ECLIPSE LOSES EASA TYPE CERTIFICATE, SUPPLIERS LOSE MORE
The EASA Type Certificate covering the Eclipse 500 has been suspended (PDF) as of June 12, 2009, striking a potential blow to the value of Eclipse Aviation's intellectual property assets that may soon be sold at auction. Now in Chapter 7 bankruptcy, Eclipse Aviation has even less to offer potential buyers. Eclipse achieved the EASA certificate in November of last year, hoping to win a new market for the aircraft in any of 30 European nations, but since that time the vast majority of delivered Eclipse 500 very light jets have been registered in the United States. So, on the upside, the suspension shouldn't have much of an effect on aircraft that are currently in use. On the rapidly growing downside, Eclipse's assets will now offer even less to the company's suppliers that have lined up to fill out bankruptcy court claim forms for money due them. The one supplier (of about 145) that may be taking the largest hit, 59-year-old Sun Country Industries, may be stuck with unpaid invoices totaling half a million dollars and "is sitting on an additional $750,000 in parts and material" otherwise destined for Eclipse, according to Aircraft Maintenance Technology online (AMT). To make matters worse, of Eclipse's physical assets, which could be sold to repay its debts, it seems many may have never been paid for by Eclipse. More...

VIPER CLAIMS EXPERIMENTAL "FIRST"
Viper Aircraft's new Viperjet LXR fanjet is a 375-KTAS, experimental two-place tandem aerobatic-capable personal jet with an 1100-nm range (with reserves) and room for 125 pounds of baggage -- and it's now available with a special endorsement from the FAA. The company has established standardized qualifications and training for the aircraft that qualifies pilots who've taken that training for an Authorized Experimental Aircraft certificate. The certificate is basically the experimental aircraft version of a type rating and in practice it means its holder "will no longer need to receive a Letter of Authorization (LOA) from the FAA," to operate the aircraft, according to Viper President Scott Hanchette. Hanchette believes that makes his the "first experimental aviation company in its class" to receive such a certificate. According to Viper, the authorized certificate is part of the FAA's vintage and experimental program's goal of establishing standardized pilot qualifications, training and certification in experimental U.S. and foreign aircraft. More...

SOLAR IMPULSE IS REVEALED
An aircraft was unveiled Friday in Switzerland that aims to take off with one pilot aboard and fly day and night propelled only by solar energy, flying around the world without expending any fuel or expelling any pollution. The team led by Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg believes the goal is unachievable "without pushing back the current technological limits in all fields." The craft measures 61 meters in span and will carry aloft about 3300 pounds of aircraft and 12,000 photovoltaic cells. There are more efficient options, but the 130-micron monocrystalline silicon solar cells were chosen for their combination of light weight and efficiency. The cells are dispersed over 200 square meters of surface area as part of a 12 percent efficient propulsion chain designed to deliver about eight horsepower from four motors. The motors are housed in under wing pods with lithium polymer batteries that are insulated to conserve the radiated heat that will allow them to function at the -40 degrees Centigrade at 27,000 feet the aircraft may experience. Power collected from the solar cells and stored in the batteries will be used to drive 3.5-meter propellers through a gear reduction that will swing them at 200-400 revolutions per minute -- lifting the giant craft off the ground at about 19 knots and flying it at about 60. And then there's what's on the inside.

Related Content:

• SunSeeker Solar-Powered Flight.
• Story of Boeing's Hydrogen Fuel Cell Aircraft.
• Yuneec Chinese-made Electric Aircraft.
• Randall Fishman's Eclectraflyer-C.

NTSB TO INVESTIGATE A330 AIR DATA ANOMALIES
Investigators recently reported that the crew of Air France Flight 447, lost earlier this month with all aboard, may have been fed faulty air data, and Friday the NTSB announced that it is investigating "two recent incidents" in which A330 instruments may have malfunctioned. Earlier this month, after it was publicly disclosed that Airbus had recommended changes to the jets' pitot tubes, some pilots for Air France were urged by their union to refuse flights on A330/A340 series aircraft if their pitot sensors had not yet been replaced. Of the two incidents the NTSB will be investigating, the first involved a TAM Airlines flight out of Miami May 21, bound for Sao Paulo. The airliner lost "primary speed and altitude information" during cruise. Pilots reported the event was precipitated by an abrupt drop in indicated outside air temperature. Soon after, the Air Data Reference System was lost and the autopilot and autothrust disconnected. The crew flew the jet on backup instruments for about five minutes until primary data was restored. The flight continued to a Sao Paulo, where it landed without incident. A Northwest Airlines A330 flying between Hong Kong and Tokyo on June 23 may have experienced a similar event. The NTSB in its statement did not draw any connection between these investigations and the Air France disaster. More...

KLAPMEIER MAKES PLAY FOR CIRRUS JET
AVweb has confirmed that former Cirrus Design CEO Alan Klapmeier is making a bid to acquire the rights to manufacture and sell the Vision SF 50 single-engine jet. A source close to the negotiations, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Klapmeier announced that he has "formed a team of financial advisors and engineers" to try to take over the project. The source said Merrill Lynch is involved in the negotiations between the Klapmeier group and Arcapita Ventures, Cirrus Aircraft's majority investor, over the potential acquisition of the project. The new company will be separate from Cirrus and a name has not been chosen.

Related Content:

• More details in our podcast interview with Brent Wouters.
• Video of the Cirrus Vision's first flight.
• A gallery of images from the rollout.

FRACTIONAL CUB?
American Legend Aircraft announced Thursday that its Legend Cub, a modernized Piper J-3 Cub, could be had for as little as $2900 down and flown for $28 per hour when purchased through the LetsFly four-person joint-ownership program. The LetsFly Cooperative Ownership Program is "the largest aircraft cooperative in the country," according to President Eldon Corry. The company claims to offer an affordable model for pilots "who wish to fly often, but prefer not to rent" in a package that offers "a very appealing aircraft ownership alternative," especially in the context of difficult economic times. For the roughly $110,000 Legend Cub, the company says its four-person system translates into the previously mentioned low initial cost, low hourly cost, and monthly fees that land in the ballpark of about $400 (depending on the loan's interest rate). For what it's worth, LetsFly will also put you in a Mooney Acclaim or Cirrus SR20 for that same initial $2900 ... but you'll be paying about $1500/month and $185/hour for the Mooney, or $710/month and $90/hour in the Cirrus. More...

ONE MAN'S DREAM: 60 AIRPLANES AT 60
Celebrating a 37-year career in aviation and his 60th birthday, Tim Carter has set himself a goal of flying 60 aircraft in the year starting immediately after his Nov. 1, 2008, 60th birthday. He's got about four months left and, according to his Web site, he's flown 29 aircraft. Carter's career has taken him through the United States Air Force and Delta Air Lines before he moved to his current job at a fractional jet company. The man says he has about 17,000 hours total time with type ratings in the B727, 737, 757/767, CE500, CE525 and LOA Folland Gnat. With previous experience flying everything from a Cub through a Zivco Edge to an L29, his logbook may already contain 60 different types, but thought his plan would be a fine "grand finale" to "cap off a great career." Even if he doesn't succeed, the quest has no doubt produced some memorable days, including one spent at the U.S. Flight Academy, where he went once around the patch in eight aircraft (one of which was a helicopter). Carter maintains a Web site where he posts pictures of his conquests. More...

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

THE PILOT'S LOUNGE #134:
GEAR UP, GOOD NIGHT — FLYING FREIGHT IN THE NOT-SO-GOOD OLD DAYS
While it is fashionable in some circles to assert that society is falling apart and that if only we could return to the ways of yore, all would be well, in the world of Part 135 flying, it simply isn't true. The cowboy days of operators cutting every corner possible trying to make a buck while the FAA looked the other way killed way too many people. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: LANCAIR KNOWS NEWS
In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Russ Niles has some all-too-infrequent praise for the high art of communicating with the media. When the Lancair Evolution suffered a potentially embarrassing gear-up landing, the company was quick to provide information, help news outlets get the details right, and the world didn't come to an end. 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...

EAA AIRVENTURE UPDATE
EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh is coming up in just a few weeks — July 27 to August 2 — and this year's aviation celebration features lots of special visitors and exhibits, as well as extensive new upgrades to the show grounds. AVweb's Mary Grady talks with Dick Knapinski, EAA spokesman, for all the latest on the show, plus some important advice for pilots planning to fly in. More...

THE FUTURE OF CIRRUS'S JET
Cirrus Design co-founder and former CEO Alan Klapmeier dropped a bombshell on the annual Cirrus Migration in Duluth by announcing he wants to take over the SF 50 jet program through a separate company. But current CEO Brent Wouters says the company remains committed to seeing the project through, although it's willing to listen to Klapmeier's ideas. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with Wouters about the proposal. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: YUNEEC E430 ELECTRIC AIRPLANE MAKES ITS FIRST FLIGHT
The Yuneec E430, a 54hp two-seat Chinese electric airplane, gets put through its paces and undergoes its first flight. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: SPARTANBURG DOWNTOWN MEMORIAL AIRPORT FBO (SC)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to the city FBO at Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport (KSPA) in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

AVweb reader Jacquelyn Balish explains how the KSPA FBO staff went above and beyond to bring a smile to her face:

I fly with very young children by myself. This really can be challenging upon landing. I have a plane, kids, and luggage to deal with. The personnel at this airport jump right in to help. They take the children and luggage, [then] take kids to play while I secure my plane. They are Johnny on the spot. On one trip, the birds decided that my plane was a great toilet. [As soon as] I drove up, the plane was being washed for me at no charge!

P.S. The children love all the people at this airport.

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

At the Charlottetown (CYYG) airport last summer, while doing my run-up in my 172, an air Canada flight had just finished copping their clearance when they saw an osprey fly by with a large flounder in its talons. They contacted the tower:

Dash-8:
"Charlottetown Tower, Air Canada 123."

Charlottetown Tower:
"Go ahead."

Dash-8:
"There's an osprey that just flew overhead carrying a fish!"

Charlottetown Tower: (without missing a beat) :
"Have him contact the tower."

This kind of made my day in this very friendly maritime town.

Neil Angus
Montreal, Québec
Canada

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
Mariano Rosales

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