LIBERTY TO ANNOUNCE CHINA DEAL
It may have been born in the U.S.A. but you'll soon find Liberty in China. Reuters is reporting that Liberty Aerospace has reached a deal with a Chinese company (half owned by the Chinese government) to build its XL-2 two-place touring aircraft for use in China. Anyang Angel Aero Science and Technology Development Co. Ltd. will build the airframes for the aircraft at a new $300 million plant it will build at an undisclosed location. Engines and avionics will come from the U.S. More...

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH MAINE?
Following our Thursday story, we've had a lot of questions from AVweb readers asking for more details about how Maine is taxing GA pilots who fly into the state. Right now we don't have clear answers. More...

TOP RACERS HEAD TO NEW ZEALAND
A total of 18 of the world’s best pilots will meet in New Zealand later this month to compete in races through mountainous courses up to 200 miles long, reaching speeds of up to 200 mph, sometimes flying only a few feet above the ground. Imagine what they could do if they had engines. The FAI World Gran Prix Gliding Championships return to Omarama, N.Z., Dec. 19 for six days of head-to-head action in the fastest free-flying aircraft in the world. And you can fly along via cockpit cameras feeding live streaming video during the finals. "Commentary and real-time graphics footage are available on each day of the championships," says an event news release. "On finals day, 24 December, full broadcast featuring in-cockpit mini-cams and air-to-air footage using the latest TV filming technologies will be available." More...

CLOSE CALLS AT NEWARK, BWI
Within days of the FAA declaring that serious runway incursions were on the decline and the Government Accountability Office warning of the danger of a "catastrophic runway collision", a couple of pretty close ones occurred at two of the U.S.'s busiest airports. Late Thursday, a Continental Express pilot taxied onto a runway at Newark Liberty Airport after being told to hold short. The inbound Continental flight on short final had to land long to avoid the other aircraft. The previous Sunday, a Comair flight took off over a US Airways flight that had just landed on an intersecting runway at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. In both cases, the FAA says the aircraft came within 300 feet of each other. More...

AOPA URGES CAUTION ON MANAGING AGING AIRCRAFT
AOPA continues to lobby the FAA to develop maintenance guidelines for old airplanes that take into account their unique vulnerabilities to fatigue problems. The FAA has been working on a program to address the undeniable issues that arise as airframes age. AOPA says the agency is apparently paying attention to calls for a customized approach to the problems rather than broad-based policies that will inflict unnecessary burdens on aircraft that are not at risk. "AOPA understands the seriousness of structural fatigue and is working to educate the general aviation community on how to maintain their aging aircraft," said Melissa Rudinger, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs. "But the FAA shouldn’t apply a broad-based, fleet-wide fix to specific aging aircraft problems. So far, the FAA seems to be taking a reasonable approach by developing a fatigue management program." More...

KANSAS MAN INDICTED IN SIX AIRPORT BURGLARIES
If you bought a handheld, headset or GPS (possibly from a Wichita or Hutchinson, Kan., address) on Ebay recently, the FBI may want to talk to you. According to The Associated Press, The Kansas City U.S. Attorney’s office announced last week that a grand jury had indicted Michael Wagner, 26, of Hutchinson, Kan., for a series of burglaries at six small airports in Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas over a nine-month period in 2005 and 2006. It alleges Wagner broke into buildings at the airports and took various items of value, including aviation gear, laptops and firearms, and then sold them on Ebay. More...

SABOTAGE RULED OUT IN AG PLANE CRASHES
Philippine officials say there's no evidence of sabotage in three crashes involving four aerial spraying aircraft over the past two months. "There is no sabotage of any kind in those incidents. It is just that they happened one after another in so short a time," Frederick San Felix, regional manager of the Air Transportation Office (ATO), told The Philippine Star. The latest crash happened Thursday and all the aircraft have been involved in spraying banana plantations with fungicide. Three of four pilots were killed. More...

FAA WANTS HELP ELIMINATING USELESS RULES
Have you come across something that’s arcane, anachronistic or just plain useless in your travels through the regs? Well, the FAA says it wants to know about it. The agency has issued a Review of Existing Regulations that invites anyone with a beef about how the law of the air is now set to drop them a line. "Getting public comments is a necessary element of our effort to make our regulations more effective and less burdensome," the agency claims in the document. It’s asking that you list the top three aggravations in descending order for it to consider. More...

CASH FOR YOUR AIRLINE HORROR VIDEO
If you’re flying commercial this holiday season, the Coalition for an Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights (CAPBOR) wants to try and ease your misery and maybe help you win cash prizes. CAPBOR, you may recall, was founded after a series of high-profile airline passenger "strandings" in which planeloads of people were kept bottled up on the ground in airliners ill-equipped to handle the extended stay. Their idea for a passenger bill of rights has some political traction and, in the meantime, the group is offering some potentially meaningful help —- and cash prizes -- for those who inevitably will find themselves stranded in some form or another this holiday season. "We advocate putting the integrity, dignity and wellbeing back in air travel," CAPBOR founder Kate Hanni said in a news release. "And to do this we are introducing our four point plan to expose the truth about airline practices and bring justice to the flying public." More...

ON THE FLY ...
Nationwide Airlines resumed flights in South Africa ...
Adam A700 got first Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) ...
Young pilot died in crash into synagogue ...
SR22 clipped a wing on the ground before crashing in Minnesota ...
Twin Comanche, 152 collided over the Everglades. More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something that 130,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. What have you heard? More...

Columns | Features | What's New | Calendar | Brainteasers

WHAT'S NEW FOR DECEMBER 2007
This month, AVweb's survey of the latest products and services for pilots, mechanics and aircraft owners brings you a Cozy model, indestructible plotter, survival pack and much more. More...

LEADING EDGE #12: RETHINKING THE TOUCH AND GO
That staple of flight training, the touch and go, has some flaws that need to be addressed to increase safety. More...

AVMAIL: DEC. 10, 2007
Reader mail this week about the Cessna Skycatcher, reducing aviation greenhouse gasses, Maine's new taxes and more. More...

AVWEB'S MONDAY PODCAST: 43-YEAR CROPDUSTING VETERAN DON TAYLOR
After 150,000 takeoffs and landings in a 43-year cropdusting career, Don Taylor of Emmett, Idaho — who was the subject of a recent story in The Idaho Statesman newspaper — shares the secret of his longevity in the nations third-most-dangerous occupation. Mike Blakeney talks with Don and his wife Charlene to get her perspective about their life together running an aviation business. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: SPECIALTY FLIGHT TRAINING (KBDU, BOULDER, CO)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Specialty Flight Training at KBDU in Boulder, Colorado.

AVweb reader David W. Douglas praises the Specialty Flight team for stepping up to the plate when he arrived late on a Friday afternoon:

I ... needed to hanger my Cirrus due to incomming weather, ... and Specialty was kind enough to move one of their own planes outside and put in mine. The owner, Lonnie, was very kind and his FBO was pristine! There was a big frost that night and his kindness helped me be able to leave the next day without concern for frost/snow.

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!

DID YOUR BATTERY DIE? TELL US ABOUT IT
Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, will soon publish an in-depth report on aircraft batteries. As part of that report, the magazine would like to hear about your experiences with aircraft batteries -- good, bad or otherwise. To take part in our online survey, click here. More...

AVWEBBIZ: AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVIATION NEWSLETTER
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP yet for AVweb's NO-COST weekly business aviation newsletter, AVwebBiz? Reporting on breaking news, Business AVflash focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the business aviation industry. Business AVflash is a must read. Sign up today at http://www.avweb.com/profile/. More...

SHORT FINAL

Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"

Overheard in the vicinity of Buchanan Tower in Concord, California:

Cessna 123:
"Buchanan Tower, this is Cessna One Two Three, seven south of Buchanan, 2000 feet, request transit, northbound."

Buchanan Tower:
"Cessna One Two Three, transition approved. Report clear.

[30-second pause]

Cessna 123:
"Tower, this is Cessna One Two Three. Where is Clear?"

Saul Chaikin

MEET THE AVWEBFLASH TEAM

AVwebFlash is a weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the internet's aviation magazine and news service.

The AVwebFlash team is:

Publisher
Timothy Cole

Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli

Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles

Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew

Features Editor
Kevin Lane-Cummings

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