DOT OIG AUDITS AIRSPACE USE FOR FAA FUNDING FLAP
The Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General is planning to conduct an audit of the National Airspace System (NAS) that could become a key point of information for the looming battle over how to fund the FAA. In an internal memo obtained by AVweb, David Tornquist, the DOT's Assistant Inspector General for Competition and Economic Analysis, sets as his goal nothing less than putting a dollar figure on each type of airspace usage in the context of the various funding alternatives currently being bandied about for the FAA. "Evaluating these alternatives requires a common understanding of who currently uses the NAS and how that usage affects the FAA's costs and how closely the alternatives mirror use of FAA services," the memo reads. More...

FAA FUNDING ALTERNATIVES ON THE TABLE
The DOT OIG memo gives some insight into the ideas being explored for renovating the FAA's funding structure. "Measures under consideration include charging for aircraft departures, passenger emplanements, aircraft weight, flight distance and time-in-system," the memo reads. "FAA is also exploring the feasibility of cost-based user fees." Among the items on the agenda for the OIG auditors, which will be of great interest to business aviation folks, is an assessment of whether jet fuel consumption makes a good basis for estimating cost to the FAA for air traffic services. More...

USER-FEE ISSUE LOOMS LARGE
AOPA didn’t comment directly on the content of the DOT OIG memo, but said it’s an indication of the way things may shape up in coming months in Washington. AOPA spokesman Chris Dancy said the OIG study came at the request of Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., last summer and AOPA knew it was coming. Dancy said the Government Accountability Office is undertaking a similar study. “Taken together, the two studies indicate the significance both the Administration and Congress place on the FAA Reauthorization bill, and reinforce AOPA's resolve to defend general aviation by preventing a shift of user fees or an excessive increase in taxes,” Dancy told AVweb. More...

IS DIAMOND TAKING ON CIRRUS, COLUMBIA, MOONEY?
A report out of Eastern Europe suggests Diamond Aircraft is ready to mix it up in the 200+ knot piston single range. The Ukrainian Web site wing.com.ua is reporting that Diamond intends to build a 350-hp, five-place, fixed-gear airplane that promises to be the “most spacious” of piston aircraft in its class. There’s nothing on the Diamond Web site to confirm this, and the company's North Amertican office in London, Ontario, was closed for the weekend when we called, but the platform suggests an adaptation of the D-Jet configuration, which also has room for five. More...

BRAZIL MIDAIR: POLICE RELEASE PRELIMINARY REPORT
On Wednesday, a preliminary police report released in Brazil said U.S. pilots Joseph Lepore and Jan Paladino could have prevented the Sept. 29 midair that killed 154 people when the Legacy jet they were flying collided with a Gol Airlines 737 if they had noticed their transponder was turned off, according to The Associated Press. The two men returned home to New York on Dec. 9 after being detained by authorities in Brazil for more than two months. According to the police report, the Legacy's transponder was turned off for at least 50 minutes before the crash and turned on two minutes after, but the report does not determine whether the pilots or the instrument itself failed. Police investigators have asked for an extra 30 days before presenting a final report. A judge will then decide whether an indictment and trial will follow. More...

GROB JET PROGRAM PROCEEDS
Grob Aerospace says European certification of its SPn business jet has been pushed back about six months to early 2008 due to the crash of the second prototype on a demonstration flight in Germany on Nov. 29. The crash -- which occurred near the manufacturer’s Mattsies-Tussenhausen, Germany facility -- killed test pilot Gérard Guillaumaud. While the company awaits the cause of the accident from German authorities, work is proceeding on a new test aircraft, which should be flying in the New Year. In a news release, CEO Niall Oliver said Grob remains committed to developing the $7 million jet and that customers have been “superb” in their understanding and reaction to the tragedy. More...

AIRCRAFT DROWN OUT NATURE?
Residents of Pacific Palisades, Calif., are complaining that increased jet and helicopter traffic is affecting their quality of life. A story in the Palisadian Post even suggests a cover-up, of sorts. "I have a neighbor who used to sunbathe nude,” laments one unnamed resident of Marques Knolls. “But she stopped because she felt as if her privacy was violated by all the low-flying airplanes and helicopters.” According to the Post, jet traffic is up 1,400 percent in the last 23 years and helicopter flights now make up 3 percent of the operations in and out of nearby Santa Monica Airport (KSMO) and that’s making it hard to hear the birds and the bees. “The reason that the Palisades is so nice is that you can hear nature,” resident Hal Oliver told the Post. “But all these planes are changing that.” More...

FOURTH NEW YORK AIRPORT EYED
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has set aside $150 million to invest in a fourth major airport to serve the metropolitan area over the next 10 years and the favored location appears to be Stewart International Airport, about 50 miles north of the city. The airport is a former Air Force base and boasts a runway almost 12,000 feet long. It’s currently an Air National Guard base. There is scheduled air service by several airlines (including a shuttle to JFK). But despite these significant attributes, there’s another factor the Port Authority might find hard to ignore. The community seems to actually want the airport. More...

FAA'S ATTEMPTS TO STOP OVERRUNS
Brought into the headlines by overruns at acreage-challenged airports like Chicago and Teterboro, the FAA-approved engineered materials arresting system (EMAS) now crowns 21 runways at 16 airports, with four more airports and five runways due for the upgrade in the next year. Teterboro recently had one of the systems installed at the end of 6,015 foot Runway 6 to the tune of $8.5 million (all but $1 million covered by the FAA). That system was unwittingly put to use October 25, when a Challenger made a $15,000 wrong turn (estimated EMAS repair costs) on the way to the terminal. Teterboro Airport's second system will reside at the south end of Runway 18 following the relocation of Redneck Avenue. More...

ANOTHER GREAT YEAR
The aerospace industry had record sales for the third year in a row, according to an analysis by the Aviation Industries Association (AIA). In its annual review of aviation commerce, AIA said total sales were up $14 billion to $184.4 billion, an increase of 8.4 percent over 2005. "It would be hard to overstate aerospace's positive contributions to our national economy, as evidenced by these very strong indicators," said AIA CEO John Douglass. He also noted that the total represented a positive trade balance of more than $52 billion and he said there’s no immediate end in sight. More...

ASPEN AVIONICS FIGHTS ECLIPSE SUIT
Aspen Avionics founders Peter Lyons and Jeff Bethel say their hazard awareness system retrofit for older aircraft was developed before they went to work for Eclipse Aviation and that invention and non-disclosure forms they signed with Eclipse weren’t valid. According to the Albuquerque Journal, Lyons and Bethel claim -- in a response to Eclipse’s October lawsuit over ownership of the AT300 Hazard Awareness Display -- that they developed the technology in 2001 and 2002, before joining Eclipse in late 2002. Lyons and Bethel also say the only invention and disclosure agreements they signed were during the interview process and not as employees of Eclipse. Eclipse claims the pair created the device and developed their business plan on company time. More...

AVWEB DAILY NEWS COVERAGE
You can now get the latest general aviation news from AVweb -- the world's premier independent aviation news source -- as it happens at AVweb.com. Or sign up for our news feed and have the most recent headlines pushed directly to your RSS-based news reader. Either way, you'll be able to read the same concise, but comprehensive, news stories that you've come to expect from AVweb. And for major breaking general aviation news, AVweb will send out news alerts via e-mail to keep subscribers informed. Don’t worry -- you'll also continue to receive AVwebFlash every Monday and Thursday. More...

ON THE FLY
Student pilot convicted for false medical information…
Chevron picked as fueler for new Houston airport…
Radar outage caused delays at O’Hare…
Socata has a new vice president of industry and aerostructures...
Legacy pilots say they did nothing wrong. More...

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CEO OF THE COCKPIT #65
COLUMNS

CEO of the Cockpit #65: Walking on the Moon in Zip-Up Boots
Sure, pilots in space now are astronauts -- scientists or the cream of the jet jockies. But someday NASA will need regular service to and from the moon, and then...
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PILOT WORKSHOP #2
COLUMNS

Pilot Workshop #2: GPS Tips for IFR Flight
In this 10 minute workshop, 2004 National CFI of the Year Doug Stewart will provide operational tips to ensure your GPS is your ally. He’ll also point out the common mistakes that can get you in trouble.
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AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVFLASH
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP yet for AVweb's NO-COST twice monthly business newsletter, AVwebBiz? 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. Sign up today at http://www.avweb.com/profile/. More...

AVWEB AUDIO NEWS
AVweb posts audio news on Mondays, plus a new in-depth interview each Friday. In last Friday's podcast, you'll find an interview with Bill Lear Jr. on light jet progress. And AVweb's podcast index includes interviews with NATA President Jim Coyne; Eclipse Aviation's Vern Raburn; Honda Aircraft's Jeffrey Smith; Cirrus Design cofounder and CEO Alan Klapmeier; Cessna chairman, president and CEO Jack Pelton; and Spectrum Aeronautical chairman Linden Blue. In today's news summary, hear about the DOT Inspector General is starting an audit to determine who is using U.S. airspace, Diamond Aircraft's possible foray into a high-performance piston single, the FAA's use of crushable concrete for runway arresting systems and more. Remember: In AVweb's podcasts, you'll hear things you won't find anywhere else.

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FBO OF THE WEEK: NORTH AMERICAN AVIATION KRFD