The folks at AIR, Inc., tell ANN that March of 2004 was the best pilot hiring month since 9/11/2001 and that the first three months of 2004 equaled 50% of 2003's hiring total! The Nationals hired an impressive 440 pilots, followed by the Jet Operators with 269, and the Majors with 103 pilots. The furlough numbers continued to decrease. The Non-jet Operator sector reported just nine pilots on furlough or less than 1% of its present pilot force! The Jet Operator and National sectors saw furlough figures increase slightly, from 49 to 54 and 649 to 701 respectively. Yes, 2004 is definitely looking better for the pilot job market. At the current rate airline pilot hiring for 2004 will exceed 9,000 new jobs.

Information Urgently Needed From 400-Series Cessna Owners

AOPA and five other organizations urgently need to hear from owners of 400-series twin Cessnas if there's to be any chance of mitigating the effects of two costly proposed airworthiness directives (ADs). At a two-day meeting with owners and operators held in March, the FAA agreed to delay issuing the ADs while industry collected additional information.

The FAA is planning to issue an airworthiness directive mandating a software upgrade for certain GX-series GPS units from UPS Aviation Technologies, now a division of Garmin, known as Garmin AT. Software versions 3.0 through 3.4 for the units can give pilots momentarily inaccurate readings on their course deviation indicators. That could cause a slaved autopilot to begin an inappropriate turn.

RANS S-12XL Downed by Worrisome Factors

The NTSB has published a final report in the crash of an unregistered RANS S-12XL that took the life of it's pilot on January 6th, 2003. The Laramie, WY, crash was listed by the NTSB as caused by the pilot. The final report notes that the pilot failed to properly control the aircraft and ultimately stalled the aircraft, leading to a fatal impact. However; the NTSB listed some pretty "difficult" contributing factors including the use of an over-the-counter antihistamine and the pilot's decision to fly at low altitude. There are some poignant lessons in this accident....

To Air Force people who do not fly or maintain aircraft, the oft-repeated characteristics of the F/A-22 Raptor, “stealth, supercruise, agility, integrated avionics, and supportability” probably mean about as much as “independent front suspension” and “aluminum alloy heads” mean to someone who is not really into cars.

“Too many are content to rely, potentially for too long, on yesterday’s technology in the majority of the aircraft we use to fight our nation’s battles.” Source: Dr. James G. Roche, secretary of the Air Force.

Details Sketchy So Far, BRS Chute Used At Night To Save 4

ANN has learned that a Cirrus Design parachute emergency system was used late yesterday in canada to recover in an aircraft in distress. Manufactured by BRS, the rocket propelled parachute recovery system was reportedly used on a flight from Kelowna, B.C. to Lethbridge, Alberta about 2115 local time. Severe turbulence over mountains, at night, seem to be contributing factors to an emergency that occured to an SR20 that was carrying three adults and a child when the chute had to be deployed over the Monashee Mountains.