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| Top News: Knowing Where to Draw the Line | back to top |  |
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FAA Launches Incursion Campaign
The FAA is starting an aggressive campaign aimed at curbing runway incursions in general but GA deviations in particular. At Sun 'n Fun 2010, Wes Timmons, the FAA's director of runway safety unveiled a new campaign called "If You've Crossed The Line, You've Crossed The Line." As the name implies, the campaign is aimed at reminding pilots to pay attention to controllers' instructions and only enter the protected runway space with permission. Timmons told AVweb that 75-80 percent of incursions are caused by GA aircraft and that needs to improve.
The campaign stresses that pilots have "crossed the line" when they cross, take off, land or at position and hold if they don't have a clearance. They're also jeopardizing themselves and their passengers if they don't follow ground control instructions. The message is to "stay focused, follow instructions, taxi carefully." |
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| The FAA at Sun 'n Fun (continued) | back to top | |
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FAA Administrator Babbitt Takes In Sun 'n Fun
Randy Babbitt spent four days at Sun 'n Fun this week, a first for an FAA administrator. Babbitt also is the first FAA administrator who has worked as a general aviation flight instructor, and he spent many years flying for the airlines. Those facts earned him a warm welcome at the show, though he still had to field the hard questions from the audience at the public forum on Friday afternoon. Babbitt and his staff addressed questions about through-the-fence operations, medical issues, and airport-community relations. Babbitt said the through-the-fence issue is "complicated," and a staffer added that they are working to release a proposal to address the problem before summer. James Fraser, deputy federal air surgeon, responded to a question about the sport pilot rule that disqualifies pilots who have been denied a medical. Denied pilots can request a review to see if they can qualify for a special issuance, Fraser said. If they get it, then they can choose to let it expire and fly under sport pilot rules, if they want to.
A pilot from Venice, Fla., said some airport sponsors don't understand their responsibilities under the law, and FAA staffer Randy Fietz agreed. He said the FAA is working to become more "proactive" in educating sponsors, rather than reacting to problems after they occur. Babbitt took the opportunity to chastise GA pilots for an accident record that should be better. "We're seeing some bad decisions being made," he said. "There's too much VFR flight into IFR conditions, and too many fuel-exhaustion accidents." He added that amateur-built aircraft still have too high an accident rate. "They account for 10 percent of the GA fleet, but 27 percent of accidents," he said. An area of special concern is the first 20 to 40 hours after transfer of ownership. "It's not the builders [getting into accidents], but the second owners," he said. "We need better transition training."
Babbitt also said he's been pleased with the positive response to the FAA's recent decision to allow pilots to fly while using anti-depressants. "This change applies to any class medical," he said. "It's a real positive step forward. If you had a vision problem or diabetes, you could treat it. This is a recognition that depression is an illness that is treatable." During a press conference prior to the open forum, he said the LSA safety record is excellent, and overall the agency is "very pleased" with how that segment is doing. Regarding 100LL, he said there are several "promising" alternative fuels being tested, but securing approval is a "deliberative process." Any substitute fuel needs to produce the exact same power and performance as the current fuels, he said, "so we don't have to re-certify all the airplanes." |
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| From Paris to Lakeland, the MS760 Has Arrived | back to top | |
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Paris Jets Debut At Sun 'n Fun Airshow
MS760 Corp is introducing their two-ship aerobatic show this week at Sun 'n Fun, with two ex-fighter pilots flying the vintage Paris Jet. The team of Dale "Snort" Snodgrass and Jerry "Jive" Kerby are putting two of the sleek Paris Jets through their paces, to show off their capabilities and promote the product. The two jets are sporting gleaming fresh black-and-white paint jobs, and both have recently been refurbished and upgraded by the new company. The interiors are roomy and plush, with seats for four in a retro interior reminiscent of a '50s family sedan. The MS760 Corp, based in Calhoun, Ga., recently acquired the type certificate for the aircraft and they're offering them as personal or corporate jets for transportation and for fun. AVweb caught up with Snort on the ramp on Friday; click here for the video.
The company has about 40 of the airplanes available for sale. They can be delivered in various categories, certified or experimental, depending on the anticipated mission. Prices start from about $550,000 and up. The company also offers training, and they are working to offer modern engines that will be more efficient.
Paris Jet at Sun 'n Fun
Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos Dale Snodgrass is widely known as the most experienced F-14 pilot in the world. At Sun 'n Fun 2010, he debuted with a new aerobatic demo team, flying the famed Paris Jet.
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| The Race to the Future of Flight ... Is On! | back to top | |
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Lindbergh Prize Promotes Alternative Aviation
Erik Lindbergh came to Sun 'n Fun this week to promote his latest project, the Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize. He told AVweb he hopes the prize will help boost efforts to create technology that will enable pilots to fly more safely and cheaply, while using renewable and sustainable resources. The prize will be awarded for the first time this year, at AirVenture Oshkosh. "We don't want a $4 million prototype," he said. "We want something that's going to make electric flight more accessible to the average pilot." Lindbergh said there is a lot of disagreement among experts in the field about the problems and potential for the technology, but some of his advisors think it would be possible to power an aircraft like a Cessna 172 with an electric motor within seven years. "That's the kind of progress we'd like to see," Lindbergh said. You can hear more about Lindbergh's ideas and the challenges and potential of alternative technologies in AVweb's podcast feature.
Inventors from around the world are welcome to enter the competition, Lindbergh said, whether or not they can make it to AirVenture. He added that he is looking for more help with the project, from sponsors for the cash prizes, to donors and volunteers. Prizes will be awarded in four categories: best electric aircraft; best component (such as batteries or motors); best sub-system (a set of interacting components); and the public choice award, based on a vote. The prizes are a project of Lindbergh's nonprofit group, the Creative Solutions Alliance. Its mission is to inspire, showcase, and leverage innovation for a resilient future.
Erik Lindbergh on the Lindbergh Electric Aircraft PrizeFile Size 9.2 MB / Running Time 10:05
Podcast Index | How to Listen | Subscribe Via RSS
Erik Lindbergh recently launched a project to create cash prizes that will encourage experimentation with electric aircraft. The first suite of prizes will be awarded this summer at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Lindbergh talked with AVweb's Mary Grady at Sun 'n Fun about what he hopes to accomplish with the project and explores some of the promise and challenge to come.
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| Creation and Evolution | back to top | |
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Lancair Evo Update
Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos Lancair's piston Evolution is one of the most ambitious kit aircraft ever, and it has an equally ambitious engine, Lycoming's IE2 electronic powerplant. At Sun 'n Fun, Lancair's Doug Meyer gave us an update on the program.
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| Meanwhile, Outside of Sun 'n Fun ... | back to top | |
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Adilson Kindlemann's Red Bull Crash Escape
Adilson Kindlemann's crash during a Red Bull Air Race practice session in Perth, Thursday, was the first in the race's history, but not the first time Kindlemann (or other racers) had found himself upside down strapped to a chair under water. Red Bull Air Race pilots train for emergencies like what Kindlemann experienced in the Swan River, and each one flies with an oxygen bottle in the cockpit. This year, training on how to use the bottle and escape an inverted flooded cockpit was provided at Perth, Australia, prior to the race (Kindlemann's crash race) there. According to Kindlemann's own words, reported Friday by Red Bull, he used the training to stay calm, open the canopy, use the air bottle, and initiate his escape. Red Bull rescue team members reached Kindlemann's inverted plane in less than one minute and were there to help pull him free.
"I used the air bottle and started to escape, opening the canopy about 20 cm," Kindlemann told Red Bull. "Then I started to go out and the guys (divers) are coming towards me like fish." Said Red Bull rescue team member Jeff Williams, "He did a great job inside, which made my job a lot easier." The only snag was literal: "He got hung up a little bit on something, a seat belt strap or something," said Williams. "We figured it out quickly and got out." Red Bull's article on the pilots' safety training was published on April 13, two days prior to Kindlemann's crash. It includes the wording, "It was essential to practice for an emergency ditching even if it is highly unlikely that it will ever happen."
Related Content:
Pilots Likely Not Pressured In Russian Crash
A review of the cockpit voice recorder of the Polish government aircraft that crashed in Russia last week revealed no evidence of pressure from any of the passengers on the crew to proceed with a landing they'd been warned not to attempt by air traffic controllers. "The flight recorder, whose tapes are being deciphered, did not register any pressure on crew members," an unnamed official with the Russian committee investigating the accident told Interfax News. The theory was floated shortly after the crash based on the knowledge that the pilot had been told by ATC to divert to a safer airport and because Polish President Lech Kaczynski, who died along with 94 others in the crash, had tried to force a pilot to land in poor weather in Tblisi in 2008. The pilot in that case defied the president and diverted. In this case, it appears it was all the pilot's idea. Anatoly Muravyov, an air traffic controller on duty at the time, told the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda that the aircraft had not been cleared to land and all he and his colleagues could do was watch and wait. He said the "pilot's desire to land at any costs" was, in his opinion, a factor in the crash.
The investigators said the crew likely had a few seconds to consider the result of their decision as the plane struck trees before disintegrating. "One could say that the crew was aware of the inevitability of the coming catastrophe, if only due to the plane shaking after the wings hit the trees, which we are certain happened," Andrzej Seremet, Poland's chief prosecutor, told a Polish radio station. The aircraft was packed with Polish officials and dignitaries on their way to a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of a massacre of Polish citizens by Russian secret police in the Katyn Forest during the Second World War. |
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| Help Us Celebrate AVweb's 15th Anniversary | back to top | |
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15 Years and Now 15 Grand Giveaways ... It's Your Chance to Win Scheyden Frames and Flight Gear
Win Scheyden Dual RX frames and Flight Crew Ensemble flight gear 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 April 30, 2010.
Click here to read the contest rules and enter.
Congratulations to Jack Feiden of Wichita, Kansas, who won an XM WX Satellite Weather Receiver from WxWorx in our last drawing! (click here to get your own from WxWorx) |
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| Your Favorite FBOs | back to top | |
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FBO of the Week: Central Jet Service (Marshall, TX)
Nominate an FBO | Rules | Tips | Questions | Winning FBOs
AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Central Jet Service at Harrison County Airport (KASL) in Marshall, Texas.
AVweb reader James M. Knox described Central Jet as "just your ordinary small town FBO at a small airport — except that these fine folks simply fall all over you to be helpful. With more and more FBOs populated by tired attendants who may or may not acknowledge your existence when you arrive, these people are a breath of fresh air."
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! |
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| The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is You! | back to top | |
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AVweb's Newstips Address ...
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Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 200,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips
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| Names Behind the News | back to top | |
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Meet the AVwebFlash TeamAVwebFlash 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:
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Aviate. Navigate. Communicate. |
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