ICELANDIC VOLCANO'S ASH CLOUD IMPACT, BY THE NUMBERS
The International Air Transport Association estimates that aircraft grounded due to volcanic ash affected 1.2 million passengers per day for six days and resulted in total lost revenue of more than $1.7 billion. For the three-day period that covers April 17-19, when the disruptions were most widespread, losses totaled roughly $400 million per day for airlines. On April 18, the number of flights fell by as much as 79 percent from the same day the previous week (from 24,965 to 5,204), according to EUROCONTROL. A commercial aviation consulting analyst for Frost & Sullivan said the event "has affected up to 8 percent of global trade." He added that "it may take up to three years for the industry to recover fully" (a sentiment echoed by the IATA) and weaker carriers "may not make it without government help." In the shadow of that financial possibility, the safety actions have stirred controversy. More...

DOT INSPECTOR GENERAL WARNS OF NEXTGEN DELAYS
April 21, the Transportation Department Inspector General, Calvin Scovel, spoke before a House panel regarding the cost and progress of key NextGen technologies and what he had to say wasn't all good. According to Scovel, the En Route Automation Modernization system (ERAM), set to be a major part of the FAA's NextGen system, is experiencing trouble at its Salt Lake City launch site. ERAM is costing the FAA $14 million per month in bug fixes and other deployments, and is likely to be deployed behind schedule. Also, according to Scovel, the FAA's telecommunications infrastructure program may not work well with NextGen programs. That system suffered a failure last November that delayed more than 800 flights. The two projects together account for a $4.6 billion stake in NextGen's estimated $40 billion cost. The failings, according to Scovel, can in part be blamed on failure of the FAA to effectively oversee contractors and may result in significant cascading delays. More...

NTSB: 737 AND 172 MISSED BY 200 FEET
The NTSB is investigating the "near collision" of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 and a Cessna 172 near the intersection of Runways 8 and 15 at Burbank's Bob Hope Airport in Southern California. The April 23, 2010, incident involved Southwest's Flight 649, which was inbound from Oakland with 119 aboard and landing on Runway 8. At the same time, the Cessna was in the departure phase of a touch and go on the intersecting Runway 15. The Cessna overflew the landing 737, passing "within 200 feet vertically and 10 feet laterally" of the airliner as each crossed the runway intersection. The NTSB reported weather at the time of the incident was clear with visibility of 10 miles. There were no injuries associated with the incident. More...

USAF X-37B "SPACE PLANE" GOES PUBLIC FOR LAUNCH
The United States Air Force's X-37B unmanned space plane has been billed as being a generation beyond the Space Shuttle and, though it was set for launch Thursday, details of its purpose remain sparse. Intended to be a reusable unmanned payload-capable spacecraft, the Cape Canaveral launch, from atop an Atlas V rocket stack, will help determine the vehicle's real-world economics when it comes to turnaround time and cost. The rest of the vehicle's mission -- what it will be doing while it's in low orbit -- remains less clear. The military's Rapid Capabilities Office says the first mission will consist of checkout and performance characteristics of the spacecraft's systems. The vehicle measures about 29 feet long with a wingspan of more than 14 feet and a weight of almost 11,000 pounds. It has the capacity to hold one or two small satellites and is equipped to fly itself back to earth and land on a runway, unmanned. More...

HOMELESS CUB THIEF GETS NINE MONTHS
The homeless man who tried to steal a Super Cub from the Frederick, Md., airport in December will have a roof over his head for nine months, courtesy of the penal system. Calvin Cox, 51, who told authorities he'd lived in the woods by the airport for seven years, was handed the nine-month sentence Thursday in a deal that resulted in his pleading guilty to a single count of second-degree burglary. Cox got the Cub started and taxied to the runway but ran it off into the grass where it upended. As part of the plea deal, Cox will have to pay some restitution to the Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association, which used the aircraft as a tow plane. The cost of the engine teardown and new prop was about $12,000. More...

DC-3 STORIES ABOUND
As details firm up for the huge gathering of DC-3 and C-47 aircraft just before AirVenture, those with a personal attachment to the venerable aircraft are telling their stories. Organizers of the Last Time, a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the first flight of the aircraft, have opened a diary section on their Web site that encourages the swapping of yarns about the iconic aircraft. From stories about JATO-assisted takeoffs (800 feet) to bush flying to super secret electronic surveillance missions in Vietnam, the site covers the history of the aircraft through the eyes of those who flew it. Although more than 130 such stories have been added to the site, organizers say that's the tip of the iceberg and they're hoping for thousands of entries. Meanwhile preparations continue for the mass formation flight of 40 aircraft from Rock Falls, ILL to Oshkosh for the opening day of AirVenture on July 26 which will include one of the last flying DC-2s in existence. More...

AVMAIL: APRIL 26, 2010

Letter of the Week: The Question of LORAN

Your "Question of the Week" missed the point.  What is needed for a GPS backup is E-LORAN (which uses the LORAN-C infrastructure).  The upgrade and implementation of E-LORAN (Enhanced LORAN) was almost complete before the current government reversed several past Congressional decisions.  E-LORAN is almost as accurate as GPS (within feet).  A complete E-LORAN system in the U.S. costs less than one GPS satellite.  E-LORAN has been able to be fully intergrated into a GPS receiver to give it complete navigation redundancy.  That is why 13 other countries in the world will not shut down their E-LORAN systems.

The correct answer to your question is Don't shut down LORAN, but finish upgrading it to E-LORAN so inexpensive GPS/LORAN combo receivers can be used for position, navigation, and timing.

...

Miles Muller

Click through to read the rest of Mr. Muller's letter — and messages from our readers.

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...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: LYCOMING'S IE2 COULD BE TIMED PERFECTLY
Continental deserves credit for launching an electronic engine initiative years ago, but it was probably way ahead of its time. Lycoming's new IE2 project is emerging just as it looks like leaded avgas may finally be phased out. In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli argues that the timing may favor Lycoming. Read more and chime in with your own thoughts. More...

BRAINTEASERS QUIZ #149: ON OTHER THAN FIXED WINGS
What if airfoils spun to produce lift? What if a gas that makes your voice sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks lifted an aircraft? And what if someone wrote a quiz about it? You'd ace it, right?

Take the quiz.

RIDE-ALONG WITH DALE SNODGRASS
Famed air show and fighter pilot Dale Snodgrass took an AVweb camera along on his Paris Jet afternoon air show at Sun 'n Fun. In this unique video, he gives us the details about his routine. More...

IFR MAGAZINE SHOWS YOU HOW TO GET MORE FROM A PORTABLE GPS IN IFR
That gadget you bolted to the yoke can do a lot more than show pretty moving maps. Come along with IFR magazine editor Jeff Van West to see how correct use of track (and several other features) on your portable GPS can improve all aspects of your IFR flying. More...

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)

FBO OF THE WEEK: FIRST FLIGHT CORPORATION (BROWN FIELD/KSDM, SAN DIEGO, CA)

Our latest "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to First Flight Corporation at Brown Field Municipal Airport (KSDM) in San Diego, California.

AVweb reader Thomas Perkowski has seen their top-notch service in action and taken regular advantage of First Flight's first-rate facilities:

I have been renting a Grumman Lynx from First Flight for six months now. I am very happy with the service and the support offered by owner Tom Sarvis and his team. Occasionally, when issues with the plane pop up, Tom comes right out and gets it fixed so I can get my flying done for the day. They have great prices for avgas and fantastic quality for the price for repair services. If you are flying to San Diego, give SDM and First Flight consideration for handling things for you.

Duly noted, Thomas!

AVweb is actively seeking out the best FBOs in the country and another one, submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday! Keep those nominations coming. For complete contest rules, click here.

SHORT FINAL

Approaching my home airport with easterly winds, runway 7 is usually available:

Me:
"Tower, Cirrus 504PG, 10 miles west. Request 7."

Tower:
"Cirrus 504PG, report midfield, downwind, 7."

Me:
"Uhh — Cirrus 504PG is 10 miles west, inbound for 7."

Tower (realizing the mistake) :
"Let me turn my monitor around. O.K., Cirrus 504PG, report three-mile final for 7."

Brian Litch
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
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Glenn Pew

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Scott Simmons

Contributors
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