HOUSE PANEL INVESTIGATES ECLIPSE CERTIFICATION
A congressional committee on Wednesday heard a litany of concerns about the FAA's oversight of the certification of the Eclipse very light jet, including a report that the FAA okayed the jet for a single pilot even though the FAA's Flight Standardization Board had determined that the aircraft required a two-pilot crew. The House Aviation Subcommittee heard from Calvin Scovel, the Inspector General for the Transportation Department, who said his investigation showed that FAA employees were given "marching orders" by management and a target date was set for the jet's certification. "It was a calendar-driven process ... with a predetermined outcome," he said. He added that FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell told him that the FAA, which recently completed a "special review" of the E500's type certificate, will also review the production certificate. When asked by U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes, of North Carolina, if the Eclipse jet is a safe airplane to fly, Scovel responded, "My office has no evidence that it is unsafe." Scovel later said that given the information that was available to the FAA on Sept. 30, 2006, when it awarded the type certificate, "a reasonable decision would have been to defer the granting of the type certificate."

The hearing lasted more than five hours and heard from witnesses on all sides of the issue. Be sure to click through to read AVweb Contributing Editor Mary Grady's complete story on the proceedings, including these highlights:

• numerous squawks flagged during certification flights, many of them serious
• testimony that FAA certification staff were pressured into certifying the aircraft
• allegations that performance bonuses for FAA managers figured in the pressure to certify the aircraft
• testimony from senior Eclipse executive Peg Billson that the FAA test pilots were flying "an immature aircraft"
• links to all the relevant documents, including the testimony of Nick Sabatini, the FAA's associate administrator for aviation safety.

ECLIPSE RESPONDS TO INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT
Although the congressional panel that met in Washington on Wednesday said the issue wasn't Eclipse, but the FAA's allegedly inadequate oversight and flawed procedures, Eclipse Aviation has issued a "fact sheet" in response to the inspector general's testimony and other matters that arose at the hearing. The fact sheet, which is posted at an Eclipse Web site called eclipsefacts.com, disputes several statements made by the inspector general. It's not true, Eclipse said, that problems with the jet's tires occurred because they were designed for landings on soft fields. The tire supplier failed to meet durability standards as promised, Eclipse says, and a change in tire type is pending. Also, Eclipse says it's not true that EASA has declined to certify the EA500 to fly in Europe -- that certification is now in the works and is expected within 60 days. Eclipse notes that a statement was made at the hearing that one pilot who flew for Eclipse's largest customer [DayJet, which flies all the jets with two-pilot crews] "lacked the confidence that the aircraft could be operated safely by a single pilot." Eclipse says this is hearsay and "selectively choosing a single pilot to push the agenda of changing the Single Pilot certification of the Eclipse 500." However, the Inspector General's report also states that the FAA Flight Standardization Board determined, prior to FAA certification, that the aircraft required a two-pilot crew. More...

LONE STAR MUSEUM HEAVILY DAMAGED BY IKE
While Hurricane Ike has faded from memory for most of the country, those hit by the storm will think of little else in coming weeks as the cleanup goes on. In the aviation world, nowhere did the storm wreak more havoc than at the Lone Star Flight Museum, in Galveston. As we mentioned in earlier issues, the museum took a direct hit but the scope of the damage wasn't clear until we received these photos from a reader there. As much as eight feet of water filled some of the facilities and priceless aircraft were inundated. More...

PILOTS ASKED TO HELP WITH HURRICANE AFTERMATH
General aviation pilots are often frustrated in their efforts to lend a hand with their aircraft after a natural disaster, but Fred Quarles, of Operation Teacup, is welcoming help from willing aircraft owners. Volunteers can expect "No pay, no thanks, hard work, little sleep, and all the alligators you want," Quarles said this week. "The bonus is all the armadillos you want, and expenses are tax deductible." Volunteers can visit his Web site and sign up via e-mail, and Quarles will contact you with flight assignments. Pilots are needed to fly medical evacuation flights into Texas and Louisiana and to take supplies to Haiti and the Bahamas. If volunteers have spare rooms at home, they are welcome to take home a few people and give them a dry place to stay and a few meals till things settle down and they can go home. There are about 40,000 people homeless just in the Houston area, Quarles said. This is a big job and may last for several months. "We will have a party when the work is done," he said. For more information contact Quarles at (434) 220-4880. More...

THIELERT ENGINES UPDATE
The Thielert engine factory in Liechtenstein is continuing to build and deliver diesel engines and spare parts while sorting through various offers from new investors who hopefully will rescue the company from insolvency, company representatives told the media in a conference call from Europe on Tuesday. Asked whether a new owner will honor the warranties that are currently worthless paper in the hands of engine owners, spokesman Christoph Moller said that will be up to the new investors to decide. "We are not authorized to tell the new investors what to do with their company," he said. Gunter Kappler, head of technology at Thielert, said that even if Diamond Aircraft switches to their own Austro diesel engine, as they have said they plan to do, Thielert has enough other customers to keep the company viable. Also, the company is focused now on extending the life of life-limited components from 300 hours to 600 hours, though Moller said he couldn't give a timeline for when that goal would be reached. He also said it would be up to the new investor to figure out the problems associated with a lack of service centers in North America -- engines now must be shipped to the factory in Europe for inspection and repair. And he added that since the factory is still operating and the service center is open, "There is no reason from our side that aircraft are AOG" -- a claim that aircraft owners whose Thielert engines are now up against life limits and no apparently viable options to keep them in the air, are sure to dispute. More...

NTSB WANTS BETTER-TRAINED PILOTS AND SEATBELTS FOR SKYDIVERS
The NTSB on Tuesday released a special report identifying several recurring safety issues with parachute jump operations, and recommended improvements in aircraft maintenance and pilot training. The report was prompted by a crash in July 2006 in Missouri, when an engine failed shortly after takeoff in a de Havilland DHC-6-100. The pilot and five parachutists were killed, and two other parachutists were seriously injured. Since 1980, 172 people have died in 32 skydiving-related accidents that had nothing to do with the act of actually jumping from the airplane and deploying the chute. The board found a "pattern of safety deficiencies" in aircraft maintenance, pilot training, and FAA oversight. For example, the board found in its final report on the 2006 accident, released this week, that more parachutists may have survived if better restraints had been used. "This clearly emphasizes the importance of implementing our recommendations designed to increase survivability when an accident does occur," said NTSB Acting Chairman Mark Rosenker. More...

ON THE FLY ...
Donations cover slow-taxiing pilot's lost pay ...
Spanair flaps didn't deploy, warning didn't work ...
Prince William will fly Apaches. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: HELPING OUT WITH YOUR AIRPLANE
With so many members of the general aviation community donating their time, skills, money, and resources to the hurricane recovery effort in Texas, we'd like to know how much volunteering you've done. Plus: See what AVweb readers had to say about the state of aviation security in the U.S. seven years after 9/11. More...

HOW TO FIND CHEAP(ER) GAS
There's no such things as cheap gas. Nonetheless, prices vary as much as $3 per gallon from one FBO to another and that's more than $100 on a typical fill-up. Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, is conducting a survey on how pilots find the best prices on gas. To chime in, e-mail avconsumer@comcast.net.

(The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click here.) More...

Columns | Features | What's New | Calendar | Brainteasers

EGT AND CHT INTERPRETATION
We go beyond the basics in this article on getting the most out of your digital engine-monitor system. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: THIELERT'S RECOVERY — CALL US SKEPTICAL
Thielert's insolvency master says it has found investors for the troubled diesel engine maker. AVweb Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli doesn't see how they find value in the company, and that's the subject of his latest post to the AVweb Insider Blog. More...

HELP AVWEBBIZ SPREAD YOUR NBAA NEWS
The world's most important business aviation event, the National Business Aviation Association's annual convention, is coming up Oct. 6-8 in Orlando and there will be hundreds of product announcements and updates. AVweb will be there with daily coverage of the events, news conferences and announcements that make this show so important but if your company has something more than 100,000 business aviation decision-makers need to know about, we're encouraging you to let us know in advance. That way we can give your news the full attention it deserves and make sure it's released in a timely fashion during our coverage. Don't worry. We'll strictly observe all embargos. Send your advance material to rniles@avweb.com and thanks for your help in making our coverage the most comprehensive available. More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 200,000 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: GALAXY AVIATION (KSUA, STUART, FLORIDA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Galaxy Aviation at KSUA in Stuart, Florida.

AVweb reader Adam Green recommended the FBO:

Enroute VFR and had to divert to Stuart due to weather. Galaxy's line guys were ready to greet us, and promptly helped us out of our Cessna and refueled. Inside, Vanessa and team were as friendly as can be and offered my girlfriend and Milo (the dog) coffee, popcorn, and dog treats. ... They even loaned us a car with a GPS, and gave us a list of local restaurants with directions so we could run out and grab a bite to eat. When we returned, we had a few hours to kill and their HD Satellite televisions in every corner were great entertainment. We even moved into the pilot's lounge where they offered us pillows and blankets, and gave us fresh popcorn to munch on. Thanks, Galaxy; this was a great FBO experience. Can't wait to come back!

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!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
Gary Dikkers of Madison, Wisconsin takes some pretty incredible photos as a matter of course — but it's been quite a while since he's found himself at the top of our submission pile, and it's probably time Gary got a new AVweb cap. (We're not 100% sure, but we think the design has changed twice since Gary earned the top spot a copule of years ago.) Featured here, of course, are the amazing AeroShell Aerobatic Team thrilling the crowd at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. More...

AVWEBBIZ: AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVIATION NEWSLETTER
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP yet for AVweb's NO-COST weekly business aviation newsletter, AVwebBiz? Reporting on breaking news, Business AVflash focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the business aviation industry. Business AVflash is a must read. Sign up today at http://www.avweb.com/profile/. More...

MEET THE AVWEBFLASH TEAM

AVwebFlash is a weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the internet's aviation magazine and news service.

The AVwebFlash team is:

Publisher
Timothy Cole

Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli

Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles

Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew

Features Editor
Kevin Lane-Cummings

Webmaster
Scott Simmons

Contributors
Mariano Rosales
Jeff van West

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