AP: PILOTS "FORGETTING HOW TO FLY"
The airline industry is suffering from "automation addiction," Rory Kay, co-chair of an FAA committee that is examining pilot training, said in an Associated Press story published on Tuesday. "We're seeing a new breed of accident with these state-of-the-art planes," said Kay. "We're forgetting how to fly." Pilot skills have been cited by investigators in two recent major accidents, the Buffalo crash of a regional airliner in 2009, and the 2009 Air France crash of an Airbus A330. How pilots respond to the sudden loss of automated aircraft systems "is the big issue that we can no longer hide from in aviation," Bill Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, told the AP. "We've been very slow to recognize the consequence of it and deal with it."

Related Content:

• POLL: Are airline pilots too dependent on automated systems?
• BLOG: Mary Grady suggests a little reliance on automation isn't all bad.
• PODCAST: In 2010, AVweb's Glenn Pew spoke with NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman about the board's safety findings regarding small light aircraft and glass cockpit technology.

FAA UPDATES FLIGHT-SCHOOL RULES
The FAA on Wednesday published a final rule with updates to regulations that affect pilot, flight instructor, and flight-school certification. The rule allows pilot applicants to apply concurrently for a private pilot certificate and an instrument rating, and permits flight schools to apply for a combined private pilot certification and instrument rating course. The rule also allows pilot schools to offer internet-based training programs even if they don't have a physical ground-training facility and revises the definition of "complex airplane" to include airplanes with full authority digital engine control (FADEC). The proposed rule would have replaced the 10 hours of complex airplane time required for commercial pilot applicants with 10 hours of advanced instrument training, but that provision has not been adopted in the final rule. More...

FLIGHT SCHOOLS NOW CAN SEEK ACCREDITATION
Colleges and universities have long participated in accreditation programs that provide an independent assessment of the school, and now a new program promises to do the same for flight training. The Flight School Association of North America, based in Allentown, Penn., recently launched a flight school accreditation program, which it says is the first of its kind. A committee comprised of flight school owners and operators and a variety of industry partners drafted the accreditation standards. Schools will be evaluated on seven core areas: safety, security, risk management, business practices, finance and accounting, education, and customer satisfaction. More...

STATE DEPARTMENT WARNS OF MISSILE THREAT
Aviators around the world should be on their guard against small shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles, the U.S. State Department said recently. The weapons, also known as Manpads (man-portable air defense systems), "pose a serious threat to passenger air travel, the commercial aviation industry, and military aircraft around the world," the State Department said. Forty civilian aircraft have been hit by Manpad missiles since 1975, causing 28 crashes and over 800 deaths. All of the incidents, except for an unsuccessful 2002 attempt to shoot down an airliner in Kenya, occurred in "zones of conflict." Only two of the attacks occurred in the Western Hemisphere, one in Costa Rica and one in Nicaragua. More...

MAN SPOTS OWN HOME BURGLARY FROM AIR
Two men have been charged with residential burglary and theft of property after being spotted by a homeowner who saw the men taking items from his house while he was flying as a first-time passenger in a 1957 Cessna 172. The flight was daytime VFR out and back from Arkansas to Memphis. On the return portion of the trip, passenger Steven Lynn asked his friend, pilot David Hudson, if they could fly over Lynn's house so that he could see it from the airplane. They found the house and saw what appeared to be two men taking things from the home and loading them in a vehicle. Lynn took action. More...

MORE LAYOFFS FOR FAA EMPLOYEES?
If Congress fails to act (again) by Sept. 16, the FAA will see another expiration of short-term funding and potentially another round of layoffs. In July, Congress failed to reach an agreement on funding for the FAA before heading for a five-week recess. That caused a temporary limited shutdown of the FAA that led to the two-week layoff of an estimated 4,000 FAA employees and more contract workers, before Congress passed another temporary bill. The shutdown also lost the agency approximately $30 million per day in airline ticket taxes. About two weeks into the shutdown, Congress did act while in recess, providing a funding measure that expires Sept. 16. Certain key figures in Congress say that this time, they're willing to compromise. President Obama has also weighed in. More...

BOEING LAUNCHES 737MAX RE-ENGINE PROGRAM
Boeing's board of directors has approved the executive plan to re-engine existing models of the Boeing 737 in response to Airbus's similar plan for its A320. The "new" aircraft will be called the 737 MAX and the zeroes will be dropped from the current 700, 800 and 900 model numbers in the new designations. The aircraft will be powered by CFM Leap-1B engines that Boeing says will make the new 737 4 percent more efficient than the new model A320neo. Boeing wants first deliveries no later than 2017 and is suggesting, but not promising, that it might be ready earlier. Both of its most recent development projects, the 787 and 747-8, are years behind schedule. "Given our recent track record, we are being very prudent and disciplined to make sure that whatever we talk to our customers about, we actually have a plan to deliver on," Nicole Piasecki, the company's head of business development, told Bloomberg. 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: SHOULD AIRLINE PILOTS FLY MORE -- OR LESS?
In her latest post to the AVweb Insider blog, Mary Grady suggests it's time to reassess the best use of humans in the cockpit -- and maybe it's no longer working the controls. Read more and join the conversation. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: HOW ARE YOUR PILOT SKILLS?
This one is mainly for the pro pilots in our midst. Bill Voss of the Flight Safety Foundation says pilots are suffering from "automation addiction" and unable to cope with systems loss. What do you think?

Plus: Last week, we asked if EAA's Young Eagles-inspired program for adults can attract new pilots the world of general aviation; click through to see 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...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: TACKLING WEATHER IN LSAS
LSAs were never intended to be heavy weather airplanes, yet you can equip them with the latest datalink weather capability. Whether you choose to depends a lot on your previous experience, as Paul Bertorelli discusses in his latest post to the AVweb Insider blog. Read more and join the conversation. 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...

VIDEO: KENT PIETSCH AT ABBOTSFORD AIR SHOW
Most of us who go to air shows have seen Kent Pietsch's Interstate Cadet routine. Here's an up-close look at what makes it one of the most impressive flying displays on the circuit. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: ARLIN'S AIRCRAFT SERVICE, INC. (BELGRADE, MONTANA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Arlin's Aircraft Service, Inc. at Gallatin Field Airport (KBZN) in Belgrade, Montana (near Bozeman).

AVweb reader C. J. Costanti recommended the FBO:

We had just completed a couple days of fly fishing and visiting family in Bozeman, and while preparing to depart, our Baron developed a significant fuel leak. Naturally, this occurred after hours, when the maintenance staff had gone home for the night. Not only did line service tow us back to Arlin's hangar, but they contacted their mechanic and he was working [on] the problem within minutes. They turned a stressful and unexpected turn of events into a positive experience and outcome. The Baron was buttoned up and ready to go early the next morning on the ramp, and we completed our trip home. Many thanks and kudos to Alan, Clint, and all the folks we met at Arlin's. Great service on arrival and departure, clean facility, and, most importantly, great people. We'll be back.

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 Stefan Sobol of Leesburg, VA. 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.

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Timothy Cole

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Paul Bertorelli

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Russ Niles

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Glenn Pew

Features Editor
Kevin Lane-Cummings

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Scott Simmons

Contributors
Jeff van West
Mariano Rosales

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