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July 6, 2005

By The AVweb Editorial Staff

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Inside The Latest Cirrus Chute Deployment...

Chute First, Ask Questions Later

Ilan Reich last Thursday turned a Cirrus SR22 into a powered parachute and in doing so possibly saved his own life and perhaps those of people on the ground. He broke his back and found out he'll probably never fly again, but, given the host of much more serious potential results, he's not really complaining. In a detailed account of the short flight that ended with a parachute descent into a creek near Haverstraw, N.Y., Reich describes using power from the still-running engine to avoid dropping onto the fuel tanks that supply a conventional power plant there. "I applied right aileron and rudder, and rocked the power lever to make sure that the engine still had power. These actions caused the plane to gently veer away from the tank farm and over the water," Reich wrote. Reich was returning the plane to his home base at Westchester County Airport from maintenance at nearby Lincoln Park, N.J., when he blacked out at the controls. Rather than risk continuing the flight, he pulled the chute and hoped for the best. Despite a more dramatic (and less comfortable) outcome than some other Cirrus chute deployments, Reich remains sold on the concept. "Don't fly a single engine plane that isn't equipped with a parachute," he advises in his account of the incident.

Click through for Reich's account of the event, in his own words.

...A "Massive Belly Flop"...

Under the parachute, a Cirrus hits the ground as if it had been dropped from 10 feet so the landing jolt is considerable. That's why the landing gear is designed to absorb most of that shock. But Reich's descent ended on the placid waters of Bowline Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River. "It was like a massive belly flop," he wrote. "Because I landed in water rather than solid ground, the gear did not absorb much of the impact. Instead, the wings and seat did all the work. It was at this point that the fourth lumbar vertebrae in my back cracked and compressed from the impact of the crash." It was the culmination of a wild ride that also left him with a bump on his head. Reich was level at just under 3,000 feet when he blacked out for what he estimates was five to 10 seconds. When he became alert again, the plane was nose down, going through 1,900 at 204 knots, just above Vne. He gently leveled the plane but had no interest in continuing the flight into IMC, with weakness in one of his legs and an airframe he feared might have been compromised during the descent and recovery. The chute isn't supposed to be deployed at speeds greater than 130 knots but Reich is pretty sure he was going faster than that when he pulled the handle. A few seconds later there was a "tremendous jolt" that knocked off his headset and glasses and caused him to hit his head on the cabin's interior.

...Back Braced, Tumor Discovered

Reich's problems were far from over when he hit the water. As the plane started to slowly sink, he realized he couldn't open the doors. Using the emergency hammer supplied for just those circumstances, Reich was able to bash his way through a window and found time to sit on the wing (while donning a life jacket that he always kept in the plane), "survey the situation and collect my thoughts." He swam about 150 feet before a fire department boat picked him up and took him to a waiting ambulance. After undergoing various tests, X-rays and CT scans, an emergency-room doctor told him the source of his sore back was a cracked vertebrae. "He then left the room, but came back a moment later and casually said: 'By the way, did you know that you have a brain tumor?'" Reich walked out of the hospital the next day and will have to wear a brace for four weeks to support his injured back. He also has to meet with a neurologist to decide what, if anything, to do about the benign brain tumor, which was the likely cause of his brief in-flight seizure. He was told the tumor has been there for years. Regardless of the outcome of those discussions, Reich has resigned himself to never flying again.

Danbury Security Sparks National Review...

Connecticut Wants Every Airport's Security Scrutinized

The theft last month of a Cessna 172 based at Danbury, Conn., that was taken on a joyride by a non-pilot who landed with a blood alcohol level of .15 has prompted a call for a nationwide security review of GA airports. Connecticut politicians have written Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff asking for a study of security at more than 19,000 GA airports across the country. "My sense is this is an issue we have at airports all over the country," Rep. Chris Shays told the Danbury News-Times. "We should get a better handle on general aviation." However, Andrew Thomas, an Ohio professor who wrote a book on the topic ("Airport Insecurity") says the government faces a tricky balancing act on the issue. "It's not enough to simply say you're going to regulate [the industry] totally," he told The Associated Press. "You can't because you'd end up destroying it." But Thomas said the government can't just do nothing because al Qaeda has plotted to use small aircraft for terrorism in the past. "We still haven't found the balance," he said.

...Suspect Denied Bail...

And while the security debate promises to rage again, authorities in Harrison, N.Y., have the practical issues of what to do with the young man in the spotlight at center stage. Philippe Patricio has been held without bail since he allegedly stole the 172 and flew a couple of teenaged friends around the area for a couple of hours before landing on a taxiway at Westchester County Airport about 4 a.m. on June 22. Security guards at the airport reported that beer cans tumbled out of the airplane as Patricio and his friends got out of the plane. Patricio faces felony charges of possession of stolen property, reckless endangerment and the misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was denied bail in court last Friday. Patricio's lawyer, Edwin Camacho, said the charges don't fit the crime. "This really is a misdemeanor situation that's been made into a felony situation because of 9/11," he told Greenwich Time. "We have a joyriding situation, not a theft situation." The lawyers cast Patricio as a harmless and hardworking immigrant with an alcohol problem. Judge Marc Lust has agreed to reconsider his bail decision if Patricio returns from a substance-abuse program with a good report in a few weeks.

...And Another (Yawn) D.C. Incursion

And there's a sense of the blasé surrounding the coverage of the latest incursion into restricted airspace near Washington last week -- even though the aircraft involved has managed two other breeches, apparently flown by different pilots, according to The Washington Post. In fact, even the FAA and security authorities seem to be tiring of explaining just why pilots regularly (almost habitually) bust the restrictions -- Airworthy Aviation Inc., which the Post says owns the errant rental aircraft, did not answer the paper's calls. In the latest case (although several days have passed and there could have been more) the pilot violated a temporary expansion of a permanent airspace restriction around Camp David, in Maryland. Most days, the restriction is 5,000 feet and three miles but, on the request of the Secret Service, the FAA can expand the zone to 10 miles and 18,000 feet. On Saturday night, the pilot in question was at 1,300 feet and 7.5 miles from Camp David when he somehow got the message he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He landed at Frederick Municipal Airport where he was questioned and released without charge. Neither the FAA nor the Secret Service would release the pilot's name, and the White House did not respond to questions about whether the president was even at Camp David, or if he was evacuated or even aware of the incident.

Sensors Use Airplanes To Gather Weather Data

It won't be long before aircraft are not only affected by weather forecasts, they'll be helping to gather the information to make them more accurate. SpectraSensors, a high-tech spinoff company of the NASA/Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has developed a sensor and air sampling system that can be installed on aircraft and monitor the water vapor content of the outside air. Water vapor is a fundamental part of weather prognostication but currently forecasters rely on readings taken every 12 hours by weather balloons. "Thousands of aircraft in the near future will be able to provide comprehensive domestic and international coverage," said SpectraSensors CEO George Balogh. The sensors, which use tunable diode-laser spectroscopy, have been tested on 25 UPS Boeing 757 aircraft for the last six months and the results from the onboard sensors are consistent with those gathered by the weather balloons. Balogh said the potential impact on aviation of all kinds is staggering. "The FAA estimates that bad weather costs the aviation industry more than $1 billion annually," he said. That's not to mention the inconvenience and safety concerns associated with bad weather.

Commander Owners Take Over

The highly regarded Commander line of four-place luxury touring aircraft got a new lease on life last week with the acquisition of the type certificates, tooling and inventory of the bankrupt Commander Aircraft Corporation by an owner-based company called the Commander Premier Aircraft Corporation. Financial details of the acquisition were not released but a news release issued by company President Joel Hartstone suggests he thinks it was a bargain. "As a business, we begin life where most companies seeking to produce new aircraft find themselves after investing three to five years, and up to $100 million, in risky development and testing," he said. Hartstone said plans are to get the parts and service operations running as soon as possible with a return to aircraft production in 2006. One of the snags is that the company has to move out of the existing manufacturing plant in Bethany, Okla. But Hartstone said the new company has everything it needs to start over plus some intangibles that may help solidify the company. "Our Company was born because of the passion Commander owners have for their aircraft," Hartstone said. About 50 Commander owners have invested in the new company. The future location of its headquarters has not been released.

Paragliders Terned On

Well, we've heard those who fly motorized paragliders called a few names but "huge and noisy predators" was new to us. Unless, of course, you're a California least tern intent on ensuring there are future generations of your species. The airspace over California's Ormond Beach, near Oxnard, has become a battleground between environmentalists determined to preserve one of the terns' last nesting places and paraglider pilots who have recently discovered that it's a great place to fly. In an Op-Ed piece in the Ventura County Star, environmentalist Janet Bridgers said that in a single summer, the paragliders destroyed 16 years of work that had enabled the local tern population to grow to about 200 nesting pairs. A little natural history lesson gives some insight into why the two types of flying creatures are incompatible. Terns nest in the sand and their eggs and chicks are constantly under the scrutiny of various aerial predators. The adult terns' response to a threat from the air is to launch a mass assault to try to harass the intruder into leaving. While a gull or kestrel might succumb to such tactics, paragliders are apparently more persistent. By mid-summer last year, most of the adult terns had abandoned their nests in frustration. In her article, Bridgers rhetorically asks wildlife authorities to kick the paragliders off the beach and leave it to the terns and other affected species.

Taxiway Or Runway

To be fair, Taxiway Tango at Seattle/Tacoma International Airport must look awfully good to a pilot on final. It's 9,500 feet long, 100 feet wide and runs parallel with SeaTac's two actual runways. And when the sun glares off the pavement wet from Seattle's not infrequent showers, it's tough to see the big yellow Xs that attempt to warn pilots that it's not really a runway. In fact, eight airline crews have been fooled in four years and three have actually landed on the taxiway, including the Air Canada Jazz flight we told you about a year and a half ago. After that incident, the airport painted the Xs, put daytime flashing lights at the end of the runways and issued notices to pilots. Then, on Jan. 30 of this year, a Southwest crew lined up for the taxiway and didn't realize the error until they were a few seconds from landing and had to go around. Now, various levels of authority are trying to put an end to the embarrassing and potentially dangerous faux pas. A task force has been formed to study the issue. They've flown the approach after having the fire department wet down the end of the taxiway to simulate the conditions when rain showers are followed by sunshine. The NTSB has recommended that a serpentine line be painted the length of the taxiway to deter landings and the task force is evaluating that idea. In the meantime, the sure way to make sure the wheels hit the right patch of pavement may be to fly an ILS approach to SeaTac from the north, regardless of the weather. All the mistakes have occurred during visual approaches.

Tax -- Conn. Keeps GA Breaks, N.Y. Doesn't

Connecticut continues to be a tax haven for general aviation and there's a lobbying effort underway to do the same in New York. Connecticut legislators were considering repealing its aircraft tax exemption program but the National Business Aviation Association and the Connecticut Business Aviation Group convinced the politicians that the economic value of business aviation was worth preserving. The legislators abandoned an effort to repeal the exemptions and they remain in full force. Now, the lobbying effort switches to New York. New York's Senate passed a bill that would exempt sales and use tax on the sale of GA aircraft but the House turned it down. According to NBAA, the New York Aviation Management Association is lobbying directly and a letter-writing campaign has been initiated (perhaps mentioning the greener fields next door in Connecticut) to push the bill through.

FAA, NATCA Clash

The FAA is disputing the spin on a National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) press release that claims that the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) system at the Syracuse Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) center was out for 17 hours due to FAA understaffing. In the news release, headlined "STARS Fails At Syracuse And Help From FAA Is Nowhere To Be Found," NATCA says there was a 17-hour shutdown of the STARS system. However, the FAA's Greg Martin said that's false. "STARS did not fail and the union knows that STARS did not fail," Martin said. Martin said what failed was a communications link between control facilities called the Interfacility Connection. The STARS system kept working but its data couldn't be shared among the facilities. He agreed that it took almost a day to fix the problem because there were no technicians on duty. "They're not staffed around the clock by virtue of their volume," he said. The failure meant that controllers had to manually hand off traffic to other facilities but Martin said there was never any safety concern and the union agreed, with qualifications. "Anytime there is an unnecessary increase in a controller's workload, it creates distractions and detracts from their ability to fully concentrate on their traffic," Bob D'Addario was quoted as saying in the release. "While the loss of the interface is not, in and of itself, a safety issue, any time you create unnecessary workloads on the controller, you do reduce the margin of safety available." Last week, NATCA said there serious problems with the STARS system in Boston.

On The Fly...

A long-time technical and safety advisor for his Texas EAA chapter will be honored by his peers at the Homebuilders’ Dinner at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. Mel Asberry, of Farmersville, Texas, will get the Tony Bingelis Award for his work with homebuilders…

An Air Force helicopter pilot from Montana has received two national awards for bravery after he managed to land his MH-53M Pave Low chopper even though a rocket-propelled grenade had blown away most of the instrument panel on a mission in Iraq in 2004. Capt. Steven Edwards got the Karen Kolligian Jr. Trophy from the Air Force and the American Legion’s Aviator Valor Award…

With a fuselage he found here, a wing he found there and parts from all over an English businessman is building his own Spitfire. Martin Phillips estimates it will cost more than $1 million make the WWII fighter airworthy…

At least nine vintage tri-motor aircraft will be at EAA AirVenture this year. The gathering of tri-motors is believed to be the largest ever held and will include Fords, a Bushmaster and a one-of-a-kind Kreutzer Air Coach.

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New Articles and Features on AVweb

COLUMNS
The Savvy Aviator #20: The Most Dangerous Thing In Aviation?
Aircraft owners are increasingly involved in the maintenance of their aircraft these days, and many participate hands-on. Is such owner-performed maintenance safe, or should maintenance be left strictly to the pros?

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AVweb's Question of the Week ...

*** PREVIOUS RESULTS ***

Last week, AVweb asked whether an instrument rating automatically makes a pilot safer.

The largest segment of our respondents (34%) thought this was a no-brainer:  "Any extra training makes a pilot better" (and safer), they told us.

A second segment (four fewer respondents than the previous group) agreed with our statement that judgement is more important to safety than weather conditions or instrument ratings — but being instrument-rated can improve a pilot's judgement and make his flying safer.

22% of you agreed that an instrument-rated pilot is better prepared to address unsafe conditions — and so, in a sense, is a "safer pilot."

A mere 7% of you reminded us that weather is a notorious killer of pilots — and an instrument rating is a license to fly in bad weather.  And the remaining 3% thought an instrument rating can foster a false sense of confidence, which can actually make pilots less safe.

*** THIS WEEK'S QUESTION ***

This week, AVweb wants to know how you feel about pulling the 'chute — or at least having the option.  Given the choice, would you rather fly an aircraft that has a full-aircraft parachute system?

Click here to answer.

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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

This week saw a slight dip in submission numbers to our "Picture of the Week" contest — only forty-odd photos arrived — but, thankfully, there were some real keepers in the mix.  Take this week's winning photo, for example:  Jay Weise of Denver, Colorado uses composition, lighting, editing, and context to masterful effect in his contribution.  The result is a nostalgic and eye-catching image — no small feat when you consider his subject is the EAA's B-17 Fuddy Duddy, which has shown up in our submission box at least two or three times a week for the past ten weeks.

Kudos, Jay — your official AVweb baseball cap will probably be on the way by the time you read this!

If you'd like to win one of these nifty AVweb hats, submit your own photos today!

Yes, it's O.K. if they're Fuddy Duddy pictures.  ;)

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

Despite a slight dip in submission levels
this week, we'll still shell out some bonus
pictures — because, y'know, they're fun ... .

copyright © Richard Proctor Used with permission

"Keep That Concrete Pouring"
Here's another helicopter on the job,
courtesy of Richard Proctor of Havelock North,
Hawke's Bay (New Zealand).  And this chopper
is making good time, by Richard's estimate:
"1 ton of concrete 1500' up to wind tower
and back in three minutes!"
Medium
Large

Used with permission of Larry Krengel

"The Tradition Continues"
Larry Krengel of Marengo, Illinois
captures the momentous occasion as
"Marvin Padget welcomes John Baker to the world
of aviation following his first solo flight made in a
Blanik L-23 at the Sky Soaring Glider Club."
Medium
Large

Used with permission of Brenda Rahmann

"Fly-Girl Chelsea"
It looks like young Chelsea may be joining
John Baker in the flying club — in a few years.
For now, she's geared up to travel as a passenger in this
photo from Brenda Rahmann of Columbia, New Jersey.
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.

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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

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Today's issue written by News Writer Russ Niles:
http://www.avweb.com/contact/authors.html#rniles
AVweb's editorial team: http://avweb.com/contact/authors.html.

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