Good Morning All,

News and Comments....

Here is today's Severe Weather Outlook from the National Weather Service:
...NO SVR TSTM AREAS FORECAST...
 

Here we go again...
 

The following is from AOPA ePilot:

VOLUME 12, ISSUE 11 - MARCH 12, 2010

'If you have a daughter, teach her to fly- "If you have a daughter, teach
her to fly," the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II sang
at times to build morale. On March 10, Congress gave the WASP the
Congressional Gold Medal, acknowledging these women's service to their
country and the role they played in paving the way for future generations of
women pilots. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest award Congress can
bestow on a civilian.

GA relief flight activity slows in Haiti- A Pennsylvania pilot who recently
returned from a week of flying relief missions in Haiti with his Cessna 177B
Cardinal says that general aviation relief flights to the earthquake-ravaged
nation are winding down. During the early recovery period, Dennis Pelletier
said, Haiti's smaller airfields were operated as international
airports-which meant pilots did not have to clear customs at Port-au-Prince
and then fly to the outlying airfields. However, the airports are now
returning to normal operations, requiring entry through Port-au-Prince, the
country's only international airport. Volunteer pilots have done a great
deal of good in the country, he said, and the need for flights remains in
spite of mounting obstacles.

Record-setting pilot receives additional honors- Barrington Irving, who in
2007 became the first African-American to fly around the world, received
additional recognition of his achievements in February, which is designated
as Black History Month. In 2007 Irving, then age 23, flew a custom-made
Cessna Columbia 400 23,000 nm in a trek that lasted three months, departing
from Miami's Opa Locka Airport. He continues to work with inner-city youth
through a nonprofit organization, Experience Aviation
 

The following is from AVWeb:

AVwebFLASH     Volume 16, Number 10b -- March 11, 2010

FAA FORECASTS GROWTH FOR GENERAL AVIATION-  By 2030, the general aviation
fleet will grow by about 50,000 airplanes and 52,000 active pilots, the FAA
forecast this week. The forecast calls for robust growth in the long term
and predicts business use of GA aircraft will expand at a faster pace than
personal and recreational use. With growth forecast across all sectors --
traffic at the nation's 35 busiest airports is expected to increase by 60
percent -- infrastructure upgrades will need to keep up. "A safe, efficient
and vibrant aviation system is vital to our nation's economic health," said
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. "We must find long-term solutions
that will keep the U.S. aviation industry competitive and moving forward
into the future." Light sport aircraft are expected to increase by about 825
aircraft per year through 2013, then taper off to about 335 per year. Sport
pilots, who numbered 3,248 at the end of 2009, will increase to 14,100 by
2030, the FAA estimates.

The forecast, which comes after a short-term period of slow growth in
aviation activity, underscores the need for the Next Generation Air
Transportation System (NextGen), as well as continued investment in airport
infrastructure projects, the FAA said. "This forecast makes a very strong
business case for NextGen," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. "Without
NextGen, we won't be able to handle the increased demand for service that
this forecast anticipates." Meanwhile, the FAA reauthorization bill, which
will provide funding for the agency, continues to be stalled in Congress.
Legislators from Tennessee have come under fire this week for trying to
de-rail the bill due to a provision that would make it possible for some
FedEx workers to unionize.

NTSB: GLASS COCKPITS DO NOT IMPROVE SAFETY- An NTSB study shows glass
cockpit technology has not significantly improved the safety of small light
planes, the NTSB said Tuesday, and the board recommended changes, from
training to maintenance reporting, to improve the statistics. While data
collected between 2002 and 2008 showed fewer total accidents for those
aircraft equipped with glass panels, that total came with a higher fatal
accident rate and higher total fatal accidents. For the period from
2002-2008, conventionally equipped aircraft suffered 141 total accidents
with 23 having a fatal outcome. Glass-equipped aircraft suffered 125 total
accidents with 39 having a fatal outcome. But the board's study also found
the mission profile for each type of equipment package and the
characteristics of the pilot were different between the two platforms.
Generally speaking, higher-time pilots were flying longer flights with
glass. 

That said, the NTSB was able to use the data to offer six recommendations
voiced at the meeting. Five of those were related to equipment-specific
training and one applied directly to testing requirements.
 

The Light Thought of The Day...

DO YOU THINK ENGLISH IS EASY?.... They were too close to the door to close
it.
 

Closing Thoughts...

We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in
it -- and stop there -- lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot
stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again, and that is
well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore. -Mark Twain,
author and humorist (1835-1910)
 

That's it for today, have a good week, and be careful out there,

Roger
 
 

Cons and Other Events:

Due to the wide variety of Chronicle readers, I have added the following
notations to the name of the event entry:

# Indicates a Science Fiction or Fantasy event.                         ^
Indicates a Aviation or Space event.

* Tentative Location.
**Tentative Date(s).

*** Tentative Event.
& Kechi Playhouse Presentations.

+ Events narrated wholly or in part by Plane Talk Airshows.   @ Events where
your humble editor will be a guest.
 

This year- 
 
  March-
    TBD

  April-
    16-17: The Kansas Cosmosphere's 40th Anniversary of Apollo 13 Events;
Hutchinson, Kansas; ^
    17: Wings of Remembrance Spring Fly-In Pancake Breakfast; Newton,
Kansas; ^ +
    23-25: Conestoga 14; Tulsa, Oklahoma; #

  May-
    14-16: Demicon 21; Des Moines, Iowa: #
    28-31: ConQuesT; Kansas City, Missouri; #

  June-
    4-6: SoonerCon 2010/Yard Dog Press 15th Anniversary Celebration;
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; #
    12: CAF Jayhawk Wing Poker Run; Wichita, Kansas; +

  July-
    03: EAA Chapter 88 Annual Fly-In; Newton, Kansas; ^ +
    10-11: CAF's Heart of America's Open House; Olathe, Kansas; ^
    23-25: OSFest 3; Omaha, Nebraska; #
    26-08/01: EAA AirVenture 2010; Oshkosh, Wisconsin; ^

  August-
    27-28: When Pigs Fly; McPherson, Kansas; ^ +
    28-29: Colorado Sport International Air Show; Denver, Colorado; ^ 

  September-
    11: Fort Scott Airport Day; Fort Scott, Kansas; ^ ** ***
    16: Currently Scheduled Launch of the Final Voyage of the Space Shuttle
Discovery and the last flight of the
          Space Shuttle Program. **

  October-
    1-3: ARCHON 34; Maryland Heights, Missouri (St Louis area); #
    8-10: CAF AIRSHO; Midland, Texas; ^
    16: Wings of Remembrance Fall Fly-In Pancake Breakfast; Newton, Kansas;
^ +

  November-
    TBD:
  
  December- We'll try again for Hawaii around Christmas time when the new
USS Arizona Memorial Museum and 
                     Visitors Center Opens.

Next Year (2011)-

  June-
    18: Wings of Remembrance 2011 Airshow; Newton, Kansas; ^ + ** ***

The Next Year (2012)-

  December-
    21-?: We Haven't Determined A Name Yet; Hutchinson , Kansas; ?

Copyright 2010 by Roger M. Tener, with individual rights reverting back
to contributors after this one time use.  All opinions and versions of
events expressed by contributors are their own.