AIRPORT SECURITY ABROAD ALLOWS IMPERSONATOR IN COCKPIT
An Egyptian expatriate entered the cockpit of an aircraft at Kuwait International Airport by impersonating a Brazilian pilot, "failed to operate the plane," and moved on to impersonate a Brazilian engineer using the identity card he found in the first aircraft's cockpit, according to Arab Times Online. However the suspect's second attempt was thwarted by an employee, who, when asked by the suspect about the location of an aircraft bound for Luxor, noticed that the man bore no resemblance to the ID card he carried. The employee called security, who promptly arrested the suspect. Authorities are now investigating how the suspect managed to slip past a "high security" area to reach the first aircraft's hangar. The case has won personal attention from Kuwait's Minister of Interior and strict measures are expected against employees who "are found to have been negligent in their duty." More...

GERMAN POLICE RAID KLM FLIGHT, ARREST TERROR SUSPECTS
Two suspected terrorists on a KLM flight out of Cologne, Germany, allegedly intent on waging jihad, were pulled from their flight before it departed for Amsterdam, Friday. A Berlin paper reported that the suspects planned to fly on KLM to Uganda and on to Pakistan, but that report was not readily confirmed by authorities. Authorities have said that they've obtained notes previously written by the men stating their intent to participate in jihad and die in an attack. The two men, a 24-year-old Somali-born German and a 23-year-old Somali, had been followed by police for months. It does not appear the men had any plans to hijack the aircraft and a search of their belongings found no indication the men were prepared to launch an attack. However, they were allegedly traveling to a destination with the ultimate goal of receiving training to kill enemies of their jihad, likely in eastern Africa. The authorities' "storming" of the aircraft "all went off in quite an unspectacular manner," a police spokesman told ABC news. More...

SCHOOL EXPANDS TRAINING OF FOREIGN PILOTS
A falling dollar and faltering economy may not be all bad for some U.S. businesses ... especially one pilot training facility that caters to foreign countries with blooming aviation markets. Chinese nationals will be trained in Denton, Texas, at the US Aviation Group for careers as commercial pilots, arriving by November and returning to China about one year later with multi-engine, IFR and commercial ratings. They'll also have passed the ATP written exam. Following Chinese approval, USAG announced Thursday that a first group of students comprising about 25 "college graduates" ranging in age from 19-22 will begin training with a one-month course in the English language as it relates to aviation. Eleven months later, they'll have "spent 10 hours at the controls of a King Air" plus ten more in the simulator (along with other training in Cessna 152 and 172 aircraft) and 300 more Chinese pilot trainees will have been entered into the program. USAG may acquire more aircraft to keep up, and with light aircraft sales in decline, it may be a good time to buy. More...

ECLIPSE CERTIFICATION HEARINGS, THE AFTERMATH
Formal ramifications from a Sept. 17 congressional hearing that heard criticism of the FAA's certification of the Eclipse 500 from Department of Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel may be few, but that doesn't mean the issue is going quietly into the night. A recent take on the events remains critical of the hearing's direction, stating the DOT IG believes the hearing's focus was "mainly on the FAA's actions rather than the safety of the Eclipse jets." The article, published Friday in New Mexico Business Weekly, points again to Scovel's belief that the problems and concerns raised by FAA inspectors during the certification process were granted a pass, allowing Eclipse to save fixes for a later date. It states specifically that, regarding the Eclipse flight software, "the FAA issued a design certificate even though Eclipse's software supplier had only completed 23 of 65 required tests." Of deficiencies that remained unresolved upon the FAA's April 10, 2007, award of a production certificate to Eclipse, 13 today remain as unresolved, according to Scovel. Following the hearing, the FAA's position on the matter is clear: The Eclipse 500 aircraft are fully deserving of certification and completely safe. More...

AOPA CLAIMS VICTORY ON USER FEES
... For now. AOPA has announced that a Sept. 23 bill passed by the House of Representatives extends the current taxes on fuel and airline tickets until April 2009. That means, according to AOPA, that "we can declare victory in the battle against user fees" and won't face the threat again until, maybe, April Fools' Day. The government has granted the FAA authority to spend $7.9 billion over the next six months to roughly match what appropriations the agency would likely have obtained through an actual funding bill, which the Sept. 23 legislation is not. BUT ... while the Senate quickly confirmed the House's bill, President Bush has yet to chime in with his approval. And, AOPA warns, neither of the presidential candidates who stand to inherit the user fee battle has specifically ruled out aviation user fees as a method of funding the FAA. Toward that end, AOPA is seeking on Nov. 4 "to return to power" those "friends in the House" who have fought against user fees so that it may start the fight anew, and in good company, with a new administration in 2009. More...

FUEL-FREE POWERED FLIGHT -- SOLAR IMPULSE PROJECT UPDATE
The project that hopes to ultimately send a manned aircraft around the world in nonstop flight utilizing solar power has reached the concrete phase through delivery of final first aircraft components. The first large components now exist for the yet unbuilt aircraft registered HB-SIA, and composite fuselage has run through stress tests including static flexion and torsion testing. Normal challenges of aircraft design -- ultra-light, ultra-robust construction -- are compounded in the Solar Impulse project and its more than 180-foot-long wing. "Anything that doesn't break is potentially too heavy," says project CEO Andre Borschberg. Anything too light obviously offers similarly project-ending consequences. The extreme combination of experimentation and computer simulation has so far stretched carbon sheet "just a few tenths of millimeters thick over lengths up to 20 meters" and challenged researchers to transform fragile solar panels into flexible wing surfaces. More...

ROSSY'S DONE IT -- FUSIONMAN WINGS ACROSS THE CHANNEL
Following two weather delays, Yves Rossy, 49, Friday successfully flew across the English Channel from France to England strapped to a set of eight-foot, 120-pound carbon fiber wings on his back, powered by four kerosene-burning micro turbines carefully mounted beneath it. The flight from Calais to Dover followed the route traced by Louis Bleriot, who in 1909 won the honor of first person to cross the Channel in an aircraft -- a trip that took 37 minutes. Rossy's flight began at 8,000 feet upon departure from a Pilatus jump aircraft and covered the 22 miles in 9 minutes, 32 seconds, at speeds near 120 mph, according to The Guardian. Rossy had the benefit of a tailwind on his trek and so met Dover early with a bit of exuberant aerobatics. That was followed by parachute deployment and an otherwise harmless "face-in-the-dirt landing." Next in line for the adventurer are plans to fly over the Grand Canyon, take off from a standing position, and expand his cache of aerobatics. More...

HELICOPTER MEDEVAC CRASH KILLS FOUR
The eighth medical helicopter crash in the past 12 months took place in a suburban Washington park Sunday during fog and rain, killing four of five aboard and lifting the 12-month medevac helicopter death toll to near 30 for that period. The crew of the flight, conducted by the Maryland State Police, reported that it would divert to Andrews Air Force Base due to weather. That would have landed it about halfway between the accident site and Prince George's county hospital. The safety of medevac operations, which since 1990 has shown an increase in the rate of crashes, has earned the attention of the NTSB, which plans to hold a public hearing on the topic. Maryland's state-run program has now had just four fatal helicopter crashes over four decades, according to The Associated Press. Sunday's crash killed veteran pilot Stephen Bunker, 59; paramedic Mickey Lippy, 34; EMT Tanya Mallard, 39; and 18-year old Ashley Younker. Another 18-year-old female survived. More...

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

RANS S-19
Randy Schlitter's latest design is purpose built for Light-Sport rules but intended to be one of the easiest-to-build kits around. More...

AVMAIL: SEP. 29, 2008
Reader mail this week about GA support for hurricane relief, GA attitudes about Eclipse, praise for A Pilot's History and more. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: FSS UNDER LOCKMART — STOP WHINING AND LOBBY FOR SOME BETTER TOOLS
Don't like the brave new world of Lockheed-Martin's Flight Service? Too bad. It's here to stay and after three years of working at it they've clawed their way back up to the level of adequate. Some of what we once had with locally knowledgeable briefers is gone forever, but at least one gem of bygone days could be brought back with the right software and some willing users, according to IFR magazine Editor-in-Chief Jeff van West, who takes the new FSS system to task in the latest installment of our AVweb Insider Blog. More...

WHICH DEICING SYSTEM DO YOU PREFER?
With winter weather coming, now's a good time to think about the three main deicing systems out there: pneumatic boots, TKS and electro-thermal. Sister publication Aviation Consumer is conducting a survey on what pilots think about them. Even if you have experience with only two of the three, we'd like to hear from you. Send a note to aviation_safety@hotmail.com to share your experiences. (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...

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: OAKLAND TOWER VIDEO OF A RED BULL AIR RACES FLY-BY
Here's an interesting perspective on the Red Bull Air Races, shot from inside the Oakland Control Tower! AVweb reader (and rabid video watcher) Robert Reid stumbled across this one on MySpace Video and send us a link. Well worth it for the controller reactions alone! (Click through to watch.) More...

AVWEB'S MONDAY PODCAST
Due to technical difficulties, we're skipping our usual Monday podcast, but look for bonus audio from IFR Refresher magazine on AVweb in the next couple of days.

FBO OF THE WEEK: TUNICA AIR CENTER (UTA, TUNICA, MS)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Tunica Air Center at UTA in Tunica, Mississippi.

AVweb reader Steve Spinney did his research before a 600-mile flight and learned about the FBO online:

I started by checking out their web site and also called and asked a few questions on the phone. This place is building quite a reputation for rolling out the red carpet for their customers; big or small, they can do it all. The facility is as nice as the people that run it. ... One attendant even took my picture by the airplane for me. I base out of Fort Smith, AR and I have to say we have a first-class FBO with TacAir, but you can't get a hamburger with your fuel. The cafe at Tunica has a great burger and some sandwiches made with Boars Head Deli products. So fly to Tunica — there is lots of runway and amenities!

Mmm — Boar's Head! Thanks for the recommendation, Steve!

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!

SHORT FINAL

Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"

Flying into New Orleans Lakefront, and approach had switched us over to tower. One controller worked both ground and tower frequencies. There was minimal radio chatter with other aircraft but what was there was worth hearing:

Tower:
"Cessna XXX, for future reference, the one with the yellow line down the center is a taxiway, and the one with the white line is a runway."

Tim Morrison
Houston, Texas

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...

HELP AVWEBBIZ SPREAD YOUR NBAA NEWS
The world's most important business aviation event, the National Business Aviation Association's annual convention, is coming up Oct. 6-8 in Orlando and there will be hundreds of product announcements and updates. AVweb will be there with daily coverage of the events, news conferences and announcements that make this show so important but if your company has something more than 100,000 business aviation decision-makers need to know about, we're encouraging you to let us know in advance. That way we can give your news the full attention it deserves and make sure it's released in a timely fashion during our coverage. Don't worry. We'll strictly observe all embargos. Send your advance material to rniles@avweb.com and thanks for your help in making our coverage the most comprehensive available. 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

Webmaster
Scott Simmons

Contributors
Mariano Rosales
Jeff van West

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