LEAD, LAW AND ENVIRONMENTALISM
The aviation industry reacted swiftly to the threat of a lawsuit by the Center for Environmental Health over the continued availability of leaded avgas. Turns out CEH is something of an expert on lead, and it's not really worried about the jurisdictional issues that the Avgas Coalition is offering as its primary defense. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with CEH Research Director Caroline Cox.

Click here to listen. (9.3 MB, 10:10)

CALIFORNIA AVGAS LAWSUIT — INDUSTRY VIEW
When the Center for Environmental Health notified California aviation businesses and avgas refiners of its intent to sue them over lead contamination issues, the entire industry was caught off guard. In this podcast, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association's Walter Derosier tells AVweb that it's too soon to sort out whether the FAA can preempt CEH's challenge because of its sole jurisdiction on everything related to aviation safety. Further, he explains that some of the smaller businesses who potentially could be named in the suit will likely get help from industry associations.

Click here to listen. (9.2 MB, 9:59)

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG:
IS A CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP ONE-UPPING EPA?
Although it struck like a bolt from the blue, it's too soon to tell if the Center for Environmental Health's proposed legal action will force the issue on leaded avgas. Our guess is that it will become just another distraction that the industry can hardly afford. But on the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli says it would still cost California businesses money to defend themselves or pay a settlement.

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SAFE'S BOB WRIGHT ON GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT
Some pilots are extremely safety-conscious, and some daredevils (sadly) may be beyond reach. In this podcast, Bob Wright of the Society of Aviation and Flight Instructors (SAFE) explains how the SAFE Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia aims to broaden the reach of risk management and safety awareness initiatives.

Click here to listen. (4.0 MB, 4:25)

FAA WADES IN ON THE GA FATALITY RATE
The agency has launched a five-year non-regulatory strategic plan to try to reduce the number of fatal GA accidents. AVweb's Paul Bertorelli spoke with the FAA's Mel Cintron.

Click here to listen. (4.6 MB, 4:25)

ARE FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS THE ROOT OF GA'S PROBLEMS?
The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) thinks so, and it hosted a symposium Wednesday to flesh that theory out. AVweb's Paul Bertorelli spoke with SAFE President Doug Stewart.

Click here to listen. (4.6 MB, 4:28)

AIR FRANCE 447 — FINDING THE "BLACK BOX"
The Airbus A330 that was Air France Flight 447 was lost with all 228 aboard on June 1, 2009 in 14,000 feet of ocean hundreds of miles off the coast of Brazil. In the end, searchers went looking in a 5,000 nautical mile mountainous area 14,000 feet below the surface of the ocean and found an object that's about one square foot big. AVweb's Glenn Pew talks with Mike Purcell of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Purcell was chief of sea search operations for the mission that this May found and led to the retrieval of the aircraft's critical voice and flight data recorders.

Click here to listen. (12.9 MB, 14:05)