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TV Takes Another Look… An ABC affiliate TV station in New York City, apparently unaware of the bashing unleashed by the GA community upon CBS after that network aired a segment critical of security at small airports, took its own stab at the issue last Thursday. WABC-TV ran a story based on its “months-long Eyewitness […]

In recent weeks, the MD-80 fleet worldwide has been hampered by reports of engine cracks. In Japan last month, 17 of the airliners were grounded after engines of two aircraft vibrated, and the flights were aborted. According to CBS news, Chicago, American Airlines discovered similar cracks in engines on some of its MD-80 planes. Other […]

In his report, Hess notes that the “pedal/rudder sensitivity of the A300-600 at the airspeed at which the AA 587 accident occurred is the highest of all comparative transport aircraft.” For example, compared to the Boeing 767, the A300-600 pedal/rudder sensitivity is seven times greater, and it is 10 times greater than the preceding models […]

Flight 587: Airbus Control System Scrutinized… While the NTSB has yet to issue its final report on why American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in New York in November 2001 after its vertical tail surface broke off, killing 265 people, the board recently released a report by an aeronautical engineer that suggests the design of the […]

The Virginia plan (assuming the General Assembly includes the money in its final budget) will be first to assess what, if any, security measures are in place at each of the airports. Even the smallest facilities will be checked. Macfarlane said each facility will be asked to develop a security plan and document procedures. For […]

Audit, Planning Money Budgeted… It seems like lots of people talk about GA security but the state of Virginia is actually doing something about it. The state legislature is expected to pass $1.5 million in funding for a statewide audit of security planning and procedures at each of the 59 airports it certifies. Now, $1.5 […]

It also looks like there are changes coming to the way that controllers get their weather information, as part of the FAA’s drive to minimize weather delays. In an internal memo obtained by AVweb, the National Weather Service (NWS) will reorganize its Central Weather Support Units (CWSU) system, which is the link between the latest […]

Certainly not all aviation-related programs are looking at cuts, however. In fact, the budget provides for whopping increases in spending on some technical development systems that are years or even decades from completion. A good example is the NEXCOM system, which will eventually amalgamate all aviation communications into a single, integrated digital service. Funding jumps […]

ATC Cut Say Controllers… Last week, we told you a $100 million provision for relief to GA, previously written into the FAA’s reauthorization bill, was gone, but that Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta would like to triple airspace capacity — more airports, radar and runways (maybe we should just stop closing airports). This week, the National […]

The politicians of Farmingdale, Long Island, extol the economic benefits of a massive new supermarket, while the proposal has driven some opponents to such headline-grabbing stunts as attending council meetings made up as bloodied airplane crash victims. The new Stew Leonard’s superstore will be 1,032 feet from the end of busy Republic Airport’s main runway. […]