Editor’s Log

I recently flew a friend from my house at a residential airpark outside Sarasota, Fla., up to the Tampa International Airport to catch his plane home. We left with fuel tanks about half-full, and I planned to divert a few miles on my way home to stop at a non-towered airport with ultra-cheap self-serve 100LL to top off. After an uneventful stop, drop and hop, I motored off toward the cheap fuel and dialed up the airports CTAF (which also happens to be the CTAF for my nearby home runway). I was immediately greeted with a cacophony of radio calls involving a couple of Cessnas, at least one CAP flight and a Twin Comanche. All were apparently maneuvering to land or depart from Cheap Fuel Muni, but no one was happy. I really couldnt determine who was landing and who was departing, but the Twin Comanche driver was definitely hot about going around after being cut off in the pattern. Since I dont need much encouragement to avoid chaos in a traffic pattern, I changed plans and went on home.

The NTSB in early April released preliminary general aviation accident data for 2008. No one should be happy. For example, there were 1559 accidents involving Part 91 operations, 275 of which involved fatalities. Those fatal accidents killed a total of 495 persons, one fewer than the previous year. One. After all the training improvements, the influx of new, well-equipped aircraft, all the new, high-tech equipment being installed in older ones, after weather-forecasting and observation enhancements on the ground and in the air, only one. And the accident rate jumped up, from 6.92 accidents per 100,000 hours in 2007 to 7.11 in 2008. This is despite an overall reduction in accidents, from 2007s 1650 to 1559 last year, and stems from fewer flying hours, a reduction of almost 10 percent. These results are pretty sorry for an industry desperate to be taken seriously.

An economic times like these, its more than a little disheartening each month to receive so many brokerage statements covered in so much red ink. Looking at my airplanes value-probably less than what I paid for it 10 years ago, minus all the improvements made-doesnt provide much consolation. Two things make all of this less unbearable. First, Im not alone. Any aircraft owner has seen his or her flivvers value drop in recent months. At least mine hasnt dropped as far or as fast as some others (can you say “business jet?”). Second, despite last summers meteoric climb, avgas prices remain relatively reasonable, at least in my part of the U.S. A third, unrelated thing is the airplane doesnt need anything. Ive spent time, money and effort getting and keeping it well sorted out, expenditures paying off in reliability and performance. But there are many out there who might be looking to upgrade their aircraft-either with a new engine, new paint/interior or by trading it for something else. For them, there are wonderful opportunities out there right now as long as little or no financing is required. In my admittedly hazy memory, one can buy more airplane for fewer dollars today than ever before.

Unless youve been living under a rock since mid-January, you have at least a passing familiarity with the January 15, 2009, water landing in the Hudson River. US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320 departing New Yorks LaGuardia for Charlotte, N.C., apparently suffered multiple bird strikes, disabling both engines. The crew, admirably, ditched the airplane in the Hudson River with no loss of life and only one injury. The popular media labeled the flights captain, Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger, a hero for successfully handling the emergency. Almost completely ignored were the team efforts of Sullenbergers crew, including First Officer Jeffrey B. Skiles, who was flying the takeoff and departure, and the three flight attendants, who successfully prepared and evacuated the cabin. The outcome would not have been nearly so favorable if the crew hadnt been properly trained and prepared. Instead of labeling Flight 1549 a miracle and its captain a hero, we all should use this event as a teaching episode and wonder how things might have turned out if the crew hadnt been prepared.

There is some really neat technology available on the general aviation market today, including some stuff that wasnt dreamed of a few short years ago. Even if it took a while, the microprocessor revolution finally made it to the average GA cockpit and, along with satellite-based broadcasting, has revolutionized the way we fly. One of the industrys success stories is the near real-time weather data available in the cockpit from sources such as XM Radio and WSI: Even some airline cockpits dont have this stuff. Garmin and others have helped along this “revolution” by marketing innovative products incorporating datalink capability and sold them by the thousands. Unfortunately, customer support-along with realization of how indispensable this data stream has become to operators and a concomitant corporate responsibility-havent followed. These failures on the part of Garmin and XM were borne out in early January when an apparent programming glitch blanked weather-data screens throughout the U.S. Literally overnight, thousands of Garmin-brand GPS navigators subscribed to XM Weather were unable to download data. To the extent anyone could get an answer for a few days, Garmin blamed XM and XM blamed Garmin. The lack of information from either of the two companies was stunning, especially given the ways in which these products are used.

The end of autumn and beginning of winter in North America is always an unsettled time. That Thanksgiving Day falls squarely in this stretch of shortened days is one of those good news/bad news things. Its good to get a break, and renew associations with friends and family. Its bad because I eat too much. Its also bad because the weather can be so unpredictable-almost winter, but not really. On more than one occasion, Ive been lulled into a false sense of security with benign weather on my flight preceding the holiday, changing to apocalyptic just about the time I want to depart for home. Too, each year, a few of us find a way to bend sheet metal-or worse-during the last few days of November. This year was no different. My flight before the holiday was about as serene as could be. Widespread high pressure blew away all clouds along my route, providing smooth air, bright sunshine and just a hint of headwind. By staying in the southeast, I thought, Id avoid the bad stuff possible in other areas. Checking weather for the return, I discovered I wasnt immune.

Last month in this space, I wrote about the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and its proposed rule to expand airline-style security measures to private (i.e., Part 91) operations of aircraft weighing more than 12,500 pounds. The new proposal was formally released October 30, 2008. The proposed rule would require operators to assign a security director to oversee flight operations, obtain TSA approval for a security program addressing every operation of the aircraft, submit fingerprints of all flight-crew members and seek government approval of each passenger for each flight. A copy of the full, 67-page proposal is available in PDF format at this address: tinyurl.com/5nxn55. General aviations alphabet soup is expressing strong opposition to the proposal. Both AOPA and NBAA formally requested a comment-period extension, to 120 days, which the TSA granted. The new deadline is February 27, 2009.

It took awhile, but the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) finally is getting around to doing for non-commercial aviation what its done for the airlines. In early October, the TSA proposed a new set of security regulations targeting privately operated (i.e., Part 91) large airplanes, those with a maximum gross takeoff weight greater than 12,500 pounds. Its part of the agencys proposed new large aircraft standard security program, or LASSP, which attempts to consolidate overlapping rules and create new ones. The TSA “anticipates that this proposed rule would require approximately 10,000 aircraft operators and 315 airport operators, most of whom are not currently required to do so, to implement security programs.” While we have no way to know, we think thats underestimated. And we doubt the TSA knows, either.

A news story appearing in August quoted a Washington think-tank member as blaming general aviation for the delays in implementing ADS-B, the underlying technology in the FAAs latest scheme to modernize the national airspace system and improve efficiency. Robert Poole of the ironically named Reason Foundation was quoted by online sister publication AVweb.com as saying, “Because aircraft owners balk at being forced to buy and install new gear until they get real benefits from it (and this is especially true of GA owners), FAA felt under strong political pressure to make the deadline as far off as possible (hence, 2020).” Itd be a wonderful thing if GA had that much clout at the FAA.

Another EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is in the can, and writing this is one of my first considered actions since returning home and putting the airplane away late last night. Many attendees are saying the 2008 edition was one of the best ever, if not number one. The weather was magnificent, with no rain at the site, there were just enough new aircraft and gadgets to keep things interesting and most people seemed to be in a good mood. Perhaps one of the reasons this years event was so good has to do with their (and my) expectations. Through no fault of their own, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) spent the several weeks leading up to the event fending off gloom and doom predictions centered on the price of aviation fuel and general economic conditions. Theres no way, many observers said, for this years show to be as well-attended as previous ones. Notably, the associations staff took a “wait and see” attitude.