You Won't Need SVT to See
Where No-Cost Fuel Can Take You, But We're Throwing It in
Anyway
If you buy one of a limited number of 2008 Cessna 350 or Cessna 400
aircraft from existing inventory, Cessna will supply you with $25,000
in fuel at no cost to you and upgrade your state-of-the-art Garmin
G1000 integrated flight deck with new Synthetic Vision Technology.
Supply of eligible aircraft is limited, so act fast and
contact your Cessna representative
today.
ALL
THIS WEEK, AVWEB BRINGS YOU THE SUN 'N FUN EXPERIENCE If you
can't be in sunny Florida this week for Sun 'n Fun, the
first big aviation event of the season, then tune in to your inbox each
day for a full report from AVweb. We'll be bringing you video,
podcasts, photos, and news from the field each day with a close-up look
at all the latest airplane models and engines, avionics upgrades, an
update on the status of the 51-percent rule, and lots of other news from
the GA world. Cirrus, Piper, and Honda will be here on opening day with
news updates on their companies, and throughout the week we'll be
hearing from big players in sport aircraft such as Cessna, Maule,
CubCrafters, Flight Design, and lots more. More...
A Life Insurance Policy That
Returns All of Your Premiums? — YES
The Return of Premium Term policy available through Pilot Insurance
Center features fixed premiums and guarantees to return the total of all
premiums at the end of the policy. No aviation exclusions. Call (800)
380-8376 or
visit PICLife.com.
FORD
TAKES ON GA PROMO ROLE Aviation's busiest celebrity
spokesman, actor Harrison Ford, is taking on another role and the script
appears to involve as heroic a plot as any of his day job parts. AOPA
will hold a news conference Monday at 10 a.m. in Washington, D.C., to
announce the General Aviation Serves America campaign. Details are under
wraps until the announcement but a media advisory issued Friday hints
that it's an ambitious scheme that will "tell the story of real people
who depend on general aviation" and harness Ford's star power as an
eloquent spokesman for GA. "In addition to these everyday people, actor
Harrison Ford, himself a passionate pilot, will feature prominently in
the campaign." More...
SCHRENKER
PLANNING BOOK If you've been wondering what was going on in
Marcus Schrenker's head when he bailed out of his turboprop Malibu over
Georgia last January, you may be able to read all about it. The former
Indiana money manager told the Pensacola News Journal in a jailhouse letter that he's thinking about writing a
book about his life and that defining moment Jan. 11 when he told air
traffic control his windshield had shattered and he was declaring an
emergency. He was arrested two days later in a Chattahoochee campground
after parachuting to safety in Georgia and riding away on a motorcycle
he'd put in a rented storage unit the day before. Schrenker, who appears
in court April 24, says the media got his story mostly wrong at the
time. More...
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, andTurbo 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.
SUICIDE
BY KING AIR The young man who jumped from King Air 200 over
Canada's Arctic last Wednesday had been held the night before under the
country's Mental Health Act in Yellowknife and was being flown home to
Cambridge Bay by Adlair Aviation as a favor to the family. The Royal
Canadian Mounted Police were called to a Yellownknife hotel the previous
night to quell a disturbance and took 20-year-old Julian Tologanak into
custody. "He was visiting friends and possibly causing a disturbance,"
said RCMP spokesman Sgt. Wayne Norris. "It was determined the best
course of action was to seek professional medical help for him." The
next day, despite the "best efforts" of the crew, he managed to open the
main cabin door and leave the aircraft while it was flying at least
23,000 feet. AVweb has heard from sources in Canada's north about
what went on in the aircraft just before the suicide that might explain
some of the lingering questions about the incident. A voice message left
at Adlair Aviation's administrative offices was not returned by our
deadline. More...
Complete Lightspeed's Survey
and You Could Win a Zulu! Lightspeed Aviation would like to know more about how you use
tech and the web. It will only take a quick minute. If you win and you
already own a Zulu, you could make a passenger very happy. You do
need to be at least 18 to participate. One entry per person to make it
fair. U.S. residents only.Just click here to participate.
MECHANIC
CHARGED WITH FALSIFYING FAA CREDENTIALS If you've had any
work done by "The Plane Man" in Casa Grande, Ariz., you might want to
have it checked by an A&P before your next flight. A federal grand jury
has charged Glen Forsyth, 43, with five felony offenses resulting from a
100-hour inspection on an Alon Ercoupe in July of 2008. A week after the
annual, the engine failed and the aircraft was written off in the
off-airport landing that followed. LawFuel.com reported the post-accident inspection
"caused FAA aircraft safety inspectors to believe that the fuel pump had
not been properly inspected." More...
NEW
COLD WEATHER TESTING CENTER In this economy you have to go
with your strengths and if there is one thing Thompson, Manitoba, Canada
has in spades it's reliably frigid temperatures. The mining town about
600 miles north of Winnipeg (no slouch in the cold department, either)
often sees temperatures colder than -40 for weeks at a time in a winter
that lasts from November to March. It also has a modern airport that
will handle most types of aircraft. The Canadian Environmental Test
Research and Education Center is a joint project of the Manitoba
government and the Canadian government, whose National Research Council
will own and operate the facility. It will share the site with the
Global Aerospace Center for Icing and Environmental Research (GLACIER),
a joint venture of Pratt and Whitney Canada and Rolls-Royce Canada.
More...
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.
I own and fly an AMD
Zodiac CH601XLi that I bought new last June. I'm also a member of
the Zenith Builders Analysis Group, the independent group that the NTSB
cited as doing engineering studies of the airplane. I've put over 150
hours on my airplane since I bought it.
Am I concerned? Yes. Am I
going to quit flying it? No. I've been taking several actions that I
believe minimize the risk: I regularly test my aileron cable tensions, I
check that there is tension on every preflight (easy to do), I keep it
in the green arc except for absolutely smooth air (and will probably
keep it there even then, now), and I slow down to maneuvering speed in
more than slight turbulence.
Aviation is all about managing risk.
We can't eliminate it, no mater what we do. I believe the measures I
take will reduce the risk of aileron flutter well below the risk that
I'll do something stupid like run out of fuel or continue VFR into IMC -
and I take active measures against those risks, too.
If Zenair and
AMD come out with a modification to resolve the problem, I'll do it.
Until then, I refuse to worry about it beyond what I've already
done.
Jay Maynard
Click through to read the rest
of this week's letters.
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...
Sensenich Expands Its
Revolutionary Line of Propellers For Light Sport and Experimental
Aircraft
Lighter in weight, easier to navigate and less expensive to fly,
Sensenich's composite props are also stronger than similar
props. Their carbon construction allows the propeller's weight to
aerodynamically optimize flight and minimize its susceptibility to
harmonic vibration damage. Pitch-adjustable, their built-in stops ensure
selection of the most efficient pitch. See them at Sun 'n Fun (booths
A30-31) or
click here.
All you have to do is click
the image at right to enter your name and e-mail address. And no, we're
not going to rent or sell your name, but Bendix may send you information
on the AV8OR. You may also forward this newsletter to friends and invite
them to sign-up for AVweb's Sun 'n Fun coverage and qualify for
the AV8OR prizes also. (We won't spam them, either, but we will send
them our e-mail news Flashes.)
Deadline for entries is midnight,
Monday, April 27, 2009.
JA Air Center, Your Source
for the New Garmin GPSMap 696 JA Air Center is YOUR source for Garmin equipment, including the
new GPSMap 696 with Victor Airways, Jet Routes, XM Weather, Terrain,
AOPA Airport Guide, and Safe Taxi. JA Air purchases used
GPS units, avionics, and aircraft.
JA Air Center is now open in Sugar Grove, IL (KARR) providing the
finest avionics installations, turbine/piston maintenance,
avionics/instrument service, mail order, and aircraft sales. Call
(800) 323-5966, or
click for more information.
AVWEB
INSIDER BLOG: OSH TOWER WASTE IS TRAGIC The old air traffic
control tower at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh was pulverized and
hauled to the dump last week. AVweb's Russ Niles thinks that's a
tragic waste and reveals some of his hopes and dreams for the parts in
the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog.
More...
Sun 'n Fun — It's Like
Spring Break for Pilots Scheduled for April 21-26 in Lakeland, Florida. Featuring the
U.S. Army Parachute Team "Golden Knights." This annual event
includes more than 4,500 airplanes, 500 commercial exhibitors, over 400
educational forums, seminars, and hands-on workshops for virtually every
aviation interest. Plus a spectacular daily air show. All included in
your ticket price. Special online-only discounts.Get your tickets online now at
Sun-N-Fun.org.
IFR
MAGAZINE INTRODUCES YOU TO AVWXWORKSHOPS.COM Former
meteorologist and current flight instructor Scott Dennstaedt has
launched AvWxWorshops.com, a web site dedicated to teaching
weather for pilots. The site offers free e-mail tips and a newsletter,
as well as over 20 workshops on specific weather topics. The workshops
are viewed online and are 8 to 15 minutes long. They have titles like
"Using NEXRAD to Identify the Location of a Front" and "Who Cares About
PIREPs?" Dennstaedt also offers extended online classes and one-on-one
weather training for pilots via the internet. In this podcast interview,
Dennstaedt tells us more about the site and why he started it.
More...
AVWXWORKSHOPS
VIDEO: NON-CONVECTIVE LOW-LEVEL WIND SHEAR (LLWS) Aviation weather expert and former
National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Dennstaedt has created a
web site for online weather training and one-on-one pilot mentoring,
called AvWxWorshops.com. Here's part of his training module
on low-level wind shear not associated with a thunderstorm and what it
means when you see the notation in a terminal forecast.
More...
Jeppesen Pilot
Training
Smart pilots never truly fly solo. For 75 years, pilots have taken their
aviation partner along for the journey — Jeppesen. Pilots
(and future pilots) look to us for the tools and training they need to
fly safely and effectively. Throughout your career flight path, you can
count on Jeppesen. Choose the learning tools best for you with
our integrated system. Learn more at
Jeppesen.com/pilottraining.
AVweb's
"FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to the FBO at Mexico
Memorial Airport in Mexico, Missouri (KMYJ).
AVweb
reader Jim Smith told us how the staff at KMYJ don't take trouble
lying down:
I stopped at the
Mexico Missouri FBO to visit Zenith aircraft next door. I inadvertently
left my master switch on during my stay and, of course, had a dead
battery when I returned. The FBO manager stopped what he was doing to
help me. He first brought out a battery on a two-wheel hand cart, but
the batteries wouldn't turn over my C182. He then attempted a hand prop,
but the compression was too much. A few calls, and he found a 24
charger. He brought the charger and some tools. He took off the plate
and literally climbed inside to place the battery clips. After about 10
minutes, the airplane started. He then re-installed the plate and sent
me on my way. Jay (employed by the city of Mexico) would not take any
money and was genuinely glad to help. Very rare service indeed in these
modern times. KMYJ has become a must-stop for me in the future, if only
to support a real aviation server.
Put AeroExpo Europe - Prague
and AeroExpo Europe - London on Your Show Schedule AeroExpo Europe - Prague (May 22-24, 2009) will showcase
everything from ultralights to helicopters to business aircraft in the
heart of Europe, marketing to the European and emerging Eastern European
and Russian markets. AeroExpo Europe - London (June 12-14, 2009)
includes aircraft from light aircraft, pistons, and turboprops through
to VLJs (very light jets) and all parts and services for these general
aviation aircraft.
Go online for exhibitor and attendee
details.
PICTURE
OF THE WEEK WILL RETURN ... Did we mention that we're a
little tied up with Sun 'n Fun? For that reason, we're pushing "POTW"
back just a tiny bit longer — we'll have the top winners from last
week (and a fresh slideshow on the home page) in the next day or so.
Thanks for your patience, and keep your eyes on AVweb.com
throughout the week for the latest developments from the show. More...
eBooks &
eVideos
Most titles on the AVweb Bookstore (including Jeppesen,
McGraw-Hill, ICAO, and many others) are also available as electronic
downloads. Why not consider an eBook in Adobe .PDF format? Instant
delivery. No shipping costs. Fully searchable, bookmarked, and
hyperlinked. Hundreds of reference titles at your fingertips, in your
laptop computer. Environmentally friendly. And no import taxes to
international customers. Are you sold yet?
Click here to learn more, and download a
sample to try it out.
My airplane partner and I were on a
short night hop from Lawrence, Massachusetts to Nashua, New Hampshire
and had just switched to Nashua tower when we heard the
following:
Mooney: "We need to return and
land."
Tower: "What's the nature of your
problem?"
Mooney: "Every time my student touches the
throttle, he gets electrocuted."
Unidentified
Voice: "That's a good training technique."
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
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Click now for details on AVweb's
cost-effective programs.
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 Jeff
van West
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