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June 24, 2009
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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Business Aviation Will Help Companies Not Only Survive
But Prosper During the Current Financial Crisis
To be your most productive, and your most efficient, you must keep flying. Because in so doing, you will emerge from these times even stronger than before. And you will replace the uncertainty that
surrounds many, with the confidence and courage to light the way for all.
Visit
CessnaRise.com. 
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 The co-founder of Platinum Jet Management, whose Challenger business jet went off the end of the runway at Teterboro Airport in
2005, has pleaded guilty to fraud charges for flying more than 100 charters without the proper certification. Andre Budhan could go to jail for up to four years after the investigation into the
Teterboro crash turned into a criminal probe. A total of 23 charges were laid against Budhan and he pleaded guilty to the fraud charge. Even though the passengers on those flights got to where they
were going, the fraud occurred because Platinum didn't tell them they didn't have the paperwork for conducting on-demand charters, according to North Jersey Crime Examiner.
There are five others charged in the alleged scheme and they've all pleaded not guilty. A trial is set for next January. Prosecutors allege that the Challenger that crashed was overfueled and
couldn't get off the ground because the center of gravity was too far forward. The indictment alleges that Platinum routinely overfueled aircraft at Teterboro and other locations where fuel was less
expensive. The flightless Challenger crossed a highway and plowed into a furniture warehouse, injuring all 11 people aboard and four bystanders.
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Back to the Long Lines for Clear Lanes
Customers |
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 Commercial airline travel just got a lot less convenient for frequent travelers who'd paid hundreds of dollars to jump the security
line. Verified Identity Pass, the company that operated the Clear security screening kiosks at about 20 major U.S. airports, shut down on Monday night, forcing its customers to shuffle shoeless with
the masses through the regular security lines. In a statement issued late Monday, the company said it couldn't reach a deal with its senior
creditor to keep going. About 250,000 customers had paid up to $199 a year to zip through the segregated kiosks, which used retinal scans and fingerprints to verify the identity of travelers whose
security background information was on a database. The company says the private information will be deleted securely but, unfortunately, so will the fees that have been paid.
"At the present time, because of its financial condition, Verified Identity Pass Inc. cannot issue refunds," the company said. Some people had signed up for three years at a cost of more than $500.
As for the security information, the company said it has a plan for getting rid of it. "Applicant and member data is currently secured in accordance with the Transportation Security Administration's
Security, Privacy and Compliance Standards," the company said. "Verified Identity Pass Inc. will continue to secure such information and will take appropriate steps to delete the information." The
Transportation Security Administration didn't comment directly on the closure.
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View Trade-A-Plane's New Edition at No Cost on Your Mobile Device!
Just enter
Trade-A-Plane.com/mobile. 
Search for aircraft (hourly updates). Find companies, products, and services. Locate dealers/brokers. Call or e-mail sellers, and click directly to their web sites. With our web and mobile
editions, you can view all of our ads at no cost, all the time! Call (800) 337-5263, or
visit us
online. 
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 All Nippon Airways says it's still too soon to reconsider its launch order of the Boeing 787, even though Boeing announced the fifth program
delay and pushed the first flight of the aircraft back for an unspecified period. The company says preflight testing revealed the need to beef up the structure of the fuselage where the wings attach
and it's going to make sure it gets done right. "Consideration was given to a temporary solution that would allow us to fly as scheduled, but we ultimately concluded that the right thing was to
develop, design, test and incorporate a permanent modification to the localized area requiring reinforcement," said Scott Carson, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. As ominous as it all sounds, the
mods are described as "minor" and aren't related to the use of composites or the manufacturing processes.
However, the company says it isn't ready to say when the first flight might be and what effect the delay, the fifth in the development of the 787, might have on deliveries. ANA says it hopes Boeing
will get cracking on those estimates, since it was supposed to get its first 787 about two years ago and was hoping for one as early as next March. More than 850 Dreamliners have been ordered but the
delays are irritating customers who are anxious to take advantage of the major fuel savings the aircraft promises. Investors, already twitchy about Boeing's overall performance, shed millions of
shares, resulting in a one-day decline of 7.5 percent to less than $44.
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YES! Powered by AirFleet
Aircraft financing available? Yes! Flexible financing programs for new and used aircraft are still readily available, and AirFleet Capital can fix today's low rate for up to 20
years. In this buyer's market with big tax incentives and historically low interest rates, now is a great time to buy and finance the aircraft you've been waiting for! Please call (800)
390-4324 or
request a quote
online at AirFleetCapital.com. 
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 The FAA's plan to redesign the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia region airspace
cleared a key legal barrier last week when a court struck down a group of legal challenges, the FAA said on Monday. A
federal appeals court ruled on June 10 that the FAA can continue to move ahead as planned. Challenges had been filed by several state and local governments in the region, as well as a citizens group,
claiming that the FAA didn't properly perform an environmental impact study of the changes in air traffic patterns that would result from the redesign. The court disagreed. "The FAA's environmental
impact analysis was procedurally sound and substantively reasonable," the court wrote in its decision.
The FAA says the redesign will help reduce delays by about 20 percent, and NBAA agrees. "This is welcome news for everyone," Steve Brown, NBAA's vice president for operations, told AVweb on Tuesday. "This redesign is absolutely a good thing for airspace users. It will make traffic flow more
efficiently, with fewer delays. It will save fuel and increase capacity." The redesign will be completed in 2012, the FAA said. Opponents to the plan say it will subject residential neighborhoods to
too much noise. An appeal is expected, according to Business Week.
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(800) 323-5966, or
click for more
information. 
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Evolution 01 Takes a Step Back After Shaky
Landing |
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 Lancair International says serial number 01 of its Evolution Turbine kit speedster will be back on tour within a week after a
gear up landing at Northeast Georgia Regional Airport, near Winder, Ga. In a news release Monday, Lancair said the aircraft suffered "minor" damage to its rudder and tail cone in the mishap and
technicians were dispatched immediately with all the tools and supplies needed to get the plane fixed and back in the air. "True to the nature of high strength composites the damage is expected to be
fully repaired in three to five days, the company said. Company pilot Bob Jeffrey was flying at the time.
The aircraft will resume a promotional tour that will end at EAA AirVenture in late July. The turbine Evolution will be joined in Oshkosh by the piston-powered version of the aircraft, which is
powered by a Lycoming IE2. It will be the first public appearance of the piston model.
Related Content:
See video of the Evolution's debut at Sun 'n Fun 2008 here.
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Phase II of the FBO Customer Survey
You have the opportunity to participate in our continuing survey of users of fixed base operators (FBOs) in the United States. Upon completion of the survey, you will be automatically awarded $30 as
a token of appreciation and will be entered in a sweepstakes giveaway for a chance to win one of ten 8GB Apple® iPod Touch® devices. This is your chance to speak out and
improve the industry!
Give your input on
FBOs. 
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Dr. Sam B. Williams, founder and chairman of turbine engine company Williams International, of Walled Lake, Mich., died on Monday at the age
of 88, the company announced in a news release on Tuesday. The small, efficient fanjet engines that Dr. Williams developed and patented were crucial to the development of very light jets and today are
widely used on general aviation jet aircraft. The first Williams International jet engine, the FJ44-1A, was certified by the FAA in 1992, and since then, 4,000 FJ44 engines have entered service. Dr.
Williams was inspired by a "lifelong dream of making jet travel safe, convenient, and affordable," the company said. He left a secure career at Chrysler Corp. in 1955 and started his own company with
limited funds. Besides VLJs and bizjets, Williams engines have powered cruise missiles, the X-Jet flying platform,
the V-Jet II designed by Scaled Composites that flew in 1997, and military drones. Dr. Williams
was the recipient of many awards for innovation, including the Collier Trophy, the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, and the National Medal of Technology. He was also inducted into the National
Inventors Hall of Fame and the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
Dr. Williams is survived by his wife of 54 years, Barbara Gibson Williams, two sons and a daughter, and three grandchildren. His son Gregg G. Williams, who is the current president and CEO of
Williams International, will also assume the title of chairman.
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The New Meridian G1000 — Commanding
The new Meridian G1000 with Garmin G1000 avionics and GFC 700 autopilot suite, business jet luxury and turbine simplicity for 30% less than any comparable six-place turbine-powered aircraft.
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Click here for more
information on the new Piper Meridian G1000. 
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International Civil Aviation Organization — ICAO
ICAO documents are now at the AVweb Bookstore in convenient and economical eBook format. ICAO, a division of the United Nations, sets the global standards for international
aviation, including communications, airport design, overseas routes, ATC, hazmat transport, and much more. If you are involved with international air transportation, these documents are critical
information for your operations and planning departments.
Click here for the
growing product listing. 
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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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Traditional Tactics Need a Fresh Approach
Doing the same thing and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. Isn't it time to initiate a digital marketing program with AVweb that will deliver traffic and orders
directly to your web site? Discover several new and highly successful marketing options to use in lieu of static print or banner campaigns.
Click now for
details. 
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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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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.
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version of AVwebBiz. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here.
Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.
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If you've forgotten why it is you started flying in the first place, Paul Bertorelli and Jeff Van West suggest you pay a visit to Progressive Aerodyne and fly the SeaRey amphibian. If there's not a
law against having this much fun, maybe there ought to be.
