MARTIN JETPACK HITS 5,000 FEET
The Martin Jetpack went to 5,000 feet May 21 and came back on its emergency parachute in the most ambitious test flight to date. Equipped with multiple video cameras and occupied with a weighted mannequin as a test pilot, the remote-control version of the ducted fan device rose vertically over the New Zealand countryside before the high-revving two-stroke engine was shut down and the ballistic chute was fired remotely. It all seemed to go according to plan, with the apparently undamaged machine and mannequin settling in a farmer's field at a vertical speed of 15.7 mph. More...

AIR FRANCE 447 — HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
The pilots of Air France Flight 447 flew the aircraft into deep stall at 38,000 feet, never verbally acknowledged or corrected that condition, and the aircraft fell for more than three minutes at nearly 11,000 feet per minute into the Atlantic, killing all aboard, investigators said Friday. The jet maintained a nose up attitude -- along with an angle of attack greater than 35 degrees -- throughout a descent rate that translates to more than 122 miles per hour of vertical drop. "At no point" on the cockpit voice recorder "is the word stall ever mentioned," Chief Investigator Alain Bouillard said in an interview. The autopilot and auto-throttle disengaged and the pilots recognized failure of the Airbus A330's speed sensors. The pilots took manual control and the aircraft climbed. A stall warning sounded as the jet ascended rapidly from 35,000 to 37,500 feet and by 38,000 feet three stall warnings had activated. Less than two minutes after the autopilot disconnected, the aircraft was at approximately 35,000 feet, with full takeoff thrust selected. The angle of attack had exceeded 40 degrees and jet was falling at about -10,000 ft/min. More...

AMANDA FRANKLIN DIES
Airshow performer Amanda Franklin died Friday night in a hospital from complications of burns she suffered in a March 12 crash in Brownsville, Texas. Husband Kyle Franklin announced the sad news in a Facebook posting late Friday. "It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my beautiful girl Amanda passed away at 10:10 central time this evening," he wrote. Kyle and other close relatives were at her bedside. On Thursday Franklin announced that his wife, who crashed with him while performing their wing-walking routine, had been placed on Comfort Care for her final days. Amanda and Kyle's crash had left her badly burned and treatments to combat the damage from the burns, infection and effects on her major organs were no longer effective. She was taken off of most of her life support, with the exception of ventilator, sedation meds and pain meds. "I believe at this point this is what she would want me to do," Kyle said Thursday. More...

DOT ADOPTS BARR RULE
Aviation groups will undoubtedly turn up the heat in the political arena now that the Department of Transportation has gone ahead with plans to dismantle a system that allows private aircraft owners to block online access to services that track aircraft movements. On Friday, the DOT announced its intention to eliminate the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program, which is used by about 5 percent of aircraft owners to keep others from logging on to flight tracking websites to see who's flying where at any given time. Most of the sites will give a history of flight activity, too. The FAA's new rule will only allow N-numbers to be blocked if the aircraft owner is able to convince the FAA that allowing the public to track their aircraft will create a security risk. However, BARR's future is also part of the deliberations on a new FAA reauthorization bill that is now at the conference stage and its supporters are working the hallways trying to get a law that will trump the DOT rule. Meanwhile, BARR proponents called the new measure a "paparazzi protection rule" and clashed with DOT over whose rights should be protected More...

BLUE ANGELS COMMANDER QUITS
The commander of the Blue Angels has resigned and the team is back in Pensacola for training and practice after an unspecified maneuver was performed at too low an altitude during a show in Lynchburg VA on May 22. Navy Cmdr Dave Koss was "voluntarily relieved of duty" as the elite team's commander and will be replaced by Capt. Greg McWherter, whom Koss replaced as the team lead. "This maneuver, combined with other instances of not meeting the airborne standard that makes the Blue Angels the exceptional organization that it is, led to my decision to step down," Koss said in the statement. The No. 1 aircraft normally leads a flight of four or six F/A-18s through formation maneuvers but the formation breaks for some parts of the show, including the solo performances and the signature cross maneuver. It's not clear whether Koss alone busted the altitude or whether he took the others with him. It's also not been stated just how much too low the aircraft got. More...

G650 FLIGHT TESTING RESUMES
Certification flight testing of Gulfstream's G650 resumed Saturday with an 89-minute flight of serial number 0001. It was the first flight of Gulfstream's new flagship bizjet since the Apr. 2 crash of one of five test aircraft in Roswell, N.M., during takeoff performance testing. Gulfstream said the two-month suspension of flight testing will not affect its schedule for the aircraft. The flight test program is about two-thirds complete. Certification is planned by the end of this year and first deliveries are slated for 2012. Production continued after the accident and the 13th G650 is now under construction. More...

CALL FOR PUBLIC BENEFIT FLYING NOMINATIONS
Nominations are due by May 31, 2011, for awards presented each year by the National Aeronautic Association, in collaboration with the Air Care Alliance, to recognize contributions to public benefit flying. Nominations are accepted for five categories that cover volunteer pilots, volunteers, achievement in the advancement of public benefit flying, teamwork between unaffiliated organizations, and extraordinary support efforts that advance the cause of public benefit flying. Nominations that fall outside of those categories may not be considered. Click through for details. More...

THE EFFORT TO HELP INCAPACITATED PILOT
On May 17, 2011, the pilot of a Cirrus SR22 became incapacitated while climbing for 17,000, through clouds, out of San Bernardino en route to Colorado Springs -- we now have audio of the event. On board the Cirrus, a 70-year-old pilot was flying with his non-pilot wife. They were in daytime IFR conditions when the Cirrus pilot is heard on frequency breathing heavily. He then appears to become incoherent. Shortly thereafter, his wife responds to inquiries from the controller, stating, "I'm trying to help. Hang on." The next 40 minutes of the flight showcase a coordinated effort by the controller, the pilot of a passing Great Lakes Airlines commercial flight, and the non-pilot wife on board the SR22, as they attempt to guide the aircraft away from rising terrain and down to a lower altitude. AVweb has obtained and edited audio (MP3 file) from the event. Click through for more details and to listen in. More...

PODCAST: RUDY ENGHOLM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF LIGHTHAWK
A small airplane can do a lot to advance the cause of conservation, from providing a fresh perspective for legislators to transporting endangered birds and wolves. Rudy Engholm talks with AVweb's Mary Grady about what the organization is up to these days, how pilots can help, and how things turned out after AVweb reported recently on the group's search for a special volunteer.

This podcast is brought to you by Bose Corporation. More...

AVMAIL: MAY 30, 2011

Letter of the Week: Is It All a Dream?

The Pipistrel Panthera sounds great, a dream — what we've been waiting for all these years.  Is it real, an IO-390-powered version soon and hybrid or electric in 2013? If so, why can't I see a real picture now, not an artist's rendering? I'm hopeful but suspicious.

I've had this giddy feeling before.  Cirrus said they were going to build a true four-seater with 160 knots' cruise for $120,000.  Well, they built the plane, but not at that price point.  I think it started at $170,000 and is probably double that now.  Clearly there's a market for these, but where's my affordable 150-knot cruiser that burns less than 10gph?

Ed Hunt

Click through to read the rest of this week's letters.

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...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: WHY SUPRESSING N-NUMBERS IS A BAD IDEA
Congress is debating whether to dial back the FAA's N-number suppression program, BARR. It's about time they did, says Paul Bertorelli on the AVweb Insider blog. N-numbers are public information and ought to be available to the public; besides, what does secrecy benefit bizjets in an era of suspicion of claims of excess? Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: MEDIA-INDUCED GREENWASHING OF AVIATION FUELS
The questionable reporting, says Paul Bertorelli in his latest post to the AVweb Insider blog, is not so much intentional as failing to ask the right questions. Read more and join the conversation. More...

VIDEO: 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION — ERIK HILDEBRANDT'S 'FLY NAVY'
No one does aviation quite like the Navy, and carriers are only half of the story. In this vodcast, author/photographer Erik Hildebrandt talks about his experiences in shooting and compiling an impressive history of a century of naval aviation. More...

VIDEO: SIMULATOR TRAINING FOR GA WITH 'IFR' MAGAZINE
Come ride along on some simulator training in a Cirrus SR22 to see the kinds of things you can do better in the box than in the real world. We'll also give you some tips for getting the most out of your simulator time. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: KISSIMMEE JET CENTER (KISM, FLORIDA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Kissimmee Jet Center at Kissimmee Gateway Airport (KISM) in Florida.

AVweb reader John Tunstall recently enjoyed top-notch service from touchdown to take-off at KISM:

[The] rental car pulled out to us on the ramp before I could even shut the bird down. (Unloading into an air-conditioned car in the FL heat was a blessing.) Upon departure, the same in reverse: We loaded the bird from the car on the ramp, and they drove it away. Excellent fuel prices and extraordinary service. Highly recommend.

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!

SHORT FINAL

I think it was one of my sons on his solo cross-country from Whiteman, CA (WHP). Bakersfield was one of his stops. He had tuned into Bakersfield BFL ground control. Before he called, he heard another pilot call ground control:

Cessna 1234:
"Bakersfield ground, Cessna 1234 ready for taxi to Los Angeles."

Ground Control:
"Cessna 1234, that is going to be a very long taxi trip."

Kent
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. 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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