REPORT: TSA FAILED TO CHECK FAA LISTS FOR TERRORIST SUSPECTS
At least six individuals listed by the FBI as possible terrorists also were listed in the FAA database as pilot certificate holders as of this June, according to The New York Times. After the Times questioned the TSA about the situation, the FAA suspended all six certificates. The Times had received the list of names from a small software company that said it found the six by comparing public records, an effort the TSA apparently never made. "The T.S.A. appears not to have taken notice of the terrorists even when two of them turned up on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Ten Most Wanted List," says the Times. A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of the TSA, told the Times her department would "conduct a comprehensive review to see why the system failed to identify these people" and would consider whether the department should be looking at more federal lists. This week, however, the Times wrote that the software company found one more pilot in the FAA database who is wanted by the FBI, which has offered a $50,000 reward for the accused "domestic terrorist." More...

VACATIONING PRESIDENT'S TFR RANKLES VINEYARD PILOTS
The last time a sitting president vacationed on Martha's Vineyard was during the pre-9/11 Clinton years, so when plans were laid for next week's visit by the Obama family, the extent of the flight restrictions was a bit shocking to local pilots. "This is the most restrictive TFR we've seen," said James Coyne, the president of the National Air Transportation Association, who has a home on the Vineyard. "I can't think of any example of such severe restrictions. It's far, far more draconian than under Clinton," he told the Vineyard Gazette. The TFR extends for 30 nm for eight days, affecting seven local airports, which are in the midst of the busy tourist season. GA pilots who want to land at the main Vineyard airport (KMVY), which is within a 10-nm inner ring, must apply for a waiver 72 hours in advance and stop at one of several specified "gateway" airports for inspection first. "It's really unfortunate ... we'd hoped for some relief for the Katama tours," said Coyne, referring to the popular grass field on the island, which offers biplane and glider rides. Since Katama is inside the 10-nm ring and there is no TSA screening facility there, the field will effectively be shut down. More...

FAA EXPECTED TO EXEMPT ULTRALIGHT TRAINERS FROM REGS
A pending deadline that would make it difficult to find aircraft that could legally be used for ultralight training will probably be extended or discarded by the FAA, EAA said this week. When the sport pilot rules were developed several years ago, the FAA allowed the use of two-seat ultralight E-LSA trainers only until Jan. 31, 2010. The idea was that by then, enough ultralight-like two-seat Special LSAs would be operating to take on the job of training ultralight pilots. However, only three manufacturers have produced S-LSAs that are suitable for the ultralight training market, and the down economy and the difficulty of obtaining financing have slowed sales. The lack of suitable trainers would create a safety issue, says EAA, "because people wanting to fly ultralights or ultralight-like aircraft will not be able to take flight training in ultralight-like aircraft." The FAA is now evaluating the situation, EAA said, but one way or another, it seems likely that the current trainers now in use will be allowed to be used after the deadline. More...

ECLIPSE SALE TO CLOSE TODAY
Barring any last-minute changes, the assets of Eclipse Aviation will be sold on Thursday, Aug. 20, to Eclipse Aerospace, a new company founded by two Eclipse E500 owners. Eclipse Aerospace put in a bid of $40 million with a federal bankruptcy court earlier this month, and since no other qualified bidders had surfaced by a court deadline, Eclipse Aerospace seems likely to close the deal. Mike Press and Mason Holland, owners of the company, have said they will keep Eclipse in Albuquerque, provide service and upgrades for the current fleet, and eventually restart production. Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez told the New Mexico Business Weekly he expects the new company to start hiring workers soon, but it will create only a few hundred jobs, not the 2,000 or so that Eclipse Aviation provided at its peak. "Eclipse has always been more important to us than the jobs it provides," Chavez said. "It represents a symbol of progress for the city. That it's now coming back is a huge victory for Albuquerque." More...

CHINA SHOWS SUPPORT FOR GA GROWTH
Jinggong General Aviation Co., a Beijing-based company that is the sole dealer for Cirrus Aircraft in China, will move to the small Huanghua airport about 150 miles outside the city and upgrade it for use as a flying club to help promote the growth of private aviation, China Daily reported this week. Although GA has been slow to grow in China -- only about a half-dozen Cirrus airplanes per year are sold there -- the government has shown a willingness to gradually open airspace below 2,000 feet for private airplanes, according to China Daily. The Huanghua airport was built about six years ago as a base for crop-dusting flights, and has been in use only about two months per year. The China Daily story also implied that Cirrus is interested in moving its manufacturing facilities to China, but Ian Bentley, Cirrus vice president and managing director of international sales, told AVweb that is incorrect. "We have absolutely no plans to move manufacturing to China," Bentley said. More...

NEW AWARD WILL HONOR TRANSPORTATION SAFETY CONTRIBUTIONS
A new annual award will honor individuals who have made significant contributions to aviation and transportation safety, the NTSB Bar Association announced on Wednesday. The association is an organization of lawyers and other aviation professionals whose practice involves the NTSB, FAA, and DOT. The award is named in memory of Joseph T. Nall, who served as a member of the NTSB from 1986 through 1989. He was also a certificated pilot and ground instructor. During his tenure with the NTSB, he was an enthusiastic supporter of the NTSB Bar Association and regularly participated in its meetings. Nall died in an aircraft accident while on NTSB business in Venezuela in 1989. The first Joseph T. Nall Award will be presented at the NTSB Bar Association's Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Nov. 12. The name of the first recipient will be announced soon, the group said. More...

PILOT WHO BAILED OUT SENTENCED TO OVER FOUR YEARS IN PRISON
Marcus Schrenker, 38, of McCordsville, Indiana, who bailed out of his airplane in January and parachuted to safety in an alleged attempt to fake his death, was sentenced to 51 months in prison on Wednesday, CNN reported. Schrenker also must pay more than $34,000 to the U.S. Coast Guard, which mounted a search and rescue effort, and another $871,000 to the lien holder on his Piper PA46-500TP Malibu Meridian. That cost may be offset by insurance, however, the prosecutors said. Schrenker pleaded guilty to intentionally crashing an airplane and sending false distress calls related to his use of the aircraft in June. The charges could have sent him to jail for 20 years for crashing the airplane and six years for prompting the Coast Guard search. More...

FAA PROPOSES SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
The FAA has issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (PDF) that would require a broad spectrum of aviation businesses, from repair stations to airlines, to implement formal "safety management systems" that document the safety procedures throughout the operation. The International Civil Aviation Organization defines an SMS as "systematic approach to managing safety, including the necessary organizational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures." However, the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) calls it an "overarching, regulatory 'blanket' to your business" that it says even the FAA admits is a major administrative and operational burden. The AEA is urging members to comment on the NPRM but not before they attend a seminar on its potential impact. The AEA is afraid members will inadvertently signal support for the proposal if they don't get the straight goods from the meetings. More...

FAA PANEL TO REVIEW HUDSON OPERATIONS
The FAA has convened a New York Airspace Working Group that will review current operating procedures in the VFR corridor over the Hudson and East Rivers and recommend safety improvements to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt by the end of next week. FAA air traffic and safety experts will make up the panel. They will solicit comments from helicopter and aircraft operators and review air traffic and pilot procedures. They will also review and analyze a variety of proposals to change the operating procedures in the VFR corridors. "We strongly encourage pilots to use standard practices in that area now, but it may make sense to require them," Babbitt said. "We've heard a lot of other good ideas about improving safety there and I'm looking for a quick, but thorough review by the safety experts." AOPA and EAA have sent a joint letter to Babbitt urging a restrained response to the Aug. 8 midair collision that prompted the review. More...

JETPOD ENTREPRENEUR KILLED IN TEST FLIGHT
Michael Dacre, 53, was killed on Sunday in Malaysia as he was attempting to fly the prototype of the Jetpod, a jet-powered STOL aircraft. Dacre, who had designed the airplane, was the managing director of Avcen, the London-based company that was developing it. The Star, of Malaysia, reported that Dacre taxied down the runway three times before taking off, but then at about 600 feet the aircraft suddenly shot vertically into the sky, veered left, crashed to the ground and exploded. The company's promotional materials describe the Jetpod as an eight-place, very quiet twin-engine jet that would be capable of speeds up to 350 mph and could land or take off in about 400 feet. Dacre envisioned several possible roles for the airplane, including medevac, personal transport, and air taxi. The jet could also be used by the military for reconnaissance and would be able to operate from aircraft carriers without the need for a catapult or arrestor gear, according to a company video posted online. The company planned to start production by 2011. More...

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ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF OUR EAA AIRVENTURE AV8OR HANDHELD GPS DRAWING
The results are in. From the thousands of AVweb readers (new and old) who entered our drawing during the lead-up to EAA AirVenture, we've picked three at random to receive brand-new AV8OR handheld GPS units from Bendix/King by Honeywell. The winners are: Brian Mitchell of Pittsfield, ME; Ted Lebens of Eagen, MN; and Warren Jagodnik of Burke, VA. Many thanks to everyone who took a moment to enter the drawing, and a warm welcome to anyone who registered with AVweb for the first time to participate. If you'd like one of these handy devices for yourself, you'll have one more chance to take one home during our AOPA Expo drawing later in the fall — or you read more about it at the Bendix/King by Honeywell Web site, as well as find a dealer and purchase one for yourself. More...

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...

Columns | Features | What's New | Calendar | Brainteasers

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: TFRS — SAFETY, SECURITY, AND MINOR INCONVENIENCE
The lives of people in the popular resort areas of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket will be disrupted by the security measures imposed for President Barack Obama's vacation there next week. Is this really necessary? We'd like to hear your opinion.

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers if there should be tighter regulation of the VFR corridor over the Hudson River in New York City; click through to see the most popular responses. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: NTSB'S SNIT FIT
The NTSB's work is so serious, so respected, and so vital that we don't expect them to throw a fit when a group like the air traffic controllers' association issues a press release that's a little off the government message. In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli argues why we should expect better of the safety agency. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: LOSS OF CONTROL IN AN F-16 FIGHTER, TEST PILOT ON YAW DEPARTURE
At Edwards Air Force Base, they still test F-16 fighters, because each software upgrade and each new weapons package introduces new parameters. Experimental test pilots need to identify the aircraft's performance limits, and they need to know how it will perform before their brothers- and sisters-in-arms take upgraded Vipers into combat. This is one of those tests, and Air Force pilot Desmond Brophy walks us through it step-by-step. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: JAMESTOWN AVIATION (KJHW, JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK)

Our latest "FBO of the Week" was suggested by Luc Premont and the gang at Dream Aircraft, who discovered Jamestown Aviation at KJHW on the way to AirVenture. Luc writes:

On our way to Oshkosh from CZBM (Bromont, Québec, Canada), we decided to go south of the Great Lakes because of bad weather. We stopped at Jamestown Airport for fuel and an update on the weather for our next leg. Leonard J. Nalbone, the general manager, was busy like a bee with a few small jets and crew to take care of — but even as busy as he was, this guy took the time to breif us on the weather that was coming, which was pretty bad, gave us the opportunity to put our two Tundras in a hangar, and even helped us push them there. After all that, he gave us a car so we could head downtown for a meal ... . What a great way to be treated when you get down to the USA from Canada! This guy is a giving us a good reason to fly in the US.

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!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
"Two floatplane landscapes in a row?" — we asked ourselves that same question, but after you've seen this shot from Joe Wiley of Gonzales, Louisiana at full-size, we think you'll agree the decision was out of our hands. More...

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