FIRST LAWSUIT FILED IN RENO CRASH
A $25 million lawsuit filed last week in Texas is the first in what is expected to be many following the Sept. 16 crash of a race plane at the National Championship Air Races in Reno. The crash of Jimmy Leeward's highly modified P-51 adjacent to a seating area killed 11 people, including Leeward, and injured more than 70. Among the dead was Craig Salerno, of Friendswood, Texas. The Associated Press reported Tony Buzbee, the lawyer for his family, cited the mods to the Galloping Ghost in his identification of "two groups of wrongdoers" the suit alleges are responsible for Salerno's death: "Those who pushed the limits of physics on the plane, being risk takers and reckless without regard for the people who might be watching them, and those who promoted and profited from hosting the show." Although there has been no indication so far that the crash will threaten the future of the Air Races, a crash the following day at a West Virginia air show may be a factor in its cancellation next year. More...

US AIRWAYS, UNIONS BRING JOBS BACK TO U.S.
As part of a union deal, US Airways is now hiring 400 customer service agent workers total in Phoenix, Reno, and Winston-Salem to replace positions formerly held in the Philippines. The deal came about as part of negotiations between unions brought together under the 2005 US Airways and America West Airlines merger. US Airways handles roughly 18 million customer service calls each year, and the airline's new hires will bring its U.S.-based customer service workforce to about 1,900. Hiring has already started. More...

JET DEAL RAISES HACKLES IN SOUTH AFRICA
An opposition member of the South African parliament is calling on the government to cancel the proposed purchase of two more long-range business jets, calling it an "outrageous extravagance" considering the plight of many people in the country. David Maynier, who is the "shadow" minister of defense is also asking for an investigation into the purchase and the general state of affairs in the South African Air Force's VIP Transport Squadron. Although it's common for governments to maintain a fleet of aircraft for use by government officials, Maynier is tweaked that both President Jacob Zuma and Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will have virtually exclusive use of each of the aircraft. Negotiations are already under way with Airbus and Boeing to see who gets the contract. South Africa already has a Boeing Business Jet for VIP flights. "The fact is that it is simply wrong to spend (1.6 billion South African Rand) on business jets when millions of people in our country do not have housing, health or access to basic services," Maynier said. "And these are no ordinary airplanes." More...

787 TRAINING SNAGS HIT ANA
Although Boeing has started deliveries of its three-years-late 787 Dreamliner, launch customer ANA is grousing about another costly hiccup in the timeline. Boeing touted the ease of transition to the 787 as a selling point saying 777 pilots could make the switch in about a week. ANA says it's spending five weeks to train Dreamliner pilots and it's not finished reworking the curriculum set forth by the manufacturer. "We added what we thought was necessary," Capt. Hideaki Hayakawa told the Wall Street Journal. "We will be adjusting the content of the training, rather than its duration." It's up to airlines and the regulators of the country in which the aircraft are registered to determine the training required and the Japanese are notoriously conservative but Airbus apparently wasted little time capitalizing on the training issue. More...

SHERIFF'S BUILT-TO-BE-ARMED UAV
The Sheriff's Office of Montgomery County, Texas, has a drone thanks to a $300,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security -- it's built to carry weapons, though the Sheriff says he won't be using it that way. But that potential use isn't the only one riling locals. The 50-pound ShadowHawk unmanned vehicle is about the size of (and closely resembles) a large remote-control helicopter. It costs about $40 per hour to operate compared to $500 per hour for the manned alternative. According to the FAA, the county has received a limited Certificate Of Authorization to fly over unpopulated areas at altitudes no more than 400 feet. A report from the Government Accountability Office noted that 65 percent of drone crashes were due to mechanical failure. And practical use of the vehicle's potential future deployments raises concerns about shared airspace and midairs. Texas civil libertarians have also voiced concerns about invasion of privacy and others are concerned about the drone's potential to be armed and use force. The Sheriff says he has other plans. More...

737 MAX ENGINE CONFIGURATION SET
Boeing will add about eight inches to the nose gear of the existing Boeing 737 to squeeze 68-inch diameter fans into the nacelles of the MAX variant announced in August. The engines, LEAP-1Bs from CFM in France, will offer comparable fuel savings and noise reduction to Airbus's re-engined A320neo but the relatively low slung 737 was not originally designed for the huge fans that such efficient engines require. The lack of room had Boeing considering a clean-sheet replacement for the 737 because reworking the main gear would have been a major job on the existing aircraft but the nose-gear tweak seems to have done the trick. Meanwhile, the redesigned 737 seems to have found favor with Boeing customers. More...

E-VOLO, CLOSER TO FLYING CAR FUNCTIONALITY? (WITH VIDEO)
A team of three men operating from Germany has designed, built and announced the successful flight test of a manned electric 16-rotor multicopter. The aircraft, which looks like (and may actually be) little more than four large remote-controlled multicopters rigged together with an aluminum frame, flew for 1 minute and 30 seconds. The rotors have independent power supplies and motor controllers, and are vastly more simple than conventional helicopters in their operation and maintenance. They've also proven to be highly agile, maneuverable and stable in smaller-scale remote-control operations. In large-scale flight, the proof of concept machine is controlled by a remote controller handset held by the pilot. The first flight was piloted by team member Thomas Senkel, who sat at the center of the rig in a seat mounted above what appears to be a silver inflated exercise-ball landing cushion. Current flight endurance, technical details, and plans for the future and video, after the jump. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: THIS VETERAN'S DAY, THANK AN AIRMAN
This Veterans Day, AVweb publisher Tim Cole invites you to chime in on the AVweb Insider blog and publicly thank an airman who defended freedom in the armed services. To kick things off, he has a special "thank you" for Capt. William L. Bacheler, author of the memoir Brave, Splendid Fools. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: LOT'S GEAR-UP LANDING -- MIRACLE ON THE VISTULA!
Not really. But there's one good reason to cheer, as Paul Bertorelli explains on the AVweb Insider blog: Several news crews got great footage of LOT's gear-up slide down the runway, perhaps proving once and for all that passengers don't need to get too stressed about gear-up landings. Read more and join the conversation. More...

PODCAST: WHOSE LOSS IS IT?
There has been some controversy over Sun 'n Fun's request that owners of aircraft damaged in the March 31 tornado submit claims for recovery and environmental clean-up to their own insurance carriers. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with Avemco president Jim Lauerman about how the insurance protocols normally work in circumstances like this.

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

BRAINTEASERS QUIZ #165: SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Whether you're a student anticipating your first solo, a commercial pilot upgrading to turbines or a presidential candidate lost in Iowa, this quiz will tax your ability to identify the truth. (Politicians will be graded on a curve.)

Take the quiz. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: MILLION AIR FBO (BOB HOPE AIRPORT, BURBANK, CA)

On the electronic nomination form for "FBO of the Week," we often hear about operators who made visitors in small planes feel as important and some VIP or another — but this week's story takes the prize. AVweb reader Bruce Riter explains how the Million Air location at Bob Hope Airport (KBUR) in Burbank, California rolled out the red carpet for him when they clearly had other visitors to attend to as well:

We arrived at Million Air Burbank in our Cessna single just before a Presidential visit. We received the same VIP treatment as the celebrity visitors with their private jets and the Marine Corps One flight crew and security staff. The line crew brought our rental car to the aircraft and loaded baggage on arrival and departure. On departure day, the plane was ready to go within minutes after the ramp security was lifted. Thanks to all at Million Air Burbank for an unforgettable experience!

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!

VIDEO: AMERICAN CHAMPION FACTORY TOUR
Even in an age when composite airplanes rule, the rag-and-tube taildragger still has a place in the market. In Rochester, Wisconsin, American Champion Aircraft still builds the airplanes the way they always have, but with a number of modern improvements. In this video, ACA owner Jerry Mehlhaff gives us a factory tour and tells us about some of ACA's models. More...

VIDEO: DENALI HOTROD
When the Aeronca Champion first appeared, it had 65 horsepower and was just fast enough to get out of its own way. Into what is a very similar airframe, American Champion has stuffed a 210hp Lycoming IO-390 to produce ACA's latest model, the Denali Scout. AVweb's Paul Bertorelli recently took a test flight in it, and here's his video report. More...

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
This week's winning photo comes from Rachel Ficker of Marine, IL. Click here for the rest of this week's submissions. More...

SHORT FINAL

I was flying a particularly noisy pusher seaplane back to KPIE one day. These things have the engine right over your head and between the straight-through exhaust and prop swinging by the fuselage. They are super noisy.

On my first radio call to the tower, they came back with:
"Transmission unreadable. Just a loud noise."

I keyed up again, using my loud voice:
"Just a second. Let me shut off the engine."

The tower replied:
"No! Nooo!"

It was then obvious to me that my intention to go to idle power had been misinterpreted ... .

Mike Dwyer
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...

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...

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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