CHECK AGAIN -- LYCOMING UPDATES ITS SERVICE BULLETIN
Lycoming Tuesday issued a revision to its "this is the last one" Service Bulletin -- SB 569A adds another 404 crankshafts to its list. The change reflects an omission from the original list, not a change to the total number of crankshafts affected, Lycoming said. (Affected owners made newly aware may dismiss that distinction.) "If you previously checked the list and did not find your crankshaft listed, you must re-check the list to verify whether your crankshaft is covered," the company said. Owners also can call Lycoming Service at 1-800-258-3279 (U.S.) or 1-570-327-7046 to find out if their crankshaft is affected. Lycoming is offering replacement crankshaft kits to owners for $2,000. Lycoming says this is a 90%-discounted price. More...

OWNERS WOULD BE OUT $32 MILLION
When Lycoming originally announced in late February that owners of more than 5,000 aircraft must "retire" their crankshafts -- at the owner's expense -- within three years, a bit of resistance seemed inevitable to the casual observer, even if it wasn't acknowledged by Lycoming. AOPA made its resistance official this week with a letter to the FAA asking it to reject Lycoming's plan. "The wholesale replacement of these crankshafts is unwarranted and an unacceptable expense to aircraft owners," AOPA's Luis Gutierrez, director of regulatory and certification policy, told the FAA. "AOPA does not believe this action is in accordance with good risk-management practices ... there is no engineering data or clearly defined safety concern to support such action." AOPA estimated the cost to owners at about $32 million. More...

SO FAR, CRANK-REPLACEMENT NOT MANDATORY
As things stand, Service Bulletin 569A is not mandatory for Part 91 owners who don't use their aircraft in commercial service, AOPA said. But Lycoming has made clear it would like the FAA to issue an Airworthiness Directive based on the SB, as often happens, and then it would be mandatory for all owners. AOPA has asked the FAA to utilize its airworthiness-concern process and solicit input from mechanics and owners before going along with Lycoming on this one. "How does Lycoming or the FAA know with any certainty that this particular group of crankshafts suffers from the same manufacturing defects as those already covered by ADs?" questioned Gutierrez. "There have been no failures, no service difficulty reports." The common thread is a prior Lycoming contractor, which did produce other-batch crankshafts that failed in service, and with which Lycoming will meet again in court on appeal. More...

ENGINE DESIGN CLAIMS DOUBLED EFFICIENCY
A new design for an internal-combustion engine, which debuted in Detroit last week at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress, will double the fuel efficiency of today's engines, according to its inventors. The Scuderi Group, based in West Springfield, Mass., has several patents on the engine. Extensive virtual-design work has been done, and the first diesel and gasoline prototypes are in the works and should be completed by early next year, according to the company. The engine tosses out the conventional four-stroke cylinder and replaces it with a pair of cylinders. Fuel is compressed in a compression cylinder and transferred to a power cylinder through a gas passage. This split-cycle technology enables each cylinder to be independently optimized to perform its separate and distinct tasks, the company says. More...

DIESEL ENGINES BENEFIT ALSO
Diesel engines especially stand to benefit from the technology, the Scuderi Group says, because the engine wouldn't need turbocharging, injectors, or exhaust treatment. So far, the design has attracted some $8 million in investment, including $1.2 million in government funding, the company said. Besides the efficiency gains, the engine would reduce toxic emissions by up to 80 percent. The technology is based on the research and inventions of the late Carmelo Scuderi (1925-2002), an engineer who developed new technology used for recycling the refrigerant chemicals that deplete the ozone layer. More...

DISASTER, WAR, OIL -- COMMERCIAL HELI PILOTS IN DEMAND
Offshore oil companies along the Gulf Coast are facing a critical shortage of helicopter pilots, the Daily Advertiser of Lafayette, La., reported on Sunday. Pay for pilots is going up, but many face long hours and mandatory overtime. Michael Suldo, whose company provides offshore aviation services, said 20 of his pilots have been deployed to Iraq. At the same time, the large cohort of Vietnam-era helicopter pilots is getting to an age where many are retiring or losing their medicals. Post-hurricane reconstruction work has created more jobs. Suldo has partnered with a local flight school with an old plan -- to train pilots from the ground up, then offer them jobs after a stint building time as instructors. Training hasn't gotten any cheaper, but for over 70 students now enrolled, school owner Joe Sheeran says there are more than enough jobs to go around. More...

WIN A GOODYEAR BLIMP FOR A DAY
If flying in a Goodyear blimp is on your list of must-dos in life, this could be your chance. Goodyear has launched a new blimp and is holding a contest to find a name for it. The winner gets to have the blimp fly to his or her hometown and do their bidding for a day. Hopefuls can submit their name proposals online through April 30. Traditionally, blimps were named after sailboats that won the America's Cup race, but in recent years, the options have widened. Names included Spirit of America, Spirit of Akron, and Eagle. The company has built more than 300 airships since 1925, and currently operates three blimps that travel the country as "aerial ambassadors." (No, we didn't hunt down the other 297-plus.) More...

WHEN GPS IS NOT ENOUGH
Sectionals, GPS, and moving maps are all well and good, but sometimes what a pilot needs is a good old-fashioned street map -- especially if you're flying at low level over urban areas, trying to find a fleeing bad guy or a person in distress or a house on fire. A company called AeroComputers has developed a system called UltiChart to meet just that need, but it's not cheap, running from $30,000 to $60,000 apiece. "We make very sophisticated equipment smart," company president Mark Gassaway told the Ventura County Star. "We're taking technology and making it useful for a very difficult environment." The system comprises a database and a camera, and with the flick of a switch can show the pilot the helicopter's location on a street map. More...

AT 20,000 FPM, JUST GET OUT OF THE WAY
The FAA has given a group of high schoolers clearance to launch a home-built rocket up to 17,500 feet on May 13 ... so if you're flying in the area, watch out. The rocket can climb at 20,000 feet per minute while making a lot of noise, but somehow it's "a hobby that doesn't get a lot of recognition," according to high school senior Joe Skitka, of Lower Dauphin, Pa. Skitka and his classmates have built a 20-foot-tall, 110-pound rocket, and plan to launch it to 10,000 feet sometime next month (hopefully, the 13th), The Patriot- News reported on Monday. Skitka and friends raised $4,000 for the project by washing cars and selling 600 T-shirts with slogans such as "Got rockets?" and "I've got a big rocket." According to Skitka, "Absolutely no adults help us in building the rockets or the organization of the club." More...

JAVELIN JET IN THE MAINSTREAM
The non-aviation press might not pay much heed to small airplanes most of the time, but one emerging exception to that is the two-seat Javelin Jet. Latest to notice it is Forbes Magazine. "In full sun on the runway at Centennial, surrounded by multimillion-dollar business jets, the Javelin stopped me cold," writes Taylor Antrim in the April issue. With the prototype still early in flight testing, Antrim didn't get to fly one, but he did try out the simulator, and that was close enough. "This novice pilot lifted off, executed some pretty wicked rolls and loops, flew inverted and even landed twice in a row. ... The Javelin simulator is probably the greatest video game on the planet -- and not surprisingly, it's ATG's most persuasive sales tool," he wrote. More...

CARAVAN CRASH REPORT CITES ICING, OVERLOAD, FATIGUE
Canada's Transportation Safety Board released its final report this week on a Caravan crash in which 10 people died in January 2004. Investigators found that the aircraft was over gross by at least 15 percent on takeoff, freezing participation was falling, and ice was visible on the leading edge of the wing. The aircraft climbed out at a shallow angle and stalled less than two miles out, most likely when the flaps were retracted. The Caravan impacted the frozen surface of a lake and sank. There were no survivors. The pilot's lack of appreciation for the known hazards associated with the overweight condition of the aircraft, ice contamination, and the weather conditions was inconsistent with his previous practices, the safety board said. His decision to take off was likely affected by some combination of stress and fatigue. More...

ON THE FLY...
It appears the Relentless NXT Reno racer was destroyed...
Floor plan of Air Force One revealed for the first time...
Liberty Aerospace received FAA Production Certificate for XL2...
Improved descent procedures could save fuel, reduce noise...
Air & Space Museum received record $15 million from Boeing...
PHX will spend $9 million to acquire museum aircraft...
The Ninety-Nines annual convention in Washington, D.C., July 5-9. More...

AVWEB AUDIO
AVweb audio presents information you won't find anywhere else.Visit AVweb.com tomorrow for candid comments collected at Sun 'n Fun from Cirrus' chief, Alan Klapmeier.

Online Now: Marion Blakey, in her own words.

Subscribe to AVweb audiocasts and receive them automatically, or check this spot each Monday and Friday to download them individually for listening on your iPod, while sitting at your computer, or traveling with any MP3 player.

Find AVweb's Podcast index, here More...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
COLUMNS
The Savvy Aviator #30: The Mechanic's Signature
It's illegal to fly after maintenance until a mechanic signs a maintenance-record entry approving the aircraft for return to service. So what do you do if the mechanic says, "I can't sign it off"? 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...

FBO OF THE WEEK: MILLION AIR, NEW ORLEANS
AVweb's "FBO of the Week" contest is sponsored by Aviation Safety magazine, the monthly journal of risk management and accident prevention.

Thanks to all the pilots and AVweb readers who took time to nominate their favorite FBOs in our "FBO of the Week" contest. Today's ribbon finds its target in Florida.

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to MILLION AIR, NEW ORLEANS at NEW in New Orleans, LA.

RICK STOUDER wrote us to say, "I AM BASED AT MILLION AIR (NEW). HOWEVER, WITH THE AIRPORT BEING COMPLETELY DESTROYED BY HURRICANE KATRINA I THINK WHAT MILLION AIR HAS DONE IS PHENOMINAL. EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE LOST A TON OF MONEY, THEIR COMMITTMENT TO THE AVIATION COMMUNITY AND THEIR ..."

Keep those nominations coming.

Click here to nominate your favorite FBO and here for complete contest rules

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...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Lycoming engines -- again. This week, AVweb wants to know if owners should have to pay to replace suspect crankshafts built into their engines. PLUS: Results of our pre-Sun-'n-Fun question about expensive missile defense initiatives for airliners. More...

PICTURE OF THE WEEK
As you may have noticed, Team AVweb is back in the saddle following our annual excursion to Sun 'n Fun. We enjoyed taking in the sights and gawking at the new jets and gizmos, but there's something we missed last week — reader-submitted photos! Thankfully, there was a healthy crop waiting for us on the AVweb server when we returned home. Instead of a single week's entries, we had two weeks' worth of pics on our server. And to our eternal delight, the best photos from the two weeks we've been gone ... are all centered around the number two! Christian Goetze of San Francisco, California kicks off the theme. In the process, he and photographer Melinda Green earn two brand-new official AVweb baseball caps, as winners of this week's "POTW" contest. To win one of these hats for yourself, all you have to do is submit your aviation photos -- and, you know, win the top slot. But hey -- you can do it, right? 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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