Volume 9, Number 38b September 18, 2002

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The Top Headlines From AVweb's Expanded, Illustrated News Coverage At AVweb's NewsWire.

THE KINDER, GENTLER FAA
Imagine an FAA where friendliness, fair play and good "customer" relations are the priorities. Visit your local FSDO in coming months and the agency's brass is hoping you're in for a surprise. The FAA Office of Regulation and Certification ("AVR") is pressing ahead with its new AVR Customer Service Initiative to treat the pilots more like customers. Now, we don't expect to see door greeters or free roses on Mother's Day but the agency we sometimes love to hate has promised to try and make our visits to its facilities a bit more pleasant, depending, of course, on the circumstances. More...

...PROVIDES TOOLS OF THE CUSTOMER-FRIENDLY TRADE…
Well, since this attitude might be new to some employees, the FAA has embarked on a comprehensive training program that has so far included memos and checklists circulated to all staff. "The Customer Service initiative enables us to better document AVR decisions; helps us to be consistent and fair in application of our regulations; and promotes earlier resolution of disagreements," reads one of the memos. But what if an FAA employee is caught in a customer-relations situation without being able to put his hands on the latest memo? The agency has issued a Wallet Information Card, which among other things asks the employees, "Have you considered the customer and FAA perspectives on this issue?" More...

…FIVE MORE PILOTS LOSE CERTIFICATES TO SECURITY
Is there a nice way to tell a pilot his or her certificate has been pulled? The FAA and the Department of Homeland Security are quietly continuing a practice to bar pilots -- on the basis of "security concerns" -- from flying our friendly skies. The Associated Press reports that in July the Homeland Security Department directed U.S. and foreign anti-terrorism entities to review crew lists for foreign commercial flights using U.S. airspace. Sixteen pilots raised suspicions and five have been denied permission to fly into the United States. The agency, however, did not provide the reasons for the denials nor the names of the affected pilots. More...

SENATOR WANTS REAUTHORIZATION BILL DELAYED
The FAA hopes to have its Reauthorization Bill in place by the end of the month despite a proposal by a senator to delay Congress' vote on $60 billion package by six months. John Rockefeller (D.-W.Va.) has proposed a bill that would extend the funding authority of the agency for six months so Congress can reconsider a section of the bill that would permit the privatization of 69 so-called VFR towers. But a top FAA official says he doubts Rockefeller's bill will pass. "We just don't see that proposal having any support," Communications Director Greg Martin told AVweb. "It's entirely too premature to suggest an extension is a possibility." More...

...FUNDING, FURLOUGH THREATS REPEATED
If, as Martin predicts, the funding extension bill fails, then what happens if the full Reauthorization Bill isn't passed by Sept. 30? Another top FAA official is predicting thousands of furloughs and the halting of dozens of airport projects. "It's not something we're bluffing about," Woodie Woodward, the FAA's associate administrator for airports, told a conference of airport directors in Tampa on Tuesday, just before Rockefeller made his announcement. "It's a real dire situation." Although it appears that essential core services would be maintained, the furloughs would cut a broad swath through FAA offices throughout the country. More...

RAYTHEON CONTINUES TO FEEL SEC’S HEAT
Raytheon Aircraft Co., which may or may not be for sale, has come under the Security and Exchange Commission’s microscope lately, likely compounding the headaches it's already enduring in the soft post-9/11 economy. In January, the SEC began to look into how Raytheon Aircraft recognized revenues from 1997 to 2001. The investigation specifically focused on the manufacturer’s regional aircraft business. The SEC’s investigations -- the third federal inquiry for Raytheon Co. since 2001-- focuses on a transaction in October 2001 in which Raytheon took a $693 million charge on its 19-seat commuter aircraft business. More...

A FEW REASONS TO VISIT PHILLY IN OCTOBER
Philadelphia may be home to several historic treasures, but aviation will be the main draw next month. The city is playing host to a couple of major aviation events that will surely draw in thousands of enthusiasts. The Franklin Air Show, The Franklin Institute's newest exhibit on aviation, opens to the public Oct. 18 after seven months of intensive renovations. Aside from the Franklin Institute’s exhibit, the upcoming AOPA Expo will also make the headlines in Philly from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1. More...

SWISSAIR INVESTIGATION RILES CRITICS
On September 2, 1998, Swissair Flight 111 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all aboard. Now, four years later, the FAA has yet to act on recommendations by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) and the NTSB to increase the length of time flight data and cockpit voice recorders gather data. The Canadian agency also wants the so-called black boxes to have independent power supplies. In this crash, both devices stopped working six minutes before the crash, denying investigators crucial information about the MD-11's final few minutes. More...

FROM PAPER AIRPLANES TO LASER PROPULSION
While many engineers have spent countless hours and dollars trying to design the next propulsion system, a South Carolina teenager has worked with the basics -- namely a paper airplane and a lot of creativity -- to come up with some ideas of his own. Apparently, it’s paid off, as Hilton Head High School sophomore Ben Rosenberg has been invited for an all-expense-paid trip to Japan to continue his work with laser propulsion. Ben will get to work in the Tokyo Institute of Technology's labs for two weeks with Takashi Yabe, a professor and chief laser researcher, who is looking at ways to use lasers to propel spacecraft and airplanes. More...

TO RING OR NOT TO RING
The Australian and British governments aren’t taking any chances with cellphones on airliners. The Aussie Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has published an article calling for restricted use of cellphones aboard airliners after tests in England determined cellphones caused compass freeze, navigational instrument errors, communication interference and false warning reports. In the latest edition of its Flight Safety Australia magazine, CASA says that while a link between electronic devices and in-flight incidents has been difficult to prove in the past, evidence is increasing and is being supported by controlled testing. More...

ON THE FLY…
The National Air tour stopped in Wichita during its historic trip...
Suspected human waste dropped from an airplane was found stuck to a house...
Work began on revamping the Manassas, Va., airport’s aging runway...
Tampa welcomed the 12th Annual ACI-NA Conference and Exhibition. More...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB

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AVweb's AVscoop Award...

Congratulations and an AVweb hat go out to Tony Molina, this week's AVscoop winner. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. Rules and information are at http://www.avweb.com/contact/newstips.html.

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COLUMNS
Say Again? #28: ATC 203 -- IFR Flight Plan
Everybody who flies a flight IFR has to file a flight plan. Even if it's just a pop-up clearance with ATC, there's gonna be a flight plan somewhere. But pilots (and others) are still not following the rules, and safety is being compromised. AVweb's Don Brown continues his 200-series of online IFR "courses" with this discussion of what should and shouldn't be in an IFR flight plan.

More...

AVWEB'S PICTURE OF THE WEEK
We received over 100 pictures last week. Congratulations to this week's winner, Karen Ness, of Munster, IN. Her winning photo -- appropriately titled "Tails" -- was taken the first day of the National Air Tour, which appeared at Karen’s home field (KIGQ) on Lansing, IL. The pictured S-26 and other aircraft all participated in this historic event. Great picture, Karen! Your AVweb hat is on the way.

To check out the winning picture, or to enter next week's contest, go to http://www.avweb.com/potw. More...

AVWEB'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK
We received over 100 responses to our question last week on The Two-Year Anniversary of 9/11. When asked how has aviation recovered from the tragic events of September 11, 2001, 39 percent of those responding felt the airline dilemma was developing well before the attacks but 9/11 was truly devastating, and still greatly affects, general aviation. About one-third (30 percent) of our respondents felt the industry, as a whole, has continued to suffer greatly after the attacks, while 13 percent felt general aviation is fairing better than the airlines.

To check out the complete results, please go to http://www.avweb.com/qotw. More...

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SPONSOR NEWS

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AVflash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest aviation news, articles, products, features and events featured on AVweb, the Internet's Aviation Magazine and News Service. http://www.avweb.com

Letters to the editor intended for publication in AVmail should be sent to mailto:editor@avweb.com.com. Have a comment or question? Send it to mailto:newsteam@avweb.com.

Today's issue written by News Writer Russ Niles:
http://www.avweb.com/contact/authors.html#rniles
AVweb's editorial team: http://avweb.com/contact/authors.html.

Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? A question on marketing? Send it to AVweb's sales team: mailto:sales@avweb.com.

Let's all be careful out there, okay?

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