CHANGES IN WIND FOR PILOT CERTIFICATION REGS
On Wednesday, the FAA released a proposed new rule that will update and overhaul Federal Aviation Regulations Part 61 subsections that govern certification of airmen. Some 200 changes are proposed, which range from minor tweaks in the language to more substantive changes. Among the changes: The FAA would allow student pilot certificates to last longer -- 36 months for those under 40, and 24 months for those 40 and over; allow computers and simulators to be used for credit toward flight-time requirements; establish rules for training with night-vision goggles; and simplify the paperwork for certified flight instructors to renew their certificates. More...

EAST RIVER FLIGHT RESTRICTION LIKELY PERMANENT
The FAA will probably issue a new rule to permanently impose restrictions on VFR traffic above New York's East River, according to the NTSB. The Safety Board released documents on Monday in connection with a fatal airplane crash last October when New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, hit a Manhattan apartment building. The two were flying Lidle's Cirrus SR20 and tried to negotiate a 180-degree turn in the narrow airspace corridor above the river. The Safety Board documents also show that no evidence was found of drugs or alcohol in either pilot, according to The Associated Press. Investigators could not determine which of the men was flying the airplane at the time of the crash. More...

NO SURPRISE: FY2008 BUDGET CONTAINS AVIATION USER-FEE PROPOSAL
The White House released the Fiscal Year 2008 budget amid fanfare on Monday morning, but general aviation groups aren’t jumping for joy. In the DOT budget breakdown, the FAA allotment includes $175 million for a 21st Century satellite navigation system to replace older air traffic control equipment and $900 million in additional air traffic control system upgrades, but it also includes an expected user-fee proposal. "The [Bush] Administration will transmit a reauthorization proposal in 2007 that transforms the FAA’s excise tax financing system to a cost-based system that recovers most of costs of air traffic services through user fees," the document states. NBAA quickly rapped the Bush Administration for the move: "After more than a year of intense lobbying by the nation's big airlines, the White House has decided to introduce a budget that shifts airline costs to other segments of the industry and gives airlines more control over the air traffic system. NBAA and the rest of the general aviation community will oppose this toxic mix of higher taxes, new fees and airline control. The fact is the current approach to funding and oversight of the aviation system is effective and efficient -- there is no need for radical 'fixes' like those proposed in this budget." More...

EAA, AOPA QUICK TO BLAST FAA USER-FEE PROPOSAL
The FAA's new budget proposal could mean a fourfold hike in fuel taxes and "severely threatens the freedom of our country's general aviation community," EAA said on Monday. The proposal would create new user fees for FAA services that today are provided free, says Doug Macnair, EAA's vice president of government relations. "Such a system will not enhance safety, it will not improve services, and it will add barriers for thousands of recreational aviators while being a costly burden to the federal government," he adds. Fees would be imposed for access to busy airports, aircraft certification and registration, and airman medical certificates. AOPA President Phil Boyer concurred with the grim assessment: "It's going to take an all-out fight by the aviation community to defeat this." More...

EAA FINDS POSITIVE NEWS IN FAA CHANGES
Amid all the recent protest over the FAA's plans to change its funding structure, EAA has found something to be glad about in the agency's reauthorization bill, which is now heading for debate in Congress. The FAA is asking for permission to release abandoned type certificate or supplemental type certificate data to individuals so that aircraft airworthiness can be maintained. The change was lobbied for by EAA and the Vintage Aircraft Association (VAA). If approved, it would eliminate the dilemma for owners who had to maintain their vintage aircraft to approved data even though that data could not be released due to intellectual-property rules. "This is a major step in the right direction to preserve unique vintage aircraft," said H.G. Frautschy, VAA executive director. More...

RUSS CHEW TO LEAVE FAA
On Monday morning, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey announced that FAA Chief Operating Officer Russ Chew would be leaving at the end of February. "We were hoping to keep hold on him longer, but this was an opportunity he just couldn't pass up," she told staff at a weekly meeting. Just what that opportunity will be is unclear because Chew said he has a number of options under consideration and has not made a final decision, though he plans to stay in aviation in some capacity. He has served as the agency's COO since June 10, 2003, after a long career at American Airlines as a line pilot and later in management. The FAA's COO oversees the operational and financial performance of the U.S. air traffic control system and the FAA's research and acquisition programs. More...

CESSNA GA DELIVERIES GREW IN 2006
Cessna Aircraft Company said on Tuesday it delivered 1,239 aircraft last year, keeping its spot as the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation aircraft. Jet sales and overseas sales both grew significantly, said company CEO Jack Pelton. "We also did very well with our single-engine line, with 865 piston aircraft and 67 turboprops delivered," he said. The company delivered 307 Citation jets, up more than 50 over the year before. Almost half of all business-jet orders originated outside the U.S., Pelton noted. The company expects to deliver 375 jets this year, including 40 newly certified Citation Mustangs. Cessna is also finding a market for piston aircraft abroad. This week alone, a flight school in China ordered 72 new Skyhawks and Aero Club of India signed for 11 of the piston singles; all will come with Garmin G1000 glass cockpits. More...

APPROACH LIGHTS OFF DURING FATAL CRASH
The approach lights to Runway 5 at New Bedford (Mass.) Regional Airport were turned off last Friday night when a Socata TBM 700 crashed on approach in rain and fog, killing all three people on board. The lights were functional but had been turned off last August because overgrown vegetation "obscured and distorted" the lights, according to the New Bedford Standard-Times. New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang had asked the FAA in January to deal with the problem so the lights could be turned back on. Lang now has asked the FAA to get the lights back on immediately, but stressed that was to reassure pilots who use the airport. "I have no information to conclude the lights had any bearing on what happened," he told the newspaper. "No information whatsoever." More...

NTSB EYES PROCEDURES IN KING AIR MISHAP
The NTSB's investigation of a King Air B200 that landed safely last Friday after suffering serious structural damage is likely to focus on cockpit checklists and procedures, along with radar data collection. N777AJ was headed from Rogers, Ark., for Stanton, Va., when it encountered complications after suffering a shattered (but not blown out) windshield at 27,000 feet, and ultimately rained parts down on an aeromedical helicopter flying below. The helicopter was not struck by debris and the King Air landed at Cape Giraradeau, Mo., with buckled wing skins and empennage and much of the horizontal stabilizer and elevator missing. The King Air's pilot, Sheldon Stone, said in early reports that the aircraft suffered a shattered left windshield at altitude and he then depressurized the cabin to prevent a blowout. According to the King Air pilot operating manual, the "abnormal checklist" for a cracked windshield specifies a descent to 10,000 feet or other methods to reduce the pressure differential to less than 3 PSI within 10 minutes. After depressurizing the cabin, Stone and his copilot then donned their oxygen masks and turned on the valve, but no oxygen appeared to be forthcoming. The sole-occupant pilots then passed out. Stone, a 4,200 hour ATP-rated pilot, said he awoke at 7,000 feet and recovered the aircraft. More...

NEW HOUSTON AIRPORT OPEN FOR BUSINESS
It's not often that a brand-new airport opens up, but Houston Executive Airport (HEA) is now ready for landings. Located in Brookshire, west of Houston, the private airport is VFR-only, with a single 5,050-foot runway. HEA will cater to general aviation aircraft and provide FBO services, including fuel. The airport was established by former commercial pilot and Houston native Ron Henriksen. “General aviation airports are disappearing around the country,” said Henriksen. “When I saw the closing of Houston’s Andrau Airport and Austin’s Robert Mueller Airport, I was determined to build this new airport with private investment to ensure its longevity and positively impact the local community.” The significant growth of the Energy Corridor along Interstate 10 was a natural draw for an airport located west of Houston, Henriksen said. More...

DUCTED-FAN VEHICLE DRAWS SERIOUS INTEREST
For years, ducted fans have been tinkered with as a means to propel vehicles into the air and bring us a step closer to the "flying car" of the old Jetsons cartoons. So far the technology has proved less robust than the vision, but an Israeli company has recently attracted attention from Bell Helicopter for its vertical-takeoff design, which could help rescue people from skyscrapers and carry troops into urban combat zones. Urban Aeronautics' X-Hawk is designed to carry up to a dozen people, take off vertically and fly up to 155 mph for about two hours. Bell hosted a mock-up of the design at its Farnborough Air Show exhibit last summer and has been working with the company to seek government contracts to develop the technology for military use. More...

ON THE FLY
F-22 Raptor wins 2006 Collier Trophy…
Comp Air 12 turboprop prototype may fly to Sun 'n Fun in April...
Hartzell now has STC for three-bladed prop for Beech 58 Barons...
FAA audio clip from night of fatal JFK Jr. flight released...
The FAA has updated its Advisory Circular on obstruction lights...
A Florida sheriff plans to fly a UAV despite FAA opposition...
A 737 landing at Denver had to brake hard to miss a snowplow...
Baby-boomer retirements could mean shortages of aviation engineers. 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...

AVWEBBIZ: AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVIATION NEWSLETTER
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP yet for AVweb's NO-COST weekly 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...

PROBABLE CAUSE #25

COLUMN INDEX

Probable Cause #25: Controlling The Approach
After some bad vectoring by ATC, a pilot tries to salvage a botched approach when the better course of action should have been to go around.
More...

WELCOME TO THE NEW FACE OF AVWEB
AVweb.com, the world’s best Web site for general aviation news and information, is now even better thanks to a redesigned home page. The revamped home page has more content, easier navigation, a more user-friendly podcast interface and better graphics to complement AVweb's real-time general aviation news, incisive commentary and unparalleled feature reporting. 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 Alaska pilot Cable Wells about ADS-B. And AVweb's podcast index includes interviews with NATCA's Paul Rinaldi; AOPA's Kathleen Vascouselos; Maule Air's Mikel Boorom; Professsional Aviation Maintenance Association president Brian Finnegan; aviation forecaster Richard Aboulafia; NORAD; Bill Lear, Jr.; NATA President Jim Coyne; Eclipse Aviation's Vern Raburn; and Honda Aircraft's Jeffrey Smith. In Monday's podcast, AVweb interviews Open Air President Michael Klein. Remember: In AVweb's podcasts, you'll hear things you won't find anywhere else.

Brought to you by Bose Corporation. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: IS 'LITTLE GUY' G.A. PAYING HIS FAIR SHARE IN GAS TAXES?
A typical single-engine piston airplane burns about 10 gph, which translates to $1.94 per operating hour in federal fuel taxes. Double these amounts for a light piston twin. Given these contributions, do you think that light aircraft operators are "paying their fair share" for use of the airspace system (airport infrastructure, ATC services, etc.)? Tell us what you think. Plus: Your thoughts about the end of the Age-60 era. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: DB AVIATION

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to DB Aviation at KUGN in Waukegan, Ill.

AVweb reader David Stone said the facility's staff literally gives him a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

"I am in and out of KUGN about four times a year, so the guys at DB Aviation do not really know me.I showed up on a cold breezy day, and asked for my Tanis heater to be plugged in. When I walked out on the ramp to depart, my plane was nowhere to be found. With a look of bewilderment on my face, the lineman asked if I was driving the Arrow. I said yes, and he said to look in the hanger. It was nice to jump into a 50+ degree airplane when it was 10 degrees out. DB is always great, with a crew car often available."

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."

It's always a pleasant surprise when we discover a "POTW" submitter who says something the rest of us have been thinking. In this case, it's Nicholas Ruemker of Colorado, who writes, "This is 3sq at sunset from earlier this summer. I like it because the atmosphere brings me back to the roots of aviation, away from thinking about fighter jets, mid-air refueling, and USAF missions." Nicholas may have been talking about his own USAF duties, but many readers have noticed a decidedly military turn in "POTW" submissions over the last few weeks, and have been asking what happened to all the Cessna 172s, the first flights, and the small airports. (Honestly, we've just been inundated with jet pictures of late.)

Thanks for reminding us of the airport sunsets that are familiar to every pilot, Nicholas. For sending in a shot that's sure to resonate with everyone from fighter pilots to ultralight builders, we're naming this our "Picture of the Week." Watch your mailbox for that spiffy new AVweb hat we'll be sending your way! More...

MEET THE AVWEBFLASH TEAM

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) and Editor In Chief Chad Trautvetter.

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