PIPER SOLD FOR PROFIT
In this market it might be assumed that American Capital, the company that owned Piper Aircraft until last Friday, was bailing on a troubled industry. In fact, the company made a healthy $31 million profit on the sale and the premium paid by Imprimis is indicative of the strength of the company. "We are extremely delighted with the impressive results of our sale of Piper. The sale of Piper during such challenging economic times demonstrates that the market is still receptive to the acquisition of strong assets," American Capital spokesman Steve Price said in a news release. "We are excited for Piper as it moves forward with new ownership under Imprimis and expands in new geographic markets, especially Asia, with its comprehensive product line." More...

GA DELIVERIES DECLINE 41 PERCENT IN FIRST QUARTER
Shipments of general aviation aircraft fell by 41 percent in the first three months of 2009, compared to the same period a year ago, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association said on Tuesday. "This is an extremely difficult time for our industry," said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce. "We are dealing first and foremost with the severe negative effects of a worldwide economic downturn, but also with unwarranted criticism focused on the industry. The result has been the cancellation of orders for new airplanes and the loss of more than 15,000 high-paying jobs for American workers over the last several months." The piston segment was down 55 percent in the first quarter, with 179 airplanes delivered, compared to 399 in the first three months of 2008. Business jet shipments fell 36 percent, with 191 deliveries, compared to 297 in the first quarter of 2008. The turboprop segment was the only bright spot, showing a 3 percent increase, with 92 units delivered, up from 89 a year ago. A total of 462 GA airplanes were delivered, and industry billings totaled $4.34 billion, down 18 percent. But while the numbers may seem grim, the industry has always been somewhat volatile, and a look back in the GAMA records shows the last time total deliveries sank this low was not that long ago -- in the first quarter of 2004. Growth trended upward each year from 2004 to 2007. More...

CANADA BACKS OFF 406 ELTS
Canada's Minister of Transport, John Baird, has overruled his bureaucracy and suspended implementation of a controversial rule that would have required almost all aircraft to have certified 406 Mhz emergency locator transmitters installed by February of 2011 in order to fly legally in Canada. The rule would have applied to aircraft trying to enter Canada from other countries. In an interview with AVweb at Canadian Aviation Expo in Hamilton, Ontario, earlier this week, Kevin Psutka, president of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA), said the minister refused to sign the rule as presented by Transport Canada because it didn't include any viable alternatives to 406 ELTs, even though it included language that indicated an alternative method of compliance was possible. "There is no technology that exists today that could meet those (alternative) requirements," Psutka said. He said the minister has ordered his staff to draft a rule that gives new technology a fighting chance for acceptance. More...

NEW COMPANY OFFERS RIDE-SHARES FOR JETS
Maybe those auto execs would have suffered less of a thrashing if they had shared a ride to Washington in one jet instead of three -- that's part of the idea behind Greenjets, a new Florida-based company that aims to fill empty seats on private jets, to save money and reduce the environmental impact of the flight. The company said this week it already has 40 jets signed up in its network and plans to start service this summer. Travelers can book a seat online or over the phone, or buy a jetcard that offers discounts and freebies. "The Greenjetcard provides the most cost-effective private jet travel solution available today," the company said in a news release. Special-offer membership starts as low as $1,400 for a year and trip prices from New York to Florida can be as low as $1,800 per person. The company plans to start with service between New York and Florida, and later this year will add service for Chicago, Boston, Washington, and Atlanta. Over the next two years, another 27 markets will be added across the U.S. "Greenjets comes at a time when companies and individuals are looking to save money while maintaining productivity through flying private," the company said. More...

INTERNET, PHONE FOR ANY SIZE AIRPLANE
Surfing the Internet while flying the airways has mostly been reserved for bizjet passengers and, most recently, for those on a few airlines. But a Virginia company says it's developed a combination satellite phone and Wi-Fi system for any size aircraft, including light singles. "In response to significant customer recommendations, we have developed the CIS-100 as a simple low cost device that will give any aircraft the added safety, convenience and connectivity that owners and operators have only recently been able to acquire for their much larger, more sophisticated business and personal aircraft," said Jeff Saucedo, of International Communications Group. The news release issued by the company did not define affordable but it did address the size and weight issues that have also been an impediment to light aircraft installations. More...

SHARE YOUR EBACE NEWS
Europe's biggest business aviation show, the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE), is almost here, and AVweb is inviting companies attending to submit their news releases to us for possible publication in our show coverage. Send your news to editor@avweb.com. 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...

LUCKY AV8OR WINNERS
Almost 10,000 people entered our contest, sponsored by Bendix/King by Honeywell, for a chance to win one of five AV8OR GPS units. The lucky winner of the unit given away at AERO Friedrichshafen in Germany in early April was Nikolaus Gable from Memingham, Germany. In conjunction with our daily show coverage at Sun 'n Fun, we gave away four AV8ORs and the winners are: Brian Catchpoole of Lincolnshire, UK; Marianne Blair of Waynsboro, VA; Andrew Vlack of Westmont, IL; and David Joseph of Lakeland, FL. Our thanks to those who entered online and stopped by to see us at our booths at both shows. If you weren't one of the lucky ones this time around, you'll have another chance starting July 13 for AV8ORs that will be awarded after AirVenture 2009. Stay tuned for more details. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: 'IS SUN 'N FUN, LIKE, OVER?'
In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli takes the question of whether Sun 'n Fun faces a dire future. In a nutshell, his answer is yes — but if you've turned on the TV lately, you know times are tough all around. More...

AVIATION CONSUMER'S ASPEN AVIONICS SURVEY
Have you installed an Aspen Avionics PFD/MFD? Our sister magazine, Aviation Consumer, wants to talk to you about the experience and your satisfaction with the system. Please take a moment to fill out this survey and share your experience with other potential buyers.(The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click here.) More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: AVIATION CONSUMER REVIEWS JEPPESEN'S VISUAL CHARTS
Does the world need an alternative to the government's section charts? Jeppesen thinks so, and Aviation Consumer's Jeff Van West finds that these new products from Jeppesen are well-designed and well-executed, with a just a couple of small shortcomings. More...

PETNO NOW AN OWNER OF RW ARMSTRONG
Dan Petno has been promoted to owner of RW Armstrong, a worldwide engineering firm. Petno is based in Cleveland and has managed several aviation-related projects, including a new runway at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and a centralized de-icing facility there.
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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...

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

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