FBOs Find Success with Sport Programs

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FBOs across the country that are offering new training programs for sport licenses are attracting a special genre of recreational pilots. The two-year-old sport program at St. Charles Flying in St. Louis "adds a new dimension to our school," says Dennis Bampton, president of St. Charles Flying. "We have graduated 34 new sport pilots and currently have 10 additional students enrolled in our sport program. We are trying to appeal to older individuals who have always wanted to fly."
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Cirrus' "The Jet" Is Halfway Through Development

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Cirrus unveiled the mock-up of its single-engine personal "The Jet" earlier this summer, but a flying prototype is still in the works. Key advantages of the new concept include one pilot, extensive cubic feet for passenger use, a top speed of 300 knots and a range of 1,000 nm. The current price is in the $1 million range. A unique configuration of aircraft parts makes this concept particularly innovative, says Mike Van Staagen, vice president of Cirrus' Advanced Development Group.
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Honeywell Introduces New Avionics Display

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Honeywell is developing a new display for general aviation use that closely matches Honeywell avionics systems found on larger aircraft. GPS and Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), a new software-based VHF communication and navigation radio are included. Flying information can be displayed in multiple configurations. Pilots will use traditional hard keys, line select keys, display based dedicated keys or a cursor control device (CCD).
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AVCARD Devotes Manpower to Fuel Negotiating

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Electronic automation, such as Avcard's multipurpose charge card, might be widespread and effective but on its own can't singlehandedly procure affordable fuel for general aviation operations. That challenging process takes extra legwork and minds these days and is the genesis behind Avcard's 24/7 fuel dispatch department, a complimentary service that was created to negotiate bulk fuel prices and pass the savings on to Avcard clients.
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Eclipse Releases Light Jet; New Flight Technology Follows

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The boom in U.S. regional air travel has created demand for aircraft that emit few emissions and reduce noise pollution, a common complaint from neighborhoods surrounding regional airports. Eclipse Aviation's new light aircraft is quieter than any other single-engine piston or twin engine aircraft ever made, according to Andrew Broom, spokesman for Eclipse Aviation Corp. The Eclipse 500 costs only $400 per hour to operate.
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