21 DAYS TO A CUB
If you think about something you spent 18 days doing in your life, chances are you don't envision a completed aircraft at the end of it. But that's what Texas Sport Aircraft is offering participants in its KwikBild program available when they buy a Texas Sport CUB kit. The 21-day total (Sundays are off) program takes the builder from scratch through assembly, paint, firewall forward etc. to a complete aircraft in a factory setting with all kinds of helpful advice from the folks who do it for a living. There's also a 14-day program that gets the project well under way for finishing at home. "Building a Texas Sport Aircraft is an exciting endeavor," says a company news release, noting that KwikBild customers share the factory floor with others completing their aircraft and the pace is "brisk." More...

LSA ACCIDENT RATE IMPROVING — AND NEEDS IT
The accident rate in Light Sport Aircraft is "horrid" but it's getting better according to an insurance industry executive. Mike Adams, vice president of underwriting for Avemco Insurance told AVweb in a podcast interview that experienced pilots continue to underestimate the challenges of putting lightweight, draggy and low-powered airplanes on the pavement and the majority of claims continue to result from these factors. Adams will be giving a seminar on Saturday at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla. on insurance trends for LSA. The trend is headed in the right direction, he said, but it has a ways to go. More...

NEW LSA DESIGNED FOR TRAINING COMES TO SEBRING EXPO
Among the dozens of light sport aircraft that will be on exhibit this week at the annual Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Florida will be the Roko Aero NG IV, making its U.S. debut. The airplane, designed by Milan Bristela, who also designed the CZAW SportCruiser, has been purpose-built to be "the ultimate training aircraft," according to Roko Aero. Pitch sensitivity has been reduced, and lateral stability has been increased, thanks to the addition of new winglets, the company said in a news release. Also, the landing gear has been beefed up, and the seats are redesigned for improved ergonomics. The panel features the Aspen Avionics EFD 1000 Pilot PFD. Buyers can choose either the 100-hp Rotax 912 ULS engine or the fuel-efficient 80-hp Rotax 912 UL. Roko Aero also has developed a flight-training program, offering special pricing and student leads to flight schools that join. The Sebring Expo runs Thursday through Sunday, and reporters from AVweb and our sister aviation publications at Belvoir Media Group will be on site to bring you live interviews, pictures, and updates. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO FROM U.S. SPORT AVIATION EXPO 2009: CHAIRMAN BOB WOOD ON THIS YEAR'S EXPO
As the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo 2009 gets underway in Sebring, Florida, Chairman Bob Wood talks with Aviation Safety Editor-in-Chief Jeb Burnside. A quick preview of this year's show tells attendees what to expect and what they don't want to miss at the nation's premier sport pilot gathering. (Click through to watch.) More...

LSA SAFETY RECORD SLOWLY IMPROVES
Most of us learned to fly on small airplanes that felt every breath of wind. Then we went on to bigger, more powerful, and more stable aircraft. Well, it turns out you can go back, but it's best if you have some refresher training. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with Avemco Insurance's Mike Adams about mandatory checkout time for LSA pilots, regardless of how many hours they have in other planes. More...

ECLIPSE SALE APPROVED
A Delaware bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of the assets of Eclipse Aviation to EclipseJet Aviation International, a subsidiary of ETIRC Aviation, which is owned by current Eclipse CEO Roel Pieper and is the largest single investor in Eclipse. Judge Mary Walrath, of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, made her decision Tuesday after hearing two days of testimony, much of it in opposition to the sale. Pieper's offer is $28 million in cash, plus $160 million in shares and 15-percent equity in the company for secured shareholders. When it filed for Chapter 11 protection on Nov. 25, it was estimated that Eclipse owed more than $1 billion. Now that the ownership question has been settled, perhaps an even larger question looms, particularly for the people and politicians of Albuquerque. More...

AVWEB PARTNERS WITH CANNES SHOW
AVweb has teamed up with one of Europe's most important general and business aviation shows. AVweb is partnering with Eur-Avia Cannes 2009 at the International Airport of Cannes Mandelieu from April 30 to May 2. "Eur-Avia Cannes exhibition brings together the leading protagonists in general and business aviation in order to offer the possibility to a demanding clientele to discover the latest developments and industrial innovations," said show spokeswoman Samantha Chastang. AVweb readers are encouraged to preregister and use the invitation code AVWEB 09. More...

AOPA SCRUBS FREDERICK FLY-IN
AOPA has scrubbed its annual fly-in at its headquarters in Frederick, Md., in favor of more outreach at flying events and some non-aviation events in the coming year. In a story on its Web site the organization says the shift is in keeping with its Let's Go Flying promotion encouraging people to discover flying. "The association will bring the excitement of GA flying to new venues throughout the year," the AOPA story reads. More...

CORRECTION
A story in the Jan. 21 edition of AVwebBiz gave the incorrect name and dates for the Light Business Airplane Conference. The event will be held Mar. 13-14 in San Diego. AVweb regrets the errors, and the online archive has been corrected to reflect the correct information. More...

NTSB RELEASES HELICOPTER CRASH REPORTS
Last week, the NTSB released its probable-cause reports on four of the nine helicopter emergency-medical-services flights involving 35 fatalities that occurred since Dec. 2007, an event that quickly became somewhat overshadowed, as an A320 ditched in the Hudson River that very same day. The safety board said that flying at night in bad weather was a factor in three of the EMS crashes, which killed 12 people. In the fourth crash, in which three people died, the pilot flew too low over trees while searching for a lost hunter, the board said. The FAA has still not acted on NTSB recommendations to require Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems in emergency helicopters, and the board's suggestions to improve training and dispatch procedures also have not been fully implemented. "It is a big issue and the safety board is very concerned about the alarming increase we've seen over the last 14 months," said board member Robert Sumwalt, according to The Associated Press. "The recent accident record is totally unacceptable." The main goal is to get the new technology and procedures into the cockpit, FAA spokesman Les Dorr told the AP. "Rulemaking is one way, but it is not the only way." The NTSB's final reports can be read online. More...

NTSB UPDATE ON HUDSON RIVER DITCHING: FEATHER FOUND
The NTSB on Wednesday afternoon released new factual information in connection with its continuing investigation of US Airways Flight 1549, the Airbus 320 that ditched into the Hudson River in New York on Jan. 15. Factual updates from the board are generally considered preliminary information and no conclusions are drawn from the findings. The right engine has been externally examined and documented, the safety board said. An examination of the first-stage fan blades revealed evidence of soft body impact damage. Three of the variable guide vanes are fractured and two are missing. The engine's electronic control unit is missing and numerous internal components of the engine were significantly damaged. What appears to be organic material was found in the right engine and on the wings and fuselage. Samples of the material have been provided to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a complete DNA analysis. A single feather was found attached to a flap track on the wing. It is being sent to bird identification experts at the Smithsonian. The left engine has been located in about 50 feet of water near the area of the Hudson River where the aircraft ditched. The NTSB is working with federal, state and local agencies to recover the engine, which is expected to occur sometime on Thursday. More...

CAPTAIN SULLENBERGER GOES TO WASHINGTON
Along with about 2 million other people who spent Wednesday in Washington, D.C., Captain Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who just last week deftly steered a crippled Airbus to a safe landing in New York's Hudson River, made his way to the Capitol for Inauguration Day. Capt. Sullenberger and his family were there at the invitation of President Barack Obama, although so far there have been no confirmed reports that the two had a chance to meet. They did speak on the phone, however, after last week's ditching, and Sullenberger told the then-president-elect, "Me and my crew, we were just doing our job." On Monday, Mr. Obama told reporters, "It made me think, if everybody did their job, whatever that job was, as well as that pilot did his job, we'd be in pretty good shape." The captain attended the inauguration and was spotted by TMZ.com's celeb-watchers later in the day at a district restaurant called, appropriately enough, "Hudson," dining with some members of his crew and passengers from last week's flight. Sullenberger, who was dubbed by TMZ as "the most famous pilot on the planet," was a "rock star," according to the report, graciously shaking hands with a steady flow of admirers. On Saturday, Capt. Sullenberger returns to his home town of Danville, Calif., a suburb in the San Francisco Bay area, where he and his family will attend a ceremony on the Town Green hosted by the town's mayor. More...

YOUR OWN LANDING STRIP, AT ZERO DEGREES LONGITUDE
If you're looking for a home with your own runway, this house for sale in the Normandy region of France has it -- plus 100 acres of land, nine buildings, a six-hole golf course, stables for 20 horses, and more. And as an added attraction, the grass runway itself, nicely mowed and over 3,000 feet long, is sited right at zero degrees of longitude. According to the current owners, this is "the only place in the world where you can land your airplane exactly on the Greenwich Meridian," which is not quite precisely so -- since the runway is designated as 060/240 and the Meridian runs directly north-south, the landing roll actually intersects the meridian, rather than being aligned with it. But that's a minor point, considering that besides the convenience of flying in and out, and the pleasures of golf and horseback riding, the new owners of the property will get an aircraft hangar, a caretaker's house, and a crystal-clear river for swimming and fishing. The property is about 100 miles from Paris and 9 miles from the beach. The airstrip is equipped with an official international license, the owners say, which permits flights directly to and from almost every country in Europe. More...

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN INTERNET SEARCH FOR MISSING AIRPLANE
Many AVweb readers first heard about the possibilities of online search-and-rescue techniques when Steve Fossett vanished over a year ago, and thousands pitched in to scrutinize aerial imagery in search of clues. Some of the folks who helped coordinate that effort formed InternetSAR, a nonprofit group working to develop online search-and-rescue techniques, and currently they need more volunteers to help in a new search. A King Air that launched in November from the Cheddi Jagan International airport in Georgetown, Guyana, on a geological survey flight with three crewmen on board is still missing. One routine radio call was made 45 minutes into the flight, but nothing more has been heard from the crew since. Local search efforts were suspended after two weeks, but private firms continued to search for several weeks more, employing a variety of sensors, and limited ground searching continues. InternetSAR is helping to review high-resolution aerial photographs taken over almost 500 square miles of the search area. "This is about the best imagery we have seen," says InternetSAR founder Ken Barbalace. He said the terrain is challenging, with trees over 150 feet tall and dense jungle, but he remains optimistic that clues to the fate of the missing crew can be found. During the search mission, volunteers will scan over 8,000 aerial images that take up 300 gigabytes of computer storage. Anyone who would like to help search for the three men and their missing airplane can click here to sign up online. More...

ON THE FLY ...
Tom Moon, an Australian national aerobatics champion, died on Tuesday when his Extra 300 crashed...
Waco announced it will certify select pre-owned aircraft and provide a factory warranty...
The National Aviation Hall of Fame will host Film Festival of Aviation March 12-15 in Dayton.
More...

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

EXTRA! IFR MAGAZINE LOOKS AT PILOT MISTAKES (AND THE LAW)
So you busted your altitude and ATC scolded you. Should you be worried? IFR magazine editor Jeff Van West talks with aviation law expert John Yodice about what to do — and not to do — when you screw up as PIC. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549'S INCREDIBLE LANDING — FIRST IMPACT FOOTAGE
AVweb Video Editor Glenn Pew has compiled footage and information on the January 15 crash of US Airways Flight 1549 that successfully ditched in the Hudson River minutes after departure from LaGuardia airport. Piloted by Chesley Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles, the aircraft landed safely in the water, where NY Waterways ferries and emergency personnel then rescued all 155 aboard. (Click through to watch.) More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: FLIGHT 1549 — AIRMANSHIP TO LIVE FOR
US Airways Flight 1549 was a textbook ditching with the best outcome imaginable. AVweb Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli thinks there's plenty to be learned from the crew, the circumstances, and the flight path. Read more on the AVweb Insider blog. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: YOUR IDEAL PILOT'S GETAWAY
We've tackled some pretty heavy topics in this section in the last little while, so (given the upbeat mood of this week), let's engage in a little desert island thinking: If you could get in your airplane (assuming unlimited capabilities by the pilot and the aircraft) and go anywhere you wanted right now, where would it be?

Plus: Last week, we gave AVweb readers the hypothetical opportunity to decide how federal aviation stimulus money should be spent; click through to see where your fellow readers' priorities lay. 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...

FBO OF THE WEEK: STARS AND STRIPES AIR SERVICES (BOULDER CITY, NV)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Stars and Stripes Air Services at 61B in Boulder City, Nevada.

AVweb reader Richard Woodsum recommended the FBO:

Due to IFR weather along my route from SAC to ABQ, I spent an extra two days at Boulder City, Nevada. The FBO, Star and Stripes Air Services, not only delivered me to and from the motel, but [they] made sure I joined them for a very nice Thanksgiving dinner at the FBO office. Sandi, Debra, and Toni all were great and made my unexpected stay a very memorable one!

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
Submissions have dropped off a bit this week, but that's be to expected, given the contrast between the bitter cold (still) assaulting North America and the onset of the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in (we hope) warm and sunny Sebring, Florida. Still, many of you did find time to submit your aviation photos to our weekly contest, and for that, we're eternally grateful. Mark Madden of Anchorage, Alaska went all the way to a glacier "east of Talkeetna" to secure this week's top "POTW" spot. Turns out it was part of his ski and glacier training at Don Lee's Alaska Floats & Skis — which Mark undertook during Spring Break last year. 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
Jeff van West

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