EARHART WRECK FOUND?
A report from Papua New Guinea says the wreck of an aircraft that might be the Lockheed Electra flown by Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan has been found on a reef near Bougainville Island near Papua New Guinea. The Papua New Guinea Post Courier is reporting "armed men" are guarding the area over a reef off Matsungan Island where an aircraft matching the description of Earhart's plane has been found. Divers are now checking the wreck and inquiries are flooding in from all over the world. There is no word on whether any human remains have been recovered.

Related Content:

• BLOG: Why Does Earhart's Fate Still Fascinate Us?

BOMBARDIER LANDS FIRST AND BILLION-DOLLAR NETJETS ORDER
Bombardier, which earned more orders in the fourth quarter of 2010 than it had in the previous nine quarters combined, has landed its first deal with NetJets and one that could be worth up to $6.7 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The new order represents 30 Global 5000 Vision and Global Express XRS Vision jets, plus 20 Global 7000 and Global 8000 jets, with options for an additional 70 aircraft. Deliveries of the first 50 represent about $2.8 billion, would begin in the final quarter of 2012, and could range beyond 2017. That tops off 78 new orders earned by the company in the fourth quarter last year. Bombardier's Chief Executive, Pierre Boudoin, isn't convinced that the orders promise sustained positive change in the business jet segment, and comments from NetJets CEO, David Sokol, may support that. More...

A NEW G.A. ENGINE FROM AUSTRO
Austro Engine, best known for its work supplying powerplants for Diamond airplanes, announced this week it plans to develop a new 280-hp six-cylinder diesel engine for the general aviation market. Austro will work in partnership with Steyr Motors to develop the engine, based on the Steyr Monoblock Motor M1. That engine features an integral crankcase and cylinder head that has proven robust in marine and special-vehicle applications around the world, according to the company. The new engine is intended to power two Diamond aircraft now in the works: the DA50 Magnum, a single-engine five-seat airplane, and the twin-engine Future Small Aircraft (FSA) intended for personal and utility applications. More...

SCIENTISTS SIGN UP FOR PRIVATE SPACE ACCESS
Virgin Galactic and XCOR will carry scientists as well as tourists into suborbital space, under new contracts announced this week. The Southwest Research Institute said it will send two scientists into space aboard Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and will fly at least six missions aboard XCOR Corporation's Lynx Mark I spaceplane. The missions will reach altitudes up to 350,000 feet and higher, SwRI said, beyond the internationally recognized boundary of space. Scientists will perform experiments in biomedicine, microgravity and astronomical imaging. SwRI also plans to later fly a dedicated six-seat research mission with Virgin Galactic, and has contract options for up to three additional XCOR flights. More...

DAILY MAIL'S BIZARRE UFO OVER RUSSIA STORY
Video allegedly shot of a Russian radar terminal near that country's eastern city of Yakutsk shows an object traveling at nearly 65,000 feet and more than 6,000 mph, according to UK's Daily Mail, but the part about the cat-alien may be more interesting. The footage of the radar terminal could be explained by simulations generated for the purposes of training, but the cat references require a different theory. According to the paper, controllers (none named) say they "were buzzed" by a "high-speed UFO" and heard "a female-sounding alien who spoke in an unintelligible cat-like language." The paper says one controller told a passing Aeroflot pilot he heard a female voice saying something similar to "mioaw-mioaw." Click through to watch the video. (Note: we weren't able to distinguish any cat-like noises.) More...

A COMEBACK FOR HYDROGEN FLIGHT?
For decades, lighter-than-air flight via hydrogen gas has been associated with a flaming Hindenburg, but now a handful of balloon hobbyists are hoping to change that and bring hydrogen back. On Feb. 17, balloonists Sam Parks and Drew Barrett flew two hydrogen-filled sport balloons from South Carolina to Virginia. Parks told The Statesville Record & Landmark that the launch was probably the first of its kind in the southeast since the Civil War. He added that one purpose of the flight was to demonstrate that modern hydrogen-filled balloons are safe and practical. The price of helium is getting too high for many sport flyers, he said. The two crews flew for about eight hours. More...

CIRRUS ACQUIRED BY CHINESE COMPANY
Cirrus Industries Inc., parent company of Cirrus Aircraft, has been sold to China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. (CAIGA) of Zhuhai, China, but it appears the company will continue to build parts in Grand Forks, N.D., and assemble airplanes in Duluth, Minn. It has long been rumored that a Chinese company would acquire Cirrus and the final announcement was made Monday morning. CAIGA is a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC), the state-owned aviation company of China that makes everything from military jets to airliners. In a news release, Cirrus CEO Brent Wouters says the deal will be a shot in the arm for the company and for its employees in Grand Forks and Duluth. "CAIGA understands the strength and the talent of Cirrus's workforce and the prominence of the Cirrus brand in general aviation," Wouters said. "Through this transaction, CAIGA will invest in our employees in both Minnesota and North Dakota by committing to the continued use of our world-class production facilities."

Related Content:

• PDF: Cirrus Press Release
• BLOG: No American Wanted to Invest in Cirrus? What That Could Mean
• POLL: What Does This Mean for U.S. Aircraft Manufacturing?

LASER POINTING MIGHT BE FEDERAL CRIME
It may soon be a federal crime to point a laser at an airplane. The House passed the Securing Aircraft Cockpits Against Lasers Act of 2011 on Monday (PDF) and it calls for prison sentences of up to five years and fines. The Senate included an identical provision in its FAA reauthorization bill. A combined bill has to be drafted for presidential approval. The House bill was championed by California Republican Dan Lungren who noted that up until 2005 there had been less than 400 laser incidents in the previous 15 years. Last year, the FAA received 2,836 reports of laser pointing. Not all people pointing lasers at the sky are targeting aircraft, however. 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.

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AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: CHINA VS. THE AMERICAN DREAM
The sale of Cirrus Aircraft to a Chinese state-owned company didn't have to happen. Americans could have bought it. In the latest installment of the AVweb Insider blog, our editor-in-chief ponders the obvious question: If Americans are so worried about jobs and industry floating away to China, why won't American investors sink their dollars into a company like Cirrus? Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: THE PERSISTENCE OF MYSTERY
Why do we still wonder, 75 years later, about the fate of a lost pilot and her navigator? Mary Grady ponders the allure of Amelia Earhart in light of TIGHAR's DNA testing in the latest installment of the AVweb Insider blog. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: SILLINESS IN THE PATTERN
When the local homebuilt contingent goes rogue and does pretend fighter pilot jargon on the CTAF, is it time to pull them aside and have a little talk? Not really. Boys will be boys. But when that sort of thing confuses intent in the pattern, it's time to reconsider. Some poor student in an LSA isn't going to know what "initial for the break" means, and the next he knows, his windshield is full of RV-4 prop. That's the kind of nonsense Paul Bertorelli's coping with in the latest installment of the AVweb Insider blog. Read more and join the conversation. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE OF "MADE IN THE U.S.A."
As has been speculated for a year (at least), a company owned by the Chinese government has bought Cirrus and earlier bought Continental Motors and Epic Air. What does that mean for airplane manufacturing in the U.S.?

Plus: Last week, we asked how to define "Made in America" in terms of aircraft construction; click through to read what AVweb readers had to say on the subject. More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 255,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. What have you heard? More...

VIDEO: PARADISE P1 FLIGHT TRIAL
AVweb's Paul Bertorelli took a spin in this Brazilian import as part of a major flight report for Aviation Consumer magazine. It has several cool features, including removable seats to turn it into a camper and prodigious load capability. It will also allow a paraplegic pilot to fly it, using special hand controls. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: MS. BETTY EASLEY AT KHTH (HAWTHORNE, NEVADA)

We're about to give new meaning to the term "fixed base operator"! This week's blue ribbon doesn't go to a business, organization, or building, but to a single individual — a woman named Betty Easley at Hawthorne Industrial Airport (KHTH) in Hawthorne, Nevada.

Brace yourself for what has quickly become our favorite "FBO of the Week" nomination, courtesy of AVweb reader Roland Lamer:

KHTH is a city- or county-owned airport that, with its very low usage, would likely never be able to support a for-profit FBO. They don't need to. They have Ms. Betty Easley. Betty is ... lives nearby [the airport] — everybody does in this very little city. Betty, though, has a two-way radio with which she is able to monitor HTH traffic. When she hears incoming traffic, she drives to the airport and normally meets the incoming traffic. She may start with a simple greeting such as, "I am the official airport greeter here at Hawthorne." If you intend to get fuel, she will probably hand you the static line. (She won't attach it to your plane, but she will hand it to you.) Anything you may need she probably has available to you. ... Need a car? She has three of them, just in case things get busy. If you use one of her cars, be sure to put gasoline in it for her. You see, these cars belong to Betty. She pays for the cars, she buys the fuel, and she'll never ask you for a single cent. Be sure and take care of her. She will invite you into the airport building, [where] there is snack food and a computer with internet capbability. If you are tired, there are a couple of cots. Television, refrigerator, couch with recliners — and yes, Betty pays for all of this. Betty loves aviation. When you are all finished with your reason for having flown into KHTH, with your approval, Betty will be standing somewhere parallel to your dpearting runway with a camera. She will take several pictures of your departing airplane and then e-mail them to you. There really is something special about seeing yourself in your airplane just as you have rotated.

By the way, if you are anywhere near the west central part of Nevada, you can relay a "hello" to Betty on 122.8. She loves to hear from her aviation friends.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
This week's winning photo comes from Ken Hemmerling of Clearwater, BC (Canada). Click here for the rest of this week's submissions. 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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