FAA ADVISES PILOTS TO PROTECT RIGHTS
Under the recently passed Pilot's Bill of Rights, airmen under investigation by the FAA have the right to request air traffic data such as recordings from control towers and flight service stations, and the FAA said this week it has posted information and links online to facilitate that process. Since air traffic data are stored for only short periods -- usually about 5 to 45 days -- it's important for airmen to submit their request "expeditiously," the FAA said. The FAA website provides details and an email address that airmen can use to make the request. More...

FAA TO STUDY ELECTRONICS USE ALOFT
The FAA said on Monday it will form a working group to study whether it might be OK to allow airline passengers to use personal electronic devices during flights. "We're looking for information to help air carriers and operators decide if they can allow more widespread use of electronic devices in today's aircraft," said Acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. "We also want solid safety data to make sure tomorrow's aircraft designs are protected from interference." The government-industry group will examine a variety of issues, including the testing methods aircraft operators use to determine which new technologies passengers can safely use aboard aircraft and when they can use them. More...

PILOT TO FLY CESSNA ON FUEL FROM MELTED PLASTIC
British pilot Jeremy Roswell hopes this November to fly 10,000 miles from Sydney to London in a diesel Cessna 182 burning petroleum fuel processed from waste plastics. The fuel has been developed by Cynar Plc, an Irish company that uses a process called pyrolysis to melt down plastic trash into a petroleum distillate. That product can be separated into various fuels, including a viable aviation fuel, according to the company, which says it has already tested its fuel in cars. Roswell's flight will require more than 1,000 gallons of the fuel to make his flight. And Cynar will require roughly five tons of plastic garbage to make Roswell's fuel. The company says its plastic waste diesel fuel is cleaner than conventional Jet A, its production process is cleaner, still, and it estimates a low cost per gallon in production. That said, it has expressed awareness of some potential limitations. More...

CUB PILOT AIMS TO FLY TO 48 STATES
When Jared Calvert, a 25-year-old pilot from Texas, decided to tour the 48 contiguous U.S. states in his Piper Cub early this year, his plan was to not have a plan. "I wanted to take off and just go," he said. After several years of working to restore a Piper J-3 Cub that had been sitting in a barn since 1950, he launched his trip, planning to stay at least one night in each state. But just 19 states into his journey, the Cub engine failed on a climb-out in Ohio, and the airplane hit trees and landed upside-down, a total wreck. Calvert was able to extricate himself from the wreckage and call for help, but the most painful part, he says, was the loss of that unique aircraft. This week, Calvert is back in the air, recovered from his injuries, and resuming his trip with a Cub loaned from a friend. More...

SURVEY SHOWS COSTS LIMIT FLYING
An MIT student's grad school thesis, which relied in part on information gathered from AVweb readers, confirms that cost is a major factor in the decline of general aviation activity. It has also revealed something that hasn't shown up in other studies but may be related to economics. In her research, Kamala Shetty, who wrote the thesis as part of her quest for a Masters of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT's International Center for Air Transportation, found that people feel they don't have the time to fly. "An interesting result of the survey that was not clearly evident in the data indicated that available free time has also been a major factor in affecting activity levels," Shetty wrote in the thesis. AVweb facilitated the study, which was done under the supervision of Prof. R. John Hansman, by inviting readers to take part in a survey of flight activity and related issues. More than 1,250 AVweb subscribers took part. More...

NEXTANT CRACKS EUROPEAN MARKET
Nextant Aerospace has delivered its first 400XT to a European buyer, a private owner in the Czech Republic. The aircraft will be managed by Time Air, a major Czech charter and management company. "The 400XT is particularly well-suited to the European market, since its 2,003-nautical mile (3,709-km) range enables travelers to reach destinations throughout Europe, the Middle East and North Africa with nonstop flights," said Nextant spokesman Jay Heublein. That pushes the total deliveries of the "remanufactured" version of the Hawker 400 series bizjet. The European delivery comes a few weeks after a 10-aircraft order was placed by Asia Pacific Jets in Singapore. 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."

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: NO TIME TO FLY
An MIT grad student's thesis says that one of the factors limiting flight hours is a lack of time by pilots.

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers ; click through to read what AVweb readers had to say on the subject. 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...

AVWEB'S REFURBISHED AIRPLANE OF THE MONTH
New airplanes sales may be a little soft, but we're seeing plenty of refurb work--everything from new panels, to fresh paint to full-up interiors. We would like to feature some of these airplanes in the pages of AVweb and spotlight the owners and shops doing the work. If you have photos of your restored aircraft--single, twin or turbine--send them along to us, and if we select your airplane as refurb of the month, we'll contact you for more information. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: 'GALLOPING GHOST' -- NTSB NAILS IT
The NTSB set just the right tone in this week's hearing on the Galloping Ghost accident at Reno last year. The investigation was competent, thorough and done quickly enough to have an impact on this year's event. Unfortunately, it also revealed an airplane being flown beyond its structural limits and one that appeared not to have been flutter-tested. Paul Bertorelli watched the proceedings Monday and shares his thoughts on the AVweb Insider blog. Read more and join the conversation. More...

VIDEO: RENO CRASH VIDEO SHOWS TRIM TAB LOSS AFTER PITCH-UP
The NTSB released a spectator video of the September 16, 2011 crash of Jimmy Leeward's modified P-51 at the National Championship Air Races in Reno. The board is meeting August 26 to determine a probable cause. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: APALACHICOLA/FRANKLIN COUNTY REGIONAL AIRPORT (KAAF, FLORIDA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Apalachicola/Franklin County Regional Airport (KAAF) in Apalachicola, Florida.

AVweb reader Ray Mozingo told us the FBO staff checked all the boxes in making their recent visit a pleasant stopover:

Flew down for a weekend of fishing. The FBO met us when we landed and helped us unload and get to the terminal. Offered us hanger space if we needed. Got plane fueled while we were loading and getting flight plan. Looking forward to going back and meeting with them again! Went out of their way to be helpful.

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 Mike Fisher of Homewood, IL. 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:

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Tom Bliss

Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli

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Russ Niles

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Glenn Pew

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Kevin Lane-Cummings
Jeff Van West

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Karen Lund

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