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March
9, 2012 Volume 12,
Number 10 |
BRP-ROTAX
LAUNCHES 912IS ENGINE WITH FUEL INJECTION
 On
Thursday, March 8, BRP-Powertrain introduced the evolution of the
venerable Rotax 912S engine, the 912iS, in Gunskirchen, Austria, at a
press event for international aircraft manufacturers and journalists.
The "i" stands for electronic fuel injection, added to Rotax's
well-known 100-hp, four-cylinder workhorse, along with an
automotive-style digital engine control unit (ECU). Read
more
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NEARLY
200 HOUSE MEMBERS OPPOSE USER FEES
Opposition to GA user fees continues to grow in Congress as the House
General Aviation Caucus sent a letter to President Obama late last week
with signatures from 195 House members. The bipartisan letter strongly
opposes a $100-per-flight fee on certain GA operations in controlled
airspace. That fee was proposed by the White House in its Fiscal 2013
federal budget unveiled last month. Read
more
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THE LOW DOWN ON WIND
 Strong
stratification of winds can occur over the U.S. at any time of
the year, but they are most common in the winter and early
spring. And this has been one heck of a year for strong winds
over most of the country.
I am no meteorologist, but I have
spent thousands of hours slogging along in piston airplanes
flying in the unpressurized altitudes of 12,000 feet and below.
When the wind is markedly stratified you have lots of time to
observe if you’re flying westbound in a little airplane
because you will not be getting anywhere fast.
Continue
reading | Subscribe to Mac's Blog
| Recent posts |
EAA
MOURNS LOSS OF LEONARD EAVES
 EAA
extends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Leonard R.
Eaves, EAA Lifetime 2194, who lost his life in the crash of his Skeeter
1M homebuilt on Saturday, March 3. He was reportedly en route to a
pancake breakfast in Ponca City, Oklahoma, when the crash happened on
the Clarence E. Page Airport near Yukon, Oklahoma. Leonard was 92, and
is survived by his wife, Rita. Read
more
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WE
WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!
We want our valued EAA members' opinions and feedback as we begin the
process of overhauling our websites. Over the next several weeks, we are
posing a few questions, with the first being, "How often do you
visit EAA.org?" You can simply answer this question on Facebook
or the EAA
Forums, where you can also answer additional questions like,
"What do you like about EAA.org and why?" and "What would
you change about EAA.org and why?" Thank you in advance for your
assistance. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
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CAPSULE
DECLARED 'MISSION READY' FOR RECORD FREEFALL ATTEMPT
 The
capsule that will bring Austrian pilot Felix Baumgartner to the edge of
space for his attempt to set a new world record free fall is
"mission ready," according to the Red Bull Stratos science
team. A stratospheric balloon will lift the capsule to more than 120,000
feet; then Baumgartner will jump out in an attempt to break four records
held by Joe Kittinger and set more that 50 years ago. A spokesperson
from Red Bull said the team hopes to achieve the 120,000-foot attempt
this summer. Read
more
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23RD
WOMEN IN AVIATION CONFERENCE UNDERWAY
 The
23rd annual Women in Aviation Conference got under way this week in
Dallas and EAA President/CEO Rod Hightower will deliver a keynote
address on Saturday. Also EAA is co-sponsor of Friday's General Session.
For more information of the conference, visit the Women
in Aviation Conference website.
Celebrate Women of Aviation Worldwide
Week
The second annual Women of Aviation Worldwide Week (March 5-11) is in
full swing, and Fly-It-Forward events designed to introduce flying to
girls and women by taking them on a short flight are planned around the
world. On March 10, organizers expect flights to take place at 100
airports or more to mark 100 years since the first flight across the
English Channel by a woman and the first flight in a seaplane with a
woman at the controls - Harriet Quimby and Helene Dutrieu, respectively.
For more information visit the official
website.
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HIGHTOWER
ADDRESSES ILLINOIS ULTRALIGHT/LIGHT PLANE SAFETY SEMINAR
 EAA
President/CEO Rod Hightower told nearly 140 attendees about the several
initiatives EAA is focused on to help "create the next generation
of aviators" during a keynote address at the Illinois Ultralight
and Light Plane Safety Seminar last weekend in Springfield, Illinois.
These included EAA chapters, GA advocacy efforts, youth education,
upgrades to EAA flagship publication Sport Aviation, and being the
source of aviation knowledge and information for the EAA membership.
Susan R Shea, Ph.D, director of the Illinois DOT, presented Hightower
with a plaque of appreciation after his address.
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FAA
ASKS FOR PUBLIC INPUT ON UAS TEST SITES
The FAA wants to hear from the general public on the selection process
for six unmanned aircraft system (UAS) test sites, which were mandated
the National Defense Authorization Act and the 2012 FAA Reauthorization
Bill. The agency says data from test sites will help it safely and
efficiently integrate UAS into the same airspace where manned airplanes
operate. Read
more
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YOUNG
EAGLES/SPORTY'S PILOT EARNS INSTRUMENT RATING
 Tyler
Stargardt, of Marshfield, Wisconsin - who in 2010 became the first Young
Eagle to complete the Sporty's Complete Pilot Training Course and earn
his private pilot certificate - recently earned his instrument rating.
Now 18, Tyler wrote to EAA in February, simply stating, "Well I
have good news! I am officially instrument rated!" He also made a
T-shirt exclaiming, "Instrument Pilot - FAA Certified." Read
more
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AERO
2012 JUST AROUND THE CORNER
 Organizers
of the 20th AERO Friedrichshafen general aviation trade show are looking
toward final preparations for this year's event, scheduled for April
18-21 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. More than 500 exhibitors are expected
to attend and show off their latest offerings, including light aircraft,
avionics, aircraft maintenance, and more. New offerings in 2012 include
the Helicopter Hangar, focusing on all things rotorcraft, and the first
Engine Area, presented by fliegermagazin. Returning for its fourth year
at AERO is the e-Flight Expo highlighting the emerging electric aircraft
field. Read
more
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CLASSIC
J-3 CUB, EAA 2012 AIRCRAFT SWEEPSTAKES GRAND PRIZE
Giveaway part of Cub's 75th anniversary celebration at AirVenture
 The
Piper J-3 Cub is one of the most recognizable and iconic airplanes ever
to grace the sky. Now, you could be the rightful owner of a beautifully
restored 1940 Piper J-3 Cub as the grand prize winner of EAA's 2012
"Win the Cub" Sweepstakes. The Cub even comes equipped with a
pair of TrickAir Snow Skis and an optional $2,500 worth of free flight
training. In addition to the grand prize, sweepstakes entrants will also
have the chance to win a bunch of other great prizes like a Sea-Doo
Watercraft, a Bose Home Entertainment System, 750 square feet of tile
hangar flooring, and more. Enter now.
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PLEDGE
YOUR SUPPORT: HELP KEEP EAA's B-17 ALUMINUM OVERCAST FLYING
 Since
1994, EAA has toured its B-17 Aluminum Overcast to locations all
over the country offering thousands of people the opportunity to relive
World War II history in one of the few remaining airworthy B-17s in the
world. However, over the past few years, the economics of maintaining a
vintage bomber have become extremely challenging. With no official
funding, EAA must rely on the generous support of individuals to assist
in the continuing restoration, maintenance, and preservation efforts of Aluminum
Overcast. To help EAA keep this important piece of history flying,
please visit EAA's B-17 website or
call 800-236-1025.
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EAA
FORD TRI-MOTOR TOUR KICKS OFF NEXT WEEK
 EAA's
1929 Ford Tri-Motor, a pristine example of the first scheduled airliner,
begins a tour of 12 Florida cities next Thursday, March 15, at Herlong
Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. The airplane will be there through
Saturday, March 17, then will head over to Craig Municipal Airport March
18-20 before flying to Plant City's Municipal Airport for a March 22-25
tour stop. To find out how you can take a ride in this historic
aircraft, visit the Fly the Ford
website.
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HONOR
AN AVIATION LEGACY WITH A PLAQUE ON EAA'S MEMORIAL WALL
 Located
on the edge of Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, EAA's Memorial
Wall provides a dignified place for families and friends to honor those
special individuals whose support and passion for aviation has made a
positive impact on their lives. If you would like to remember a friend
or loved one with a personalized plaque on EAA's Memorial Wall, please
e-mail development@eaa.org or call 920-426-6563 or 800-236-1025. To have
your special tribute recognized for the dedication ceremony at
AirVenture Oshkosh 2012, please
place your order by Monday, April 9, 2012.
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ENROLLMENT
OPEN FOR 2012 EAA AIR ACADEMY YOUNG EAGLES CAMP
 The
EAA Young Eagles Camp is designed to introduce youth ages 12-13 to the
wonderful world of aviation. Presented in a "science camp"
format, campers will enjoy a unique combination of fun and discovery as
they participate in hands-on activities, flight simulation, museum
tours, and actual flights in a Cessna 162 SkyCatcher and Bell 47
helicopter. Registration fee includes all camping materials, meals, and
lodging in the EAA Air Academy Lodge located on the world-famous EAA
AirVenture Museum campus in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Enroll
now.
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DOCENT
WORKS FINAL SHIFT AT EAA MUSEUM
 Every
Wednesday for the past 19 years, Milton Morris has been diligently at
his post just inside the entrance to EAA AirVenture Museum - greeting
visitors, giving tours, and talking about airplanes. This past
Wednesday, March 7, Milt worked his last shift as museum docent. Read
more
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WEBINARS: 12
MYTHS ABOUT STALLS AND SPINS
It has been more than a century since the Wright brothers gave us
the miracle of powered flight, yet myth and misunderstanding still
abound regarding stalls and spins. Rich Stowell dispels a "dirty
dozen" of common myths that unfortunately continue to be
perpetuated during flight training. Do slow speeds really lead to
stalling? Are slips really as dangerous as skids? Get the facts on these
and more.
All webinars begin at 7 p.m. CST unless
otherwise noted, and they require registration. To find out more about upcoming EAA Webinars and to
register, visit the webinars
page.
EAA gratefully acknowledges the
support of Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co.
for their generous sponsorship of our webinar programs.
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EAA
MERCHANDISE: SAVE 15
PERCENT ON PEDAL PLANE PLANS
 Pick
up a set of pedal plane plans from ShopEAA.com and let your children
play in their very own miniature airplane. Choose from a variety of
airplanes including the P-51 Mustang, Piper Cub, Super Cub, Pitts, Gee
Bee, and AT6/SNJ/Harvard. Each plan set includes step-by-step
instructions, a parts list, full-size patterns for all wood and sheet
metal parts, and kit order forms for those who would like to have parts
prebuilt and ready for assembly. Best of all, every plan set is now
available for 15 percent off. But hurry, this deal doesn't happen often
and it's only good through March 31, 2012. Pick
up your plans online or by calling toll-free, 800-564-6322.
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Monthly Photo Contest
Enter your pictures now for the May Photo Contest!
Can You Help?
Ongoing Discussions
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If you have suggestions or submissions
for EAA’s weekly AeroInnovations column, please send them to
AeroInnovations editor Bob Waldron.
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Eight
Times Faster Charging Batteries With Seaweed |
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Seaweed
extract enabled researchers to design lithium-ion batteries that
charge up to eight times faster than conventional batteries. In
addition to rapidly charging, this new-style battery made with seaweed
alginate is expected to hold up to 40 percent more energy per pound. |
Safe
Flight Strategies for Long Distance Solar Aircraft |
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When
Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg fly the Solar Impulse around
the world powered only by the sun, they will have flight times of up
to 36 hours without sleep. The Solar Impulse won't have a traditional
autopilot because it doesn't have enough power to keep it on a steady
path regardless of wind conditions. This means the pilot must respond
very quickly to flight problems. The team is developing safe flight
strategies to cope with extended periods in the flight deck and to
help a tired pilot make the right decisions when flight conditions
change. |
Landing
Energy Powers Engine-Less Taxiing |
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Airliners
make a lot of noise and waste fuel taxiing at the airport because
their engines are designed for flying, not for ground travel. An
aircraft power recovery system is being designed that captures the
tremendous energy created by the large plane landing and recycles that
power for "engine-less taxiing." |
Sky
Voyage Aircraft Concept for Urban Pilots |
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The
Sky Voyage is an urban personal aircraft concept design that can take
off vertically when it's in airship mode. The dual mode gasbag-wing
can then be rotated to function as a wing, and the aircraft gets its
propulsion from turbine engines powered by hydrogen fuel cells. |
Reverse
Engineering Replacement Parts for Older Planes |
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Reverse
engineering is being used at the National Institute for Aviation
Research to provide replacement parts for older aircraft that don't
have readily available spares. A laser scanner uses the old part to
create 3-D engineering drawings of the original. Then a low-cost
plastic prototype of the new part is made on a 3-D printer to verify
dimensions and fit. Finally, the metal or high-performance plastic
replacement part is made using either standard machine shop tools or
industrial-strength 3-D printers. |
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| AeroInnovations aims to highlight developments that have potential to impact the future of aviation. EAA does not necessarily endorse the ideas, products, services, or views contained therein. |
HINTS
FOR HOMEBUILDERS: TUBING 101
 Dick
Koehler is a Technical Counselor for EAA Chapter 186, A&P aircraft
mechanic with Inspection Authorization (IA), and SportAir Workshop
instructor. In this video hint, Dick explains how to measure and grade
the tubing we encounter on our aircraft. Watch
the video
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TIMELESS
VOICES OF AVIATION: JILL LONG
 Jill
Long was 6 years old when she decided that she wanted to be a pilot
after attending an air show with her mother. She soloed at age 16 and,
after high school, enlisted in the United States Air Force. Accepted
into flight training, Jill became a tanker pilot flying KC-135s on
aerial refueling missions around the world. She eventually transitioned
into the A-10 and flew 50 combat missions in Afghanistan before becoming
an Air Force instructor pilot. When she is not flying for the Air Force,
Jill performs in air shows around the U.S. flying her Pitts S2B, known
as The Ragged Edge. Watch the video.
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Where
Are You Flying This Weekend?
There are 58
fly-ins and events over
the next two weekends in the EAA
Events Calendar. Find one near you or add your event! |
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Q &
A: II
have been looking into building an LSA and have a
question about the Breezy plans-built airplane. It
looks like it would be a good LSA as it fits all the
requirements, except for one: It was designed to
carry a pilot and two passengers.
If a builder were to construct one from the outset
specifically for a pilot and one passenger, and were
to placard the aircraft as such, would it qualify as
an E-LSA (experimental light-sport aircraft)?
As a matter of fact,
you are right - if you build it with only seating
for two, and have it inspected that way, and all the
other configuration/performance parameters meet the
definition of LSA (which it should), your Breezy
made for two could be flown by a pilot with a sport
pilot certificate. For more information on LSA
requirements, click
here.
Have a question?
To ask a question regarding government issues,
e-mail EAA Government Relations.
For questions about registration, airmen, aircraft
and medical certification, safety records,
performance, or any other matter, e-mail EAA
Member Services.
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EAA
Desktop Calendar
March 2012
Lynn Cromer, EAA
1040774, captured this photo of a Beechcraft SNB-5
with a Nikon D300. He was driving in to the Denton
Airshow in Texas last June to shoot the static
aircraft at sunrise when he noticed the rays of
sunshine poking through the clouds. "I thought
I would get arrested for my driving trying to get to
the flightline," Lynn said.
Download
this wallpaper image from 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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PIPISTREL, FLIGHT DESIGN SHOW NEW ROTAX
912Is INSTALLS
Hot on the heels of the announcement of the Rotax 912 iS (see story
above), Pipistrel and Flight design have announced that their Virus SW
and CTLSi (respectively) are available with the new engine. The
fuel-injection engine brings improved fuel efficiency, multiple system
redundancy, and smoother operation. Preliminary numbers show that fuel
consumption decreases by as much as 21 percent in the Pipistrel Virus
SW, meaning the aircraft cruises at 147 knots while burning only 3.95
gallons of fuel per hour. For more information about Rotax, click
here. For more information on the Virus SW and CTLSi, visit the Pipistrel
and Flight Design
websites.
FLABOB STUDENTS GET Q&A WITH ISS
ASTRONAUT
Middle and high school students at the Tom Wathen Center, located on
Flabob Airport in California, will talk with an astronaut aboard the
International Space Station. The live Q&A session is scheduled for
10 minutes during the week of April 16, 2012. (Date to be confirmed on
April 7.) The contact, via amateur radio, will take place in the EAA
Chapter 1 building on Flabob Airport and is open to the public free of
charge. For more information, click
here.
FLUORESCENT DYE LOCATES LEAKS IN
AVIATION SYSTEMS
Spectronics Corporation has introduced Aero-Brite Universal Fluorescent
Leak Detection Dye, a quick way to pinpoint the exact source of fuel,
lubrication, and hydraulic leaks in aviation systems. After adding a
small amount of the dye to the aircraft system and letting it circulate,
the dye/fluid mixture will accumulate at the leak sites. When scanned
with a Spectroline high-intensity UV inspection lamp, the area will glow
bright green. For more information, click
here.
GOODYEAR LAUNCHES GROUND SCHOOL VIDEO
SERIES
Aircraft owners and technicians can find answers to general aviation
tire questions with Goodyear's new video series on YouTube. Goodyear
recently posted four ground school videos, including General FAQs,
Inflation Tips, Inspection 101, and Fleet Management. The videos were
filmed in conjunction with AOPA at Goodyear's Blimp Hangar hear Akron,
Ohio, as well as at Kent State University's flight school. To watch the
videos, click here.
FANTASY OF FLIGHT JOINS AVIATION GREEN
ALLIANCE
Fantasy of Flight, home to the world's largest private collection of
vintage aircraft, has joined the Aviation Green Alliance as a founding
member. "I support what AGA stands for because it's a great example
of the Fantasy of Flight concept of pushing our boundaries and reaching
beyond ourselves," said Fantasy of Flight founder Kermit Weeks.
"There will always be an opportunity to take a step beyond
ourselves and it's time we took the next step in balancing aviation and
the environment." For more information about the Aviation Green
Alliance, click
here.
SPORTY'S LAUNCHES LEARN TO FLY COURSE
Sporty's new Learn to Fly Course provides learning tracks for private,
recreational, and sport pilot, or any combination, providing all the
training material and test preparations necessary to pass all three
tests. Pilots can choose to learn via DVD, online, or through a
dedicated iPad or iPhone app. Material includes in-flight footage, 3-D
animations, and exclusive content, including tips from author Richard L.
Collins. For more information, click
here.
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Experimental Aircraft
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