FLIGHT PLANNING PATENT BEING ENFORCED
FlightPrep, an Oregon company that received a patent for online flight planning, has apparently started charging royalty fees to other services doing the same thing and the result may be that some of the most popular services will shut down rather than pay the fees or try to fight them. At least one online chart and planning service, SkyVectors, has decided to eat the unspecified costs and continue business as usual, with a note on its charts referencing a licensing agreement with FlightPrep. Other providers are reportedly in the process of being contacted by FlightPrep. The patent appears to cover the basic functions of every online flight planner we've come across and FlightPrep's apparent willingness to enforce it raises inevitable questions about their future availability and cost. After-hours calls and e-mails to FlightPrep were not immediately returned but we hope to talk to them. More...

SPACEX LAUNCHES, RECOVERS SUCCESSFULLY
The age of truly private access to space arrived Wednesday as SpaceX's Dragon capsule was launched from Cape Canaveral, orbited twice and splashed down on target in the Pacific west of Mexico. After many delays, the California company's Falcon booster appeared to perform flawlessly in a many-billion-dollars gambit that is predicted to lead to the routine commercialization of space launches. "It's just mind-blowingly awesome. I apologize, and I wish I was more articulate, but it's hard to be articulate when your mind's blown - but in a very good way," said an apparently pleased SpaceX CEO Elon Musk after the capsule, which eventually may carry up to 20,000 pounds of astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station settled comfortably into the Pacific under three parachutes. More...

FAA EXAMINES CFI RENEWAL PROCESS
The FAA held a two-day meeting this week to hear the public's views about the biennial renewal process now used for certified flight instructors to maintain their currency. The current process, which requires that instructors must either meet certain training criteria or complete a flight-instructor refresher course every two years, "may lack sufficient effectiveness in ensuring that CFIs are being provided the best information in the most useful manner," the FAA said. At this week's forum, the FAA said it doesn't expect to change its rules anytime soon, according to Jason Blair, executive director of the National Association of Flight Instructors. "The discussion was focused on continually improving the quality of material that flight instructors encounter in their renewal process," he said. More...

NTSB: HELICOPTER OPERATOR FALSIFIED CHARTS
The operators of a helicopter working under contract for the U.S. Forest Service provided falsified weight documents and performance charts to their flight crews, the NTSB said on Tuesday. As a result, a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter was more than 1,000 pounds overweight when it tried to take off from a mountaintop clearing at about 6,000 feet near Weaverville, Calif., in August 2008. The helicopter was airborne less than a minute when it crashed and caught fire; one pilot and eight firefighters were killed and four others on board were seriously injured. Carson Helicopters, based in Grants Pass, Ore., now faces a federal criminal investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal. "Carson engaged in a bargain that violated the trust of their crewmembers, the firefighters that they carried onboard, and the aviation industry," said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman. More...

FRENCH COURT BLAMES U.S. MECHANIC IN CONCORDE CRASH
John Taylor, a Continental Airlines worker who installed a piece of titanium on a DC-10 that later allegedly fell off and punctured a tire on a Concorde jet, was found guilty on Monday of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 15 months jail time by a French court. The suspended sentence is "absurd," Continental said in a statement. "We strongly disagree with the court's verdict regarding Continental Airlines and John Taylor and will of course appeal this absurd finding," the statement read. The court also fined the airline $268,000 and ordered it to pay $1.3 million to Air France. Taylor's former supervisor and three French officials were also tried on charges of involuntary manslaughter, but were found not guilty. More...

MISSING BALLOON WRECKAGE FOUND IN ADRIATIC SEA
Fishermen have found the wreckage of a balloon basket with the remains of missing U.S. balloon pilots Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis, more than two months after they went missing while crossing the Adriatic Sea. An Italian trawler brought the basket up in a net while trawling, about 12 miles from shore and six miles from the balloon's last known location. The two pilots were competing in the Gordon Bennett international balloon race when contact was lost on September 29. Rough seas and thunderstorms were reported in the area at the time, and radar data showed the hydrogen balloon plummeting toward the sea at about 50 mph. The Italian Coast Guard searched for the team for six days. More...

FIRST FLIGHT FOR GE H80 TURBOPROP ENGINE
GE Aviation's new H80 turboprop engine has completed its first flight on the Thrush 510G crop duster, the company announced this week. The flight took place Nov. 23, in Albany, Ga. "This is a historic moment, with the Thrush 510G being the first application for the new H80 engine, and the first North American new engine installation for the M601 engine family," said Brad Mottier, general manager of the company's business and general aviation division. The first flight lasted 30 minutes. The aircraft has already logged an additional five hours and has achieved experimental certification from the FAA, the company said. More...

MEBA UNDER WAY IN DUBAI
The Middle East Business Aviation show got under way in Dubai on Tuesday and organizers are expecting a 30-percent increase in attendance from the 2008 edition. About 7,000 people are expected to attend. There are about 250 exhibitors and most of the bizjet OEMs are there. Bombardier has five aircraft, Cessna eight, Hawker Beechcraft four, and Embraer brought its new Legacy 650 along with a Lineage 1000 and a Legacy 600. Embraer released a report saying the Mideast business jet fleet will double to 600 in the next 10 years and be worth $11 billion to the industry. Al Bateen, the region's only executive airport, is getting ready for the increased traffic. More...

BIZJET RECOVERY NOT UNTIL 2012
Although some forecasters predicted a long-awaited recovery in the business aviation industry sometime in 2011, Forecast International's latest analysis says the decline will continue through the coming year and not turn around until 2012. "The business jet market is not yet in recovery, but the worst of the market downturn is over," said Raymond Jaworowski, the firm's senior aerospace analyst. "Order intake remains sluggish, but the massive wave of order cancellations and delivery deferrals experienced in late 2008 and much of 2009 has receded. The market is no longer in freefall." He said backlogs have declined sharply due to cancellations and deferrals but there are orders to keep the scaled-back operations at most OEMs on life support. 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: WHY FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ISN'T
For reasons never very clear, government agencies drag their feet when asked to release the most mundane information. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli relates the experience of one owner trying to do his own due diligence in following the FAA's fuel approvals policy. If you're guessing he hit a brick wall, you'd be right. Why aren't government agencies kinder to and more cooperative with their citizens they're supposed to serve? Read more and join the conversation. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: WHAT'S THE FUTURE OF SPACE TRAVEL?
SpaceX has successfully launched, orbited and recovered a space capsule. Is the privatization of space a good thing?

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers if they've ever lied (white or otherwise) on their medicals; click through to read how they answered. More...

VIDEO: AVWEB FLIES THE KITFOX LSA
Everyone complains that light sport aircraft are too expensive, but Kitfox is doing something about it. AVweb recently went to Homedale, Idaho to try out Kitfox's new moderately priced LSA. Here's a full video report. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: EAGLES OF AMERICA, INC. (KMGR, MOULTRIE, GEORGIA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Eagles of America at Moultrie Municipal Airport (KMGR) in Moultrie, Georgia.

AVweb reader Larry King thought "Alan Mathis and his people deserve this recognition," and after reading Larry's account of his trip, we agree:

Upon my arrival at Moultrie on November 27, I was greeted by name by the lineman with an offer to refuel and place my plane in their hangar for my overnight stay. They had my rental car waiting on the tarmac, and when they felt they had delayed my departure the next morning, they insisted on giving me three quarts of Aeroshell Oil for any inconvenience. Even though I was flying a Cessna 170, I received Citation service.

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!

THE FINAL GRAND GIVEAWAY CELEBRATING AVWEB'S 15-YEAR ANNIVERSARY: WIN A GARMIN AERA 510 HANDHELD GPS

Where has the time gone? Our 15th anniversary year is almost over, and that means we've come to our 15th (and final) "Grand Giveaway." If you haven't already, register for one final chance to win — as we give away a Garmin aera 510 handheld GPS. All you have to do is click here to enter your name and e-mail address. (You must be a registered AVweb user; if you've entered any of our previous 15 Grand Giveaways drawings, you'll automatically be considered for the aera — no need to enter again.)

Remember: We won't rent or sell your name, ever. Tell your friends, and invite them to sign up for AVweb so they can enter this final 15 Grand Giveaways drawing. (We won't spam them, either — but do we hope they will sign up for our newsletters.)

Deadline for entries is 11:59pm Zulu time Sunday, December 19.

Click here to read the contest rules and enter.

Congratulations to Robert Yocum of Blain, Pennsylvania, who won an iFly 700 GPS from Adventure Pilot in our previous giveaway! (click here to get your own iFly 700)

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...

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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