October 19, 2011

By The AVweb Editorial Staff

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. AVflash! Piper's New Direction back to top  Another New CEO At Piper Piper Aircraft interim CEO Geoff Berger is out, the company announced on Monday, and Simon Caldecott has been appointed the new interim CEO, effective immediately. Berger had been with the company since July 2010, when he replaced Kevin Gould, who had been appointed CEO in June 2009, replacing James Bass, CEO since 2005. Piper also said on Monday the Altaire jet program is being reviewed. "This is being undertaken to ensure the company is properly aligning business goals and light-jet market forecasts with investment strategies and economic forecasts," Caldecott said. Monday's news release said the company will announce the conclusion of this review "as soon as possible." Caldecott joined Piper from Hawker Beechcraft in 2009 to take over the Altaire program. Previously, he had worked for Raytheon Aircraft, and brings a total of 37 years of aviation experience to his new job. He said on Monday that former Executive Vice President Randy Groom has left the company. Groom also was with Hawker Beechcraft before joining Piper in April 2010. Piper is based in Vero Beach, Fla., and is financed by the government of Brunei. Legal and Practical Aspects of Insurance in Business Aviation to Be Discussed in London This new seminar is hosted and sponsored by Gates and Partners in London. The aim is to provide an explanation of basic insurance terms in the context of aircraft finance and ownership structures. The seminar will also concentrate on the practical aspects of how the insurance market works. Gates and Partners (together with a panel of brokers, underwriters and adjusters) will explain the legal and practical aspects of aviation insurance. Click here to learn more and register. While Industries Clash, Tech Searches for a Solution back to top  LightSquared vs. GPS: A $6 Solution? LightSquared, the broadband company that has met with resistance from GPS users due to interference from its system, said last week technology company Partron America has developed a filter that costs only $6. This technology, along with several other prototypes, will undergo extensive testing in the coming weeks, LightSquared said. "Preliminary testing leaves LightSquared confident that the debate over our system and interference from GPS signals will be resolved," the company said in a news release. The company said it has already adjusted its spectrum to eliminate interference with 99.75 percent of all GPS devices. "We invested $9 million to develop filters that ensured our signal did not cross into spectrum licensed to GPS, which means that any interference that remains is caused by GPS signals looking into our spectrum," the company said. "Additionally, we have committed $50 million to retrofit or replace high-precision GPS devices in use by federal agencies." The battle over the spectrum has been a contentious one, as LightSquared laid the blame on GPS users "squatting" on wavelengths that were rightfully theirs. Yet with hundreds of millions of GPS users in agriculture and industry as well as in aviation, the pushback has been equally firm. Mobile FliteDeck: A Paperless Enroute Charting Revolution for Your iPad® Aviation is transformed with the first interactive mobile enroute flight application. With Mobile FliteDeck and a Jeppesen electronic chart subscription, you'll benefit from immediate access to accurate information, improved situational and operational awareness, and a more streamlined flight process. The app's features include enroute chart data and Airway Manual® text, class-leading vector map imaging, and data-driven IFR and VFR terminal charts. Watch a view overview. Political Candidates and Private Jets back to top  Candidate Jet Use Under Microscope New rules governing the accounting of private jet use by political candidates have Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry on the defensive, and others in the race are undoubtedly hoping to learn from his experience. Despite the negative rhetoric from Washington disdaining their use, private aircraft are the transport tool of choice for high-level campaigns and all candidates use them. But The New York Times has questioned whether Perry's use of Texas businessman Brian Pardo's Citation X at a rate of about $2,300 an hour contravened rules that say candidates must pay fair market value for flights, regardless of who owns the airplane. A quick look at rates from a variety of charter operators suggests the going rate is about $4,000 an hour. The rules were enacted to prevent supporters from making back-door donations by allowing the underfunded use of their airplanes by candidates. The old rules used to require reimbursement based on the first-class airfare that would be charged for each flight. Under the new rules, calculations get a lot more complicated and subjective when the relationship of those occupying the seats to the campaign are taken into consideration. For instance, if there are media along, a candidate wouldn't have to include their portion of the theoretical charter rate in the reimbursement. How that might apply to family members, ancillary staff (like security) or others not directly involved in the campaign will undoubtedly be the subject of much head-scratching in the next year. For his part, Pardo said he asked Perry staffers to pay him whatever the rule said he was owed and he relied on them to do the math. The Times says the Perry campaign has now referred the matter to a team of outside lawyers and accountants to see if they did it correctly. Sebring Regional Airport Hosts U.S. Sport Aviation Expo! The LSA show is January 19-22, 2012 and features conventional aircraft, kitplanes, powered parachutes, trikes, gyros, amphibians, and innovative designs such as electrically powered aircraft — 150+ aircraft on display. If it exists in the recreational aviation market, it will be at Expo! Over 12,500 aviation enthusiasts attended last year for demonstration flights, EAA forums, and what's new in the LSA market. Visit Sport-Aviation-Expo.com for details. If You've Been Dreaming of an Executive CSeries ... back to top  CSeries Bizjet Officially Floated Bombardier is now officially floating the idea of a corporate version of its CSeries airliner. In an interview with the Globe and Mail at NBAA last week, Rodney Williams, VP of marketing for Bombardier Business Jets, said there is interest in the airplane. "We have had demand from customers who have asked us to look at [it]," he said. The airplane would compete directly with the Embraer Lineage 1000 and SuperJet and might also be an alternative to Boeing Business Jets based on the 737 and Airbus's A318/319 corporate offerings. The musing comes as the CSeries airliner, which has struggled for orders, is now in a time crunch. Bombardier spokeswoman Haley Dunne told the Globe the overall project could come close to the wire in terms of on-time deliveries of the first aircraft. Bombardier has targeted 2013 for the introduction of the aircraft to service. "We've built the timeline to be able to mitigate any risks that might pop up. Right now we're at the point in the program where we've gone through a lot of contingencies," said Dunne. She also said the company is confident it will hit the mark. Trade Up to the Lightspeed Aviation Zulu Ranked #1 in Professional Pilot magazine's Annual Headset Preference Survey, Lightspeed Aviation is offering you a chance to trade up to Zulu. Setting the standard for all ANR headsets, Lightspeed Zulu features Full-Function Bluetooth™ connectivity, enhanced communications, a distinctive look, and unparalleled comfort. Visit LightspeedAviation.com, learn the value of your headset, and trade up to Zulu. BA Exec: "My View Is to Have a Real Competitor" back to top  British Airways CEO Likes Chinese Airliner Although some pundits have been dismissive of China's proposed C919 single-aisle airliner, one of the world's biggest airlines appears to be taking it seriously. In an address to an engineers' convention in Toulouse Tuesday, Willie Walsh, CEO of British Airways' parent IAG, said that on paper, at least, the C919 looks like a viable alternative to Airbus's A318/319/320 and the Boeing 737. "My view is you have a real competitor," Walsh is quoted by Bloomberg as saying. "The C919 looks very good on paper. There's a lot of improvement in fuel consumption and environmental performance." Walsh also hinted that the C919, which could easily be mistaken for an A320, may be less expensive than its Western rivals. Walsh said budget-conscious airlines are always looking for better value. "Price is very important," Bloomberg quoted Walsh as saying. "These are expensive assets in an industry that struggles to get its hands on capital. We're looking for everything, and we want it cheaper than it is now." The government-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China announced the C919 last year and hopes to have one flying in 2016. The first models will have CFM's Leap X engines and avionics supplied by Western companies but China is also developing home-grown power and panels. The company has said it will announce major orders for the C919 in the coming year. Avidyne Entegra Release 9 for $59,999 Installed!!! On the fence about an R9 installation for your Cirrus? We currently have two airplanes in the shop now for R9 and have four slots left for the rest of this year at a very special price. We even provide concierge pick-up service. Hurry; there are only four slots left this year! (Offer expires 12/31). Please call Dave Fetherston at NexAir Avionics for more information or a formal quote — (508) 339‑7077 — or visit NexAirAvionics.com. Who's Where back to top  Tibbitts at Flight Options Adam Tibbitts Adam Tibbitts is Flight Options' new regional sales director for the Rocky Mountain area. He's been in the business more than a decade and was recently at another fractional provider. 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: Altaire a Dated Concept In his latest post to the AVweb Insider blog, Russ Niles says Piper is correct in reviewing (and ultimately killing) the Altaire/PiperJet project -- for a variety of reasons, not least of which is that the idea of a single-engine business jet is dated and the concept doomed from the start. Read more and join the conversation. AVweb Insider Blog: Another Week, Another Ditching The Coasties got great video of a Cessna 310 ditching off Hawaii last week, making the local media swoon over the pilot's steely-eyed skill. Yawn. Happens all the time, and there are good reasons why water landings have such a high survival rate. Paul Bertorelli has the recap in his latest post to the AVweb Insider blog. Read more and join the conversation. 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. 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.