http://www.avweb.com/topnews.html en-us Copyright 2012 AVweb. All rights Reserved. editor@avweb.com webmaster@iproduction.com 1000Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:53:50 CST 1000Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:53:50 CST IPS - www.iproduction.com Melodie Homer, widow of Flight 93 co-pilot LeRoy W. Homer Jr. has released the book, "From Where I Stand: Flight 93 Pilot's Widow Sets the Record Straight" and is donating all proceeds. The book honors the deceased pilot and his role on September 11, 2001, when United Flight 93, a Boeing 757-222, was hijacked. The book also includes how the widow and her two children coped with their tragedy. Flight 93 was the only one of four hijacked aircraft not to impact a strategic target, crashing instead in a field at Shanksville, Pennsylvania. All proceeds earned from the sale of the book will be donated to support young adults seeking careers as professional pilots through the LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/widow_book_united_93_copilot_206170-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS A research team at the University of Pennsylvania has successfully demonstrated close formation work among large networked groups of autonomous vehicles, and the results are visually captivating. The SWARMS project (Swarms of Autonomous Robots and Mobile Sensors) involves a team from the university's general robotics, automation, sensing and perception lab. Work there on autonomous multicopters has led to demonstrations of the vehicles performing obstacle navigation and precise maneuvering while flying in large formations and operating as a group of networked autonomous vehicles. In plain English, you'll want to watch all 16 of them autonomously fly a cross-over figure eight pattern at 1:22 in the video. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/university_figure_eight_swarm_drone_206169-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS There's only one way to prove that an airplane will fly for a long time but the thought of spending 19 hours flying aimlessly got Boeing engineers channeling their artistic sides through FlightAware. The mission was to test a GE-equipped 787 for extended operations (ETOPS) so those involved decided to make it interesting. In 19 hours from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, the Dreamliner carved its initials across a swath of the Northwest before flying an intricate rendition of the company logo over the Dakotas, Nebraska and into Iowa. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/787_FlightAware_Pattern_206168-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS RunwayFinder, the chart and airport information Web site that was embroiled in legal action with FlightPrep a year ago, is closing. In a statement owner Dave Parsons said the decision was made partly because of the FAA's intention to charge fees for chart downloads through its online charting division AeroNav. "While I understand AeroNav's need to re-capture costs, the new chart fees along with other licensing fees will put RunwayFinder firmly into the red," Parsons wrote. He said the money issues might have been overcome but there is also a lot of work that needs to be done to update the service. "I've had many people suggest alternatives, but unfortunately there is no way to keep it going (for reasons I can't disclose)," he wrote. The non-disclosure is likely a reference to an agreement he signed with FlightPrep last March that settled a well-publicized lawsuit over alleged patent infringement by RunwayFinder. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/RunWayFinder_Closing_206167-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS The new FAA reauthorization includes language to integrate unmanned aerial systems into the national airspace system. Tim Adelman is a Washington attorney heavily involved in the Department of Justice's program to get small UAVs in the hands of more than 17,000 police and sheriff's departments that would dearly love to have them. He spoke with AVweb's Russ Niles.This podcast is brought to you by Bose Corporation. http://www.avweb.com/podcast/podcast/AudioPodcast_TimAdelman_US_DOJ_PoliceUAVProgram_UASs_206165-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Investigators have found that the crew of a QantasLink Boeing 717 with roughly 100 passengers experienced stick shaker activation during a 2010 flight on two of three approaches, because of pilot error prior to takeoff. The flight was out of Perth for Kalgoorlie and on the first approach, the stick shaker activated as the jet descended through 1,100 feet. The crew elected to go around and experienced the stick shaker again on a second approach as the aircraft passed through 350 feet. The third landing attempt was successful but not without difficulty. According to investigators, the captain had entered improper data that resulted in a weight calculation that was off by more than 21,000 pounds. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/stall_warning_regional_jet_pilot_data_mistake_error_206164-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Center for Environmental Health (CEH) director of research, Caroline Cox, told AVweb Thursday that aviation interests and CEH have started negotiations that could lead to an out of court settlement regarding the use of leaded avgas in California. According to Cox, "virtually all" the cases CEH has pursued in its 15 years have ended in settlements. Legally, CEH is entitled to 25-percent of any civil penalties imposed as the result of a settlement or court judgement. At issue is California legislation aimed to protect residents from toxins, which CEH says applies to leaded aviation fuel. Cox says she's not aware of any studies performed specifically in California that show elevated levels of lead in children living near airports, but referenced a North Carolina study. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/ca_california_avgas_lead_ceh_settlement_court_aviation_fuel_civil_penalty_206163-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Will its base broadening appeal make it directly competitive with AOPA for members? http://www.avweb.com/blogs/insider/AVWebInsider_EAAOnTheMove_206158-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Long-term funding has finally returned to the FAA after a half-decade hiatus, and the bill will fund system upgrades, initiate a pathway for domestic drone use, and also address a key sticking point -- rules that affect pilot unions. Last summer, Congressional-level disagreements over language that would alter how airline workers could unionize and operate in part led to a temporary shut-down of non-essential operations at the FAA. For some time, it was thought that an agreement on long-term funding for the FAA would bypass labor issues, but the new bill does make changes to current union rules. For its part, ALPA criticized the bill for its inclusion of "provisions unrelated to aviation safety" but said that "the compromise was necessary to set the stage for the passage of this extremely important funding bill." Other unions were not as accepting. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/FAA_union_funding_change_worker_congress_bill_labor_206157-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS The government announced Wednesday that"further investment cannot be justified at this time" to help LightSquared gain approval for its wireless broadband system and new GPS standards may be coming, Inside GNSS reported. The words were delivered by U.S. deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari in an aviation subcommittee hearing. Porcari concluded that LightSquared's most recent proposals were "simply not practical." LightSquared on Tuesday had asked the FCC to create technical standards that could protect GPS receivers from interference in the case that neighboring spectrums, such as those eyed by LightSquared, were utilized. And there may be some movement in that direction, perhaps not in the way LightSquared had hoped. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/gps_protection_fcc_lightsquared_hearing_interference_206156-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Bernd MunzenmayerBernd "Munzie" Munzenmayer, a founder of ProStar Aviation, has sold his shares and is now an employee of the company. He's the new Senior Sales Advisor. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_BerndMunzenmayer_ProStarAviation_206155-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Heidi WilliamsCraig SpenceHeidi Williams is the new Vice President of Air Traffic Services and Modernization. Craig Spence is Vice President of Operations and International Affairs. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/whoswhere/WhosWhere_AOPA_HeidiWilliams_CraigSpence_206154-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS AOPA and EAA are on track to submit a request to the FAA within the next one to two months, asking the agency to allow more pilots to fly without a medical certificate, AOPA said this week. Once the request gets to the FAA, however, the groups expect some delay, due to the recent resignation of Administrator Randy Babbitt and his replacement with an interim administrator. "AOPA and EAA strongly believe the exemption they plan to request is the next logical step in the journey begun when the FAA permitted sport pilots to use the driver's license medical standard," AOPA told AVweb this week. "Further, the associations believe the exemption will maintain or enhance aviation safety by improving knowledge and awareness of aeromedical factors through recurrent education for all pilots utilizing the exemption, and by encouraging pilots to continue flying aircraft with which they are already familiar." http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/EAA_AOPAMovingForwardWithMedicalChangeRequest_206153-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS A Virgin Australia pilot is suing the airline for almost $1 million, claiming he hurt his back hoisting a flight bag stuffed with 40 pounds of charts and manuals. David Kloster, 57, says it never would have happened if the airline had given him an iPad instead. In a filing with the Queensland Supreme Court, Kloster said the airline had an obligation to provide him (and presumably other pilots) with an alternative to lugging around the information he needed to do his job. "The defendant (Virgin Australia) exposed the plaintiff (Mr. Kloster) to a risk of injury which could have been avoided by the exercise of reasonable care," court documents said. "(Virgin Australia) failed to have in place a system of work whereby charts and rules could have been left on board its aircraft or kept electronically on an iPad." http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/PIlot_Sues_For_Lack_Of_IPad_206152-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Four nominees were named last week by the National Aeronautic Association for the 2011 Robert J. Collier Trophy, which honors the "greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America." The nominees are: Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy, the Gamera human-powered helicopter, and Pipistrel's Taurus G4 electric-powered airplane. "We are very proud of the nominations we received for the 2011 Collier Trophy," said NAA Chairman Walter J. Boyne. "Each of them -- in their own way -- mark significant progress in the advancement of aviation and aerospace on the planet, and we certainly welcome them to the Collier selection process." http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/NomineesAnnouncedForCollierTrophy_206151-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Cessna has increased the range of its new Latitude midsize business jet, leaving little doubt the new aircraft is a direct response to Embraer's entry to that market. When it was introduced at NBAA last October the 2,000-nm range raised eyebrows as it was the shortest of any in that segment. In a news release last week, Cessna said the new number is 2,300 nm, matching the Embraer Legacy 450 and a little better than others in that slot. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Cessna_Matches_Embraer_206150-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Hawker Beechcraft's board of directors has named high-profile corporate fix-it man Steve Miller as new CEO of Hawker Beechcraft Inc., shifting former CEO Bill Boisture to the role of chairman of the company's operating subsidiary Hawker Beechcraft Corp. Miller was tapped to take over as chairman of American International Group (AIG) 18 months ago to help it continue its return to profitability and pay back more than $130 billion bailout money to the U.S. government. Known as "The Turnaround Kid" on Wall Street (he's 70), Miller has headed up companies like Bethlehem Steel and Delphi Corp. as they emerged from bankruptcy. Hawker Beech is still solvent but it has asked creditors for concessions on the terms of its operating line of credit. http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/New_CEO_At_Hawker_Beechcraft_206149-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS A Cessna 172 that was stolen in Concord, Calif., over the weekend, crashed Sunday afternoon near Fresno, killing the person at the controls, who NTSB investigators said was not certified to fly the airplane. Felix Boston, of Walnut Creek, owned the airplane, and told the Fresno Bee he was unaware it was missing until he got a call from the NTSB. The 172 severed power lines and crashed into the bank of a canal, just about a quarter mile from a new housing development. The person who died has not been identified, but a local TV station described him as "a parolee in his 40s or 50s." http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/StolenPlaneCrashesInCalifornia_206148-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS A plan to fly to 120,000 feet in a helium balloon then parachute back to Earth is back on schedule this week after a long hiatus, Red Bull said on Tuesday. The Red Bull Stratos team is working with Col. Joe Kittinger to break the record he set 52 years ago for the longest jump. The effort began in 2005 but was put on hold in 2010 while a legal challenge was sorted out. The dispute was settled out of court, a Red Bull spokesperson told AVweb, and the team is now making final preparations for the record attempt, to take place in Roswell, N.M. Felix Baumgartner, a certificated helicopter and balloon pilot and record-setting B.A.S.E. jumper, will make the jump. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/RedBullHighAltitudeJumpBackOnTrack_206147-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS The Senate on Monday voted to pass a four-year FAA funding bill that just last week was agreed on by a joint committee and then passed in the House on Friday. The bill now goes to President Obama. General aviation advocacy groups were united in applauding the bill. AOPA President Craig Fuller said the $63 billion in funding provides a "vital step" toward modernizing our air traffic system and improving our airports. Pete Bunce, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, said, "The policies contained in this bill are critical to the health of general aviation manufacturing." For about five years, the FAA has operated on short-term funding appropriations from Congress while waiting for a full reauthorization bill to be hashed out in Congress. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/CongressOKsLongTermFAAFunding_206146-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Hollywood's aviation films often prove disappointing to aviators -- though it might be argued that a bad flying film is still better than none -- and another one now in the works, starring Denzel Washington, provides a fresh chance to see if Hollywood can portray the life of a pilot in a way that rings true. Flight, which started production last October, tells the story of an airline pilot, played by Washington, who becomes a hero after coping with an in-flight emergency but then is revealed to have problems with drugs and alcohol. The director is Robert Zemeckis, who also directed Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, and Cast Away. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/AnotherAviationMovieInTheWorks_206145-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Letter of the Week: In Defense of the FAAIt is in the nature of pilots to complain about the FAA and the news about the temporary grounding of Operation Migration's aircraft, and its migrating whooping cranes in December sparked some strident criticism of the agency from pilots. As a member of the board of directors of Operation Migration (OM), an EAA member, and a private pilot, I'd like to set the record straight.FAA officials were not the bad guys in this affair — far from it. They have long recognized the value and the uniqueness of what OM is doing for an endangered species and the high standards of safety that we have maintained in our flight operations....For the birds,David SakrisonClick through to read the full text of our "Letter of the Week" — and other notes from AVweb readers. http://www.avweb.com/news/avmail/AVmail_LettersToTheEditor_206143-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS As the FAA works on rulemaking to allow the integration of unmanned aerial systems into the national airspace system, there are signs that the agency has significantly ramped up the safety requirements for this brand-new aviation sector. Aviation consultant Gary Church discussed the issues and their potential effect with AVweb's Russ Niles.This podcast is brought to you by Bose Corporation. http://www.avweb.com/podcast/podcast/AudioPodcast_GaryChurch_UAVsInTheAirspace_FAARules_206142-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS >>> AVWEB FUEL FINDERCURRENT PRICE FOR 100LL: $5.74 (no change from last week)CURRENT PRICE FOR JET A: $5.46 (down 5¢ from last week)Fuel prices provided weekly by AirNav, based on prices from the past 2 weeks. Changes are relative to last week's prices. /TEXT_ONLY-->AVweb's newest "FBO of the Week" is Golden Eagle Aviation at Moton Field Municipal Airport (06A) in Tuskegee, Alabama. Reader Billy Tyndall tells us how an unplanned stopover made Golden Eagle a standard by which other FBOs are measured:On a cross-country flight in my Sport Cub from North Carolina to Arizona, I encountered adverse weather and landed at Moton Field Municipal Airport in Tuskegee, Alabama to wait it out. The rain which arrived took three days to pass, and during that time the staff at Golden Eagle Aviation made those days the most enjoyable of the trip. Sylvester and Minnie run the FBO with such personality and warmth that transient pilots immediately feel at home. They helped us with the standard FBO offerings, such as avgas, computer access, and coffee, and went further to see that we found the cultural and culinary assests of Tuskegee, which were many. When it was time to leave, Sylvester improvised an apparatus to preheat the cold engine in the Cub, even though the climate in Tuskegee doesn't normally require preheating engines. He went the extra mile to get us back in the air, and we'll remember his FBO for their caring actions!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! http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/fbo/FBOOfTheWeek_GoldenEagleAviation_TuskegeeAlabama_206141-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Years ago, I had an interesting ATC encounter in Washington airspace that I think would be humorous to your readers of "Short Final." While flying my RV-4 in the narrow VFR slot between the old Washington ADIZ and the expanded Camp David TFR, I lost my GPS. Without a VOR, I contacted Wash. Center. The call went as follows:N1234 (me):"Washington Center, N1234."Center:"N1234, go ahead."N1234:"I've lost all nav aids over Frederick, and I'm concerned that I will violate airspace and cause a little excitement. Please give me vectors to keep me out of trouble."Center:"No worries. Everyone is targeting you."Bruce MacInnesvia e-mail http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/shortfinal/ShortFinal_AviationHumor_206140-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Flight attendants from more than 20 airlines will "occupy" a section of LAX on Monday to protest labor provisions in a proposed FAA reauthorization bill. The OccuFLY protest, organized by the Association of Flight Attendants, is a reaction to change in voting standards for union organization that unions consider an attack on organized labor. "This controversial labor provision is nothing less than an attack by the 1% against the 99%," said AFA PresidentVeda Shook in a news release. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Flight_Attendants_OccuFly_206139-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS A practical flying car with everyman usability has so far eluded the public, but we may have already been introduced to a design that could lead to a breakthrough. Some of the major challenges of producing a point-to-point simple and safe to operate vehicle are technological in nature. Autonomous navigation (enter the destination, press a button, and allow the vehicle to navigate, communicate with, and autonomously avoid other aircraft) may be one key to safely organizing masses of flying vehicles in the same airspace. And as society progresses, the gap between the dream and reality may be shrinking. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/exclusivevids/ExclusiveVideo_FlyingCars_AutonomousNavigation_206138-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS The FAA's next major rulemaking effort may reflect a shift in agency standards that could hobble one emerging sector and set the tone for the rest of the industry, according to a Washington-based consultant. Gary Church, of Aviation Management Associates, has been representing companies developing unmanned aerial systems for several years and he told AVweb in a podcast interview he believes the forthcoming notice of proposed rulemaking on UASs will set a new standard for safety regulations. He said the agency appears to be aiming for a "do no harm" regime called a "targeted level of safety" that may realistically be unachievable. He also expects legal challenges to the current ban on commercial use of small UASs if the agency continues to drag its feet in establishing regulations. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/FAA_UAS_Rule_206137-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Operation Migration (OM) has leapt to the defense of the FAA in light of the recent controversy over the use of allegedly paid pilots in the well-known aircraft-led migration of whooping cranes to Florida. In a letter to AVweb, OM spokesman David Sakrison said the temporary grounding of this year's migration resulted from the persistent complaints of an unidentified person outside of OM and was not initiated by the FAA, which has been supportive of the effort and had previously inspected and cleared all aspects of the operation. The LSA-category trikes flown by the OM pilots cannot be used commercially and OM and the FAA had previously agreed that while the pilots were paid OM employees, the flying was done voluntarily. However, the launching of a formal complaint by the same person obliged the FAA to open an investigation and the pilots voluntarily grounded themselves in Alabama to avoid any chance of being found in violation. "At that time, agency officials made it clear that they would work with us toward a solution, possibly through a permanent exemption from the 'flying for hire' prohibition," Sakrison wrote. The new rule is expected to be in effect in a few months, in time for the spring cycle of the migration. However, not even the blessing of the mighty FAA is more powerful than Mother Nature and the pilots won't be needed any longer. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Migration_Pilots_Defend_FAA_206136-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Nearly 10,000 of the Air Force's active National Guard and Reserve airmen would be cut next year if plans detailed Friday by the Air Force go into effect. Cuts will reportedly target the National Guard for more than half of the total personnel, aircraft and other equipment to be trimmed. Specific numbers trim 5,100 guardsmen, 3,900 active-duty members and 899 reservists.The Air Force Times has reported that the Air Force does not intend "to employ involuntary cuts in the active force to reach that goal." Changes will come to forces in all 50 states and cuts may not stop there. The plan brought immediate push-back. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/air_force_cut_airmen_guard_reserve_206135-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS