EBACE SHOWS POWER OF BIZAV
The theme of this European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition is that business aviation is "The Right Tool for Challenging Times." And while that sentiment is undoubtedly an easy sell on the convention floor, it's likely hoped that other ears are listening to the presentations that bolster that notion. First, it should be noted that while last year's EBACE set records for attendance and exhibitors, this year's is not much smaller and is being described as the third-largest event. Presentations at the opening day of the event mirror the hopeful and somewhat defiant tone of the convention and are highlighted by the Price Waterhouse study detailing the enormous economic impact of business aviation on Europe. Some companies picked up on the theme in their news conferences and Cessna CEO Jack Pelton, who hasn't been shy about sharing his views on the state and perception of bizav, told attendees to count their blessings. More...

EMBRAER DEBUTS LINEAGE AT EBACE
Embraer introduced the first-in-service ultra-large Lineage 1000 at EBACE yesterday. The Lineage is the luxury variant of the company's E-190, and it is on the static park. The Phenom 100 is also on display for the first time at the show. To complement its new offerings Embraer named Cologne based Nayak Aircraft Services as an Embraer Authorized Service Center at EBACE Tuesday. The company became the first maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility to serve Embraer's Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 in Germany. "We are very pleased to welcome Nayak Aircraft Services to our customer support network," said spokesman Antonio Martini. "Embraer is constantly evaluating and improving the global network of its Executive Jet Service Centers. Their location is an important factor for serving our customers, and Germany is one of Europe's most responsive business aviation markets for our Phenom family." More...

LUFTHANSA DEBUTS SWISS PRIVATEAVIATION
Lufthansa launched Swiss PrivateAviation at EBACE Tuesday, a subsidiary of Swiss International Airlines. The company was formed last year after Swiss acquired business aviation charter and management company Servair Private Aviation. The new company is intended to strengthen Lufthansa's private jet offering and will support the airline's fleet of Cessna Citation aircraft, which will all be operational by the end of summer. LPJ also announced that it has selected Swiss PrivateAviation to manage its fleet of Cessna business aircraft. The operator offers exclusive and flexible options on its own fleet of different types of Cessna Citation aircraft, three light CJ1+ jets, two CJ3 jets and two Citation XLS+ aircraft. LPJ will continue to cooperate with its partners DC Aviation and Jet Alliance in order to respond quickly to passenger requests. More...

BOMBARDIER REMAINS STRONG
One of Bombardier's top European executives said at EBACE Tuesday that the company remains positive despite the current financial crisis. "We remain a strong organization and that's no mean feat in this current crisis. It is a credit to our products and our people," said Bob Horner, regional vice president aircraft sales. He pointed out the OEM's strength was underlined by last year's solid financial results. Aerospace contributed 51% of the manufacturer's total revenues. "Today we're in a much better position to deal with challenges thrown at us than we were a few years ago." He said that widebody aircraft deliveries increased year on year with a strong order intake for the year. He pointed to recent GAMA figures indicating a market share increase of 37 percent. More...

NEW ASIAN BUSINESS AVIATION EVENT DRAWS INTEREST
Business, like nature, abhors a vacuum, so when the National Business Aviation Association cancelled this year's Asia Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, scheduled for Hong Kong last February, it was only a matter of time before something filled the void. Last month, the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) announced that its annual event, Asian Aerospace 2009, will be joined by a concurrent show, Asian Business Aviation. Both will be held Sept. 8-10 in Hong Kong. Some major players in business aviation, including Bombardier, Gulfstream and Jet Aviation, are already committed. While the economic downturn prompted NBAA to cancel their show, the global crisis will be the focus of the new event. "The market in Asia is 180 degrees different now from how it was six months ago and we plan to focus on these challenges in this unique Asian networking opportunity," said AsBAA Vice Chairman Jason Liao. More...

BRANSON'S PRIVATE COMMERCIAL AIRPORT GOES LIVE
An interesting development in U.S. aviation became a practical exercise on Monday as Branson Airport welcomed its first commercial flight. Minneapolis-based Sun Country Airlines became the first customer of the first entirely privately funded commercial airport in the U.S. The 737 offloaded a planeload of Minnesotans intent on sampling the entertainment and bright lights of the entertainment capital of Missouri. As they head off to the Ozarks Spring Fiddle Convention and Bluegrass Jam Session, among other attractions, the $155 million airport is geared up to handle more of the same in a purpose-built facility aimed at processing vacation-goers as efficiently -- and profitably -- as possible. "The arrival of this flight marks a new beginning for air travel in the Ozarks," said Steve Peet, CEO, Branson Airport. "The vision we've had for so many years of providing low-cost air travel to and from Branson, is today a reality." AirTran also initiated its service, landing a couple of hours after Sun Country. Before the airliner touched down, however, there was plenty of action at the airport. More...

OPRAH: "IT'S GREAT TO HAVE A PRIVATE JET"
We can practically hear the cheering in Wichita from here -- Oprah Winfrey said in a speech to the graduating class at Duke University on Sunday that "it's great to have a private jet." With CEOs across the country shamefaced about corporate excess, and aviation workers paying the price in thousands of lost jobs, could Oprah single-handedly make it OK again to fly? "Anyone that tells you that having your own private jet isn't great is lying to you," she told the grads. "That jet thing is really good." Whether her enthusiasm will turn the tide and make private jets fun again is still an open question -- it could make things even worse. While The Wall Street Journal's "Wealth Report" blog found it encouraging --"Perhaps [the private-jet industry] should forget all the boring arguments about jobs and productivity and efficiency and run a picture of Oprah..." -- others were less impressed. According to Perez Hilton's blog, the message was not a positive one: "Lesson to learn, graduates: It's good to be Oprah and sucks to be everyone else!" More...

COLGAN CRASH HEARING OPENS
The early speculation surrounding the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in Buffalo in February appeared to look for anomalies, like wing or elevator ice that would make the Dash 8 with 49 people aboard suddenly become uncontrollable, but there was always an undercurrent in the forums and chat rooms that it was just as it appeared — a stall-spin accident. The latter theory appears to be where the evidence is headed in an NTSB hearing that covered the moments leading up to the crash, which killed everyone on board and one person on the ground. According to CBS's account of the proceedings. When the ice-laden aircraft approached a stall, the stick pusher activated, and the reaction of Capt. Marvin Renslow was to pull back, flipping the airliner over into an unrecoverable spin. "Obviously the initial reaction to the stall warning was incorrect. That set the course of action for what followed," Wally Warner of Bombardier, the airplane's manufacturer, told CBS. A confounding factor was the fact that neither of the pilots, Capt. Marvin Renslow and FO Rebecca Shaw, had any demonstration or simulator training with the stick pusher — because the FAA doesn't require it. The airline made a point of saying the pilots had "all the training and experience required" by the FAA to take the flight. More...

PLANS MOVING FORWARD FOR AERION SUPERSONIC JET
Times might be tough right now, but apparently there are still plenty of people who hope to see a supersonic business jet on the market in the near future. The Aerion order book has held steady at $4 billion -- about 50 jets at $80 million each -- Aerion Vice Chairman Brian Barents said at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition this week, and OEMs have remained committed to pressing ahead with discussions despite economic uncertainty. The company expects to develop a joint Aerion-OEM proof-of-concept design study, which would last nine months to a year. After that, the partners would jointly decide whether to move forward with full-scale development and production. "We are confident we will reach an agreement with an OEM," said Barents. "The challenges are many, but there is a desire on the part of all parties to make this happen." The discussions are complex, he said, involving many technical and business issues, but "they are moving in the right direction." More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: SEAN TUCKER'S FUEL EXHAUSTION ADVENTURE
Boy, that Sean Tucker sure screwed up when he ran out of fuel, didn't he? Um, yeah — and AVweb's Paul Bertorelli has a little confession to make on that front, too. Read all about it in the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog — and if you're not in the club with Paul and Sean, be sure to take the lesson to heart. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: CESSNA MUSTANG DEMO FLIGHT — IS IT REALLY AS EASY TO FLY AS A SKYHAWK?
Almost. In this post-Sun 'n Fun video, AVweb reports that the Mustang's control forces and basic systems are so close to those of a heavy single or light twin that any moderately experienced pilot should be able to check out in it without breaking a sweat. And at 340 knots for 1,100 miles, we could get used to it, thanks. More...

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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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