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The full textof the FAA’s Final Rule amending Part 61 of the FARs is available in itsentirety here on AVweb in both HTMLand PDF formats, as is the rathersubstantial list of eleventh-hour correctionsthat the FAA published just days before the new rule became effective. The intent of the rewrite is to clarify and simplify the […]

SUBMISSION OF THE AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION TO THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD REGARDING THE ACCIDENT INVOLVING USAIR FLIGHT 427 NEAR PITTSBURGH, PA ON SEPTEMBER 8, 1994 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY II. B737 FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM DESIGN III. AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE IV. B737 LATERAL VS. DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AUTHORITY V. HUMAN PERFORMANCE VI. CONCLUSIONS VII. […]

Iknow. You’re thinking “Hey wait, Godfrey! There’s already an article in AVweb’s’Places to Fly‘ section called ‘The Last Fightertown Airshow.’What’s the deal?” Here’s the deal. Fightertown (aka Top Gun) moved its airplanes and pilots earlier thisyear to Oceano, VA and Fallon, NV. So last year’s airshow was the last Fightertownairshow. 1997’s airshow was the last […]

Myairplane and I spent the last four days as part of the static display at NAS Miramar.Miramar’s nickname is “Fightertown” and it’s the home of Top Gun….where thebest of the best American pilots go to train. At least it has been since the end of WWII.This was the last Navy-sponsored air show at Miramar. As […]

I hadn’t heard from my friend Mil Harmon for a while. When I got his letter the otherday I understood why. For the first time in 27 years he is without “Ten Romeo,”a beautiful 1969 Beech Bonanza 36 (full registration N7710R) considered by some to be themost renowned single-engine aircraft in the world. This plane […]

Howard Pardue’s Bearcat Richardson’s YAK before the accident… …and after. (Hint: something’s missing!) Howard Pardue’s Sea Fury taxiing in after the accident. Interesting tail art on the YAK! The 34th Annual Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada opened on September 8, 1997 witha record number of entries in the unlimited racing class. All in all, […]

NOTE: Following Capt. Baiada’s editorial, we’ve published a reply by an air traffic controller. As I read Ms. Garvey’scomments in a letter she wrote to USA Today (“FAA out Front on Safety,”in the August 20, 1997 issue), what struck me most was not FAA’s after-the-fact actions,but her assurance that things are getting better and that […]

Jessica Dubroff died 21 months ago as a very youngpassenger in the left seat of a Cessna airplane. The pilot, in the right seat, took off ina driving rainstorm, in the thin air of an unfamiliar high-altitude airport, with thefuel-air mixture improperly set and the plane carrying almost a hundred pounds over itscertified weight limit. […]

Avoiding Aviation Gridlock: A Consensus for Change National Civil AviationReview Commission Preliminary Funding TaskForce Report Norman Y. Mineta, ChairSeptember 10, 1997 NOTE: A PDF version of this report is also available. Table of Contents I. COMMISSION FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS A.Commission Findings B.Commission Recommends an Integrated and Comprehensive Package II. INTRODUCTION: WASHINGTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM […]

Avoiding Aviation Gridlock: A Consensus for Change National Civil Aviation Review CommissionPreliminary Funding Task Force Report Norman Y. Mineta, ChairSeptember 10, 1997 ATTACHMENTS DRAFT LEGISLATION AND SECTION BY SECTION SUMMARY SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. (a) SHORT TITLE.— This Act may be cited as the `Aviation System Improvement Act’. (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.— […]