Volume 10, Number 12a -- March 15, 2004

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

IS IT A RIDE OR AN AIR TOUR?
The FAA should withdraw its proposal to impose new regulations on air-tour operators, EAA said last week, and start over. "The very foundation of this proposal is so flawed," EAA said in its 15-page comment, filed on Thursday, "... [the FAA should] re-evaluate the data and rewrite the proposed rule to more appropriately reflect any legitimate safety concerns." The FAA's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, published last October (also available online here), would require sightseeing tours that now operate under Part 91 to be certificated and to comply with new rules regarding low-level flight, visibility and over-water ops. The NPRM also proposes new rules to cover flights during charitable events. The proposed rules would affect sightseeing flights including those conducted by flight schools, flights in unique aircraft such as EAA's B-17 bomber and Ford Tri-Motor, and vintage-aircraft flights around the country. More...

...AS SAFETY RECORD IS DISPUTED...
EAA said the safety statistics cited by the FAA fail to prove that there is any problem. "Nearly all of the accidents referenced in the NPRM occurred during operations that were either being conducted under a Part 135 certificate or were otherwise in violation of existing and adequate regulations," EAA said. "This leads us to believe that compliance and a lack of enforcement of existing regulations is at the heart of any notable safety deficiencies rather than a need for changing the regulations themselves." Already more than 1,800 comments have been filed to the NPRM docket, and the comment period extends until April 19. More...

...BUT FAA SEEMS DETERMINED
During an "online public meeting" conducted on the topic earlier this month, hundreds of e-mails were exchanged between concerned pilots and FAA staff. In the meeting, FAA spokeswoman Alberta Brown said the FAA is likely to be flexible on some parts of its NPRM, but not on others. "We may consider not regulating you under Part 135," she said. "We will likely not be willing to let you continue to conduct unlimited air tours with 200-hour private pilots. Additionally, consistent with the NTSB recommendations, the FAA is not inclined to maintain the current 25-mile exception." Brown said the FAA is concerned not only with accidents that have already occurred, but with trying to prevent future accidents. More...

AGING AIRCRAFT FACE REGULATORY HURDLES
When the FAA published a rule a couple of weeks ago declaring invalid all the alternative methods of compliance (AMOCs) it had previously OK'd for dealing with T-34 wing-spar concerns, it left the fleet up in the air, so to speak. Would the new rule, which takes effect today, mean that the airplanes would have to be grounded? It seems that many will, because although the FAA had approved one revised AMOC by last Thursday, and at least two more are in the pipeline, the shops that are authorized to do the work are already backlogged. "These backlogs could lead to significant delays in scheduling and extended down time for aircraft owners," said AOPA's Luis Gutierrez. More...

...AS CESSNA WING-SPAR AD APPEARS INEVITABLE...
Meanwhile, Cessna twin drivers are also facing the prospect of a complicated, $70,000-per-aircraft Airworthiness Directive affecting their 400-series models. During a two-day meeting earlier this month with owners and industry reps, the FAA "made the case for potential structural problems with the twin Cessnas' wing spars," according to AOPA's Luis Gutierrez, "and justified the agency's moving forward with developing the directives." As proposed, the ADs would require an estimated 485 man-hours' work costing up to $70,000 per aircraft. That could ground much of the fleet of nearly 1,500 Cessna 401, 401A, 401B, 402, 402A, 402B, 402C, 411, 411A, and 414A aircraft and cost more than many of these aircraft are worth, AOPA said. More...

...AND WORRIES PERSIST OF MORE TO COME
According to the Cessna Twin Spar Corp., an owners' group, the 400-series AD is only the tip of the iceberg. "We have been assured by Cessna and FAA personnel (speaking off-the-record) that ALL twin Cessna models will soon be affected by similar ADs," according to the group's Web site. At the meeting, the FAA said it has no information that indicates an unsafe condition exists in other models. However, the FAA said it "is aware that Cessna is evaluating the adequacy of other models' spars, [and] FAA will evaluate Cessna's data when it is submitted." The PowerPoint presentations from the meeting are available online. More...

CONGRESS TO HEAR FROM GA ON DCA ACCESS
The U.S. House tomorrow will hear testimony from GA industry folk who are hoping to secure access to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), which has been off-limits to non-scheduled operators since 9/11. The National Business Aviation Association's President Shelley Longmuir will be there, as will NATA President James K. Coyne. The hearing, which will be held at 2 p.m. at Signature Flight Support at DCA, is being held by the U.S. House Subcommittee on Aviation, chaired by Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.). Also on the agenda is the continuing impact on GA operations of TFRs. More...

NEW ANTENNA TECHNOLOGY COULD IMPROVE TRACKING CAPABILITIES
A new method for embedding antennas in the load-bearing structures of composite aircraft wings could lead to antennas as large as the surface area of a wing, which would be able to detect slow-moving ground targets beneath dense foliage. That task had previously been impossible with conventional antennas. The antenna could also simultaneously track air-to-air missile threats. Northrop Grumman Corp. said last Thursday it will work with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop the technology. The five-year, $12 million effort could benefit unmanned aerial reconnaissance systems such as the Air Force's Global Hawk. More...

PILOTS AIM TO RAISE $100,000 FOR ANGEL FLIGHT EAST
Tomorrow, two pilots in Virginia plan to take off and land at 100 airports in their state within 24 hours, to raise $100,000 for Angel Flight East. The record flight will begin and end at Dulles Airport, with landings at all 67 public-use runways in Virginia and selected military and private fields on the circuit. The trip will cover about 1,500 nautical miles and take 16 to 18 hours. Two Marine Corps pilots, Charles "Lindy" Kirkland and Robert "Blitz" Krieg, will fly a brand-new Centennial Edition SR22 compliments of Cirrus Design. Angel Flight East, a nonprofit organization, provides free air transportation for those in need of medical treatment far from home through its volunteer fleet of pilots and aircraft owners. More...

FLOAT PLANES OK AFTER MIDAIR
Two Cessna 185 float planes collided over Vancouver Island on Friday, but both were able to land safely. Both aircraft were on patrol for Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans, but they were operating from different bases and communicating on different frequencies. According to Bill Yearwood, of Canada's Transportation Safety Board, "One aircraft was exiting Nanoose Bay when the other aircraft appeared in front of it in a steep bank." The float of one plane hit the tail of the other. "The pilots were able to maintain control of the aircraft," said Yearwood. "They established radio contact and assessed each other's damage in flight, and then proceeded to their home bases." More...

FAA ISSUES TYPE CERTIFICATE TO NEW ZEALAND UTILITY AIRCRAFT
Pacific Aerospace Corp. (PAC) announced last week it has been issued a Type Certificate from the FAA for its PAC 750 XL single-engine piston airplane, the first passenger aircraft to be designed and manufactured in New Zealand. Targeted for the skydiving industry, the airplane has generated interest among operators for a variety of uses, and PAC says it has options to deliver 260 of them. The 750 XL is a fixed-gear, low-wing utility plane powered by a Pratt and Whitney PT6A-34 rated at 750 hp. It has a 4,400-pound useful load and a high-lift wing. The company says it can carry 17 fully equipped skydivers to 12,000 feet in about 12 minutes, and sells for about $1 million. More...

FOUR MARINES DIE IN CITATION CRASH
Four Marines died Wednesday night when their UC-35D aircraft, a military version of a Cessna Citation Encore, crashed on approach to Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, near San Diego. The plane crashed about 8:45 p.m., about a mile and a half east of the airstrip, and burned. The crew didn't report any problems prior to the crash. They had been on a routine training mission to Grand Junction, Colo., and were on their way home. The aircraft was reportedly making an instrument approach, and there was fog in the area. It was the first deadly crash on the base in more than 20 years. The crash will be investigated by a military board. More...

WOMEN IN AVIATION CONFERENCE WRAPS IN RENO
Women in Aviation International (WAI) wrapped up its 15th annual conference Saturday night, closing as usual with a banquet and the distribution of dozens of scholarships and grants for flight and maintenance training. This year's largesse totaled over $400,000. More than 2,000 people came to the conference in Reno, Nev., in search of career opportunities, guidance, or just inspiration and camaraderie. At the opening session, Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James Roche got a standing ovation when he announced the U.S. Air Force will distribute information to its personnel about WAI and its programs. More...

ON THE FLY...
FDR found from crash 10 years ago that killed two African presidents...
A Bangladesh airline pilot was attacked by a stray cat in the cockpit...
China may build its own airliners to meet demand of 2,400 jets...
FAA grounded Air East, operator of a Learjet that crashed in August...
Northwest CEO said airlines subsidize private pilots, AOPA to respond...
Lancair said its new equipment will double production capacity...
NATA's 2004 Convention set for May 18-20 in Las Vegas...
SafireJet to debut cockpit/cabin mock-up at NBAA convention in October...
Air Care Alliance annual meeting set for April 30 - May 1 in Palm Springs. 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...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
COLUMNS
CEO of the Cockpit #30: Spring Cleaning
After being grounded due to a medical condition, AVweb's Ceo of the Cockpitreturns to the flight line and finds himself a bit behind in his approachplate updates. This reminds him to go back and clean out the mental cobwebsaround all key pre-flight procedures. More...

READER FEEDBACK ON AVWEB'S NEWS COVERAGE AND FEATURE ARTICLES:
http://www.avweb.com/avmail/

Reader mail this week about the de-ice debacle, C152 sport planes, age vs.accident rates and more. More...

SHORT FINAL...
From our gender issues file...

During an IFR training flight, while getting vectored to the ILS-35, on a heading of 090...

Approach (female controller): Cardinal XXX, turn left heading 350 to intercept, cleared for the approach... Sorry for the bad vector, if you go through the localizer, continue left turn to 330 to intercept.

Cardinal XXX (male instructor): No problem, it was a perfect turn on...

... to the final approach course I mean! More...

SHOPPING DEALS

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SOFT LEATHER HOLDS YOUR IDENTIFICATION IN STYLE!
During the month of March, Pilotmall.com is offering a complimentary soft leather ID holder with a stamped airplane on the cover (a $19.99 value) with any order of Pilotmall's quality leather flight bags, backpacks, and Scheyden sunglasses. Show your style and save now at http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/pilotmall/avflash.

THE NEW PHOTON FREEDOM MICRO IS A POWERFUL FULL-FEATURED MICROLIGHT
The NEW Photon Freedom Micro incorporates LRI's new "freedom" circuitry to provide many of the same functions already available in the Photon 3 microlight, but with an all-new simple, intuitive, single-button interface. The Freedom also incorporates water resistance and rock-solid reliability. SPECIAL: Order the Freedom Micro now, for shipping in 2-3 weeks, at $19.95 and receive a no-cost hands-free Photon clip (a $4.95 value). For this and all Photon models, go to http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/photon/avflash.

FOR THE PILOT WHO HAS EVERYTHING — TAKE ANY VEHICLE FOR A SPIN!
Carprop is a free-spinning propeller mounted on the front of a vehicle to indicate the driver's enthusiasm for flying. As the vehicle moves, the propeller spins. Carprop's design allows the propeller to park in a horizontal position when the vehicle stops — so that it doesn't interfere with the license plate numbers. For the pilot who has everything, this is perfect! MARCH SPECIAL: 10% discount on any order online at http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/carprop/avflash.

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SPONSOR NEWS

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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

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Today's issue written by News Writer Mary Grady:
http://www.avweb.com/contact/authors.html#mgrady
AVweb's editorial team: http://avweb.com/contact/authors.html.

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