NTSB TARGETS GA SAFETY FOR IMPROVEMENT
In its annual list of "most wanted safety improvements," the NTSB on Wednesday said general aviation pilots and their passengers too often are "dying due to human error and inadequate training." The safety board investigates about 1,500 GA accidents per year, with about 400 fatalities, and sees "similar accident circumstances time after time." Improved education and training, and screening for risky behavior, are critical to improving GA safety, the board said. GA maintenance workers also should be required to undergo recurrent training, the board said, to keep them current with the best practices for inspecting and maintaining electrical systems, circuit breakers, and aged wiring. More...

PODCAST: NTSB CITES GA ACCIDENT RATE
The NTSB this week released its annual list of most-wanted safety improvements, and for the second year in a row general-aviation safety made the top 10. AVweb's Mary Grady spoke with Earl Weener, a member of the safety board with extensive experience in the aviation industry, to provide a deeper look into the NTSB's process and their plans for improving GA safety. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: HOW SAFE DO YOU FEEL?
The NTSB says GA has a lot of work to do to reach acceptable levels of safety. What do you think?

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers about their use of new flight-planning technologies; click through to see a breakdown of the answers. More...

B-29 FIFI GROUNDED, SEEKING SUPPORT
What was the only flying B-29 Superfortress, the Commemorative Air Force's (CAF's) Fifi, has been grounded due to an engine problem suffered by the aircraft's number two engine, and the cost of repair has launched a fundraising initiative. According to CAF, the problem became evident during "the last flight of the season." Acquisition of parts needed for the repair could exceed $250,000 and the Keep Fifi Flying campaign has set the goal to raise whatever funds are necessary to return the aircraft to flight. The goal is consistent with CAF's larger mission, which is to preserve and demonstrate the living legacy of aviation history.  More...

SPITFIRE MEMORIAL UNVEILED IN BRITAIN
A small town in Lancashire unveiled a memorial to the Supermarine Spitfire over the weekend, to commemorate a fundraising effort during World War II when residents donated about $8,000 to buy an airplane for the Royal Air Force. The stainless-steel sculpture features a one-twelfth-size Spitfire with a wingspan of about 12 feet. It flies at the top of a soaring pedestal, erected on a traffic island in Darwen, "on The Green, near the White Lion Pub," according to the Lancashire Telegraph. More...

FAA FINALIZES AD FOR AIRBUS RUDDERS
It was November 2001 when an Airbus A300 operated by American Airlines crashed in New York after losing its rudder and vertical stabilizer in flight, killing 265 people, and on Friday, the FAA issued its final rule to address the problem. The FAA revised its proposed rule, which would have required a change to the rudder pedals to limit travel, to allow for an alternative proposed by Airbus -- a warning system and more crew training. The FAA estimates rudder-pedal changes would cost about $200,000 for each of the 215 airplanes affected, but the Airbus warning system would cost just $108,000, or as little as $73,000, depending on the age of the aircraft's computer system. Operators have four years in which to develop and implement the fixes. More...

THREE CAP PILOTS KILLED EN ROUTE TO SAFETY MEETING
Three Civil Air Patrol members on their way to an FAA safety seminar took off from Hawkins Field Airport in Jackson, Miss., on Tuesday afternoon in a Piper PA-32, and moments later all three died when the airplane crashed into a house and caught fire. Killed in the crash were Col. John E. Tilton Jr., former member of Civil Air Patrol's Board of Governors and Alabama Wing and Southeast Region commander; the Mississippi Wing's standardization/evaluation officer, Lt. Col. David Williams; and Capt. William C. Young, finance officer for the Maj. James McKinnie Composite Squadron, CAP said in a press release, Wednesday. More...

CESSNA CITATION OVERRUN, SAO PAULO, ON VIDEO
Video has emerged of a the moment a Cessna 525B Citation CJ3 with two crew members and one passenger on Nov. 11 overran runway 35R at Sao Paulo, Brazil, bouncing over a berm and crashing a perimeter fence and barrier, seriously injuring its pilot.  A copilot and passenger were the only other people onboard and both suffered minor injuries. The aircraft, operated by Tropic Air, was damaged beyond repair. There was no fire in spite of the trip's violent conclusion that stopped the jet just short of an active roadway. Weather reports just prior to and after the late afternoon accident (17:27, local time, 19:27 Zulu) show a near reversal in wind direction. More...

CLUSTER BALLOONIST PLANS TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT
Jonathan Trappe, who has flown his unusual lighter-than-air system over Lake Michigan (launching from Oshkosh) and across the English Channel, is now planning to attempt a trans-Atlantic flight next summer. This Friday, in Leon, Mexico, he plans to test-fly the seven-foot-long lifeboat that will hang suspended as a gondola beneath 365 helium balloons. Trappe has been scouting launch sites along the coast of Maine, and hopes to land somewhere near Paris -- although anywhere along the west coast of Europe or Africa will do. More...

PILOT SHORTAGE, OR AIRLINE HYPE?
Some airline executives are saying a combination of retirements, airline expansion, and an imminent change in FAA rules that could set a minimum of 1,500 hours for first officers will create a pilot shortage, but CBS news analyst Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger said the airlines are employing "scare tactics." In a story in Sunday's Wall Street Journal, Dan Garton, CEO of American Eagle, said the impact of the FAA's proposed new first-officer rule "is going to become much more visible when regionals have to decrease their flying" for lack of pilots. The airline may have to eliminate service to some smaller cities, he said. Sullenberger said on CBS on Monday that airline executives are crying wolf, with the aim to pressure the FAA into reducing the first-officer requirements in the final version of the new rule. More...

CESSNA, CAIGA INK JET DEAL
Cessna and China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Company, Ltd. (CAIGA) have finalized a deal to assemble Citation XLS+ business jets in China. The deal, which was announced as a strategic partnership earlier this year with CAIGA parent AVIC involving the assembly and sale of Caravans in China, will involve subassembly and parts production in Wichita with assembly, paint and flight testing for in-country aircraft to take place in Zhuhai, the site of Airshow China, which is on this week. More...

AVWEBBIZ: AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVIATION NEWSLETTER

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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.

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AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: VETERAN'S DAY FLY-BY
Here at AVweb, we try to pause and reflect on our veterans every November 11 — but sometimes, when there's not a news story to hang your reflections and thanks on, you have to takes to the air in your Piper Cub and do some proper reflection. That's what Paul Bertorelli did Sunday in an effort to find the right way to say "thanks" to all those who've served. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: ELECTION -- READY, SET ... WHAT?
For aviation, last week's election may represent some interesting possibilities. Unfortunately, most of them involve budget cuts and possibly the delay or elimination of programs most of us consider important. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli observes that, to a degree most of us have never seen, aviation's outlook is tied to larger taxation and policy considerations. Welcome to the world of the challenged special interest group. Read more and join the conversation. 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...

VIDEO: PIPER'S 75TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
On Saturday, November 10, Piper Aircraft celebrated its 75th anniversary as an aircraft company. AVweb was there and got a look at some terrific vintage aircraft as well as Piper's latest line of M-class airplanes. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: MAVERICK AIR CENTER (KFSD, SIOUX FALLS, SD)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Maverick Air Center.

AVweb reader Clay Anderson works alongside Maverick at Joe Foss Field Airport (KFSD) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota - and has plenty of good things to say about them:

I started a flight school with one aircraft at my home airport less than a year ago. I've gotten to know [the people at Maverick Air] over the last several years as they were trying to get onto the long-time monopolized field. When I opened up [my business], they immediately offered me a discount on gas. Last week, they towed my flat-tired Cessna Skyhawk safely to my hangar for a new tube and tire. They jumped at the chance to let me have a nice, smoke-free ground school in their new board room. I just can't say enough about Maverick Air Center in Sioux Falls, SD. They are trying to earn my business every day, not just on the days I need them.

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 Kevin Quinn of Olympic Valley, CA. Click here for the rest of this week's submissions. More...

MEET THE AVWEBFLASH TEAM

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