NAVY WANTS NEARBY GA AIRPORT CLOSED
The Navy has asked the FAA to close down a small airport close to the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia, after a pair of skydivers inadvertently landed on their property last month. Rear Adm. John C. Scorby, commander of the Navy's Southeast Region, sent a letter on Tuesday to the FAA's district office, outlining the Navy's concerns. Seven skydivers from St. Mary's Airport have landed on the base in the last three years, including the two on Aug. 12, Scorby said. He said such landings could potentially cause "needlessly dangerous reactive responses." The skydiving operator, The Jumping Place, has already moved to another airport while it looks for a new permanent base. More...

STRATOS TEAM DELAYS SKYDIVE RECORD ATTEMPT
The Red Bull Stratos team, which is working toward breaking the longstanding highest-ever parachute jump record, has delayed its final record attempt because the capsule, which carries skydiver Felix Baumgartner aloft beneath a helium balloon, was damaged in a test jump last month. Baumgartner landed safely after jumping from 97,145 feet above the New Mexico desert -- the second-highest jump, ever -- and the capsule was released from the balloon and parachuted back to the surface. However, the capsule landed on rocks and was thrown onto its side, according to the Stratos team blog, damaging its outer shell, framework, and other key components. The flight that will attempt to set a new record is now expected to take place during the first two weeks of October. More...

FAA STUDYING CELLPHONE REGULATIONS
Those who fly on commercial airplanes seem to have mixed feelings about cellphone use in the cabin -- it's convenient when you want to call someone, but annoying when the person crammed in next to you talks too loud or too long. This week, the FAA released a draft report (PDF) addressing whether more cellphone use should be allowed aboard the air carriers. The study, which was mandated by the FAA Modernization and Reform Act enacted earlier this year, looked at safety-of-flight issues, the effect on the passenger experience, and the impact on cabin crew. More...

TAX CREDITS BOOST KESTREL PROGRAM
Kestrel Aircraft will receive $30 million in federal tax credits, the state of Wisconsin announced on Tuesday, to help the company create new jobs. Alan Klapmeier, CEO of Kestrel and co-founder of Cirrus Aircraft, said the credits will provide $7.5 million in new cash for the company, which is working to produce a single-engine turboprop. The state has also provided Kestrel with a $2 million loan and created an enterprise zone that will provide up to $18 million more in tax credits. The city of Superior has added $6.5 million to help with the start-up, including land for two manufacturing sites. More...

NTSB: WINGTIP CAMERAS FOR LARGE AIRCRAFT
Citing 12 accident investigations since 1993, the NTSB has issued a Safety Recommendation to the FAA for installation of anti-collision aids, like onboard camera systems, to help pilots with clearance issues during taxi. The Board says preliminary information collected in its investigations show that pilots of large aircraft cannot easily see the aircraft's wingtips from the cockpit. It found that in aircraft like the Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777 and the Airbus A380 pilots must literally stick their heads out of the window to see the airplane's wingtips, noting that this "is often impractical." The recommendation notes that the Airbus A380 superjumbo is already equipped with an external camera system, and why that system is insufficient in addressing the Board's concerns. More...

SU-24 BUZZES CIVILIAN ROAD?
A viral video has people questioning if they can believe what they see: a Sukhoi Su-24 buzzing a car (and its dash-cam) as both drive down a civilian Russian road in opposite directions and different, but not too different, altitudes. The drama begins about 20 seconds in. Click for video. More...

PUTIN'S TRIKE FLIGHT WITH SIBERIAN CRANES
Russian president Vladimir Putin Wednesday took flight with a pilot who flew with him in a two-seat trike aircraft as part of a project that would lead rare Siberian white cranes on a migration route. Pilot Igor Nikitin flew with Putin and said the Russian president has logged 17 hours in the air. Russian regulations would allow Putin to earn a pilot certificate for the craft in a minimum of 25 hours flight time, according to Nikitin. Putin's flights were successful, but not particularly good at leading cranes. 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...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: SPEAKING AVIATION TO POWER
AOPA and NBAA have hit the political convention circuit, buttonholing movers and shakers and their supporters at events in Tampa and Charlotte. What should they have been talking about?

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

AVIATION RECESSION HITS CHINA?
The bizjet sector is the bright spot for Chinese civil aviation but (relatively) tough times are ahead as China continues to cope with lessened demand for its products. Reporting from the Beijing International Business Aviation Show, China Daily reported that a senior government official was praising the importance of business aviation to the overall industry. "The growth of business aviation is faster than that of other civil aviation sectors, including passenger and freight transport," said Li Jiaxiang, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Companies interviewed by the newspaper said they expect the growth of their businesses to be cut in half in the coming year but they're still expecting upward of 20 percent growth. The regulatory structure needed to accommodate meaningful growth, particularly for more grassroots aviation, is lagging, however. More...

AOPA, NBAA AT RNC, DNC
AOPA and NBAA (no mention of EAA) have taken the unprecedented step of hosting events at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions to press issues of concern to general aviation. The Hill covered the joint schmoozefest at the Liberty in Charlotte on Tuesday. Among those attending were senior Democratic congressmen and senators along with delegates. There was socialization and some networking going on and it appears the spirit of political conventioneering was upheld. The party with the Dems came a week after a similar event in Tampa with aviation-minded delegates attending the Republican convention. 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: NO TIME? NO KIDDING
Cost is a big reason that many owners have reduced their flying hours. But so is lack of time. No surprise there, either, says Paul Bertorelli on the AVweb Insider blog. You probably don't know anyone who's working fewer hours than they did a decade ago, and neither do we. Modern life puts so many demands on the 24-hour day that flying gets bumped to the bottom of the to-do list. Plus, some additional thoughts on the passing of Neil Armstrong. Read more and join the conversation. More...

BRAINTEASERS QUIZ #175: BACK TO FLIGHT SCHOOL
"For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these:" Back to School! (With apologies to John Greenleaf Whittier's "Maud Muller," 1854). Break's over, kids; time to review what you might've forgotten over the summer. This quiz will count toward your final grade.

Take the quiz. More...

TO MULTI OR NOT TO MULTI
That was the question we posed last month. Is it nobler in the minds of pilots to fly on multiple engines or forsake one throttle and -- by opposing the multi-engine fetish -- declare, "One sound power source is good enough for me!" Here now are the results of our single v. multi-engine poll. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: GILL AVIATION (KDWH, HOUSTON, TEXAS)

AVweb's newest "FBO of the Week" is Gill Aviation at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (KDWH) in Houston, Texas.

AVweb reader J.C. Hyde visit there recently and experienced their first-rate service first hand:

Flew into Houston last week. I had arranged for a rental car to be available upon our arrival. What I hadn't planned for was the lost of my primary vacuum pump. When we arrived, [the] rental car was ready; when I asked about fixing the vacuum, the FBO instantly put me into contact with Rite-Way Aviation, whose owner, John Davis, met me at the aircraft. We hadn't even finished unloading before he was hooking the aircraft up to his tug, ready to tow it to their maintenance facility. [He got it] fixed that day and ready for departure. Between Gill Aviation and Rite-Way Aviation, a two-day planned stop did not end up in a long downtime waiting for repairs. And even the cookies were great!

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!

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