Lycoming® — The Engines of
Choice
For a limited time, you can get a zero-time, factory-rebuilt Lycoming
engine for the price of an overhauled engine. It's built to factory-new
limits and comes with a zero-time logbook and a two-year factory
warranty. But, best of all, a Lycoming-rebuilt engine increases the
value of your airplane. To find a distributor near you and order your
zero-time, factory-rebuilt Lycoming engine, call 1 (800) 258-3279
or
visit Lycoming.com.
PILOT
SACKED OVER COCKPIT GUNFIRE REINSTATED An arbitrator has
ruled the US Airways pilot whose government-issue gun accidentally went
off in flight can have his job back. Jim Langenhahn was fired after the
2008 incident and his union is welcoming the arbitration decision. "The
company overreacted," union spokesman James Ray told CBC news. "Captain
Langenhahn has had a distinguished and untarnished record in his time at
US Airways." Langenhahn's pistol shot a hole through the aircraft's
fuselage, but the Department of Homeland Security helped his case when
it faulted the design of the captain's holster. However, the
Transportation Security Adminstration, which oversees the Federal Flight
Deck Officer program claims, the same holster design has been used by
thousands of pilots without incident. More...
Is There Anything More
Important than Protecting Your Family?
Be certain you have the right life insurance coverage. Get the
information you need to find the right policy for your family's
protection at the Pilot Insurance Center. Call PIC at (800)
380-8376 or
visit PICLife.com.
HOMEBUILDING
GUIDANCE RELEASED BY FAA After a lengthy wait and more than a
bit of hand-wringing on the part of builders and kit manufacturers, the
FAA has finally published Advisory Circular 20-27G, which forms the
approval basis for experimental/amateur-built aircraft. In the preamble,
the FAA says that "This AC is not mandatory and does not constitute a
regulation. This AC describes an acceptable means, but not the only
means, to comply certification and operation requirements of
amateur-built aircraft." However, virtually all Designated Airworthiness
Representatives and FAA inspectors look to the AC for
guidance.
Business Aviation Will Help
Companies Not Only Survive
But Prosper During the Current Financial Crisis
To be your most productive, and your most efficient, you must keep
flying. Because in so doing, you will emerge from these times even
stronger than before. And you will replace the uncertainty that
surrounds many, with the confidence and courage to light the way for
all.
Visit CessnaRise.com.
CESSNA
RESUMES CORVALIS PRODUCTION, NOT IN BEND Production of the
Columbia 350 and 400 at a plant in Bend, Ore., failed to prove
profitable for Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Co., and Cessna is now
attempting -- beginning last Tuesday -- to profitably build the design
as the Corvalis 350 and 400 at plants in Kansas and Mexico. The move,
approved in May, will turn to production very slowly, however; it's
predicted that a first aircraft to follow the move will take six months
to manufacture. The timing will allow the company to properly arrange
logistics for the complexities of the move, which includes 30 workers
moving from Bend to Independence and the move of composite construction
to Mexico. It should also clear Cessna's sitting inventory of a handful
of finished unsold Corvalis aircraft. Cessna's short-term plan has
workers assembling Corvalis planes inside its Independence paint
facility, with a move to a more permanent production line by year-end.
That line will be housed in the same facility as the company's Citation
Mustang and piston-single lines. Workers in Mexico will build up the
aircraft's composite structure, with workers in Independence performing
the various installations of avionics, engine, interior and paint that
follow, along with the work of flight-test and final delivery. At least
one source at Cessna thinks demand may be starting to recover.
More...
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. We purchase used GPS units,
avionics, and aircraft.
We are now open in Sugar Grove, IL (KARR) providing the finest avionics
installations, turbine/piston maintenance, avionics/instrument service,
internet sales, and aircraft sales. Call (800) 323-5966, or
click for more info.
PILOTS,
AIRLINES PUSH FOR NAP TIME The practice of catching a nap
while serving on the flight deck is not currently approved by the FAA,
but citing supporting evidence, pilot unions and airlines say it may be
time for the FAA to embrace the idea. British Airways, Qantas and others
have for some years allowed one pilot to sleep during the cruise portion
of some flights and some studies indicate it makes crew more alert
during critical phases of flight. "It may seem counterintuitive to folks
in the back of the plane, but it's the right thing to do," Bill Voss,
president of the Flight Safety Foundation, told The Wall Street Journal.
Besides, pilots do nap en route, according to a recent survey of
commuter pilots referenced by the Journal, which also stated simply that
"pilots say naps not only make sense, but that they also already take
them." And fatigue has long been among the top concerns of aviation
safety authorities, having been cited as a contributing factor in more
than 250 aviation fatalities since 1990. More...
Relief for Passengers and
Pilots Alike: ReliefBands for $124.95!
Every pilot is subject to a passenger experiencing nausea at some point.
Alas, an upset stomach needn't ruin a flight and force you to forever
fly alone! ReliefBands prevent motion sickness and nausea,
providing relief and enabling you to fly in the company of friends and
family without the fight. Make friends in-flight and buy today at
AeroMedix.com.
Special Limited-Time
Offer:
$5 off for AVwebFlash subscribers.
Enter coupon code AVRELB09 during checkout.
LYCOMING
PRICING DEAL EXTENDED A deal Lycoming had offered through
Aug. 31 has been extended through Dec. 4, 2009, and it means that buyers
can purchase a zero-time rebuilt engine for the price of a factory
overhaul -- but there is a catch. To take advantage of the deal, buyers
must return a Lycoming new or rebuilt engine that has never been
overhauled. "We recognize that many owners may be nervous about the
economy and so they are putting off new purchases in favor of
overhauls," said Lycoming Vice President of Marketing and Sales Todd
Stoner. Lycoming says its factory-rebuilt engines are built to the same
limits as new engines and come with trimmings like a zero-time logbook
and two-year warranty. The company hopes the program will help it retain
customers "by upgrading their overhaul service to something much more
valuable," said Stoner. Price differences between an overhaul and
zero-time rebuild translate to savings of about $3,000 on most engines.
More...
ECLIPSE
OFFERS UPGRADES Eclipse Aerospace has announced it will soon
begin modifying existing EA500 very light jets. The company is offering
FIKI and AvioNG 1.5 upgrades (performed only together, not separately)
at a cost to owners of $149,000. The new company has also invited former
Eclipse suppliers to attend an Oct. 27 meeting at Eclipse's Albuquerque
headquarters to help Eclipse begin to sort out a workable supply chain
for parts. Eclipse Aerospace does not yet have plans to resume
manufacturing operations in Albuquerque, and won't make a decision on
starting up production for at least six months. The company does have
commitments to service centers at Albuquerque's Sunport International
and Chicago's Executive Airport (formerly Palwaukee). Upgrade work is so
far being performed in Chicago, but in a memo obtained by the
Albuquerque Journal, Eclipse says it is "committed to the ABQ community
and the city of ABQ." More...
Get Flying with Affordable
Monthly Payments
With today's low rates and terms to 20 years, flying the aircraft of
your dreams is made easy with AirFleet Capital. From new and used
light-sport to light jet with private and commercial-use terms, we have
financing programs to fit your needs. Call (800) 390-4324 to
speak with a financing specialist, or
visit us online at
AirFleetCapital.com.
ON
THE FLY ... Evolution on Southwest tour... Michael Moore
on the plight of pilots... Midair aftermath photographed by
onlooker. More...
AVIATION
CONSUMER'S FLIGHT-PLANNING SOFTWARE SURVEY Do you use software for flight planning? Aviation
Consumer magazine wants to know what computer tool you prefer,
be it a package you paid for, downloaded for free, or just use on the
web. Even if you just glance at the METARs on ADDS and figure you'll
stop for gas somewhere on the way, we'd appreciate you taking a couple
of minutes to answer at least some of these questions. Hey, you might
even discover flight-planning options in the survey questions you never
knew existed. Click here to participate. 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...
Q: What's the Difference
Between a $10,000 Annual and a $2,500 Annual? A:
SAMM Mike Busch and his team of seasoned maintenance professionals are
saving their aircraft-owner clients thousands of dollars a year in parts
and labor — not to mention hours of hassle — by providing
professional maintenance management for owner-flown singles and twins.
Learn how they do it.
ABOVE
AND BEYOND FBOs are in the service business, but what Pacific
States Aviation (of Concord, Calif.) did for Shannon Biggs
and Bryan Liang in September was pretty special. AVweb's
Russ Niles speaks with everyone involved in a terrible situation that
had a big bright spot. More...
AVWEB
INSIDER BLOG: MORE THOUGHTS ON VLJ PRICE FANTASIES With its
600-series small turbofan, Pratt & Whitney probably made the
technological breakthrough on cost that it said it would. So why didn't
it break open the market? In the latest installment of our AVweb
Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli argues that it's probably because the
airframes themselves remain complex and expensive to certify. Cheap
engines don't equate to cheap airplanes. More...
EXCLUSIVE
VIDEO: GARMIN'S NEW TRAFFIC PRODUCTS At Oshkosh this year, Garmin
announced the new GT-series traffic awareness and collision avoidance
products. These devices are priced according to capability and aircraft
mission. In this video, we take a quick look at all three systems.
More...
Night Flight Training
CBT
This high-quality multimedia CD-ROM from Oxford Aviation Academy
provides the private pilot with a complete interactive night time
training course. In it, the pilot will learn about the physiological
aspects of night flying, basic instrument flying techniques, airport
lighting, night navigation, and emergencies specific to night flying.
The course concludes with a detailed account of a night flight.
AVweb's
"FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to AirFlyte, Inc. at Westfield-Barnes Airport
(KBAF) in Westfield, Massachusetts.
AVweb reader James
Labrie recommended brought AirFlyte to our attention with this tale
of stellar service:
AirFlyte's lineman professionally guided us to parking and
literally provided us with a red carpet treatment, a genuine smile, and
a giant umbrella to shield us from the light rain. We were quite
impressed with the beautiful FBO in the brand new terminal building. ...
Our children immediately entertained themselves with the Wii and giant
flat screen TV. ... I was most impressed with the courteous and prompt
service I received, in a spotless new facility. The rental car agency
and excellent dining experience all in one building added to my
satisfaction. I would definitely recommend AirFlyte to all pilots. They
treat a C-172 pilot as importantly as an executive jet pilot. I
absolutely will return to AirFlyte.
Ho, Ho Holiday Gift Guide
Offer
It's time to promote your gift items and stocking stuffers to
AVweb's 255,000 readers worldwide. Display your items starting
now for one low price to generate instant orders until 12/31. We'll
promote the Holiday Marketplace in every newsletter.
Click here to visit the Gift Guide and
have your product featured on AVweb.
My VIP passenger showed up late for a
two-hour flight. At 4,000 feet, we were halfway to the destination when
he announced his bowels needed immediate attention and landing right now
was not an option.
Me: "Chicago Center, Five Eight Six
Five Papa requests an immediate landing at Kankakee for a 10-minute
stop, then continue with no change in flight
plan."
ATC: "What's the reason for the request,
sir?"
Me: "From the expression on his face, I'd say my
passenger has his sphincter at max pucker. And the successful outcome of
the effort is seriously in doubt."
ATC (after a long pause)
: "Six Five Papa, call me when airborne. And good luck to
all!"
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AVwebFlash is a weekly
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The
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Editorial Director,
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Bertorelli
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Pew
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