Following a request from EAA and AOPA, the FAA has released a policy that will make it easier for some owners of experimental aircraft to obtain special flight permits (SFPs) for their airplanes in order to reposition them for condition inspections.

Airworthiness Directives (ADs) are legally enforceable regulations issued by the FAA in accordance with 14 CFR part 39 to correct an unsafe condition in a product (an aircraft, engine, propeller, or appliance). Do you know how to find ADs applicable to your aircraft? Check out this Aviation Maintenance Safety Moment video to see how:

There are somewhere near 50 RV's owned by EAA288 members, many of them "A" models and maybe a few hundred or more varieties of other aircraft owned by our members.  In the Van's world, there have been numerous discussions in the media and around airports about the RV "A" models and the nose wheel design.  Recently on the Vans Air Force website there was a discussion regarding an RV-9A accident at an Australian airport.  The official accident report can be found at the following link:  https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2017/aair/ao-2017-001/

A most interesting video taken from a camera mounted under the left wing of the accident aircraft adds a tremendous amount of information to be considered.  While making no comments about the cause, I found the report and companion video an excellent learning experience causing one to think about landing, or recovering from a "bounce" and continuing to land the aircraft or going around.  Something all pilots should consider while on final approach (or even in advance of that).  This thought process should be applied to each individual's aircraft.  After all, our aircraft are not all created equally (neither are the pilots).  Think about what you would do! 

Should you choose to watch the video, the settings icon (the geared wheel) on the lower right corner has options for the watching the video at different speeds.  For instance, using the .25 video speed versus the normal speed, provides a different perspective of the accident.  (Note: While both people on board survived, they were seriously injured.)   

Rick Weiss, EAA288 Webmaster and RV-7A builder/owner

SPECIAL NOTE:  

The FAA has extended the compliance time due to the Covid-19 virus.

The FAA has issued a Global AMOC (Alternative Method of Compliance) for AD 2020-03-16 to extend the compliance time from 60 days to September 9, 2020.  This extension changes the compliance time from 60 days to approximately 180 days.  The original 20 hours time-in-service (TIS) compliance time identified in AD 2020-03-16 remains the same.  

SEE THIS LINK FOR DETAILS:
https://www.faasafety.gov/files/notices/2020/Mar/Wichita__ACO_Global_AMOC__Textron_AD20200316_COVID-19_Extension__3-24-20_(1).pdf

https://www.faasafety.gov/files/notices/2020/Mar/Wichita__ACO_Global_AMOC__Textron_AD20200316_COVID-19_Extension__3-24-20_(1).pdf

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Textron Aviation Inc. (Textron) (type certificate previously held by Cessna Aircraft Company) Models 210G, T210G, 210H, T210H, 210J, T210J, 210K, T210K, 210L, T210L, 210M, and T210M airplanes. This AD requires visual and eddy current inspections of the carry-thru spar lower cap, corrective action if necessary, application of a protective coating and corrosion inhibiting compound (CIC), and reporting the inspection results to the FAA. This AD was prompted by the in-flight break-up of a Model T210M airplane in Australia, due to fatigue cracking that initiated at a corrosion pit, and subsequent reports of other Model 210-series airplanes with widespread and severe corrosion.