AOPA incoming President Mark Baker says he's already spoken with EAA Chairman Jack Pelton about future "collaboration" to better serve both organizations and their members. In his first (and, as far as we can tell, only) interview since being named to the post Aug. 22, Baker told AOPA Live host Tom Haines that while it's too early to describe the future alignment of the two organizations, the broad strokes of his discussions with Pelton could see members of each organization benefiting directly from the work of the other. Read More

Boeing Thursday released its 2013 Pilot and Technician Outlook that predicts the need for nearly 500,000 airline pilots by 2032, and the company says the number shows an increase over previous forecasts for nearly all regions. The company says the demand is driven by steady increases in airplane deliveries, most of which are single-aisle jets. Worldwide, the demand manifests as about 25,000 new pilots needed each year over the next two decades, according to the company's latest best guess. The Asia Pacific region is expected to provide the highest demand at more than double that of the U.S. over the same 20-year span, with Europe expressing lowest demand. Read More

Turkish Aircraft Industries has flown the Hurkus, a two-seat tandem trainer that is designed to compete with the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II and Embraer Super Tucano. The aircraft, which is apparently a clean-sheet design but looks a lot like a T-6, was announced in 2007 and flew on Aug. 29 in Ankara. The 33-minute gear-down flight appeared to test basic flight characteristics and was flown by Murat Özpala. Read More

The California National Guard has deployed an MQ-1 Predator remotely piloted aircraft to support firefighters in their effort to control the Rim Fire threatening Yosemite National Park. Based out of Victorville, Calif., the aircraft is expected to identify key locations of fire activity, where the fire has been controlled, how it moves, and avenues of safe retreat. The aircraft's pilots are based out of March Air Reserve Base in Riverside and remain in contact with FAA air traffic controllers throughout flights lasting up to 22 hours. This isn't the first time an unmanned vehicle has been used in the state to help crews combat a fire. Read More

Founded in 2012, Titan Aerospace of New Mexico aims to create solar-powered unmanned aircraft to act as satellites with years-long flight durations. The company has two models in the works: the Solara 50 and the Solara 60, with the numbers referring to each vehicle's wingspan in meters. Both are being designed to fly autonomously at cruising altitudes of roughly 65,000 feet. The company believes it can generate approximately seven kilowatts of power during the day from some 3,000 solar cells on the aircraft's upper wing and tail and fly off stored energy (lithium-ion batteries) at night. With that charging cycle, it hopes to achieve flight durations of up to five years. Read More

The FAA is sticking to a previously announced schedule and will end direct sales of paper charts on Oct. 1. After that date, all paper charts must be obtained from an authorized dealer. The agency stopped renewing chart subscriptions on July 1 although it will fulfill the subscriptions already on file until they run out. There are no plans to stop printing paper charts. Read More

After an 81-minute-long record-setting wing walking flight, nonagenarian Tom Lackey said he was glad to be down but also that the "very, very cold and very noisy" ride had been "rather refreshing," according to the Telegraph.co.uk. Lackey set a record for the flight and in the process broke his own, which he previously set in 2005 at the age of 85, the last time he became the world's oldest wing walker. However, the 2005 flight included a loop. Lackey flew strapped to a mast atop a 1943 Boeing Stearman biplane and says he made the trip in honor of his late wife. Read More

Charley Valera of FCA Flight Center at KFIT writes: "I own a small flight school with three to five planes in central Massachusetts. It's the kind where everyone is always greeted properly when they walk in, the kind the fosters a large pilot community, not just a pilot's certificate. Otherwise, you'll only watch them leave and their hours dwindle on year two. But we have a major problem. It's not bringing students to finish or the so-called '80 percent drop-out rate.' The problem is the lack of good-quality, enthusiastic CFIs." ... Click through to read the rest of this letter and other mail from AVweb readers. Read More

Periodically, we run a sampling of the letters received to our editorial inbox. One letter that's particularly relevant, informative, or otherwise compelling will headline this section as our "Letter of the Week," and we'll send the author an official AVweb baseball cap as a "thank you" for interacting with us (and the rest of our readership).

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Your recent "Short Final" reminded me of a funny story I got to participate in about two and a half years ago: ... XXX GND: "Delta 1234, cleared to Yadda via depart heading 320, radar vectors YADDA, then as filed. Maintain 5,000; expect FL260 ten minutes after departure. Departure 123.45; squawk 2108." ... DAL1234: "Roger. Cleared to Yadda via heading 320 on departure, radar vectors YADDA, then as filed. Maintain 5,000; expect FL260 ten minutes after departure. Departure 123.45; squawk 2108." ... XXX GND: "Delta 1234, readback correct. Call when ready to taxi, with Echo." ... I sat and waited. And waited. And waited, figuring at least one of them would figure it out, and then I finally couldn't help myself. ... Me: "Ground, you sure you want to give him that squawk code?" ... XXX GND: "I'm not sure what you're talking about, but his code is fine." ... So I waited about another ten seconds to see if either the controller or the pilot would figure it out. Nope. ... Me: "O.K., sorry about that. I must have some old equipment in this old bird and not one of them newfangled transponders. The digits in my old transponder only go up to 7." ... After about a six-second pause: ... XXX GND [laughing]: "Oh, boy. It's been a long night! DAL1234, how about a squawk of something a little different, like how about maybe 2110?" -- Don Desfosse, via e-mail Read More

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.

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