ECLIPSE 500 UPDATE: OH YEAH, THAT OTHER AIRPLANE
Eclipse held its second press conference of the week at EAA AirVenture on Wednesday morning to talk about the Eclipse 500 very light jet program, but CEO Vern Raburn is clearly still enamored of his brand-new single-engine Eclipse Concept Jet. "The response to the ECJ has just been spectacular," he said, in opening the conference. "It has far, far, far exceeded our expectations." The most common reaction from pilots who climb into the cockpit of the mockup, he said, is, "They say, 'This is the airplane I always wanted.' It elicits a very emotional response. It's staggering." Raburn then went on to update the progress on the Eclipse 500 twinjet. New copies of the 500 now on the assembly line will be delivered with a new color weather radar system made by Japan Radio Company, instead of the now-former Honeywell system. The JRC system will be more accurate and more reliable, he said. Also, Raburn said S/N 00038 will be auctioned off online via eBay, and whoever places the winning bid can take the jet home the next week, as soon as they deliver the check. Bidders must place a refundable deposit of $5,000. The auction opens at July 30 at 11 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. on August 10 (Eastern Time). More...

ECLIPSE 500 VIDEO UPDATE WITH VERN RABURN
Eclipse president & CEO Vern Rayburn describes updates to the Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet — and how you could own one a few months from now. (Click through to watch.) More...

GA IN AIRLINES' SIGHTS
General aviation groups are expecting an expensive and vicious campaign of misinformation from the country's major airlines as the bills addressing FAA reauthorization move closer to resolution. "Airlines are attacking general aviation," National Business Aviation Association President Ed Bolen told a packed house at a forum on the impact of user fees proposed in the Senate bill currently under consideration. "We are the enemy as far as they're concerned." Bolen was joined by EAA President Tom Poberezny, General Aviation Manufacturers Association President Pete Bunce and AOPA President Phil Boyer. Those attending were urged to contact their Congressmen and senators to try and ensure the final version of the bill, which varies widely between the Senate and the House, emerges with no apparatus to collect user fees. In the Senate bill, a $25 "modernization surcharge' is included for IFR flights by turbine aircraft, along with major cuts in taxes for airlines. The House bill increases taxes for all aviation sectors but doesn't allow for a billable fee, a crucial difference in the minds of the GA leaders. More...

KELLY AEROSPACE TURBOCHARGERS RECALLED
Kelly Aerospace announced this week that it is recalling about 200 faulty turbochargers manufactured in March 2007 because of out-of-balance turbine wheels. Sources told AVweb this week that at least three of the turbine wheels have separated from the turbocharger shaft and one resulted in an emergency landing in Reno, Nev. The affected turbochargers were installed on Cirrus SR22s, Columbia 400 and Mooney Acclaim aircraft, all using Continental engines. The Cirrus aircraft have turbonormalizing systems provided by Tornado Alley Turbo of Ada, Okla. Tornado Alley told us it has already replaced or will soon replace the defective turbochargers from its own stock. For more information, see the Service Bulletin. More...

CUBCRAFTERS IMPROVES LSA OFFERING
Cubcrafters has launched a next-generation version of its popular SportCub with the introduction of the SportCub S2 at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. Although it retains the character and presence of a J-3 Cub, the S2 is a fully modernized version of the venerable two-seater. It's also 25-pounds lighter than its predecessor, allowing for installation of optional gear while keeping within the 890-pound empty weight limit of the LSA category. Among the new features available on the S2 are electric trim, full glass panels, airbag seatbelts and tire options up to a massive 31-inch Tundra tire. Flaps, which used to be optional, are now standard. More...

FRACTIONAL GA PROVIDERS JOIN FORCES
"We want to ensure that as our segment of the industry grows, that customers are protected," said David Lee, president of AirShares Elite, as he announced the formation of a new industry group, called the Professionally Managed Aircraft Association, at AirVenture on Wednesday. "We want to establish optimal, not minimal, standards for safety and customer service." Lee has joined with Jeff Cullen of PlaneSmart! Aviation and Andrew DeMond of iFly to create the new association. All three provide fractional ownership of technically advanced aircraft. "We're all competitors," said Lee, "but we are joining together to establish a code of conduct, education and consumer advocacy. We also are reaching out to aircraft manufacturers." Their companies make aircraft ownership available to many more pilots, Lee said, and provide a key component in the growth of the GA industry overall. All are welcome to apply to join the association, he said. More...

NEXT YEAR AT OSHKOSH: SPACESHIPTWO?
Virgin Galactic President Wil Whitehorn can't guarantee it, but if at all possible SpaceShipTwo will be here at EAA AirVenture next summer. "But if not next year, definitely in 2009," he said. Speaking at a forum on Tuesday morning, he said the ship is under construction at Scaled Composites in Mojave, Calif., and will start test flights early next year. It will carry six paying passengers and two pilots some 62 miles above the earth, so the craft will be much larger than SpaceShip One. A larger version of White Knight, the airplane that carries the spaceship to altitude, is also under construction and will start test flights next April. Alex Tai, who is developing the training program for future passengers, said the spaceship's controls and systems will be kept as simple as possible. He added that the two pilots will really fly the ship, not just be "Spam in a can" while the aircraft flies itself. More...

LINDBERGH FOUNDATION GRANT GOES TO ENGINE INNOVATOR
Pilots of older aircraft worry about the future availability of 100LL avgas, and environmentalists are not happy with the ecological impact of leaded fuel. To satisfy both concerns, inventor Tom Ehresman of Colorado is working on an engine modification that would allow avgas-burning engines to convert to diesel or Jet-A. That is just the kind of innovation the Lindbergh Foundation seeks to support -- new aviation technology that preserves the health of our natural environment. The grant of $10,580 reflects the amount that Charles Lindbergh spent to build the Spirit of St. Louis. Ehresman hopes the award will help to attract more investors, and if he has the financial support, he could have a working prototype in two or three years. The retrofit kit could go to market for about $6,000 or so, he estimated. More...

ORIGINAL VIDEO SHORT: TKS FOR THE COLUMBIA 300/350/400
Kevin Hawley from Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing summarizes their new TKS product for the Columbia 300, 350 and 400 series aircraft. More...

CESSNA JOINS LIGHT AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION (LAMA)
Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton has joined the board of directors of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association after serving for several years as a behind-the-scenes advisor. Cessna Vice President of Marketing Tom Aniello said Cessna is at the table to help, not dictate. "It's not our intention to come in and dominate," he said. Pelton was unable to attend the LAMA press conference at EAA AirVenture. Cessna's announcement of a light sport aircraft just before AirVenture, followed by Cirrus's announcement that it, too, would join the fray, has changed the dynamics of the the LSA sector overnight, and LAMA Chairman Dan Johnson said having two mainstream general aviation players enter the market will have a profound effect on its future. More...

AVWEB'S AIRVENTURE 2007 PODCAST #4: POWERPLANT DEVELOPMENTS RESURRECTS THE JUMO FOR A WHOLE NEW MARKET
Although it's been all but forgotten, the Junkers Jumo engine was one of the most successful powerplants of World War II. But did you know it was a two-cycle diesel? A UK company called Powerplant Developments is seeking to develop a new LSA engine based on the same operating principles used in the Jumo. In this podcast, the company's chairman, Derek Graham, explains how the engine works.

Click here to listen.

More...

EXTRA! LAMA CHAIRMAN DAN JOHNSON DISCUSSES THE LSA MARKET WITH AVIATION CONSUMER
Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, takes a hard look at the Light Sport Aircraft sector in this month's issue. Is it time to buy? What about parts and service? Some of those answers came from Dan Johnson, chairman of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association and a leading expert on this new aircraft category. We caught up with him at EAA AirVenture after Cirrus and Cessna both announced their entry into the Light Sport market, as Johnson talks about the impact of those announcements on the industry. More...

BONUS VIDEO! AVIATION CONSUMER VACUUM PUMP REVIEW: WET VS. DRY
Are wet vacuum pumps as good as their owners seem to say they are? Aviation Consumer recently set out to find the answer to that question. In this video product review, you can get a look at the inside of a wet pump and decide for yourself if the claims are true. (Click through to watch.) More...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: ECLIPSE'S NEW SOLO JET — HIP OR HYPE?
This week at Oshkosh, Eclipse revealed a big surprise — a four-place single-engine jet with a sexy v-tail and sleek good looks. So, AVweb readers — what do you think? (Answer this week's poll to let us know.) Plus: What letter grade (A, B, C, D or F) did FAA Admin Marion Blakey receive from AVweb readers in response to last week's question? More...

FBO OF THE WEEK: TAC AIR (KAPA, DENVER, COLORADO)

AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to TAC Air at KAPA in Denver, Colorado.

AVweb reader Scott Brooksby raves about the service at TAC Air:

"These guys were great; their self-serve fuel prices were great, and they loaned us a crewcar to go to dinner. When we first arrived, they took us to our hotel. When we left two days later, they had the airplane near their door, ready to go. Awesome."

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!

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