Blog

By Russ Niles, AVweb

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta met with GA leaders on Monday and urged them to tell their members to avoid weather traps in the coming flying season. Huerta told the leaders at the General Aviation Safety Summit that the GA accident rate has flattened over the last six years and last year there were 259 fatal accidents that killed 449 people. He said "a top priority" with the agency is to reduce those numbers and he asked for help from the leaders. "...I met with general aviation leaders to jump start our efforts for this year’s flying season and we agreed to work together to raise awareness to prevent weather related accidents for the upcoming flying season," he said in a statement.

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Gary/Chicago International Airport (KGYY) is currently in the process of extending Runway 12/30 from 7003' to approximately 8900'.  An existing elevated railroad bed, located approximately 280' northwest of Runway 12/30, is being relocated as part of the project.

To reduce the risk of aircraft landing in the construction area, KGYY installed several large blue tarps on the future runway extension and painted yellow "X's" on the parallel taxiway.  Removal of the existing railroad bed and construction to connect the future runway extension and parallel taxiway to the existing pavement will begin in Spring 2014. 

» Knee-Board Reference

» Airport Construction Notice

For more information, please contact Sam Heiter of the South Bend FSDO FAA Safety Team and refer to Notice NOTC5133.

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IS IMPERATIVE WHEN UTILIZING RUNWAY 12 at GYY!

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Beechcraft Corporation celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the King Air Model 90 this week with several three-ship passes of the company’s current production King Air models over its home airfield, Beech Field, in Wichita, KS, as employees and guests watched.

“The significance of that first flight 50 years ago cannot be overstated, nor can the work of Beechcrafters over the past five decades to turn that one model into the legendary King Air brand,” said Bill Boisture, CEO of Beechcraft. “The King Air captures more than 50 percent of the worldwide business turboprop market each year because we’ve continued to innovate and build upon its foundation with the latest advancements in technology, durability, utility and comfort. Today’s celebration launches a year-long commemoration of the King Air legacy that began in earnest with the first flight of that first prototype.”

» More on KingAirNation.com

The inaugural gathering of the Fox Valley WI Chapter of the IMC Club is sponsored by the FAASTeam, and hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), which is providing the Vette Theater in the EAA Aviation Center for the inaugural meeting. At the meeting, prospective members will be given the opportunity to interact with IMC Club founder and president Radek Wyrzykowski.

"It is exciting to bring a great training opportunity like IMC Clubs to Wisconsin's Fox Valley, because instrument pilots and students from this area have had few opportunities before now. With the support of EAA, we hope the Fox Valley IMC Club will become a regular part of many IFR pilots' schedules." – said Mr. Miller - "We intend to use the inaugural meeting to determine our regular meeting schedule, and weigh the benefits of meeting in EAA's tremendous facilities against the advantage of rotating meeting locations across the Fox Valley."

» More on IMCClubs.org

By Russ Niles, AVweb

The NTSB says the pilots of a Southwest flight that landed at the wrong airport last week simply followed the wrong bright lights after opting for a visual approach to what they thought was Branson Airport in Missouri. According to the board's preliminary report, the crew was told by the Branson tower that they were 15 miles from the airport and cleared for a visual approach for Runway 14. The welcoming lights of Runway 12 at M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport, in Hollister, Mo., about six miles north of Branson, caught their eye and they set up for an initially uneventful landing on the 3748-foot runway. "They confirmed that they utilized heavy braking to bring the aircraft to a stop and then advised the Branson Airport tower that they had landed at the wrong airport," the NTSB said in its initial report released Friday.

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The Aircraft Electronics Association recently announced a partnership agreement with the NextGen GA Fund to accelerate the rollout of NextGen by providing access to quick, affordable financial incentives to aid aircraft owners.

The NextGen GA Fund will finance NextGen installations, using stipulated equipage families to include WAAS-capable GPS, ADS-B In, ADS-B Out, RNAV/RNP avionics, data communications, SWIM, flat-panel displays, antennas, electronic components, instrument panel modifications, and installation and certification costs.

The NextGen GA Fund is a public-private partnership formed between the U.S. Congress, the aerospace industry and the private-sector investment community. Congress approved of this program by granting federal loan guarantees found in Section 221 of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2012. The NextGen GA Fund will initially bring approximately $550 million as a capital base, eventually supporting some $1.3 billion in recurring financings to the general aviation sector during the next 10 years. The NextGen GA Fund will enable the retrofit of tens of thousands of general aviation aircraft.

» More on AEA.net

By Elizabeth Tennyson, AOPA

Administrator Michael Huerta has formally responded to an AOPA request for an update on the status of the association’s third-class medical petition, but it remains unclear when the agency will make a final decision.

In the Dec. 26 letter, Huerta apologized for the delay in taking action on the petition, saying it was important to “ensure that such an unprecedented change will not result in any adverse impact that could lead to degradation in safety.”

» More on AOPA.org

The January/February 2014 issue of FAA Safety Briefing explores the important role technology plays in keeping general aviation safe and efficient, with articles discussing the many benefits of emerging technologies as well as the potential safety hazards of being too technologically focused.

Among the feature articles in this issue include:

• "The (Lost) Art of Paying Attention" - managing the attraction to technological distraction
• "New Technologies, New Procedures" - making the most of modernization options
• "Lights, Camera, Action" - tips for recording your flights

Get your fully compatible PDF, ePub for iOS, Nook and Android, or MOBI file for your Kindle of this issue at faa.gov!

For the first time in its 75-year history, AOPA will meet its members where they fly and share the joy of flight at a series of one-day regional fly-ins. Throughout 2014, these fly-in events will be held at six of our nation’s friendliest airports.

AOPA Fly-Ins will have something for everyone. Spend a Saturday with AOPA participating in aviation activities, exploring exhibits and seminars, enjoying a couple of meals, and building relationships. With free admission for members, these fly-ins will feature activities designed to bring you and your association together around our common love of flying. Bring your family along and make a weekend of enjoying the rich surroundings of great GA airports and their local communities.

» More at AOPA.org

Official FAA data for the 01/09/14 cycle, including airport diagrams, approach plates, sectional charts and terminal area charts, was updated today at 09:01Z.

Anytime you access iFlightPlanner.com or mobile.iFlightPlanner.com you can be confident that you are seeing the most current and accurate data available.  To ensure that iFlightPlanner for iPad is current, 'Check for Updates' in the lower-left corner of the Downloads tab.  The app will quickly tell you which files need to be updated!

The iFlightPlanner Crew
PLAN. FLY. LOG.™

The January 2014 digital issue of Avionics News Magazine is now available!

In this month's issue, you'll find:

• The View from Washington: Leadership
• International News & Regulatory Updates
• ADS-B In, The Product Rage Few Expected
• AEA Member Profile: Beacon Aviation
  
• AEA Member Profile: Aeronav Avionics
• A Conversation With Brian McMillan of Shadin Avionics
• Make Way for LCDs: Examining the CRT Replacement Path
• Lithium Batteries 101
• NCATT Becomes Part of ASTM International
• Legal Ease: Changes to U.S. Export Regulations

For more information on the Aircraft Electronics Association visit http://www.aea.net/.

By Charles Spence, GA News

Five general aviation safety alerts were issued by the National Transportation Board the week before Christmas, citing the government agency’s focus on reducing GA accidents.

“Knowing these accidents, which sometimes include entire families, can be prevented is why ‘general aviation safety’ is on our most wanted list of transportation safety improvements,” NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman said.

These five alerts for general aviation are in addition to 25 others issued since 2004.  The five safety alerts are:

1. Check your restraints
2. Engine power loss due to carburetor icing
3. “Armed” for safety: Emergency Locator Transmitters
4. All secure, All clear (securing items in the aircraft cabin)
5. Proper use of fiber or nylon self-locking nuts

» More on GA News

Shortly before leaving for winter recess, congressional leaders reached a budget agreement that could be good news for the FAA and other federal agencies. But many steps remain before funding for aviation programs is in the clear.

The budget deal, reached between Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), has sparked some confusion in the aviation world because it increases fees on air travel. The increase comes in the so-called 9-11 fee, essentially a per-ticket tax on commercial air travel that helps fund the Transportation Security Administration. The deal does not contain any user fees for general aviation. And while the president’s budget proposal is likely to once again recommend a $100-per-flight user fee for general aviation, opposition to the idea remains strong in Congress.

» More via AOPA.org

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