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Compare and Save at the Pilot
Insurance Center
Don't pay more for life insurance coverage just because you fly. Contact
Pilot Insurance Center to see how you can save. PIC works with A+
rated insurance companies to provide preferred rates for pilots. Call
(800) 380-8376 or
visit PICLife.com. 
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| "Information Wants to Be Free?" Maybe So for
Charts | | back to
top |  | |
SENATORS
REIN IN AERONAV'S FEE PROPOSAL
The powerful Senate
Appropriations Committee has rapped the knuckles of the FAA over its
handling of proposed changes to the delivery of online navigation
information services and suggested more congressional oversight on the
implementation of those changes. The committee, whose report must be
approved by the full Senate and House, says AeroNav, the arm of the
agency that publishes navigation and airport information, should
immediately restore the 17-day advance availability of the next
iteration of online publications, which it abruptly reduced to 24 hours
last year. The change made it difficult if not impossible for
third-party online navigation information providers to fully update
their data bases before the effective dates of the new charts. "The
committee is concerned that these changes may conflict with the FAA's
mission to provide timely and accurate information for pilots in the
interest of safe and efficient navigation," the committee said. It also
warned against using online products as a cash cow to make up for lost
revenue from diminishing paper chart sales. More...
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Two Great Ways to Keep Your
Engine Up to Speed
Do you have a new engine core that's never been rebuilt or overhauled?
Save up to $5,000 on a rebuilt engine. Do you have an original
Lycoming factory engine that last left the factory as a new, rebuilt or
overhauled engine? Save up to $1,900 on a new, rebuilt or overhauled
engine. For complete details, call (800) 258‑3279
to find an authorized Lycoming Distributor near you or
visit Lycoming.com. 
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FAA
ANNOUNCES WHERE THE DRONES ARE
The FAA has responded to a
Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by releasing two lists it says
include all public and private entities that have sought authorization
to fly drones over the United States. The suit was brought by the
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). The lists include both the
Certificates of Authorization issued to public entities and the Special
Airworthiness Certificates issued to private operators. EFF has posted
the entities to an online interactive map and says "these lists leave
many questions unanswered." Separately, a pair of congressmen has sent a
letter to the FAA requesting its plans to protect the privacy of U.S.
citizens regarding drone operations. More...
JAIL
TIME FOR FAA SAFETY INSPECTOR
Harrington Bishop, 64, former
safety inspector at Teterboro Flight Standards District Office, was
sentenced Wednesday to one year of prison time for accepting
unauthorized payments from pilots after giving them check rides. Bishop,
also a former Air Force pilot, was not authorized to grant licenses or
participate in checks on his days off. But over seven years he scheduled
rides (mostly for military pilots looking for civilian certificates) and
accepted tips of $300 under those conditions, the court found. Bishop
operated most of the flights out of Flying W airport in Medford, N.J.,
and nearly every pilot he tested passed. Along with the prison term, he
has been ordered to pay the government $70,000 in restitution. Bishop
did offer an explanation for his behavior. More...
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A New Day at Bendix/King by
Honeywell
Bendix/King Avionics has established new business operations.
Soon, we'll have an all-new product line. We have renewed our brand
— and our promise — to design, build and support the
best-performing, most innovative and cost-effective avionics products
available for general aviation.
Visit us online by clicking here.
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AVWEB
INSIDER BLOG: AERO 2012 -- SMALLER, BUT PLENTY OF NEW
STUFF
This year, for the first time, Aero Friedrichshafen
became an annual show, and as a result, it was a bit smaller than usual,
according to veteran exhibitors. But on the AVweb Insider blog,
Paul Bertorelli's summary reports on plenty of new stuff, including the
Cirrus jet announcement, the stunning Pipistrel Panthera and more LSAs,
ultralights and autogyros than we could even count. Attendance at Aero
hovers around the 33,000 mark, but it's a potent audience of people who
are seriously interested in aviation. More...
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FAST-Flight: The Cure for
Annual Anxiety and Painful ADs
Ever miss 100-hour, medical, BFR or annual due? FAST-Flight Aircraft
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of fuel. Keep current, stay legal with FAST-Flight.
Click here for more information.
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LYCOMING'S
KRAFT: COMPETITION MAY MAKE 100LL REPLACEMENT COST
COMPETITIVE
Although no replacement for 100LL has yet been
identified, Lycoming's Michael Kraft thinks it's possible that multiple
competitors could enter the market with different fuels meeting the same
specifications, thus fostering price competition. In this
podcast recorded at Aero 2012 in Friedrichshafen, Germany,
Lycoming's Kraft said that although it hasn't released its formal
report, the FAA's leaded fuel transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee
will recommend a transition process that could, conceivably, have
several competitors providing different sources of unleaded fuel to the
market that meet the same performance specification. More...
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Enter to Win an Avidyne
IFD540
Touch-Screen FMS/GPS/NAV/COM
As a slide-in replacement for existing 530-Series navigators, the new
IFD540 sets a new standard for user interface simplicity.
Leveraging the award-winning interface of our Entegra Release 9 system
along with a highly intuitive, hybrid touch-screen control, the IFD540
makes it much easier to access the information you want when you want
it. Use two IFD540s to provide powerful interaction and cross-syncing
that enhances ease of use, redundancy, and safety.
Now you have a choice. And the choice is easy. Avidyne.
Enter to win at
Avidyne.com/extravaganza.
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DIAMOND
ANNOUNCES ROBOTIC HELICOPTER
Tapping into its evolving
expertise in airborne sensing systems, Diamond Aircraft CEO Christian
Dries said Thursday at Aero Friedrichshafen that the company will soon
be testing a robotic helicopter, the Hero. The aircraft is intended for
the military and commercial airborne sensor and reconnaissance market
but it won't be just another UAV. In this
podcast from Aero, Dries said the aircraft will be capable of not
just autonomous flight, but also a degree of artificial intelligence and
flight judgment. "It's a little bit beyond a regular unmanned aircraft,"
Dries said. More...
DIAMOND
SHARES DA52 MAIDEN FLIGHT STATS
It was only flown up to
12,000 feet and cruised at 190 knots TAS within the pre-defined limits
of its one-hour flight test, but Diamond Aircraft's five-plus-person
DA52 twin could soon offer "a lot more," according to the company.
Powered by two 180-hp turbo-diesel Austro AE300E engines, the aircraft
took off without flaps in less than 900 feet with a five-knot headwind.
It climbed to altitude in less than nine minutes at an initial rate of
1,700 fpm, flying at gross weight. Performance was constricted for the
test flight, and more technology is coming. Christian Dries told
AVweb that the DA52 will be among Diamond's first to be offered
with optional fly-by-wire controls. More...
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Lightspeed Aviation Trade-Up
Program
Your old less-than-perfect headset has trade-in value on our new
Zulu.2 or Sierra headsets.
Just visit us online at LightspeedAviation.com, click on our
Trade-Up Program, and discover how easy it is to own the headset
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an incredible headset at a great price from a company that is totally
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passion.
Click here to learn more and to find a
dealer near you.
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PC-AERO
EXTENDS ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT FLIGHT TIME
Although they're
improving rapidly, the chief problem with electric aircraft remains
endurance due to limitations on battery capacity and weight. At Aero
Friedrichshafen last week, a German company called PC-Aero showed off
the latest iteration of its approach to solve the endurance problem --
solar assisted flight. In this video, PC-Aero's Calin Gologan showed
AVweb the company's second-generation electric airplane, the
single-seat Electra Solar One. Because of its low drag, the airplane
draws minimum power from its onboard batteries, but to supplement that,
says Gologan, the wings and tail surfaces are covered in efficient
photovoltaic cells that can provide up to 1.2 Kw/hr against a total
requirement of 2.5 Kw for the airplane. More...
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Fly More for
Less
Visit the AVbuys page for discounts, rebates, incentives,
bargains, special offers, bonus depreciation, or tax benefits to help
stretch your budget. We're helping you to locate and view current offers
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Click for the resource page.
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ULPOWER
SHOWS ITS NEW ENGINES
ULPower, a company based in Geluveld,
Belgium, showed off its new six-cylinder powerplants at Aero
Friedrichshafen last week. UL is becoming more known in the kit airplane
and experimental markets for its low-power four-cylinder engines. As
Patrick Denorme explains in this AVweb video, it's now taking a
run at the higher-power six-cylinder market. More...
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Love to Fly?
We do! And we want only the best in gear and equipment for our money. We
test all of it — and give you the benefit of our experience!
Subscribe now
and save money on your next aviation purchase!
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VIDEO:
MESSERSCHMIDT BF 109 SIMULATOR
 If you could fly a
Messerschmitt Bf 109, how cool would that be? A simulator is the next
best thing. In this AVweb video from Aero 2012 in
Friedrichshafen, Germany, we get a sim tour from Hans Schmid.
More...
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Traditional Tactics Need a
Fresh Approach
Doing the same thing and expecting different results is the definition
of insanity. Isn't it time to initiate a digital marketing program with
AVweb that will deliver traffic and orders directly to
your web site? Discover several new and highly successful marketing
options to use in lieu of static print or banner campaigns.
Click now for details.
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AERO
2012 PHOTO GALLERY: RC FLYING AREA
 | | click for
photos |
There are literally hundreds of airplanes
on display in Friedrichshafen this week — but how could the Aero
2012 organizers fit hundreds of airplanes in a single hangar? Discover
the answer as Paul Bertorelli pauses to take a break from shooting video
to wander the radio-controlled airplane display. More...
AERO
2012 PHOTO GALLERY: GYROS
 | | click for
photos |
Before we pack up and head home from Aero
2012 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, here's one last photo gallery
showcasing some of the gyros we took in during the show.
More...
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FBO
OF THE WEEK: LUX AIR JET CENTER (KGYR, GOODYEAR,
ARIZONA)
AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Lux Air Jet
Center at Phoenix/Goodyear Airport (KGYR) in Goodyear,
Arizona. AVweb reader Cathy Page told us about her
recent experience: We pulled
in to park, [and the] line guy was right there. Before we even got out
of the plane, he had it chained down. I asked him about fuel prices I
had seen online, and he assured me they would honor whatever was posted.
We walked inside and asked the desk if they could top off our plane
while we met a business acquaintance. Then the line guy who parked us
asked if we needed anything. [We told him] a ride to find the person we
were to meet (who is slightly lost) would be great. He grabbed a golf
cart and took us to find our guest. We had a little business to do and
used the pilot lounge to finish up. We found out as we paid our fuel
bill from the desk that the line guy who had been so helpful earlier was
in fact the owner of Lux Air. How nice to see the hands-on from
him.
Thank you, Tim. Thank you, Lux Air, for great
service. 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! More...
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SHORT
FINAL
During the late 1970s, a Royal Air Force
"Belfast" strategic freighter approached on final to Chicago
O'Hare. (What's a Belfast? Read on!) Callsign: "Ascot
1234." Ascot 1234:
"Chicago tower, Ascot
1234." Chicago:
"Ascot, say your aircraft
type." Ascot 1234:
"Ascot 1234 is a
Belfast." Chicago:
"Uhhh, what in heck's a Belfast,
Ascot?" Ascot 1234:
"It's a big 4-turboprop freighter
— bit like a pretty C-132." Chicago:
"O.K., Ascot,
you're cleared to continue behind the landing 737. Do you have that
visual?" Ascot 1234:
"Ascot 1234, affirmative to
continue." United 123:
"Chicago Tower, this is United
123." Chicago:
"United 123 Chicago, you're cleared to
continue behind the landing Belfast." United 123:
"The
landing what?" Chicago:
"United 123, don't you
know a Belfast when you see one?" Chicago (and United) could be
forgiven for not knowing what in heck a Belfast was: Only 10
were ever built. But we (53 Squadron, Royal Air Force) flew them all
round the world, and we loved 'em ... .
Sean Maffett
via e-mail
More...
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MEET
THE AVWEBFLASH TEAM
AVwebFlash is a twice-weekly summary of the
latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on
AVweb, the
world's premier independent aviation news resource. The
AVwebFlash team is: Publisher
Tom Bliss Editorial Director,
Aviation Publications
Paul
Bertorelli Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles Contributing
Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew Webmaster
Scott Simmons Contributors
Kevin Lane-Cummings
Jeff Van West
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product or service to advertise on AVweb? Your advertising can
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AVweb home page readers every week. Over 80% of our
readers are active pilots and aircraft owners. That's why our
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here or contact Tom Bliss,
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e-mail or via telephone [(480)
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Navigate. Communicate. More...
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