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March
30, 2012 Volume 12,
Number 13 |
HUERTA
NOMINATED TO BE FAA ADMINISTRATOR
 President
Obama has nominated Michael Huerta, who has served as the Federal
Aviation Administration's acting administrator since December, to serve
a full term as FAA administrator. Huerta had previously served as the
agency's deputy administrator and became acting administrator following
the resignation of former FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. Huerta's
nomination now goes to the U.S. Senate for confirmation. Read
more
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COMMENT
PERIOD OPEN FOR MEDICAL EXEMPTION REQUEST
Now is the time to make your voice heard
The exemption request filed by EAA and AOPA earlier this month
pertaining to third-class medical certificates has been officially
posted by the federal government, making it possible for the public to
submit comments on the proposal. The request, officially named
"Petition of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and
Experimental Aircraft Association for an exemption from 14 CFT Part
61," is available at Regulations.gov
under Docket FAA-2012-0350. The request, if granted, stands to
increase the level of safety and significantly reduce a substantial
economic and regulatory burden for pilots who fly recreationally. Read
more
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LEAVING THE U.S., BUT NOT THE
FAA
 Stancie
and I just flew back from our annual trip to Elbow Cay in the
Bahamas. Great fun, as always, and a trip that makes me happier
than ever to fly my own airplane. Getting to the "Out
Islands" of the Bahamas on the airlines is possible, but no
good way to start a vacation. And the Bahamas welcomes pilots
with minimal customs paperwork and the acceptance of LSA and
experimental airplanes, something that is far from universal in
other countries.
There are, however, some unusual
aspects of flying to the Bahamas, not the least of which is that
for the most part you never leave the FAA air traffic control
system, at least at normal cruise altitudes.
Continue
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VAA,
EAA MOURN LOSS OF VINTAGE PAST PRESIDENT ESPIE 'BUTCH' JOYCE
 Past
president of the Vintage Aircraft Association and director emeritus of
EAA, Butch Joyce, of Madison, North Carolina, passed away late Sunday
afternoon, March 25. He was 68. He was elected VAA president in 1988,
and held that position until 2004, a span of 16 years. During that time
he also served as the chairman of VAA's activities during EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh. During his years as VAA president, Butch also served on the EAA
board, and he was presented with the EAA President's Award in
2004. Read
more
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EAA
SPORT AVIATION IN FBOS
 Have
you ever found yourself in an FBO that doesn't display EAA Sport
Aviation magazine? We have and wondered, "What if?" What if
there were copies of EAA Sport Aviation in that FBO? What if an aviation
enthusiast picked up the magazine and read a few articles? What if he or
she liked the articles, wanted more, and wound up joining EAA?
If you know of an FBO that doesn't
display EAA Sport Aviation (other than the one you occasionally leave
behind) among its magazine offerings, please forward the FBO's contact
info to Kathleen Witman, EAA's publications department, at 920-426-6156
or via e-mail.
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FIRST
EAA 'EAGLE FLIGHTS' TO TAKE OFF AT AIRVENTURE
 EAA's
upcoming Eagle Flights program, the new aviation orientation program for
adults, will have its official kickoff this summer with inaugural
flights at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, which is scheduled for July 23-29 at
Wittman Regional Airport. The Eagle Flights program, which is based on
the enormously successful EAA Young Eagles flights for youth, will focus
on one-to-one flight experiences and pathways that help adults toward
discovering more about flying and eventual pilot certification. Read
more
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SCALED
COMPOSITES TO HOLD CAREER FAIR IN APRIL
 With
several high-profile projects like Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and
the Stratolaunch Carrier in progress, Scaled Composites is in need of
employees. To help bolster recruiting efforts, Scaled will conduct an
open house/career fair on April 21 at its headquarters in Mojave,
California, at which it hopes to attract engineers, technicians, and
others to help usher in the era of commercial space travel. "If
you're interested in working in the private space industry, there's no
better place than Mojave right now," said project and flight test
engineer Elliot Seguin. Read
more
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'N FUN NEWS
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ITALIAN
SKY ARROW AIRCRAFT IS BACK
 Top
executives from Magnaghi Group of southern Italy were present at Sun 'n
Fun Wednesday to announce the acquisition of Sky Arrow-related assets,
including all existing products and certifications. The Sky Arrow is an
all-composite, high-wing tandem aircraft with Rotax 912S engine in
pusher configuration first introduced in 1993 from Meteor S.p.A., also
of Italy. The Sky Arrow was created as a low-cost, high-visibility
aerial work platform and was designed and used for patrol, law
enforcement, environmental research, and electronic news gathering. Read
more
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BRP
ROTAX SHOWS NEW 912IS ENGINE TO U.S. MARKET
 At
a press event for international aircraft manufacturers and journalists
19 days ago in Austria, BRP-Rotax unveiled its newly configured 912iS
engine. At Sun 'n Fun this week, the fuel-injected 912iS was launched to
the U.S. market and remains on display at the BRP Rotax booth located in
the LSA Mall. Read
more
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FREE
WEATHER FROM SPORTY'S, FOREFLIGHT, AND APPAREO
 Sporty's
announced that it will be selling a small portable receiver that will
allow pilots to see free flight deck weather, including Nexrad radar,
using the UAT component of ADS-B. The receiver, built by Appareo, will
use Wi-Fi to send the data to an iPad running ForeFlight's chart and
navigation app. The system, called Stratus, is priced at $799 and there
are no subscription fees for the weather data. Read
more
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VERTICAL
POWER OFFERS EMERGENCY RUNWAY SEEKER
 Vertical
Power, maker of advanced electrical systems for amateur-built
experimental airplanes, announced this week at Sun 'n Fun the VP-400
backup EFIS that can also automatically fly the airplane to final
approach in an emergency. The VP-400 system is a complete EFIS with its
own AHRS electronic gyros and air data computer that provides redundancy
for the airplane's primary instruments. But the unique feature is Runway
Seeker technology that continuously monitors the airplane position and
calculates which is the best available airport in the event of an
emergency, such as power failure. Read
more
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LIGHTSPEED
FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE 2012 PILOT'S CHOICE AWARDS FINALISTS
The Lightspeed Aviation Foundation announced the 20 nominated charities
for its third annual Pilot's Choice Awards at a special presentation
held at the Nikon Media Center at the Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In
and Expo in Lakeland, Florida. The top five vote-getters will receive
$10,000 grant awards for their efforts. The program, with the help of
the pilot community, identifies worthy causes to support and make a
lasting difference in aviation. Lightspeed said that since 2010, nearly
$250,000 has been awarded reaching well more than 100,000 lives with
services, training, and inspiration. Read
more
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LATEST
AVIONICS INNOVATIONS ON DISPLAY AT NEXT WEEK'S AEA SHOW
 EAA
members will be able to see the latest innovations and inventions in
aircraft avionics and electronics as they are unveiled next week during
the annual Aircraft Electronics Association convention, which takes
place April 3-6 in Washington, D.C. This event, which is an industry
trade show not open to the public, features advancements in all areas of
aviation, from commercial flight operations to the newest products for
GA. Many of these innovations will be making their public debut later
this year at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Read
more
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EAA
FORD TRI-MOTOR CARRIES ON AFTER SUN 'N FUN
 Fresh
off a stop at the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Florida, EAA's 1929
Ford Tri-Motor will be at the Naples Municipal Airport until April 2.
Next week, the Tin Goose will be at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport,
staying at the Banyan Air Service FBO April 5-8. Nine stops remain in
the Tri-Motor's spring tour of Florida. To find out how you can take a
ride in this historic aircraft and to see the full tour schedule, visit the Fly the Ford website.
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EAA
MERCHANDISE: SAVE 25 PERCENT ON BINGELIS BOOKS (SET OF 4)
 Tony
Bingelis is regarded as one of the greatest aircraft construction
writers of all time, and now you can pick up four of his books for one
low price at ShopEAA.com. The titles include Bingelis on Engines,
Firewall Forward, Sportplane Builder, and Sportplane Construction. This
offer is only good through April 5, 2012. Shop
online or by calling by calling toll-free, 800-564-6322.
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WEBINARS: ALL
ABOUT ALTERNATORS
Maintenance
expert and EAA Sport Aviation columnist Mike Busch, A&P/IA,
presents an informational webinar about alternators, including
principles of operation, major components, installation, failure modes,
troubleshooting, repair options, TBO, 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.
Recent webinars posted online include:
EAA gratefully acknowledges the
support of Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co.
for their generous sponsorship of our webinar programs.
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Monthly Photo Contest
Enter your pictures now for the June 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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Faster
and Smoother With Custom Design Wooden Props |
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A
custom-designed Hercules propeller can make your prop-driven aircraft
fly smoother and more efficiently than conventional wooden or metal
props because it's precisely crafted to match your specific engine and
airframe combination. Rupert Wasey of Hercules Propellers developed a
new CAD (computer-aided design) program that uses pretty much every
aspect of your particular aircraft to design a finely tuned propeller,
then machines it with a computer numerically controlled (CNC) router. |
Auto-Learning
Collision Avoidance and AutoNav System |
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Researchers
from the Department of Artificial Intelligence at a Spanish university
developed a new type of aircraft avionics that incorporates a
self-learning collision avoidance and automatic navigation system. Not
only does the system figure out how to avoid new obstacles like other
aircraft and buildings or geographical features, but it can also
modify the flight path to go around bad weather conditions. |
German
Xtreme Aerobatic All Carbon Fiber |
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The
Sbach 342 from XtremeAir GmbH is a new, highly capable aerobatic
two-place aircraft that can do every trick in the book. This carbon
fiber speedster climbs at 3,200 feet per minute and was recently
certificated by EASA as a dual category aircraft (utility and
acrobatic). |
No
Nightmares for Dream Chaser Spacecraft |
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The
new Dream Chaser spacecraft project at the Sierra Nevada Corporation
is going smoothly, reaching another NASA milestone with the assembly
and delivery of the test vehicle's primary structure. The Dream Chaser
is one of the private space company options being developed for flying
astronauts to the International Space Station and for other space
missions. |
e-Go
Novel Design and Construction Coming to Life |
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The
prize winning e-Go single-seat, state-of-the art aircraft design has
been completed using novel materials and construction techniques. The
UK SSDR (single-seat deregulated) plane's low weight of 254 pounds
will be achieved by using a single layer of 0.2-millimeter-thick
carbon fiber supported by foam for the wing and wing spars. A CNC
hotwire cutter is used to hollow out airfoil sections to eliminate
unneeded weight. |
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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: WELDING BY THE NUMBERS
 Dr.
Joe Maj, an AirVenture volunteer in the gas welding workshops as well as
a SportAir Workshop instructor, shares his three key numbers for gas
welding success. If you adopt these three key numbers, you will learn to
gas weld much quicker and easier. Watch
the video
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TIMELESS
VOICES OF AVIATION: RIC GILLESPIE
 Last
week an announcement was made that the U.S. State Department would be
lending support to a privately funded expedition to the waters off the
remote island of Nikumaroro in the Pacific Ocean in search of Amelia
Earhart's lost Lockheed Electra. The July expedition is being led by
TIGHAR - The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery. In this
interview recorded in 2006, TIGHAR founder Ric Gillespie talks about the
origins of the organization, its mission, and why it has doggedly kept
up the search for Amelia Earhart. Watch
the video
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Where
Are You Flying This Weekend?
There are 37
fly-ins and other
aviation events over
the next two weekends
listed in the EAA
Events Calendar. Find one near you or add your event! |
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Q&A:
Is a private pilot who is out of medical allowed to
fly off the Phase 1 hours of his LSA homebuilt?
Answer: You
may conduct the Phase 1 aircraft testing under these
conditions: Your last medical certificate was not
denied, suspended, withdrawn, or revoked; the
aircraft meets the FAR 1.1 definition of LSA; your
private pilot certificate is current and valid for
the category of aircraft you are testing, and you
carry it on board; you carry your current
state-issued driver's license on board; and you
carry your logbook on board as well.
You will note that
these are exactly the same requirements for
operating any LSA, regardless of the
certification/testing status of the aircraft.
Reference FAR 61.301-327.
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
April 2012
Jonathan
Apfelbaum, EAA 222561, shot this air-to-air photo of
a Bücker Jungmann belonging to Doedo and Gail
Schipper of Longmont, Colorado. This particular
Jungmann, which is technically a CASA 1.131 built
under license in Spain, is painted in Dutch Air
Force colors as a nod to Doedo's heritage.
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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GARMIN INTRODUCES APP AND AC-U-KWIK DATA
Garmin's new Garmin Pilot app, available for iOS and Android mobile
devices, offers complete navigation, trip planning, DUAT(S) filing,
weather, and electronic flight bag capabilities. In addition to
comprehensive aviation weather information, preflight planning features
include access to the AOPA Airport Directory, fuel pricing information,
and built-in calculators to estimate fuel burn, en route legs, and
arrival times. For the first 30 days, the app is available for free;
after that, pilots can pay a monthly fee of $9.99 or an annual
subscription of $99.99.
Garmin also offers AC-U-KWIK Airport
Directory data for glass flight decks. The data contains a directory of
more than 7,800 airports globally, plus hard-to-find information for
preflight planning in North America, Europe, Asia, Central America, the
Caribbean, South America, Africa, and Australia. Regional data is
available for $49.95 for a single update and $195 for an annual
subscription. Worldwide coverage is available for $74.95 for a single
update and $299 for an annual subscription. For more information on
Garmin products and services, click
here.
FLABOB TO HOST SECOND ANNUAL AERONCA
FLY-IN
The Aeronca Aviators Club will stage its second annual Southwest
Fly-In at Flabob Airport May 18-20. Initial arrivals are invited to an
informal dinner on Friday, May 18. On Saturday, the Flabob Express DC-3
group sponsors a pancake breakfast. Flabob has its monthly Open Hangar
and Historic Display that Saturday as well. Participants will have a
discussion on Aeronca ownership and maintenance at the EAA Chapter 1
headquarters. A number of awards for the best post-war, best pre-war,
furthest flown, and best non-Aeronca aircraft will be presented. For
more information, click
here.
SENNHEISER EXPANDS 'LIVE YOUR DREAM'
PROGRAM
Aviation headset manufacturer Sennheiser is enhancing and expanding its
Live Your Dream program with an increased focus on flight scholarships,
flight school integration, and organizational partnerships. Live Your
Dream was launched last summer with the objective of helping individuals
take the first step toward realizing their dream of becoming a pilot. A
total of flight scholarships will be awarded this year, each consisting
of $1,500 as well as various prizes. For more information, click
here.
CALIFORNIA POWER SYSTEMS ANNOUNCES
CLASS SCHEDULE
California Power Systems, a Rotax service center, released its 2012
class schedule. "2 Stroke/4 Stroke Renewal Course" (May 4 and
August 10) is for current iRMT certificate holders. "912/914 Level
1 Service Training," (May 5-6 and August 11-12) is for professional
mechanics or owners looking to gain knowledge and experience with their
912/914 engines. Other classes include 912/914 maintenance and heavy
maintenance, and the Rotax two-cycle service/maintenance training
course. For more information and schedules, click
here.
DYNON SKYVIEW SUPPORT AVAILABLE FOR
ROTAX 912iS ENGINE
Dynon Avionics now offers SkyView support for the new Rotax 912iS
engine, made available through a new SV-EMS-221 module. Engine
parameters available from the 912iS engine computer include RPM,
manifold and oil pressure, oil and coolant temperature, EGT for all four
cylinders, ECU voltage, and engine hours. All other normal SkyView
SV-engine functions, such as fuel level, trim position, battery voltage,
and contacts, are still available. The SV-EMS-221 will be available in
summer 2012. For more information, click
here.
SKY-TEC ANNOUNCES 'STARTING DREAMS'
PROGRAM
At Sun 'n Fun this week, Sky-Tec flyweight starters launched a new
program called "Starting Dreams" to help individuals to become
pilots and mechanics. Sky-Tec will work starter customers to nominate a
candidate to receive financial aid to start his or her dream in
aviation. "This program is a way to turn our customers into mentors
and matching them with aviation dreamers," said Rich Chiappe,
general manager of Sky-Tec Partners. "With some financial
assistance from Sky-Tec, we hope to help our customers help others start
realizing those dreams." Sky-Tec customers and mentors, along with
applicants, can click here
to share their dream stories.
AIRCRAFT SPRUCE EAST ANNUAL SUPER SALE
AND FLY-IN MAY 5
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty East will host its annual Super Sale
and Fly-In on Saturday, May 5, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The distribution
center is located at 452 Dividend Drive in Peachtree City, Georgia,
beside Flacon Field (KFFC). Aircraft Spruce will provide free hot dogs
and beverages throughout the day. Representatives from a number of
leading aviation products, including a range of avionics items, will be
on hand to demonstrate and discuss the benefits of their products.
During this one-day sale, an assortment of popular aviation products
will be specially priced to provide additional savings. A number of
raffle prizes will be given out during the day. For more information, click
here.
LINDBERGH FOUNDATION AND LEAP MERGE
The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation announced that the
LEAP Electric Flight Program, which includes the Lindbergh Electric
Aircraft Prize, will become a program of the Lindbergh Foundation. The
boards of directors of the Lindbergh Foundation and Creative Solutions
Alliance (the nonprofit organization that runs LEAP) felt that since the
missions of both organizations are so closely aligned, it made sense to
combine efforts to create a joint program that will make a lasting
impact on the future of aviation. For more information, click
here.
MOBILE LINK FIRMWARE UPDATE ADDS
LIGHTNING DATA
A free firmware update for Baron Services' Mobile Link device will be
released April 10. The Mobile Link allows XM WX Satellite Weather
subscribers to display onboard weather data by running compatible apps
on their mobile devices, including the iPhone and iPad. Firmware update
2.0 will add support for additional XM WX data products, the certified
XMD-076 XM WX receiver from Heads-Up Technologies, and the latest WxWorx
receiver's embedded GPS. The update also brings XM WX lightning data and
WxWorx GPS support. For more information, click
here.
CODE 1 AVIATION TO PROVIDE EXPERT
WARBIRD SERVICES
A group of industry experts with more than 80 years of experience has
formed a new company, Code 1 Aviation, at the Lakeland Linder Regional
Airport in Florida. President Nathan Jones has assembled a team of
technicians that will provide aircraft maintenance, restoration,
avionics, sales, training, and consulting services for owners and
operators of warbird aircraft. The company is currently providing
maintenance services to the Black Diamond Jet Team. Code 1's specialists
have decades of experience with aircraft as diverse as the L-39
Albatros, T-28 Trojan, P-51 Mustang, T-34 Mentor, T-6 Texan, Vietnam-era
observation aircraft such as the OV-1 and L-19, MiGs and various other
Eastern-bloc fighters and trainers, and even helicopters. For more
information, click here.
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Experimental Aircraft
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