FAA SUGGESTS $840,000
Cessna says it hopes to cut a better deal after the FAA proposed fines of $840,000 for alleged violations stemming from a recall of 42 Cessna 182 and 172 aircraft last March. As AVweb told you then, the FAA found problems with aircraft control rigging during an inspection of the company's factory in Independence, Kan. When Cessna found more problems in early March, the FAA issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive grounding 42 airplanes, some of which had already been delivered to their new owners and were being flown by them. After further inspections, 12 of the aircraft covered by the AD were found to be not airworthy. The FAA's formal allegation against Cessna is that it failed to comply with FAA regulations in building the 42 aircraft. More...

A VARIETY OF RIGGING PROBLEMS FOUND
After the recall, inspectors found problems with cables and bolts, a stall-warning sensor that hadn't been hooked up, two cases of foreign objects in the aircraft and a rudder-trim chain off the sprocket. According to The Wichita Eagle, the company issued a statement on Monday saying it wants to meet informally with FAA officials "to reach a mutual understanding of the facts and of the final amount of the fine, if any, which is appropriate under the circumstances." The statement did not elaborate on just how 12 airplanes could leave the factory with control-rigging deficiencies. Cessna spokeswoman Bree Cox yesterday told AVweb the company was surprised the FAA issued a news release before it had met with the company to discuss the proposed sanction. She declined to comment further until after the issue of sanctions is resolved with the FAA. More...

FIRST ROCKET JOCKEYS BUY THEIR MOUNT
It would appear the bar has already been set pretty high for would-be rocket-racing competitors. Two Air Force Reserve F-16 pilots are the first to toss their hats (not to mention $100,000) into the ring to compete in the Rocket Racing League. Robert "Bobaloo" Rickard and Don "Dagger" Grantham, of Phoenix, both active F-16 drivers, call their team Leading Edge and they will be the first of ten teams to take delivery of a modified Velocity airframe outfitted with a liquid oxygen and kerosene rocket engine. "This is a new age of flight ... we've got one goal," Grantham told Space.com. "We're going to win, we're going to be champions." (If you're wondering, fighter pilots tend to be just a tad competitive.) More...

TEAMS LINING UP, SAY ORGANIZERS
League founders Peter Diamandis and Granger Whitelaw told Space.com that at least three more teams, including one with a female pilot, are in the wings and they fully expect 10 racers to compete in 2007. "From our website alone, we've been approached by 50 different groups," Diamandis said. Leading Edge's racer should be ready for public debut in October and will be demonstrated at the X Prize Cup in Las Cruces, N.M. There is currently a contest on to name the first plane. At least six races are planned for 2006 and two venues have been nailed down. More...

ROCKET RACING 101
While zipping around in fiberglass airplanes belching flame trails 20 feet long may sound challenging enough, it would appear that rocket races will be won on the ground. The planes carry only enough fuel for four minutes of powered flight and Diamandis said they'll have up to 10 minutes of glide time. But with each race lasting 90 minutes, that's a lot of fuel stops (not to mention some pretty precision dead-stick work). Considering how long it takes NASA to get a rocket ready, cycling 10 airplanes six or eight times in a span of 90 minutes looks like an interesting technical challenge and that may be the heart of the league. More...

COMMUTER PLANES BECOME WEATHER STATIONS
NASA is claiming a 10- to 20-percent improvement in forecasting error with use of airborne weather sensors attached to dozens of Mesaba Airlines planes in an experiment being carried out over the Midwest this winter. The planes, which toil on feeder routes for Northwest Airlines, are equipped to gather temperature, humidity, pressure, wind and icing data that's relayed in real time by satellite to ground stations. On the ground, forecasters get an up-to-the-minute picture of exactly what's going on with the weather and are able to adjust their isobars accordingly. "Initial research shows the airborne sensor makes a 10 to 20 percent improvement in forecast error in numerical models and that's just with temperature," said project leader Taumi Daniels. More...

FAA CONSIDERING MORE ACTION ON CARAVANS
The FAA says it may take further action spurred by growing concerns about the performance of Cessna Caravans in ice. FAA spokesman Les Doerr told AVweb the icing behavior of the 208-series aircraft is a "continuing concern to us" and he said it's possible the agency will take further action. He also said the agency hasn't reviewed the latest safety recommendations issued on the topic and there is no timeline for further action. On Feb. 22, the agency will adopt an AD that will require installation of a grab handle on the wing to make it easier for pilots to run their hand over the top surface to check for ice. The so-called "tactile check" was mandated by an earlier AD issued last March. The latest AD also calls for installation of de-icing boots on the belly pod and landing gear fairings of aircraft that will be used in icing conditions. However, the National Transportation Safety Board and, most recently, Canada's Transportation Safety Board, are urging strict limitations for Caravans heading into ice. More...

VLJS CATCH MILITARY'S EYE
Everyone likes to save a buck and if very light jets (VLJs) can stretch Uncle Sam's defense budget then the Air Force wants to know about it. The Air Force's Acquisition Center of Excellence has issued a Capability Request for Information urging VLJ manufacturers to show their stuff. The Air Force classifies VLJs as those with a maximum takeoff weight of no more than 10,000 pounds and "a commercial list price of much less than $5 million." Well, if everything goes according to plan there'll be no shortage of candidates for future military work as Eclipse, Cessna, Adam and Aircraft Technology Group (ATG) get ready to start delivering aircraft over the next year or two. The Air Force has already identified a host of potential roles the little jets could fill. More...

PILOT SHORTAGE SPARKS GOVERNMENT ACTION OVERSEAS
An explosion of low-cost carriers and a shortage of viable flight schools is behind a pilot shortage that has forced some airlines to ground aircraft and even cancel flights in India. According to Rediff.com, the country will need about 3,500 pilots in the next five years and domestic schools are only producing about 100 a year. The shortage is so acute that the government has taken drastic measures over the past year to try and minimize the impact on travelers. In December, the mandatory retirement age was increased to 65 (a pilot younger than 60 must be in the cockpit) but it's the so-called anti-poaching legislation that has pilots in the biggest lather. More...

WAAS SIGNAL MAY BE SPOTTY
An orbit change by one of two satellites providing Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) signals for precision GPS approaches could result in the vertical component of those signals being unavailable at times in the next couple of months. According to AOPA, when the move is finished, WAAS service will be lost to a couple of Maine airports until the fall. Inmarsat, which owns the satellite, is moving it further west to boost coverage there. As the satellite makes its way, signals necessary for LPV (lateral precision with vertical guidance) approaches may not be there. NOTAMs will be issued. Most pilots and airports will hardly notice the transition (non-WAAS GPS units use the Air Force's constellation of 24 satellites), but those who've become accustomed to the LPV approaches at Portland, Maine, and Concord, N.H., will have to make other plans for the summer. More...

CONGRESSMAN (LOUDLY) THREATENS FAA OVER TEB
New Jersey Rep. Steven Rothman says the FAA will regret it if the agency continues to stand in the way of local authorities who want to curb flights into Teterboro Airport. "If the FAA were to punish the Port Authority for taking any of these actions, I would use every ounce of strength I had, and every bit of support I have on the House subcommittee, and every other legislative means, to make the FAA wish that they had never even heard of Teterboro," Rothman, a Democrat, told Bloomberg News. Rothman is part of the chorus of discontent that is trying to reduce traffic at the airport, which caters mainly to private aircraft delivering VIPs and business leaders to Manhattan's doorstep. There are signs, however, that the issue will resolve itself naturally as overcrowding impacts the airport's convenience. More...

ON THE FLY...
First female paraplegic to make a solo flight did so Monday...
Transport Canada goes along with Super Bowl TFR...
Air service incentive grants available from DOT...
Third Mustang airborne, a week early...
Diamond lease EAA's grand prize. More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
What have you heard? There might be something to it. If you've heard something that 130,000 pilots might want to know about, don't be shy. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. Our best stories start with you. More...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
COLUMNS
Say Again? #59: Dear Chip
On January 1, 2006, Warren "Chip" Jones replaced Don Brown as the Facility Safety Representative of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) at Atlanta Center. Don will continue his work as a Safety Representative for NATCA while he prepares for his upcoming retirement. Don's column this month is his advice letter to Chip.

__________
AUDIO CLIP
Dick Taylor takes you IFR, making sure you understand the requirements and the not-so-common sense behind selecting suitable and legal alternate airports. Click through to make sure you've got it right.

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 ...
Certain physical laws sometimes conspire to make your aircraft a particularly good target for enormous natural electric discharges in the atmosphere (lightning). This week, AVweb wants to know: Has your aircraft ever been the target of a lightning strike? PLUS: Results of last week's question on wolf-hunting from the air. More...

AVWEB'S PICTURE OF THE WEEK ...
With the year-ending holidays behind us, submissions to AVweb's "Picture of the Week" contest are climbing again. This week we received just shy of 100 submissions, with 22 of them making it into the final round as potential contest winners. After our usual head-scratching and coffee-drinking, we finally managed to pick a winner — an interesting perspective shot from Jim Wilson of Allen, Texas. Like all "POTW" winners, Jim will be getting an official AVweb cap to keep his head warm this winter. If you'd like to try for one of those hats — or just share your amateur aviation photos with an audience that's happy to ooh and ahh over them — submit your photos here. More...

AVwebFlash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the internet's aviation magazine and news service.

Today's issue was written by news writer Russ Niles (bio).

Click here to send a letter to the editor. (Please let us know if your letter is not intended for publication.)

Comments or questions about the news should be sent here.

Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? A question on marketing? Send it to AVweb's sales team.

If you're having trouble reading this newsletter in its HTML-rich format (or if you'd prefer a lighter, simpler format for your PDA or handheld device), there's also a text-only version of AVwebFlash. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here.

Freedom, independence, responsibility.