June 21, 2010

By The AVweb Editorial Staff

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. AVflash! Cirrus Unveils Turbo SR22 back to top  Cirrus Rolls Out a New Turbocharged Model Cirrus continues to be bullish on turbocharging and has announced a new model, the SR22T. Cirrus rolled out the new airplane at the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association Migration in Dayton, Ohio. The model is a follow-on to the SR22TN, which has a turbonormalized version of the IO-550-N installed in the normally aspirated SR22. The SR22T has a ground-boosted TSIO-550-K with 315 HP, five more than the TN model. The SR22T's TSIO-550 has low compression pistons — 7.5 to 1 — so Cirrus sees this as a path to the use of lower octane fuels. (At least lower than 100 octane.) Cirrus says the SR22T is also smoother and quieter than previous models and it has a new cowling design and an oleo cylinder for the front landing gear. While previous Cirrus models retain the cam-and-cable design for prop control, the SR22T's prop is fixed at about 2500 RPM, sans the cam control. Cirrus told us that both the TN and T model will be offered in the current model line with similar equipment and at comparable prices. For a video review of the SR22T, click here. What He Didn't Know About His Life Insurance Cost His Family $500,000 Pilots should take special care when comparing life insurance. Pilot Insurance Center specializes in providing pilots with insurance planning. Get the right coverage. Call PIC at (800) 380-8376 or visit PICLife.com. Coming Together, Growing Apart back to top  Mega-Merger Triggers Call For Re-Regulation Congressmen James Oberstar and Jerry Costello said at a hearing, Wednesday, that if the proposed United and Continental merger is approved, they'll be pushing to restore financial regulation of the airline industry. Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Costello, chairman of the panel's aviation subcommittee, say that if the merger is approved, they'll put the issue before Congress. Federal regulation of airline pricing would re-establish the government in a position to set pricing for consumers and decide which companies would be fit to fly passengers. Deregulation of the airline industry came about in 1978 and has been cited by proponents for initiating a new era of competition and affordable air travel. Oberstar says that era is over and consumers are now suffering under a new fee-based system that would only get worse with the creation of a United/Continental mega-carrier. Oberstar voted for deregulation, which opened the industry to new low-cost carriers that competed with larger established carriers, some of which have since gone out of business. He now says that the proposed merger and the current economic environment suggest regulation is now what's needed to preserve competition. United and Continental feel their merger will make them internationally competitive with large foreign carriers without the need to raise fees. In this country, their merger would create the nation's largest airline. NAFI To Split From EAA EAA announced Friday that its affiliate, the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI), will become an independent organization no later than March 1, 2011. The move will create "a cleaner operating structure" for both organizations and the ability for each to focus on their core strengths, according to EAA Chairman and President Tom Poberezny. The two organizations have operated together since 1995, in which time NAFI has doubled its members. "We truly appreciate all that EAA has done for NAFI," Ken Hoffman, the association's board chairman, said. He pledged to work with EAA to serve each organization's common interests and said that going forward, NAFI will continue to work for the benefit of professional flight instructors "and other teachers of flight." According to EAA communications director Dick Knapinski, the transition to independence is already under way. NAFI's focus now becomes that of an independent professional association for the flight instructor community. EAA will continue to engage in events and initiatives aimed at growing participation from all sources across the aviation community. The groups will work together to ensure an orderly separation of currently shared resources such as administrative functions and office space. While the final separation is set for March of 2011, the practical separation may come sooner. Share Your Thoughts on Aviation Headsets Pilots have many choices when considering aviation headsets. So we'd like to know: What features lead you to purchase? How do you choose between brands? In short, we want to know what's important to you. Please take a few moments to complete our survey. And help influence the future of the aviation headset industry. Go to survey » The Future of Flight (And Fuels) back to top  Owners Group Presses AOPA On Fuel Issue Leaders of owners groups for Cirrus, Malibu/Mirage, Bonanza, Mooney and Twin Cessna aircraft have banded together to form the Clean 100-Octane Coalition to make clear what they need from any replacement 100LL. Owners of these aircraft have the most to lose if the nation adopts 94UL (essentially 100LL without the lead) as a replacement fuel, because that fuel will mandate either expensive engine modifications, power de-ratings or both for their aircraft. It's likely this group's existence has already influenced AOPA's latest statement on a replacement for 100LL. At the annual Cirrus owner's migration in Dayton on Saturday, the coalition met with AOPA President Craig Fuller, as well as representatives from Cirrus, Piper, GAMA and Teledyne-Continental Motors (TCM), in what became a four-hour meeting to further press the point. Fuller stated in a panel discussion that AOPA is committed to a solution that works for all its members (although he politely declined to accept a "No-94UL" button several migration attendees were sporting). What was looking like an adversarial showdown apparently turned into a collaborative session. Curt Sanford, president of the Cirrus Owner and Pilots Association (COPA), said, "I think our initial goal had been achieved before we sat down." He felt that AOPA and GAMA demonstrated they were actively pursuing the issue, but he also made it clear that owners wanted any impediments or roadblocks to any potential solution removed and were "ready to use their connections and influence." The group is planning to meet again at EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh this summer and hopes to have more concrete steps announced by then. Said COPA's Gordon Feingold, "I think this kind of meeting between owner groups, advocacy groups and manufactures is unprecedented." Click here to read a statement from the American Bonanza Society. Click here to read a statement from Cirrus Aircraft. Pipistrel Claims LSA "First" With Taurus Pipistrel has announced the Taurus LSA, claiming it's the "first ever high-performance two-seat self-launching glider," and the company is encouraging green-minded pilots to inquire about the company's electric version. The standard aircraft is heavy on advanced systems, including a flip-and-forget switch for retracting or extending the internally stowed powerplant and a mass trim system that drives "trim fluid" to different parts of the aircraft to properly balance it for single- or dual-occupant flight. The aircraft also carries a Kevlar-reinforced cockpit structure and a huge clear canopy, and can be fitted with an optional full-plane parachute system. Pipistrel claims a 41:1 glide ratio and says the aircraft can easily achieve a 78-knot cruise with its standard 50-hp Rotax that burns 3.1 gph when turned up for 90 knots. Those numbers hold firm for the aptly named Taurus Electro (the electric-powered version), according to the company, which offers more interesting technology in the Taurus package not usually seen in an LSA, or the Taurus' price range. Other unusual features of the Taurus include in-flight accessible baggage areas (with separate space for oxygen) located behind both in-flight adjustable cockpit seats. The aircraft also features "five-stage flaperons" that improve performance at both high and low speeds. The aircraft's wingspan comes in at just under 50 feet and is supported by conventional retractable main gear (the steerable tailwheel does not retract). The price -- with either electric or combustion power -- starts near $110,000, but you'll probably want radios. CO Experts Low-Level Carbon Monoxide Detector! The FAA recently issued this Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin urging a carbon monoxide detector in the cockpit. The new CO Experts Model 2010 Low Level CO Monitor is the lowest reading level CO detector you can buy! There are others that start working at 35 PPM, but only the CO Experts starts reading CO at 7 PPM. Don't find out about CO poisoning when it is too late! Exclusively at AeroMedix.com. Special Limited-Time Offer: No charge on domestic ground shipping for AVwebFlash subscribers. Enter coupon code AVCO2010 during checkout. Aviation Safety back to top  Court Clears Controller In Sport-Jet Crash The clash between a light jet's insurance company and air traffic controllers over the 2006 non-fatal crash of the prototype Sport-Jet has been decided in court, in favor of the on-duty controller. The defendant in this case was the United States of America (according to court documents) in the form of the FAA. The plaintiff was the Sport-Jet's insurer. Court papers dated June 17, 2010, show the Sport-Jet followed a Dash 8 as it departed. Once airborne the Sport-Jet's wing dipped and the aircraft cartwheeled. The plaintiff charged that proper separation was not provided per the FAA's regulatory guidance and a wake encounter had caused the accident. The court decided that the on-duty controller met the applicable regulations for separation in handling the departures and concluded that even if a breach of regulations had occurred, "a wake turbulence encounter did not cause the accident." The logic that lead to that conclusion was complicated. Determining the applicable wake-turbulence separation rules in this case was complex. The Dash 8 is classified as a "large" aircraft, which would have required a three-minute separation interval before being followed by a "small" aircraft. Separation in this case was determined to be 126 seconds. However, the court found that at its departure weight, the Dash 8 fell into the "small" aircraft classification. As such, the court agreed with the defense that the 126-second separation between the Sport-Jet's departure and the Dash 8 was sufficient to dissipate any wake turbulence the Sport-Jet might have encountered and that wake turbulence did not cause the accident. That aside, the court determined that the Sport-Jet's test pilot was issued a "caution wake turbulence" warning when he was cleared for departure and was in position to see the departing aircraft. Also, evidence was entered that Sport-Jet had not determined the aircraft's stall speed prior to the accident and could not rule out a stall as a possible cause for the crash. Pilot Hurt In Curtiss Replica Crash Officials of the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, N.Y., say their summer flying schedule is in doubt after the crash of one of its aircraft Friday seriously injured their chief pilot. Jim Poel, 67, is in critical but stable condition in an upstate New York hospital after the 1910 replica Curtiss Albany Flyer he was flying went down in a cornfield about a quarter of a mile from Penn Yan / Yates County Airport. "To rebuild it would take a couple of years, so it's ... changing our game plan for our flying programs for 2010 and 2011," Trafford Doherty, the museum's executive director, told the Elmira Star-Gazette. The aircraft was slated for some high-profile flights this summer. The plane was a copy of the one used by Curtiss on a historic flight from Albany to New York City in 1910 and the museum had planned to re-enact that flight. It was also due to fly from an aircraft carrier in San Diego to mark the 100th anniversary of naval aviation and take part in centennial celebrations at the naval air station in Pensacola, Fla., later this year. Doherty suggested that since those opportunities will be lost, there may be no point in rebuilding the bamboo-and-fabric plane, which was powered by an original Curtiss OX-5 engine. "I don't think that two years down the line we'll have a need for the aircraft," he said, adding that the final decision will be up to the staff of the restoration shop. First Ever Aircraft Auction at Oshkosh Auction.com, in partnership with EAA, will be hosting an aircraft auction at AirVenture on Saturday, July 31, 2010. All aircraft welcome, from single-engine to jets. To buy or sell your plane, visit AirVenture.org/Auction or click here for more information. Red Bull World Series: "If You Can Make It Here ..." back to top  Last-Minute Upset Turns the Tide in New York Click for more photos Britian's Paul Bonhomme literally inched his way into a victory at the New York stop of this year's Red Bull Air Race World Series. Race favorite Hannes Arch from Austria posted the best race times during the practice sessions and Saturday's qualifying runs. But his lead slipped away from him when he hit a pylon with his wing tip in his very last run giving him a six-second penalty added on to his total time. With less than three seconds separating the times of the top three contenders all of Arch's hopes of winning, or even placing in the top three, had all but vanished. "Yes, it's been a great day," commented Bonhomme after the races. "I concentrated on me, my aeroplane, and the track today. Now I think we can celebrate, though." British pilot Nigel Lamb came in second place with American pilot Kirby Chambliss rounding up third place. Local favorite Michael Goulian flew solid runs all weekend but couldn't get the aircraft to perform faster than the track averages. And a late penalty for incorrect knife-edge flight in the Super-8 round eliminated his chances to fly in the final four. Matthias Dolderer unveiled his new aircraft in New York, an Edge 540 V3, the same type aircraft flown by fellow racer Hannes Arch. Despite the new aircraft, however, Dolderer did not score well enough to proceed beyond the top-12 round. Arch, despite losing in the last seconds with a pylon hit, is overall very pleased with his performance in New York. "I think it was a good run. I did exactly what I wanted to do to tighten it up," said Arch on his performance. "I was just a couple of centimeters out with the pylon but I prefer to lose like I lost here – in style – than to screw it up completely. Actually, I think all of those guys owe me a beer." The New York race marks the fifth of eight races in the 2010 Red Bull Air Race World Series. All the teams now have a 6-week break until the next race held in Lausitz, Germany. For more information and to follow the races, visit their official web site at RedBullAirRace.com. Click for photos. Red Bull Air Races New York: Bonus Gallery Click for more photos As it turns out, we had two AVweb contributors on the ground at the New York leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Series. Dr. Brent Blue shares his shots from the event in a special bonus gallery. Click for photos. Limited Time Only — Hangar Special! Due to high demand, ONLY 3 hangars remain in phase 1. The remaining hangars are available at close-out pricing (but you must purchase a lot in order to qualify for hangar specials). If you are up for a little adventure, join us June 26-27 for our summer kick-off weekend. Be our guest and stay at one of our luxury houses, indulge in a gourmet meal, and enjoy all of the amenities the Airpark has to offer. A hangar and rental car are included. All for only $99. Space is limited. Click here to book your visit. The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is You! back to top  AVmail: June 21, 2010 Each week, we run a sampling of the letters received to our editorial inbox here in AVmail. One letter that's particularly relevant, informative, or otherwise compelling will headline this section as our "Letter of the Week," and we'll send the author an official AVweb baseball cap as a "thank you" for interacting with us (and the rest of our readership). Send us your comments and questions using this form. Please include your mailing address in your e-mail (just in case your letter is our "Letter of the Week"); by the same token, please let us know if your message is not intended for publication. Letter of the Week: Bill Threatens California Aviation California has the most airports, the most air traffic, the most pilots, and the most flight instructors by FAA region or state. As of December 31, 2009, there were 61,709 active pilots residing in California, [and] 17 percent (or approximately 9,316) were listed as flight instructors. Flight instructors are the essence of aviation in an ever more complicated and extensive aeronautical environment. Flight instructors are needed to maintain and increase aviation safety levels and to facilitate growth in general and commercial aviation for the state of California. Adding statutory financial burdens to flight instructors and flight schools, especially in this economy, will reduce the availability of the much-needed human resources now providing initial, advanced, currency, and proficiency training. Fewer flight instructors will reduce the safety and growth ratios. Flying in California will become more expensive and [more] dangerous. The FAA is anticipating domestic flight operations in the U.S. to double by 2025, and California is not exempt. AB 48 will reduce the number of flight instructors and flight schools in California that provide the needed safety training to maintain the state's growth and its direct connection to aviation safety and accident prevention. It is irresponsible to implement AB 48 and not to evaluate its safety impact. Repeal AB 48, California's Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009. Rafael Sierra CFI, CFII AOPA Member EAA Member SAFE member FAASteam Lead Rep. Team Effort This note is not to detract from the fantastic job that the Cabot Award recipients did, but to amplify a little documented piece of history not often discussed when Apollo 13 is mentioned. If it were not for the individual initiative of Harry Morrison (Crew Systems civil servant) and Fred Wilson (BRN contractor employee) for conceiving the lithium hydroxide cannister cluge, conducting clandestine manned testing — careers were on the line here — and aggressively presenting the resulting test data and fix to the flight directors, the astronauts would have succumbed to CO2 toxicity long before they ever reentered. Fletcher Veitch Radio Riddle In the June 14 "Short Final," you didn't publish the answer to the "Eeny, meeny, miney, mo — how do you hear my radio?" query. The response is: "Fee fi fo fum; loud and clear with a little hum!" Tom Clarke Rank Will Come In reply to Glen Coombe's letter "Rank Rankle" of 14 June: There are several wings in the U.S. Air Force where the normal process is to select a colonel as the wing commander with the expectation that they will be selected for brigadier general sometime around mid-tour. The test wing at Edwards is one of those wings. The selection of Colonel Dunlop is part of the normal process. R. G. Preston Read AVmail from other weeks here, and submit your own Letter to the Editor with this form. 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. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part. JP Instruments — Don't Leave the Ground Without Us! JPI is the leader in innovative, precise EDM and fuel flow monitors. Fly with confidence, knowing your engine is scanned over 4-6 times a second. Download in-flight data to your computer using JPI's no-cost graphing program EZTrends to spot any problems. From the traditional EDM 700 gauges to the bright-LCD EDM 830, nothing else compares to the accuracy and quick response of JPI Systems. Click here for more info. AVweb Media: Look, Listen, Laugh and Learn back to top  FAA Logjam a Labor Issue File Size 4.7 MB / Running Time 5:10 Podcast Index | How to Listen | Subscribe Via RSS The issue holding up passage of the FAA reauthorization bill has little to do with aviation per se. A controversial amendment would change the way labor laws apply to FedEx, and the company is fighting tooth and nail to prevent that. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with FedEx spokesman Maury Lane. Click here to listen. (4.7 MB, 5:10) Cirrus SR22T Flight Demo Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos Cirrus is out with a new version of the SR22, the SR22T, with a TSIO-550-K groundboosted turbo system. AVweb's Paul Bertorelli took a demo flight in the new airplane with Cirrus's Matt Bergwall. 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. Supersonic Flight & Transonic Phenomena Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos Sound travels at about 760 miles per hour, or 340 meters per second and about 661 knots on an average day at sea level. And sometimes, you can almost see it. Going close to that speed through air can cause some unusual visual effects. This compiled footage includes F-14s, standard and Blue Angels F-18s, plus the SR-71 and an Atlas Rocket launch. AVweb contacted sources at NASA to research the phenomena. 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. WingX GPS-Enabled Terrain-Aware Moving Map for iPhone! New Version 3.7 of WingX Moving Map for iPhone now includes SmartTaxi; Class B, C, and D airspaces; animated DUATS weather images showing your route of flight; NACO charts and airport diagrams (entire USA stored right on your phone); A/FD; AOPA Directory with Yelp integration; route planning with altitude optimization; FARs, METARS, TAFS, winds, adn temperatures aloft; TFRs' text and graphics; an E6B; and more. WingX is also available for Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and Android. Click here for more information. Opinion & Commentary back to top  AVweb Insider Blog: Instead of Old Fuel, How About New Engines? It's a fair question, says Paul Bertorelli in the latest installment of the AVweb Insider blog. If Lycoming and Continental would simply adopt advanced automotive technology, we wouldn't need 100-octane gas. After all, how hard could it be? Click to read more and comment. AVweb Insider Blog: Pilot Experience? What Pilot Experience? Pilot training has been at the fore of AVweb editor-in-chief Russ Niles's brain lately — and not just because the NTSB has been looking into it. A recent experience on one of the regional airlines has led Russ to wonder why it's such a novel idea to have pilots first train on new aircraft without the passengers. Click here to read Russ's blog and add your comments. Get Them While They're Hot! Order the Light Plane Maintenance Toolbox CD now and get over two years of issues in searchable PDF format! Find out how much money you can save on annuals and overhauls! Click here to order now! Your Favorite FBOs back to top  FBO of the Week: Redtail Aviation (Canyonlands Field Airport, KCNY, Moab, UT) Nominate an FBO | Rules | Tips | Questions | Winning FBOs AVweb's latest "FBO of the Week" award goes to Redtail Aviation at Canyonlands Field Airport (KCNY) in Moab, Utah. AVweb reader Joseph Barber discovered the FBO "near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks" and found the service outstanding. "We had a mechanical while spending the week hiking and were pleasantly surprised to find their mechanics quick and able," writes Joseph — adding that the rates were pretty reasonable, to boot! 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! Traditional Tactics Need a Fresh Approach Doing the same thing and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. Isn't it time to initiate a digital marketing program with AVweb that will deliver traffic and orders directly to your web site? Discover several new and highly successful marketing options to use in lieu of static print or banner campaigns. Click now for details. Help Us Celebrate AVweb's 15th Anniversary back to top  15 Years and Now 15 Grand Giveaways ... It's Your Chance to Win a Zaon PCAS XRX Win a Zaon PCAS XRX 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, July 16, 2010. Click here to read the contest rules and enter. The Lighter Side of Flight back to top  Short Final Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air" At some now-forgotten backwoods class G airport, I was in the run-up area trying to unfoul a plug by leaning the crap out of my worn-out Lycoming 180hp engine, and, despite my anxiety over an impending $25K overhaul, I managed to catch the following on CTAF: Cherokee 1234: "Cherokee 1234, [unintelligible] ... . Please advise ..." [becomes completely unintelligible] [pause] Another Aircraft in the Area: "Cherokee 1234, what do you need advice on — how to fly your airplane? a career choice? tips on your love life? What?" Cherokee 1234: "Ah — ah — how about advise your position?" Unknown Kibitzer: "Man, if you have to ask, you need to learn to look out the window." I wanted to ask if any of them could advise how to keep my spark plugs from fooling. Ralph Lund Mal Paso Creek, California Names Behind the News back to top  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 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. Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.