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February 8, 2012
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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Experience Trade-A-Plane in a Greater Way!
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or call (800) 337‑5263.
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Hawker Beechcraft's board of directors has named high-profile corporate fix-it man Steve Miller as new CEO of Hawker Beechcraft Inc., shifting former CEO Bill Boisture to the role of chairman of
the company's operating subsidiary Hawker Beechcraft Corp. Miller was tapped to take over as chairman of American International Group (AIG) 18 months ago to help it continue its return to
profitability and pay back more than $130 billion bailout money to the U.S. government. Known as "The Turnaround Kid" on Wall Street (he's 70), Miller has headed up companies like Bethlehem Steel and
Delphi Corp. as they emerged from bankruptcy. Hawker Beech is still solvent but it has asked creditors for concessions on the terms of its operating line of credit.
As we reported in December, the company announced it was close to breaching terms that require its cash flow to
increase during the term of the loan. Tough times have strangled cash flow at many aircraft manufacturers and analysts expected Hawker Beech to get those concessions. Boisture has also led a
high-profile campaign to get the Air Force to reconsider its decision to go with Embraer's Super Tucano over the Beech AT-6B as its new light air support aircraft.
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Eclipse Aerospace Invites You to the Eclipse Jet Experience
Come see and fly the world's most fuel-efficient twin-engine jet at The Eclipse Jet Experience. Enjoy one hour of ground school on the Eclipse's avionics systems. Then take to the skies with
an Eclipse pilot to truly see what the Eclipse Jet is all about: getting to your destination quickly, safely, and efficiently. For more information, or to schedule your Eclipse Jet Experience,
click here. 
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The Senate on Monday voted to pass a four-year FAA funding bill that just last week was agreed on by a joint committee and then passed in the House on Friday. The bill now goes to President Obama.
General aviation advocacy groups were united in applauding the bill. AOPA President Craig Fuller said the $63 billion in funding provides a "vital step" toward modernizing our air traffic system and
improving our airports. Pete Bunce, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, said, "The policies contained in this bill are critical to the health of general aviation
manufacturing." For about five years, the FAA has operated on short-term funding appropriations from Congress while waiting for a full reauthorization bill to be hashed out in Congress.
There are no new GA user fees in the bill, according to AOPA. The bill endorses changes in FAA certification that will make it easier for new aviation products to reach the market, GAMA said. About
$3 billion per year will be spent to implement the NextGen air traffic system. The bill sets a deadline of June 2015 for the FAA to start using NextGen arrival procedures at the nation's 35 busiest
airports, The Associated Press reported. The bill also requires the FAA to
provide access to the National Airspace System for remotely operated aerial vehicles by October 2015. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association was pleased with changes in labor rules that they
say will benefit workers. But while GA groups were generally happy to finally have a bill, not everyone was pleased with the final result. Labor groups worry that a provision making it harder to
unionize workers is an "attack on workplace rights," according to Politico. And Flyers Rights, a group lobbying for
airline passengers, was disappointed that a three-hour limit on ramp delays was not included. President Obama is expected to sign the bill.
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The Safety Across High-Consequence Industries Conference
... provides a unique forum for professionals from aviation, healthcare and other high-consequence industries to share organizational safety strategies and strategic thinking when executing safety
initiatives. This year's theme is "Safety Management: How to Make It Happen." Business leaders and practitioners will discuss safety leadership strategies, development of a strong
safety culture, and sustainment of a robust safety management system.
Call (314) 977‑8725 or
click for
details. 
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Cessna has increased the range of its new Latitude midsize business jet, leaving little doubt the new aircraft is a direct response to Embraer's entry to that market. When it was introduced at NBAA last October the 2,000-nm range raised eyebrows as it was the shortest of any in that segment. In a
news release last week, Cessna said the new number is 2,300 nm, matching the Embraer Legacy 450 and a little better than others in that slot.
The Embraer influence is evident in other aspects of the Latitude design. For instance, the Latitude, although it's smaller than the Sovereign and Citation Ten, is much roomier in the cabin,
matching the 450's standup cabin height (six-foot) and more than six-foot width. Where the Latitude has the 450 beat is in short-field performance. The Embraer lists a takeoff distance of 5,000 while
the Latitude is expected to need just 3,900. The Cessna is $14.9 million and the Embraer $15.25 million.
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AeroExpo UK: 25-27 May 2012
AviationExpo Europe: 22-24 June 2012
Established, proven, and successful! The exhibitions to attend in the U.K. and in Europe, whether you are interested in learning to fly or are already a pilot and want to view the latest
products available! Showcasing all sections of the market, including the latest aircraft available — from light aircraft or pistons and turboprops from all the major manufacturers to
gliders and power gliders; AeroExpo UK at Sywell Aerodrome (EGBK) and AviationExpo Europe at Bitburg Airport (EDRB) has them covered!
Click here to learn
more about both shows.
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Four nominees were named last week by the National Aeronautic Association for the 2011 Robert J. Collier Trophy, which honors the "greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America."
The nominees are: Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy, the Gamera human-powered helicopter, and Pipistrel's Taurus G4 electric-powered airplane. "We are very proud of the
nominations we received for the 2011 Collier Trophy," said NAA Chairman Walter J. Boyne. "Each of them -- in their own way -- mark significant progress in the advancement of aviation and
aerospace on the planet, and we certainly welcome them to the Collier selection process."
Boeing's 787 is a clean-sheet design launched in 2004, with first delivery in September 2011. Composite
materials are used for 50 percent of the structure, and it runs on all-new jet engines that contribute to its fuel efficiency. The Super Galaxy is an upgraded version of the C-5, with a digital avionics suite and more than 70 improvements to the airframe and systems, including new F138-GE-100 engines. The
airplane set 41 world aeronautical records in one flight in 2009, when it carried a payload of 176,610 pounds to an altitude of more than 41,100 feet in 23 minutes, 59 seconds. The Gamera, designed and built by students at the University of Maryland, lifted off and hovered for 11.4 seconds in July 2011, setting a new world
record for duration of a human-powered helicopter flight. The twin-fuselage Taurus G4 won NASA's $1.35 million prize last year in the Green Flight Challenge. The winner will be selected by a panel of 31 leaders from the aviation and aerospace industry, and the announcement will be made at an awards ceremony on March 13.
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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. 
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A Virgin Australia pilot is suing the airline for almost $1 million, claiming he hurt his back hoisting a flight bag stuffed with 40 pounds of charts and manuals. David Kloster, 57, says it never
would have happened if the airline had given him an iPad instead. In a filing with the Queensland Supreme Court, Kloster said the airline had an obligation to provide him (and presumably other pilots)
with an alternative to lugging around the information he needed to do his job. "The defendant (Virgin Australia) exposed the plaintiff (Mr. Kloster) to a risk of injury which could have been avoided
by the exercise of reasonable care," court documents said. "(Virgin Australia) failed to have in place a system of work whereby charts and rules could have been left on board its aircraft or kept
electronically on an iPad."
Virgin Australia has not formally responded to the claim but issued a statement saying it takes protection of the health and safety of its employees seriously. It's also planning to switch to iPads
for document storage this year. Kloster was taking the airline shuttle bus to work on Dec. 29, 2009, when the mishap occurred. It laid him up for much of 2010 and it appears he hasn't been able to
return to work based on the claim, which includes more than $800,000 (Australian dollars) for loss of future earnings.
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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
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| Heidi Williams | Craig Spence |
Heidi Williams is the new Vice President of Air Traffic Services and Modernization. Craig Spence is Vice President of Operations and International Affairs.
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| Bernd Munzenmayer |
Bernd "Munzie" Munzenmayer, a founder of ProStar Aviation, has sold his shares and is now an employee of the company. He's the new Senior Sales Advisor.
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.
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Experienced airplane people say FAR 23 is a good guideline to build safe, flyable airplanes. If the Gippsland GA8 is an example of that, they're right. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul
Bertorelli offers some thoughts on why the Airvan is such a nice flying airplane.
Read more and join the conversation.
If the genie popped out the bottle and granted you three wishes to witness three events in aviation history, which three would you pick? On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli offers
his choices. Plus, there's a link to a cool 3-D video.
Read more and join the conversation.
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Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb
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Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos
A practical flying car with everyman usability has so far eluded the public, but we may have already been introduced to a design that could lead to a breakthrough. Some of the major
challenges of producing a point-to-point simple and safe to operate vehicle are technological in nature. Autonomous navigation (enter the destination, press a button, and allow the vehicle to
navigate, communicate with, and autonomously avoid other aircraft) may be one key to safely organizing masses of flying vehicles in the same airspace. And as society progresses, the gap between the
dream and reality may be shrinking.
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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.
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Tom Bliss
Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli
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Contributing Editors
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Glenn Pew
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Contributors
Kevin Lane-Cummings
Jeff Van West
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