October 10, 2012

By The AVweb Editorial Staff

Operational Safety Management Seminar Denver, Colorado, November 13-14 This real-world, two-day operational safety management seminar focuses on the four pillars of SMS: Safety Policy, Risk Management, Safety Assurance and Safety Promotion. 18,000-hour pilot J.R. Russell and guest speaker David Soucie (former FAA official and author) show you SMS applications and case studies from the inside out. "Operationally relevant," says corporate pilot-safety officer Gary Tucker. Stay at Denver's great Inverness Conference Center, where rooms and meals are included — networking, too. Click here for details. AVflash! Prepping for AOPA Summit back to top  AOPA Summit In Palm Springs AOPA Summit begins Thursday in Palm Springs, Calif., and AVweb is of course there to provide concise daily coverage of the big show. Starting with the pre-show Parade of Planes on Wednesday, and wrapping up with the awards and speeches that help set the course for general aviation's coming year, Summit is an interactive and informative experience for those who attend. Watch for video, audio and written coverage beginning Thursday morning and wrapping up Saturday. The AOPA schedule replaces some of the usual features that we run during that part of the week. Our first day of AOPA coverage will replace the normal Thursday AVwebFlash and our Friday compilation will run instead of our brand-new Friday Features segment. Saturday is a bonus day of coverage that will wrap up our convention coverage. If there's something we should be covering in Palm Springs, let us know at newstips@avweb.com. Pilot's Guide to Avionics Now Available The 2012-13 edition of the Aircraft Electronics Association's Pilot's Guide to Avionics is now available. To request a complimentary copy, visit AEAPilotsGuide.net. This special 10th anniversary edition is a consumer's directory containing buyer's guides, educational articles and timely information about the avionics industry, its products and its people. The publication helps pilots make better buying decisions and locate more than 1,300 AEA member companies, including government-certified repair stations around the world. Bizav and the Election Cycle back to top  Aviation Advocates Criticize Obama Remarks In last week's presidential debate, President Obama said people who operate business jets shouldn't be entitled to an accelerated-depreciation tax break. "My attitude is, if you got a corporate jet, you can probably afford to pay full freight, not get a special break for it," President Obama said. Jack Pelton, former Cessna CEO, was quick to respond with a letter to Carl Brewer, the mayor of Wichita, Kan. "We cannot continue to be reflected by the President as an industry that is 'bad,'" Pelton wrote, according to the Wichita Eagle. "If this is the theme for the campaign, you can guarantee Wichita will suffer beyond what we have seen to date." More than 13,000 aviation workers in Wichita lost their jobs dung the economic downturn. Ed Bolen, president of NBAA, responded the day after the debate with a letter to the White House. "I'm writing to convey my frustration at your disparaging remarks about our industry during last night's debate," Bolen wrote. "Your comments seemed to illustrate a complete lack of understanding about the importance of business aviation in the U.S., and appear to be at odds with your stated interest in promoting job growth, stimulating exports, driving economic recovery and restoring America to its first-place position in manufacturing." NBAA and other advocates have also protested the administration's user-fee proposals. Your Personal S1 Experience With its revolutionary adaptive digital noise cancelation and customizable comfort features such as headband contact pressure adjustment, the S1 Digital is truly a headset that can be personalized for every user and every environment. We want you to experience this level of customization for yourself. For a limited time only, try an S1 Digital without risk for 30 days, share your experience with us, and get rewarded. Learn more. Labor, Management Clash at Bombardier back to top  Workers On Strike At Bombardier The machinists union representing about 825 workers at the Bombardier Learjet plant in Wichita, Kan., rejected the company's latest contract offer over the weekend, and on Monday, workers went on strike. The company said it has contingency plans that will enable it to continue to build, deliver and service aircraft during the strike with minimal disruption. Union officials told Bloomberg News the main points of contention were a proposed hike in health-care costs, and a proposed five-year term for the contract, which they said was too long. Bombardier spokeswoman Peggy Gross told Reuters the company hopes to resume negotiations soon. "The company put forth what it believes is a fair proposal for the long-term success of the company and for our employees," she said. Bob Wood, a spokesman for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said the main issue was health care. "Whenever they are ready to put those HMOs back on the table, we're certainly ready to negotiate, but not until then," he said. Our Agents Are Pilots! Talk to pilots who value your airplane, even before they insure it. Aviation Insurance Resources (AIR-PROS.COM) will research your aircraft's market value before you buy, sell, trade, or renew. And we shop coverage options from all major aviation insurance markets to save you time and money — or expand coverage — for new owners, transitioning pilots, renters, FBOs — even flight schools. Call (877) 247‑7767. Or click here. When in Perth — Plan Ahead? back to top  Perth Throttles Corporate Jets Corporate aircraft owners in the Australian boomtown of Perth are protesting a new airport slot arrangement that will require them to reserve 24 hours ahead to get in and out. Of course, one of the advantages of private aviation is that a plane can be dispatched as needed but Perth is facing crunches of traffic at the most popular times of day (early morning and late afternoon) and corporate operators say they're being shuffled aside. According to the Western Australian the priority is to get mining workers to and from their jobs on time. Pert Airport CEO Brad Geatches said the airport will push ahead with the slot arrangement which he said would improve efficiency. But Peter Hillier, chief pilot of Revesco Aviation said even booking 24 hours ahead could result in delays of two hours in getting a takeoff slot. Peter Nadilo, of Maxem Aviation said the needs of corporate aviation need to be considered in the mix. "We need some common sense and a fresh approach to say a certain number of slots are available for corporate aircraft." Eclipse Carefree Ownership Unveiled For a limited time, EAI is offering 550 jet positions with our new Carefree Ownership Program at no additional cost. This program includes fuel at no extra cost for the first year you own your Eclipse Jet, and all scheduled maintenance, inspections, and consumables (including brakes, batteries, oil, and tires) for the first two years of ownership, as well as a training allowance to cover everything from jet basics to your Eclipse Jet type rating. Click here to see the complete details of this offer! Cultivating Tomorrow's Pilot Population back to top  FAA Partners With Aviation Education Groups The FAA has renewed educational partnerships with Jamail Larkins and Build-A-Plane to help encourage young people to pursue careers in aerospace. These partnerships "inspire students across the nation to explore the many opportunities that aviation and aerospace careers offer," said Acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. Larkins will continue to serve as the FAA's official ambassador for aviation and space education under the Science, Engineering, and Mathematics - Aviation and Space Education program. Build-A-Plane is a non-profit organization that encourages interest in aerospace and aviation careers by helping student groups build and restore airplanes. Larkins is one of the country's youngest aviation entrepreneurs and president of Ascension Air, a Cirrus fractional partnership program. He addresses up to 20,000 students about aerospace careers each year through public schools and youth groups. The STEM-AVSED program coordinates presentations with Larkins for agency outreach events, such as Aviation Career Education Academies, airport career expos and school visits. Build-A-Plane accepts donations of aircraft kits and airplanes in need of restoration and matches them with student groups across the country. Avemco Doesn't Believe in Gotchas We won't reject your claim just because your medical, annual inspection or flight review accidentally expired during the policy period. Avemco doesn't do business that way. That's why we have so few exclusions and why our policies are so easy to understand. Get your no-obligation quote. New on AVweb.com back to top  AVweb Insider Blog: Can a Skydiver Maintain Head-Down at Mach 1? Felix Baumgartner was set to find out on Tuesday morning, when gusty winds forced yet another scrub of his world-record skydive attempt. That gave AVweb Insider blogger Paul Bertorelli some time to ruminate on what he'll have to do to reach his Mach 1 goal. No one knows if there's enough air at 120,000 feet to do anything like normal skydiving. Read more and join the conversation. Brainteasers Quiz #176: Free Yourself from Restrictions Between summer and winter, when reason begins to lower, comes a pause in a pilot's occupations that's known as Presidential campaign season, imposing TFRs that threaten your wings. Defend yourself with this quiz. Take the quiz. More Brainteasers How to Own an Airplane Available from AVweb Bookstore. Here are some good ideas on how to afford and own an airplane, including checklists, sample contracts and agreements, your rights and responsibilities, simplified FAA and tax rules, and lots of how-to solutions and ways to best economize your investment. Call (800) 780‑4115 or click here for more information. Who's Where back to top  Golden at Superior Glen Golden Glen Golden is the new VP of sales for Superior Air Parts. He most recently owned Enhanced Aircraft Systems and is the former president of Engine Components Inc. (ECi). 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. Fantasy or Reality? IFR magazine helps you sort the facts from the fiction. Realistic, practical tools for the IFR pilot. Subscribe now and get a bonus gift! 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 world's premier independent aviation news resource. The AVwebBiz team is: Publisher Tom Bliss Editorial Director, Aviation Publications Paul Bertorelli Editor-in-Chief Russ Niles Webmaster Scott Simmons Contributing Editors Mary Grady Glenn Pew Contributors Kevin Lane-Cummings Ad Coordinator Karen Lund Avionics Editor Larry Anglisano Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? Your advertising can reach over 225,000 loyal AVwebFlash, AVwebBiz, and AVweb home page readers every week. Over 80% of our readers are active pilots and aircraft owners. That's why our advertisers grow with us, year after year. For ad rates and scheduling, click here or contact Tom Bliss, via e-mail or via telephone [(480) 525-7481]. 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. 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