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B-17 TOUR
The fall tour of the B-17 has been announced. To view the tour or book a flight, visit the B-17 website.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Next Workshop
August 9-11, 2002
Griffin, GA
  

Download New Monthly Wallpaper Today ...

EAA's website features a different aviation-themed calendar every month that you can download and use as desktop wallpaper. Featured during July - the AeroShell Aerobatic Team, who will be performing during AirVenture.

  
The Official Electronic Newsletter of EAA
July 19, 2002   Volume 2, Number 5

Welcome to EAA e-HOT LINE, the e-mail newsletter for members of the Experimental Aircraft Association, its divisions and affiliates. We welcome your comments and suggestions to ehotline@eaa.org.

During EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2002, e-HOT LINE will be published on a daily basis with current news and events directly from EAA AirVenture. These special e-HOT LINE editions will begin with pre-AirVenture information and news on July 22 and run through July 29. Visit the EAA AirVenture website for full coverage of the event. 
  

News You Can Use ---

EAA Urges Swift Action To Select Next FAA Administrator
In the next few days the Bush administration is expected to nominate National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Marion C. Blakely as the next FAA administrator, succeeding Jane Garvey who completes her five-year term on August 4.

In a January 3, 2002, letter to Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, EAA President Tom Poberezny stressed the importance of maintaining continuity in the position of leadership at FAA and urged that an appointment be made before Administrator Garvey’s departure. Now, as it appears a nominee will be formally announced soon, EAA restates its strong recommendation that the nomination/approval process move forward as expeditiously as possible so as to minimize any gap in leadership of this critically important position. “An appropriate transition without loss of leadership will be critical to aviation’s future,” the letter stated.

 Blakey, 54, was sworn in as the ninth NTSB chairman in September 2001. She was administrator of the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 1992 to 1993, and before that served in five government departments and agencies, including the Departments of Commerce and Education, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the White House. For the last eight years, she has been the principal of Blakey & Associates, a Washington, D.C. public affairs consulting firm particularly focusing on transportation issues and traffic safety.

Exciting New Member Benefit, the EAA Airport and Destination Guide
Flight planning your destination just got easier thanks to a new member benefit on the EAA website. Announcing the EAA Airport and Destination Guide, a new service in the Pilot Services Section. Developed by EAA and partner AeroPlanner.com, the Airport and Destination Guide provides information on of over 25,000 public and private airports. Locate airports by numerous search criteria, including airport code, city and state, Navaid ID, latitude & longitude, and zip code ... (read more)

Arlington Puts on Quite a Show
Outstanding weather, great people and lots of airplanes combined to make the 2002 edition of the Northwest EAA Fly-In a successful and safe event. Over 1,200 aircraft registered on site during the July 10-14 fly-in held at Arlington (Washington) Municipal Airport ... (read more)

New Date, Location For EAA SWRFI in 2003
EAA’s Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) will be located at the New Braunfels Airport in central Texas starting in 2003. The fly-in date has also been moved from late September to the third weekend of May. The location and date change are the result of membership surveys and extensive evaluation by SWRFI’s site selection committee. The EAA SWRFI was originally located in Georgetown, Texas, and was started by Tony Bingelis and his EAA Chapter 187 in 1964. It was later moved to Kerrville and then to Abilene, Texas ... (read more)

Chapter 1158 Finishes Large Compass Rose
West Bend EAA Chapter 1158 recently completed a large compass rose on the ramp adjacent to its chapter building located at Wet Bend Municipal Airport (ETB). It measures an impressive 108 feet across the cardinal points and also includes what may be the first compass rose to display a surveyed GPS waypoint with longitude and latitude shown. “We believe we may have set some record for size and the incorporation of the surveyed GPS waypoint,” said Chapter member Paul Lupton. EBT is a convenient gas stop less than 50 NM miles southeast of Oshkosh. “Each year we get many transients who base here for AirVenture,” Lipton added. Visit the Chapter website at http://eaa1158.freeservers.com.

  
On The Flight Line ---

Eclipse Rolls Out the 500 Jet

"After years of hard work and innovation, the first Eclipse 500 test-flight aircraft is out of the hangar and close to taking flight," said Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn. "Today we're celebrating a significant milestone in our quest to change the way the people travel, one that could not have been made possible without the support and dedication of many of those who are here today."

The Eclipse 500 is a six-person twin-engine jet aircraft that aims to provide a viable alternative to commercial airlines. Through the Eclipse 500, emerging air-travel services will be able to offer passengers access to 10,000 airports in the U.S. alone, paving the way for affordable point-to-point private jet travel. Today's commercial airline system forces 70 percent of all air travelers to pass through 29 increasingly crowded "hub" airports.

Priced at $837,500 (in June 2000 dollars), the Eclipse 500 costs approximately a quarter of today's small jet aircraft. The Eclipse 500 flies 355 knots (408 mph) powered by the Williams EJ22, a turbofan engine that weighs approximately 85 pounds and delivers over 770 pounds of thrust, a higher thrust-to-weight ratio than any commercial turbofan ever produced. Range is 1,300 nautical miles, or about the distance between Boston and Miami, at an operational cost of approximately 56 cents per mile.

"We've married best practices from the high-tech and aviation worlds to build a jet that combines advanced digital technologies with breakthrough propulsion and electronics systems," said Raburn. "Bolstered by our high-volume manufacturing processes, these achievements translate into the lowest cost of ownership ever achieved in a jet aircraft."

Eclipse Aviation has also pioneered the use of friction stir welding in production on thin-gauge aircraft aluminum. Friction stir welding has replaced many of the rivets on the Eclipse 500, including rivets that would normally be found in the cabin, aft fuselage, wings and engine mounts. The elimination of thousands of rivets dramatically reduces assembly costs and cycle-time production, and ultimately results in better quality joining and stronger, lighter joints.

  
Q & A: Question of the Week

Question: What is EAA AirVenture Oshkosh?
   
Answer: As you who are EAA members are well aware, AirVenture is an exciting weeklong celebration of aviation history, achievement, and learning. From beautifully restored vintage aircraft to sleek supersonic jets, from the delicate grace of ultralights to a wide array of handcrafted homebuilts which fulfill a person’s dream of building their own aircraft, you’ll find it all on your Convention grounds. Combine that with breathtaking air shows, fascinating exhibits and authoritative workshops, and it adds up to an unforgettable experience for you and the entire family. 
A personal invitation from EAA President Tom Poberezny

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