FAA PANEL TO REVIEW HUDSON OPERATIONS
The FAA has convened a New York Airspace Working Group that will review current operating procedures in the VFR corridor over the Hudson and East Rivers and recommend safety improvements to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt by the end of next week. FAA air traffic and safety experts will make up the panel. They will solicit comments from helicopter and aircraft operators and review air traffic and pilot procedures. They will also review and analyze a variety of proposals to change the operating procedures in the VFR corridors. "We strongly encourage pilots to use standard practices in that area now, but it may make sense to require them," Babbitt said. "We've heard a lot of other good ideas about improving safety there and I'm looking for a quick, but thorough review by the safety experts." AOPA and EAA have sent a joint letter to Babbitt urging a restrained response to the Aug. 8 midair collision that prompted the review. More...

NTSB CLARIFIES ROLE OF TETERBORO CONTROLLER
The NTSB has clarified a section of a press release issued last Friday in which it said the Teterboro controller working a Piper PA32 had a radar contact on the sightseeing helicopter with which it would collide in time to warn the Piper pilot of the possible conflict. The board has issued a statement agreeing with the position put forth by National Air Traffic Controllers Association spokesman Ray Adams in a podcast with AVweb on Monday. But the board has also removed NATCA as an official party to the investigation, saying that by publicly raising the issue of the apparent misstatement, the union violated an agreement signed by all participants in NTSB investigations to let the board handle the press. "Among the rules parties agree to is that they will not reveal investigative information being learned through that process, nor publicly comment on it," the board said. "Parties agree that only the NTSB will release factual information on the progress of the investigation and discuss the progress of the investigation with the public, including the news media." More...

FAA PROPOSES SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
The FAA has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (PDF) that would require a broad spectrum of aviation businesses, from repair stations to airlines, to implement formal "safety management systems" that document the safety procedures throughout the operation. The International Civil Aviation Organization defines an SMS as "systematic approach to managing safety, including the necessary organizational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures." However, the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) calls it an "overarching, regulatory 'blanket' to your business" that it says even the FAA admits is a major administrative and operational burden. The AEA is urging members to comment on the NPRM but not before they attend a seminar on its potential impact. The AEA is afraid members will inadvertently signal support for the proposal if they don't get the straight goods from the meetings. More...

PHENOM 300 PROGRAM ON TRACK
Embraer says it's on track to certify its Phenom 300 light jet by the end of the year. The fifth prototype flew for the first time on Aug. 8 and it's likely to become a familiar sight on the airshow and trade show circuit since it has the fully developed BMW-designed interior. Its predecessors are going through the usual indignities of the certification program, being subjected to cold, heat, electromagnetic radiation and generally being wrung out. No. 5 gets a more genteel assignment. "With this fifth aircraft, we will validate the robustness of the Phenom 300 under normal operating conditions and the superior comfort of its interior, which was designed in partnership with BMW Group DesignworksUSA," said Mauricio Almieda, Embraer's VP of executive jet programs. More...

JETPOD ENTREPRENEUR KILLED IN TEST FLIGHT
Michael Dacre, 53, was killed on Sunday in Malaysia as he was attempting to fly the prototype of the Jetpod, a jet-powered STOL aircraft. Dacre, who had designed the airplane, was the managing director of Avcen, the London-based company that was developing it. The Star, of Malaysia, reported that Dacre taxied down the runway three times before taking off, but then at about 600 feet the aircraft suddenly shot vertically into the sky, veered left, crashed to the ground and exploded. The company's promotional materials describe the Jetpod as an eight-place, very quiet twin-engine jet that would be capable of speeds up to 350 mph and could land or take off in about 400 feet. Dacre envisioned several possible roles for the airplane, including medevac, personal transport, and air taxi. The jet could also be used by the military for reconnaissance and would be able to operate from aircraft carriers without the need for a catapult or arrestor gear, according to a company video posted online. The company planned to start production by 2011. More...

ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF OUR EAA AIRVENTURE AV8OR HANDHELD GPS DRAWING
The results are in. From the thousands of AVweb readers (new and old) who entered our drawing during the lead-up to EAA AirVenture, we've picked three at random to receive brand-new AV8OR handheld GPS units from Bendix/King by Honeywell. The winners are: Brian Mitchell of Pittsfield, ME; Ted Lebens of Eagen, MN; and Warren Jagodnik of Burke, VA. Many thanks to everyone who took a moment to enter the drawing, and a warm welcome to anyone who registered with AVweb for the first time to participate. If you'd like one of these handy devices for yourself, you'll have one more chance to take one home during our AOPA Expo drawing later in the fall — or you read more about it at the Bendix/King by Honeywell Web site, as well as find a dealer and purchase one for yourself. More...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: LOSS OF CONTROL IN AN F-16 FIGHTER, TEST PILOT ON YAW DEPARTURE
At Edwards Air Force Base, they still test F-16 fighters, because each software upgrade and each new weapons package introduces new parameters. Experimental test pilots need to identify the aircraft's performance limits, and they need to know how it will perform before their brothers- and sisters-in-arms take upgraded Vipers into combat. This is one of those tests, and Air Force pilot Desmond Brophy walks us through it step-by-step. More...

HUDSON RIVER COLLISION MOMENT-OF-IMPACT FOOTAGE FROM NBC NEWS
Obtained by NBC news, this video shot by an Italian tourist shows the moment of impact between a Piper Saratoga and a Eurocopter over the Hudson River. The accident killed all nine aboard the two aircraft. More...

GARDNER JOINS BECKER AVIONICS
Brett Gardner has joined Becker Avionics as its new Director of Sales and Marketing. Gardner has extensive experience in the helicopter sector and was most recently a Major on voluntary assignment as an Army Reserve Company Commander with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command.
More...

THRESS VP CUSTOMER SERVICE AT CESSNA

Brad Thress

Brad Thress has been named Vice President of Customer Service at Cessna. He joined Cessna in 1992 and was most recently VP of Component Operations. More...

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...

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...

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.