THE DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS OF HOUSE FAA BILL
Late Wednesday the U.S. House of Representatives finally released H.R.2881, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007. As widely expected in aviation circles, the House bill does not contain any user fees, unlike the companion Senate bill (S.1300) that includes a $25 per flight fee for turbine aircraft using the IFR system. However, H.R.2881 does increase and expand existing fees for FAA services, with some fees increasing by 2,500 percent (see table). Importantly, the FAA reauthorization fully funds ATC modernization, better known simply as NextGen. "This legislation addresses many of the concerns raised by general aviation and puts in place building blocks required to move forward with NextGen," said General Aviation Manufacturers Association President and CEO Pete Bunce. More...

AVIATION GROUPS PRAISE HOUSE FAA BILL
H.R.2881, the House of Representative's FAA reauthorization legislation, drew wide approval from aviation trade groups. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), National Air Transportation Association, EAA and AOPA praised the bill for its effort to modernize the national air transportation system while still retaining the current funding system of aviation fuel and ticket taxes. The bill will now move to the House Ways and Means Committee, with a recommendation to increase the current aviation gas tax from 19.3 cents per gallon to 24.1 cents per gallon and the Jet-A fuel tax rate from 21.8 cents per gallon to 30.7 cents per gallon, which pilot groups agree is a more fair tax increase than the 70-cent-per-gallon tax proposed by the Bush Administration. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) joined the chorus of approval, partly due to the absence of user fees but especially because of the provision that would reopen contract negotiations between the controllers union and the FAA. That latter provision drew sharp criticism from the DOT. More...

WANTED: USER FEEDBACK ON WET VACUUM PUMPS
Dry vacuum pumps are the components most aircraft owners love to hate, but wet pumps are considered the more refined alternative. But are they really? Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, is seeking owner feedback on wet vacuum pumps. If you're flying one, tell us about it. Send an e-mail to this address and we'll reply with a questionnaire. More...

CIRRUS UNVEILS SEVEN-PLACE PERSONAL JET
Cirrus Design unveiled the mockup of its single-engine V-tail jet, with seating for up to seven people, at a media reception at its Duluth, Minn. headquarters on Thursday. The aerodynamically sculptured design includes a variety of innovations that will definitely make it stand out on any ramp, but its striking looks are a side benefit of some practical design, according to Cirrus CEO Alan Klapmeier. "We didn't do it just to make it look cool," Klapmeier told AVweb. "We wanted people to know that there are sound reasons behind the design." Cirrus designers opted to mount the engine on top of the fuselage for easy access, fire and turbine blade containment and for easy load balancing. The V-tail makes way for the thrust from the Williams FJ33 turbofan, which is expected to push the aircraft to about 300 knots. The engine is also mounted flush with the 20-degree slope of the aircraft's back and the thrust is vectored to point it in the right direction. More...

A PLEA FOR PIPER AIRCRAFT
While it might be hard to imagine a common bond between verdant Vero Beach, Fla., and industrial Toledo, Ohio, the Florida community is looking north for pointers on keeping its largest employer. Vero Beach’s "We Love [big red heart, here] Piper" campaign is modeled after a successful bid in the late 1990s to convince DaimlerChrysler to keep building Jeeps in Toledo. Vero Beach business leaders have launched a public campaign that includes bumper stickers and full-page newspaper tearouts that citizens are invited to put in their windows to proclaim their affection for the historic planemaker -- and the hundreds of millions of dollars it churns for the local economy each year. "We want to do everything we can to maintain Piper's presence in Vero Beach," Gerry Thistle, executive vice president at Vero Beach-based Hilb, Rogal and Hobbs told TCPalm. "I hope people in the community will understand what we'll lose versus what we'll gain if Piper leaves." More...

NEW ECLIPSE 500 AVIONICS ON DISPLAY AT OSH
According to Flight International, International Solutions & Support will unveil the AvioNG avionics and flight management system for the Eclipse 500 at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., later this month. The system was necessitated when Eclipse parted ways with its former avionics vendor Avidyne in February. Eclipse continues to build aircraft with the Avidyne system pending certification of the new setup, and those aircraft will be retrofitted once the new system is ready. Among the innovations expected is an electronic flight bag that automatically selects the right charts and shows the aircraft’s position on them. More...

EUROPE EMBRACES AIR TAXI CONCEPT
The freshly minted Air Taxi Association (ATXA) wasted little time fanning enthusiasm in Europe as several players get ready to launch services on the continent that the association says will generate $1 billion in economic activity annually. ATXA President Joe Leader delivered the keynote address at the Very Light Jet-Europe conference last week in Vienna, Austria. He told delegates that U.S.-based DayJet will launch the first air taxi service using Eclipse 500 jets and JetBird plans to follow with the yet-to-fly Embraer Phenom 100. More...

ELECTRONICS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR GOOD PILOT SKILLS
A study to be released later this month by AOPA’s Air Safety Foundation has quantified what most of us already suspected about so-called technically advanced aircraft. All that electronically displayed information is no good if pilots ignore it. In fact, the comfort level achieved by lighting up that panel might actually contribute to the risk of some types of accidents. The study noted that 45 percent of fatal accidents involving technically advanced aircraft (TAA) were weather related, compared with 16 percent for steam gauge-equipped planes. "These accidents were not the fault of the airplane," ASF Chairman Bruce Landsberg on Friday told pilots attending M5, the annual gathering of Cirrus owners and pilots in Duluth, Minn. On the other hand, the terrain and fuel management information available in glass cockpit aircraft seems to have significantly cut the incidence of fuel- and terrain-related accidents in the new airplanes. More...

MOLLER HAS A NEW IDEA
The man who’s been promising to give the world a flying car for the past 25 years is apparently setting his sights a little lower. Paul Moller, the Canadian-born creator of the Skycar, which Moller says will be certified by the end of 2008, is now offering a ground-effect vehicle called the M200G volantor. In a news release, Moller International says the volantor is a "Jetsons-like" saucer-shaped vehicle about the size of a small car that’s designed to fly about 10 feet above the ground at about 40 knots. Moller says the volantor is "the ultimate off-road vehicle" and can cover rocky ground, swamps and water with ease. "It's not a hovercraft but its operation is just as easy," Moller claims. More...

UK ATC EYES FULL PRIVATIZATION
In the best spirit of free enterprise, Britain’s hybrid airspace management company, National Air Traffic Services (NATS), is hoping to sell high after recovering from some desperate lows in its early years. According to thisismoney.co.uk, NATS is riding the worldwide growth in commercial air traffic and reported a profit of almost $200 million in the fiscal year ending March 31. That’s a far cry from the dark days following 9/11, when the brand-new entity had to arrange a $130 million bailout with airport operators just to stay alive. More...

QUEST AIRCRAFT CHAIRMAN KILLED IN CRASH
Bruce Kennedy, 68, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Quest Aircraft, died in the crash of his Cessna 182 near the Cashmere (Wash.) Airport on Thursday. Kennedy had a long career with Alaska Airlines and retired as its CEO in 1991. He was on his way to Wenatchee to see his grandchildren when the plane went down in a high school parking lot while attempting to land. The airplane hit a truck and a tree before catching fire next to a house. No one on the ground was hurt. Weather was reported to be mostly clear with light winds at the time of the crash. More...

ON THE FLY
Glacier Girl stopped in Goose Bay with engine problems…
Cincinnati pilots win $5,000 Sporty’s scholarships…
CompAir 12 to fly to Oshkosh…
Airport security stepped up following Glasgow incident. 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...

Columns | Features | What's New | Calendar | Brainteasers

CEO OF THE COCKPIT #71: A PILOT BASE IS A STATE OF MIND
Airline consolidation and bankruptcies usually mean cutting services to save money -- and it often means closing pilot bases. More...

AVMAIL: JUL. 2, 2007
Reader mail this week about the FSS mess, the ATC retirement mess, the FAA Administrator retirement and more. 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 hear Alan Klapmeier on the Cirrus jet. And AVweb's podcast index includes interviews with NBAA's Harry Houkes; Reason Foundation's Robert Poole; SATSair's Sheldon Early; Epic Aircraft's Rick Schrameck; AOPA's Randy Kenagy; Eclipse Aviation's Vern Raburn; Xwind's Brad Whitsitt; BoGo Light's Mark Bent; DayJet's Ed Iacobucci; Pogo Jet's Cameron Burr; Teal Group's Richard Aboulafia; Air Journey's Thierry Pouille; Epic Aircraft's Rick Schrameck; Cessna's Jack Pelton; Embraer's Ernest Edwards; LAMA's Dan Johnson; and Piper's Jim Bass. In today's podcast, hear AOPA's Andrew Cebula dissect the House FAA reauthorization bill. Remember: In AVweb's podcasts, you'll hear things you won't find anywhere else.

More...

CIRRUS DESIGN'S THE-JET ROLLOUT: A FIRST LOOK
Cirrus Design's personal jet was shown for the first time, Thursday June 28, 2007. AVweb's Russ Niles was there. (Click through to watch.) More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: JACKSON JET CENTER

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to Jackson Jet Center at KBOI in Boise, Idaho.

AVweb reader Fred Herzner said the FBO offered great service and fair prices.

"I flew into Boise with our Bonanza on the way home from Seattle and happened to chose Jackson Jet Center from several FBOs on the field. Line service was great, the facility was outstanding, the people were nice and the price of fuel was fair. They loaned us a very nice crew car for the afternoon and booked us in a good hotel for a low price. People were nice, and the service and facility were great. What else is there?"

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: IN-COCKPIT VIDEO OF C182 GEAR-UP LANDING
This week, we turn to Flight Level 350 for another in-cockpit video that serves as a safety reminder. If the loud beeping of the gear warning horn isn't enough to tell you that the gear is up on this C182, then the sound of the belly scraping on the runway will definitely let you know you're landing gear-up. Let's hope none of us ever have to actually hear this sound in our cockpits. (Click through to watch.) More...

SHORT FINAL

Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"

Last July, on a 90-degree-plus day, in my Cessna 150 just 30 minutes fuel burn below gross, in IMC and at the already unbelievable altitude of 5,000 feet, Saginaw Approach made this request:

Saginaw Approach: Four Five Uniform, I need you to climb and maintain 7,000.

Cessna 45U: Leaving five climbing seven. But it’s gonna take me about 20 minutes to do it.

Approach: Four Five Uniform, I know. I don’t need you there for another 20 minutes! More...

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