The Top Headlines From AVweb's Expanded, Illustrated News Coverage At AVweb's NewsWire

D-JET (WITH CHUTE?) -- PRICE CLIMBS 40 PERCENT
Diamond Aircraft announced Sunday that its D-Jet personal jet will have an introductory price of $1.38 million -- 40 percent more than the $850,000 figure that was named when the plane first went into development. Company officials also told reporters attending the annual Diamondfest at the company's North American headquarters in London Ontario, Canada, that the price jump is tied closely to buyers seeking all available options and among those, the company now intends to offer a whole-plane parachute system as an option on the 315-knot five-place single-engine jet. The cockpit will also come adorned with a massive glass panel display -- two 12-inch PFDs and a central 15-inch MFD. AVweb contributor Rick Durden was there for the unveiling. Click here to find access to his personal observations and incisive opinions along with access to AVweb's complete NewsWire. More...

A FASTER, DECKED-OUT DA40
Diamond also used the event to unveil a jazzed-up version of the DA40 that might be a competitor for the likes of Cirrus, Mooney and maybe Columbia (if you don't mind going slower with Diamond). With a Powerflow exhaust and a new composite three-bladed Scimitar prop, Diamond's been able to coax a maximum speed of 160 knots out of the new DA40XL, which is about 30 knots faster than the standard DA40 and might be enough to make future owners of high-performance singles to look at the Diamond with its $329,800 price tag, as opposed to airplanes that are 20 or 30 knots faster but also cost about $150,000 more. And, in these fuel-conscious times, it's worth noting the Diamond will burn about 10 gph at 150 ktas at 6,000 feet. There'll also be no lack of electronics on the Diamond. More...

CESSNA 120, 140, AS LIGHT SPORT AIRCRAFT?
The FAA has turned down a request by the International Cessna 120/140 Association to allow certain modified versions of the singles to be flown under the rules governing light sport aircraft (LSA). The popular taildraggers, in normal configuration, have a gross weight of 1450 pounds, 130 pounds heavier than the maximum of 1320 pounds allowed under LSA designation. It's the only limitation they don't naturally meet. A couple of years ago, the owners group applied for, and received, a Supplementary Type Certificate that would allow owners to reduce the gross weight to 1320 pounds in hopes that the FAA would then allow the aircraft to be flown by those with Sport Pilot certificates, which have much less stringent medical requirements. The FAA saw it another way, however, according to a report in Sport Pilot magazine. More...

LSA CATEGORY GAINING GROUND
The fact that owners of standard category aircraft are actively campaigning to have their planes included in the LSA movement is an indication that naysayers who predicted LSA/Sport Pilot would attract the same level of interest as the recreational certificate (virtually nil) may be looking up crow recipes. By all accounts the new category, initially spurred by the introduction of some pretty slick European airplanes, is taking off the way its promoters predicted (and it doesn't hurt having EAA's PR and lobbying machine behind it). While the majority of fixed-wing LSAs certified in the U.S. still arrive from overseas, American companies are catching up. As we've previously reported, Cessna will unveil its concept for an LSA next week at EAA AirVenture and some of the better-known U.S. kit builders are getting into the act. More...

DOUBLE STANDARD ON SAFETY
Groups representing cargo pilots are calling on the FAA to give fire safety the same priority on cargo aircraft as in passenger planes. During a two-day hearing into the fire that destroyed a UPS DC-8 just after it landed in Philadelphia last February, Shannon Jipsen, a UPS pilot and official with the Independent Pilots Association, the union representing UPS pilots, said cargo aircraft should have mandatory fire suppression systems like those in passenger planes. "We have a double standard here," Jipsen told the hearings. The Air Line Pilots Association joined the call for better training for airport firefighters for cargo aircraft fires. More...

LAPTOP BATTERIES TO BLAME FOR AIRCRAFT FIRES?
Although UPS has so far declined to confirm just what was on board the DC-8, the NTSB probe is looking at whether lithium ion batteries, of the type used to power laptop computers, might have caused the fire. Although problems are statistically rare (339 battery-related fires out of the tens of millions of batteries in service) they can have spectacular results. An exploding cellphone battery is blamed for causing $100,000 in damage to a California home last year and two years ago the FAA banned non-rechargeable lithium batteries as cargo on passenger planes because it found that halon, the fire suppressant used in jetliners, couldn't put out a lithium fire. The rechargeable type most commonly found in consumer electronics are made differently and are considered safer but, according to the Chicago Tribune, the FAA said it had "concerns" about carrying the rechargeable type on airliners. More...

EXPLODING FUEL TANKS -- FIXES NOT ENOUGH
Meanwhile, the NTSB says that earlier fixes aimed at preventing sparks from igniting vapors in aircraft fuel tanks don't work. In a news release last week, the board said the wing tank of a Transmile Boeing 727 exploded even though it had been properly fitted with electrical shields designed to prevent the electrical arcing that most likely ignited the vapors. An airworthiness directive required the wiring harness in question to be inspected, repaired and then wrapped in plastic before being returned to the conduit in the wing tank. "This accident illustrates that ignition sources continue to exist and fuel tank explosions continue to occur in both wing and center wing fuel tanks despite the corrective efforts of government regulators and industry," the board concluded. More...

CAN'T MAKE IT TO OSHKOSH? WATCH YOUR INBOX
AVweb always pulls out all the stops for its coverage of AirVenture and this year we've added a new dimension to our coverage. In addition to our four complete AvwebFlash and NewsWire editions from Oshkosh (Monday, July 24; Wednesday, July 26; Friday, July 28; and our wrap-up on Monday, July 31) we're producing three in-depth podcasts (Tuesday, July 25; Thursday, July 27; and Saturday, July 29) filled with interviews with the movers and shakers of the industry. More...

AVGAS ETHANOL EXEMPTION SOUGHT
Both AOPA and EAA are lobbying Congress to exempt aviation gasoline from two proposed amendments to the Clean Air Act. The bills propose making it mandatory for all motor vehicle gasolines (with a few exceptions for collector cars) to contain at least 10 percent "renewable fuels" by 2010. About the only viable alternative fuel now available is ethanol fermented from corn and it gives airplanes a major hangover. Separate studies by EAA, the FAA and Cessna have conclusively determined that ethanol damages everything from engines to fuel systems in airplanes, but the bills, as they stand now, would require the 10 percent quota for avgas. The groups are also hoping to get some relief for those with mogas STCs. More...

EBERSOL CRASH CO-PILOT SUES
The co-pilot of the Challenger business jet that crashed at Montrose, Colo., in 2004, killing Teddy Ebersol, youngest son of NBC Sports head Dick Ebersol, and two others says the manuals for the jet should have been more specific about the dangers of flying the Canadair Challenger 601 in icing conditions. Eric Sloan Wicksell, of Daytona Beach, claims the flight and training manuals for the plane should have spelled out the icing dangers more explicitly. The NTSB concluded that the crash, which occurred on takeoff, was most likely caused by the pilot failing to manually check for ice contamination on the wings. The pilot, Luis Polanco-Espaillat, and flight attendant Warren Richardson III, were killed while Ebersol, his older son Charlie and Wicksell were injured. More...

LIGHTNING PROTECTION BLOATS 787
Boeing engineers say its 787 Dreamliner is gaining weight as they figure out ways to shed the enormous shock a lightning strike would bring to the airliner's (nearly) all-composite composite airframe. Lightning strikes one or two airliners every year and it's not normally a big deal. The big charge just passes through the very conductive aluminum. But in a mostly composite airplane like the Dreamliner, the enormous charge looks for a relatively few conductive paths, such as hinges, attachment points and wiring, and it can vaporize or fuse them. The answer is to provide conductive routes through the composite and that's where the weight gain comes in for the efficiency-driven design, according to a report in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. More...

NORTHROP OFFERS LASER "SHIELD" FOR AIRPORTS
Northrop Grumman says it has developed a laser-based system -- a laser "bubble" -- that can knock just about any kind of airborne threat out of the air within a five-mile radius of an airport and is effective against shoulder-fired missiles up to 20 miles away. And, once it starts selling the systems in quantity, it's predicting a fully-installed price of "only" $25 million to $30 million, which it claims will be popular at airports in countries that are having neighborhood disputes, such as South Korea, Taiwan and Japan. "If it goes that [price] path, it's a very large market," Northrop spokesman Dan Wildt told Reuters. The first systems might cost as much as $200 million and will be available in about 18 months. More...

MICE GROUND A320
American Airlines says it has fixed all the damage a rampant mouse infestation caused to one of its A320s but not soon enough for maintenance workers who discovered the rodents. According to documents obtained by KARE TV in Minneapolis, the first mouse sighting was in early May and the plane was only cleaned, repaired and returned to service last week. According to the TV station, maintenance workers in Los Angeles shot video of the damage (which included dead mice in emergency oxygen masks and chewed insulation) and called the FAA's safety hotline. More...

CLARIFICATION:
In Thursday's editions of AVweb's news, a Cessna display ad was published without a contrasting border, suggesting it was part of a news story about the cargo industry. The ad was unrelated to the news story. We apologize for the oversight. More...

ON THE FLY...
Lawn chair "pilot" immortalized on the stage...
Columbia owners compensated for hail damage delay...
No criminal charges against boy who allegedly buzzed school...
Glider pilot survived 30 hours in wreck. 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 tonewstips@avweb.com. Our best stories start with your tips. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: CHRISTIANSEN JET CENTER, TULSA, OK
Nominate anFBO | Rules | Tips | Questions| WinningFBOs AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Christiansen Jet Center, Tulsa atKRVS, Tulsa, OK.Offering up Christiansen, Phil Hanson told us, "Tremendous t-storm blew into Tulsa, and they put my Skylane in their hanger among the Citations, Pilatus', etc. Staff is always very friendly and helpful." Keep those nominationscoming.Click here to nominateyour favorite FBO and here forcomplete contest rulesAVweb is actively seeking out the best FBO's in the country and another one,submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday! More...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
COLUMNS The Pilot's Lounge #102: The Last 10 FeetThe dreaded 709 ride -- it's just the FAA "here to help you," but your ticket could be on the line. AVweb's Rick Durden helped one pilot brush up on his skills and remind himself the best way to land. More...

PODCASTS
Online Now: Listen to, or take today's news with you.Find exclusive interviews featuring TCM president Bryan Lewis, NATCA president John Carr, New Piper CEO Jim Bass, Hal Shevers for Sporty's Pilot Shop, Light Sport guru Dan Johnson, 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 online, now. You'll hear things you won't find anywhere else. 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...

SHORT FINAL
Seeing is believing... Overheard while in the pattern at FNT:

Tower: N12345 traffic at your one o'clock.

N12345: Looking for traffic.

[long pause...]

Tower: N12345 traffic now ... your traffic at three o'clock.

N12345: Still looking. I only see birds over there.

Tower: Well, look close. One of them has a transponder in it. 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 Russ Niles (bio).

Click here to send a letter to the editor. (Please let us know if your letter is not intended for publication.)

Comments or questions about the news should be sent here.

Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? A question on marketing? Send it to AVweb's sales team.

If you're having trouble reading this newsletter in its HTML-rich format (or if you'd prefer a lighter, simpler format for your PDA or handheld device), there's also a text-only version of AVwebFlash. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here.

Freedom, independence, responsibility.