I am a General Aviation (GA) aficionado.  Many years ago I looked into obtaining a private license certificate but at the time I had small children and little time.  A couple decades went by (time flies when you are having fun).  A couple years ago I decided that my two sons were old enough and I tried again.  After the summer season was over things got busy, many changes at work and then our economy took a plunge, so once again I decided to put this endeavor on hold.  Hopefully the next time I try it will be a charm.

I am a member of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).  I fully enjoy their two main magazines.  The June 2009 issue called my attention.  The cover shows an Embraer Phenom 100 Very Light Jet (VLJ) soaring over Pennsylvania.  The Phenom is a very good-looking plane.  The main article in the last issue of AOPA Pilot magazine is titled “Thrill from Brazil” by Thomas A. Horne.  I enjoyed reading the article.

What called my attention is that the Phenom is a plane made by Embraer.  The Phenom is gaining popularity all over the country despite the bad economy in the US and in general in most countries around the world.  The Phenom appears to be a very well designed product that has mass appeal in GA.  Embraer is not an American company and their products are manufactured in Brazil.

In that same issue of AOPA Pilot I looked towards the end of the magazine at a section named “Fly By Wire”.  That section lists the companies that advertises in the current issue.  I believe the few American companies left that make VLJ are Cessna and Piper.  They did not advertise VLJ products in this issue.  Perhaps that was by design in order to allow Embraer to shine.

Our government and the poor economy caused by our government and the American Royalty are killing GA in the USA.  GA provides pleasure and rewards to the few lucky pilots that are able to enjoy it.  But most important GA maintains a healthy set of private pilots, which can be called to help in emergencies.  The companies that design and produce GA airplanes are similar to the automobile manufacturers, which we have been hearing about, in the past few months.  Airplane companies design and develop desirable goods and provide jobs to thousands of Naive Americans.  The way things are going with GA, we will soon experience another irreversible setback in our economy when each and every one of the American airplane manufacturers disappears.  The same as with car manufacturers, but at a smaller scale, will be the fate of GA airplane manufacturers in the USA unless something is done to incentive them.

The Naive American proposes our government, which in the past year or so has wasted Trillions of taxpayers Dollars in lost causes, to help out American airplane manufacturers reduce if not eliminate tax in fuel used by GA planes, eliminate all airport fees used by GA and help funding AOPA to promote GA.

Furniture, clothing, computers, watches, radios, TVs, automobiles, etc, etc, etc design and manufacturing has left the USA in order to make money for politicians and the American Royalty.  The way things are going, in the near future, airplanes will experience the same end.

Earlier today, I was browsing on the web at different GA aircraft.  I am a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association (AOPA) www.aopa.org.  As a benefit one receives a couple aircraft oriented magazines a month.  On my Internet Explorer (IE) browser I have booked marked most companies that produce GA aircraft.  When I get the pilot itch, I visit several of the aircraft related web sites (it is nice to dream).

Given the state of the economy in the US, the information on a few web sites I visited early today called my attention.

Eclipse Aviation (www.eclipseaviation.com), before filing for bankruptcy protection in November 25, 2008 used to employ about 900 people.  Eclipse Aviation is based in Albuquerque, NM.  Their claim to fame was introducing the very light jet (VLJ) category of aircraft into the industry. With two engines and seating capacity for five or six people (depending on configuration), they cost less than the most inexpensive business jet planes now in service.  What called my attention was the founder, Vern Raburn.  Back when, Vern joined Bill Gates as one of the first employees (employee #18) at Microsoft Corporation.  He served at Microsoft as President of the Consumer Products Division and was responsible for the company’s entry into the retail channel.  This Naive American founded Eclipse Aviation which designs, develops and produces an innovative product and in so doing provides jobs for about 900 people, mostly in the US.

Perhaps you have not heard of Eclipse Aviation because they are a rather young entry into GA and have not produced many aircraft yet.  Now Cessna Aircraft Company (www.cessna.com) might be a different story.  This American company is based in Wichita, Kansas.  It employs world wide about 15,000 people.  Not sure how many are Naive Americans.  Cessna main products are general aviation aircraft.  Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets.  I particularly like the Cessna Grand Caravan.  Cessna is owned by Textron, which produces many aviation related products.

In a larger scale, most Naive Americans know about the Boeing Company (www.boeing.com) with about 164,000 employees worldwide established in 1916.  Boeing was founded in Seattle, Washington and is currently headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.  Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997.  Most Naive Americans have flown in a Boeing or a McDonnell Douglas commercial aircraft.  Boeing is one of the largest U.S. exporters in terms of sales.  Boeing is an American company designing and manufacturing products in the USA.  What more could we ask for our economy.

Not sure if you fly or have flow Continental Airlines (www.continental.com).  Continental operates Continental Express and ExpressJet (www.expressjet.com), which service smaller airports.  Northwest Airlines (www.nwa.com) based in Eagan, MN (I live in the Twin Cities Area of Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota) uses Mesaba and Pinnacle to service small airports with reduced traffic.  I have flown dozens of times in aircraft from Continental Express.  Continental Express flies Embraer ERJ-135, Embraer ERJ-145 and Embraer ERJ-145XR aircraft.  According to their web site, Continental Express has a fleet of 205 planes and ExpressJet 30.  So who makes these ERJ jets?  Embraer.

Embraer has become one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world by focusing on specific market segments with high growth potential in commercial, defense, and executive aviation.  Embraer develops and adapt successful aircraft platforms and judiciously introduce new technology whenever it creates value by lowering acquisition price, reducing direct operating costs, or delivering higher reliability, comfort, and safety.  As a result, their aircraft provide excellent performance with day-in and day-out reliability, while being economical to acquire and cost-effective to operate and maintain.  Embraer provides a superior product package, with comprehensive aircraft and after-sales support for parts, services, and technical assistance.

Embraer is a Brazilian company.  Brazil is a Latin American country, which was removed from the list of developing nations a few years ago.  By the way, Brazil does not import oil, the US does.  Embraer currently employs more than 23,509 people, 87.7% based in Brazil.  Not too many Naive Americans are sharing the wealth produced by this company.  Embraer designs and manufactures commercial jets, executive jets and defense systems

Embraer was Brazil’s largest exporter from 1999 to 2001 and the second largest in 2002, 2003 and 2004.  Embraer currently has the third largest yearly delivery of commercial aircraft and the third largest workforce (behind Boeing and Airbus).

The Naive American invites you to visit their web site www.embraer.com and learn more about the history of the company.  Learn how the government of Brazil helped Embraer become a reality.  In a couple days our president-elect Obama will be taking office as the 44^th US president.  We all remember his slogan: CHANGE.  It seems to the Naive American that CHANGE means to start learning what other countries are doing with industry in order to generate well paying jobs and apply them to the USA.  Since the early 1950′s the US has been on a path of dissolution.  President Barack Obama, make good on your promises and induce a CHANGE in America!