COMING SOON: "LINE UP AND WAIT"
Pilots authorized by air traffic controllers to taxi onto runways and await takeoff clearance will be instructed to "line up and wait" rather than "position and hold" beginning on Sept. 30, the FAA reminded pilots this week. The new terminology, which was recommended by the NTSB, conforms to the terminology established in guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization. Also, an FAA safety analysis found that the new phraseology will eliminate confusion, particularly among pilots who also fly overseas, and will further reduce the risk of runway incursions. Starting Sept. 30, controllers will state the aircraft's call sign, state the departure runway and then instruct pilots to "line up and wait," as in, "Cessna N2090W, Runway 33L, line up and wait." The phrase "traffic holding in position" will continue to be used to advise other aircraft that traffic has been authorized to line up and wait on an active runway. More...

LSA, IFR, AND IMC: AN UPDATE
For a while now, an ASTM committee that develops the standards for light sport aircraft to operate under instrument flight rules has struggled to reach consensus on a key point -- whether Special-LSAs should be allowed to fly in actual instrument meteorological conditions -- and although the committee members still disagree, they have decided to move forward and change the standards to prohibit the use of S-LSAs in IMC. That proposed change now must go through some further approvals and then be submitted to the FAA for an OK before it takes effect. That process could take until the end of this year or perhaps longer, Dan Johnson, chairman of the Light Aircraft Manufacturing Association, told AVweb on Wednesday. The change will not be retroactive, Johnson said. Any S-LSA that is flying today, or that is built before the new standard takes effect, is not prohibited from IMC flight if the aircraft is properly equipped and flown by a qualified pilot (although manufacturers may choose to prohibit IMC flight in their aircraft even when the ASTM standard allows it). More...

TEEN COMPLETES CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT
Nate Foster, a 17-year-old from Maryland who took off in August to fly across the U.S. in a Piper Cub, has made it safely to Monterey, Calif., according to the Baltimore Sun. Foster received his private pilot certificate just a few days before launch, but he had logged about 150 hours at the controls since the age of 14. He completed the trip in just six days, staying mostly on schedule except for one day waiting out thunderstorms in a small Nevada town. He flew across the Rockies via a 12,000-foot pass, and told the Sun the scariest part of the trip was flying across the wide, empty spaces along the border of Wyoming and Nebraska. "It was like flying over the moon," he said. "I felt this horrible loneliness. I just had to get out of there." More...

EIGHT-YEAR-OLD TO "PILOT" AZ-NY FLIGHT
Chandler Negrete, an 8-year-old boy, is preparing to fly from Arizona to New York in a Cessna 172 with an instructor to raise money for children with parents serving overseas in the military. The instructor will wield pilot-in-command responsibility for the flight, but clearly the intent is to get Negrete some stick time. The third-grader is currently preparing for the flight and has accumulated all of 12 hours in a simulator and 12 hours in an actual airplane. His instructor, Matt Forsey, works for Sawyer Aviation in Arizona. The team is seeking donations and hopes to raise between $80,000 and $100,000 for their charity's cause.  But, according to a local news report, Negrete "needs to collect $15,000 in donations to cover the cost of the flight," and no date has yet been set for the trip. Of course, for some pilots, simply the proposition of the flight itself may conjure memories of another one altogether. More...

NASA OFFERS AERONAUTICS SCHOLARSHIPS
NASA is often perceived as being all about space, but this week the agency said it will offer scholarships to encourage students to pursue careers in aeronautics research to develop vehicles that fly in the atmosphere as well as in space. Twenty grants of up to $15,000 per year for two years will be awarded to undergraduates, and graduate students can receive up to $35,000 per year for up to three years. All the students can also apply for summer research internships at NASA, which pay a $10,000 stipend. "We want more students to pursue careers in aeronautics," said Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "By offering these scholarships, we are extending to students not just an opportunity to become familiar with NASA's research, but also an extra dose of inspiration. Scholarships are an excellent way for us to attract talented young innovators to our work force." More...

SWIFT BIOMASS FUEL SPEED RECORD ATTEMPT
Air Force veteran Richard Young will attempt, this Sept. 11, to establish a closed-course speed record using unleaded fuel developed by Swift Enterprises. Young will be flying his one-of-a-kind Western Air Racing Special, which is a "purpose built closed course pylon racer" that he flew at Reno in 2007, 2008, and 2009, according to his website. The current and applicable closed-course speed record for a piston-engine aircraft weighing between 300 and 500 kilograms was set in 2004 at 238 mph, according to Young. That aircraft burned conventional leaded avgas. Young hopes to run the course at 260 mph in his aircraft burning Swift's product and "verify the performance characteristics of clean burning bio fuel" at the same time. That could be difficult to do in one 62.1 mile stint flown at 260 mph (or about 15 minutes), but we'll be watching for whatever information the attempt produces. More...

GULFSTREAM CLAIMS "FASTEST CIVIL AIRCRAFT" TITLE FOR G650
Gulfstream's new G650 recently reached Mach 0.995 on a test flight, which the company says establishes the business jet as the world's fastest civil aircraft. That title that has long been held by Cessna's Citation X, which flies at Mach 0.92. Gulfstream said the G650 achieved the maximum speed during flutter testing, when the test crew took Serial Number 6001 into a dive, pitching the nose 16 to 18 degrees below the horizon. During the dive, flutter exciters introduced a range of vibration frequencies to the wing, tail and flight control surfaces to ensure the aircraft naturally dampened out the oscillations without input from the pilots. "The airplane is very predictable," said test pilot Tom Horne. "It's very easy to control and to get precise control at those speeds." More...

Related Content:

• Podcast interview with Gulfstream's Larry Flynn.

"BIG BOY TOYS" SHOWCASES BIZAV
Although business aviation in much of the world has been downplaying the luxury aspect and emphasizing efficiency and productivity, a major exhibition in Abu Dhabi next February embraces the undeniable comforts that come with private air travel. Most of the major business aviation companies are expected to take part in Big Boy Toys, which runs from Feb. 2-5, 2011, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center. Although an exhibitors' list isn't available on the website, Al Bawaba, a Middle Eastern news agency, says the show is "expected to attract top aviation customers across the globe." In addition to kicking the tires on the latest that aviation has to offer, attendees can shop for high-end marine, automotive and electronics products and maybe even book their favorite superstar for a private concert. Meanwhile, the publication says the market for business aircraft looks rosy in the region and that bodes well for the show. 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: IS IT SAFE TO PANIC YET
By now you've likely heard about John and Martha King being held at gunpoint by police in Santa Barbara last weekend. We've already heard from more than 100 readers about how they feel about the whole thing. Now, we want to know how you feel — not about what happened to the Kings, but where GA fits in the whole scheme of security and crime.

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers about a mid-air collision between a radio-controlled model airplane and a biplane — and whether than indicated a need for new regulations. Click through to see the breakdown of answers. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: UP AGAINST THE FENCE, MARTHA
The Santa Barbara police chief had the decency and class to apologize to John and Martha King after holding them at gunpoint over the weekend following an erroneous stolen aircraft report. Unfortunately, as Paul Bertorelli reports on the AVweb Insider blog, pilots are uniquely vulnerable to this sort of thing — and we wonder how many agencies would bother with the apology, much less the extra mile to avoid these things in the first place. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: HOW THE FAA ACTS COUNTER TO SAFETY
LEDs are a terrific technology to replace old, failure-prone landing light bulbs. And the fact that you can leave them on constantly means the aircraft is more conspicuous, thus reducing the collision risk. Yet the FAA has so complicated the unnecessary approval process for these products that the market has been nearly strangled. In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli explains the details. Click here to read more. More...

AVMAIL: SEPTEMBER 2, 2010 — THE KING THING

Click for more photos

Rarely have we seen the spontaneous outpouring of reader response that we have with the gunpoint detention of John and Martha King last weekend. We've picked a few letters that represent a broad range of views on the fallout from the incident. We also encourage you to take part in our weekly "Question of the Week" reader's poll, which is related to the incident. More...

AVMAIL: SEPTEMBER 2, 2010 — RC MODELS AND AIRPLANES
Last week's "Question of the Week" on further regulation of RC models — in light of the collision between a biplane and an RC model at Brighton, CO — generated huge response. Many of the letters reminded us that the investigation hasn't been concluded. The FAA has promised a full report within a week or so, and we'll carry it. 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...

AVIATION CONSUMER FLIES A SILVER EAGLE TURBINE-CONVERTED CENTURION
Wanna go fast and climb like hell? That's what the Silver Eagle Conversion of a P210 with a Rolls Royce turbine engine does. Aviation Consumer's Paul Bertorelli recently took a flight demo in the airplane. More...

CLUSTER BALLOONIST JONATHAN TRAPPE
Jonathan Trappe is a sort of super-hero to some children and a crazy man to some adults. We found him inspirational. Trappe is licensed to fly beneath a group of homemade helium-filled balloons. That means his aircraft is one of the most structurally redundant vehicles in the sky. But it's also challenging to fly. Trappe controls his direction by varying his altitude. He can drop water ballast or stab balloons with a knife to alter his buoyancy as he flies. Wind direction can vary with altitude, and Trappe uses that to his advantage, adjusting his present reality to the forecast conditions. To stay visible to controllers and aircraft, Trappe carries a radio and transponder, making him visible on radar. For visual avoidance, Trappe relies mainly on the 50-foot brightly colored canopy of balloons above his head. At night, he uses lights. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: MONTGOMERY AVIATION (INDIANAPOLIS EXECUTIVE AIRPORT, KTYQ, INDIANA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Montgomery Aviation at Indianapolis Executive Airport (KTYQ) in Zionsville, Indiana.

AVweb reader Brian Johnson tells us Montgomery is the cream of the crop in his region:

... [B]y far the best experience I have had with an FBO in my 18 years of flying. They are very courteous, helpful and responsive. I have been part of Eagle Flyers, their local flying club, for the past two years, and it has been a wonderful experience. Very well-maintained aircraft, reasonable prices, good availability and excellent service — this is the type of FBO that inspires current and future general aviation pilots.

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.

Congratulations to Roger Newcomb of Austin, TX, who won our last drawing, for a Spidertrack Aviator! (click here to get your own from Spidertracks)

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
Your AirVenture photos continue to dominate the "POTW" submission box! This one, from John E. Rees of Blacklick, Ohio, is our latest baseball cap winner (and, incidentally, our current desktop wallpaper). 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.)

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