CIRRUS READY TO MOVE WITH "SENSE OF URGENCY"
Now that Cirrus Aircraft has closed on its merger deal with Caiga, the company is ready to move forward on a variety of fronts with a "sense of urgency," CEO Brent Wouters said at EAA AirVenture on Monday. "We need to expand our product line -- bigger, smaller, faster airplanes, a much broader range, and very quickly," he said. "And we need more penetration in the top 10 foreign markets. And we must go forward quickly on both avenues." He said as the capital infusion from Caiga takes effect, probably the next thing that will happen is Cirrus will start to hire more engineers to work on the jet project. More...

LYCOMING'S KRAFT: FAA ABSENCE WON'T DELAY FUEL DELIBERATIONS
Lycoming General Manager Michael Kraft said Monday that although the FAA has furloughed many staffers directly involved with the agency's rulemaking committee on leaded avgas, their short-term absence won't delay progress on finding a replacement for 100LL. Because Congress has refused to reauthorize the FAA's operating budget, a number of FAA officials expected to appear at EAA AirVenture to brief pilots and owners on progress toward a replacement fuel won't appear at the show. As of Monday afternoon, it appeared that a Wednesday briefing from the UAT-ARC committee won't occur on schedule, if at all. But at a press conference on Monday and in an interview afterward, Lycoming's Kraft, who is a member of the ARC panel, said he thought this won't impact the committee's work much in the long term. Although no details are available, the ARC committee has reportedly made good progress toward a regulatory framework that would ultimately pave the way for approvals of unleaded aviation fuels. When the ARC was formed earlier this year, one goal was to have at least an initial report available for AirVenture 2011, but that clearly won't happen. During a brief press conference Monday, Kraft also announced that the company's new O-233 series LSA powerplant is now flying in several aircraft, including a Kitfox LSA on display in the Lycoming booth. The O-233 represents Lycoming's first production foray into electronic ignition and Kitfox's John McBean, who flew the airplane to Oshkosh from Idaho, reports that the engine operated flawlessly. AVweb will have a video on the engine later in the week. More...

AVIDYNE LAUNCHES "PLUG & PLAY" STACK, SYNTHETIC VISION UPGRADE
Avidyne introduced a full panel-mounted, plug-and-play replacement avionics stack for general aviation aircraft at EAA AirVenture on Monday morning. The stack includes the IFD540 FMS/GPS/ Navigation/ Communication system with touch-screen controls, the AMX240 stereo audio panel with marker beacon, the AXP340 Mode S extended-squitter transponder, and the attitude-based DFC90 digital autopilo -- although the autopilot requires you also have an Aspen Evolution PFD or an Avidyne Entegra PFD. The IFD540 is sized to replace the popular Garmin GNS 530 and the AXP340 is a slide-in replacement for the popular KT76A and KT78A transponders. Ease of installation will provide significant cost savings for buyers, the company said. The transponder provides "ADS-B Out" capabilities, which will be required in most U.S. airspace by 2020. More...

AIRSHOW PERFORMER GREG POE DIED UNEXPECTEDLY
Renowned airshow performer Greg Poe died suddenly on Sunday from an apparent heart attack, his team announced early on Monday. "It was completely out of the blue," spokesman Greg Gibson told AVweb. He said there had been no prior suspicion of health problems for Poe, who was 57, and his death was "very sudden." Poe was not riding motorcycles at the time, Gibson said, contrary to some rumors that have circulated online. He had been riding earlier in the day, but was a passenger in a truck when he died, Gibson said. Poe, of Boise, Idaho, had flown professionally as an airshow pilot for over 20 years, and acquired over 10,000 flight hours in more than 100 types of aircraft in his career. More...

PUERTO RICO LOOKING FOR AVBIZ
There's an American alternative to outsourcing manufacturing and it comes with some pleasant side benefits. The territorial government of Puerto Rico is aggressively marketing the island as an affordable alternative to doing business on the mainland with many of the benefits of shipping jobs to other countries. In a podcast interview, Juan Augayo of Puerto Rico's Department of Economic Development and Commerce told AVweb the Caribbean paradise has a four per cent corporate tax rate and generous incentives for business and it's offering an interesting way of exploring the economic and other benefits of moving aerospace enterprises there by holding a fly-in in December. More...

TWO DIE IN AIRVENTURE CUB CRASH
Two people died in the crash of a 1940 Piper Cub in Lake Winnebago, about five miles from Wittman Regional Airport. The man and woman onboard were attending AirVenture and there are unconfirmed reports that they were on a local sightseeing flight when they may have attempted an emergency landing on the lake. Names were not immediately released. More...

EAA CELEBRATES LUCKY WEATHER, HEALTHY CROWDS
Compared to last year, when persistent wet weather muddied the grounds and slowed arrivals, AirVenture this year is booming, president Rod Hightower said at a news conference on Monday. "Ticket sales are up, campsite reservations are up, and attendance is looking to be well above last year," he said. "Thank goodness for this wonderful weather!" Tom Poberezny, EAA chairman, said the true success of the show can be judged by the "happy faces and happy smiles" found all over the grounds. "These are tough economic times, and people have to make choices to be here," he said. The robust attendance shows that aviation and innovation are valued, he said. More...

EAA AIRVENTURE 2011: PHOTO GALLERY — DAY TWO

click for photos

As AirVenture 2011 opened to the general public, the clouds peeled back and allowed the sun to welcome visitors. Once again, Adam Cutler logged serious mileage on his golf cart to bring back a photo record of the day. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: FUEL DISCUSSIONS AT AIRVENTURE?
Yes, there will be some, but compared to last year, the process has gone underground. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli says the FAA's ARC committee appears to have made progress and will report on that this week — but it would be altogether better if the deliberations were open to the public and press. Read more and join the conversation. More...

PODCAST: CENTURION SAYS IT'S IMPROVING SERVICE ON THIELERT ENGINES
Although its Thielert operating unit is still in bankruptcy, Centurion Engines says it continues to deliver finished engines and parts profitably and has expanded its service network throughout the world. Centurion is a sister company to Thielert, and, according to German bankruptcy rules, is allowed to operate without the restrictions placed on insolvent companies. In this podcast, Cenurion's Jasper Wolfson told AVweb that the company's service network has focused on rapid turnaround on parts and technical services, and, although R&D work on larger diesel engines is suspended, Wolfson believes the diesel market will continue to grow.

This podcast is brought to you by Lightspeed Aviation and Phillips 66 Aviation. More...

PODCAST: AVBIZ OPPORTUNITIES IN PUERTO RICO
Not all offshore locations for business are outside the U.S. Juan Aguayo of the Puerto Rican Department of Economic Development and Commerce spoke with AVweb's Russ Niles about the benefits of setting up shop in the U.S. territory.

This podcast is brought to you by Bose Corporation and WxWorx XM WX Satellite Weather. More...

VIDEO: CONOCOPHILLIPS SQUARE (AND ITS LOCKHEED 12A)
At AirVenture 2011, a baton-passing of sorts happened on Monday. What was once AeroShell Square is now ConocoPhillips Square. To kick off the change, ConocoPhillips had a lavishly restored Lockheed 12A on site, an airplane that served as its corporate ride during the 1930s.

This video is brought to you by Phillips 66 Aviation and Lightspeed Aviation. More...

VIDEO: FLYING CARS AT AIRVENTURE
Although they rate a high dingbat factor, nothing quite captures the imagination like a flying car. At EAA AirVenture on Sunday, the Experimental Aircraft Association sponsored a unique flying car "drive-in" at — where else? — a 1950s-style drive-in with curb service. AVweb was there.

This video is brought to you by WxWorx XM WX Satellite Weather and Bose Corporation. More...

SURVEY: HAVE YOU HAD YOUR AIRPLANE PAINTED RECENTLY?
If so, Aviation Consumer would like to hear about the results. Did the shop do a good job? Did it deliver on time? And what about the price? To take our survey, just click here, and it will take you right to our survey page. 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:

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Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli

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Russ Niles

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Glenn Pew

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