In an era when GA sales have been slumping overall and commercial air traffic is... well, we're still trying to figure that one out (changing is a safe word that comes to mind), the idea of local governments fighting over a GA plant is kind of refreshing. That's just what's going on in southern Florida, where Miami-Dade County and Collier County are duking it out for the hand of Safire Aircraft. At stake is a final assembly plant and the 600-700 jobs that go with it.

Just when you thought things were getting so much better... Fuel prices are "accelerating faster than anyone imagined, though I don't think it changes overall where trends are going" in general aviation, said Ed Bolen, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

As previously noted (each year), we have this 'problem.' Each April 1st we have a problem getting our stories straight... we make things up, we get silly, we act weird (-er than normal...) we exaggerate and lampoon... in other words, we act like the folks that run Sun 'n Fun... However; once a year it's fun to let it all hang out, and this year is no exception. Mind you, I hate to offer this caveat, but since there has been some confusion in the past (in one case by a New York Times reporter who actually thought our story on Sandra Bullock racing bizjets at Reno had a glimmer of truth) and since our new format does not allow for easy distinction between April 1st stories and stories that are published on April 1st (if ya know what I mean...). Please note that all April

A small Illinois town is in mourning this weekend after a Piper Saratoga (file photo of type, below) went down, carrying six of its sons and daughters. For Carlock (IL), the deaths of the men and women aboard that aircraft has hit especially hard. The three couples were on their way home from Darlington (SC), where they had attended a NASCAR race. The victims were identified as Don Maurer Jr., 40, and his wife, Amy, 38, of Carlock; Amy's brother, Brad Webb, 34, and his girlfriend, Erica Edgington, 27, also of Carlock; and the pilot, Curt Piercy, 41, and his wife, Linda, 42, of Normal. The aircraft impacted Little Black Mountain near Highsplint in Harlan County (KY), about two hours after taking off from Darlington.

Alteon Offers New Corporate Cabin Crewmember Courses

Alteon Training has received FAA approval for two new Cabin Safety and Service Training courses. The two new courses are Cabin Safety and Service Recurrent, and Cabin Safety and Service Transition. These courses, together with the Cabin Safety and Service Initial training program, compose a suite of FAA-approved training classes for corporate and business jet cabin crewmembers. The new three-day Cabin Safety and Service Transition course is designed for commercial flight attendants who have previously attended a commercial airline-training program and wish to switch to business/corporate aviation.

French search teams have found the wreckage of a small, single-engine aircraft down in the mountains of Haute-Savoie, according to local news reports. The aircraft, whose manufacture and type were not immediately known, went down shortly before landing Thursday night.

"It's an exciting program. These small, new-generation light jets will change the way people travel. It's an exciting prospect (for local governments) to host this paradigm change." Source: Safire Aircraft spokesman Clayton Callihan, in an interview with Aero-News regarding the current bidding war between local governments in four states over rights to host Safire's new final assembly plant. Safire, which hopes its six-place bizjet will makes its debut flight later this year, is shopping 12 local governments for incentives, hoping to find the best possible deal.

Chances are you've seen their photos, purchased their calendars and admired their ads. Many of the world's greatest aviation photographers gathered in Las Vegas, NV last weekend for the 4th annual International Symposium of Aviation Photography (ISAP). Their goal, to share the knowledge and experiences their career has provided them. More than 150 photographers from around the world attended the three day symposium aimed at teaching better business practices, learning a digital photography workflow and maximizing the quality of images offered through the digital medium. Speakers who shared their knowledge included Paul Bowen, George Hall, Katsuhiko Tokunaga, EAA's Bruce Moore and Jim Koepnick as well as representatives from Nikon and Canon and many others.