A computer security company, TrendMicro, Thursday reported that it has found a particular family of malware gathering information "related to the civil aviation sector." The company says that the intentions of the latest targeted information gathering are not clear, but the programs are "now being used to gather intelligence about the civil aviation sector in the United States." The new attacks "indicate a certain level of expertise and funding," says TrendMicro, which offered basic advice for self-defense. Read More

The FAA says that a sharp increase from 2011 to 2012 in the number of reported incidents involving failure to maintain proper separation of aircraft in flight is likely due to changes in how such incidents are reported and not due to increased risk to aircraft, but not all agencies agree. The year-over-year increase ran the numbers up from 1,895 to 4,394 for consecutive one-year periods ending on Sept. 30, 2012. The FAA's old method of acquiring data relied on reports filed by humans; the new system also relies on humans ... without fear of punishment ... and includes automated reporting at some facilities. While the reported figures are up, the FAA notes that high-risk incidents as a percentage of total incidents declined. The FAA hopes that new technology may also help improve safety. But a recent GAO report shows not all entities are convinced that all the increases in near-miss incidents can be entirely attributed to changes in reporting. Read More

A computer glitch at United Airlines Thursday led to a yet undisclosed number of passengers gaining access to tickets sold to them for as little as zero dollars, plus fees, and it appears the company has decided to honor those prices. At the root of the problem for United were airfares accidentally filed at $0. When the airline became aware of the error it briefly stopped accepting reservations. Service returned by roughly 2:45 p.m. Central time. One passenger contacted by NBC news said she was able to book a flight from Houston to Washington for $5. Read More

Cluster balloon pilot Jonathan Trappe landed short of his goal on Thursday when he maneuvered his unique lighter-than-aircraft to a safe landing in a remote area on the western coast of Newfoundland during the last hours of daylight. "Hmm, this doesn't look like France," he posted to his Facebook page. Shortly after, he posted: "Landed safe, at an alternate location. Remote. I put the exposure canopy up on the boat. Will stay here for the night." According to Barcroft Media, Trappe experienced "technical difficulties" that forced him to "abandon his quest." Read More

One of the largest orders Cessna has ever recorded was placed at Moscow's JetExpo 2013 for 79 of the manufacturer's Skyhawks (more than half the number of Skyhawks delivered in all of 2012), purchased by Moscow-based operator ViraZH. ViraZH plans to establish the aircraft as trainers and will place them at flight schools throughout western Russia. At list prices, the deal would be worth more than $22 million. The delivery will be fulfilled through the third quarter of 2014, giving the Russian operator, which already operates 11 Skyhawks, one of the largest Skyhawk fleets in the world Read More

Bombardier says it's hoping for perfect weather Monday to enable the first flight of its much-anticipated CSeries airliner. Although the company was targeting a morning flight, the weather forecast on Sunday was favoring an afternoon window. Showers and 10-knot winds were expected to end by noon when the skies were forecast to clear. Read More

The Bendix/King KSN770 retrofit FMS trickles down from the Honeywell Apex integrated flight management system. It has a flexible feature set and an open architecture. Read More

Flying around the world solo in a light single is a challenge in anyone's books but Calle Hedberg says it's also a great way to relax. The South African IT consultant has taken an eight-month break from work to make the westward trek that is planned to end in February back in his hometown of Cape Town. But while most of the just 95 solo/single earthrounders that have preceded him, Hedberg doesn't have a detailed plan or itinerary for his trip. "This is my first holiday in 15 years," he told AVweb in an interview in Kelowna, British Columbia, where he paused for a week to earn a float endorsement. Read More

Many round-the-world pilots are in a hurry to get the trip done, but Calle Hedberg of Capetown, South Africa is taking a different route. He has eight months to do the trip in his kit-built Ravin 500, and he plans to savor every moment. AVweb's Russ Niles flew with him after he got a float endorsement in Kelowna, British Columbia. Read More

Shelley Rosenbaum Lipman writes: "I was interested in the article on the KSN770 published in the Sept. 13 AVwebFlash, in which it states that 'graybeards may still prefer [to use] a transfer key' as opposed to using touchscreen controls. I'm not a graybeard (is there a politically-correct term for female pilots, too?), but I am a human-factors engineer, and I'm always amazed at the proliferation of touchscreen and data-entry techniques in today's avionics." ... Click through to read the rest of this letter and other mail from AVweb readers. Read More

Periodically, we run a sampling of the letters received to our editorial inbox. One letter that's particularly relevant, informative, or otherwise compelling will headline this section as our "Letter of the Week," and we'll send the author an official AVweb baseball cap as a "thank you" for interacting with us (and the rest of our readership).

Send us your comments and questions using this form. Please include your mailing address in your e-mail (just in case your letter is our "Letter of the Week"); by the same token, please let us know if your message is not intended for publication.

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Mother overheard scolding her son at AirVenture: "So help me God, if you don't straighten out, I am going to send you home on a COMMERCIAL airliner!" Only at Oshkosh! -- David Peters, via e-mail Read More

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.

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