AVWEB FEATURES DAILY AOPA EXPO COVERAGE
After one of the most news-intensive National Business Aviation Association conventions in recent memory, the aviation world's attention shifts to Hartford, Conn., this week and AOPA Expo. Our jet-lagged troupe of top-drawer aviation print, video and audio journalists will be there for the full three days, starting Thursday, with daily coverage ensuring sure all 130,000 subscribers in the AVweb community know what's going on and how it might affect them. So far, the most interesting announcement appears to be coming from Piper. More...

NTSB: LACK OF WEATHER INFO DOOMED SCOTT CROSSFIELD
The NTSB on Thursday released its final report on the plane crash that killed famed aviator Scott Crossfield last year, with an unusual dual finding of blame, citing both Crossfield's failure to ask for weather updates, and air traffic control's failure to give them to him. Crossfield crashed on the morning of April 19, 2006, in Ludville, Ga., while flying alone in his Cessna 210. More...

ALLEVIATING CONGESTION, BUSH'S WAY
The White House Thursday told aviation officials to reduce congestion and delays, or at least not repeat what the first seven months of 2007 have been -- the most delayed air travel season on record. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics attributes responsibility for the delays equally between the national airspace system and the airlines (each winning 28 percent responsibility) with 38 percent attributed to rippling effects. Only 6 percent of delays could be attributed to weather, according to the Bureau. The push will bring even more tension to an already charged battle for space fought between airlines, private jets and the interests of the air traffic controllers union. President Bush's specific guidance was to ask Transportation Secretary Mary Peters to consult with those in the aviation industry that would help create a strategy by year-end with solutions to be implemented next year. More...

ANTI-SCUD RUNNING WEB SITE LAUNCHED
Well, there's a Web site for just about everything these days and ClearanceWiki.com is aimed at the growing frustration of GA pilots in obtaining IFR clearances. The free site, modeled after Wikipedia, offers user-editable listings giving pilots airport-specific guidance on expeditiously obtaining IFR clearances while they're safely on the ground. "If IFR clearances are readily available, pilots are less tempted to launch under VFR with the intention of picking up the IFR in the air, says the ClearanceWiki.com news release. In this way, ClearanceWiki.com hopes to help reduce scud running, and further improve general aviation safety. More...

LASER TARGETS MEDEVAC HELICOPTER--TWICE
The pilot of an Australian medevac helicopter said he had to delay a landing with a critically ill passenger on board after he was briefly blinded by a laser aimed from the ground. The Sydney Morning Herald reported Saturday that the pilot, Darryl Humphries, was setting up to land at a hospital in Sydney when the green laser (powerful enough to damage eyes) hit the cockpit. "The laser distracted me whilst I was flying and caused me to stop doing a pre-landing check, which delayed landing with our patient," Humphries told the Morning Herald. "Some of these lasers can cause permanent eye damage, which is quite scary when you're trying to get a critically ill patient to hospital." More...

CARGO PLANE CRASH PILOT TAKES PLUNGE
After a spectacular crash landing on a busy Fort Lauderdale freeway, Bob Robertson says he's ready to take the plunge. Robertson, whose photo appeared in hundreds of newspapers and Web sites as he sat in the pilot's seat, the shredded Beech 18 around him, told reporters his girlfriend has agreed to marry him. The promise of a new life is in sharp contrast to the fate he assumed he'd have when one engine gave out last week on takeoff from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. "I knew that I was going to die. The idea at that point is to try not to take a lot of people with you," Robertson told The Associated Press. More...

NIGHT VISION GOGGLES CERTIFIED FOR QUEENSLAND EMERGENCY TEAM
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has made its move in Australia to allow the Queensland Government's "Emergency Management Queensland" (EMQ) to become the first operator certified to use night vision goggles. EMQ provides emergency services via helicopter and frequently flies high-priority missions to night landings in rural areas or at accident sites. Previously relying on "night sun" search lights, "It's a huge safety enhancement for landing in unsurveyed areas," EMQ chief pilot Trevor Wilson told TheAustralian.com. More...

BOMB THREAT TEMPORARILY SCUTTLES SEAPLANE AIRLINE SERVICE
The world's largest floatplane-based airline was left high and dry for several hours last week after an anonymous caller threatened to send one of its aircraft to the bottom of Georgia Strait. Harbour Air, which flies float-equipped Otters and Twin Otters between the harbors of Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, as well as some other communities, suspended operations to search its 60 aircraft, leaving 900 passengers stranded. More...

AIRBUS LANDS WITH PARKING BRAKE SET
British authorities say an airline's procedures have changed, and Airbus is installing a warning system on its aircraft after the pilot of a A319 landed the aircraft with parking brake set. All four mains blew after the landing but the aircraft stayed on the runway and no one was hurt in the incident at Leeds Bradford Airport, according to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch report. More...

A NEW AIRPORT FOR CENTRAL TEXAS?
We always like to hear about new airport developments, and Austin, Texas, has needed a story like this for a long time. In 1999, the city closed down two airports -- Austin Executive and Robert Mueller-- leaving general aviation struggling for a place to call home. Now a private investor, Ron Henriksen, has purchased the privately owned, public-use Bird's Nest Airport 12 miles northeast of Austin and hopes to upgrade it to a modern general aviation airport catering to the piston crowd. More...

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

PROBABLE CAUSE #42: RACING WEATHER
It's never a good idea to try beating a thunderstorm to your destination. More...

AVMAIL: OCT. 1, 2007
Reader mail this week about system delays, Cessna's interest in Columbia, the Age 60 rule and much more. More...

AVWEB'S MONDAY PODCAST: WSI'S NEW WEATHER BOXES — MORE DATALINK COMPETITION
WSI was out early with weather datalink for the cockpit but stubbed its toe when the satellite technology proved troublesome. But the company is back with two new datalink receivers and new weather products delivered via Sirius Satellite Radio. WSI's Paul Devlin covers the specifics. More...

NBAA 2007 PODCASTING ROUND-UP: OUR COMPLETE AUDIO COVERAGE FROM THE ATLANTA CONVENTION
Innovation and growth topped everyone's agenda at the 2007 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. If there was any doubt as to the health of the business jet market, this show eradicated it. As always, AVweb's audio news team was on hand to get the biggest stories straight from the newsmakers themselves. In case you missed them, here's a quick recap of our NBAA 2007 podcasts. More...

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: JOURNEY THROUGH THE CLASSICS
"Journey Through the Classics" with AVweb reader Walter Bogaardt this week. Walter's put together a couple of amazing videos from footage shot at the recent Camarillo Air Show in California. We've seen some fun musical montages since we started wasting time on YouTube, er, researching viral flying videos — but these are top-notch and all worth a watch. (Click through to watch.) 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...

FBO OF THE WEEK: CUTTER AVIATION (KCOS, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Cutter Aviation at KCOS in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

AVweb reader Jim Landfried recommended the FBO after getting top-notch, personalized service from a big chain operation:

I was surprised that at [an] airport this [big] they didn't charge any more for fuel than my local municipal airport. On my departure, Doug, a lineman, after learning that my family hadn't been to a General Aviation facility before, loaded my granddaughter, her husband, and their 1-1/2-year-old daughter into a crew vehicle and drove them to a place where they could see my wife and I depart. This at a large commercial airport! ... I have been back three times since and they always provide very excellent service and personal attention ... . By the way, the fuel prices have remained modest.

And it sounds like Jim would know his way around FBOs, having visited many of them over the years during a career as a scorer for the Air Race Classic!

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!

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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