NTSB CITES RANGE OF SAFETY ISSUES IN UAV INVESTIGATION
The NTSB has completed its first investigation into an accident involving an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and on Tuesday, the board issued 22 safety recommendations and expressed concern about operating these vehicles in the National Airspace System. NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said the high number of recommendations reflects "a wide range of safety issues involving the civilian use of unmanned aircraft." On April 26, a turboprop-powered Predator B operated on a surveillance mission by U.S. Customs and Border Protection crashed in a sparsely populated residential area near Nogales, Ariz. No one on the ground was injured, but the remotely piloted 66-foot-wingspan aircraft was substantially damaged. The board found that the pilot, who was not proficient in the performance of emergency procedures, inadvertently shut off the fuel while dealing with a console "lock-up" problem, causing a total loss of engine power. The NTSB cited several areas of particular concern including: the design and certification of the unmanned aircraft system, pilot qualification and training, the integration of UAVs into the air traffic management system, and the lack of audio records of UAV operations-related communications. More...

EXCEL-JET SUES FAA OVER SPORT-JET CRASH
When the Sport-Jet prototype crashed during a test flight in 2006, it wasn't due to any flaw with the aircraft or a mistake by the crew, says Excel-Jet in a suit filed against the FAA. It was because air traffic controllers cleared the jet to take off behind a large commercial aircraft (a deHavilland Dash 8) in violation of mandatory separation requirements. The company on Wednesday said it filed the suit in an effort to prove that its airplane and pilot were not at fault. On June 22, 2006, the Sport-Jet rolled aggressively to the left immediately after liftoff and crashed. The company has long contended that wake turbulence was the cause, but the NTSB report, completed in April, found "it is most likely that the wake vortices were neither strong enough nor close enough to the Sport-Jet to cause the violent roll to the left." The NTSB cited "a loss of control for an undetermined reason" as the probable cause of the accident. Excel-Jet now says it has no option but to initiate legal action against the FAA in an effort to prove that there was no fault with the aircraft or pilot. More...

MALLYA PLANS EPIC PLANT IN INDIA
Indian business tycoon Vijay Mallya says he intends to build Epic's line of turboprops and light jets in India to serve the Asian and Middle Eastern market. Mallya bought a 50 percent stake in Bend, Ore.-based Epic earlier this year and says he wants to bring the operation, or at least part of it, home. “Once the certification process of Dynasty, Victory and Elite is done in the US, I want to manufacture them in India. The manufacturing base in India will largely target Middle-East and Asia besides the domestic market,” he told The Economic Times More...

FOSSETT FRIENDS AND FAMILY FACE LIKELY LOSS
Sir Richard Branson said this week that he knows his friend, adventurer Steve Fossett, probably will not be found alive. "I think the chances are that he's no longer with us," Branson told Matt Lauer on NBC's Today Show on Monday. "I think everybody involved has pretty well given up hope, sadly." Fossett was last seen on September 3 when he took off from a private airstrip in Nevada for a short flight in a Super Decathlon. Branson said Fossett's wife, Peggy, plans to return to Nevada soon for "one final search," but her husband's loss is beginning to sink in. Lauer's interview with Branson is posted online. Continuing efforts by the Civil Air Patrol and privately funded searchers have failed to turn up any sign of Fossett or the airplane he was flying. New analysis of radar traces earlier this month pointed to a 100-square-mile area southeast of the Hilton ranch that Fossett took off from, but ground searchers found nothing. More...

AIRBUS A380 TO FLY NEXT WEEK WITH SINGAPORE AIRLINES
On the heels of Boeing's announcement that its latest design, the 787 Dreamliner, will be delayed six months, Singapore Airlines (SA) is expected to fly its first Airbus A380 next week for the very first time. The carrier has gone the luxury route and outfitted its double-decker Airbus with sleeping cabins that can be converted flying offices. Those flying economy class on the jet will at least enjoy their own 10.5 inch screen. SA's configuration has room for 471 passengers instead of seating for the 800 or more passengers the aircraft is capable of confining. More...

PILOT FIRED FIGHTING AVIOPHOBIA
A pilot previously made famous for stripping to his underwear to protest airport security rules has now been fired from MyTravel Airways after allowing a soccer player to fly as a passenger in the flight deck jump seat. Captain Pablo Mason has a (relatively) popular following in the U.K. for his efforts to cure hundreds of passengers of their fear of flying. Mason acknowledged that he may have broken a rule by using the jumpseat, but did not admit to being aware of the rule. He told the Times Online, "I don't accept that I compromised safety, prejudiced the good name of MyTravel or neglected my duty." Mason added, "Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools." More...

INDIA TURNS AWAY FROM AMERICAN GRAY
India is turning away American pilots over age 60, in spite of a need for qualified pilots. The country is currently seeing an aviation boom (civil aviation, there, is enjoying a 37 percent growth rate) and a pilot crunch, but that doesn't mean they want to fill the ranks with American pilots over the age of 60. The country has made a regulatory decision to stop issuing certificates to American pilots over the age of 60 -- Indian pilots may fly to age 65. India expects 350 million air travelers by 2020 (the number was closer to 75 in 2006) and has the fastest growing number of air passengers in the world. More...

AUSSIE CARRIER SEEKS GOVT. SUBSIDIES FOR TRAINING
Australia's Regional Express airline is warning that a pilot shortage will within 12 months become a crisis and is calling on the Australian government to come to the rescue with cash for training. The airline estimates the country will need 900 new pilots per year for the next two years, and says ATPs are being produced in Australia at a rate of less than 400 per year. As a result, those new pilots that fly first for regional carriers are being swept up by national carriers at a rate that exceeds supply leaving both regional and national carriers wanting. More...

INDUSTRY REACTS TO FAA ACTION AGAINST JET CHARTER COMPANY
The FAA's recent action to suspend operations at AMI Jet Charter was "driven more by arrogance and a failure to understand how Part 135 is different from Part 121" than by any concerns about safety, according to James Coyne, president of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA). Coyne, in a letter to NATA members dated October 15, said he was "extremely angered" by the FAA's "shocking" action. AMI operates about 10 percent of the top-of-the-line Gulfstream, Falcon and other large corporate jets in the U.S. charter market, according to the Wall Street Journal. Tag Aviation owns 49 percent of the company, and it is the issue of ownership, or "operational control" -- and who is responsible for the safe operation of the airplanes -- that is the basis for the FAA's action. AMI filed an appeal last week with the NTSB, arguing that no "emergency" situation exists to justify the FAA's action, and provided a declaration countering many of the FAA's claims against the carrier. AMI's appeal and their response to the FAA's charges are posted at the NATA Web site. AMI CEO Chuck McLeran said he hopes to work with the FAA to resolve the issues. "We are confident that we can demonstrate AMIJC's outstanding safety record to the FAA and our continued commitment to full compliance with all applicable regulations and procedures," he said in a statement. More...

JUDGE KEEPS PILOT IN JAIL PENDING FAA ACTION
For pilots who have experienced waiting for things to happen on an FAA timescale, the thought of waiting behind bars for the FAA to act could be daunting. One pilot in Virginia faces that situation, as a judge says he's not willing to let him out until the FAA revokes his pilot certficate. The FAA says it can't do that until it completes its investigation, and how long that will take, nobody can say. Pilot Ronald Davis Jr., 50, of Naples, Fla., is in this fix because he's charged with flying under the influence, which is a felony in Virginia. Davis was giving $10 helicopter rides to the public at the Suffolk Peanut Fest last Sunday when passengers complained that he was flying erratically. Police said Davis failed a field sobriety test and registered a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.116 on a preliminary breath test, the Virginian-Pilot reported. More...

WE HAVE A WINNER! AVWEB'S RED BULL VIDEO RANKS FIRST WORLDWIDE
Among all the sports videos on the Internet -- from CBS, ESPN, and more, about football, and car racing, and scandal -- it was AVweb's behind-the-scenes coverage of the San Diego Red Bull Air Race that ranked number one in a worldwide online poll. The web site WeShow lets viewers around the world choose their favorite videos from more than 200 channels. Once a month, the ranks are posted, then the competition starts over. AVweb videographer Glenn Pew combined dramatic aerial shots, hangar talk with the pilots, knowledgeable narration, and deft editing to beat out the competition. More...

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

PROBABLE CAUSE #43: INTO THE WATER
A Baron pilot flies into Lake Ontario on an approach in foggy conditions, proving that CFIT accidents can happen in the flattest of places. More...

A PILOT'S HISTORY: CHAP. 2 -- CALIFORNIA BASE
In this second chapter of the career of Carl Moesly, he goes to Long Beach to ferry brand-new aircraft all over the country. More...

HOW'S THAT DIESEL AIRPLANE WORKING OUT FOR YOU?
Our sister magazine, Aviation Consumer, is conducting a research project on diesel aircraft engines. If you're flying one, we would like to know what your impressions of it are. Has the performance been what you expected? How about the economy? We would also like to know about service history. For a questionnaire, e-mail avconsumer@comcast.net. The editorial staff will get right back to you. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: COLUMBIA AIRCRAFT, NOW BROUGHT TO YOU BY ... ?
With Cirrus and Cessna both bidding on the assets of Columbia Manufacturing, the race is on! Whom do you predict will win the bankruptcy sweepstakes and get to put their name above Columbia's on the company letterhead? Make your predictions here! Plus: Should passengers be allowed to use cell phones on commercial flights? AVweb readers had a strong opinion on last week's Question. More...

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." "POTW" submissions tapered off a bit this week, with only 65 new photos finding their way to our submission box — but with a backlog of fantastic photos from the last three weeks that we're still trying to sneak into our home page slideshow, there's no shortage of oohs or ahhs.

Our top spot goes to a slightly unusual photo this week. Most winners make us happy when we look at them — but this one just made us happy it wasn't us in the cockpit! Wally Dilling of Hagerstown, Indiana didn't offer many comments, but he did explain that "brakes don't work so well on wet grass." An official AVweb cap will probably be cold comfort, Wally — but we're sending you one anyway. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: AVIATION FACILITIES, INC. (AFI) (KFUL, FULLERTON, CA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Aviation Facilities, Inc. (AFI) at KFUL in Fullerton, California — a family-run FBO that celebrated its 40th anniversary at KFUL last week.

AVweb reader Ray Stratton gave us a little history:

Starting with a C-150 and using the airport motel lobby as an office, [AFI] ... has grown to a fleet of eleven aircraft and over seven instructors. Still owned and operated by the same family, it has accomplished over 250,000 hours of flight instruction.

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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