TCM LIFTER AD EXPANDED
The FAA on Monday expanded its recall of faulty hydraulic lifters on Teledyne Continental general aviation engines to include the TCM 346 series and R-RM IO-240-A reciprocating engines. Excessive wear on the lifters can result in loss of engine power, the FAA said, with at least one instance of damage after just one hour in service. The Airworthiness Directive is effective June 16, at which point all affected aircraft must be grounded until the work is done. No special flight permits will be approved, the FAA said. The AD went straight to final rule without any advance notice or comment period because an unsafe condition exists, the FAA said. However, comments will be accepted until Aug. 2. More...

GULFSTREAM MAKES MOVE IN CHINA
Gulfstream is making an aggressive expansion move in China by signing an agreement with Deer Jet to look after the burgeoning fleet of Gulfstream aircraft in the country. Deer Jet already has 13 Gulfstreams and is looking to add 10 more. Gulfstream will provide Deer Jet with a maintenance team that includes a mechanic, avionics tech and quality control specialist as well as provide access to interior technicians and a field service representative. "The business-jet market in China is expanding rapidly, and we are committed to staying ahead of that growth with an expanding product support infrastructure," said Mark Burns, Gulfstream's president of product support. More...

MEXICO COURTS AMERICAN AEROSPACE
The number of Mexican aerospace companies has tripled to more than 300 in the last six years and it's not stopping there. The Mexican business magazine Mexico Now is sponsoring a daylong aerospace industry conference -- in Philadelphia -- June 24 and it's clearly aimed at OEMs who might be thinking of moving some of their production there. So far dozens of established companies, including Cessna, Bombardier, Hawker Beechcraft and Pratt & Whitney, have built factories in Mexico or are contracting with Mexican companies. "The main objective of this seminar is to obtain detailed and privileged information about the current and future conditions and trends of the aerospace Industry in offshore manufacturing operations," said conference spokesman Sergio Omel. More...

SOLAR IMPULSE FLIES ON PURE SUNLIGHT
"Finally we can say we are flying a solar plane," pilot Andre Borschberg, CEO of the Solar Impulse project, wrote in his blog last Friday. The 12,000 solar cells on the wings of the one-of-a-kind aircraft for the first time produced more energy than the aircraft was consuming, providing thrust for the engines with enough power left over to start charging the batteries. "At this precise moment," Borschberg wrote, "the fulfillment of a dream -- to fly solely on solar power, day and night -- came one step closer to reality." The flight was the first time the aircraft was powered solely by solar energy. Borschberg flew twice last Friday, on the first circuit using up the energy that had been stored in the batteries overnight; on the second flight he activated the solar cells for the first time and began to recharge the batteries. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: GHOSTS OF MERLINS PAST — A V-BLOCK ENGINE
As the season for new engines seems to be in full flight, Paul Bertorelli's latest post to the AVweb Insider blog addresses an intriguing new engine design from Adept Airmotive, a South African startup. The initial numbers sound good but, of course, the company has a long road ahead of it. Click here to read Paul's thoughts and add your own comments — and you'll want to hear this podcast interview with Adept principal Richard Schulz. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: ADS-B RULE — BIG BUCKS, PALTRY BENEFIT
Somewhere out there, someone must be thrilled the with FAA's final rule on the implementation of ADS-B in the NextGen airspace over the U.S. That someone isn't IFR magazine editor-in-chief Jeff Van West, who confesses to more than a little disappointment in the latest installment of the AVweb Insider blog. Click here to read his opinions, then chime in with your own in our comments section. More...

GOT A TURBONORMALIZED CIRRUS? AVIATION CONSUMER WANTS YOU
Actually, Aviation Consumer wants a little bit of your engine data for a research product we're doing. If you don't mind sending us a sample data file, contact Paul Bertorelli at avconsumer@comcast.net.

Contact us before sending anything. Thanks. 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...

KIM PROUT GIVES KITPLANES A TOUR OF HIS EUROPA MONOWHEEL
Kim Prout's homebuilt Europa Monowheel is one of the highest-time examples in the U.S. and amply shows off the superb combination of agility and utility in this exclusive vide from the editors of Kitplanes magazine. 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.

Congratulations to William R. Smith of Madison, Connecticut, who won a King Schools Get-It-All Pilot Training Kit in our last drawing! (click here to get your own from King Schools)

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

Click here to send a letter to the editor. (Please let us know if your letter is not intended for publication.)

Comments or questions about the news should be sent here.

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