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November 30, 2006
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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PowerLink™ FADEC Certified on Liberty XL-2; Is It Right for Your Aircraft?
Liberty Aerospace is the first certified piston-powered aircraft with PowerLink™ FADEC as standard equipment. PowerLink™ FADEC is now also available for several additional
certified and experimental aircraft, including the A-36 Bonanza and VANS RV series. Find out how you can bring your aircraft into the state-of-the-art
online. 
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 One of the two Grob SPn Utility Jets flying prototypes was destroyed during a “demonstration flight” near the
company factory in Tussenhausen-Mattsies, Germany on Wednesday, Grob CEO Niall Olver confirmed to AVweb. Chief SPn test pilot Gerard Guillaumaud, 45, the sole occupant aboard the aircraft, was
killed. Guillaumaud was a former French air force pilot and a graduate of the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, Calif. The crash occurred at 1:20 p.m. local time shortly after takeoff, according
to witnesses. Guillaumaud was demonstrating the aircraft’s flight performance to a group of invited company guests on the ground. After what appeared to be a normal takeoff, the aircraft turned
to rejoin the landing pattern when it plunged into a meadow approximately 4.5 miles from the runway. A photo in the local newspaper, the Mindelheimer-Zeitung, shows that the wreckage of the all-composite jet was confined to a small area and completely destroyed by a post-impact
fire. Grob and German authorities are investigating.
 The aircraft destroyed was the second and newer version of the two prototypes. Before the crash, certification and
customer deliveries of the $7.1 million, eight-passenger jet had been anticipated for the third quarter of 2007. Grob had expected that the aircraft would be certified for single pilot operation. So
far, Grob has issued only a very brief statement confirming the crash and chief SPn test pilot Gerard Guillaumaud’s death. Grob CEO Niall Olver said a formal investigation of the crash will begin
Thursday and would not comment on the impact it might have on the aircraft’s development program. He had previously stated that the first two years’ production was sold out but did not
release firm order numbers.
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Aircraft Spruce Carries the Piper PA-28 Wings in Focus DVD
Wings in Focus: Piper PA-28 Series is the first in a collection that will profile popular light aircraft. As well as this beautifully paced program, the DVD has other interesting and
informative special features: A detailed video guide informs the viewer what to look for when buying a pre-owned PA-28, there is a quick video tour of New Piper's Vero Beach factory, and much more.
For more information, please call 1-877-4-SPRUCE, or
visit Aircraft
Spruce online. 
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 In a letter to customers and investors,
Eclipse Aviation CEO Vern Raburn on Monday addressed concerns that the company has not yet delivered its first aircraft -- an event that has been anticipated for weeks. "That important milestone event
has not yet taken place and in turn, this may be impacting your confidence that Eclipse can perform, and more importantly, meet the schedules we have projected for delivering your aircraft," Raburn
wrote. "Some of you have specifically asked whether it will still be appropriate for us to invoice for the upcoming 60-percent progress payment due for aircraft scheduled to be delivered through June
30, 2007." In a lengthy letter, Raburn explains the complexities addressed by the company as it evolves from development to production, and assures customers that they will still get their airplanes
on time. "We are positioned with an achievable plan to deliver approximately 10 aircraft in 2006 and 515 aircraft in 2007," he says. Thus, the required progress payments from customers are still
expected on schedule.
 When the FAA issues a production certificate for an aircraft, the company must be able to ensure that
every airplane that comes off the line conforms exactly to the type design that the FAA approved. The FAA's review process to ensure conformity is "very well defined, detailed and unforgiving,"
Eclipse Aviation CEO Vern Raburn says. The FAA found problems with Eclipse's conformity process -- not the airplane itself -- and the company must rectify those issues before it can start deliveries.
Eclipse is working closely with the FAA to create a plan of action to address all of the concerns. "We will work our way through this issue," Raburn wrote. The FAA team will return to Eclipse during
the week of Dec. 4 to begin the formal certification process, he says. "We are asking that all of our customers work with us and support us during this transition from a development company to a
production company," Raburn concludes in the letter. "Now is the time for shared communication and mutual support…As our
production process moves up the learning curve, we will project more specific aircraft delivery dates. Eclipse is focused and committed to complete this production certification process and deliver
your aircraft."
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Adam Aircraft Designs & Manufactures the A700 AdamJet & A500 Centerline Piston Twin
Adam Aircraft's A700 features twin Williams FJ-33 engines, state-of-the-art avionics, and comfortable seating for eight (or seven with an aft lavatory). The A700 is currently undergoing flight
test and development. Adam Aircraft's A500 centerline piston twin has been Type Certified by the FAA and offers superior safety, range, and performance, along with the pressurized comfort of a
roomy six-seat interior.
For complete details
on both aircraft, go online. 
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 Brazil should immediately release the two U.S. pilots who have been denied permission to leave the country since late
September, when the Legacy jet they were flying collided with a Gol Airlines 737 over the Amazon jungle, the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA) said in a statement. IFATCA also found fault with some of the methods used by Brazil's ATC system, and was "surprised and disheartened" by
remarks by a Brazilian official that implied a controller was in error. IFATCA also raised concerns about the "tone" of an interim report released last week, and said parts of it were ambiguous and
incomplete. IFATCA represents more than 50,000 air traffic controllers in more than 130 countries. The National Business Aviation Association also this week posted a "Call to Action," asking everyone
involved in business aviation to contact their Congressional representatives on behalf of the pilots. An online
form is provided to make it easy to sign on to the letter campaign. Meanwhile, families of the two pilots visited them in Rio de Janeiro over the Thanksgiving holiday, Newsday reported. The pilots have been
staying in a hotel there, and authorities have said they will not be allowed to leave Brazil until the investigation is complete, which is expected to take another 10 months.
 Brazil's ATC software is badly designed, contributing to an "unsafe and dangerous" system, the International
Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA) alleges. The radar display will automatically indicate a change in altitude to the assigned flight level, without confirmation from a
controller, it says. Thus, the screen apparently showed the Legacy jet at FL360, as assigned, even though no communications between the pilots and ATC confirmed the change in altitude, IFATCA says,
and the jet never made that change. "Information we have gathered tells us that this 'discrepancy' happens several times a day and is a 'common scenario' for ACC Brasilia...IFATCA believes that
operators in the air (the pilots), and on ground (the controllers), fell victim to unacceptable systems traps brought on by ‘non-error tolerant’ and ‘bad system design’ of air
traffic control and flight equipment in use."
In the Legacy cockpit, it's easy for pilots to accidentally turn off the transponder, thus disarming the TCAS, and the system's warnings are inadequate, IFATCA said. The situation creates "a
dangerous trap for pilots." According to Honeywell, "The initial report from the investigation team does not identify any evidence to indicate that Honeywell's equipment failed at any time during the
flight. While the report does indicate that the transponder was not on at the time of the collision, there is no evidence that the transponder or radio management unit was defective or malfunctioned
in any way. Honeywell's equipment is certified by the National Agency of Civil Aviation (ANAC) in Brazil, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the Joint Aviation Authority in Europe. Pilots
who fly these aircraft are trained to operate this equipment and receive annual retraining every year. Honeywell is not aware of any operational issues with either the transponder or the radio
management unit in the Embraer Legacy aircraft."
 With an ongoing investigation inviting scrutiny, 10 controllers off duty while that investigation continues, ongoing
staff disputes, and commercial flights plagued by delays, the head of Brazil's air traffic control system has been dismissed. Paulo Roberto Cardoso Vilarinho, director of Brazilian airspace control,
was relieved of his post Friday, according to The Associated Press. Vilarinho is being
replaced by Maj. Brigadier Paulo Hortensio Albuquerque Silva. Last week, about 40 shouting passengers swarmed onto a runway at Curitiba airport to protest a 10-hour delay, Reuters reported. About half of Brazil's flights were running behind schedule, half of those for an hour or more.
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Fly in Ultra-Comfort with LightSPEED Headsets
"Custom ear molds made my Mach 1 as quiet as any headset I've tried." — Bing Lantis, President of Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing. Discover what thousands of pilots already
have: the most comfortable headsets in the industry. The in-the-ear Mach 1 weighs less than 1 oz.; the full-size Thirty 3G, just under 16 oz. and uses soft conform-foam ear cushions.
Try a LightSPEED headset with a 30-day money-back guarantee. To order, contact a LightSPEED dealer or call (800) 332-2421 (PST, business hours).
View the 60-second
video clip!
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 General aviation pilots will soon have access to new icing forecasts, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey said on Tuesday. The Current
Icing Product Severity tool, which has been in testing and development for a few years, will be fully operational in two months or less, she said, in time for much of this icing season. "This
product combines observations from satellite, radar, surface, lightning networks and pilot weather reports with model output to provide a detailed, hourly, three-dimensional diagnosis of in-flight
icing conditions and potential for super-cooled liquid droplets," Blakey said. Speaking at the Washington, D.C., Aero Club on Tuesday, Blakey also described other weather-enhancement programs in the
works. The Collaborative Convective Forecast Product, which has been around for a few years, puts out a forecast every two hours from March through October, Blakey said. Those forecasts now look out
about six hours, but will be expanded to eight. Other projects will improve the collection, analysis and dissemination of weather data. Providing better weather forecasts is an important part of
creating a next-generation air traffic system, Blakey said.
 AOPA on Monday reported that wording
contained in a June 6 letter from the FAA's Eastern Region counsel attempting to clarify the legal interpretation of "known icing conditions," would, if literally applied, "unnecessarily ground many
safe general aviation flights" this winter. A sentence in the counsel's letter reads, "Reduced to basic terms, known icing conditions exist when visible moisture or high relative humidity combines
with temperatures near or below freezing," and thereby introduces "high relative humidity" as a factor that contributes to structural icing in flight, according to AOPA. Cryogenics aside, the
association argues the wording would place anyone flying any aircraft not equipped for known icing in conditions of high relative humidity and temperatures at or near freezing in violation of federal
regulations. Unfortunately for pilots, relative humidity is not an item included in either National Weather Service aviation weather, or FAA reports or forecasts, says AOPA. Fortunately, AOPA has no
intention of letting the "new interpretation" ripple through the ranks of general aviation and has already brought attention to the semantic snafu via a Nov. 17 letter to the FAA asking that "the interpretation be rescinded."
 Ash from volcanic activity can be a real hazard aloft -- over the last 20 years, more than 200 aircraft have reported encounters with
ash, and seven lost engine power. Now a new method of sonic detection may help to predict where the ash will occur, so airplanes can have advance warning to avoid the area. Milton Garces of the
University of Hawaii has developed a prototype system known as ASHE (Acoustical Surveillance for
Hazardous Eruptions). In January, his team deployed the system in Ecuador, and it detected distinctly different infrasound signals between ash-rich eruptions that occurred in July and August and an
eruption in May that injected very little ash into the atmosphere. According to Garces, the results suggest that infrasonic monitoring can provide valuable information that may improve future
early-warning systems for aviation safety. Just this week, airports in Italy were closed due to clouds of ash from Mount Etna for four nights.
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Life Is 3D — Now, So Is Your Flight Log
Share the thrill with others, or gain a new perspective on your flight. Perfect for students and CFIs, AS Flight Lite software converts GPS tracks into stunning 3D Flight Logs with realistic
terrain and high-resolution satellite imagery.
View the demo
online. 
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 A few weeks ago, Taylorcraft President Harry Ingram, facing Chapter 11 bankruptcy, was told he would have to vacate his hangar
at the Brownsville/South Padre Island (Texas) International Airport. A city attorney at the time said
"the outcome is inevitable," but that just goes to prove how the future defies prediction. This week, the city and Ingram reached an agreement that will allow the airplane manufacturer to stay.
“The opportunity doesn’t happen ordinarily,” City Commissioner Ricardo Longoria Jr. told Ingram, the Brownsville Herald reported. But it happened this time, and that gives Taylorcraft another chance. Under the new plan, Ingram agreed to pay the city $15,000 a month by
cashier’s check through next July. If he defaults at any time, eviction would be immediate.
 Cirrus Design Corp. hit a new record for aircraft orders
in the third quarter, the company announced on Monday. As reported in the General Aviation Manufacturers
(GAMA) third-quarter report, Cirrus has sold 529 airplanes so far this year. The company credits the creation of a worldwide sales network for the increase. International orders accounted for 24
percent of all business through October, up from 5 percent in 2002. John Bingham, vice president of sales, says the Cirrus strategy of shipping airplanes overseas for local reassembly is paying off.
Cirrus aircraft are distributed from the U.K. for European sales and from Australia for buyers in that country and Asia. “Once again, our factory-direct-to-the-consumer sales model has proven
itself," Bingham said. “In 2005, we anticipated a 26-percent increase in overall international sales, and we are on target to make and exceed that goal.” According to the GAMA report, the
Cirrus SR22 maintains its place as the world’s best-selling airplane for five year’s running. “We are encouraged by these sales figures and further motivated to continually develop
technologies, features and programs that expand customer satisfaction and provide greater accessibility to our airplanes,” said Cirrus President David Coleal.
 The potential for a new vintage aircraft museum housed at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport has all but
evaporated after Councilman Dave Siebert (the project's main proponent) withdrew the motion from the City Council agenda. Mayor Phil Gordon told Tucson's KVOA news that Siebert withdrew the item to
defuse division between veterans and arts groups, which may have squabbled over the source of the funds. Siebert may yet seek alternative methods of funding, including community support through the
city's next bond program and/or corporate sponsorship, but the proposed $9 million vintage aircraft museum plan has already been countered by a feasibility study setting the mark at $50 million for a
"premiere museum," according to KVOA. There, too, a compromise is not out of the question -- rather than a premiere museum, Siebert in a memo to City Manager Frank Fairbanks last week said he may seek
to fund a "vintage aircraft display."
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Introducing New AeroShell® Oil W 80 Plus
The newest member of the AeroShell® family, AeroShell® Oil W 80 Plus is designed to provide excellent protection for pilots who fly in colder weather or less frequently. With the
same anti-wear and anti-corrosion additives found in AeroShell® W 100 PLUS, new AeroShell® W 80 Plus provides pilots with a lighter single-grade oil they can trust.
Holiday special and
more information online. 
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 When the FAA published its proposed Air Tour Safety rule back in 2003, it was met with just about universal
opposition from the aviation community. Comments and hearings went on through 2004, and since then, the FAA has quietly been working on its final version of the rule. EAA has been carefully watching the progress of the rule through the bureaucratic maze, and says it should be
published sometime in the next month or so. The FAA is not giving any hints about what to expect. “We usually get some sort of an indication as to what a final rule will look like, but not this
time,” says EAA's Earl Lawrence, vice president for industry and regulatory affairs. In its original Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the FAA proposed sweeping changes to commercial and
noncommercial passenger-carrying operations that EAA contended are not justified by safety data and would not enhance safety. EAA also says the FAA failed to consider the dramatic costs of the
proposed rule. Several public hearings and a slew of comments demonstrated virtually unanimous opposition to the proposal from the aviation community. “As written, the FAA went much farther than
the original Congressional mandate requested,” said Lawrence. “It would destroy many areas of general aviation that have been created strictly for historic or demonstration purposes.”
Opponents to the rule said it would put 700 companies out of the sightseeing business, curtail charity sightseeing flights and
increase costs for air-tour companies that do manage to stay in business.
 Automated flight systems took another step forward in August, when Boeing's Automated Aerial Refueling test program successfully demonstrated for the first time an unmanned air vehicle's ability to autonomously maintain a steady refueling station
behind a tanker aircraft, the company said this week. The idea is to develop UAVs that will be able to fly up to a tanker and refuel themselves. "This can enable a quicker response for time-critical
targets and will reduce the need for forward-staging refueling areas," said David Riley, manager of the program for Boeing Phantom Works. "Another benefit is increased in-theater military presence
with fewer military assets." The flight tests were conducted with the New York Air National Guard 107th Air Refueling Wing, which provided a KC-135R refueling tanker, and Calspan Corp., which provided
a Learjet equipped with a special Boeing flight-control system that allowed it to fly as an unmanned air vehicle (though a crew was actually occupying the Learjet’s flight deck). The flight tests
integrate components on both the tanker and receiver aircraft to demonstrate that the receiver aircraft (the UAV) can autonomously hold position relative to the tanker while the tanker executes its
standard air refueling maneuvers. Six flights were conducted with the Boeing flight-control system engaged, which enabled the Learjet to autonomously hold various positions in space -- contact,
pre-contact or observation -- around the KC-135R. During a flight on Aug. 15, the Learjet was flown manually to the contact position behind the KC-135R -- the point from which Air Force aircraft
receive fuel from a tanker's refueling boom. The aircraft's flight-control system was then engaged, said Riley, and it autonomously held the contact position for 23 minutes while the tanker flew two
full air refueling orbits, or holding patterns.
 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/.
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If Brokers Say They Cover the Whole Market, Why Can't They Get a Quote from Us?
The fact is brokers can't get a quote from Avemco, the only direct provider of aviation insurance. On top of that, only Avemco lets you talk directly to the aviation underwriter for
fast, accurate answers in one simple phone call. Plus, Avemco offers consistent rates and coverage as well as short, easy-to-understand policies. So if a broker tells you he covers the whole
market, he's only telling you half the story. Call Avemco at (888) 241-7891 or
visit online to hear
the rest of the story. 
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Test pilot Scott Crossfield was posthumously awarded the Engen Trophy on Tuesday by the Washington, D.C., Aero
Club. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey made the presentation to his daughter Susan...
A helicopter crashed in Lyons, Oregon, last week while hoisting Christmas trees in a sling attached with
a rope. The rope broke and rebounded, hitting the rotor. The pilot was unhurt...
EAA's Sport Pilot Tour will visit Flabob Airport in Riverside, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 2, and Brown Field in San Diego
on Saturday, Dec. 9...
Airborne spotters get the credit for a record year of marijuana-plant eradication in
Kentucky...
When the LoPresti Fury went on sale Monday, orders started to stream in at the rate of two per hour, said Rj Siegel, VP of operations.
“We hoped for a strong response, but we never expected this!” he said…
Tiger Aircraft is looking to sell its manufacturing plant in West Virginia for $5 million, according to local
news reports. The company, which has laid off most of its staff and produced just three airplanes so far this year, has said it wants to raise money and stay in business.
 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. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part.
Find all of today's stories in AVweb's: NewsWire
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If You Think "Bargains" Are Something Alien to Aviation — Think Again!
Spending hard-earned money on your aircraft and its avionics can be expensive. But don't think good deals aren't available in today's marketplace. Bennett Avionics provides pilots with
quality avionics to meet their needs and maintain their budget. Before you buy anywhere else, check out Bennett Avionics at (860) 653-7295 or
online. 
You'll be glad you did!
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BRAINTEASERS
Quiz #114: Aerodynamically Speaking
When airfoils slam into enough innocent air molecules at just the right speed, lift results. Seems like magic, but there is a little science involved. So let's explore a few basic tenets of
aerodynamics.
 AVweb posts audio news on Mondays, plus a new in-depth interview each Friday. In last Friday's podcast, you'll find an interview with Honda v-p Jeffrey Smith, who talked everything HondaJet with AVweb at Honda Aircraft's
open house last Monday. And AVweb's podcast index includes interviews with Cirrus Design cofounder and CEO Alan Klapmeier; Cessna chairman, president and CEO
Jack Pelton; Spectrum Aeronautical chairman Linden Blue; Adam Aircraft chairman Rick Adam; and New Piper CEO Jim Bass. In Monday's news
summary, hear about who's bidding for Raytheon Aircraft, another Lycoming crankshaft lawsuit, a smaller turbofan engine that could spawn more personal jets, Project Pilot gift-giving idea and
more. Remember: In AVweb's podcasts, you'll hear things you won't find anywhere else.
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Use the Best — ASA's 2007 FAR/AIMs and FAA Exam Prep Now Available
ASA's 2007 FAR/AIMs, Test Preps for pilots, and Fast-Track Test Guides for AMTs are now available. Prepware combines all the information in the Test Prep and Fast-Track Test Guide series in
computer-based training. Contains all FAA Knowledge Exam questions. Virtual Test Prep lets students study from their TVs or computer DVD players. For complete details about these products,
visit ASA's web
site. 
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This Week's Question
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Last Week's Results
PREVIOUS RESULTS ***
Last week, AVweb asked our readers to rate Lockheed Martin's
performance (so far) as a private provider of AFSS services.
The bulk of your responses (42%) fell into the middle-ground category
of Good, with more of you leaning toward the positive upper end
(of Very Good and Excellent) than the lower end (Poor and
Very Poor).
For a complete breakdown of last week's answers,
click here.
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION ***
An AVweb reader at the FAA recently asked us how many of his fellow
AVwebbers are planning to upgrade their GPS units with WAAS capability.
Are you?
Click here to answer.
Have an idea for a new QOTW? Send your suggestions to
qotw@avweb.com. NOTE:
This address is
only for suggested QOTW questions, and not for QOTW answers or
comments.
Use
this form to send QOTW comments to our AVmail Editor.
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Reserve Your Advanced Order Now for Kevin Garrison's New Book!
AVweb's "CEO of the Cockpit," Kevin Garrison, has a new book coming out in two months. Clear Left, I'll Have the Chicken, published by ASJA press, will be
Kevin's third humor book and his first about flying.
Reserve your copy
online today. 
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Nominate an FBO
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Rules
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Tips
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Questions
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Winning FBOs
AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Million Air at KSLC in Salt Lake City, Utah.
AVweb reader Harlan Ribnik said he was treated, well, just like a millionaire at the facility, even though he didn't pull up at the ramp in a jet aircraft.
"From the instant I taxied to their ramp, I was met with the friendliest line crew I've ever met. The atmosphere was incredibly friendly, service-oriented. I was made to feel an honored guest,
rather than just somebody bringing business to the store. I have been at many FBOs who so clearly tailor their service to the type of aircraft being serviced, that it was a very welcome surprise to be
treated as well as the G5 pilot, even though I flew a Mooney. Even when things did not go as smoothly as might be optimal, the staff made me feel comfortable and confident that I and my airplane would
be well cared for. And we were!
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!
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IFR, the Magazine for the Accomplished Pilot
IFR magazine presents readers with monthly doses of straightforward, irreverent, pull-no-punches articles and advice and hair-pulling, pencil-breaking, skill-sharpening quizzes —
all to add to your confidence and renewed proficiency for today's flying in the complex IFR system.
Order your
subscription online for savings from the regular rate. 
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Submit a Photo
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Rules
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Tips
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Questions
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Past Winners
Welcome to another installment of AVweb's "Picture of the Week" — the
feature that showcases our readers' keen eyes and impeccable taste in
aerial photography. Normally, we see a little bit of decline in
the number of submissions over the week of Thanksgiving, but our
submission box was pretty full this week, in spite of the holiday.
Without further adieu, here are some of the best from this week's crop
of over 75 photos:
*** THIS WEEK'S WINNERS ***
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medium
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copyright © Jim
Wilson
Used with permission |
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Pulling Gs It's been a while since a head-on
plane-to-plane shot made it all the way to the top spot and took home
the coveted top prize (an official AVweb baseball cap and our eternal
gratitude, for the record).
Jim Wilson
of Allen, Texas breaks that streak — and shows us F-15 pilot Scott
Perdue in a different setting than he's used to having his picture
taken, piloting his Extra 300.
Thanks for the photo, Jim. We'll be sending that AVweb cap out
to you in a day or so — watch your mailbox!
Remember: If you want to be featured in "Picture of the Week"
(and maybe win some high-quality, sharp-looking headgear of your own),
you've gotta
send us your photos.
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AVweb continues to receive a large number of excellent images for
our POTW contest. Here are some of the runners-up. Due to privacy issues,
AVweb does not publish e-mail addresses of
readers who submit photos. |
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copyright ©
Kenneth M. Chapman
Used with permission |
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Morning over Melbourne
Kenny Chapman of Canby, Oregon steps
up with our Recommend Desktop Wallpaper of the Week.
[We received a fair number of balloon pics this week (11 out of 78).] |
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RB Air Race
We recently asked "POTW" readers how they feel about PhotoShopped
entries to our weekly contest (and got some interesting replies, a
handful of which can be seen in
this week's AVmail).
Martin Sullivan of Sarnen, Obwald
(Switzerland) tackles the issue head-on — spectacularly, we might add —
with this piece of digital craftsmanship that's sure to stir the debate.
(For more, you might want to check out
Sullivan Fine Art
on the World Wide Web.) |
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Used with
permission of
Donald A. Lakatosh |
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A Day at the Park
Donald A. Lakatosh of Knoxville,
Tennessee writes:
"My sons and I, William and Robert, were playing catch on a beautiful
late November Sunday afternoon when we were drawn to [the] sky to see a
venerable Duchess taking off from our local flight school. The park, our
favorite, is located at the end of runway 26 at Knoxville Downtown (KDKX).
My wife Kara took the picture as if on cue. I soloed at KDKX and
this park is a very special place to me." |
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copyright ©
Bill Adler
Used with permission |
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Going Down?
Yikes! Things aren't nearly as dire as they appear in this photo
from Bill Adler of Washington, D.C.
"When I saw these two jets flying over Washington, D.C., I knew I had to
quick-draw my camera and snap the photo as they approached the V
between the houses," writes Bill. "The illusion came out well." |
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Balloon Sunrise
Mike Pastore of Wheaton, Illinois
was another of our balloonographers this week.
(All right, we'll stop making up words. Next week.)
Mike's photo was taken when a morning balloon flight with his wife
presented "a perfect opportunity to capture the mood of the moment." |
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Sunset Flight
Ray Mansfield of Ft. Walton Beach,
Florida waves us out this week with a stunning cabin sunset photo that
has to be seen at
full-size to be appreciated.
Ray's photo was snapped from the cockpit of an Aero Commander 680 over
Florida on Monday evening. Thanks for capturing (and sharing) the
scene, Ray! |
To enter next week's contest,
click here.
A Reminder About Copyrights: Please take a moment to consider the
source of your image before submitting to our "Picture of the Week" contest.
If you did not take the photo yourself, ask yourself if you are indeed
authorized to release publication rights to AVweb. If you're uncertain,
consult the
POTW
Rules or
send us an e-mail.
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AVWEB APPRECIATES YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF OUR SPONSORS,
WHO BRING YOU TODAY'S NEWS AND FEATURES AT NO COST TO YOU
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CO Guardian has reliable and proven CO detectors in both portable and panel-mount models starting at $149. You can't afford not to purchase from CO Guardian.
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Pilots Comment After Reading IFR: A Structured Approach:
"The GPS chapter alone is worth getting the book. It's the best instrument flying book I have ever read," states Fred Scott. "If one book could help you make the leap from a bit
player to a skilled conductor of instrument flight, this is probably it," reads a November 2003 AOPA Pilot review. With the help of this book, you will establish your personal standard of
IFR operating practices, including incorporation of checklists, flows, callouts, briefings, and the "fly by the numbers" method of aircraft control.
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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 Contributing Editors Mary Grady (bio) and Glenn Pew (bio).
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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.
Aviate, navigate, communicate.
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