April 6, 2005
By The AVweb Editorial Staff

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Legislative Mutterings To Free DC...

Another Effort To Open DCA To GA

Legislation that would re-open Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to GA aircraft was introduced yesterday in the U.S. House, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) told AVweb last night. It's not the first bill to make that attempt. But this bill was introduced by the leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and "That's key," according to NBAA spokesman Dan Hubbard. Congressmen Don Young (R-Alaska), Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) all signed on to the bill. These sponsors add considerable clout to "a growing chorus of support" for re-opening DCA, NBAA said. "The resistance of the administration to opening general aviation here while small planes fly everywhere else has now met the two-fisted response of two bills demanding reopening now," Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), one of the bill's cosponsors, told the Associated Press. A similar bill is pending in the Senate. "This proposal recognizes that effective security policies can be developed that strike a balance with economic realities and individual freedoms. That has been NBAA's message all along," NBAA President said yesterday in a news release. The bill would require the airport to re-open within 180 days. The Department of Homeland Security would first have to develop a plan to ensure security. The bill is HR 1496.

Jets Displacing Pistons? GA Turf Wars...

Props Seen As Occupying Valuable Space

A new threat to GA airports is appearing more and more frequently, and it's a twist on the old familiar story of residents moving in, deciding they don't like the airport noise and turning the field into a subdivision. Instead, those same residents seem to be realizing that a GA airport can be a cash cow for their communities -- but not if it's infested with little personal aircraft and weekend flyers. The big bucks come with fuel-guzzling jets and corporate expense accounts. For flight schools, small FBOs and private pilots trying to find hangar space, the result is the same. They're being pushed out.

...Montgomery Field Ousts FBO...

Among the latest to feel the squeeze is Gibbs Air Service, a venerable FBO at Montgomery Field, a municipal airport in San Diego. The FBO is operated by Buzz Gibbs, whose father started the airfield back in 1937 (the field was later acquired by the city); it provides hangar space, a flight school, fuel and other services to hundreds of small-aircraft owners. Gibbs's lease expires on May 31 and the city says it won't be renewed. Officials so far haven't revealed their plans for the FBO's 24-acre parcel, other than to say they want to explore the options to maximize its income potential for the city (currently suffering a budget deficit), The Union-Tribune reported last week. Local pilots fear the city wants to drive them out with high prices, so they can cater to business jets instead. Over 500 small airplanes now live at the field. Pilots pay about $150 per month for a tie-down or $300 for a hangar. The airport's future will be discussed at a city council hearing on April 13. AOPA has contacted San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy to say that Gibbs ran one of the most respected flight schools in the area. If the city is going to take over, AOPA said, it is imperative that they continue to offer flight training.

...As Rialto Goes Head-To-Head With FAA

That's not to say that cities aren't still threatening to shut down airports, if they think there's profit in it. In Rialto, Calif., on the far western edge of the Los Angeles metro region, a new highway bypass is spiking property values, and the city is looking for ways for close its GA airport and redevelop the land. The FAA is crying foul, saying it has given the city almost $15 million to develop the airport and Rialto has no right to close it. The city says that the airport is no longer needed and the operations there can be moved to an airport in nearby San Bernardino, so they are not really closing the airport, just moving it (fun with semantics, 101). The FAA's not buying that argument. "If you move something, by definition you have to close it," FAA spokesman Donn Walker told The San Bernardino Sun. "That may not occur without our approval." The city has "shown a blatant disregard for state and federal law," AOPA says. "The city claims that it cannot afford to operate the airport, yet it has repeatedly rejected proposals for aviation businesses."

Sport Pilot Revs Up...

So Close, And (Maybe Not) So Far

When the new Sport Pilot rules were announced last summer at Oshkosh, many saw Sun 'n Fun as the next crucial waypoint in the implementation of the rule. With that annual Florida event less than a week away (April 12-18), the sport aviation world is gearing up to make it count. The FAA-industry consortium that is developing consensus standards for light sport aircraft (LSA) is close to being ready to give the green light to manufacturers, AOPA said Monday -- but AOPA warns that LSA timelines have been painfully slow in the past, so "keep your fingers crossed." Meanwhile, the FAA has said it will start training its first light sport aircraft designated airworthiness representatives this month, with a class on April 27 and 28.

...Marketing Efforts Intensify...

While the technical committees work on getting the aircraft OK'd to fly, gaggles of marketing types are working equally hard to make sure the public is ready to buy them when they do. EAA has announced a partnership with Sportsplanes.com to promote sport flying. Josh Foss, president of Sportsplanes.com, is working to establish a nationwide network of Sport Aircraft Regional Centers where flight training and aircraft sales will be available. EAA also is supporting the Sport Pilot Tour to bring sport aircraft to local airports where the curious can get an intro flight. The tour begins with stops in Marysville, Calif., June 3-4; St. Louis, Mo., June 10-11; and Franklin, Pa., June 17-18. The traveling show will also be featured at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh starting July 25.

...As Ultralight Community Prepares For Change

One route to building the Sport Pilot numbers is to convert pilots who now fly ultralights. EAA said Tuesday it has developed an inexpensive new kit to help with that transition. The all-inclusive kit sells for under $20 and helps guide an owner through converting an ultralight aircraft to the experimental light-sport aircraft (E-LSA) category. The kit includes a 15-page guidebook, all the FAA forms, required standard instrument/control labels and placards, a fireproof dataplate and an "experimental" category sticker. "EAA makes the transition process from ultralight to experimental light-sport aircraft simple with this kit," said Charlie Becker, EAA aviation services director. It costs $12.99 for EAA members and $19.99 for non-EAA members, plus shipping. To order, call 800-564-6322. Pilots won't get off that cheap, though ... there are still flight-training and examiner fees to pay and inspections to be completed. To get all of that done is proving a challenge. Aero Sports Connection is modifying its "SP/LSA Blitz" project to work within the limits of the current infrastructure, such as a lack of designated airworthiness representatives.

FAA Official, Flight Attendant In Altercation Aloft

An FAA official was handcuffed and detained when she disembarked in Kansas City after an altercation during a Southwest Airlines flight on March 26, The Kansas City Star reported on Saturday. A flight standards manager for the Central Region, she had argued with a flight attendant, according to the Star. The flight attendant told police that the official had confronted him about how he was handling a disturbance in the back of the airplane. He told the official to sit down and let him handle it, and the official allegedly became verbally combative and shoved him. Police and investigators from the Transportation Security Administration met the airplane when it landed, and the official was handcuffed after she objected to being detained. The official was questioned and released, and no charges were filed in the incident. An FAA spokesman told the Star that interference with flight-crew operations violates federal aviation law and is subject to a civil fine of up to $10,000.

"Minutemen" Flying Border Patrols

The skies above the U.S.-Mexican border near Tucson have been busier than usual this week. Thirty pilots and their aircraft have joined a band of about 1,000 volunteers -- some, including President Bush, call them vigilantes -- who will spend the month of April working to deter illegal immigrants from Mexico. Leaders of the group, which calls itself The Minuteman Project, say they will not confront the migrants and/or smugglers, but will track them and report their activities to the U.S. Border Patrol. Leaders of the project have said they are worried about terrorists arriving through the leaky border, but Mexican President Vincente Fox said there is no evidence to support that fear. The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona and other human-rights advocates are monitoring the patrols.

Superfund Sites Now Open For Flying (Sort Of...)

Plenty of pilots got their first introduction to controlling an airplane via remote-control models, and it seems that despite the advent of desktop flight simulators, the sport is still thriving. Now, under a new federal agreement between the Academy of Model Aeronautics and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, RC pilots will have more places to fly from. The group has been granted free access to EPA Superfund sites around the country for use as model airfields. The first site likely to open under the program is in Altoona, Pa., a 57-acre former landfill, flat and open and covered in grass. "It's a perfect place to fly airplanes," EPA official Romuald A. Roman told The Washington Post. Some environmentalists have raised concerns about the safety of the contaminated Superfund sites, but the EPA insists they are safe, according to the Post.

Trees Cited In Fatal Crash

The Westerly (R.I.) State Airport recently got a federal grant that will rebuild a runway and remove trees that obscure pilots' visibility -- but it's too late for two pilots who died in a midair on that runway in November 2003. The NTSB last week released its final report on that crash, in which a Piper Archer landed on the runway as a Cessna 180 was taking off. Both pilots in the Cessna died, but the pilot of the Piper and his two passengers were OK. The safety board found that the probable cause for the crash was the Piper pilot's decision to land even though he saw the Cessna on the runway. Other factors were the departing Cessna pilot's inattentive radio communications, and the obscured visibility of the traffic pattern from the air and ground by trees located at the departure end of the runway.

Air Force Pilots Help Civilian Flyer In Trouble

When the pilot of a small twin lost an engine over Idaho while far from an airfield in bad weather late last month, he was lucky that two Air Force pilots were nearby on a training mission. Lt. Col. Evan Roelofs, in an F-15C, and Capt. Marco Parzych, in an F-16, from Mountain Home Air Force Base, got a call from Salt Lake Center asking them to help the civilian pilot find a hole in the clouds to descend through. Roelofs found the twin and circled nearby, until he found a opening for descent. Parzych then flew alongside in his F-16 until the twin landed safely at Boise International Airport. "The pilot informed me that he would like to follow my aircraft to the Boise airport and also let me know that he did not have many hours of experience," Parzych told the Air Combat Command News Service. "However, he seemed very calm throughout the approach."

AVweb's Special Sun 'n Fun Coverage Starts Monday

AVweb will be on the field in Lakeland all next week to bring you all the latest on new technology, new airplanes, and all the excitement from Sun 'n Fun, the first big show of the season. Monday's edition will feature a show preview, then watch for special editions in your inbox Wednesday and Friday with all the fresh news and photos straight from the site. The next Monday we'll wrap it all up for you, then return to our regular schedule.

On The Fly...

Ballistic Recovery Systems announced Monday it plans to acquire Free Flight Enterprises. Both companies manufacture safety parachutes for aircraft...

The FAA proposed an Airworthiness Directive to deal with rough-running TCM engines found on some Cessna twins and Aero Commanders...

Tall airline pax could be at worse risk for deep-vein thrombosis...

Cessna's Citation CJ2+ took its first flight on Saturday, from Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita, Kan. The jet flew for just over two hours, while the pilots tested basic stability, flap and landing-gear extension and retraction, controllability, trim actuation, engine operating characteristics and basic autopilot operation...

Airbus 380 missed "first of April" target for first flight, may fly later this month...

EAA unveiled a new Young Eagles Web site...

The U.S. House Committee on Government Reform will hold a hearing tomorrow to consider the economic and security impact of restoring general aviation flights into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), NBAA says.

AVweb's Newstips Address ...

Drop us a line. If it caught your attention, it will probably interest someone else, too. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com.

New Articles and Features on AVweb

USED AIRCRAFT
High-Time or Low-Time Engine?
When looking to purchase a used airplane, prospective owners are often confused about whether to get a plane with a "new" (overhauled) engine -- and pay a high purchase price -- or get one with a run-out engine and do the overhaul to a quality level they can control. Brian Jacobson analyzes both possibilities.

WHAT'S NEW
April, 2005
This month AVweb's survey of the latest products and services for pilots, mechanics and aircraft owners brings you a weekend private pilot ground school, altitude pre-select on an autopilot, pulse-demand oxygen for two and 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/

AVweb's Question of the Week ...

*** PREVIOUS RESULTS ***

Last week, AVweb asked if you use your cell phone while acting as Pilot in Command.

Answers were scattered across the board, with the largest segment of respondents (27%) admitting to using their phones on the ground but never while the plane is in motion.  Another 16% said they make and receive calls frequently when acting as PIC — but only legally, on the ground.

Another significant chunk of you (20%) admitted to answering or making calls a handful of times while aloft.

9% of respondents don't hesitate to use their cell phone in the cockpit if it the call is related to the flight, and a full 5% of you 'fessed up to using the phone regularly in the cockpit for non-flight-related calls.

The remaining 23% told us they'd never used their cell phones while in flight as a PIC.

*** THIS WEEK'S QUESTION ***

Sun 'n Fun is upon us, and this week AVweb wants to know how much money we skyhounds are spending on fly-ins.  Not counting the price of admission, travel (avgas, etc.), and accommodations (food and hotel), how much do you spend at these events?

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Have an idea for a new QOTW? Send your suggestions to qotw@avweb.com.

NOTE:
This address is only for suggested QOTW questions, and not for QOTW answers or comments.
Use this form to send QOTW comments to our AVmail Editor.

AVweb's Picture of the Week ...

Submit a Photo | Rules | Tips | Questions

Current POTW Winner | Past POTW Winners

Sun 'n Fun kicks off in just a few days, and our Official AVweb Toothbrushes are packed. As usual, we'll be taking tons of photos to bring back home and show our friends and families — and since we've got 'em, we'll probably post a few on the AVweb site, too. That means there will be no "Picture of the Week" contest next week. Instead, we'll roll over any new entries we receive into the next week's contest. (That means there'll be a fierce competition in two weeks — which, in turn, means lots of great pictures to share with you.)

For now, we've got a great batch to tide you over — starting with Bob Stetser's show-stopping helicopter pic. As the submitter of this week's top photo, Bob will soon receive a brand-new 2005 AVweb baseball cap in the mail. For a shot at one of these handsome caps, submit your photo here.

Due to privacy issues, AVweb does not publish e-mail addresses of readers who submit photos.

AVweb continues to receive a large number of excellent images for our POTW contest. Here are some of the runners-up. Click on the links below to view larger versions.

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Bonus Pictures

A little something to hold you over until next
week's Sun 'n Fun Fly-In galleries get started ... .

Used with permission of Ryan Stanley

"Early Morning C-130"
Ryan Stanley sends us this beauty of a photo
from an undisclosed location in Iraq. The shot
was taken in early 2005 using a Pentax Optio S4
"with the built-in night photo setting," writes Ryan.
(Yes, we actually do like to hear about your cameras.)
Medium
Large

Used with permission of David Thomas

"WWII Basic Flight Training"
David Thomas of San Fernando, California
submitted this photo of his father basking in the
glow of his first solo flight. The photo was taken during
early days of World War II and is one of many that
David's father passed down to him. Hopefully we'll
see more of them at some point in the future ... .
Medium
Large

Used with permission of Gavin Conroy

"Fighters Galore"
Flying us out this week is another great air show photo,
this one of a Corsair and 2 Kittyhawks at New Zealand's
Classic Fighters show in Blenheim. (Man, that must be
a great air show, considering how many top-notch "POTW"
entries have come from this year's event alone!)
Oh, yeah — the photo is from Gavin Conroy of Blenheim.
(Sorry, Gavin; got carried away.)
Medium
Large

To enter next week's contest, click here.

A Reminder About Copyrights: Please take a moment to consider the source of your image before submitting to our "Picture of the Week" contest. If you did not take the photo yourself, ask yourself if you are indeed authorized to release publication rights to AVweb. If you're uncertain, consult the POTW Rules or send us an e-mail.

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.

Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? A question on marketing? Send it to AVweb's sales team: mailto:sales@avweb.com.

Fly it till every part stops.

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