the computer systems used to control military drones have been infected by a key logging virus that has so far defied attempts to eliminate it. The tech website says it has heard from three independent but unidentified sources that the virus was first detected about two weeks ago in the computers at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada and the military has continued to operate drones in Afghanistan and other trouble spots even though it would appear that every keyboard operation involved in the missions is being logged. The military has not confirmed Wired's story. According to the Wired story, the people it talked to couldn't say whether the virus was deliberately targeted at their hardware or whether it is just part of the normal stream of malware that computers try to fend off every day. What is known, however, is this bug is persistent. "We keep wiping it off, and it keeps coming back," one of Wired's sources said. "We think it's benign. But we just don't know."
FAA Warns Turkey Drop Pilots October 8, 2011 By Russ Niles Thanks to the FAA, there might be a little less hooting and hollering at Yellville, Arkansas's annual Turkey Trot celebrations on the long weekend. The FAA confirmed to The Associated Press that it was sending agents to the Ozark community of 1,300 to sanction any pilots who take part in the annual Turkey Drop. The event involves live wild turkeys being dropped from aircraft onto the town square and, contrary to the horror expressed by animal-rights groups, local officials insist the birds are perfectly capable of gliding to a safe landing on the square. The FAA is staying out of that aspect of the controversy and focusing on the FAR that prohibits dropping anything, winged or not, from an airplane that might harm something or someone below. Turkeys, gliding or not, apparently don't make the grade for that approval so the guys in the sunglasses and polo shirts on the town square are there to try to make sure no one is hurt. "Our concern is always with public safety," FAA spokesman Lynn Lunford told the AP. "We could be talking about turkeys or boxes of paper. It doesn't matter. If you throw something out of an aircraft it can cause damage to people or property on the ground." As for the turkeys, the greatest peril unquestionably awaits them after the drop.
Private Rocket To 121,000 Feet (Plus Video) October 7, 2011 By Glenn Pew
A team self-identified as Qu8k (spoken "quake") claims to, on Sept. 30, have launched an unmanned 26-foot rocket at 2,185 mph to more than 100,000 feet over Black Rock Desert, Nev., and possibly earned a monetary prize for the effort. The team's effort addressed the Carmack Challenge, which, among other things, required the rocket to record a GPS altitude of over 100,000 feet to win a prize of $5,000. Qu8k says that none of four independent GPS systems onboard its vehicle maintained positional lock through the trip and suspects some simple reasons for that. According to Qu8k, that launch included a roughly 15G acceleration and pushed the rocket through 17,000 feet in less than 11 seconds. GPS notwithstanding, the team's rocket returned intact and Qu8k believes it has data that confirms they bested the goal. They also have video.
Boeing Settles Toxic Cabin Air Case October 7, 2011 By Glenn Pew Former flight attendant Terry Williams has won a settlement of an undisclosed amount after suing Boeing, alleging that the manufacturer employs faulty engineering, which allows toxic fumes into the cabin that harm people inside. Williams' lawsuit claimed that fumes in engine bleed air pumped into aircraft cabins can cause tremors, severe headaches and memory loss. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA believes that the bleed air can contain carbon monoxide, tricresyl phosphates and other contaminants. Settlement aside, Boeing contends that cabin air is safe and that independent research shows that it meets applicable health and safety standards. The FAA has also chimed in on the subject.
New York Politician Wants "Tourist Flight Ban" October 5, 2011 By Russ Niles A New York politician is calling for a ban on "tourist flights" by helicopters over an unspecified area of the city following Tuesday's fatal crash on the East River. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-Manhattan, told CBS 2, whose Chopper 2 was among the first to hover over the scene of the crash, that she's concerned all those helicopters flying around aren't safe. "I have written the FAA to see if the frequent numbers of helicopters going across the East River and in that vicinity is safe or not. Thank heavens they weren't going over buildings... or there would be a tremendous loss of life." It's not clear how Maloney would distinguish between "tourist flights" and other helicopter traffic or how the flight in question might meet her criteria. The Bell 206 that crashed was privately owned by the pilot and all on board knew each other. The flight had been arranged to celebrate the birthdays of two of the occupants. While the pilot Paul Dudley was local, two of the passengers, including Sonia Marra Nicholson, who died, were from Australia and the others were British citizens living in Portugal. Some reports say Dudley is blaming the crash on a mechanical fault.
LightSquared Threatens Legal Action If System Denied October 5, 2011 By Russ Niles LightSquared says it will take legal action if the FCC rejects its plan to build a nationwide wireless broadband system in the U.S. that the GPS industry and Department of Defense says will interfere with GPS signals. In its most aggressive move so far, LightSquared wrote a letter (PDF) to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski reiterating the company's position that the faulty design and performance of the majority of GPS receivers is responsible for the interference detected in a series of tests earlier this year. Lightsquared then called a news conference to throw down the legal gauntlet. "If it is impossible to get a decision on this that allows us to go forward, I think our way forward is pretty clear, that we then have to insist on our legal rights," Lightsquared VP of Government and Regulatory Affairs Jeff Carlisle is quoted by ExecutiveGov as telling reporters. "If you have to be the bad guy, and go out and start … insisting on your property line, well, then that's what we'll do." The FCC has ordered more testing and the results are due Nov. 30.
UAVs Expected In NAS By 2013 October 5, 2011 By Mary Grady Facing increasing pressure from both industry and the military to allow greater freedom to unmanned aerial vehicles, the FAA is expected to start integrating small UAVs (generally 55 pounds or less) into the National Airspace System as soon as 2013, the National Defense Industrial Association said this week. The FAA formed a committee in June to create rules that would govern that integration. Rick Prosek, manager of the FAA's unmanned aircraft program office, told NDIA at a recent conference, "We are plowing through the small-UAS rule to put that on the street." Under current rules, anyone who wants to fly a UAV of any size freely in the NAS must obtain an FAA waiver. The proposed new rules could be published as soon as December.
GI Bill Now Covers Flight Training October 5, 2011 By Mary Grady As of Oct. 1, changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill have taken effect that include flight-training benefits for veterans. The new benefits aim to provide support for short-term vocational training in addition to the traditional college-degree programs. The change is not expected to create a major new wave of pilots, however, as happened in the post-World War II era. Only 160 veterans per year, out of about 13,000 who are expected to use the new vocational benefits, will likely enroll in flight schools, the Army Times reported. The benefits will pay up to $10,000 per year to cover flight-school fees and tuition. The bill also provides some housing subsidies and pays tuition for some online courses as well.
Helicopter Down In Manhattan's East River (Updated) October 4, 2011 By Russ Niles One person is dead and four were rescued from a Bell 206 helicopter that crashed on takeoff from the 34th Street heliport on the East River in New York City on Tuesday afternoon. Witnesses told New York media the helicopter launched from the heliport, went out of control and crashed inverted into the river. Two survivors were able to reach he surface and hang onto the aircraft's skids and they yelled for help as passersby phoned 911. By fortunate coincidence, some the finest of New York's finest were nearby.
Report: FAA To Require 700 Hours For First Officers October 4, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA is expected to issue a proposed rule this month that will require pilots flying in the right seat for airlines to have at least 700 hours, up from the current minimum of 250 hours, according to The Wall Street Journal. Proposals in Congress have suggested raising the minimum as high as 1,500 hours. The changes stem from concerns that arose following the Colgan Air crash in Buffalo two years ago. Pilots who graduate from four-year college aeronautical programs or train in the military may earn credits that reduce their total time requirements, sources told the Journal.
GA Forecast: Slow But Steady Growth October 4, 2011 By Mary Grady Production of general aviation aircraft is expected to grow slightly through next year, with stronger growth starting in 2013, according to a report by Forecast International released this week. The research firm, based in Newton, Conn., excluded business jets and light sport aircraft from its study, which focuses on the projected GA market from 2011 to 2020. The report forecasts that 18,400 piston aircraft will be built by 2020, worth $8 billion, plus 6,000 turboprops, worth $20.5 billion. "There have been signs of strengthening demand in the piston market, but the increase has been from a very low base," said analyst Douglas Royce. "Getting production back to pre-recession levels will take years, if not the entire decade."
NASA Awards $1.35 Million For Efficient Flight October 3, 2011 By Mary Grady NASA Awards $1.35 Million For Efficient Flight
First place in NASA's Green Flight Challenge went to Pipistrel-USA, for a prize of $1.35 million, and the second-place prize of $120,000 went to team eGenius, NASA announced on Monday. The prize purse was the biggest ever awarded for an aviation competition, according to NASA. To win, the aircraft had to fly 200 miles in less than two hours and use less than one gallon of fuel per occupant, or the equivalent in electricity. Pipistrel's Taurus G4 achieved fuel efficiency of 403 passenger miles per gallon at a speed of 107 mph. The results show that "battery-powered electric flight is feasible for general aviation aircraft," according to Pipistrel team leader Jack Langelaan.
Report Recommends Changes In ATC Training October 3, 2011 By Mary Grady An independent panel has reviewed how the FAA hires and trains air traffic controllers, and this week released a report (PDF) with 50 recommendations for improvements. The panel, made up of five experts in the field, including one from the FAA and one from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, recommended that the FAA should expand its use of mobile simulator labs, establish a yearly refresher training course for senior controllers who act as trainers, and more closely oversee the curriculum of ATC training programs in colleges around the country. "This report shows us we are doing a great job, but there are things we can and will do better," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt.
Paper Clip Repair Sparks Charges October 2, 2011 By Russ Niles Six former employees of WECO Aerospace, a Lincoln, Calif, maintenance and repair facility near Sacramento, are facing charges relating to work done on aircraft prior to 2007. California residents Jerry Edward Kuwata, 60, of Granite Bay; Michael Dennis Maupin, 58, of Arbuckle; Scott Hamilton Durham, 39, of Roseville; Christopher Warren MacQueen, 53, of Lincoln; Douglas Arthur Johnson, 52, of Granite Bay; and Anthony Vincent Zito, 47, of Saugus have been indicted by a Sacramento federal grand jury on 36 charges of using unapproved parts in aircraft repairs. In at least one case, a paper clip was used, the indictments allege. The repairs apparently did the trick, at least temporarily, because there were no incidents reported that were directly related to the work, but the long list of alleged corner-cutting and fraud has raised the dander of prosecutors. There have been no reported problems since Gulfstream took over
GPS Complacency Cited In Accident October 2, 2011 By Russ Niles A pilot's sole reliance on what proved to be unreliable GPS information during an approach in IMC is being blamed for the crash of Piper Cheyenne that killed six people in Australia in 2004. A coroner has ruled that the pilot didn't check the GPS information against other navigation instruments as the Cheyenne went off course and hit a ridge near Benalla. "It is reasonable to infer that he believed that operations were normal and that in 'scanning' the array of instruments before him he focused on information from the GPS unit," Coroner Paresa Spanos said. "Taking all evidence before me into account, I find that the accident which took the lives of all six deceased was caused by navigation with the GPS in dead reckoning mode." The coroner also found that an air traffic controller failed to warn the pilot that he was deviating from his filed course.
Plane Hits Ferris Wheel; No Injuries (Updated) October 1, 2011 By Russ Niles The 52-year-old Australian pilot has answered the obvious question. Paul Cox told rescuers he didn't see the Ferris wheel. "The next thing I knew, I was stopped inside the Ferris wheel," he said. "I had no idea for a few minutes and I was just hoping no one got hurt." There are likely to be some more probing inquiries from Australian authorities in coming days, chief among them why a Ferris wheel was allowed off the end of the grass strip at Old Bar, perhaps within about 50 yards of the threshold. Initial reports focused on the collision and the safe rescue of the plane's occupants and the five kids on the ferris wheel, none of whom were hurt, but an AVweb reader has provided a different perspective on what might have happened. "The Ferris wheel was about 50 yards from the southern threshold of the runway," Jens Meinecke told AVweb. "The guy was doing a missed approach from the north and with the nose high on climb out did not see the wheel."
Safety Board: Switch Mistake Nearly Flips ANA 737 September 30, 2011 By Glenn Pew
On Sept. 6, an ANA 737-700 with 117 aboard rolled through 130 degrees of bank and lost more than 6,000 feet of altitude partly due to poorly placed switches, according to Japan's Transport Safety Board's (JTSB's) preliminary report. No serious injuries were reported. Flight NH140 was cruising at 41,000 feet out of Okinawa for Tokyo when the captain left the cockpit. Upon his return, the co-pilot reached for what he thought was the control that unlocks the cockpit door and moved it to the left. The preliminary report states that the pilot instead grabbed and moved to the left the rudder trim control, which on the incident aircraft shares a similar position at the rear of the control pedestal. The four-year old jet then reacted to that control input as it should.
DC-9-50 Nearly Loses Engines On Hard Landing September 29, 2011 By Glenn Pew On Sept. 26, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 operated by Aeropostal landed at Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, with enough force to crack both engine pylons at the airframe, leaving them dangling at the rear fuselage sides. None of the five crew and 125 passengers were seriously injured and all were evacuated onto the runway after the aircraft was stopped. The jet, registered YV136T, is more than 35 years old. The flight, VH 342, according to the Aviation Safety Network, had operated from Caracas and landed at Puerto Ordaz in a manner that has been described as "very hard." This is one you really have to see to believe. We expect your letters, either way. Pictures (and very brief passenger account) after the jump.
Drug Bust At Boeing Plant September 29, 2011 By Glenn Pew A Thursday morning raid at Boeing's helicopter plant outside of Philadelphia resulted in the arrest of 37 current and former Boeing employees who authorities allege were associated with the purchase and sale of prescription drugs. The plant at Ridley Park produces the CH-47 Chinook and the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. It employs roughly 6,000 workers. The majority of those arrested reportedly worked in production at the facility. According to Boeing, the arrests were facilitated by its own internal investigation that began in 2006 after other employees reported suspicious activity to the company's internal ethics hotline. The company alerted federal law enforcement and a four-year DEA investigation followed. During that time production at the plant continued, with care, according to Boeing.
"First" All-African Military Plane September 29, 2011 By Glenn Pew The South African aeronautical firm Aerosud announced this week the Ahrlac high-wing, tandem-seat, pusher aircraft design, which may break new ground for South African aviation. South Africa has produced light aircraft before and a quarter century ago designed an attack helicopter, but the Ahrlac (short for Advanced High Performance Reconnaissance Light Aircraft) may be the first modern all-African aircraft purpose-built to fill roles that include military operations. Aerosud plans to fly it for the first time next year. It will be built with six underwing hardpoints that can carry weapons or external fuel tanks. Aerosud has designed the aircraft for multi-role capability by making part of the fuselage itself swappable.
Alleged Remote-Controlled Plane Terror Plot September 28, 2011 By Glenn Pew 26-year-old U.S. citizen Rezqan Ferdaus was arrested Wednesday, charged with plotting to attack the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol with plastic-explosive-laden remote-controlled aircraft. Reports state that an affidavit said recorded conversations caught Ferdaus talking about using three remote-control aircraft like small kamikaze-drones by packing them with C-4 and slaving their controls to GPS equipment. The plan allegedly involved six gunmen divided into two teams. Authorities say those teams were to serve to increase the death toll and chaos at the pre-selected impact sites in Washington, D.C. A multi-agency effort culminated in the delivery by undercover FBI agents of fake explosives and weapons to Ferdaus' home, allegedly at his request.
GA Caucus Back At Work In D.C. September 28, 2011 By Mary Grady With Congress now back in session, the General Aviation Caucus is playing a role in keeping GA issues on the agenda. "I think we're ultimately going to be able to keep user fees out of the FAA reauthorization bill," U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., who co-chairs the GA Caucus in the House, told AVweb last week at the AOPA Summit. He said three contentious issues need to be worked out to get a full reauthorization bill through Congress: essential air service, which subsidizes passenger service to small communities; a labor issue that will affect whether airline employees are allowed to unionize; and the actual funding. The funding has mainly been settled, he said, but the other two issues are contentious. Nonetheless, he was hopeful: "We had hundreds of issues out there that we were able to solve -- we're down to two," he said.
Piper Now Hiring In Wichita September 28, 2011 By Mary Grady Piper Aircraft will hold a job fair in Wichita, Kans., next week, the company said on Wednesday. About 20 positions are open for engineers and designers, all of them based at the company headquarters in Vero Beach, Fla. The company has already tried to fill the jobs locally, Piper spokeswoman Jackie Carlon told AVweb on Wednesday. "We always search first in Indian River County and then the state of Florida, before looking elsewhere," she said. "These are all highly skilled positions." Most of the new hires will be put to work on the Altaire jet project, she said.
Green Flight Challenge Down To Four Teams September 28, 2011 By Mary Grady By Wednesday, only four of the original 13 contenders were still in the running for the $1.65 million NASA prize purse in the Green Flight Challenge. The event, which is ongoing in Santa Rosa, Calif., through the weekend, has eliminated all the contenders except PhoEnix, Pipistrel-USA, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's EcoEagle, and e-Genius. All met a noise level no greater than 78 dBA at full-power takeoff, measured from 250 feet away. "This is the dawn of electric flight, right here, right now," Mark Moore, an aerospace engineer with NASA, told the Sonoma County Press-Democrat. "This is a Lindbergh moment."
Court Date Set For BARR Dispute September 27, 2011 By Mary Grady On Dec. 2, a federal court will hear AOPA and NBAA argue in support of their position that airplane operators should have the option to keep their flight data private. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will preside over the case. AOPA and NBAA said on Tuesday they hope to convince the court to overturn changes to the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program that were imposed earlier this year, which make it harder for operators to block their flight info on public websites.
White House Petition: No GA User Fees September 27, 2011 By Mary Grady Kevin Mossey, a private pilot living in Marion, Iowa, has posted a petition on the White House website asking the Obama administration to "take aviation user fees off the table." Last week's proposal to charge $100 per flight for some general aviation operations is too complex, according to Mossey. "We should be working to simplify the tax codes," he wrote. "A tax on fuel more accurately reflects the ATC services used." As of Tuesday, the petition had attracted over 2,600 online signatures. If the petition logs 5,000 signatures by Oct. 23, it will be reviewed by the White House for an official response.
Wingsuit Flyer Navigates Mountain Gap September 26, 2011 By Mary Grady
Wingsuit flyer Jeb Corliss successfully flew through a narrow tunnel in a Chinese mountain region on Saturday. The gap between two peaks, known as Tianmen Hole, is just 96 feet wide and about 360 feet tall. Corliss jumped from a Red Bull helicopter and landed safely with a parachute on a bridge. "That was one of the greatest wingsuit flights of my entire life," Corliss said. After navigating through the tunnel, Corliss had to continue flying through the narrow mountain gap for about two-thirds of a mile before he could safely open his chute.
Cracked Spark Plugs Prompt Bulletin September 25, 2011 By Russ Niles Tornado Alley Turbo has issued a mandatory service bulletin (PDF) and asked the FAA to issue an airworthiness directive for the owners of up to 950 Cirrus SR22TN aircraft that have Champion RHB32S fine wire spark plugs, and the list of affected aircraft could grow to include other types with those plugs installed. TAT says it has been gathering evidence that indicates those plugs are experiencing an unusually high rate of cracked ceramic insulators. Cracked insulators can cause detonation problems that can result in severe engine damage. TAT says it's aware of at least two forced landings and one non-injury accident that may have been caused by the damaged spark plugs. TAT President George Braly said that while the initial MSB applies only to turbonormalized Cirruses, TAT systems have been installed in other aircraft types and anyone with a TAT system should check their aircraft's plugs.
Avgas Drop-In Replacement: Clarification September 25, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli In our story last week about the Unleaded Avgas Transition team's deliberations, we reported that the committee increasingly believes a direct drop-in unleaded replacement isn't likely. But one reader wrote to ask about the recently approved 100VLL, which the FAA announced as an approved fuel in SAIB NE-11-55. Isn't this a direct drop-in? Yes, it is, but it's also not an unleaded fuel, but one that contains about 19 percent less lead than 100LL. It still meets exactly the same octane requirements as 100LL and fits right into ASTM D-910, the current industry avgas specification. The 100VLL spec was developed at the request of industry groups as a potential alternative to 100LL for use in areas where airports may represent point sources of lead emissions that exceed emerging national air quality standards. Until the EPA completes its research on lead endangerment, it's unclear if 100VLL will have any role in future fuel supplies.
Driver's License Medical Expansion Proposed September 24, 2011 By Russ Niles EAA and AOPA are jointly proposing a plan to the FAA to allow so-called "driver's license medicals" to be used for some pilots who now must maintain a minimum third-class medical. In a joint announcement at AOPA Summit on Saturday, AOPA President Craig Fuller and EAA President Rod Hightower said the proposal will be submitted early next year and will allow pilots flying purely for recreation to use a valid driver's license as proof of medical fitness. The standard, which now applies only to sport pilot certificates, would expand to cover all FAA certificates up to and including ATP. There would be limits, however, on the aircraft that could be flown and on flight conditions.
NTSB Preliminary On Reno Crash September 23, 2011 By Glenn Pew Friday, the NTSB released its preliminary report on the Sept. 16 crash of Jimmy Leeward and his Unlimited Reno Racer, Galloping Ghost. The crash has so far been responsible for the death of Leeward and 10 of the spectators in attendance at the Reno Air Races where Leeward was flying in an Unlimited heat, that Friday. Aside from the deaths, the incident left 74 injured. According to the NTSB, "some" of the eight people still hospitalized remained in critical condition at the time of their report. The report is factual in nature and does not attempt to identify causal factors. The NTSB does note that witness and photographic evidence "indicates that a piece of the airframe separated" from the aircraft after it turned away from the race course and before its final descent.
Corvalis Wing Prompts $2.4 Million Proposed Fine September 23, 2011 By Glenn Pew The FAA Thursday proposed a $2.4 million fine for Cessna due to the company's failure to follow quality control measures in production of specific Corvalis parts built in Mexico. According to the FAA, on Dec. 6, 2010, a high-performance, four-seat, composite fixed-gear Corvalis flown by an FAA test pilot experienced separation of a seven-foot section of wing skin from the forward spar. That separation damaged the wing tank but the pilot was able to land safely. The flight led the FAA to ground 13 Corvalis aircraft and led to the discovery of other problems with production that all had one thing in common.
Canadian Air Museum Evicted September 23, 2011 By Russ Niles An arm of Canada's federal government has served a six-month eviction notice on a major aviation museum in the country's largest city. Workers at the Canadian Air and Space Museum in Toronto got to work last Tuesday to find the locks changed and an eviction notice on the door. The museum is on former Canadian Forces Base Downsview, which was closed decades ago. The airfield remains active as a private facility for Bombardier. The company builds Q400 airliners and business jets there but several hundred acres were designated as a park by the government and the museum occupies a sliver of those lands. The government-owned corporation that runs the park has struck a deal for the site with a developer who will put up a hockey and skating arena with four sheets of ice. The announcement stunned the local aviation community and prompted owners of some of the museum's artifacts to collect them.
Twin Otter Crashes On Yellowknife Street September 23, 2011 By Russ Niles Authorities in Canada's Northwest Territories are saying it's a miracle more people were not killed and injured when an Arctic Sunwest Airlines Twin Otter floatplane crashed on a busy downtown street in the Territories' capital city of Yellowknife just after the noon hour on Thursday. The two pilots aboard the big turboprop twin died in the crash and all seven passengers were hurt, some seriously. An unknown number of bystanders were hit by debris but none was believed to be seriously hurt. The aircraft was making its second attempt to land at a seaplane base on Great Slave lake when the crash occurred about 1:15 p.m. local time.
Early Boeing 747-8s Not Well-Received September 23, 2011 By Glenn Pew First Cargolux Airlines on Sept. 16 decided to delay taking delivery of the first two 747-8 freighters and now, for separate reasons, Atlas Air has canceled orders for three of jets. The 747-8 was originally scheduled to enter service two years ago but early flight tests led to a wing redesign. Cargolux based its decision on contractual issues. Atlas says the long delays and performance considerations motivated their decision. Regardless of the customer, as a result of the redesign, the very first 747-8 aircraft produced fall slightly short of the expectations originally set for the jet. But Boeing does have a solution.
The ATC Privatization Debate? September 21, 2011 By Glenn Pew NextGen air traffic control improvements are championed by government officials, but one former government official argued through an editorial this week that ATC may fare better in private hands. According to Peter Orszag, former director of the Office of Management and Budget, NextGen is "a step in the right direction." But because it's being rolled out in stages, he argues it will take too long to implement. The former director cites Canada's nonprofit corporation NAV Canada and says the answer to a better air traffic system in the U.S. is the private sector. And user fees. Not everyone agrees.
NTSB Identifies Record-Keeping Loophole September 21, 2011 By Glenn Pew One reason we don't know more about why Boeing aircraft suffered fuselage skin cracking can be tied to regulatory decisions made by the FAA. A Southwest Airlines 737-300 suffered a crack in its fuselage on April 1, and an American Airlines 757-200 suffered a tear in its skin last year. Both incidents led to the discovery of symptoms that could lead to similar problems on other jets. In the case of the 737, rivet work was questioned. In the case of the 757 the NTSB determined that the aircraft's skin was of nonconforming thickness -- it was thinner than it was supposed to be. But Boeing's records of how those and other affected planes were built and inspected were missing ... as directed by the FAA.
Five Finalists Named For Green Flight Challenge September 20, 2011 By Mary Grady Thirteen teams applied to compete in next week's Green Flight Challenge, with $1.65 million in prize money at stake -- the largest aviation prize ever offered -- but now the field is down to five competitors, NASA and the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation said on Tuesday. Only those five teams met all of the criteria to compete. The criteria are complex, but include that the aircraft must be capable of reaching an average speed of at least 100 mph, take off in less than 2,000 feet to clear a 50-foot obstacle, and produce a decibel rating of less than 78 dBA at full-power takeoff. The five finalists are Team Feuling, Phoenix Air, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Pipistrel-USA, and e-Genius. To win the competition, an aircraft must fly 200 miles in less than two hours and use less than one gallon of fuel per occupant, or the equivalent in electricity.
Company Claims Biofuel "Breakthrough" September 20, 2011 By Mary Grady A San Francisco-based company said last week it has developed a new way to make jet biofuel from renewable materials that is "highly cost-effective." AliphaJet said its catalytic method uses materials derived from plants and animals such as triglycerides and fatty acids. "Our strategy fundamentally improves the economics of making 100-percent drop-in renewable jet biofuel," said Jack Oswald, CEO of AliphaJet. "Our approach is radically different and unlocks a new industry that can meet the U.S. Navy's goal of replacing 50 percent of its liquid fuels with renewables by 2020."
User Fees Back In Play September 19, 2011 By Mary Grady A deficit-reduction plan proposed by President Barack Obama on Monday includes user fees for some general aviation flights, a move quickly opposed by GA advocates. Nine groups, including AOPA, EAA, GAMA, and NBAA, issued a statement on Monday expressing "unified opposition" to the proposal. "We believe this per-flight tax not only imposes a significant new administrative burden on general aviation operators who currently pay through an efficient per-gallon fuel charge at the pump, but it will also necessitate the creation of a costly new federal collection bureaucracy," the groups said in a joint statement. The president proposed a fee of $100 per flight to be paid directly to the FAA. Not all flights would be affected, however.
Wouters Out, Klapmeier In At Cirrus September 19, 2011 By Mary Grady Cirrus Aircraft announced on Monday that co-founder Dale Klapmeier is now the CEO, and Brent Wouters, who held that post since 2009, is no longer with the company. "Along with our new owners, our commitment is stronger than ever to the same goals and ideals that we had when we started the company more than 25 years ago," Klapmeier said in a news release. "And that goal is to make the dream of flight a reality for more people, both in the U.S. and around the world. Today we are at the beginning of the next chapter of the reinvention of personal transportation." The company finalized a deal in June to be sold to CAIGA, China's general aviation conglomerate. "The timing of this change was not unexpected," Cirrus spokesman Todd Simmons told AVweb on Monday. "It's supported by the executive team and by the board."
Survey: How's That Factory Engine Working for You? September 18, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli
Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, would like to know. We're doing a survey on owner experiences with factory-new, factory-reman and factory-overhauled engines. (No field overhauls this time.) The survey will take about five minutes, and you can take it merely by cliking this link.
Video, Telemetry System On Crash Airplane September 18, 2011 By Russ Niles Crash investigators have recovered memory cards that might have come from an on-board camera on Jimmy Leeward's P-51 that crashed at the National Championship Air Races in Reno last Friday. There was also a flight systems telemetry set-up on board that transmitted information on the aircraft's health and performance to his ground crew, according to an Associated Press story. Investigators have now confirmed their probe will focus in part on the aircraft's tail structure and the possibility that a failure of the left horizontal stabilizer trim tab was a contributing factor in the crash, which killed nine people, including Leeward and eight spectators. More than 60 people on the ground were injured and about a dozen remain in the hospital, some in critical condition. The near-vertical impact of the fighter left a crater in the concrete three feet deep and eight feet across and spread debris over almost two acres. More photos and videos have surfaced since the crash and while the primary focus has been on missing tail parts, there are a couple of other anomalies in the photos.
T-28 Down At W. Virginia Airshow (Updated) September 17, 2011 By Russ Niles The pilot was killed Saturday when a T-28 performing at an airshow in Martinsburg W.Va., crashed and exploded. No one on the ground was hurt. The aircraft was part of a six-ship formation group called the Trojan Horsemen performing at the Thunder Over the Blue Ridge show. According to the Martinsburg Journal, the crash airplane had just broken from a belly-to-belly maneuver with another T-28 when it "wobbled and went straight into the ground."
Launch Customer Refuses New 747-8F September 17, 2011 By Russ Niles The launch customer for Boeing's new 747-8F is refusing to take delivery of the first airplane, prompting cancellation of a ceremony that was scheduled for Monday. Cargolux hasn't responded to media inquiries about why it's turning the aircraft down but Boeing officials said on Saturday there was a contract dispute between the planemaker and the customer, a large Luxembourg-based cargo carrier. Cargolux has ordered 13 copies of the new-generation 747. "We have unresolved issues between ourselves and Cargolux," Boeing spokesperson Jim Proulx said in a statement. "We are working with our customer to determine a date for delivery."
Trim Tab Missing On Reno Crash Plane? (Updated) September 17, 2011 By Russ Niles A photo by Tim O'Brien of the Grass Valley Union appears to show that Jimmy Leeward's Galloping Ghost P-51 race plane lost a trim tab before crashing at the National Championship Air Races in Reno on Friday, killing Leeward and eight others and injuring scores of others. Officials now say seven people died at the scene and two in the hospital. According to the Aviation Law Monitor, "without the trim tab, the aircraft may have been uncontrollable." The photo was taken seconds before aircraft dove into the ramp on the edge of the spectator viewing area at Reno during a qualifying heat. Although the tab does appear to be missing, it can't be determined from the photo whether its departure caused the sequence of events that led to the crash or whether the violent movements that preceded the crash caused the part to fail. Regardless, this photo is likely to be scrutinized carefully as investigators continue the grim task of piecing together what happened.
P-51 Crashes At Reno September 16, 2011 By Glenn Pew
The P-51 Mustang Galloping Ghost flown by 74-year-old Jimmy Leeward crashed violently near the grandstands, possibly in the box seat area, at the Reno Air Races in Nevada, Friday, possibly resulting in multiple casualties. The aircraft appears to have come down in a near vertical angle at high speed. Early reports state that "an official" at the event described the crash as a "mass casualty situation." Reports late Friday suggest at least three people died and more than 50 were taken to hospital, some with critical injuries. The crash took place at about 4:15 p.m. during an Unlimited Gold heat. Leeward, an Ocala, Fla., real estate developer, was a longtime EAA director and experienced racing pilot.
Airlines Oppose Fatigue Rules September 16, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Air Transport Association (ATA) has sent a letter to the White House budget office saying that proposed fatigue rules will cost billions of dollars and kill tens of thousands of jobs in the airline industry. ATA says it is basing its estimates on numbers provided by a consulting agency. The job losses are based on ATA's assumption that the industry will react to costs associated with the regulations, which it says are $2 billion annually, by cutting up to 27,000 jobs. ATA says those losses could ripple out to eliminate 400,000 jobs industry-wide. The government doesn't agree with ATA's estimates and the attack isn't the first from the airline industry. Early this year, one carrier argued that compliance with the rules would force airlines to hire people.
Congress Temporarily Funds FAA (Again) September 15, 2011 By Glenn Pew Congress passed another temporary funding measure for the FAA Thursday, averting the layoff of possibly as many as 80,000 people, one day ahead of a Friday deadline. Thursday, the legislation was headed to the desk of President Obama for his signature. Language in the extension passed by the House would fund the FAA at previous levels through January 2012. There was no additional funding for Next-Gen hardware and construction included in that version. The House managed to pass the extension earlier in the week and threats boiled up in the Senate to hold up the bill. Senator Tom Coburn, R-Okla., resolved not to pass the bill without a promise about certain long-term funding for bike paths.
The "Conspiracy Of Inaction," Aviation Safety And The FAA September 15, 2011 By Glenn Pew In the mid-1980s, David Soucie's decision that helped his employer avoid adding wire-strike gear to their helicopters may have cost the life of one of his friends -- now he's working with airlines and the FAA to make sure things like that don't happen. Soucie served 16 years with the FAA and spent some of that time as an accident investigator. He is now working outside of the government to promote his idea that actively mining and freely sharing information both within and between operators will improve the ability to proactively address aviation safety issues. That, as opposed to working backwards, correcting issues after an accident. According to Soucie, logistical and cultural practices within the FAA, as well as some legal structures, are barriers to that progress. He's working with the airlines on a new information-sharing system and has authored a book called Why Planes Crash. AVweb's Glenn Pew spoke with him for more details. (You can Click here to listen.)
Will You Need LightSquared's GPS Receiver? September 15, 2011 By Glenn Pew LightSquared, a start-up developed by hedge fund manager Philip Falcone, says its ground-based high-speed wireless network wouldn't interfere with high-precision GPS devices if GPS manufacturers built their receivers properly. According to LightSquared, Department of Defense standards for the operation of the GPS system are not being met by GPS manufacturers. The company says that GPS manufacturers should be building receivers that filter out interference like that created by LightSquared's national wireless network. And to prove the point that building such a device is possible, LightSquared has (at least temporarily) entered the GPS receiver manufacturing business and produced a product it says is up to the task.
FAA Issues AD For Two Lycoming Engines September 14, 2011 By Glenn Pew The FAA has issued an airworthiness directive, effective Sept. 29, 2011, for a number of Lycoming reciprocating engines; the specific number of engines is two. The agency has decided that an unsafe condition exists that caused the failure of a crankshaft after 440 hours of operation. The cause of the failure was determined to be an improperly counterweighted crankshaft installed by a repair station. The FAA says it is issuing the AD because it has determined the unsafe condition is likely to exist "in other products of the same type design" ... specifically Lycoming model IO-720-AIB engine serial numbers L-1457-54A and L-1458-54A, which it has been unable to locate.
Japan's Air Force One Blunder September 14, 2011 By Glenn Pew The U.S. has reportedly filed a protest with the Japanese government after learning that a Japanese air traffic controller posted, online, details of the U.S. President's November 2010 flight plan in the region. The information is said to include two pages of details that the controller apparently made available through his blog. Details reportedly included speeds, altitudes, route of flight and pictures of computer screens -- the last of which may present information in a manner difficult for a layman to understand. Precise information about when that information was posted online (before or after Obama's visit) has not been made available. The controller has also allegedly posted other information about U.S. activities, raising larger concerns about the controllers' union and management.
FAA: No New Regs For Trikes September 14, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA says it will not impose new regulations on the operators of weight-shift-control aircraft in Hawaii but will keep a close eye on them to ensure they are in compliance with existing regulations. Six people died in three crashes in the islands over the last year and a half, raising questions about the safety of the aircraft, also known as trikes. Two of the fatal flights apparently involved operators taking passengers for sightseeing tours, which is not allowed under FAA rules. Pilots can, however, offer introductory flight training. "It appears some operators are trying to get around the air-tour provision by offering scenic flights under the guise of introductory flying instructions," Nick Reyes, an FAA flight standards manager, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser last week.
House Extends FAA Funding September 14, 2011 By Mary Grady It seems likely that the FAA will get yet another funding extension by the end of this week, with the U.S. House on Tuesday unanimously OK'ing expenditures through Jan. 31, 2012. That bill now is in the Senate, which must act by Friday to avert another shortfall like the one in July that forced the agency to lay off nearly 4,000 workers. The bill doesn't include any retroactive pay for those furloughed workers, although leaders in both parties had said they would support such a measure, according to The Associated Press.
First Flight: Electric, Untethered, Piloted Helicopter September 14, 2011 By Mary Grady Pascal Chretien of France flew his own electric-powered helicopter design untethered for two minutes and 10 seconds last month, beating out Sikorsky's Firefly for the first flight of its kind. Chretien, an aerospace engineer and helicopter pilot, spent about a year working on the project, mostly on his own, according to Gizmag. He devised several innovative solutions to simplify the design and minimize the weight and power needs. He used two counter-rotating rotors to eliminate the tail rotor, weight-shift control for steering, and a simple frame welded from aluminum tubing. The system is tricky to fly, according to Chretien: "This machine looks like a toy, and flies like a toy, but there is a raging tiger under the seat, waiting to bite at the first mistake," he told Gizmag. "In case of crash I stand good chances to end up in kebab form."
Garmin Touchscreen Portable Debuts At AOPA September 14, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli At AOPA's Summit event in Hartford, Conn., next week, Garmin will roll out its newest portable GPS navigator/plate reader, the aera 796. The 796 is a follow-on product to both the GPSmap 696 and the aera product line, which brought touchscreen control to Garmin's lineup. The new navigator features capacitive-type touchscreen control similar to the iPad and some smartphones, so it can be finger scrolled and pinch scaled. It will be available in two versions, the $2199 aera 795 without weather link and the $2499 aera 796, which includes an XM receiver for both weather datalink and entertainment.
House Committee Moves To Restore BARR September 13, 2011 By Mary Grady A bill now in the works in the U.S. House would restore a program that allows private aircraft operators to block flight data from display on public flight-following sites, NBAA said this week. U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, of Iowa, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Transportation, included a provision to preserve the Block Aircraft Registration Request in the annual appropriations bill for the Department of Transportation. "The government's move to severely curtail the BARR program represents an unwarranted invasion of the privacy of aircraft owners and operators, a threat to the competitiveness of U.S. companies, and a potential security risk to persons on board general aviation aircraft," said NBAA President Ed Bolen. "We are pleased to see this recognition reflected in the subcommittee's bill."
China Starts Work On World's Biggest Airport September 13, 2011 By Mary Grady When China's new Beijing airport opens in 2015 it will be the largest in the world, covering 21 square miles, with nine runways and the capacity to handle 370,000 passengers per day. Construction is expected to begin soon on a site about 30 miles southwest of the capital city in Daxing, according to the Guardian. The new runways will provide relief for the city's main airport, which is nearing its capacity of 75 million passengers per year. "Last year it handled 73 million," Cao Yunchun, a professor at the country's Civil Aviation University, told the London Telegraph. "In two years, it will be totally packed. And it cannot be expanded infinitely."
Aviators Lost: Brown, Skelton, Robertson September 12, 2011 By Mary Grady The aviation community recently lost three accomplished pilots -- an actor, an aerobatics competitor, and a test pilot. Cliff Robertson, best known for his film career, died on Sept. 10 at age 88. He started flying at age 14 and owned several airplanes. He served as the first chairman of the EAA Young Eagles program when it launched in 1992. He also funded a program that offered summer internships to youth at the EAA Aviation Center. Betty Skelton, who won the international women's aerobatic championship three times, died on Aug. 31 at age 85. And Mort Brown, who logged over 14,000 first flights as head of flight testing at Cessna, died on Sept. 10 at age 103.
Lav-Locked Pax Draw Fighters September 11, 2011 By Russ Niles Three people who locked themselves in an airliner bathroom on a flight to New York on Sept. 11 will likely get to explain exactly what they were doing in there to the Secret Service and FBI. The three passengers, whose gender distribution was not immediately known, went into the lav at some point during the American Airlines flight from LAX to JFK and stayed there until after it landed. The aircraft was escorted part of the way to New York by two F-16s and landed otherwise uneventfully at 4:10 p.m. EDT.
FAA Funding Looks Likely September 11, 2011 By Russ Niles Government leaders appear ready to speed through passage of a four-month funding extension for the FAA when they get back to work this week. In sharp contrast to the rancorous debate that resulted in the FAA going temporarily unfunded last July, House and Senate leaders on both sides of the aisle seem unified in efforts to pass a "clean" funding bill, stripped of all the hot-button partisan clauses that bogged the earlier one down, as early as Monday. Passage would give the legislators time to wrangle over the contentious side issues without crippling the agency. The current funding package runs out on Friday.
Breath Tests Mandatory For Indian Pilots September 11, 2011 By Russ Niles The Hindu is reporting that the government is finished implementing a program in which all airline pilots in the country must submit to a pre-board breathalyzer test. The newspaper says the Directorate General of Civil Aviation announced last week that 100 percent of crews now undergo the pre-flight check. The program was initiated last year in light of random checks conducted in 2009 and 2010 that nabbed 57 "tipsy" pilots trying to go to work.
Sunday A Good Day To Fly September 10, 2011 By Russ Niles The FAA posted a flurry of new TFRs in the hours before Sunday's somber anniversary, but almost none of them had anything to do with the day we'd all like to forget. Of course, anyone who might have tried to fly near Lower Manhattan, Washington, D.C., or Shanksville, Pa., could have expected, at the very least, a really bad day. By late Sunday, there were no reports that anyone had done so. There were also TFRs for several airshows and the International Council of Air Shows listed at least a dozen shows in North America on Sunday. But by far the majority of new TFRs are the work of forces much more powerful than any wingnut terrorist cell. Forest fires are closing big blocks of airspace throughout Texas and the West.
Victim's iPhone Helps Locate Plane Crash September 9, 2011 By Glenn Pew Reports that the location of a Chilean military transport CASA 212 Aviocar that crashed Sept. 4 at sea, killing all 21 aboard, was identified thanks to a victim's submerged iPhone may be overstated, but the phone's role is still compelling. A Google-provided translation of text from an original Argentine source states that a victim aboard the high-wing twin turboprop owned an iPhone 4 and equipped it with an app called "Find my iPhone." The translated article states that the smartphone was "still transmitting its signal" after the crash and allowed for underwater triangulation to pinpoint the crash site near Robinson Crusoe Island. While that may not be the case, one victim's relatives' use of the app did help authorities find the crash site, and the process may have made an argument for real-time telemetry.
Ice Pilots Spinoff In Production September 7, 2011 By Russ Niles
Fans of Ice Pilots NWT can look forward to a sequel of sorts. A dramatic spinoff of Ice Pilots, called Arctic Air, is now in production in Vancouver by OMNI Film and will air on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation starting in January. Ice Pilots NWT, which is airing on the National Geographic Channel in the U.S. and was shown on the History Channel in Canada, followed the real-life exploits of Buffalo Joe MacBryan and his Yellowknife-based Buffalo Airways. The airline operates the last scheduled passenger service with a DC-3 and also flies C-46 Commandos and DC-4s. Arctic Air will mirror the reality show and the star of the program is a former Canadian-registered DC-3 that flew for Whitehorse-based Air North before being retired 17 years ago. Getting the plane ready for prime time was an adventure in itself and DC-3 buff Dan Gryder played a starring role.
A New Laser Threat? September 7, 2011 By Glenn Pew
Wicked Lasers claims its new hand-held laser has an 85-mile range, is 8,000 times brighter than the sun, and is the "world's brightest laser you can legally own." In other words, the device may be completely useless outside of a lab, but is apparently being marketed to the public. The cost of the new "S3 Krypton Series" laser is $1,000. According to one review, a previous model was "dangerous" and only useful for "irresponsible, reckless activities." That new one is 20 times brighter and in the words of the same reviewer, is "twenty times as awesome." The reviewer adds, "I'm terrified of it." Video after the jump.
A Yakovlev-42 crashed on takeoff 150 miles northeast of Moscow Wednesday, killing 43 of 45 aboard, including many members of an international medal-winning Russian Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team. The airliner was flying out of Yaroslavl's Tunoshna Airport for Minsk 4 p.m. local time when it crashed on takeoff, apparently in clear weather. Witnesses report hearing two loud bangs prior to the aircraft's hitting a riverbank on the Volga River and bursting into flames. The jet was carrying 37 passengers and eight crew. Of the two survivors, one was a crew member and the other was ice hockey player Alexander Galimov, who was reportedly burned over 80 percent of his body. Both were reported in critical condition after the crash. Players on the team had connections to ten nations. Video was taken of the crash site soon after the jet went down.
Ten Years After 9/11, Aviators Remember September 7, 2011 By Mary Grady With the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks coming up this weekend, aviators around the country are looking back on that day and its aftermath, which in many ways is still with us. The FAA commemorated the 9/11 events this week with a video featuring interviews with air traffic controllers who were on duty that day. The pilot of one of the F-15s that scrambled -- knowing he might be asked to shoot down an airliner full of passengers -- recalls the events in an interview with Boston's WGBH radio. GA pilots also were reminded this week by the TSA to be extra-vigilant as the anniversary date approaches. (Click here for the full TSA advisory, in PDF format.) One of the leaders of the general aviation response, Phil Boyer, who at the time was president of AOPA, recalled those days in a podcast interview with AVweb's Mary Grady.
Aviation Unions Demand Action On FAA Funding September 7, 2011 By Mary Grady The latest short-term FAA funding extension runs out on Sept. 16, and on Wednesday, several aviation union groups held a news conference at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., to demand a long-term reauthorization bill. "We cannot continue to function with this band-aid approach to aviation funding and safety," said Lee Moak, president of the Air Line Pilots Association. "It is time to get serious and put the safety of aviation in the United States ahead of partisan politics." Members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the Association for Flight Attendants, and the Allied Pilots Association also attended the event. Members of Congress are returning to Washington this week after a summer break.
Crashed Cessna Sparks California Fire September 7, 2011 By Mary Grady Both men inside a Cessna 210 died when it crashed in a southern California canyon on Sunday, starting a brush fire that burned across almost 15,000 acres by Wednesday morning. Twelve homes and 18 other buildings were destroyed, hundreds of homes were evacuated, and more than 2,000 firefighters and other emergency responders fought the blaze. The Cessna crashed about 11:25 a.m. on Sunday near the Mountain Valley Airport in Tehachapi, about 150 miles north of Los Angeles. The two men on board were Walter Johnson, 72, of Pomona, and John Nuckolls, 55, of Claremont.
Boeing's Newest Freighter Ready To Fly September 6, 2011 By Mary Grady Boeing will deliver the first 747-8 Freighter to launch customer Cargolux on Sept. 19, the company said on Friday. Cargolux will fly the airplane away from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., that morning and put the airplane into revenue service. The second freighter out of the hangar also will go to Cargolux, with delivery set for Sept. 21. The carrier has a total of 13 of the new airplanes on order. The 747-8 is 250 feet, 2 inches long, which is 18 feet and 4 inches longer than the 747-400 freighter, with the capability to carry an additional 22 tons and adding more than 4,000 cubic feet of volume. Cargolux also took delivery of the first 747-400 freighter, in 1993.
China's First GA Fly-In Postponed September 6, 2011 By Mary Grady The first-ever general aviation fly-in in China, which was set for later this month, has been postponed indefinitely, according to AOPA. The event was scheduled for Sept. 22 to 24, with about 20 privately owned helicopters from around the country expected to gather at an airport outside Beijing. However, a helicopter operated by the Beijing Police Department crashed last month into a reservoir near the fly-in site, killing four of the five people on board. AOPA China said the crash drew "attention and safety concerns from the public and the authorities," and the ongoing investigation has raised questions about whether the airspace will continue to be accessible. The first-ever AOPA Summit in China, which is scheduled to take place the same weekend in Beijing, will go on as scheduled.
Coming Soon: Remote Control Towers September 5, 2011 By Mary Grady Two airports in northern Sweden are set to become the first test sites for remotely operated control towers. The system, which is being developed by Saab, will consist of an 82-foot-tall structure topped by a bank of cameras that will beam a 360-degree panoramic high-definition image to a control center located miles away. The array also includes microphones that transmit stereo sound from the airfield, meteorological sensors, and a light-gun signal that can be operated remotely. Center controllers will sit at the center of a 360-degree wraparound screen, and will be able to zoom and pan the images. The system aims to save on costs by consolidating service for smaller airports. The two towers in Sweden are expected to go online next year.
MIT Faces Lithium Battery Shipment Fine September 5, 2011 By Russ Niles The brain trust at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) may be getting a $175,000 lesson in the dangers of lithium ion batteries for a 2009 incident that could have had tragic consequences. Someone at the school packed 33 circuit boards, each attached to a lithium battery, into a cardboard box and had FedEx pick it up for delivery to Seattle. The FAA says the box didn't have the required dangerous goods declaration and labeling and wasn't packed to prevent the batteries from short circuiting. It's proposing a $175,000 fine against the august institution. Fortunately, freight handlers at FedEx's sorting facility in Medford, Mass., discovered the improperly labeled and packed box when it burst into flame on their conveyor belt before being loaded on an aircraft.
Midairs In Alaska, Canada September 4, 2011 By Russ Niles The second midair collision in Alaska in as many months is believed to have killed a young commercial pilot while another managed to land her badly damaged aircraft safely. The Anchorage Daily News reports 24-year-old Scott Veal, of Kenai, is presumed dead after the Grant Aviation Cessna Caravan he was flying was in a collision with a Ryan Air Cessna 207 flown by 26-year-old Kristen Sprague, of Idaho, and crashed Friday near Nightmute on Nelson Island in southwestern Alaska. The pilots were the lone occupants of both aircraft and both were headed to Bethel, about 100 miles east. Weather was reported as overcast with ceilings about 1,000 feet AGL and no fog or rain. Meanwhile, a collision between two sailplanes has killed two Canadian pilots in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia.
GA Terror Bulletin Issued September 4, 2011 By Russ Niles The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have issued a joint bulletin to law enforcement and transportation agencies warning al-Qaida may be hatching a plot to use GA aircraft filled with explosives in attacks on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. The agencies, who, according to Politico, are describing the bulletin as "routine," say the terror organization has been recruiting Western operatives to take flight training. There is apparently no specific threat being mentioned.
Diamond Resumes D-JET Testing September 3, 2011 By Russ Niles Diamond Aircraft has resumed flight testing of its D-JET personal jet after a five-month break. Diamond suspended testing in late March when it ran out of money to continue the project. It took until early June to secure new financing, including a well-publicized spat with the Canadian government over a federal loan that was ultimately denied. Diamond has not said who the benefactor is for the D-JET program although it has said the funding it received was specifically allocated to the jet.
Still The Best Way To Board An Airliner September 3, 2011 By Glenn Pew The widely used "block" method (boarding an airliner in sections) is among the slowest of methods, while the windows-first method (which we told you about in 2008) has again been proven best ... but carriers still aren't using it. Astrophysicist Jason Steffen's scientifically deduced suggestion (PDF) for the most efficient method of herding people onto airliners made headlines when it was published in 2008. In essence, it is a block method with an added dimension. Steffen loads passengers in groups, window to aisle, back to front, skipping rows to keep people out of each other's way. This June that method yielded the best time when tested for a TV show against five other methods. And it took about half the time of the widely used basic back to front block, or "section" method employed by many airlines today. There may be some simple reasons for why we're not using it.
Pilot's Crusade Against "Toxic" Cabin Air September 2, 2011 By Glenn Pew John Hoyte flew for 30 years and says chronic fatigue and memory loss caused by toxins circulated in the air systems of the aircraft he flew forced him to walk away at the age of 49. Now 55, Hoyte wants to lobby the government to force airlines to recognize a link between toxic fumes on their aircraft and negative health effects for pilots. He has set up the Aerotoxic Association based on his belief that exposure to fumes in airliners caused him to suffer neurological damage. Hoyte's belief is generally unsupported by the industry and may be challenged by some studies.
Rendition Flight Details Emerge In Court September 1, 2011 By Glenn Pew New light fell on the U.S. government's rendition program as aviation companies battled in court over fees paid by the government for the service. According to court testimony from an aircraft broker that made jets available, the government was looking for "the cheapest aircraft to fulfill a mission." Those who catered to the government's needs apparently supplied the jets with their typical salvo of fruit plates and wine and billed for that and other services. The court papers show that some jets flew as many as ten landings during a single mission, costing the government as much as $300,000 in fees. One company involved in the court proceedings claimed to have flown 55 missions for the government. How they did it was another matter.
Matternet's Vision Is A Roadless World September 1, 2011 By Glenn Pew Matternet is a plan to use aviation technology to keep people alive and help them thrive when economic or geographic challenges keep them isolated from streams of commerce and aid, and traditional aviation isn't the answer. Matternet's long-term vision of creating an autonomous transportation network for point-to-point delivery of people and cargo must wait on technology that is not yet proven, but its short-term goals are more in line with technology's present abilities. For that, Matternet hopes to meet the need for quick delivery of medical test results and their associated medications to geographically isolated people. The plan would use small, autonomous, electrically powered quadcopters carrying two-kilogram packages 10 kilometers at a time. AVweb's Glenn Pew spoke with Matternet team leader Andreas Raptopoulos for more details.
More Layoffs For FAA Employees? August 31, 2011 By Glenn Pew If Congress fails to act (again) by Sept. 16, the FAA will see another expiration of short-term funding and potentially another round of layoffs. In July, Congress failed to reach an agreement on funding for the FAA before heading for a five-week recess. That caused a temporary limited shutdown of the FAA that led to the two-week layoff of an estimated 4,000 FAA employees and more contract workers, before Congress passed another temporary bill. The shutdown also lost the agency approximately $30 million per day in airline ticket taxes. About two weeks into the shutdown, Congress did act while in recess, providing a funding measure that expires Sept. 16. Certain key figures in Congress say that this time, they're willing to compromise. President Obama has also weighed in.
Man Spots Own Home Burglary From Air August 31, 2011 By Glenn Pew Two men have been charged with residential burglary and theft of property after being spotted by a homeowner who saw the men taking items from his house while he was flying as a first-time passenger in a 1957 Cessna 172. The flight was daytime VFR out and back from Arkansas to Memphis. On the return portion of the trip, passenger Steven Lynn asked his friend, pilot David Hudson, if they could fly over Lynn's house so that he could see it from the airplane. They found the house and saw what appeared to be two men taking things from the home and loading them in a vehicle. Lynn took action.
AP: Pilots "Forgetting How To Fly" August 31, 2011 By Mary Grady The airline industry is suffering from "automation addiction," Rory Kay, co-chair of an FAA committee that is examining pilot training, said in an Associated Press story published on Tuesday. "We're seeing a new breed of accident with these state-of-the-art planes," said Kay. "We're forgetting how to fly." Pilot skills have been cited by investigators in two recent major accidents, the Buffalo crash of a regional airliner in 2009, and the 2009 Air France crash of an Airbus A330. How pilots respond to the sudden loss of automated aircraft systems "is the big issue that we can no longer hide from in aviation," Bill Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, told the AP. "We've been very slow to recognize the consequence of it and deal with it."
FAA Updates Flight-School Rules August 31, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA on Wednesday published a final rule with updates to regulations that affect pilot, flight instructor, and flight-school certification. The rule allows pilot applicants to apply concurrently for a private pilot certificate and an instrument rating, and permits flight schools to apply for a combined private pilot certification and instrument rating course. The rule also allows pilot schools to offer internet-based training programs even if they don't have a physical ground-training facility and revises the definition of "complex airplane" to include airplanes with full authority digital engine control (FADEC). The proposed rule would have replaced the 10 hours of complex airplane time required for commercial pilot applicants with 10 hours of advanced instrument training, but that provision has not been adopted in the final rule.
Flight Schools Now Can Seek Accreditation August 31, 2011 By Mary Grady Colleges and universities have long participated in accreditation programs that provide an independent assessment of the school, and now a new program promises to do the same for flight training. The Flight School Association of North America, based in Allentown, Penn., recently launched a flight school accreditation program, which it says is the first of its kind. A committee comprised of flight school owners and operators and a variety of industry partners drafted the accreditation standards. Schools will be evaluated on seven core areas: safety, security, risk management, business practices, finance and accounting, education, and customer satisfaction.
Research Aims To Identify GA Airport Threats August 30, 2011 By Mary Grady New research supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security aims to help officials detect unusual activity or behavior at general aviation airports. "We want to understand the variation associated with usual general-aviation activity and operations, so unusual activity can be detected, analyzed and resolved," said Justin Chimka, a researcher at the University of Arkansas. "Based on historical data, there are basic assumptions or expectations about what should be going on at these airports," he said. Chimka and his research team analyzed data such as the annual number of landings and takeoffs, the number of aircraft and flight schools based at the airport, population within a 100-mile radius, and whether the airport has a control tower, to determine typical activity for the airport. Then any current data that reveals a deviation from the norm can be investigated.
NBAA, AOPA Take BARR Fight To Court August 30, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA acted "arbitrarily and capriciously" when it reversed a longstanding policy and refused to allow aircraft owners to block their flight information from the public, NBAA and AOPA argue in a court brief (PDF) filed this week. "Very real concerns about safety, security and competitiveness justify giving aircraft owners and operators a way to 'opt-out' of having their flights tracked by anyone, anywhere in the world with an Internet connection," said NBAA President Ed Bolen. "The government ignored these concerns, but we believe the court will not be so dismissive." In their brief, filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, NBAA and AOPA argue that the FAA's recent revisions to the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program are unlawful and should be invalidated.
State Department Warns Of Missile Threat August 29, 2011 By Mary Grady Aviators around the world should be on their guard against small shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles, the U.S. State Department said recently. The weapons, also known as Manpads (man-portable air defense systems), "pose a serious threat to passenger air travel, the commercial aviation industry, and military aircraft around the world," the State Department said. Forty civilian aircraft have been hit by Manpad missiles since 1975, causing 28 crashes and over 800 deaths. All of the incidents, except for an unsuccessful 2002 attempt to shoot down an airliner in Kenya, occurred in "zones of conflict." Only two of the attacks occurred in the Western Hemisphere, one in Costa Rica and one in Nicaragua.
Rebels Show Gaddafi's A340 August 28, 2011 By Russ Niles One of the biggest spoils of war taken by the rebels in Libya was opened up to the media on the weekend. Muammar Gaddafi's private A340 has been turned into a kind of ridiculous retreat for rebel leaders, although the irony of their latest occupation doesn't appear to be lost on them. Clad in fatigues but perched delicately on overstuffed leather furniture, the rebels gave media a glimpse into Gaddafi's sense of personal style. The aircraft cost $74 million in 2003.
Drone Tests To Expand August 28, 2011 By Russ Niles Military drones will soon be mixing it up with regular air traffic in up to 10 "airspace bubbles" the FAA and Department of Defense are creating to test and prove the safety of integration of unmanned aerial systems. According to AOL Defense the plan is contained in the proposed FAA reauthorization bill that will be back before Congress in September and is designed to show that UASs can safely operate in "heavily-traveled commercial airspace in all conditions across the United States."
Hand Transplant Restores Flying Dream August 28, 2011 By Russ Niles As the aviation industry looks for ways to make becoming a pilot easier, a 28-year-old New Jersey woman is proving there are few barriers to someone who really wants to fly. As NBC 40 reported last week, Jessica Arrigo caught a virus when she was seven that cost her both legs and hands. She's had prosthetic legs for 20 year and a few years ago, she received a hand transplant; now she's working toward her PPL. "I was like, I could do that, I could fly a plane, why not?" she told the TV station.
There's a new airport opening in Nevada today (Aug. 29, 2011) but you'll need a ticket to fly there and it will be gone without a trace in 10 days. Burning Man, the formerly impromptu, uh, cultural gathering in the Black Rock Desert, runs until Sept. 5. About 50,000 people create an almost instant city where "radical self expression" is among the guiding principals. Well, few cities that size are without an airport and each year a group of Burning Man participants who are pilots and aviation enthusiasts create a temporary, FAA-designated (88NV) facility called Black Rock City Airport. In a podcast interview, airport Communications Director Dean Siracusa says the airport is laid out on the dry lake bed and features a 5,280-foot runway which can, and regularly does, accommodate light jets.
The FAA Friday approved certification of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, launch customer ANA is expecting delivery on Sept. 26, and three years of delays mean Boeing's profit on the design is still a long way off. ANA has scheduled the first commercial flight for Oct. 26, out of Tokyo for Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Boeing is currently sitting on $16.2 billion of 787 parts, collected through June 30, according to Bloomberg News, and challenges are still ahead. Boeing's 787 inventory represents about 35 nearly finished airframes, many still awaiting engines and interiors. And production changes made through the certification process mean some of those aircraft will remain sitting for several months.
Groups Petition FAA To Change Sport Pilot August 26, 2011 By Glenn Pew Industry groups have petitioned the FAA, saying changes should be made to the sport pilot rules to fix flaws that prevent the regulations from meeting their stated goals. According to language in the rules, their intent is, in part, to create public access to general aviation and increase the population of eligible professional pilots. According to a petition submitted to the FAA by AOPA, EAA, GAMA and NAFI, one problem with language in the rules is that student sport pilots who take instruction from sport pilot instructors are prevented from counting their time toward a higher rating. And that, they say, does not serve to promote the rules aforementioned stated goals.
U.S. Military Runs From Mother Nature August 25, 2011 By Glenn Pew The U.S. military Thursday moved aircraft from bases aligned with the forecast path of Hurricane Irene as private pilots organized emergency services for the already-stricken Bahamas. An estimated 78 military aircraft were to be moved off of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base at New Hope, N.C. The exodus included F-15Es and KC-135 Stratotankers. In Jacksonville, Marines moved V-22 Ospreys, AH-1W Super Cobras Hueys and Super Stallion helicopters from New River Air Station to safer locales. Meanwhile, a pilot-oriented U.S.-based nonprofit was organizing disaster-relief flights to aid with recovery in the Bahamas.
A former Chinese farmer with little formal schooling who later worked as an automobile mechanic has designed and built at least one ultralight that briefly flew (before crashing) -- he has now moved on to a flying saucer. Shu Mansheng's project is a structure powered by eight motorcycle engines mounted vertically. They drive individual fixed-pitch wooden propellers. The engines are arranged in an inner and outer group of four engines each. An open cockpit located in the center is mounted above spokes that both support the engines and extend to an outer circular ring. Supporters will be hoping for a more positive outcome than the innovator's last attempt.
Aviation Camp For Adults August 24, 2011 By Mary Grady The Florida Air Museum, at the Sun 'n Fun campus in Lakeland, Fla., is offering a weekend aviation experience to introduce new pilots to their first flight in the left seat. The program, called Destination Aviation Seminar, is designed for adults, and aims to prepare prospective students with the confidence and knowledge they need to get the most from their first flight lesson. It starts on Friday evening with an introduction and flight simulator instruction. On Saturday, students learn about aerodynamics, aircraft systems, controls, and instruments, plus more simulator time and lots of discussion. Sunday, the students go flying. The curriculum is "fast-paced but down to earth for the non-aviator," according to the Museum. The program will be offered Oct. 21-23 and Feb. 24-26, for $350.
Young Eagles For Grownups To Launch Next Year August 24, 2011 By Mary Grady EAA this week released more details about their plans to develop a new first-flight program for adults, similar to Young Eagles. The program will launch in January, will provide the same insurance protections as Young Eagles, and will be driven by the organization's local chapters, EAA said. "The new program will have a lot of the same trappings as Young Eagles," Charlie Becker, EAA director of member programs, told AVweb this week. "It will preserve the rally format. We really want it to be a one-on-one flight experience." That is, it's important that every adult participant gets to ride up front and handle the controls, Becker said. "They'll get to experience being at the yoke and trying out some maneuvers," he said. The new project was announced by EAA CEO Rod Hightower last month at AirVenture.
LoPresti Debuts Flat-Free Aircraft Tires August 24, 2011 By Mary Grady LoPresti Aviation Engineering introduced their new "NeverFlat Lifesaver" aircraft tires recently at the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association annual fly-in, held in Colorado Springs, Colo. "We named it the NeverFlat because that's what it does -- it never goes flat," RJ Siegel, LoPresti's CEO said. "It's the first aviation tire with a wound carbon fiber band embedded in the circumference of the tire. It's just about impossible to puncture this tire, and even if you could, it still wouldn't go flat. It's an unpressurized system with load and suspension characteristics matched to the aircraft's needs." Siegel told AVweb this week the introduction was met with enthusiasm by Cirrus owners. "We had 20 orders in the first five minutes," Siegel said. "We were kind of blown away."
FAA Misses Pilot Rest Rule Deadline August 23, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA was supposed to publish a final rule addressing pilot rest requirements by Aug. 1, but so far the rule has not been released. The proposed rule was published last September. The FAA told Bloomberg News this week it is "working aggressively" to get the final rule done. ALPA President Lee Moak said the final rule is being delayed by the federal Office of Management and Budget, which is being pressured by companies "whose goal is advancing their own competitive interests rather than ensuring the safety of the U.S. air transportation system." NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman also told Bloomberg "it's frustrating" that the rule is being held up by "special interests who are putting profits ahead of safety."
FAA Restricts "Revolving Door" For Inspectors August 23, 2011 By Mary Grady Under a new FAA rule published on Monday, certain aviation safety inspectors who work for the agency must wait two years before they can be offered a job from air carriers and other certificate holders. "The flying public can rest assured that our aviation safety inspectors will remain focused on protecting the flying public without any conflicts of interest," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The new rule aims to address concerns raised by Congress and the DOT Inspector General in 2008 about the FAA's oversight of Southwest Airlines. An analysis by the inspector general's office found that FAA staffers overseeing Southwest had developed an "overly close relationship" with the airline, the FAA said.
Pilot Who Falsified Flight Logs Gets Prison Time August 23, 2011 By Mary Grady A pilot for Platinum Jet, the now-defunct charter company whose illegal practices came to light after a crash at Teterboro Airport in 2005, has been sentenced to six months in prison. Francis Vieira, 61, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., pleaded guilty to fraud. In addition to the prison term, he will serve six months of home confinement and three years of supervised release. Vieira, who was not on board for the accident flight, admitted in court last September that on various occasions he had changed weight and balance calculations and knew that a captain was not fit to fly and said nothing. Three others who were involved with Platinum Jet have been convicted and are scheduled to be sentenced in the coming weeks.
A Pentathlon For Pilots August 22, 2011 By Mary Grady Military pilots need lots of skills besides just flying the airplane -- for example, if shot down in enemy territory, it's handy to be ready to shoot, run over obstacles, swim, and find your way with a map and compass -- and the aeronautical pentathlon, which was held last month in Brazil, tests all of those skills. Fewer than 100 pilots worldwide compete in the elite sport. The pentathlon also includes a flying contest, in which the competitors act as navigator and fly a course over five checkpoints, trying for the best time and distance. Five Embraer Super Tucano airplanes were used at this year's event. The Brazilian team won, beating the often-victorious Finns. The U.S. did not compete.
GAMA Welcomes New Part 23 ARC August 22, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA has formed a new Aviation Rulemaking Committee to overhaul the old Part 23 rules that govern the manufacture of most light aircraft, a move welcomed this week by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. "The increasing cost of certification and manufacturing oversight ... has led to a lack of cost-effective, entry-level products which attract new pilots," said GAMA President Pete Bunce on Monday. "GAMA believes the FAA's vision for the new Part 23 rules will enhance the vitality of GA for future generations of pilots and aircraft owners." The updated rules should be easier for manufacturers to follow and will result in safer, less expensive aircraft, according to GAMA. The overhaul of the rules has been under discussion for a couple of years already, but the formation of the ARC is a major step forward.
A Virtual Tour Of Discovery's Business End August 22, 2011 By Russ Niles With the shuttle era over, memories of the amazing accomplishments of the program, and its terrible tragedies, are the stuff of history books, but enterprising NASA technicians have created a digital tribute to the venerable spacecraft. Just before they decommissioned Discovery to send it to the Udvar Hazy Center of the Smithsonian in Washington, NASA shot an interactive 360-degree view of the cockpit and its immediate environs. Click through for a link.
Controllers Justified Cirrus Intercept August 22, 2011 By Russ Niles The NTSB says air traffic controllers who vectored a Southwest Boeing 737 to a close-quarters intercept of a NORDO Cirrus in Florida last March invoked a section of the FAA orders (PDF) that compels them to take extraordinary action if the situation warrants. The intercept made headlines and there were at least short-term consequences for the controllers and pilots involved. But a factual report issued by the NTSB last week suggests the controllers and supervisors on duty at the Central Florida TRACON may have believed they were duty-bound to get the passenger-laden 737 within a few hundred feet of the Cirrus, which hadn't been heard from in 90 minutes despite repeated attempts at contact, to assess its potential threat. "The controllers at Central Florida TRACON considered the Cirrus to be an emergency due to the length of time the airplane was NORDO and considered the Cirrus a potential threat to the Disney World complex and the NASA space center, where a space shuttle was on a launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center," the report says. "The controllers cited FAA Order 7110.65, paragraph 2-1-1, ATC Service that tasks ATC in part, to provide support for National Security and Homeland Defense."
Three Dead In Weekend Air Show Accidents (Corrected) August 21, 2011 By Russ Niles It was a tragic weekend for air shows as three fatal accidents occurred, killing a wingwalker and solo aerobatics performer in the U.S. and a member of the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows at a show in England. On Sunday, wingwalker Todd Green was trying to perform his signature transfer from a wing to the skid of a helicopter when he fell about 200 feet to his death at the Selfridge Air Show near Detroit. Green was a close friend of Kyle Franklin. whose wingwalking wife Amanda died earlier this year from burns suffered in a crash in March."It's really tragic," Franklin told reporters. "We are not thrill seekers trying to cheat death. We love what we do. We all know the risks involved." On Saturday, Red Arrows pilot Flt. Lt. Jon Egging died after a low-level ejection in his Hawk aircraft at the Bournemouth Air Show and Bryan Jensen was killed when his highly modified Pitts Special, called The Beast, crashed on the field at the Kansas City Aviation Expo Air Show.
Airliner Crashes During Disaster Exercise August 20, 2011 By Russ Niles A Canadian airliner crashed, killing 12 people of 15 people aboard, in the middle of a mock military and civil defense exercise that was simulating an airliner crash in the country's high Arctic. The First Air Boeing 737-200 was not part of the exercise but was on a charter flight to Resolute Bay in the northern territory of Nunavut. The elderly airliner crashed into a hillside near the airport while emergency workers and the military were at the peak of readiness during Operation Nanook. "We're here to improve our capabilities to operate in the Arctic ... The operation was going to involve an air disaster scenario that would have seen us responding to an aircraft going down in the Arctic, which, unfortunately, is exactly what played out today," Royal Canadian Air Force spokesman Andrew Hennessy told Sun Media Group. "The aircraft was not involved in the exercise - this was a civilian charter." Airport workers said the airport was blanketed by thick fog at the time of the crash, about 12:50 p.m. local time.
Trump Flaunts Custom 757 (Video) August 20, 2011 By Glenn Pew
Donald Trump is literally making a show (on YouTube) of the $100 million custom 757 that he purchased from Paul Allen in February. It's significantly larger than the Boeing 727 he previously operated, but Trump is not without his old steed. His 727 has been for sale since 2009, asking $8 million. The newer jet's interior wears 24-carat gold on exposed metals from sink faucets to seat belts. It has a first-class seating area, a separate lounge and a separate bedroom. The tour doesn't cost anything.
New Icing Rules And Definitions For Carriers August 19, 2011 By Glenn Pew Effective in 60 days, the FAA will require carriers operating aircraft of less than 60,000 pounds (MTOW) under Part 121 rules to change how they deal with icing and observe a clear definition of icing conditions. Operators will have to install ice-detection equipment or update flight manuals "to ensure timely activation of the airframe ice protection system." The action is intended to address circumstances that have led to accidents and eliminates crew guesswork by setting a definition for icing conditions. Documents submitted during the rule's comment period included some from private citizens who, according to the FAA, stated the agency "had not done enough, early enough."
How The Dreamliner Is Costing Boeing August 18, 2011 By Glenn Pew Rolls Royce-powered Boeing 787 Dreamliners flew their last certification flight Aug. 13, but the aircraft will be a drag on Boeing's bottom line until the 1,000th jet is out the door, according to an Aug. 16 report. According to a report by the New York firm Bernstein Research, the jet's initial popularity is actually partly to blame. Orders flowed in so quickly when the program launched that 800 orders were locked in before the program's rising costs became apparent and could be factored into new list prices. Fortunately, that popularity also suggests that the 1,000th delivery may not be too far off.
A Spitfire Flying School Opens Near London August 18, 2011 By Glenn Pew If you can scrounge up about $9,000 you can now buy a two-day course at London Oxford airport culminating in about one half-hour flying a Mark IX Vickers Supermarine Spitfire. The offer comes from the Boultbee Flight Academy and requirements include a private pilot's license and good health. Students learn the Spitfire like a wartime (WWII) pilot -- first flying a de Havilland Tiger Moth or Chipmunk, then the Harvard. Time in type may be short but the class's first graduates seem satisfied. One told a reporter for the Telegraph.co.uk, "This is the most exciting thing I've done in my life." Another, a surgeon who'd seen action in Iraq, "couldn't stop crying once he'd landed."
Stolen Plane Crashes, Pilot Missing August 17, 2011 By Glenn Pew A Piper PA32 crashed in a wooded area about 20 miles from Horace Williams Airport, in North Carolina, Tuesday at about 7 a.m. -- the aircraft was stolen, the pilot was missing, and someone left a blood trail. According to local police, the pilot is believed to have escaped out the front window of the aircraft after the crash. He or she then crawled onto the wing before leaving the scene into the surrounding woods. Authorities say there was no significant fuel spilled at the site of the crash. According to local news, as of Wednesday evening the pilot had been identified, but not found.
Sukhoi's Stealthy T-50 (PAK FA) Goes Public August 17, 2011 By Glenn Pew Russia chose the MAKS 2011 airshow near Moscow to this week publicly unveil what's generally billed as its answer to the U.S. F-22 Raptor, the Sukhoi T-50. The stealthy air superiority fighter flew a six-minute demonstration after secret tests in January of last year. Russian news agencies claim the aircraft has similar speed, range, altitude, and load-carrying specifications as the Raptor, with an emphasis on maneuverability that may surpass that of the U.S. jet. Russian sources also claim it will be produced at a fraction of the price. Whatever the case, the jet could pose a very strong challenge ... especially so long as the U.S.'s Raptor remains grounded for its ability to poison its own pilots.
MIT Helps Update Aircraft Carrier Technology August 17, 2011 By Mary Grady Crew members aboard U.S. aircraft carriers still use a scale model with miniature airplanes to keep track of all the activity on the deck, but the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is developing a computerized system to simplify that process. Prof. Mary Cummings and her students in the Humans and Automation Lab have designed a "deck operations course of action planner" that can track flight data and create new deck operation schedules. The team created a display that shows a map of the carrier deck. Crew, vehicles, and aircraft would be outfitted with sensor tags that transmit their position to the display. Side panels show the type and number of aircraft in line to land and launch, and flight schedules. The team recently successfully demonstrated the system for the Office of Naval Research, which is funding the five-year project.
Hawker 800XPR Gets FAA OK August 17, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA has granted supplemental type certification for the Hawker 800XPR, which replaces the XP's original engines with more powerful new Honeywell TFE731-50R powerplants and adds winglets for another performance boost. The upgrade, available only at factory-owned service facilities, offers "significant performance and capability improvements," the company said. The new engines improve fuel efficiency about 7 percent, according to Hawker, and longer maintenance intervals translate to a 32-percent reduction in maintenance costs. The new engines also are quieter and produce fewer carbon emissions than the ones they replace.
Cathay Pacific Fires Pilot, F/A Over Online Sex Photos August 17, 2011 By Mary Grady Cathay Pacific has suspended an upcoming ad campaign that promised its crews would "go the extra mile to make you feel special" after photos were posted online showing a pilot and flight attendant engaged in a sex act in a cockpit. The male pilot and female f/a, whose names were not released by the airline, were apparently in uniform, though the pilot had a sweater on. The airline said it does not believe the airplane was flying at the time. Both employees are no longer employed by the company, according to airline officials. It was not clear how the photos made it into the public domain; various news reports say they were "stolen" from the pilot's laptop computer. The airline said the ad campaign, due to start Sept. 1, will be delayed for a month.
GA Advocates Cite Safety In GPS Dispute August 16, 2011 By Mary Grady LightSquared said last week the GPS industry's demands that it should not interfere with their signals are "irrational," but AOPA and GAMA responded on Monday that LightSquared has failed to address safety of flight concerns. In a statement filed on Monday to the Federal Communications Commission, the advocacy groups ask the agency to terminate LightSquared's authorization to broadcast. "With not only millions of lives but billions of dollars in cargo transport riding on the safety of air flights annually, LightSquared's and its allies' silence in the face of this substantial evidence of aviation harm is baffling and unacceptable," the associations said. LightSquared made clear in its filing last week that it is not interested in the problems of GPS users.
Administration Pledges Half-Billion For Biofuels August 16, 2011 By Mary Grady The federal government will spend up to $510 million over the next three years to develop "drop-in" biofuels for aircraft, ships, and ground transportation, for both military and civilian use, the Obama administration announced on Tuesday. The plan aims to jump-start biofuels efforts, while creating jobs in rural states. It requires private investors to put up matching funds, and will support the construction of several plants and refineries to help speed the development of next-generation fuels. "These pioneer plants will demonstrate advanced technologies to produce infrastructure-compatible, drop-in renewable fuels from America's abundant biomass resources," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "It will support development of a new, rural-focused industry that will replace imported crude oil with secure, renewable fuels made here in the U.S."
Experts Urge "Sweeping" Changes In Pilot Training August 15, 2011 By Mary Grady Training for airline pilots should utilize more-realistic simulators and focus more on manual flying skills, according to a new report by a panel of experts, The Wall Street Journal reported this week. The 54-page report, which was requested by Congress, has been presented to the FAA but has not yet been publicly released. It includes 24 recommendations that would create "sweeping changes in initial and recurring training for airline pilots," according to the Journal. Among the report's conclusions: New hires should spend time in the jumpseat to learn cockpit procedures before they take the controls, special leadership courses for captains should be developed, training for instructors should be standardized, and training for coping with stalls should be improved.
FCC Wants GPS Interference Facts August 14, 2011 By Russ Niles The FCC has essentially asked LightSquared and the GPS industry to cut the rhetoric and provide it with the facts it needs to make a decision on LightSquared's plan to provide nationwide wireless broadband on radio frequencies and at power levels that have been shown to interfere with GPS signals. Last Tuesday, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski reiterated comments we first reported in June that the LightSquared plan will not be allowed to proceed at the expense of GPS. Since then, the GPS industry has said up to 500 million devices that use GPS in the U.S. could be affected. LightSquared says the number is more like 200,000 under its revised plan to move its initial deployment to frequencies a little farther away from GPS. According to the Washington Post both sides have been asked to be specific about the number and type of devices that will be affected by the revised plan. LightSquared has also been asked to specify how many towers will be activated in the initial deployment and their location. The comment period for the FCC rulemaking process ends Monday and LightSquared is turning up the heat on the GPS industry by intensifying its position that GPS manufacturers cheaped out on their devices. LightSquared said manufacturers failed to comply with Department of Defense standards to protect their devices from interference from neighboring frequencies.
Four-Place Electric Airplane Flies August 13, 2011 By Russ Niles Pipistrel announced the first flight of its oddly configured Taurus four-place electric aircraft that it plans to enter into the $1.65 million Green Flight Challenge. The aircraft flew Friday morning at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, where it had remained after the show while myriad issues relating to its FAA approval were sorted out. The aircraft looks like it came from Burt Rutan's drawing board, with twin fuselages and room for two occupants in each. It was creates specifically for the Green Flight Challenge and is the mating of two Pipistrel G2 aircraft with a central spar that also carries the 145-kw brushless motor, which is supplied with 450 pounds of lithium polymer batteries. The wing span is more than 75 feet. The first flight was apparently uneventful.
Coast Guard Rescues Marines August 12, 2011 By Glenn Pew Two Marines were plucked out of the Pacific by the Coast Guard at about 2:30 Thursday morning, four hours after ejecting from an F/A-18D 85 miles southwest of San Diego. Both men were listed in stable condition after being delivered to Naval Medical Center San Diego but suffered from injuries that included broken bones and hypothermia. Capt. Pete Brawn of Albany, Ore., and his weapons system officer had been flying as part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing out of Miramar in San Diego. They were flying with another F/A-18. That jet's crew reported it had lost contact with the accident aircraft at about 10:15 p.m. and saw debris in the water.
Affordable Flying? August 11, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Aerotrek A240 Light Sport Aircraft is a sleeper offering in the LSA market that may be running under the radar because of its lack of formal marketing infrastructure -- it sells mainly by word of mouth. The LSA mall at AirVenture Oshkosh didn't include Aerotrek in 2011, but the company did have a display manned by owner-operators near the show entrance. For less than $80,000 Aerotrek offers a 120-mph cruise, precision-welded 4130 chromoly steel tube fuselage and aluminum wings and PolyFiber covering, plus a radio, transponder and Dynon EFIS. Well more than 300 Aerotrek aircraft have been delivered and are flying. The company says it holds costs down by not supporting a huge company infrastructure and owners say that doesn't hurt their ability to maintain their aircraft. AVweb caught up with one of them at AirVenture 2011.
Toxic Raptors Still Grounded, Pilots Losing Currency August 11, 2011 By Glenn Pew An investigation that grounded the fleet of F-22 Raptors back in May "has since expanded to include all aspects of the aircraft," according to the Air Force Times, leaving deliveries on hold and pilots hoping for simulator time. There are less than 160 Raptors deployed (accounting for roughly $65 billion) and two F-22 simulators -- one at Langley and another at Tyndall Air Force Base. The actual jets have been grounded because they appear to be poisoning their pilots. Tests have found multiple toxins in the blood of Raptor pilots affected by symptoms similar to hypoxia while flying the jets. And the Air Force hasn't been able to source the problem, leading to a cascade of complications.
Hypersonic Flight Test Loses Another Vehicle August 10, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle II launched Aug. 11 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, near Lompoc, Calif., with a goal of splashing down nearly 4,900 miles away -- and 30 minutes later -- near The Marshal Islands, but that didn't quite work out. The test flight was the product of DARPA funding and Lockheed Martin production and the arrowhead-shaped glider was attached to an eight-story-tall Minotaur IV rocket. It is part of a system intended to reach speeds of up to Mach 20 to deliver a military strike anywhere on earth within one hour. In Thursday's test, like a prior test, telemetry was lost prematurely.
Airline Pilots Fight For Pay August 10, 2011 By Glenn Pew Airline pilots are seeking to take back wages, benefits, and pension concessions they gave up to save their employers from bankruptcy following the 2001 terrorist attacks, but airlines allege the pilots aren't playing fair. US Airways filed suit last week because the company believes its pilots have illegally caused as many as 10 flight cancellations each day since May. The union says pilots are being forced to fly unsafe aircraft. Similar stories are being told at other carriers. Pilots at some carriers have seen their wages cut in half over the past decade. Pilots and their employers may soon be engaged in negotiations that may define a new normal for compensation packages. Unions are concerned that if the airlines have their way, those negotiations may take a long time.
FAA Clarifies Inspector Authorization Policy August 10, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA has tweaked its proposal for clarifying how it authorizes maintenance inspectors, and NBAA and AOPA seemed mostly satisfied with the results, although AOPA says it is still concerned about how the new policy (PDF) will be implemented. The proposal issued last November triggered alarm that some inspectors would not meet the new proposed standards, causing a shortage, leading to delays and higher maintenance costs. The policy issued last week "has clearly been broadened to include as eligible for renewals those [inspectors] who perform specialized or occasional maintenance inspections," said AOPA.
NBAA said it had advocated for the FAA to clarify its criteria, because the former rules had been confusing. "The lack of specific guidance had led some FAA inspectors to define the term narrowly and deny renewals to [some] individuals," NBAA said. The new definition will become effective with the next IA renewal expiration date of March 31, 2013.
An African Journey Just For Pilots August 10, 2011 By Mary Grady Flying an African safari is on the "bucket list" for many aviators, and next month a group of pilots are flying their own airplanes from the U.S. to circumnavigate Africa on a new 20,000-mile adventure organized by Air Journey. The pilots will meet at the Chateau Frontenac hotel in Quebec on Sept. 7 for an extensive briefing before launching on the 54-day trip, which will feature stops in 27 countries. While in Africa, the travelers will fly above the Masai Mara national park in hot-air balloons, visit Victoria Falls, and stay at high-end resorts along the continent's west coast.
Helicopter Promoters See China Potential August 9, 2011 By Mary Grady China, with its huge land mass and over 1.3 billion people, has only 130 helicopters. If it had the same proportion of helicopters to people as in the U.S., that number should be 48,000, according to the organizers of the Air Med and Rescue Congress, set for Shanghai, October 11-12. "The enormous growth potential is almost incalculable," they say. The Congress will offer a series of workshops addressing the challenges and opportunities relevant to growing the helicopter fleet in China, especially for air medical and emergency rescue functions.
Abu Dhabi To Host General Aviation Show August 9, 2011 By Mary Grady The Abu Dhabi Air Expo, set for next March, will be the first general aviation exhibition in the Middle East, organizers said this week. "With more and more requests from aircraft operators to establish their businesses here, it is logical for us to respond to this demand by creating a major international general aviation event," said Stephen Jones, general manager at Al Bateen Executive Airport. Aircraft sales in the Middle East have grown by 35 percent in the last two years, including jets, turboprops, and piston aircraft, adding up to about 10 percent of the global market, according to the news release.
Avidyne Announces TAS Winner And New Giveaway August 8, 2011 By Mary Grady Avidyne this week chose its first Extravaganza Prize winner -- who won after clicking on the contest link in AVwebFlash -- and announced the start of a new giveaway. Bob Edmondson, of Brookshire, Texas, won a TAS620A dual-antenna active-surveillance traffic advisory system, valued at almost $21,000. The new gear will be installed in Edmondson's 1960 Beech BE35-33 Debonair. The company announced the giveaway at Sun 'n Fun in April, and collected about 1,000 entries. Edmondson's name was selected at random. The new giveaway offers an IFD540 FMS/GPS/NAV/COM, valued at $17,000.
Breitling App Puts You In The Reno Air Races August 8, 2011 By Adam Cutler Breitling Chronometers has released a free iPhone game called Reno Air Races, where you get to try your hand at the pylons at Reno using the accelerometer in your iPhone in place of stick and rudder. The visuals are rather stunning and performance is quite good for something running on a phone. The game has a quick play mode, multiplayer (online) mode, tutorial and even its own YouTube movie.
China To Hold First GA Fly-In August 7, 2011 By Russ Niles The first-ever general aviation fly-in will take place in China in September as part of a five-day summit on GA issues in Beijing. According to AOPA, the summit, sponsored by AOPA-China, will include government and military officials discussing the incremental relaxation of the almost prohibitive regulations that currently restrict private aviation. It will also include a two-day forum on the economic opportunities that will flow from the regulation changes. "It is an excellent networking opportunity with China's aviation delegation, GA industry members as well as clients," Yinjie Jason Zhang, a New-York-based pilot and member of the AOPA-China board of directors, told AOPA.
Pilot Thought F-16s Were Admiring Her Cub August 7, 2011 By Russ Niles A Chicago-area pilot who says she thought the pilots of a pair of F-16s circling her were just admiring her award-winning 1941 Piper Cub will undoubtedly get a written explanation of why they were really there. Myrtle Rose, 75, admits she didn't check NOTAMs or even turn on the radio in the blue-and-yellow Cub she calls Winston when she went for a hop from her fly-in community on Aug. 5 and strayed into a presidential TFR. When the fighters appeared, it apparently never occurred to her they might be on official business. "I thought, 'Oh, well, they're just looking at how cute the Cub is," she told The Associated Press. It's not clear whether the fighter jocks attempted to escort her to an airport but it may not have done any good. Rose headed home and the airstrip in the affluent Chicago suburb of South Barrington soon filled with police cars.
Solar Flares Could Hit GPS August 6, 2011 By Russ Niles It might be time to review those VOR skills in light of sunspot activity that had the potential to disrupt GPS signals on Friday and Saturday. On Thursday, the sun sent a significant burst of electromagnetic energy toward earth after sunspot 1261 belched three major solar flares. The eruption was rated at three on a scale of five and that's enough to make GPS equipment lose its way. It's particularly hard on high-precision units like WAAS-capable aviation gear. The worst was expected to be over by late Saturday but there could be more solar storms coming.
Boeing Plans For Space Flight August 5, 2011 By Glenn Pew With the last Space Shuttle flight in the history books, Boeing is stepping up plans to provide a manned space mission alternative with a modern take on the space capsule. The company has selected to use Atlas 5 rockets to test its CST-100 seven-place "space taxi" on three flights in 2015. Only the third will carry people. Boeing's first test will attempt to deliver the CST-100 to orbit. The next will be intentionally aborted after launch and before the vehicle has reached space. The third plans to deliver Boeing test pilots to the International Space Station, setting the stage for more regular service in 2016.
Boeing Brands U.S. With 747 Track August 5, 2011 By Glenn Pew Tuesday, a marathon flight of Boeing's latest cargo freighter, the 747-8, carried the jet 11,666 miles over 17 hours and roughly traced "747" across the western half of the United States, according to tracking provided by FlightAware.com. The practice isn't entirely unique. In another notable example, Cessna in 2008 used a Citation X's track to draw the company logo across several Midwest states. Boeing expects the FAA to evaluate test data over the next few weeks and return with certification for the aircraft. The big jet has flown more than 1200 flights through the test program and that did lead to some changes for the aircraft.
GAMA: GA Shipments Down August 4, 2011 By Glenn Pew Total GA shipments dropped 15.5 percent in 2011 when compared to the same six-month period last year, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) said Thursday, but small piston aircraft weren't the biggest losers in the segment. The first six months of 2011 saw 791 shipments versus 936 shipments for that period during 2010. The biggest loser in the general aviation segment was business jets. The industry shipped 355 last year, but recorded 261 in 2011 -- a 26.5-percent drop. Turboprop deliveries fell by 8.9 percent. And piston-powered planes fared better, but only by the slimmest of margins -- their numbers fell off by 8.7 percent. GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce included his political observations in a news release that delivered the figures and didn't seem to hold back.
Congress Acts On FAA Funding August 4, 2011 By Glenn Pew Lawmakers announced Thursday a plan to end the partial shutdown of the FAA, and the Senate passed a temporary funding measure Friday. The FAA's last temporary funding measure expired July 23, reportedly causing the immediate layoff of about 75,000 people either directly employed by, or contracted to work for, the FAA. The shutdown also prevented the FAA from collecting approximately $30 million per day in airline ticket taxes. After failing to pass a temporary (or more permanent) funding measure for the FAA, the Senate began a five-week-long "district work break." Had the Senate not acted on funding the FAA before returning to work in September, the FAA was on track to lose about $1.3 billion in ticket tax revenue.
F-35 Testing Suspended August 3, 2011 By Glenn Pew Officials have ceased all flight and ground operations for the Joint Strike Fighter after the integrated power package (IPP) on a U.S. Air Force variant test aircraft failed, Tuesday, during a ground maintenance run at Edwards Air Force Base. No injuries were reported as a result of the unit's failure and developers are working to source the cause. The particular aircraft is an AF-4, which is a conventional takeoff and landing version of the multi-role aircraft. The IPP combines functions performed by an auxiliary power unit, emergency power system and environmental controls. Its failure isn't the only electrical problem to ground F-35s this year.
"D.B. Cooper Was My Uncle" August 3, 2011 By Glenn Pew An Oklahoma woman who was eight years old when the man popularly known as D.B. Cooper made his famous 1971 hijacking has come forward to say she is the man's niece, that he was really L.D. Cooper, and he's been dead since 1999. D.B. Cooper is the name that has stuck with a man who identified himself as Dan Cooper when he hijacked a Boeing 727 on Thanksgiving-eve, 40 years ago. He ultimately left the aircraft with $200,000 in cash and a parachute after opening the rear airstair. At the time, the aircraft was flying at night through weather en route from Seattle for Reno at approximately 10,000 feet as directed by the hijacker. He was never found. Marla Cooper says she's working on a book on the subject and her memories have come rushing back over the past few years.
DOT, FAA Furious Over Congressional Inaction August 3, 2011 By Mary Grady Congress adjourned on Tuesday night without taking action to fully fund the FAA, leaving 4,000 workers on furlough, and officials were not happy. "It's a sad day for America," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, according to CNN. "I've been around this business a long time. I've never seen anything like this," Babbitt said. "And I find it appalling, candidly." He added that some of the furloughed workers will leave to find other jobs, setting back airport construction projects for months. President Barack Obama described the shutdown as "another Washington-inflicted wound on America," and called on Congress to break the impasse. Various issues have stalled efforts to reauthorize FAA funding, including disputes over subsidies to rural airports and language that would make it easier for workers to unionize. The failure to act before the recess means another five-week delay before FAA funding is addressed.
First Flight For Korean GA Airplane August 3, 2011 By Mary Grady The KAI KC-100, a four-seat general aviation aircraft that is the first of its kind to be designed and built in South Korea, is now in flight testing, the company announced recently. The airplane, called the Naraon, aims to be 10 percent more fuel-efficient than others in its class, with a top speed of about 210 knots and a range of about 1,000 nm, which is enough to reach most major cities in Japan and China from South Korea. It's expected to be FAA certified and will sell for about $575,000. The first flight took place on July 20, the company said. The airplane is expected to be available in the market in mid-2013.
Icon A5 Flies With New Wing, RC Version Introduced August 3, 2011 By Mary Grady Icon this week announced the first flight of its A5 amphibious LSA with the new spin-resistant wing that will go on the production model. The flight took place last Thursday, following "many months … [of] development and fabrication," according to the company's Facebook page. The airplane will remain wings-level in a stall, the company said, helping the pilot to maintain control. The wing also is without flaps, which Icon said will simplify operations and increase safety for new pilots. Deliveries are set to start in the fourth quarter of next year. Those who can't wait can now order an RC model of the A5, ready to start shipping next month.
FAA: Controllers Can Return To Cockpits August 2, 2011 By Mary Grady Until 2001, air traffic controllers were welcome to ride jump-seat in airline cockpits under a program that aimed to familiarize them with flight-crew procedures. This week, the FAA said it is reviving that program. "This [Flight Deck Training] gives our new generation of air traffic controllers a chance to see and hear what the pilot is experiencing so they know exactly what is happening on the other end of the microphone," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. "As a pilot, I think this important training will give controllers a richer picture of the airspace system." The program aims to improve safety by giving air traffic controllers a greater understanding of the pilots' experience and workload in the cockpit. Controllers can take up to two trips per year, and cannot take the training in conjunction with any leave.
GA Groups File Protests Over LightSquared August 2, 2011 By Mary Grady AOPA, GAMA, and Garmin added their comments to a roster of more than 2,700 on Monday to protest FCC plans that would allow LightSquared to broadcast over frequencies that would interfere with GPS signals. Garmin said the "laws of physics prevent the results LightSquared desires," adding that "no workable filters currently exist" that would eliminate the problems with LightSquared interference. AOPA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association issued a joint commentary, strongly urging the FCC to rescind the conditional waiver it granted to LightSquared. "The evidence is clear: LightSquared's proposal puts the entire GPS system at risk," said AOPA President Craig Fuller in a news release. A recent FAA report also showed that the LightSquared plan would cost the aviation sector $70 billion over the next 10 years, and would "severely impact" NextGen.
Vendors Report Robust Sales At AirVenture August 2, 2011 By Mary Grady Reports are trickling in that visitors to EAA AirVenture last week were in a buying mood. Piper Aircraft spokesman Jackie Carlon told EAA the show was "fantastic." Leads were up 90 percent over the year before, according to Carlon, and the company sold two twin-engine Seminole trainers, two Meridian turboprops, and took two orders for the Altaire jet. FlightDesign took 40 orders for its new four-seat fully certified C4 airplane, which isn't even flying yet. "These orders reported are real product requests with money changing hands," said company spokesman John Gilmore. According to Dan Johnson, president of the Light Aircraft Manufacturing Association, other LSA manufacturers saw an uptick in sales, with a half dozen companies reporting two to six orders, and Icon taking about 50 deposits on delivery positions for its amphibious LSA.
FAA Demands Funding Bill Before Recess August 1, 2011 By Mary Grady FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined together on Monday to "demand that Congress pass an FAA funding bill before getting on airplanes to fly away for vacation," according to an FAA news release. The two officials joined with local contractors and construction workers at LaGuardia Airport to make their announcement. "Congress needs to do its job for the good of these workers, for the good of our economy and for the good of America's aviation system," said LaHood. Without reauthorization from Congress, the FAA is unable to spend roughly $2.5 billion for airport projects in all 50 states. Those projects "could put thousands of people to work in good-paying jobs," the FAA said. Nearly 4,000 FAA employees have been furloughed and an estimated 70,000 workers in construction and related fields have been affected.
F-35 On Parade August 1, 2011 By Russ Niles
The naval versions of the F-35 demonstrated their capabilities in a pretty public way in the past week. Last Thursday an F-35C was launched from the ground-based steam catapult at the U.S. Navy's test facility in Lakehurst, N.J. The test seemed to go as planned, with the aircraft leaping from the launch device despite the soaring temperatures in New Jersey last week. The Marine Corps also showed off the short-takeoff/vertical land variant (F-35B) they'll use.
Almost Instant UAV Flies August 1, 2011 By Russ Niles
Scientists in the UK have produced a flying UAV in a process called sintering. The group designed the Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft (Sulsa) on a computer (with elliptical wings like a Spitfire and a honeycombed fuselage like a Bolingbroke) and sent it to 3D RPD. The company used the data to build up the aircraft's components in a heated chamber by layering nylon powder in the correct measure to create each part. All the parts were finished in five days and snapped together to create a seven-foot-long flying UAV. The scientists say there should be some pretty impressive real-world applications for the technique.
Attendance Up At AirVenture August 1, 2011 By Russ Niles AirVenture Oshkosh President Rod Hightower said Sunday preliminary attendance figures show about a 4 percent increase this year over the 2010 tally. Hightower also announced that more than 800 exhibitors, 2,500 show planes and more than 10,000 aircraft in total attended the event, which wrapped up Sunday. He proclaimed the show a "great success" and said the highlights included the first-ever public tours of the Boeing 787, the return of B-29 FIFI and the celebration of centennial of naval aviation.
EAA Plans Young Eagles For Adults August 1, 2011 By Russ Niles EAA will expand the Young Eagles program to include a version for adults. Rod Hightower, CEO and, as of today, Chairman of EAA, told about 25 members attending the organization's annual general meeting on Saturday that the as-yet unnamed program will be directed toward the parents of kids in Young Eagles and at giving adults a Young Eagles-type experience. "I think we're onto something that will be useful into the future," he was quoted by the Oshkosh Northwestern as saying. Despite some challenges in 2010 after a rain-hampered AirVenture, EAA is on solid financial footing, the meeting was told.
Unusual Accidents: Mid-Air, Wright Flyer, 18-Hour Swim July 31, 2011 By Russ Niles The last few days have produced some GA accidents that are gaining national attention. July 30, a float-equipped Cessna 206 was able to fly 100 miles to Anchorage and land safely after colliding with a Cessna 180. The 180 crashed and both occupants died. A few hours before that, a replica of a Wright Model B crashed near Springfield, Ohio, killing volunteer pilots Don Gum, 73, and Mitchell Cary, 65. The aircraft was owned by the Wright "B" Flyer Corp. of Dayton, which built the aircraft as a link to the past but with a modern engine and controls. The happy story in all this comes from the miraculous survival of Michael Trapp, an upstate New York mechanic who survived a ditching and 18 hours in the chilly waters of Lake Huron.
Google Sponsoring Green Flight Challenge July 30, 2011 By Russ Niles Google has thrown its considerable weight behind the Green Flight Challenge, a competition aimed at spurring the development of energy-efficient personal aircraft. NASA has already put up $1.65 million in prize money for the competition and the minimum qualification is a top speed of at least 100 mph and overall energy efficiency of at least the equivalent of 200 passenger miles per gallon. The competition will be held Sept. 25-Oct.3 at Charles M. Shultz Airport in Sonoma, Calif., and the Google Green Flight Challenge Exposition, hosted by NASA, will be at Moffet Field on Oct. 3, where the competing aircraft and related technologies will be on display. The aircraft will compete on a closed course and scored on their performance.
No Fatalities In Guyana Overrun July 30, 2011 By Russ Niles All 163 people aboard a Caribbean Airlines Boeing 737-800 survived after the aircraft overran the runway at Cheddi Jagan Airport in Guyana early July 30. The aircraft fuselage broke at about the 10th row of passenger seats ahead of the wing. There was no post-crash fire and the aircraft came to rest near a 200-foot-deep ravine. About 100 people were treated for mostly minor injuries but some remain in hospital with broken bones. Weather at the time (1:32 a.m.) of the accident was reported as calm winds in light rain.
Lithium Cells Were On Crash Plane July 29, 2011 By Russ Niles Lithium batteries were reportedly on board a five-year-old Asiana Airlines Boeing 747F cargo plane that crashed in the ocean off South Korea Thursday after the two-person crew reported an in-flight fire. According to Air Transport World the aircraft, on a regular run from Soeul/Incheon, South Korea to Shanghai/Pudong, China. It was also carrying paints and resins. Cause of the fire and the subsequent crash hasn't been determined but lithium batteries are thought to be the cause of a fire that brought down a UPS 747 last year in Dubai.
Report Analyzes Final Moments In AF447 Cockpit July 29, 2011 By Mary Grady In its latest update on the Air France 447 Rio/Paris crash of June 1, 2009, the French Accident Investigation Bureau (BEA) reports on its analysis of the flight recorders, which were recovered in May. That analysis showed that after the autopilot disengaged, the pilots were confronted with a confusing situation they had never been trained for -- an unreliable indicated airspeed, high altitude, and manual flight controls. Also, the report said there is no training for how to best manage cockpit resources when there are two co-pilots at the controls and a relief captain. "No standard callouts regarding the differences in pitch attitude and vertical speed were made," the report says. In a news release, Air France said, "The combination of multiple improbable factors led to the disaster in less than four minutes ... At this stage, there is no reason to question the crew's technical skills."
4,000 FAA Workers Laid Off July 23, 2011 By Mary Grady Air traffic controllers are still on the job, but on Saturday the FAA gave furlough notices to nearly 4,000 workers in a variety of positions, putting a stop to airport improvement projects and ticket-tax collection. The furloughs will also bring to a halt certification of new products by aerospace companies, according to Reuters. The congressional authorization needed to fund those jobs expired at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. Employees paid from the FAA's Operations Account, which is funded from both the Aviation Trust Fund and the general fund, are not affected.
Congress Apparently Chooses To Not Fund FAA July 22, 2011 By Glenn Pew That's it. Congress did not argue right up until a midnight Friday deadline, they did not agree on and pass a long- or short-term measure to provide funding for the FAA; instead, they went home. Now, it seems thousands of people who work for or are contracted by the FAA are about to be asked to do the same -- but without pay. If nothing changes, Saturday we'll begin to draw the lines between critical and non-critical FAA employees. Critical workers (i.e. air traffic controllers) will remain on the job, funded by an aviation trust fund. Workers deemed non-critical will be identified by their layoff notices. The latest funding measure was the 20th of its kind enacted in lieu of a long-term budget, because Congress has refused to agree on one of those, either.
Cessna Signals Positive Momentum July 21, 2011 By Glenn Pew Cessna lost money through Q1 of 2011, but turned a profit of $120 million over the next quarter, and Textron CEO Scott Donnelly says demand is now stable with positive momentum, according to the Wichita Eagle. The company's second quarter profits reflect shipments that have eroded the company's order backlog. But Cessna expects to see an increase in customer interest and demand for the remainder of the year, Donnely said. The company hasn't seen, nor is it expecting, a surge. Donnely said in a conference call, Thursday, that Cessna will talk about new products at the National Business Aviation Association convention, this fall.
Boeing To Re-Engine 737 July 21, 2011 By Glenn Pew Wednesday, Boeing announced plans to fit new more efficient CFM International Leap-X engines to members of its 737 family of aircraft, offering potential fuel savings of more than 10 percent on existing airframes. The new engines are not plug-and-play -- Boeing will have to re-engineer its planes to accept the engines and associated systems -- and Boeing's decision is not yet etched in stone. A final decision is expected by fall, but the option has reportedly been extended to American Airlines as part of the airline's massive order for at least 460 new aircraft split between Boeing and Airbus. The order is said to include 100 re-engined Boeings. And it may put pressure on certain other manufacturers' clean-sheet designs.
DOT: Washington Gridlock Threatens FAA, Immediately July 20, 2011 By Glenn Pew Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood expressed his concerns Wednesday that disagreements between the House and Senate could halt FAA funded projects by Friday and the FAA warned that could lead to thousands of furloughs as early as Saturday. The problem is that a temporary measure to fund the FAA is set to expire Friday. And the extension passed Wednesday by the House includes new language that is unlikely to pass the Senate. Without the Senate's approval of that extension, some form of shutdown is expected to impact the FAA by Saturday. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood expressed his concerns Wednesday in a statement released by the DOT. "Congress needs to stop playing games, work out its differences, and pass a clean FAA bill immediately," LaHood said. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt is already estimating the fallout if Congress fails to reach an agreement.
New FAA Web Site Targets Midair Collisions July 20, 2011 By Mary Grady A new web site hosted by the FAA in conjunction with the Department of Defense aims to provide general aviation pilots with information about operations in military airspace. "This portal will allow users to find and link to all existing military Mid-Air Collision Avoidance (MACA) programs in a single web site, while also enjoying new access to information from military bases that did not previously have web-based content," the FAA said on Wednesday. "Our goal is to eliminate mid-air collisions and reduce close calls through continuous flight safety and proper flight planning." The site, SeeAndAvoid.org, is designed for ease of use, with lots of Google maps and graphics. Data is included from the MACA programs of all DoD aviation installations in the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Controller Fails On-Duty Alcohol Test July 19, 2011 By Mary Grady A Denver air traffic controller has been relieved from duty after failing a routine, random FAA drug-and-alcohol test while six hours into his shift, which was scheduled for 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on July 5, the FAA said this week. The legal limit for controllers on duty is .02 (for drivers over age 21, the legal limit is .08); the FAA did not say how far above the limit the controller tested. The controller has been relieved from duty and is now in an alcohol rehabilitation facility. The FAA said it is investigating the incident. Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said in a statement that the incident was "deeply troubling."
Gulfstream Re-Brands G250 To G280 July 19, 2011 By Mary Grady Gulfstream will re-brand its new G250 super-midsize jet as the G280, the company announced on Monday. The change was prompted by the company's "sensitivity to the varied cultures of its international customer base," according to the news release. "Since introducing the Gulfstream G250 in 2008 and presenting it to customers around the world, we determined that G280 is a more amenable number sequence in certain cultures," said spokesman Larry Flynn. "This change reflects our commitment to understanding the diverse cultures of our global business environment." Asked for more details, company spokesman Jeff Miller told AVweb that "in certain Asian cultures, numbers can be interpreted in various ways … The previous name was a distraction from what is important about this new aircraft, so we elected to make a change."
X2 Retires, Heads For Oshkosh July 18, 2011 By Mary Grady Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation's X2 technology demonstrator flew for the last time last week, and next week it will be on display at EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh. The innovative helicopter, winner of the 2010 Collier Prize, achieved a level flight speed of 253 knots, an unofficial speed record. The X2 is propelled by a unique system of counter-rotating rigid rotor blades powered by a turboshaft engine, plus a rear pusher prop. Sikorsky said the five-year research program achieved its objectives -- low single-pilot workload, low vibration, low acoustic signature, and high speed -- and will now evolve into an effort to design and fly the S-97 Raider, a light tactical helicopter for the U.S. military. Two prototypes will be built and evaluated. "These aircraft are designed to be capable of 10,000-foot hover out of ground effect on a 95-degree day," said Mark Miller, Sikorsky's vice president of research and engineering. "The future awaits this technology, and today we can say that we see it on the horizon."
Aircraft Beat Carmegeddon, But Bikes Beat All July 18, 2011 By Mary Grady Jet Blue's 29-mile, $8 "microflights" between Burbank and Long Beach during last weekend's shutdown of the 405 freeway sold out within two hours, but a group of bicycle advocates proved they had an even better alternative -- they beat the airline's door-to-door travel time by more than a half hour. Dubbed the "Tour de Carmageddon," six members of the Wolfpack Hustle biking club started from a Burbank sidewalk as a passenger left for the airport, pedaled for 40 miles to downtown Long Beach, and had a good time doing it. Other residents, however, found that chartering a helicopter was the best way to get around the crowded cityscape. "It's the only way to travel," Kevin Norris told the L.A. Times, after paying $150 to fly by helicopter from Van Nuys to LAX in 14 minutes, to catch a flight to France.
Scaled Unveils Hybrid "Flying Car" July 18, 2011 By Mary Grady Over the weekend, Scaled Composites unveiled to the press Burt Rutan's version of a "roadable aircraft," the last design he completed for the company he founded before he retired earlier this year. The two-seat hybrid-electric BiPod hasn't flown, but it has completed some "test hops" on the runway at Mojave, powered by its driving wheels. The aircraft is designed to have four propellers, two on the wings and two on the horizontal stabilizer, which haven't yet been installed. The wings come off and can be stowed between the pods. The left pod has driving controls and the right one has flight controls.
GPS A Side Issue In High-Stakes Broadband Battle July 18, 2011 By Russ Niles Although the FCC's rulemaking process is nowhere near finished on the LightSquared/GPS issue, LightSquared's multi-billion-dollar business plan appears to be unaffected by the nagging details of regulatory approval and the potential destruction of the GPS system. According to CNET, Sprint, Nextel and LightSquared are about to announce a blockbuster partnership that will allow Sprint to migrate its service to the Long Term Evolution (LTE) broadband service that LightSquared is offering and is apparently the next big thing in wireless. In exchange, LightSquared gets the use of the 40,000 cell towers (remember those 40,000 towers?) that Sprint already owns for a rental fee of about $2 billion a year. What's significant for those who care about GPS in all of this is that the interference that's been clearly demonstrated is a side issue in high-stakes intrigue that may alter the broadband services landscape considerably.
Safety Rules Threaten Russian Airlines July 16, 2011 By Russ Niles The Russian domestic airline industry says recently announced safety requirements are impossible to achieve and an unusually frank report in the Moscow Times suggests fares will double if they're implemented as planned. By January, aircraft used for scheduled service have to have TCAS and ground proximity warning systems, which have been standard equipment for airliners in much of the rest of the world for decades. However, the workhorses of the Russian fleet are aircraft like the An-24, rough, rugged and conceived in the 1950s. The estimated cost of a retrofit is $350,000, far more than most airlines paid for the twin turboprops. "Where will we find so much money?" wondered Valery Fisher, whose Katekavia operates 14 An-24s. What's more, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recently called for the accelerated decommissioning of the An-24 fleet after a fatal crash on July 11.
Duluth Jobs Assured Says CAIGA July 16, 2011 By Russ Niles An unusual example of grassroots diplomacy has netted Duluth, Minn., an assurance of sorts that it will retain the jobs that go with one of its biggest employers. When China Aviation Industry General Aircraft announced plans to buy Cirrus Aircraft last February, the fear (and assumption by some) was that the operation would be moved to the People's Republic. The concern persisted after repeated assurances from Cirrus brass, and the Duluth City Council was among those looking for assurances. About six weeks ago, the city government sent a memorandum of understanding to CAIGA's top brass seeking assurances the production facilities and their jobs will stay in Duluth. Last week CAIGA President Xiangkai Meng and Duluth Mayor Don Ness signed the document in a ceremony in Duluth.
Full Investigation For Boston Collision July 16, 2011 By Russ Niles The NTSB is now investigating a taxiway collision that caused millions of dollars in damage and disrupted travel plans for almost 300 Delta customers but didn't cause any serious injuries. Late Thursday, the winglet on a Delta 767 that was setting up for a trip to Amsterdam from Boston's Logan Airport clipped the tail of a CRJ900 (operated for Delta by Atlantic Southeast Airlines) that was about to leave for Raleigh. Much of the winglet remained with the RJ's tail. The FAA initially rated the mishap as an "incident" but later gave it "accident" status, which triggers a full-scale investigation including pulling the recorders and interviewing all involved. "This accident is getting the serious attention it deserves from the agencies that need to investigate it," said FAA spokesman Jim Peters. Click here for recordings of the radio exchange between the crews and controllers.
Potential Cessna China Business Jet Project July 15, 2011 By Glenn Pew Cessna and the Aviation Industry Corp. of China (AVIC) are in "exploratory" talks regarding possible collaboration on a business jet. The talks reportedly revolve around joint design and production of such an aircraft. Cessna has already developed ties in China, where its Skycatcher LSA is produced by Shenyang Aircraft Corp. The company's interest in forming a joint venture to produce business aircraft is not unique. AVIC is holding talks with multiple airframe manufacturers, including Hawker Beechcraft, the Wichita Eagle reported Wednesday. Decisions about partnerships could start to roll in before year-end.
AEA: Defend GPS, Submit Comments Now July 15, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) is urging -- and guiding -- GPS users to actively participate in defending GPS from the potential interference of proposed wireless broadband services. AEA's concern is a reaction to the efforts of a company called LightSquared, which is seeking to construct a nationwide infrastructure to support wireless broadband on radio frequencies adjacent to those used by GPS. Tests have shown that implementation of the system can cause interference with GPS and the FCC is seeking public feedback on those results. Toward that end, AEA has provided guidelines and advice for delivering your message to the FCC prior to the agency's deadline. Click through for links, etc.
NTSB/EAA Experimental Aircraft Safety Study July 14, 2011 By Glenn Pew The NTSB with the support of EAA has launched a study to evaluate and improve the safety of amateur-built experimental aircraft, beginning with an online survey. Nearly 15 percent of general aviation aircraft (33,000 of 224,000) in the U.S. fall into the amateur-built experimental classification, the NTSB says. And that group exhibits "accident rates greater than those of other comparable segments of GA." Together with EAA, the NTSB hopes to identify risks unique to the segment and improve on the segment's record. According to the NTSB, the study will be the first to examine the building and piloting of experimental aircraft with direct input from owners and operators.
Survey: How's That Thielert Diesel Working Out? July 14, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli For a follow-up article on Thielert-powered diesel airplanes, we would like to hear from owners operating these airplanes. Please e-mail us at pbertorelli@avweb.com with contact information, and we'll get back to you.
Survey: Got a Clean Flying Record? July 14, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli Most of us do, but it's not always clear why some pilots are accident-free while others are not. In an effort to learn more about accident-free pilot populations, researcher David Ison is conducting a survey. It's short, and you can take it by clicking on this link: Click here to take the survey.
Audio Details 737 Rapid Decompression July 13, 2011 By Glenn Pew Audio recordings released by the FAA last week of Southwest Airlines Flight 812, a Boeing 737 with 118 passengers aboard that suffered rapid decompression in April, detail pilots and controllers working the problem. The aircraft was at 36,000 feet flying out of Phoenix for Sacramento when a 59-inch-long gash opened nine inches wide in the top of the cabin, with a loud bang. The Southwest pilots immediately declared an emergency and began a descent to 10,000 feet. As the pilots organized, they formulated a plan to return to Phoenix, but as the situation matured they changed plans and sought the nearest available airport. That turned out to be Yuma, Ariz.. Click to listen. The audio has been edited for time. What's not heard in the edited version is the controllers working together between locations to coordinate their efforts.
Counting Down To EAA AirVenture July 13, 2011 By Mary Grady Monday, July 25, opening day at EAA AirVenture, is just around the corner, so flight plans are being finalized, camp sites already are filling up, and aviators from around the world are on their way to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. EAA is promising an event overflowing with "spectacular attractions," including tributes to Bob Hoover and Burt Rutan, a celebration of naval aviation, a salute to veterans, a night airshow on Saturday with fireworks and a "wall of fire," musical performers, film nights, and of course thousands of airplanes, exhibits, forums, and workshops to explore all week long. AVweb staffers will be there every day to provide you with daily news reports, podcasts, and videos.
MIT Research Aims To Prevent Midairs July 13, 2011 By Mary Grady Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a new algorithm that could help to prevent midair collisions between general aviation aircraft, the school announced last week. The new technique, according to lead researcher Maxime Gariel, aims to limit the number of false alarms typically produced by collision-warning systems. "If half the time it's a false alert, [pilots] are not going to listen to it, or they'll turn it off," Gariel said. His team's research used a two-tiered alert system -- a moderate alert to warn pilots their trajectories are converging, and a high alert to indicate a severe risk of collision. The system also takes into account the extrapolated reaction time, depending on speed and trajectory, and adjusts the warning level accordingly. Tests confirmed that the system has a low false-alarm rate.
EU Invests In Flying Cars July 13, 2011 By Mary Grady The European Commission, which acts as the executive branch of the European Union, has invested $6.2 million in myCopter, a project working toward creating a personal air vehicle (PAV) for public transport in crowded cities. MyCopter, headed by Prof. Heinrich Bulthoff of the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Germany, plans to test various concepts for a partially autonomous, vertical-take-off-and-landing vehicle, using computer simulations, UAVs, and a helicopter. "We aim to develop technologies that could be used to form a new transportation system for personal travel that uses the third dimension, and which takes into account questions surrounding the expectations of potential users and how the public would react to and interact with such a system," Bulthoff told Gizmag.
NTSB Cites Lack Of Fuel De-Icer In Fatal PC-12 Crash July 12, 2011 By Mary Grady The pilot of a Pilatus PC-12 that crashed in Montana in March 2009 should have added an icing inhibitor to the fuel system before launching, the NTSB said in its final report on Tuesday. The board said the pilot failed to take appropriate remedial actions after icing caused low fuel pressure and a lateral fuel imbalance. The pilot then lost control while maneuvering the left-wing-heavy airplane near the approach end of the runway at Bert Mooney Airport in Butte. All 14 people on board, including 7 children, died. "The pilot's pattern of poor decision-making set in motion a series of events that culminated in the deadly crash," said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman. "Humans will make mistakes, but that is why following procedures, using checklists and always ensuring that a safety margin exists are so essential -- aviation is not forgiving when it comes to errors."
Work Starts On First U.S.-Built Phenom 100 July 12, 2011 By Mary Grady Embraer opened its executive-jet assembly plant in Melbourne, Fla., in February, and last week the company said it has started work on its first Phenom 100, which will be ready for delivery by the end of the year. The arrival of the fuselage and wing parts from Brazil is a "milestone" that shows the company's commitment to the U..S. operation, said Ernest Edwards, president of Embraer Executive Jets. "[This] reiterates our commitment to our U.S. presence … as we all look forward to start deliveries of the first made-in-America units," Edwards said. The company has already hired 69 engineers and technicians in Melbourne, many of them former NASA employees, and plans to hire more than 100 additional workers by the end of 2012.
New Aviation Degrees At K-State July 11, 2011 By Mary Grady Students looking for an aviation career now have four more options for earning a bachelor's degree at Kansas State University in Salina, Kans. The school announced this week that starting in the fall, four of its certificate programs -- in unmanned aircraft systems, avionics, airport management and air traffic control -- will expand into full degree-granting programs. Avionics students get hands-on experience working on glass cockpit components. The UAS program uses several unmanned vehicles for training, and has worked with the Kansas National Guard to develop safety procedures for incorporating the vehicles into the National Airspace System.
Unleaded Alternative Eyes California July 11, 2011 By Russ Niles A newly formed California company is hoping to set up a distribution network for ethanol-free unleaded automotive gasoline to GA airports in the state. Clear Gas was created partly in response to a lawsuit threat from the Center for Environmental Health that would end the sale of 100LL in California. The company is also looking at the marine and off-road market for customers since engines used by many boats and off-road vehicles are allergic to the ethanol present in most automotive fuels. Aircraft using the fuel need an STC, and the company has information on how to obtain it. It estimates that upwards of 80 percent of aircraft can use the fuel legally.
P-51 Pilot Parachutes From Midair July 10, 2011 By Russ Niles
The pilot of a P-51 bailed out safely after a midair collision with a Douglas Skyraider at a heritage aircraft display in Duxford, England on Sunday. The Skyraider was able to land safely minus a wingtip. Neither pilot was injured. The accident occurred after a formation pass including the two crash airplanes and at least three other piston single military aircraft. The Mustang ended up in a farmer's field after the pilot hit the silk. A few hours before, a replica Fokker triplane ended up on its nose in a landing accident. The accompanying video shows the pilot being helped out of the vertical aircraft.
Camp David TFR Busted Three Times Over Weekend July 10, 2011 By Russ Niles The airspace around Camp David was busier than usual over the weekend and there will be some unwelcome letters in the mail for three pilots. NORAD had to scramble F-15E fighters on three separate occasions to shoo errant GA aircraft out of the TFR that surrounds the presidential retreat in Maryland. Two incidents occurred Saturday, one shortly after noon and the other just before 7 p.m. The third, identified by the Associated Press as a Cessna 182, was intercepted about 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Diamond Bows Out Of Big Shows July 10, 2011 By Russ Niles With only two weeks until the start of aviation's biggest consumer show, Diamond Aircraft announced it is bowing out of this year's major aviation shows in favor of smaller, more specialized venues that offer a more targeted market for some of its products. "In consideration of the continued weakness of the economy and slow industry-wide retail sales, we have made the decision to forego the very significant expense of our traditional exhibits at [AirVenture] Oshkosh, NBAA and AOPA Summit in 2011," CEO Peter Maurer said in a news release. Instead, Diamond will be at "industry-specific events" like the Airborne Law Enforcement Association where it will show off its Austro diesel engine powered DA42 Multi-Purpose Platform. It's also targeting emerging markets and commercial flight training in its promotional efforts. The retail market will be served with enhanced online communications. The company will also host its annual DiamondFest event at the London, Ontario plant on the Sept. 17 weekend.
Appeal Filed In Cory Lidle Cirrus Crash Case July 8, 2011 By Glenn Pew Cirrus Design Corp. on May 24 was cleared of liability in the October 2006 death of Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his instructor Tyler Stanger, and, Thursday, the plaintiffs in the case filed an appeal. The aircraft impacted a Manhattan building while attempting a turn that departed the area above Manhattan's East River. The widows of Lidle and Stanger allege that the Cirrus SR20 included a design defect in its flight control system that caused the men to lose control. Their appeal says that critical evidence was excluded from the case and they are seeking a new trial.
European Regulatory Impact On LSA Market July 8, 2011 By Glenn Pew EASA, roughly Europe's FAA, has released certification specifications for light sport aircraft, and LSA watchdog Dan Johnson believes that could affect availability and pricing of European-made LSAs. The European regulatory agency has basically adopted ASTM standards. But unlike the FAA, which is funded by taxpayers, EASA is funded by fees and charges paid by the companies it reviews. That means meeting regulatory requirements can result in up-front costs and annual fees for airframe manufacturers in Europe. According to Johnson, that could mean one of two things for American buyers seeking European models: higher prices, or fewer options. But the outcome isn't yet certain.
Electric Aircraft Outbreak, Speed Or Distance July 8, 2011 By Glenn Pew The past few weeks have seen two high marks set for electric flight -- one in distance and one in speed -- but not at the same time. The eGenius is a two-seat motor glider with a wingspan just over 55 feet adapted for electric flight by a team from the University of Stuttgart. It was modified with a forward-facing, tail-mounted 80-hp electric motor and last month flew with full seats on a back-and-forth course between two cities near Mindleheim, Germany, for just over two hours. That flight averaged more than 100 mph. Meanwhile a tiny twin-engine Cri-Cri managed a speed of 175 mph flying at the Paris Air Show, but managed that speed just long enough to record the mark.
The Calif. Avgas Suit -- Follow The Money? July 7, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Center for Environmental Health and the Attorney General of the State of California are threatening to sue local FBOs and suppliers for dispensing leaded avgas, and shutting down small GA in the state is only one potential outcome. The suit's origins stem from the California Safe Drinking Water & Toxic Enforcement Act (Prop 65). Prop 65 is meant to safeguard people from dangerous toxins that could lead to birth defects and illnesses. But in light of federal interests (the FAA and EPA's control of air safety and environmental protection, respectively), restricting or altering the use of leaded avgas in California may not be the immediate, or likely, outcome of this case. And more likely outcomes may suggest other motives.
Inhofe Introduces "Pilot's Bill Of Rights" July 6, 2011 By Glenn Pew Senator James Inhofe, who last October landed on a closed runway that had vehicles and people on it for which he received a remedial training order from the FAA, Wednesday introduced a bill to protect pilots from "agency overreach." Inhofe's remedial training was supplied by an instructor who he'd once taught. The bill would address items ranging from medical certification issues to Inhofe's concern that he waited four months to get voice recordings related to his episode. "I was never fully appreciative," said Inhofe, "of the feeling of desperation until it happened to me." Recordings of the manager whose workers were on the runway as Inhofe landed suggest they also might have felt desperation, but of a different sort. EAA and AOPA are among supporters of Inhofe's bill. Click through for details.
TSA To Airlines: Beware Implant Bombs July 6, 2011 By Glenn Pew Federal officials Wednesday briefed airline executives on the possibility that terrorists may try to deliver explosive devices onto commercial airliners by surgically implanting them into suicide bombers. British officials in 2010 reportedly found evidence that al-Qaida was trying to do just that, but the new warning has not been attached to a specific threat. "This is something we've been concerned about for quite some time," security consultant J. Bennet Waters, and former TSA official, told the San Francisco Chronicle. While some experts believe it would be relatively easy to conceal an explosive in a body, others see flaws in the method.
Report: FAA Should Address Pilot Commutes July 6, 2011 By Mary Grady A report released Wednesday by the National Research Council found that commuting practices among airline pilots "could potentially contribute to their fatigue," and since fatigue can reduce performance, pilots, airlines, and the FAA should take steps to reduce the chance that commuting will pose a safety risk. The report stopped short of recommending new regulations, and said a lack of data hampered the analysis. "Some commutes have the potential to contribute to fatigue in pilots, and fatigue can pose a safety risk, but at this point we simply don't know very much about actual pilots' commuting practices," said Clint Oster, chair of the research committee. "Airlines and FAA should gather more information on pilots' commutes, and also work with pilots to lower the likelihood that fatigue from commuting will be a safety risk." The report also offers suggestions to commuting pilots about best practices that could help to minimize fatigue.
FAA Grants Millions For Airport Improvements July 6, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA has announced its annual grants to support airport improvements around the country. To find out what to expect at your local airports, click here to download the official FAA spreadsheet (XLS). Most of the awards are for well under a million dollars, and fund projects such as resurfacing a runway or acquiring snow-removal equipment. Some are more ambitious, such as $24,302,112 for a new runway at Chicago O'Hare, and $16,100,000 to build a fire and rescue building at the Marshall Islands International Airport. The grants also will fund construction of three new airports, two in Alaska and one in Utah.
The FAA's Airport Improvement Program provides grants to be used for the planning and development of public-use airports, heliports, and seaplane bases, including some that are privately owned. For general aviation airports, the grant covers 95 percent of eligible costs. Projects that enhance airport safety, capacity, security, and environmental concerns are eligible for funding. Early versions of federal airport grants date back to 1946, but the current program was established by the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1982. Funds for the grants are drawn from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, which is supported by user fees, fuel taxes, and other similar revenue sources.
FAA Funding Saga Continues July 6, 2011 By Mary Grady In May, Congress agreed to extend the FAA's funding through June 30, and as that date loomed last week, they passed yet another extension that expires on July 22. It was the 20th such short-term measure since the last comprehensive funding bill expired in 2007. The uncertainty and lack of long-term planning has not been good for the FAA, according to Administrator Randy Babbitt. "It's very difficult to run an agency when you're budgeting for weeks, not years," he said in a recent speech. "We need the restoration of predictable long-term funding for aviation programs." Both houses of Congress passed reauthorization bills earlier this year, but so far they have been unable to reconcile their differences.
USAF Cadets To Train In Cirruses July 5, 2011 By Mary Grady Cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs soon will be training in the Cirrus SR20. The Air Force has ordered 25 of the airplanes, branded as the T-53A, Cirrus announced on Tuesday. "The T-53A meets or exceeds all of our performance and operational criteria and is very well-suited to our mission," said Lt. Col. Brad Oliver, spokesman for the academy's 557th Flying Training Squadron. "And, while we hope never to have need of it, our cadets and instructors will now have the option of pulling the chute if it's needed." The value of the purchase is about $6.1 million, Cirrus said. Deliveries started in June and will continue through next year. The Cirri will replace the current fleet of leased Diamond Aircraft DA-40s. Diamond President Peter Maurer told AVweb he thinks the Air Force made a bad choice, for several reasons.
Blimps Compete Above New York July 5, 2011 By Mary Grady In a rare event last staged 25 years ago, three blimps competed in a race above New York's Hudson River, launching on July Fourth. The race took place about 5 p.m., with fair blue skies and balmy weather, covering about three miles from start to finish. The three ships rendezvoused at about 1,000 feet above the Statue of Liberty, then raced up the river to the finish line at 59th Street, near the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. The blimp sponsored by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, which has a top speed of about 36 mph, came in first, followed by Hangar 1 Vodka and DirecTV. Three blimps in one place may not seem like a large field, but since there are only two or three dozen airships in the world, they represented a significant gathering.
Robert Widmer, Supersonics Pioneer, Dead At 95 July 4, 2011 By Mary Grady Aeronautical engineer Robert Widmer, a pioneer in the development of supersonic aircraft and fly-by-wire computerized flight control, died on June 20 in Fort Worth, Texas, The New York Times reported on Sunday. Inspired by Chuck Yeager's supersonic flight in 1947, Widmer was determined to design the first supersonic bomber. His bosses at Convair weren't interested, according to the Times, so Widmer spent two years working on his own time. When the Air Force asked for proposals, Widmer was ready, and Convair won the contract. The resulting B-58 Hustler could fly up to Mach 2 and 80,000 feet. Widmer also took lead roles in creating the designs for the B-36, a six-engine nuclear bomber; the F-111, a versatile jet fighter with variable-geometry wings; the F-16 "Fighting Falcon" jet fighter; the Tomahawk cruise missile; and more.
Controller Fatigue Compromises Reached July 3, 2011 By Russ Niles Mid-shift air traffic controllers will be allowed to listen to the radio and read "appropriate printed material" but they won't be allowed to nap under a new deal on fatigue prevention announced Friday. Controllers who think they're too tired to work can also ask for leave. The agreement between the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association resulted from a spate of incidents in which controllers were found sleeping on the job in circumstances varying from having sleeping arrangements set up to simply nodding off at the console. Some controllers were fired and others disciplined and the new policies are a compromise between the FAA's hard line and the union's earlier suggestions that the occasional cat nap might be a good thing for bored controllers fighting their circadian rhythms. In the end the agreement puts the onus on controllers to show up ready for the rigors of the night shift. "Air traffic controllers have the responsibility to report rested and ready to work so they can safely perform their operational duties," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. "But we also need to make sure we have the right policies in place to reduce the possibility of fatigue in the workplace."
Australian Airline Grounded July 2, 2011 By Russ Niles For the first time, Australian authorities have grounded a major airline over safety concerns. On Saturday the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) pulled the operating certificates for Tiger Airways for a week after Tiger pilots busted low-altitude limits twice in one month. On June 7, a Tiger A320 was tagged on radar at 1,500 feet in an area where the minimum altitude is 2,500 feet and CASA pulled the pin after a Thursday incident when another Tiger A320 aborted a landing at Avalon Airport in Melbourne and was going around when it also busted the 2,500-foot minimum by about 1,000 feet. "We are concerned that Tiger does not have the commitment to safety that we expect from an Australian airline," said CASA spokesman Peter Gibson.
LightSquared/GPS Issue Over To FCC July 2, 2011 By Russ Niles Amid a flurry of dueling press releases, the stakeholders in the LightSquared/GPS controversy turned their fortunes over to the Federal Communications Commission in what has become one of the most controversial applications before the commission in recent memory. LightSquared wants to build a nationwide network of 40,000 broadband Internet transmitters using radio frequencies in a band adjacent to that used by an estimated 500 million GPS devices in the U.S. Tests have shown that the LightSquared signals, which detractors say are billions of times more powerful than GPS signals, interfere with GPS and can make devices go dark miles away from the towers. LightSquared says the interference can be resolved by initially by moving its signals to the lower end of its frequency band and farther away from GPS and in the long term by hardening new GPS devices against its signals. The GPS industry says LightSquared's plans defy the laws of physics and the only solution is to move the broadband signals far away from GPS. The stakes are high. LightSquared says its plan will generate $120 billion in economic benefit. The GPS industry says the interference will result in a catastrophic collapse of a system that is essential to the operation of countless devices, systems and programs in the U.S.
Spitfire Recovery Unearths Unique Story July 2, 2011 By Glenn Pew An RAF Spitfire flown by American pilot Roland "Bud" Wolfe dug itself deep into an Irish hillside on Nov. 30, 1941, after he bailed out, and now, 70 years later, that aircraft has been recovered. The recovery effort included an aviation historian, a team of archaeologists and the BBC, and will serve as the subject of a documentary. According to the Derry Journal, a newspaper from the town where the aircraft had been based, Wolfe had joined the RAF before America's official entry into the war and lost his U.S. citizenship because of it. He'd been flying on patrol near the north coast of Ireland when his engine began to rapidly overheat and he bailed out. Wolfe was detained by members of the Local Defence Force and held by the Irish Army, but escaped on Dec. 13, leading to what may be an even more unique story.
NATA: Avgas Suit Could Shut Down California GA July 1, 2011 By Glenn Pew A notice of intended lawsuit targets California FBOs saying that supplying and using leaded aviation gasoline violates the California Safe Drinking Water & Toxic Enforcement Act (Prop 65), and Friday the FBOs fought back. The suit is being brought by the Center for Environmental Health and the Attorney General of the State of California. The coalition of FBOs has won the support of NATA and Friday filed a response asking a judge to issue an injunction that would stop the imposition of civil penalties. According to NATA, elements of the suit "would shut down the entire piston-engine aircraft fleet in California and end all flight training at the named airports." There are, of course, potential local and federal complications.
KLM, First Commercial Biofuel Flight June 30, 2011 By Glenn Pew A Boeing 737-800 carrying 171 passengers out of Amsterdam for Paris Wednesday moved KLM to say it was "the first airline in the world" to operate a commercial flight on biokerosene (a used cooking oil, Jet-A mix), with more to come. KLM said that by September 2011, it will begin 200 more flights, flying the same route, and using the same 50-50 blend of fuel. Details regarding regulatory issues are not yet clear. The biofuel portion of the fuel mixture that KLM used for this latest flight was not derived from the camonila or jatropha plants. (The plants have earned attention for their high oil content and low agricultural impact.) KLM used a cooking-oil-based fuel produced by Dynamic Fuels, a joint venture between Syntroleum and Tyson Foods.
Comac, China's "Real Alternative" To Boeing, Airbus? June 30, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) has signed an agreement with Ryanair to develop the C919, a new mid-size commercial jet, and, according to Ryanair, the deal creates real competition for Airbus and Boeing. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said his company is "seriously interested in the development of a 200 seat variant of the C919 aircraft." He added, "We are pleased that there is now a real alternative to Boeing and Airbus." Aside from Ryanair, Comac is expected to attract serious attention in the Asia-Pacific market over the next twenty years. And Comac's position in the market has at least one major company seeking to share resources.
Turtles Slow JFK To A Crawl June 29, 2011 By Russ Niles The normal fast pace of the morning push at JFK slowed to a crawl Wednesday morning as 150 love-struck turtles turned runways into expressways (in turtle terms) to love. About 6:45 a.m. pilots of outbound aircraft reported the reptilian jaywalkers(MP3), who clearly hadn't heard the tower's takeoff clearances. The controller, who kept his good humor through the episode, alternated between receiving wildlife reports, dispatching ground personnel and issuing takeoff clearances in between turtle rescues. The turtles were just doing what comes naturally and apparently the big noisy things in their way weren't going to stop them.
The Space Shuttle Atlantis, NASA's fourth shuttle, is set to lift off on mission STS-135 on July 8, at 11:26 a.m. EDT, marking the final time a NASA space shuttle is scheduled to fly. The mission comes 30 years after the program began and is scheduled to be a 12-day mission that will deliver parts to the international space station. Atlantis will be the last of three shuttles to retire, following Discovery, which landed for the last time in March, and Endeavour, which touched down for the last time during the first hours of June 1. Click through for memorable images of NASA shuttles at work, and details about the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
President Obama Riles Aviation Advocates June 29, 2011 By Glenn Pew The National Air Transportation Association (NATA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), AOPA and other groups responded with "deep concern" to proposed tax changes suggested by President Obama during a press conference, Wednesday. Obama said, "The tax cuts I'm proposing we get rid of are tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, tax breaks for oil companies and hedge fund managers and corporate jet owners." NATA president and CEO James Coyne responded on behalf of his members saying he "is appalled by President Barack Obama's attacks on general aviation." Other leaders of aviation advocacy groups followed suit.
Icon Secures Funding Through Production Start June 29, 2011 By Mary Grady Icon Aircraft, which has been working for several years to bring its amphibious A5 LSA to market, this week announced it has secured $25 million in funding, enough to complete its engineering program, set up for manufacturing, and start production. "There is a lot of work and some risk still ahead," said CEO Kirk Hawkins. "That we were able to successfully raise funds in this time of economic uncertainty demonstrates Icon's unique and compelling market appeal." The A5 team is now finishing up the last few months of flight testing, and engineers are focused on finalizing a newly designed spin-resistant wing and refining directional stability, the company said. Production start is expected in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Airbus set a record at Paris last week for the most airplanes ever sold at an airshow by any manufacturer, with 730 orders worth over $70 billion. The A320neo, which promises 15 percent less fuel burn plus more range and payload than the popular A320, led the pack with 667 orders, making it the best-selling airliner ever, Airbus said. Boeing announced orders and commitments for 142 airplanes worth $22 billion. Emerging markets played a major role in piling up sales. AirAsia, based in Malaysia, the largest low-cost airline in the Asia-Pacific region, ordered 200 of the A320neo aircraft. Airlines based in India spent about $23 billion.
Cirrus Finalizes China Deal June 28, 2011 By Mary Grady Cirrus Aircraft and China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., Ltd. (CAIGA) announced on Tuesday that the two companies have completed their merger. "This partnership will benefit our business and our customers," said Brent Wouters, Cirrus CEO. "We share with CAIGA a vision of worldwide growth. CAIGA has the resources that will allow us to expedite our aircraft development programs and accelerate our global expansion." He said he expects the merger will make it possible for Cirrus to expand its facilities and staff in Minnesota and North Dakota. Dale Klapmeier, Cirrus co-founder, said the completion of the merger was an important milestone in the company's history, and will make it possible for the company to "continue to lead the industry in bringing increased safety, performance, and comfort to the general aviation community."
SJ30 Owner Now SyberJet June 28, 2011 By Mary Grady The convoluted journey of the SJ30 business jet continues, with the design's latest owners, MT LLC, now announcing they will operate as SyberJet Aircraft. In a brief news release issued earlier this month, the company said it has moved the assembly line that was operated by Emivest Aerospace, the SJ30's previous owner, from Martinsburg, W.Va., to Cedar City, Utah. "SyberJet has a solid operating plan to deliver new SJ30s to the world marketplace," said Mark Fairchild, SyberJet's general manager, in San Antonio, Texas. "As a pilot, the SJ30 is an exhilarating jet to fly. I look forward to providing more people the unique opportunity to experience the high-performance capability that SJ30 affords its owners and operators."
Weather Shortens Air Race Classic June 27, 2011 By Mary Grady Every year, female aviators gather to compete in a cross-country race known as the Air Race Classic, and every year they face challenges, both predictable and unexpected. This year, continuing weather delays led organizers to shorten the course by more than 1,000 miles, chopping off the first five planned legs through Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wyoming. Instead, the 43 teams launched from Alliance, Neb., setting off at noon last Tuesday. By Friday at sunset, about 8:30 p.m. local time, all of the aviators had landed safely in Mobile, Ala., after flying more than 1,200 nm with stops in Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. After calculating scores based on a complex handicapping formula, Leah Hetzel and Sarah Morris, of Jacksonville University, in Florida, came in first, flying a Cirrus SR20. They were the first collegiate team ever to win the race.
FAA Keeps Tower Markings "Voluntary" June 27, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA received over 450 comments on its proposed guidance for marking meteorological evaluation towers that are less than 200 feet high, and last week published its final policy, which requests voluntary compliance. "Many commenters responded that marking and lighting of METs should be mandatory," the FAA said in its final rule. "It is not feasible for the FAA to maintain a national database for structures that are less than 200 feet AGL." The NTSB and the National Agricultural Aviation Association were among those who weighed in to ask the FAA to make it mandatory to mark the towers, which have been blamed for at least three fatal airplane accidents.
Detroit Airports May Grow Biofuels June 27, 2011 By Russ Niles Detroit-area airports are putting their surplus lands where their fuel nozzles are to try to boost the alternative fuels movement. The airport authority has turned over three acres of land to Michigan State University to grow canola and oriental mustard seed, two feedstocks for biofuel in a $476,000 state-funded project to see if all those 1,700 acres of neatly mown infields, overruns and other open space at Wayne County Airport and Willow Run Airport can be put to better use. If the trial is successful, the concept is that the feedstock from all the airport lands will be processed onsite and dropped into the airports' fuel tanks to supplement the regular fossil fuel supply. "How does aviation protect itself in the future against the depletion of fossil fuels and the uncertainty of foreign sources of energy?" WCAA Interim CEO Genelle Allen wondered in a news release. "Part of the answer may be to grow it."
Drunk Pax Blamed For Chartered Floatplane Crash June 26, 2011 By Russ Niles Canada's Transportation Safety Board says drunk passengers aboard a short charter flight off the country's West Coast likely caused the crash of a float-equipped Cessna 185 in May of 2010. In its report the TSB postulates that a rear-seat passenger pushed the pilot's seat forward with his or her feet and held him and the control column pinned to the panel until the Atleo Air Services aircraft dove at a 45-degree angle into ocean off Ahousat, an isolated community on the west coast of Vancouver Island. "It is likely that passenger interference caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft whereupon it descended in a steep nose-down attitude until it struck the water," the report says. "It is possible the passengers' level of intoxication contributed to their inability to recognize the gravity of the situation and stop the interference in time for the pilot to regain control of the aircraft before impact." The board also noted that the pilot could have refused the charter if he thought the passengers might be drunk enough to be a safety hazard.
GPS Firms Should Pay To Prevent Interference: LightSquared June 26, 2011 By Russ Niles LightSquared says the GPS industry should pay to shield its devices from interference its proposed network of wireless internet transmitters might cause. On Thursday, the company launched a counteroffensive in the increasingly acrimonious battle over the bandwidth it hopes to use for the nationwide wireless network of 40,000 towers. The GPS industry says tests prove the broadband network will disrupt GPS signals and is urging authorities to reject LightSquared's proposal. LightSquared released an economic impact study (PDF) done by the Brattle Group last week suggesting the GPS industry has been and continues to be heavily subsidized in that the timing signals used in their devices are owned, operated and maintained by the federal government through the Department of Defense. Its line of logic goes on to suggest that GPS manufacturers should be willing to invest the money to shield their devices from the interference generated by the LightSquared signals. In fact, in a news release (PDF) accompanying the report, the Brattle Group suggests that it's the GPS devices that are infringing on LightSquared's bandwidth by not being adequately shielded. "Fixing this problem through the deployment of better filters in GPS devices will add some costs to the GPS industry, but those costs would only be a fraction of the $120 billion in benefits that would be created by LightSquared's deployment of its LTE network," the news release said. It says filters would add only 30 cents to the cost of a new GPS device but acknowledges that retrofitting would be substantially more costly. The study was released as two congressional committees waded into the dispute last Thursday and may have prevented the FCC from approving the LightSquared proposal.
Solar Impulse Impresses Paris Crowd June 26, 2011 By Andrew Cole
After several weather-related flight delays, Solar Impulse made a successful demonstration flight June 26, the last day of the Paris Air Show. The sun-powered four-engine aircraft is intended to shine a light on green technologies. It's backed by Bertrand Piccard, the Swiss adventurer best known for circumnavigating the world in the Breitling Orbiter 3, a propane balloon, in 1999.
Electronic Device Interference June 25, 2011 By Glenn Pew Some airlines have installed wi-fi, and others are putting iPads in the cockpit, but a recent report and real-world incident reports suggest interference from portable electronic devices (PEDs) is real and potentially dangerous. Is it? AVweb's Glenn Pew recently spoke with Dave Carson, who co-chaired a federal advisory committee on portable electronic devices in aviation, to better understand the threat. The committee was originally asked to create a list of safe and unsafe devices, but it quickly resolved that the task wouldn't be that simple.
The Close Call On 22R At JFK June 24, 2011 By Glenn Pew Two loaded airliners nearly collided on Runway 22R at JFK on June 20 and while an accident did not take place, the event produced more than just some interesting audio. The incident involved a loaded Egyptair Boeing 777-300 fueled for Cairo and a Munich-bound Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 with 286 on board. When the Egyptair jet missed its turn, the two jets were rolling toward each other on the active runway as the Lufthansa accelerated for takeoff. Audio of the event includes comments from pilots of nearby aircraft. They include, "Yeah. That was quite a show ... thought it was going to be a short career." (Click through for audio.)
Hybrid Powered Aircraft In Paris June 23, 2011 By Glenn Pew Among the technological demonstrators being shown at the Paris Air Show, is the DA36 E-Star -- a two-seat, low-wing motorglider powered by a serial hybrid electric drive. The aircraft, a modified Diamond HK36 Super Diamona, first flew June 8. It was developed by Siemens, EADS and Diamond Aircraft of Austria with a goal of reducing fuel consumption and emissions by 25 percent. It carries a serial hybrid drive that turns the aircraft's prop with a Siemens 70kW electric motor. An onboard 40-hp Wankel rotary engine provided by Austro Engine serves as a generator (only) and kicks in to keep the batteries, provided by EADS, fed. There are no specific plans for the drivetrain ... but there are general ones.
As we reported last week, the Liberty Foundation's pristine B-17 Liberty Belle was lost near Chicago in an unfortunate set of circumstances that started with a fire on board. It became an injury-free off-airport landing (all seven on board got out safely) and ended with the loss of the aircraft because fire trucks couldn't get to it fast enough in the muddy conditions on the field. Thanks to AVweb reader Lee Hogan, here's an oddly hopeful photographic chronology of the event's aftermath that shows Liberty Belle will live on in other B-17s. Thanks, Lee.
Tornado Hits Train Carrying Boeing Parts June 23, 2011 By Russ Niles A train carrying subassemblies for Boeing from Wichita to Everett, Wash., was hit by a tornado earlier this week and, based on this video posted to YouTube by StormChasingVideo.com (it's the first 40 seconds) it seems likely there will be, at a minimum, some supply-chain disruptions at the Boeing plant. As the storm chasers mention in the video, the train was carrying Boeing 737 fuselages (yes, we are struck by the irony, too) but the aluminum tubes appear to have escaped a direct hit. However, an AVweb reader who works at the Tulsa plant has told us that the train was also carrying wings for Boeing's new flagship 747-8. He told us the railway is still tallying up the damage.
It was well known on opening day at the Paris Air Show that the Airbus A380 demo plane had "brushed" a building and wouldn't be able to fly but it wasn't clear exactly what had happened. Well, the accompanying photos, which are circulating on the Internet but appear to have originated at AirlineReporter.com, give a little context to the conflict between giant airliner and building. That's Embraer's building getting the renovation, by the way. The aircraft was moved under its own power to a discrete area of the airport where Airbus officials who aren't busy selling airplanes are plotting their next move. Airbus says the pilots followed Le Bourget ground instructions for taxiing but it's not the first time the super jumbo hasn't been able to keep its wings to itself with the nosewheel on the centerline.
Pilot's Case May Help Define Privacy Act June 22, 2011 By Glenn Pew Stanmore Cooper was once convicted for making and delivering a false writing while renewing his pilot certificate and his case has now reached the Supreme Court, where it may decide the scope of the 1974 Privacy Act. Cooper is HIV-positive and once disclosed his condition in order to receive Social Security benefits, but withheld it when renewing his pilot certificate. Those actions became known through the government's "Operation Safe Pilot" program, which shared the information without Cooper's consent, and the FAA revoked Cooper's certificate. Cooper entered a guilty plea and was convicted of making and delivering a false writing. He later appealed the case, saying government agencies had improperly shared information, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed. Now he's after damages, and the government is seeking to block his suit.
Southwest Pilot Suspended For Tirade On Frequency June 22, 2011 By Mary Grady A Southwest pilot who thought he was chatting with his co-pilot was actually talking over the ATC frequency when he made disparaging remarks about flight attendants, lacing his comments with hateful slurs and swearing. A Houston TV station acquired a recording of the March 25 remarks and posted it online this week. On the recording, the pilot said he found 11 out of 12 flight attendants to be unworthy of his dating interest because they were overweight, too old, or gay. At one point, he told his co-pilot, "I don't give a f---. I hate 100 percent of their asses." The conversation, which contained "something to offend almost everyone," according to the KPRC-TV reporter, went on for about two and a half minutes. Southwest has not identified the Houston-based pilot, but said he was suspended without pay and sent to "diversity education," apologized to controllers and co-workers, and has been re-instated.
Paris 'Green' Initiatives: Electric Taxi, Transatlantic Biofuel June 21, 2011 By Mary Grady The Paris Air Show this week provides a venue for companies to show off their "green" initiatives. Two jets flew in from North America powered by alternative fuels. A Gulfstream G450 operated by Honeywell flew across the pond with "Honeywell Green Jet Fuel," derived from camelina, mixed in a 50/50 blend with standard jet fuel in one of its two engines. And Boeing flew its new 747-8 freighter trans-Atlantic with a blend of 15 percent camelina-based biofuel and 85 percent Jet-A in all four engines. Honeywell also said it will partner with Safran, a French aerospace company, to develop a taxi system that will drive aircraft on the ground using the electric APU instead of jet fuel. The system could save up to 4 percent of fuel consumption for airline operations.
Bell Sells BA609 Tiltrotor June 21, 2011 By Mary Grady Bell Helicopter announced at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday that it will sell off its BA609 civilian tiltrotor to AgustaWestland, which has been a partner in the program. Bell will continue to supply engineering services and key components for the aircraft. The decision will free up R&D resources for the V-22 Osprey and other projects, both military and commercial, said Bell CEO John Garrison, including the development of next-generation tiltrotor technologies. No terms were disclosed for the sale. "They [AgustaWestland] are going to take it over and do what they think is best for it," Bill Schroeder, a Bell spokesman, told the Star-Telegram, of Fort Worth, Texas. Two 609s now are flying, one in the U.S. and one in Italy, and have logged almost 600 hours.
Tu-134 Down In Russia, 44 Killed June 21, 2011 By Mary Grady It was just before midnight and foggy on Monday night when a Tupolev 134 on approach to the Petrozavodsk Airport in northwestern Russia hit trees and power lines, crashed and burned, killing 44 people. There were eight survivors, according to The Associated Press, who were rescued from the wreck by local citizens. The air traffic controller on duty said the pilot continued the approach beyond the point where he should have initiated a "second run," according to the AP. The runway lights went out when the airplane hit power lines, at which point the controller said he instructed the crew to abort the landing, but it was already too late.
LightSquared Changes Plans, GPS Group Unimpressed June 20, 2011 By Glenn Pew Monday, LightSquared proposed a new plan that would use frequencies that are controlled by the satellite company Inmarsat Plc and not use those closest to GPS frequencies, hoping to avoid most interference issues. The company's original plan had been to launch its service (which supports wireless communications) using frequencies that neighbor those of GPS. But tests mandated by the FCC found that such use could lead to interference problems for GPS users. That possibility led players in the GPS industry to form a coalition that spoke out against the plan. The Coalition to Save Our GPS is not satisfied with LightSquared's latest proposal. "LightSquared's supposed solution is nothing but a 'Hail Mary' move," said coalition spokesman Jim Kirkland. "Confining its operation to the lower MSS band still interferes with many critical GPS receivers in addition to the precision receivers that even LightSquared concedes will be affected." LightSquared's new proposal involves using a band of frequencies belonging to Inmarsat that is farther from GPS. The new plan is actually just an acceleration of the old one and the company says "a limited number of high-precision GPS receivers" could still be affected by interference.
Mach 3.5 Bizjet Introduced In Paris June 20, 2011 By Mary Grady SonicStar, a proposed new supersonic aircraft that could reach speeds up to Mach 3.5, was introduced on Monday at the Paris Air Show by HyperMach Aeronautics. The company says it has developed a design using a "revolutionary" new hybrid electric gas turbine engine, and is seeking investors and partners to help launch a prototype by 2021. The airplane is designed to fly at 62,000 feet, carrying up to 20 passengers in a luxury cabin. The company's website says the design has eliminated the problem of sonic booms over land, which are prohibited in many countries, by using "groundbreaking technology" that allows "aerodynamics to be controlled."
'Barefoot Bandit' Pleads Guilty, Movie Expected June 20, 2011 By Mary Grady Colton Harris-Moore, age 20, pleaded guilty last week to federal charges related to his two-year crime spree, during which he stole four airplanes and a boat, and now a movie about his exploits is in the works -- with profits to go to his victims. Harris-Moore, known as the "Barefoot Bandit," was arrested in the Bahamas last July after flying there in a stolen Cessna Corvalis, which he ditched on a reef. He was captured while trying to flee in a stolen motorboat. Federal prosecutors say he owes about $1.4 million to his victims, so they are hoping the movie deal goes through. "While we cannot stop him from telling his story, we can make sure he never sees a dime for his crimes," said U.S. Atty. Jenny Durkan.
Boeing Sees Doubling Of Commercial Fleet June 19, 2011 By Russ Niles Boeing has declared the world economic recession all but over and issued its rosiest commercial aircraft forecast in years. The company's pre-Paris Air Show analysis predicts a doubling of the world fleet of commercial aircraft over the next 20 years, with 33,500 aircraft selling for a total of $4 trillion. "The world market has recovered and is now expanding at a significant rate," Randy Tinseth, Boeing's VP of marketing for commercial aircraft, told reporters. "Not only is there a strong demand for air travel and new airplanes today, but the fundamental drivers of air travel – including economic growth, world trade and liberalization – all point to a healthy long-term demand." Much of the growth will come from emerging markets in China, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, while traditional markets in Europe and North America will be buying planes for fleet modernization.
Blakey To Get Top Aviation Award June 18, 2011 By Russ Niles The sometimes-controversial former head of the FAA is getting one of aviation's most prestigious awards for her "significant and lasting contribution to the promotion and advancement of aviation and aerospace in the United States." Marion Blakey, who was FAA administrator from 2002 to 2007, will get the National Aeronautic Association's Cliff Henderson Trophy at NAA's final luncheon series meeting in Washington. The award is given annually to a living person whose "vision, leadership or skill" has promoted aviation.
Survey: Aircraft Batteries June 16, 2011 By Jeff Van West
How's that aircraft battery holding up for you? Aviation Consumer wants to hear how well your battery has served you season after season. Please take a moment to rave -- or rant -- about it in Aviation Consumer's battery survey. The results will be part of an upcoming article in the magazine that might be just what you need to know before your next battery purchase. Click here to take the survey.
A Jumbo Recycling Project June 18, 2011 By Russ Niles When Francie Rehwald decided to add a couple of wings to her house, she didn't fool around. As we reported in 2006, her decision to repurpose an old Boeing 747-200 into a house and outbuildings on her mountainside acreage in Malibu, Calif., raised some concerns at the time and the first phase of the finished result has had its public debut, The jumbo-sized wings form the roof of the home and based on photos released last week it looks like control surfaces are also used. The rest of the house appears to be floor-to-ceiling windows and the result, according to inhabitat.com, is a "curvilinear" home. Now that the main house is done, architect David Hertz and his imaginative client can turn their attention to using up the rest of the plane.
WSJ: BizJets Used For Personal Travel June 17, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Wall Street Journal has published data regarding the movements of corporate jets between the years of 2007 and 2010 and Thursday the Journal suggested that personal use of corporate aircraft is greatly underreported. According to the Journal, "Dozens of jets operated by publicly traded corporations made 30% or more of their trips to or from resort destinations, sometimes more than 50%." The Securities and Exchange Commission requires that all personal travel on company aircraft be reported if it exceeds $25,000 annually or consists of more than 10 percent of executive benefits. According to estimates made by the Journal, one company underreported by more than $600,000. And in another case the Journal estimated the underreporting at roughly $2.5 million. That kind of math involves supposition and in some cases may disregard other factors.
One Mile Per Second Scramjet Falls Short June 16, 2011 By Glenn Pew
An X-51A Waverider scramjet powered test vehicle flew in the program's second flight test, June 13, but failed to transition to full power burning JP-7 after the scramjet engine was lit. Air Force Flight Test Center officials say the vehicle was dropped at approximately 50,000 feet from a B-52H Stratofortress flying in the Point Mugu Naval Air Test Range over the Pacific Ocean. It accelerated with the help of a solid rocket booster to beyond Mach 5, at which point the vehicle's air-breathing scramjet engine was lit on ethylene. According to the Air Force, then "the vehicle experienced an inlet un-start" as it attempted to transition to JP-7. Click through to watch the latest test (video).
LightSquared Update June 16, 2011 By Glenn Pew Recent tests have shown that LightSquared's proposed grid of 40,000 wireless network ground stations could interfere with GPS signals, and now the FCC has granted LightSquared a two-week extension to file a report on its position. LightSquared's report was originally due Wednesday, the same day the FCC granted the extension. LightSquared spokesman Jim Carlisle said Tuesday that the company underestimated the number of tests that would be necessary to show the network should be allowed. In a letter to the FCC, Carlisle wrote that additional testing "was necessary to permit a proper evaluation of various mitigation options for addressing the GPS receiver overload issue." And that producing a report is really hard.
Cessna AD "Will Affect 36,000 Airplanes" June 15, 2011 By Glenn Pew The FAA's final rule regarding Cessna seat rails applies to all serial numbers of Cessna aircraft ranging from Cessna 150A to T337H-SP models -- 36,000 aircraft, according to the FAA -- and is effective as of June 17, 2011. The Airworthiness Directive (AD) supersedes a prior one; it clarifies inspections that look for cracks in seat rails and details under what circumstances parts must be replaced. Action, unless already taken, is required within the next 100 hours time-in-service or within the next 12 calendar months. The FAA estimates that the inspections alone should cost each owner about $85 and combine to produce $3.06 million for the repair shop industry. Cost of replacement parts and work as needed could add another $395 to an individual owner's tab. Specifics follow.
Airbus Concept And More, At Paris Air Show June 15, 2011 By Mary Grady The Paris Air Show opens next Monday with 2,100 exhibitors, the most ever for the show, which is held every other year at Le Bourget. The event features commercial and military aircraft as well as a handful of GA exhibitors. Airbus will introduce its "concept cabin" for the airliner of 2050, which features a fuselage built of bio-membranes that can be made transparent to offer passengers a view of the night sky or of landmarks passing below (click here for the video). One of the most anticipated debuts this year is "special guest" Solar Impulse, the solar-powered aircraft built in Switzerland, making its first public airshow appearance. The aircraft flew into the show on Tuesday evening despite several weather delays, and is scheduled for demo flights every morning.
AirVenture Offers First 787 Tours June 15, 2011 By Mary Grady The public will get a look inside Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner for the first time, at EAA AirVenture 2011. The airplane will fly in to Oshkosh on Friday morning, July 29, and depart that same day at about 6 p.m. During its stay at the show center, now called ConocoPhillips Plaza, the 787 will be open for tours. "This represents two significant firsts," said EAA Chairman Tom Poberezny. "It's the first time anywhere that aviation enthusiasts can tour the 787 and the first public showcase of the 787 in North America." Boeing says the 787, which is expected to start deliveries later this year, will be the first mid-size airplane capable of flying long-range routes. Composite materials, electric systems, advanced aerodynamics and modern engines aim to make the 787 more fuel efficient and lower the operating costs.
Alliance To Promote GA Cites Progress June 14, 2011 By Mary Grady Legislatures in 29 states have passed resolutions in support of aviation, the Alliance for Aviation Across America said this week. The resolutions reflect the efforts of aviation advocates to educate officials about the value of the industry, said Selena Shilad, executive director of the nonprofit group. The Alliance comprises about 5,700 members, including both groups and individuals, and besides lobbying state governments, has been active in Washington in support of the General Aviation Caucus in both the House and Senate. The efforts help to ensure that government officials are informed about GA issues such as avgas availability and the security of the GPS system, members of the group said at a news conference on Tuesday.
FAA Offers Details On BARR Changes June 14, 2011 By Mary Grady Aircraft operators who want to block their registration data from being displayed to the public in real-time flight-tracking websites must provide the FAA with documentation showing more than a "speculative or abstract fear," the FAA told NBAA this week. "A generalized, non-specific security concern is unlikely to be found valid," the FAA wrote, in response to questions from NBAA about how operators can document a "certified security concern" to block their aircraft information. Previously, the FAA allowed operators to opt out of the public information display via the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program. On June 3, the FAA said it would change that policy, effective in 30 days.
Goodyear Blimp Catches Fire, Pilot Killed June 13, 2011 By Mary Grady A Goodyear A-60+ blimp caught fire in Germany on Sunday evening as the pilot tried to land; the three passengers were able to leap to safety, but the pilot was killed. Witnesses said they heard a loud engine noise and smelled fuel as the blimp hovered about six feet above the ground at Reichelsheim Airfield, according to The Sun. The pilot, Mike Nerandzic, 53, of Australia, yelled at the passengers to leap out of the cabin. As they left the aircraft, it shot up into the air about 150 feet and exploded, then crashed into a field where it was consumed by flames, according to online news reports. The passengers were reporters for local news outlets on a photo-taking flight.
RC Record Setter Dies June 12, 2011 By Russ Niles Maynard Hill, who set 25 aviation records and whom the Washington Post called a "balsa-and-glue virtuoso," died June 7 at his home in Silver Spring, Md. Hill was a legend in the remote control model aircraft world and his exploits included some remarkable records. He flew an RC model to 26,990 feet and one of his aircraft was clocked at 151 mph. As a metallurgist at Johns Hopkins University's applied physics lab, his work with RC models became the foundation of the development of unmanned aerial aircraft. Of all his records, however, it was the trans-Atlantic crossing of his Spirit of Butt's Farm that attracted the most attention.
1549 Pax, Crew, Revisit Aircraft June 12, 2011 By Russ Niles Passengers who were thankful to have lived through it and an airline captain who became an instant celebrity because of it gathered around the battered hull of Airbus A320 N106US Sunday to celebrate the aircraft that changed their lives. The dented and gashed fuselage of the aircraft used for US Airways Flight 1549 from La Guardia to Charlotte on Jan. 15, 2009, arrived at the Carolinas Aviation Museum Friday and will go on permanent display there. At a private reception on Sunday Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, other members of the flight crew and some passengers gathered to remember that chilly winter afternoon when the aircraft hit a flock of geese and Sullenberger and his first officer Jeff Skiles put the airplane, carrying 155 people, in the Hudson River. Among the cabin crew was Doreen Welsh, who, with 38 years of patrolling the aisle, probably had the most time in the air of anyone on the flight. She told NY1 she thought she'd given her last safety demo when she heard Sullenberger tell the people in back to "brace for impact" over the PA. "Thirty-eight years, who hears that? And who lives through hearing that? I'm sure a lot of people in crashes, that's probably the last thing they ever hear," said Welsh. "I said prayers. I thought it was it."
Report Suggests Cellphone Interference Happens June 12, 2011 By Russ Niles An International Air Transport Association report suggests cellphones and other personal electronics, notably the iPad, can cause alarming disruptions to aircraft systems. The report, obtained by ABC News, is said to document 75 instances between 2003 and 2009 in which flight crews believed interference from passengers using an electronic device caused something to go wrong with the aircraft. Anomalies ranging from autopilots disconnecting to a clock that ran backwards were said to disappear when the electronics were shut off. The report is getting mixed reviews from those who study aviation safety.
Volcanic Ash Cancels Flights June 12, 2011 By Russ Niles Ash from a major volcanic eruption in Chile has cancelled hundreds of flights and stranded 25,000 passengers from neighboring Argentina to far-away New Zealand and Australia, and experts say this could be just the beginning. "It's got a very strong satellite signal and it's right up there with the big, big eruption clouds ... it will keep going. I would suspect it will do a loop of the globe," Andrew Tupper of the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Strong westerly winds are pushing the cloud from the Cordon Caulle volcano but the plume over the South Pacific, 6,000 miles away, is expected to start dissipating soon. Australian airlines are taking no chances but New Zealand's flag carrier is still flying.
Terrafugia's Roadable Aircraft Delayed June 10, 2011 By Glenn Pew Citing challenges in production design and problems with third-party suppliers, the developers of the Transition roadable aircraft have announced a delay that extends their expected first delivery date to "late 2012." The company still plans to show, but not fly, one of two production prototypes at AirVenture Oshkosh this July and says its past experience suggests flight tests might take place by March 2012. Terrafugia's press release declined to expand on the problems that led to the delay and stated that the company remains committed to the success of the program.
RAF Eurofighters Lose To F-16s? June 10, 2011 By Glenn Pew Internet chat forums have for months been alive with comments after 1970s-era F-16s were said in a Pakistani air force blog to have beaten state-of-the-art Eurofighter Typhoons in close air combat exercises, but there's at least one problem with the story. At the core of the issue is an interview in which an unnamed alleged Pakistani air force (PAF) pilot recalls flying three hops against RAF Typhoons. In those three exercises, the Typhoons lost every time, he said. When asked to explain that success rate, the interviewee offered his opinion that "NATO pilots are not that proficient in close-in air-to-air combat." The problem is that there does not appear to be a specific date associated with the event and, while the story may be true, the inability to independently confirm it means it's just as likely that it's not true.
Dynamic Glare Reduction Science June 8, 2011 By Glenn Pew Inventor Chris Mullin, with help from the Air Force, is developing smart sunglasses that identify the brightest spots in a wearer's field of view, dynamically darken that specific area, and follow the light source, leaving the rest of the view less affected. The glasses work by putting liquid crystal displays in the lenses themselves. That technology is coupled with a pinhole camera sensor and programming built into the frame. Together they identify glare and react by applying more sun filtering to the LCD in that area of the lens, even as the wearer turns his or her head. In practice, wearers see a dark non-opaque spot hovering over the sun, or any other source of glare that exceeds a programmed threshold. The prototype is still relatively bulky and may challenge popular fashion sense, but the concept has earned attention (and funding) from the Air Force.
Delta Upsets Returning Soldiers June 8, 2011 By Glenn Pew Delta Air Lines worked to rebound from negative publicity Wednesday after soldiers returning from Afghanistan aboard a Delta flight appeared in a YouTube video explaining they were charged $200 each by the airline for carrying extra bags. Part of the problem appears to be that the soldiers understood their travel orders to mean they were authorized to check up to four bags free of charge. The airline says active military are allowed to check three bags free of charge while flying in coach. The soldiers say the airline collected a total of at least $2,800 from the 34 soldiers on the flight. Delta later offered an apology. Click through to hear the soldiers explain the problem as they perceived it at the time, in their own words.
Novel Approach To Bird Conflicts June 8, 2011 By Mary Grady Bird strikes are a perennial problem for aviators, but in Santa Barbara, Calif., airport managers found that improving bird habitat near the airport actually helped prevent bird-aircraft conflicts. Workers reconfigured a 10-acre wetland area to restore tidal flows. They found that the new habitat attracted small shorebirds such as sandpipers, which tend to fly in low numbers close to the ground and rarely head inland across the runways. In contrast, the unrestored area had provided only seasonal standing ponds, which attracted migratory waterfowl such as Canada geese and mallards, which often flew across the runways. The habitat change has reduced the number of wildlife strikes, the airport said, enhancing both aviation safety and environmental preservation.
FAA: Runway Incursions Dropping June 8, 2011 By Mary Grady The number of serious runway incursions has been dropping, the FAA said this week, and in fiscal year 2010, which ended on Sept. 30, there were just six serious incursions, half the number recorded in 2009. Overall, incursions have dropped 90 percent since fiscal year 2000. "The entire aviation community can be credited with the remarkable success achieved in runway safety," the FAA said. Since 2007, the agency has coordinated an "intense effort" to expedite the installation of new technologies at airports, conduct outreach, retrain pilots, develop better air traffic procedures, and improve airport infrastructure such as lighting, signage and markings.
100 Years Of Naval Aviation Celebrated This Summer June 8, 2011 By Mary Grady All summer long, events around the country will honor the 100th anniversary of the start of naval aviation. The centennial marks the U.S. Navy's first purchase of an aircraft, a Curtiss seaplane, in 1911. Celebrations will take place this month during Marine Week in St. Louis and at the Rhode Island Air National Guard Air Show; in July, events are set for Rochester, Detroit, and Seattle, as well as EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh; and in August and September, events are planned for North Dakota, San Diego, Memphis, and more. Details for all events are listed at the Centennial of Naval Aviation web site.
GA Groups Lobby For Kinder TFRs June 7, 2011 By Mary Grady Aviation advocates working with the TSA last year made progress in lessening the impact of TFRs on Hawaii's airport businesses during a presidential visit, and now six GA groups are asking the TSA to loosen its grip nationwide. In a letter (PDF) to TSA Administrator John Pistole, the groups ask for procedures that would allow general aviation operations at near-normal levels while still addressing the security measures necessary to protect the president. Plans already in place at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport allow GA aircraft to share the airspace with the president, the groups said, and those procedures could be implemented elsewhere.
Students Develop Brain-Wave-Controlled Flight Simulator June 7, 2011 By Mary Grady A team of engineering students at Northeastern University in Boston have developed a system that allows a pilot to operate a flight simulator with brain waves. The pilot exerts control of a simulated airplane by looking at specific points on an array of LEDs mounted on Plexiglas in front of a television screen. "Typically, a pilot has a joystick and a throttle and those allow him or her to do a myriad of things," said Mike Nedoroscik, the team leader. "We were able to identify the absolute essential controls and write them into the software. We've been able to achieve up to eight commands, which allowed us to fly the plane and do a couple of flight maneuvers." The project has drawn interest from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and inspired a team at Honeywell Inc. to pursue similar research, according to the university.
GA Groups Challenge BARR Change June 6, 2011 By Mary Grady The Transportation Department's recent decision to dismantle the BARR (Block Aircraft Registration Request) program, which allows aircraft operators to block identifying data from public flight-tracking systems, now faces a legal challenge from general aviation advocacy groups. NBAA, AOPA, and EAA said on Monday they will seek an injunction to prevent the DOT decision from taking effect and will ask the courts to invalidate the new policy altogether. "The DOT ... appears to have simply ignored the thousands of individuals and companies that voiced their strong and principled opposition to this change," said NBAA President Ed Bolen.
Flight 1549 Finishing Trip June 5, 2011 By Russ Niles US Airways Flight 1549, which started out for Charlotte, N.C., on the afternoon of Jan. 15, 2009, should reach its destination in about a week. The fuselage of the Airbus A320-214 that was operated as Flight 1549 that day started the road journey on the back of a flatbed truck to the Carolinas Aviation Museum on Saturday. The aircraft, which was successfully ditched in the Hudson River after multiple bird strikes by pilots Capt. Chesley Sullenberger and FO Jeff Skiles, has been in a New Jersey warehouse since then and was almost auctioned for scrap before the museum launched a campaign to preserve the hull. Sullenberger, who has since retired from the airline and is rumored to be working on a movie about the ditching, will speak at a dedication ceremony for the wreck, which will continue to be a wreck.
SAFE Training Recommendations Released June 5, 2011 By Russ Niles Pilots need a better grasp of so-called "higher-order pilot skills" to reduce the accident rate and improve the appeal of flying as a vocation and as recreation, according to the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE). The organization is proposing six projects (PDF) aimed at working toward those goals. The recommendations result from a two-day symposium on flight training reform involving 148 industry and government leaders in Atlanta in early May. In a nutshell, the symposium determined private flight training is stuck in an instructional time warp in which flight maneuvers and rote memorization dominate the lessons. Airlines, the military and some independent flight schools are adopting new training regimes that emphasize risk management, scenario-based training and other pilot-centric methods, but the symposium agreed that most flight schools have been slow to embrace the new training strategies. SAFE says the six projects proposed by those who summarized the symposium's input and activities can be implemented without onerous regulatory or administrative oversight.
NJ Governor Pays For Chopper Flights June 4, 2011 By Russ Niles New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has paid the state $2,100 as reimbursement for using a state police helicopter to fly to his son's baseball games. The flights occurred early last week and at first Christie said he considered dropping in on the games an appropriate use of the helicopter in his quest to "balance his role as governor and as a father," according to an Associated Press report. He's also going to ask the Republican Party to pay $1,200 for a hop from one of the games to a meeting with fundraisers from Iowa who tried unsuccessfully to get him to run for president.
FCC Says GPS Interference Will Be Addressed June 4, 2011 By Russ Niles The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission says LightSquared will not be allowed to build a broadband Internet system that interferes with GPS. In a letter (PDF) to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-IA, Julius Genachowski says the FCC "will not permit LightSquared to provide commercial service until it is clear potential GPS interference concerns have been resolved" and that "under no circumstances would I put at risk our nation's national defense or public safety." However, Genachowski also chafes at suggestions by Grassley that the tentative decision to allow LightSquared access to the L-band of radio frequencies next to those used by GPS system was done quickly and without due diligence. He said LightSquared's predecessors have had access to the L-band since 1995 and the conditional acceptance of LightSquared's plan to build 40,000 transmitters came at the end of a yearlong process to transfer the license for that slice of radio frequency spectrum from Skyterra to Harbinger, which became LightSquared. He says the GPS industry has been aware of the fine details of the application every step of the way and, at one point, the GPS Industry Council wrote a letter saying that interference problems had been resolved. Now that it's apparent they haven't been resolved, Genachowski says the Commission will "work thoughtfully and carefully through the various interference issues that have arisen."
Santa Monica Suspends Fast Jet Fight June 4, 2011 By Glenn Pew The city council and Mayor Richard Bloom have announced they will not appeal a January ruling that prevents them from banning Category C and D jets at Santa Monica Municipal Airport, but 2015 may still bring a showdown. The city has argued that those larger, faster business jets at the airport present a safety hazard to nearby houses, some of which sit within 300 feet of the airport's one runway. But the airport had agreed when it previously accepted federal funds that it would operate without discrimination. That agreement expires in a few years, and there may be bigger battles ahead.
FedEx pilot Gordon Boettger on Tuesday set the new high mark for glider flight in the northern hemisphere when he covered more than 1,400 miles surfing a mountain wave downwind of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in his 1972 Kestrel 17. The trip was a 13-hour "yo-yo" flight from Minden, Nev., to Minden, Nev. -- meaning it flew back and forth along the primary wave. But Boettger did have one section of 854 miles without a turn. He ran at ground speeds up to 231 mph, flew as high as 28,000 feet and spent most of his time near the glider's 135-knot Vne. At one point, he was at 27,000 feet at Vne and climbing at 1,000 feet/min. "I could have gone to 40,000 feet. It was that kind of day," Boettger told AVweb. "But ATC had me capped at 28." Boettger said the cap probably kept him below most of the airline traffic as it crossed the California/Nevada border for San Francisco International. Records aside, the flight offers some practical advice for pilots of powered aircraft.
Dreaming Of Wind Turbines At 2,000 Feet June 3, 2011 By Glenn Pew Regulations and technological restrictions suggest it may not happen very soon, or at all, but some researchers believe aerial turbines will be tapping high-altitude winds for power generation sometime in our future and perhaps within the decade. For researchers, the mother lode would be to maintain flying electric generators in the jet stream. Scientists estimate the energy there could provide for current worldwide power needs 100 times over, annually. That doesn't mean it could happen and, for now, developers are focusing on developing tethered products for deployment at altitudes below 2,000 feet. According to some, the question isn't "if" these products will start popping up, it's "when." And, for proponents of the technology, the answer to that is sometime within the next five or six years.
System Failure And Cockpit Crisis June 2, 2011 By Glenn Pew The loss of Air France Flight 447 has stirred comments on training and automation, but if you'd like to better understand the in-cockpit dynamics of a commercial airliner flying overseas through storms at night ... here's a closer look. AVweb's Glenn Pew asked Jason Goldberg, a 15,000-hour professional airline pilot who flies long-haul overseas routes, about those flights and what it's like to be there. The conversation isn't meant to explain what happened to Air France Flight 447, or to suggest, or second guess whatever actions were taken by its crew. It's meant to give private pilots and non-pilots an idea of cockpit culture and the flight environment -- and what happens when things go wrong. Click here to listen.
Oshkosh Seeking Charter Permit June 2, 2011 By Glenn Pew Wittman Regional Airport may be permitted to allow Part 139 operations at the airport during AirVenture 2011 but only if talks between local officials and the FAA improve. To accommodate the flights, the FAA says Wittman Field would need to comply with certain FAA requirements (including the installation of a 10-foot fence) and safety standards that local authorities may find cost-prohibitive. Charters would bring visitors directly into Oshkosh. Supporters argue that could bring an economic boost to the city. Two flights are already scheduled and it's not clear if those flights will be allowed to operate under Part 139 airport rules.
Tests Show LightSquared Interferes With GPS June 2, 2011 By Glenn Pew Early testing has shown that a proposed national wireless broadband network system could negatively impact some GPS systems, or worse, and at least one company has already stepped forward to say they can fix the problem. LightSquared, which hopes to install 40,000 antennas across the country, may now face problems winning FCC approval that could also translate into additional costs for its primary financial backer. Meanwhile, a committee that advises air-traffic management policy believes GPS and LightSquared can be made to co-exist. And at least one company thinks it could offer an effective solution.
Young Eagles Day Set For June 11 June 1, 2011 By Mary Grady About 150 EAA chapters around the country will host Young Eagles Day events on Saturday, June 11, EAA said this week. The annual event, which launched in 1994, is a "chance to focus on the program and share the freedom to fly with a new generation," said EAA President Rod Hightower. Many EAA members independently offer Young Eagles flights for youngsters all year round; so far the program has provided more than 1.6 million free introductory flights worldwide. Local events can be searched via the EAA website; just enter your zip code or airport ID to find an event near you.
FAA Will Fine Laser Violators June 1, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA, frustrated by a rise in incidents of lasers pointed at aircraft, said on Wednesday it will impose civil fines of up to $11,000 against violators. "Shining a laser into the cockpit of an aircraft is not a joke," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. "These lasers can temporarily blind a pilot and make it impossible to safely land the aircraft, jeopardizing the safety of the passengers and people on the ground." The FAA said after a legal review (PDF), it has determined it will cite a rule against interfering with a flight crew performing its duties. The agency is also supporting pending legislation in Congress that would make it a criminal offense to point a laser at an aircraft. Pilots have reported more than 1,100 laser events already this year.
Unscheduled Qantas Fuel Stops Raise Questions May 31, 2011 By Mary Grady Qantas says an unscheduled fuel stop on a Pacific island during its new route from Dallas to Brisbane on Monday was due to stronger-than-expected headwinds, but the pilots union has recently accused the airline of pressuring crews to carry minimum fuel to cut costs. The Boeing 747-400ER, flying one of the longest routes in the world at almost 8,600 miles, diverted to Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia. "We're a few weeks into the new route and we'll keep monitoring it," Qantas spokesman Thomas Woodward told the Sydney Morning Herald. "If it becomes an ongoing issue, we'll obviously look at ways of addressing it." A Qantas A380 en route to Melbourne from Singapore also made an unscheduled fuel stop earlier in May, citing headwinds. Meanwhile, deteriorating relations between the company and the pilots union threaten the survival of the airline, according to CEO Alan Joyce.
Alaska Airlines OK's iPad For Cockpit May 31, 2011 By Mary Grady Alaska Airlines is now giving iPads to all of its pilots to replace 25 pounds of flight manuals. "We've been exploring the idea of an electronic flight bag for several years, but never found a device we really liked," said Gary Beck, Alaska Airlines' vice president of flight operations. "When the iPad hit the market, we took one look at it and said this is the perfect fit." By mid-June, all of the airline's pilots will have iPads. The airline is also exploring using the iPad to replace paper aeronautical charts. The airline said the iPad will eventually eliminate up to 50 pounds of paper per cockpit, saving on fuel costs and reducing back and muscle injuries to overloaded pilots.
A New CEO For Cessna May 31, 2011 By Mary Grady Just a few weeks after CEO Jack Pelton left the company, Cessna has a new leader, Scott Ernest, who was formerly with GE Aviation. "Scott is a talented global business leader who has strong expertise in the aviation industry," said Scott Donnelly, CEO of Textron, Cessna's parent company. "Accelerating Cessna's new product and service development, strengthening its manufacturing and sourcing operations, and intensifying its global expansion efforts are key to moving Cessna forward. Scott brings an extensive track record of success in these areas along with a reputation as an outstanding leader. I am confident that he is the ideal person to position Cessna for growth as the business jet market gains momentum."
Congress Extends FAA Funding One Month May 30, 2011 By Mary Grady While aviation advocates continue to lobby for a stable, long-term FAA funding plan, Congress last week agreed to extend current funding for the agency through June 30. The bill is now awaiting President Obama's signature. The obstacles to creating a long-term funding plan, according to U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, are two "poison-pill" provisions that Republicans in the House have refused to remove from their version of the bill. Those provisions call for $4 billion in funding cuts, which Costello says would hurt the U.S. economy and reduce aviation safety, and the repeal of an existing law that protects collective bargaining rights for some airline workers. Both houses of Congress have approved funding bills this year, but their differences must now be reconciled before a final version can become law.
Blue Angels Commander Quits May 29, 2011 By Russ Niles The commander of the Blue Angels has resigned and the team is back in Pensacola for training and practice after an unspecified maneuver was performed at too low an altitude during a show in Lynchburg, Va., on May 22. Navy Cmdr. Dave Koss was "voluntarily relieved of duty" as the elite team's commander and will be replaced by Capt. Greg McWherter, whom Koss replaced as the team lead. "This maneuver, combined with other instances of not meeting the airborne standard that makes the Blue Angels the exceptional organization that it is, led to my decision to step down," Koss said in the statement. The No. 1 aircraft normally leads a flight of four or six F/A-18s through formation maneuvers but the formation breaks for some parts of the show, including the solo performances and the signature cross maneuver. It's not clear whether Koss alone busted the altitude or whether he took the others with him. It's also not been stated just how much too low the aircraft got.
Martin Jetpack Hits 5,000 Feet May 29, 2011 By Russ Niles
The Martin Jetpack went to 5,000 feet May 21 and came back on its emergency parachute in the most ambitious test flight to date. Equipped with multiple video cameras and occupied with a weighted mannequin as a test pilot, the remote-control version of the ducted fan device rose vertically over the New Zealand countryside before the high-revving two-stroke engine was shut down and the ballistic chute was fired remotely. It all seemed to go according to plan, with the apparently undamaged machine and mannequin settling in a farmer's field at a vertical speed of 15.7 mph.
DOT Adopts BARR Rule May 28, 2011 By Russ Niles Aviation groups will undoubtedly turn up the heat in the political arena now that the Department of Transportation has gone ahead with plans to dismantle a system that allows private aircraft owners to block online access to services that track aircraft movements. On Friday, the DOT announced its intention to eliminate the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program, which is used by about 5 percent of aircraft owners to keep others from logging on to flight tracking websites to see who's flying where at any given time. Most of the sites will give a history of flight activity, too. The FAA's new rule will only allow N-numbers to be blocked if the aircraft owner is able to convince the FAA that allowing the public to track their aircraft will create a security risk. However, BARR's future is also part of the deliberations on a new FAA reauthorization bill that is now at the conference stage and its supporters are working the hallways trying to get a law that will trump the DOT rule. Meanwhile, BARR proponents called the new measure a "paparazzi protection rule" and clashed with DOT over whose rights should be protected
G650 Flight Testing Resumes May 28, 2011 By Russ Niles Certification flight testing of Gulfstream's G650 resumed Saturday with an 89-minute flight of serial number 0001. It was the first flight of Gulfstream's new flagship bizjet since the Apr. 2 crash of one of five test aircraft in Roswell, N.M., during takeoff performance testing. Gulfstream said the two-month suspension of flight testing will not affect its schedule for the aircraft. The flight test program is about two-thirds complete. Certification is planned by the end of this year and first deliveries are slated for 2012. Production continued after the accident and the 13th G650 is now under construction.
Amanda Franklin Dies May 27, 2011 By Glenn Pew Airshow performer Amanda Franklin died Friday night in a hospital from complications of burns she suffered in a March 12 crash in Brownsville, Texas. Husband Kyle Franklin announced the sad news in a Facebook posting late Friday. "It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my beautiful girl Amanda passed away at 10:10 central time this evening," he wrote. Kyle and other close relatives were at her bedside. On Thursday Franklin announced that his wife, who crashed with him while performing their wing-walking routine, had been placed on Comfort Care for her final days. Amanda and Kyle's crash had left her badly burned and treatments to combat the damage from the burns, infection and effects on her major organs were no longer effective. She was taken off of most of her life support, with the exception of ventilator, sedation meds and pain meds. "I believe at this point this is what she would want me to do," Kyle said Thursday.
Air France 447 — How Did This Happen? May 27, 2011 By Glenn Pew The pilots of Air France Flight 447 flew the aircraft into deep stall at 38,000 feet, never verbally acknowledged or corrected that condition, and the aircraft fell for more than three minutes at nearly 11,000 feet per minute into the Atlantic, killing all aboard, investigators said Friday. The jet maintained a nose up attitude -- along with an angle of attack greater than 35 degrees -- throughout a descent rate that translates to more than 122 miles per hour of vertical drop. "At no point" on the cockpit voice recorder "is the word stall ever mentioned," Chief Investigator Alain Bouillard said in an interview. The autopilot and auto-throttle disengaged and the pilots recognized failure of the Airbus A330's speed sensors. The pilots took manual control and the aircraft climbed. A stall warning sounded as the jet ascended rapidly from 35,000 to 37,500 feet and by 38,000 feet three stall warnings had activated. Less than two minutes after the autopilot disconnected, the aircraft was at approximately 35,000 feet, with full takeoff thrust selected. The angle of attack had exceeded 40 degrees and jet was falling at about -10,000 ft/min.
Call For Public Benefit Flying Nominations May 27, 2011 By Glenn Pew Nominations are due by May 31, 2011, for awards presented each year by the National Aeronautic Association, in collaboration with the Air Care Alliance, to recognize contributions to public benefit flying. Nominations are accepted for five categories that cover volunteer pilots, volunteers, achievement in the advancement of public benefit flying, teamwork between unaffiliated organizations, and extraordinary support efforts that advance the cause of public benefit flying. Nominations that fall outside of those categories may not be considered. Click through for details.
The Effort To Help Incapacitated Pilot May 26, 2011 By Glenn Pew On May 17, 2011, the pilot of a Cirrus SR22 became incapacitated while climbing for 17,000, through clouds, out of San Bernardino en route to Colorado Springs -- we now have audio of the event. On board the Cirrus, a 70-year-old pilot was flying with his non-pilot wife. They were in daytime IFR conditions when the Cirrus pilot is heard on frequency breathing heavily. He then appears to become incoherent. Shortly thereafter, his wife responds to inquiries from the controller, stating, "I'm trying to help. Hang on." The next 40 minutes of the flight showcase a coordinated effort by the controller, the pilot of a passing Great Lakes Airlines commercial flight, and the non-pilot wife on board the SR22, as they attempt to guide the aircraft away from rising terrain and down to a lower altitude. AVweb has obtained and edited audio (MP3 file) from the event. Click through for more details and to listen in.
WSJ: Air France 447 Pilots Missed Key Information May 25, 2011 By Glenn Pew Sources speaking ahead of an official release of information expected Friday suggest that content collected from the cockpit voice and data recorders of Air France Flight 447 is building a case for pilot error. The investigation has so far implicated pitot tubes, which may have fallen victim to icing at 35,000 feet. But The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that "people familiar with preliminary findings" say that while the pitots did cause sensor malfunctions, cockpit displays functioned normally. Problems with the Airbus A330's pitot tubes led to a series of automation failures, disconnects, warnings and alarms for Flight 447. The sources say that while the crew was working the series of problems, they appear to have missed other essential information.
Panthera: Is This The Plane To Catch? May 25, 2011 By Glenn Pew The first aircraft from Pipistrel's coming Panthera line will carry four people and full fuel for more than 1000 nautical miles, with reserves, at 202 KTAS, while burning 10 gallons per hour -- and it may be the least efficient of the Panthera line. Pipistrel has plans to produce three versions of the aircraft, including the previously described unleaded-ready Lycoming IO-390-powered model; a Panthera Hybrid that includes a 145 kW hybrid-electric powertrain (offering quiet, pure-electric takeoff and landing); and a Panthera Electro, flying with a 145 kW pure-electric system that targets a range of 215 nautical miles. Where the pure-electric version offers apparent compromises, Pipistrel's description of the Panthera Hybrid offers nothing of the kind.
FAA Addresses Test Problems May 25, 2011 By Mary Grady Flight instructors complained when unannounced changes to FAA knowledge tests led to a spike in student failures, and now the FAA has agreed to make changes in one test and revise the grades of students who got some questions wrong. Representatives of AOPA, the National Association of Flight Instructors, several university aviation programs, and others met with the FAA in Oklahoma City for two days earlier this month to discuss the problem. The FAA said it will withdraw six questions from the test bank for the Fundamentals of Instruction test, which is required for all applicants for flight and ground instructor certificates, and will change the grades of students who got the disputed questions wrong. The FAA will also review an additional 12 questions that were identified as ambiguous.
"Pilot Unresponsiveness" Cited In Stevens Crash May 24, 2011 By Mary Grady The NTSB says it can't be sure, but it seems likely that something bad happened to the pilot of the turbine Otter that crashed in Alaska last Aug. 9, killing Sen. Ted Stevens and four others. It's not often that NTSB investigators fail to agree on the probable cause of an accident, but on Tuesday the board wrapped up its investigation of the crash by concluding that the evidence available is inadequate to determine what really happened. The facts available fail to support any single theory above others, NTSB chairman Deborah Hersmann said. "We believe something happened in that cockpit," she told reporters after the meeting. The pilot, Theron "Terry" Smith, had been grounded for two years after a stroke, but had regained his certificate in 2008. The board said Smith, who died in the crash, may have suffered another stroke or seizure in the last moments of the flight, or might have been stressed by the recent death of his son-in-law. A front-seat passenger was asleep at the time of the crash, and the three other survivors could not recall anything unusual that might explain what happened.
Jury Clears Cirrus In Lidle Crash May 24, 2011 By Mary Grady Cirrus Aircraft was not at fault in the accident that killed Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and instructor Tyler Stanger in 2006, a New York court ruled on Tuesday. A six-person jury decided the wrongful-death suit after a four-week trial and three hours of deliberation. "We're gratified that the jury reached a decision that confirmed what the National Transportation Safety Board found and what we have always believed: the SR20 did not cause this accident," said Bill King, Cirrus vice president of business administration, shortly after the verdict was announced. "We very much appreciate the hard work of the jury and the court in this matter. Our hearts are with the Lidle and Stanger families who are still grieving." Attorneys had asked the court to award $40 million to Lidle's survivors and $3.5 million to Stanger's family, alleging that jammed flight controls caused the accident.
WSJ Reveals 'Hidden World' Of BizJets May 24, 2011 By Mary Grady In a page-one story published over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported on the use of private jets as documented by FAA flight records obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests. The FAA released data from 2007 through 2010, including details of privately operated flights that are protected under the BARR program (Blocked Aircraft Registration Request). Once reporters had aircraft registration numbers, they identified owners via the FAA's online database. About one-third of the private-jet trips were to resort destinations such as Aspen and Palm Beach, the Journal said. The National Business Aviation Association wrote in a letter to the Journal that companies need to block their flight data for competitive and security reasons.
Volcano Affects Europe's Air Traffic May 24, 2011 By Mary Grady A volcano in Iceland is sending ash plumes into the atmosphere that are affecting aviation in Europe, but the impact is not expected to be nearly as dramatic as last year's eruption. In April 2010, Europe's airspace was shut down for five days due to volcanic ash, grounding more than 100,000 flights. Since then, flight rules have changed to require much higher ash concentrations before airspace is closed. Also, the consistency of the ash from the current eruption is coarse, so it falls to the ground quickly and is less likely to affect aircraft than last year's fine particles. However, the volcano disrupted President Barack Obama's travel plans -- he left Ireland for London on Monday, rather than Tuesday as scheduled, to avoid being stranded by the ash cloud.
Swift Fuel Moves Forward With ASTM Standard May 23, 2011 By Mary Grady Swift Enterprises, which is working to create an alternative aviation fuel to replace 100LL, said this week it has taken "a large step" forward in the approval process. ASTM International has published a new fuel specification for Swift's UL102 high-octane unleaded test fuel. "This will allow us to test every batch of a fuel to a standard, and verify that it is all the same," PJ Catania, the head of fuels certification for Swift, told AVweb on Monday. That consistency is important for completing the next phase of testing, he said. It also will enable the company to test the fuel in standard airplanes, rather than only experimental aircraft, which will make it easier to gather large amounts of data, Catania said. However, that phase of testing the fuel in standard airplanes is still at least six months away.
GPS Advisory Covers Huge Area Of Southwest May 22, 2011 By Russ Niles A huge area of the U.S. Southwest is under a flight advisory (PDF) warning of potentially unreliable GPS performance as unspecified "GPS testing" is carried out in the area of Truth or Consequences, N.M., from May 27-Jul. 1. It's not immediately clear if the advisory is related to LightSquared's ongoing program to test for interference resulting from its 4G broadband transmitters. As we reported last week, a LightSquared test program began in Boulder City, Nev., May 16 and continues to May 27 and the FAA warned that GPS disruptions might occur within a 330-nm circle around the test transmitter. Above FL 400, the area covered by the latest advisory will cover a circle 640-nm across centered 19 nm from the BVS VOR on the 230.5 radial.
The Long Road To Reauthorization May 22, 2011 By Russ Niles An amendment that some said was stalling progress of the long-awaited FAA reauthorization bill has been withdrawn. Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Bill Shuster's amendment passed the House by a narrow margin on April 1 and would have required the FAA to conduct studies and analyze the possible impact of rulemaking with "a mandate that regulations are based on sound science; an assessment of its economic impact; and a reasoned cost benefit analysis," Shuster said in announcing the amendment. He also said the amendment wasn't aimed at any rule in particular but opponents suggested it was targeted at new crew rest rules proposed by the FAA last year in response to the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in Buffalo in 2009, in which crew fatigue was implicated as a factor. Shuster said Friday his amendment was getting in the way of the broader goal of achieving stable funding for the FAA. "It is apparent that the inclusion of my amendment in the FAA bill may slow down conference negotiations and delay the adoption of this critical legislation to dramatically reform and streamline Federal Aviation Administration programs, modernize the nation's aviation system, and spark much needed job-creation through aviation infrastructure improvements," he said. Shuster's move removes one potential roadblock but FAA reauthorization still faces significant legislative hurdles.
Bill Would Kill Maine Plane Tax May 21, 2011 By Russ Niles Maine legislators are expected to pass a bill (PDF) that will eliminate a so-called use tax on aircraft purchased outside the state but used within it for more than 20 days in the first year after the purchase. Although the current law affects relatively few aircraft, publicity surrounding a few cases of enforcement and attention from AOPA have led to a subtle but detectable boycott of Maine by some private aircraft owners. That, and the creation of an aviation business park and executive airport at the former NAS Brunswick, have focused attention on the tax and prompted bills proposed by state Senate President Kevin Raye and Sen. Stan Gerzofsky that have been merged into the current document. Steve Levesque, executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority (MRRA), the body charged with enticing business and traffic to the new airport, told the Times Record the bill should help rid the state of its anti-GA perception. "There's a black mark on Maine in the pilot community, that really causes us problems. It's pretty unsettling when investors and people who own property here have got to land their aircraft in New Hampshire and rent a car to drive up to their homes or businesses. It's really hurting us from an economic development perspective."
RC Pilot Blamed For Collision With Biplane May 21, 2011 By Russ Niles The NTSB blames the operator of a large RC model for its highly publicized collision with a full-size biplane at a fly-in in Colorado last Aug. 14. In its final report, the board says the RC operator flew the model outside the area designated for RC operations at Brighton Van-Aire Estates Airport before it was struck by the SA 750 Acroduster homebuilt. The NTSB described the biplane's maneuver as a go-around but video shows it was done at high speed and low altitude with airshow smoke on. The biplane's lower wing was damaged but the pilot was able to land safely. The RC model was destroyed. The NTSB said the model was getting out of a vertical prop thrust hover when it strayed over the active runway and outside the RC box, but it suggested organizers of the show shared some responsibility for the incident.
United Airlines' Inadvertent 9/11 References May 20, 2011 By Glenn Pew The advertisement for United Airlines reads "You're going to like where we land." Unfortunately, it was placed above the entrance to a subway stop at Cortlandt Street, in New York City -- with Ground Zero as the backdrop. For those who need reminding, it was United Airlines Flight 175 that struck the south tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Truth be told, United may be significantly removed from the decisions that led to the placement of the advertisement at that precise location. The sign was approved by New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), but the MTA's logo isn't part of the message; United's is. Enough New Yorkers managed to recognize the unfortunate placement that United and the MTA heard about it and the third-party vendor responsible for placing the ad at that location was contacted to take the ad down. That wasn't the only 9/11-related "error" for which United earned attention last week.
Drawing Jet A From A Stone May 20, 2011 By Glenn Pew Shell is betting $19 billion that it can pull natural gas from shale rocks and then convert that gas into diesel fuels, including a Jet A product for aircraft. A facility the company is building in Qatar will reportedly become the world's largest gas-to-liquid plant and could establish technology that would be used on a smaller scale in the U.S. The U.S. has become one of the largest in the world producers of natural gas through the development of shale fields. And the abundance of natural gas derived from those efforts has helped drive down the cost of natural gas versus oil. The price gap could mean that even with costs added through processing, liquid fuel products derived from natural gas would be competitive or even a favorable alternative when compared with traditional oil. But Shell may be looking for something else, too.
FAA NPRM: Airbus Rudder Pedal Inputs May 20, 2011 By Glenn Pew On Nov. 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in Queens, N.Y., killing all 260 on board, plus five on the ground, and now an FAA NPRM aims to address one of the accident's causal factors -- over the next four years. The NTSB found that Flight 587, an Airbus A300 out of JFK for Santo Domingo, had lost its vertical tail in flight, due in part to pilot control inputs, before the aircraft fell out of control. Data suggests the first officer managed to overload the vertical tail with rudder pedal inputs of less than 2.5 inches. The proposed Airworthiness Directive (AD) would incorporate a design change to prevent excessive rudder movement that could lead to overload and failure of the vertical stabilizer. Affected aircraft include about 215 jets, all of which are models of the Airbus A300 and A310. Compliance is required within 48 months after the effective date of the AD. Comments are due by July 5.
NTSB: FAA Medical Oversight "Inadequate" May 19, 2011 By Glenn Pew A 61-year-old helicopter pilot who suffered a stroke in 2006 should have received more attention form the FAA, the NTSB said, before an emergency took place on Dec. 29, because the same pilot couldn't move his arm. The emergency flight took place at night during an emergency medical services trip on a twin-engine Eurocopter. No patients were on board. After suffering the in-flight stroke, the pilot called a controller and requested vectors to a nearby airport. He then failed to recognize the runway and overflew the airport. With more vectors, and the aid of a flight nurse on the flight controls, the pilot managed a hard landing that caused the aircraft $220,000 in damage. The NTSB noted a contributing factor in that accident: "The Federal Aviation Administration's inadequate oversight of the pilot's known medical condition."
Private Tanker Crashes In California May 19, 2011 By Russ Niles Three crew somehow escaped serious injury when their fully loaded Boeing 707 tanker crashed and burned on takeoff from NAS Point Mugu in California late Wednesday afternoon. The airframe is obviously a writeoff. The aircraft was one of two 707-300 passenger aircraft converted to tankers owned by Omega Air Refueling, which has been contracted to the Navy and the Marines for inflight refueling for seven years. The company also has a DC-10-40 converted to a flying filling station
Flying In China -- Illegally May 18, 2011 By Glenn Pew In China it may not always be easy -- or legal -- to fly a general aviation aircraft, but a very small, very select group of Chinese are doing it anyway. There are an estimated 1,000 registered private aircraft in all of China. Among that group, there is a tiny subset of wealthy individuals that chooses to bypass protocol altogether. According to the New York Times, such pilots are called "black fliers" (think "black ops") for their habit of taking flight on the sly. "It's like this -- your family, your wife, won't let you go out and pick up girls. But you went out and did it anyway," Guan Hongsheng, told the Times. "Secret flying is like secret love. You do it, you don't tell people about it." How it works is easy, if imprudent, enough. But not all of the unapproved flights end without consequence.
Gender Shift In Aviation? May 18, 2011 By Glenn Pew The number of women pilots has increased since 2000 by 18.6 percent and the number of those with ATP certificates is up 35 percent while the number of male pilots has dropped, according to statistics updated Monday by the FAA. There were an estimated 42,218 female certificate holders in 2010, which puts the group at 6.7 percent of the estimated total 627,588 certificated pilots recorded by the FAA. Among the ranks of Airline Transport Pilot rated and commercial certificate holders, women jumped from 10,218 in 2000 to 13,755 in 2010. Over the same period, the estimated number of men holding certificates dropped nearly 1 percent and the number of men holding ATP ratings dropped about 1/2 percent. The numbers also show that the advance of women in aviation goes beyond the flight deck.
Spaceship "Feather" Test A Success May 18, 2011 By Mary Grady
The tricky maneuver of re-entry to the atmosphere is a challenge for spacecraft, but Burt Rutan's innovative "feathering" mechanism aims to make it simple and safe -- and now Scaled Composites has successfully tested the technology on its large-scale SpaceShipTwo. The first feathering test was completed earlier this month, and this week, Virgin Galactic posted video footage of the flight. (Click through to watch the video.) "It was a really major milestone for the test-flight program," says Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides in the video. "Today we received confirmation that the basic design of the spaceship is solid." Program manager Matt Steinmetze says, "We dropped it, we folded it in half, and the airplane didn't do anything bizarre, it didn't turn upside down. It did what it was supposed to, so now we've got an entry vehicle. Now we can come back from space."
Airbus FDR Shows No Mechanical Malfunctions May 18, 2011 By Mary Grady Preliminary analysis of the flight data recorder from Air France Flight 447 has not revealed any mechanical malfunctions that would require safety recommendations for the A330 fleet, according to a notice Airbus sent to its customers this week. That notice sparked speculation in the French media that pilot error was the likely cause of the June 2009 crash, but BEA, the French accident investigation bureau, objected to such reports as "sensationalist" and premature. "At this stage of the investigation, no conclusions can be drawn," BEA said in a statement. However, BEA said analysis of the recorders is expected to be key to finding the probable cause of the accident.
Canada Denies Diamond Loan Request May 18, 2011 By Mary Grady Diamond Aircraft will have to find other ways to get the funding it needs, said President Peter Maurer this week, now that the Canadian government has turned down a request for a $35 million loan. The company has been working to find private investors to keep the company and its D-Jet program going while waiting for a decision from the government, but so far nothing is nailed down. The longer it takes, the harder it will be for the company to stay in its current location in London, Ontario, Maurer said. "There are some good, viable prospects out there" to provide the funding Diamond needs, Maurer told the London Free Press, but "it will take time." He said the delay also means more laid-off workers from the D-Jet program will find jobs elsewhere, making it harder to re-start when funding is secured.
U.S. Pilots Convicted In Brazil May 17, 2011 By Mary Grady The two pilots who were flying an Embraer Legacy 600 jet that collided with a Boeing 737 at 37,000 feet above the Amazon jungle in 2006 were convicted of negligence in a Brazilian court late on Monday. The judge said the pilots, Joseph Lepore and Jan Paul Paladino, failed to adequately check that their transponder was working. Federal judge Merilo Mendes gave them a four-year sentence, but then suspended it and instead required them to do four years of community service in the U.S., where they have been since shortly after the accident. The two pilots testified during the trial via video link. Mendes also suspended their pilot certificates for four years. It's not clear whether those suspensions can be enforced.
Aerion Markets Airfoil Technology May 17, 2011 By Mary Grady Aerion Corp. has been refining its supersonic business jet design for several years while seeking a manufacturing partner, and now the company is branching out to offer its proprietary airfoil technology for use in other projects. "Discussions with multiple aircraft manufacturers, especially in recent months, have clearly demonstrated to us that there is demand to expand our services to include our natural laminar flow engineering for subsonic applications," Robert Bass, chairman of Aerion, said this week at the European Business Aviation Conference and Exposition in Geneva. The new branch of the company will be called Aerion Technologies.
Air France 447 Data Recovered May 16, 2011 By Mary Grady Investigators have successfully downloaded all the data from the flight recorders from Air France Flight 447 that were recovered two weeks ago, the French accident investigation bureau announced on Monday. The data includes two hours of cockpit voice recordings and all the information stored in the flight data recorder that monitored the systems of the Airbus A330, which crashed into the Atlantic nearly two years ago while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The recorders were found nearly two and half miles deep. An interim report on the analysis of the data should be published sometime this summer, according to BEA, the French accident investigation bureau.
Solar Impulse Crosses Border May 15, 2011 By Russ Niles Solar Impulse, the entirely solar-powered aircraft based in Switzerland, showed it can go places on Friday by making its first international flight. The gangly craft used only its 12,000 solar cells for power on the 12-hour and 59-minute flight from Payerne to Brussels, a point-to-point distance of 337 miles. There were no reported technical difficulties on the flight, which organizers called a symbolic milestone as they prepare for a solar-powered circumnavigation in a larger aircraft in the future. However, there were some other challenges to overcome on the flight.
Jet Fuel From Wood May 14, 2011 By Russ Niles The dawn of the wood-burning aircraft may be near thanks to an agreement between a California biofuel company and the Province of Ontario, Canada. Rentech Inc. hopes to build a plant capable producing 23 million gallons of jet fuel per year in the small community of White River in northwestern Ontario. It will use 1.3 million tons of wood waste and tree species that are not otherwise used commercially in the Olympiad Project. Rentech won the wood supply in a competitive bidding process and will use the biomass to make Renjet, which it says is the only certified alternative jet fuel currently available. Although 23 million gallons sounds like a lot, the world's jets go through about 12.5 billion gallons of jet fuel each year.
Female-Powered Helicopter Lifts Off (With Video) May 14, 2011 By Glenn Pew
A team of University of Maryland (UMD) students hope that their attempt to capture a record for human-powered helicopter flight with a female pilot is confirmed after a flight of about four seconds, Thursday. Judy Wexler, a 110-pound competitive cyclist (and doctoral candidate in evolutionary biology), took her place at the center of the 100-pound aircraft, Gamera, before cranking and pedaling briefly into the air. The vehicle consists of four rotors, each one 43 feet long, connected by an x-shaped structure of 29-foot truss arms angled up to suspend the seat with pedals and hand cranks at the center. It is 103 feet from rotor tip to rotor tip. Structural components are mostly carbon fiber, balsa wood and foam with mylar covering creating the surfaces of the airfoil. A minimum amount of metal was used. At least two other teams have made previous successful flights of longer duration with male pilots, but no official world records have been recorded by the National Aeronautc Association (NAA), so UMD may claim one. (Videos after the jump.)
FAA Warns Of LightSquared Tests In Nevada May 14, 2011 By Russ Niles The FAA is warning (PDF) that GPS service in a 330 nautical mile circle of Nevada could be "unreliable or unavailable" for six-hour stretches from May 16-27 as broadband wholesaler LightSquared tests whether a signal from one of its proposed 40,000 towers upsets satellite navigation. The test transmitter is 1.6 nm from the Boulder City VOR on the 188.9 degree radial and the warning on the 115-nm radius applies all the away up to FL300. Pilots planning a trip through there are urged to be extra vigilant about NOTAMs as there doesn't appear to be an advance schedule for the tests. "The NOTAMs discussed in this advisory may change with little or no notice," the FAA warns. " Pilots are advised to check NOTAMs frequently for possible changes prior to operations in the area. NOTAMs will be published at least 24 hours in advance of any GPS tests. As we have reported extensively, LightSquared is proposing to build a network of broadband Internet towers across the U.S. that will use a band of radio frequencies right next to those used by GPS satellites and receivers. The FAA notice appears to be using an abundance of caution.
Controller Error And NATCA's Public Relations Video May 13, 2011 By Glenn Pew
On May 11, the National Air Traffic Controllers national office uploaded a video to YouTube titled "I Am A Professional" in support of the work done by controllers each day, following national media coverage of controllers sleeping on the job. The video begins with a man identified by on-screen text as "Steve - Miami 20 Years Experience" saying, "You don't know my name and you don't know my face, but you recognize the work I do each day." The video includes a collection of controllers and text (i.e., "More than 70,000 flights take off and land safely every day") that convey the importance of the work, the sheer numbers involved and the professional commitment of controllers. The video may be publicly aired elsewhere, according to NATCA. Also this week, the Inspector General told a Senate subcommittee that controller errors rose 53 percent last year. There may, however, be a simple and arguably positive explanation for that. (Video after the jump.)
Diamond Funding Decision Imminent? May 12, 2011 By Glenn Pew The president of Diamond Aircraft, Peter Maurer, says his company's future may depend on a $35 million loan from the government of Canada, that the decision will be made when the Prime Minister announces a new cabinet, and that should be soon. The loan would ensure jobs and allow Diamond to begin production of its single-engine five-seat D-Jet. Maurer is hoping that the election of a majority Conservative government will bring stability to the local political climate and allow progress to be made within the next few days or weeks. Maurer has warned that without the funding hundreds of laid-off workers may not be recalled.
Proposed Changes To Pro-Pilot Training May 12, 2011 By Glenn Pew FAA head Randy Babbitt has called the proposed rule changes rolled out by the FAA on Wednesday "the most significant changes to air carrier training in 20 years." The package of rules, which generally aim to address and correct poor performance in practice, reformat the schedule of training and training techniques, and focus on team-oriented (and even specific route) training, are unlikely to take effect for years. First, the FAA will collect, review and address concerns and consideration from the industry players themselves through comments accepted through July 19, 2011. More pilot-oriented regulatory proposals from the FAA over the next few months.
Industry Responds To CA 100LL Suit May 11, 2011 By Glenn Pew News of the California environmental group Center of Environmental Health's (CEH) intent to sue California avgas suppliers was met Wednesday with some no-nonsense opposition from GAMA, a member of the General Aviation Avgas Coalition. GAMA argued in a statement that state-level action on the matter is basically a non-starter. The organization said "Congress has reserved to the Federal government," via the FAA, "the right and responsibility to regulate all aviation activities in the U.S." If allowed to proceed, GAMA suggests that a state-level lawsuit could lead to "a patchwork of state regulations governing fuels pilots may or may not use in their piston-powered aircraft." And, says GAMA, federal agencies are already addressing the problem of leaded aviation fuel. CEH is not worried about the jurisdictional issues. In a podcast interview with AVweb, CEH's Director of Research Caroline Cox says there's nothing in the California law the group is using that gives the Feds an exemption. She also said the group's prime motivation is to be a player in the eventual elimination of lead in avgas and won't necessarily pursue the suit if it believes discussions are headed in the right direction. However, if it does go to court and the oil companies and FBOs lose, CEH will get a 25-percent share of any civil penalties imposed and she said that provision is part of the funding strategy for the small ($1.7 million annual budget) non-profit organization.
The (Stealth) Blackhawk Crash May 11, 2011 By Glenn Pew The reason a stealthy version of the MH-60 Blackhawk crashed during the May 1 raid that killed Osama bin Laden includes the vortex ring state phenomenon, according to officials, but helicopter crashes in the Middle East are far from uncommon. Hot air close to the ground and the aircraft's proximity to the high walls of the compound could have caused that thin, hot air to be driven by propwash up the walls and then down through the rotor, causing the vortex ring state. With those conditions, the helicopter would have lost lift and settled with power, which is what officials say happened. The resulting hard landing immediately altered the original plan for SEALS to fast rope to the ground from a hovering aircraft. They fared better than they might have. In Iraq, only IED explosions and being shot by the enemy rank higher than U.S. helicopters for killing American soldiers, according to the Armed Forces Journal. And 80 percent of the helicopter accidents occur without the intervention of hostile forces. That said, the military helicopter crash rate is actually better than that of GA aircraft.
Learn To Fly Day Aims To Attract New Pilots May 19, 2011 By Mary Grady The second annual International Learn to Fly Day, which is organized by EAA, aims to provide free introductory flights and encouragement to adults curious about aviation, with events at airports around the world. This year's event is set for Saturday, May 21, with close to 200 sites participating. Many airports and flight schools host an open house for the day, to reach out to the community and invite those who have always wanted to fly to try going up in a small airplane. Last year's inaugural event drew more than 40,000 people. Sites are easy to find via the Learn to Fly Day web site; just type in your zip code to find events near you.
Volunteer Pilot Sought For Belize Flight May 11, 2011 By Mary Grady LightHawk, a nonprofit group of pilots who volunteer to help the cause of conservation, is looking for a special pilot and aircraft to make an unusual flight. "We have an urgent need to find a jet to transport some rare falcon chicks to Belize," in Central America, spokeswoman Bev Gabe told AVweb this week. The trip is planned for June 5 or 6, from a breeding facility in Sheridan, Wyo., to Belize City, where the birds will be released into the wild. To volunteer, the pilot must have a minimum of 1,000 hours of flight time, and the jet must be able to carry 650 to 1,000 pounds of payload (passengers and cargo).
Signs Of Change? Piper, CitationAir Upbeat May 10, 2011 By Mary Grady A "substantial" bump in sales of the Meridian turboprop helped drive an upward performance trend for Piper Aircraft in the first quarter of this year to $26 million in billings, the company said this week. The Meridian sells for more than $2 million, and Piper delivered seven in the first quarter 2011, compared to only two in the first quarter 2010. Although delivery numbers declined from 30 to 26, aircraft billings overall were up more than 40 percent over last year's first quarter, due to a higher proportion of more expensive aircraft sold. "Strenuous efforts" by the company contributed to the improvement, said Piper CEO Geoffrey Berger. CitationAir also said this week it is recalling all of its furloughed pilots. The company, based in Greenwich, Conn., had placed 85 pilots on furlough in 2009. All of those pilots have now been offered their jobs back, the company said, and 53 have already returned.
GAMA Report: Piston Shipments Up May 10, 2011 By Mary Grady In the first quarter of this year, 188 piston aircraft were delivered by U.S. manufacturers, compared to 166 in the first quarter of last year, a 13-percent increase, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported on Tuesday. "This good news may be indicative of the start of a recovery in the traditional markets that we hope will accelerate," said GAMA President Pete Bunce. However, business jet deliveries failed to show growth. Shipments were down 22 percent, with 166 deliveries in the first quarter of this year, compared to 188 last year. Just 56 turboprops were delivered, a 6.7-percent decline. "This has been a very difficult year to date as a result of the slow economic recovery in North America and Europe," said Bunce. A U.S. tax provision that allows 100-percent expensing might help turn things around, he added.
Scaled's Latest: Pilot-Optional Spyplane May 9, 2011 By Mary Grady
The latest design from Scaled Composites, a military reconnaissance aircraft that can fly with or without a pilot, was unveiled on Monday by Northrop Grumman, Scaled's parent company. The aircraft, called Firebird, took about a year to develop and has already flown several times at the Mojave spaceport. It was one of the last designs to be overseen by Scaled founder Burt Rutan before he retired last month. The airplane features several innovative systems, such as an internal payload bay that eliminates the need for external pods and makes it easy to quickly load and unload a variety of sensors. "It's a real game changer," said Rick Crooks, Northrop Grumman's Firebird program manager. "Firebird is an adaptable system that makes it highly affordable because of the number of different missions it can accomplish during a single flight."
Boeing's Takeoff Torture Test May 8, 2011 By Russ Niles
What happens when you slam on the brakes on a fully loaded Boeing 747-8 at 200 mph with the brake pads worn to bare metal? Not much, it turns out, and that's a good thing. Boeing has released an interesting video of an example of the kind of torture their test planes go through. In this case, the occasion was a worst-case-scenario, maximum-performance rejected takeoff.
St. Louis Tax Collector Targets Aircraft May 8, 2011 By Russ Niles St. Louis County, Mo.'s tax department is targeting aircraft owners in an enforcement campaign aimed at collecting what may be millions of dollars in back property taxes. "We intend to recoup revenue that was owed to this county and has not been paid," Jake Zimmerman, the county's newly-elected tax assessor, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Zimmerman became the county's first elected tax assessor in more than 50 years last month (bureaucrats handled the job in that time) and he's spending a lot of time determining which aircraft owners owe what. It's estimated there are about 700 aircraft based at the county's two main GA airports, Spirit of St. Louis and Creve Coeur. In the spirit of tax assessors everywhere, Zimmerman says it's up to the aircraft owners to prove they've paid the appropriate taxes and if they don't agree with the assessment he comes up it will be up to them to appeal. One of the issues is that since Missouri doesn't register aircraft, taxes on them are "self-reported" by the owners. Zimmerman is now using a variety of methods, including FlightAware data, to determine who owes what. As we reported in March, Sen. Claire McCaskill faced a $290,000 bill for back taxes on the Pilatus PC-12 she and her husband own and the Post-Dispatch reported that she suggested at the time that there were plenty of others who had missed paying the tax.
Air Force Grounds F-22 May 6, 2011 By Glenn Pew Stars And Stripes reported Friday that all 137 F-22 Raptors have been grounded over concerns about the aircraft's oxygen system that may stem in part from a November fatal crash in Alaska. Following the November crash, the stealthy fighter jet has been restricted to altitudes of 25,000 and below. Officials say the restriction is due to recent reports of oxygen system malfunctions and concerns that pilots could be deprived of oxygen during flight at altitude, causing them to black out. At this time it is not clear how long the jets will be offline because currently there is no solution to the problem. The move has been called "temporary." Air Force officials are using the time to investigate potential sources of oxygen system malfunctions on the fighters. Critics of the jet are using the time for other purposes.
Your Circumlunar Opportunity May 6, 2011 By Glenn Pew Space Adventures pioneered the program that has to date launched eight private individuals into orbital space flight and now they're looking to expand their offerings to include trips around the moon by 2015. The company says it has already sold one of two seats available for the flight. It would use a Soyuz-TMA spacecraft with modifications that include the addition of a second habitation module. That module would rendezvous with the spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. Space Adventures has forecast the number of passengers it might help carry into orbital space by 2020 and that number might be larger than you think.
Pilot Training Reform: What's It Gonna Take? May 6, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli The all-purpose, idealistic answer is to start over, according to the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators, which met this week in Atlanta in the first-of-its-kind symposium to improve the quality and delivery of flight education. The practical answer, however, is a lot more complicated than that, according to the recommendations made by individual committees within the SAFE group. Altogether, about 150 flight instructors, examiners and industry educators and vendors attended the symposium and after a day of rapid-fire presentations, the symposium divided into break-out groups to make specific recommendations. More than 20 specific changes were recommended, ranging from improvements in training doctrine, higher standards for instructor refresher courses, better guidance for flight reviews, scenario-based risk management training and a closer look at how simulators of various types might be put to better use in training new pilots and keeping existing certificate holders sharper and safer.
Babbitt: Budget Cuts Are At Tipping Point May 6, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said Thursday that FAA budget cuts may endanger both the agency's ability to oversee "the world's safest aviation system" and may in fact stunt the very economic growth austere budgets are designed to create. Speaking at the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators symposium in Atlanta, Babbitt said safety oversight isn't the only concern. "I'm not going to put safety in a backseat to anything, but then what we do with the other programs? I have said it publicly and I have said it privately, if you reduce these funding levels far enough, we're on the edge of degrading our ability to maintain the world's safest aviation system. We're on the edge of choking the certification of new products. We have a finite number of people and if we furlough several thousand of them, we're not going to be able to bring new products to market," Babbitt said. He added that the agency oversees certification of more than 2200 projects a year and cutting staff will reduce its capacity to do that, creating a cascading economic effect that will cost the industry and the economy jobs. He said the FAA has submitted a "very reasonable" budget, but that the House of Representatives may be looking for more significant cuts.
Finding Air France 447 May 5, 2011 By Glenn Pew The other news of last Sunday, May 1, 2011, included the discovery of a debris field that later led to recovery of Air France Flight 447's cockpit and voice data recorders, and we now know more about how they did it. The Airbus A330 that was Flight 447 was lost with all 228 aboard, in 14,000 feet of ocean, hundreds of miles off the coast of Brazil, on June 1, 2009. When that field was temporarily reduced last year to focus on an area of 770 square miles, it still represented an expanse almost 21.5 trillion times the size of one of the flight's recorders. Mike Purcell, of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, was chief of sea search operations for the mission that ultimately found the recorders. AVweb's Glenn Pew spoke with him Thursday; click here to listen to that podcast.
GA Problem Is GA Solution: Instructors May 5, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli Is a high accident rate due to substandard training a major drag on the growth of general aviation? The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) thinks so and this week in Atlanta, they're trying to do something about it. More than 150 instructors, examiners, regulators and industry experts have convened the society's first symposium to explore ways that the industry might stimulate growth by driving down the accident rate and improving the quality of instruction. "We're in trouble in GA. The fatal accident rate has been flat for more than 10 years. Student starts are way down, student attrition is way up. The result of that is that sales are way down," says SAFE's chairman, Doug Stewart. The group believes that flight instruction quality, delivery and innovation is the fulcrum to change that. In an event-packed Wednesday, the group assembled five panels consisting of instructors and examiners exploring various aspects of flight training -- the good and the bad. In this podcast, SAFE's Stewart explained that the goal is to come away from the three-day symposium with a concrete list of recommendations that the training industry can act upon quickly to reduce the erosion in pilot starts.
Images of what appears to be the tail rotor of one the helicopters used in Sunday's raid on Osama bin Laden's compound at Abbottabad, Pakistan, are hitting the internet, and may be a glimpse at something special. The parts don't appear to come from the standard military catalogue. According to the Army Times, the aircraft "were a radar-evading variant of the special operations MH-60 Black Hawk." That aircraft has hard edges like those on the F-117 Night Hawk and incorporates similar low-observable technology. The Defense Department has said it will not comment on the aircraft used and, not surprisingly, the Obama Administration has not listed an inventory of equipment used in the attack. Click through for images... .
FAA Bill Amendment Stirs Critics May 4, 2011 By Glenn Pew An amendment that passed the House in March and was included in the House version of the bill that funds the FAA would change how regulations are created and has sparked some safety concerns. The amendment's critics include the NTSB and Sully Sullenberger, who believe the amendment would add a level of complexity that could delay, or make more difficult, the passage of safety regulations. The amendment would force the agency to account for the economic impact of proposed regulations. It would also require the FAA to write separate safety rules for airlines, freight carriers, charters and other segments. That, according to critics, could also lead to an uneven level of safety standards being applied to different segments. The industry supports the measure.
FEMA Seeks Volunteer Pilots May 4, 2011 By Mary Grady Many volunteer pilots tried in vain after Hurricane Katrina to offer their services to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help provide relief, but now FEMA is working with AERObridge, an NBAA-endorsed group, to plan ahead for GA support in future emergencies. An exercise is planned for May 13 to 17 to simulate response to a massive earthquake along the New Madrid Seismic Zone, which runs beneath several central states. FEMA needs volunteer pilots and high-wing airplanes with a top speed of 120 knots or less that could be used for surveillance. Activities for the exercise will take place at command posts, emergency operation centers, and other locations in the Washington, D.C., area and the eight states that could be affected by an earthquake in the seismic zone: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas, and Missouri.
CAFE Symposium Explores Future Flight May 4, 2011 By Mary Grady The fifth annual CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium convened over the weekend in Santa Rosa, Calif., bringing together about 30 presenters with an enthusiastic audience to discuss emerging technologies for personal aircraft. Topics included STOL aerodynamics, new sources of energy production, lithium battery developments, flight deck automation, suburbia-based air-taxi systems, high-efficiency motors, quiet propeller designs, and more. The Symposium also provided a forum to introduce the 13 aircraft that will compete in July for $1.65 million in prizes in the Green Flight Challenge, sponsored by NASA. "There was a lot of enthusiasm and networking," CAFE President Brian Seeley told AVweb this week. "We are building a new industry. 2011 will go down in history as the dawn of electric flight."
Hawker Beechcraft: GA Deliveries Up May 3, 2011 By Mary Grady In first-quarter reports released this week, Hawker Beechcraft reported aircraft deliveries in its business and general aviation segments were up compared to the same period last year, but revenues were down. Hawker said it delivered 45 business and GA aircraft in the first quarter 2011, compared to 34 in the first quarter 2010. "We are coming off of a solid 2010 and our momentum into 2011 is encouraging," said CEO Bill Boisture. "While the first quarter is historically a quieter one for the industry, we believe the uptick in our aircraft shipments and increased backlog is evidence of the ongoing demand for our products." Despite higher delivery numbers, however, revenues were down by about $49 million over last year, at $286 million. The company said the decrease was due to a higher percentage of lower-priced aircraft in the 2011 deliveries, plus lower revenues from the sale of used aircraft received as trade-ins.
Air France 447 CVR Recovered May 3, 2011 By Mary Grady A search team has recovered the cockpit voice recorder from Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in June 2009, killing all 228 on board. A remotely operated vehicle retrieved the CVR from the ocean floor, 12,800 feet down, on Tuesday morning, and it appears to be intact and in good condition (more photos are posted online at the French accident investigation bureau). Investigators also recovered the flight data recorder last week, but it is not yet clear how much data, if any, will be recoverable from the two devices after nearly two years submerged at such great depths. The units are designed to withstand impact and immersion, but only for 30 days. French transport minister Thierry Mariani said investigators hope to report on their data-retrieval efforts within about three weeks.
Pelton Leaves Cessna May 2, 2011 By Mary Grady Jack Pelton, the current chairman, president and CEO of Cessna, is retiring, parent company Textron announced on Monday. Scott Donnelly, the CEO of Textron, is now running Cessna, though Pelton doesn't officially retire until June 1. Donnelly, who is based in Providence, R.I., has already been spending a lot of time in Wichita, Textron spokesman David Sylvestre told AVweb on Tuesday, and will be spending more time there until Pelton's successor is named. "We are actively conducting a search, and looking at both internal and external candidates," Sylvestre said. The company is seeing signs of recovery, he said, and the new leader at Cessna "would have to capitalize on that." Cessna's recent quarterly report showed a loss of $38 million, which Donnelly called "disappointing."
Italian Skycar FAA-Certified May 2, 2011 By Mary Grady The name Skycar may evoke images of futuristic "flying cars," but Oma Sud's version, built in Italy, is actually a fairly conventional utility aircraft that just won its FAA certification. "This important milestone for Oma Sud opens the market in the United States," company President Valter Proietti wrote in an announcement on Monday. The piston twin pusher, which was certified by EASA last August, is designed with two seats up front and three in the back. The wide cabin can be adapted to a variety of roles -- air taxi, light cargo, or medevac. A rear access hatch located between the twin tails provides easy access. Proietti gave AVweb a tour of the airplane at EAA Airventure last year; click here to check it out.
Survey: 'IFR' Magazine Wants to Hear Your Thoughts on Lockheed Martin FSS May 2, 2011 By Jeff Van West Do you use Lockheed Flight Service? Did you used to but you don't any more? We're planning to sit down for a chat with Lockheed and want to hear your thoughts before we do. Please take a moment to complete this short survey so your voice can be heard. Hey, you're paying for the service whether you use it or not ... . Click here to take the survey.
Brainteasers Quiz #159: Separation Anxiety May 2, 2011 By Paul Berge
Everyone knows that air traffic controllers keep aircraft from bumping into each other, but just how much separation does ATC provide? That's not an essay question. Instead, separate fact from misconceptions about ATC service in this quiz.
Tu-154 Out Of Control (With Video) May 1, 2011 By Russ Niles
It's not really clear what happened on board a Russian military Tu-154 at a Moscow-area airport but there's a flight crew that's undoubtedly happy to be on the ground after an odd loss-of-control incident last week. The accompanying video, shot by a planespotter, according to Russia Today, shows the aircraft clearly struggling to maintain some semblance of controlled flight. The crew did finally prevail as the plane eventually landed safely.
FAA Reviewing Controller Training May 1, 2011 By Russ Niles FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt has announced his response to the seeming crisis of confidence in the air traffic control system with a shuffle of responsibilities on the top floor of the FAA building. But while it is the sleeping-on-the-job the issue that has made headlines and provided endless material for late-night talk show writers in the past few weeks, the FAA's other announcement addressed a different issue. The agency has formed a panel of independent experts to examine controller training, noting that about a third of the current controller workforce has been hired in the last five years. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association appears, as it has been throughout the last month of controversy, to be in agreement with the changes and to take responsibility for some of the recent gaffes. It is also linking them to training, even though the most notorious sleep- and judgment-related incidents have involved veteran controllers and supervisors. "With any occupation, there are those that don't do the job or act in a way that is appropriate," NATCA's Executive Vice President Trish Gilbert told an online discussion forum of the Washington Post. "The workforce is stretched to its limits with 1/3 of the workforce now having less than 5 years in the FAA (with 2-3 years to certify as a fully certified controller) and many still in training. We believe that the FAA has just started to take the right steps in better screening and training of the ATC candidates."
Rusty Rescued After Crash April 30, 2011 By Russ Niles Against incredible odds, the survivor of a plane crash in an avalanche-prone area of British Columbia's Rocky Mountains was found unharmed Friday and rescuers were rewarded with a wag of his tail. Rusty, a border collie that was on board a Cessna 180 that went down in Yoho National Park near Golden, B.C. last Wednesday, was found near the crash site. His owner, the unidentified pilot, died in the crash. When search crews found the wreckage on an avalanche spillway on a steep slope, they found the pilot's body inside and dog tracks leading into the forest.
Diamond Appeals For Loan Support April 30, 2011 By Russ Niles The president of Diamond Aircraft has issued a public appeal (PDF) for support for his company's bid for a $35 million loan from the government of Canada. In an Op/Ed piece in the London (Ontario) Free Press, Peter Maurer says the company's survival may depend on the politically mired loan request. "The protracted federal government decision process puts the entire London operation at risk," Maurer said in a lengthy explanation of the company's apparently precarious situation. Maurer said the company asked for the loan (he stresses that it is fully repayable) as a last resort when private funding fell through due to the recession. He also stressed that $35 million in private funding has already been committed as has a $20 million loan from the provincial government of Ontario but both are contingent on the federal government contribution. The loan application was made last fall but no decision has been made and a federal election being held Monday has complicated the public debate on the issue. Federal officials have said a decision will be made on the request sometime after the election but won't set a time. Finances aside, the delay is having a potentially far more devastating effect on the company.
He Built A 737 Cockpit In His House? (With Video) April 30, 2011 By Glenn Pew
When Salvador Alvarez Patuel's beloved wife asked him to cut down on real-world flying, he accommodated her ... and built a substantially accurate Boeing 737 flight deck/simulator in his house. To be clear, what Patuel built may be just as impressive as a functioning mock-up of a Boeing 737 cockpit as it is a flight simulator. Patuel is a principal application development manager for Microsoft and has held a private pilot certificate for 15 years. His passion for flying has led to many hours in real Boeing 737 simulators, apart from the one he built at home. That one runs on Microsoft FSX software. But if FSX conjures in your mind images of a keyboard, joystick and computer screen, you're missing the point altogether. Video and more details after the jump.
Air France 447 Data Recorder Found April 29, 2011 By Glenn Pew Wednesday, a remote-controlled submarine was used some 600 miles off the coast of Brazil, nearly 13,000 feet down in the Atlantic, to spot the chassis of Air France Flight 447's flight data recorder, with the data module missing -- that module was found, Sunday. The finding has led to hopes that investigators may be able to recover key new data regarding the June 1, 2009 crash that killed all 228 aboard. The recorders onboard the Airbus A330 in this case were manufactured by Honeywell International and store hundreds of parameters, and the company says they were designed to withstand 1,500 G's and depths of 20,000 feet -- for 30 days. BEA (Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety) officials had previously said that if the cylindrical data module could be found, there is still a good chance it will contain retrievable data.
Sully To Congress: Be Careful With FAA Cuts April 29, 2011 By Glenn Pew Retired captain Chesley Sullenberger warned in an interview published Thursday by the DailyBeast.com that cuts to FAA funding may have an impact on safety and that the government should be forthcoming about potential consequences. According to Sullenberger, cuts could translate to reductions in staffing at regulatory agencies and represent a decision to accept something less than the highest standards. He said such cuts would lead to an increased risk that someone will come to harm who otherwise would not have. Sullenberger stated that the industry has made a promise to passengers that it will do the best it can, even when that is not easy, expedient, or inexpensive. He also raised concerns about pilot fatigue regulation.
Solar Impulse To Fly To Paris Air Show April 28, 2011 By Glenn Pew The prototype manned solar-powered aircraft, Solar Impulse, is being prepared in Switzerland for a first international trip that could begin as early as May 2, with a leg to Brussels, followed by a trip to the Paris Air Show. The aircraft has been designed to demonstrate solar technology by flying continuously day and night on solar power and solar energy stored in its batteries. Solar Impulse's first flight took place in 2009. It has since undergone various system and flight tests and been flown through a continuous 26-hour-plus period without using fuel. The planned first leg of the coming flight will take the aircraft to Brussels by May 23, where it will be displayed from May 23 to May 29. The arrival coincides with "Green Week," which is "the largest annual conference on European environmental policy," according to the Solar Impulse team. The aircraft will then continue on to Paris-Le Bourget for a stay at the Paris Air Show, June 20-26. Challenges faced by the team won't be found solely in the air.
Court Overturns Maine Use Tax Assessment April 27, 2011 By Russ Niles The Supreme Judicial Court of Maine has ordered the state to repay a Massachusetts aircraft owner about $26,000 after overturning a lower court ruling to do with the state's controversial use tax. As we first reported in 2007, Steve Kahn bought a Cirrus SR22 in 2003 and registered it in his home state. He used it to visit property he owns in Maine and for Angel Flight volunteer missions. After noting his tail number in Maine, state authorities invoked the use tax, which essentially levies sales tax on goods brought from outside the state and used within it. In a split ruling, the majority of court panelists ruled Kahn gets his money back, but that might not be the case for others testing the use tax.
French Controller Killed In Tower April 27, 2011 By Glenn Pew The head air traffic controller at EuroAirport, in Mulhouse, France, was found at 8 a.m., Wednesday, stabbed to death on the 11th floor of the tower, outside of the control room itself. The airport is located in northeastern France, near the borders of Switzerland and Germany, and operates 70 flights daily, with 20 different airlines. It saw 4.3 million passengers in 2007. The control tower is located in a "secure" area of the airport, where access is restricted. The controller's body was found between the elevator and a staircase that leads to the control room. Police say the victim, a 34-year-old father of one, had worked at the airport since 1998 and that evidence suggests the attack may have been personal.
Cory Lidle NY Cirrus Crash Trial Begins April 27, 2011 By Glenn Pew Lawyers put forth opening arguments Wednesday in a $50 million wrongful death suit against Cirrus Design over the October 2006 crash that killed Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his instructor Tyler Stanger. The two men were flying a Cirrus SR20 north along what was then the New York East River Class B exclusion area on the east side of Manhattan. The aircraft initiated a turn to the west to reverse course, drifted over Manhattan, descended, and impacted the face of a 520-foot apartment building at 333 feet above the ground. Lawyers arguing on behalf of Lidle's widow, who brought the suit, said that the aircraft's control system failed to provide adequate control throughout the maneuver. "If you can't control the airplane, you can't be at fault," said the plaintiff's attorney Todd Macaluso. Lawyers for Cirrus offered a different point of view, as has the NTSB. And a 2007 Cirrus mandatory Service Bulletin, and other issues, may complicate the court case.
Alaska Kids Build A Plane April 27, 2011 By Mary Grady A group of students at Chevak High School, located on the remote Alaskan tundra, worked together over the winter to build a Rans S-6s Coyote II experimental aircraft from a kit, and flew it for the first time on March 24. "The aircraft was beautifully built and was obviously the pride of the aeronautics class at the school," John Davis, a Designated Airworthiness Representative who flew in from Anchorage to inspect the airplane, told the Alaska Dispatch. Ryan Walker, a teacher at the school who is a CFI and A&P, bought the kit and guided the class as they built the aircraft. The project, which was sponsored by Build A Plane, AvSTEM, Rans, and others, was inspired by a similar project in nearby Hooper Bay, a Yu'pik Eskimo village.
New Bill May Protect California Flight Schools April 27, 2011 By Mary Grady A California law passed in 2009 that aimed to protect students from losing their tuition if a school closes down now may exempt flight-training facilities that don't collect up-front tuitions, NATA said this week. A bill providing the exemption was passed on Monday by a state senate committee. "This, however, is only the first step in getting relief for flight training into law," NATA said. The 2009 law imposed "burdensome requirements" on all providers of flight training, NATA said, including annual fees and numerous administrative chores, including a requirement to allow annual audits. An extension was passed last year to allow flight-training providers until July 2011 to comply, giving GA advocacy groups more time to try to work out a long-term solution.
NTSB Reports Flaws In 737 Rivets April 26, 2011 By Mary Grady NTSB inspectors examining parts of the Southwest 737 fuselage that ruptured in flight on April 1 reported Monday that they found some rivets didn't fit properly into their holes, and some of the holes were slightly offset or irregular in shape. While the NTSB update was purely factual, with no analysis, The New York Times said that according to experts, the findings may reveal manufacturing defects. "It means the assembly was wrong, it means the wrong tools were used, it means they were careless in drilling the holes, and maybe the drill was dull," John J. Goglia, a former NTSB member, told the Times. Rivet holes that are irregular in shape would not disperse the stress of pressurization/depressurization cycles as evenly as a perfectly round hole would, Goglia told the Times. Boeing had no comment on the report.
NATCA Pushes For Controller Naps April 26, 2011 By Mary Grady The controllers' union and the FAA for the most part have presented a united front in responding to recent incidents of controllers caught sleeping, but on Friday, NATCA suggested that controllers on overnight shifts should be allowed nap breaks, which Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has opposed. "I don't expect to walk into a break room and see controllers napping, period," he said in an interview last week. NATCA President Paul Rinaldi said the FAA needs to implement all the recommendations of a NATCA-FAA fatigue work group that spent 18 months researching the problem. Those recommendations include allowing "recuperative breaks" on the overnight shift of up to two and a half hours. On Monday, NTSB member Mark Rosekind, an expert in fatigue issues, said research has shown short naps of 20 to 30 minutes are effective in keeping workers alert. "[Nap breaks] should be on the table for consideration," Rosekind told reporters at a briefing, the Associated Press reported.
Cessna Shows First-Quarter Loss April 25, 2011 By Mary Grady Despite an increase in revenues at Cessna, the company showed an operating loss for the first quarter of this year, parent company Textron said last week. Revenues were up about 26 percent compared to the first quarter of last year, but low production and delivery levels led to an overall loss of $38 million, compared to $24 million last year. Part of the loss, paradoxically, registered because fewer customers canceled orders, resulting in fewer forfeited deposits to boost the bottom line. Higher engineering and development costs also contributed to the losses, as well as inflation, the company said. Textron CEO Scott Donnelly called the performance "disappointing." He said improvement is expected "as volumes recover and the impacts of our continuing cost reduction and productivity programs take effect."
737 Crew Got Close To Cirrus: NTSB April 24, 2011 By Russ Niles The NTSB says a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 came within 100 feet and a tenth of a mile from a NORDO Cirrus SR22 over central Florida March 27 when the crew was asked by air traffic controllers to check on the condition of the Cirrus's occupants. Initial reports said the planes came within 1.2 miles of one another in the incident, which is one of a number of controller-related issues dominating the FAA's public agenda these days. In a preliminary report issued Friday, the NTSB says a fair amount of effort went into the reconnaissance mission.
Diabetes Flight Reaches Pole April 24, 2011 By Russ Niles There's plenty to do flying a Beech Baron to the North Pole, a place where no Baron has been before, but Douglas Cairns had one more hourly task that most pilots don't have. "Another hourly 'cockpit check' was blood sugar testing, and with additional continuous glucose monitoring, I was delighted to see blood sugars remaining in a tight and good range for flying," Cairns reported after completing a 13-hour round trip from Barrow, Alaska, to the Pole last week in his Diabetes Polar Flight. Cairns is a former Royal Air Force pilot who lost that job when he developed Type 1 diabetes. He's since embarked on a worldwide campaign to raise awareness and money for diabetes research. Cairns fought headwinds all the way to the Pole but the weather was otherwise good for the record-setting flight.
Indian Probe Nets 19 Fake Pilots April 24, 2011 By Russ Niles So far 19 airline pilots, including six captains, have been fired as a result of a government investigation into India's corruption-plagued aviation oversight system and the probe is only half complete. The Indian government is trying to restore confidence in its burgeoning air transport sector with the probe, which has uncovered widespread bribery, cheating and falsification in pilot testing and records. 'You really are messing with people's lives if you are messing with a pilot's licence," Neil Mills, CEO of SpiceJet, told the Sidney Morning Herald. As we reported last month, pilots have been discovered in airline cockpits without the required ratings, but the investigation is revealing the problem is not isolated and may actually be systemic.
Lambert Field Back In Business, Weather Permitting April 23, 2011 By Russ Niles St. Louis Lambert Field was back in limited operation Saturday after a powerful storm, perhaps packing a tornado, caused extensive damage and resulted in injuries to at least four people Friday. Notams warn of debris, missing signs and unserviceable equipment. About half the exterior glass of Concourse C was blown in, trucks and delivery vehicles were toppled, and a passenger aboard an aircraft parked at the gate said it was picked up and moved about 20 feet by the winds. Damage is in the millions of dollars and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay told KSDK he hopes the airport to be at 70 percent capacity by Sunday and fully operational by midweek. Early Saturday, the airfield was open and one terminal was handling flights but power was being supplied by generators and lines were not expected to be fixed until late Saturday.
Liberty Consolidates Its Facilities April 22, 2011 By Glenn Pew Casual observers at the headquarters of Liberty Aerospace in Melbourne, Fla., Friday may have sparked rumors that the operation is closing down, but Liberty President Keith Markley told AVweb that the company is just consolidating facilities. AVweb spoke with Markley by phone Friday. Markley said Liberty has given up leases (which were expiring) on two buildings to consolidate and lower costs. That means moving from five buildings to three. "It's a big project," he said, adding, "We're open for business, though things may look like they're in disarray for two to three weeks." Markley said he's heard rumors before, and while sales have slowed, industry-wide, year-over-year sales figures are improving. As for Liberty, "We'll continue to operate and do whatever it takes to control and maintain costs," he said. He also noted a bright spot.
Extreme "Unboxing" Video Goes Airborne April 22, 2011 By Glenn Pew
YouTube videos have used aviation to sensationalize unrelated products through viral marketing campaigns and the like, but this "Extreme Unboxing" of a cellphone by TheNextWeb.com takes product description to new heights ... with consequences. For the uninitiated, unboxing videos on the web generally do what they say. Usually, a techno-phile sits at a desk, opens up a boxed product, and describes its contents while (if you're lucky) sharing some insight about the product's specifications, operation, and competition. As such, they tend to be rather dry and of limited appeal. It seems reviewers at TheNextWeb.com have realized this because, instead of a desk, they chose the cockpit of an Extra aerobatic aircraft flying in full-flail mode to unbox a new cellphone. The results are, perhaps, predictable -- we don't learn much about the product and pilots might enjoy the video, anyway. Click through ... .
Appeals Court Overturns Cirrus Ruling April 22, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Minnesota Court of Appeals has overturned a 2009 ruling that ordered Cirrus to pay $14.5 million to the families of two SR22 crash victims based on the assertion that Cirrus failed to properly train them. The new ruling found that there was "no support in the law" for the notion that it was Cirrus' obligation to train the Cirrus pilot, Gary Prokop, to pilot the aircraft "proficiently" prior to the 2003 crash. Further, it found that proficiency training provided by the company "undoubtedly promoted the safe use of the SR22" and materials provided to purchasers of Cirrus aircraft provided instruction relevant to the circumstances of this case. However, in the court's published opinions, one judge offered clear dissent.
Training Missile Drops Fin On Truck April 21, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Navy has confirmed that one fin from a captive air training missile came loose from its perch on the wing of an F/A-18C Hornet, fell from the sky, and embedded itself in the hood of an unoccupied truck in Virginia Beach, Va., Thursday. There were no injuries associated with the accident, which took place shortly before noon near an intersection by a shopping mall. The missile itself, which carries no live explosives, fuels or propellants, stayed with the aircraft, which landed safely at Naval Air Station Oceana. Local news outlets were quick to note the episode wasn't entirely unique.
Jetman Meets Grand Canyon, May 6? April 20, 2011 By Glenn Pew Weather permitting, Friday May 6, Yves Rossy, strapped to his roughly six-foot, four micro-turbine-powered, carbon composite wing will make his attempt to negotiate a section of the Grand Canyon, in Arizona, according to Popular Science. The flight will reportedly take place somewhere in the Canyon's western area and could pass within 700 feet of spectators, but the exact route has not yet been announced. This flight, like Rossy's previous flights across the English Channel and over Lake Geneva, will launch from an aircraft and land via parachute. Rossy's rig and his control over it have evolved since he first flew the wing in 2006. In November of 2010, Rossy looped and rolled a 2-meter rig after jumping from a balloon at 7,875 feet. And we have the video to prove it.
NTSB: GA Fatalities Decline For 2010 April 20, 2011 By Glenn Pew The NTSB Wednesday released its preliminary annual aviation statistics for 2010, and while U.S. scheduled Part 121 airlines and Part 135 commuters suffered zero recorded fatalities, GA's numbers, though improved, were less fortunate. Year over year, general aviation accidents declined. Out of 1435 GA accidents in 2010, 267 were fatal, resulting in 450 deaths, including three on the ground. On-demand operators, a category that includes medical, charter, air taxi, and air tour flights, saw an overall decrease in accidents from 47 in 2009 to 31 in 2010, but that trend went against the segment's fatality statistics. On-demand operators suffered an increase from two fatal accidents in 2009 to six in 2010. Accidents per 100,000 hours follow after the jump.
Safety Efforts Aim To Reach Volunteer Pilots April 20, 2011 By Mary Grady A new online course addressing safety issues for pilots who fly medical transport flights for charity should be ready by later this summer, Air Care Alliance President Lindy Kirkland said Saturday at the group's annual meeting, in Providence, R.I. The course is one step the ACA is taking to address safety recommendations issued by the NTSB last year in response to several fatal accidents that occurred in 2007 and 2008. The 45-minute course, which is being developed with support from AOPA's Air Safety Institute, should be ready in time for EAA AirVenture in July, Kirkland said. He also said more than 200 volunteer pilots attended a "safety stand-down" hosted by the NTSB last month at its training center in Ashburn, Va.
Swift Fuel Tested In Beechcraft Duke April 20, 2011 By Mary Grady
Swift Enterprises is testing its alternative aviation fuel in an unmodified twin-engine Beechcraft Duke in Europe. The airplane took off for the first time with Swift Fuel on April 10 and was on display last week at the Aero Friedrichshafen trade show in Germany. "The B60 Beechcraft Duke is an excellent platform to demonstrate Swift Fuel because the engines require high-octane fuel," said Mary-Louise Rusek, president of Swift Enterprises. "Many general aviation aircraft demand higher octane levels, which 100LL provides. Swift Fuel can meet those octane needs, and lead emissions are eliminated." The Duke is test-flying with standard fuel in the left engine and Swift Fuel in the right engine; click through to watch a short video of the aircraft's first takeoff in Europe.
EBACE Attracts Most Exhibitors Ever April 19, 2011 By Mary Grady With the show still a month away, the organizers of the 11th European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition said this week they have signed up more than 460 exhibitors, making it the biggest EBACE ever. The event, from May 17 to 19 in Geneva, Switzerland, is still accepting more reservations for space. The previous record was set in 2008, when the show attracted 445 exhibitors. The show is jointly sponsored every year by the European Business Aviation Association and the U.S.-based National Business Aviation Association. Besides vendor exhibits and static displays at Geneva International Airport, the event features workshops about operational issues, news conferences, and educational forums.
Moller Promises Skycar Flight Demo April 19, 2011 By Mary Grady Moller International's Skycar, which has been in development for decades, will be ready to fly at an invitation-only media event on Oct. 11, the company said this week. The M400, fueled by ethanol, will lift off in Vacaville, Calif. "The Skycar has the potential to provide an airborne alternative to a significant portion of the miles now traveled by automobile," the company says. It's powered by eight custom-built rotary engines. According to the company website, the four-seat M400 will be able to fly faster than 350 mph and will be safe, easy to handle, and fuel-efficient. The company said more than 250 members of the press "have already indicated an interest in attending this historic flight."
ATC Supervisors To Monitor Obama, Biden Flights April 19, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA has reportedly responded to the latest air traffic control SNAFU involving a plane carrying First Lady Michelle Obama by requiring flights carrying her and Vice President Joe Biden to be handled by controllers overseen by supervisors. A supervisor is already required to oversee the control of Air Force One. In case you haven't heard, controllers at Andrews Air Force Base ordered a go around Monday evening of the First Lady's C-40, a military version of the Boeing 737 operated by a Guard unit, after it was handed off by the Potomac TRACON about three miles behind a C-17, instead of the required five miles. Officials were quick to point out that there was never any danger of collision and the go around was a precaution. The FAA is interested in knowing how the loss of separation occurred and the TRACON will undoubtedly be a busy place Wednesday morning
Lindbergh Prize Goes To Pipistrel April 18, 2011 By Mary Grady Pipistrel's Taurus Electro won the 2011 Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize for "best electric aircraft" at the Aero Friedrichshafen trade show last week in Germany. The prize, awarded by Erik Lindbergh's nonprofit group, recognized the Electro's "plug and play" electric power system, enhanced by solar panels on the aircraft trailer that allow the system to recharge using clean energy. "The integration and safety features are excellent and can serve as a model for industry standards for electric aircraft," according to LEAP. The prize aims to encourage innovators through recognition, but no cash is awarded. The two finalists for the prize were the Hugues Duval electric Cri-Cri and the Sunseeker II solar airplane.
Nine-Year-Old To Solo Balloon April 17, 2011 By Russ Niles A nine-year-old New Mexico boy is preparing to become the youngest ever to solo a hot air balloon. Bobby Bradley, son of renowned balloonists Troy and Tami Bradley, of Albuquerque, will fly a balloon classified as an ultralight, and therefore has no minimum age requirement for solo flight. The Bradleys insist this is all Bobby's idea and they wouldn't let him fly if they didn't think he was ready. "Like I tell everyone, it's not rocket science," Troy Bradley told The Associated Press. "You heat the air. You let the balloon go up. You let it cool and come down. It's learning to do it with some precision, and that's the amazing thing, he has such a great feel for it. He's got the ability so why not allow him to do it?" Bobby is equally confident in his ability.
Crew Refused Diversion For Heart Patient: Paper April 17, 2011 By Russ Niles A British report alleges a Singapore Airlines crew refused to divert a flight from Singapore to London for a critically ill passenger. The Daily Mail , quoting unnamed sources, says BBC Radio journalist Max Pearson suffered a heart attack shortly after the flight took off from Singapore but the crew refused requests to land so he could get medical attention. The paper says a doctor onboard tended to Pearson for the 14-hour flight. Pearson was taken to hospital on arrival at Heathrow and underwent emergency surgery. He is now recovering at home but the sources say his heart has been permanently damaged. The airline has not commented.
Trade-Oriented Aero Called Successful April 16, 2011 By Russ Niles Organizers of Aero Friedrichshafen say a shift in focus to a trade show attracted business-oriented attendees and benefited exhibitors. The show wrapped up Saturday in the German city and the final tally shows that 33,400 people from 40 countries attended. There were 630 exhibitors in 11 halls. The show eliminated the airshow and shifted the dates to mostly weekdays (Wednesday-Saturday) to attract a more focused clientele. "Exhibitors widely reported making valuable contacts with many new customers from around the globe, as well as being greatly relieved that the level of interest from trade visitors at the exhibition exceeded all expectations," show organizers said in a news release.
Controller Nabbed Napping In Miami: Schedule Changes Coming April 16, 2011 By Russ Niles A controller at the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) was suspended Saturday for falling asleep on the midnight shift. The FAA said in a statement there were no missed calls or any disruption to control services. There were 12 controllers and two supervisors on duty at the time. Another controller noticed the sleeping controller and turned him in. The incident came hours after the midshift crew at the ARTCC was "given a briefing on professionalism and the importance of reporting to work fit for duty," according to a news release posted on the agency's Web site. Meanwhile, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt says the agency is putting a stop to scheduling practices it says contribute to controller fatigue.
TSA Skips Hearing On Pilot IDs April 16, 2011 By Glenn Pew The TSA declined an invitation to participate Thursday in a House hearing to discuss how to improve pilot certificates -- the same certificates that the TSA does not currently accept as valid identification. The TSA was asked by Congress in 2004 to work with the FAA and other agencies to create biometric ID cards for pilots that would serve as secure identification cards and flight certificates. So far, the agencies have failed to come together with a plan. They have instead pursued more limited independent approaches and have not yet implemented a universal solution. A frustrated House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica has reportedly threatened to subpoena TSA Administrator John Pistole "to get some responsiveness" from the agency. The TSA told NextGov.com that it doesn't have oversight of the FAA and "reached out to Chairman Mica to explain its reasons for declining the invitation" to attend the hearing. The FAA, which did attend, offered its own explanations for its slow progress on the matter.
Navy Releases Video Of F/A-18C Landing Fire April 15, 2011 By Glenn Pew
The Navy has released video of the April 11 one-engine landing made by an F/A-18C aboard the USS Carl Vinson and during which the aircraft caught fire. The aircraft had undergone maintenance and was performing touch-and-go's when one engine caught fire and was shut down in flight. Immediately after landing, the aircraft's aft fuselage was engulfed in flames. Flight deck fire crews responded and the fire was extinguished with aqueous film forming foam. The Hornet was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 113 and its pilot escaped the episode uninjured. Crash and Salvage leading chief, Petty Officer Benjamin Bilyeu, said in a military news release, "You can drill day-in and day-out but when the event happens, to actually see the training being as effective as it was, that was incredible and made me proud to be a sailor on the Vinson." Click through for the video.
New Four-Seater From Flight Design April 15, 2011 By Glenn Pew Flight Design unveiled its four-seat, all-composite, strutless high-wing aircraft, the C4, at the AERO 2011 in Germany this week. The design can run behind either a 180-hp IO-360, burning 10.4 gallons per hour in cruise, or a 155-hp single-lever-operated Centurion 2.0 turbocharged diesel that sips just shy of six, according to Flight Design. The C4 is 1320 pounds empty with a maximum takeoff weight listed at 2640 pounds. A whole-airplane emergency parachute system is standard equipment. Max cruise is listed at 160 knots and cruise behind the diesel is good for 145 knots and 1700 nm, according Flight Design. The company says its application for EASA certification was filed in Q1 2011.
GA Airports Coalition Forms April 14, 2011 By Glenn Pew The General Aviation Airport Coalition (GAAC) has now officially formed as a national organization to "preserve and promote our nation's general aviation airports." In a press release, the GAAC said it believes existing advocacy groups are "excellent" but general aviation airports "need eyes and ears on the ground to exclusively look out for policies that impact our airports." It aims to create strength and solidarity among smaller airports and protect them from the potentially damaging influence of outside interests, including federal agencies. It's is up and running online at GAAirportCoalition.org, meets monthly via teleconference and online, and is actively seeking new members.
Krakowski Resigns Over Sleeping Controllers April 14, 2011 By Russ Niles The head of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization has resigned amid the growing controversy over sleeping air traffic controllers. Hank Krakowski, who assumed the post in 2007 after 30 years with United Airlines, quit Thursday morning after meeting with FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. Krakowski didn't have anything to say about his resignation, but Babbitt did and essentially laid the issue in Krakowski's lap. "The last few weeks we have seen examples of unprofessional conduct on the part of a few individuals that have rightly caused the traveling public to question our ability to ensure their safety," Babbitt said, in a prepared statement. "This conduct must stop immediately. I am committed to maintaining the highest level of public confidence and that begins with strong leadership."
FOIA Request Yields Inhofe Landing Details (With Audio) April 13, 2011 By Glenn Pew Newly released audio recordings detail first-hand witness accounts of Sen. James Inhofe's (R-Okla.) October 21 landing on a closed, marked and occupied runway in south Texas, and suggest runway workers may have had reason to fear for their lives. Three separate audio segments have been made available through a Freedom of Information Act request, along with a section of an incident report. AVweb has merged the audio segments into one file and posted the Incident Report page. Click through for direct links.
27 Towers Will Get Second Late-Night Controller April 13, 2011 By Mary Grady Effective immediately, 27 airport control towers that have only controller on the overnight shift will get a second staffer, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said on Wednesday. The decision was made after yet one more solo controller was caught napping. About 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, the pilot of a Piper Cheyenne carrying an ill patient on a medical flight was approaching to land at Reno-Tahoe International Airport and could not get a response from the tower. Weather was clear and the pilot landed safely, according to the Associated Press. The Reno controller, who was out of communication for about 16 minutes, has been suspended while the FAA investigates. "Air traffic controllers are responsible for making sure aircraft safely reach their destinations. We absolutely cannot and will not tolerate sleeping on the job," Babbitt said. "This type of unprofessional behavior does not meet our high safety standards."
Space Shuttle Retirement Homes Selected April 13, 2011 By Mary Grady As the 30-year-old space shuttle fleet neared final flights, aviation museums around the country lobbied to get one for their collection, and this week NASA announced final homes for four of the shuttles. The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Enterprise, the first orbiter built, which is now on display there, will move to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. Endeavour, which will fly for the last time later this month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission, in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Complex in Florida.
Virgin Galactic Hiring Space Pilots April 13, 2011 By Mary Grady Virgin Galactic put out a call for pilot-astronaut applicants this week, as the company ramps up to offer tourism flights into space. Virgin is ready to select three candidates, one to start now and the others to come on board as needed. The pilots will participate in the ongoing test-flight program for WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo in Mojave and later will help launch commercial operations and train new pilots at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Virgin is looking for graduates of test-pilot school with experience flying high-performance jets and large multi-engine aircraft as well as "low lift-to-drag ratio glide experience (e.g. simulated flameout landings) in complex aircraft." Their ideal candidate would have spaceflight experience as well -- a criterion that might not be so hard to meet as NASA winds down its shuttle program, leaving their astronaut corps grounded.
A380 Hits RJ At JFK (With Audio and Video) April 12, 2011 By Glenn Pew
An Air France A380's wing clipped the tail of parked a Comair CRJ 700m, Comair Flight 6293, while the superjumbo was taxiing Monday night at JFK, and spun the smaller jet nearly 90 degrees. No major injuries were reported due to the collision. The same can't be said for the aircraft. Click through for video of the incident along with a clip that includes the audio exchange that followed.
Pilotless Martin Jetpack Flies Seven Minutes April 10, 2011 By Russ Niles The Martin Jetpack flew for more than seven minutes and at altitudes of more than 100 feet last week but there was a dummy at the controls. The New Zealand company put a mannequin onboard and flew the ducted-fan VTOL ultralight aircraft by remote control in the first publicized glimpse of what the device might be capable of doing. Company officials said the remote-control flight was mandated by the rigid safety protocol that aims to make the Jetpack the "safest and easiest-to-fly aircraft" available. It's been more than two years since the device, which uses a high-revving two-stroke engine to power the fans, was demonstrated at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Although it has taken orders, the company is still not firmly predicting delivery dates for the $100,000 machine.
NASA Awards Green Grants April 10, 2011 By Russ Niles NASA is crystal balling about the future shape and performance of airplanes and has awarded more than $16.5 million in research grants to four organizations with specific goals to make flight leaner, greener and more lightning-resistant. Of course, $16.5 million won't result in any flyable developments but NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate in Washington says the wind-tunnel models and computer projections could result in technologies that will fly 20 to 30 years from now. "NASA refers to this time period as N+3, representing technology three generations more advanced than what is in service today," the agency said in a news release.
SJ30 Changes Hands Through Bankruptcy April 9, 2011 By Glenn Pew Emivest Aerospace Corp., formerly Sino Swearingen, won approval from a bankruptcy court Thursday to sell its assets to MT LLC at a deep discount, leaving the future of the struggling SJ30 business jet program temporarily in question. MT's total cost appears to be $5.2 million, made up of a $3.5 million purchase price and $1.7 million in liabilities. It was the best available offer. Emivest vice president, Mark Fairchild, has said he expects MT "to maintain Emivest as a jet manufacturer of the SJ30." But specific plans had not been announced prior to our deadline, though they may become available as early as this week. Until then, anything is possible and not all the speculation has been positive.
Franklin Crash Investigation Update April 8, 2011 By Glenn Pew Investigators have found anomalies with a fuel servo on Kyle and Amanda Franklin's Waco UPF-7 biplane as they probe the March 12 crash landing and fire. The 1940 biplane was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985. That engine was supplied by Tulsa Aircraft Engines, which is one of the few outfits that specialize in repairing the type. The NTSB chose the company's facility to host its examination of the engine. It found that the engine itself may have been capable of functioning normally prior to impact, but investigators couldn't say the same for the fuel servo.
NTSB: No Smoke Or Fire Evident In New Orleans Airbus Emergency April 7, 2011 By Glenn Pew It appeared at first that an onboard fire had led to the emergency landing at New Orleans, on April 4, of United Airlines' Flight 497, an Airbus A-320, but investigators announced Thursday they had no evidence to support that. According to the NTSB, shortly after takeoff an automated system warned the crew of smoke in the equipment bay. But "preliminary examination has not revealed any signs of burning, indications of smoke or other anomalous system findings," according to the NTSB. Plus, the agency says neither the captain or copilot recalled smelling smoke or fumes during the flight and pre-interview reports suggest the cabin crew didn't smell or see smoke, either. What we know is that the aircraft had issued an autothrottle-related message, followed by the avionics smoke warning, which included instructions to land. The captain says he followed the relevant checklist, which led him to shut down some of the aircraft's electrical systems. And then things got more interesting.
NTSB Prelim On G650 Crash April 7, 2011 By Glenn Pew The NTSB has released its preliminary report on the crash last week at Roswell International Air Center Airport, N.M., of a Gulfstream GVI (G650) that killed all four aboard, and Gulfstream has suspended flight activities of its four remaining GVI jets. The NTSB says the jet was performing a takeoff with simulated engine failure and minimum flap settings at the time of the accident. Gulfstream says the accident aircraft had accumulated 425 hours since February 2010 and the GVI test fleet has accumulated 1570 hours to date. Certification and production work will continue, according to the company. Prior to the accident, first deliveries were expected sometime next year. No changes to that schedule have been announced. Gulfstream says it will provide any updates regarding the accident "appropriate with the pace of the investigation." The NTSB's investigation confirms the accident aircraft was engulfed in flame before it stopped. Click through for more details.
Second Controller Caught Snoozing April 7, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli The FAA says it's moving forward to fire a controller caught sleeping on the job at Knoxville's McGhee Tyson Airport in February. According to the Washington Post, the incident was revealed on Wednesday when FAA administrator Randy Babbitt was testifying before a House transportation subcommittee. Babbitt told the committee he learned of it shortly after the widely publicized incident at Washington's Reagan Airport when a supervisor nodded off while working a midshift.
Beach Landing Inspired By TV: Report April 7, 2011 By Russ Niles The 24-year-old pilot who landed a Piper Warrior with two passengers onboard on Rockaway Beach in Queens, N.Y., Monday reportedly told police he got the idea from Discovery Channel's reality TV series Flying Wild Alaska. The show depicts the flying exploits of commercial pilots in Alaska where beach landings are relatively more common than they are in New York. Jason Maloney, 24, of Cornwall, N.Y., hasn't been charged with anything yet but the FAA is likely to have something to say about his decision to set the Warrior down on the famous beach despite an air traffic controller's suggestion that he not. Click here to listen to the ATC tape. In addition to the FAA, NYPD, Port Authority and likely several other organizations, Maloney will have some explaining to do with the plane's insurer.
Frederick Tops Female Flight Drive April 7, 2011 By Russ Niles Frederick Airport in Maryland, home airport of AOPA, earned another distinction during Women of Aviation World Week in March. A total of 22 pilots gave free introductory flights to 185 girls and women to claim the title of Most Female Pilot Friendly Airport in the World. "This accomplishment set a new world record for most girls and women introduced to flying in one day and one location," said organizer Mireille Goyer, a Vancouver, BC, flight-school owner. Most of the flying took place outside the sunbelt but regardless of location there were some gritty performances turned in by volunteers trying to hook girls and women on aviation. For a complete list of winners, click here.
Seawind Says Latest Certification Bid Going Well April 6, 2011 By Glenn Pew According to a press release, Wednesday, Seawind LLC says it has 50 orders for its Seawind amphibian on the books, the design is frozen following successful flight tests and funding is needed to start assembling pre-production aircraft. Seawind says the design went to Ottawa a full year ago to begin flight tests and completed flutter tests there, last month. It plans to install a "stall prevention system" it says will prevent both stalls and spins and continue toward certification. The Seawind 300C is marketed as "the world's most versatile land plane" and "the world's fastest seaplane," but has faced significant challenges, including the loss of a test pilot in 2007.
FAA: Aging Aircraft Policy Under Review April 6, 2011 By Glenn Pew The FAA Wednesday announced it will review its approach to aging aircraft and metal fatigue, after a five-foot gash tore open in the top of a 15-year-old Southwest Airline 737-300, Friday. The agency issued a rule last November that was meant to prevent "widespread fatigue damage." That rule gave manufacturers five years to set inspection plans and allowed airlines six years on top of that to implement those plans. Now, the agency says fatigue inspections must have more aggressive schedules. Monday, the agency mandated inspections for early model 737s. Tuesday it issued an emergency Airworthiness Directive (PDF). The review could result in new guidelines. The Southwest jet had flown 39,781 cycles, which is more than 20,000 cycles short of predicted limits. And there are many older jets flying in North America.
Elektra One First Flight Successful April 6, 2011 By Russ Niles
A German company has successfully test flown a single-seat electric airplane it says will have a range of 250 miles and an endurance of three hours. The Elektra One by PC-Aero flew for about 30 minutes and used less than three kilowatt hours of electricity, according to a company statement. The first flight was conducted March 19 by test pilot Jon Karkow at Augsburg Airport. A second flight is said to be imminent and Norbert Lorenzen will be at the controls. While the Elektra One is intended to be perhaps the first commercially viable electric plane in the single-place sport aircraft niche, PC-Aero CEO Calin Gologan believes it will lead to the development of progressively larger aircraft, including airliners.
Super Hornet Down In California April 6, 2011 By Russ Niles The two occupants of a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet died when the jet crashed about a half mile from NAS Lemoore in central California Wednesday. The Navy told various media outlets the aircraft was on a routine training mission prior to deployment. The crash happened just after noon. The plane went down in a field but it wasn't immediately stated what phase of flight it was in at the time. There was also no word about whether the crew tried to eject.
United 497 Emergency: Effort To Clear Runway Falls Short April 6, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli While the crew of United 497 was struggling with smoke in the cockpit and loss of electrical power to the Airbus A320's instrumentation, ground crews had their hands full, too. The aircraft had just departed New Orleans en route to San Francisco when fire or smoke detection equipment in the cockpit alarmed and smoke began filling the cockpit. The crew immediately requested a vector back to the airport and shortly thereafter declared an emergency. It also requested runway 10/28, New Orleans' longest runway, at 10,080 feet. But the runway was undergoing maintenance and cluttered with numerous vehicles and workers. Despite an urgent request from the tower to clear the runway, it remained obstructed and United 497 landed on the 7001-foot runway 19 instead. Because its steering and braking may have been compromised by the electrical failure, the Airbus departed the runway to one side and came to a stop with the nosewheel mired in mud. All 109 persons aboard evacuated without serious injury. The NTSB reported that one forward slide failed to deploy, but neither the airline nor the safety agency provided any information on the extent of fire damage in the cockpit.
United Flight Lands with Smoke, Dark Panel April 5, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli United Airlines, the FAA and NTSB are looking into an incident Monday in which a United Airlines Airbus A320 departed New Orleans and immediately declared an emergency due to smoke in the cockpit. As the situation progressed, the crew reported that it lost all power to its flight instrument, although the comm radios continued to function. The flight was en route from New Orleans to San Francisco when the incident occurred. The pilot told controllers: "Flight 497 we need to vector back to the airport. We have a smoke issue with the airplane." Shortly thereafter, the crew declared an emergency and landed at New Orleans, possibly with impaired braking and steering, since the aircraft exited the runway and got its nosewheel buried in mud. The emergency slides were deployed and all 105 passengers and crew exited safely.
NYPD, FAA Investigating New York Beach Landing April 5, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli According to New York news outlets, a Piper Cherokee landed on Rockaway Beach Monday evening after the pilot claimed to have "teensy weensy" roughness in his engine. The landing prompted an immediate response by NYPD air and ground units who reported that the three people aboard were not injured. However, a recording of the event captured by LiveATC.net reveals that the pilot asked if he could land on the beach, and when a JFK controller said he could not, the pilot shortly reported both a sick passenger and the rough engine. You can hear the recording here (MP3). The aircraft had taken off from Farmingdale on Long Island, but its destination was unknown. According to NBC News, the landing occurred at Beach 56th St. and Shorefront Parkway.
The final resting place of Air France Flight 447, the Airbus 330-203 that was carrying 228 people out of Rio for Paris, when it crashed June 1, 2009, has been located in the deep sea, several hundred miles off Brazil's northeastern coast. BEA, the French investigative agency, Monday showed pictures of the aircraft's landing gear, two engines and a panel of fuselage. Investigators say bodies are also present at the site, some 3,900 meters below the surface of the Atlantic, and may be recovered. At the time of this report, the aircraft's flight recorders had not been located. Click through for images.
Brainteasers Quiz #158: We Need More Pilots April 3, 2011 By Paul Berge
As the pilot population declines, the Department of Transportation might consider listing Pilotus americanus on the endangered species list. Reverse this decline by recruiting new students who will marvel at your score on this quiz.
Pilots Dodged Busy Street In Emergency Landing April 3, 2011 By Russ Niles Witnesses say the pilots of a CASA 212 appear to have made a last-second decision to avoid landing on an a crowded commuter route and instead hit a brick sound barrier next to the freeway in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada last Friday. One man on the plane died but the two pilots survived with relatively minor injuries. One engine on the aircraft, a highly specialized mineral and oil exploration platform owned by Toronto-based Fugro Airborne Surveys, was reported to have failed when the aircraft was about 12 minutes out from Saskatoon. Fugro spokesman Terry McConnell told the Postmedia News the second engine also failed and there was plenty of fuel onboard. Saskatoon Deputy Fire Chief Dan Paulsen said the pilots apparently did all they could to avoid further injuries. "Where he put the aircraft down it was certainly a great deal of airmanship to avoid any other injuries on the ground, because there certainly was potential for that," said Paulsen.
Flight Design Updates Four-Place Progress April 3, 2011 By Mary Grady Flight Design executives said at Sun 'n Fun last week they will introduce a mock-up of their four-seat fully-certified airplane at the Aero show in Friedrichschafen, Germany, later this month, and will also show it at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh in July. They showed renderings of the design to the press corps at Lakeland. The fuselage shares the high wing and wide cabin of the current CT designs, but with a less dramatic taper toward the tail. It will have fixed gear and "a lot of commonality with the CT," said Matthias Betsch, managing director of Flight Design International. "It will be big and quiet, quite an elegant airplane," he said. The price point should be between $200,000 and $250,000, with a range of about 1,200 nm and 150 kts cruise speed, according to Betsch. Targets are to have a prototype flying next year, with FAA certification by the end of 2012 and production starting in 2013. Betsch said the European version will have a diesel engine, and he will have more information later about engine choices for the U.S. market.
Belite Introduces Fuel-Water Probe April 3, 2011 By Mary Grady A small probe that can fit into an aircraft fuel line, detect water in the system, and alert a pilot was introduced at Sun 'n Fun last week by Jim Wiebe, CEO of Belite Aircraft. The system is still undergoing testing, he said, and he intends to have test and reliability data available at EAA AirVenture later this summer. "It will be for sale at Oshkosh, at a price to be announced," he said. The price will be affordable for the homebuilt and ultralight market, he said, and he expects the probe will also be available for light sport and certified aircraft. Wiebe said he came across the water-detection technology by accident while working on another problem.
NARCO Avionics In Liquidation April 3, 2011 By Russ Niles NARCO, an iconic company that started making avionics long before they were called avionics, has closed and is apparently in bankruptcy. The company, which started in 1945, has darkened its website except for one page, which contains this message: "Due to circumstances beyond our control, we regret to inform you that after over 65 years in business, Narco Avionics, Inc. has closed. A trustee will be appointed shortly to oversee liquidation of assets and assure return of Customer's property, such as Customer's Radios sent to Narco for service, as soon as possible. We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience this causes and thank all loyal Narco Customers, around the world, for their loyalty over all of these years! Please monitor this web site as informational updates will be provided as soon as possible."
G650 Crash Update: Crew Was Doing Takeoff Tests April 3, 2011 By Mary Grady The crew of a Gulfstream G650 test aircraft that crashed at Roswell, N.M., on Saturday morning had been conducting takeoff tests, according to Gulfstream. All on board -- two pilots and two flight engineers -- were killed. The aircraft had been in the pattern for a couple of hours, FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford told EAA over the weekend. Skies were clear and winds were light from the southwest. "The plane had just lifted off when the right wing struck the concrete. The plane hit the ground again and the landing gear collapsed," Lunsford said. The airplane skidded for some distance and slid to a stop about 40 feet from the control tower. The aircraft was destroyed by fire. Gulfstream released a brief statement on Saturday confirming the crash. On Sunday evening, the company released the names of the four men who died. "We mourn the loss of our colleagues and friends and extend our deepest sympathies to their families," said Joe Lombardo, president of Gulfstream Aerospace.
Gulfstream 650 Down, Four Dead April 2, 2011 By Russ Niles A Gulfstream 650 test aircraft went down near Roswell, N.M., killing all four people aboard. According to the Savannah Morning News, the plane, which is in the final stages of certification flight testing, crashed at the airport. The accident killed two pilots and two engineers, all believed to be Gulfstream employees. Initial media reports paint a confusing picture of what happened, although it appears the plane became briefly airborne on takeoff before hitting the runway hard and collapsing the gear. Photos from the scene show a large amount of smoke. Gulfstream was expected to issue a statement late Sunday. The 650 is the company's flagship intercontinental aircraft and it has 200 orders for the $65 million plane. First deliveries were expected in 2012.
'Aviation Consumer' Hangar Survey April 2, 2011 By Jeff Van West
Do you hangar your aircraft? Do you wish you could hangar your aircraft? Do you wish someone would rent that #$^% empty hangar you still own? Please take a moment to share your thoughts (or rants) in Aviation Consumer's survey. Thanks. Click here to take the survey.
Southwest In-Flight Fuselage Rupture (With Video) April 2, 2011 By Glenn Pew
Southwest Airlines Flight 812, a Boeing 737 carrying about 118 people out of Phoenix for Sacramento, Friday, diverted to Yuma Marine Corps air station in Arizona after an in-flight fuselage rupture caused rapid decompression at 36,000 feet. Passengers who called in to local news stations said a six-foot-long gash opened with a loud bang in the top of the cabin. They said the sky was visible through the opening and that some passengers lost consciousness during the rapid descent to 11,000 feet. According to Southwest, a flight attendant was the only one aboard to have suffered an injury. One passenger who saw the flight attendant speculated that the crewmember may have broken his nose. The NTSB has sent a Go Team to investigate the fuselage rupture. Video and pictures shot by passengers are available after the jump.
Rutan Set To Retire April 1, 2011 By Glenn Pew Burt Rutan announced through a November 2010 Scaled Composites press release his plans to retire in April, 2011, and that day has come ... but there may be at least one more aircraft up his sleeve before he goes. Rutan's career began in earnest in 1974, with a $15,000 loan from his father and an idea to build a more efficient, more affordable aircraft. By 1975, his VariEze arrived on the homebuilt scene. Thirty-six years later he's known as the man who designed Voyager, the piston-engine aircraft that flew around the world, unrefueled; and SpaceShipOne, the first privately produced manned vehicle to reach space. At 67 years of age at least 45 of his designs have been built and flown. And at least five of them have been put on display at the Smithsonian. Rutan has set markers of achievement that have been recognized well beyond the circles of aircraft builders, pilots and the aviation community that calls him one of their own. He was set to retire quietly, as early as Friday, but has publicly stated we'd see one more design before he does.
Bombardier Business Boom March 31, 2011 By Glenn Pew Strong demand from the corporate sector, plus interest from emerging countries and high-net-worth individuals, translated to a sharp rise in fourth-quarter profits at Bombardier that have so far continued in 2011, the company has reported. The company earned 88 net orders in the last quarter of 2010 and most (74) were for business jets. That compares to 33 orders, including just seven for business jets, placed during the same period just one year prior. The surge was followed this year by an order for 50 aircraft from NetJets. Executives at the company forecast that 2011 should bring 150 orders, in total. If the company's recent good fortune serves as a bellwether for others, that forecast may do as much to lift spirits as the outlook from some market analysts.
HondaJet Records 425 KTAS March 31, 2011 By Glenn Pew Honda Aircraft Company announced that an FAA-conforming prototype HondaJet recorded 425 KTAS at 30,000 feet, on March 11, exceeding the company's performance goal of 420 KTAS for production models. The jet is currently participating in system, handling and in-flight mechanical tests at the company's world headquarters in Greensboro, N.C. Michimasa Fujino, Honda Aircraft President and CEO, said the jet has exhibited "excellent control harmony and stability" in early flight tests and the HF120 engines have shown "carefree handling." A second conforming aircraft has already undergone multiple structural tests, while a third and fourth aircraft are currently being built. Meanwhile the company is preparing for more changes at Greensboro.
Barron Thomas Faces Fraud Charges March 31, 2011 By Glenn Pew Well-known Arizona-based aircraft broker, Barron Thomas, 55, and his mother, 78, are facing charges after allegedly receiving more than $8 million over 16 years by way of fraudulent short-term investment programs. A pre-trial conference has been set for May 11. State attorney general Tom Horne says Thomas placed an ad in Trade-a-Plane soliciting contributions of no less than $25,000 from investors. The investors thought they were taking part in short-tern investment or loan programs. But a cease and desist order that included an order for restitution and penalties, filed Jan. 4, alleges it was more of a ponzi scheme.
RunwayFinder, FlightPrep Settle Lawsuit March 30, 2011 By Russ Niles RunwayFinder owner Dave Parsons says he'll return contributions made to a legal defense fund now that he and the owners of FlightPrep have settled a patent infringement lawsuit out of court. He's also clearly signed a confidentiality agreement with FlightPrep, which was the flashpoint in his well-publicized battle against the suit, launched by FlightPrep late last year. "Sorry, but I can't comment," he said in response to an AVweb e-mail inquiry about the settlement Tuesday. "I will say that if anybody feels upset by the outcome, I'm refunding donations by request." As we extensively reported in December and January, RunwayFinder was initially determined to fight the infringement suit and try to dismantle the patent itself. The lawsuit has now gone away but the status of RunwayFinder's application to the Patent Office to revisit the patent is not clear. FlightPrep did not respond to our request for comment by our deadline.
Cash, Gold And A GV: Congo Situation Resolved March 30, 2011 By Glenn Pew Passengers and flight crew of an Arcadia Aviation-managed Gulfstream V held against their will in the Democratic Republic of Congo since Feb. 4 have been released after an investigation by authorities there. The event began with reports that attached the flight to a business transaction involving significant quantities of gold and cash. That was followed by reports that the crew and passengers had been stopped on the runway and directed from the aircraft at gunpoint, by officials. The copilot and flight attendant had been freed earlier, and with the rest of the participants heading home, Arcadia is now calling the event a "misunderstanding."
Controller, 737 Crew Suspended After Cirrus Intercept March 29, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA said on Tuesday it is investigating an incident in which a Southwest 737 crew allegedly flew too close to a Cirrus at the request of a controller. The incident took place about 5 p.m. on Sunday, when a controller in the Central Florida Tracon asked the 737 crew if they would check on an SR22 that had been out of radio contact for over an hour. The Southwest crew approached the Cirrus and told ATC they saw two people in the cockpit, then turned away. About 30 seconds later the Cirrus pilot contacted Jacksonville Center. Both aircraft landed safely at their destinations. "Preliminary information indicates that there was a loss of required separation between the two aircraft," the FAA said. The controller, who is a supervisor, has been suspended. Southwest also suspended the flight crew pending an investigation.
Diamond Cuts Staff Pending D-Jet Funding March 29, 2011 By Mary Grady Peter Maurer, president of Diamond Aircraft, said this week he has laid off 213 workers at the company's facility in London, Ontario, while waiting for a decision on a loan from Canada's government. "We are disappointed and frustrated in the extreme to have to take this action," Maurer said in a news release on Monday. "We had deferred these cost-cutting measures as long as possible, while awaiting a positive response to our request for a federal government loan. At this time we are still awaiting a formal response." The job cuts mostly affect workers in the D-Jet program, which has stalled in the face of increased costs and delays. The project is more than 60 percent complete, Maurer said, and if the government financing will come through, he will recall all the laid-off workers and get the program "back on track."
FAA Mandates Controller Wake-Up Calls March 29, 2011 By Mary Grady Reacting to last week's incident at Reagan National Airport when a sleeping controller supervisor failed to respond to radio calls from two airplane crews late at night, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt has announced an "interim plan" that he says will ensure it won't happen again. The plan requires controllers at radar facilities to contact towers where a single controller covers the overnight shift to confirm they are ready when an incoming flight is approaching. Babbitt also ordered a nationwide review of the ATC system to ensure that appropriate backup procedures are being used. "I am determined to make sure we do not repeat Wednesday's unacceptable event," Babbitt said.
Fatal Crash At Florida Air Show March 27, 2011 By Russ Niles
A member of the Red Thunder demonstration team died Saturday when his Yak-52 reportedly failed to pull out of a maneuver and crashed at the Wings Over Flagler airshow in Palm Coast, Fla. William E. "Wild Bill" Walker was in formation with members of the six-aircraft team when the accident occurred. "He was in a dive when he was supposed to pull, and he didn't pull out for some reason," Roy Sieger, director of the Flagler County Airport, told The Jacksonville News Journal "They did everything by the book, but unfortunately it's one of the drawbacks to this business." The Red Thunder team, made up of Yak-52s and the Chinese version, the Nanchang CJ6, were scheduled to appear at Sun 'n Fun this week. Meanwhile a less serious mishap at a Texas airshow involved the wife of the state's governor.
Sun 'n Fun News Every Day This Week March 27, 2011 By Mary Grady The Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo launches on Tuesday in Lakeland, Fla., promising a full roster of aviation events all week long. AVweb staffers are already on the grounds, compiling news reports, videos, and podcasts for delivery to your inbox Tuesday through Sunday. All of general aviation's major players are here, with news about new products and updates on projects in the works. Cirrus, Garmin, Cessna, Piper, Avidyne and Lightspeed all have news conferences scheduled early in the week, and AVweb will bring you all the details. The show is earlier than usual this year, launching even before April arrives, but the weather promises to be plenty hot, with temperatures in the 80s all week and a threat of thunderstorms just about every day.
Festo's SmartBird Flies March 26, 2011 By Glenn Pew
If you don't know Festo, you don't know the AirPenguin, AirRay, or the AirJelly, and now you'd be missing the masterful bio-mimicry of Festo's SmartBird flight model, which the company says attains "an unprecedented level of efficiency in flight operation." SmartBird is Festo's latest aerial creation: a polyurethane foam and carbon fiber ornithopter inspired by the herring gull. The 6.5-foot-wingspan craft weighs about one pound and is capable of taking off, flying and landing autonomously. Festo says the complex system that powers and controls SmartBird has "succeeded for the first time in creating an energy-efficient technical adaptation of this model from nature." Click through for video.
Congressman Warns About Cirrus Sale March 26, 2011 By Russ Niles A freshman Minnesota congressman is urging the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to use "extreme caution" in assessing the potential sale of Cirrus Industries to the Chinese state-owned China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. Chip Cravaack, who represents the 8th District in Minnesota, which includes Cirrus's home of Duluth, says he's afraid the Chinese will use technology developed by Cirrus for military purposes. "I'm very concerned with Chinese history of reverse engineering," Cravaack told the Northland's NewsCenter. "What they do is take our components and are able use them as dual tech for their military aircraft. We do not need to be sending our technology overseas." Cravaack might be expected to urge caution about the potential loss of jobs in his district but the rookie congressman's military background adds some interest to his pleas before the committee.
F-35 Can't Shake Trillion-Dollar Controversy March 25, 2011 By Glenn Pew In 2008, the GAO estimated (PDF) the cost of buying and operating 2,443 F-35 fighter jets at $1 trillion, and this month The Atlantic magazine noted that fleet would represent a force 20 times larger than Russia's at a cost larger than Australia's GDP. Estimating the cost of a jet is difficult and varies widely -- in part because some estimates factor in design development and future maintenance costs, while others assign single-unit purchase price to the final product. We've seen estimates range from $60 million to $300 million per copy. Whatever the case, the cost is already significant and many participating nations are struggling with budgetary constraints and applying fiscal conservatism, which could force the price per unit up. But not everyone agrees.
New 100-Octane Fuel Additive Shows Promise March 25, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli In the nearly three decades that the GA industry has been searching for an unleaded replacement for 100LL, one recurring question: Isn't there an additive that will provide the octane? Ed Kollin, a petrochemist and consultant to Aircraft Specialties Lubricants, told us this week that there very well may be. After a months-long intensive research project, Kollin said Friday that he has developed an additive that shows promise as a direct replacement for the octane-boosting properties of tetraethyl lead.
Air Force Pilot Gives Up Wings After Flyover March 25, 2011 By Glenn Pew
It was Nov. 20 at the University of Iowa and a pre-game flyover to remember, in part because it was flown at nearly 400 knots and cleared the football stadium's press box by about 16 feet, according to FAA radar records. The four T-38 Talon jets were led by Major Christopher Kopacek, previously of the 25th Flying Training Squadron. In exchange for his cooperation in a legal agreement with the Air Force, Kopacek bypassed a court-martial and received non-judicial punishment. He also submitted a request to give up his wings (an action still pending) and depart the Air Force -- a decision he apparently made prior to the flyover.
Babbitt "Outraged" Over Sleeping Controller March 24, 2011 By Glenn Pew The NTSB is on the case, the controller says he fell asleep, and FAA administrator Randy Babbitt is "personally outraged" following an event that saw two airliners land at Reagan National Airport, without communication from the tower, very early Wednesday. The two jets, an American Airlines 737 and a United Airbus A320, touched down between 12:12 a.m. and 12:26 a.m., with help from Potomac TRACON. The tower controller reappeared on frequency at 12:28 a.m. to provide ground control to the United flight after it landed. In a statement, Babbitt said that "as a former airline pilot, I am personally outraged that this controller did not meet his responsibility to help land these two planes." Transportation secretary Ray LaHood has now ordered a change, requiring a second controller to be on duty overnight at the airport, and the NTSB's investigation is underway and the controller is talking.
Honeywell And Aspen's NextGen MFD March 24, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Aircraft Electronics Association's annual convention has kicked off with a host of new products, including a NextGen-ready "affordable open-interface multi-function cockpit display." The Bendix/King KSN 770 being developed by Aspen Avionics and Honeywell is expected to hit the market by year-end. It's a multi-function display with GPS, comm and nav on a 5.7-inch touchscreen with supporting architecture that, according to Honeywell, "effectively future-proofs" the product. Aspen's contribution to the KSN770 includes Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV), WAAS capabilities, data link weather, traffic, charts, maps, enhanced ground proximity warning (EGPWS) and more.
Reagan National Tower Goes Quiet March 24, 2011 By Glenn Pew A Boeing 737 out of Miami and an Airbus A320 from Chicago landed at Reagan National Airport very early Wednesday morning without contacting anyone in the tower, but not for lack of trying, the Washington Post reported. The inbound flights were handed off from Potomac TRACON to the tower at Reagan National shortly after midnight. When the tower failed to respond, at least one flight requested assistance from Potomac TRACON. Controllers there used a shout line to call over to Reagan Tower. The shout line allows them to speak directly from a loudspeaker in the tower at Reagan National. No one responded. When a pilot asked one TRACON controller why the tower was empty, the controller reportedly replied, "Well, I'm going to take a guess and say that the controller got locked out. I've heard of it happening before." And, apparently, it has, although later reports Wednesday said the FAA was investigating whether the lone controller on duty, a supervisor, simply fell asleep. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood responded to the report by ordering the FAA to assign a second controller to the downtown Washington airport on the graveyard shift and told the FAA to investigate the incident. "It is not acceptable to have just one controller in the tower managing air traffic in this critical air space," he said. "I have also asked FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt to study staffing levels at other airports around the country."
Garmin's New Megaboxes Debut at AEA March 23, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli If everyone in the avionics biz suspected Garmin was about to announce something big, they did exactly that at the Aircraft Electronics Association show in Reno this week. Garmin said its new GTN650 and 750 series hybrid navigators will replace the long-in-the-tooth GNS 430 and 530 products, although those units will remain in production for at least another year.
Sun 'n Fun Opens Next Week March 23, 2011 By Mary Grady The Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In & Expo launches next week in Lakeland, Fla., with a robust schedule of forums, news events, and flight demos. The show, in its 37th year, runs from Tuesday through Sunday, with a celebration of the 100th anniversary of naval aviation, recognition for mission aviation, and the return of the popular Friday night airshow. Other highlights include flight demos by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the F-22 Raptor, programs hosted by NASA Space Shuttle Commander Robert "Hoot" Gibson and former SR-71 pilot Cmdr. Ed Schneider, a seaplane splash-in, and a hot-air balloon launch. Pilots can choose from 450 educational forums and shop for new products from more than 500 commercial exhibitors. AVweb staffers will be there, bringing you fresh news, videos, and podcasts every day of the show.
Crews Critique Travolta Aviation Video March 23, 2011 By Mary Grady
Qantas has introduced a new in-flight safety video hosted by their spokesman John Travolta, which has been criticized by some pilots and flight attendants in online comments as "cringeworthy," "corny," "trite," and "tacky." Some commenters, according to the Telegraph, took offense at Travolta's use of the term "team" instead of "crew." One commenter said the word is demeaning: "It makes us feel like we work at McDonald's." Others said Qantas should have used a "real pilot" in the video, many suggesting as an alternative Richard de Crespigny, who was credited with saving 466 lives after he and his crew safely landed an A380 after an engine exploded. A Qantas spokeswoman told the Telegraph the company has had only positive feedback. "We're really happy with the video and we think it's really engaging," she said.
Art Inspired By Flight, In N.Y. And California March 23, 2011 By Mary Grady A new play about two young French aviatrixes preparing to compete in a long-distance race from Paris to Moscow opened in New York this week. "Flight," written by Robyn Hunt and Steven Pearson, is set in 1913, and follows the two women as they work to assemble a Bleriot XI monoplane. The play opened in South Carolina last year. It's the third installment in a trilogy inspired by the works of Anton Chekhov, integrating art, history and science. Also coming soon is Skydreamers, a photo exhibit that opens at the Autry National Center's George Montgomery Gallery in Los Angeles on April 29. The show features 150 photographs, as well as works on paper, paintings, posters, and memorabilia drawn primarily from the center's extensive collection of art related to the American West.
U-Fuel Offers Sport Fuel Stations March 23, 2011 By Mary Grady U-Fuel, of Eau Claire, Wis., now is marketing "Sport Fuel stations" to small airports. The 24/7 self-service fuel stations, which can hold up to 3,500 gallons of fuel, were designed with input from the nonprofit Aviation Fuel Club, which is sponsored by U-Fuel. Mike Webb, founder of the company, said this week the stations should be a good fit for small- to medium-size airports and can store avgas, Jet-A, or Sport Fuel, U-Fuel's new brand of unleaded, ethanol-free 91-octane aviation-quality auto gas. The pre-fabricated systems are cheaper and easier to install than existing options, Webb said.
FAA Updates "Through-The-Fence" Policy March 22, 2011 By Mary Grady Federally funded airports that now allow "through-the-fence" access for owners of hangar homes on adjacent private property may continue to do so, the FAA said in an interim policy published on Friday. The FAA had moved to stop all such access in 2009, citing economic and security concerns. The interim policy, which is effective immediately, requires airports involved in such agreements to develop a plan that outlines how they will meet federal standards for security, safety, sustainability and nondiscriminatory airport rates. No new agreements will be approved, the FAA said. The policy will be reviewed again in 2014. Dr. Brent Blue, organizer of ThroughTheFence.org, told AVweb the FAA's interim policy fails to address the real issues facing owners of hangar homes.
LaHood Supports GA At Wichita Rally March 22, 2011 By Mary Grady Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told a rally of about 2,000 general aviation workers at the Cessna factory in Wichita, Kan., on Monday that he will advocate for GA in Washington. "I am proud to stand with you, to work with you and to fight with you to make sure that general aviation ... continues to flourish," he said. "You will be one of the leaders in helping the global economy pick up. ... I believe the industry's efforts are crucial to President Obama's goal of doubling exports within five years." The crowd also heard from industry leaders, and state and local officials. Cessna CEO Jack Pelton told The Associated Press that LaHood met privately with GA executives before the rally and expressed support for the industry. "You couldn't ask for a better outcome," Pelton said. LaHood also said he would lobby President Obama to visit Wichita to learn about the GA industry.
L.A. City Council Seeks To Close Flight Schools March 21, 2011 By Mary Grady Responding to complaints from residents about noise and fumes from the Santa Monica Airport, members of the Los Angeles City Council have asked lobbyists in Washington to pressure the FAA to close all five flight schools at the field, change a flight path, and ultimately shut down the airport. The airport is one of the oldest in the region, and over the years residential areas have encroached on the field. "They knew they were moving into a house near an airport, and it cost a little less," Stuart Cook, owner of Skyway Aviation, told the L.A. Business Journal. "It's kind of scary to think they're trying to close the flight schools. We train a lot of pilots that go on to work at airlines." The airport handles about 285 operations a day, and due to local congestion, private jets often spend a lot of time idling on the runway. The flight path changes aim to address that.
Are You Flying with a Continental PowerLink System? March 21, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli
If so, we would like to hear your impressions of the system for a follow-up article on this product, which Continental might be about to take another run at promoting. Drop us a line at pbertorelli@avweb.com, and we'll get back to you.
Boeing's New 747 Flies March 20, 2011 By Russ Niles
Boeing flew its newest airplane for the first time on Sunday but casual observers would be excused from noticing the importance of the event. The 747-8 Intercontinental lifted off smoothly from Everett, Washington's Paine Field for a four-hour and 26-minute flight that ended at Boeing Field in Seattle. Test pilot Capt. Paul Stemer summarized the first flight of the familiar airframe by noting that "any 747-400 crew could have gone and flown this airplane." Nevertheless, the airplane does put some additional pressure on Airbus as Boeing's "new" 747 takes direct aim at the "when is this going to end?" segment of the airliner market with a range of 8,000 nm with a full load of 467 passengers.
ICAS Foundation's Kyle & Amanda Franklin Fund March 20, 2011 By Editor
The aviation community is coming together to help Kyle and Amanda Franklin get back on their feet and eventually back in the air after their mishap at Air Fiesta at the Brownsville/South Padre Island Airport. If you'd like to contribute, click on the banner at right to visit the ICAS Foundation web site.
Amanda Franklin 'Doing Well' March 20, 2011 By Russ Niles Air show pilot Kyle Franklin seems to be in good spirits and is upbeat about his wife Amanda's recovery from serious burns after the couple was involved in a mishap at a Texas airport March 12. In a Facebook posting , which serves as a caption for the accompanying photo, Franklin says his wife is "doing well" as she awaits more surgery. "Me working at my computer, after my auto skin graft," Franklin wrote on his wall. "Amanda's down the hall, doing well. She goes in on Monday for more surgeries." Franklin promised a full update on Amanda's progress shortly. Meanwhile, at least two funds have been established to raise money to help the Franklins recover and rebuild. Click here for the fund organized by the International Council of Air Shows and here for the fund created by the Brownsville Air Fiesta, the show during which the Franklins had their accident.
Diamond's Future Contingent On Loan? March 19, 2011 By Glenn Pew Diamond Aircraft's president, Peter Mauer, is making it sound like the future of the company may be hanging on a $35 million Canadian loan that, as of Friday, may or may not be coming. The loan would help launch production of Diamond's D-Jet, save 200 jobs and create 500 more in London, Ontario, where the unemployment rate is currently near 8.5 percent. Roughly half of Diamond's workforce is currently dedicated to the jet, which has amassed more than 230 firm orders. According to Mauer, without the jet the company's debts would be "very difficult to satisfy" based on depressed piston sales. And "I'll let you do the extrapolation," he told the Financial Post.
Commander Owners Report Cracks March 18, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Commander Owners Group (COG) has received "several" reports from Commander 114 owners about cracks in and around the elevator hinge assemblies and spars, and is encouraging owners to check their aircraft and report their findings. COG does not know if the issue is widespread and is seeking information from the Commander community and asking that they help spread the word. The group is taking a leadership position and offering help to owners by providing a suggested inspection procedure and a survey form to track results. Those specific resources are available online for Commander owners -- click through if that means you.
Re-Registration Deadline Looms March 17, 2011 By Glenn Pew The first wave of aircraft registrations set to expire under the FAA's new re-registration drive are reaching their deadline -- March 31, 2011 -- and the FAA is encouraging affected owners to re-register online, now. If you own an aircraft, you will have to re-register sometime within the next three years. The first group targeted for the $5 fee and paperwork are those owners holding registration certificates issued in March of any year prior to 2010. Owners have a three month window to file re-registration applications, a timeframe that has shrunk to weeks for the first wave. You should be receiving a reminder from the FAA when your time approaches. The FAA has provided online tools to help you check when your turn will come and to help you through the process. Don't do it too early and don't do it too late.
Japan Exodus Puts Premium On BizJets March 17, 2011 By Glenn Pew The nuclear crisis in Japan has some companies pulling staff from the island nation in droves and some private jet companies may not only be cashing in on the business, but increasing prices. COO of Hong Kong Jet, Jackie Wu, told Reuters Wednesday, "Yesterday, a charter plane from Tokyo to Australia, one way, was quoted at $265,000, up 20 percent." Wu said he'd received a request to fly 14 people from Tokyo to Hong Kong and charged a 26-percent premium. Some of the companies working the area have already seen significant business gains from participating in evacuation flights in the Middle East. Charter operator Air Partner says it has moved more than 12,000 people from troubled regions since late January. As demand grows in Japan, some companies are positioning themselves and their equipment to respond and cash in on the work.
Collier Awarded To Sikorsky X2 Team March 17, 2011 By Glenn Pew The 2010 Robert J. Collier Trophy will be officially awarded May 5, 2011, to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. and the X2 Demonstrator Team "for demonstrating a revolutionary 250 knot helicopter." The National Aeronautic Association, which offers the award, says the aircraft "marks a proven departure point for the future development of helicopters by greatly increasing their speed, maneuverability and utility." The X2 demonstrator combines counter-rotating coaxial rotors, fly-by-wire flight controls, active vibration control and integrated auxiliary propulsion. AVweb got an inside look at the aircraft at HAI Heli-Expo in Orlando -- click through for the video. Sikorksy plans to follow the design with S-97 Raider production models based on the technology. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Collier Trophy and Sikorsky faced tough competition.
FAA Ready To Act Re: Japan Nuclear Crisis March 17, 2011 By Glenn Pew The FAA is prepared to take measures in consultation with Japanese officials to minimize the threat to air traffic posed by radiation from Japan's troubled nuclear power plants. The Japanese civil aviation authority has already established flight restrictions to usher civil aircraft around the Fukushima facility in an effort to control the site and minimize exposure. Tuesday, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said "there is no credible information available at this point indicating the need for further restrictions," but that may change. Wednesday, the Japanese response evolved to dropping water on the site from helicopters. If the situation worsens, said Brown, "the FAA is prepared to take air management measures, including the rerouting of air traffic." That possibility now seems more likely.
Aerospace Educators Sought For Crossfield Award March 16, 2011 By Mary Grady The National Aviation Hall of Fame is seeking nominations for the 25th annual A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Education Teacher of the Year Award, which includes a $1,500 cash stipend and an expenses-paid trip for two to the Hall of Fame's annual enshrinement event in Dayton, Ohio. The award recognizes public-school aerospace educators in grades K through 12 for effectiveness, creativity, and the ability to maintain high standards for their students and themselves. The award is named for research test pilot Scott Crossfield (1921-2006), who was the first pilot to exceed both Mach 2 and Mach 3, and the first pilot of the X-15. The deadline for nominations is May 1. Details are posted at the NAHF website. The award is funded by the Scott Crossfield Foundation.
Cirrus on U.S. Bid: "No Comment" March 16, 2011 By Mary Grady Aviation industry analyst Brian Foley said this week he's hoping to organize a counteroffer from U.S. investors that would tempt Cirrus Aircraft to change its mind about its recent sale to China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. Foley told AVweb on Wednesday that when he published a report last week about China's recent investment in U.S. general aviation companies (PDF), he got an "overwhelming response" from e-mails and online comments that suggested to him that the U.S. aviation community "wants this company [Cirrus] to be owned and operated on American soil, period." Foley also told AVweb that he had contacted Cirrus officials about his plan to find alternative investors but so far had not had any response. Cirrus spokesman Todd Simmons told AVweb on Wednesday, "We have no comment at this point."
Owners Want 100-Octane: Fuel Survey March 15, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli With 100LL threatened by environmental regulation, what do owners think should replace it? An unleaded 100-octane equivalent fuel is the most popular choice, according to a recent survey of more than 3100 AVweb readers. Moreover, many owners also want mogas as a second choice, offering some downside protection against escalating fuel prices that have already curtailed flying for many.
NTSB Cites Fatigue, Poor Training In Fatal Crash March 15, 2011 By Mary Grady Pilot error was to blame for the crash of a Hawker Beechcraft 125-800A in July 2008, the NTSB said on Tuesday. The airplane, operated by East Coast Jets, crashed when the crew attempted a go-around after landing on a wet runway at Owatonna Degner Regional Airport, in Minnesota. Both pilots and all six passengers were killed. The captain's decision to attempt the go around late in the landing roll with insufficient runway remaining was the probable cause of the accident, the NTSB found. Contributing factors were poor crew coordination and lack of cockpit discipline; fatigue, which likely impaired both pilots' performance; and the FAA's failure to require crew resource management training and standard operating procedures for Part 135 operators.
Help For Aviators Helping In Japan March 15, 2011 By Mary Grady Relief organizations and business aircraft operators working in the aftermath of Japan's earthquake and tsunami need to navigate a maze of airspace restrictions and airport closures, a challenge that is made a little easier with a list of resources and updates compiled this week by the National Business Aviation Association. Tokyo International Airport is closed to general aviation traffic until Friday, but many other airports are open, NBAA said. Rumors that Japan plans to close all of its airports "have not been confirmed with Japanese authorities," the FAA told NBAA on Tuesday. Aerobridge, an NBAA-sponsored volunteer aviation group that coordinates disaster response, is working to make space available on GA passenger and cargo jets to Japan. The group is also assisting with transportation of small search-and-rescue teams and medical assessment teams.
NTSB Weighs In On MET Tower Hazards March 14, 2011 By Mary Grady A recent FAA proposal that suggested a protocol for marking meteorological evaluation towers to make them more visible to low-level aviators didn't go far enough, the NTSB says. "The NTSB is concerned that the application of the [FAA Advisory Circular] is voluntary, and, without mandatory application and marking requirements for METs, many METs will still be constructed without notice to the aviation community and will fail to be marked appropriately," the board said in a Safety Alert (PDF) issued on Friday. Meteorological Evaluation Towers (METs) are used to measure wind speed and direction during the development of wind energy facilities, and many fall just below the 200-foot threshold for FAA-required obstruction markings. At least three fatal accidents have involved MET tower collisions, the NTSB said, the most recent one in January.
Quest Attracts Equity Investors March 13, 2011 By Russ Niles Quest Aircraft says it has attracted some equity investment that will help it boost production and expand its service network. The company, which certified the highly regarded Kodiak utility aircraft in 2007, did not disclose who the investors are or how much money is involved. The aircraft is a clean-sheet design that was developed by a consortium of missionary flying groups to be a purpose-built back-country airplane for mission work. There are plenty of other applications for an airplane with the STOL and payload capabilities of the Kodiak and they're in service in a variety of roles in the U.S. Canada, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and South Africa. In a statement, CEO Paul Schaller said the new money is part of Quest's long-term plan.
Franklins Injured In Air Show Mishap March 12, 2011 By AVweb Newsteam
Kyle and Amanda Franklin, a young husband and wife aerobatic and wingwalking team, were seriously injured after the Waco Mystery Ship they use in their routine caught fire in flight during a performance at the Brownsville/South Padre Island Air Fiesta Saturday. The Brownsville Herald reports Amanda Franklin was on the wing of the Waco "Mystery Ship" when fire erupted from the engine at low altitude, all of which is visible in video (click through to see video) shot by a member of the audience. Amanda was able to get into a seat while her husband made the best of a very bad situation as the aircraft came down in a wooded area and burned. Emergency crews responded almost immediately, apparently while the aircraft was still coming down. They arrived and drove through the shorter brush to douse the flames. Kyle's worst injuries may have been suffered while trying to remove his wife from flames in the forward cockpit. Amanda was more seriously burned. An update on their condition was posted to the Younkin Airhsow Facebook page (included, below) by Amanda's brother Matt Younkin, who credits Kyle Franklin's decisions and skill as pilot in saving both their lives.
Secret AD Disables Lavatory Oxygen March 12, 2011 By Russ Niles The FAA says it will take comments until April 22 on an airworthiness directive (PDF) that was issued in secret on Feb. 10 to all U.S. airlines with airplanes that have bathrooms. The existence of the AD, which required the airlines to disable the chemical oxygen generators that create oxygen for decompression masks in the lavs, was made public last week after all those who got the February notice had confirmed their compliance with it. About 6,000 aircraft were affected. The agency said in the AD that the systems could "jeopardize flight safety" and that it was in the public interest to have the work done quietly. The FAA didn't say specifically what the hazard is but there are various reports that suggest the action was taken to prevent would-be terrorists from going behind closed doors to turn the bathroom oxygen generators, which are identical to those in the main cabin, into something capable of bringing the aircraft down.
March 5, Jonathan Trappe, like some sort of aerial Willy Wonka, has again taken to the sky in a unique aircraft (this time for a National Geographic special) -- a likeness of the cartoon house from the Disney Pixar movie "Up." "It is certainly the strangest aircraft I have flown," Trappe told AVweb Friday. "But, more than that, it may be one of the strangest aircraft to have ever flown." The roughly 4,400-pound aircraft flew under 282 eight-foot-diameter (at ground level) helium-filled balloons. Trappe says he calculated gross lift for the craft at close to 5,400 pounds. The "house" took off from a private ranch east of Los Angeles, flew for one hour and ten minutes, reached an altitude of 10,500 MSL, and due to variable winds, landed about 10 miles from where it started. Of course, Trappe envisions grander possibilities. The aircraft was very well-equipped, Trappe said, adding "This had the capability to fly across the country on a multi-day flight." Click through for image gallery.
Narita airport was closed and coastal Sendai Airport was flooded by tsunami waves after an earthquake of magnitude 8.9 -- the seventh most powerful earthquake ever reported -- hit northern Japan Friday. The initial quake was centered roughly 81 miles east of Sendai, which suffered meters-high tsunami waves that swept well inland, taking up boats and cars and washing away homes. At Sendai airport, people took refuge on the terminal rooftop. At Guam, two U.S. Navy submarines had to be secured by tug boats after the waves broke them from their moorings. In the Hawaiian islands, CAP launched speaker-equipped aircraft to warn residents. The islands reported tidal surges that flooded some low-lying roadways and hotel lobbies. Exaggerated tidal flows later affected coastal areas from Oregon to California, with some marinas suffering damage.
The Coalition To Save GPS From 4G March 11, 2011 By Glenn Pew A group of representatives from ATA to GAMA announced Thursday they have formed the "Coalition to Save Our GPS" from the potential threat of interference from 4G broadband signals. The FCC in January granted to LightSquared a waiver that allows the company to build 40,000 ground-based broadband transmission stations if it can demonstrate the stations won't cause harmful interference. The coalition says the move reverses the process of test first, approve next, and has put forth a series of recommendations to provide "additional safeguards."
FAA Lowers Ceiling On Eclipse Jets March 10, 2011 By Glenn Pew The FAA has released a mandatory safety directive, effective March 21, that reduces the maximum operating altitude of Eclipse Aerospace EA500 jets from 37,000 feet to 30,000 feet in response to reported engine problems. The AD affects the whole fleet of 259 EA500s that use Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F-A engines. Operators are required to make the change to the limitations section of the airplane flight manual. The FAA says that hard carbon buildup on the static vanes of the engines has resulted in at least six reported incidents of engine surges. Pilots may be forced to respond to those surges by decreasing the power of the affected engine. According to the FAA, that "could result in flight and landing under single-engine conditions" and, if present in both engines, it could require dual engine shutdown.
Stepping Toward Pilotless Aerial Refueling March 9, 2011 By Glenn Pew
Northrop Grumman announced Wednesday that its Jan. 21 flight of an autonomous Global Hawk and a manned Proteus test aircraft sets the stage for autonomous aerial refueling between two unmanned aircraft. The two aircraft flew as close as 40 feet apart at 45,000 feet, which Northrop says sets an industry record. The flight studied wake turbulence effects, engine performance, and flight control responsiveness at altitude. Northrop is working toward a spring 2012 flight that would demonstrate autonomous aerial refueling of two Global Hawks as part of the company's KQ-X program. According to Northrop, that program may be just the tip of the spear. "When you add autonomous flight of both aircraft into the mix, as we will do later in the KQ-X program, you gain a capability that has mission applications far beyond just aerial refueling," said program manager Geoffry Sommer.
The Space Shuttle Discovery has flown 39 missions (the most of any shuttle), traveled 148 million miles and carried 246 crew members over 27 years in service and after landing Wednesday, it started a long journey to retirement, most likely at the Smithsonian. Discovery landed Wednesday at Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the 13-day mission dubbed STS-133. The vehicle first launched on Aug. 30, 1984, and has now spent a total of 365 days in space. It will next undergo a months-long process of decommissioning that will make it safe for transport and storage at its expected final destination, the Smithsonian Institute's Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center. (An official announcement is scheduled for April 12.) A number of museums (possibly as many as 29) are hoping to win one of the remaining two shuttles and some have mounted major investments in support of the cause. Acquisition will come with a cost. (Click through for an image gallery of dramatic Discovery moments and a video of its final landing.)
Rare Warplane To Be Recovered March 9, 2011 By Mary Grady A TBD Devastator war plane that was lost at sea in 1941 has been located off the coast of San Diego, and a Florida museum plans to raise it from the bottom. Capt. Ed Ellis (USN, retd.), head of aircraft restorations for the National Museum of Naval Aviation, in Pensacola, told EAA the Devastator is "the 'holy grail' in terms of naval aviation, and something we'd like to have in this museum." Many of the Devastator bombers were lost in World War II, and today there are none on display. About $300,000 must be raised to move ahead with the recovery. The location of the wreck has been known for about 15 years by A&T Recovery, of Chicago, which has recovered more than 30 airplanes for the museum, mostly from Lake Michigan. The A&T team recently released underwater video of the wreck, which shows parts of the cockpit and fuselage.
China-Cirrus Deal Faces Security Review March 8, 2011 By Mary Grady Cirrus CEO Brent Wouters told The Wall Street Journal this week he expects the deal to sell Cirrus Aircraft to a Chinese firm will pass a national-security review by the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment. The two companies sought the review as a pre-emptive move, to avoid becoming "a political football," Wouters told the WSJ. Wouters said he expects the deal will be approved because Cirrus isn't a high-tech firm with national security-sensitive trade secrets. AVIC, the state-owned parent company of China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., has come under scrutiny in the past for bidding on U.S. defense contracts, the WSJ said. Besides its general aviation interests, AVIC also manufactures a stealth jet fighter.
Cessna To Introduce "Next Generation" Corvalis March 8, 2011 By Mary Grady The next generation of the Corvalis single-engine piston airplane will be introduced later this month at Sun 'n Fun in Lakeland, Fla., Cessna said on Tuesday. The turbocharged Corvalis TT currently in production was originally developed by Lancair as the Columbia 400, and taken over by Cessna a few years ago. It can fly at speeds up to 235 knots, which makes it the world's fastest fixed-gear single-engine piston aircraft. Cessna sold 110 copies of the Corvalis TT in 2008, which fell to 41 in 2009 and just 7 last year, as the general aviation market slowed overall. Details about the new version of the airplane will be announced on March 29, Cessna said, and a mock-up will be on display.
Jack Cox, Aviation Journalist, Dies March 8, 2011 By Mary Grady Justin "Jack" Cox, known for his work as a writer and editor for EAA's Sport Aviation magazine and his own Sportsman Pilot quarterly, died on Sunday at a hospital near his home in Asheboro, N.C. He was 77 years old. Cox worked for EAA from 1970 until his retirement in 1999, serving as editor-in-chief of publications as well as a frequent contributor to Sport Aviation. Cox and his wife, Golda, who also worked for EAA, flew together to many aviation events around the U.S., conducting interviews and writing articles. In 1981, the couple began publishing Sportsman Pilot, a quarterly aviation magazine, which they continued until this year.
Young Eagles Works, Says EAA March 7, 2011 By Mary Grady EAA says its Young Eagles program, which aims to introduce youngsters to general aviation, has been successful at inspiring those youngsters to become pilots. By checking FAA's pilot registry against its list of Young Eagles going back to 1992, EAA said it found that Young Eagles are 5.4 times more likely to become a pilot than those who never participated. "The numbers show that Young Eagles is making an impact on the pilot population that is unmatched by any other single program," said EAA Chairman Tom Poberezny. The EAA analysis also showed that 9 percent of those pilots are female, a gain of 50 percent compared to the overall figure of 6 percent of the pilot population.
Failures Follow FAA Test Changes March 7, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA recently changed its bank of test questions without notice, causing a spike of up to four times the usual rate of failures in recent weeks, according to the National Association of Flight Instructors. The content of test questions was significantly altered, NAFI said, for at least three tests -- the fundamentals of instruction test, which is required for all flight and ground instructors, and the ATP and flight engineer tests. "We fully support the FAA's efforts to improve the quality of the knowledge tests," said NAFI executive director Jason Blair. "However, we're concerned that the test changes were made without any notification to the industry." As a result, he said, the applicants who failed have wasted their time and money -- up to $150 -- and must re-take the tests.
Big Rotary UAV Planned March 7, 2011 By Russ Niles The U.S. Marine Corps has approved development of an "unmanned aerial truck" that is an adaptation of the Kaman Helicopters' K-MAX heavy-lift helicopter. The K-MAX has interlocking twin rotors that eliminate the need for a tail rotor and give the aircraft impressive lifting ability. In its UAV form, the aircraft will be able to lift external loads of 6,000 pounds, which is more than 1,000 pounds greater than the aircraft's empty weight. It's partnering with Lockheed Martin on the project.
Aviation Hiring Rebounding March 7, 2011 By Russ Niles It may be a good time to refresh that resume, as a report released at Heli-Expo in Orlando on Sunday suggests most aviation companies will be hiring in the coming year. The report, by Fort Worth-based JSfirm LLC, is based on a survey of 325 companies of all sizes. "We are certainly encouraged by the fact that nearly 90 percent of companies surveyed expect to hire in 2011, " said JSfirm's managing partner Sam Scanlon.
Brainteasers Quiz #157: Emergencies March 6, 2011 By Paul Berge
Like art, an in-flight emergency is in the eye of the beholder. And if you're holding the throttle attached to a sputtering engine, then it's time to stay calm and fly this quiz.
Earhart Wrecks 2,500 Miles Apart March 5, 2011 By Glenn Pew Two groups are currently suggesting that their site of interest may mark the final resting place of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan ... and they're more than 2,000 miles apart. Thursday's report of an aircraft resembling Earhart's sitting 230 feet below the surface of the ocean comes from near Earhart's point of departure, Papua New Guinea. The site is more than 2200 miles from the area where Earhart's final radio transmissions were heard near Howland Island. Reports surfaced Friday that a diver had been to the New Guinea wreck and discovered two skulls and three boxes of gold bullion. Australian businessman Cletus Harepa, who is exploring the site, has told reporters that female pilots were known to smuggle gold out of the area in the 1930s. Ric Gillespie, who says he was informed of the New Guinea wreck months ago, has been searching for signs of Earhart 2,500 miles away, near Howland Island (Earhart's intended destination) and the idea that Earhart's plane might be near New Guinea is "silly beyond description."
NBAA: FAA Proposal "Creates Vulnerability" March 4, 2011 By Glenn Pew Friday, the FAA proposed changes to the program that blocks certain public access to real-time flight tracking by allowing it only for operators with a "Valid Security Concern," and NBAA immediately opposed the plan. The FAA's proposal notes that "the Privacy Act does not protect general aviation operators" from public access to their flight information. NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said Friday that the move, which would release more flight information to the public, represents "an unwarranted invasion of the privacy of aircraft owners and operators, a threat to the competitiveness of U.S. companies and a potential security risk to persons on board." The FAA's proposed changes would still allow operators to participate in BARR (a program that blocks aircraft registration requests) if certain conditions are met.
Infrastructure Spending, China-Style March 3, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Chinese government has announced plans to invest more than $228 billion to improve its aviation industry over the next five years, according to the head of China's Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC). The improvements translate to the addition of about 45 airports and almost 2,000 aircraft, CAAC's Li Jiaxiang said. China began localized tests to expand general aviation's access to airspace in January. This week, it apparently acquired Cirrus, after signing a deal for Groen Brothers last month and Teledyne Continental Motors last year. Of course, the country already builds Cessna Skycatchers and in 2009 it announced plans to build its own commercial airliners. The latest investment is aligned with the country's current predictions regarding increases in its air traffic and a goal to annually move well more than 1 billion passengers by air two decades from now.
Landing Exposes Fake Airline Pilot March 3, 2011 By Glenn Pew A woman flying as captain for IndiGo has had her certificate revoked after the investigation of a rough landing in January found she had allegedly forged papers to earn her ATPL certificate, according to India's aviation authority, the DGCA. The landing at Goa airport apparently involved a nosewheel-first touchdown technique, which led to a problem with the gear discovered on the return flight to Delhi. (The specific type of aircraft was not mentioned in reports, but IndiGo only operates Airbus A320s.) A subsequent investigation discovered the pilot had not only used her nosewheel-first technique several times before, but had also failed her ATPL examination seven times. The case of forged certificates is not unique.
Earhart Wreck Found? March 3, 2011 By Russ Niles A report from Papua New Guinea says the wreck of an aircraft that might be the Lockheed Electra flown by Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan has been found on a reef near Bougainville Island near Papua New Guinea. The Papua New Guinea Post Courier is reporting "armed men" are guarding the area over a reef off Matsungan Island where an aircraft matching the description of Earhart's plane has been found. Divers are now checking the wreck and inquiries are flooding in from all over the world. There is no word on whether any human remains have been recovered.
Bombardier Lands First And Billion-Dollar NetJets Order March 2, 2011 By Glenn Pew Bombardier, which earned more orders in the fourth quarter of 2010 than it had in the previous nine quarters combined, has landed its first deal with NetJets and one that could be worth up to $6.7 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The new order represents 30 Global 5000 Vision and Global Express XRS Vision jets, plus 20 Global 7000 and Global 8000 jets, with options for an additional 70 aircraft. Deliveries of the first 50 represent about $2.8 billion, would begin in the final quarter of 2012, and could range beyond 2017. That tops off 78 new orders earned by the company in the fourth quarter last year. Bombardier's Chief Executive, Pierre Boudoin, isn't convinced that the orders promise sustained positive change in the business jet segment, and comments from NetJets CEO, David Sokol, may support that.
Daily Mail's Bizarre UFO Over Russia Story March 2, 2011 By Glenn Pew
Video allegedly shot of a Russian radar terminal near that country's eastern city of Yakutsk shows an object traveling at nearly 65,000 feet and more than 6,000 mph, according to UK's Daily Mail, but the part about the cat-alien may be more interesting. The footage of the radar terminal could be explained by simulations generated for the purposes of training, but the cat references require a different theory. According to the paper, controllers (none named) say they "were buzzed" by a "high-speed UFO" and heard "a female-sounding alien who spoke in an unintelligible cat-like language." The paper says one controller told a passing Aeroflot pilot he heard a female voice saying something similar to "mioaw-mioaw." Click through to watch the video. (Note: we weren't able to distinguish any cat-like noises.)
A Comeback For Hydrogen Flight? March 2, 2011 By Mary Grady For decades, lighter-than-air flight via hydrogen gas has been associated with a flaming Hindenburg, but now a handful of balloon hobbyists are hoping to change that and bring hydrogen back. On Feb. 17, balloonists Sam Parks and Drew Barrett flew two hydrogen-filled sport balloons from South Carolina to Virginia. Parks told The Statesville Record & Landmark that the launch was probably the first of its kind in the southeast since the Civil War. He added that one purpose of the flight was to demonstrate that modern hydrogen-filled balloons are safe and practical. The price of helium is getting too high for many sport flyers, he said. The two crews flew for about eight hours.
A New G.A. Engine From Austro March 2, 2011 By Mary Grady Austro Engine, best known for its work supplying powerplants for Diamond airplanes, announced this week it plans to develop a new 280-hp six-cylinder diesel engine for the general aviation market. Austro will work in partnership with Steyr Motors to develop the engine, based on the Steyr Monoblock Motor M1. That engine features an integral crankcase and cylinder head that has proven robust in marine and special-vehicle applications around the world, according to the company. The new engine is intended to power two Diamond aircraft now in the works: the DA50 Magnum, a single-engine five-seat airplane, and the twin-engine Future Small Aircraft (FSA) intended for personal and utility applications.
Scientists Sign Up For Private Space Access March 1, 2011 By Mary Grady Virgin Galactic and XCOR will carry scientists as well as tourists into suborbital space, under new contracts announced this week. The Southwest Research Institute said it will send two scientists into space aboard Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and will fly at least six missions aboard XCOR Corporation's Lynx Mark I spaceplane. The missions will reach altitudes up to 350,000 feet and higher, SwRI said, beyond the internationally recognized boundary of space. Scientists will perform experiments in biomedicine, microgravity and astronomical imaging. SwRI also plans to later fly a dedicated six-seat research mission with Virgin Galactic, and has contract options for up to three additional XCOR flights.
NBAA's Bolen Urges Aviation Investment March 1, 2011 By Mary Grady The U.S. must invest in aviation to ensure future economic growth, National Business Aviation Association CEO Ed Bolen told the Aero Club of Washington, D.C., this week. Aviation will be key to ensuring America's leadership in an increasingly global economy, he said. "Throughout history, great economies and great countries have been defined by their transportation systems," Bolen said. "In America, the 21st Century will also be defined by transportation, and the key mode will be aviation." Bolen outlined five priorities he felt the aviation community must support: FAA reauthorization, funding for NextGen, reduction in aircraft emissions, a continued emphasis on security, and a robust General Fund for aviation.
Cirrus Acquired By Chinese Company February 28, 2011 By Russ Niles Cirrus Industries Inc., parent company of Cirrus Aircraft, has been sold to China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. (CAIGA) of Zhuhai, China, but it appears the company will continue to build parts in Grand Forks, N.D., and assemble airplanes in Duluth, Minn. It has long been rumored that a Chinese company would acquire Cirrus and the final announcement was made Monday morning. CAIGA is a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC), the state-owned aviation company of China that makes everything from military jets to airliners. In a news release, Cirrus CEO Brent Wouters says the deal will be a shot in the arm for the company and for its employees in Grand Forks and Duluth. "CAIGA understands the strength and the talent of Cirrus's workforce and the prominence of the Cirrus brand in general aviation," Wouters said. "Through this transaction, CAIGA will invest in our employees in both Minnesota and North Dakota by committing to the continued use of our world-class production facilities."
Air Tractor Founder Leland Snow Dies February 27, 2011 By Russ Niles Known the "father of aerial application," Air Tractor founder Leland Snow died at the age of 80 last week, while jogging near his Wichita Falls, Texas, home. According to AgAir Update, Snow built his first purpose-built cropduster in 1953 at the age of 23 and went on to build thousands of the iconic aircraft with radial and turbine engines. His aircraft are in service around the world and are used for a variety of purposes besides spraying crops.
NextGen Needs Input On Airplane Spacing February 27, 2011 By Russ Niles The airspace isn't getting bigger but air travel is expected to continue increasing so the challenge will be to find ways to fit more airplanes in the same space. It's a fundamental part of the NextGen initiative and those designing the systems that will support it need to know from those who actually manage aircraft movement, known as interval management, how they should get started. "It's crucial to obtain input on this topic from pilots, air traffic controllers/managers, and dispatch operators," said Dr. Jeff Lancaster, a Honeywell researcher who has put together a survey in conjunction with colleagues at NASA and the FAA. To take part in the survey, e-mail Lancaster at Jeff.Lancaster@Honeywell.com.
WAI Conference Wraps In Reno February 27, 2011 By Russ Niles Almost 3,000 people from 22 countries attended the Women in Aviation International conference in Reno that ended Saturday. In a news release, WAI said $691,750 in scholarships were distributed to 76 recipients ranging from young women just getting started to winners making mid-life career changes. "The conference is about far more than pilots, however," said WAI President Dr. Peggy Chabrian. "We also represent individuals from academia, maintenance, research, engineering and more.
'Sport Fuel' Network Envisioned February 27, 2011 By Russ Niles The Aviation Fuel Club, a non-profit group dedicated to ensuring access to ethanol-free mogas for light aircraft, is hoping to launch a nationwide network of self-serve fuel depots stocked with 91-octane "pure" gasoline it will call Sport Fuel. Spearheading the effort is Mike Webb, who owns U-Fuel, a Wisconsin company that has developed and sold self-serve fuel systems for dozens of applications at sites all over the world. The Sport Fuel system involves a little more oversight, however.
Strikemaster Crashes, Pilot Believed Lost February 27, 2011 By Russ Niles Police in upstate New York say a "loss of thrust" preceded the likely fatal crash of a BAC 167 Strikemaster into the ice-covered Hudson River near Kingston, N.Y., on Saturday. Pilot Dr. Michael Faraldi is missing and presumed dead after the 42-year-old British jet trainer/light attack aircraft crashed about 1:30 p.m. Witnesses said the plane did a low pass over Kingston Airport before pulling into a vertical climb. Police said the loss of power occurred during the climb and witnesses reported the plane nosed over and hit the ice almost vertically after 360-degree rotation. The Strikemaster has ejection seats but there was no report of an ejection.
Sun Valley Airport Sites Narrowed February 26, 2011 By Russ Niles The FAA seems happy with an estimate of $189 million as the cost of a new airport to serve the resort area of central Idaho. The federal government is expected to pay virtually all the cost for the replacement of Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey, which serves Sun Valley and surrounding resorts. The existing airport, which was never designed for the kind of traffic it gets, particularly in winter, has a dismal reliability record in winter thanks to high minimums and the surrounding terrain. An FAA study says at least 22 percent of commercial flights and an unknown number of GA flights are diverted. The current airport can't be practically expanded so the search has been on for a new site. It was narrowed down last week.
FAA Certifies Legacy 650 February 26, 2011 By Russ Niles The FAA has certified the Embraer 650, opening the door for the Brazilian planemaker to compete worldwide in the lucrative long-range, large-cabin business jet market. The 650 is an upgrade to the 600 model, which was Embraer's first business jet and a variant of its EMB 145 regional jet. The aircraft has had Brazilian and European certification since last October and seven have been delivered. The FAA certification is an important milestone, however. "This important approval of our new long-range large cabin Legacy 650 executive jet opens the way for the company to better serve not only the U.S market, but also several other countries that require FAA certification," said Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer's executive vice president for business jets.
Ding Shilu is an automobile mechanic in China and pictures reportedly taken on Feb. 25 that show his 285-pound, three-engined homebuilt aircraft very nearly in flight have now spread across the Internet. The design incorporates a short span, low aspect ratio, deeply cambered, flat-bottom wing with flat ailerons trailing behind the inboard portions of the trailing edge. Nearly-two-dimensional tail surfaces attach to a truss structure extending behind the pilot's seat, which sits below the wing on tricycle gear. Ahead of that, three motorbike engines each drive propellers through belt drives. Materials reportedly include plastic sheet and tubing, and cost less than $400. There's no photographic evidence that the aircraft has actually flown but, if it hasn't, the pictures suggest it has come close. Click through to see.
Two Men, One Sailplane, 744 Miles February 25, 2011 By Glenn Pew Two men, aged 42 and 78, have reportedly broken a national two-place record by covering 744 miles at altitudes up to 27,000 feet on a 9-hour, 19-minute flight out and back to Minden, Nev., in 100-mph winds, without an engine. Gordon Boettger and the elder Hugh Bennett made the soaring flight on Feb. 15, high above the Sierra Mountain range. Their aircraft was a Discus glider with tandem seating. It was modified by the addition of oxygen bottles and batteries. The two coordinated with controllers at Oakland, Seattle and Salt Lake City for the flight made possible by the vast mountain wave set up by high winds. Ground speeds ranged from over 100 mph to single digits. Boettger says he has bigger dreams that involve overnights in the air.
"Freedom Fighter," Hijacker Ly Tong February 24, 2011 By Glenn Pew The history of 65-year-old former pilot and political activist Ly Tong may contain as much fact as legend, but this much is certain: In 1992 he hijacked an Airbus A310-200, he used it to spread leaflets, and then he parachuted from the jet into a swamp. Ly Tong says his actions that day were an attempt to inspire a people's uprising in Vietnam, his former homeland. His goal was to take the country back from the communist government. That didn't happen. Instead, he found himself, for the second time in his life, serving time in a Vietnamese prison. But that didn't keep him from trying again, and not just in Vietnam. AVweb's Glenn Pew spoke with him to learn more.
Boeing's $35 Billion Tanker Contract February 24, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Air Force has reportedly awarded Boeing with a contract to replace its fleet of air refueling tankers in a $35 billion deal that Boeing says will create 50,000 jobs in 40 states. Senator Pat Roberts was one of the first to break the news, Thursday, ahead of the Pentagon's official announcement. Airbus and Boeing both met the 372 mandatory performance requirements set forth by the military, the Pentagon said, and Boeing's price undercut that of Airbus by a margin large enough to preempt further consideration. According to Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn, "Boeing was a clear winner." Back in 2008, when the contract was first awarded, the government had a different opinion. But since then some things have changed.
Flight Training Study Available February 23, 2011 By Russ Niles AOPA has released the final report (4MB PDF) of its student pilot retention study and the tweaking hasn't changed the basic message. As we reported in November, the final report shows that the flight training industry isn't exploiting the cool factor of being a pilot as much as it might. It also says instructors should brush up on their organizational skills and flight school owners should sharpen their pencils.
Restricted Airspace, Rented Plane, Hijack Code February 23, 2011 By Glenn Pew A pilot flying from an Ottawa airport last Wednesday in a rented Cessna 172M inadvertently set his transponder to broadcast the hijack code and then inadvertently flew into restricted airspace, according to Canadian authorities. Transport Canada says the pilot had planned a trip out of Ottawa with stops in Arnprior, Ontario, and Gatineau, Quebec. While en route at roughly 9:40 a.m., the aircraft suffered a mechanical problem, the agency said. In addressing that problem, the pilot mistakenly set the aircraft's transponder to broadcast the hijack code and then managed to fly into a restricted area that surrounds Parliament Hill. Transport Canada is apparently content that both actions were inadvertent, but that didn't prevent police involvement and the collection of one quote that everyone might have seen coming.
IATA: West Shows Lowest Accident Rate, Ever February 23, 2011 By Glenn Pew The accident rate for Western-built jet aircraft in 2010 was the lowest in aviation history, the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) announced this week. The data measured hull losses, which occur when an accident destroys an aircraft or damages an aircraft beyond repair. In 2010, for every one million flights of Western-built jet aircraft, IATA says the global figure for hull losses was 0.61 -- that's one accident per 1.6 million flights. And that figure bests the previous low set in 2006, when the rate was 0.65. According to IATA, the data translates to the safe carriage of 2.4 billion people flying on 36.8 million flights (split as 28.4 million jet and 8.4 million turboprop operations). That said, the number of fatalities was up in 2010, and safety of flight was significantly different depending on the geographic region of operation.
Envelope Flaps May Hold Earhart's DNA February 23, 2011 By Mary Grady A Canadian scientist plans to extract DNA from envelopes licked by Amelia Earhart to help determine if a bone fragment found on a Pacific island -- or any other remains found in the future -- might belong to the lost aviator. Dongya Yang, a genetic archaeologist at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, told National Geographic News last week that he will try out the technique on test envelopes first, to ensure that the process is not destructive. "When we have the best technique available, that's when we'll move on to the real letters," Yang said. If enough DNA is found in the envelope seals, it will be compared to DNA from Earhart's living relatives to determine if it's really hers, National Geographic said.
$35 Billion Tanker Choice Expected Soon February 22, 2011 By Mary Grady This Thursday, the Air Force is expected to announce the winner of a $35 billion contract to build 179 military tanker aircraft. The two contenders for the contract are Boeing, with a 767 derivative, and EADS, with a design based on the Airbus A330. EADS has said if it wins the competition, it will assemble the airplanes in Mobile, Ala., although many of the parts will be built in France. Both companies have won previous versions of the contract, but those decisions were overturned. The new airplanes, to be built over the next 20 to 30 years, will replace the aging KC-135 and KC-10 fleet, some of which are 50 years old.
George Behan, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., told the Puget Sound Business Journal that as of Tuesday, the Thursday date was set for the announcement, but it could be pushed back. "Everything associated with this contract has been changed, slipped and altered," he said. "[A Thursday announcement] is what we're hearing as of Tuesday afternoon, but anything could change." As of Tuesday, various online pundits were speculating that the long-contested contract, which has been in play for about a decade, might go to either party, or to neither one.
FAA Seeks Input On Helicopter Safety February 22, 2011 By Mary Grady Safety specialists from the FAA will host a meeting on March 22 and 23 in Portland, Ore., to address issues particular to helicopters. Pilots, instructors, mechanics, operators, manufacturers and insurers are urged to attend. The regional FAA Safety Team, Helicopter Association International and the International Helicopter Safety Team are hosting the event. Mornings will feature several nationally recognized speakers and afternoon breakout sessions provide the opportunity to exchange ideas. The hosts will seek input from helicopter users about the safety challenges they confront and how best to meet them. Issues on the agenda include hazards posed by met towers, emergency medical operations, flight training and more.
GAMA: No Turnaround In 2010, But Maybe This Year February 22, 2011 By Mary Grady The General Aviation Manufacturers Association released its annual industry report (PDF) on Tuesday, showing that aircraft deliveries continued to fall in 2010 despite improvements in the global and U.S. economies. Deliveries of GA aircraft fell by 11.4 percent overall in 2010 compared to the year before. Piston deliveries were down by 7.7 percent, from 963 units to 889; turboprops declined 17.7 percent, from 441 units to 363; and business jets fell from 870 deliveries in 2009 to 763 last year, a drop of 12.3 percent. John Rosanvallon, CEO of Dassault Falcon Jet and chairman of GAMA, said shipments traditionally lag an economic recovery by one to two years, and signs are good for the industry to start a rebound in 2011.
FAA Told: Photo IDs Don't Fly February 21, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA's proposal to require photos on pilot certificates has drawn almost 500 comments, many of them objecting to the plan, and several advocacy groups have asked the FAA to modify or withdraw the proposal. "As an ATP pilot, I already have an encrypted military ID [and] a state-issued drivers license," said one commenter. "The government does not need an ID to keep the terrorists and radicals in control. This is absolutely a waste of time and money." GA groups who weighed in before the close of comments last week included AOPA, EAA, the National Association of Flight Instructors and the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators. None of them supported the FAA's proposal, which could charge applicants up to $50 for a certificate and would cost pilots about $446 million over 20 years.
Aviation Group Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize February 21, 2011 By Mary Grady Wings of Hope, a charitable flying group based in St. Louis, Mo., is on a list of nominees for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, the Air Care Alliance said this week. The group is one of 237 candidates for the prize, the largest number ever. Each nominee is selected by a qualified nominator who works with the Nobel Committee to identify deserving groups and individuals around the world. "This is a great honor to all of our volunteers and donors," Wings of Hope President Doug Clements told the Bellville News Democrat. "They are the ones who see the humanity of our fellow men and who seek to extend the hand of human kindness to them." By the end of March, the Nobel committee will reduce the nominee list to a short list of prospects, and in October, the Nobel laureates will be announced.
An iPad Cockpit? February 20, 2011 By Jeff Van West ForeFlight Mobile, one of the most popular chart viewing and flight planning apps for the iPhone and iPad, now offers georeferencing -- a fancy term for showing where the aircraft is on approach charts and airport diagrams. The data for georeferencing has been in the software for some time, but not active because ForeFlight felt the internal GPS in the iPhone and iPad was too unreliable. ForeFlight's co-founder, Tyson Wells, said customer demand coupled with aftermarket GPS units from Bad Elf and GNS GmbH made this the right time for a change. In addition to position, GPS-derived altitude, groundspeed and track can be shown while viewing the approach plate. Meanwhile, ForeFlight's leading competitor, WingX, is on the verge of some big changes of their own.
Senate Passes FAA Bill: House On Deck February 19, 2011 By Russ Niles All eyes are now on the House after the full Senate passed its version of an FAA reauthorization bill. The Senate approved a two-year measure allocating a total of $34.5 billion in an 87-8 vote. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a four-year reauthorization bill to be considered by the full House. It's not known when it will hit the floor but the current temporary extension of the FAA's operating authority (the 17th since 2007) expires March 31 and there seems to be the will to get a more permanent measure in place by then. The Senate bill passed with major revisions from earlier iterations.
FAA Overturns Airport Glider Ban February 19, 2011 By Russ Niles In a precedent-setting decision, the operator of a Southern California airport has been ordered by the FAA to allow resumption of glider operations or risk losing its federal grants. As we reported in 2009, Riverside County evicted more than 40 gliders and closed the grass strip they used, citing safety concerns. The agency ruled last week the county's reasoning was "flawed" and, after studying the issue, determined the airport layout will accommodate the "safe simultaneous operations of glider and powered aircraft." The crux of the matter was whether safety was used as a cover for discrimination against the gliders and the FAA suggested the eviction was an "unreasonable denial" of use at the airport. "The (county) is obligated by its grant assurances … to operate the airport -- not just specific pieces of infrastructure on it -- on reasonable terms and without unjust discrimination," the FAA said in its decision.
FAA: iPad Can Replace Charts For Executive Jet February 19, 2011 By Glenn Pew Executive Jet has earned official authorization from the FAA to use the Jeppesen Mobile TC App for iPad as a sole reference for electronic charts and as a direct replacement of paper aeronautical charts in the cockpit. Executive Jet managed that after three months of in-flight evaluation that included more than 250 flight segments and one rapid-decompression test initiated at 51,000 feet. That testing involved 55 pilots, and Jeppesen says it was provided with feedback that it incorporated into an update for the app, released last month. For now, the FAA's approval for the Jeppesen app on the iPad is for Executive Jet, and only Executive Jet. Jeppesen hopes that's just the beginning and, according to Jeppesen, many carriers may feel the same way.
Rest Rules Could Create Pilot Shortage? February 18, 2011 By Glenn Pew American Airlines says proposed rules intended to reduce pilot fatigue would require it to hire an additional 2,325 pilots at a cost of $514 million annually, and seemed to suggest the industry-wide effect could be crippling. The rules would effectively decrease maximum time on duty for pilots. In November, American offered public comments on the rules, saying "if AA needs 2,300 more pilots to meet the proposed rules, other certificate holders will need many additional pilots, too." Stakeholders also claim that the regulation's cost will be substantially higher than the FAA's estimate of $1.25 billion over 10 years. The Air Transport Association says the rule would cost more than 15 times that figure. As for the total number of pilots needed to meet the requirements of the bill, American said, "The industry figure will be so large as to raise the question of from where they all will come." American wasn't the only carrier to express concern.
Man Told Plane Stolen Two Years Ago February 17, 2011 By Glenn Pew Wednesday, a man walked into the local Sheriff's office to report that his aircraft, a 1955 Cessna 310, had been stolen from Turlock Airport (roughly 90 miles east of San Francisco), about two years ago. It seems the victim bought the plane on the east coast back in 2007, flew it across the country and parked it in his hangar. Details are sketchy, but the victim apparently left his plane unchecked until the FAA contacted him to let him know the aircraft had been sold in 2009, or was otherwise out of compliance. When the victim went to check on the aircraft, he discovered it was missing. Merced deputy Tom Mackenzie told local newspaper The Merced Sun Star that it appears the aircraft had been flown off the airport and that the criminal had then forged signatures on a bill of sale dated April 2009, before selling the aircraft to someone else.
Hummingbird Reconnaissance Drone Flies February 17, 2011 By Glenn Pew A Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) created by AeroVironment, designed to look and fly like a hummingbird, has achieved remote-controlled hover and flight while carrying a camera that transmits real-time video to its control unit. When we last saw the vehicle in video, its control looked questionable. Now, the ornithopter is shown in controlled hover and maneuvers, flying through a doorway and into a building, while sending live video back to its operator (Click for video). Two years ago, the first version could fly for 20 seconds. Now, it can fly up to 11 miles per hour and has a duration of about eight minutes. The project is the result of a DARPA-funded effort by AeroVironment for a potential stealthy reconnaissance vehicle for use in urban environments. Its success "paves the way for a new generation of aircraft with the agility and appearance of small birds," according to DARPA NAV project manager, Dr. Todd Hylton.
Avgas: Your Turn to Speak February 16, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli As the FAA prepares to set up a committee to tackle the leaded avgas replacement issue, no one really knows what current buyers of aviation fuels really think. Now's your chance to tell us. In our most exhaustive survey on aviation fuel yet, we're asking detailed questions about aircraft owner preferences for a future fuel. Do you think the replacement should be a 100-octane drop-in? Should mogas have a role in the market? Do you think 94UL is realistic? How do you think price figures into these considerations? Click here to take a short survey and share your thoughts.
F-35 Second Engine Program A "Waste" February 16, 2011 By Glenn Pew During a House committee hearing Wednesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the plan to provide an alternate engine for the F-35 "unnecessary and extravagant" and a "waste" of $3 billion, and the House voted to cut funds for the engine. The House voted to cut $450 million for the engine program from funding for the remainder of the fiscal year. That move doesn't take effect unless the spending bill to which it is attached is approved by the House and then makes it through the Senate. The alternate engine being produced by GE-Rolls Royce would serve as a backup for the Pratt & Whitney unit, which is expected to be the primary F-35 engine. Halting the GE-Rolls Royce program and removing competition from the program has raised some concerns.
Women In Aviation To Gather In Reno February 16, 2011 By Mary Grady Women in Aviation International will host its 22nd annual conference next week in Reno, Nev., from Feb. 24 to 26. The event brings together a wide range of aviation professionals, educators and enthusiasts, and welcomes men as well as women from around the world. A variety of professional development seminars, networking opportunities, exhibits and social events are offered. The history of women's contributions to aviation will be explored in talks about the Womens Airforce Service Pilots, the 1929 women's air derby and more. At the conclusion of the conference, on Saturday night, this year's inductees to WAI's Aviation Pioneer Hall of Fame will be announced, and 66 scholarships worth more than $600,000 will be awarded. About 3,200 attendees are expected.
GA Groups To FAA: Count Sport Pilot Training Hours February 16, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA should change its rules so hours logged by students flying with sport-pilot instructors will count toward later ratings, says a coalition of general aviation advocacy groups. Under the current rules, some instructors are certified to teach only sport pilots and only in light sport aircraft. The FAA doesn't allow dual time logged with those instructors to count toward the private pilot and higher certificates. A letter from EAA, AOPA, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Flight Instructors asks the FAA to change that rule. "Experience begins to accrue the very first day that a student pilot sits behind the controls of an aircraft," they wrote. "The aeronautical experience obtained in pursuit of a sport pilot certificate should not be discredited, in essence resetting the clock on aeronautical experience as if that sport pilot was an initial student with no previous experience."
Safety Protocols For Pets On Jets February 15, 2011 By Mary Grady General aviation aircraft are great for those who want to bring their pets along when they fly, and now a pet-services company is offering a special training program to ensure that pets' in-flight safety is protected. Sit 'n Stay Global offers a training program for cabin crews or pilots who deal with pets aboard private jets or personal aircraft. "We found, after several inquiries from corporate jet owners, that there was a real need to understand how to make sure any pets on board were properly secured in the event of an emergency," said Carol Martin, spokesperson for Sit 'n Stay. The training program shows how to cope with pets during turbulence, ditching and evacuation.
Pipistrel Launches Electric Motorglider February 15, 2011 By Mary Grady Pipistrel said this week its electric-powered, two-seat self-launching glider, the Taurus Electro G2, is now available for sale. The company, based in Slovenia, is also offering a solar trailer for the airplane, which can charge it up in about five hours. The 40-kilowatt motor is powered by lithium-technology batteries that are monitored by Pipistrel's own battery-management system, which features data-logging and battery health forecasting. The electric motor can be retrofitted into existing gas-powered Taurus gliders, the company said, and it will be offered for integration into third-party platforms as well. The system provides power for up to 17 minutes. Once the airplane is gliding, the propeller retracts into the fuselage with the push of a button.
FAA Predicts Slow Growth For GA February 15, 2011 By Mary Grady The general aviation fleet in the U.S. will continue to grow over the next 20 years, but at a rate of only 0.9 percent per year, the FAA said in its annual forecast, released on Tuesday. Fixed-wing turbine aircraft will sell best, growing at a projected rate of 3.1 percent each year. Rotorcraft are projected to sell 2.6 percent more each year, while fixed-wing pistons show the slowest growth, at only 0.2 percent per year. The FAA used the forecast release, which predicts U.S. air traffic overall will more than double by 2031, to push for NextGen funding. "We are already seeing the tangible safety and efficiency benefits of NextGen," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. "Only a modernized air transportation system will be able to keep up with our forecasted demand."
FAA Budget: NextGen Wins, Big Airports Lose February 14, 2011 By Mary Grady The White House on Monday released its budget proposal for the next fiscal year, and so far general aviation advocacy groups are finding not much to complain about -- no sign of user fees, and funding for GA airport improvements and NextGen remains intact. "This is a long and extraordinarily complex document, and a complete review of all the language and nuances takes time," AOPA President Craig Fuller said on Monday. "But our initial reading indicates that the president has recognized the need to modernize our aviation system while maintaining critical infrastructure -- all funded by a tried-and-true system of excise taxes and general fund contributions. All of us in the general aviation community find this encouraging." Not so happy, though, were advocates for larger airports, which take a serious hit in the administration's proposal.
FAA Bills Protects Fence Agreements February 14, 2011 By Russ Niles Given the advance press on President Barack Obama's budget and the bizarre legislative history of the FAA's current reauthorization process, it's far too soon to predict how it will all turn out but some groups see hope their specific issues will be addressed by the final bill. Among them is the small but organized effort to protect through-the-fence agreements, which allow access to airports by those who have hangar homes on adjacent privately owned property. Dr. Brent Blue, organizer of ThroughTheFence.org, said identical language in both the House and Senate versions of the bill would protect existing agreements and allow future deals between airports and adjacent residential property owners.
FlightPrep/RunwayFinder Dispute Continues February 14, 2011 By Russ Niles The legal dispute between FlightPrep and RunwayFinder over the latter's alleged patent infringement continues to move forward but there have been a couple of twists and turns. According to the most recent post to RunwayFinder's website, owner Dave Parsons has filed a dismissal notice in the Oregon court where the suit was launched, alleging the suit should have been filed in Washington, where FlightPrep is based. FlightPrep can fight the dismissal notice and even if it is upheld the suit can simply be relaunched in Washington. No timeline was given for that bit of legal wrangling but the lawsuit itself is considered a short-term issue. RunwayFinder has also started work on an attempt to dismantle, or significantly restrict, the patent itself.
An AVweb Survey: Tell Us What You Think About Avgas Replacements February 25, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli The FAA just announced that it will convene a special committee to investigate an unleaded replacement for 100LL avgas. This committee will hear from the alphabets, aircraft manufacturers and users of avgas. AVweb would like to know your opinions on the current state of affairs in the search for an unleaded replacement for 100LL. Click here to take the survey.
Have You Used Oil Additives? 'Aviation Consumer' Could Use Your Insight February 28, 2011 By Jeff Van West
Have you added more than oil to your engine? If you've tried oil additives like CamGuard or AVblend, Aviation Consumer wants to know how it worked out. Whether your experience was good, bad or of no consequence whatsoever, they want to know. Please take a moment to fill out their survey to help the research effort for an upcoming, in-depth review. Click here to take the survey.
Balloonists Fight Olive Farm Suits February 12, 2011 By Russ Niles There's an undeniably California flair to a strange dispute that has pitted (sorry) an olive farmer against hot air balloonists in the state's Coachella Valley, near Palm Springs. And now the local polo club is involved. The Eldorado Polo Club is hosting a fundraiser on Feb. 27 to help pay the incidental expenses of 15 balloonists and one pest control applicator facing lawsuits from JCM Farming. A local law firm has already volunteered to represent the pilots, so the proceeds from the brunch, raffles, barbecue and, of course, tethered balloon rides will go to cover other unspecified expenses related to the litigation, according to The Desert Sun.
House Aims To Cut FAA Funding February 12, 2011 By Glenn Pew The House of Representatives and the Senate are both considering legislation that would roll back funding of the FAA to 2008 levels, but still provide funding toward NextGen, according to a Reuters report, Friday. Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. John Mica, said in a statement that the proposal "increases the efficiency and effectiveness of our aviation programs." The plan reportedly seeks to cut $4 billion out of the FAA's funding through cost savings found in programs that the FAA will be asked to identify and that do not impact safety. FAA administrator Randy Babbitt said the cuts would further slow the deployment of NextGen. And, as worded, the House version could have a large impact on small airports.
Senator Inhofe's Letter From The FAA February 11, 2011 By Glenn Pew A letter from the FAA (PDF) to Sen. James Inhofe says he has completed "remedial training" and the FAA has decided not to pursue legal enforcement action as the result of his landing on an occupied closed runway, before departing from a taxiway, last October. The FAA initiated an investigation after the 75-year-old senator landed his Cessna 340, with three others aboard, at Port Isabel-Cameron Country, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2010. The senator's then-chosen runway was marked with large Xs, and littered with a large red truck, other vehicles, and construction workers. No one was injured as a result of the incident. Inhofe has said he was offered the choice of possible legal action, or the training program, and took the second option. His training included four hours of ground instruction and three hours of flight instruction. It was provided by an instructor who had previously been a student of the senator, according to TulsaWorld.com. FAA spokesperson Sarah Johnson said the agency treated the senator as it would any other pilot. Inhofe has also had things to say.
Flight Design's Four Seater February 10, 2011 By Glenn Pew Manufacturer of the successful CT series of Light Sport aircraft, Flight Design has confirmed its upcoming C4 four-seat aircraft but says the final design will be decided with input from dealers, customers and ... you. The company will be rolling out a full-size proof-of-concept model at Aero 2011, which will be held this year April 13-16, in Germany. Attendees will be able to contribute their thoughts at the event. For the rest of the world, Flight Design is creating an online survey where it will accept opinions regarding design features of C4. The survey is linked < a href="http://www.flightdesign.com/C4Survey " target="_blank">here, but will not be online until March (save the page). The company's engineers will work with the information and hope to freeze the design by Sun 'n Fun 2012. The company plans to certify the C4 and is also working on full type certificates for its CTLS and MC. Meanwhile, Flight Design's has other news for amphib fans.
In-Flight Cockpit Fire Survivor Jade Schiewe February 10, 2011 By Glenn Pew On Sept. 28, 2010, a Cessna 172RG was flying at 10:38 a.m. local time over Oklahoma when the situation became life-threatening. On board were a CFI candidate and his instructor. They were about four miles out from Richard Lloyd Jones Airport, near Tulsa, and had just selected "gear down" when fire broke out behind the instrument panel. Flames quickly spread to the rug and seats and filled the cockpit with thick black smoke. Getting down safely and immediately became the instant responsibility of 28-year-old instructor Jade Schiewe, and what happened next was the result of skill, instinct and knowledge. AVweb's Glenn Pew spoke with Schiewe about the experience that left Schiewe with second and third degree burns and a slipped disc in his back. That conversation is this week's podcast. Click through to listen and to read the NTSB's factual report, which may be relevant to you.
South Dakota's Aircraft Parts Liability Cap February 10, 2011 By Glenn Pew A bill proposed for South Dakota by its governor, Dennis Daugaard, would create a 10-year liability cap for in-state aviation parts makers and has earned unanimous approval in a state committee. Parts manufacturers would be protected under the bill if their parts became defective or led to damage 10 years or more after the part was installed. Some exemptions would apply. Manufacturers could still be sued if their parts failed to meet safety standards at the time of manufacture, and if a company offered a warranty of longer than 10 years. The bill is intended to attract new business to the state and was modeled after legislation in Kansas. But the state's lawyers aren't entirely happy with it.
DeltaHawk Engine Certification Looming (Again) February 9, 2011 By Glenn Pew DeltaHawk has had a moving target for certification of its diesel aviation engine since at least 2006 but says its new target of 2011 is backed by millions in investor capital and two leases covering 70,000 square feet of space. The company says major investors began stepping up in March of last year and brought millions of dollars to the table. The newly announced leases are for facilities at John H Batten Field, Wis., where the company will house its production plant and headquarters. That arrangement may hinge on incentive deals with the city of Racine and might be approved as early as Thursday evening (a mayoral press conference has already scheduled for 5 p.m.). If approved, DeltaHawk says it would get started with engine production even before certification. The company says it is targeting general aviation, military drone markets and the generator industry, and aims to sell more than 900 engines by its third year in production.
Electric Flight Symposiums Set, Prize Offered February 9, 2011 By Mary Grady The CAFE Foundation has scheduled its fifth annual Electric Aircraft Symposium for April 29 to 30, in Santa Rosa, Calif., and EAA has announced it will hold its second World Symposium on Electric Aircraft and a prize competition during EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh. The CAFE event will feature presentations by a variety of experts from industry, academia, and government agencies (PDF schedule). NASA scientists will provide an update on advances in batteries and new emerging technologies; Stanford professor Ilan Kroo will explore design concepts for small electric aircraft; Karl Young, CEO of X-Cap, will report on energy storage using carbon nanotubes; and many others will discuss their current research and future plans. Online registration is now open, and the cost is $399.
"Green Alliance" Will Address Aviation's Impact February 9, 2011 By Mary Grady The Lindbergh Foundation has launched a new project called the Aviation Green Alliance that will bring stakeholders together to reduce aviation's environmental impact. "With a stated mission that includes 'Encouraging solutions, acknowledging progress and communicating ideas,' the Aviation Green Alliance will create multiple platforms for members to share strategies, findings, progress, and ideas related to addressing aviation's environmental challenges," said Lindbergh Foundation Chairman Larry Williams. The Alliance intends to provide news and information about green initiatives, grant funding for research into new technologies, recommended practices for conservation and sustainability initiatives, and educational programs and outreach.
FAA Advises Pilots To Review Visual Approach Procedures February 8, 2011 By Mary Grady In an "information for operators" advisory (PDF) released recently, the FAA reminded pilots that the conduct of visual approaches during marginal visual meteorological conditions requires "careful decision making." The controller must not clear a pilot for the visual approach unless the ceiling is reported at or better than 1,000 feet with three miles visibility, the FAA said; and in accepting a visual approach, it is the pilot's responsibility to have either the airport or the preceding aircraft in sight and to remain "clear of clouds" at all times. Since even a thin "scattered" or "isolated" layer could prevent a pilot from remaining "clear of clouds," the pilot must advise ATC immediately if he or she is unable to continue following the preceding aircraft, cannot remain clear of clouds, needs to climb, or loses sight of the airport.
Senate Committee Proposes 65 Percent Fuel-Tax Hike February 8, 2011 By Mary Grady The Senate finance committee approved a plan to hike the taxes on general aviation jet fuel by 65 percent, from 21.8 cents per gallon to 35.9 cents, The Hill reported on Tuesday. The change would raise $400 million per year, which the committee says will help fund NextGen, the FAA's plan to modernize the air traffic control system. The committee also approved a surcharge of 14.1 cents per gallon on jet fuel used by fractional aircraft. Fuel taxes have been supported as a better option than user fees by most aviation advocacy groups. "In the last two Congresses, AOPA and its members agreed to 25 percent and 65 percent increases on aviation gasoline and non-commercial jet fuel, respectively," AOPA noted on Tuesday. "Our position really has not changed," AOPA spokesman Chris Dancy told AVweb. "In 2007 and again in 2009, we and our members agreed to higher fuel excise taxes as a way to fund the FAA and NextGen in lieu of user fees."
Search To Resume For Air France A330 February 7, 2011 By Mary Grady Next month, officials will launch a fourth effort to find wreckage from the Air France A330 that crashed into the mid-Atlantic, about 600 miles from the Brazil coast, in June 2009. Previous searches have retrieved debris and remains of some of the 228 people who died, but investigators still hope to find the missing cockpit data and voice recorders. Heavy thunderstorms and faulty pitot tubes have been cited by accident investigators, but the full chain of events that led to the crash remains unclear. The new search is scheduled to start March 18 and could last until July. Three autonomous probes operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, in Woods Hole, Mass., will search about 4,000 square miles of seabed. Each probe is fitted with ultra-high-resolution cameras and sonar gear.
Nominees Announced For Collier Trophy February 7, 2011 By Mary Grady The National Aeronautic Association has announced its 2010 nominees for the Robert J. Collier Trophy, which will be awarded for the 100th time at a luncheon in Arlington, Va., next month. The award aims to honor "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America" during the year. This year's nominees are: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and the X2 Technology Demonstrator team, the Boeing Company C-17A Globemaster III team, the X-51A WaveRider team, the automatic ground collision avoidance system fighter risk reduction program team, MC-12W Project Liberty team, the Orion launch-abort system development team, and a nominee listed as "General Aviation: Saving Thousands of Lives in Haiti."
Excise Tax Looms In Washington State February 7, 2011 By Russ Niles Less than a year after a similar tax proposal was quashed, Washington State legislators have introduced a bill (PDF) to impose a 0.5 percent annual excise tax on the value of all GA aircraft in the state. AOPA is calling on the state's pilots to mount the same sort of organized and focused campaign that killed the first tax. The bill was sponsored by 13 state representatives and AOPA members in all those districts have been sent letters urging them to buttonhole their representative and tell them what a bad idea it is. AOPA says the tax could cause "irreparable harm" to Washington's aviation industry at the cost of thousands of jobs.
Brainteasers Quiz #156: What Next? February 6, 2011 By Paul Berge
Successful aviating involves more than just doing the right thing. Aeronautical nirvana is achieved when you also know the proper sequence of events. How well you can predict the future will determine your quiz score.
4G Broadband May Jam GPS February 5, 2011 By Russ Niles The GPS industry is warning that a proposed broadband Internet network could effectively jam GPS signals. Further, it says it has data showing that any of the anticipated 40,000 (yes, four zeroes) transmitters can make a Garmin 430 go dark at a range of five miles. GPS World calls the proposal by LightSquared "disastrous" and warns of major problems for all kinds of GPS-reliant devices. The publication says a study (PDF) by GPS-industry stakeholders, including Garmin, determined the LightSquared network "will create a disastrous interference problem for GPS receiver operation to the point where GPS receivers will cease to operate (complete loss of fix) when in the vicinity of these transmitters." That, says the report, "will deny GPS service over vast areas of the United States." The industry told the Federal Communications Commission of the potential problem but the FCC approved the multibillion-dollar effort, which will carry 4G broadband throughout the country. In a podcast interview with AVweb, LightSquared spokesman Jeff Carlisle said the broadband system won't affect properly filtered GPS devices and his company is both mandated (by the FCC) and anxious to work with the GPS industry to identify devices that might be affected.
Kelly To Command Endeavor February 5, 2011 By Russ Niles Astronaut Mark Kelly apparently agrees with NASA that the safest thing for the final flight of the shuttle Endeavor is for him to command the mission. Kelly announced Friday he will leave the bedside of his severely injured wife Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to resume training for the left seat of the mission, which is scheduled to launch April 19. Kelly told ABC's Diane Sawyer he doesn't need the air miles and his decision to command the flight is "the right thing for me to do." Giffords was shot through the head in an assassination attempt Jan. 8 in Tucson and is in rehabilitation in Houston, where Kelly will resume training. "I've flown in space three times. I don't have to do it again," Kelly said in the interview. "My number-one goal is to make sure that my crew is safe and that they can execute this mission safely."
FAA To Pay For Some JetBlue ADS-B February 5, 2011 By Glenn Pew The FAA Friday announced it will pay $4.2 million to equip up to 35 JetBlue A320s with ADS-B, allowing the airline to fly new routes and the FAA to "collect important data" and "demonstrate the benefits of NextGen." The airline will receive the equipment over the next two years. JetBlue will use it to fly a new route to the Caribbean and use of the equipment may also lead to the development of new, shorter routes from Boston, New York and Washington to the Caribbean. The FAA says it will observe the equipped JetBlue aircraft and conduct real-time evaluations of the system in practice on real-world revenue flights. The FAA is picking up the tab for the avionics, but the airline will pay for a few things, too.
FAA Initiates Unleaded Avgas Committee February 4, 2011 By Glenn Pew The FAA Friday announced it will form a rulemaking committee made up of industry and government members to guide the development and deployment of a new unleaded avgas. The Unleaded Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee's first target is to formalize membership and initiate work activities by March 31. The FAA said it intends to have the committee produce "an industry-government framework and implementation plan intended to guide the GA community toward deployment of unleaded aviation gasoline." The goal, said FAA administrator Randy Babbitt, is to "bring together all the industry stakeholders" to achieve a drop-in replacement fuel "in a timely fashion."
eBay Sale: Shell Of Harrier Jump Jet February 3, 2011 By Glenn Pew Rescued from a scrap yard in 1997, the restored two-seat, first-generation, ex-RAF 4 SQN Harrier Jump Jet currently available on ebay.co.uk was accepting bids over $112,000, when last we checked, but if you want an engine you'll be paying more. Its current owner, 33-year-old former RAF mechanic, Chris Wilson, says the decommissioned display-worthy aircraft could be made airworthy with the addition of the appropriate Rolls Royce engine, sold separately (and not by him). That fantasy will take some work. The aircraft's front cockpit is "around 80-percent complete" (it does include a Martin Baker mk9 ejection seat) and the rear cockpit is "fairly empty," according to the listing. But the aircraft is sporting a full set of external stores, including 100-gallon drop tanks and SNEB rocket pods. "There is also a set of Aden cannon pods fitted to the belly."
No one was hurt, but one man had to be rescued and six airplanes and one helicopter were damaged when the roof of a hangar collapsed under the weight of heavy snow at Norwood Airport, near Boston, Wednesday. The hangar, occupied by Swift Aviation Services, reportedly had two people in it at the time of the collapse. Employee Ted Robinson, who had to be rescued from a corner office, told the Norwood Bulletin that the event was "a little out of the ordinary." Fire officials were called to contain leaking fuel and a ruptured gas line; it's estimated that damage to two of the aircraft was excessive. Images appear to show the tail of a Lancair IV P suffering under the weight of debris while the helicopter next to it is nearly unrecognizable. Meanwhile, a Piper Malibu (or variant) sits nearby relatively unscathed and a prop jutting from the snow behind it suggests another outcome for a different aircraft.
Charles H. Kaman Dies At 91 February 2, 2011 By Glenn Pew Charles Kaman is credited with introducing the first turbine-powered helicopter in 1951, and the first remote-controlled helicopter in 1957; he died Monday at age 91, leaving a much longer list for his lifetime of achievements. To build helicopters, Kaman founded a corporation that shared his name. Its H-43 Husky earned the distinction during the Korean conflict and Vietnam war of flying more rescue missions than all other aircraft combined, according to the Air Mobility Command museum. The company's SH-2 Seasprite amassed roughly 1.5 million hours in service with the Navy. Kaman's work earned him the National Aeronautical Society's Wright Brothers Award Trophy and the U.S Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal. He has been inducted into the National Museum of Naval Aviation's Hall of Honor, among other distinctions. Kaman's work wasn't limited to aviation.
Arnold Palmer Hangs Up His Wings February 2, 2011 By Glenn Pew At age 81, Arnold Palmer, a pilot since 1956, has logged nearly 20,000 flight hours and Monday took his last flight as pilot in command, before voluntarily hanging up his wings. Palmer has owned 10 aircraft, from an Aero Commander 500 to the Cessna Citation X he piloted for his final flight. Speaking with Golf Digest, Palmer said he would continue flying, just not in the cockpit. "Flying has been one of the great things in my life," Palmer said. "It's taken me to the far corners of the world. I met thousands of people I otherwise wouldn't have met. And I even got to play a little golf along the way." In October, 2010, Palmer was chosen by the FAA in the company of six others, including Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan, to receive a Wright Brothers Master Pilot Certificate. The certificate recognizes 50 or more consecutive years of safe flight operations and is not Palmer's only distinct achievement in aviation.
Unmanned Airship To Launch This Year February 2, 2011 By Mary Grady Northrop Grumman said this week it will launch a remotely piloted airship designed for military use sometime this summer. The airship will be more than 300 feet long and 70 feet tall, and capable of staying aloft for more than three weeks at a time. The Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) is designed for use by the Army as a surveillance and reconnaissance platform. Alan Metzger, the leader of Northrop Grumman's airship team, said the ship will be ready for hull inflation in the spring and first flight by mid-to-late summer. Test flights should be complete by the end of the year, and in 2012 the LEMV will participate in an Army Joint Military Utility Assessment in an operational environment. "As you can imagine, it's a very aggressive schedule to deliver from concept-to-combat in [an 18-month] period," Metzger said.
Eclipse And Sikorsky Join Forces February 2, 2011 By Mary Grady Sikorsky Aircraft has completed a minority equity investment agreement with Eclipse Aerospace that was first announced at NBAA 2010 in October. The deal provides Eclipse with "some extra investment dollars to work with," Eclipse CEO Mason Holland told AVweb on Wednesday, but he said the two companies agreed not to release details of the amount. But even more important, Holland said, the deal gives his young company access to Sikorsky's established supply chain, parts-distribution system and engineering talent. The deal will have "immediate impact" on current Eclipse owners, Holland said, in enhancing the "strength and support of a global network," but it also means an "accelerated time frame" for getting the E500 back into production quickly "as soon as the market demand is there."
Textron Upbeat For 2011 February 1, 2011 By Mary Grady Textron, the parent company of both Cessna and Bell Helicopter, reports that business was up in the fourth quarter of 2010, and more growth is expected for 2011. "An improving commercial outlook, combined with accelerating investments in new product development, should support top-line growth across our manufacturing businesses," said CEO Scott Donnelly. "We're particularly encouraged by the pick-up in business jet and commercial helicopter demand." Those sales were driven in part by the impact of bonus depreciation in the United States, Donnelly said, but relative stability in global economies and improving business confidence is also having an impact. Cessna's revenues increased $105 million in the fourth quarter of 2010 from the same period in the prior year, reflecting higher overall volume, including the delivery of 79 business jets, compared to 68 in 2009.
FAA Funding May Fly As "Jobs Bill" February 1, 2011 By Mary Grady On Monday, Democrats in the Senate recast the long-overdue FAA funding bill as an infrastructure and jobs program, arguing that $8 billion for airport improvements will support 90,000 workers. "If there was ever a jobs bill, this is it," said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. The bill, which has been stalled for more than three years, would allot $34.5 billion to the FAA to keep the agency running for two years and make progress toward NextGen. Last year, the bill passed in the Senate but languished in the House. The new House, however, may provide fewer obstacles. U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., the new chair of the House Transportation Committee, has said the bill will be his first priority, according to The Associated Press.
Chinese Fighter, Or "Top Gun" Clip? February 1, 2011 By Mary Grady
A news video produced by CCTV, China's state broadcaster, purports to show a missile shot by a Chinese J-10 destroying another jet during an air force drill, but in fact the clip appears to be from the movie "Top Gun," according to The Wall Street Journal. The Journal's side-by-side comparison of the clips shows them to be virtually identical. A Web user named Liu Yi first posted the questionable clips, which were later compiled by the WSJ. The video has been taken down by the Chinese news site, but CCTV has not commented on the incident, according to the Toronto Star.
"Two Weeks To Taxi" Adds Amphib January 31, 2011 By Mary Grady Glasair has added an amphibious version of the Sportsman 2+2 to its "Two Weeks to Taxi" program, which provides builders with two weeks of support at the Arlington, Wash., factory. The company is offering an introductory price of $199,000. The Sportsman is "a go-anywhere, do-anything airplane, and it's fun to fly," says company president Mikael Via. Two kids can ride in back, or the seats can be quickly removed and provide a roomy space for camping gear, golf clubs or fishing equipment. The amphibious version provides more options for backcountry excursions. The amphib has a useful load of 950 pounds, a cruise speed of 110 knots, and a 600-mile range.
TSA Blocks Contract Screening January 30, 2011 By Russ Niles Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., says he'll launch an investigation into the TSA's abrupt decision to deny further applications by airports to replace TSA screeners with those of private contractors. In a statement issued late Friday, TSA Administrator John Pistole said he turned down an application by Branson-Springfield Airport in Missouri to go to private screeners under the Screening Partnership Program. "I examined the contractor screening program and decided not to expand the program beyond the current 16 airports as I do not see any clear or substantial advantage to do so at this time," Pistole said. The 16 airports with private screeners will be able to keep them. There are about 450 airports with passenger security screening in the U.S. The decision is a reversal of Pistole's earlier position, in which he said he was "neutral" on whether to allow contract screeners. Mica is a major proponent of the private option.
FAA Bill Back In Play January 29, 2011 By Russ Niles After three years on the legislative backburner, it looks like the FAA reauthorization bill is catching fire. Sen. John Rockefeller, D-W.Va., will introduce a new bill next week that he says is identical to a bill introduced last year (PDF) that was passed 93-0 by the Senate. The House never did pass it. The proposed bill includes funding for NextGen and sets an accelerated schedule for its deployment under the auspices of the newly created senior position in the FAA to keep NextGen on track. The bill authorizes spending of $34.5 billion over two years and has general support in the aviation world, but politics is not that cut and dried.
Airline Makes Upset Training Mandatory January 29, 2011 By Russ Niles KLM, Holland's flag carrier, has signed a deal with Arizona-based APS Emergency Maneuver Trainingto provide upset recovery training to ab initio pilots training at the airline's flight school in Mesa. KLM has done its pilot training in sunny Mesa for 65 years at Falcon Field and APS is at neighboring Phoenix-Mesa Gateway. As technology mitigates many of the risk factors associated with airline flying, in-flight loss of control has emerged as the leading cause of airline crashes, according to a study released by Boeing last year. APS teaches pilots of all experience levels what to do when their world is turned upside down.
Sonex Flies Folding Wing Onex January 29, 2011 By Russ Niles Sonex has flown the prototype of the Onex, a single-place aerobatic kit LSA that also has folding wings. Sonex CEO Jeremy Monnett, who is also the aircraft designer, did several laps around Wittman Regional Airport on Jan. 27 in what he described to onlookers as a "little fighter." The leisurely test flight, which included a low and over, confirmed the aircraft's light handling and agreeable flight characteristics. On landing, Monnett pronounced the aircraft "sweet" and said turns required no rudder input. He and his colleagues then folded the wings and tucked the aircraft back in the Sonex hangar.
SMO Balks (So Far) Over Safety Feature January 29, 2011 By Glenn Pew Santa Monica attempted to ban certain business jets from its airport in part due to concerns over safety, but now that a Circuit Court has ruled out the ban, the city's maneuvering could lead it to turn down a safety measure. Ninety percent of airport traffic heads west at Santa Monica and homes sit just 300 feet from the runway's west end. Responding to the city's concerns that those homes might be struck by a larger business jet that overran the runway, the FAA has offered to install a bed of crushable concrete in the safety zone there. (It also noted that in 20 years not a single jet has crashed or run off the runway at SMO.) City officials have not been quick to accept the FAA's offer, and it may take some mental gymnastics to understand why.
China Begins Test Of Open Airspace January 28, 2011 By Glenn Pew The Chinese government Friday officially began the process of loosening its restrictions on private aircraft by initiating "trial" flights in selected airspace below 1,000 meters. The country chose Haikou, the capital city of China's Hainan island province, to initiate the flights that will be conducted by four helicopters flying without the need to seek permission prior to each flight. The test flights are expected to continue through March. Chinese airspace is controlled by the military and Civil Aviation Administration of China and less than 30 percent of it is open to civil aviation. Currently, pilots of private flights must file ahead of time for approvals that can take up to a week to arrive. The new rules are expected to have an effect on that and are detailed after the jump.
Joule Patents Organism That Makes Jet A? January 27, 2011 By Glenn Pew Joule Unlimited, a U.S. biotech company, has earned a patent for a "proprietary organism" that it says takes in carbon dioxide, sunshine and (dirty, salt, or clear) water, and puts out liquid hydrocarbons. The four-year-old Massachusetts-based company describes its organism as a genetically engineered cyanobacterium that will deliver "fossil fuels on demand" in "virtually unlimited quantities." It claims the organism's process mimics photosynthesis in producing diesel fuel, and is 50 times more efficient than current biofuel production methods. Claims aside, the company has attracted former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta to its board of directors and lists George Church, who helped pioneer the sequencing of the human genome, on its scientific advisory board. Of course, that doesn't prove that the process actually works.
Pilot Tells Story Of Ditching January 27, 2011 By Glenn Pew Kelly McHugh, a 1,500-hour commercial pilot, was flying his Piper Jetprop P46T at 26,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico on Dec. 4, 2010, when it became clear that he, his three companions, and the plane were going into the water. The aircraft suffered a yet-unexplained engine problem and as it lost power the men quickly realized they would not impact close to shore. It was up to McHugh and the three other men (two of whom were experienced pilots) to save themselves. McHugh estimates that the 90-knot glide lasted at least 30 minutes before the plane hit the water. AVweb's Glenn Pew spoke to McHugh for the details.
Pentagon: China's J20 May Not Be So Stealthy January 26, 2011 By Glenn Pew China's latest flying military aircraft prototype, the J-20, may or may not be stealthy, or a true "fifth-generation" fighter, because "we don't know, frankly, much about the capabilities of that plane," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said this week. Currently, the Pentagon does not know if China's new aircraft uses a "fifth generation" engine or the capabilities of its avionics. Regardless, what the Pentagon believes is that by the time the J-20 is operational, the U.S. will be flying 187 F-22s, "which will be unmatched," and will have "an abundance of F-35s." And based on what the Pentagon does know, the new Chinese jet "has not changed the strategic calculus at all." Morrell also contested the notion that U.S. intelligence was caught flat-footed by the J-20's first flight, perhaps rolling back comments made earlier by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
FAA Suggests Markings For Met Towers January 26, 2011 By Mary Grady A pilot in California was killed earlier this month when his airplane struck a 197-foot-tall tower during an agricultural flight, just a few days after the FAA published a proposed policy that would establish voluntary procedures for marking such towers. Meteorological, or met, towers gather data to determine if a site would be profitable to develop for wind power, and they have proliferated in rural areas in recent years. Many of the towers are built to heights just a few feet below the 200-foot level that would require FAA notification and markings. The towers are often "narrow, unmarked and grey in color ... nearly invisible under some atmospheric conditions," according to the National Agricultural Aviation Association. The FAA proposes that the towers should be painted in alternating orange and white stripes, but compliance would be voluntary. The FAA is accepting comments on its proposal until Feb. 4.
First Flight For Restored MiG-29 Fighter January 26, 2011 By Mary Grady A MiG-29 Soviet-era fighter jet flew for the first time above Washington state this week, after a two-year restoration project by the Historic Flight Foundation. The two-seat MiG-29UB was manufactured in the Soviet Union sometime between 1985 and 1991, and flew with the Ukrainian Air Force until 2005, when it was demilitarized and offered for sale to the public. The Foundation bought the airplane, but due to paperwork and shipping snafus, it didn't arrive in Washington until 2008. The restoration team fully disassembled the aircraft to inspect every part. Missing or damaged components were replaced with newly fabricated parts, and two huge new turbofan engines were specially manufactured by the Klimov factory in Russia. The MiG-29 is capable of reaching Mach 2.2 and 60,000 feet.
Mahindra's Five-Seat Aircraft To Launch Soon January 26, 2011 By Mary Grady Mahindra Aerospace said this week its new five-seat airplane, which would be India's first indigenous GA aircraft, is expected to fly for the first time next month. According to Indian news sources, the NM5-100 will sell for "20 percent less than a similar aircraft from Cessna." The company has been working for a several years in partnership with India's National Aerospace Laboratories to design the airplane, which is expected to meet FAR Part 23 standards. A larger version of the airplane also is in the works, which would seat 8 to 10. The company has said it plans to become India's first manufacturer serving the GA market, with four to six models for global distribution.
House Members Urge Obama: No Aviation User Fees January 25, 2011 By Mary Grady One hundred and sixteen members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed a letter (PDF) to President Barack Obama urging him not to support aviation user fees as a means to fund the FAA's budget for 2012. User fees would be "a step backward" in efforts to modernize the air traffic control system, and would have a "detrimental impact on general aviation and the flying public," the letter states. Ed Bolen, president of the National Business Aviation Association, welcomed the effort. "We thank the Congressional leaders who took this action early in the year to reinforce a clear message of opposition to user fees, and welcome their unwavering support on this issue of critical importance to the entire general aviation community," Bolen said this week. NBAA said the current system of fuel taxes is proven and efficient.
FAA: Icing May Affect Stall Warning On Older Aircraft January 25, 2011 By Mary Grady Pilots who fly general aviation aircraft that were certified before the year 2000 should be aware that the stall-warning system may not work as expected in icing conditions, the FAA said on Monday. Pilots have reported that they felt a shudder or buffet, but attributed it to engine or propeller icing. "These reported events occurred in the cruise phase of flight, in some cases with the autopilot engaged; during landing approach; and on landing," the FAA said. Pilots in icing conditions should treat a buffet or shudder as if it is an imminent stall, the FAA said. The recommendation is part of a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (PDF), which provides safety information to pilots. "Do not believe the myth that 'thicker' general aviation airplane airfoils are more tolerant of ice accretion," the FAA said.
FAA To Revise 'Public Aircraft' Policy January 24, 2011 By Mary Grady The FAA said last week it will take a fresh look at a longstanding rule that exempts aircraft operated by the federal government from most FAA regulations. "The statute is vague," said John Allen, the FAA official who oversees flight standards. "It is very confusing." Problems arise especially when Part 135 operators work under contract to a federal agency, according to Helicopter Association International, which hosted last week's forum. The FAA will issue a new Advisory Circular soon to clarify the issue, according to HAI. Allen said the agency plans to consider all contracted operations as civil operations by default. Operators and the FAA must be notified in advance, on a flight-by-flight basis, if public-aircraft status applies.
'First World' Airlines Fatality-Free January 23, 2011 By Russ Niles Although there were some remarkably close calls (including the engine explosion in a Qantas A380), 2010 passed without a single fatality caused by a crash involving a passenger-carrying airliner based in what MIT considers "developed" countries. "In the entire First World, fatal crashes are at the brink of extinction," Arnold Barnett, a professor who specializes in air crash statistics at the prestigious school, told USA Today. For the U.S., 2010 was the third fatality-free year out of four. The streak was broken by the Colgan Air crash in Buffalo in early 2009 that killed all 49 people on board and a person on the ground. The Independent Pilots Association took issue with the USA Today story, noting that two UPS pilots died in the crash of their Boeing 747-400 in Dubai in September. They were the only ones on the cargo flight but UPS operates under Part 121 and is the eighth largest airline in the U.S. It's also not clear by what criteria the appointment of "First World" countries is judged or what constitutes an airline flight but one of the worst crashes in 2010 happened in Russia when a plane carrying Poland's president and his entourage went down in bad weather while trying to land at Smolensk.
Gobosh Aviation Sold January 23, 2011 By Russ Niles Gobosh Aviation has been sold to Aerospace Capital Partners LLC, which operates a flight school in Denver using three Gobosh aircraft. The announcement came during the annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla. Gobosh was formed by Tim Baldwin and Dave Graham four years ago and imported the Gobosh 700, a Polish design aimed at the training market, and the Gobosh 800, a Czech product described as a luxury LSA aircraft. The new owner, headed by Chris Dillis, is taking aim at the training market, which he says is now underserved by LSAs.
Piper's Sebring Attendance 'Part Of Transition' January 23, 2011 By Russ Niles Piper Aircraft isn't looking for an immediate replacement for the PiperSport but the company is also not completely ruling out a return to the light sport aircraft sector. A week before the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo began in Sebring, Fla., Piper announced it was dropping the PiperSport arrangement with the manufacturer Czech Sport Aircraft. Then, the distributors of the aircraft got together to continue selling and supporting it in cooperation with U.S. Sport Aircraft, which is the sole importer for the design. Meanwhile, Piper showed up in force at Sebring with aircraft painted in PiperSport livery along with promotion material and even show tents emblazoned with the Piper brand. Piper spokeswoman Jacquie Carlon told AVweb Piper had made a commitment to attend and support the show but the decision to drop the PiperSport remains firm.
FAA: Charter Pilots Must Have CRM Training January 22, 2011 By Glenn Pew Non-scheduled airlines and air taxis operating under Part 135 will have two years to create crew resource management (CRM) training programs for their roughly 24,000 pilots, plus flight attendants, according to a final rule announced Thursday. The FAA said analysis showed that CRM training helped reduce the rate of fatal accidents caused by pilot error by 25 percent. The agency believes the new training will reduce pilot error by improving decision-making, reducing stress and increasing awareness about the impact of fatigue. The rule addresses recommendations from the NTSB and becomes effective 60 days after its coming publication in the Federal Register. It was introduced as an NPRM in May of 2009, and received just seven comments.
Court: Santa Monica Can't Ban Bizjets January 21, 2011 By Glenn Pew A Circuit Court has ruled that because Santa Monica has accepted millions in federal grants it cannot ban the business jets that make up roughly 7 percent of its operations. The court found that, between 1985 and 2003, the city accepted $10.2 million in federal funds under the airport improvement program, and terms of that acceptance included making the airport available "to all types kinds and classes of aeronautical uses." The airport, which serves as a reliever for LAX, has been embroiled in controversy since the city council tried to close it in 1981. That fight led to a 1984 resolution that will keep the airport open until at least 2015. The effort to ban jets began in 1998 and, in spite of the latest ruling, there may be challenges ahead.
Our news team is gearing up for light sport news from the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida -- but before things got busy they had time to check out a few displays and kick some tires.
China Approves Order For 200 Boeing Airliners January 21, 2011 By Glenn Pew A standing order for 200 Boeing commercial aircraft worth $19 billion has been approved by the Chinese government, paving the way for delivery to begin later this year. The deal includes 185 Boeing 737 and 15 Boeing 777 jets. Large international orders like this one are sometimes part of a broader relationship and Boeing has recent history with China. In 2005, Boeing announced it would buy $600 million worth of Chinese-made aircraft components and the company has contracted with Chinese manufacturers to produce certain parts for the 787 Dreamliner. This year, the White House said that Boeing, Honeywell International and Pratt & Whitney will be providing Air China with technical support to begin biofuel flights, according to Marketwatch.com. China is expected to represent a growing market for aviation businesses. Boeing isn't the only major manufacturer seeking inroads.
Laser Incidents, Danger To Pilots, Increase January 20, 2011 By Glenn Pew The FAA's formal reporting system in 2010 recorded a sharp increase in laser-related incidents at the same time that much more powerful handheld lasers began entering the market at significantly lower price points. The FAA recorded 2,836 laser-related complaints in 2010, which almost doubles the 1,527 incidents reported in 2009. Meanwhile, Class 4 lasers have become more affordable and more portable. One review of a sub-$300 handheld laser that was first made available last year says the device is "capable of blinding and/or burning someone almost instantly." Shining a laser at a commercial aircraft is a federal crime that can earn an offender up to 20 years in jail per charge and a $250,000 fine. Based on the FAA's figures, that's not having the desired effect. And pilots reportedly may now be in danger of more than very temporary vision loss.
The U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla., hasn't gotten under way yet -- but that didn't stop us from prowling the grounds and snapping a few photos of the LSA vendors moving into their booths and setting up displays.
Groen Brothers Enter Agreement With China January 19, 2011 By Glenn Pew An agreement between Groen Brothers Aviation International LLC (GBA) and China's Guangzhou Suntrans Aviation Science and Technology Co. Ltd. will see light gyroplanes produced in China for sales worldwide. The deal creates a cooperative joint venture under a new entity, Foshan Suntrans-Groen Aviation Co., and creates infrastructure to produce and support GBA's SparrowHawk III, GBA's company's most advanced offering. GBA says the venture allows them an opportunity to introduce a safe and easy-to-fly product to the Chinese public as China opens up airspace below 3,000 meters and ushers in "a new generation of private pilots." It will also transfer GBA's technology into the joint entity and ultimately seeks to introduce new aircraft to the U.S. and world markets. The details of the arrangement appear to leave GBA with less influence in the long run.
UAV Flights Concern Oregon Pilots January 19, 2011 By Glenn Pew Local pilots are concerned that a proposal to test drones in a central Oregon military operations area will effectively close that airspace to private aircraft, but proponents say the concerns are overblown. The pilots say the MOA falls along a popular route between Bend and points in Idaho, and is also used by AirLink Critical Care Transport air ambulance service. Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO), the group supporting the proposal, says complexities brought forward during introduction of the proposal may have led some to misinterpret the group's intent. Unmanned aircraft are currently prohibited from flying in the area and similar testing is usually contained within restricted airspace. EDCO says that while it does want use of the airspace, it plans to consider the pilots' concerns.
PiperSport Just A Name: Distributor January 19, 2011 By Russ Niles Regardless of its name, the soon-to-be-former PiperSport will continue to be a part of the LSA market, according to the head of the company that brings them into the U.S. Piper announced earlier this week that it was dropping the PiperSport, citing a difference in business goals with its manufacturer, Czech Aircraft Works (CZAW). Although Piper branded what used to the SportCruiser, the airplane will continue to be sold without Piper's involvement. In an exclusive podcast interview with AVweb on the eve of the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla., U.S. Sport Aircraft CEO Don Ayres said it's "business as usual" despite the parting of ways between Piper and CZAW. "Aircraft will continue to be sold and supported," he said.
De-Icing in the Real World: Aviation Consumer Wants to Hear from TKS Users February 4, 2011 By Jeff Van West Aviation Consumer is researching an article on TKS performance in the real world and could really use your help. If you fly an aircraft equipped with a TKS system, please take just a few moments to complete this online survey. Information about how you use the system and how it performs will be kept anonymous, but the general findings will be reported in a future issue of Aviation Consumer.
LSA Expo This Week, Florida Tour To Follow January 19, 2011 By Mary Grady The sixth annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo runs Thursday through Sunday this week, in Sebring, Fla., offering the year's first big aviation event. The expo features forums and exhibits, but the main attraction is the easy access to sport airplanes and demo flights, along with a first look at the latest new models and accessories. After the event, several of the LSA manufacturers and distributors will stage a "road show," flying their demo aircraft to six airports throughout Florida. "We wanted to create an intimate atmosphere for purchasers to see planes, without the noise of a show," said Bill Canino, of SportairUSA. Other participants in the tour include American Legend Aircraft, Flight Design Southeast, Rans Aircraft, and Sportplanes Florida.
Safety Concerns Persist For Electronics Aloft January 19, 2011 By Mary Grady Passengers and airlines have become too complacent about the use of electronic devices on board aircraft, according to an article in Tuesday's New York Times. One report filed by a pilot with NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System told of an incident in which the navigation equipment on a Boeing 737 failed after takeoff, but came back online after a flight attendant told a passenger to turn off a handheld GPS device. However, it wasn't clear how the GPS device might have had an effect, or if it was pure coincidence. The links may be difficult to prove, but engineer Bill Strauss told the Times the growing use of such devices aloft is "worrisome." They may be harmless much of the time, but a combination of rare events -- the kind of "accident chain" that causes many aviation accidents -- could have disastrous results.
Waco Revives Great Lakes Biplane January 18, 2011 By Mary Grady Waco Classic, of Battle Creek, Mich., is adding to its product line with the reintroduction of the Great Lakes Model 2T-1A-1/2, a fully aerobatic 180-hp biplane, which has been out of production since 1980. The two-seat airplane is smaller than Waco's YMF-5D biplane, with simpler avionics and systems. Several changes have been made from the 1980 model, the company said this week, such as using aluminum instead of wood for the spar, upgrading the brakes and updating the avionics. Preliminary prices are set at $219,000 for the Touring model, with a Lycoming IO-360-B1F6 engine, and $239,000 for the higher-performance Sport model, with a Lycoming AEIO-360-B1F6 engine.
Dreamliner Delivery Delayed Again January 18, 2011 By Mary Grady Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, already many-times delayed, will start deliveries in the third quarter of this year, Boeing said on Tuesday, instead of in February, as previously announced. The new delivery date reflects the impact of an in-flight electrical fire in November that grounded the test fleet. Extra time is needed to produce, install and test updated software and new electrical power distribution panels, the company said. "We've also restored some margin in the schedule to allow for any additional time that may be needed to complete certification activities," said Scott Fancher, general manager of the 787 program. The announcement drew some skepticism. Seattle Times analyst Jon Talton asked, "Shall we take bets as to whether the latest firm date is met?"
Aviation's 'Living Legends' Gather Friday January 17, 2011 By Mary Grady On Friday night, Hollywood notables and famous aviators will mingle at the 8th Annual Living Legends of Aviation awards event, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Actors John Travolta, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks and Kurt Russell are scheduled to participate, as well as aviation legends including Sean D. Tucker, Capt. "Sully" Sullenberger and Bob Hoover. Among those receiving awards for their contributions to aviation are Capt. James Lovell, commander of the Apollo 13 mission; U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, a former U.S. Air Force pilot; Clay Jones, CEO of Rockwell Collins; and Lynn Tilton, CEO of MD Helicopters. The event will be held at the Beverly Hilton. It is produced by the Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, a nonprofit group that works to inspire young children, ages 5 to 11, to take an interest in aviation and excel academically.
Carter PAV Now In Flight-Test Mode January 17, 2011 By Mary Grady Carter Aviation has completed the first phase of flight testing for its Personal Air Vehicle, a four-seat aircraft that combines fixed-wing and rotary components, the company announced this week. The test crew flew the first traffic pattern in the PAV in December, and on Jan. 5, they completed a 36-minute flight. The initial phase of the flight-test regimen is focused on refining the flight-control systems for the PAV's gyro performance capabilities, including vertical takeoff and landing, the company said. In the next phase of testing, Carter will add a 45-foot wing section to the aircraft. Carter, which is based in Wichita Falls, Texas, debuted the aircraft at EAA AirVenture in 2009.
Sebring Starts Show Season January 16, 2011 By Russ Niles The airshow season is officially under way and thousands are expected at U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring Fla., starting Thursday. There will be hundreds of exhibitors and demonstrators in the show aimed mostly at the Light Sport sector. AVweb will be there with full coverage and a special show edition on Friday. A note to exhibitors: If you have something new or otherwise important to share with the more than 250,000 people who regularly use AVweb as their source for aviation news, by all means drop us a line at editor@avweb.com and we'll do our best to stop by. See you at the show!
Alternative Fuels For Aviation: Navy and Air Force Are Bullish January 16, 2011 By Paul Bertorelli As the world economy slowly rights itself and oil prices are poised to move upward, the Navy and Air Force say they're on track to produce at least half of their fuel requirements by the end of this decade, if not earlier. And for the Navy, that also means propulsion fuel for its non-nuclear surface vessels. In this podcast, Thomas Hicks, the Navy's deputy secretary for energy, told AVweb that ground and flight tests of a 50/50 blend of biofuel and conventional JP-8 in an F-18 testbed have proven highly successful, with no surprises. The services are seeking a drop-in replacement for their traditional petroleum-derived jet fuels and both the Navy and Air Force have proved that, conceptually, they can reach the goal. "To the fleet, it will be a straight drop-in. They won't see any difference," said Rick Kamin, the Navy's lead researcher on alternative fuels. The heat contents, weights and other factors are so similar to JP-8 that no performance or storage and handling exceptions need to be considered, Kamin told us. The Navy favors a 50/50 blend because traditional JP-8 contains enough aromatic compounds to promote swelling of seals, O-rings and gaskets, which pure biofuels cannot do.
UAV NPRM May Come This Year January 16, 2011 By Russ Niles The FAA may be planning rulemaking that will allow the use of non-military unmanned aerial vehicles in civilian airspace, according to USA Today. The newspaper quotes FAA spokesman Les Dorr as saying the proposed rules could be released this year and a public comment period will be included. He also told USA Today that the agency is talking with the Justice Department and national law enforcement groups "about possibly trying to streamline the process of applying for certificates of authorization" for operation of drones. The proposed rule appears to be limited to the use of small drones by law enforcement agencies, who are reportedly itching to get their hands on the eyes in the sky.
NASA has released images of what three aerospace companies predict the near future of airliners might be but given the typical development time and the economics of such projects, the 2025 target date seems optimistic for these radical designs. Boeing's projection of a blended-wing aircraft might be the closest to fruition since it's already testing a scale model at Edwards Air Force Base, but Northrop Grumman's double-fuselage creation and Lockheed Martin's giant tail-mounted engine proposal are perhaps a little far-fetched.
Pilot Loses Gun In Waiting Area Mixup January 15, 2011 By Glenn Pew The TSA is investigating after a passenger mistakenly picked up a bag holding a gun belonging to a Federal Flight Deck Officer at New York's JFK Airport on Thursday. Michael Connery Jr., a first officer for JetBlue, was waiting to board the aircraft he was to help fly to Pittsburgh and set his bag next to Rachel Hazan's. Hazan was also waiting for a JetBlue flight to West Palm Beach. Hazan was traveling with her parents and her two children and when it was time to board, she scooped up everything, including Connery's bag, and the 40-caliber handgun inside, and carried it onto her flight. Things soon got more complicated for both of them, but especially for Connery.
Delta Courts Manufacturers For Massive Order January 14, 2011 By Glenn Pew Delta Air Lines is using a potential order for 100 to 200 aircraft, with options for 200 more, to inspire proposals from major airframe manufacturers on the heels of a record $15.6 billion order for 180 aircraft from IndiGo, landed by Airbus. The company said Thursday that it hopes to take delivery starting in 2013, with aircraft that could range from large to small single-aisle designs. Delta acquired Northwest in 2008 and now operates more than 700 aircraft. The new orders could ultimately replace Delta's Airbus A320, Boeing 757-200, and DC9-50 series aircraft. The potential order could stimulate strong competition from the usual suspects and inspire some hopefuls.
Southwest Captain Delays Takeoff For Bereaved Grandfather January 14, 2011 By AVweb Staff In an act of kindness not often seen in the hectic world of airline flying, a Southwest captain delayed a departure for 12 minutes to allow a grandfather rushing to his dying grandson's bedside to board the flight. Mark Dickerson, a Northrop Grumman engineer, was in Los Angeles when he learned that a child abuse incident left his grandson, Caden Rogers, lying brain dead in a Denver hospital. He arrived at Los Angeles Airport only to find a long security line, and airport workers weren't buying his story about Caden and refused to allow him to the front of the line. In desperation, Dickerson phoned his wife who followed up with Southwest, contacting the flight's captain. On his own, the skipper delayed the flight until Dickerson arrived, greeting him at the cabin door. Southwest spokesperson Marilee McInnis told ABC news that the captain has been identified but his name wasn't released, pending the pilot's permission.
Hydrogen-Powered Global Observer Flies January 14, 2011 By Glenn Pew AeroVironment Inc. announced Tuesday that it has successfully flown at Edwards Air Force Base its Global Observer drone, a hydrogen-fuel-powered unmanned aircraft sporting a 175-foot wingspan and one-week-long endurance. The aircraft's internal-combustion engine burns cryogenically stored liquid hydrogen, leaving water vapor for exhaust. That system powers a generator that delivers electricity to the aircraft's four wing-mounted motors. The aircraft is being developed to serve as a surveillance and communication link platform, while flying mostly at 65,000 feet. In surveillance roles, the company says the aircraft's endurance could translate to coverage of 280,000 square miles per flight. In its test flight, the aircraft flew for four hours at about 3,000 feet.
FCC Suspends Prohibition Of 121.5 MHz ELTs January 13, 2011 By Glenn Pew The FCC has stayed their rule (PDF) on the prohibition of 121.5 MHz ELTs (signals no longer processed by satellites) and is "planning a new Notice requesting public comment on the future of legacy 121.5 ELTs." The action is a response to concerns expressed by the FAA, one of which is supply. The FAA warned the FCC that the current supply of 406 MHz ELTs is insufficient to replace all 121.5 MHz ELTs in the near term. Because of that, reasoned the FAA, prohibiting the use of 121.5 MHz ELTs "would" effectively ground "most" general aviation aircraft. The FAA also expressed concern regarding the potential continued value provided by 121.5 MHz ELTs in locating aircraft "even without satellite monitoring of frequency 121.5 MHz." Search and rescue operators still monitor the frequency. The FAA also expressed concerned about the associated cost to operators of forcing a transition.
NTSB: 757 In Overrun Missing A Bushing January 13, 2011 By Glenn Pew Investigators poring over the American Airlines Boeing 757-200 that ran off Runway 19 while landing at Jackson Hole, Nov. 19, have so far found that a bushing was missing on part of the auto speed brake mechanism. During testing, investigators found "no discrepancies" in the aircraft's air/ground, autobrake, and thrust reverser systems. They found the linear actuator of the auto speed brake mechanism had been "improperly installed." The actuator resides in the cockpit pedestal and without the bushing, a cam and switch could become misaligned. The NTSB is investigating system operation with consideration to that condition. The CVR data has been transcribed and will be released when the NTSB's public docket is opened. The NTSB's FDR group has begun the process of mining data and has released some information.
Piper Terminates PiperSport Relationship January 12, 2011 By Russ Niles Wednesday, Piper Aircraft Inc. announced that it will no longer be marketing the PiperSport LSA, citing "differences in business philosophies," with Czech Republic-based Czech Sport Aircraft (CSA), the PiperSport's manufacturer. The two companies had worked together for roughly one year in an arrangement that had Piper brand a version of CZAW's SportCruiser Light Sport Aircraft as the PiperSport. Piper had created a stand-alone distributor network to market the plane, but now says its long-term interests are best served without ties to CSA. Dissolution of the arrangement had nothing to do with the aircraft, itself. According to Piper, "The aircraft we were distributing is a good one."
Gulfstream Test-Flies Electric-Powered Controls January 12, 2011 By Mary Grady The Gulfstream G650 flight-test aircraft recently flew for the first time using only an electrically powered, fly-by-wire backup flight-control actuation system, the company said this week. "There was no difference in handling qualities between the electrically and hydraulically powered modes," said Pres Henne, of Gulfstream. The flight, on Dec. 21, evaluated the electric backup system for over two hours, performing five landings with the system engaged. "It flew so well that unless pilots were told they were in backup actuation mode I don't think they would notice," said test pilot Gary Freeman.
Naval Aviation Celebrates Centennial In 2011 January 12, 2011 By Mary Grady The U.S. Navy launched its flight program in 1911, and a number of events will mark the 100th anniversary this year. The official kick-off is set for Feb. 10-13 in San Diego. On Saturday the 12th, hundreds of historic and current Navy aircraft, including the Blue Angels, will take to the skies for a Parade of Flight above Naval Air Station North Island, which will host an Open House for the event. Visitors can view more than 75 historic aircraft displays, take tours of the Navy ships (including the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier), and enjoy live entertainment and food vendors. The event is free to the public, but visitors must carry identification and meet other criteria to enter the base; click here for a PDF with details. Other events planned for the weekend include a kick-off gala aboard the USS Midway museum ship. For more events and details, visit the Centennial website.
In Congress, A Move Against User Fees January 11, 2011 By Mary Grady U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., and Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., senior members of the House Transportation Committee, are circulating a letter among fellow lawmakers asking them to join their effort to persuade President Barack Obama to avoid general aviation user fees in the next federal budget. Costello said he favors maintaining the current mechanism of using fuel taxes to support the Aviation Trust Fund. "We want to reiterate that a user-fee proposal would be a step backward," said Costello. "This is an issue that we have had bipartisan agreement on in recent years and there is no reason to reconsider it. I will not support a budget or an FAA Reauthorization bill that includes user fees."
Flight Training Included In New G.I. Bill January 11, 2011 By Mary Grady A new version of the G.I. Bill, which was signed into law last week by President Barack Obama, could provide funding for veterans who want to pursue flight training, according to AOPA. "This bill is a big step forward for both active-duty members of the armed services and for veterans," said Melissa Rudinger, AOPA's senior vice president of government affairs. Effective Oct. 1, flight students may be eligible for up to $10,000 per academic year. However, AOPA noted, Congress will have to pass an additional appropriation bill before any money is made available for veterans, and that may not be easy.
China's Stealth Fighter Flies January 11, 2011 By Mary Grady China's stealth fighter, the J-20, has flown for the first time, Chinese officials said on Tuesday. The 15-minute flight took place Tuesday morning from the Chengdu airfield where it was seen last week. Chinese President Hu Jintao confirmed that the first flight had taken place when asked by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is in China this week. Hu said it was coincidental that it occurred during Gates' visit. The J-20 appears to be a stealth fighter, but defense experts have said the aircraft appears to be less advanced than U.S. fighters. China's own defense minister, Gen. Liang Guanglie, said this week that China is not an "advanced" military force. "The gap between us and that of advanced countries is at least two to three decades," he said, according to The Guardian.
GA Groups: Aviation Is Not A "Menace" January 10, 2011 By Mary Grady NBAA and NATA have both responded to claims in the current issue of The Atlantic magazine that private aviation is a "public menace" due to inadequate security safeguards. In his commentary, Atlantic correspondent Jeffrey Goldberg says anyone who is rich enough, including a terrorist, can "buy [their] way out of airport security." Eric Byer, vice president of the National Air Transportation Association, called the piece "outlandish," with conclusions based on the writer's "ignorance of general aviation security." NBAA President Ed Bolen sent a letter to The Atlantic, calling the story "sensationalist." A "host of initiatives" are in place to protect GA against terrorist threats, Bolen said.
Brainteasers Quiz #155: Free Stuff January 9, 2011 By Paul Berge
Free beer tomorrow; free lift today! That's not the FAA's new slogan but, instead, a reminder that some things in life — and flight — are free. Defend your free access to the sky by acing this free quiz.
Iranian Crash Kills 70 January 9, 2011 By Russ Niles At least 70 people died and 32 were injured when an Iranian airliner (possibly a Boeing 727) crashed in heavy snow in the mountainous northwestern area of the country Sunday. The plane was flying from Tehran to Oriumyeh; the accident may have happened on the aircraft's second attempt to land. The snow, more than two feet of it, is hampering rescue efforts. Weather reports at the time of the crash indicate visibility was 600 to 800 feet.
Charlotte Museum Wants 1549 Wreckage January 9, 2011 By Russ Niles The interim mayor of Charlotte, N.C., is leading the effort to raise $250,000 needed to help US Airways Flight 1549 reach its final destination. The Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte recently announced that the Airbus A320 famously ditched in the Hudson River by pilots Chesley Sullenberger and Jeff Skiles two years ago would be put on display in its crash-damaged state as a tribute to the advances in aircraft technology that helped make the fatality-free landing possible. But while the deal has been made with Chartis, the current owner of the salvage, actually getting the airliner's remains from a New Jersey warehouse to Charlotte will be up to the generosity of Charlotte's citizens and whomever else might want to kick in. "We are in tough economic times right now," Interim Mayor Patrick Cannon told WIS TV. "And so all you can do is make the ask and that's what we'll do."
Elektra One Nearing First Flight January 9, 2011 By Russ Niles The latest entry in the electric plane sweepstakes, the Elektra One by PC-Aero of Germany, is nearing first flight and the single-seat composite could be the first of several models to be produced by the company. The company says the Elektra One will have a maximum battery endurance of three hours on its 21-horsepower motor. The company is predicting a top speed of more than 100 mph and planning the first flight for early February. Static testing on the airframe was conducted in December and the power plant was live-tested in November. Future plans are ambitious.
Florida Governor Donates Use Of His Airplane January 8, 2011 By Russ Niles In what some might consider a paradox of modern politics on the use of private aviation, the new governor of Florida will donate the use of his own aircraft for his own travels around the 26th largest state while selling off the state's own airplanes. He says anyone else in the government who needs to get from Tallahassee to anywhere else in a hurry can book on the airlines or drive their own car. In fact, Rick Scott, a wealthy Naples businessman, campaigned on what he termed the waste of operating the 2003 Citation Bravo and a 2000 King Air 350 at a cost of $2.4 million a year. It wasn't immediately clear what type of aircraft Scott owns. It's also been noted by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that this isn't exactly the best time to be selling off used aircraft, especially since the Citation is leased. In case anyone is interested, the plane is already listed for sale on Aircraft Shopper Online, even though the state's legislature hasn't yet formally signed off on the sale.
Report: Airline Safety Down In 2010 January 8, 2011 By Glenn Pew The fatal accident rate for jet and turboprop aircraft rose 22 percent last year, according to Ascend, a London-based aviation consulting firm, but longer-term trends are positive. Four accidents, none attributed to U.S. carriers, accounted for 65 percent of total passenger fatalities, according to Ascend. They included an Air India crash at Mangalore, in May; an Airblue accident at Islamabad, in July; an Afriquiyah crash at Tripoli, in May; and an Ethiopian Airlines crash at Beirut, in January. Looking at trends, Ascend states that decade over decade, the 1990s saw an average of ten more accidents per year than did the 2000s. "We believe that air safety is still improving," the group stated. While nearly 8000 passengers and crew were killed in airline accidents over the past decade, the prior decade saw 11,280 deaths. Numbers from the NTSB and specific to the U.S. aren't yet available for 2010, but, in context, the figures are noteworthy.
"There Is No Case For (Full Body) Scanners" January 7, 2011 By Glenn Pew Constitutional rights issues aren't the only problem; participants asked to sneak explosives past the backscatter X-ray machines now used at U.S. airports "did it with such ease," according to one security expert, that "there is no case for scanners." Security expert Edward Luttwak is a senior associate at the Center for International and Strategic Studies and he delivered those words Thursday, joined by other critical voices in Washington, AFP reported. Luttwak said a test conducted in Europe asked German prison guards to try to get past three different scanners while carrying explosives. Based on that test, he says the International Air Travel Association (IATA) believes there is no case for the devices in airport security. Ralph Nader, Congressman Rush Hold and professional pilot Michael Roberts all added their own opinions on the full-body x-ray machines, but focused mostly on privacy, freedom and rights issues. In that context, Luttwak's argument stands out, and he detailed what he believes are better solutions that the IATA also supports.
Pentagon May Cancel STOVL Version Of F-35 January 6, 2011 By Glenn Pew Air Force and Navy variants of the F-35 fighter are progressing, but the Marine Corps' short takeoff and vertical landing version has been put on a two-year probation and may be canceled altogether if concerns aren't met. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters, "If we cannot fix this variant during this time frame, and get it back on track in terms of performance, cost and schedule, then I believe it should be canceled." Citing a Pentagon document, Reuters reported Thursday that the military has reduced its order for the Lockheed jet from 449 aircraft to 325 F-35s through fiscal year 2016, and "cost-cutting efforts were still needed." The order reduction could save the government more than $10 billion, Reuters reported, and nearly half of that money would head right back into the program's development to offset cost overruns. Airframes (without engines) are currently priced in the ballpark of $130 million. But that's nothing compared to the program's overall cost, which sets a high-water mark for Pentagon arms programs.
NTSB's Look At Airbags For GA Aircraft January 6, 2011 By Glenn Pew The NTSB has studied airbag use in mitigating injury in survivable GA accidents and will hold a public meeting Jan. 11 to consider its findings, which it has not yet made available. The study was initiated to examine the effectiveness of airbags in survivable crashes and to identify possible unintended consequences of airbag deployment in small aircraft. The agency also used the study to help develop procedures to assist investigators when dealing with the systems in future investigations. The NTSB says it will post a summary of the study online following the conclusion of the Jan. 11 meeting with the full study to appear a few weeks after that. Meanwhile, interested parties can attend the meeting or watch it online.
NTSB: Inspect ELT Mounts January 5, 2011 By Glenn Pew Based on recent history, the NTSB Friday sent two safety recommendations to the FAA requiring operators to inspect the mountings of all ELT transmitters installed on general aviation aircraft to ensure the units don't break free in a crash. The recommendations (PDF) are the byproduct of the de Havilland turbine Otter crash in Alaska on Aug. 9, 2010, that killed five, including former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens. The wreckage was found nearly five hours after the crash and while its 406 Mhz ELT had activated, the unit had separated from its antenna. No satellites, or rescue aircraft involved in the search, were able to detect the signal, according to the NTSB. NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman summed up the problem simply. "This vital life-saving technology won't do anyone any good if it doesn't stay connected to the antenna," said Hersman. Click through for information regarding the particular unit used in the accident aircraft.
UPDATE -- Chinese authorities confirmed the aircraft's existence, Tuesday, as Chinese media dispersed first flight video.
Reports spread Wednesday from news sources like the Guardian U.K. to Stars and Stripes discussing new leaked images that are apparently meant to depict China's prototype stealth fighter, which some call the J-20, in ground tests. To be sure, not all sources are convinced the pictures are representative of an actual functional prototype. The images have appeared in Chinese language editions of the Global Times and Chinese censors have not removed the images, according to Forbes.com, but they also have not confirmed them. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was scheduled to be in Beijing on Sunday, which has promoted some speculation with regard to the timing of the images' release. Guardian.co.uk states the photos are "likely to prompt calls for accelerated production of F35's," which broadly suggests the unconfirmed images may be used for political influence. Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesman Marine Col. Dave Lapan was quoted saying, "It is not of concern that they are working on a fifth-generation fighter." He added that they're "still having difficulties with their fourth-generation fighter." If nothing else, the images are visually appropriate for creating intrigue.
Sebring LSA Show, Skiplanes, Launch The Year January 5, 2011 By Mary Grady For those pilots ready for a break from winter, the Sebring LSA Expo is coming up, and for those who prefer to celebrate the snow, EAA invites skiplane pilots to converge at Oshkosh, Wis. The sixth annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo runs Jan. 20-23 at the Sebring Regional Airport in central Florida. The event provides an opportunity for pilots and enthusiasts to learn about the sport pilot certificate and sample the wide range of LSA aircraft that are available. The show features exhibits, workshops, demo flights and forums. EAA's skiplane fly-in is set for Jan. 22 at the Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, with at least 25 aircraft expected to attend. The fly-in is free and open to the public.
Alaskan Pilots' Reality Featured On Discovery Channel January 5, 2011 By Mary Grady
The Discovery Channel launches a new reality show this month, "Flying Wild Alaska," that follows the adventures of Era Alaska, a family-owned charter company. Era is based in Unalakleet, a small town on the coast near the Bering Strait. During the show's 10 episodes, "the Tweto family battles unforgiving Alaska weather and terrain to transport life's necessities to one of the most remote and extreme regions of America," according to Discovery. The company was founded with just one airplane serving the local area but now comprises nearly 75 aircraft that fly to destinations across the state. The show focuses on the "quirky" and "passionate" members of the Tweto family -- Jim and his wife, Ferno, and their two 20-something daughters, Ayla and Ariel -- but also includes plenty of flying action, with shots of backcountry landings and flights in extreme conditions. "Mostly it's just about flying airplanes in rural Alaska," Jim Tweto told The Alaska Daily News. The series premieres Friday, Jan. 14, at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time.
SAFE To Address Training Reform January 5, 2011 By Mary Grady The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators plans to host a GA Pilot Training Reform Symposium in May to address issues that were raised at the AOPA Flight Training Summit in November. The symposium, which is expected to include 150 to 300 participants, will focus on strategies to reduce fatal accidents, increase student-pilot starts and improve student retention. The event will feature keynote speakers as well as six panels of leaders from the industry, academia, the FAA and the flight instructor community. "A new pilot training paradigm is vital to securing a more robust future for general aviation," according to the group's website. SAFE hopes the symposium will help to create a strategic three-to-five-year plan jointly developed by all stakeholders, including the FAA.
Business Aviation Picking Up In Boston January 4, 2011 By Mary Grady The business aviation sector got some positive press from the mainstream media this week when The Boston Globe reported that corporate jet activity was up by 7 percent in 2010 at Hanscom Field, a small GA airport close to the city. Bill Herp, president of Linear Air, said his business doubled in 2010 compared to the year before. Herp charters four Eclipse jets out of the field, charging about $1,500 an hour. Rectrix Aviation, another local charter company, said business was up 15 percent, and they hired three pilots and added a jet to their fleet in September. The number of jets based at Hanscom has increased by a third in the last three years, and the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates the field, is planning to expand.
Garmin G1000 For King Air Gets EASA Approval January 4, 2011 By Mary Grady Hawker Beechcraft's King Air twin turboprop continues to be a popular airplane around the world, and now European owners of the 200 and B200 models can retrofit their cockpit with the Garmin G1000 panel. "Receiving EASA validation is an important milestone for Garmin's G1000 retrofit program, and we believe it will be a popular avionics upgrade for owners and operators," said Gary Kelley, Garmin's vice president of marketing. The panel installation creates a weight savings of 200 pounds. It includes one 15-inch multi-function display and two 10.4-inch primary flight displays. The retrofit already is FAA-approved for the C90 and 200 series King Airs, and Garmin says it should also get the FAA OK later this year for the 300 and 350 series.
Airline Excluded From NTSB Probe January 3, 2011 By Mary Grady American Airlines will not be allowed to participate in the investigation of last week's runway-overrun incident in Jackson Hole, Wyo., the NTSB said on Friday. The safety board said airline technicians violated standard procedures when they downloaded information from the digital flight data recorder after it was removed from the incident aircraft, a 757. "Although a thorough examination by our investigators determined that no information from the DFDR was missing or altered in any way, the breach of protocol by American Airlines personnel violates the Safety Board's standards of conduct for any organization granted party status in an NTSB investigation," said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman. "We have revoked the party status of American Airlines and excused them from further participation in this incident investigation."
Tu-154 Grounding Recommended January 2, 2011 By Russ Niles
Russia's air transport watchdog Rostransnadzor is recommending the grounding of Tu-154 passenger jets after the third major incident involving the Soviet era trijet, of which there are now 14 operating. A Kogalymavia jet caught fire and exploded while taxiing at the airport in Surgut, Siberia, on Saturday. Three people were killed and many of the other 113 aboard were seriously injured with everything from burns and toxic smoke inhalation to injuries suffered in the stampede that reportedly occurred during the evacuation. "Rostransnadzor has prepared an instruction which recommends air companies suspend flight operations carried out by Tu-154B aircraft until the causes of the plane accident in the Airport of Surgut are not established and measures to abate the risks coming from using this kind of aircraft are not taken," a statement by the agency said.
Read-Back Error Prompts Capitol Emergency January 2, 2011 By Russ Niles A Piedmont Airlines Dash 8 pilot's read-back error triggered an emergency response in Washington on Saturday. The FAA has confirmed the pilot selected the wrong frequency after a handoff while approaching Washington Reagan National Airport. Contact was lost for about 15 minutes while fighters were scrambled and government offices were evacuated. The plane landed safely after communications were restored.
Medevac Heli And Cessna Collide January 1, 2011 By Glenn Pew A Eurocopter EC135 and a Cessna 172L collided near Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, Va., at about 2:30 p.m., Friday, killing both of the Cessna's occupants. The Eurocopter landed with damage to its skids and "it wasn't pretty," helicopter instructor Mark Huntley told NewsVirginian.com. The Eurocopter, a medical transport helicopter owned by PHI Inc. in Lafayette, La., was returning from a successful mission to University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville. All three aboard that aircraft did walk away. The Cessna lost part or all of its left wing in the collision and crumpled debris crashed down on two sides of Route 256, roughly one half mile north of the airport.
NavMonster Cuts Deal With FlightPrep January 1, 2011 By Russ Niles The FlightPrep patent story took another turn Friday when NavMonster.com, which pulled down its popular site about two weeks ago, suddenly announced it had reached a deal with FlightPrep and will relaunch an updated website early in the New Year. "We got all the lawyers and programmers together from both sides, and after some good discussions, an agreement has been reached," NavMonster owner Marc Alexander said in a statement posted on the site. "No more patent infringement worries." It's a significant change in tone from the angry condemnation that appeared on the site two weeks ago when Alexander announced he was pulling the pin.
British Mile High Flights Grounded By CAA December 31, 2010 By Glenn Pew Founder Mike Crisp says his air charter's bed-laden Cessna Grand Caravan has been grounded "because of some prudish snobbery on the part of the CAA." The CAA disagrees. Crisp's business, Mile High Flights, operated for two years out of Gloucestershire, England, giving couples (and one threesome) the opportunity to join the mile high club. Now, the CAA says the company has failed to meet safety criteria and the regulatory agency will not renew the company's operating license. The Mile High Flights Caravan has been fitted with a few seats and a bed separated from the flight deck by curtains. According to a CAA spokesman, "We cast no moral judgments on what people do in their planes, that's not our business." Safety is, and the agency claims that's where they have discovered problems. Exactly what those problems are has not been widely reported but one source said the CAA has suggested in-flight activities on these special flights could prove distracting for pilots. Crisp says he's not giving up.
Arguing For The End Of The Third Class Medical December 30, 2010 By Glenn Pew Following up on a health-related pilot story, AVweb contacted senior aviation medical examiner Dr. Brent Blue, who said, "I think the FAA is actually starting to float the idea of either dropping or relaxing third class medicals." Blue pointed out the limitations of aviation medical certification standards, and the risk factors that aviation medical examinations are not equipped (or regulated) to detect. In spite of that, Blue says medical issues are cited as causal factors in fewer than one percent of aircraft accidents. He notes that the FAA has relaxed regulations regarding the frequency of certain pilot health examinations and believes money (and safety statistics) may push the FAA to further relax, or remove, third class medical requirements. AVweb's Glenn Pew spoke to Dr. Blue in this week's podcast. Click through to listen.
Snow Puts Three-Hour Rule To Test December 30, 2010 By Glenn Pew A new rule penalizes carriers for leaving passengers stuck in aircraft on the ground for more than three hours, but egregious snow storms Tuesday left 28 flights at JFK stuck on the ground away from the gate -- one for nearly 11 hours. Snowfall in the New York City area reportedly exceeded rates recorded for the last six decades. The rule enacted this April states that airlines can be fined up to $27,500 per passenger when delays keep passengers stuck on an aircraft on the ground for more than three hours, but there are exceptions. Flights that begin or end outside the U.S. are excluded from the rule. Tuesday at JFK, aircraft clogged gates so carriers sent buses out onto the tarmac to retrieve passengers from flights that threatened to break the three-hour rule. Pre-emptive flight cancellations (when airlines cancel flights to avoid the possibility of a fine) likely also played a role and may have added to system-wide delays. While no fines have yet been levied for 12 flights already being investigated for delays this year, the new rule has resulted in a quantifiable impact on reported delays among U.S. carriers. It has also made the rule's exceptions all that more apparent.
Navy Tests Railgun To Launch Fighters (With Video) December 29, 2010 By Glenn Pew
Naval Air Systems Command has tested at Lakehurst, N.J., December 18, use of a railgun to launch an F/A-18E Super Hornet from a simulated carrier deck. Current aircraft carriers use steam pressure to launch aircraft from the short deck of an aircraft carrier. Railgun technology has generally been applied to launching projectiles with enormous speed (up to Mach 7) using electromagnetism instead of explosive charges. The railgun delivers smooth acceleration and can be adjusted to deliver nearly any desired thrust. That matches the Navy's need for a launch system that can be tailored to suit different aircraft of different weights and speed regimes. The technology has bred a new acronym, EMALS, for Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, and its formidable power may also allow the Navy to explore heavier, faster carrier-based aircraft options. The Navy has tested the technology before, but the latest tests mean the technology may soon be put in place and there are already plans to do just that. (Click through for video.)
Solar Drone Sets Endurance Record December 29, 2010 By Mary Grady
A solar-powered aircraft developed by QinetiQ has claimed the absolute duration record for time aloft for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the company said last week. The Zephyr UAV flew for over two weeks -- 336 hours, 22 minutes and 8 seconds -- on its first flight, in July, beating the former record set by a Global Hawk UAV by a factor of 11. The Zephyr is designed to provide a low-cost communications and surveillance platform. "This aircraft can help track pirates off the Horn of Africa, alert the authorities about where and how fast forest fires are spreading, and ensure that soldiers' communications remain unaffected when fighting in mountainous or hilly terrain," said QinetiQ chief designer Chris Kelleher. The Zephyr flew its record-setting flight at above 70,000 feet, setting an altitude record for its class.
Boeing's 747-8 Undergoes "Extreme" Tests December 29, 2010 By Mary Grady
Since its first flight back in February, Boeing's biggest-ever aircraft, the 747-8, has been undergoing intensive flight testing, some of which is quite extreme. "Some people may even call it abusive," says Mark Feuerstein, Boeing's chief test pilot for the big freighter. "It certainly requires a lot of forethought to execute some of the maneuvers." One of the more challenging tests requires the crew to drag the airplane's tail along a runway, which is somewhat tricky. "It's a balance between being forceful and being gentle," says Feuerstein. "We want to be forceful to get the plane's tail moving down towards the runway, but of course we want to be very gentle when we set the tail down." The maneuver, known as the velocity minimum unstick test, is critical to determine the lowest speed at which the freighter can take off, Boeing said.
Some TCAS Units Miss Traffic, FAA Says December 28, 2010 By Mary Grady The traffic alert and collision avoidance systems used in thousands of aircraft need to be upgraded, the FAA said this week, to prevent them from missing targets in high-density areas. During a flight test, a TCAS unit built by Aviation Communications & Surveillance Systems (ACSS) dropped several aircraft tracks because of interference limiting, the FAA said. The dropped tracks could "compromise separation of air traffic and lead to subsequent mid-air collisions," according to the proposed airworthiness directive. The fix will cost about $3,000 per airplane, the FAA said. The units are installed on about 7,000 aircraft operated by U.S. airlines and more than 1,800 business aircraft, an FAA spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal.
LSA To Fight Fires In Ecuador December 28, 2010 By Mary Grady Light sport airplanes are generally considered to be for fun flying, but a fire department in Ecuador this week took delivery of a Flight Design LSA to use as its aerial support unit. Hugh Cobo, leader of the Air Volunteer Fire Department in Bomberos de Cuenca, said he chose the CTLS as the department's first airplane because it met the required needs for safety and performance while keeping costs low for acquisition and operation. "The aircraft will certainly improve the fire department's response capability, giving more and better information about different emergencies," Cobo said. "As the Cuenca's Fire Department supports other fire departments in the region and nationwide, the CTLS will be a helpful tool we can depend upon."
Suburban Pocket Airports, Future Of GA? December 27, 2010 By Mary Grady Small electric aircraft could solve the transportation problems of the near future by providing quick hops between neighborhood airports, according to a presentation at the Future of Electric Vehicles conference held earlier this month in San Jose, Calif. The "pocket" airports could support 120 operations per hour, limited to small air-taxi vehicles only, while occupying only two acres in urban areas, said Brien Seeley, president of the CAFE (Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency) Foundation. Ideally, the small aircraft would take off in less than 100 feet and achieve energy efficiency equivalent to 200 miles per gallon. "The [travel] gridlock we face now is going to get worse," Seeley said. "This is a form of insanity ... We need to travel in 3-D."
FAA Faces NextGen, Funding Challenges December 27, 2010 By Mary Grady The FAA needs to address ongoing problems that could "impede NextGen implementation in the mid-term," according to an assessment by the Transportation Department's inspector general. The report (PDF), released last week to members of Congress, cites the "cascading effect" of failures in the $2.1 billion En Route Automation Modernization tool, the backbone of the FAA's flight-data processing system. ERAM has been experiencing software problems and delays in going online, and costs will likely escalate by another $70 million to correct the flaws, according to the report. Meanwhile, the FAA continues to struggle with financial challenges, as Congress last week passed another bill to extend current funding for just three months, to March 31, 2011, failing to commit to a long-term plan.
Prop Tested For F-82 Restorations December 26, 2010 By Russ Niles The ambitious restoration to flight status of two F-82 Twin Mustangs is getting closer to reality with the recent announcement that German propeller manufacturer MT has successfully flight-tested scratch-built replacement props for the extraordinarily rare warbirds. What's more, the props are made from composites and, based on the tests done on a P-51, should give the already-peppy Twin Mustang even better climb and cruise performance. The prop project was spearheaded by Flight Resource, the U.S. distributor for MT props. "The development of this propeller for such a rare aircraft has been one of the most fun projects we have undertaken," said Flight Resource spokesman John Neilson. "With this successful design, MT-Propeller has proven they are now able to supply new generation propellers for V-12 powered vintage aircraft.
787 Back In The Air December 26, 2010 By Russ Niles Boeing resumed flight tests of the 787 Dreamliner just before Christmas, saying it had installed a new, interim version of revised software governing its power distribution system on the first of six test aircraft. A short circuit and fire caused by a foreign object inside a power distribution box Nov. 6 resulted in a six-week suspension of the flight test program. An FAA certification crew was at the controls. It wasn't the fire itself that caused all the concern, however. The fire resulted in cascading system failures that led to the crew making an emergency landing in Laredo, Texas, without cockpit displays, electronic flight controls and autothrottles. Meanwhile, a 787 customer is worrying out loud about the airliner's suspected weight problem.
"Patent-Free" Flight Planner Offered December 26, 2010 By Russ Niles Seattle Avionics says its collaboration with DTC DUAT offers pilots a "patent-free" flight planning service that avoids all the issues raised by the patent awarded FlightPrep for online flight planning. "While it downloads weather and TFR information from the Internet, it is not an Internet-based flight planner, and is not subject to the recently publicized FlightPrep patent," Seattle Avionics said in a Dec. 24 news release. DTC DUAT is using a basic version of Seattle Avionics' Voyager flight planner for the free service it's offering. Seattle Avionics CEO Steve Podrachik said the basic function of Voyager precludes any infringement of FlightPrep's patent. "As we don't make an Internet-based flight planner, we're clearly not subject to it and have not received any letter from FlightPrep," said Podradchik. "But with so many pilots concerned, we wanted to offer all pilots a free flight planning alternative that is clear of all patent issues."
Cirrus Earns FAA Approval For Latest Safety Features December 25, 2010 By Glenn Pew Cirrus' Perspective Electronic Stability and Protection (Perspective ESP) and Hypoxia Recognition and Automatic Descent Mode systems have earned FAA approval, bringing unique upgrades to Cirrus pilots flying with the Perspective package. The ESP system operates when a pilot is hand-flying the aircraft and helps correct excessive pitch, roll or airspeed situations. It activates automatically, even when the autopilot is turned off, whenever the aircraft exceeds preset parameters. Cirrus likens it to traction and stability control for aircraft and says the system is unobtrusive and augments the aircraft's natural flight stability. The hypoxia recognition system functions as part of Perspective ESP and engages when a pilot is flying at oxygen-required altitudes and remains unresponsive for a period of time. The system engages an automated altitude step-down recovery if the pilot is incapacitated due to lack of oxygen. Pilots can override the systems or simply shut them off. Perspective ESP does offer other features.
Airline Profits Soared In 2010 December 24, 2010 By Glenn Pew Through the first nine months of 2010, U.S. airlines posted operating profits that eclipse those from any single full year since at least 1999, according to the Department of Transportation -- and that correlates with a rise in ticket costs and fees. Airfares are up an average 13 percent over 2009, according to the Bureau of Transportation -- not including new fees for baggage and services. The impressive profits (more than $7 billion over nine months) are even more so when compared to 2008, when the industry lost more than $5 billion. Major changes in the industry have included the cost of oil, which hit its high-water mark of $147.27 per barrel in July of 2008, fell below $40 by December that year and currently runs closer to $90 per barrel. Fuel prices aside, the airlines reacted to the financial downturn by slashing flights, renegotiating employment contracts with workers, packing aircraft to capacity, and adding fees for baggage, food and other services. As a result, airfares compare favorably with those from a decade ago, while fees have proven to be a powerful financial contributor for the airlines. There are other factors in play.
Pilot Tapes Airport Security, Feds Take His Gun December 23, 2010 By Glenn Pew Officials earlier this month asked a Federal Flight Deck Officer to surrender his sidearm after the airline pilot posted videos to YouTube describing airport security practices, in which he declared, "As you can see [...] it's only smoke and mirrors." In the videos, the pilot compares the security measures faced by passengers and flight crews with those faced by airline ground crews. He details that passengers and flight crews must remove their shoes and pass through metal detectors, and may be subjected to further screening. Meanwhile, says the pilot, ground crew swipe a magnetized card to access restricted areas that could in turn give them intimate access to baggage, aircraft, or both. The pilot also shows tools available to all cockpit crews after passing through airport metal detectors and states, "I would say a two-foot crash axe looks a lot more formidable than a box cutter." The footage was posted Nov. 28, in a series of six videos, and has since been removed from YouTube at the request of the pilot's employer, which has not taken any other action against the pilot. The TSA has offered a significantly different reaction.
FAA To Clarify Pro-Pilot Rest Rules December 23, 2010 By Glenn Pew The FAA Thursday released a "notice of proposed interpretation" to clarify rules pertaining to flight crew members who exceed permissible duty limits due to system delays, and the agency is seeking comments. Specific to the interpretation, the FAA was asked to provide legal interpretation for a scenario in which a flight officer is subjected to delays that the flight officer knows would extend his duty beyond a 14-hour duty day. The FAA has previously offered two interpretations and has now determined that "it is illogical that the nearly-identical regulatory language in sections 121.471(g) and 135.263(d) is interpreted in two different ways." The FAA's proposed interpretation would supersede any previous interpretations and prohibit flight crew from accepting a flight if he is aware at the time of departure that he has not had required rest. The FAA is accepting comments, but the comment window is small.
Navy Crews Face Discipline For Lake Tahoe Heli-Dunking December 22, 2010 By Glenn Pew
The crews of two Navy helicopters that suffered $500,000 in damage and became YouTube sensations when they were accidentally dunked in Lake Tahoe in September are facing consequences, the Navy said Wednesday. The two MH-60R "Romeo" Helicopters from the Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 41 based at NAS North Island, San Diego, were returning from an airshow at Mather Air Force Base near Sacramento when they flew over the lake, which is not a normal naval training area. According to early reports, the Navy's investigation found the inadvertent dunking "was entirely preventable" and "lack of flight discipline and lack of command oversight" contributed to the accident. So far, the crews reportedly will not face "punitive" action, "but specific administrative measures" will be applied, according to the LA Times. And, for some of the crew, those measures may be extensive.
Corona Airport, Aircraft Spruce, Deal With Floods December 22, 2010 By Glenn Pew Flooding in Southern California Wednesday closed Corona airport, the west coast hub of nearby aircraft parts supplier Aircraft Spruce & Specialty, and immediately affected roughly half of the 393 aircraft based on the field. By Wednesday afternoon, water on the airport was waist-deep near the west end and airport businesses and officials were busy moving all partially submerged and threatened aircraft to higher ground. Responding to calls from AVweb Friday, Aircraft Spruce said its operations were unaffected. They were, of course, turning away all fly-in business. Calls to Corona's airport manager were directed to an emergency line with a recorded message. As of Wednesday at 2:25 pm the message stated that the airport was closed until further notice due to water on the runway. Rain was expected to end, Wednesday, but there was still another threat.
Sport Pilots Free To Leave The Country December 22, 2010 By Mary Grady The Bahamas is the first country outside the U.S. to welcome sport pilots, even those using just a driver's license as their FAA medical, and this month a group of about 18 aircraft were the first to make the flight. The pilots launched from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport on Dec. 10 and spent the weekend in the islands, enjoying plenty of blue skies, sunshine, and a group rate at a local resort. The first stop, in Bimini, is only about 90 nm from FXE, but various preparations are required, including passports and life vests for all on board, and of course, paperwork. The Bahamas welcomes tourism, and offers a lot of support to pilots to help make your trip simple and trouble-free. For example, a "private pilot bill of rights" posted on the country's official
website spells out restrictions on fees and paperwork to help ease the way to enjoying the islands' attractions, and group fly-ins are organized once a month.
Airspace Preps For Santa December 22, 2010 By Mary Grady Santa's sleigh has been updated with new satellite-based NextGen technology, the FAA said this week. The upgrade will allow Santa to deliver more toys to more children with improved safety and efficiency, according to the agency. "Santa's cockpit display will help improve his situational awareness by showing him and his reindeer flight crew their precise location in relation to other aircraft, bad weather and terrain," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. "NextGen will help make this an extra-safe Christmas Eve." As it does every year, NORAD will track Santa's progress around the world on Christmas Eve on its website. This year, you can also track Santa on your mobile phone via Google maps on Christmas Eve; just search for "Santa" to see his latest location, NORAD says.
First Flight For Conforming HondaJet December 21, 2010 By Mary Grady The first FAA-conforming HondaJet has successfully completed its first flight, Honda Aircraft Company announced on Tuesday. The flight took place on Monday at about 3:30 p.m. local time at the company's base at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, N.C. The HondaJet flew for 51 minutes while the crew conducted systems checks and evaluated flight characteristics and performance. "This is a very important milestone for the HondaJet program," said Michimasa Fujino, CEO of Honda Aircraft Company. "This aircraft was assembled and tested under strict FAA certification processes, and we are very pleased to have achieved this successful first flight." The airplane performed as expected, Fujino said. The company said deliveries of the aircraft will start in 2012.
Hawker Beechcraft To Stay In Wichita December 21, 2010 By Mary Grady Hawker Beechcraft Corporation announced on Tuesday that it has reached a formal agreement with the Kansas state government to stay in Wichita for another 10 years. In return for a $40 million incentive package, the company said it will maintain its current product lines in Wichita and retain at least 4,000 jobs through 2020. "Today's announcement marks a key point in the future of Hawker Beechcraft," said CEO Bill Boisture. "With the acceptance of this agreement, we are committing to be successful as a Wichita, Kansas, and U.S.-based private company and preserving a valued American industry in tomorrow's aviation markets. ... We intend to have the best-trained work force in the industry." The company's future in Wichita had recently been in doubt as it considered an offer to move to Louisiana.
Extra Expands Into Australia December 21, 2010 By Mary Grady Extra Aircraft has chosen an exclusive distributor in Australia to introduce the Extra 500 Spirit to the Asia-Pacific market, the company said recently. Extra Aviation Australasia, based at Brisbane's Archerfield Airport in Queensland, will provide sales and support for the six-seat, pressurized, carbon-fiber turboprop, with plans to provide a service center in each of Australia's major cities. The 1,600-nm range of the aircraft and efficient fuel burn in the Rolls Royce engine make it a good fit for Australia's wide expanses, said Moishe Gordon, of Extra Aviation Australasia. "Trips such as Melbourne to Perth or Brisbane to Darwin are possible and affordable," he said. The company said demonstrator airplanes will be available in Australia by mid-2011.
Hawaii's TFR Eases Grip On GA December 21, 2010 By Mary Grady When President Barack Obama visited Hawaii for Christmas 2009, it practically shut down general aviation on the island of Oahu for two weeks, but this year the temporary flight restriction is much less onerous. Last year, flight schools were shut down and tour operators were grounded, costing the locals about a half-million dollars in lost business. This year, the FAA, the TSA and the Secret Service worked with the General Aviation Council of Hawaii to craft a less-restrictive plan (PDF) that will allow local pilots to keep flying. A 10-mile zone around the Obamas' Kailua vacation home will be closed to GA, but outside of that, flights will be allowed, with certain restrictions. For example, flight plans must be filed for every flight, and flight schools will have to provide names of students and flight instructors to the TSA.
More Setbacks Expected For 787 December 20, 2010 By Mary Grady Boeing's February delivery date for the first 787 will likely be pushed back at least to May and possibly to August or later, according to recent news reports citing opinions from industry analysts and company employees. Boeing is expected to announce the delay by the end of this month. Problems with the 787's Rolls Royce engines, as well as the electrical fire that grounded the test fleet last month, have raised questions about the airplane's readiness. A high-ranking FAA official warned Boeing that the company must prove the airplane is reliable before it will be certified to fly across oceans or over the northern polar route, the Seattle Times said. "This program is not like anything we've seen," one veteran 787 employee told The Times. "It's a screwed-up mess." Boeing officials told the Times that although the program has been challenging, they expect to overcome the airplane's problems and deliver a product that meets expectations.
FlightPrep's Patent Could Be Upheld: Patent Attorney December 19, 2010 By Russ Niles FlightPrep's online flight planning patent could very well stand up to a court challenge, says pilot and patent attorney Lionel Lavenue. In an exclusive podcast interview with AVweb, Lavenue says the emotion and sentiment being expressed by those angered by FlightPrep's preliminary efforts to enforce the patent mean little in front of a jury. Much of the ire against Flight Prep stems from a feeling that they are attacking the "little guys" and requesting nondisclosure agreements to prevent those involved from talking to the press or each other. Lavenue says Flight Prep's strategy is actually quite normal, and protects the patent holder from an immediate countersuit of "a declaratory judgment of non-infringement." He also says it's common to approach smaller companies first before going after the more powerful entities to see what counter arguments might emerge. "The patent is not without warts," Lavenue said, but he also noted that a jury deciding infringement doesn't need to meet the "beyond a shadow of a doubt" level of certainty. In fact, they only need a "51 percent" certainty -- more sure than not there's an infringement. Major players such as AOPA/Jeppesen, Flight Aware and Fltplan.com have all been contacted by Flight Prep and have all said they don't infringe and will not discuss the issue with Flight Prep. This could come back to haunt them in court, Lavenue said.
Catering Truck Grounds A380 December 19, 2010 By Russ Niles It's been a rough couple of months for the A380 fleet and the latest incident, although far less dramatic than the uncontained engine failure of a Qantas super jumbo, could nonetheless ground an Emirates A380 for months. It was felled by a catering truck at Toronto's Pearson International Airport and speculation on various forums is that it will be there until February as technicians work under a temporary structure to repair damage to the leading edge of the right wing. The A380 has been moved to an unused area of the terminal and a blue tarp encloses the area of the repair.
Ash-Scattering Plane In Crash December 19, 2010 By Russ Niles A New Jersey pilot and his passenger came uncomfortably close to becoming metaphors for their mission when the Cessna 182 they were in crashed on takeoff from Greenwood Lake Airport Saturday. The aircraft is owned by Last Wish LLC, which specializes in scattering the cremated remains of those who'd like to spend eternity as part of their favorite hunting, fishing or recreational sites. It's not clear if there was a silent witness to the crash but pilot William Fallon and his passenger Mark Gangi avoided joining the dearly departed and are in the hospital with a variety of injuries, some of them serious.
RunwayFinder To Fight FlightPrep Patent December 19, 2010 By Russ Niles RunwayFinder owner Dave Parsons says he will fight the patent awarded FlightPrep for online flight planning. In a blog post Parsons says he thinks he's found enough holes in the patent to defend his service's technology against it. "I think there is a clear path toward fighting the lawsuit against RunwayFinder, and potentially a way to invalidate their patent," Parsons wrote. He plans to represent himself and he won't have much time to prepare. He must answer the lawsuit filed by FlightPrep by Dec. 28.
Israeli-Made Mexican Drone Parachutes Into Texas December 17, 2010 By Glenn Pew Department of Homeland Security officials said Friday that the unmanned aerial vehicle that crash landed in El Paso Tuesday was an Israeli-built Mexican-government-operated drone and that it's no cause for alarm. The UAV reportedly went off course during a test flight, fell out of control and landed under parachute largely undamaged in a suburban yard less than one half-mile from the U.S.-Mexico border. The single-engine Orbiter Mini UAV has a wingspan of about seven feet; it flies at roughly 50 knots, powered by a brushless electric motor that can carry it to about 18,000 feet. It is capable of autonomous launch and recovery, four hours of endurance, and can carry a payload of up to 3.3 pounds. The aircraft can be outfitted with an advanced data link system for surveillance purposes. According to U.S. officials who spoke to the media, none of it is cause for concern.
GAMA: New Tax Law "Critical" To GA Recovery December 17, 2010 By Glenn Pew A bill Friday signed into law by President Barack Obama contains provisions "that are critical to the recovery of the general aviation manufacturing industry," GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said in a statement issued the same day. The president's signature Friday afternoon has made the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 the law of the land. According to Bunce, it allows for 100 percent depreciation of capital investments, "including aircraft engines, avionics, and other upgrades to aircraft" during 2011 and 50 percent in 2012. General aviation aircraft, said Bunce, because of their longer production cycle, "will also be eligible for 100 percent depreciation in 2012 and 40 percent in 2013." GAMA says the new law will boost job growth in 2011 and beyond, and also provides specific additional incentives for manufacturers that will help them start growing again.
Panel: Airlines, Bizjets Should Get ADS-B Funds December 16, 2010 By Glenn Pew The Future of Aviation Advisory Committee Wednesday urged the government to help pay for the cost of installing ADS-B equipment ... in airliners and business jets. The group suggested operators could match federal aid with commitments such as lowered emissions. That option may be most palatable for carriers, because lowered emissions are a byproduct of improved fuel efficiency and fleet modernization that is likely to occur, regardless. The committee was formed by charter in April 2010 and charged with delivering recommendations, information and advice to the Secretary of Transportation regarding the competitiveness of the U.S. aviation industry. Its membership includes the presidents of airlines, government employees, union leaders, a representative from Boeing's commercial airplanes division and Jack Pelton, from Cessna. (See the full list here.) Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he plans to have a timetable by mid-February that will implement the recommendations but no decision has yet been made on financial aid for bizjets and airliners. Pelton had some specific comments.
Controllers May Be Exempt From Federal Pay Freeze December 16, 2010 By Glenn Pew Air traffic controllers are among the highest-paid U.S. government workers and may find themselves exempt from a federal employee pay freeze proposed by the Obama administration. The U.S. employs about 15,500 controllers who earn an average of $136,000 per year. Those controllers last year negotiated a contract with the FAA that provides raises of at least 3 percent annually over three years. On Dec. 8, the House approved a proposal from President Barack Obama that would apply a two-year pay freeze to roughly 2 million federal workers, including controllers, in a bid to save the government $60 billion. The House has approved it, but Senate has yet to act on the measure. Meanwhile, the president's ability to apply the freeze to controllers may hinge on the wording of a 1996 law that created the controllers' collective-bargaining process.
Jeppesen, AOPA Say Flight Prep Patent Doesn't Affect Them December 16, 2010 By Russ Niles AOPA and Jeppesen, two of the largest players in the online flight planning business, say a patent obtained by FlightPrep doesn't affect their products and they are not willing to discuss it. In a statement released Wednesday, AOPA says it will not meet with FlightPrep to discuss the patent and it will be business as usual for the product it provides. In fact, there's a new version coming out in a few weeks. FlightPrep didn't directly comment on AOPA and Jepp's reaction and had this to say: "FlightPrep has been in contact with Tom Haines and AOPA regarding our patent and online planner technology since 2007. FlightPrep is a small Oregon-based business that is a proud AOPA advertiser, AOPA Summit participant, and our staff are proud members of AOPA as well as AOPA political action supporters." As we reported in Wednesday's AVwebBiz, RunwayFinder, a popular online flight planning site, shut down in the face of a lawsuit from FlightPrep.
Historic 1960 United/TWA Crash Remembered December 15, 2010 By Glenn Pew Fifty years ago, Dec. 16, the midair collision over New York City of a United Airlines DC-8 and a TWA Super Constellation became the worst aviation disaster to date; it's since brought regulatory change and today it will be recognized, again. The crash killed 128 people on both aircraft and six more on the ground. At least 10 buildings were destroyed in Brooklyn where the DC-8 fell. The Constellation crashed down on the grounds of a military base on Staten Island. The accident has been cited as launching the first major investigation in which flight recorders were used to provide extensive insight into operations prior to the crash. It led to speed limits for aircraft operating under certain conditions and reporting rules for malfunctions of navigation or communication equipment during IFR operations. All aboard both aircraft were lost and unidentified remains were buried at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery. The cemetery will today unveil an 8-foot granite monument in recognition of the victims.
Delta Takes On Wall Street Commodities Trading December 15, 2010 By Glenn Pew Oil prices reached a record $147.27 per barrel in 2008 and that helped cripple some airlines; now, the U.S. is considering new rules that would curb speculative trading on commodities and Delta Air Lines is among those urging strict limits. General counsel to Delta, Richard B. Hirst, wrote the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) saying, "The speculative bubble in oil prices has concrete detrimental consequences for the real economy," according to Bloomberg news. Companies joining Delta in the push for limits on commodities trading believe that the current trading structure creates a system that benefits financial speculators to the detriment of consumers. CFTC appears set to altogether miss, without repercussion, its first action deadline set earlier by the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill.
Pilot Makes '50 Best Jobs' List December 15, 2010 By Mary Grady Of all the possible careers out there, being a commercial pilot is one of the 50 best choices, according to a recent report by U.S. News. The list was based on data from the U.S. Labor Department, showing which occupations are likely to add jobs at an above-average rate over the next decade, while also providing an above-average median income. The editors said they also talked with industry experts, gathering anecdotal evidence about employment prospects and job satisfaction. Median income for commercial pilots in 2009 was $65,840, and employment is expected to grow 19 percent through 2018, adding 7,300 new jobs, according to the report.
Spy Drone Gets A Lift From 747 December 15, 2010 By Mary Grady Boeing's Phantom Ray unmanned airborne system took a ride aboard NASA's 747 shuttle carrier on Monday, for a 50-minute test flight, marking the first time the 747 has carried any aircraft other than the space shuttle. The flight was a shakedown prior to moving the drone from St. Louis, Mo., to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., where it will undergo further ground and taxi tests before first flight early next year. The big UAS, measuring 36 feet long with a 50-foot wingspan, was introduced in May by Boeing Phantom Works after two years of development. The vehicle is designed to test a variety of advanced technologies for surveillance and reconnaissance as well as weaponry. It is also capable of autonomous aerial refueling.
EAA To Honor Rutan At AirVenture December 14, 2010 By Mary Grady In honor of aircraft designer Burt Rutan's retirement, which he announced last month (PDF), EAA says it is planning a tribute to his work at AirVenture next summer. "Burt is certainly an aviation icon and a pioneering visionary in the homebuilt movement," said Tom Poberezny, EAA chairman. Rutan has been attending the annual event since 1971, often introducing new designs there. "Burt has been such an integral part of our convention," said Poberezny. "His designs are a staple on the flightline at Oshkosh." Rutan now serves as chief technical officer of Scaled Composites in Mojave, Calif., but said he will retire effective April 2011 and assume the title of Scaled's founder and chairman emeritus. AirVenture 2011 will feature a "Tribute to Burt Rutan Day" on Thursday, July 28, with flying displays, a program at Theater in the Woods, and various special events.
Advocates Say Tax Plan Good For GA December 14, 2010 By Mary Grady The tax bill now working its way through Congress will help to boost manufacturing and restore lost jobs in the general aviation industry, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association said this week. The plan will also provide tax benefits to companies that invest in business aircraft, according to the National Business Aviation Association. Businesses will be allowed to expense 100 percent of their investments in new capital assets through Dec. 31, 2011, retroactive from Sept. 8, 2010, plus claim a "bonus" depreciation allowance of 50 percent during 2012, said NBAA. In addition, the bill extends the research and development tax credit for two more years, says GAMA. "These proposals are extremely well-targeted to create jobs, stimulate innovation, and get production lines moving again at manufacturing plants," according to GAMA CEO Pete Bunce.
Teledyne-Continental Bought by Chinese Interests December 14, 2010 By AVweb Staff Teledyne Continental Motors has been sold to Technify Motors, a subsidiary of AVIC International, a Chinese government-owned holding company with diverse business interests in the aerospace sector. The sale price, according to AVIC and Teledyne Technologies, was $186 million, and terms of the sale included a commitment to remain in Mobile, where Continental has been on the former Brookley Air Force base since the 1960s.
Club Aims To Build A Dozen Spitfires December 13, 2010 By Mary Grady It's an ambitious plan, but a group of pilots based at Enstone Flying Club in the U.K. hopes to build a dozen 90-percent-scale Spitfire replicas by the end of next year. The result will be a "living history" squadron of aircraft that will perform at events around the U.K. The Supermarine MK26B Spitfires will be built from all-aluminum kits by teams of up to 12 builders and pilots. Fractional ownership options from one-twelfth to full ownership of each airplane will be available. Builders also can opt to be trained in formation flying skills. The group hopes to have the squadron ready in time to perform at the Farnborough Air Show in 2012.
An Inside Look at AOPA: Expenses and Salaries December 13, 2010 By Paul Bertorelli, Tim Cole, Russ Niles As aviation's leading member organization, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has become the unchallenged defender and guardian of everything to do with general aviation. But it's also a multi-faceted $60 million business run, in part, as a non-profit organization owned by its members. Thus its tax filings are in the public record. This allows members to access at least some financial data to try to answer this question: Do we get our money's worth? Does the association spend the money wisely? And has it trimmed its balance sheet and expenses to reflect the severe contraction in the industry it advocates? To illuminate this, AVweb obtained and analyzed the association's public IRS tax filings and compared its salary expenditures to the association universe in general. We also posed a series of detailed questions to AOPA senior management, which association president Craig Fuller answered for us in writing and in an extensive interview. He also reacted with sharp postings on his own blog criticizing AVweb's original story on executive salaries, which appeared in early November.
AOPA To Create Governance Section On Web Site December 12, 2010 By Russ Niles AOPA President Craig Fuller says members need easier access to information about the organization's governance and finances and has pledged to make that possible. In direct response to AVweb's enquiries about AOPA finances over the past month and member reaction to his blogs on the subject, Fuller has promised to establish a governance section on the AOPA website. "Until now, I thought most people who were interested in AOPA's finances had no trouble finding the information they sought," Fuller wrote. "However,.. a good case has been made for having a "governance section" on our Web site where such information can be easily accessed. We will set that up."
Composite Issue Stops Corvalis Deliveries December 11, 2010 By Russ Niles Cessna has suspended deliveries of the Corvalis line of high-performance singles after the composite structure of the wing of a newly built aircraft unbonded during the plane's shakedown flight. "During a production flight of a new Corvalis 400, a wing fuel leak was detected," Cessna spokesman Doug Oliver told AVweb. "Working closely with the FAA, we took immediate steps to understand the root cause. We now fully understand the cause and a solution." The FAA issued the emergency airworthiness directive Friday and said seven feet of skin disbonded from the upper forward wing spar.
Teenager Fell From 737 Wheel Well December 11, 2010 By Paul Bertorelli Boston authorities said Friday that at a teenager whose body was found in a Boston suburb last month appeared to have stowed away inside the wheel well of a 737 arriving from Charlotte, N.C. The remains of Delvonte Tisdale, 16, were found in Milton, Mass., below the approach path to Boston's Logan Airport, according to a report in The New York Times. Tisdale was believed to have gotten on the flight in Charlotte, although authorities -- including the TSA -- had no idea how he breached airside security to get to the aircraft.
AOPA'S Fuller Criticizes AVweb December 11, 2010 By AVweb Staff AOPA President Craig Fuller Thursday criticized AVweb's coverage of salaries and finances at the association that appeared in early November, which he attacked as "flat out wrong." In his blog on the AOPA Web site, Fuller said "we've responded in detail and in writing to numerous questions and spent two hours on the phone with the group's publisher, editor, and chief operating officer." Fuller complained that AVweb "had made no acknowledgment of their error." However, AVweb Publisher Timothy Cole said Friday that AVweb disagrees with AOPA's claims.
FAA Registration Push Catches Public Eye December 11, 2010 By Russ Niles The FAA's mandated re-registration of the civil aviation fleet has caught the attention of the mainstream media, who are reporting it as a response to a security threat. As we reported Oct. 19, all aircraft owners have to re-register. In its notice, the FAA characterized the move as an administrative housekeeping chore because it has lost accurate track of about 100,000 registrations. The FAA now seems to be going along with the security theme offered by the mainstream media.
Cirrus Expands Footprint In China December 9, 2010 By Russ Niles A Chinese company has opened an FBO that will focus on Cirrus aircraft but offer traditional services to transient and based aircraft at Zhuhai Airport. The Zhuhai Cirrus FBO is aimed at promoting general aviation activities as China's rules regarding private aviation relax. Zhuhai Tianyi Aviation Trading Co. also bought three SR22s to use at the FBO. The deal, which was a year in the making, will become the focus of Cirrus's activities in that area of China, be a Cirrus Sales Center and offer flying club and Cirrus service, training and import services. "We expect the Zhuhai region to become the center of Cirrus activity in Guangdong Province and the surrounding area," said Scott Jiang, Cirrus's China Director.
Rights Panel Slams U.S. Security Vetting December 9, 2010 By Russ Niles A Canadian human rights panel has ruled that Bombardier violated the rights of a man who was denied flight training because he was on a U.S. list of suspected security threats. One member of the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal said Bombardier should have ignored warnings from the U.S. about Javed Latif, a Canadian of Pakistani origin, and conducted its own assessment of whether Latif posed a threat. Bombardier was ordered to pay Latif $319,000 CAD in compensation. Latif applied in 2004 to train on Challenger 604 business jets at Bombardier's Montreal facility under his U.S. pilot certificate and was rejected after background checks revealed his status as a suspected security threat. He then applied under his Canadian pilot's licence and was rejected again because of the U.S. designation. That's when the rights violation occurred, according to the tribunal. "Those rules do not apply here in Canada, were not adopted here in Canada by Canadian law," said Athanassia Bitzakadis, the lawyer who represented the Quebec Human Rights Commission, which brought the case before the tribunal. "So Bombardier cannot simply refer to those rules to justify a discriminatory decision to refuse to someone a service, a service that they offer to everyone here in Quebec." Latif was taken off the security list in 2008 and has since trained at Bombardier three times.
SpaceX Launches, Recovers Successfully December 8, 2010 By Russ Niles
The age of truly private access to space arrived Wednesday as SpaceX's Dragon capsule was launched from Cape Canaveral, orbited twice and splashed down on target in the Pacific west of Mexico. After many delays, the California company's Falcon booster appeared to perform flawlessly in a many-billion-dollars gambit that is predicted to lead to the routine commercialization of space launches. "It's just mind-blowingly awesome. I apologize, and I wish I was more articulate, but it's hard to be articulate when your mind's blown - but in a very good way," said an apparently pleased SpaceX CEO Elon Musk after the capsule, which eventually may carry up to 20,000 pounds of astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station, settled comfortably into the Pacific under three parachutes.
Flight Planning Patent Being Enforced December 8, 2010 By Russ Niles FlightPrep, an Oregon company that received a patent for online flight planning, has apparently started charging royalty fees to other services doing the same thing and the result may be that some of the most popular services will shut down rather than pay the fees or try to fight them. At least one online chart and planning service, SkyVectors, has decided to eat the unspecified costs and continue business as usual, with a note on its charts referencing a licensing agreement with FlightPrep. Other providers are reportedly in the process of being contacted by FlightPrep. The patent appears to cover the basic functions of every online flight planner we've come across and FlightPrep's apparent willingness to enforce it raises inevitable questions about their future availability and cost. After-hours calls and e-mails to FlightPrep were not immediately returned but we hope to talk to them.
FAA Examines CFI Renewal Process December 8, 2010 By Mary Grady The FAA held a two-day meeting this week to hear the public's views about the biennial renewal process now used for certified flight instructors to maintain their currency. The current process, which requires that instructors must either meet certain training criteria or complete a flight-instructor refresher course every two years, "may lack sufficient effectiveness in ensuring that CFIs are being provided the best information in the most useful manner," the FAA said. At this week's forum, the FAA said it doesn't expect to change its rules anytime soon, according to Jason Blair, executive director of the National Association of Flight Instructors. "The discussion was focused on continually improving the quality of material that flight instructors encounter in their renewal process," he said.
First Flight For GE H80 Turboprop Engine December 8, 2010 By Mary Grady GE Aviation's new H80 turboprop engine has completed its first flight on the Thrush 510G crop duster, the company announced this week. The flight took place Nov. 23, in Albany, Ga. "This is a historic moment, with the Thrush 510G being the first application for the new H80 engine, and the first North American new engine installation for the M601 engine family," said Brad Mottier, general manager of the company's business and general aviation division. The first flight lasted 30 minutes. The aircraft has already logged an additional five hours and has achieved experimental certification from the FAA, the company said.
NTSB: Helicopter Operator Falsified Charts December 8, 2010 By Mary Grady The operators of a helicopter working under contract for the U.S. Forest Service provided falsified weight documents and performance charts to their flight crews, the NTSB said on Tuesday. As a result, a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter was more than 1,000 pounds overweight when it tried to take off from a mountaintop clearing at about 6,000 feet near Weaverville, Calif., in August 2008. The helicopter was airborne less than a minute when it crashed and caught fire; one pilot and eight firefighters were killed and four others on board were seriously injured. Carson Helicopters, based in Grants Pass, Ore., now faces a federal criminal investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal. "Carson engaged in a bargain that violated the trust of their crewmembers, the firefighters that they carried onboard, and the aviation industry," said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman.
Charter Operators See Interest Spike December 7, 2010 By Mary Grady Demand for charter-jet services rose 52 percent in November compared to the same month a year before, according to the Air Taxi-Air Charter Association. Most of that is due to economic recovery leading to an increase in business travel, said Joe Leader, president of the trade group. However, "the TSA security hassle factor has absolutely had an additive effect on air taxi and air charter demand," he added, in the Los Angeles Times. In addition to the security hassles, airline cabins are increasingly crowded as airlines are reluctant to add capacity. In August, for example, the airlines averaged more than 85 percent full, the highest percentage ever for that month.
NTSB Says FAA Withheld Information December 7, 2010 By Mary Grady The FAA dismissed two pilots' allegations related to a fatal helicopter crash in 2008 and failed to report them to the NTSB, investigators said during a safety board meeting on Tuesday. The pilots wrote to the FAA two months after the crash and said the company that leased the firefighting helicopter to the Forest Service routinely understated takeoff weights. NTSB investigators didn't know about the allegations until a year later when the letters turned up in a routine request for documents. The NTSB said the Sikorsky S-61N helicopter was more than 1,000 pounds overweight when it tried to take off from a mountaintop clearing at about 6,000 feet near Weaverville, Calif. The helicopter was airborne less than a minute, carrying nine firefighters and two pilots, when it lost power, crashed into trees, hit the ground, and caught fire. One pilot and eight firefighters were killed and the others on board were seriously injured.
French Court Blames U.S. Mechanic In Concorde Crash December 6, 2010 By Mary Grady John Taylor, a Continental Airlines worker who installed a piece of titanium on a DC-10 that later allegedly fell off and punctured a tire on a Concorde jet, was found guilty on Monday of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 15 months jail time by a French court. The suspended sentence is "absurd," Continental said in a statement. "We strongly disagree with the court's verdict regarding Continental Airlines and John Taylor and will of course appeal this absurd finding," the statement read. The court also fined the airline $268,000 and ordered it to pay $1.3 million to Air France. Taylor's former supervisor and three French officials were also tried on charges of involuntary manslaughter, but were found not guilty.
Missing Balloon Wreckage Found In Adriatic Sea December 6, 2010 By Mary Grady Fishermen have found the wreckage of a balloon basket with the remains of missing U.S. balloon pilots Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis, more than two months after they went missing while crossing the Adriatic Sea. An Italian trawler brought the basket up in a net while trawling, about 12 miles from shore and six miles from the balloon's last known location. The two pilots were competing in the Gordon Bennett international balloon race when contact was lost on September 29. Rough seas and thunderstorms were reported in the area at the time, and radar data showed the hydrogen balloon plummeting toward the sea at about 50 mph. The Italian Coast Guard searched for the team for six days.
Passenger Sit-In Delays Flight December 5, 2010 By Russ Niles Passengers aboard a Moroccan airliner staged a sit-in Saturday that turned what might have been a four-hour inconvenience into a 24-hour ordeal. The 137 passengers on the Jet4You flight from Toulouse to Casablanca bought tickets for a direct flight (about 90 minutes). As they were settling in, the captain announced a couple of detours, first north to Lyon and then back south to Bordeaux, reportedly to pick up pax who were stranded for some reason. The impromptu tour of France would have added at least four hours to the trip and the passengers were having none of that.
Flight Event Targets Girls December 5, 2010 By Russ Niles Renton Airport in Washington State is claiming the title of Most Female Pilot-Friendly Airport Worldwide after 170 girls and women got introductory flights on Sunday. A total of 10 pilots flying seven aircraft, including one helicopter, flew the back-to-back hops at the airport, which is just south of Seattle. Records are kept for such events and the day in Renton beat Kpong Field Airport in Ghana for the title. The Ghanians managed 97 discovery flights at an earlier event.
Brainteasers Quiz #154: What the World Needs Now ... December 6, 2010 By Paul Berge
... is more pilots. And some pilots need to become professional flyers, even if the airlines keep merging into one. So, if you're ready to fly for hire — or for food — ace this commercial pilot quiz.
Biofuel To Power Lufthansa Commuter Flights December 5, 2010 By Russ Niles Lufthansa will become the first airline to use biofuel on revenue flights, with a six-month trial that begins in April of 2011. The airline will use a 50-50 blend of Jet A and biodiesel on domestic routes during the trial period. The trial is being partly funded by the German government in a study of the long-term effects of biofuel use in commercial service. The same A321 will use the fuel blend as it plies the well-traveled Frankfurt-Hamburg route.
RC-Eye View Of New York December 5, 2010 By Russ Niles
Chances are you've never seen New York from these angles (unless you're Sean Tucker in an invisible plane). A group of technophiles that calls itself Team Black Sheep launched a video-camera-equipped RC aircraft from Brooklyn Bridge Park and buzzed many of the New York's most famous landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty. The image was transmitted to an operator's console and a second video camera recorded the image off that screen. Still, it's pretty good quality and the perspectives gathered would be impossible to get from a full-sized aircraft, notwithstanding what the official response to such a flight would be. While the Ritewing Zephyr casts a much smaller shadow than a manned aircraft, its flight did not go unnoticed by New York's understandably twitchy law enforcement and security organizations.
Sonex Flies Electric Airplane December 4, 2010 By Glenn Pew More than three years after its 2007 unveiling (video), Sonex Aircraft's electric-powered Waiex took its first flight (video) Friday, lifting out of ground effect before settling back down on the runway at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis. Sonex says the intentionally short hop was intended to analyze "one of the most advanced electric flight packages ever conceived." If true, that may help Sonex catch Chinese manufacturer Yuneec, which achieved first flight (video) of its two-seat electric high-wing in June 2009, and Randall Fishman, who's single-seat Electraflyer-C flew at length (video) for the crowd at AirVenture Oshkosh in 2008. Back in 2007, Sonex's John Monnet said the aircraft would fly for one hour at low-speed cruise or for about 15 minutes in all-out high-performance aerobatic operation. Evolution may ultimately deliver different endurance figures.
Spain's ATC Mess Boils Over (Again) December 3, 2010 By Glenn Pew Friday, air traffic controllers in Spain staged a massive "sickout" just three months since they last voted to strike, nearly one year since reports of their sometimes $1 million-plus salaries, and amidst economists' musings that the country may require a financial bailout. Roughly 90 percent of controllers abandoned their posts Friday, resulting in a massive shutdown of airports and airspace, affecting thousands of flights. Three controllers did arrive to Madrid's Barajas airport to aid arrivals there. The controllers have been involved in contract negotiations over work conditions, wages and privileges. The talks intensified early in 2010 when the government proposed restricted overtime. That alone effectively reduced the average salary of Spanish controllers from about $463,000 to $264,000 annually, according to the WashingtonExaminer. The controllers union now says the country's 2,300 controllers are overworked and have already put in their maximum number of hours for 2010. They also timed their strike for increased impact.
Camelina Bio-Jet Fuel By 2012? December 2, 2010 By Glenn Pew Fuel produced from the camelina plant could be used as a renewable biojet fuel that would reduce jet-fuel greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent, according to researchers -- and ATSM standards for the fuel are expected before 2012. Camelina-based jet fuel has been tested by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and Japan Airlines on different types of aircraft and in different engines. The Navy has tested the fuel in an F/A-18 Super Hornet and last month flew an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter on a 50/50 mix of camelina-based and petroleum-based fuels. The U.S. Navy and Air Force have contracted with Sustainable Oils, a camelina biojet fuel provider, for a total of 500,000 gallons to be delivered by early 2011. According to Sustainable Oils, camelina can be planted, harvested and refined with existing equipment and technology that is available today.
Qantas Keeps Legal Options Open Against Rolls-Royce December 2, 2010 By Glenn Pew Qantas Thursday secured its option to pursue legal action against Rolls-Royce if the two companies fail to reach a settlement over losses suffered when a Trent 900 engine experienced uncontained failure on a Qantas A380. The two companies are engaged in discussions covering a range of issues related to the incident and Qantas' "statement of claim" opens the possibility to sue. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has found that a specific manufacturing defect was to blame. According to the ATSB, a misaligned boring on an oil pipe can lead to fatigue cracking, oil leakage, oil fires, and explosive engine failure. Rolls-Royce has instituted an inspection, maintenance and removal plan to assure the safe operations of the Trent 900s still in service. The failure of the engine on Nov. 4, aboard the Qantas airliner, caused substantial damage to the aircraft and led to a disruption of Qantas' operations. One report suggests Rolls-Royce knew enough that the event could have been avoided.
If so, AVweb and Aviation Consumer would like to talk to you about your experiences using unleaded mogas. Also, if you're an FBO and you're already selling mogas or you're thinking about it, we would like to hear from you.
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Volunteer Pilots Help Haiti Fight Cholera December 1, 2010 By Glenn Pew Volunteer pilots flying with Bahamas Habitat, in partnership with Servants in Faith and Technology, are actively fighting the cholera epidemic in Haiti and seeking new recruits. The group is delivering water filtration and purification systems that serve as a front-line effort to stem the tide of the disease. Cholera has already taken more than 1,700 lives in Haiti since an outbreak began there Oct. 21, according to the United Nations. Bahamas Habitat pilots have so far delivered enough purification units to clean water for more than 34,000 people. Larger, community-oriented purification systems weigh about 26 pounds each and, due to their size, multiple units can be loaded on most small aircraft. Each aircraft also usually carries multiple one-pound single-dwelling filtration units. The flights are funded by donations and the organization is seeking volunteer pilots (and aircraft) to continue the work.
Copilot's "Panic" On Air India Express Jet December 1, 2010 By Glenn Pew The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DCGA), India, has recommended "appropriate action" against the crew of an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 after a copilot's seat adjustment led to the rapid loss of 5,000 feet and his own panic. No one was injured in the May 26 incident that involved 113 passengers, but the DCGA report states the copilot was not trained for the situation. The situation was that the airliner was cruising at 37,000 feet in fully automated flight en route to Pune out of Dubai, when the 39-year-old captain stepped out of the cockpit for a trip to the restroom. The 25-year-old copilot then adjusted his seat forward and inadvertently pushed the control column. That initiated the descent and, according to the DCGA, the copilot's subsequent actions (which may have involved adjustments to the autopilot) did not correct the situation but instead caused the aircraft to roll from level. Meanwhile, the captain was locked outside of the cockpit trying to gain access.
Plenty Of Options For Aviator Gifts December 1, 2010 By Mary Grady If you're looking for unique holiday gifts for the aviator on your list, or compiling a list of your own, plenty of options have been flowing into the AVweb inbox. Bonham's auction house in Oxford is selling a pair of wooden photograph cases made from one of the main spars of the tri-plane flown by Manfred Von Reichthofen, known as the "Red Baron," in World War I. The airplane was shot down in April 1918. The two cases will be auctioned on Dec. 7 and are expected to sell for about $600 to $900. Build A Plane is holding an online auction to support its efforts to help kids learn about aviation and science by building their own airplanes. Bidders can find special passes to EAA AirVenture, a Garmin GPS, a Bahamas weekend and more. The auction continues until Dec. 17, with new items listed every day.
NTSB: Skymaster Lost Wing Before Crash December 1, 2010 By Mary Grady A Cessna M337B Skymaster that crashed in Avon Park, Fla., last month while on a military training exercise lost its right wing prior to hitting the ground, the NTSB said this week. All three on board, who were civilian pilots, died in the crash. In its preliminary report, the NTSB said the crew was returning to the Avon Park airport, which serves as an auxiliary field for MacDill Air Force Base, at about 9 p.m. local time, after the weather began to deteriorate. Rain and clouds were reported near the accident site. The airplane was originally built in 1967 as an O-2A for the U.S. Air Force. In February, a 337 crashed in New Jersey after a wing separated shortly after takeoff, killing all five on board.
Lobbyist Named To Top Post At ATA November 30, 2010 By Mary Grady Nicholas Calio was named this week as the next CEO of the Air Transport Association, the trade organization that represents most U.S. airlines. Calio holds a long Washington pedigree both as a lobbyist and as a White House staffer. "Nick has a record of success in managing complex issues and working collaboratively with people at the highest levels, both in the private and public sectors," said Glenn Tilton, ATA chairman. "His leadership skills and reputation for integrity on both sides of the aisle make him uniquely suited to head ATA." Calio said he will focus on easing taxes and regulations for the industry, improving infrastructure and increasing access to international markets.
New CEO At Diamond Aircraft November 30, 2010 By Mary Grady After 20 years at the helm of Diamond Aircraft, Christian Dries is stepping down as CEO, and this week he named Gerd Berchtold as his successor. Dries will retain ownership of the Austria-based company, and will maintain an active management role. Departments responsible for marketing, distribution and aircraft finance will continue to report to him. Berchtold will take charge of design, production and customer support, and also will report directly to Dries. "Mr. Berchtold is a highly experienced and respected aeronautical engineer," Dries told the Financial Times Deutschland. "I need a CEO who takes care 100 percent of the aircraft." Dries said although the company is still feeling the effect of the economic downturn, it has benefited from its special-mission aircraft, such as those used for surveillance missions. The company employs 1,200 workers and has customers in 28 countries. Berchtold, an active pilot, formerly was employed by EADS, where he held several positions developing commercial and military aircraft.
Kodiak Icing System FAA Certified November 29, 2010 By Mary Grady The FAA has approved the TKS ice-protection system for Quest Aircraft's Kodiak turboprop, just in time for winter flying. The TKS system, which is approved for flight into known icing (FIKI), is manufactured by CAV Aerospace. "Ice protection ... will greatly enhance the aircraft's safety and dispatch reliability," said Quest CEO Paul Schaller. "We have seen interest from all of our key market segments, including personal use, Part 135 operations, government, corporate, special operations and humanitarian organizations." The TKS system works by "weeping" glycol-based fluid through laser-drilled microscopic holes. It protects wing leading edges as well as tail surfaces, landing gear, struts, and the windshield and propeller. The system can be retrofitted to any of the Kodiak fleet.
Thielert: Profitable, Seeking Investors November 29, 2010 By Paul Bertorelli Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH says it has returned to profitability, improved its engines and is now seeking investors to continue its revival. "It is a very good time to start seeking a new investor," said Bruno M. Kubler, the government-appointed bankruptcy administrator who took over Thielert in 2008 when the company went under due to financial mismanagement and, in part, deteriorating aircraft market conditions. But now, says Kubler, the market is improving "and the big players are starting to invest again in order to take part in this upswing." Kubler was evidently referring to world credit markets, not aircraft sales, which continue in the doldrums worldwide. Thielert, by the way, has a separate marketing arm called Centurion and this company and name has become the brand nameplate of the engines. But we're told that Thielert GmBh continues to operate under its original name.
Where has the time gone? Our 15th anniversary year is almost over, and that means we've come to our 15th (and final) "Grand Giveaway." If you haven't already, register for one final chance to win — as we give away a Garmin aera 510 handheld GPS. All you have to do is click here to enter your name and e-mail address. (You must be a registered AVweb user; if you've entered any of our previous 15 Grand Giveaways drawings, you'll automatically be considered for the aera — no need to enter again.)
Remember: We won't rent or sell your name, ever. Tell your friends, and invite them to sign up for AVweb so they can enter this final 15 Grand Giveaways drawing. (We won't spam them, either — but do we hope they will sign up for our newsletters.)
Deadline for entries is 11:59pm Zulu time Sunday, December 19.
Congratulations to Robert Yocum of Blain, Pennsylvania, who won an iFly 700 GPS from Adventure Pilot in our previous giveaway! (click here to get your own iFly 700)
New Diesel Aircraft Engine In Works November 28, 2010 By Russ Niles A Wisconsin company hopes to have a running prototype of a diesel aircraft engine by next summer after funding for the project came through last week. Engineered Propulsion Systems, of New Richmond, celebrated the formal launch of the project after it raised more than $800,000 in investor and state financing. Engineers Michael Fuchs and Steven Weinzierl have been working on the project for several years but funding has been a problem in the recession. Technical details of the engine aren't readily available, but the project has attracted interest from Cirrus Aircraft and drawn Dick Rutan as a technical adviser. "I'm really proud of all of you," Rutan told the product launch. "It's going to save aviation."
787 Fire Sparks "Minor" Redesign November 28, 2010 By Russ Niles Boeing says it's redesigning the electrical panels and attendant power distribution software on the 787 after a program-halting fire on one of its test planes in Laredo, Texas, a few weeks ago. It's also partly confirming reports last week that something that wasn't supposed to be in an electrical box caused the fire. Those reports said it was a tool left by a worker. Boeing says it doesn't think so. "It was small, it wasn't as big as a tool," Boeing spokeswoman Lori Gunter said. "A tool would leave evidence." The company characterized the work as minor.
If so, Aviation Consumer would like to talk to your about your experiences with financing, training and insurance. For example, if you sold your Bonanza and upgraded to a Piper Meridian, what was involved? How has it worked out? Contact us 
Everyone knows that air traffic controllers keep aircraft from bumping into each other, but just how much separation does ATC provide? That's not an essay question. Instead, separate fact from misconceptions about ATC service in this quiz.
The aviation community is coming together to help Kyle and Amanda Franklin get back on their feet and eventually back in the air after their mishap at Air Fiesta at the Brownsville/South Padre Island Airport. If you'd like to contribute, click on the banner at right to visit the ICAS Foundation web site.
