YOUNG EAGLES FUNDRAISER NETS $1.8 MILLION
EAA got the stars out to promote its annual "Gathering of Eagles" fundraiser at AirVenture Oshkosh last week, and they brought in bid after bid from an audience over 1,100 strong, raising a total of $1.8 million to support EAA's Young Eagles program. Auction items included a flight in a Sikorsky Air Crane, an aerobatic experience with Sean D. Tucker, resort vacations, and a one-of-a-kind custom 2010 Ford Mustang, which sold for $250,000, the highest bid of the night. Aviation celebs in attendance included Harrison Ford, who has acted as honorary chairman of Young Eagles for the last six years; Sean Tucker; legendary airshow pilot Bob Hoover; Burt and Dick Rutan; Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and First Officer Jeff Skiles, the flight crew of US Airways Flight 1549; and many officials from the industry. Skiles auctioned off the leather jacket and shoes he was wearing on the day he and "Sully" ditched an A320 in the Hudson River, fetching $40,000 for the cause. More...

REMAINS OF U.S. FIGHTER PILOT FOUND AFTER 18 YEARS
The first American lost on the first night of the Persian Gulf War, back in 1991, was Navy Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher, who was shot down over the Iraqi desert while flying his FA-18 Hornet as part of Operation Desert Storm. His fate was uncertain, and the Pentagon changed his status several times from killed to missing to captured, but now his remains have been found and positively identified, 18 years later. "Our Navy will never give up looking for a shipmate, regardless of how long or how difficult that search may be," said Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations. "We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Captain Speicher and his family for the sacrifice they have made for our nation and the example of strength they have set for all of us." Acting on information provided by an Iraqi citizen in early July, U.S. Marines stationed in Al Anbar Province went to a location in the desert which was believed to be the crash site of Speicher's jet, the Navy said on Sunday. Remains were recovered, including bones and multiple skeletal fragments, and positive identification was made by dental records. More...

TEENAGER TRIED TO START HIS OWN AIRLINE
A 17-year-old from Yorkshire, England, met with various aviation industry executives and government officials in the U.K. recently and convinced them that he was a tycoon about to launch his own airline, when in fact he had no such plans or funding, the London Times reports. The boy used the pseudonym Adam Tait, and used other false names in emails and phone messages to convince contacts that he was working with a team of employees. He proposed to launch a cut-price airline serving most of Europe, based in the Channel Islands. His scheme unraveled when he was stopped by police at an airport while trying to get access to a 93-seat jet he had said he wanted to lease. The story is getting wide play in the mainstream media as reminiscent of the Hollywood movie, Catch Me If You Can, based on the true story of an American teenager who impersonated an airline pilot. More...

WOMEN PILOTS EXPAND THEIR AIRVENTURE PRESENCE
If you want to get a bunch of pilots together, there aren't many better places to do that than AirVenture at Oshkosh, and this week women aviators worked hard to make the most of that opportunity. On Friday afternoon, the ad hoc effort called WomenVenture orchestrated its second-annual gathering of all the women pilots at Oshkosh, donning blue T-shirts for a photo shoot at Aeroshell Square. About 550 women, with all kinds of pilot certificates from student to ATP to military pilots and astronauts, showed up for the shoot, about 5 to 10 percent more than last year, according to EAA. The event is not only about building camaraderie, said Peggy Chabrian, president of Women in Aviation International, one of the organizers -- it's also meant to help the pilot community to grow. "As these women are walking around in their T-shirts, hopefully other women and children will go up to them and talk to them about what this is all about," Chabrian said. "Hopefully this event will spark interest in aviation for women. It tells them it's OK to be involved." More...

BEECH 18 LIGHTS UP SHOW
Grimes Manufacturing, a major producer of aircraft lights, uses a C-45H (the military version of a Beech 18) as a test bed for their lights. The aircraft was originally built for the military, and was delivered in 1944. For 20 years it moved around to different bases and was used for different missions until it was sold to Grimes Manufacturing in 1964. After delivery, they immediately started installing wingtip and belly pods to mount various types of lights for testing. After that, the aircraft was flown not only for testing, but also as a sales demonstration airplane that they flew all over the country. In 1986, the airplane collided with a 30-foot utility pole during a fly-by and sustained serious damage. That was the last day for the Flying Lab. More...

AVMAIL: AUGUST 3, 2009

Letter of the Week: Hands-On Coverage

I enjoy your aviation reporting, but your reporters should refrain from touching and leaning on the aircraft they report on. This gives gives the general public the idea that this activity is OK, when it's not.

A sweaty arm leaning on a polished aluminum surface leaves a mark that only re-polishing can remove. I always teach young people to look and not touch and to put their hands either in their pockets or behind their backs.

Tony Stein

Click through to read the rest of this week's letters.

HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT GLASS PANEL? TAKE AVIATION CONSUMER'S USER SURVEY
Virtually every new airplane these days has an electronic flight display system of some kind. Our sister publication Aviation Consumer would like to hear from users of these systems. Click here to take the survey.

(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...

FBO OF THE WEEK: ROYAL FBO (SILVIO PETIROSI AIRPORT, ASUNCIóN, PARAGUAY)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Royal FBO at Silvio Petirosi in Asuncióon, Paraguay.

AVweb reader Fabian Miño brought Royal to our attention, noting that "since there are very few FBO services in Paraguay, I believe the competition is much tougher. ... Royal FBO has made great efforts to be one of the few really high-quality FBOs in Paraguay today."

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!

SHORT FINAL

Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"

I was on V16 just off New York's JFK Airport at 6,000 feet when New York departure called.

Departure:
"Mooney One Victor Sierra, say airspeed."

Me:
"One hundred seventy-five knots."

Departure:
"Bonanza Five Eight Two, say speed."

Bonanza:
"One five five."

Departure:
"Can you go any faster?"

Bonanza:
"Negative."

Departure:
"Mooney One Victor Sierra, reduce speed to one five zero."

Me:
"No Problem. I'll slow it down for the Bonanza."

Unknown Voice:
"Ouch. That's gonna leave a mark."

Paul Millner
via e-mail

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