FAA APPROVES TESTING FOR 787 FIX
The FAA has approved flight testing of what Boeing hopes will be a permanent fix for the lithium ion batteries on its 787 airliners. Two test aircraft have been cleared for flight to test a three-part solution to the issue that has grounded the fleet since the middle of January. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the aircraft won't carry a passenger until the fix is proven through a "comprehensive series of tests." "We won't allow the plane to return to service unless we're satisfied that the new design ensures the safety of the aircraft and its passengers," LaHood said in a statement. It appears Boeing has opted to fix the existing setup rather than recertify a new system and it involves a reworking of the internal workings of the battery. More...

NTSB ISSUES FIVE SAFETY ALERTS FOR GA PILOTS AND MECHANICS
The NTSB issued five safety alerts on Tuesday that aim to highlight the five most frequent errors that cause general aviation accidents. "We see the same types of accidents over and over again," said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman. "What's especially tragic is that so many of these accidents are entirely preventable." The alerts remind pilots to develop effective risk-management strategies, pay close attention to maintenance issues and always conduct a careful diagnostic flight after leaving the shop, be vigilant when flying at night or in reduced visibility, and be sure to understand stalls and how to prevent them. One alert, aimed at mechanics, reminds them to carefully follow procedures when conducting inspections and maintaining aircraft. More...

FCC WANTS TO PHASE OUT 121.5 ELTS
The FCC says it wants to get on with the process of phasing out 121.5 MHz emergency locator transmitters and anyone with comments or concerns has until April 1 to make them known. On Jan. 7 the commission issued its third Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (PDF) on the topic, calling for an end to the import, manufacture or sale of 121.5 ELTs a year after the rule becomes effective. In 2009, the FCC amended its rules to ban the ELTs immediately. Since ELTs are required equipment, that would have left hundreds of thousands of aircraft owners with illegal devices on their aircraft. After hearing from the FAA and various groups about the impracticality of such a move, the FCC backed off. The phased approach appears to be causing little concern among the groups or authorities. More...

EMBRAER, BEECHCRAFT SPAR OVER AIR FORCE CONTRACT
Beechcraft and Embraer are engaged in a public relations battle over the Air Force's choice of Embraer's Super Tucano for a $427 million contract to provide a light air support (LAS) platform. The Air Force made its selection on Feb. 27 and within a week Beechcraft announced it would formally protest the award, suggesting there might be irregularities in the process and noting the Super Tucano will cost significantly more than the AT-6 it offered. Within hours, Embraer and its primary contractor on the project, Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC), issued a joint statement defending their successful bid and expressing disappointment that Beechcraft is challenging the choice of the Super Tucano a second time. The Embraer/SNC consortium won 2011 competition for the contract, which then-Hawker Beechcraft successfully challenged and overturned. The earlier challenge uncovered irregularities in the consideration of the bids by the Air Force, and Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture said in a statement that he doesn't think the second bid was handled properly either, particularly since the Embraer aircraft will cost significantly more than the AT-6. "Given our experience of last year and our continued strong concern that there are again significant errors in the process and evaluation in this competition, we are left with no recourse other than to file a protest with the GAO," he said. More...

FAA SETTLES WITH DENVER CRASH VICTIMS
The FAA has paid millions of dollars worth of settlements to 65 people who were on a Continental Airlines Boeing 737 that was blown off a runway at Denver International Airport on Dec. 21, 2008. KMGH-TV reported that the agency was facing a lawsuit for its role in the accident, in which several people were severely injured but no one was killed. The NTSB report said controllers failed to warn the pilots of 40-knot crosswind gusts before they took off. The aircraft captain was among those who accepted a settlement from the FAA. More...

CSERIES OFFERS 160-SEAT VERSION
Bombardier says it will fly its first CSeries passenger airliner by the end of June and it's already making changes to the original design by squeezing more seats onboard. The company unveiled its first flight test article last week and announced that the larger version of the airplane, which was initially envisioned with 130 seats, then 150, will also be available with 160 seats. The bigger version needs an extra set of emergency exits over the wings. During the unveiling, Mike Arcamone, president of the company's commercial aircraft division, touted the clean-sheet design. "It is not a re-engineered aircraft to put in the market. It is totally a new aircraft," he said in reference to Boeing, Airbus and Embraer who are revamping existing aircraft in the same size range. Bombardier is also the launch customer for Pratt and Whitney's new geared turbofan engine, which is expected to be 20 percent more efficient than existing engines. However, there are some analysts who suggest that potential customers may be waiting for the CSeries to prove itself before committing to orders. More...

AND THE COLLIER GOES TO -- CURIOSITY
The NASA/JPL Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Project Team will receive the 2012 Robert J. Collier Trophy, the National Aeronautic Association announced on Tuesday. In choosing the project from a field of seven nominees, the committee cited the"extraordinary achievements of successfully landing Curiosity on Mars, advancing the nation's technological and engineering capabilities, and significantly improving humanity's understanding of ancient Martian habitable environments." More...

PALMERTREE JOINS US AVIATION

Billy Palmertree

Billy Palmertree has joined US Aviation in Denton, Texas and is running the avionics department and FAA Part 145 Repair Station. He was formerly general manager of Tomlinson Avionics.
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WHO'S WHERE? YOU TELL US
Get a promotion or a new job? Your colleagues want to know about it, and AVwebBiz can get the word out. Drop us a line about the staff appointment, with a nice recent photo, and we'll do our best to include it in our new section, "Who's Where." The items will be permanently archived on AVweb for future reference, too. 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...

VIDEO: TOTAL ECLIPSE FLIGHT DEMO
Eclipse is touring the country with its Total Eclipse, a factory re-do of the original EA500. But the airplane is a good stand-in for new production airplanes, which will be called Eclipse 550s. AVweb recently took a flight demo in a Total Eclipse and prepared this video report. More...

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