CHINA'S STEALTH FIGHTER, OR POLITICAL PROP?

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Reports spread Wednesday from news sources like the Guardian U.K. to Stars and Stripes discussing new leaked images that are apparently meant to depict China's prototype stealth fighter, which some call the J-20, in ground tests. To be sure, not all sources are convinced the pictures are representative of an actual functional prototype. The images have appeared in Chinese language editions of the Global Times and Chinese censors have not removed the images, according to Forbes.com, but they also have not confirmed them. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was scheduled to be in Beijing on Sunday, which has promoted some speculation with regard to the timing of the images' release. Guardian.co.uk states the photos are "likely to prompt calls for accelerated production of F35's," which broadly suggests the unconfirmed images may be used for political influence. Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesman Marine Col. Dave Lapan was quoted saying, "It is not of concern that they are working on a fifth-generation fighter." He added that they're "still having difficulties with their fourth-generation fighter." If nothing else, the images are visually appropriate for creating intrigue. More...

AIRLINE EXCLUDED FROM NTSB PROBE
American Airlines will not be allowed to participate in the investigation of last week's runway-overrun incident in Jackson Hole, Wyo., the NTSB said on Friday. The safety board said airline technicians violated standard procedures when they downloaded information from the digital flight data recorder after it was removed from the incident aircraft, a 757. "Although a thorough examination by our investigators determined that no information from the DFDR was missing or altered in any way, the breach of protocol by American Airlines personnel violates the Safety Board's standards of conduct for any organization granted party status in an NTSB investigation," said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman. "We have revoked the party status of American Airlines and excused them from further participation in this incident investigation." More...

SAFE TO ADDRESS TRAINING REFORM
The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators plans to host a GA Pilot Training Reform Symposium in May to address issues that were raised at the AOPA Flight Training Summit in November. The symposium, which is expected to include 150 to 300 participants, will focus on strategies to reduce fatal accidents, increase student-pilot starts and improve student retention. The event will feature keynote speakers as well as six panels of leaders from the industry, academia, the FAA and the flight instructor community. "A new pilot training paradigm is vital to securing a more robust future for general aviation," according to the group's website. SAFE hopes the symposium will help to create a strategic three-to-five-year plan jointly developed by all stakeholders, including the FAA. More...

NTSB: INSPECT ELT MOUNTS
Based on recent history, the NTSB Friday sent two safety recommendations to the FAA requiring operators to inspect the mountings of all ELT transmitters installed on general aviation aircraft to ensure the units don't break free in a crash. The recommendations (PDF) are the byproduct of the de Havilland turbine Otter crash in Alaska on Aug. 9, 2010, that killed five, including former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens. The wreckage was found nearly five hours after the crash and while its 406 Mhz ELT had activated, the unit had separated from its antenna. No satellites, or rescue aircraft involved in the search, were able to detect the signal, according to the NTSB. NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman summed up the problem simply. "This vital life-saving technology won't do anyone any good if it doesn't stay connected to the antenna," said Hersman. Click through for information regarding the particular unit used in the accident aircraft. More...

SEBRING LSA SHOW, SKIPLANES, LAUNCH THE YEAR
For those pilots ready for a break from winter, the Sebring LSA Expo is coming up, and for those who prefer to celebrate the snow, EAA invites skiplane pilots to converge at Oshkosh, Wis. The sixth annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo runs Jan. 20-23 at the Sebring Regional Airport in central Florida. The event provides an opportunity for pilots and enthusiasts to learn about the sport pilot certificate and sample the wide range of LSA aircraft that are available. The show features exhibits, workshops, demo flights and forums. EAA's skiplane fly-in is set for Jan. 22 at the Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, with at least 25 aircraft expected to attend. The fly-in is free and open to the public. More...

ALASKAN PILOTS' REALITY FEATURED ON DISCOVERY CHANNEL
The Discovery Channel launches a new reality show this month, "Flying Wild Alaska," that follows the adventures of Era Alaska, a family-owned charter company. Era is based in Unalakleet, a small town on the coast near the Bering Strait. During the show's 10 episodes, "the Tweto family battles unforgiving Alaska weather and terrain to transport life's necessities to one of the most remote and extreme regions of America," according to Discovery. The company was founded with just one airplane serving the local area but now comprises nearly 75 aircraft that fly to destinations across the state. The show focuses on the "quirky" and "passionate" members of the Tweto family -- Jim and his wife, Ferno, and their two 20-something daughters, Ayla and Ariel -- but also includes plenty of flying action, with shots of backcountry landings and flights in extreme conditions. "Mostly it's just about flying airplanes in rural Alaska," Jim Tweto told The Alaska Daily News. The series premieres Friday, Jan. 14, at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: HOW ABOUT CHINA?
With China courted by the West for the potential aviation business it might create, is the possibly suspect emergence of a high-tech F-35-esque stealth fighter of concern?

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers if they're ready to own an electric airplane; click through to see how they answered. 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...

BUSINESS AVIATION PICKING UP IN BOSTON
The business aviation sector got some positive press from the mainstream media this week when The Boston Globe reported that corporate jet activity was up by 7 percent in 2010 at Hanscom Field, a small GA airport close to the city. Bill Herp, president of Linear Air, said his business doubled in 2010 compared to the year before. Herp charters four Eclipse jets out of the field, charging about $1,500 an hour. Rectrix Aviation, another local charter company, said business was up 15 percent, and they hired three pilots and added a jet to their fleet in September. The number of jets based at Hanscom has increased by a third in the last three years, and the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates the field, is planning to expand. More...

TAIWAN GOVERNMENT STARTS CHARTER SERVICE
The Taiwanese government has entered the jet charter business. The government-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) flew its maiden flight last Saturday from Taichung City in the interior of the island state to Kinmen Island, off its coast. The company is using Astra SP aircraft it imported in 2000. The company hopes to run both domestic and international charters and has set its sights Hong Kong, Macau, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila. The big plum in the Taiwanese charter business is behind a geopolitical roadblock. More...

SEAPLANE SERVICE STARTED IN INDIA
It seems like every aspect of Indian aviation is in a growth mode and a new service was added last week. The first seaplane service to the Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar has been launched using a Cessna 208A on amphib floats. And, like a lot of Indian aviation enterprises, it will rely heavily on foreign pilots and other personnel to stay afloat. There is only one Indian pilot who has flown the Caravan and none have flown it on floats. A couple of American pilots will keep it island hopping while the company starting the service, Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd., finds and trains locals to get their feet wet. The Indian government is pretty enthusiastic about the venture and predicts a big future for seaplane service. More...

AVWEBBIZ: AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVIATION NEWSLETTER

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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: FLIGHTPREP RESPONDS
FlightPrep's enforcement of its patent on online flight planning has created a lot of discussion. AVweb had some questions we felt went unanswered, but FlightPrep's Travis Cannon joins us as a guest blogger on the AVweb Insider with responses. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: THE BOTTOM LINE
Could there be more to the bottom line than just money? In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Mary Grady looks at a new initiative aiming to recognize that profit is not the only worthwhile measure of success, especially when it comes to retaining students in flight schools and getting them through the program and into certification. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: FLIGHT PLAN FUMBLES
Are flight plans more trouble than they're worth? They can be, as Paul Bertorelli was recently reminded. If FSS has ever dropped your VFR flight plan or failed to close it when you ask, check out Paul's latest misadventure on the AVweb Insider blog. Read more and join the conversation. More...

VIDEO: 757 OVERRUN VIDEO IGNITES PILOT SPECULATION
Video shot by a passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 2253 as it overran Runway 19 at Jackson Hole, Wednesday, shows unusual operation of the aircraft's systems, according to some pilots. The 6,300-foot runway sits at an elevation of 6,451 feet and the pilots landed in light snow at about 11:37 a.m. About seven inches of snow had fallen in the area since midnight, but the runway itself was reportedly in good condition with good braking coefficients. The aircraft appears to be on the ground prior to passing the PAPI lights and wind sock, which would be appropriate. In the video, the engine's thrust reverser panel first moves just after touchdown, but it does not fully open and the outboard spoilers are not visibly deployed. Because of that, things quickly get more interesting. More...

VIDEO: IFR MAGAZINE SHOWS YOU HOW TO USE A GPS FOR NDB-ONLY APPROACHES
You can't legally fly an NDB approach in the clouds using a GPS unless it says "or GPS" in the title. But there's nothing that says you can't practice VFR what it's like to fly an approach with a bearing pointer and no moving maps. Come along with IFR magazine editor-in-chief Jeff Van West and see how to make your glass cockpit (or portable GPS) go retro to fly an old-school NDB approach just for the fun and proficiency of it. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: LEADING EDGE AVIATION (KLGU, LOGAN, UTAH)

Lately, we've featured FBOs that AVweb readers have discovered far from home — typically in the midst of dealing with a mechanical or weather crisis. But this week, Cathy Myers shines the spotlight on Logan, Utah's Leading Edge Aviation, located at Logan-Cache Airport (KLGU), where "a cordial and welcoming atmospher [for] the local aviation community" never takes a back-seat to the FBO's "excellent service to all types of transient aircraft." How do they manage it? Cathy writes:

LEA has co-sponsored airport open house festivities and provided discount fuel to all participating pilots. They also organized and funded several cross-country fly-ins to the beautiful Flaming Gorge area in northeast Utah. These events provided camping, rafting, live music, dinner, and flying competitions. Safety, service and professionalism is always the goal [at Leading Edge] and has always been appreciated by those who stop in.

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' RETURNS ON MONDAY
Actually, we'll have updates to the slideshow on our home page on Thursday morning, as usual, and keen-eyed readers will be able to spot our weekly "POTW" column on the web site later in the day — but since we've got an overstuffed bag of e-mails and comments to look at tonight, we won't make our Thursday morning deadline for the AVwebFlash. Not to worry, though — if you don't catch "POTW" online later today, it'll be waiting in your inbox on Monday morning. 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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