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• Air Force Plan Would Cut 10,000 Airmen
  Nearly 10,000 of the Air Force's active National Guard and Reserve airmen would be cut next year if plans detailed Friday by the Air Force go into effect. Cuts will reportedly target the National Guard for more than half of the total personnel, aircraft and other equipment to be trimmed. Specific numbers trim 5,100 guardsmen, 3,900 active-duty members and 899 reservists.The Air Force Times has reported that the Air Force does not intend "to employ involuntary cuts in the active force to reach that goal." Changes will come to forces in all 50 states and cuts may not stop there. The plan brought immediate push-back.
  
  
• American Airlines' Bankruptcy May Cost You
  As part of its bankruptcy reorganization, American Airlines could announce plans next week to lay off more than 13,000 workers and eliminate pension plans, or, warns one analyst, the end of the airline could be near. "American made promises to pilots" about "pay, benefits, retirement and employment," that in many cases "are not going to be kept," according to Glenn MacDonald an economics professor at Olin Business School at Washington University, St. Louis. MacDonald believes the airline is not positioned to compete and generate sufficient profits to sustain operations without "significant reduction" in what it provides to employees. According to MacDonald, without those reductions, American "will soon be gone, not just reorganized," with pieces bought up by competitors. Whether that proves prescient or propagandist, pilots' pensions appear to be in the crosshairs and, you (the taxpayer) may be on the hook for something.
  
  
• Kestrel Collecting Resumes
  Production may be about two years off and the facility has yet to be built, but Kestrel Aircraft Co. hopes to create 600 jobs in Superior, Wisconsin, over the next few years, and resumes are already coming in. The company currently employs about 50 engineers who are working to transform the Kestrel prototype single-engine six to eight seat turboprop into an FAA-certified production aircraft. Successful completion of that task precludes any mass hiring. New hires will also need a physical workplace and. Kestrel will break ground on a 35,000-square foot production facility this spring, likely by April. Wisconsin's Indianhead Technical College of Superior hopes to work with Kestrel to develop training courses that would address specific needs at Kestrel.
  
  
• Where's My Flying Car
  Back in 2003, the SEC filed a complaint against Moller International and Paul S. Moller, for the development and marketing of a Skycar -- on January 30, 2012, Moller International began promoting two new Skycar designs for the LSA category. The SEC's complaint cited "false and misleading statements" Moller used in promotional releases and to solicit "approximately $5.1 million from more than 500 investors." Moller settled by paying a $50,000 fine and agreeing to a permanent injunction. The latest "LSA" offerings from Moller International, are currently available in brochure form. Specifications for one include a cruise speed of 237 mph -- about twice the Light Sport category's current cruise speed restriction. A practical flying car with every-man usability has so far eluded the public, but we may have already been introduced to a design that shows promise, aside from the Terrafugia Transition roadable aircraft. AVweb's Glenn Pew takes a look in this week's video. Click through to view.
  
  
• Question of the Week: Crash Pilots as Criminals?
  A New Hampshire pilot is facing manslaughter charges in the death of his daughter after the twin he was flying without a multi-endorsement crashed in Massachusetts. Are there circumstances where pilots should face criminal action?Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers about the proposed weight limit increases for light sport aircraft; click through to see the breakdown of answers.
  
  
• American Wants To Slash 13,000 Jobs
  About 400 pilots are affected by sweeping layoffs proposed by American Airlines as it tries to emerge from bankruptcy. In a plan unveiled Wednesday, the airline announced it will lay off 13,000 employees, about 15 percent of its workforce, cancel unprofitable routes and retire old inefficient aircraft. "We are going to use the restructuring process to make the necessary changes to meet our challenges head-on and capitalize fully on the solid foundation we've put in place," CEO Thomas Horton said in a letter to employees. The employees have a different take.
  
  
• DOT OIG: FAA Faces Controller Shortage
  Southern California, Atlanta, Chicago and New York were identified as areas that face the risk of having too few controllers as veteran controllers retire, according to a report (PDF) by the Department of Transportation. The FAA anticipated the problem, but efforts to train new recruits have seen too many fail to qualify for work at high-traffic facilities. To complicate matters, the report says those high-traffic facilities have seen attrition rates above the national average and many hold high numbers of controllers eligible to retire. The reportconcluded that "the Nation's most critical air traffic control facilities are facing significant staffing shortages" that "could lead to potential risks to their daily operations."The FAA has a different opinion and has issued a statement.
  
  
• Super-Heroes Fly Over New York City (With Video)
  What appeared to be human forms recently seen flying over New York city made passes along the Brooklyn bridge, flew past the Statue of Liberty, and some even performed loops -- they were also part of a viral marketing campaign. To promote a movie, three remote-controlled aircraft designed to look like flying people were flown by ground-based operators. The illusion is at least surreal and at most rather convincing. The RC people design is a product marketed by rcsuperhero.com, which offers "full scale RcSuperhero 78-inch show plane plans and kits, as well as hand tossed gliders shaped as flying people." Click through to see them in action.
  
  
• GA Groups Welcome FAA Funding Bill
  Aviation organizations reacted with relief this week to news that a $63 billion, four-year FAA funding bill has finally been agreed on in Washington. AOPA said, "General aviation pilots can celebrate" -- the bill left out user fees and doesn't increase taxes for avgas or jet fuel. The bill makes it possible for the government to create an incentive program to help GA pilots equip for NextGen, and authorizes $13.4 billion for airport improvement projects. It also addresses through-the-fence operations, allowing airport access to adjacent property owners. Other aviation groups, such as NBAA, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, and the Air Line Pilots Association, also reacted positively to the news.
  
  
• Stratolaunch Starts Construction In Mojave
  Stratolaunch Systems, the new company formed in December by Paul Allen to build a giant Burt Rutan-designed aircraft that will launch payloads into Earth orbit, has started construction on a production facility and a hangar at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Over the next year, the company plans to tear down a pair of 747-400 aircraft and salvage parts and subsystems to integrate into the new airplane. "Today marks the start of an exciting journey for us," said Gary Wentz, CEO of Stratolaunch. "We look forward to many years of great work in Mojave." The two new buildings together will comprise about 180,000 square feet of workspace and offices.