ISS WINS COLLIER
This year's Collier Trophy has been awarded to the international team behind the International Space Station. The National Aeronautic Association announced the award on Wednesday. The association says it selected the station "for the design, development, and assembly of the of the world's largest spacecraft, an orbiting laboratory that promises new discoveries for mankind and sets new standards for international cooperation in space." NASA Administrator Charles Golden said the award "is a testament to the dedication and hard work of thousands of people around the world." More...

KID CONTROLLER AT JFK?
Bring your-kid-to-work-day took on a decidedly different turn last week when a tower controller at New York's JFK evidently had a child communicate with aircraft on the outbound local frequency. Recorded audio reveals the child made a handful of transmissions—obviously coached—and the controller said on the frequency "that's what you get guys when the kids are out of school." The kid's directives included takeoff clearances and frequency switches to departure. Although the pilots on frequency appeared amused, the FAA and the controller's union, NATCA, are not.

Related Content:
Click here to listen to the audio (MP3 file)

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: KID IN THE TOWER — CUTE, VERY CUTE
Everyone has an opinion on the controller who took his son to work and gave him a little time on the radio. AVweb's Paul Bertorelli doesn't think it's a security crisis, but he does have some advice to offer on the AVweb Insider blog: "You might wanna run this by some adults before you try it again." Read more and add your own comments here. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: KIDS' STUFF ON THE RADIO?
Making headlines this week is a controller who brought his son to work in the ATC tower. Reactions run the gamut, but we'd like to hear yours. What was your take on the "kid in the control tower" story?

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers what stance GA should take toward the future of lead in avgas — and got a pretty clear answer. Click through to find out how your fellow readers answered. More...

FEMALE PILOTS TO CELEBRATE CENTENNIAL BY "PAYING IT FORWARD"
Around the world, women plan to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first time a woman earned a pilot certificate by taking a woman or girl for her first flight in a general-aviation aircraft during the week of March 6 to 12. Raymonde De Laroche, a French balloonist, learned to fly a fixed-wing aircraft and was the first woman to receive a pilot certificate, on March 8, 1910. So far, pilots from the U.S., France, Spain, Mongolia, and many other countries have signed up to participate in what they hope will be a world-record-setting event. The Ninety-Nines, Women in Aviation International, the International Society of Woman Airline Pilots, EAA, and other groups have signed on to help with the effort. "Nothing can inspire a woman to learn to fly more than meeting a woman who became a pilot," say the organizers of the Centennial of Women Pilots. Women who want to participate in the record attempt must pre-register at the group's Web site.

Related Content:
Click for a podcast interview about the Centennial with Mierelle Goyer

INDIA AIR SHOW OPENS WITH HOPE, TRAGEDY
India Aviation 2010 launched on Wednesday amid high hopes for expanding markets in the region, but the opening day airshow was marred by a crash that killed two pilots. Spectators from more than 100 countries were on the show site in Hyderabad when a Kiran MK-II, a military jet trainer, crashed into a nearby apartment building. Four people in the building were hurt, two seriously. One pilot reportedly ejected but the chute failed to deploy, and the other died in the crash. They were flying with Sea Breeze (Sagar Pawan), a four-ship naval aerobatic team that launched in 2003. A video posted by CNN shows the accident aircraft veering off from the other airplanes, apparently out of control, as they pull up from a maneuver. General aviation manufacturers from the U.S. attending the show include Cessna, which is introducing its Citation Mustang jet there, and Hawker Beechcraft (PDF), which is showing a King Air 350 along with two of its bizjets, the Hawker 750 and Hawker 4000. More...

OSHKOSH DC-3 FORMATION AT 40
Organizers of a mass arrival of DC-3s and C-47s at AirVenture Oshkosh this year now expect 40 aircraft to take part. The original goal was 25 aircraft making an hour-long flight from Rock Falls, Ill., to Wittman Regional Airport for a formation flyby at 1,000 feet to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first flight of the iconic aircraft. Organizers were deluged with requests to participate in the flight, which will be the largest formation of Douglases since the Second World War. The current record is 27, set in South Africa in 1985. There are 12 aircraft on standby to fill any slots that open up before the flight. Once in Oshkosh, the aircraft will be the centerpiece of festivities throughout the week including a one-of-a-kind heritage flight. More...

HEEMAN'S "FLYING" HOVERCRAFT
New Zealander (he's half Australian) Rudy Heeman has, over 11 years, transformed his hovercraft into a wing-in-ground-effect vehicle, and now it's for sale. Heeman says he's found the ideal flight altitude under the vehicle's 7-meter wingspan to be about 1.5 meters, over flat water or land, where he reached a top speed of about 60 mph in a test. It will hop small bushes or short trees and, yes, Heeman has hit shrubbery with it (and continued to a safe landing). Theoretically, the pilot plus one vehicle can cruise at about 55 mph for roughly 140 miles. The project includes parts from six different cars, including what was originally a 1.8-liter Subaru engine, and a gas bottle from an old barbeque. Its wings consist of what appear to be a front and rear aluminum tube spar, foam/fiberglass ribs (four per side, plus an end rib) and zip-to-close fitted fabric covering -- all of which separate for storage/transport. The vehicle is controlled by rudder and elevator, actuated by a control wheel (no rudder pedals). The cockpit includes a GPS and engine gauges, but Heeman has included other creative refinements. More...

EUROCOPTER'S QUIET HELICOPTER
Eurocopter announced the week of February 25 new "Blue Edge" and "Blue Pulse" technology that significantly reduces the noise generated by a helicopter blade. Tested on an EC155 helicopter, the Blue Edge blade itself created a three to four decibel drop in noise and then Eurocopter added more technology. For the blade, itself, Eurocopter dramatically redesigned the shape, creating what might best be described as a seagull-wing shaped bend at the blade's tip. It then layered active "Blue Pulse" technology on top of the Blue Edge design. Blue Pulse adjusts three trailing edge flap modules 15 to 40 times per second via piezoelectric motors. The flaps move to reduce the effect of blade/vortex interaction. That interaction occurs as a trailing blade encounters the vortex of the preceding blade, causing an audible "slap." And adjusting the interaction dramatically reduces the slap. For disbelievers, the company has supplied audio. Find it after the jump.

Related Content:
Click here to hear sound comparisons (MP3)

BIZ TRAFFIC UP
Business aircraft activity is up considerably, bucking a trend that saw an overall decline in general aviation activity (it's down 3 percent overall) in the U.S. according to FlightAware. In its monthly analysis of aircraft movements, the popular online tracking and data site says private jet traffic is up a whopping 8.8 percent in February, compared to the same month in 2009. Turboprop was up 2.2 percent but the tale of the tape was in charter and fractional operations. Charters were up 16.5 percent and fractional traffic 6.5 percent, perhaps reflecting a shift from ownership to charters for economic and public relations reasons. Every other sector of GA activity measured by FlightAware was down.

Related Content:
Read the full FlightAware report (PDF)

OBAMA VISIT IMPACTS HAWAII AVIATORS
The Oahu Aviation Initiative, an ad hoc coalition of 20 small general aviation businesses in Hawaii, is asking the federal government to compensate them for $200,000 in losses they incurred due to almost two weeks of flight restrictions during President Barack Obama's recent holiday visit to Oahu. The group is also working with the Secret Service and the TSA to negotiate less severe restrictions before the next presidential visit to their state. The restrictions essentially banned flights within a 30-mile radius of the rented house where the Obama family was staying outside Honolulu. Pat Magie, president of Island Seaplane Service, told the Honolulu Advertiser that aviation company owners were not informed of flight restrictions until four days before the president's arrival, and many of them had no option but to shut down entirely during the 12-day visit, from Dec. 23 to Jan. 4. More...

AIRPORT EXECS OPPOSE EPA DEICING RULES
New rules proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to control runoff from aircraft deicing fluids would "create safety hazards at many airports," the American Association of Airport Executives says. Under the proposed rules, airports with more than 10,000 annual aircraft departures and 1,000 annual jet departures would be required to re-capture up to 60 percent of the fluid, rather than allow it to drain off the pavement, where it can end up in nearby rivers, lakes, streams and bays. AAAE says the proposal doesn't allow airports enough time to comply, would impose financial burdens, and the use of additional fluid recovery vehicles around crowded gate areas could cause safety issues. "Safe airport deicing procedures are paramount to winter weather practices," said AAAE Director of Regulatory Affairs Leslie Riegle. The EPA says stricter rules are needed because airport discharges from deicing operations can affect water quality. Impacts include fish kills, contaminated drinking water, and noxious odors in residential areas and parks, among other effects. 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."

15 YEARS AND NOW 15 GRAND GIVEAWAYS ... IT'S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A GARMIN AERA 510 HANDHELD GPS

Win a Garmina aera 510 handheld GPS as we celebrate our 15th Anniversary! All you have to do is click here to enter your name and e-mail address. (You only have to enter once, and you'll be entered in our prize drawings for the entire year — so if you've already entered, you're all set.)

And no, we're not going to rent or sell your name, ever. Tell your friends, and invite them to sign up for AVweb so they can qualify for our 15 Grand Giveaways prize drawings, too. (We won't spam them, either — but we hope they will sign up for our newsletters.)

Deadline for entries is 11:59pm Zulu time March 12, 2010.

Click here to read the contest rules and enter.

Congratulations to Rod Anson of Camperdown, Victoria (Australia), who won 100,000 Air BP Bravo Rewards Points! (click here to get your own Rewards Points from Air BP)

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: LAST FLIGHT OF AN ENGLISH ELECTRIC LIGHTNING (AND PILOT DAVE STOCK)
The crash of a rare and historic English Electric Lightning MK T5 on November 14, 2009 was unique for the history of the model and the renown of its pilot, Dave Stock. Here AVweb compiles historic video and actual event footage to review the event that saw both Stock and the aircraft lost. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: JPI'S NEW ENGINE MONITOR TECHNOLOGY
JP Instruments has developed a new line of digital engine monitors. Here's a brief video report. 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: STARLINK AVIATION (CYUL, MONTREAL, QUéBEC)

This week saw more AVweb readers telling us about their favorite FBOs via our online nomination form — which makes us feel good about traveling around North America, but it makes picking an "FBO of the Week" a little more difficult. After some thoughtful consideration, we decided to award our latest blue ribbon to Starlink Aviation at Montreal, Québec's Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport (CYUL).

AVweb reader Keith McLellan is a regular visitor to CYUL and reports that he has "tried all the FBOs on the field," but he's now settled on Starlink as his homebase-away-from-home, "and for good reason," he writes:

Zoran Bratuljevic and his hand-picked staff of professionals are the best anywhere! The guys and girls at Starlink are very sharp, courteous, friendly, and truly sincere in their efforts to take care of your needs. [G]reat service, a nice facility with all the amenities you want, a well-trained and friendly staff, and competitive pricing for all services. I highly recommend them! Oh, and just FYI, how many FBOs offer a late-model BMW as a crew car?

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
Ice, sleet, snow, and more ice have been standard issue for the last couple of weeks — across most of the U.S. and in our "POTW" submission box. Andrew Wall of Ankeny, Iowa asks, "Will this winter weather ever end? These F-16s have been waiting for a chance to fly for a long time and certainly won't be doing it today." 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.

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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.

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