EMBRY-RIDDLE FLEET RAVAGED BY TORNADOES
About 60 airplanes were damaged or destroyed when tornadoes tore through the Daytona Beach, Fla., campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Christmas Day. Two tornadoes with winds of about 120 mph tore a 100-foot-wide swath through the center of campus as a line of violent thunderstorms passed across the region. "The maintenance hangar was destroyed and there was damage to a high percentage of the fleet of planes," said a statement posted Christmas night on ERAU's Web site. "There is substantial damage to several buildings on campus, including the administration building, Spruance Hall, and the Student Center. More...

FIRE, FUEL PROBLEMS QUICKLY MITIGATED
Some of the airplanes were flipped over, some had wings torn off, and some were thrown against a building, ERAU Director of Communications Jim Hampton told Central Florida News 13. Two or three airplanes were inside the maintenance hangar when it collapsed. A piece from an airplane that tore through the wall of a building sparked a fire, but airport firefighters quickly brought it under control, Hampton said. Hazmat teams also dealt quickly with spilled fuel. The campus is currently closed to visitors until it is declared safe by authorities. More...

CHRISTMAS TORNADOES ARE RARE
The weather system brought at least two confirmed F2 tornadoes to the region, according to the Weather Channel. On the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale, an F2 tornado packs winds of 113 to 157 mph, and can do considerable damage, including tearing roofs off frame houses, demolishing mobile homes, overturning boxcars, snapping or uprooting large trees, generating light-object missiles and lifting cars off the ground. The last time a tornado occurred on Christmas was an F2 in Tennessee in 1982, TWC said. The storm system has moved out into the Atlantic and quiet weather is expected most of this week for the cleaning up. The next threat of bad weather in the region will be Friday night into Saturday, according to TWC. More...

INDUSTRY TO FOCUS ON NEW PILOT STARTS
Despite the interest in sport-pilot training, the number of pilots in the U.S. has been steadily declining for the last 20 years, and that has repercussions through all of aviation, The Wichita Eagle reported on Wednesday. Manufacturers worry that the market for their aircraft won't be there in the future. Airlines and other operators worry that they won't be able to find qualified pilots. And with thousands of very light jets expected to join the fleet in the next few years, the demand for professional pilots will likely grow. The trend has not gone unnoticed. AOPA, for example, has recently refocused its efforts on Project Pilot, which recruits current pilots to act as mentors to new students. More...

SPORTSPLANES.COM EXPANDS LSA TRAINING NETWORK
As the sport aircraft sector has ramped up in the last couple of years, one concern has been getting enough qualified instructors and sport aircraft at airports around the country to train eager new students. One company working on a solution is Sportsplanes.com, which has created a network of Sport Aircraft Regional Centers. On Wednesday, CEO Josh Foss said Leading Edge Aviation, of Rutherfordton, N.C., is the latest addition to that network. "It was a perfect fit with our plans for expansion," said Greg Turner, manager of Leading Edge. More...

FEEDBACK WANTED: CERMINIL AND NICKEL CARBIDE CYLINDER TREATMENTS
Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, is conducting a research project on customer experiences with ECI's CermiNil cylinder plating process. If you have experience with this product and would like to participate, drop an e-mail to aviationeditorial@comcast.net and we'll send a questionnaire your way. More...

ABLE FLIGHT AWARDS FIRST TWO SCHOLARSHIPS
A new scholarship program that helps people with disabilities learn to fly gave away its first two awards last week in Atlanta. Able Flight chose Brad Jones and Stephany Glassing to take part in an intensive and demanding flight-training program. "Able Flight's goal is to challenge its scholarship winners so that their own achievements will help them become more self-reliant and confident in their abilities,” said Executive Director Charles Stites. Jones, 22, was paralyzed in an automobile accident last summer. Glassing was also injured in an auto accident, 22 years ago, when she was a teenager. "Being in a chair instantaneously makes everyday life and events challenging," said Jones. "The challenge of learning to fly will be a difficult one, but upon successfully completing the training, will bring a renewed sense that anything is possible, no matter what other challenges life might have for me in the future." More...

NEW YORK PILOTS CAUGHT IN RESTRICTED AIRSPACE
Pilots flying above New York City are getting sloppier, according to an analysis by the New York Post based on FAA data. Incidents of pilots flying into restricted airspace in the area in the last year increased 42 percent over the year before, according to the Post. Violations included flying into temporary restricted areas over Yankee and Shea Stadiums during games, and flying into airspace restricted during visits by President Bush, the Post said. Private pilots weren't the only violators -- on Sept. 18 jets were scrambled when a State Police helicopter violated a presidential TFR. More...

SKYHAWKS SELLING IN EUROPE
The venerable Cessna 172 Skyhawk faces a lot of competition these days for spots on the flight school lines where it once dominated. But four European flight schools are upgrading their aircraft fleets with new Skyhawks, Cessna said last week. Flight schools in Romania, Italy, Spain and Germany have ordered a total of 22 new Skyhawks, four of them with G1000 glass cockpits. "The Skyhawk combines safe and economical operation with the best avionics on the market," said Pana Poulios, regional sales manager for Cessna. More...

PILOT CONVICTED IN ALASKA "AIR RAGE" INCIDENT
A pilot in Alaska endangered hunters, guides and another pilot when he harassed them with his Super Cub, a jury decided last week. Edward Lamb, 38, a hunting guide, was found guilty of assault for the aerial attacks, the Anchorage Daily News reported. In one incident, Lamb buzzed a competing guide who was scouting in a meadow with two clients, forcing them to run for cover in the trees. Another time, Lamb circled above as another pilot was trying to take off from a lake after picking up the competitor. Lamb told the Daily News that the issue is complicated and he is innocent. The competitor was working in area traditionally used by Lamb, according to The Associated Press. More...

NEW INJECTOR TESTED FOR HYPERSONIC ENGINE
A team of engineers in Maryland has developed a scramjet engine design that they say solves the problem of how to mix fuel efficiently in an aircraft that might be traveling as fast as Mach 25 (that's not a typo). Faculty members from the University of Maryland teamed with Astrox Corp. to develop the combustor design. Astrox President Ajay Kothari said the engine is shaped like a funnel, with air entering through a circular opening, which develops more thrust and less heating than a rectangular scramjet engine. Kothari and the research team designed an injector resembling a small aerodynamic wing, which enters the engine at an angle in the same direction the air is flowing. Fuel is injected just at the wake where the air, which is moving at supersonic speeds, crosses the injector. The novel design provides both strong thrust and good mixing. More...

DOT BLOCKS VIRGIN AMERICA LAUNCH
Virgin America's application to operate in the U.S. was tentatively denied Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Virgin America would have to demonstrate that it is independent of the Virgin Group and other non-U.S. citizens, and that the president of the company and at least two-thirds of the board of directors are U.S. citizens, before it can receive an operating certificate, the DOT said. Just last week, Virgin America said it passed a comprehensive FAA review and all it needed to start operations was the OK from the DOT. More...

ON THE FLY
A 747-400 with Tony Blair on board hit runway lights at Miami Int'l...
Fuel tank harnesses could spark on some Embraer Legacy jets, the FAA says...
Superior Air Parts has added 1,000 cylinder heads to its previous recall...
EAA will host a ski-plane fly-in in Oshkosh on Jan. 27...
Two lawsuits blame a faulty engine cylinder in a fatal Aztec crash...
An Air India pilot was arrested after a dead body found in the hold...
Delays at Gary, Ind., airport blamed on FAA's failure to fix the ILS. 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...

QUIZ #115: BEYOND FIXED WING
BRAINTEASERS

Quiz #115: Beyond Fixed Wing
We've taken it on the chin for not quizzing much outside the fixed-wing realm. The Brainteaser's response: "You can fly without fixed wings -- who knew?" See what you knew about things that go whump-whump-whump in the night.
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 NORAD's Stacia Reddish on its Santa tracking project. And AVweb's podcast index includes interviews with Bill Lear, Jr.; 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 Goldman Sachs/Onex deal to buy Raytheon Aircraft for $3.3 billion, Loran making a resurgence in the UK as a GPS backup, a truly personal jet called Jet-Man, Pratt & Whitney Canada's plans to build more fuel-efficient turbofans 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: HEARING AIDS IN THE COCKPIT
This week, an AVweb readers asks, "Do you wear hearing aids while flying? If so, do you have difficulty hearing transmitted messages?"

Plus: The results of last week's poll. What type of IFR approach charts do AVweb readers prefer — paper or electronic? FAA or other? More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: GOSHEN AIR CENTER

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Goshen Air Center at KGSH in Goshen, Indiana.

AVweb reader John Wesley said this FBO has been turned around by its current owners.

"Zane Gillin and Randy Sharkey took over this operation 14 years ago, it was broke and had been on the skids for years. They have developed it into a clean, modern facility that cheerfully serves everyone in aviation from the ultralight through the large corporate jet. They have a courtesy car, wireless Internet, pilot lounge, flight-planning room, meeting room, a large comfortable waiting area and free lunch Friday."

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." Blue Christmas is surely just an expression to

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 Editor Mary Grady (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.

Happy New Year from the AVweb staff.