WING INSPECTIONS EYED FOR HIGH-WING CESSNAS
The president of the Cessna Skymasters Owners and Pilots Association says thousands of Cessna high-wing aircraft could be affected by a potentially expensive new wing inspection procedure proposed by the company. Herb Harney told AVweb the Supplemental Inspection Documents (SIDs) now being prepared by Cessna will require the removal of the wings of Cessna 336 and 337 push/pull twins, to check wing attach and strut attach bolt fittings for cracks and corrosion. In the U.S., the inspections will be voluntary but those in Part 135 service will be guided by the standard operating procedures of the operator. Harney said that in other countries, however, recommendations by the manufacturer must be met and Skymasters are scattered all over the world. The process is complicated and could cost as much as $60,000 per airplane, more than many Skymasters are currently worth. But the Skymaster shares the same basic wing hardware with all the other Cessna high wings and, under Cessna's current thinking, any aircraft more than 20 years old would be subject to the SIDs, Harney said. AVweb contacted Cessna for comment but the company was unable to respond by our deadline. Harney said U.S. operators may not necessarily escape the inspections. More...

EAA, AOPA CRITICAL OF THROUGH-THE-FENCE BAN
EAA and AOPA have weighed in on the FAA's new policy on through-the-fence agreements and both are asking the agency to back off. The new policy effectively outlaws the deals, in which property owners on land adjacent to an airport are granted access, usually via a gate that leads to a taxiway. Although the FAA has always officially frowned on such arrangements, it has given local authorities latitude to approve them in cases where it helped the airport and paid its own way. That changed in September with the release of the new policy, which includes the line that "there are no acceptable residential through-the-fence agreements." What's especially troubling to AOPA is that the directive appears to order any FAA-funded airports to cancel existing agreements that don't have end dates, something that could result in expensive litigation. EAA, however, says there's a place for the agreements and they should be allowed in some circumstances. More...

CHEROKEE AT 50
An iconic airframe that's stood up to decades of punishment at the hands of students and new pilots and always kept a kind of jaunty air about it is celebrating its 50th birthday this year and EAA is helping celebrate. The first Piper Cherokee rolled out in 1950 and next year's AirVenture Oshkosh is holding events to commemorate the aircraft that changed everyone's perception of the prolific planemaker. "The design has been a part of aviation history for those learning to fly, enjoying the freedom of flight or using an aircraft as part of their business," said EAA President Tom Poberezny. More...

AMERICAN 737 LEAVES KINGSTON RUNWAY
There appear to be no life-threatening injuries among the 156 people aboard an American Airlines Boeing 737 that left the runway on landing at Kingston, Jamaica, late Tuesday. Reports say 90 people had bumps, bruises and broken bones. Three remain in hospital. The flight from Washington, D.C., via Miami was trying to land in heavy rain and turbulence. It left the runway, went through a sand bank and stopped a few feet from the Caribbean. FAA and NTSB investigators were on the scene by Wednesday afternoon. More...

FIRST SANTA TRACKER MISSES THIS FLIGHT
For the first time in its 54-year history, the annual NORAD tracking of Santa Claus around the world will do so without the good-humored officer who started the whole thing. Col. Harry Shoup was the guy who picked up the "hotline" deep in the underground command center at Colorado Springs on a December afternoon only to hear a child ask to speak to Santa. The local Sears store had set up a phone line to accept calls to Santa but the newspaper published the number intended to alert a very nervous North American military of pending Armageddon. Shoup rolled with it and began a tradition that has lightened the load of heavily burdened NORAD staff and given a human perspective of the grim purpose of NORAD itself. Shoup died in March of this year but his decision to keep the light of the season burning in the shadow of some pretty intense geopolitical gamesmanship has evolved into a tradition that's keeping up with the times. More...

GOT A PAPER CERTIFICATE? REPLACE IT NOW
If your FAA pilot certificate is printed on paper, it's going to expire on March 31, unless you replace it with a new plastic certificate. To get the new counterfeit-resistant certificates, you have to fill out a form and mail it to the FAA in Oklahoma City along with $2 for each certificate you want to replace, or you can do it online. Either way, the new certificate won't list your original date of issue, so you might want to keep that old dog-eared piece of paper to prove your longevity. If you apply by mail, it's going to take four to six weeks, and up to 10 days for online processing, so don't put it off till the last minute or you could find yourself grounded. Some non-pilot certificates, such as those for flight engineers and mechanics, are good for another three years but then they will also have to be replaced. Student certificates are not affected. More...

FOUR NAMED TO AVIATION HALL OF FAME, NBAA'S WORK RECOGNIZED
An astronaut, an icon of business aviation, an engineer and an Arctic flyer have been named to the National Aviation Hall of Fame's Class of 2010. Capt. Alan Bean, the pilot of the lunar module for Apollo 12, was part of the second crew to land on the moon. Clay Lacy, a 50,000-hour pilot, founded Clay Lacy Aviation at Van Nuys Airport. He holds 30 type ratings, has flown over 2,500 air-to-air photo flights, and shot film for many Hollywood pictures including Top Gun and The Right Stuff. Warren Grimes, the "father of aircraft lighting," produced his first airplane lights in his garage in 1933, and created the familiar red, green and white nav lights still found on aircraft today. Noel Wien was an Arctic flight expert who founded Wien Alaska Airlines, one of the oldest airlines in the U.S., in the 1920s. Click here for a 2002 interview with his son Merrill Wien by AVweb's Joe Godfrey. The Hall of Fame also awarded its 2010 Milton Caniff Spirit of Flight Award to the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), in recognition of its achievement in advancing aviation. 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."

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: SHOPPING FOR AN LSA IN 2010?
It's been a while since we last asked about light sport airplanes. Are you planning to buy one during the coming year? Or have you already taken the plunge?

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers for their opinions on the 1,500-hour minimum requirement proposal; click through to see how they answered. More...

AVIATION CONSUMER SURVEY: WANTED — CIRRUS SR20 READER FEEDBACK
If you own a Cirrus SR20, our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, would like to hear about your experiences with it. We would like to know about operating and insurance costs, performance, factory support and your overall satisfaction with the airplane. Send comments to jeb.burnside@belvoirpubs.com.If you'd like to participate, drop an e-mail to avconsumer@comcast.net.(The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click here.) More...

AVIATION CONSUMER SURVEY: PORTABLE GPS PERFORMANCE
Do you own a portable GPS? Aviation Consumer magazine wants to know how it has held up for you. Does it do everything you need? Was it a good value for the money? Have there been issues with service and support? Follow this link to our brief online survey and let your voice be heard. It will only take a few minutes, and your comments can be anonymous if you want. Thanks for helping out, and look for a round-up review of portable GPS products in the February issue of Aviation Consumer. (Click here for subscription deals for AVweb readers.) More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: 'DEAR IDIOTS' — CIRRUS STALL REVISITED
In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli dips into the mailbag and answers some concerns about his recent video on Cirrus stalls for Aviation Safety magazine. Click here to see what others had to say, read Paul's rebuttals, and add your own voice to the mix. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: THE PILOT EXPERIENCE CONUNDRUM
AVweb's Paul Bertorelli comments on the proposed 1,500-hour requirement in the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog. "If nothing else," he says, "we are shockingly predictable in our reaction." Read the full blog and add your own comments. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: AVIATION SAFETY DISSECTS THE ANATOMY OF A CIRRUS STALL ACCIDENT
So-called over-the-top or cross-control stall accidents have been common among general aviation pilots for years. But no one has ever really documented what happens in one — until now. Thanks the widespread use of glass cockpits, this fatal stall accident has been extraordinarily well-documented by accident investigators and includes a video re-creation. Aviation Safety magazine walks you through the accident in this video. 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: THOMASTON-UPSON COUNTY REGIONAL AIRPORT (OPN, THOMASTON, GEORGIA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Thomaston-Upson County Regional Airport (OPN) in Thomaston, Georgia.

AVweb reader Kenneth Breier told us about the FBO and its stellar services, including a courtesy SUV, jump school, long runway, great fuel prices, and brand-new facilities — not to mention great service from the folks who work there.

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
Mathew Hlavac of Ramona, California kicks off this Christmas Eve edition of "POTW" with a Santa sighting captured on film by Joe McBride. (Todd Bohlman is piloting, and that's Mat himself playing Santa.) 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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