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AIR
FORCE "SALVAGE" METHOD RAPPED
The flying fraternity and
sorority in the San Antonio area is collectively shaking its head at
what some are describing as a senseless waste of tax dollars with the
destruction of 110 piston-single aircraft. As AVweb told you in
its Sept. 15 Audiocast, the T-3 Slingsby Firefly pilot screening aircraft,
virtually all of which were in flying condition when they were
mothballed nine years ago, were smashed to pieces by heavy equipment at
Hondo Airport last week. According to Air Force spokesman Capt. Gideon
McClure, the military’s term for the systematic destruction of the
aircraft is "salvage in place." The Air Force paid more than $32 million
for the planes and the best it can hope for from the destruction work is
that it won’t cost any more. More... NOTHING
SAVED
It doesn’t appear anyone had any hope of the
aircraft flying again. They were outfitted to military specifications
and the Air Force estimated that converting them to civilian standards
and fixing the effects of nine years of neglect would cost upward of
$100,000 per plane. But what local pilots couldn’t understand was
why the airframes went to the crusher with all their radios,
instruments, wheels, tires, brakes, seats and everything else where
Slingsby put them, including the Lycoming AEIO-540 engine. Norris
Warner, president of the Southwest Regional Fly-In held annually at
Hondo, said his group tried to recoup some of the value of the aircraft
through a salvage proposal. More... FATAL
CRASHES, FUEL PROBLEMS LED TO GROUNDING
The T-3s were
purchased as part of a program to save money on initial flight training
by the Air Force. The fully aerobatic, relatively high-performance
aircraft allowed the Air Force to expose flight-training prospects to
the twists and turns of military flying at relatively low cost to make
sure they could handle the larger, more powerful primary flight training
aircraft. But, according to GlobalSecurity.org, the T-3s were plagued by an
apparent fuel problem that would cause the engine to quit when it was
throttled back in flight. It happened 66 times on takeoff or landing.
Three instructors and three students were killed in three crashes that
don’t appear to be related to the fuel fault. There were also 10
groundings of 57 aircraft for engine and brake problems.
More... |
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PANAMA
CITY FIELD MAY BE MOVED
The FAA formally gave its blessing
for a new major airport near Panama City on the Florida Panhandle. The
agency issued its Decision of Record accepting the environmental-impact
statement and clearing the way for federal funding for the $300 million
project. The state has committed $82.5 million to the project and civic
officials are hailing it as a boon to local tourism and development. The
current Panama City-Bay County International Airport is on
715 acres the city says was worth $55 million three years ago. The new
airport would be about 30 miles away in West Bay and critics argue that
the project has more to do with real estate than it does with air
traffic. More... AIRPORT
TO NOWHERE?
Environmental groups are trying to shout down the
project, which still has some hoops to go through. The National
Resources Defense Council says that from an aviation standpoint, the
airport isn’t needed because traffic is dropping at the existing
facility. "Given that traffic at the current airport has dropped
dramatically, there's no demand for this new one, which would destroy
nearly 2,000 acres of wetlands that protect water quality and provide a
buffer against storms," it said in a statement. The group claims that
traffic records for the existing airport show the number of arrivals and
departures has dropped from about 50 a day to about 24 a day and that
upgrading the current facility will handle any foreseeable future
growth. More... |
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| The Future Is Now — And What About the
Past? | | back to
top |  | |
KEEPING
WARBIRDS FLYING
EAA and its Warbirds of America division are
working with the FAA to ensure the regulatory environment allows
historic aircraft to keep flying long into the future. The FAA has come
up with what it calls its Road Map to keep warbirds and other vintage
aircraft in the air. During EAA AirVenture, EAA officials met with the
FAA to discuss the document and make recommendations. "During the weeks
immediately following EAA AirVenture 2006, EAA's Industry and Regulatory
Affairs Department and the Warbirds of America's Advocacy Committee
thoroughly reviewed the draft and made numerous recommendations to
enhance the document," EAA said in a news release. Earl Lawrence,
EAA’s regulatory expert, told AVweb much of the focus is not
on the aircraft themselves but on the people needed to fly and fix them.
More... JUMBO-SIZED
JUMBO ARRIVES
What adjective do you use to describe a jumbo
jet that’s been given a plus-size makeover? While the spinmasters
come up with one, Boeing is celebrating the arrival of the first of its
Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighters at Boeing Field in Seattle. The plane,
which is modified with an outsized fuselage and a hinged empennage, is
one of three that will be used to carry wing and fuselage parts for the
new 787 from offshore contractors. The arrival of the plane, which was
on its first long-distance flight (from Taipei), was symbolic for those
on the 787 program. "These planes will be a cornerstone," Scott Strode,
who’s in charge of the 787 program, told the Bellingham Herald.
"It's one of our most visible milestones this year for the 787 because
we have to have it certified and ready to ship hardware by early next
year." More... GA
SQUEEZED OUT OF THE FUTURE?
AOPA President Phil Boyer says
there's not much room for general aviation in NASA's and the FAA's
vision of future air travel. The so-called Next Generation Air
Transportation System is geared toward commercial carriers and heaps
expense on GA while diminishing its access. "But in this nightmare of
the future, GA would lose access to airspace, experience increased
security requirements, and operate from fewer airports," said Boyer,
"even if we equipped with all the expensive technologies
envisioned." There are some major shifts in the way airspace management
would work under the plan [1.3 meg PDF file] but it's the expense that
small aircraft owners would incur that’s got AOPA particularly
riled. More... |
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CESSNA
DEDICATES NEW PLANT — IN MEXICO
Cessna and its parent
company Textron dedicated a new parts factory in Chihuahua, Mexico, last
week that officials from both companies seem to think is the shape of
things to come. "We believe the Textron Aerospace Mexico facility is a
positive step toward expanding Cessna's global presence as we continue
to ensure Cessna products remain competitive in the world-wide aerospace
market," Cessna Senior Vice President of Integrated Supply Chain Ron
Alberti told Jobwerx.com. The Mexico plant makes wiring harnesses for
Cessna jets and employs 138 people in a 62,000-square-foot facility.
Meanwhile, back in Wichita, aircraft parts suppliers gathered to look at
the future of their business. More... "HIJACK-PROOF"
PLANE UNDER DEVELOPMENT
After they’ve beaten the
explosives detectors, scammed the baggage scanners, avoided the
ever-vigilant scrutiny of security screeners and knocked down the
bulletproof door to the cockpit, terrorists of the future might face an
even more daunting adversary -- the plane itself. European scientists
began working on a $35 million project in July to see if they can’t
make the last line of defense against airborne terror the aircraft. "You
never reach zero level of threat, no risk, but if you equip planes with
on-board electronics, it will make them very difficult to hijack,"
Daniel Gaultier, coordinator of the Security of Aircraft in the Future
European Environment (SAFEE) project, told the Evening Standard.
More... CERTIFIED
EPIC TO BE BUILT IN CANADA
Aircraft Investor Resources, of
Bend, Ore., says it will begin certification tests on the Dynasty, a
certified version of its Epic LT turboprop single, this fall in Calgary,
Alberta. Assuming all goes well with the turboprop, the company says it
will then start work on certifying a twin-engine jet called the Elite.
The company turned heads at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh a few years ago
with the turboprop, which it took from a paper airplane to first flight
in less than a year. It was selling a builder-assisted kit version of
the plane but was attracted to Canada to certify it by the more
streamlined process north of the border, according to CEO Rick
Schrameck. "The Canadians have been wonderful to work with," Schrameck
said in a news release. More... |
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PILOT
RUN OVER BY HIS OWN PLANE
An unidentified pilot suffered
serious injuries after he was hit by the main wheels of the airplane he
commanded and was then dragged across the ramp at Gatwick Airport. The
freak accident happened last March but a report on the mishap was just
released by Britain’s Air Accidents Investigations Branch. The
pilot and co-pilot were getting ready to take the Lear 45 to Paris when
the co-pilot accidentally moved a thrust lever forward. The pilot, who
was stowing his baggage in the rear, noticed the change in pitch in the
engine and rushed forward to warn the co-pilot. Along the way, he
somehow lost his footing and fell out the open door. The plane, with the
pilot in tow, hit a ground worker and a vehicle before spinning 180
degrees and coming to rest against a large truck. More... ON
THE FLY ...
Runway chase leads to federal charges
...
Canadian flight schools full of foreign student
...
Companies propose Snowbird replacement ...
Controllers want
leaking center roof fixed. More... |
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| | |
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AUDIO
NEWS
For many aviation buffs, there's nothing like the sound
of four big radial engines on a B-17 or the sight of a Mustang in flight
to stir the soul. There are hundreds of warbirds still flying, but the
supply of qualified personnel to fly and fix them will run thin if
something isn't done to ensure those skills are passed on. AVweb's Russ
Niles spoke with EAA's Earl Lawrence about a program that
addresses that issue, in today's Audio News
podcast. More... |
| |
Flight Explorer Pilot Edition® Could Save
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FBO
OF THE WEEK: TWIN CITIES AIR SERVICE (KLEW, AUBURN, ME)
 AVweb's "FBO of
the Week" ribbon goes to Twin Cities Air Service at KLEW inAuburn,
Maine. We've heard good things about this FBO before, but AVweb
reader John D. Light thought the entire staff deserved kudos for
theservice and facilities. "Senior CFIs Dale Stewart and
Jamey Gauthier are two ofthe best anywhere in the world," writes
John. "The entire A&Pforce, led by Ben Mosier, are always
ready, willing and able todo whatever is required to keep you flying,
and the front desk man, Chris Parker, is the best front desk man
to be found anywhere. OwnerNate Humphries runs a very fine FBO
that is certainly deservingof all the recognition it gets." Keep those nominations
coming. For complete contest rules, click here. AVweb is
actively seeking out the best FBOs in the country and another one,
submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday!
More... |
| |
If You Think "Bargains" Are Something
Alien to Aviation — Think Again!
Spending hard-earned money on your aircraft and its avionics can be
expensive. But don't think good deals aren't available in today's
marketplace. Bennett Avionics provides pilots with quality
avionics to meet their needs and maintain their budget. Before you buy
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NEW
ARTICLES & FEATURES ON AVWEB
COLUMNS Probable Cause
#15: IFR & Meds — A Deadly Mix
by Brian M.
Jacobson
A pilot loses control while executing a missed
approach. The NTSB believes that cold or allergy medication played a
role in the accident. This accident report first appeared in AVweb's
sister publication, IFR
Refresher. FEATURES What's New for September
This month
AVweb's survey of the latest products and services for pilots, mechanics
and aircraft owners brings you amphib floats for Glasairs, tour of the
Bahamas, training DVDs and more. More... |
| |
Join NAA and Help Shape the Next Century of
Flight
It's a great time to join the National Aeronautic Association
( NAA), the nation's oldest aviation organization. At $39 a year,
NAA membership is a terrific value for any aviation enthusiast! Members
receive the Smithsonian's Air & Space and NAA's Aero
magazines, plus access to aviation records, product discounts, and much
more. Call (703) 527-0226 to become an NAA member, or sign up online.
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VIDEO
OF THE WEEK: RIDE OF YOUR LIFE
A big thanks to everyone who
took a few minutes last week to share their favorite flying videos with
us. We didn't get much work done on Monday or Tuesday, but we did enjoy
your videos — so please keep 'em coming! This week's "VOTW" is a
little longer and more laid-back, but well worth a watch. It was
originally posted on YouTube by richardr2000. More... |
SHORT
FINAL
Lady ATC Controller (in a somewhat
monotone and hard-to-hear voice): Airliner 123, proceed
direct FATHR. Airliner 123: Say again for
123. ATC: 123, proceed direct FATHR. Airliner:
Couldn't quite understand you. center. Say again. ATC
(now in a slow, deliberate but still monotone voice):
Airliner 123, proceed direct FATHR, as in "Luke, I am your
father." Airliner 123 (with chuckles): Direct
FATHR, 123. Later on, for a frequency change
... ATC: Airliner 123, contact center on
123.45. Airliner 123: Center on 123.45, and may the force
be with you. More...AVWEBBIZ:
AVWEB'S BUSINESS NEWSLETTER
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP yet for
AVweb's NO-COST twice-monthly AVwebBiz newsletter? Reporting on
breaking news, AVwebBiz also focuses on the companies, the products and
the industry leaders that make headlines in the Business of Aviation.
AVwebBiz is a must-read. Watch for a Biz regular feature, TSA WATCH:
GA IN THE "SPOTLIGHT". Sign up today at http://www.avweb.com/profile/
More... |
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AVWEB APPRECIATES YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF
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WHO BRING YOU TODAY'S NEWS AND FEATURES AT NO COST TO YOU
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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
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Today's issue was written by news writer Russ Niles (bio).
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