October 21, 2010

By The AVweb Editorial Staff

Weighing In at Less than an Ounce, Lightspeed Aviation's Mach 1 Headset Is Definitely a Lightweight but it's a heavyweight when it comes to durability and performance. With in-the-ear technology, advanced earplug attenuation and comfort, and the ability to patch in a cell phone, music player, or iPod, it frees you to enjoy your passion for flying. To learn more, stop by booth #1840 or go to LightspeedAviation.com. AVflash! Eclipse Courts a Surprise Investor back to top  Sikorsky May Invest In Eclipse In perhaps the most surprising announcement of NBAA 2010, Sikorsky confirmed it intends to invest in Eclipse Aerospace, prompting speculation that the sometimes bizarre story of the original very light jet might have a happier than expected outcome. "This agreement in principle affords us an opportunity to invest in a great product and to further leverage our strong aftermarket and product support capabilities for fixed-wing application," Sikorsky VP Mark Cherry said in a statement. Sikorsky President Jeff Pino, incidentally, has an Eclipse and thinks highly of it. Eclipse owner Mason Holland is understandably thrilled about the recent events. "We are elated about this potential new venture with Sikorsky Aircraft and the phenomenal reach we can extend to Eclipse Jet owners by access to the global service, support and supply chain network of Sikorsky," Holland said. "With the closing of this agreement we would have it all -- a phenomenal fuel efficient twin-engine jet, an enthusiastic customer base and a fantastic support staff, all coupled with the depth and strength of a sound and experienced partner, Sikorsky Aircraft! Related Content: Podcast inteview with Eclipse's Mason Holland at NBAA 2010. XM WX: As Vital as Vision With XM WX Satellite Weather in the cockpit with you, it's possible to see immediate weather threats to you, your passengers and your cargo. Keep everyone safe and comfortable by planning to avoid any weather that could impact your flight. Viewable on multiple displays, including the Garmin G1000, XM WX Satellite Weather helps keep your wings in the air. Click for more info. NBAA Recognizes Wright Brothers Master Pilots back to top  Palmer Honored By NBAA A blue-chip lineup of aviation icons were on hand at the National Business Aviation Association's convention in Atlanta on Wednesday to be named Wright Brothers Master Pilots. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan, former Cessna CEO Russ Meyer, former airline pilot and aviation entrepreneur Clay Lacy and legendary golf pro and business aviation advocate Arnold Palmer received the honors from FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. Test pilot and airshow legend Bob Hoover was unable to attend. Palmer was also given NBAA's Meritorious Service to Aviation Award, the association's highest honor. Meanwhile, business aviation in general got a collective pat on the back for its huge contribution to the Haiti earthquake relief effort. NBAA awarded the Al Ueltschi Award for Humanitarian Leadership to everyone who helped in the Haiti effort and dozens were on hand in the audience to watch a specially commissioned video commemorating business aviation's contribution. Millions of pounds of food and supplies were delivered to Haiti's outlying areas, sometimes using improvised landing strips on narrow country roads to accomplish the missions. Hundreds of sick and injured people were also evacuated by private aircraft. 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. Embraer Legacy 650 Racks Up More Certifications back to top  Legacy 650 Certified In Brazil, Europe Embraer celebrated the European and Brazilian certification of its Legacy 650 business jet at the National Business Aviation Association convention in Atlanta on Wednesday and the company says the FAA nod is imminent. The company is showing a 13-seat version of the aircraft at Dekalb-Peachtree Airport and Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer's Executive Vice President for business jets, told AVweb the certification came right on time. "We announced the Legacy 650 at last year's NBAA and we said that deliveries would begin in the second half of 2010," he noted. First deliveries will occur within weeks. The 650 is a derivative of the popular Legacy 600, which was Embraer's first foray into business jets. The 600 is itself a derivative of the Embraer regional jet. The 650's major selling point is additional range. It has a beefed-up wing and landing gear, allowing higher landing and takeoff weights to accommodate fuel to give it a 3,900-nm range with four passengers. It goes 3,840 nm with eight pax aboard. The 650 also has a Honeywell Primus avionics package with LCD screens in a spacious cockpit. Phillips 66® Aviation. The Most Trusted Wings in Aviation.™ Visit us at NBAA Booth #2927. With over 725 FBOs nationwide and the strongest supply in the industry, it's no wonder Phillips 66 is aviation's number one fuel provider. Phillips 66. The most trusted wings in aviation. Meanwhile, Outside of NBAA ... back to top  Report Details ADS-B Challenges The FAA's plan to implement ADS-B in the National Airspace System faces "significant risks and challenges," according to a report released last week by the Office of Inspector General for the Transportation Department. The number-one issue is the reluctance of those who use the airspace to purchase and install new avionics for their aircraft. "Users have raised justifiable concerns about evolving requirements and uncertain equipage costs and benefits," the report says. The FAA plans to mandate the use of "ADS-B out" by 2020, the report says, but that equipment essentially provides the same radar services currently available, "resulting in few new benefits to airspace users." Other challenges cited in the report include system integration and contract management issues, which the FAA must resolve to avoid further delays in the program. One solution proposed by the report for the equipage problem might be for the FAA to provide tax incentives or find other ways to share the costs of the upgrades, at least for commercial users. "Cost-sharing mechanisms have merit because they help share risks between the government and airspace users," the report says. Until the FAA deals with the challenges to implementation, "the realization of ADS-B program goals will remain uncertain, and NextGen initiatives will be delayed," the report concludes. The FAA said it is already working with several airline partners to refine its ADS-B technology and will issue a report on its findings by Sept. 30, 2011. Vertical Power VP-X System Now at Aircraft Spruce The VP-X integrates with many popular EFIS products, enabling you to monitor and control your entire electrical system on the EFIS display. In addition to using the EFIS for attitude, navigation, and engine information, you now can use the EFIS display to monitor the health of your electrical system, view and control the status of individual circuits, and respond to circuit faults. Vertical Power offers these capabilities through the use of a patented electronic circuit breaker (ECB) technology that is at the core of all of the VP products. Call 1 (877) 4‑SPRUCE or visit AircraftSpruce.com. AVweb Audio — Are You Listening? back to top  Fractionals Remain Relevant File Size 5.9 MB / Running Time 6:25 Podcast Index | How to Listen | Subscribe Via RSS The market is down everywhere, but people still need to fly. FlexJet president Fred Reid told AVweb's Russ Niles that while the recovery remains up to 18 months away, the fractional market will continue to provide the best value for many. This podcast is brought to you by Bose Corporation and WxWorx XM WX Satellite Weather. Click here to listen. (5.9 MB, 6:25) Wichita Opens Massive Training Center File Size 5.3 MB / Running Time 5:44 Podcast Index | How to Listen | Subscribe Via RSS The common wisdom is that there will be a shortage of skilled labor for the aviation business in the future. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with Sherry Utash of the National Center for Aviation Training about ensuring there will be skilled workers for the industry when they're needed. This podcast is brought to you by Phillips 66 Aviation and Lightspeed Aviation. Click here to listen. (5.3 MB, 5:44) Calm, Cool & Protected Get the protection you need at a time when you need it more than ever, with Avemco® Insurance Company. Their financial strength — and one of the most stable track records in the industry — has earned them an A+ (Superior) rating from A.M. Best every year since 1977. Get protected! AVweb Media: Look, Listen, Laugh and Learn back to top  Video: Hawker 200 at NBAA Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos At NBAA 2010 in Atlanta, Hawker Beechcraft announced a new variant on its Premier line, the Hawker 200. Shawn Vick gave AVweb a tour of the new aircraft. 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. This video is brought to you by Lightspeed Aviation and Phillips 66® Aviation. Video: AmSafe Airbags for Divans Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos For biz aircraft operators, side-facing divan seating — common in these airplanes — represents a problem. These seats can't be certified with full occupancy because of safety considerations. AmSafe's new airbags address this shortcoming. 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. This video is brought to you by Bose Corporation and WxWorx XM WX Satellite Weather. Ascend to New Heights Engineered from the ground up, the all-new Ascend headset by Telex is finely tuned to provide superior performance in a bold new design. Learn more at Telex.com/Ascend. Help Us Celebrate AVweb's 15th Anniversary back to top  15 Years and Now 15 Grand Giveaways ... It's Your Chance to Win 100,000 Air BP Bravo Rewards Points Now's your chance to win 100,000 Air BP Bravo Rewards Points — there are more than 45 million reward options available through the Bravo program — 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, November 5. Click here to read the contest rules and enter. 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. Your Favorite FBOs back to top  FBO of the Week: American Airports (Gen. William J. Fox Air Field, Lancaster, CA) Nominate an FBO | Rules | Tips | Questions | Winning FBOs AVweb reader Charlie Tipton attended Edwards Air Force Base's recent GA fly-in on the Rosamond Lakebed — and while he didn't get us the proverbial "lousy t-shirt," he dropped a fantastic gift on us when he mentioned his trip blog in this week's FBO nominations. (In fact, we'd better stop reading and get back to work!) Having visited 37 airports in 29 states on his cross-country flight to Edwards, you could say Charlie conducted his own version of our "FBO of the Week" contest. "There were other FBOs who are also did a super job," he writes, but "my personal, hands-down winner is" — drumroll, please — American Airports at Gen. William J. Fox Air Field in Lancaster, California. Charlie writes: Within minutes of our first meeting, manager Steve Irving gave me unsolicited complimentary hangar space to ensure that my [L-16A] warbird didn't get rained on with the unexpected storms that were brewing in the area the night before the big event. At the time, I didn't even know there was a potential threat, but it sure came to pass that night. He also provided personal transportation to a Lancaster hotel when I unexpectedly arrived the second time after weather forced me to return there following the fly-in — and he again offered the hangar space. His staff, including Mark, Rick, Ken and others, went out of their way to ensure that all my needs were met. ... They were available 24/7, and, no matter what shift was on duty, their service was uniformly consistent. Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect was sharing in the aviation camaraderie that was pervasive throughout the operation and particularly evident at lunch or breaks taken in the wonderful Foxy's airport restaurant, where waitress Brandy and others quickly made me feel like one of the long-time regulars. Keep those nominations coming. For complete contest rules, click here. AVweb is actively seeking out the best FBOs in the country and another one, submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday! Instrument Survival Manual "Rod Machado's Instrument Pilot's Survival Manual" (3rd edition) is more about honing, perfecting, and feeling comfortable with instrument skills than about learning those skills from scratch. This book will help you think and fly like a pro. It will help you understand the system, not just memorize it, so your decisions become based on your ability to reason things out — a far better situation than just having a few scattered facts from which to choose. Highly illustrated. Book / $34.95 eBook / $29.95 Call (800) 780-4115 or 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. 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. 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. More AVweb for Your Inbox back to top  AVwebBiz: AVweb's Business Aviation Newsletter Have you signed up yet for AVweb's no-cost weekly business aviation newsletter, AVwebBiz? Delivered every Wednesday morning, AVwebBiz focuses on the companies, the products and the industry leaders that make headlines in the business aviation industry, making it a must-read. Add AVwebBiz to your AVweb subscriptions today by clicking here and choosing "Update E-mail Subscriptions." 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.