HOUSE PASSES AGE-65 BILL
The House has unanimously passed a bill that would raise the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots to 65. According to The Associated Press (the actual bill was not available on the Library of Congress Web site at this writing) the proposed legislation, which still has to pass through the Senate, would bring the U.S. in line with the rest of the world. However, it appears there’s an important difference in the House’s version of the legislation compared to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s rule. According to The Associated Press’s understanding of the bill, two 65-year-old pilots could fill left and right seats, where the ICAO says at least one member of the flight crew must be 60 years or less. More...

NATA CREATES NEW ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE
With pressure increasing from all quarters for aviation to lighten its load on our ecological systems, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) said on Wednesday it has established an Environmental Committee. The committee will review issues and develop NATA's position for dealing with concerns such as aircraft emissions, carbon offset programs, spill prevention and containment, the environmental impact of de-icing fluid, and changes to the Clean Water Act as they affect aviation businesses. The committee will hold its first meeting Jan. 28, 2008, in Savannah, Ga. Traver Gruen-Kennedy, DayJet's vice president of strategic operations, will preside as chairman. He said this week that the committee will strive to ensure that the industry stays "ahead of the curve" on environmental matters. "Whether it is carbon offset programs to reduce aircraft emissions or the concerns about de-icing fluids' impact on the environment, we are just being inundated with potential conflicts," he said. More...

AERION SST ORDERS TAKE OFF
Aerion Corp. took its first order for a supersonic business jet just a few weeks ago, at the Dubai Air Show, but announced on Tuesday that it has now secured orders for 19 jets at $80 million each, totaling over $1.5 billion in commitments. "Considering our marketing effort has barely begun, this is a tremendous validation of the aircraft’s appeal," Aerion Vice Chairman Brian Barents said in a news release. The company said it expects to recruit a manufacturing partner by 2008 and have a certified jet in service by 2014. ExecuJet CEO Niall Olver, who is working with Aerion to help sell the jet, said: "Based on the homework we did prior to entering into this agreement with Aerion, we are not surprised at the number of people coming forward. This is just the tip of the iceberg." More...

WELL-KNOWN AUSSIE PILOT DIES IN AIR TANKER TEST
Col Pay, regarded as one of Australia’s "legendary" pilots in news reports from there, died last week in a crash. Pay was test-flying an Air Tractor 802 air tanker, made in Olney, Texas, when it flipped on a lake. Pay, 75, was evaluating the aircraft, which was reportedly equipped with a system that allowed wheel-equipped aircraft to skim the surface of a lake and scoop up water for fighting fires. This type of aircraft is used in the U.S., Canada and Europe for firefighting but the scooping versions are equipped with amphibious floats and pick up water while in a high-speed taxi. Pay’s accident happened while he was scooping water from Lake Liddell in the Hunter Valley. More...

LSA SECTOR GEARING UP FOR SEBRING 2008 EXPO
The annual Sport Aviation Expo, focusing on the Light Sport Aircraft world, is coming up soon -- Jan. 17 to 20 in Sebring, Fla. -- and exhibitors are starting to crow about the new products they'll have on display. The fastest-selling LSA, the Flight Design CT, will be there in a new model that the company says has a larger cabin and improved handling qualities. The aerodynamics of the CTLS were completely reworked using full-size wind tunnel tests, so that "[even] less experienced pilots can fly it easily," said Matthias Betsch, CEO of Flight Design. The CTLS also has new landing gear with improved dampening to reduce rebound after touchdown. The Expo will offer visitors a chance to learn about and examine up close a variety of light sport aircraft, from trikes and powered parachutes to the latest fixed-wing models. Free forums provided by EAA cover topics such as how to earn the sport pilot certificate, how to get insurance, and how to choose the right sport aircraft. More...

FAA SHRUGS OFF NATCA SAFETY CONCERN
Two jets landing on perpendicular runways at New York's Kennedy Airport on Sunday afternoon were never in danger of colliding, the FAA said on Tuesday, contradicting an assertion by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association that both aircraft barely escaped a midair. "It was a non-event," FAA spokesman Jim Peters told The Associated Press, after reviewing the radar data. "There was no danger under the conditions that took place Sunday." NATCA spokesman Doug Church told AVweb that a 747 cargo flight was landing on 13L when the crew initiated a go-around. At the same time, an Embraer 135, landing on perpendicular runway 22L, also went around. The two airplanes barely missed each other, Church said. "It was very, very close ... Controllers at JFK do not believe simultaneous approaches to perpendicular runways -- in effect putting planes headed towards one another -- is safe." Peters told the AP that landing on perpendicular runways is not a problem. More...

ARE O'HARE CONTROLLERS OVERWORKED?
That's what Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) wants Bobby Sturgell, the acting FAA administrator, to find out. On Wednesday, Durbin said he is calling for an immediate investigation into air traffic controller conditions, including staffing levels and fatigue, at Chicago air traffic facilities. Durbin’s announcement follows last week's runway safety report by the Government Accountability Office, which showed O’Hare International Airport had the second-highest number of near-collisions on its runways of any U.S. airport between 2001 and 2006. The report cited air traffic controller fatigue as a key issue affecting runway safety. “Controllers in the Chicago area are retiring at increasing rates and it is clear that the FAA does not have a plan for the future,” said Durbin. “Now the report has backed up what I've been hearing directly from air traffic controllers -- low staffing levels are contributing to controller fatigue and making our runways less safe. It's time to go into these facilities, start asking tough questions and do everything in our power to make air traffic safer.” FAA spokeswoman Tammy Jones told the Associated Press the agency would welcome an outside review of the controllers' situation. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: THE STATE OF SAFETY
Amid news of many high-profile near-accidents, we're forced to consider that aviation is becoming a more dangerous activity — or maybe we're only seeing part of the picture in these news reports. What do you think? Is overall aviation safety headed for a decline? Plus: How did AVweb readers respond to last week's Question, "Is it time to limit our flying for the sake of the environment?" More...

COMING SOON — YEAR OF THE SPACESHIP
If you have someone on your gift list who's tough to buy for, Neiman Marcus has a suggestion in its 2007 Christmas Book -- a journey into space with Virgin Galactic, for yourself and five friends, going for $1,764,000. Besides three days of preflight training, astronauts will be treated to a four-day post-flight celebration as guests of Sir Richard Branson at his private luxury resort on Necker Island in the Caribbean. It's the "ultimate getaway ... genuinely out of this world," Neiman Marcus promises. Meanwhile, Virgin president Wil Whitehorn spoke at a space conference in the U.K. last week, and said he expects White Knight II to be ready for its first test flight in July 2008, according to Flight International. On Jan. 23, Virgin will unveil the designs for White Knight II as well as SpaceShipTwo. Both ships are already more than half finished, Whitehorn said. "White Knight II will look more like the Virgin Atlantic Globalflyer. We have built all the models to show the public [the finished design in January]," Whitehorn said. More...

YOUR JET PACK IS HERE (MAYBE)
Would you pay $200,000 for an aircraft that could fly for only 10 minutes before you have to stop and refuel? You might, if that aircraft was a James Bond-ish, futuristic jet pack that you can strap on your back and fly. Jet Pack International has been showcasing a working model at sports events around the world, and will start selling a new user-friendly version to the public next year, according to CNNMoney. If you can't wait, or don't have a spare 200 grand, Jet Pack CEO Troy Widgery is hiring professional pilots right now, to fly the demos. "It's a dream job," he told CNN. He plans to start using a jet pack for his daily five-mile commute starting next summer. More...

ON THE FLY ...
USAF Thunderbirds will perform at Sun n' Fun in April ...
Canada's Safety Board wants better airline crew training ...
The 50th anniversary of NASA will be featured at EAA AirVenture 2008. 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

PROBABLE CAUSE #47: DEPARTURE DENIAL
While it's natural to focus on the weather at the destination, it's important not to overlook what's happening at the departure airport. More...

A PILOT'S HISTORY: CHAP. 4 -- PATH TO VICTORY
As the Japanese military is pushed back, Carl Moesly and his crews have to land in zero/zero island weather, as he recounts in the fourth chapter of his flying career. 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...

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
Each week, we go through dozens (and sometimes hundreds) of reader-submitted photos and pick the very best to share with you on Thursday mornings. The top photos are featured on AVweb's home page, and one photo that stands above the others is awarded an AVweb baseball cap as our "Picture of the Week."

You could say Christmas has come early to "Picture of the Week" headquarters. With 120 incredible photo submissions, it feels like we've been opening electronic presents all day! Or were we supposed to open one a day over the next 12 days? At any rate, we've been waiting for the first photo of an airplane decked out in holiday lights, and here it is, courtesy of Meboure, Florida's Mike Whaley — and the EAA, who decked out Linn Walters's Pitts S1 for this Valkaria Airport float in the Melbourne Light Parade. 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...

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

Click here to send a letter to the editor. (Please let us know if your letter is not intended for publication.)

Comments or questions about the news should be sent here.

Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? A question on marketing? Send it to AVweb's sales team.

If you're having trouble reading this newsletter in its HTML-rich format (or if you'd prefer a lighter, simpler format for your PDA or handheld device), there's also a text-only version of AVwebFlash. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here.

Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.