LORAN-C PHASE-OUT STARTS FEB. 8
The Coast Guard says LORAN-C isn't necessary for maritime navigation and the Department of Homeland Security says it's not needed as a backup for GPS, so by Feb. 8, you may not have it available to you, either. That has some pilots very concerned about the lack of a land-based redundancy for GPS. That doesn't seem to concern authorities who call it "an antiquated system no longer required by the armed forces, the transportation sector or the nation's security interests." The decision considers that LORAN-C is only used by "a small percentage of the population," and that those users "will have to shift to GPS or other systems." The bottom line is this: "LORAN-C is no longer prudent use of taxpayer funds and is not allowed under the 2010 DHS Appropriation Act," according to the Coast Guard. More...

NTSB AMENDS ACCIDENT REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
The NTSB has published a final rule amending its regulations and reporting requirements regarding aircraft accidents and specifying the sort of accidents that must be reported immediately. Incidents making the list now include specific EFIS system and PFD or PND failures, and specific collision avoidance system advisories received while operating on an instrument flight plan or in class A airspace. Also included are powerplant issues including turbine component failure resulting in debris thrown anywhere other than out the exhaust path, and propeller failure resulting from anything other than a ground strike. Along with all that, air carriers will be required to report any landing or departure from a taxiway or use of the wrong runway. There is more. More...

ECI ANNOUNCES PROPOSED AMOC FOR TITAN CYLINDER AD
ECi has submitted to the FAA an alternate method of compliance (AMOC) that addresses inspections required by an FAA AD affecting some 18,000 ECi parallel valve "TITAN" cylinders available for Lycoming 320, 360 and 540 engines. The AD was issued on the last day of 2009 and the inspections aim to spot cracking at the head-to-barrel joint. ECi's approach has not yet been approved by the FAA and there's no guarantee that it will be, but ECi president Glen Golden believes the company's fix will leave owners with a reworked cylinder that "will never" cause owners worry again. ECi will provide the rework free of charge for affected TITAN cylinders installed on experimental aircraft. However, the process does cost time. More...

FAA: CVR/FDR UPGRADES DELAYED
The FAA says it has delayed until December a deadline originally set for April 10 that requires manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus to install upgraded cockpit voice and flight-data recorders, because manufacturers failed to plan ahead. Manufacturers petitioned for additional time in what the FAA calls a "decision by the industry not to comply" on time with a final rule that announced in March of 2008 the April 2010 compliance deadline. The rule requires cockpit voice recorders to have 10 minutes of backup power after aircraft systems are lost and requires flight data recorders to provide better collection of flight control movement data. The FAA says the manufacturers' petitions appear to have been motivated by the manufacturers' failure to plan ahead for the acquisition of the equipment necessary for compliance. According to the FAA, the manufacturers said they simply can't get the parts on time to meet the original deadline. More...

PIPISTREL LSA EXPANDS, HINTS AT "REVOLUTIONARY" NEW DESIGN
2009 was the "most successful year in Pipistrel's 22 year history," seeing increased production and sales, plus the hiring of new employees, the company announced this week. Translated into numbers, Pipistrel's production and sales increased by more than 50 percent when compared to its 2008 numbers. It completed its 300th aircraft from the Sinus-Virus light sport aircraft family and the 50th Taurus model. That boom led the company to hire 11 new employees in 2009, building the company's total personnel to 60. Looking ahead, the company says its order positions for 2010 "have already been sold out to around June." It has distributed as profit sharing to employees some of the 10 million Euros it generated last year "as a reward for their outstanding performance and service." The company has also invested about 1 million Euro into an all-new project that it calls "revolutionary." More...

FIRST AIRLINER WAAS APPROACH
The passengers aboard a Horizon Air flight to Portland in late December got there on time and made history in doing so. They were aboard the first Part 121 passenger flight to complete a WAAS Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) and without the satellite-based gear they would likely have ended up somewhere else. It was a typical winter day in the Pacific Northwest and the ILS was out in Portland so only aircraft with WAAS-capable GPS gear aboard were getting in. Horizon, which flies in some of the most challenging terrain and weather anywhere as the regional arm of Alaska Airlines, is equipping all its 40 Bombardier Q400s with Universal Avionics' WAAS-enabled flight management systems, enabling them to fly any WAAS approach, improving accessibility to airports on their routes and giving greater flexibility in picking alternates. More...

BOEING SAVES LOCKHEED CONSTELLATION
A Lockheed Constellation whose history includes flying in Canada, life as a restaurant in Toronto and twenty years left alone in the woods has found salvation and a new life at Boeing Field's Museum of Flight in Seattle, Wash. Currently, the Connie is undergoing restoration at Boeing's Plant 2 building thanks in part to a large financial contribution from an anonymous donor but also because of a bureaucratic victory. The restoration begat a two-year bureaucratic fight over ownership of the aircraft. At that time, the project was in the U.S., but Canada stepped forward to claim the until then much-neglected Connie as "a priceless piece of Canada's heritage," according to the Seattle Times. Ultimately, however, no Canadian institution stepped forward to buy the plane and the restoration project was kicked into high gear. The aircraft is set to go on display at the Museum of Flight later this year. More...

AVMAIL: JANUARY 11, 2010

Letter of the Week: eAPIS Is Easy

I had the opportunity to fly my GA aircraft with three passengers from Key West to Grand Cayman for the holidays this past December. I had completed the eAPIS tutorial six months ago and felt more than a little intimidated by it. I was reading this week's issue of AVwebFlash and noticed an article indicating a commercial firm would now do the work for you for $99 a year as well as customs declarations.

I confess that until I actually did the online eAPIS for the real thing, I might have considered the fee. Now I can honestly say it was very easy, intuitive, and it saved everything to complete at another time, just the way I'd left it. I had completed both the departure and arrival manifests before I left the country and had CBP approval literally within several minutes of submitting them. Pleasantly, the agents did not want the old 1380 arrival form and said eAPIS had replaced it. I was also told that they plan to upgrade it soon so that you will be able to store recurring passengers and trip manifests for future use. All in all, it was an unexpectedly pleasant experience.

Bruce Elliott

Click through to read the rest of this week's letters.

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

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: FILMS YOU GOTTA WATCH
What is it about World War II pilot training films that make them so interesting to watch? Paul Bertorelli offers no answers in his latest post to our AVweb Insider blog — but he does have plenty of links, so you can watch a few and develop your own theories. Click here to revisit the golden of training films. More...

JET MARKET STABILIZING
There are still lean times ahead for aircraft manufacturers, but the freefall of the last 18 months seems to be ending. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with the Teal Group's Richard Aboulafia about where the market is headed in the next 18 months. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: SMA'S CESSNA CONVERSION — ONE CLUB'S EXPERIENCE
Despite good fuel specifics and power-to-weight ratio, SMA's Jet A-fueled SR305 hasn't made major inroads into the aircraft engine market. The Paramus Flying Club in New Jersey converted one its 182s to diesel power nearly a year ago, and in this joint report by AVweb and Aviation Consumer magazine, we report on the club's encouraging operational experience. More...

15 YEARS AND NOW 15 GRAND GIVEAWAYS ... IT'S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A BOSE AVIATION HEADSET X

Win a Bose Aviation X headset as we celebrate our 15th Anniversary! All you have to do is click here to enter your name and e-mail address. (You only have to enter once, and you'll be entered in our prize drawings for the entire year — so if you've already entered, you're all set.)

And no, we're not going to rent or sell your name, ever. Tell your friends, and invite them to sign up for AVweb so they can qualify for our 15 Grand Giveaways prize drawings, too. (We won't spam them, either — but we hope they will sign up for our newsletters.)

Deadline for entries is 11:59pm Zulu time Friday, January 29, 2010.

Click here to read the contest rules and enter.

FBO OF THE WEEK: BUSINESS JET CENTER (OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA)

With the holidays behind us, AVweb readers are criss-crossing the skies with their usual fervor once again — and telling us about the outstanding FBOs they encounter along the way. Our latest "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Business Jet Center at Oakland International Airport (KOAK) in Oakland, California.

Student pilot Erika Amir tells us why BJC is a favorite destination:

[T]he service can't be beat! They have beautiful facilities, and I'm always greeted with a smile. There have been many days that I've enjoyed a cold drink after a hot afternoon in the plane and have always been glad for the air-conditioned lobby. The folks who work the line are professional and friendly and are always willing to go the extra mile. I definitely recommend Biz Jet!

Click here to tell us about your favorite FBO. 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!

SHORT FINAL

Heard a funny one from NorCal Approach last Saturday.

NorCal:
"Cessna 1234Z, you have traffic at 2 o'clock, about 1,000 feet below you."

1234Z:
"Roger, NorCal. I see the traffic; it's a red helicopter."

NorCal:
"O.K., but they're all green to me."

Terry Blumenthal
via e-mail

MEET THE AVWEBFLASH TEAM

AVwebFlash 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:

Publisher
Timothy Cole

Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli

Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles

Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew

Features Editor
Kevin Lane-Cummings

Webmaster
Scott Simmons

Contributors
Jeff van West
Mariano Rosales

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