AVwebFlash Current Issue

• President Bush Orders Priority Action On ATC Modernization
  President Bush on Tuesday signed an Executive Order to mandate that modernizing our national airspace system remains a leading priority for federal agencies. "At an age when teenage drivers use GPS systems in their cars, air traffic controllers still use World War II-era radar to guide modern jumbo jets," Mr. Bush said. "That doesn't seem to make any sense to me ... Modernizing our aviation system is an urgent challenge." He also called on Congress to "help make our transportation system worthy of the 21st century," by providing incentives for the private sector to develop new technologies and investing in infrastructure upgrades. According to a White House fact sheet, the Executive Order will "help transform the national air transportation system and effectively implement the NextGen Initiative (Next Generation Air Transportation System) that utilizes satellite-based guidance technology, which is safer, more secure, affordable, and environmentally friendly." The action aims to strengthen the DOT's coordination with other federal agencies. But according to Doug Church, spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, "[The executive order] certainly appears like yet another new red bow on the same old box, which remains empty. Is the administration now saying modernizing our aviation system was NOT a leading priority up until today?"
• DHS Finalizes GA Border-Crossing Rule
  A final rule issued by the Department of Homeland Security this week is not as bad as it might have been for GA pilots, but it still will have an impact on all across-the-border operations. That's the bottom line from AOPA's analysis of the rule published Tuesday by the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, which is part of the DHS. As initially proposed last year, the rule would have required pilots to file passenger manifests and other information via the Internet an hour before the flight, a problem for pilots who operate from remote and undeveloped airports where Internet access is not available. More than 2,900 comments were filed. "Thanks to pilot input, the CBP better understands the nature of GA operations and the remote areas that pilots often travel," Andy Cebula, AOPA executive vice president of government affairs, said on Tuesday. The final rule offers various options for pilots to file the required information. "Pilots didn't get everything they wanted," Cebula said. Concerns remain over the type of information required and possible delays in approving flights. But, Cebula said, the revisions in the final rule are "proof of how influential general aviation pilots can be when they unite."
• AVweb Insider Blog: Blue Skies, Jerry Smith
  Garmin's Jerry Smith was recently killed in the crash of his Cardinal. He knew everyone in the GA business, and everyone he knew will miss him, including us. AVweb's Paul Bertorelli remembers Jerry on the AVweb Insider blog.
• Video of the Week: U.S. Air Force 'Monday Blues'
  "Video of the Week" returns after a brief hiatus to accomodate our AOPA Expo in-house video production — and we've got some nice clips in the hopper. First up, a video montage of two USAF demo teams paying a visit to Poplar Grove, Illinois's C77, courtesy of AVweb reader Scott Ross. (Click through to watch.)
• On the Fly ...
  One survivor in Grumman Goose crash in B.C. ...Helicopter pilot jailed for "erratic" flying ...Pilot who hit house charged with drunken flying.
• Short Final
  Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"Some years ago at Des Moines, Iowa, I was holding in the run-up area when I heard the tower call an airliner:Tower:"Airliner 1234, cleared for takeoff. Runway 30 right."Airliner:"Tower, we're still waiting for our numbers."Tower:"Roger, Airliner 1234. Cancel departure clearance; hold short of the runway."Airliner:"Airliner 1234, holding short."/p>Several seconds later, the pilot's voice came over the frequency, sounding both apologetic and put out:Airliner Captain:"Ladies and gentlemen, we're experiencing an air traffic control delay, but we should be on our way shortly, as soon as the tower releases us."[pause]Tower:"Nice speech, Captain, but ATC is not delaying you. Suggest you misinform the passengers on the PA, not my frequency."Ralph LundMal Paso Creek, California
• FBO of the Week: Triangle Aviation (Leesburg, Florida)
  >>> AVWEB FUEL FINDERCURRENT PRICE FOR 100LL: $4.80 (down 14¢ from last week)CURRENT PRICE FOR JET A: $4.77 (down 12¢ 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 "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Triangle Aviation at KLEE in Leesburg, Florida.AVweb reader Dave Wilson had a top-notch experience there recently and wrote to share the details:[Owner] Neil Fisher was on the ramp to assist in parking my Bonanza; his friendly and courteous attitude was a welcome change for some of the FBOs, where, if you are not a turbine-powered aircraft, you are treated with indifference. The lineman, D. J. Alexander displayed the same courteous, helpful attitude in helping with a courteousy car and local telephone business numbers, along with topping off the fuel tanks with 100LL; the price of the fuel was the lowest I have seen in the Southeast U.S. at $2.95 (for both full service and self-service) with an additional discount for Angel Flight pilots. Receptionist Bristy Jones, while being very busy, was also extremely efficient and courteous; her being there assisted in making this stop a very enjoyable experience.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!
• Fuel Spike Revives Open Rotor Jet Tests
  GE and NASA, with help from Snecma of France, have teamed to continue evaluation of counter-rotating fan blade systems for open rotor jet designs. Back in the '80s, GE successfully flew an open-rotor jet engine. The GE36, with two rows of counter-rotating blades, was mounted on Boeing 727 and MD-80 aircraft and demonstrated fuel savings of more than 30 percent over similar-sized jet engines running with their front fans conventionally ducted. That efficiency was soon confronted with falling fuel prices and countered by the design's greatest challenge -- noise -- which together (likely along with development costs) effectively shelved the product's development. But GE says it has now "dramatically advanced its data acquisition systems and computational tools to better understand and improve open-rotor systems."
• Mexican Officials: Learjet Crash Not Caused By Foul Play
  Mexican officials' initial investigation of the Learjet crash in Mexico City that Nov. 4 killed Mexico's Interior Minister, and second most powerful official, Juan Camilo Mourino, along with eight others on the jet and five on the ground, suggests pilot competence and wake turbulence may have contributed, according to Mexican officials. The interpretation of evidence that includes analysis of the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder notes "apparent deficiencies in the training and certification process of both pilots," according to Communications and Transportation Minister Luis Tellez.
• Spatial Disorientation Aids Still In The Works
  Project leader Ron Small's study, under the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), is working on a tool that will help pilots overcome spatial disorientation in real time, and so help avert the root cause of 10 percent of general aviation accidents. According to Science Daily, the current project involves the use of specially designed software to monitor the aircraft's attitude and the pilot's inputs. Pilots are alerted to flight aberrations by audio and visual cues, but a vest embedded with isolated tactile stimulators to convey attitude information may also be tested.
• Controller Mistakes In Dallas Misclassified, Now Forgiven
  Thursday, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel confirmed that local managers at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport air traffic control center had hidden controller mistakes ... and that makes it twice in three years. The FAA has responded by initiating an amnesty program to help make sure the errors are properly reported and resolved. Controllers are being told they may now rep