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"Miracle on the Hudson" Crew Visits Oshkosh
Sullenberger said he thinks the A320 checklist could be revised to provide better guidance for a low-altitude engine-out procedure. The current procedures are based on the assumption of an engine failure at altitude, and are not time-critical. He also said that he stands by his assessment of the state of the airline industry, which he outlined to a congressional panel in February, when he said he was concerned that unless working conditions change, the profession will not be able to attract high quality crew. Skiles said that Sullenberger will return to the line for US Airways in September, and on that first flight back -- and on Sullenberger's last flight before he retires -- Skiles would like to be in the right seat.
FAA Forum: Babbitt Meets Oshkosh; Paul Poberezny Honored
When asked what he would do about concerns that the TSA has become too heavy-handed with GA pilots and operators, Babbitt drew a cheer from the crowd when he answered: "I'll just call the president and tell him I'm taking the TSA back." (The TSA now is part of the Department of Homeland Security.) But he went on to say that part of the problem is that right now he has no counterpart at TSA to deal with, and until a new administrator is named, there is not much he can do. But he said he expects that to change soon, and when it does, "I am going to do what I can to get this issue resolved." Babbitt drew warm cheers from the audience when one questioner noted that it's good to have an FAA administrator with an aviation background -- Babbitt started to fly at age 16 and was an airline pilot for over 20 years. On several questions, Babbitt deferred to senior staff who were more intimately familiar with issues. One questioner concerned about delays in field approvals was assured that new standardization initiatives are now in the works and should help to improve the situation soon. Another questioner was told that a new rule is being hashed out now to address pilot fatigue issues and flight duty rules. "An aviation rulemaking committee has been formed and they were told they have a 45-day deadline ... look for a new rule by the end of this year," Babbitt said. He also said he is not too concerned that user fees are going to become a reality. "I don't see any great charge out there.... [of] anyone rushing in to impose user fees," he said. The new administration is investigating all the options, he said, "But at the end of the day I think we will find a way to continue to support the great system we have [without user fees]." Babbitt's speech is posted on the FAA Web site. |
Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and first officer Jeff Skiles drew a huge crowd to
the Honda Forum Pavilion at AirVenture Oshkosh on Thursday afternoon -- the audience filled every seat and spilled out dozens deep from both sides and the back, and even passing rain showers didn't
drive them away -- and the crew was welcomed with a succession of standing ovations. For over an hour, the two sat on stage and talked about their dramatic flight last January, cracked jokes, and
welcomed questions from the audience. Skiles, who said he is known to most of the media only as "the co-pilot," quickly won over the crowd with his self-deprecating humor. "My role in this is, I'm
the guy who flew the airplane into the birds," he said. "So, I'd like a little credit for making Sully what he is today." The two went on to tell the familiar story of the 208 seconds that elapsed
between the time their A320 lost both engines, until they found themselves evacuating the airplane on the Hudson. Sullenberger said he had never had an engine failure before in 42 years of flying, and
as they descended toward the river, he focused on energy management. "I knew I only had so much kinetic energy," he said. "If we ran out too early, we would drop into the river, and if we ran out too
late, it might compromise the integrity of the structure." Once they committed to the Hudson, Skiles abandoned his attempts to restart the engines, and called out altitudes and airspeeds for the
captain. And once they had ditched, Sullenberger said, they both turned to each other and said, almost simultaneously, "Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought."
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, who was just confirmed to the post in May,
got a warm welcome Thursday morning on his first visit to AirVenture Oshkosh, where he gave a short talk and took questions from the audience in the Honda Forum Pavilion on Thursday morning. But
before getting started, Babbitt honored EAA founder Paul Poberezny with a Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, "in recognition of a life of service to aviation [and] a life of service to your country
... on behalf of a grateful nation." Babbitt read a long list of Poberezny's accomplishments, and ended, "This last one is the one that makes me stop. He's piloted nearly 500 different types of
aircraft, more than 170 of them amateur-built." Babbitt then read his prepared speech (
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| The Future of Flight | back to top | |
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Martin Jetpack Progressing
At last year's AirVenture, a start-up company from New Zealand created the biggest buzz of the show with an unlikely contraption called the Martin Jetpack. The fallout from Glenn Martin's Oshkosh appearance has spawned a new corporate structure, plans for a factory and technical advances that Martin says could eventually create a niche market that serves thrill seekers and business alike. In a podcast interview with AVweb, Martin said he's no longer the one man band trying to solve the formidable technical challenges of his creation while creating the business needed to support it. "We now have a CEO and a board of directors," he said. That leaves him free to work on the invention, which has been 28 years in the making. Martin said he's made significant progress in the controllability of the device, to the point where he'll be opening an amusement facility that will, for a fee, allow novices to "have a go" after only about 45 minutes of training. Martin wouldn't disclose the exact number of orders so far but he said the plan is to build a factory that will build 500 of the $100,000-plus machines a year.
Martin said the most important improvement has been the installation of a digital fly-by-wire system that makes controlling the JetPack a lot easier. At the same time they're working on evaluating the reliability and longevity of the engine and propulsion system, both of which were designed and built from scratch so therefore have no technical track record. After every hour or so of flight time, the machine is torn down to its individual parts, which are measured and inspected to determine wear points. He also said they're close to achieving the 30-minute endurance goal set for the intial production model. The longest flight so far was more than five minutes and the fuel burn extrapolates to an endurance of 28 minutes.
Fishman Plans Electric Two-Seater Flight Soon
Fishman and several others presenting on electric flight say the technology is available today for two-seat aircraft that can cruise up to 100 knots, but that's about it (for size or speed) until battery technology improves. The ElectraFlyer X will eventually be offered as an E-LSA kit, but can't be sold as a ready-to-fly LSA until the FAA removes the requirement for a "reciprocating" engine from the current LSA rules. This Oshkosh, the EAA hosted an invitation-only brainstorming session on electric flight to formulate a strategy on supporting electric flight. Attendees included NASA, FAA and several power-system and airframe manufacturers. Craig Willan, one of EAAs representatives to the meeting, says the FAA is "very open and responsive" to supporting electric flight. |
Over a year ago, Randle Fishman moved electric flight in a small airplane from paper to reality when he equipped a single-engine Moni motorglider with an electric engine and lithium-polymer batteries
and took flight. This year he brought his almost-complete ElectraFlyer X to Oshkosh. This two-seat, electric-powered aircraft features side-by-side seating for two and is designed to cruise for up to
two hours at 75-80 MPH. Fishman hosted a Q-and-A session to a standing-room-only crowd to discuss the pros and cons of electric flight, as well as show the details of his new design.
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| New Airplanes, New Challenges | back to top | |
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GE Aviation And Walter Turbines
GE says its H80 is now "equal or better to other turboprops that are out there." They hope to set the engine's service life at 3,600 hours and 6,600 cycles. Though the gearbox is currently the factor limiting output at 800 shp, there is no current schedule for a gearbox upgrade. GE's H80 will be produced in the Czech Republic, now in GE Aviation Czech's new facility in Prague.
Evergreen's Firefighting B747 Sees First Real Test In Alaska
Evergreen estimates the aircraft's operating costs at roughly $3 million per month and some in Alaska fear it may prove too expensive to operate. California may have a different take as, according to Evergreen, forestry officials have signed a contract to use the plane there. Evergreen's Supertanker uses a pressurized dispersion system designed to allow it to make multiple drops per flight. It can dispense its load as an aerosolized mist or a deluge ... or anything in between. Because of the quantity of the payload, Evergreen says it can drop successfully from a higher altitude, making the Supertanker a safer platform for fighting fires at night, when firefighting conditions are often more advantageous. The extra altitude and higher drop volume may also help counter the large aircraft's relative lack of agility when flying in mountainous terrain. |
This is GE Aviation's second appearance at AirVenture Oshkosh and it's only been one year since the company acquired Walter Aircraft Engines, but they've already hung their new soon-to-be-certified
enhanced version of the robust Walter M601 on a soon to be certified production aircraft. That aircraft is Thrush Aircraft's new 510-gallon, 10,500-pound gross weight, Thrush aerial applicator (crop
duster), and GE Aviation's version of the engine is the H80 turbine. But that's not all. Smyrna Air Power 90 conversions also offer the H80 as a re-engine package, complete with five-bladed props, for
the King Air. Through application of GE's 3D Aero technology, plus raw materials that allow hotter harder running, GE says it has reduced specific fuel consumption by 7.5% over the M601. Meanwhile,
where the M601 put out 850 shp reduced to 750 through the gear and prop (as GE phrased it), the H80's new internals have improved that to 1100 shp rated at 800, limited by the gearbox. Certification
is set for the first quarter of 2010 and GE Aviation hopes to increase production dramatically soon after.
Evergreen International's newly certified B747 firefighting Supertanker can reach a fire at speeds near 600 mph, slow down, and then drop more than 20,000 gallons of payload on it – and the
company hopes to put it to work in Alaska to do just that this week. This wildfire attack is a first for Evergreen, which has deployed the freshly certified aircraft to perform a combination
water/retardant drop on the Railbelt Complex fire as a demonstration at no cost to the Alaska Forestry Division. The fire has already burned more than 300,000 acres and there are at least 70 other
active fires in the state, according to Fairbanks' Daily News-Miner. Alaskan officials are greeting the aircraft with hope and scepticism. "It has some limitations because of its size and bulk,
however it does bring to the table a lot of retardant or water at any one particular time, so we can make some longer fire lines," Steve Elwell, Division of Forestry aviation supervisor told KTUU
news. With the Supertanker, those lines can be as wide as a football field and three miles long. But that capability comes at a cost.
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| Oshkosh, Friedrichshafen: Sister Cities of Aviation | back to top | |
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EAA To Expand Co-operation With Aero Friedrichshafen
The two groups have worked together on promotion and scheduling, to ensure that the shows complement rather than compete with one another. Poberezny said the new agreement will extend for three years, through 2012, and EAA will expand its support for the show, which could include producing a daily newspaper at the site. Grunewald and Poberezny signed the agreement in a brief press event at Oshkosh on Thursday morning. Aero Friedrichshafen has a booth in Hangar C at AirVenture. Next year's Aero show is set for April 8 to 11. |
EAA President Tom Poberezny said on Thursday at AirVenture that EAA will
expand its collaboration with Aero Friedrichshafen, the biggest GA air show in Europe. "So far, our collaborative efforts have functioned superbly," said Thomas Grunewald, project director of Aero.
"We want to keep working together as partners to meet the challenges that lie ahead for general aviation." The Aero show has been growing, with 12 percent more visitors this year than the year
before.
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| Man's Best Friend in the Air | back to top | |
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Mutt Muffs Protect Dogs From Cockpit Noise
"My dog never complained, but I could see he was unhappy," said McGuire. "The dogs figure out pretty quickly that things are a whole lot better if they don't take the muffs off," she explained in a podcast interview with AVweb. The Muffs are $52 with a money-back guarantee if your dog won't keep them on. Find out more at MuttMuffs.com. |
When it's time to go flying, Michelle McGuire has a reluctant husband but a willing and happy black Lab.
Cockpit noise is even worse for dogs' ears than for ours, and McGuire felt she had to do something to protect her pooch's hearing. After searching in vain for a solution and failing to come up with a
homemade design, she enlisted some professional engineering help to create hearing protection her dog actually wears. Now she sells Mutt Muffs in a range of sizes to fit everything from a chihuahua to
a bull mastiff.
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To apply, e-mail your resume to
with the position title you are applying for listed in the subject line.
| AVweb Media: Look, Listen, Laugh and Learn | back to top | |
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EAA AirVenture 2009 Video Series: Product Minutes—Garmin G500 in Diamond Trainer, Diamond DA42 NG, and Vampire LSA
Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos There are lots of new products at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009, here's AVweb's look at some of the more interesting ones: Garmin G500 in Diamond's popular Eclipse trainer, the Austro diesel-powered DA42 NG, and the Vampire LSA. This video is brought to you by WxWorx XM WX
Satellite Weather
AVweb Insider Blog: A380 at OSH—Yeah, It Was a Hard Landing
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and 
An Airbus A380 made a spectacular landing at AirVenture Oshkosh Tuesday afternoon.
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| The Sights and Sounds of Oshkosh | back to top | |
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EAA AirVenture 2009 Galleries: Day Five
It's our fifth day at EAA AirVenture 2009 and the fourth day of the show. Yes, we're recovered our ability to tell which day is which, and even though we're still a little bleary-eyed and maybe just a tad bit unkempt, we're having more fun than airplane people should be allowed. Join our AirVenture intern Adam for another romp around the grounds to see why.
EAA AirVenture 2009 Galleries: Our Day at the Seaplane Base (1 of 3)
On Thursday, we sent Aviation Safety editor-in-chief Jeb Burnside out to the Seaplane Base at EAA AirVenture. In exchange for his freedom, we demanded pictures — and Jeb brought back three galleries' worth of awesome snapshots. This is the first.
This Week, Live from Oshkosh: The AVwebCam (Live Video Feed)
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Watch for live video coverage of EAA AirVenture throughout the web, via our AVwebCam. We'll be broadcasting
live from 9am to 6pm local (Oshkosh) time each day of the show. Look for the webcam player on our home page to enjoy the sights and sounds of the show — and maybe catch a glimpse of the
AVweb team in action.
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or call (888) 221-6442 for a quote.
| AVweb Audio —? Are You Listening? | back to top | |
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EAA AirVenture 2009 Podcast Series: Man's Best Friend's Best Friend in the CockpitFile Size 2.8 MB / Running Time 4:03
Podcast Index | How to Listen | Subscribe Via RSS
Nobody makes noise-cancelling headsets for dogs, but Mutt Muffs may be the next best thing. Michelle McGuire tells how her dog's discomfort led to a company that keeps dog hearing safe in airplanes, in pit stops, on shooting ranges, and on the battlefield.
This podcast is brought to you by Bose
Corporation.
EAA AirVenture 2009 Podcast Series: Jetpack in Your Future?File Size 6.7 MB / Running Time 7:20
Podcast Index | How to Listen | Subscribe Via RSS
The Martin Jetpack was one of the most talked-about innovations at AirVenture 2008. There were no jetpacks at this year's show, but inventor Glenn Martin wsa there, and he talked with AVweb's Russ Niles about what's been going on since.
This podcast is brought to you by Lightspeed
Aviation
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| The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is You! | back to top | |
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