AOPA SAYS DOT STUDY PROVES GA NOT TO BLAME FOR DELAYS
Weather and the airlines' own scheduling practices continue to be the major causes of flight delays, and they won't be fixed with user fees or a modernized air traffic control system, according to AOPA President Phil Boyer. In a news release, Boyer says a Department of Transportation study shows that 40 percent of flight delays are caused by weather and 25 percent by problems within the airlines themselves, such as maintenance problems, crew shortages, baggage delays and the like. AOPA dug deeper into the report to analyze the 28 percent of delays attributable to National Airspace System delays and found 17 airports where airlines over-schedule flights. More...

FAA FOCUS ON NEXTGEN OBSCURES REAL ISSUES SAYS NATCA
The FAA's repeated reference to the need to modernize the air traffic control system is a smokescreen designed to divert attention from problems with the existing system, according to the head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Pat Forrey told a transportation forum in Dallas last week that while controllers love new technology and embrace it at every chance, poor morale and a severe staffing shortage are the most immediate concerns. "So before we as a nation turn our full attention to NextGen, and the future aviation system we hope to enjoy, we must work to ensure that the system we have to use today … remains the safest in the world and one where no corners are cut in a foolish rush to institute business agendas over safety practices," he said. More...

BUREAUCRACY READY FOR VLJS
While we still don’t know just how the alleged onslaught of very light jets (VLJs), personal jets and family jets will affect aviation as a whole, the FAA appears to be among those who believe the impact will be huge. If you've noticed that VLJs seem to figure in just about every FAA news release on airspace and new technology, there’s a good reason. It’s called the FAA VLJ Cross Organizational Group and it has representation from no fewer than 35 agency departments, all of which believe that VLJs will affect their particular bailiwick. "We started brainstorming, identifying issues that could possibly arise, and looking at what we could do as an agency to [promote safety] while ensuring the smooth entry of these type aircraft into service," Mary Pat Baxter, who heads up the group, told FocusFAA, the agency’s internal newsletter. More...

EAA MEMBERS PICKET OVER HOMEBUILT LAW
Pilots aren’t normally the type to hoist picket signs and mount protests against the powers that be, but it’s a measure of the frustration Jacksonville, Fla. aircraft kitbuilders are feeling that prompted them to the streets a couple of weeks ago to let their city officials know how they feel about their taking the home out of homebuilt. Wearing red EAA shirts and carrying signs with polite but pointed slogans, the pilots were protesting a Jacksonville ordinance that prohibits anyone from working on a homebuilt aircraft or an airboat at their homes. Last month EAA government affairs specialist Earl Lawrence coached the local chapter on ways to make the authorities listen to their plight and there are some encouraging signs the tactics are working, according to Jacksonville EAA President Milford Shirley. More...

COMPOSITE INDUSTRY PREDICTS MAJOR GROWTH
If you’re looking for a place to invest all that cash you have left over from fueling, fixing and housing your airplane, market research company Lucintel suggests composite companies might be a good bet. The company recently completed a study on the use of composites by the aerospace industry and found, to no one in the aviation industry's surprise, that they are being increasingly incorporated into all parts of airplanes. "Remarkably, the global aerospace industry is estimated to use $57 billion worth of composite materials during 2007-2026," Lucintel CEO Dr. Samjay Mazumdar said in a news release. More...

JAVELIN PROTOTYPES GET FUNDING OK
Flight International is quoting unnamed sources that say Aviation Technology Group and Israel Aerospace Industries have raised about $200 million from Citigroup to continue development of the Javelin personal jet and a military training version of the fighter-like aircraft. According to the sources, a Mk. 10 civilian version prototype and a Mk. 20 light trainer (with ejection seats and military avionics) will begin assembly before the end of the year. The civilian jet will be built in the U.S. and the military version in Israel. A third, more powerful version designed as an advanced trainer is also in the works. More...

FLIGHT DATA RECORDER FOR SMALL AIRCRAFT APPROVED
The FAA has issued the first supplementary type certificate on a flight data monitoring and recording system designed for small aircraft and helicopters. Jointly developed by Air Logistics and Appareo Systems, the Aircraft Logging and Event Recording for Training and Safety (ALERTS) system is billed as being small and affordable, but still capable of recording 100 hours of high resolution 3-D graphical data about the aircraft’s flight. It also keeps an eye on the pilot and can tell aircraft owners (or crash investigators) if the aircraft was being flown according to procedures. More...

PILOT SAID HE WAS "SURE" HE HAD ENOUGH FUEL
A charter pilot who relied solely on fuel gauges to calculate his fuel load and admits he "guesstimated" the weight of his passengers said he was sure he had enough fuel to make it to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from a remote fishing lake in 2002. The irony was that Mark Tayfel did make the field with one engine running, but his Keystone Airlines Piper Navajo, with six passengers aboard, was high and hot and he had to go around. His second engine quit on the go-around and the aircraft bounced off a bus, sliced the back off a truck and came to rest near a gas station at a Winnipeg intersection. One passenger later died from his injuries, but Tayfel and the others survived. Tayfel told a Winnipeg court that he found out later that there was a problem with the fuel gauges and he would have taken "extra precautions" had he known. More...

FUND SET UP FOR JIM LEROY’S SON
The death of air show performer Jim LeRoy on July 28 at the Dayton Air Show not only left a void in the air show industry, it left a mother and a young son to fend for themselves. The International Council of Air Shows is encouraging those in aviation to help soften the financial blow of LeRoy's untimely death by contributing to a memorial scholarship fund aimed at ensuring his four-year-old son, Tommy, can pursue his own aviation dreams. ICAS President John Cudahy told AVweb that checks and credit card donations in any amount will be used to fund Tom's future education goals, which he said will almost certainly involve aviation since LeRoy was a third-generation aviator. "It's important for the aviation community to get behind this," he said, noting even small contributions can add up to a significant amount. Contributions can be made to Jim LeRoy Jr. Memorial Fund, c/o Harris Bank, 110 East Irving Park Road, Roselle, IL 60172; or by calling (630) 980-2700. More...

SHELTAIR WINS PLATTSBURG FBO DEAL
SheltAir is opening its fifth full-service FBO in New York, but a significant portion of its client base could come from La Belle Province. SheltAir will be the only FBO at Plattsburg International Airport, which is only about an hour's drive from Montreal and is described as "Montreal's U.S. airport." The airport is on I-87 near the resort district of Lake Champlain and Lake Placid. And just how big of an airport can a small community like Plattsburg have? Think big, Cold War big. More...

FIRST INDUCTEES TO COLUMBIA'S 300-KNOT CLUB
It didn't take long for Columbia Aircraft to get its first members of its 300-Knot Club. The club was announced at EAA AirVenture and six Columbia 400 pilots have provided photographic evidence of flying at a ground speed faster than 300 knots. The fastest recorded speed so far is 334 knots, which is about 100 knots faster than the Columbia's top true airspeed in level flight. More...

ON THE FLY
EMB-195 certified by FAA…
Man smuggled monkey aboard flight under his hat…
Williams Aviation opened FBO at Akron. More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something that 130,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. What have you heard? More...

AVWEBBIZ: AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVIATION NEWSLETTER
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP yet for AVweb's NO-COST weekly business aviation newsletter, AVwebBiz? Reporting on breaking news, Business AVflash focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the business aviation industry. Business AVflash is a must read. Sign up today at http://www.avweb.com/profile/. More...

Columns | Features | What's New | Calendar | Brainteasers

THE PILOT'S LOUNGE #116: GETTING BACK MORE THAN YOU GIVE
There are lots of ways to help young people get excited about aviation: EAA Young Eagles, mentoring, instructing ... but what if the kid is blind? More...

GETTING IT FIXED RIGHT
Post-accident, most insurers will do the right thing but some will steer you to a marginal shop. Here's how to stand your ground to get competent repairs. More...

AVMAIL: AUG. 13, 2007
Reader mail this week about the promise and problems of light sport aircraft. More...

AVWEB AUDIO NEWS

AVweb posts audio news on Mondays, plus a new in-depth interview each Friday. In last Friday's podcast, you'll hear ConocoPhillips' Gabe Giordano on aircraft engine oil. And AVweb's podcast index includes interviews with Lycoming's Ian Walsh; Avidyne's Paul Hathaway; Aerion Corp's Brian Barents; BusinessJetSEATS Alfred Rapetti; EAA's Dick Knapinski; AOPA's Andrew Cebula; Cirrus Design's Alan Klapmeier; NBAA's Harry Houkes; Reason Foundation's Robert Poole; SATSair's Sheldon Early; Epic Aircraft's Rick Schrameck; AOPA's Randy Kenagy; Eclipse Aviation's Vern Raburn; Xwind's Brad Whitsitt; BoGo Light's Mark Bent; DayJet's Ed Iacobucci; Pogo Jet's Cameron Burr; Teal Group's Richard Aboulafia; Air Journey's Thierry Pouille; Epic Aircraft's Rick Schrameck; and Cessna's Jack Pelton. In today's podcast, EADS Socata's Jean-Michel Léonard talks about future plans at his company. Remember: In AVweb's podcasts, you'll hear things you won't find anywhere else.

More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: CIRRUS AVIATION

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Cirrus Aviation at KRNC in McMinnville, Tenn.

AVweb reader Jerry Trachtman said the facility's staff went above and beyond:

"Traveling from my home base of Melbourne, Fla., to Oshkosh, I stopped for fuel at McMinnville, Tenn. (RNC), based upon availability of low-priced avgas (lowest price within 100 miles). Due to thunderstorms, I could not depart as planned and had to spend the night. Without hesitation, the FBO staff gave me their only crew car for the overnight, and pointed me in the right direction. My early departure the next morning was met with a top cowl latch on my Piper Lance popping open on takeoff roll. I aborted the takeoff and sought help with the FBO's mechanic, who was at work early before any other staff had arrived. He repaired the latch, sent me on my way and refused compensation. This FBO demonstrated service above and beyond the call of duty."

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!

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: AVIATION NATION 2007 PREVIEW
With the scintillating aerobatic performances of AirVenture fresh in our minds, how could we resist a video of highlights meant to whip us into a frenzy for this November's Aviation Nation showcase in Las Vegas? (Click through to watch.) More...

SHORT FINAL

Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"

On a recent trip from Illinois to Arkansas, we overheard the following exchange:

Razorback Approach: Cessna Two Three Tango, Razorback Approach. Have you changed your destination from Houston, Texas?

Cessna 23T: Razorback Approach, Cessna Two Three Tango. That’s a negative. Destination is still Houston.

Approach: Well Cessna Two Three Tango, on your current heading you are not going to even hit the state of Texas.

Cessna 23T: Approach, Cessna Two Three Tango … we are experiencing … nav problems.

Approach: Cessna Two Three Tango, we assumed that, too … turn right heading 179 direct Houston. More...

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