CIRRUS JET EXPECTED TO FLY AT AIRVENTURE
Cirrus Design co-founder Dale Klapmeier said a prototype of the company's single-engine personal jet will probably make at least a fly-by at EAA AirVenture this summer. However, he told AVweb in an exclusive interview that the jet may not be ready for static display at the show. The Duluth, Minn., manufacturer has taken more than 400 deposits of $100,000 each for the jet, but the final price hasn't been disclosed. Klapmeier said the project is a few weeks behind schedule, due in part to difficulties in hiring qualified engineers who are willing to relocate to Duluth. More...

SYMPHONY PLANNING COMEBACK
The former lead investor in bankrupt Symphony Aircraft Industries has formed a new company and hopes to resume production of the two-seat aircraft. Lou Simons told AVweb in an exclusive interview that the new company, North American Factory for Technologically Advanced Aircraft (NAFTAA), is aiming at an initial production rate of at least 80 aircraft a year. Location of the factory hasn't been confirmed but the former company's Trois Rivières, Quebec, facility is in the running. Symphony filed for bankruptcy last year. Simons announced at EAA AirVenture last July that he was hopeful the company could be revived. Simons said there are plans for new models and options and the name of the aircraft and company may also be changed. More...

RECESSION FEARS SPARK RETIREMENTS/CANCELLATIONS AT AA?
A downturn in the stock market made it appealing for 143 senior pilots at American Airlines to call it quits Thursday, according to American. The airline says the departed were watching the falling stock market and decided to lock in the value of their retirement plans by jumping ship. An AA pilot can lock part of his pension plan's value three months ahead of an announced retirement date, but can either retire or withdraw his notice at the end of that three months depending on his perception of the market. With pilots now allowed to stay on to age 65, senior pilots must weigh the value of those extra years against the value of their pension portfolios. American employs about 9,000 pilots, but in anticipation of Thursday's fallout canceled 28 flights (mostly long-haul routes flown on Boeing 777 aircraft by senior pilots) scheduled for February. The cancellations represent about one-tenth of one percent of AA's entire February schedule. The move brought some quick winter heat from the Allied Pilots Association (APA). More...

T-2 BUCKEYES TO RETIRE
The only U.S. base still using T-2 Buckeye aircraft, Pensacola NAS, will put that distinction to rest with a ceremony to take place in early August as the base makes way for the new T-45 Goshawk. The T-2 saw its 50th anniversary as an active military aircraft pass on Jan. 31. It made its first showing at Pensacola in November of 1959, nearly a year after its introduction, and proved its staying power long after. The aircraft was used to teach air-to-air techniques and train airmen to drop munitions while preparing the pilots for jets. Pensacola instructors and maintenance crew will be trained in Meridian, Miss., to tangle with the Goshawk, which offers contemporary avionics and technology similar to modern fighter jets. New pilots may welcome the change. Older ones may wonder if the Goshawk can possibly outlast the T-2 ... or if they can soon find a Buckeye on eBay. More...

406 ELT'S MANDATED IN CANADA?
The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) is warning pilots they should be concerned that revisions to a regulation's wording could mean mandatory installation of 406 ELTs in all Canadian aircraft -- and transient aircraft, too. In a letter from Kevin Psutka, president and CEO, Canadian Owners and Pilots Association, Psutka states that "low-cost alternatives to ELTs have all but been ruled out for our sector of aviation." Because the U.S. does not mandate 406 ELTs, "thousands of U.S. aircraft will be banned from Canada," posing a particular problem for aircraft transiting to and from Alaska. COPA is advising its members that the next opportunity for comment will be when the draft regulation is publicly announced. More...

AOPA PRAISES UAV NOTAM
Pilots may not like sharing airspace with unmanned aircraft, but many like the temporary flight restrictions that often accompany UAVs even less -- so here's the good news. A recent decision by the FAA to issue an advisory NOTAM instead of a flight restriction for unmanned military aircraft operations has AOPA voicing its approval. "This needs to be the template for other locations where unmanned aircraft are used,” said Andy Cebula, AOPA executive vice president of government affairs. AOPA was encouraged by the FAA's apparent consideration of "the needs of civil aviation" balanced with those of the military. The NOTAM advises pilots flying near Cherry Point, N.C. (and more specifically warns those pilots transitioning through Alert Area A-530) of the unmanned vehicle's expected altitude (2500-3500 feet) and "strongly advises" those aircraft flying without encoding transponders to steer clear unless in contact with Cherry Point Approach. More...

EPA CLEANS UP RADIUM INSTRUMENTS FOR STRUBE
The Department of Environmental Protection Dec. 25 formally requested that the EPA take action including "removal and remediation duties" at seven facilities that house radium dial instruments. The facilities, owned by Strube Inc. and located in Lancaster Country, Pa., had been the subject of visits and inspections by the DEP, which found Strube uncommitted to meet previously outlined cleanup deadlines. Deemed "hazardous materials," the aged instruments that may no longer be used in aircraft must be "identified and properly disposed of" because Strube had "improperly stored" them, according to the EPA. Strube officials claim there is no public health threat. Strube's warehouses may contain an estimated 20,000 of the instruments hidden among some 58 million aircraft components, according to Strube. The instruments may have been there since the 1950s. More...

FLIGHT SCHOOL BACK FLYING DESPITE FRAUD ALLEGATIONS
An Indian newspaper says India's Minister of Civil Aviation has overruled his own department and ordered reinstatement of the operating certificate of a flight school that allegedly rubber-stamped the conversion of foreign pilot's licenses to Indian permits. According to the Sunday Express, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel approved the resumption of business by Carver Aviation Academy in Baramati a week after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation closed it down for allegedly fraudulently granting Indian licenses to 25 pilots who had been trained in the U.S. and Canada. India does not recognize those credentials and requires "conversion tests" before pilots holding foreign certificates are allowed to fly. More...

ON THE FLY ...
Smoke forces diversion of American 757s ...
F-15D crash raises more safety concerns ...
All survive 727 off-airport landing in Bolivia ...
Six die in King Air crash in North Carolina ...
Rotax issues service bulletin on 912- and 914-series engines. 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...

AVMAIL: FEB. 4, 2008
Reader mail this week about the Gimli glider, peak-hour pricing, the airline age-65 rule and more. More...

TELL US ABOUT YOUR INTERIOR SHOP
Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, is preparing a report on interior shops. If you recently had an interior redone, the editors would like to hear from you, whether the experience was good or bad. To take part in the online survey, click here.

The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click here. More...

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

LEADING EDGE #14: IN-CLOSE APPROACH CHANGES
When ATC changes your approach clearance at the last minute, you need to be ready to switch gears fast ... or to say, "Unable." More...

WHAT'S NEW FOR FEBRUARY 2008
This month, AVweb's survey of the latest products and services for pilots, mechanics and aircraft owners brings you a mini-tug, instrument panel lighting, satellite phones and more. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: AMERICAN AVIATION WEST (KPGA IN PAGE, AZ)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to American Aviation West at KPGA in Page, Arizona.

According to AVweb reader Scott A. Hauert, "These folks embody the spirit of aviators helping aviators" — and after hearing his story, we tend to agree.

Scott arrived early the morning for what he'd planned as a three-day stay in Page. "Bob, the Chief Pilot, could not have been more helpful if he had to," writes Scott. "He opened the FBO an hour early so we could stay on [a tight] schedule." When mechanical troubles reared their head, Scott became worried he wouldn't be able to get back, so Bob stayed late ("the same day he picked us up early") to let him back into the hangar. And when Scott had to leave bright and early the following morning, "one of the linemen picked us up."

Now that's what we call first-rate service!

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!

AVWEB'S MONDAY PODCAST: EAA'S AIRVENTURE MUSEUM TURNS 25 THIS YEAR
In case you've lost count, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wis. In this AVweb audio feature, EAA's Dick Knapinski tells Mike Blakeney about some of the major 2008 events scheduled to celebrate a significant milestone for this one-of-a-kind world-class museum. More...

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: CLOSING THE CURTAINS ON PROVINCETOWN BOSTON AIRLINES (1988)
An AVweb reader pointed us in the direction of this week's video as "a reminder of the days when it was fun to be an airline pilot." The video is a compilation of footage shot by pilots, staff and support personnel on the last day of operations for Provincetown Boston Airlines, all edited together and set to music by YouTuber DPatrickSutton. (Click through to watch.) More...

Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos

On November 2, 2007, an F-15C with the 110th Fighter Squadron (of the 131st Fighter Wing) broke up while conducting an air-to-air training mission. This video, produced by Glenn Pew for AVweb, covers the military investigative board's findings.

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.

Related Content:
F-15s Grounded, Structural Failure Suspected

SHORT FINAL

Overheard on a recent trip from Cross City to DeLand (Fla.), with flight following provided by Orlando Approach:

Orlando Approach:
"Cardinal 12345, destination is 12 o'clock 10 miles. Advise you have destination in sight."

Cardinal 345:
"Approach, 345 has destination in sight."

Orlando Approach:
"Cardinal 345, Squawk VFR, frequency change approved, no traffic observed between you and your present position."

Cardinal (pilot to co-pilot):
"I think that's good!"

Dee Ann Ediger
via e-mail

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

Managing Editor
Meredith Saini

Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew

Features Editor
Kevin Lane-Cummings

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