Becker units NVG compatible
Posted by · July 29, 2010 · Comments
Becker Avionics’s Audio Control Units (ACU) for its Digital Audio and Intercom System (DVCS6100) are now delivered as Night Vision Goggle (NVG) NVIS green B compatible or, upon request, as NVG certified.
West Star opens CAE location
Posted by · July 29, 2010 · Comments
West Star Aviation, Inc. has opened its newest facility at Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) in South Carolina. The facility is available for maintenance services for a wide range of corporate aircraft, including Lear, Hawker, Citation, Westwind, Falcon 10/20, KingAir, and Conquest.
West Star Aviation specializes in airframe repair and maintenance, engine repair and maintenance, major modifications, avionics installation and repair, interior refurbishment, paint, parts, surplus avionics sales, and accessory services. With facilities in East Alton, Ill.; Grand Junction, Colo.; Columbia; Aspen; and Dallas, the company also provides FBO services for transient aircraft at its newly remodeled East Alton and Grand Junction facilities.
For more information: WestStarAviation.com or 800-922-2421.
Impatience leads to crash
Posted by · July 29, 2010 · CommentsThis July 2008 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Salmon, Idaho. Aircraft damage: Substantial.
What reportedly happened: The pilot was in a hurry. He noted that the winds were gusty and variable, shifting from 190° to 210° and varying velocities in minutes. He decided to attempt takeoff. During the initial climb out, the wind shifted and the airplane was not able to maintain altitude. It landed hard beyond the departure end of the runway and the nose landing gear folded back into the airplane, causing damage to the firewall.
Probable cause: The pilot’s decision to takeoff in known adverse wind conditions that led to an encounter with a windshear, the resulting inability of the pilot to maintain airspeed, and a stall/mush into the terrain.
For more information: NTSB.gov
DC-3 devotion
Posted by · July 28, 2010 · Comments
Heather McNevin, a pilot and air traffic controller from Northfield, Minn., shows her appreciation for the Herpa DC-3 Wednesday at AirVenture. The DC-3’s 75th anniversary is being celebrated at this year’s show, with more than a dozen DC-3s and C-47s parked throughout the grounds.
Accident rates: Improving, but not enough
Posted by · July 28, 2010 · Comments
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt is not happy with the GA accident rate. “The GA numbers, candidly, are not where I would like them to be,” he said during a visit to AirVenture.
He did concede that the GA accident rate is actually “trending” better, with constant improvements. “But,” he said, “we’ve set ambitious goals and GA is not achieving those goals.”
NextGen: Changing the way GA flies
Posted by · July 28, 2010 · CommentsThe Next Generation Air Traffic Control System, known as NextGen, will change the way GA flies, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said during a visit to AirVenture. In fact, the change is as “big a jump as going from a piston to a jet,” he said.
Ready for ADS-B
Posted by · July 28, 2010 · CommentsFreeFlight Systems introduced its line of RANGR 978 MHz ADS-B products, including ADS-B transmitters, transmitters with WAAS GPS, transceivers, and transceivers with WAAS GPS, Wednesday at AirVenture in Oshkosh.
The final FAA rule, released in May, dictates an ADS-B compliant system must have a high integrity position source and a radio that sends specific information from that position source to ATC, FreeFlight’s Jamie Luster said, noting the easiest way to achieve this requirement is to pair a TSO-C145/C146 WAAS GPS with an ADS-B approved transmitter. In addition, 978MHz compliance requires a small control head for entering squawk codes.
The RANGR family ranges in price from $1,200 to $6,995. “For a relatively small entry fee, people can equip their planes today and get free traffic and weather forever,” said Tim Taylor, the company’s president and CEO.
Low and slow
Posted by · July 28, 2010 · Comments
Flying low and slow, the Goodyear Blimp got a lot of attention at Oshkosh Wednesday afternoon.
Lycoming now taking orders for LSA engine
Posted by · July 28, 2010 · Comments
Lycoming Engines is now taking orders for experimental non-certified versions of its 233 series Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) engine.
“The 233-LSA series in an important new engine in Lycoming’s product line, meeting the needs of the growing LSA market,” says Michael Kraft, Lycoming senior vice president and general manager, who notes the engine is capable of running on unleaded automotive fuels as well as avgas.
The ‘deliberate’ certification process
Posted by · July 28, 2010 · CommentsWe’ve all heard the old joke: Nothing can be certified in aviation until the paperwork weighs as least as much as the airplane or product. Why is the FAA so tough on certification, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt was asked during a visit to AirVenture.
“We’ve actually proven to be quite flexible,” he said, pointing to the Light Sport Aircraft category, in which aircraft meet ASTM standards, creating a “fast track” to certification.
“In the more complex areas, we hope people appreciate that we’re very deliberate on purpose,” he said. “We can’t think something works — we have to know it works. People’s lives depend on it.”
