NBAA PROPOSES CHANGES IN VLJ PILOT TRAINING
While the crowds at this week's NBAA Convention in Orlando, Fla., are busy out on the convention floor and on the flight line checking out all the latest and greatest technology, a lot is also going on in the meeting rooms, as movers and shakers get together to discuss issues of importance to the industry. One of the groups that met in Orlando was NBAA's Safety Committee, and this week the committee said it will revise its guidelines for training pilots of very light jets. Changes will attempt to address the basic instrument proficiency lacking in some prospective VLJ pilots, the committee said. Also, efforts will be made to better define training outcomes, to explain the concept of "personal minimums" and to address the unique challenges of operating into airports with short runways and inhospitable nearby terrain. The committee said it will work with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and others to produce a rewrite of the training guidelines by the end of this year. More...

NBAA 2008 WRAP-UP: ATTENDANCE NUMBERS SLIP SLIGHTLY

Click for images from the show

Attendance at the National Business Aviation Association's 61st convention in Orlando this week was down marginally according to early attendance figures released Wednesday. NBAA spokesman Dan Hubbard said 30,164 people attended the show, down about 600 from last year. "It's 2 percent," NBAA President Ed Bolen told AVweb. "This was a solid show." More...

AIRLINE PILOTS FACE MARKET TURMOIL
First it was zooming fuel prices, now it's volatile financial markets, and as the airlines scramble to survive, pilots are finding their work lives in turmoil. Mesa Air Group this week cut 150 pilot jobs, most of them from Delta routes that were operated by Mesa. Meanwhile, as Delta and Northwest work toward a merger, pilots can't agree on how to merge their seniority lists. In Milwaukee, pilots from Midwest Airlines took to the streets on Wednesday to protest the outsourcing of new jobs flying regional jets to non-union pilots. And in Chicago this week, the union representing United Air Lines pilots was in court, as the airline sought to force union leaders to behave as tensions build over a pilot pay dispute. And pilots for Sun Country Airlines, a regional carrier in the Twin Cities, can expect to see their salaries cut by 50 percent while the airline struggles to survive bankruptcy. The airline's management has told employees they will be repaid next year. More...

AIR TAXI EFFORTS MOVE FORWARD IN VIRGINIA
Despite some discouraging news lately for those hoping to develop a next-generation air taxi system -- such as the recent demise of DayJet -- some upbeat news came along this week when the Virginia SATSLab (VSATS), in partnership with the Air Taxi Association (ATXA), officially launched VirginiaAirTaxi.com, a new on-demand online flight reservations system. Besides allowing travelers to book on-demand flights instantly, the site features information about the industry, commonly used air taxi aircraft, FAQs, and a detailed directory of Virginia airports. Operators may be added to the system in as little as one business day. "Virginia has always been at the forefront of accelerating next-generation aviation," said Keith McCrea, executive director of VSATS. "This Web site will help foster community airport utilization across the 64 local airports throughout the Commonwealth." More...

SITE OF FOSSETT WRECKAGE SNOWED IN, INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
The site of Steve Fossett's crash, above 10,000 feet in the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains near Mammoth Lakes, Calif., was covered in about two feet of snow over the weekend, and officials said they will probably not be able to return to the site until next summer. However, the NTSB already had retrieved the wreckage and the engine of the Decathlon that Fossett was flying, and the investigation will continue. "A revised report and a determination of probable cause will be issued upon completion of the investigation," the NTSB said. Several bone fragments found at the site have been sent to a lab to see if they can be identified as a match for Fossett. One of the searchers, who has posted some photos of the recovery effort online, said he was "amazed" by how thoroughly the site had been cleaned of debris. "Only a few pieces about the size of a silver dollar or smaller" remained, he said. More...

AIRLINE CREWS IN TROUBLE OVER YOUTUBE VIDEOS
For years, airline crews have lobbied against requests from safety advocates for video in the cockpit, but now it seems that some crews have shot their own videos and posted them on YouTube. The FAA and Horizon Air confirmed to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that they are investigating possible cockpit violations in which pilots allowed personal electronic devices to be used to record takeoffs and landings. The trouble is that not only are such devices not supposed to be operating during that phase of flight, but the taping also might violate rules about sterile cockpits -- that is, when flying at less than 10,000 feet, no idle chatter or other distractions are allowed. The HorizonAir YouTube video, which has recently been taken down, showed a takeoff from Boise and was apparently taken by somebody riding in the jumpseat, but Horizon Air spokeswoman Jen Boyer told the P-I that would still be unacceptable. More...

FAA OK'S EIGHT ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS FOR ATC TRAINING
The FAA has added eight schools to its list of colleges and universities approved to train students for careers as air traffic controllers. In the past five years, schools that are part of the FAA's CTI program -- the Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative -- have graduated more than 4,000 students from their aviation programs. Three thousand of those graduates were hired by the FAA. The agency plans to hire more than 2,000 additional new controllers in fiscal year 2009. "These schools are an excellent jump start for a job in air traffic control," said Robert Sturgell, the FAA's acting administrator. "These institutions will give thousands of future controllers an inside track on a great career." The addition of the eight new schools increases the number of CTI schools to 31. All of the schools are accredited and offer a non-engineering aviation degree. More...

"NEW" WRIGHT B FLYER UNVEILED
Well, product development is important--even if the design is almost 100 years old. The Wright "B" Flyer Inc. has built a new replica of the aircraft that "really introduced the country to aviation," said Amanda Wright Lane, great-grand-niece of Wilbur and Orville and trustee of the Dayton-based nonprofit group behind the project. The "Silver Bird" was on display at the National Business Aviation Association convention in Orlando this week and its portability is one of its main features. More...

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

VAGUE VECTORS
When the rules say to fly a procedure turn, ATC may have other ideas. Here's why you should stand your ground and do the right thing. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: NBAA 2008 — A COLLECTIVE HOLDING OF BREATH
AVweb Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli is at the National Business Aviation Association's annual convention and trade show this week, where the gathering financial and credit crisis is Topic Number One (as it is in most other sectors). While he wouldn't describe the mood as "gloomy" (at least not as gloomy as in some of those other sectors), the word "spooked" does come to mind. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: MAKING BELIEVERS OF LIGHT JET BUYERS
AAI Acquisitions showed up at this year's NBAA Convention to flog their revival of Adam Aircraft's A700 jet. Are they serious about getting it to market? AVweb Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli is having a hard time answering that question, but even if they are, he says, the window on new VLJ rollouts may be closing fast. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: GENERAL AVIATION AND THE TROUBLED ECONOMY
While the doors seemed to be falling off the global economy this week, we didn't see much evidence of hardship inside the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, where the National Business Aviation Association held its annual convention and trade show. In fact, quite a few businesses seemed to have sunny outlooks for business aviation, at least for the forseeable future. But what about GA? How will the current economic conditions affect general aviation? Plus: Find out what AVweb readers said about foreign operators running U.S. airports, last week's "Question of the Week." 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...

AVWEB'S NBAA CONVENTION 2008 VIDEO ROUND-UP
In case you missed any of our videos from the 2008 NBAA Convention & Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, you can watch all eight of them (plus two shorts you may find interesting) right here. (Click through to watch.) More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: NORTHERN SKY AVIATION (KCOE, COEUR D'ALENE, ID)

Not all great "FBO of the Week" recommendations start with a mechanical problem, but sometimes it's just such a problem that makes an AVweb reader realize how important good support can be when something goes awry during a trip. Case in point: Jim Dunn recently found himself repeating a maintenance misadventure that had befallen one of his buddies and decided to handle it the same way, by seeking help from the staff of Northern Sky Air Center at KCOE in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

I was hundreds of miles away when a Bonanza owner told me how Jay lent him a mag to get his sick Bonanza home. My experience has been the same. Jay Burdeaux and all the staff at Northern Sky Air Center always treat me like I'm a long-lost friend. They have great prices, experienced staff, and will greet you with a smile that extends from Idaho to Louisiana.

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Jay and the staff of Northern Sky.

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
Lots of great photos this week — and while we'd love to talk about the recurring themes (lots of helicopters, in particular), we're a little behind the eightball following the NBAA Convention, so let's just dive right in! Kevin Stahl of Ft. Wayne, Indiana climbs all the way to the top of this week's pile almost on sheer volume alone. (No kidding, folks — that's a lot of hot air balloons!) 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
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Glenn Pew

Features Editor
Kevin Lane-Cummings

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Scott Simmons

Contributors
Jeff van West

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