Volume 11, Number 29a — July 18, 2005

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The Top Headlines From AVweb's Expanded, Illustrated News Coverage At AVweb's NewsWire.

AIRVENTURE 2005 -- THIS ONE SHOULD BE SPECIAL...
EAA AirVenture's 53rd annual gathering is almost here, coming up July 25-31 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis., and it is shaping up to be a pretty amazing event. "This is a year that should not be missed," said EAA President Tom Poberezny, "not only because of the variety of aircraft, but also because in some cases these airplanes will never be together again anywhere, at any time." Among the highlights is a truly outstanding collection of show aircraft, including Scaled Composites' SpaceShipOne, its mothership White Knight, and GlobalFlyer, plus the first public flight demonstrations by the Eclipse 500 jet and the Cessna Mustang, and the debut of the HondaJet. At least nine vintage tri-motors will gather from around the world, including several Fords, a Junkers, and a Dornier amphibian, for a one-of-a-kind reunion. Then there's the warbirds. More...

...NEW PRODUCTS AND NEW AIRPLANES...
Oshkosh is where the industry players old and new show off their latest products. This year, we'll check out Innodyn's "twinpack" turbine, wireless headsets and the latest avionics upgrades, including a new handheld from Garmin that may cause minimalists to consider tossing entire panels. We'll track down the mysterious (Bombardier) V300T engine, now being exhibited by Aircraft Engine Services, who have assured us they will answer all our questions about the status of the V220 and V300T piston engines at their booth. Aviation's newest birds, the Light Sport Aircraft, will congregate in their own special LSA Mall across from the Vintage Barn. About three dozen LSAs will be on display and will participate in a daily fly-by. On Wednesday, the Lake amphibian line of aircraft goes on the auction block, live at Oshkosh. More...

...AND AVWEB IS THERE FOR YOU -- AT OSHKOSH OR AT HOME
There is way more going on at AirVenture than we can fit here, but AVweb staffers will be on the field, as ever, covering every square foot of the sprawling show to bring the latest news to your inbox as it happens. If you're in Oshkosh, come visit us at Booths # 1007-1008 in Hangar A. AVweb writers, editors and contributors will be there daily, along with experts from our sister publications Aviation Consumer, Kitplanes and IFR Magazine, ready to chat with our readers -- the schedule is posted online. And if you can't be there, following the news from home with our coverage including special issues Wednesday and Friday, plus image galleries, is the next-best thing. And don't forget to visit our excellent sponsors, whose loyal support brings you AVweb news and features twice a week, year-round, for free. More...

FRANKLIN/YOUNKIN CRASH INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY...
Few details have been forthcoming so far regarding last week's fatal "Masters of Disaster" air show crash, as Canada's Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation. Bobby Younkin, 46, and Jimmy Franklin, 57, died in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, on July 10 during a performance in front of 20,000 spectators, when their two aircraft collided in midair. Although the pilots have said that as much as 90 percent of their "Masters of Disaster" show is unchoreographed, Kyle Franklin, who has long participated in air shows with his father, told the Canadian Press last week that the accident occurred during a "planned maneuver" that the team had performed many times. "We're still trying to figure out what happened," he said. More...

...UNIQUE SHOW WOWED EVEN THE JADED AVIATION PRESS...
Franklin, Younkin, Jim Leroy, and Les Shockley came up with the concept called the "X-Team Masters of Disaster" in 2002. Younkin in his big biplane Samson, Leroy in his Pitts and Franklin in his jet-powered Waco all took off together and filled the sky with noise and smoke as Les Shockley's jet trucks belched fire and fury (and handily outpaced the aircraft) on the ground as pyrotechnics warmed the crowd with a heat that was tangible. An AVweb reporter at Oshkosh last year wrote that "the unplanned acrobatics in the sky seem to bring the planes heart-stoppingly close to each other, and the sky soon goes IFR from the smoke." The show made quite an impression: "If Masters of Disaster comes to an airshow near you, pay whatever the admission charge is ... drop anything you are doing and come to see them," AVweb wrote. More...

...AS STELLAR PERFORMERS ARE REMEMBERED
Franklin, of Neosho, Mo., and Younkin, of Rogers, Ark., had both been flying in air shows since they were teenagers and had close to 70 years of experience between them. Franklin had learned to fly while sitting on his father's lap. When home alone at age 12, he arguably started his career when he snuck out and soloed. Shortly after, he taught himself aerobatics and began his 38-year formal air show career at age 19. In 1999, he became the first to add a jet engine to his 1940 Waco biplane, on which his son Kyle also performed as wingwalker. He also flew for several movies, including The Rocketeer. Younkin was a third-generation pilot. He learned to fly at the age of 16, and flew his first air show in a Decathlon at age 18, later adding multiple (more commercial) aircraft less familiar to the air show stage. He trained with Duane Cole, and showed a knack for aerial grace and showmanship. More...

LYCOMING CRANKSHAFT UPDATE
More information is trickling in about Lycoming's latest crankshaft recall. Most of the 1,100 aircraft affected are Robinson helicopters, AOPA says, as well as late-model Cessna 182s, some Piper models, and a scattering of other aircraft, including some Commander 112s. A proposed FAA Airworthiness Directive that was expected to be out by Friday so far has not been published. The crankshaft problem first surfaced in early 2002 when Lycoming recalled some 400 crankshafts used in TIO- and LTIO-540 engines. By late 2003, Lycoming broadened the recall to some 1,800 airplanes total; that recall program was concluded in 2003. It was believed at the time that only the high-horsepower versions were at risk. Note: The latest recall covers roughly 1200 crankshafts -- not 2,000, as originally reported -- some known to be installed in factory engines, some as replacement parts. More...

FLUSH TIMES FOR AVIATION WORKERS
Got experience working on aircraft? Cessna wants you in Wichita ... and Lancair wants you in Bend, Ore. ... and Mooney wants you in Kerrville, Texas. Cessna already has hired 1,000 workers this year and is looking for 400 more. The pool of local workers is just about exhausted, The Wichita Eagle said last week, so Cessna is going on the road with a recruitment drive. Mooney recently hired 50 workers and added a second shift, and more jobs are still open. Lancair hired 165 workers in the first six months of this year, and still has openings, too. "These are good jobs with excellent benefits," Lancair spokesman Ron Wright told Bend.com, and some are open to entry-level applicants. More...

GEAR GLITCH SPAWNS IMPROMPTU AIR SHOW
It took 10 tries, but in the end a couple of guys zooming at 90 mph down the runway in the back of a pickup truck used a pole to hook the down, but not locked, gear of a malfunctioning Cessna Centurion 210 and lock it into place so the pilot could land safely. "Everyone kept their cool, everyone worked well together," said Griff Malleck, owner of the FBO whose mechanics were test-flying the aircraft when the problem showed itself. "All's well that ends well." The mechanics had taken off from McCook (Neb.) Regional Airport on Wednesday afternoon after working on a reported oil leak from the flaps and gear. More...

GRASS-ROOTS EFFORT LOBBIES FOR GLENN CURTISS PARK
Aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss is known for having built the ubiquitous "Jenny" that trained a legion of American pilots, but he did much more than that, and now a group of local citizens is working to buy the site of his laboratory in upstate New York and turn it into Glenn Curtiss Memorial Park. Curtiss' often overlooked feats include design of the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic, development of the aileron, pioneering work on amphibious aircraft, building the P-40 and the C-46 Commando, and setting many early aeronautical records. Curtiss' laboratory was on the south shore of Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes Region. More...

GLIDER PILOTS PLAN ROUND-THE-WORLD FLIGHT
Just when you think all the great aviation firsts are behind us, a group of Czech pilots announced they have a plan to circumnavigate the world in a glider, and could have an aircraft ready to do it as soon as next year... that is, if financing to the tune of about $200 million (U.S.) is forthcoming. Vladislav Zejda, 43, who holds more than 50 world gliding records, says the route is still in the works, but a flight across the Himalayas seems to be best. The whole trip would take five or six days (which means average speeds above 150 mph), according to a report in last week's Prague Daily Monitor. "We are cooperating with domestic and foreign experts on the project, for instance, with NASA and renowned aircraft producers," Zejda said. More...

EMERGENCY CREW MISSES EMERGENCY LANDING
Most pilots like to think they will never have to make that call for the crash truck to meet them on the runway, but we also like to think that if we ever do call, they'll be there. For Greg Stanton, of Rogers, Ark., all those hopes were dashed last Sunday when the cockpit of his Piper Saratoga filled with smoke shortly after takeoff. He declared an emergency (specifically asking for rescue vehicles) and headed back to the Rogers airport, watching the oil pressure drop. He touched down safely. On the roll-out, though, "I noticed there weren't any trucks," Stanton told The Benton County Daily Record. "I noticed the bay doors of the fire station were closed. At that point I was starting to wonder, 'Where the hell is everybody?'" More...

ON THE FLY...
Garmin taking orders now for GPSMAP 396 handheld...
Lawsuit challenges FAA's OK of $11 billion makeover plan for LAX...
Rule that kept pax in seats 30 minutes from DCA has been rescinded...
Extra Aircraft unveiling new high-performance EA-300LP...
New King Schools program out on managing takeoff and landing risks...
Budget cuts threaten historic wind tunnel at NASA Langley...
Observers say FAA seems unlikely to allow cellphones in flight. 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. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part. More...

READER FEEDBACK ON AVWEB'S NEWS COVERAGE AND FEATURE ARTICLES:
AVmail: July 18, 2005
Reader mail this week about GA security, using a parachute, NATCA vs. FAA and more. More...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
COLUMNS
From The CFI #8: Musings of an Old CFI
AVweb's Linda Pendleton has been teaching people how to fly for decades, and remembers fondly how flight instruction used to be. But before you go accusing her of living in the past, she's got strong opinions on how things need to be different in the age of technically advanced aircraft -- and what parts of past training experience that need to be rediscovered. 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...
The price of progress...

I had been through the area five days before, controllers stated that they were having intermittent reception on my transponder. I later left their area and had no further problems on the flight. Just to be sure, I had a mechanic check it out, and he found no problems. Five days later, through the same Evansville, Indiana control area, the same problem reared its head...

Controller: Cessna 12345, I am not receiving your transponder.

Me: I don't understand that. I had the same problem with you last week and I had the unit inspected with no problems.

Controller: Well that's peculiar. In that case, maybe it has something to do with the 1950's technology equipment built in the 1970's held together by 1990's duct tape we're using on this end. Come to think of it ... it's probably us. More...

Visit AVweb (and Our Sponsors) at AirVenture Click here for a printable list of our sponsors (and where to find them). Click here for the AVweb booth schedule.

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.

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