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The Top Headlines From AVweb's Expanded,
Illustrated News Coverage At AVweb's
NewsWire.
DOT
ASKED TO INTERVENE AT N.Y. TRACON...
Animosity is worsening at the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control
(TRACON), and now N.Y. Sen. Charles Schumer has called on
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta to intervene, citing fears that
the dispute between the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers
Association (NATCA) could become a threat to safety. "The bottom line
is, errors are increasing [a point the FAA disputes], air traffic is
increasing and staff numbers are steadily decreasing; in my book this
could be a recipe for disaster," Schumer said last Thursday. "This is not about
pointing fingers, it's about finding solutions." More...
...FAA
"TIGER TEAM" DEPLOYED
The FAA has sent a "tiger team" to the TRACON to investigate the
situation, Schumer said. Its full report is expected sometime this
week. The dispute began after the FAA changed overtime procedures in
January, and the number of "operational errors" spiked. "What we
believe we have is a rogue group of employees engaged in a shakedown,"
FAA spokesman Greg Martin told Newsday. (Translation: The FAA believes the
increase is in reported errors is the direct result of
employees protesting their recently imposed inability to log overtime
-- not a sudden lapse in safety.) NATCA spokesman Doug Church told AVweb the trouble is a lack of
staffing and the result is an increase in errors. More...
AD
PUTS ICING (AGAIN) AT CENTER STAGE...
The next month, according to the FAA, is critical for safe icing
operations. Late last year, the NTSB recommended all pilots perform
tactile testing for ice on flying surfaces, and the FAA now warns
icing accidents/incidents are just as prevalent or more prevalent
during the months of March and April as in November, December and
January. Specific to Cessna Caravans, an FAA Airworthiness Directive (AD) effective tomorrow
requires operators of all Cessna Caravan model 208 and 208b aircraft
to modify the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) to assure that the pilot
has enough information to prevent loss of control while flying in
icing conditions. The AD is the result of six accidents in the
previous two icing seasons and nine events in the past few months
involving Caravans in ice, the FAA said, and perhaps with some special
attention to an NTSB Alert
Letter. More...
...AFTER
NTSB STUDY
The NTSB had raised concerns about the Caravans and icing back in December. The safety board asked the FAA to
require that all pilots and operators of Cessna 208 Caravan series
airplanes carefully check for ice and/or snow on the wings and tail
before any flight when temperatures are conducive to frost or ground
icing. Also, pilots of Caravans equipped for flight into known icing
conditions should be required to undergo annual training on ice
safety, the NTSB said. The NTSB based its recommendations on a study
of 26 icing-related accidents and incidents involving Caravans between
1987 and 2003, which resulted in at least 36 fatalities.
More...
|
JA AIR CENTER, YOUR GARMIN SOURCE, IS PLEASED TO
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60CS, GPSMap 76C, and the GPS 10 Deluxe GPS (Bluetooth
compatible). Established in 1965, JA Air Center prides
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installations, JA Air Center is the place to purchase your next Garmin
product. Extensive inventory of all Garmin units and
accessories. Contact JA Air Center at (800) 323-5966 and mention
this AVflash, or order online at http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/ja/296/avflash. |
ANOTHER
GARMIN ALERT, SOME UNITS RECALLED
Garmin issued a service alert on Wednesday warning users of some
of its brand-new GNS 430 and GNS 430A units not to use them for IFR
operations. It was the company's second service alert this month to include those
units. The panel-mounted units have a problem that could cause the
unit to trip the aircraft circuit breaker, rendering the unit
inoperative, Garmin said. Only units manufactured between Feb. 23,
2005, and March 21, 2005, are affected. If you have an affected GNS
430 unit, contact your local Garmin authorized service center
immediately, and they will make arrangements to modify or replace the
unit, Garmin said. More...
FAA
CITES CG IN TETERBORO INVESTIGATION
The center of gravity was well forward of the allowable limit in a
Bombardier Challenger CL-600 corporate jet that crashed last month in Teterboro, the NTSB said in
an update released last week. A simulator programmed with the
aircraft's takeoff trim settings and weight and balance would not
rotate for takeoff at the defined rotation speed, the NTSB said. A
lawyer for Platinum Jet, operator of the CL-600, told The New York Times that the CG was no different
than on many other flights (which might raise a few eyebrows), and
would not have prevented the jet from taking off. Meanwhile, another
Challenger CL-600 ran off a runway in Tupelo, Miss. , on March 9.
The gear collapsed, but no one was hurt. The captain told the NTSB he
was unable to move the control column aft to rotate. That airplane was
heading for Teterboro. More...
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ADAM
A500 RECOVERS FROM GEAR MALFUNCTION
Adam Aircraft was conducting hot-weather testing
of its A500 twin-prop at Fort Myers, Fla., on March 16 when the
airplane experienced a left main gear retraction during landing
rollout. There were no injuries and minimal damage to the aircraft's
left wingtip and tail boom. The FAA OK'd the airplane to fly home to
Colorado two days later. On Saturday, Adam said the cause of the
retraction was a malfunction in test equipment that was installed on
the aircraft to simulate excessive electrical loads. Adam noted that
the incident demonstrated that the twin tail boom and high-strength
carbon-fiber construction of the A500 prevented any damage to the
engines or props. More...
REPAIR
STATIONS GET ONE-YEAR REPRIEVE ON TRAINING MANDATE
The FAA has delayed by one year the date that its final rule will take
effect requiring all aviation repair stations to have an approved
training program. The new effective date of Section 145.163 will be
April 6, 2006. The delay was necessary, the FAA said, because it had extended the comment
period on its Advisory Circular that provided guidance on creating the
training programs until March 22, 2005. The FAA says it needs more
time to review the comments and make changes. The Aircraft Electronics
Association said it was pleased with the delay. The National Air
Transportation Association (NATA) also welcomed the change.
More...
AIR
RACES FOR THE EAST?
A new event set for June 2-5 in Tunica, Miss., aims to bring
Reno-style pylon air racing to the eastern half of the country.
Veteran Reno racer Steve Dilda has been named air boss for the Tunica Air
Races. So far, the organizers expect to offer competitions for
Unlimited Class, T-6 Class and Formula One aircraft. According to the
organizers' Web site, 50 racers will compete. The show will also
feature aerobatic performances and fly-bys by various airplanes
including a B-24, several P-51 fighters, a B-25 and a P-47. The races
will conclude with the awarding of cash prizes and the presentation of
"The Tunica Cup." More...
FAA GA AWARDS ANNOUNCED
The FAA has announced its national General Aviation Awards for this
year, honoring aviation professionals for their contributions to
safety and education. Recognized for this year are John Teipen, of
Missouri, CFI of the Year; Michael Church, of California, Aviation
Safety Counselor of the Year; Michael Branham, of Arkansas, Aviation
Maintenance Technician of the Year; and Charles Hanner, of Nebraska,
Avionics Technician of the Year. The awards will be presented by FAA
Administrator Marion Blakey during EAA AirVenture 2005 in Oshkosh,
Wis. More...
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A
NEW PLACE FOR SPORT FLYING -- GHANA
Western Africa may not be the first place most pilots consider for a
tourist destination, but the government of Ghana is working to change
that. The country hosted its first annual Hang Paragliding festival
over the weekend. About 21 pilots flew in the Kwahu-Atibie Mountains
in the country's eastern region, where tourism officials hope to
promote the event in concert with the Easter festivities of the local
Kwahu people. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, minister of tourism and
modernization of the capital city of Accra, received the pilots at his
office and thanked them for taking part in the event.
More...
ON
THE FLY...
FAA and USAF working on regulations for commercial rocket
launches...
Report: TSA mishandled information about 12 million
airline pax...
Six people died when a Pilatus PC-12/45 crashed in
Pa. on Sunday...
Diamond delivered first two DA42 TwinStars, to a
French customer...
FAA tells airlines to check rudders of Airbus
A310s and A300-600s...
A baggage handler rode in the cargo hold
from MKE to PHL...
Sino Swearingen launched a third test copy of
its SJ30 twinjet...
Foreign pilots are being hired at a fast clip
to fly 777s in India. 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...
|
GAMI CUSTOMERS RAVE ABOUT A SMOOTHER RIDE AND SAVING
FUEL
"The first ground runs were with the original
injectors, then we installed the GAMIs. I didn't need the EDM 700 to
tell me I had spent my money wisely. The motor is notably smoother and
more responsive, with mixture totally controllable." "I put my GAMIs
in my 470 and love them. I run LOP; couldn't before. My airplane uses
less fuel on a trip than some SUVs!" Check out GAMIs for your
airplane at Sun 'n Fun, or go online at http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/gami/avflash.
Visit GAMI at Sun 'n Fun Booth
#A-065-066 |
NEW
ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
COLUMNS
From The CFI #6: Examiners Are
Human, Too!
Hard to imagine, but some people actually want to
be the butt of insults and fear-inspiration -- and (really) make a
contribution to aviation by becoming a Designated Pilot Examiner.
They're less of an FAA enforcement officer and more of a souped-up
flight instructor, as AVweb's Linda Pendleton explains in this month's
column From The CFI. More...
READER
FEEDBACK ON AVWEB'S NEWS COVERAGE AND FEATURE ARTICLES:
AVmail: March
28, 2005
Reader mail this week about control tower
operations, the airline pilot retirement age, ATC staffing shortfalls
and much more. More...
|
TURN A CHECK FROM THE IRS INTO AN ILS OR
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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
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IN THE "SPOTLIGHT". Sign up today at http://www.avweb.com/profile/
More...
|
ASA MEETS THE NEEDS OF SPORT PILOTS
ASA and
Sport Pilot expert Paul Hamilton have introduced a new line of
products dedicated to the Sport Pilot, the "Freedom to Fly"
series. The Sport Pilot airman certification provides a simple
path to a pilot certificate and to a variety of aircraft that people
can own and/or operate inexpensively. Learn about all your flying
options and what is right for you with the Sport Pilot
DVD. Gain FAA certification with the Sport Pilot Test Prep
book or Prepware. Learn whether to fly with the Weather to
Fly DVD. Meet the pilot record-keeping requirements with the
Sport Pilot Logbook. For complete details about this new series
of Sport Pilot products, visit ASA at Sun 'n Fun or go online at http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/asadirect/avflash.
Visit ASA at Sun 'n Fun Booth
#B-059-061 |
SHORT
FINAL...
Overheard while waiting for takeoff on Runway 29 at Oakland
California: Airliner 123: Airliner 123, waiting in
sequence. Oakland Tower: A little too much
information, 123 ... but I'll bet you look adorable in sequins.
More...
| Sponsor News and
Special Offers
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LANCAIR COLUMBIA 400 — NOW CERTIFIED TO
FL250
The Columbia 400's twin turbochargers can now be put
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distance of more than 1,300 nm) while averaging 200 kts.
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STOP WONDERING — OR WORRYING — WHERE YOUR
FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE!
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CARBON
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| SPONSOR NEWS |
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_____________________________________
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