TEETHING PROBLEM GROUNDS ECLIPSE 500 TEST FLEET
Eclipse Aviation president and CEO Vern Raburn yesterday confirmed in a memo to customers that the Eclipse 500 test fleet has been grounded for the past two weeks or so because of a problem with the aft wing attach bolt bushing. Raburn told AVweb that the problem was discovered during a routine inspection and in no way could have led to wing separation or failure. According to Eclipse, the aft wing attach bolt -- one of four wing attach bolts, two of which carry the main load -- primarily prevents forward and aft wing flexing during hard landings. The snafu centered around improperly installed bushings, which "migrated and caused the hole to become elongated," though ever so slightly -- about a tenth of an inch, Raburn says. Still, that was enough for Eclipse to voluntarily ground the test fleet. Moreover, Eclipse says the problem does not affect production airplanes. More...

ECLIPSE 500 WINDSCREEN CRACKS ALSO A CONCERN
The memo to customers also identifies another problem seen in the test fleet -- windscreen cracking in the patch holes, where the windscreen attaches to the airframe. Eclipse Aviation president and CEO Vern Raburn said the cracks are only on the outer layer, so they aren't posing any pressurization problems (at least not yet). "However, it is a fatigue issue," he told AVweb, "and they're occurring much sooner than they should." In the short-term, Eclipse will require future operators to conduct a 100-cycle visual inspection to check for any windscreen cracks. Longer term, the company is working on an improved windscreen mounting method, which will be retrofitted to the fleet at Eclipse's cost. More...

BOARD WANTS MORE TRAINING FOR AIR-TAXI CREWS
The NTSB on Tuesday released the latest version of its "Most Wanted" list of aviation safety improvements. New to the list this year is a request for the FAA to mandate that crews who fly for on-demand air-taxi operators regulated under Part 135 must be trained in crew resource management (CRM). The training should include a review of accidents and offer instruction in skills and techniques for effective crew coordination. The board said several recent investigations of fatal Part 135 accidents showed the operator didn't have a CRM program, or if it did, it fell short of the training required for Part 121 crews. More...

SAFETY CONCERNS INCLUDE ICING, FATIGUE, RUNWAY INCURSIONS
The NTSB also cited runway incursions, which have been cited every year since the list’s inception in 1990. "These incidents continue to occur with alarming frequency," the NTSB said. "The FAA indicates that during fiscal year 2005 there were 327 incursions, and during 2006 there were 330. A system introduced by the FAA provides warning to air traffic controllers, but not to the flight crews, a fact that severely reduces the amount of time that pilots have to react to an impending incursion." The NTSB wants the FAA to implement a safety system that would provide direct warning to flight crews. Also among the board's concerns were pilot fatigue and icing. More...

COURT DENIES PILOTS' REQUEST TO GO HOME
A federal judge in Brazil said on Monday that the two U.S. pilots who were flying a Legacy jet involved in a midair collision in September still cannot leave the country. The pilots -- Joe Lepore and Jan Paladino, both from New York -- have been in seclusion in a hotel in Rio de Janeiro while the investigation continues into the accident, in which all 154 people on board a Gol Airlines 737 were killed. Reporter Joe Sharkey, who was a passenger on the Legacy jet, wrote in his blog that last week it seemed the pilots might be released, as the investigation's focus appeared to be shifting to air traffic control. More...

BRAZIL ATC DELAYS CONTINUE
The Legacy was flying straight and level before the collision, Sharkey says, and adds, "The Legacy pilots' skill and courage saved my butt." He says a lawyer for the pilots will appeal the judge's decision on the grounds that of all the professionals involved in the accident, only the pilots are being detained. This "discriminatory treatment" will be challenged under the principle of habeas corpus, because authorities have presented no evidence against the pilots to warrant their extended detention, Sharkey notes. The Legacy safely made an emergency landing after the collision and all seven people aboard were unharmed. Meanwhile, flight delays continue across the country as air traffic controllers stick with their "work to rule" campaign. More...

ROTAX KILLS V6 PROGRAM
The new V-6 engine that was promoted at Oshkosh last summer as the REV will be shelved, BRP-Rotax said this week. BRP-Rotax, based in Austria, said it will complete the certification of the engine next month, but then will not proceed with bringing it to market. The company will continue to offer its 912 and 914 models for recreational aircraft. "We have come a long way with the V6 engine and are proud of what we have accomplished," said Gerd Ohrnberger, general manager of BRP-Rotax. "However, when BRP was sold three years ago, management decided to concentrate the company's core activities on powersports products. Today's announcement will ensure that BRP-Rotax's human and financial resources continue to contribute to our company's mainstream activities and its growth." More...

THIELERT DENIES FRAUD ALLEGATIONS
Thielert, a German company that builds diesel aircraft engines, has rebutted accusations alleging that some of its financial reports were fraudulent. The allegations first surfaced in October, and briefly deflated the company's stock price by 40 percent, Thielert says. At that time, the company said its balance sheets had been approved by auditors and also passed an additional stringent review before its initial public offering. CEO Frank Thielert comments: "We are confident that our good products and excellent market position will enable us to press ahead ... We will do everything in our power to defuse the allegations as quickly as possible." More...

FIRST FLIGHT: VETERANS AIRLIFT COMMAND
Wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have many challenges ahead, but finding transportation shouldn't be one of them. That's the view of a new nonprofit group, Veterans Airlift Command (VAC), which is recruiting volunteer pilots and aircraft owners to lend air support to recovering soldiers and their families. The group recently flew its first mission, bringing an injured Marine from Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C., to his home in Florida. Walt Fricke, founder and CEO of VAC, called on father and son Billy and Christopher Ball to pilot the first mission. They flew their Cirrus from Jacksonville, Fla., to pick up Cpl. Christopher Brink. The trip home to Florida, which would have required 13 hours and three layovers on commercial flights, took only three hours in the Cirrus. More...

NEW GARMIN AUTOPILOT APPROVED FOR MOONEY COCKPITS
Mooney's Acclaim, Ovation2 GX and Ovation3 can now be equipped with Garmin's new GFC 700 autopilot, Mooney said this week. The FAA has certified the installation on all three models. The GFC 700 is a three-axis, fully digital, dual-channel, fail-passive Automatic Flight Control System. "The GFC 700 marks the first time single-engine piston pilots will have the option of flying with a completely integrated cockpit -- where all of the elements of the avionics panel are designed to communicate with each other for the purpose of reducing pilot workload and enhancing safety of flight," said David Copeland, Mooney's vice president of sales and marketing. More...

FREEDOM AMPHIBIAN LSA CERTIFIED
The Freedom amphibian, built by Spanish manufacturer Colyaer, was approved last week as a Special Light Sport Aircraft. The airplane, which is built of carbon fiber, Kevlar, Nomex and epoxy, won recognition earlier this year at Sun 'n Fun, where it was named best composite seaplane. It also won a takeoff award, averaging six to eight seconds to skip into the air. Its three-bladed pusher prop is powered by a 100-hp Rotax 912, and its 40-foot wingspan brings a reported 20:1 glide ratio. It's been tested in seas as high as one foot, and the retractable landing gear is designed to tolerate unimproved fields. The FAA's rule against reconfiguring the landing gear in flight remains in force. More...

FAA STAFFING A FACTOR IN FATAL CRASHES, SAYS NATCA
Two fatal crashes this year might have been affected by FAA staff changes, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said yesterday. In one incident, a local radar facility was closed for the night when a twin-engine Beech Baron crashed on approach in Lawrenceville, Ill., last month, killing the pilot. NATCA says local approach controllers should have been guiding the aircraft, but instead the flight was being handled by the Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center. An accident in April at the Bloomington, Ind., airport, in which five people aboard a Cessna U206G were killed, also resulted from the reduced quality of air traffic services available to the pilot, NATCA said. FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown told AVweb yesterday that the NTSB has not yet determined a probable cause for either of those two accidents. She added that many airports have transferred their approach control radar services over to a center during times of low activity. More...

ON THE FLY
Piaggio promises style, performance in jet design to launch next year...
Bell/Agusta flew the second prototype of its BA609 tilt-rotor aircraft...
A 172 pilot made a safe emergency landing in a riverside park in Brooklyn...
Pilots, environmentalists join in suit opposing "airport to nowhere" in Fla...
A Manitoba man was badly hurt when he was struck by the propeller of a Cessna 150...
Swiss company Aviace on Monday dropped its lawsuit against Eclipse...A 1978 Cessna T210M Centurion II, N6991B, has been reported stolen from El Gallito, Mexico. More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS...
Our best stories start with you. 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. What have you heard? More...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
COLUMNS

Probable Cause #19: Fuel And The IFR Pilot
A pilot in IMC runs out of options as the fuel needles bounce on empty. When flying IFR, there's never such a thing as too much fuel on board.

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AVWEB AUDIO NEWS
AVweb posts audio news on Mondays, plus a new in-depth interview each Friday. In Friday's podcast, you'll find an interview with Cessna chairman, president and CEO Jack Pelton, covering the company's light sport aircraft and next-generation piston family. And AVweb's podcast index includes interviews with Spectrum Aeronautical chairman Linden Blue, Adam Aircraft chairman Rick Adam and New Piper CEO Jim Bass. In Monday's news summary, hear about how the elections will affect the user-fee push; the FAA takes a hard stand on preserving airports; AOPA Expo sets record attendance in Palm Springs; Foxjet revived after being on the shelf for nearly 30 years; the Aviation Safety Reporting System celebrates 30 years; and more. Remember: In AVweb's podcasts, 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...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: FLYING INTO IMC
This week, AVweb wants to know how much risk our instrument-rated pilots shoulder. Tell us: Do you ever fly single-engine piston airplanes into solid IMC? Plus: Will the shift of power from Republicans to Democrats in both houses of Congress affect the push for user fees? Find out what AVweb readers thought of the possibility when we put the question to them last week. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: MONTGOMERY AVIATION

For local prices, enter your U.S. ZIP Code or Airport Identifier: Fuel prices provided weekly by AirNav, based on prices from the past 2 weeks. Changes are relative to last week.

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Montgomery Aviation at KTYQ in Indianapolis, Ind.

AVweb reader Justin Klump simply said that the FBO is tops and deserves to be highlighted in AVweb.

"Montgomery Aviation is a first class facility operated by first class people. You are always greeted with a smile. They are definitely deserving of the FBO Of The Week award."

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
So, is it Helicopter Week on the Discovery Channel or something?  Nearly every submission in this week's "POTW" file has rotors — from military choppers all the way to gyrocopters.  We love a good coincidental theme as much as anyone -- gives us a picture of what AVweb readers are interested in this week, y'know -- but come on, seriously, did you guys stage this?  Out of 108 entries received this week, 66 feature rotored aircraft, and another 12 were taken from the seats of gyrocopters. Nevertheless, our top photo this week comes from James Lawrence of Old Chatham, New York -- and while it doesn't feature any helicopters, it mayjust rekindle an old debate ... . 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 Newswriter/Editor Mary Grady (bio) and Editor In Chief Chad Trautvetter.

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