FAMILIES OF DRUNK PASSENGERS SUE OVER FATAL CRASH
The families of three passengers killed in a British Columbia floatplane crash that an investigation revealed was likely caused by the drunken antics of one of them are suing the charter airline, saying the pilot should have known better than to let them aboard. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. the suit also blames pilot Damon York, who also died in the crash, for not wearing a shoulder harness "so as to prevent being jammed into the control panel" when the backseat passenger behind him kicked the back of his seat. As we reported last year, the Canadian Transportation Safety Board report suggested the passengers were too drunk to realize how unwise their actions were. "It is likely that passenger interference caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft whereupon it descended in a steep nose-down attitude until it struck the water," the report says. "It is possible the passengers' level of intoxication contributed to their inability to recognize the gravity of the situation and stop the interference in time for the pilot to regain control of the aircraft before impact." More...

SYNERGY FINDS PUBLIC SUPPORT
Unconventional aircraft designer John McGinnis' public funding drive Friday surpassed its original goal and may help him prove if his five-seat double box tail Synergy aircraft is indeed "lighter, simpler, and more economical" than other planes. McGinnis turned to the online fundraising website Kickstarter.com to seek $65,000 from private individuals that he says will "maintain present work output until our next milestone is reached in September." By then, MicGinnis says, "we expect to have completion in sight." With ten days left in the fundraising campaign, McGinnis had reached nearly $59,000 in pledged donations. But McGinnis still couldn't be sure he'd see any of the money. That changed, Friday. More...

MILITARY AIRSHIP FLOATS TOWARD FIRST FLIGHT
Northrop Grumman's 300-foot-long, 70-foot-tall, remotely piloted Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) airship is scheduled to fly for the first time in early June at Lakehurst, N.J. The maiden flight could take place anytime between June 6 and 10, weather permitting, and will be followed by a trip to Florida where it will be outfitted with surveillance gear. The LEMV has been designed to operate for the U.S. Army as a surveillance and reconnaissance platform, capable of loitering in the sky for days, or weeks, at a time ... provided it's not really windy at its operating altitude. More...

PERSONAL SPACE TORPEDO
Donations from more than 2,000 people, plus other sponsorships, have funded Copenhagen Suborbitals' (CS) Tycho Brahe program, which aims to see individuals launched to at least 100 miles above the earth in personal capsules. The team's proposed capsule is made from rolled steel plate wrapped in a cork heat shield. Inside, the capsule's sole passenger would ride in a near-standing position, wearing a G-suit to help force blood to the head during acceleration. The passenger's head would sit in a transparent hemispheric dome topped with an aerospike for better supersonic performance. It gets better. More...

FAA INVESTIGATES TANDEM SKYDIVING SCARE
The FAA has paid a visit to a California skydiving company after video of some unplanned excitement vaulted it to Internet stardom earlier this week. It's been more than a year since an 80-year-old grandmother identified only as Laverne took a bucket-list tandem jump with the Parachute Center in Acampo, Calif., that may have got her a little closer to her maker than she bargained for. Laverne is seen having second thoughts in the aircraft door before she is encouraged to join the fun by her tandem partner and the cameraman. Laverne somehow slips out of her harness and makes most of the journey earthward in an undignified position in the grip of her partner. At one point during the freefall the cameraman moves in to help keep hold of Laverne. They landed none the worse for wear and that was the end of the story until the video hit theChive. More...

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT BEGINS WITHOUT FUEL
Solar Impulse, the manned solar-powered airplane, began a 1,554-mile trip from Switzerland to Morocco, Thursday and landed safely after a 17-hour first leg at its planned layover site of Madrid. The 3,500-pound vehicle is carried by a 207-foot wingspan. It is propelled by batteries and 12,000 solar cells driving four electric motors. Pilot Andre Borschberg was at the controls for the first leg of the journey and reportedsubstantiated confidence in the technology. “It was incredible to fly alongside the barrier of clouds during most of the flight and not need to hesitate to fly above them. This confirms our confidence in the capacity of solar energy even further.” Monday, after a three-day layover to check the condition of the aircraft and make promotional visits, Bertrand Piccard is scheduled to take the controls for the next leg. Weather permitting, Piccard's leg will see completion of the journey in Morocco. The trip is just a small step toward the team's long term goals. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: FAA'S FUEL ARC -- PROGRESS?
Yes, says Paul Bertorelli on the AVweb Insider blog — just don't expect to be struck by the blinding clarity of a bold action plan. Although it hasn't released the details, the UAT-ARC's work has at least moved things off static dead center, and even the most cynical among us would have to call that progress. 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...

PODCAST: JIM MCCARTNEY'S PILOT STORIES

Jim McCartney's decades-long career as an airline pilot spanned bankruptcies, deregulation, and forced retirement. He captured his story in a book that he wrote with his sister, Angela McCartney Miro, before his death earlier this year. It offers a glimpse into the cockpit of an earlier age.

This podcast is brought to you by Bose Corporation. More...

VIDEO: DIAMOND MULTI-PURPOSE PLATFORM DA42
Diamond has diversified its market to the military, law enforcement and even media realms with the DA42 Multi-Purpose Platform. Diamond Airborne Sensing's Markus Fischer took AVweb through the product at Diamond's factory in Wiener Neustad, Austria. 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: BRUNSWICK COUNTY AIRPORT (KSUT, OAK ISLAND, NC)

AVweb's latest "FBO of the Week" is Brunswick County Airport at Cape Fear Regional Jetport/Howie Franklin Field Airport (KSUT) in Oak Island, North Carolina.

Reader Ron Horton had high praise for the FBO:

Flew to KSUT for an overnight stay. Greeted by John and the ground crew as soon as the engine stopped and immediately felt at home. They tied us down, guided us to the FBO, where we found a friendly airport dog lounging on the couch and several locals planning the next day's "Big Toys" event, which included Young Eagle flights. They offered a crew car, but since we were overnight we opted for an inexpensive rental; the desk is right there with the FBO. Asked them to refuel at their convenience and left the airport.

Got back the next day and realized we left our Nflight cam running after we landed, so we got to review how they moved our airplane to the pumps for refueling and then moved it back to the tiedown spot. It looked like they were handing their personal airplane!

The next day we departed in the middle of a line of planes, taking those Young Eagles up for an aerial view of the North Carolina coast. This is not just the kind of FBO you want to have for your stops; this is one that makes you wish you were based here!

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!

SHORT FINAL

Flying a Piper Lance from Santa Fe to Scottsdale in severely turbulent winds, someone on the radio asked ATC a question.

Unidentified Pilot:
"Is there anyone flying out there in this stuff?"

ATC:
"Yes. One other aircraft."

Unidentified Pilot:
"At what altitude?"

ATC:
"Well, he's assigned 10,500, but he's anywhere between 9,500 and 11,500."

Leonard Hendleman
via e-mail

HEARD ANYTHING FUNNY ON THE RADIO?
Heard anything funny, unusual, or downright shocking on the radio lately? If you've been flying any length of time, you're sure to have eavesdropped on a few memorable exchanges. The ones that gave you a chuckle may do the same for your fellow AVweb readers. Share your radio funny with us, and, if we use it in a future "Short Final," we'll send you a sharp-looking AVweb hat to sport around your local airport. No joke. Click here to submit your original, true, and previously unpublished story. More...

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.

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