FAA IMPOSES NEW WORK RULES
If your clearances are a little clipped, your handoffs a little brisk, it could be the controller working your flight is a little hot under the collar -- the collar he or she likely now has to wear while at work. Now, it's hard to tell if the agency was sending a message to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) or whether senior brass were oblivious to organized labor's affinity for this particular statutory holiday but the FAA's choice to impose hated new work rules on the Labor Day weekend was not lost on the union. "It's like getting fired on Christmas. It's the worst, punch-in-the-gut blow to the morale of this workforce imaginable," said NATCA President Pat Forrey. "But our position is very simple: We do not consider the imposed work rules [which include a dress code] to be valid because they were not negotiated and have not been ratified by the NATCA membership." More...

LOOKING GOOD, EVEN IF THEY DON'T FEEL WELL
The contract clamps down on areas of alleged abuse by the union, including the entitlement to sick pay. Whereas controllers have, in the past, self-certified their medical fitness on a day-to-day basis, in addition to the mandatory medical checkups, the new rules appear to require supervisors to judge whether a controller can get through a shift. The union says safety will be compromised by forcing controllers to work when they say they don't feel well or are too tired to. Another change apparently does away with the usual break after two hours on position. But perhaps what rankles controllers most, on a personal level, at least, is the formal dress code being introduced. More...

WHAT'S A UNION TO DO?
While the battle inside the towers and centers may (to outsiders) have its whimsical side, the practical impact of the new regime could be significant. NATCA appears determined to fight each and every violation of the new rules cited by management. In a memo to controllers at a major center (we do know which one), union leaders are urging members to exercise their rights to the letter. "If a supervisor tries to talk with you regarding the way your are dressed, it constitutes a formal meeting," the memo reads. "Stop the conversation immediately and ask for a union representative. The same approach should be used on any other changes in your working conditions, ask for a rep immediately. The Agency has a legal obligation to comply." More...

FAA MEMO DEFIES STAFFING ABILITY?
The unidentified manager of the Lexington tower was apparently trying to solve a staffing shortage by shifting responsibility for radar control of aircraft when Flight 5191 crashed off the end of the airport's GA runway. According to The New York Times, the FAA issued a memo to managers nine months ago specifying that towers with operative radar consoles be staffed by a minimum of two controllers, one to monitor the radar and one to look out the windows. A single controller was on duty the morning of the crash, in seeming defiance of that rule, but it apparently wasn't for lack of trying. More...

WILL THAT BE ONE CONTROLLER, OR TWO?
The Lexington tragedy had reporters all over the country phoning their local airports trying to determine if such a catastrophe could happen in their town. In Akron, Ohio, the local paper discovered that Akron-Canton Regional Airport had only one set of eyes looking out for air traffic in the wee hours, but was assured by the FAA that it was OK. FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro said that at midnight, radar responsibility shifts to Cleveland Center. "If the radar isn't up, there's no reason for someone to be standing there," he said. "It's a waste of taxpayers' money." Interestingly, Akron-Canton has about 12 flights during the early morning hours compared to Lexington's six or so. More...

BLAKEY CITES COMAIR CRASH IN PROMOTING NEW GEAR
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey said the crash of Comair Flight 5191 might have been avoided if the CRJ-100 had been equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). Blakey told reporters at a news conference at UPS's headquarters in Louisville that ADS-B's LCD screen (not unlike a host of vastly more affordable products currently available to the private pilot) tells pilots which runway they're on and that might have alerted the crew in time to avert the disaster. Blakey was in Louisville to tout ADS-B as the next-generation air navigation system, something UPS has already committed to. More...

AOPA RECOMMENDS 10-YEAR PHASE-IN
AOPA is a big supporter of ADS-B as long as it includes free weather and traffic information and the cost of the electronics is reasonable, AOPA's government affairs expert Andy Cebula told an "Industry Day" on ADS-B hosted by the FAA last week. "AOPA has worked on ADS-B for more than a decade, and we're convinced it will improve safety and utility for GA pilots and reduce costs for the FAA, if it is developed and implemented correctly," said Cebula. He said it's understood that ADS-B will eventually become the minimum equipment standard for flying in controlled airspace but, before that happens, AOPA wants a nationwide system to have been in place for 10 years before it becomes mandatory. More...

LIGHT SPORT FIRST -- FOR A GOOD CAUSE
A Cincinnati pilot hopes to become the first to touch down in a Light Sport aircraft in all 48 contiguous states later this month but it's the worried parents of sick children who will benefit. Preston Bentley, 26, who works at Blue Ash Aviation and Charter, will fly a T-II Sky Skooter on the epic 8,000-nm flight, which he hopes to finish in 30 days. Along the way he'll be trying to raise $500,000 for Cincinnati's Ronald McDonald House, one of 259 comfortable places for families of sick children to stay while the kids are in the hospital away from home. "I want to do something good for this world, and I want to see and experience as much of it as possible in the process," Bentley said. More...

EMERGENCY AD ON BEECH 1900S
The FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) on Friday ordering operators of all Beech 1900s to inspect wings for cracks. The AD came after reports of cracks in two 1900s. No accident have been reported. Beech spokesman Mike Turner told The Associated Press that the company had already notified owners and most of the 350 aircraft, generally used for short-haul commuter flights, had already been inspected. It's not known if any more cracked wings were found. According to the AD, the cracks found in the two 1900s were significant and, in one of the aircraft, may have occurred after the detailed inspection that is required after 17,500 hours. More...

FIRST PRODUCTION SEAWIND TAKES FLIGHT
What seems to enthusiastic onlookers like one of the longest aircraft development programs, Seawind, hit a major milestone last week with the first certification test flight of a Seawind amphib built at the factory in St. Jean sur Richelieu, Quebec. Details of the flight weren't released. But until this flight, all other Seawinds, including the well-worn demo plane flown from air show to air show, were built from kits. The company now says it hopes to have Transport Canada certification for VFR within four months. IFR and other certifications will follow, including full authority digital engine control (FADEC) on the big Continental 550 that rests on a pylon protruding from the tail. More...

TRAINING INCENTIVE OFFERED BY AVEMCO
Avemco Insurance is offering new pilots up to 10 percent off premiums (including non-owner coverage) if they learn to fly in a Cessna Pilot Center training program. Avemco says the Cessna program goes beyond the FAA minimums for flight training and that's a cornerstone of its incentive program. Students get a 5-percent discount just for enrolling. Completing the course extends the discount another year and if the student also takes a Practical Risk Management Course from King Schools, the discount is 10 percent. The incentive is part of Avemco's Safety Rewards Program started in 2002 and Jim Lauerman, Avemco's VP of Insurance Operations, said the results are encouraging. "With three years of solid claims data there is no question this program has helped to reduce accidents and stabilize insurance premiums," Lauerman said. "Our underwriting results are better for customers who have participated in one or both aspects of the program." More...

PILOT LOCKED OUT OF COCKPIT
A bizarre incident aboard an Air Canada Jazz flight last week has raised questions about just how terror-proof those new bullet-proof (and apparently pilot-proof) cockpit doors are. With 30 minutes left in the flight from Ottawa to Winnipeg, the captain left the cockpit to use the washroom in the rear of the CRJ-100. When he got back, the door lock had apparently malfunctioned and he was unable to get back to his post. Now, the first officer was up front and fully capable of landing the plane but the captain apparently insisted on being in his seat. In front of 50 passengers, he and the cabin crew popped the hinges on the door. More...

NASA TO GO WINGLESS
Astronauts who make the next foray to the moon will go and return in much the same way as their predecessors did but they might be more comfortable. Last week NASA awarded a $3.9 billion contract to Lockheed Martin to build next-generation spacecraft to replace the space shuttle that look -- and function -- a lot like the Apollo capsules of 30 years ago. Gone are wings and other aerodynamic surfaces in favor of heat shields and parachutes in a reusable craft, called Orion, that will go to the International Space Station and the moon after the space shuttle is retired. More...

ON THE FLY...
Take a Labor Day flight over Dallas in a DC-3 (aka R4D)...
FAA will go rulemaking route with landing margin rules...
Two MU-2s crashed in a week in Florida...
Iranian airliner crash killed 28...
Cellphone detector marketed to airlines. 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, tell us. Submit news tips via email tonewstips@avweb.com. Our best stories start with your tips. More...

AUDIO NEWS
If you missed Friday's audio news, you missed an interview with a former member of the NTSB regarding the Comair crash. AVweb posts fresh audio news issues each Monday, plus interviews, Friday. We call them podcasts, but no iPod is required. Check our audio news index and hear what you've been missing.

Find exclusive interviews featuring Cessna's Jack Pelton on his company's LSA, TCM president Bryan Lewis, NATCA president John Carr, New Piper CEO Jim Bass, Hal Shevers for Sporty's Pilot Shop, Light Sport guru Dan Johnson, 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 online, now. You'll hear things you won't find anywhere else.

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB

COLUMNS

Probable Cause #14: The "Dirty Harry" Vector
Add a late descent clearance to a request to expedite and the result is something Harry Callahan warned us about.

READER FEEDBACK ON AVWEB'S NEWS COVERAGE AND FEATURE ARTICLES

AVMAIL

FBO OF THE WEEK: AITKIN AVIATION, AITKIN, MN.

For local prices, enter your U.S. ZIP Code or Airport Identifier: Fuel prices provided weekly by AirNav, based on prices from the past 2 weeks. Changes are relative to last week.

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Aitkin Aviation at KAIT, Aitkin, MN.

Offering up Aitkin, Helen Woods told us, " My boyfriend and I stopped in for fuel during a long cross country trip to find a beautiful little country airport -- the type with a cub in every hanger and folding chairs in the hanger doorways gazing out onto the runway. The FBO manager came out and topped us off with reasonably priced fuel. They offered three grades including MoGas, which saved us a good deal of money. We then discovered that they had a beautiful grassy and tree lined campsite, complete with fire ring, grill, picnic table, and a huge mountain of firewood. They also had a 24hr pilot lounge complete with a shower, clean restroom, and weather computer, which they offered to us for indoor camping if we preferred. As the weather had deteriorated, we took them up on their hospitality decided to camp in their beautiful campsite. No sooner had we unrolled our tents than the FBO manager drove a car over to us and handed us the keys, maps of town, and directions to good food and enjoyable places to visit. We spent two nights at this airport and left on a Saturday morning when we found the FBO manager making huge pots of chilli for a vibrant volunteer airport community that had come out to repaint the runway markings. We said our good-byes and were handed two bags of locally grown wild rice as parting gifts from the FBO manager as we left. All of this, except the fuel and charts we purchased, was free of charge. If this FBO isn't worthy of an AVweb award, I don't know what is!"

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!

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...

SHORT FINAL

Proper radio technique -- think, click, speak...

Flying in the practice area northwest of Daytona Beach an aircraft was giving an advisory call that went like this:

Lake Disston traffic, Cessna 12345 is northeast ... uh, west. No, east. [pause] Where the hell are we?

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).

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