STOLEN IN 2005: 11 GA AIRCRAFT, A HALF-MILLION IN GEAR
Security measures have increased at airports around the country in the last few years, with fences, cameras and I.D. badges required in places that once were open to all -- yet it seems that small airplanes still are not protected from thievery. Last year, 11 GA aircraft were stolen and 68 were burglarized, according to statistics compiled by the Aviation Crime Prevention Institute (ACPI). The total value of the stolen airplanes is $950,000, and the 183 stolen items were valued at $550,000. Florida has the highest number of burglaries, followed by Georgia, according to the ACPI. More...

THEFT PATTERN NEAR D.C.
As of Monday, a thief with a taste for avionics apparently is working his (or her) way south along Interstate 95, the ACPI said. Reports began a few weeks ago in the Northeast and the most recent report came last Friday from Freeway Airport in Bowie, Md., near Washington, D.C. Late-model Bendix/King and Garmin units are the preferred choice of thieves overall, and GPS units have become very popular, says the ACPI. Owners of airplanes with that kind of equipment may want to beef up their vigilance or anti-theft protection. More...

NATCA FUMING OVER ALLEGED CUTBACKS
With a wave of controller retirements looming, the FAA had announced plans to hire 1,249 new controllers in fiscal year 2006. That plan now has been cut back by as many as 300. "This is a very disturbing development," Doug Church, spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) told AVweb yesterday. "This agency is simply not keeping up with current attrition trends." Congress has told the FAA to cut its budget by 1 percent, said Church, but the cutback in hiring would be 25 percent. "These are positions that the FAA themselves said in December of 2004 were critical," said NATCA President John Carr. More...

FAA WORKS BUDGETARY BALANCING ACT
The FAA is reviewing its budget in order to meet the congressional mandate to cut back by 1 percent, FAA spokesman Greg Martin told AVweb yesterday, and has made no determination as yet regarding how that might affect the controller-hiring target. "We're evaluating the entire landscape of our needs and priorities," he said. "We continue to work hard to fulfill a plan in which we will hire more controllers than we lose by attrition." Preparing for and hiring replacements for pending controller retirements is "an important priority" for the FAA, he said. More...

D2A RECALLS CHELTON EFIS COMPONENT
Direct-To Avionics (D2A) announced Tuesday a full recall of the Crossbow 425EX AHRS used in experimental Chelton Electronic Flight Instrumentation Systems (EFIS), saying the AHRS has been "plagued by performance and reliability problems" and will not be used in future units. The component will be replaced by the Pinpoint Inertial GADAHRS (GPS / Air Data / Attitude and Heading Reference System), which D2A said has proven to exceed all of its performance and reliability parameters. D2A is the exclusive distributor of Chelton's experimental EFIS line, and also participates in the development and evaluation of future Chelton systems for both certified and experimental aircraft. More...

NAV CANADA DELAYS USER-FEE IMPLEMENTATION
Nav Canada was set to start imposing new user fees on March 1, but on Monday announced a delay. The agency has decided that it needs more time to review the voluminous input it received during the comment period, which ended Feb. 10. A new decision on how to proceed is expected in April, Nav Canada said. For the time being, status quo will prevail. Alan Hunt, a spokesman for the Canadian Owners & Pilots Association (COPA), told AVweb on Tuesday the announcement was not unexpected. Nav Canada has received "a very high volume of correspondence from COPA, our members and many other aviation industry associations and companies vehemently opposing Nav Canada's proposed introduction of new fees," Hunt said. More...

HOT-AIR BALLOONIST FLIES DESPITE VISUAL LIMITATIONS
Jamie Weller, 36, of Nottingham, U.K., is working to pass all the tests required to qualify as a hot-air balloon pilot -- but his hardest obstacle may be to obtain a medical certificate. Weller lost most of his vision due to a genetic condition that deteriorated when he was in the Royal Navy. He's taking lessons anyway, and says flying gives him a sense of freedom and achievement. "My safety person -- my co-pilot -- acts as my eyes," he told the BBC News. The co-pilot warns Weller about obstacles and advises him about landing areas. "I use my other senses ... I feel the balloon and respond to the balloon as I am flying it. I feel the wind in my face that gives me input on wind direction. ... It's always been a dream for me to fly -- it is such an achievement for me to do this." More...

FAMILY TO COMPLETE LATE FATHER'S B-17 PROJECT
Pilot Jerry Shiffer, 68, died on Nov. 29, when his twin Cessna 425 crashed in Montana. The same day, at his home field in Urbana, Ohio, the first pieces of a wrecked B-17 bomber arrived, ready to be assembled and restored to flying condition. Shiffer had planned to create a museum to showcase the airplane and its place in history, and now his three children will oversee the completion of the project. "This is something Dad wanted, and Dave and Eric and I want to see it completed," Shiffer's daughter, Andrea Tullis, told The Associated Press. Shiffer's sons, Dave and Eric, are both pilots, and plan to learn to fly the bomber. The restoration process will be directed by warbird veteran Tom Reilly, and is estimated to take eight to ten years. More...

SPACE ADVENTURES TEAMS WITH ANSARIS, PLANS TWO SPACEPORTS
Space Adventures said last week it has entered into a joint venture with Prodea, a private investment firm founded by the Ansari family (the same Ansaris who funded the $10 million X Prize). The company also has partnered with the Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation to develop a fleet of suborbital spaceflight vehicles. The space transportation system, called Explorer, consists of a carrier aircraft, the M-55X, and a rocket spacecraft. It will have the capacity to carry five people into space, Space Adventures said. The company subsequently announced it has entered into agreements to build spaceports in the United Arab Emirates and in Singapore. More...

SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERED FOR AVIATION EXPLORERS
Young people who belong to Aviation Explorers can apply for up to $10,000 in scholarships to advance in their aviation career. The National Aviation Exploring Committee will this year award five scholarships. The scholarships include $10,000 to help finance a course of study leading to an aviation profession; three $3,000 awards to study avionics, maintenance, or aviation management; and $3,000 to train for a Recreational or Private certificate. Sponsors for the scholarships include AOPA, Cessna, Frasca, Garmin, and Sporty's Pilot Shop. More...

TUSKEGEE AIRMEN TO RECEIVE HONORARY DEGREES TODAY
Sixty-three of America's first African-American fighter pilots will receive honorary degrees from Tuskegee University today, as part of the Sixth Annual Tuskegee Airmen Convocation. The event recognizes the Tuskegee Airmen's exemplary combat performance during World War II, which included the destruction of 260 enemy aircraft while not losing a single bomber to enemy fire in more than 200 combat missions, a record unmatched by any other fighter group. The Tuskegee Airmen comprised about 1,000 pilots who trained at Tuskegee in segregated units from 1940 to 1946. More...

ON THE FLY...
An LAX controller cleared three aircraft for the same runway...
Plans for GA airport in Virginia stalled due to landowner opposition...
New international standards in the works for aviation English...
Washington Dulles Airport to get $200 million for a new runway...
EAA's Sport Pilot Tour set records in Mesa, Ariz., last week...
The NTSB published its final report on Corporate Airlines Flight 5966. More...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
BRAINTEASERS
Quiz #104: Preflight This
No person shall begin a flight without ensuring that most of the aircraft parts are attached in an airworthy fashion. That inspection requires more than a laminated checklist, so let's preflight the logbook, fuel, and pilot's airworthiness.

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MAINTENANCE MATTERS
No Muss, No Fuss Oil Changing
If you're interested in changing your own oil and oil filter -- and pilot-certificated owners are allowed to -- don't treat it as an easy job even if you've done it on your car. Complexities abound and errors are costly. AVweb presents a basic outline of the process, as well as an in-depth description of how to deal with that oil filter.

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AUDIO CLIP
Radar contact. Paul Berge identifies the differences in meaning for both VFR and IFR pilots when a controller says "radar contact." He also tells you what it doesn't mean for any pilot engaged in either type of flight. Click through to learn.

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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
Will there or won't there be a shortage of controllers? The FAA is walking a new tightrope under a stricter budget, and NATCA believes trouble is on the horizon. What do you think? PLUS: Are piloting careers less glamorous these days? See what our readers think in the answers to last week's Question. 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...

AVWEB'S PICTURE OF THE WEEK
Steve Ratchford of Norcross, Georgia kicks off this week's installment of "Picture of the Week." With all the excitement of recent winners, Steve took a different approach to his submission, and won the top spot with a quiet, subdued photo -- of his airplane's tire? (There's more to the photo than that, of course.) Naturally, we'll be sending Steve and Alex a matching pair of AVweb baseball caps. Just don't get any grease on 'em, O.K., boys? Click through for more eye-popping photos, and don't forget to submit your own pictures when you're done oohing and ahhing. 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 Mary Grady (bio).

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