DIAMOND UNVEILS TURBOPROP SINGLE AT AERO
As the 21st Aero opens in Friedrichshafen, Germany, an early peek by AVweb on Tuesday suggests there will be plenty new to look at and even some surprises. At the top of a list is a new turboprop from Diamond called the DA50 Turbine, some new models from established Italian aircraft maker Tecnam and a surprise flying appearance by Pipistrel's sleek Panthera retractable single, which proved to be the hit of Aero last year. We didn't expect to see it here this year, but Pipistrel has done sufficient flight testing and felt confident enough to bring it into the show. More...

SOLAR IMPULSE FLIES, AS ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT EXPERTS GATHER
Solar Impulse, the one-of-a-kind solar-powered airplane from Switzerland, flew above the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Tuesday as the crew prepares for a flight across the U.S. next month. The aircraft took off from Moffett Field about 7 a.m. with Bertrand Piccard at the controls and flew above the bridge at about 3,500 feet. Another flight above the Bay Bridge was planned for later in the day. As the crew continues to prepare for the cross-country trip, experts in the development of battery-powered aircraft will be gathering in nearby Santa Rosa for the 7th annual CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium. More...

BIZAV AFFECTED BY ATC DELAYS
Although airline flight delays due to sequester measures have grabbed the headlines, business aviation is also being affected by reduced staffing levels at air traffic control facilities. An aircraft management company on the East Coast told AVweb that a planned flight from the Baltimore area to South Carolina was scrubbed because air traffic control problems effectively ground stopped it. "The pilot was told that ATC was not accepting any departures over GVE or DAILY," a representative of the company told AVweb. "No estimate of when departures would be available was given, and no optional routing was offered." Meanwhile Dallas/Fort Worth Airport is the latest to report major traffic headaches, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. More...

FLIGHT DELAYS WILL WORSEN SAYS NATCA REP
A senior controller at one of the West Coast's busiest facilities says sequester-related issues and delays will only get worse as increasing demand meets diminished capacity throughout the system. For the third straight day since one-day-in-10 furloughs have been in place for air traffic controllers, significant delays have been reported at major airports all over the U.S., and Scott Conde, the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association at Oakland Center in California, said the true impact has been barely felt. "This is just the tip of the iceberg," he said in a podcast interview. Conde said the sequester-related staffing cuts came between Easter and summer, normally the time when staffing is at its maximum and there's a slight lull in air traffic. Once summer vacations further diminish the ranks of controllers and traffic increases, the delays will almost certainly be much worse. He also expects the stress and long hours experienced by controllers will also start to take their toll, adding to the existing problems. More...

PODCAST: FLIGHT DELAYS 'TIP OF THE ICEBERG'
Scott Conde, a senior controller at Oakland Center in California says that delays resulting from controller furloughs are just getting started. He told AVweb's Russ Niles that when summer vacations hit, the situation will be much worse. More...

ATC TRAINERS LAID OFF DUE TO SEQUESTER
About 300 contract workers, most of whom provide training for air traffic controllers at the FAA's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City, have been laid off due to federal budget cuts. The workers are employed by Raytheon and subcontractor ISG, according to local news reports. "This is something that is happening because of the terrible position we are in with the federal government and sequestration," ISG president Gerald Williams told The Oklahoman. Spokesmen for the training center and for Raytheon declined to comment. Some of the workers were told the furloughs would be temporary. More...

BEECH HOPES TO SELL JET BUSINESS THIS SUMMER
Beechcraft hopes to sell off the now-dormant Hawker jet assets within three months and is dealing with several potential buyers. During a speech to the Wichita Aero Club Monday, Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture said the company has non-disclosure agreements with an unspecified number of interested parties and is, of course, not saying who they are. An online "data room" for qualified purchasers has been set up. Beechcraft dumped the jet line as part of its restructuring and emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a process Boisture said has set up the new company to prosper even in difficult times. "We have come out clearly and cleanly as Beechcraft," Boisture is quoted by the Wichita Eagle as saying. "We've got ourselves on a good foundation now." Boisture said. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: FAA BUDGET CUTS -- GO FOR THE PAPER CLIPS
If you're a student of the First Amendment's right of redress, aviation gave you a good week last week, with a lawsuit to stop the FAA from furloughing controllers. But if you're a deficit hawk? Not so much. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli observes that by the time all the special interests get their piece of the pie, the FAA will be back where it started: no budget cuts at all. Maybe those people who say we're doomed have a point. Read more and join the conversation. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: JACK HOWELL'S WORTHY CAUSE
Post-traumatic stress disorder is well-known for soldiers returning from combat, but less known is that it affects the children of soldiers killed or wounded in battle. Jack Howell is doing something about that, offering free flight training for the offspring of wounded or deceased military members. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli explains why he sent Jack some money — and why you should, too. Read more and join the conversation. More...

VIDEO: RANDALL FISHMAN'S ELECTRIC-POWERED ULTRALIGHT
Randall Fishman first exhibited this lightweight new design at EAA AirVenture in 2012, shortly after its first flight. At Sun 'n Fun in April 2013, the prototype had about 30 hours of flight time, and Fishman was ready to sell copies under Part 103. More...

AVWEB'S REFURBISHED AIRPLANE OF THE MONTH
New airplanes sales may be a little soft, but we're seeing plenty of refurb work -- everything from new panels to fresh paint to full-up interiors. We would like to feature some of these airplanes in the pages of AVweb and spotlight the owners and shops doing the work. If you have photos of your restored aircraft -- single, twin or turbine -- send them along to us, and if we select your airplane as refurb of the month, we'll contact you for more information. 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 255,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. What have you heard? More...

MEET THE AVWEBBIZ TEAM

AVwebBiz is a weekly summary of the latest business aviation news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the world's premier independent aviation news resource.

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Tom Bliss

Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli

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Russ Niles

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Scott Simmons

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Glenn Pew

Contributors
Kevin Lane-Cummings

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Karen Lund

Avionics Editor
Larry Anglisano

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