July 13, 2011

By The AVweb Editorial Staff

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"We have a rallying point," Fuller told the Wichita Aero Club in a reportedly spirited address that focused on recent remarks by President Obama that appeared to characterize business aviation as a perk. According to the Wichita Business Journal, Fuller pointed out the remarks contrasted sharply with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's comments to an aviation forum held in Wichita in which he appeared to affirm the administration's support for GA. "Where they stand on general aviation depends on where they're standing," he is quoted as saying. Obama's comments evoked a strong reaction from general aviation groups reminiscent of the battle against user fees of a few years ago. Fuller told the Aero Club that as the 2012 election campaign gets in gear, GA might face more attacks from the administration. He said the headline-grabbing comments have hurt the industry's recovery from the recession, although there continue to be positive signs of that recovery. 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. Honda Preps for Manufacturing Stage back to top  HondaJet Nears Production Honda's slow and deliberate progress toward production of the massive company's first airplane will hit a major milestone later this year or in early 2012 with the hiring of up to 300 assembly workers at the Greensboro plant. The company invited local media on a tour of its sprawling 220,000-square-foot facility on Tuesday and officials said they intend to hire local workers for the line, which is planned to turn out 70 to 100 HondaJets each year by 2014. The first prototype flew more than five years ago and Honda has been a prominent exhibitor at major aviation shows but there's been less hype than usual for a new design. Honda is banking on the efficiency of the engines it has developed with partner GE and the unique wing-mounted pylon design to carve a niche in the light jet market. 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 Speaking of Manufacturing ... back to top  Work Starts On First U.S.-Built Phenom 100 Embraer opened its executive-jet assembly plant in Melbourne, Fla., in February, and last week the company said it has started work on its first Phenom 100, which will be ready for delivery by the end of the year. The arrival of the fuselage and wing parts from Brazil is a "milestone" that shows the company's commitment to the U..S. operation, said Ernest Edwards, president of Embraer Executive Jets. "[This] reiterates our commitment to our U.S. presence … as we all look forward to start deliveries of the first made-in-America units," Edwards said. The company has already hired 69 engineers and technicians in Melbourne, many of them former NASA employees, and plans to hire more than 100 additional workers by the end of 2012. The company plans to build just one airplane in Melbourne this year, ramping up to 60 in 2012. Fuselages and wings will be shipped from Brazil, and the Melbourne staff will install and test all the systems. Eventually, the plant be able to complete up to 100 jets a year. AVweb's Russ Niles was in Melbourne for the ribbon-cutting in February; click here for his video report, including an interview with Embraer CEO Fred Curado. 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. Aviation Safety I back to top  Alaska Midair Ends Happily An already-grim weekend for general aviation in the U.S. came within a whisker of being a lot worse when two aircraft brushed each other in a narrow pass in Alaska. Authorities say a Piper Navajo with nine people aboard and a float-equipped Cessna 206 were headed in opposite directions through Lake Clark Pass, near Anchorage, Sunday afternoon when a float on the 206 contacted the vertical stabilizer of the Navajo. Damage was minor to both aircraft and both landed safely in Anchorage. "If you have to have something like this, it couldn't have worked out better," Larry Lewis, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator told the Anchorage Daily News. The mishap came a day after a Florida couple and five of their six children were killed in the crash of a Cessna 421 near Demopolis, Ala. The Teutenburg family was on its way home to Fort Walton-Destin Airport on the Florida Panhandle when pilot Fred Teutenburg reported engine trouble and was vectored to Demopolis Airport for an emergency landing. The couple's teenaged daughter was not on the trip. The aircraft crashed two miles short of the field. Last Thursday, two people were killed when a Mooney M20 crashed into a vacant medical center in Watsonville, Calif. Southeast Aerospace — Leading Avionics Resource Now More Effective! The newly designed industry-leading web site SEAerospace.com has been released! Get to know all of SEA's services: Part Sales, Repairs, Installations, Special Missions and Engineering. Each online department provides detailed information on services, capabilities, experiences and contact information. Save time and go directly to the resources you need. And, as always, you can find real-time inventory pricing and delivery on the part sales site, SEA-Avionics.com. Aviation Safety II back to top  NTSB Cites Lack Of Fuel De-Icer In Fatal PC-12 Crash The pilot of a Pilatus PC-12 that crashed in Montana in March 2009 should have added an icing inhibitor to the fuel system before launching, the NTSB said in its final report on Tuesday. The board said the pilot failed to take appropriate remedial actions after icing caused low fuel pressure and a lateral fuel imbalance. The pilot then lost control while maneuvering the left-wing-heavy airplane near the approach end of the runway at Bert Mooney Airport in Butte. All 14 people on board, including 7 children, died. "The pilot's pattern of poor decision-making set in motion a series of events that culminated in the deadly crash," said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman. "Humans will make mistakes, but that is why following procedures, using checklists and always ensuring that a safety margin exists are so essential -- aviation is not forgiving when it comes to errors." Investigators determined that the pilot didn't add a fuel-system icing inhibitor, commonly referenced by the brand name "Prist," when the airplane was fueled on the day of the accident. The Pilatus flight manual states the inhibitor must be used for all flight operations in ambient temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius. The NTSB concluded that icing in the fuel system caused a left-wing-heavy fuel imbalance. The increasing fuel level in the left tank and the depletion of the fuel from the right tank should have been apparent to the pilot because that information was presented on the fuel quantity indicator. This should have prompted the pilot to divert the airplane to an airport earlier in the flight, as specified by the airplane manufacturer. Early in its investigation, the board said it had "no working theories" about the crash, but that changed when an investigator found a small set of microchips from the PC-12's safety warning system that revealed the fuel-icing problem. The NTSB issued recommendations to the FAA and EASA, asking both agencies to make it mandatory for all aircraft that require fuel additives to place a placard near the fuel filler that notes the limitation. Earlier in its investigation, the board asked the FAA to require all children over age 2 to have their own seat and an appropriate child restraint system during takeoff, landing, and turbulence. The board's synopsis has been posted online, and a full report will be posted in a few weeks. Register to Win an ADS-B Capable Avidyne TAS620A Attention, aircraft owners! Register now for Avidyne's "FlySafe Giveaway Extravaganza" to win a new TAS620A Traffic Advisory System with ADS-B In capability — valued at $20,990. Eligible entrants for the Grand Prize will be aircraft owners with a valid Tail Number who complete the entire "Giveway Extravaganza" registration form online at Avidyne.com/extravaganza. Opinion & Commentary back to top  AVweb Insider Blog: What's Wrong with Landing on an X'd Runway? Not a thing, unless you screw up the landing, hit something or otherwise turn what should be uneventful into easy pickings for an enforcement case. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli reviews two closed runway takeoff examples, and you can take your pick of what's wrong. Or add your own example in the comments. Read more and join the conversation. AVweb Insider Blog: Inhofe's Pilot Bill of Rights — Should I Be Thrilled? I'm somehow not, says Paul Bertorelli on the AVweb Insider blog. On the other hand, perhaps we're supposed to be grateful that something positive came out of Inhofe's inept, embarrassing display of poor airmanship at Port Isabel, Texas that merited him a peck on the cheek from the FAA after he scattered workers on a closed runway. Read more and join the conversation. 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. Who's Where back to top  Gilbert New HR Director at Gulfstream Franz Gilbert Franz Gilbert has been named director of human resources technologies at Gulfstream. He was formerly at RiseSmart.com. Bogan COO at LMI LMI Aerospace LMI Aerospace has promoted Ryan P. Bogan to chief operating officer. Bogan was previously CEO of D3 Technologies, which LMI acquired in 2007. 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. A Professional Pilot Available from AVweb Bookstore. Guides to help you along the way to becoming a professional pilot. These and others will outline your choices, let you know what to expect (and what will be expected of you), and offer critical guidance to help you succeed along the path you choose, each step of the way. Call (800) 780‑4115 or click here for more information. AVweb Media: Look, Listen, Laugh and Learn back to top  Video: Aviation Consumer's Tiedown Shootout Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos If that tornado at Sun 'n Fun in April didn't get your attention, it should have. With EAA AirVenture looming and storms hammering the midwest, it's time to think about portable tiedown systems for the show. In this brief video, AVweb and Aviation Consumer wring out three systems, and the walkaway winner is a product you've never heard of. 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. 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. 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.