August 4, 2010

By The AVweb Editorial Staff

Are You Ready to Move Up to a Zulu? Then your wait is over. Thanks to Lightspeed's greatly expanded trade-up program, you may be able to move up to the quietest, most comfortable headset in the world. No matter what brand you're currently flying with. This offer is available only through Lightspeed Aviation direct. To learn more about the Zulu and check the "tradeworthiness" of your current headset, just go to LightspeedAviation.com. AVflash! Bombardier to Stay in Wichita back to top  Sponsor Announcement Kansas Keeps Bombardier In Wichita The State of Kansas has ensured Bombardier's Lear 85 composite business jet will be assembled, painted and prepared for customers in Wichita by lending the Canadian planemaker $27 million in bond financing to build the facilities necessary to carry out the work. The new facilities will support 600 jobs, of which 300 will be new hires. As part of the deal, Bombardier can't shift any existing plant functions or the new ones from Wichita for the life of the bond. "We've tied the $27 million in incentives not just to the new jobs, but to keeping those operations here," Gov. Mark Parkinson said. Under the deal, income tax collected from employees will be used to pay back the loan, rather than going into general revenue. The fuselage for the Lear 85 will be made in Mexico and shipped to Wichita for final assembly, paint and customer prep. Steve Ridolfi, president of Bombardier Business Jets, said that while the company looked at other proposals for finishing Lear 85s, Wichita had the inside track and the bond financing was an extra incentive. "We wanted to build the airplane here," Ridolfi said. "Wichita was our first choice." Bombardier will build a total of 131,500 square feet of buildings to house the various functions and construction on the first phase, the expansion of the final assembly building will begin shortly in anticipation of the first aircraft assembly beginning early next year. Introducing: Our Best Pilot Headset Ever NEW Bose A20™ Aviation Headset Bose was the first to introduce active noise reducing headsets to aviation more than 20 years ago, forever changing the way pilots fly. Now the Bose A20™ Aviation Headset sets an entirely new standard, providing significantly greater noise reduction than currently available. It also features an improved level of comfort, clear audio, Bluetooth® connectivity, auxiliary audio input and priority switching. Learn more. Grounded! back to top  Flight School Closes, 60 Chinese Students Affected About 60 Chinese student pilots face an uncertain future after the abrupt closure of a London, Ontario flight school that took their $55,000 tuition up front and was evicted from its facilities for non-payment of rent before training was complete. The London Free Press says some of the students are also facing eviction from their apartments because accommodation was included in the fee paid to Maylan Flight Academy, which was forced from its premises more than a month ago. The students are still flying. They were transferred to another school at the London Airport and so far their lessons have been covered by Maylan. But the other school, Blue Bird Flight Academy, trains only private pilots and the Chinese students were promised multi-IFR tickets. Maylan has not declared bankruptcy and is still considered solvent but its 15 aircraft have been secured and an interim receiver has been named to try to sort out the financial mess. In the meantime, students are worried the huge financial investment, often raised through contributions from family and friends, has been lost. "It's big money in China," said 23-year-old Bravo Chen, one of the students. Maylan is owned by Chinese-Canadian businessman Davi Joe. Those interviewed by the Free Press said they've had no recent contact with Joe and the newspaper was also not able to reach him. Tom Lawson, who owns the Maylan building and sold a 60-percent stake in his business, Empire Aviation, to Joe to start Maylan, told the newspaper there is concern for the students. "We wanted to protect the students, we wanted the business to succeed," he said. Group Hits Charter Grounding A major Canadian aviation industry group is accusing Transport Canada of grounding a charter operator for public relations reasons. John McKenna, president of the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC) called a news conference Monday to tell reporters he believes Transport Canada's decision to pull the operating certificate for Aeropro Aviation, of Quebec City, was based on public perception. "It wanted to show it was responsive to the population," McKenna said. Transport Canada says it found significant management and operational problems and repeated violations of regulations by the company during a safety audit last month. It would not reveal details of the audit. The audit was prompted by two fatal crashes in two months by Aeropro aircraft. Seven people died in June when an Aeropro King Air went down shortly after takeoff from Quebec City in June. The pilot reported engine problems and was returning to the field when the accident occurred. In May, a Cessna 172 owned by Aeropro subsidiary Sasair crashed near Quebec city, killing the young pilot who had rented it and his three passengers. Federal authorities are investigating both accidents but it will likely be months before the cause is determined. McKenna said it's therefore premature for Transport Canada to pull Aeropro's ticket. Aeropro tried to get a court injunction against the government to prevent the revocation but the judge sided with Transport Canada. The company is appealing the Transport Canada order. 2nd Annual BALA Summit During LABACE in Brazil Following the success of last year's BALA Summit in São Paulo during LABACE, the 2nd Annual event coincides again with this major exhibition in Brazil. Explore the latest developments in the business aviation sector of Latin America, as well as new business opportunities and challenges. The summit will also provide the platform for manufacturers and operators (as well as any organization interested in this exciting marketplace) to explore the future of this industry. Click here for more information. Take the Weather Home with You back to top  Baron Launches Internet Weather Package Baron Services, the parent company of WxWorx, is going beyond cockpit weather and offering an Internet-based service for flight planning. Its new QuickLink service is subscription-based and provides a host of graphical weather tools covering the continental U.S. and southern Canada. "We see Baron QuickLink as the perfect pre-flight planning weather tool," said Bob Baron, president and CEO of Baron Services. QuickLink covers the gamut of graphic weather displays and conditions can also be sorted by altitude. There's also an overlay feature. The displays are all in high resolution and can be viewed on virtually any Internet connection. It's a Great Time to Buy — Finance Your Aircraft and Get Flying! With the ability to fix today's low rates up to 20 years and great deals on both new and used aircraft in the market, it's the perfect time to buy! Call AirFleet Capital for financing details at (800) 390‑4324 or request a quote at AirFleetCapital.com. FAA Funding Provisions back to top  FAA Funding Bill Changes Pilot Requirements As Congress was heading out the door last weekend for a six-week break, both houses approved an FAA bill (PDF) that extends funding for the agency only for the next two months, but they tacked on some provisions that affect pilot certification. The bill requires that every pilot flying for a commercial airline must hold an ATP certificate, effectively increasing the minimum requirement from 250 flight hours to 1,500, effective three years after the bill is enacted. The bill also requires the FAA to implement NTSB recommendations related to training for Part 121 pilots, including stall and upset recovery training. The FAA must review research on fatigue and mandate new flight and duty time rules for pilots within a year. Also, the bill says the FAA must create a database with a comprehensive training record for every pilot and require airlines to offer remedial training to pilots if needed. Laura Brown, spokeswoman for the FAA, told AVweb on Tuesday her agency is currently reviewing the bill and has no comment yet on its implications. Chris Dancy, AOPA spokesman, told AVweb the GA pilots who will be affected most by the bill are those who are in training for Part 121 careers. "It will obviously mean more time as a flight instructor or a freight dog, or any of the other ways future airline pilots build time," he said. The safety measures have largely been driven by reaction to last year's Colgan Air crash in Buffalo. FAA funding will continue at present levels until Sept. 30, with no extra funding specified for NextGen. The FAA has been operating on short-term funding for about three years. The Helicopter Association International said it appears likely that the Sept. 30 deadline will be reached without any agreement on a new long-term funding bill, and the process will have to start all over in the next session. Rediscover Jet City! Make King County International Airport/Boeing Field your flight destination! Conveniently located just 5 miles from downtown Seattle, KBFI is positioned in the center of the growing economy of the Puget Sound region, serving as a hub for business travel, private jets, and general aviation travel. Partner with aviation experts when you fly to Seattle. Make your destination King County International Airport/Boeing Field! For more information, visit online. EAA AirVenture: Behind Us for Another Year back to top  A Bright Finish For "Sploshkosh" 2010 The challenging wet weather in Oshkosh leading up to opening weekend was surely a factor in keeping this year's attendance figures about 7 percent lower than last year, but EAA President Tom Poberezny says the drop was expected after last year's "blockbuster" event. But he added that the second half of the week was "outstanding." The weather turned clear and comfortable, and the Saturday night airshow was a hit -- it will be back next year, Poberezny said. Also, commercial exhibits were up to 777 this year, compared to 750 in 2009. If you missed any part of this year's show, check AVweb's media round-up for all the news, video and podcasts from EAA AirVenture. And if you're thinking about getting there for next year, EAA has some spectacular plans already in the works. Staffers are working to bring a space shuttle to the field, which would fly in on top of a 747. Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo are expected to make an appearance. The U.S. Navy will celebrate its centennial of naval aviation at the show. And two attractions that were in the works for this year are in the works again for 2011 -- Boeing's new 787 and the world's only flying B-29, FIFI, operated by the Commemorative Air Force. Also, electric aircraft, which were popular this year, will be a focus again at next year's show. And AVweb will be there, of course, to bring you daily updates from the field. Mooney: We Love to Fly. Fast. Fly faster. Fly farther. In the powerhouse advancement of the best-selling single-engine rectractable on the market. Pilots know. There's no aircraft like the new Mooney Acclaim Type S. Nothing has prepared you for the performance punch you'll feel when you pull back the yoke. You'll fall in love with pure speed and flying excitement all over again. Mooney is taking deposits for 2010 models. Call (800) 456-3033 or visit Mooney.com. Who's Where back to top  Conyers to Baldwin Aviation Bob Conyers Bob Conyers is the new Director of Safety Management at Baldwin Aviation in Hilton Head Island, SC. Conyers was formerly at Global Aerospace for 23 years, most recently as Manager of General Aviation Safety. 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. WingX Pro7 Moving Map for iPad! The $99 Moving Map — WingX Pro7 Moving Map for iPad is now available for your iPad. See your location on the approach chart; Approach Charts and Airport Diagrams are now geo-referenced*, and all are stored right on the iPad! WingX Pro7's interactive moving map displays Class B, C, and D airspaces; animated weather images; A/FD; AOPA Directory with Yelp integration; route planning, FARs, METARS, TAFS, winds, and temperatures aloft; TFRs' text and graphics; an E6B; and more. WingX is also available for Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and Android. Click here for more information. 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. Rod Machado Private Pilot Training AVweb Bookstore now features professional pilot Part 141-approved training kits based on Rod Machado's text books and work books. We find Machado's teaching style memorable, interesting, fun, and a welcome alternative to Brands X and Y. Many flight schools and college programs agree, citing higher test scores and pass rates since making the switch. Machado Private Pilot Kit / $194.95 Call (800) 780-4115 or click here for more information. AVweb Media: Look, Listen, Laugh and Learn back to top  EAA AirVenture 2010 Complete Coverage Round-Up Looking for coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010? Click here for all news stories from AirVenture. And our AVwebAudio newsletter has the complete run-down of this year's multimedia coverage: Podcasts Videos Blogs Photo Galleries Want to get AVwebAudio in your inbox every Friday? Just log in to AVweb (or create a free account in the upper right corner of this page) and visit AVweb.com/profile. Choose "Update E-mail Subscriptions" in the profile center, and from there, you can add or drop any AVweb newsletters. 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 a Spidertracks Aviator Win a Spidertracks Aviator 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 Friday, August 6, 2010. Click here to read the contest rules and enter. Congratulations to Lukasz Shaded of Atlanta, GA, who won a Zaon PCAS XRX in our last drawing! (click here to get your own from Zaon) 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.