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March 30, 2012
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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FIND THEM AT:
C-017
C-018
C-019
C-020
C-021 |
Visit Jeppesen at Sun 'n Fun
Hangar C — #C-017-021
Jeppesen's cutting-edge training solutions offer an interactive experience for learning aeronautical concepts. Visit us at the Sun 'n Fun Expo to learn about Total Training Online for
sport, private and commercial pilots. Check out our Mobile FliteDeck 1.1 Electronic Charts for iPad®. Don't miss Robert Brannan's presentation, "The Next Generation of Aviation
Training."
Can't make it? Learn about online training at
JeppDirect. 
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Although Hawker Beechcraft was thrown a $120 million lifeline and given some breathing room by creditors earlier this week, that hasn't quelled a media death watch on the Wichita planemaker. On
Tuesday, Hawker Beech announced a
group of creditors representing about 70 percent of the company's debt load had agreed to defer some interest payments and ignore some covenants until June 29. The company said it would use the money
saved and the time to put a reorganization plan in place. On Thursday, Reuters ran a
story quoting unnamed sources as saying Hawker Beech was getting ready to file for bankruptcy. The story was quickly picked up by other media who quoted Reuters as their sole source. A few said
they too had been told by unnamed sources the "pre-arranged bankruptcy" was in the works. Hawker Beechcraft spokeswoman Nicole Alexander said the company wouldn't discuss the latest stories but
stressed efforts to turn the company around. "We have no comment on the Reuters story," Alexander said. "The news out of the company is included in Tuesday's news release, so I'll refer you back to it
and more explicitly to the point that Hawker Beechcraft is working together with its lenders toward a comprehensive recapitalization to better position the company for the future."
Hawker Beechcraft was purchased by Goldman Sachs and Canadian equity company Onex Corp. from Raytheon for $3.3 billion in 2007. At that time, the company, like all other business jet makers, was
compiling enormous backlogs from a seemingly insatiable market. After about 18 months of recession, in which those backlogs all but disappeared, the new owners wrote down the value of the company by
85 percent. Hawker Beech has laid off 2,500 workers and has struggled of late. It was close to violating covenants from some of its lenders that required it to maintain a positive cash flow and it's
likely those covenants that have been forgiven. Meanwhile, financial rating agency Standard and Poor's has downgraded Hawker Beechcraft to a CC credit rating from CCC. On Wednesday the company said it
had sold 10 King Airs, worth a total of $50 million, at the Asian Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (ABACE).
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Piper's new CEO, Simon Caldecott, says the company has had a good year in 2012 so far and looking ahead for the rest of the year and to 2013, it sees the training market as a big driver. "One of
the things we're going to do is to get back into the training market in a big way," Caldecott told AVweb in this podcast at Sun 'n Fun on
Wednesday. "When you look at the stand here and see that J-3 Cub there, training was the roots of Piper Aircraft and I believe that's what we need to be focussed on, as well as our M-class [Mirage
and Merdian] aircraft. We're going to really push hard on that and I expect to at least double our volume on trainers over the next two or three years."
Does Piper have in mind a new piston trainer? Not that Caldecott would admit to. "Why do we need a new plane when we've got the best single-engine trainer out there, is what I say. We have the best
economics in terms of a trainer and it's a very robust aircraft. I'm sure we'll do some small tweaks just to keep it fresh," Caldecott said.
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FIND THEM AT:
D-026
D-027 |
GNS 430W/530W Users:
Aren't You Tired of Twisting Knobs?
With VoiceFlight's revolutionary technology, you can enter and edit flight plans in seconds without all of the tedious knob-turning. The VFS101 also adds Victor Airway support to your
GNS430W/530W! The VFS101 eliminates knob-induced tunnel vision, is lightning-fast even in turbulence, and takes the anxiety out of in-flight re-routes. Visit us at Sun 'n Fun booth D-26 and
stop twisting knobs
today! 
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order.
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With over 20 years in the business, SeaRey has become the most popular very light amphibian on the market, with a tight-knit community, some 500
examples flying and LSA certification expected within the year (hopefully by EAA AirVenture Oshkosh). The company prides itself on providing a safe, affordable, fun and versatile aircraft capable of
taking owners into and out of areas of the country that might otherwise be inaccessible. It flies with an open or closed sliding canopy and has performance on a Rotax 912 or 914 that's well-suited to
the LSA category. Customers say it's both docile in the air and maneuverable on the water. At Sun 'n Fun 2012, AVweb spoke with company president Kerry Richter about the roughly $35,000 kit
(without engine or avionics) and the soon-to-be roughly $120,000 LSA; click here to listen to that podcast.
Related Content:
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FIND THEM AT:
A-011
A-012 |
Anywhere Map® Is Now an App, Too!!!
Platform Independence — This isn't just another chart viewer; everything you love about Anywhere Map's Flight Management System is now available for ALL the popular tablets. Features
include our patented Cones of Safety ®, Personal Digital Co-pilot ®, Obstacle warnings, VNAV, Virtual ILS, high-resolution
terrain, Anywhere Link Weather overlay, and TRACK-UP operation — and we are always geo-referenced!
Check out
AnywhereMap.com.
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FIND THEM AT:
B-080
B-088
B-089 |
A New Day at Bendix/King by Honeywell
Bendix/King Avionics has established new business operations in Albuquerque, NM. Soon, we'll have an all-new product line. We have renewed our brand — and our promise — to design,
build and support the best-performing, most innovative and cost-effective avionics products available for general aviation. Visit us at Sun 'n Fun hangar B, booth 80.
Or click
here.
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At Sun 'n Fun this week, Sporty's Pilot Shop introduced Stratus, the first completely wire-free weather receiver for the iPad. The small $799 device streams information from GPS and ADS-B with no
monthly subscription costs. The unit collects NEXRAD radar, text weather, TFRs and aircraft position, and wirelessly streams that data to the popular ForeFlight Mobile app for iOS devices. "Stratus
delivers exactly what pilots have been asking for -- a simple, smart and subscription-free way to view in-flight weather on their iPad," said Sporty's Vice President John Zimmerman. "It's incredibly
easy to use, with just one button and virtually no setup."
"The internal battery lasts for eight hours without charging, which matches the iPad duration," Foreflight CEO Tyson Weihs told AVweb in the busy Foreflight booth at the show. "The two units -- the
iPad and Stratus -- work really well together." The unit can be placed on the glare shield with no need for plugging in, and it's easy to take with you and move from airplane to airplane. Multiple
iPads can connect to the unit via wifi. The ADS-B signal is available over most of the U.S., and an external attenna option can expand its range. Sporty's, ForeFlight, and Appareo Systems collaborated
in production of the Stratus unit.
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FIND THEM AT:
B-078
B-079
B-090
B-091 |
Safer by Design
Aspen's trailblazing Evolution 2000 is the only GA EFIS display that provides total system redundancy — at less fly-away cost than any competing system. Evolution 2000's safety
architecture delivers a comprehensive backup capability that steam gauges and competing glass can't match. Full PFD capability built into the MFD, dual redundant backup batteries and dual HSIs are
just a few of the many system redundancies built into Aspen's multi-display systems.
Click here for more
information.
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Cessna's new version of the Corvalis, the TTX, will include an option for flight into known icing, the company said at Sun 'n Fun this week. The FIKI system can provide up to two and a half hours
of protection from most ice attaching to the airframe, with virtually no impact on performance, Cessna said. The TTX, which is scheduled to start deliveries late this year, will also feature upgraded
Garmin avionics with touch screens. The company also introduced a couple of new software products and an "Enforcer" package to integrate surveillance equipment into its airplanes for law-enforcement
customers.
The Enforcer program will be available on select Cessna single-engine aircraft, Cessna said, offering integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Cessna said buyers will
save money by installing the equipment all at once, up front, at the factory. The platform, which will be available by this summer, also can be used for pipeline mapping, broadcast television, search
and rescue, and more, Cessna said. On the software side, a new online portal, Cessna Connect, provides a cloud-based program to help Cessna operators maintain records, track flights, log expenses, and
connect with other owners and enthusiasts. The subscription-based service works with a desktop computer, iPad, or iPhone. The company also said new Skyhawks, Skylanes, and Stationairs will now come
equipped with the Garmin GTS 800 Traffic Alert System.
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FIND THEM AT:
C-024
C-025
C-026
N-035 |
Weather with Perspective
XM WX Satellite Weather gives you onboard perspective on the weather. Graphical data like Radar, Lightning, Winds and more enhance your situational awareness and is compatible with the
industry's leading MFDs, EFBs, glass cockpits, and now the iPad. Additionally, flexible subscription options ensure you get the dataset that's right for you. Come see the latest from XM WX Satellite
Weather at booth C-024 during Sun 'n Fun 2012 or
visit us online at
XMWXweather.com/aviation. 
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Fly the Eclipse Twin-Engine Jet at the Eclipse Jet Experience
Eclipse Aerospace is coming to a city near you and will have the Eclipse twin-engine jet with them. Don't miss this incredible opportunity to see and fly the most technologically
advanced light jet aircraft in general aviation. After one hour of ground school on the Eclipse Jet avionics system, you will take to the skies with an Eclipse pilot, sitting in the co-pilot seat as
a qualified Eclipse pilot shows you the avionics system in practice. You will fly the Eclipse Jet and acquire a foundational understanding of the aircraft.
Click here to learn
more!
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The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is
You! |
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Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 255,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part.
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Traditional Tactics Need a Fresh Approach
Doing the same thing and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. Isn't it time to initiate a digital marketing program with AVweb that will deliver traffic and orders
directly to your web site? Discover several new and highly successful marketing options to use in lieu of static print or banner campaigns.
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details.
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AVwebFlash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the world's premier independent aviation news resource.
The AVwebFlash team is:
Publisher
Tom Bliss
Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli
Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles
Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew
Webmaster
Scott Simmons
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Kevin Lane-Cummings
Jeff Van West
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BOOTHS AT |
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Where to Find Our Sponsors at Sun 'n Fun 2012
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