GA-NYTT   08-04-25 GERMAN DIESEL ENGINE FOUNDER OUSTED FROM COMPANY The supervisory board of Thielert AG said on April 23 that it has found the company’s financial statements for 2004 through 2005 to be incorrect, and has dismissed management board members Frank Thielert and financial chief Roswitha Grosser. A statement posted on the company’s Web site said investors have discontinued support for the company's restructuring package. On April 24 the company was forced to file for insolvency, the term used in Europe for bankruptcy.   08-04-24 Thielert AG: Subsidiary Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH filed for insolvency Hamburg/Germany - Today the executive board of Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH, Lichtenstein, Saxony/Germany, has filed for the opening of insolvency at the county court Chemnitz concerning the assets of the company due to immediate illiquidity. Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH is a full subsidiary of Thielert AG. The going concern of Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH can only be ensured permanently by restructuring activities with the support of investors, due to the fact that the Holding Thielert AG is not capable to do so anymore. As a consequence Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH aims for an insolvency plan proceeding. The insolvency plan shall be presented to the court and all creditors by the new appointed executive board and the interim insolvency administrator until the opening of the insolvency proceeding. A successful continuation of business in the insolvency plan proceeding is required.   08-04-11 ADAM AIRCRAFT GETS A NEW OWNER A Denver federal bankruptcy court has approved the sale of Adam Aircraft Industries for $10 million to Russian-owned AAI Acquisition, a Delaware corporation set up by Industrial Investors, a Russian private equity asset management group that claims to manage investments worth $3 billion. AAI Vice President Dmitry Shokhin said his company would continue Adam operations, including the certification of the A700 jet. Adam Aircraft also developed the A500 piston-engine aircraft prior to bankruptcy. A press release from the Russian company said Industrial Investors specializes in transportation and owns an air-taxi company known as Dexter and a business jet airline called Velvet Club. Adam Aircraft filed for bankruptcy Feb. 15, and within days most of the workforce had attended job fairs conducted in hotel meeting rooms throughout the Denver area.   08-04-11 TUSSLES IN BRUSSELS: PILOTS IN EUROPE FEEL THE SQUEEZE Basic general aviation is being squeezed out of European skies, AOPA President Phil Boyer told the annual General and Business Aviation Day Forum on April 4 at Eurocontrol headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. "The profile of general aviation has never been higher in Europe, providing an attractive alternative to the airlines," said Boyer, who also serves as president of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA). "Yet the VFR pilot has fewer and fewer places to fly due to declining airport availability, environmental restrictions, increasing costs, and ever shrinking airspace."   08-04-11 ELECTRICITY POWERS PLANE IN SPAIN A research affiliate of Boeing in Spain has test flown a Diamond Dimona motorglider using only a fuel cell, like those used by space vehicles to generate electricity, and a lithium-ion battery. This goal took some seven years to reach. Both the battery and fuel cell were used for takeoff and landing, but once at altitude the aircraft was flown 20 minutes in level flight using only the fuel cell. The speed of the motorized glider during that time was 54 knots TAS. No, this doesn't mean you'll be flying an electric airplane in the distant future. But the technology could be used to power unmanned aerial vehicles. Having achieved its goal, the program has ended and no further flights are planned, but the research goes on.   08-04-11 DUAL GARMINS FOR ECLIPSE 500 Eclipse Aviation plans to incorporate dual, panel-mounted Garmin GPS 400W navigation receivers into the Eclipse 500 very light jet. According to Eclipse, the move is designed to give the aircraft's Avio NG avionics suite the "functionality we always said it would have." Once equipped with the new avionics, Eclipse 500 operators should be able to file GPS-direct flight plans, and ultimately, perform vertical navigation with WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) guidance. Retrofit plans are still in the works.   08-04-11 IT'S A BUYER'S MARKET Rising fuel, insurance, and hangar costs—along with tight credit markets—have pushed down aircraft values and made it a buyer's market, according to experienced aircraft owner John Downing, of Atlanta. "Buyers who are ready to move can get some astonishingly good deals," he said. "I watch the market closely, and I've been amazed that some excellent airplanes at very reasonable prices have been slow to sell, or haven't sold at all in the last year. It's a real buyer's market."   08-04-09 SKYCATCHER PRODUCTION AIRCRAFT NEARS COMPLETION The second Cessna SkyCatcher light sport aircraft (LSA), designated as the first production serial number, will be completed in time for display at Oshkosh this summer. It will be the first to have a full interior. Cessna officials also said TruTrak Flight Systems, a tiny company in Arkansas started by autopilot pioneer Jim Younkin, will build an optional two-axis autopilot, available as a dealer-installed item. TruTrak was used by the late Steve Fossett in his record-setting solo trip around the world in 2005.   08-04-09 SYNTHETIC VISION CERTIFIED FOR GARMIN G1000 Garmin's just-certified Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT) allows pilots to see a color, three-dimensional view of their surroundings regardless of the weather. Mountains, valleys, lakes, and even airports appear on the G1000 primary flight display just as they would on clear days. SVT will be available to G1000 owners through a software patch that requires no additional hardware. For a close-up look at SVT in an airplane, see AOPA Pilot First Look video clip.   08-04-09 AVIDYNE LAUNCHES NEW FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM A desire to reduce pilot workload in single-pilot IFR operations has led Avidyne to develop the FMS900W flight management system. The new product is seen as an enhancement to Avidyne's Entegra glass cockpit and takes advantage of that system's large-format displays. System components include single or dual remote-mounted line replacement units, each containing GPS and WAAS sensors, VHF navcoms with 8.33 kHz spacing, and voice/data capability.   08-04-02 AOPA WORKING ON FUTURE AVGAS 100LL—its rising cost, future availability, and environmental impact—is on the minds of everyone in the aviation industry. AOPA is working to help find a viable fuel replacement that would have a minimal impact on our members and general aviation aircraft. On March 17, AOPA responded to the Environmental Protection Agency's publication of a rulemaking petition to limit lead emissions from general aviation aircraft. The EPA's move stems from a petition from the environmental group Friends of the Earth. Removing lead from avgas without having a suitable alternative would have a catastrophic impact on 30 percent of the GA fleet.   08-04-02 JEPPESEN TO END UPDATES FOR SOME OLDER IFR GPS RECEIVERS Jeppesen will stop providing NavData database updates for some older IFR GPS receivers from Trimble and NorthStar in the coming year. The company says it is no longer feasible to continue to trim database information to fit into the 1MB and 2MB Flash Card memory format used by many of these systems. Owners of the units are being notified that updates will stop in March 2009, and they will receive prorated refunds for any time remaining on their database subscriptions.   08-04-02 AVIONICS COMPANY CERTIFIES FLIGHT DISPLAY Startup avionics manufacturer Aspen Avionics has received certification for its glass-panel Evolution Flight Display 1000, the company announced March 14. The EFD1000 is an aftermarket primary flight display (PFD) designed to replace the mechanical "six pack" instruments in a wide variety of general aviation airplanes. The company says it designed the system to be easy to install and upgrade. Read more on www.aspenavionics.com   08-04-02 DIAMOND D-JET GETS POWER BOOST Diamond Aircraft has announced that its single-engine fanjet VLJ—the D-Jet—will be given an engine upgrade. The airplane's original 1,564-pounds-thrust Williams FJ33-4A-15 engine has been dropped from the equipment list in favor of a much more powerful Williams engine—the 1,900-lbst Williams FJ33-4A-19. The new engine means first deliveries will now slip to the second quarter of 2009, according to Diamond. Originally, certification of the D-Jet was expected this year.   08-03-14 FAA ISSUES EMERGENCY AD FOR THIELERT ENGINES In-flight engine shutdowns have led the FAA to issue an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) for model TAE 125-02-99 engines from Thielert. The shutdowns were the result of cracks in the high-pressure fuel lines caused by excessive vibration. The March 12 AD affects engines with serial numbers from 02-02-1500 through 02-02-2279. The engines are installed on Cessna 172, Diamond DA42, and other aircraft. Before the next flight, owners must install a new high-pressure fuel line and bracket. Special flight permits are allowed for a single VFR flight of up to two hours to the nearest maintenance station.   08-03-14 EMERGENCY AD GOES OUT FOR POPULAR FUEL-INJECTION SYSTEMS Pilots who fly behind engines with certain Precision Airmotive RSA-5 and RSA-10 series fuel injection servos must have their aircraft inspected and repaired by a mechanic before their next flight under an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) issued by the FAA. The March 12 AD affects all newer-model single-engine Cessnas and some Pipers, as well as overhauled and new replacement engines, and engines that have had fuel injection gaskets replaced.   08-03-09 CESSNA SKYCATCHER PROTOTYPE FLIES Cessna's 162 SkyCatcher prototype flew for the first time on March 8, from Cessna Field to Mid-Continent Airport, both in Wichita, Kan. With test pilot Dale Bleakney at the controls, the one-hour mission consisted of flight maneuvers to assess the stability and controllability of the new design. The flying prototype is the first of three airframes to be built in Wichita, Cessna said. The next Cessna 162 to be built is described as the “first production model,” while the third is slated to be an engineering test article.   08-01-30 DELIVERIES BEGIN FOR QUEST KODIAK Quest Kodiak made two customer deliveries of the tough backcountry Kodiak single-engine turboprop in one week following a longer-than-expected effort to bring the FAA-certified aircraft to market. More than 100 are on order. First requested by missionary groups, the aircraft has caught the eye of charter and cargo carriers that don't necessarily need to pick their way through trees toward unimproved mountain airstrips.   08-01-30 'GLASS' TBM 850 MAKES U.S. DEBUT EADS Socata has delivered its first two TBM 850 turboprops to be equipped with the Garmin G1000 electronic flight information system. Socata claims more than 60 orders for the $3 million, Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D-powered aircraft, which offers a maximum cruise speed of 320 knots at 26,000 feet   08-01-04 CIRRUS MAKES ROOM FOR JET PRODUCTION Cirrus Design Corp. is giving itself room to grow with a 25-year lease on a 189,000-square-foot facility formerly used by Northwest Airlines as a maintenance base. Cirrus plans to use the space, which has been sitting empty, to develop and ultimately produce its planned personal jet.   08-01-04 DIESEL ENGINES TO TAKE OVER U.S. MARKET BY 2015? There are now more than 1,500 diesel-powered aircraft flying around the world. One industry publication predicts that the number will increase by 500 by the end of 2008 and that sales will further escalate each consecutive year.   07-12-28 WORK TO SLOW ON CESSNA'S NEXT-GENERATION PISTON AIRCRAFT What does Cessna Aircraft Company's purchase of Columbia Aircraft mean to Cessna's plans for a next-generation piston-engine aircraft? "We will continue at a slower pace. They are aircraft with different performance measures, and we still need a new-generation family to replace the [Cessna] 172-182. We'll still be working on it, though," said Doug Oliver, director of corporate communications. In 2006, the company unveiled the prototype for what Cessna President Jack Pelton called the Next Generation Piston. Cessna gained two new composite models in the purchase of Columbia Aircraft   07-12-28 ECLIPSE GETS FAA NOD FOR ALL-DIGITAL JET Eclipse Aviation has obtained FAA certification for its Avio NG integrated avionics suite, which now becomes standard equipment on the Eclipse 500 very light jet. More than 100 completed Eclipse 500s are slated to receive the system at company expense; an Eclipse spokesman said the retrofit program is expected to run through late 2008. For Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn, Avio NG certification represents the final realization of the Avio concept: To reduce the pilot's workload with an all-digital airplane   07-12-05 SKYCATCHER TO BE BUILT IN CHINA Cessna Aircraft has signed a deal to build its light sport Cessna 162 SkyCatcher at Shenyang Aircraft Corp. in Shenyang, China. The 56-year-old commercial and military fighter aircraft company has 16,000 employees. The company, located some 500 miles northeast of Beijing, will assemble the SkyCatcher while Cessna will design it, assure it meets the light sport aircraft standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials, and provide on-site personnel to oversee manufacturing, quality assurance, and technical design   07-12-05 CIRRUS ANNOUNCES NEW SR20 MODEL Cirrus Design has announced a new model to commemorate an important anniversary for the company. In 1998 the FAA certified the Cirrus SR20, the first totally new four-place airplane in two decades. And now, to commemorate the 10-year anniversary, Cirrus has redesigned the airplane, dubbing it the SR20-Generation Three. The hallmark is a reengineered wing with a lightweight carbon-fiber spar. The larger wing improves climb performance and allows for a higher useful load. The airplane is now available for order with deliveries to begin in early January.   07-12-05 ECLIPSE OFFERS PAYMENT PLAN TO RAISE CAPITAL In a letter to customers this week, Eclipse Aviation made an offer that will save some of its position holders as much as $509,000 and at the same time raise capital for the company. Eclipse has been struggling to maintain cash flows while it ramps up production of the Eclipse 500 very light jet. CEO Vern Raburn said the company expects to close another round of financing in the next 120 days, but is offering a special incentive to position holders who pay a deposit early in exchange for a guarantee of no more inflation adjustments and potentially a lower price. The deal could raise up to $30 million for Eclipse between now and Dec. 14 without requiring the company to give up any more equity.   07-12-05 CESSNA WINS COLUMBIA BID Cessna Aircraft will acquire the assets of Columbia Aircraft of Bend, Ore., following a successful bid for the firm in U.S. bankruptcy court on Nov. 27. Cessna says it wants to "broaden its single-engine product portfolio." Cessna's winning bid was $26.4 million, but the transaction will not be completed until Dec. 4. Cessna officials said Columbia will take on the Cessna name, and the dual-turbocharged 310-horsepower Columbia 400 will become the Cessna 400, while the normally aspirated 310-hp Columbia 350 will be renamed the Cessna 350. Both use the Continental 550 engine   07-11-23 CIRRUS BOWS OUT OF COLUMBIA BIDDING As the Nov. 27 auction date for Columbia Aircraft approaches, at least one would-be contender has announced that it will not seek to purchase the bankrupt aircraft manufacturer. Cirrus Design said Nov. 20 that it would not be part of the bidding process. Instead Cirrus will focus on internal growth and customer support.   07-11-23 ECLIPSE SUPPLIER SUES OVER PAYMENT DISPUTE Hampson Aerospace, a subsidiary of U.K.-based Hampson Group, has filed a lawsuit against Eclipse Aviation, alleging nonpayment for tail sections supplied for the Eclipse 500 jet. Hampson, which is manufacturing the tail components at its Grand Prairie, Texas, plant, declined to comment on the lawsuit. But in a Nov. 20 interview, Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn said that the lawsuit fails to account for quality and delivery problems on Hampson's part.   07-10-26 ECLIPSE ADJUSTS WORK FORCE With production levels of the Eclipse 500 lower than anticipated, Eclipse Aviation last week reduced its work force. The company had staffed for a production rate higher than the one aircraft a day it has been able to achieve so far. Eclipse Director of Public Relations Andrew Broom would not disclose an exact number but did say fewer than 150 employees were let go.   07-10-26 CESSNA TO BUY COLUMBIA ASSETS, AUCTION SET FOR NOV. 27 A federal bankruptcy court has approved an asset purchase agreement between Cessna Aircraft Company and Columbia Aircraft, and set Nov. 27 as the date for the planned auction of Columbia. Execution of the asset purchase agreement puts Cessna in the preferred position entering the bidding process. Rules for the bidding were approved by the bankruptcy court on Oct. 22.   07-10-19 POTENTIAL BIDDERS EYE COLUMBIA AIRCRAFT The fate of Columbia Aircraft remains in the hands of the bankruptcy court as other companies are positioning themselves for a potential acquisition. A hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 22 to formalize the bidding process. Four companies have surfaced as potential bidders: Cirrus Design, Cessna Aircraft, investment firm Versa Capital Management Inc., and Park Electrochemical Corp., a general aviation supplier with expertise in composites. Columbia announced on Sept. 24 that it had filed for Chapter 11 so that it could continue operating. Although it received $3 million in additional financing to keep it afloat during the court proceedings, time isn't on its side   07-10-07 ADAM GEARS UP TO MAKE PRODUCTION FLY At Adam Aircraft, MPF stands for Make Production Fly. Adam has taken steps toward its goal of streamlining production of its all-composite centerline-thrust piston-powered A500 and twin-turbine-powered A700, including raising significant capital in 2007 and making investments in tooling and creating point-of-use parts kits. This program has already yielded results by cutting production man-hours between A500 airframe No. 10 and No. 15 by two-thirds.   07-10-07 CIRRUS JET MAKES ITS PUBLIC DEBUT AOPA Expo is host to numerous variants of the single-engine jet. While several of them have been seen at other events, Expo is the public debut for the much-anticipated Minnesota entry—Cirrus' the-jet. The V-tail jet was unveiled to media and Cirrus owners back in July, but the Expo exhibit hall is the general pilot population's first chance to study the unusual airplane.   07-10-07 MOONEY ANNOUNCES ACCLAIM-S Mooney Airplane Company continues to cater to pilots who like to fly fast. The company announced aerodynamic refinements to the Acclaim, which it claims is the world's fastest piston single, to make it even faster. The Acclaim-Type S has a top speed of 242 knots, 5 kt faster than the 280-horsepower Acclaim. The Acclaim-Type S costs $599,500, and deliveries are expected to begin the first quarter of 2008.   07-10-07 PIPER ANNOUNCES NEW MATRIX AIRCRAFT Piper Aircraft on Oct. 4 announced its new Matrix, an unpressurized version of its Malibu Mirage cabin-class six-seater. More than 100 orders have been taken for the Matrix, and deliveries will begin in November. Overseas orders add up to 20 additional aircraft. The price of the standard airplane is set at $757,000.   07-10-06 DIAMOND INTROS TWO NEW VERSIONS OF POPULAR DA40 Pilots partial to the DA40 Diamond Star take note: Diamond Aircraft on Oct. 4 announced two new versions of the aircraft, the luxury DA40 XLS and customizable DA40 CS. The DA40 XLS cruises at 150 knots and features an MT composite scimitar three-blade constant-speed propeller, platinum leather seats, and more interior room. Garmin WAAS with VNAV capability has been added to the GFC700 autopilot. Base price for the XLS is $334,950. The DA40 CS cruises at 145 kt with a Hartzell two-blade hydraulic constant-speed propeller. Its base price is $259,950. Customers can customize the aircraft, including interior fabric, autopilot, extended baggage compartment, extended range tanks, and more.   07-10-06 SKYHAWK GOES DIESEL Cessna Skyhawk buyers will soon have a choice of engines and, for that matter, fuels. Beginning in mid-2008, Cessna will offer the Thielert Centurion 2.0 liter turbodiesel engine in the 172S model airplanes. The 155-horsepower engine features FADEC (full authority digital engine control) and is certified to run on Jet A. Dubbed the Skyhawk TD, the airplane offers a longer range. Cessna did not provide a price.   07-09-27 IS CESSNA GOING LOW-WING? COMPANY MAKES PITCH FOR COLUMBIA Cessna Aircraft wants to expand its reach in the small airplane segment of the general aviation industry by acquiring Columbia Aircraft. Although such a move had been rumored for days, it wasn't confirmed until Cessna and Columbia both sent out brief news releases on Sept. 24, revealing that Columbia has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Cessna, meanwhile, has signed a letter of intent with Columbia to "acquire selected assets and certain liabilities." For Cessna, the acquisition would fill a gap in its product line, which lacks single-engine airplanes in the 200-knot range. But the composite Columbia models represent a vast departure for Cessna, having built its reputation on high-wing metal airplanes. Read more on AOPA Online.   07-09-27 ACTOR JOHN TRAVOLTA AMONG NEW ECLIPSE 500 OWNERS Eclipse Aviation CEO Vern Raburn updated NBAA guests on the status of the company's production process. So far, the Albuquerque, N.M., manufacturer has produced 52 of its Eclipse 500 very light jets, including one delivered to actor John Travolta. Air Taxi operator DayJet has taken delivery of 12 airplanes and will receive seven more in the next couple of weeks. The production rate stands at about one a day currently; higher rates will be phased in over the next year. The Eclipse training program has turned out 98 type-rated pilots so far. Certification of the Avio NG avionics suites is scheduled for mid-November.   07-09-27 ANOTHER DIAMOND D-JET FLIES A second Diamond D-Jet has made its maiden flight. The jet flew on Sept. 14 from Diamond's London facility. Serial No. 2 is a conforming test article for government certification and represents the production configuration. Diamond is building three more aircraft for certification.   07-09-19 SOLAR AIRPLANE FLIES 54 HOURS A London-based company, QinetiQ, has maintained its increasing line of successes in the New Mexico desert with solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The latest, a 66-pound, carbon-fiber Zephyr High Altitude Long Endurance UAV described as hand-launched despite its 59-foot wingspan, stayed aloft 54 hours at 58,355 feet. It won't be a record, though, because the secret test wasn't registered in advance with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the official keeper of the world's aviation records. The research vehicle was sponsored by the U.K. Ministry of Defense and carried a surveillance payload during the flight, and on a second flight to 52,247 feet lasting nearly 34 hours. It is powered by paper-thin silicon arrays and survives at night on lithium-sulfur batteries.   07-09-19 SEAWIND REAFFIRMS INTERRUPTION IN OPERATIONS Given a recent fatal crash and the withdrawal of funds by the Canadian government, Seawind Aircraft has been forced to interrupt development of the amphibious aircraft. Development will be on hold until the cause of the fatal crash of a certification test airplane in Canada last month is known and at least $2 million in funding is secured. This week rumors emerged that the company would terminate efforts to develop the aircraft. "We never said that," said Seawind President Richard Silva. The Canadian government withdrew funding based on delays in certification and the accident, but it is not known if the withdrawal is permanent, Silva said.   07-08-03 GLASS COCKPITS OFFER BENEFITS, BUT PILOTS SHOULD BE VIGILANT The AOPA Air Safety Foundation's newly revised special report, Technologically Advanced Aircraft: Safety and Training, includes an in-depth analysis of accidents involving glass cockpit TAA of both old and new airframe designs between 2003 and 2006. The conclusion? Glass cockpits carry multiple safety benefits for GA pilots, but training—and the mind-set of the pilot—needs to evolve alongside the technology if those benefits are to be fully realized. Read more about the updated study and how you can get a copy of the report, which looks at training practices for transitioning pilots, important differences in the handling characteristics of new-design aircraft, and fi eld experience with ballistic parachute deployments.   07-08-03 SINO SWEARINGEN LAYS OFF 77 WORKERS Newly appointed Sino Swearingen President Butch Hsu of Taiwan has laid off a total of 77 workers at the company headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, and at the business jet company's plant in Martinsburg, West Virginia, the San Antonio Express-News has reported. A company spokesman could not be reached. The paper quoted company test pilot and spokesman Mark Fairchild as saying most of the positions were in design and development for the SJ30-2 aircraft. The move comes weeks after the firm was unable to find a new investor to fund the start-up of mass production. The company is largely owned by the Taiwanese government.   07-08-03 TIGER TO ROAR SKYWARD AGAIN Georgia businessman J. Kevin Lancaster, 40, has purchased the type certificate, tooling, engineering drawings, parts, and metal-working tools used by Tiger Aircraft from the bankruptcy trustee in West Virginia. He intends to complete the $925,000 purchase for his group of investors in 30 days and is favoring Georgia for a plant location, although other sites are under consideration. Before the parts can be moved, they must be recertified by the FAA, and that could take until the end of the year, Lancaster said. He and his wife, Meredith, are both pilots. His business background includes working as an operations director for a hotel chain, although he now manages a group of commercial and home rental properties. He said the purchase includes two new engines and partially completed assemblies. He wants to restore the basic aircraft to production and hopes to introduce a new mod el. He has worked on planning for the new factory since January.   07-08-03 HEART TRANSPLANT PATIENT GETS BACK IN THE AIR "Maybe someday" is what doctors once told pilot Malvern "Skip" Monaghan Jr., the first man to receive FAA medical recertification after a heart transplant in January 2003. "This is a measure of complete recovery," said Monaghan, who flew to Oshkosh last week for his first flight as PIC since acquiring recertification in 2006. The FAA in 1989 suspended all special issuances for heart transplant pilots. But since then, the FAA decided transplant patients can fly under the strict guidelines of a special issuance third class medical. Monaghan completed the 12-month recovery and stabilization period after his transplant and is ready to encourage other pilots who endure heart transplants. Watch for the full story in an upcoming issue of AOPA Pilot.   07-07-24 CESSNA TO BEGIN DELIVERING NEW LSA NEXT YEAR What's missing from this sequence: Cessna 152, Cessna 172? The answer is the Cessna 162, dubbed the Cessna Skycatcher, which will make its maiden flight as a light sport aircraft in the first half of 2008. Deliveries of the $109,500 airplane are expected to begin in the second half of 2008. Garmin International has designed a new glass cockpit called the G300 exclusively for the new 118-knot Cessna trainer. It will feature a single, split screen showing flight instruments, engine instruments, and a moving map. Avionics include the Garmin SL40 com radio, the GTX327 transponder with Mode C, and a VFR GPS. An option will allow customers to purchase a separate multifunction display. It's powered by a Continental O-20 0D, a lighter variant of the popular engine.   07-07-24 CIRRUS TO OFFER ITS OWN LSA MODEL Cirrus Design joined the light sport aircraft (LSA) fray with the announcement that it will be importing and "Cirrus-izing" a German microlight built in Poland. The airplane that will become the Cirrus SRS was designed by Peter Funk, founder of Fk Lightplanes. Known in Europe as the Fk 14 Polaris, the two-place canopied airplane is powered by a Rotax 912 engine. In order to bring the airplane into compliance with U.S. LSA rules, it must be slowed down to 120 knots from the current cruise of about 130 knots. As it exists today, the Fk 14 is a sporty handling airplane and it must be made more appropriate for the training market, according to Cirrus o fficials. The airplane will be built in Poland and reassembled in the United States. First deliveries should occur in about a year, and the price will be about $100,000   07-07-24 ECLIPSE TEMPTS MARKET WITH SINGLE-ENGINE JET Eclipse Aviation surprised AirVenture media when company founder Vern Raburn taxied up to the Eclipse tent during a press conference in the new Eclipse ECJ—the concept jet. The single-engine four-place jet features a dramatically swept V-tail with the engine sitting on top of the aft fuselage. Raburn said the concept airplane is just that; the unveiling was not a product announcement or decision to move forward, but simply the company testing the market for its reaction to such an airplane. The ECJ has about 27 flight hours on it, including flight up to 25,000 feet and 250 knots. It was built in secret at the NASA Wallops Island facility in Virginia by a team of engineering companies selected by Eclipse. Market feedback will determine whether the ECJ—or something like it—becomes a reality.   07-07-24 DIAMOND SUPER STAR MAKES U.S. DEBUT Diamond Aircraft unveiled its new DA50 Super Star, a $600,000 five-seat turbocharged piston single with a wall-to-wall glass cockpit. Designed for family or air taxi use, the DA50 is also aimed at those stepping up from smaller piston singles. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 3,650 pounds and can fly at more than 200 knots. At 52 inches, the DA50's cabin width is the biggest in the piston single market, according to Diamond. The rear bench seat is designed to accommodate three passengers. The airplane, currently in flight testing at Diamond's Austrian facility, uses a 350-horsepower Continental TSIO-550 engine, all-composite construction, and features a three-screen Garmin G1000 avionics suite.   07-07-24 CUBCRAFTERS TO UNVEIL NEW AIRPLANE CubCrafters is set to debut an all-new, second-generation light sport aircraft Tuesday during Oshkosh. The Yakima, Washington, company promises the tailwheel tandem-seat airplane will incorporate the latest safety features, construction materials, and design improvements.   07-07-13 CESSNA TO BRING LSA TO MARKET Cessna Aircraft officials will proceed with the company's light sport aircraft (LSA) program and will display a mock-up of the prototype at Oshkosh. Although a flying proof-of-concept airplane exists, it was never intended to be the final design. Still unresolved are the engine decision, quantity of the fuel tank, and final performance figures. Cessna's goal as stated in the past has been to carry full fuel and two people. The price is expected to be "competitive," Cessna officials have said in past interviews. Most LSAs, Cessna officials believe, cost about $100,000, plus or minus $10,000. "After conducting extensive market research, it is clear to us there is a great need for this aircraft as we striv e to drive down the cost of flying and learning to fly," said Cessna chief Jack J. Pelton. "We believe this aircraft will make a major contribution to stimulating new pilot starts and will encourage already-licensed pilots to continue to fly because it will be more affordable."   07-07-13 ANOTHER EPIC JET MODEL MAKES MAIDEN FLIGHT The very light jet race has gathered such momentum that customers are willing to build their own. That's at least the business model behind Epic Aircraft. On July 6, the company's second jet, the single-engine Epic Victory, made its maiden flight from Redmond, Oregon, just 202 days after design work began on a clean sheet of paper. It flew one month after the Epic Elite, its twin-engine sibling. How'd they do that? Epic spokesman Lyn Freeman said it was a combination of talent and focus. Both aircraft are powered by Williams International engines and will be initially offered under a builder-assist program. The company plans to pursue type certification after the jets prove themselves. So, for a million dollars ($1. 6 million for the twin) and plenty of your own sweat, you can have a 320-knot, four- to five-seat Experimental jet airplane with an all-glass Garmin instrument panel. Legally, however, the owner-builder also becomes the manufacturer and accepts liability. Epic plans to deliver at least six kits to customers by the end of the year. Both aircraft will be on display at Oshkosh. Epic also has a line of turboprop aircraft. Read the feature from AOPA Pilot.   07-07-12 CESSNA TEAMS UP WITH THIELERT ON DIESEL ENGINES Cessna Aircraft has inked an agreement with Germany's Thielert Aircraft Engines to explore future programs centered around diesel engine technology. There is already a supplemental type certificate for making the aftermarket Thielert installation in Cessna 172s. "We think the Thielert engine may provide a very worthwhile power option for many of our customers since it runs on jet fuel or diesel," said John Doman, Cessna vice president of worldwide propeller aircraft sales. "We have had discussions with Frank Thielert and his group for some time, and we think the time is right to move forward." Cessna spokesman Doug Oliver said his customers have expressed interest in diesel engines, particularly in Europe. He also said that because the two companies are publicly traded, they are legally required to release information about such deals.   07-06-28 CIRRUS UNVEILS SINGLE-ENGINE JET Echoing its presentation Wednesday evening to an excited crowd of future jet owners, Cirrus Design debuted its personal jet on Thursday at its headquarters in Duluth, Minnesota. The single-engine jet, called "the-jet" by an affectionate and proud Cirrus team, sports a Williams International FJ33 engine mounted high and forward on the fuselage and backed by a streamlined V-tail. The five-plus-seat jet features dual cabin doors far enough forward to allow for pilot entry straight into the cockpit—a design concept deemed vital by Cirrus co-founder Alan Klapmeier. Although specifications were few, the-jet is projected to adhere to performance criteria that places it among the lightest of business jets in speed and range, yet retain short-field performance more akin to a turbop rop. The time frame for the first prototype and eventual production is still three to five years out, but Klapmeier reiterated that the goal was to keep the-jet priced in a way to expand the market—whether that will keep to original goals around $1 million depends heavily on the investment and time required to get there.   07-06-28 COLUMBIA RECALLS REST OF FURLOUGHED EMPLOYEES The last of the Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation employees that were furloughed in March are back at work, and production is up to three aircraft per week, the company announced June 25. In March, Columbia had announced a new senior management team and the furlough of 185 workers. Not all of the workers returned, including some who moved on to other jobs. However, many of the employees attended voluntary seminars during the time off to learn the new "lean manufacturing" process that the company is implementing.   07-05-25 FAA POLICY CHANGE RESTRICTS MANY IFR GPS RECEIVERS Those older IFR-certified GPS receivers (and some brand-new ones) that you've been relying on for years may now be unapproved for flying many instrument procedures, thanks to some recent FAA policy changes. "This doesn't make any sense. In most cases, this is not a safety of flight issue," said Randy Kenagy, AOPA senior director of strategic planning. "Pilots affected will lose access to approaches and published routes unnecessarily." AOPA has brought the matter to the FAA's immediate attention. The issue came about when the FAA updated avionics compliance tables in Advisory Circular 90-100A and made changes to the Aeronautical Information Manual in March of this year. It means that up to 26,000 GPS users no longer comply with a 1996 FAA policy that allows GPS to be used in lieu of ADF or DME. See AOPA Online for the full story and a chart of affected GPS units.   07-05-25 CESSNA MUSTANG GETS EUROPEAN APPROVAL The Cessna Citation Mustang has entered the European stage. It's the first of a new crop of small jets to receive both American and European certification. The first European delivery is expected to take place later this summer. In related news from across the pond, the airplane has received approval to make instrument approaches that are steeper than 4.5 degrees. This is the first step in the approval process for going into airports such as London City in England where the glideslope angle is 5.5 degrees   07-05-12 CIRRUS, CESSNA, DIAMOND, TOP PISTON MANUFACTURERS First quarter numbers from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) show Cirrus Design topping Cessna Aircraft in piston-engine shipments; Cirrus had 144 and Cessna 133. But closing not far behind was Diamond Aircraft with 115 shipments in the first quarter, including 42 DA42 Twin Star aircraft. Piper Aircraft had 43 shipments counting piston and turboprop aircraft, while the newly named Hawker Beechcraft (formerly Raytheon Aircraft) shipped 19 piston-engine aircraft and 32 jets. Topping the jet shipment list was Cessna with 67 followed by Bombardier (Learjet, Challenger, Global, and CL850) with 56. Only two topped $1 billion in billings; Bombardier billed $1.3 billion while Gulfstream, shipping 30 jets, billed $1.1 billion. Among the smaller companies, Mooney Airplane shipped 18; Liberty Aerospace, 16; Maule Air, 12; and American Champion, 10. GAMA does not report on the light sport aircraft manufacturers, where top companies last year delivered 60 to 100 aircraft, with all manufacturers delivering 456 for the year.   07-05-11 SOME WORKERS RETURN TO COLUMBIA Columbia Aircraft says it's calling furloughed employees back to work, at least in stages. The first employees to return to the Bend, Oregon, company work in the assembly, upholstery, and subassembly departments. Columbia says it has spent the past six weeks upgrading tooling and implementing "lean" manufacturing techniques to improve production efficiency. The company is delivering aircraft at the rate of four per week.   07-05-11 SPORT CUB GOES ON CARBON-FIBER DIET Weight is crucial when it comes to light sport aircraft, each bumping up against the 1,320-pound gross weight limitation. CubCrafters in Yakima, Washington, is experimenting with a proof-of-concept airplane it has dubbed the Carbon Cub. The company took a Sport Cub airframe and replaced non-structural parts—such as the cowling, side panels, and fuselage stringers—with carbon-fiber versions. It saved some 30 pounds. The company also modified the wing and flaps. CubCrafters said it might get even more exotic by using titanium firewalls. For more fun, CubCrafters attached a souped-up 220-horsepower experimental engine to the airframe and recently flew it to Alaska for a trade show. The engine started out as a Lycoming IO-360. The airplane takes off in about 60 feet and can climb at 2,000 fpm. CubCrafters said that it is using the airplane to test out theories. It may lead to improvements to the Sport Cub or type-certified Top Cub. It may also lead to a new aircraft model or a homebuilt version.   07-05-10 ECLIPSE GETS GREEN AWARD, ANNOUNCES NEW TRAINING DEAL Eclipse Aviation has been honored by the federal government for its patented, environmentally friendly fire-suppression system. The Environmental Protection Agency gave the company a 2007 Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award for the development of PhostrEx, a substitute for halon systems. See the article from AOPA Pilot. Eclipse also announced a new flight training deal. It will use Flight Simulation Company of The Netherlands and Dallas-based Higher Power Aviation to train pilots. Eclipse had to find new training partners after an agreement between the company and United Services ended. The two companies said it was a mutual decision, and United Services agreed to provide pilot screening into the summer while Eclipse transitioned to the new training partners. Pilot screening is required by Eclipse to ensure that candidates are ready for Eclipse 500 training.   07-04-30 MOONEY ACCLAIM SETS NEW SPEED RECORD Mooney Airplane Company's M20TN Acclaim set a speed record on April 6 flying from San Diego to Charlotte, North Carolina, in a total elapsed time of seven hours and 26 minutes. It traveled more than 1,800 nautical miles. The aircraft cruised at 223 KTAS to 237 KTAS at altitudes from 23,000 feet to 25,000 feet.   07-04-20 AMERICAN LEGEND LAUNCHES KIT COMPANY American Legend Aircraft has formed the Texas Sport Aircraft Company to offer a kit similar to the Legend Cub. For legal and liability reasons, the company, co-located with American Legend, is separate from the light sport operation. It costs about half the price of the production aircraft, a spokesman said. The current base price of the production model is $84,785. Builders can certify to a gross weight of 1,320 pounds, then fly under the sport pilot regulations. Or the Texas Sport can be certified with a higher gross weight of 1,600 pounds and be flown as an experimental. The Texas Sport is similar in appearance to the Piper Cub, utilizing a J-3 wing design, PA-11 struts, and outboard wing attachments like the PA-18 Super Cub. Like the Legend Cub, the airframe features a 3-inch wider cockpit, providing a noticeably larger cabin. Additionally, fuel is stored in the wings, allowing for solo flight from the forward seat. The Texas Sport comes with a choice of PA-11-style closed cowl or J-3-style "eyebrows."   07-04-18 NEW PROBLEMS LIMIT ECLIPSE 500 OPERATIONS As Eclipse Aviation gears up to deliver more customer jets, it has encountered some additional snags. Heaters inside the pitot and angle of attack probe systems on the Eclipse 500 jet don't heat a wide enough area, allowing moisture in lines to the pitot and angle of attack systems to freeze and block airspeed measurements. The defect, expected to be corrected by designing additional heaters for the probes and adding insulation, will temporarily limit the aircraft to VFR operations and require either a factory pilot or a factory-trained mentor to be on board. There are now 10 factory pilots who are type rated in the aircraft. In-flight loss of airspeed indications have occurred on three flights. Airspeed indications were still available on a backup system, and indications dependent on the probes returned after descending to warmer altitudes. The aircraft may still operate on IFR flight plans, but only in visual meteorological conditions. The good news is that there is already a factory requirement for newly type-rated pilots to fly with a mentor for 25 hours or possibly more hours based on demonstrated skill level. Eclipse plans to announce a new flight training provider now that United Services, a division of United Airlines, has decided to end its services this summer. So far, Eclipse has delivered five customer airplanes.   07-04-18 CIRRUS TO UNVEIL JET Cirrus Design will unveil a mock-up of its single-engine jet, based heavily on the present design of the SR22, to its present owners who "migrate" back to the factory in Duluth, Minnesota, on June 28 for a yearly visit. It will mark the first public unveiling, according to a newsletter sent this week by the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association. The mock-up will not appear at Oshkosh later this year. The unveiling is an invitation-only event for present owners. In the past, Cirrus has hinted at the jet design by presenting, at trade shows, a shadow of the jet woven into the carpet beneath the present SR22 at its exhibit booth. Now we'll know what the shadow knows.   07-04-16 DIAMOND SUPER STAR MAKES MAIDEN FLIGHT A new Diamond is flying in Austria. The DA50 Super Star went from concept to first flight in less than 11 months. Not much is known about the airplane, but with a 350-horsepower twin turbocharged engine, it should go fast. A turbodiesel engine will also be offered. The five-seat airplane has a maximum takeoff weight of 3,670 pounds. Diamond CEO and owner Christian Dries, along with another employee, was at the controls on April 4 for the maiden flight. The company has planned an aggressive certification program and wants to begin production no later than January 2008.   07-04-14 HUSKY GETS HUSKIER The FAA has granted Aviat Aircraft a 200-pound gross weight increase for the Husky line of tailwheel aircraft. With the increase to a maximum of 2,200 pounds, and several new options for propellers, the Husky has advanced from the model A-1B to the A-1C. Floatplane approval is still pending. Flight testing for the gross weight increase included type certificate approval for the 80-inch Hartzell metal and 76-inch composite propellers with the 200-horsepower engine. In addition, the 180-hp engine model can be serviced by either propeller   07-03-28 QUEST AIRCRAFT FLIES FIRST CONFORMING KODIAK Quest Aircraft Company of Sandpoint, Idaho, has flown the first conforming production Kodiak, serial No. 1, as it enters the final phase of testing for FAA certification. The aircraft will enter function and reliability testing when initial flight testing is complete. AOPA Pilot had reported on the Kodiak prototype in March 2006; changes to the aircraft since then include an environmental control system, oxygen for all seats, and a new split cargo door with integrated steps. The first customer delivery aircraft (serial No. 2) could be completed as soon as this summer. The turbine-powered single-engine utility aircraft, intended for personal use, missionary work, and rugged backcountry flying, has a three-year bac klog of orders. The first delivery will go to Salmon Air, an Idaho-based firm offering scheduled commuter service and backcountry charter flights.   07-03-15 HONDA ANNOUNCES SUPPLIERS FOR ITS JET PROGRAM Honda Aircraft is teaming up with several North American suppliers to build its HondaJet. GKN of Tallassee, Alabama, will supply the fuselage structural assembly; Garmin will provide an avionics system tailored to the jet; and Avcorp of Canada will supply the wing structural subassemblies. "The sourcing of these key components from suppliers in the United States and Canada is consistent with Honda's philosophy of producing products close to the customer," said Michimasa Fujino, president and CEO of Honda Aircraft. The aircraft company announced on February 9 its plans to establish its world headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina.   07-02-18 THIELERT OFFERS NEW TURBO-DIESEL ENGINE Thielert Aircraft Engines has announced a 15-percent increase in the displacement of its Centurion 1.7 turbo-diesel engine. The new engine will be called the Centurion 2.0. The Centurion 1.7 is currently installed in the Diamond DA42 Twin Star and is approved by supplemental type certificate for installation in Cessna 172 models. When asked whether the increased displacement represented a move toward the robust 180- to 200-horsepower U.S. market, Thielert spokesman Sebastian Wentzler said that the power rating for the 2.0 would remain at 135 hp, but it would incorporate a new block with improved cooling ducts to reduce exhaust gas temperatures. Wentzler also said that Thielert was contracting with a producer for the 2.0 aluminum engine blocks, instead of adapting automotive blocks as it did for the 1.7 engine. The 2.0 engine will be approved to replace the 1.7 engine when either the "time before replacement " of 2,400 hours or 12 years is reached.   07-02-18 HONDA AIRCRAFT PUTS DOWN ROOTS IN NORTH CAROLINA Acknowledging that North Carolina is the birthplace of aviation, Michimasa Fujino, president of Honda Aircraft Company, announced that North Carolina is also the birthplace of the HondaJet—and the location of the company's planned world headquarters. Construction of a 215,000-square-foot facility flight test hangar and office complex on the Greensboro Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO) is scheduled to begin next month. The $40 million building will house corporate offices for engineering, sales, marketing, service, and future technical development as well as a 148,000-square-foot hangar. Honda will spend another $20 million to equip the facility. An aircraft production facility will be built next door at a later date. About 300 will be employed during the development phase. Honda plans to have its first conforming aircraft flying late next year, with first deliveries planned for 2010. For more details on the unusual HondaJet, read the story from AOPA Pilot.   07-02-14 GA AIRCRAFT SHIPMENTS TOP 4,000 IN 2006 Monday's news of a banner sales year in 2006 for aircraft manufacturers was overshadowed by the gloom of possible user fees and higher aviation taxes. Representatives of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) reported a 13-percent increase in aircraft shipments and a 24-percent increase in billings in 2006 compared to 2005. In total, the manufacturers shipped 4,042 aircraft compared to 3,580 in 2005—the most shipments since 1992. Total billings topped $18.8 billion, an all-time high. GAMA officials credited the blossoming sales to an improving GA safety record, better cockpit technology, and an increasing use of piston aircraft for business purposes. For the first time ever, more than half of the piston flight hours in 2006 were for business use. User fees and higher taxes proposed by the airlines and suppo rted by the FAA could dramatically impact small businesses—the primary users of piston aircraft. Speaking in sync with AOPA's position that the current FAA funding stream is reliable and effective for funding ongoing FAA operations and modernization of the air traffic system, GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said, "Over the past 10 years, the U.S. Congress has routinely given the FAA more than the president asked for in the budget. You cannot get much more stable than that."   07-02-08 FLUTTER MAY HAVE CAUSED GROB JET CRASH The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents is focusing its investigation of the November 29, 2006, crash of Grob Aerospace SPn test aircraft No. 2, the company's planned new business jet, on the possibility of control surface flutter. The aircraft was approaching a Grob test airfield in Germany for a high-speed demonstration pass for viewers on the ground when parts of the elevators and horizontal stabilizer sheeting broke off. The parts were found 1,300 feet from the crash site, and the reason for their separation is not fully understood. The tail control surfaces had been enlarged slightly from those on test aircraft No. 1, an aircraft that has already accomplished high-speed testing. A third test aircraft has been completed and will fly soon, with a fourth expected to join the test program in September. The company expects full certification in Europe in early 2008, with FAA certification expected in mid-2008.   07-01-30 CIRRUS STARTS WORK ON JET A proof-of-concept version of the Cirrus jet is under construction but will not fly for a year, according to a report in Business and Commercial Aviation. It will be powered by a single Williams FJ33-4A-19 engine and carry four to five people at faster than 300 knots. It is expected to have a cabin altitude of 8,000 feet when cruising at 25,000 feet. Cirrus officials told the magazine they hope to stay at the $1 million price mark but will not commit to that. It will have the feel of an SR22 to aid the transition to jets for pilots now flying piston-engine aircraft.   07-01-19 COLUMBIA BREAKS SALES RECORD Columbia Aircraft says delivery figures were up by 200 percent in 2006 over the previous year despite a hailstorm and delays in certifying the glass panel. Columbia delivered 185 Columbia 400 and 350 airplane models. The company had to refinish 60 airplanes that had been awaiting customer delivery before the freak storm hit.   07-01-19 SALES 'BONANZA' FOR RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT Thanks to better production efficiency and other improvements, Raytheon has slashed the prices of its 2007 Beechcraft Bonanza and Baron aircraft models. The suggested selling price for a typically equipped Bonanza G36 is $574,000, a reduction of 14 percent, while the Baron G58 lists for $1,046,000, a 12-percent cut. Raytheon has also reduced prices on popular items like Stormscope by as much as 20 percent. This year marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of Beechcraft and the sixtieth anniversary of the Bonanza.   07-01-19 TIGER AIRCRAFT TO BE LIQUIDATED Creditors will meet with the bankruptcy trustee in February as the first official act of Chapter 7 liquidation proceedings filed in the Clarksburg, West Virginia, division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Trustee Thomas Fluharty is required to call the meeting in 30 days and is responsible for selling all assets, including the type certificate. One source said the company is estimated to owe creditors $2 million, although that number could not be confirmed. Parts sales will be stopped during the Chapter 7 proceedings, an aide to Fluharty said. The company was owned by Taiwanese entities, most with links to the government, and TFX Management Group, which was the managing partner. With the change in politics in Taiwan, Tiger Aircraft is said by sources to have been abandoned.   06-12-08 FLIGHT SCHOOL FEATURES DIAMOND AT NEW U.S. LOCATION Sabena Airline Training Center (SATC), based in Brussels, Belgium, has opened a U.S. facility in Arizona and will use Diamond aircraft for its training fleet. SATC has ordered six aircraft—a Diamond DA20-C1, four DA40s, and three DA42 Twin Stars—at the new location at Falcon Field Airport in Mesa, Arizona. SATC chose Diamond because it offers a family of aircraft that have "important cost advantages over other training aircraft, while providing our customers next-generation training with the [Garmin] G1000," according to Kris Van den Bergh, managing director and head of flight training for SATC's Arizona location. Deliveries are set to begin in January.   06-12-07 CIRRUS HAS TOP-SELLING AIRPLANE MODEL YET AGAIN For the fifth year in a row, Cirrus Design has taken the top spot for best-selling airplane model. According to the third quarter of 2006 shipment figures from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Cirrus shipped 403 SR22s, giving it a total of 529 airplane shipments. Cirrus pointed to growth in the international market as a key to its successful numbers. International orders accounted for 24 percent of all business through October, up from 5 percent in 2002. Cessna, meanwhile, still produces the most single-engine airplanes with 604 when combining the 172, 182, and 206 model lines. Columbia reported 130 shipments for the Columbia 350 and 400; Mooney 56 for the Bravo GX and Ovation GX; Raytheon 74 for the Bonanza and Baron; American Champion 50 for all Citabria models; and Maule 32 for all of its aircraft models, according to GAMA.   06-12-05 TIGER AIRCRAFT SELLING BUILDING TO RAISE MONEY In what may be a final effort to avoid Chapter 7 bankruptcy, Tiger Aircraft is seeking buyers for its factory, according to The Martinsburg Journal. The three-wing building is listed by The Hawthorne Group, a Martinsburg, West Virginia, real estate firm, for $5 million. It was built with a $4 million economic development loan from West Virginia. Creditors watching the company's struggles had expected Chapter 7 bankruptcy late this month. The plant is down to two employees who fill parts orders. The building sits on land leased from the Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport at Martinsburg. Airport authority officials must approve any new activity that is conducted in the building, although Tiger owners hope the money can be used to continue production at Tiger Aircraft. The factory is contained in three wings, including a 40,000-square-foot assembly area, a 12,900-square-foot painting facility, and a 4,300-square-foot administrative wing.   06-12-01 GROB BUSINESS JET PROTOTYPE HAS FATAL CRASH Grob Aerospace chief test pilot Gerard Guillaumaud was killed November 29 when the second Grob "spn" business jet test aircraft crashed at the factory in Mattsies-Tussenhausen, Germany, shortly after takeoff on a demonstration flight. Factory visitors were waiting on the ground to watch the demonstration, and Guillaumaud was the only person aboard. The observers did not see the crash because it occurred behind a hill, but they saw the smoke afterward. The aircraft was first flown September 29 and had accumulated 28 flight hours. The first test aircraft has flown 300 hours, and construction on a third test aircraft is continuing. Guillaumaud had 260 hours in the two spn aircraft and was involved in experimental test flights for nine new aircraft, including those from Adam Aircraft, HP Aircraft (a California kit sailplane company), a nd Diamond Aircraft. It is too soon to tell what impact the accident will have on certification, which had been expected in 2007.   06-12-01 RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT MAY HAVE NEW OWNER SOON The four-year effort by Raytheon to sell its aircraft division may be coming to an end based on a report in The Wichita Eagle and other publications. The newspaper reported that Onex Corporation, The Carlyle Group, and Cerberus Capital Management are interested in acquiring the company. The asking price is reportedly $3 billion, although some think Raytheon might accept $2.5 billion, and a Canadian newspaper named a still lower price of $1.9 billion. No matter which one gets it, analysts are suggesting this is not the end of the search for a home for Raytheon Aircraft. The present bidders may try to boost profits and resell in as little as three years. How would the new owner do that? Present workers have expressed concern about layoffs in speculation on The Wichita Eagle's Web site, but aircraft owners are wondering whether the present piston-engine models and parts business would continue. Tom Turner, speaking for himself rather than the American Bonanza Society where he is manager of technical services, thinks the Bonanza and Baron will continue in production if the new owners elect to continue the King Air C90 line. He said the piston airplanes feed prospective owners to the smaller, owner-flown King Airs.   06-11-11 PIPER SELECTS WILLIAMS ENGINE FOR JET Piper Aircraft decided at the last minute to go ahead and announce its engine choice for the upcoming PiperJet, the company's entrant into the very-light-jet market. The Williams International FJ44-3AP, a derivative of the FJ44-3A found on several current-production business jets, will power Piper's VLJ. The FJ44 features "blisks," or integral blades and disks, effusion-cooled combustors, a low parts count, and full authority digital engine control. "It's best-in-class engineering for a best-in-class aircraft," said Piper President and CEO Jim Bass. Piper also offers substantial incentives on purchase of the PiperJet to customers who place orders for Piper 6X/6XT, Saratoga HP/TC, Seneca V, or Mirage--either $50,000 or $100,000 credit depending on the model purchased.   06-11-11 CESSNA FULLY CERTIFIES VLJ, MOVES FORWARD ON LSA Cessna Aircraft is the first to fully certify its entrant into the very-light-jet market. The Citation Mustang received certification for flight into known icing, the last milestone in its certification program. This brings to fruition the program announced five years ago--and highlights a team that has met or exceeded all of its performance and timeline goals. "That team truly delivered," said Cessna Chairman, President, and CEO Jack Pelton. The first customer delivery should occur in November, with 40 deliveries scheduled in 2007. At the other end of the spectrum, Cessna flew its light sport aircraft (LSA) proof-of-concept aircraft to Expo, where the LSA is on display. Pelton got his first flight in the LSA this week, and said, "It's an airplane that puts a smile on your face...you can't help but look out the window da ydreaming."   06-11-11 FAA ISSUES DIAMOND DA-40 AD The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) that affects about 200 Garmin G1000-equipped Diamond DA-40s. The AD resulted from fuel system contamination during production installation of the G1000 units. If not corrected, the FAA said the fuel system contamination may lead to improper engine operation, power loss, or in-flight engine failure. The AD requires a one-time special inspection and logbook signoff before the next flight. Diamond representatives have told AOPA that parts and labor are covered under warranty. The AD is effective November 28.   06-11-11 FAA PROPOSES AIRWORTHINESS ACTION FOR SOME MOONEYS The FAA is proposing a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Mooney M20M and M20R model airplanes. The proposed AD would require that within the next 25 hours time in service, after the effective date of the AD, owners need to have the upper left and upper right engine mounting hardware retorqued. The FAA is concerned about possible engine mount failure. The FAA estimates that the proposed AD would affect 198 airplanes in the U.S. registry. Mooney will provide warranty credit for parts and labor as specified in a service bulletin. The comment deadline is December 7.   06-11-03 FAST NEW SINGLE FLIES IN CZECH REPUBLIC A new high-performance, four-seat single-engine airplane is now flying in the Czech Republic, and it aims to take a strike at the U.S. market. The Evektor SuperCobra is an all-metal retractable-gear design, powered by a 315-horsepower Lycoming engine. It made its maiden flight on October 24. Company officials say it should cruise at 175 knots, have a range of 1,000 nautical miles, and have a useful load of 1,260 pounds. The company also has another version, dubbed the Cobra, which is powered by a 200-hp engine. Evektor is pursuing European and FAA type certification for both models and expects to certify the Cobra in 2007 and the SuperCobra in 2008. The company also builds light sport aircraft   06-10-27 'BLACK BOXES' SOON AVAILABLE FOR CIRRUS AIRPLANES A Massachusetts manufacturer, which was developing an engine trend monitoring device for an air taxi operator now using Cirrus Design aircraft, has expanded the product to a $5,000 flight data recorder or "black box" for the Cirrus SR20 and SR22 models. The device, made by Alakai Technologies of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, can help owners by providing easily downloadable engine performance data, but will also aid insurance company investigations of fault in aircraft accidents. It could save up to $1,000 a year in owner insurance, a company official estimated. The 3.5-pound device should receive a supplemental type certificate from the FAA as early as December. The air taxi operator will become the launch customer for the always-on Digital Flight Data System. It can record information such as engine performance, rate of climb or descent, true and indicated airspeed, heading, altitude, engine trends , miles per gallon, and GPS navigation waypoints. There have been initial discussions between Alakai and Cirrus Design about the device. It will be manufactured for Alakai by another Massachusetts company, Accent Technologies, located in North Andover.   06-10-27 REVAMPED CHAMP CLOSE TO CERTIFICATION Where's the Champ? The answer is, close to the factory door. It seems like it has been years since American Champion said it was returning the legendary tailwheel Champ 7EC to production because, well, it has. The FAA has reviewed everything it needs to review, and with good weather a remaining test can be completed to allow the award of an airworthiness certificate. It will be fully certified under Civil Air Regulations 3 used in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, because American Champion holds the paperwork. But the aircraft is light enough to meet light sport aircraft limitations. It sports new aluminum landing gear and an 18-gallon fuel tank, and offers options like radios, dual brakes, and navigation and landing lights. It is powered by the 100-horsepower Continental O-200 engine. The base price is $85,900, but radio, paint, an d interior options will add from $6,000 to $10,000. There are 11 orders pending.   06-10-27 TAYLORCRAFT AVIATION FACES FINANCIAL WOES Taylorcraft Aviation in Brownsville, Texas, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy without an attorney on Friday the 13th in October, and that has come back to haunt it. Now a judge has told Taylorcraft founder Harry Ingram he can't stay under the protection of Chapter 11 unless he hires an attorney by Monday, according to The Brownsville Herald. A hearing is set for today on an eviction notice for failure to pay rent at Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport, and city officials told the newspaper they are giving Taylorcraft until mid-November to vacate in hopes that the city will not be stuck with the management of parts and machinery. The newspaper estimates the company is in debt $940,838. Ingram did not immediately return calls to ePilot for comment.   06-10-27 NEXAER LS1 MAKES FIRST HOP Nexaer's curvy two-seat LS1 light sport aircraft has made its first test hop. It flew the length of the runway at Meadow Lake Airport in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The company plans to conduct a series of over-the-runway flights before subjecting it to an extensive flight testing program. The airplane is built of composite materials. The company expects to take a year to complete flight testing and set up a production line. Sales will then follow.   06-10-06 ECLIPSE RECEIVES FULL FAA TYPE CERTIFICATION Now they've really done it. Eclipse Aviation has received full type certification for the Eclipse 500 jet. The airplane is now certified for single-pilot and day/night VFR and IFR operations. It is also certified under reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM) standards. Eclipse had received its provisional type certificate in July but needed to complete further testing. "We successfully launched a new aviation company, developed and certified a truly revolutionary aircraft, and created a whole new market segment that helped return relevancy and growth to general aviation," said Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn. Eclipse plans to start delivering airplanes to customers soon. So far, the company has more than 2,500 orders to fill.   06-10-06 CIRRUS TO OFFER 'PERSONAL JET' Cirrus Design is entering the jet world. The company has sent out 1,500 "gray boxes" to potential customers, outlining details of the jet and asking for $100,000 deposits. No mock-ups or images have been provided as of yet. What Cirrus will say so far is that the airplane will have a single engine, a roomy interior, an emergency parachute system, and a cruise speed of more than 300 knots. It will fly up to Flight Level 250 and cost less than $1 million. "Our intent is not to build a very light jet, our intent is to build a personal jet," said John Bingham, Cirrus vice president of sales. The airplane has been dubbed "the-jet," but Bingham wouldn't say how close it is to the maiden flight, only that they are "very committed" to the project. The jet will be designed to be an easy transition for SR22 pilots, he added. More details, such as the engine manufacturer, are expected to be announced later this month at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention in Orlando, Florida. Cirrus had also kicked around the idea of building a light sport airplane, but Bingham said that they won't be bringing one to market at this time.   06-10-06 ANOTHER LYCOMING CRANKSHAFT AD The FAA last Friday issued an airworthiness directive (AD) that would require the replacement of certain crankshafts in some 3,800 Lycoming 360- and 540-series reciprocating engines in popular Piper, Cessna, Mooney, and Beechcraft aircraft, among others. The AD, which becomes effective November 3, requires owners to replace the crankshaft at normal overhaul, when the crankcase is split for whatever reason, or within 12 years of the time the crankshaft was put into service. Lycoming is offering replacement crankshafts at a reduced price ($2,000 instead of $16,000) for the next three years, or at no charge if the overhaul is done by the Lycoming factory within 12 years. But in a previous Lycoming crankshaft AD, the company bore the entire cost of repairing the engines. "AOPA is pressing for similar customer consideration, since the possible crankshaft defect is the same problem that the previous AD addressed in a different series of engines," said Luis Gutierrez, AOPA director of regulatory and certification policy. See AOPA Online.   06-10-06 ADAM A500 APPROVED FOR DAY, NIGHT VFR AND IFR OPS As an update to last week's story, Adam Aircraft has announced that its A500 centerline thrust twin-engine aircraft received an amended type certificate from the FAA, approving it for day and night flights in VFR or IFR conditions. The A500 had been limited to day-VFR flights since it received FAA type certification in May 2005. The company expects to receive certification this winter to allow the A500 to fly up to 25,000 feet.   06-09-11 TIGER AIRCRAFT DOWN TO TWO EMPLOYEES Tiger Aircraft owners have laid off all but two employees at the factory in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and have terminated the contract of the former plant manager, Gene Criss, following a brief effort to sell the company to a Florida man, Samuel W. Miller. The owners of the company had been divided on the sale, with some wanting to liquidate Tiger and others wanting to sell it to Miller. After Criss signed a contract, the owners had the agreement nullified by the Circuit Court of Berkeley County, West Virginia. The two employees will fill parts orders while the managing partner of the owner group, TFX Management, a subsidiary of Teleflex, decides what to do with the company. Tiger's ownership is broken down as follows: 30 percent to TFX Management, 30 percent to Yao-Hwa Glass Company (actually a Taiwan government agency), 19 percent to Universal Investment (another Taiwan government agency), and 21 percent to Seagull Decor owned by a private businessman. Calls to three Teleflex attorneys and legal assistants, one Teleflex public relations person, and the plant this week were not returned.   06-09-11 SEAWIND PURSUES TYPE CERTIFICATION Seawind Inc. has a model of the amphibious airplane flying in Canada with a test probe mounted on its nose. That means the company is gathering precise data needed for type certification. The company hopes to receive Canadian VFR certification in four months, followed by IFR. The company is looking at offering other enhancements such as glass cockpits, deicing equipment, and air conditioning. The Seawind started out as a homebuilt and has been in development for years.   06-09-10 COLUMBIA AIRCRAFT MODELS DOT THE GLOBE The Columbia 350 and 400 are now certified in Australia with either the Avidyne Entegra or Garmin G1000 avionics suites. Columbia Aircraft officials also announced improvements to its manufacturing processes at the Bend, Oregon, plant. The company has adopted lean manufacturing, a concept that improves efficiency by reducing waste while at the same time allowing the company to respond to change. Columbia says sales have increased 350 percent in 2006. In addition to Australia and the United States, Columbia Aircraft models are available in 21 other countries.   06-08-14 HONDA ESTABLISHES AIRCRAFT COMPANY Not wasting any time after its Oshkosh news splash, Honda has established a subsidiary called Honda Aircraft Company to certify and produce the HondaJet. The company will be based at the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, where the prototype was assembled and flight tested. See the story from AOPA Pilot. Honda announced at Oshkosh that it would be going into production with the jet and that it had formed an alliance with Piper Aircraft for sales and service. It will begin taking orders this fall with the goal of receiving certification in 2010.   06-08-14 FAA PROPOSES CESSNA SEAT BACK AD The FAA is proposing a new airworthiness directive (AD) regarding seat backs on certain Cessna 172R, 172S, 182S, 182T, T182T, 206H, and T206H model airplanes. The proposed AD would require owners to install modification kits. The FAA is concerned about "uncontrolled movement of the seat back, resulting in possible backward collapse during flight." The FAA estimates the proposed AD would affect 4,039 airplanes in the U.S. registry. The cost to comply varies from about $80 to $870 per airplane.   06-08-14 UPDATE ON THE PROVISIONS BEHIND ECLIPSE'S CERTIFICATION Eclipse Aviation received its provisional type certificate for the Eclipse 500 jet at Oshkosh, so what does that mean? It's certainly a big accomplishment, but there are still several hurdles to leap over before the FAA grants full type certification. Read our special report on AOPA Online. The story includes audio interviews with Eclipse chief Vern Raburn recorded during Oshkosh.   06-07-28 HONDA PARTNERS WITH PIPER TO ENTER VLJ MARKET Something old and something new entered the competitive very light jet market when Honda announced that not only was it going to go into production of its innovative HondaJet, it was also forming a business alliance with Piper Aircraft to collaborate on sales and service and to explore opportunities in engineering and other areas of aviation. This will be the mega-automotive manufacturer's first foray into aviation production while Piper is about to celebrate its seventieth anniversary in the business. Honda will form a new company to hold the FAA type and production certificates. Type certification is expected to occur in three to four years. The airplane will be built in the United States, but few other details were made available; more information is expected to be released in the fall.   06-07-28 CESSNA UNVEILS LIGHT SPORT AIRPLANE After much anticipation in the industry, Cessna Aircraft showed off its light sport aircraft proof-of-concept model in Aeroshell Square Monday morning.THe high-wing strutted airplane, which has yet to fly, boasts an aluminum fuselage and a composite cowl, with a full-castering nosewheel. The aircraft currently has a 100-hp Rotax 912S engine, a preliminary choice made for its weight-to-power ratio. The final choice of engine, among most other aircraft components—including the possibility of a whole-airframe parachute—will wait until the company has determined whether it will enter the market. The entire proof-of-concept vehicle came together within the past 10 weeks at Cessna, under a challenge from management to the engineering team to put together an example LSA in time for the show. Cessna will be surveying show attendees on their response to the aircraft design and overall LSA concept. Said Jack Pelton, Cessna's chairman, CEO, and president, "The driver is going to be cost, not volume," whether the company enters the LSA market. If Cessna can prove to itself that the market is there at an attractive cost of production, the company will jump in. "We're not expecting numbers like 2,000 a year," said Pelton. Just a sustainable number through the economic cycles common to general aviation. "It would be an extension of our product line to stimulate new pilot starts." A "go/no-go" decision would be made by the first quarter of 2007. In a later technical briefing to the press, Pelton tipped his hat to AOPA's Project Pilot program as a natural companion to the possible Cessna LSA project   06-07-28 ECLIPSE 500 JET GETS CERTIFIED They did it. In a special ceremony at Oshkosh Thursday, Eclipse Aviation received its provisional type certificate for the Eclipse 500 jet. The full type certificate is expected by the end of August, which will allow customer deliveries and give pilots the green light to operate the jet throughout its performance envelope. Approval for flight into known icing conditions is expected later this year. The provisional nature of the aircraft's certification is based in part on failure of the composite tip tanks in lightning strike tests, so larger aluminum ones will go on the fully certified model. The increased size of the tanks allows for the 500's NBAA IFR range to stretch to 1,125 nautical miles, a little closer to the original targeted spec of 1,280 nm. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey presented the provisional type certificate to Eclipse President and CEO Vern Raburn. "We have looked forward to this monumental accomplishment since Eclipse was founded nearly eight years ago," Raburn said. "As we celebrate today, we also know that certification is not our destination; the most important measure of our success will be our ability to continue to deliver unprecedented performance, reliability, technology, training, and service innovations to our customers for years to come." Eclipse officials said the $1.52 million airplane is the quietest jet in history. The company also announced a financing program and an expanded service center network. The airplane that will be delivered to the first customer already has made its maiden flight.   06-07-22 THERE'S A NEW JET IN TOWN Diamond Aircraft formally unveiled its new personal jet, the D-Jet, on July 15 during DiamondFest 2006 in London, Ontario, Canada. The five-seat personal jet, powered by a single FADEC-controlled Williams FJ33 engine, will be certified to a ceiling of 25,000 feet and is expected to offer a maximum cruise speed of 315 KIAS; the anticipated maximum range is 1,351 nm. In the cockpit, pilots will reference the Garmin G1000 glass panel, in an installation featuring 12-inch primary flight displays and a 15-inch multifunction display screen. "It's the largest area for information of any personal or very light jet that I know of," said Gary Kelley, Garmin International's vice president of marketing. The D-Jet features a unique two-plus-three seating arrangement. At 11 feet 7 inches tall and with a wingspan of 37 feet 6 inches—20 inche s narrower than Diamond's DA40—company officials said it will fit in most hangars. Diamond also announced plans to offer an optional airframe parachute from Ballistic Recovery Systems, although it will not be required for the D-Jet's certification. "The aircraft is a joy to fly, smooth, very stable and with all systems functioning perfectly. [It] is doing everything we are expecting of it," said Christian Dries, Diamond's CEO.   06-07-22 GARMIN UPS THE ANTE WITH GPSMAP 496 On Wednesday, Garmin put to rest rumors that it was coming out with a new handheld GPS this summer by announcing the GPSMap 496. The latest in the company's stable of popular GPS units, the 496 adds several new features to the 396, including AOPA's Airport Directory data for more than 5,300 public-use airports and more than 7,000 FBOs. The airport data loaded on the 496 highlights airports with self-serve fuel facilities, allowing pilots to save on fuel by pumping their own. The 496 also features a new high-resolution terrain database, Garmin's SafeTaxi airport diagrams for more than 650 airports preloaded on the unit, and a Smart Airspace function that emphasizes airspace close to the aircraft's current altitude and downplays airspace away from that altitude. A five-times-faster GPS update rat e results in a unit supposedly faster than any other handheld on the market, according to the company. As with the 396, XM WX satellite weather is an option, but the 496 uses a new GXM 30A "smart antenna," included with the unit. And last but not least, the 496 comes with a rechargeable lithium ion battery pack. Suggested retail price is $2,795; units should be available in late July. The Garmin 496 will be reviewed in an upcoming issue of AOPA Pilot.   06-07-07 CESSNA JOINS LIGHT SPORT BUILDERS ASSOCIATION As proof of the continued research by Cessna Aircraft into the light sport aircraft market, Cessna has joined the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) based in Frederick, Maryland. Industry observers took the move to mean Cessna is serious about its research, but the move does not mean a decision has been made to enter the market. Cessna will display a proof-of-concept light sport airplane at the end of this month during the Oshkosh EAA AirVenture show.   06-07-07 DIAMOND JET TESTED TO 280 KNOTS Diamond Aircraft hasexpanded the testing envelope of its D-Jet to the designed certification altitude of 25,000 feet and a cruise speed of 280 knots. Diamond CEO Christian Dries was aboard for the tests in late June. The aircraft will be on display at Oshkosh late this month. "We are very pleased to have expanded the envelope in such a short time. The aircraft is a joy to fly, smooth, very stable and with all systems functioning perfectly," said Dries. "The aircraft is doing everything we are expecting of it. The more time I spend in it, the more I am convinced that the aircraft will be an absolute sensation."   06-07-03 SYMPHONY SEEKS PROTECTION FROM CREDITORS Last week Symphony Aircraft Industries announced that it has entered the equivalent of bankruptcy protection under Canadian law to allow it to operate under protection from its creditors while it pursues additional financing. "It's an utter disappointment," said SAI CEO Paul Costanzo, describing the investment climate in Quebec. While SAI enjoys significant tax incentives in Quebec, the 15-percent increase in the value of the Canadian dollar since the launch of the company has lowered the relative value of investment capital. Plus, according to Costanzo, "the lack of appetite in the venture capital market" has hurt the company's success in securing local dollars. "We're too big a project for small funds, yet too much a 'start-up' for big funds." Production of the two-place SA 160 has slowed for the moment to the co mpletion of the current aircraft on the line, which are undergoing certification with Avidyne's FlightMax Entegra integrated flight deck. Options for the company, barring last-minute money from Canadian sources, include accepting majority capital investment from U.S. investors and relocating the operation to the United States. Costanzo has "no doubt that the business and product will survive," with 70 orders on the books.   06-07-02 SPORT-JET CRASHES DURING FLIGHT TESTING A new entry in the very light jet arena suffered a setback when it crashed during its twenty-fifth takeoff on June 22. The single-engine four-seat Sport-Jet made by Excel-Jet suffered an "uncommanded roll at low altitude" at Colorado Springs, Colorado. Eyewitnesses said the jet rapidly rolled 90 degrees while it was 30 feet in the air. A wing tip struck the ground, causing the jet to cartwheel onto its tail. Test pilot James Stewart, a former F-16 pilot, and a mechanic were hospitalized as a precaution and released. The company speculated that the incident may have been caused by wake turbulence or a microburst. While a good portion of the jet was substantially damaged, company officials said the roll-cage-style fuselage protected the crew.   06-07-01 ECLIPSE CERTIFICATION DELAYED, PERFORMANCE NEARS TARGETS Eclipse Aviation announced early this week that certification of its eagerly awaited Eclipse 500 very light jet will be delayed beyond the anticipated June 30 certification date. Eclipse President Vern Raburn said a number of vendor components had not received TSO approval, leading to the delay. Certification of the airplane is expected "in the next few weeks." While customers will have to wait a few weeks longer, the airplane they will receive will mostly match the performance projections Eclipse has been touting for some time. The company expects the certified airplane to have a maximum cruise of 370 KTAS versus the projected 375 knots. Stall speed, at 69 knots, is two knots higher than projected. The only spe cification not within the guaranteed limits was range, which comes in at 1,125 nm with four on board and NBAA IFR reserves. The guarantee was 1,280 nm. Because the airplane will not fly as far as guaranteed, those holding orders can receive their deposit funds back. However, company officials do not expect a significant number of customers will make that request. Meanwhile, climb performance of 3,314 fpm exceeds the projected climb rate of 2,900 fpm. Useful load is higher than projected: 2,400 lbs versus the projected 2,250 lbs. The certificated airplane will have a maximum takeoff weight of 5,920 lbs, which is higher than the projected MTOW of 5,640 lbs.   06-06-30 AOPA: EARLY LYCOMING CRANKSHAFT REPLACEMENT UNNECESSARY Say you've put 500 hours on your aircraft engine and Lycoming crankshaft over the past 12 years. That's far short of the typical 2,000 hours time between overhauls. But if the FAA implements its latest proposed airworthiness directive (AD), you would have to tear down your perfectly running engine to replace a functional, low-time crankshaft. "[The FAA's proposal] is unwarranted and an unacceptable expense to owners," wrote Luis Gutierrez, AOPA director of regulatory and certification policy, in a letter to the FAA. He later explained, "Affected owners would incur a significant economic impact if forced to retire their engine crankshaft prematurely." The proposed AD would affect about 3,800 engines ranging from the O-360 to IO-720 reciprocating series and would require the crankshafts be replaced after 12 years. AOPA also has requested that Lycoming offer all of the kits for the affected engines at the discounted price of $2,000 instead of the full price, $16,000. Lycoming has said it will consider AOPA's recommendation.   06-06-16 FUEL-EFFICIENT FLYING WING TO ENTER FLIGHT TESTING Ever since the Wright brothers began tinkering with their aircraft, Americans have worked to improve how airplanes fly. In the late 1920s Jack Northrop, the founder of Northrop Aircraft, tried to improve upon existing aircraft by designing a flying wing. A prototype finally took flight in 1940. Now, 66 years later, scientists from Boeing Phantom Works, NASA, and the Air Force Research Laboratory have developed a blended wing that has 20 control surfaces along its trailing edge for control and stability instead of a tail. The wing centerbody is expected to generate lift and reduce drag, thereby increasing fuel efficiency. Two prototypes have been made from advanced lightweight composite materials, weigh 400 pounds, and are powered by three turbojet engines. They will undergo flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. "It has been rewarding watching this revolutionary concept develop," said Joseph Lusczek, technical director of Aerospace Sy stems Design and Analysis, Capability Planning Directorate, Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. "It's a new plateau in airplane design and has the potential to be the 'shape of the future' of aircraft."   06-06-16 MOONEY ADDS OVATION3 TO SINGLE-ENGINE LINEUP Mooney Aerospace recently announced its new Ovation3, an improved version of the Ovation2 GX, with a 310-horsepower Teledyne Continental Motors IO-550-G/AP engine. The piston single-engine retractable-gear aircraft offers a shorter takeoff distance and faster cruise speed than the Ovation2 GX. Its maximum cruise speed is 197 knots. The aircraft costs $453,500 and is expected to enter service this month.   06-06-09 CESSNA CONSIDERS BUILDING LIGHT SPORT AIRPLANES Cessna Aircraft will decide in early 2007 if it wants to enter the light sport aircraft (LSA) market. Cessna President and CEO Jack Pelton said in a press release that the company will unveil July 24 during EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh a full-scale proof-of-concept model that it will consider for the two-place, 1,320-pound LSA category. Cessna spokeswoman Bree Cox said that the model is "coming from the manufacturing process" as opposed to the group at Cessna that normally builds jet cabin and cockpit mock-ups, but would not say if it is a flying model. One observer called it a "feasibility study." LSAs are limited to 120 knots indicated airspeed. "An important part of our thought process in looking at LSA is the value in terms of new pilot starts. Experience has shown that Cessna brand loyalty is a powerful force in our success, and we believe this new category of aircraft could provide a conduit for new pilots to grow through the Cessna product line in the years ahead," Pelton said.   06-06-09 TIGER FUNDING REMAINS ON HOLD Tiger Aircraft of Martinsburg, West Virginia, had hoped for additional investments by the end of April to allow it to fulfill 10 to 20 orders for new aircraft but did not get the money. The company is owned by three Taiwanese investors and TFX Corp. It appears the Tiger investment is not a priority with the current political administration in Taiwan. In May the company was forced to lay off several of its remaining 20 employees but continues to provide technical support and parts sales to existing customers. Company President Gene Criss said he could not discuss the number of laid-off employees.   06-06-08 PIAGGIO IMPROVES TWIN TURBOPROP Piaggio Aero Industries has certified an updated version of its speedy Avanti twin pusher turbopro