Gulfstream G550 Sets Two New Records The Gulfstream G550 set two new city-pair speed records between Geneva, Switzerland and Minneapolis, MN, as well as between Nagoya, Japan and Savannah, GA. The flight from Geneva to Minneapolis had nine passengers and five crewmembers, flying non-stop 3,998 nautical miles in 8 hours and 38 minutes. The Nagoya to Savannah flight had six passengers, five crew, and flew non-stop 6,473 nautical miles in 12 hours and 20 minutes. Gulfstream

Dassault Has Record Year for Falcons Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Charles Edelstenne recently announced record sales 2006 resulted in the second consecutive year for Falcon business jets. Firm orders for 2006 topped out at 158 worldwide. By the end of the year, there was a backlog of more than 300 aircraft. Delivery rates are anticipated to increase in 2007 and 2008. Falcon

Marquis Jet Joins Microsoft A recently released product entitled Microsoft Office Live is offering 10 hours of private jet travel on a Citation V Ultra operated by Marquis Jet - NetJets flight card division - as the grand prize in a sweepstakes promotion entitled "I'm Going Places," targeting small business owners and entrepreneurs as potential users of its new software. The new software is thought to be a better way for small business owners to promote and manage their business, regardless of where they physically are. Marquis and Microsoft

Bombardier Has Record 2006/2007 2007 is the third consecutive year that Bombardier has seen an increase in deliveries of business aircraft. Moreover, last year the 100th Challenger 300 and the 200th Global business jets were delivered. Deliveries of business jets totaled 212 compared to 197 for the same period last fiscal year. Fifty-five of these deliveries were of their new category-leading Challenger 300 jets. Bombardier Aerospace Media

FAA Releases 10 Year Controller Hiring Plan An updated plan has been released by the FAA for hiring air traffic controllers over the next 10 years. More than 15,000 cotrollers will be hired and trained, beginning with 1,400 this year. Facilities will be staffed based on actual and forecasted air traffic demand. New Controllers

FAA Introduces Plan for "NextGen" Legislation has been sent to Congress that is intended to reduce air traffic congestion and noise, and improve air travel. Dubbed "NextGen", the decades-old system of collecting taxes will be replaced with a cost-based, stable and reliable funding program to support the new satellite-based, air traffic control system. NextGen

RACCA and HAI Join Opposition Over User Fees The RACCA (Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association) and HAI (Helicopter Association International) have joined the ranks of those opposed to the proposed new user fee schedule. RACCA stated that if the new plan were implemented, it would put the FAA in a position of being a tax collector, detracting it from its purpose of overseeing aviation safety issues. RACCA and HAI

New Location For Honda Aircraft Honda recently announced its plans to build a new manufacturing facility for its HondaJet and world headquarters in Greensboro, SC. Construction on the 215,000 square foot facility is expected to be completed by November of this year. The $60 million facility will house engineering, research, service support, and sales and marketing in 68,000 square feet of office space and include 147,000 square feet of hangar space. HondaJet