CESSNA RESPONDS TO "MADE IN CHINA" SKYCATCHER BLOWBACK
Cessna is defending its decision to have its 162 SkyCatcher LSA produced in China after fielding a volume of feedback that has "taken us to task," according to Cessna's interactive SkyCatcher Web site. According to Cessna, much of the feedback was "emotionally charged," and some of it was decidedly negative. "I won't go within 10 feet of one," wrote one commenter upon hearing the news. But Cessna says it will conduct "the complete design for the SkyCatcher and will be responsible for all ASTM compliance." As for build quality, Cessna adds that it has "complete confidence" that Shenyang Aircraft Company will maintain Cessna's own standards of quality and reliability and is willing to stake the aircraft "and our reputation" on it. Cessna employees will be on-site at the production facility in China to oversee manufacturing, quality assurance and technical design. But there are other issues. As for concerns over jobs lost, "we will be adding 1,500 new jobs at our U.S.-based facilities in 2008. More...

SNOWFALL BRINGS WINDFALL FOR TRAVELERS
Because a lot of snow fell, travel retailer itravel2000.com will be handing out nearly free trips (travelers must pay taxes) to all customers using Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International airport. The company's promotion gamble hinged on 12.7 centimeters or more of snow falling in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal or Toronto on Jan. 1. The other cities fell short, but a total of 14.8 centimeters fell on Montreal and some travelers will see as much as $7,000 refunded. The snowfall could prove expensive for itravel2000, but in the increasingly competitive travel industry, the promotion was designed to lure travelers to book travel through the post-holiday doldrums. If the promotion proves profitable the company may choose to move it to summer -- with a high temperature instead of high snow levels as a target. More...

MODEL ROCKET "FIRED AT" AIRCRAFT
Massachusetts State Police are asking for public help in finding whoever is responsible for allegedly firing a model rocket at an AirWisconsin regional jet on Saturday. FAA spokeswoman Holly Baker told The Boston Globe that the pilot reported seeing a "spark or firework" in front of the plane as he was descending through 500 feet on final for Logan International Airport. Baker told the newspaper the pilot believed the rocket had been intentionally aimed at the aircraft although the newspaper did not elaborate on how that conclusion was reached. More...

AMERICAN AIRLINES TESTS MISSILE DEFENSE
American Airlines has agreed to have three of its operational Boeing 767s outfitted with missile defense systems. According to The Press Association, the installation, on passenger-carrying aircraft that normally fly between New York and San Francisco, is the last phase of a trial by BAE Systems to protect airliners from missiles, particularly shoulder-launched weapons that could be used against aircraft landing and taking off. BAE won a TSA contract for the program and has been working with American Airlines on the project for a couple of years but this will be the first time they've been put on airplanes in regular service. More...

AIRCRAFT PILOTS TRANSFERRED TO UAV DUTY
Congratulations! Here's your pilot certificate, and here's your desk. About 120 Air Force pilots may be wondering how they're going to "do something amazing" (an Air Force advertising slogan) after being transferred to "fly" unmanned drone aircraft. Unmanned aerial drones have now logged more than 500,000 hours aloft and the swift demand for even more airtime has caused an at least temporary shift in the way pilots are deployed, according to theintelligencer.net. Pilots who once flew missions now relegated to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being transferred to other bases, sometimes far out of harm's way, where they cater to those aircraft that took their jobs and where the physical requirements of their duty may be significantly different. Behind the shift, some are concerned that not only are highly trained personnel being removed from positions that tax dollars trained them for, but they are arriving into positions for which they may not be especially well-suited. More...

GLENN H. CURTISS PARK GETS GREEN
Thanks to $900,000 in anonymous donations, an 8-acre plot of land over which Glenn H. Curtiss had on July 4, 1908 flown his bamboo-and-fabric June Bug, recording the nation's first officially observed flight exceeding one kilometer, may soon be turned into a park in honor of Curtiss. The land, outside of Curtiss' hometown of Hannondsport, N.Y., rests on a lakefront that once hosted Curtiss' first seaplane tests and is currently occupied by trees, brush and abandoned railroad property. Two donations -- a $500,000 sum sent through a California charity and a $400,000 offering by a local benefactor -- combined to fall short of the landowner's (a real estate developer) $1.1 million asking price. But in the end it was enough to succeed where previous efforts failed. More...

FATAL FLIGHT, LAS CRUCES
Robert Steinmetz, who was identified in the FAA's preliminary report as a "sport pilot," crashed his "Garniss STOL 701" high-wing (experimental aircraft are often registered by builder name followed by aircraft model) into a field near his home on the outskirts of Las Cruces, N.M., Dec. 5, killing himself and leaving family members as witnesses. Steinmetz had purchased the aircraft just two months prior to the accident. AVweb was unable to find a record of Steinmetz in the FAA's online airmen certification database and the aircraft's registration status as of Friday was also unavailable. According to the report, Steinmetz's daughters told the inspector that every time he flew, he would "buzz" his house and "wig wag" his wings. On this particular flight, he was wagging his wings when the left wing struck the ground and the airplane cartwheeled. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed. More...

AVWEB'S SAVVY AVIATOR NOMINATED FOR NATIONAL AWARD
AVweb>/i> founder Mike Busch, who now pens the popular Savvy Aviator column on aircraft maintenance, has been picked as the FAA Western-Pacific Region's nominee for AMT Of The Year. Busch was chosen over five other nominees on the West Coast and will now go up against AMTs from the rest of the country for the national award, which is presented annually at EAA AirVenture by the FAA administrator. More...

HOBBY FLYING -- INDIA'S GA
Commercial aviation in India is booming, as is the demand for professional pilots, but the development of "Hobby Flying" shows that the industry's growth is not restricted to the commercial side. Though infrastructure still serves as the key bottleneck, some 50 private aircraft were added over the last year to the country's flock of 208 general aviation aircraft, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Multiple flight schools aim to open this year with at least one resort-style aero-sports club expected to open this month. Dedicated flight schools are encouraging people not only to learn to fly, but to buy, and are seeing uneven interest with "more enquiries from women," according to Anil Thapar, director of Rajasthan Aero Sports Club. The club will serve to train new pilots, with private and commercial classes set to begin in May. As a developing market, general aviation is still perceived to be a very expensive hobby in India, and that is also leading to the development of the microlight market. More...

AIRLINE RETURNS LOST LOGBOOK TO PILOT
More than a year after unwittingly losing his pilot's logbook in an airport security snafu, a New York man opened his mailbox last week to discover a package containing the precious pad in which he had documented three decades of flying adventures. In October 2006, the pilot -- who asked not to be identified -- boarded a JetBlue flight to Las Vegas to celebrate his 60th birthday there with his daughter, who is also a pilot. The two planned a scenic flight over the Grand Canyon with a local flight school, so the man brought his logbook with him to record the special event. More...

ON THE FLY ...
Man bolted through security and got into cockpit of jet in Toronto ...
Four of ten people survived Chieftain crash in Alaska ...
FAA says 787 systems are hackable ...
Prince William starts RAF pilot training. 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 JANUARY 2008
This month, AVweb's survey of the latest products and services for pilots, mechanics and aircraft owners brings you flight jacket made from water-buffalo leather, a book on rigging aircraft, a simulator for Eclipse jets and much more. More...

LEADING EDGE #13: IT'S ALL ABOUT AIRSPEED
Airspeed control is about a lot more than trying for 1.3 Vso on final approach. AVweb's Thomas P. Turner says airspeed (and angle of attack) is critical in all phases of flight. More...

AVMAIL: JAN. 7, 2008
Reader mail this week about engine failures, electric airplanes and your selections for the top aviation story of 2008. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: BEHIND THE SCENES OF THAT AMAZING THUNDERBIRD EJECTION/CRASH PHOTO
When we first saw the photo of Capt. Chris Stricklin's ejection from a doomed U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 a few years ago, most of us here at AVweb thought it was a fake. But the more we looked at it, the more it seemed possible that someone had actually snapped Stricklin's moment of truth in what must be one of the greatest aviation photos ever shot. Well, it wasn't long before we learned that Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Dennis III had actually captured the drama at an air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. In this week's AVweb original video, Video Editor Glenn Pew looks at the circumstances surrounding the dramatic accident — combining still photos, in-cockpit and outside-of-cockpit video, and narration including the investigation's findings and changes in procedure for the T-birds.

Don't see a video screen? Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page. If that doesn't work, click here to download the video directly.

AVWEB'S MONDAY PODCAST: "RIGHT-HANDED" AND "LEFT-HANDED" FLYING WITH PILOT'S AUDIO UPDATE
Why is it that some of us fly better 360° turns to the left, while others ace the right-side turn? And why do some of us prefer a right crosswind, while others do better with one from the left? In this sample from Belvoir's Pilot's Audio Update, Paul Berge argues that it has everything to do with seating posture. (For more on subscribing to Pilot's Audio Update, click here.) More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: PRIOR AVIATION (KFBL, BUFFALO, NY)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Prior Aviation at KFBL in Buffalo, New York.

AVweb reader John LaCourt recounted his experience at Prior:

On our first flight to my wife's old home town we flew to Buffalo with family friends. With only a hour or so notice, Prior Aviation met us at the ramp, provided two rental cars — one of which was a Red Mustang that made our friends' day. We asked for hangar space due to impending freezing rain and were provided with a heated hangar at less than half the cost of similar space at our home airport. When we arrived ahead of schedule for departure, they had the plane ready, fueled at reasonable rates, and gave us helpful hints as to taxi insturctions we would receive with a clearance. Hats off to Prior; we will certainly use them on future trips!

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!

SHORT FINAL

Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"

Many years ago, in Calgary:

Snooty voice:
Ah, tower, Air Canada Two Oh Four. This will be a fully automatic landing if you'd care to observe.

Imitative voice:
Ah, tower, this is Canadian Six Seventy Five [rival]. This will be a fully manual landing, if you'd care to observe.

John Warner

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

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