BBJ SETS SPEED RECORD TO NEW ZEALAND
A Boeing BBJ set a new world speed record over the weekend, the company said, flying from Los Angeles to New Zealand nonstop -- a distance of 5,658 nautical miles -- in 13 hours, 7 minutes and 54 seconds. The airplane landed with 7,800 pounds of fuel still in the tanks. The jet, a modified 737-700 that is owned by Samsung Electronics, is equipped with seven auxiliary fuel tanks, Boeing said. It was flown to New Zealand for installation of a VIP interior. Steve Taylor, BBJ president, said the airplane was 21,000 pounds below max takeoff weight when it left California. "This means the customer can add a full VIP interior, fill all the seats and still carry full fuel and have remarkable range," he said. More...

RENO RACES: ATTENDANCE DOWN, SAFETY PREVAILS
The Reno Air Races have concluded a week of safe racing. Organizers hosted a ceremony on Sunday afternoon to remember the 11 who died in last year's crash of Jimmy Leeward's P-51 Galloping Ghost. "We wanted to have an event that appropriately remembered last year," Mike Draper, spokesman for the Reno Air Races, told the local KOLO news. Balloons were released as each victim's name was read. Attendance was down about 8 percent compared to last year. "It wasn't until mid-August that we were able to say this event is happening with absolute certainty," Draper said. "And I think people held off on making reservations." Ticket prices for attendees also were raised to help cover higher insurance costs, Draper said. The show policy rose from $300,000 last year to $2 million this year. Draper added that robust attendance is expected next year for the event's 50th anniversary. More...

U.S., GERMANY TO COOPERATE ON ALTERNATIVE AVIATION FUELS
The FAA and the German government have agreed to work together to promote and develop sustainable alternative jet fuels, the FAA said last week. Representatives from Germany's Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development and the FAA signed an agreement during a ceremony at the ILA Berlin Air Show. "Together, we can leverage our research, our knowledge and our greatest resource -- our experts -- to work toward creating new sustainable alternative jet fuels," said Philip Murphy, U.S. ambassador. More...

FAA DIRECTIVES AFFECT PIPER FLEET
The FAA published two airworthiness directives this week that affect the Piper general aviation fleet. A final rule published on Monday affects 3,100 Piper Comanches (models PA-24, PA-24-250, and PA-24-260), requiring inspections of the stabilator horn assembly, at a cost of about $1,000 per airplane. If the assembly needs to be replaced, it would cost another $1,600. Failure of the stabilator horn could lead to a loss of pitch control in flight, the FAA said. A proposed rule published on Tuesday affects about 1,000 Piper twins, models PA-31, PA-31-325, and PA-31-350. The rule would supersede an existing AD that requires repetitive inspections of the exhaust system. More...

REPORT: FAA BEHIND SCHEDULE ON DRONE INTEGRATION
Many obstacles must be overcome before unmanned aircraft systems can be safely integrated into the National Airspace System, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report released last week. Additional work is needed, the report said, to find ways for UAS to sense and avoid other aircraft effectively, to address vulnerabilities in the command and control of UAS operations, and to develop safe and consistent performance standards and regulations. "Concerns about national security, privacy, and the interference in GPS signals have not been resolved and may influence acceptance of routine access for UAS in the national airspace system," the report said. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: NORFOLK ISLAND DITCHING -- MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS
Dom James, the pilot of that Westwind that ditched off Norfolk Island in 2009, is challenging the findings of the the ATSB's report on the accident. After reading the report, it's easy to see why, says Paul Bertorelli on the AVweb Insider blog. Read more and join the conversation. More...

VIDEO: THE LAST FLYING B-24 BOMBER (COLLINGS FOUNDATION)
The B-24 was the most widely produced bomber in world history. This video shows the sole surviving flying example: the only flying B-24 Liberator bomber -- there is one cargo B-24 flying -- left anywhere in the world of the roughly 18,000 built. This is the Collings Foundation's B-24, Witchcraft. More...

WHO'S WHERE? YOU TELL US
Get a promotion or a new job? Your colleagues want to know about it, and AVwebBiz can get the word out. Drop us a line about the staff appointment, with a nice recent photo, and we'll do our best to include it in our new section, "Who's Where." The items will be permanently archived on AVweb for future reference, too. More...

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...

MEET THE AVWEBBIZ TEAM

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