CHART GLITCH COULD CAUSE ADIZ BUSTS
The FAA is telling pilots operating in some of the nation’s busiest airspace to ignore a newly released chart until Aug. 30. AOPA says the Cincinnati sectional chart includes a sliver of the current Air Defense Identification Zone around Washington, D.C., but that section of the ADIZ will be eliminated when the boundaries of the restricted airspace change on Aug. 30. The FAA revised the chart and then released it prematurely, meaning pilots following the information on the sectional could end up busting the restricted airspace. The offending chart is recognizable by a blue dot on the front panel. More...

ECLIPSE 500 COMPLETES FIRST REVENUE FLIGHT
North American Jet Charter became the first air taxi operator to put the Eclipse 500 very light jet to its much-anticipated use as a point-to-point charter aircraft. According to CharterX, a charter industry Web site, North American Jet CEO Ken Ross flew as pilot in command on the round trip from Chicago to Baltimore with two passengers on board on Friday. As we reported Thursday, North American was also the first to receive Part 135 approval to use the Eclipse in commercial service, a distinction that many in the industry assumed would go to DayJet, a Florida-based air taxi company that is also Eclipse's biggest customer. More...

PILOT KILLED, SEAWIND PROTOTYPE LOST
Seawind President Dick Silva says the company is temporarily suspending operations after the loss of a test pilot in the crash of the Seawind 300C prototype. In a posting on the Seawind Web site, Silva says the "business interruption" will last until "we can determine the cause of this event and develop a plan to complete the project." Veteran Canadian bush pilot Glenn Ralph Holmes, 67, died Thursday when the plane crashed near Stead, Manitoba, about 60 miles northeast of Winnipeg. More...

MOTHER PLUCKS DAUGHTER FROM SUBMERGED PLANE
A relieved mother is crediting the thorough passenger briefing delivered by an experienced floatplane pilot with saving the lives of her family, including a five-year-old girl who was briefly trapped in the flipped aircraft. Beth Lamberson says the safety briefing by Joe Soleri, 67, who died in the Aug. 4 crash, not only enabled her and her husband to get out of the Cessna with their three-year-old, it gave her the knowledge she needed to dive to the aircraft and release the seatbelt latch that rescue workers couldn't unhook when they found the trapped child. "Joe took the time to review emergency evacuation procedures with us prior to takeoff, as every pilot should, and that is what saved the lives of the three of us in the rear seats," the Lamberson family said in a statement published by The Boston Channel. More...

LAX COLLISION NARROWLY AVOIDED
There are high-tech systems run by highly trained people designed to prevent runway incursions, but it appears a lesson learned by most of us before we hit kindergarten prevented disaster at LAX on Thursday. According to the Calgary Herald, a series of miscommunications between controllers and the crew of a WestJet Boeing 737 resulted in the Canadian airliner getting ready to taxi across a runway and into the path of a Northwest Airlines A320 that was taking off. About 50 feet from the runway, the unidentified pilot of the 737 apparently looked both ways before crossing and saw the Airbus in time to query the ground controller about whether he really was cleared to cross the runway. The ground controller saw what was happening, the pilot hit the brakes and the runway incursion alarm went off in the tower just as the WestJet plane stopped. More...

EPIC BOOKS $40 MILLION IN OSHKOSH ORDERS
Epic Aircraft says it took nonrefundable deposits on orders worth $40 million for its kit and certified aircraft during EAA AirVenture last month. Epic President Rick Schrameck said much of the interest came from its two very light jets introduced at the show, the single-engine Victory and twin-engine Elite. He also noted that the company took secure orders worth $23 million at Sun 'n Fun in Florida in April. He said having the jets on display at AirVenture allowed side-by-side comparisons with competitors and he believes his company's products stand up well to other offerings in the same market. More...

NATCA: STRAIN SHOWING AT SOCAL TRACON
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) says there have been five operational errors in less than two weeks at the nation's busiest terminal radar control (TRACON) center in San Diego, and it blames a punishing work schedule and gross understaffing. Spokesman Steve Merlin said in a news release that there are sometimes fewer than half what the union considers the minimum number of fully qualified controllers on position at any one time and virtually all of them are training a new controller at the same time. "We are running shifts that used to be staffed with 11 or 12 fully certified controllers (CPCs) with six or seven CPCs," Merlin said. "On August 4, the Empire Area was forced to work the day shift with four CPCs when 11 was the norm. Plus, we're forced to train new hires on top of that." He said management instituted a three-day training ban last week to try and get a grip on the situation. FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the spate of errors was an anomaly in an exceptionally safe year at the TRACON. To that point, he said, there had only been nine errors in the previous nine months so the sudden spike in errors warranted a stand down of training. "It was only prudent to do that," he said. More...

MICCO HOPES FOR DECEMBER DELIVERY
Micco Aircraft says it hopes to deliver its first SP26A two-seat aerobatic and touring aircraft sometime in December. The company, which has had numerous incarnations, including being a project of the Seminole Tribe in Florida, is settled into its headquarters in Bartlesville, Okla., and has firm orders for five of the sporty $329,000 taildraggers, co-owner F. DeWitt Beckett told the Tulsa World. He said he believes there's a niche for the aircraft, which he likens to a Corvette. "We're not trying to be Cessna or Piper. This is a high-performance, complex, tailwheel, instrument-rated aerobatic airplane. It's the only one on the market that fits the bill." More...

60 YEARS LATER, MISSING PILOTS IDENTIFIED
Most stories about the remains of U.S. military pilots being found decades after they went missing involve far-away places, but for 60 years Delbert C. Goodspeed and Robert Henry Paulsen have lain beneath a field near the Pajaro River in Monterey County, Calif. Now, the local water authority is trying to find the living relatives of the young pilot trainees after a work crew unearthed bone fragments, personal items and aircraft parts while digging a waterline trench in July. The discovery of riveted metal and landing gear sparked an investigation by local historians and that eventually led to answers from the U.S. Navy. More...

PILOT SHORTAGE DELAYS COMMERCIAL SERVICE
Big Sky Airlines says a lack of pilots is forcing it to delay re-introduction of scheduled service to Jackson, Tenn., until November. Big Sky President Fred deLeeuw told The Associated Press that an increase in hiring by larger carriers has left regional airlines short of pilots. Big Sky was to take over service to Jackson in May, two months after the FAA shut down RegionsAir for alleged training deficiencies. More...

YOUTH MOVEMENT IN INDIAN AVIATION
If you thought the right-seater on your last regional jet flight could use some acne medication, consider the veritable baby boom going on in the cockpits of some Indian airliners. According to the Times of India, there are 19-year-olds flying as first officers in single-aisle airliners like Boeing 737s and A320s and the four-striper beside them might be as young as 25. "Going by a conservative estimate, currently in India about 5 percent of commanders on single-aisle jet aircraft … are under 30 years of age. This trend will only grow," said Capt R. Otaal, general secretary of the Indian Commercial Pilot's Association. More...

ON THE FLY
Police arrested 10 environmental protesters at English airport…
FAA upgrading avionics and system checking equipment on its King Airs…
Brunswick Naval Air Station to be retained as GA airport.
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 aviation newsletter, AVwebBiz? Reporting on breaking news, Business AVflash focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the business aviation industry. Business AVflash is a must read. Sign up today at http://www.avweb.com/profile/. More...

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

LEADING EDGE #8: EASY AS 1, 2, 3
Where do you look first when practicing unusual-attitude recovery? Even before attitude indicators were invented, instrument pilots had a better technique, and it still works. More...

AVMAIL: AUG. 20, 2007
Reader mail this week about user fees, the 300-knot club, the PAV challenge and more. 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 hear Spectrum Aeronautical's Linden Blue talk about changes in the company's aircraft programs. And AVweb's podcast index includes interviews with EADS Socata's Jean-Michel Léonard; ConocoPhillips' Gabe Giordano; Lycoming's Ian Walsh; Avidyne's Paul Hathaway; Aerion Corp's Brian Barents; BusinessJetSEATS Alfred Rapetti; EAA's Dick Knapinski; AOPA's Andrew Cebula; Cirrus Design's Alan Klapmeier; 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; and Pogo Jet's Cameron Burr. In today's podcast, hear FAA Administrator on the highs and lows of her term. Remember: In AVweb's podcasts, you'll hear things you won't find anywhere else.

More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: MEDFORD AIR SERVICE

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Medford Air Service at KMFR in Medford, Ore.

AVweb reader Jim Boeckl said the FBO staff took great care of him after his airplane limped into their facility.

"Our engine broke flying near MFR, and we landed and taxied to Medford Air Service trailing oil. We stepped out onto red carpet, and soon found out that the engine needed overhauled. They put Champ in their hangar for two months at no charge -- line manager Bobby Croll said the FBO didn't want to benefit from our misfortune. The entire staff was friendly and helpful, and the facility is immaculate. It is clear Medford Air Service recognizes and promotes the miracle of flight, even in its simplest form. This is not something I would have expected from an executive flight center."

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!

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: BIG FOOT AVIAITON IN THE BACKCOUNTRY
Ride alongside this Piper Cub fitted with oversized tires as it flies in the scenic backcountry and skims the lakes before making super-short landings on drier land. We can't think of a better way to start a Monday morning! (Click through to watch.) More...

SHORT FINAL

Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"

Flying home to Portland Troutdale (KTTD) from Medford, Ore. (KMFR) Friday night, I heard the following:

Portland Approach: November One Two Charlie, traffic ten o’clock, southbound at 9,000, a Navajo.

12C: We’re looking.

Approach: Correction, it’s a Malibu.

12C: Still looking.

Approach: Sorry, it’s really a Navajo. Oh well, what the heck, it’s dark. More...

MEET THE AVWEBFLASH TEAM