USER FEES OUT OF FAA REAUTHORIZATION BILL
The Senate will likely vote on Monday or Tuesday on an FAA Reauthorization bill that does not contain user fees for general aviation. The breakthrough came late Friday with an agreement between Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the aviation subcommittee, which supported user fees, and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the finance committee, which opposed them. Under the deal, the tax on jet fuel for general aviation will rise 65 percent to 36 cents a gallon from the current 21.8 cents, increasing the contribution toward the FAA budget by corporate aviation by 2 percent to 5 percent. "This agreement is a good down payment toward ending the growing inequities that exist between airline passengers and corporate jet users," Rockefeller said in the statement. But in a podcast interview with AVweb, Eric Byer of the National Air Transportation Association said the deal had more to do with political expediency than any softening of Rockefeller's stance on user fees.

Related Content:
AVweb Editor-in-Chief Russ Niles wonders aloud if the FAA's internal troubles might deserve more credit for defeating user fees than even the combined lobbying might of weekend flyers and Gulfstream owners in the AVweb Insider blog.

THIELERT AIRCRAFT ENGINES FILES FOR INSOLVENCY
Thielert Aircraft Engines has thrown in the towel after its share prices dropped to near penny stock levels as the crisis over its financial reporting practices deepens. Thielert filed for insolvency on Friday as its share price dipped to .35 Euros. It's traded as high as 25.22 since it went public in 2005. The very existence of the company is now in question as the insolvency process begins. "The going concern of Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH can only be ensured permanently by restructuring activities with the support of investors, due to the fact that the Holding Thielert AG is not capable to do so anymore," the company's supervisory board said in a statement. More...

EMBRY-RIDDLE STUDENTS LAUNCH BIOFUELS PROJECT
The Society of Aviation Technicians at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are testing the performance characteristics of biofuels used in aircraft engines. The tests will subject a four-cylinder Lycoming to E85 biofuel (an 85/15 ethanol/gasoline mix) to asses the fuel's performance and its potential to reduce aircraft emissions and lower costs. Under controlled conditions, student researchers aim to discover and quantify specific performance values associated with use of the fuel. Ethanol is viewed by the Department of Energy as a top alternative to petroleum. “As one of the few renewable energy sources that can directly replace gasoline, it may be the shortest route in cutting the cost of aviation fuel,” said student Rick Cevallos, lead investigator in the project. More...

ATG JAVELIN GEORGE BYE'S ALTERNATIVE ENGINE VENTURE?
ATG's Javelin Jet hit a credit crunch in December, but ATG chairman and president George Bye is now seeking unnamed incentives to lure a different business, Bye Engineering, to an airport in the southwest. Bye Engineering was formed in early 2007 to focus on alternative energy engines for aircraft and aerospace consulting. It is funded by private investors, has 25 employees and is in growth mode, Bye told Phoenix's East Valley Tribune. Bye says he believes that bio-fuels, electric power and battery technology have collectively reached a tipping point and should now be evaluated for use in general aviation aircraft. Bye's Aviation Technology Group, which stalled in December on its way to bring a fighter-like two-place "executive" jet to business and military markets, was last seen seeking a buyer that would fund completion of the jet's certification process and begin production. More...

QUASAR LITE LSA SETS HIGH HOPES
Two companies promoting the Quasar Lite -- a Brazilian-made light sport aircraft currently aiming for S-LSA approval in September -- are hoping an experimental version of the aircraft will this year successfully fly "from California to Florida on a single [40-gallon] tank of fuel." No date for the flight has been announced. Powered by a 121-pound HKS-700E 60-hp 4-stroke engine that promoter GeBe LLC says sips about 1.7-3.5 gallons per hour, GeBe claims the roughly 500-pound aircraft could be "the greenest aircraft on the planet," or, less subtly, "the most efficient commercially available aircraft on earth." The company also calls the Quasar Lite a "2-seat trainer" and likens its handling qualities to "a Pitts in the air." In terms that should prove less subjective, the aircraft's fuselage is composite, its 30-foot span wings are aluminum and the tail is aluminum structure with Dacron covering. More...

DARPA'S VULTURE TO LOITER ALOFT FOR FIVE YEARS
Boeing and Lockheed Martin have been selected, along with Aurora Flight Sciences, by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to design and develop an unmanned solar-powered aircraft that can stay aloft for five years. The venture, DARPA's "Vulture" program, would ultimately see a fixed-wing aircraft ascend to 60,000 to 90,000 feet carrying a 1,000-pound payload, produce 5 kW of onboard power and loiter uninterrupted in its mission airspace 99 percent of the time. Those missions may include support of regional telecommunications, persistent surveillance, reconnaissance and atmospheric research. The first 12 months of the program will explore vehicle configurations and investigate in-flight energy collection and storage (solar/photovoltaic cells and fuel cells), along with reliable propulsion systems. More...

AIRBUS: CHINA NEEDS 190 A380S
Airbus forecasts that demand for passenger aircraft in China will weigh in at 2,800 aircraft through the year 2026. The forecast need translates to $329 billion worth of aircraft and represents more than one tenth of the world's total forecast demand for the period. China's passenger fleet is expected to triple in size over the next 20 years to meet passenger and cargo traffic, which are expected to grow five to six times, respectively. China's mainland traffic is expected to require nearly 700 large passenger jets and, Airbus forecasts, 190 VLA's ... or, very large aircraft like the double-decker A380. Airbus has already increased its market share in China to nearly 38 percent (up from 7 percent in 1995) and is shooting for control of 50 percent of the market by 2011. For 2007, Airbus delivered about 15 percent of its new aircraft to China. The company is reportedly considering a joint venture in China that would produce composite aircraft components for the manufacturer. More...

GO! OVERSHOOT PILOTS TOLD TO DO SAME
"After a thorough internal investigation into the incident on Feb. 13 in which go Flight 1002 overflew the airport at Hilo, Mesa has terminated the employment of both pilots involved," Mesa Air Group (go! parent company) said Wednesday in a statement, though the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) says the pilots were fired at least 10 days prior. The 50-minute trip, carrying 40 passengers aboard Flight 1002, a 50-seat CRJ regional jet out of Honolulu for Hilo, overshot Hilo airport by 15 miles. For 25 minutes during the flight, controllers made repeated efforts but were unable to contact the recently fired pilots. While Mesa seems to have arrived at its own conclusion, the FAA is expected to conclude its investigation in a few weeks. FAA sanctions for the pilots could range from warning letters to suspension of certificates. Mesa pilots have been the subject of media reports on pilot fatigue in the past. More...

SEARCH FOR PRIEST TURNED HELIUM BALLOON PILOT SUSPENDED
Brazil's air force Thursday suspended efforts of finding a Roman Catholic priest, 42-year-old Reverend Adelir Antonion de Carli, presumed missing off the coast of Santa Catarina, where pieces of the hundreds of helium party balloons that carried him aloft (Sunday April 20) were found. After an initial climb to 20,000 feet, Denise Gallas, treasurer of Carli's parish told The Associated Press, Carli settled in at roughly 8,200 feet for his planned trip from Parangua to Dourados -- a city 465 miles away. At the time of his last communication with the port authority Carli was already 30 miles off the coast and stated he would soon crash in the Atlantic. Eight hours later, according to The Associated Press, he was reported missing. The priest had launched wearing a helmet, a thermal suit and a parachute. He was armed with his skydiving experience, a GPS, a satellite phone and a "buoyant chair," the AP reported. More...

ON THE FLY ...
Embry-Riddle summer camp opens June 9 ...
EAA AirVenture 2008 to open with rock band Foreigner ...
A drunken passenger was duct-taped to his seat by crew and fellow passengers ...
India is seeking to accommodate general aviation expansion. 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...

Columns | Features | What's New | Calendar | Brainteasers

WHAT'S NEW FOR APRIL 2008
This month, AVweb's survey of the latest products and services for pilots, mechanics and aircraft owners brings you Garmin WAAS training, an aircraft cleaner, digital engine management and more. More...

LEADING EDGE #17: HAVING A SAY IN FUEL COSTS
With skyrocketing fuel costs, pilots are flying less or sometimes not at all. AVweb's Thomas P. Turner has good fuel-sipping suggestions that won't compromise safety. More...

AVMAIL: APR. 28, 2008
Reader mail this week about synthetic vision and aviation films, and still more about civilian flights through MOAs. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: USER FEES — CLASS WARFARE IN THE SKIES
AVweb Insider continues to server up personal insights and commentary on the aviation industry from our staff of writers and editors. Today, AVweb Editor-in-Chief Russ Niles recalls his first impressions of the user-fee debate and wonders aloud if the FAA's internal troubles might deserve more credit for defeating user fees than even the combined lobbying might of weekend flyers and Gulfstream owners. More...

USER FEES OUT OF THE FAA REAUTHORIZATION BILL? NATA'S ERIC BYER GIVES US THE INSIDE STORY
Thanks to the tremendous pressure the FAA has come under in recent weeks over maintenance inspections and the air traffic controller situation, the issue of user fees as a method of financing the agency just didn't seem that important anymore to legislators in Washington. In order to get an FAA reauthorization package in place, the user fee issue has been abandoned, and a new reauthorization package will likely be voted on by Tuesday. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with Eric Byer of the National Air Transportation Association for an explanation of Friday's events. More...

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: BOEING 777 "PTQ" ("PUT TOGETHER QUICKLY")
Wanna see a Boeing 777 put together from the ground up? Got five minutes? Thanks to the wonder of time-lapse videography and the thoughtfulness of AVweb reader Denis Donohue (who forwarded the video link to us), you can watch the whole process and not get caught by your boss. (No guarantees about that last part; we understand the boss comes around a little more often these days ... .) (Click through to watch.) More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: FIVE STAR JET CENTER (KBAF, WESTFIELD, MA)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Five Star Jet Center at KBAF in Westfield, Massachusetts.

This is facility that's shown up on our nomination list several times, and but it was this strong endorsement from AVweb reader John Light that made us name Five Star our "FBO of the Week":

I expect that I fly considerably more X/C miles than most GA pilots that I know; I stop at far more FBOs in a year ... [and] Five Star Jet Center is, without exception, the best FBO in New England. Beth and Patric make you feel 100% at home ... . Even before they knew that I might buy av fuel or anything else they were right on the spot to offer me a hand ... without me even asking. I simply cannot say enough for these people. They well exceed any measure of customer satifaction practices that I can think of.

Keep those nominations coming. For complete contest rules, click here.

AVweb is actively seeking out the best FBOs in the country and another one, submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday!

SHORT FINAL

Today, the weather in Southern Wisconsin was dicey. Severe thunderstorms with hail, high winds, and tornados on the ground 20 miles north of the Madison, Wisconsin Dane County Regional airport.

A female voice in a Learjet 45 comes over to Madison approach from Chicago Center and says:
"Madison approach, Lear 12345 is with you out of 10,000 planning on landing Madison to pick up fuel. We've been chased all over the place with this weather."

After vectoring her to the 18 ILS, the controller says:
"Airport 11 o'clock, 10 miles; do you have it?"

She says:
"Yes, we have the runway in sight."

Controller says:
"Then I suggest that you take over visually and 'save yourself.' Tower now on 119.3."

With a halting voice she replies:
"I've never heard it put quite that way before. That's pretty blunt. Going over to the tower now."

Robert Wuilleumier
via e-mail

AVWEBBIZ: AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVIATION NEWSLETTER
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP yet for AVweb's NO-COST weekly business aviation newsletter, AVwebBiz? Reporting on breaking news, Business AVflash focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the business aviation industry. Business AVflash is a must read. Sign up today at http://www.avweb.com/profile/. More...

MEET THE AVWEBFLASH TEAM

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

The AVwebFlash 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

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.

Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? A question on marketing? Send it to AVweb's sales team.

If you're having trouble reading this newsletter in its HTML-rich format (or if you'd prefer a lighter, simpler format for your PDA or handheld device), there's also a text-only version of AVwebFlash. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here.

Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.