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In a scathingly critical report (PDF) of Australian safety investigators and regulators, the Australian Senate last week found that an investigation into the 2009 ditching of a medical evacuation flight off Norfolk Island was so incompetently handled that it could be referred to authorities for criminal prosecution. The Senate investigation, which began last September, found that during the crash investigation, Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority failed to provide the Australian Transport Safety Board with critical documents and findings concerning the Pel-Air ditching. That information would have revealed, according to the Senate probe, that CASA knew of ongoing systemic shortcomings in Pel-Air’s operation that directly contributed to the accident. CASA’s action, says the Senate report, may have violated Australia’s Transport Safety Investigations Act. “It could be seen as a breach of the Transport Safety Act in terms of obstructing an investigation,” said Sen. David Fawcett.

click for larger imageAlthough considered somewhat high maintenance, Cessna's P210 offered -- and continues to offer -- unique performance at an affordable purchase price. A careful search will find older airframes worth refurbishing, and that's exactly what Steve Wathen of Columbus, Ohio did with his P-210.

The SpaceShipTwo space tourism vehicle operated by Virgin Galactic is expected to fly into space this year during testing with commercial operations to commence "not too long after," the company said Tuesday. Virgin Galactic is finalizing customer options and says there will be different price ranges for different experiences. Some 580 customers ranging in age from 18 to more than 90 years of age have given the company more than $70 million in deposits for future flights. While Virgin Galactic seems to be on pace to become the first enterprise to offer a space tourism service, XCOR may not be far behind and aims to be far more affordable.

Everyone agrees that 100LL is or should be on the way out, but the way ahead is less clear. What type of fuel do you think you'll be buying in 10 years?Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers how they'd handle a solar flare-induced GPS failure; click through to see the breakdown of responses.

The AOPA Foundation has launched a new initiative that aims to give away money to non-profit aviation groups and student pilots, as well as offering free AOPA memberships to teenagers and members of the armed forces. AVweb's Mary Grady spoke with Stephanie Kenyon, a vice president of the foundation, to learn more about it.

An Arizona-based company Wednesday said that it plans this year to produce and distribute a 93-octane premium unleaded, ethanol-free fuel as an avgas alternative for aircraft that do not require 100LL. Airworthy AutoGas, LLC, says its "high purity, low vapor pressure" fuel will be available beginning late this year. Bringing the fuel to market will provide, "an alternative for the majority of General Aviation aircraft without compromising airworthiness," according to Mark Ellery, the company's director of business development. The company says its decision to bring to produce and market the fuel was driven by dramatic changes in automotive gasoline in recent years and a goal "to get pilots flying more, for less."

Cessna's first production Turbo Skylane JT-A, running behind a Jet-A fueled diesel engine Tuesday flew for 2.3 hours, the company announced Wednesday. The Safran-made 227-hp SMA engine is expected to use up to 40 percent less fuel than a comparable avgas engine, according to Cessna, burning 11 gallons per hour at 156 knots and delivering an estimated range of 1,025 nautical miles on 87 gallons. Tuesday, it delivered the plane to 152 KTAS at 8,000 feet over Independence, Kan.. The aircraft performed as expected, according to Cessna senior test pilot, Dale Bleakney. Certification and deliveries are expected, soon.

Under a new program called "Giving Back," the AOPA Foundation is providing a chance for nonprofit groups in general aviation and student pilots to apply for grants to support a variety of needs. The grants for nonprofit groups will be available in amounts up to $10,000, Stephanie Kenyon, a vice president of the foundation, told AVweb on Wednesday. "It can be a request for general operating support or it can be program-specific," Kenyon said. The training scholarships will be offered in amounts up to $5,000. The Foundation is also offering free AOPA memberships to teenagers and members of the armed forces.The grant applications for nonprofit groups are due by July 1, Kenyon said, but the scholarships and membership programs are ongoing. This is the first year of the program, and depending on response, the offerings might change in subsequent years, she said. More details about the grant programs and how to apply can be found at the Foundation's website. AVweb's Mary Grady spoke with Kenyon about the program, click here to listen to the podcast.

At this week's European Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition, in Geneva, Switzerland, representatives from leading business-jet companies provided updates on their newest airplanes. Honda Aircraft Co. CEO Michimasa Fujino said the HondaJet is nearly ready for the final phase of flight testing, and the production line is ready to build customer aircraft. Construction is underway on a customer-service center in Greensboro, N.C., to provide aftermarket support. "Our team is working very hard to bring the HondaJet to market as quickly as possible," Fujino said. The company said recently it expects certification in 2014. Officials from Embraer and Bombardier also provided updates.

Sky Hope Network, a nonprofit organization, is raising money through June 1 to support members of the aviation community affected by the destructive tornado that hit near Oklahoma City on Monday. "FAA personnel, staffers, escrow agents, and airport and FBO support workers in the OKC region are victim to a range of personal losses," says the Network at their website. "They need immediate assistance from the wider aviation business community." All funds collected will go directly to the victims, the group said. Aerobridge, a nonprofit that coordinates general-aviation relief efforts, told AOPA no pilot volunteers are needed since the affected areas are accessible by road.

At the European Business Aircraft Conference & Exhibition in Geneva this week, Pilatus unveiled its design for a new twin-engine jet that can operate from short and unpaved runways.

Nextant Aerospace, which has been producing the 400XT remanufactured business jet since 2011, announced a major upgrade to the airplane this week at the European Business Aviation Conference and Exposition, in Geneva, Switzerland. The 400XTi features a new cabin design with extra headroom and shoulder space, new acoustic insulation for reduced cabin noise, raked winglets, and auto-throttle capability to lessen pilot workload and improve fuel economy. The aircraft is a completely rebuilt Beechjet 400A/XP with Williams FJ44-3AP engines and Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics. The new model is offered at about $5 million.

Pilatus, best known for its PC-12 turboprop, on Tuesday released details of the PC-24, which will be the company's first jet. At the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland, board chairman Oscar Schwenk said the "super-versatile" jet will be able to use very short runways, paved or unpaved, and a cargo door will be standard. The cabin can be fitted with up to 10 seats, or six to eight in executive configuration. Range is up to 2,243 miles with four passengers, and maximum speed is 425 knots. The PC-24 is powered by two Williams FJ44-4A turbine engines. The jet project was launched last summer and work on the prototype "is in full swing" in Switzerland, the company said. First deliveries are expected in 2017, at a price of about $9 million.

Pilatus, best known for its PC-12 turboprop, on Tuesday released details of the PC-24, which will be the company's first jet. At the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland, board chairman Oscar Schwenk said the "super-versatile" jet will be able to use very short runways, paved or unpaved, and a cargo door will be standard. The cabin can be fitted with up to 10 seats, or six to eight in executive configuration. Range is up to 2,243 miles with four passengers, and maximum speed is 425 knots. The PC-24 is powered by two Williams FJ44-4A turbine engines. The jet project was launched last summer and work on the prototype "is in full swing" in Switzerland, the company said. First deliveries are expected in 2017, at a price of about $9 million.

Cessna's new Latitude and Longitude jets are in the works and making progress, company officials said this week at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, in Geneva, Switzerland. The first prototype of the midsize Latitude is being assembled and should be flying early next year, said Cessna spokesman Terry Shriner. The super-midsize Longitude has completed wind-tunnel testing that confirms projections for a range of 4,000 nm cruising at Mach 0.82, Shriner said. The first flight of the Longitude prototype is projected for mid-2016, with FAA type certification in the latter half of 2017. Also, Cessna's Kriya Shortt said the new Citation X should start deliveries by the end of this year.

This gave me a little chuckle because it rhymed so well. The pilot knew too, as he said it with pauses:Line up and wait...Runway 28...Cirrus 188Shawn Byersvia e-mail

>>> AVWEB FUEL FINDERCURRENT PRICE FOR 100LL: $6.02 (down 2¢ from last week)CURRENT PRICE FOR JET A: $5.43 (down 6¢ from last week)Fuel prices provided weekly by AirNav, based on prices from the past 2 weeks. Changes are relative to last week's prices. /TEXT_ONLY-->AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to St. Clair County Airport (KPLR) in Pell City, Alabama.AVweb reader Mike Grossberg got the royal treatment there recently:The service is "over the top" at this beautiful country airport. The airport manager, Larry, answered my airport advisory request and offered to meet me on the ramp with the rental car as I taxied in from landing. Larry escorted us to the transient hangar, helped push the plane in, and gave us directions. This lovely airport even has a shady gazebo for watching the airplanes come and go. Real Southern hospitality at its best.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!

A trip around the patch at a controlled airport in New Zealand will soon carry a $1 NZD charge under a user fee schedule announced by the Airways Corporation of New Zealand, the "state-owned enterprise" that runs the country's airspace system. By 2015, however, that same touch-and-go will cost $3.55 NZD as will transiting controlled airspace around airports and something called a "vicinity landing" that is not defined in the Airways announcement of the fees. Fees for airliners will increase an overall 15.7 percent over the next three years.

Cirrus Aircraft has sent an investigative team to Addison, Texas, to look into a report that a repacked Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) failed to deploy when a pilot pulled the handle late last week. "We did have an incident in Texas at the end of last week that involved a repacked CAPS parachute," Cirrus spokesman Todd Simmons said in an email to AVweb. "While we understand that an anomaly may have occurred related to extraction of the chute, it is premature to draw any specific conclusions at this point much beyond that." AVweb contacted the owner's home Sunday evening but was told he was out for the evening.

Avidyne Corporation announced the STC certification of the DFC90 plug-and-play retrofit autopilot system for Beechcraft Bonanza applications. The STC, which covers 25 models of the Bonanza, allows the DFC90 to replace existing S-TEC autopilots when interfaced with the Aspen Evolution Pro Primary Flight Display (EFD1000Pro). Avidyne previously certified the drop-in DFC90 with the Aspen PFD in Cessna 182 Skylane series aircraft and with the Entegra PFD in the Cirrus SR20 and SR22. It's also certified in the Piper PA-46 Matrix and Mirage.