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April 01, 2009

Sonex Aircraft Introduces Extended-Range Kit Options

Relief At Last!

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: ANN ArSonex Aircraft, LLC has announced Wednesday yet another demand-driven enhancement to the Sonex Aircraft product line: new Extended-Range Upholstery.

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ANN Daily Aero-Briefing: 04.01.09

Disgruntled CFIs announce the formation of TBO-SAFE.
Workers install new Delta signs upside-down at MSP.
And the latest new LSA is a 200-foot-long rigid airship.

Sponsored By.

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ANN Daily Touch-And-Go: 04.01.09

Disgruntled CFIs announce the formation of TBO-SAFE.
Workers install new Delta signs upside-down at MSP.
And the latest new LSA is a 200-foot-long rigid airship.


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ANN Special Feature: Robert Poole: An Upside of GA User Fees - 04.01.09

Reason Foundation Director of Transportation Studies Bob Poole explains his opinion that if business aviation interests in the US would step up and accept the proposed $25 user fee for turbine-powe

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Aero-TV: WAI Perspectives -- Advice For New Aviators (Part 3)

A Three Question Survey Of This Year's Amazing Women In Aviation Conference

At a number of the more intriguing special events that ANN and Aero-TV partake in, we engage in an interesting exercise in which we pose at least three questions to a dozen or so of those attending to gauge the mood on a range of issues pertaining to the subject at hand. This year's Women In Aviation Event was ripe for another such pursuit. Of the three topics raised this year, one was the obvious issue of whether or not there was still a perceptible level of discrimination against women in the aviation industry, the second was whether or not the current economic issues might make it easier or more difficult for women to enter this industry -- and finally (today's episode), what advice our respondents mi

And Now... ANN's Annual April 1st 'Special Edition!'

Twice The 'Propwash!' No Fooling!

To our loyal readers -- Due to this year's April Fools Day falling on a Wednesday (what we in the business call a "real" news day) ANN opted to split our daily Propwash newsletter into two segments.

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Congressional Flying Club Causing FAA Heartburn Over Airspace Violations

FAA: Somebody Needs To Teach These Guys How To Follow Rules...

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: The FAA has had enough. A little known addition to the 'bennies' afforded our elected representatives, established after 9/11, 'so that Congress might have a better understanding of aviation' is creating "immense workload issues for the FAA," according to the OMB.

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TSA: Say Hello To 'CLASP' Guidelines

And We Thought LASP Was Bad...

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: Further proving the notion that anything the Transportation Security Administration can do, it can also do even more ineptly... on Wednesday TSA announced it has dropped its planned Light Aircraft Security Program (LASP) in the face of strong opposition from pilots and Congress. In its place will be a new program called CLASP.

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Disgruntled CFIs Announce Formation of TBO-SAFE

Group Claims 28 Now on E-Mail List

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: A small but impassioned group of professional flight instructors has organized to fight what it calls an elitist attitude among the directors of SAFE, the Society of Aviation & Flight Educators.

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Boyer Hits Lecture Circuit To Inspire Letter Group CEOs

"You Can Only Rely On The Gov't To Screw Up So Much"

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: Feeling a bit restless after just three months in semi-retirement, former AOPA President Phil Boyer tipped off ANN last week to his next big project: a series of free seminars to inspire the leaders of certain aviation "letter groups" on how to better connect with their membership ranks.

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Airbus in Discussion With DoD To Provide An A380 To Fly As New 'Pelosi One'

FOIA Docs Suggest That A USAF Boeing Isn't Big Enough For Speaker and Entourage

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: Recent Freedom of Information Act requests by the Aero-News network, in concert with the Reporters Committee For A Free Press, seem to indicate that Airbus Industries has been involved in high-level discussion with the Department of Defense for several months over the possible lease of an A380 Airbus.

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Lockheed Martin Divulges Critical F22 Raptor Technical Details

Admits F-22 Actually Propelled by 'Sheer Awesomeness'

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: Lockheed-Martin has held yet another press conference in order to attempt to explain the amazing flight characteristics of its star military fighter jet, the F-22 Raptor, and avoid the program's possible termination.

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EAA Takes Annual Show In New Direction

Invites Public To 'Rock The 'KOSH!!!'

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: Admitting the organization's efforts to have its annual air show and convention known as "AirVenture" -- rather than its more common nickname -- have met with only limited success, on Wednesday representatives with the Experimental Aircraft Association announced a new moniker for the 'World's Greatest Aviation Celebration."

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Foundering Lakeland Aviation Event Applies For Economic Stimulus Funds

Years of Diminishing Stats Have Done Their Worst...

 It was probably only a matter of time, but one of the many organizations applying for President Obama's offer of economic stimulus funds includes the faltering Sun 'n Fun fly-in.

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Automaker, Cessna Consolidate Marketing Operations

Will Include Re-branding Of Several Model Lines

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: As the economy continues its trend downward, corporations are seeking consolidation opportunities wherever possible... but even ANN never thought we'd see this. On Wednesday, General Motors and Textron-owned Cessna Aircraft Corporation announced a novel co-branding agreement, that includes the merging of the two giants' marketing divisions into one operation, code-named "Vega."

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PETA Sues On Behalf Of Geese Lost In 'Flight 1549 Tragedy'

Asks For $250K, Apologies To Flock -- "But We Can Do Without Apologies"

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: Saying the recent downing of a US Airways Airbus A320 following an inflight encounter with geese was "an avian tragedy unprecedented in the course of modern human events," on Wednesday the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed suit in US District Court of New York against the airline for the "unwarranted slaughter, fricasse, slicing, dicing, julienning and barbequeing of at least four Canadian Geese."

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Price Of NASA Fuel Valve Fix: $27 At Home Depot

Cost To Reward Inventor, Contractors: Priceless

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: While it sadly didn't happen until a year before the retirement of the fleet, one of the most daunting problems in NASA's Space Shuttle program has finally been solved -- with technology nearly two centuries old.

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Quixotic Enterprises Enters Eclipse Bidding Fray

To Reintroduce "Dulcinea 500" VLJ In 2010

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: There's apparently yet another company hoping to purchase the assets and intellectual property of now-defunct Eclipse Aviation. Aero-News received word Wednesday of a mysterious entity, known only as "Quixotic Enterprises Inc. LLC."

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Piper Introduces All-New PiperJet Variant

Turboprop 'Meridian' Sports Shorter Fuselage, Smaller Wing; Piston Derivative Also Planned

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: In a press release sent to ANN Wednesday, Piper Aircraft announced an all-new model variant to its upcoming PiperJet line: the all-new-for-2010 "Meridian."

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Former MSFS Staff Reunite On 'Aviation Job Simulator'

Includes Ab-Initio Flight Training, "Furlough" Effect

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: Members of the ACES development team -- the team behind the popular "Microsoft Flight Simulator" series, but who were recently furloughed from their jobs at Microsoft Game Studios -- have banded together under the newly-created 'UltReality' label to launch their inaugural offering, "Aviation Job Simulator 2009."

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Federal 'Red Card' Program To Speed NextGen Adoption

Ramped-Up Implementation Will Add Jobs... At First

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: In a surprise move, the Obama administration has put NextGen Air Traffic Control on a fast track. Make that a really fast track.

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FAA Ups Weight Restriction On LSA

'Old Pilots Are Usually Fat, Too'

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday a major shift in policy in regards to the nearly five-year-old Sport Pilot category, affecting light sport aircraft. The agency will soon issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, stating the maximum gross weight restriction for aircraft certificated as LSA will be raised to 1,800 lbs.

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Boeing's Carson: 'Enough Already With The Dreamliner Jokes!'

Adds "It'll Fly When It Flies, So Knock It Off"

Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Scott Carson is usually a pretty affable sort of guy... but when a reporter for an aviation news service recently asked him  for the millionth time whether the oft-delayed 787 Dreamliner would actually fly by late in the second quarter -- finally meeting a timeline given by the planemaker, after three earlier missed promises -- Carson lost his cool a little.

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Klyde Morris Awarded 2008 Collier Trophy

Honored For "Innovation In Aviation Sarcasm"

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: He's been in print for over 30 years, online for the past 10, and he's even been to space... and now, Aviation's Only Ant has received a truly plus-sized honor.

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Airship Company To Enter LSA Market

Some Minor Technical Issues To Be Ironed Out

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: Worldwide Aeros, a California company engaged in development of advanced, rigid airships for freight, business and luxury tour applications, will apparently have two big news items to announce next week. While the company has remained tight-lipped about both developments, ANN has learned from industry sources that the Aeroscraft ML 866 airship will see its first public release as a light sport aircraft, and that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has signed on as lead customer and development partner.

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Mainstream Media Having Difficulty With Aero-Technology

Mainstream Press Unable to Understand Actual Cause of Crash -- Need To Blame Something 'Simpler'

 ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: Aviation experts are describing the cause of a recent aircraft incident on matters that require some technical expertise... to the total bewilderment and consternation of the mainstream press

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Cirrus Design To Leave Minnesota, Relocate To Key West

'It's Tough To Attract Investors When You Need Them To Shovel Snow'

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: It's a story we never thought we'd have to tell; after all, the Klapmeier brothers are synonymous with Duluth, MN... yet the company they founded, Cirrus Aircraft, announced Wednesday it plans to relocate operations to Key West, FL by the end of next year, for business-related reasons.

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UPS, Duncan Aviation Partner On 'Executive Travel Pods'

LD6 Cargo Containers Outfitted With Luxury Trappings

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: Noting many grounded corporate executives still have the need for safe, reliable -- and discrete -- business aviation transport, cargo giant UPS and Lincoln, NE-based aircraft outfitter Duncan Aviation announced Wednesday a partnership to provide those executives with a new travel option.

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Report: 'Virgin' No More? LCC Considers Name Change

"Maiden America" Would Promote US Roots

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: Aiming to silence critics who accuse upstart low-cost carrier Virgin America of having too many ties to foreign interests, airline executives are said to be considering a significant rebranding effort.

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Pilot Questioned After Taxiing Plane Down Oshkosh Street

Brief Incident Ends Peacefully

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: Aero-News recently obtained the official transcript of an incident involving a pilot at AirVenture 2008 and local police (no... not THAT incident), accompanied with verified photographic confirmation of the weird and rather humorous encounter. Below is a portion of the unedited transcript.

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Commuter Airline To Remove Seats From Short-Haul Flights

Hey... It Works On The Subway... Right?

 It works for a number of other transportation systems... so maybe it will work for aviation... so says a unique program instituted under FAA guidance by a small New York based commuter carrier looking to build upon its rep as a low cost flyer.

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ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.01.09)

Aero-Linx!

A group of talented, dedicated, and thoroughly freakin' loony aero-writers hone their comedic talents and vent their pent-up frustrations at various aero-issues once a year. (They spend the remaining 364 days convincing their targets that, c'mon, it was just a joke.) Savor the best... the worst... and the "whah the...?" of Aero-News' past April 1st Special Editions. Aero-Collect them all!

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ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.01.09): BizAversion Reality Avoidance Syndrome

Aero-Terms!

BRAS is the curious tendency of certain federal lawmakers to shame users of corporate aircraft into giving up their jets... while at the same time relying on US Air Force aircraft (or even private Airbus A380s, apparently) to fly their families, friends, constituents, and good old-fashioned under-the-table special interest donors around the country.

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Aero-News Quote Of The Day (04.01.09)

"OK, folks... ANN did not suddenly lose its mind (though, there ARE moments... oh, never mind). Check the DATE. 04.01.09. It's April FIRST... a/k/a APRIL Fool's Day. Get It? If you believed ANY of this stuff, you have been fooled, bamboozled, and otherwise become yet another victim of our annual attempt to enjoy the First day Of April with a little imagination and a LOT of nonsense. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did." Source: ANN's Jim Campbell, making sure that ANN readers checked the date before they got too involved in any of the stories we publish on April 1st of each year. Happy April Fool's Day!

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