Aircraft: Luscombe 8A. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Schaumburg, Ill. Aircraft damage: Destroyed.
What reportedly happened: According to a witness on the ground, the airplane took off and had climbed to about 150 feet above the runway when the engine quit. The airplane stalled, and spun into the ground.
I recently attended an ASTM meeting. This is for the standards that are used to “certify” Light-Sport Aircraft. Yes, it’s pretty dry stuff but it is the way such a staggering development of 128 new models of LSA has been possible in just seven years, an accomplishment not replicated anywhere in aviation, worldwide, since airplanes first flew. That would not be possible when using government certification systems.
So successful has it been that the FAA is now moving with surprising swiftness toward a similar system for Part 23 or regularly Type Certified aircraft, such as Cessnas and Cirruses.
Engine Components International (ECI) of San Antonio, Texas, and Ameritech Industries, the parent company of Eagle Engines and American Propeller Service of Redding, Calif., have entered into a dealer sales agreement for the California company to sell the TITAN EXP experimental series factory assembled new engines.
WACO Classic Aircraft has won FAA approval of the S-TEC System 55X autopilot STC for installation in the WACO YMF-F5C and 5D.
D.W.Davies has developed a new filler cap for the 1 gallon bottle and the 2-1/2 gallon bottle of TKS Fluid. The filler cap makes it easier to dispense the product into an aircraft with a self-burping spout and valve so as not to spill any, company officials said. Price: $14.95 each. For more information: Tim Zuck at 800-888-6133.
Aircraft: Maule M-5-180C. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Emory, Texas. Aircraft damage: Destroyed.
What reportedly happened: The pilot, age 80, had logged more than 1,300 hours, his son said he had not accumulated many hours in the Maule, and had limited experience flying the airplane from his airstrip. Prior to purchasing the airplane, the pilot had not flown for 25 years.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is calling for the FAA to start collecting flight hours for all general aviation aircraft, collect data on recurrent training, and set “specific safety improvement goals for individual industry segments using a data driven, risk management approach.”
While the U.S. aviation system is one of the safest in the world, hundreds of fatalities occur each year in general aviation, GAO officials noted in a new report, pointing to NTSB data that shows that 92% of 2011 accidents occurred in GA. This was one reason GAO officials were asked to examine the characteristics and trends in GA, as well as recent actions taken by the FAA to improve safety.
SAB’s Vulcan isn’t entirely new. The design has existed in Europe and arrived in the USA more than two years ago, but stealthily avoided our radar as a Special Light-Sport Aircraft until the 2012 Midwest LSA Expo at the Mt. Vernon, Illinois airport. The secret is out now and Vulcan C-100 has been added to our SLSA List and comes at #127.
A team of researchers at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has received funding for a project to assess the performance of pilots when they land small airplanes at general aviation airports using an approach normally employed at airports with longer runways. The results could help shed light on the feasibility of letting GA aircraft use GPS-aided approaches at GA airports.
SUNNYVALE, Calif. – The folks at Bruce’s Custom Covers know that fall flying can be some of the most spectacular for pilots, but there are also some hazards that pilots need to be aware of.
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