NASA ANNOUNCES $1.5 MILLION PRIZE FOR 200 PERSON-MPG FLIGHT
NASA announced last week that as part of its Centennial Challenges program, it will fund a $1.5 million prize for the first aircraft that can average at least 100 mph on a 200-mile flight while achieving greater than 200 passenger miles per gallon. A competition is scheduled for July 2011 in Santa Rosa, Calif., which will be hosted by the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation. A variety of innovative experimental aircraft using electrical, solar, biofuel or hybrid propulsion are expected to enter, NASA said. Several major universities and aircraft builders have expressed their intention to enter teams in the challenge. The competition is expected to advance the development of technologies that will promote efficiency, conservation, and the use of zero-carbon energy sources, according to NASA's news release. This is the largest prize ever offered for a general aviation competition, according to CAFE. More...

FAA REQUIRES AUTOMATED ICING SYSTEMS ON TRANSPORT AIRPLANES
The FAA on Tuesday changed its certification standards for transport category airplanes to require either the automatic activation of ice protection systems or a method to tell pilots when they should be activated. "We're adding another level of safety to prevent situations where pilots are either completely unaware of ice accumulation or don't think it's significant enough to warrant turning on their ice protection equipment," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. The new rule requires that airplanes must have an effective way to ensure the ice protection system is activated at the proper time. The FAA has previously required the activation of pneumatic deicing boots on many aircraft models at the first sign of ice accumulation, a rule that has been controversial among pilots, some of whom believe they should wait for ice to form before activating the boots. Dan Hubbard, spokesman for the National Business Aviation Association, told AVweb: "NBAA supports efforts to increase a pilot's awareness of hazardous weather conditions and to alert the flight crew of necessary corrective action to prevent the degradation of aircraft performance." The new certification standard avoids relying on the pilot alone to observe whether the airplane is accumulating ice, the FAA said, and it applies to all types of ice-protection systems, not just the boots. More...

FAA ISSUES FINAL AD ON TCM/SAP CYLINDERS
It took a while -- the proposed airworthiness directive was out over a year ago -- but this week, the FAA issued a final rule requiring inspections and compression tests for some 8,000 engines built by Teledyne Continental Motors with cylinders by Superior Air Parts, if they have logged more than 750 flight hours. The FAA said its rule aims to prevent the separation of the cylinder head, which could result in immediate loss of engine power, possible structural damage to the engine, and possible fire in the engine compartment. The cost of compliance is estimated at about $1,550 per airplane. The AD becomes effective Sept. 9. For the full text of the final rule, click here. More...

GAMA NUMBERS SHOW CONTINUED DECLINE IN GA SALES
Sales of piston aircraft dropped 58 percent in the first half of 2009, compared to the same period a year before, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) reported in their quarterly update on Tuesday. Shipments fell from 1,034 airplanes last year to just 434 units in 2009. Business jets were also down, by 38 percent (from 663 to 412), and turboprops showed a relatively upbeat trend, with a drop of only 14 percent (221 to 191). "These are extremely challenging times for all general aviation manufacturers and suppliers," GAMA CEO Pete Bunce said in a news release. "Layoffs continue and our industry has been forced to slow, and in some cases, temporarily halt production lines." However, Bunce added that he is seeing some encouraging signs. "The overall economic picture is showing some signs of improvement, which is a crucial condition for recovery in the general aviation market," he said. "Flight hours are stabilizing, used inventories are beginning to shrink, and our manufacturers are seeing signs of renewed interest in airplane purchases." More...

ADVOCATE SEEKS REPRIEVE FOR HISTORIC WIND TUNNEL
NASA's Langley Full Scale Wind Tunnel (LFST), in Hampton, Va., is scheduled to be shut down and demolished later this month, and Ken Hyde, president of The Wright Experience, thinks that would be a mistake. Hyde and his team used the tunnel to help create a reproduction of the first Wright Flyer for the Centennial of Flight, and he thinks it has a lot of useful life ahead. "The tunnel can still provide us with invaluable research and information, especially in areas of national importance like energy independence," he wrote to AVweb last week. The tunnel recently has been used to test trucks, resulting in design changes and fuel savings of up to 20 percent. "The LFST is costing taxpayers no money to keep in existence; however, its destruction is costing every taxpayer money. ... [it] holds a unique place in our country's past, but its most valuable contributions to our country are yet to come, but only if we can find a way to keep the tunnel open," said Hyde. The wind tunnel is currently being operated by Old Dominion University, but their lease runs out on August 18, and NASA plans to close down and demolish the aging structure, according to Hyde. It is currently being used for research on blended-wing structures. More...

HUNDREDS FLY THE CHANNEL TO HONOR BLERIOT
It was 100 years ago, in 1909, that Louis Bleriot piloted the first airplane to cross the English Channel, and early in the morning of July 25, 2009, two French pilots marked the anniversary by completing the same flight in two Bleriot XI monoplanes, one of them a replica and one a restored original. Later in the day, however, several other pilots, from Sweden, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, who hoped to make the same flight in their own Bleriot aircraft, were grounded by French authorities, who said the wind was too strong. The grounding caused some to complain that the French had favored their own pilots, but others agreed that the winds were dangerous for the fragile aircraft. At least one of the grounded pilots, Mikael Carlson, of Sweden, was able to make the flight successfully the following morning. About 300 French, British and Belgian pilots also made the flight throughout the day in a variety of small aircraft, sometimes despite dark clouds and rain. Bleriot's flight from Les Barraques, France, to Dover, England, took just 37 minutes. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: THE GAMA REPORT — HAVE WE HIT BOTTOM YET?
Earlier this week, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) revealed order and cancellation figures that show an industry in crisis. Our question this week is about how soon you think that might change.

Plus: In the week leading up to EAA AirVenture, we asked which of the four major attractions at this year's show our readers were most excited about seeing; click through to see how AVweb readers answered. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: SOMETIMES ONLY A BUSINESS JET WILL DO
When the federal government needed Bill Clinton in North Korea to broker the release of two captive American journalists, it sent him there the only way it could: on a private business jet. In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Russ Niles wonders if this may drive home the point that bizjets are good for more than golf junkets. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: AIRVENTURE — THE DAY AFTER
So, did everyone at AVweb enjoy AirVenture? Paul Bertorelli did. Even though he's been to a couple dozen of these and didn't get far from his laptop, he still managed to recapture a little of that air show excitement this year. Read all about the cool things he saw (and tire-kicked) at EAA AirVenture 2009 in the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog. 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...

COMPLETE COVERAGE OF EAA AIRVENTURE 2009
Looking for coverage of EAA AirVenture 2009? You'll find our news coverage here and a complete guide to our podcasts, videos, blogs, and photo galleries here. More...

EAA AIRVENTURE 2009 VIDEO SERIES: IN THE PATTERN OVER OSHKOSH
Sitting in front of your computer thinking how awesome it would be if you could at least get up in the air for a few minutes and fly around the patch at Oshkosh? We feel ya — and that's why we strapped on some cameras for this bonus video, which gives you an aerial tour of the EAA AirVenture grounds. 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!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
And we're back! Major thanks to everyone who kept the photos flowing during our AirVenture "POTW" hiatus — and a tip of the hat to the handful of readers and submitters we met in Oshkosh this year. Todd Louis Bohlman of Lemon Grove, California helps us back to form with a photo shot by Chuck Hlavec. That's Todd flying his '69 Citabria 7GCBC in a breakfast flight with a group he calls the "Ramona Gaggle." (Todd also gives shout-outs to Matt Hlavac in the photo plane and Dave Ledum, who remembered to bring along his camera.) 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

Click here to send a letter to the editor. (Please let us know if your letter is not intended for publication.)

Comments or questions about the news should be sent here.

Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? A question on marketing? Send it to AVweb's sales team.

If you're having trouble reading this newsletter in its HTML-rich format (or if you'd prefer a lighter, simpler format for your PDA or handheld device), there's also a text-only version of AVwebFlash. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here.

Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.