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October 13, 2010
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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Are You Ready to Move Up to a Zulu?
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The European Parliament is expected to vote today or Thursday on whether to essentially cancel some of the privileges of pilots holding FAA certificates in European Union countries. Proposed
regulatory changes put forth by the European Aviation Safety Agency would also make it more difficult to operate American-registered aircraft in Europe. In a special edition podcast interview with AVweb, Emmanuel Davidson, vice president of AOPA in France, said the proposals put forth by EASA
"represent the greatest threat to general aviation in Europe in the last decade" and virtually all pilot groups and many companies and industry groups are trying to get it derailed. One of the
difficulties with that is the measures are hidden in a larger bill of changes deemed positive by most in GA in Europe and the American issues will have to be separated from them.
Davidson said the most serious impact of the EASA proposal would be to effectively negate the FAA IFR rating that most IFR-rated pilots in Europe fly with. An FAA IFR rating is considerably less
onerous to obtain than a European one because the European requirements are the same as those required for an ATP. Davidson estimates the average private pilot, with a job and family, would take more
than a year to do the ground school and the rating would cost about $30,000.
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Piper Aircraft has hired a contractor to renovate a 75,000-square-foot building at its Vero Beach headquarters that will become the PiperJet factory. The news is welcome in Vero Beach, where there
have been persistent rumors that the company was planning to move. It was purchased by the government of Brunei 18 months ago and now has a presence in that country. The recent announcement of a
European sales office further fueled speculation but the announcement of the factory work may quell those fears, even if repeated assurances from Piper brass haven't. "We're committed to Vero Beach
for the long haul," Piper VP Randy Groom told TCPalm.
Design work will begin immediately and construction should be complete next year. Among the major improvements is to air condition the whole building. The newspaper also said Piper has been working
on the aircraft itself and will announce specific improvements at the National Business Aviation Association convention in Atlanta next week.
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The FAA said on Tuesday it will accept written requests for clarification of its proposed new pilot duty-time rules until
Oct. 15, and will respond to them by Oct. 22. The FAA said the question period is its response to "numerous requests"
from stakeholders for some kind of forum to get answers to questions and technical clarifications before the end of the comment period on Nov. 15. For example, the FAA said, one commenter noted that
in at least one instance, the new regulations refer back to the existing regulations, which would no longer exist if the new regulations are adopted. The FAA said "it makes sense to provide additional
clarity where commenters believe the draft regulatory text is unclear or omits pertinent information."
The FAA said it hopes to provide greater technical clarity so interested parties can "focus on the policy implications of the proposal without spending undue amounts of time trying to figure out
how the rule, if implemented, would be implemented or interact with other regulatory requirements." The complex new rules, years in the making, run 145 pages long, and address flight, duty and rest
time for crews operating under Part 121. The FAA says the new rules are based on scientific research about fatigue and performance. One commenter, Atlas Air, asked the FAA to extend its comment
period, arguing that 60 days is "unreasonable" and "unfair" for analysis of the "extraordinarily complex" proposal. The new rules, if adopted, would impose "serious operational constraints" on cargo
carriers, Atlas Air said.
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Aviation Training Workshop on the Current
Governance Issues Facing Aerospace to Be Held in Seattle
This Aviation Training Workshop will focus on current governance issues facing aerospace. It will explore emerging trends in corporate liability in governance issues, ideas, innovation, wrong
doing, poor ethics and how governance is affected, survey of current methods to address data capture, analyzing ideas, innovations and reports of wrong doing, methods to test veracity, severity and
frequency, classifying data gathered and workflow issues, and convincing regulators your system is robust.
Learn more.
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Aviation Safety: Some Good News from the
FAA |
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The number of runway incursions has dropped by half for the second year in a row, the FAA says. The number of serious incursions at U.S. airports dropped from 12 in 2009 to six in 2010 (on FAA's
fiscal calendar, 2010 ended on Sept. 30). Half of the incidents involved commercial aircraft, and the other half were general aviation events. The numbers are down drastically from 2000, when 67
serious incursions occurred. To improve those numbers, the FAA has upgraded the signage and markings at airports, improved pilot training on runway conflicts, and installed new technology at some
major airports. The FAA said it has also conducted extensive outreach and training for GA pilots. At a news conference last week at Boston's Logan Airport, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said the
ultimate goal is zero runway incursions.
"I'm confident that the right combination of education and technology will help us get there," Babbitt said. Logan has recently completed a 90-day test of a new Runway Status Lights system. The
system employs a network of red lights embedded in the airfield pavement to give direct warnings to pilots when it is unsafe to enter, cross or proceed down a runway. Pilots must stop when the red
lights are illuminated and may not continue without clearance from air traffic control. The new technology is also being used at Dallas/Ft. Worth, San Diego and Los Angeles. The systems are scheduled
to be installed at another 23 airports beginning next year.
The six incursions cited by the FAA for fiscal year 2010 were:
- At Livermore Municipal Airport, in California, on October 24, 2009, a Cessna C152 was instructed to taxi into position and hold on Runway 25R. A Quicki Q200 (an Experimental) was previously
cleared to land on Runway 25R. The Q200 landed over the C152 holding on the runway by less than 100 feet vertical and touched down approximately 200 feet down the runway.
- At Charleston AFB, S.C., on December 18, 2009, a Cessna C525 did not hold short as instructed and conflicted with a Canadair CRJ2 on departure roll. The CRF2 maneuvered to pass behind the C525.
Closest proximity reported was estimated at 20 feet.
- At Chino Airport, in California, on January 20, 2010, a Piper PA22 was cleared to land on Runway 8R but instead landed on intersecting Runway 3 without clearance. The aircraft continued down
the runway through the Runway 8L intersection and under a Aerospatiale AS50 helicopter cleared for Runway 8L. The AS50 overflew the PA22 by 50 vertical feet, the closest proximity reported.
- At Garden City Regional, in Kansas, on March 18, 2010, an airport maintenance vehicle, in pursuit of an animal, entered Runway 35 at Taxiway Charlie without authorization and conflicted with a
Cessna C560 Citation. A direct overflight occurred as the truck crossed the runway in pursuit of animal. Closest proximity reported was 50 feet vertical.
- At Phoenix Sky Harbor International, on March 19, 2010, a Cessna C208 was cleared to land on Runway 25L. A Boeing 737 was cleared to take off on Runway 25R. The C208 flew over the 737 and
landed on Runway 25R instead of 25L as cleared. Closest proximity reported was 50 to 100 feet vertical.
- At William Hobby Airport, Houston, Texas, on April 28, 2010, a Boeing B737 was cleared for departure on Runway 12R. A controller then cleared a Bell 06 helicopter for north departure from the
south ramp with no restrictions. Normally helicopters depart towards the arrival end of Runway 4 and turn north over mid-field and continue northbound. The helicopter departed towards the departure
end of Runway 12R, turned southeast crossing over Taxiway November then turned north passing Taxiway Quebec and started to cross Runway 12R when the pilot observed the B737 and turned back toward the
southwest. Closest reported proximity was 100 feet vertically and 125 feet laterally.
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Rediscover Jet City!
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economy of the Puget Sound region, serving as a hub for business travel, private jets, and general aviation travel. Partner with aviation experts when you fly to Seattle. Make your destination
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For more
information, visit online. 
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| Heidi McNary |
Heidi McNary is Hawker Beechcraft's new vice president and chief technical officer. She was formerly chief operating officer and executive vice president of sales and marketing at DeCrane Aerospace.
Get a promotion or a new job? Your colleagues want to know about it, and AVwebBiz can get the word out. Drop us a line about the staff
appointment, with a nice recent photo, and we'll do our best to include it in our new section, "Who's Where." The items will be permanently archived on AVweb for future reference,
too.
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WingX Pro7 Moving Map for iPad!
The $99 Moving Map — WingX Pro7 Moving Map for iPad is now available for your iPad. See your location on the approach chart; Approach Charts and Airport Diagrams are now
geo-referenced*, and all are stored right on the iPad! WingX Pro7's interactive moving map displays Class B, C, and D airspaces; animated weather images; A/FD; AOPA Directory with Yelp integration;
route planning, FARs, METARS, TAFS, winds, and temperatures aloft; TFRs' text and graphics; an E6B; and more. WingX is also available for Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and Android.
Click here for more
information.
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The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is
You! |
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The business aviation world is collectively shining its shoes and pressing its suits for the largest convention dealing specifically with bizav. The National Business Aviation Association Meeting
and Convention will be held at the Georgia World Congress convention center from Oct. 19-21 and AVweb will be there to provide a full package of news, video and audio reports on the big show,
which, despite the economy, is still a big show. This one is shaping up to be a battle of the heavyweights.
Bombardier Aerospace has let it be known that it considers itself the dominant player in the large business jet sector and it will answer the challenge put forth by Gulfstream and its G650, an
ultra-long-range aircraft with a projected top speed of .925 Mach. Bombardier will announce a new aircraft (or an upgrade of an existing one) that is expected to give the G a run for its money.
AVweb is also aware of several new product announcements from other companies and will be offering the most comprehensive coverage of those developments. Our special show editions will run Oct.
19, 20 and 21.
Related Content:
- We've already heard from many of the exhibitors at NBAA 2010, but if you're planning to be at the show and have announcments you want us to know about, please send your news to editor@avweb.com.
 Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 200,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips
via email to newstips@avweb.com. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part.
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Diamond Has Your Training Needs Covered
Getting your license or upgrading your rating? Operating a flight school? Diamond offers the only complete modern fleet of technically-advanced training aircraft, along with model-specific flight
training devices and a safety record that is second to none. Leading flight training schools around the globe fly Diamond Aircraft.
Find out why. 
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Normally, we're the first to squawk about heavy-handed and unnecessary FAA regulation, but the agency's proposed rules to tighten down EMS operations is probably a good thing, especially if it gets
the industry thinking out how these services are used and, unfortunately, overused. Paul Bertorelli has more thoughts on the AVweb Insider blog.
Read more and join the conversation.
Paul Bertorelli has been blogging about instructing and maintaining proficiency in a taildragger. But the NTSB's accident data shows many pilots can't land anything, much less something with a
wheel at the back. The solution is simple, says Paul on the AVweb Insider blog: Don't get an instructor; go practice — and do it regularly.
Read more and join the conversation.
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Instrument Survival Manual
"Rod Machado's Instrument Pilot's Survival Manual" (3rd edition) is more about honing, perfecting, and feeling comfortable with instrument skills than about learning those skills from
scratch. This book will help you think and fly like a pro. It will help you understand the system, not just memorize it, so your decisions become based on your ability to reason things out — a
far better situation than just having a few scattered facts from which to choose. Highly illustrated.
Book / $34.95
eBook / $29.95
Call (800) 780-4115 or
click here for more
information. 
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Win a Lightspeed Zulu aviation headset as we celebrate our 15th Anniversary! All you have to do is click here to enter your
name and e-mail address. (You only have to enter once, and you'll be entered in our prize drawings for the entire year — so if you've already entered, you're all set.)
And no, we're not going to rent or sell your name, ever. Tell your friends, and invite them to sign up for AVweb so they can qualify for our 15
Grand Giveaways prize drawings, too. (We won't spam them, either — but we hope they will sign up for our newsletters.)
Deadline for entries is 11:59pm Zulu time October 15, 2010.
Click here to read
the contest rules and enter.
Congratulations to Ronald C. Hanna of Independence, Oregon, who won our last prize, a PMA6000B audio panel! (click
here to get your own from PS Engineering)
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AVwebBiz is a weekly summary of the latest business aviation news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the internet's aviation magazine and news service.
The AVwebBiz team is:
Publisher
Timothy Cole
Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli
Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles
Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew
Features Editor
Kevin Lane-Cummings
Webmaster
Scott Simmons
Contributors
Jeff van West
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.
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Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.
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