|
News You Can Use
---
EAA, AOPA Exemption Requests For Rec Pilot Driver's License Medical Denied
EAA's request for an exemption to permit recreational pilot certificate holders to conduct flight activities using a current and valid U.S. driver's license, instead of an FAA-issued medical certificate, was denied by the FAA Flight Standards Office on Thursday (March 6). EAA, which filed the request on September 26, 2002, sought to use a proposed five-year exemption to collect data and establish a basis for eliminating third-class medical certificate requirement for recreational pilots. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) filed a similar petition in January 2003 which was also denied on March 6 by the FAA.
(read more)
EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan Now Available For Canadian Members
Canadian EAA members can now take advantage of competitive insurance rates and unique coverage available under the EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan. The plan, previously available only to U.S. EAA members, provides the most competitive rates on the market today, along with recently introduced coverage enhancements found nowhere else in the industry.
“This is something we’ve been working for since the introduction of the EAA Insurance Plan at AirVenture last summer,” said EAA President Tom Poberezny. “We’re very pleased to be able to welcome our Canadian EAA members into the plan, allowing them to take advantage of what we feel is the best aircraft insurance product on the market.”
(read more)
Washington/Baltimore ADIZ Procedures Ease Somewhat
FAA issued NOTAMs today (March 5) that impact the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and other procedures in the airspace over and surrounding the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore areas. The updated NOTAMs supercede those previous issued affecting the area.
One NOTAM (3/1850) maintains the boundaries of the current ADIZ, but eliminates the requirement to file a flight plan before departure from any airport within the approximately 30-mile radius of the ADIZ area. All aircraft will be required to maintain a “squawk and talk” presence, with specific transponder codes and radio communication within the area. If an aircraft finds it impossible to maintain those communication links during their flight, they must communicate with Potomac Center prior to any flight within the
ADIZ.
(read more)
HAC Meets, Opens Dialogue With Kit Manufacturers
The EAA Homebuilt Aircraft Council (HAC) held its quarterly meeting at EAA headquarters in Oshkosh Monday and Tuesday, March 3-4. General business centered on EAA’s improvements to EAA safety programs, Flight Advisors and Technical Counselors, EAA SportAir Workshops, and homebuilt activities planned for this year’s EAA AirVenture, the 100th anniversary of
flight.
(read more)
First EAA-Sponsored AB-DAR Appointed
David VanDenburg, Gwinn, Michigan, is the first EAA-sponsored FAA amateur-built designated airworthiness representative (AB-DAR). He received verification of his appointment in a letter dated February 26 from the Minneapolis, Minnesota, Manufacturing Inspection District Office (MIDO). FAA and EAA created the AB-DAR program to help alleviate the backlog of pending homebuilt aircraft inspections through the use of volunteer field inspectors. EAA has forwarded more than 50 applications to various MIDOs throughout the country for the program. VanDenburg’s qualifications are outstanding: He is a full-time instructor in the aviation maintenance school at Northern Michigan University (NMU), an EAA member for six years, and an EAA Technical Counselor for five.
VanDenburg holds an FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certificate with an Inspection Authorization (IA) rating.
(read more)
Wind Tunnel Tests Will Unlock Secret to Operating Wright Flyer Reproduction
EAA’s authentic reproduction of the 1903 Wright Flyer, the central element of its Countdown to Kitty Hawk initiative presented by Ford Motor Company, underwent two weeks of wind tunnel tests at the end of February at Old Dominion University’s 73-year-old Langley Full Scale Tunnel (LFST) in Hampton, Virginia.
The ’03 Flyer reproduction, in final building stages by Ken Hyde and the Wright Experience in Warrenton, Virginia, is scheduled to fly at precisely 10:35 a.m. on December 17, 2003—exactly 100 years after the famous first powered flight by Orville Wright—at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in North Carolina.
(read
more)
New EAA AirVenture Planning Guide Available Online
Planning to attend EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2003, the world’s premier general aviation event? You’ll want to get your hands on our new helpful AirVenture Planning Guide, available for download on the EAA AirVenture website. In it you’ll find all sorts of useful information to organize your visit to Oshkosh, from driving directions, camping and area lodging information to airline contacts and car rental companies. There’s also handy information about youth activities, child care, handicapped services and bus service. Just visit
www.airventure.org and click on AirVenture Planning Guide to download or print your own your copy in convenient PDF format (Adobe Acrobat Reader required).
Search EAA’s AirVenture
Website With Google
In an effort to improve EAA AirVenture website visitors' experiences, EAA has implemented Google's search engine technology into the EAA AirVenture website. With the new capability, AirVenture website visitors can do a quick search of the site from the home page, or use the 'Search' link at the bottom of every page (and at the side of most pages) to search the AirVenture site or the World Wide Web. Google, one of the most powerful search engines on the web, provides access to over three billion web pages.
AirVenture website searches may yield results from past AirVenture pages, but the current information is marked 2003 for easier referencing.
EAA plans to add Google search capability to the main EAA website, www.eaa.org.
New Look For NAFI Mentor Beginning in April
The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) monthly publication, NAFI Mentor, gets a colorful upgrade beginning with the April 2003 issue. That’s when the flight-instructor journal transforms from its traditional newsletter format to a magazine, with additional content and a new color cover photo each month. The magazine will feature 16 monthly pages of critical information designed for flight instructors and feature stories on motivating and teaching students more effectively; flight safety tips; regulatory issues; marketing ideas; and other topics.
(read more)
UND Lacy Scholarship Candidates Visit EAA
Seventeen students from the University of North Dakota’s (UND) Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences were at EAA headquarters in Oshkosh from February 28 to March 2 to interview for Clay Lacy Professional Pilot scholarships and other internships. The students, hosted by the EAA Aviation Foundation at the EAA Air Academy Lodge, were interviewed by several EAA staff members and toured the Oshkosh campus.
(read more)
Centennial
Homebuilt of the Week
(NOTE: EAA e-HOT LINE will feature a Centennial Homebuilt of the Week as we approach the 100th anniversary of powered flight on December 17, 2003. Visit the EAA Homebuilder’s website for more information.)
C.J. Reinhart, EAA 448697, Fort Worth, Texas completed his Osprey GP-4 on February 18, 2003—nine years after he begun the project. “I cut the first piece of wood on February 19th, 1994,” he said. C.J. invested a total of 5,561 hours
building the entire airplane himself except for the landing gear, motor mount, the cowl and tail cone blanks. To read all about the project, visit the
EAA Homebuilders Headquarters website.
On The Flight Line ---
TCM, Honda Collaborating on ‘Next-Generation’ Piston Aircraft Engine
Teledyne Continental Motors Inc. (TCM) and Honda Motor Co. have announced a joint feasibility study for a next-generation, four-cylinder piston aviation engine on Tuesday (March 4). TCM parent Teledyne Technologies Inc. revealed that the two companies have spent the last two years testing a prototype, Honda-designed aviation piston engine at TCM’s Mobile, Alabama, facility.
Honda spokesperson Jeffrey Smith gave limited details about the horizontally opposed, water-cooled powerplant that uses unleaded auto fuel. Not commenting on the engine’s horsepower, Smith said, "Lower fuel consumption, less weight, higher output and use of unleaded fuel are characteristics which make it potentially superior to currently available engines."
(read more)
Adam Customers Go Online For A500, A700 Update
Customers and other interested parties received an online progress report on Adam Aircraft Industries’ A500 and A700 aircraft on Wednesday (March 5) by logging onto a web seminar “What’s Happening at Adam Aircraft” hosted by company President Rick Adam.
Adam addressed participants via a toll-free phone call while a slideshow provided visuals on the company’s website. The A500 is a six-place, centerline thrust carbon fiber airplane powered by two Continental 350-hp engines with a range of 1,500 miles, maximum cruise speed of 250 knots, and an 8,000-feet pressurized cabin at 24,000 feet for a base price of $895,000. The A700 is the company’s entry into the increasingly popular small jet market, utilizing the same basic design of the A500. It will be powered by two Williams FJ33 engines, reach a maximum speed of 340 knots, 1,400-mile range, and 41,000-foot ceiling, with a base price of $1.9 million.
(read more)
Kitfox Lite² Discontinued by SkyStar
SkyStar Aircraft President Ed Downs announced this week the company would discontinue production of the entry ultralight trainer Kitfox Lite² (Squared). The Lite², which made a big splash at Sun ’n Fun 2001 as an eligible light-sport aircraft for the much anticipated sport pilot rule, became a victim of economic demands that required the company to optimize its production and purchasing efficiencies, Downs said. The Lite² will live on in the form of the Kitfox Classic 4, and SkyStar’s Kitfox Series 7 airframe will serve sport pilots going forward.
SkyStar will build just 10 more Lite² kits and make them available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Lite² will be grandfathered allowing it to operate as an ultralight trainer for another two years. The aircraft also meets the 51% rule that will let it transition easily into the Experimental or Sport Experimental categories.
For more information, visit www.skystar.com.
Lancair Delivers First Aircraft Since Restart
The Lancair Company delivered its first Columbia 300 February 28 since resuming production at its Bend, Oregon, factory, earlier this year. Enrico Evers of Hanseatische Luftwerft GmbH (HLW), Lancair’s dealer for Western Europe, was on hand to receive the aircraft on behalf of its new Dutch owner. “We’re nearly fully staffed again and have been ramping up our production line as rapidly as possible to deliver airplanes at an ever increasing rate on into the future,” said Lancair President Bing Lantis. This is the second Lancair Columbia 300 delivery for Europe. The first was the New Spirit of St. Louis, which Eric Lindberg flew non-stop from New York to Paris last spring.
www.lancair.com
AM-SAFE, AMD Developing Airbag System For CH2000 Alarus
AM-SAFE is working with another aircraft manufacturer--Aircraft Manufacturing & Development Co. Inc (AMD)--to develop a certified seatbelt airbag system. Last week we reported AM-SAFE and Aviat Aircraft were integrating airbag technology into the five-point harnesses currently installed in all Aviat aircraft. AMD, which assembles and markets the AMD CH2000 Alarus, is headquartered in Eastman, Georgia. AM-SAFE has already completed most tests, which includes deploying the airbags in a CH2000 simulator cabin. Adding airbags to the CH2000, which uses 27g load seats to minimize pilot/passenger spin injuries on hard landings, “is part of our continued improvement program" said AMD President Mathieu Heintz. - Aircraft Manufacturing & Development Co., Inc. (AMD). For more information, visit
www.newplane.com.
Q & A:
Question of the Week
Question for EAA Aviation
Information Services:
I have commercial, SMEL, instrument ratings, but lost my medical last year. I have no restrictions on (auto) driving, just flying, and I have no restrictions on physical activity. With the only medical requirement to fly light-sport aircraft (LAS) being a valid driver’s license, I am very interested in the progress of this legislation. If I can fly LSA-type aircraft, then I would like to do so. Are there any catches in this legislation regarding medical qualifications other than having a valid driver’s license?
Also, I understand there is a proposal to raise the LSA weight limit to 1,300 pounds. True?
Answer:
A sport pilot will be allowed to operate using either a 3rd class FAA medical certificate or a valid
U.S. state driver’s license as medical certification. Your existing airman certificate and valid state drivers license will allow you to operate as a sport pilot, but you will be required to get a current flight review. Of course, you will be required to operate within all sport pilot limitations at such times as you are using your driver’s license as medical certification.
There is no specific proposal to raise the gross weight limit for light-sport aircraft up to a specific weight. However, there was considerable comment on this issue during the NPRM public comment period, and it’s our feeling that the final rule will place the gross weight limit somewhere in the neighborhood of
1,300 lbs.
How can we help you? To
ask a question regarding government issues, e-mail govt@eaa.org. If you have a question
about registration, airmen, aircraft and medical certification,
safety records, performance, or any other matter, e-mail infoserv@eaa.org.
We are pleased to provide this info to EAA members
as a membership benefit. To ensure that this service continues, renew your membership or join EAA today by calling
800/843-3612 or 920/426-5912.
EAA SportAir Workshops
Upcoming Workshop
March 14-16, 2003, Griffin (Atlanta), GA
Topics: RV Assembly
March 21-23, 2003, Corona, CA
Topics: RV Assembly
March 21-23, 2003, Griffin (Atlanta), GA
Topics: TIG Welding
See the complete schedule of
upcoming SportAir Workshops.
Are you searching for an Aircraft STC? You can look it up on http://av-info.faa.gov/stc/. Are
you searching for an Aircraft AD? Look for it here.
If you wish to unsubscribe from EAA
e-Hot Line, simply send an e-mail to membership@eaa.org with the
word "unsubscribe" in the subject field.
We welcome your comments and suggestions to
ehotline@eaa.org.
All
content, logos and pictures are the property of EAA - Copyright © 2003
|