HAWKER BEECHCRAFT TAKES OFF
On Monday, Raytheon Company finalized the sale of wholly owned subsidiary Raytheon Aircraft Company to Hawker Beechcraft Inc., a new venture formed by Goldman Sachs affiliate GS Capital Partners and Onex Partners, for approximately $3.3 billion in cash. Announced on Dec. 21, the transaction includes Raytheon Aircraft facilities and other assets in Wichita and Salina, Kan. Little Rock, Ark. and Dallas, Texas, in addition to the Raytheon Aircraft Services (now Hawker Beechcraft Services) FBO network across the U.S., U.K. and Mexico. The sale does not include Raytheon's ownership in either fractional provider Flight Options or Raytheon Airline Aviation Services. In a letter to customers, Hawker Beechcraft Chairman and CEO James Schuster said the new name celebrates the company's "rich" heritage, achievement and innovation. "For the first time in more than a quarter of a century we are an independent, private company," he noted. "I am pleased to say that today our company is stronger than ever – as is our commitment to our many valued customers worldwide." More...

HOUSE COMMITTEE PROBES AVIATION MEDICAL "FRAUD"
On Tuesday, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James L. Oberstar, D-Minn., on Tuesday released a committee oversight report that identifies "widespread fraud" among pilots who hide serious medical conditions from examining physicians to retain medical certification for their FAA pilot certificates. The report notes that "in July 2005, the DOT Inspector General found 'egregious cases' of airmen lying about debilitating medical conditions on their applications" for FAA medicals. The DOT watchdog sampled 40,000 airman's records and found more than 3,200 held current medical certificates while simultaneously receiving Social Security benefits, some for medically disabling conditions that voided their FAA medicals. Forty people were prosecuted, but the committee's oversight and investigations staff believe hundreds more could have been pursued if not for limited resources. Further, the research team found "toxicology evidence" of serious medical conditions in nearly 10 percent of all pilots involved in fatal accidents during a 10-year period, though less than 10 percent of these medical conditions were disclosed to the FAA. More...

ECLIPSE 500 UPGRADES ON TRACK
A letter to customers and investors sent on Monday by Eclipse Aviation President and CEO Vern Raburn says that the Eclipse 500 performance modification certification program has moved into the final stage and is "on schedule" for completion by mid-April. "In addition, the Avio NG development program is making great progress and moving toward the scheduled completion this summer," he adds. Raburn also addresses the very light jet's weight since Avio NG is marginally heavier than the original system, and the performance improvements have added some bulk as well. "While these enhancements have increased weight in the aircraft … full fuel payload and useful load, remain unchanged," he says. Besides the product improvements, "we have made significant progress on weight reductions throughout the aircraft. From the moment we received our Provisional Type Certification at AirVenture last summer, we have had a corporate commitment to constantly improve the Eclipse 500, and one significant area of improvement has been weight reduction." More...

NTSB SEEKS SOLUTIONS TO RUNWAY INCURSIONS
The NTSB hosted a Runway Safety Forum on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., on the 30th anniversary of the worst aviation accident ever -- the runway collision in 1977 between two 747s at Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, that killed 583 people. "We must do something to begin the process of preventing these incursions," NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said. "The NTSB has investigated several near collisions in the past few years that could have been catastrophic if it hadn't been for sharp-eyed flight crews and luck." Several panelists were critical of the FAA for being too slow to incorporate safety technologies at airports. Last week, the FAA said it would fast-track its approval process to get GPS ground-navigation devices into cockpits by the end of this year. The units show pilots exactly where their airplane is on a moving map of the airport surface. More...

FAA'S AIRPORT FUNDING PROPOSALS AIRED
The U.S. House Transportation Committee held a hearing on Wednesday on the status of the Airport Improvement Program. The long-standing program delivers a minimum of $150,000 per year to every general aviation airport. The FAA wants to eliminate that guarantee. Busier airports would get $400,000 every year, airports with 10 to 49aircraft based there would get $100,000, and airports smaller than that would get no guaranteed allotment. Gerald Dillingham, of the Government Accountability Office, told the hearing that the FAA's proposed changes would have an "uncertain" impact on smaller airports, which are more reliant on AIP funds. Charles Barclay,president of the American Association of Airport Executives, told the committee his group was "dismayed" by the proposal to cut AIP funding, and asked for an increase instead. More...

BOEING FUEL-CELL EXPERIMENT NEARS FLIGHT-TEST PHASE
Boeing researchers in Europe plan to conduct manned flight tests this year of a single-engine airplane powered only by a fuel cell and lightweight batteries, the company said on Tuesday. Flight testing will take place in Spain. The demonstrator aircraft is a highly modified Dimona motorglider built by Diamond Aircraft. With a wingspan of 53.5 feet, the airplane will cruise at about 54 knots on fuel-cell power. The fuel-cell/lithium-ion battery hybrid system will power an electric motor coupled to a conventional propeller. The fuel cell provides all power for the cruise phase of flight. During takeoff and climb, the system draws on lightweight lithium-ion batteries. More...

THIELERT DIESELS ACHIEVE EASA CERTIFICATIONS
Thielert's diesel engines recently were FAA certified for installation on Cessna 172s, and now the Germany-based company has received the OK from EASA, the European Aviation Safety Agency, for several more models. The Centurion 2.0 is now certified by EASA for the Piper PA28. "A validation in the USA is expected soon, because the Centurion 1.7 and its installation in the PA28 already certified," according to Thielert's Web site. The Centurion4.0 was recently certified by the EASA for the Cirrus SR22, and approval for the Cessna 206 is expected soon, Thielert says. "These two certifications will open the market for deliveries of the 4.0engine," according to the company. More...

FAA'S BLAKEY: "CHANGE IS NEVER EASY"
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey has been spending a lot of time on Capitol Hill the last few weeks, trying to build support for her new aviation user-fee funding plan. And she's getting a little tired of all the criticism it's been getting. "In recent weeks, the rhetoric about our finance reform bill has become very, shall I say, animated and aggressive?" she told a meeting of airport executives on Tuesday. "It's mighty frustrating ... If the FAA really wanted to kill GA, as our critics claim, we'd just sit back and do nothing. We'd leave the air traffic system just the way it is, and let congestion slowly squeeze them out." More...

EMBRAER TO DEVELOP TWO NEW BIZJETS
Embraer, which is currently developing two new light jets, the Phenom100 and 300, is also reportedly working on two more new models,which would each seat 8 to 11 passengers. If the two projects get the green light, expect to hear details this September at the annual convention of the National Business Aviation Association, set for Atlanta, Ga., in September. On Wednesday, Pratt & Whitney Canada said it has delivered the first two PW617F engines for flight testing on the Phenom 100. Certification of the engine is expected by the end of this year. More...

FUMES DISRUPT JACKSONVILLE TRACON
A roofing project at the FAA tower and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) in Jacksonville, Fla., has driven seven controllers to complain of illness from fumes, including dizziness, nausea and chest pains, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). "The majority of controllers currently are being forced to work six-day weeks and/or 10-hour days due to the tight staffing," according to NATCA. "The response from management regarding the exposure to this chemical is abhorrent," said NATCA spokesman Victor Santore. "The employees feel that the FAA does not care about their safety, health and welfare." FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen told AVweb on Tuesday that the FAA "takes very seriously the health and safety of all its employees." More...

ROTORWAY TO DEVELOP CERTIFIED TWO-PLACE HELICOPTER
RotorWay International, based in Chandler, Ariz., has sold more than 900 kits for small homebuilt helicopters, and now is starting development of a certified version. "We see a large opening in the market for a larger, two-seat, 21st-century helicopter with a sensible price," said CEO Grant Norwitz. The project is underway at RotorWay's facility in South Africa. The company will seek European certification first, then move on to the FAA. "We know there are many steps toward certification, and we know we are taking only the first step," Norwitz said. "We also know how important it is to take that first step. We have committed, here and now, to pursuing that goal." More...

ON THE FLY
Comp Air's 10-place turboprop prototype will fly into the Sun 'n Fun next month...
Report: Runway incursions at LAX due to infrastructure, not traffic...
Light Sport Airplanes West opens in Salinas, Calif., with a fly-in on April 28...
An MD-87 was forced to land at MKE by military jets...
AOPA Air Safety Foundation's PinchHitter course now online...
Thefts in North Carolina have targeted King and Garmin avionics...
Mooney named Floyd Washburn as vice president of programs and new business...
King Air Foundation gets more industry support…
Experiments will test UAVs for protecting commercial airports from missile attacks. 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...

AVWEBBIZ: AVWEB'S BUSINESS AVIATION NEWSLETTER
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP yet for AVweb's NO-COST weekly 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...

ACROSS THE POND #2: FUELS TO OURSELVES
In this month's report from Europe, AVweb's Liz Moscrop looks at unleaded fuel without any lead, instrument ratings, AERO 2007 and more. More...

WELCOME TO THE NEW FACE OF AVWEB
AVweb.com, the world’s best Web site for general aviation news and information, is now even better thanks to a redesigned home page. The revamped home page has more content, easier navigation, a more user-friendly podcast interface and better graphics to complement AVweb's real-time general aviation news, incisive commentary and unparalleled feature reporting. 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 Craig Sincock of Avfuel. And AVweb's podcast index includes interviews with Comp Air's Ron Lueck; Expedition Aircraft's Andrew Hamblin; Eclipse Aviation's Vern Raburn; NBAA's Ed Bolen; Open Air's Michael Klein; Air Excursions' Cable Wells; Stephen Brown; NATCA's Paul Rinaldi; AOPA's Kathleen Vascouselos; Maule Air's Mikel Boorom; Professsional Aviation Maintenance Association president Brian Finnegan; aviation forecaster Richard Aboulafia; and Bill Lear, Jr. In Monday's news summary, hear about what panelists said at the FAA forecast about Columbia Aircraft's restructuring, the FAA's continued attempt to link user fees with ATCmodernization, how much NextGen avionics will cost operators, the latest on DayJet and more. Remember: In AVweb's podcasts, you'll hear things you won't find anywhere else.

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK: IS MEDICAL FRAUD REALLY AS WIDESPREAD AS THE U.S. HOUSE BELIEVES?
Last week, AVweb wanted to know whether you agreed with the FAA's estimate of 5,000 VLJs being delivered over the next decade. (Click through for the answer.) This week, we want to hear what you think about the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's assertion of "widespread fraud" among pilots who hide serious medical conditions from examining physicians in order to protect their FAA certification. More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: JET AVIATION KBED

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Jet Aviation at KBED in Bedford, Mass.

AVweb reader Paul Tollini says the FBO provides the same level of service, regardless of airplane size.

"Unlike some other FBOs, at Jet Aviation BED all customers are valued regardless of the size of the aircraft that they arrived in or how much fuel they purchase. When I had passengers that insisted on using the other FBO on the field, I felt like a traitor and received much worse service at a much higher price."

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!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE
Each week, we go through dozens (and sometimes hundreds) of reader-submitted photos and pick the very best to share with you on Thursday mornings. The top photos are featured on AVweb's home page, and one photo that stands above the others is awarded an AVweb baseball cap as our "Picture of the Week." We love spring! And (quite frankly) it doesn't have much to do with warm weather, air shows, or sunny Saturday afternoons. Nope. For Team POTW, the best part of spring is the flood of new airplane photographs that make their way to our submission box. This week, we had 112 new images to rifle through. (That's usually good for about 30 wows, 15 giggles, and 10 or so yikeses.) Bengt Olson of Hindås, Sweden brought a smile to our faces with this shot of "King Carl XII trying to direct a Finnair A321." Despite some rather amazing photos that trickled in this week, we couldn't stop snickering over Bengt's creative image, and (at the end of the day) that made this our "Picture of the Week." Bengt, we were tempted to send you an extra cap for King Carl there — but with your sense of humor, we couldn't trust you not to put it on him. More...

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