CLASS-ACTION LAWSUITS MOUNT IN SILVER STATE HELICOPTERS AFTERMATH
Helicopter enthusiast message boards continue to buzz this week with posts from disgruntled former students of Silver State Helicopters, who are organizing themselves in what appears to be several class-action lawsuits as massive as the training school itself. More...

FAA WANTS FURTHER TAYLORCRAFT INSPECTIONS
The FAA proposed an Airworthiness Directive this week that would require owners of more than 3,000 Taylorcraft airplanes to inspect the wing strut attach fittings and check for cracks or corrosion. The proposal follows the investigation of a fatal crash in Oregon last July, in which it was found that the wing fabric was wrapped around the lugs of the wing strut attach fitting, and the fitting was corroded. "This condition, if not corrected, could result in failure of the wing strut attach fittings and lead to wing separation and loss of control," the FAA says. The inspections are expected to cost about $160, and new fittings, if needed, would be about $200. The FAA issued an AD last year requiring inspections of wing struts on some Taylorcraft models. Type clubs, EAA and AOPA lobbied for alternative means of compliance, which were accepted by FAA. More...

FAA IS CHECKING WHETHER FLIGHT CREW FELL ASLEEP
We've heard about airline pilots falling asleep in flight before, but this report is even stranger than usual -- it was 9 o'clock in the morning, and the flight was a 45-minute hop from Honolulu to Hilo. Local TV station KGMB9 said it obtained a radar track of the flight, which showed it stayed at 21,000 feet and flew past the Hilo airport about 15 miles out to sea before turning around and returning to descend. The FAA confirmed that it is checking into the incident. Air traffic controllers reportedly tried to contact the pilots for 25 minutes and got no response. The airplane, operated by Go! Airlines, landed without incident. More...

EAA UNCONCERNED WITH AIRSPACE CHANGES
A shift of airspace responsibilities from Chicago Center to Milwaukee should have little impact on the annual migration to EAA AirVenture, EAA's Dick Knapinski told AVweb Monday. "A review of the situation indicate[s] that this particular issue involves IFR operations," Knapinski said in an e-mail. "The vast majority of AirVenture operations are VFR, and we are not anticipating any problems with staffing or operations." In a well-publicized news event in Milwaukee last week, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and several prominent state and federal politicians blasted the FAA for shifting responsibility for a big chunk of Wisconsin airspace to Milwaukee controllers, who they claim are already overworked and understaffed. More...

FAA SAFETY SEMINAR TO ADDRESS ONGOING DC ADIZ INCURSIONS
The FAA Safety Team is hosting a seminar in Leesburg, Va., on March 1 to try to reduce the number of pilot violations that continue to occur inside the Washington, D.C., Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and the so-called "Leesburg maneuvering area" within it. More...

PISTONS PROVE POPULAR AT SINGAPORE AIRSHOW
Its no surprise that the market for regional and corporate jets is strong and growing in Asia, but Cessna is finding an increased interest in piston aircraft as well at this week's Singapore Airshow. "Not only has demand expanded for Cessna's line of products in the Asia-Pacific region, that demand covers many countries and spans all models," said Roger Whyte, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Cessna. The SkyCatcher light sport aircraft, the Caravan, and the venerable SkyHawk all are proving popular, Cessna says. A flight school in India ordered 20 172s this week, and an Indonesian company bought six Grand Caravans that it will use for cargo, charter, and scheduled passenger service. More...

EUROPE'S GA AIRSHOW GOES ANNUAL
AERO-Friedrichshafen, the popular European general aviation event that has been attracting growing interest in recent years, will now be held annually, instead of every other year, and EAA and IAOPA will play a greater role in organizing the show. "It's an outstanding general aviation event that serves the new light sport aircraft (LSA) category very well, especially with the global growth that we are seeing," said Tom Poberezny, EAA president. "EAA looks forward to participating at AERO in the future, and working with them on programs of mutual benefit." The next show will be held April 2 to 5, 2009. Organizers have taken pains to avoid overlap with Sun 'n Fun. Last year's AERO show was the biggest yet, attracting about 45,000 visitors from around the world, with 533 exhibitors from 30 countries. More...

ICAO RULE REQUIRING PROOF OF ENGLISH PROFICIENCY NOT LIKELY TO BE ENFORCED
U.S. pilots who fly internationally are being asked to hurry up and apply for replacement airman certificates that state they are “English proficient,” according to an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rule that takes effect on March 5. But a source at the FAA’s General Aviation and Commercial Division (AFS-800) told AVweb yesterday that the requirement is not likely to be widely enforced, as most countries are not prepared to comply. More...

HONEYWELL UNMANNED MICRO AIR VEHICLE OK'D FOR AIRSPACE OPERATIONS
Honeywell's unmanned Micro Air Vehicle weighs 14 pounds, can fly as high as 10,500 feet, and zips along at up to 50 knots. This week, the FAA gave the vehicle an experimental airworthiness certificate, allowing it to fly in the National Airspace System. The ducted-fan aircraft can take off or land vertically and transition to sustained horizontal flight. Applicants have to demonstrate to the FAA that a collision with another aircraft or other airspace user is "extremely improbable," the agency said last year, when it issued policy guidelines for operations of unmanned aircraft in the NAS. Honeywell's MAV was recently chosen by the Miami/Dade County Police Department in Florida for an experiment with the FAA to explore the use of small aerial vehicles for law enforcement. More...

A 1928 BIPLANE RETURNS TO THE SKY
A 1928 Boeing Model 40C biplane, lovingly restored by Pemberton and Sons Aviation of Spokane, Wash., flew this Monday for the first time in 80 years. "The airplane is very controllable and pleasant with excellent ground handling, good elevator and rudder, and heavy but effective ailerons," Addison Pemberton said in the Nordo News. "The visibility is very poor but not difficult. The overwhelming surprise is stability." Pemberton flew the airplane for about 20 minutes, and said he was able to fly hands-free for much of the flight. "In all flight configurations I never used more than 1 1/2 degree of trim change, including slow flight at 55 mph," he said. The airplane was originally used on mail routes, and Pemberton said it's now the oldest flying Boeing aircraft. More than 60 volunteers helped on the project, logging over 18,000 hours of work. More...

ON THE FLY ...
Missile took out dead spy satellite...
One F-15 pilot dead after midair off Florida...
An A380 had to be grounded on Tuesday due to a fuel pump problem...
USAF officials say they need $20 billion per year to replace aging aircraft...
The Geneseo Airshow in New York will celebrate the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk...
EAA shows you an overview of Oshkosh in a new online 17-minute video...
AOPA celebrates 50 years of publishing its own magazine, AOPA Pilot. 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

BRAINTEASERS QUIZ #130: WEATHER OR NOT
Clouds, as Joni Mitchell warns, may get in your way, but knowing what's around you in the atmosphere turns weather challenges into clear skies. Well, maybe not, but it makes answering these questions much easier.

Take the quiz.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: MORE REGULATION FOR HOMEBUILTS?
With the FAA considering new rules on what constitutes a "homebuilt" aircraft, this may be a good time to ask, "Should builder assistance on homebuilts be more regulated?" Plus: Did AVweb readers foresee a resurrection on the horizon for Adam Aircraft? More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: AMAZING FEATS OF AVIATION — DHL BAGHDAD
Recounting one of the most impressive feats in recent aviation history, AVweb video editor Glenn Pew recalls the circumstances of the DHL A300 shot by a surface-to-air missile over Baghdad. The crew successfully landed the aircraft without the ability to manipulate any control surfaces. (Note: The aircraft shown in simulation is a Boeing 777, not an Airbus A300.) (Click through to watch.) More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: SANTA YNEZ AIRPORT (KIZA, SANTA YNEZ, CA)

You guys have been doing a lot of flying lately! We received more "FBO of the Week" nominations over the last seven days than we have in months. Despite some outstanding recommendations, we're awarding our "FBO of the Week" ribbon to the FBO at Santa Ynez Airport at KIZA in Santa Ynez, California.

Not only do they have a great webcam on their site (where you can check real-time fuel prices and ground conditions at a glance), but they inspired this heartfelt endorsement from AVweb reader Eric Cobb:

This is the way airports used to be, and I believe [Santa Ynez] is the best small airport in the U.S. Made me feel like a kid again.

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!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
We get a lot of approach photos here at "POTW" headquarters, and while many of them end up as desktop wallpaper on our computers, it's a bit rare for one to find itself in the position of "POTW" winner. Stephen Foster of Cary, North Carolina bucks the odds, with this shot taken from the cockpit of "a Cessna 210 piloted by Bob Draper [as] we spend a late afternoon Christmas Eve sightseeing beautiful Taos, New Mexico." 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

Managing Editor
Meredith Saini

Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew

Features Editor
Kevin Lane-Cummings

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