IN-COCKPIT VIDEO OF OLD RHINEBECK MISHAP
There's been nothing written (that we can find, anyway) about an accident involving the New Standard biplane used for giving rides at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, but this video, posted on YouTube about 10 days ago, tells quite a tale. According to the reader who sent us the YouTube link, the accident reportedly happened July 26 and, from the video, appears to be an off-runway excursion into a nasty ravine filled with big rocks. As might be expected, the off-roading takes a toll on the wood and fabric but doesn't seem to have banged up the pilot and his passengers, one of whom kept the camera rolling through the whole accident and aftermath. There is no NTSB report on the mishap, and FAA incident reports are only available for the last 10 business days. The museum's web site says only that biplane rides are suspended until Labor Day weekend, but it's not clear whether the crash airplane will be fixed or a replacement found for rides. More...

NTSB ON HUDSON MIDAIR, RECOMMENDS SFRA, AND MORE
The NTSB Thursday recommended (among other things) that the FAA create a special flight rules area (with vertical separation for heli and fixed wing traffic) and pilot training specific to what is currently the Hudson River class B exclusion area (a.k.a. VFR corridor). The NTSB issued five operational changes delivered in the form of safety recommendations to the FAA as a result of its ongoing investigation into the midair collision of a Piper PA-32R-300 and a Eurocopter AS350 BA flying in the Hudson River class B exclusion area that killed all nine aboard both aircraft earlier this month. The recommendations come just weeks after the NTSB publicly noted that the FAA had failed to act on "scores of the safety recommendations" the board has previously passed on to the FAA. Aside from the SFRA, the new recommendations ask the FAA to revise ATC procedures for the exclusion area and to brief controllers about the accident and remind them to stay vigilant while on duty. More...

OAKLAND CENTER CONTROLLERS RESORT TO CELL PHONES
Landline and radio communications at Oakland Center both failed for several minutes Wednesday morning, leaving controllers to orchestrate via cellphone with surrounding facilities to separate aircraft over the large area for which the center is responsible. Now, controllers are asking why. The outage, which lasted for at least 15 minutes between what the FAA said was 8:12 and 8:27 a.m., drove more than half the controllers at the facility to mobile phones as their communication relay in what is actually part of the FAA's contingency plans for such an outage. During the outage both Oakland Center and airport tower controllers worked without the normal amount of data they use to keep traffic moving efficiently. Both the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said the outage was likely caused by unnamed subcontractors. The failure seems to have occurred after the subcontractors put the system on a backup line while working on a problem with the main lines. Controllers were not made aware of any changes and a portion of the backup system failed. After its controllers delayed five flights, denied access to Oakland Center's airspace for any additional aircraft, and managed to keep all other aircraft properly separated, NATCA had some questions for the FAA. More...

ICAS SAYS RECORD YEAR LIKELY
With only two months remaining in the 2009 North American airshow season -- as defined by the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) -- the 2009 season "will see record attendance," according to ICAS. That means ICAS believes attendance figures for 2009 will be greater than any prior year. The organization projects that 2009 attendance in the United States will be 20 percent higher than 2008, which itself saw a jump of roughly 13 percent over the previous year. For this year, ICAS president John Cudahy says, "we've yet to hear from even a single air show with lower attendance than they had expected" and "most are reporting record attendance." ICAS is attributing the surge in part to the economic downturn forcing people to embrace the concept of the "staycation." Pursuing their own cause, ICAS notes also that attendance is down as much as 13% at certain popular amusement parks and that America's pastime, major league baseball, has seen a 6% drop-off in attendance. ICAS is projecting that by mid-November, some 16 million people will have attended more than 400 airshows in the U.S. More...

VINTAGE WINGS TIGER MOTH CRASHES

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A British pilot is recovering in an Ottawa, Ontario hospital after the vintage Tiger Moth he was flying crashed shortly after takeoff from nearby Gatineau Airport on Friday. Howard Cook suffered some broken bones and lacerations and underwent surgery to repair the damage and is expected to make a full recovery. The aircraft is part of the Vintage Wings of Canada collection, which is owned by Canadian businessman Michael Potter and it's the first crash of one of the faithfully restored aircraft in the collection. Vintage Wings of Canada pilot Dave Hadfield (whom AVweb interviewed in a P-40 cockpit tour video made at AirVenture Oshkosh last month) said in a podcast interview that Cook is a passionate vintage aircraft pilot who flies for the famed Duxford Museum in England and is an associate pilot with Vintage Wings. Hadfield said Cook is the consummate pilot and his first question was about the condition of the aircraft. More...

787 ON SCHEDULE ... FOR YEAR-END 2010
Originally scheduled to fly its highly efficient composite-built 787 Dreamliner in August 2007, Boeing announced Thursday it has reset the aircraft's first flight date to year-end 2009 with first deliveries now estimated for year-end 2010. Earlier this year, the company had announced the jet was on track to fly before July. Days later Boeing revealed it had learned the airliner's wing would need to be re-engineered and that the aircraft's schedule would be derailed altogether until that issue was resolved -- a period that lasted approximately two months. The delays and uncertainty have caused order cancelations (more than 70 this year, the Wall Street Journal reported) and deferrals from some operators. Qantas and Virguin Atlantic, for example, have dropped their short-term interest all together, going with the Airbus 330 instead. The Dreamliner's new test schedule is padded; Boeing told the Journal it includes "some cushion ... against the possibility of unknowns." The company is confident in the fix and the jet still holds about 850 orders; Boeing will be ramping up production by 2013, when it hopes to be putting out 10 Dreamliners each month. More...

OLDER BUSINESS JETS VALUES FALL
In going over pre-owned aircraft figures, Conklin & de Decker, an aviation consulting firm, finds that more than 25% of "older business jets" are currently for sale and that will have an impact on the business jet market and its recovery, with new designs leading the charge. For business jets built before the mid-1990s the company believes values are falling and "won't likely recover." This is due in part to their higher relative operating costs and lower economic useful life remaining that make these jets a tough sell "at nearly any price." Jets built from the mid '90s to the early 2000s "should see a mild recovery that may not happen until 2012, which complicates matters when it comes to resale. By then, many more new efficient alternatives should be available on the market while these older jets will be reaching their first decade in service. That said, Conklin & de Decker finds that the youngest jets will offer the best value and therefore "will recover first and strongest." The younger aircraft will be the group that is currently less than about five years old. The company's best guess sees a business jet recovery becoming apparent in 2010 with better years returning in 2012, even though the current market has jets being offered at values that "are about as good as it gets." More...

CANADA STANDS UP FOR AGE-SIXTY-PLUS PILOTS
Air Canada still has a mandatory pilot retirement age of 60, and Raymond Hall (who last month was forced to retire) has found support from the Canadian Human Rights Commission for his desire to continue working. The Commission's ruling found that Air Canada's policy is unconstitutional and Air Canada now has 30 days to appeal. If the ruling is upheld, it is possible that Hall could seek to continue his career, but the pilot may have other designs. It seems he's been nominated by Conservatives in Winnipeg South Centre to run for federal office in Canada. Hall is already part of another group called Fly Past 60, which was formed by Air Canada pilots to protest the airline's mandatory retirement age. But even if his influence stops there, Hall is optimistic that his case before the Human Rights Commission, if upheld, could affect workers across a range of federal industries. More...

AIRPORT'S SALE COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF AIRPORT
Owned by Daryl Habich for three decades, Firstair Field in Monroe, Wash., a privately owned, public-use, 2,087-foot paved strip, is for sale and its proximity to local fairgrounds suggests to some that it may be destined to become a parking lot. That would put it in line with the loss of about one airport per month reported by AOPA and an FAA reported trend that's seen the public use airport population decline from more than 5,350 in 1998 to about 5,200 in 2008, reports Washington's Hearald.net. The 32-acre property has attracted some interest, but none much more solid than Snohomish County, which may absorb the property as part of its long-term plans for the Evergreen State Fairgrounds. A county spokesperson contacted by the Herald said "there is no plan at this point for its potential use," and that it's listed in plans for the fairground simply because it's for sale. But that's not Habich's preference. 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...

AVIATION CONSUMER'S ROTAX AIRCRAFT ENGINE SURVEY
Do you own or operate an aircraft equipped with a Rotax engine? Our sister magazine, Aviation Consumer, wants to hear from you about its reliability, maintenance costs, factory and field support, and about your overall satisfaction with the engine.

Please take a moment to complete this survey and share your operational experience!

(The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click here.) More...

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

PILOT RECOVERING AFTER TIGER MOTH CRASH
Howard Cook, a British pilot visiting Vintage Wings of Canada in Gatineau, Québec, is in the hospital recovering from injuries suffered in the crash of the collection's Tiger Moth last Friday. Vintage Wings volunteer pilot Dave Hadfield spoke with AVweb's Russ Niles about the accident, Cook's condition, and the organization's response to the mishap. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: NTSB'S HUDSON CORRIDOR RECOMMENDATIONS? MIXED
Once again, says resident blogger Paul Bertorelli on the AVweb Insider, the NTSB jumps the gun on the Hudson corridor midair by issuing a round of recommendations before the accident probe is completed. Although the recommendations make sense (mostly), they also won't fix the problem, because there is no problem to fix. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: BATTERIES SHOULD GO BY SHIP, NOT AIRPLANE
ALPA would like the FAA to ban lithium batteries from being shipped by air. They're right, says AVweb's Paul Bertorelli on the AVweb Insider blog — though he doesn't understand why the industry won't just refuse to carry them. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: NORTH STAR AVIATION (RAVALLI COUNTY AIRPORT, 6S5, HAMILTON, MT)

There's nothing like firsthand experience when it comes to planning a route with great FBOs along the way.

AVweb reader Joseph Barber had been to this week's top FBO, North Star Aviation at Ravalli County Airport (6S5) in Hamilton, Montana, two years ago and remembered the positive experience:

I first discovered North Star ... when making an ice run during an especially hot camping trip in Moose Creek. The FBO was unusually friendly and helpful then. This past week, during another back country stay, I discovered a maintenance problem and limped in to Hamilton on a Friday afternoon. Herman, the A & P, efficiently took care of the problem and sent me on my way, at far less cost than I was anticipating. The following Sunday, on our way back home to Seattle, we stopped for fuel to discover the owner hosting a pancake breakfast.

This is an unusually friendly and capable FBO, as helpful to back country campers as it is to the turboprops and jets it services.

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!

VIDEO: BELARUSSIAN SU-27 CRASHES AT POLISH AIR SHOW
The pilot and backseater aboard a Belarussian Su-27 fighter died Sunday when the aircraft failed to recover from loop at an air show in Radom, Poland. A bird strike is being reported as a factor in the crash, but so far there is no explanation as to why the crew members didn't eject. More...

SHORT FINAL

Last week, while helping a friend move his airplane from El Monte airport to Hawthorne airport, we were on approach into El Monte when I heard the aviation equivalent of "Who's on First":

El Monte Tower:
"Helicopter 11 Alpha, say parking."

Helicopter 11A (heavy foreign accent) :
"Uh, please repeat."

El Monte Tower:
"Helicopter 11 Alpha, say parking."

Helicopter 11A:
"Alpha, Parking."

El Monte Tower (using a slow, deliberate tone) :
"Helicopter One-One-Alpha: Say parking on El Monte Airport."

Helicopter 11A:"Parking on El Monte airport, Helicopter 11 Alpha."

A slight pause in the interchange, and then:

Helicopter 11A:"11 Alpha requesting take-off with left downwind departure."

I landed uneventfully, dropped off my friend at his hangar, and taxied back out for take-off. When I was cleared for take-off and while taxiing onto the runway, I asked:

(Me, to the Tower):
"Do you suppose that guy in the helicopter ever figured out who's on first?"

El Monte Tower (uproarious laughter in the background) :
"I doubt it."

Bill Allen
via e-mail

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