To start, I'll say that our first meeting for the year was very successful with 15 or 16 in attendance. Also, the board of directors meeting was beneficial, too.
We have had many guests over the past few months and many people have expressed an interest in our organization. Look around and see if you have any friends, family members or acquaintance that are interested in aviation. Take the time to invite them as a guest to the next meeting. If you see somebody new, introduce yourself, welcome him or her, and invite them to sign up.
EAA Chapter 1311's dues for 2006 are now due. Send your $10 to the treasurer, Vern Sullenger, 1763 Ramsey Lane, Plainfield IN 46168 317-839-8728. Thanks!
Larry Rush Completes Another RV
New Ratings
Speaking of the ATC, Chapter 1311 board member and Vincennes University student Paul Vogel has one more class to go, the he will be able to apply for his Airframe and Powerplant license. Sounds like a good idea? See next story.
Vincennes University Offers Retirees Free Classes
Vincennes University offers the entire F.A.A. Part 147 Airframe and Powerplant Certification couses. The classes can be taken individually or combined to meet a student's individual requirements. Each class is offered during a four-week period at the Aviation Technology Center at the Indianapolis International Airport.
Classes offered are Piston Engine Overhaul, Airframe Electrical, Ignition Systems, Fuel Metering Systems, Sheet Metal, Powerplant Electrical, Propellers, and Assembly & Rigging.
Recent retiree and student, now an A&P graduate, Dave Clark, is serving as a spokesman for the program. Clark is made himself available to other EAA chapters to talk about the program and tell them about his personal experiences earning his A&P license.
For more information on the program contact J.R. Means at 1-317-381-6040 or visit VU's ATC website at http://www.aviationtechcenter.com
Take A Medical, Go To Jail?
Up to this point it had been extremely rare for the government to seek criminal penalties for falsification of a medical certificate application. In almost every case the FAA was content to seek revocation of all the airman's certificates (or in some cases just the medical certificate) in an administrative action. But this was something new, and while at the moment it appears to be limited to California, there is no reason to believe the program will not be expanded to the rest of the country.
At the outset the investigation had been dubbed "Operation Safe Pilot" and it was being bandied about in press releases by prosecutors as targeting the "most egregious" cases of disabled pilots flying aircraft. Recently we filed papers in federal court in San Francisco to find out more about how Operation Safe Pilot had come about. What we learned was that the driving force was SSA and not FAA. SSA had been concerned since the events of September 11, 2001, that people with government issued certificates had the ability to possibly do great damage to this country. These kinds of people could be government employees, contractors, or pilots. During this period of time the FAA proposed that it give the names of certificated pilots to the SSA so that SSA could check its records and make sure that each pilot was who he claimed to be.
In comparing the FAA records with its own records, SSA found some 3,220 individuals (in Northern California alone) with pilot certificates who were collecting SSA disability benefits. After further discussions, it was decided that the worst of the worst-some 48 pilots-would be prosecuted in federal court by the United States Attorney for making false statements on official government documents. Those charges are federal felonies.
Bottom line? The medical forms that you filled out for your AME from years back may be scrutinized by SSA and FAA to see if you "fudged" with the application. Remember that one question that asks if you have ever, AT ANY TIME IN YOUR LIFE had an illness, disability or surgery? This is a "gotcha" and it has tripped up airmen in the past. If you always answer that question in the negative but you have received SSA benefits during the same time period, watch out. 14 CFR section 67.403 makes it a violation to make an intentionally false statement in an application for a medical certificate. The penalty is usually revocation of all certificates held by the airman, even if the certificate does not require a medical.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Feds Order Aircraft Owners to Update Registrations by February
An FAA notice published in the Federal Register on December 9 indicates that FAA and TSA "will revitalize and refocus" U.S. airspace monitoring capabilities to ensure that each aircraft operating within the NAS has met all statutory, regulatory and certification requirements, effective February 1, 2006.
This notice is the latest FAA action intended to ensure that only properly registered aircraft operate within the NAS. Previous requests to register aircraft and update contact information were in an effort to update the aircraft owner database and assist local law enforcement agencies in the event of a downed or overdue aircraft.
The current notice states that operators of aircraft identified as having "questionable registrations" and/or no TSA required security measures/waivers will be notified of the deficiency. A pilot deviation will be filed on the operator, who may be denied access to the NAS. If the operator is not the owner, both operator and owner will be notified of the deficiency and both will be subject to any action deemed warranted by the agency in accordance with local, state and federal regulations.
Visit http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/aircraft_registry/ to search the FAA database. To find what information is on file with the FAA regarding your aircraft, visit www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/interactive_aircraft_inquiry/.
If after reviewing your records you have questions on how to update your aircraft records, contact EAA Information Services at 888-322-4636 or http://www.info@eaa.org.
AirVenture 2006 Welcomes CAF's B-29 and B-24
EAA AirVenture 2006, the 54th annual convention of the Experimental Aircraft Association, welcome the airplanes from the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) as part of its "Ghost Squadron," based in Midland, Texas. The B-29 "Fifi" and LB-30 "Diamond Lil" are extremely rare flying examples of these aircraft models, which played significant roles during that conflict.
"The addition of the B-29 and LB-30 to the lineup for EAA AirVenture 2006 again proves that Oshkosh is the greatest aviation gathering point in the world," said Tom Poberezny, EAA president and AirVenture chairman. "These two airplanes represent the highest American bomber technology from the beginning and end of World War II."
The two airplanes are scheduled to arrive on Monday, July 24 (EAA AirVenture's opening day) and remain throughout the event's duration. While at EAA AirVenture, the two airplanes will be parked on the main AeroShell Square showcase ramp. The LB-30 was part of EAA AirVenture's salute to the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II last year, while the B-29 makes its first appearance at Oshkosh since 1995. The B-29 was scheduled to appear at AirVenture 2005 until mechanical difficulties prevented that visit.
The Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" is perhaps best known as the aircraft from which the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. "Fifi" is the world's only airworthy example of the B-29, which was designed as a replacement for the older B-17s and B-24s, with longer range and greater bomb loads. It was first flown in 1942 and began active service in 1944. The B-29 was also used in the Korean War in the early 1950s and was a staple of the U.S. Air Force until jet bombers began to appear in the 1950s.
This particular B-29 was saved from use as a ground target for weapons tests in the 1960s and first flown by the CAF in 1971. The B-29 is named "Fifi" in honor of the wife of Col. Victor N. Agather, who had been on the wartime development team for the aircraft and had been personally committed and involved with the airplane's restoration.
The Consolidated LB-30 is one of the earliest models of the famed B-24 "Liberator" bomber and the oldest of the only two or three airworthy examples of this airplane that still exist. It was built in 1940 and purchased by Great Britain before the start of that nation's Lend-Lease program with the United States - hence, the LB-30 designation as Consolidated's 30th model in its Land Bomber series. More than 18,000 of the LB-30/B-24 model were produced.
This particular airplane, the 18th off the assembly line, was damaged in an operational accident and never shipped to England. The CAF purchased the aircraft from the Pemex Oil Company of Mexico in 1967 and restored the airplane in the combat markings of the 98th Bomb Group of the 9th Air Force, U.S. Army Air Corps.
FAA Posts Online ADIZ, TFR and Special Use Airspace Course
In response, the FAA posted a free online course to the FAA Safety Program website this week titled "Navigating the DC ADIZ, TFRs, and Special Use Airspace." The eight-chapter course aims to help pilots understand different kinds of flight restrictions and special use airspaces, with a special emphasis on requirements and procedures for the ADIZ, the Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ), and security-based temporary flight restrictions (TFRs).
By raising pilot awareness, the FAA aims to drastically reduce the most common reasons for DC ADIZ violations: (a) pilots unaware of the DC ADIZ boundaries; (b) "early rollover" from the discrete code to VFR; (c) pilots unaware of the DC ADIZ; and (d) forgetting to set the transponder to Mode C (ALT).
Also discussed are Prohibited and Restricted areas; Special Use areas, SFARs, Emergency Air Traffic Rules, military intercept procedures, and information sources for checking the most current airspace information.
A 25-question, multiple-choice quiz concludes the course. When completed, pilots receive a certificate of completion as well as a wallet-sized card they can print to carry with them as required by recent legislation. Handy, kneeboard-sized DC ADIZ procedures guides (in PDF format) are also provided that pilots can download and print for easy reference when operating around this airspace.
FAA Public Affairs expects to issue a news release next week to officially announce that the online course is available, but you can visit the site now at http://www.faasafety.gov/. You will be required to register before taking the course.
DOT Extends Comment Period and Public Hearings
A Federal Register notice verified U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta's announcement of a 90-day extension to the public comment period for the proposed permanent Washington, D.C. Aviation Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). The extension comes in response to more than 18,000 comments to this controversial proposal. The new comment deadline is February 6, 2006.
FAA says dates and locations for the promised public meetings will be announced at a later date in the Federal Register. EAA urged the FAA to hold a series of meetings throughout the affected region to provide all pilots, airport operators, and small business operators a reasonable opportunity to be heard. Additionally, EAA stressed that as key players in requesting codification of the D.C. ADIZ, the U.S. departments of Transportation, Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and the U.S. Capital Police should also participate in the public meetings.
EAA encourages members to continue submitting comments. (You can submit as many times as you wish.) If you have already submitted a comment and have another important concern, you can submit an additional comment. EAA also asks that members who received replies to letters or emails to local Congressmen or other government officials please fax those replies to the DOT Docket at 202/493-2251, or submit them via the DOT Docket web site - http://dms.dot.gov/submit/dspSubmission.cfm. Enter FAA-2004-17005 in the Docket ID block, and then complete the page according to instructions.
Comments from major GA associations are available on the DOT Docket website: EAA, AOPA, HAI.
A copy of the original Federal Register announcement to make the Washington, D.C. ADIZ permanent is posted on the DOT Docket site.
P-51 - An American Ambassador Remembered
I marveled at the size of the plane dwarfing the Pipers and Canucks tied down by her, it was much larger than in the movies. She glistened in the sun like a bulwark of security from days gone by.
The pilot arrived by cab, paid the driver then stepped into the flight lounge. He was an older man, his wavy hair was grey and tossed ... looked like it might have been combed ... say, around the turn of the century. His bomber jacket was checked, creased, and worn, it smelled old and genuine. Old Glory was prominently sewn to its shoulders. He projected a quiet air of proficiency and pride devoid of arrogance. He filed a quick flight plan to Montreal (Expo-67, Air Show) then walked across the tarmac.
After taking several minutes to perform his walk-around check the pilot returned to the flight lounge to ask if anyone would be available to stand by with fire extinguishers while he "flashed the old bird up ... just to be safe." Though only 12 at the time I was allowed to stand by with an extinguisher after brief instruction on its use — "If you see a fire point then pull this lever!" I later became a firefighter, but that's another story.
The air around the exhaust manifolds shimmered like a mirror from fuel fumes as the huge prop started to rotate. One manifold, then another, and yet another barked — I stepped back with the others. In moments the Packard-built Merlin engine came to life with a thunderous roar, blue flames knifed from her manifolds. I looked at the others' faces; there was no concern. I lowered the bell of my extinguisher. One of the guys signaled to walk back to the lounge; we did.
Several minutes later we could hear the pilot doing his preflight run-up. He'd taxied to the end of runway 19, out of sight. All went quiet for several seconds, we raced from the lounge to the second story deck to see if we could catch a glimpse of the P-51 as she started down the runway, we could not. There we stood, eyes fixed to a spot half way down 19. Then a roar ripped across the field, much louder than before, like a furious hell spawn set loose - something mighty this way was coming.
"Listen to that thing!" said the controller. In seconds the Mustang burst into our line of sight. Its tail was already off and it was moving faster than anything I'd ever seen by that point on 19. Two thirds the way down 19 the Mustang was airborne with her gear going up. The prop tips were supersonic; we clasped our ears as the Mustang climbed hellish fast into the circuit to be eaten up by the dog-day haze.
We stood for a few moments in stunned silence trying to digest what we'd just seen. The radio controller rushed by me to the radio. "Kingston radio calling Mustang?" He looked back to us as he waited for an acknowledgment. The radio crackled, "Kingston radio, go ahead." "Roger Mustang. Kingston radio would like to advise the circuit is clear for a low level pass." I stood in shock because the controller had, more or less, just asked the pilot to return for an impromptu air show!
The controller looked at us. "What?" He asked. "I can't let that guy go without asking ... I couldn't forgive myself!" The radio crackled once again, "Kingston radio, do I have permission for a low level pass, east to west, across the field?" "Roger Mustang, the circuit is clear for an east to west pass." "Roger, Kingston radio, we're coming out of 3000 feet, stand by." We rushed back onto the second-story deck, eyes fixed toward the eastern haze. The sound was subtle at first, a high-pitched whine, a muffled screech, a distant scream. Moments later the P-51 burst through the haze ... her airframe straining against positive Gs and gravity, wing tips spilling contrails of condensed air, prop-tips again supersonic as the burnished bird blasted across the eastern margin of the field, shredding and tearing the air.
At about 400 MPH and 150 yards from where we stood she passed with an old American pilot saluting ... imagine ... a salute. I felt like laughing, I felt like crying. She glistened, she screamed, the building shook, my heart pounded ... then the old pilot pulled her up ... and rolled, and rolled, and rolled out of sight into the broken clouds and indelibly into my memory.
I've never wanted to be an American more than on that day. It was a time when many nations in the world looked to America as their big brother, a steady and even-handed beacon of security who navigated difficult political water with grace and style; not unlike the pilot who'd just flown into my memory. He was proud, not arrogant, humble, not a braggart, old and honest projecting an aura of America at its best. That America will return one day, I know it will. Until that time, I'll just send off a story; call it a reciprocal salute, to the old American pilot who wove a memory for a young Canadian that's stayed a lifetime.
Lea MacDonald a Captain Firefighter with South Frontenac Township in Ontario, Canada, and also a newspaper columnist and free lance writer. He has had a love of flight since childhood. He was an air cadet and had 54 hours logged by the time he was 12 years of age, though the DOT would not allow him the opportunity to get a license at such a tender age. His current interest is in ultralights and was once the president of the ultralight club in Kingston, Ontario. Write to MacDonald at leamacdonald@wapda.com
GlobalFlyer Nearly Ready for Another Record Flight
Fossett plans to depart from Cape Canaveral, FL, and head east across the Atlantic, eventually crossing his starting point, then continuing on to Great Britain, where he hopes to land somewhere near London. This 26,366-mile endurance flight is expected to take at least 80 hours.
Fossett thrilled the world last year with his flight. He increased the drama factor exponentially when he learned that he lost more than 3,000 pounds of fuel during the take-off. Fossett and his support team are not certain that they have solved the fuel loss problem.
Fossett intends to make the next flight sometime before the end of February, to take advantage of the cooler, denser air, and get a significant push from the jet stream. Fossett added that the flight might behind as early as the week of January 16.
Get January 2006 newsletter section 2
Larry Rush writes that he sent RV No.3, a RV-7A, to the paint shop two weeks ago. After paint and about 50 more hours of assembly another RV will fly. Larry promises to update us soon.
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Former EAA Chapter 1311 President Tim LeBaron passed his multi-engine checkride the week of January 8. LeBaron was an instructor at the Aviation Technology Center and is now an inspector for the National Transportation Safety Bureau, and is based in Arlington, TX.
Vincennes University is offering to Indiana resident retirees free tuition for its aviation maintenance classes. The program, known as the Senior Scholars Remission of Tuition Program, requires that participants be an Indiana resident, be at least 60 years of age at time of enrollment, have a high school diploma or GED and not be working on a full-time basis. The student participant is still responsible for books, laboratory and activity fees.
By Peter Axelrod and James F. Pokorny
In mid-2005 we began receiving disturbing phone calls from alarmed pilots. The story was usually the same: a security agent from the Department of Transportation had called and wanted an interview; or had arrived and interviewed a pilot about his medical certificate and his social security disability claim. A quick round of phone calls to the small fraternity of California aviation lawyers quickly disclosed that there was a pattern, all of the pilots lived in northern California. It seemed that the FAA and the Social Security Administration (SSA) had compared notes-they were cross-checking SSA disability claims with FAA medical applications, to see if pilots had reported the condition for which they were claiming SSA benefits on their applications for FAA medical certificates. Ultimately about 40 pilots were indicted for violation of 18 USC section 1001, which makes it a crime to make a false report to the government.
From e-Hotline
December 12, 2005 - Aircraft owners and operators have until February 1, 2006 to ensure their aircraft registration information is properly completed and up to date (including address) or they may be denied access to the National Airspace System (NAS).
From EAA e-Hotline, January 13, 2006
Two of the greatest airplanes from the World War II era, the Boeing B-29 and Consolidated LB-30 (B-24), will be present at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006 as The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration takes place July 24-30 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.
From EAA e-Hotline
November 17, 2005 - During her annual "Meet the Administrator" session at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2005, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey announced in response to congressional pressure that the FAA would soon issue special regulations requiring pilots who fly within 100 miles of Washington, D.C., to successfully complete a training course on navigating the D.C. Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
Condensed from EAA e-Hotline
November 8, 2005 - EAA members now have additional opportunities to assert their rights in an important freedom-of-flight issue, thanks to their own grassroots efforts, their association's advocacy work, and echoing rallying cries coming from many corners of the general aviation community.
By Lea MacDonald
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It was noon on a Sunday as I recall, the day a Mustang P-51 was to take to the air. They said it had flown in during the night from some U.S. airport, the pilot had been tired.
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After a near disaster, multi-millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett's record-setting customer-built aircraft, GlobalFlyer, has been repaired and is in the final stages of being readied for another record flight. The aircraft, designed by Burt Rutan, completed the first non-stop, solo unrefueled around-the-world flight last year.
From Reuters
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