Airport & Aviation Appraisals Unveils Web Site:
Featuring Stunning Lindbergh Footage

It might be one of the most unusual corporate Web sites you’ll ever visit. Airport & Aviation Appraisals, Inc. (A&AA), based at Morristown (NJ) Municipal Airport, has built its reputation as the go-to source for expert financial valuations of airport businesses and properties. But its all-new Web site (www.airportappraisals.com) is more remarkable as a window into history.

Harvard-educated A&AA President Win Perkins, a licensed real estate appraiser specializing in aviation properties, also harbors a lifelong passion for studying the life of Charles Lindbergh. Most will find his expertise at his day job as boring as Calvin Coolidge’s diary. (Noteworthy exceptions include anyone who needs a certified, expert appraisal of the value of an FBO or other airport property). So Perkins has created something really special on his Web site to make up for it. It’s front and center on the site, presented as part of an image the Spirit of St. Louis’s instrument panel, and it’s free.

With unique knowledge of Lindbergh’s flight and history, Perkins has painstakingly assembled news footage from five cameras that filmed Lindbergh’s takeoff from Roosevelt Field, Long Island. He’s mixed it with enhanced audio from the same newsreel sources. “I have about 95% of the takeoff, with the original audio accurately synched to the footage,” said Perkins. For the first time, you can now see and hear – in real time — the takeoff that changed aviation, and the world, forever.

As Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis trundles past the cameras, you hear the Doppler roar of a newsplane flying overhead, the Ah-oo-gah horns of the chase cars, and the cheers of the crowd as he breaks ground and begins a slow climb toward Europe. You can even hear a spectator yell “Pull Up!” as the airplane strains to clear the telephone lines at the end of the runway.

The takeoff is part of a four-part documentary on Lindbergh’s quest for the Orteig Prize presented throughout the site, and Perkins’ on-screen narration provides deep insight into not only technical details of the flight, but also its human challenges; including how ill-equipped young Lindbergh was to confront the crippling notoriety that would dog him in the hours, days and years to come. The 1927 New York-to-Paris flight made Charles Lindbergh the first true, global media superstar.

Anyone with even a passing interest will find www.airportappraisals.com an unforgettable window into Lindbergh’s world. And for those with a legitimate need for airport-related appraisal services, you’ll find A&AA’s capabilities and experience an invaluable resource.

BusinessAviationTraining.com announces the launch of a new Pilot Store.
We searched and searched to find a great affiliate to team up with and we decided to partner with CFI Pilot Shop. They offer 1,000’s of products that every pilot needs and offer them at great prices. Whether you are looking for Headsets or aviation logbooks we have what you need.

Please take a few minutes to check out the new store.
http://www.businessaviationtraining.com/pilot-store/

If you have any questions just use the contact us form.

Thanks and have fun shopping!

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as of May 18, will now require the security measures followed by commercial international flights arriving in or departing from the United States, to be followed by smaller, business aircraft flying internationally, as well. Currently, business flights submit the Private Aircraft Enforcement System Arrival Report (Form 178) to the United States Customs and Border Protection Department (CBP) when making an international flight. Submission of this form is no longer necessary under the new regulations.

Now, 60 minutes before such an aircraft leaves the United States or arrives, the general aviation operators (GA) are required to provide a complete manifest of all passengers as well as information regarding the owner and operator of the aircraft. The CBP requires that the operators supply this information through the electronic Advanced Passenger Information System, otherwise referred to as eAPIS. Operators may also transfer the information through a third party who can send the information online, if they have no Internet access.

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A top provider of aviation systems, products, and services has officially predicted that over the next ten years, new aircraft sales alone will reach the $300 billion dollar mark. Last year was the fifth year in a row that the business aviation industry expanded rather than contracted, with new aircraft manufacture and delivery up over 20% more than in 2007. It’s believed that 2009 will continue the trend.

These are record-setting sales of new aircraft, which might be surprising giving the economic crises in the world today. But the need to remain competitive in an already competitive market prompts many airlines to start replacing their fleet to woo new customers, despite the economic downturn. The age of planes plays a part, as do newer and better avionics, but many order newer, state-of-the-art planes mainly for the more spacious cabins. An increasingly global economy drives the industry, and the need to cater to its customers.

Still, if the prediction for an increase in business aviation sales in 2009 seems like mere optimism, then look at the facts. Right now, top manufacturers have a backlog equaling two to three years of standard deliveries, so just the fulfillment of those waiting orders are sure to make 2009 another record-breaker for the business aviation industry.

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In October of 2008, the TSA released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that it said would “strengthen the security of general aviation by further minimizing the vulnerability of aircraft being used as weapons or to transport dangerous materials or people.” The Large Aircraft Security Program is intended to require operators of any aircraft over 12,500 pounds maximum takeoff weight, to implement a security program that would be audited by the TSA. The proposed regulation would also require passengers on the aircraft to be verified against the governments No Fly or terrorist watch list.

At first glance, there are several issues that stand out with the proposed rulemaking. The first is large aircraft with a max takeoff weight (MTOW) of 12,500 pounds. In order to put a “Large Aircraft” of 12,500 MTOW in perspective, let’s look at the following:

A Learjet 35A has an MTOW of 17,000lbs.
A Learjet 45 has an MTOW of 20,200lbs.
A Learjet 60 has an MTOW of 23,500lbs.
A Beechjet 200 has an MTOW of 16,000lbs.
A King Air 200 has an MTOW of 12,500lbs.
A King Air 300/350 has an MTOW of 15,000lbs.
A Hawker 800 has an MTOW of 28,000lbs.
A Citation 560 has an MTOW of 16,630lbs.

Under the TSA’s proposed regulations, any flight departments operating the type of aircraft above would be required to hire a security coordinator and implement a security program. These aircraft are not often operated by large corporate flight departments, many are operated by small departments that employee 3 or 4 people. The new regulation would place a huge financial burden on these departments in order to comply.

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On December 9, 2008, the FAA published its final version of the Winter Safety and Operations Advisory Circular 150/5200-30C. This current version of the AC replaces 150/5200-30B and includes some significant changes; most notably paragraph 5.6 which “establishes the winter related conditions that initiate a requirement for closing a runway.”

Under the new AC, a pilot braking action report of NIL or a NIL braking action assessment by the airport would require the runway to be closed. The runway would have to remain closed until the airport could correct the NIL braking action by taking corrective action such as plowing or the application of chemical agents.

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It doesn’t seem possible that it’s been nearly a year in the making, but it has. When I suggested a get together for aviation bloggers last fall I never thought I’d see much interest. But was I wrong. By Thanksgiving I’d had messages from nearly two dozen other bloggers that thought it was a great idea.

And now the first AirVenture Blogger Fest is just a week away.

If you’re in Oshkosh for the show, join us on Monday July 28 at 4 PM at the GAMA building. For those of you who Twitter, I’ll be there too on my “Jetwhine” ID unless I can figure out how to make my iPhone run with the “AirVenture” ID I also reserved.

While our Fest will be a meet and greet opportunity for anyone who blogs about aviation – or wants to – this will also be the chance for people who simply want to know more about how this industry and Web 2.0 fit together. We may even have a few cool aviation social media announcements you won’t want to miss.

So come early, stay late.

We’ll have lots of bottled water on ice to take away the burn of that hot Oshkosh summer heat.