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August
1, 2009 Volume 9,
Number 37 |
AMATEUR
BUILDERS ANTICIPATE FINAL REPORT ON POLICY CHANGES FOR 51% RULE
EAA and amateur aircraft builders are anticipating a victory when the
FAA publishes its final report, slated for August 17, on changes in
agency policies for administering the Amateur Built Aircraft rules. Earl
Lawrence, EAA vice president for government and industry relations, said
the draft final report leaves intact an amateur builder's freedom to
build any kind of aircraft, of any type, size, and complexity, so long
as he or she completes "the major portion" of the project-the
"51% Rule." Read
more |
5K
RACE RAISES $14,000 FOR EAA, YMCA
 A
21-year-old from Monroe, Michigan won the third annual EAA 5K Runway
race this morning. David Brent, a
runner for Eastern Michigan University, won the race with a time of 15
minutes and 55 seconds. He flew into EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 for the
first time, although has attended the fly-in convention before. He is a
pilot and a member of the Mang Aero Club in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Nearly
700 runners competed in the race, which raised nearly $14,000 for EAA
and the Oshkosh YMCA. Click here
for the race results. |
600
HOURS ON A PORCH SWING
 Flying
from California here to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 in a small plane
would be adventure enough for almost anyone. Now imagine making the
trip in what amounts to an open seat hanging suspended beneath a wing -
no floor, no walls, no cabin. “It’s
just like sitting on your porch swing,” Walt Snyder said. Read
more |
CANADIAN
INVASION CONTINUES WITH LYSANDER
 Warbird
fans still revel in tales of World War II Canadian surplus aircraft
languishing on farms in the western provinces into the 1970s. That’s
where the Canadian Warplane Heritage’s (CWH) rare Westland Lysander
came from, as a skeletal promise in 1975.
From that farmer’s field to the skies
in June of this year for the first time since its rebirth, this Lysander
is one of perhaps three flying in the world. The Lysander is displayed
on AeroShell Square at AirVenture 2009. Read
more |
VARIETY,
NOT VOLUME, KEY TO 2009 WARBIRDS
 By
Friday, AirVenture 2009 boasted 340 registered warbirds in the Warbirds
area. That’s horseshoe-close to the
350 registrants that Bill Fischer, Warbirds of America executive
director, predicted when the week began. And there may well be more to
come.
Several Curtiss P-40 Warhawk E- and
N-models are on static display, depicting diverse camouflage and
markings schemes from around the world. Read
more |
INTERNATIONAL
LEARN TO FLY DAY ANNOUNCED
 EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh witnessed yet another launch of a new program
targeted at promoting general aviation and increasing the pilot
population. Thursday brought the
unveiling of International Learn to Fly Day in a joint announcement
involving EAA President and Chairman Tom Poberezny, Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association (AOPA) President and CEO Craig Fuller, REMOS GmbH CEO
Corbin Huber, NAFI Executive Director Jason Blair, and others. Read
more |
CONOCO-PHILLIPS
DOUBLES YOUNG EAGLES FUEL REBATE
Rod Palmer, general manager of Phillips 66 Aviation, has announced that
the fuel rebate for Young Eagles volunteer pilots is being doubled to $2
per gallon, effective Wednesday, July 29 through December 31, 2009.
Phillips, presenting sponsor of Young Eagles, has been supporting the
fuel rebate program since 1994. The rebate to volunteer pilots helped
the program achieve its original goal of one million flights. More than
4,000 pilots have taken advantage, introducing more than 350,000 kids to
the wonders of flight. For complete details, visit www.YoungEagles.org/volunteers
and click on Phillips Rebate program. |
GA
BORDER CROSSINGS DISCUSSED
EAA Government Relations staff met with representatives of the
Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Bureau of Customs &
Border Protection (CBP), and AOPA on Friday afternoon to discuss ways of
improving border crossings without imposing unnecessary burdens on
general aviation aircraft. Read
more |
HE
PROMISED TO BRING THEM BACK
 Australia,
as one would expect from any sovereign state, has a deep interest in
preserving its heritage. “You have to apply to the minister of arts to
take anything that is historically significant to Australia out of the
country,” said Roy Fox of Sydney. “Both this and the other plane are
on the historical register, so I had to sign papers that I would bring
them back.” Read
more |
INTERNATIONAL
PARADE HONORS FLIGHT 1549 CREW
 The annual International Visitors Parade is always a major
celebration. Yesterday it took on a hint of ceremony when the participants
presented Appreciation Awards to a pair of U.S. aviators internationally
recognized as heroes, Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and First
Officer Jeffrey Skiles, the pilots of US Airways Flight 1549.
“We know you’re national heroes,” said
Claudio Candiota of Brazil, an Oshkosh visitor since 1982 who proposed the
international recognition. “We want you to know you’re international
heroes, too.”
Read
more |
EAA
HONORS MAJOR CHAPTER ACHIEVEMENTS
They have founded EAA chapters that are
thriving, passed on their knowledge about aviation and homebuilding, made
the EAA website easier to navigate, and created an aviation museum that is
open to the public. For their contributions, they will receive the
EAA Major Achievement Award during the Chapter Leaders Breakfast in the
EAA AirVenture Museum’s Founders’ Wing today. Read
more
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SIT-DOWN
DINING AT THE VINTAGE GRILL - IT'S NOT YOUR TYPICAL FLY-IN EXPERIENCE
 Scanning
the menu at the Vintage Grill just south of the VAA Red Barn, it’s
clear that the latest culinary offering at AirVenture Oshkosh has taken
a different approach to flightline dining. You
pick up on the differences just looking at the menu: grilled New York
strip steak, coconut shrimp, calamari rings, marinated chicken, and
grilled vegetable kabobs are a few options available to diners hungry
for relief from the standard hamburger, fries, and brats. Read
more |
'SNORT'
& 'JIVE' - AN ALL-NEW ALL-JET SHOW TEAM LAUNCHES AT AIRVENTURE
The Morane-Saulnier MS-760 Paris jet is probably not on air-show
aficionados’ list as a show stopping aerobatic bird. But thanks
to JetSet Global Fuel, two veterans of jet-aircraft performance will
begin changing that perception of the French liaison and utility jet
later this fall with the debut of Team MS760 Aerobatics. Read
more |
EAA/FAA
SUMMIT MEETING YIELDS RESULTS
Each year since 2005, FAA staff have come to Oshkosh in the dead of
winter to sit down with EAA staff and division heads to tackle some of
the thorniest challenges facing sport aviation. The two-day
“EAA/FAA Winter Summit” gives participants a chance to meet
face-to-face and share their expertise and ideas on a wide range of
issues of concern to EAA members. Read
more |
INHOFE
HERE FOR 31ST STRAIGHT YEAR
 After
Sen. James Mountain Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) finished up business on the
Senate floor on Thursday at about 7 p.m., he became a man on a mission -
get to Reagan National Airport, catch a flight west, and drive up to
Oshkosh, where he hasn’t missed an EAA convention in more than three
decades. Read
more |
PILOT
WITH MS ACHIEVES HIS GOAL TO BUILD AND FLY
 On
Tuesday morning, when Tim Garrett’s Zenith 601 XL touched down at EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh, he was able to check another item off of his
“dream” list. “Right when you
turn downwind, when you can look out and finally see the whole place
from the air, I got really emotional,” he said. “I
was not expecting that.”
Tim said his emotional arrival was
actually the second part of his dream. Read
more |
AROUND
THE FIELD: A RIVER RAT FROM CINCINNATI AND THE AIRPARK RESIDENT FROM
OREGON
 The
sun and blue skies have returned to Oshkosh on Friday morning. There’s a
lot of activity in the airplane parking areas this morning, as many of the
early arrivers pack up their tents for the journey home.
John Thocker is untying the ropes on his
red RV-8, getting ready to head out. But he’s happy to pause to talk
more about flying. Read
more |
LOST
AND FOUND FOR OVER 50 YEARS
 EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh’s Information and Lost and Found booth is known for
returning some interesting and expensive things to their owners. What’s
even more interesting is how the booth itself was started.
Ray Fiset, co-chairman of Information and
Lost and Found, was at EAA’s fly-in at Rockford, Illinois in 1963,
standing by a break in the snow fence that divided the public area from
the flightline. People kept approaching him and asking questions, assuming
he was standing there for that purpose. Read
more |
CHEVRON
SCHOLARSHIP KIDS
Chevron Global Aviation offered seven EAA Air Academy scholarships to
deserving teens that were referred through Chevron's FBO network. The
seven are attending EAA Air Academy during AirVenture week - a great
experience for youngsters with a passion for aviation. Read
more |
NEW
INVESTORS INTERESTED IN CIRRUS
Alan Klapmeier's efforts to take over the Cirrus Design SJ-50 Vision jet
program officially ended on Friday, but other investors may now be
interested in taking a stake in Cirrus and its jet, Cirrus Design CEO
Brent Wouters told EAA AirVenture Today today. Read
more |
MAKING
WISHES COME TRUE AT AIRVENTURE
 Four
youngsters ages 5 to 12 from the Appleton, Wisconsin, chapter of the
Make-A-Wish Foundation are spending the day with their families at
AirVenture today as guests of EAA and the U.S. Customs & Border
Protection service. This morning they
visited Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo on AeroShell Square where pilot
Pete Siebold and other crewmembers took the kids through the cockpit and
talked about the aircraft and its mission. Read
more |
OPERATION
THIRST CHAIRMAN RETIRES AFTER 30 YEARS
 After
30 years of helping to quench the thirst and sate the hunger of EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh volunteers, Betty Ristau, chairman of Operation Thirst,
is retiring this year. Operation Thirst volunteers prepare food and
beverages for many of the other AirVenture volunteers. This year, they
have made and delivered more than 15,000 sandwiches. Read
more |
UNSTACKING
THE PLANES ON AEROSHELL SQUARE
For the AeroShell Square volunteers (a.k.a. West Ramp Rats, as they
affectionately call each other), it's been one of the hardest years, but
one of the most rewarding. Bob Hilleary
is one of five AeroShell Square veterans and who is charged with
coordinating the movement of multi-million dollar aircraft on limited ramp
space during AirVenture. On Friday, July 31, Hilleary, along with some 60
volunteers, had much to do. Read
more |
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PURCHASE THE PICTURE BOX
AVIATION DVD OR BLU-RAY AND GET THE EAA MUSEUM GUIDEBOOK FREE
 Picturebox
HD presents “HD Aviation - 100 Years of Flight,” a collection of
some of the most fascinating aircraft of the last 100 years. HD Aviation
showcases the renowned collection of aircraft from the EAA Museum. The
video includes an optional music track with selections ranging from
period music to patriotic and new age. From antique and classic
airplanes to historical military warbirds and innovative space
explorers, HD Aviation is an awe-inspiring sample of aircraft sure to
leave aviation enthusiasts with a sense of wonder about these airplanes
from the golden era and beyond. Enjoy the history of aviation, captured
as moving art for your television. Picturebox HD introduces a stunning
series of brilliant DVDs with the amazing clarity and color of high
definition. Display a piece of moving art while showing off the newest
technology in your home or office. With a Picturebox HD video, your
television is transformed into a moving canvas of high definition art.
With beautiful real-life images that change each minute, your television
can set a mood and create an atmosphere. Captured in breathtaking high
definition, the Picturebox HD video series turns your television into a
colorful canvas in motion. Available for only $34.99 Blu-ray, $24.99
DVD. Place your order by August 5 and you’ll receive the EAA Museum
Guidebook absolutely FREE. Order
online or by calling 800-564-6322.
EAA MEMBERS SAVE UP TO
40% ON SELECT MERCHANDISE
Visit EAA's official merchandise locations on grounds during AirVenture
Oshkosh 2009 for savings of up to 40% off select merchandise. While
there, enter for your chance to win one of three aviation gift baskets
valued at $300. Offers only available on grounds July 27 - August 2
during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009.
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August
2009
EAA
Desktop Calendar
WhiteKnightTwo
Mother Ship 'Eve' floats over EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2009. Check out the detail on the ground -
you can see buildings, planes, and an empty space on
AeroShell Square just waiting for Eve! Photo by
EAA Chief Photographer Jim Koepnick.
Download
this wallpaper image at the EAA
website, where you can choose among several different
resolutions to suit
your screen - including three wide-screen
sizes...or select an image from the archive. |
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ROTORWAY
INTROS NEW TURBINE HELICOPTER
The Eagle 300T is RotorWay's newest offering. Powered by a Rolls-Royce
RR300-B1 engine, RotorWay claims this airframe/engine combination will
be the most cost-effective turbine two-seat trainer in the world.
Like the RotorWay Talon helicopter, the
Eagle 300T, which they plan to certify, will seat two. The useful load
is 1,100 pounds, and with a capacity to haul 80 gallons of fuel, the
Eagle will have a two-hour duration and a cruise of 110 knots.
The Eagle 300T will fill a niche in the
initial turbine training market that is currently not being served and
can be a cost-effective way for a professional pilot to build turbine
hours. Reservations for the 300T are being accepted for $5,000.
For more information visit www.RotorWay.com.
PIPER SEEKS GLOBAL
DISTRIBUTORS
In the wake of its May 2009 purchase by Singapore-based investment
company Imprimis, Piper Aircraft of Vero Beach, Florida, plans to expand
its global dealership network.
The company is seeking proposals for
dealer bases in Asia, Pacific/Oceania, the Middle East, Europe, Africa,
Central America, and the Caribbean regions.
The company notes that sales in Asia,
which currently account for 5 percent of the global market, are expected
to grow significantly over the next five years.
Piper wants to be in a position to
capitalize on that potential as the economy rebounds.
The company invites interested parties to
stop by the Piper Aircraft display area (Booth 158) for more
information.
FORD ECOSHUTTLES
HIGHLIGHT EFFICIENCY
Advances in fuel economy and environmental responsibility are rolling
around EAA AirVenture 2009 in the form of three high-efficiency vehicles
from Ford Motor Company: the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, 2010 Ford Taurus
SHO, and 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid.
The automaker this year has provided some
of its most fuel-efficient cars to help transport guests around
AirVenture.
You can sample this free service at stops
along the red tram route on Knapp Street Road and on the EAA AirVenture
Museum/KidVenture tram route.
Watch for the EcoShuttle signs on the
vehicles; shuttle drivers will answer your questions about the different
vehicles.
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