STRATOLAUNCH STARTS CONSTRUCTION IN MOJAVE
Stratolaunch Systems, the new company formed in December by Paul Allen to build a giant Burt Rutan-designed aircraft that will launch payloads into Earth orbit, has started construction on a production facility and a hangar at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Over the next year, the company plans to tear down a pair of 747-400 aircraft and salvage parts and subsystems to integrate into the new airplane. "Today marks the start of an exciting journey for us," said Gary Wentz, CEO of Stratolaunch. "We look forward to many years of great work in Mojave." The two new buildings together will comprise about 180,000 square feet of workspace and offices. More...

GA GROUPS WELCOME FAA FUNDING BILL
Aviation organizations reacted with relief this week to news that a $63 billion, four-year FAA funding bill has finally been agreed on in Washington. AOPA said, "General aviation pilots can celebrate" -- the bill left out user fees and doesn't increase taxes for avgas or jet fuel. The bill makes it possible for the government to create an incentive program to help GA pilots equip for NextGen, and authorizes $13.4 billion for airport improvement projects. It also addresses through-the-fence operations, allowing airport access to adjacent property owners. Other aviation groups, such as NBAA, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, and the Air Line Pilots Association, also reacted positively to the news. More...

AMERICAN WANTS TO SLASH 13,000 JOBS
About 400 pilots are affected by sweeping layoffs proposed by American Airlines as it tries to emerge from bankruptcy. In a plan unveiled Wednesday, the airline announced it will lay off 13,000 employees, about 15 percent of its workforce, cancel unprofitable routes and retire old inefficient aircraft. "We are going to use the restructuring process to make the necessary changes to meet our challenges head-on and capitalize fully on the solid foundation we've put in place," CEO Thomas Horton said in a letter to employees. The employees have a different take. More...

DOT OIG: FAA FACES CONTROLLER SHORTAGE
Southern California, Atlanta, Chicago and New York were identified as areas that face the risk of having too few controllers as veteran controllers retire, according to a report (PDF) by the Department of Transportation. The FAA anticipated the problem, but efforts to train new recruits have seen too many fail to qualify for work at high-traffic facilities. To complicate matters, the report says those high-traffic facilities have seen attrition rates above the national average and many hold high numbers of controllers eligible to retire. The report concluded that "the Nation's most critical air traffic control facilities are facing significant staffing shortages" that "could lead to potential risks to their daily operations."The FAA has a different opinion and has issued a statement. More...

PILOT CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER IN CRASH
A New Hampshire pilot faces manslaughter charges for a crash in January 2011 that killed his 35-year-old daughter. Steven Fay, 57, of Hillsborough, N.H., will be arraigned Thursday on one count of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the crash of a Cessna 310F twin, which killed Jessica Malin. Fay is accused of "unintentionally and unlawfully" causing Malin's death by means of "wanton or reckless conduct." According to the NTSB's factual report, Fay held a private pilot certificate for ASEL only, with no multiengine rating, although he had logged about 50 hours of multi instruction time. The airplane hit trees on final approach as the pilot was attempting a visual touch-and-go landing, about 90 minutes after sunset, at a small airport in Orange, Mass. More...

NASA APP USES ATC TO TEACH MATH
A new free app from NASA is designed to help kids understand math by solving simulated ATC problems, but developers hope it will also inspire them to pursue a career in aeronautics. "Using an interactive game to spark their interest, while at the same time teaching them fundamental math concepts … is a perfect way to help cultivate the next generation of engineers and technologists," said Leland Melvin, NASA's associate administrator for education. The "Sector 33" app, which can be downloaded free from Apple's app store, allows the player to work a sector of airspace spanning Nevada and California, adjusting each airplane's path and speed to move as fast as possible while maintaining separation and avoiding thunderstorms. More...

AGILE HAWK INSPIRES UAV DESIGN
Goshawks can fly at top speed through dense forest, and researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are studying the birds to help design unmanned aerial vehicles that will fly at high speeds through city streets and other crowded environments. Emilio Frazzoli, an associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, said today's drones fly just fast enough to be able to stop within the field of view of their sensors. "If I can only see up to five meters, I can only go up to a speed that allows me to stop within five meters," Frazzoli says. "Which is not very fast." The trick the goshawk employs is to gauge the density of the forest, and speed past obstacles, knowing intuitively that, given a certain density, it can always find an opening through the trees. More...

SUPER-HEROES FLY OVER NEW YORK CITY (WITH VIDEO)
What appeared to be human forms recently seen flying over New York city made passes along the Brooklyn bridge, flew past the Statue of Liberty, and some even performed loops -- they were also part of a viral marketing campaign. To promote a movie, three remote-controlled aircraft designed to look like flying people were flown by ground-based operators. The illusion is at least surreal and at most rather convincing. The RC people design is a product marketed by rcsuperhero.com, which offers "full scale RcSuperhero 78-inch show plane plans and kits, as well as hand tossed gliders shaped as flying people." Click through to see them in action. More...

FAA DELAYS UAS RULEMAKING
The FAA has further delayed publishing rulemaking on access by unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to the National Airspace System (NAS). The agency announced Monday that a proposed rule that was supposed to be ready by the end of January will instead be published "this spring." The FAA did not say why the rule was delayed. This rule will deal with drones that weigh less than 55 pounds and the delay will affect businesses that have already found numerous uses for the increasingly sophisticated and remarkably affordable devices. More...

FAA MEDICAL SYSTEM TO GO PAPERLESS
All applications for medical and student pilot certificates will be filed electronically instead of on paper by Oct. 1, the FAA said last week. In the January issue of the FAA Medical Bulletin (PDF), Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Fred Tilton said the paper system "allows for too many errors, leads to storage problems, and creates security risks." It also costs the FAA $150,000 every year to print, store, distribute, and mail Form 8500-8. The electronic MedXPress system will eliminate those problems and expenses, and will make it possible to offer new services -- for example, Tilton said, pilots and AMEs will be able to track the status of applications online. EAA and AOPA raised concerns about the change. 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.

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK: CRASH PILOTS AS CRIMINALS?
A New Hampshire pilot is facing manslaughter charges in the death of his daughter after the twin he was flying without a multi-endorsement crashed in Massachusetts. Are there circumstances where pilots should face criminal action?

Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers about the proposed weight limit increases for light sport aircraft; click through to see the breakdown of answers. 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: THREE WISHES -- WHICH AVIATION HISTORICAL EVENTS WOULD YOU ELECT TO SEE?
If the genie popped out the bottle and granted you three wishes to witness three events in aviation history, which three would you pick? On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli offers his choices. Plus, there's a link to a cool 3-D video. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: RED TAILS -- NOT AWFUL, BUT NOT GREAT, EITHER
George Lucas intended Red Tails to feel like a movie shot during the 1940s. He got the hokey dialog part right, but at the expense of really telling the story of the Tuskegee Airmen. Still, says Paul Bertorelli on the AVweb Insider blog, it's worth a trip to the theater to see. Read more and join the conversation. More...

U.S. SPORT AVIATION EXPO 2012: VIDEO ROUND-UP
Did you miss any of our video coverage of the 2012 U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida? We were on hand to kick tires, ask questions, and fly some of this year's most exciting light sport airplanes. Be sure to check out our videos on the FK12 Comet biplane, the Vans RV-12, Flight Design's CTLE light sport police aircraft, the Renegade Falcon LS, Allegro Airplanes, and Corbi's air conditioning system for LSAs. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: FRANKLIN AVIATION (K1A5, FRANKLIN, NORTH CAROLINA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Franklin Aviation at Macon County Airport (K1A5) in Franklin, North Carolina.

AVweb reader Gerry McCarley is a regular at 1A5 and vouched for Franlin's top-notch service in his recommendation of the FBO:

I visit Franklin Aviation several times a year. Their customer care and service are some of the best I have found. On a recent visit (over Christmas) the weather changed, and snow/ice was forecast. Without my asking, Neil and his people found space in their hangar and kept my airplane inside over that night. Their fuel prices are competitive, and with the new extended runway and GPS approach, it's one of the best places to stop.

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!

MEET THE AVWEBFLASH TEAM

AVwebFlash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the world's premier independent aviation news resource.

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Paul Bertorelli

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Glenn Pew

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Scott Simmons

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Kevin Lane-Cummings
Jeff Van West

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