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The Top Headlines From AVweb's Expanded,
Illustrated News Coverage At AVweb's
NewsWire.
DCA
TO REOPEN (SORT OF) TO GA...
GA will likely return to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
(DCA) as early as this coming fall, but most of us won't notice.
According to The Washington Post, those who purport to guard the
capital from airborne threats don't want private aircraft landing
there, and that's reflected by the onerous security provisions that
will be imposed. According to the Post, all private flights will have
to have an "armed law enforcement officer" on board and passengers and
luggage will have to undergo security screening at one of a dozen
designated airports before making the final leg to DCA. Word of the
TSA directive, which was to have come by way of an interim final rule,
according to the Post, came as Congress gets ready to discuss no less
than three committee bills aimed at restoring GA access to DCA.
More...
...INCURSION
PILOT LOSES CERTIFICATE...
The TSA rule is coming down two days after the FAA took the rare step
of issuing an emergency revocation of Hayden "Jim" Sheaffer's
certificate -- the pilot in command of the Cessna 150 that breached
the ultra-sensitive airspace around the White House on May 11. It also
came two days after a Canadian-registered Cessna 340 breached the
ADIZ, causing a brief evacuation of the Capitol. It was reportedly
having communications problems after taking a lightning strike. In
announcing the action against Sheaffer, the most severe sanction
against a pilot, the FAA said that allowing him to continue to fly
represented an "unacceptable risk to safety." Among the long list of
sins the FAA says Sheaffer committed, it repeatedly notes that through
much of the crisis, he let his passenger Troy Martin, a student pilot
with 30 hours of training, do the flying. More...
...FASTER
LETHAL RESPONSE EYED
The next step for security officials and legislators may be to make it
quicker and easier to shoot down offending aircraft. Under the current
setup, the Customs Blackhawk helicopter normally dispatched to warn
away errant aircraft doesn't have the authority to shoot at them or
even fire warning shots. The Department of Homeland Security is now
considering whether to deploy Coast Guard aircraft, which do have
firing authority, in the ADIZ intercept role. More...
LOOK
TO THE PIEDMONT HAWTHORNE AIRCRAFT SALES TEAM
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THE
PIPER JET…?
There's a never-say-die attitude and then there's New Piper CEO Chuck
Suma. Crushed by the 9/11-spawned recession, staggered by the Lycoming
engine recall and blown away by hurricanes, Suma told the Palm Beach
Post in a recent interview that the company's next step is to join the
increasingly crowded business jet (or would that be very light jet?)
market. The remark was an aside in a detailed examination of New
Piper's troubles of late, but given the numbers being tossed around by
industry analysts, Suma's crystal-balling may seem strangely
appropriate. More...
...ROLLS
ROYCE PREDICTS 8,000 VLJS...
"Aviation, as we have seen it traditionally, is going away," FAA Chief
Spokesman Greg Martin told the Salt Lake City Tribune. Rolls Royce
predicts that more than 8,000 VLJs will be built in the next 20 years.
The FAA, which has a significant interest in the potential of
thousands of little jets mixing it up with airliners on the high-level
airways, may be even more optimistic than Rolls Royce. It's saying
4,500 VLJs will be zipping between smaller regional and municipal
airports by 2016, many of them as part of the much-hyped but still
untested "air taxi" industry. Those are the sort of words that catch
the eyes of manufacturers -- and critics. More...
...ADAM
POISED TO PROFIT
Either way is fine with Adam Aircraft's Rick Adam. Now that the
company's push/pull piston aircraft, the A500, has been certified,
Adam is starting to talk about the future of the A700 jet project and
Adam's place in the VLJ market. "Our plans are quite modest," Adam
told the Tribune. "If we do nothing more than get a modest share of
the existing market, we will be profitable. We are profitable at 60
planes [annually]." Adam's definition of modest could be open to
interpretation. The Eclipse 500 and Cessna Mustang are two major
players that will also be in the mix. More...
TAYLORCRAFT
HEADS TO BROWNSVILLE
They were cutting-edge in 1935, and now "new" Taylorcrafts
are on the vanguard of the light sport aircraft (LSA) category.
Resumption of production of the venerable taildragger, which were
churned out at the rate of 30 a day (yes, each day of peak production,
according to the company) in 1946, was granted in 2004 and the new
firm is planning a production facility in Brownsville, Texas, at the
site of a former bus factory. Although the company can produce fully
certified aircraft under the original type certificate, most
Taylorcrafts meet the weight and performance standards for LSA so it's
also planning to build S-LSA (factory-finished) aircraft for Sport
Pilot ticket holders and sell them for near $60,000.
More...
SENATE
WANTS EVEN TIGHTER CORPORATE AIRCRAFT TAX RULES
There will be no free rides for anyone on company aircraft if the
Senate's version of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act is
passed. According to an analysis by the National Business
Aviation Association, the Senate has imposed even tighter limitations
on the write-offs companies can claim when their aircraft are used for
"entertainment" purposes. The Senate bill proposes to amend the
American Jobs Creation Act, passed last fall. Under the Jobs Act,
companies were limited in their ability to deduct aircraft operating
expenses for flights provided to "specified individuals" (e.g.,
executives) to the value imputed into the recipient's income. The
Senate amendment expands the provision to all employees. The Senate
bill also proposes changes to the way taxes are collected on jet fuel.
More...
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NO-COST AVIATION SAFETY COURSES!
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courses include Single Pilot IFR, IFR Adventure,
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SWARMS
OF COMPUTER-CONTROLLED UAVS SEEN
While we periodically fret about the addition of single UAVs to the
airspace, researchers at the University of Essex, in England, are
working on computer modules that will enable the creation of flocks of UAVs that will be able to act as flying
Web servers. Two types of systems are envisioned; one, the outdoor
"Gridswarm," will use model aerobatic trainers that can fly 120 mph in
bird-like formations while "performing parallel, distributed computing
tasks using Bluetooth-connected Linux clustering software," according
to the LinuxDevices.com Web site. There's also an indoor version.
More...
PILOTS
ASKED TO TELL ALL ABOUT SAFETY CONCERNS
Australian officials are asking two former pilots of Trans Air to go
on record about their alleged safety concerns about the airline in the
wake of a crash that killed 15 people on May 7. The Australian
Transport Safety Board says the pilots are only willing to give
off-the-record statements but those are worthless to investigators
probing the crash. All aboard the Metroliner died when it crashed into
a hillside while on approach in bad weather at an airport in Lockhart
River. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is also interested in
talking to the former pilots. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, authorities
there are looking at possible links between a Metroliner crash there
and several Airworthiness Directives issued by its Civil Aviation
Authority. More...
RANCHER
OFFERS FUNDS FOR AIRPORT EXPANSION
A part owner of the St. Louis Cardinals believes that if a small
airport in Wyoming builds a longer runway, people will come to his
nearby guest ranch in neighboring Colorado. In fact, David Pratt is
willing to pay $1.11 million for improvements to the Dixon Airport as
long as they include boosting the runway length to 7,000 feet from the
current 5,500. Pratt wants to make it more convenient for guests to
get to the ranch, many of whom face a 75-minute drive from the nearest
large airport in Hayden, Colo. More...
TO
THE COCKPIT, THE VERY HARD WAY
Some people just land on their feet. And for Kyle Martin it was a
potentially devastating fall from a cliff that gave him a shot at
being an Air Force pilot. The well-liked cadet at the Air Force
Academy had everything going for him. He was second in his class, a
potential Rhodes Scholar, and had a lifelong desire to be a pilot.
Trouble was, he was six foot, five inches tall, an inch taller than
the Air Force standard. His only hope at being a pilot was the
granting of a waiver … and then fate stepped in.
More...
|
LAKE
AIRCRAFT IS LOOKING FOR A NEW OWNER DURING AIRVENTURE!
The
Lake Aircraft series is the only FAA-certified single-engine
amphibious airplane being produced in the world today. The
complete line of Lake Aircraft inventory and tooling — with FAA
Type Certificate, STCs, engineering data, documentation, historical
information, fleet support inventory, and manufacturing capacity
— will be sold at auction during AirVenture 2005. The
auction will be held at 4:30pm July 27 at the EAA Aviation
Center's Vette Theater in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The inventory (in
its entirety) will be sold as a comprehensive package to one able
buyer for the purpose of resuming full production capacity. For
additional information and a complete list of assets to be conveyed,
call Higgenbotham Auctioneers at (800) 257-4161, or visit their
web site (Higgenbotham.com) at http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/hig/avflash. |
ON
THE FLY...
Hearing scheduled in June on Pinnacle Airlines CRJ crash...
James Dean festival to go ahead despite airport concerns...
Boeing tanker prototype faces uncertain future...
Air traffic controller and wife died in plane crash...
Illegal aliens discovered after emergency refueling stop at Air Force
base. 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...
|
MIKE BUSCH'S SAVVY SEMINAR IS COMING TO A CITY NEAR
YOU!
Sixteen additional dates and locations have just been
added to Mike Busch's Savvy Owner Seminar
calendar. During the next 12 months, Mike will be offering his
acclaimed weekend seminar in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston,
Frederick, Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Orlando, Houston,
Memphis, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Salt Lake City. Learn how to
have a safer, more reliable aircraft while saving thousands of dollars
on maintenance costs. For seminar details and to reserve your
spot, go to http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/savvy/avflash. |
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...
NEW
ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
COLUMNS
As the Beacon Turns #90: The Risk
Takers
Risk can't be summed up with simple truisms like, "There
are no old, bold pilots." A surprising number of pilot-induced
accidents are caused by more-experienced aviators who have become
complacent to the risks. AVweb's Michael Maya Charles ponders our
flying risks in this month's As The Beacon Turns. More...
AVWEB'S
QUESTION OF THE WEEK ...
They're auto-landing
Harriers on aircraft carriers. Is it good or bad that the once
prized skills of pilots are being passed over to machines? This week,
AVweb wants to know what you think of push-button flying. PLUS:
Results of last week's question about blame and the May 11 ADIZ
incursion in Washington, DC. More...
AVWEB'S
PICTURE OF THE WEEK ...
Uncle! We give up; we're waving the white flag. Please, go easy on us.
Last week, we griped about the recent downturn in "Picture of the
Week" submissions and pleaded shamelessly for our beloved
reader-contributors to pick up the pace. We should have known we'd
live to regret it. This week, submissions soared back up to over 100
photos, and our sad, beleaguered "POTW" staff has been poring over
them in a hidden bunker, debating the relative merits of each one.
(It's a tough and thankless job, but it beats working for a living.)
After hours of deliberation and a few hurt feelings, we're turning
over this week's top-prize AVweb baseball cap to Jakob Adolf of
Madagascar, whose right-of-way dilemma gave us a chuckle. If you like
Jakob's photo, wait until you see the rest of this week's batch —
we had twenty contenders for the number-one spot, and even with an
unprecedented nine photos in the full article, we're leaving out some
tremendous photos that we just don't have time to show you. Thanks for
the great turn-out. Keep sending us pictures, and we'll keep sharing
'em with the rest of the aviation world! More...
| Sponsor News and
Special Offers
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| SHOPPING DEALS |
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AVEMCO TEAMS WITH PILOT INSURANCE CENTER (PIC) TO OFFER
LIFE INSURANCE
Avemco, the only direct writer of property
and casualty insurance for general aviation in the U.S., is sponsoring
a Term Life Insurance Program underwritten by well-respected insurance
companies that have products tailored to general aviation pilots. The
Avemco Program will be administered by the Pilot Insurance
Center, using PIC's unique criteria. This collaborative effort will
make life insurance more widely available to pilots at the best
possible rates. For more information, go to http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/avemco/avflash. |
PILOTS — EVEN BIRDS HAVE TO WALK
SOMETIMES!
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MODERNIZING YOUR KT76 DOESN'T GET ANY
EASIER!
Narco Avionics proudly announces that their
plug-and-play line of digital transponders now includes the new
AT165/K Transponder, a competitively priced replacement for the
mechanical KT76/78. Narco's line of plug-and-play transponders
also includes the AT165 (a replacement for the AT50 through AT155) and
the AT165/KA (a replacement for the KT76A/78A). Coming
Soon: Narco's AT165 Value Series, a cost-effective way to put
a no-frills digital transponder in your panel. SPECIAL:
Purchase an AT165 and get an AR850 for $99. For more
information, go to http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/narco/avflash. |
STOP WONDERING — OR WORRYING — WHERE YOUR
FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE!
Do you have friends or family
flying in tonight? A business colleague coming in for a meeting? Will
your partner get back before you need the airplane? Find out where in
the air they are with the AVweb Edition of Flight Explorer.
AVweb subscribers can sign up for Flight Explorer at the special price
of $9.95 a month. Go to http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/flightexplorer/avflash. |
WHICH SIX-PLACE RETRACTABLE HAS THE BEST SAFETY
RECORD?
How good are the new Garmin GPSs? Which low-cost
ANR headset is most failure-prone? Only Aviation
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SEE CLEARLY METHOD IMPROVES & STRENGTHENS VISION
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COMMUNICATE, NAVIGATE, AND SAVE WITH COMM 1 RADIO
SIMULATORS
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| SPONSOR NEWS |
LONGER DAYS & WARMER WEATHER MEANS IT'S TIME TO GO
FLYING!
If you do the bulk of your flying in the summer
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GOT A
CRACKED CASE? LIGHT PLANE MAINTENANCE'S JUNE ISSUE
EXPLAINS
how to detect cracks and what your options are if
you find one. Some — precious few, actually — are considered
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INSTRUCTOR PILOTS AND STUDENTS WANTED
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AVWEB IS
EXPANDING ITS READER SURVEY PANEL
If you're willing to
answer (very) brief questionnaires about aviation products and
services once or twice a month, please consider joining our exclusive
panel of reader advisors. We're currently seeking pilots at all
levels of experience in many different FAA regions. To apply,
visit http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/readerpanel/avflash. | |
_____________________________________
We Welcome Your
Feedback!
AVflash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest aviation news,
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Today's issue written by News Writer Russ Niles:
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