G650 CRASH UPDATE: CREW WAS TESTING BRAKES
The crew of a Gulfstream G650 test aircraft that crashed at Roswell, N.M., on Saturday morning had been conducting braking tests, according to the FAA. All on board -- two pilots and two flight engineers -- were killed. The aircraft had been in the pattern for a couple of hours, FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford told EAA over the weekend. Skies were clear and winds were light from the southwest. "The plane had just lifted off when the right wing struck the concrete. The plane hit the ground again and the landing gear collapsed," Lunsford said. The airplane skidded for some distance and slid to a stop about 40 feet from the control tower. The aircraft was destroyed by fire. Gulfstream released a brief statement on Saturday confirming the crash. On Sunday evening, the company released the names of the four men who died. "We mourn the loss of our colleagues and friends and extend our deepest sympathies to their families," said Joe Lombardo, president of Gulfstream Aerospace.

NARCO AVIONICS IN LIQUIDATION
NARCO, an iconic company that started making avionics long before they were called avionics, has closed and is apparently in bankruptcy. The company, which started in 1945, has darkened its website except for one page, which contains this message: "Due to circumstances beyond our control, we regret to inform you that after over 65 years in business, Narco Avionics, Inc. has closed. A trustee will be appointed shortly to oversee liquidation of assets and assure return of Customer's property, such as Customer's Radios sent to Narco for service, as soon as possible. We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience this causes and thank all loyal Narco Customers, around the world, for their loyalty over all of these years! Please monitor this web site as informational updates will be provided as soon as possible."

PILOTS DODGED BUSY STREET IN EMERGENCY LANDING
Witnesses say the pilots of a CASA 212 appear to have made a last-second decision to avoid landing on an a crowded commuter route and instead hit a brick sound barrier next to the freeway in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada last Friday. One man on the plane died but the two pilots survived with relatively minor injuries. One engine on the aircraft, a highly specialized mineral and oil exploration platform owned by Toronto-based Fugro Airborne Surveys, was reported to have failed when the aircraft was about 12 minutes out from Saskatoon. Fugro spokesman Terry McConnell told the Postmedia News the second engine also failed and there was plenty of fuel onboard. Saskatoon Deputy Fire Chief Dan Paulsen said the pilots apparently did all they could to avoid further injuries. "Where he put the aircraft down it was certainly a great deal of airmanship to avoid any other injuries on the ground, because there certainly was potential for that," said Paulsen.

BELITE INTRODUCES FUEL-WATER PROBE
A small probe that can fit into an aircraft fuel line, detect water in the system, and alert a pilot was introduced at Sun 'n Fun last week by Jim Wiebe, CEO of Belite Aircraft. The system is still undergoing testing, he said, and he intends to have test and reliability data available at EAA AirVenture later this summer. "It will be for sale at Oshkosh, at a price to be announced," he said. The price will be affordable for the homebuilt and ultralight market, he said, and he expects the probe will also be available for light sport and certified aircraft. Wiebe said he came across the water-detection technology by accident while working on another problem.

FLIGHT DESIGN UPDATES FOUR-PLACE PROGRESS
Flight Design executives said at Sun 'n Fun last week they will introduce a mock-up of their four-seat fully-certified airplane at the Aero show in Friedrichschafen, Germany, later this month, and will also show it at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh in July. They showed renderings of the design to the press corps at Lakeland. The fuselage shares the high wing and wide cabin of the current CT designs, but with a less dramatic taper toward the tail. It will have fixed gear and "a lot of commonality with the CT," said Matthias Betsch, managing director of Flight Design International. "It will be big and quiet, quite an elegant airplane," he said. The price point should be between $200,000 and $250,000, with a range of about 1,200 nm and 150 kts cruise speed, according to Betsch. Targets are to have a prototype flying next year, with FAA certification by the end of 2012 and production starting in 2013. Betsch said the European version will have a diesel engine, and he will have more information later about engine choices for the U.S. market.

"I SURVIVED SUN 'N FUN" T-SHIRTS FOR SALE

The Sun 'n Fun tornado last week was certainly a dramatic enough event, and affected enough people, that a T-shirt to commemorate it was inevitable. By Saturday, show-goers were turning up with gray T-shirts that proclaim, "I survived Sun 'n Fun 2011," with a graphic of a spinning tornado tossing tents, airplanes, and various critters into the air. The actual tornado that hit the airport, while it was certainly damaging, was not quite so dramatic as the one on the T-shirt, but for those who were there, it's now officially a t-shirt-worthy event.

AVwebAudio subscribers! Watch your inbox tomorrow for a round-up of all our video, podcasts, and (yes) storm coverage from Sun 'n Fun 2011. (If you don't already get AVwebAudio, just log in to your profile from the upper right corner of any page on AVweb.com, then go to http://www.avweb.com/profile and click on "Edit E-mail Subscriptions."

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: SUN 'N FUN 2011 — GREEN SHOOTS
In the latest installment of the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli has a novel idea for discussing Sun 'n Fun: Let's banish the word recovery and just talk about what we liked — which was plenty, actually. Frankly, there was more new stuff and market vitality than anyone expected. Read more and join the conversation.

BRAINTEASERS QUIZ #158: WE NEED MORE PILOTS
As the pilot population declines, the Department of Transportation might consider listing Pilotus americanus on the endangered species list. Reverse this decline by recruiting new students who will marvel at your score on this quiz.

Take the quiz.

PODCAST: VOLUNTEER PILOTS FOR PATIENT TRANSPORTATION
Most pilots are familiar with Angel Flight, and quite a few have volunteered their airplanes and time. Now there's a new organization called Patient Air Lift Services, or PALS. In this podcast from Sun 'n Fun 2011, the organization's CEO, Joe Howley, gave us a briefing on how the new group — organized just 10 months ago — works.

PODCAST: MACH 5 BLUETOOTH HEADSET
We wondered how long it would be before someone developed a Bluetooth headset that drops the wires from the audio jack to the headset — and now someone has. Jake Carlson of Air Gyro Aviation showed us the Mach 5 headset at Sun 'n Sun 2011, and he describes it in this podcast recorded at the show.

'AVIATION CONSUMER' HANGAR SURVEY
Do you hangar your aircraft? Do you wish you could hangar your aircraft? Do you wish someone would rent that #$^% empty hangar you still own? Please take a moment to share your thoughts (or rants) in Aviation Consumer's survey. Thanks. Click here to take the survey.

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?

FBO OF THE WEEK: LAKE TEXOMA JET CENTER (KGYI, DENNISON, TX)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Lake Texoma Jet Center at North Texas Regional Aiport/Perrin Field (KGYI) in Dennison, Texas.

A little common courtesy (not just a car) from LTJC impressed AVweb reader Daniel Dorgan on a recent unscheduled stop:

Flying a friend for his first flight from McKinney, Texas to the Sherman/Dennison [area]. My friend became airsick and needed a break from the airplane. This FBO provided a courtesy car knowing we would not be refueling there or having any repairs made to the Arrow. No financial incentive whatsoever — and yet they treated us with respect, as if we were a kerosene-powered aircraft providing a significant amount of revenue.

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!

ICAS FOUNDATION'S KYLE & AMANDA FRANKLIN FUND
The aviation community is coming together to help Kyle and Amanda Franklin get back on their feet and eventually back in the air after their mishap at Air Fiesta at the Brownsville/South Padre Island Airport. If you'd like to contribute, click on the banner at right to visit the ICAS Foundation web site.

SHORT FINAL

I overheard the following tower transmission after a King Air made a particularly short landing at Metro Airport near Denver. The King Air landed in less than a thousand feet and cleared the runway much earlier than the tower anticipated.

Controller (obviously stunned — and in good humor) :
"King Air, would you mind telling the tower exactly what was wrong with the other 9,000 feet of our runway?"

Ryan Lunde
via e-mail

HEARD ANYTHING FUNNY ON THE RADIO?
Heard anything funny, unusual, or downright shocking on the radio lately? If you've been flying any length of time, you're sure to have eavesdropped on a few memorable exchanges. The ones that gave you a chuckle may do the same for your fellow AVweb readers. Share your radio funny with us, and, if we use it in a future "Short Final," we'll send you a sharp-looking AVweb hat to sport around your local airport. No joke. Click here to submit your original, true, and previously unpublished story.

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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