|
September 22, 2008
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
|
|
Smart Safety ... Leave Anxiety Out of Your Flight Plan
As a Cirrus owner, you join a lifestyle that takes safety very seriously. Whether flying for pleasure or business, you always fly smart and safe. Cirrus Perspective by Garmin is
designed to help by giving you more time and information to make better decisions, reduce workload, and improve your overall flying experience. Cirrus Perspective adds more ability to
experience the Cirrus lifestyle fully and leave anxiety out of your flight plan.
For complete
features, go online. 
|
|
|
|
|
 Eclipse Aviation responded Saturday to an announcement that its largest customer, startup on-demand air taxi hopeful DayJet, ceased all
commercial operations as of Friday. In keeping with its recent public relations trend, Eclipse's release on the subject concluded with the statement, "Eclipse will not be releasing any further
information or conducting interviews surrounding this media alert." In its release, Eclipse did not address allegations by DayJet that its demise was partly the "result of Eclipse Aviation's failure
to install missing equipment or functionality or repair agreed technical discrepancies in accordance with the terms of DayJet's aircraft purchase contract." Eclipse did not respond to AVweb's email
request for comment on that allegation.
Eclipse did say in its release that it still has hundreds of orders to fill and DayJet's failure will provide upward mobility for those position holders who'd previously been further down the line.
Eclipse said of DayJet, the company "was able to fulfill the demonstrated growing demand for this new market," but was "unable to raise the capital it required to continue its operations." In 2007
DayJet said it had firm orders for 239 Eclipse 500s and options for 70 more. Financial arrangements between DayJet and Eclipse were never very clear. Both companies have made reference to the current
state of the U.S. capital markets as an unfortunate and very negative force in the DayJet equation.In 2007, DayJet announced its plans to start air service with Eclipse 500's by the end of June of
that year. By May of 2008, DayJet had cut its fleet by more than half, cut its staff by more than one third and was seeking $50 million in funding. Friday, September 19, DayJet announced it had
suspended commercial operations.
|
|
|
Do You Have Enough Life Insurance?
According to LIMRA International, a leading industry research firm, 68 million adult Americans have no life insurance. Those who own life insurance have an average of four times their annual
income in coverage, considerably less than most experts recommend. Pilot Insurance Center specializes in providing pilots — from student to ATP — with insurance planning at an
affordable rate. A+ Rated Carriers – No Aviation Exclusions – Quick and Easy Application Process. Call PIC at 1 (800) 380-8376 or
visit online. 
|
|
|
|
|
 The FAA says the Cessna 162 Skycatcher LSA prototype "entered an unrecoverable spin" before crashing last Thursday. The pilot of the test aircraft was able to parachute to safety
but was unhurt. There was no word what caused the spin but the aircraft was on a test flight. The aircraft was apparently intact after crashing in trees near Douglass, Kansas, about 30 miles from
Wichita. More details are expected from Cessna on Monday. Early reports quoted witnesses as saying they heard a loud pop and then saw sparks and the plane spiraling down. The pilot landed in a field
about 400 yards from the aircraft. The aircraft involved was the non-conforming prototype and had about 150 hours on it.
The prototype first flew on March 8, and Cessna is planning on delivering the first customer aircraft in the first half of 2009. What the crash does to that schedule is unclear. There are close to
1,000 orders for the aircraft, which will be built in China and reassembled in three plants in the U.S.
|
|
|
JA Air Center Announces First Installation of a Dual Garmin G600 PFD/MFD LCD Display
JA Air Center has installed the first Dual Garmin G600 PFD/MFD LCD display in a certified aircraft, an A36 Bonanza. The aircraft is also equipped with dual GNS530Ws, GDL69A XM Weather, GWX68
Radar, L-3 Skywatch, and WX500 Stormscope. The Garmin G600 combination PFD/MFD is designed to take the space of the basic six-pack and fully integrates all primary flight, navigation, terrain,
traffic, and weather.
For more information,
go online. 
Call JA Air Center at (800) 323-5966 to speak with a Garmin expert about the G600.
|
|
|
|
|
Piper's version of the VLJ is still at least two years shy of deliveries, but while customers wait, the company is enticing them with step-up deals from the company's piston and turboprop offerings.
"We're seeing a trend," says Bob Kromer, Piper's sales VP. "Some customers are saying I want a jet in 2012, but I want a Matrix now or I want a Meridian now." At a press demonstration of the PiperJet
at Piper's Vero Beach, Fla., factory Thursday Kromer said the company has 203 firm orders for the $2.2 million single-engine jet, with first deliveries planned for 2011.
The press demo culminated a week of sales and promotional activities leading into two major shows, NBAA in Orlando and AOPA's Expo in San Jose, Calif., where the PiperJet will be on display.
Reporters were treated to several flybys of PiperJet, the prototype of which is now 55 hours into a 200-hour initial test program. The PiperJet is capable of a 360-knot high cruise at 35,000 feet, but
the biggest surprise is how quiet it is from the outside. During a go-around demo, we were able to converse normally with a Piper representative while the jet transitioned to climb power.
Piper CEO Jim Bass told reporters the jet is being financed with a combination of internal and investment capital and customer deposits, with the total tab expected to come to $100 million to reach
certification and production approval.
When asked if Piper is worried about capital sources given the current turmoil in the financial markets, he said "if you're not worried, you don't have a pulse. It's very troubling." But, he added,
Piper still sees strong demand for its increasingly higher-end aircraft, including the new Matrix, the Meridian and now the PiperJet. "We'll have to see how the deposit structure goes before we know
how much outside capital is required," Bass added. In any case, Piper is gearing up its 80-acre facility in Vero Beach to begin building the jet. For more, hear this podcast with Piper's Bob Kromer.
 "All this talk about the "BRIC" countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) and other emerging markets significantly minimizing the
next downturn is overblown," according to aviation consulting practice Brian Foley Associates. While high fuel prices and a stuttering economy may have impacted general aviation sales dropping
shipments below recent highs, the 30-40% discount offered to foreign buyers thanks to a plummeting dollar helped lift a balloon of worldwide business jet deliveries. Foley's company expects that
balloon will eventually settle back down into a deeper, longer trough than generally expected. While International deliveries will still be up, Foley predicts they will settle 24% below a 2010 peak.
This assessment challenges industry hopes that increased worldwide demand will insulate manufacturers from nationally localized economic disturbances. In Foley's words, "The OEMs are fat, dumb and
happy with their current order backlogs and are oblivious to how quickly things will change."
Foley points to falling world stock market indicators most recently in Russia and China that along with Brazil and India were not long ago grouped as emerging markets for business aviation.
According to the company, the "perfect storm for new business jet sales" has passed and the factors that brought it about will prove difficult to follow.
|
|
|
Cessna Caravan
Introducing the perfect union of brains and brawn. With more than 10 million fleet hours under its heavy-lifting wings, the Cessna Caravan now has brains to match. The standard Garmin
G1000® glass cockpit combined with the WAAS-certified GFC700 automated flight control system integrates all primary flight, engine and sensor data to provide intuitive, at-a-glance situational
awareness and precise flight guidance and control.
For complete
information, go online. 
|
|
|
|
|
 The most recent application for a second-class medical certificate of a 74-year-old airshow pilot with a history of heart-related
problems who crashed and died last year during practice for an airshow was approved by a physician who flew with him in airshows, according to the NTSB. Prior to that, in 2005, the FAA had denied Geico Skytyper pilot Jan
Wildberghs's medical application because it found he had a "history of falsification of multiple previous examinations." That falsification references applications in 2003 through 2005 on which the
pilot failed to note his history of heart trouble and withheld from the FAA relevant information (including abnormally fast heart rhythms, tightness in his chest and shortness of breath). According to
the NTSB, those symptoms would likely have kept him from qualifying for a medical certificate. Pilots who flew with the now-deceased pilot said he had nodded off during the preflight and looked pale.
The pilot was killed when four others broke from formation to turn for landing, but witnesses saw his aircraft continue flying in a shallow descent until it impacted the ground and was destroyed by
fire.
Upon autopsy, two drugs were found in the pilot's body. One drug helped prevent blood clots, and the other may have been used to slow the pilot's heart rate. The NTSB's investigation also found a
letter from the pilot's cardiologist to his primary care physician stating that the pilot may need to give up recreational flying due to his "aggressive" style of flying and performance in air
shows.
 The B-2 Stealth Bomber has been flying for almost 20 years, according to Dave Mazure, vice president of long-range strike, Northrop, and it's
never had a computer processor upgrade -- now, the Air Force wants to change that. Together with Northrop Grumman, the Air Force hopes to introduce new technology, including a new digital "active
electronically scanned array" radar currently in testing, according to the Air Force Times; replacement of tube-based cockpit displays with nine flat-panel screens; and an upgrade to computer
processing units, disc drives and fiber optics cables. Upgrading communications systems will require cutting holes in the B-2's fuselage to internally mount two 300-pound satellite dishes. The
aircraft's current X-band radar frequency has already been sold to a commercial user. By the end of 2010, the B-2's radar upgrade should be complete on six bombers with fleet-wide approval expected in
2013 ... ensuring it will be approximately five years old when it's introduced to the fleet. The program is expected to cost more than $1.14 billion.
 NASA's Centennial Challenge for aviation operated by the
Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency Foundation (CAFE Foundation) is seeking an eco-friendly, 100-mpg, 100-mph aircraft and
its designer(s), to which it plans to offer a big green pile of money ($600,000 in 2009). But before that it's seeking comments on the yet unofficial rules draft (PDF) before Oct. 3. As
currently written, tossing your hat into the ring won't come cheap. The CAFE program will require a minimum $4000 registration fee that rises to $6000 for late applicants. According to the Challenge's
guidelines, "the maximum purse will be awarded to the one team whose vehicle demonstrates the fastest average speed greater than or equal to 100 mph" during a timed flight over a 200-statute-mile
closed race course "while also exceeding 100 mpg." If no one wins, things get more interesting in 2010.
If no team in 2009 meets those requirements, smaller sums up to $65,000 will be determined for Honorable Achievement. The rest of the prize money will roll over (and be added to) 2010's purse of
$500,000. The Challenge intends to encourage the development of myriad new technologies including breakthroughs in batteries, motors, fuel cells, ultra-capacitors, and quiet propulsion, as well as the
affordability of small aircraft.
|
|
|
Fly With Bose Aviation Headset X®
Enjoy an unmatched combination of full-spectrum noise reduction, clearer audio, and comfortable fit. Voted the #1 headset for the seventh consecutive year in Professional Pilot's 2007 Headset
Preference Survey. Also rated "Best ANR Headset: The Aviation Consumer Product of the Year" by Aviation Consumer.
Learn more and
order. 
Quotes reprinted with permission: Professional Pilot, 2007 Headset Preference Survey, 12/07; Aviation Consumer, 8/07.
|
|
|
|
|
The airplane may not know it's dark, but the pilot does, and the accident record shows it. AVweb's Thomas P. Turner helps reduce the risk of night flight.
Click here to read.
Ready for a more-stable job, Carl Moesly gets an offer from one of the richest men in America. And then Carl wraps up his Pilot's History with Chapter 12.
Click here for the full story.
|
|
|
Sensenich: Right on the Nose ... Again!
For more than 75 years, Sensenich has been the industry's fixed-pitch prop leader. No surprise Sensenich leads the way again with new composite propellers for light sport and homebuilt
aircraft. Proven on 5,000 airboats over the last eight years, plus Rotax- and Jabiru-powered planes, the new lightweight, precision composite props are now available for Continental- and
Lycoming-powered planes. Call (717) 569-0435, or
click here to learn
more. 
|
|
|
|
|
In the era of $6 and higher gas, there's no reason not to have one of these devices. It will help with leaning and provide all-important engine maintenance cues. Read all about monitors on the
AVweb Insider Blog, in an article from Light Plane Maintenance by editor Kim Santerre.
Read more.
In 2006, the FAA wasn't moving quickly enough to certify Eclipse's EA500, so the company pressured the agency from the top to move faster. AVweb Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli says that
will ultimately slow certification projects for everyone, and you can read his rationale in the latest installment of the AVweb Insider blog.
Read more.
|
|
|
Dr. Blue Says, "Be Smart — Carry a PLB!"
Flying, hiking, camping, riding your ATV or bike — accidents happen that can become a life-threatening situation. Be prepared with a Personal Locator Beacon ( PLB). It's as easy as
pushing a button. PLBs from Aeromedix.com include the ACR MicroFix 406 MHz for pilots when you're enjoying activities in unpopulated areas.
Click now to visit
Aeromedix.com for complete details. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is
You! |
|
back to top |
 |
|
With winter weather coming, now's a good time to think about the three main deicing systems out there: pneumatic boots, TKS and electro-thermal. Sister publication Aviation Consumer is conducting a survey on what pilots think about them. Even if you have experience with only two of the three, we'd like to hear from
you.
Send a note to aviation_safety@hotmail.com to share your experiences.
(The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click here.)
The world's most important business aviation event, the National Business Aviation Association's annual convention, is coming up Oct. 6-8 in Orlando and there will be hundreds of product announcements
and updates. AVweb will be there with daily coverage of the events, news conferences and announcements that make this show so important but if your company has something more than 100,000
business aviation decision-makers need to know about, we're encouraging you to let us know in advance. That way we can give your news the full attention it deserves and make sure it's released in a
timely fashion during our coverage. Don't worry. We'll strictly observe all embargos. Send your advance material to rniles@avweb.com and thanks for your help in making our coverage the most
comprehensive available.
 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. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part.
|
|
|
New! Jeppesen Avionics Knowledge Library — Garmin G1000 IFR Training
The Jeppesen Garmin G1000 — IFR Procedures training is an advanced, extensive computer-based training program developed with Garmin teaching skills to master the operation of and
confidently fly the G1000 in IFR conditions. Learn: How to pull up and fly instrument procedures; how to load and activate approaches including RNAV and GPS; all the new WAAS-enabled approaches; and
how to perform course reversals, fly holding patterns, and execute missed approaches. Call Jeppesen at (303) 328-4274, or
visit online for
more information! 
|
|
|
|
|
File Size 16.6 MB / Running Time 18:11
Podcast Index
|
How to Listen
|
Subscribe Via RSS
In this time of volatile aviation fuel prices, knowing how to fly your airplane at peak efficiency can mean money in the bank. AVweb co-founder and Savvy Aviator Mike Busch talks with Aviation Safety magazine Editor-In-Chief Jeb Burnside about flight
planning and about fuel-saving ways to fly.
To read the full article — and others like it — subscribe to Aviation Safety.
Click here to listen. (16.6 MB, 18:11)
Recommend a Video
|
VOTW Archive
AVweb reader Sean Dodd is our tour guide to the London skies this week. Sean recommended a flip-flopping, breathtaking video of the Blue Eagle Westland Lynx helicopter
putting on a solo show at the London Red Bull Air Races last summer:
(You can find a few photos here.)
Don't forget to send us links to any interesting videos you find out there. If you're impressed by it,
there's a good chance other AVweb readers will be too. And if we use a video you recommend on AVweb, we'll send out an official AVweb baseball cap as a "thank you."
|
|
|
Find Your Next Aircraft on ASO!
When you search for used aircraft on ASO, you get the most complete picture of the market available anywhere. View thousands of listings with detailed specs and photos or use ASO's
advanced search tools to quickly find your next aircraft. Best of all, know that every ad is current and no time is wasted on stale listings. If you're ready for your next aircraft, it's ready for
you — on ASO.
Visit ASO.com
today! 
|
|
|
|
|
Nominate an FBO
|
Rules
|
Tips
|
Questions
|
Winning FBOs
AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to an FBO at Warrensburg, Missouri's Skyhaven Airport (KRCM) run by the Department of Aviation at the University of Central Missouri
AVweb reader Ryan Sanders gave the location his hearty recommendation:
I cannot say enough about this FBO. I get great service every time I come into Warrensburg. Although students run the University's FBO, they really are a great bunch. All ... are extremely
passionate about aviation, and they pass this on to their customers. They are quick on fuel, and the prices are the best in the Midwest.
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 Bookstore Features Downloadable Jeppesen Training Manuals
AVweb Bookstore offers Jeppesen (and other) maintenance and pilot training manuals in e-book and book format, letting customers choose how to receive content. E-book advantages
including complete search ability, no-cost and instant delivery, and storing hundreds of volumes on a laptop or mobile device. Attention, international customers — no import taxes or fees! For
a complete list, call (800) 780-4115 or
go online.
|
|
|
|
|
 | | Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air" |
While cruising at flight level, we heard the following between an American Airlines airliner and Miami Center:
Airliner:
"Center, American XXXX looking for higher."
Miami Center (female voice):
"Didn't hear you check in."
Airliner:
"First time I've heard your voice. I must've forgotten."
Miami Center
"That happens when you're over twenty-six or -seven."
Airliner:
"I hope you're talking thousands of feet."
Center:
"No. Age.
"Sorry."
Jarred Whitfield
Des Moines, Iowa
|
|
|
Don't Purchase or Sell an Aircraft Without the Used Aircraft Guide
Aviation Consumer's Used Aircraft Guide can pinpoint the aircraft that best fits your needs and budget, resulting in savings when you buy and more when you sell. Buying the right
aircraft can minimize maintenance and operating costs, too.
Go online to order
your copy. 
|
|
|
|
|
 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/.
|
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
Webmaster
Scott Simmons
Contributors
Mariano Rosales
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.
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.
|
|
|
