November 10, 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. To learn more about the Zulu and check the "tradeworthiness" of your current headset, just go to LightspeedAviation.com. AVflash! Special Report back to top  Sponsor Announcement AOPA and AVweb Joint Statement Recent reports in AVweb.com regarding AOPA compensation and other issues have been strongly challenged by AOPA leadership. AVweb.com naturally defends its reporting and its role as the independent voice of general aviation. In an effort to have an open-ended, unrestricted dialog about all facets of AOPA's operations -- from finances to fuels to new pilot recruitment -- the association and AVweb have agreed to an unprecedented exchange of views and information. This will take place in coming weeks in the form of detailed interviews with AOPA principals that will include a fresh look at how the organization functions and how it defines its role in promoting general aviation. Both AVweb and AOPA believe such an independent review represents an unparalleled opportunity to build confidence in GA's future. Craig Fuller, AOPA Tim Cole, AVweb Paul Bertorelli, AVweb Aeropodium and Spranza Cooperate for a Unique Training Course in the Bahamas An intense hands-on learning experience designed to provide an innovative approach to tabletop exercises for airport first responders. It's uniquely designed to enhance delegates' ability to plan, develop and execute a valid tabletop scenario. Delegates will examine the standards and practices for conducting a proper security and emergency response tabletop exercise, while being presented effective techniques to gather local data, analyze training needs and plan an effective tabletop instrument. Click here for details and to register. State of the Economy back to top  NATA Hosts GA Industry Forum More than 70 aviation business leaders met with key political, policy and financial experts this week at the National Air Transportation Association 2010 NATA Aviation Business Roundtable. The two-day event provided a forum to discuss a number of issues affecting the aviation community, including the results of the mid-term elections, the economy, jobs, taxes, safety and security. Speakers included TSA Administrator John Pistole, who outlined the latest security developments affecting GA; an industry overview from NetJets CEO David Sokol, who also discussed his company's recent purchase of Marquis Jet and a fleet of 125 Phenom 300s; and Hawker Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture, who offered a review of the political and economic challenges facing GA. Other speakers included political analyst Stuart Rothenberg, U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and John Castellani, president of Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). "This year's Roundtable provided a robust platform for our attendees to learn the latest economic, security and legislative issues that will affect their businesses in 2011 and beyond," said NATA President James Coyne. Report: GA Sales Continue To Drop In the first nine months of 2010, general aviation shipments were down 15 percent compared to the same time period last year, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported on Tuesday. Pete Bunce, GAMA president, said despite the decline from 1,588 units last year to 1,357 units this year, he believes the longer-term outlook for GA remains positive. "Our industry is coming off of a successful National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention and we are encouraged by the sales announcements and a more positive outlook overall as discretionary spending starts to pick back up on a global level," he said. He added that GA manufacturers are continuing to invest in research and develop new products. "GA manufacturers are clearly looking toward the future and will be poised for a strong return when the economy fully recovers," Bunce said. The third-quarter report shows that piston-powered airplane shipments totaled 634 units in the first nine months of 2010, compared to 679 units delivered in the same period of 2009, a 6.6 percent decrease. Turboprop shipments declined 20.8 percent to 232 units in 2010. Business jet shipments totaled 491 units, a 20.3 percent decrease over the 616 units delivered during this same period in 2009. Individual manufacturers show a range of statistics. Cessna, for example, had delivered 512 aircraft by the third quarter last year, and only 347 in this year's report. Cirrus, however, stayed virtually level, with 188 deliveries so far this year compared to 189 by this time last year. The full shipment report is available at GAMA's web site. JA Air Center — When It Comes to Garmin Avionics, Go with a Name You Can Trust! Since 1965, pilots have trusted the avionics experts at JA Air Center. Whether you're looking for ship-in repair, custom installation, or a mail order purchase, no one knows avionics better than JA Air Center. Call (800) 323-5966 or click here. BUY, SELL, or TRADE your avionics and GPS equipment at JA Air Center Reacting to the Printer Bomb back to top  New Air Cargo Rules From TSA The Transportation Security Administration has imposed some new rules on air cargo, effective this week, in response to the recent attempt to ship explosive devices into the U.S. from Yemen. Janet Napolitano, secretary of Homeland Security, said no air cargo will be accepted from Yemen or Somalia. In addition, no high-risk cargo will be allowed on passenger aircraft. Toner and ink cartridges weighing more than one pound will be prohibited on passenger aircraft in both carry-on bags and checked bags on domestic flights and international flights inbound to the U.S. This ban will also apply to certain inbound international air cargo shipments as well. Further, all cargo identified as high-risk will go through additional and enhanced screening. These measures also impact inbound international mail packages, which must be screened individually and certified to have come from an established postal shipper. "The threats of terrorism we face are serious and evolving," said Napolitano. "These security measures reflect our commitment to using current intelligence to stay ahead of adversaries -- working closely with our international, federal, state, local and private sector partners every step of the way. We encourage our partners, as well as our citizens, to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement authorities." TSA Administrator John Pistole went to Yemen to meet with government security officials in an effort to enhance Yemen's security procedures so the cargo ban can eventually be lifted. 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. Aftermath of the Olympics back to top  Aviation Companies Launch Olympics Suit A coalition of six Vancouver-area aviation businesses is suing the Canadian Ministry of Transport for lost business resulting from the flight restrictions imposed during the 2010 Olympic Games. Mike Skrobica, of the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC) announced the suit at ATAC's annual meeting in Vancouver on Monday. He told AVweb the companies are claiming lost revenue of almost $1 million. The Canadian government enforced flight restrictions over Vancouver and the resort area of Whistler for about a month from just before the start of the Games in February until just after the opening of the Paralympic Games, which follow the Olympics. The flight restrictions cut or curtailed most training, sight seeing and charter operations. Skrobica said Transport Canada normally compensates companies for such disruptions but didn't in the case of the Olympics. "We're hoping the ministry makes us an offer," Skrobica said, noting the case will be launched with a news conference in Vancouver this week. Collette Morin, owner of Glacier Air, one of the six companies involved in the suit, said the Olympics hurt her business significantly. "We are still struggling from interruption in cash flow," she said. "People assumed we would be really busy during the Olympics but we were shut down." She said it would technically have been possible to conduct limited operations during the Olympics but the rules made it impractical. For instance, to conduct charters from its home base of Squamish, midway between Vancouver and Whistler, Glacier would first have had to fly outside the restricted area to a "gateway" airport for security checks before conducting the charter. Others involved in the suit include flight schools and other small charters. Air Canada Pilots Win Ageism Case Air Canada must re-hire two pilots who were forced to retire at age 60, according to a ruling this week by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. However, the tribunal stopped short of extending the ruling to apply to all Air Canada pilots. "It's good news, bad news, definitely," said Susan Eng, vice president of advocacy at the Canadian Association of Retired Persons. Pilot George Vilven, who is now 67, will be reinstated with full seniority as Air Canada's oldest employee. Neil Kelly, 65, also gets his job back. Both will be qualified to fly as first officer on the Boeing 777. Both also will be compensated for at least some of their lost wages, though a request for $20,000 each for "pain and suffering" was denied. Air Canada and the Air Canada Pilots Association appealed the ruling to federal court. A hearing will be held later this month. Paul Strachan, president of the pilots association, said his group, which represents nearly 3,000 pilots, believes retirement age should be determined by agreement between the company and the union. A recent survey of the group's membership showed that 80 percent want to keep the retirement age at 60 or even younger, Strachan said. The Fly Past 60 Coalition, which advocates changing the mandatory retirement age for pilots, said this week's decision marks a "major turning point." The decision, along with two more rulings expected soon from the tribunal and the Federal Court, "will forever change the landscape of mandatory retirement in Canada," the group said at its website. More than 100 pilots have complaints pending to the Human Rights Tribunal. See What You've Been Missing! Active-Surveillance Traffic Now Available Starting at $8,490 Avidyne announces new full-featured TAS605 and TAS615 models, along with the lowest price available for dual-antenna, active traffic with our TAS600. All TAS600 Series systems provide timely audible and visual alerts with the precise location of conflicting traffic. Patented Top & Bottom directional antennas detect other aircraft sooner and more accurately. Avidyne's TAS600 Series are the smallest, lightest, best performing, and most affordable active TAS systems available. Click here to learn more about the TAS600 Traffic Systems. Who's Where back to top  Frobisher to Metron Metron Aviation Christopher Frobisher is the new Director of Business Development for Global Airline Operations for Metron Aviation. He was formerly Manager of Operations Strategy and Implementation for Continental Airlines. 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. Find Out Why Leading Flight Training Schools Fly Diamond! 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. With bonus depreciation incentives, now is the time to find out why leading flight training schools around the globe fly Diamond Aircraft. Opinion & Commentary back to top  AVweb Insider Blog: Aspen — Driving a Stake Through Iron Gyros With its clever EFD1000 series, Aspen Avionics has quietly figured out a way to eliminate the need for all but a single backup instrument, an iron attitude indicator. But even that is on the verge of being eliminated, says Paul Bertorelli in the latest installment of our AVweb Insider blog. Read more and join the conversation. AVweb Insider Blog: FedEx and UPS — New Terrorism Targets? Could be, but it seems to AVweb's Paul Bertorelli that the first step to keep their airplanes from being blown up is to have a peek inside packages coming from Yemen, the world capital of terrorist bomb-making. On the day explosives were recovered last week, the two companies shipped a total of thirteen packages out the country. Hard to imagine the clerks were too busy to wonder why a printer was being shipped from Yemen to the U.S. when you could buy a new one for less than the shipping cost. Of such stuff is knuckleheaded airline security made. Read more and join the conversation on the AVweb Insider blog. Advanced Airmanship Two books on advanced flight techniques for the professional by Les Kumpula of Embry-Riddle University. Each is aimed at new commercial pilots with high-level career aspirations, flight instructors who desire a complete understanding of basic skills, and current airline and corporate pilots who want to know the whys of what they do. Advanced Airmanship (includes flight demonstration software): Book | $34.95 eBook | $31.45 Flight Technique Analysis Book | $56.95 eBook | $51.25 Call (800) 780-4115 for more information or click here for more information. AVweb Media: Look, Listen, Laugh and Learn back to top  Video: Yves Rossy Does Loops in His JetMan Rig Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos The man you're watching is 51-year-old Yves Rossy — also called Jetman, for reasons that should be obvious. In 2006, he became the first person to fly with custom-made composite wings on his back powered by four small jet engines. This footage (shot Friday, November 5, 2010) is proof that he's now the first man to perform aerobatics and loop in the rig. 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. Help Us Celebrate AVweb's 15th Anniversary back to top  15 Years and Now 15 Grand Giveaways ... It's Your Chance to Win an iFly 700 GPS from Adventure Pilot Win an iFly 700 GPS from Adventure Pilot 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 Sunday, November 28, 2010. (That's a couple of days later than our usual Friday deadline, because of the Thanksgiving holiday.) Click here to read the contest rules and enter. 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.