Volume 1, Issue 3 – December 10, 2003

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&lid=bizav">HAVE YOU SIGNED UP yet for AVweb’s NO-COST twice monthly Business AVflash? Reporting on breaking news, Business AVflash also focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the Business of Aviation. Business AVflash is a must read! We hope you enjoy this introductory issue. Sign up today at http://www.avweb.com/profile/ More...

BUSINESS AVIATION STARS IN POP ICON’S SCANDAL...
Business aviation is playing a bit part in the showbiz scandal of the year. Allegations that the charter jet used by Michael Jackson for his much-publicized flight from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara was rigged with small video cameras have caused uproar from the Jackson legal team. More...

...AS THE INVESTIGATION BEGINS...
A criminal investigation was also launched into the matter. According to the Los Angeles Times, FBI agents seized videotapes from XtraJet's Santa Monica, Calif., office and launched a formal criminal investigation to determine whether the company broke any laws. More...

...MAN ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY BOARDING JACKSON JET
Adding to the already bizarre situation is the report of an intruder aboard the Jackson charter aircraft. A man who identified himself as a news and photo agency reporter was arrested after allegedly climbing aboard the jet while the pop star surrendered to authorities, police said. Lee Kevin Madden, 27, was arrested Nov. 20 after Jackson's security staff discovered him aboard the plane and held him for Santa Barbara police, authorities disclosed. More...

AIR TAXI COMPANY SHUTS DOWN...
Financial problems have grounded SkyTaxi Inc, an Oregon start-up that received national exposure for its hybrid air service. SkyTaxi, whose business blended elements of regular airline service and charter service, vacated its maintenance hangar at the Salem airport and laid off employees last month. More...

...FOUNDER HOPED FOR UNIQUE RURAL SERVICE
Morrow, the Salem entrepreneur, who is best known as a pioneer in aviation navigation systems and his excursion into the snowboard manufacturing business, helped start SkyTaxi last year. The company’s strategy is to provide air service to towns overlooked by the major airlines through a network of SkyTaxi franchisees. Several of these franchisees, in communities such as Klamath Falls, Newport, Corvallis and Medford, originally agreed to buy $500,000 Cessna 414 airplanes to get their foot in SkyTaxi’s hangar door. More...

THE CITATION FAMILY MOVES AHEAD...
Cessna now has three Citation CJ3s in its certification flight-test program. The third plane took its first flight earlier this month. Cessna’s second production CJ3 (serial number 002) completed its first flight on Nov. 6, 2003. A standard production first flight profile was flown during the 2.6-hour flight. Over 340 hours and 200 flights have been accumulated on all three CJ3s with the CJ3 prototype recording the majority of these hours (262.8) as it continues to complete developmental flight-testing. More...

...ELLIOTT AVIATION EXPANDS CITATION SERVICES
In support of the recently announced agreement with Cessna Aircraft Company to modify and sell select trade-in Citations, Elliott Aviation announced it has expanded its Citation service capabilities. Already experienced in Citation 550/560 service support, the additional maintenance capabilities have included factory tooling and training for the XL (Excel) and 525 (CitationJet) series of Citations as well. Elliott Aviation has facilities in Moline, Ill.; Des Moines, Iowa; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Omaha, Neb., and has been selling and servicing business aircraft since 1936. More...

BOMBARDIER SETTLES $75M HOUSING DEAL
Bombardier Aerospace has agreed to stop blocking a Canadian housing development. Some say this move is a signal the manufacturer doesn't want to be seen as playing politics with city hall over the Toronto Island airport bridge. According to the Toronto Star, Bombardier instructed its lawyers to finalize a settlement with the city over 30 hectares of land near its deHavilland plant. More...

RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT'S PREMIER I CERTIFIED IN CHINA
Raytheon Aircraft's Premier I business jet has received certification to fly in China. The country’s Civil Aviation Authority awarded the certification in late November. More...

NEW INTERNATIONAL AIRCRAFT CHARTER SERVICE AVAILABLE IN CANADA
An international aircraft charter operation has taken flight in Canada. Corporate Airlink Ltd. was originally founded in 1996 as a corporate aircraft management and charter service. With 15 employees and two Cessna Citation Excels and one Cessna Citation CJ1, the firm maintains a domestic operation at its head office in Mississauga -- adjacent to Lester B. Pearson International Airport -- and has regional support/operations centers at both the Hamilton and Kitchener, Ontario, airports. Corporate Airlink Ltd.’s current fleet of small- and medium-sized business aircraft was recently expanded with the addition of a BD-700 Global Express, which now allows the company to offer long-range international services. More...

VAN EMBURGH JOINS NATA AS MGR. OF GOV'T AND INDUSTRY AFFAIRS
Beth Van Emburgh has joined the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) as manager of government and industry affairs. Van Emburgh will focus on airport, security and environmental issues. More...

BIZ AV’S AD WATCH
The FAA has a final rule that supersedes an existing Airworthiness Directive (AD), applicable to certain Bombardier Model CL-600-2C10 series airplanes, that currently requires a revision to the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) to prohibit operations into known or forecast icing under certain conditions. More...

EUROCOPTER
The FAA adopted a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain specified Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) helicopters that requires inspecting the fuel air vent hoses (air vent hoses) for chafing and fuel leakage in the interference areas, inspecting the length of the latch support attachment screws, installing spacers to prevent interference with the latch support attachment screws, and removing one tyrap clamp support. More...

MD HELICOPTERS
The FAA has published a final rule for certain MD model helicopters. This amendment -- scheduled to become effective today -- adopts a new Airworthiness Directive for the specified model helicopters modified with a Helicopter Technology Company, LLC, Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) No. SR09172RC, SR09074RC, or SR09184RC. More...

SIKORSKY HELICOPTERS
The FAA has published a NPRM for certain Sikorsky model helicopters. The AD would require installing a Number 5 bearing chip detector in each engine, installing an on-board chip detector annunciation system, and revising the Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM) to add procedures for crew response to an on-board chip detector annunciation. More...

Business AVflash is a twice-monthly summary of the latest business aviation news, articles, products, features and events featured on AVweb, the Internet's Aviation Magazine and News Service. http://www.avweb.com

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Today's issue written by News Writer Arturo Weiss:
http://www.avweb.com/contact/authors.html#aweiss
AVweb's editorial team: http://avweb.com/contact/authors.html.

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Let's all be careful out there, okay?