AOPA RAISES RED FLAG ON USER FEES
Information about the Obama administration's FAA budget proposal that was released on Tuesday "makes it clear that the White House ... seems determined to radically reduce general fund support for aviation in America," AOPA said this week. Starting in 2011, the proposal envisions $9.6 billion coming from user fees, an increase of more than $2 billion from the initial estimate just two months ago. That figure rises to $11 billion by 2014. "We had hoped that the whole user-fee debate was behind us after both the House of Representatives and the Senate opted for a tax-based system during the last session of Congress," said Craig Fuller, AOPA president. "The new budget details open the debate about departing from the efficient and time-tested system of using fuel and ticket taxes along with support from the general taxpayer monies to fund FAA." More...

NTSB LOOKS FOR LESSONS IN COLGAN DASH-8 CRASH
The crew of the Colgan Air Dash-8 that crashed in Buffalo, N.Y., in February violated the FAA's sterile-cockpit rule, which mandates no extraneous conversation while flying below 10,000 feet, according to evidence released this week during an NTSB hearing in Washington, D.C. In the final moments of the flight, the captain and first officer were talking about their prior experience with icing, as the airplane slowed and approached a stall. When asked by a board member if the crew could have recovered safely, Colgan's head of pilot training Paul Pryor replied simply: "Yes." Wally Warner, of Bombardier, also told the panel that the crew had not reacted properly. "Obviously the initial reaction to the stall warning was incorrect. That set the course of action for what followed," he said. The safety board convened the three-day hearing to examine the evidence that has so far been collected in its investigation of the crash, in which all 49 on board and one person on the ground were killed. No conclusions were drawn about the cause of the accident, since it is only three months into what is probably a yearlong effort, but the evidence that has been collected so far was shared and testimony was heard from experts and witnesses. More...

GWEDUCK AMPHIB MAKES FIRST FLIGHT
The Gweduck experimental amphibian, pronounced "gooey-duck," made its first flight last weekend, launching from Lake Washington in Renton, Wash. The twin-engine airplane was designed by Ben Ellison, owner of Ellison Throttle Body Injectors. He started the project in the early 1990s as an attempt to build a modern version of the popular Widgeon, using composite materials to avoid corrosion issues. "Over time the project developed into a ground-up redesign ... a completely new aircraft that combines the knowledge and experience of 1940s and '50s flying-boat designs with modern composite construction, and the latest in aerodynamic and hydrodynamic technologies," according to the project Web site. The Gweduck has generated a lot of interest, according to EAA, and its builders plan to fly it to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh this summer to see if there is enough interest to develop a kit program and sell copies of the airplane. More...

PLANS MOVING FORWARD FOR AERION SUPERSONIC JET
Times might be tough right now, but apparently there are still plenty of people who hope to see a supersonic business jet on the market in the near future. The Aerion order book has held steady at $4 billion -- about 50 jets at $80 million each -- Aerion Vice Chairman Brian Barents said at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition this week, and OEMs have remained committed to pressing ahead with discussions despite economic uncertainty. The company expects to develop a joint Aerion-OEM proof-of-concept design study, which would last nine months to a year. After that, the partners would jointly decide whether to move forward with full-scale development and production. "We are confident we will reach an agreement with an OEM," said Barents. "The challenges are many, but there is a desire on the part of all parties to make this happen." The discussions are complex, he said, involving many technical and business issues, but "they are moving in the right direction." More...

ABLE FLIGHT AIMS TO SET S-LSA COAST-TO-COAST RECORD
Early next month, pilots Matt Hansen and Jessica Scharle of Able Flight will attempt to set the initial speed record for a transcontinental flight of a light sport aircraft, with a plan to fly coast to coast in a single day. Their purpose is to demonstrate that an LSA is a viable mode of transportation for long-distance flying. Hansen, 23, is a flight instructor who has been active in training people with disabilities to fly, and Scharle, 24, is an Able Flight scholarship recipient who earned her sport pilot certificate last year. She was born with a rare condition that nearly fused every joint in her body into immobility, but after numerous surgeries and years of physical therapy she has become completely self-sufficient. Their Peregrine FA-04 is a factory-built S-LSA that carries 30 gallons of fuel. With an average groundspeed of 110 knots, they plan to make three refueling stops along their 1,814-nm route from Jacksonville, Fla., to San Diego. They will complete the flight in the 17 hours available between sunrise and sunset and stay below 10,000 feet msl. More...

STUDENTS STRANDED WHEN FLORIDA FLIGHT SCHOOL CLOSES
Students at Jet University, a flight school at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, showed up on Friday to find the place closed, according to local news reports. Many of the students had signed up for ab initio programs that they hoped would take them through all the ratings to qualify for the right seat in a regional jet, at costs of up to $70,000. Some students from the school started a Web site several months ago, where they posted complaints that airline jobs were not materializing, and aired their suspicions that the school was suffering from financial problems. The school was founded in 2006, and as recently as last month was still recruiting students, with a two-day open house at the school. The local CBS4 reporter said the business owner, Heath Cohen, said his business partner decided to shut the program down, but the partner denied that and said he wants a full investigation. More...

OPRAH: "IT'S GREAT TO HAVE A PRIVATE JET"
We can practically hear the cheering in Wichita from here -- Oprah Winfrey said in a speech to the graduating class at Duke University on Sunday that "it's great to have a private jet." With CEOs across the country shamefaced about corporate excess, and aviation workers paying the price in thousands of lost jobs, could Oprah single-handedly make it OK again to fly? "Anyone that tells you that having your own private jet isn't great is lying to you," she told the grads. "That jet thing is really good." Whether her enthusiasm will turn the tide and make private jets fun again is still an open question -- it could make things even worse. While The Wall Street Journal's "Wealth Report" blog found it encouraging --"Perhaps [the private-jet industry] should forget all the boring arguments about jobs and productivity and efficiency and run a picture of Oprah..." -- others were less impressed. According to Perez Hilton's blog, the message was not a positive one: "Lesson to learn, graduates: It's good to be Oprah and sucks to be everyone else!" More...

ON THE FLY ...
Air traffic controllers picketed in Memphis this week...
Walter Boyne, former director of NASM, will give a talk in NJ on May 14...
Girls With Wings, in Minneapolis, needs more women volunteers...
James Chadwick, inventor of the Chadwick Balance System, died on May 2...
Final ADs issued for Cessna 150/152 rudders and for Diamond DA-40 nosegear. More...

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

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: SEAN TUCKER'S FUEL EXHAUSTION ADVENTURE
Boy, that Sean Tucker sure screwed up when he ran out of fuel, didn't he? Um, yeah — and AVweb's Paul Bertorelli has a little confession to make on that front, too. Read all about it in the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog — and if you're not in the club with Paul and Sean, be sure to take the lesson to heart. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: GASSED UP AND READY TO GO
Since our podcast with Sean Tucker about his fuel exhaustion incident, we've had a lot of response to Paul Bertorelli's blog on the topic. We thought we'd poll the AVweb community anonymously through "Question of the Week" to see just how widespread this phenomenon is: Have you ever run out of gas?

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers if they had upgraded to 406 MHz ELTs; click through to see how many of you have. 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...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: CESSNA MUSTANG DEMO FLIGHT — IS IT REALLY AS EASY TO FLY AS A SKYHAWK?
Almost. In this post-Sun 'n Fun video, AVweb reports that the Mustang's control forces and basic systems are so close to those of a heavy single or light twin that any moderately experienced pilot should be able to check out in it without breaking a sweat. And at 340 knots for 1,100 miles, we could get used to it, thanks. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: CENTURY AVIATION (KGWB, AUBURN, IN)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Century Aviation at George W. Bush Airport (KGWB) in Auburn, Indiana.

AVweb reader Joe Kobiela recommended the FBO:

Lara (a CFI) and her husband Tony (an A&P) took over a rundown FBO and have worked hard to make this a great alternative to Fort Wayne. With a 5,000-foot ILS runway and competitive fuel prices, charts, headsets, and warm cookies, these two have put their future into aviation and have shown Hoosier hospitality to all who land.

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
Yes, it's impressive at this size — but you really need to click through and see this shot from Trey Carroll of Knightstown, Indiana in all its un-cropped glory. Click through for more photos — and some info on that popular photo of the Fliegerdenkmal at Wasserkupe that we ran last week ... . 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
Mariano Rosales

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