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JA Air Center, Your Source
for the New Garmin GPSMap 696
JA Air Center is YOUR source for Garmin equipment, including the
new GPSMap 696 with Victor Airways, Jet Routes, XM Weather, Terrain,
AOPA Airport Guide, and Safe Taxi. JA Air purchases used
GPS units, avionics, and aircraft.
JA Air Center [Opening - Aurora (KARR) in Sugar Grove, IL
December 1, 2008] provides the finest avionics installations,
turbine/piston maintenance, avionics/instrument service, mail order, and
aircraft sales. Call (800) 323-5966, or
click for more information. 
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| Top News: Major Manufacturers Reigning in Costs | | back to
top |  | |
ECLIPSE
PROMISES PAYCHECKS BY TUESDAY
Eclipse Aviation says it will
be able to pay its workers on Tuesday and has asked them to report for
work as usual on Monday. The company, which told workers Thursday it
couldn't meet the payroll for the first half of the month, did not say
what caused the delay. Also, Cessna has announced that about 500 jobs
will be cut from its Wichita workforce by January and 165 (of 420) will
be lost at Bend. Hawker Beechcraft has announced a cut of 490 people;
and Piper has announced a reduced workweek program to save the company
money, but retain jobs. Cirrus already announced layoffs in September,
affecting about 8 percent of its workforce. Being aircraft companies,
the losses are complicated, could effect city and state incentive
packages previously arranged to support the companies and promote job
growth, and could easily extend to suppliers. More...
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Untie Your Dreams at 235
Knots
Leave the runway at 1,400 vertical feet per minute. Climb to 25,000
feet. Cruise at 235 confident knots. Nothing releases a pilot's passion
for flight like the Cessna 400, the world's fastest fixed-gear
aircraft. It's more than speed that makes the Cessna 400 such a
pleasure to fly. There's the sophisticated stylish cabin, glass cockpit,
side-stick control, and the head-turning gorgeous looks. Looks like
Cessna is in the fast business.
Go online for all the details. 
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CONTROLLER
MISTAKES IN DALLAS MISCLASSIFIED, NOW FORGIVEN
Thursday, the
U.S. Office of Special Counsel confirmed that local managers at
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport air traffic control center had
hidden controller mistakes ... and that makes it twice in three years.
The FAA has responded by initiating an amnesty program to help make sure
the errors are properly reported and resolved. Controllers are being
told they may now report any unsafe situations without concern of
reprisal, which some feel risks retention of sub-par controllers. Local
managers have been assigned responsibility for the misclassifications,
but it seems FAA administrators at the facility may have escaped blame.
More...
GAMA:
SHIPMENTS (BARELY) UP THROUGH THREE QUARTERS, PISTONS
DOWN
The first three quarters of 2008 showed 2,977 aircraft
shipped compared to 2,918 shipped over the same period last year, but
those 59 extra airplanes made a big difference. The 2 percent increase
in the total number of shipments accounts for a $3.1 billion (or 20
percent) increase over the value represented by last year's shipments
for the same period. And, yes, that's because they're all business jets
and turboprops -- piston shipments through the first three quarters are
down, year over year, by more than 11 percent. The financial windfall
comes from the 30 percent increase in business jet shipments, plus the
more than 13 percent increase in turboprop shipments. Even while some
shipments increased, the conflux of an economic slump, curbed lending
and volatile fuel prices has many businesses playing defense. General
aviation aircraft manufacturers, "reacting to the lead and lag nature of
this economic slowdown," have announced layoffs (Cessna, Cirrus and
Hawker Beechcraft included) and according to GAMA president and CEO,
Pete Bunce, "the uncertainty of financial markets worldwide is
negatively impacting the entire aviation industry." More...
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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.
Purchase by December 31, 2008 and receive a complimentary pair of Bose
in-ear headphones ($99.95 value).
Learn more and order. 
Quotes reprinted with permission: Professional
Pilot, 2007 Headset Preference Survey, 12/07; Aviation
Consumer, 8/07.
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MEXICAN
OFFICIALS: LEARJET CRASH NOT CAUSED BY FOUL PLAY
Mexican
officials' initial investigation of the Learjet crash in Mexico City
that Nov. 4 killed Mexico's Interior Minister, and second most powerful
official, Juan Camilo Mourino, along with eight others on the jet and
five on the ground, suggests pilot competence and wake turbulence may
have contributed, according to Mexican officials. The interpretation of
evidence that includes analysis of the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder
notes "apparent deficiencies in the training and certification process
of both pilots," according to Communications and Transportation Minister
Luis Tellez. More...
FUEL
SPIKE REVIVES OPEN ROTOR JET TESTS
GE and NASA, with help
from Snecma of France, have teamed to continue evaluation of
counter-rotating fan blade systems for open rotor jet designs. Back in
the '80s, GE successfully flew an open-rotor jet engine. The GE36, with
two rows of counter-rotating blades, was mounted on Boeing 727 and MD-80
aircraft and demonstrated fuel savings of more than 30 percent over
similar-sized jet engines running with their front fans conventionally
ducted. That efficiency was soon confronted with falling fuel prices and
countered by the design's greatest challenge -- noise -- which together
(likely along with development costs) effectively shelved the product's
development. But GE says it has now "dramatically advanced its data
acquisition systems and computational tools to better understand and
improve open-rotor systems." More...
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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. 
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SPATIAL
DISORIENTATION AIDS STILL IN THE WORKS
Project leader Ron
Small's study, under the National Space Biomedical Research Institute
(NSBRI), is working on a tool that will help pilots overcome spatial
disorientation in real time, and so help avert the root cause of 10
percent of general aviation accidents. According to Science Daily, the current project involves the use
of specially designed software to monitor the aircraft's attitude and
the pilot's inputs. Pilots are alerted to flight aberrations by audio
and visual cues, but a vest embedded with isolated tactile stimulators
to convey attitude information may also be tested. More...
NORTHROP
GRUMMAN: ZERO GRAVITY HELPS SCIENCE AND MATH
Northrop Grumman
says that 77.8 percent of teachers sent floating around in a modified
Boeing 727 aircraft flying parabolic arcs as part of the company's Weightless Flights of Discovery Program report an
increase in the number of their students interested in pursuing science
and math careers. In a release, the company said 205 once weightless
(mostly middle-school) teachers have passed on the message that "science
is cool" to an estimated 25,000 students and Northrop has qualified that
interest with an acronym. The company says the initiative has driven
interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
More...
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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. 
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PILOTS
WANTED FOR COCKPIT TRAFFIC DISPLAY STUDY
All licensed and
current pilots are invited to complete an online study seeking input
about symbols for use on air traffic displays. The Cockpit Display of
Traffic Information Symbol Research Study is being conducted in
conjunction with the USDOT Volpe Center and MITRE Corporation's Center
for Advanced Aviation Systems Development (CAASD). The study will call
on your experience to identify your expectations, or what information
you expect a traffic symbol to convey; show you what proposed symbology
is intended to deliver what information; and test your recall of
proposed symbols. More...
ON
THE FLY ...
One survivor in Grumman Goose crash in B.C.
...
Helicopter pilot jailed for "erratic" flying ...
Pilot who
hit house charged with drunken flying. More...
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Between Wheels Up and Wheels
Down, There Is One Important Word: How
As the team managing the FAA AFSS system, Lockheed Martin serves
nearly 90,000 general aviation pilots every week. Providing timely,
accurate information and helpful service 24/7. From weather forecasts to
en route information, from Hawaii to Puerto Rico, ensuring flight safety
in the National Airspace System is all a question of how.
And it is the how that makes all the difference.
Click here for more. 
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AVWEB
INSIDER BLOG: BLUE SKIES, JERRY SMITH
Garmin's Jerry Smith
was recently killed in the crash of his Cardinal. He knew everyone in
the GA business, and everyone he knew will miss him, including us.
AVweb's Paul Bertorelli remembers Jerry on the AVweb
Insider blog. More...
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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. 
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DESIGN
AND BUILD YOUR NEW PANEL WITHOUT LEAVING THE COMPUTER
CHAIR
Putting together a new panel can be a painstaking
process, involving hours' worth of research, measuring, and comparison
shopping — but Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Company hopes to make
that a thing of the past. Avionics specialist Ryan Deck explains
how their new Panel Planner software suite can help you design the
perfect panel for your layout, find the right intruments, and order the
parts directly from Aircraft Spruce. More...
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Envision® Integrated Flight Deck Available for
Retrofit Installation in Select Cessna 300-Series
Aircraft!
Avidyne has added the popular Cessna 320/335/340 piston-engine
twins to the growing list of Envision® Integrated Flight
Deck–approved aircraft. The big-glass Envision system is
the industry's easiest-to-use integrated flight deck, providing
state-of-the-art situational awareness and safety, with a
highly-reliable all-solid-state ADAHRS, a full-featured moving map,
electronic approach charts, color lightning, traffic avoidance, and
satellite datalink weather.
Click here for more information. 
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VIDEO
OF THE WEEK: U.S. AIR FORCE 'MONDAY BLUES'
"Video of the
Week" returns after a brief hiatus to accomodate our AOPA Expo in-house
video production — and we've got some nice clips in the hopper.
First up, a video montage of two USAF demo teams paying a visit to
Poplar Grove, Illinois's C77, courtesy of AVweb reader Scott
Ross. (Click through to watch.) More...
AVWEB'S
AOPA EXPO 2008 VIDEO ROUND-UP
 At the 2008 AOPA Expo, our video team
brought you exclusive interviews with outgoing AOPA president Phil Boyer
and the incoming president, Craig Fuller — plus a demo flight with
Cirrus Design's new EVS system and an in-depth profile of Garmin's hot
GPSMap 696. If you missed any of those, you can watch all eight of our
show videos right here. (Click through to watch.) More...
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Fly (or Drive) Somewhere! Use
AVweb's Calendar of Events
Air shows, seminars, conferences, club events, fly-ins, pancake
breakfasts, and trade shows are all featured on AVweb's
Calendar of Events.
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FBO
OF THE WEEK: TRIANGLE AVIATION (LEESBURG, FLORIDA)
 AVweb's
"FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Triangle Aviation at KLEE in Leesburg,
Florida. AVweb reader Dave Wilson had a top-notch
experience there recently and wrote to share the
details: [Owner] Neil Fisher was on the ramp to assist
in parking my Bonanza; his friendly and courteous attitude was a welcome
change for some of the FBOs, where, if you are not a turbine-powered
aircraft, you are treated with indifference. The lineman, D. J.
Alexander displayed the same courteous, helpful attitude in helping with
a courteousy car and local telephone business numbers, along with
topping off the fuel tanks with 100LL; the price of the fuel was the
lowest I have seen in the Southeast U.S. at $2.95 (for both full service
and self-service) with an additional discount for Angel Flight pilots.
Receptionist Bristy Jones, while being very busy, was also extremely
efficient and courteous; her being there assisted in making this stop a
very enjoyable experience. 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! More...
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SHORT
FINAL
 | | Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the
Air" |
Some years ago at Des Moines, Iowa, I
was holding in the run-up area when I heard the tower call an
airliner: Tower:
"Airliner 1234, cleared for
takeoff. Runway 30 right." Airliner:
"Tower, we're
still waiting for our numbers." Tower:
"Roger, Airliner
1234. Cancel departure clearance; hold short of the
runway." Airliner:
"Airliner 1234, holding
short."/p> Several seconds later, the pilot's voice came over the
frequency, sounding both apologetic and put out: Airliner
Captain:
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're experiencing an air
traffic control delay, but we should be on our way shortly, as soon as
the tower releases
us." [pause] Tower:
"Nice speech, Captain,
but ATC is not delaying you. Suggest you misinform the passengers on the
PA, not my frequency." Ralph Lund
Mal Paso Creek,
California More...
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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 Webmaster
Scott
Simmons Contributors
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. More...
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