Sterling Aviation Announces Major Fleet Expansion
 Additions Encompass Mid-Cabin Jet, Small-Cabin Jet, Turboprop Categories

Sterling Aviation announced a major fleet expansion that includes adding three jet and one turboprop aircraft to our Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate.

The additions include a mid-cabin Hawker 800XP jet, newly configured with winglets for extended range and improved performance - one of the few Hawkers in the U.S. to incorporate this upgrade. Other additions are a Citation Excel, a Beechjet 400A and a Pilatus PC-12 turboprop. All are late model aircraft featuring up-to- date navigation and communications systems. Interiors are elegant leather and are impeccably maintained. "In every way, these aircraft provide the comfort, safety and amenities that embody what has come to be known as 'The Sterling Experience,'" said Roger Banaszak, Sterling 's Vice President of Marketing and Sales.

"Business travelers in Wisconsin and northern Illinois are increasingly turning to charter air travel for speed, convenience, and security reasons - and all signs point to the trend continuing," said Rob Gort, President of Sterling Aviation. "We are delighted to provide the increased capacity to serve our clients even better."

"The blend of aircraft types in the recent fleet additions is particularly important," Banaszak noted. "We've grown in the ability to provide everything from economical shorter-range turboprop flights all the way to long-range large-cabin jet travel."

The Stevens Point-based Hawker 800XP has seating for up to eight passengers and features a wide array of luxury amenities, including a galley. The Citation Excel, based in Green Bay , can seat up to eight passengers and features a step-down aisle in its spacious cabin. Both aircraft are equipped with multi- monitor DVD entertainment systems and enclosed lavatories.

The Beechjet 400A will seat up to seven passengers, and the Pilatus PC-12 will seat six to eight, depending on its configuration. Both include refreshment centers, and the Pilatus has an enclosed lavatory. These aircraft are based at Sterling 's headquarters at Mitchell International Airport .

With the latest aircraft, the Sterling fleet now totals 13, including:

• One large cabin Challenger 601-3A
• Two mid-cabin Hawker 800XP
• Three Citation III mid-size jets
• One Citation Excel mid-size jet
• Three Beechjet light jets
• One King Air B200 turboprop
• One Pilatus PC-12 turboprop

Complete information on all aircraft in the Sterling fleet, including amenities, pricing and availability, is available by calling 800-457-2688 or by visiting www.sterlingaviation.com and click on "browse fleet".

 New Passport Requirements for Travelers
 

Since January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda must present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable.

As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries.

The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory. U.S. citizens returning directly from a U.S. territory are not considered to have left the United States and do not need to present a passport. U.S. territories include the following: Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa , Swains Island , and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands .

Under the proposed implementation plan, the following documents will be acceptable to fulfill document requirements:

U.S. Passport: U.S. citizens may present a valid U.S. passport when traveling via air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda, and may also use a U.S. passport when traveling via sea and land borders (including ferry crossings).

The Passport Card (also referred to as the PASS card): This limited-use passport in card format is currently under development and will be available for use for travel only via land or sea (including ferries) between U.S. and Canada , Mexico , the Caribbean, and Bermuda . Similar in size to a credit card, it will fit easily into a wallet.

DOS and DHS also anticipate that the following documents will continue to be acceptable for their current travel uses under WHTI: SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST, and the U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document. As proposed, members of the U.S. Armed forces on active duty traveling on orders will continue to be exempt from the passport requirement.

For additional information, go to www.travel.state.gov

 New User Fees, Huge Tax Increases Ruinous for General Aviation
 Written by Ed Bolen, President & CEO, National Business Aviation Association

A recently released FAA funding proposal represents one of the greatest threats business aviation has ever faced. To keep this proposal from becoming law, you need to take action now.

The recent news excerpts alongside this message demonstrate that airline lobbying has succeeded in getting the FAA to unveil a funding plan that gives the giant airlines a major tax break while imposing massive tax hikes and onerous new user fees on the businesses that rely on general aviation.

The airlines' FAA plan also dramatically reduces Congressional authority over the air traffic system, gives airlines a bigger say in FAA operations, and establishes a huge new multi-billion dollar bureaucracy to assess and collect user fees.

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is fighting these tax increases, user fees and airline power, but the outcome will depend on you. Your elected officials need to hear from you about the airlines' FAA proposal, because you can be sure that every Member of Congress is hearing from the big airlines and their army of lobbyists.

Please take a minute to voice your opposition to the airlines' FAA proposal by using NBAA's online resource for communicating with Congress (if you have used the resource before, use it again to send a new letter that has been prepared specific to the FAA proposal). To access Contact Congress, visit www.nbaa.org/userfees

Once you have accessed the resource, fill in the information requested and NBAA's software will automatically prepare an e-mail you can send to your Senators and your House Representative in opposition to the big airlines' radical scheme. You can edit the letter before sending, if you wish.

Forward this e-mail to others you know who care about the future of business aviation in the United States . Encourage them to make their voices heard on Capitol Hill. If we act collectively, we can not only defeat the big airlines' FAA plan, but modernize our air traffic control system to ensure that all Americans have access to the largest, safest and most efficient aviation system in the world.

 No Trains, But Plenty of Planes and Automobiles
 

Approximately 300 guests toured business jets, examined luxury cars, and enjoyed food and drink during an event in mid-April at Sterling Aviation's main arrival and departure facility in Milwaukee . The event was sponsored by Sterling Aviation and The PrivateBank, along with Lake Forest ( Illinois ) Sports Cars.

The PrivateBank provides personalized financial services primarily to privately held businesses, affluent individuals, wealthy families, professionals, entrepreneurs and real estate investors. Based in Chicago, PrivateBancorp, Inc., is the holding company for PrivateBank operations in Milwaukee , Chicago , St. Louis , Atlanta , Kansas City and Bloomfield Hills , Mich.

 See Charter Availability
 Right From Your Desktop

As easy as it is to call us at 800-457-2688, there's another (maybe even easier) way to routinely check charter availability at Sterling . Just go to www.sterlingaviation.com and click on the "Check Availability" icon.

From there, you'll be asked to set up a password granting you unlimited, 24/7/365 access to the latest availability information on the entire Sterling fleet - wide-cabin, mid-cabin and light jets, and turboprop.

And once you've seen what's available, you can request a trip quote online as well.