INDUSTRY DISMAYED BY FAA FUNDING SNAG
The FAA funding bill under consideration in the Senate has stalled, bringing dismay to GA advocates who had been momentarily heartened by this latest version's lack of user fees. Partisan politics are to blame, says EAA. "We're deeply disappointed, but will continue to push for procedural opportunities to move the bill forward through the Senate," said Doug Macnair, EAA vice president of government relations. "This could mean extended and protracted continuing resolutions, leaving unresolved the questions of user fees and how the FAA will be funded ... This also continues to jeopardize airport improvement funds and other programs vital for general aviation and the entire aviation industry." Ed Bolen, president of the National Business Aviation Association, said he's hopeful the compromise to settle for a GA fuel tax instead of user fees will survive this latest delay, and a bill will be passed in this session. More...

DAYJET CUTS JETS AND STAFF
DayJet has cut its fleet by more than half and its staff by more than a third as it scales back operations in the absence of capital to fund expansion. DayJet founder and CEO Ed Iacobucci told AVweb on Tuesday the company needs about $50 million to essentially triple its current size to achieve the "critical mass" necessary to be profitable. DayJet operates out of 11 "Dayport" hubs and flies to more than 30 destinations. Iacobucci said they need 20 to 30 hubs and up to 50 aircraft to start making money and they've been unable to find investors because of the tight market. As a result, staff has been trimmed by 100 to 160 and the company is selling or leasing 16 of its 28 Eclipse 500s "to minimize the loss." But Iacobucci said he predicts the company will find the money it needs and the expansion will take place within a year. "Keep watching us because you're going to see a lot of development," he said. "The model works." Iacobucci also downplayed the impact of the decision on Eclipse, which lists DayJet as its largest customer, with more than 1,400 aircraft reserved.

Related Content:
Maybe It's Not About the Airplane (AVweb Insider blog)
There Are Glimmers Of Hope in This Air Taxi Thing (AVweb Insider blog)

NEW GA FUEL PROMISES BETTER RANGE, LOWER COST
"Not only can our fuel seamlessly replace the aviation industry's standard petroleum fuel [100LL], it can outperform it," says John Rusek, a professor at Purdue University and co-founder of Swift Enterprises. The company recently unveiled a new general aviation fuel that it says will be less expensive, more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendlier than any on the market. Unlike other alternative fuels, Rusek said, SwiftFuel is made of synthetic hydrocarbons that are derived from biomass, and it can provide an effective range greater than 100LL, while costing about half as much to produce. "Our fuel should not be confused with first-generation biofuels like E-85 [85 percent ethanol], which don't compete well right now with petroleum," Rusek said. Patented technology can produce the 1.8 million gallons per day of fuel used by GA in the U.S. by using just 5 percent of the existing biofuel plant infrastructure, the company said. More...

CESSNA FLIES FIRST CJ4, FIRST PRODUCTION SKYCATCHER
Cessna's new Citation CJ4 business jet prototype flew for the first time on Monday in Wichita, the company said. "We tested quite a number of the systems on the aircraft, including the autopilot, and all performed very well," said Cessna test pilot Dan Morris, who flew the jet for nearly two and a half hours. "The FADECs operated just as we expected, and along with the four displays of the Pro Line 21, this is a very pilot-friendly aircraft. Operators will transition easily into the CJ4." Cessna also announced on Monday that it has flown the first production model of the SkyCatcher for the first time. It flew for a half hour on May 1, about two months after the first flight of the first prototype of the airplane. Cessna said it plans to add one more aircraft to the test fleet. More...

COURT FINDS ATC AT FAULT FOR FATAL HELICOPTER CRASH
A federal judge in California said this week that air traffic controllers at the Torrance Municipal Airport made a critical mistake in November 2003, resulting in the collision of two helicopters in flight. The NTSB report, issued last May, found the surviving pilot, a student flying an R22 solo, had caused the crash, by failing to comply with an ATC clearance. Two men in a Robinson R44 helicopter on a training flight died when it crashed to the runway and exploded. The R22 pilot survived with serious injuries. The judge said the two controllers involved "failed to issue clear and concise instructions" to the pilots and acted "negligently and carelessly," the L.A. Times reported on Wednesday. The two pilots were maneuvering in the traffic pattern above parallel runways and were in positions where neither pilot could see the other when ATC reportedly told one of the pilots to turn, putting the two aircraft on a collision course, the Times said. The NTSB final report says the R22 pilot crossed runway 29R, where the controller had directed him to land, and was heading toward 29L when the collision occurred. More...

CONGRESS SCRUTINIZES AVIATION EMISSIONS
The House Subcommittee on Aviation met on Tuesday for a hearing about aviation's impact on the environment. Noise and emissions from aviation are expected to double by 2025, the panel said, so aggressive action is needed soon to prevent that scenario. Gerald Dillingham, speaking for the U.S. Government Accountability Office, told the panel that NextGen developments will improve efficiency, but more funding is needed for research into better technology. National Air Transportation Association (NATA) President James Coyne also testified at the hearing. NetJets, a member of NATA, is investing in the development of an ultra-low-emissions jet fuel, Coyne said. Several representatives of the airline industry noted that given the cost of fuel, the industry is doing all it can to improve efficiency. More...

RED BULL AIR RACE RETURNS TO U.S.
The Red Bull Air Race returned to the U.S. over the weekend, with Mike Mangold and Paul Bonhomme battling for first place over San Diego Bay. Mangold won the series last year, but just barely. This weekend, Bonhomme took first after a one-on-one flight against Mangold. "Great rivalries have a history of triggering interest in motorsports," wrote Bill Center, in the San Diego Union Tribune, a view that is sure to warm the heart of the race organizers. Kirby Chambliss, of Arizona, came in third, but took first for the weekend in pulling Gs, pegging at +9.1 in a tight turn. Mangold said that after three years of competition, all 12 pilots are hard to beat. "This thing is getting a lot tighter," he told the Union Tribune. "The small things are adding up, we're all getting closer and closer." The races drew a crowd of about 150,000 over the weekend. The racers will compete again in Detroit at the end of this month, then move overseas to Europe. More...

SUMMER AVIATION EVENTS GEARING UP
Pilots in search of an aviation destination for summer have plenty to choose from. This week, the FAA published instructions for pilots flying into Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture, July 28 to August 3. The NOTAM takes effect starting July 25, and outlines procedures for arrival and departure. There have been some major changes since last year, EAA says, so be sure to check. "Besides following the published arrival and departure procedures in the AirVenture NOTAM, pilots should maintain high vigilance in watching for other aircraft," adds EAA. "Pilots are expected to have a copy of the NOTAM available for in-flight reference." Also coming up soon -- the annual AOPA fly-in and open house at their headquarters in Frederick, Md., on June 7. The free event features 100 aviation exhibitors, 40 aircraft on display, safety seminars, and tours of the HQ. More...

IT'S NOT A BIRD, NOT A PLANE — IT'S FLYING LOGOS
Just in case you don't already have enough stuff flying around in the sky to watch out for, a new company in Alabama says it's ready to start marketing a new product called Flogos -- for flying logos. The floatable icons come in various sizes up to three feet across, and can be stamped out in any shape, such as a peace symbol or a corporate logo. They are made from an airy mixture of foam, soap and helium, and the company says they will pop like a soap bubble in a collision. However, they can be released into the sky dozens at a time, they can travel up to 20 or 30 miles, and they can reach as high as 20,000 feet. "It sounds like it's harmless," said Jerry Emison, a professor of public administration at Mississippi State University told The Associated Press. "But there's a lot of stuff that we thought was harmless that turned out not to be." Coming soon, the company says: a Flogo generator that can create shapes up to six feet across. More...

ON THE FLY ...
The developments at DayJet continue to be discussed at our AVweb blog, and also at James Fallows' blog for the Atlantic Monthly...
An Air France pilot took evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision after "showing off"...
Thielert says it will fulfill all currently held orders for diesel engines, AOPA reports...
A single-PFD flight deck for the King Air 90-series has been OK'd by the FAA...
FAA has not performed scheduled safety checks at major carriers, says The Wall Street Journal...
An unmanned aircraft will be used to study air pollution in Southern California. More...

JEPPESEN MANUALS NOW AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY THROUGH AVWEB BOOKSTORE
The hundreds of titles of technical and training manuals produced by industry leader Jeppesen are now available for download into your computer from AVweb Bookstore. The AVweb Bookstore is among the retail aviation book catalogs operated by the Aircraft Technical Book Company. President Andy Gold told AVweb in a podcast interview that e-books are a burgeoning segment of the market now that copyright and duplication issues have been resolved and he expects the PDF downloads to be available for most of his titles by the end of the year. More...

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

THE SAVVY AVIATOR #57: MAKING METAL?
The most crucial aspect of engine-condition monitoring is to ensure that nothing is coming apart inside the crankcase. Are you and your A&P doing it right? More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: PATTY WAGSTAFF INTERVIEW AND FLIGHT
Ride along with Patty Wagstaff as she flies her airshow routine at Sun 'n Fun 2008, courtesy of AVweb's Glenn Pew. Or, if you're easily queasy, just close your eyes and listen to our post-flight interview with Patty about how it feels to fly the maneuvers and what it's like to perform. Special thanks to our friends at Bose Corporation and Aircraft Spruce & Supply Co., whose good people stepped up when we needed them and helped make this video happen. And very special thanks to Patty's main sponsor, Cirrus Design, maker of the airplanes that changed the industry. (Click through to watch.) More...

TIRED OF HAULING THOSE JEPP MANUALS AROUND? SWITCH TO EBOOKS!
We've all been there, lugging bags full of heavy books and manuals to ground school or out to the hangar, but computer technology has reached the point where none of that's necessary anymore. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with Aviation Technical Books President Andy Gold about the trend toward e-books and the introduction of the full line of Jeppesen manuals to the AVweb Bookstore catalog. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG:
RETHINKING AIR TAXIS — MAYBE IT'S NOT ABOUT THE AIRPLANE
What does DayJet's scaling back mean to the future of air taxi services? AVweb's editors have a few ideas, and they're sharing them on our blog, the AVweb Insider. Today, Mary Grady wonders whether the VLJ is really the critical piece of the puzzle and reflects on other air-ferry services that have made a go without jets. More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: CHANGING FORECAST FOR AIR TAXI SERVICES?
With DayJet's announcement that it will scale back operations and lay off employees, many are beginning to speculate that the bright, golden rug has been out from under the future of air taxi services. As usual, we'd like to know what you think: Do air taxi operations have a future? Plus: How many AVweb readers would say "yes" to an electric-powered airplane? 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...

FBO OF THE WEEK: AIR 51 (LEX, LEXINGTON, KY)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to a relatively new FBO, Air 51 at LEX in Lexington, Kentucky.

AVweb reader Graham Richardson discovered Air 51 "quite by accident":

We were stopping for fuel at [another FBO] as is our habit when at LEX when we passed a spectacular P51 Mustang heading out for an evening flight. I questioned ground control and found out that the owner had just opened a new FBO called Air 51. We changed our destination and taxied down taxiway Delta to the nicest airport facility I have ever seen. Service was imediate, friendly and competent ... free soft drinks and popcorn [and] a brand-new Porsche Boxter convertible loaner car. ... This was the best FBO experience I've ever had in over 20 years of flying. I only hope these guys go national.

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!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
"Picture of the Week" submissions are still hovering in the fair-to-middling range, as least where sheer numbers are concerned — but we won't tire you with our usual bellyaching and begging. Why? Because the quality is still sky-high, and we're having to turn away some awfully eye-catching pics just to whittle the finalists down to a managable number. Kicking off the excitement this week is 12-year-old Austin Randall of Clyde, Texas, who shot this week's super-sharp winning photo at Dyess Air Force Base this past Saturday. "It was awesome!!!" writes Austin — and we agree! More...

EMBRAER PHENOM 100 GALLERY
Embraer's Phenom 100 hasn't been publicly displayed yet, but PP-XPH, one of Embraer's certification prototypes, has been making the rounds in the U.S. as part of its certification program. It was spotted in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where it's undergoing icing tests. (Click through for more photos.) More...

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

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