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February 6, 2008
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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 At last October's National Business Aviation Association meeting in Atlanta, leaders of the major general aviation groups agreed that
despite headway made in Congress on the user fee issue, they believed the matter was far from settled. On Monday, with the FAA functioning on an extension of its 2007 budget because of the
administration's failed attempt to restructure the agency's finance structure in last year's budget, the White House again called for a budget including a user fee-based system that levies a $25 per leg charge on turbine-powered GA aircraft. It also cuts funding for the Airport Improvement Program. NBAA, which has
spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying against user fees, is pledging to keep up the fight as are other groups. "Once again, the Bush administration wants huge new taxes and user fees imposed
on general aviation, and it wants to slash and burn the Airport Improvement Program," Pete Bunce, president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, said. "What part of 'NO!' doesn’t the White House understand?" asked AOPA President Phil Boyer. "Despite Congress saying 'no' to the Administration's proposal
to scrap the current funding mechanism for a less efficient one that imposes user fees, they have once again launched an effort to complete a FAA reauthorization bill by proposing the exact same
failed plan," he said. DOT Secretary Mary Peters insisted the system needs to change. "Traditional approaches are not capable of producing the results we need to keep America's economy growing," she
said. Meanwhile, Acting FAA Administrator Bobby Sturgell gave a "terse defense" of the administration's decision to recycle a reauthorization proposal that failed last year in Congress, wrote the Wall Street Journal. "There are no changes," Sturgell said.
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Trade-A-Plane, Aviation's Original Search Engine, Is Celebrating 70 Years
Back in 1937, Trade-A-Plane was the original (and only) place to look for parts to repair an airplane. It's still the best, with everything that keeps you flying — thousands of
planes, products, and services. Call (800) 337-5263 or
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In print or online, start your search with the world's largest aviation resource.
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... Even as Sturgell Heads Toward
Confirmation |
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Three days after Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell put his stamp of approval on an FAA budget that would retain the user fee proposal, President Bush's nominee for the five-year appointment as
administrator will go before a confirmation hearing of the Senate Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation. It's been more than three months since Bush nominated Sturgell to take over from Marion Blakey and this is the first action the Senate has taken toward the
necessary confirmation. Sturgell's nomination has been controversial, with most of the established user groups (including NBAA, AOPA, and EAA) willing to work with him, despite his apparently categorical endorsement of user fees.
However, there is plenty of opposition to Sturgell's appointment for other reasons. NATCA is vehemently
opposed because of Sturgell's participation in the labor situation with air traffic controllers. But the noisiest opposition may come from Senators in the Northeast, who have been lobbied heavily by
constituents unhappy with the FAA's ongoing redesign of busy airspace in the region. Bush was prevented from pushing through the nomination during the holiday recess because Senate leaders held brief
daily sessions and no official recess was held. Election-year politics could cause further delays, as Senate leaders may be reluctant to confirm a five-year assignment from a lame-duck administration
that will be changing in less than a year.
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Fly with Bose® Aviation Headset X™
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Quotes reprinted with permission. Aviation Consumer, August 2007.
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 Hundreds of creditors are named in court documents obtained by AVweb relating to the bankruptcy of Silver State Helicopters.
The aggressive Las Vegas-based training company, which had 34 locations, closed them all earlier this week, leaving a trail of unpaid bills. “We were caught flat footed like everybody
else,” Robinson Helicopter Vice President Kurt Robinson told AVweb. “They had several helicopters on order. We’re going to scramble and figure out what to do.” Silver State
purchased more than 100 Robinson R22 and R44 helicopters from the Torrance, Calif., manufacturer since beginning its flight training operations in 1999. The company closed Sunday afternoon and is
blaming external factors for its demise. Company president Jerry Airola did not return phone messages left for him at Silver State’s headquarters on Tuesday. A prepared statement said the action
was the result of “a rapid, unprecedented downturn in the U.S. credit markets, which severely curtailed the availability of student loans for the company’s flight academy students and
resulted in a sharp and sudden downturn in new student enrollment.” Airola, a former police officer, became known throughout the industry for using aggressive sales tactics to recruit students to
the program, including radio ads that aired in major U.S. markets as recently as two weeks ago.
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Announcing the Online MBA for Aviation Professionals
from Daniel Webster College
Did you know that professionals with an MBA earn an average of $10,000 to $30,000 more per year? Within 27 months, you can be one of them!
Daniel Webster College MBA for Aviation Professionals is a fully-accredited, 100%-online program built for the busy schedule of the aviation professional. Being "on the road" is no
longer a barrier to career advancement. Call (866) 458-7525 or
click here for more
information. 
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 Gulfstream Aerospace last month became the first Part 25 original equipment manufacturer to have an FAA-certified synthetic vision system --
and it's 3-D, according to Gulfstream. The company's Synthetic Vision-Primary Flight Display (SV-PFD) and Enhanced Vision System (EVS) II are approved on Gulfstream G350, G450, G500, and G550
aircraft. The SV-PFD, which is expected to become available to customers in the second quarter of 2008, shows three-dimensional color terrain images overlaid with primary flight display symbology. The
EVS II, which is 22 pounds lighter and packed with considerably more computational power than its original incarnation, provides infrared imagery on a head-up display (HUD). The two systems work
together as the EVS II confirms the imagery displayed on the SV-PFD. Using both systems together provides flight crew "unmatched magnitude of pilot situational awareness and a flight path that is
always visible" regardless of what's going on outside, according to Gulfstream. What's next? Gulfstream is working with Rockwell Collins to create a head-up display that will integrate flight
information and infrared image information. The HUD-II would be compatible with EVS-II and integrated with PlaneView.
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Cessna Aircraft Company, the World's Largest General Aviation Manufacturer
Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2006, Cessna delivered 1,239 aircraft, including 307 Citation
business jets and reported revenues of about $4.2 billion. Cessna has a current backlog of $11.9 billion. The global fleet of more than 5,000 Citations is the largest fleet of business
jets in the world.
More information
about Cessna Aircraft Company is available online. 
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 Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but Sentient Flight Group Thursday announced completion of its acquisition of TAG Aviation USA
and the formation of the Sentient Aircraft Management Division. Former TAG President and CEO J.W.P (Jake) Cartwright will lead the division. The new division will integrate Sentient's existing fleet
management team and TAG USA's aircraft management structure. Sentient says the program means that clients seeking outside charter revenue will now have access to "the unparalleled jet demand generated
by Sentient's Jet Membership and Charter clients." Last year, TAG had come into the sights of the FAA over concerns of TAG's relationship with AMI Jet Charter. TAG acted as a charter broker for AMI
and owned a 49% interest in the company. TAG admitted no wrongdoing and settled with the FAA to the tune of $10 million.
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Attention, Operators, Avionics Shops, and FBOs
Stay within budgets with Bennett Avionics. Bennett Avionics provides quality avionics to meet the needs of business and commercial aircraft operators and those who service their
equipment. Before you buy anywhere else, check out Bennett Avionics at (860) 653-7295 or
online. 
You'll be glad you did!
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 Bombardier Aerospace's future president and CEO, Pierre Beaudoin (son of current president and CEO Laurent Beaudoin), says his business
has not been impacted by economic worries in the U.S. "On the contrary, we see demand that continues to rise," he told reporters in late January. The younger Beaudoin, who is slated to take the reigns
of Bombardier in early June, said his company's order book has the company backlogged by three to four years. The company's decision to proceed with development of a proposed 110- to 130-seat CSeries
airliner is expected this year (keep your eyes on Farnborough). The possibility of the new CSeries aircraft may be solidified with customer interest and Bombardier is already promised funds by Canada
if it does move forward with the program. Further, the company has a production agreement with China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC). AVIC would invest $400 million in the CSeries and build the
aircraft's fuselage, according to a Reuters report. Current plans would see the aircraft fitted with a new Pratt & Whitney engine designed to cut fuel burn by 20 percent. At least one analyst
estimates Bombardier will deliver 230 jets this fiscal year and 250 more in 2009. That kind of projection suggests that even if deliveries level off, margins may continue to rise based on better
pricing.
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ROBERT MAXSON HEADS NOAA AVIATION WEATHER
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| NOAA |
Robert Maxson has come out of retirement to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Aviation Weather Center. Maxson retired as head of NOAA's aircraft operations in 2005 and, in the
interim, flew as a research pilot for the National Science Foundation in Boulder, Colo.
More...
GREG WILLIAMS NEW PRESIDENT OF EDWARDS AND ASSOCIATES
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| Bell Helicopters |
Bell Helicopters has appointed Greg Williams president and general manager of Edwards and Associates, the company's completion and service subsidiary. Williams replaced Phil Dietreich, who retired
after 42 years at Edwards and Associates. Williams has been with Bell 31 years.
More...
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Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, is preparing a report on interior shops. If you recently had an interior redone, the editors would like to hear from you, whether the experience was
good or bad.
To take part in the online survey, click here.
The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click here.
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The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is
You! |
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 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. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part.
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AVwebBiz is a weekly summary of the latest business aviation news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the internet's aviation magazine and news service.
The AVwebBiz team is:
Publisher
Timothy Cole
Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli
Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles
Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew
Features Editor
Kevin Lane-Cummings
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for AVweb, covers the military investigative board's findings.
