GARMIN'S NEW TOUCHSCREEN PORTABLE GPS ARRIVES

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Although Garmin debuted the premium priced GPSMap 696 only a year ago, it's rolling out yet another new portable navigator model line this week at AOPA Summit in Tampa, Florida. The new product line is called Aera, and although its features and capabilities are similar to the popular GPSMap 396/496 series, the Aera line will have something entirely new: a touchscreen interface. Gone are the page, enter, and rocker keys, replaced by what Garmin calls an intuitive touchscreen operating system. As with previous portables, the Aera products will have a full range of navigation capability, plus XM WX weather, XM audio, Garmin's SafeTaxi ground awareness feature, and the AOPA Airport Directory. The new navigators will be dual purpose as well, with ground navigation capability provided as a standard feature. More...

LITTLE HOPE OF SURVIVORS FROM MIDAIR
The Coast Guard Sunday called off the search for survivors of a midair collision between a Guard C-130 and a Marine AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter off San Clemente Island on the southern California coast. There were seven people on the Herc and two in the helicopter when they collided late Thursday in what witnesses reported was a ball of fire. "After an exhaustive effort with the intent to rescue, our hope has dimmed in finding any survivors," Petty Officer First Class Allyson Conroy, a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard in San Diego told the New York Times. "We are now concentrating on recovering anything out of the water, or anyone out of the water." Debris has been found but no bodies. More...

FAA ISSUES MASSIVE PROPOSED AD FOR PIPERS
"We estimate that this proposed AD would affect 41,928 airplanes in the U.S. registry," says the FAA in its move to prevent control wheels from coming loose of their control wheel shafts on certain Piper aircraft. Affected models are certain Piper PA-28, PA-32, PA-34 and PA-44 series aircraft -- all to be inspected at an estimated cost per aircraft of $40 (that's $1.67 million for the whole flock). The FAA has received two reports of control wheel shafts that were incorrectly assembled at Piper -- one that led to separation of the right wheel from the shaft and another that was discovered during a ground inspection. The agency has no way of knowing how many aircraft are affected, but has estimated the necessary repair/replacement cost to involve 16 hours of labor and a total cost of about $1430 per airplane. More...

GAO REPORT ON SAFETY EFFECTS OF AGE 65 RULE
Two years ago, when The Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act extended federal age standards for pilots of large commercial aircraft from 60 to 65, it also mandated that the GAO report within 24 months on the effect the change had on aviation safety. There appears to be little to report. The GAO collected FAA accident and incident data, plus NTSB accident data, from December 2007 (when the act went live) through September 2009. They then pored over it for a month. The result: "We believe the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions" ... "that no accidents or incidents resulted from the health conditions of pilots 60 years or older." The results address what the FAA in 1960 established what came to be known as the age-60 rule, based on the belief "that certain important physiological and psychological functions progressively deteriorated with age," according to the GAO. The results of the GAO's study (PDF) say that's not so. There is one "but" ... . More...

"CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED" IN THE LIGHT SPORT AIRCRAFT MARKET
SportairUSA, distributor for Sting S3 and Sirius aircraft, announced Friday its new "certified pre-owned" light sport aircraft (LSA) program, offering used aircraft with a warranty, plus transition training. The company says the new program provides benefits for both sides of the buyer/seller coin. The seller, says SportairUSA, gets market exposure with SportairUSA standing behind the sale. Sellers also get free hangar space and, separately, deferred costs for maintenance and repairs until the aircraft is sold. Buyers get some assurance in that SportairUSA is putting its name behind the product in so far as the company will inspect the aircraft and make any necessary repairs with OEM parts. The aforementioned warranty is a "six month, 50 hour warranty." And then there's the training. More...

F-35 JSF MAY BRING BUCKS FOR BASES, TOWNS, STATES
The $300 billion program that is the nation's coming fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters has military towns across the country vying for the economic boon of base modernization and infrastructure that will arrive wherever squadrons nest. The U.S. Air Force is considering sites in Vermont, Utah, Florida, Idaho and South Carolina for operating bases; and Florida, Idaho, New Mexico and Arizona for training, according to Reuters. But the selection process now moves to formal environmental impact analysis and the communities' opportunities to provide input. First-round decisions already have senators seeking to cement favor or reconsideration for their states. An Air Force spokesman told Reuters Thursday that it's too early to determine how much money might be spent to prepare sites to accommodate the aircraft. More...

CIRRUS OWNERS MIGRATE TO DAYTON
For the first time in its eight-year history, the 2010 annual meeting of Cirrus aircraft owners will not be held at the company's headquarters in Duluth, Minn. Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association President Curtis Sanford announced to members that they will meet in Dayton, Ohio June 17-20. "We have had seven very successful Migrations in Duluth, and will be back," Sanford said. No reason was given for the change of venue (other than a change of scenery) but Sanford said the move has the support of Cirrus, which plans to exhibit in Dayton. More...

UNITED BREAKS GUITARS (AND MISPLACES LUGGAGE)
Dave Carroll, YouTube's favorite musical advocate for the proper treatment of luggage (famous for his YouTube video "United Breaks Guitars") may have a new gripe -- again, with United. Last week, Carroll arrived at Denver International from Regina, Saskatchewan on a United Express flight operated by Skywest Airlines. He was told his luggage was delayed in its arrival. He was also told he would need to be on hand when it arrived. It turned up three days later. Thanks to Carroll's celebrity -- the YouTube buzz that eventually hit the 24-hour news networks -- Carroll now regularly has speaking engagements in which he discusses the importance of customer relations ... which explains why he was in Denver. It also means we know what happened to his bags. And that trip may be a song in itself. More...

LOOKING FOR EFFICIENCY? TRY A PROPELLER
At NBAA in Orlando, AVweb's Paul Bertorelli spoke with Hartzell's Mike Disbrow about new developments in the world of turboprops. Conceding that it has a bit of self-interest, Hartzell is pushing the idea that for efficient travel, you can't beat an airplane pulled through the air with a prop rather than pushed with a turbofan. And the market agrees with Disbrow. Turboprop flight activity hasn't taken near the hit that jet ops have, indicating that owners and operators are finding definite advantages in props. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: GARMIN'S NEW TOUCHSCREEN AERA MAKES ITS DEBUT AT AOPA SUMMIT
At AOPA Summit this week in Tampa, Florida, Garmin will roll out it's new touchscreen-based aera line of navigators. AVweb's Paul Bertorelli spent the last week wringing out a sample. Here's his video report. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: DIAMOND'S DA20 WITH ASPEN AND GARMIN
Diamond Aircraft has always stepped right out there with innovation, and even in its modest DA20 trainer, the company is offering two glass panel choices. AVweb recently took a look at the Aspen EFD1000 and Garmin G500, both offered as options in the DA20. More...

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

WHAT DOES A PILOT LOOK LIKE?
Although it's not uncommon to see a female pilot on the flight deck, the front office is hardly representative of the gender and racial diversity of the U.S. York College students in New York are out to change that. The current class in the college's Aviation Institute is 60 percent female, and most of the aspiring pilots are women of color. Alice Speri takes a look at the program and the students. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: AIRPLANE AS PIG STY
Anyone who has ever flown a long cross-country in an airplane knows that the cabin turns into a disorganized mess of charts, water bottles, headsets and snack sacks. Paul Bertorelli and Kitplanes editor Marc Cook have the video footage to prove it — and they'd like to hear your best theories on why the cockpit gets so messy on a long flight. Head over to the AVweb Insider to watch their video blog and share your thoughts in the comments section. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: FLIGHT 60 VS. FLIGHT 188 — THE ART OF FAILURE
Those poor sods over at Delta who landed their B767 (with 193 aboard) on (active) taxiway M at ATL after being cleared to land on runway 27R in the pre-dawn of October 19 sure had one thing going for them, says AVweb's Glenn Pew — what the pilots at Northwest were about to do on October 21 to trump them. In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Glenn looks at the two high-profile mistakes that have commanded headlines for the last couple of weeks. More...

HOW'S YOUR AIRCRAFT PARTNERSHIP WORKING OUT?
Aviation Consumer would like to know. We're most interested in hearing about successful long-term aircraft partnerships. What works for you? How have you sustained group ownership? And what effect has the current economic downturn had? Contact the editorial staff directly at avconsumer@comcast.net and we'll respond with our questions. (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: BEATRICE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KBIE, BEATRICE, NEBRASKA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to the FBO at Beatrice Municipal Airport (KBIE) in Beatrice, Nebraska.

AVweb reader R. L. Saathoff told us how the crew at BIE took care of business on a recent visit:

The airport manager and staff are willing to help in any situation. While traveling to see my father who was hospitalized, I needed transportation. They provided a crew car for my entire stay and had my aircraft ready for me when I returned.

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!

IT'S THE FINAL AV8OR PRIZE THIS YEAR ... AND YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

Bendix/King by Honeywell is helping us give away one last AV8OR handheld MFD unit this year! 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/King by Honeywell may send you information on the AV8OR. You may also forward this newsletter to friends and invite them to sign up for AVweb so they can qualify for the AV8OR prize drawing, too. (We won't spam them, either, but we hope they will sign up for our AVwebFlash and AVwebBiz newsletters.)

Deadline for entries is midnight EST on Wednesday, November 4, 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.)

SHORT FINAL

Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"

Airliner:
"Approach, what's our sequence?"

Approach:
"Calling for the sequence, I missed your callsign — but if I find out what it is, you're last."

Courtesy of the Top Twenty Actual Transmissions Heard in the O'HareTracon, from IntentionallyLeftBlank, the newsletter of O'Hare's National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

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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