Volume 10, Number 08b -- February 19, 2004

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This issue of AVweb's AVflash is brought to you by ... LightSPEED Aviation AUX AUDIO ON LIGHTSPEED HEADSETS The ability to use your aviation headset like a standard stereo headphone seemed an obvious benefit to us. Although some pilots do not immediately see the benefit of this feature, many find it indispensable. As PDAs become more prevalent in the cockpit, the ability for these devices to give audible warning and advise will increase the value of this headset feature. As noted in prior AVflashes, LightSPEED is the first headset company to offer this integrated feature. This Auxiliary Audio Interface is standard on the QFR XC2, 20XL2, 20 3G, and the 30 3G models. These headsets also feature "Com Priority Muting", which automatically turns down the Auxiliary Adio source should the headset detect input from the intercom. See the model right for your flying needs at http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/litspeed/avflash.

The Top Headlines From AVweb's Expanded, Illustrated News Coverage At AVweb's NewsWire.

HONDA, GE TEAM UP ON LIGHT-JET ENGINE
The light-jet engine market is becoming almost as crowded as the mini-jet market itself. The collaborative effort of General Electric and Honda (which flew its own aircraft in November) to produce and market the HF 118 turbofan with a thrust rating in the mid-teens (the prototype is 1650 pounds but engines of this type can usually be scaled to produce more or less power) creates, with Williams International and Pratt and Whitney Canada, a powerful triad of competitors for a group of aircraft designs representing thousands of aircraft that so far exist only in order books. "For our segment of the industry, this is huge news," said Eclipse Aviation spokesman Andrew Broom. "It's great that another innovator is entering the marketplace." Eclipse is one of the few mini-jet makers to actually fly a prototype (Adam Aircraft's A700 is the only to fly with production engines) and none of the manufacturers will have planes ready for delivery for more than a year. Diamond spokesman Peter Maurer echoed those sentiments, saying it was "really encouraging" that such major companies see the market potential. Honda and GE made the announcement in Tokyo on Monday after reaching a still-secret deal the previous Friday. More...

...MINI-JET MOVEMENT VALIDATED...
As significant as the competitive aspects of the deal are, the announcement also helps to validate the somewhat speculative nature of the mini-jet market. There's more than opportunism at work in Honda's official entry to the aviation market. According to Honda CEO Takeo Fukui, it was the dream of company founder Soichiro Honda to build airplanes. He told the news conference that working with jet engines helps to motivate Honda engineers and lend more prestige to the company brand (and perhaps a fair amount of buzz). Cessna's own announcement 18 months ago that it would build the mini-Citation Mustang has so far collected about 200 orders for the $2.3 million aircraft (the most expensive in the field), by far outdistancing any other Cessna model. More...

...WILL HONDA STOP AT AN ENGINE?
Honda America spokesman Jeffrey Smith told the Dayton Daily News the current market for mini-jets (most of which will be employed as air taxis) is about 150 to 200 planes a year, rising toward 250 units a year over the next decade. However, Cessna spokeswoman Jessica Meyers said she's not aware of any contact between her company (the largest bizjet manufacturer in the world) and Honda. Cessna's Mustang will carry Pratt & Whitney, Canada, (PWC) engines currently under development. Likewise, Eclipse's Broom said, "We won't be switching engines again," sticking with PWC after canceling an engine deal with Williams last year. With the market's big guns otherwise committed, could Honda have another market in mind? Based out of Atlantic Aero's facility in Greensboro, N.C., flight-testing continues on the reportedly uber-efficient HondaJet. Diamond's Maurer said his company might be interested in the engine in the future despite an existing deal with Williams to power their single-engine D-Jet. More...

GUNS IN THE COCKPIT -- INSIDE THE TRAINING
Since the debate over arming airline and, finally, cargo pilots began two years ago, the focus has been on the gun. Where it's kept, how it's carried, who gets to have one. But when approved pilots finally get to a remote federal training center in New Mexico to become Federal Flight Deck Officers, they find the training much less about shooting bad guys than not shooting anyone else. "The actual amount of attention paid to the mental preparation as opposed to the physical is pretty amazing," a trainee, who couldn't be identified for the story, told Knight Ridder. "We're taking the mindset of the terrorist and applying the appropriate level of force." And that may take some explaining. More...

...BUT THERE'S STILL TARGET PRACTICE
But while the training gives a pilot's mental ammunition a workout, there are, of course, practical lessons in how best to put the 9-mm Heckler and Koch semiautomatic to use in saving an airplane full of people -- and maybe hundreds or thousands on the ground. Trainees learn hand-to-hand combat (moves designed specifically for the confines of the aluminum tube), disarming techniques and, of course, take target practice. They also go through simulated scenarios on three Boeing 727 "shoot houses." But the biggest weapon they have in the war against terrorism is the terrorist's own risk calculation. More...

A DECADE LATER, FAA MOVES ON EXPLODING FUEL TANKS
The FAA is hoping to propose a rule this fall that would require airlines to install equipment to lessen the chance of in-flight fuel-tank explosions. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey announced the initiative Tuesday, saying the rule is being considered because new technology, largely developed by the agency itself, is now available to displace some of the oxygen within fuel tanks with inert nitrogen. "We're taking this step because we have found a practical solution," she told a news conference. The new, roughly $220,000-per-plane rule would be phased in over seven years starting in 2006, 10 years after the NTSB determined the belly tank of a TWA Boeing 747 (Flight 800) exploded off Long Island, killing 230 people. It was not the first or the last event of its kind. More...

TOWN'S FORTUNES RIDE ON MUSTANG
Cessna announced Monday that it will build the 340-knots-at-35,000-feet, six-place Mustang mini-jet in Independence, Kan., alongside the piston singles its plant there now makes. It turns out the out-of-the-way nature of the place was its biggest asset. Cessna spokeswoman Jessica Myers said there's room for expansion in Independence, and the ability to test-fly a lot of aircraft. Cessna already has 200 orders for the Mustang, which won't be available for two years, and expects it to be its biggest bizjet seller. More...

PORTABLE SYSTEM LIGHTS UP ALASKA STRIPS
Few places have more need for night flying in bad weather than Alaska, and soon aircraft will be able to get into some of the state's most remote airstrips in an emergency. Galaxy Litebeams LLC, of New Jersey, and Greatland Laser LLC, of Anchorage, are partners in a $1.4 million contract to provide portable emergency lighting systems to 42 emergency landing zones and seven runways at remote villages. That's less than the cost of a single fixed-lighting system for many runways. All the gear fits on a trailer that can be pulled by something as small as a snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle. More...

AUSTRALIA MODIFIES AIRSPACE RULES
Australia's government is furiously backpedaling from sweeping airspace reforms that have drawn fire from all facets of the aviation industry. Airservices Australia announced on Monday that it would implement "safety enhancements" at various airports in an attempt to restore public confidence in the system. Among the fixes are transportable radar systems to fill gaps in coverage and distribution of new charts, this time with air traffic control frequencies printed on them. More changes are expected. Two weeks ago, the government-owned airspace regulator held meetings with representatives from all parts of the aviation industry and was essentially told to scrap what was billed as an American-style system, implemented Nov. 27. More...

PAX RIVER IS BOOMING?
It's not only civilian airports that get noise complaints. The sound of freedom is rattling the dishes -- and fraying the nerves -- of some residents near the Navy's Patuxent River Air Station. Some residents claim the Navy jocks are unleashing sonic booms over the naturally quiet hamlets of Princess Ann, Salisbury, Deal Island and Whitehaven in Maryland. "It rocked my house like an earthquake," Dinah Abbott, of Salisbury, told the Daily Times. But Pax River spokesman John Romer said it's not likely sonic booms that are jarring the residents. More...

VIETNAMESE HOMEBUILDER WANTS HELI BACK
Farmer Le Van Dahn spent $30,000 and seven years building a helicopter out of spare parts and an old Russian truck engine. The contraption has risen 18 inches off the ground in four test flights and Dahn was getting ready to start trying to maneuver it when the government clipped his rotor blades. No one in Vietnam has ever been allowed to build his own aircraft. So the government took the whirlybird away. Maybe EAA should consider opening a chapter in Vietnam. Sure, it might only have one member ... but he could really use the help More...

CORRECTION
AVweb's AVflash is mainly an aviation news service, so it's a little embarrassing when we run a story that's almost four years old. Alas, that is what happened with our breathtaking account of the runway departure of an F-15E in Lakenheath, England, in the Feb. 15 NewsWire and AVflash. Trusted sources provided AVweb with information indicating the event occurred within the last two weeks when it actually happened in September 2000. We should have checked more carefully. If AWweb is made aware of any factual errors in our news stories, we're happy to publish immediate corrections or clarifications. More...

ON THE FLY...
A new NPRM may challenge Light Sport Aircraft...
The Internet public meeting on National Air Tour Standards begins Feb. 23 at 9 a.m...
Sun 'n Fun's air show schedule is alive and posted, listing dates and performers...
Sino Swearingen's SJ-30 bizjet can now deliver certified sea-level pressure at 41,000 feet.
More...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
The Savvy Aviator #2: In Quest Of The Ideal Mechanic
There are a dozen crucial attributes that you should look for when choosing an A&P to maintain your aircraft. Realistically, however, you'll never find any one mechanic who possesses them all. AVweb's Mike Busch explains how to size up your mechanic's strengths and weaknesses, and offers a case study of how to take advantage of the strengths and overcome the weaknesses. More...

BUSINESS AVFLASH
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP yet for AVweb’s NO-COST twice monthly Business AVflash? Reporting on breaking news, Business AVflash also focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the Business of Aviation. Business AVflash is a must read! Sign up today at http://www.avweb.com/profile/

More...

AVWEB'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK ...
Last week, AVweb asked you if the much-tauted ''bonus depreciation'' provision in last year's tax bill was responsible for the upswing in General Aviation. We discovered that AVweb readers are well-grounded and not quick to make snap judgements — just over 50% of you said that while it is an upswing, we shouldn't think that financial troubles are entirely behind us. Another 25% of respondents said the improvements in GA are a clear indicator that better economic times are on the horizon.

This week's Question was submitted to AVweb directly from a government agency -- Click here to answer this week's Question and weigh in with the TSA. More...

AVWEB'S PICTURE OF THE WEEK ...
AVweb readers have a seemingly inexhaustible supply of great aviation images. Some are breath-taking, some hilarious, and some just plain charming — like this week's winning photograph, of 1-3/4-year-old Frederick Jack Robaina from Miami Springs, Florida. "He points at all the airplanes in the sky," photographer Freddy Robaina tells us. Congratulations to both Fredericks — a certified AVweb ball cap is on the way! More...

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YOU WORKED HARD FOR THAT IFR TICKET. NOW PROTECT IT!
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"TEST DRIVE" A B-737/300 AT CONTINENTAL'S IAH PILOT TRAINING CENTER!
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KEEP YOUR FLIGHT LEVEL DESKTOP DATA FILES SECURE WITH A SPECIAL OFFER
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SPONSOR NEWS

WHAT DOES A YELLOW TAG REALLY MEAN?
A yellow tag is the conventional way of signifying that a part or appliance is serviceable and okay to use. But what does yellow tagging really mean? Not as much as you might think — a topic that's thoroughly addressed in the February issue of Light Plane Maintenance magazine, the first and best source of money-saving how-to information for aircraft owners. Order your Light Plane Maintenance subscription online at http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/belvoir/lpm/avflash.

PILOTS COMMENT AFTER READING IFR: A STRUCTURED APPROACH by JOHN ECKALBAR:
"Perhaps the most useful aviation training publication I have encountered in almost 40 years" (Fredric Boswell); "The GPS chapter alone is worth getting the book. ... It is certainly the best instrument flying book I have ever read" (Fred Scott); "If one book could help you make the leap from a bit player to a skilled conductor of instrument flight, this is probably it" (AOPA Pilot, November 2003). With the help of this book, you will establish your own personal standard operating practices for IFR, including incorporation of checklists, flows, callouts, briefings, and the "fly by the numbers" method of aircraft control. For more information and to order online, go to http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/skyroad/avflash.

GRAB AVIATION'S MAINSTAY — FLYING MAGAZINE — AT SPECIAL AVWEB PRICES
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AVflash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest aviation news, articles, products, features and events featured on AVweb, the Internet's Aviation Magazine and News Service. http://www.avweb.com

Letters to the editor intended for publication in AVmail should be sent to mailto:editor@avweb.com.com. Have a comment or question? Send it to mailto:newsteam@avweb.com.

Today's issue written by News Writer Russ Niles:
http://www.avweb.com/contact/authors.html#rniles
AVweb's editorial team: http://avweb.com/contact/authors.html.

Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? A question on marketing? Send it to AVweb's sales team: mailto:sales@avweb.com.

Let's all be careful out there, okay?

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