PILOTS PICKET THE WHITE HOUSE
More than 100 United Airlines pilots showed up in front of the White House on Monday to protest their stalled labor talks with the airline. The pilots, wearing their uniforms, carried signs asking for help from President Obama and protesting United's use of Aer Lingus pilots to fly a Washington-to-Madrid route. The airline is "addicted to offshoring," according to the signs. In a vote taken on July 17, nearly 94 percent of the eligible pilots voted, and 99 percent of them agreed to a strike, according to the Air Line Pilots Association. The vote, which starts the clock on a 30-day cooling-off period, followed two years of negotiations after the merger of United and Continental. More...

EARHART SEARCHERS RETURN, WILL EXAMINE DATA
A team from The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery has returned to Hawaii after searching a reef on a remote Pacific atoll in search of evidence to support their theory that Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan ditched their Lockheed Electra there. The team spent about a week exploring the site with a research ship, using submersible vehicles, but reported no definitive signs of the airplane. However, the team collected "volumes of new sonar data, thousands of photographs and hours upon hours of high-definition video," Kate Aconfora, a spokesperson for the Discovery Channel, told AVweb. The TIGHAR team will now be "reviewing and analyzing" all of that material, she said. More...

CRIME SPREE HITS AIRPORTS, FUNDRAISER
An all-volunteer fundraiser, "Spirit of Flight Day" for Colorado's Erie Municipal Airport Spirit of Flight Center (an air museum), raised about $10,000 Saturday, before some of the money was allegedly stolen. The museum operates on an annual budget of $75,000 and maintains a collection of restored aircraft and artifacts covering decades of history. Supporters had hoped to use proceeds from the fundraiser to pay the center's property tax bill. But after spending $4,000 on a band and beer garden to attract people to the event, organizers say they also found $2,700 missing. And it appears that loss may have been part of a mini, somewhat localized airport crime spree. More...

PILOTS WANTED! ANGEL FLIGHT WEST
Angel Flight West is seeking volunteer pilots after a surge in activity this year left 10 percent of their missions unfilled due to lack of personnel. The nonprofit organization transports people in need of vital healthcare who can't take a commercial flight or other transportation because of health, financial or geographic considerations. Pilots who participate donate all flight-related costs (tax breaks may apply) and passengers never pay for a flight. The organization is on pace to provide an all-time high 5,000 missions this year but due to lack of pilots has cancelled more missions this year than ever before in its 29-year history. The need is greatest in specific areas of the country. More...

HIGHTOWER: A "SOLID" YEAR FOR AIRVENTURE
EAA released its final numbers this week on attendance for AirVenture 2012, with a total of 508,000 visitors, about 33,000 fewer than last year. EAA President Rod Hightower said the total was "tremendous," give the challenges of "intensely hot weather, storms, and struggles in the overall economy." The total number of commercial exhibitors was 802, and "numerous exhibitors reported record-breaking sales this year for Oshkosh," EAA said. More than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport and nearby fields, about the same number as last year. "This was a solid year at AirVenture," Hightower said, "and, most importantly, it was a safe event." More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: AIRVENTURE -- LET THE CARPING BEGIN
Complaining seems to be a traditional sport as they're knocking down the tents and breaking down the hangars at Oshkosh. But the reality is that AirVenture will never be the same quaint, personable fly-in it once was. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is somewhat pointless and won't change the reality one bit. So find a nice, cool chalet, grab a tall drink and enjoy yourself. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli says he did exactly that at Oshkosh this year. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AIRVENTURE 2012: NEWS COVERAGE ROUND-UP
The year's mostly eagerly anticipated fly-in and trade show, EAA AirVenture took place in Oshkosh, Wisconsin from July 23 to July 29, 2012. Click here for an all-in-one-place index to coverage from the show — including podcasts, videos, blogs, and photo galleries. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF CESSNA'S DIESEL-BURNING 182 NXT?
Cessna is widening fuel options for owners of the 182 Skylane, including an SMA diesel-burning engine. Some have said a diesel-powered Cessna would be a game-changer, but we'd like to know your opinion.

Plus: Back before AirVenture, we asked AVweb readers where they like to begin their exploration of the show grounds; click through to view the breakdown of answers. More...

HACKERS DEFEAT BARR
It was perhaps inevitable that someone somewhere would find a way, and an apparently legal one at that, to track flights of aircraft on the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) list but at least one of the architects of the project feels a little bad about it. Dustin Hoffman (the researcher, not the actor), who developed the system with Semon Rezchikov, is a private pilot who thinks it's none of anyone's business where consenting adults fly their aircraft but he's also not adverse to making some money by selling that information to others, like, for instance, celebrity gossip channels and sites. In fact, he's managed to strike a noble posture in his defense of OpenBarr.net. "I'm a libertarian. I don't think it's anyone's business where you travel to," he told Forbes "But what's worse, for everyone to know it's easy to track you, or to have a false assurance you can't be tracked?" NBAA isn't buying it. "Getting on an airplane shouldn't amount to forfeiting your security and privacy to anyone, anywhere in the world with an Internet connection," NBAA spokesman Dan Hubbard told Forbes. "That's why a law was passed to create a program that allows citizens and companies to opt out from having their flights tracked. Attempts to compromise that opt-out ability amount to nothing less than an unwarranted invasion of the privacy of aircraft owners and operators, a threat to the competitiveness of U.S. companies and a potential security risk to the persons aboard aircraft." More...

SOME HAWKER BEECH BONUSES APPROVED
At least 31 senior Hawker Beechcraft employees will receive payments totaling $1.9 million after a bankruptcy judge approved that part of the Key Employee Incentive Program that is part of the company's bankruptcy filing. However, a decision on the big prize for the company's top eight executives, bonuses totaling $5.3 million, has been deferred until Aug. 6, with the judge inviting new evidence to be considered. The company insists the bonuses are justified because taking a company out of bankruptcy and transferring its assets to another owner is a lot of work. They will also preside over the "orderly shutdown" of the business jet part of the business. More...

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FBO OF THE WEEK: SIGNATURE FLIGHT SERVICE (KOMA, OMAHA, NEBRASKA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Signature Flight Service at Eppley Field (KOMA) in Omaha, Nebraska.

This Signature location earned the respect (and praise) of AVweb reader Charlie Bobbish when he needed a helping hand on a recent trip:

Being far from home with a mechanical problem is something no owner looks forward to experiencing. Having it happen on vacation is even worse. We had to stop in Omaha due to engine roughness. With no notice, Signature dedicated a mechanic to us, diagnosed the problem, and got us on our way with a smile. They offered us a crew car all day and made sure that our stop was as pleasant as possible. What a great way to treat a customer in need!

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!

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...

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