|
September 3, 2012
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
|
|
Three Things You Should Never Say to ATC
Listen as two ATC pros share tips on better communication with ATC. Avoid these common mistakes and make your interactions more efficient and accurate. This is a sample from Pilot Workshops'
Tip of the Week.
Click here for this quick tip.
|
|
|
|
|
AVflash! Rising Cost of Flying in New
Zealand |
|
back to top |
 |
|
New Zealand aviation groups are lining up in opposition to major increases in fees for obtaining and maintaining a pilot's license. The one-time "issuance fee" for a pilot's license is going up
from $55 to $230 but it's the new "medical service application fee" that is raising the collective blood pressure of the pilot population. Starting in November, pilots will have to pay a flat $313 any
time their medical fitness is assessed by the Civil Aviation Administration. For commercial pilots past 40 that's every six months for single-pilot operations. It's not just the pilot fees that are
going up, though. The CAA charge-out rate for audit operations will go from $135 an hour to $208 an hour in November and will be $284 an hour by the end of 2014. In all, more than 150 fees are being
increased.
Aviation groups claim their members are being made to cover inefficiencies in the way the CAA operates. "If they had an efficient administrative system working in their medical unit -- in other
words, internet-based filing -- then they wouldn't have a massive number of people handling bits of paper that inevitably get lost," Irene King, CEO of the Aviation Industry Association, told stuff.co.nz
|
|
|
Is There Anything More Important than Protecting Your Family?
Be certain you have the right life insurance coverage. Get the information you need to find the right policy for your family's protection at the Pilot Insurance Center. Call PIC at (800)
380-8376 or
visit
PICLife.com. 
|
|
|
|
A team of researchers at the University of Miami has received $100,000 in NASA funding to further develop their ninja-star-looking bi-directional flying wing jet, which rotates 90 degrees in flight
to achieve supersonic speeds with virtually no ground-observable sonic boom. The aircraft design is symmetrical along its longitudinal axis and its lateral axis, but one is longer than the other. It
has two cockpits, each at one end of one axis, separated by 90 degrees. In flight at subsonic speed, the aircraft uses its longer axis as its wings, with its tips folded up into winglets. The aircraft
transitions to supersonic flight by folding down the wingtips and using aerodynamic forces to rotate 90 degrees around centrally mounted twin turbofans. Once rotated, the shorter axis, an airfoil
highly optimized for supersonic flight, serves as the wing.
The researchers have run computer models showing that the shorter wing delivers to ground level no observable supersonic boom when traveling at speeds near 1.5 Mach and 2.0 Mach. Transition from
subsonic to supersonic configurations would require a 5-second rotation that researchers estimate would produce low level forces that passengers would find difficult to observe. That said, the
research will not lead to supersonic passenger jets flying the skies in the next few years. Any application of the technology would likely see flight no sooner than 20 years from now. And that
timeframe suggests other technological advances and aerodynamic modifications would evolve and be incorporated along the way. But the research team has looked at simulated versions of the aircraft
operating as a business jet. And drone markets seeking the ability to use supersonic speeds and near-silent stealth could help press development.
The idea behind MakerPlane is to create an "open source aviation project" that allows people to build their own aircraft using personal Computer Numerical Control (CNC) mills and 3D printers. In
that way, MakerPlane hopes to create an environment where people can produce aircraft largely "built on a computer controlled mill at home." The man behind the idea, John Nicol, based in Canada, is
seeking to reduce the financial means and physical capabilities required by an individual seeking to build an aircraft. Aside from creating a new largely digital workflow for builders, MakerPlane
would also seek to cultivate multi-media builder assistance products and physical builder assistance sites. Nicol has unveiled MakerPlane's first design, "Version 1.0," from Israel-based aeronautical
engineer, Jeffrey Meyer. The design conforms to LSA weight and speed requirements. V 1.0 also aims to be a modular design and MakerPlane intends to offer plans, free.
As a modular aircraft, builders could choose from "different pre-approved options" including "landing gear, wings, power plant, interior and other configurations." Aside from aircraft, MakerPlane hopes to create a new level of safety and accuracy in homebuilt aircraft through its use of mechanized "consistent, repeatable and highly
accurate processes." Nicol envisions support communities that provide access to contributing designers and participants who volunteer their ideas to builders at every phase of the building process.
"This is an international effort of like-minded folks all over the world," says Nicol. That in itself may not be so different from the advanced community forums and CNC-produced parts that exist among
some of the world's most popular kitbuilt aircraft designs, like Van's Aircraft. Where MakerPlane would separate itself from that group is through its use of digital manufacturing processes at
individual builder's homes, and a modular design that can be more easily adapted to individual needs.
|
|
|
The Aviators: Watch Us on TV, on DVD and Online ... Now!
The award-winning hit television series airing across the US weekly on PBS (contact your local station), in Canada on Travel+Escape, and overseas on Discovery. The Aviators covers
all-things aviation, as our pilot/hosts take you flying with the Blue Angels, on $100 hamburger runs, or exploring aircraft from warbirds to airliners. Seasons 1 and 2 now on iTunes and Hulu. Season
3 coming this fall ... and premiering at AirVenture 2012!
Click here to learn
more.
|
|
|
|
A member of the Hoppers civilian jet demonstration team was killed Saturday when his L-39 Albatros went down at an airshow in
Davenport, Iowa. The pilot, Glenn Smith, of Frisco, Texas, was part of a three-ship formation when his aircraft went down in a field near the airport. The crash was visible to the crowd and resulted
in a large fireball. The show resumed Sunday "out of respect for our fallen aviator," according to a note posted on Quad City
Air Show website.
The Hoppers are a group of private L-39 owners from varying backgrounds who say their goal is to interact with children at airshows to inspire them to achieve. "The Hoppers have been blessed
through hard work and a little luck to be in a position to fly these planes," the team says on its website. "Our goal is for kids to gain an appreciation of what these jets are all about and to walk
away thinking 'I could do that too. All I have to do is work hard in school and think big!'" There has been no word from the team whether it will perform next week at the Waukegan, Ill., airshow as
scheduled.
It's now been confirmed that celebrated author and longtime flying enthusiast Richard Bach was seriously injured when his SeaRey amphib clipped power lines and went down short of a runway on San
Juan Island northwest of Seattle on Friday. His son James told The Associated Press his father's condition is improving. He has a broken shoulder and head injuries. Bach, whose short novel about a
seagull's love of flight was considered a metaphor for Bach's own passion for the air, was a massive best seller and after Jonathan Livingston Seagull he penned dozens of books, many of which had an
aviation theme. The 76-year-old Bach, who was interviewed by AVweb's Mary Grady in 2011, is an accomplished pilot who also started a blog that often mentions aviation.
Details of the crash are sketchy but there are reports the landing gear of the aircraft snagged a power line on final for a private strip on the island. Bach began flying when he was 17 and flew
F-84s for the Air Force as a reservist. He held a variety of jobs before the 1972 success of Jonathan Livingston Seagull and was also a barnstormer.
|
|
|
Your Personal S1 Experience
With its revolutionary adaptive digital noise cancelation and customizable comfort features such as headband contact pressure adjustment, the S1 Digital is truly a headset that can be
personalized for every user and every environment. We want you to experience this level of customization for yourself. For a limited time only, try an S1 Digital without risk for 30 days, share your
experience with us, and get rewarded.
Learn more.
|
|
|
|
A new turbine-powered personal flying wing jetpack may be coming from San Diego-based Troy Hartman, an X Games skysurfing gold medalist and aerial stuntman who is actively testing his developing
design. Hartman has not yet flown the complete rig but is testing its key components (see video). The ultimate solid wing design may be
similar to that created by current only living Jetman, Yves Rossy. Rossy has successfully flown several noteworthy flights strapped to his own turbine-powered wing, including aerobatics (video), and a run in the Grand Canyon (video). Hartman updated his YouTube page Aug. 26 with footage of some of his most recent flight tests
that included using the future wing's two-UAV turbine engines, without the wing, to power him aloft under canopy.
As tested, Hartman must lean forward in his harness to create the forward thrust that he uses to fly the rig like a powered parachute. His rig so far differs from Rossy's by using two larger UAV
turbines for power, mounted together on his back. Rossy has used four smaller turbines, two per wing, and has shown a habit of continuously modifying the details of his design. Hartman is still
working toward his own optimal solid wing design, and is reportedly developing at least two
options -- one with the engines together on his back, the other with them mounted, one under each wing. The flight tests shown in the video are part of what Hartman calls "Phase 2" of his testing
schedule. Hartman's Phase 1 checks previously tested his turbine rig, mounted to his back, and accelerating him, sometimes uphill, as he stood on snow skis. In that configuration, Hartman says he's
reached a top speed of 47 mph and demonstrated "fast uphill ascents." (Click for video.)
The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) will honor the legacy of the first man to walk on the moon by renaming one of its most prestigious awards as The Neil A. Armstrong Aviation Heritage
Trophy, to be awarded this September. Formerly The Rolls-Royce Aviation Heritage Trophy, the award has been presented during the Reno Air Races, and sometimes by Armstrong himself, as part of the
concurrently held National Aviation Heritage Invitational. It recognizes "the most authentic example of a vintage aircraft restored to airworthy condition." This year, and moving forward, it will
carry Armstrong's name. Head of Rolls-Royce North America, James M. Guyette, said Rolls-Royce has been a proud sponsor of the National Aviation Heritage Invitational since 1998. He added, "I can think
of no finer way" to memorialize Armstrong than to rename the trophy "in his honor, as a lasting tribute to his legacy."
Armstrong's logbook is said to contain time in more than 200 different aircraft models, from the Aeronca Champ, to the X-15, and the Grumman/NASA Lunar Module he hand flew to landing on the surface
of the moon. According to NAHF, prior winners have been thrilled to receive the trophy from a Hall of Fame Enshrinee, "especially the first man to walk on the moon." Said Mike Houghton, president
of the Reno Air Racing Association, "I am thrilled that The Neil A. Armstrong Aviation Heritage Trophy will be unveiled to the NAHI competitors and our air racing fans at the 49th Annual Reno Air
Races next month." This year, that winner will not just enjoy the presentation ceremony, but also the unveiling of the new trophy to take place Sunday, Sept. 16, at Reno. Winners are given a
"keeper" trophy. The original resides throughout the year at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
|
|
|
Faro G2 Now Available to General Aviation
Proven, reliable reputation in commercial operations for over ten years. Three-year replacement warranty. MP3/cell input. Amazing noise reduction. Engineered in the USA. Choose from black, army
green, sky blue, and gray.
Only $189 — limited-time offer.
Click here to see what pilots think of Faro aviation headsets.
|
|
|
|
|
The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is
You! |
|
back to top |
|
|
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: Pilot Currency
Regarding the "Question of the Week": I belong to the
"I-get-an-IPC-every-six-months-whether-I-need-it-or-not" club. I always do ("need it," that is). I'm discovering that even with the every-six-month constraint, I find the need to really "exercise" a
skill which is difficult to put into words — for lack of a better term, I'll call it "problem solving," — and it's virtually impossible to do this alone.
The rote procedure of establishing oneself on a final approach course, keeping things centered and landing is a skill which, admittedly, needs regular polishing. The "higher level" skill is the
ability to deal with the curve ball, the distraction. I'm absolutely convinced that the bulk of morbidity out there, practiced by pilots who have the training to know better, is the result of
misdirected attention to unseen traffic, GPS knob fiddling when a simple twist of the VOR OBS would do, or just generally missing the forest for the trees.
One of the rewards of IFR flight is the smooth handling of these challenges. It's one of the hardest skills to practice, too. I like to rotate through a couple of instructors at IPC time, just to
make the experience a little less predictable. I think that helps shake the rust off the problem-solving machine.
Anthony Nasr
Time to Fly
Regarding the "Question of the Week": I was one of the respondents who put "other" as my answer. I am not
flying currently because I am building an airplane. All my spare time (and money) are going into that project. I hope to return to the air (in my homebuilt) next year!
Darryl Ray
I fly for a living (flight instructing), so at work I have plenty of time to fly. I also own an airplane which I fly outside of work. Ten years ago I averaged 100 hours plus/year in that
airplane. Now I'm down to 50 hours or less. Time, cost and family members who are less interested in flying on family trips have all been factors in reduced personal flying.
Dave McClurkin
Factors liming my flying hours are fuel cost, fuel cost and fuel cost — in that order.
Steve Zeller
MIT should be embarrassed about the study that found cost was a factor in the decline of general aviation. This is what they spend their time on for a higher education? I could have told them
that without leaving my house. Wonder if they will send me a Masters Degree now.
Dale Gibboney
I have plenty of time, not enough money. What's more important — one hour on a Hobbs meter vs. two or three nice, nice, but not extravagant, evenings out with my wife?
Fred Wedemeier
Sorry, but the issue of available time affecting propensity to get into flying is not new. AOPA research (later donated to the new Be a Pilot program) found the two prime deterrents were cost and
time. That's why BAP themes focused on concepts like "It costs less than you think and takes less time than you think."
Drew Steketee
I'm retired, so time is not an issue. Fuel cost is a bigger issue for me, but hasn't stopped me from flying regularly. Mogas prices are still reasonable, which helps me keep flying.
Jim Hefner
Armstrong Did Say It
Computer analysis shows that Neil Armstrong did say, "That's one small step for a man." The utterance was so short (35
milliseconds) that we don't hear it.
See this page or one of any other web pages when the story on the speech analysis occurred — back around 2006.
R. Montagne
Read AVmail from other weeks here, and submit your own Letter to the Editor with this form.
|
|
Staff Reply Goes Here.
Russ Niles
Editor-in-Chief
|
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.
|
|
|
WingX Pro7 for iPad & iPhone — Now with Track Up!!!
The new WingX Pro7 for iPad and iPhone adds Synthetic Vision with AHRS pitch and bank (optional). Wow! WingX Pro7's Moving Map also includes Terrain-Enhanced VFR Sectionals and IFR Low/High
En Route charts, ADS-B NEXRAD and In-Flight Weather, TFRs, SUAs, and a lot more. All moving map views can be displayed full-screen or side-by-side. Also included: Animated weather images, DUATS,
A/FD, AOPA Directory, Route Planning, FARs, E6B, and more. Synthetic Vision requires an annual $99 subscription.
Click here for more
information.
|
|
|
|
"For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these:" Back to School! (With apologies to John Greenleaf Whittier's "Maud Muller," 1854). Break's over, kids; time to review what you
might've forgotten over the summer. This quiz will count toward your final grade.
Take the quiz.
More Brainteasers
That was the question we posed last month. Is it nobler in the minds of pilots to fly on multiple engines or forsake one throttle and -- by opposing the multi-engine fetish --
declare, "One sound power source is good enough for me!" Here now are the results of our single v. multi-engine poll. Here now are the
results of our single v. multi-engine poll.
|
|
|
Lightspeed Aviation Trade-Up Program
Your old less-than-perfect headset has trade-in value on our new Zulu.2 or Sierra headsets. Just visit us online at LightspeedAviation.com, click on
our Trade-Up Program, and discover how easy it is to own the headset most pilots prefer. Quiet and clarity never felt so comfortable. You get an incredible headset at a great price from a
company that is totally committed to aviation. Headsets for aviation is our only passion.
Click here to learn
more and to find a dealer near you.
|
|
|
|
Cost is a big reason that many owners have reduced their flying hours. But so is lack of time. No surprise there, either, says Paul Bertorelli on the AVweb Insider blog. You probably
don't know anyone who's working fewer hours than they did a decade ago, and neither do we. Modern life puts so many demands on the 24-hour day that flying gets bumped to the bottom of the to-do list.
Plus, some additional thoughts on the passing of Neil Armstrong.
Read more and join the conversation.
File Size 9.7 MB / Running Time 10:35
Podcast Index
|
How to Listen
|
Subscribe Via RSS
It's an ambition for many pilots in the U.K., and Flyer magazine publisher Ian Seager invited some of them along for the ride on his trip to AirVenture Oshkosh. Seager flew his
Cessna 182 and talked to AVweb's Paul Bertorelli at the show in late July.
Click here to listen. (9.7 MB, 10:35)
|
|
|
In the Soup?
Whether you fly in the system daily or just IPC check rides, IFR magazine helps you be the best instrument pilot you can be.
Subscribe now.
|
|
|
|
Nominate an FBO
|
Rules
|
Tips
|
Questions
|
Winning FBOs
AVweb's newest "FBO of the Week" is Gill Aviation at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (KDWH) in Houston, Texas.
AVweb reader J.C. Hyde visit there recently and experienced their first-rate service first hand:
Flew into Houston last week. I had arranged for a rental car to be available upon our arrival. What I hadn't planned for was the lost of my primary vacuum pump. When we arrived, [the] rental car
was ready; when I asked about fixing the vacuum, the FBO instantly put me into contact with Rite-Way Aviation, whose owner, John Davis, met me at the aircraft. We hadn't even finished unloading
before he was hooking the aircraft up to his tug, ready to tow it to their maintenance facility. [He got it] fixed that day and ready for departure. Between Gill Aviation and Rite-Way Aviation, a
two-day planned stop did not end up in a long downtime waiting for repairs. And even the cookies were great!
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.
|
|
|
|
In view of all the recent hurricane news coverage, I recalled a pertinent exchange from the the Port Columbus, Ohio (CMH) tower. I worked at the "Lane Gate" vehicle check point
for several years, regularly monitoring the tower frequency to get a "play by play" description of what was going on around me. I overheard the following exchange the day after the remnants of
hurricane Ike came through, causing a lot of downed trees and subsequent power outages. A recently landed ERJ was taxiing to the ramp and called the tower:
ERJ:
"CMH Tower, American Eagle 1234. I hear you guys got a lot of wind yesterday. How much did you get?"
Tower:
"American Eagle 1234, Tower. The highest gust I saw was 68mph, and then the wind thingee blew away."
(78mph gusts were reported by the news media.)
Edwin Esson
via e-mail
Heard anything funny, unusual, or downright shocking on the radio lately? If you've been flying any length of time, you're sure to have eavesdropped on a few memorable exchanges. The ones that
gave you a chuckle may do the same for your fellow AVweb readers. Share your radio funny with us, and, if we use it in a future "Short Final," we'll send you a sharp-looking AVweb hat
to sport around your local airport. No joke.
Click here to submit your original, true, and previously unpublished story.
|
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:
Publisher
Tom Bliss
Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli
Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles
Webmaster
Scott Simmons
Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew
Contributors
Kevin Lane-Cummings
Jeff Van West
Ad Coordinator
Karen Lund
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].
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.
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.
|
|
|
