STRATOS AIRCRAFT PLANS VERY LIGHT PERSONAL JET
When Diamond Aircraft announced plans to offer a single-engine "personal jet" a few years ago, it's likely no one could predict the market nerve the Austrian/Canadian company had touched. There are now at least six aircraft in the same general genre under development and a Bend, Ore. company, Stratos Aircraft, entered the running on Wednesday with a four-place design, the Stratos 714, it says will go 1,500 nm at 400 knots, in sleek looking, $2 million carbon-fiber package pushed by a Williams FJ-44. It also coined a new acronym for its entry, the VLPJ, or very light personal jet. No other aircraft, certified or announced, can claim to achieve the speed, range and utility that make the Stratos 714 a practical, owner-flown Very Light Personal Jet (VLPJ). More...

ICON LSA AMPHIBIAN'S FIRST FLIGHT
The Icon amphibious light sport aircraft flew for the first time last week, the company announced on Tuesday. It launched from a lake in Southern California. "Everything went as well as an initial test flight possibly could go," said Jon Karkow, lead engineer and test pilot, who in the past worked on the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer project. "The aircraft flew exceptionally well and met or exceeded our design expectations ... I was especially pleased with the water handling." The company said it expects to continue to test and modify the aircraft for another year or so before building a pre-production prototype for certification purposes. The aircraft has attracted considerable attention with its nifty electric wing-folding design, which has been demonstrated on a mock-up. The flying prototype features a manual folding wing. Both the prototype and the mockup will be exhibited at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh on July 28. More...

FAA RELEASES PROPOSED GUIDANCE FOR 51% RULE
The homebuilder community has been waiting anxiously for a few months now to see what the FAA would come up with in its promised "guidance" for interpreting the rules that guide the construction of amateur-built aircraft. The policy, released on Tuesday, mandates more stringent oversight of amateur-built certification by the FAA, said EAA's Earl Lawrence, vice president of industry and regulatory affairs, but at first glance, he added, it seems to contain no shocking surprises. "We urged the FAA to preserve the amateur builder's privilege to design, build, and fly an aircraft of any airworthy design, without limitations on the aircraft's complexity, power, size, performance, or other specifications," Lawrence said. "We've retained that essential privilege." The FAA policy notice calls for more stringent scrutiny of the construction process, requiring the amateur builder to provide clear evidence of a hands-on contribution to the project. It also proposes that the FAA may require an amateur builder to fabricate a minimum of 20 percent of an aircraft and assemble a minimum of 20 percent, and asked for comments on that proposal. EAA will petition the FAA to extend the brief 30-day window that was designated for a comment period. More...

RAYTHEON TO WORK WITH NASA ON US NEXTGEN
Raytheon is leading a research team of industry experts that will examine the impact of new classes of aircraft on America's next generation air transport system – NextGen. Four new classes of aircraft, very light jets, super heavy transports, UAVs and supersonic transport will soon enter already overburdened skies. More...

FAA MANDATES FUEL-TANK CHANGES FOR AIRLINES
U.S. airlines are already reeling from high fuel prices and a slack economy, and on Wednesday the FAA dropped a $700 million cost into the mix -- that's the estimate to retrofit about 3,000 airliners with fuel-tank systems intended to prevent explosions like the one that destroyed TWA Flight 800 in 1996. New aircraft will be required to have the systems. "Our intent today is to close the door on fuel-tank explosions," said FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell at a news conference announcing the new policy. FAA engineers and scientists have developed an inerting system that works -- "Something early on people said could not be done," said Sturgell. The NTSB, which has listed such systems on its Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements since 2002, welcomed the decision. "The NTSB congratulates the DOT and the FAA on this important safety achievement," said NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker. More...

SEARCH RESUMES FOR MISSING ADVENTURER STEVE FOSSETT
A team of searchers is back in the mountains of Nevada this week, hoping to find an answer to the mystery of Steve Fossett's disappearance. Fossett, a well-known pilot and adventurer, vanished last September while flying near a friend's ranch in a Super Decathlon. An extensive aerial and ground search, plus worldwide efforts using satellite imagery, failed to turn up any trace of Fossett or his airplane, and in February a court declared him legally dead. The new search team of 12 mountaineers, led by Canadian adventurer Simon Donato, will cover a rugged area on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada where Fossett was last seen. By traveling on foot, the searchers hope to explore hard-to-reach areas that have not previously been checked. They plan an eight-day search. To follow their progress online, go to their Web site, which is updated daily. More...

AOPA JOINS EFFORT TO FIGHT FUEL PRICES
AOPA says that about three-quarters of its members have scaled back their flight time due to the high cost of fuel. In an effort to take action, AOPA has joined a coalition called Stop Oil Speculation Now (S.O.S. Now). The S.O.S. group sent e-mails to millions of airline customers over the last week, alleging that "normal market forces are being dangerously amplified by poorly regulated market speculation." AOPA President Phil Boyer acknowledged that for AOPA to join forces with the airlines makes for "strange bedfellows." However, the S.O.S. effort is drawing support from many quarters, he said, such as labor groups, bus and trucking associations, and members of Congress. "We're all frustrated with these high prices, and this is a step in the right direction to do something about it," Boyer said. "We hope that it ultimately creates a national energy policy that Congress can adopt." EAA said it will "continue to explore measures aimed at containing the cost of personal flight" but stopped short of joining the coalition. More...

ON THE FLY ...
Miami officials are courting an unnamed German aircraft manufacturer...
A new, taller control tower will be open at Oshkosh in time for AirVenture...
FAA posted a new online video promoting NextGen...
NASA is working on technology that could change wing shape in flight. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: VLJS ARE ONE THING, BUT IS THE AGE OF THE SINGLE-ENGINE JET UPON US?
"Personal jets" are all the rage these days, but this week we want to know how you think they'll fare over the long term. How many single-engine jets do you think will be available 10 years from now? Plus: How fellow AVweb readers are making the trek to Oshkosh this year. 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...

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...

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

ACROSS THE POND #19: REPORT FROM EUROPE
This month's column reports on good news for flying licenses, calls to action from Holland and BBGA and a deaf flight instructor. 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...

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!

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...

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
This image from Gary Plummer of Burlington, Ontario (Canada) was one of the first we laid eyes upon this week, and it set the tone for all the photos that were to follow. Despite some stiff competition (and nearly not making it to the Top Five, if you can believe that!), Gary's shot is our "Picture of the Week," and we'll be sending Mr. Plummer one of those keen AVweb ball caps we're always going on about as thanks for sharing his pics with us. 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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