EPA ADVANCES 100LL RULEMAKING PROCESS
Industry efforts to find a replacement for 100LL are expected to intensify now that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released its advance notice of proposed rulemaking regarding the need to eliminate lead from fuel. The ANPRM does not set a date for eliminating the fuel, but invites interested parties to send comments on the issue for the next 60 days. "Converting in-use aircraft/engines to operate on unleaded aviation gasoline would be a significant logistical challenge, and in some cases a technical challenge as well," the EPA said. The EPA also acknowledged that a joint effort with the FAA will be critical in case engine modifications will need to be developed and certified, AOPA said. "Given the potentially large number of affected aircraft and the potential complexities involved," the EPA said, "a program affecting in-use aircraft engines would need careful consideration by both EPA and FAA, and the two agencies would need to work together in considering any potential program affecting the in-use fleet." More...

VOLCANIC ASH BRUSHES NORTH AMERICA
Shifting winds gave North America a taste of what Europeans have been enduring for five days as volcanic ash reached the easternmost point of the continent, canceling flights from the Newfoundland and Labrador capital of St. John's. At least nine flights were cancelled in a precautionary move by airlines. Transport Canada has not imposed airspace restrictions but a spokesman told CBC News they're a possibility of the department believes safety is at risk. The ash cloud had dozens of celebrities scrambling to get out of the normally quiet city on the edge of the North Atlantic. More...

NASA'S UNEXPECTED VOLCANIC ASH ENCOUNTER FLIGHT
Ten years ago, a NASA DC-8 unintentionally flew through a diffuse ash cloud generated by Helka, a volcano in Iceland, and upon first inspection showed no damage -- key words "unintentionally" and "upon first inspection." What the event showed is that the most up-to-date information on ash cloud location could be misinterpreted and significant damage could be incurred in spite of a vigilant, well-briefed flight crew. What's more, that damage can be very expensive and hard to detect. Then NASA propulsion engineer Tom Grindle worked the case and co-authored a paper on his findings. AVweb's Glenn Pew caught up with Grindle in this week's podcast for a better understanding of the threat, the potential for hidden consequences, and what's changed since February 2000. Click through for links to both. More...

TECNAM TWIN UPDATE
Tecnam's four-seat twin-engine airplane, the P2006T, made an appearance at Sun 'n Fun last week, and CEO Phil Solomon told AVweb the FAA type certification for the airplane is expected shortly. "It's been certified in Europe for about a year now," he said. The FAA paperwork is now fully complete and he expects to have the P2006T officially certified in time to make the first U.S. delivery in June. A Garmin 950 version should be certified by this summer. Solomon added that the company recently announced a fixed-gear version of the airplane, at the Aero show in Germany, that he expects will be popular with the owner-flown market. First deliveries for the fixed-gear airplane are still over a year away. Jeff Van West, of AVweb and Aviation Consumer, flew the P2006T at AOPA Summit last November; click here for his video report. More...

DARPA SEEKS "TRANSFORMER" ROADABLE AIRCRAFT BY 2015
DARPA is seeking "innovative solutions" and is offering financial rewards for work that would by 2015 lead to a roadable/flyable VTOL vehicle prototype capable of carrying up to four persons and their gear. Dubbed the "Transformer (TX)" program, the end result may not lead to production of such a vehicle, but DARPA intends to "at a minimum" create the technologies necessary to build the prototype. Multiple awards are anticipated, with $9 million set to support Phase 1 development. The vehicle is intended for military use, to provide combatants with "terrain-independent mobility" that better avoids improvised explosive devices and ambushes, while offering operators more options for approaching targets. Key ingredients include easy operation by a non-certified pilot, a combat range of at least 250 nm, a maximum payload of about 1,000 pounds, and flight capability to 10,000 feet MSL. More...

ARIZONA FLIGHT SCHOOL DISPUTES FAA FINE
The FAA on Tuesday announced that it would levy a $330,000 fine against North-Aire Aviation, an Arizona flight school, for allowing at least 18 unqualified students to graduate, but North-Aire on Wednesday disputed the action, calling the FAA's news release "inflammatory." In a statement posted on its Web site (PDF), the school's management states that it "was not aware that the FAA was poised to take this punitive action, nor does North-Aire agree with the discrepancies that the FAA suggests occurred." The alleged infractions cited by the FAA took place between April and August of 2008, and new management took over the school in April 2009. "It is the understanding of North-Aire's current management that the matter was remedied and resolved favorably with each of the students receiving their appropriate certificates," according to the North-Aire statement. The FAA said on Tuesday it has suspended the certificates of the 18 former North-Aire students it says were improperly trained. More...

AIRPLANE AUCTION DEBUTS AT SUN 'N FUN
For the first time, visitors to Sun 'n Fun last week had a chance to bid on airplanes for sale at a live auction, and the organizer of the event told AVweb on Wednesday that he and his partners will be back next year. Wes Lutz, the president of Flight Level Auctions, said the event was his company's first try at organizing an aircraft auction. "We had a great time, and we learned a lot," he said. He said the company also plans to hold a two-day auction in Fond du Lac, Wisc., this summer, during the week of AirVenture. The auction is not affiliated with EAA's event, he said, but he hopes that aviators who are going to Oshkosh will consider a visit if they are shopping for a used airplane. "We sold nine aircraft at Sun 'n Fun," he said, "ranging from $30,000 to $100,000." About 45 airplanes were offered for sale, he said, mostly single-engine pistons and a few light twins. More...

BRAINTEASERS QUIZ #149: ON OTHER THAN FIXED WINGS
What if airfoils spun to produce lift? What if a gas that makes your voice sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks lifted an aircraft? And what if someone wrote a quiz about it? You'd ace it, right?

Take the quiz.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: LORAN-C IN THE AGE OF WAAS/GPS
With the failure of one of two satellites providing WAAS service, how's the government's decision to shut down Loran-C looking to you? Do you think it should be revived, perhaps as a back-up?

Plus: Back before our Sun 'n Fun polling hiatus, we asked readers for their opinion on the FAA's decision to allow more tolerance in active pilots' use of antidepressants under "special issuance" certificates; click through to see how your fellow readers answered. 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 can be found here. More...

ONE OF TWO WAAS SATELLITES FAILED
The Wide Area Augmentation System, which broadcasts GPS corrections used by aviators across North America, is powered by just two satellites, and one of them has failed. Intelsat, the company that provides the satellite service to the FAA, lost control of the satellite on April 3. The satellite will "drift out of orbit over the next two to four weeks," the FAA said on April 12. The most immediate impact will be felt in northwestern Alaska, where service will be unavailable at 16 airports. However, the FAA said that due to the lack of redundant coverage, WAAS users across North America may experience temporary service interruptions. Also, a "single-point failure situation exists until redundancy [is] restored," the FAA said. A replacement satellite should launch by the end of this year; meanwhile, the FAA is looking at other options to mitigate the impact. More...

FAA PROPOSES MORE LIGHT JET TESTING
The FAA has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (PDF) that could significantly complicate the certification process for several small jets currently in development and future aircraft weighing less than 6,000 pounds with turbine engines. The FAA is proposing that all turbine-powered aircraft be put through function and reliability tests. Function and reliability testing is real-world testing of airframes and engines in the full spectrum of weather, missions and flight envelopes the planes are expected to encounter in service and is designed to catch snags that tend to show up soon after the aircraft are put into service. It can add as much as 300 hours to the certification flight testing. In 1950, the FAA exempted aircraft weighing less than 6,000 pounds from that type of testing since the small aircraft of the day were aimed at the private market and were exclusively powered by piston engines. New piston designs weighing less than 6,000 pounds and gliders will continue to be exempt. In the NPRM, the FAA cites problems with freshly certified Eclipse 500 aircraft as part of the foundation for the proposed rule. "This reconsideration was driven in part by difficulties encountered with the voluntary application of the requirement during the FAA type certification of the [Eclipse 500] and the subsequent problems experienced during that airplane's entry into service," the NPRM states. 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."

RIDE-ALONG WITH DALE SNODGRASS
Famed air show and fighter pilot Dale Snodgrass took an AVweb camera along on his Paris Jet afternoon air show at Sun 'n Fun. In this unique video, he gives us the details about his routine. More...

IFR MAGAZINE SHOWS YOU HOW TO GET MORE FROM A PORTABLE GPS IN IFR
That gadget you bolted to the yoke can do a lot more than show pretty moving maps. Come along with IFR magazine editor Jeff Van West to see how correct use of track (and several other features) on your portable GPS can improve all aspects of your IFR flying. 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: 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!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
Daniel Valovich of Hot Springs, Arkansas knows we have a weakness for big weather events and aircraft — and he uses that knowledge to great effect this week, topping our list of favorite photos (by a hair's breadth!) in a very competitive week. Click through for more photos. 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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