MORE ADS-B BOXES FROM DYNON AND FREEFLIGHT
If buyers lacked choices in the ADS-B market a year ago, the reverse will likely be true at AirVenture next week. Two companies—FreeFlight Systems and Dynon—have just announced their own ADS-B entries and more may be on the horizon, competing with recent products from Garmin, Sportys and upgraded units from SkyRadar. The two new entries are both low-cost remote-mount units. More...

FOREFLIGHT EARNS QICP CERTIFICATION
ForeFlight, one of the pioneer mobile app developers for pilots has earned Qualified Internet Communication Provider (QICP) status from the FAA. According to ForeFlight the new status means that Part 121 and Part 135 operators can use ForeFlight as their official source for weather information. More...

DRONE DETAILS RELEASED BY FOIA SUIT
In response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the FAA has released details about 125 certificates of authorization granted to 18 entities that are using drone aircraft. EFF says the thousands of pages of documents include "extensive details" about the specific drone models in use, where they fly, how frequently they fly, and how long they stay in the air. "There are still many unanswered questions about the privacy implications of drones," said EFF. The group posted all the certificates on its website and asked the "Internet community" to help them review the documents and advocate for more transparency in regard to the use of drones for public surveillance. More...

GAO: SOME FLIGHT STUDENTS ENTER U.S. ILLEGALLY
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Wednesday announced that at least a few foreign students entered the country illegally, were not vetted by the TSA, and were approved for flight training by the Alien Flight Student Program (AFSP). In its report, the GAO concluded that "weaknesses exist" in the specific strategies intended to diminish the potential terrorist threat from general aviation aircraft. The GAO noted that the AFSP "is not designed" to determine how a flight student entered the country and that more than 25,000 foreign nationals applied for FAA airman certificates (completed training) from 2006 to September 2011. Of those, GAO says a known number may not have been vetted by the TSA, and at least six flight students approved for training by AFSP have been arrested by immigration authorities. More...

VOLUNTEERS HONORED FOR AVIATION CONTRIBUTIONS
Several individuals and groups were honored recently by the annual Public Benefit Flying Awards, which are bestowed by the National Aeronautic Association and the Air Care Alliance. This year, the award for Outstanding Achievement in Public Benefit Flying was given to Bob Showalter of Showalter Flying Services, an FBO in Orlando, Fla., "for committed support of public benefit flying organizations in times of national and international crisis," including his efforts to support relief work following the Haitian earthquake and Hurricane Irene. Lightspeed Aviation Foundation was honored as a Champion of Public Benefit Flying, in recognition of the company's work creating a support system to help groups involved in public benefit flying. More...

REPORT: LIGHTS HELP PREVENT BIRD STRIKES
Aircraft lights make it easier for birds to see and avoid aircraft, possibly helping to reduce the risk of bird strikes, according to a report recently published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Indiana State University and Purdue University tested the response of Canada geese to three remote-controlled aircraft -- one with lights off, one with lights on, and one painted to resemble a bird of prey. They found geese responded more quickly to avoid the aircraft with its lights on. The research "could set the aviation industry on the right track to developing lighting systems that will reduce the rate of bird strikes," the report said. More...

NEXT WEEK AT AIRVENTURE -- LOTS OF EVERYTHING
EAA AirVenture opens in Oshkosh next Monday, and as usual, the show will overflow with airplanes and events. The afternoon airshows feature all the top aerobatic performers, and this year they'll be joined by a new act appearing at Oshkosh for the first time -- Team RV, which calls itself "the world's largest formation aerobatic team." The 12-ship team will fly in honor of the 40th anniversary of the popular Van's homebuilt design. The 12 airplanes create "a constant whirl of activity in the aerobatic box," says the group, featuring "exciting rejoins, extended trail chases, graceful aerobatics, and the team's signature large-formation photo passes." But while visitors will have thousands of airplanes to look at, one that will be missing is the Terrafugia Transition prototype, which the company says is too busy with flight testing to come to the show. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: AIRVENTURE PRIORITIES
There is so much to see at AirVenture! Do you have a preference (or even ritual) about where you go first? This week, we'd like to know where you begin.

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers about space tourism; click through to see how many readers are ready to blast off. More...

ICON LOOKING FOR WEIGHT EXEMPTION FOR A5
ICON Aircraft has asked the FAA for an exemption from the upper weight limit for amphibious light sport aircraft to incorporate what it says are important safety features in its A5 aircraft. The company says it needs an additional 250 pounds above the current weight limit of 1430 pounds to accommodate the extra wing and tail surface area, and attendant structural components, to make the aircraft spin resistant. That's roughly the equivalent of the weight of a Cessna 152. ICON announced earlier this year that it had created a truly spin resistant design in the A5 and is trying to convince the FAA that the safety improvement is worth the extra weight for inclusion in the LSA category. "The potential safety benefits of a Spin-Resistant Airframe (SRA) for the S-LSA category are extraordinary," ICON says in its submission to the FAA. "SRA can dramatically reduce loss-of-control fatalities related to inadvertent stall/spin entries. Stall/spin entries account for an alarming 41 percent of all pilot-related fatalities." At last January's Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla., EAA President Rod Hightower announced the FAA was considering allowing weight exemptions for LSAs for safety-related equipment. More...

COURT OKS $50 MILLION FOR HAWKER
Hawker Beechcraft announced on Tuesday that a U.S. Bankruptcy Court has given them the go-ahead to enter into exclusive negotiations with Superior Aviation Beijing Co. for up to 45 days to hammer out a deal and keep the company afloat. The action means that Superior can start to make payments to Hawker to sustain the jet business, with $25 million expected by the end of this week, and another $25 million within 30 days. The money "provides us with funding to preserve jobs as we simultaneously negotiate a potential transaction with Superior," said Hawker CEO Steve Miller. "At this time," he said, "pursuing the potential transaction with Superior is in the best interests of the company and its various stakeholders, including our creditors, our employees, our suppliers and our customers." More...

AVWEBBIZ: AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVIATION NEWSLETTER

Have you signed up yet for AVweb's no-cost weekly business aviation newsletter, AVwebBiz?

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.

Add AVwebBiz to your AVweb subscriptions today by clicking here and choosing "Update E-mail Subscriptions."

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: LITHIUM-ION FOR AIRPLANES? NOT JUST YET, THANKS
The lithium-ion battery industry is banking on an explosion of demand for electric cars and that airplanes will be along for the ride. What's not to like about batteries that are twice as powerful for half the weight? Fires and explosions come to mind. On the AVweb Insider blog, our resident Chicken Little, Paul Bertorelli, says he'll wait a while before embracing Li-ion. Read more and join the conversation. More...

SURVEY: HAVE YOU HAD YOUR AIRCRAFT INTERIOR REFURBISHED?
Have you had your aircraft interior redone in the past five years? If so, our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, wants to hear about it. Please take a moment to answer this completely confidential survey and help your fellow aircraft owners find the best shop to replace their 1970s Royalite-and-velour with something less embarrassing. 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...

FBO OF THE WEEK: FLIGHTLEVEL NORWOOD (KOWD, NORWOOD, MA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Flightlevel at Norwood Memorial Airport (KOWD) in Norwood, Massachusetts.

AVweb reader Edwin L. Nass recommended the FBO:

The gentleman on duty was extremely helpful and efficient in getting us parked and checked in. It was apparent that he appreciated our business and was there to do a great job. We give him an A+ in customer service. Upon arriving for departure, everything was ready to go. This is a great place for Boston-bound travelers who do not want to land at Logan. (AVIS is right there as well.)

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!

VIDEO: FLYING THE CESSNA TTX
What started life as a Columbia and then became a Corvalis is now the Cessna Corvalis TTX. While it hosts many small improvements, the big change is the touchscreen-controlled G2000 avionics suite. Aviation Consumer's Jeff Van West took the pixels and the plane up for a spin. More...

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
Our latest winning photo comes from Brett J. Grooms of Goose Creek, SC. Click here for the rest of this week's submissions. 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.

The AVwebFlash team is:

Publisher
Tom Bliss

Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli

Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles

Webmaster
Scott Simmons

Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew

Contributors
Kevin Lane-Cummings
Jeff Van West

Ad Coordinator
Karen Lund

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