CONTINENTAL-POWERED BONANZA ON SWIFT FUEL
Teledyne Continental, Hawker Beechcraft and Swift Fuels marked Earth Day Wednesday by announcing successful test flights of a Bonanza fueled with the Swift Fuel cellulose-based biofuel that is being touted as a replacement for 100LL. The maker of the fuel claims it can be made for half the cost of avgas and deliver more miles per gallon. Swift is confident the fuel will prove out. "We project that Swift Fuel will extend aircraft range through increased efficiency and could cost up to 50 percent less per gallon than 100LL," said Swift spokesman Jon Ziulkowski, "This will be a big boost to piston aircraft operators and something we are proud to be involved in." TCM and HBC seem to be encouraged. More...

LINDBERGH FOUNDATION LEADS AVIATION'S EARTH DAY CELEBRATION
This week's Sun 'n Fun show overlaps Earth Day, and the fact has not been lost on the aviation community. Tuesday night, the Lindbergh Foundation debuted a new documentary film by Miles O'Brien, formerly of CNN, who accompanied Patty Wagstaff to Kenya to report on her work training pilots for the Kenya Wildlife Service. On Wednesday, foundation director Knox Bridges said he expects that support for that project will be ongoing for the foreseeable future. "It's such a good fit for our mission," he said. John and Martha King, who are supporters of the Lindbergh Foundation, introduced a new program called "Aviation Green," which encourages pilots to contribute 8 cents for every gallon of fuel they burn to support the foundation's projects. The idea is to provide an alternative to "carbon offset" programs, contributing instead to support the foundation's work to preserve the natural environment through the smart use of technology. "We want to provide an opportunity to do something positive for the environment," John King said. "We need to promote 'comfortable environmentalism.' Asking people to give things up is not effective." More...

SPORTY'S GIVES YOUNG EAGLES TRAINING BOOST
From now on kids who take a Young Eagles flight will leave the airport with more than a cherished memory. Sporty's Pilot Shop has teamed up with EAA to ensure that all of the approximately 100,000 youth who take a Young Eagles flight with an EAA volunteer pilot get a logbook and access to Sporty's online training program. Sporty's President Hal Shevers said the program grew out of his desire to "move Young Eagles from the right seat to the left seat" with a tangible foundation for future training. "How many parents know their child may take flying lessons at any age? " Shevers said. "And how many parents understand the lifetime opportunities that open up for their children through a passion for flight?" he asked. More...

EPIC IS BACK, WITH A STACK OF NEW DESIGNS
Rick Schrameck, CEO of Epic Aircraft, launched back-to-back news conferences this week -- one on Tuesday and another on Wednesday -- to show off a handful of new designs available to the experimental market. On Tuesday, he unveiled a scale model of a twin-engine turboprop named Elegance that he called a "next-generation King Air," which can be built in several different versions with seating for 8 to 11. Prices range from about $2 million up to about $5.5 million for a fully certified factory-built airplane. He said he is also working on a five-passenger twinjet that will fly later this year, which will sell for about $1.9 million in the experimental version, or about $2.3 million certified. On Wednesday, he brought out two more models, which he said were his original designs when he launched the company back in the summer of 2000. Now he is bringing them out with new options. The single-engine Focus is available in four versions, from a Rotax-powered LSA to a two-seat turboprop with cruise speeds above 400 knots. The five-seat Polar airplane is available with turbine or piston power. Schrameck also said the company is working with the FAA to certify its Escape and LT single-engine turboprops, but they are taking it slow to keep costs under control. As for all the other models, he said he plans to move some of them along to certification as well, but will let the market decide which ones will take priority. More...

AIRPARK REAL ESTATE VENDORS OFFER DEALS
The real estate market is tough everywhere but while airpark sales are feeling the crunch, lots are still selling in projects like Big South Fork Airpark in Tennessee. In a podcast interview with AVweb, Bill Armstrong, one of the partners in the project, says sales have dropped but the developers are convinced that luxury "second home" developments will rebound with the rest of the economy. In the meantime, they're offering unprecedented deals to attract customers and increase the curb appeal of their project. For instance, a "show special" at Sun 'n Fun includes a free T-hangar at the well-equipped airport that forms the eastern boundary of the development. More...

AVWEB'S SUN 'N FUN 2009 GALLERIES: DAY TWO — SPORT PILOT

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Tuesday was the first day the show was officially open to the public, and we sent staff photographer Mariano Rosales off to check our the Sport Plane area. More...

AVWEB'S SUN 'N FUN 2009 GALLERIES: DAY THREE — PARADISE CITY

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With the sun high in the sky and very few clouds in sight, staff photographer Mariano Rosales made his way over to "Paradise City" to check out the ultralights. More...

AVWEB'S SUN 'N FUN 2009 PODCAST #5: MANAGING YOUR ELECTRICALS WITH VERTICAL POWER
Vertical Power has put together a practically-all-in-one solid-state electrical control system for experimental aircraft. VP's Marc Ausman explained the theory and benefits to Kitplanes editor-in-chief Marc Cook here at Sun 'n Fun and also shared a few thoughts on the company's innovative cockpit climate control system.

This podcast is brought to you by Bose Corporation and WxWorx XM WX Satellite Weather. More...

AVWEB'S SUN 'N FUN 2009 PODCAST #6: AVIATION REAL ESTATE PINCHED
The real estate market is suffering everywhere, and sales at the airparks sprouting up are also suffering. But Bill Armstrong, a partner in Big South Fork Airpark in Tennessee, told AVweb's Russ Niles that with sharp pencils and creative marketing, they're making sales.

This podcast is brought to you by Lightspeed Aviation's Zulu Headset and Gulf Coast Avionics. More...

AVWEB'S SUN 'N FUN 2009 VIDEO #5: WXWORX OFFERS ONLINE OPTION
Customers of WxWorx's popular datalink weather service now have another option: They can access the same weather data available in airborne receivers via a new online service. WxWorx's Glenn Gray told AVweb one advantage of this approach is that all of the weather products appear on the same page, accessible with clearly labeled buttons.

This video is brought to you by Bose Corporation and WxWorx XM WX Satellite Weather. More...

AVWEB'S SUN 'N FUN 2009 VIDEO #6: SEA FURY COCKPIT TOUR
Like the Bear Cat, the Hawker Sea Fury was one of those end-of-war superfighters that arrived too late to have much impact in any theatres in World War II. But there's only one word to describe the Fury: awesome. The Commemorative Air Force has its Fury at Sun 'n Fun, and we got a cockpit tour from David Peeler, the Fury's pilot.

This video is brought to you byLightspeed Aviation's Zulu Headset andGulf Coast Avionics. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: MEXICO MEMORIAL AIRPORT (KMYJ, MEXICO, MO)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to the FBO at Mexico Memorial Airport in Mexico, Missouri (KMYJ).

AVweb reader Jim Smith told us how the staff at KMYJ don't take trouble lying down:

I stopped at the Mexico Missouri FBO to visit Zenith aircraft next door. I inadvertently left my master switch on during my stay and, of course, had a dead battery when I returned. The FBO manager stopped what he was doing to help me. He first brought out a battery on a two-wheel hand cart, but the batteries wouldn't turn over my C182. He then attempted a hand prop, but the compression was too much. A few calls, and he found a 24 charger. He brought the charger and some tools. He took off the plate and literally climbed inside to place the battery clips. After about 10 minutes, the airplane started. He then re-installed the plate and sent me on my way. Jay (employed by the city of Mexico) would not take any money and was genuinely glad to help. Very rare service indeed in these modern times. KMYJ has become a must-stop for me in the future, if only to support a real aviation server.

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!

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...

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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