USER FEES AGENDA CLOUDY
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey was given an opportunity to clear the air on the user fee issue on Friday but didn't. Asked politely, but pointedly, to explain exactly what she meant by comments she made about GA's role in the future funding mechanism for the agency, she told hundreds of delegates to AOPA Expo in Palm Springs that the funding proposal is not complete and that she doesn't know what it's final form will be. The current funding system for the FAA expires next September and Congress must approve reauthorization by then. She told the mostly patient crowd that the new funding plan "does not have to contain broad user fees for general aviation" and that she does "not want to create a funding system that stifles GA." But she did not directly answer a question from the floor inviting her to explain exactly what those statements would translate to in terms of future fees or taxes. She did, however, make it clear that the status quo is not acceptable, although she did say she believes general tax revenue should continue to pay a share of FAA funding (it contributes 23 percent now). More...

RECORD ATTENDANCE AT AOPA EXPO 2006
AOPA Expo is virtually assured to break attendance records, according to spokesman Chris Dancy. He said that as of late Friday, the number of registered delegates was more than 10,900. The current record (set in 2002 when the event was also held in Palm Springs) is 11,700 and there is still a full day left. "I think 12,000 is reasonable to expect," Dancy told AVweb. He said weekend attendees from the nearby Los Angeles basin could swell the numbers even higher, given that the weather (sunny and temperatures in the low 80s) is expected to hold. More...

COLUMBIA DELIVERS AT AOPA EXPO
A year ago, Sherry Nesbitt Gettinger was a newly minted pilot who was presented with the “Newest Pilot Award” at AOPA Expo 2005. She is now instrument rated, and yesterday at AOPA Expo 2006 Gettinger received the keys to Columbia Aircraft's 500th aircraft, a Columbia 350. “This is a tremendous milestone for our company and we’re very pleased to present our 500th aircraft to Sherry and her family,” Columbia Aircraft Vice President of Marketing and Business Development Randy Bolinger said during the handover ceremony. More...

MOUNTAIN HIGH MAKES IT EASIER TO BREATHE EASIER (AND LONGER)
Redmond, Ore.-based Mountain High announced at AOPA Expo that it is now shipping the single-user EDS-O2D1 digital "pulse demand" oxygen delivery system. According to the company, the shirt-pocket-size system automatically regulates the flow to deliver only the needed amount of oxygen, cutting consumption by up to six times that of constant-flow systems. Additionally, the system profiles the breather and adjusts the flow as needed and warns the user when not breathing enough through the canulla or face mask to prevent hypoxia. More...

DELTA CONNECTION ACADEMY FLIGHT SCHOOL PICKS CIRRUS
Delta Connection Academy will buy 50 Cirrus SR20 aircraft in a fleet modernization program that it says will better equip its graduates to enter the modern world of airline operations. At a news conference at AOPA Expo on Thursday, Delta Connection CEO Capt. Gary Beck said the company researched the market for three years before settling on Cirrus. The company will do its ab initio training on the Cirrus so that students are exposed to the technology from the start. "The SR20 G2 incorporates the latest advancements in flight technology to provide our students a realistic, airline-style flight training environment," he said. The school is a busy one and will put the Cirruses through their paces. "We do 100-hour inspections an average of every nine days," Beck said. More...

VFLITE SERIES TAKES TRAINING TO A HIGHER PLANE
Pegasus Interactive is at AOPA Expo touting new additions to its VFLITE series of aviation training software for PCs, including the Weight & Balance Visualizer, CFI iTools and GPSMAP 496 Interactive Guide. Its new VFLITE Weight & Balance Visualizer software instantly determines and displays center of gravity and weight loading, ensuring that an aircraft is properly loaded before takeoff. The program, which costs $39.95, provides fast loading of fuel via a draggable slider, while other inputs are made in an overhead view of the cabin. CFI iTools (retail price $34.95) is a suite of multimedia-based modules that enable and enhance live training and student practice. More...

MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIM AS LEARNING TOOL?
Can a video game (albeit a pretty sophisticated video game) make you a better pilot? Bruce Williams thinks so and he's written the book on the subject, called Microsoft Flight Simulator as a Training Aid. Williams, a 30-year pilot and instructor who was also the business development director for Microsoft Flight Simulator, told a news conference at AOPA Expo that the software package can be a powerful training tool if it's used to focus on specific topics in a logical order. "Using the parts is better than trying to use the whole," he said. Williams said the tendency is to try and create a complete flying experience with the simulator when it's greatest training strengths lie in the details. In addition to the written word, Williams has included a CD with hundreds of "practice flights" which teach a specific skill or range of knowledge. For instance, one lesson focuses on VOR navigation with specific tasks to accomplish. More...

DIESELS FOR CESSNAS
At AOPA Expo, both Thielert Aircraft Engines and SMA are promoting their diesel engines for light general aviation airplanes as efficient and greener alternatives to avgas-fueled powerplants. On Thursday, Thielert said Van Bortel Aircraft in Arlington, Va., will install the Centurion 1.7 diesel aircraft engines in brand-new Cessna 172 Skyhawks, which Bortel will then resell worldwide. Van Bortel has already retrofitted several Skyhawks, one of which is at the static display at the show in Palm Springs, Calif. Meanwhile, SMA said it recently delivered 18 of its SR305-230 diesel engines to U.S. distributors for installation in Cessna 182Q/R models. SMA received an STC for the re-engine modification in late July. More...

(ALMOST) "LIVE" FROM PALM SPRINGS: AOPA EXPO 2006 PHOTO GALLERY, DAY TWO
AVweb staffers managed to see quite a bit at the AOPA Expo on Friday — and in between press conferences and tire-kicking, we even managed to snap a few photos. Sample the sights of the AOPA Expo without ever leaving your computer chair, in our Day Two Gallery. More...

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