FAA LAUNCHES INCURSION CAMPAIGN
The FAA is starting an aggressive campaign aimed at curbing runway incursions in general but GA deviations in particular. At Sun 'n Fun 2010, Wes Timmons, the FAA's director of runway safety unveiled a new campaign called "If You've Crossed The Line, You've Crossed The Line." As the name implies, the campaign is aimed at reminding pilots to pay attention to controllers' instructions and only enter the protected runway space with permission. Timmons told AVweb that 75-80 percent of incursions are caused by GA aircraft and that needs to improve. More...

FAA ADMINISTRATOR BABBITT TAKES IN SUN 'N FUN
Randy Babbitt spent four days at Sun 'n Fun this week, a first for an FAA administrator. Babbitt also is the first FAA administrator who has worked as a general aviation flight instructor, and he spent many years flying for the airlines. Those facts earned him a warm welcome at the show, though he still had to field the hard questions from the audience at the public forum on Friday afternoon. Babbitt and his staff addressed questions about through-the-fence operations, medical issues, and airport-community relations. Babbitt said the through-the-fence issue is "complicated," and a staffer added that they are working to release a proposal to address the problem before summer. James Fraser, deputy federal air surgeon, responded to a question about the sport pilot rule that disqualifies pilots who have been denied a medical. Denied pilots can request a review to see if they can qualify for a special issuance, Fraser said. If they get it, then they can choose to let it expire and fly under sport pilot rules, if they want to. More...

PARIS JETS DEBUT AT SUN 'N FUN AIRSHOW
MS760 Corp is introducing their two-ship aerobatic show this week at Sun 'n Fun, with two ex-fighter pilots flying the vintage Paris Jet. The team of Dale "Snort" Snodgrass and Jerry "Jive" Kerby are putting two of the sleek Paris Jets through their paces, to show off their capabilities and promote the product. The two jets are sporting gleaming fresh black-and-white paint jobs, and both have recently been refurbished and upgraded by the new company. The interiors are roomy and plush, with seats for four in a retro interior reminiscent of a '50s family sedan. The MS760 Corp, based in Calhoun, Ga., recently acquired the type certificate for the aircraft and they're offering them as personal or corporate jets for transportation and for fun. AVweb caught up with Snort on the ramp on Friday; click here for the video. More...

PARIS JET AT SUN 'N FUN
Dale Snodgrass is widely known as the most experienced F-14 pilot in the world. At Sun 'n Fun 2010, he debuted with a new aerobatic demo team, flying the famed Paris Jet.

This video is brought to you by Bose Corporation and Conoco-Phillips. More...

LINDBERGH PRIZE PROMOTES ALTERNATIVE AVIATION
Erik Lindbergh came to Sun 'n Fun this week to promote his latest project, the Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize. He told AVweb he hopes the prize will help boost efforts to create technology that will enable pilots to fly more safely and cheaply, while using renewable and sustainable resources. The prize will be awarded for the first time this year, at AirVenture Oshkosh. "We don't want a $4 million prototype," he said. "We want something that's going to make electric flight more accessible to the average pilot." Lindbergh said there is a lot of disagreement among experts in the field about the problems and potential for the technology, but some of his advisors think it would be possible to power an aircraft like a Cessna 172 with an electric motor within seven years. "That's the kind of progress we'd like to see," Lindbergh said. You can hear more about Lindbergh's ideas and the challenges and potential of alternative technologies in AVweb's podcast feature. More...

ERIK LINDBERGH ON THE LINDBERGH ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT PRIZE
Erik Lindbergh recently launched a project to create cash prizes that will encourage experimentation with electric aircraft. The first suite of prizes will be awarded this summer at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Lindbergh talked with AVweb's Mary Grady at Sun 'n Fun about what he hopes to accomplish with the project and explores some of the promise and challenge to come.

This podcast is brought to you by Lightspeed Aviation and WxWorx XM WX Satellite Weather. More...

LANCAIR EVO UPDATE
Lancair's piston Evolution is one of the most ambitious kit aircraft ever, and it has an equally ambitious engine, Lycoming's IE2 electronic powerplant. At Sun 'n Fun, Lancair's Doug Meyer gave us an update on the program.

This video is brought to you by WxWorx XM WX Satellite Weather and Lightspeed Aviation. More...

ADILSON KINDLEMANN'S RED BULL CRASH ESCAPE
Adilson Kindlemann's crash during a Red Bull Air Race practice session in Perth, Thursday, was the first in the race's history, but not the first time Kindlemann (or other racers) had found himself upside down strapped to a chair under water. Red Bull Air Race pilots train for emergencies like what Kindlemann experienced in the Swan River, and each one flies with an oxygen bottle in the cockpit. This year, training on how to use the bottle and escape an inverted flooded cockpit was provided at Perth, Australia, prior to the race (Kindlemann's crash race) there. According to Kindlemann's own words, reported Friday by Red Bull, he used the training to stay calm, open the canopy, use the air bottle, and initiate his escape. Red Bull rescue team members reached Kindlemann's inverted plane in less than one minute and were there to help pull him free. More...

PILOTS LIKELY NOT PRESSURED IN RUSSIAN CRASH
A review of the cockpit voice recorder of the Polish government aircraft that crashed in Russia last week revealed no evidence of pressure from any of the passengers on the crew to proceed with a landing they'd been warned not to attempt by air traffic controllers. "The flight recorder, whose tapes are being deciphered, did not register any pressure on crew members," an unnamed official with the Russian committee investigating the accident told Interfax News. The theory was floated shortly after the crash based on the knowledge that the pilot had been told by ATC to divert to a safer airport and because Polish President Lech Kaczynski, who died along with 94 others in the crash, had tried to force a pilot to land in poor weather in Tblisi in 2008. The pilot in that case defied the president and diverted. In this case, it appears it was all the pilot's idea. Anatoly Muravyov, an air traffic controller on duty at the time, told the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda that the aircraft had not been cleared to land and all he and his colleagues could do was watch and wait. He said the "pilot's desire to land at any costs" was, in his opinion, a factor in the crash. More...

15 YEARS AND NOW 15 GRAND GIVEAWAYS ... IT'S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN SCHEYDEN FRAMES AND FLIGHT GEAR

Win Scheyden Dual RX frames and Flight Crew Ensemble flight gear 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 April 30, 2010.

Click here to read the contest rules and enter.

Congratulations to Jack Feiden of Wichita, Kansas, who won an XM WX Satellite Weather Receiver from WxWorx in our last drawing! (click here to get your own from WxWorx)

FBO OF THE WEEK: CENTRAL JET SERVICE (MARSHALL, TX)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Central Jet Service at Harrison County Airport (KASL) in Marshall, Texas.

AVweb reader James M. Knox described Central Jet as "just your ordinary small town FBO at a small airport — except that these fine folks simply fall all over you to be helpful. With more and more FBOs populated by tired attendants who may or may not acknowledge your existence when you arrive, these people are a breath of fresh air."

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...

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
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