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AVwebFlash Current Issue
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15 Years and Now 15 Grand Giveaways ... It's Your Chance to Win a Garmin Aera 510 Handheld GPS
Win a Garmina aera 510 handheld GPS as we celebrate our 15th Anniversary! All you have to do is click here to enter your name and e-mail address. (You only have to enter once, and you'll be entered in our prize drawings for the entire year so if you've already entered, you're all set.)And no, we're not going to rent or sell your name, ever. Tell your friends, and invite them to sign up for AVweb so they can qualify for our 15 Grand Giveaways prize drawings, too. (We won't spam them, either but we hope they will sign up for our newsletters.)Deadline for entries is 11:59pm Zulu time March 12, 2010.Click here to read the contest rules and enter.Congratulations to Rod Anson of Camperdown, Victoria (Australia), who won 100,000 Air BP Bravo Rewards Points! (click here to get your own Rewards Points from Air BP)
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AVweb Insider Blog: Cub Love Explained
We're sorry to report that Paul Bertorelli is being treated for ADHS advanced delusional hallucination syndrome. We're not sure if he's making progress, but you can be the judge of it by reading his latest post to the AVweb Insider blog. It has something to do with a Piper J-3C.
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USA Today: Better Simulator Training Could Save Lives
More training for pilots on advanced simulators could help prevent crashes and save hundreds of lives, according to an analysis by USA Today. Many pilots today are trained on older simulators that can't effectively re-create the real behavior of aircraft during stalls, severe icing, upsets due to wind shear or wake encounters, and other extreme conditions, says a recent NTSB report. Loss of control was a factor in 73 percent of the 433 airline fatalities in the U.S. since 2000. (Note that the fatalities that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, are not counted in accident statistics, since they resulted from a crime, not an accident.) Newer simulators created with research by the military and NASA are more effective, but there are no federal requirements for pilots to be trained on them.
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NTSB: Glass Cockpits Do Not Improve Safety
An NTSB study shows glass cockpit technology has not significantly improved the safety of small light planes, the NTSB said Tuesday, and the board recommended changes, from training to maintenance reporting, to improve the statistics. While data collected between 2002 and 2008 showed fewer total accidents for those aircraft equipped with glass panels, that total came with a higher fatal accident rate and higher total fatal accidents. For the period from 2002-2008, conventionally equipped aircraft suffered 141 total accidents with 23 having a fatal outcome. Glass-equipped aircraft suffered 125 total accidents with 39 having a fatal outcome. But the board's study also found the mission profile for each type of equipment package and the characteristics of the pilot were different between the two platforms. Generally speaking, higher-time pilots were flying longer flights with glass. That said, the NTSB was able to use the data to offer six recommendations voiced at the meeting. Five of those were related to equipment-specific training and one applied directly to testing requirements.Related Content NTSB Reports:NTSB Overview Report (PDF)Findings & Recommendations (PDF)Closing Comments (PDF)
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Airplane Thief Sentenced To Treatment Program
A 23-year-old man who stole a Cirrus SR22 in San Diego last month has pleaded guilty to a felony. Skye Turner was charged with using an airplane without the owner's permission. The court referred him to a new treatment program for mentally ill offenders that provides supervision and custody, the San Diego News Network reported this week. However, if he is not accepted into the program he could be sentenced to 120 days in jail instead. Turner, who is not a pilot but has had some training, stole the keys to the airplane on Feb. 18, just a few hours after a pilot in Austin, Texas, flew his Piper Dakota into a government building. Turner reportedly had been in a dispute with his girlfriend and threatened to crash the SR22 into the ocean, according to SDNN.
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Northrop Grumman Drops Tanker Bid
The next-generation military tanker will almost certainly be a Boeing. Northrop Grumman announced Monday it would not be submitting a bid in the $35 billion sweepstakes to introduce a replacement for the KC-135 and KC-10 fleet. Boeing's bid is riding on a modified 767 platform while Northrop Grumman would use an A330 modified in the U.S. Northrop Grumman CEO Wes Bush effectively threw in the towel on the protracted battle. He said the company "will not protest" the outcome of the competition, which now appears to be down to one. Bush did suggest the odds were stacked in favor of Boeing, however. "We reached this conclusion based on the structure of the source selection methodology defined in the RFP, which clearly favors Boeing's smaller refueling tanker and does not provide adequate value recognition of the added capability of a larger tanker, precluding us from any competitive opportunity," Bush said.
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Sullenberger Retires To Advocate For Safety
In a surprise move last week, Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger announced his retirement from U.S. Airways and flew his final flight. Sullenberger, 59, has been the most famous pilot in the U.S. since he safely landed an A320 dead-stick on the Hudson River just over a year ago. In a statement, Sullenberger said though he is retiring after 30 years on the flight line, he plans to continue to advocate for aviation safety and for the profession of airline pilots. "I will work to remind the entire industry -- and those who manage and regulate it -- that we have a sacred duty to our passengers to do the very best that we know how to do," he said. Retirement is sure to keep him busy -- on Sunday, Sullenberger was photographed at a Vanity Fair Oscar party in Hollywood alongside Tom Hanks, who looks like he could easily step into Sully's shoes to play him in a movie.
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Pilots Urged To Lobby For GA
Both the U.S. House and the Senate formed General Aviation Caucuses last year, and their ranks are growing. Now NBAA is encouraging pilots to contact those representatives to let them know that you value GA. Pilots whose representatives are not yet members of the caucus can ask them to join. The House GA Caucus now numbers more than 100 members and the Senate group is 25 strong. The NBAA Web site lists members of each caucus by state. The House Web site makes it easy to e-mail your representative simply by entering your zip code. At the Senate Web site, it's also easy to choose your state and immediately get e-mail links for both senators. AOPA also offers online guidance on how to communicate with your elected representatives about GA.
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AVweb Insider Blog: TSA Takes Military Turn
Does military intelligence translate to transportations security? AVweb Editor-in-Chief Russ Niles isn't sure, but he speculates on some of the challenges Robert Harding will face as TSA chairman in the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog. Read his thoughts and share your own here.
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Short Final
Overheard near Sacramento, California, where NorCal approach and departure is training a large number of new controllers:Cessna 12345:"NorCal approach, student pilot, Cessna 12345. Heading 024. 1500 feet, climbing to 5500."NorCal Approach:"Cessna 54661, student controller. Roger radar contact."Michael Fedorykvia e-mail
