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Thursday 21st August 2008

Top News
The FAA said on Wednesday that it has begun a 30-day special review of its certification of Eclipse Aviation's very light jet, the Eclipse 500. The review started on Aug. 11. Jerry Mack, a former Boeing safety executive, is leading an oversight team of seven FAA experts with specialties such as flight testing, avionics, and certification, all of whom are independent of the original certification group. The FAA said the review team will look at aircraft safety, certification of aircraft trim, flaps, screen blanking, and stall speeds. These issues were the subject of Service Difficulty Reports that have been filed by operators since the aircraft was certificated on Sept. 30, 2006. The team will look at whether or not any of these issues were raised during the certification process and if any of the issues are currently a threat to safety.
Aug 20, 5:56pm UTC

More News
14 American Eagle aircraft were damaged overnight at Chicago's O'Hare Airport when a TSA inspector used instrument probes as handholds.
Aug 20, 4:51pm UTC
"The PiperJet has flown 12 times now," Piper spokesman Mark Miller told AVweb on Tuesday.
Aug 19, 6:47pm UTC
The FAA is conducting a satisfaction survey to get feedback about flight services that are provided to pilots.
Aug 20, 7:13pm UTC
Two Seattle pilots, Mark Schoening and Doug DeVries, have set out on a 10,000-mile circumnavigation of Canada via the famed Northwest Passage.
Aug 20, 6:53pm UTC
Poisonous seeds found in the jatropha plant contain oil that may be refined at a significantly lower cost than crude and will soon supplement Jet-A in one of 4 engines powering an Air New Zealand 747.
Aug 17, 2:04am UTC
"Automated on-board ... planning" is being developed to allow autonomous gliders to find naturally occurring lift and sustain unpowered or prolong powered flight.
Aug 14, 10:16pm UTC
Management at Hawker Beechcraft last week staffed some production-line slots with engineers and salaried workers in order to support production while its machinists strike.
Aug 17, 1:16am UTC
Eclipse Aviation has let go about 190 of its temporary workers, the company said in a statement on Friday.
Aug 13, 8:45pm UTC
The pilot of a replica biplane died when the aircraft reportedly spun during a mock dogfight at Old Rhinebeck in upstate New York, Sunday.
Aug 18, 7:08am UTC
 
An MD-82 operated by Spanair crashed on takeoff in Madrid on Wednesday afternoon. The aircraft broke apart and a fire ensued, the NTSB said.
Aug 20, 6:02pm UTC
Canada's COPA says a pending new Transport Canada regulation that would require new ELTs in private aircraft is too expensive and won't help rescue lost pilots.
Aug 19, 6:50pm UTC
Many manuals, regs, training texts and other reference materials now can bought in a convenient e-book format via the online AVweb Bookstore.
Aug 20, 4:55pm UTC
Europe's Clean Sky initiative is targeting a 50-percent reduction in CO2 emissions, an 80-percent reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions and a 50-percent reduction in perceived noise levels (all from baseline year 2000 levels) to be met by the year 2020.
Aug 17, 9:21pm UTC
Randall Fishman's virtually silent, nearly vibration-free and fillup-less single place ElectraFlyer-C (capable of flying for an hour and a half on 75¢ power) is just the tip of the iceberg.
Aug 15, 10:46pm UTC
Seeking full-motion video reconnaissance platforms, the Air Force "is quietly rushing to field more than three dozen" twin-engine propeller-driven aircraft for service in the Middle East.
Aug 17, 9:16pm UTC
Liberty Aerospace, which promotes its XL2 as the only FAA-certified piston-engine aircraft equipped with FADEC, has entered a distributorship agreement with Piper-Germany.
Aug 14, 10:13pm UTC
The EAA's major annual fundraiser included the participation of Harrison Ford, John Travolta and Arnold Palmer and yielded $2.88 million.
Aug 15, 11:20pm UTC
The TSA is taking a close look at GA and new rules are expected to be issued soon, but for now at least, the agency's attention is focused on aircraft that weigh 12,500 lbs. or more.
Aug 13, 3:36pm UTC

COMPLETE NEWS Read the Latest Issue of AVwebFlash
NEWS ARCHIVES Past News Stories on AVweb
Columns
If you want to protect your engine and get better cruise speed, pay attention to that other cockpit control during your high-performance aircraft checkout.
AVweb's Rick Durden found some really good pilots at Oshkosh this year ... just by watching them land.
 
Half of Europe seems to be in Wisconsin for EAA AirVenture this month, so it's left to those of us over here wishing we were there to scout around for what's new this side of the pond.
You might be good enough to bend rules, but it could just be luck. What happens when the luck runs out?

FULL INDEX OF COLUMNS Find All Columns Of Interest

AVweb Insider Blog
All of a sudden Russia and the U.S. are toe-to-toe again, and it's probably not going to be the last time. What does that mean for GA?
 

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Podcasts & Video from Oshkosh
At EAA AirVenture 2008, Kitplanes Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook sought out some of the most influential people in the homebuilt sector and asked their opinion on the FAA's revisions to the 51% Rule. In the latest installment of this series, we listen in on Marc's conversation with Zenith Aircraft's Sebastian Heintz.

This podcast is brought to you by Bose Corporation's Aviation Headset X™ ...
World champion show and competition pilot Mike Goulian tells AVweb's Mariano Rosales that there are more similarities in flying an air show and an air race than there are differences.
Lycoming's VP of Marketing, Dennis Racine, talks with Kitplanes editor Marc Cook about the development of the IO-390 into certified form from the original Experimental-class powerplant and the future of Lycoming-promoted and -engineered STCs for production aircraft. The first airplane to get the 390 will be a Cessna Cardinal RG. Is your Mooney or Piper next?
Engines are hot news at EAA AirVenture 2008, and Aviation Safety Editor-in-Chief Jeb Burnside sat down with Victor Engines founder Victor Sloan at the show.
Lycoming engineer Mike Kraft continues the conversation we started earlier in the week about Lycoming's latest innovations. This time he tells us about the IO-233 engine. It's intended for the LSA market, so it's lighter and a bit more compact. Key features include electronic ignition and fuel injection.
King Schools announced this week at AirVenture that they're offering their well-regarded private pilot knowledge test as a fully-integrated and interactive online course. Heretofore, the course has been available only via CD-ROM or DVD, but now you can complete the entire program — including a graduation certification — via the web. The course has the same content — video, text and graphics — as the DVD version. John and Martha King describe the new course in this podcast.
Lycoming chief engineer Mike Kraft gave us a detailed tour of the company's new TEO-540-A FADEC-contolled engine. Hear his comments in this long-form podcast.
Even if you don't know Mike and Jude Dennis by name, you almost certainly know the products and services they offer under the name Oregon Aero. Mike takes a few moments out of his hectic AirVenture 2008 schedule to talk with us about Oregon Aero's most popular products and share a bit of the company's philosophy.
Kitplanes Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook and Velocity Aircraft's Scott Baker try to make sense of the FAA's new rules for homebuilt airplanes (and maybe figure out just what constitutes 51% these days).
Diamond says it means business with the new Austro diesel engine — and to prove it, it's showing a mock-up in its outdoor booth here at OSH. This podcast with the Diamond President Peter Maurer describes the details.
When Thielert Aircraft Engines tanked last spring, many of Diamond Aircraft Company's customers found themselves AOG with no parts support. Diamond President Peter Maurer explains what the company is doing about it in this podcast.
So much more than a way to fill up a boring Saturday afternoon, X-Plane flight simulation software has set a new standard for home computer-based flight simulators, and the experience doesn't stop at your PC and your $50 copy of X-Plane — you can scale the software up and enjoy a rich training environment inside your own virtual cockpit, right inside your garage. IFR magazine editor Jeff van West talks with X-Plane's Randy Witt about what makes the software unique.
In this special bonus podcast from EAA AirVenture 2008, AVweb's Russ Niles seeks a business perspective on the show from Cessna's Roger Whyte.
Rob Kalberer gives us a preview of several new must-have cockpit devices from True Flight in this photo-enhanced podcast.
Very noisily, thanks. But also with more than a ton of thrust. In this pocast, Granger Whitelaw explains how the Rocket Racing engines work.
Aspen Avionics of Albuquerque, N.M. has announced a new weather receiver and wider compatibility for its popular glass-panel retrofit, the EFD1000. Doug Cayne, Aspen's V.P. of Marketing, discusses these new capabilities with AVweb's Jeff Van West.
During AirVenture 2008, our friends at Aircraft Spruce and Specialty are giving away a Lightspeed Zulu headset and a Garmin GPSMap 496. Aviation Safety Editor-in-Chief Jeb Burnside spoke with Jim Irwin of Aircraft Spruce about how you can get your name into the pot here at Oshkosh.
Why? The agency tried to simplify questions about the 51 percent rule, but actually ended up punishing the entire industry for the sins of a few. Kitplanes Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook has blogged about it here on AVweb and written about the new rules elsewhere. Hear more in this podcast interview with Marc, the first of a series.
So your cockpit doesn't sport a glass panel EFIS, but you're interested in a new display? Very soon you'll have a new option in the form of Garmin's G600, an EFIS system designed primarily for the aftermarket. Garmin's Jim Alpiser sat down with us at Oshkosh to answer our questions about the G600 and when it will be available.
Bendix/King has been busy over the last year and stunned avionics shoppers this week with three new portable navigators, including one weatherlink-capable model for only $749. Hear all about in this podcast with Bendix/King's Chad Cunniff.
Avidyne pioneered the first small aircraft glass cockpit for new airplanes — the Cirrus line — and now it's forging ahead with a new EFIS product for the aftermarket, an affordable, single ADAHRS primary flight display that will fit into legacy panels. Paul Bertorelli spoke with Avidyne's Tom Harper about glass panels and the PFD4000.
Remember that cool rocket belt James Bond flew in Thunderball? Glenn and Vanessa Martin have their own version, but it will fly for up to five minutes. See it fly at OSH this week and hear the details on flying it from Vanessa in this podcast.
For pilots who want loved ones or associates to be able to track their progress and, if necessary, come looking for them, there's a new satellite tracking system available that follows your every movement. AVweb Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli talked with Derek Moore of Spot about the unique system.
There's been a lot going on at Lycoming in the last little while, and the result is a string of major announcements at AirVenture. AVweb Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli talked with Lycoming manager Ian Walsh about the innovations coming from Williamsport.
Bendix/King's loyal customers have been waiting for the company to launch an aftermarket line of glass panel devices, and the wait is almost over. AVweb Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli spoke with Bendix/King's Chad Cundiff about the Apex system.
 
Before we pack up and leave Oshkosh, our on-site editors for various Belvoir Media publications — Paul Bertorelli from Aviation Consumer, Marc Cook from Kitplanes, and Russ Niles from AVweb — pause to reflect on EAA AirVenture 2008 and all the products we've seen throughout the week.
This year at EAA AirVenture, AVweb joined our friends at Herpa Miniatures and DC-3 pilot Dan Gryder for a charity auction to benefit ChallengeAir.
For one week each year, the control tower at Oshkosh is the busiest tower in the world. This year it's all-new, taller, and staffed for safety. AVweb's Jeff van West got inside scoop from Oshkosh air traffic manager Wanda Adelman. (Yes, she actually had a moment to talk to us during EAA AirVenture!)
AVweb's Russ Niles talks with Bobby Sturgell at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2008 about the state of the industry, ADS-B, fuel costs, pilot medicals, and Sturgell's future plans.
AVweb's Mary Grady and Glenn Pew go inside the EcoFlyer Light Sport Aircraft from ExplorerAero — and there's plenty of room for them, their tour guide, and one more besides. The 130mph flying camper with 1,000 feet/minute climb and a 6-hour endurance may be an LSA, but it's no tiny one-seater.
Terrafugia answers realistic questions about their roadable aircraft concept vehicle for AVweb's Mary Grady and Glenn Pew.
Amy Laboda from Kitplanes magazine gets up close and personal with inventor Randall Fishman's Electraflyer-C at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
During the lead-up to EAA AirVenture 2008, AVweb collected names and gave away a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride with the AeroShell Aerobatic Team. Stephanie Cruz was our lucky winner, and on the morning of July 28 she was ready and willing to fly with the Team at Oshkosh. Although lead pilot Alan Henley was recently benched by an injury at home, his twin brother Mark is flying lead in the AeroShell Team's AirVenture performances, allowing Oshkosh audiences to enjoy the thrill of seeing these guys perform throughout the week.
Rocket-powered homebuilt Velocity aircraft made a public debut at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2008, and the words "Rocket Racing League" were on everyone's lips throughout the afternoon. AVweb Video Editor Glenn Pew brought back a taste of the action ... .
The Martin ducted-fan-powered "JetPack" debuted at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2008, and AVweb Video Editor Glenn Pew was on hand to see how well it flew. Or hovered. However you describe its behavior, it certainly drew a crowd.
Virgin Galactic today unveiled its WhiteKnightTwo — a twin-hulled, four-engined, SpaceShipTwo-hauling aircraft — at Scaled Composites in Mojave, California. Entrepreneur and project financier Richard Branson and designer Burt Rutan spoke at the event, and we have video to share thanks to the efforts of Linda Reynolds and AVweb Video Editor Glenn Pew.
Matthew Junta, Vice President of Engineering and Chief Technical officer for Icon Aircraft gives AVweb's Jeff Van West a look inside the Icon Amphibian LSA in this original video from AVweb's Glenn Pew.
AVweb's Russ Niles, Aviation Consumer's Paul Bertorelli and Kitplanes editor Marc Cook look forward to the week at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.
Behind the scenes with ambassador of aerobatics and National Aviation Hall of Famer Sean D. Tucker with his son Eric, flying power aerobatics in the "Z."

FULL INDEX OF PODCASTS Find All Podcasts Of Interest

Features
The aircraft-conversion business takes Carl Moesly to Japan three times ... both directions around the world.
Reader mail this week about the TSA and GA airports, VLJs, and lots of comments about ATC policing duties.
 
Urban areas present few open areas for emergency landings when we need them. Do mall parking lots and warehouse rooftops offer safe alternatives?
It doesn't take many weeks of sitting on the ground for an instrument pilot to get rusty. Foremost, staying current is one big balancing act.

FULL INDEX OF FEATURES Find All Features Of Interest

Top Bizav News
Grob Aerospace unexpectedly filed for insolvency on Tuesday after its lead lender pulled out. In a statement, CEO Niall Olver said he hopes the situation is temporary as the company scrambles to find new money to finish certification of its SPn business jet. "I am sure that 37 years of pioneering composite aircraft manufacturing will survive," Olver said. "The company spirit, the support we have received from employees, suppliers, customers, fellow stakeholders and the media demonstrates a significant interest in Grob remaining in business as a civil and military training aircraft manufacturer."
Aug 19, 5:48pm UTC

More Bizav News
Gulfstream Aerospace parent company General Dynamics is expanding its stake in the business aviation industry with the purchase of Swiss-based Jet Aviation. General Dynamics paid $2.3 billion USD for the rapidly expanding service, repair and refurbishing company.
Aug 19, 10:15pm UTC
Spectrum Aerospace has announced it has reached a deal to supply an undisclosed number of S-40 and S-33 aircraft to Starfish Aviation, of Northbrook, Ill., for an undisclosed amount of money. Spectrum President Austin Blue did say the order was worth in the "nine-figure range."
Aug 19, 11:28pm UTC
 
Eclipse Aviation is inviting representatives from all its suppliers to a meeting in Albuquerque next week to discuss its plans for the future. Eclipse spokeswoman Alana McCarraher said the letter went out Monday and didn't include any insight into what those plans might be.
Aug 19, 10:46pm UTC
Winnipeg-based Standard Aero has earned a Supplemental Type Certificate to remove Pratt and Whitney Canada (P&WC) PT6A-41 engines from Beech King Air 200 models and replace them with modern, more fuel efficient PT6A-42 engines.
Aug 20, 12:23am UTC

FULL INDEX OF BIZ STORIES Find Past Biz Stories Of Interest

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Who's Where
Tom Neufelder has been named Avidyne's new VP of Engineering. Neufelder came to Avidyne from General Electric where he was VP and General Manager for Independent Practice Engineering developing electronic medical record and practice systems for doctors.

Aug 20, 1:59am UTC

FULL INDEX OF WHO'S WHERE STORIES Find Past Who's Where Stories Of Interest

VIDEO


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QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Should ELTs be mandatory at all?

A debate in Canada is raging about mandatory equipage with 406 ELTs, and the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association says it's not only expensive, it's outdated technology that doesn't work much of the time. We know where COPA stands, but what do you think?


Share your Opinion »
FUEL FINDER

FBO OF THE WEEK

Althought it's still a relatively new FBO, Air 51 in Lexington, Kentucky keeps popping up on our radar. The latest recommendation comes from AVweb reader Don Hagedorn, who calls this popular pit stop the "best FBO I have ever visited," prompting us break with tradition and make Air 51 our "FBO of the Week" for a second time.

Don writes:

We were delayed due to weather ... when returning to Columbia, SC from Oshkosh on 2 August. Their great staff went out of their way to take care of my 13-year-old nephew and make him feel welcome while we waited. Fine staff, great facilities, reasonable fuel prices, and wonderful amenities. Plus, my nephew was especially thrilled by the TV in the men's room. (Ah, simple pleasures!)

Keep those nominations coming. For complete contest rules, click here.

AVweb is actively seeking out the best FBOs in the country and another one, submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday!

Nominate an FBO »

SHORT FINAL...

An exchange overheard while flying over the Mojave Desert:

Joshua Approach:
"Bonanza 50Y, traffic two o'clock, five miles. Unmanned aerial vehicle has you in sight."

50Y (me):
"50Y looking. If he's 'unmanned,' how can he have me in sight?"

Joshua Approach:
"Oh. He's got a T-38 spotter plane, so really it's a flight of two ... . Now you're three o'clock, three miles."

50Y:
Yeah, I was kidding. I know they have cameras and instrumentation. But I still don't have them in sight."

Joshua Approach:
"They're passing behind you now. No factor. And we usually reserve the 'I can't see him' jokes for the F-117s that come through here."

Marc Zorn
via e-mail

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