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| AVflash! Boeing Workers Await Important Meeting | back to top |  |
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Boeing To Unveil Wichita Plans
Boeing has confirmed it has called a mandatory meeting for employees of its Wichita operations for Wednesday amid concerns the company will close its plants there. The Wichita Eagle is reporting the 2,000 employees were told Tuesday they must attend the Wednesday meeting, which begins at 10:30 a.m. local time. Those working out of town have been given a call-in number. Boeing officials have been hinting the Wichita plant is in trouble in light of defense cuts and a lack of future prospects for work there.
Just before Christmas, Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., issued a statement saying Boeing would build Air Force tankers in Washington State rather than Wichita, furthering speculation about the plant. Pompeo said the decision reneged on Boeing's promise to create more jobs in Wichita if it won the hotly contested tanker contract. |
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or call (800) 337‑5263.
| Meanwhile, Florida Welcomes Embraer Plant | back to top | |
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Florida Lobby Celebrates Embraer Contract
A report from Florida suggests Hawker Beechcraft was out-politicked in its failed bid for a $1 billion contract to supply the Air Force with light attack aircraft. Sunshineslate.com says an aggressive effort by Florida Gov. Rick Scott along with other state, federal and municipal leaders resulted in the selection of Embraer's Super Tucano over Hawker Beech's Texan II. Embraer will assemble the Super Tucanos in Jacksonville, creating about 50 jobs. Meanwhile, Hawker Beechcraft has attracted some after-the-fact attention from a Kansas congressman who wants the Air Force to explain the decision.
Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., says he's "deeply disappointed" by the deal. "Several weeks ago, Hawker Beechcraft -- the only American competitor -- was eliminated from this important competition without explanation," Pompeo said in a statement. "Since then the Air Force has been secretive and evasive, leaving countless questions unanswered." Hawker Beech is taking the federal government to court over the contract. |
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| Sprint Grants LightSquared More Time | back to top | |
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LightSquared Gets 30-Day Extension
As broadband provider LightSquared continues to push for the right to use a communications spectrum that could interfere with GPS units, Sprint this week agreed to extend its Dec. 31 deadline for a $9 billion deal with the company another 30 days, according to Reuters. The agreement between the two companies to share network infrastructure is dependent upon LightSquared's getting the OK from the Federal Communications Commission, which so far has not been forthcoming. LightSquared has said the signal interference is due to poor design in GPS units. The Coalition to Save Our GPS has called LightSquared's claims "inaccurate and self-serving."
LightSquared, which is funded by billionaire Philip Falcone, has agreed to pay Sprint to build a wireless network for selling broadband service on the wholesale market, according to Reuters. According to LightSquared, problems in the GPS spectrum are due to poor design by manufacturers of GPS products. Last month, LightSquared petitioned the FCC to let it move ahead with its plans, declaring that manufacturers of GPS units are not entitled to any "protection." |
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| Avemo's Instructor-Tailored Insurance for NAFI | back to top | |
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NAFI, Avemco Offer CFI Insurance Plan
The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) and Avemco have teamed up for an insurance program that targets the specific needs of instructors. The program will offer CFIs greater flexibility in designing a policy that meets their specific needs in terms of limits and even specific aircraft coverage. "We have been working hard over the last year to find improvements in non-owned aircraft insurance, including professional liability coverage, for our members. We believe that as of today, the new NAFI CFI Insurance Program, available exclusively to NAFI members, is a much improved plan," said Jason Blair, Executive Director of NAFI.
Avemco President Jim Lauerman said instructors have special insurance needs and the new program reflects them. "We worked closely with NAFI to develop this program with the knowledge that professional flight instructors need the right insurance when they're actively giving flight instruction to their students," Lauerman said. |
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| Fly an Eclipse (2011-Style)! | back to top | |
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Eclipse Takes Demo Flights On Tour
Eclipse Aerospace is taking its jet on the road for the month of January, and offering demo flights at $750 each, the company said this week. The demo includes about an hour of ground school with an overview of the twin-engine jet's systems and avionics, plus about 40 to 50 minutes of flight time. Potential flyers must pre-register and be pre-approved for the flights, CEO Mason Holland told AVweb. Those who find the jet irresistible and sign up to buy one can deduct the demo cost from their purchase price. The jet will visit a dozen sites across the country; click here for the complete schedule and an online registration form.
Eclipse says if there isn't a stop near you, just send them an e-mail and they'll do their best to accommodate requests. "We are continuing to build our 2012 schedule now, and we want to make it to as many customer-requested cities as possible," the company said in a news release. The company offers the Total Eclipse factory-refurbished jet and is also taking orders for the all-new Eclipse 550 version. The 550, which is not yet in production, will use the same airframe and powerplant as the Total Eclipse but with "significant innovations in most aircraft systems," the company says, resulting in lower operating costs and enhanced comfort and performance. The base price of the new 550 is $2.695 million, while the refurbished jets sell for about $2.15 million. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with Holland about the airplane at the NBAA convention last October; click here for that podcast. |
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| Opinion & Commentary | back to top | |
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AVweb Insider Blog: Would You Make This Flight?
That's the subject of Paul Bertorelli's latest post to the AVweb Insider blog. It's a night flight over the Sierras in IMC above the freezing level. Tell us what you think, and in a couple of days, we'll expand the discussion. (There's no right or wrong answer here; just opinions.)
Read more and join the conversation.
AVweb Insider Blog: Does Anybody Want to Be an Airline Pilot Anymore?
Evidently not so much. In a revealing guest post to the AVweb Insider blog, Captain X, a trainer for a regional, reports that the few who do show up for interviews are sometimes barely skilled enough to make it through the sim ride. What's going on here? No one's entirely sure, but it's going to be a big problem five years from now if it continues.
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and save money on your next aviation purchase!
| Who's Where | back to top | |
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Mcleod Promoted at Gulfstream
Bill Mcleod is Gulfstream's new vice president for the central division of North American sales at Gulfstream. He was previously sales director for the mid-Atlantic region.
Who's Where? You Tell UsGet 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. |
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| AVweb Media: Look, Listen, Laugh and Learn | back to top | |
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Video: F-106 Corn Field Bomber, Convair Delta DartOriginal, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos This is an unusual story. The jet you're looking at is an F-106 Delta Dart. A storied interceptor in its day, it was built to exceed an Air Force requirement for 1.9 mach and continuous flight at 57,000 feet. It did both. And in December 1959, it set a speed record, of 1,525 mph, or about 2.3 mach, while flying at 40,000 feet. Its pilot at the time, Major Joseph Rogers, claimed the record might not be accurate. He was still accelerating, he said, at the time. But this particular jet is famous for a different reason. As the story goes, the aircraft you see here on February 2, 1970 flew itself into the ground -- a snowy field in Montana, where its engine continued to run for another hour and 45 minutes. Grounded, pilotless and still under power, with its radar still sweeping, the jet sometimes crept forward foot by foot through the snow as a small collection of onlookers watched. Its pilot, 1st Lieutenant Gary Foust, had ejected roughly two hours before that show was over. Foust's trip was just as interesting. He'd lost control of the jet while flying a mock engagement that led his and two other jets into harsh maneuvers in the thin, unforgiving air at 38,000 feet. Attempting to match a high-g reversal by another pilot, Foust's jet bucked. He entered a flat spin, and the jet fell, spinning slowly like a model on a turntable. The flight's two other pilots came to his aid, calling out recovery procedures. But by 15,000 feet the result seemed certain, and an instructor in one of the other jets ordered Foust to eject. Foust obeyed. But for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, and it could be it's that law that saved the jet. As Foust shot up, the jet's condition changed -- just enough for it to recover on its own and head off for the horizon. Legend has it that one of the observing pilots said on frequency, "Gary, you better get back in." In the end, the jet was recovered, rebuilt and put back to work as tail number 80787. But it was forever known as the Corn Field bomber. Delta Darts were phased out in the 1980s.
Video: Got an Oily Hangar Floor? This Stuff Can Spruce It UpOriginal, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos Many of us dream of a gleaming gray expoxy-coated hangar floor illuminated by the glare of bright lights. But most of us actually have oil-stained concrete, dingy from years of abuse. If your floor is stained badly, a product called ReKrete can help improve it. Aviation Consumer's Paul Bertorelli demonstrates the product in this brief video.
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| The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is You! | back to top | |
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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 | |
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Meet the AVwebBiz Team
AVwebBiz is a weekly summary of the latest business aviation news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the world's premier independent aviation news resource.
The AVwebBiz team is:
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