Volume 11, Number 42b — October 20, 2005

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

DCA REOPENS TO GA -- SORT OF...
A chartered Hawker 1000 jet landed at Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on Tuesday morning, the first GA aircraft to land there since September 2001. The jet, operated by New World Jet of Teterboro, N.J., landed at about 7 a.m., taxied beneath welcoming arches of water sprayed from two fire trucks, and parked at the Signature Flight Support hangar at the south end of the field. The passengers, including James Coyne, president of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), were greeted by airport officials and representatives from Congress and the federal government. "This day has been a long time coming," said Coyne. More...

...BUT MUST FOLLOW STRICT RULES
Under the new GA access rules, the operator of any private aircraft must submit passenger and crew manifests to the TSA 24 hours in advance of landing, and the TSA will conduct background checks on everyone. Only corporate aircraft with professional crews need apply. In addition, the airplane first must land at one of 12 "gateway airports" where the TSA will inspect the plane, passengers and baggage, charging a fee of over $500. And an armed law enforcement officer must be on every flight. "We definitely would like to see the rules made a little more workable," said Dan Hubbard of NBAA. "The whole advantage to business aircraft is time. It's an efficiency aircraft. Once you've made the stop [at a gateway airport], now you're not getting the trip done any faster than if you just flew into Dulles." More...

STUDY LOOKS FOR AGE-RELATED PROBLEMS...
The number of FAA-certified pilots age 80 and up has increased by 73 percent in the last five years, to about 3,800, even as the number of pilots overall declines. So how does that affect safety? A study by AOPA, due out next month, aims to find out. Insurance companies have routinely hiked their premiums for older pilots, presuming that their skills deteriorate with age. "AOPA members tell us that the cost and safety of flying is very important to them," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "This study is directly related to both of those issues." The study is overseen by James Deimler, who was the program manager for the FAA's Age-60 Rule study. The United Flying Octogenarians, a group with over 500 members, is participating in AOPA's study. More...

...AND HOW YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG?
At the other end of the spectrum, private pilots can be certified at age 16, which occasionally raises questions about judgment and maturity. Such a case occurred last week, when police in Marshfield, Wis., filed charges against two 16-year-old boys who allegedly buzzed a packed stadium during an after-dark high-school football game. Witnesses said the small aircraft flew as low as 150 feet above the ground, and passed over the stadium three times, moving very slowly and rocking the wings. The student pilot at the controls reportedly had never flown at night before. "Given the minimal experience this pilot had, I am convinced this community dodged a catastrophic event," Marshfield Police Chief Joe Stroik told the Wausau Daily Herald. Recent studies have shown that the brains of those 16 to 25 years old are still developing in the regions that control judgment and risky behavior. More...

YOUNG EAGLES FLIGHTS CONTINUE AFTER FATALITIES...
"With 500,000 flights and 1.2 million kids safely flown as Young Eagles, we think our safety procedures are pretty sound," EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski told AVweb on Tuesday. "But we are working with the NTSB on their investigation and if they turn up anything they think we could do to enhance safety even further, we will certainly do whatever we can." The deaths of two young girls near Seattle last Saturday were the first since the program began in 1992. The instrument-rated pilot was well-qualified, Knapinski said, and had flown Young Eagles in the past. "As far as we know now, there was nothing unusual about the flight, or the pilot, or any of the procedures on that flight," he said. More...

...AS CLASSMATES HONOR THEIR FRIENDS
The pilot was David Eugene Hokanson, 67, of Mercer Island. The two girls, Brittany Boatright, 15, and Kandyce Cowart, 14, were close friends. Both attended Aviation High School in Everett and aspired to careers in aviation. Others among the school's 200 students told The Seattle Times they will continue to pursue their dreams. "I thought my mom would never let me fly again, [but] she told me she wants me to go up very soon," sophomore Keiko Hiranaka said -- like getting "back on the horse after you fall down." In a letter written to Kandyce on Monday, classmate Irina Verevkina wrote that she will go flying again when she gets the chance, "because it's what you would have wanted if you were still here." More...

KITFOX MANUFACTURER SKYSTAR FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY
Kitfox aircraft kit manufacturer Skystar Aircraft Corp. has filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7, EAA reported on Tuesday. According to documents obtained by EAA, the filing took place on Friday, Oct. 14, in Idaho. Those documents show the company's claimed assets totaled about $1.1 million, with liabilities of nearly $1.7 million. Skystar President Frank Miller could not be reached, but the company's bankruptcy attorney, David Kras, told EAA that plans are to liquidate company assets and pay off the creditors. Individuals who paid Skystar for kits or parts that were never delivered may be entitled to file a priority claim, which could give them a better chance to recover at least some portion of their payment, EAA said. More...

ACOUSTIC SYSTEM AIMS TO TRACK WAKE VORTICES
Tests have been extended for another six months of an experimental acoustic technology system that could detect and track wake vortices. The sensor, called Socrates, is being developed by Flight Safety Technologies together with Lockheed Martin, with funding from NASA. The system employs an acoustic technique borrowed from underwater sonar that uses lasers as microphones to pick up sound generated by the vortices. Listening posts are set two miles north of Runway 16 Left at Denver International Airport, and aim to detect changes in the air within 1,200 feet of the surface. If the system proves reliable, it could help busy runways to handle up to 25 percent more traffic by eliminating unnecessary wake turbulence spacing. More...

DIAMOND NEWS -- GLASS COCKPIT IN EUROPE, FLY-IN IN N.M.
Diamond Aircraft Industries announced on Monday that the European Aviation Safety Agency has certified its single-engine diesel-powered DA40 TDI Diamond Star with the G1000 glass cockpit. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Diamond Aircraft Pilots and Owners Organization (DAPO) will host its First Annual Southwest Fly-In on Oct. 29 at Double Eagle II Airport in Albuquerque, N.M. Seminars will be held on Diamond aircraft maintenance, Southwest mountain flying, and G1000 cockpit tips, tricks, and shortcuts. Diamond aircraft will be on display, and on Saturday, tours of the Eclipse VLJ factory are offered. The event is free. More...

ADVENTURER'S GLOBAL TRIP OFF TO ROUGH START
Aviator Gus McLeod launched on Sunday for a second try to circumnavigate the world crossing both poles -- a flight he attempted once already -- but a gear malfunction has delayed his plan for at least a week. McLeod took off from Gaithersburg Airpark in Maryland, and heard a rattling noise from his experimental Firefly aircraft. He made a precautionary landing in Frederick, about 30 miles away, and upon touching down, the nose gear collapsed on the runway. "The bolt supporting the nosegear suffered metal fatigue and broke," McLeod said. The gear will be rebuilt with stronger support, and the trip should continue next week. More...

CESSNA PILOT HELPS IN TORNADO PILOTS' RESCUE
Flight instructor Syd Utting was 45 minutes into a training flight in Scotland with former Navy pilot Keith Thomson on board last Friday afternoon, when air traffic controllers asked for his help. Two Royal Air Force pilots based nearby had ejected from an F3 Tornado at about 10,000 feet, about 10 miles offshore, before the jet fell into the cold North Sea. Utting headed for the area and spotted an oil slick and a dinghy, then saw a red flare shoot up from the waves. Utting circled above the stranded pilots for over an hour in the dark, according to The Sunday Mail. "It was reassuring for them to know their rescuers wouldn't have to waste even more time searching for them," Utting said. More...

ANALYSTS: DON'T WRITE OFF LEGACY CARRIERS
It's no secret that the major legacy airlines have been struggling for years, but now the high cost of fuel is putting even some of the better non-legacy performers -- like Southwest Airlines and some of the regional operators -- closer to the edge. "It's getting harder and harder to find any winners among the nation's airlines," James May, president of the Air Transport Association of America, said at an aviation forecast conference in Savannah, Ga., on Monday. "All of them are hurting." Analysts for the Boyd Group, which organized the conference, say the operating advantage may soon revert to the legacy carriers, as they emerge from Chapter 11 with their labor costs under control and revenue streams intact. More...

ON THE FLY...
A Columbia 400 crashed Monday in southern California, three people died...
Two survivors of a plane crash called for aid via text messaging...
The second Airbus A380 completed its first flight on Tuesday...
Passengers refused to board a Helios jet with mechanical problems...
A second satellite to support WAAS for GPS was launched on Sunday. 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...

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 ...
This week, AVweb wants to know if you've taken the time to comment on Docket #17005 — the proposed rule to make the D.C.-area ADIZ a permanent feature of Washington's airspace.  (For more on the Docket and the proposed rule, see the links in "Stress Points" at AVweb's home page.) More...

AVWEB'S PICTURE OF THE WEEK ...
It's a good time be the de facto "Picture of the Week" editor. Submissions are coming through in healthy (but not overwhelming) numbers, and the quality of pictures really is at an all-time high. It can put a bit of a dent in your workday when you have to ogle 75 or 100 great aviation photos and try to narrow the field down to a few worthy contenders – but it sure makes for a fun distraction. 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 Mary Grady:
http://www.avweb.com/contact/authors.html#mgrady
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