BIG-ENGINE TYPE GROUPS UNITE ON FUEL ISSUE
Type groups representing owners of high-performance piston aircraft have formed the Green 100 Octane Coalition to raise awareness of issues surrounding the impending demise of 100LL. So far, members include the American Bonanza Society, the Malibu Mirage Owners and Pilots Association, the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association and some individuals. In a podcast interview with AVweb, Tom Turner of the American Bonanza Society said the major aviation groups appear to be sending disturbing signals to those who fly aircraft with high-horsepower, high compression and turbocharged engines that absolutely must have 100-octane fuel to operate normally. He said some groups have issued statements pointing out that about 80 percent of the piston fleet can run on lower grade gasoline. But Turner says the lower-powered majority should be concerned about the potential effects of a lack of suitable fuel on the big-displacement crowd because of the way the numbers work. More...

PRESSURE MOUNTS TO EXPAND UAS USE
Pilots may be uneasy about sharing the airspace with unmanned aircraft systems, but the FAA is feeling increasing pressure to speed its approval of UAS use. Officials in Texas want more UASs patrolling the border with Mexico, and Sen. John Cornyn has been blocking a Senate vote to approve Michael Huerta, a nominee for the number-two slot at the FAA, as a pressure tactic. "There is a tremendous pressure and need to fly unmanned aircraft in [civilian] airspace," Hank Krakowski, FAA's head of air traffic operations, said recently, The Associated Press reports. "We are having constant conversations and discussions, particularly with the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security, to figure out how we can do this safely with all these different sizes of vehicles." More...

SPIRIT PILOTS SETTLE
Spirit Airlines will resume operations Friday after it reached a tentative contract deal with is pilots. The pilots, represented by the Airline Pilots Association, walked out last Saturday and the budget carrier has been grounded since. The airline called the deal "fair and equitable" and said it meets pilots demands for wage and benefit increases while allowing the airline to continue growing. More...

NTSB SENDS TEAM TO OTTAWA INCIDENT
The runway overrun of a United Express Embraer 145 (operated by Trans States Airlines) at Ottawa, Canada's McDonald-Cartier International Airport on Wednesday brought an immediate response from the NTSB, which announced it is sending a bevy of experts to help Canadian authorities sort out what appears to be a relatively minor incident. The airplane ran off the end of the runway in a rainstorm, causing minor injuries to both pilots and an elderly passenger. But it comes two weeks after the NTSB held hearings into the state of pilot professionalism with an emphasis on the regional airline industry. The NTSB is sending an investigator, a flight operations specialist, a survival factors specialist and an unspecified number of "technical advisers" from the FAA to assess the mishap. More...

NTSB SUGGESTS CHANGES IN CHARITABLE FLIGHTS
The NTSB has issued a safety recommendation (PDF) to the Air Care Alliance, urging them to make several changes in the way charitable medical flights are conducted. The recommendations stem from four accidents in 2007 and 2008, in which three pilots and five passengers were killed. The NTSB says the ACA should require its member groups to inform passengers that charitable flights are not conducted under the same rules as commercial flights. Also, the groups should develop training materials for their volunteer pilots and verify their currency before each flight. Rol Murrow, chairman, and Lindy Kirkland, director of the Air Care Alliance, said on Monday they share the NTSB's concerns and will take a leadership role in addressing them, not only with ACA members but all volunteer pilot groups. More...

STUDY: AIRPLANES CAN TRIGGER SNOWFALL
When conditions are right, a jet or turboprop airplane traveling through a cloud can cause it to snow, according to a study in this month's Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Airplanes that penetrate altocumulus clouds containing supercooled droplets of water can cause some of the moisture to freeze and fall to the ground, leaving holes or channels in the clouds. "Just by flying an airplane through these clouds, you could produce as much precipitation as with seeding materials along the same path in the cloud," said Andrew Heymsfield, a scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and lead author of the study. As air is forced over the wings or the tips of propellers, its temperature falls, causing the droplets to form. The Pacific Northwest and western Europe often experience weather systems that are susceptible to this kind of event. More...

NEW FOR YOUNG EAGLES -- FREE FIRST LESSON
More than 1.5 million youngsters around the world have enjoyed their first flight in a general aviation aircraft thanks to EAA's Young Eagles program, and now they'll have an opportunity to earn a free first flying lesson as well. EAA announced the new program on Monday. "With the addition of the First Flight Lesson, we continue to build on the enthusiasm shown by these Young Eagles and help them continue their journey toward a certificate," said Jeff Skiles, Young Eagles co-chairman. To qualify for the lesson, a Young Eagle must be at least 14, complete Part 1 of Sporty's online Pilot Training Course, which is available free to all Young Eagles, and submit a parental consent form. Once those criteria are met, EAA will issue a voucher that can be redeemed at a local flight school of the participant's choice. More...

FIRST SUPERSONIC FLIGHT FOR F-35 STOVL VARIANT
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant flew faster than the speed of sound for the first time on June 10, the company announced on Monday. The aircraft accelerated to Mach 1.07 (727 miles per hour) on the first in a long series of planned supersonic flights.Bob Price, Lockheed Martin's F-35 U.S. Marine Corps program manager, said this marks the first time in the history of military aviation that a radar-evading stealth aircraft also has supersonic speed and short takeoff/vertical landing capabilities. The supersonic milestone was achieved on the 30th flight of the F-35B known as BF-2. U.S. Marine Corps pilot Lt. Col. Matt Kelly climbed to 30,000 feet and accelerated to Mach 1.07 in the offshore supersonic test track near Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland. During the flight, Kelly accomplished 21 unique test points, including several integrated test blocks to validate roll, pitch, yaw and propulsion performance. More...

SUPERSONIC FLIGHT
AVweb's Glenn Pew finds some of the web's most popular footage and takes a look behind the visual and auditory phenomena created when machines "break" the speed of sound. More...

CIRRUS PAYING BACK RENT
One sign that things are looking up in the aircraft business is when cash-strapped companies start getting caught up on their bills, and Cirrus Aircraft took some big steps in that direction this month. This week, the city of Grand Forks announced that Cirrus had paid six months' worth of back rent worth $507,000. That leaves the company 11 months behind for a total of $930,000, but it has promised to get caught up. Cirrus builds composite components at the Grand Forks plant. Cirrus struck a different deal for its base of operations at Duluth. More...

EXTRA EXPANDS U.S. MARKET EFFORTS
Extra Aircraft, based in Germany, is expanding its efforts to market the Extra 500 turboprop in North America and expects to select a site for a new assembly plant in the U.S. later this year, company spokesman Errol Bader told AVweb this week. "When we first introduced the airplane several years ago, we decided not to market it in the U.S.," he said, due to various reasons such as the exchange rate and regulatory barriers. But now the company has decided the time is right, and they are offering the airplane with a Rolls Royce engine and Avidyne's new Entegra II Release 9 avionics, for $1.65 million. "If you order one now, you can take delivery in the first quarter of 2011," Bader said. Plans are to continue to construct the aircraft's composite parts in Germany, Bader said, but the engines and avionics and other components will be installed at the U.S. site. 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: AVWEB READERS' AIRVENTURE 2010 HEAD COUNT
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is barely a month away. This week, we'd like to know if you're going.

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers for their take on the health of the light sport market; click through to see how they answered. 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...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: PILOT EXPERIENCE? WHAT PILOT EXPERIENCE?
Pilot training has been at the fore of AVweb editor-in-chief Russ Niles's brain lately — and not just because the NTSB has been looking into it. A recent experience on one of the regional airlines has led Russ to wonder why it's such a novel idea to have pilots first train on new aircraft without the passengers. Click here to read Russ's blog and add your comments. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: SELF-DELUSION SAVES LIVES
Pride goeth before a fall. We're told that lying to ourselves and overestimating our abilities is a surefire path to failure — but listening to Failure Is Not an Option author Gene Kranz talk about the Apollo 13 mission, Jeff Van West has come to realize the opposite is sometimes true: Our self-delusions can pave the way to success. Read more at the AVweb Insider blog — and then add your own comments. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: CATTARAUGUS COUNTY-OLEAN AIRPORT (KOLE, OLEAN, NY)

Our latest "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to the crew at Cattaraugus County-Olean Airport (KOLE) in Olean, New York.

AVweb reader Hella Comat told us why she'll be returning:

We attended an event at Olean this past weekend, and I can't say enough about the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff and volunteers at KOLE. The airport is a beautiful spot on a hill above town, and we were offered rides into town and back the next morning. Getting gas was a breeze, and the attendants were most helpful. If I'm in the area, I'd land here for sure, if only to say thanks again for the hospitality!

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 AN AV8OR HANDHELD GPS

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)

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
John Wuellner of Midland, Georgia nailed it with his suggested caption — but the bad timing of this parasailer at Panama City Beach, Florida and John's good fortune to snap the photo made this hands-down choice for "Picture of the Week." 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

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.

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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.

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