Volume 11, Number 41b — October 13, 2005

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

COMMANDER FINDS NEW HOME...
The owners' group that bought the assets of Commander Aircraft Company (CAC) has found a home. The Commander Premier Aircraft Corp. (CPAC) will set up shop in Cape Girardeau, Mo. "It's a wonderful location for our new company," CPAC President and CEO Joel Hartstone told members of the Commander Owners Group at their annual fly-in in Sedona, Ariz., last week. Although the new company, made up of 50 Commander owners, bought all the assets of the previous manufacturer, the deal didn't include the lease on the factory at Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City, Okla. More...

...PARTS FIRST, PLANES LATER...
If the poetic sounding name of the community rings a bell, it's because Cape Girardeau was previously touted as the site of the resurrection of the Luscombe 8F. In fact, the 52,000-square-foot building Commander will occupy was built, by the city, especially for Renaissance Aircraft's bid to relaunch the storied taildragger. Plagued by expensive legal battles (which it won) Renaissance was not able to raise the investment money necessary to make the payments on the Cape Girardeau facility and the company was evicted last April. Hartstone said the facility will also house a service center and the company is also leasing another 23,000 square feet for shipping and receiving. Plans are to start making parts as soon as possible to fill the void left by CAC's demise more than a year ago. The new company hopes to build 15 $600,000 Commanders in 2006 and 30 a year after that. More...

...RENAISSANCE LOOKS AT CALIFORNIA SITE
Renaissance may be out of Cape Girardeau but it may not be out of the airplane business. When AVweb last talked to company President John Dearden in April, he was scouting sites. He may have found one in Tulare County, in California's Central Valley. According to the Central Valley Business Times, Renaissance wants to lease a county-owned hangar at Sequoia Field for the factory. Dearden's company has the type certificate and all the tooling needed to start building the planes again, both hard-won in a court battle that ended two years ago. More...

COMMERCIAL PILOT CHARGED IN CITATION THEFT...
A 22-year-old commercial pilot with multi and instrument endorsements and a C/IA-Jet type rating (according to the FAA's airmen database) has been accused of taking five passengers on a "joy ride" from St. Augustine, Fla. to Briscoe Field in Gwinnett, Ga. in a $7 million Citation VII. The man, from Buford, Ga., is facing felony theft by receiving charges and five misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct. More federal charges are expected. Gwinnett police spokesman Darren Moloney said Wolcott wasn't qualified to fly the plane "but apparently is a talented and gifted pilot." The plane, reportedly owned by Pinnacle Air, of Springdale, Ark., (it's registered to a Carrollton, Texas corporation) was reported stolen from St. Augustine on Saturday by the crew that flew it there and left it unlocked on the ramp. More...

...FIVE PASSENGERS TAKEN FOR "JOY RIDE"
Moloney told reporters that five people who flew on the plane from St. Augustine all contacted police and were interviewed. None were charged because they were apparently unaware the plane had been stolen. "They were just enjoying the ride," Moloney said. He said all indications are that the theft was "just a joyride." Wolcott is apparently a familiar face around the airport and may have worked part time at some airport businesses. "This is such an odd occurrence, I wouldn't even want to speculate why someone would do this," Gwinnett Airport Manager Matt Smith told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. More...

NTSB ISSUES WEATHER WARNING...
Not enough pilots are talking about the weather and the NTSB wants the FAA to do something about it. The NTSB issued a series of recommendations to the agency on Tuesday aimed at clearing up what it apparently believes is our foggy knowledge of weather. It wants greater emphasis on weather in the written exam, including the requirement that a specific number of weather questions be answered correctly in order to pass. And it wants weather training to be ongoing on several fronts. Specifically, the NTSB wants the FAA to make the gathering, assessment and decision-making skills regarding weather to be part of the biennial flight review for pilots who don't take weather-related recurrent training within the two years. More...

...WINTER REMINDER ISSUED...
Winter weather is on the minds of the leaders of three major business aviation organizations. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) have jointly signed a letter to their members reminding them of the extra precautions needed for cold-weather flying. NBAA President Ed Bolen said the organizations felt it appropriate to "inform or remind aircraft operators about the industry-leading practices" to prevent winter flying accidents. A glance out the window to check for frost or ice on the wings isn't enough, according to the letter. More...

...HOME SCHOOLING AVAILABLE
If you're interested in learning more on your own, consider the FAA's Wings program. With three hours of flight training and one aviation seminar -- several of which are offered for free online by the AOPA Air Safety Foundation -- you earn a get-out-of-jail-free card on your biennial flight review. Since the flight training includes an hour of instrument maneuvers and the ground study offers several weather seminars to choose from, you just might learn more that what the NTSB's suggestions impose -- while having fun doing it. (Plus, the Wings program rewards you with a lapel pin.) More...

BOEING FIELD GA PILOTS FEAR SQUEEZE FROM SOUTHWEST
GA operators at Seattle's Boeing Field say Southwest Airlines' bid to relocate to their airport would push out small aircraft. However, airport management claims that GA could coexist with an influx of 737s. Southwest is pushing for a move to Boeing Field because it claims the costs of operation at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are too high. If Southwest is allowed to move, it could spell the end of an FAA exemption that allows the simultaneous use of parallel runways at Boeing that are too close together under normal standards. And that, claims the Friends of Boeing Field, will mean the end of GA at the airport. More...

NATA SAYS FUEL TAXES, NOT (MORE) USER FEES
The National Air Transportation Association says the current system of fuel taxes is the fairest way to raise money for the FAA. Last month, the agency sent out a questionnaire to aviation groups, saying the current system needs to be replaced with a funding formula that links revenue to use of the system. The questions seemed heavily slanted toward the implementation of user fees and NATA says that would be a mistake. "It is critical that both Congress and the FAA are aware that overall, a system of user fees could add greater confusion and inefficiency to the air transportation system, cause a bureaucratic nightmare for both government and industry, jeopardize safety and ultimately result in less revenue than in the current system," said NATA President James Coyne. More...

AMERICAN PILOTS PONDER RETIREMENT TO SAVE PENSIONS
Pilots are used to taking calculated risks but some American Airlines pilots may be cashing in their chips early. The Allied Pilots Association, which represents American pilots, says it's getting more inquiries from pilots growing tired of the pension crapshoot. They're considering retiring early out of fears American will follow other major carriers in dumping its pension plan. But union president Ralph Hunter said he believes the airline's pension plan is sound, at least for the short term, and some bills before Congress promise help to stabilize it even more. "We understand that some guys are a little antsy, but there's really nothing that has changed," Hunter told the Fort Worth, Texas, Star-Telegram. "Your risk of losing your lump-sum benefits are the same as they've always been." More...

TRAVOLTA'S "AIRPORT" HOME FEATURED
As a boy, John Travolta dreamed what many have dreamed: that there would be an airplane parked in everyone's backyard. A few have achieved that dream, but hardly any as spectacularly as Travolta. The veteran actor can now walk out of his airport-style home near Ocala, Fla., and hop aboard his personal Boeing 707 for a flight to almost anywhere. Travolta's Florida getaway is at a fly-in community called Jumbolair, which features a 7,500-foot runway. Travolta bought a nine-acre lot for his aviation compound, which includes a house that resembles an airport, complete with a tower-like observation area. "This is a house that says dreams are possible. Everything is possible," his wife Kelly Preston told an Architectural Digest forum at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History last week. More...

SUPERSONIC MODEL TESTED
Japanese aerospace officials are optimistic the $10 million test of a model of a future supersonic airliner was a success. Well, at least they got their model back this time. A similar attempt three years ago resulted in the model's separating prematurely from its booster rocket before boring a smoking hole in the Australian Outback. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), in cooperation with a French agency, is hoping to develop a Mach 2, 300-seat replacement for the Concorde by 2025. In last Monday's test, the 38-foot model was strapped to a rocket and flown to an altitude of 11 miles. More...

HURRICANES PUSH LIFELINE TO RECORD
Lifeline Pilots set a record for flights in their efforts to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The volunteer pilots' group recorded a 65-percent increase in the number of missions booked and accomplished during the month. It was the most flights recorded in the group's 24-year history. Lifeline normally flies people who don't have enough money for commercial flights to specialized medical care available only outside of their hometowns. But in the case of Katrina, the policy manual was forgotten. While medical flights remained a priority, Lifeline pilots also carried out supply missions, delivering food, water and medical supplies to stricken areas. More...

CORRECTION: ECI CONNECTING RODS
We erred in last Monday's edition by stating that the FAA had issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) on connecting rods made by ECi. As ECi's President Ed Salmeron pointed out, the FAA has only issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and the company intends to file comments on the proposal. "We disagree with the NPRM and are preparing our case since we believe there is no evidence for a Safety of Flight concern," Salmeron said. We apologize to our readers and ECi for the error and will keep you informed regarding the FAA's final action on the matter. More...

ON THE FLY...
Tullahoma, Tenn., attracted about 200 people and 81 aircraft...
U.S. trade negotiators seek satisfaction over subsidies paid to Airbus...
FAA to investigate runway incursions at Logan...
An F6F Hellcat crashed on the median of a highway in Tenn., the pilot was killed...
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta survived the rain...
An aircraft made a safe landing on I-5 north of Los Angeles, Monday. 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...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
COLUMNS
Motor Head #9: Does Racing Really Improve The Breed?
Marc Cook's ears are still buzzing from a long weekend at the Reno Air Races, where all sorts of internal-combustion mayhem takes place. Some of it may actually trickle down to average GA Joes.

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...

AVWEB'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK ...
General aviation costs continue to rise. This week, AVweb wants to know if you've been priced out of flying. (Yet?) PLUS: Results of last week's question on eye surgery, corrective lenses, and other methods of improving your vision (both the FAA-approved and the not-so-FAA-approved varieties). More...

AVWEB'S PICTURE OF THE WEEK ...
Since our last edition of "Picture of the Week," AVweb readers have bombarded us with a steady stream of amazing aviation photos. By Wednesday night, we had well over 100 submissions — almost of all of them considered for one of our top spots this week. We know you've heard this before, but the quality of photos we've received over the past few weeks is truly amazing. Whatever you guys are doing — taking photography classes, or just going to a lot of really good air shows — keep it up! The only downside to this upswing in "POTW" submissions is that we have to leave behind a lot of eye-popping photos. So, before we take off into the skies with this week's top winners, we'd like to remind you that we ooh and ahh over every single "POTW" submission, and we take the time to read through your comments when each week's contest is done. Many of you have contributed outstanding photos and may never have won a hat or even heard back from us — we're really busy, honest! — but we'd like you to know how much we appreciate your time and support. Now, on to this week's pretty pictures! More...

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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