Sunday, January 20, 2008
Adam Air layoffs annouced
Adam Air announced the layoff of 300 employees this week (they only have 800). Yet the big boss, Duncan Koerbel says its only '...a temporary interuption...' while they seek FAA certs for their A700 twinjet. If you've got money riding on this, better stayed tuned.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Finally some good news for NJ General Aviation
On Jan. 4, 2008, New Jersey Dept. of Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri released a report from the department’s State Airport System Plan (SASP), and from it there is word on the street that three NJ airports: Cape May, Ocean City Municipal and Woodbine (of all places) are in Trenton's sights for upgrades. Yup, thats right, you heard it here, UPGRADES. The usual news would be that they were scheduled be be torn up and turned into a 55 and older community or a new useful mall full of Cheesecake Factories and Gap stores. They even said that these airports were needed for flight training. Fancy that.
We're liking what we're hearing.
We're liking what we're hearing.
White Elk MOA expanding into Nevada
Our favorite other GA Advocate, AOPA, is worked up over the planned White Elk MOA that expands the Utah Test and Training Area west into Nevada. If this affects you, be aware that comments to the Air Force were being taken until Jan 7th. If you missed the boat and this is someplace that you like to fly, better hope you're fellow aviators got throught to the USAF that is unacceptable.
Protect YOUR airspace!
Protect YOUR airspace!
User fee bill DOA
According to Florida State Senator Bill Nelson, bill S1300 - which proposed General Aviation user fees is DOA. Thank goodness. While the house bill still is floating around waiting for rescue, the anticipated failure of the Senate bill just about assures it's doom. No, GA doesn't need new fees and the FAA will have to find other ways to soak the taxpayer to foot the bill for it's continued incompetence.
Piper staying in Vero Beach?
Say its true. Piper says they're staying in Vero Beach as long as the city council comes up with an incentive package in it Jan 15 meeting. Council is mum but sources close to the affair says its a done deal. I'll bet the 1100 Floridians working at Piper hope so. We'll keep you in the loop.
Friday, January 11, 2008
A new Chicago area GA airport?
In these days when it looks like airports suitable for GA are losing to real estate developers, the politicians in the Chicago area are contemplating the creation of the new Will County Airport. Details are few and far between, but even the likes of presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama are getting into the mix trying to get local power brokers like Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. together to hammer this thing into reality.
Will the Will County Airport bring good things to GA? Hard to say with the trend towards accomodating the demands of the airlines over the needs of independent flyer, but we can hope can't we?
Call Sen. Durban and Rep Jackson and get the scoop. If it sound good for GA, get behind it!
Will the Will County Airport bring good things to GA? Hard to say with the trend towards accomodating the demands of the airlines over the needs of independent flyer, but we can hope can't we?
Call Sen. Durban and Rep Jackson and get the scoop. If it sound good for GA, get behind it!
Fun places to fly
This is a great web site. Really. Most of the stuff is up-to-date. If you're spending $$$ to rent an airplane, you might as well go somewhere interesting.
http://www.funplacestofly.com/
http://www.funplacestofly.com/
Russia to expand General Aviation interests
Austrian Bannert Air Business Aviation Services announced its plans to build business aviation terminals in Russia's Krasnodar, Adler and Gelenjik airports.
Bannert intends to invest up to six million Euros in this program. Foreign companies are also participating in the development of the first specialized business, regional and general aviation airport near Kazan. The key investor is Commerzbank AG, while the building work is being handled by German-based TUL International.
Vladimir Lebedev, president of Russia’s National Association of Business Aviation, says this construction project is worth Euros 125 million. Lebedev also notes that a plan to establish a network of 10 General Aviation business airports has been submitted to the Investment Fund of the Russian Federation.
Another project is being considered by Air Alpha, which represents Piper, Piaggio and Pilatus in Russia. In September Air Alpha Maintenance received Russian certification. The company was considering Samara as a possible location for a maintenance base, the reason behind this choice being that the city is an aircraft industry center on a national scale, and home to one of the aviation-related universities, so finding trained personnel would be easy.
In essence, then, there is plenty of promise moving into 2008 and beyond for development of Russia’s General and business aviation infrastructure in support of a growing industry within the region.
Bannert intends to invest up to six million Euros in this program. Foreign companies are also participating in the development of the first specialized business, regional and general aviation airport near Kazan. The key investor is Commerzbank AG, while the building work is being handled by German-based TUL International.
Vladimir Lebedev, president of Russia’s National Association of Business Aviation, says this construction project is worth Euros 125 million. Lebedev also notes that a plan to establish a network of 10 General Aviation business airports has been submitted to the Investment Fund of the Russian Federation.
Another project is being considered by Air Alpha, which represents Piper, Piaggio and Pilatus in Russia. In September Air Alpha Maintenance received Russian certification. The company was considering Samara as a possible location for a maintenance base, the reason behind this choice being that the city is an aircraft industry center on a national scale, and home to one of the aviation-related universities, so finding trained personnel would be easy.
In essence, then, there is plenty of promise moving into 2008 and beyond for development of Russia’s General and business aviation infrastructure in support of a growing industry within the region.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Chinese Private Pilots
A sign of the new prosperity on the Asian continent is the increase in the number of Private Pilots in China. It's estimated that about 1000 new private planes are needed to fulfill the demand of the emerging trend in private aviation.
Diamond Aircraft is planning to open a manufacturing entity in China to build as many as 500 small aircraft per year for both the Asian and US markets. This follows Cessna's announcement that they would be building the C162 Skycatcher in China.
Granted, in relation to the number of non-airline pilots in the US, China's pilot population is tiny - the actual numbers are not published. But the Chinese government anticipates a surge in both private and business aviation in the years to come and training companies such as PanAm have entered the new market looking for the next General Aviation frontier.
The upside to this is that Chinese aircraft quality will benefit from the increased investment in high-tech manufacturing and industry oversight. The downside is that more jobs will leave the US in favor of the low labor costs associated with the Chinese workforce.
Don't let foreign interests upstage us! Support the rebirth of GA - keep our skies safe and affordable and keep building aircraft in the good old USA.
Diamond Aircraft is planning to open a manufacturing entity in China to build as many as 500 small aircraft per year for both the Asian and US markets. This follows Cessna's announcement that they would be building the C162 Skycatcher in China.
Granted, in relation to the number of non-airline pilots in the US, China's pilot population is tiny - the actual numbers are not published. But the Chinese government anticipates a surge in both private and business aviation in the years to come and training companies such as PanAm have entered the new market looking for the next General Aviation frontier.
The upside to this is that Chinese aircraft quality will benefit from the increased investment in high-tech manufacturing and industry oversight. The downside is that more jobs will leave the US in favor of the low labor costs associated with the Chinese workforce.
Don't let foreign interests upstage us! Support the rebirth of GA - keep our skies safe and affordable and keep building aircraft in the good old USA.
Vero Beach to lose Piper?
Piper is considering moving it's 1000 plus employee aircraft manufacturing facilities from it's 50 year home, Vero Beach, Florida to any number of cities including Oklahoma City and Albuquerque unless it can secure new incentives from Indian River County, it's current resident location.
Citing the need to expand and modernize it's facilities and attract high-skill employees to build it's new PiperJet and other modern aircraft models, Piper is looking for a home that satisfies shareholder's vision for the future.
Citing the need to expand and modernize it's facilities and attract high-skill employees to build it's new PiperJet and other modern aircraft models, Piper is looking for a home that satisfies shareholder's vision for the future.
New legislation unfairly reaching into GA's pocket
The Senate is geared to pass a four-year reauthorization bill (S1300) covering the Federal Aviation Administration' attempt to overhaul the air traffic control system. The House has already passed a four-year FAA reauthorization bill (HR 2881).
Part of the reauthorization is a proposed replacement of the current system of fuel and ticket taxes with new usage fees, such as per-flight charges based on distance traveled. The FAA says such a shift is necessary to fund air traffic control upgrades for handling the increasing volume of traffic. The Commerce Department drafted bill favors the airline industry by requiring general aviation, particularly high-end business jets, to pay a new $25-per-flight surcharge. The Finance panel’s draft, which general aviation groups generally prefer, would raise some taxes on general aviation without altering the basic fee structure.
We need to jump all over this now. Any imposition of a fee structure like this, even for business jets runs the risk of spreading into the realm of the little guys driving their Cherokees around. Even a five-dollar surcharge adds too much weight to what is already an overloaded system of financial burdens for General Aviation.
Get on the horn and call your legilators - and send them a link to The GA Advocate!
Part of the reauthorization is a proposed replacement of the current system of fuel and ticket taxes with new usage fees, such as per-flight charges based on distance traveled. The FAA says such a shift is necessary to fund air traffic control upgrades for handling the increasing volume of traffic. The Commerce Department drafted bill favors the airline industry by requiring general aviation, particularly high-end business jets, to pay a new $25-per-flight surcharge. The Finance panel’s draft, which general aviation groups generally prefer, would raise some taxes on general aviation without altering the basic fee structure.
We need to jump all over this now. Any imposition of a fee structure like this, even for business jets runs the risk of spreading into the realm of the little guys driving their Cherokees around. Even a five-dollar surcharge adds too much weight to what is already an overloaded system of financial burdens for General Aviation.
Get on the horn and call your legilators - and send them a link to The GA Advocate!
Unfair outrage that *could* lead to activism
A reader of the Fredericksburg, Va. "The Free Lance Star" newspaper had this to say about the pilots flying from his local airport. This is the USA and we enjoy free speech, but this kind of thinking has a way of getting the attention of uninformed community activists. Better drop a line to the editor at letters@freelancestar.com and be A General Aviation Advocate!
Here's what he had to say...
- In July, a small private aircraft crashed into a subdivision in Florida. Two children and one adult inside their home were killed. Three people on the ground were maimed, with a 10-year-old boy being burned over 90 percent of his body.
In October, a small plane crashed into another subdivision, killing the pilot and 24 people on the ground. Another small plane crashed into two homes in Orlando in July, killing five and injuring three others. In May, two small aircraft collided in mid-air over a subdivision in Ohio, and debris fell into people's yards, killing three people.
Such needless loss of life occurs weekly thanks to the recreational pursuits of general aviation pilots.
Recently, an aircraft left the Stafford Airport making a noise that sounded like it was going to explode. As it gained altitude and crossed Mountain View Road, it lost power and the engine cut off. It was nearly 10 seconds before the engine was restarted, while the aircraft was perilously close to falling out of control.
Finally, the engine restarted, and the plane made an almost vertical left climbing turn right across many homes, in order to avoid crashing.
The residents of the Mountain View community live with this kind of senseless threat to their lives every day, all for the benefit of the privileged few who use this airport for their own convenience and recreation.
Airport staff have not discussed the incident and the hundreds of other such close calls, and they can do this because they answer to no one. Stafford Economic Development Director Tim Baroody and other Stafford County officials have written off the safety and welfare of residents, all to provide special privileges to their elite friends. What kind of country allows such violation of human rights?
Ted A. Parks Stafford
Here's what he had to say...
- In July, a small private aircraft crashed into a subdivision in Florida. Two children and one adult inside their home were killed. Three people on the ground were maimed, with a 10-year-old boy being burned over 90 percent of his body.
In October, a small plane crashed into another subdivision, killing the pilot and 24 people on the ground. Another small plane crashed into two homes in Orlando in July, killing five and injuring three others. In May, two small aircraft collided in mid-air over a subdivision in Ohio, and debris fell into people's yards, killing three people.
Such needless loss of life occurs weekly thanks to the recreational pursuits of general aviation pilots.
Recently, an aircraft left the Stafford Airport making a noise that sounded like it was going to explode. As it gained altitude and crossed Mountain View Road, it lost power and the engine cut off. It was nearly 10 seconds before the engine was restarted, while the aircraft was perilously close to falling out of control.
Finally, the engine restarted, and the plane made an almost vertical left climbing turn right across many homes, in order to avoid crashing.
The residents of the Mountain View community live with this kind of senseless threat to their lives every day, all for the benefit of the privileged few who use this airport for their own convenience and recreation.
Airport staff have not discussed the incident and the hundreds of other such close calls, and they can do this because they answer to no one. Stafford Economic Development Director Tim Baroody and other Stafford County officials have written off the safety and welfare of residents, all to provide special privileges to their elite friends. What kind of country allows such violation of human rights?
Ted A. Parks Stafford
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