Threats To GPS, Resignation Of FAA Administrator Among Top Stories

 It has been a topsy-turvey year for GA, with a few signs of economic recovery but ongoing questions about sustainable growth. It all occurred against a backdrop of ongoing bickering in Congress over long-term funding for the FAA, and the resignation of the agency's administrator following a DUI arrest.

Meanwhile, a company called LightSquared is fighting to deploy a system which could affect nearly every GPS receiver in use today. Here are the year's top GA stories from 2011.

January

Under Maine law, non-resident aircraft owners with airplanes weighing under 6,000 pounds who have them in the state for more than 20 days were subject to a 5% Maine sales tax, if they did not pay sales tax in another state. Two lawmakers said they want to change that law in an effort to spur the redevelopment of Brunswick Naval Air Station, which has been closed by BRAC.

The NTSB issued two safety recommendations to the FAA requiring a detailed inspection of all emergency locator transmitters (ELT) installed on GA aircraft to ensure that their mountings maintain their retention capabilities during an accident sequence.

The National Transportation Safety Board held a public Board meeting to consider a safety study on the effectiveness of airbags in GA aircraft. The NTSB initiated the safety study to examine the effectiveness of airbags in mitigating occupant injury in a survivable GA accident, identify any unintended consequences of airbag deployments, and develop procedures to assist investigators in documenting airbag systems in future investigations.

Pilots with older model ELTs operating on 121.5 MHz have gotten a reprieve from the FCC, which had sought to ban the devices. The agency  stayed a rule which had been adopted in the Third Report and Order in this which had prohibited the certification, manufacture, importation, sale or use of emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) that transmit distress alerts on frequency 121.5 MHz.2 The FCC said it took the action at the request of the FAA.

An Indian company which has a small civilian aircraft in development for that country's domestic market said it hoped to have an airplane to show by March. Speaking on the sidelines of an event in Mumbai, Mahindra Engineering Vice President Hemant Luthra said that the company has targeted March for the roll-out of its first "indigenous" small aircraft, but that there are still certification issues to be resolved. He was not specific about those issues.

In what is likely one of the more unusual multi-million dollar donations to an institute of higher learning ... officials at Ohio's Lake Erie College said that it has received the nearby the Pheasant Run Airport (OI31) located in Madison, Ohio, one of the largest vintage aircraft collections in the country, and a significant endowment to support the property, planes and related programs.

February

After adopting the safety study Airbag Performance in General Aviation Restraint Systems on January 11 the NTSB issued six safety recommendations to the FAA to address issues concerning airbag restraint systems..

The FCC granted a license to a company called LightSquared, which plans to offer 4G wireless broadband services nationwide. But studies show the service may severely interfere with GPS navigation, according to one GPS industry source.

The Lindbergh Foundation announced the Aviation Green Alliance ("AGA"); a new program designed to bring stakeholders together to address aviation's environmental challenges.

TSA Boss John Pistole decided to allow Transportation Security Officers to engage in collective bargaining... despite the original promise that no aspect of the TSA would be allowed to such union activity when it was created in the wake of the fear and hysteria following 9/11

The FAA formed The Unleaded Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee (UAT-ARC), an aviation rulemaking committee to provide recommendations to further the development and deployment of an unleaded avgas with the least impact on the existing piston-engine aircraft fleet.

Following a study of the general aviation "screening problem," American Science and Engineering has been awarded a research and development contract under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate’s Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program to design and build a prototype device to screen general aviation aircraft.

The National Park Service (NPS) developed a draft plan to address the impacts of aircraft noise on park resources and visitor experience.

LSA manufacturer Flight Design said it would show a proof-of-concept a four-place airframe in the U.S. at AirVenture this summer. The German manufacturer will exhibit its C4 airframe model first in April at Aero 2011 in Freidrichshafen, Germany

The world governing body for air sports and aeronautical world records confirmed Richard "Smokey" Young set an official international airspeed record on Sept. 11, 2010, using an unleaded, sustainable general aviation fuel.

In response to the Administration's Fiscal Year 2012 budget release, Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA) expressed serious concern about the recommendation to reduce funding for job-creating programs that improve the nation's airport security and capacity infrastructure.

Congress passed a new provision to 49 USC 44703, Airman certificates into law in August 2010. Our sources tell us that a new subsection (i) was inserted, titled "FAA Pilot Records Database", which mandates that the FAA establish an electronic database that includes summaries of legal enforcement actions. 

The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) submitted a response to the FAA's recent NPRM proposing the inclusion of a photo on every pilot certificate. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) of 2004 requires the FAA to issue improved pilot licenses that include photographs along with other requirements.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has announced the 2010 worldwide shipments and billings of general aviation airplanes. Speaking at GAMA's "State of the Industry" press conference, GAMA Chairman John Rosanvallon, president and CEO of Dassault Falcon, reported that the global economic downturn continued to negatively impact general aviation manufacturers in 2010, but that signs of a recovery have started to emerge.

After previous denials and many errant statements, Cirrus has admitted that the company will attempt to "merge" with the China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., Ltd. (CAIGA). The scenario is described as a "definitive merger agreement pursuant to which CAIGA would acquire Cirrus."

The FAA finally coughed up some long-overdue paperwork and gave the much-anticipated Avidyne DFC100 its flying papers. This STC granted approval for the installation of the DFC100 in Cirrus SR20 and SR22 aircraft.

March

Cirrus CEO Brent Wouters said that the company's new owners, Chinese Industry General Aircraft Company, is committed to continuing to build the popular GA airplanes in Duluth, MN. But some long-time industry watchers were not convinced.

The FAA issued its interim policy on residential through-the-fence (RTTF) access agreements at federally-funded airports. The policy outlined the requirements that airport sponsors must follow if they wish to continue RTTF agreements at federally-funded airports.

Two of Austria’s key engine development companies, Austro Engine and Steyr Motors, signed a cooperation agreement to develop a 280 hp 6 cylinder diesel aircraft engine.

Representatives from a wide variety of industries and companies announced that they have joined together to form the "Coalition to Save Our GPS" to resolve what they say is a serious threat to the Global Positioning System (GPS) – a national utility upon which millions of Americans rely every day.

Within a week of publishing his industry analysis of China's recent purchase of some US general aviation companies, consulting firm BRiFO President Brian Foley found himself charting a new and wholly different course of action on that topic. Foley's paper discussed, among other things, the recent bid on Duluth, Minnesota-based Cirrus Aircraft, a respected maker of light piston aircraft, by Chinese plane maker China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA or AVIC).

Judy Phelps of CP Aviation in Santa Paula, CA was named Certified Flight Instructor of the Year for 2011 by the General Aviation Awards program.

Garmin unveiled the GTN 650 and GTN 750 series. These panel-mount units are certified and approved for installation in hundreds of makes and models of general aviation aircraft. 

Diamond Aircraft announced the temporary lay-off of 213 employees at its London, Ontario facility. The job cuts affect mostly D-JET program employees, temporarily suspending D-JET program work pending the arrangement of external financing.

Congressman Cravaack (R-MN-8) sent a letter to Treasury Department Secretary Timothy Geithner regarding the proposed purchase of Cirrus Industries Incorporated by the China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Company.

The severe March weather which raked Central Florida severely damaged or destroyed several airplanes at the Sun 'n Fun airshow being held at Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland Florida. There were reports of about half a dozen minor injuries as well. The storm, which struck the airport on the opening day of the show, may have spawned a tornado.

An e-mail sent to members of the AOPA Wine Club and forwarded to ANN indicates that AOPA has decided to put a cork in the Wine Club. While there is no mention of the closing on either the AOPA main site or the Wine Club site, AOPA spokesperson Chris Dancy told ANN that the content of the e-mail was accurate.

April

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 658, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2011 Friday morning. The legislative process now moves to conference to resolve differences between H.R. 658 and S. 223, the U.S. Senate's FAA reauthorization bill. The committee has not had much luck merging the two bills in the recent past.

The Lindbergh Foundation announced that Hawker Beechcraft Corporation had become its first Aviation Green Alliance founding member. The Lindbergh Foundation launched the Aviation Green Alliance on February 3, to support those who are committed to proactively addressing aviation and environmental challenges, including emissions, noise, efficiency and other environmental concerns.
 
Flight enthusiasts and general aviation industry officials were able to watch an aircraft being powered by a high-octane, unleaded, sustainable fuel during Europe's largest trade show for general aviation.

A third incident in which an air traffic controller fell asleep on duty has prompted Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt to announce Wednesday that effective immediately the FAA will place an additional air traffic controller on the midnight shift at 27 control towers around the country that are currently staffed with only one controller during that time.

An appeals court in Minnesota has overturned a ruling against Cirrus Design which had held the company responsible in the deaths of two people fatally injured in an accident involving an SR22. Gary Prokop and James Kosak were fatally injured in January, 2003 when the SR22 Prokop was flying went down in instrument conditions for which he was not rated.

A group of general aviation airport operators that began meeting in late 2010 has officially formed a national coalition to exclusively represent the interests of general aviation airports. The General Aviation Airport Coalition’s (GAAC) primary mission is to “preserve and promote our nation’s general aviation airports.”

The NTSB has released the factual data it will use to determine the probable cause in an accident which occurred on August 9, 2010. The accident fatally injured former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and four others, including the pilot. Four other people were seriously injured when the airplane went down.

The National Transportation Safety Board released preliminary reports on a situation in which a controller asked the captain of an airliner to check out an unresponsive GA airplane. The SWA/Cirrus incident under investigation (OPS11IA428A) occurred on March 27th at 1702 EDT. Cirrus SR22 N1487C was a NORDO aircraft and had been NORDO with ZJX (Jacksonville Center) for more than an hour.

Governor Sam Brownback was urged by the leaders of Wichita's aviation manufacturing community to work towards job training and incentives to help get their industry back on track. Brownback held an economic summit with a focus on aviation Monday at the National Center for Aviation Training.

The lawyer representing the family of New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, who along with his instructor was fatally injured when the Cirrus SR20 he had recently purchased and was flying impacted the side of a building on Manhattan's Upper East Side, told a jury in opening statements that the plane's controls were "jammed" due to a design defect in the aircraft.

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt moved to prohibit scheduling practices that have been identified as those most likely to result in air traffic controller fatigue. The changes are in effect as of Monday morning. The planned changes to air traffic controller scheduling practices will allow controllers more time for rest between shifts.

May

Textron announced that Jack J. Pelton (pictured), chairman, president and CEO of its Cessna Aircraft unit, retired from the company, and that a search for his successor was underway. Textron Chairman and CEO Scott C. Donnelly will run the business until a successor is named.

The Oma Sud Skycar, which was introduced to the U.S. market last year at AirVenture, has received certification from the FAA, according to an e-mail from CEO Valter Proietti.

The Pilot Training Reform Symposium chaired by SAFE marked the official start to a multi-year process of broad reform that has not been attempted since the Civilian Pilot Training Program more than seventy years ago.

The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) announced it had initiated legal action against ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, AvFuel Corporation and 38 airport-based suppliers of lead-containing aviation fuel, for pollution of drinking water sources and/or air around twenty-five airports throughout California.

A team of more than 50 students at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering succeeded in flying their human-powered helicopter, Gamera. Pilot Judy Wexler, a 24-year-old biology graduate student at UM, pedaled furiously, taking the craft 3-5 inches into the air for about 4 seconds, setting a world record for human-powered helicopter flight with a female pilot.

After a four-week trial and a short period of deliberation, a jury of 4 men and 2 women in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found that Cirrus Design Corporation’s SR20 aircraft did not cause the 2006 fatal accident that claimed the lives of New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and certified flight instructor Tyler Stanger.

The NTSB  determined that the probable cause of the August 9, 2010, airplane crash into mountainous terrain near Aleknagik, Alaska, was the pilot's temporary unresponsiveness for reasons that could not be established from the available information. Former Senator Ted Stevens and four others were fatally injured when the plane went down.

Scott A. Ernest was named president and chief executive officer of Cessna Aircraft Company. Ernest will report to Textron Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Scott C. Donnelly and succeeds Jack J. Pelton, whose retirement from the company was announced on May 2.

June

It was a century ago that Clyde V. Cessna learned to fly, and built his first airplane. "It's a source of pride for all Cessnans to know we are carrying the torch for a company started by a man with such a pioneering and tenacious spirit." said Dave Brant, senior vice president, Product Engineering.

The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) certified that on May 12, 2011, the human-powered helicopter Gamera, designed and built by graduate and undergraduate students of the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering and piloted by biology student Judy Wexler, achieved lift-off and hovered for 4.2 seconds, thereby establishing the U.S. national records for the duration of a human-powered helicopter flight and the duration of a human-powered helicopter flight by a female pilot.

After an alleged two-year crime spree across the continental U.S. and into the Bahamas, Colton Harris-Moore ... aka the "Barefoot Bandit" ... pleaded not guilty in a federal court in Seattle. Colton-Moore is accused of stealing cars, boats, and airplanes in his trek across the country, which ended after he allegedly ditched a stolen Cessna Corvalis off the coast of Abaco in the Bahamas and was caught several days later by local authorities.

LightSquared, which has come under fire from GPS users including the aviation community for a plan to establish a wireless broadband data network on frequencies that cause severe interference with GPS reception, said it had come up with a comprehensive solution to the problem of interference caused by its transmitters with GPS receivers on adjacent frequencies. In response to LightSquared’s proposed “solution”, Jim Kirkland, Vice President and General Counsel of Trimble and a founding member of the Coalition to Save Our GPS, said "the latest gambit by LightSquared borders on the bizarre. The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Thursday approved action that would “fence,” or halt, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from expending any funds related to a conditional waiver it granted a company called LightSquared until all concerns have been resolved about interference with GPS.

The Maine legislature passed a budget that eliminates taxes for aircraft maintenance, the sale of aircraft and parts, and an onerous "use tax" ... putting the state on a level playing field for aviation taxes with other northeastern states.

In a news release posted on the Cirrus website, Cirrus and China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., Ltd. (CAIGA) announced that the two companies had completed their 'merger.' Cirrus Aircraft now joins 'China's leading general aviation product and services company' to form what they are calling a worldwide general aviation enterprise.

July

A coalition of FBOs and fuel distributors who sell leaded aviation gasoline (avgas) in California have sued the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) and the Attorney General of the State of California in response to a notice of an intended lawsuit against coalition members for supplying and using leaded aviation gasoline, allegedly in violation of the California Safe Drinking Water & Toxic Enforcement Act (Prop 65).

The FAA and NATCA announced agreement on important fatigue recommendations that were developed by a joint FAA-NATCA working group which was established under the 2009 collective bargaining agreement. The agreement reinforces existing FAA policy that prohibits air traffic controllers from sleeping while they are performing assigned duties.

In conjunction with Able Flight and Purdue University's Department of Aviation Technology, Flight Design and its Colorado dealer Peak Aviation supplied a CTLS with an installed Flight Design hand control system to allow students to earn their Sport Pilot certificate. Able Flight pays the cost of aircraft for students.

The FAA undertook a top-down look at the current general aviation airport system in the U.S. to better describe and explain the many roles and functions these airports serve in their respective communities. The review focused on infrastructure needs, based on the roles and functions of the airports.

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) (pictured), a member of the Senate General Aviation Caucus and Certified Flight Instructor with more than 10,000 flight hours, previewed his new Pilots Bill of Rights on the Senate Floor.  The bill, an important measure for those interested in the General Aviation Community, was introduced on Wednesday July 6, 2011.

The FAA marked the 75th anniversary of federal air traffic control as American aviation experiences its safest period ever. Since its inception with 15 workers operating in just three control centers in 1936, the agency has become a world leader, pioneering safety improvements and developing new technology to speed up flights, save fuel and improve safety.

The city of Duluth and the new principal shareholders in Cirrus, Chinese aviation conglomerate CAIGA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) stating that Cirrus will stay, and grow, in the upper Midwestern city. In the document, the city said it would support Cirrus, and CAIGA promised it would stay put. Cirrus is one of Duluth's principal employers, despite jobs lost in the economic downturn.

On July 13, the students on the Gamera human-powered helicopter team from the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering completed their scheduled summer flight session with a new unofficial flight duration of 12.4 seconds. If verified by the National Aeronautic Association, this new time will shatter the team's previous 4.2-second U.S. national record set in May.

As the deadline for raising the debt ceiling loomed just after AirVenture, the associations that represent GA jointly sent an open letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) to express their collective opposition to proposed aviation user fees.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt called on Congress to pass a clean extension of the FAA’s authorization in order to avoid airport project construction delays and employee furloughs. The current FAA reauthorization expires at midnight this Friday, July 22, 2011.

The first indigenous GA airplane to be developed and built in South Korea was introduced in a ceremony held by Korea Aerospace Industries in Sacheon, about 270 miles southeast of Seoul.

In response to several "notices of violation" (NOVs) sent to California FBOs and aviation fuel distributors from the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), a San Francisco-based environmental group with no regulatory authority, the National Air Transport Association (NATA) was encouraging legislators to treat regulation of the sale, content and use of aviation fuel on the federal level.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt expressed disappointment after Congress adjourned for the week without passing a clean FAA reauthorization extension. Because of Congress’ inaction, many states will have to bear a significant economic burden and many airport projects will be halted.

Aspen Avionics announced a patent-pending line of Connected Panel products that seamlessly integrate aviation application data from personal handheld devices with certified avionics installed in an aircraft’s panel. These revolutionary new products were demonstrated at AirVenture 2011.

Avidyne Corporation unveiled their soon-to-be-certified v9.3 software upgrade—including their innovative implementation of Synthetic Vision technology (SVS)—for  the award-winning Entegra Release 9 Integrated Flight Deck (R9) system.  The v9.3 software release, which is expected to receive final FAA certification later this year, also provides support for three-screen R9 installations and on-board weather radar.

Tom Poberezny, who led EAA as president and later CEO since 1989, announced at Oshkosh that he was retiring from the organization "to take time to do what I want to do." Poberezny made the announcement in front of the iconic brown arch on the Wittman Field flight line.

Cirrus Aircraft held their annual AirVenture Press Conference and provided a high level review of their recent past and how they intend to move forward. Board Chairman Dale Klapmeier provided some history on the Cirrus line. Highlighting the 10 year anniversary of the SR22 with 3850 SR22 produced since January 2001. During the press conference, then CEO Brent Wouters made a number of statements of questionable accuracy and insulted his critics.

Initial taxi tests on an electric Cessna 172 got underway at Centennial Airport in Englewood, CO. Beyond Aviation, formerly Bye Energy, said it is working towards developing a practical, cost-effective conversion to an environmentally friendly electric propulsion system as a replacement for internal combustion engines on aircraft requiring 150 to 200 hp.

Leaders from seven aviation industry organizations sat together at the EAA Welcome Center on Wednesday afternoon to discuss critical concerns on the Federal and State legislative fronts that were consistently referred to as some of the greatest threats the aviation industry has ever faced. The event was titled, “Stronger Together.”

A pilot attempting to fly from New York to Chippewa Falls, WI, "experienced some kind of fuel problem" and was forced to ditch his 1966 Cessna 150 in Lake Huron. The pilot, 42-year-old Michael Trapp, reportedly survived 17 hours in the lake's 70 degree water before being rescued by a fishing boat.

August

GAMA and AOPA are calling on the FCC to recall the conditional waiver granted by the International Bureau on January 26, 2011 to LightSquared Subsidiary Inc. (LightSquared), recall LightSquared’s underlying Ancillary Terrestrial Component and commence a rulemaking to ensure that future proposed service using the Ancillary Terrestrial Component adequately protects Global Positioning System (GPS) and that such use receives concurrence from the FAA and Department of Defense.

GAMA released the shipment and billings figures for the first half of the year, and the news is not particularly good. In fact, some might say it's downright bad.

The chairman of the FCC said that the agency would not allow LightSquared to interfere with millions of GPS receivers on which pilots, mariners, and the public rely for navigation. The remarks came in a news conference following the commissions' monthly meeting.

The Taurus G4 ... the first 4-seat electric aircraft in the world ... took off Thursday morning at 0700 local time from Wittman Field in Oshkosh, WI. Pipistrel, the developer of the G4, said the flight was the result of long and demanding work nearly of a nearly 30-member team of developers and constructors.

After being rebuffed by the chairman of the FCC earlier this week, hopeful wireless broadband provider LightSquared said that the GPS industry has only its self to blame for the interference caused by its terrestrial transmitters.

Bob Stangerone resigned from Cessna, where he served for six years as the company's VP of Communications, a role which brought him into frequent contact with ANN and other media.

More airspace is opening for GA flights in China, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and non-government sources in the country.

Hundreds of workers, state and local officials and aviation enthusiasts gathered in Cedar Rapids for a GA rally. The event, held at the Rockwell Collins Flight Operations Center, was organized by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) in partnership with Rockwell Collins and Goodrich Corporation, both GA manufacturers with Iowa operations.

The National Aeronautic Association certified that on July 13, 2011, the human-powered helicopter Gamera, designed and built by graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering and piloted by biology student Judy Wexler, achieved lift-off and hovered for 11.4 seconds, setting the new U.S. records for flight duration and flight duration by a female pilot.

The FAA formed a Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), tasked with modernizing the design and manufacturing rules for entry-level, certified airplanes, which industry insiders say could result in lower cost for entry-level, certified airplanes, and growth opportunities for the existing Special Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA) manufacturers.

September

Over a hundred workers, state and local officials and aviation enthusiasts gathered in Pierre, South Dakota for a general aviation (GA) rally organized by GAMA, with support from the AOPA, EAA, NATA, and the NBAA. The event, held at Pierre Regional Airport's (KPIR) Mustang Aviation, drew aviation enthusiasts and individuals who use GA to conduct business in South Dakota.

EASA expanded the type certification for the Diamond DA20-C1 to include approval for night VFR operations, significantly increasing the DA20-C1's utility in the European market.

In a saga with undertones of "the best laid plans" ... an 'Around The World' attempt being undertaken by the manufactures of the Sling 4, a four-place airplane born out of the South African Sling LSA, became bogged down in some red tape in ... Los Angeles.

In a move that assured Congress would not pass a long-term funding bill for the FAA this year, the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a package of extensions for funding multiple transportation programs, including the FAA, to keep the agency open through January 30th, 2012. The 22nd temporary extension of the FAA's funding which eventually passed the US Senate yesterday avoided another debacle like July's layoff of 4,000 of the agency's employees. But to get a "clean" bill which wouldn't be delayed by controversy, a provision which would have provided back pay to those furloughed in July was dropped. The sponsor of that provision says he would  continue to push for a bipartisan, stand-alone bill to make things right with FAA workers.

The C-NM5 aircraft, jointly developed by India's CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories and Mahindra Aerospace, flew for the first time. The program is India's first public-private partnership in the development of aircraft, and this milestone event is the result of teamwork across three development teams.

Cirrus Aircraft confirmed persistent rumors of the imminent departure of CEO Brent Wouters after 2 and a half years of tough times and questionable decision-making. Cirrus Co-Founder Dale Klapmeier has been named Chief Executive Officer. Brent Wouters, previously President and Chief Executive Officer, was reportedly "no longer with the company" and rumors persisted that the parting was not a pleasant one.

The FAA proposed an aggressive $2,425,000 civil penalty against Cessna Aircraft Co. after carbon composite parts of the wing of one of its aircraft came apart during flight.

California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 619 into law, which provides relief to many of the flight training facilities that were facing burdensome regulation from the California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE).

The FAA  issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) indicating that grade 100VLL aviation gasoline meeting the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) fuel specification D910 is acceptable for use on aircraft and engines certificated for operation with D910 grades 80, 91, 100, and 100LL aviation gasolines.

October

NASA awarded the largest prize in aviation history, created to inspire the development of more fuel-efficient aircraft and spark the start of a new electric airplane industry. The first place prize of $1.35 million was awarded to team Pipistrel-USA.com of State College, PA.

A total of 134 members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed letters to the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction ("Super Committee") and to House and Senate leadership expressing strong opposition to the Obama administration’s proposal to impose a $100-per-flight fee as part of its deficit reducing package.

The proposal by LightSquared to place a nationwide wireless broadband service on frequencies adjacent to those used by millions of GPS receivers is causing the implementation of NextGen air traffic control to grind nearly to a halt, according to one highly-placed FAA official.

November

In a letter released to HBC staff, HBC CEO Bill Boisture (pictured)  started the layoff notification process that many feared would occur just a few days after HBC posted less than positive news about a Third Quarter in which the company experienced, "...a decrease in revenues during the third quarter of 2011 as compared to the same period of 2010."

The conviction of David Riggs, who infamously buzzed the Santa Monica Pier in an L-39 Albatros on November 6th, 2008, has been upheld by a Los Angeles appellate court.

Congressional lawmakers called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to halt further action in granting a waiver for upstart telecommunications provider LightSquared to deploy its proposed nationwide 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, until that company demonstrates those powerful wireless signals will absolutely not interfere with existing Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers.

The Federation Aeronautique Internationale has certified that the Clark School's Gamera human-powered helicopter team set world records earlier this year for flight duration and flight duration with a female pilot. The FAI certified the 4.2-second flight of May 12, 2011, and the 11.4-second flight of July 13, 2011, which supersedes the first.

December

FAA Administrator, Jerome 'Randy' Babbitt, was arrested for DWI. The arrest occurred Saturday, December 3rd at 2230, in the 3900 block of Old Lee Highway, in Fairfax City, VA. Babbitt got the attention of the Fairfax City police when he was observed driving on the 'wrong' side of the road.
He resigned December 6th. Some in the aviation community launched a grassroots effort to draft former US Airways Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger for the post. The effort was led by the FAA Whistleblowers Alliance.

A pioneering female aviator who served her country during World War II made a gift to Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. Alumna Dorothy E. Ebersbach, who passed away Nov. 14, has pledged $2 million to establish the Dorothy Ebersbach Academic Center for Flight Nursing.

A draft of a report on the potential of LightSquared's proposed broadband network to interfere with GPS receivers showed that of 92 GPS devices tested by the US Defense Department, the FAA and some GPS manufacturers, LightSquared's network would interfere with 69 of them, or three-quarters.

Piper has apparently very quietly been sold to one of the world's richest men ... the Sultan of Brunei. The previous owner ... Singapore-based investment holding company Imprimis ... says on its website "We divested our interests in Piper Aircraft and Piper Capital in October 2011."

AeroNav’s December 13th informational session regarding its proposed Digital Chart Agent program saw approximately 70 professionals in attendance representing avionics manufacturers, aviation software companies, aviation websites, chart makers, chart agents, industry associations, and aviation services providers. In a summary of the meeting provided by the FAA, the message seems to be that charges for electronic chart data are coming, and companies can either be on board or find another line of business.

LightSquared's latest tack in attempting to obtain a license to build a 4G broadband data network which has been proven to interfere with millions of deployed GPS receivers is to assert that those receivers have no right to protection from interference. The company filed the first set of data from what it says was and independent test of precision GPS devices which were modified to coexist with the company's proposed nationwide 4G LTE network. That testing did find significant disruption of most all general purpose approved Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers. GPS receivers are used throughout our National infrastructures, in aviation flight safety systems and by private users and emergency services.

The FAA posted a plan to shift away from VOR navigation to a system using RNAV and RNP in the Federal Register, and is asking for public comments. The proposed transition of the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS) navigation infrastructure will enable performance-based navigation (PBN) as part of NextGen.

FMI: www.aero-news.net