MOSQUITO FLIES AGAIN
An eight-year restoration project culminated with the first flights of what is now the world's only flyable de Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber in New Zealand. Mosquito KA114 flew from Ardmore Airport to Mangere on Thursday. It was the first time a Mosquito had flown since 1996 when the last surviving example crashed at the Barton Air Show in England. The aircraft is owned by Jerry Yagen, owner of Fighter Factory in Virginia Beach, Va., and after being displayed at Ardmore over the weekend is expected to be crated and shipped to Virginia. The restoration, which was practically a ground-up reconstruction, was done by Glyn Powell and Mike Tunnicliffe. More...

CHINA SAVES LIBERTY?
Details of a deal announced earlier this month show that a Chinese city may be single-handedly resuscitating Liberty Aerospace with a $28 million deal that includes the purchase of 50 Liberty XL2s. To put that into perspective, GAMA's 2011 Year-End shipment report lists a total of three XL2 two-seat, side-by-side low-wing trainer deliveries for 2011 -- all of which took place in the first quarter. Through the first two quarters of 2012, Liberty shipped no XL2s, according to GAMA. Now, Wuhan, China, has agreed to purchase 50 XL2s plus 50 four-seat helicopters from other manufacturers. The deal was announced by officials from Wuhan and Federal Aerospace Holdings Group with a promise of "bringing jobs back to America."  More...

BALLOON PILOT LOSES CRASH SUIT
The pilot of a hot air balloon that caught fire, resulting in the death of two of his 12 passengers in British Columbia in 2007, has lost his lawsuit against the balloon's manufacturer, Aerostar International. Stephen Pennock claimed the fuel lines on the balloon were improperly assembled and designed, resulting in the horrific accident in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver, in August of 2007. The Vancouver Province reported B.C. Supreme Court Gregory Bowden said he was unable to determine from the evidence whether strain on the fuel line or improper assembly caused it to break and in any case he said it wasn't established that the addition of any further safety devices would have prevented the disaster. He dismissed Pennock's suit. It was the last litigation involving the accident. Aerostar had settled out of court with others involved and would not discuss details of the settlements. More...

NEPAL, AIRLINE DISAGREE ON CRASH CAUSE
Nepalese aviation officials and executives of Sita Air are at odds over what brought down a Sita Dornier 228 Friday in Katmandu, killing all 16 passengers and three crew. It may be up to British investigators to sort out just what happened. The twin had just taken off from Katmandu's airport headed for Lukla, the first stop for many Mt. Everest trekkers, when the pilot reported a bird strike. Witnesses on the ground reported seeing the aircraft on fire before it crashed on an open patch of ground in the middle of the city. The aircraft burned after impact and the only recognizable part left was the tail. There seems to be agreement that the aircraft hit a bird, possibly a vulture, but that's where the airline and the government diverge. More...

SECOND SUICIDAL FLORIDA PILOT MISSING
About one week after a reportedly suicidal pilot and his plane disappeared from central Florida, a piece of wing has been found floating off Florida's northeast coast that may be associated with a different reportedly suicidal pilot. Investigators are seeking to determine if the four-foot wing section belongs to a Cessna 172 piloted by Gene Milowicki, a retired Navy commander with 24 years service. Milowicki resigned on Sept. 14 from his subsequent position as director of aviation programs at Florida State College, Jacksonville. Police found a suicide note in Milowicki's car, which was parked in his hangar at Herlong airport. The report comes roughly one week after Michael Sills and his Piper Archer disappeared under similar circumstances from Orlando-Apopka Airport. More...

THIRD X-37B LAUNCH EXPECTED, FEW DETAILS
The Air Force has announced that one of its 29-foot-long X-37B unmanned space planes will launch on another classified mission in October and this time has left some faint hints of what the aircraft's activities might involve. Previous missions of X-37B space planes ended in December 2010, after 255 days, and in June 2012, after 469 days. Both of those flights landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, and little is known about what the aircraft did while in orbit. Air Force spokesperson Maj. Tracy Bunko has indicated the X-37B helps the Air Force test how new payload systems and technologies perform in space. It also brings those payloads back for detailed inspection, providing "significantly better learning than can be achieved by remote telemetry alone." The next trip may not return to Vandenberg. More...

PILOT TURNS FAKE EMERGENCY INTO MARRIAGE PROPOSAL (VIDEO)
Back in February, Pilot Ryan Thompson decided to propose to his girlfriend in the air, while flying a Diamond DA40 (or similar) near Chicago, but the proposal wasn't the only drama Thompson had planned and all of it was caught on video. While the actual flight took place months ago, the edited video only appeared on the internet this month and it is making headlines, including Good Morning America. Thompson's preflight planning for the flight included mounting a GoPro to the glareshield and printing a special checklist. Once airborne with then-girlfriend Carlie, the two enjoyed some sightseeing before Thompson unleashed his plan. Video after the jump. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: WHY CAN'T JOHNNY LAND?
He can, just not very well. Loss of control on the runway is the leading cause of accidents, and (no surprise) it's more pronounced among LSAs. Can simulators help? Some schools and flight instructors think so. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli examines the subject. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVMAIL: OCTOBER 1, 2012

Letter of the Week: Boxed in at the FAA

Regarding the Pearson Box: The air field I used to fly from, White Waltham in England, is close to London Heathrow and when the wind is from the east, is often overflown by airliners turning on to final at 2,500 feet. Our circuit height is 800 feet, with an overhead join at 1,300.

We knew that our activities would trigger TACS alerts, especially when a Pitts or Sukhoi was practicing aerobatics, yet this wasn't and isn't seen as an issue.

Perhaps the FAA should contact U.K. NATS (National Air Traffic Services) and find out how we safely manage this in the U.K.

Mik Butler

Click here to read the rest of this week's letters.

SURVEY: ARE YOU INSTRUCTING IN LSAS?
If so, AVweb would like to talk to you regarding your impressions of teaching flying in light sport airplanes. Send us an e-mail with your contact information, and we'll set up an interview. 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: TRADITION AVIATION (KTRM, PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA)

AVweb's latest "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Tradition Aviation at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (KTRM) in Palm Springs, California.

AVweb reader Ted Seastrom recommended the FBO:

For many months, KTRM was my home airport. This recommendation is based not on just one experience but the consistency of dozens of experiences under all conditions. Tradition Aviation, run by Penny Nelson and Ann Goodwyn, is simply a jewel — everything an FBO can and should be. Every person there is competent, friendly, and professional. It's obvious they love aviation and support pilots, passengers, and crew with energy and enthusiasm. Planes are met, escorted, and attended to with efficiency. The building itself has a rustic feel to it while offering the most up-to-date amenities. Everyone is made to feel welcome — from corporate moguls and their jets to new private pilots. Tradition is a case study in FBO excellence.

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 Andrew Jackson (Savanda Action Photography) of Williamsburg, VA. Click here for the rest of this week's submissions. More...

VIDEO: THE LAST FLYING B-24 BOMBER (COLLINGS FOUNDATION)
The B-24 was the most widely produced bomber in world history. This video shows the sole surviving regularly flown example, from roughly 18,000 B-24 Liberator bombers produced. This is the Collings Foundation's B-24, Witchcraft. More...

VIDEO: SUPER LEGEND FLIGHT TRIAL
American Legend gained success with its popular Legend Cub, and now it's followed up with a new Lycoming-powered version of the airplane. If you like the Super Cub, you'll like the Super Legend, too, because its performance is quite similar. AVweb ventured to Legend's Sulphur Spring, Texas, homebase to fly the airplane, and here's a video report on the flight. More...

SHORT FINAL

This happened just three days ago, during instrument training, while copying and reading back a clearance for only the second time ever.

Clearance Delivery (after I'd read back my clearance correctly) :
"Readback correct. What runway, and how long?"

Me:
"Runway 03, and it's 4,200 feet long."

I can only imagine what the controller said at that time. My instructor keyed in immediately to clear things up.

Brian Smith
via e-mail

HEARD ANYTHING FUNNY ON THE RADIO?
Heard anything funny, unusual, or downright shocking on the radio lately? If you've been flying any length of time, you're sure to have eavesdropped on a few memorable exchanges. The ones that gave you a chuckle may do the same for your fellow AVweb readers. Share your radio funny with us, and, if we use it in a future "Short Final," we'll send you a sharp-looking AVweb hat to sport around your local airport. No joke. Click here to submit your original, true, and previously unpublished story. 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

Ad Coordinator
Karen Lund

Avionics Editor
Larry Anglisano

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.