The president of the company that will provide the funding to resume production of three models of Mooney aircraft says he can't release details of the transaction at the moment. AVweb reached Cheng Yuan (Jerry Chen), president of Soaring America Corporation, at his other business, a hobby and RC aircraft dealer in Alhambra, Calif. Read More

Legislation that would update FAR Part 23 and streamline aircraft certification, the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013, has now passed through the Senate and will go back to the House of Representatives where it is expected to pass (again). The House passed its version of the bill back in July with a 411-0 vote before sending it on to the Senate. The bill aims to provide a more direct path for the certification of new aircraft designs that integrate new technology and safety enhancements. It would also provide a more effective path for existing aircraft to be upgraded and may reduce costs for pilots seeking upgrades. Read More

The mayor of Wichita, Carl Brewer, is expected next week to attend the opening of the Wichita-China Aviation Office in Beijing, China, which seeks to promote Wichita's aviation industry in that country. "We need to be in the game of international trade, and this trip reflects our dedication to helping Wichita companies expand their export opportunities," the mayor said in a statement. The office will be funded by private sponsors in China and Wichita, according to Kansas.com, as well as local manufacturers. Read More

New rest rules for pilots approved by the European Parliament Wednesday and now seeking approval of the EU Council of Ministers may face another hurdle -- BALPA, a British pilots union, says it is preparing a legal challenge, Express.co.uk reported Thursday. BALPA believes the new rules could create circumstances that would allow for pilots to land flights after 22 hours without a required rest period. The union is urging Britain's government to stop the EU-wide deal and that seems unlikely. The country's Department of Transportation and its aviation regulator, CAA, have publicly backed it. British pilots have already very publicly complained about fatigue problems they attribute to the existing standards. Read More

The federal government's budget woes have affected aviation in many ways this year, but EAA President Jack Pelton says the cash crunch was no excuse for the FAA to refuse to staff the Oshkosh tower during AirVenture this summer. "We have an active lawsuit," Pelton told AVweb during an interview at AOPA Summit this week, in Fort Worth, Texas. "The FAA is not legally allowed to charge us for those services." But while he continues to press that case, he said EAA is preparing to have to pay for tower staff again in 2014. The organization also is looking at other long-term solutions, such as finding their own private staff for the tower, instead of paying the expenses for FAA controllers. Read More

D'Shannon is well-known, especially among Bonanza owners, as a purveyor of aircraft performance accessories, and now it's getting into the boutique engine business. At AOPA Summit in Fort Worth this week, D'Shannon announced new details about it Genesis engine series, a performance, tuned version of Continental's popular IO-520 and IO-550 lines that are the mainstay powerplants of modern Bonanzas. In this podcast from Summit, the company's Scott Erickson describes the Genesis program. Read More

OpenAirplane, a service that aims to make it easier for pilots to rent airplanes when away from home, has been growing since its launch this summer, co-founder Rod Rakic told AVweb in an interview at AOPA Summit on Saturday. The system now has 80 aircraft available in 22 cities, and more than 4,100 pilots have signed up at the company's website. Using the system, pilots can take a "universal checkout" at home, and then rent a plane from participating FBOs while traveling. "Our goal is to make renting an airplane as easy as renting a car," Rakic said. The system so far provides checkouts mostly in single-engine Cessnas, but Rakic said they are now expanding those options -- they are adding more variety in the fleet, plus offering a multi-engine checkout and a mountain checkout for flying from elevations above 5,500 feet. Read More

Renting an airplane away from home has always been a hassle, but OpenAirplane aims to make that process "as easy as renting a car." The company has made progress since its launch earlier this year. Co-founder Rod Rakic gave an update to AVweb's Mary Grady at AOPA Summit in Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday. Read More

At AOPA Summit in Fort Worth, Anthony Chan was showing off his sophisticated, wirelessly controlled aircraft tug. The tug is featured in AVWeb's video coverage of Summit. Read More

One way of attracting a crowd at shows like AOPA Summit is to have a clever gadget, and Anthony Chan definitely has one in his wirelessly controlled aircraft tug. Chan was putting the tug through its paces on the exhibit floor in Fort Worth this week and drawing plenty of interest. Unlike most tugs, which use rubber-tired wheels for traction, the AC Air Technology tug has a miniature tank tread system driven by a pair of powerful electric motors powered by a lithium-ion battery capable of multiple tows. Read More

Somewhere over Nevada, returning to Utah from San Jose: ... All the airliners where working hard to find their customers smooth air. There were sigmets for turbulence up to 14,000 feet and above 18,000. A UPS flight checked in on-level at 35,000 feet and asked: "What altitudes are working for smooth rides?" ... Controller: "There does not seem to be much smooth air, but it seems a little better above 38,000 and below 31,000. What would you like to do?" ... UPS Flight: "At our altitude, how long will we be in this light chop?" ... Controller: "Maybe ten minutes." ... UPS Flight: "I guess we will ride it out and see what happens. Controller, let me know." ... Then, from one to the other planes — saying what most of us had been thinking: "What? Are those boxes complaining?" ... UPS came back and said simply: "No." -- Brad Brown, 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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