Friday, March 20, 2015

New Record Set

By Bethany Whitfield / Published: Mar 19, 2015
Talk about a steep dive and a perfect landing. This incredible footage captures an eagle named Darshan as he descends from the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa, which stands at over 2,700 feet tall in Dubai. Once the bird spots the falconer, he executes a precision dive at over 100 mph, ultimately landing on his trainer's arm with such effortlessness it will put your greatest spot landing to shame.

Read more at http://www.flyingmag.com/news/video-first-hand-view-spectacular-eagle-flight#BWmpOs3qpTBXZ78h.99N

New low cost ADS-B Unit

FreeFlight Unveils Sub-$2,000 ADS-B Out Unit

By Stephen Pope / Published: Mar 19, 2015
image: http://www.flyingmag.com/sites/all/files/imagecache/article_image/_images/201503/FreeFlight-ADS-B.jpg
FreeFlight ADS-B
FreeFlight Systems has introduced an ADS-B Out unit for light general aviation airplanes that's fully compliant with the FAA's 2020 NextGen mandate at a rock-bottom price of under $2,000. 
 
There's "no fine print," the company promises, and the unit includes everything you'll need for ADS-B compliance, including a TSO'd ADS-B Out transceiver, built-in WAAS GPS receiver, ADS-B and GPS antennas, installation kit and control head. The only additional cost is what you'll pay an avionics shop to install it all.
 
There is one catch, however. FreeFlight Systems says it will offer a limited number of the units, named the Rangr Lite FDL-978-TXL, at the low, low list price of $1,995. The avionics maker is offering the product as part of the FAA's Equip 2020 program to drive down ADS-B compliance costs for those who upgrade well ahead of the Jan. 1, 2020 deadline.
 
FreeFlight explained that recent proposals by AOPA and others to rewrite ADS-B requirements to allow portable ADS-B units in GA airplanes weren't gaining traction with the FAA due to the "critical nature" of ADS-B, which will eventually be used for traffic separation as a replacement for surveillance radar. 
 
"Many of our customers, especially those with older aircraft, told us that they need a low-cost option for equipage to meet the January 1, 2020, deadline for ADS-B," says Tim Taylor, President and CEO of FreeFlight Systems. "We needed to find a way to accomplish that without compromising the quality of the system. Volume was the way to make that happen, and we are stepping up."
 
As part of the push for lower-cost ADS-B gear, FreeFlight Systems also introduced the Rangr Lite FDL-978-XVRL, a rule-compliant unit that adds an ADS-B In transmitter and Wi-Fi capability for displaying subscription-free weather and traffic data on a tablet. Retail price for that product is $3,695. 
 
FreeFlight Systems says it will build and sell no more than 10,000 of the lower-priced Rangr Lite ADS-B units. The company plans to reveal a list of participating dealers next month and start shipping the products in June.

Read more at http://www.flyingmag.com/avionics-gear/instrumentaccessories/freeflight-unveils-sub-2000-ads-b-out-unit#QbClwXCm9eov6okm.99

Friday, March 13, 2015

Cub Kit Crate Arrives 3-13-2015





A very fine crew assembled this afternoon to brave the drizzle and help unload Ed Fisher’s “Cub in a Box”.  Short slide show from today. 

Thursday, March 12, 2015

New ADS-B Out transceivers that are battery powered.....From Flyingmag.com

Battery-Powered ADS-B Out Transmitters Coming?

By Stephen Pope / Published: Mar 12, 2015
image: http://www.flyingmag.com/sites/all/files/imagecache/article_image/_images/201503/Battery-ADSB.jpg
Battery ADS-B
Will we soon be seeing fully TSO compliant battery-powered ADS-B Out transceivers that are approved by the FAA for the 2020 equipment mandate? Yes, we will. But don’t get too excited just yet.
 
Unfortunately you probably won’t be permitted to install the gear in the airplane you fly. That’s because under the new TSO guidance that avionics makers say they are reviewing, the battery-powered ADS-B Out products would be intended for use only in gliders and general aviation aircraft certified without electrical systems.
 
The FAA says the TSO guidance for battery-powered ADS-B Out units came after two years of extensive flight testing. In other words, the technology has been proven safe and effective and is ready for prime time. 
 
The big question is, why limit these units to Aeronca Champs and Piper Cubs?
 
Lightweight, low-cost ADS-B transmitters are also in the works for UAVs, Experimental aircraft and LSAs. Again, these transmitters won’t be approved for use in the vast majority of Part 23 GA airplanes, which must carry equipment that meets a strict set of certification criteria — and which has driven the price of ADS-B Out gear to around $5,000 per airplane at a bare minimum.
 
AOPA, the Experimental Aircraft Association and others have been trying without success to convince the FAA to amend the ADS-B mandate to permit the use of lower-cost gear, such as battery-powered portable units. There has been no word from the agency yet about whether it is considering such a change, but time is running short.
 
Meanwhile, once the lower-cost battery-powered ADS-B Out products start hitting the market, the outcry from GA pilots over ADS-B’s high price tag will likely only grow louder.

Read more at http://www.flyingmag.com/avionics-gear/instrumentaccessories/battery-powered-ads-b-out-transmitters-coming#0ed0kjL9ikh0Q73R.99

Monday, March 09, 2015

Windy Road Clean Up!

About 4-6 times a year, our neighbors gather to pick up trash along Windy Road, which is the access road to our airpark.  Jack and Diane Fastnaught host us for breakfast, where we enjoy good food, fun and fellowship before we put on our colorful vests, pick up our orange bags, and go to work.

We took 29 bags of trash to the dump later in the morning. Another successful event…………….our Whiteplains Neighbors at their best!!

Thursday, March 05, 2015

Friday - 3-6-2015 TFR for Whiteplains.

FAA to establish TFR over Columbia, SC on Friday, March 6, 2015


A NOTAM (FDC 5/9440) has been published that will affect flight in the area during President Obama's planned vist.

30 NM RADIUS TFR

Location
On the MC ENTIRE VORTAC (MMT) 287 degree radial at 13.3 nautical miles.
From the surface up to but not including 18,000 feet MSL.
Times
11:15 AM local until 4:15 PM local Friday, March 6, 2015

12 NM RADIUS NO-FLY ZONE

Location
On the MC ENTIRE VORTAC (MMT) 287 degree radial at 13.3 nautical miles.
From the surface up to but not including 18,000 feet MSL.
Times
11:15 AM local until 4:15 PM local Friday, March 6, 2015

Affected Public Use Airports

KCUB Jim Hamilton L.B. Owens
KCAE Columbia Metropolitan
6J0 Lexington County At Pelion
KFDW Fairfield County 


Additional Notes:

No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM (except as described).

Except as specified below and/or unless authorized by ATC in consultation with the air traffic security coordinator via the domestic events network (DEN):

A. All aircraft operations within the 12 NMR area(s) listed above, known as the inner core(s), are prohibited except for: Approved law enforcement, military aircraft directly supporting the United States Secret Service (USSS) and the office of the President of the United States, approved air ambulance flights, and regularly scheduled commercial passenger and all-cargo carriers operating under one of the following TSA-Approved standard security programs/procedures: aircraft operator standard security program (AOSSP), full all-cargo aircraft operator standard security program (FACAOSSP), model security program (MSP), twelve five standard security program (TFSSP) all cargo, or all-cargo international security procedure (ACISP) and are arriving into and/or departing from 14 cfr part 139 airports. All emergency/life saving flight (medical/law enforcement/firefighting) operations must coordinate with ATC prior to their departure at 803-822-4511 to avoid potential delays.

B. For operations within the airspace between the 12 nmr and 30 nmr area(s) listed above, known as the outer ring(s): All aircraft operating within the outer ring(s) listed above are limited to aircraft arriving or departing local airfields, and workload permitting, ATC may authorize transit operations. Aircraft may not loiter. All aircraft must be on an active IFR or VFR flight plan with a discrete code assigned by an air traffic control (ATC) facility. Aircraft must be squawking the discrete code prior to departure and at all times while in the TFR and must remain in two-way radio communications with ATC.

C. The following operations are not authorized within this TFR: flight training, practice instrument approaches, aerobatic flight, glider operations, seaplane operations, parachute operations, ultralight, hang gliding, balloon operations, agriculture/crop dusting, animal population control flight operations, banner towing operations, sightseeing operations, maintenance test flights, model aircraft operations, model rocketry, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and utility and pipeline survey operations.

D. FAA recommends that all aircraft operators check notams frequently for possible changes to this TFR prior to operations within this region

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Because TFR airspace frequently changes, AOPA strongly encourages pilots to obtain a briefing before every flight.

FDC 5/9440 Columbia, SC 3/6/15

Airspace Online Course
Intercept Procedures Card
Get the protection you need to safeguard both your pilot and medical certificates all for one great price. For more information, visitwww.AOPA.org/pps or call 1-800-USA-AOPA (872-2672).

You are receiving this TFR notice because you are a member of AOPA. To continue to receive this important member benefit, please keep your membership current and your contact information updated.
Have Questions? Please contact the Pilot Information Center at 1-800-USA-AOPA (872-2672)
AOPA, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701.
800/USA-AOPA or 301/695-2000
Copyright (c) 2014. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

From Flying Magazine

Three Big Changes in Pilot Medical and What they Mean to You

Congress shows the FAA how progress gets done.
By Robert Goyer / Published: Mar 03, 2015
image: http://www.flyingmag.com/sites/all/files/imagecache/blog_detail_image/_images/201503/GD-pilots-rights-blog.png
As you've no doubt read by now, both houses of Congress in a welcome and unusual bipartisan effort have gotten behind a pair of bills that would eliminate the outdated pilot third class medical certificate. The identical bills, nicknamed the Pilot's Bill of Rights 2, are the result of efforts of a few longtime friends of general aviation, Senators James Inhofe (R, Oklahoma) and Joe Manchin (D, West Virginia) and Representatives Dan Lipinski (D, Illinois) and Sam Graves (R, Missouri). 
 
Under the rule the third class medical certificate would get the boot, replaced by a more sensible self-certification process resembling that used successfully by Sport Pilots for several years now. 
 
With Congress regularly getting a lot of heat, much of it deserved, for engaging in partisan battles that result in legislative gridlock, these bills stand as a testament to what the legislature can do when they set their collective minds to a worthy task. 
 
As I've written about before, the FAA has been considering changes to the third class medical certificate for more than a year now, and it has become clear that the agency has decided to slow-track the proposal. The twin bills in Congress send a clear message to the FAA: General aviation needs this change and it needs it now. The bills, once enacted, contain a provision that would mandate they go into effect even if the FAA fails to act on them in a timely fashion (180 days). It's a critical clause; inaction on the agency's part would have been a near certainty otherwise. 
 
Change One: Goodbye Class Three Medical (for many of us)
The new rules will immediately benefit a huge number of pilots, who can avoid the expensive, restrictive and punitive process of going through the FAA's current medieval maze. That labyrinth of conditions and special issuances did almost nothing to protect pilots or their passengers while entrenching the FAA in a position of playing doctor to unwilling patients who never needed their services in the first place. That system won't go away for commercial pilots or those of us who fly large aircraft, but more than a hundred thousand pilots (by our non-scientific estimation) will be able to fly free of the FAA's medical harassment. 
 
Changes Two and Three: Bigger Faster Airplanes and IFR 
Private pilots flying under the new rules will enjoy a wealth of privileges denied private aviators under the FAA's moribund proposal on the subject. Pilots will be able to fly real personal transportation flights both VFR and IFR, flying airplanes 6,000-pounds and less at speeds up to 250 knots while carrying as many as five passengers. 
 
As you know Flying led the charge to eliminate the limitation to VFR-only flying under the new medical standard, and we are gratified that our friends in Congress and in a number of pilot membership organizations listened to us. The new rules make sense, give pilots meaningful privileges and will result in an equivalent level of safety. 
 
Those are great goals to hit. The FAA should take notice of how it's done.

Read more at http://www.flyingmag.com/blogs/going-direct/three-big-changes-pilot-medical-and-what-they-mean-you#pzQLAgTw7WuOo73x.99