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December 27, 2010
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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JP Instruments Cash Rebate Offer:
Don't Leave the Ground Without Us!
JPI, the EDM & Fuel Flow leader, is running an incredible rebate offer, directly for AVweb readers. Outfitting your aircraft with our EDM monitor is like having a
flight engineer aboard every flight. Back on earth, download your in-flight data with our no-cost EZTrends software to spot any future problems. From the classic EDM 700 to the
bright-LCD EDM 830, nothing compares to the accuracy and quick response of JPI Systems.
Click here for more
info.
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Seattle Avionics says its collaboration with DTC DUAT offers pilots a "patent-free" flight planning service that avoids all the issues raised by the patent awarded FlightPrep for online flight
planning. "While it downloads weather and TFR information from the Internet, it is not an Internet-based flight planner, and is not subject to the recently publicized FlightPrep patent," Seattle
Avionics said in a Dec. 24 news release. DTC DUAT is using a basic version of Seattle Avionics' Voyager flight
planner for the free service it's offering. Seattle Avionics CEO Steve Podradchik said the basic function of Voyager precludes any infringement of FlightPrep's patent. "As we don't make an
Internet-based flight planner, we're clearly not subject to it and have not received any letter from FlightPrep," said Podradchik. "But with so many pilots concerned, we wanted to offer all pilots a
free flight planning alternative that is clear of all patent issues."
Meanwhile, the first formal challenge to FlightPrep's patent is scheduled to get under way by Tuesday when RunwayFinder must respond to a lawsuit brought against it by FlightPrep alleging patent
infringement and claiming unspecified damages. RunwayFinder owner Dave Parsons initially closed his service in hopes that FlightPrep would drop the suit. When the suit was not withdrawn, Parsons
decided to fight the patent and says his goal is to invalidate it. He's forming a trust fund to accept legal defense donations and is in the process of hiring a patent attorney. Backlash to the
FlightPrep's enforcement of its patent continues, and at least two web sites, here and here, have been set up to protest FlighPrep's actions.
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Compare and Save at the Pilot Insurance Center
Don't pay more for life insurance coverage just because you fly. Contact Pilot Insurance Center to see how you can save. PIC works with A+ rated insurance companies to provide preferred rates
for pilots. Call (800) 380-8376 or
visit
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Through the first nine months of 2010, U.S. airlines posted operating profits that eclipse those from any single full year since at least 1999, according to the Department of Transportation -- and
that correlates with a rise in ticket costs and fees. Airfares are up an average 13 percent over 2009, according to the Bureau of Transportation -- not including new fees for baggage and services. The
impressive profits (more than $7 billion over nine months) are even more so when compared to 2008, when the industry lost more than $5 billion. Major changes in the industry have included the cost of
oil, which hit its high-water mark of $147.27 per barrel in July of 2008, fell below $40 by December that year and currently runs closer to $90 per barrel. Fuel prices aside, the airlines reacted to
the financial downturn by slashing flights, renegotiating employment contracts with workers, packing aircraft to capacity, and adding fees for baggage, food and other services. As a result, airfares
compare favorably with those from a decade ago, while fees have proven to be a powerful financial contributor for the airlines. There are other factors in play.
Recently, United acquired Continental and Delta joined with Northwest. Additional financial results from that kind of industry consolidation, which, in the case of United/Continental, has created
the largest airline in the world, may still be coming. And corrections may be coming, too. Workers, who accepted contract concessions during hard times, may begin to do more than talk about seeking payback. Interviewed by CNN, Harlan Platt, a professor of finance at Northeastern
University, said, "Even though everybody probably wants to complain that air fares are up, they're still below where they were in 2000." Fees, including reservation change fees, collected more than $2
billion for the industry in the third quarter of 2010. Managing supply has also played a role, according to Platt. "They're maintaining a limited supply of seats that has enabled them to continue to
charge higher fares."
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Looking for the Best Aviation Apps for Your iPad?
Sporty's App Store is the place to find apps for pilots that really work — for iPhone, iPad and Android. Whether it's the ultimate pre-flight planning app, video training apps or an E6B
flight computer app, Sporty's has the best.
New ones are added weekly, so
watch
Sportys.com/apps for the latest! 
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Officials earlier this month asked a Federal Flight Deck Officer to surrender his sidearm after the airline pilot posted videos to YouTube describing airport security practices, in which he
declared, "As you can see [...] it's only smoke and mirrors." In the videos, the pilot compares the security measures faced by passengers and flight crew with those faced by airline ground crews. He
details that passengers and flight crews must remove their shoes and pass through metal detectors, and may be subjected to further screening. Meanwhile, says the pilot, ground crews swipe a magnetized
card to access restricted areas that could in turn give them intimate access to baggage, aircraft, or both. The pilot also shows tools available to all cockpit crews after passing through airport
metal detectors and states, "I would say a two-foot crash axe looks a lot more formidable than a box cutter." The footage was posted Nov. 28, in a series of six videos, and has since been removed from
YouTube at the request of the pilot's employer, which has not taken any other action against the pilot. The TSA has offered a significantly different reaction.
On Dec. 6, the pilot received a letter from the TSA stating that "an administrative review into your deputation status as a Federal Flight Deck Officer has been initiated," according to ABC news. The letter contends the pilot "may have violated regulations concerning disclosure of
sensitive security information." The government sent six people to the pilot's house to retrieve his firearm, according to ABC. The pilot has retained a lawyer and may face civil penalties from the
TSA. According to the pilot, "As you can see, airport security is kind of a farce. It's only smoke and mirrors so you people believe there is actually something going on here."
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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!
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AeroMedix.com.
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Cirrus' Perspective Electronic Stability and Protection (Perspective ESP) and Hypoxia Recognition and Automatic Descent Mode systems have earned FAA approval, bringing unique upgrades to Cirrus
pilots flying with the Perspective package. The ESP system operates when a pilot is hand-flying the aircraft and helps correct excessive pitch, roll or airspeed situations. It activates automatically,
even when the autopilot is turned off, whenever the aircraft exceeds preset parameters. Cirrus likens it to traction and stability control for aircraft and says the system is unobtrusive and augments
the aircraft's natural flight stability. The hypoxia recognition system functions as part of Perspective ESP and engages when a pilot is flying at oxygen-required altitudes and remains unresponsive
for a period of time. The system engages an automated altitude step-down recovery if the pilot is incapacitated due to lack of oxygen. Pilots can override the systems or simply shut them off.
Perspective ESP does offer other features.
Users have underspeed protection and coupled go-around capability (which leaves the autopilot on during go arounds to preserve a stall margin). The system works via Garmin hardware and software. See Cirrus' Perspective ESP brochure here. Perspective ESP was introduced at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010. Now
Cirrus says, "Both Perspective ESP and Hypoxia Recognition are available immediately and only on Cirrus Aircraft equipped with the Cirrus Perspective by Garmin avionics suite and the all-digital
Garmin GFC 700 autopilot." Cirrus owners that have purchased a new Cirrus since Aug. 1, 2010, can contact Cirrus for software installation of these newest safety upgrades.
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The FAA Thursday released a "notice of proposed interpretation" to clarify rules pertaining to flight crew members who exceed permissible duty limits due to system delays, and the agency is seeking
comments. Specific to the interpretation, the FAA was asked to provide legal interpretation for a scenario in which a flight officer is subjected to delays that the flight officer knows would extend
his duty beyond a 14-hour duty day. The FAA has previously offered two interpretations and has now determined that "it is illogical that the nearly-identical regulatory language in sections 121.471(g) and 135.263(d) is interpreted in two
different ways." The FAA's proposed interpretation would supersede any previous interpretations and prohibit flight crew from accepting a flight if he is aware at the time of departure that he has
not had required rest. The FAA is accepting comments, but the comment window is small.
The FAA's specific wording states that, "If a flight crewmember was to be aware at the time of departure on the last leg of the flight that he or she has not had the required rest, 14 CFR 135.267(d) would prohibit him or
her from departing on the last leg of the flight." The agency is accepting public comments before Jan. 24, 2011, and may alter the interpretation based on those comments. See the text of the proposed interpretation for more details.
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See What You've Been Missing!
Active-Surveillance Traffic Now Available Starting at $8,490
Avidyne announces new full-featured TAS605 and TAS615 models, along with the lowest price available for dual-antenna, active traffic with our TAS600. All TAS600 Series systems
provide timely audible and visual alerts with the precise location of conflicting traffic. Patented Top & Bottom directional antennas detect other aircraft sooner and more accurately.
Avidyne's TAS600 Series are the smallest, lightest, best performing, and most affordable active TAS systems available.
Click here to learn
more about the TAS600 Traffic Systems.
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Boeing resumed flight tests of the 787 Dreamliner just before Christmas, saying it had installed a new, interim version of revised software governing its power distribution system on the first of
six test aircraft. A short circuit and fire caused by a foreign object inside a power distribution box Nov. 6 resulted in a six-week suspension of the flight test program. An FAA certification crew
was at the controls. It wasn't the fire itself that caused all the concern, however. The fire resulted in cascading system failures that led to the crew making an emergency landing in Laredo, Texas,
without cockpit displays, electronic flight controls and autothrottles. Meanwhile, a 787 customer is worrying out loud about the airliner's suspected weight problem.
The addition of reinforcement to the aircraft's structure plus the usual weight gain that all developmental aircraft seem to suffer could affect route plans being devised by Air New Zealand for the
787. "Some routes are right on the edge of the range envelop, that if the aircraft comes on significantly heavy that will cause some issues for us," CEO Rob Fyfe told The Wall Street Journal last
week. Fyfe wouldn't specify the routes but said the airline is considering serving South America, China and other far-flung destinations with the Dreamliner.
The ambitious restoration to flight status of two F-82 Twin Mustangs is getting closer to reality with the recent announcement that German propeller manufacturer MT has successfully flight-tested
scratch-built replacement props for the extraordinarily rare warbirds. What's more, the props are made from composites and, based on the tests done on a P-51, should give the already-peppy Twin Mustang even better climb and cruise performance. The prop project was spearheaded by Flight
Resource, the U.S. distributor for MT props. "The development of this propeller for such a rare aircraft has been one of the most fun projects we have undertaken," said Flight Resource spokesman John
Neilson. "With this successful design, MT-Propeller has proven they are now able to supply new generation propellers for V-12 powered vintage aircraft."
The aircraft under restoration are both powered by Allison engines. One is an original prototype being restored by Tom Reilly of Douglas, Ga. The other is an E model that is being restored by C&P
Aviation of Anoka, Minn.
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JA Air Center — When It Comes to Garmin Avionics,
Go with a Name You Can Trust!
Since 1965, pilots have trusted the avionics experts at JA Air Center. Whether you're looking for ship-in repair, custom installation, or a mail order purchase, no one knows avionics better
than JA Air Center.
Call (800) 323-5966 or
click here. 
BUY, SELL, or TRADE your avionics
and GPS equipment at JA Air Center
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What's better — pottering around the pattern yourself in a J-3 Cub, or watching your student nail his landings on a turn runway? On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli suggests
it's a toss-up.
Read more and join the conversation.
He was just an 11-year-old kid from Chicago on his way alone to New York. But when a TWA Connie and a United DC-8 collided over Staten Island, he became known as the "boy who fell from the sky."
Fifty years later, commenting on the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli associates Baltz's life with a tragedy that reshaped the air traffic system.
Read more and join the conversation.
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Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb
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Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos
You can't legally fly an NDB approach in the clouds using a GPS unless it says "or GPS" in the title. But there's nothing that says you can't practice VFR what it's like to fly an
approach with a bearing pointer and no moving maps. Come along with IFR magazine editor-in-chief Jeff Van West and see how to make your glass cockpit (or portable GPS) go retro to fly an
old-school NDB approach just for the fun and proficiency of it.
Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb
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Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos
As Eclipse Aerospace tries to put the pieces together following the bankruptcy of the original company in 2008, it's busily modifying the 259 existing airframes. AVweb recently
flew one of the upgraded models with owner David Green. The airplane is fast, comfortable, and a blast to fly.
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Nominate an FBO
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Rules
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Tips
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Questions
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Winning FBOs
Nothing warms the heart like the tale of a good FBO stepping up to take care of pilots during the holiday season. Fortunately for us, AVweb readers filled our stocking with such tales this
week — and here's one of our favorites.
Josh Johnson headed over the river and through the woods to visit family in Nashville, Tennessee this holiday and discovered our latest "FBO of the Week," Corporate Flight Management at John C. Tune Airport (KJWN):
As part of my flight planning, I called the FBO to see what their holiday hours were; I was told 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! I don't see that often anymore!
Upon arrival, I was greeted with a golf cart to carry our bags from the tiedowns to the terminal building. We departed at 8:00pm to beat some weather on the way home, and it was an absolute pleasure
to have flight planning and restrooms available. Mike Jr., one of the ramp agents, was in the flight planning room and offered to go retrieve our airplane so we wouldn't have to carry our infant son
so far in the cold. An excellent experience — and, for a big city, their prices were not much higher than my home airport!
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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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. 
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The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is
You! |
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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
via email to newstips@avweb.com. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part.
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 | | Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air" |
I heard this inside Orlando, Florida's airspace:
Approach:
"Delta 345: Sorry I didn't give you higher earlier. Climb and maintain one four thousand. I didn't wanna spill your coffee this morning."
Delta:
"That's okay; this guy is very smooth."
Approach:
"I heard he's so smooth, he's gonna open a gas station, just so he can start gettin' paid for all those grease jobs."
Name withheld
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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.
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Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.
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