NTSB ASKS FAA TO IMMEDIATELY GROUND ZODIAC CH-601XL AIRCRAFT
In an unusual move on Tuesday, the NTSB issued an "urgent safety recommendation" asking the FAA to prohibit further flight of the Zodiac CH-601XL, which has been involved in six in-flight structural breakups since 2006. The board cited four accidents in the U.S. and two in Europe in which a CH-601XL broke up in flight, killing a total of 10 people. According to the NTSB, there is a problem with the airplane design that makes it susceptible to aerodynamic flutter -- a phenomenon in which the control surfaces of the airplane can suddenly vibrate, and if unmitigated, can lead to catastrophic structural failure. The NTSB wants the U.S. fleet grounded until the FAA can determine that the problem has been solved. "The NTSB does not often recommend that all airplanes of a particular type be prohibited from further flight," said NTSB Acting Chairman Mark Rosenker. "In this case, we believe such action will save lives. Unless the safety issues with this particular Zodiac model are addressed, we are likely to see more accidents in which pilots and passengers are killed in airplanes that they believed were safe to fly." More...

FAA AND INDUSTRY RESPOND TO NTSB ZODIAC CONCERNS
The FAA is already looking into concerns about all versions of the Zodiac CH-601XL aircraft, which were raised at an industry meeting back in February, FAA spokeswoman Laura J. Brown told AVweb on Tuesday, but she added that the agency has no immediate plans to call for the airplanes to be grounded. "The manufacturer already has told owners to check the aileron control cable tensions," she said. The FAA has formed a special review team with members from the FAA and the industry to investigate the problem. Brown added that the FAA has told the ASTM that it should conduct a review of its LSA standards regarding aerodynamic flutter. The CH-601XL airplane is sold in a kit version by Zenith Aircraft, which is run by Sebastian Heintz, and is also sold as an S-LSA by AMD (Aircraft Manufacturing & Design), which is run by Matthew Heintz. The CH-601XL was certified as an S-LSA in 2005. In the six accidents cited by the NTSB, two of the aircraft were experimental amateur-built (one in California and one in Utah), one in California was an S-LSA manufactured by AMD, and one in Florida was an S-LSA built by the Czech Aircraft Works. The other two crashes were in the Netherlands and in Spain, and it is not clear what version of the aircraft was involved. On Wednesday, Zenith Aircraft posted a notice online stating that the company first learned of the NTSB's safety recommendation on Tuesday, when the press release was issued. "We continue to believe wing flutter will not occur if the control cables are adjusted properly," the notice reads. More...

EAA PICKS TOP INNOVATIONS FROM AERO FRIEDRICHSHAFEN
Every pilot likes to see a new version of a favorite product, but what really gets attention is something completely new. At Aero Friedrichshafen earlier this month in Germany, there was plenty of innovation going on -- as AVweb's contributor Graeme Peppler reported from the scene -- and this week, EAA created a list of the show's hottest new ideas. Whether any of these will stand the test of time, or even make it into the U.S. market, remains to be seen. EAA's choices include the Isatis LSA, which has moved the engine behind the cabin to allow for helicopter-like visibility. The Alatus-ME self-launching motorglider is electric-powered and folds up small enough to carry on your car's roof rack. Flight Design's hybrid engine made the list, as well as a Swiss anti-collision warning system for small aircraft. A line of electric airplanes from Yaneec International, a joint British-Chinese venture, include a quiet powered parachute and plans for a small twin. Many of these designs will make their U.S. debut later this year at EAA AirVenture, but we'll also be on the lookout for new ideas and innovation next week at Sun 'n Fun. More...

AVIDYNE EXPLAINS LATEST AVIONICS IN WEBINARS
For aircraft owners looking to upgrade to the latest new panel, or shoppers ready to buy a new airplane, the big shows like Sun 'n Fun and AirVenture provide great opportunities to check out all the options. But now, buyers who can't be at the show in person can have the next-best thing — an online Webinar, complete with graphics, live audio, and a Q&A session, to get a rundown on all the details in the latest products. This month, Avidyne is making the most of the Webinar format to get the word out about their latest glass-panel upgrade, Release 9. The new system was unveiled late last year — click here for Paul Bertorelli's video tour of the system at AOPA Expo — but with the spring flying season now upon us and FAA certification approaching, the company is offering the hour-long Webinars to show off the system to potential buyers. Avidyne says Release 9 aims to provide "true single-pilot IFR" capabilities while making it easy and simple to use. Click here for a list of the dates for Avidyne's Webinars and to sign up. More...

NTSB CHAIR ROSENKER PREDICTS GA RECOVERY
NTSB Acting Chairman Mark Rosenker told the Wichita Aero Club this week that private aviation has unfairly become a "political punching bag" and he believes the industry will rebound quickly and decisively from the current hard times. "The world's economy depends upon a robust air transportation system and general aviation and airline travel is absolutely a vital component of that global system," he said. "It is for this reason that I believe aviation will soon fly out of the turbulence that surrounds it today." He advised the industry leaders to get out and lobby for their cause. "Everyone in this room knows the benefits of business aviation, but many outside this room don't get it, so I would advise that you increase your outreach to the public, and Washington, D.C., to heal that black eye." He said that he believes in working in partnership with industry, rather than imposing regulations, to improve safety. He also said he expects to establish minimum performance requirements for lightweight flight recorders for GA aircraft by sometime this summer. "If recorder systems that captured cockpit audio, images, and parametric data had been installed on the Butte accident airplane [the Pilatus PC-12/45 that crashed on March 22], the recorders would have enabled us to quickly determine information about the accident scenario, including precise locations, altitudes, headings, airspeeds, and pilot actions," he said. More...

ZEPPELIN STARTUP STRUGGLES AS ECONOMY SINKS
The folks who launched the first tour-by-zeppelin business in the U.S. couldn't have had much worse luck with timing -- Airship Ventures launched last October, after two years of planning, just in time for the depths of economic doldrums. With seats selling for $500 each for an hour flight, business has been slow. Toss in the rain and wind of winter in the San Francisco Bay area, and it's even tougher. But Brian Hall, who runs the company with wife Alex, is not discouraged. "It comes with its stresses, there's no big pot of cash, and we're working seven days a week," he told CNN recently. "But if you can ride this out, you can last through anything." He added that he hopes to find sponsors who will pay to paint their logos on the zeppelin, and he may add winery tour weekends, or move to sunny southern California for the winters. The CNN/Money reporter who took a demo flight found the business plan dubious but the view mesmerizing: "We fly over the Golden Gate Bridge just as the sun dips below the horizon. A massive container ship has run aground on the rocks just west of the bridge, and we watch in awe as a Coast Guard boat tows it out to the Pacific," he wrote. "Then we turn and drift back over the Bay as the city lights up and the bright sliver of a new moon rises above it." But will the project prove to be economically viable? More...

OSH TOWER COMES DOWN, NO SOUVENIRS

Click for more images

photos by Chris Hibben

Arguably one of the most iconic pieces of aviation-related architecture anywhere came tumbling down recently. The old tower at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis., for a week each year the "World's Busiest Tower" was pulverized late last week by Miron Contracting, the company that built the new tower. According to the Oshkosh Northwestern, Airport Director Peter Moll said the contractor decided there was no economically feasible way to provide souvenirs from the old tower.

Related Content:
AVweb's video tour of the new tower. More...

DEAD AT THE CONTROLS
Every private pilot thinks about it but for Doug White, a passenger on a King Air last Sunday, the fantasy/nightmare came true. The self-described low-time single pilot stepped into the cockpit of the big turboprop twin when the pilot collapsed, and a short time later, died at the controls. "It's just me and the Good Lord flying this by hand," the passenger/pilot told Fort Myers approach controllers as he got the feel for the powerful aircraft and set it up for landing. As you can hear in this podcast, he didn't know much about flying a turboprop twin, but he also knew what he didn't know. More...

AVWEBBIZ: AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVIATION NEWSLETTER

Have you signed up yet for AVweb's no-cost weekly business aviation newsletter, AVwebBiz?

Delivered every Wednesday morning, AVwebBiz focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the business aviation industry, making it a must-read.

Add AVwebBiz to your AVweb subscriptions today by clicking here and choosing "Update E-mail Subscriptions."

HENLEY BENEFIT AIR SHOW THIS WEEKEND
The greatest lineup of the big names in air shows ever assembled will be at Cecil Airfield in Jacksonville, Fla. April 18-19 in a special benefit for Alan Henley, the leader of the Aeroshell team who was paralyzed in an accident at home almost a year ago. All of the almost 30 performers at the are donating their time and expenses to help the Henley family get through the transition to a new life. Admission prices are reasonable and the entertainment value can't be beat. AVweb will be there, and we hope you will be, too.

ON THE FLY ...
An Airbus A380 will visit EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh this summer...
NPR reported on the FAA problems that administrator nominee Randy Babbitt will face...
Accidents in Hawaii air tour operations have decreased over the last 10 years, the AP reported...
An FAA AD affects the Socata TBM 700 turboprop...
Samson Motorworks has updated its "flying motorcycle" design. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK FOR GA
Pundits are saying general aviation has hit bottom and it's all improvement from here. Do you agree?

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers how tightly airplanes should be locked down at flight schools; click through to read their answers. 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...

WANT A CHANCE TO WIN AN AV8OR GPS FROM BENDIX/KING BY HONEYWELL?

All you have to do is click the image at right to enter your name and e-mail address. And no, we're not going to rent or sell your name, but Bendix may send you information on the AV8OR. You may also forward this newsletter to friends and invite them to sign-up for AVweb's Sun 'n Fun coverage and qualify for the AV8OR prizes also. (We won't spam them, either, but we will send them our e-mail news Flashes.)

Deadline for entries is midnight, Monday, April 27, 2009.

Click here to read the contest rules and enter.

(There's nothing to buy. All you need to do is be registered with AVweb.)

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

THE PILOT'S LOUNGE #133: THE CHECKOUT — WHAT DOES AN INSTRUCTOR WANT TO SEE?
Want to ace your check ride? Pay attention, stay sharp, and read Rick Durden's latest installment of "The Pilot's Lounge" to increase your chances. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: MARC AND PAUL'S SPORTSMAN PRE-SUN 'N FUN VLOG (PART 2)
Marc Cook and Paul Bertorelli continue their Sportsman odyssey with a look at this unique aircraft. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: MARC AND PAUL'S SPORTSMAN PRE-SUN 'N FUN VLOG (PART 1)
Gearing up for the Sun 'n Fun extravaganza in Lakeland, Kitplanes editor Marc Cook and AVweb editorial director Paul Bertorelli are motoring around the west in Cook's Glastar Sportsman visiting companies prior to the show. Here's their first video blog report. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: ATLANTIC AVIATION (KELM, HORSEHEADS, NY)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Atlantic Aviation at Elmira/Corning Regional Airport (KELM) in Horseheads, New York.

AVweb reader Sandra Fox recounted her stellar experience at Atlantic:

My commercial instructor and I flew to KELM for my day dual cross-country (and lunch). ... On arrival, there was someone there to marshall us to parking and someone else to chock the wheels. They immediately asked if we needed gas and were on the way to the truck before we were inside the FBO. While registering the plane I mentioned we had been told the terminal had a small restaurant. The lady behind the desk pulled out the keys to the courtesy van, gave us directions to the terminal and told us how to get the parking ticket validated. When we got back I asked where I could look up the weather. She didn't just direct me down the hall, but escorted me to the room. Everyone at the FBO was friendly and accomodating. They were proactive in asking if I needed anything rather than waiting for me to ask first. I've already recommended KELM as a standard cross-country destination for the flight school.

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 WILL RETURN ON MONDAY ...
Being neck-deep in prep work for Sun 'n Fun, we're saving this week's crop of photos for a special Monday edition of "POTW." As usual during the major shows, we'll be skipping next Thursday and returning to our usual routine the following week. So keep those submissions coming! 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

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Scott Simmons

Contributors
Jeff van West

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