NTSB REPORTS SUBSTANTIAL DROP IN GA FATALITIES
General aviation fatalities decreased 30 percent last year compared to the year before, the NTSB reported on Wednesday, down from 703 to 491. It was the lowest annual total in more than 40 years. "The U.S. aviation industry has produced an admirable safety record in recent years," said NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker. "However, we must not become complacent. We must continue to take the lessons learned from our investigations and use them to create even safer skies for all aircraft operators and their passengers." The overall number of GA accidents was up, rising from 1,518 in 2006 to 1,631 in 2007. Estimated flight hours were down slightly, and the overall accident rate per 100,000 flight hours showed a slight increase. More...

ROCKET RACING TO DEBUT AT AIRVENTURE
The Rocket Racing League, which is made up of modified Velocity experimental aircraft with a rocket strapped on the back, will debut its first-ever exhibition race at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh this summer. Two Rocket Racers will compete, and the pilots will carry in-cockpit cameras to broadcast the action live on multiple large projection screens. "EAA has followed the development of the Rocket Racing League concept with great interest," said EAA President Tom Poberezny. "We are excited about the opportunity to develop a whole new audience of aviation enthusiasts, while at the same time promoting aviation innovation." The races will be held Friday and Saturday, Aug. 1 and 2. More...

AIRPLANE STOLEN AT GUNPOINT IN MEXICO
A pilot and his family were in their Cessna Stationair on Tuesday, preparing to take off from a dirt runway in Baja California, when they were forced at gunpoint to abandon the airplane, Bob Collins, president of the Aviation Crime Prevention Institute, told AVweb. "Three men jumped the fence, then three others in a Nissan Sentra pulled onto the runway, blocking it," Collins said. "One of them had a gun, and they broke a window in the airplane and forced the family out. They pushed the Sentra off to the side and torched it, then all six of them climbed into the airplane. There was baggage in there too, and it barely made it into the air," Collins said. ACPI had issued an alert recently that aircraft thefts are rising in the border region. "Mexican officials are seizing aircraft, so smugglers are out looking for new ones," he said. More...

DELTA AIRLINES-NORTHWEST AIRLINES DEAL FAR FROM DONE
As details of the Delta and Northwest "merger" emerge, the number of affected parties continues to grow and it's looking like some key people weren't consulted--like Northwest's pilots. Northwest's pilot's union claims the deal was structured around a new fat contract for Delta pilots and Northwest pilots will suffer, resulting in class warfare on the flight decks. "The labor discord that will result from the current structure of this merger is likely to overwhelm the potential economic positives. We will not tolerate being a B-scale airline due to an unfair contract," union president Dave Stevens said. Then there's the question of whether Minneapolis-St. Paul, Northwest's current home, will continue to be a major hub of the "world's largest airline." Regardless of the customer service angle, it's already been decided that head office of the new airline will be in Atlanta and the current CEO of Northwest, Doug Steenland wasn't exactly direct in his comments on the disposition of his MSP headquarters staff. "We want to be in a position to make commitments on those topics, and we have indicated to the elected officials here that as the transition plans develops, and we can be more specific, we'd like to sit down and have that conversation," he said. More...

EMBRAER ROLLS OUT PHENOM 300
Embraer rolled out the first Phenom 300 light jet and ground testing will begin shortly in advance of its first flight. Work has already begun on the second Phenom 300. "We are thrilled to see the Phenom 300 become a reality," said Luís Carlos Affonso, Embraer Executive Vice President, Executive Jets. "The Phenom 300... will set a new standard for the light jet category." The 300 was rolled out 10 months after the smaller Phenom 100 was completed. More...

PILATUS DISPLAYS NEXT GENERATION PC-12
The Pilatus PC-12, a well-respected workhorse, has been given a 21st century makeover. The company displayed an example of its next generation model that was certified days before Sun 'n Fun 2008 opened in Lakeland, Fla. The biggest change is installation of a Honewell Primus Apex glass panel, a variation of the Honeywell system found in large business jets and is the base system for Gulfstream's Planeview. Pilatus spokesman Mike Haenggi said the version used in the PC-12NG is optimized for single pilot operation. The latest PC-12 also gets more power. (Click through for video of Haenggi at Sun 'n Fun.) More...

ARMY SOLDIERS ESCAPE SUV DURING F-16 STRAFING IN UTAH
Two Army soldiers were inside an SUV that was destroyed when an F-16 fired upon it at a training range in Utah last week. The two were able to escape with minor injuries. It was unclear whether the vehicle was hit by the jet's 20-mm cannon fire or if it crashed after the soldiers jumped out, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. The soldiers were taking part in a night training exercise at the Utah Test and Training Range. Live air-to-ground exercises are often practiced at the range, the Tribune said, and can involve firing on abandoned vehicles. More...

NEXT FOR AIRPLANES, MOTHER-OF-PEARL SKINS?
Scientists from the University of Dayton Research Institute have manipulated the process of shell and pearl formation in oysters to demonstrate a method for depositing pearl-like coatings onto various metal surfaces, such as an aircraft, according to the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, which is funding the study. The findings could lead to the development of new lightweight, durable coatings that would protect aircraft from impact and corrosion, the USAF said. The Air Force currently uses protective ceramic coatings on aircraft for various purposes, but officials said this new nonhazardous process could create ceramics at room temperature and pressure. Existing methods require a high-temperature, high-pressure environment. More...

ON THE FLY ...
A bird likely caused the crash that killed two UND students, the school says...
Red Bull Air Races in San Diego on May 3 & 4, and Detroit, May 31 and June 1...
Diamond's third D-jet has flown for the first time. 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...

THIS ISN'T MIG ALLEY, MR. BERTORELLI
MOAs are for everyone, not just the military, says a retired USAF flight instructor and safety officer. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: NEW POSTS FROM SUN 'N FUN
Speaking of the AVweb Insider, our blog was hopping last week during Sun 'n Fun. Look for on-site reports from staffers and a nifty behind-the-scenes photo of Patty Wagstaff doing her signature inverted ribbon cut while wired up with AVweb video equipment.

Read more. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
SYNTHETIC VISION — MUST-HAVE TECH? OR ALL BELLS-AND-WHISTLES?
At last week's Sun 'n Fun show, the hot new announcements in avionics were about so-called synthethic vision. Garmin announced its own new system, and Diamond is already offering it in the DA40 Star. This week, we want to hear what you think of the rising tide of SVT technology. Plus: How many air shows/fly-ins did AVweb readers tell us they plan to attend this year? More...

BRAINTEASERS QUIZ #132: PEEK BEHIND THE ATC CURTAIN
The Pilot/Controller Glossary contains terms used on both sides of the NAS fence. Too often, pilots don't understand controller phrases, and controllers don't know the pilot stuff. You'll know it all by acing this quiz.

Take the quiz.

FBO OF THE WEEK: AMELIA REID AVIATION (KRHV, SAN JOSE, CA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Amelia Reid Aviation at KRHV in San Jose, California.

AVweb reader Konstantin Blank recommended the FBO, citing the unique training experience:

Amelia Reid Aviation is a rare place where you get excellent flight instruction while connecting with the roots of aviation. While they instruct for all airplane ratings, the spcialty is in tailwheel aircraft ... a place where hangar flying is a both a pleasure and valuable (non-loggable) flight experience. I recommend everyone get a tailwheel transition training here as it will be fun and make you a better pilot.

While tailwheel training isn't on our list for this year, we'll definitely spread the word. (And now we know a good FBO in San Jose to stop in on during our travels.)

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
As we were packing up for Sun 'n Fun, we asked AVweb readers to keep submitting pictures, promising that we'd dive back in as soon as we returned. You guys certainly lived up to your end of the bargain, uploading nearly 150 photos over the past two weeks. Now that we're back in front of our submission pile, it's time for us to pull our weight and start dishing out pics. So let's go — starting with this photo from Geoff Sobering of Madison, Wisconsin! 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

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