HOUSE EXTENDS FAA FUNDING
It seems likely that the FAA will get yet another funding extension by the end of this week, with the U.S. House on Tuesday unanimously OK'ing expenditures through Jan. 31, 2012. That bill now is in the Senate, which must act by Friday to avert another shortfall like the one in July that forced the agency to lay off nearly 4,000 workers. The bill doesn't include any retroactive pay for those furloughed workers, although leaders in both parties had said they would support such a measure, according to The Associated Press. More...

FAA: NO NEW REGS FOR TRIKES
The FAA says it will not impose new regulations on the operators of weight-shift-control aircraft in Hawaii but will keep a close eye on them to ensure they are in compliance with existing regulations. Six people died in three crashes in the islands over the last year and a half, raising questions about the safety of the aircraft, also known as trikes. Two of the fatal flights apparently involved operators taking passengers for sightseeing tours, which is not allowed under FAA rules. Pilots can, however, offer introductory flight training. "It appears some operators are trying to get around the air-tour provision by offering scenic flights under the guise of introductory flying instructions," Nick Reyes, an FAA flight standards manager, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser last week. More...

FAA ISSUES AD FOR TWO LYCOMING ENGINES
The FAA has issued an airworthiness directive, effective Sept. 29, 2011, for a number of Lycoming reciprocating engines; the specific number of engines is two. The agency has decided that an unsafe condition exists that caused the failure of a crankshaft after 440 hours of operation. The cause of the failure was determined to be an improperly counterweighted crankshaft installed by a repair station. The FAA says it is issuing the AD because it has determined the unsafe condition is likely to exist "in other products of the same type design" ... specifically Lycoming model IO-720-AIB engine serial numbers L-1457-54A and L-1458-54A, which it has been unable to locate. More...

FIRST FLIGHT: ELECTRIC, UNTETHERED, PILOTED HELICOPTER
Pascal Chretien of France flew his own electric-powered helicopter design untethered for two minutes and 10 seconds last month, beating out Sikorsky's Firefly for the first flight of its kind. Chretien, an aerospace engineer and helicopter pilot, spent about a year working on the project, mostly on his own, according to Gizmag. He devised several innovative solutions to simplify the design and minimize the weight and power needs. He used two counter-rotating rotors to eliminate the tail rotor, weight-shift control for steering, and a simple frame welded from aluminum tubing. The system is tricky to fly, according to Chretien: "This machine looks like a toy, and flies like a toy, but there is a raging tiger under the seat, waiting to bite at the first mistake," he told Gizmag. "In case of crash I stand good chances to end up in kebab form." More...

JAPAN'S AIR FORCE ONE BLUNDER
The U.S. has reportedly filed a protest with the Japanese government after learning that a Japanese air traffic controller posted, online, details of the U.S. President's November 2010 flight plan in the region. The information is said to include two pages of details that the controller apparently made available through his blog. Details reportedly included speeds, altitudes, route of flight and pictures of computer screens -- the last of which may present information in a manner difficult for a layman to understand. Precise information about when that information was posted online (before or after Obama's visit) has not been made available. The controller has also allegedly posted other information about U.S. activities, raising larger concerns about the controllers' union and management. More...

AVIATORS LOST: BROWN, SKELTON, ROBERTSON
The aviation community recently lost three accomplished pilots -- an actor, an aerobatics competitor, and a test pilot. Cliff Robertson, best known for his film career, died on Sept. 10 at age 88. He started flying at age 14 and owned several airplanes. He served as the first chairman of the EAA Young Eagles program when it launched in 1992. He also funded a program that offered summer internships to youth at the EAA Aviation Center. Betty Skelton, who won the international women's aerobatic championship three times, died on Aug. 31 at age 85. And Mort Brown, who logged over 14,000 first flights as head of flight testing at Cessna, died on Sept. 10 at age 103. More...

GARMIN TOUCHSCREEN PORTABLE DEBUTS AT AOPA
At AOPA's Summit event in Hartford, Conn., next week, Garmin will roll out its newest portable GPS navigator/plate reader, the aera 796. The 796 is a follow-on product to both the GPSmap 696 and the aera product line, which brought touchscreen control to Garmin's lineup. The new navigator features capacitive-type touchscreen control similar to the iPad and some smartphones, so it can be finger scrolled and pinch scaled. It will be available in two versions, the $2199 aera 795 without weather link and the $2499 aera 796, which includes an XM receiver for both weather datalink and entertainment. More...

JOBS ACT HITS AIRCRAFT DEPRECIATION
The Obama administration appears to be following through on its earlier anti-business aviation rhetoric by recommending Congress lengthen the depreciation schedule for business aircraft. According to NBAA, the administration's proposed American Jobs Act contains a measure to change a 25-year-old depreciation schedule established by the IRS. That's a separate issue from the current "bonus depreciation" of 100 percent of the acquisition cost of business-related goods in the first year that was passed last year. That measure runs out at the end of this year. More...

AVWEBBIZ: AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVIATION NEWSLETTER

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK: JOB #1 FOR AOPA?
It's AOPA Summit next week. What should be the organization's main priority?

Plus: Last week, we asked if 9/11 and its aftermath have affected the flying habits of AVweb readers; 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: CLIFF ROBERTSON -- PILOT/ACTOR
Actor Cliff Robertson was a fixture around Oshkosh because, besides acting, he was an accomplished pilot, too. Robertson died over the weekend, a day past his 88th birthday. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli reveals a couple of interesting coincidences about Robertson's intersection with history. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: 9/11 ANNIVERSARY AFTERMATH
We got through 9/11 unscathed, more or less. But the tsunami of reporting on the anniversary revealed some new detail. In his latest post to the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli explains how a couple of incidents revealed that the flying public, or at least the security agencies, are still nervous. Read more and join the conversation. More...

VIDEO: GARMIN'S NEW 796 -- PRODUCT TOUR
At AOPA Summit in Hartford, Garmin will unveil its latest portable, the touchscreen aera 796. Take a video tour of the navigator's features, which include synthetic vision, enhanced chart functions, and a new touchscreen interface. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: CAPITAL CITY AIRPORT (KFFT) (FRANKFORT, KY)

AVweb's latest blue ribbon goes to the FBO at Capital City Airport (KFFT) in Frankfort, Kentucky.

AVweb reader Graeme Lang has been going there for a while and sung Cap City's praises:

Having been involved with this FBO for some time now, I have always seen a complete commitment to the highest in customer service and overall standards. Their manager, Jay Vedelli, has just recently retired, but I have seen no decrease in the service provided. They stay very competitive on fuel prices, have on-site maintenance, will run you anywhere you need to go in their van, and will do all of this with a smile! I highly recommend Capital City Airport in Frankfort!

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 ...
Will return on Monday. We were a bit tied up with prep work for next week's AOPA Summit today and didn't get to pack this space with your top-notch photos. Watch for them in Monday's issue -- or check our home page on Friday if you can't wait that long.

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:

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Timothy Cole

Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli

Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles

Contributing Editors
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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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