FAA EMPLOYEE STEALS CESSNA 210 ... AND 214 OTHER THINGS?
Working with a government computer system that allows federal agencies to trade between them their resources, a field technician with the FAA in San Diego allegedly took home some 215 government owned items, including a Cessna 210. Court papers made available Thursday indicate investigators are still trying to discern how widespread the problem was. "There is a great concern about who knew what about this" Assistant U.S. Attorney David Jennings told The Associated Press, "about whether it's something that was systemic." The employee is said to have given the aircraft to his half-brother (along with a yacht that the relative took to Canada, where it remains) who even managed to get insurance for the government-owned aircraft. With that insurance, the relative received a payment of $45,000 after the aircraft was damaged in a 2007 storm while parked at an airport in Louisiana. Prosecutors allege the 210 was obtained from the Forest Service, a 44-foot Navy yacht from the ROTC, another boat previously used by the Border Patrol, a Chevrolet K2500 truck from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ... and the list goes on. More...

AOPA: EXPECT INFO SHARED FROM YOUR MEDICAL APPLICATION
Changes on your application for a medical certificate will lead to more information collected by your AME that can be shared with other federal agencies, all with the blessing of changes made to the Privacy Act Statement covering the application, according to AOPA. The information sharing is intended to provide other federal agencies with access to your responses for the purpose of checking the accuracy and completeness of other information available to those agencies. For example, pilots seeking a medical from their doctor will respond to a new question that inquires about whether or not they receive medical disability benefits, and other agencies may use that information to help discover Social Security fraud. More...

PRESIDENT BUSH EXECUTIVE ORDER PUSHES NEXTGEN TO OBAMA
With a Nov. 18 executive order published Thursday, President George W. Bush has dictated policy designed to drive "effective implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)" and sets its first deadline "not later than 60 days after the date of this order," or roughly when President-elect Barack Obama takes office. (That point is not lost on AOPA.) The 60-day deadline is for establishment of a DOT support staff. It is followed 120 days later by a second deadline that dictates establishment of an advisory committee to provide advice concerning implementation of policy to the Secretary of Transportation. As for the policy itself, the order states, "it is the policy of the United States to establish and maintain" an air transport system that meets the present and future "needs" of the Unites States. However, executive orders of an outgoing President can be reviewed by the incoming administration and President-elect Obama's "can be expected to review" and "may rescind or replace" this or other Bush administration orders at its discretion, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. More...

BOEING WARNS LAYOFFS MAY BE COMING
An expected downturn in orders for both its civilian and military aircraft has led Boeing to announce it may in 2009 take action beyond hiring freezes and normal attrition and reduce the size of its workforce through layoffs. Working under an order backlog recently estimated near $349 billion that could span five years of production and form a bridge over current economic woes may curb potential cuts. But a recent analysis by the Teal Group predicts that Boeing's production will likely decrease after 2010, and may slide by as much as 15 percent by 2013. More...

AUTOMAKERS HIGHLIGHT ECONOMICS OF BIZJETS
It may have been about potential job losses, but by attaching that motive to CEOs with multimillion dollar salaries flying by private jet to seek a $25 billion infusion for companies hemorrhaging cash under their own leadership, the focus has instead shifted to the loss of some jets ... at least for now. And so, a few days after the cap-in-hand CEOs of Ford, Chrysler and GM were blasted in Congressional hearings for each using their company's corporate jet to fly to Washington for the same hearing comes word that their hangars have some empty slots and may have more free spaces in the future.

Related Content from Our AVweb Insider Blog:

• How Not to Win Friends for BizAv
• Just Accept It: GA Isn't Always the Answer

More...

LIBERTY JOINS INCENTIVE RUSH
As the year end approaches, aircraft manufacturers keep rolling out incentives and reminding prospective owners that the bonus tax depreciation applying to light aircraft will end on Dec. 31. To sweeten the pot, Liberty Aerospace is offering free fuel, free scheduled maintenance (125 hours worth for both) and free insurance for those who buy a Liberty two-place before the end of the year. It's also offering five hours of free training and matching deposits made on competing aircraft (up to $5,000) for those who pick a Liberty instead. LSA manufacturers continue to offer incentives, as well, the latest being the manufacturers of Sport Hornet LRS. More...

"BELLIGERENT" FIRST OFFICER INVESTIGATION REPORT
As we reported in January, the co-pilot aboard an Air Canada Boeing 767 l carrying 146 passengers out of Toronto for London had to be physically removed from the cockpit, mid-flight. A report released last week by the Air Accident Investigation Unit has shed new light on the incident, saying that slowly mounting warning signs, from the co-pilot's late arrival to his "harried" appearance, were ultimately followed by ignored protocols, "rambling and disjointed" speech and "belligerent and uncooperative" behavior that led the captain to action. More...

CIA MISSIONARY PLANE SHOOTDOWN DRAWS OIG BLOWBACK
An internal report by the CIA's inspector general accuses agency officials of withholding information and obstructing inquiries regarding the investigation of a 2001 fatal downing of an aircraft thought to be carrying narcotics that was in fact carrying missionaries over Peru. Three aboard the stricken aircraft were injured when it crashed into the Amazon River. Two aboard, a woman and her infant daughter, were killed. The aircraft was attacked by a Peruvian air force fighter operating with CIA surveillance aircraft. The report itself states that the "routine disregard of the required intercept procedures" removed adequate safeguards to protect against the loss of innocent life; that violation of procedures was "sustained and significant" and that the agency denied Congress and other authorities including the Department of Justice access to those findings. Plus, the agency's counsel advised managers to avoid writing on the subject to avoid "legal scrutiny." Among the report's conclusions are that those intercept procedures were presidentially mandated and that "no one" involved in making changes to them had the authority to do so. According to the report, "In many cases, suspect aircraft were shot down within two to three minutes of being sighted by the Peruvian fighter -- without being properly identified, without being given the required warnings to land, and without being given time to respond." Not a single Peruvian pilot interviewed for the report said he had once attempted to visually signal a target aircraft to warn it had been intercepted. More...

ECLIPSE GETS EASA CERTIFICATION
Eclipse Aviation got some long-awaited good news on Friday with the announcement that the European Aviation Safety Agency has certified the private use of the Eclipse 500 twinjet. The decision allows the company to sell aircraft in 37 European countries for private use. In a news release, the company said it hopes to have commercial certification (EU-OPS 1) in time for air taxi companies to start operations in 2009. Eclipse spokeswoman Alana McCarraher told AVweb the mood at the company's Albuquerque headquarters is upbeat after a tough couple of weeks in which employee paychecks were delayed due to a financial crunch. "We're just all celebrating, today," she said. More...

THREE MAJOR AIRPORTS OPEN NEW RUNWAYS
Late last week, Washington Dulles, Chicago O'Hare and Seattle-Tacoma international airports each opened new runways, adding to 11 already opened during the Bush administration's tenure. The new runway at Dulles is its first addition since 1962 and brings the airport's total to four. At O'Hare, the new runway is just a part of a modernization project designed to provide the airport with eight runways in parallel configurations (it previously operated six intersected runways of seven total). In Seattle, the airport's third runway will allow for two-abreast landings in inclement weather. More...

EMBRY-RIDDLE EXPANDS VIA PERPETUAL TRUST
The Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust has pledged $2 million toward construction of a similarly named aviation maintenance facility to be built at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus and part of a larger $125 million facilities development project. The Emil Buehler Aviation Maintenance Science building will serve students as a part of the James Hagedorn Aviation Complex and "will be the finest aviation maintenance training facility in the nation," according to Embry-Riddle President Dr. John P. Johnson. More...

HOW'S YOUR TURBO-NORMALIZED CIRRUS SR22 WORKING OUT?
Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, would like to know. The magazine is conducting a survey of owners on their experiences running the SR22's engine lean of peak. If you'd like to participate, contact the editor directly at avconsumer@comcast.net. 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 INSIDER BLOG: FROM THE WEEK'S NEWS — A BLACK EYE FOR BIZ AVIATION?
The CEOs of Ford, GM and Chrysler did the business aviation segment no favors with their high profile trips to Washington in separate bizjets to ask Congress for bailout money. Our inveterate bloggers Paul Bertorelli and Jeff Van West hash over the fallout on the AVweb Insider. Check out their takes on the news, and feel free to add your own two cents in the comments. 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...

UNDERSTANDING OIL ANALYSIS, WITH BLACKSTONE LABS
In an earlier podcast, we spoke to Blackstone Labs about the optimum interval between oil changes. Today, Blackstone's Kristin Huff returns to demystify the process of oil analysis. More...

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: WARBIRDS OVER THE WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER
We didn't discover this week's "VOTW" in time for Veterans' Day, but somehow we think our readership will appreciate it anyway. Thanks to AVweb reader Ian Herron, who dropped a link in our submission box and drew attention to one of the best homemade music videos we've seen lately. Featuring a breath-taking locale, great airplanes, and the timeless voice of Dame Vera Lynn, this one's a must-see. (Click through to watch.) More...

AVWEB'S AOPA EXPO 2008 VIDEO ROUND-UP
At the 2008 AOPA Expo, our video team brought you exclusive interviews with outgoing AOPA president Phil Boyer and the incoming president, Craig Fuller — plus a demo flight with Cirrus Design's new EVS system and an in-depth profile of Garmin's hot GPSMap 696. If you missed any of those, you can watch all eight of our show videos right here. (Click through to watch.) More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: PALMETTO AVIATION REPAIR/GOLDEN ISLES AVIATION (ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GA)

This week, we stretch the definition of "FBO of the Week" just a tiny bit to allow for a nomination we couldn't resist. AVweb reader Abbott de Rahm couldn't say enough about his experience at Palmetto Aviation Repair on St. Simons Island, Georgia (SSI). While he gives high marks to the local FBO (Golden Isles Aviation), it was his diehard praise of the team of PAR that made this nomination stand out.

We tried trimming Abbott's story down a bit, but the feeling of warmth and (quite appropriate) Southern hospitality is best appreciated in his blow-by-blow account of the visit, which you'l have to click through to read in its entirety.

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"

Heard this somewhere over Kansas:

Center:
"Airline 312, traffic. Eleven o'clock, three miles, FL 310 Citation, westbound."

Airline 312:
"We got `em on the pig finder."

N700AN:
"Kansas City Center, Cheyenne Zero Alpha November. Request."

Center:
"Go ahead."

N700AN:
"Was that a 'Papa-India-Golf finder'?"

ATC:
"It's a TCAS."

Anonymous Voice:
"That's called a 'Foxtrot-India-Sierra-Hotel finder.'"

Airline 312:
"Yeah, but we're over Kansas."

Lance S. Ferguson, M.D.
Lexington, Kentucky

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
Jeff van West

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