EMBRAER'S PHENOM 100 NEARS FIRST FLIGHT
Embraer is within weeks of taking its Phenom 100 very light jet for its very first flight, the company said on Tuesday. The prototype is now in a ground-testing phase at company headquarters in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as engineering teams confirm the design quality of the aircraft and test its systems. "The Phenom 100 test campaign has begun and steadily advances," said Alexandre Figueiredo, an Embraer spokesman. "The ground tests prepare the aircraft for its first flight and provide results for the certification process, which is scheduled to be completed in mid-2008." The first test conducted was the engine run, when the Phenom’s Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617F engines were powered up after being mounted on the aircraft. Now the Ground Vibration Test is being conducted, in which the aircraft is suspended with elastic cables in order to float as if in flight to check the durability of the airframe. More...

TSA REMINDS GA PILOTS TO BE ALERT
The Transportation Security Administration is reminding general aviation pilots to remain vigilant after the car-bomb incidents in Glasgow and London last week. TSA representatives asked GA pilots to exercise extra vigilance when they go out flying this summer, and report any suspicious activity to local authorities or the toll-free GA hotline, 800-GA-SECURE. AOPA offers information and resources to help pilots enhance security at their airports. Secure your aircraft and follow airport security requirements, AOPA says, and most important, be sure and watch for and report unusual or suspicious behavior. More...

WANTED: USER FEEDBACK ON WET VACUUM PUMPS
Dry vacuum pumps are the components most aircraft owners love to hate, but wet pumps are considered the more refined alternative. But are they really? Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, is seeking owner feedback on wet vacuum pumps. If you're flying one, tell us about it. Send an e-mail to this address and we'll reply with a questionnaire. More...

DIAMOND TO DEBUT DA50 AT OSHKOSH
Diamond Aircraft will introduce its latest creation, the DA50 Super Star, to the North American market at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., later this month. The airplane will debut at a press event on the show's opening day, Monday, July 23. The single-engine Super Star is equipped with a Teledyne Continental TSIOF-550J engine, rated at 350+ hp with FADEC control and twin turbochargers. Turbo-diesel engine options also will be available. The DA50 first flew in April. "The DA50 Super Star will surely be a big hit," said CEO Christian Dries. "We have planned an aggressive development and certification schedule with production to start no later than January 2008." All of Diamond's other aircraft will be on display at the show, along with a mock-up of the D-Jet that visitors can climb into. More...

SONEX TO UNVEIL GREEN POWERPLANT AT AIRVENTURE
Sonex Aircraft says it will unveil a new proof-of-concept aircraft at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., later this month that's propelled by a "revolutionary" environmentally friendly powerplant. Sonex and AeroConversions Products will reveal their E-Flight project at a press conference on Tuesday, July 24, at AeroShell Square, the center of the show at Oshkosh, the company said on Tuesday. The project is a research and development initiative to explore viable alternative energies for powering the sport aircraft of tomorrow, Sonex said. The aim of E-Flight is to reduce the environmental impact of sport flying, while keeping recreational aviation affordable. More...

AFTER 70 YEARS, EARHART MYSTERY RETAINS ITS ALLURE
July 2, 1937, was the last time anyone heard from Amelia Earhart, and 70 years later the mystery of her disappearance still fascinates people. The official search for the aviator and her navigator, Fred Noonan, ended just a few weeks after they vanished over the Pacific Ocean while en route to tiny Howland Island on a trip around the world. But searchers have never given up in their quest to determine the facts of what happened after her last radio call. Next week, The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) will mount an expedition to a tiny Pacific island where they believe Earhart and Noonan might have been stranded. The TIGHAR team will fly to Fiji and then embark on a five-day journey by sea to the island of Nikumaroro. There they will excavate a site where they say they have found evidence in the past of a castaways' camp site. More...

FLIGHT REALLY SUCKS FOR MEDEVAC NURSE
A Piper PA-31T Cheyenne turboprop twin was flying at 20,000 feet from Twin Falls, Idaho, to Seattle last Wednesday on an air ambulance mission when a window suddenly broke. Chris Fogg, a critical-care nurse, had just returned to his seat by the window and didn't have his seatbelt on, and found himself partially outside of the airplane. "My left hand was on the ceiling and was holding me in, and my knees were up against the wall," Fogg told the Seattle Times. "It was pretty scary ... I have a vivid picture of looking at the tail of the plane and seeing my headset dangling out of the plane." He was alone in the cabin with the patient, and had to push as hard as he could to get enough air between his chest and the window to break the suction. Meanwhile, the pilot was unaware of the broken window, but knew there was a decompression problem and descended to 10,000 feet. More...

ABLE FLIGHT GRADUATES FIRST PILOT
Able Flight, a nonprofit group that works to offer flight training to people with disabilities, awarded its first scholarships last December, and last week the group graduated its first certified pilot. Only a few days after the one-year anniversary of the accident that left him paralyzed, scholarship winner Brad Jones, 22, earned his sport pilot certificate. Jones trained for a month at Hansen Air Group in Kennesaw, Ga., flying a specially adapted Sky Arrow. Instructors Mitch Hansen and Mike Davidson said Jones is a "natural stick and rudder pilot with excellent piloting skills, and possesses the kind of judgment that makes for a good pilot." Jones said the experience has boosted his confidence. More...

TWO KILLED WHEN CITATION HITS HOUSE
The pilot and a woman who lived near the airport died when a Cessna Citation 500 (N771HR) crashed into a house in Conway, Ark., on Saturday. A passenger on the twinjet and the woman's husband survived the accident. The pilot was apparently trying to go around after landing too long down the runway, which may have been wet from a recent rain shower, an FAA spokesman told The Associated Press. Local officials have been talking about moving the airport for several years, citing safety concerns about homes and a freeway that are too close to the field. The woman who died was 71. More...

60 YEARS LATER, A TWIST IN ROSWELL STORY
To most, the story that an alien spacecraft was recovered by government investigators near Roswell, N.M., 60 years ago Monday is just a myth. But last week an affidavit written by a former U.S. Army officer was published in a book called "Witness to Roswell." Lt. Walter Haut, the public-relations officer at the Roswell base in 1947, died in December 2005 and left sworn testimony to be read only after his death. The text asserts that Haut was shown a metallic egg-shaped object, about 12 to 15 long and 6 feet across, that had no windows. He also said he saw the bodies of two dead "aliens," each about four feet long, with large heads. More...

AERO SETS SHOW SCHEDULE THROUGH 2013
AERO-Friedrichshafen, the European aviation show that has become increasingly popular among the general aviation crowd in recent years, this week announced its schedule through 2013. In the past the show has run into conflicts with other events, especially Sun 'n Fun in Florida, and the organizers hope to avoid that by planning ahead. The next AERO will take place April 2 to 5, 2009. Two years later the exhibition will be held April 14 to 17, 2011, and in 2013 it is scheduled for April 18 to 21. That puts it well ahead of Sun 'n Fun in 2009, and beyond it in 2011. This year the AERO show attracted about 45,000 visitors from around the world, and hosted 533 exhibitors from 30 countries. It was the biggest AERO show so far. More...

ON THE FLY
Tom Brokaw will host the rollout of Boeing's 787 on Sunday...
ERAU grad student conducting ADS-B survey…
The FAA has published its NextGen plan details...
An FAA engineer has been named "Funniest Fed" in a comedy contest...
Old F-14 Tomcats are shredded to keep the parts away from Iran...
GAMA named the winner of its 2007 Aviation Excellence scholarship. 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...

Columns | Features | What's New | Calendar | Brainteasers

THE SAVVY AVIATOR #46: DOUBLE TROUBLE
When a cylinder head suffers a fatigue failure, it can really get your attention. Aluminum cylinder heads have a finite fatigue life, and several factors can reduce that life. More...

WHAT'S NEW

NEW PRODUCTS: JUNE 2007
This month AVweb's survey of the latest products and services for pilots, mechanics and aircraft owners brings you prop locks, oxygen systems, tri-color flashlights and much more.
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AVWEB AUDIO NEWS

AVweb posts audio news on Mondays, plus a new in-depth interview each Friday. In last Friday's podcast, you'll hear Alan Klapmeier on the Cirrus jet. And AVweb's podcast index includes interviews with NBAA's Harry Houkes; Reason Foundation's Robert Poole; SATSair's Sheldon Early; Epic Aircraft's Rick Schrameck; AOPA's Randy Kenagy; Eclipse Aviation's Vern Raburn; Xwind's Brad Whitsitt; BoGo Light's Mark Bent; DayJet's Ed Iacobucci; Pogo Jet's Cameron Burr; Teal Group's Richard Aboulafia; Air Journey's Thierry Pouille; Epic Aircraft's Rick Schrameck; Cessna's Jack Pelton; Embraer's Ernest Edwards; LAMA's Dan Johnson; and Piper's Jim Bass. In Monday's podcast, hear AOPA's Andrew Cebula dissect the House FAA reauthorization bill. Look for a new podcast tomorrow morning on AVweb.com. Remember: In AVweb's podcasts, you'll hear things you won't find anywhere else.

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CIRRUS DESIGN'S THE-JET ROLLOUT: A FIRST LOOK
Cirrus Design's personal jet was shown for the first time, Thursday June 28, 2007. AVweb's Russ Niles was there. (Click through to watch.) More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: VLJ BEAUTY CONTEST
In the past, we've asked about price, performance, and other level-headed considerations in the personal jet/very light jet market. This week, let's put practical considerations aside and find out which bird has the most striking, graceful profile. We want to know which VLJ catches your fancy. Plus: When we talk about the state of controllers, should we be using the word crisis — even in quotes? Find out what our readers said in response to last week's Question. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: JACKSON JET CENTER

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Jackson Jet Center at KBOI in Boise, Idaho.

AVweb reader Fred Herzner said the FBO offered great service and fair prices.

"I flew into Boise with our Bonanza on the way home from Seattle and happened to chose Jackson Jet Center from several FBOs on the field. Line service was great, the facility was outstanding, the people were nice and the price of fuel was fair. They loaned us a very nice crew car for the afternoon and booked us in a good hotel for a low price. People were nice, and the service and facility were great. What else is there?"

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: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
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."

Barely two weeks to go until AirVenture, and the stream of reader-submitted photos in our "Picture of the Week" contest has slowed to a trickle. Fortunately for us, the lighter number of submissions doesn't seem to have any effect on quality. With only 60 photos in this week's contest, we still had a hard time picking five to showcase here — but what better way to celebrate the air show month of July than a whooshing, action-packed low fly-over by the Blue Angels, courtesy of W. Ross Tracey of Niantic, Connecticut? 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 Editor Mary Grady (bio) and Editor In Chief Chad Trautvetter.

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