MESA FILES CHAPTER 11
Mesa Air Group filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday, saying it needs to reorganize and shed excess airplanes. The company, which provides regional service for US Airways and Delta, among others, has 130 aircraft, of which 52 are parked. The company said in its filing that it intends to dump another 25 aircraft, citing the cost of upkeep on the idled aircraft. "Our company has ample liquidity to support itself during this process and we are confident we will emerge from Chapter 11 an even stronger operation," CEO Jonathan Ornstein said in a statement. A total of 122 aircraft in Mesa's fleet are Bombardiers, mostly CRJs, and the company has 10 CRJ700s on order. Not all of the aircraft are paid for. Mesa owes Bombardier $130 million and that makes Bombardier the airline's second biggest creditor, behind Wells Fargo. More...

AIRBUS THREATENS TO SCRAP A400M
Airbus has threatened to scrap the A400M heavy transport project unless its customers, seven European countries, agree, by the end of the month, to help cover the huge cost overruns it has piled up. The big four-engine turboprop flew for the first time Dec. 11 but the controversy over Airbus' demand that customers accept a 25-percent price increase still hasn't been settled. Airbus CEO Tom Enders issued an ultimatum on Tuesday, warning that the company will simply drop tools rather than shoulder the whole burden. "We need to stop this constant drain on resources," Airbus said on Tuesday. "We've asked the governments to take their share of the burden and this needs to be done as soon as possible." More...

DHL MAY DONATE AIRPORT
Cargo giant DHL Express and authorities in Wilmington, Ohio, are reportedly close to an agreement allowing DHL to donate Wilmington Air Park, the airport it formerly used as a hub, to the community. DHL closed the Wilmington hub over the past year in a cost-cutting move and laid off more than 8,000 workers, which naturally devastated the local economy. There are still about 700 people working at the airport, which the air freight company owns, and the proposal would see it become a publicly owned airport and industrial area. "DHL Express and the Clinton County Port Authority are pleased about the prospects of this solution supporting the region and people of Wilmington, and are very hopeful that such a donation could serve as a stimulus for redevelopment and future commerce in Southwestern Ohio," the two said in a joint news release. Wilmington would gain a pretty capable airport from the deal. More...

LEAR REPORTED DOWN NEAR CHICAGO EXECUTIVE
A Lear Jet operated by Royal Air Freight crashed at about 2 p.m. (eastern time), southeast of Chicago Executive Airport, killing both pilots. The Lear 35, was visible in pieces left protruding from the small Des Plaines River located in a wooded area not far from the airport. The plane was on a flight from Pontiac. Mich. to pick up cargo, before heading to Atlanta. More...

2010 STARTS ON AN UP NOTE FOR GA
After a tough year in 2009, the general aviation industry seems determined to get back on track in 2010 and start the year out with some positive news. On Monday, Cessna announced it would recall 180 laid-off workers to work on the Citation Sovereign line. The company said new orders have come in from abroad for the executive jet, sparked by the chance to take advantage of the exchange rate as the dollar value remains low on international markets. One-third of the recalled workers started this week, and the rest will be back to work by the end of this month, according to KWCH in Wichita, Kans. Cessna had stopped work on the Sovereign line about six months ago, citing a drop in orders. A company spokesperson told KWCH that Cessna still expects a slow year ahead. Since late in 2008, the company has cut more than 8,000 jobs. Also showing signs of hope is aviation analyst Brian Foley, of Brian Foley Associates, who told the Wichita Eagle there could be signs of recovery as soon as this summer. If positive growth in the U.S. economy reaches 3 percent, that would indicate a favorable environment for aircraft sales, he said. That indicator was up to 2.2 percent in the third quarter of last year. And doing its part to accentuate the positive, Teledyne Continental Motors announced on Monday that prices will hold steady in 2010 for both factory-new and rebuilt engines. More...

PIPER SELECTS AVIALL FOR WORLDWIDE PARTS NETWORK
Piper Aircraft announced on Monday that Aviall Services, a subsidiary of Boeing, will become Piper's sole global parts distributor, providing supply-chain support for Piper dealers and customers around the world. The change will mean a "quantum leap" in the ability of customers to get the parts they need, when they need them, at excellent price and quality, said Derek Zimmerman, Piper's vice president of supply chain and aftermarket development. "Aviall's strategically placed distribution centers worldwide, coupled with its ability to stock sufficient inventory to meet customer needs in a timely fashion, make it the logical choice for Piper," he said. Aviall Services, based in Dallas, is one of the world's largest providers of new aviation parts and related services, with more than 2 million catalog items available through 39 customer service centers in North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific region. Boeing acquired the company in 2006 for $1.7 billion. More...

HOLDER JOINS ECI

Chris Holder

Chris Holder is the new sales manager for Engine Components, Inc. (ECi). He was formerly regional sales manager of Aerospace Products International. More...

CASSIDY NEW GLOBAL AEROSPACE PRESIDENT
Jeff Cassidy took over as President and Chief Operation Officer of Global Aerospace on Jan. 1. Nick Brown continues as Chairman and CEO. More...

WHO'S WHERE? YOU TELL US
Get a promotion or a new job? Your colleagues want to know about it, and AVwebBiz can get the word out. Drop us a line about the staff appointment, with a nice recent photo, and we'll do our best to include it in our new section, "Who's Where." The items will be permanently archived on AVweb for future reference, too. More...

15 YEARS AND NOW 15 GRAND GIVEAWAYS ... IT'S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A BOSE AVIATION HEADSET X

Win a Bose Aviation X headset as we celebrate our 15th Anniversary! All you have to do is click here to enter your name and e-mail address. (You only have to enter once, and you'll be entered in our prize drawings for the entire year — so if you've already entered, you're all set.)

And no, we're not going to rent or sell your name, ever. Tell your friends, and invite them to sign up for AVweb so they can qualify for our 15 Grand Giveaways prize drawings, too. (We won't spam them, either — but we hope they will sign up for our newsletters.)

Deadline for entries is 11:59pm Zulu time Friday, January 29, 2010.

Click here to read the contest rules and enter.

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 200,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. What have you heard? More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK TO FLY THIS BADLY
Come along for the ride as Kyle Franklin explains his entertaining Super Cub comedy act and Ben Wabknoski goes flying. Franklin makes it look easy — but trust us, it's anything but. More...

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AVwebBiz is a weekly summary of the latest business aviation news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the internet's aviation magazine and news service.

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Paul Bertorelli

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