For The Beech Lovers (Musketeer, Bonanza, Sundowner ...)

A great video ..

Cebu Pacific to look at Clark as a Hub Again

A Report in the Philippine Daily Enquirer says that Cebu Pacific are looking at Clark again as a Hub.

Cebu Pacific stated that it needed five destinations out of Clark to make the Hub viable and the recent Thailand talks have made passenger revenue seating out of Clark available that would allow Cebu Pacific to possibly make it work.

Apparently Clark now has a seat on the Board of the Philippine Air Panel which has opened up flight availability out of CLark

Lets see if they can put it together with the Ground Handling and Terminal Facilities available at Clark. Would be nice to get to BKK straight out of CLark and the connection to Cebu from Clark could open up BKK for our friends down south as well.

Read the Full Article ..

Philippines, Thailand Complete Amendments On Air Deal

MANILA -(Dow Jones)- The Philippines and Thailand have successfully negotiated amendments to an existing air agreement, which has increased available airline seats by nearly fourfold, a senior Philippine official said Monday.

With the new deal - effective over the weekend - each country's airlines can fly up to a total of 17,460 passengers per week, up from 4,500 previously, said Civil Aviation Board deputy director Porvenir Porciuncula.

He said the big increase was due mainly to the opening of the Clark airport in northern Philippines to flights to and from Thailand. He said 8,700 seats have been allocated for Clark for each country."For Clark, everything is new," Porciuncula said. "The same for Davao, which is also a new point outside Manila. The Davao-Thailand route can field up to 2, 110 seat entitlements every week."Davao is in southern Philippines.

Next month, the Philippines will pursue similar negotiations with Iran and Malaysia

We breed ‘em big in Oz!

Not really relevant to aviation but ...... 

Get a load of this!!!!!!!!

Pig that was caught 300 kms south of Katherine. They only caught it?
because their dogs were going missing and it was eating their dogs!?

2008 Darwin awards .

Eighth  Place  
In  Detroit , a  41-year-old man got stuck and drowned in two feet of water after squeezing head first through an 18-inch-wide sewer grate to retrieve his car  keys  .

Seventh  Place
A 49-year-old San Francisco stockbroker, who 'totally zoned when he ran,' accidentally jogged off a 100-foot high cliff on his  daily run.

Sixth  Place
While  at the beach, Daniel Jones, 21, dug an 8 foot hole for protection from the wind and had been sitting in a beach chair at the bottom!  When it  collapsed, burying him beneath 5 feet of sand, people on the beach used  their hands and shovels trying to get him out but could not reach him. It  took rescue workers using heavy equipment almost an hour to free him. Jones was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Fifth  Place  
Santiago  Alvarado, 24, was killed as he fell through the ceiling of a bicycle shop he  was burglarizing. Death was caused when the long flashlight he had placed in his mouth to keep his hands free rammed into the base of his skull as he hit  the floor.

Fourth  Place  
Sylvester Briddell, Jr., 26, was killed as he won a bet with friends who  said he would not put a revolver loaded with four bullets into his mouth and  pull the trigger.

Third  Place
After  stepping around a marked police patrol car parked at the front door, a man walked into H&J Leather & Firearms intent on robbing the store. The  shop was full of customers and a uniformed officer was standing at the  counter. Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a hold-up!  and fired a few wild shots from a target pistol. The officer and a clerk  promptly returned fire, and several customers also drew their guns and  fired. The robber was pronounced dead at the scene by Paramedics. Crime scene investigators located 47 expended cartridge cases in the shop. The  subsequent autopsy revealed 23 gunshot wounds. Ballistics identified rounds  from 7 different weapons. No one else was hurt.

HONOURABLE  MENTION
Paul  Stiller, 47, and his wife Bonnie were bored just driving around at 2 A.M. so  they lit a quarter stick of dynamite to toss out the window to see what  would happen. Apparently they failed to notice the window was  closed.

RUNNER  UP  
Kerry Bingham had been drinking with several friends when one of them  said they knew a person who had bungee-jumped from a local bridge in the  middle of traffic. The conversation grew more heated and at least 10 men  trooped along the walkway of the bridge at 4:30 AM. Upon arrival at the  midpoint of the bridge they discovered that no one had brought a bungee  rope. Bingham, who had continued drinking, volunteered and pointed out that  a coil of lineman's cable lay near by. They secured one end around Bingham's  leg and then tied the other to the bridge. His fall lasted 40 feet before  the cable tightened and tore his foot off at the ankle. He miraculously  survived his fall into the icy water and was rescued by two nearby  fishermen. Bingham's foot was never  located.

AND  THE WINNER IS...
Zookeeper  Friedrich Riesfeldt (Paderborn, Germany) fed his constipated  elephant 22 doses of animal laxative and more than a bushel of berries, figs  and prunes before the plugged-up pachyderm finally got  relief.
Investigators say ill-fated Friedrich, 46, was attempting to give  the ailing elephant an olive oil enema when the relieved beast  unloaded.
The sheer force of the elephant's unexpected defecation knocked  Mr. Riesfeldt to the ground where he struck his head on a rock as the  elephant continued to evacuate 200 pounds of dung on top of him.
It seems  to be just one of those freak accidents that proves... 'Shit  happens'




IT ALWAYS SEEMS IMPORTANT TO THANK THESE PEOPLE  FOR REMOVING THEMSELVES FROM THE GENE POOL

FAA announces new "guidance" measures for 51% rule

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
 Federal Aviation Administration  Notification of Policy Revisions, and Requests for Comments on the Percentage of Fabrication and Assembly that Must Be Completed by an Amateur Builder to Obtain an Experimental Airworthiness Certificate for an Amateur-Built Aircraft  

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces revisions to (1) Chapter 4, Special Airworthiness Certification, Section 9 of the FAA Order 8130.2F, Airworthiness Certification of Aircraft and Related Products, (2) Advisory Circular (AC) 20-27G, Certification and Operation of Amateur- Built Aircraft (AC 20-27G is the result of combining AC 20-27F and AC 20-139, Commercial Assistance During Construction of Amateur-Built Aircraft), and (3), requests comments on the percentage of fabrication and assembly that must be completed by an amateur builder to obtain an experimental airworthiness certificate for an amateur-built aircraft. 

This action is being taken because the FAA has determined that the existing Order and ACs do not adequately state the required levels of fabrication/assembly or guidance on use of commercial assistance. As a result, the existing Order and Advisory Circulars require revision. The FAA is seeking comments on these revisions. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frank Paskiewicz, Manager, Production and Airworthiness Division, AIR-200, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone number: (202) 267-8361.  

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  Background      The FAA established an Amateur-Built Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) in July, 2006. The ARC, made up of representatives from the FAA, aircraft kit manufacturers, commercial assistance center owners and associations, was asked to make recommendations regarding the use of builder or commercial assistance when fabricating and assembling amateur-built aircraft intended for certification under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 21.191(g).

 The committee concluded that the existing procedures used for evaluation of aircraft kits are inadequate, need updating, and are not used in a standardized manner.  [[Page 40653]]      On February 15, 2008, the FAA published a notice in the Federal Register (73 FR 8926), which temporarily suspended amateur-built aircraft kit evaluations. The FAA concluded that a temporary suspension of kit evaluation was necessary because the existing FAA Order and Advisory Circulars used to evaluate these kits has resulted in inconsistent determinations regarding regulatory compliance.     As a result of the ARC findings, the FAA proposes to revise Chapter 4, Special Airworthiness Certification, Section 9, of FAA Order 8130.2F and combine AC 20-27G and AC 20-139 used in amateur-built aircraft kit evaluations.     

The FAA believes that new guidance is necessary to ensure that an amateur builder completes the necessary amount of fabrication and assembly (the major portion) of an aircraft to be in compliance with Sec.  21.191(g). A determination of major portion is made by evaluating the amount of work accomplished by the amateur builder(s) against the total amount of work necessary to complete the aircraft. The major portion of the aircraft is defined as more than 50 percent of the fabrication and assembly tasks.     

The FAA most recently addressed fabrication and assembly in an FAA internal directive, FAA Order 8130.2B, dated October 20, 1987, which stated in pertinent part, ``* * * the `major portion' of the aircraft is considered to mean more than 50 percent of the fabrication and more than 50 percent of the assembly.'' Editorial changes in subsequent revisions inadvertently shortened this statement to ``more than 50 percent of the fabrication and assembly operations.'' This had the unintended consequence of not specifying a minimum amount of fabrication and assembly as intended by the regulation.     In the last 25 to 30 years there has been significant deviation from this intent as a result of increasing sophistication of designs and materials as well as advances in kit manufacturing processes. In some cases the FAA has found that, depending upon the aircraft design, the amateur builder only fabricates 10 to 20 percent of an aircraft, and assembles 80 to 90 percent.

 The trend by kit manufacturers for more assembly and less fabrication results in work for the amateur builder that primarily consists of assembly of prepared parts. This is contrary to the intent of Sec.  21.191(g).     To ensure consistency and standardization concerning amateur-built kit aircraft evaluations, the FAA proposes to clarify how much fabrication and assembly must be performed by the amateur builder. The FAA is proposing that an amateur builder fabricate a minimum of 20 percent of an aircraft and assemble a minimum of 20 percent of the aircraft. The FAA also clarifies the role of commercial assistance, which includes both the pre-fabrication of parts and direct assistance to the builder, as part of the remaining 49 percent (manufacturer and commercial assistance). The figure below illustrates this clarification. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN15JY08.000  [[Page 40654]]     

A stated level of builder fabrication is necessary for the FAA to issue the amateur builder a repairman certificate after showing compliance with Sec.  65.104. Among other requirements, that section requires the experimental aircraft builder to be the primary builder of the aircraft, and to show to the satisfaction of the Administrator that the individual has the requisite skill to determine whether the aircraft is in a condition for safe operations.     The FAA is seeking comments on the proposed minimum percentage of fabrication and assembly that would be required in order for an amateur-built aircraft to qualify for a special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category. 

In addition, the FAA seeks comments to Chapter 4, Special Airworthiness Certification, Section 9, of FAA Order 8130.2F, Airworthiness Certification of Aircraft and Related Products, and AC 20-27G, Certification and Operation of Amateur-Built Aircraft. 

Both of these documents are available at http:/ /www.faa.gov. 

Paper copies of these documents may be obtained by writing to Frank Paskiewicz, Manager, Production and Airworthiness Division, AIR-200, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20591.      

Issued in Washington, DC on July 9, 2008. Frank Paskiewicz, Manager, Production and Airworthiness Division. [FR Doc. E8-16093 Filed 7-14-08; 8:45 am]  

BILLING CODE 4910-13-P 

[Federal Register: July 15, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 136)][Notices]             

[Page 40652-40654] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov][DOCID:fr15jy08-115]                        

Earthquake predicted tomorrow - Let Us See ....

A modern day Nostradamus' prophesy of a powerful earthquake devastating the Philippines has triggered wave of panic among Filipinos. Brazilian Jucelino Nobrega da Luz prophesied that thousands of Filipinos would die in an 8.1 magnitude earthquake to strike the Philippines tomorrow.

Dubbed as the Modern Day Nostradamus, Nobrega da Luz has created a stir worldwide when he claimed to have predicted the death of Princess Diana and the 9/11 terror attack, the tsunami that wreaked havoc in Indonesia on December 26 four years ago, a further Tremor in Sumatra, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the winning of the soccer world championship by Italy.

His predictions are reported to have been notarized for authenticity. A 47-year-old school teacher, Nobrega da Luz has made predictions which span more than 30 years. Among his prophecies this year are another Empire State Building terror attack and a 9.1 magnitude earthquake in China, both happening in September. Luz's latest prediction that is supposed to unfold in the Philippines tomorrow has circulated throughout the world through the media and the Internet, flooding forums and message boards with numerous reactions.

However, some Filipinos are unfazed. "There's a saying that the more you entertain an idea, the more its chances of becoming true so I don't even think about it," a young Filipino resident said. "Earthquake prediction is an imperfect science nowadays, though there had been experts who had successfully informed people of an earthquake ahead of time and thus saving lives. But it is not appropriate to believe in unscientific means in predicting earthquakes," explained a science teacher.

Another educator said that people who believe in forebodings do not believe out of profound analysis but out of fear and that it is more the work of instinct rather than intellect. "Psychics like Jucelino are acting out of a desire for fame and money, the more media exposure they get, the more they become famous and augment their chances for financial gain," another resident remarked.

With Nobrega da Luz's prediction, it is uncertain how many Filipinos will skip work, miss school or say no to enter skyscrapers tomorrow.

In China, Pilots Fined For Quitting

Now, for the Flip Side to India's Pilot woes ...

In China, if quit your job as an airline pilot, you could end up owing your former employer more than $102,000. China's carriers are struggling to hold onto their crews as demand for air travel creates opportunities for pilots worldwide. Now, Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, China's largest carriers, have taken to enforcing lifetime crew contracts. And a Chinese government regulation issued in May of 2006 designed to prevent bidding wars for experienced pilots penalizes those pilots who seek opportunity abroad by allowing airlines to demand compensation for lost staff. "Everyone should follow the rules," Chen Feng, chairman of Grand China Air, told Bloomberg news. "If someone insists on leaving, he should pay the price."

The situation has drawn attention from the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations, which views the practice as unrelated to reality and almost like slavery. Pilots in China have begun their own work condition protests -- in March and April, crews turned around 21 flights mid-route. Others have staged hunger strikes.

As high demand in China for a limited supply of pilots continues to push salaries higher, Chen Jianguo, who is fighting his case in the courts, says, "No matter how much I earn, I should have the basic right to quit or give up the earnings." For now, the government and the Chinese airlines are trying to make sure he, and other pilots who might aspire to be like him, has the requirement to pay his former employer, as well.

Flying Training for Indian market affected by Training Quality

The following article from the Times of India highlights issues surrounding the training of Indian Pilots. Of particular note are the comments on training quality, in particular references to the falsifying of training records and lack of twin and simulator time. The article also points out the hiring policy of airlines in India has changed, indicating that they are now preferring to source foreign pilots. It is worth noting that these pilots are generally on a limited 2 year contract. Possibly the real reason behind this hiring policy is the lack of quality training being delivered to meet the Boeing and Airbus Standards


CHENNAI: Sulfi Leka passed out of the Miami Flying School with flying colours. Rated as the best student pilot, she was confident of landing a job with a full service airline back home in India. But her dream has been shattered - despite clearing the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) exam to convert her commercial pilot licence (CPL) for use in India, there are no takers. After several tests and interviews she has found that none of the private airlines is interested in hiring her. Finally, she got a job flying a corporate jet.

Much worse is the plight of hundreds of Indian students who come back after completing training in schools in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, UAE, USA and Germany.

The demand for pilots has dropped as the industry scales back, cutting down on flights and fleets to weather the rising cost triggered by the fuel price hike. Industry experts say there would be just three or four airlines on the domestic scene in the future.

The bad patch for fresh-out-of-school pilots has begun because airlines prefer experienced foreign pilots to avoid the trouble and expense of sending fresh recruits abroad for Boeing or Airbus ratings. "More than 1,000 fresh CPL holders are waiting for jobs," says flying school instructor and former director of aviation meteorology Ravi Shankar. Airline officials too confirm the numbers.

Though they have not retrenched pilots, airlines have either shelved plans for recruitment or have slowed down the process. "The intake of pilots has been low in the last three months," said a Jet Airways official. Air India continues to hire but at a slow pace. "It is a long process and is aimed at meeting future vaccancies," said an Air India official.

In 2007, there was an explosion of vacancies and every CPL holder was grabbed by airlines. But, "unemployment has increased because airlines do not like to send a fresh trainee pilot abroad to teach them to fly wide body aircraft. Instead, they hire a foreign pilot. The crew leasing agents too encourage airlines to hire experienced foreign pilots," said Ravi Shankar.

"Pilot training takes long in India, so students go abroad. But schools abroad and some in north India do over-logging (do not allow students to fly the mandatory 200 hours, but show it on record). Such students fail to get jobs in India; they fail the simulator test," said K Venkatesh, a student of Madras Flying Club.

Foreign schools mar flying dreams

CHENNAI: When Ashwin Sakthiram joined Madras Flying Club (MFC) in June 2006 there were 24 students in his class. But when news of an impending boom in aviation started to trickle in, most of them dropped out and joined flying schools abroad to get a licence faster.

Ashwin is still undergoing the course here, but his former classmates, who went abroad, are back with a commercial pilot licence (CPL). But "10 of them are yet to get a job. Most of the airlines ask for a CPL with multi-engine rating (which requires an additional 25 hours flying in a multi-engine plane). The fresh students do not have this. Hence, they do not get preference for jobs," he says.

Besides, some of the flying schools abroad either do not provide quality training or do not allow students to complete the mandatory 200 hours flying. "This will become evident when these students take the simulator test at job screening done by airlines," he said.

Ashwin was not lured by foreign flying schools and stuck to MFC because "I get quality training here and am sure of landing a job even though it takes time. The contract of the foreign pilots will get over in two years, so there will be vacancies again."

Students who pledge and mortgage properties to fund pilot training abroad should realise that opportunities would be limited because consolidations and mergers would leave just three or four airlines on the domestic scene in the coming years, said former pilot Captain A Ranganathan. "This means merit will take a back seat, which it already has, and only those with money and connections will get a job as a pilot," he added.

14 Jul 2008, 0502 hrs IST, V Ayyappan,TNN

New FAA "Guidance" For Homebuilts Expected This Month

Homebuilders and kit manufacturers have been in a kind of limbo since March, when the FAA issued a report on its review of the "51-percent" rule and said it wouldn't change the rule but would issue new "guidance" on how to interpret it. EAA now says those new FAA guidelines should be published within the next two weeks, prior to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

Earl Lawrence, vice president of industry and regulatory affairs for EAA, says EAA aims to protect the current rights to build fast-build aircraft kits already listed on the FAA "51-percent approved list" (which the FAA said in April would be "grandfathered"), and will work to protect the amateur's privilege to build an aircraft of any complexity, power or size.

EAA also hopes to obtain additional privileges for members to obtain assistance and to hire out more of their project.

The new guidance is sure to get a thorough airing at Oshkosh

Full Head of Steam for Engine Production at THIELERT

PRESS RELEASE

Lichtenstein/Saxony, June 18, 2008 – The insolvent Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH (THIELERT) has resumed full production of aircraft engines. With immediate effect, the company can once again supply the THIELERT Centurion 2.0 engine in large quantities.

Production at THIELERT initially came to a halt in April 2008 for a short period after the company was forced to petition for insolvency proceedings at the end of the same month. The company’s provisional insolvency administrator – Bruno M. Kübler – then focused his efforts on getting the company’s production back on track. After spare parts production and supply was secured already three weeks ago, the company is now able to fully participate on the market again with its engine production.

This resumption of production was preceded by intensive negotiations with creditor banks and suppliers. As a result, the THIELERT suppliers began delivering once again. THIELERT is able to produce up to eighty engines per month – almost as many as before being forced to apply for insolvency proceedings.

Numerous customers had suffered from the stop in production at THIELERT due to the insolvency. “We very much regret that losses were incurred because of the company’s insolvency,” stressed Kübler. “I am pleased that we can now supply THIELERT customers with engines and spare parts once again.” For its newly manufactured engines, THIELERT provides customers with a full warranty of quality (guarantee) in accordance with EU regulations. THIELERT also focuses on prolonging the life span of important components.

Kübler, the insolvency administrator for THIELERT, commissioned an international auditing company with compiling the comprehensive figures required for the process of recruiting investors. This report is to be completed this week. Next week Kübler will approach the more than fifty prospective buyers in order to determine suitable investors as part of a multi-phase process and then begin concrete purchase negotiations. “An investor who is capable of securing the existence of the company on a long-term basis at the Lichtenstein and Altenburg locations and continues to develop the company’s leading position on the market for diesel piston engines should get the nod,” said Kübler.

Kübler expects to see the opening of the respective insolvency proceedings at the end of the month. The company’s business operations will be continued to the full extent even in the course of these proceedings.

About Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH:
Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH is the leading provider of certified kerosene piston aircraft engines for general aviation. As a certified development, manufacturing and maintenance aviation enterprise, the company was the first in the world to be approved for a kerosene piston engine.

Garmin Dealer Finally Appointed in the Philippines

For those of you who are Garmin Fans, we finally have a way of obtaining Garmin Products locally, both the portables and panel mount units, along with a Sales and Service Outlet based at Clark. The details are below ...

In line with our commitment to be constantly remain at the apex of Aviation engineering and maintenance services provider Asian aeronautics Services Inc. (AASI) is proud to announce that as of 24 June 2008 we were appointed by Garmin USA as a Dealership and Service Center for Garmin aviation products. This appointment will enable AASI to provide not only sales of the handheld Garmin product range to our customer base in our region but also sales and installation of panel mounted Garmin products and intergration into the customers instrument panel.

We have been providing upgrades and retro fit services for several years to our homebuilt and kit plane customers particularly in partnership with Marlin Metalcrafters here in Clark Field Freeport as well as manufacturing complete airframe wiring harnesses and instrument panel avionics NAV/COMM wiring harness and the intergration between them and including the EFIS and MFD's we installed. We have gained valuable experience and expertise that can be applied to Type Certified aircraft registered in installations and upgrades or retro fit of in panel Garmin products through our Certified Repair Station in Clark Pampanga in the Philippines.

Our new relationship with Garmin also allows us to offer our "Ready to fly Jet Fueled Cessna 172" product with Garmin avionics stack as an alternative to the King NAV I we currently offer in these refurbished and STC ed aircraft. Have a look at our website www.asianaero.net and learn more about the services AASI provides our aviation community.

Process of Finding Investors Underway at THIELERT

Chemnitz Local Court opened insolvency proceedings against Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH. Bruno M. Kübler, who has already served as the preliminary insolvency administrator, was appointed as the company’s insolvency administrator.

The company’s business operations will continue unchanged even after opening of the insolvency proceedings. The transition from preliminary to opened insolvency proceedings is a purely formal act that has no noticeable effects on the company’s relations with its suppliers or customers.

The process of finding an investor for the company also got underway with commencement of the insolvency proceedings. “An investor who is capable of securing the existence of the company on a long-term basis at its business locations and continues to develop the company’s leading position on the market for diesel piston engines should get the nod,” said Kübler. “Of course, the purchase price also plays a role.” The process of finding an investor will be carried out in several stages. Kübler already wrote to the more than fifty prospective buyers on July 2, 2008.

This correspondence contains a brief exposé of the company as well as a confidentiality agreement which the prospective buyers are required to sign and return by July 16, 2008 if they plan to participate in the process to find an investor. Such investors will then receive more comprehensive information about the company toward the end of July 2008. Those prospective investors who then desire to enter into purchasing negotiations on the basis of this information memorandum must then state their interest in purchasing the company and submit a nonbinding purchase price offer in the form of a “Letter of Intent.”

These potential investors will in turn be invited to the “due diligence” and given access to the data room with complete information about the company. Thereafter the purchasing negotiations which may take up to several weeks will begin. The insolvency administrator does not expect the required negotiations to be concluded before September 2008. Kübler also asks the public to be aware that no information may be published on prospective investors or the state of negotiations until successful conclusion of the required discussions with investors in order not to jeopardize these discussions through indiscretion.

About Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH: Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH is the leading provider of certified kerosene piston aircraft engines for general aviation. As a certified development, manufacturing and maintenance aviation enterprise, the company was the first in the world to be approved for a kerosene piston engine

Lichtenstein/Saxony, July 4, 2008 – On July 1, 2008