SETTING THE STAGE FOR BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS
If size means anything, manufacturers displaying their wares at EAA AirVenture are exploiting its full potential. Many of the displays are noticeably larger, grander and more spectacle-oriented (which may just be an indication that, in the absence of anything really new, they've had time to hype up the hype). Of anticipated news, it's expected that Eclipse will have a big announcement about its 500 very light jet sometime during the show. (We've heard much more specific information, but Eclipse's press briefing isn't until Thursday). The first Eclipse 500 destined for customer ownership flew yesterday, and whatever other news is coming, the Eclipse display matches the magnitude of a grand announcement. More...

HONDAJET RUMORS (AND REALITY?)
True or rumor (we'll know soon) -- scuttlebutt around the Honda display yesterday imagined that the decision has been made to go into production with the HondaJet at a price in the current (rather broad) VLJ range -- now that the show's begun we'll soon see if that's fantasy or reality. For now, local lore suggests GE, which developed the allegedly ultra-efficient engines along with Honda, will be taking a big role in the commercial exploitation of the technology. Honda has always been a large, if somewhat peripheral, player at AirVenture. But perhaps fueling speculation of a big announcement, Honda is this year on the fringes no more and the HondaJet is the centerpiece of a massive collection of boy toys housed in a huge, carpeted tent with theatrical lighting and enough flat-screen televisions to outfit a sports bar. More...

OTHER ATTENTION-GETTERS
Of course, not every airplane company has the budget to claim half an acre of prime real estate (this week) at Oshkosh, but that doesn't mean they don't stand out. For instance, a patch of grass between two exhibit hangars, can be seen from all over the grounds for the bright yellow copy Cub hoisted 10 feet in the air on a steel frame (advertising a different product altogether). Even EAA has turned up the Fun, Fun, Fun at this year's show, as expressed by a huge stage that went up in Aeroshell Square on Sunday. The Beach Boys will play a concert against a backdrop of military aircraft, business jets and war birds on Monday. More...

GARMIN WAAS COMING REALLY SOON. NO, REALLY
Garmin couldn't keep the cat in the bag about its new GPSMAP 496, but it still had a few surprises up its sleeve for its Sunday afternoon press conference (click through to find the PowerPoint presentation in AVweb's expanded coverage). The WAAS-capable GNS 430W and GNS 530W (W for WAAS, get it?) will be available this fall for $10,750 and $16,495 respectively. Garmin is sticking with its word to owners of non-WAAS 400- or 500-series navigators with an upgrade cost of $1500. The G1000 is also getting WAAS capable. Unlike the panel-mount GPS navigators, the G1000 uses Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) for its GPS information and that redesign is much more complex, according to Garmin's Senior Director of Aviation Marketing and Sales Carl Wolf. More...

GARMIN MATH: A G600 IS MORE THAN HALF A G1000
The bigger announcement was that Garmin is going after the retrofit market in three ways. The full G1000 system will be made available on select aircraft, one at a time, with the first instance being late-model King Air C-90s. No firm price is set but the estimate is $350,000. If you wish you could put a glass panel in your cardinal but that's a bit more than you planned to spend, you may get part of your wish. Garmin announced the G600, which houses two portrait-orientation screen (taller than they are wide) in a 6.75 inch by 10 inch bezel. The size is designed to fit in the area used by the six-pack in most airplanes. Of course, it's not quite that simple. More...

GPS 496 GOOD ON THE DETAILS
While the GPSMAP 496 we reported on Thursday was already old news by the conference, seeing it in action was cool. The new SafeTaxi system places the symbolic aircraft on high-resolution airport diagrams for over 600 airports. Smart Airspace automatically highlights airspace when the pilot might fly through it and automatically deemphasizes it when the airplane will pass above or below it. The map resolution is 11 times greater, making for stunning topographic and terrain-warning images and the update rate is now five hertz -- practically matching the performance of the real instruments in the airplane. AOPA's airport directory also coming preinstalled. ... And did we mention we're giving one 496 away at our booth? More...

OWNING AND FLYING DIAMOND'S DIESEL TWIN
Aviation news tends to be made in the press area, a long way from the tie-down area at the west end of Wittman Regional Airport, but a couple of German pilots may have quietly made history when they touched down in a DA42 TwinStar (serial number 16) on Friday. Aircraft owner Wolfgang Daiser and his friend and co-pilot Michael Frohling flew from their home in Dusseldorf to Oshkosh, via Greenland, Canada, and New York. Flight time was about 38 hours and, while TwinStars have been showcased at the Diamond display for the past couple of years, theirs may be the first owner-flown copy to have made it to the show. More...

OTHER DIAMOND DOINGS
While the TwinStar was Diamond's big draw at last year's show, the star attraction this year will be the appearance of the D-Jet, the single-engine personal jet that may find work in the air taxi business. Although details haven't been released, Diamond and Point2Point Airways, a North Dakota-based air taxi company, will be holding a joint news conference with Diamond this week. Diamond is also joining Ballistic Recovery Systems to talk about parachutes for the D-Jet, Powerflo Exhaust (to show off the installation on the new faster DA40XLS) and Utah State University, which is going all-Diamond in its flight school. More...

D-JET MOCK-UP, FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Diamond's actual D-Jet will be coming to Oshkosh this week, but people are already checking out the mockup. The D-Jet interior isn't much bigger than most single-engine piston airplanes, but the view from the front is quite different. The mock-up has the full, three-screen G1000 with two audio panels, FMS-style keypad, and autopilot controls under the glareshield. Like most of the other VLJs, the layout looks simple compared to bigger jets, although it's even simpler in the D-Jet with only one power lever for its single engine. Diamond also left its penchant for a control stick behind, and gave the D-Jet conventional yokes. Click through for a link to view the D-Jet interior. More...

USER FEE DISCUSSION
A precedent-setting decision north of the border will undoubtedly come up in a discussion planned for EAA AirVenture on Tuesday. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association is hosting the forum and featured speakers include Cirrus CEO Alan Klapmeier and Cessna President Jack Pelton, along with NBAA President Ed Bolen, AOPA President Phil Boyer and GAMA President Pete Bunce. EAA President Tom Poberezny will moderate and the solidarity represented should send a strong message to the FAA. The session comes a week after the Canadian Transportation Agency upheld Nav Canada's decision to impose a so-called "daily charge" on general aviation aircraft using the country's seven busiest airports. GA operators will pay $10 for 24 hours of access to any or all of the airports but it's not the money that's bothering Kevin Psutka, president of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association. More...

TURBO CIRRUS
While original equipment manufacturers put the whole package together, GA has thousands of smaller companies that specialize in all the bits and pieces that go into an airplane. And when a good airplane like the Cirrus SR22 starts flying in numbers, there are plenty of specialists ready to make it better. When AVweb talked to George Braly, of General Aviation Modifications Inc. last winter, his Tornado Alley Turbo engineers were testing a turbonormalizing system for the Cirrus and hoped to have it ready for AirVenture. Looks like they made it. More...

COLUMBIA STILL FASTEST?
Columbia Aircraft says its 400 model remains "the undisputed speed champion" (Mooney might disagree) and a big reason for that is the Continental twin turbo TSIO 550C that pulls the composite airplane along at about 235 knots (true). To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Teledyne Continental Motors, Columbia has created the Columbia 400LCE (Limited Commemorative Edition). As you might expect, the aircraft is a fully decked out 400 with every bell and whistle offered by Columbia. It also has a platinum paint job. Only 10 will be made and joining that exclusive club has a price. The 400LCE will cost $676,700 and a non-refundable deposit of $35,000 is required to make you one of the 10. More...

CRAVING THE SIMPLE LIFE
Francessco Rizzi flys left-seat in an Alitalia Airbus for his day job, but his passion is decidedly old-school. He has designed the Aerolab Sport Camper to meet the LSA standards in the U.S. and Europe, as well as sell as a kit. The airplane is an open-cockpit, radial-engine powered taildragger. The wings are even made of wood. The instruments have an old style but reveal modern amenities -- such as an electrical system. The radial engines -- you have a choice of two -- are also both modern. The Parmatechnik Mikron IIIC is an 80-hp engine out of the Czech republic and the Rotec R2800 is a 110-hp model out of Australia. More...

WHAT HAVE I FORGOTTEN?
Most pilots planning to fly to Oshkosh likely prepare more for this arrival than any other, and with good reason. Spend a half hour listening to a handheld radio and the closely choreographed parade of airplanes landing less than a half mile apart, sometimes three at a time on the same runway, gives you some idea how important that advance preparation can be. Mostly, it goes off without a hitch, with tense, but friendly controllers welcoming and even congratulating pilots for their performance in some demanding conditions. But icy silence greeted the pilot of a 182 who landed on Runway 36R late on Sunday morning. "I'm out of gas," the pilot reported as the plane rolled out. More...

ON THE FLY...
It's AirVenture gallery time -- walk with us...
Visit AVweb.com tomorrow for a podcast "live" from Oshkosh...
Second Bell/Agusta civilian tiltrotor began ground testing...
Space Adventures is offering a spacewalk option...
Blue Angels will do a few passes at AirVenture...
GA, military pilots, meet to discuss Georgia airspace. More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
What have you heard? There might be something to it. If you've heard something that 130,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. Our best stories start with your tips. More...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB
COLUMNS

Probable Cause #11: Right Pilot, Wrong EquipmentEven experienced pilots can have trouble if their plane has instruments they're not used to using -- or doesn't even have the right instruments for a particular IFR approach.

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WHAT'S NEW
What's New for July 2006This month AVweb's survey of the latest products and services for pilots, mechanics and aircraft owners brings you Palm software, cleaning products, online training courses and much more. More...

READER FEEDBACK ON AVWEB'S NEWS COVERAGE AND FEATURE ARTICLES
Reader mail this week about pilot pay, ATC errors, LSAs and more. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: OCEAN AIR AVIATION, NORTH BEND, OR

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Ocean Air Aviation, at KOTH, North Bend, OR. Offering up Ocean Air, Scott Burton told us, "The elegant and relaxing facilities make it worth the stop coupled with the extraordinary service and friendly people. Denise runs that FBO as best as I have ever seen and always with a smile. Truly one of the best FBOs I have been to and the service is impeccable."

Keep those nominations coming. Click here to nominate your favorite FBO and here for complete contest rules. AVweb is actively seeking out the best FBO's in the country and another one,submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday!

AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVFLASH
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. Watch for a Business AVflash regular feature, TSA WATCH: GA IN THE "SPOTLIGHT". Sign up today at http://www.avweb.com/profile/ More...

PODCASTS
Online Now: Check AVweb's podcast index for files you may have missed due to our homepage makeover. And watch for special 'casts this Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. We expect to be inside the tower at AirVenture Oshkosh, and also chatting with Cessna's Jack Pelton.

Make a note of it. AVweb's podcasts feature exclusive interviews with industry gurus, like: TCM president Bryan Lewis, NATCA president John Carr, New Piper CEO Jim Bass, Hal Shevers for Sporty's Pilot Shop, Light Sport guru Dan Johnson, Excel Jet's Bob Bornhofen, Adam Aircraft's Joe Walker, FAA administrator Marion Blakey, Cirrus Design's Alan Klapmeier and more. AVweb's podcast index is online, now. You'll hear things you won't find anywhere else. More...

SHORT FINAL
The following was an exchange between a friend and a pre-flight briefer last weekend. The briefer got to the NOTAMS and there was one for a rocketry club near Schaumburg, IL...

Briefer: ... and Schaumburg has a warning that they'll be firing rockets.

My Friend: Man! First it's North Korea, now Schaumburg?

It took the briefer about two minutes to stop laughing enough to continue the briefing. More...

AVwebFlash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the internet's aviation magazine and news service.

Today's issue was written by AVweb's Newsteam (index).

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