Laser pilot-warning system goes into effect
If you're flying in the Washington, D.C., area and you see a strange light on the ground that quickly flashes red-red-green, it means you're special. You've been selected as the latest pilot to violate restricted airspace.
The military's new Visual Warning System (VWS) was set to go live in mid-May in an effort to augment other means of keeping unauthorized pilots out of the Washington Metropolitan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and the inner Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ). The system sends out laser beams — basketball size in diameter — from undisclosed sites atop government facilities, discreet enough that they won't be seen by people on the ground or by other aircraft.
The easily recognizable sequence of colors was selected based on human factors research and because the signal is not currently in the FAA's repertoire of control tower light-gun signals. The military says the laser is safe for the eyes — safer than high-intensity laser pointers — and it isn't blinding or distracting. The VWS has a range of 15 to 20 nautical miles depending on weather.
In April, Air Force and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) officials took the media and AOPA staff members on demonstration flights to evaluate the system and get the word out to pilots. In bright early evening light at 2,500 feet msl from a military helicopter, the flashing lights were unmistakable amid the confusing mass of squares and rectangles that melt away into the green and brown of greater Washington. The laser light was brighter than glare on the Potomac River and at night it's said to be spectacular.
If you're unlucky enough to witness this sight, the procedure is to immediately turn away from the beam and contact controllers on 121.5 MHz or the local frequency. The military has threatened to use force for unresponsive aircraft. Besides issuing a notam, the FAA will be updating the Aeronautical Information Manual to get the word out to pilots. The fear is that some may not understand the signal and will not know what to do.
The government so far doesn't have any plans to deploy the system in other cities, but the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, would be the most likely candidate.
Cessna Citation Mustang flies
Cessna Aircraft's Citation Mustang program is moving along right on schedule with the maiden flight of the aircraft on April 23. Test pilots Scotty Jergenson and Dave Bonifield departed from McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita and conducted a 141-minute flight up to 11,000 feet. The airplane landed later at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. "We are extremely pleased with the results of today's flight. The crew completed all test conditions and everything went just as planned," said Russ Meyer III, Mustang program manager. The prototype, primarily a testbed for aerodynamic and system tests, is one of three airframes that will be used for type certification. Cessna plans to fly its first and second production Mustangs later this year. While the Mustang was assembled in Wichita, the airplane model will be the first Citation to go into production at Cessna's Independence, Kansas, plant. The Independence plant was traditionally reserved for piston-aircraft manufacturing.
Centennial Wright Flyer sold to Seattle museum
Seattle's Museum of Flight has purchased one of three 1903 Wright Flyers built for the 2003 Centennial of Flight celebration. The $1 million price tag is a little less than the replica cost to build. The Discovery of Flight Foundation in Warrenton, Virginia, along with Ford and major corporate sponsors, helped finance the construction of the Flyer. It was built by the Wright Experience, also located in Warrenton. The aircraft was a backup to the one that made the unsuccessful attempt at flight at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, in December 2003. Ken Hyde and his crew at the Wright Experience are now hard at work on a model of the Wrights' Navy B1 as well as their 1907 and 1908 aircraft. — Alton K. Marsh
ePilot Headliners
Recent news from AOPA's weekly e-mail newsletter.
Raytheon proposes settlement with SEC
Raytheon has offered to pay $12 million without admitting wrongdoing to settle an investigation into accounting at Raytheon Aircraft from 1997 through 2001.
First flight for CJ2+
Testing has begun on a new Cessna Citation CJ2+ (model 525A), which features Williams International FJ44 engines with digital engine controls and Collins Pro Line 21 avionics.
A taste of Reno
A new Reno, Nevada-style air race that will be combined with an airshow is planned for June 2 to 5 in Tunica, Mississippi, located about a 30-minute drive south of Memphis.
Answers on Hughes Racer crash
The NTSB concluded that the loss of a propeller counterweight caused the crash of a Hughes H-1B Racer replica in August 2003.
Pan Am academy moves West
Ravaged by two hurricanes last summer and fearing other potential training delays for its customers, Pan Am International Flight Academy is closing its Fort Pierce, Florida, operation and consolidating training at its sunny and dry Deer Valley, Arizona, location.
Now you can receive a customized version of the free AOPA ePilot e-mail newsletter tailored to your interests. To customize your weekly newsletter, see AOPA Online ( https://www.aopa.org/apps/epilot/).
Sun 'n Fun Notebook
Year of the light-sport aircraft
This year's Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In in Lakeland, Florida, was all about the FAA Sport Pilot and Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) initiative. Companies from around the world are vying to seize at least a chunk of the U.S. market.
The first two special airworthiness certificates were presented in early April for two European ready-to-fly designs: the Evektor-Aerotechnik SportStar from the Czech Republic that sells for $95,000 and Flight Design CT from Germany, offered by Flightstar Inc., of Connecticut, for $85,000. Not to be outdone by Europeans, American companies like Cub Crafters, Legend Cub, Rans, and Van's, among others, are all working on LSAs.
Meanwhile, in the type-certified world, Symphony Aircraft Industries is taking two-seat trainers to the next level. The Symphony 160 can come equipped with Avidyne's FlightMax Entegra glass-cockpit system, BRS' emergency parachute, and S-Tec's autopilot. The glass-cockpit Avidyne package is based at $189,650. The BRS parachute-system option costs $18,500.
Aviat Aircraft has introduced several upgrades to its Husky two-place conventional-gear aircraft. A redesign of the aileron allows for faster roll rates and lighter stick forces, while also permitting the installation of larger flaps for better visibility on landing and improved slow-speed handling. A choice of two new propeller installations — an 80-inch all-metal Hartzell or an 82-inch composite MT propeller — leads to an increase in climb performance and elimination of a harmonic range with certain prop rpm settings. The new prop and option package can be retrofitted on existing Huskies as well.
And bouncing back from the hurricanes that devastated Florida last fall, Chuck Suma, chief executive officer of—The New Piper Aircraft, announced that the three-screen Avidyne FlightMax Entegra integrated flight deck would be standard equipment on the Meridian single-engine turboprop. Avidyne Entegra systems are already standard equipment in most of the rest of the company's fleet. Suma also announced a Piper Inadvertent Icing Protection System (PIIPS), a $28,850 option on the Saratoga II HP, Saratoga II TC, Piper 6X, and Piper 6XT models. Installation does not grant "flight into known icing" approval.
In the high-flying world of Bruce Bohannon, the National Aeronautic Association has confirmed two more time-to-climb records set November 13 by Bohannon in his Exxon Flyin' Tiger. The climb to 12,000 meters in 20 minutes and 24 seconds was set in both the Unlimited C-1 class and the C-1.b class, meaning two more records for the aircraft that has an ultimate goal of maintaining level flight at 50,000 feet. The records were set on the way up to 50,000 feet, but the aircraft did not reach that altitude. Bohannon plans to try again by extending his present RV-4 wings using sections that have a different airfoil.
And one of the most compelling and popular displays this year at Sun 'n Fun — on the ramp and in the sky — was the Lockheed P-38 Lightning Glacier Girl, the aircraft rescued from the Greenland ice two years ago. In stunning flybys, the warbird demonstrated its rise back to glory, and at the warbird awards banquet it garnered both Grand Champion status for its restoration and a special Phoenix award for the effort required to make it so. For complete Sun 'n Fun coverage, see AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/members/sunnfun05.html).
GA Market Watch
It looks like it's a buyers' market for piston single-engine complex airplanes, according to the Vref Index. The valuation guide shows a Mount Everest-like profile where values for 1982 Beechcraft 58P Baron and Duke and Cessna 340A, 414A, and 421C rose to a peak in third-quarter 2000, then began to fall off before leveling out again in 2004. Perform your own aircraft valuations using AOPA's free service on AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/members/vref/). Also, see Vref's Web site ( www.vrefpub.com).
Illinois Aviation Museum educates, expands
One result of the passion that pilots harbor for aviation is that museums dedicated to preserving its history can be found nearly everywhere.
But from lack of funds or time, many museums suffer from benign neglect and become more repositories of dust than aircraft. Through local funding, community involvement, and, yes, the passion of the pilots behind the scenes, the Illinois Aviation Museum in Bolingbrook, Illinois, is destined to no such fate.
Modeled on the Navy museum in Pensacola, Florida, according to museum board member Ray Jakubiak, the Illinois Aero Museum has recently opened its expanded facility at the Clow International Airport, with plans to eventually build a larger museum at the airport. The board hopes to address three "circles" of influence: restoration (including the collection of oral history from local and renowned pilots and the restoration of a North American T-2C Buckeye); education (using flight to interest schoolchildren in math and physics subjects); and community (the airport has strong local support from the Village of Bolingbrook, and the facility will have a business meeting center and aviation library). A "children's flight deck" is planned, with simulators, so that visiting kids can "get in sims and fly," according to Jakubiak.
Museum memberships will debut this year; currently there is $250,000 invested in the building for classrooms. For more information, see the Web site ( www.illinoisaeromuseum.com). A seminar schedule for 2005 is posted on the site. — Julie K. Boatman
Share your world of flying
Aviation Media is offering aviation enthusiasts an opportunity to upgrade their video libraries and spread the word about general aviation at the same time. According to Aviation Media, owners of its popular Wonderful World of Flying video series can return their tapes to the company and for an additional $200 upgrade to the DVD version. Aviation Media, meanwhile, will donate the videotapes to high school or college libraries where they will hopefully spur enthusiasm among a new generation of pilots. For more information, see the Aviation Media Web site ( www.wwof.com). — Thomas B. Haines
Members in the news
Charles Spence, AOPA 128243, is the behind-the-scenes author of Wings Field Autobiography. The book, written by "Wings Field (with a little help from Charles Spence)," covers the airport's 75-year history and many little-known achievements. The first navigation radios for small aircraft were manufactured and tested there. Work on airport lighting began at a small shop at Wings. And Wings was the birthplace of AOPA. The 190-page paperback book sells for $28 including shipping and handling and sales tax. It can be ordered via the airport's Web site ( www.wingsfield.com) or by mailing your order to Montgomery County Aviation, 1501 Narcissa Road, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania 19422.
Paul Werbin, AOPA 1353033, has received the Virginia Governor's Transportation Safety Award for his work as a volunteer aviation safety counselor. The Virginia Beach resident helped organize the Virginia aviation safety program and the state-sponsored Wings weekend program in conjunction with the FAA flight standards district office in Richmond.
Herbert H. Halperin, AOPA 123270, of Palm Desert, California, has published a book, The Sky's No Limit: Around the World Air Race 1994, which chronicles his participation in the 1994 Arc en Ciel air race. The hardcover 256-page book has detailed maps and technical discussions about flying a Beechcraft A36 Bonanza around the world. Order by calling 800/597-9250 or e-mailing ( [email protected]). The book sells for $29.95.
Deanna Strand, AOPA 820803, has been chosen as the aviation mentor for the upcoming book You Can Do It! The Merit Badge Handbook for Grown-Up Girls. Strand's chapter assists women in starting to pursue their flying interests. Lauren Catuzzi-Grandcolas initially started the book, but died in one of the airliners that hit the World Trade Center in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Her family and friends have completed the book in her honor. See the Web site ( www.youcandoitbook.com) for more information on the book.
William J. "Bill" Betts, AOPA 111471, has received the FAA's prestigious Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award for 50 years of continuous service as an aviation mechanic/technician contributing to aviation safety. Betts worked for NACA/NASA in the 1950s and 1960s and has maintained light airplanes, gliders, and helicopters. He has been an AOPA member since 1954.
Coming up in the June issue of AOPA Flight Training
- Flying floats in Alaska. A bush-pilot hopeful pursues her dream in the challenging environs of Alaska.
- Risk management. John and Martha King want you to stay safe, and they've developed new checklists to monitor in-flight risks.
- Solo, at last. The series finds student pilot Mark ready to go it alone.
The June issue was scheduled to mail April 27. Current AOPA members can add a subscription to AOPA Flight Training for $18 per year. For more information, call 800/872-2672.
