User-fee supporter Rockefeller heads Senate Commerce Committee
By Tom Norton
General Aviation News
2/9/2009

Sen. John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV) is the new chairman of the Senate
Commerce Committee. Long a crusader to force general aviation to pay more
into the Airport and Airways Trust Fund, Rockefeller was the author of last
year’s failed Senate version of the FAA reauthorization bill, which
included user fees for general aviation. One reason the bill failed to pass
was Rockefeller’s user fee intransigence.

 AVIATION SECURITY

GAMA's Bunce Says LASP Has Severe Shortcomings
Maintains Program Won't Measurably Improve Security
Aero News Network
1/30/2009

Pete Bunce, president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers
Association (GAMA) told Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
officials at Wednesday's public meeting in Houston, TX, that the burdensome
requirements proposed in the Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) will
not provide commensurate security benefits and would severely limit the

Changes coming in 2009?

A battle is won, but the war continues on
Economic woes, proposed security rules challenge GA
By Janice Wood, Editor
General Aviation News
1/23/2009

How much more can general aviation take? It seems there has been a
neverending supply of obstacles in the last year or so: Sky-high fuel
prices, ever-more federal regulations on where we can fly, a call for user
fees, proposed security rules, layoffs and bankruptcies caused by the world
economic crisis.

'Flying car' goes to market
By Irene Klotz
Discovery Channel
1/22/2009

The aptly named Transition takes a stab at bridging the gap between
automobiles and airplanes. Some people call it a flying car. The company
designing and selling the vehicle prefers the term "roadable aircraft."

Either way, it boils down to this: You sit down behind the steering wheel,
drive to the runway, unfold two wings and take off. You can fly 500 miles

AVIATION SAFETY AND SECURITY

Biologist: Birds competing for airspace with planes
CNN
1/16/2009

Environmental rules have led to large jump in numbers of big birds like
geese

(CNN) -- The problem of planes hitting birds comes down to a key fact:
"We're competing for airspace," says Richard Dolbeer, a biologist who spent
20 years studying the problem at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Richard Dolbeer says "bird strikes that would disable both engines on an

Cessna Reports Progress On New Aircraft
AV Web
1/15/2009

Despite the ongoing economic downturn, Cessna continues to move forward on
new product development, including the Model 162 SkyCatcher LSA, the
large-cabin Citation Columbus business jet, and the Citation CJ4, the
company said in a news release on Wednesday.

"Despite the uncertainty of the world's economic environment, we believe it
is critical that we not compromise our future," said Cessna CEO Jack

Airlines, Small-Jet Owners Seek $4 Billion in U.S. Stimulus Aid
By John Hughes
Bloomberg News
1/13/2009

Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. airlines and small-jet owners have joined
forces to lobby for $4 billion in economic-stimulus aid, setting aside a
two-year dispute over air-traffic control costs.

Nine Washington-area trade groups representing carriers, plane users such
as PepsiCo Inc., and manufacturers including Boeing Co. are seeking aid to

GA counters TARP aviation ban
By Tom Norton
General Aviation News
1/14/2009

The House Financial Services Committee released a proposal on Jan. 9 to
reauthorize the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) with a business
aircraft divestiture provision similar to the one included in the
automobile manufacturers bailout bill proposed in December. That language
was removed from the bill on Jan. 13, after heavy lobbying by aviation
groups and, probably more influentially, by individual aircraft owners and
pilots.

LASP Unconstitutional, Says Lawyer
AV Web
1/14/2009

An Atlanta lawyer and pilot claims the Transportation Security
Administration's Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) is unconstitutional
and he's started a campaign to convince Congress of that.

Alan Armstrong says the stated goal of the program is to prevent aircraft
from being used to carry biological, nuclear or other weapons in attacks
against the U.S. But in a string of logic that could give some sectors of