FAA FACES THE BLUE TIDE
Congress may already have started its holiday recess, but with a major changeover due to take place in January you can bet they're not idle in Washington, D.C. The Democrats are itching to take charge, and they plan to take a more active role in overseeing aviation safety and the FAA, according to James Carroll, a Washington reporter for the Louisville Courier-Journal. U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Ky., who has just been appointed to the House Appropriations Committee, told Carroll, "If [the FAA is] not going to do what needs to be done through the regulatory process, we're going to have to pass some legislation to force them to do it." Chandler, whose district includes the Lexington (Ky.) Airport where a Comair CRJ-100 crashed in August, says the air traffic control system is woefully understaffed. He claims the agency has been "utterly not forthcoming" about its handling of staffing at Blue Grass Airport and at other facilities nationwide. More...

MONEY CRUNCH THREATENS ATC HIRING PLAN
Meanwhile, the FAA is not happy with a proposal from Democratic leaders to extend 2006 spending levels through 2007. If that happens, an FAA official said in a memo that the agency might have to freeze all hiring of air traffic controllers and technicians after March 31. "In anticipation of the impact that could have on our finances, we must take further steps to reduce spending while still maintaining effective services to our customers," said Eugene Juba, the FAA Air Traffic Organization's senior vice president of finance. More...

SENATE ACTS TO REDUCE AIRPORT NOISE
Operators of aircraft weighing more than 75,000 pounds that don't yet meet Stage 3 noise standards would have just three years to upgrade, if legislation introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., passes next year. The Aircraft Noise Reduction Act of 2006, introduced on Dec. 7, sends "an important message to airports, aircraft owners and airport neighbors that the impacts of these aircraft can no longer be tolerated," said John Lindemann, an anti-noise advocate. The legislation will be considered when the new Congress convenes in January. An estimated 1,000 to 1,300 Stage 2 aircraft are still in operation, less than 10 percent of the fleet, but they account for an inordinate percentage of noise complaints, Lindemann said. More...

IS NEW PIPER READY FOR A MOVE?
A story in TCPalm.com on Wednesday said local officials are concerned that New Piper Aircraft might be weighing offers to move out of Vero Beach, Fla. "We've all heard the rumors, and at this point it's time to get a hold of [New Piper CEO Jim] Bass," County Commission Chairman Gary Wheeler told TCPalm. New Piper spokesman Mark Miller told AVweb on Wednesday afternoon that those concerns have been "blown out of proportion." Officials from other counties in Florida and other states have expressed an interest in wooing the company's PiperJet production facility, he said, but the company is not out there looking for offers. "Would I say we would never leave Florida? No, but we don't have any agenda or mandate to move." More...

ECLIPSE SECONDARY SALES BRISK
Although Eclipse Aviation has yet to actually deliver an airplane, there are dozens of Eclipse 500s for sale as the secondary market picks up. And, according to analyst Michael Press, Eclipse itself is dabbling in the market, selling an unconfirmed number of early positions for $1.75 million, well above the $995,000 that Eclipse spokesman Andrew Broom said it would have originally realized on the sale of a so-called Platinum position. Press suggests the Albuquerque, N.M.-based start-up manufacturer might have even undervalued those sales, since the owners of positions No. 3 and 19 are currently asking $1.85 million and getting interest. There are now 39 Eclipse positions listed for sale on Controller.com. More...

MORE DETAILS EMERGE FOR DIAMOND'S SUPER STAR
Diamond Aircraft's Austrian unit today announced the DA50 Super Star five-place "up to 350 hp" aircraft, offering what it says will be "the most spacious in the new generation of single-engine aircraft in General Aviation." An image of the aircraft shows a DA40-like planform (fixed-gear, low-wing and T-tail), but the horizontal stabilizer sports anhedral tips and on the opposite end, the close-cowled powerplant shows only one front-side opening below the prop -- a fat four-blade MT. The aircraft was "unofficially presented" to attendees at a Diamond Christmas party in Austria. Diamond's North American arm told AVweb they offered no additional comments, but said more information would be forthcoming from its headquarters in Austria. More...

AOPA REPORT SHOWS RISE IN GA ACCIDENTS
AOPA this week released its annual review of aviation safety, the Nall Report, and this year's edition shows the overall 2005 accident rate increased to 7.2 accidents per 100,000 flight hours, compared with 6.5 the year before. The rate of fatal accidents also increased, from 1.3 to 1.4 per 100,000 flight hours. "While the sky certainly isn't falling, the record that we chalked up in 2005 could stand some improvement," said Bruce Landsberg, executive director of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. The number of fatal accidents related to weather declined, but the number due to maneuvering flight rose. In response, the ASF will produce a new online course to help improve those pilot skills. More...

APPEAL OF ANTI-HOMEBUILDING LAW FAILS
When Jacksonville, Fla., passed a city ordinance in June banning the home-based construction of aircraft, it seemed so unfair that it was expected to fail under court scrutiny. But now an appeal to the courts to reverse the ban has been rejected. "Cities have the right to zone based on aesthetic (or noise) considerations," Judge John Moran said in his ruling on the case, according to the Jacksonville Times-Union. While aviation enthusiasts may disagree with the policy, that doesn't mean the city's decision was "arbitrary and capricious," he said. Homebuilder Brian Kraut had challenged the law as unconstitutional. It was imposed after neighbors complained about his working on a Midget Mustang. More...

AIRPLANE CRASHES INTO SEWAGE POOL
On Tuesday morning, officials in Gilroy, Calif., drained a sewage tank that held the wreck of a small airplane. The aircraft was a Beech 95 Travel Air that went missing on Monday afternoon after taking off from Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose with an instructor and two students on board. All three were Japanese, and a Japanese passport was found near the site of the wreck, according to the FAA. The tank is about 20 feet deep and 25 feet in diameter, and took most of the morning to drain to recover the aircraft. More...

PILOT CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER AFTER FATAL CRASH
A 30-year-old man who was flying a 1972 Bellanca Super Viking when it crashed into a pond in northeastern Oklahoma on Saturday night, killing all three passengers, has been charged with three counts of manslaughter. Thomas Brent Caldwell, 30, of Pryor, Okla., apparently never had a pilot certificate and was drinking at the time of the accident, authorities said. Killed in the crash were Mariano Carlos, 15, of Pryor; and Eduardo Robles, 20, and Campos Gonzalez, 33, both from Mexico. Investigators said it appears the engine was not producing power when the airplane hit the water, and the passengers appear to have drowned. More...

YOUR NEW PILOT: H.A.L.
The European Commission (EC) is funding development of a 230-seat pilotless airliner, according to a report this week by Flight International. According to the magazine, the math behind the program forecasts a jet with 10 more seats than its piloted brethren plus design and technology improvements that would allow it to burn 1,500 fewer gallons while also requiring less maintenance. The report does not indicate if those advances would be for some reason unavailable to pilot-included aircraft. The EC's $691 million project aims to produce an aircraft "capable of seamless operations in the proposed Innovative Future Air Traffic System." More...

ON THE FLY
A B-29 renovated at Boeing will go to the Kansas Aviation Museum next month...
NASA will give 3-D Moon imagery and other data to Google...
Ultralight flyers must apply by Jan. 31 to convert to sport pilot certificate...
A new GPS satellite that went into orbit last month is now fully operational...
CAMP Systems International will acquire Aircraft Shopper Online. 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...

THE SAVVY AVIATOR #39
COLUMNS

The Savvy Aviator #39: Temperamental Ignition
The multi-probe digital engine monitor indicated that something wasn't right with the left engine of my Cessna Turbo 310, but it took some head scratching before I figured out exactly what the problem was.
More...

AVWEB DAILY NEWS COVERAGE
You can now get the latest general aviation news from AVweb -- the world's premier independent aviation news source -- as it happens at AVweb.com. Or sign up for our news feed and have the most recent headlines pushed directly to your RSS-based news reader. Either way, you'll be able to read the same concise, but comprehensive, news stories that you've come to expect from AVweb. And for major breaking general aviation news, AVweb will send out news alerts via e-mail to keep subscribers informed. Don’t worry -- you'll also continue to receive AVwebFlash every Monday and Thursday. More...

AVWEB AUDIO NEWS
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 Bill Lear Jr. on light jet progress. And AVweb's podcast index includes interviews with NATA President Jim Coyne; Eclipse Aviation's Vern Raburn; Honda Aircraft's Jeffrey Smith; Cirrus Design cofounder and CEO Alan Klapmeier; Cessna chairman, president and CEO Jack Pelton; and Spectrum Aeronautical chairman Linden Blue. In Monday's news summary, hear about the DOT Inspector General is starting an audit to determine who is using U.S. airspace, Diamond Aircraft's possible foray into a high-performance piston single, the FAA's use of crushable concrete for runway arresting systems and more. Remember: In AVweb's podcasts, you'll hear things you won't find anywhere else.

Brought to you by Bose Corporation. More...

AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVFLASH
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP yet for AVweb's NO-COST twice monthly business newsletter, AVwebBiz? 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. Sign up today at http://www.avweb.com/profile/. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: YOUR PREFERENCE IN IFR APPROACH CHARTS
This week, AVweb wants to hear what kind of charts you prefer to carry with you in the cockpit — paper or electronic? FAA or Jeppesen?

Plus: Results of last week's Question on how you pay for your avgas. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: NORTH AMERICAN AVIATION

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to North American Aviation at KRFD in Rockford, Illinois.

AVweb reader Wayne Phillips said he's treated like a rock star at this FBO.

"No matter what size airplane you fly in, they treat you like a rock star. They also keep 100LL prices low for a big airport ($3.85), have no ramp fees, have put my Skylane in their hangar when the weather gets bad at no cost, have driven me to my mom's house 12 miles away to avoid rental car or cab fees and have let me use their courtesy car overnight. These guys deserve the recognition!"

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
Each week, we go through dozens (and sometimes hundreds) of reader-submitted photos and pick the very best to share with you on Thursday mornings. The top photos are featured on AVweb's home page, and one photo that stands above the others is awarded an AVweb baseball cap as our "Picture of the Week."

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), Russ Niles (bio) and Glenn Pew (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.

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