HARRIS-MOORE ARRESTED
A Washington teenager accused, among other things, of stealing several airplanes is behind bars in the Bahamas. Colton Harris-Moore, whose cult status earned him the nickname the Barefoot Bandit, was arrested by the Royal Bahamas Police Force in an ending fitting for the movie that will inevitably be made about the youth's crime spree. A source speaking on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press officers shot out the engine of a boat Harris-Moore had stolen and was using to flee from police. The dramatic end to Harris-Moore's two years on the lam came on an idyllic island where it is alleged he ditched a $600,000 Cessna Corvalis, stolen in Indiana, in the surf. More...

CIRCUMNAVIGATION "FIRST" FOR AUSTRALIAN AVIATION
Thursday, Ken Evers and Tim Pryse returned to Australia, becoming the first Australians to circumnavigate the earth in an Australian-designed and built airplane, the Airvan GA8-TC, but they also had a greater cause. The trip was intended to raise awareness of malaria and raise money for malaria prevention programs while also marking the centenary of Australian aviation. John Duigan is credited with taking the first Australian-made powered airplane aloft on July 16, 1910. That trip was about seven meters long. Evers and Pryse flew their Australian-made plane for 55 days, including 234 flight hours. They covered 52,000 km and touched down in 16 countries. The trip's timing meant the men saw, first-hand, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and violent uprisings in Jamaica. The two men say the trip has served to invigorate their campaign against malaria and the men now have plans to produce both a book and documentary about their flight. More...

SNOWBIRDS CRASH REPORT CITES LACK OF TRAINING
The pilot who crashed a CT-114 Tutor during a photo flight with the Canadian Snowbirds in 2008 was not trained for the role that ultimately killed him and his onboard photographer, according to the flight safety report. Lead investigator Major Kevin Roberts told CTVNews that experienced pilot Captain Bryan Mitchell was maneuvering with the formation and was probably looking back over his shoulder at the formation when he flew the aircraft and his passenger, photographer Sgt. Charles Senecal, into the ground. The accident took place near the team's home of Moose Jaw, Sask. "Fluid maneuvering around a formation at low altitude is potentially a high-risk activity and typically involves specialized training," according to the report. Mitchell had not received such training. According to the report, that fact was "not fully considered" while planning the flight and was likely "overshadowed by his [Mitchell's] overall high experience level and reputation."  Click through for details of the maneuver that killed Captain Mitchell and Sgt. Senecal. More...

ACCIDENT RATES: PREDATOR VS. GA
Air Force Predators last year managed an accident rate per 100,000 hours that nearly matched GA's rate for the same period, according to The Los Angeles Times. The newspaper Wednesday published an article that listed the Air Force Predator's accident rate at 7.5 per 100,000 flight hours in 2009. The rate for general aviation during the same period was 7.2, up from 6.86 in 2008. The military said the Predator's rate is "comparable to that of the F-16 at the same stage" and "just less than the 8.2 rate for small, single-engine private planes," according to the article. And the statistics may share at least one more similarity. More...

AIRVENTURE AUCTION TO SELL DOOLITTLE STINSON AND MORE
A real estate auction company has opened its horizons to aviation and chosen AirVenture Oshkosh 2010 to sell some uniquely historic aircraft side-by-side with yours, if you'd like. Bidding will open early and some aircraft "may be pre-sold," according to auctioneer REDC. Aircraft set to go on the block at "The Spirit of Aviation Auction" include a Stinson SR-10 "built for and flown by" Jimmy Doolittle and a Grumman TBM-3U. The rest of the aircraft similarly range from privately owned recreational planes to warbirds and rare vintage aircraft. Not all of the offerings are set for lofty starting bids and you're welcome to consign your aircraft, too. All aircraft will be reviewed by EAA before being accepted into the auction and those that are not pre-sold will be on the grounds at Oshkosh for at least two days before the July 31 auction. More...

787 TO DEBUT AT FARNBOROUGH
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner will stretch its reputedly long legs next week in a coming out party near London. The company has confirmed one of five test articles of the largely composite airliner will be on display at the Farnborough Air Show, which, is the big tick mark on the commercial aviation calendar for this year. Serial number 003 will be available for tours July 19-20. The show goes from July 19-25 but Boeing is in an aggressive test and certification schedule that is geared toward a year-end delivery of the first 787 to launch customer ANA. "We've chosen Farnborough as a venue for spotlighting the breakthrough capabilities and innovations of both our commercial airplanes and our defense, space and security businesses. We look forward to an optimistic mood this year as industry leaders meet amid signs of economic recovery," said Tom Downey, senior vice president, Boeing Communications, in a statement. More...

AOPA LOOKS FORWARD TO G100UL DATA
Following up on its visit to Ada, Okla., Wednesday, AOPA said it's looking forward to additional data on General Aviation Modifications Inc.'s G100UL, a proposed replacement for 100LL. "With that data, we can examine the production, distribution, performance, emissions and economic impacts associated with any given proposed alternative," said Rob Hackman, AOPA's vice president of regulatory affairs. Hackman, along with AOPA President Craig Fuller and Cessna CEO Jack Pelton, saw G100UL run through its paces in the test cell. In a press release following Pelton's statement on his impressions of the fuel, AOPA said it plans to continue to visit the key players in the avgas issue. More...

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MOGAS FOR AIRPLANES, ANYWAY?
It's still out there, but it can be awfully hard to find. There are two reasons: one is that the price difference between mogas and avgas has narrowed substantially since the heyday of mogas for airplanes during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Then there's ethanol, which the vast majority of autogas contains these days, so-called E10, which is up to 10 percent ethanol. In addition to being hydroscopic, (it attracts water) ethanol is also incompatible with some seals, gaskets and O-rings, or so the earlier research seems to suggest. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: JACK PELTON SPEAKS; LET'S ALL LISTEN
Last week, Jack Pelton ate into his vacation to visit General Aviation Modifications, Inc.'s test cell in Ada, Oklahoma for a look at G100UL, a proposed avgas replacement. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli suggests that his involvement — and unambiguous report on what he saw — may represent an inflection point in what has basically been a defeatist effort to find an avgas replacement. The first step in succeeding is the belief that you can. Click here to read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: PUSHING THE ENVELOPE
It's a complicated, scary world, full of challenges that compound one on top of another faster than we can keep up — but then again, we may be better at keeping up than we give ourselves credit. When a technological problem is at its worst, the pressure to innovate often gives rise to surprising solutions — and that thought gives AVweb editor Mary Grady a little hope when it comes to the giant hurdles facing aviation. Click here to read Mary's post on the AVweb Insider blog and leave your comments. More...

LOOKING FOR MOGAS?
It's out there but not easy to find. AVweb's Paul Bertorelli talks with Ken Misegades about how to track down fuel that might suit your engine for a lower price. More...

CANADIAN MILITARY FLIGHT TRAINING: A RIDE-ALONG IN THE CT-156 HARVARD II
To many people, it's just a joke about funny Canadian place names, but Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan is the center of the universe for young military officers from all over the world who want to become military pilots. Under the auspices of 15 Wing Moose Jaw, the Canadian Forces and Bombardier are in a joint venture to train Canada's next generation of pilots and also new pilots from as far away as Singapore. AVweb's Russ Niles went for a ride in the CT-156 Harvard II (the Canadian version of the Texan II used by the U.S. Air Force) and spoke with flight instructor Capt. Zack Charbonneau. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: PIGS CAN FLY AVIATION (STORM LAKE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA)

AVweb reader Tom Snider recently had one one of those "when pigs fly" moments — and yes, you can bet that it happened at our "FBO of the Week," Pigs Can Fly Aviation at Storm Lake Municipal Airport (KSLB) in San Luis Obispo, California.

On a recent trip to visit our son ... in our old Bonanza, we found the airport under heavy construction and were told by ground control that their was a NOTAM (we missed that) that there was no overnight parking available. As we were discussing our options, line personnel from Pigs Can Fly showed up in their golf cart with a sign, "Follow me to free parking." We might as well have been a Gulfstream, as they parked us, fueled us and helped unload the plane and transfer us by cart to their very nice office/lounge with more very nice personnel. As we were preparing to leave, one of the owners asked if everything had been okay. I commented that everything had been great except they were out of Terminal Area Charts for SFO. (They were on backorder.) He climbed into one of their planes, got a chart from his own flight bag, handed it to me, and would take no money for it. If you are in San Luis Obispo, make Pigs Can Fly your FBO.

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 A ZAON PCAS XRX

Win a Zaon PCAS XRX 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 Friday, July 16, 2010.

Click here to read the contest rules and enter.

Congratulations to Richard Kemp of Canton, Georgia, who won an AV8OR handheld GPS in our last drawing! (click here to get your own from Bendix/King by Honeywell)

SHORT FINAL

Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"

One sunshiny day a couple of years ago, my friend Bill in his Mooney (C-FIHH) and I in my Comanche (C-FLHV) were flying the 142 miles from Great Falls, Montana to Lethbridge, Alberta. We'd taken off one right behind the other, so not surprisingly arrived more or less simultaneously. Bill called into the FSS advisory frequency first with his position and intentions, followed by me. FSS obviously didn't realize we were together:

FSS:
"Roger, Lima Hotel Victor. Traffic: A Mooney also arriving from the southeast, more or less your position. Suggest you do a 360 to the right for separation."

Me (C-FLHV):
"Comanche LHV into the right 360. Actually, we've been doing 360s all the way from Great Falls, me trying to stay behind him."

FSS:
"Mooney India Hotel Hotel, is he a friend of yours?"

Bill (C-FIHH):
"Used to be."

Don Ostergard
Drumheller, Alberta

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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