Theft Was For Drunken Joy Ride

Authorities have arrested a man accused of stealing and crashing a single-engine plane in Brazoria County (TX). you may recall ANN's coverage on Tuesday, which described the attempted theft of a Cessna 172. The wrecked airplane was found, but the thief was long gone. On Wednesday, however, authorities caught their man. Louis Paul Kadlecek, 21, faces felony theft and criminal mischief charges. Authorities said Kadlecek had been drinking since his birthday the previous Wednesday and decided to take the Skyhawk for a joy ride. He must have forgotten the "eight hours -- bottle to throttle" rule.

Software To Be Used In Fractional Line

OurPLANE, the fractional ownership company for general aviation pilots, has selected the ElectronicFlight Solutions’ CompleteLearning avionics training software for its pilots. This multimedia avionics training program will allow the OurPLANE fractional owner to become proficient with the installed avionics before beginning the hands-on training. Partners in OurPLANE’s Cirrus aircraft will receive ElectronicFlight’s Garmin GPS training module with the S-TEC 55X Autopilot, WX-500 Stormscope and Skywatch Traffic Awareness modules. Owners of OurPLANE’s other aircraft will receive avionics training packages tailored the specific avionics installed in each aircraft.

The Real Deal Or NATCA Politics At Play? As the campaigning for the White house intensifies, so does the mix of political and industry issues. On Wednesday, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) gave its full support to Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign, declaring Senator Kerry as the candidate "who will ensure that the safety of the flying public never takes a back seat to political ideology or special interests." Mind you, NATCA seems to be basing their endorsement, in part, on a largely unsuccessful fight they waged last year over a situation that (technically) didn't exist -- namely FAA's so-called attempt to privatize ATC based on the decision to designate a small number of control towers to be operated under priv

Agency Offers Valuable Seminars

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia is conducting a national program of seminars to inform pilots of light aircraft of the dangers of fuel system icing. The series of 10 special seminars on icing in carburetors and fuel induction systems begins in Launceston on March 22. The seminars are being held in the wake of a report into a fatal light aircraft crash at Trefoil Island in Tasmania where fuel system icing may have been a significant factor.

Organization Lauds February's Master CFIs

The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) just announced their February Master Instructors appointment/renewals. The Master Instructor designation is a national accreditation recognized by the FAA that is earned by a candidate through a rigorous process of continuing education and peer review. Much like a flight instructor's certificate, it must be renewed biennially. Simply put, the Master Instructor designation is a means by which to identify those outstanding aviation educators, those "Teachers of Flight," who are demonstrating an ongoing commitment to excellence, professional growth, and service to the aviation community. The FAA recently approved the designation as an alternate means for CFIs to renew their flight inst

The Prez Is In Town

NOTAM:  4/1651  Issued:  03/02/2004 13:35  Effective:  03/05/2004 00:00 - 03/08/2004 17:05  State:  TX  Facility:  ZFW - FORT WORTH (ARTCC),TX.  Type:  VIP  Description:  WACO, TEXAS, MARCH 4-8, 2004 LOCAL.   

AD NUMBER: 2004-05-02

MANUFACTURER: AeroSpace Technologies of Australia Pty Ltd. SUBJECT: Wing Fittings SUMMARY: The FAA adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all AeroSpace Technologies of Australia Pty Ltd. (ASTA) Models N22B, N22S, and N24A airplanes. This AD requires you to repetitively inspect wing fittings for fatigue defects, replace or correct defective wing fittings, and replace the stub wing front spar assembly and wing fitting when fatigue life limits are reached.