Volume 9, Number 40a September 29, 2003

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

NRC REPORT CRITICIZES SLOW PROGRESS...
Airplanes may be engineering marvels and things of beauty to those who fly them -- but to some folks, they're noisy, they pollute the air, and even fewer want an airport in their backyard. Those are the harsh facts that the aviation industry had better face in the next few decades if it wants to survive, according to a report by the National Research Council (NRC) that was released last Tuesday. The report, sponsored by NASA and the FAA, said the demand for air travel is still expected to grow; in fact, the report projects it will double over the next 10 to 35 years. At the same time, the rate of technological change in aeronautics lags as it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve substantial technical advances to reduce noise and emissions. More...

...WITH A PUSH TOWARD RADICAL NEW IDEAS...
The NRC report concludes that radical change is needed to meet the demands ahead. "Business as usual, in the form of continued, evolutionary improvements to existing technologies, aircraft, air traffic control systems and operational concepts, is unlikely to meet the needs for air transportation that will emerge over the next 25 to 50 years," said the report. The pace of technical progress needs to be boosted to keep up with consumer demands, or the industry will fail to achieve its potential. Among the technological needs cited by the report are a more advanced air traffic management system, sensors to detect wake vortices, synthetic vision and cockpit-warning enhancements, and better systems for enhancing the interaction of humans and machines. Not a bad Christmas list, really. More...

...AS MIT JOINS FAA IN SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS
Taking one step toward the future, the FAA announced last week it has established (and will help finance) a "Center of Excellence" program based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to research ways to address noise and emissions issues. The FAA said those problems "may represent the single greatest challenge to the continued growth and prosperity of civil aerospace." The center will conduct basic research and engineering development and will develop prototype solutions, focusing first on noise. Other partners in the program include Penn State, Purdue, Stanford, and several other universities, plus a host of industry players, including Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, Bell Helicopter, and Sikorsky. More...

CRACKING CESSNAS CAUSE CONCERN...
The FAA last week issued a notice of concern about cracks that have been found in the vertical fin attachment brackets of some Cessna 150/152 series airplanes. The Airworthiness Concern Sheet (ACS) is distributed to type clubs and pilot groups for input as the FAA mulls whether the issue needs to be addressed by a proposed Airworthiness Directive. The ACS proposes to mandate inspections of these parts initially within 100 hours of time in service and every 1,000 hours of time in service thereafter, or as specified in the Cessna Service Bulletin that is now being written. The FAA says it has become aware that maintenance technicians are finding cracks in the vertical fin attachment bracket in Cessna 150/152 series airplanes. More...

...WITH REPORTS SHARPLY ON THE RISE
The number of reports has risen from four in the 1970s to six in the 1980s to 12 in the 1990s, the FAA said. The number is already 12, so far, in the first few years of this decade. In addition, cracks in both the stabilizer spar and its reinforcement are being reported, the FAA said. If these cracks are allowed to go undetected, the vertical and/or horizontal tail assembly could possibly separate from the airplane, the FAA said. The Airworthiness Concern Process is a cooperative information-sharing initiative between the industry and the FAA intended to increase industry participation in the development of airworthiness issues before (or in lieu of) a proposed or final Airworthiness Directive for an aircraft. See AOPA's Web site to learn more about this program. More...

JET-A FOR GA PROGRESS CONTINUES ... OVERSEAS
The French engine-builder SMA received Supplementary Type Certificates this month from the French aviation agency, DGAC, that OK its Jet A-burning diesel SR305-230 piston engine for installation on the C-182 and the F182 (produced by French aircraft manufacturer Reims Aviation Industries). FAA validation is expected to follow shortly, according to SMA. A flight demonstration tour will begin by the end of October, with stops in the United Kingdom and across Europe, using a 182 owned by Aviation sans Frontieres, the first to be fitted with the engine. SMA says its engine will go 3,000 hours before overhaul, and is easy to maintain, reliable, user-friendly, and good for the environment. More...

ANGEL AIRCRAFT LIGHT TWIN GETS FAA PRODUCTION CERTIFICATE
The Angel Aircraft Corp., a little company based in Orange City, Iowa, last week received a Production Certificate from the FAA for its twin-engine, pusher-prop, STOL, eight-seat Model 44. "We have six aircraft in the production line now, and we have a demonstrator model flying," sales rep Jerry Waddell told AVweb on Saturday. The special introductory price, with a basic IFR package, he said, is set at $690,000. "The main use of this aircraft is to carry heavy loads, operating from short, unimproved strips," he added. The Angel twin will be on display in Orlando at the NBAA conference coming up October 7-9, Waddell said, and he hopes to find some buyers there for those airplanes now in production. More...

FUEL CRUNCH DISRUPTS AUSTRALIAN FLIGHTS
Pilots of long-haul flights into Sydney, Australia, last week were met with the news that not enough jet fuel was available to fill their aircraft. Fuel at the major port was rationed for several days, and at least 18 flights were diverted to other airports for fuel, adding hours to already-long intercontinental routes. The shortage was blamed on delayed shipments coinciding with lower-than-normal production from local refineries. Supplies were expected to return to normal over the weekend. "It is certainly a bit embarrassing," industry consultant Peter Harbison told Dow Jones Newswire. "You don't really expect to have this happening in a sophisticated commercial environment." More...

XCOR REACHES MILESTONE IN ENGINE DEVELOPMENT
It's a long way from strapping a couple of nifty little rocket engines onto a Long-EZ and wowing the crowds at Oshkosh to developing new space technology for the U.S. military, but that's what the upstarts at XCOR are working on these days and what they have always intended to do (along with space-tourism development). The Mojave, Calif., company announced on Friday that it is making swift progress on a $750,000 project funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a flight-configured prototype rocket engine propellant pump. It reached a milestone in the program, XCOR said, when it successfully operated the motor section that drives the pump to contract specifications. More...

NATIONAL AIR TOUR LANDS SAFELY HOME
It seemed a dubious dream from the start -- to assemble a fleet of vintage aircraft and fly them along a 4,000-mile route to re-create a chapter from the Golden Age of Aviation. But last Wednesday, the spunky airplanes of the National Air Tour buzzed out of the sky right on schedule, to land in Ypsilanti, Mich., where they had launched more than two weeks earlier. Along the way, dozens of pilots and crew shared their love of flying with thousands of curious onlookers, and together experienced an adventure to remember. "We have told the story behind the original National Air Tours to millions of people at the stops, over the Internet, and through the media," said Greg Herrick, president of the Aviation Foundation of America, the nonprofit group that organized the tour. More...

FOREIGN PILOTS OKAYED FOR ALBUQUERQUE FIESTA
Every October, Albuquerque, N.M., hosts its biggest event of the year -- the International Balloon Fiesta, which this year almost lost its "international" element, thanks to a recent ruling by the FAA that would have grounded many foreign pilots. On Thursday, Fiesta officials said they had secured a waiver from the FAA from a regulation, issued earlier this month, that says foreign pilots must pass a flight review before being allowed to fly in U.S. airspace. It would have been difficult, if not impossible, to certify all of the 40-some foreign pilots expected to participate in time for this year's Fiesta, which will be held October 4 - 12. More...

ON THE FLY...
Swallows delayed more than 100 flights at Beijing last week...
Results for the 2003 US National Aerobatic Championships are online...
Challenger fly-in celebrated the 20th year of Quad City Ultralights....
Tickets going fast for First Flight Centennial in N.C. Dec. 12-17...
Aircraft builder William Turner died last week in California at age 81. More...

AVWEB'S AVSCOOP AWARD...
Congratulations and an AVweb hat go out to Daniel Blythe, 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.

More...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
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COLUMNS
CEO of the Cockpit #24: Air TV
Picture it: An airliner dodging thunderheads, with the pilots jamming to rock music in their headphones. It's the opening sequence of a new TV sitcom about airline pilots. Think it can't happen -- that real pilots doing real flying isn't funny to the public? Neither does AVweb's CEO of the Cockpit.

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SKYWRITINGS
The 2003 National Air Tour: A Travelog (Part 2)
The National Air Tour ended in Dearborn, Mich., last Wednesday, after an amazingly successful trip. AVweb's Brent Blue finishes his travelog (begun in Part 1) with more photos and more stories.

More...

SHORT FINAL...
Approach : Heavy 123 : Hold straight and level!

Heavy 123: Holding straight and level.
(pause)
At least, that's assuming my First Officer can hold straight & Level... More...

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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

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Today's issue written by News Writer Mary Grady:
http://www.avweb.com/contact/authors.html#mgrady
AVweb's editorial team: http://avweb.com/contact/authors.html.

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Let's all be careful out there, okay?

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