BRIEF STORM BLOWS THROUGH AIRVENTURE
Weather is instantly changeable at AirVenture Oshkosh and the widespread knowledge of that fact that could be why there was little aviation-related damage from a significant but short-lived storm that blew through AirVenture Oshkosh on Thursday. There were reports of upturned portable toilets, and lots of tents went down in the five-minute deluge and wind storm but it would appear almost all aircraft were properly tied down and able to withstand the gusts that accompanied the cell. A homebuilt biplane near the forums area flipped but it appears to have been tied down. More...

PIPER CELEBRATES 75-YEAR HISTORY
Piper CEO Simon Caldecott visited EAA AirVenture on Monday and provided an update on the state of his company. "We've made 76 deliveries so far this year," he said. "We're being cautiously optimistic." The balance sheet has shown improvement for 10 quarters in a row, he said, with about half of aircraft sales being delivered overseas. He's launching a demo tour from Oshkosh for the Seneca V light twin, which he said at a price of $935,000 offers a "great value proposition" compared to similar aircraft. He also said the company is looking at "additional product improvements" across its line, but he's not yet ready to make any announcements. More...

"SOCIALFLIGHT" APP AIMS TO BRING PILOTS TOGETHER
A new free app and website called "SocialFlight" makes it easy for pilots to find events taking place in their area by collecting aviation events on an easy-to-use map. The site was created "to promote GA flying," the creators said. "We believe that by providing pilots with a great resource to see all the wonderful events going on around them, they will fly more and strengthen general aviation." The site just launched a few weeks ago, and the developers said this week at EAA AirVenture they already have registered thousands of users and have posted about 2,000 events. SocialFlight is available for iPad/iPhone, Android, and on the web at SocialFlight.com. More...

VIDEO: JEPPESEN KICKS IT UP A NOTCH
The next version of Jeppesen's iPad app, JeppFD, is pegged for release this September. The new version has an improved user interface better organized around phases of flight. It also includes new tools, such as a night mode and highlighter. The latter version allows you to highlight your assigned taxi route right on an airport diagram, as well as make notes. It will also include much-awaited datalink weather. Jeppesen will also introduce a new pricing structure that will allow for multiple installs of the JeppFD for less money than in the past.

This video is brought to you by Bose Corporation, Aviation Insurance Resources, Bendix/King by Honeywell, and ForeFlight. More...

FUEL SENSOR RETROFIT IN THE WORKS
A new-technology digital fuel sensor that has been adopted for Cirrus aircraft soon will be available as a retrofit for other GA aircraft, the manufacturer said this week at EAA AirVenture. "Even in turbulence I have found the system to be extremely accurate," says Scott Philiben, CEO of CIES, headquartered in Redmond, Ore. "When it says I have half a tank, I do have half a tank." The sensor technology provides a steady data stream to the multi-function display in the cockpit, Philiben said. There is no need to amplify or condition the signal to compensate for long wiring runs or corroded connections. "The end result is precise and reliable fuel level reporting in all conditions and with all fuel types," according to the company. More...

HUERTA'S FIRST OSHKOSH FORUM
At his first open forum with the GA public at EAA AirVenture, held on Thursday morning, acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta faced a wide range of questions, and unlike in some recent years, he took them direct from the audience instead of from EAA officials. Huerta and his staff handled the usual questions about user fees -- "There's not a lot of support for the president's proposal," Huerta said -- and NextGen -- "This is the biggest infrastructure project in the nation," he said. NextGen has a lot of moving parts, but Huerta said he's hopeful that it will continue to be implemented and GA will see benefits from it. But the last question of the session, from a young pilot, perhaps raised the most concerns about the future of aviation. More...

IS THAT AN EFIS IN YOUR POCKET?
In addition to being the summer of the portable ADS-B receiver, it seems to be the summer of portable and backup EFIS. Sagetech develops avionics for military drones, but made a debut appearance at Oshkosh with their Clarity portable ADS-B receivers including built-in AHRS (digital gyros). The Clarity SV systems cost about $1000. When paired with an iPad running WingX Pro, the Clarity provides weather, traffic and synthetic vision. More...

VIDEO: PORTABLE AND BACKUP EFIS SOLUTIONS DEBUT AT OSHKOSH
Hey, buddy, is that an EFIS in your pocket? If you went to Oshkosh this year, it might be. Aviation Consumer's Jeff Van West took a look at three backup and portable electronic flight displays that offer new capabilities in tiny packages.

This video is brought to you by Sennheiser, Avidyne, Aspen Avionics, and WxWorx XM WX Satellite Weather. More...

IMC CLUB UPDATE AT AIRVENTURE
The IMC Club, a nonprofit project based in Norwood, Mass., to help instrument pilots maintain their efficiency, continues to grow and develop, co-founder Radek Wyrzykowski told AVweb at EAA AirVenture this week. "Our motto is essentially that currency is not enough," said Wyrzykowski. "You might be legal, but that doesn't mean you're proficient." The clubs bring instrument pilots together to share their experiences and learn from each other. Local chapters are found across the country, and each group can decide for itself how often it wants to meet and in what format, Wyrzykowski said. A side benefit of these groups is that they help to create friendships and grow more powerful local aviation communities. More...

PODCAST: IMC CLUBS UPDATE
Radek Wyrzykowski, one of the co-founders of IMC Clubs, talks with AVweb's Mary Grady at EAA AirVenture about the expansion of the group's efforts to help instrument pilots maintain proficiency and explains how pilots can start a chapter at their airport.

This podcast is brought to you by WxWorx XM WX Satellite Weather, Bose Corporation, Avidyne, and Bendix/King by Honeywell. More...

BUILD A PLANE HOSTS TEACHERS AT AIRVENTURE
Build A Plane, a nonprofit group based in California that helps school groups to build their own aircraft, held its fourth annual Teachers Day at EAA AirVenture this week in Oshkosh. The program, which ran on Tuesday in the EAA Museum, provided a free day at AirVenture for about 150 teachers from around the country, along with a series of forums about how to incorporate aviation into their classrooms to help teach kids about science, technology, engineering and math. "We are amazed by how many great opportunities are out there to use aviation to engage and motivate kids to learn," said Lyn Freeman, Build A Plane president. "Today's students respond to real-world applications, and aviation really captures their attention." The Teachers Day program was co-sponsored by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and EAA. More...

PODCAST: BUILD A PLANE WORKS TO INSPIRE EDUCATION
Lyn Freeman, president of the nonprofit Build A Plane organization, talks with AVweb's Mary Grady at EAA AirVenture about BAP's projects, including hosting a forum for dozens of teachers at Oshkosh and finding airplane projects for school kids to build.

This podcast is brought to you by Aspen Avionics, Aviation Insurance Resources, WxWorx XM WX Satellite Weather, and Bose Corporation. More...

MICROSOFT FLIGHT DEAD, MARKET HAS SPOKEN
The team responsible for the development of Microsoft Flight has been laid off and plans for adding future content have been scuttled, but the free download version of the flight sim will remain available, for now. Critics complained that the flight simulation program lacked extensive terrain and aircraft options and fell short in its support for third-party add-ons. The development team included about 35 programmers and staffers. Microsoft said the decision was part of "the natural ebb and flow" of its portfolio management, but there may have been other factors. More...

VIDEO: SENNHEISER INTRODUCES S1 HEADSET WITHOUT THE ANR
Headset manufacturer Sennheiser introduced the little brother to their top-of-line S1 digital ANR headset. The S1 passive sports many of the same fit-and-feel improvements such as adjustable pressure on the headband and has a control box for volume and music input with auto-muting. It lacks the active noise reduction, but it also only costs $369.

This video is brought to you by Avidyne, Sennheiser, Bendix/King by Honeywell, and WxWorx XM WX Satellite Weather. 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...

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

Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? Your advertising can reach over 225,000 loyal AVwebFlash, AVwebBiz, and AVweb home page readers every week. Over 80% of our readers are active pilots and aircraft owners. That's why our advertisers grow with us, year after year. For ad rates and scheduling, click here or contact Tom Bliss, via e-mail or via telephone [(480) 525-7481].

Click here to send a letter to the editor. (Please let us know if your letter is not intended for publication.)

Comments or questions about the news should be sent here.

If you're having trouble reading this newsletter in its HTML-rich format (or if you'd prefer a lighter, simpler format for your phone or handheld device), there's also a text-only version of AVwebFlash. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here.

Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.