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November 12, 2008
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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JA Air Center, Your Source for the New Garmin GPSMap 696
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JA Air Center [Opening - Aurora (KARR) in Sugar Grove, IL December 1, 2008] 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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Top News: TSA Extends NPRM Deadline for
LASP |
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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said on Monday it will extend the time period for public comment on its proposed Large Aircraft Security Program for general aviation by an additional
60 days, a change that was lobbied for by GA advocacy groups. The new deadline for public comment is Feb. 27, 2009. The proposed rules would require criminal history records checks of GA flight crews,
watch-list matching of passenger manifests, audits of each aircraft operator, and new airport security requirements. "Granting our request will provide much needed time for analysis, community
education and feedback," said Ed Bolen, CEO of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). EAA had asked for 90-day extension, but said in a news release it is pleased the TSA responded
promptly. "This proposal would be an unprecedented restriction on the freedom of movement for private U.S. citizens," said
Doug Macnair, EAA vice president of government relations. "It would also, for the first time, require governmental review and authority before a person could operate his/her own personal
transportation conveyance." AOPA agreed. "This proposal is an unprecedented move by the TSA into general aviation," said Andy Cebula, AOPA executive vice president of government affairs. AOPA's news release also noted that "serious questions" remain about why GA is being considered for these
onerous requirements. For more information about the TSA proposal and how you can submit comments to the government's public docket, visit the NBAA
Web site.
For a PDF of the TSA proposal itself, click here.
To read the letter (PDF) submitted by AOPA and NBAA to request the extension, click here.
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Fly With Bose Aviation Headset X®
Enjoy an unmatched combination of full-spectrum noise reduction, clearer audio, and comfortable fit. Voted the #1 headset for the seventh consecutive year in Professional Pilot's 2007 Headset
Preference Survey. Also rated "Best ANR Headset: The Aviation Consumer Product of the Year" by Aviation Consumer.
Purchase by December 31, 2008 and receive a complimentary pair of Bose in-ear headphones ($99.95 value).
Learn more and
order. 
Quotes reprinted with permission: Professional Pilot, 2007 Headset Preference Survey, 12/07; Aviation Consumer, 8/07.
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DayJet founder Ed Iacobucci remains bullish on the per-seat air taxi model his company pioneered and he says he's looking for $5 million to get started again in a limited way. Iacobucci told the South Florida Business Journal he would operate the revived version of DayJet with about 10 aircraft
and envisioned a service similar to the one he shut down a month ago, laying off the staff and returning 28 aircraft to Eclipse Aviation. He continues to blame the demise of the first incarnation of
DayJet on the lack of available capital. A restart will also depend on independent financing, with Iacobucci noting that after putting $20 million of his own money into the company, "my liquidity is
severely taxed." Plan B is bankruptcy and he said a "wind-down team" is in place if it comes to that.
Iacobucci has also blamed shortcomings of Eclipse for some of the company's problems but he said the lack of money to expand the service at the rate required to serve its debt was the main problem.
"It boils back down to capital," he said. Iacobucci said the company had loyal customers, just not enough of them. "Our No. 1 problem we recognized was education [of potential customers]," he said.
"Perhaps, if there was one thing we did wrong, it was targeting a large-scale model too quickly."
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Trade-A-Plane Features Thousands of Classifieds, Updated Hourly
With thousands of hourly updated Classifieds, a Product & Advertiser Index, Forums, NAAA Evaluator, Performance Database, Spec Sheets, and Aviation Weather, Trade-A-Plane gives you
everything that keeps you flying. Order your Trade-A-Plane subscription by calling (800) 337-5263, or
go online. 
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The NTSB will hear from the full spectrum of personnel involved in emergency medical services using helicopters at a three-day public hearing planned for its headquarters in Washington Feb 3-9. In
2006, the NTSB issued a special investigation report that found that more than half of all EMS accidents (41 helicopter and 14 airplane) in the previous three years could have been prevented if the
recommendations in the report had been followed. There have been nine fatal accidents involving EMS helicopters in the past 11 months and 35 people have died. "This is a drastic increase in accidents
since the Special Investigation Report and therefore has prompted the Safety Board to examine this issue in greater detail by holding this hearing," the board said in a statement.
The statement said the public hearing is aimed at educating the board on the operational challenges of EMS services and helping members figure out how to stem the rising tide of accidents. "We have
seen an alarming rise in the numbers of EMS accidents and the Safety Board believes some of these accidents could have been prevented if our recommendations were implemented," says member Robert
Sumwalt, who will chair the hearing. "This hearing will be extremely important because it can provide an opportunity to learn more about the industry so that possibly we can make further
recommendations that can prevent these accidents and save lives." The proceedings will be webcast live.
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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 $15.6 billion. The global fleet of more than 5,400 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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More Belt-Tightening in the Aviation
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It's not just airframers feeling the pinch from the current economic situation. Avionics giant Rockwell Collins has announced the layoff of 300 employees in operations and the termination of 100
contract employees, most of them in engineering. "Like many other companies, we're dealing with significant challenges in meeting our business objectives," CEO Clay Jones said in news release. The
company blamed the recent Boeing strike for a delay in orders, plus the general economic conditions.
The company is also delaying raises for most employees for three months and putting off hiring for existing vacancies. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, plant is hardest hit with 175 job losses. Rockwell
Collins has a generally positive outlook for the coming year and is characterizing the current situation as short-term.
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Aircraft Financing to Fit Your Needs
AirFleet Capital offers a competitive and experienced approach to each and every loan program by focusing exclusively on aircraft financing. AirFleet Capital provides exceptional terms
coupled with personal service and a long-term commitment to support the business and shared passion of aviation. From Light Sport Aircraft to VLJs and Business Jets, AirFleet Capital has a
loan program to fit your needs. Call an AirFleet Capital financing specialist at (800) 390-4324, or
request a quote
online. 
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 Dassault Falcon will build a nearly 40,000-square-foot West Coast service center at Reno-Tahoe International Airport to handle an uptick
in business from North America for its aircraft. "The western United States has experienced a sharp increase in demand for new Falcons over the past five years," CEO John Rosanvallon said in a news
release. "This facility in Reno is significant for not only the increased support in that part of the country but also the overall coverage that this adds for the entire United States."
There will be about 40 technicians and support staff at the facility and it will also house a "Go Team" that provides remote service to AOG Falcons anywhere in the U.S. Reno officials are, of
course, delighted with the announcement, saying the new facility will draw traffic from Canada and Central America and generally raise the airport's profile.
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Go Green with Diamond: $1.99 Fuel
Buy a DA40 XLS between October 1 and November 30, 2008 and take delivery of your plane by December 31, and the Diamond team will buy down your fuel cost to $1.99 per gallon for the first
200 hours or 18 months, whichever comes first. The DA40 XLS is the savvy and responsible choice in this day and age of high fuel prices.
For complete details,
go online. 
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Lots of pilots enjoy the aerial views possible in Google Earth, and now a company called ChartGeek is offering a way to see aeronautical chart
info displayed right inside your Google Earth view. The ChartGeek charts allow pilots to "see" details such as VFR flyways, weather, and airspace classifications, rendered in 3D and accurately placed
according to the FAA/NACO geographical coordinates. Users can also choose to fade the chart away to show details of the underlying terrain. "Pilots' ability to 'pre-fly' their routes using ChartGeek
Charts in Google Earth greatly improves their ability to recognize key waypoints and landmarks that they have not yet seen," says the company. Each 3D chart is derived from an authorized FAA/NACO
digital chart. During November, members of EAA or AOPA can download a free sample of a Sectional or TAC chart from ChartGeek. Anyone who is not a member can try it out for $3.99.
To get your free chart, go to ChartGeek.com and look for the EAA or AOPA link. Google Earth is a free download from Google. And sorry, Mac users, the ChartGeek charts are Windows compatible only.
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Great Holiday Gift
Clear Left, I'll Have the Chicken: An Airline Captain Looks at Life, by Kevin Garrison. What people are saying: "I have spent years and billions of dollars getting into space, only to
find that Kevin already is" — NASA spokesperson. "I think he was trying to be funny" — Mark Twain.
Available online for
only $10.95. 
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| Randy Groom |
Former Beechcraft President Randy Groom has formed his own aviation consulting company. He's already been engaged by several aviation companies.
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| Robert Randall |
Robert Randall is Universal Avionics' new marketing manager for the central region. He was most recently Executive Director of Sales and Marketing at Shadin Avionics.
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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Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb
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Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos
At the 2008 AOPA Expo, our video team brought you exclusive interviews with outgoing AOPA president Phil Boyer and the incoming president, Craig Fuller — plus a demo flight with
Cirrus Design's new EVS system and an in-depth profile of Garmin's hot GPSMap 696. If you missed any of those, you can watch all eight of our show videos right here. Just use the arrows at the right
and left sides of the player to choose your video.
Video coverage of AOPA Expo 2008 has been brought to you by Lightspeed
Aviation,  WxWorx XM WX
Satellite Weather,  and Bose
Corporation. (Videos by Glenn
Pew.)
More AVweb exclusive videos can be found at http://www.avweb.com/video.
Related Content:
Want more AVweb media from the show?
Click here for podcasts from AOPA Expo 2008.
As our on-site audio teams packs their bags to leave San Jose, California, we bring you a collection of nine audio podcasts recorded at (or, in some cases, just before) the show. Once again, our
johnnies-on-the-spot have captured some of the most interesting voices in aviation, from CEOs and service providers to innovative thinkers, technical experts, and salesfolk. In case you missed any of
our nine exclusive podcasts from the show, we're re-presenting them here.
Click here for our podcast round-up from AOPA Expo 2008.
AVweb's audio coverage of AOPA Expo has been brought to you by Bose
Corporation's Aviation Headset X™; WxWorx XM WX
Satellite Weather, the premier weather provider for pilots;
and Lightspeed
Aviation, makers of the Zulu ANR headset. If you've enjoyed our coverage, please click on the links and check out their products.
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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
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Glenn Pew
Features Editor
Kevin Lane-Cummings
Webmaster
Scott Simmons
Contributors
Jeff van West
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