PILOT SHORTAGE STUDY URGED
A blue-chip organization of industry groups and businesses has collectively asked that the Government Accountability Office be directed to study what many regard as a serious looming pilot shortage. The group says a confluence of factors appears to be lining up that will make pilots in short supply. It wants the GAO to determine if a shortage actually will occur and, if so, study the mechanics of the shortage and estimate its impact not only on the aviation industry but the economy as a whole. "It is hoped that such a study will shed some light on this potentially devastating issue that can be considered by congressional leaders to better understand the extent of the problem as well as the potential ramifications to the industry, service to cities and jobs," the request, directed at the House Subcommittee on Aviation, says. More...

FAA ACTION ON REGIONAL JET ENGINE FIRES
A bleed valve installation on some 300 General Electric turbofans powering Bombardier CRJ700/900 and Embraer 170/175 regional jets has caused two engine fires, prompting an Airworthiness Directive (AD) Thursday. The offending part is a specific operability bleed valve installed on certain GE CF34-8C and CF34-8E series turbofan engines. Failure of the valve ring lock fuel fittings can cause fuel leaks in the engine and uncontrolled fire resulting in damage to the aircraft. Of three failures reported, all occurred in CF34-8C engines and two led to fires without injury. The FAA estimates fleet-wide repair costs to total more than $7 million. More...

FAA ACTS ON ELT STRAPS
The FAA has banned the use of Velcro-type straps to secure emergency locator transmitters designed and built after Nov. 26 of this year. The new rule came two years after a high-profile crash that killed Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and four others. The ELT aboard the Otter they were on came loose on impact and detached from the antenna. Rescuers found it on the floor in the back of plane, activated but unable to transmit because it wasn't connected to the antenna. "In this case, the airplane was equipped with a functioning 406 megahertz ELT, which can be a tremendous aid to search and rescue operations," NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said following the board's preliminary investigation. "But this vital life-saving technology won't do anyone any good if it doesn't stay connected to the antenna." The NTSB recommended the FAA review the safety standards for ELT straps and this TSO may have been the result. More...

PODCAST: ELTs EXAMINED
The FAA has banned the future use of Velcro-type fasteners for ELTs in light of the investigation into the 2010 crash that killed Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and four others. There are other issues surrounding the boxes we all have to keep in our aircraft, however, and AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with ACK Avionics CEO Mike Akatiff.

This podcast is brought to you by Bose Corporation. More...

SYNERGY EFFICIENT AIRCRAFT READY FOR OSH?
John McGinnis' grass-roots Synergy five-place efficient aircraft project has attracted critical attention as well as tens of thousands of donated dollars, and now a flying prototype may be coming to AirVenture 2013, but challenges remain. McGinnis told AVweb Thursday that his successful kickstarter.com campaign had attracted about $80,000 to the project. It was "a huge amount of money" that he interpreted as "a mandate from the public," he said. But it was also a small step for a project that McGinnis hopes to ultimately guide to certification. McGinnis is currently optimistic that his current pace could deliver to AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 a flying proof-of-concept prototype that will conclusively demonstrate the "stellar performance for this configuration." But there are many potential bottlenecks in the way. More...

DROPPING IN TO THE AIRPORT
Drop zone pilots often pride themselves in rapid turnaround times but this guy takes it to a new level. In this undated LiveLeak video the unidentified pilot takes about two minutes to get from what looks like a minimum of 12,000 feet to the runway centerline. We'll let the video do the talking for how he accomplishes that. If you're in a rush, skip ahead to about the two-minute mark to see how it all ends up More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: FLY-BY-WIRE FANTASIES
When Boeing built the last B-52H in 1962, they couldn't have imagined the design would still be in service nearly 100 years after it first appeared. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli wonders if experiencing the same lack of imagination when playing it forward to technologies like fly-by-wire controls that might open up entirely new designs for general aviation. Or maybe it's just easier not to think about it and be happy with what we've got. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVMAIL: DECEMBER 17, 2012

Letter of the Week: Plenty of Pilots, Not Enough Money

I almost laughed at the article to get the GAO involved in the alleged pilot shortage. This would be nothing but another attempt by the airlines to ensure they can get new pilots and pay them the slave wages they do now.

If salaries were liveable and not below poverty level, the airlines would have no problem getting the pilots they need. In the U.S., there never has been, is not now, and never will be a shortage of pilots — only pilots willing to work for nothing. It is time to let the free market dictate whether there is a pilot shortage or not.

If the airlines cannot afford to pay pilots a reasonable wage, then let them go out of business so that someone who actually knows how to run a profitable airline can do so. This would also mean the days of $99 fares from New York to Florida will be over, since that is not a money-making fare. What should be changed are the bankruptcy laws so there would be a limit to how many times Chapter 11 can be used to stay in business. It should be only once, since if you need to go bankrupt again you should be liquidated.

And yes, I am a professional pilot who has been through a pay cut and a lay-off.

Matthew Wagner

Click here to read the rest of this week's letters.

VIDEO: FK'S COMET BIPLANE
FK Lightplanes has significant presence in Europe but almost none in the U.S. They'd like to change that with a sporty little aerobatic biplane called the FK-12 Comet. Right now, it's got a Rotax 912, but it will soon have a fully aerobatic Lycoming AEIO-233, making it one of only a couple of light sports approved for aerobatics and the only biplane. AVweb recently took a spin in the Comet with Hansen Air Group's Mitch Hansen. Here's a video report. More...

SURVEY: ARE YOU FLYING WITH A GARMIN GTN NAVIGATOR?
If so, the staff of Aviation Consumer would like to know what you think of it. Almost two years ago, Garmin introduced the GTN-series navigators to update its mega-popular GNS products. If you've been flying behind one, tell us what you think of it by taking this survey. It'll only take five minutes. More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 255,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. What have you heard? More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: COOK AVIATION (KBMG, BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Cook Aviation at Monroe County Airport (KBMG) in Bloomington, Indiana.

AVweb reader Paul Johnson told us about Cook recently and how they've worked with him to make some memorable visits:

As a student pilot, I've had the pleasure of visiting Cook Aviation twice on cross-country flights. My daughter and grandson live in Bloomington, so it's an added benefit to visit them. Both times, the folks at Cook have been extremely friendly and helpful. The first time, they loaned us a very nice Cadillac, and more recently [they] offered me a newer SUV.

On my last visit, I had hoped to have my grandson and a couple of his playmates meet us at the airport to see Grandpa's plane. I called Cook to see if that would be a problem and was assured that they would work with us to have our group of toddlers visit safely. They followed through, and the kids had a blast. I earned some "cool grandpa" points with that vist, along with my solo cross-country check-off.

To top it off, their fuel prices are much less than home. There's no question that when we come back to Bloomington to visit, we'll be coming back to Cook. And did I mention the fresh baked cookies?

Keep those nominations coming. For complete contest rules, click here.

AVweb is actively seeking out the best FBOs in the country and another one, submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday!

SHORT FINAL

This happened about 40 years ago. We had just had a snow storm at the airport I worked at, which was serviced by a commuter airline flying Twin Otters. It was near Christmas, and as the plane took the runway, the pilot announced over the unicom:

"Air North flight XXX is dashing through the snow, runway 23."

Denis Arquette
via e-mail

HEARD ANYTHING FUNNY ON THE RADIO?
Heard anything funny, unusual, or downright shocking on the radio lately? If you've been flying any length of time, you're sure to have eavesdropped on a few memorable exchanges. The ones that gave you a chuckle may do the same for your fellow AVweb readers. Share your radio funny with us, and, if we use it in a future "Short Final," we'll send you a sharp-looking AVweb hat to sport around your local airport. No joke. Click here to submit your original, true, and previously unpublished story. More...

MEET THE AVWEBFLASH TEAM

AVwebFlash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the world's premier independent aviation news resource.

The AVwebFlash team is:

Publisher
Tom Bliss

Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli

Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles

Webmaster
Scott Simmons

Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew

Contributors
Kevin Lane-Cummings

Ad Coordinator
Karen Lund

Avionics Editor
Larry Anglisano

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