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June 10, 2010
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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A Full Avionics Stack in the Palm of Your Hand —
Sporty's SP-400 Radio!
Sporty's all-new hand-held NAV/COM combines full COM radio features, NOAA weather radio, VOR navigation, localizer and even ILS — the only portable radio with these features! Everything
is displayed on a large high-resolution display. And it's still the easiest radio to use.
Call 1 (800) SPORTYS for more information or
find out more,
including a video demo, online. 
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Local police want to find and formally honor the bystanders who, on June 1, managed to save four of five occupants from a burning Cessna 206 that crashed into a building on an Anchorage street. The
group became first responders when the 206 crashed on takeoff from Merrill Field, skipping off a rooftop and impacting an empty building. As one wing burned, the fire ignited the building. The fire
spread as rescuers lifted the aircraft's non-burning wing and stabilized the tail to pull occupants out of the wreck before professional first responders arrived, according to Anchorage Daily News. When first responders did arrive, the good Samaritan crowd continued their
work. Photos of the rescue reveal the extraordinary effort.
The FAA's preliminary report states that there were four persons on board the aircraft, but the Anchorage Daily News lists five: two parents in their 30's and their two young children, plus one
other teenage girl. One of the children, a four-year-old, died. The remaining family members received critical injuries and the teenage girl received serious injuries. Anyone with information that can
help police identify the good Samaritans should contact Lt. Garry Gilliam at (907) 786-8647.
CLICK FOR LARGER INDIVIDUAL IMAGES
EACH IMAGE WILL OPEN IN A NEW WINDOW
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Aircraft Spruce at the 2010 Golden West Regional Fly-In
Visit the Aircraft Spruce exhibit in Marysville, CA on June 11‑13, 2010. Find us in booths 8 & 9 from 9:00am to 5:00pm on June 11‑12 and 9:00am to
4:00pm on June 13. Place your order at the Aircraft Spruce booth and receive complimentary ground shipping (does not apply to hazardous or oversize products). Call Aircraft Spruce at
1 (877) 4‑SPRUCE or
visit
AircraftSpruce.com. 
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UAE Shells Out for A380s, CA Braces for
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Emirates Wednesday placed an order at the Berlin Air Show for an additional 32 Airbus A380s, making the single largest order for the superjumbo and a deal worth $11.5 billion (at list prices). The
government of Dubai (from which Emirates operates) reportedly lays claim to a $100 billion debt, but the airline is operated independently and last year showed profits of $964 million and a (roughly)
20-percent increase in passengers. Meanwhile, Airbus is struggling with positive cash flow specific to the A380, acknowledging that selling the aircraft to U.S. airlines has been a challenge. The
manufacturer has been encouraged by the dollar's recent rise versus the euro. Airbus prices the aircraft in dollars, while many of the A380's costs of manufacture are based on the euro. With its
latest order, Emirates is now slated to operate 90 Airbus A380 superjumbo airliners by 2017. And Emirates president Tim Clark has said his company is interested in buying even larger versions of the
massive jet.
According to the Telegraph.co.uk, Emirates' Clark has said his
airline would be interested in a stretched A380 capable of seating 1,000 passengers. Airbus hopes that customers suited to purchase the A380 will find the jet's passenger-carrying ability a compelling
answer to high fuel costs and traffic jams at airports. The current deal brings Airbus' A380 order roster to 234 aircraft, but delivery delays and other production problems have kept the manufacturer
far from turning a profit on the aircraft. Separate from Airbus, Emirates' order clearly shows confidence in its own continued growth.
A hearing in California on Monday night was packed with flight instructors and flight school operators worried about the impact of a new California law on their profession. The law requires flight
schools to comply with various kinds of oversight and fees that are meant to protect students from financial losses if a school should suddenly close down. However, operators have complained that the
new rules are so burdensome and expensive that most flight schools in the state would be forced out of business. Schools must register with the state by Aug. 1 under the law, which took effect on Jan.
1. Michael France, director of regulatory affairs for the National Air Transportation Association, told AVweb on Wednesday that the regulations are "burdensome," and according to a NATA survey,
up to 90 percent of the flight schools in the state would close down if they are forced to comply. "This could really have an impact," he said. "We've proposed some changes to the regulations, and we
hope we can find a solution."
AOPA's California representative, John Pfeifer, said this week he has asked the state to push back the
registration deadline to Jan. 1, 2011, to allow time to work things out. "It has become clear from our meetings with legislators that their sole intent was to protect students financially, and they
clearly did not anticipate the potential damage of this regulation," Pfeifer said. "So it is our hope that we can now buy some time to work out a more reasonable solution before any damage is done."
The California Pilots
Association also is opposed to the new law, and has asked members to write to their representatives in government to protest it. The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) has submitted a letter to various officials in the State of California
expressing opposition to the law. According to SAFE, the state's rules also apply to individual independent CFIs, but other advocacy groups have said it's unclear whether the law covers those
activities.
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View Trade-A-Plane's New Edition
at No Cost on Your Mobile Device!
Just enter
Trade-A-Plane.com/mobile. 
Search for aircraft (hourly updates). Find companies, products, and services. Locate dealers/brokers. Call or e-mail sellers, and click directly to their web sites. With our web and mobile
editions, you can view all of our ads at no cost, all the time! Call (800) 337-5263, or
visit us
online. 
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Back in 2008, the folks at Desert Aerospace, in Albuquerque, built the Super Salto aerobatic jet-powered sailplane that flies in airshows around the world, and this week they said they have finished flight-testing a two-seat version for the sport
flying market. The BonusJet sailplane, which has a 56-foot wingspan, can self-launch and then retract the small jet engine into the fuselage for high-performance cross-country soaring. The jet can
also be extended and restarted in flight with the flick of a switch. The aircraft is a modified version of the Bonus glider, manufactured in the Czech Republic. The TJ-100 jet engine is built by PBS,
another Czech company. The jet engine makes sense for a glider because it is "small, lightweight and simple," said test pilot Bob Carlton. The BonusJet will be on display next month at EAA
AirVenture in Oshkosh.
Carlton said the jet is glass-smooth when running, eliminating the component and airframe damage caused by engine vibration. He added that Desert Aerospace also plans to develop an "extreme light
jet (XLJ)" kit airplane for the home-built market. Meanwhile, another conversion project using the same jet engine has been put on hold. Sonex Aircraft President John Monnett said last week that
during high-speed taxi tests, his TJ-100-powered SubSonex encountered issues with
controllability. The design will now undergo a thorough review. "I am committed to seeing the SubSonex through, and am confident that we can be successful; however, it must take a back seat to other
company priorities for now," Monnett said.
Sean D. Tucker, legendary airshow performer, this summer is introducing his brand-new custom-built Challenger III biplane, which can perform extreme maneuvers beyond what Tucker's previous aircraft
were capable of. With the faster, more dynamic airplane, designed by Steve Wolf, Tucker has added more maneuvers to his routine, including somersaults and multiple cartwheels, and there is more to
come. "I still have so much to learn," Tucker told AVweb this week. "It's like learning to fly all over again. It's so much fun." He has flown the airplane only about 200 times so far, he said,
and "maybe with about 2,000 flights" he'll have a handle on its full range of capabilities. He said it's about a "30-percent better" airplane than any other he's flown. The biplane features a
carbon-fiber flying tail inspired by the tails used on remote-control model aircraft, and eight ailerons.
Because of the new airplane's cockpit design, Tucker said the G forces are less debilitating and he can practice four times a day instead of two. Tucker will be flying in the Challenger III June 26
and 27 at the Rhode Island National Guard airshow in Quonset, R.I., then the Dayton Air Show July 17 and 18, and at EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh from July 26 to Aug. 1, plus at least 10 more shows around
the U.S. by the end of the season in October (click here for the full schedule).
Tucker spoke in detail about the Challenger III design and how he is working to maximize its potential in this week's AVweb podcast feature; click here to listen.
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EAA AirVenture Oshkosh —
The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration
July 26 - August 1 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin
It's a year of firsts and once-in-a-lifetimes! 75th anniversary of the DC-3 (50+ attending!) and B-17; "Salute to Veterans" week-long celebration; opening day concert by Chicago; and Saturday, July
31 — first mass balloon launch, first Spirit of Aviation Auction, and night air show with fireworks to follow!
Save time and money
when you buy your tickets online now.
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Alternative Power Continues to Dominate
Headlines |
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Flying a slightly modified Austro AE300 equipped Diamond Aircraft DA42 twin, EADS has this week become the first to publicly fly an aircraft on pure biofuel made from algae. The aircraft is flying
at the Berlin Air Show and burning one engine on standard jet fuel while the other burns pure (not a kerosene-algae mix) biofuel. According to EADS, the fuel isn't just more environmentally friendly,
it's more efficient and translates in the DA42's Austro to 1.5 fewer liters per hour for the same performance when compared with Jet-A1. That suggests better combustion/higher energy content than
kerosene. Dr. Jean Botti, Chief technical officer of EADS, says this demonstrated application of pure biofuel is a "world first" and shows that biofuels are now "more than just a replacement for
fossil petroleum." If you're thinking "there's a catch," you're right.
Algae-based fuel reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 40 percent and relatively eliminates sulfur dioxide emissions when compared to Jet-A1, according to EADS. Only minor modifications were
needed to adapt the Austro engines to burn the biofuel. However, EADS stipulates that it is currently much more expensive to produce algae-based fuels than it is to source crude oil. The company is
optimistic that through further research it can reduce costs and increase growth of an algae-fuel industry. For now, EADS has found "no undesirable characteristics" inherent in the fuel and plans to
certify the AE300 to burn it. Fuel for the display was supplied for EADS showcase flight by Biocombustibles del Chibut of Argentina and processed by VTS of Germany.
Advances in electric flight have attracted lots of attention in recent years, and next month at EAA AirVenture the growing field will convene a World Symposium. The event will comprise a full week of activities related to electric-powered flight, with daily
forums, displays, and showcase flights. A daylong symposium on Friday, July 30, will feature an open discussion about the future of electric flight with industry leaders including Scaled Composites
founder Burt Rutan, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, Electric Aircraft Corporation founder Randall Fishman, Yuneec founder Tian Yu, Sonex Aircraft founder John Monnett, and Earthstar Aircraft founder
Mark Beierle, who displayed his eGull ultralight aircraft at AirVenture 2009. Erik Lindbergh, who earlier this year launched an Electric Aircraft Prize to encourage innovation in the field, will also participate.
Daily forums will focus on safety and airframes; motors, fuel cells, and propulsion; advanced batteries and controls; and regulations. The week will conclude with working sessions on Saturday, July
31. The World Symposium and the Aviation Learning Center are sponsored by GE Aviation Systems. If you'd like to register to attend the free symposium or participate in the event's forums or
presentations, contact Kelly Meyer at EAA headquarters at kmeyer@eaa.org or 920-426-4800. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010 will run from July 26 to Aug.
1 at Wittman Regional Airport.
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The regional airliner market got more interesting last week as India's government-sponsored National Aerospace Industries announced it was planning a 110- to 120-seat jet. The announcement creates
a crowd in a market that doesn't seem to have many buyers at the moment. For instance, Bombardier's CSeries has but 80 orders and the Chinese, Russian and Japanese entrants are counting heavily on
domestic sales to justify their development plans. Some analysts say the Indian project is as much an exercise in national pride as it is an aircraft development program and the new jet, if it's ever
built, will likely find buyers only on the subcontinent. Meanwhile, the turboprop airliner market also heated up and France's ATR announced plans for a clean-sheet 90-seat turboprop twin.
That could speed up Bombardier's long-speculated stretch of the Q400 from 70 to about 90 seats. It's been pointed out that the Q400X would be a cut-and-paste version of the already-proven Q400
while ATR's is a full-scale development program. The ATR effort wouldn't deliver an aircraft until 2016. Bombardier hasn't decided on the Q400X but if it pulled the trigger soon it could undoubtedly
beat that timeline.
Asia is a bright spot for the aviation industry and the local industry is doing its best to capitalize on the growth that's anticipated. The Pillars of Aviation Summit will be held in Kuala Lumpur's Palace of the Golden Horses June 28-29. The
conference will emphasize how companies based in the area can grow their businesses but it's obvious that interest isn't confined to Asian firms.
A veritable Who's Who of the aviation industry are listed as sponsors for the event, which will include CEOs of various companies huddling for think-tank sessions that cover the gamut of issues and
opportunities facing the region as aviation grows there. There will also be interactive panel discussions.
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."
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The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is
You! |
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Over 18,000 Happy GAMIjectors® Customers Can't Be Wrong!
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FLY-GAMI, or
go online for complete
engineering details. 
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Ascend to New Heights
Engineered from the ground up, the all-new Ascend headset by Telex is finely tuned to provide superior performance in a bold new design.
Learn more at
Telex.com/Ascend. 
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Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb
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Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos
Could it really be? Is the iPad the ultimate cockpit EFB (electronic flight bag) that we've all been waiting for? Find out in this review by AVweb and Aviation
Consumer's Paul Bertorelli. It has potential — so much potential ... .
If you enjoy this video, be sure to look for the print review of the iPad in the July issue of our sister magazine, Aviation
Consumer.
Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb
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Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos
Kim Prout's homebuilt Europa Monowheel is one of the highest-time examples in the U.S. and amply shows off the superb combination of agility and utility in this exclusive video from
the editors of Kitplanes magazine.
If you enjoy this video, be sure to look for other homebuilt content in our sister magazine, Kitplanes.
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Get Them While They're Hot!
Order the Light Plane Maintenance Toolbox CD now and get over two years of issues in searchable PDF format! Find out how much money you can save on annuals and overhauls!
Click here to order
now!
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Nominate an FBO
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Rules
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Tips
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Questions
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Winning FBOs
Maybe it's the summer vacation effect, but AVweb's "FBO of the Week" nominations basket is filling up with stories of great FBOs from the panhandle down through central Florida and all the
way south to Palm Beach, where AVweb reader Wally Moran recently experienced "the best service I have ever had at an FBO." Here's the story of Wally's visit to Lantana, Florida's Windward Aviation at Palm Beach County Park Airport (KLNA):
This is a maintenance facility next to the FBO. I arrived in the late afternoon with a gear indication problem, and when Mr. James Leach, the owner, met me at the front desk, I explained that I
needed to leave ASAP but felt the gear indication needed attention. He quickly moved another aircraft out of the hangar, moved mine in, assigned two A&Ps to the job, and jacked and checked the gear.
Thanks to his fine service, I was able to depart on time and at a very resonable cost.
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!
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Peter Drucker Says,
"The Best Way to Predict the Future Is to Create It"
It's easy for your company to be more proactive, flexible, and entrepreneurial with AVweb's cost-effective marketing programs. Discover the benefits of instant response, quick copy
changes, monthly tracking reports, and interactive programs. To find out how simple it is to reach 255,000 qualified pilots, owners, and decision-makers weekly,
click now for
details. 
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Win an AV8OR handheld GPS (from Bendix/King by Honeywell) 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 June 18, 2010.
Click here to read
the contest rules and enter.
Congratulations to William R. Smith of Madison, Connecticut, who won a King Schools Get-It-All Pilot Training Kit in our last drawing! (click here to get your own from King Schools)
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Submit a Photo
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Rules
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Tips
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Questions
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Past Winners
Each week, we go through dozens (and sometimes hundreds) of reader-submitted photos and pick the very best to share with you on Thursday mornings. The top photos are featured on
AVweb's home page, and one photo that stands above the others is awarded an AVweb baseball cap as our "Picture of the Week." Want to see your photo on
AVweb.com? Click here to submit it to our weekly contest.
*** THIS WEEK'S WINNERS ***
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Smart Pilot, Crazy Passenger
Jeff Randall of Abilene, Texas brought this gem back from the Altus Air Force Base Air Show — "Greg Shelton piloting his Stearman,
fairly comfortable in the open cockpit, as his wingwalker stares down the rushing earth from the top of the wing." With summer air show fever gripping the AVweb staff, how could we
not dub this one "Picture of the Week"?
If you think it's all downhill from here, though, you're in for a surprise. This week's submissions were top-notch, and that meant plenty of competition Jeff had to edge out in order
to walk away with an AVweb cap.
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Back by Sundown
See what we mean? Isaac Adler of Kalamazoo, Michigan stole our breath away with this shot — and that's no mean feat in a week where we were
bombarded with incredible sunsets. (Don't believe us? Be sure to check the latest photos in the slideshow on our home page.
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DA42 at Matterhorn
Some say that a Diamond is just a pretty rock, but that's hard to defend when confronted with this shot of a DA24 en route from Chambery, France to Altenrhein, Switzerland. Hans Moser of Winterthur, Zurich (Switzerland) captured this bird soaring by trhe Matterhorn and shares the majestic sight with all of us in jet another photo that was
oh-so-close to claiming the top spot.
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copyright © Gary L. Jones
Used with permission |
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Piece o' Cake!
In case your first thought is the same as ours — don't fret. "The camera angle makes it look tight," writes Gary L. Jones of Clovis,
New Mexico, "but there's lots of room."
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Before the Storm
Aw, man — choosing this week's finale pic is hard, too! ("Woe is us," right?)
Tom Smith of Plymouth, Massachusetts serves us in good stead, with this shot of the EAA 133 hangar at Mettetal Airport in Canton.
If you're like us and want more, you'll find two dozen rockin' reader-submitted shots on AVweb's home page Thursday morning.
And if you've got some photos to share, submit them here. We can't wait to take a gander!
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A quick note for submitters: If you've got several photos that you feel are "POTW" material, your best bet is to submit them one-a-week! That gives your photos a greater chance of
seeing print on AVweb, and it makes the selection process a little easier on us, too. ;)
A Reminder About Copyrights:
Please take a moment to consider the source of your image before submitting to our "Picture of the Week" contest. If you did not take the photo yourself, ask yourself if you are indeed authorized to
release publication rights to AVweb. If you're uncertain, consult the POTW Rules or or send us an e-mail.
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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.
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