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| AVflash! Meet the FAA Administrator | back to top |  |
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Meeting The FAA's Michael Huerta
A Senate committee is preparing to vote on FAA Administrator nominee Michael Huerta, who met with AVweb Wednesday at AirVenture and commented on third-class medicals, drones, ADS-B and more. Historically, the administrator's comments in these sessions are friendly, but cordial and carefully worded, as a matter of course. They generally do not reveal much about pending regulation, but they can provide a sense of the person behind the title ... if only a small one. If confirmed as Administrator, Huerta will officially take the office with a lot on his plate.
Recent reports from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) have been critical of multiple programs related to the FAA. GAO says NextGen it late and roughly $4.2 billion over budget; and weaknesses in the Alien Flight Student Program have allowed individuals to progress through flight training after entering the country illegally. Most recently, the GAO has found issues with non-punitive reporting of safety concerns among air traffic controllers. And then there are recommendations from the NTSB -- notably, recommendations for testing experimental aircraft.
Our conversation was recorded; click here to listen. |
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Podcast: FAA Acting Administrator Michael HuertaFile Size 6.7 MB / Running Time 7:16Podcast Index | How to Listen | Subscribe Via RSS
Acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta comments on Third Class medical certification, ADS-B, drones and more, as his nomination begins its trip into the Senate.
This podcast is brought to you by Avidyne
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| Garmin Readies for ADS-B | back to top | |
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Garmin GDL 39 Gets Weather, Some Traffic
Garmin has joined the portable ADS-B parade with their GDL 39. The receiver sits on the glareshield, receives both free weather and ADS-B traffic targets, and displays the data in Garmin's Pilot App for the iPad or on the aera 796 portable navigator. It's about the size of a sardine can, which makes it bigger than Sporty's Stratus, and is almost twice as large with the optional battery attached. That battery will also cost you $100 extra, and the traffic display might not be what you expect.
ADS-B traffic received by the GDL 39 is directly from aircraft sending ADS-B out signals, and from FAA ground stations. However, unless your aircraft has an ADS-B out signal of its own, traffic around your aircraft might not be displayed. The GDL 39 is $799 without the battery, although if you purchase before August 31, Garmin will include it for free. The GDL 39 can connect via Bluetooth with two iOS or Android devices at once, and by cable to aera 700s, aera 500s, 696s and G3X cockpit displays. It will be able to connect via Bluetooth to the 796 with a future update to the 796. |
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| Back to the Drawing Board for ATC Reporting? | back to top | |
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Report: ATC Safety Program Not Working
An FAA program for non-punitive reporting of safety concerns among air traffic controllers needs "significant improvements" before it can become effective, according to a report issued last Thursday by the Transportation Department Office of Inspector General. "Failure to address potential deficiencies in transparency and accountability may lead to the perception that the Air Traffic Safety Action Program is an amnesty program," the report says. For example, although the reports are meant to reveal safety issues while protecting the controllers who submit them, the OIG says reports have been accepted in the program that address "air traffic controller conduct issues," rather than performance concerns. For example, these include controllers falling asleep, viewing a personal video player while on position, and refusing to take handoffs.
The mainstream media was quick to jump on the report with headlines such as "FAA…Gives Amnesty For Sleeping," and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association was also quick to issue a response. NATCA addressed several of the details in the report, and concluded: "The bottom line is that since the beginning of implementation in 2008, no other safety program has identified and fixed more local and systemic problems than the ATSAP program. More than 60 percent of the 21,462 Air Traffic Organization employees who are eligible to participate in the ATSAP program have submitted at least one ATSAP report. We agree with the FAA that this marks a giant step forward for safety. The ATO now has more and better-detailed safety data than before." The OIG made 10 recommendations to the FAA to improve the program, such as clarifying their policies and better analyzing their data. |
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| Standing Behind Skylane Diesels | back to top | |
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Cessna's SMA Diesel: Lycoming Will Support It
Fresh off the announcement that Cessna will offer a Skylane with an SMA diesel engine, SMA said Tuesday that Lycoming will support the engine in the field with parts and services. SMA's CEO Thierry Hurtes said in an interview with AVweb that the chief lesson SMA learned from marketing its original SR305 10 years ago is that a service and repair network is a must for any new engine entering the market. Although SMA doesn't have its own, Cessna and Lycoming -- both Textron units -- do and the companies have struck an agreement for SMA support parts to flow through the Lycoming parts chain.
Lycoming, of course, has chosen not to develop a diesel of its own -- at least that we know about -- so Cessna obviously searched elsewhere for a Jet A-burning piston engine for the 182. The SR305-230E -- the latest iteration of SMA's engine -- was certified by the FAA in April 2011 and Hurtes told AVweb that the company is tooled up and prepared for serial production. Although the engine/airplane combination isn't certified yet, Cessna has committed to deliveries of the 182 NXT by the second quarter of 2013. It will replace the turbocharged version of the Cessna 182, according to Cessna.
The commitment by an OEM may have given SMA just the boost it needed to continue development of the SR305 into a higher output six-cylinder version. At a press briefing, Hurtes was noncommittal on the specifics of larger engines but indicated they're a likelihood. The SR305 will come out of the box with a 2400-hour TBO based on more than 9000 hours of testing. Further, the engine's operating envelope has been expanded to 20,000 feet from about 12,000, thanks to an improved turbocharger and fueling tweaks. It also appears that the engine will be field overhaulable, but we're not sure if that means Lycoming or competitive field shops or both. For more on the SMA engine, click on this podcast with Thierry Hurtes. |
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| Good Year for Embraer, Good for Biz as a Whole? | back to top | |
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Embraer Upbeat On Biz Market Trends
This year could be "a pivotal year to recover market growth" for jet sales, said Ernie Edwards, president of Embraer Executive Jets, at a news conference at EAA AirVenture on Wednesday. "There were record corporate profits in the first quarter 2012 in the U.S.," he said. Buyers still seem reluctant to spend, he said, but he added that pre-owned aircraft sales are slowing down and bizjet traffic is "trending in the right direction," which he hopes are signs of "pent-up demand" and imminent recovery. Edwards also provided an update on the company's bizjet line and progress on new models.
First flight of the super-midsize Legacy 500, which rolled out in December, is expected by September, Edwards said, with first delivery in early 2014. The midsize Legacy 450 is a year behind the 500, he said. The company has 800 engineers working on the two designs, he added. Sales have been "struggling" at the lower end of the product line, especially for the Phenom 100, which is typically an owner-flown aircraft, he said. The Phenom 300 is "doing well," he said, and the Legacy 650, at the higher end of the market where buyers are less sensitive to economic fluctuations, is selling "very well." |
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| Guarding Against Hypoxia | back to top | |
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Oxygen Conditioning For Pilots
ExtremeO2 Aviator has developed an aviation-focused conditioning process that trains the body to maintain oxygen blood saturation at altitude. The ExtremeO2 altitude contrast conditioning is said to help protect pilots from hypoxia and its effects on night vision while restoring brain function, increasing reflex speed, improving G-force recovery and enhancing tolerance to higher altitudes. It might also improve the quality of sleep while traveling and fight the effects of jet lag while offering stress remediation.
The program, which is not intended to replace supplemental oxygen in non-pressurized cabins, is simple. Pilots exercise on commercial or home exercise equipment while tethered to an oxygen machine –- a process that the company says improves respiratory performance enough to produce clinically measurable increases in mental function and vision in less than three hours of training. "ExtremeO2 Aviator exposes your body to shifting altitudes," ExtremeO2 founder Mark Squibb said in a podcast interview. "These shifts condition your body to adapt. Further, ExtremeO2 superloads your body with oxygen. This extra oxygen makes you healthier and more alert, and improves mental capacity." |
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Podcast: Oxygen Training for PilotsFile Size 3.4 MB / Running Time 7:22Podcast Index | How to Listen | Subscribe Via RSS
Loading the body with oxygen in a structured program can improve performance at high altitudes. ExtremeO2 founder Mark Squibb spoke with AVweb's Larry Anglisano about the benefits.
This podcast is brought to you by Aspen
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| High-Tech HUDs for GA | back to top | |
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New Laser HUD For LSA, Experimental
New from Italian avionics manufacturer PAT Avionics is the G-HULP head up display system. HUD technology is common in military aircraft applications where pilots need to be looking out the windscreen while also monitoring critical flight data. The G-HULP HUD uses laser projection technology that superimposes on a transparent display postioned in front of the pilot and is designed for an easy and customizable attachment to the aircraft glareshield.
The system, that starts at around $5000, can be used stand-alone using a dedicated CPU or through an interface with Dynon's Skyview EFIS system. Thanks to an open architecture, the company is able to plan future interfaces with other manufacturer's avionics suites. |
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Video: Heads Up Display for GA AircraftOriginal, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos
Italian manufacturer PAT Avionics showed off their laser-generated heads up display at Airventure 2012.
This video is brought to you by Aspen
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| Outside Oshkosh: The Red Bull Jump | back to top | |
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Red Bull Jumps From 96,640 Feet, Prep For Record
Red Bull skydiver Felix Baumgartner successfully jumped from a capsule at 96,640 feet above New Mexico on Wednesday morning, in a final test jump prior to an attempt to break the all-time freefall record of 102,800 feet, set in 1960. According to preliminary data, Red Bull said, his jump from a 5.3 million cubic-foot balloon achieved an altitude of over 96,640 feet. Baumgartner free-fell for 3 minutes and 48 seconds, reaching speeds of 536 mph. He landed in the desert about 15 minutes (by helicopter) away from the launch site in Roswell. "It's hard not to get emotional about today," said Art Thompson, technical director for the project. "We are just so glad to have Felix back on the ground after a long week with significant weather challenges. The crew did a great job."
The launch had originally been scheduled for Monday morning, but had to be scrubbed two days in a row due to thunderstorms, wind and rain. The team will now complete critical post-jump assessments on the capsule and equipment, then wait for a favorable weather window for the record jump. Wednesday's jump took Baumgartner past Russia's Yevgeny Andreyev's 83,523-foot jump to make him only the second man to have successfully completed a jump from such an altitude. The record of 102,800 feet was set by Joe Kittinger, who has acted as Baumgartner's mentor for this project. |
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| Boots on the Ground | back to top | |
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AVweb Insider Blog: AirVenture 2012 -- Cessna's SMA Diesel Play
At AirVenture 2012, Cessna showed up with its new 182 NXT SMA-powered diesel. The engine itself was a surprise, but not the fact that it was diesel. Question is, will the airplane be the world-beater that some imagine, just because it's a diesel? For the answer, says Paul Bertorelli on the AVweb Insider blog, we have to look outside the U.S.
Read more and join the conversation.
AirVenture 2012 Photo Gallery
Amid all the excitement of press conferences and seminars, we still found time to walk the ground at AirVenture and snap some photos for those of you who couldn't make it.
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| The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is You! | back to top | |
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Survey: Have You Had Your Aircraft Interior Refurbished?
Have you had your aircraft interior redone in the past five years? If so, our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, wants to hear about it. Please take a moment to answer this completely confidential survey and help your fellow aircraft owners find the best shop to replace their 1970s Royalite-and-velour with something less embarrassing.
Click here to take the survey.
The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click here.
AVweb's Newstips Address ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 255,000 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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| Names Behind the News | back to top | |
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Meet the AVwebFlash Team
AVwebFlash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the world's premier independent aviation news resource.
The AVwebFlash team is:
Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? Your advertising can reach over 225,000 loyal AVwebFlash, AVwebBiz, and AVweb home page readers every week. Over 80% of our readers are active pilots and aircraft owners. That's why our advertisers grow with us, year after year. For ad rates and scheduling, click here or contact Tom Bliss, via e-mail or via telephone [(480) 525-7481].
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Comments or questions about the news should be sent here.
If you're having trouble reading this newsletter in its HTML-rich format (or if you'd prefer a lighter, simpler format for your phone or handheld device), there's also a text-only version of AVwebFlash. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here.
Aviate. Navigate. Communicate. |
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