News /

The wings and landing gear attach to the fuselage of the airplane you fly. Forget about that if you’re Yves Rossy, a stunt pilot known as Jetman. Rossy, 52, straps on a wing—and four tiny jet engines—to become his own fuselage, averaging 124 mph on 10-minute flights. Among other feats he’s flown across the Grand Canyon and the English Channel.

What: “Jetman” Yves Rossy
Where: Above the Swiss Alps
Photographer: Alain Ernoult

GAO says FAA must have better flight training oversight

Report highlights agency’s failings

A new Government Accountability Office report on initial pilot training recommends that the FAA develop ways to measure how well it performs oversight and inspection of flight training institutions and examiners, and develop a better understanding of the “nature and scope” of its discretionary inspections of flight instructors. The 70-page report, conducted at the behest of Congress, examined the role initial pilot training and education may have played in pilot performance. The report reviewed the various kinds of domestic flight schools, and compared training methods and opportunities to those in other countries.

It was critical of the FAA for not monitoring and tracking inspection activity, because of its “inability to aggregate inspection data from the local district offices” that carry out the inspections. That shortcoming made it difficult to ensure that safety standards were being met, the GAO said. The report noted that to what extent the FAA carried out “optional” inspections of individual flight instructors was unclear, as were the reasons for them.

AOPA has consistently emphasized that primary flight training is undertaken not just by future airline pilots, but by those who plan to fly for recreational and personal reasons, and for compensation as commercial pilots, and should not become overly burdensome to GA pilots. Airline pilots must go on to take training specific for the type of air carrier operation for which they were hired.

The report cited industry worries that recent airline safety legislation requiring higher certification for new airline hires could contribute to a future pilot shortage. “Aviation stakeholders have voiced significant concerns that requiring first officers for regional airlines to possess an airline transport pilot certificate will likely result in the inability to fill some positions because of the lack of qualified pilots,” it said.

The report declined to issue recommendation on the area “because FAA has initiated some efforts and has plans for other efforts to address pilot training issues.

The GAO described the FAA’s oversight of “key functions” for initial training as “reasonably sound,” but expressed concern about the consistency of oversight—which it said made a case for better controls.

Cessna adds inspections for aging aircraft

Company says fatigue and corrosion at issue

Cessna Aircraft Co. will add inspection procedures to its service manuals for aircraft built between 1946 and 1986 to detect signs of problems common to aging aircraft. The inspections will focus primarily on signs of corrosion and airframe fatigue.

The supplemental inspection procedures affect 100- and 200-series aircraft. Inspections for the 200 series were added in December, while supplemental inspections for 100-series aircraft will be added in April 2012.

“The supplemental inspection program we’ve developed is primarily a visual process aimed at supporting the continued airworthiness of aging airframes,” said Beth Gamble, Cessna’s principal engineer for airframe structures. “Through this education effort, we hope to answer most questions before we release the revised service manuals. We encourage owners to check in with their local Cessna service affiliate at the appropriate times to have the mandatory inspections completed.”

The criteria for initial visual inspections will vary by model and aircraft age or hours of operation. Cessna authorized service providers will have special training and access to specific equipment for the inspections and for repairs, if required.

“Corrosion and fatigue are inevitable but with early detection and proper maintenance, severity and effects can be minimized,” Gamble said. “The new inspection requirements are very simple, and are based on visual inspection that can be done quickly by a trained inspector during an annual inspection.”

An interactive presentation is available for download on the customer access portion of the Cessna website, and a short video on the inspection process is on Cessna’s YouTube channel.