DIAMOND TO OFFER LYCOMING ALTERNATIVE TO THIELERT
Diamond Aircraft announced Tuesday that it's accelerating plans to certify its hot-selling DA42 Twin Star with Lycoming engines to replace the troubled Thielert Centurion diesels. And just to give itself and customers more options, Diamond has also asked the European Aviation Safety Agency to give it approval to provide technical support and parts for Thielert engines, which presumably would be the European equivalent of the parts manufacturing authority common in the U.S. More...

BUSINESS AVIATION GAINS AT AIRLINES' EXPENSE
It's long been touted that business aviation traffic would soar as so-called "premium" passengers, those who insulated themselves from some of the discomfort of airline travel in the more hospitable front part of the plane, fled the shoe searches and surly service at the hubs. Apparently, it's all come true. A study by the Stanford Transportation Group says the number of passenger flights on private jets and turboprops now equals 41 percent of the number of people who fly first class, business class or full-fare economy. While the number of high-priced airline seats sold has stagnated around 41 million for several years, business aviation passenger trips have more than doubled in the last eight years to 16 million. More...

RUSSIA SCRAPS BIZJET TAX
The Russian government has scrapped a major impediment to the growth of its business aviation sector. A punitive import tax on private aircraft was lifted last week, according to Russia Today The tax had driven many Russian business people to register their aircraft outside the country but that's expected to change and also boost sales. Russia is seen as major market for business aircraft because of the lack of convenient transportation to its resource-rich hinterlands. More...

HAWKER 4000 FIRST DELIVERY
A moment 12 years in the making is taking place at Hawker Beechcraft's Wichita headquarters today. The company is holding a ceremony for the first Hawker 4000 delivery. The composite-fuselage midsize is described by the company as "the world's most advanced business jet" and was certified in 2006. Production was delayed while the company boosted performance and installed a more robust lightning-protection system at the FAA's request. More...

BUSINESS AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS FLOCK TO CANADA
The Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA) is holding its annual convention in Toronto until Thursday and the comprehensive attendance by most major players in the industry is indicative of the growth potential in the resource- and oil-rich country. For instance, Hawker Beechcraft has assigned a full-time marketing vice president, Chris Charnley, to cover the vast territory. "Since the organizational change, we've been able to focus our efforts on the growing sales in Canada," said Chris Charnley, vice president of Canadian sales. "The strategy has been very successful and we are ecstatic about the results to date." Hawker Beechcraft sales in Canada increased 30 percent last year. More...

KENTUCKY AIR-TAXI OPERATOR TO LAUNCH THIS SUMMER
This century's air-taxi model has had its ups and downs -- a few new companies are thriving, while others have already come and gone, or never got started. But now another new player is ready to take its chances -- YourJet, based in Louisville, Ky., announced this week that it expects to start booking flights this summer. The company will offer per-seat, on-demand service to airports within 700 miles of Louisville aboard a Diamond DA42 Twin Star, with Diamond D-Jets expected to join the line next year. The company has said it hopes to offer competitive prices flying the single-engine D-Jet with a single pilot, saving on fuel and labor costs. YourJet founder Todd House is a pilot and anesthesiologist who lives in Louisville. "YourJet returns valuable time to travelers who have been bound by airlines' hub-and-spoke systems throughout the country," he said this week. "This is a cost-effective, safe, and highly convenient mode of air travel ... and we lead you right to the plane with no luggage hassles or security checks." More...

LAYOFFS AND PRODUCTION SLOWDOWN AT MOONEY
Economic uncertainty and high gas prices are hurting sales of general aviation aircraft -- as shown by a 28-percent drop in piston aircraft sales in the first quarter of this year -- and on Monday, Mooney Airplane Company said it is responding to that reality by slowing down production and laying off 80 staffers. "These decisions will not have an adverse effect on the quality or safety of our products, nor will they delay scheduled aircraft deliveries," Mooney CEO Dennis Ferguson said in a statement. "They were made to create corporate resiliency in the present economic conditions. Our plans include positioning Mooney as a strong contender in the international market." The weak dollar has created a strong market for U.S. goods overseas. "We are strengthening our business in Europe, South America and Australia, where Mooney's high performance, efficiency and pricing are especially appealing," Ferguson said. "Our focus is to ensure the long-term viability of the company through prudent management and expansion of our market reach." More...

BANYAN AIR SERVICE ACCOLADES

Banyan's Ft. Lauderdale Team

Banyan Air Service at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport was named the best independent FBO in the U.S., the most improved FBO and the second best FBO in the U.S. in a Professional Pilots Magazine survey. More...

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...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: B-2 SPIRIT STEALTH BOMBER CRASH TECHNICAL REPORT
The crash on takeoff of a 509th Air Wing, Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber, February 23 operating at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, was caused by water in the aircraft's sensors, according to an Air Combat report issued Thursday. Specifically, moisture in three port transducer units "distorted data introduced by a B-2 Spirit's air data system" which led to flawed information entering the bomber's flight control computers. The aircraft was reacting to inaccurate airspeed and a "perceived" negative angle of attack. This resulted in an "uncommanded 30 degree nose-high pitch-up on takeoff," according to the Air Force. (Click through to watch our video crash report.) More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: THE GATE TO STUPIDITY
Forget user fees and high gas prices...if GA gets done in, it will be because of the utter stupidity of stuff we voluntarily put up with. And we seem to experience more of it every year. Read this week's AVweb Insider blog by Paul Bertorelli, who's off on a tear about small airport security. 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

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