Arizona Daily Sun from Flagstaff, Arizona • 29

ARIZONA DAILY SUN BUSINESS www. CONE Heidi Daily Sun ARIZONA DAILY SUN reporter Dan Rice is helped into the cockpit of an Extra 300L by Fighter Combat International pilot Steve Pear at Pulliam Airport before their flight over Mormon Lake Wednesday. The sky's the limit Stunt plane company offers the 'Flight of Your Life' air combat simulations BY DAN RICE sensation of my parachute rubbing Fighter Combat International, a into the small of my back. commercial air company with offices Sun Staff Reporter "I would say about half end up in Mesa and Canada, specializes in puking or becoming extremely taking the public up for flights in 9,000 feet, and in nauseous ready to try a stunt planes, and it's touching A the our first aftermath series of of little With hammerhead?" white eyes bag intently Spare focused affectionately on the Your ground The Life" in company's thrill Flagstaff rides, staple this is which summer. "Flight range of refers to as a "checkout ticket," I in cost from $274 to $461, tumbles, a second taste of give a sheepish confirmation and depending on how long participants the morning's coffee sur- brace for the hammerhead.

want to stay in the air. (Thirty At the end of the stunt, I can't tell minutes was enough to thoroughly faces and prompts a ques- exactly what the maneuver entailed, disorient me, but the company also except for the undeniable fact we offers 15-minute and 45-minute tion: "How many people were upside-down for a while and flights.) actually throw up during then did plenty of spinning that had For the more adventurous, me eyeing the checkout ticket even there's also a simulated aerial these flights?" closer. combat mission in which participants I ask pilot Steve Spare, while straining to be heard over the turbulence shaking the one-ton stunt plane. Spare's response provides me about as much comfort as the The hammerhead is one of a series of exhilarating twists and turns I experience during a flight on a German-built Extra 300L stunt plane Wednesday. KNAU giving news radio new home on sister station ast September, when Tempe-based radio station KJZZ and its National Public Radio programming were bumped off the air by a new Williams radio station, Flagstaff listeners saw much of their news radio vanish.

But Northern Arizona Public Radio, better known as KNAU (88.7 FM) and the other NPR news station broadcasting here, hopes to SCOTT fill the void. WALTERS Starting Monday, the Northern Arizona University-based radio Business Pulse station will use its second frequency. KNAQ at 91.7 FM to John Stark, KNAU general broadcast NPR news and talk radio manager. shows during the day rather than "Flagstaff public radio listeners the classical music that had been have asked KNAU to carry NPR simulcast to extend the reception of talk programs ever since those KNAU. programs left the Flagstaff airwaves Some of the new programming last September.

So we are being replaces KJZZ's most popular news responsive to the public," Stark said shows. But some shows will be new Friday. to northern Arizona listeners, said See PULSE, Page D4 SECTION Field of green Bill Gates, Warren Buffett top list of Forbes' billionaires. BY ALAN CLENDENNING AP Business Writer NEW YORK There's new proof that Warren Buffett's valueoriented investing strategy pays off: He slipped by one of Microsoft co-founders to become the world's second richest man, according to Forbes magazine. Microsoft's Paul Allen lost to Buffett after the net worth of the "Oracle of Omaha" increased $4 billion, to $32.3 billion.

Allen, who was tied with Warren Buffett Buffett for third place last year, had $30.4 billion, and came in third again, according to list results released by Forbes Thursday. But Buffett didn't come close to Microsoft's other co-founder, Bill Gates, the richest man on the planet. Gates with a net worth of $58.7 billion, down from last year's $60 billion easily retained his No. 1 position on Forbes magazine's 15th annual list of the world's billionaires. The bursting of the Internet bubble knocked a number of billionaires down a peg or two, or off the list entirely.

But the billionaire club swelled to 538 members this year, up from 482 last year, because Forbes decided for the first time to include all billionaires. Previously, the magazine counted only "working rich" billionaires to differentiate between those who ran businesses and those who simply lived off their wealth. Because of the new entries, some year-to-year comparisons are difficult. For example, the overall number of billionaires would have dropped this year under the old parameters, and Forbes wasn't able to See FORBES, Page D4 venture SUNDAY June 24, 2001 CONTACT US: Scott Walters, business editor phone: 556-2257 e-mail: SIDEBusiness- STOCKSBonds Dow Jones week Daily high, low and close for the week ending June 22. 10,800 10,750 10,700 10,650 10,600 10,550 Th Week's close: 10,604.59 Dow Jones 10,604.59 NYSE 625.37 500 1,225.35 AMEX 905.98 Russell 2000 488.65 NASDAQ 2,034.84 BUSINESSInside Motley D2 Financial D3 Investment representative Richard Belovich gives 10 ideas on estate planning to ensure that you and your beneficiaries will be take care of.

Local Briefcase GETTINGAhead Stop harassment Investigators from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will be in Flagstaff Monday to meet with individuals who have been subjected to harassment or discrimination by their employer on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability. The public meeting will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Department of Economic Security, 397 Malpais, Suite 9.

Those attending should be prepared to provide the complete name, address and phone number of their employer. GFEC annual meeting Incoming NAU President Owen Cargol will be the featured speaker at Greater Flagstaff Economic Council's annual meeting in July. For more information and to reserve a seat at the luncheon meeting, call 779-7658. LOCALIndicators Monthly gas prices According to AAA Arizona, unleaded gasoline prices have dropped 4.2 cents statewide since Memorial Day. Here are this week's average prices for unleaded (in green) vs.

two weeks ago (red): $1.740 1.690 1.680 1.687 $1.706 1.6 1.570 Rural Phx Tuc AZ U.S. Source: AAA Arizona BUSINESSOnline Moving in style (www.monstermoving.com) Relocating soon? Need help taking care of the oh-so-many details that go into moving? Go to the experts on saving time and money and reducing stress. AP can fire lasers at "enemy" planes that deploy smoke if hit. Fees for that range from $985 to $7,250, depending on how many people See STUNT, Page D4 Double-edged A Flagstaff kayaker finds success after getting his feet wet in the paddle business BY BECKY PALLACK Sun Staff Writer At ZuZu Paddle there are two sides to every aspect of Chris Franznick's kayak and canoe paddlemaking business. His product, which sells for about $475, is made from two different types of wood, for casual touring or extreme sporting.

Some of the machines are handmade of wood while some are completely computerized. Research and development is in constant competition with marketing, and there are as many sales to wholesalers as there are to individuals who order online. The best way to run a business like this is to make the best of both worlds, Franznick says. The compromising process is working for the Flagstaff paddle maker, whose business is growing anywhere from 50 percent to 100 percent annually. RESCUED FROM THE RIVER Source: www.zuzupaddles.com ZuZu Paddles are something like ZuZu's petals from "It's A Wonderful Life," a film Franznick first saw about 20 years ago.

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