Pilot Briefing

Boeing, FAA announce ATC plans

On June 6 The Boeing Company and the FAA introduced separate plans to overhaul the air traffic system. It's a vexing situation. The current system moves 1.9 million passengers, 40,000 tons of cargo, and 60,000 general aviation and nonscheduled flights on a daily basis. Another million passengers per day are anticipated by the year 2010.

What does it all mean for GA? So far the potential effects are unclear. Boeing claims that aviation would become more efficient, safer, and remain affordable for all users under its conceptual plan.

The Boeing scenario, which is currently being evaluated by AOPA, would require at the very least new equipment in the GA cockpit to navigate in the satellite-based system — a system that would be more advanced and more accurate than the current military GPS system. A Boeing source told AOPA Pilot that the equipment wouldn't cost more than a handheld GPS. But as many pilots have found out with IFR-approved GPS receivers, FAA requirements for field testing and installation can quickly escalate costs. "Affordability and accessibility are key," said Boeing spokeswoman Debbie Nomaguchi.

Boeing envisions a system that would be implemented in three phases. Real-time, digital datalink communications would make flight planning and coordination a "continuing process." It would provide precise position data while allowing controllers and pilots to access the same information. Under the current radar-based system controllers can only foresee conflicts a few minutes in advance. Boeing wants to expand the envelope to 40 minutes or longer.

Boeing also wants to redesign airspace by replacing the complex system of control sectors and segregated flow zones with a simpler configuration. Boeing said it would take at least seven years to fully implement the plan. But it remains unclear as to how the Boeing plan would be funded. The company has indicated that it is prepared to invest billions of dollars as long as it has a way to get it back. Boeing has already dedicated some of its own resources, including, by the end of the year, 200 employees to the effort, Nomaguchi said. Part of the process involves the so-called stakeholders, meaning the aviation industry, the airlines, advocacy groups such as AOPA, government, and passengers. Nomaguchi also said that Boeing has ad discussions with other companies such as Raytheon and Lockheed Martin that are already supplying air traffic control equipment to the FAA. (Lockheed Martin issued a tongue-and-cheek statement, thanking Boeing for "substantiating" its ideas, reported The Washington Post. Lockheed Martin said it came up with a similar system two years ago.)

Boeing has said publicly that it has a vested interest in its air traffic management plan. While the company is concerned about a jet crunch in which its own jet sales could be in jeopardy once the current system is maxed out, Boeing is well-positioned to pull off its plan. Among its recent acquisitions: The Preston Group, a leader in scheduling systems; Jeppesen Sanderson, a specialist in navigational and weather information services; three units of Hughes, now operating as Boeing Satellite Systems, with the capability to produce advanced satellite systems; and Autometric, a company that does geospatial modeling, analysis, and simulation.

The FAA, meanwhile, unveiled its 10-year Operational Evolution Plan (OEP) that would combine both ground-based and satellite systems. Its plan, which AOPA was a key industry partner in developing, calls for expanding the implementation of area navigation (RNAV)Vprocedures; completing the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS); using datalink to reduce voice communications be.tween pilots and controllers; and reducing the vertical separation of aircraft at high altitudes from 2,000 to 1,000 feet.

Boeing claims that its plan would work in conjunction with the FAA's model and reduce traffic delays by 45 percent while creating capacity for 15 to 17 years of growth. The FAA.has said that its plan is a dynamic one that will evolve with .echnology. Boeing, meanwhile, believes the FAA's example is a good starting point, but the aerospace company wants to take things much further with — assuming foreign countries sign on — potential global applications.

Highway-in-the-Sky software is ready

Avidyne Corporation of Lincoln, Massachusetts, has completed the "Highway in the Sky" (HITS) program awarded to an Avidyne-led team in 1999 by NASA's Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) Alliance.

The project called upon Avidyne and its partners to design the general aviation aircraft cockpit of the future. Phase I focused on the design of the PFD/HSI Display (primary flight display/horizontal situation indicator), which successfully flew in a Lancair Columbia 400 at EAA AirVenture 2000.

Phase II, to be shown at EAA AirVenture 2001, is built on the Phase I infrastructure by implementing an easy-to-understand and simple-to-fly HITS display. Demonstration flights of Avidyne's intuitive HITS display symbology are being done in the Columbia 400. Certification is expected by the end of 2002. — Alton K. Marsh

Dassault Falcon Jet launches FNX

Dassault Aviation announced at the Paris Air Show in June that it is launching a new business trijet capable of flying as far as 5,700 nautical miles and at cruise speeds in the range of Mach 0.85. This fills the niche between Dassault Falcon Jet's Falcon 2000 and the 6,500-nm global business jets (the Bombardier Global Express and Gulfstream's G-V and -VSP).

The FNX's maximum Mach number will be Mach 0.90, Dassault said. The new jet will have a cabin 8 feet longer than its precursor — the Falcon 900EX. The FNX's wing will be swept 5 degrees more than the 900EX's, which, together with fuel-efficient engines, will give it the extra range advantage. Engines have yet to be selected, but the Honeywell AS905 and the Pratt & Whitney PW-306 are both being considered; they are in the 18,000-lb thrust range. Moreover, the FNX will have fly-by-wire controls. First flight of the FNX is set for 2004. For more Paris Air Show coverage, see AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/members/paris01.html). — Thomas A. Horne

PILOTHEADLINERS

Recent news from AOPA's weekly e-mail newsletter.

Mooney clears the air

A Mooney executive denied rumors that the company is on the verge of filing for bankruptcy protection, saying that Mooney reduced output to "hedge against softer market conditions."

GlaStar kit production to resume

Thomas W. Wathen, who ended months of legal wrangling in bankruptcy court when he bought the assets to the Glasair kitplane line, has also purchased the GlaStar kitplane assets.

No hovering for Robinson sales

Robinson Helicopter Company produced 76 percent of the helicopters manufactured in North America for the first quarter of 2001.

Buy an XL–2 for less

Liberty Aerospace Inc. announced a financing plan where a VFR-equipped XL–2 can be had for $791 per month with 10 percent down.

Souped-up Lancair aims for jetlike speeds

American Engine LLC hopes to hit 340 knots with its Lancair IV-P powered by a 650-hp V-8 engine.

Raytheon announces more layoffs at Wichita plant

Because of lower-than-expected aircraft delivery rates of Beechjet and King Air turboprop aircraft, Raytheon Aircraft announced that it will lay off more employees.

Astronaut dies in crash of homebuilt

Astronaut Patricia Hilliard Robertson, 38, died May 24 after a Whittman Tailwind in which she was a passenger crashed on takeoff at Wolfe Air Park in Manvel, Texas.

Firm names new president

Bing Lantis, former president of Mooney Aircraft, has been named president of The Lancair Company, manufacturer of the Columbia 300 and 400.

To sign up for the free AOPA ePilot newsletter or to view the archive, see AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/epilot/).

Delaware airport moves from private to public hands

With fewer than a dozen public-use airports in Delaware, the state realized that it couldn't afford to lose one. This bucks the trend around the country, where on average one airport goes under each week.

One of the easiest ways to give pilots suitable places to land without having to go through years of red tape is to restore an existing airport or buy a private one and convert it to public use. A little of both happened at the Delaware Airpark near Dover earlier this year.

The airport began in the early 1950s as a place to support Floyd Durham's love for flying his Ercoupe. It evolved into a more serious relationship. "It was a hobby that ran away with me. I had no intention of building a commercial airport," he said. He originally named the 1,800-foot strip "Little Acres." Over time he bought a parcel of land here and there and the airport expanded. Durham did this while he ran a one-man plumbing operation, his sole means of income, and — along with his wife, Doris, who was a schoolteacher — raised a family. Since it wasn't a public field, Durham wasn't eligible for government funding — nor did he have any wealthy fam..ily members or friends to borrow from. "Banks felt that anyone who flew small airplanes had a death wish," according to George J. Frebert, author of Delaware Aviation History.

The airport grew up around Durham's hobby, and he spent half his life running it. Eventually, he changed the name to Delaware Airpark. A pivotal moment occurred in the late 1960s when Dover Airfield closed down and the Dover Downs Nascar Speedway was built. The drivers and race fans needed a place to land, so the Delaware Airpark was a natural choice and a good source of revenue for the area.

As the airport developed, the banks began to see the value, and loans became available as long as Durham put up his own assets as collateral. But it was a double-edged sword. The improvements spelled government reappraisals and higher taxes. Durham refused to charge landing fees to make up for it. He cut down trees with his own chainsaw, plowed the snow off the runway in winter, and did whatever he could to offer the services of much larger fields. In 1970 the little airport saw its first VOR instrument approach; in 1995 a clearance delivery frequency was added so that pilots could open and close flight plans and obtain clearances over the radio on the ground; and in 1996 the airport was the first in the state to get an FAA-approved GPS approach.

Durham had a Piper dealership there, and Delaware State University has been using the airport for training pilots. Through his company, Diamond Aviation, his son, Harlan, does maintenance and annuals for aircraft based in the tristate area.

Local pilots were beginning to wonder what might happen to the airport once Durham, now 83, passed on. He had even been approached by developers who wanted to turn it into a trailer park. With support from pilots, Durham decided to sell it to the state for $2 million — who knows how much money he put into it. The state then leased it to the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) to handle the operation and management. DRBA operates four other aviation facilities. "They thoroughly understand that aviation is part of the air transportation system," Frebert said.

The state and federal governments spent nearly $2 million upgrading the runway and making other improvements. The runway is now 3,582 feet long. After a two-month closure for the upgrades, at 7:30 a.m. on May 29 Durham's Piper Warrior was the first of the 40 aircraft based at the Delaware Airpark to take off. As Frebert put it, Durham did, nearly 12,000 flying hours later, the seemingly impossible: He built a public-use airport with full services from private funds — and survived to tell about it.

Float company remains buoyant under new owner

PK Floats, a manufacturer of aircraft floats that has been around since 1954, has once again changed hands. Its new home is in north-central Maine and the company is getting ready to launch a new line of products.

Alton Bouchard, president of Central Maine Flying Service and Eastern Aircraft Sales, bought the company last year from DeVore Aviation of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The float company has changed hands three times.

After passing many FAA approvals in the past year, PK Floats is getting ready to launch a line of amphibious floats for Cessna 180, 182, 185, and 172 aircraft, as well as the Aviat Husky, Piper Super Cub, and Maule aircraft. For more information, call Central Maine Flying Service at 207/827-5911.

Squawk Sheet

A recent highly publicized accident in Missouri involving a Cessna 335 has focused the FAA regulatory spotlight on potential deficiencies in aircraft equipped with dual vacuum systems. Late last year the FAA issued an airworthiness concern sheet (ACS) to AOPA and aircraft type clubs indicating that it was considering an airworthiness directive (AD) mandating repetitive inspection and replacement of vacuum system components. AOPA and several aircraft type clubs opposed the proposed AD, pointing out that a simple preflight check at engine start-up could completely preclude the possibility of an undetected vacuum system failure. As a result of the comments received, the FAA opted out of an AD and instead issued a special airworthiness information bulletinQrecommending a simple preflight verification of the vacuum system's integrity.

For more information, see AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/whatsnew/regulatory/regtwinvacuum.html).

Wombat season opens in Colorado

In Colorado there is an award called Wombat for a handful of glider pilots who can take a ship with moderate soaring capabilities and fly to designated gliderports. The first letter of each gliderport makes up the acronym.

But it's not easy. The trophy has only changed hands about a half-dozen times since it was created in the 1980s. The Wombat requires pilots to fly trusty old Schwiezer 1-26s that only have glide ratios of 23 to 1, compared to modern fiberglass racers that can hit 60 to 1.

Dreamed up by Lewis Neyland, the W stands for Westcliffe, near Pueblo; the O for Owl Canyon Gliderport, north of Fort Collins; M for Meadow Lake Airport in Colorado Springs; B for Black Forest Soaring Society, at Kelly Air Park in Elbert; and A for Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The T stands for trophy. Glider pilots have to fly from one of these airports to another within the Wombat acronym. To make it more sporting for airports that are close together, they have to fly out to a certain point and turn around.

On the day the award was established, Jim Walker of Black Forest became the first person to have his name engraved on the plaque. But on that same day, Neyland quickly won it back for Meadow Lake.

Dave Siemion, a cadet at the Air Force Academy, is the current holder of the trophy after he took it away from his own school in May and gave it to Black Forest. Why would he do such a thing? Siemion will be teaching cross-country techniques for the academy's glider program and wanted to give the cadets something to shoot for.

When glider operations ceased at Westcliffe, there went the W. But a new glider operation is forming in Canon City, and the glider pilots are trying to be creative and find a way to preserve the W so they don't end up changing the name of the trophy to Rombat or some other variation. Apparently, there's just something enduring about an award named after an Australian marsupial.

Members in the news

Domenic DeNardo, AOPA 245702, has completed his latest aviation paintings. B-2 Spirit depicts the Northrop B–2 bomber and the other, Raptor Dominance, captures the Lockheed Martin F–22. Both paintings have been reproduced in a new edition of high-quality art prints. The print size is 19 by 24 inches and they retail for $35 each. For a free brochure, contact the Art Center Studio, 80 Carpenter Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903; or telephone 401/421-2651.

Danny Clisham, AOPA 1018823, set a speed record for a commercial air route from San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico, to Chicago. Clisham's speed of 529.04 mph has been officially verified by the National Aeronautic Association and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. This is his twelfth such award. Clisham is a captain for American Airlines and a professional airshow announcer. Rodney Douglas, AOPA 823366, became the first person to complete Phase XX of the FAA's Wings program. Douglas received a plaque from the FAA at an awards ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky. Douglas is a flight instructor and aircraft maintenance technician. Jeff Bass, AOPA 1290956, a nationally known artist, has painted a portrait of George H. Bush. It is now being offered by The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation as a limited edition lithograph with a print run of 500. Each one is signed by the artist and the former president and sells for $1,500. All proceeds benefit the National Flight Academy that is being built near the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida. The academy's mission is to motivate young people to pursue careers in science and technology. For more information, see the Web site ( www.navalaviation.com); e-mail [email protected]; or telephone 800/247-6289.