BOEING SETS RECORD
Lest there be any doubt about which is the largest commercial planemaker in the world, Boeing need only point to its year-end results. The Chicago-based company recorded almost double the number of solid orders of rival Airbus to soar back to the top in terms of both popularity and production in 2006. Boeing took in 1,044 orders (and also turned some away) compared to Airbus’s approximately 650 (final figures won’t be released until next week). In fact, Boeing got more orders (729) for its ubiquitous 737 series than Airbus attracted for its full line of aircraft. Boeing now has a production backlog of about five years and delivered 398 planes in 2006. More...

THIELERT CHUGGING ALONG
Thanks in part to Diamond Aircraft's willingness to take a chance that diesel engines could catch on in the U.S., Thielert AG is undergoing a major expansion and enhancing its product line after record sales and profits in 2006. Diamond uses the 1.7-liter Centurion engines in its twin-engine DA42 and in a version of its DA40 single, and sales have been brisk. According to a company news release, Thielert has secured a second "major" aircraft manufacturer to supply engines for factory installation and also has some "minor" original equipment manufacturers interested. The long legs of the diesels have not gone unnoticed in military circles and Thielert is the sole engine supplier to General Atomics for a new surveillance drone for the U.S. Army. More...

GAMA FORECAST SESSION FEB. 12
And there'll be a pre-Valentine's Day love-in of sorts when the General Aviation Manufacturers Association hosts its annual Industry Review and 2007 Marketing Outlook briefing in Washington, D.C. Barring some utter market collapse that we haven't heard of in the last three months, 2006 will almost certainly have set sales and income records in many GA sectors and happy days are expected to continue. GAMA's third-quarter review showed a boisterous industry that was up an average of 18.9 percent in shipments and 28.6 percent in billings over the first nine months of 2005, and 2005 overall was considered a very good year. More...

MOONEY ACCLAIM CERTIFIED
Mooney is now formally laying claim to the title of "fastest piston single" with the final certification of its Acclaim speedster. The aircraft, which was introduced at Sun 'n’ Fun last April, sports twin intercooled turbochargers on its 280-hp TSIO-550-G Continental engine. The airplane is said to hit 237 ktas while cruising at its 25,000-foot service ceiling. Next fastest is the Columbia 400, which is marginally slower (two knots so) with a similar engine (it's a C model rather than a G). The Columbia model previously held the "fastest" title for several years. "With the certification of the Acclaim, the debate is over," said Mooney Vice President of Sales and Marketing David Copeland. "Now there’s no question which single engine piston airplane can claim the title as the ‘fastest’ since the Acclaim clearly boasts the highest maximum cruise speed and it is now officially 'in service.'" More...

COMPETITOR OFFERS D2A CUSTOMERS A DISCOUNT
A rival avionics company is offering some solace for customers of Direct To Avionics (D2A) who may have been left hanging by the company's abrupt closure late last month. OP Technologies of Beaverton, Ore., is offering a $1,000 credit toward the purchase of one of its EFIS systems to D2A customers who have been financially affected by the closure. The systems have to be purchased by Jan. 31, 2007. D2A was the exclusive dealer for Chelton EFIS systems for experimental aircraft. More...

FAA: PLASTIC PILOT CERTIFICATES MANDATORY IN 2009
Your paper pilot certificate will be suitable for framing -- and not much else -- likely sometime in 2009 as the FAA puts every pilot on plastic. The new, more forgery-resistant certificates were introduced at EAA AirVenture in 2005 as a security enhancement. The FAA published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) Friday that will make them mandatory two years after the final rule is adopted. A comment period lasts until March 6 so the final rule could be adopted as early as this coming spring. Those holding mechanic or flight engineer certificates will have five years to convert, but student pilots won't be affected. More...

STEALING FROM PETER'S AIRPORT TO PAY FOR PAUL'S
Tracy Municipal Airport in California is getting $500,000 for upgrades that will at least make trips to the bathroom there more pleasant, but are ultimately intended to draw more business to the field. Toward that end, the city will seek more than $2 million in state loans for the purpose of adding 44 hangars. City staff intends to repay that loan with increased fuel sales that would result from the population increase created by the new hangars and estimates those sales could generate almost $90,000 in profit by 2011. The airport already owes the city more than $1 million, which it is paying off at a rate of $20,000 per year and the effort comes at the continued expense of New Jerusalem airport. More...

TEEN TACKLES HOMEBUILT AIRPLANE PROJECT
While there may be nothing unusual about a 15-year-old spending the holidays working on an airplane kit, Rusty McCullough plans to do more than hang this one from his bedroom ceiling. Just before Christmas, McCullough, who lives in Tehachapi, Calif., received the empennage of an RV-7A he's now building at the local airport. “It's a lot of fun, but it's going to be a lot of work to build this airplane,” Rusty told the Tehachapi News. "This will be a bit more complicated than the Lego models I used to put together." The only help he's getting from adults is a lift to and from the airport, as well as some carefully selected Christmas presents in the form of some of the tools he needs. More...

EMBRY-RIDDLE BACK IN THE AIR JAN. 16
Just three weeks after tornadoes destroyed most its training aircraft, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's (ERAU's) Daytona Beach campus will resume flight training Jan. 16. ERAU is leasing airplanes from other flight schools, Cessna dealers and several individuals to replace the 40 airplanes that were tossed to destruction by two Christmas Day tornadoes. The twisters also did substantial damage to nine of the campus's buildings. EAA sent an alert to its members looking for Cessna 172s for the university to borrow and hundreds of responses were received. AVweb is spearheading a fundraising drive to help the university mitigate insurance deductibles and other non-insured costs arising from the storm. More...

RIGBY'S RECOGNITION
Alden Rigby, who on Jan. 1, 1945, shot down four German aircraft in 25 minutes on Memorial Day (May 28), will join the Utah Aviation Hall of Fame at the Hill Aerospace Museum. Rigby and fellow WWII fighter pilots found themselves on the runway at their base in Asch, Belgium, when it was attacked by an estimated 50-plus German fighters, part of a coordinated attack aimed at 16 Allied bases. Over Rigby's base that day, 11 American P-51s downed 23 German aircraft without losing one of their own in a battle that has come to be known as the legend of Y-29. Rigby's own account of the battle can be found here. More...

BOMBARDIER WATER BOMBER WINS KUDOS
Bombardier was recently awarded by Spain for the "greatest technological advancement in firefighting," citing the accomplishments of the 1960's era Canadair CL-215, -215T and, since 1994 its current incarnation, the Bombardier 415. Continuous improvements were credited for making the series "the most efficient tool for the aerial combat of forest fires," a status held "over more than 30 years." Two juries composed of "the most reputed and recognized technicians in firefighting in Spain" offered the award. In accepting, Bombardier noted that 64 of its latest model (the 415) have been delivered to and put to work in Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Ontario, Quebec and Spain. More...

ON THE FLY
Women-run FBO to open in Savannah…
King Schools introduces Garmin 530/430 course…
France-based Socata sells first TBM 850 in France…
Iceland’s controllers accept deal, costs may rise…
Football fans used FlightAware to track new coach hopefuls…
Brain tumor survivor to launch fundraising flight…
China has deployed its made-in-China fighter…
Eclipse held first delivery ceremony…
Northwest retired the DC-10. More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
Our best stories start with you. 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. What have you heard? More...

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...

NEW ARTICLES AND FEATURES ON AVWEB

COLUMNS

Pelican's Perch #82: The Dreaded Three-Engine 747
With 27 years as a worldwide 747 captain, five as a worldwide Gulfstream IV captain, and lots of overwater time in a host of piston aircraft (including singles), AVweb's John Deakin has some pretty strong opinions about overwater flying in general, and about the recent flight of a British Airways 747 from Los Angeles to England with one engine inoperative. As usual, he seems to be in the minority.


WHAT'S NEW
This month AVweb's survey of the latest products and services for pilots, mechanics and aircraft owners brings you a Husky tow kit, aviator wings, metal bending tools and more. More...

AVMAIL: JAN. 8, 2007

AVMAIL

AVmail: Jan. 8, 2007
Reader mail this week about aging aircraft maintenance, user fees, charter crackdowns and more. 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...

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 Professsional Aviation Maintenance Association president Brian Finnegan. aviation forecaster Richard Aboulafia. And AVweb's podcast index includes interviews with aviation forecaster Richard Aboulafia; NORAD; Bill Lear, Jr.; NATA President Jim Coyne; Eclipse Aviation's Vern Raburn; Honda Aircraft's Jeffrey Smith; and Cirrus Design cofounder and CEO Alan Klapmeier. In today's news summary, hear about Mooney laying claim to the fastest piston single with the certification of the Acclaim, Thielert AG's successful year, a 15-year-old who's building his own RV-7A, OP Technologies move to steal Chelton's experimental EFIS customers who ordered equipment from now-defunct distributor Direct To Avionics and more. Remember: In AVweb's podcasts, you'll hear things you won't find anywhere else.

Brought to you by Bose Corporation. More...

AVWEB FUND TO HELP REBUILD EMBRY-RIDDLE FLEET
AVweb has set up a "Rebuild the Fleet Fund" to help Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Daytona Beach, Fla. campus get back in the air following a direct hit from two devastating F2 tornadoes on Christmas day. University President John Johnson estimates that the Daytona Beach campus suffered between $50 million and $60 million in damage, $11 million of which is from the 40 airplanes that were destroyed and another 10 that were damaged. We've been assured that any donations to Embry-Riddle will be devoted to the flight line, and to help students continue their training. Contributions will be allocated to meet the school's significant insurance deductible, we're told, but also to help defray the cost of flying in leased replacements and to reduce losses by fixing repairable damage. The bottom line is that AVweb wants to support any mission that helps build tomorrow's pilots, so we consider a donation as an investment in the future.

To kick-start the "Rebuild the Fleet Fund," AVweb's parent company, Belvoir Media Group, is contributing $1,000. AVweb subscribers will soon be able to donate online to the fund, but for now those wishing to help can send checks to:

The AVweb Rebuild The Fleet Fund
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Office of Development
600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Attn.: Jamie Belongia More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: MILLION AIR KRIC

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Million Air at KRIC in Richmond, Va.

AVweb reader Joe Stubblefield said the facility treated him like he was royalty.

"After meeting our 172 and picking us up in a van to drop us at the office only a couple hundred feet away, we asked for a ride to the museum and were give the crew car -- an S-type Jaguar. All that and saving the $50 landing fee by getting a little fuel from them at a really fair price, too. Great folks and service. Made us feel like royalty among the jets and King Airs."

Keep those nominations coming. For complete contest rules, click here.

AVweb is actively seeking out the best FBOs in the country and another one, submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday!

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: CROSSWIND AIRCRAFT TESTING
Welcome back to the working week! AVweb's "Video of the Week" is here to ease the transition, with a little help from YouTube user Whatmap and his/her video clip, "Crosswind Aircraft Testing." (Click through to view.) More...

SHORT FINAL
Returning to Princeton, New Jersey in a Seminole, I was proudly clipping along at 140 knots and can only assume that my deep voice and professional-sounding tone led to us appearing to be more than we were:

Seminole Two Two Eight: "New York approach, Seminole Two Two Eight, 5,000."

Approach: "Seminole Two Two Eight, Morristown altimeter 30.08. Proceed direct Solberg, maintain 5,000. Were you given any speed restrictions? If so, you can resume normal speed."

Seminole Two Two Eight: "Direct Solberg, 5,000, Two Two Eight. And we're a Seminole. This is normal speed." 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 Contributing Editors Russ Niles (bio) and Glenn Pew (bio).

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