GROUPS OPPOSE USER FEES--AGAIN
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. More...

STURGELL CONFIRMATION HEARING THURSDAY
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. More...

SILVER STATE LEAVES LONG LIST OF CREDITORS
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. More...

GULFSTREAM SYNTHETIC VISION CERTIFICATION
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. More...

SENTIENT COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF TAG
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." More...

BUSINESS JET DEMAND NOT IN RECESSION
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). More...

ROBERT MAXSON HEADS NOAA AVIATION WEATHER

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

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...

Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos

On November 2, 2007, an F-15C with the 110th Fighter Squadron (of the 131st Fighter Wing) broke up while conducting an air-to-air training mission. This video, produced by Glenn Pew for AVweb, covers the military investigative board's findings.

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Related Content:
F-15s Grounded, Structural Failure Suspected

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MEET THE AVWEBBIZ TEAM

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.

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Paul Bertorelli

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