TOWER DECISIONS DELAYED TILL FRIDAY
The FAA was expected to announce Monday which control towers will close due to federal budget cuts, but now that announcement has been delayed until Friday, March 22. The FAA plans to eliminate funding for as many as 232 towers, most of them run by contractors, but operators of the affected airports were invited to make a case to the FAA why those measures would "adversely affect the national interest." Last Friday, FAA chief operating officer J. David Grizzle said the FAA has "received a very large number of responses" and needs more time to "review comprehensively the submission on behalf of each airport." More...

SURVEY: SHOULD THE FAA CLOSE CONTROL TOWERS?
You tell us. We're publishing a reader survey seeking your opinions on whether and/or how the FAA should go about closing some airport control towers. Click here to take the survey, which will require about five minutes. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: BUT WHICH TOWERS?
Communities and pilots alike have always accepted the notion that the federal government has a definite role in building aviation infrastructure. But does that apply to control towers and sleepy little fields that don't really need them? The FAA is about to answer that question. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli gives you a shot at offering your own opinion. Read more and join the conversation. More...

WHITEHEAD "FIRST FLIGHT" CLAIMS STIR CRITICAL BACKLASH
Critics that include the National Aviation Heritage Alliance (NAHA) and a senior curator for the Smithsonian Institution have refuted claims made this month and supported by Jane's All the World's Aircraft that Gustav Whitehead piloted a powered aircraft years before the Wright Brothers. The claim, which specifically stated that Whitehead first flew his original powered monoplane by at least 1901, was recently promoted by Australian aviation historian John Brown. Brown's evidence appeared to satisfy Jane's editor, Paul Jackson, who included it in the foreword of the 100th edition of Jane's All the World's Aircraft. NAHA calls the evidence "fanciful" and notes a letter written by the Smithsonian's Tom Crouch that states the persistent accounts of Whitehead's success have been previously discredited. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: WERE THE WRIGHTS RIGHT?
Jane's All The World's Aircraft has come out in favor of the notion that Gustav Whitehead first fulfilled the definition of powered, controlled flight a couple of years before the Wright Brothers. Were the Wrights better aviators, or did they just have a better photographer?

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers if the sequester cuts will affect their flying; click through to see the breakdown of their answers. More...

DFW REOPENS FIRE CENTER WITH MOCK A380
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has reopened its aircraft rescue firefighting training and research facility and announced a partnership with Embry-Riddle after a yearlong expansion that includes a new burn pit and "the only" Airbus A380 training hull in the United States. The $29 million expansion was designed to enhance the facility's real-world training environment and improve its capabilities as a research center. Prior to the expansion, the facility trained more than 15,000 students from 24 countries. It will now integrate an Aviation Fire Science program developed by Embry-Riddle. DFW is also partnering with the FAA and ICAO for information sharing. More...

ORBIS FLYING HOSPITAL UPGRADES TO MD10
The one-of-a-kind Orbis flying eye hospital will get an upgrade this year, transitioning from a DC-10 to an MD10 donated by FedEx. The flying hospital travels the world to deliver surgical eye care and training to people in poor countries, with a fully equipped surgical suite and staff on board the aircraft. "The new MD10 will have many new advantages," Orbis spokesman Christopher Bogusz told AVweb. The interior will be configured to handle new custom-made modules. "These innovative modules are essentially stand-alone units that can be upgraded, replaced, or easily taken off the aircraft to be modified," Bogusz said. Volunteer pilots from FedEx and United Airlines do the flying. More...

AIR FRANCE CRASH REPORT: CAPTAIN HAD JUST ONE HOUR OF SLEEP
According to a transcript of the cockpit voice recorder, the captain of the Air France Airbus 330 that crashed into the Atlantic in 2009 said he had not had enough sleep the night before, a detail that was not previously released, according to the French magazine Le Point. Le Point says that in a judicial transcript it acquired, the captain said, "I didn't sleep enough last night. One hour, it's not enough." According to ABC News, the new information raises concerns about the investigation and whether the full content of the CVR transcript should be made public. Investigators released a final report on the crash last July. More...

NEW BACH BOOK CELEBRATES FLIGHT
Author Richard Bach, known for his stories about flying and most famous for the classic Jonathan Livingston Seagull, this week published a new book about a cross-country flight in his seaplane, Travels with Puff, A Gentle Game of Life and Death. "Could be that non-flyers would be startled at the trip, but the book was written for flyers, and for me," Bach told AVweb in an email interview on Tuesday. The book, illustrated with photographs by fellow traveler Dan Nickens, describes how he learned to fly the SeaRey amphibian in Florida then flew it back to his home near Seattle. The story captures the adventure of facing new challenges, exploring new landscapes, and making new friends along the way. More...

PARAGLIDERS RALLY TO SAVE MOUNTAIN
A mountaintop in Utah that's a popular launch site for paraglider and hang-glider pilots is being destroyed by a mining operation, and the fliers have launched a protest. "This is a jewel, this is a famous place," said Jonathan Jeffries, a paraglider, at a recent meeting where fliers gathered to plan a mountain-saving strategy. "People come from all over the world to fly here." The site, known as Point of the Mountain, just south of Salt Lake City, is owned by a mining company, and bulldozers are now infringing on the fliers' site. The fliers have launched a web site, an online petition, and a Facebook page in an effort to organize support and preserve the mountaintop for recreation. More...

JENSEN BACK AT EAA
As we told you Monday the popular head of EAA's homebuilder section Chad Jensen was dismissed from that position but EAA was still hopeful of finding a place for him in the organization. That apparently happened and Jensen is now Homebuilt Technical Specialist through EAA's Member Services team. Read Jensen's post on the Van's Airforce Forum site here. More...

NEW ECLIPSE POWERS UP
The first truly new Eclipse aircraft to come out of the factory in Albuquerque in almost five years has been powered up and will be delivered to the customer in the fall. The Eclipse 550 is an updated version of the Eclipse 500, of which 260 were built before the company collapsed in 2008. The 550 uses the same airframe and PW610F engines but includes modernized flight systems and optional features like enhanced or synthetic vision, autothrottles, satellite phones and anti-skid brakes. Eclipse Aerospace CEO Mason Holland said the milestone achievement sets the stage for a measured return to aircraft production by the company. "This event is another key signal to the world that we continue on our methodical and well-executed plan to reintroduce production and delivery of the Eclipse 550 Jet this year." More...

FEDS OVERRIDE BEECHCRAFT APPEAL OF LAS CONTRACT
The Pentagon and Obama administration invoked a rarely used power in overriding a congressional review of Beechcraft's second appeal of the loss of a contract to the U.S. Air Force. Citing "unusual and compelling circumstances," the Pentagon told Embraer to get going on supplying 20 Super Tucano light air support aircraft to the Afghanistan Air Force and ignore Beechcraft's appeal. The Air Force picked the Super Tucano for a second time over the Beechcraft AT6B in January after the former Hawker Beechcraft successfully appealed the first contract award. Beechcraft protested the latest contract award to the Government Accountability Office but the Pentagon action stopped that process cold. Beechcraft says it's considering its options and has issued a statement critical of the Pentagon's action, calling it "misguided." More...

AVWEBBIZ: AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVIATION NEWSLETTER

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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: 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: HOVA FLIGHT SERVICES (KGIF, WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to HOVA Flight Services at Gilbert Airport (KGIF) in Winter Haven, Florida.

AVweb reader Christopher Leonard told us how impressed he was with the facilities at staff at HOVA:

This is the best FBO I have been to in a long time. The staff is genuinely friendly, and there is a true GA focus here. The restaurant inside the FBO building is excellent and creates a sense of community. The airport is active in flight training and promoting GA. The facilities are beautiful, and fuel prices for such an outstanding new facility are very reasonable. Getting in and out of the airport is a breeze. I would highly recommend this FBO and airport to anyone!

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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