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November 14, 2012
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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AVflash! An Infusion of New Blood from
China |
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A reborn Eastern Air Lines plans to be the first U.S. airline to fly Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC)'s C919. In a surprise announcement at the China Airshow in Zhuhai Tuesday, Jack
Shi, senior vice president for commercial development of Eastern Air Lines, told a news conference that revival of the aviation icon has been in the works since 2008 and the fledgling airline is now
shopping for aircraft. Eastern went bankrupt in 1991 and Shi said some of those trying to resurrect it are former employees. It's planning to start flying from Miami to Latin America next year but Shi
told Reuters there's a lot to do yet. "Eastern used to be the largest
U.S. airline to serve the Latin America market," he said. "A lot of preparation work needs to be done, such as applying for an air route."
Shi said being the U.S. launch customer for the 150-seat C919 would be fitting for Eastern since it introduced Airbus airliners to the U.S., but admitted they're not in a position to order
aircraft. "We are still a young company. The startup investment has not been finalized yet," he said. COMAC declined comment on the Eastern rebirth. Meanwhile, COMAC says it has sold another 50 C919s,
pushing the order book to 380 and reportedly into the break-even range.
Cessna and China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Company, Ltd. (CAIGA) have finalized a deal to assemble Citation XLS+ business jets in China. The deal, which was announced as a strategic
partnership earlier this year with CAIGA parent AVIC involving the assembly and sale of Caravans in China, will involve subassembly and parts production in Wichita with assembly, paint and flight
testing for in-country aircraft to take place in Zhuhai, the site of Airshow China which is on this week.
"This is an exciting opportunity for Cessna, given the tremendous growth potential of the region and our ability to bring high quality, proven aircraft that people have come to expect from Cessna,"
said Scott Ernest, president and CEO. Cessna and CAIGA will jointly manage the venture but Cessna gets to pick the manager. "Customers can expect rigorous testing and quality controls that are the
hallmark of our reliable aircraft family," said Bill Schultz, Cessna's senior vice president of business development for China.
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The European Union has delayed implementation of its controversial airline carbon tax to 2014, citing progress on a global carbon emission effort by the International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO). However, the U.S. House of Representatives increased the pressure against the EU's plan with passage of a bill that will make it illegal for U.S. airlines to pay the tax. The bill passed after
only a few minutes of debate Tuesday. "In my view, the EU's proposed emissions trading scheme is inconsistent with international aviation law and practice," said Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va. "It goes
against international law and agreements. It brings the hand of European regulators into our own airspace."
The tax would add a few dollars to the price of each ticket for flights landing and departing from EU airports, but most House legislators characterize it as a "tax grab" and don't want to rely on
the ICAO for a solution. "ICAO does not set policy for the United States of America. We are a sovereign nation, and we must again, I think, defend ... our position, our sovereignty," said House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica, R-Fla. "We've got to hold people's feet to the fire in respecting also, again, U.S. sovereignty." But California Democrat Henry Waxman
urged his colleagues to take a more global view of the issue, and cast the lone dissenting vote, invoking the memory of Hurricane Sandy. "This is what global warming looks like, and if we continue to
ignore it, it will look far worse," he said. "We should be doing all we can to reduce carbon pollution, and slow global warming."
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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.
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Schrödinger's Pilots: Are They There, or
Not? |
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Some airline executives are saying a combination of retirements, airline expansion, and an imminent change in FAA
rules that could set a minimum of 1,500 hours for first officers will create a pilot shortage, but CBS news analyst Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger said the airlines are employing "scare tactics." In
a story in Sunday's Wall Street Journal, Dan Garton, CEO of American Eagle, said the impact
of the FAA's proposed new first-officer rule "is going to become much more visible when regionals have to decrease their flying" for lack of pilots. The airline may have to eliminate service to some
smaller cities, he said. Sullenberger said on CBS on Monday that airline executives are crying wolf, with the aim to pressure the FAA into reducing the first-officer requirements in the final version of the new rule.
"This [rule change] is not a surprise to anyone," Sullenberger said. He added that earlier this year, during a congressional hearing, a Regional Airline Association official said that out of 18,000
pilots flying on regional airlines, only 100 might not be compliant with the new rules, mainly because they weren't yet 23 years old, which is one of the proposed new requirements. "We've known these
rules were coming for several years," Sullenberger said. JetBlue CEO Dave Barger said in an October speech, according to The Wall Street Journal, that the industry is "facing an exodus of talent in
the next few years" and could "wake up one day and find we have no one to operate or maintain those planes." Sullenberger said the airlines have the means to solve their own problem: "When the
airlines create working conditions and have wages that will attract qualified, experienced pilots, they will have enough applicants."
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The ninth China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition opened in Zhuhai on Tuesday, as the country continues to work toward opening its airspace to private fliers by 2020. GE said the
China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. has selected GE's new H85 turboprop engine to power the Primus 150, a six-seat, pressurized single-engine airplane with a carbon-fiber composite airframe.
It will be the first business aircraft manufactured in China, according to GE. Also at the show, Piaggio delivered its first P.180 Avanti II turboprop to a Chinese customer. The twin turboprop will be
operated as part of a private aircraft club program. CubCrafters also announced that their Top Cub two-seat backcountry airplane is now certified for sales and operations in China.
Business users are currently leading aviation growth in China, according to China Daily, and
helicopters and business jets are the most popular general-aviation aircraft. Embraer executives said at the show their analysis predicts a demand for 650 business aircraft in China by 2022, with a
value of $24 billion. "China is a rapidly growing global executive aviation market with its economic development, the gradual opening of low-altitude airspace and the continuous improvement of its
aviation infrastructure," said Ernest Edwards, president of Embraer Executive Jets. Currently there are about 1,200 general aviation aircraft in China, according to China Daily. The Zhuhai airshow has
been held every other year since 1996.
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The popular SeaRey kit-built LSA amphib will soon be available as a factory-built aircraft. Progressive Aerodyne, of Tavares, Fla., announced last week that it has FAA approval to manufacture an
S-LSA version of the aircraft. The company expects to deliver the first fly-away SeaRey early next year. SeaRey kits have been available for 20 years and the company recently moved its operation to
Tavares from Orlando. AVweb flew a SeaRey a few years ago and we prepared this video.
Four years ago the city built a seaplane base and branded itself "America's Seaplane City," and in some ways the recent announcement validated that. "You can't be America's Seaplane City if you're
not making seaplanes," said John Drury, city administrator. "Our city council had the vision and fortitude to invest in itself, brand itself, and embrace a civic entrepreneurial spirit during one of
the hardest economic times in our history. Today that vision and fortitude is paying off. Now others are investing in us, with capital and jobs, high wage jobs." SeaRey currently employs 16 people but
the company hopes the new product will spur expansion.
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For aviation, last week's election may represent some interesting possibilities. Unfortunately, most of them involve budget cuts and possibly the delay or elimination of programs most of us
consider important. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli observes that, to a degree most of us have never seen, aviation's outlook is tied to larger taxation and policy considerations.
Welcome to the world of the challenged special interest group.
Read more and join the conversation.
Here at AVweb, we try to pause and reflect on our veterans every November 11 — but sometimes, when there's not a news story to hang your reflections and thanks on, you have to takes to
the air in your Piper Cub and do some proper reflection. That's what Paul Bertorelli did Sunday in an effort to find the right way to say "thanks" to all those who've served.
Read more and join the conversation.
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| Dynon |
Michael Schofield is the new marketing manager, and Kirk Kleinholz has assumed the post of sales manager at Dynon. Schofield has been with the avionics manufacturer for five years and Kleinholz for
three.
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| National Air Transportation Association |
The new executive vice president of the National Air Transportation Association is Jim Coon, who is now the chief of staff for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure. Also, Amy Koranda has been appointed vice president of NATA.
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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The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is
You! |
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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.
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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.
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
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