BizAv At OSH

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how was held in a small Wisconsin town last week. Yes, EAA’s AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 concluded only last Sunday and, if you didn’t make it, you’ll have to try again next year. In addition to the light sport aircraft, ultralights, warbirds, homebuilts, and store-bought piston singles and twins, you also missed a substantial presence among some brand-name players in the business aviation market. For example, Cessna was out in force, displaying a wide variety of its products and announcing new capabilities for the Citation Mustang VLJ, including completed tests enabling runway certification at field elevations as high as 14,000 feet. The company added that 16 Citation Mustangs have been delivered from its Independence, Kan., production facility and it expects to put 40 of the aircraft in new customers’ hands this year. Additionally, the first EASA-certified Mustang will be delivered in August, with Brazilian certification imminent. Meanwhile, Hawker Beechcraft also made a large splash in Oshkosh, with many of the models it has made over the 75 years since its predecessor began producing aircraft occupying a large portion of the main aircraft display area. Also, the company celebrated the 60th year of its venerable Bonanza, one of early business aviation’s most important aircraft.

In addition to Embraer’s progress report on its Phenom 100 (see below), Eclipse Aviation literally rolled in its new ECJ (Eclipse Concept Jet), a single-turbofan-powered, elongated V-tail four-seater the company says is not now a new product in its lineup. Which is probably a good thing, given those suggesting the company should first finish its Eclipse 500 VLJ before introducing new models. The company says its ECJ prototype is slated for FL410 and 345 KTAS if and when it goes to certification and/or production. Other jet-powered news was made by Epic when it introduced the twin-engine Epic Elite, another VLJ, along with its single-engine Epic Victory, which the company bills as a PJ, or personal jet. Epic, which makes the single-turboprop Epic LT, says its two newest offerings will be available as certificated production aircraft or as kits. Also among those announcing Jet A-burning aircraft was Lancair, with its Evolution, a four-place experimental pulled by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135A turboprop. And, not to be outdone, FAA Administrator Blakey sought to deflect growing unrest throughout the general and business aviation communities over her agency’s user fee proposals by announcing a shrinking of the Washington ADIZ plus dates by which ADS-B will be required equipment for aircraft accessing certain airspace. In all, anything related to aviation was abundantly present last week in Oshkosh, including business aircraft of all shapes and sizes. If you didn’t make it, you may not have missed major business aviation news, but you did miss out.

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