KEY CONGRESSMAN RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT LASP
Those in the GA community opposed to the intrusive Large Aircraft Security Proposal (LASP) proposed by the Transportation Security Administration gained some important support, AOPA said on Monday, when U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., asked the TSA to delay implementation of the program. Congressman Thompson chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security, which has jurisdiction over the TSA. In written comments on the proposed rule, submitted last week, Thompson told the TSA that several critical elements of its plan "appear to be problematic, infeasible, or overly burdensome to industry." He urged the TSA to delay implementation of the proposed regulations until the new TSA leadership has a chance to review the NPRM and discuss it with Congress and industry stakeholders. "Chairman Thompson understands the negative impact the LASP would have on general aviation," said Andy Cebula, AOPA executive vice president of government affairs. "We hope the TSA will stop its plans for the program and address the grave concerns being expressed by the Committee on Homeland Security and so many others who have spoken out against LASP." More...

ECLIPSE OWNERS WANT ASSETS
The spokesman for a group of Eclipse 500 owners says plans by New Eclipse — listen to the New Eclipse podcast here — and one other unnamed group trying to resurrect the failed company are "predatory" on existing owners because of the costs proposed to finish the aircraft already flying. Randall Sanada, of Jet Alliance, told The Associated Press the Eclipse Owners Group hopes to buy the company assets that would allow owners to arrange for their own upgrades and maintenance and the other bids, one of which has not been made public, want to take advantage of the owners. "The idea in both of these plans is to exploit the captive market that the Eclipse customers represent," he said. (Click here for a podcast analysis of the Eclipse situation.) More...

EUROPE'S GA AERO SHOW OFFERS EXPANDED SPACE, FRESH IDEAS
AERO Friedrichshafen, Europe's biggest general aviation trade show, is coming up April 2 to 5. This is the first year of the show's switch to an annual event -- in the past it was held every other year -- and also the first year since AERO and EAA announced they would engage in a "strategic relationship" to promote the show. About 570 exhibitors will be on hand, and the crowds are expected to exceed the 2007 total of over 45,000. Exhibit space has expanded from seven halls to 11, featuring a wide variety of GA aircraft and interests, from gliders and ultralights to model airplanes, skydiving and corporate jets. A new Helicopter Hangar will display rotary aircraft and gyrocopters. An E-Flight Expo, billed as a trade show within the show, will showcase aircraft with electrical propulsion, new solar technologies and other innovative propulsion concepts. A hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered trike, a solar-powered motorglider, and other unique aircraft are expected to be on display. The AERO show is also the place where Europe's GA community can discuss issues of common interest, such as fuel supplies, environmental concerns, and the health of the industry. On Thursday and Friday, exhibitors will offer demo flights, and on the weekend, an air show will feature fly-bys and aerobatic performers. More...

AVIATION COMPANIES FORGE AHEAD, DESPITE ECONOMY
Every crisis is an opportunity for somebody, and as the economic news continues to sour, plenty of aviation entrepreneurs are finding ways to adapt to the new markets. This week, Revolution Air, a charter broker based in New York, said it has seen an increase in corporate charter flights from companies receiving government assistance. "It's no secret that corporate flight departments are currently beingregarded as luxury items for businesses, which is rather unfortunate given their necessity in today's worldwide competitive corporate environment," said company President Ron Goldstein. When commercial flights are not an option for time or security reasons, Goldstein's charters offer a cost-effective solution. He added that he is seeing a trend to use charters for business travel only and executives are switching to commercial travel for skiing and golf trips. In Europe, new air-taxi startup Blink, which launched in June 2008 with a fleet of Citation Mustangs, has also seen growth in demand as corporations downsize from larger jets. The company promises the benefits of personal air travel at prices competitive with commercial business class and up to 50 percent cheaper than other corporate jet services. In Boston, Mass., Eclipse 500 operator Linear Air said revenue in February grew 131 percent over the year before, and it is now adding flights between several East Coast airports and the Bahamas. "While the fractionals, major airlines, and even low-cost airlines reported serious declines in February, demand for our unique low-cost personal air service more than doubled in New England," said CEO Bill Herp. The company also operates a fleet of Cessna Grand Caravans. And Hopscotch Air, an air-taxi service based in New York, is moving forward with plans to launch a fleet of Cirrus SR-22s next month. The company promises airline-competitive prices for personal service to convenient airports. More...

EASA RULES THREATEN U.S. SCHOOLS
AOPA says the bread and butter of many U.S. flight schools--foreign students--is being threatened by a European initiative that will make the U.S. ticket far less attractive. The European Aviation Safety Agency is proposing changes to its certification requirements that would essentially require U.S.-trained pilots to recertify in Europe. "While the training philosophies differ in Europe and the U.S., both groups of pilots have a similar goal, that of developing safe pilots," said Andy Cebula, AOPA's executive vice president of regulatory affairs. "It is critical that EASA and the U.S. formalize a bilateral agreement to reconcile the differences between this rule and the current U.S. rules governing flight training. More...

DIAMOND TRAINERS GET SPIDERTRACKS
Diamond Aircraft continues to be successful in the training market and recently announced a 14-plane deal to Massey University in New Zealand. Two DA42 twins and 12 DA40s are included in the package. And while the university says it picked the Diamond products for their technological features, it will be adding some portable gear to further enhance safety. The planes will all have Spidertracks, a GPS-based tracking system that gives real-time position reports, a major safety advantage in flight training, according to James McCarthy, a Massey grad who helped develop the device. "The safety of students is enhanced because the trainers can follow the students in real-time and know where they are, wherever they are," he said. More...

Columns | Features | What's New | Calendar | Brainteasers

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: SWIFT FUEL — CAN IT REPLACE 100LL?
The concept and the numbers more or less add up, although industry experts we've talked to think the claims may err on the side of optimism. In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli sorts through the clutter. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: F/A-18 AT MIRAMAR — HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?
If we've got this straight, a highly trained Marine pilot flying a Hornet with one engine caged and the other wheezing passes up a sure-bet runway for one 20 miles away surrounded by suburban sprawl? That seems to be it. In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli opines that judgment like this is all too human. More...

GAME OVER FOR ECLIPSE? MAYBE — OR MAYBE NOT
Teal Group consultant Richard Aboulafia has never pulled any punches about Eclipse Aviation, and he says the latest attempt to resurrect the company is the most reasonable yet. But is that enough? He spoke with AVweb's Russ Niles. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: B-24 COCKPIT TOUR
AVweb's Paul Bertorelli takes you on a detailed cockpit tour of the Collings Foundation B-24J Liberator, the only one of its type still flying. More...

OWN A GLASS COCKPIT AIRCRAFT? AVIATION CONSUMER WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU
If you own a glass cockpit aircraft, Aviation Consumer wants to hear from you. We want to know about the real costs of maintaining and upgrading these aircraft for an upcoming article. Please take a moment to fill out a short survey so others can benefit from your experiences. Click here to participate.(The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click here.) 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...

NATIONAIR APPOINTS SALES EXECS
NationAir Aviation Insurance has appointed three sales executives: Alison Hunter will cover the Great Lakes region, Brian Lauer is taking over the Southeast, and Jamie Zigler will look after Missouri and surrounding states.
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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...

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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.

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Paul Bertorelli

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