Planemakers Provide Updates At EBACE

At this week's European Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition, in Geneva, Switzerland, representatives from leading business-jet companies provided updates on their newest airplanes. Honda Aircraft Co. CEO Michimasa Fujino said the HondaJet is nearly ready for the final phase of flight testing, and the production line is ready to build customer aircraft. Construction is under way on a customer-service center in Greensboro, N.C., to provide aftermarket support. “Our team is working very hard to bring the HondaJet to market as quickly as possible,” Fujino said.The company said recently it expects certification in 2014. Officials from Embraer and Bombardier also provided updates.

Aviation Group Provides Aid To Tornado Victims

Sky Hope Network, a nonprofit organization, is raising money through June 1 to support members of the aviation community affected by the destructive tornado that hit near Oklahoma City on Monday. "FAA personnel, staffers, escrow agents, and airport and FBO support workers in the OKC region are victim to a range of personal losses," says the Network at their website. "They need immediate assistance from the wider aviation business community." All funds collected will go directly to the victims, the group said. Aerobridge, a nonprofit that coordinates general-aviation relief efforts, told AOPA no pilot volunteers are needed since the affected areas are accessible by road.

Video: Pilatus Unveils PC-24 TwinJet

At the European Business Aircraft Conference & Exhibition in Geneva this week, Pilatus unveiled its design for a new twin-engine jet that can operate from short and unpaved runways.

First Ph.D. In Aviation Conferred

St. Louis University's Parks College has conferred the first-ever Ph.D. in Aviation in the U.S. to Damon Lercel. The school has been working on establishing the degree for 10 years and the new doctor says it's an important milestone in aviation education. "The program offered not only an in-depth immersion in research, but also opportunities to interact with both the domestic and international aviation industries." Lercel said, "It's a victory for the advancement of aviation." The degree was also the first for the school.

Nextant Upgrades Its Remanufactured Jet

Nextant Aerospace, which has been producing the 400XT remanufactured business jet since 2011, announced a major upgrade to the airplane this week at the European Business Aviation Conference and Exposition, in Geneva, Switzerland. The 400XTi features a new cabin design with extra headroom and shoulder space, new acoustic insulation for reduced cabin noise, raked winglets, and auto-throttle capability to lessen pilot workload and improve fuel economy. The aircraft is a completely rebuilt Beechjet 400A/XP with Williams FJ44-3AP engines and Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics. The new model is offered at about $5 million.

BizAv Asks For Government Help

Business aviation leaders say there is a "fragile" recovery underway and urged governments all over the world to amend or establish policies to shore up the industry. On the eve of the opening of the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva on Monday, CEOs of major airframers and business aviation associations urged governments to cut red tape and stop unfairly targeting the sector for tax and fee increases. "The difficult environment has dragged on," Reuters quoted European Business Aviation Association Fabio Gamba as saying. "Traffic has yet to recover to comfortable levels, while an industry turnaround is hampered by some government policy measures."

Pilatus Introduces PC-24 TwinJet

Pilatus, best known for its PC-12 turboprop, on Tuesday released details of the PC-24, which will be the company's first jet. At the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland, board chairman Oscar Schwenk said the "super-versatile" jet will be able to use very short runways, paved or unpaved, and a cargo door will be standard. The cabin can be fitted with up to 10 seats, or six to eight in executive configuration. Range is up to 2,243 miles with four passengers, and maximum speed is 425 knots. The PC-24 is powered by two Williams FJ44-4A turbine engines. The jet project was launched last summer and work on the prototype "is in full swing" in Switzerland, the company said. First deliveries are expected in 2017, at a price of about $9 million.

Cessna Provides Jets Update At EBACE

Cessna's new Latitude and Longitude jets are in the works and making progress, company officials said this week at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, in Geneva, Switzerland. The first prototype of the midsize Latitude is being assembled and should be flying early next year, said Cessna spokesman Terry Shriner. The super-midsize Longitude has completed wind-tunnel testing that confirms projections for a range of 4,000 nm cruising at Mach 0.82, Shriner said. The first flight of the Longitude prototype is projected for mid-2016, with FAA type certification in the latter half of 2017. Also, Cessna's Kriya Shortt said the new Citation X should start deliveries by the end of this year.

Short Final

This gave me a little chuckle because it rhymed so well. The pilot knew too, as he said it with pauses:Line up and wait...Runway 28...Cirrus 188Shawn Byersvia e-mail

FBO of the Week: St. Clair County Airport (KPLR, Pell City, Alabama)

>>> AVWEB FUEL FINDERCURRENT PRICE FOR 100LL: $6.04 (up 3¢ from last week)CURRENT PRICE FOR JET A: $5.49 (no change from last week)Fuel prices provided weekly by AirNav, based on prices from the past 2 weeks. Changes are relative to last week's prices. /TEXT_ONLY-->AVweb's "FBO of the Week" ribbon goes to St. Clair County Airport (KPLR) in Pell City, Alabama.AVweb reader Mike Grossberg got the royal treatment there recently:The service is "over the top" at this beautiful country airport. The airport manager, Larry, answered my airport advisory request and offered to meet me on the ramp with the rental car as I taxied in from landing. Larry escorted us to the transient hangar, helped push the plane in, and gave us directions. This lovely airport even has a shady gazebo for watching the airplanes come and go. Real Southern hospitality at its best.Keep those nominations coming. For complete contest rules, click here.AVweb is actively seeking out the best FBOs in the country and another one, submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday!

User Fees In New Zealand: $1 Per Touch-And-Go And Rising

A trip around the patch at a controlled airport in New Zealand will soon carry a $1 NZD charge under a user fee schedule announced by the Airways Corporation of New Zealand, the "state-owned enterprise" that runs the country's airspace system. By 2015, however, that same touch-and-go will cost $3.55 NZD as will transiting controlled airspace around airports and something called a "vicinity landing" that is not defined in the Airways announcement of the fees. Fees for airliners will increase an overall 15.7 percent over the next three years.

Cirrus Investigating Chute Incident

Cirrus Aircraft has sent an investigative team to Addison, Texas, to look into a report that a repacked Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) failed to deploy when a pilot pulled the handle late last week. "We did have an incident in Texas at the end of last week that involved a repacked CAPS parachute," Cirrus spokesman Todd Simmons said in an email to AVweb. "While we understand that an anomaly may have occurred related to extraction of the chute, it is premature to draw any specific conclusions at this point much beyond that." AVweb contacted the owner's home Sunday evening but was told he was out for the evening.

Avidyne DFC90 Certified For Bonanzas

Avidyne Corporation announced the STC certification of the DFC90 plug-and-play retrofit autopilot system for Beechcraft Bonanza applications. The STC, which covers 25 models of the Bonanza, allows the DFC90 to replace existing S-TEC autopilots when interfaced with the Aspen Evolution Pro Primary Flight Display (EFD1000Pro). Avidyne previously certified the drop-in DFC90 with the Aspen PFD in Cessna 182 Skylane series aircraft and with the Entegra PFD in the Cirrus SR20 and SR22. It's also certified in the Piper PA-46 Matrix and Mirage.

Sole Survivor Documentary Targets August

A documentary based on the insights of individuals who became sole survivors of commercial aviation disasters appears set for release in August. According to the movie's creators, the film includes commentary from at least three survivors who have never spoken publicly about the events that changed their lives. Among them is one pilot, Jim Polehinke, who acted as copilot of Comair Flight 5191, which crashed at Lexington on August 27, 2006, killing all 49 others aboard. The NTSB found the probable cause of the accident included multiple failures of the flight crew. Click through for the trailer.

NORDO No More

So Bertorelli gets a radio in the Cub, and now he's a pattern pest.

Concrete (RC) Airplane 'Flies' (With Video)

The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology said earlier this month that students there had created and flown a small remote control aircraft made of concrete, but their level of success may be open to interpretation. The aircraft had a wingspan of 40 inches and weighed 18 pounds. A news release from the school notes "viral" coverage of the event. It also states that the "flight was quick and wobbly with the landing equally erratic, but it was enough for the record books." After viewing video of the flight, it may not be clear that the vehicle's return to earth can be categorized as a "landing." The concrete plane isn't the first of its kind.

Mechanic: I'll Pay For Crashed Heli

Earlier this month, a Robinson R22 helicopter flying a photo flight successfully auto-rotated onto a downtown Honolulu street and, now, the owner of the company that inspected the helicopter says he will pay to have it replaced. In an interview with HawaiiNewsNow.com, Brant Swigart said the pilot was "in no way" at fault for the May 9 event, and the operator "had no culpability in this." He said he did not personally work on the helicopter prior to the accident flight, but he "was responsible for checking it." Swigart said he believes a mixture cable snapped and a backup switch failed. "I didn't physically inspect that assembly," he said, "and if I had I would have caught it." The helicopter wasn't the only vehicle damaged in the accident and Swigart says he's stepping up for another affected party, an Iraq war veteran.

Virgin Galactic Has Hired Its Pilots

A retired Air Force Lt. Colonel and a former NASA space shuttle commander have been hired to fly space tourists in Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, the company has announced. Michael "Sooch" Masucci has 30 years of civilian and military operational and test flying, according to the company, has served as a U-2 pilot with the Air Force and has flown 70 different types, including gliders. Frederick "CJ" Sturckow has 26 years of military flight experience, flew as commander of two Space Shuttle missions and has logged 1,200 hours in space. The men are currently training to operate commercial suborbital space flights, carrying passengers for $200,000 per ticket.

Video: Sam LSA Debuts at Sun 'n Fun

The Sam light sport aircraft, which first flew in March, was on display at Sun 'n Fun in Lakeland, Florida.

Video: Total Eclipse Quick Look

Eclipse Aerospace is touring the country with a Total Eclipse jet, using it as a demo for the soon-to-be-delivered Eclipse 550. In this AVweb video, Paul Bertorelli offers a quick product overview.

Cessna 152 vs. LSA: Vintage Wins the Day

On the flight training line, ancient 152s can still be more profitable, chiefly because LSAs lack a mature parts chain and repair support infrastructure.

Question of the Week: How Dependent Are You on GPS?

There might be a big solar flare that could affect GPS later this week. If it happens while you're flying and knocks out your wonder boxes, what will you do?Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers what role they believe EAA should play in the aviation community; click through to see the breakthrough of answers.

Podcast: Prof. Kent Lovelace on the Pilot Pool

It's not an easy road from first solo to an airline left seat, and new rules now in the works are making that journey even bumpier. Kent Lovelace, chair of the aviation department at the University of North Dakota, talks with AVweb's Mary Grady about the impact of new rules that raise the bar for that first job, how airlines and students are adapting, and some new programs that aim to address some of these issues.

Solar Flares Could Disrupt Some Communications

The sun this week unleashed a series of X-flares, classified among the most intense solar activity, that each became the most energetic of the year until the next one; none were directed toward earth but that may change next week with possible effects for aviation. The Space Weather Prediction Center is watching the activity for potential disruption of space-based communication systems and ground-based electronics. Aviation activities most susceptible to the flares include aircraft communication. If affected, scientists say we would see it first with aircraft flying near the poles. The increase in solar storm activity was predicted years ago and AVweb sat with a specialist to talk about its affects on GA.

Navy Carrier And Liquid Hydrogen Drone Milestones

The U.S. Navy this week announced it has -- for the first time -- successfully launched the X-47B combat-capable aerial vehicle from an aircraft carrier and, separately, set a new record for flight endurance with a fuel cell-powered UAV with the Ion Tiger. The X-47B's testing Tuesday saw it launch from the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush during flight operations in the Atlantic Ocean off the Virginia coast. The launch was followed by several low approaches and a flight mission to the naval base at Patuxent River, Md., that also demonstrated a ship-based to land-based transfer of control. Also this week the Navy reported that its Ion Tiger unmanned vehicle set a record for endurance, flying 48 hours and one minute on liquid hydrogen fuel.

ATP Rule Change Affects Career Choices

A new law that will require first officers in regional jets to hold at least an ATP certificate is not yet official, but it's already affecting aviation careers, Kent Lovelace, chair of the aviation department at the University of North Dakota, told AVweb this week. The law will take effect this August, whether or not the FAA has completed its proposed rulemaking process, Lovelace said. The regionals already have started to reject applicants who aren't likely to log the minimum 1,500 hours total time by this summer, and the change also has caused some students to choose a different career track. The regionals' applicant pool has shrunk "to where some carriers, the usable applications they have on file are virtually nil," says Lovelace.

B-29 Connections

Two books provide interesting glimpses of this remarkable airplane. Forty years ago, Paul Bertorelli got his own close-up look and has the scarred knuckles to prove it.

Sonex To Offer Transition Training

In a study of amateur-built aircraft completed last year, the NTSB cited a need for transition training to help new owners safely fly their airplanes, and this week Sonex said it has developed a training program for its fleet. Sonex said the FAA has authorized the company to provide flight training for pilots who are building, buying, or considering a Sonex design. "Preparing to fly your Sonex with the proper training and type-specific flight time is just as important as building the aircraft properly," said Sonex CEO Jeremy Monnett. The training is offered by Sonex staff CFIs at the company base in Oshkosh, Wis.