August 3, 2011

By The AVweb Editorial Staff

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Among the ideas floated was a $25 "departure fee" and there was also a push to reduce or eliminate bonus depreciation. Aviation organizations launched a furious lobbying and publicity campaign on both fronts but it's likely premature to claim victory. Both the National Business Aviation Association and the Aircraft Electronics Association noted that a provision of the debt ceiling deal is a requirement for Congress to look for another $1.5 trillion in either increased revenue or spending cuts and aviation may remain a favorite target. "We definitely have not heard the last of a user fee scheme or the prospect of eliminating the popular tax depreciation plan for buyers of new aircraft and avionics," AEA President Paula Derks said. "This means the entire general aviation community needs to be on a constant vigil and ready to react to those proposed fees and/or new taxes. Again, our community will need to rally together and continue to educate our elected officials on the importance of this industry to our nation's economy." Win a Brand-New Ford F150 Pick-Up Truck!!! Every Genuine Lycoming Factory Engine purchased from Air Power, Inc. automatically enters you to win a Brand New Ford F150! For official rules and details, call Air Power at (888) 759‑4295 or visit FactoryEngines.com. Be Genuine.® Only Lycoming can build you a Genuine Lycoming Engine! And only Air Power, Inc. has the Guaranteed Lowest Price, Best Service, Engine Financing, and the most knowledgeable factory engine team! It's no wonder Air Power is the #1 Factory Engine Distributor, with over 27,000 engines sold! Air Power: Your Factory Authorized Lycoming Distributor! On to the Next Ticking Clock ... back to top  FAA Demands Funding Bill Before Recess FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined together on Monday to "demand that Congress pass an FAA funding bill before getting on airplanes to fly away for vacation," according to an FAA news release. The two officials joined with local contractors and construction workers at LaGuardia Airport to make their announcement. "Congress needs to do its job for the good of these workers, for the good of our economy and for the good of America's aviation system," said LaHood. Without reauthorization from Congress, the FAA is unable to spend roughly $2.5 billion for airport projects in all 50 states. Those projects "could put thousands of people to work in good-paying jobs," the FAA said. Nearly 4,000 FAA employees have been furloughed and an estimated 70,000 workers in construction and related fields have been affected. The FAA's previous extension expired at midnight on Friday, July 22. Since then, more than 200 "stop-work orders" have been issued for airport construction projects and contracts around the country. The FAA said "the flying public will be unaffected and safety will not be compromised," however, stopping work on these projects will increase the ultimate costs of construction and could delay important programs. "Every day this goes on, we fall further behind," Babbitt said. "We need our 4,000 FAA employees and tens of thousands of construction workers back on the job so we can get critical projects moving again while it's still construction season. Congress must act quickly before leaving for the August recess." Congress is scheduled to be in recess August 8 to September 5. 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. Eye on Used Aircraft Sales back to top  Used Market Continues Recovery The latest business aircraft market report from JETNET suggests the long, slow recovery is continuing and could be in full swing by 2012. With prices hitting rock bottom almost across the board, it's perhaps not surprising that sales have increased by 15.3 percent in the first half of the year. Nevertheless, the speedy depletion of used inventory is key to opening the market for new inventory from manufacturers and JETNET says that seems to be happening. Used prices are also on the rise after two years of decline. JETNET says the average asking price for used aircraft jumped $1.2 million in June compared to June of 2010. "While one month of improvement is not a trend, it is hoped this key metric will continue to improve," the report said. Although the signs are positive, there are still too many business jets for sale. Of all the world's business jets, 13.8 percent are for sale and about 12 percent is considered normal. 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. Economies of Scale: AirVenture 2011 back to top  Vendors Report Robust Sales At AirVenture Reports are trickling in that visitors to EAA AirVenture last week were in a buying mood. Piper Aircraft spokesman Jackie Carlon told EAA the show was "fantastic." Leads were up 90 percent over the year before, according to Carlon, and the company sold two twin-engine Seminole trainers, two Meridian turboprops, and took two orders for the Altaire jet. FlightDesign took 40 orders for its new four-seat fully certified C4 airplane, which isn't even flying yet. "These orders reported are real product requests with money changing hands," said company spokesman John Gilmore. According to Dan Johnson, president of the Light Aircraft Manufacturing Association, other LSA manufacturers saw an uptick in sales, with a half dozen companies reporting two to six orders, and Icon taking about 50 deposits on delivery positions for its amphibious LSA. "This was a vast improvement over 2010," Johnson wrote in his blog. "I had easily 30 conversations [at AirVenture] revealing either outright positive successful results or varyingly robust mood indicators such as, 'Looks like aviation has life in it again.' " In a show wrap-up, EAA President Rod Hightower said attendance for the week was 541,000, an increase of about 1.3 percent over 2010. "Opening day was a tremendously successful day, while Friday was very close to a record and Saturday -- with the superb lineup and night airshow -- was a big draw. Only some rainy weather in the middle of the week prevented the increase from being even greater," Hightower said. Next year's show, the 60th annual fly-in, will feature a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Piper Cub and tributes to the Tuskegee Airmen, Van's Aircraft founder Dick VanGrunsven, and Paul and Audrey Poberezny. Also, Hightower added, EAA will be working to "improve the visitor experience" by offering improved features and attractions, better ways to minimize dust and mud, and new ways to manage traffic for fewer backups. 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 Groups Rally 'Round GPS Band back to top  GA Groups File Protests Over LightSquared AOPA, GAMA, and Garmin added their comments to a roster of more than 2,700 on Monday to protest FCC plans that would allow LightSquared to broadcast over frequencies that would interfere with GPS signals. Garmin said the "laws of physics prevent the results LightSquared desires," adding that "no workable filters currently exist" that would eliminate the problems with LightSquared interference. AOPA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association issued a joint commentary, strongly urging the FCC to rescind the conditional waiver it granted to LightSquared. "The evidence is clear: LightSquared's proposal puts the entire GPS system at risk," said AOPA President Craig Fuller in a news release. A recent FAA report also showed that the LightSquared plan would cost the aviation sector $70 billion over the next 10 years, and would "severely impact" NextGen. The FAA assessment, according to The Wall Street Journal, also said LightSquared's plan could hurt U.S. leadership in international aviation by eroding confidence in commitments made to ICAO to maintain the GPS system's safety and availability. "Study after study has shown that LightSquared's plan is simply 'incompatible' with GPS," said AOPA's Fuller. "At the same time, the company's proposed solutions rely heavily on technology that doesn't exist. That's why we are joining with GAMA to ask the FCC to revoke LightSquared's waiver immediately, and to begin a rulemaking process that will protect the integrity of the GPS system into the future." The full text of all comments to the FCC regarding LightSquared can be found online at the FCC web site; insert Proceeding Number 11-109 to reach the list. Get Spidertracks Aviator, the Aircraft Location System That Survives Every Crash — So You Can, Too Spidertracks tracks you in real-time and automatically sends SOS alerts within minutes of an accident. Your flights are displayed on the Aviator web site, and your online logbook automatically fills in flight time and distance. You can upload photos, share your flights, "follow" other pilots, and talk flying with other aviators who love flying as much as you do. Get Aviator today — call 1 (800) 491‑2895 or visit Spidertracks.com. Who's Where back to top  Whyte Helps NBAA Roger Whyte Former Cessna executive Roger Whyte has been named special counsel to NBAA President Ed Bolen to prepare for the Asian Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (ABACE) next March. Whyte was responsible for developing the Asian market for Cessna. 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. Opinion & Commentary back to top  AVweb Insider Blog: Eclipse — The Inside Story Our AirVenture coverage included a podcast interview with Dennis Maxwell, whose new book, The Great Eclipse, details the most costly business failure in general aviation history: The bankruptcy of Eclipse Aviation. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli reviews the book and offers his own views on Eclipse's demise. Read more and join the conversation. 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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.