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February 9, 2009
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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3 Airplanes ... 3 Levels ... 1 Edition ... Ice
New for 2009, Cirrus Aircraft shakes the lineup with a new way to spec out your new Cirrus. SR20, SR22, and Turbo models are now available in three
well-equipped trim levels - "S," "GS," and "GTS"; Known Ice Protection is ready to go on SR22 and Turbo models; or choose an all-new premium interior and
exterior upgrade package dubbed "X-Edition."
Visit
CirrusAircraft.com for details. 
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 In his first major interview with the mainstream press Sunday night, USAir's Chesley B. Sullenberger described the moment
after his Airbus 320 ingested birds as "the worst, sickening pit of your stomach, falling through the floor feeling I've ever felt in my life. I knew immediately it was very bad." In a 20-minute
interview with CBS's Katie Couric on 60 Minutes, Sullenberger said he and F/O Jeff Skiles went through a brief moment of denial before getting to work of ditching the stricken USAir Flight 1549 in the
Hudson River on January 15. "My initial reaction was one of disbelief this is happening. This doesn't happen to me," he told Couric, adding that he expected to finish his entire flying career without
ever having lost an airplane. Sullenberger described the birdstrike impacts as "like a hailstorm…like the worst thunderstorm I'd ever experienced growing up in Texas." When he noticed the smell
of burned birds passing through the air packs, Sullenberger realized the engines weren't going to restart, although he and Skiles selected continuous ignition and started the APU, which apparently
provided power all the way to the ditching. "No luck. I mean, I got the AP running, I turned the ignition on, but still, no usable thrust. We were descending rapidly toward the water. The water was
coming up at us fast," he told Couric.
Sullenberger was aware of at least one previous ditching gone bad—the 1996 ditching of a hijacked Air Ethiopia 767 in which 125 of 175 people died, largely because the airplane didn't touch
down nose-up with wings level. "I needed to touch down with the wings exactly level. I needed to touch down with the nose slightly up. I needed to touch down at a descent rate that was survivable. And
I needed to touch down just above our minimum flying speed but not below it. And I needed to make all these things happen simultaneously," he told Couric.
Once the airplane had impacted the water and come to rest, Sullenberger and Skiles turned to each other "and we said, 'Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought.'" However, flight attendant Doreen
Welsh had a different experience from her seat in the rear of the cabin. "The back of the plane hit first…it was violent. Horrible. Things flew out," Welsh said. Although the evacuation was
orderly, Welsh said there was "some panic in the back," but despite significant flooding, all of the 155 occupants of the airplane evacuated safely.
The FA's only had about 90 seconds warning that the aircraft was making an emergency touchdown and none realized they were going into the river. Welsh injured her leg either during the impact or
evacuation and she told Couric she's still too traumatized to put her USAir uniform back on. Sullenberger credits the cabin crew and especially the boat handlers and first responders with making the
evacuation a success. For CBS's full story, see www.cbsnews.com.
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 A breakaway group of former members of the National Association of Flight
Instructors (NAFI) have formed a new organization. The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) grew from a group formed in October
when NAFI's board of directors announced its intention to dismiss long-time members Joanne and Sandy Hill from their contract position administering the Master Instructor program. In podcast
interviews with NAFI spokesman Jason Blair and TBO (now SAFE) spokesman Doug Stewart, which appeared in AVweb on Friday, both sides gave their version of the events that ultimately led to the
formation of a separate group.
Stewart told AVweb that the impasse over the Hills turned into an issue of governance, since the NAFI board is self-appointing. SAFE will elect its board of directors. Blair told
AVweb NAFI is considering changes to its governance structure but won't make those types of decisions until its April meeting. He also said the Hills' contribution was well-recognized and
appreciated but the board determined the Master Instructor program would be better administered in-house rather than through independent contractors.
Related Content:
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A replica of the Silver Dart, the first powered, heavier-than-air vehicle to fly in Canada, flew much of the length of a runway at Hamilton, Ontario's airport on Friday in its first test flight.
With Canadian astronaut Bjarni Tryggvason (1997 Discovery payload specialist) at the controls, the aircraft, true to the original design by Alexander Graham Bell, appeared stable and controllable
during the minute-long flight, which never got more than about six feet above the runway. The flight was a precursor to a re-enactment of the first flight of the original aircraft, which flew from the
ice of a lake near Baddeck, Nova Scotia, near Bell's home, on Feb. 23, 1909. The replica, with Tryggyason at the controls, is scheduled to repeat that flight in Baddeck on the exact date of the
centenary.
This is the second replica of the Silver Dart. The first aircraft flew 50 times before it crashed and was destroyed. In 1959, the Royal Canadian Air Force built and flew a replica, which now hangs
from the ceiling of the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa. The current replica was built by volunteers in Welland, Ontario, using copies of original plans that are archived at the Ottawa museum. The
latest incarnation of the Silver Dart uses mostly the same materials as the original but some adaptations have been made. While the original used a Curtiss V-8 engine, the current model is powered by
a Continental.
Related Content:
More video of the Silver Dart's flight
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Cessna Caravan
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awareness and precise flight guidance and control.
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 Boeing Thursday notified all operators of 777 aircraft flying with Rolls-Royce Trent engines that the aircraft's fuel
system is subject to compromise by ice. The notice is in agreement with both the NTSB and AAIB respectively that ice accretion in the fuel system was the cause when a Delta Airlines Boeing 777-200ER
on Nov. 26 lost power while cruising over Montana at 39,000 feet and when a British Airways 777 famously crash-landed short of the runway at Heathrow on Jan. 17, 2008. Boeing's outreach included
precautionary measures for flight crews piloting the aircraft through cold weather, that supersede those it issued in September (which, as evidenced by the Delta flight, did not resolve the problem).
It is likely that a redesign will eventually grace the fuel system in the form of an airworthiness directive from the FAA. For now, triple-seven pilots flying with Trent engines are being asked to
advance the throttles to maximum thrust before descent on flights that have maintained the same altitude for two hours. Boeing has outlined other precautionary procedures and it is likely that the FAA
will make them mandatory as they did with those Boeing issued in September. Investigators of both the Delta and the Heathrow incident have a new target.
Challenged by the fact that the key element in their theories would melt away before it could be observed, investigators currently believe the ice problem originates with the Trent's fuel-oil heat
exchange system. If the heat generated by the exchanger is insufficient, moisture could freeze in the fuel system, blocking fuel and starving the engines.
 The FAA admits it's relaxing lightning protection standards for commercial aircraft because manufacturers, notably Boeing with the 787, can't
meet the rules that have been in place since 2001. "To this day, we have not had one manufacturer that has been able to demonstrate compliance with that rule," Ali Bahrami, head of the FAA's Seattle
office dealing with commercial-airplane certification, told the Seattle Times. "We
decided it's time to re-evaluate our approach." In the 787's case, that re-evaluation involves allowing a single level of spark protection for some parts in the fuel tanks and wings rather than the
triple redundancy that the 2001 rule requires. The FAA and Boeing argue that a new system that will pump inert nitrogen into the void of emptying fuel tanks more than makes up for the lessened spark
protection but FAA inspectors, many of them former Boeing employees, have formally challenged that view.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents about 190 FAA engineers, submitted a formal critique to the agency saying the relaxed standards put the 787 "on failure away from
catastrophe." While the engineers say the tank inerting system is a big improvement, they note that the aircraft's certification will allow it to fly without the system operating if it breaks down.
The FAA intends to give airlines operating the 787 up to 10 days to fix the nitrogen system rather than grounding the aircraft. Boeing insists the 787 will be the most lightning-resistant aircraft
ever made but detractors say the relaxed regulations are a mistake. "It appears that management has overruled the judgment of the people that have day-to-day responsibility for the safety of
aircraft," former NTSB Chairman Jim Hall told the Times. Hall oversaw the investigation into the explosion of TWA Flight 800, which was downed by a suspected fuel-tank explosion in 1996, killing 230
people. The 2001 regulation changes were a direct result of that investigation.
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Fly with Bose Aviation Headset X®
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Quotes reprinted with permission: Professional Pilot, 2007 Headset Preference Survey, 12/07; Aviation Consumer, 8/07.
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 The National Business Aviation Association says the Transportation Security Administration is rewriting a manual for field personnel
after a surprise general aviation security operation delayed passengers and crew members in Nashville in late December and early January. Doug Carr, NBAA's VP of Safety, Security and Regulation, said
TSA officials conducted bag searches and wanded passengers and crew headed for private aircraft and also checked FBO personnel in what appears to have been a misinterpretation by local TSA personnel
of instructions in a classified security manual called the Playbook. Carr said NBAA has since discussed the operation with TSA headquarters and confirmed that this kind of activity "is not the
direction they wanted to go regarding general aviation." He said he's been told a new Playbook is in the works that will address the issue but since the manual is secret, he can't know exactly what's
in it.
Carr said NBAA first heard of the Playbook late last year when the local TSA told officials at Bradley Airport in Hartford, Conn., about plans to step up GA security. NBAA stepped in at that time
and the plans were dropped. However, the Nashville TSA headquarters obviously took something in the Playbook to mean that random security checks of private aircraft and FBOs was part of that plan and
set up a table at Nashville Airport to carry them out. Although the incidents took place more than a month ago, word just got out last week. It spread quickly, however, and caused a lot of concern for
some, since there has been a lot of discussion about the TSA and GA security recently with the five public hearings on the administration's Large Airplane Security Program. Carr said he doesn't think
the two issues are linked or are part of an overall security plan for GA, although the timing might suggest that to some.
 A pilot from Burlington, Vt., apparently has some explaining to do after he allegedly made a radio call saying that his plane had
crashed on a runway at Plattsburg International Airport in upstate New York. The Plattsburg Press
Republican is reporting Nicholas Santo has been charged with a felony count of second-degree falsely reporting an incident and second-degree aggravated harassment, a misdemeanor. The charges
allege that Santo was taking off in an unspecified model of Cessna when the runway lights were turned up for an inbound Cape Air flight. Authorities say Santo then made a radio call claiming the
lights had blinded him, he'd hit a snowbank and flipped his aircraft. Then he took off normally, local deputies allege.
While Santo winged his way toward his unspecified destination, the Cape Air flight went around as emergency crews scoured the runway and environs looking for a flipped Cessna. Santo, 50, was
arrested last week and released after being charged. He will be in court in Plattsburg next month.
 The passengers of Aeroflot Flight 315, a packed Boeing 767 out of Moscow for New York's JFK Dec. 28, staged a coup, demanding that a pilot
be removed from the flight after hearing his severely slurred preflight announcement. Reports state that the 55-year-old captain's words, spoken in Russian, were barely intelligible and became worse
when he switched to English. Some passengers claimed they couldn't tell what language he was speaking. Passengers who relayed their concerns to cabin crew were at first rebuffed and told to sit
quietly or deplane. But passenger concern spread and ultimately Aeroflot representatives came aboard the aircraft to try to restore calm. It was a full half-hour before the captain emerged from the
cockpit "red-faced with bloodshot eyes and unsteady on his feet," according to the Moscow Times. Then things got more interesting.
The pilot reportedly then personally addressed passengers, stating, "I'll sit here quietly in a corner. We have three more pilots. I won't even touch the controls, I promise." But by that time,
the airline had summoned a new crew that ultimately took the jet to New York, three hours behind schedule. Aeroflot claims it since tested the pilot's blood and found no traces of alcohol. Finally,
late last week, a report citing an Aeroflot spokesman stated that the pilot was in a Moscow hospital where he was being treated for a suspected stroke and that it was unlikely he would fly for the
airline again.
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Dr. Blue Says, "Be Smart — Carry a PLB!"
Flying, hiking, camping, riding your ATV or bike — accidents happen that can become a life-threatening situation. Be prepared with a Personal Locator Beacon ( PLB). It's as easy as
pushing a button. PLBs from Aeromedix.com include the ACR MicroFix 406 MHz for pilots when you're enjoying activities in unpopulated areas.
Click now to visit
Aeromedix.com for complete details. 
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 Three major general aviation groups Thursday jointly requested that the TSA form a rulemaking committee and work with them toward
creation of less burdensome security measures for crew and passengers operating aircraft exceeding 12,500 pounds. AOPA, GAMA and NBAA are fighting to reduce the reach of the Large Aircraft Security
Program (LASP) program that would require criminal background checks of all flight crew, and crosscheck of passengers and family members against terrorist watch lists. Beyond that, LASP would require
biennial audits of every operator's security program to be submitted to a third party for audit. Each of the three agencies signed the same letter that they then submitted to the TSA, stating that
such proposals would "have disastrous consequences on the industry." Pressing for creation of a cooperative workgroup, the groups' aim is to form a rulemaking committee that would involve industry
stakeholders in a secure information-sharing forum. The TSA is accepting comments on what is already the LASP notice of proposed rulemaking until Feb. 27, and some business aircraft manufacturers have
already chimed in.
The TSA has not yet indicated how it might respond to the formally submitted concerns. Bombardier last week added its own, stating that the proposed legislation will impose "severe restrictions on
owners and operators" of business aircraft. The company said in a statement that it is working together with AOPA, GAMA, IBAC, NATA and NBAA to provide recommendations to the TSA.
Cessna plans to reduce the work week of some employees spared layoff in its recent round of cutbacks. The shorter weeks and perhaps furloughs are part of the company's plan to
ensure production and demand are balanced and could last two years ...
Cirrus Aircraft may further adjust production but it's not planning any more job cuts. The company has told employees that work weeks will be adjusted to meet demand ...
A pilot who ditched a Piper Chieftain in shallow water off Darwin, Australia on Saturday says he's happy he and his five passengers got out unscathed but he's downplaying any heroism descriptions.
"It was a textbook ditching. I think it went very well and it wasn't a big deal in the end," said Steve Bolle, who's been dubbed "Sully Light" in reference to Capt. Chesley Sullenburger, who ditched
an A320 in the Hudson River three weeks ago.
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Rediscover Jet City!
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King County International Airport/Boeing Field!
For more
information, visit online. 
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The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is
You! |
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Each week, we run a sampling of the letters received to our editorial inbox here in AVmail. 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). Send us your
comments and questions using this form. Please include your mailing address in your e-mail (just in case your
letter is our "Letter of the Week"); by the same token, please let us know if your message is not intended for publication.
Letter of the Week: "Most Efficient"?
Regarding the article about Liberty claiming to be the most efficient IFR aircraft:
My 1977 Mooney 201 flew from LAX to Spearfish, SD (SPF) non-stop. That is 1100 miles, and I burned 49 gallons. The flight took six hours and 20 minutes. That is 22.45 miles per gallon. I
wasn't moping along at 106 knots, either. With my two 430s and a Sandel Flight Director, I don't know how you could have a more efficient IFR airplane.
Thank you,
Guy A. Edwards
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High-Flying Obama
Why does President Barack Obama consider bizjets inappropriate for the automakers? Simple. They are begging for billions of dollars of someone else's money just to survive.
Why did Obama use business jets during the campaign? Simple again. Because it was his money, not ours.
When business gets its act together and becomes profitable, it can spend its own money. I'm sure that then bizjets will again be the transportation of choice.
Richard Steinbrecher
It's All Business
Regarding Gary Justus's letter about misuse of corporate aircraft, as evidenced by the number found at sporting-event and vacation
locations, he has a very narrow view of what constitutes the conduct of business.
To further a business enterprise, a company must establish and cultivate relations with its customers and reward its more valuable employees. It is very common for companies to have executive
boxes at sports stadiums, race tracks, etc. and then to transport customers or top sales people to these events. Some companies allow chief executives to hire, for a price, the company plane for
personal use.
Bill Randall
I fly a corporate jet for a privately held company that has worked hard over the course of 50 years. They began with a Navajo, moved up to a King Air and then to a jet. The owner of the company
now uses it to fly between his homes, which are used for business meetings, and other business locations as we are not located conveniently to commercial air transportation.
What is wrong with taking some employees or other clients to a vacation spot for a meeting? It seems to me that every large company has been doing this for a long time. Most business meeting are
held at large convention centers in Las Vegas or other locations that are not necessarily in the snow belt. They are in Hawaii or some other tropical location.
If the press doesn't stop painting this picture, we will all be done flying. If this should apply to airplanes, let's have it apply to cars and homes (among other things), too!
Mike Massell
There's business aviation, and then there's business aviation. When a $50 million jet is used to perform a mission easily handled by a Cessna Mustang, a King Air, a Seneca, or even a Saratoga, I
think it's just plain wrong.
Of course, this much hair-splitting never makes it into the public dialog. And that's a shame.
John Schubert
Emirates A380s
I thought I would provide the correct information regarding Emirates' A380 fleet. Emirates is presently operating four A380s and is expecting five to six more in 2009. They have at total of 58 on
order, with 54 remaining to be delivered.
Karl Johanson
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Thanks, Karl. Our figure of 23 A380s flying for Emirates was in error.
Russ Niles
Editor-in-Chief
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Media Frenzy
Thank you, Hawker Beechcraft, Cessna and Boeing, for adding to the economic panic mode this country is in by announcing all these layoffs. What possible good does your (and other corporations')
announcements of layoffs provide? Oh, and thank you, AVweb and the rest of the media, for engaging in the feeding frenzy and helping all these corporations add to the panic.
John L. Bradberry
Landing Light Comparison Video
Thanks for the test, but you forgot to mention the power each system requires. I would guess that the
LEDs would draw much less than the others.
Neil Angus
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For more detail on this, see the full article in Aviation Consumer. Power consumption of the LEDs is around two amps; HIDs, around three;
and incandescents, around eight to 10 amps.
Russ Niles
Editor-in-Chief
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Read AVmail from other weeks here, and submit your own Letter to the Editor with this
form.
Do you fly a light sport aircraft (LSA) for real, cross-country travel? Are you exploring the possibility? Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, has been researching this topic and wants to hear your thoughts with a quick survey. It will take no more than five minutes of your
time to complete.
If you own or rent an aircraft that qualifies as an LSA, click here to complete our owner survey.
If you are just thinking about using an LSA for travel, click here to share your opinion in our non-owner
survey.
(The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click
here.)
 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. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part.
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Envision® Integrated Flight Deck Available for Retrofit Installation in Select Cessna 300-Series Aircraft!
Avidyne has added the popular Cessna 320/335/340 piston-engine twins to the growing list of Envision® Integrated Flight Deck–approved aircraft. The big-glass Envision
system is the industry's easiest-to-use integrated flight deck, providing state-of-the-art situational awareness and safety, with a highly-reliable all-solid-state ADAHRS, a full-featured moving map,
electronic approach charts, color lightning, traffic avoidance, and satellite datalink weather.
Click here for more
information. 
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File Size 11.4 MB / Running Time 12:30
Podcast Index
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How to Listen
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Subscribe Via RSS
The Collings Foundation continues its annual tour of the U.S., this year with a P-51 Mustang equipped with a Packard-built Merlin. The airplane flies daily, so it's fair to ask: What does it take
to keep a 70-year-old engine running reliably? In this extended podcast, the Collings Foundation's Mark Henley explains the details.
Click here to listen. (11.4 MB, 12:30)
Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb
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Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos
Fly on water thrust — this new jet pack idea may not be the best way to get to work, but it sure does look like a good time. The German company MS Watersports GmbH is marketing
the JetLev-Flyer and selling it (lessons included) for about $128,000 — or just about what a brand-new two-seat 120-mph light sport aircraft costs. Video Editor Glenn
Pew has the skinny.
Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb
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Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos
Are LED lights bright enough? Judge for yourself by viewing AVweb's latest product report video. Editorial director Paul Bertorelli demonstrates traditional incandescent
bulbs, HIDs, and new-age LEDs. The results are revealing.
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Nominate an FBO
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Rules
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Tips
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Questions
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Winning FBOs
AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Million Air's facility at KALB in Albany, New York. AVweb reader
Victoria LeBlanc brought this location to our attention, noting how the staff treats everyone as if they were a VIP guest.
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!
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Economic Challenges Call for Proven Advertising Results — AVweb Delivers Results
Since 1995, AVweb has been the most comprehensive no-cost aviation site online. Advertisers reach over 255,000 pilots, aircraft owners, and aviation professionals via a unique and
effective combination of newsletter text messages and web site banner ads. Links send readers directly to advertisers' web sites for instant information.
Click now for details
on AVweb's cost-effective programs. 
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When Chesley Sullenberger was interviewed by Katie Couric Sunday night, AVweb Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli could've sworn they'd met. But no — Paul was thinking of Al Haynes.
Discover why he has a hard time separating the two in the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog.
Read more.
Of course, none of us were, says AVweb Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli in the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog — but when you listen to the U.S. Air Flight 1549
tapes, forget how calm everyone sounded and marvel at how quickly the TRACON controller coordinated between three facilities. Then again, they do that every day.
Read more.
Submit a Photo
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Rules
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Tips
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Questions
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Past Winners
Each week, we go through dozens (and sometimes hundreds) of reader-submitted photos and pick the very best to share with you on Thursday mornings. The top photos are featured on
AVweb's home page, and one photo that stands above the others is awarded an AVweb baseball cap as our "Picture of the Week." Want to see your photo on
AVweb.com? Click here to submit it to our weekly contest.
*** THIS WEEK'S WINNERS ***
Thanks for bearing with us during our technical difficulties on Thursday. While we were able to see a few of your submissions, we couldn't determine which ones matched the current
submission period until we got a bit of automated sorting back in place, and now we're ready to roll with a special "snow day" edition of "Picture of the Week"! (But remember: If
we don't get enough photos during this contest cycle, we'll skip Thursday's edition and roll thhis week's photos into next week — so now would be a good time to submit those photos!)
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Sky Soldiers
We kick things off with a stunning photo of the Army's Sky Soldiers arriving for the Great Georgia Air Show, courtesy of Donald Neuberg of LaGrange,
Georgia.
The prolific Mr. N has contributed some of our favorite pics of the last year or two, but this is his first time in the top spot. Donald, you've more than earned the AVweb cap
that will be winging its way to you in the next couple of days!
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Super Hover!
While the Peach State is fresh on our mind, let's check in with Mal Hill of Atlanta, Georgia, who introduces this week's most common photo theme
— and it's one we dig: helicopters! Mal tells us he shot this from his condo while the streets below were closed for a helicopter lift.
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copyright © Don Thun
Used with permission |
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X-Wing Iron Eagles
Hearty thanks to Don Thun of Topeka, Kansas, who went above-and-beyond to get his submission into this week's pot. Swapping computers and wrangling
with all sorts of compatibility issues, Don made it a point to troubleshoot with us and make sure we got his submission — so we were doubly pleased to see it show up in our winners pile.
(Man, this makes us look forward to Oshkosh!)
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Evening Flight
Further evidence that AVweb has the coolest readership on the web: This comment from Peter Keelan of Fort Wayne, Indiana: "This was
taken at our 2008 company picnic, as I was giving the final ride of the day to my staff."
Yep. Helicopter rides at the company picnic. We at AVweb love flying and food, but we've never thought of that before. If you're ever hiring, Peter, be sure to send a
headhunter our way ... .
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SoCal Sunset (KFUL)
Mike Shoup of Enterprise, Alabama brings it home this week with a photo that makes outstanding desktop wallpaper. (If you don't believe us,
try it for yourself: Just click through to the large image, right-click and set it as your computer wallpaper.)
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Even more photos await your eager eyes in the slideshow on AVweb's home page. Click, click!
Click here to submit your own photos to "POTW."
—
A quick note for submitters: If you've got several photos that you feel are "POTW" material, your best bet is to submit them one-a-week! That gives your photos a greater chance of
seeing print on AVweb, and it makes the selection process a little easier on us, too. ;)
A Reminder About Copyrights:
Please take a moment to consider the source of your image before submitting to our "Picture of the Week" contest. If you did not take the photo yourself, ask yourself if you are indeed authorized to
release publication rights to AVweb. If you're uncertain, consult the POTW Rules or or send us an e-mail.
|
 | | Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air" |
We were flying from Chatham, Massachusetts to Nantucket with flight following from Cape approach. The weather was marginal VFR with heavy haze and reasonably poor visibility when, out of the
mist, we heard this on the air:
Cape Approach:
"Cessna Four Five Six, are you aware that you are heading toward a restricted area?"
Cessna:
"No, I wasn't aware of a restricted area. What's in there?"
Cape Approach:
"It's some type of microwave installation."
Cessna:
"Yup, I see a tower ahead."
Cape Approach:
"That's the tower I want you to miss. If you fly near that tower, it could ruin all your equipment, and you'll never have any children."
Cessna:
"Roger that. Turning now ... ."
Although he never mentioned whether he was turning toward or away ... .
William H. Cummings
Chatham, Cape Cod
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