GAO ON NEXTGEN HUMAN FACTORS INTEGRATION
The GAO says that FAA and NASA officials need to develop a cross-agency plan for coordination of human factors research efforts, or NextGen implementation may see cost increases and delays. "FAA has not established an agreed-upon set of initial focus areas for research that identifies and capitalizes on past and current research," said the GAO. Meanwhile, "experts GAO contacted generally agreed that FAA's and NASA's human factors research efforts adequately support NextGen." While efforts by both NASA and the FAA are ongoing and coordinated "in a variety of ways," the GAO says its research shows that human factors research leadership is still lacking and coordination efforts can be improved. The office has offered suggestions. More...

NTSB TO EASA: FIX YOUR RUDDERS
In 2001, an Airbus lost its vertical fin and crashed on Long Island; Friday, the NTSB directed Safety Recommendations to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) "to ensure safe handling qualities in the yaw axis throughout the flight envelope, including limits for rudder pedal sensitivity." The 2001 crash involved an Airbus A300, American Airlines Flight 587, and killed all 260 aboard, plus five on the ground. The NTSB determined it was caused when, as a reaction to a wake turbulence encounter, a pilot's application of rudder led to failure of the airliner's vertical fin. The NTSB's new recommendations A-10-119 (PDF) and -120 and a reiteration of previously issued A-04-63 aim to create new yaw axis certification standards and review existing aircraft to determine if they meet the standard. The board directed the recommendations toward the European Aviation Safety Agency and specifically toward its certification specifications for large aircraft. More...

SIKORSKY X2 GOES FASTER
Sikorsky's unofficial 258 mph run last week of its X2 counter-rotating coaxial rotor technology demonstrator bests a previous record set by a Westland Lynx in 1986, but is still short of the X2's goal. Sikorsky aims to cruise the X2 at 288 mph by late this year. The helicopter itself is far from traditional. It includes a six-blade rear-facing propeller that relieves the main rotors of certain aerodynamic and engineering hurdles created by high-speed rotor-wing flight. Normally, traditional helicopters rely on the main rotor for all forward propulsion and lift. At high forward speeds, the rotor blades meet increasing stresses as they advance and retreat. At some point, the retreating blades can stall or the advancing blades can achieve tip speeds that reduce their efficiency. Those complications, among other things, effectively create a speed barrier for traditional helicopters. The X2 approaches the problem differently. More...

B-29 FIFI HAS FLOWN AGAIN (WITH VIDEO)
The Commemorative Air Force's Boeing B-29 Superfortress flew Thursday morning at Midland International Airport, taking to the air for the first time since 2004 and reclaiming its title as the only flyable aircraft of its type. "She ran like a top," Paul Stojkov, one of the aircraft's pilots, said of the aircraft's 39-minute flight. The hop was made possible by volunteer work, the support of the CAF team and financial contributors like Jim Cavanaugh. That combination saw FIFI fitted with new custom-built engines that combine the R-3350-95W and R-3350-26WD engines. FIFI's next flight is expected on Saturday, Aug. 7, and visitors are invited. More...

TRIBUTE FOR 'GURU OF SUPER CUB'
Some Alaska pilots gave a fitting tribute to the man many credit with turning the Piper Super Cub into practically a state symbol. F. Atlee Dodge died last month at the age of 88 and on Friday more than a dozen Super Cubs formed a parade over Lake Hood. "Known throughout the world as the guru of the Super Cub, F. Atlee Dodge specialized in the engineering, designing, fabrication and certification of parts not only for the Cub but for all aircraft operating in Alaska's unique flying conditions," Dee Hanson, executive director of the Alaska Airmen's Association, said in a statement. "Atlee will remain one of the most valiant, colorful, hardworking, and honest personalities of Alaska aviation." More...

Click for more photos

ROUSH ON THE MEND, AIRPLANE ISN'T
NASCAR legend Jack Roush remains in the Mayo Clinic recovering from facial injuries suffered in the hard landing of his Beech Premier at AirVenture July 27 and reports suggest he's mending well. However, there appears to be little hope for his airplane, which AVweb reader Josh Berman recognized immediately when he pulled into a hotel parking lot in Merrillville, Ind., last Thursday. Berman said the trucks pulling the two trailers of wreckage bore the name of Atlanta Air Recovery, of Griffin Ga., which is the boneyard for wrecks the authorities are investigating. Meanwhile Roush's spirits are reportedly good as he keeps track of his racing empire from the famous Rochester, Minn., clinic. More...

AVMAIL: AUGUST 9, 2010

Letter of the Week: EAA's Vision

As president of a large EAA chapter (1114, Apex, NC, 170+ members), I'm commenting on the short video of the interview between outgoing and incoming EAA presidents.

...

Kent Misegades

Click through to read Kent's comments — and other responses to our latest "Question of the Week."

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: THE RISKY LURE OF AIRVENTURE
Do FAA producedures at AirVenture increase the chances of accidents? Yes, a little. But the compromise is worth it for the higher traffic capacity. If you fly there, says Paul Bertorelli in the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, bring your A-game. If you're uncomfortable with it, don't fly into Oshkosh. Read more and comment. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: FLIGHT STUDENTS NEED PROTECTION
Student pilots have lost hundreds of millions of dollars to unscrupulous flight schools. Now California is trying stop it, and AVweb editor-in-chief Russ Niles asks the obvious question, "What's wrong with that?" Read more and add your own thoughts at the AVweb Insider blog. 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...

WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT MAY PREDICT IF YOU'LL CRASH
Bill Rhodes is a philosopher who studies moral psychology. He's also a pilot who's leading a research study that's turned up some striking data on why some pilots are more likely to wreck airplanes than others. It turns out what you care about may be more important than what you know or how skilled you are in the cockpit.

This podcast is brought to you by Bose Corporation. More...

X-AIR'S $60,000 LIGHT SPORT AIRCRAFT
X-Air is trying to deliver on the promise of a low-cost LSA for affordable, fun flying. Just before he left Oshkosh at the end of EAA Airventure 2010, AVweb's Jeff Van West took the X-Air LS up for a flight. More...

AVIATION CONSUMER SHOWS YOU HOW TO UPGRADE YOUR HEADSET TO ANR
How hard is it to upgrade your old headset to become noise-canceling? Aviation Consumer's Jeff Van West tried it out. And he only burned himself with the soldering iron once. More...

IFR MAGAZINE'S TIPS FOR GPS VNAV
Going vertical? Get more from your GPS. VNAV is a great feature that goes unused or underutilized on many a GPS. See how a GNS 430's VNAV can do more than just tell you when to start down for the airport. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: LAKESHORE AVIATION (KMTW, MANITOWOC, WISCONSIN)

Last week, we told you how many of the FBOs nominated in our weekly contest were those pilots discovered when the weather forced them to divert from Wittman Regional Airport on the first day of Oshkosh. This week, we have another FBO that stepped up for those displaced pilots — Lakeshore Aviation at Manitowoc County Airport (KMTW) in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

AVweb reader Al Mathews was the first to tell us about the terrific service he and others received at Lakeshore on their way to OSH:

Curt Drumm and his Lakeshore Aviation team welcomed us and went out of their way to accomdate our needs. They quickly arranged for restrooms and showers, brought picnic tables to us, arranged for a bus to take us to AirVenture, and held a Wisconsin brats and beer barbecue for us! No request was ignored.

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 ... WE'RE GIVING YOU ANOTHER CHANCE TO WIN A BOSE AVIATION HEADSET X

Our 15th anniversary celebration continues, with a second chance to win a Bose Aviation Headset X! All you have to do is click here to enter your name and email 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, September 3, 2010.

Click here to read the contest rules and enter.

SHORT FINAL

Heard on the tower frequency at Oshkosh on Saturday night (while waiting for the night air show):

OSH Tower:
"Anyone inbound from the Fisk arrival, please identify yourself."

[long pause with no response]

OSH Tower:
"Anyone inbound from anywhere?"

[another pause with no response]

OSH Tower:
"Bueller ... ? Bueller ... ? Bueller ... ?"

Still no response, but obviously the guys in the tower had had a long day! I wish I had a response for them, but I was laughing too hard to think of one.

Paul A. Fisher
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

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