GA ACTIVE UNDER ASH PLUME
It appears to have been a surreal weekend for recreational pilots across Europe as those who resisted the stern warnings from their aviation authorities relished skies clear of weather and working aircraft. There are no restrictions on VFR flight in most European countries although the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a Notam on Saturday saying, in part: "VFR operators should operate [with] extreme caution and must assure themselves that their flight can be conducted in a safe manner before flying. Note that ATSOCAS (Air Traffic Services Outside Controlled Airspace) capacity may be severely limited during the period." A light plane crashed in England on Saturday, but any connection to ash has since been pretty much discounted. Plenty of European pilots took advantage of ideal flying weather (if you don't count the ash). "Light aeroplanes were free to come and go in the fine spring weather, with controllers undistracted by the commercial traffic that usually takes priority," wrote Charles Bremner in his blog on the Times Online. Bremner, the Times' Paris correspondent, flew to Le Touquet and seemed to have had a lovely day without damaging his airplane's engine. Of course, the airlines are losing tons of money over this and they're getting tired of a flight ban some think might be unnecessary. More...

LSA SECTOR REPORTS SALES
"I think by the end of this show we're going to have 20 to 30 LSA sales," Dan Johnson, chairman of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, told AVweb at Sun 'n Fun on Saturday. "That's huge." At the Sebring Light Sport Expo earlier this year, which usually attracts a lot of serious buyers, most sales failed to materialize, Johnson said. "There was a lot of interest, but not a lot of buying. It's been tough out there. But at this show, it seems those fears about the economy have given way to some level of confidence." Nick Otterback, of Lightning Aircraft, said he had just sold another airplane, when AVweb caught up with him on the field Saturday afternoon. "That's three kits and one S-LSA so far." More...

NEW FROM LEGEND: SMART CUB WITH G3X COCKPIT
American Legend Aircraft Company is now offering its Cub LSA with the Garmin G3X multi-function display, which was designed for the light sport and experimental market. The G3X was first released about a year ago and the company has continued to add new features and functionality. The G3X system features a seven-inch display with full primary flight display functions, such as attitude/directional guidance, plus electronic engine monitoring and detailed moving-map capabilities. The Legend Smart Cub G3 instrument panel also includes a Garmin SL-40 Com, GTX 327 transponder, and PS Engineering PM1200 intercom. The first customer delivery of a Smart Cub G3 is expected by the end of the month, Legend says. More...

A NEW ONLINE RESOURCE FOR AIR CAMPERS
If exploring the U.S. in your airplane and camping out under the wing is your idea of a grand adventure, then a new group called the American Air Campers Association is eager to provide you with all the resources you need. They are building a website with a directory of aviation-accessible campsites, along with an online gear store where you can rent or buy equipment for your trek. The group also plans to lobby for continuing access to airports and improved facilities, Don Abbott, founder of the for-profit group, said at Sun 'n Fun this week. "We think adding camping facilities is a great way for airports to attract more traffic," Abbott said. "We want to promote, preserve and protect the combined freedoms of camping and flying in America. And we want to get young people out to fly with us, to hike and laugh and tell stories by the campfire with us, and get away from their video screens." More...

FIRST "LEARN TO FLY DAY" COMING SOON
"We're asking every pilot and aviation enthusiast to introduce someone new to aviation on Learn To Fly Day," EAA's Ron Wagner told AVweb at Sun 'n Fun this week. "It's coming up soon ... May 15 ... and pilots around the country are making plans to participate." Participation can be as simple as inviting a friend or neighbor to visit the airport or go for a flight, or as robust as planning a weekend-long community festival, as one group in Louisiana is doing, Wagner said. "This is not just an EAA initiative," he added. "It's aviation-wide." There are so many barriers to discovering the world of flight today, from fences to finances to fear of the unknown, Wagner said. "If each of us just got one person interested, the aviation community would double." More...

SUN 'N FUN 2010 COVERAGE ROUND-UP
Time for a quick round-up of coverage from this year's Sun 'n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Florida. Look for a full run-down of this year's videos, podcasts, and news in a special edition of AVwebAudio that will hit your inbox Tuesday morning. In the meantime, click the links here to catch up on anything you may have missed during the show. More...

AVMAIL: APRIL 19, 2010

Letter of the Week: Human Factors

The assertion that the Polish crew did not come under any pressure to land in poor weather is premature. While they may not have had any direct pressure in the cockpit, as may be indicated by the comments about the CVR, I wonder what happened after that other pilot defied the President and diverted from Tbilisi in 2008. If there were negative consequences, that may well have weighed on the mind of the accident crew. In addition, the importance of [the] Katyn Massacre to Poles may be a factor as well.

And, of course, all of what I have just said is speculation as well. Like any accident, we'd best wait for the investigation to be complete. I just hope the investigators dig a little deeper than pilot error. No one (or very few anyway) sets out to kill himself in an airplane. Whatever the pilots were doing, it probably made sense to them at the time. The question is, "Why?" As Sydney Dekker has said, "Human error is not an explanation. Human error demands explanation."

Cameron Fraser

Click through to read the rest of this week's letters.

FBO OF THE WEEK: RABBIT AVIATION (KSQL, SAN CARLOS, CA)

AVweb reader Alejandro Galioto recommended our latest "FBO of the Week," Rabbit Aviation at KSQL (San Carlos Airport) in San Carlos, California. He writes:

This FBO is likely smaller than most due to the fact that it's a physically small airport with a 2,600-foot runway, but I bet it is busier than a lot of bigger FBOs, and with excellent efficiency and customer service.

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!

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)

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...

SHORT FINAL

The recent story about the squawk code that included an "8" reminded me of a recent VFR clearance I got from my home base ground controller. I called for flight following with SoCal while on Ground, and the following conversation took place:

GND:
"Cessna 1234: After takeoff, turn right to 120; climb and maintain 3,000; squawk 4259; contact departure on 124.65."

Me:
"Right to 120; climb and maintain 3,000; squawk 4259 — but my digits only go to 7."

GND:
"Ah, squawk 4257. Can't read my own writing."

Me:
"O.K., 4257 and 124.65. But my radio volume control goes to 11!"

GND:
"Good one."

Ray Stratton
via e-mail

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.

Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? A question on marketing? Send it to AVweb's sales team.

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.

Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.