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The Top Headlines From AVweb's Expanded,
Illustrated News Coverage At AVweb's
NewsWire.
SPORT
PILOT ERA, YEAR ONE
When the brand-new and infinitely complex Sport Pilot rules debuted with lots of fanfare at
Oshkosh late last month, the frequent reaction on the ground was,
well, we'll wait and see. But EAA, having invested years of time and
effort, isn't waiting -- they are up to their elbows in sorting
through all the details, and re-disseminating the rule in digestible
bites. On Friday, they published an updated list of "Likely Candidates for Light-Sport Aircraft,"
showing scores of fixed-wing birds, weight-shift trikes and powered
parachutes that Sport Pilots can fly. However, just because an
aircraft qualifies as a Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) doesn't mean the
manufacturer will choose to go through the necessary procedures to
comply with the Light Sport regs. EAA said it will update the list as
manufacturers announce their intentions, one way or the other.
More...
...WITH
LAKELAND AS THE NEXT WAYPOINT...
So will they or won't they? "I expect that multiple manufacturers will
choose to enter this market," Paul Fiduccia, president of the Small
Aircraft Manufacturers Association, told AVweb on Saturday.
"Many manufacturers will be reviewing the rule and the final ASTM
standard, when it comes out, and they will be evaluating their
aircraft for manufacturability, and maybe make revisions." So when
will you be able to go out and buy a new ready-to-fly Sport Plane?
Fiduccia says April 2005, at Sun 'n Fun, is a realistic target. "I
believe there is a substantial market out there," he said, that will
attract manufacturers, but that remains uncertain. "It's a big
experiment we're involved in here," he said. "We won't know until we
do it." More...
...WILL
ANY BE MADE IN AMERICA?
Many aircraft that have been flying as factory-builts for years
overseas -- such as the Flightstar CT in Europe and some Jabiru models in
Australia -- meet the LSA criteria, and the procedure for them to get
LSA-certified is fairly straightforward, as long as they are already
certified in their home country. Foreign-built aircraft have an
advantage in the way liability is structured, Fiduccia said. Also,
some U.S. manufacturers who want to start selling factory-built sport
planes may choose to build those airplanes abroad. "It just makes more
sense," Sebastien Heintz, president of Zenith Aircraft,
told AVweb at Oshkosh. "It's a relatively low-volume, high
labor business. It's expensive to do that in the U.S. 'Offshore
outsourcing' will help to make Light-Sport Aircraft affordable."
More...
NBAA
NAMES NEW PRESIDENT
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)
announced on Thursday that it has chosen Ed Bolen as its new president
and CEO. Bolen currently is president and CEO of the General Aviation
and Manufacturers Association (GAMA). "Ed is held in high regard by leaders
across the political spectrum for the many valuable contributions he
has made to the aviation industry," said NBAA search committee
director Kenneth Emerick. "His selection from more than 50 outstanding
candidates underscores the board's belief that he is the right person
to build on NBAA's proud history, and lead it into the future." Bolen
takes the place of ex-president Shelley Longmuir, who left the
position on April 1 after only nine months on the job.
More...
...MEANWHILE,
OVER AT GAMA...
As the NBAA wraps up its search effort, GAMA must ramp up to find a
replacement for Bolen. (Maybe the NBAA can FedEx them those 49 other
resumes they have on file.) For now, Ron Swanda, GAMA's senior vice
president of operations, will manage the association's day-to-day
affairs. Bolen had been with GAMA since 1995, starting out as senior
vice president and general counsel, and took over as CEO in 1996. "Ed
Bolen has been a tremendously effective leader," said GAMA Chairman
Clay Jones in a news release last Thursday. "While GAMA will miss Ed's
leadership, we are pleased that he will continue to serve the general
aviation community in his new role." More...
...AND
AOPA WEIGHS IN
Bolen is no stranger to the GA world, and his selection to head the
NBAA brought a positive response from AOPA. AOPA prez Phil Boyer told
AVweb that he's worked closely with Bolen for years, and thinks
the NBAA made a good choice. "Ed's Capitol Hill staff experience and
his background representing the general aviation manufacturers have
produced an outstanding and very capable advocate for aviation," Boyer
said. "He has built an excellent reputation, and I respect him
tremendously. It will be a pleasure to work even closer with him in
his new assignment." More...
CONGRESS
TELLS FAA TO AVOID FSS USER FEES
Last week was the deadline for bids to outsource the FSS system, and
Congress told the FAA to ensure that pilots continue to get the best
possible flight briefing and en route information services without
user fees, AOPA said on Friday. The House Appropriations
Committee told the FAA to have specific, comprehensive
customer-service standards to maintain the quality of pilot briefings.
AOPA said its legislative affairs staff worked with the committee to
add the FSS service directive to a report that accompanies next year's
funding bill for the FAA. The bill has been approved by the committee
and now goes to the full House and Senate. More...
FAA
GIVES BOEING ATC CONTRACT
The FAA last week awarded Boeing Co. the second phase of the Global
Communications, Navigation and Surveillance System contract,
Government Computer News (GCN) reported on Friday. Boeing will develop
networks for surveillance data, weather and aeronautical information,
GCN said. The aim of the project is to allow for safe and secure
increases in air traffic capacity. Network-enabled ATC aims to give
users and air traffic managers a common operating picture that will
encourage collaborative decision-making and provide for more rapid
response to unexpected events, such as aviation weather and security
threats, according to GCN. More...
A
DEADLY WEEK IN TEXAS SKIES
When two people died in the crash of a Piper PA-32 in the Texas Hill
Country on Saturday night, they were the 19th and 20th Texans to die
in small-aircraft crashes in just a week. That's likely a coincidence,
Jim Burnett, former NTSB chairman, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
But the hot weather could be a factor, he said. "I would say there is
a risk to all planes when you have 100-degree temperatures," Burnett
said. "If you have a plane that's been dinged up a little bit or not
performing at top capacity or is heavily loaded, it could be a
factor." The string of crashes included a father and son returning
from Oshkosh in an RV-4; More...
CANADIAN
TEAM SETS LAUNCH DATE FOR X PRIZE
It seems we have a race for space ... the underdog da Vinci
Project, from Canada, rolled out their Wild Fire spacecraft last
Thursday in Toronto, and while they were at it, they said they plan to
launch for the $10 million X Prize on Oct. 2 (the Paul G. Allen / Burt Rutan
SpaceShipOne will make a first attempt Sept. 29). The project, which
has depended on a volunteer workforce numbering in the hundreds, also
announced it has secured major sponsorship from GoldenPalace.com, an
online casino. Their plan is to carry a three-seat rocket-powered
capsule to 80,000 feet beneath a helium balloon, disengage, light the
fires, ride the rocket into space, and fall back to earth beneath a
parachute. Yup. More...
EAA
AIRVENTURE 2004 STATS -- GOOD, BUT NOT GREAT
On Saturday, EAA released its preliminary figures from this year's AirVenture
fly-in. The estimated attendance figures show a 10- to 12-percent
decrease from last year's total of 770,000 for the centennial event
(not at all obvious to us), but the number of commercial exhibitors
held almost steady -- with 802, compared to the 2003 record of 807. "A
near-record number of vendors throughout the grounds reported brisk
sales and interest, while visitor surveys show their experiences were
overwhelmingly positive," said EAA President Tom Poberezny. EAA cited
weather (rain, thunderstorms ... that we did notice), economic factors
and other (unspecified) reasons for the drop in attendance. More than
10,000 airplanes, including nearly 2,500 show planes, made the trek to
Oshkosh this year. More...
"LARA
CROFT" EARNS HER WINGS
Tomb Raider film star Angelina Jolie has been taking flying lessons in
Santa Monica, Calif., it was reported last week. Jolie, who moonlights
as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, says she wants to be a pilot
because she plans to retire from show business in a few years and work
to deliver aid to refugees around the world. Jolie also said she's
eager to impress her three-year-old son, Maddox. "Every time Mad sees
a plane he's amazed," she said, according to Crienglish.com. "If I
could actually fly a plane by the time he's four, I'll be like
Superman to him." You know, we had a poll recently about whether
flight instructors are overpaid ... More...
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ATTENTION, CESSNA PILOTS & OWNERS! THIS IS THE BEST $45
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monthly magazine, and a weekly e-mail newsletter. Join by calling
(805) 922-2580 and mentioning this AVflash, or visit the Cessna pros
online at http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/cpa/avflash. |
ON
THE FLY...
Two pilots died in a midair in New Jersey on Saturday....
Extra's
EA-500 six-seat single-engine turboprop certified by EASA...
A
hot-air balloon hit powerlines in Canada, no injuries...
TSA
reminds GA pilots to be alert, and follow GA security guidelines.
More...
AVWEB'S
NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
Drop us a line. Heard something that 130,000 pilots might want
to know about? If it caught your eye, it will probably interest
someone else, too. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com.
More...
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absolutely no side effects and relief occurs within minutes of
switching the ReliefBand on. Aeromedix.com now has the OTC
Explorer on sale for just $74.95 (regularly $79.95) and also offers
prescription-strength models of the ReliefBand. Order by calling (800)
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NEW
ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
_______
COLUMNS
The Pilot's Lounge #77: FBO
Professionalism; An Oxymoron?
Who was it said you can't get
good help anymore? With unemployment higher than usual, you'd think
FBOs would be able to hire (and train and hold on to) professional,
customer-service-oriented staff. AVweb's Rick Durden thinks any FBO
that doesn't strive for professionalism will soon go out of business.
Oh, wait a minute ... More...
READER
FEEDBACK ON AVWEB'S NEWS COVERAGE AND FEATURE ARTICLES:
http://www.avweb.com/avmail/ Reader
mail this week about Oshkosh, Sport Pilot, new and old engines and
much more. More...
|
THE NEW ASA AIRCRAFT FLIGHT LOG IS EASY AND
COMPLETE
The new ASA Aircraft Flight Log
provides the operators of individual aircraft an easy-to-use method of
keeping track of detailed items pertaining to the care and use of
their airplanes. Inspections, VOR/ELT checks, oil changes, and simple
squawks are all easy to find without digging through a stack of
maintenance logs. Instantly know the disposition of the aircraft you
are about to fly, simply by checking your ASA Aircraft Flight
Log. Available now for $9.95 from ASA at http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/asadirect/avflash. |
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. Watch for a Business AVflash regular feature, TSA WATCH: GA
IN THE "SPOTLIGHT". Sign up today at http://www.avweb.com/profile/
More...
BONUS
PICTURE OF THE WEEK GALLERY ...
As promised Thursday, we're presenting a bonus edition of "Picture of
the Week" — partly to catch up with all the great photos you sent
us during AirVenture, and partly because we love looking at airplane
pictures! So kick back and enjoy this special bonus edition of "PotW"
— but don't forget to send us your amateur aviation photos!
More...
|
MIKE BUSCH ANNOUNCES SPECIAL NEW YORK SEMINAR ON OCTOBER
2-3 ...
If you're an aircraft owner in the northeast U.S.
and missed Mike's terrific Savvy Owner Seminars in Memphis and
Harrisburg, you now have another chance. A group of aircraft owners in
the Albany, N.Y. area have persuaded Mike to fly out and conduct a
seminar for them on the weekend of October 2-3. Since this is a
special "group purchase," the cost per attendee should be
substantially lower than usual. With the agreement of the Albany
group, this seminar is now open to any aircraft owner who wishes to
attend. Other seminars are scheduled for Seattle (Aug. 21-22); Denver
(Sept. 18-19); and Long Beach, CA (Oct. 24-25). To register, get
seminar schedules and details, or receive Mike's no-cost monthly
e-newsletter, visit http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/savvy/avflash. |
SHORT
FINAL...
Overheard by passenger on United flight SNA to ORD...
Fedex ###: Fedex ### with you at FL230.
Kansas City Area Control: Fedex ###, roger. How long to climb
to FL310?
Fedex ###: Roger, just a minute...
(brief silence)
Unknown 1: I gotta get me one o' whatever he's flyin'.
Unknown 2: ...must be outta Cape Kennedy. More...
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