Pilot Briefing

Washington-area airports face hard times

Three Washington, D.C.-area general aviation airports were allowed to reopen following the lifting of enhanced Class B rules in mid-December, but another three remained closed. Airport managers are blaming national security officials for not understanding or caring about GA. Members of Congress, unable to budge White House security officials, were reduced to offering only "well-intentioned rhetoric," one airport manager said. AOPA has offered suggestions during the past few months and even a plan for reopening all the airports, but new security alerts thwarted such efforts.

Most routine flight operations, including IFR flights, are prohibited at Washington Executive/Hyde Field in Clinton, Maryland; College Park Airport in College Park, Maryland; and Potomac Airfield in Friendly, Maryland. Reopened in December were Maryland Airport in Indian Head, Maryland; Suburban Airport in Laurel, Maryland; and Freeway Airport in Mitchellville, Maryland.

The owner of a flight school at Washington Executive/Hyde Field said at press time that he intended to cease business in January because his airport did not get to reopen despite the lifting of Class B restrictions. Larry Kelley, owner of Beacon Flying Service, said good weather had promised a profitable fall prior to September 11. Now he faces a $50,000 loss. "Nobody is telling me anything," he said. He bought the flight school in 1994 as a hobby after retirement. He operates five aircraft and had 150 active customers.

College Park Airport, northeast of Washington, is also still closed. It went from 1,900 takeoffs and landings a month to almost none after September 11. The historic airport, site of flights by the Wright brothers, continues to receive funding since it is a publicly owned, publicly subsidized state airport, but its maintenance shop has moved to an airport 50 miles away in Easton, Maryland. The 94th?Aero Squadron Restaurant on the field has suffered a drop in business. The restaurant joined with the airport museum as a partner in various events and those have been lost. Airport manager Lee Schiek said he has had poor communication with the FAA.

Freeway Airport in Mitchellville, Maryland, suffered a $675,000 loss with additional losses mounting at $7,500 per day before it was allowed to reopen on December 20, and its owner has threatened to sue the federal government. Freeway Airport and flight school owner Stan Rodenhauser said his business had, in essence, been seized by the federal government.

Potomac Airfield owner David Wartofsky — whose airport remained closed as of December 20 — noted that one flight school tried to get a disaster-relief loan from the Small Business Administration, but the loan was disapproved because the school couldn't fly. SBA officials wanted to know how the loan could be repaid. Wartofsky reports on his airport's situation on his Web site ( www.potomac-airfield.com). He has dealt with White House and Department of Transportation officials. He has coordinated closely with_government officials at several agencies, offering plans and developing special security procedures, and felt confident at press time that his airport could reopen in January, subject to those procedures.

Suburban Airport managers in Laurel, Maryland, were convinced that the only recourse was to close their airport, but with the lifting of Class B restrictions, they have decided to continue operations.

Maryland Airport manager and co-owner Jack Crawford said he had losses of $700 a day in fuel sales before the airport reopened in mid-December. The only aircraft flying from his airport were those involved in medical operations, pipeline patrol, news operations, and one charter operator. He noted that one customer flies top government officials in a Gulfstream jet for the Air Force, but couldn't fly a small airplane from Maryland Airport. "They have confiscated my airport," Crawford said. — Alton K. Marsh

Bohannon goes for FL400

What's next, Bruce? Here's an idea. Why don't you take a single-engine piston airplane to 40,000 feet? Don't mind the cold, lack of oxygen, and potential for disaster.

Actually, Flight Level 400 is Bruce Bohannon's idea simply because he likes round numbers. After successfully breaking the world altitude record for maintaining horizontal flight in the C-1.b class, his team plans to send the Exxon Flyin' Tiger up past where airliners routinely fly. His most recent record of holding 35,497 feet for 90 seconds was validated by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. Bohannon also holds three time-to-climb records. Returning to the spot where he had good luce the previous year, Bohannon will go for the absolute altitude record of 36,188 feet for the C-1.b class at the Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In this April in Lakeland, Florida. He needs a 3-percent margin, meaning that he has to clear 37,274 feet.

Each increase in altitude takes a leap in technology. Kelly Aerospace is custom making a turbocharger, intercoolers, and exhaust system. "There's absolutely nothing routine about it. You don't just grab the phone, order a turbo kit, and slap it on an airplane," Bohannon said. Other modifications include pressurized magnetos and a carbon fiber cowling to enclose the new powerhouse.

What's after Flight Level 400? There's always the amazing absolute altitude record for piston-engine aircraft of 56,046 feet set in 1938 by Mario Pezzi in a Caproni biplane, no less. "Talk to me again after we get to 40,000," Bohannon said.

PILOT HEADLINERS

Headlines pulled from the most recent editions of AOPA's e-mail newsletter

North American-built Diamond Star makes first flight

Diamond Aircraft says it's "full steam ahead" for the IFR-equipped DA40-180 Diamond Star. The company's first aircraft recently made its maiden flight.

Company recalls Aeroshell Oil

Equilon Lubricants LLC, maker of Aeroshell oil for piston aircraft engines, announced a voluntary recall of some 90,000 cases of its oil products. The company said a mechanical problem caused debris to enter some batches of its products, making them fall below quality standards. The company said it has fixed the problem and replaced the oil with untainted products at no cost.

Micco goes up for sale

The Seminole Tribe, owner of Micco Aircraft Company, laid off 45 of its remaining 65 employees in late November and put the company up for sale. The company laid off 25 workers in October. According to The Press Journal in Vero Beach, Florida, the moves were related to the ousting of James Billie, who served as tribal chief and was the driving force behind Micco.

Travolta gives jet to Embry-Riddle

Actor John Travolta has donated a personal airplane, a Canadair CL-41, to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The gift, including spare parts, is valued at $700,000. Embry-Riddle plans to use the jet in its aircraft maintenance technology program. The goal is to keep it airworthy and fly it for demonstrations.

Airshow season saw one fatality

The International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) reported that the 2001 airshow season had only one pilot fatality. The death occurred during an airshow in Sarnia, Ontario, when warbird pilot Carey Moore was killed while flying his Hawker Sea Fury. There were no airshow fatalities in the United States.

Cirrus hires employees

Cirrus Design Corporation has been in the hiring mode. In the past two months the company's workforce has increased by 16 percent to 595 people. The company is in the process of ramping up production after realigning the workforce.

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

Moya Lear, wife of Learjet designer, dies at 86

She wanted to live to be 100, but cancer and heart failure ended Moya Lear's life in early December in Reno, Nevada, at the age of 86. The daughter of vaudeville entertainers, she accepted her role as a leading lady in aviation following the death of William P. Lear in 1978.

Faithful to the last request of her husband, she completed his Lear Fan project as chairman of Lear Avia and saw the aircraft fly on "December 32, 1980," she joked in The Reno Gazette-Journal. (Lear missed her promise to fly it in 1980 by one day, flying instead on the first day of 1981.)

The story of her life with Bill Lear was published in 1996 in the book Lear: An Unforgettable Flight. She met her husband backstage after a performance of Hellzapoppin' on Broadway in 1938. After the play Lear took her to the Stork Club, the Reno newspaper reported. He grasped her hand during the date and he never gave it back, she recalled.

In addition to the Learjet, Bill Lear also developed the first practical car radio and an autopilot. He held 150 patents.

Part of her philanthropy to the Reno community was a gift of $1.1 million for the renovation of a church that will become The Lear Theater. She was inducted into the hall of fame of the Women in Aviation Pioneers, and sat on the board of trustees of the Museum of Flight in Seattle. — AKM

Fractional jet business throttles up

Dassault Falcon President John G. Rosanvallon said at the annual National Business Aviation Association convention in December that the terrorist attacks had little effect on business jet sales.

He said 2001 may be a record year for the French company, despite weak sales in the second and third quarters. Dassault was helped out by the booming fractional jet business. Fractional ownership companies accounted for 80 orders last year that will be delivered through 2002 and 2006. The firm has 130 total new orders. One of Dassault's clients is United Airlines, which has started operation of its fractional jet subsidiary, Avolar, with two Dassault Falcon 50EX aircraft along with a Raytheon Aircraft Hawker 800. Avolar now has 306 aircraft on order.

Elsewhere in the industry, Bombardier Aerospace is adding its Global Express business jet to the fleet of aircraft used by Bombardier Flexjet, the company's fractional ownership program. Customers will be able to purchase an ownership share entitling them to use the aircraft for a set number of days per year, rather than hours per year. The company said it is launching Bombardier Flexjet Asia, a charter network to facilitate access to business jets based in Asia.

Retail sales of used business aircraft fell over the past year, but shoppers appear to be returning to the market after a noticeable drop-off after September 11, according to a joint report from Amstat Corporation and Aircraft Shopper Online (ASO). Completed resale transactions in the first 10 months of 2001 dropped 13 percent in the light-jet category, 21.5 percent in the medium-jet category, and 4.3 percent in the turboprop category compared to the same period the previous year. The only category that showed no change was large jets. — AKM

Adam Aircraft selects Garmin avionics

Adam Aircraft announced in December that the panel in its CarbonAero twin-engine airplane will be dominated by Garmin avionics.

The all-composite centerline-thrust, six-seat airplane will come standard with dual Garmin 530 GPS mapcoms and a Garmin audio panel and transponder along with an S-Tec Fifty-Five X autopilot. That standard configuration includes a full authority digital-engine control (FADEC) system displayed on a pair of Vision Microsystems panels. The FADEC provides single-lever power control to the two turbocharged Continental engines.

The first airplanes will include conventional electromechanical instruments. Later models may use electronic flight displays. The current block of airplanes is selling for $795,000. A prototype airplane has been flying, and a conforming aircraft is set to fly in June. Certification and first deliveries are expected in early 2003. — Thomas B. Haines

Squawk Sheet

The FAA issued on December 11 a final rule airworthiness directive (AD) for Cirrus SR20 and SR22 aircraft. AD 2001-25-03 requires a one-time inspection for understrength rivets on the elevator torque tube and rudder hinge. It requires the replacement of any understrength rivets. The AD resulted after Cirrus Design Corporation notified the FAA that understrength rivets were mixed in production supplies. The action is intended to prevent the failure of control surfaces. The AD is effective December 17, but the FAA will be taking comments until January 24.

The FAA issued on December 3 a final rule AD for Garmin GNS 430 GPS/nav/com units. AD 2001-23-17 requires circuitry modifications to the unit's deviation and flag outputs. The FAA said the AD resulted from reports of inaccurate course deviation indications. The AD is effective December 28. AOPA pointed out to the FAA that most of the owners have already complied with the AD through the manufacturer's warranty program. AOPA recommended a nonmandatory special airworthiness information bulletin (SAIB) instead of an AD.

For more information on current regulatory issues, see AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/whatsnew/regulatory/).

Members in the news

Marla Simon Boone, AOPA 789368, was recently recognized as Volunteer of the Year for the Waco Historical Society (WHS). The WHS is located in Troy, Ohio, site of the manufacturer of the Waco biplane in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Boone is editor of the society's newsletter, a trustee, and director of membership and communications for the group.

La Mont A. Jerrett, AOPA 1270531, has published Dark Trade, a murder-mystery novel. Dark Trade is about a team of Los Angeles Police Department detectives trying to find a serial killer. Jerrett, a career police officer, has included a good mix of his life's work and flying, his life's passion. Martin Popovitch, the main character, is a private pilot who uses aviation to help find the killer. Dark Trade is published by 1stbooks Library and sells for $16.95. For more information, visit the Web site ( www.1stbooks.com).

Cindy M. Doane, AOPA 1289300, recently became the first woman test pilot for Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. Sikorsky supports both the military and general aviation helicopter fleets around the world. Besides being an accomplished helicopter pilot, Doane owns her own fixed-wing aircraft, a 1964 Piper Comanche.

Dave Thole, AOPA 1104390, has published a book about the 14th Fighter Squadron titled Flying Lightning. The 214-page, softbound book traces the evolution of the 14th from a reconnaissance squadron in WW II flying Spitfires, Lightnings, and Mustangs through the Vietnam War in RF-4 Phantom IIs and on into the present day as they fly F-16s out of Japan. The book is filled with firsthand accounts of flying and training for combat in these unique aircraft, including an interesting evaluation of the P-51 by one of the current breed of fighter pilots. Flying Lightning is available from Amazon.com, Borders, and Barnes and Noble, as well as direct from the publisher. See the Web site ( www.iuniverse.com).

Vernon P. Harms, AOPA 191375, has published an inspirational book, Kick the Tires and Light the Fires. The book covers his experiences flying and test-flying piston and turbine airplanes, with devotional vignettes. Retail price is $12.95 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Harms Publishing, Post Office Box 812, Green Valley, Arizona 85622.