THIELERT HITS STOCK MARKET TURBULENCE
Thielert shares dropped to a record low of 3.65 Euros (it’s traded as high as 25.22) on the German stock market Tuesday on news the company was delaying the release of its financial statements. The company, which supplies diesel aircraft engines to Diamond and Cessna, as well as for STC applications, has some major accounting work to do after a Hamburg court, on March 6, nullified its financial statements for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005. The court ruled the company had breached valuation provisions. Thielert is appealing the decision. An earlier action against the company nullified all the resolutions made at last August’s shareholders meeting. AVweb found out about the situation after close of business in Germany and has not been able to contact company officials. A message left at the company’s North American subsidiary, Superior Air Parts, was not returned by our deadline. The company’s two biggest customers, however, say it’s business as usual. More...

PICTURES MAY SHOW BULLET HOLE IN US AIRWAYS A319
When the gunshot is coming from the cockpit, there’s a lot to figure out and that’s undoubtedly why we don’t know exactly what happened aboard US Airways Flight 1536 from Denver to Charlotte on Saturday. But pictures obtained by the Associated Press show what appears to be a bullet hole next to the captain's sidestick and an exit hole in the skin below the side window. The so-far unidentified captain of the flight is on leave while the airline, the FAA, the TSA and quite likely the FBI look into his alleged faux pas. More...

EAA, AOPA SEEK MORATORIUM ON FLORIDA "USE TAX"
It seems that Maine is not the only state eager to slap visiting pilots with a "use tax" on their aircraft. Florida also has such a law on the books, and has used it in the past to collect thousands of dollars from aircraft owners. With Sun 'n Fun coming up next month, the show organizers have obtained assurances from state officials that visiting pilots will not be harassed. But to be sure there is no confusion, EAA and AOPA have asked the state to impose a moratorium on collecting the tax until the law can be clarified. "Florida revenue officials have admitted that the law is ambiguous for aircraft," says EAA President Tom Poberezny in a letter to Florida Governor Charlie Crist. "So it does not make sense to enforce a law that could put visitors to the state in such an uncertain situation." The 6-percent "use tax" can be assessed if an aircraft is less than six months old when flown into the state and the owner did not pay at least a 6 percent sales tax on it elsewhere. More...

FLORIDA FLIGHT SCHOOL, AFTER THREE FATAL CRASHES, SURRENDERS CERTIFICATE
Kemper Aviation, based at Palm Beach County Park airport near Lantana, Fla., has voluntarily given up its Part 141 flight school certificate, the Sun-Sentinel reported on Wednesday. Three airplanes from the school have crashed in the last five months, killing eight people. The school suspended all of its flight training operations after the last crash, on March 13, in which a co-owner of the company died. The FAA is continuing its investigation into the school, which could still offer flight training under Part 61, but only for U.S. citizens. Most of Kemper's students are from India. More...

FAA REPORTS ON RUNWAY SAFETY MEASURES
The FAA said on Tuesday that small airports around the country must upgrade their taxiway markings by March 31, 2010. The upgrades previously were voluntary. The agency also plans to mandate a change in how taxi clearances are issued. More explicit instructions are needed, the FAA says, and the U.S. should adopt international phraseology such as "line-up and wait" instead of the familiar "position and hold." New rules about clearances will be issued by June. Airline flight crews will be required to view new online safety information about incursions by May. A new working group, the Runway Safety Council, comprising representatives from government and industry, will launch by the end of this month. The FAA also announced that it has certified Jeppesen’s Airport Moving Map cockpit display. More...

AIR FORCE TESTS SYNTHETIC FUEL IN SUPERSONIC FLIGHT
The Air Force flew supersonic on synthetic fuel for the first time last week. A B-1B Lancer burning a 50/50 blend of synthetic and petroleum fuel launched from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas and flew the supersonic test above the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Air Force officials said their goal is to develop a clean-burning, domestically produced fuel by 2011 that can be used by all aircraft in their fleet. Each time the price of oil goes up $10 per barrel, it costs the Air Force an extra $600 million. Synthetic fuel costs about $30 to $50 less per barrel than its petroleum counterpart, for substantial savings. More...

EWWW, THAT SMELL! CARGO CREW'S CULINARY MISHAP
Hazmat specialists and emergency crews were ready and waiting when an Alitalia cargo flight bound from Milan to Miami diverted into Boston last Tuesday night. The MD-11's four crewmembers had donned oxygen masks as the cockpit filled with a noxious odor, and radioed ahead that they were concerned the fumes might be toxic or flammable. After a safe landing, the cargo was checked and investigators found the source of the problem -- four pallets loaded with five tons of minced onions. The onions were offloaded and shipped to Florida by truck, according to the Boston Herald. More...

FLYING AND ALCOHOL - NO. HANGARS AND BEER - YES!
All pilots know that eight hours bottle-to-throttle is an absolute minimum rule, but luckily there is no rule about how soon after landing you can tip back a cold one. Taking advantage of pilots' affection for a tasty brew, some folks in Redlands, Calif., have opened up a microbrewery right next to the airport, in the former headquarters of a missionary flying group. The brewery is named Hangar 24, in honor of a favorite hangout of the owner, Ben Cook, who started brewing beer at home and sharing it with airport friends after the day's flying was done. The beer labels and logo designs feature vintage aircraft and wooden propellers. More...

CHINA TO BUILD 97 NEW AIRPORTS BY 2020
The aviation infrastructure in China is about to take a big leap forward with the addition of 97 airports, including a second international airport in Beijing. As of now, the country has only 147 airports, so the goal is to reach 244 in the next 12 years. (By comparison, the U.S.A., with less than one-quarter the population of China, has more than 5,000 public-use airports and 555 that are certificated for air-carrier operations.) The increase will mean that by 2020, 82 percent of China's population will be living within a 90-minute drive of an airport, compared to 61 percent today. The project will cost $64 billion, China Daily reported. More...

KLM PAX GET UNEXPECTED AERIAL TOUR OF INDIA
A mix-up over where to land led to a KLM crew extending its downwind leg a bit -- by about 1,500 miles. It seems the crew, which had launched from Amsterdam, was expecting to land at its usual destination near the city of Hyderabad, in the south of India, but that airport had been closed just hours before. A brand-new airport had opened nearby, but when controllers directed the crew to land there, they declined, saying they hadn't heard about any new airport and weren't authorized by their airline to go there. They flew on to Delhi, but were not allowed to land, so flew on to Mumbai (Bombay) where they finally set down, with their 233 passengers. More...

ON THE FLY ...
An F-15 pilot who was hurt when the airplane broke up in flight sued Boeing...
Sales of Light Sport Aircraft have slowed...
FAA has prohibited first flights in homebuilt aircraft at Placerville airport...
Two Russian Tu-95 bombers escorted away by NATO jets near Alaska...
Montana college student pilot rescued after mountain crash. More...

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

ACROSS THE POND #15: REPORT FROM EUROPE
Ruling delays, more consultations and possible new technologies are topics on the agenda in Europe this month. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: OUR WASTEFUL TRAINING HABITS
We're wasting fuel in the name of safety, and it's time we started sharpening our flying habits to save money and the environment. So says Belvoir Aviation Group Editor Paul Bertorelli is his latest post to the AVweb Insider blog. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: LOCKHEED U-2S "DRAGON LADY" COCKPIT TOUR
The Lockheed U-2 has been in service for over 50 years. It has been at the center of some of the most tense moments in America's history. AVweb's Glenn Pew takes you inside the cockpit on a guided tour with an active U-2 pilot. (Click through to watch.) More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: FUEL ECONOMY AND YOU
With fuel prices rising, we're curious: What are you doing to save fuel when you fly? Plus: The most popular answer to last week's Question about airplane security. More...

GOT CYLINDERS? TELL US ABOUT YOUR SERVICE HISTORY
Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, is conducting a survey on aircraft engine cylinder products. If you've done an overhaul during the past several years, the magazine's editors would like to hear from you on how the cylinders have performed. Just click on this link to take the survey.

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

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 200,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. What have you heard? More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: BLUE DIAMOND AVIATION (RUSSELLVILLE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, AL)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Blue Diamond Aviation at Russellville Municipal Airport (M22) in Russellville, Alabama.

AVweb reader Robby Bendall calls the FBO "a welcome stop for anyone," recounting how he and a friend have made it their base of operations while airplane shopping:

Cm. Sgt. Harry Mattox has done an excellant job of building a good small town FBO and flight traing center. Recently a friend and I have been working on the purchase of his first airplane, a 172 that has been sitting for two years. He has welcomed us with open arms and has gone out of his way to help. We have used his facilities on and off since January of this year, and it and looks like we are about to finish up. Harry has auto-dispensed Jet A and 100LL, [plentiful] hangar space, and the nicest small town terminal with a courtesy car. Smiles abound.

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
John Fleck of Indianapolis, Indiana has submitted some great pics over the last few months. Today, he joins the proud ranks of "POTW" winners, and he's certainly earned it. (AVweb readers served up an incredible batch of original photos this week, stuffing our "POTW" contest box with stunning images snapped at hangars, airports, fly-ins, and backyards across the globe.) Want to see your photos here? Try submitting them via this form. Even if your photos aren't featured, we'll be more than happy to drool over your plane and jealously fantasize about the places you visited this year while we were sitting in a dark little room looking at airplane pictures. 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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