AIRLINES CONTINUE ANTI-GA LOBBYING
When the Air Transport Association, the lobbying group for the airlines, sent out an e-mail this week griping about all the private jets that cluttered up the airways during Kentucky Derby weekend, the National Business Aviation Association was quick to respond. "The ATA's suggestion that GA air traffic at a well-planned weekend event in a single location was somehow problematic is simply laughable," said Ed Bolen, NBAA president and CEO. "The fact is, delays are caused by the airlines over-scheduling flights 365 days a year at big city airports all across the country." The ATA also took a shot at the rest of us, who aren't flying in private jets but in our own piston airplanes. "The recreational piston-engine (or 'general aviation') community has been ginned up by the jet-setters to oppose the small fees proposed, even though these fees would not be imposed on piston aircraft under any proposal Congress is considering," ATA President James May wrote. We had to look up what "ginned up" means, and it's as unflattering as it sounds -- apparently ATA thinks piston pilots can't think for themselves. "It's unfortunate that the nation's big airlines have chosen to focus efforts on attacking general aviation, rather than working toward solutions for modernizing our air transportation system," said Bolen. More...

CONTROLLERS WARN OF CROWDED SUMMER SKIES
With the Memorial Day weekend coming up, the summer travel season kicks into high gear. While GA pilots have plenty of options and often can avoid the more congested airports and airspace, air traffic controllers are warning of a worsening staffing shortage across the country, and increasing fatigue as fewer controllers work longer shifts. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association says many facilities will have a greater proportion of trainees and fewer experienced workers. "The FAA is considering canceling vacation time for controllers to deal with short-staffing," NATCA said in a news release on Tuesday, "which will deprive controllers of the breaks they so desperately need away from this grueling job." Efforts by the FAA to redesign the airspace in the New York region are "smoke and mirrors," Phil Barbarello, NATCA's vice president for the eastern region, said in a news conference on Wednesday. Pilots are confused by new unpublished procedures, he said, and "operations are less safe." More...

FAA MANDATES MORE PRECISE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS
Under new FAA procedures that take effect this week, air traffic controllers must provide specific taxi routes to pilots, instead of simply OK'ing them to proceed to a stated destination. Controllers now must name the taxiways the aircraft should follow at each step along its route. FAA safety officials developed the new procedure as part of an effort to reduce runway incursions. A panel of risk-management experts and aviation user groups analyzed risk factors associated with the new procedures, such as longer periods of communication between controllers and pilots, and the increased chance of miscommunication. They concluded that the new procedure was safe. More...

DAYJET EXPANDS OPERATIONS IN FLORIDA
Less than two weeks after announcing cutbacks in staff, DayJet on Tuesday said it will expand its network of DayPorts, adding two more Florida cities, for a total of nine sites. With the addition of Jacksonville and Sarasota, 62 percent of Florida's population now lives within 35 miles of a DayPort airport, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. "Jacksonville and Sarasota are among the nation's leading business communities for job and economic growth," said Ed Iacobucci, DayJet president and CEO. "Now it is easier than ever for Floridians to enjoy our state's great quality of life, conduct business across the Southeast, and be home in time for dinner with their family." Sarasota already had a DayJet site with service for five destinations, but the upgraded site now will offer flights to 45 destinations. Customers must join the DayJet network, which costs up to $250, then can choose their fare based on how flexible they can be. More...

LIGHT SPORT AIRCRAFT SALES REFLECT ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN
Sales of piston aircraft showed a slump in the first quarter of this year, down 28 percent compared to the year before, as AVweb recently reported, and the numbers for light sport aircraft reflect a similar trend. The data for 2008 through April show sales off 30 percent compared to a year ago. The numbers reflect the economic concerns of potential buyers, says Dan Johnson, of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association. "Personal and sport aircraft sales react quickly to the slightest perception of economic shakiness," says Johnson. But if fuel prices continue to rise, Johnson told AVweb on Wednesday, the LSAs may gain an advantage in the market. "Better to be burning three or four gallons per hour, compared to six or seven or even more," Johnson said. Even with the overall numbers down, some LSA manufacturers are holding their own or even increasing their sales. REMOS, of Germany, registered nine LSAs in the U.S. in the month of April, putting it first for the month, for the first time. More...

FAA GOES TO COURT OVER SANTA MONICA JET RESTRICTIONS
Citing safety concerns, the city of Santa Monica has banned certain jets from its airport, but the FAA says they have no right to enforce those restrictions. Now, the matter will be decided in court. On Friday, a federal judge said the city cannot impose the ban, pending a decision on its legality. "This is a very important issue," Bill Dunn, AOPA vice president for airport advocacy, told the Los Angeles Times. "There have not been any restrictions like this on a jet type in the United States. There have been other bans, but those were noise-based." The Santa Monica ban is based on approach speed, and would exclude faster jets such as the Gulfstream IV, Bombardier Challenger 604 and Cessna Citation X, which account for about 7 percent of flights at the airport. City officials say the runway is too short to provide an adequate safety margin, endangering nearby homes and businesses. More...

BALLOONISTS LAUNCH OPEN-CONTENT BUILD-YOUR-OWN PROJECT
A pair of New England balloon pilots have developed what they hope could be a new way for homebuilders to share design ideas, modeled after "open content" and "open source" collaborative projects like Wikipedia and Linux. "Closed content gets fixed in time," says pilot Dan Nachbar, of Amherst, Mass. "Open content tends to evolve. Good ideas get incorporated, and a lot more progress can happen much more quickly." Nachbar worked with balloon builder Paul Stumpf, of Andover, Vt., to develop the online project, funded by a grant from the Wolf Aviation Fund. "We've started with a basic design that's good for first-time builders," says Stumpf. Along with the plans, new builders can find construction advice, lists of parts and materials, information about FAA issues and more. The pilots hope that each builder who uses the plans will add their ideas and improvements, to create a better product. More...

ABLE FLIGHT SCHOLARSHIP WINNER EARNS PRIVATE CERTIFICATE
Staff Sgt. Ryan Kelly is not one to let anything get in the way of his goals. After losing his right leg below the knee in Iraq five years ago, Kelly has since earned his helicopter and helicopter CFI certificates as well as a degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Now, Kelly is the first wounded warrior to earn his fixed-wing private pilot certificate using his Able Flight scholarship. But his dreams don't stop there. Kelly's next goal is to become an airplane flight instructor and teach others with disabilities how to fly. "For me, aviation is the great equalizer," said Kelly. "When I'm flying I can do everything and anything a person with two legs can do!" More...

EMBRY-RIDDLE MAKES FIRST BACK-TO-BACK WIN AT SAFECON
For a week in early May Middle Tennessee State University played host to this year's Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON). This event, which is governed by the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA), allows different universities to compete in 12 aviation events to test their students' piloting skills. Four events are in the air and eight are on the ground. Regional competitions in the fall sort out which schools can attend, and only the top thirty schools are invited to compete. The top-placing school this year with 465 points was the Golden Eagles Flight Team from Embry-Riddle's Prescott campus. In second place was the University of North Dakota Flight Team with 349 points. The Eagles Flight Team from Embry-Riddle's Daytona campus took third place with 332 total points. More...

ON THE FLY ...
A new dealer for Liberty, Liberty Southeast, in Greensboro, N.C....
Mooney named Air Touring Ltd. its sales rep for the UK and Ireland....
Russia's Sukhoi Superjet 100 completed its first flight on Monday...
A pilot and flight attendant found naked and drunk were arrested. More...

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

ACROSS THE POND #17: REPORT FROM EUROPE
Across the Pond this month looks at impact of VLJs on Europe's ATC, the demise of a well-known manufacturer and key events to visit as show season gets underway. More...

AROUND THE WORLD IN 70 DAYS, WEEK 1: PILOTS COMPLETE FIRST LEG OF ROUND-THE-WORLD JOURNEY
A half-dozen GA aircraft took off from Quebec City last week for the first leg of a 10-week round-the world adventure. The pilots, who are flying on an escorted trip organized by Air Journey, will visit 22 countries on five continents, logging more than 24,000 nautical miles. "This is a dream come true!" said Thierry Pouille, president of Air Journey. "Flying completely around the world has been a lifelong dream for many pilots, myself included, and now it's finally happening!" Pouille has been planning the trip, the first of its kind, for about a year. "We have a very capable group of pilots and aircraft on this first trip around the world," Pouille said. The group includes a TBM 700, a Cessna Mustang VLJ, a Pilatus PC-12, a Beechcraft Duke refitted with PT6 propjet engines, and a similarly modified Cessna Conquest 441. AVweb will be following the pilots with weekly updates and pictures from the road. Click through for more about the first leg of the trip, from Canada to Greenland. More...

CIRRUS SURPRISE: GARMIN EFIS OPTION
Although EBACE isn't the usual venue for major light aircraft announcements, Cirrus rolled one out here in Geneva nonetheless in the form of a new model called the Cirrus Perspective, which sports some airframe upgrades but—the real stunner—a new, upgraded version of Garmin's popular G1000 EFIS system. We went to Duluth last week for an advance look at the Perspective. (Click through to watch the video.) More...

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
"Picture of the Week" will return next Thursday, once we've returned from EBACE and had a chance to look through all the great photos you've been submitting. (You are submitting them, right?) More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY AND YOUR AVIATION PLANS
Under threat of a looming recession, many companies and private individual are tightening their belts with regard to aviation spending. This week, we'd like to know how you're reacting to all this economic nervousness: Has the state of the economy affected your future aviation plans? Plus: Results from last week's poll, "Are diesel engines the wave of the future?" More...

AVIATION CONSUMER: TAKE OUR HANGAR SURVEY
Our sister magazine, Aviation Consumer, is conducting a survey on hangar availability, cost and purchase options. We would love to hear from you on this topic. Just drop an e-mail to aviation_safety@hotmail.com, and we'll respond. (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...

FBO OF THE WEEK: INDY AERO (KMQJ, MT. COMFORT, IN)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Indy Aero at KMQJ in Mt. Comfort, Indiana.

AVweb reader Penny Litz, a volunteer for the American Military Heritage Foundation, told us how Indy Aero came to her rescue recently:

[T]he AMHF operates a rare Lockheed twin-engine PV2 Harpoon on the air show circuit. We do not have a hanger for our aircraft. Recently Indy Aero cleared out their whole maintenance hanger for a whole weekend so that we could work on replacing an engine in comfort — it is cold in Indiana — at no expense to us. They are very supportive to the community, general aviation and the weekend-warrior as well as the corporate jet set.

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!

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: EBACE NOTES, GRIPES AND ACCOLADES
Today on the AVweb Insider, our staff copes with jetlag, European electrical outlets, and the dawning realization that everyone (from big companies to small dealers) have actually made good on their ambitions to go global. More...

AVWEB'S DAILY COVERAGE OF THE EUROPEAN BUSINESS AVIATION CONFERENCE AND EXPO (EBACE) 2008
EBACE 2008 begins Tuesday at PalExpo convention center in Geneva, and coverage in AVwebBiz will include original videos, podcasts and details on the latest announcements daily through Friday. AVweb's Russ Niles ran into our European correspondent, Liz Moscrop, who's reporting for the Flight Evening News daily show publication, and she set the scene for what has become one of Europe's premiere aviation events. Look for daily coverage in our business aviation newsletter, AVwebBiz. If you don't already receive Biz (or you're uncertain whether you do or not), you can add it (or check) by logging into your AVweb profile here. (Click through for a video.) 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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