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The Top Headlines From AVweb's Expanded,
Illustrated News Coverage At AVweb's
NewsWire.
MINI-JET
OBSTACLES OVERCOME
Eclipse Aviation appears to have answered the chicken-and-egg dilemma
revolving around what were likely the biggest obstacles to
very-light-jet ownership: training and insurance. In simultaneous announcements Friday,
the company that hopes to bring the masses a million-dollar jet (well,
pretty close, anyway) has thrown away the notion of in-house training
for neophyte jet jockeys and (timing is everything) found a company
that will insure them. New Eclipse owners will train on the same gear,
and at the same facility, as United Airlines pilots. That was
fundamental to AIG Aviation Inc.'s agreement to insure the Eclipse 500
and for insurance broker Willis Global Aviation to announce tentative
insurance pricing for the mini-jets. More...
...UNITED
TRAINS NEW ECLIPSE PILOTS...
Future Eclipse pilots will use the same simulators as the line pilots
to learn the curriculum, jointly developed by Eclipse and United.
However, they won't get the same instructors. In a separate deal,
United has contracted with Alteon, a Boeing subsidiary, to provide
flight and other instructors for the Eclipse program. The training,
including computer-based study material, is included in the price of
the aircraft, but a mandatory upset-recovery course using an L-19
Albatros will cost the customers $995. However, you won't be finished
spending money there. More...
...AIG
TAKES ON INSURANCE
It's no coincidence that Eclipse simultaneously announced the revised
training program with the unveiling of an insurance carrier willing to
take on the new jet jockeys. AIG Aviation Inc. lists the training
program as a condition for insuring the 500. "Quality training will be
a critical element to a successful future for very light jets. AIG
Aviation has recognized that the successful completion of the Eclipse
500 type rating and mentor program is the prerequisite to
insurability," said William Lovett, vice president of AIG Aviation
Inc. While we're not insurance experts, the proposed rates announced
Friday seem proportionately in line with other GA insurance. Willis
Global has set estimated costs for insuring an Eclipse based on pilots
with three levels of experience. More...
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MILITARY
LAUDS NEW(ISH) LASER EYE SURGERY
Gone are the days when laser eye surgery meant an automatic
disqualification for would-be military pilots. A more sophisticated
version we told
you about in May 2003, called wavefront-guided LASIK, is now being
used by Air Force doctors as a "performance enhancement" procedure
designed as "an improvement to the human weapon system." The Air Force
now allows (in fact, seems to encourage) the procedure for pilots who
don't fly high-performance or training aircraft, but does not allow it
for "those whose aircraft have cabin altitudes potentially above
14,000 feet." The new procedure does a better job of precisely
adjusting for the small aberrations on the cornea that can throw off
vision. More...
...AND
IT WORKS
Col. (Dr.) Robert Smith, the program manager of the Air Force
Warfighter Refractive Surgery Program, performed the first laser
surgery on a pilot in September. "That aviator now has 20/12 vision
(better than 20/20) without glasses and tells me that his night-vision
performance has been tremendously improved," Dr. Smith said. He added
that the surgery gives military pilots "the competitive edge in their
work environment." More improvements are on the way. New technology
allows even more customized treatment with the potential for even
bigger vision improvements. X-ray vision is next. (OK, maybe not.)
More...
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MILITARY
TEST PILOT HELPS OUT ON AIRLINER
Lt. Col. Scott Neumann, a test pilot and the deputy commander of the
412th Operations Group at Edwards Air Force Base, took the right seat
of a 737 during an emergency diversion of the Los Angeles-bound
airliner last week. The pilot headed for Colorado Springs to get
medical help for the original co-pilot, who apparently suffered a
seizure while in the right seat. (And you thought you had problems
with your medical ...) Neumann -- along with his test-flight
experience on the B-2 Spirit, plus time on at least four other Air
Force aircraft -- was on his way back to California from meetings in
Washington when the co-pilot was stricken. While he was helping other
passengers move the sick co-pilot, a flight attendant with whom he'd
been chatting mentioned his flight experience to the captain. "You'll
do," the captain said to the colonel. More...
CESSNA
CEO UNDER GUN FOR DEGREES
Near as we can tell, Jack Pelton hasn't broken any laws, lied, cheated
or stolen anything or done anything that thousands of people don't do
quite legally every day. But the Cessna CEO's job could still be on
the line after a 60 Minutes segment on his alma mater, Hamilton University. The news program noted that
Pelton was among thousands that have e-mail-order degrees from the
now-defunct university that was, until the state changed its laws,
based in Evanston, Wyo. Pelton had both a bachelor's and master's
degree in aerospace engineering but CBS claims they aren't worth the
paper they're written on. For now, at least, Cessna seems to be
standing by Pelton. More...
NASA
GOES FOR MACH 10
Powered by a supersonic combustible ramjet (and an equally powerful
media machine) NASA is turning the spotlight back on itself on Monday.
After a brief (and perhaps unaccustomed) period in the shadows of the
Paul Allen / Burt Rutan / SpaceShipOne show, NASA will grab some
limelight this week by trying to make an "airplane" go faster than
ever before. The X-43A unmanned scramjet will try to hit Mach 10
over the Pacific Ocean off California today. Launch will be about 2
p.m. PST. The X-43 hit Mach 6.83 in a flight last March, setting an
all-time aircraft speed record. More...
FAA,
NTSB BUTT HEADS OVER INCURSIONS
At the heart of the issue, the NTSB is suggesting the FAA isn't
properly reporting incursions and is calling for installation of
anti-incursion warning systems at major airports, and pressing its
point with a highly publicized -- and well animated -- August near-collision
at LAX recently shown on TV news channels. But a less sensational,
and probably more dangerous incident that was part of the same report
didn’t rate the national radar. It has, however, had Cincinnati
media buzzing. The FAA confirms a landing Ameriflight cargo plane and
a departing Comair flight came within 30 feet of each other at a
runway intersection at Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG) on
Oct. 19. Meanwhile, at Baltimore Washington International (BWI) the
NTSB says pilots have complained of two near collisions. The FAA says
both were false reports, but there are details. More...
|
DON'T HAVE A LOW-LEVEL MONOXIDE MONITOR YET? GET ONE
BEFORE WINTER!
Low levels of carbon monoxide can be
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CANADIAN
PILOT RISKS PLANES TO FIGHT FEES
In Canada, where aircraft owners pay a $60 yearly fee to the privately
owned airspace manager Nav Canada, an Ontario pilot is fighting the
charges -- and could lose his two homebuilt aircraft because of it.
Otto Stanat says he never uses Nav Canada services because he always
flies from uncontrolled fields and never strays far from home. So, two
years ago he decided not to pay and, with the bill now at more than
$400 (including interest and late-payment charges, plus next year's
charge), Nav Canada is getting impatient. Stanat says Nav Canada has
threatened to seize his airplanes and put liens on his property. "I'm
in a state of depression," Stanat told The Canadian Press. The
Canadian Ultralight Pilots Association claims there are plenty of
recreational pilots who support Stanat. More...
LUSCOMBE
PLANT CLOSES
The dream of reviving a timeless aircraft design appears over for
Missouri-based Renaissance Aircraft. The company, which was
planning to produce an updated and souped-up version of the Luscombe
8F, announced Friday that it has abandoned the venture and will pull
out of Cape Girardeau, Mo., within 30 days. The project was dogged
from the start by expensive litigation over the use of the Luscombe
type certificate (Renaissance won, but spent hundreds of thousands of
dollars). With the lawsuit settled last April, owner John Dearden had
hoped to start building airplanes but had trouble finding investors,
according to the Southeast Missourian newspaper. More...
|
ATTENTION, AIRCRAFT RENTERS:
Did you know
most FBOs don't cover renters' liability? You can held be held
liable for injuries, property damage, and damage to the rented
aircraft. Without a renter's policy of your own, even a minor
accident could cost you thousands. Don't fly unprotected.
Policies as low as $95 a year. Visit the AOPA Insurance
Agency to apply and get insured today at http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/aopa/ins/avflash. |
ON
THE FLY...
Crash survivors, pilot who died, got Montana Medals of Valor...
New
co-pilot rating to be implemented...
Dig for Earhart began on
Tinian...
FAA investigates alcohol charges against pilot, flight
attendant...
Delta pilots accepted 32.5-percent pay cut...
Handy
Web page from the FAA. 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...
|
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. |
NEW
ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
_______
COLUMNS
As the Beacon Turns #83: TFRs Again & Again
Been caught in
a TFR yet? It may be just a matter of time, unless you work hard to
avoid them. And why do we have to work so hard? Why can't we find them
all in one, easy step? AVweb's Michael Maya Charles has hints in this
month's As The Beacon Turns. More...
READER
FEEDBACK ON AVWEB'S NEWS COVERAGE AND FEATURE ARTICLES:
http://www.avweb.com/avmail/ Reader
mail this week about the F-16 that didn't attack a school, the Savvy
Aviator, aviation fatalities and more. 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...
SHORT
FINAL...
I flew a Piper Arrow recently from Anoka, Minnesota, to Atlantic City,
New Jersey. Somewhere near the Pittsburg Class Bravo airspace we were
getting traffic advisories...
Approach: Baron N###, traffic is a Piper Arrow at 11 o'clock, 2
miles.
his response.......
Thanks, Pittsburg, we already have him on the fishfinder.
More...
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IFR REFRESHER PUTS YOU ON THE RIGHT
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_____________________________________
We Welcome Your
Feedback!
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