ADAM EMPLOYEES REMAIN HOPEFUL
Prospective investors in Adam Aircraft might have learned something about the company at JD's Bait Shop Sports Grill in Centennial, Colo., on Monday afternoon. According to the Denver Post, rather than crying in their beers, the 20 or so Adam employees who gathered there after getting their pink slips on Monday expressed hope that someone with money will see the company they way they do. "We're all here tonight because we love this company," quality control worker Ray Romero told the Post. "We want to be there, but there's no money. We're a privately funded company. We have a beautiful product." About 500 remaining workers got the word after lunch on Monday that Adam had failed to raise the $100 million it needs to get the A700 jet certified and in production and to ramp up production of the already-certified A500 piston twin. Adam spokeswoman Shelly Simi also held out hope that funding could be found. "It's a very dynamic situation. We are looking at alternatives," she told AVwebBiz in a phone interview. A final decision on the fate of the company is expected within a week. More...

EUROPE EYES MANDATORY TCAS FOR VLJS
European authorities are squawking over what they term a loophole that allows very light jets to operate without traffic alert and collision avoidance systems (TCAS). TCAS is required on aircraft bigger than 12,500 pounds and VLJs are loosely defined as jets that weigh less than 10,000 pounds. Eurocontrol, which oversees air traffic control in Europe, is pushing to make the equipment required in VLJs. Alex Hendriks, the deputy director of air traffic management strategies at Eurocontrol, told the London Times "TCAS is mandatory for airlines because of safety considerations. Why should we exclude a certain category of aircraft just because they are small?" More...

GAMA NUMBERS RELEASED
It's no surprise to anyone in aviation that 2007 was a good year but just how good a year it was became clear in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association released its annual statistics (PDF) on aircraft deliveries, and business jets simply blew away other sectors in all aspects. "Aside from the record set for year-end billings, the industry also experienced an all-time high in business jet shipments, delivering over 1,000 units for the first time in history," GAMA reported. In fact, business jets accounted for more than 25 percent of the impressive total of 4,272 aircraft sold in 2007, with 1,186 delivered. The business jet tally was up 28.4 percent over 2006's total of 886. Turboprop numbers were also up at 459 (412 last year) and piston aircraft sales were down slightly at 2,675, compared to 2,755 in 2006. More...

HAWKER BEECHCRAFT CERTIFIES 750
Hawker Beechcraft is continuing its aggressive new-model introduction campaign with the announcement that its "light midsize" 750 has received FAA certification. The 750 is an eight-passenger aircraft that uses the same wing and fuselage as the already-certified 800 series. Brad Hatt, Hawker Beechcraft's vice president of commercial sales, said the $12.2 million plane fills a new market niche for the company. "This aircraft has the perfect combination of reliability and operating efficiency, while incorporating a large luxurious cabin with internal and external baggage areas," he said. More...

CESSNA COLUMBUS "LIKELY" TO BE BUILT IN WICHITA
Cessna CEO Jack Pelton says it's "highly likely" the new Columbus large-cabin business jet will be assembled in Wichita but the company will have to expand its bursting-at-the-seams facilities there. Meanwhile, the company has announced that its neighbor, Spirit AeroSystems, will build the fuselage and empennage of the 77-foot aircraft. Spirit spokeswoman Debbie Gann told The Wichita Eagle the tail section will likely be built in Scotland while Wichita is the first choice for the fuselage. "Cessna knows that's certainly our desire, and we certainly hope that's where we end up," Gann told the Eagle. More...

NEW CAPABILITIES FOR OLD PHONES
A Canadian avionics company has developed an analog interface that allows owners of older airborne satellite phone systems to tap into the much greater capabilities of new digital equipment. Ottawa-based TrueNorth Avionics makes the Simphone satellite communications system that not only provides phone service but also data, wi-fi, broadband and a host of other electronic communications options. Trouble is, a lot of business aircraft already have expensive and perfectly serviceable satellite phones integrated with their cabin communications, and retrofitting is expensive. More...

ZACKS PROMOTED BY NETJETS

Steve Zacks

Steve Zacks has been promoted to Executive Vice President of Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer for NetJets in the U.S. NetJets CEO Richard Santulli said Zacks earned the promotion through seven years of "strategic thought leadership" at NetJets.

Get a promotion or a new job? Your colleagues want to know about it, and AVwebBiz can get the word out. Drop us a line about the staff appointment, with a nice recent photo, and we'll do our best to include it in our new section, "Who's Where." The items will be permanently archived on AVweb for future reference, too.

More...

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

Click for a larger image

A total of 677 business aircraft landings were recorded at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Super Bowl weekend, filling up just about every available parking area on the airport. Swift Aviation, the official FBO for the event, pumped more than 280,000 gallons of jet fuel into the aircraft whose occupants were treated to one of the closest--and least predicted--outcomes in Super Bowl history. More...

SWIFT AIMS TO MAKE BIZAV EVEN SAFER BY GOING PROACTIVE
First-class equipment, training, and maintenance have made business aviation the safest aviation sector. So where do we go from here? Swift Aviation Group in Phoenix has become one of a handful of charter companies to take its safety posture to the next level by adopting the FAA's Aviation Action Safety Program, in which ongoing safety-related issues are dealt with in cooperation with the agency. AVwebBiz editor Russ Niles spoke with Swift's Mike White about the program and its benefits. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: AMAZING FEATS OF AVIATION — DHL BAGHDAD
Recounting one of the most impressive feats in recent aviation history, AVweb video editor Glenn Pew recalls the circumstances of the DHL A300 shot by a surface-to-air missile over Baghdad. The crew successfully landed the aircraft without the ability to manipulate any control surfaces. (Note: The aircraft shown in simulation is a Boeing 777, not an Airbus A300.) (Click through to watch.) More...

TELL US ABOUT YOUR INTERIOR SHOP
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. 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...

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.

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

Click here to send a letter to the editor. (Please let us know if your letter is not intended for publication.)

Comments or questions about the news should be sent here.

Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? A question on marketing? Send it to AVweb's sales team.

If you're having trouble reading this newsletter in its HTML-rich format (or if you'd prefer a lighter, simpler format for your PDA or handheld device), there's also a text-only version of AVwebBiz. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here.

Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.