Although business aviation in much of the world has been downplaying the luxury aspect and emphasizing efficiency and productivity, a major exhibition in Abu Dhabi next February embraces the undeniable comforts that come with private air travel. Most of the major business aviation companies are expected to take part in Big Boy Toys, which runs from Feb. 2-5, 2011, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center. Although an exhibitors' list isn't available on the website, Al Bawaba, a Middle Eastern news agency, says the show is "expected to attract top aviation customers across the globe." In addition to kicking the tires on the latest that aviation has to offer, attendees can shop for high-end marine, automotive and electronics products and maybe even book their favorite superstar for a private concert. Meanwhile, the publication says the market for business aircraft looks rosy in the region and that bodes well for the show.
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Arizona may be planning to take a chapter out of California's regulatory textbook and that could lead to significant extra costs for flight schools. National Association of Flight Instructors President Jason Blair says Arizona officials are meeting Thursday to discuss the regulation of flight instructors and flight schools. A similar meeting by California officials some time ago that lead to AB48, a hugely unpopular measure that will require flight schools to pay significant registration fees and prove financial viability through a debt-to-equity formula. The California law could lead to school closures and increased training costs and Blair says NAFI is afraid the same thing will happen in Arizona. "As a state that has a significant number of flight training providers, we're concerned about the chilling effect those fees may have on those businesses," Blair said. "We're encouraging our members in that state to get involved in this issue, so we don't have a repeat of the California situation." California legislators say the move is needed to protect flight students from unscrupulous operators but some aviation businesses have dismissed it as a ploy to raise revenue.
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The U.S. government has paid $261,000 to pull a long-retired Lockheed JetStar from an Arizona boneyard and repaint it for static display. As you might have guessed this isn't just any JetStar, nor is it just any paint job. The JetStar was used to shuttle former President Lyndon Johnson between Washington and his ranch in the Texas Hill Country. The shiny new-looking 13-seat aircraft will be put on permanent display at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park at Johnson's ranch near Stonewall, Texas. The official dedication is Aug. 27.
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The President is going on vacation, and that means 10 days of disruption for the busy GA operations around Martha's Vineyard. Temporary flight restrictions (PDF) go into effect Thursday but, as of late Tuesday, the FAA didn't know exactly when. The agency is warning pilots to check NOTAMs before flying in the area at any time beginning Thursday. That's advice a floatplane pilot flying in the Seattle area could apparently have used Tuesday as he blundered into a TFR around Boeing Field for the president's whistlestop visit to the city. The Associated Press quoted Laura Joseph, a passenger on a Cessna 180 flown by Lee Daily, as saying the pilot was unaware of the TFR and landed at a seaplane base on Lake Washington that was within the TFR. While TFR violations go largely unnoticed these days, everyone in Greater Seattle heard about this one.
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