AVIONICS MAKERS PAN ADS-B PROPOSAL
The Aircraft Electronics Association, which represents virtually all the companies that make and fix avionics, says the FAA’s proposed next-generation communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS) system is more elaborate than it needs to be and wastes the money aircraft owners have already spent on their current gear. In a news release issued Tuesday, the day after the close of comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, AEA government affairs expert Ric Peri described the system envisioned as “ADS-B on steroids” and called for the agency to take a deep breath. “The FAA must develop a proposal utilizing an ‘evolutionary’ process that utilizes existing avionics to the maximum extent possible, rather than this stepped ‘revolutionary’ process of wholesale technology replacement of the entire CNS suite in general aviation aircraft,” Peri said. More...

FAA REDUCING SEPARATION OFF EAST COAST
Properly equipped (RNP 10 and RNP 4) aircraft will be able to take advantage of a new routing structure in the West Atlantic Route System (WATRS) off the east coast of the U.S. starting June 5. In a podcast interview with AVwebBiz, FAA Oceanic Procedures Specialist Scott Luka says the FAA is cutting lateral separation from as much as 90 miles to 50 miles over an expanse of ocean from 200 miles south of Long Island to Puerto Rico and between the continent and Bermuda. That will increase to nine the number of north/south routes available to business aircraft and airliners from the current five. “It means will be offer better altitudes to a lot more flights,” Luka told AVweb. More...

ATG STIRRING BACK TO LIFE?
When start-up aviation companies throw in the towel it’s almost unheard of for them to come out for another round, but Aviation Technology Group (ATG) is apparently game for another swing at developing its sexy two-place “executive” jet, the Javelin. The Colorado company suspended operations in December and a news release issued Tuesday says the board of directors has successfully renegotiated deals with its main lenders. Now, the company is in a position to look for a buyer to (hopefully) fund the completion of the certification process and starting production, which could run $200 million. “Multiple teams are pursuing a list of potential buyers,” the release said. “Though subject to change, the general plan in this regard is to ask for best and final offer bids from prospective buyers to reach ATG within the next few weeks.” More...

TAIWAN SELLS SWEARINGEN STAKE
The Taiwanese government has invested $426 million into Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corp. (SSAC) since 1995, but now plans to sell most of its shares in the company for $150 million. The buyer is said to be UAE-based venture capital firm Action Aviation, and the sale would provide it an 80-percent holding in Swearingen, leaving Taiwan and original investors with the remainder of their 91.6 percent share. (If that sounds familiar, Action Aviation was involved in a previous deal with ACQ Capital, of California, last September, to buy Sino Swearingen but ACQ pulled out of that deal.) Taiwanese press reports have said Swearingen, which currently has orders for 270 jets, would need a $300 million infusion to put the company on track for profit and the Taiwanese government is not interested in taking on the risk. One unnamed official has said Sino Swearingen would have to file for bankruptcy without a new cash infusion, according to Middle East Online. Some Taiwanese editorials have been critical of the government's decision, framing it as a waste of money to set up Sino only to sell it to a foreign firm now that the manufacturer has started to deliver. However, the government says SSAC continues to lose money. More...

BRANSON LAUNCHES VIRGIN CHARTER BOOKING SITE
Sir Richard Branson says he’s married the convenience of travel-booking sites like Expedia and Travelocity with the rating system of eBay and the online booking ease of Priceline to create his latest transportation venture, Virgin Charter. The company will tap into the availability of aircraft from more than 2,500 charter operators in the U.S. to allow potential clients to pick and choose who and what flies them to their destination. Key to the system is the ability of clients to see eBay-style ratings of the service they received from each of the operators. "They (charter operators) will have to get quality right," Branson told Reuters. "They can't just get away with it (bad service) anymore." More...

HONEYWELL MOVES JOBS TO ASIA
Over the next two years, Honeywell's facilities in Malaysia and Indonesia will swell by 130 jobs -- the number to be transferred there from Honeywell's Olathe avionics plant. The plant produces navigation equipment, including autopilots and DME equipment. The jobs are moving; the workers are not. Honeywell says it will try to place eligible workers in other positions within the company, or offer job-placement assistance and severance packages. The company says the move was triggered by a review and aims to increase cost efficiency; it will seek to lay off temporary workers and subcontractors before full-time employees. Honeywell expects to maintain more than 1,000 employees in Kansas. The latest job-reduction plans are scheduled for the next 18-24 months. More...

HAWKER BEECHCRAFT CALLS FOR CHANGES IN INDIA
Hawker Beechcraft Thursday announced that India's import license rules and taxes act to dissuade potential customers, and the company is seeking changes, according to Hindu.com. The comments came the same day the company opened a service center in the country. Hawker Beechcraft is forecasting that large business and financial growth in India will lead to increased demand for business jets; Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has said, "tThe demand for business jets will increase to 500 in the next 10 years." But Hawker Beechcraft CEO Jim Schuster believes the Indian government is placing barriers between potential buyers and aircraft. "The tax burden on imported small and medium jets is proving disadvantage [sic] for them," Hindu.com reported. Hawker Beechcraft claims a 56-percent market share for turbine aircraft in INdia and recentlly reported a 20-jet order from BJETS. More...

BRENT WOUTERS PRESIDENT & COO AT CIRRUS DESIGN

Brent Wouters

Cirrus Design has announced that Brent Wouters, the company's Chief Financial Officer, has been promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer. Wouters joined Cirrus in 2002 after working at Delta Airlines developing simulators and acting as a technology consultant on the F-22 program.

WHO'S WHERE? YOU TELL US
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...

FITTING MORE AIRCRAFT INTO THE ATLANTIC CORRIDOR
Starting June 5 there will be almost twice as much room for aircraft traveling the busy north-south oceanic corridor off the east coast of the U.S. FAA Oceanic Procedures Specialist Scott Luka explains to AVweb's Russ Niles how technology already on board most business jets and airliners is allowing for closer separation in that area. The closer separation means more available airways and a better shot at a more efficient, smoother ride, but owners must make sure their aircraft are registered with the FAA to take full advantage of the improvements. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: DASSAULT FALCON 7X FLY-BY-WIRE BUSINESS JET
Dassault has introduced a jet that changes the playing field for business jet manufacturers, operators and pilots. That jet is the $40 million Falcon 7X. In this exclusive video, AVweb video editor Glenn Pew takes us inside the Falcon 7X. (Click through to watch.) More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 200,000 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.