Taken from:
AOPA ePilot
Volume 11, Issue 23AOPA and EAA team to protect, grow GATwo of the nation’s largest aviation associations, AOPA and EAA, will be collaborating on issues and programs that protect, support, and grow general aviation as the result of a June 3 working session at the EAA Aviation Center in Oshkosh, Wis. EAA Chairman and President Tom Poberezny and AOPA President Craig Fuller, along with senior staff from each organization, met to discuss how they can work more closely to support GA. They agreed to a collaborative, three-pronged commitment to protect GA interests, promote GA safety, and grow the GA community in the United States. “This is a logical collaboration that makes sense for the greater good of general aviation,” Fuller said.
http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2 ... c_sect=ttsCelebrate your freedom to fly
This year, celebrate July 4 by taking wing! For 233 years, America has led the world in defining and defending individual freedoms. Our unwavering commitment to these ideals has brought us rewards unimagined by the generations who passed them on. Among them is the ultimate expression of freedom—flight. Today, more than 500,000 Americans from all walks of life fly, continuing the tradition of inspiration and innovation that only freedom brings. On that holiday weekend, plan a flight to celebrate your freedoms, and share it with a friend or colleague who may not yet wholly value what general aviation has brought our nation over the past century.
House passes TSA authorization, tells agency to consult GAThe House of Representatives on June 4 passed the Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act (H.R.2200). AOPA supported the bill, which sends a strong message to the TSA to increase general aviation industry participation on security initiatives. H.R.2200, the first comprehensive roadmap for the TSA to pass the House since the creation of the agency in 2001, authorizes TSA programs and funding levels for the next two years. It includes provisions to create a general aviation security working group to ensure that the agency consults stakeholders before imposing security initiatives and to establish a grant program for $10 million in security improvements at GA airports.
http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2 ... c_sect=ttsCongress passes amendment to limit security directivesAs pilots at commercial-service airports across the country adapted to new security requirements this week, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) led an effort in Congress to revise the standard for when the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) can use emergency procedures to issue regulations or security devices. Security Directive 8F, later clarified in Security Directive 8G, raised concerns among pilots about its potential effects on general aviation and a lack of input from GA stakeholders. Mica, along with Reps. Tom Petri (R-Wis.), Sam Graves (R-Mo.), and Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.), introduced an amendment to the TSA Authorization Act (H.R. 2200) that would reinforce that security directives should only be used to respond to emergencies and immediate threats, not as an alternative to the normal regulatory process. The amendment passed in the House along with H.R.2200 on June 4.
http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2 ... c_sect=ttsCirrus increases production rateCirrus Design will ramp up production over the next several weeks to eight aircraft a week and call back 50 workers, thanks to growth in new aircraft orders over the past four months, the company has announced. The used aircraft division, Cirrus Certified, is also seeing increased sales activity, with used aircraft inventory levels “…showing increasing signs of stabilization,” according to a company press release.
http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2 ... c_sect=ganLancair Evolution to test Lycoming FADEC
The Lancair kitplane known as Evolution, a blazingly fast form of transportation, first flew last year with a turbine engine, but now it’s flown with a piston engine. The piston-powered Evolution flew for the first time in June and will become the demonstration platform for Lycoming’s iE2 series of muscle piston engines once it completes 10 hours of flight. It needs 10 hours not because it’s a new airplane, but because it must complete an aerodynamic profile before the iE2 can be mounted on the airframe. The engine is run by a computer, and these tests are telling the computer exactly how the airplane performs. Data is transmitted from the Lancair electronically for Lycoming engineers to view.
http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2 ... c_sect=ganBiplanes converge on Bartlesville for final ExpoAirplanes were arriving in Bartlesville, Okla., under clearing skies on June 3 from as far away as Michigan and California for the twenty-third annual—and final—Biplane Expo. The National Biplane Association’s grand finale ends June 6 in the northeastern Oklahoma city. “This has been one of the most successful, most unique, and most coveted fly-ins anywhere in the country,” association chairman Charlie Harris told volunteers assembled at Bartlesville Municipal Airport on Wednesday evening. Because of poor weather and the rising cost of operating aircraft, however, the Biplane Expo drew 58 biplanes in 2007 and only 31 last year. Last fall the association’s board came to an emotionally difficult decision, voting to discontinue its aviation activities.
http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2 ... c_sect=ganProtect GA—keep flying, AOPA tells Idaho pilotsIn the face of threats to general aviation such as onerous security regulations and proposals that could drive up the cost of flying, what’s a pilot to do? Keep flying, AOPA Executive Vice President of Government Affairs Andy Cebula told a group of Idaho pilots recently. In a panel discussion at the Rocky Mountain West Aviation Expo in Boise, Idaho, Cebula told pilots the best way to secure the future of GA is to continue to exercise the special freedom to take to the skies, whether for business or recreation.
http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/region/200 ... c_sect=ganFlying car enters new development phase
Terrafugia’s proof-of-concept aircraft is retiring after a successful 28-flight career. The next step is an eight-month design phase of a “beta prototype” flying car, expected to be ready in late 2010. A second, pre-production flying model will be followed by the production vehicle. Deliveries to customers are to start in 2011. The proof-of-concept vehicle—using heavier, off-the-shelf systems and components—flew the last 21 of its flights in less than a week during the final of four test trials. It flew at 150 feet to 200 feet, staying above the runway on all flights.
http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2 ... c_sect=ganHoneywell unveils KFD 840Honeywell’s Bendix/King general aviation avionics division gave the press a first look at the company’s new primary flight display, the KFD 840. The $16,995, 8.4-inch diagonal active liquid crystal matrix flat screen lets customers do away with the conventional six-pack of flight instruments common in the vast majority of older GA airplanes. Designed specifically for retrofit installation in FAR Part 23 piston-powered airplanes under 6,000 pounds, the KFD 840 has a number of attractive features.
http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2 ... c_sect=ganFAA extends special training rule for Robinson coptersThe FAA has announced it will continue to require special flight training for Robinson R22 and R44 helicopters. The agency first put in place a special federal aviation regulation (SFAR) to address the unique aerodynamic and design features of the helicopters in 1995, after the helicopters had more fatal accidents due to "main rotor/airframe contact than other piston-powered helicopters." There have been no such accidents over the past few years. The latest extension of the SFAR was set to expire June 30, 2009; a new rule extends it indefinitely.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-12532.pdfDTC has forecast animationsDTC DUAT has added a new series of forecast animations to its list of continental United States weather products. These products cover a nine-hour period and use colors and shading to indicate various levels of anticipated conditions. The products include satellite graphics of forecast cloud cover, Nexrad precipitation levels, thunderstorm echo tops, surface visibility, icing, and upper level (from 18,000 to 39,000 feet msl) turbulence.
http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2 ... c_sect=ganUltralight to fly under new owner and nameWichita, Kan.-based aviation enthusiast and entrepreneur James Wiebe and his wife, Kathy, have acquired the production rights to a previously designed aircraft, the Kitfox Lite, and formed a new business entity, Belite Aircraft, to market it. The airplane will incorporate stronger, lighter carbon fiber components to meet FAA Part 103 Ultralight Vehicle weight requirements of 254 pounds or less.
http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2 ... c_sect=ganFLYING magazine sold to Bonnier Corp.Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. has sold five of its magazines, including
FLYING, to Bonnier Corp., a company with offices in New York and Florida. The magazine staff will move to the Two Park Avenue, New York, office of Bonnier in the next 60 to 90 days. Other magazines sold by Hachette Filipacchi include
Popular Photography,
American Photo,
Boating, and
Sound & Vision. Only the staff of
Boating will move to Florida, where it will join other boating magazines already owned by Bonnier. Bonnier has nearly 50 publications with the latest acquisitions, including
Popular Science,
Field & Stream, and
Scuba Diving. A spokesman said there will be no change in direction for the magazines purchased.
Honeybees bring flight school unexpected buzzAfter a long flight in the hot sun, it may be nice to cool off and rest at the local flight center—and that’s what about 10,000 bees did at a Massachusetts airport recently. The swarm of honeybees landed on the wing of a flight school’s Piper Warrior at Beverly Municipal Airport and later found a shady spot on its underside. A local bee expert removed the bees with a special vacuum and transported them to where they could produce honey. “I’d never seen anything like it,” said Arne Nordeide, the owner of Beverly Flight Center. He said that beekeeper Al Wilkins told him that in the sunny and windy conditions that day, the bees “just got tired and decided to take a little break.”
AOPA Pilot feature: Aerial photography
You’ll see two of these photos in AOPA Pilot, but if two are good, why not 10 pictures? Two award-winning aerial photographers took a break from commercial work to capture some fine art photos from their Cessna aircraft. Enjoy the work of California pilot/photographer David Sievert and San Antonio pilot/photographer Kevin Butts.
http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2 ... c_sect=ganSafety & ProficiencyDeath grip: Spin training turns tragicA little fear can be a good thing, but when fear turns to panic, tragedy often ensues. On June 8, 2006, a CFI-in-training and his instructor were killed when they failed to recover from an intentional spin. The student reportedly had a history of impulsive and panicked behavior during stressful situations, including locking his grip on the yoke and refusing to give up control of the airplane. Wrestling the controls from the jittery, 230-pound student would have been a tough task for his 100-pound female spin instructor.
http://www.aopa.org/asf/epilot_acc/lax0 ... c_sect=sapNew resource answers your ATC questionsFrom newly minted aviators to seasoned veterans, most pilots have questions about air traffic control. When speaking to ATC, should you use local or Zulu time? What is “standard separation”? If you make a mistake, such as busting airspace or an altitude, what really happens? The AOPA Air Safety Foundation put these and other common questions directly to controllers—who provided no-nonsense, real-world answers for pilots. The result is a valuable new Web resource, Ask ATC, developed by the foundation in cooperation with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Question categories include VFR, IFR, and more. An interactive feature allows you to submit queries of your own.
http://www.aopa.org/asf/askatc/index.ht ... c_sect=sapThunderstorms: A deadly weather conditionThe Air France Airbus that crashed earlier this week may have been a victim of one of aviation’s most dangerous weather conditions. Flight 447 was known to have been flying through heavy thunderstorms and turbulence when it disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean en route to Paris from Brazil. While thunderstorms may not have been the sole cause, they may have triggered a cascading series of factors that led to the accident. Nobody wants to fly into thunderstorms. But, unless you understand the nature of the beast—the atmospheric conditions that produce thunderstorms—you could put yourself in a dangerous situation.
http://www.aopa.org/training/articles/2 ... c_sect=sapQuiz MeQuestion: My flight school requires all students to bring a current sectional chart on every flight. I couldn’t find this requirement anywhere in the regulations. Where does it state I have to carry a current sectional chart?
Answer: There is no regulation that states that a pilot must carry a current sectional chart (or any chart at all) unless the pilot is flying under Subpart F of FAR Part 91, “Large and Turbine Powered Multiengine Airplanes and Fractional Ownership Program Aircraft.” Most pilots would agree that carrying appropriate, current charts is a good idea. Should you be involved in an accident or incident and the FAA found that you did not have current charts, you could be in violation of FAR 91.103, which requires pilots to be familiar with all available information prior to their flight.
Airport SupportDeKalb-Peachtree celebrates its fiftieth with styleDeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Atlanta, Ga., opened its expansive doors for Good Neighbor Day on May 30 to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. Several thousand residents joined aviation buffs and airshow performers to help celebrate the airport’s history and share the importance of general aviation with its community. Airshow performers teamed up for a three-hour high-octane aviation journey over the airport’s expansive ramps and taxiways.
http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2 ... c_sect=astBlogsAir Safety eJournal: It’s not the regulation, it’s the executionAOPA Air Safety Foundation President Bruce Landsberg talks about Continental flight 3407, the Q-400 (Dash 8 derivative) that crashed in Buffalo this past winter. Congress is calling for a review of all commercial airline pilot training and certification programs; however, Landsberg thinks the problem may lie in administration of regulations, not the regulations themselves.
http://blog.aopa.org/asfblog/?p=192&WT. ... _sect=blogReporting Points: Congratulations, Deanna!Deanna Flemings, the subject of AOPA’s “Why We Fly” for the July 2009 issue of AOPA Flight Training, is a student pilot no longer. She passed her private pilot check ride just as the issue went to press. Deanna’s first passenger was her mom. Her next two checkpoints: high school graduation and the U.S. Air Force Academy!
http://blog.aopa.org/blog/?p=830&WT.mc_ ... _sect=blogLet’s Go Flying: Mountain flying in FranceWatch a video of beautiful French scenery as a pilot flies a French Jodel into Altiport de Méribel (LFKX) in France. The Jodel is one of the most popular training aircraft used in French flying clubs. It’s large, sturdy low-wing design allows it to carry nearly its own weight.
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FLYING eNewsletterTragedy for Air France; Flight 447 Lost at SeaThere were no voice communications related to the crash of Air France Flight 447 last Sunday evening. But a spurt of telemetry data received from the four-year-old Airbus A330 indicated at least a dozen system failures, including loss of electrical power and pressurization. All 216 passengers (from as many as 32 different countries) and 12 crew members are presumed lost, and search aircraft have located a debris field extending some three miles along the ocean surface. Two Americans were reportedly listed on the passenger manifest. The airliner was about four hours into the flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris and was cruising at 35,000 feet over the Atlantic, approximately 400 miles off the coast of Brazil. So far, terrorism is not suspected, and the focus of the investigation seems to be a weather-related cause. Investigators have reported that the Airbus flew through an area of observed convective weather at the approximate time of the transmission of telemetry data. A line of severe storms was reported along the route, just north of the equator. Efforts are focusing on recovery of the airliner's cockpit voice and flight data recorders. The waters where the Airbus went down are as deep as 23,000 feet. The Air France captain of Flight 447 had 11,000 hours total time, with 1,700 hours in type.
http://blogs.flyingmag.com/left_seat/20 ... ml?cid=142TSA Backs Off on Badge Requirement; But Check Ahead, AnywayLast Friday, the Transportation Security Administration enacted a new security directive, SD-8G. The new measure replaced one that was much more restrictive, and would have required transient pilots to undergo separate background checks and acquire security badges for every airport they might visit that also has commercial airline service. (Estimates place the number of such airports at around 400, but the TSA has not yet published a list, and the criteria have not yet been made known.) Under terms of SD-8G, which took effect on Monday, transient pilots need not acquire a badge, but are advised to remain close to their aircraft and leave its 'footprint' only for trips to and from the FBO. The TSA is expected to establish guidelines for self-fueling facilities and emergency situations. Pilots based at airports with airline service will still be required to undergo background checks and get security badges in order to walk unescorted around the airport—or areas of the airport designated as sensitive (no clear direction on those criteria yet, either). Airports can apply to TSA for an alternative security measure, which would enable them to forego the badge requirement. Pilots are advised to call ahead to airports they think might have airline service and assure themselves they are in compliance with the new TSA directive.
Happy Days Are Here Again at CirrusCirrus announced this week it is increasing production rates to eight aircraft per week and rehiring 50 furloughed employees. The production rate increase is the second in a month and a half at Cirrus, with the rate now double what it was at its low point of four aircraft per week. The ramp-up is attributed to "consistent growth in new-aircraft orders over the past 120 days," outpacing the reduced production rate. Orders are coming from both domestic and foreign customers, including both retail and institutional orders. Similarly, Cirrus has seen increased activity in its Cirrus Certified used aircraft sales program, with inventories of used aircraft "showing increasing signs of stabilization." According to a report on Minnesota Public Radio, Cirrus currently employs a total of 800 at its Duluth and Grand Forks, North Dakota, plants. Most of some 500 employees placed on furlough earlier this year are now back on the job, according to the station.
Bell's 429 Closing In on Certification
Bell Helicopter reports it needs only software approval to notch Canadian type certification for its new Model 429. The light twin rotorcraft has completed all component trials in more than 1,800 hours of flight test involving five aircraft. Approval from Transport Canada is expected by the end of this month, with U.S. FAA approval following "swiftly." European certification from EASA is expected within a few weeks of North American signings. Originally expected to be certified in Q1 of 2007, the Model 429 boasts 301 letters of intent, which Bell expects to convert to purchase agreements upon certification.
Six L.A. Pilots Busted for Busting Presidential TFRMost East Coast pilots are more familiar with flight restrictions involving Presidential travel, but a half dozen Los Angeles-area pilots will now become a lot more aware. The six were observed within Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) airspace during President Obama's visit to L.A. two weeks ago, and directed by air traffic controllers to leave. The controllers filed reports with the local Flight Standards District Office, which is currently investigating. The pilots face penalties up to and including certificate suspension or revocation. The TFR affected flights near LAX, Santa Monica, Hawthorne Municipal, Van Nuys and Burbank airports.
FLYING Has a New OwnerOn Monday,
FLYING magazine and four other titles were turned over to new owner, Bonnier Corp., which currently owns nearly 50 magazines. Bonnier is known as a specialist in enthusiast titles, and also owns legacy large-circulation magazines such as
Popular Science and
Field & Stream. Former owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM-US) selected Bonnier from a number of bidders who had been vying for
FLYING,
Boating,
Popular Photography,
American Photo and
Sound & Vision. HFM-US President and CEO Alain Lemarchand said, "I am pleased that Bonnier Corp. has purchased these enthusiast titles, because I think that these brands will find the support and synergies they will need to prosper."
FLYING is the oldest of the magazines involved, founded in 1927—the same year Lindbergh flew from New York to Paris. Bonnier becomes its fifth owner in 82 years of publication. For more on the change in
FLYING's ownership, see this week's
Left Seat.
Continental Pilots Accused of Pension ScamNine senior Continental Airlines pilots have been accused by the airline of faking divorces to gain access to pension funds they might have lost otherwise. According to the accusations, the pilots divorced their spouses to make them eligible to receive the funds, then either remarried or continued living together. At least one of the pilots insists her divorce and remarriage represent a legitimate change of heart.
Scimitar Top Prop Available for Cessna T210LHartzell's three-blade Top Prop is now available to operators of turbocharged Cessna T210Ls. The conversion increases runway acceleration and improves climb rate, according to Piqua, Ohio-based Hartzell. List prices range from $9,800 to $11,800, depending on equipment required for the installation.
New England Dealer Delivers Its First Pilatus PC-12 NGPro Star Aviation of Londonderry, New Hampshire, has delivered its first Pilatus PC-12 NG since being named a PC-12 sales and service center. The big Swiss-built turboprop single was delivered to a New Jersey-based customer.
Hawker Beechcraft Services Honored by FAAAlong with almost 500 of its individual technicians, Hawker Beechcraft Services received kudos from the FAA this week. The company's factory service centers received FAA's Diamond Award, while seven HBS maintenance centers met the agency's "highest distinction for excellence in aircraft maintenance training."
Left SeatFLYING Has New OwnerBy J. Mac McClellan
On June 1 Bonnier Corporation purchased
FLYING magazine and four other titles from Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. The writers, editors and staff of
FLYING were all transferred to the new company so all of the familiar names and columns will continue.
Bonnier is a huge media company based in Sweden. Over the past few years Bonnier has entered the special interest magazine business in the United States and now publishes 49 different titles and operates an even larger number of websites. Bonnier's magazines range from large circulation titles such as
Popular Science and
Field & Stream to niche publications such as
WakeBoarding. The company has a big stable of recreational marine magazines including
Yachting,
Sailing World and
Motor Boating.
FLYING seems to be a good fit for Bonnier's business plan, which is to focus on special interests. Hachette, on the other hand, wanted out of the category in order to focus more tightly on its flagship women's brands such as
Elle and
Woman's Day.
This is the fourth time in its 82-year history that
FLYING has changed ownership, and in my nearly 33 years at the magazine I have been there for all of them. Moving the office—which will stay in New York—and adapting to a new company's procedures is always at least a little disruptive. But I believe that you,
FLYING's loyal reader, will see nothing but improvements. Bonnier promises to invest in
FLYING and I promise that we will continue our mission to inform, educate and entertain anyone who is a pilot, or wants to become one. And we will still be flying at
FLYING to stay abreast of what is happening in the diverse world of general aviation and business flying.
Tip Of The WeekTrying Out TSA's Directive SD-8GBy Mark PhelpsI really hadn't meant it as a test of the TSA's latest security directive, but as it worked out, it couldn't have been planned any better. Weeks ago, I had made a June 1 appointment with Sensenich Propeller Service at Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Airport. My home-airport shop had noticed some shifting on the backing plate of the Hartzell MV-converted prop on my Bonanza, and suggested I let an expert have a look. Since SPS (no longer affiliated with Sensenich the manufacturer) had overhauled the prop in 1999, I took it back there. Ground control directed me to taxi right up to their hangar. So far so good.
http://www.flyingmag.com/tip/1558/tryin ... ml?cid=142
Make Orwell fiction again.
Great news!
Sad news.