YOUNG EAGLES FOR GROWNUPS TO LAUNCH NEXT YEAR
EAA this week released more details about their plans to develop a new first-flight program for adults, similar to Young Eagles. The program will launch in January, will provide the same insurance protections as Young Eagles, and will be driven by the organization's local chapters, EAA said. "The new program will have a lot of the same trappings as Young Eagles," Charlie Becker, EAA director of member programs, told AVweb this week. "It will preserve the rally format. We really want it to be a one-on-one flight experience." That is, it's important that every adult participant gets to ride up front and handle the controls, Becker said. "They'll get to experience being at the yoke and trying out some maneuvers," he said. The new project was announced by EAA CEO Rod Hightower last month at AirVenture. More...

AVIATION CAMP FOR ADULTS
The Florida Air Museum, at the Sun 'n Fun campus in Lakeland, Fla., is offering a weekend aviation experience to introduce new pilots to their first flight in the left seat. The program, called Destination Aviation Seminar, is designed for adults, and aims to prepare prospective students with the confidence and knowledge they need to get the most from their first flight lesson. It starts on Friday evening with an introduction and flight simulator instruction. On Saturday, students learn about aerodynamics, aircraft systems, controls, and instruments, plus more simulator time and lots of discussion. Sunday, the students go flying. The curriculum is "fast-paced but down to earth for the non-aviator," according to the Museum. The program will be offered Oct. 21-23 and Feb. 24-26, for $350. More...

FAA RESTRICTS "REVOLVING DOOR" FOR INSPECTORS
Under a new FAA rule published on Monday, certain aviation safety inspectors who work for the agency must wait two years before they can be offered a job from air carriers and other certificate holders. "The flying public can rest assured that our aviation safety inspectors will remain focused on protecting the flying public without any conflicts of interest," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The new rule aims to address concerns raised by Congress and the DOT Inspector General in 2008 about the FAA's oversight of Southwest Airlines. An analysis by the inspector general's office found that FAA staffers overseeing Southwest had developed an "overly close relationship" with the airline, the FAA said. More...

GAMA WELCOMES NEW PART 23 ARC
The FAA has formed a new Aviation Rulemaking Committee to overhaul the old Part 23 rules that govern the manufacture of most light aircraft, a move welcomed this week by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. "The increasing cost of certification and manufacturing oversight ... has led to a lack of cost-effective, entry-level products which attract new pilots," said GAMA President Pete Bunce on Monday. "GAMA believes the FAA's vision for the new Part 23 rules will enhance the vitality of GA for future generations of pilots and aircraft owners." The updated rules should be easier for manufacturers to follow and will result in safer, less expensive aircraft, according to GAMA. The overhaul of the rules has been under discussion for a couple of years already, but the formation of the ARC is a major step forward. More...

PODCAST: GREG BOWLES, GAMA DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING
The FAA is ready to sit down with the light aircraft manufacturers and figure out how to update Part 23, the standard that governs the design of general aviation aircraft. Greg Bowles explains to AVweb's Mary Grady how this process will work and what it all means to GA pilots and aircraft buyers. More...

LOPRESTI DEBUTS FLAT-FREE AIRCRAFT TIRES
LoPresti Aviation Engineering introduced their new "NeverFlat Lifesaver" aircraft tires recently at the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association annual fly-in, held in Colorado Springs, Colo. "We named it the NeverFlat because that's what it does -- it never goes flat," RJ Siegel, LoPresti's CEO said. "It's the first  aviation tire with a wound carbon fiber band embedded in the circumference of the tire. It's just about impossible to puncture this tire, and even if you could, it still wouldn't go flat. It's an unpressurized system with load and suspension characteristics matched to the aircraft's needs." Siegel told AVweb this week the introduction was met with enthusiasm by Cirrus owners. "We had 20 orders in the first five minutes," Siegel said. "We were kind of blown away." More...

A PENTATHLON FOR PILOTS
Military pilots need lots of skills besides just flying the airplane -- for example, if shot down in enemy territory, it's handy to be ready to shoot, run over obstacles, swim, and find your way with a map and compass -- and the aeronautical pentathlon, which was held last month in Brazil, tests all of those skills. Fewer than 100 pilots worldwide compete in the elite sport. The pentathlon also includes a flying contest, in which the competitors act as navigator and fly a course over five checkpoints, trying for the best time and distance. Five Embraer Super Tucano airplanes were used at this year's event. The Brazilian team won, beating the often-victorious Finns. The U.S. did not compete. More...

SUKHOI TAKES SUPERJET BIZJET ORDER
An Indian company has placed the first major order for the business jet version of Sukhoi's new Superjet 100 regional airliner. Aviotech Corporate Jet Services signed an a agreement last week to buy 10 of the corporate variants of the 100-seat airliner. The Superjet is being developed jointly by Sukhoi and Italy's Alenia. Aviotech says the aircraft will be decked out in the finest "seven star" style and deployed according to its customers' travel requirements. Although the airline versions of the Superjet have a maximum range of about 2,800 miles, the business variants are much longer-legged. More...

PILOT WHO FALSIFIED FLIGHT LOGS GETS PRISON TIME
A pilot for Platinum Jet, the now-defunct charter company whose illegal practices came to light after a crash at Teterboro Airport in 2005, has been sentenced to six months in prison. Francis Vieira, 61, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., pleaded guilty to fraud. In addition to the prison term, he will serve six months of home confinement and three years of supervised release. Vieira, who was not on board for the accident flight, admitted in court last September that on various occasions he had changed weight and balance calculations and knew that a captain was not fit to fly and said nothing. Three others who were involved with Platinum Jet have been convicted and are scheduled to be sentenced in the coming weeks. 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."

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: CAN ADULTS FILL THE PILOT TRAINING GAP?
EAA is launching a Young Eagles-type program for adults. Will it help?

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers if the development of high-tech Russian and Chinese fighter jets represent and end to the American century of air superiority; click through to see how they answered. 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...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: SUKHOI'S T-50 -- THE END OF U.S. DOMINANCE?
Maybe, says Paul Bertorelli in his latest post to the AVweb Insider blog -- but the real threat isn't whether the T-50 is competitor to the F-22 but whether the panic that is could set off a cascade of political overreaction. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: INNOVATION, COOPERATION, AND PROGNOSTICATION
The road to aviation's future is winding and unpredictable, and the slow way forward is not always the worst way. In her latest post to the AVweb Insider blog, Mary Grady explains how our biggest challenges aren't likely to be solved by quantum leaps in technology or thinking. Read more and join the conversation. More...

VIDEO: AVIATION CONSUMER'S REMOS NXT FLIGHT TRIAL
Remos has a successful line of light sport aircraft, and now they've introduced a new and improved model, the NXT. Aviation Consumer's Paul Bertorelli flew the airplane recently, and here's his video report. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: AVCENTER (NAMPA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, KMAN, NAMPA, ID)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to AvCenter at Nampa Municipal Airport (KMAN) in Nampa, Idaho.

AVweb reader Neal Wright recommended the FBO:

Car rental company promised a cr would be waiting on arrival. Got there, no car. AVcenter called [the] rental agency, [and] they said they had a comouter glitch and had no cars available. AVcenter gave us a courtesy car and said we could keep it for the four days if [the] rental agency couldn't find us a car. They called about four hours later and said the rental agency found a car for us. Fuel was reasonable, and [there was] no tie-down charge for the four days.

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: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
This week's winning photo comes from Ricki Boyle of Marion, IA. 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

Click here to send a letter to the editor. (Please let us know if your letter is not intended for publication.)

Comments or questions about the news should be sent here.

Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? A question on marketing? Send it to AVweb's sales team.

If you're having trouble reading this newsletter in its HTML-rich format (or if you'd prefer a lighter, simpler format for your PDA or handheld device), there's also a text-only version of AVwebFlash. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here.

Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.