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| AVflash! This Year's Top Innovations | back to top |  |
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Collier Trophy Nominees Announced
Seven aviation and aerospace projects have been named as contenders for the 2012 Robert J. Collier Trophy, the National Aeronautic Association announced this week. The nominees are: the Gulfstream G650; Felix Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos team; Lockheed Martin's autonomous K-Max helicopter; the NASA/JPL Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity project; the NASA/JPL Voyager Interstellar Mission project; the U.S. Air Force MC-12 Project Liberty, which converted a King Air to military use as a crewed surveillance aircraft; and the NASA/JPL Dawn mission, which sent a spacecraft to investigate two dwarf planets to learn about the early history of our solar system.
The award, which is more than 100 years old, has been given to such projects as the B-52, the Gulfstream V and the International Space Station, and to individuals including Chuck Yeager, Scott Crossfield, Howard Hughes and the crew of Apollo 11. The 2011 trophy went to the Boeing Company for the 787 Dreamliner. The winner will be announced March 12, and the formal presentation of the trophy will take place May 9 in Arlington, Va. More details about each of this year's nominees can be found at the NAA website.
Question of the Week: What's Your Pick for the Collier Trophy?There are seven nominees this year, but we'll also give you a write-in opportunity. Remember that the award criteria stipulates that the winner goes to "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year."
Last Week's Question: Results
Want to see the current breakdown of responses? Take a moment to answer the question yourself, and then you can view real-time results.
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| Research & Development | back to top | |
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Stratos Team Updates Mission Numbers
The Red Bull Stratos team this week released its final analysis of the data collected from Felix Baumgartner's supersonic freefall last October. Baumgartner, the team said, experienced 25.2 seconds of weightlessness during his free fall, and reached a speed of Mach 1.25, or 843.6 mph, even faster than originally estimated. His jump altitude was revised slightly, down to 127,852.4 feet from the previous estimate of 128,100 feet. His heartbeat reached a maximum of 185 beats per minute when he exited the capsule, and ranged from 155 to 175 beats per minute during freefall. The data was reviewed last month by a team that included NASA astronauts, U.S. Air Force officers, and representatives from commercial aerospace companies.
Baumgartner described the freefall sensation as he accelerated to and through the sound barrier: "It feels like you are floating into space, and then you pick up speed very fast -- but you don't feel the air because the air density is so low. For almost 35 seconds I couldn't sense the air around me because basically there was none. That kind of helpless feeling is annoying as a professional skydiver. And then when you finally enter a thicker air layer you have to keep yourself completely symmetrical because otherwise you start spinning, which is what happened to me." The G meter on his wrist never reached the 6 continuous seconds at 3.5 G that would have triggered deployment of his stabilization chute. More details about the Stratos data can be found on the project website.
easyJet To Run Dry For Efficiency
Over the next 12 months, UK carrier easyJet plans to find out if they can improve the efficiency of their operations by removing moisture weight from their aircraft, the airline announced Wednesday. The carrier's yearlong test involves installation of 66-pound "Zonal Dryer" systems in four Airbus A320 aircraft. It is hoped that the system, provided by CTT Systems of Sweden, will remove up to 550 pounds of moisture per flight from the jets. The carrier says the weight is equivalent to removing 12 bags from the cargo hold and that could save nearly 10 million pounds of fuel, per year. The company also claims passengers will see a benefit.
According to easyJet, the move is in keeping with their efforts to be "as environmentally responsible as possible" and "using the latest technology to minimize the fleet's environmental impact." If the dryers work, the airline expects they could shave down the roughly $2.35 billion it spends on fuel each year while also "improving air quality for the passenger." The system works by using a fan, heater and moisture-absorbing silica-impregnated rotors to reduce water retention and channel dry air to particular parts of the aircraft to inhibit water retention. According to easyJet flight operations manager, Captain Chris Foster, "We're confident that we'll see significant and positive results on completion of the trial." |
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| Start a Flying Club! There's Help Out There | back to top | |
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Group Offers Flying Club Start-Up Scholarship
Some Chicago pilots are hoping to foster the creation of at least one new flying club in a place that needs and will support one through the offer of a "scholarship" and some practical advice. Ground Effects Advisors is offering the award, which includes about $3,500 worth of supplies and tools, to the group that rises to the top of a nationwide competition. Applications are being accepted here until May 1. In a podcast interview with AVweb, spokesman Todd McClamroch said there are plenty of scholarships for pilot training but none for mentoring those who want to keep certificated pilots engaged and interested in improving their skills.
McClamroch said flying clubs provide that outlet but they're complicated to create and maintain. Based on their experience with the Leading Edge Flying Club at Chicago Executive Airport, he and his three cohorts are willing to help the right applicant. There have already been 50 applicants since the project went live a week ago, and some prominent sponsors, including AOPA, David Clark and Cirrus, have hopped on board.
Podcast: Group Offers Flying Club ScholarshipFile Size 6.5 MB / Running Time 7:05
Podcast Index | How to Listen | Subscribe Via RSS
A new organization called Ground Effect Advisors is awarding a scholarship that includes advice, materials, and supplies worth more than $3,500 to a group that wants to start a flying club. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with Todd McClamroch about the initiative and how worthy groups should apply to StartAFlyingClub.com by May 1.
This podcast is brought to you by Bose
Corporation.
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| News Briefs | back to top | |
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Blimps To Hover In DC Airspace
Two large tethered helium blimps carrying surveillance gear will be deployed for testing by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as NORAD, somewhere near Washington, D.C.'s airspace by the end of September, Reuters reported this week. The blimps, each of them about 243 feet long, can reach altitudes up to 10,000 feet and stay aloft for up to 30 days at a time. They will carry radar and other surveillance gear that enables them to detect ground targets, manned and unmanned aircraft, boats, and cruise missiles at distances up to 340 miles. They cost about $450 million for the pair.
The test period is expected to last up to three years, according to Reuters. The blimps are tethered to mobile mooring stations. One of them carries surveillance radar with 360-degree capability, and the other one carries a fire-control radar. Raytheon, which builds the system, says expected costs to operate the pair of blimps should be about 5 to 7 times less than operating costs for large, fixed-wing surveillance aircraft. No location has been released for the blimps' deployment.
PilotWorkshops Acquires ZD Publishing
PilotWorkshops has purchased the assets of ZD Publishing, and its line of "pilot-friendly" GPS manuals, the company announced Wednesday. ZD Publishing's founder John Dittmer created the line of GPS manuals covering 21 Garmin and Bendix/King panel-mount and handheld GPS units. PilotWorkshops says Dittmer will continue to update the manuals and will add to the list of offerings in the future.
Prior to the takeover, PilotWorkshops.com had become the largest distributor for Dittmer's manuals. It will continue to offer them as downloads or physical copies. President Mark Robidoux said the manuals "focus on getting something done as opposed to the 'buttonology' focus in many manufacturer manuals," adding that his company has received "tremendous feedback" from customers familiar with the books. PilotWorkshops sells a range of products designed to improve pilot proficiency.
Stubborn Smokers Cause Airline Diversion
A Sunwing Airlines flight had to divert to Bermuda after a family of smokers found lighting up in the lavatory refused to cooperate with the cabin crew and became verbally abusive. The flight was en route from Halifax to the Dominican Republic on Friday night when a mother, father and two sons ages 16 and 22 were caught smoking by a passenger. They were "very uncooperative," Sunwing spokesman Daryl McWilliams told CBC News, and they refused to tell the crew if they had left other cigarettes on the aircraft. After diverting to Bermuda, the airline sent a mechanic to thoroughly check the airplane, and 170 passengers and crew had to spend the night. "This was a very expensive exercise for Sunwing," McWilliams said.
The uncooperative smokers were held in Bermuda, where they may face charges, according to CBC. The airline said the smokers will never fly on Sunwing again. "There's no hope," McWilliams said. "We would have a record of what happened and we wouldn't carry them." Besides the costs of the diversion, the airline picked up the tab for an additional night's stay at resorts in the Dominican Republic, to make up for the night passengers missed. |
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| What You Missed in AVwebBiz This Week | back to top | |
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Cities, States, Industry Pile On Drone Debate
Charlottesville, Va., says it's the first civic jurisdiction to pass a resolution opposing the use of unmanned aerial systems based on the "serious threat to the privacy and constitutional rights of the American people" it believes the widespread use of drones presents. The resolution by the Charlottesville city council calls for a two-year moratorium on the use of drones in Virginia and urges the state and the federal government to ban drones from being equipped with weapons in domestic airspace. The resolution came as Obama administration officials were defending drone strike policies against suspected terrorists abroad. The American Civil Liberties Union says nine states are considering legislation to restrict the use of drones. Meanwhile, those who want to use drones for commercial purposes continue to press for laws that will accommodate pilotless aircraft in the National Airspace System.
While the focus on drones has generally been on their military and law-enforcement use, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International says that's not where the money will be made. "Agriculture is going to be the big market," AUVSI Vice President Chris Mailey told Wired. He said drones developed during the 1990s in Japan now do most of that country's aerial spraying and there are many uses for drones down on the farm. "Spraying, watering -- there's a whole market for precision agriculture, and when you put that cost-benefit together, farmers will buy [drones]," he said. Hollywood has also jumped on the drone bandwagon. The Motion Picture Association of America says it can get better shots with less danger to film crews by using camera drones, and moviemakers are already using the technology extensively in countries that permit it. For instance, some of the spectacular sequences in the opening of the recent James Bond series release Skyfall were shot from drones. It's not just action movies that benefit from the versatility of drones, however. Some of the scenes in The Smurfs 2 were shot from drones in France.
GA Groups Work To Expand Caucuses
With a new Congress now in session in Washington, NBAA this week said now is the time for pilots around the country to contact their elected representatives and ask them to join the general aviation caucuses in the House and Senate. NBAA President Ed Bolen said the bipartisan groups "inform legislative debates by highlighting the value of general aviation in creating jobs, helping companies succeed, connecting communities and supporting humanitarian endeavors." Bolen said the groups helped to pass FAA reauthorization, the pilot's bill of rights, and bonus depreciation for airplane buyers.
AOPA has posted a map on its website to show the status of elected officials in each state, and EAA also says it's vital that the caucus "has a large membership to draw upon to highlight important issues facing the GA industry." U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., told AVweb back in 2011 that the House caucus worked hard to inform lawmakers about "hundreds of issues" regarding FAA reauthorization, which finally passed, after a five-year effort, in February 2012. Elected officials can be contacted through the USA.gov website.
AVwebBiz: AVweb's Business Aviation Newsletter
Delivered every Wednesday morning, AVwebBiz focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the business aviation industry, making it a must-read.
Add AVwebBiz to your AVweb subscriptions today by clicking here and choosing "Update E-mail Subscriptions." |
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| New on AVweb.com | back to top | |
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AVweb Insider Blog: Scraping the Rust Off with Glass
In a moment of sheer lunacy, resident blogger Paul Bertorelli decided to renew his instrument currency, both in a Redbird sim and an actual airplane. (Imagine that.) On the AVweb Insider blog, he offers some observations on how an old-school guy flies a glass panel and whether it makes any difference if you're scanning a PFD or traditional steam gauges.
Read more and join the conversation.
Brainteasers Quiz #180: Regulation Oscura
Before flight, every pilot must plow through a spaghetti bog of regulations designed to enhance safety by potentially scaring the flyer to stay on the ground. But you won't scare easily once you ace this quiz.
Take the quiz.
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| The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is You! | back to top | |
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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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| AVweb Video: Look, Listen, Laugh and Learn | back to top | |
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Video: Pardo's Push -- McDonnell F4 PhantomOriginal, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos "Pardo's push" of March 10, 1967 was preceded by a similar event. In 1952, fighter ace Robbie Risner pushed fellow flyer Joe Logan 60 miles. The two men were flying F-86 Sabre jets and successfully cleared hostile territory, but Logan bailed out over water, was tangled in his canopy lines, and drowned. Risner was deemed a hero, but by Pardo's account, pilots were not encouraged to partake in similar activities. Pardo's push may have saved the lives of pilot Earl Aman and his weapons system officer, Bob Houghton. But it would be decades before their efforts were recognized by the Air Force. Bob Pardo and Steve Wayne eventually earned the Silver Star for the act. Pardo was later quoted saying that they'd gotten Earl and Bob back, and that's all they wanted.
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| Your Favorite FBOs | back to top | |
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FBO of the Week: Port City Air (KPSM, Portsmouth, New Hampshire)
Nominate an FBO | Rules | Tips | Questions | Winning FBOs
AVweb's latest "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Port City Air at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (KPSM) in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
AVweb reader Ron Weinstein has had nothing but good experiences at PCA:
Not only did they not charge to park, but [they also] had a loaner available and a print-out of how to get to a great local lobster joint. Have gone three times in last year, and not a bad thing to say about them! They always go that little bit beyond! And the gas is cheap.
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! |
| Names Behind the News | back to top | |
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Meet the AVwebFlash Team
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