CIRRUS ON THE VISION JET: "WE WILL GET IT DONE"
One way or another, Cirrus Aircraft will find a way to complete its Vision jet and bring it to the market, CEO Brent Wouters and co-founder Dale Klapmeier said at a news conference Monday morning at EAA AirVenture. If that means selling the jet program to Alan Klapmeier to run as a separate company, that could be a "win-win" situation, they said, if it would help Alan to accelerate the process of raising the necessary capital. "Alan can bring a dedicated focus to the jet program ... it could be a win-win for the company, for the product, and for the shareholders," Dale Klapmeier said. Wouters emphasized that the company would not consider selling the jet to anyone else but Alan, since the jet would then remain "in the Cirrus family." It would still be built in Duluth, and it would still be a step-up product for Cirrus piston owners. "We are working with Alan to see if this can happen," Dale said. "It is not an easy task to raise the money." Wouters said the jet program now remains on track to start deliveries in 2012, but that track is "capital dependent.... without external capital, that target is going to be difficult to hit."

Related Content:
Podcast interview with Dale Klapmeier
Podcast interview with Brent Wouters

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MOTHERSHIP "EVE" ARRIVES AT OSHKOSH
Crowds were thick along the flight line on Monday afternoon to watch as the double-hulled WhiteKnightTwo, also known as Mothership "Eve," (named after Sir Richard Branson's mother), arrived at Oshkosh to take its place on Aeroshell Square for EAA AirVenture. Threatening storm clouds to the west held off just long enough to allow the huge airplane time to circle near the airport a couple of times, while some other flights took off, and then it made a long quiet glide to a landing along the runway. Branson and aircraft designer Burt Rutan briefly greeted the crowd at the landing site and promised to talk more about the project and provide updates on the status of SpaceShipTwo during the week. More...

GARMIN TARGETS RETROFITS
Garmin made some noise in the retrofit market by introducing the G500 aftermarket glass panel. The G500 is the same form factor as the G600, but is only approved for Class One aircraft (under 6000 pounds). This drops the price down to $15,995 compared to $29,995 for a G600. Both the G500 and G600 now offer Synthetic Vision similar to their big brother the G1000. Synthetic Vision is standard with the G600, as are NACO approach charts (there is an option for Jepp plates for an additional $2395). The G500 also fixes an issue with older autopilots by eliminating the need to retain older analog attitude gyros. More...

NTSB RELEASES EXPANDED COLGAN CVR TRANSCRIPT
The NTSB Monday released an 111-page expanded transcript of the cockpit voice recordings from Continental Connection Flight 3407 (a.k.a. Colgan Air) which crashed February 12, in Clarence Center New York, killing all 49 aboard and one on the ground. The newly released information is factual and "does not provide analysis or the probable cause of the accident," according to the NTSB, but may certainly stimulate speculation. Flight 3407 went down in icing conditions after the aircraft stalled and failed to recover while on approach to Buffalo. More...

CESSNA NEWS UPDATE: ASTM COMPLIANCE FOR SKYCATCHER
Cessna has a major presence here at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh this week with an expanded exhibit in a new location and one-third extra space. On Monday, they issued an even dozen news releases with various updates on their products and the company, but no news conference was scheduled. The biggest news is that the SkyCatcher LSA is now in compliance with ASTM International standards and deliveries are expected to begin later this year. "This is significant not only for Cessna, but for the aviation community as a whole," said Cessna CEO Jack Pelton in a news release. "Once these airplanes enter service, they will act as a catalyst for increased pilot starts. They will significantly change the economics of ownership and operation for flight schools, aircraft renters and aircraft owners, and will benefit the entire GA community." Cessna says it has more than 1,000 orders for the SkyCatcher. More...

TECNAM BRINGS A NEW LIGHT TWIN TO OSHKOSH
Tecnam's P2006T light twin is not technically new -- it's been selling in the European market for a while -- but the company, based in Italy, is now introducing it to the U.S. market. "It offers twin-engine safety at single-engine costs," said Lynne Birmingham, U.S. representative for Tecnam, as the airplane was shown to the crowds on Aeroshell Square at EAA AirVenture on Monday morning. The all-aluminum twin runs on two Rotax engines, and will fly up to 140 knots while burning 10 gph. "It's economical to fly and to maintain," said Birmingham. The target market is mostly flight schools and university aviation programs, but also air charter companies and private owners. More...

ICON LSA FLIES AT OSHKOSH
At last year's show, Icon Aircraft debuted its concept for a two-seat amphibian sport plane that was meant to attract new pilots to general aviation. On Monday, the first flying copy of the aircraft arrived at Oshkosh, and company CEO Kirk Hawkins said he has over 400 orders for the Icon, and one-third of those will go to new pilots. The airplane will make several showcase flights this week at EAA AirVenture. "It's already been through a lot of vigorous, meticulous flight testing and has been performing exceedingly well," said Hawkins, who flew it himself for the first time a few months ago. "It's fun, safe, and easy to fly. It's all about getting you out there interacting with your world." Recreational aviation is an important tool for bringing new pilots into GA, he said. "We think people want to fly, and they need to be inspired. LSA is the best way to bring new people in." He said the airplane has more flight testing to do but will be ready to start deliveries about midway through 2011. More...

LYCOMING: BRINGING MORE TECHNOLOGY TO AN AIRPLANE NEAR YOU
Alternative fuels, electronic engine controls and firewall-forward upgrades of so-called "legacy" aircraft are among the ongoing research and development projects on which Lycoming Engines briefed AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 attendees Monday. Senior Vice President and General Manager Ian Walsh highlighted his company's continuing involvement in projects as diverse as alternative fuels (including the promising Swift Fuel), electronic engine management and obtaining FAA certification for retrofitting its IO-390-series engine in additional aircraft. Referring to the industry's ongoing economic and environmental challenges, Walsh noted Lycoming is developing "multiple solutions" with the overriding goal that they be "safe, reliable and dependable." "I'm very proud of Lycoming's leadership position," he added, expressing confidence that problems like fuel availability "will be solved." More...

GE HONDA HF120 UPDATE
The type certification program is under way and certification testing will continue well into 2010. The 50/50 joint venture that is GE Honda has seen nearly two years of engine testing (since September 2007), is weeks from producing a conforming design and soon faces 12 months of tests that "will be very busy," according to Bill Dwyer, president of GE Honda Aero Engines, LLC. The engine has already undergone extensive testing that's run it through everything from aeromechanics and vibratory margins tests to rotor dynamics and secondary flows testing. In its methodical front-to-back approach, the company has been through eight different cores and 11 full engine demonstrators before arriving at the conclusion of a frozen design and the release of drawings. GE Honda now hopes to build 13 engines this year (2009) as conforming, production-quality engines, which will build 15,000 hours in testing before any outside company sees one. That 15,000 hours will include vibratory surveys, icing tests and all FAA-required testing and put the engine in position to acquire ETOPS certification. HondaJet will be the recipient of the company's first flight test engines. More...

FORWARD VISION'S ACTUAL VISION CHALLENGES SYNTHETIC VISION
"In South Africa they're doing night-time aerial spraying with five planes in formation, on the deck, following the lead airplane running our enhanced vision systems." While he did say he didn't personally endorse the practice, Forward Vision president, Patrick Farrell, may have offered his best example the company's systems in practice when he told that story Monday at Oshkosh. Now certified in over 160 models (Cirrus aircraft and 158 models of Cessna aircraft), Forward Vision is currently involved in an extremely aggressive active process to acquire even more STCs. Both the EVS-100 and EVS-600 (the 600 is the only system available that combines both visible and infrared light for an in-context comprehensive view) see right through smoke, darkness, rain, and snow. Cirrus "saw the tangible benefits of EVS" and "decided to certify and offer EVS as an option," according to the Cirrus' own Web site. AOPA's 2009 SR22 Sweepstakes aircraft is so equipped as is an American Champion firefighting aircraft. American Champion plans to offer the system as an option on all new models, and other companies are expected to do the same. Through Forward Vision's partners, pilots not buying the system inside a new airplane have expanded purchase options. More...

EAA AIRVENTURE 2009 VIDEO SERIES: KINDLE DX FOR APPROACH PLATES
Amazon's Kindle e-reader has proven to be a hot seller, so it was just a matter of time before someone adapted it for displaying approach plates. The Kindle and Kindle 2 are too small for this purpose, so Gold Seal Ventures has adapted the new Kindle DX, which is much larger and has a greater grayscale range than the early e-readers did. Gold Seal is formally launching the Kindle DX at AirVenture this week, with demos and improvements on its web site, AirBrief.com.

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EAA AIRVENTURE 2009 VIDEO SERIES: GARMIN G500
Garmin's new G500 is meant as a budget alternative to the G600, for lighter and smaller aircraft.

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EAA AIRVENTURE 2009 PODCAST SERIES: ATTACHED BUT DETACHED — THE KLAPMEIER BROTHERS
It's no secret that Alan Klapmeier is estranged from the Cirrus company he and his brother built during the past two decades, but Dale told AVweb's Russ Niles that "we're still brothers" and the two are working together to help Alan find funding for the Vision Jet. The project is still on the table but lagging due to soft economic conditions. In this candid interview, Dale Klapmeier talks about how the two brother are trying to keep the jet moving forward.

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EAA AIRVENTURE 2009 PODCAST SERIES: WOUTERS BULLISH ON CIRRUS PLANS
The economy hit everyone in aviation hard, but Cirrus CEO Brent Wouters says his company took early aggressive action that prepared it for the worst. Now that the worst is over, he's predicting a strong recovery for the company. He spoke with AVweb's Russ Niles.

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EAA AIRVENTURE 2009 GALLERIES: DAY TWO

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EAA AirVenture 2009 officially opened to the public today, and you know what that means — lots of stuff to see! Join us as we wander the show grounds. More...

THIS WEEK, LIVE FROM OSHKOSH: THE AVWEBCAM (LIVE VIDEO FEED)
Watch for live video coverage of EAA AirVenture throughout the web, via our AVwebCam. We'll be broadcasting live from 9am to 6pm local (Oshkosh) time each day of the show. Look for the webcam player on our home page to enjoy the sights and sounds of the show — and maybe catch a glimpse of the AVweb team in action. 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...

HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT GLASS PANEL? TAKE AVIATION CONSUMER'S USER SURVEY
Virtually every new airplane these days has an electronic flight display system of some kind. Our sister publication Aviation Consumer would like to hear from users of these systems. Click here to take the survey.

(The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click here.) 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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Scott Simmons

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