DANIEL WEBSTER COLLEGE CLOSING FLIGHT PROGRAM
New Hampshire's private Daniel Webster College, known to some pilots only for its flight operations program, announced Wednesday that the program will come to an end. ITT Educational Services bought the college last year, fired then school president Robert Myers and brought in an ITT president to replace him. The school's Web site indicates with an asterisk that its Bachelor degree program in aviation flight operations "will be phased out over the next several years as the students who are currently enrolled in the program are allowed the opportunity to graduate within the normal timeframe for completion." The statement adds that no new classes will be started in the program, "effective immediately." The school's air traffic control and aviation management programs will continue, according to its new president, Nadine Dowling. Many of the school's current and former students are expressing their opinions online. More...

SPACESHIPTWO FIRST FLIGHT, CAPTIVE
Virgin Galactic's VSS Enterprise spaceship flew for the first time Monday morning, carried in place between the twin cockpits of its mothership, Eve. The coupled aircraft took off from Mojave Air and Spaceport in California at 7:05 a.m. local time. "This is a momentous day for the Scaled and Virgin Teams," said Burt Rutan, designer of the ships and founder of Scaled Composites, which built the aircraft. "The captive-carry flight signifies the start of what we believe will be an extremely exciting and successful spaceship flight-test program." Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic, said the first flight was a "major step" in his project to fly tourists into suborbital space. "Watching VSS Enterprise fly for the first time really brings home what beautiful, ground-breaking vehicles Burt and his team have developed for us," Branson said. "The Scaled team is uniquely qualified to bring this important and incredible dream to reality. Today was another major step along that road and a testament to U.S. engineering and innovation." The first flight lasted about three hours and reached altitudes up to 45,000 feet, according to Wired.com. More...

NEW LINDBERGH PRIZE PROMOTES ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT
A new project headed by Erik Lindbergh aims to promote the development of electric aircraft by offering annual incentive prizes for the best technology. Lindbergh said he hopes the Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prizes (LEAP) will engage inventors and move the electric aircraft segment forward. "This is tremendously exciting to many of us in the aviation industry," he said. Prizes will be awarded in four categories: best electric aircraft; best component (such as batteries or motors); best sub-system (a set of interacting components); and the public choice award, based on a vote. The prizes will reward practicality, LEAP spokesperson Yolanka Wulff told AVweb. "The technical advisory committee is encouraging a product that could be brought to the marketplace so that aviators who want an electric aircraft can obtain it and operate it in some practical fashion," she said. "In other words, electric aircraft that are cheaper, easier to fly, and/or safer, will win out over electric aircraft that are super-complex, expensive, or technically challenging to fly." More...

CFI REFRESHER NOW LIVE ONLINE
Certified flight instructors due for a refresher now have the option to attend a live seminar online. The FAA has given its OK for AVseminars to offer its flight instructor refresher clinic (FIRC) to CFIs who participate remotely in a real-time live discussion, using a computer, microphone and webcam. The $69 course for the FAA-required 16 hours of training provides a new option for CFIs who want to save time and money compared to traveling to a live weekend clinic. With up to 24 instructors participating, the format also offers a more interactive and lively format than online self-study options, AVseminars CEO Bruce Micek told AVweb. "This is the first live online FIRC webinar to be approved by the FAA," he added. The webinar will take place the weekend of April 10 and 11, online registration is open now. More...

AWARDS HONOR ATC SAVES
Air traffic controllers who helped out when pilots faced dangerous situations were honored this week at the annual Archie League Medal of Safety Awards. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association selects the award winners from nominees around the country. Among the winners: a team of South Florida air traffic controllers who helped a non-pilot land a King Air after the pilot died; a Kansas City controller who helped a Frontier Airlines crew return to the airport safely after a bird strike; and a Southern California controller who warned a SkyWest crew arriving into LAX about a non-squawking Navion that had strayed into the airspace. Click here for the complete story (PDF) of all nine winning events. The live ATC tapes from each event also are posted online, and they make interesting listening. More...

RED ARROWS GROUNDED FOLLOWING MIDAIR
Both pilots survived, one with injuries, when two Royal Air Force Red Arrows BAE Hawk jets collided while flying a crossing maneuver during practice at Heraklion in Crete, Tuesday. One aircraft crashed after the contact but its pilot, Flight Lieutenant Mike Ling, ejected at about 1000 feet, suffering cuts and a dislocated shoulder. The second aircraft landed safely, missing a portion of its vertical fin and with damage to its right stabilator from contact with the other jet. The surviving aircraft and seven other Red Arrows aircraft have been grounded at Greece's Kastelli air force base, pending investigation. It's been some 30 years since Red Arrows aircraft have crashed due to in-flight contact, according to Guardian UK. An incident in 1971 killed two Red Arrows pilots. More...

SENATE PASSES FAA FUNDING BILL
The Senate on Monday passed a bill to provide funding for the FAA and modernize the air traffic control system by 2020. The $34.5 billion three-year budget is expected to jump-start the agency's long slow transition to NextGen. The bill also features changes to FAA rules prompted mainly by last year's Colgan Air crash. Relatives of those who died lobbied hard for several safety measures that have made it into the final version of the Senate bill: first officers on commercial passenger flights must have at least 800 hours total time; the FAA must establish new safety standards for flight-crew training; an Aviation Safety Whistleblower Investigation Office will be established within the FAA; and pilots are banned from using electronic devices in the cockpit. Taxes on jet fuel for general aviation would rise from 22 cents per gallon to 36 cents. The bill is far from final, however -- it now goes to a conference committee where the House and Senate versions of the legislation will be merged, then both houses will have to vote on the final bill again before it goes to the White House for approval. GA advocacy groups were jubilant about the bill's passage, especially the lack of new user fees. More...

WTO RULES AIRBUS SUBSIDIES ILLEGAL
The World Trade Organization is now saying what Boeing and U.S. trade officials have been saying for decades: Airbus was illegally subsidized to develop new products that competed directly with Boeing products. "Today's final ruling puts any doubts to rest - launch aid is an illegal subsidy that has cost America jobs, hurt our ability to compete and damaged our overall economy," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said. The ruling went beyond determining the legality of start-up money. It said that Airbus would not have been able to overtake Boeing as the biggest aircraft maker in the world without the subsidies and that they cost U.S. jobs. Although the ruling seems unequivocal, what it means in practical terms is far less clear. More...

NTSB FINDS COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN IN NORTHWEST OVERFLIGHT
The NTSB has completed its investigation into last year's errant Northwest Airlines flight, finding the crew at fault for failing to monitor their position, but also concluding that air traffic control should do a better job of reacting to NORDO (no radio communications) events. The two pilots overflew their destination airport of Minneapolis by more than 100 miles and failed to maintain radio communications because they were distracted by a conversation about crew scheduling. However, the safety board said this incident and a fatal accident involving a Pilatus PC-12/45 that crashed in Montana on March 22, 2009, revealed problems with ATC procedures. In its safety recommendations, the board said the FAA should address the lack of standard procedures for identifying flight crew-ATC communications in ATC facilities that use automated flight tracking systems, and the lack of standard phraseology for identifying the emergency nature of emergency ATC radio transmissions. 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: IS FLIGHT TRAINING DUE FOR A REFRESHER?
In light of the closure of programs like Daniel Webster College's flight training program and the growing acceptance of Web-based training, is flight training due for an overhaul?

Plus: Last week, we asked about ADS-B preparedness; click through to see how many AVweb readers are ready for NextGen. 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: GARMIN 430 TRICKS AND SECRETS REVEALED
If you have a Garmin GNS430, you probably know the basics — but in this video, IFR magazine's Jeff Van West reveals some ninja-level operating tricks that are practical and easy to master. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: FINESSING THE RUDDER (AN EXERCISE FROM AVIATION SAFETY MAGAZINE)
Aviation Safety is continuing its series on basic flying technique. We've looked at the aerodynamics of coordinated turns. In this video, Paul Bertorelli follows up with a simple rudder exercise that he can't seem to master — but you'll have no trouble with it. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: AVIATION REPORTING — GOOD AND BAD
Why do reporters so often mangle the facts on aviation stories? Is it because they're all liberal arts weenies with no technical chops? Sometimes. But, says Paul Bertorelli on the AVweb Insider blog, sometimes they're just too lazy to explain things or they think readers are too dumb to understand. 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: BLACKHAWK AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE (JANESVILLE, WI)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Blackhawk Aircraft Maintenance at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport (JVL) in Janesville, Wisconsin.

AVweb reader Bill Foraker tells us how a good FBO is always there for you, even when you don't expect to need them:

I was there ... dropping off a buddy who had just purchased an aircraft. Upon my departure, I had smoke in the cabin of my '58 Comanche, so I returned quickly to the airport. Nick and Joe at Blackhawk are fabulous. They went right to work and corrected my problem, a small hole in my oil pressure line. They had me back in the air and home to Terre Haute that evening. ... If every operation was like this one, we would have a much better aviation community.

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
83 years after the photo was taken, this sharp-looking CFI — A. E. Rigney by name — takes top prize in our weekly photo contest. Carl B. Jordan of Port Charlotte, Florida dug this one out of his personal archive and tells us Mr. Rigney is posing in front of the same Curtiss Jenny in which Carl's father made his first solo flight, at the Johnson Flying School in Dayton, Ohio. "Dad retired out of B-707s," writes Carl, "so he literally went from Jennys to jets." 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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