December 10, 2008

By The AVweb Editorial Staff

JA Air Center, Your Source for the New Garmin GPSMap 696 JA Air Center is YOUR source for Garmin equipment, including the new GPSMap 696 with Victor Airways, Jet Routes, XM Weather, Terrain, AOPA Airport Guide, and Safe Taxi. JA Air purchases used GPS units, avionics, and aircraft. JA Air Center is now open in Sugar Grove, IL (KARR) providing the finest avionics installations, turbine/piston maintenance, avionics/instrument service, mail order, and aircraft sales. Call (800) 323-5966, or click for more information. Congress, NBAA Vocal on Auto Bailout, Flight Depts. back to top  Sponsor Announcement Automaker Bailout Package Targets Flight Departments; NBAA Reacts When Congress on Tuesday proposed that automakers would have to sell off their private jets as part of a bailout deal, the National Business Aviation Association was quick to respond. In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent late on Tuesday, NBAA President Ed Bolen expressed concern about the draft legislation, which "appears to prohibit the use of business aviation in ALL situations," Bolen wrote, "including when it is the sole mode of transportation available to a business, or it is the most prudent and cost-effective solution to a given transportation challenge." The $15 billion bailout deal is still undergoing intense negotiations between Congress and the White House, but pressure is high to resolve the issue quickly. Bolen argues, in essence, that the aviation sector shouldn't be made to suffer for the errors of a few auto executives. "Business aviation is the most prudent and cost-effective transportation solution in a wide number of situations," he wrote. "While we understand the intent of Congress to address a specific situation dealing with the auto industry, we believe that the broad wording of the provision could be misinterpreted as suggesting that Congress does not recognize the critical importance of this mode of transportation to the success of U.S. businesses facing unprecedented international competition, the economic development of small towns and rural communities, and the jobs of hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers." In the two-page letter, Bolen lists the many advantages of aircraft to businesses of all sizes, and notes that 86 percent of passengers aboard business airplanes are not senior officials, but are mostly mid-level workers, such as salespeople, engineers, and other technical specialists. He concludes, "We understand the importance of absolutely providing the American taxpayers with the strongest assurances possible that any federal monies provided to the U.S. auto companies will be utilized to protect jobs and for positive structural reforms to the domestic industry. However, we again urge you to craft this legislation in a manner which does not inadvertently harm another critical U.S. industry. We want to be careful not to hurt the ability of American companies to do the things that allow them to keep people working and to compete." The $15 billion bailout is meant to keep the car companies afloat through March, allowing the incoming Obama administration a window of time to craft a longer-term solution. Related Content: Paul Bertorelli reacts on the AVweb Insider blog 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. Embraer Phenom 100 Certification back to top  Phenom 100 Certified In Brazil Embraer's entry-level Phenom 100 jet has been certified in Brazil, and U.S. certification is expected shortly, according to a company news release. The $3.6 million aircraft emerged from certification testing with a top speed of 390 knots, 10 knots faster than expected, and an overall fuel consumption 3.6 percent less than predicted. Its range and takeoff numbers have also improved. "I am thrilled to announce that the Phenom 100 has not only met all original specification targets, but has also surpassed several performance goals," said Carlos Affonso, executive vice president of Executive Jets for Embraer. The certification came a few days after another milestone in the company's methodical plan to become a force in business aviation. The groundbreaking, complete with the obligatory photo of dignitaries in hardhats holding shovels, took place as the so-called Space Coast grapples with the pending job losses associated with the end of the Space Shuttle program. About 200 people will be employed at the plant, which will encompass four buildings at the Melbourne International Airport. In the past year, Embraer has established a network of parts and service centers and the customers have already been trained on the Phenom, with its G1000-based Prodigy glass panel. 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. Nightmare Scenario, Incredible Rescue back to top  Two Pilots Rescued From Arctic Ice Floe It was a night flight, across a cold stretch of the Arctic so empty and dark that the two ferry pilots didn't know for sure if there was land or water or ice beneath them. But when both engines on their Cessna 337 Skymaster failed on Sunday night, just south of Baffin Island in the north Atlantic, they had little choice but to radio for help, aim for the surface and hope for the best. The airplane came to rest in the water, with one wing resting on an ice floe, and the two scrambled out of the windows onto the ice just before the airplane filled with water and sank -- taking with it their life raft and emergency gear. They were wearing their survival suits, a precaution that likely saved their lives. Soon they heard search planes overhead, but with no flare guns or flashlights to signal them, the aircraft flew right by. "We were on this ice sheet not having a clue if it would support our weight, hoping to death that it would," Oliver Edwards-Neil, 25, an Australian living in Sweden, told the Sydney Morning Herald. With no food or water, no shelter, and nowhere to sit, Edwards-Neil and his flying partner, Troels Hansen, 45, a Dane who also lives in Sweden, spent the long Arctic night standing on the ice and shivering as temperatures fell to about 4 degrees below Zero. After more than 12 hours, when the sun crept above the horizon, the pair spotted land in the distance and began to head for it, hopping from ice floe to ice floe and hoping to escape the notice of polar bears, when the crew of a shrimp boat, which had been fishing 180 miles away, turned up to rescue them. "They were happy to see the boat," ship captain Bo Mortensen told the local media. "They were a little bit frostbitten on the feet, but they were in good shape." The Toronto Globe & Mail has a photo of the two lost pilots taken from the deck of the rescue ship that simply must be seen; click here to view it. We can't tell for sure, but we're betting there were big smiles of relief, and maybe a few tears, on both of those faces. The pilots had taken off in Labrador and were on their way to Europe. The shrimp boat Atlantic Enterprise, based in Nova Scotia, traveled all night at maximum speed to reach the pair after receiving the mayday call. 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. Angling for Air Space back to top  Slot Auction Plan May Be Delayed To Death A controversial plan by the FAA to forcibly redistribute access to New York airports by selling landing slots to the highest bidder may have been dealt a terminal blow by a Washington, D.C., Appeals Court. In a ruling Monday, the court delayed an auction planned for Jan. 12 until it can hear arguments on whether the auction is legal. The action was launched by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Air Transport Association. The auction was to occur eight days before the swearing in of the new administration, which is now expected to allow the controversial proposal to quietly die. Democratic politicians in New York have been generally opposed to the plan, which they claim will do nothing to ease congestion and will drive up fares. However, the current administration is going down fighting on the proposal, warning that congestion will keep getting worse. "[The] court decision is bad news for travelers seeking a better flying experience in and out of the New York region," Department of Transportation spokeswoman Sarah Echols told The New York Times. "We are committed to our goal of protecting travelers, giving passengers more options and improving the air travel experience, and will continue to assess our options to provide relief." Rediscover Jet City! Make King County International Airport/Boeing Field your flight destination! Conveniently located just 5 miles from downtown Seattle, KBFI is positioned in the center of the growing economy of the Puget Sound region, serving as a hub for business travel, private jets, and general aviation travel. Partner with aviation experts when you fly to Seattle. Make your destination King County International Airport/Boeing Field! For more information, visit online. Weathering the Market back to top  Interiors Expo Examines Efficiencies In adversity there's opportunity and the folks who supply the materials and fixtures that go into the often-sumptuous interiors on business aircraft are responding to current market conditions. The Aircraft Interiors Expo 2009 takes place in Hamburg from March 31 to April 2 and organizers are outlining the important roles the interiors folks will play in the way the rest of the industry copes with the downturn. "For example, the consolidation of airlines, which has been taking place for some time now, will almost certainly be accelerated by the current economic downturn, " said show spokesman Vern Alg. "This will create a need for fresh liveries and designs as the reinvented entities seek to stamp their new corporate identities." But it's not all about colors, logos and design. Interior components are a significant part of the gross weight of an aircraft and a pound saved there is a pound gained for payload. "Aircraft Interiors Expo is increasingly showcasing weight saving solutions across a range of equipment and components to offer airlines a route to saving on fuel costs," Alg said. "The industry is also responding with concepts to facilitate the airlines' need to accommodate more passengers without compromising comfort." He said the trick for the interiors industry is to maintain passenger comfort while decreasing weight and cost while staying viable themselves. Business Executives! Mark Your Calendars for February 3 & 4, 2009 in London, England Active Communications' Efficiency in Aviation forum will provide a unique platform for senior aviation executives to discover, consider and discuss innovative management, operational and technical strategies to achieve greater cost and fuel efficiency. AVweb is a media partner for this forum. As an AVweb subscriber, sign up by December 12, 2008 and receive a special 15% discount. Call Melanie Mulazzi at +44 (20) 7981-2504, or click here to contact her via e-mail. Details online. More Signs of the Times back to top  Used Bizjet Inventory Doubles, Says Frax Operator JetRepublic, an ambitious new fractional and membership company based in Lisbon, says its business plan is coming to fruition as the wealthy sell off their private aircraft and opt for less-expensive private travel arrangements, like, for instance, Jet Republic's. The company issued a statement earlier this week saying the inventory of used private jets has doubled from $1.6 billion to $3.3 billion in the past year. "The ultra high net worth market has been affected by the current global financial crisis but many of those people with private jets are looking to sell them and switch to a fractional ownership model or jet card scheme," Jet Republic founder Jonathan Breeze said in the statement. Breeze launched the company in September with an order of 110 Learjet 60s worth $1.5 billion. He says he intends to offer clients five-star service that will save them money by allowing them to close their flight departments. Breeze said there are currently 211 business aircraft on the market in Europe and the average price is $16 million. Piper Reduces Work Schedules Piper Aircraft, in Vero Beach, Fla., is not immune to the market pressures that have been bearing down on the GA industry, and this week the company said it has instituted a reduced work schedule for some departments. "Our efforts are designed to maintain as many jobs (and associated benefits) as possible," Piper spokesman Mark Miller wrote to AVweb via e-mail on Tuesday. "We remain concerned about the turmoil and volatility in the world's financial markets," Miller added. "In accordance with normal seasonality and softening market demand, Piper continually assesses and adjusts its workforce and schedule." The company normally shuts down briefly around the holidays, he said, and this year will close most departments for three weeks. According to the Palm Beach Post, in recent years the holiday shutdown has been only one or two weeks long. Although the company has not announced any layoffs or staff cuts, one worker told the local TCPalm news site that her job was eliminated, along with about 20 others. Meanwhile, a recent report from PMI Media in the United Kingdom predicts that the current economic turmoil will have a dramatic impact on the VLJ market. "Prospects for the very light jet (VLJ) market for the next 10 years (2008 to 2017) have declined sharply over the last few weeks," PMI said last week. "Given the current difficult market circumstances it is difficult to see how more than one or two new aircraft entrants -- outside established aircraft manufacturers such as Embraer, Diamond, PiperJet, Cessna -- will be able to survive a prolonged period of market uncertainty," said PMI-Media's editorial director Philip Butterworth-Hayes. In its latest study, "The Very Light Jet Market 2008-2017: The impact of the global financial crisis", which was released after the announcement by Eclipse Aviation that it had filed for bankruptcy, PMI Media is forecasting the delivery of 4,610 VLJs, worth around $9.54 billion in 2008 prices, between 2008-2017. This is some 1,360 fewer aircraft than in the previous forecast released in October 2008. PMI tracks the VLJ market through analyzing supplier order backlogs and purchasing trends by air-taxi, corporate and individual aircraft operators. Virtual Flying in Some of the World's Great Airplanes Classic Cockpits is a series of high-quality DVDs that put you into the pilot's seat of some of the world's great airplanes. Be there for engine start, checklists, taxi, take-off, climb, cruise, descent, landing, and more. Titles currently available are: Flying the Legendary DC-3, Flying the PBY Catalina, and Flying the de Havilland Vampire. Makes the perfect holiday gift! Click on the individual titles for complete descriptions, and click here to order all DVDs online. New on AVweb back to top  Columns | Features | What's New | Calendar | Brainteasers AVweb Insider Blog: Numbskulls in Detroit, Part Deux What a surprise: Congress says it will give the Big Three bailout money, but the corporate jets have to go. Paul Bertorelli reacts in the latest installment of the AVweb Insider blog. Read more. Exclusive Video: F/A-18 Crash Near San Diego Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos An F/A-18 Hornet crashed about 9,000 feet shy of Runway 06L at MCAS Miramar, in a residential neighborhood near San Diego, California, Monday December 8, 2008 at approximately 11:59 a.m. local time. This initial report was published by Glenn Pew the day of the crash with the information available at that time. Read more about the crash here. This video includes images from Google Maps and Google Earth. Don't see a video screen? Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page. If that doesn't work, click here to download the video directly. Find an Unusual Gift for Any Pilot and All Aviation Enthusiasts Build A Plane announces its annual fund-raising eBay auction. For sale: lunch with New Piper CEO James Bass, Patty Wagstaff's flight suit, a B-25 bomber ride, Eclipse 500 jet stick time, a Honeywell AV8OR MFD, a 1949 A35 Beechcraft Bonanza, and so much more. Items start as low as a few dollars. All sales will benefit the Build A Plane program. Complete information at BuildAPlane.org. Who's Where back to top  Slentz to Universal Avionics Sam Slentz Sam Slentz is Universal Avionics' new Chief Technology director. Slentz has 35 years in the industry and most recently worked for the Air Force. Spahr New COO at GlobalJet Tim Spahr has been named the new Chief Operating Officer of GlobalJet in Scottsdale, Ariz. Spahr has more than 20 years of experience in the corporate and charter field. 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. Aviation Consumer, the Only Magazine with the Guts to Tell the Truth Truth about the gear you buy and the planes you fly. Aviation Consumer is packed with in-depth and uncompromising ratings of equipment, avionics, accessories, mods, services, aircraft, and much more. Order online and receive unlimited access to Aviation Consumer's ratings-packed web information database! The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is You! back to top  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. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part. Got a Moment? Make Your Voice Heard with Aviation Consumer's Maintenance Survey Our sister magazine, Aviation Consumer, wants your opinion on aircraft maintenance. If you'd like to participate, click here to complete a short, confidential survey. (The results will be used in an upcoming Aviation Consumer article on managing your maintenance. For subscription information, click here.) Names Behind the News back to top  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 Webmaster Scott Simmons Contributors Jeff van West 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.