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March 12, 2008
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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Fly With Bose® Aviation Headset X™
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Quotes reprinted with permission: Professional Pilot, 2007 Headset Preference Survey, 12/07; Aviation Consumer, 8/07.
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FAA's Latest Safety-Through-Technology
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 The FAA has issued a final
rule
that will require aircraft and helicopters built after Mar. 7, 2010, with 10 or more seats to be equipped with enhanced voice and flight data recorders. Under the rule, voice recorders will have an
audio loop at least two hours long instead of the current 15 to 30 minutes and there will have to be an independent power source to keep the recorder running for 9 to 11 minutes after all aircraft
power is lost or interrupted. Magnetic tape is also banned and all recorders must use digital storage. Flight data recorders will have to sample more data (including pilot inputs and control-surface
movements) more often and retain 25 hours of data.
Ironically, it’s the relative safety of air travel that’s being used to justify the equipment upgrade. “Because this is the safest period in aviation history, we now have to be able
to analyze each accident in greater detail,” said FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell. “These enhancements will give us more information about the causes of accidents and find ways to
avoid them in the future.” While the rule affects all new aircraft made after March 7, 2010, fixed-wing aircraft of this size operated commercially (Parts 121, 125 and 135) will have to be
retrofitted with some new equipment by March 7, 2012.
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JA Air Center, Your Garmin GPSMap 496 Source, Is Looking to Purchase Used GPS Units, Avionics, and Aircraft
Call (800) 323-5966 for current value, with no purchase required. JA Air Center is your source for Garmin GPS and Avionics, including the popular GPSMap 496 with XM Weather, Terrain,
AOPA Airport Guide, Taxiway Database, and built-in StreetPilot Auto GPS.
JA Air Center [Dupage Airport (KDPA) in West Chicago, IL] provides the finest avionics installations, turbine/piston maintenance, avionics/instrument service, mail order, and aircraft sales.
Call (800) 323-5966, or
click for more
information. 
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Cessna has announced that Parker Aerospace will supply the “hybrid fly-by-wire” control system in its new intercontinental Columbus 850 business jet. Cessna developed the system, which uses
hydraulic actuators to move control surfaces based on electrical commands generated by pilot and avionics inputs. The system will work on the roll, pitch and yaw axes as well as secondary control
systems including high lift, stabilizer rim and speed brakes. “This technology supports enhanced aircraft performance by allowing improved pilot handling and ride quality,” Parker Aerospace
said in a news release.
Parker says the system will save weight, cut maintenance and improve reliability in the big jet, which is Cessna’s first foray into the ultra-long-range luxury market. Washington State
electric-power-generation equipment manufacturer Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories recently ordered two Columbuses. Cessna says it has “a number” of orders for the jet but hasn’t
confirmed any figures.
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Lightspeed Aviation Is Sponsoring a Study on Hearing Protection
Your input will be used to understand hearing loss and design state-of-the-art headsets to meet the specific requirements of pilots. Participate and be entered into a drawing to win one of four cash
prizes (two for $100 and two for $500) or the grand prize of a brand-new Zulu ANR headset.
Click here to
begin. 
Please know that this is not a sales promotion and you will never receive a sales call based on your participation. All responses will be kept confidential.
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A few months ago, SAS, one of Europe’s major airlines, announced it was grounding its fleet of Bombardier Q400 turboprops because it said its customers had safety concerns following three
landing-gear emergencies. Tuesday, the airline announced it was buying 27 (with options for more) new Bombardier aircraft, including 14 new model Q400s and 13 CRJ900s. The change of heart has
something to do with a deal reached between the planemaker, the airline and Goodrich Corp., which builds the landing gear. SAS said the “compensation” package was worth $167 million against
the aircraft deal, which, if all options are exercised, will be worth $1.75 billion.
The three landing-gear incidents occurred over a period of seven weeks late last year. The first one prompted emergency inspections of gear parts for corrosion but investigators suggested
maintenance issues were at least partly to blame for the other two. In the final incident in Copenhagen, which drew a lot of attention because of widely publicized video of the landing, Danish
authorities determined a rubber ring got stuck in the works and prevented the gear from deploying. While Bombardier and Goodrich defended the design, SAS insisted maintenance was done
properly.
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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 2007, Cessna delivered 1,272 aircraft, including 387 Citation
business jets, and reported revenues of about $5 billion. Cessna has a current backlog of $12.6 billion. The global fleet of more than 5,100 Citations is the largest fleet of business
jets in the world.
More information
about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at Cessna.com. 
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 Interested buyers must deposit $250,000 and a minimum bid of $10 million to win the assets of Chapter 7 bankruptcy victim Adam
Aircraft. The company's belongings will be on the auction block April 4, but bids are due one day earlier. Adam filed Chapter 7, the day after Valentine's Day, laying off 800 employees and granting
former company president Duncan Koerbel $300,000 in severance pay. According to the bankruptcy filing, the company has less than $1300 cash on hand and $173,000 in financial accounts. Founder Rick
Adam first brought the Adam A500 and A700 designs to the public but left his position at the company in 2007 and is now one of many who have filed suits against Adam Aircraft. Rick Adam's suit is
based on the company's "failure to materially complete the terms of a contract for a manufacturing facility in Pueblo."
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Envision® Integrated Flight Deck Now Available for Retrofit Installation in Cessna 400-Series Aircraft!
Avidyne's Envision® Integrated Flight Deck modernizes the popular Cessna 400-Series piston-engine twins with state-of-the-art situational awareness and safety systems and the industry's
easiest-to-use integrated flight deck. Purchase and take delivery of an Envision® System (EXP5000 PFD and an EX5000 MFD) and get an MLB700 at no charge! This $5,495 value provides you
with WSI Datalink Weather and Sirius® Digital Audio! Offer valid from 1/15/08 to 5/15/08.
Click here for more
info. 
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Avidyne Insider. 
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Eager Eyes Still Watching for Toyota's Jet Entry
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 Where Honda goes, Toyota may soon follow. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. has extended Toyota an invitation to fund a company that would
design an advanced, fuel-efficient passenger jet. Toyota announced Wednesday it is considering the big leap into the aircraft industry, following a report in the Asahi Shimbun that Toyota has plans to
invest $97 million into the project, starting in April. Toyota denied to the AFP that a decision has yet been made. As for Toyota's prior airborne excursions, the company declined comment on progress
of a four-seat "one-piece co-cured (single-molded)" carbon-fiber single-engine piston it successfully flew in June of 2002. Mitsubishi has sought numerous investors to help carry the burden of the
projected 150 billion yen development costs related to a high-efficiency passenger jet project.
Mitsubishi told the AFP that it is developing two jets with 70 or 90 seats that would incorporate carbon fiber for weight savings and hopes to launch the jets in 2013. Toyota's mostly terrestrial
competitor, Honda, announced this week that it has taken over 100 orders for its $3.9 million HondaJet and is now taking Canadian and Mexican orders for the planes.
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NAA Spring Awards & Collier Winner Announcement in AVweb's Audio News
AVweb's Managing Editor, Meredith Saini, was on-hand for this year's National Aeronautic Association ( NAA) Spring Awards Luncheon. Meredith spoke with NAA chairman Walter
J. Boyne about the 2007 Collier Trophy winner he announced.
Listen
online. 
Join NAA and be an aviation record setter and part of the Collier Trophy. Aviation enthusiasts can join for $39 a year and receive Smithsonian's Air & Space magazine, aviation
records, fee discounts, and much more.
Join now online,
or call NAA at (800) 644-9777. 
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Palm Beach County commissioners have determined that the best way to boost tourism in the tiny community of West Palm Beach is to charge landing fees on the numerous private aircraft that use the
local airport. The attitude of the commissioners is illustrated by the comment of one that the as-yet-undetermined fee “shouldn't be much more than the price of a bottle of champagne,”
according to South Florida Sun-Sentinel. But what may be more puzzling is that
the board won’t be plowing the money into tourism promotion or marketing to entice the uninitiated to its genteel environs. They’ll be giving it to the airlines that serve the airport.
Airlines already pay landing fees and the thinking among commissioners is that if general aviation fees are used to reduce the charges against the airlines they’ll pass the savings along to
their customers. "Palm Beach County needs tourism," said Commissioner Burt Aaronson, who supported the fee proposal. "If we can bring more planes and lower rates for commercial carriers, we can become
more competitive." Commissioner Bob Kanjian, a pilot, voted against the measure, saying it would net airlines about 17 cents per passenger.
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| Stephen Woolstenhulme |
Stephen Woolstenhulme has been appointed president of both Lake Texoma Jet Center, LLC and Red River Turbines, both located in Denison, Tex. The FBO is a strategically-placed refueling stop, and the
engine shop specializes in GE CJ610 and CF700 service. (The Jackson Group web site)
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.
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File Size 9.1 MB / Running Time 9:57
Podcast Index
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ADS-B has been in the news a lot lately, with the comment period for the FAA's requirements for the system passing last week and the National Aeronautic Association picking the technology as the
winner of the prestigious Collier Trophy. Naturally, the Aircraft Electronics Association has had plenty to say about the way the FAA is going about implementing ADS-B. Ric Peri, AEA's
government affairs expert, told AVweb's Russ Niles that while ADS-B is excellent technology, it's not being handled as well as it could by the FAA.
Click here to listen. (9.1 MB, 9:57)
Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb
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Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos
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.
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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 200,000 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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