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May 13, 2013
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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New Terrain: Terrain and Obstacle Hazard Awareness for iPad
ForeFlight's new Hazard Advisor swiftly and elegantly highlights hazardous terrain and obstacles, making you more aware of the granite clouds and threatening obstacles in your path. A
worldwide terrain database keeps you informed wherever you fly, from Aspen to Auckland. Obstacle data covers North America, the Caribbean, and U.S. territories.
Upgrade to ForeFlight Pro today and keep hazards at bay.
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Comments have closed on the FCC's proposal to phase out 121.5 MHz ELTs but a group of senators has made it a political issue. Five members of the
Senate GA Caucus, led by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., have written the head of the FCC, Julius Genachowski, urging him to drop the plan. The senators argue that ELTs will be redundant when the NextGen
air traffic system is fully implemented, and effectively making new 406 MHz ELTs mandatory for the big majority of GA pilots who still have 121.5 units is a waste of time and money. "Should the FCC
move forward with its proposed rule to ban the use or manufacture of 121.5 MHZ ELTs, the general aviation industry will be required to install $500 million of technology which could soon become
obsolete once the FAA fully implements that satellite based navigation system authorized under the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012," said the letter. But a 406 MHz ELT manufacturer says the
406 MHz units are vastly superior and not as costly to pilots as opponents are saying it will be.
Mike Akatiff, owner of ACK Electronics, says he was "appalled" by AOPA's vigorous opposition to the rule, which he said has the support of the search and rescue community and the military. "I don't
know why the AOPA is so opposed to this," he wrote in an email to AVweb. "Yes I know I have a vested interest in getting it past but the 406 is really a great improvement over 121.5 MHz." The
121.5 signals are no longer received by search and rescue satellites and the 406 signals contain contact information and other data that searchers can use to determine whether a signal is the result
of a crash or has been triggered by mistake. The vast majority of ELT signals are in error. Akatiff also said the assumption that NextGen and ADS-B will make ELTs redundant is flawed because ADS-B
signals are line-of-sight and can be hampered by terrain and distance.
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Flying Accidents Happen;
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The 149 federal contract air traffic control towers previously targeted for closure beginning June 15 will remain open through Sept. 30 the FAA said Friday, as other programs also found funding.
The Department of Transportation said Friday it would fund air traffic technology and maintenance programs with $21 million by moving funds within its budget. The FAA was required by sequestration to
cut $637 million from its budget. As drafted, the agency was granted little latitude in how it applied the cuts. That changed when controller furloughs correlated with commercial flight delays, and
more changes soon followed.
On April 26, a new law adjusted sequestration cuts, specifically for the FAA, allowing the agency to shift money within its own accounts. The following day, the FAA announced it would end
furloughs. Now, other services may be affected by the cuts while some that had originally been targeted may be spared. The agency said Wednesday that it would reverse its plan to shut down night
operations at 69 towers, two regional approach control facilities and one tower that also provided approach control services. And on May 2, the FAA said it would not move ahead with plans to eliminate
airport weather observers -- the original March 15 plan would have started shifting the task to air traffic controllers this month.
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EAA AirVenture 2013: You Gotta Be There!
Enjoy daily world-class air shows plus two sensational night air shows; witness the first U.S. public flights by Yves "Jetman" Rossi; see 2,500-plus show planes; camp with 40,000 fellow
enthusiasts; rock to the classic sounds of Chicago; choose from hundreds of forums and workshops; peruse what's new from 800 exhibitors ... Only in Oshkosh and all in one week!
Oshkosh, WI
July 29 to August 4
Buy now & save!
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Two men suffered minor injuries Friday when the Maverick "flying car" they were in crashed in an elementary schoolyard in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. Children had just started classes for the
day and no one on the ground was hurt. Ray Seibring, the pilot, and passenger Ed Haaskyk were on a demonstration flight of the aircraft, which is essentially a large powered parachute whose chassis is
street legal. AVweb's Russ Niles was scheduled to fly next in the Maverick and witnessed the crash sequence, but not the actual impact.
Niles said the aircraft had just turned base to return to the airport to pick him up when the fabric wing seemed to get a little ahead of the chassis. "It, for lack of a better description, spun
about a revolution and a half before dropping quickly out of view," he said. "I heard the engine go to full power and then an impact noise." The car part tore through the chain-link fence that
surrounds the school playing field and came to rest in a thicket of trees next to a creek. Witnesses said the occupants got out of the wreckage themselves and did not appear to be seriously injured.
Investigators will have video footage from two onboard cameras and data from a flight data recorder to study in their review of the crash. The Maverick is built in Florida but Seibring is from
Kelowna, B.C., about 30 miles south of Vernon, and was flying it on a temporary permit from Transport Canada.
This was the first crash of a Maverick, although another developer of the vehicle, Steve Saint, was injured in a ground accident when he was hit in the head by an aluminum wing being tested for
another project. For comparison purposes, the Maverick is best considered a powered parachute and the NTSB says there have been 59 accidents, eight of which were fatal, in the past 10 years. That
makes the percentage of fatal accidents a little lower than average for GA accidents.
The saying goes that when your number's up, it's up. But most people don't get to witness the quirk of fate that spares them an unscheduled departure from this world. On the AVweb Insider
blog, Russ Niles describes what it was like to be left behind on the taxiway as a Maverick Flying Car made its last flight last Friday.
Read more and join the conversation.
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iPads in the Cockpit — ForPilotsOnly
Find the most versatile kneeboards and mounts for your iPad and iPad mini at ForPilotsOnly.com. These patented designs are manufactured in the USA and solve the issues that face iPad pilots.
The iPro Series kneeboards are the only iPad kneeboards that include a clipboard that can be opened and closed in flight without bumping the yoke. And the iPro Navigator mount
protects your mini from direct sunlight.
Find your ideal iPad solution now.
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A DC-9-32 owned by the U.S. Department of State is up for auction May 15, with a starting bid of $50,000 and, according to the seller, the aircraft was "part of Air Force Two" and "may have acted
as Air Force One." According to auction documents provided by the government, "In the thirty years this aircraft was assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing (Feb 1975-Sep 2005) it flew Presidential
missions." The document (PDF) does not specifically name individuals flown, but does
list the positions those individuals held.
Missions flown in the jet include those for the Vice President, First Lady, Cabinet Secretaries and more. The auction is being conducted by GSA Auctions, a government sales partner. A GSA
spokesperson contacted by AVweb confirmed that proceeds of the auction go back to the Treasury. The 1973 jet is located at Phoenix/Mesa Gateway Airport, Ariz., and interested parties may
schedule an inspection appointment. According to GSA, "A $50,000 bid deposit is required and it will be converted to a performance bond for to [sic] assure parts removal." Find the auction listing here.
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Introducing Bad Elf GPS Pro!
Bad Elf introduces the GPS Pro, the most feature-rich Bluetooth GPS for aviation. This new, made-for-iPad GPS delivers high performance and reliable operation with Bluetooth
connectivity.
Travel all day with 16 hours of battery! Share your GPS with up to five iPads! Datalog your trip, map it, tag it, and share it! Stop guessing about your GPS status with the big LCD display!
Click here for more information.
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The countdown has begun for the ambitious re-enactment of a record-setting flight that helped usher in the modern age of air travel.
The National Airline History Museum hopes to re-create the inaugural coast-to-coast flight of a Lockheed Constellation flown by Howard Hughes and Jack Frye in its own Connie. Right after the first
Constellation was rolled out on April 17, 1944, Hughes and Frye jumped in the cockpit and flew across the country in less than seven hours. Orville Wright was onboard and it was his last flight. The
museum hopes to have its Connie fully restored and ready for the flight on the 70th anniversary in 2014. "There are so many great stories and great people associated with this effort," said John
Roper, VP of Operations for the museum. There is a huge fundraising task ahead of the volunteer-run effort, however.
They need about $3.2 million to stage the re-enactment, half of which will be spent getting the aircraft airworthy again. It hasn't flown since 2005 when one of its engines failed. The museum's
Connie was one of the last built in 1958 and it was originally a cargo hauler. Its last job was as an aerial sprayer in Canada and it was retired to the desert in 1986, and a volunteer group from
Kansas City got it airworthy enough to ferry it there. After restoration and reconfiguration to a passenger aircraft, it spent more than 15 years on the airshow circuit as one of the last flying
Constellations. All four engines now run and a major inspection is planned for later this year to set the stage for restoration to flying condition.
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Experience Aviation and the World of Sound with
Sennheiser BlueStage
Download Sennheiser's new magazine app for the iPad at no cost and dive right into a new and interactive way to experience the world of sound. In the aviation issue, the high art of aerobatics
features alongside the high art of plane building from scrap heaps. Watch Vince Neil from Mötley Crüe take his first flying lessons and learn how veteran pilots pass the torch in schools.
Also listen to our new "Live Your Dream" theme song by
Joe.e. 
In May, BlueStage is all about the sonic experience on wings. Download, swipe, and enjoy!
Learn more.
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A relative surge in shipments of multi-engine turboprops led a positive first quarter for all GA shipments as billings improved by 31.7 percent over last year's number, GAMA announced Thursday.
Improvements to piston aircraft and jet shipment numbers were modest, posting positive changes of 3.8 percent and 4.0 percent, respectively. Diamond's DA40 led all models in the piston single group
with 27 sold. Cirrus and Flight Design were close behind. And Beechcraft Corporation, which emerged from bankruptcy in February, managed deliveries of multiple models.
Cirrus shipped 26 SR22Ts, one behind Diamond DA40 models, and Flight Design delivered 25 CT aircraft. Cessna's top piston model, the Skyhawk SP, saw 16 shipments, matching its turboprop Grand
Caravan 208B. Beechcraft Corporation delivered nine G36 Bonanzas, seven G58 Barons, and 34 King Airs (all variants). Still, the positive news for pistons was dwarfed by turboprops. Turboprop singles
were up 14.6 percent, and multi-engine turboprop shipments rose from 19 in the first three months of 2012 to 34 this year, for a positive change of nearly 79 percent. Find the figures here (PDF) and GAMA's comments here.
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The Biggest Aviation Show on the Planet ... Is Back!
The award-winning hit TV series The Aviators is back for an all-new third season showcasing everything from the F-22 and DC-3 to LSA and balloons. We take you dogfighting in the Nevada
desert, flying with the USAF Thunderbirds, and look on as Mötley Crue frontman Vince Neil learns to fly. Join our 10 million weekly US viewers and countless more worldwide.
Watch The Aviators on PBS, iTunes, Amazon, and Hulu.
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Nominate an FBO
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Rules
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Tips
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Questions
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Winning FBOs
AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Sonoma Jet Center at Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (KSTS) in Santa
Rosa, California.
AVweb reader Austin Kalb told us about the FBO:
Wow. Either I'm really a VIP, or the people at the Sonoma Jet Center in Santa Rosa, California just made me feel that way. When I arrived in my Mooney, I was immediately swarmed by staff unpacking
my luggage, loading the rental car (that was brought to the airplane), hooking up a tow, [and] handing us some cold waters. Then Josh said hello. He owns the place — and when I found out he was
a Mooney driver, I stepped out of the airplane to chat. A couple of minutes later, I was offered hangar space with the big guys. Nice! That night, my rental car experienced a flat tire. [The
rental company] was less than helpful — they left me pretty much on my own. I called the FBO. They simply took care of the issue. I left my car at the B&B in the morning, and when I returned
later that day, a new rental was sitting where the old one was. When we left Santa Rosa, Josh showed up again to see us off. Last time I visited Santa Rosa, Joyce at the front desk was exceptional.
Now I get why — it starts at the top. Great job, guys!
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!
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Safelog Is the World's Most Trusted
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Try a demo or learn
more at Checkride.com.
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Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb
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Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos
When Rotax introduced its high-tech 912iS a year ago, it claimed that the engine would be about 20 percent more fuel efficient than previous 100hp models. But new testing done by the
company last year reveals that those claims fell short of the engine's actual efficiency. In this video shot at Aero in Friedrichshafen, Germany last week, Paul Bertorelli reports that the 912iS may
improve fuel efficiency by up to 30 percent.
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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I was flying just northeast of Dallas on Monday, April 22. This was the first day of sequester-induced cutbacks of controllers.
Fort Worth Center:
"King Air 12345, cleared direct FINGR for the FINGR3 arrival."
King Air 12345:
"Cleared direct FINGR."
Fort Worth Center:
"They told us not to give any shortcuts today, but I don't see any way to do it except to give you the finger."
I was laughing too hard to hear the King Air's reply.
Steve Beckerdite
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.
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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.
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details.
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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
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Karen Lund
Avionics Editor
Larry Anglisano
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