AVWEB
Picture of the Week, August 22, 2019
My 2009 Turbo Stationair at the Whitmore International Airport at the Bar 10 Ranch near the Grand Canyon in Arizona. This was part of a leg on my ferry flight from Tennessee to California. This was shot unmodified from an iPhone X. Copyrighted photo by Brian Dear.
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Airbus Granted Waiver For Urban BVLOS Drone Flights
Airbus Aerial has received a waiver from the FAA to conduct urban unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drone) flight operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and without requiring a visual observer in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The flights will be conducted under the North Dakota Department of Transportation's UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP), an FAA-sponsored public-private […]
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Qantas Conducting Ultra-Long-Haul Research Flights
Australian airline Qantas has announced that it will be conducting three research flights to study the effects of ultra-long-haul routes on passengers and flight crew. The flights will make use of planned deliveries of three new Boeing 787-9s, which would typically be flown empty from Boeing's facility in Seattle, Washington, to Australia. Instead of going […]
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Baron Launches New API Website for Aviation
Baron, the worldwide provider of critical weather intelligence, announces the launch of the new Baron Weather API for Aviation website, now optimized for development.
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Ten Survive Fiery Citation Rejected Takeoff
Ten people—two pilots and eight passengers—survived a fiery runway overrun in Oroville, California, Wednesday morning local time. The aircraft, a Cessna Citation, was taking off from Oroville for a flight to Portland, Oregon. The Citation had just taken on fuel at Oroville and evidently overran the runway on takeoff. Both main gear legs appear to […]
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Aviation Safety
Download The Full August 2019 Issue PDF
In fact, products designed for ADS-B have been available since shortly after the rules defining the standard and equipage date were made final. In fact, very early adopters of ADS-B Out might be getting to the end of their equipments life cycle, and once again find themselves in the hardware market. It shouldnt come as a surprise that they have more choices today, often with improved features and less expense, than 10 years ago. Thats a feature of competitive markets.
Fuel Injection Systems
After installation of a factory-rebuilt engine, a ground-run was performed. At all settings, the engine ran too rich, and adjustments had no effect. Aircraft was not airworthy. Removed fuel servo from engine, sent out for repair. Reinstalled fuel servo after repair, and engine performed satisfactorily. Returned aircraft to service.
Navigation Failure
When we approached the centerline, she nudged me on the shoulder. I rolled the plane to where I thought the runway centerline was. At this point we were totally in the soup, and I was flying by training instinct. I saw the ADF needle swing to the rear, indicating wed passed the outer marker, and I initiated a standard approach descent of 500 fpm, as I figured that would keep us close to the glideslope.
NTSB Reports
A witness observed the accident airplane at about 30 feet agl without its landing gear extended, and it was not extended when the airplane began to flare. Examination revealed the runway surface showed striated gouges and two long skid marks tracing the airplanes path from the runway.
Flying The Big Engine
By the time a typical aircraft has a few years under its belt, its been modified from what rolled out of the factory. It might be additional or replacement avionics, a climb prop, vortex generators, auxiliary fuel tanks or a more powerful engine. It might be something relatively simple, like a ski tube or an external power port. For example, both my Beech Debonair and the Aeronca Champ Im a partner in have seen performance-enhancing mods since they were new.
FAA
Drones and Weapons, A Dangerous Mix
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is warning the general public that it is illegal to operate a drone with a dangerous weapon attached.Perhaps youve seen online photos and videos of drones with attached guns, bombs, fireworks, flamethrowers, and other dangerous items. Do not consider attaching any items such as these to a drone because operating a drone with such an item may result in significant harm to a person and to your bank account.Operating a drone that has a dangerous weapon attached to it is a violation of Section 363 of the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act enacted Oct. 5, 2018. Operators are subject to civil penalties up to $25,000 for each violation, unless the operator has received specific authorization from the Administrator of the FAA to conduct the operation. Dangerous Weapon means any item that is used for, or is readily capable of, causing death or serious bodily injury.Operators should keep in mind that federal regulations and statutes that generally govern drone operations still apply. Some state and federal criminal laws regarding weapons and hazardous materials may also apply to drone operators or manufacturers involved in certain operations.
FAA Air Traffic Report
Today's Air Traffic Report:Thunderstorms or rain showers could slow traffic in Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Charlotte (CLT), Denver (DEN), Houston (HOU, IAH), the New York area (EWR, JFK, LGA), Philadelphia (PHL) and the Washington, D.C., area (BWI, DCA, IAD). Clouds could lead to delays in San Francisco (SFO) and Seattle (SEA).Pilots: Check out the new Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA) Tool from the Aviation Weather Center.For up-to-the-minute air traffic operations information, visit fly.faa.gov, and follow @FAANews on Twitter for the latest news and Air Traffic Alerts.The FAA Air Traffic Report provides a reasonable expectation of any daily impactsto normal air traffic operations, i.e. arrival/departure delays, ground stoppages, airport closures. This information is for air traffic operations planning purposes and is reliable as weather forecasts and other factors beyond our ability to control.Always check with your air carrier for flight-specific delay information.
FAA Seeks Stakeholder Input on Drone Tests
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Request for Information (RFI) this week seeking to work with stakeholders on the administration of a new aeronautical knowledge test for recreational drone operators.Section 349 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 requires new conditions to operate recreational small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Many drones can be flown today with minimal training or knowledge of aviation rules or safety practices. The new statute is an opportunity to educate recreational flyers on UAS safety and to bring new flyers into the existing aviation safety culture.The law requires that flyers of recreational drones pass an aeronautical knowledge and safety test. The test will demonstrate a recreational flyers understanding of aeronautical safety knowledge and rules for operating a UAS.The FAA is developing the test content and the training in consultation with stakeholders. The test must be administered electronically by the FAA, community-based organizations, or other persons designated by the FAA. The FAAs objective is to work with third party entities to allow them to administer the knowledge training and test content on various platforms for the recreational flyer community.The FAA is looking for entities who want to become testing designees, who will administer the training and testing to the widest audience possible, and who will develop a standard electronic record that will be issued to the potential operator upon completion of the test. The entity will provide the potential drone operator with documentation that they passed the test, which may be requested by the FAA or local law enforcement.Interested parties should review the RFI and respond by September 12, 2019.
Stephen M. Dickson Sworn in as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
Dickson brings nearly 40 years of aviation experience to the job and becomes the 18th Administrator of the FAA.
Fly Safe: Prevent Loss of Control Accidents
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the general aviation (GA) communitys national #FlySafe campaign helps educate GA pilots about how to avoid loss of control (LOC) accidents.A LOC accident involves an unintended departure of an aircraft from controlled flight. LOC can happen when the aircraft enters a flight regime that is outside its normal flight envelope and quickly develops into a stall or spin. It can introduce an element of surprise for the pilot.LOC is the number one root cause of fatalities in GA accidents. More than 25 percent of GA fatalities occur during the maneuvering phase of flight. Of those accidents, half involve stall/spin scenarios.Stay safe! Thisseries will show you how you can incorporate safety into every flight.Plenty of Sources You may think you have more than enough weather information, but having that information available is just part of your decision-making equation.You need to know how to acquire, interpret and make operational decisions based on that information.Study and EvaluateGetting weather information is only the first step. Its important that you study and evaluate the information to understand what it means.The knowledge tests for most pilot certificates include questions on weather theory and use of weather products in aviation. However, it takes continuous study and experience to develop your skill in evaluating and applying weather data to a specific flight.You might find it helpful to approach the task of practical, real world weather analysis with several basic concepts in mind.The three basic elements of weather are:Temperature (warm or cold)Wind (a vector with speed and direction)Moisture (or humidity)Temperature, wind, and moisture combine to varying degrees to create conditions that affect pilots.The range of possible combinations is nearly infinite, but weather primarily affects pilots in three ways:visibilityturbulenceeffects on aircraft performanceHow Will the Weather Affect You? One approach to practical weather analysis is to review weather data in terms of how current and forecast conditions will affect visibility, turbulence, and aircraft performance for your specific flight.Suppose you want to make a flight from Cincinnati Municipal Airport (KLUK) to Ohio State University Airport in Columbus, Ohio (KCMH). You want to depart KLUK around 1830Z and fly VFR at 5,500 MSL. Your estimated time enroute is approximately one hour.Your first step is to look at your weather data in terms of the ways in which weather can affect your flight: turbulence, visibility, and aircraft performance. Organize the information into a format that works for you, and then make the decision. Make an honest evaluation of whether your skill and/or aircraft capability are up to the challenge posed by this particular set of weather conditions.It is very important to consider whether the combined pilot-aircraft team is sufficient.For example, you may be a very experienced, proficient, and current pilot, but your weather flying ability is still limited if you are flying an older aircraft with no weather avoidance technology.On the other hand, you may have a new aircraft with all the bells and whistles, but if you dont have much weather flying experience, the aircraft cant compensate for your own lack of experience.You must also ensure that you are fully proficient in the use of onboard equipment, and that it is functioning properly.One way to self-check your decision (regardless of your experience) is to ask yourself if the flight has any chance of appearing in the next days newspaper. If the result of the evaluation process leaves you in any doubt, then you need to develop safe alternatives.Think of the preflight weather plan as a strategic, big picture exercise. The goal is to ensure that you have identified all the weather-related hazards for this particular flight, and planned for ways to eliminate or mitigate each one.Escape Options: Know where you can find good weather within your aircrafts range and endurance capability. Where is it? Which direction do you turn to get there? How long will it take to get there?When the weather is instrument meteorological conditions (ceiling 1,000 feet or less and visibility 3 nm or less), identify an acceptable alternative airport for each 25-30 nm segment of your route.Reserve Fuel: Knowing where to find visual flight rules weather does you no good unless you have enough fuel to reach it. Flight planning for only a legal fuel reserve could significantly limit your options if the weather deteriorates.More fuel means access to more alternatives. Having plenty of fuel also spares you the worry (and distraction) of fearing fuel exhaustion when weather has already increased your cockpit workload.Terrain Avoidance: Know how low you can go without encountering terrain and/or obstacles. Consider a terrain avoidance plan for any flight.Finally, fly regularly with a certified flight instructor who will challenge you to review what you know, explore new horizons, and to always do your best.Be sure to document your achievement in the WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program (https://www.faasafety.gov/WINGS/pub/learn_more.aspx). Its a great way to stay on top of your game and satisfy your flight review requirements.More about Loss of ControlContributing factors may include:Poor judgment or aeronautical decision makingFailure to recognize an aerodynamic stall or spin and execute corrective actionIntentional failure to comply with regulationsFailure to maintain airspeedFailure to follow procedurePilot inexperience and proficiencyUse of prohibited or over-the-counter drugs, illegal drugs, or alcoholDid you know?From October 2017 through September 2018, 382 people died in 226 general aviation accidents.Loss of Control was the number one cause of these accidents.Loss of Control happens in all phases of flight.It can happen anywhere and at any time.There is one fatal accident involving Loss of Control every four days.Learn more:Check out this Pilots Guide for Aviation Weather from the National Weather Service.This FAA Safety Guide will give you what you need to know about weather briefings and decision-making.AOPA has a number of helpful weather resources, which you can find here.Whats coming for the future? Learn about the benefits NextGen is bringing here.Time is getting short!! The FAAs Equip ADS-B website gives you the information you need to equip now.Curious about FAA regulations (Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations)? Its a good idea to stay on top of them. You can find current FAA regulations on this website.TheFAASafety.govwebsite has Notices, FAAST Blasts, online courses, webinars, and more on key general aviation safety topics.TheWINGS Pilot Proficiency Programhelps pilots build an educational curriculum suitable for their unique flight requirements. It is based on the premise that pilots who maintain currency and proficiency in the basics of flight will enjoy a safer and more stress-free flying experience.TheGeneral Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC)is comprised of government and industry experts who work together to use data to identify risk, pinpoint trends through root cause analysis, and develop safety strategies to reduce the risk of GA accidents. The GAJSC combines the expertise of many key decision makers in the FAA, several government agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and stakeholder groups. Industry participants include the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, National Business Aviation Association, National Air Transportation Association, National Association of Flight Instructors, Society of Aviation and Flight Educators, and the aviation insurance industry. The National Transportation Safety Board and the European Aviation Safety Agency participate as observers.
