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AIRSHOW PILOT MATT YOUNKIN HURT IN CRASH BUT WILL FLY AGAIN
Airshow pilot Matt Younkin was injured on Tuesday afternoon when the Mullicoupe he was flying crashed in a field, but he is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2010 airshow season, according to a statement at his Web site. "During his flight he experienced a loss of power and was forced into an emergency landing," the statement reads. The airplane came down next to a model airplane field south of his home in Siloam Springs, Ark. A local TV station reported that the airplane hit shrubs and trees, and parts of the airplane were torn off. The FAA is investigating the crash. More...

'MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON' DISSECTED BY PILOT/REPORTER
Captain "Sully" Sullenberger's book about his engine-out ditching last January is already on the newsstands, but joining it this week is a very different look at the same events, by writer William Langewiesche, who is also a pilot. In Fly By Wire: The Geese, the Glide and the "Miracle" on the Hudson, Langewiesche "uses Flight 1549 as the pretext for a smart, confident, wide-ranging discussion of commercial aviation," says a review in The New York Times. He also examines the role of the Airbus A320 itself in handling the zero-thrust glide, and says that some of the credit for the good outcome should to Bernard Ziegler, an Airbus engineer who developed the airplane's fly-by-wire control system. The Times reviewer describes the book as "prickly and uneven but plainspoken." Aviators are sure to find it interesting, whether or not they agree with all of Langewiesche's opinions or his interpretations of events. More...

'MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON,' ANIMATED
The NTSB in June released an animation of the short flight of US Airways Flight 1549, which ditched in the Hudson in January, but now a private company has posted online its own animated rendering of the data that is like watching a movie of the event. K3 Resources, a Denver-based company that specializes in technical animation and accident reconstruction, took on the project at first as a marketing promotion, but Kas Osterbhur, a vice-president of engineering who is also a flight instructor, got intrigued with the project and invested about 200 hours in it. "The human brain is an amazing computer but it doesn't do very well at reading gigabytes of raw data," Osterbhur told EAA. "My goal is to bring together as much information into one place as possible, usually in a graphic way, and allow that human computer to do its job." More...

CIRRUS CUTS STAFF, BUT COMPANY STRONG, SAYS CEO
Cirrus Aircraft laid off another 10 percent of its production employees Wednesday but CEO Brent Wouters told AVweb the reduction was anticipated and is not indicative of deeper trouble for the company. Wouters said the 58 workers who were "adjusted out" were retained in an earlier round of layoffs in anticipation of production increases resulting from some institutional sales of aircraft. The sales didn't materialize so the extra staff weren't needed, he said. "When production increases we'll bring them back," he said. Cirrus now employs about 550 people on the production floor. Wouters said a stabilizing market, along with aggressive cost cutting by the company has put Cirrus in relatively good shape and the focus is preparing for a return to more normal market conditions. Cirrus sent a memo to staff (PDF) outlining the company's position and offering a glimpse at the coming year. More...

CAF LOSES APPEAL TO KEEP TWIN MUSTANG
The Commemorative Air Force announced on Wednesday that it has lost an appeal to hold on to a rare F-82 Twin Mustang that it had operated for many years. Ownership of the airplane will remain with the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, a judge ruled last week in a federal court in Texas. "After countless hours of dedication on behalf of the CAF, our member-volunteers and staff are disheartened by the decision of the Court," said CAF President Stephan Brown in a news release. "The plane has been returned to the USAFM [in Dayton, Ohio] as directed by the District Court in July." The CAF had hoped to restore the aircraft to flying condition, after it had been damaged in an accident in 1987. Before that, the group had flown the airplane for 20 years in support of its efforts to honor military aviation. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: TOO RARE FOR THE AIR?
The Commemorative Air Force lost its bid to keep a one-of-a-kind F-82 Twin Mustang when its appeal of an earlier court ruling in favor of the Air Force reclaiming the historic aircraft was rejected. The CAF originally wanted to restore the aircraft to flying condition, which prompts our latest Question. We'd like to know what you think about putting one-of-a-kind historic airplanes into the air.

Plus: We previously asked AVweb readers about the proposed legislation to ban laptops and other electronic distractions in the cockpit; click through to see how you responded to last week's Question. More...

NTSB: MOUNTAIN FLYER IMESON COLLIDED WITH TREES IN FATAL CRASH
Sparky Imeson, the author of the Mountain Flying Bible, was lost last March when the Cessna 180 he was flying crashed in the mountains near Bozeman, Mont., and this week the NTSB released its final report on the accident. Evidence at the site such as ground scars, contact evidence on the trees, and impact damage to the airplane were "indicative of a high-speed controlled flight collision with trees," the board said. There was no evidence of any failure or problem with the airframe or the engine prior to the crash. The report noted that a witness had seen an airplane similar to Imeson's near the accident site that was flying about 20 to 30 feet above the ground "at a high rate of speed," but there were no witnesses to the actual crash. The board concluded that the probable cause of the crash was "the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees and terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude." More...

PILOTS 'N PAWS REUNITES SOLDIERS AND PETS
Pilots 'n Paws, a nonprofit group that works to transport shelter dogs to new homes with the help of volunteer pilots, recently took part in a dramatic rescue of two dogs from Afghanistan, who had been adopted by U.S. soldiers on deployment. When the soldiers were sent home, they didn't want to abandon the pets. So their families worked to raise money to ship the dogs overseas to New York, where they were picked up by volunteer pilots for Pilots 'n Paws. John Lee picked up Ally, the pet of Cpl. Michael Lemmons, in his single-engine Commander and flew her to Louisville, Ky., where she was taken home by Michael's mom to await his return from Afghanistan later this month. The other dog, Delilah, flew to Texas to be reunited with his adopted family. Transport by airplane greatly reduces the stress of travel for the animals, compared to lengthy car trips, says Pilots 'n Paws co-founder Debi Boies. Click here for a video from the local TV news about the delivery to Louisville. More...

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THE PILOT'S LOUNGE #135: THINK YOU FLY IFR? MEET DAVE HERTEL AND FRIENDS AT THE HUMP
Weather, ice, and keeping track of all those instruments can keep you pretty busy during a routine flight, eh? Imagine staying on top of the gauges in a 1940s-era cockpit, with the boys at the front lines of World War II relying on you to deliver supplies in even the most forbidding weather. The thought crossed Rick Durden's mind recently, and he knew just who to consult — a pilot who flew under those conditions day-in, day-out. Dave Hertel joins Rick in the latest installment of "The Pilot's Lounge" to reflect on challenges that might give you a few gray hairs just to read about. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: DOES AMELIA MAKE THE SALE?
Oh, great — now Paul Bertorelli imagines himself the Leonard Maltin of the aviation world in this, his first film review. If you've seen the new film Amelia log into the AVweb Insider blgo and have a go at your own comments. More...

SENATORS PUSH FOR FAA BILL ASAP
Thirty-five senators have signed on to a letter (PDF) calling for the passage of a long-term FAA funding bill before the end of the year, AOPA said on Tuesday. The letter was circulated by Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who is a pilot, and received bipartisan support from both Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. "From rural America to our largest cities, the entire country will benefit from what the FAA bill will provide," the letter says, adding that the bill would create a safer and more efficient aviation system, while providing good jobs in construction and technology. The FAA has been operating on short-term funding resolutions since its last authorization bill expired in September 2007. "We're pleased to see that members of the Senate have taken the initiative to voice the necessity of passing an FAA funding bill this year," said AOPA President Craig Fuller. AOPA supports the Senate bill, Fuller said, which would fund the FAA through aviation fuel taxes, ticket taxes, and a contribution from the general fund, with no new user fees. More...

AVWEBBIZ: AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVIATION NEWSLETTER

Have you signed up yet for AVweb's no-cost weekly business aviation newsletter, AVwebBiz?

Delivered every Wednesday morning, AVwebBiz focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the business aviation industry, making it a must-read.

Add AVwebBiz to your AVweb subscriptions today by clicking here and choosing "Update E-mail Subscriptions."

AOPA SUMMIT 2009 COMPLETE COVERAGE ROUND-UP
A complete recap of our podcasts, videos, blogs, and news reports from the 2009 AOPA Summit in Tampa, Florida. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: WELLS AIRCRAFT (KHUT, HUTCHISON, KANSAS)

AVweb readers did a lot of traveling last week, and we heard about some pretty terrific FBOs. Topping the list is Hutchison, Kansas FBO Wells Aircraft, located at KHUT and recommended to us by Bill Lavender. Here's Bill's story:

Traveling to a trade show, the prop started surging. [We] landed at [the] destination, and the good folks at Wells stopped all work and pulled the aircraft into the shop. Realizing I needed to be back in the air the next day, my aircraft was put front in line, the prop governor replaced, and we departed on time. There were no overnight hangar fees, and the courtesy car took us to the hotel and picked us up. (Again, no fees.) We did not need any gas, so all was done [under the auspices] of good service to the customer. The owner greeted us at the door and waved goodbye as well!

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...

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
Prolific "POTW" submitter Gary Dikkers of Madison, Wisconsin has been bucking for a new AVweb cap for a while, and this timeless photo of some Mustangs parked in the warbird section at EAA AirVenture has earned it for him. We found a great batch of photos waiting for us after the AOPA Summit, quite a few of them showcasing military aircraft, personnel, and classic warbirds in honor of Veterans Day. By the time you see this, the day that commemorates the end of the Great War will have passed into history for another year — but we hope you'll indulge us a little longer as we salute the men and women of aviation who serve their countries in a special veteran-themed edition of "POTW." 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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