FAA SAYS: REPLACE OLD MUFFLERS
If the muffler on your reciprocating aircraft engine is more than 1,000 hours old, you should replace it to help minimize the chance of getting carbon monoxide in the cockpit, according to a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin released by the FAA. The recommendation is not mandatory. The FAA based its suggestion on the results of a technical study by Wichita (Kans.) State University that was completed last year. The researchers surveyed accident data from the NTSB and found that when CO was a factor, the muffler system was the top source. In 92 percent of the muffler-related accidents, the muffler had been in service for more than 1,000 hours. Diesel-powered engines are not affected by this recommendation, Centurion Aircraft Engines said this week, because that combustion process produces hardly any excess CO. More...

BIOFUEL-FRIENDLY GA ENGINE DEBUTS IN SOUTH AFRICA
A South African company has introduced a new engine for general aviation aircraft that the company says will run on a range of fuels, including unleaded mogas with an octane rating as low as 85, standard avgas, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), or biofuel. The 320-hp Adept Aviation engine "sets new standards for performance and low life-cycle costs," according to the company's news release. The liquid-cooled engine with electronic engine management was rolled out last week in an SA Ravin 500 airplane. The engine features low emissions and noise levels, the company said, and weighs about 348 pounds. "It is roughly 30 percent lighter than traditional piston engines of comparable horsepower and offers fuel efficiencies of up to 30 percent better than conventional GA powerplants," the company said. More...

USED AIRCRAFT INVENTORY DOWN SLIGHTLY
Business aircraft use is up and used aircraft inventories are down but both are a long way from the heady days of early 2008, according to a study released by JETNET. There are still 2,700 used business jets on the market and 1,400 turboprops for sale in the U.S. but both figures are down slightly compared to the same time last year. The number of jets for sale represents 15.5 percent of the fleet, down from 17.7 percent at its peak in July of 2009. Proportionately fewer turboprops are on the market. As of the end of April, about 11 percent were available compared to the high of 12 percent last summer. Meanwhile, perhaps one of the most encouraging signs is the increase in business aircraft use. More...

SUKHOI-ALENIA SUPERSONIC BIZJET?
A Turkish newspaper says Italian aviation giant Alenia is in talks with Russia's Sukhoi to bring a new supersonic business jet to market by 2015. Hurriyet, an English daily, says the aircraft will fly at more than Mach 1.6, carry eight passengers and be designed to mitigate sonic booms. It sounds like an update on Gulfstream's collaboration with Sukhoi to develop the S-21 supersonic business jet. Gulfstream bowed out of that project years ago but Sukhoi apparently kept working on it. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: SHOULD YOU BUTT IN WHEN ANOTHER PILOT GOES AWRY?
Every airport has at least one ace of the base whose judgment is just cock-eyed. Do the rest of us have an obligation to straighten this person out? That's the question guest blogger Mark Sletten addresses in the latest installment of the AVweb Insider. Click here to read Mark's post and share your own thoughts. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: SURVIVAL BY RANDOM CHANCE
What does the Deepwater Horizon disaster have to do with aviation? Maybe nothing — if you don't count the powerful lesson in preparedness that Paul Bertorelli took away from a 60 Minutes interview with survivor Mike Williams. Click here to read Paul's latest post to the AVweb Insider blog and share your own thoughts. More...

HARLAN NEW UVALDE GM

Samantha Harlan

Samantha Harlan has been named general manager of Uvalde Flight Center. She was most recently the office manager, dispatcher and customer service rep at Tomball Jet Center in Houston.
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SIGLER TO AIA
Todd Sigler is AIA's new Assistant Vice President of Civil Aviation. He was formerly at Cirrus Aircraft, most recently vice president of manufacturing support and process engineering.
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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...

AVIATION CONSUMER: TELL US ABOUT YOUR OPINIONS ON DIESEL ENGINES AND ALTERNATE FUELS
Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, is conducting research on attitudes toward replacement strategies for 100LL. To take the survey, click this link and let us know what you think.
(The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click here.) More...

AVIATION CONSUMER'S LSA DURABILITY SURVEY
Do you have an LSA at a flight school? Do you rent one? Aviation Consumer needs to hear from you. Aviation Consumer is looking at the long-term durability of these aircraft when subjected to the rigors of flight training, as well as their cost and ease of repair. Whether you run a flight school with LSAs, own an LSA that you lease back, or just rent them for your flight training, you voice matters. Click here to participate in our quick LSA durability survey.
(The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click here.) 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...

AVIATION CONSUMER'S DIAMOND MOTOR GLIDER GLIDING TRIAL
At Sun 'n Fun, AVweb took a look at Diamond's reintroduced HK36 motor glider. In this follow-up video, we tried it out in extended glider operation, and (no suprise) it's a great performer. If you want to learn soaring and still want a powered airplane, the HK36 is a remarkably well-executed compromise. More...

IFR MAGAZINE SHARES GPS TRICKS FOR VOR CLEARANCES
Handling clearances with that panel-mount GPS is a snap — until they throw some rogue radial off a VOR into the mix. IFR editor Jeff Van West unlocks the insider techniques that make clearances like this just another day plying the airways. More...

15 YEARS AND NOW 15 GRAND GIVEAWAYS ... IT'S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN AN AV8OR HANDHELD GPS

Win an AV8OR handheld GPS (from Bendix/King by Honeywell) 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 June 18, 2010.

Click here to read the contest rules and enter.

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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