March 2, 2011

By The AVweb Editorial Staff

What Could You Do with $200? If You Own an Aircraft, Give Us Some Time to answer a few questions and have your name entered into a drawing for one of three $200 prizes. This online survey is being conducted by Research Boston Corporation for an aviation client. It will take just a few minutes. All responses are confidential, and you will not be contacted regarding your comments. To thank you for your participation, all qualified respondents who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing in which three lucky people will win cash prizes of $200 each. Go online now. AVflash! Cirrus Under Chinese Ownership back to top  Cirrus Acquired By Chinese Company Cirrus Industries Inc., parent company of Cirrus Aircraft, has been sold to China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. (CAIGA) of Zhuhai, China, but it appears the company will continue to build parts in Grand Forks, N.D., and assemble airplanes in Duluth, Minn. It has long been rumored that a Chinese company would acquire Cirrus and the final announcement was made Monday morning. CAIGA is a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC), the state-owned aviation company of China that makes everything from military jets to airliners. In a news release, Cirrus CEO Brent Wouters says the deal will be a shot in the arm for the company and for its employees in Grand Forks and Duluth. "CAIGA understands the strength and the talent of Cirrus's workforce and the prominence of the Cirrus brand in general aviation," Wouters said. "Through this transaction, CAIGA will invest in our employees in both Minnesota and North Dakota by committing to the continued use of our world-class production facilities." Although it was not specifically mentioned in the news release, the transaction could result in an immediate acceleration of Cirrus's long-awaited Vision jet program. The single-engine jet project has stalled in recent years due to a lack of funding but Wouters has maintained throughout that an injection of investment capital would revive the jet. For its part, CAIGA says its focusing on the piston market with Cirrus. "We are very optimistic to begin our partnership with Cirrus and add Cirrus's strong brand as the cornerstone in our aviation product portfolio," said CAIGA President Meng Xiangkai. Cirrus was founded by Alan and Dale Klapmeier about 12 years ago and Dale Klapmeier is the current chairman. He said he was "thrilled" to make the announcement. "With this transaction, Cirrus will continue to develop and build the best, most exciting aircraft in the world," Klapmeier said. "The original dream remains alive and well at Cirrus. We are just embarking on our next chapter on a global stage." Related Content: PDF: Cirrus Press Release 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. Speaking of China ... back to top  China Focus Of Asia Conference China is seen as the market with most potential for general aviation in the eyes of organizers of the Asian Aerospace International Congress and Expo, which runs next week in Hong Kong. Most of the major players in the bizjet industry are expected to be there and the focus will be on China, which is making all kinds of moves in the direction of becoming a major GA market. In fact, convention organizers have billed the event as "buyer's guide" to business aircraft and will feature speakers from most of the major manufacturers. According to conference organizers, Asia/Pacific is now the largest market for general aviation and the potential is far from realized. "Asia is driving the future growth of the aviation industry and China is driving the growth in Asia," the convention website says. In the past year, the Chinese government has relaxed flight rules for GA and its state-owned aviation company has gone on a spending spree, buying up general aviation companies all over the world. There's Nothing Light About This Jet Meet the latest and greatest member of the world's most successful family of light jets, the Citation CJ4. It delivers more speed and greater range while retaining the pilot-friendly — and single-pilot-certified — operations of the CJ family. The CJ4's cabin is larger, more comfortable, and outfitted with new entertainment and communication systems. All this equals an aircraft that is flexible enough to meet the requirements of many mid-sized aircraft at light jet costs, plus the service reputation of Cessna to back up your decision. It's what every light jet aspires to be. Visit Cessna.com. Trade Show Season Is Gearing Up back to top  Heli-Expo Next Week The helicopter world converges on Orlando next weekend as the annual Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo fills the Orange County Convention Center. The meeting kicks off on March 5 with industry forums and panels and the trade show opens March 6. Almost 600 companies are exhibiting and there are always major product announcements at the show. There will be 65 helicopters on the show floor. Educational forums run the gamut from air conditioning to safety to insurance, and on Monday there is a two-hour session in which participants can ask questions of the CEOs of airframe manufacturers. The annual Salute to Excellence awards dinner is Monday evening. 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 NBAA: Aerospace Is the Place for Your Dollars back to top  NBAA's Bolen Urges Aviation Investment The U.S. must invest in aviation to ensure future economic growth, National Business Aviation Association CEO Ed Bolen told the Aero Club of Washington, D.C., this week. Aviation will be key to ensuring America's leadership in an increasingly global economy, he said. "Throughout history, great economies and great countries have been defined by their transportation systems," Bolen said. "In America, the 21st Century will also be defined by transportation, and the key mode will be aviation." Bolen outlined five priorities he felt the aviation community must support: FAA reauthorization, funding for NextGen, reduction in aircraft emissions, a continued emphasis on security, and a robust General Fund for aviation. Bolen expressed concern that the potential of aviation to drive economic growth is being overlooked. "It's been a long time since we opened up a new airport in the United States," he said. In contrast, China has opened up more than 10 airports each year over the past decade. "Looking to the future, we in the aviation community need to work through our differences, find the things that bind us together, and focus on the things that galvanize us," he said. "That's the only way we are going to ensure that America retains its global leadership in aviation." Experience Trade-A-Plane in a Greater Way! Our all-new web site is better than ever. Advanced searches, more detailed results, expanded content. Clean, fresh design and easier navigation, too. Exclusive premium benefits for subscribers! Selling? Affordable, online-only listings are now available in many categories, and it's quick and easy to place one. Try it now to reach aviation's active buyers! Visit us today at Trade-A-Plane.com for everything that keeps you flying or call (800) 337‑5263. News Briefs back to top  Laser Pointing Might Be Federal Crime It may soon be a federal crime to point a laser at an airplane. The House passed the Securing Aircraft Cockpits Against Lasers Act of 2011 on Monday (PDF) and it calls for prison sentences of up to five years and fines. The Senate included an identical provision in its FAA reauthorization bill. A combined bill has to be drafted for presidential approval. The House bill was championed by California Republican Dan Lungren who noted that up until 2005 there had been less than 400 laser incidents in the previous 15 years. Last year, the FAA received 2,836 reports of laser pointing. Not all people pointing lasers at the sky are targeting aircraft, however. After AVweb carried a story on the topic in January, amateur astronomers wrote to let us know they use lasers to aim their telescopes. However it's probably safe to assume that most of the laser incidents are pranks or malicious and that's what the law is aimed at. The practice is particularly worrisome to law enforcement agencies because if their aircraft are illuminated by a laser the pilots have to assume they're being sighted in by a rifle on the ground and break off from whatever they're doing. AeroExpo UK ... is the dedicated General Aviation exhibition in 2011, showcasing everything from ultralights through to turboprops and jets. Whether you are interested in learning to fly or are already a pilot and want to view the latest products available, AeroExpo UK has it covered! Click here to learn more. Opinion & Commentary back to top  AVweb Insider Blog: The Persistence of Mystery Why do we still wonder, 75 years later, about the fate of a lost pilot and her navigator? Mary Grady ponders the allure of Amelia Earhart in light of TIGHAR's DNA testing in the latest installment of the AVweb Insider blog. Read more and join the conversation. AVweb Insider Blog: Silliness in the Pattern When the local homebuilt contingent goes rogue and does pretend fighter pilot jargon on the CTAF, is it time to pull them aside and have a little talk? Not really. Boys will be boys. But when that sort of thing confuses intent in the pattern, it's time to reconsider. Some poor student in an LSA isn't going to know what "initial for the break" means, and the next he knows, his windshield is full of RV-4 prop. That's the kind of nonsense Paul Bertorelli's coping with in the latest installment of the AVweb Insider blog. Read more and join the conversation. Find Out Why Leading Flight Training Schools Fly Diamond Aircraft! Diamond Aircraft 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. Call now to Find Out Why Leading Flight Training Schools around the globe fly Diamond Aircraft. Who's Where back to top  Chamoin at ExecuJet Execujet Guillaume Chamoin has joined ExecuJet's sales team. He spent the previous seven years at Bombardier and Flexjet. 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. Fly More for Less Visit the AVbuys page for discounts, rebates, incentives, bargains, special offers, bonus depreciation, or tax benefits to help stretch your budget. We're helping you to locate and view current offers instantly, with a direct link to sponsors' web sites for details. Click for the resource page. AVweb Media: Look, Listen, Laugh and Learn back to top  Video: Paradise P1 Flight Trial Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos AVweb's Paul Bertorelli took a spin in this Brazilian import as part of a major flight report for Aviation Consumer magazine. It has several cool features, including removable seats to turn it into a camper and prodigious load capability. It will also allow a paraplegic pilot to fly it, using special hand controls. 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. Aviation English A complete course for pilots and air traffic controllers who wish to reach ICAO level 4 proficiency and develop the skills needed to function effectively and safely in an aviation environment, plus an additional focus on communication skills in non-routine flight situations. Package includes book plus two CDs with interactive practice and pronounciation exercises. eBook buyers receive CD content as a second download. Book | $46.95 eBook | $42.25 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 255,000 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. 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. 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.