AVWEB IS YOUR PASS TO SUN 'N FUN
It’s hard to preview an event like Sun 'n Fun -- to be held tomorrow through Sunday in Lakeland, Fla. -- because it’s hard to know where to begin. And while AVweb has been flooded with advance notice of numerous announcements, press conferences and product launches, the best way to stay on top of what will be hot in the coming year for aviation is to keep checking your inbox. We’ll be publishing a roundup of each day’s activities, supplemented with audio and video files to capture the full essence of a great event. If you see us on the grounds, please say hello. If you can’t make it this year, we’ll be your eyes and ears. More...

CESSNA AIRCRAFT AT 80
Those attending Sun 'n Fun in Lakeland, Fla., starting tomorrow will be among the first to get a close look at Cessna’s proof-of-concept Next Generation Piston (NGP) aircraft. Dealers and prospective fleet customers have already given the flashy high wing a good going over, but the company has always kept it away from the masses since its surprise debut at EAA AirVenture last year with a flyby. The curious at AOPA Expo in Palm Springs had to be satisfied with a mock-up display, but the actual airplane will be at the Cessna pavilion at Lakeland. More...

SUN 'N FUN'S SERIOUS SIDE
It's probably not a coincidence that the guts of the FAA's proposal to impose user fees came out when much of the GA population was dodging the winter, but spring is here and you can expect a major push against the plan starting at Sun 'n Fun this week in Lakeland, Fla. AOPA is launching a anti-user-fee petition campaign at the official start to the air show season. AOPA President Phil Boyer will hold a pilot town hall meeting at Lakeland April 19, and you can guess what the major topic will be. But while all that is to be expected, there’s opposition to the funding proposal coming from a variety of quarters, some of it substantial. More...

HAWKER BEECHCRAFT MARKS OLD AND NEW
It has a new name but it also has a product line that traces its roots to the 1940s. Can you believe the Bonanza turns 60 this year? Beechcraft itself is also celebrating its 75th birthday, so the newly privatized company that was hived from Raytheon’s considerable corporate bulk last month is pulling out all the stops at Sun 'n Fun. "It is an exciting time for our customers, our employees and our business. For the first time in 25 years, we are a private company and with two of the strongest brands in aviation in our new name, we’re quite bullish about our future," Brad Hatt, the company’s president of commercial sales, said in a news release. A special-edition Bonanza will be on display at Sun 'n Fun this week. More...

COMP AIR 12 FLIES JUST IN TIME
The Comp Air 12 turboprop single achieved first flight on Saturday at 6:10 p.m. from the Merritt Island (Fla.) Airport, where Comp Air is based. Ron Lueck, owner of Comp Air Aviation, was behind the controls of the all-composite, Honeywell TPE331-14GR-powered airplane. According to the aircraft manufacturer, the maiden flight was "a complete success" and ensures Comp Air will deliver on its promise to fly the Model 12 to the Sun 'n Fun fly-in this week in Lakeland, Fla. In a press release, the company said, "After shutting down the turbine, Ron Lueck emerged from the cabin door with a smile that told it all. Ron and his team did what some had questioned and this Comp Air 12 will be the first aircraft to enter FAA certification from a well known builder of experimental turbine aircraft kits." More...

FIRST LOOK AT CIRRUS' "THE-JET" JUNE 27
The long-awaited (and excruciatingly foreshadowed) unveiling of a mockup of Cirrus' "the-jet" will occur at a June 27 private event for the hundreds of people who've put up $1,000 to secure positions on the aircraft. The public gets a peek the next day as the company uses the unveiling to kick off its annual "migration" of Cirrus aircraft back to the plant in Duluth, Minn. In an e-mail sent to members of the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) late last week, COPA President Mike Radomsky said the unveiling will be the highlight of the weekend of seminars, discussion groups and parties that Cirrus hosts each June. And in keeping with the coy nature of the PR campaign that's building hype for the aircraft, anyone who wants to see the mock-up firsthand will have to make the trek to Duluth. More...

VLJ MAKES PHENOMENAL PROGRESS
Right on schedule, Embraer on Friday afternoon quietly showed off its first fully assembled Phenom 100 to a group of journalists at its headquarters in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil. First flight of this airplane is scheduled for the end of June, with Brazilian certification and first delivery expected a year later. The very light jet's Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617F engine is currently being flown on a test bed, and Embraer has also made the mating check with the wing and the fuselage and says the assembly program is going "very smoothly." A second Phenom 100 is now in construction at Botucatu, and a total of three development aircraft will be used for certification flight testing. According to Embraer, the VLJ is mostly metal construction with 20 percent composite parts. More...

CONTROLLER RECRUITING DRIVE IN FULL SWING
With ads everywhere from college counseling offices to Craigslist, the FAA would appear to be serious about finding replacements for the thousands of air traffic controllers who will retire in the next 10 years. The armed forces-style recruiting campaign is playing up the free training and importance of the job while downplaying the stress, shift work and relatively low pay as it tries to hire an average of about 1,400 controllers per year. In addition to conventional and Internet advertising, the agency is also working with the Department of Veterans Affairs to train disabled veterans to become controllers. As always when controllers are the topic, whether the program is working depends on which side of the negotiating table you occupy. More...

NAV CANADA CUTS USER-FEE RATES
Nav Canada, the private company that runs Canada’s airspace system, is making money, and since it isn’t supposed to it’s giving the profits back in the form of rate reductions. Effective Sept. 1, rates charged for its services will be cut by 3 percent, which is in addition to the 1.8 percent cut made last Sept. 1. "Increased traffic growth together with the company's continued focus on cost control, provide the opportunity to offer lower service charges to our customers while meeting our essential safety and service obligations," CEO John Crichton said in a news release. More...

MARS TO KEEP TOILING IN CANADA
An international bid to preserve the last two remaining Martin Mars flying boats in museums in British Columbia and Maryland has failed. Instead, the massive aircraft will continue to be used as heavy-lift firefighting aircraft throughout western North America by Coulson Aircrane, which bought the aircraft from forest company TimberWest in a deal finalized Friday. Coulson is a helicopter logging and firefighting company based in the Mars’ current hometown of Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. "This is a positive outcome as the water bombers will be operated by a local company that is experienced and focused on aviation firefighting," said TimberWest CEO Paul McElligott. "TimberWest takes great pride in having operated the Martin Mars over the last several years and we know that Coulson will continue that tradition." More...

CESSNA FUEL LINE AD CLARIFIED
The FAA has enacted an Airworthiness Directive (AD) concerning the tightness of fuel line fittings on various Cessna 172, 182 and 206 models after the same problem kept cropping up after the first AD was issued last August. The original AD was intended to ensure that the fittings were all tightened properly to prevent them from separating from various fuel system components. However, the FAA now says it wasn’t specific enough in the first AD and there have been at least four engine failures due to fuel line separation since it was issued. [more] The original AD didn’t specify that the torque settings of the fittings be checked and some aircraft got only visual inspections. “This AD clarifies that the torque values need to be physically established and visual inspection only is not sufficient,” the AD reads. It comes into effect on May 2 but why not beat the rush. More...

ORENDA RISES AGAIN
A Midland, Texas, company has received FAA approval to take over the engine type certificate for the Orenda OE600A, a Canadian-developed, 600-hp V-8 based on a big-block Chevy engine. The granting of the type certificate transfer from the former Canadian owners allows Trace Engines to begin shipping engines, including the 10 finished mills it inherited in the takeover of the project. Two engines were shipped, ironically, to Canada last week and are expected to be flying by the end of the month. The Texas plant won’t likely build its first engine until September. "Because this is a start-up, we have the opportunity to do things right the first time," spokesman Craig Hoover told the Midland Reporter-Telegram. "We have an active research and development program. There are things we want to improve on the engines even before we begin production." More...

WINGS AND PRAYERS
The concept of prayer is not lost on most pilots, but it’s usually the result of something that happens in the air and not the reason for being up there in the first place. But 10 pilots from various states weren’t involved in the usual type of cockpit entreaties -- instead they were aiming their message at the state of Ohio on Good Friday with sort of a blanket blessing from on high. The volunteers crisscrossed the state invoking their message on 11 million unsuspecting Ohioans. "A plane is a good way to cover a lot of ground," Kenneth Wortman, 73, a pilot from Lima, Ohio, told The Cincinnati Enquirer. "In the Bible, God tells us the fields are ripe for the harvest. From the air, a person can see a lot of fields." Wortman came up with the idea for PrayerFlight last fall as he was trying to dream up more efficient ways to spread the Word. More...

ON THE FLY
Xerion got TSO for digital engine management system…
AVweb freelance contributor Tim Kern earned Certified Aviation Manager certificate…
Council ended dream of converting Convair into B&B.
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...

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PROBABLE CAUSE #30: EXTRA ATTENTION
Despite warning signs of course excursions, controllers failed to give a pilot the extra attention he obviously required while shooting an approach in a technically advanced aircraft. More...

STUPID PILOT TRICKS
Gather 'round, boys and girls. It's time for your annual smug fix, wherein we harvest the perplexing and peculiar from a year's worth of NTSB accident reports. 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 part one of an interview with Ed Iacobucci of start-up air-taxi DayJet. And AVweb's podcast index includes interviews with AOPA's Andrew Cebula; Hawker Beechcraft's Jim Schuster; Avfuel's Craig Sincock; Comp Air's Ron Lueck; Expedition Aircraft's Jim Schuster; VistaNav's Jeff Simon; 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; and Maule Air's Mikel Boorom. In Monday's special podcast, hear part two of DayJet's Ed Iacobucci interview with AVweb on the on-demand, per-seat operator's plans. Remember: In AVweb's podcasts, you'll hear things you won't find anywhere else.

More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: BERGSTROM AIRCRAFT

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Bergstrom Aircraft at KPSC in Pasco, Wash.

AVweb reader Richard Ciccone says the FBO blends old-fashioned service with modern facilities.

"It's easy to see why Bergstom Aircraft has been Central Washington's foremost full service FBO for 35 years. They offer a highly regarded maintenance facility, as well as efficient and friendly office and line staff that supports an extended and loyal customer base. A consistent population of primary and advanced students is also supported by a dedicated staff of professionals in a very modern facility. This family's strong commitment the aviation community is reflected in everything they do, everyday."

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: HERITAGE FLIGHT AT SUN 'N FUN 2006
Sun 'n Fun 2007 kicks off today, but before we roll out the carpet on this year's fun, let's take a quick look back at last year's with a video montage of the 2006 air show heritage flight, courtesy of YouTube's mig8769. (Click through to watch.) More...

SHORT FINAL

Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"

The following exchange took place en route to opening day at Sun 'n Fun last April

Bonanza: Jacksonville Center, Bonanza Four Seven Two Zero Yankee. 11,000.

Center: Bonanza Four Seven Two Zero Yankee, Roger, Jacksonville altimeter 30.12.

Bonanza: Are you working a lot of traffic to Lakeland this afternoon?

Center: I'll tell you what -- if you fell out of your airplane right now, you'd never hit the ground. More...

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