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Sign EAA's Online Sport Pilot Petition!
This week at the Sun ’n Fun EAA Fly-In, EAA kicked off a petition drive where aviation enthusiasts can voice their support for the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft rule. This petition is being forwarded to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, indicating the widespread support the measure has in the aviation community and that OMB should expedite its final approval.

Even those EAA members and aviation enthusiasts who can’t attend Sun ’n Fun this year can join the petition. To view and sign the petition, simply go to the EAA website and follow the simple directions.

Don’t miss the premiere issue (April 2004) of EAA Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Aircraft magazine. Add it to your membership today!

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Great Deals on EAA Logo Caps

Show your pride of membership with an EAA-logoed cap. Choose between the garment-washed appliqué cap, made of 100 percent cotton twill with an adjustable self-fabric tuck-in back strap; and the Tactel Nylon Cap, made of 60/40 nylon/polyester mix, with a jockey shape, built-in coolmax sweatband and adjustable self-fabric tuck-in back strap. Both styles are $14.99 each through EAA’s Aeronautica Gift Shop Aeronautica website.

For many more great sale items, visit the Aeronautica website, http://shop.eaa.org.

Q & A: Question of the Week
Question for EAA Aviation Information Services:
The plans for my Sportsman 2+2 suggest ordering the EAA manuals for constructing wood aircraft Vols. One and Two. These were probably originally published at least 35 years ago. Are they still available?

Answer:
As you suspected, those two books are no longer being published. The good news is, the info is still available in the form of another EAA publication, Aircraft Building Techniques - Wood. You can purchase this book by calling EAA membership services at 800/843-3612, or visiting the EAA Aeronautica website, http://shop.eaa.org. The catalog number is F-18100, and the price is $11.95 plus shipping.

This book is also available in combination with a video titled Basic Aircraft Woodworking. The catalog number for the combo is F-11619, and the price is $23.99 plus shipping.

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.

Upcoming Workshops

April 23-25
Corona (LA area), CA
Topic: RV Assembly

May 14-16
Oshkosh, WI
Topic: RV Assembly

May 14-16
Griffin (Atlanta area), GA
Topic: TIG Welding

May 15-16
Griffin (Atlanta area), GA
Topic: Finishing and Spray Painting

May 22-23
Frederick, MD
Topics: Sheet Metal Basics, Composite Construction, Fabric Covering, Electrical Systems and Avionics, Gas Welding, and What's Involved in Kitbuilding?

April 2004
EAA Desktop Calendar

Coming into land at Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In’s Paradise City, John Hauck's patriotically painted grand champion Kolb Firefly graces our April EAA desktop calendar. Sun ‘n Fun, the traditional kick-off to the summer flying season, runs through April 19 at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Florida.

EAA's Official Electronic Newsletter
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2004 July 27-August 2
"Launching the Next Century of Flight"

April 16, 2004 Volume 4, Number 15

EAA Counters USA Today User-Fee Editorial
The Experimental Aircraft Association strongly criticized an April 14 USA Today editorial that urged a shift of airport tax burdens, from airlines and their passengers who primarily use the facilities, to general-aviation pilots who are minimum users of those facilities and services. In particular, EAA criticized USA Today for describing all general-aviation operators as "well-heeled" and alluding to the "private-plane lobby" that is preventing user-fee operations to be established. Part of EAA’s mission of protecting the right to fly includes ensuring that recreational aviation participants are not burdened with unfair expenses for facilities and services they rarely, if ever, use.
(read more)

Sun ’n Fun - 2004
Sport Pilot A Hot Topic at Sun ’n Fun
Interest in the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft rule (SP/LSA) runs sky-high at this week’s 30th annual Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In in Lakeland, Florida. FAA's Sport Pilot rulemaking team met with industry and community leaders on opening day (Tuesday) of for a status report on the proposed sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rule. Team leader Sue Gardner opened the meeting saying FAA and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials are interacting at the highest levels to answer OMB’s questions raised prior to the end of its 90-day review period. "We're all working as expeditiously as possible to resolve any questions," she said.

National SP/LSA Team Present
Several members of the FAA Sport Pilot Office were also present, reporting that work continues on the Advisory Circular (AC) that will be released shortly after the final rule. The AC is expected to provide detailed guidance for those wishing to become sport pilots or fly light-sport aircraft. The FAA sport pilot team is conducting forums at Sun ’n Fun’s Paradise City ultralight area, explaining operational and maintenance issues based on the sport pilot notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) issued in February of 2003.

EAA Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Aircraft Magazine a Hit
The launch of EAA Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Aircraft magazine, which debuted this month, is being very well received, says its Editor, Mary Jones. “We’ve seen lots of interest among the enthusiasts and manufacturers, who are handing lots of the magazines out to their customers,” she said. The magazine was formally introduced during Tuesday morning’s SP/LSA media briefing.

SP/LSA Petition Drive Running Full Throttle
Meanwhile, EAA members and fly-in attendees are welcoming the opportunity to sign an EAA petition to the Office of Management and Budget voicing their support of the sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft rule. Along with informational forums throughout the week, EAA’s continuously busy Sport Pilot Center staffed by EAA and FAA experts, and prop cards designating “Sport-Pilot Ready" aircraft prevalent throughout Paradise City and the general exhibition area, show that SP/LSA continues to be one of the most popular topics of the fly-in.

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan Ready for SP/LSA
EAA announced Tuesday morning that the EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan is ready to serve both sport pilots and owners of light-sport aircraft for the upcoming sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rule. Falcon Insurance Agency of Kerrville, Texas, EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan administrator, confirmed the commitments from underwriters to supply both hull and liability coverage for light-sport aircraft. This is a major step for pilots and aircraft owners in these new categories, as it helps meet the demand of those who seek insurance coverage in what promises to be a growing area of recreational aviation.
(read more)

Insurance Industry Gets Up To Speed On SP/LSA
EAA officials are helping the aviation insurance industry thoroughly understand the new light-sport aircraft community that will emerge when the sport pilot rule is finalized. Following the announcement of the EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan's expansion into the light-sport aircraft area on Tuesday, EAA officials toured the Sun 'n Fun grounds with aviation insurance underwriters, explaining the safety and specifications of these aircraft.

"We have given insurance underwriters a tremendous amount of information regarding sport pilot and light-sport aircraft, which allowed them to approve the expansion of the EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan into this new area," said Karen Kryzaniak, EAA's Corporate Risk Manager. "EAA has been working to make sport pilot a reality for more than a decade. Sun 'n Fun provides a great opportunity to personally show them the airplanes that will be part of the light-sport aircraft category, which gives them a better connection and understanding for the people and airplanes that will be part of this growing community."

On Tuesday, EAA officials announced that the EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan, administered by Falcon Insurance, would be the first to provide coverage to sport pilot and light-sport aircraft.

Mother Nature Reminds Aviation Faithful Who’s Really Calling the Shots
—S.M. Spangler, Editor in Chief, EAA Publications
By its very name, the Sun ‘n Fun EAA Fly-In elicits mental images of blue skies, gentle breezes, and warm temperatures. Most of the time the mind’s eye and reality are in sync, but periodically, just to remind humans who’s really in charge, Mother Nature brews some contrary weather. This is one of these years, and the 30th annual Sun ‘n Fun began with a rainy, windy day that up ended some freestanding tents, flattened some signs, and sent a lemonade stand sprawling in the middle of the street on opening day, Tuesday, April 13. Just to keep us on our toes, she traded the rain for partly cloudy skies and chilly temperatures the following day, and in their records Sun ‘n Fun shopkeepers will see the sales of fleece, windbreakers, and long sleeve shirts and pants spike on April 14.
(read more)

- Sun ’n Fun News Briefs -

Bohannon to Attempt 50,000 Feet at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2004
World record time-to-climber Bruce Bohannon was one of many Sun ‘n Fun participants arriving a day late because of the weather, but arriving safely was more important than arriving on time. Another destination he’s aiming for is 50,000 feet, and he said the Exxon Flyin’ Tiger will make its next attempt to climb to this lofty perch at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2004. Seeming a bit confident of success, Bruce noted that his team had “found” a bit more horsepower in its Mattituck IO-555 powerplant.

Superior Receives FAA Type Certificate For Vantage Engine
The FAA presented Superior Air Parts, Inc. with a Type Certificate for its new 180-horsepower Vantage Engine today at the Sun ’n Fun EAA Fly-In. The all-new engine design is the culmination of 30 years of development process that has spanned some 30-years, said Charles “Chuck” Dedmon, president and CEO. “Every part that Superior has designed and produced has been a step in the long and detailed process,” he said. The Vantage is the first engine of its type certified in the United States to run on unleaded automotive gasoline. “We believe that the option to run on unleaded auto gas as well as with 91/98 Avgas, will be very attractive to a growing number of aircraft owners around the world,” commented Tim Archer, sr. vice president. Keith Blockus, sr. director of engineering and product development, added that the engine was test run at 80 percent cruise power instead of the usual 75 percent in part to demonstrate its higher performance standards for use in piston-powered helicopters. Superior anticipates full production certification in the fourth quarter this year. For more information, visit www.superiorairparts.com.

The Symphony Continues...
The Symphony line of aircraft built and promoted by OMF GmbH of German showed a lot of promise—until it went bankrupt last year. As a result, the North American company OMF Aircraft Company ceased operations shortly thereafter. Since then, a German company, SMW has purchased the assets of OMF GmbH, and Symphony Aircraft Industries, lead by Paul Costanzo and supported by a lead investor and the management team from the former North American company, plan to re-launch the Symphony line, Constanzo said on April 14. Symphony Aircraft has traveled to German and returned with a memorandum of understanding with SMW, and it is one of five companies bidding for the assets of the former North American company by the April 13 deadline. The results of the bidding will be known within the next week to 10 days, Costanzo said. If Symphony Aircraft is wins the bid, it will aggressively recruit another investor to properly complete the project’s funding. “Regardless of who is the successful bidder for the North American assets, the future of the Symphony product line is secure,” Costanzo said, because all of the bidders are intent on re-launching the line of aircraft that include certificated two and four-seat certificated aircraft and a diesel-powered aircraft.

Be A Pilot Speaks to Prospects in New Ways
Sun ’n Fun begins not only the year’s fly-in season but also the annual Be A Pilot campaign to entice people to act on their dreams of becoming a pilot. “This year’s Be A Pilot TV commercials represent a more direct appeal to consumers, from people with whom they can identify,” said Be A Pilot President Drew Steketee. One commercial rekindles Baby Boomers’ memories of younger dreams that begins with a youngster admiring a T-6, transitions to a Lancair in flight, and concludes with the pilot assuring the audience that, “You can do it. I did!” The nearly $1 million in TV advertising begins April 26, and other ads feature direct-to-camera testimonials by young adult and mature 'Boomers who’ve just taken their $49 introductory flying lessons. To measure its success, Be A Pilot compared a slice of 60,000 people who took advantage of the introductory flying lesson to the FAA airman registry and discovered that nearly 3,000 of them are pilots, holding certificates from student to airline transport pilot, Steketee said.

News You Can Use ---

EAA, Museum of Flight Trade WWII Fighters
A significant, temporary "swap" took place recently between the EAA AirVenture Museum and Seattle's Museum of Flight, with the blessing of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Late last week a flatbed trailer arrived in Oshkosh containing MoF's Supermarine Spitfire MkIX, which saw action in World War II. In return, the Seattle museum gets the last known remaining Nakajima Ki-43IIb "Haybusa" (Peregrine Falcon) Japanese fighter, which EAA has displayed since the 1960s-both at Hales Corners and Oshkosh.
(read more)

EAA, Other GAC Members Oppose P-50 Proposal
EAA has officially submitted its opposition to a Department of Defense request to create a permanent Prohibited Area (P-50) over the U.S. Navy Submarine Base at Kings Bay, Georgia. A temporary flight restriction (TFR) has been in effect there since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. EAA and other General Aviation Coalition member organizations feel this proposed airspace management change, requested in the February 26 Federal Register Notice No. FAA-2003-15976, is not in the best interest of the local community or the local airport, St. Marys (4J6).
(read more)

John T. Baugh, Jr. To Be Enshrined in Tennessee Hall
The Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame announced that longtime EAA Board member John T. Baugh, Jr. is among the four people who will be inducted this year on November 13 at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation. John, 1995 inductee to the EAA Sport Aviation Hall of Fame, is a former chairman and current member of the Tennessee Aeronautics Commission. He is founder and past president of EAA Warbirds of America-Tennessee First Squadron, and has served on the Warbirds board for 22 years, including five terms as president and CO. John, a prominent Nashville businessman, holds a commercial pilot certificate with instrument, single- and multi-engine flight instructor ratings, land and sea, helicopter and an FAA ground level aerobatics waiver. He has flown 135 different types of aircraft and is type-rated in the B-17, B-25, P-51 and P-47. Other 2004 inductees are Trade-A-Plane Founder, the late Cosby P. Harrison; former Boeing president and CEO Harry C. Stonecipher; and former Lt. Governor John S. Wilder.

Deadline Looms for LOA-LOOA Exchange
Pilots in command (PIC) of U.S. and non-U.S. surplus military aircraft and certain turbine-powered experimental amateur-built/experimental exhibition aircraft have until July 31, 2004, to exchange their Letters of Authorization (LOA) and Letters of Operational Authority (LOOA) for airman certificates. FAA Notice No. 8700.24, issued in September 2003, outlines the change for airmen who operate (LOA) or provide training in (LOOA) the aforementioned aircraft. (The current listing of these aircraft is contained in the notice's Appendix 1 and 2.)
(read more)

On The Flight Line ---

Anywhere Wx Gets Lightning
Control Vision Corp. and Meteorlogix have combined forces to make lightning data available for Control Vision’s Anywhere Wx moving map systems. After NEXRAD, lightning is the second-most important data for pilots to avoid catastrophic weather. By seeing the location of NEXRAD and lightning on the moving map, pilots have a powerful tool for circumnavigating areas of bad weather and continuing their flight safely. Meteorlogix supplies the data to Control Vision’s web servers via satellite. Pilots retrieve en route lightning data as often as every five minutes using the Globalstar Satellite network. Lightning data displays on the moving map in three colors that depict a rolling 20-minute time period. Purple icons are strikes within the last five minutes; red are 6-10 minutes old; yellow; 11-20 minutes old. Existing customers can add lightning to their Anywhere Wx system for $75 per year. Complete Anywhere Wx systems begin at under $2200 and ongoing annual subscriptions are $195 (not including lightning fee). For more information, visit www.controlvision.com.

Red Bull Sponsors Aerobatics Champ Chambliss
Reigning three-time United States National Aerobatic Champion Kirby Chambliss debuted his new, highly modified “Red Bull Edge 540” at Sun ’n Fun this week, unveiling his sponsorship agreement with energy drink maker Red Bull. This year Chambliss will fly the 350-hp airplane at 22 air shows, competitions, and events including this week’s Sun ‘n Fun EAA Fly-In and EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. For more information, visit www.chamblissaerobatics.com.

Chelton Launches V5.0 EFIS Software
Chelton Flight Systems new version (5.0A) of its Electronic Flight Information System (EFIS) has more than 130 changes, including enhanced VNAV functions; flight planning using Victor airways and Jet routes; and colorized airspace on the moving map display. Pilots using King KX-155A, KX-165A, or the Garmin/UPSAT SL-30, the EFIS can now be used to auto-tune all Com, ILS, and VOR frequencies. User waypoints are increased to 500, allowing for the development of grids for search and rescue or special-mission operations. Range for the moving map is doubled to 400 nautical miles. Also included are an enhanced display of obstructions and an expanded fuel flow display options. V5.0A adds transparency to TAWS cautions, and warning colors on the moving map make terrain contours visible to aid an evasive avoidance maneuver. “This is a reflection of our commitment to expand on the technology of Highway-in-the-Sky (HITS) and synthetic vision, making the EFIS even more useful and user friendly,” said Chelton President Gordon Pratt. For more information, visit www.cheltonflightsystems.com or call 208/389-9959.

First Turbojet Ratings Issued by Embry-Riddle
Thomas J. Aude and Wade Wallace, graduates of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Commercial Airline Pilot Training (CAPT) program, are the first graduates of the program to earn their Boeing MD-90 EFD captain's type rating. It is the first time Embry-Riddle has issued type ratings for a transport turbojet. CAPT Cadets training is conducted in an airline environment with a captain and first officer. At graduation, cadets earn their captain's type rating in the Boeing MD-90 EFD transport airliner, demonstrating to the airlines that they are capable of commanding a modern jet aircraft with a fully computerized cockpit. To learn more about CAPT, call 877/577-CAPT or visit www.captprogram.org.
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