AMERICAN, US AIRWAYS BOARDS APPROVE MERGER
After about a year of discussion, negotiation and speculation, the boards of directors of American Airlines and US Airways have independently voted in favor of a merger, according to a Wall Street Journal bulletin (subscription required). The new airline will end up being 72 percent owned by American Airlines' creditors and the rest by US Airways stockholders. US Airways CEO Doug Parker will assume that role at the new airline and American CEO Tom Horton will be the non-executive board chairman, the newspaper said. The merger will create the world's largest airline. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: IS BIGGER BETTER?
How have your airline experiences been lately? Is United better with Continental? Is Southwest better with AirTran? Are Delta and Northwest good together? Will American be better with US Airways? Is rationalization helping?

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers what aerospace accomplishment they would pick to win this year's Collier Trophy; click through for the breakdown of responses. More...

HERSMAN SEEN AS LIKELY CABINET PICK
Deborah Hersman, who has been head of the National Transportation Safety Board since 2009, is a top contender for the job of Transportation Secretary, according to various sources. The Christian Science Monitor cited unspecified "reports" saying that Hersman will be President Obama's choice to fill the slot, but Hersman declined to comment. "I feel very privileged to have the job that I have now," she said, "so I am going to be focused on that." Hersman has been a highly visible player in the aviation world, participating in forums at EAA AirVenture, and taking on a wide variety of aviation issues, including pilot fatigue after the Colgan Air crash, air racing after the Reno crash that killed a pilot and 10 spectators, and homebuilt safety. More...

DOD IG FINDS F-22 CRASH REPORT LACKING
The Department of Defense Inspector General has found that an Air Force report stating pilot error as the cause of a fatal 2010 crash of an F-22 Raptor "is not supported by the facts." The report, released Monday, examined the crash of November 2010 that took place in Alaska and killed the pilot, Captain Jeff Haney. The crash preceded an Air Force investigation that sought to determine why dozens of Raptor pilots reported suffering from hypoxia-like symptoms while flying the fighter. The Air Force released its review (PDF) of the crash in December 2011, discounting oxygen deprivation as a contributing factor and stating that "clear and convincing evidence" showed the crash was the result of Haney's failure to recognize and correct inadvertent control inputs in a timely manner. The IG said the conclusion failed to meet the Air Force's standards for "clear and convincing" proof and recommended that the matter be revisited. More...

FAA INITIATES PHASE 2 OF AIRPORT STUDY
The FAA has announced that its study "General Aviation Airports: A National Asset," which will help the FAA make planning decisions, has entered its second phase "to further define the role of GA airports." Earlier work has resulted in the creation of four new categories for GA airports -- national, regional, local, and basic. More than 2,950 airports are included in the study and the FAA has found that almost 500 of those do not fit into one of the defined categories. Yours could be on the list (PDF -- scroll to page B93). The FAA has now committed to gathering additional information about the airports, in concert with state aeronautic divisions and airport sponsors, for further classification. The FAA says phase one has "revealed the many functions the majority of GA airports provide" and categorization of the airports will help the agency "make more consistent planning decisions." More...

CAFE SYMPOSIUM, SOLAR IMPULSE VISIT SET FOR SPRING
The Solar Impulse team in Switzerland has confirmed they will bring their one-of-a-kind aircraft to the U.S. in the next few weeks, after carefully disassembling it and shipping it in the belly of a cargo airplane. The solar airplane will be reassembled in California, probably in one of the large hangars at Moffett Field, home to NASA and Google, just south of San Francisco. That process is expected to take several weeks, then some test flights will be needed. After that, its itinerary includes Washington, D.C., and New York, but no other details have been released. However, the aircraft and pilot Bertrand Piccard are expected at the 7th Annual CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium, scheduled for April 26-27 in Sonoma, Calif., CAFE president Brien Seeley told AVweb this week. More...

PODCAST: CAFE EXPLORES ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT
The 7th Annual CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium is coming up in April. Dr. Brien Seeley, president of the CAFE Foundation, talks with AVweb's Mary Grady about the event and explains why he thinks electric propulsion will be a transformative technology for general aviation.

This podcast is brought to you by Bose Corporation. More...

LSA NUMBERS REFLECT SLOW RECOVERY
Yesterday's report on shipments of general aviation aircraft left out most light-sport aircraft manufacturers, but LSA advocate Dan Johnson has compiled his own annual report for the industry. Overall, said Johnson, "The first half [of 2012] foretold a better recovery, but the last half of the year stalled somewhat." Based on a count of FAA registrations for Special-LSA aircraft, Cessna's Skycatcher led the fleet, with a reported 94 registrations. The first half of the year set a faster pace for the Skycatcher, with 76 new registrations, which dropped off sharply in the second half to just 23. Johnson speculated the announcement that Cessna will switch the airplane from LSA to Primary category might explain the drop. The growth standout for 2012 was CubCrafters, which took second place with 48 new registrations, up from 36 in 2011, a 33 percent increase (click here for an AVweb video report of a flight demo in a CubCrafters S2). More...

NEW DIESEL PASSES VIBRATION TESTS
A Wisconsin company said its new high-performance geared diesel aircraft engine reached a development milestone this week when it passed vibration tests done by propeller manufacturer Hartzell. Induced vibration through a gear reduction system eats props but Engineered Propulsion Systems (EPS) spokesman Steven Weinzierl said the integrated counter-vibration systems in the engine work and the engine runs more smoothly than many gasoline engines. "It's a distinct departure from prior engine designs, and we believe what Hartzell has now confirmed: induced vibration is no longer an issue," Weinzierl said. Hartzell said Engineered Propulsion Systems' Vision 350 easily met is durability standards when tested with traditional aluminum props, a carbon fiber model and its new five-bladed graphite/composite propeller. "We were very encouraged to see that the stresses on the propellers were acceptable and lower than most engines we have surveyed," said Hartzell spokesman Bruce Hanke. "We look forward to continuing to work with EPS on this innovative new product." As we reported in 2010, EPS is developing the engine as a direct replacement for high-horsepower gas engines that need leaded fuel to achieve full performance. More...

AEROSTATS BASED 70 MILES FROM WASHINGTON
The Army will test a tethered airship-based missile defense system at a military restricted area near Baltimore starting next year and that has prompted safety concerns for aviation operations. As we reported last week two aerostats packed with sophisticated radar and other gear will be tethered anywhere up to 10,000 feet and stay there for up to 30 days. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., announced the location later in the week. The tests will be done at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds on Chesapeake Bay. The vast military preserve is already designated as restricted airspace but concerns linger about the tests. 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: DRONES -- MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS
Unmanned aircraft are much in the news this month and for good reason. Senate hearings revealed that the CIA drone program is all but a push-button execution system overseen by a select group. Like everyone else, AVweb Insider blogger Paul Bertorelli wonders if there should there be more oversight. Even in the civilian world, drones are multiplying, increasing the likelihood of abuse. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: ECLIPSE HITS THE ROAD
With new production getting underway soon in Poland, Eclipse is finally pulling together the variables to make an airplane that ought to sell. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli explains why the time may be right for a global personal jet. Read more and join the conversation. More...

VIDEO: YVES ROSSY'S JETMAN SCHOOL (WITHOUT THE JETS)
A video released Feb. 8, 2013, by Jetman Yves Rossy suggests the skydiving innovator may be on the verge of marketing an unpowered version of his strapped-on wing and opening a school to teach people how to fly it. Rossy has piloted another version of the wing with four micro-turbines attached to its underside delivering power. He has flown that version across the English Channel and a section of the Grand Canyon. Rossy describes the unpowered version by saying it can achieve a "glide angle" of 4.5. English is not Rossy's first language and a glide angle of 4.5 would translate to a glide ratio of roughly 13:1 -- substantially better than a Cessna 172. It's possible that Rossy's use of the term instead indicates the wing's glide ratio. Rossy says he's flown his gliding wing in excess of 150 mph, he has demonstrated aerobatics while flying it and believes there is much more potential for his unique brand of flight. Rossy is meticulous in his flight preparations, studying terrain, angles of flight and walking portions of the route when able. It is not yet known if his apparently proposed school will train the same pre-flight planning. More...

VIDEO: AUDIO AUTHORITY'S FLEXIBLE POWER UNIT
More owners and pilots would probably invest in ground power units for starting and running avionics in the hangar if the things were just more flexible. One that is comes from Audio Authority, which, besides being a GPU, also doubles as a battery tender. In this video, Aviation Consumer's Larry Anglisano gives us the lowdown on this versatile unit. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: MONADNOCK AVIATION (KEEN, NEW HAMPSHIRE)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Monadnock Aviation at Dillant-Hopkins Airport (KEEN) in Keene, New Hampshire.

AVweb reader Russel Jennings had high praise for Monadnock:

Courteous staff, excellent information, friendly environment, relaxing place with excellent catering. Employees will interact with you in conversation. If needed, the FBO's mechanic will come check out your aircraft if you are having issues. I can personally say I've been to FBOs where you walk in and it's all about them collecting money, very unfriendly — "get in and get out" kind of places. But Monadnock is friendly and takes its customers into consideration. Definitely recommend this FBO to anybody looking for an excellent place to fly into.

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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