F-35B PASSES TESTS, READIES FOR VERTICAL LANDINGS
Two F-35B Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) test jets flew six times on Wednesday, March 10, above Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., clearing the way for the program's vertical landing tests. One aircraft, flown by test pilot Graham Tomlinson, was a Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the Lockheed Martin design. It flew multiple hops in close pattern work, with each trip flown at a lower airspeed than the one prior, and with "hot pit refueling" (without shutting down the engine) performed between each flight. For this test, each landing was performed at a higher speed than its associated pattern work and culminated in a 40-knot fly-by followed by a 75-knot landing. The test program of the shaft-driven vertical lift fan and aft vectored thrust system will now move on to vertical landings. While the March 10 flights were uneventful, the politics surrounding the aircraft -- the most expensive acquisition in U.S. military history, according to Aerospace & Defense News -- continued on March 11 to be more dramatic. More...

SENATE MOVES TO CHANGE FLIGHT RULES
Copilots for commercial flights carrying passengers would be required to have at least 800 hours of flight time under a measure passed by the Senate Tuesday. Current rules require only 250 hours. The 800 hours must include experience working in multiple-pilot environments and training in handling adverse weather and icing conditions. If the legislation becomes law, the FAA would have until the end of 2011 to issue new rules. The measure is just one part of the FAA reauthorization bill, which has been laden with dozens of controversial amendments, some of which have little or nothing to do with aviation, on its way through Congress. It's expected that the FAA will be given another 90-day funding extension on Thursday, moving the deadline back to June 30 for the reauthorization bill to pass. More...

CONGRESS AIMS TO CHANGE FAA AIRPORT ACCESS POLICY
Bills are now under consideration in both the House and Senate to amend a recent FAA policy that restricts airport access. The "Community Airport Access and Protection Act of 2010" addresses the FAA's decision to prohibit "through the fence" access at most public airports. Such access has long been enjoyed by owners of hangar homes and other neighbors who use airports on a regular basis. "Please contact your senators and representatives to support these bills," Brent Blue wrote to AVweb this week. Blue founded a group called Through The Fence to organize opposition to the policy. "No data, studies, or non-FAA-personnel's opinion went into the new order," which was issued last September without any input from the public or advocacy groups, says Blue. Through The Fence is encouraging all pilots and others interested in general aviation airports to contact their senators and representatives to support this legislation. More...

CANADA EASES ENTRY RULES FOR LSA PILOTS
It's now easier for U.S. pilots to fly their light sport aircraft into Canada, EAA said this week. Transport Canada now will treat LSAs the same as experimental aircraft. Previously, TC required U.S. pilots of LSAs to call ahead and receive authorization to fly in Canada, obtain a validation form to keep in the aircraft, and pay a $100 fee. "Now LSA owners simply have to download the Standardised Validation form, follow customs requirements, and fly," said Randy Hansen, EAA government relations director. "The $100 fee has been eliminated." TC still requires pilots to have a private pilot certificate with a valid medical -- sport pilots without an FAA medical certificate are not allowed. "But we're working on that, too," Hansen said. More...

MARTIN JETPACK'S INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION VENTURE
New Zealand's Martin Aircraft Company says it has signed a $12 million joint venture with an "international aircraft company" that aims to make the Martin Jetpack a commercially available product, but details remain unresolved. The partner is yet unnamed, but would be licensed to manufacture Martin Jetpacks only in its native country (also yet unnamed). Final details of the deal, like the location of the production facility, intellectual property and branding matters, also must still be finalized. But under the deal, a new company would be formed, and Martin's unnamed partner would hold a 51-percent stake. Martin would become a supplier, selling parts to the joint-venture company. Lauder and Jetpack inventor Glenn Martin would serve as directors of that company. Martin will retain the international patent and is still looking for other international partners. The joint company's near-term goal would be for the sale of 500 units, bringing in $100 million, within three years. Says Lauder, Martin's portion of that (as a supplier) would "give us a lifeline, but it doesn't give us the sort of venture capital we need." More...

AWARDS RECOGNIZE CONTRIBUTIONS TO AVIATION
Two major aviation awards programs have announced their winners for 2010. The Lindbergh Award, which honors efforts to achieve a balance of nature and technology, went to FedEx and to Jack Pelton, CEO of Cessna. "Jack Pelton has led the charge to see that the aviation industry focuses appropriate efforts in reducing its environmental impact," said Larry Williams, chairman of the Lindbergh Foundation. FedEx will receive the Corporate Award for Balance, which recognizes business practices that reflect concern for the environment and quality of life. The FAA's General Aviation Awards go to aviation professionals for contributions in flight instruction, aviation maintenance, avionics, and safety. Recipients of this year's national awards are Jeff Moss of Los Angeles, CFI of the Year; Tom Turner of Rose Hill, Kan., FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year; Neil Nederfield of Lafayette, N.J., Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year; and Kirk Peterson of Larimore, N.D., Avionics Technician of the Year. More...

ADS-B GOES LIVE IN PHILADELPHIA
Pilots of properly equipped aircraft flying through the Philadelphia area can get a glimpse of the future of flight now that ADS-B service has been switched on there. The FAA activated the system on Feb. 26 but didn't announce it until Tuesday. Aircraft with a universal access transceiver (UAT) can display weather and aeronautical information on their cockpit displays, as well as traffic advisories. Those with a 1090 MHz Extended Squitter (1090 ES) can only get the traffic. The FAA is warning that the information available is advisory only and not a substitute for official sources of weather and NOTAMs or looking out the window. 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."

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: DRONE WARS — IT'S GETTING SCARY OUT THERE
In general aviation, we tend to focus on our insular little world of plodding, incremental progress. But while we're not looking, developments in drone technology are on an exponential curve. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli argues that this has wider implications than many of us imagine. Click here to read why Paul is of two minds on the robotic flight revolution. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: EFIS SAFETY STUDY — HARDLY A SURPRISE
So glass cockpits don't necessarily improve safety? No surprise there, says Paul Bertorelli in the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog. Maybe we should be grateful the NTSB study didn't connect EFIS to an uptick in accident rates. Click here to read Paul's comments and add your own. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: ADS-B IS ALMOST READY FOR YOU; ARE YOU READY FOR IT?
ADS-B is available over the Gulf of Mexico and was just switched on around Philadelphia. What are your plans to equip?

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers what they thought of the FAA's rosy forecast for 2030; click through to see how they answered. 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...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: F-35B JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER 40-KNOT FLY-BY
Test pilot Graham Tomlinson on March 10, 2010 flies the first F-35B Joint Strike fighter (or JSF), BF-1, at 40 knots on its 40th flight, employing the jet's forward shaft-driven vertical lift fan — look behind the nosegear — and the aft-vectored thrust nozzle. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: LEGEND'S NEW AMPHIB FLOATPLANE
American Legend has made a name for itself in the LSA market with well-made Cub clones. At U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring in January, it showed a new amphib LSA that attracted lots of eyeballs. Last week, AVweb flew the amphib, and here's our video report on this new product. It's not just fun to fly; it's insanely fun to fly. More...

15 YEARS AND NOW 15 GRAND GIVEAWAYS ... IT'S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A WXWORX XM WX SATELLITE WEATHER RECEIVER

Win an XM WX Satellite Weather receiver from WxWorx as we continue the celebration of AVweb's 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 April 9, 2010.

Click here to read the contest rules and enter.

Congratulations to Colleen Keller of San Diego, California, who won a Garmin 510 aera handheld GPS in our last drawing! (click here to get your own Garmin aera)

FBO OF THE WEEK: ATLANTIC AVIATION (REPUBLIC AIRPORT, FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK)

AVweb's latest "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Atlantic Aviation at Republic Airport (KFRG) in Farmingdale, New York.

AVweb readers Jeffrey and Lisa Chipetine recently pulled some long hours flying rescued dogs to their new homes for Pilots N Paws — and the staff at Atlantic were more than happy to help in their journey. Click through to read their full story.

Keep those nominations coming.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
We know you're busy scanning the internet for vital aviation information, but surely you can take a five-minute break to ooh and ahh over our top five reader-submitted photos, starting with this beauty from Bay City, Michigan's Suzy Kryzanowicz. 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
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Glenn Pew

Features Editor
Kevin Lane-Cummings

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Scott Simmons

Contributors
Jeff van West
Mariano Rosales

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