AVWEB READERS RATE AOPA: BOUQUETS (SOME) AND BRICKBATS
As AOPA President Craig Fuller announces his departure, a survey of AVweb readers reveals that about half –- 53 percent -- think AOPA has done a good to exceptional job of promoting and protecting general aviation. But almost one in five -- 17 percent -- say just the opposite; AOPA has done a poor to mediocre job, in their view. Readers are less generous in rating Fuller's job performance. Some 32 percent say Fuller has done a fair to satisfactory job, while… More...

NTSB CONSIDERS GA SAFETY ALERTS
The NTSB Friday announced it will meet next week to consider issuing Safety Alerts to the general aviation community as an effort to help curb the number of accidents and fatalities associated with the segment. Safety Alerts are outlines that offer practical remedies for specific safety issues. There are five areas of concern that will be considered at a March 12 meeting. They include inattention to mechanical problems, risk management, stalls and controlled flight into terrain. The meeting will be available to pilots via live webcast. More...

NTSB PLANS FORUM, HEARING ON 787 BATTERIES
The NTSB says it still doesn't have any answers about the root cause of a battery fire aboard a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 in Boston in January but it's going to great lengths to get it done. At a news conference in Washington on Thursday, Board Chairman Debra Hersman said the interim factual report it released gives all concerned parties an update on the various activities associated with the battery issue. All 51 Dreamliners have been grounded since the middle of January after two battery fires occurred within a week of one another: an APU battery fire aboard an empty JAL aircraft at Boston and an in-flight fire on an ANA plane over Japan. The two incidents have resulted in multi-jurisdictional investigations and prompted the NTSB to open a public docket for all the paper that's being generated by the various probes. The NTSB will also hold a public forum on lithium ion batteries and convene a formal hearing on the design and certification of the batteries in the 787. Both events will be held in April. Meanwhile, Boeing is hoping the FAA will soon approve interim measures it has devised to get the aircraft back in the air. More...

TSA: CERTAIN KNIVES ALLOWED ON AIRLINERS
On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, terrorists stabbed individuals while hijacking a jet that would later crash into the World Trade Center's North Tower, and on Tuesday, March 5, 2013, the TSA announced certain knives banned after 2001 would again be permitted on airliners. TSA Administrator John Pistole said the new rules would be put in place on U.S. planes beginning April 25. According to Pistole, permitted items will include foldable non-locking or fixed blades without a molded grip, provided their blades are no wider than 1/2 inch and no longer than 2.36 inches. Box cutters and razor blades will still be prohibited. Representatives of the federal air marshal and flight attendant communities have voiced objections to the announced changes. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: KNIVES ON A PLANE
In a rare instance of a return to common sense, the TSA has announced that it will relax standards for allowing sharpies and pointies on airplanes. Beginning in April, you can once again carry a small pocketknife -- blade length less than 2.36 inches -- through security and onto a commercial airline flight. You'd think this would be universally lauded, but no. There's actually an anti-knife constituency. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli examines the issue. Read more and join the conversation. More...

SUN 'N FUN READY TO HIRE CONTROLLERS
Sun 'n Fun will hire air traffic controllers on its own if necessary to staff the annual airshow and fly-in next month. President Lites Leenhouts told the Lakeland Ledger paying controllers would reduce the amount of money the organization can give to aviation scholarships but it will do what it must to ensure a safe and orderly air traffic flow at the show. "The public won't know the difference," Leenhouts said. "We're doing everything we can to ensure there are qualified controllers in the tower during all hours of operation." Lakeland Linder Airport is among a reported 173 airports across the country that have been targeted for closure due to budget restrictions imposed by sequestration and a final decision will be made March 18. The towers may close as early as April 7. Airport officials have until Wednesday to appeal the closure notice and Lakeland Linder director Gene Conrad told the Ledger he will cite Sun 'n Fun as a reason to keep the tower open. More...

AIR CHARTS STOPS ATLAS PRODUCTION
Popular aviation charts vendor Air Chart Systems has sent a notice to its subscribers that it's ceasing publication of the spiral-bound paper atlases that were its signature product for more than 50 years. In a note attached to the March 7 electronic update of en route charts and approach plates the company suggests it's out of the paper charts business. "Due to adverse business conditions and the increasing use of electronic charts, we will not be publishing our atlases or renewing next cycle," the note reads. The company says it will no longer mail hard copy updates either. The company has not responded to our repeated attempts to contact them for clarification of the note. More...

PENTAGON: F-35 NOT READY FOR TRAINING
A report by the Pentagon's director of operational test and evaluation highlights numerous shortcomings with the F-35, combat concerns raised by pilots, and the jet's general lack of readiness for training exercises. The report was prepared last month and made public last week. It notes that "due to design, the pilot-vehicle interface causes increased workload" and includes quotes from pilots critical of visibility from the cockpit. One said, "A pilot will find it nearly impossible to check six under G." There were other issues. More...

STOWAWAY SUIT DISMISSED
A North Carolina judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the family of a 16-year-old boy whose body was found in Boston after it is presumed he fell from the wheel well of a US Airways flight that was landing there. The mangled body of Delvonte Tisdale, of Charlotte, was found Nov. 15, 2010, on the approach path to Logan Airport a day after he was last seen at home in Charlotte. It's theorized that he got over the airport fence and managed to sneak into the aircraft wheel well before the A320 took off on its non-stop to Boston. According to The Associated Press, Tisdale's family sued the City of Charlotte, the airline and the airport alleging, among other things, that the defendants didn't do enough to warn Tisdale of the danger of "boarding a plane as a passenger in the wheel well of an airplane." More...

GA AWARD WINNERS NAMED
Four individuals have been selected for their contributions to flight instruction, maintenance, avionics and safety, to be recognized at AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 by FAA Administrator Michael Huerta as part of the General Aviation Awards Program. The awards program is a cooperative effort between the FAA and supporting organizations. It is designed to "highlight the important role" played by specific individuals "in promoting aviation education and flight safety," according to program co-chair JoAnn Hill. This year's winners are William T. Fifles (AMT of the Year), Bruce Lundquist (Avionics Technician of the Year), Dean Eichholz (CFI of the Year), and Mark Edward Madden (FAA Safety Team Representative of the year). More...

VIDEO: TOTAL ECLIPSE FLIGHT DEMO
Eclipse is touring the country with its Total Eclipse, a factory re-do of the original EA500. But the airplane is a good stand-in for new production airplanes, which will be called Eclipse 550s. AVweb recently took a flight demo in a Total Eclipse and prepared this video report. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: ORANGEBURG MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KOGB, SOUTH CAROLINA)

AVweb's latest "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to the FBO at Orangeburg Municipal Airport (KOGB) in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

AVweb reader Jeff Grigg described his recent visit to the airport:

We had an appointment with an examiner at this airport. While there, we were offered a nice Ford to go get some lunch. When our appointment was over, the weather had turned real sloppy, and the ceiling at our home airport was only 600 feet. The folks at the Orangeburg Airport offered the use of a hangar for a few days until we could return and pick up our plane. When we returned, she was nice and dry in the hangar. The manager filled the plane and even gave me a little discount on fuel and did not charge me any rental for the hangar due to the weather. With service like this, you bet I'll recommend this airport and the management to anyone flying through! Everyone was very friendly, the facilities were everything I could want in a small town, and these were just plain good folks.

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...

SHORT FINAL

Heard on the tower frequency at an airport that will remain undisclosed to protect the innocent:

Cessna 12345:
"Tower can you have regional jet ABC meet us on Unicom freqency for a personal message?"

Jet ABC:
"Tower, tell the Cessna we are a professional crew on a schedule and we don't have time for idle chit chat."

Cessna 12345:
"O.K. Tower, you may want to tell that professional crew they left the landing-gear lock pin in the nose gear. Have a nice day!"

Larry Cosby
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

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Russ Niles

Webmaster
Scott Simmons

Contributing Editors
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Glenn Pew

Contributors
Kevin Lane-Cummings

Ad Coordinator
Karen Lund

Avionics Editor
Larry Anglisano

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