EFFORT FAILS TO FORCE MORE FAA/NATCA NEGOTIATIONS
"Under the terms of our statute, the FAA’s proposed change takes effect as of today, and we will begin the process of implementing our proposal," said FAA Administrator Marion Blakey on Monday, setting in motion a new era in the long history of FAA relations with its air traffic controllers. Not since the days of the strike under President Reagan has the situation been so tense. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) wanted the FAA to wait until a bill in Congress was voted on -- a bill that would have suspended the deadline and sent both parties back to the bargaining table. Last night that vote was held ... and fell short of the required two-thirds tally by nine votes. Even if the bill had passed, pointed quotes from the White House suggest President Bush would have vetoed it. More...

NATCA VOWS IT'S NOT OVER YET
Despite last night's disappointment, NATCA President John Carr noted that "a clear bipartisan majority" of the U.S. representatives voted in favor of the union's position that the contract negotiations should be reopened. "We hope the FAA has received that message," Carr said in a statement sent to AVweb last night. "NATCA will continue to pursue a legislative solution to this critical problem. We remain encouraged by the expressions of support from both sides of the aisle and in both Houses and we are confident that additional legislative avenues remain open. We're looking forward to pursuing all remaining avenues aggressively." Meanwhile, the FAA will move forward to impose the contract as it stands. More...

CESSNA TO SHOW LSA MOCK-UP AT AIRVENTURE
With few recent mutterings regarding progress on its "Cirrus killer" design, Cessna is now (also?) studying the feasibility of developing and producing a light sport aircraft (LSA). The company said Tuesday in a news release it will display a full-scale proof-of-concept aircraft at EAA AirVenture next month at Oshkosh. "As the world's largest producer of single-engine piston airplanes, we believe we could bring unique capabilities to this exciting market," said Cessna CEO Jack Pelton. "Our extensive sales and service network could provide an important market advantage, which, in concert with our design and manufacturing experience, could make this an attractive extension of our product line," he said. No word yet on an attractive (or otherwise) pricing -- the decision to build, or not to build, will be made early in 2007. More...

A NEW PLANE FOR MAKING NEW PILOTS
AOPA says pilot numbers -- and new pilot starts -- are dwindling. The light sport aircraft category is the highest growth sector of general aviation, Cessna said. But that's not the only attraction of the market. "An important part of our thought process in looking at LSA is the value in terms of new pilot starts," added Pelton. "Experience has shown that Cessna brand loyalty is a powerful force in our success, and we believe this new category of aircraft could provide a conduit for new pilots to grow through the Cessna product line in the years ahead." Pelton said the company will evaluate through the year a spectrum of issues associated with entering the sector to determine if there is a favorable business case. More...

"THE FUTURE OF ATC" ADS-B WILL BE BACK ON IN ALASKA
Next Thursday, air traffic controllers in Anchorage can resume the use of ADS-B information to separate traffic in the remote Bethel, Aniak, and St. Mary's areas of southern Alaska, the FAA says. The service was discontinued last month while the FAA reviewed its separation standards. The FAA now says ADS-B targets will be separated from each other by a minimum of five nautical miles. But non-radar separation standards will be applied between an ADS-B target and a radar target. That is, the "procedural" methods now being used, as if there were no target on the scopes, will remain in place. On July 15, the FAA will begin an operational evaluation to determine what minimum separation standard it will accept between an ADS-B target and a radar target. More...

BUT FAA ACTIONS RAISE CONCERNS
Rick Thompson, NATCA's regional representative in Alaska, told AVweb that before last month, controllers had been working on the understanding that ADS-B and radar returns were to be treated the same. But recent communications from the FAA had referred to a "mixed environment" and it became clear that not everyone was on the same page. Controllers asked for clarification, and that's when the FAA made the decision to suspend the program pending a review of the standards. Safety advocate Felix Maguire expressed concern that due to structural changes in the FAA, decisions that affect Alaska now are made in Seattle or L.A. or D.C. But the underlying problem "is a breakdown in the collaboration and collegiality that we established and fostered between the FAA and aviation industry over the past 10 years," he told AVweb last week. More...

AUSTRALIA INVESTIGATES ADS-B HACKER SUSCEPTIBILITY
Meanwhile, ADS-B is also being used in Australia, a place similar to Alaska in its dependence on small aircraft for transport across huge, empty areas. But Dick Smith, a prominent businessman and former chairman of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, has raised questions about the security of the system. Smith said that a hacker using inexpensive gear could create false aircraft returns to appear on a controller's screen, creating "total chaos in the air traffic control system," The Australian reported on Tuesday. Smith said he learned about the susceptibility from FAA officials. FAA spokeswoman Tammy Jones told AVweb on Tuesday that the Washington office had given out no such information. More...

FLY LIKE A (JET-POWERED) BIRD
Just in time for summer, it's Batman meets James Bond ... not at the movies, but up in the skies. A German company, ESG, introduced its prototype of a jet-powered wing that will enable parachutists to fly over 100 miles from the airplane to a landing site. Designed for the military, the system enables paratroopers with a new degree of versatility. The wing is now being tested sans jet engines, but still has a glide distance of about 25 miles with jumps from 32,000 feet. It also enables jumpers to operate at night and in bad weather, using a stabilization system to deal with adverse wind conditions, ESG said. And the next version of the system will have even more capability. More...

STRICKEN PILOT SAVES THREE, THEN DIES
Jack Francis, 61, was flying his Cessna 185 with his wife and another couple on board on Sunday afternoon, heading home to Park Valley, Utah, from Jackpot, Nev., when his heart began to fail. He was still 80 miles from his destination airport and knew he physically couldn't make it. So Francis put the Cessna down safely on a highway. The aircraft ran off the pavement and hit a fence, but the three passengers were unhurt. Francis died later that day. "He basically saved these other three peoples' lives by landing the plane on the highway," Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Derek Jensen told the Salt Lake Tribune. More...

NEW ZEALAND FACES AIR SAFETY CRISIS
The safety record of general aviation in New Zealand has come under scrutiny, with questions raised about the 2003 crash of a Piper Chieftain that killed eight people, including the pilot. Two others were seriously hurt. The official report on the accident was completed by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission last year, and concluded that pilot error was the most likely cause. But a report filed last week by coroner Richard McElrea cited the Civil Aviation Authority's inadequate oversight of the small charter company as a major factor. "One man, one aircraft and one part-time assistant were not a safe critical mass and the safety process of the CAA should have detected that and prevented the flight in question," McElrea said. The pilot had been cited in 20 prior incidents. On Tuesday, CAA chairman Ron Tannock vowed that the report would be heeded and changes are in the works. More...

CESSNA CITATIONS TO FLY SPECIAL OLYMPIANS
It's the largest peacetime airlift in the world, according to Cessna. Coming up July 1, 400 Citation jets from around the country will fly into the Des Moines International Airport, carrying athletes and coaches to the 2006 Special Olympics USA National Games. A Citation will land or take off every 60 to 90 seconds during a 12-hour period. "All the work leads up to that moment when a Citation door opens and an athlete steps out smiling from ear to ear," said Jack Pelton, Cessna CEO. The fleet will return on July 8 to carry the Olympians home. The first Citation Special Olympics Airlift took place in 1987 with about 130 jets. More...

EUROPE 2020: PLANNING TO ACCOMMODATE CROWDED SKIES
2020 is not that far off, only 14 years away, and air traffic above Europe is expected to double by then. Eurocontrol, the agency that manages Europe's airspace, is working on plans to cope. Those plans include not only upgrades to hardware and software, but a rethinking of the system's administrative structure. A Single-Sky vision mandates that airspace sectors will be determined by traffic flows rather than international borders. The change would create additional capacity and improve efficiency, Eurocontrol says. The Europeans also are experimenting with ADS-B technology. By 2020, the system should be able to operate with fewer ATC centers, according to Defense Daily. More...

AN ANALYSIS OF GA FRACTIONALS
When the idea of fractional ownership for single-engine piston aircraft was introduced, it was greeted with plenty of skepticism. But now it's an accepted part of the GA landscape, and continuing to grow. Aviation Consumer's June issue analyzed the financial difference between single ownership and fractional, and found that for pilots who fly from about 50 to 250 hours per year, fractional plans can work. Pilots also appreciate having fewer worries. "The number one benefit we heard from fractional owners was the pleasure of not dealing with the details of ownership," the article said. Of course, the big operators like AirShares Elite and OurPlane aren't the only option for the part-time owner. Flying clubs have been around for decades, and AOPA recently added a flying-club section to its Web site. More...

ON THE FLY...
Cirrus owners raised $105,000 to support the Red Tail Project...
Concerns raised that Opa Locka, Fla., temporary tower is unsafe...
Sky Arrow 600 LSA now available in a disabled-pilot version...
LABACE, set for August in Brazil, seeking new date and venue...
AirCell won rights to air-to-ground wireless broadband. More...

PODCASTS
Check AVweb.com tomorrow for the podcast link at the top of the page.
Online Now: Exclusive interviews featuring New Piper's Jim Bass, Excel Jet's Bob Bornhofen, Adam Aircraft's Joe Walker, FAA administrator Marion Blakey, Cirrus Design's Alan Klapmeier and more. AVweb's Podcast index, is available online -- pick and choose your pleasure, or subscribe free to AVweb's podcasts and receive them automatically for listening on your computer, iPod, or while traveling with any MP3 player. You'll hear things you won't find anywhere else. More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
What have you heard? There might be something to it. If you've heard something that 130,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. Our best stories start with your tips. More...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
COLUMNS
The Savvy Aviator #32: 2006 Aging GA Aircraft Summit
The average GA airplane is now more than 35 years old. The FAA believes this represents a significant threat to safety, but most owner associations and type clubs disagree.

More...

AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVFLASH
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP yet for AVweb's NO-COST twice monthly Business AVflash? Reporting on breaking news, Business AVflash also focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the Business of Aviation. Business AVflash is a must read. Watch for a Business AVflash regular feature, TSA WATCH: GA IN THE "SPOTLIGHT". Sign up today at http://www.avweb.com/profile/ More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: LEBANON AVIATION SERVICES

Nominate an FBO | Rules | Tips | Questions | Winning FBOs

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to LEBANON AVIATION SERVICES at KLBO, Lebanon, MO.

RON BAAKE wrote in to tell us, "THEY ARE FRIENDLY, THEY HAVE A VERY CLEAN FACILITY WITH FREE FOOD AND DRINKS. THEY ARE WILLING TO HELP YOU OUT WITHOUT QUESTION. THEY HAVE CONVENIENT HOURS."

Keep those nominations coming.

Click here to nominate your favorite FBO and here for complete contest rules

AVweb is actively seeking out the best FBO's in the country and another one, submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK
2006 has been full of exciting announcements, innovations, and power struggles. This week, AVweb wants to know which of the hottest happenings in general aviation is at the top of your watch list. PLUS: Results from last week's question about the Lycoming crankshaft failure in a Cessna 172S over St. Augustine. More...

PICTURE OF THE WEEK
We'd like to kick off this installment of "Picture of the Week" with a hearty thank you to all those who took time to re-submit their pictures after last week's server issues. Many of you mentioned re-submitting in your comments, and some photos we recognized from the mangled remnants of your first attempt. Between the new submissions and re-submits, we received well over 100 "POTW" entries this week. Choosing a winner was tough, and it became even tougher once we narrowed it down to the Top Three. An eye-catching pic from Ralph Finch and Dan Kluepfel of Davis, California eventually emerged as our top pick — but only after we changed our minds 30 or 40 times carefully considered all the candidates.

As this week's winning contributors, Ralph and Dan will receive official AVweb baseball caps — sporting the site's logo — to shade their eyes this summer. We'd love to see your photos — and maybe even send you a hat of your own. To enter the weekly contest, submit your photos here. More...

AVwebFlash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the internet's aviation magazine and news service.

Today's issue was written by news writer Mary Grady (bio).

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