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Pilots who fly high-performance amateur-built aircraft need to be aware of their slow-flight and stall characteristics, the FAA said last week. In an "information for operators" bulletin (PDF), the FAA said Lancairs and other amateur-built
aircraft with high wing loading and stall speeds higher than 61 knots have prompted concern due to a "large and disproportionate" number of accidents. Most of the accidents were due to inadvertent
stall/spins while at slower airspeeds in home airport traffic patterns. Joseph Bartels, owner of Lancair Intl., based in Redmond, Ore., told the Bend Bulletin proper training is the key to improving the
safety record. He said pilots who fly Lancairs should train with instructors who are familiar with the aircraft and practice how to "avoid any adverse flight characteristics ... no matter what the
speed." The FAA suggested four steps that pilots should take to improve safety.
First, the FAA said, pilots should be sure they thoroughly understand their airplane's flight characteristics, and get some intensive training with an instructor who is familiar with their make and
model. Second, owners should install an angle-of-attack indicator and/or a stall warning indicator, and be sure they are properly calibrated. Third, builders should have their airplane evaluated by
mechanics who have expertise in their type of aircraft. Fourth, pilots should consider using a qualified test pilot to evaluate the flight characteristics of their airplane.
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Even though everyone had survived, for Peter Burkill, captain of the British Airways Boeing 777 that in 2008 crashed short of the runway at Heathrow, the drama was in many ways just beginning. The
crash was, in Burkill's words, "unprecedented" as was, for Burkill, the personal impact it had on his life. The airliner had suffered a double-engine rollback on short final. With everyone alive, and
the plane's voice and flight data recorders in the hands of investigators, answers should have been quick in coming. But they weren't. Burkill found that along with the absence of answers came
speculation and he quickly found himself as a target at its center. Last week, AVweb's Glenn Pew spoke with Burkill in a podcast about the
captain's experience of the crash itself. This Friday's podcast will cover the story of what happened next.
Eager to share his account after the crash, and after one early interview, Burkill says he was soon held quiet by his employer during the ongoing investigations at both British Airways and the Air
Accidents Investigation Branch. As those investigations stretched from days to months to years, Burkill, explains that his experienced reality was often taking second seat to speculative perception --
even within British Airways. And Burkill was paying a price. Friday's podcast covers Burkill's experience in the aftermath of the crash and is offered it in two parts (Part 1 and Part
2, for easier download), or one full-length version.
Organizers of the Centennial of Women Pilots, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first pilot certificate awarded to a woman,
set a record this month by introducing 310 girls and women around the world, ages 2 to 70, to their first flight in a general aviation aircraft. The flights took place in eight countries on three
continents, in 20 different kinds of aircraft, including balloons, gliders, ultralights, airplanes and helicopters, during the week of March 6 to 12. The group now plans to extend the effort for the
rest of this year, with the goal to introduce 2,010 girls and women to aviation in 2010. In the last 100 years, the percentage of women who are doctors and lawyers has increased significantly, noted
Mireille Goyer, a Canadian pilot who is spearheading the challenge. "Our goal is to grow the women pilots' population to at least [a comparable] level within the next 100 years," she said.
Many pilots who registered to participate during the challenge week were stymied by wintry weather. The organizers hope that by extending the challenge to a full year, everyone who wants to take
part will have the opportunity. Male pilots are also welcome to participate by taking a woman or girl for a flight. The Web site has a list of FAQs for anyone who would like to take part, and you can register online.
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At a contentious hearing on Tuesday, an Oregon judge said he will decide on Friday who can take over the bankrupt Epic Aircraft company. After five hours of testimony, "there was a sense that any
of the three contestants could still walk away with Epic's remains, either alone or in some combination," according to a report in The Oregonian. The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) entered the highest
bid for the company in last week's auction, $4.3 million in cash, but the final decision on the company's fate is up to the judge. The LT Builders Group, formed by seven owners of Epic airplanes,
pressed their case, and though Judge Randall Dunn critiqued their business projections as "pathetic ... incompetent ... unacceptable ... useless," he said he found the testimony from group leader
Daryl Ingalsbe "very credible." The third bidder, Harlow Aerostructures, based in Wichita, Kan., has been a supplier to the aerospace industry
since 1954. On Friday, the three bidders will have another chance to present their arguments and to explore new ways to perhaps make deals among themselves or to split up various assets of the
company.
Lawyers for AVIC said they recently found that Epic had a defense contract, which could raise issues about Chinese ownership. However, AVIC is not interested in that aspect of the business and
would be willing to exclude it from their purchase. Lawyers for the company said they also would be willing to take on a partner to run the company's U.S. operations. The Epic line includes several variations of two basic designs, a pressurized single-engine turboprop and a small light jet.
Less than a year after they took over the type design for the Eclipse very light jet, the owners of Eclipse Aerospace say they are
ready to offer a limited number of fully functional copies to new owners. "The EA500 is a sophisticated, high-performance, economic twin jet with low operating costs, low environmental impact and
uncompromised safety," said Mason Holland, president of Eclipse Aerospace. "In their rush to deliver the aircraft, the former manufacturer of the EA500 [Eclipse Aviation Corporation] delivered to
owners an aircraft that was only about 85 percent complete. These aircraft were great performers, but still lacked several important features. We now have completed the design and engineering of the
EA500." The "Total Eclipse" jet now includes FIKI (Flight Into Known Icing) and a GPS-coupled autopilot. The company had acquired unfinished jets during the bankruptcy, and bought some back from
owners. It is offering the jets ready-to-fly, with a factory warranty, at $2.15 million. Owners who took delivery of the original Eclipse jets can trade theirs in for a credit of up to $1.7
million.
The company plans to eventually restart the production line and produce brand-new jets. With that in mind, a limited number of the Total Eclipse jets will be sold with a "buy-back" provision.
Eclipse Aerospace will agree to repurchase the aircraft for a guaranteed amount that can be applied toward a first-year production slot when EA500 manufacturing resumes. "The Total Eclipse program is
the most comprehensive and important action we have taken to date as we expand our support for EA500 owners," said Holland. "We are proud that with this announcement, Eclipse Aerospace is delivering on the
full promise of the Eclipse 500."
The New Meridian G1000 — Commanding
The new Meridian G1000 with Garmin G1000 avionics and GFC 700 autopilot suite, business jet luxury and turbine simplicity for 30% less than any comparable six-place turbine-powered aircraft.
With a panel as commanding as the airplane, and a million dollars less than its closest competitor, "Pilot in Command" means precisely that.
The NTSB is sending an investigator to San Francisco to figure out how a United Boeing 777 and an Cessna 182 came within 300 feet vertically and 1,500 feet laterally of one another over the city on
Saturday. An earlier NTSB news release said the light aircraft was an Aeronca Chief and that it came "within 300 feet" of the 777. The NTSB has since issued a corrected release. The FAA is also
involved and appear to be blaming the SFO tower controller for the loss of separation. In a comment to the Associated Press, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor told AP the controller should have noticed the
potential conflict earlier and is taking "strong measures to make sure something similar does not occur in the future." According to the NTSB, the crew of the 777, operating as Flight 889 to Beijing,
took evasive action at about 1,100 feet just after retracting the gear. The airliner's TCAS was triggered and the controller was in contact with both aircraft. The incident happened about 11:15 a.m.
local time.
According to the NTSB, the crew spotted the 182 in a hard left turn traveling from their one o'clock to three o'clock position and the first officer pushed the yoke forward to level the aircraft.
The flight continued to Beijing. There were 251 passengers and 17 crew on the 777. The number of occupants on the 182 wasn't immediately known.
On Saturday, the crew of United Flight 889, a Boeing 777 with 251 passengers and 17 crew, reported they came within 300 feet of an Aeronca Chief while on initial climbout from San Francisco
International. As the airliner took off, the tower controller warned the pilot of the Chief, who reported having the 777 in sight, to get behind the airliner. The encounter set off the TCAS in the
777, and the crew was clearly not amused. The exchange is in the same order, but we've edited out extraneous transmissions and gaps.
AeroExpo UK: 25-27 June 2010 Established, proven, and successful! It is the exhibition to attend in the U.K., whether you are interested in learning to fly or are already a pilot and want to view the latest
products available! Showcasing ALL sections of the market, including the latest aircraft available — from light aircraft, or pistons and turboprops from all the major manufacturers, to gliders
and power gliders;
AeroExpo UK at Wycombe Air Park (EGTB) has them covered.
Pilots need more training in the use of glass cockpit technology, the NTSB said this week. The safety board issued six recommendations (PDF) to the FAA as a follow-up to a recent report that found
advanced cockpits are not helping to prevent accidents in the general aviation fleet. "Advanced avionics and electronic displays can increase the safety potential of general aviation aircraft
operations," the NTSB says, "...but more effort is needed to ensure that pilots are prepared to realize that potential." The safety board said the FAA can take several steps to help improve the impact
of the technology.
The FAA should revise airman knowledge tests to include questions about using electronic flight and navigation displays, the board said. Also, manufacturers should provide more information about
how to deal with system problems. All FAA training materials for pilots should include information about electronic primary flight displays, and their operation should be part of pilot proficiency
requirements. The use of simulators and trainers for meeting training requirements needs to be clarified, the board said. Also, the FAA should inform maintenance technicians who work on the displays
that it's important for them to file service difficulty reports about any malfunctions or defects they find in electronic primary, flight, navigation and control systems. The FAA now can consider the
recommendations and respond to the NTSB when it's ready.
Several new items of interest to pilots are now available on the Internet. The NTSB has posted its complete probable-cause report (pdf) on last year's fatal Colgan Air crash. The 285-page document details the board's findings and analysis, as well as the conclusions and recommendations that were announced at a hearing a few weeks ago. A transcript of the cockpit voice recorder is included in the appendix. For pilots who
fly into the Caribbean, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted an update of its policy regarding screening of passengers (PDF). And the FAA has issued a Notam (PDF) detailing a number of special procedures in place April 11 to 18 in
the central Florida region during the Sun 'n Fun fly-in.
Also, a letter to airmen (PDF) from the Tampa control tower notes several special procedures
that pilots can expect to be in use at the Lakeland airport during the show. Pilots who fly across the U.S. border also should note that Customs told AOPA this week that it will soon be sending
warning notices to pilots whose paperwork isn't fully compliant with the latest rules. The agency has been easygoing so far about enforcing its rules, but AOPA said that appears to be changing. Failure to properly file passenger manifests can incur penalties of $5,000
for the first violation and $10,000 for each subsequent violation.
Ascend to New Heights
Engineered from the ground up, the all-new Ascend headset by Telex is finely tuned to provide superior performance in a bold new design.
Boeing insists the first 787 Dreamliner will be delivered to launch customer All Nippon Airways by the end of this year even though it hasn't started certification flight testing yet. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Jim Albaugh, head of Boeing's
commercial airplane unit, said snags in pre-certification flight testing, one of which resulted in the shutdown of an engine, have caused delays but he said there was some cushion in the schedule.
Four of the six test aircraft are flying and have accumulated about 400 hours, but Albaugh agreed there is much to do before Dec. 31. "Some people said that when the first plane actually flew we could
breathe a sigh of relief because we had retired the technical risk," Albaugh told the Journal. "Nothing could be further from the truth."
The Dreamliner is about two-and-a-half years behind schedule and the delays have cost billions in penalties. More delays would not only cost more in penalties but could damage the credibility of
the program in a tight airliner market. Boeing said it's optimistic the 787 passed a crucial milestone Sunday when it underwent the ultimate load test. The wings were flexed upward 25 feet and the
airframe hit with 150 percent of its design stress limit and it appears to have passed, although the data hasn't been fully analyzed. Dreamliners are also starting to get out a bit more. One was in
Montana and another spent time in California as the company tests it in extreme conditions.
Bombardier has reached a $3.9 billion deal with China Development Bank Corporation's (CDBC) leasing department that could give it an important edge in selling aircraft in China. The bank has agreed
to make the money available to airlines interested in buying aircraft from Bombardier. Although the financing will be available to overseas carriers, the funding will make it easier for domestic
carriers to finance purchases from Bombardier, which is developing the 100-to-130-seat CSeries airliners. The fuselage for the aircraft will be built by Shenyang Aircraft Corp., which broke ground on
the new factory last week.
The CDBC deal will be available for pre-delivery payment financing, delivery financing and leasing solutions to customers of Bombardier's CSeries, Q400 and CRJ aircraft. China is expected to be
among the biggest customers for new airliners in coming years. It is developing its own regional jet.
Have you signed up yet for AVweb's no-cost weekly business aviation newsletter, AVwebBiz?
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Add AVwebBiz to your AVweb subscriptions today by clicking here and choosing "Update E-mail Subscriptions."
Over 18,000 Happy GAMIjectors® Customers Can't Be Wrong! GAMIjectors® have given these aircraft owners reduced cylinder head temperatures, reduced fuel consumption, and smoother engine operation. GAMIjectors® alter the fuel/air
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Last week, we asked if the time has come for an overhaul of the flight training system. Our informal poll revealed that most respondents are in favor of a revamp but are wary of
throwing out the baby with the bath water. Accounting for 49% of responses, this option greatly outstripped all the other choices we offered: For much of training, the old standards work well
— but there must be more emphasis on new technology and the coming changes to airspace management.
Where are you headed and what will take you there? Air show season begins in earnest in two weeks with Sun 'n Fun going from April 13-18. We'd like to hear your aviation event travel
plans for 2010.
Have an idea for a new "Question of the Week"? Send your suggestions to
.
NOTE: This address is only for suggested "QOTW" questions, and not for "QOTW" answers or comments.
Use this form to send "QOTW" comments to our AVmail Editor.
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. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part.
Peter Drucker Says, "The Best Way to Predict the Future Is to Create It"
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If you like your aviation information to come straight out of the AIM, umm — this is not that. In this week's video, Paul Bertorelli takes a somewhat biting look into the heads
of CFIs who teach their students to fly traffic patterns that would be too large for a Triple Seven.
Don't see a video screen?
Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page.
If that doesn't work, click here to download the video directly.
There's a certain amount of discomfort that comes from discovering the top two picks, the cream of the crop, the best-of-the-best candidates for the leader of the Transportation Security
Administration are a couple of guys you wouldn't want dating your sister. At least it's given AVweb editor-in-chief Russ Niles a moment's pause. In the latest installment of our AVweb
Insider blog, Russ explains why President Obama needs to go back to the drawing board in seeking a new chief for the TSA.
Win an XM WX Satellite Weather receiver from WxWorx as we continue the celebration of AVweb's 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 April 9, 2010.
Congratulations to Colleen Keller of San Diego, California, who won a Garmin 510 aera handheld GPS in our last drawing! (click here to get your own Garmin aera)
AVweb's latest "FBO of the Week" is one we're adding to our own charts — PAI Aero at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (KBTR)
in (where else?) Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
AVweb reader Dave Beckwith calls PAI simply "the best" FBO in the area. Sure, they have great customer service and good prices, but what made Dave take a moment to nominate them as
an FBO of the week was something we don't normally hear about FBOs: "There's so much to see! Especially the FW190 restoration project."
A World War II warbird restoration to check out and gab about while refueling? It's true — learn more and watch video here — and
probably quite the attraction at KBTR.
Each week, we go through dozens (and sometimes hundreds) of reader-submitted photos and pick the very best to share with you on Thursday mornings. The top photos are featured on
AVweb's home page, and one photo that stands above the others is awarded an AVweb baseball cap as our "Picture of the Week." Want to see your photo on
AVweb.com? Click here to submit it to our weekly contest.
*** THIS WEEK'S WINNERS ***
This week's edition of "Picture of the Week" goes live on April Fools' Day — but we're not foolin' about the quality of our latest batch of photos!
Keith Wilson of Ramsey, Cambridgeshire (England) got our blood pumping with this shot — and another, which you can find in this week's
slideshow on the AVweb home page.
Do we detect a touch of April tomfoolery, after all? Gordon R. Richards of Livingston, Texas snapped this photo at just the right moment to bring a
smile to our faces.
A quick note for submitters: If you've got several photos that you feel are "POTW" material, your best bet is to submit them one-a-week! That gives your photos a greater chance of
seeing print on AVweb, and it makes the selection process a little easier on us, too. ;)
A Reminder About Copyrights:
Please take a moment to consider the source of your image before submitting to our "Picture of the Week" contest. If you did not take the photo yourself, ask yourself if you are indeed authorized to
release publication rights to AVweb. If you're uncertain, consult the POTW Rules or or send us an e-mail.
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
Click here to send a letter to the
editor. (Please let us know if your letter is not intended for publication.)
Comments or questions about the news should be sent here.
Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? A question on marketing? Send it to AVweb's sales team.
If you're having trouble reading this newsletter in its HTML-rich format (or if you'd prefer a lighter, simpler format for your PDA or handheld device), there's also a text-only
version of AVwebFlash. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here.
Search for aircraft (hourly updates). Find companies, products, and services. Locate dealers/brokers. Call or e-mail sellers, and click directly to their web sites. With our web and mobile
editions, you can view all of our ads at no cost, all the time! Call (800) 337-5263, or
Have you signed up yet for AVweb's no-cost weekly business aviation newsletter, AVwebBiz?
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 
