FAA FUNDING BILL PASSES TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009 (H.R. 915), drafted without user fees, has met the approval of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, but AOPA warns fees may still be an issue. The Ways and Means Committee, which is next in line and takes charge of imposing taxes, has so far been opposed to user fees. But that committee says it will have to look at President Obama's budget details (due in early April) before it makes a determination on FAA reauthorization. NextGen modernization efforts may require more funding than is provided by fuel taxes and amid a push for transportation infrastructure stimulus money, upgrades to the system may be deemed necessary. General aviation aside, the bill, in its current form, may make alliances between U.S. and foreign airlines tougher to come by and expose airlines previously granted antitrust immunity to loss of that status. More...

TMB AVENGER LANDS ON FIRE AT MILLVILLE, N.J.
Terry Rush, 63, was departing Runway 28 at Millville Airport in New Jersey, Saturday at roughly 5 p.m. in a Grumman TBM Avenger, when he noticed his left wing was on fire, according to early reports. The pilot flew the aircraft, on fire, back to a landing at the airport, but not before the fire had spread. Rush, who was himself beginning to burn, successfully landed the burning aircraft, jumped onto the wing, then to the ground as the aircraft rolled out and became engulfed in flames. Local fire companies arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire within about ten minutes. But by then, the historic restored aircraft had been transformed into a hardly recognizable wreck sitting some 400 feet from where its pilot had evacuated it. Rush was flown by medevac helicopter to a local hospital where he was listed in critical but stable condition, having suffered second and third degree burns to his left side and both hands. More...

NEW HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT
Flight Design GmbH, which makes the popular CT line of light sport aircraft, has announced it will debut in early April, at the Aero show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, a hybrid engine concept for light aircraft. The concept engine is based on "a well-established certified aircraft engine" mated with an electric booster only used to boost performance for takeoff and climb, according to the company. "The result is an optimized engine in respect to size, weight and fuel efficiency for cruise," Flight Design said in a news release, that offers 40 additional horsepower when demanded, or redundant power in the case of fuel starvation. Flight Design has worked for two years with Franz Aircraft Engines to develop the hybrid, which it promotes as a short- to middle-term solution for efficient environmentally friendly aircraft still waiting for readily available electric or hydrogen powered propulsion solutions. Unlike concept cars that never make it to the mass market, Flight Design does have consumers in mind. More...

MORE BENEFITS OF CARBON NANOTUBES
Composite materials reinforced with carbon nanotube "stitching" are not only ten times stronger than those that go without, but they are also one million times more electrically conductive, according to a report soon to be published in the Journal of Composite Materials. Benefits to aircraft structures therefore include increased strength and lightning protection along with decreased weight for composite aircraft. Carbon nanotubes are not new, and have been flown aboard aircraft, including a Giles G-200 high-performance homebuilt aerobatic aircraft in 2008, as part of that aircraft's cowling. But researchers at MIT say that through a process called "nanostitching," they can add nanotubes, "the strongest fibers known to humankind," to the composite's weakest part -- between its layers -- adding strength, without adding weight. What's more, in other applications, they can be used to actually help "heal" damaged composite structures. More...

CONTINUOUS DESCENTS CUT FUEL, EMISSIONS, NOISE
Both Boeing and the FAA have tested arrival procedures and both have found that continuous descents flown at a single busy airport can save the airlines millions of pounds of fuel and save the atmosphere millions of pounds of carbon dioxide. The FAA's testing at LAX shows that continuous descent approaches could save airlines flying into that airport 1 million gallons of fuel (and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 18 million pounds), each year. Boeing's trials, carried out at San Francisco International Airport over the course of a year, cut fuel consumption by 1.1 million pounds and carbon dioxide emissions by 3.6 million pounds. International aviation is cited as a contributor that accounts for roughly two percent of manmade greenhouse gas emissions, worldwide, and the European Union is expected to include aviation into its emission control scheme by 2012. Both Boeing and the FAA's programs are proactive in that regard while also addressing airlines' bottom lines. More...

GULFSTREAM DROPS 2700 EMPLOYEES
Gulfstream Thursday announced that it is laying off 1,200 workers and will furlough an additional 1,500 for five weeks. The company is Savannah, Georgia's largest private employer, with 6,000 employees in Georgia and 4,000 at other facilities in Texas, Wisconsin, California and 11 service centers spread throughout the country. The company says the job cuts will be spread throughout its facilities and were triggered by a shrinking order backlog as customers push back their orders waiting for positive economic news. Gulfstream spokesman Robert Baugniet said it has not helped that President Obama has singled out corporate jets as a symbol of greed and largesse, according to the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. Gulfstream's upcoming fly-by-wire G650 long-range business jet is expected to sell for $60 million per copy. More...

STARTUP AIR TAXI IMAGINEAIR MORE THAN OPTIMISTIC
Startup air taxi ImagineAir flew its first operations in 2007 and in spite of the economic downturn in 2008 doubled its business, flying more than 600 routes between more than 200 airports in the Southeast. Founded in 2005 and operating five Cirrus SR22 GTS aircraft with 15 employees, the Atlanta-based company saw 117 percent more flights year over year from 2007 to 2008. Company president Ben Hamilton, 25, told the Atlanta Business Chronicle ImagineAir will follow that initial success by doubling its fleet in 2009, spacing planes throughout the Southeast and expanding service to Texas by 2010. The company reportedly lists its 2008 revenue at about $800,000 but has a goal to operate 50 aircraft and employ 100 pilots within five years. If the company survives to enjoy that success, it may be due to a business model that makes its cost and convenience perhaps unexpectedly well-suited for the times. More...

FOSSETT CRASH NTSB FACTUAL REPORT, PILOT STATEMENTS
The NTSB's factual report of the Sept. 3, 2007, fatal crash of a Bellanca 8KCAB-180 (Super Decathlon) piloted by Steve Fossett does not include a "cause," but does offer details. The NTSB attempted to reconstruct potential wind patterns for the day through numerical simulations and also took statements from pilots who flew in the area at the time. The board's weather modeling found downdrafts in the accident area in excess of 300 feet per minute. Investigators determined the crash site to be at a density altitude of about 12,700 feet with a deviation from standard temperature of about positive 23.2 degrees C. The aircraft's maximum rate of climb at a pressure altitude of 13,000 feet was 300 feet per minute at standard temperature. Its wreckage was found "severely fragmented" and burned. The NTSB's report included comments from pilots who flew in the area that day. More...

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

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: SWIFT FUEL — CAN IT REPLACE 100LL?
The concept and the numbers more or less add up, although industry experts we've talked to think the claims may err on the side of optimism. In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli sorts through the clutter. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: F/A-18 AT MIRAMAR — HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?
If we've got this straight, a highly trained Marine pilot flying a Hornet with one engine caged and the other wheezing passes up a sure-bet runway for one 20 miles away surrounded by suburban sprawl? That seems to be it. In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli opines that judgment like this is all too human. More...

Thanks for sending us your thoughts this week. AVmail will return on Thursday with a fresh batch of reader comments.

OWN A GLASS COCKPIT AIRCRAFT? AVIATION CONSUMER WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU
If you own a glass cockpit aircraft, Aviation Consumer wants to hear from you. We want to know about the real costs of maintaining and upgrading these aircraft for an upcoming article. Please take a moment to fill out a short survey so others can benefit from your experiences. Click here to participate.(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...

TOM POBEREZNY STEPS INTO THE CHAIR AT EAA
As the aviation community faces some of its greatest challenges, Tom Poberezny steps into the role of chairman at the Experimental Aircraft Association. In this exclusive AVweb interview, Poberezny talks about the many hats he'll be wearing and what to expect from EAA in the coming months. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: B-24 COCKPIT TOUR
AVweb's Paul Bertorelli takes you on a detailed cockpit tour of the Collings Foundation B-24J Liberator, the only one of its type still flying. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: GRIFFING FLYING SERVICE (KSKY, SANDUSKY, OH)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Griffing Flying Service, a family-owned FBO at Griffing-Sandusky Airport (KSKY) in Sandusky, Ohio.

AVweb reader Joe E. Greene rents a hangar at Griffing and had plenty of nice things to say about the facilities:

They offer charter services to local Lake Erie islands, including also have two King Airs and other aircraft. They continue to struggle with the existing economy, [but] are very profesional and dedicated.

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!

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SHORT FINAL

It happened a couple of years ago in France, at La Ferté-Allais (LFFQ) near Paris, a quite busy GA airport. A few planes were lined up for take-off behind a plane with a female student pilot and her instructor performing an apparently very long checklist. It had already taken 5 to 10 minutes, and the line was extending. (All dialogs below happened, of course, in French.)

TWR:
"F-ABCD, are you ready for departure?"

F-ABCD:
"Not yet, Fox Charlie Delta."

[Several minutes passed.]

Unidentified Voice (presumably an impatient pilot in the line) :
"Nails should be dry by now ... ."

TWR:
"Who said that?"

[Dead silence, but after another couple of minutes, Fox Charlie Delta finally called "Ready for departure."]

Armand Linkens
via e-mail

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:

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Timothy Cole

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Paul Bertorelli

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Russ Niles

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Glenn Pew

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