June 16, 2010

By The AVweb Editorial Staff

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. AVflash! Extra Goes Big back to top  Sponsor Announcement Extra Expands U.S. Market Efforts Extra Aircraft, based in Germany, is expanding its efforts to market the Extra 500 turboprop in North America and expects to select a site for a new assembly plant in the U.S. later this year, company spokesman Errol Bader told AVweb this week. "When we first introduced the airplane several years ago, we decided not to market it in the U.S.," he said, due to various reasons such as the exchange rate and regulatory barriers. But now the company has decided the time is right, and they are offering the airplane with a Rolls Royce engine and Avidyne's new Entegra II Release 9 avionics, for $1.65 million. "If you order one now, you can take delivery in the first quarter of 2011," Bader said. Plans are to continue to construct the aircraft's composite parts in Germany, Bader said, but the engines and avionics and other components will be installed at the U.S. site. The six-seat Extra 500 has a pressurized cabin and is equipped for flight into known icing. An earlier version of the aircraft was EASA certified, and a new certification is pending to accommodate the avionics upgrade, Bader said. He hopes to have an FAA type certificate in hand by the end of this year. The aircraft burns 19 gallons per hour and has a range of 1,600 miles, the company says. Three Extra Aircraft sales centers have been chosen in the U.S.: Mid Island Air Service on Long Island, N.Y.; Premier Aircraft Sales in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and USAero in Denver, Colo. The airplane starts a U.S. tour this week with a stop in Dayton, Ohio, and will include a stop at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh next month. Click here for the full schedule. Share Your Thoughts on Aviation Headsets Pilots have many choices when considering aviation headsets. So we'd like to know: What features lead you to purchase? How do you choose between brands? In short, we want to know what's important to you. Please take a few moments to complete our survey. And help influence the future of the aviation headset industry. Go to survey » Biz Recovery Coming, Not Here Yet back to top  Sponsor Announcement Pratt And Whitney Bullish On Bizjets The world's largest manufacturer of business aircraft engines says the market will return to the record levels enjoyed in 2008 — but not until 2014, at the earliest. Pratt & Whitney Canada President John Saabas told Bloomberg there are also some major developments brewing as Bombardier and Gulfstream square off for dominance of the big bizjet market and as Cessna considers relaunching the Columbus intercontinental model it shelved in 2009. "It's a great opportunity for us with all those yet-to-be announced competitions," Saabas said. He said the big jet market will strengthen first, which bodes well for P&WC's current development project, the PW800 series. Cessna was to be the launch customer for the PW800, but development has continued because the hot section is being tested as part of the development of larger engines for the Bombardier CSeries and Mitsubishi's new regional jet. "There are going to be regional applications before the business world, so the core will be developed," Saabas said. By the time the bizjet market has recovered, Saabas said the PW800 will be ready for the new aircraft that will be introduced. First Ever Aircraft Auction at Oshkosh Auction.com, in partnership with EAA, will be hosting an aircraft auction at AirVenture on Saturday, July 31, 2010. All aircraft welcome, from single-engine to jets. To buy or sell your plane, visit AirVenture.org/Auction or click here for more information. Wayfarer Finds New Path back to top  Arcadia Buys Wayfarer Arcadia Aviation has purchased some of the assets of Wayfarer Aviation after supplying bridge financing to keep the company going folling its brief closure late last week. "Ending speculation about the future of Wayfarer, on Friday June 11, Arcadia Aviation provided bridge financing to Wayfarer to ensure the continuation of uninterrupted service in advance of the signing of the purchase agreement," Arcadia said in a news release issued Tuesday. Most Wayfarer employees were let go last week, but prospects look better for them now that the deal is complete. Arcadia will keep Wayfarer's Weymouth, Mass., base as an operations center and integrate it into its existing network of facilities, which include FBOs in the New York and Washington areas. The head office will remain in New York City. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "We have closely followed the Wayfarer operation for years, harkening back to its TAG Aviation roots," said Robert Garrett Jr., president of Arcadia Aviation. "Many of our employees have worked side by side with the Wayfarer team in previous jobs. We view the acquisition as an extraordinary opportunity both for our company to grow but more importantly to preserve one of the industry's great companies that over the years has come to define the standard of operational excellence and a commitment to safety beyond all else." 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. More Acquisitions back to top  TWG, Vitesse Reach Purchase Agreement TWG Aviation is buying the FBO, charter and maintenance portions of Vitesse Aviation Services at Dallas Love Field as part of a deal that should see both companies grow. TWG, which operates Business Jet Access and Business Jet Center, wants to beef up its Dallas operations, and the acquisition of Vitesse's business and the 7.5 acres of buildings and ramp space it occupies will accomplish that. "By entering into this agreement with Vitesse Aviation Services, we are in position to expand our infrastructure, increase our service capacity and posture our company for future growth," said TWG spokesman Mike Wright. The acquisition is also a chance for Vitesse to concentrate resources on a successful landing gear, machining and component business. "A condition of the sale will be the relocation of our repair, overhaul and component business to a larger, expanded facility near our present Love Field location, where we will continue to serve the needs of our private and commercial aviation clients," said spokesman David Peaper. "We believe the transaction will be very positive for Vitesse and TWG, and we are pleased to have been able to reach this accord." The deal is expected to take about 120 days to complete. Limited Time Only — Hangar Special! Due to high demand, ONLY 3 hangars remain in phase 1. The remaining hangars are available at close-out pricing (but you must purchase a lot in order to qualify for hangar specials). If you are up for a little adventure, join us June 26-27 for our summer kick-off weekend. Be our guest and stay at one of our luxury houses, indulge in a gourmet meal, and enjoy all of the amenities the Airpark has to offer. A hangar and rental car are included. All for only $99. Space is limited. Click here to book your visit. Catching Up with the Times back to top  Cirrus Paying Back Rent One sign that things are looking up in the aircraft business is when cash-strapped companies start getting caught up on their bills, and Cirrus Aircraft took some big steps in that direction this month. This week, the city of Grand Forks announced that Cirrus had paid six months' worth of back rent worth $507,000. That leaves the company 11 months behind for a total of $930,000, but it has promised to get caught up. Cirrus builds composite components at the Grand Forks plant. Cirrus struck a different deal for its base of operations at Duluth. Last week, the company reached a deal with the city of Duluth to convert $187,500 in back rent into a loan that will be forgiven if it expands operations significantly. Like most GA manufacturers, Cirrus has been hit hard by the recession and cut production and staffing to keep the doors open. Diamond Has Your Training Needs Covered Getting your license or upgrading your rating? Operating a flight school? Diamond offers the only complete modern fleet of technically-advanced training aircraft, along with model-specific flight training devices and a safety record that is second to none. Leading flight training schools around the globe fly Diamond Aircraft. Find out why. Opinion & Commentary back to top  AVweb Insider Blog: Self-Delusion Saves Lives Pride goeth before a fall. We're told that lying to ourselves and overestimating our abilities is a surefire path to failure — but listening to Failure Is Not an Option author Gene Kranz talk about the Apollo 13 mission, Jeff Van West has come to realize the opposite is sometimes true: Our self-delusions can pave the way to success. Read more at the AVweb Insider blog — and then add your own comments. AVweb Insider Blog: Tulsa, We Have a Problem — A Boring Air Show How can an air show be boring? It's not enough to bring top acts into town like Kyle Franklin and the Rocket Racing League. On the AVweb Insider, guest blogger Greg Wustrack explains that pacing, parking, and a place to pee are top considerations, too. Read more and join the conversation. AVweb Insider Blog: Live Streaming on the Internet — Your Aircraft Wreck! That must be the way the pilot of that Strearman that pranged on the runway at Reagan National on Tuesday felt. You can hardly open a car door (or untie an airplane) without a camera catching you in the act. In the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli reminds us all to wear our best flight jackets and the underwear with no holes: We're gonna be on TV! Click here to read the blog and join the conversation. Now Available: 2010 1/2 FAR/AIM & FARs for AMTs eBooks Extensive changes have been made to the FAR/AIM & FAR/AMTs since the 2010 printed editions were last published. These changes through 3/2/10 are now available in a complete new eBook edition. All eBooks are single-file .PDF documents. They are extensively bookmarked, fully searchable, and printable. There is no easier way to access the information you need, whether you are flying or maintaining aircraft. Click these links to order: 2010 1/2 FAR/AIM eBook | $11.95 2010 1/2 FARs for AMTs eBook | $17.95 AVweb Media: Look, Listen, Laugh and Learn back to top  Aviation Consumer Reviews the iPad — Warts and All Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos Could it really be? Is the iPad the ultimate cockpit EFB (electronic flight bag) that we've all been waiting for? Find out in this review by AVweb and Aviation Consumer's Paul Bertorelli. It has potential — so much potential ... . If you enjoy this video, be sure to look for the print review of the iPad in the July issue of our sister magazine, Aviation Consumer. Don't see a video screen? Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page. If that doesn't work, click here to download the video directly. Looking for Low-Cost, Yet Effective, Marketing Options? Let AVweb assist your company in creating effective direct-response marketing campaigns to generate leads. No other digital aviation news media reaches more qualified subscribers more often. Text messages in newsletters combined with online banners reach over 255,000 readers monthly and deliver more new users to sponsor sites weekly than most print publications do monthly. Click now for details. Help Us Celebrate AVweb's 15th Anniversary back to top  15 Years and Now 15 Grand Giveaways ... It's Your Chance to Win an AV8OR Handheld GPS Win an AV8OR handheld GPS (from Bendix/King by Honeywell) as we celebrate our 15th Anniversary! All you have to do is click here to enter your name and e-mail address. (You only have to enter once, and you'll be entered in our prize drawings for the entire year — so if you've already entered, you're all set.) And no, we're not going to rent or sell your name, ever. Tell your friends, and invite them to sign up for AVweb so they can qualify for our 15 Grand Giveaways prize drawings, too. (We won't spam them, either — but we hope they will sign up for our newsletters.) Deadline for entries is 11:59pm Zulu time June 18, 2010. Click here to read the contest rules and enter. Congratulations to William R. Smith of Madison, Connecticut, who won a King Schools Get-It-All Pilot Training Kit in our last drawing! (click here to get your own from King Schools) The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is You! back to top  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. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part. 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. Names Behind the News back to top  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.