NBAA 2007 SHOW MOVES AT JET SPEED
This week in Atlanta, Ga., the National Business Aviation Association's annual expo has drawn record crowds, and jets are the topic of the day -- new designs coming on line, millions more in investment, supersonic options for the future, upgraded interiors, new avionics, and lots more. You can read all about it in AVweb's on-site daily coverage. More...

FRESH CLUES REVIVE FOSSETT SEARCH
Search crews looking for adventurer Steve Fossett, who vanished while on a pleasure flight more than three weeks ago, now are working with fresh leads provided by the U.S. Air Force, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. An analysis of radar and satellite images has picked up what might be the track that Fossett flew. "It gives us an idea, if it's him, what direction he was going," Gary Derks, the state official in charge of the search, told the AP. Derks said the new search area stretches about 100 miles to the southeast from the Flying M Ranch, where Fossett took off on Sept. 3, crossing remote areas of Nevada and approaching Death Valley National Park in California. "There's nothing definite, nothing concrete," Derks said. "These are just some hits that we want to track." More...

AOPA: FEDERAL CHARTS FOR CARIBBEAN AND HAWAII MAY VANISH
Pilots flying in the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Central or South America will soon have to find a source for aeronautical information other than the U.S. government, AOPA said this week. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which now publishes charts for those regions, will stop publishing them in October. AOPA has been lobbying the FAA to take over that chore, but so far the FAA has not made any commitment. "The FAA has a legal responsibility for providing the navigation products to ensure safety and efficiency," said Melissa Rudinger, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs. The existing NGA Caribbean chart is good until Oct. 25. Thierry Pouille, owner of Air Journey, who guides groups of pilots on flights in the Caribbean region, says the loss of these charts would have an impact. More...

ADAM AIRCRAFT CHOOSES TRAINING VENDOR
All pilot and mechanic training for Adam Aircraft's A500 twin and the A700 very light jet will be provided by SAFERjett, Adam announced on Monday. SAFERjett is building a new training facility at Fort Worth Alliance Airport, set to open late next year. "Adam Aircraft chose SAFERjett because it was founded by aviation professionals with operational experience in developing and implementing complex training programs and they are on the ground floor in creating a center of excellence when it comes to very light jet (VLJ) training," said Adam Aircraft President Duncan Koerbel. The training center will feature a full-motion simulator and computer-based training programs. Besides training to fly the aircraft, owners will learn resource management for single-pilot flying and operations. More...

AVIATION INNOVATOR PAUL MACCREADY REMEMBERED
Hundreds of friends and relatives of Paul MacCready gathered last Saturday at the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena, for a memorial to the inventor, who died last month at age 81. MacCready, a CalTech graduate, founded AeroVironment Inc. and was an innovator in human-powered and solar-powered flight. He designed the "Gossamer Condor," the first successful human-powered airplane, which now hangs in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. A later version of the aircraft flew 22 miles across the English Channel. In recent years, AeroVironment developed high-altitude, solar-powered autonomous aircraft. More...

MEMPHIS AIRSPACE CLOSED DURING EQUIPMENT FAILURE
The failure of a telephone line to Memphis Center on Tuesday morning crippled the facility, grounded dozens of flights and caused widespread delays in air traffic across the country. Without the phone line, controllers were unable to use most of their radio frequencies and some of their radar feeds as well, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). They were also unable to make automated “handoffs” of flights to adjacent airspace sectors. Controllers, according to NATCA, "were thrust into an immensely chaotic situation in which they had to use personal cell phones to talk to other air traffic control facilities." By 1:30 p.m., the Center's 100,000 square miles of airspace had been completely cleared, the FAA said. More...

MUSTANGS & LEGENDS GATHER IN OHIO
While the suit-and-tie segment of general aviation is busy wheeling and dealing this week in Atlanta — see AVweb's extensive NBAA coverage for all those details — another big event is preparing to launch in Columbus, Ohio, as warbird pilots and admirers from around the world gather to celebrate history and honor those who made it. The unique Gathering of Mustangs & Legends starts Friday with open rehearsal flights by 100 P-51 Mustangs. Over the weekend, the organizers promise nonstop action, from the opening ceremonies at 9:30 a.m. until gates close at 6 each day. In addition to meeting an incredible number of Mustangs, the pilots and crew who flew and maintained them, and the USAF Demo Teams and performers, visitors can explore historical exhibits from the Tuskegee Airmen, Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), Rickenbacker International Airport and the USAF. More...

RUSSIA UNVEILS FIRST NEW AIRLINER SINCE SOVIET ERA
Sukhoi rolled out the first copy of its Superjet 100 on Wednesday, the first aircraft designed and produced in post-Soviet Russia. The regional jet can carry up to 103 passengers, and the company promises it will deliver comfort and efficiency. France and Italy also participated in the project. "Sukhoi Superjet 100 is a child of thousands of people around the globe, committed to the project's success with their hearts and souls," said Sukhoi CEO Mikhail Pogosyan. "It took us all six and a half years to get here, overcoming skepticism and finding our way ... Have a look at the aircraft -- I'm sure it was worth it." The aircraft will now begin flight tests. More...

AN EPIC DAY FOR EPIC AIRCRAFT
Epic Aircraft will partner with Indian billionaire Dr. Vijay Mallya, CEO Rick Schrameck announced at the National Business Aviation Association expo in Atlanta, Ga., on Wednesday morning. The deal provides Epic with plenty of cash to accelerate the process of bringing its growing line of aircraft, including several light-jet models, to the certified market. "Epic was really looking for a strategic partner, not just an investor," Schrameck said. "Dr. Mallya now has a significant interest in our company, and we will immediately benefit from his relationships with a variety of companies, including Airbus and Pratt & Whitney." Mallya owns and operates Kingfisher Airlines, which is one of Airbus's biggest customers. More...

ON THE FLY ...
49-state class action suit against Lycoming certified in Philadelphia ...
NATA reacts to DHS plan to change rules for international GA flights ...
First-time author Jane Gardner Birch wins $20,000 aviation award ...
Boeing delivered the first EA-18G Growler to the U.S. Navy ...
Hate to fly airlines? West Africa flying could change your perspective. More...

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

THE SAVVY AVIATOR #49:
RELIABILITY-CENTERED MAINTENANCE Q&A
Mike Busch's recent columns about reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) have elicited some interesting questions from readers. More...

NBAA 2007 VIDEO ROUND-UP:
COMPLETE VIDEO REPORTING FROM THE ATLANTA CONVENTION
If there's one thing we cay with certainty about the 2007 NBAA Convention and Trade Show, it's this: Business aviation is healthy and keeping (very) busy. If you don't believe us, check out these three exclusive videos we put together while gathering news reports for AVweb at the show. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: TECHNOLOGY MADE MICROCHIPS SMALLER — ARE BIZJETS NEXT?
With NBAA's annual convention wrapping up, there's no denying that very light jets are the hottest segment of business aviation growth. With this in mind, many say it's only a matter of time before the big jet makers start offering scaled-back aircraft for the VLJ and mid-size markets. Is it inevitable that Airbus and Boeing will enter the small- and medium-sized business jet market? Tell us what you think. Plus: Do AVweb readers consider a pilot's license an indispensible element of "the right stuff" for NASA trainees? More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: HUTT AVIATION/SOAR MINDEN (KMEV, MINDEN-TAHOE AIRPORT, MINDEN, NV)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Hutt Aviation & Soar Minden at Tahoe-Minden Airport (KMEV) in Minden, Nevada.

The Civil Air Patrol's Brent Ludlow spent quite a few hours there during the last two weeks as part of the search for missing aviator Steve Fossett. Ludlow spoke highly of both FBO operators and the airport's Taildragger Restaurant:

You all made us welcome and promptly responded to anything we needed. You helped all of us in the Civil Air Patrol to do our job, and I hope everyone flying through there stops to enjoy the hospitality that we have seen.

Congratulations to the folks at Minden-Tahoe — and Brent, watch your e-mail. We'll be in touch about sending you an official AVweb ball cap.

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." With the 2007 NBAA Convention in full swing as we type this, we were a little worried that "Picture of the Week" submissions would drop off this week — but, much to our delight, they actually picked up while we've been at the show! And since we're a bit crunched for time, let's dive right in.We start off with a Red Bull Air Racer doing the very thing we asking Michael Goulian about in this week's exclusive AVweb video — namely, hitting one of those hard-to-miss pylons at the air race — courtesy of Tolga Ercan from Santa Monica, California. More...

WANTED: AVIATION WRITER, EDITOR AND WEB PERSON
AVweb has an opening for an able and experienced aviation writer and editor with proven experience in both print and web publishing, although we're willing to train the right person in the finer points of massaging content for the web. This position requires relocation to our Sarasota, Florida office. If this description fits you, contact aviationeditorial@comcast.net. 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...

MEET THE AVWEBFLASH TEAM

AVwebFlash is a weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the internet's aviation magazine and news service.

The AVwebFlash team is:

Publisher
Timothy Cole

Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli

Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles

Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew

Features Editor
Kevin Lane-Cummings

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