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 NEW
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The Top Headlines From AVweb's Expanded, Illustrated News
Coverage At AVweb's
NewsWire. ECI
PARTS, LYCOMING ENGINES, 100 AIRCRAFT "AFFECTED"
The FAA says
only about 100 aircraft will be affected by an Airworthiness Directive
(AD) that takes effect June 22 concerning certain connecting rods
manufactured by Engine Components Inc. (ECi) and installed in Lycoming
360- and 540-series engines. The AD resulted from a single engine failure in a
Cessna 172. In the preamble to the AD, the FAA says a faulty grinding
machine at ECi's San Antonio plant turned out connecting rods in which
the journal bore wasn't a perfect circle. The resulting stresses caused
fatigue failure in one of the rods of the engine that failed. The FAA's
action has not arrived without controversy. When the Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (NPRM) was released, ECi immediately protested, saying it did
not believe there was a flight safety issue and suggesting there were
other problems (an oil blockage) with the engine that failed. AOPA also
chimed in. More... AD
COMPLIANCE -- WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO
If your engine has not been
overhauled or had new connecting rods installed since it was
manufactured, there is no action required. If it has been opened up
since Lycoming packed it in a box, however, you'll need to check the
engine logs to see if any of these connecting rods got in there. The
affected rods are part number AEL11750, having forging part number
AEL11488 and lot numbers 1 to 54/6 (54 is lot number, 6 the serial
number). If those numbers appear and the rods have 2,000 or more hours
on them, they have to be replaced within 50 hours. If they have less
than 2,000 hours they have to be replaced at overhaul or at the next
repair that gives accessibility to the rod (i.e., removal of a
cylinder). The FAA says it will take four hours to replace each rod and
the part cost is $450. More... |
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 Innovative Life
Insurance Products From The Pilot Insurance CenterIn
addition to the incredible savings pilots get when purchasing life
insurance from the Pilot Insurance Center ( PIC), PIC
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For more information on ROP benefits and features, or any other
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LEGISLATIVE
EFFORT SUPPORTS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS
A couple of House
members have launched a last-minute bid to prevent the FAA from imposing a
contract on air traffic controllers. Representatives Jerry Costello
(D-Ill.) and Sue Kelly (R-N.Y.) have introduced a "discharge petition"
to force a vote on bill H.R. 4755, which would send the dispute to
binding arbitration. Costello, the senior Democrat on the House Aviation
Subcommittee, said the current process is "unbalanced" and he doesn't
think Congress is going to act. "A discharge petition is our last
opportunity to try to get the two sides back to the bargaining table and
arrive at a contract that both sides find acceptable and that best
serves the traveling public, particularly as we approach the heart of
the summer travel season," Costello said in a news release.
More... HERITAGE
FOUNDATION ENTERS ON ATC PAY DISPUTE
One sign that the back
rooms are buzzing is the two cents' worth offered by the Heritage
Foundation, a self-described "conservative think tank" that keeps right
on top of these sorts of issues. Not surprisingly, Heritage Foundation
researcher Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D., says Congress should stay out
of the way, keep the process the same and let the FAA's final offer
stand as a first step toward radical reform of the agency. The
foundation says air traffic control should be completely privatized and
the privatization or commercialization of other arms of the agency
should also be explored. But the Heritage Foundation isn't the only
organization ringing the privatization bell. More... |
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 Over
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"CONTROLLER"
LOST, VIRTUALLY REVERED
"Pilots" from all over the world are
expected to
converge on the controlled airports in Poland on May 28 in a
six-hour effort to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis victims. Each landing
will accumulate points toward the cause and the tougher the flying, the
more money will be raised. The more adventurous will be heading to
smaller Polish airports where non-radar ATC services are in effect
(there's a two-point bonus for those) while others might be content to
do touch and goes at the country's biggest airports in Warsaw and
Krakow. And an army of controllers will be waiting for them, doing their
best to manage the traffic but not terribly concerned about crashes. For
while the fundraiser is real enough (it's in honor of a young Polish
"controller" who died a year ago of CF), all participants will be
members of the Virtual
Air Traffic Simulation (Vatsim) Network and the only things crashing
will be hard drives. More... THE
WORLD OF SIMULATED ATC
Vatsim grew out of the desire of
ardent flight sim addicts for more and more realism. Along the way,
they've attracted more than 100,000 registrants in a worldwide system
that rivals the real air traffic control system in complexity and
regulations. Vatsim is not for the casual gamer. It can take up to two
years of study, practice and testing before Vatsim superiors will trust
a controller to handle live traffic unsupervised. Virtual pilots also go
through the full gamut of certificates and ratings that are required of
real pilots before they get the keys to a 300-seat airliner.
More... |
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 JA
Air Center, Your Garmin GPSMap 396 Source, Is Looking to Purchase Used
GPS Units, Avionics, and AircraftCall (800) 323-5966 for
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mail order, and aircraft sales. Also, JA provides FBO services and fuel
at Dekalb Taylor Municipal Airport (KDKB) in Dekalb, IL. Call (800)
323-5966, or click for more information.
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STUDENT
PILOT SOLOS AT 91
Cliff Garl satisfied a lifelong dream and
may have set a record of sorts last week. The 91-year-old Shoreline,
Wash., student pilot soloed for the first time over Arlington Airport.
"You go into a nursing home and you'll see people a lot younger than he
just sitting there," Garl's 75-year-old instructor Joe Bennett told The
Seattle Times. "I actually don't know of anybody, even in their 80s,
who's soloed." According to the Times, the FAA didn't have records of
any student pilots over the age of 90 in 2004 and showed only 59 in
their 80s. Garl told the Times he was nervous before the flight but once
in the cockpit of the Cessna 172, the training took over. As might be
expected, the medical was Garl's biggest obstacle -- even though he's in
good health. More... PREDATOR
BORDER PATROL ACCIDENT WORRIES CONGRESS
Congress has trimmed
funding for the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for border
patrol duties until someone can explain what caused a Predator UAV to
crash in Mexico last month. As AVweb reported, the UAV went out of
control in the early morning of April 25 while scanning for drug runners
and illegal immigrants. Cause of the crash wasn't immediately known.
According to AOPA, funding appropriations of $6.8 million for 2007 were
cut by Congress until U.S. Customs and Border Protection releases a
report on the crash. However, funding from the 2006 budget is still in
place and UAVs could theoretically be back in the air until Oct. 1, when
the new budget takes over. More... |
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Exxon Elite Prevents Piston Engine
WearAircraft owners often ask "How do I know how well my
oil is working?" Oil analysis provides the answer, also measuring which
brand works best. And which does work best? According to an evaluation
by ExxonMobil of used oil samples provided by an independent laboratory,
one brand -- Exxon Aviation Oil Elite 20W-50 -- is most
effective in preventing wear in aircraft piston engines. Visit
online to learn more.
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EXPLORING
THE RANGE OF LIGHT SPORT AIRCRAFT
Two announcements this week
are a case in point for the diversity of the newly regulated Light Sport
category of aircraft. Nexaer, of Colorado Springs, announced that its
LS-1, an all-composite low wing with a swooping fuselage, is ready for
its first flight. Meanwhile, beleaguered Renaissance Aircraft said it's
found a home at Flabob Airport in Riverside, Calif., and will produce an
LSA version of the Luscombe 8, a 1940's taildragger, there. Nexaer
showed its futuristic mock-up at AirVenture last year and the company
says it got plenty of response to the design, which looks like it's
going fast sitting on the ground. The company says what sets it apart
from other LSAs is the 54-inch wide cabin and great visibility.
More... CHINESE
PILOTS TRAIN IN CANADA
A flight school in the Canadian
province of New Brunswick says it will train up to 900 pilots for China
Southern Airlines over the next five years. Officials of Moncton Flight
College, of Moncton, N.B., say they expect to sign the $70 million
deal in the next few days. The deal is the result of more than five
years of inspections, negotiations and renovations (the college did a $6
million CAD expansion). "This is part of a very large growth and
expansion program over the next five to ten years," Mike Doiron, the
school's principal, told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal. "It's
really going to place New Brunswick as a key player in the flight
training market." More... |
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The Best Aviation Weather Service for Cell
Phones Now Available!WxServer's Version 6
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FIRST
PRESSURIZED OWNER-BUILT LANCAIR ES FLIES
It's been 16 months
of hard work but what a prize Robert Simon got at the end. The Columbus,
Ohio, pilot and homebuilder recently flew his Lancair
ES-P for the first time. The P stands for pressurized but it could
also mean pretty darn fast. Simon reports his four-place, fixed-gear
aircraft (Lancair suggests a Continental TSIO-550-E) cruises at 260 KTAS
at 25,000 feet with the occupants in shirt-sleeved comfort (Lancair's
Web site currently says builders should expect 293 miles per hour at
24,000 feet in recommended trim). He says his aircraft has a high-speed
range of 1,300 nm (Lancair's Web site quotes 1,200 statute miles for its
kit). Simon plans to fly the plane to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh this
summer, where he expects to have it on display at the Lancair booth.
Lancair has long(er) offered its IV-P retract kit, but Simon believes
though several other ES-P builders are nearing completion, his aircraft
is the first to fly. More... BUT
IS IT ART?
We like aviation art as much as anyone but we
suspect an Italian artist's interpretation of the term could be
questionable in the minds of some. Paolo Pivi borrowed an apparently
well-used Westland Wessex helicopter and had it placed, greasy side up,
in a public square in Salzburg, Austria. The 9,000-pound helicopter
comes from what The Helicopter Museum in Somerset, England, calls its
"reserve collection" and is a complete aircraft. It will be flopped
upside-down on the square until the end of July. At least Pivi didn't
stretch too far in naming his "art." He's calling it Upside Down
Helicopter In A Public Place. We are having a little trouble nailing
down his inspiration for the work, however. It's apparently part of the
200th anniversary celebrations for the composer Mozart. ... An
AVweb cap for anyone who can make sense out of that one.
More... |
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406 MHz Personal Locator Beacon from
AeromedixTakes the "Search" out of "Search & Rescue."
A 406 MHz PLB should be an essential part of your safety gear.
PLBs greatly reduce the time it takes rescuers to reach an individual
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reduces SAR notification time to as little as five minutes!
Aeromedix.com has great deals on FastFindPlus ($549) and ACR 406
I/O PLBs ($649). Order by calling (888) 362-7123, or order
online.
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ON
THE FLY...
An international aviation weather study is calling
for pilot participation...
A Cessna 210 pilot escaped the airplane
and a lake with a bruised nose...
The Naked Rambler strikes again.
This time, aloft...
Crewmen of an Air Force C-5 pleaded guilty to
transporting Ecstasy...
GlobalFlyer to make its final flight,
Tuesday. More... PODCASTS
Online
Now: Listent to, or take today's
news with you via AVweb's downloadable podcasts. You'll hear things
you won't find anywhere else. Find exclusive interviews featuring Excel
Jet's Bob Bornhofen, Adam Aircraft's Joe Walker, FAA administrator
Marion Blakey, Cirrus Design's Alan Klapmeier and more.
AVweb's Podcast index, is available online -- pick and
choose your interets, or subscribe
free to AVweb's podcasts and receive them automatically
for listening on your computer, iPod, or while traveling with any MP3
player. More... |
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Avidyne Introduces Large-Format Version of
MHAS6000Avidyne has a large-format version of the
MHAS6000 Multi-Hazard Avoidance System featuring the Avidyne
FlightMax (R) EX5000 Multi-Function
Display (MFD) and TAS600 Series active surveillance traffic system. It
joins the FlightMax EX500 version as a comprehensive situational
awareness package available immediately for retrofit installation in
most general aviation aircraft with savings of up to $3,000 over
individual system purchases. For
complete details, go online.
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NEW
ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
COLUMNS
The Pilot's
Lounge #100: Truth -- And Some Opinion
AVweb's Rick Durden has
been writing "The Pilot's Lounge" column for eight years, and every one
has tidbits of wisdom, advice, or just plane [sic] rumor. For his 100th
column, Rick has assembled a bunch in one place. More... |
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ASO -- A Better Way to Sell Your Aircraft
ShareFinding aircraft share buyers can be almost
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FBO
OF THE WEEK: AIATC
Nominate an FBO|Rules |
Tips |
Questions
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Winning
FBOs  AVweb's "FBO of
the Week" ribbon goes to AIATC at KAAF, Apalachicola,
Fla. BILL JOHNSON wrote in to say, "I HAVE BEEN GOING TO
APALACHICOLA FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THE AVWEB FBO OF THE WEEK PROGRAM
PROMPTED ME TO REALIZE JUST HOW WELL WE ARE TREATED AT AIATC. BILL RUIC
AND HIS STAFF ARE FRIENDLY, EAGER TO HELP WITH ANYTHING AND PROVIDE AN
EXCELLENT OVERALL EXPERIENCE." Keep those nominations
coming. Click
here to nominate your favorite FBO and here for complete contest
rules AVweb is actively seeking out the best FBO's in the country
and another one, submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next
Monday! More... |
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When Was the Last Time Your Plane Recorded
Your Flight Times?Now it can by installing a TimeTrac
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TimeTrac system consists of a tiny onboard computer that receives data
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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
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More... |
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SHORT
FINAL...
There's a club for that, too... An exchange
overheard between an Australian charter company and ATC. The company was
in mid-April flying a DC-3 carrying a wedding party at 2000 feet over
Sydney harbour while the nuptials took place. The flight's pilot made
sure ATC was aware and ready to coordinate a return to the
airport... DC-3: ...and, Sydney, we'll soon be finished
with the ceremony and looking for a higher altitude for the
return. [soon after] DC-3: ...So that's it. He does,
she does, and that much is done. ATC: Very
well. [pause] You're cleared for the return at 5280 feet. (Laughing)
And tell them to make it snappy. More... |
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AVWEB APPRECIATES YOUR CONTINUED
SUPPORT OF OUR SPONSORS,
WHO BRING YOU TODAY'S NEWS AND FEATURES AT
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The AVweb Edition of Flight Explorer is
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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
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AVwebFlash. For complete instructions on making the switch, click
here.
Freedom, independence, responsibility.
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