Bell's new tail fan demonstrator helicopter is back at the company's XworX facility in Arlington, Texas, following a successful round of high altitude flight-testing in Leadville, Colorado. While in Colorado the aircraft demonstrated OGE (out of ground effect) hover at over 11,700 feet, and flight at an altitude greater than 13,000 feet.

Does This Mean We're Due A Refund?

The next time some wag tells you that BizAv is not paying it's fair share of the costs of running the nation's aviation infrastructure, tell them they are ill-informed. The business aviation community pays more than 100 percent of its share of the costs it imposes on the Federal air traffic system, according to a new study by the consulting firm of HLB Decision Economics, Inc.

Successful Launch Thursday

For the first time since Brian Binnie piloted SpaceShipOne on its historic flight last earlier this month, another manned mission has been launched -- this time, a Russian Soyuz carrying two Russians and an American to the International Space Station.

Is This Another Move To "Out" Unsafe Fliers?

The National Transportation Safety Board today determined that the probable cause of the fatal ditching of a commuter airplane off Great Abaco Island, Bahamas, last year was "the in-flight failure of the right engine and the pilot's failure to adequately manage the airplane's performance after the engine failed."

Brings Home Air Comp 7 All The Way From Lithuania

The airplane has been flying for the past year-and-a-half in Lithuania, where it was assembled by UAB Aeronika, a group of private pilots and technicians sponsored by the ship-restoration company AB Laivite in Klaipeda. The Comp Air 7 kit was purchased from Aerocomp Inc. of Florida, and then assembled, test-flown, and operated for private flights in Lithuania.

Had Logged Less Than Four Hours Of Night Flight

A student pilot who died along with his family in a Cessna 336 accident in August was inexperienced, according to an NTSB preliminary report. While he had more than 96 hours total time and more than 43 hours in type, he only had 3.4 total hours of night flying.

Klyde's Love For Airline Execs Knows No Limit

Premier Turbines, a division of Dallas Airmotive, Inc., marked a significant milestone in the company's corporate engine business with the completion of the 1,000th Honeywell TFE731 engine serviced. The engine is used on a Learjet 35A and underwent a Core Zone Inspection, Honeywell's terminology for a zero time overhaul.

Hurricane(s) Force Florida Air Show Delay

The Ft. Myers Beach Air Show's annual event scheduled for October 16th and 17th 2004 has been rescheduled to May 13th and 14th 2005, due to the effects of Hurricane Charley.

The FAA has approved a new aftermarket modification developed by Boundary Layer Research, Inc (BLR) of Everett WA. The new modification termed 'Fast Fin' which is making it's debut at NBAA, is applicable to helicopters of the medium class manufactured by Bell Helicopter such as the 205, 212 and 412, and UH-1 series, and is available in kit form.

Next-Generation Flight Guard Technology Coming To US Civil Aviation Market

Aviation Protection Systems, Inc. Thursday announced it has obtained exclusive rights from ELTA Systems Ltd. (ELTA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Israel Military Industries (IMI) to bring the dark flare-equipped Flight Guard anti-terrorist aircraft defense system to the United States. Independently owned and privately funded, Aviation Protection Systems has already established business offices in the Miami area and started to introduce Flight Guard to key customers within the aviation industry.

USAF May Purchase 50 CV-22s

The Air Force's top two leaders got up close and personal Oct. 8 with what may become the service's latest special operations asset.

DOE Answers AOPA Questions About Los Alamos Airport Landfill Project

The Department of Energy (DOE) has concurred with AOPA's request that the federal agency suspend its landfill project at Los Alamos Airport (LAM) in New Mexico. At a high-level meeting this week between AOPA and senior DOE officials in Washington (DC), the department committed to put the project on hold for 90 days and to address the concerns of airport users before proceeding with the cleanup of the old airport landfill.

Roger Christiansen Injured In Piper Cub Accident

Roger Christiansen, a general aviation pilot of note in the Northwest, was severely injured Wednesday when his Piper PA-18 Cub went down just after take-off from Oak Harbor Airport (WA).

"This was an egregious and preventable accident that raises many safety issues that need to be addressed. It also was a clearly survivable accident -- as are most commercial air carrier accidents, and points up the necessity of strictly following time-tested procedures to maximize passenger safety in emergency situations." Source: NTSB Chairman Ellen Engleman Conners, referring to the ditching of an Air Sunshine flight in July, 2003. In an uncharacteristically harsh appraisal of the accident, board members criticized the company, the pilot and what it said was poor, undocumented maintenance, all of which the NTSB listed as contributors to the accident. A woman and a four-year old child died after the aircraft ditched in the Atlantic while on a flight from Fort Lau

AD NUMBER: 2004-20-13 MANUFACTURER: Empresa SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-20-13 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain EMBRAER Model EMB-135 and EMB-145 series airplanes, that requires inspection of the housings of the main landing gear (MLG) leg strut bushings, and related investigative and corrective actions, and other specified actions.

NOTAM: 4/1057 Issued: 10/14/2004 22:20 Effective: Immediately - Until Further Notice State: NM Facility: ZAB - ALBUQUERQUE (ARTCC),NM. Type: HAZARDS Description: OROGRANDE NM.

NOTAM: 4/1052 Issued: 10/14/2004 22:10 Effective: 10/15/2004 20:55 - 10/16/2004 00:10 State: WI Facility: ZMP - MINNEAPOLIS (ARTCC),MN. Type: VIP Description: OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN, OCTOBER 15 2004 LOCAL.

NOTAM: 4/1039 Issued: 10/14/2004 20:10 Effective: Immediately - Until Further Notice State: OH Facility: ZID - INDIANAPOLIS (ARTCC),IN. Type: HAZARDS Description: DELAWARE, OHIO

NOTAM: 4/1051 Issued: 10/14/2004 22:00 Effective: 10/15/2004 20:55 - 10/16/2004 00:10 State: WI Facility: ZAU - CHICAGO (ARTCC),IL. Type: VIP Description: OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN, OCTOBER 15 2004 LOCAL.

AD NUMBER: 2004-20-12 MANUFACTURER: Airbus SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-20-12 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to all Airbus Model A300B2 and B4 series airplanes; Model A300 B4-600, A300 B4-600R, A300 F4-600R series airplanes,and A300 C4-605R Variant F airplanes (collectively called A300-600); and Model A310 series airplanes.

AD NUMBER: 2004-20-15 MANUFACTURER: AvCraft Aerospace GmbH SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-20-15 SUMMARY: This amendment supersedes an existing airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to all Dornier Model 328-100 series airplanes, that currently requires certain revisions to the airplane flight manual, replacement of certain de-icing boots in the air intake duct assemblies of the engine with re-designed units, repetitive inspections of the boots to find discrepancies, and corrective action if necessary.

AD NUMBER: 2004-20-16 MANUFACTURER: Boeing SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-20-16 SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Boeing Model 747-200B, -200C, -200F, -300, -400, -400D, and -400F series airplanes; and Model 747SP series airplanes, that requires repetitive functional tests of the auxiliary power unit (APU) and engine fire shutoff switches and repetitive replacements of the APU and engine fire shutoff switches.

AD NUMBER: 2004-20-14 MANUFACTURER: Airbus SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-20-14 SUMMARY: This amendment supersedes an existing airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to all Airbus Model A300 B4 series airplanes and all Airbus Model A300-600 series airplanes. That AD currently requires a one-time high frequency eddy current inspection to detect cracking of the splice fitting at fuselage frame (FR) 47 between stringers 24 and 25

AD NUMBER: 2004-20-10 MANUFACTURER: Valentin GMBH SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-20-10 SUMMARY: The FAA adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Valentin GmbH & Co. Taifun 17E sailplanes. This AD requires you to do an operational check of the front wing-locking mechanism left and right, inspect stop key movement, inspect wing and fuselage side root ribs, inspect the wing side shear force fittings, and take any corrective actions that may be required.

AD NUMBER: 2004-20-11 MANUFACTURER: Airbus SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-20-11 SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Model A300 B2 and B4 series airplanes; and certain Airbus Model A300 B4-600, B4-600R, and F4-600R series airplanes;and Model C4-605R Variant F airplanes (collectively called A300-600).

AD NUMBER: 2004-21-01 MANUFACTURER: Hartzell SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-21-01 SUMMARY: The FAA is superseding an existing AD for certain Hartzell Propeller Inc. (formerly Hartzell Propeller Products Division) Model HC-B5MP-3()/M10282A()+6 five bladed propellers.

AD NUMBER: 2004-21-02 MANUFACTURER: PZL Bielsko SUBJECT: Airworthiness Directive 2004-21-02 SUMMARY: The FAA adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Przedsiebiorstwo Doswiadczalno-Produkcyjne Szybownictwa "PZLBielsko" (PZL-Bielsko) Model SZD-50-3 "Puchacz" sailplanes.This AD requires you to repetitively inspect the front and back of the fuselage front bulk head attachment fitting for cracks and replace the attachment fitting if any cracks are found.

Urgent Notice From The Factory

From Garmin... G1000 Aircraft Owners and Operators, Aircraft equipped with G1000 systems must be limited to “VFR DAY ONLY” until an inspection is performed.