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| GA News
| AOPA, ASF UNVEIL RUNWAY SAFETY COURSE
In an innovative effort to address the continuing problem of runway incursions, AOPA and the AOPA Air Safety Foundation have teamed up to offer a first-of-its-kind online runway safety course. AOPA provided the funding for ASF to develop the lively, interactive ASF Runway Safety Program. The course is available free to all pilots, and it is the first industry online course accepted for FAA "Wings" safety program credit. "The growing number of runway incursions is a real 'hot button' for the FAA and Congress," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "AOPA and ASF are committed to finding simple and effective solutions that can be implemented now. Pilot education is the fastest and most effective way to reduce the chance of an incursion." Boyer previewed the course for FAA Administrator Jane Garvey in late February. She hailed the ASF Runway Safety Program as "an extraordinary training tool." She added, "This addition to the AOPA Web site is yet another excellent AOPA initiative to increase pilot awareness and improve runway safety." For more, see the Web site.
RACERS DIE IN ICELAND CRASH
Gwen Bloomingdale, 59, and her copilot Barbara Gard, 52, died in an aircraft that crashed on the southern coast of Iceland Tuesday. The pair had been en route to London in a specially outfitted 1973 Shrike Commander to participate in the London to Sydney Air Race 2001. Bloomingdale was one of the first volunteers for the AOPA Airport Support Network, appointed in 1998 for Provincetown Municipal Airport in Massachusetts. A retired lawyer who learned to fly at age 50, Bloomingdale was one of the most active and energetic of AOPA ASN volunteers. She appeared in a 1998 AOPA video to answer questions about the program for prospective volunteers. She and Gard, who was a certificated A&P mechanic, had competed five times in the Air Race Classic, a cross-country event for women over American soil. A statement has been posted on the Web site that was set up to follow the pair on their planned 28-day race.
TWO GERMAN AIRPLANES ARE IN THE WORKS
The German manufacturer of the two-place D4 Fascination plans to introduce two new aircraft this year, including one that employs "spectacular aerodynamic tricks." WD Flugzeugleichtbau, owned by German aerobatic ace Wolfgang Dallach, recently completed the carbon fiber fuselage for the prototype Evolution two-place aircraft. It is a high-wing aircraft with retractable gear that uses the wings and ailerons from the D4 Fascination. He is also developing a tandem-seat aerobatic airplane, the Revolution, which should fly by the end of this year. It will have a moving leading edge that slides with the movement of the ailerons and rudder. Company officials claim that it has the potential to allow the aircraft to perform maneuvers never seen before.The airplane will be fitted with a 420-horsepower modified Russian M14 radial engine, giving it hovering capability. Only the D4, which is expected to receive FAA certification this summer, is shipping now as an Experimental category aircraft. For more, see the Web site.
POPULAR FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR LEAVES LEGACY
 Amelia C. Reid, Northern California's "first lady of aviation," died Saturday. She was 77. She suffered a stroke on January 16 and remained in a semicomatose state until her death. Reid trained airshow pilot Sean D. Tucker and more than 4,000 others in basic stick-and-rudder flying and aerobatics. She received AOPA's Sharples Award in 1996 for her rugged defense of San Jose's Reid-Hillview Airport and a lifetime of devotion to the preservation and advancement of general aviation. A video clip is available on AOPA Online but we caution readers that it is 4.1 megabytes and may only be suitable for fast connection speeds. See AOPA Online.
DIAMOND AIRCRAFT SPLITS MODELS
Diamond Aircraft Industries has split its Katana DA20 C-1 model into two distinct variants. One, the Evolution, is intended for the trainer market while the other, the Eclipse, is aimed at the sportplane market. Each model contains options and features appropriate to its intended market, through the use of standardized options and avionics packages. In other Diamond news, the company expects VFR certification from the FAA for its new four-place DA40 by mid-April. The aircraft is certified in Europe for VFR flight, and deliveries have begun. The paperwork for IFR certification is nearly complete. Also, the company has established a dealer network and is transitioning from direct sales to dealer distribution. Additionally, Diamond has received FAA certification for its Katana 100, an aircraft with the more powerful 100-horsepower Rotax 912S engine and a gross weight increase. Older aircraft can be converted to the Katana 100 configuration. See the Web site.
BFGOODRICH TO CHANGE NAME
BFGoodrich will soon have a new identity to reflect its presence in the aerospace industry. On April 17, the 130-year-old company founded by Benjamin Franklin Goodrich will change its legal name to Goodrich Corporation. The company will also adopt a new logo effective June 1. The company was once the world's largest manufacturer of rubber products, but the company has changed since it exited the tire business in 1986. (The tire line was later purchased by Michelin.) The aerospace industry now accounts for 84 percent of the company's annual profits, up from 7 percent in 1985.
To our readers: Because of a technical glitch last week, a story about the AMD CH2000 became garbled in some editions. We apologize for the inconvenience. To view a corrected version, see AOPA Online.
For daily news updates, see AOPA Online.
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Inside AOPA
| NEW AOPA REPORTS REDUCE MEDICAL DELAYS
AOPA has published three new reports that will help members reduce delays in receiving medical certification. The reports are part of the extensive library of medical certification information available on AOPA Online. To view the reports, Medical Certification Tips to Know Before You Go, Status Reports: What Are They? and Special Issuance Authorization Letter of Interpretation, see the Web site.
Changing your mailing or e-mail addresses? Click here to update.
| On Capitol Hill
| BUSH BUDGET RECEIVES SCRUTINY
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.) has openly criticized the Bush administration's proposed 4-percent increase in federal budget spending as insufficient. Domenici believes that ultimately the fiscal 2002 budget will require funding increases for national security that will probably push overall federal spending level increases to 5 percent. Domenici supports the Bush budget presented to Congress last week, particularly the 10-year, $1.6 trillion tax cut. But with Bush not conceding to either reduce the proposed tax cut or to increase the amount of federal spending, enormous pressure will be placed on the funding of agencies such as the FAA. In the past three years, spending has increased at an annual rate of 6.5 percent. For more Capitol Hill news, see AOPA Online.
| Airport Support Network
| VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK–FRANK GIBSON
ASN Volunteer Frank Gibson of Barnstable Municipal Airport (HYA) in Hyannis, Massachusetts, notified AOPA that an antinoise faction was pressuring the Barnstable Town Council to limit airport operations. Gibson also contacted the state and the FAA. After one of the town council members introduced a resolution that would create a voluntary curfew on flights before 7 a.m., the Friends of the Barnstable Municipal Airport passed out "nonboarding passes" to all the pre-7 a.m. airline passengers. The resolution was defeated at a recent meeting after a diverse crowd spoke out against it. "The good news is that all this controversy has triggered an awareness that we need a public support group for the airport," Gibson said.
To learn more about the Airport Support Network, visit AOPA Online. | AOPA Air Safety Foundation News
| MBNA DONATES TO ASF
MBNA America Bank recently presented a $25,000 check to the AOPA Air Safety Foundation in support of ASF's "Partnering with Corporate America" program. The gift will help ASF continue its free safety seminars for all pilots, and supports Project V (for video), ASF's innovative program that sends safety videotapes to new private and instrument-rated pilots. "MBNA America Bank sincerely believes in the value of general aviation, and this gift shows its dedication to the cause of GA safety," said Robert J. Milanchus, ASF vice president of development. The gift places MBNA America Bank at ASF's "Gold Level" of corporate sponsorship.
| Quiz Me!
| Here’s a question asked by an AOPA member last week of our AOPA technical specialists. Test your knowledge.
Question: Recently my pilot logbooks were stolen out of my car. What is considered an acceptable method of reconstructing my logbook and flight time?
Answer: The General Aviation Operation Inspectors Handbook (FAA Order 8700.1) provides guidance for reconstructing lost logbooks. The pilot should begin with a signed and notarized statement of previous flight time. The statement should be substantiated by all available evidence such as aircraft logbooks, receipts for aircraft rentals, and statements of flight operators. AOPA would also suggest statements from previous flight instructors, copies of medical applications, and airman certificate and/or rating applications (FAA Form 8710), which can all be obtained through the FAA. It is also important to remember the need for documentation of a current flight review, landing proficiency when carrying passengers, instrument proficiency if appropriate (FAR 61.57), and additional endorsements for high performance, complex, tailwheel, and pressurized aircraft (FAR 61.31). If you are unable to locate the instructors who gave the initial endorsements, you may have to obtain them again. But any fraudulent or intentional false statements concerning aeronautical experience are a basis for the suspension or revocation of any certificate or rating held.
Got a technical question for AOPA specialists? Call 800/872-2672 or e-mail to [email protected]. Send comments on our Quiz Me! questions to [email protected].
| AOPA Sweepstakes Bonanza Update
| SWEEPS BONANZA HEADS NORTHEAST
 An AOPA Pilot editor put the spurs to the thoroughbred 2001 AOPA Sweepstakes Bonanza on a recent cross-country. Read about the unique engine management techniques in the latest project update on AOPA Online.
| ePilot Calendar
| Washington, D.C. The twenty-sixth annual FAA Commercial Aviation Forecast Conference takes place at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center March 13 and 14. Call 202/267-9943 for event information.
Newark, California. The Northern California 2001 Aviation Maintenance and Safety Symposium takes place March 16 and 17 at the Newark Hilton Hotel. Call 510/273-7155 for event information.
WEEKEND FLYING DESTINATIONS
Richmond, Virginia. An Ultralight Safety Seminar will take place at the Virginia Aviation Museum at Richmond International Airport (RIC), 804/226-3000, March 17. Call 804/236-3622 for event information.
Mesa, Arizona. The 2001 Cox Communications Air and Motor Spectacular takes place at Williams Gateway Airport (IWA), 480/988-1013. Call 480/774-9355 for event information.
For more airport details, see AOPA's Airport Directory Online
For more events, see Aviation Calendar of Events
ASF FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR REFRESHER CLINICS
(All clinics start at 7:30 a.m.) The next AOPA Air Safety Foundation Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics are scheduled in Birmingham, Alabama; Phoenix; and San Mateo, California, March 10 and 11. Clinics are scheduled in Ontario, California; Orlando, Florida; and Lubbock, Texas, March 17 and 18. For the Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic schedule, see AOPA Online.
ASF SAFETY SEMINARS
The next AOPA ASF Safety Seminars are scheduled in Springdale, Ohio, and Fort Myers, Florida, March 12; Dayton, Ohio, and Miami, Florida, March 13; Columbus, Ohio, and Lake Worth, Florida, March 14; and Cleveland and Vero Beach, Florida, March 15. For more information see AOPA Online.
ASF PINCH-HITTER GROUND-SCHOOL COURSES
(Pinch-Hitter courses start at 9:30 a.m.)
The next Pinch-Hitter� Ground School will take place March 18 in Ontario, California. For more Pinch-Hitter courses, see AOPA Online.
AOPA PILOT TOWN MEETINGS
Featuring AOPA President Phil Boyer
(7:30 p.m.; admission is free) The next Pilot Town Meetings are in Tulsa, March 13; and Austin, Texas, March 15. For more information on Pilot Town Meetings, see AOPA Online.
For comments on calendar items or to make submissions, contact Julie S. Walker at [email protected].
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Contacting ePilot
Got news tips? Contact ePilot editor Nathan A. Ferguson at [email protected]. Having difficulty using this service? Visit the ePilot Frequently Asked Questions now at AOPA Online or write to [email protected]. Changing your mailing or e-mail addresses? Click here to update.
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Copyright � 2001. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
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