Volume 10, Number 45b -- November 4, 2004

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The Top Headlines From AVweb's Expanded, Illustrated News Coverage At AVweb's NewsWire.

BUREAUCRACY BOGS ALIEN RULE
If one of the most recognizable flight-training institutions in the U.S. has trouble complying with the new alien training rule, what must that mean for the thousands of independent instructors and small flight schools across the country? So wonders Eric Radtke, CEO of Sporty's Academy Inc. and the recipient of the necessary credentials to teach foreign students several days after the rule went into effect. "We finally got ours last week," Radtke told AVweb. He said the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) left vetting the qualifications of flying schools to local Flight Standards District Offices (FSDOs) -- without telling the FSDOs. "Everyone is having the exact same problem," he said. In Sporty's case, it meant a three-week wait for the right paperwork (cyber paperwork, at that) and maybe some missed customers. More...

...VEGAS FLIGHT-SCHOOL OWNER WELCOMES ALIEN TRAINING RULES...
Meanwhile, a Las Vegas flight school owner says concerns about the new rule are overblown and not worth the time and energy they're absorbing. Jane Pinto, of First Flight Aviation, told AVweb she believes that anyone engaged in training future pilots who can't meet the minimal identification and record-keeping requirements under the new law shouldn't be in the business. "All it does is add a little paperwork to your life," Pinto said. "Any legitimate flight school should be able to keep files on their students." The latest incarnation of the rule requires the flight instructor to determine the citizenship of his or her students and to refer non-U.S. citizens to the TSA for background checks. More...

...WHILE ALPHABETS KEEP UP THE FIGHT
Still, aviation groups, most notably AOPA, continue to criticize the rule, even though the TSA has delayed or softened some of the more controversial requirements. For instance, rather than keeping a photocopy of a student's proof of citizenship on file, an instructor can now simply endorse his or her own logbook and that of the student's with a declaration that the documents have been produced and inspected. Also, foreign students who already have an airman's certificate can pursue new ratings or other training until Dec. 19 without having to submit to the TSA background check and its attendant $130 fee. It's progress, but it's not enough for AOPA President Phil Boyer. More...

WAAS AND YOU
Under a new modification to the FAA's Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) project, approach and landing guidance availability will increase to more than 99 percent across much of the North American continent, Raytheon Co. said on Monday. The plan to deploy "Full Lateral Precision with Vertical Guidance (LPV) Performance" will enhance the WAAS signals for increased approach availability during weather disturbances and solar flares as well as during normal conditions, Raytheon said. WAAS is a nationwide network of reference, master and uplink stations that augment Global Positioning System satellites to provide improved accuracy, integrity and availability. More...

...ARE PILOTS LEFT BEHIND?...
But while the technology moves forward in leaps and bounds, can pilots -- and their avionics providers -- keep up? In some cases, the rapid pace of change leaves pilots with functional but outdated equipment -- and none too happy about it. "We who have installed [Garmin] GNS 430s and 530s are still waiting on WAAS capability upgrades," pilot Tom Adams told AVweb last week. Garmin said last year that the upgrades would be available by the end of 2004, but now the date has been pushed back. "The GNS 430/530 upgrades for WAAS have moved out to mid-2005," Garmin spokesman Pete Brumbaugh told AVweb on Tuesday. "The $1,500 upgrade price still stands." More...

...AS SOFTWARE STRUGGLES TO KEEP UP
Other popular units are running into problems when the hardware continues to work just fine, but software or repair support is discontinued. One example is the Lowrance Airmap 300, a circa-1998-vintage handheld GPS that has been "orphaned" by its manufacturer. A rebate program offers a cash incentive to owners to turn in their units and upgrade to the next generation, but not all owners are happy with that solution. However, technology might prove to be the cure to help prevent such troubles in the future. The Airmap 300 updates were achieved by ordering a new memory card from Lowrance, but newer hardware can be updated via downloads over the Internet. More...

THE (GA) ELECTION WRAP
You've all heard the election results by now, but here is the GA spin on Tuesday's votes. AOPA says 95 percent of the 105 congressional candidates it endorsed won their seats. But the election determines more than who's in and who's out. In the Senate, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens takes over chairmanship of the powerful Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee -- which sets policy for the FAA -- from Arizona's John McCain. AOPA's glad to hear it, since they never could get McCain to sign on to their view regarding user fees. Stevens is "a strong and forceful friend to general aviation," AOPA said. More...

DOT SENDS $20.5 MILLION TO HURRICANE-DAMAGED AIRPORTS
The federal government will spend $20.5 million to fund repairs at 71 airports that were damaged by hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta announced on Friday. The money will be distributed to airports in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Puerto Rico. A range of projects will be funded, including repair or replacement of terminal buildings, hangars and security lighting. "The damage done by this year's hurricanes reminds us how much we rely on our airports and how important they are to the nation's economy and quality of life," said Mineta. More...

RESTRICTIONS ON GA FLIGHT START AT MEIGS, EXPAND TO O'HARE
As new capacity limits on GA flights at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport went into effect this week, the FAA released a new study that says O'Hare must set its limits even lower in order to avoid gridlock. GA operations as of this week are limited to four per hour between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. The new study says O'Hare can handle just 190 to 200 arrivals and departures per hour, fewer than a 2001 study that recommended a maximum of 200 to 202 flights per hour. When visibility is poor, the maximum should go down to 136 to 144 per hour, the FAA said. The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has blamed the O'Hare problems on the closure of Meigs Field, which used to accommodate more than 20,000 operations per year. Corporate charter operators now must wait until 72 hours before their flight to schedule a takeoff or landing at O'Hare. More...

A DEADLY THREAT, A SIMPLE SOLUTION
A group representing crop-dusting pilots in Australia is calling for a national effort to mark power lines so pilots can safely avoid them, ABC-Australia reported on Tuesday. The appeal from the Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia follows two helicopter crashes within three days. Both helicopters were spraying for locusts and hit power lines. Peter Mackay, president of the pilots' group, told ABC that aerial spraying is risky, and precautions are necessary. "We'd like to see these power wires marked more openly," he said. "They are very hard to pick up from the air and in low conditions perhaps when you've got sun in your eyes, or trees in the background." More...

SAILPLANES, BALLOONS EXEMPTED FROM TSA ALIEN RULES
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has demonstrated hindsight and possibly the ability to listen -- this exact issue was brought to the attention of TSA Rear Adm. David "The Head Honcho" Stone at AOPA Expo last month. The TSA has determined (granted, after publishing the rule) that gliders and lighter-than-air aircraft "do not present a material threat," the Soaring Society of America (SSA) said on Monday, and therefore, they will be exempt from the TSA's recent rules that require flight schools to notify the TSA when aliens want to learn to fly. Last Friday, the TSA issued its decision, saying that since gliders, balloons, and airships are slow-moving, small, and carry little or no fuel, they "would not be capable of inflicting significant damage if they were used in suicide attacks." Dennis Wright, the SSA's executive director, welcomed the exemption from the "onerous" rules. No comments on water ballast, please. More...

CORRECTION: AUSSIE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS GESTATE NORMALLY
You can't say AVweb doesn't know how to get readers' attention. Our story on Monday about the risks of cosmic radiation included a remark that Australian flight attendants more than 16 months pregnant are not allowed to work aloft. Oops. Apparently, that was supposed to be 16 *weeks* -- as our story now says. (Who knew?) The error begot dozens of e-mails: "I'm not surprised ... they couldn't get down the aisle." ... "If they are taking 16 months to carry a baby I think the cosmic rays have affected a lot more than the baby." ... "Where did the British find the 16-month-pregnant crew members for their study?" ... "Could you perhaps provide a photo of one or more of those flight attendants?" (There's no accounting for taste.) ... More...

ON THE FLY...
NBAA Vice President Joe Ponte to retire...
NBAA hired aviation lobbyist Lisa Piccione...
Volcanic ash in Iceland disrupted air traffic...
N.Y. eliminated sales tax on GA maintenance and storage...
FAA awarded $5.7 million for integrated weather for ATC radar...
Randy Gordon, Mark Puls won $1,000 aviation scholarships from Comm1...
EAA to add eight members to Hall of Fame tomorrow night. 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...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
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BRAINTEASERS
Quiz #87 -- Who Ya Gonna Call?
If anything can go wrong it will, and if not in flight at least on this quiz. See how you'd handle this string of stressful equipment failures without blowing your cool. More...

AVWEB'S 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...

AVWEB'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK ...
This week, AVweb wants to know how you voted in the election and whether your candidate's stand on GA was a factor in your decision. PLUS: The results of last week's question on very light jets. More...

AVWEB'S PICTURE OF THE WEEK ...
The lazy days of summer may be behind us, but Eric Hutchins brings back pleasant memories with his winning "Picture of the Week." Congratulations, Eric — we're sending you a brand-new AVweb baseball cap. You can wear it yourself, or you can pass it along to your friend, who seems fond of ball caps. More...

AVflash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest aviation news, articles, products, features and events featured on AVweb, the Internet's Aviation Magazine and News Service. http://www.avweb.com

Letters to the editor intended for publication in AVmail should be sent to mailto:editor@avweb.com.com. Have a comment or question? Send it to mailto:newsteam@avweb.com.

Today's issue written by News Writer Mary Grady:
http://www.avweb.com/contact/authors.html#mgrady
AVweb's editorial team: http://avweb.com/contact/authors.html.

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Fly it until all the parts stop moving.

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