WTO RULES AIRBUS SUBSIDIES ILLEGAL
The World Trade Organization is now saying what Boeing and U.S. trade officials have been saying for decades: Airbus was illegally subsidized to develop new products that competed directly with Boeing products. "Today's final ruling puts any doubts to rest - launch aid is an illegal subsidy that has cost America jobs, hurt our ability to compete and damaged our overall economy," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said. The ruling went beyond determining the legality of start-up money. It said that Airbus would not have been able to overtake Boeing as the biggest aircraft maker in the world without the subsidies and that they cost U.S. jobs. Although the ruling seems unequivocal, what it means in practical terms is far less clear. More...

SENATE PASSES FAA FUNDING BILL
The Senate on Monday passed a bill to provide funding for the FAA and modernize the air traffic control system by 2020. The $34.5 billion three-year budget is expected to jump-start the agency's long slow transition to NextGen. The bill also features changes to FAA rules prompted mainly by last year's Colgan Air crash. Relatives of those who died lobbied hard for several safety measures that have made it into the final version of the Senate bill: first officers on commercial passenger flights must have at least 800 hours total time; the FAA must establish new safety standards for flight-crew training; an Aviation Safety Whistleblower Investigation Office will be established within the FAA; and pilots are banned from using electronic devices in the cockpit. Taxes on jet fuel for general aviation would rise from 22 cents per gallon to 36 cents. The bill is far from final, however -- it now goes to a conference committee where the House and Senate versions of the legislation will be merged, then both houses will have to vote on the final bill again before it goes to the White House for approval. GA advocacy groups were jubilant about the bill's passage, especially the lack of new user fees. More...

ACCESS CHARGES FOR 'SECURITY'
The folks who run Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport say new fees charged for access to business aircraft are all about security. On March 8, the airport stopped aircraft owners from being able to drive to their aircraft in their own vehicles. They must now pay 10,000 Indian rupees (about $220) for a 160-yard ride from the airport gate in a Mercedes. It's only $180 in a Toyota Camry. The bizjet owners have also been hit with a $110 minimum fee to hang out in the VIP lounge and $55 an hour after the first two hours. Mint quoted an unnamed spokesman for Çelebi NAS Airport Services India Pvt. Ltd as saying the fees address security concerns. "In the general aviation area, we are addressing some non-compliances and introducing processes to ensure standardization and enhance airside safety in line with Directorate General of Civil Aviation guidelines," the spokesperson is quoted as saying. More...

MAJOR BIZ SHOW IN MACAU
Perhaps further evidence of the growing importance of business aviation in China, another major exhibition is being planned for June in Macau. Reed Exhibitions says Asian Business Aviation in Macau is being supported by the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA), which is urging its members to attend and holding a one-day forum to follow up on topics raised by industry leaders at Asian Aerospace in Hong Kong last year. "ABA in Macau will provide a valuable face to face networking platform this year in the absence of other dedicated business aviation events in this region," said AsBAA President Chuck Woods. "We welcome Reed Exhibitions' initiative in recognising this opportunity. More...

NTSB FINDS COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN IN NORTHWEST OVERFLIGHT
The NTSB has completed its investigation into last year's errant Northwest Airlines flight, finding the crew at fault for failing to monitor their position, but also concluding that air traffic control should do a better job of reacting to NORDO (no radio communications) events. The two pilots overflew their destination airport of Minneapolis by more than 100 miles and failed to maintain radio communications because they were distracted by a conversation about crew scheduling. However, the safety board said this incident and a fatal accident involving a Pilatus PC-12/45 that crashed in Montana on March 22, 2009, revealed problems with ATC procedures. In its safety recommendations, the board said the FAA should address the lack of standard procedures for identifying flight crew-ATC communications in ATC facilities that use automated flight tracking systems, and the lack of standard phraseology for identifying the emergency nature of emergency ATC radio transmissions. More...

HAYDEN PROMOTED AT ASPEN

Brad Hayden

Brad Hayden has been named vice president of marketing for Aspen Avionics. Hayden has been with the company almost since its inception and has extensive experience in Web-based marketing. More...

VAN DE LAAR NEW AT NATA
Dennis van de Laar has been named the National Air Transportation Association's manager of regulatory affairs. He was previously at the Southern Illinois Airport Authority as a graduate assistant while completing his master's degree in public administration.
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...

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...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: AVIATION REPORTING — GOOD AND BAD
Why do reporters so often mangle the facts on aviation stories? Is it because they're all liberal arts weenies with no technical chops? Sometimes. But, says Paul Bertorelli on the AVweb Insider blog, sometimes they're just too lazy to explain things or they think readers are too dumb to understand. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: FINESSING THE RUDDER (AN EXERCISE FROM AVIATION SAFETY MAGAZINE)
Aviation Safety is continuing its series on basic flying technique. We've looked at the aerodynamics of coordinated turns. In this video, Paul Bertorelli follows up with a simple rudder exercise that he can't seem to master — but you'll have no trouble with it. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: LEGEND'S NEW AMPHIB FLOATPLANE
American Legend has made a name for itself in the LSA market with well-made Cub clones. At U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring in January, it showed a new amphib LSA that attracted lots of eyeballs. Last week, AVweb flew the amphib, and here's our video report on this new product. It's not just fun to fly; it's insanely fun to fly. More...

15 YEARS AND NOW 15 GRAND GIVEAWAYS ... IT'S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A WXWORX XM WX SATELLITE WEATHER RECEIVER

Win an XM WX Satellite Weather receiver from WxWorx as we continue the celebration of AVweb's 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 April 9, 2010.

Click here to read the contest rules and enter.

Congratulations to Colleen Keller of San Diego, California, who won a Garmin 510 aera handheld GPS in our last drawing! (click here to get your own Garmin aera)

MEET THE AVWEBBIZ TEAM

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.

The AVwebBiz 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

Webmaster
Scott Simmons

Contributors
Jeff van West

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