FIRST TURBOPROP MUSTANG PHOTOS

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Although there have been reports of photos circulating of the Cessna turboprop single test aircraft, these are the first we've seen and we've corresponded with the Wichita engineer who took them with his cellphone. The aircraft does indeed appear to be the "turboprop Mustang" that has been widely rumored and not a re-engined Corvalis as some had suspected. Our engineer/photographer, who also happened to work on the early design of the Columbia/Corvalis, notes there was no provision for a turboprop or pressurization in that design. The apparent use of a modified Mustang fuselage (note the rear door) makes more sense given Cessna's stated goal for the program to be an intermediate step for owner-pilots graduating from the Corvalis to the Mustang. As we reported in Wednesday's AVwebBiz, Cessna is a long way from introducing the turboprop as a finished design and it will not be on display at AOPA Summit next week. More...

BONUS DEPRECIATION HELPS OEMS
Bonus depreciation is helping the world's largest general aviation manufacturer sell airplanes. Cessna Finance Corp. President Tom Low said there has been a noticeable increase in all facets of the business since the government extended bonus depreciation last September. In a podcast interview, Low said those who qualify (must have taxable income and be U.S. taxpayers) can take a sizeable chunk off their taxes with the provision and Cessna is helping customers to leverage the savings even farther if it's a Mustang they're looking for. More...

BOEING: AIR CARGO REBOUND UNDER WAY
Worldwide air-freight traffic has already started to recover from a recent downturn, and the market is expected to triple in size by 2029, Boeing said in a forecast released this week. "Industrial requirements are driving the rebound, as air cargo is an essential tool for industry and commerce to manage supply chains and bring goods to market," said Jerry Allyne, an analyst with Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "As airlines return to profitability, they will begin to consider fleet renewal to improve long-term operating costs." Air cargo traffic rebounded strongly beginning in November 2009 and has continued to grow so far this year. As a result, world air cargo traffic is expected to regain its 2007 peak by the end of this year, Boeing said. More...

FUTURE DRONES, HERE TODAY
Small drones could soon become ubiquitous for a variety of personal uses, from snapping photos for paparazzi to monitoring children for protective parents, according to a story in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal. One example is a "personal sentry" drone now under development for the military at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The drone is only about a foot wide and weighs less than a pound. Four tiny propellers allow it to hover and maneuver quickly in every direction. A parent could affix a sensor to a child, and the drone would follow everywhere the child goes, sending real-time video back to the parent's iPhone. The drone could also easily look into neighbor's backyards and track errant spouses. "It would strike fear in the hearts of every celebrity having a birthday party," Gary Morgan, head of a celebrity-photo agency, told the Journal. More...

IN ALASKA, A WHOLE TOWN SUPPORTS SCHOOL AVIATION PROJECT
When a group of high school students in Talkeetna, Alaska, signed on to rebuild a wrecked airplane, the town, with a total population of 800, rallied to the project in a big way. Fifteen local pilots volunteered to help out with the Build A Plane project, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Local CFI Drew Haag offered a free introductory flight lesson to every participating student. The local chapter of the Ninety-Nines donated $500 to purchase a private pilot ground school course for the local library. "It's an amazing buildup of people," said June Ruda, a counselor at the Susitna Valley Junior-Senior High School. The students are restoring a yellow 1949 Stinson 108-3 that was wrecked in a rough landing several years ago. More...

AVIATION FILM FEST THIS WEEKEND
This year's Reel Stuff Film Festival of Aviation launches this weekend at the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. Each of the five films screened on Friday and Saturday will be introduced by an actor, producer or other key contributor to the production, and each film will be followed by a question-and-answer session. Friday's opening-night reception is hosted by Cliff Robertson, followed by the film "Flyabout," introduced by director Monika Petrillo. The film chronicles the adventures of a young pilot who aims to complete a circumnavigation of Australia by air. Saturday's schedule features four films as well as a reception and a silent auction fundraiser to help support the Hall of Fame Learning Center. More...

GAO: FAA DELAYS HURT AVIATION INDUSTRY
The FAA needs to a better job of issuing certifications and approvals, the Government Accountability Office concluded in a recent report. A lack of efficiency and consistency in how the FAA interprets its own rules adversely affects the aviation industry, causing delays and higher costs, the analysts found. To improve its performance, the GAO says, FAA should develop a process to track how long it takes to act on requests for certification or approval and the causes of each delay, then use that data to assess the extent of delays and figure out how to better allocate resources to reduce wait times. Also, the GAO says, the FAA should use that data to create a system of measurable performance goals and track performance toward those goals. More...

RUSSIA LIBERALIZES AIRSPACE
Russia has restructured its airspace in a move that's bound to foster more GA activity in the country. Gone is the requirement to submit a detailed flight plan at least 24 hours in advance. Flight notification can now be done an hour in advance online. The changes were announced in April and went into effect Monday. According to TASS the new rules and airspace designations "are designed to meet the standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)." Perhaps the biggest change is the creation of uncontrolled airspace. 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."

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: FEDEX AND UPS — NEW TERRORISM TARGETS?
Could be, but it seems to AVweb's Paul Bertorelli that the first step to keep their airplanes from being blown up is to have a peek inside packages coming from Yemen, the world capital of terrorist bomb-making. On the day explosives were recovered last week, the two companies shipped a total of thirteen packages out the country. Hard to imagine the clerks were too busy to wonder why a printer was being shipped from Yemen to the U.S. when you could buy a new one for less than the shipping cost. Of such stuff is knuckleheaded airline security made. Read more and join the conversation on the AVweb Insider blog. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: A NEAR MID-AIR — BLINDED BY THE SIGHT
On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli devolves to the philosophical in describing nearly swapping paint with a Cherokee on Sunday. Soiling your underwear will do that to you. But it does bring to mind something we've all experienced: Looking without seeing and seeing without comprehending. More...

BRAINTEASERS QUIZ #153: CALL THE TOWER
When something goes awry en route, ATC has a specific, Miranda-like phrase to let you know you've screwed up and need to make a few phone calls. Test your knowledge of reportable values in this quiz.

Take the quiz.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: CHECKING THE NOTAMS
Senator Jim Inhofe found himself in the news last week after he landed on a closed runway. He further said he doesn't always check NOTAMS and that pilots who fly a lot often don't. How about you?

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers if the Third Class Medical should be abandoned entirely; click through to see what they had to say on the subject. 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...

VIDEO: IPAD VS. GARMIN'S 696
With Foreflight or WingX loaded, the iPad aces the plate reader function, hands down. But how about for all-purpose cockpit navigation? Looks to us like the 696's robust GPS wins that round. But there could be an interesting and less expensive compromise, as this video reveals. More...

15 YEARS AND NOW 15 GRAND GIVEAWAYS ... IT'S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN 100,000 AIR BP BRAVO REWARDS POINTS

Now's your chance to win 100,000 Air BP Bravo Rewards Points — there are more than 45 million reward options available through the Bravo program — 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, November 5.

Click here to read the contest rules and enter.

FBO OF THE WEEK: HANGAR 10 (MKC, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI)

AVweb's latest "FBO of the Week" is Hangar 10 at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (KMKC) in Kansas City, Missouri.

AVweb reader Ken Denning put Hangar 10 on our radar, praising their "brand-new, state-of-the-art green facility with excellent customer service." Kudos to the staff, and check back with us next week for another top 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!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK WILL RETURN ...
"POTW" will be back on Monday. Hang in there! 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

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Scott Simmons

Contributors
Jeff van West
Mariano Rosales

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