FAA AND DOT PUSHING GREEN FOR NEW X PRIZE
While Virgin Atlantic, Air New Zealand and Boeing have teamed up to develop a green aviation fuel, and the CAFE foundation offers an aviation efficiency "green prize" worth $50,000, Thursday the U.S. Department of Transportation said it will finance its own green fuel contest. The DOT and FAA has granted $500,000 to the X Prize Foundation to create a contest hoped to award $10 million or more to the creator of an alternative jet fuel. Specific requirements for winning entrants will be developed over the next 14 months. The competition is expected to begin in 2011 with a winner to be selected (hopefully) in 2016. The X Prize Foundation will award the money, which will originate from a private sponsor that has not yet been selected. "It will be a competition that everyone wins, because a breakthrough in alternative jet fuels is a potential game-changer that could bring lower airline fuel costs, greater U.S. energy independence, and cleaner air," Mary Peters, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, said in a statement. More...

PRATT & WHITNEY'S GEARED TURBOFAN, BOMBARDIER'S CSERIES
Bombardier is getting bigger, and greener, and hoping to take firm strides into markets dominated by Boeing and Airbus with its fuel-efficient Pratt & Whitney geared-turbofan powered CSeries 100-149 passenger regional jets. The company announced the CSeries launch prior to the Farnborough Air Show, which begins today (Monday) in England. Lufthansa has already signed a letter of interest for up to 60 aircraft and up to $2.8 billion for examples of the long range CSeries family of jets. The aircraft should see first deliveries in 2013. The big selling point for the CSeries is its goal of providing a 20 percent increase in fuel economy over its rivals, a point that can be attributed to the geared turbofan, which has completed ground testing and is scheduled for flight testing this month. Even if it falls short of 20 percent, Bombardier is confident the engine will produce double-digit efficiency gains and win the hearts and orders of airlines hit by jet fuel prices that in many areas have doubled over the last year. Further pushing the aircraft's eco-friendliness, the company says the jets are also four times quieter, and emit up to 50 percent less nitrous oxide, than similarly sized industry rivals. More...

BOEING JOINS AIRBUS, BOMBARDIER, AS BULLISH ON OUTLOOK
Accounting for today's economic challenges, Boeing is projecting a 20-year global market worth $3.2 trillion for 29,400 new, more fuel- efficient commercial aircraft. While twin-aisle jets will make up the largest dollar share of the market, smaller single-aisle jets are expected to account for more than half of the demand. By 2027, Boeing forecasts a worldwide fleet of 35,800 aircraft, building from today's world total of roughly 19,000. The long-term market (and, presumably, manufacturers), according to Boeing, will be less vulnerable to regional economic downturns as a result of a more globally distributed demand. Boeing has seen increases in the Asia-Pacific region as well as the Middle East and Latin America, among others. Boeing's bullish forecast reflects reflections by Airbus, that China alone will need $329 billion worth of aircraft by 2026 and Bombardier's recent forecast, which expects demand to rise unabated through 2017. Bombardier's forecast that we reported in May represented an increase in demand of 33 percent over its forecast of the previous year. More...

CIRRUS' THE-JET, HENCEFORTH THE CIRRUS VISION SJ50
With its first flight behind it, Cirrus' jet offering has turned a corner in maturity and shed Cirrus' homegrown internal moniker of "The-Jet" for a more descriptive name and one perhaps better suited for distinguishing it from other jets beyond Cirrus' own walls -- The-Jet is now the "Cirrus Vision SJ50." According to Cirrus CEO Alan Klapmeier, the new name is meant to capture "Cirrus' vision to build the ultimate personal transportation machine." Yet to be announced cockpit technology will be optimized for ease of use by a single pilot and the Vision's notably flexible interior space suited for up to seven occupants all falls under an umbrella of safety provided by the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The aircraft's role as envisioned by Cirrus will be to provide "a smarter, simpler and more efficient way to travel" that "holds the unique promise of redefining general aviation," Klapmeier said in a press release. According to the company, Cirrus Vision's value and capability are unrivaled. More...

DIAMOND DROPS OUT OF BIDDING FOR THIELERT
Diamond Thursday announced it will not participate in the bidding process for Thielert because in Diamond's opinion, the Summary Description included by Thielert as part of the process "withholds relevant facts." According to Diamond, the process itself, as set forth by Thielert's confidentiality agreement, precludes Diamond from obtaining information "vital to the due diligence process." Diamond insists it will not participate if it only has access to "partial information." Thielert disagrees with Diamond's assessment, stating that its bidding process complies with international standards and that signing of the confidentiality agreement would have provided Diamond "comprehensive information" regarding Thielert's situation. Friday, Thielert said in a release that "the reasons Diamond is presenting for its non-participation are clearly pretext" and suggests that Diamond is not a serious prospective buyer. The company added, "Diamond's actions clearly serve the purpose of derogating Thielert's reputation in the naive assumption to be able to subsequently purchase Thielert far under value." More...

PRE-AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENTS
PS Engineering is offering an audio control panel with an internal mp3 player. The $1849 PMA8000B-MP3 stores up to 1 Gbyte of music and aims to free your cockpit of the wiring imposed by jury-rigged mp3 solutions. Mountain High is offering a new two- to four-person pulse demand oxygen system, the FADOCT (Full Authority Digital Oxygen Control) MH EDS O2D2, which it says drops consumption four times compared to constant flow systems and starts at $1100. Sky-Tec is offering new 24 volt "SuperDuty" EC series starters, capable of significantly longer duty cycles and aimed at "workhorse" 540- and 720-engined aircraft. LoPresti showed at Cirrus' Migration 6, in Duluth, new "IceSkates" brake-cooling wheelpants, wingtip lights and BoomBeam HID lighting packages for the SR22 G3. More...

FARNBOROUGH 2008
The grand old lady of aviation expositions starts July 14, and AVweb will be on the ground covering the highlights of the huge show. Keep an eye on your inbox for the latest from Farnborough. More...

AOPA LAUNCHES ENDOWMENT PROGRAM
Hal Shevers, founder and chairman of Sporty's Pilot Shop, will serve as honorary chairman and charter member of the AOPA Legacy Society that AOPA Foundation announced Friday as "an opportunity for donors to choose where they want to leave their legacy" to fund "the betterment of general aviation." Funds can be directed by donors toward safety research and education, airport preservation, promoting a positive public image of general aviation, or increasing the number of pilots and may be used to create charitable gift annuities. Donations can include cash as well as non-cash assets and charitable gift annuities can provide the donor or recipient of their choosing with a certain fixed income for life. The program is seeking pilots deeply concerned about preserving general aviation and accepting their donations. AOPA advises that pilots 65 years or older are better suited for establishing charitable gift annuities, while younger donors may be better served by deferred charitable gift annuities or other investment plans. AOPA has created a web site for interested parties. Find it here. More...

IN CHINA, PILOTS FINED FOR QUITTING
In China, if quit your job as an airline pilot, you could end up owing your former employer more than $102,000. China's carriers are struggling to hold onto their crews as demand for air travel creates opportunities for pilots worldwide. Now, Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, China's largest carriers, have taken to enforcing lifetime crew contracts. And a Chinese government regulation issued in May of 2006 designed to prevent bidding wars for experienced pilots penalizes those pilots who seek opportunity abroad by allowing airlines to demand compensation for lost staff. "Everyone should follow the rules," Chen Feng, chairman of Grand China Air, told Bloomberg news. "If someone insists on leaving, he should pay the price." The situation has drawn attention from the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations, which views the practice as unrelated to reality and almost like slavery. Pilots in China have begun their own work condition protests -- in March and April, crews turned around 21 flights mid-route. Others have staged hunger strikes. More...

SCILLY BLIND CONTROLLER LEADING BLIND PILOTS?
Isles of Scilly, UK, operates often fog-shrouded St. Mary's airport ... and is seeking applicants to fulfill the position of air traffic controller ... and is advertising in Braille. Yes, you do (presently) need to be able to see quite well as a requirement of the job -- the position requires 20/20 vision -- and yes, the "help wanted" ad is available in other written formats for Braille-challenged applicants. In fact, it is only specific wording included at the bottom of the text-based advertisement that offers the ad in other formats, including Braille -- and that is just a standard postscript on such documents. Nonetheless attention drawn to the nature of the advertisement has won good-natured praise from the Royal National Institute of the blind. "We welcome the Isles of Scilly's Council for their good practice and would hope more employers do the same," Bill Alker told Telegraph UK on the Institute's behalf. Keri Jones, controller of Radio Scilly, added, "The islands are always at the cutting edge of innovation, so it would certainly be something for Scilly to have the world's first blind air traffic controller." Something, indeed. More...

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

THE PILOT'S LOUNGE #128: OSHKOSH ARRIVAL -- LET'S STAY ALIVE THIS YEAR
EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh is coming ... and we need to step up the safety level again. More...

THE LOST ART OF HEADING
Even in the modern world of airplane symbols on magenta lines, sharp heading and CDI skills are still golden tools. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: RAISE THE #@!$% FARES (PART II)
Last week, the major airlines sent a letter to their customers blaming oil speculators for high prices. AVweb Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli thinks they're giving customers the runaround, asking them to become junior lobbyists and urge Congress to crack down on oil speculators instead of demanding a consistent, practical national energy policy. Read what Paul has to say about this on the AVweb Insider blog. 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...

SURVEY: HOW IS FLIGHT SERVICE DOING NOW THAT THEY SUPPOSEDLY HAVE THE BUGS WORKED OUT?
Our sister magazine, IFR, is asking pilots nationwide how their experience with Lockheed Martin Flight Service has affected the way they do their preflight prep. We'd love to hear your thoughts on how LockMart is doing these days. The survey takes just a few minutes. Click here to take part.

(The results will appear in a future issue of IFR magazine. For subscription information, click here.) More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: ST. PETERSBURG FLYING SERVICE (KSPG, ST. PETERSBURG, FL)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to St. Petersburg Flying Service at KSPG in St. Petersburg, Florida.

AVweb reader Shaina Lotu writes:

I've never met a more user-friendly FBO. This FBO has an extremely competitive fuel price for how much service they offer ... [and] they have a brand-new terminal and are located right in downtown St. Pete.

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!

MEET WING-WALKER CAROL PILON
AVweb got a chance to visit with Canadian wing-walker Carol Pilon, who performed two shows this weekend at the 2008 Geneseo, New York air show dubbed "The Greatest Show on Turf." In today's audiocast, learn what sets Carol apart from other wing-walking acts. She is the only female wing-walker in Canada, is also a skydiver and a pilot, and she owns the airplane she uses in performances, a red 1940 Boeing Stearman named Royal Rhapsody. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: F-16 INTERCEPTS JET & TURBOPROP LEGALLY FLYING THROUGH MOA
Last March, AVweb told you about a close encounter between two private aircraft, a Pilatus PC-12 and a Beech Premier and an F-16 in an Arizona Military Operating Area (MOA). AOPA has obtained the radar video and audio from the incident, and AVweb Video Editor Glenn Pew has put them together in an enlightening package. (Click through to watch.) More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: CIRRUS THE-JET -- FIRST FLIGHT
July 3, 2008, Cirrus Design marked the first flight of its jet offering. The aircraft, currently dubbed "The-Jet" successfully flew for 45 minutes. (Click through to watch.) More...

SHORT FINAL

Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"

Overheard in Southern Florida:

Fort Myers Approach:
"Cessna Three Four Alpha, say heading."

Cessna:
"Ah, we're headin' for Tampa."

Fort Myers Approach:
"Cessna Three Four Alpha, say heading."

Cessna:
"Well, okay. We're headin' for the LaBelle VOR first and then going on to Tampa."

Fort Myers Approach:
"Cessna Three Four Alpha, could you look at your compass and tell me what number is behind the little line?"

Cessna:
"Oh — you want to know which way we're going right now. Three five zero, sir."

Jerry Zezas
Marathon, Florida

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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