Wednesday, November 11, 2009

ICAS Fast Facts -- November 11, 2009

YOUNKIN RECOVERING FROM MONOCOUPE ACCIDENT

ICAS member and air show performer Matt Younkin is recovering in a Fayetteville area hospital after an accident Tuesday afternoon near the Siloam Springs Airport in northwest Arkansas. In a Facebook post late Tuesday night, Matt’s sister, Amanda, wrote, “Matt is out of surgery and doing well (awake and feisty). Thank you all so much for all your thoughts and prayers.”


Although there are conflicting reports about what happened and the extent of Matt’s injuries, it appears that he suffered an engine failure while flying the Younkins’ red and black Monocoupe yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. Initial reports also suggest that, though Matt is bumped and bruised with some broken bones and lacerations, he will make a full recovery and fly a full schedule of air show performances during the 2010 season.


ICAS UNVEILS IMPORTANT NEW CONVENTION TOOL

For your convenience, ICAS has developed a Personal Convention Schedule Builder that allows you to produce and print a personalized schedule of the convention sessions you are interested in attending. Offered as a convenience to registered delegates interested in developing a specific, detailed and personalized agenda to maximize the effectiveness of their time during the convention, using the tool does not obligate convention delegates to attend any particular session. Nor does it prohibit you from attending specific sessions. Made possible by the generous sponsorship support of Julie Clark’s Chevron American Aerobatics, the web-based tool permits a delegate to select only one session during any single Concurrent Education Session time slot.


To experiment with the Personal Convention Schedule Builder and use it to develop a personalized agenda for your time in Las Vegas, click here. (Note: you must be logged onto the ICAS website and be a registered delegate for the 2009 ICAS Convention to use this new tool.)


URGENT CALL TO ACTION: NPRM WILL INCREASE THE COSTS OF JET OPERATIONS

The FAA is seeking to adopt a new rule whose proposals include requiring pilot-in command (PIC) proficiency checks for pilots who act as PIC of single-piloted, turbojet-powered airplanes. This Notice for Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) has mistakenly lumped experimental jets (F-86 Sabre, L-39 Albatross, T-33 Shooting Star, etc.) alongside the intended recipient of this burden: Very Light Jets (VLJs). Based on analysis by subject matter experts, it appears that the FAA used an inappropriate cost analysis, and that this rule -- which was intended to increase proficiency requirements for corporate jets, VLJs and flight schools -- has had the unintended consequence of mistakenly and dramatically increasing proficiency requirements for – and the related expenses of – operating experimental jets as well. You can read the full NPRM here.


This issue is not just a pilot issue, though the pilot bears the initial burden. Event organizers will ultimately see the cost of hosting an experimental jet increase dramatically. Experimental jets will become less available if pilots are forced to incur expenses of $10,000 or more simply to maintain proficiency as required by this new rule.


ICAS stands shoulder to shoulder with EAA, AOPA, and the Classic Jet Aircraft Association (CJAA) in opposition to this rule. ICAS will respond to this matter as an organization before the comment period expires on November 30, but it is critically important that individual ICAS members also respond as individuals. We believe this is a mistake. Pure and simple. But correcting the mistake requires the input and attention of our members. Help us oppose this potentially disastrous rule proposition by submitting your comments here. The FAA is open to comments only until November 30, so please comment as soon as possible and not later than the end of this month.


ICAS TO RELEASE REMAINING CONVENTION SLEEPING ROOMS TONIGHT

As per our agreement with the Paris Las Vegas Hotel, ICAS will be releasing all rooms from its blocks of rooms at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel at midnight tonight (Wednesday, November 11). If you have not yet reserved your room, ICAS urges you to make your reservation today. Click here to connect directly to the Paris Hotel on-line reservation website and reserve your room in the ICAS block of rooms.


CLARIFICATION ON HENLEY SUPPORT

ICAS has received a number of inquiries recently related to ongoing efforts to support Alan Henley and his family as they continue the hard work related to recovering from the injuries he suffered in July of 2008. The only family-approved vehicle for supporting the family and helping them meet their financial needs is the Alan F. Henley Trust, 2617 Millwood Road, Birmingham, Alabama 35243. That trust is administered by Alan’s brother, Mark, and Ronald K. Stokes, a family friend and Tuscaloosa-area attorney.


In addition, ICAS member and air show performer Doug Jeannes from the Cavanaugh Flight Museum has organized an informal program that has provided assistance to the family in the form of periodic household cleaning services, an effort that is much appreciated by the family.


Any other trust or fundraising effort that you may have heard about is not sanctioned by the family.


If you have questions related to a contribution to the Alan F. Henley Trust or any other issued related to financial support for Alan and his family, please contact Ronald K. Stokes, Stokes Law, 1001 23rd Avenue, P.O. Box 2367, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403, (205) 344-4414, e-mail rstokes@stokeslaw.net.


ICAS PROVIDES CONVENTION RESOURCE MATERIALS

Whether you’re in the final stages of preparing for your trip to Las Vegas next month or you’re still on the fence about whether or not you’ll be joining the rest of the air show community for its four-day business meeting on December 6, 7, 8 and 9 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, ICAS is providing some important reference materials for registered and prospective convention delegates.


* The U.S. Air Force is poised to approve and release Air Force Instruction 10-1004, a comprehensive document that provides Air Force personnel with guidance and instruction on how to conduct an air show or open house on a U.S. Air Force base. If, as expected, the document is released prior to the ICAS Convention, we will have an Air Force lawyer on hand during the Air Force Open House Workshop on Saturday, December 5 to explain and discuss the changes included in this long-anticipated document. The approval and release of AFI 10-1004 represents a potentially significant change and we urge you to be on hand to get word on what it all means from the lawyer who was most involved with putting the new document together. Click here for additional details and registration information for this one-day workshop on Saturday, December 5.

* The ICAS website now has an interactive function that lays out the entire schedule for the ICAS Convention, with hyper links to give details on sessions and events. To use it, click here and start experimenting. You’ll get the hang of it in no time and find it to be an effective and efficient way to dig into the nitty gritty detail of this year’s ICAS Convention.

* During the last several days, ICAS has added a number of additional education sessions, including a one-hour session that will help ICAS members navigate the U.S. Government’s Wide Area Work Flow (scheduled for Sunday, December 6 from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m.), and a one-hour panel discussion on how to best put new media to work for your air show business (scheduled for Sunday, December 6 from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m.). For a full schedule of all the events planned for the 2009 ICAS Convention, click here.

* As of this morning (Tuesday, November 11), we have significantly more convention delegate registrations than we did at the same time last year. Booth sales have also exceeded budget projections. And hotel room reservations at the Paris Hotel are higher than they have been at any convention in the last five years. By every measure that we have, it looks like we are going to be hosting a large number of ICAS members and air show professionals at next month’s ICAS Convention. If you are already registered, prepare for a productive trip and a lot of fun. If you have not registered, it’s not too late. Click here to get your on-line registration process started. November 17 is the last day for ICAS members to register for the ICAS Convention and receive the $25 pre-registration discount.

* To get additional news on the schedule and content of this year’s convention, click here.

* For an up-to-the-minute schedule of all the events going on during the ICAS Convention, click on this link to view the most current “Schedule at a Glance.”

* For a complete list of ICAS members scheduled to exhibit at this year’s big event, click here.

* For tips and suggestions on how to make the most effective use of your time at the 2009 ICAS Convention, click here.

* We have gathered a wide range of facts, figures and information about our host hotel, the Paris Las Vegas Hotel. To get the scoop, click here.

* For information on how to get around Las Vegas and sites that you might see when you’re not involved with the convention, click here


GOLDEN KNIGHTS INCREASE FEE FOR 2010

In response to the increased costs of operating the team and budgetary challenges in the coming year, the U.S. Army Golden Knights recently announced that they have increased their show fee from $3,000 per day to $4,000 per day. The increase will be used to offset transportation, fuel and per diem costs. The team emphasized that all other details related to hosting the team will remain as specified in the team’s support manual.


For more information, contact SFC Paul Sachs, the team’s new show scheduler at 910-907-3205 or by e-mail at paul.sachs@usaac.army.mil.


POE FEATURED ON CNN

Earlier this year, ICAS member and air show performer Greg Poe established a program that rewards strong students with aerobatic incentive rides in select locations around the country. Last weekend, as part of his appearance at the Randolph Air Force Base Air Show near San Antonio, Texas, Poe gave two San Antonio-area teenagers the aerobatic thrill of their lives and CNN documented the experience in this news segment.


FOUNDATION REQUESTS DONATIONS, BIDS FOR ANNUAL SILENT AUCTION

As it has for the past decade, the ICAS Foundation will host a Silent Auction during the 2009 ICAS Convention. The Silent Auction is the main fundraiser that sustains and supports all of the good work done by the Foundation, including its extensive scholarship program, the Family Fund, and the Air Show Hall of Fame.


Bidding will take place on Monday, December 7 from 10:15 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and on Tuesday, December 8 from 9 a.m. until noon and then again from 2:15 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Final bidding will take place on Tuesday, December 8 beginning at 6:30 p.m. Your donations and bids are appreciated. For more information or to make a donation, contact Dale Drumright at Drumright@charter.net or Denise Decker at airshowfan01@yahoo.com or go to www.icasfoundation.org.


MCAS YUMA WALL OF FIRE CERTIFIED

Guinness World Records recently certified the 10,178.3 foot long wall of fire at the MCAS Yuma Air Show on March 14, 2009 as the longest wall of fire, ever. Nearly two miles long, this pyro spectacular was created by the Bomb Squad of Tora Tora Tora.


ICAS SPONSORS MAKE CONVENTION POSSIBLE

Over the past dozen years, the programs, services and amenities offered at the ICAS Convention have increased and improved dramatically even while registration fees have remained largely flat. These upgrades have been made possible by the significant support that ICAS has received from our convention sponsors. As you make your way around the ICAS Convention exhibit hall, please make a special point of thanking the following organizations for the support that they provide to YOUR event: ASB.tv and The Horsemen; Stallion 51 and The Gathering Foundation; Air Boss & Consulting International, Inc.; Julie Clark’s Chevron American Aerobatics; Chuck Vincent’s Eagle Air, LLC; Air National Guard & John Klatt Airshows; Team Chaos Extreme Airshows; Insurance Technologies & Programs; Eddie Andreini Airshows; AirSupport, LLC; Commemorative Air Force/Tora, Tora, Tora; Shannon & Luchs Insurance Agency; Air Boss Inc.; Jim Peitz Aerosports; Jacquie ‘B’ Airshows; Nalls Aviation; Aerostars Formation Aerobatic Team; Mohr Barnstorming; Team Rocket; Gordon Bowman-Jones; Mach 1 Productions; Greg Poe Airshows; Airshow Aces; Rob Reider, Air Show Announcer; OnBoard Images; and ValleyWide Communications.


© International Council of Air Shows, Inc.

750 Miller Drive SE, Suite F-3

Leesburg, Virginia 20175

Phone: 703-779-8510

Fax: 703-779-8511

Website: www.airshows.aero

E-mail: icas@airshows.aero

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