|
|||||||||||
| Top News: Jets and the General Population | back to top |  |
||
Santa Monica Jet Ban Not Upheld By FAA
Traffic at Santa Monica, a single-runway airport just north of LAX, has tripled over the last fifteen years, growing from under 5,000 jet operations in 1994 to more than 15,000 in 2008. The airport has had noise-abatement procedures in place and noise-monitoring systems under contract. In April, the Santa Monica Airport acting airport director recommended that the mayor and city council execute a five-year contract not to exceed $242,261 for maintenance and support of the noise-monitoring system.
Citizen Groups Win Airport Noise Monitoring Web Site
There are 20 noise-monitoring stations in the Vancouver area, according to Canada.com, and the Web site is the result of lobbying by Surrey Citizens Against Aircraft Noise with help from the Surrey Airspace Taskforce. The groups were moved to action following the airport's implementation of new flight paths. |
The FAA Thursday announced that a local city ordinance that bans C and D aircraft with approach speeds between 139 and 191
mph "unjustly and unreasonably" discriminates against certain aircraft, meaning the ordinance may be headed to federal court. The city's position is that by allowing the faster jets, the FAA is not
following its own safety recommendations for runway safety zones as it applies to airport traffic and neighboring residential properties currently sitting some 300 feet from the runway threshold. The
FAA's position is that the ordinance violates the city's obligation to make the airport available to all types and classes of aeronautical activity, which became relevant when the airport accepted
nearly $10 million of federal grants. Thursday's decision follows a legal order obtained by the FAA that blocks the city from enacting the ordinance. City officials were expecting that and are likely
to file an appeal with the FAA, which it appears they will lose. At that point, the city may file an appeal in federal court.
Vancouver International Airport's neighboring public (and the world) now has access to a new Web site that combines NAV CANADA radar
data and Airport Authority noise data to geographically display aircraft noise intensity and facilitate near-immediate public comment. The system, called
|
|||||||||||
| Tomorrow's Aviation |
back to top | |
||
FAA Withdraws Repair Station Rule
Among the complaints from commenters were that certification for avionics repair and installations would be type based, rather than covering the equipment, meaning that a repair station would have to earn and maintain literally hundreds of certificates for the ability to install popular types of equipment. The Aircraft Electronics Association, which led the fight against the NPRM, was understandably relieved at the FAA decision. "We are extremely pleased with the membership's efforts and the resulting FAA action," said AEA's government affairs spokesman. "The avionics industry raised solid challenges to the FAA's well-intended proposal, which could not be resolved, forcing the FAA to withdraw its proposed changes to the repair station regulations. This is how rulemaking is supposed to work."
Related Content:
GAO Fires Warning On GPS
The GAO recognizes that there is no single authority responsible for synchronizing procurement and field-related facets of GPS-asset deployment and recommends that one be appointed and granted suitable authority to ensure the service meets the needs of users. And, just in case potential delays turn into real delays, the GAO recommends that the Secretaries of Defense and Transportation should address civil agency concerns and determine mechanisms for improving collaboration and decision-making while strengthening civil agency participation. |
The FAA has taken the unusual step of 
"It is uncertain whether the Air Force will be able to acquire new satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without interruption," warns the GAO. "If not, some military operations and some
civilian users could be adversely affected."
|
|||||||||||
| Tomorrow's Aviation |
back to top | |
||
Proving Boeing's 787 Dreamliner
"Boeing has to demonstrate that it's got its whole system back on track — design, production, assembly — the 787 gets all the headlines, but these other programs have problems, too," aviation analyst Scott Hamilton told NPR. But Boeing's future is heavily invested in a successful 787 and from June on the world -- and the competition -- will be paying very close attention. |
First flight of one of six Boeing 787 Dreamliner test aircraft is expected in June, but the flight will test more than the new aircraft; it
will also test a new method of manufacture for Boeing and maybe the company's future. With a heavy reliance on both composites and outsourced manufacture, the 787's major components will arrive to
Boeing's factory pre-assembled. By stepping past the need for thousands of rivets or hands and machines to buck those rivets, Boeing's goal is ultimately to produce each plane in just three days of
work at the factory. However, composites can be affected by air temperature and humidity before, during and after their construction. And with finished parts arriving from Japan, Italy, France and
Sweden, it is no small feat for Boeing to ensure that each piece consistently fits precisely with another. That considered, Boeing's current schedule, which includes a short eight- or nine-month
flight test program, is very tight. It's also important to keeping the company's two-year delayed 787 on track and converting 861 orders into the $144 billion they represent. Besides which, the 787
isn't Boeing's only delayed project.
|
|||||||||||
| Under Scrutiny | back to top | |
||
Dollars And Sense, Antitrust Lobbying And LaHood
American Airlines' application for antitrust immunity remains open to public comment. Online comments from some pilots suggest they believe alliances would actually create a stronger airline with more growth and job opportunity. That position may be influenced by the existence of other international alliances between other airlines that some pilots argue make American less competitive as other airlines working in cooperation with foreign carriers expand their international routes.
News Station's Aircraft Mechanics Probe
While noting that repairs performed by any person at a repair facility must ultimately be signed off by a certified A&P mechanic who then takes responsibility for the repair, WFAA found one mechanic who anonymously explained his (or her) difficulty. "I need an interpreter to talk to these people," he (or she) said. "They can't read the manuals, they can't write, and I have so many working for me I can't be sure of the work they've done." WFAA appears to suggest that time and schedule pressures that come as a byproduct of working with commercial aircraft can prevent certified mechanics from properly overseeing work performed by dozens of untrained assisting mechanics who can't read the manuals or write down what they've done -- and that not all certified mechanics have experienced proper training. |
Reports are in on first-quarter lobbying monies spent by airlines and industry interest groups and the results show airlines spend
millions ... sometimes working against pilot groups. In the mix are Continental, which spent $810,000, and American, which spent $1.5 million. American's pilot union, the Allied Pilots Association
(APA), spent $140,000 lobbying the new administration. Among Continental's interests, the airline is seeking antitrust immunity that would allow it to work with other airlines to set pricing and
schedules. Continental's first-quarter lobbying budget was more than twice what it spent in the previous quarter. American has similar interests. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood conveyed his
position to reporters earlier this month saying, "These alliances are lifesavers for airlines." Meanwhile, the APA is pushing the Obama administration to pursue violations of antitrust law, citing the
Department of Justice, which issued a statement that antitrust enforcers "can no longer sit on the sidelines" and that antitrust laws "benefit consumers."
"There is evidence of repair facilities hiring low-wage mechanics who can't read," alleges Dallas/Fort Worth-area news station WFAA.
The station has been investigating the way the FAA licenses aircraft mechanics and believes it has found "evidence of years of problems in testing these mechanics" and evidence that "hundreds of
mechanics" are working with "questionable licenses" in Texas and elsewhere. While previously citing improperly regulated testing at St. George Aviation Testing Center in Florida in 1999, the latest
assertions stem from the station's conclusion that "hundreds of the mechanics" working at 236 FAA-certified aircraft repair stations in Texas do not speak English and therefore can't read aircraft
repair manuals. And while "one certified A&P can sign off on the work of dozens of uncertified mechanics," says WFAA, "there is a push to get work out the door." WFAA's
|
|||||||||||
| News Briefs | back to top | |
||
Floatplane To The Rescue
Now down in the water and swirling currents, Chaplin maneuvered his aircraft through the choppy waves while his passenger managed a rescue. The next problem was the takeoff. "My concerns were the strong currents and being pushed into the bigger rip waves. We were able to stay out of those and have a safe takeoff," Chaplin said. The trio took off and departed into the horizon, leaving land-based responders wondering who had just pulled off the rescue. They found out later, and Wisdorf showed some of his appreciation by helping Chaplin wash the plane.
AVweb's Newstips Address ...
|
Mark Wisdorf was kite surfing at Turnagain Arm, Alaska, when things turned bad, leaving him and his kite floating in the water for
nearly an hour and a half before his friend, a seaplane pilot, attempted a somewhat unconventional rescue. The waters of Turnagain Arm meet Cook Inlet in swirling currents that include riptide-induced
waves and a daily bore tide (seawater that moves to a shallow narrowing inlet from a broad bay) that can cause waves up to about 10 feet tall traveling at up to 15 miles per hour, according to
Alaska.org. Wisdorf was stranded in that mess out of reach of land-based first responders who soon called for a helicopter. But Wisdorf had a friend, a fellow kiteboarder and pilot named Jim Chaplin,
who received a call that Wisdorf was in trouble. Chaplin took to the air in his floatplane with a helper aboard and arrived first on the scene. "I just treated it like a river landing and I landed
into the current and touched down right near him," Chaplin told the Associated Press. But after a successful landing, the current took Wisdorf right past the plane.
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
|
|||||||||||
| EBACE Wraps Up in Geneva | back to top | |
||
Strong EBACE Despite Crisis
The study addressed both output and the contribution of the supply chain, as well as wages input to the economy. The 2007 contribution was 0.2 percent of the combined GDP of the European Union, Norway and Switzerland: 28 percent of which was direct impact, 24 percent indirect and 48 percent induced.The study also indicated that business aviation generates 167,000 jobs in Europe. EBAA president and chief executive Brian Humphries said that this year's event was better than expected given the current state of the market. Women in Corporate Aviation had a presence at the Swan Heights flight attendants' training booth. WCA ambassador Karin Muller of Sterling Courier said: "WCA is a great networking group and has helped me win business as well as learn more about the business aviation industry. EBACE is always a very worthwhile show for us."
EBACE 2009 Photo Gallery
Once again, the European Business Aviation Conference and Expo provides ample opportunities for checking out the bizjets of various folks in the industry — and, as always, we make it a point of taking in the sights. |
EBACE 2009 was a success in any terms, but given the current financial climate, the business aviation industry had much to be cheerful about. The third biggest show in the event's history saw 10,000
attendees turn up and 65 aircraft fly into the static display. This was good news for a sector hit by job cuts of some 20,000 plus over the last six months and predictions of a 30 percent drop in
output from last year's bullish projections. The manufacturers and industry associations put up a feisty defense. Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers revealed that business aviation contributed
€19.7 billion ($26.9 billion) to the European economy in 2007.
|
|||||||||||
| Opinion & Commentary | back to top | |
||
AVweb Insider Blog: Was Buffalo Disaster a Glimpse of the Future?
AVweb Insider Blog: The Power of GPS Confidence
|
The NTSB
|
|||||||||||
| New on AVweb | back to top | |
||
Columns | Features | What's New | Calendar | Brainteasers
Brainteasers Quiz #143: Mommy, Where Does Lift Come From?
Take the quiz.
Back to the Drawing Board for Repair Station RuleFile Size 5.5 MB / Running Time 6:01
While it's not unheard of, it's not every day the FAA withdraws a proposed rule, especially one that was 20 years in the making — but it happened last week. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with Ric Peri of the Aircraft Electronics Association about the complexities of bringing repair station ratings and certificates into a modern rulemaking context.
|
Eventually, all pilots face the uncomfortable moment when passengers ask about the facts of flight. Don't blush, stammer or tell them to "go ask your flight instructor." Instead, tell them to take
this quiz.
|
|||||||||||
| AVweb Media: Look, Listen, Laugh and Learn | back to top | |
||
Exclusive Video: Cessna Mustang Demo Flight — Is It Really as Easy to Fly as a Skyhawk?Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos Almost. In this post-Sun 'n Fun video, AVweb reports that the Mustang's control forces and basic systems are so close to those of a heavy single or light twin that any moderately experienced pilot should be able to check out in it without breaking a sweat. And at 340 knots for 1,100 miles, we could get used to it, thanks.
|
|
|||||||||||
| Your Favorite FBOs | back to top | |
||
FBO of the Week: Greenwood Executive Air (KHFY, Greenwood, IN)
Nominate an FBO | Rules | Tips | Questions | Winning FBOs
AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Greenwood Executive Air at KHFY (Greenwood Municipal Airport) in Greenwood, Indiana.
AVweb reader Bill Foraker recently gave the Greenwood team lemons and was delighted with the lemonade they served up:
I needed to recon the area for family reunion planning, so I flew in ... to scout the area for hotels, golf courses, shopping malls, and all the other things the family members require. I taxied onto the FBO ramp at 6:50 — they close at 7 — and went inside to meet the friendliest and most helpful guys ever! I needed 100LL, a car, and I wouldn't be back until after they closed — no problems. The line guy refueled the old Comanche right away, and I got the info inside, paid, got the car keys, got directions, got a layout of the local area, got the plan for returning the car, and even got much of the info I visited to get. In fact, I almost could have gone home simply after talking with the FBO guys! It was a great experience, and I'll go back to Greenwood in a minute.
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! |
| The Lighter Side of Flight | back to top | |
||
Short Final
Heard on descent, about 100 miles north of Sacramento, California:
Cessna 12345:
Oakland Center:
Cessna 12345:
Oakland Center:
Norm Champ |
| Names Behind the News | back to top | |
||
Meet the AVwebFlash TeamAVwebFlash 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:
Click here to send a letter to the editor. (Please let us know if your letter is not intended for publication.)
Comments or questions about the news should be sent here.
Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? A question on marketing? Send it to AVweb's sales team.
If you're having trouble reading this newsletter in its HTML-rich format (or if you'd prefer a lighter, simpler format for your PDA or handheld device), there's also a text-only version of AVwebFlash. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here.
Aviate. Navigate. Communicate. |
