OCTOBER 25, 2013 - VOL 15, ISSUE 43

NBAA

Article

Honeywell: Jet deliveries to drop

Honeywell's latest jet industry forecast shows deliveries down, but value holding due to a trend toward larger, more expensive jets. Read more... Share:  

Advocacy

Propelling GA with a united front

A united front by the aviation associations can bring about positive change, but changing FAA priorities and budget challenges threaten to give airlines an upper hand. Read more... Share:  

Article

Cessna: Bright future for bizjets, none for Skycatcher

Cessna CEO Scott Ernest updated reporters at the National Business Aviation Association convention on several new products emerging from the production line, but grew testy when pressed for details about a few of them, like the cause of a 182 JT-A engine failure and the Skycatcher's future. Read more... Share:  

Article

HondaJet engine cert tests complete

The biggest headache of the HondaJet program, and the biggest cause of delays, may be cured. All tests needed for FAA certification are complete, and GE Honda Aero Engines officials expect certification by the end of the year. Read more... Share:  

Article

Jackie Chan buys first Legacy 500

In a normally staid National Business Aviation Association convention, actor Jackie Chan showed up at an Embraer press conference, bought a Legacy 500, and played to an adoring crowd. Read more... Share:  

Article

Iron Maiden rocker sings Eclipse praises

Bruce Dickinson's new maiden is not iron, it is aluminum. The lead singer for the legendary heavy metal band Iron Maiden is a new proponent for the Eclipse 550, an all-aluminum light twinjet. Read more... Share:  

Article

Jet convention attendees hear of dangerous times ahead

The coming budget battle, one put on "pause" by the temporary fix to keep the government open, puts general aviation squarely in the bull's-eye, speakers warned attendees at the National Business Aviation Association convention. Read more... Share:  

Article

Helo of the people, by the people

During the National Business Aviation Association convention Oct. 22 through 24 in Las Vegas, Bell Helicopter displayed its 429WLG model that it says was based entirely on customer requests. Read more... Share:  

Article

Nextant to refurbish King Air C90s

Nextant Aerospace, already offering Beechcraft strong competition in the refurbished Beechjet 400 arena with its 400XTi, will offer a refurbishment of the King Air C90 that features a Garmin G1000 avionics suite and GE H80 engines. Read more... Share:  

Article

AOPA Insurance offers coverage for aviation businesses

AOPA Insurance Services has launched a new line of coverage for fixed-base operators, charter and agricultural aviation businesses, flight schools, repair stations, and a variety of other aviation enterprises. Read more... Share:  

More News

Artist, astronaut honored at convention

2014 bizjet flight ops up in US, flat in Europe

Beechcraft spools up for Wheels Up deliveries

Ed Swearingen's business jet design appears headed for market

Gulfstream G650 sets world speed record

King Air speed record confirmed

Rockwell Collins offers 3-D moving Airshow map

Flexjet orders 60 Learjet 85s

Nextant captures large jet order

HondaJet is in the market to stay

Technique and Safety

App

Need help with go/no-go decisions?

The benefit of hindsight is that we're always right. We don't have that luxury before making decisions. With that in mind, the Air Safety Institute's Flight Risk Evaluator mobile app helps pilots make that crucial go/no-go decision while still safely on the ground. The app takes into account many of the variables we weigh before flying and provides an objective look at how risky any flight may be before we even crank the engine. Learn more... Share:  

IFR Fix

'The runway seemed very close'

It was a challenging flight, and that hectic last vector to final didn't help stabilize your approach. Now, as you pop out beneath a ragged overcast, the runway remains a murky outline up ahead, but the VASI alongside helps you complete a transition to visual references. Read more... Share:  

Blog

Engine enigma

Aviation cost challenges are multi-faceted. Certification costs may explain part of the difference between a $50,000 aircraft engine and a $10,000 car engine, but not all. There have been some great automotive conversion experiments, but have any fully lived up to the promise of being commercially viable? Read more... Share:  

Advocacy

Advocacy

Shutdown prevented printing of latest notam publication

The FAA is advising pilots that the Notice to Airmen Publication (NTAP) valid from Oct. 17 to Nov. 14 will not be available in printed form as a consequence of the recently concluded partial government shutdown. Read more... Share:  

Advocacy

Outer Banks airports reopened

The airstrip next to the Wright Brothers National Memorial, and two others on North Carolina's Outer Banks, reopened with the rest of the federal government. Read more... Share:  

Advocacy

General aviation airport makes comeback in Texas

When it seemed inevitable that a transition from airfield to racetrack might become irreversible, pilot Mark Drake bought the place. Read more... Share:  

Blog

Advocacy efforts continue during government shutdown

What were AOPA's government affairs staff members doing while the federal government was shut down? A lot more than you might think. Read more... Share:  

Health

Article

Doctor offers tips for aging pilot eyes

A doctor from Baltimore's world-renowned Wilmer Eye Institute offered tips on how to keep flying as eyes age. Read more... Share:  

Webinar

Sackier to offer health, medical info

Diligent pilots pursue recurrent training, seminars, and reading to avoid becoming a statistic. What are you doing to prevent other threats to mortality, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and more? Join AOPA medical counsel Dr. Jonathan Sackier at 8 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 30 for some life-saving information. Register here...

Technology

Article

GE Passport engine uses ceramics

GE Aviation has improved performance and reduced fuel burn in its Passport engine. The engine is used on the Bombardier Global 7000 and 8000, and incorporates ceramic matrix composite material plus a unique blade surface that lasts longer. Read more... Share:  

Article

Cessna to sell Tamarack active winglets

Tamarack Aerospace has worked for years, and on its own dime, to add winglets to the smaller end of the Cessna jet line without adding too much stress to the wing. Now Cessna has decided to sell, market, and install Tamarack winglets. Read more... Share:  

Article

Improve aircraft performance with efficiency mods, part 4

If you own an aircraft produced in reasonably large numbers, you can be assured that there are companies marketing modifications to improve performance. However, it pays to be a bit skeptical when evaluating any specific speed gains promised. Read more... Share:  

More News

Garmin G5000 offered for 400XPR

Embraer announces upgrades

Opinion

Blog

Flying silently, part 2

If the aviation industry wanted to fly quietly, the community would find a solution, but Opinion Leaders blogger John Petersen asserts that the industry doesn't think that it is important. Maybe it should be, he writes. Read more… Share:  

Blog

Getting it for free: Really?

Scholarships are awarded to the best of the best. So why does an airline pilot who received a scholarship for a jet type rating fear reprisal from the other pilots at work? Read more... Share:  

Blog

#CampBacon

Where better to "pig out" on aviation—and other tasty treats—than a "Bacon Party" at EAA AirVenture? Read more... Share:  

Gear

Article

Garmin updates software, prices wx services

Garmin says it has new GTN software with new features, and now offers worldwide weather pricing plans and position reporting. Read more... Share:  

Apps of the week

Developers offer training apps for pilots, mechanics

Student pilots and aviation professionals may want to try these five training apps: King Air 200, Prepware Aviation Maintenance Technician, US Aviation Academy, King Schools Companion App, and Instrument Pilot Checkride. Read more... Share:  

More News

Mid-Continent unveils lithium batteries, educational seminars

Flight Display releases latest JetJukebox at NBAA

Travel

Flash-based, login required

'Over the river, and through the MOA'

The holiday travel season beckons! You are planning to take to the skies to visit family and friends, and have plotted your route, but have you considered the various types of airspace that you will transit on your flight? Refresh your knowledge, and prevent a possible misadventure. Take the Air Safety Institute's Know Before You Go: Navigating Today's Airspace online course.

Article

Flight plan changes take effect

Effective Oct. 24, the FAA has replaced some of the suffixes used to describe on-board equipment in domestic flight plans. Read more... Share:  

Blog

Weekends are for flying

As far as AOPA President Mark Baker is concerned, weekends are for flying. Baker recently dropped by a "Beech Party" and the Wings Over the Rockies Museum during a weekend just the way he likes them—all about aviation. Read more... Share:  

Financial

Article

Cessna has loss in third quarter, but better times to come

Cessna Aircraft took a $23 million loss in the third quarter, but deliveries of two new models begin in the fourth, and another begins in the first quarter of 2014. Still, the jet market remains unpredictably sluggish and confounds the experts, but a recovery has to be out there somewhere. Read more... Share:  

Webinar

Maximize your avionics dollars

Upgrading your panel can be one of an aircraft owner's most expensive undertakings. Join AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines and Lancaster Avionics owner Todd Adams for insights on how to plan and execute your panel project in a webinar Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. Eastern. Learn why installing a new audio panel alone may be the least cost-effective thing you can do. Register here...

Article

Helicopter Foundation International offers scholarships

Helicopter Foundation International is offering scholarships to help bolster the ranks of commercial rotary-wing pilots and maintenance technicians. Read more... Share:  

News and Notes

Article

US team takes silver

Up against an international field peppered with full-time military pilots, the U.S. Unlimited Aerobatic Team made an impressive run on home turf, nearly toppling the French in team competition, and finishing ahead of the Russians who have traded first and second place finishes with the French team for years running. Read more... Share:  

Article

Pilot rates milestone birthday a success

Two grueling flight tests and a mountain of paperwork aren't what most people imagine when it comes to a fun way to celebrate a birthday. Read more... Share:  

Members only

Accident or incident? Don't be too quick to call the FAA

Many pilots are surprised to learn that there is no requirement to call the FAA following an accident or incident. The relevant reporting rules specify what needs to be reported to the NTSB, not the FAA. And certainly, not every mishap qualifies for a report. Read more... Share:  

Blog

Lindbergh Monocoupe returns to Lambert: Time-lapse

A 1934 D-127 Monocoupe once owned by Charles Lindbergh has returned to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport after a two-year absence. Read more... Share:  

AOPA Foundation focus

Reserve your 2014 calendar

Reserve your copy of our 2014 AOPA Foundation calendar by making a donation to support the future of general aviation. This 14-month calendar is filled with spectacular aviation images to remind you of the fun you've had, the places you've been, and the friends you've made along the way. It's the foundation's gift to you to recognize the personal impact you're having on GA's future through your generous support. Reserve your calendar... Share:  

Blog

Strange but true general aviation news

Jet smuggling gone wrong, landing on the highway, and government shutdown delays accident investigation. Read more... Share:  

AOPA Career Opportunities

Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We're looking for a Web applications developer III, financial analyst, staff assistant/PAC coordinator, and AOPA Live editor/graphic artist. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.

Forums

Clear of clouds?

When is "clear of clouds" not "clear of clouds?" Read more...