WINGSUIT SKYDIVER LANDS WITHOUT CHUTE (ON PURPOSE)
Forty-two year-old Gary Connery Wednesday may have become the first person to land a wingsuit without first deploying a parachute, on purpose and without injury, with the aid of about 18,000 cardboard boxes. Connery performed the stunt near his hometown of Henley, England, and flew two test jumps from a helicopter hovering at 2,400 feet about one mile from his landing site. He landed those under canopy, before committing to the final jump. His last landing was facilitated by a 350-foot "runway" that stood roughly 12 feet high and 50 feet wide, made up of large empty cardboard boxes. Aside from the wingsuit, Connery wore a full-face helmet and the kind of neck brace worn by race-car drivers. He flared above the cardboard runway before settling into the boxes at an estimated forward speed of about 50 mph. Some of his first words after landing? "I'm in a strange space." More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: WHEN IS A STUNT TOO RECKLESS?
Gary Connery made the record books on Tuesday by jumping out of an airplane and landing unscathed without a parachute. Did that cross some hypothetical line between legitimacy and lunacy?

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers what they thought of Virgin Atlantic's decision to allow limited cell phone calls on trans-Atlantic flights; click through for the breakdown of answers. More...

NTSB COMPLETES HOMEBUILT SAFETY STUDY
The NTSB on Tuesday released 16 recommendations for improving the safety record of experimental amateur-built aircraft, which have a fatal accident rate 3 to 4 times higher than the rest of the general aviation fleet. Most of the recommendations focus on transition training, which has long been recognized as a problem, and also suggest changes in how flight tests are conducted and how the flight characteristics of each airplane are documented. Nearly 10 percent of E-AB aircraft accidents occurred during first flight, the board said, and 14 out of the 125 accidents in aircraft that were sold crashed on the new owner's first flight. The recommendations are meant to "improve safety while maintaining the adventure of this vibrant segment of aviation," said board chair Deborah Hersman. More...

EAA RESPONDS TO NTSB REPORT
"Both EAA and the NTSB know that we must improve the accident record of amateur-built aircraft," said EAA President Rod Hightower on Tuesday evening, in a video response to the safety board's report released earlier that day. However, he said, some of the NTSB's recommendations to the FAA, which could result in more regulations, are "worrisome." For example, the NTSB wants new regulations for testing engine performance and for documenting flight tests in amateur-built aircraft. "At EAA, we do not believe that more regulation is the answer ... Education, versus new regulation, is a better solution," Hightower said. More...

DRONE PROLIFERATION FANS PUBLIC FEARS
The FAA's declaration last week that it will allow unmanned aircraft systems weighing up to 25 pounds to fly at altitudes up to 400 AGL and within sight of an operator didn't draw much reaction in the aviation world, but it did get a response from the mainstream media. Conservative pundit Charles Krauthammer said all drones should be banned in U.S. airspace. "Drones are instruments of war," he said on Fox News. "I don't want to see it hovering over anybody's home." At the other end of the political spectrum, the American Civil Liberties Union foresees a "nightmare scenario" where drone surveillance "leads to an oppressive atmosphere where people learn to think twice about everything they do, knowing that it will be recorded … and possibly used to target them." More...

PILOT'S WEAPON LANDS HIM IN COURT
A 52-year-old Piedmont Airlines pilot has been charged with unlawful possession of a concealed firearm after a security check of his bag Friday found a .357 Magnum revolver loaded with five rounds of ammunition. Prosecutors now allege that the pilot, Brett Dieter, had been traveling with the gun since at least May 16, when he skipped an X-ray screening at Charlottesville airport. Dieter is reportedly not a member of the Federal Flight Deck Officer Program. Authorities allege Deiter traveled with the gun in his bag over the course of two days and seven flights. And that may have harsh consequences. More...

RENO RACES GOOD TO GO
After 10 spectators and a pilot died in a crash at last year's National Championship Air Races in Reno, the fate of the event was uncertain, but now organizers say they are definitely holding the races as usual this September, although with a modified course. Reno Air Racing Association Director Mike Houghton said on Tuesday the largest pylon course will be moved further away from the crowd, and some curves will be modified to decrease the g-forces on pilots. The association has hired a new safety director, secured $100 million in insurance, and acquired a permit from the city. G-force training will be required for all pilots, and organizers will scrutinize pilot age and medical certifications. Tickets for the event, which will run Sept. 12-16, are now on sale at the association's website. More...

FAA ISSUES EMERGENCY AD FOR CESSNA 210S
Following reports of cracked wing spar caps in several Cessna 210s in Australia and Canada, the FAA on Monday issued an emergency Airworthiness Directive requiring 3,665 of the airplanes in the U.S. to be inspected. If cracks are found in the spar cap, wing spar, or wing, they must be reported to the FAA, and the aircraft must be grounded until the affected parts are replaced or modified. The AD is effective on June 5. Cessna issued a service letter (PDF) addressing the issue last month. More...

TURBOPROP AIRVAN FLIES
GippsAero announced Tuesday that its new GA10 turboprop flew for the first time on May 1. The aircraft uses a Rolls-Royce 250 engine and the company says it's "the first single turboprop to be designed and developed in Australia." As the name implies, the GA10 has two more seats than the piston GA8 and is expected to pack the extra payload with even better performance than the already-capable piston airplane. More...

AVWEBBIZ: AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVIATION NEWSLETTER

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Delivered every Wednesday morning, AVwebBiz focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the business aviation industry, making it a must-read.

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AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: BIOFUELS GET THE AXE
A House committee last week voted to kill the Navy and Air Force's plan to run their airplanes on a blend of biofuel and Jet A. If it stands, it's a major blow to the development of bio-based jet fuel. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli points out how it's also short-sighted. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 255,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. What have you heard? More...

VIDEO: RED BULL'S LATEST AERIAL BALLET
Red Bull Wednesday shared video of one of its latest sponsored adventures -- five wingsuit skydivers joining up with and maintaining formation with two sailplanes in a dive over Austria. The team flew two aerobatic LET L-13 Blanik sailplanes and just to complicate things, the lead flew inverted and one skydiver formed up in between the inverted and upright glider. The skydivers and gliders came together in formation at roughly 12,000 feet. The sailplanes wore wingtip-mounted smoke canisters and one skydiver wore one on an ankle. The trick of the task was mating airspeed and descent rates and this time all members performed flawlessly. Check the video after the jump. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: WALKER AVIATION (KTMA, TIFTON, GA)

AVweb reader Ralph Hoover had a longer delay than he'd planned at Tifton, Georgia's Henry Tift Myers Airport (KTMA) recently -- but what could have been a major delay served as opportunity to discover the helpful, efficient staff at our latest "FBO of the Week," Walker Aviation. Ralph tells the tale of our latest blue ribbon FBO:

My wife landed at Tifton on our trip from Florida. While taxiing back to the ramp, the nose wheel tire on our RV-7 went flat. While my wife was arranging a rental car and hotel, Robbie Fender improvised a dolly and towed us back to the hangar. He then made tools available so I was able to disassemble and find the hole in the tube. The Western Auto in town was locked when we arrived but reopened to sell us a $2.00 patch kit. The next morning, with the assistance of Josh Hulett, we reassembled the nose wheel and were on our way. Both employees of Mr. Clark Walker were polite, friendly, and very helpful to us. We highly recommend Walker Aviation.

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!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
Our latest winning photo comes from Anson Chappell of Yellowknife, NWT (Canada). Click here for the rest of this week's submissions. More...

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