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ADVERTISER H awker Beechcraft CorporationPUBLICATION BART EuropePUBLISH DATE October/November 2010SIZE 8.25” x 11.25”COLOR 4C

FILE NAME F.H4000_EBHP_BART10.1110.pdfMODIFIED September 25, 2010

New SubmissionREFERENCE Every business has its place.Contact Roland Madrid @ +1.714.469.6519 USA

[email protected]

ATTENTION: K athy Francois (Rep)

ftp://ftp.hayez.be/login: frapassword: bart

FINA

L

STEP INTO A HAWKER-CLASS CABIN. THE STANDARD-SETTING GLOBAL BUSINESS JET ENVIRONMENT.We know that the experience you’ll have traveling on any one of our aircraft is just as

important as how fast you get there. In the Hawker 4000—the world’s most technologically

advanced super-midsize business jet—we engineer our interiors with productivity in mind.

Hawker craftsmen bring superior workmanship to a spacious cabin that accommodates

eight in stand-up, stretch-out comfort, with amenities and �nishes that set the standard for

the industry. So you and your team can take advantage of valuable time—in the aircraft—

to maximize the potential of your business. Learn more HawkerBeechcraft.com/Hawker

EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA +44 (0)1244 523 803

UNITED STATES & THE AMERICAS +1.800.949.6640

ASIA-PACIFIC +852.3756.3755

©2010 HAWKER BEECHCRAF T CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. HAWKER AND BEECHCRAF T ARE TRADEMARKS OF HAWKER BEECHCRAF T CORPORATION.

HAWKER 4000.EVERY BUSINESS HAS ITS PLACE.

VISIT US AT NBAA OCT. 19 - 21Atlanta, GA (DeKalb Peachtree Airport/PDK)

129 OCT - NOV 2010

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EUROPE'S PREMIER BUSINESS AVIAT ION MAGAZINE

12

9 EST. 1988

WHAT MAKES A GOOD FBO p 52

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GREEN TECHNOLOGY

MODERN ENGINE

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NBAA 2010 PREVIEW

FLIGHT TEST

WHIPPING THE

THOROUGHBRED

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For increased mission endurance, L-3 chose Raisbeck’s fully-enclosed mainlanding gear doors to equip the U.S. Air Force Project Liberty aircraft.Why? 33 minutes more time-on-station.

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4 - BART: OCTOBER - NOVEMBER - 2010

E D I T O R I A L

HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED WHILE TAXIING the number of new airlines proliferating on

the tarmac of European airports? You knew the classics, and now you discover a bunch of

new kids on the block. With the help of its controversial CEO Michael O’Leary, you cannot

ignore Ryanair, but have you heard about Bmibaby, Anadolujet, Belle Air or Bora Jet? Did

you know that there are 43 low cost airlines in Europe, compared to only nine in the US? No

On the other hand, I should also mention that we figure 84 defunct low-cost carriers since

the beginning of the no-frills airline concept, initiated in 1981 by People Express Airlines.

This reminds me of the story in Aesop’s Fables of the dog with a bone in his mouth crossing a

bridge over a pond. In the middle of the bridge the dog stops and looks down upon the still

waters, where he sees another dog with a bone in his mouth. He snarls in greed and leaps on

the second dog so that he could have both bones. All he got was wet and, as the story goes,

he lost his bone in the bargain.

increasing number of congested coordinated airports, has shifted the focus of many regional

airports towards meeting the needs of scheduled airlines – as opposed to those of the broad

Historically, Business Aviation has attempted to use secondary or regional airports closer

to the place of business. This is also a means of relieving pressure on the major hub airports.

However, over the last decade, scheduled air transport’s expansion into secondary and

regional airports has further encroached on the non-scheduled operators, further restricting

access.

Faced with these difficulties, Business Aviation user associations have set up a series of

measures to fight against the existing and potential restrictions to airport access.

The EBAA is working with the European Commission on a possible revision of Council

Regulation (EEC) 95/93 on the allocation of slots at Community airports, a regulation

written back in 1993 in a very different European aviation operating environment – when the

airline industry was being liberalized extensively through the implementation of the ‘Third

Package’ of measures.

In the United States, the NBAA is providing their Members with a Business Aviation

Airport Access Program (BAAAP) created to identify, track and resolve issues that place

domestic airport access in the United States in jeopardy.

forward, we have to be careful not to lean over backwards because someone like Michael

O’Leary might swat you in the butt!

F R O M T H E D E S K O F …

other sector of public air transport has grown on the Continent like the low cost airlines.

All at once, these newcomers are bringing a delight for regional/secondary airport

operators. The continued growth of scheduled commercial air transport, combined with the

spectrum of operators. This trend is increasingly becoming a factor during peak periods.

Business Aviation has, and will continue to face, the airport access problem. Going

Fernand Francois

BUSINESS AVIATION KEEP-OUT!

* Registered trademark(s) or trademark(s) of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.© 2010 Bombardier Inc. All rights reserved.WWW.LEARJET85.COM

WITNESS THE PROGRESS AT

LEARJET

85

©2010 Aircell Business Aviation Services LLC. All rights reserved.

For those who are addicted,consider us an enabler.With a SwiftBroadband system from Aircell aboard your aircraft, passengers can useWi-Fi enabled devices such as PDAs, laptop computers and smartphones as easily aswhen they are on the ground. They can surf the Web, send and receive e-mail withattachments, download files and much more without interruption — wherever you flyin the world.

Aircell’s SwiftBroadband system is the lightest, smallest and most affordable Inmarsatpackage ever offered, backed by the recognized global leader in airborne voice anddata communications. Now anyone can get a digital fix in the air, as we’re takingorders today.

For additional information, stop by NBAA booth 3737 or contact Jean-Luc [email protected] or +41 (32) 841 2838

See us at NBAA, Booth #3737.

Editor and Publisher Fernand M. Francois Senior Editor Marc Grangier

Business Aviation Consultants Walter Scharff, Guy ViseleDirector Marketing & Advertising Kathy Ann Francois +32 472 333 636 [email protected] Administration and Circulation Carolyn BerteauProduction Manager Tanguy Francois Photographer: Michel CorynCirculation and Editorial Office: BART International, 20 rue de l'Industrie, BE1400Nivelles, Europe Phone +326 788 3603 Fax +326 788 3623, e-mail [email protected] International Business Aviation Real Tool (USPS #016707), ISSN 0776-7596Governed by international copyright laws. Free subscription obtainable for qualifiedindividuals. Bank account: Fortis 271-0061004-23. Printed in Belgium. Bimestreil.Bureau de depot B-1380 Lasne. Responsible editor Fernand M. Francois, 38 rue deBraine 7110 La Louviere. Periodicals postage paid at Champlain, N.Y., and additionalmailing offices. Address changes should be sent to IMS of N.Y., 100 Walnut St. #3, POBox 1518, Champlain, N.Y. 12919-1518. For details call IMS at 1 (800) 428 3003

SECT IONS

4

EDIT OR IAL

12

FAST TRACK

26

EURO/BUS INESS NEWS

30

EBAA: CEO CORNER

82

INSIGHT

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2010

V o l u m e X X I - N o 5

B A R T N o 1 2 9

W W W . B A R T I N T L . C O M

OUR ADVERT ISERS AND THE IR AGENCIES

39 Air BP6-7 Aircell LLC

AMSTAT5 Bombardier (COSSETTE MEDIA)29 Cessna (MEDIASSOCIATES INC.)24 CRS Jet Spares19 DASSAULT (SINGULIER & ASSOCIES)51 EBACE 201115 FlightSafety International (GRETEMAN GROUP)73 Future Business Jet Conference84 Hawker Beechcraft Corporation23 Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Service13 HondaJet (ROUND 2)21 Jet Aviation (PUBLICIS WERBEAGENTUR AG)31 JetNet LLC25 Jet Support Services Inc. (JSSI)47 Marshall Business Aviation79 NBAA 20112-3 Raisbeck Engineering27 Royal Jet10-11 Snecma Silvercrest (PEMA 2M)17 StandardAero83 Universal Avionics35 Universal Weather and Aviation

Managing Editor Nicholas J. Klenske.Senior Writers Liz Moscrop, Jack Carroll, LeRoy CookContributors Brian Humphries, Michel R. Grüninger, Capt. G iancarlo Buono, MarkusKohler, Aofie O'Sullivan, Louis S myth, Derek A. Bloom, Eugene Gordon

C O N T E N T S

32

SHOW TIME!Business Aviation from all corners of the globe will descend on

Atlanta in mid-October for the NBAA Annual Show andConvention. From the static display to the crowded halls of theexhibition, BART Senior Writer Liz Moscrop and Editor Nick

Klenske take you behind the scenes for our annual show preview.

48

GOOD SALES, GOOD FBOsEven in a time when everyone else seems to be struggling, theAirbus Corporate Jet (ACJ) is surpassing expectations, Senior

Writer Jack Carroll reports. We all use them, but how should wechoose them? Universal Weather and Aviation break down

the essential elements of finding a Good FBO.

more efficient? According to Marc Grangier: by going green.And once it's all put together it's time to test

it out, as we do with the Falcon 2000LX(compliments of Volare).

68

THE DETAILSBART Resident Pilot LeRoy Cook talks about dealing with late-

summer thunderstorms in this edition of "From the Cockpit",while the experts at Great Circle Services talk rules and

regulations. Nick Klenske reports from JetExpo Moscow andchecks in with StandardAero.

RECEPTION

You should expect a good reception when choosing an FBO, not a deception!

Read our report provided by Universal Weather and Aviation on page 52

(photo Jet Aviation)

56

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHERHow do you make a good plane better? According to LeRoy Cook,the answer is with modifications. How do you make a quality plane

M e m b e r

B U S I N E S S A V I A T I O N R E A L T O O L

COVER

The Falcon 2000EX is the latest addition in

Dassault’s familly of Executive jets.

Marco Locatelli reports on his flight test

on page 64. (photo Dassault)

The brand-new Snecma Silvercrest engine offers far morethan meets the eye. It’s the only business jet engine thatmonitors in real time its own performance in flight, sendingdiagnostic and prognostic data to our support teams onthe ground, worldwide. Within minutes, our engineers can

While you’re looking at this Silvercrest engine,Snecma customer support engineers

are doing exactly the same thing.

tell you exactly where and when servicing operations will be needed.So you fly on schedule, while saving time and money because we anticipateand plan maintenance. Silvercrest delivers 15 percent lower fuel burnthan current bizjet engines, while reducing emissions and noise. SnecmaSilvercrest. Worth keeping your eye on. Visit www.silvercrestaero.com


HAWKER BEECHCRAFT ANNOUNCES

BONANZA XTRA UPGRADE PROGRAM

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) announcedBonanza XTRA, a new program for owners, operatorsand repair stations of the Beechcraft Bonanza, thatprovides the most popular upgrades in a bundledpackage directly from Hawker Beechcraft Parts &Distribution (HBP&D). In addition, the company willoffer seamless, turn-key aircraft installation of thepackages through its factory-owned service network,Hawker Beechcraft Services (HBS).

BLACKHAWK ENGINE UPGRADE

FOR EUROPEAN PIPER CHEYENNE OPERATORS

Blackhawk has just been awarded EASA certification for its popular XP engineupgrade for the Piper Cheyenne I, II and IIXL models. The XP upgrade pack-age replaces original and aging engines with factory new Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135A engines. The 750 Shaft Horsepower -135A engines are flat rated to theoriginal airframe horsepower limit, which increases the available torque in climband at cruising altitudes. This Blackhawk engine upgrade allows all Cheyennemodels to achieve max cruise speeds in the 280 knot range while it reduces timeto climb and extends range. Blackhawk lowers the operating and maintenancecosts and offers the Cheyenne operator a solid return on investment while theyfly and superior resale value.

LEARJET 45 XR SETS THE PACE FOR RENO AIR RACERS

Bombardier Aerospace announced that its Learjet 45 XR demonstrator air-craft is the official pace plane for the 47th annual National ChampionshipAir Races, which are taking place from September 15 to 19 in Reno,Nevada. The role of the pace plane is to lead a formation of race aircraft tothe start line. The pace aircraft must be stable and very maneuverable atboth low and high speeds to give each racer an equal entry onto the racecourse at the start. The pace aircraft must take off and fly slowly (160kts)so that as many as eight race aircraft have time to depart from the airportand join the formation. The aircraft must then accelerate to near racespeeds (>300kts) in limited airspace and time to bring the formation to thestart line.

AGENDA

NBAA CONVENTION19 - 21 OCTOBER 2010Atlanta, U.S.A

MEBA7 - 9 DECEMBER 2010Dubai, U.A.E

HELI-EXPO5 - 8 MARCH 2011Orlando, U.S.A

MARSHALL CAMBRIDGE AIRPORT

HOSTED BGAD10

The UK popular business and general aviation event– BGAD10 – took place on 21st September at the newMarshall Business Aviation Center and its adjacentMRO facilities.Visitors from the business and general aviationindustry and local businesses were there for an effec-tive day of networking. A popular part of the daywas the seminars on a range of subjects includingthe benefits of securus escrow to business aviation(by BACA), managing in-flight emergencies (byMedAire), and Avinode Business Intelligence. Thestatic display consisted of the Embraer Lineage 1000,and 17 other jets, turboprops and helicopters includ-ing Cessna, Beechcraft, Gulfstream, Eurocopter, anda range of high-class cars.

EMS OPENS SCANDINAVIA’S

1ST CITATION SERVICE CENTER

Cessna Aircraft Company is delighted to announce that EuropeanMaintenance Service AB (EMS) is opening Scandinavia’s first Cessna autho-rized Citation Service Center. Located at Gothenburg Säve Airport inSweden, the Nordic Citation Service Center is a 3,000-square-meter facilitythat will serve customers throughout Scandinavia. The Center will providemaintenance services for 500, 525, 550, 560, 560XL and 680 series Citationbusiness jets and can house up to eight aircraft at a time. Among the manyamenities to be offered are : 24/7 Aircraft on Ground ( AOG) support serviceand business, leisure and accommodation services for visiting crew.


CESSNA APPROVED BY TSA

FOR PARTS SHIPMENTS

Cessna Aircraft Company is one of the first aviation com-panies to be approved by the US Transportation SecurityAdministration to participate in the Certified CargoScreening Program for aviation parts shipments. TheTransportation Security Administration (TSA) created theCertified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP), which allowscertified facilities across the country to screen cargobefore it reaches the airport. CCSP facilities are approvedby TSA and adhere to strict security standards. Cessnaprocesses screen employees and contractors to meetthese TSA standards.

jetAVIVA SELLS, DELIVERS 1ST

EMBRAER PHENOM 100 TO AUSTRALIA

jetAVIVA has sold and delivered the first Phenom 100to a client in Australia. The Phenom was flown 13,142nautical miles with stops in Canada, Alaska, Russia,South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore,Thailand, and Indonesia, before arriving in Australia.This delivery flight marked the first time ever for anyPhenom 100 to land in Alaska, Russia, South Korea,Taiwan, or Vietnam. The airplane was flown byjetAVIVA Manager of Phenom Acceptance andDelivery Captain Marcio Lucchese and First OfficerEdwin Sahakian.

ExecuJet MIDDLE EAST TAKES NEW HANGAR AT DUBAI INTERNATIONAL

ExecuJet Middle East is expanding its maintenance capability at its Dubai International Airportbase with the addition of a second 4,830 m² hangar. The facility is suitable to accommodate up toeight to ten aircraft or more of various sizes and also features 417 m² of additional office space.The new facility, which ExecuJet has committed to under an initial three year lease, complementsits existing 5,600 m² maintenance, FBO and office facility at the airport, where it also offers aircraftmanagement and charter services.

FLIGHTSAFETY, BOEING

TO OFFER FIRST OFFICER

TRAINING PROGRAM

FlightSafety International andBoeing Training & FlightServices have entered into anagreement to jointly offer acomprehensive First Officertraining program. The twophase program is designed toprovide those with no prior fly-ing experience the opportunityto pursue a career as a profes-sional pilot.

ARGUS OPERATOR

RATINGS TO BE

AVAILABLE IN

CHARTER DIRECTORY

ARGUS is pleased to announcetheir new alliance with AirCharter Guide. Users of AirCharter Guide’s on-line directo-ry will soon be able to view the

only truly independent rating ofcharter operators derived fromfactual data and information cru-cial to performing due diligenceon a particular operator. Thenumber of ARGUS rated opera-tors has been rising steadily andcurrently consists of 314 Gold,25 Gold Plus, and 85 Platinumrated charter operators.

ratings of ARGUS rated charteroperators. ARGUS offers the

Enhancing Safety by Delivering Superior Training in the Areas That Matter Most

Quality • Value • Service • Technology

*Of those operating business aircraft.

Courses for More

Than 80 Business

Aircraft Types

Programs Tailored to

Your Individual Needs

Serving 85% of

Fortune 100 Companies*

1,500 Highly Qualifie

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Integrated Customer

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Training to Proficienc

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eLearning

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More than 180

Business Aircraft

Simulators and FTDs

32 Learning Centers

Offering Business

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Dedicated to

Enhancing Safety

Since 1951

Wide Selection of

Enrichment Courses

World Leading

Simulator Manufacturer

100% of Business Jet

Training Programs Include

Full Flight Simulators

Authorized Training

for 10 Business

Aircraft Manufacturers

When you choose to train with FlightSafety

International, you receive much more than just

basic instruction. You leverage the unmatched

resources of the world’s leading aviation training

company. More courses, more instructors, more

top-level fully qualified simulators, more training

locations. We’re the authorized trainer for the

majority of aircraft manufacturers. We deliver

training that meets or exceeds regulatory

requirements – online, on location and at

convenient Learning Centers near your aircraft

manufacturer or a major service center.

FlightSafety provides excellent customer service

and online training management through

myFlightSafety. We tailor training to meet

your specific needs and we train to proficiency.

We provide professional training for pilots,

technicians, flight attendants and dispatchers –

for virtually every business aircraft in the air

today. It all adds up to exceptional value.

Run down our training checklist and then ask

yourself an important question. Could you

benefit f om the FlightSafety Advantage?

For information, contact Scott Fera, Vice President Marketing • 718.565.4774

[email protected] • flightsafety.com • A Berkshire Hathaway company


LINEAGE 1000 JET DEMONSTRATES LONG-RANGE FLIGHT CAPABILITIES

Embraer’s ultra-large Lineage 1000 executive jet demonstrator aircraft recently made history by completing the longest distance everflown by an Embraer airplane. In its first nonstop flight from Mumbai, in India, to London’s Luton Airport (LTN), in England, theLineage 1000 covered a ground distance of 4,015 nautical miles (7,435 km) in 9 hours and 15 minutes. This distance is equivalent to4,400 nautical miles (8,149 km) with no headwind.

AgustaWestland AW139 OBTAINS RUSSIAN CIVIL CERTIFICATION

AgustaWestland ispleased to announce thatRussian civil certifica-tion for the AW139medium twin helicopterhas been successfullyaccomplished fulfillingMAK requirements.MAK has now issuedthe Russian AW139Type Certificate DataSheet. This adds toRussian civil certifica-tion already received forthe single engineAW119Ke as well as forthe AW109 Power andGrand light twin models.

POWER 90 ENGINE UPGRADE

ENHANCES VALUE OF KING AIRS

Owners of King Air C90 aircraft who take advantage of the Power90 Upgrade Program and upgrade engines to the GE M601E-11Awill gain “…significantly increased operating efficiency, reducedvariable costs, and net savings…” according to a July 2010 study byConklin & de Decker performed for GE Aviation. The comparativeanalysis of the GE engine against its competition was acknowl-

upgrade was selected.

edged by Vref, which recently recognized 100 percent of the conver-sion cost in the value added to a C90, when the GE engine

HBC TAPS QAA TO

PROVIDE OVERHAULED

ENGINE ACCESSORIES

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation(HBC) announced it has select-ed Quality Aircraft Accessories(QAA), a leading distributor ofaftermarket new and recondi-tioned general aviation engineaccessories, to provide over-hauled engine accessories for itsBeechcraft Baron G58 andBeechcraft Bonanza G36 air-craft. QAA will overhaul engineaccessories at its repair stationin Tulsa, Okla., and deliver themto HBC’s parts distribution facili-ty in Dallas, Texas. Future planscall for HBC to stock the over-hauled accessories at all of itsglobal distribution points.

Do 228NG

WELL UNDER WAY

The first RUAG aircraft, the Do228NG (New Generation) S/N8300, was handed over inOberpfaffenhofen to theJapanese customer New CentralAirservice (NCA). At the sametime, RUAG announced to build

a Do 228NG Special Mission air-craft. Customer is the GermanFederal Office of DefenseTechnology and Procurement

aircraft is planned to be used foroil pollution control above theGerman North and Baltic Seas.

(BWB), which on behalf of theGerman Federal Ministry ofTransport, Building and UrbanDevelopment, has ordered a Do228NG. The specially equipped

We get it: Your business aircraft is how you stay ahead in anunforgiving world – how you help your company succeed. It’s far more thanaluminum, engines, electronics and seats – it’s a daily test of your flight department’sreputation. And we are dedicated to keeping it flying, increasing your aircraft availability andreducing your operating costs. Discover how our TotalCare™ approach to Business Aviation Servicescan contribute to your success. Visit us at NBAA Booth 7601 or at www.standardaero.com/totalcare.

AVIONICS PAINT ENGINES AIRFRAME COMPLETIONS © Copyright StandardAero 2010. All Rights Reserved.


FLIGHTSAFETY TO OFFER KING AIR 350 TRAINING IN AUSTRALIA

FlightSafety International is pleased to announce that it will offer Beechcraft King Air 350training in Australia. The Full Flight Simulator is scheduled to be installed at the AnsettAviation Training facility in Melbourne, Australia by the end of 2011.

AL HABTOOR’S LINEAGE 1000 ENTERS ROYAL JET SERVICE

Royal Jet - the Abu Dhabi-based internationalluxury flight services company chaired by HisExcellency Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak AlNahyan – has added an Embraer Lineage 1000aircraft owned by the Al Habtoor group, theUAE-based business conglomerate, to its fast-growing fleet.The aircraft – part of an Aircraft ManagementAgreement signed in April this year – whichhas already entered service and taken to theskies has reinforced Royal Jet’s offering ofunparalleled levels of comfort and luxury whileproviding further flexibility in terms of capaci-ty.Under the terms of the Agreement, apart frommanaging the aircraft’s day-to-day operations,Royal Jet itself carried out due diligence on itspurchase, prepared the technical specificationsand conducted the associated financial, com-mercial and technical reviews. Through itsproject management and acquisition team,Royal Jet provides a tailored, comprehensiveservice from initial consultancy through toacquisition, management and sale of an aircraft – a ‘one-stop’ service which reduces overall costs for clients, without compromising onquality or safety.The aircraft is uniquely configured to carry up to 19 passengers across five separate zones, each offering unparalleled levels of comfortand includes a private stateroom with VIP bathroom and shower.

QUINTESSENTIALLY AVIATION

OFFICIAL JET PROVIDER

FOR ASPIRE4SPORT

Quintessentially Aviation has beenappointed as the official jet supplier forAspire4Sport, a major sporting confer-ence and exhibition in Doha, Qatar inNovember 2010 in conjunction withQatar’s bid for the 2022 FIFA WorldCup.The air charter company willarrange private jet and helicopter trans-port and for the delegates as they arrivefrom all over the world to attend thisunique 4 day event, including a Brazil VArgentina soccer match with the currentteams.Their participation will see such sportinglegends such as Bjorn Borg, JohnMcEnroe, Marcello Lippi, MichaelJohnson, Lothar Matthaeus, BarcelonaPresident Sandro Rosell, Internazionalede Milano CEO Ernesto Paolillo andmany more mingle with attendees in anumber of informal discussion forumsand exciting evening events.


CRS JET SPARES

OFFERS IMPROVED

SOLUTIONS PAY OFF

FOR OPERATORS

CRS Jet Spares reports a 25%decrease in customer additionalbillings, a.k.a. “billbacks”. Thecompany attributes this signifi-cant decrease to their Option 2pricing program. When aBusiness Aviation operator needsa part in a hurry it is generallyaccepted that an exchange trans-action is preferred. Over theyears, companies like CRS haveprovided flat rate exchangeprices contingent on the condi-tion of the returned core. As aresult of this type of transactionthere exists the chance for addi-tional billing to the operator. CRShas dedicated time, energy andeffort in seeking ways to mini-mize this “billback” scenario overthe past several years.

CESSNA’S 2000TH CARAVAN GOES TO DHL PARTNER AIR ST. KITTS-NEVIS

Cessna Aircraft Company delivered its 2,000th Caravan turboprop, this one going to Air St. Kitts-Nevis to be used as part of the carrier’sDHL courier operation. The carrier, which operates out of multiple bases in the Caribbean, will also take delivery of another newCaravan this year. The two new Garmin G1000-equipped Grand Caravans will replace two older models in its fleet.

ICG, ROCKWELL COLLINS

DEMONSTRATE ICS-220A

International Communications Group (ICG) andRockwell Collins have successfully demonstrat-ed the compatibility of ICG’s NxtLink ICS-220Acommunication systems with Rockwell CollinsPro Line Fusion avionics that are the basis ofthe PlaneView250 ® f l ight deck on theGulfstream G250. The three-channel ICS-220Ahas been developed and certified to equallyserve the Air Transport and Executive Jet mar-kets with flight deck Datalink Air OperationsCenter (AOC) and Air Traffic System (ATS)communications capabilities. The tests, whichwere conducted on July 29, utilized flight simula-tion equipment at Gulfsteam’s Integration Lab inSavannah and the Air Traff ic ControlCommunications Testing Facility and AvionicsSystem Test (ACTFAST) at Edwards Air ForceBase, California to exercise the Controller PilotDatal ink Communications (CPDLC) andAutomatic Dependent Surveillance-Contract(ADS-C) functions of the G250’s Pro Line Fusionavionics.

You know what to expect when you choose one of Jet Aviation’s FBOs. No matter where you fly in Europe, the Middle East,

Asia or North America, you will receive the same outstanding and personalized service. As a global leader with more than

four decades experience, Jet Aviation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, offers you the full scope of premium

aviation services. Our experts provide you with the right solutions because our mission is to serve you best. Satisfying all

your travel needs is one commitment that will never change. Personalized to Perfection. www.jetaviation.com/fbo

We have a company-wide passion forservice that makes you feel welcome

North America I Boston/Bedford I Dallas I Palm Beach I St. Louis I

Teterboro I EMEA & Asia I Dubai I Dusseldorf I Geneva I

Jeddah I London Biggin Hill I Riyadh I Singapore I Zurich

Visit us at NBAA

Hall B, boothno. 2404


HONEYWELL-CAE

TRAINING ALLIANCE

EXPANDS COURSE

OFFERINGS

Honeywell and CAE announcedthat their Honeywell-CAETraining Alliance is now offeringmaintenance training coursesfor technicians in Europe, theMiddle East, and Asia, and isalso incorporating the expertiseof other best-in-class partners.The alliance delivers technicaltraining at the HoneywellAerospace Academy in Phoenix,Arizona, in CAE training centresworldwide, at selected partnerlocations, and at customer facili-ties.

HARTZELL PROPELLER INTRODUCES 3-BLADE TOP

Hartzell Propeller Inc.has developed a new 3-bladed Top Prop™ per-formance conversion forCessna 180 and 185, aswell as early 210 and 205aircraft. This propellersystem blends advancedtechnology scimitar air-foils into a robust designmachined from alu-minum alloy forgings toprovide increased per-formance, maximumdurability and reliabilitysuitable for any condi-tions.

BANYAN TO HOLD KING AIR DAY

Banyan Air Service at Fort LauderdaleExecutive Airport (FXE) will be hostingKing Air Day on Friday, October 29, 2010.This event is for owners and operators ofKing Airs to learn more about avionics, PT-6 engines, winglets, and other upgrades thatwill increase their flying pleasure and alsothe value of their aircraft.

BELL SCORES 1ST 429 ORDER IN CHINA

Bell Helicopter hasreceived its first 429 cus-tomer order in the People’sRepublic of China. Theorder was confirmed duringthe Bell 429 demonstrationtour in Zhuhai, China onSeptember 15, 2010. Sold toMr. Ren Jianjun, a promi-nent industrialist fromHebei province, this is thefirst Bell 429 scheduled fordelivery in China. Mr. Ren,an aviation enthusiast andpilot, also owns and oper-ates a Bell 206B-3JetRanger.

BELL REDUCES DIRECT OPERATING COSTS FOR 407 HELICOPTER

Bell Helicopter has significantly reduced direct operating costs for 407 operators by removing aseries of life limited parts in its maintenance manual. As part of an ongoing effort to reduce directmaintenance costs on the Bell 407, a team of engineers has reevaluated life limited items listed inMaintenance Manual Chapter 4 to ensure operators are able to take full advantage of Bell productsand more effectively operate their aircraft.

FlightPath.HawkerBeechcraft.com

©2010 HAWKER BEECHCRAFT CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. HAWKER, BEECHCRAFT, AND SUPPORT PLUS ARE TRADEMARKS OF HAWKER BEECHCRAFT CORPORATION.

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PEOPLE

Air PartnerAir Partner has appointedSuzanne Sharp as Managerof the company’s UKCommercial Jets division.

Aviator FarnboroughThe Aviator FarnboroughHotel has appointed AndrewDonovan as Executive Chef.

Bell HelicopterBell Helicopter announced its2010 Engineering TechnicalFellows. Carlos Fenny, WaltRiley, Paul Oldroyd and PaulMadej are the company’s newTechnical Fellows, and JohnBrieger, Mithat Yuce, KentStewart, Jack Shue, TimLedbetter, Ron Woods, MartyShubert, Pat Hollifield, BradStamps, Roger Aubert, Jon

Coon, Greg Haataja, MarkChris, Myron Jackson, PatTisdale, Randy Johnson andEric Covington were namedAssociate Technical Fellows.

CRS Jet SparesDavid Prince has been pro-moted by CRS Jet Spares toRepair Control Manager andJulian Thom as RepairControl Coordinator.

FlightSafety InternationalFlightSafety Internationalannounced that Andy Johnsonhas been promoted toManager of the company’sLearning Center in Orlando,Florida.

GulfstreamGulfstream appointed twonew vice presidents to overseeproduction. Greg Collett hasbeen promoted to vice presi-

Suzanne Sharp

Andrew Donovan

Andy Johnson

Greg Collett

10-25 NEWS.qxp 5/10/2010 12:57 Page 24

From the cockpitto the hangar…

sales repairs outright exchanges

[email protected]

CRS helps to synchronize your

Beechjet

Lear

Falcon Hawker

Gulfstream

dent of Initial PhaseOperations, and AustinShontz, has been named vicepresident of Final PhaseOperations.

Hawker BeechcraftScott Plumb has been namedvice president, Hawker Salesfor EMEA Region. The com-

pany further named SimonRoads director of CompletionSales, Alexander L.W. Synder,vice president GeneralCounsel and Secretary, andMike Haenssi , director ofproduct marketing.

London Oxford AirportSteve Jones, managing direc-tor of London Oxford Airport,is taking over as general man-ager of AlBateen ExecutiveAirport in Abu Dhabi.

Ocean SkyCaptain Don Sigournay wasnamed director of flight opera-tions, Lenny Gray as generalmanager of Ocean SkyAircraft Interiors, and PaulMacintyre as the new engi-neering manager.

Raisbeck EngineeringMichael McConnell has beennamed President of RaisbeckEngineering. McConnell is an

experienced senior executivewith a track record of buildingorganizations and deliveringresults through corporatestrategy, product development,customer relations and innov-ative marketing campaigns.The company furtherannounced that DavidLednicer, CFD expert, hasjoined the RaisbeckEngineering Design Team.

Scott Plumb

Michael McConnell

Alexander L.W. Synder

David Lednicer


EUROPEAN UPDATE

EASA PUBLISHES RULES

FOR HARMONIZED PILOT LICENSING

The European Aviation SafetyAgency (EASA) published aproposal to the EuropeanCommission for a harmonizedregulation on Flight CrewLicensing (Part-FCL) in theform of an ‘Opinion’. This newregulation will ensure that thesame pilot licensing require-ments and related high safetylevels apply in all MemberStates.This ‘Opinion’ covers require-ments for pilot licensing for air-planes, helicopters, airships,powered-lift aircraft, sailplanesand balloons. Measures toensure a smooth transition tothe new rules are also provided.

As requested by the European Parliament in its Agenda forSustainable General and Business Aviation, the newly developedLight Aircraft Pilot License, which is part of the new regulation, willfacilitate the access to aviation for a broader public while maintain-ing a high level of safety.EASA’s proposal was initially open to public consultation from June2008 to February 2009. Over 8,000 comments were received from awide range of stakeholders and this feedback was taken intoaccount and integrated in this ‘Opinion’.The new regulation on Flight Crew Licensing will be adopted by theEuropean Commission and enter info force as Community law byApril 2012.

EBAA

TO HOST ONE EUROPE REGIONAL FORUM

On 20-21 January, 2011, at the Hilton Vienna in Austria, theEuropean Business Aviation Association (EBAA) will host its thirdregional forum entitled “One Europe: A Roadmap for Aligning Eastand West”.During this interactive two-day forum, guest speakers such as Dr.Caspar Einem, president of the Austrian Business AviationAssociation; Leonid Koshelev, chairman of the Russian UnitedBusiness Aviation Association; and Kimon Daniilidas, chairman ofthe Hellenic Air Carriers Association, will join EBAA ChairmanRodolfo Baviera and EBAA CEO and President Brian Humphries inaddressing a range of issues including aircraft financing challenges,achieving industry standards for insurance benefits, and easingaccess for Eastern Europe-based operators into Western Europeand vice versa. A full schedule of speakers and discussion pointswill be released in the coming weeks.

“As the influence of Business Aviation increases, it is ever-more cru-cial that European operators regularly convene to discuss chal-lenges and share best practices to ensure safe and fair operationsacross the breadth of Europe,” says Humphries. “In our ongoingseries of regional forums, we’ve selected ‘One Europe’ as a theme toemphasize the necessity of harmonizing practices –operations, safe-ty, services and pricing – in order to erase distinctions betweenactivities in the North and South or East and West.”Forum participants will be encouraged not only to exchangeinsights, but also to help develop a strategic action plan to achieve astandardized treatment and operation of BisAv activities acrossEurope.“The European National Associations are non-profit organizationsand are therefore able to keep fees to a minimum for such regionalevents, which are run on a ‘not for profit basis’ unlike other confer-ences,” explains ABAA’s Dr. Caspar Einem. “Furthermore, allincome is channeled directly back into our organizations to furtherdevelop activities that directly benefit the Business Aviation com-munity.“Regional forums are also distinctive because they are meetings inwhich issues are discussed AND acted upon. They offer a chancefor members of the community to speak their minds so thatNational Associations like the ABAA can advocate on their behalf atlocal level, and the EBAA can reliably serve as their voice atEuropean and international level.”The “One Europe” Forum in Vienna is open to both members andnon-members of the European Business Aviation Association.EBAA members, however, have an opportunity to exhibit duringthe forum as well.

EBAA WELCOMES NEW AFFILIATE

NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) welcomes theaddition of new affiliate National Associations representing the localinterests of business aircraft operators across the region.Over the past year, EBAA has supported the creation of the RussianUnited Business Aviation Association, (RUBAA) , which combinesthe efforts and membership of the former RBAA and UBAA, theSpanish Executive Aviation Association (AESAVE), EBAA Belgium,Malta Business Aviation Association and the Austrian BusinessAviation Association (ABAA). These entities join the BritishBusiness & General Aviation Association (BBGA), EBAA France,EBAA Switzerland, the German Business Aviation Association(GBAA), Italian Business Aviation Association (IBAA) andNorwegian Aircraft Operators Association (NAOA) in having theirnational issues highlighted and addressed at European and interna-tional level through the efforts of EBAA and the InternationalBusiness Aviation Council (IBAC).“The importance and reach of Business Aviation in Europe contin-ues to increase, with the sector flourishing across the breadth of theregion,” says EBAA President & CEO Brian Humphries. “EBAAsupports the ongoing development of new, non-profit, National

✈

✈

Associations that represent the interests of business aircraft opera-tors and endeavour to advocate on their behalf not only locally, butalso at European level and globally by satisfying the requirementsof IBAC membership.”“One important RUBAA activity is to implement and promote withinRussia internationally accepted voluntary standards for the opera-tion of business aircraft. To achieve this, we rely heavily on ourcooperation with EBAA and IBAC,” says RUBAA President LeonidKoshelev.“Among the leading priorities of the Malta Business AviationAssociation are the challenging issues of setting up a successful air-craft register in Malta, and subjects regarding access to MaltaInternational Airport including fees and charges, security and betterfacilities. We welcome the support and expertise provided by EBAAto help us address these issues within a European context.Furthermore, through EBAA we can easily liaise with operatorsacross the continent to share best practices and exchange advice,”explains Stanley Bugeja, President of the MBAA.“The Austrian Business Aviation Association looks forward tocooperating with EBAA to hold its next regional Business Aviationforum in January, where we’ll examine business aircraft opera-tions in Austria and across Eastern Europe,” says ABAA Founderand President Dr. Caspar Einem. “No matter the country, opera-tors and service providers have much to learn from each other toensure the harmonization of activities across Europe. We all bene-fit by having a unified message towards governments, media andthe public to voice concerns and promote understanding of ourimportant sector.”

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

HOLDS PUBLIC CONSULTATION

The European Commission hasdecided to launch a public con-sultation on the impact assess-ment for a possible revision ofCouncil regulation 95/93 oncommon rules for the allocationof slots at Community airports.The consultation can be vieweduntil 29/10/2010 athttp://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice.The EBAA stresses the impor-tance for Business Aviationoperators to participate in thisconsultation to let the EC know

what the specific needs of Business Aviation are regarding the uti-lization of slots at congested airports and the need to grandfatherthe use of these slots. EBAA held a preliminary meeting with theconsultant, which has been commissioned by the EC to carry outthe study and consultation on potential changes to the SlotRegulation. During this meeting, which was held in mid-August,EBAA explained the current, unfavorable situation and the need tobe able to operate at congested airports with the same historicalrights as airlines.

✈

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Tailwind Technologies Inc., the parent com-pany of Hartzell Propeller Inc., has pur-chased assets from Kelly Aerospace EnergySystems, LLC, of Montgomery, Alabama.Price of the transaction was not disclosed.

The new Tailwind-owned company will benamed Hartzell Engine Technologies LLC.,and will be led by Mike Disbrow who alsocurrently serves as senior vice president ofsales, marketing and customer support atHartzell Propeller in Piqua, Ohio. Disbrowhas over 20 years experience in the generalaviation industry.

The acquisition of the Energy Systemsassets of Kelly Aerospace continuesTailwind's aggressive growth strategythrough the formation of a new businesswith a broad suite of engine and aircraftaccessories. Hartzell Engine Technologies'product line will include turbocharger sys-tems, alternators, starters, Janitrol Heaters,fuel pumps, oil filters, ignition harnesses,magnetos, voltage regulators and MCUsand a large range of other electrical compo-nents, primarily serving piston-engine gen-eral aviation and military aircraft, as well aspiston and turbine engine helicopters. Incombination with Hartzell Propeller,Tailwind now has an even stronger offeringof engineered products for the general avia-tion market.

Hartzell Engine Technologies will be basedin Montgomery, Alabama. Customersinclude major piston engine manufacturers,airframers and distributors worldwide.Jeff Kelly, currently president of KellyAerospace Energy Systems, has agreed tocontinue with Hartzell Engine TechnologiesLLC, as Executive Vice President reportingto Mike Disbrow. Kent Kelly, KellyAerospace's founder and chairman, will alsocontinue with Hartzell Engine Technologiesin order to ensure a successful transitionfrom Kelly Aerospace.James W. Brown III, president of TailwindTechnologies, said, "Adding Hartzell EngineTechnologies to our group of aircraft suppliercompanies is an exciting new step forTailwind in the general aviation market.Acquiring these assets from Kelly AerospaceEnergy Systems will allow us to grow our"firewall forward" suite of products."Hartzell Engine Technologies' MikeDisbrow, said, "Creating Hartzell EngineTechnologies complements our alreadystrong position in the general aviation mar-ket, allowing us to share customers andplatforms with Hartzell Propeller Inc."As with Hartzell Propeller, we expectHartzell Engine Technologies to be knownfor well engineered, high quality productsdelivered with superior customer service,"he added.

Tailwind Technologies Inc. is the parentcompany of Hartzell Propeller Inc., MaydayManufacturing Company and IndustrialTube Company, Electrofilm ManufacturingCompany and AcousticFab LLC, collectivelyHartzell Aerospace. Founded in 1987 andheadquartered in Piqua, Ohio, the companybuys and operates value-added manufactur-ing businesses in general aviation, aero-space and industrial sectors with a long-term hold strategy.

StandardAero

SPRINGFIELD FACILITY

GETS $500,000

INVESTMENT

StandardAero announced that the compa-ny’s Business Aviation services facility inSpringfield, Ill. will receive a facility site-improvement investment worth $500,000.Work begins soon and is expected to becompleted over the next six months.The details are still being finalized but theprojects involve repainting of the facility’shangar floors and walls, in addition to theinstallation of large-facility ventilation fansand new energy-efficient lighting, all withthe goal of providing a more comfortableenvironment for company employees, andStandardAero customers and their aircraft.“We’re excited about the positive impactthese improvements and upgrades will haveon our customers and employees,” saidMike Menard, vice president and generalmanager, StandardAero Springfield. Theseimprovements will definitely enhance thequality of our customers’ experience whilein our facilities making them comfortableand productive. Additionally, it will create abetter work environment for our employeesas well as contribute to significant reduc-tions in utility costs throughout the facility.”Reiterating his objective of ensuring world-class customer service was Scott Taylor,StandardAero’s senior vice president ofBusiness Aviation. “Today’s announcement isjust another step Business Aviation is takingtoward ensuring we deliver a world-class cus-tomer experience. We’re making a differenceand it’s showing,” Taylor concluded.

28 - OCTOBER - NOVEMBER - 2010

$

HARTZELL PROPELLER PARENT COMPANY

ACQUIRES ASSETS FROM KELLY AEROSPACE

$

The Citation MUSTANG

OUR JETS AREN’T BUILT TO AIRLINE STANDARDS.FOR WHICH OUR CUSTOMERS THANK US DAILY.

Some manufacturers tout the merits of building business jets to airline standards.We build to an even higher standard: our own. Consider the Citation Mustang.

Its airframe service life is rated at 37,500 cycles, exceeding that of competingairframes built to “airline standards.” In fact, it’s equivalent to 140 years of typical

use. Excessive? No. Just one of the many ways we go beyond what’s requiredto do what’s expected of the world’s leading maker of business aircraft.

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Br ian Hump hr ies

While traffic slowed in August in line

with the normal annual cycle, for the

fourth month running overall activity

levels in Europe were up six percent

on the same month last year, with

some regions enjoying much higher

rates. These encouraging figures

suggest that the recovery is becoming

sustained – and so too is the recovery

in rulemaking and other official work in

Brussels and Cologne. In September

we witnessed an explosion in activity,

all of it with potentially significant

implications for the Business Aviation

sector.

F

irst and foremost, the EASA rule-making consultation and reviewwork is reaching its conclusion,

and we are about to enter the allimportant Comment and ResponseDocument (CRD) Phase for the keydraft rules. Indeed, that of Flight CrewLicensing (FCL) has already beencompleted, and EASA has expressedits opinion to the EuropeanCommission. Perhaps this is a fore-

taste of what is to come because, afteralmost two years of advising the EASARulemakers through the Working andReview groups, it seems our advicemay not have been heeded and in thefinal draft of part-FCL there is no pro-vision for the conduct of Initial, Re-vali-dation and Renewal of Class/Type rat-ings outside the Territories ofMember States.

Currently some 4000 such checksare conducted each year and, clearlyprovision must be made for the over300 examiners outside the EU, hold-ing ICAO licenses and appropriateMember State examiner approvals, tocontinue their work. Without this,there will be a highly negative impacton the safety of BizAv operationssince, as many European operatorsrely on simulator training conductedin Canada or the US. Moreover,because so many European businessaircraft are manufactured in NorthAmerica where the biggest BizAvfleets are located, to expect the reloca-tion of such activity to Europe to com-ply with the new rules is utterly unre-alistic. We shall, therefore, continue tofight hard with our US colleagues toallow the status quo to continue.

Meanwhile, CRDs are due shortly forCommercial Air Transport (CAT) andNon- Commercial Complex (NCC) air-craft, and we must all prepare to takethe time to review the drafts and tocomment as necessary. These newrules could include changes thatwould have a huge impact on thefuture success of our businesses.While we have worked hard in the var-ious specialist groups, we urge alloperators to take the trouble to beinvolved in the CRD process and tocomment accordingly.

We continue to be active in the slotconsultation process.Now that theopen stakeholder consultation processis under way, it is important that allBizAv operators participate in the con-sultation and let your views be known

about our sector’s specific needs and,in particular, the need to grandfatherthe rights of historical slot usage. Soplease go to

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air/consultations/2010_10_25_regula-tion_95_93_ec_en.htm.

Turning to more immediate matters,there is increasing concern about thegrowing number of potentially illegalflights in Europe, especially thosefrom third countries that are offeredwithout the necessary operating per-mits having been obtained from therelevant Member States. Accordingly,we have formed a specialist workinggroup to review what is going on andspearhead actions to ensure that theflights being offered are in every waylegal for the routes to be flown. Wehave already prepared some draft textfor brochures, and we plan to developthese for wide circulation.

Finally, in recognition of our pan-European role, on 20-21 January, 2011at the Hilton Vienna in Austria, theEBAA will host its third regionalforum entitled “One Europe: ARoadmap for Aligning East and West”.As the influence of Business Aviationincreases, it is ever-more crucial thatEuropean operators regularly conveneto discuss challenges and share bestpractices. Our goal is to ensure safeand fair operations across the breadthof Europe and we have chosen ‘OneEurope’ as a theme to emphasize thenecessity of harmonizing practices–operations, safety, services and pric-ing – in order to erase distinctionsbetween activities in the North andSouth or East and West. This event isnon-profit making and will provide areal opportunity for stakeholders toexchange ideas and develop and har-monize best practices, so make a notein your dairy now and we look forwardto seeing you in Vienna in January!


AUTUMN COMES IN WITH A BANG

OVERLOADDemanding

consultations

and forum are

challenging a

sustained

recovery says

Humphries.

E B A A C E O ’ s C O R N E R

✈

scan with mobile device:

It’s been a tough old time for

Business Aviation, although the

industry looks to be stabilizing

somewhat. The good news is

that this year’s NBAA show has

a sold out static park and full

exhibition hall. Liz Moscrop

looks at what lies in store.

T

he National Business AviationAssociation’s 63rd annual meet-ing and convention is shaping up

to be a good show, and may prove tobe a timely shot in the arm for thebeleaguered Business Aviation indus-try. The 2010 show takes place at theGeorgia World Congress Center, fea-turing a static display at DeKalbPeachtree Airport, plus over 100 edu-cation, maintenance and operationssessions. The organizers anticipatesome 25,000 Business Aviation profes-sionals showing up to see what’s hap-pening with their industry.

Apart from the important issues dis-cussed at the show, NBAA is tradition-ally the place where the world’s major

business aircraft manufacturers dis-play their latest wares. This yearGulfstream is likely to cause the mostexcitement, particularly if it flies itsflagship new G650 to town. At the timeof writing this was not definitely goingto happen. However, given the flighttest status of the company’s new flag-ship, it is highly likely. Look out, too,for a possible new product fromHawker Beechcraft, as well as newinteriors for the PiperJet.

After last year’s financial pummeling,there are small signs of recovery insome segments, although the lowerend of the market is still suffering. Thelatest report from JP Morgan EquityResearch indicates that business air-craft jet sales are still sluggish thanksto a large used aircraft inventory,which is priced attractively.

According to the report, manufactur-ers are cutting into their backlogs.Should this continue, further produc-tion rate cuts would seem likely.Hardest hit are the smaller jets. Longrange and large jets, such asBombardier’s Global Express XRS,

Dassault’s Falcon 7X and theGulfstream G550 are still in demand.Honeywell’s latest forecast indicatessimilar findings.

According to Bombardier’sspokesperson Danielle Boudreau,Learjet and Challenger backlogs havecontinued to decline, while the Globalfamily backlog is growing. She said:“Our Global product line is still busy.We have upped production, and therewere few cancellations. Our smallerproduct line has seen more difficul-ties.” She attributed this to the factthat people “still need to travel longdistance”.

Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer execu-tive vice president, Executive Jets hada slightly different point of view. Hesaid: “The market is not fully recov-ered yet. There is a high number ofsecond hand aircraft across all modelsand brands. We are finding our newestmodels are selling best. The Phenom300 and Legacy 650 are attracting themost interest.”

It does look like the ferocious back-lash against traveling by private jet hasdiminished somewhat. Campaigns like“No Plane No Gain”, the joint initiativebetween NBAA and the GeneralAviation Manufacturers Association(GAMA) that educates the public onthe importance of Business Aviation tothe US, have played their part. Theproject highlights the fact that in theUnited States, Business Aviation sup-ports 1.2 million stable jobs, provides alifeline to communities with little or nocommercial airline service, and helpsthousands of businesses of all sizes tobe more productive and efficient.

There are indications that Congressis listening. In September, the USSenate approved legislation thatincludes a provision to accelerate costrecovery of strategic business pur-chases this year, including businessaircraft. NBAA CEO Ed Bolen said:“Accelerated depreciation is a proveninvestment incentive, and could signif-icantly benefit the Business Aviationcommunity. The industry continues tograpple with a slow recovery from thedrop-off in flight activity and aircraftsales, as well as job losses in this chal-lenging economic climate.”

However, the airframers are here todo business and have come out inforce for the show.

32 - BART: OCTOBER - NOVEMBER- 2010

FAR-OFFTo face the

increasing

demand from

businesses

needing to travel

long distances,

Bombardier had

to increase the

production of the

Global family

CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM

P R E V I E W N B A A 2 0 1 0


TARGETAerion continues

to progress to

a planned 2015

certification (top).

Interior Boeing

Business Jet of

Artemis Air (left).

Aerion Corporation (Booth 6202)

To date, Aerion has collected over 50orders for its $80 million supersonicbusiness jet - each secured by a$250,000 deposit. The total backlognow exceeds $4 billion.This pastMarch, the company completed aseries of low-speed wind tunnel testsat the University of Washington.These tests are the fifth and sixth low-speed tests of Aerion low-speed config-urations. The purpose was to continuethe refinement of Aerion's flaps,strakes and tail surfaces.

These tests showed the ability of theAerion configuration to meet the chal-lenging goals of operating from 6,000-foot runways and achieving a 120-knotapproach speed with a modified strakeand flap system that is simpler andsmaller than in previous designs. Thetests also collected data for sizing thevertical and horizontal tail configura-tions. In addition to the configurationdevelopment, data from this test hasshown that Aerion's analytical meth-ods are accurate in predicting the per-formance of Aerion's low-speed config-urations.

Airbus Corporate Jets(Booth 2215)

Airbus will be bringing an A318 Eliteto the static. The airframer has had agood year in terms of its corporate jetsales. The first Airbus A318 Elite to bebased in the Middle East for VVIPflights was delivered to Abu Dhabi-based business jet charter specialist AlJaber Aviation this summer. Al Jaberhas ordered three more A318 Elitesand two Airbus Corporate Jetliners.

The company has also just appointedJean-Noel Robert as area sales directorfor Greater China, Japan and Korea ina bid to beef up its China presence.

Boeing Business Jets(Booth 3304)

At the time of writing, Jim Condelles,Boeing's spokesman, was unsurewhich aircraft would be on display atthe static. He did, however, say thattotal orders for the BBJ program stoodat 194. This represents nine 737s, 144BBJs, five 757s, eight 767s, five 777s,

12 787 Dreamliner conversions, three747-400s and eight 747-8s.

Meanwhile, Boeing's ground-basedprivate aviation business is also pros-pering particularly internationally.Growing interest in ownership in Asiahas led to sales to companies such asHong Kong's Asia Jet, which sells jetcards priced from $100,000 to$500,000. Asia Jets has three planes onorder, including a Boeing BusinessJet, and says it hopes to begin basingplanes in Mainland China next year..

Bombardier Aerospace(Booth 3561)

George Tsopeis, vice president ofaviation services for Montreal-basedZenith Jet, caused a media stir lastmonth. He predicted that Bombardierwould unveil a new ultra-long-rangeaircraft during the NBAA convention -an upgraded Global Express XRS to gohead to head with the GulfstreamG650. He envisioned a more powerfulengine, upgraded wings, plus the newBombardier Global Vision cockpit and

estimated that it would costBombardier between $200 and $300million to develop and certify theseupgrades. Tsoepeis worked forBombardier for ten years, so wouldappear to have some “insider” creden-tials.

However, Danielle Boudreau wouldnot comment on Tsoepeis’ claims, pre-ferring to focus on what the airframerhas already confirmed it is bringing tothe show. Bombardier will field aGlobal Express XRS, as well as aChallenger 850, CL605 and CL300, aLearjet 45, 60XR, and the mockup of

the new 85, whose program, she said,“is still on track”.

Bombardier has added Learjet 85production to its Wichita facility, inwhich it plans to invest $600 million,adding to the $27 million in financingfrom the state of Kansas. The primarystructures of the all-composite aircraftwill be manufactured in Querétaro,Mexico, and then subassembliesshipped to Wichita. Learjet 85 deliver-ies are set to begin in the first quarterof 2011.

To support i ts new product,Bombardier has also added a Learjet85 simulator and started toolinginstallation in Queretaro this sum-mer. The airframer bought a Learjet85 full-flight simulator from trainingpartner CAE to help ref ine thedesign and flight characteristics ofthe midsize aircraft. The simulatorwill be housed in Montreal and willbe used to support the eight-passen-ger twinjet’s certification program.Customer training on the new simu-lator is to begin in the first quarter of2013.


The company will also be announc-ing new options for the LearJet 40XR,45XR and 60XR programs. Boudreausaid: “These new elements are basedon our customer focus groups’ feed-back. Elements that were optional arenow standard, such as extendedrange.”

She added that aircraft sales weresplit roughly 30:70 between NorthAmerica and the international market.She added: “The US is an extremelyimportant market for us as it is still ourlargest installed base and there willdefinitely be expansion there when themarket recovers.”

Cessna Aircraft Company(Static display)

Cessna Aircraft is focusing on bring-ing in business at the static park. TheWichita-based airframer is taking itsfull range of jets to the show.According to spokesman Doug Oliver,the OEM will be highlighting theCitation Mustang’s multimission capa-bility. Bucking the trend for superiorsales in the larger segments, the entrylevel Mustang jet is currently Cessna’smost popular product. Oliver said:“The Mustang leads all segments andis our best selling model.”

In July, the manufacturer announcedthat it had teamed with SpectrumAeromed to develop a medical trans-port version of the Mustang. Fargo,N.D. based Spectrum Aeromed devel-oped the interior and patient loadingsystem and is pursuing a supplementaltype certificate, while Cessna devel-oped the pre-installation modification –including an enhanced power systemand new aft-facing folding seat to

accommodate patient loading. Thefirst delivery is set for October to JetBudget, a Caribbean charter operator.Cessna will install the system at itsCitation Service Center in Wichita andexpects the work to take one week tocomplete. Pricing for the system isbeing developed and will be availableto customers soon.

According to Oliver, the Mustang isalso widely used for government andspecial mission applications. He said:“It’s not just medevac, we are findingthere is excitement for its multimis-sion capability thanks to its operatingeconomics and 1000nm capability. It isperfect for both US and internationalmarkets.”

Bearing this up, the Mustang hasalso proven popular with flight trainingorganizations, such as ST Aerospace,the training academy for SingaporeAirlines.

Cessna also launched a new “HighSierra” edition of the aircraft atOshkosh, featuring special luxury edi-

tions of the three offered interiors, aspecial paint scheme, a Garmin G1000with Synthetic Vision Technology,electronic charts, locking fuel caps aswell as unique service and parts pro-grams.

The airframer is reducing Mustangdeliveries this year to 70, but has deliv-ered more than 300 of the $3 millionairplane to customers around theworld. Oliver added: “In any discus-sion with Cessna, you cannot discountthe importance of our global serviceand support operations. It is a real dis-criminator.”

Cirrus Aircraft (Static display)At EBACE, Cirrus Aircraft

announced that it planned to spend2010 validating design concepts on V1,the technology demonstrator for itsSF50 Vision personal jet. First flight isslated for the end of 2011 and CEOBrent Wouters said he anticipated cer-tification roughly 18 months later. Hetold delegates that 2010’s focusremains on achieving financial objec-tives that will help secure developmentfinancing on the SF50. The companyhas spent about $64 million on the pro-gram, with roughly a third comingfrom non-refundable deposits, whichnow stand at $1.72 million, up from$1.55 million and the original $1.39million.

On current models, the companyannounced perspective ESP atOshkosh, a safety and flight stabilityaugmentation system by Garmin thatwill be available on Cirrus SR-SeriesAircraft for new orders scheduled forfall 2010 delivery. The system operatesin the background when the Garmin

SPECIALTYCessna is

developing a

medical version

of the Mustang

(left).

Cirrus plans to

spend 2010

validating the

design concept

on its personal

jet technology

demonstrator

(top).

P R E V I E W N B A A 2 0 1 0

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GFC 700 autopilot has been disen-gaged. If the pilot becomes incapacitat-ed, disoriented or distracted, the sys-tem uses the digital autopilot servosand sensors to detect and help correctunsafe flight conditions. After it sensesthings are back to normal, it goes backinto the background. Similar systemsof this sophistication and capabilitywere previously available only on theworld’s most advanced and mostexpensive ‘fly-by-wire’ business andmilitary jets.

Pat Waddick COO said: “Enhancingflight safety is the most fundamentaldriver of the design of our aircraft andof every business decision wemake…Loss of control is the numberone cause of flying accidents.”

Daher-Socata (Static display)

Earlier this year, Socata debuted itsTB20 Trinidad GT single-engine gen-eral aviation aircraft retrofitted with aGarmin G500 avionics suite. The retro-fit received its European SupplementalType Certification (STC) in April, pro-viding a modern glass cockpit configu-ration for this category of aircraft. TheG500 avionics suite is an affordableway for aircraft owners to transformtheir existing “six- pack” avionicspanel to a full glass cockpit dual-screen display configuration.

And in August, the OEM announcedthat the Intelligence, Surveillance, andReconnaissance (ISR) version of itsmulti-mission TBM aircraft hadreceived a Major Change Approval(MCA) from EASA. The MCA is applic-able to all TBM 700 and 850 models,and will enable Socata to present theISR version of its TBM-MMA demon-strator to potential customers – which

include governmental organizations,military services, civilian agencies andcontract operators. The console isdesigned for installation on all TBMmodels, enabling both the TBM 700and TBM 850 to perform observation,detection, and data-gathering missions.

Dassault Falcon Jet Corporation(Booth 1905)

Although Dassault’s latest half-yearfigures show a slump in sales, down toEUR 11.32 billion from EUR 12.32 bil-lion as of the end of 2009, the companysays the number of cancellations hasreduced. Falcon jets comprise some 60percent of the company’s order book.

Spokesman Vadim Feldzer said:“The paradox is that we’ll probablyestablish a record year in terms ofdeliveries with more than 80 Falconsto be delivered in 2010 versus 77 lastyear. We had already delivered 45 air-craft at the end of June.”

This summer, Dassault Falconreceived EASA and FAA certificationfor the 4,750 nm Falcon 900LX. Thelarge cabin aircraft is based on theFalcon 900EX, with enhanced perfor-mance and economy, burning 35 to 40percent less fuel than other aircraft inits class, thanks to advanced lightweight structures, an extremely effi-cient wing and Aviation Partners’blended winglets. John Rosanvallon,CEO said: “The Falcon 900 LX deliversthe next evolution of enhancements tothe successful Falcon 900EX. Theimprovements to its range, perfor-mance and efficiency set the standardin its class and make it a highly desir-able business tool.”

The aircraft can fly from New York toMoscow, Paris to Beijing and Mumbaito London and comes standard withthe award-winning EASy flight deck.

Dassault has seen increased interestfrom its international customers.Feldzer added: “Our sales are veryactive in China, India, and SouthAmerica.” Brazil, for example, is akey focus for the French airframer.Speaking at the 2010 Latin AmericanBusiness Aviation Conference andExhibition (LABACE), Rosanvallon,said: “As the Business Aviation mar-ket recovers, we expect Brazil will beone of the fastest growing markets inthe world. Brazil has experienced avery healthy growth in GDP and ben-efits from a diversified economy builton exports. All of the elements for avery bright future in Brazil are inplace.”

EVOLUTIONAn Intelligence,

Surveillance and

Reconnaissance

version of the

TBM 850 and

700 is now

available (left).

The Falcon

900LX (top) is

an evolution of

the 900EX.

P R E V I E W N B A A 2 0 1 0


UPGRADEDiamond Aircraft

introduced DA42

engine

conversion

programs in the

US (left).

Dornier Seaplane

is looking at

upgrade versions

of the Seastar

amphibian (right).

Dassault Falcon owns over 60 per-cent of the large cabin business jetcategory in Brazil, and expects itsmarket share to continue to growas 13 new Falcons are delivered inthe country over the next f i veyears . To serv ice the ins ta l ledbase, the airframer has set up aservice center in Sorocaba, whichoffers maintenance, parts, and AOGservices.

The company also recently appointedGilles Gautier as head of sales for theEastern hemisphere, replacing AlainAubry, who retired after ten years inthe post.

And what of the new super midsizeproduct? Feldzer said: “Our designoffice is currently working on theSMS, but we won’t unveil the new pro-gram until we’ll be ready to sell the air-plane.”

The company is displaying a Falcon900LX (certified mid July), a Falcon2000LX and a Falcon 7X.

Diamond Aircraft Industries(Static display)

Two months ago, speculation grewthat the Austrian airframer Diamondwas unlikely to certify its D-Jet until2012. The company is finishing thelast modifications to the aircraft as itprepares to start the certification.

Initially due to enter service in 2006,the program has suffered numeroussetbacks, thanks to lack of fundingchallenges and changes to the engineand de-icing systems.

For its current production products,this summer the company introducedDA42 engine conversion programs inNorth America. US owners and opera-tors now have the choice of upgradingtheir DA42 with either Lycoming orAustro Engine power. There are also

options to turn any DA42 TDI into a vir-tually new aircraft, with all the featuresof new production DA42s.

Peter Maurer, president said: “Thebest part of upgrading your DA42 TDIwith new engines is that you will notonly enjoy enhanced performance,reliability and comprehensive NorthAmerican-based after sales support,but also reduced operating costs andincreased value and marketability ofthe converted airplane.”

Dornier Seaplane Company(Static display)

At the last NBAA show, DornierSeaplane announced that it wouldrelaunch production of its $6 million 10-seater Seastar amphibian. The Seastarfirst flew in 1984, and three were built inGermany before production ceased in1991 due to a lack of funding.

A year ago, CEO Joe Walker told del-egates that his company had obtainedmore than 25 letters of intent for thetwin-engined turboprop. The firstSeastar is scheduled to roll-off the pro-duction line next year and the first 10aircraft will be delivered in theSeastar’s original configuration.However, later aircraft will be upgrad-ed versions.

In May, the company announced thatit is planning to break ground nextyear on a final assembly plant inMontreal. Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu willbe the manufacturing site for the all-composite, Pratt & Whitney CanadaPT6A-135-powered aircraft.

Dornier Seaplane chief executive JoeWalker said: “We hope to finish build-ing the assembly facility in the thirdquarter of next year and deliver thefirst aircraft in 2012. The supplierselection process should also be com-pleted within 12 months.”

Embraer Executive Jets(Booth 5119)

NBAA 2010 will mark the US debutof Embraer’s new Legacy 650, whichmade its first public appearance inAugust at LABACE. The aircraft waslaunched at last year’s NBAA show.Based on the successful Legacy 600platform, the 650 can travel up to3,900 nautical miles (7,223 km) non-stop with four passengers. The 500-nautical-mile (926-km) increase inrange was accomplished throughextensive airframe modifications.Equipped with the new HoneywellPrimus Elite avionics suite, the jethas the same comfortable and func-tional cabin of the Legacy 600 – withthree distinct cabin zones, a spa-cious wet gal ley and the largestexecutive jet in-flight accessible bag-

gage compartment. The 650 also fea-tures new state-of-the-art insulationmaterials for improved noise com-fort and Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadbandsystem for high-speed Internet in-flight. The aircraft is scheduled toenter service during the second halfof this year.

Embraer’s other programs are alsodoing well. More than 150 ofEmbraer’s best selling Phenom 100sare in operation through 18 countriesand last summer Mexico’s Omnilifebecame the first Lineage 1000 cus-tomer for the Americas. The Lineagealso stole headlines in Septemberwhen it flew non-stop from Mumbai toLondon - the furthest any Embraer air-craft has flown. The aircraft covered4,015 nautical miles (7,435 km) in ninehours and 15 minutes. Luis CarlosAffonso said: “It was important for usto demonstrate the range that weannounced.”


Training for the Phenom 300 is nowunderway. In August, Embraer CAETraining Services (ECTS) announcedthat the Brazilian Civil AviationAgency ANAC, the FAA, and EASAhad qualified the first Phenom 300 FullFlight Simulator, which is installed atDallas.

Embraer’s two newest executive jets,the midlight Legacy 450 and midsizeLegacy 500, recently won theInternational Design ExcellenceAwards/Brasil and Affonso says theprograms are on target. “We are onschedule for the first flight of the 500in the second semester of next year.We made the first metal cut in Apriland already have landing gears andother machine parts.”

On the customer support side,Affonso said the company hasincreased the amount of parts in itsservice centers and that these are

“growing very fast.” He added: “Wereaffirm our commitment and visioncreated back in 2005 to become animportant player through innovation.”

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.(Booth 2043)

It is highly likely that Gulfstream willfly a G650 to the show. In August, the7,000nm (13,000km) range, fly-by-wire, Rolls-Royce BR725-powered twin-jet reached Mach 0.995 as part of its1,800-hour flight-test program, becom-ing the world’s fastest production busi-ness jet. The same month, the jetpassed high-speed flutter testing, akey milestone in meeting its plannedcertification next year.

The airframer’s other new product isleaping forward, too. In June, the thirdand final Gulfstream G250 aircraftjoined the flight-test program. Duringthe two hour, 56 minute flight, the

super-midsize aircraft reached a maxi-mum speed of 250 knots and a top alti-tude of 20,000 feet (6,096 m). Poweredby twin Honeywell HTF7250Gengines, the G250 can fly 3,400 nauti-cal miles at Mach 0.80. The first G250rolled out of Gulfstream’s partnerIsraeli Aerospace Industries’ manufac-turing facility in Tel Aviv under its ownpower in October 2009. It is on sched-ule for type certification in 2011.

Last month the G250 IntegrationTest Facility (ITF) accumulated 1,000hours of testing on the PlaneView250software that will be the basis forsecuring the aircraft’s initial TypeCertificate. “The cockpit of the G250 isgoing to lead the industry,” said PresHenne, senior vice president, pro-grams, engineering and test.

The company will also be showingoff its G150, which this summerreceived Wide Area AugmentationSystem (WAAS) functionality. Theoptional WAAS-capable receiver canbe installed on new G150s duringfinal-phase manufacturing or as aretrofit on all in-service G150 aircraft.WAAS is composed of satellites andground stations that improve theaccuracy of the Global PositioningSystem (GPS). The system alsoallows pilots to fly into approved air-ports using a pseudo-glideslope, justas they would with an instrumentlanding system approach.

Gulfstream spokesperson HeidiFedak said: “We are excited about theshow, especially with news of our newG250 and G650. We will have a 250mock-up, as well as a G550, G450 andG200 and G150 on display. We willalso have scale models in the exhibi-tion hall.”

LATESTThe Gulfstream

G650 (top) and

the Embraer

Legacy 650

(center) will

debut in Atlanta.

P R E V I E W N B A A 2 0 1 0

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Hawker Beechcraft Corp.(Static display)

At the time of writing, rumorsabound that Hawker BeechcraftCorporation (HBC) will launch a newBeechcraft product at the show, aswell as make some exciting aftermar-ket announcements. At the very least,the OEM will debut its flagshipHawker 4000 and Beechcraft King Air350i, in addition to the largest productline up it has ever fielded anywhere.

Nicole D Alexander, manager, com-munications and public affairs said:“Our presence at this year’s NBAA isreflective of the priorities of our busi-ness - customer support and airplanes.We have dedicated our hall space tothe most important part – taking careof the customer. All aspects of ourglobal customer support organizationwill be on-hand to interact with cus-tomers.”

Having been slammed by the reces-sion, Hawker Beechcraft is beefing upits worldwide sales force in Europe,the Middle East, and Africa by two-thirds over the next 18 months in aneffort to stimulate demand for its busi-ness aircraft line throughout its largestmarket.

The airframer delivered 217 aircraftin 2009, 115 fewer than the previousyear, and expects shipments to fallagain in 2010. To reverse the trend,the airframer recently realigned itsinternational team to focus on the

individual Beechcraft and Hawkerbrands. The Hawker customer is typ-ically corporate or VIP with no spe-cial mission applications, unlike cus-tomers of the Beechcraft products.Hawker Beechcraft had nine salesstaff that sold both products. Nowfive salespeople are assigned toBeechcraft types and four to theHawker family.

HBC announced at Oshkosh that ithad received certif ication for itsBeechcraf t Baron G58 andBeechcraft Bonanza G36 piston-engine a ircraf t f rom the Civ i lAviation Administration of China(CAAC). The first Bonanza in theregion is scheduled to be deliveredin third quarter 2010, and will bebased in Shandong Province. JustinFirestone, HBC president, Asia-Pacific said: “The market in Chinafor our entire lineup of aircraft con-tinues to expand, especially as thegrowing customer base in theregion becomes more familiar withthe range and capabilities represent-ed by our family of products.”

Honda Aircraft Company(Booth 4555)

What will Honda Aircraft Companybring to NBAA? The company said atOshkosh that it had completed suc-cessful power-on tests for its first con-

DEBUTHBC will debut

its flagship

Hawker 4000 at

DeKalb

Peachtree

Airport (top).

Honda's CEO

Michimasa

Fujino is pleased

with the recently

concluded

power-on tests.

P R E V I E W N B A A 2 0 1 0


PROPS

Initially

developed by

Farnborough

Aircraft, the

Kestrel (top)

will be built in

Maine. Piaggio

is stepping up is

sales efforts

internationally.

forming flight test aircraft. It alsoannounced the successful consolida-tion of fuselage and wing assembliesfor the first static test aircraft, which isundergoing static structural testingbeginning in August.

The recently concluded power-ontests included confirmation of powersupply, both from the on-board batteryto the aircraft’s power distribution sys-tem (PDS) and from the externalground power unit to the PDS.

Honda’s CEO Michimasa Fujino sad:“The success of our power-on tests isan important step in the completion ofthe first conforming flight test aircraft.With this significant milestoneachieved, we are now focused on theintegration of avionics and other elec-trical systems in anticipation of firstflight later this year.”

The company also achieved for thewing and fuselage assemblies of thefirst static test aircraft, which incorpo-rates over 1,800 strain gauges that willbe used to evaluate the aircraft’s per-formance during stress testing, whichis already well underway at Honda’sGreensboro facility. The test facilityincludes an environmental chamber tosimulate hot-wet conditions, which isrequired testing for the validation ofcomposite structures.

The 250,000 ft square Greensboroproduction facility is scheduled fortotal completion in early 2011, and willalso house Flight Safety InternationalLevel-D, full-motion flight simulatorsfor training of all HondaJet pilots andcrew.

The $4.5 million aircraft will be ableto cruise at up to 420kt and offers asix-seat cabin with a lavatory.

Kestrel Aircraft (Static display)

Kestrel Aircraft (KAC) made thepublic debut of its proof of concept sin-gle engine turboprop at AirVenture2010. The plane, initially developed byFarnborough Aircraft, will be built inMaine. The composite aircraft, whichcan be configured with six or sevenseats, first flew in 2006.

Alan Klapmeier now heads up theKAC, which he owns withFarnborough Aircraft owner AnthonyGalley as well as several otherinvestors. Klapmeier founded Cirrusin 1994 with his brother Dale, and ledthe Minnesota-based manufactureruntil he resigned last year, as chiefexecutive.

KAC plans to hire about 100 engi-neers to complete the developmentprogram, however, the company willnot put a date on entry into service

since it needs to raise a further $50million in development funding beforeit can start production. Over the longrun, the OEM will look at developingother aircraft types, including lightjets, on its own or in joint ventureswith other entities.

Piaggio Aero (Booth 2643)The Italian airframer will be bringing

its P180 Avanti II, demonstrator to theshow. John Bingham CEO said: “Theaircraft is beautifully equipped and weare focusing our main energies on thestatic display rather than inside. Thatsaid, we will be showing our clear linkwith Ferrari and have a Ferrari on thestand.” The Ferrari Formula 1 teamflies the Avanti to and from races.

Earlier this year, Piaggio Aero con-firmed that it is not planning to launchits twin-engined jet program in 2010 asthe market is still not right to unveil amock-up and start sales. The manufac-turer has been working on its P1XX jetproject for four years, but has not yetformally launched the program.Bingham said Piaggio is well advancedwith the design, but there is no pointlaunching an aircraft when demand isdepressed.

In the meantime, Piaggio is steppingup its sales effort for its P180 AvantiII. Bingham added: “Some of theactivities that we’ve been doinginclude going into South America. Weare now in Brazil, Venezuela andMexico.” He said that the companyhad seen “good interest in Asia”,where it has sold another couple ofplanes to Susi Air - an Indonesian


charter operator. Piaggio is alsoprospecting in Australia. Binghamsaid: “There is good potential therefor all kind of things including mede-vac applications.” He said: “We arelooking forward to the show as themarket starts to pick up and openingadditional markets. We’d also like tosee greater movement in the moretraditional markets of Europe andNorth America.”

Pilatus Business Aircraft(Booth 7954)

This summer, Pilatus Aircraft deliv-ered its 1000th PC-12 at a special cer-emony at i ts wholly owned sub-sidiary Pilatus Business Aircraft inBroomfield, Colorado. Oscar J .Schwenk, CEO said: “Today’s PC-12NG is generations ahead of the firstone Pilatus delivered back in 1994.But it still holds to these same princi-ples that have made the PC-12 pro-gram such a great success.” Sinceits introduction, the PC-12 hassteadily grown in sales and successto become one of the top selling tur-bine-powered business aircraft in theworld.

In spite of the general financial andeconomic crisis, 2009 saw Pilatusobtain its highest-ever operatingincome (CHF 78 million), a recordnumber of PC-12 NG deliveries (100)and the biggest single order in itsentire history with the PC-21 assign-ment from the United Arab Emirates,which opted for 25 aircraft in a dealworth over CHF 500 million.

Piper Aircraft (Booth 1247)

Expect the unveiling of the new interi-ors for the PiperJet at the show. Piperhas selected DeCrane Aerospace andPropel Designs to outfit the cabin for itsnew light aircraft. The companies willincorporate cabin improvements thathave already been verified in the single-engined proof-of-concept jet.

Piper is now preparing to begin pro-duction on five conforming aircraft.Last month it selected Italy’s MecaerAviation to supply the undercarriagesystem and at Oshkosh executive vicepresident Randy Groom promised “a

pretty significant announcementregarding PiperJet at NBAA”. Headded Piper intends to fly the first con-forming aircraft next year. The air-framer also announced in August thatit had cut metal on the first conform-ing prototype for the PiperJet, whichremains on track to enter service in2013.

Piper has 100 engineers assigned tothe development effort. Meanwhiledemand for the OEM’s existing pistonand turboprop line has increased overthe last year with sales slated to be75% higher than last year.

SINGLEPilatus delivered

this summer its

1000th single

turboprop PC-12.

Piper is preparing

to begin

production of its

single jet PiperJet.

P R E V I E W N B A A 2 0 1 0


HONORThe NBAA will

honor six business

aviation luminaries

during the Show.

1 Neil Armstrong.

2 Gene Cernan.

3 Bob Hoover.

4 Clay Lacy.

5 Russ Meyer.

6 Arnold Palmer.

Quest Aircraft Company(Static display)

In June, amphibious float manufac-turer Wipaire won STC authoriza-tion for its Wipline model 7000 float- designed for the Quest Kodiak sin-gle-engined turboprop. The 7000float has been in full productionsince December when it receivedFAA approval v ia a TechnicalStandard Order Authorizat ion(TSOA). Customer deliveries arenow underway.

This proved useful for the US Fishand Wildl i fe Service’s (Service)Migratory Bird Management pro-gram, which announced the receiptof nine new Kodiak float planes dur-ing Oshkosh. The amphibious air-craft are vitally important to the ser-vice’s mission to monitor and man-age waterfowl and other migratorybird populations. In addition, theaircraft can be used to conduct aeri-al damage assessments due to envi-ronmental disasters such as hurri-canes, and enable remote sensingand survey work in portions of thecontinent previously inaccessibleusing older, limited-range aircraft.

Rowan Gould, acting director,US Fish and Wildlife Service said:“Migratory birds are some ofnature’s most magnificent resourcesand serve as a useful barometer ofthe health of the environment, whileproviding economic and culturalbenefits as well. These planes willhave a significant impact in helpingus conserve and manage migratorybirds for present and future genera-tions.”

The first Quest Kodiak aircraftequipped with an External CargoCompartment (ECC) went toOshkosh this summer. Odds on itwi l l appear again at NBAA. TheECC is available as an option on allnew Kodiaks and can also be retro-fitted to previously delivered air-craft. “The external cargo compart-ment is an option that many of ourcustomers are interested ininstalling on their KODIAK,” saidPaul Schaller, Quest CEO. “Wehave quite a few orders for ECCretrofits and in-line installations andover time expect about 15% of theKodiak fleet will be equipped withthis option.” The ECC can carry anadditional 750 pounds of cargo orluggage.

The Best of the Best

The OEMs are presenting the best ofthe best in business aircraft produc-tion today. However, NBAA also rec-ognizes outstanding personal achieve-ments and will honor six business avi-ation luminaries as ‘Master Pilots’ dur-ing the show.

Astronauts Neil Armstrong and GeneCernan, air force test pilot Bob Hoover,Clay Lacy - videographer, formerCessna chairman Russ Meyer and golf-ing legend Arnold Palmer will all behonored and be present at the event toreceive their certificates in person fromFAA Administrator Randy Babbitt.

Ed Bolen said: "Each of these distin-guished figures has made indeliblecontributions to Business Aviation,and we are delighted that they willstand together and be recognized forreaching a milestone in flight as partof our convention."

✈

1

2

3

4

5

6

Air BP (7903)

Air BP is the specialized aviation divi-sion of BP and is one of the world’slargest suppliers of both aviation fuelsand lubricants – currently supplyingover 26 million tones to customersacross the globe per year. Air BP isrepresented at over 630 airports insome 59 countries, with local offices inalmost half of these countries. Thiscombination of local representationwith a global organization enables thecompany to focus on building relation-ships with its partners, be they cus-tomers, airport operators or otherthird parties.

Aircell (3737)

The talk at the Aircell booth will beon SwiftBroadband and Iridium-basedproduct lines, with a focus on workingto let operators know what connectivi-ty options are available to them whilein the air – along with promoting therecently rebranded Business Aviationservice as Gogo (see Insight, thisissue). As the world turns its focus onproductivity, there is nothing better toenhance a Business Aviation travelers’productivity than to give them connec-tivity while up in the air. And Aircellremains at the forefront for this.

CRS Jet Spares (6213)

CRS Jet Spares is a leading aftermar-ket support facility in the business jetcommunity. Suppling total solutions tooperators around the world throughexchanges, sales, provisioning pack-ages and repair or rental options, CRSsupports Learjets, Hawkers,Gulfstreams, Beechjets, Challengersand Falcons through a comprehensiveinventory. CRS provides services thatconform to IS)9001 and AS9120 qualitystandards. At NBAA, the companyplans to raffle off a brand new HarleyDavidson motorcycle.

FlightSafety Int’l (1227, 1327)As one of the world’s premier profes-

sional aviation training companies,FlightSafety also supplies flight simu-lators, visual systems and displays.The company provides more than onemillion hours of training per year toover 75,000 pilots, technicians and

other aviation professionals across theglobe, including the US, Canada,Europe and Asia. The companydesigns and manufactures full-flightsimulators for civil and military aircraft

programs and operates the world’slargest fleet of advanced full-flight sim-ulators at 40 training locations.

FlightSafety International and BoeingTraining & Flight Services recentlyentered into an agreement to jointlyoffer a comprehensive First Officertraining program.

“This joint program will help airlinesmeet their growing pilot hiring andtraining requirements by expanding thepool of pilots from which they canselect,” said Roei Ganzarski, ChiefCustomer Officer, Boeing Training &Flight Services.


AROUND

THE HORN

EXPERTS1. CRS Jet

Spares is a

leading

aftermarket

support facility

serving Business

Aviation

2. AirBP supplies

over 26 million

tones of aviation

fuel per year.

3. FlightSafety

Int'l provides

more than one

million hours of

training per year.

4. Aircell

connects

Business

Aviation

travelers up in

the air.

P R E V I E W N B A A 2 0 1 0

2

1

3

4


AUTHORITY1. Raisbeck

expect to deliver

Aft Fuselage

Lockers for Lear

60s early in

2011.

2. HBS highly

trained

technicians

are standing

24/7/365

3. Close to 5,000

Jet Aviation

employees cater

to clients needs

worldwide.

4. JSSI is an

hourly costs

maintenance

provider based

at Farnborough

airport.

“This program will provideFlightSafety Academy graduates withunmatched opportunities to become aprofessional pilot,” said DanielGreenhill, Manager, FlightSafetyAcademy. “In addition to havingreceived high quality trainingdesigned to enhance safety, Airlinesaround the world will recognize themany advantages graduates of thisprogram possess as a result of havingbeen trained by Boeing andFlightSafety, two of the world’s lead-ing aviation training companies.”

HBC Global Customer Support(947)

With more than 100 authorized ser-vice centers, including company-owned Hawker Beechcraft Services,more than 3,000 service and supportpersonnel, a parts distribution systemsecond-to-none and much more.Hawker Beechcraft Corporation deliv-ers service and support that isunmatched in Business Aviation.

Zeroing in on service, no one cares

more about an aircraft than HawkerBeechcraft Services (HBS). The com-pany's highly trained and dedicatedtechnicians are standing by anytime,anywhere 24/7/365. Whether it be asimple tire change, an AOG event, amajor inspection or modification, HBSis ready as a factory owned connectionto the finest network of aircraft main-tenance facilities in the industry.

Jet Aviation (2404)Jet Aviation, a wholly owned subsidiary

of General Dynamics, founded inSwitzerland in 1967, is one of the leading

Business Aviation services companies inthe world. Close to 5,000 employeescater to clients needs from 24 airportfacilities throughout Europe, the MiddleEast, Asia and North and South America.

More than fifty percent of JetAviation’s business is generated inEurope, followed by North America,the Middle East and Asia. As the com-pany’s global growth continues withnew acquisitions or the expansion ofexisting facilities, Jet Aviation will con-tinue to provide its clients with anever-broadening menu of complemen-tary services combined with the high-est level of customer support. Today,Jet Aviation provides:

Global executive jet charter services;flight planning and flight tracking

Aircraft management and flight sup-

port services and extensive interna-tional support for corporate flightoperations

Fixed base operations (FBO)Completions services (outfitting and

refurbishment)Maintenance and repair; avionics ser-

vicesEngineering servicesAircraft sales & acquisition

JSSI (7337)JSSI provides comprehensive, flex-ible and affordable financial toolsfor managing the costs of operat-ing and maintaining nearly all tur-binepowered a ircraf t , includingjets, turboprops and turbine pow-ered helicopters. The company isan independent hourly costs main-tenance provider, meaning it cans e r v i c e c u s t om ers across theglobe through its network of tech-n ica l adv isors s ta t ioned wor ld -wide.

2

1

3

4


Raisbeck Engineering (7937)

Raisbeck Engineering is dedicated todesign, development, certification,manufacturing and distribution ofadvanced technology systems for busi-ness and corporate aircraft – with thefocus of enhancing performance andincreasing productivity.

Expect to hear a lot about thecompany’s Aft Fuselage Locker forthe Learjet 60 – a project intro-duced las t year a t NBAA inOr lando. Las t spr ing , Ra isbeckEngineering revealed that it hadfrozen its final design for the AftFuselage Locker and is progressingwith detailed design. FAA certifi-cation flight test on the aerodynam-ic shape were completed in late fall,2009. First production deliveriesare scheduled to begin ear ly in2011 . Ra isbeck engineers havemeticulously evaluated differentdoor, hinge and interior designs tocome up with the most integral,e f f i c ient and spac ious baggagelocker possible, while still reducingoverall airplane drag.

StandardAero (7601)Founded in 1911, StandardAero is

one of the largest independent MROand aviation service businesses in theworld, providing comprehensive ser-vices to commercial, military, businessaviation, helicopters and industrialoperators. Over 300 years of collectiveexperience brings customers uniqueknowledge and expertise in solvingmaintenance challenges.

Speaking of StandardAero and JSSI,just over a year ago the companiescombined talents to provide JSSI’sclients with the finest in engine main-tenance, repair and overhaul (MRO)services. Twelve months later, thealliance has been deemed a success,having developed numerous beneficialsupport services, such as enhancedengine performance packages andguaranties, designed to keep enginesand APUs on-wing for longer periodsof time.

“The JSSI/StandardAero allianceallows JSSI and its clients to takefull advantage of StandardAero’sunique ab i l i ty to serv ice a vas tarray of engines, APUs and air -f rames ,” sa id S tandardAero ’sPres ident and Chie f Execut iveOf f icer , Rob Mionis . “OurAgreement with JSSI spans no lessthan 11 engine models, giving JSSIgreater buy ing power ,StandardAero stronger volumesand JSSI ’s cl ients lower mainte-nance costs . P lus , they rece ivestate -of - the-art OEM-authorizedMRO services. In addition, everyJSSI client receives preferred air-frame, avionics, paint and comple-tions terms at one of our four fly-infacilities. This is truly a win-win-win alliance.”

EXPERTISE1.Universal

Weather And

Aviation provides

a broad array of

services around

the world.

2. Universal

Avionics' EFI-

890R Flat Panel

Display System

are available for

cockpit retrofit.

3. StandardAero

provides

comprehensive

services, solving

maintenance

challenges.

P R E V I E W

1

2

3


and delivered the solutions theyneed to prevai l . To do this , thecompany leverage what makesthem unique: providing the com-plete global resources you need, allcoordinated and executed by ourteam members around the world.

With a broad array of services andcapabilities, Universal can help acustomer overcome the unexpected– and the everyday challenges theyface, including:

Knowledge, exper ience , andresources that come from morethan 50 years in business, in whichwe’ve facilitated more than 2.5 mil-lion global trip legs

Voted #1 in the Professional PilotPRASE survey 18 times, including#1 in International Trip Planningfrom 2003-2010

Universal Aviation ground sup-port in 20 countries – voted BestHandling Service three years in a

Safety 1st® Certified ProfessionalLine Service Training in Asia, LatinAmerica, and Europe

Buying power of a trustworthynetwork of thousands of provensuppliers around the world

Consistently one of the Top 10Best Places to Work in Houston asranked by the Houston BusinessJournal

Operators of a business aircraftand flight department, giving us anowner’s perspective, as well as anopportunity to test product and ser-vice enhancements

Universal Avionics (1941)Universal Avionics specializes in

flight management systems, inte-gra ted d isp lays and s i tua t iona lawareness . Over the summer ,Universal Avionics’ EFI-890R FlatPanel Display Systems have beense lec ted by F ie ld Av ia t ion o f

890R d isp lay su i te inc ludingPr imary Fl ight , Navigat ion andEngine Displays, dual Vision-1®Synthet ic Vis ion, Radio ControlUni ts and WAAS/SBAS-Fl ightManagement Systems. UniversalAvionics is expected to have thefinal software and hardware designpackage available for installationand cer t i f i ca t ion in 2010 .Integration and installation will becompleted by Field Aviation.

The new flight deck will be avail-able to operators of non-EFIS andEFIS Dash 8/Q-Series 100, 200 and300 aircraft. By reducing the num-ber o f l ine rep laceable un i tsonboard the aircraft, the Dash 8Modernization Program benefitsoperators by significantly reducingmaintenance and repair costs whileimproving reliability.

✈

clients face incredible challenges, handler to complete the NATA gram will feature a five-panel EFI-Since 1959, Universal has seen

row in the Profess iona l P i lo tPRASE survey

Universal Aviation – first ground

Canada to ful f i l l the f l ight deckcomponent of its Dash 8 (Q-Series)Modernization Program. The pro-

Universal Weather and Aviation(3927, 3937)

By Jack Carro l l

Company Predicts 2010

Increase After Posting

Record Sales In 2009.

I

n a year when sales were downacross the board, Airbus Executiveand Private Jets were the excep-

tion, as the division delivered a record14 business jets in 2009 – 12 singleaisle and two wide body models.According to David Velupillai, ProductMarketing Director, Executive &Private Aviation, there were no post-ponements or order cancellations andAirbus expects its corporate jet salesto post a 2010 record as well.

Airbus’ single aisle corporate aircraft,such as the A318 Elite, are positionedat the top end of the Business Aviationmarket – well above traditional large-

cabin types. But there’s yet anotherlevel. Says Velupillai, “When cus-tomers want to move further up to ourwide body models, such as the A330and A340 Prestige, they’re essentiallygetting much more comfort and space,the ability to carry more people asneeded and what we call ‘non-stop tothe world’ range.”

Breaking down the 2009 sales tally,single aisle models included four A318Elites, seven ACJs (Airbus’ first busi-ness jet, derived from the A319) andone A320 Prestige. Sales of two wide-body Prestige models – a twin-engineA330 and a four-engine A340 – addedconsiderably to the company coffersas well. “Considerably” is perhaps toomodest a word when one realizes thelist prices of Airbus wide body airlin-ers range from over $191 million USDfor the A330-200 to nearly $264 millionUSD for the A340-600. Plus comple-

tion and cabin outfitting, that can beanything within reason and cost what-ever the customer can bear.

As Velupillai explains, “Some wantthe aircraft outfitted for fewer passen-gers, say 25-50, to maximize space andcomfort on long flights, or a govern-ment might need to carry a large dele-gation of 100 or more. The possibili-ties are endless. The main point welike to stress is that Airbus can offer acomplete family of corporatejets,derived from our modern designairliners.” The A380, as you mightexpect, is in a league of its own atmore than $346 million USD.

The emphasis is on “modern,” as hepoints out that, “All our aircraft are 80sdesigns or even more recent, and Iconsider that one of our majorstrengths.

If you look at our A318 Elite, ACJ orA320 Prestige, they’re natural stepsup for the company or individual whohappens to be flying a standard top-of-the-line, large-cabin aircraft. We canoffer a cabin that’s about twice the vol-ume of a of a typical business jet inthat category, which is a huge differ-ence. For instance, I can just aboutstand up in a standard large cabin, butit’s a bit uncomfortable for me.” (At6’3,” Velupillai would be pretty muchrelegated to the aisle.) “But in theA318, ACJ or A320, the airliner-sizecabin has great headroom throughoutthat allows maximum freedom ofmovement – not just along the cabin’scenter line.”

A Closer LookTaking a closer look at the Airbus

Corporate Jet family, the company listsa 4,200 nautical mile (nm) range witheight passengers for the A318 Elite.(The eight-passenger count is widelyused in the industry and is just a basisfor a quick comparison; all Airbusmodels can carry many more passen-gers of course. In the case of the A318,typically up to 19.) The A318 comeswith a cabin designed by LufthansaTechnik in cooperation with Airbus.Velupillai refers to it as “the affordablepackage,” where the customer has alimited choice of cabin arrangements.“There are some choices,” heexplains, “such as colors and fabricsor small changes such as having amid-cabin storage area or bathroom,


AIRBUS CORPORATE JET

SALES ACCELERATE

STATUSThe Airbus A318

Elite single aisle

corporate aircraft

is positioned at

the top end of

the Business

Aviation market.

H E A V Y I R O N S A C J


INTERIOR

Created by

Lufthansa

Technik in co-

operation with

Airbus and

Comlux, the big-

jet cabin is part

of an affordable

package

(center).

The spacious

private office of

this A318 Elite

converts to a

bedroom

(bottom).

but essentially the customer is accept-ing the cabin as is. It’s not very flexiblein terms of complete customization,but the advantage here is that it givesyou a much more affordable travelsolution.” Which amounts to about $65million USD with the standard execu-tive cabin.

As to other models, such as the ACJ,the customer can take it to any com-pletion center he wishes, thoughAirbus has recommended centersworldwide. The ACJ, Airbus’ first cor-porate aircraft, was launched in 1997after the A319, from which it wasderived, entered airline service in1996. The ACJ was followed by theA320 Prestige and the A318 Elite, themost recent single aisle model intro-duced. The A320 has a 4,300 nm

range, but the ACJ leads the singleaisle family with an impressive 6,000nm range.

“That’s simply because it has themost possibilities for extra fuel tanksin the cargo hold,” says Velupillai.“With the A318 and A320 you have justtwo extra tanks in the hold.” The ACJhas an equally impressive price tag:About $80 million, including a “typical”VIP cabin, while the similarly outfittedA320 Prestige, also with a VIP-outfit-ted cabin is priced at around $85 mil-lion, according to Velupillai, who cau-tions that, “the final prices can gohigher, depending on the owner’swishes.”

He sees versatility as a strong sellingpoint for Airbus corporate jets.“Maybe you’ll use the aircraft for busi-ness most of the year, but you always

have options over traditional large-cabin business aircraft, when you wantto carry larger groups such as familymembers or employees. I think peopleare always looking to trade up, no mat-ter how good their aircraft may be.They’ve had large-cabin business jetsand have gotten pretty used to them,but for the next aircraft they mightwant something much bigger.”

“Take governments, for example, asector where we’re going very well.They may need to transport entire del-egations. Typically that might includethe delegation leader, who could be aPresident or Prime Minister, who willwant to travel with his senior govern-ment officials. So now you’re at 30 to40 people or more. With our aircraftyou can do that. With traditional large-

ROOMY

The Airbus ACJ

allows a

spacious

journey. This

one designed by

the Alberto Pinto

Company is

outfitted by the

Airbus Corporate

Jet Center


cabin aircraft you’re going to needmore than one. You might have tocharter another aircraft or take somepeople on the corporate jet and sendeveryone else via the scheduled air-lines. So, yes, there are inherentadvantages to a large jet.”

Customer ProfileSo who is the typical customer for an

Airbus corporate jet? “Most of our cus-tomers are private and by that I meaneither companies or individuals andsometimes the two are linked,” saysVelupillai. “For instance, you mighthave the head of a company who isalso its owner. Is he considered a com-pany, an individual or both? Take yourpick.”

We couldn’t help asking about thesale of an Airbus 380, called the“Flying Palace,” which will certainly bean apt description. “We have sold oneto a private customer, Prince AlWaleed of Saudi Arabia, but delivery isstill in the future and no decisionshave been made thus far as to comple-tion, cabin outfitting and equipment.”

According to Velipullai, Airbus hassold over 160 corporate aircraft; over110 single aisle models and the balancein wide body aircraft. This is a smallnumber relative to the airliner side ofthe business, but nevertheless ,sizeablein its own right. “At this point, we haveover 100 corporate jets in service, inaddition to those in completion centersor in production, and have aircraft oper-ating on every continent.”

And he means every continent.“We’re the only corporate jet manufac-turer to have an aircraft flying toAntarctica. There’s a company inHobart, Tasmania, called Skytradersthat operates an ACJ to take groups ofscientists between Australia andAntarctica. It takes about five hours,which is a lot better than a ship thattakes about ten days, depending onthe ice. The service highlights the ver-satility of the ACJ, which uses an icerunway with a roughened surface togain friction to help with braking.Skytraders flies the ACJ on behalf ofthe Australian government during theAntarctic Summer when there’s a win-dow of a few months.”

As to product support, Velupillainotes that , “We have airliners operat-ing all over the world for some 400customers, so as a corporate customeryou’re going to find airliner-type sup-port and more. For instance, we have170 Field Support Teams, six SparesCenters, two dedicated training cen-ters, with others operated in coopera-tion with CAE, plus a team of servicerepresentatives dedicated to corporatecustomers.”

He points out that, “Across theboard, our customers are operatingaircraft that have great track recordsand an outstanding 99.5 percent opera-tional reliability rating. And they’re notusing their aircraft nearly as much asthe airlines would. Our business jetswere designed for robust airline ser-vice and so for corporate operators are

proving to be excellent investmentsthat have a high residual value.Actually, we haven’t seen that manysecond-hand sales of Airbus CorporateJets, only a handful or so since they’vebeen around. But as far as we know,all sold at higher prices than theirowners originally paid.”

Emerging MarketsAsked where he sees the strongest

markets for future sales, Velupillai sin-gles out China, as does just abouteveryone. “We’ve seen a lot of activityin China, especially Hong Kong andMacau, which seem to be the hottestmarkets for the moment.” He reasons,“China is one of the world’s fastestgrowing economies and economicgrowth tends to drive air travel. Andthe government is also starting to real-ize the value of corporate aircraft inhelping the economy grow. So Chinais a very important market wherewe’ve had an awful lot of success thusfar and that’s a part of the world we’llbe watching closely in the future. Andof course we’ll be keep our focus onthe Middle East and Asia, anotherupcoming market, as well. We thinkthe Business Aviation market is start-ing to come back and we’re very opti-mistic for the future.”

Now all Airbus has to do is concen-trate on breaking its own corporate jetsales record by year end. Judgingfrom past performance, I wouldn’t betagainst it.

GOVERNMENTAirbus A-319 VH-

VHD of Australia's

Antarctic Program

after landing on

an ice runway.

H E A V Y I R O N S A C J

✈

EBACE2011BUSINESS AVIATION – LINKING COMMUNITIES AND ECONOMIES

When shopping for a fixed

base operation (FBO), it’s wise

to remember the old saying,

“What matters most is on the

inside.” That’s because while

operators may be wowed by

newly renovated reception

areas and luxurious passenger

and crew lounges, the most

important aspects of an FBO

are less visible to the naked

eye.

A

nother important considerationis the question: What is an FBO?The definition can vary greatly

according to who’s answering it andwhat region an operator is in. Outsideof North America and WesternEurope, very few “true” FBOs exist.Regardless of whether operators willbe utilizing a traditional FBO or theincreasingly popular general aviationterminal model, Universal Weatherand Aviation, Inc. helped BART identi-fy the questions operators need to ask.

Experience of Staff

The most important thing to consid-er before anything else when select-ing an FBO is to understand theexperience of the staff running thelocation.

“A good FBO is a company thatinvests in the training and quality ofits people,” said Jonathan Howells,Regional Vice President, Europe, theMiddle East and Africa, UniversalWeather and Aviation. “When youchoose an FBO, you want to be work-ing with people who have a sense ofurgency about your request and areready to facilitate your needs no mat-ter what the time is day or night. Asany operator knows, changes to a tripitinerary can happen in an instant, soyou want to choose an FBO with staffcapable of adapting quickly and tack-ling last-minute requests with a can-do attitude.”

Proper training is critical for allemployees of the FBO, not just thosethe operator interacts with. “An oper-ator might walk into an FBO and begreeted by the most professional andcustomer service oriented front deskstaff they have ever encountered,”said Howells.

“Now creating a customer friendlyenvironment is an important part of asuccessful FBO, but the most criticalaspect of a good FBO is ground han-dling – the personnel responsible fortaking care of multi-million dollar air-craft. At the end of the day, it doesn’tmatter how great front office staff isif the ramp agents are not doing theirjob properly.”

Howells explained that experiencecannot be substituted when it comesto providing great service at an FBO:

“When a last-minute change comesin from the passengers, the FBO staffneeds to have the experience andknowledge of how to react,” he said.“Experience cannot be substitutedwhen it comes to working with air-port authorities or having unmatchedknowledge of the local area and whatis going on in the area that couldimpact an operation. They will havethe knowledge of the most efficientroutes from the airport to the client’sdestination in the event roads areclosed or alternate routings need tobe taken.”


WHAT MAKES A GOOD FBO?

STAFFA well trained

personnel is one

of the most

important

good FBO.

Universal

Aviation, Rome

Ciampino, LIRA.

F B O E V A L U A T I O N

elements of a


ESSENTIALThe most critical

aspect of a good

FBO is ground

handling and the

personnel taking

care of multi-

million dollar

aircraft (right).

When a last-

minute change

comes, the FBO

staff needs to

have the

experience and

knowledge of

how to react

(left).

“Inexperienced staff just does nothave the capability or contacts fortransportation companies, caterers,and other reliable 3rd party vendorsto do this,” he continues. “It’s a criti-cal component of ensuring a success-ful trip that cannot be overstated.”

Howells added that most goodFBOs will have a designated repre-sentative assigned to an operator towalk them through every step duringquick turns to ensure everythingruns smoothly.

“A good FBO will assign a quali-f ied and trained individual to bethere for the client at all times, 24/7should anything need to be coordi-nated quickly and to answer anyquestions,” he said. “You shouldalways have a go-to person to pro-vide that comfort level that youknow everything is being arrangedproperly. In Europe, you shouldhave trained staff used to workingwith EuroControl on slot issues aswell.”

Relationship withLocal Authorities

Another often overlooked attributeof a good FBO is the staff’s relation-ship with local authorities. This helpsensure that all requests (permits,customs inspections, and more) aredone in compliance with local and USlaws.

“An established FBO with experi-enced and professionally trained staffmembers will have developed strongand trusting relationships over theyears with the local authorities. Will

an inexperienced or new FBO havethe cell phone number to call theCustoms Official in the middle of thenight to ensure someone is availableto clear passengers? Probably not, but

the established location will,” saidHowells. “Trust goes a long way withthe authorities. When a short-noticerequest comes in, an FBO that hasdemonstrated over time that it oper-ates in accordance with all local laws ismuch more likely to receive a promptreply. It also gives the operator peaceof mind that the FBO staff is knowl-edgeable and aware of local laws andhas a proven track record of workingcollaboratively with the authorities toensure all trips coordinated are fullycompliant.”

Safety and Equipment

“Most operators wouldn’t allow anon-licensed driver to operate theirvehicle, but not all of them bother to

ask whether the FBO they’ve hired totake care of their aircraft is properlytrained and licensed,” said Vic Gregg,Director of Operations, UniversalAviation. “There are some fly-by-nightFBOs or Ground Handlers out there.Operators must do the proper due dili-gence to find out if the FBO they areusing is properly licensed by the gov-erning authorities.”

According to Gregg, just having theproper training is not enough if theFBO doesn’t put that training intopractice.

“Safety is a culture that must be per-meated from the top down throughoutan FBO,” he explained. “You can haveall the great manuals in the world, butwithout enforcement of those stan-dards and a culture of safety andaccountability, your aircraft could beat risk.”

There are some telltale signs that anFBO is not safety oriented:

“What’s the FBO’s equipment like?”he said. “Is it new or are they tryingto get by with old and outdated equip-ment to save a few dollars? Does theFBO audit its equipment regularly toensure it’s in proper working order?I’ve seen instances where an FBOwas still using a worn-out piece ofequipment not less than 25 years old.I’ve also heard of safety violations likedrinking water tanks being full ofalgae because they haven’t been


treated properly and filler hoses fordrinking water lying on the groundwithout a cap.”

“It’s important to ask detailed ques-tions about the safety training an FBO’sstaff is put through and what type ofrecurrent training occurs,” continuesGregg. “Operators should ask thesequestions on an individual basis, evenwhen working with a chain of FBOs.Many FBO chains are actually locallyowned franchises that don’t necessarilyoperate under the parent company’sstandards. Ask the FBO if they areaudited regularly for safety and opera-tional standards.”

Operators should also be diligent inasking FBOs about their fuel qualityand service.

“In the US, to be considered an FBO,the location normally has to sell fueland have its own fuel trucks,” saidGregg. “That’s usually not the case inother parts of the world. So it’s impor-tant to ask questions about the qualityof the fuel and to ask how the FBO per-forms fuel testing, as water can some-times contaminate fuel that’s been sit-ting for a long period of time. If theFBO cannot show the results of a fueltest in front of you, don’t put its fuelinto your aircraft. Also remember that ifan FBO does not have a dedicated fueltruck, you could be waiting a while if acommercial aircraft needs fuel also.Many fueling vendors main responsibil-ity are the airlines – that’s where theymake most of their money – so youcould be waiting in line a while for fuelif the facility does not have its own dedi-cated fuel trucks or at least an agree-ment with a fuel into-plane vendor whoserves general or corporate aviationcustomers.”

Howells added that the staff shouldhave experience working with aircraftwith unique needs.

“Does the staff understand how theunique requirements of large aircraft?”he said. “Does the aircraft requiresteps or need to be parked in a moresecure area? A good FBO staff willknow this without having to be told.”

InsuranceUnfortunately, accidents on the ramp

are a part of aviation. Therefore, it’sabsolutely critical that operators askabout the FBO’s insurance coverage.

“Operators should ask the FBO whatits insurance levels are to ensure it isadequately covered in case an unfore-seen event damages the aircraft orinjures the passengers,” said Howells.

“Aircraft are expensive, multi-milliondollar investments,” added Gregg. “Asmall accident could cause thousandsof dollars in out of pocket expenses tothe owner if the FBO is not insured atthe proper levels. If the FBO breaksyour aircraft, does it have the coverageto get it fixed? Outside of the safety ofthe passengers and crew, the mostimportant thing for an operator is thesafety of the aircraft. Using an underinsured FBO is taking a huge risk.”

FacilitiesWhile safety and operating standards

should be the most important criteriawhen selecting an FBO, a good FBOshould also have proper facilities.

“A quality FBO should have facilitiesthat are comfortable for the crew andpassenger to spend time in should theychoose,” said Howells. “Are there dedi-cated lounges and meeting rooms?Does the facility have Wi-Fi available?The value of a true network is that pas-sengers and crew know that they willreceive the same standard of service atevery location no matter where theyare. This adds a level of comfort, as inmost parts of the world, the quality ofservice and facilities can vary greatly.”

Remember What’s Consideredan FBO Varies Widely

Although corporate aviation contin-ues to grow around the world, partic-ularly the BRIC countries (Brazil,Russia, India, China), it’s importantto note that what’s considered anFBO overseas most likely is not com-parable to what operators are used toin the U.S. and Western Europe.

“In reality, about 85 percent of theworld does not have Western-styleFBOs,” said Gregg. “There may beelements that are similar in ways toan FBO, such as a GAT or VIP termi-nals, but full service FBOs are prettyrare in many areas of the world. Forinstance, operators should be awarethat at many VIP terminals, the han-dlers are probably using the airlinehandlers or 3rd party vendors to towthe aircraft and provide ‘under-wing’handling services while the VIPTerminal staff concentrates on takingcare of the needs of the passengersand crew.”

“It’s a common fallacy for many cor-porate operators in the West toexpect that they will receive the sameFBO-type services in rural India orRussia as they would in Paris orRome and this is not always thecase.”

“Even in Business Aviation-friendlylocations such as Japan, operators

VIGILANCEOperators

should be

diligent, asking

FBOs about their

fuel quality

service.

F B O E V A L U A T I O N


FEATUREIf the FBO

breaks your

aircraft, does it

have the

coverage to get

it fixed (top)?

A quality FBO

should have

facilities that are

comfortable for

the crew and

passengers.

Marshall Aviation

Cambridge

(center).

will not receive the ‘same’ FBO expe-rience, as by law, passengers mustgo through the regular Customs andImmigration lines with commercialpassengers.”

Model for Improved ServicesCharlie Mularski, Vice President,

Strategic Acquisitions & Development,said that expanding true FBOs aroundthe world is difficult but that infra-structure and services are improvingglobally.

“What we’ve seen is that airportauthorities and government officialswhich historically have been mostlyfocused on commercial traffic, arestarting to understand the value ofgeneral aviation,” he said. “A success-ful model that Universal has imple-mented in places like Aruba andMumbai are GATs, which have provento make airports money and elevateservice quality to both global andregional general/corporate aviationoperators. The key to this model is

consulting with airports from the firstphase and sharing the Universal foot-print for GATs. We are continuing towork with airports to implement solu-tions such as GATs where a full-scaleFBO may not be possible.”

Research is KeyNo matter where an operator is trav-

eling, research should always be con-ducted. Howells and Gregg advisedoperators to have a checklist of ques-tions at the ready so they are preparedwhen they speak with the FBO’sowner or general manager.

“A good FBO should represent goodvalue for the money you are paying,”said Howells. “The best way to helpensure your experience will be positiveis to prepare on the front end and askthe right questions. As mentioned previ-ously, questions about the FBO’s safetyculture, insurance coverage, quality ofits facilities, training of its staff and mar-ket share should provide a good viewinto what service levels will be like.”

Article provided by Universal Weatherand Aviation. For more informationand urgent operational updates, opera-tors can visit www.univ-wea.com/oper-ationalupdates or contact Universal’sGlobal Regulatory Services team at 713-378-2734.

✈

by LeRoy Cook

Aircraft owners are ever

eager to add improvements

to their aerial conveyance.

The latest and greatest

airplane only exists for a brief

shining moment, after which

there’s always going to be a

newer, better model or an

aftermarket upgrade that

can negate its supremacy.

The world of aircraft

modifications exists to satisfy

this innate appetite for

improvement.

W

ho of us would not l ike tomake our airplane cruise a lit-tle faster, climb a little quick-

er, or fly further non-stop? All certifi-cated aircraft are delivered as a com-promise - at the time of their con-struction, engines were chosen thatcould meet a design target, mated toan airframe that could be produced atan acceptable price, and equipmentadded to satisfy current tastes, there-by balancing performance againstpayload, range and cost. Modifierssimply pick up where the factory leftoff, tweaking the aircraft in ways thatthe original manufacturer didn’t orcouldn’t.

Drag Reduction, PowerIncrease, or Both?

Tailoring airflow to cut drag andenhance stability is a frequent target formodifiers. Aft fuselage strakes (dualventral fins), wingroot fairings, leadingedge cuffs, wingtip winglets and vortexgenerators can all play a role in gettingan older airplane to do more work onthe same pounds of fuel. Because tur-bine airplanes spend the majority oftheir time at high altitude, anythingthat can improve efficiency and han-dling up there is a worthy undertaking,and boosting climb performance toTOC pays off handsomely.

In the world of turbine-powered air-craft, by far the greatest performanceenhancements stem from powerplantupgrades. Improvements in metallur-gy, fan design and fuel controls canallow newer versions of a basic coreengine to deliver more thrust at thesame or higher cruise altitude, and/ordepart with more payload underadverse combinations of temperatureand airport elevation. Squeezing extramiles out of the same fuel load makesa venerable airframe competitive withnewer models.

The cost of switching to a differentengine “dash number” has to beweighed against the fuel savings andincreased resale value. It makes themost sense to pursue this coursewhen faced with an overhaul or heavyinspection decision, as taking care ofthe old engines is already going tocost a good share of the upgrade tariff.The payback, at corporate utilizationrates, may take years to achieve, but ifthe airplane is to be most salable atdisposal time, an engine upgrade maybe nearly mandatory. Thus, spendinga little more now will be banking valuefor future recovery.

Not every upgrade is undertaken forpurposes of boosting performance.Capability is almost as desirable, aswhen adding storage space in aftnacelle lockers or installing extraseats. Fitting a baggage locker underthe aft fuselage or putting a couchalong the cabin sidewall may be just


MODIFYING FOR ENHANCEMENT

TECHNOLOGYRaisbeck Dual

Aft Body Strakes

are pushing King

Air C90s through

the air (top).

The Blackhawk

PT6A-42A engine

upgrade adds

utility to the

Caravan. It

reduces takeoff

distances,

doubles the climb

rate and pushes

200 KTAS

in cruise (center)

C O M P L E T I O N S C U S T O M M O D I F I C A T I O N S


WINGSAviation Partners

winglets adorn

the legendary

Dassault wings

(left).

Sierra Industries'

long-wing mod

kick the early

Cessna Citation

up to a new level

(right).

the ticket for your particular operation,even though you’re otherwise perfect-ly satisfied with the range and speedof your aircraft.

Promises, of course, are easy tomake. Fortunately, the business air-

craft industry is small enough to makeverifying results and reputations notonly possible, but desirable. Productsupport and acceptance for approvalare things to discuss with customerswho’ve been through the conversionprocess. A company’s track recordspeaks for itself, in most cases.

Raisbeck EngineeringFor 28 years, Raisbeck Engineering

has been making great airplanes better.This successful history has madeJames Raisbeck’s name synonymouswith desirable modifications, so muchso that many of the company’s signa-ture King Air add-ons are available onbrand-new airplanes. Raisbeck’s EPICKing Air packages bring superior per-formance to the older Beechcraft turbo-props, primarily through airflowenhancements – high-activity pro-pellers, aft body strakes, ram air recov-ery cowlings and leading edge exten-sions. Raisbeck’s well-known nacellewing lockers can boost King Air C90takeoff weight by as much as 850pounds while adding 17 cubic feet ofstorage space.

For the fast-flying Learjet owners,Raisbeck’s ZR Lite Learjet 30-seriesperformance modifications reducedrag through airflow tailoring, and thecompany’s popular aft fuselage lockersfor the Learjet add badly-needed bag-gage space outside the cabin. MostLearjet 31s have Raisbeck modsinstalled, as do many of the 35/36

Learjets. Now, a 25 cubic foot aft-fuse-lage locker is being developed for theLearjet 60, to be offered both as aretrofit and as a customer option onnew aircraft. Initial deliveries are antic-ipated in the first quarter of 2011.

Blackhawk Modifications

Best known for its engine upgradesto the Beech King Airs, BlackhawkModifications, Inc. actually workssimilar PT-6A magic on the CessnaConquest I 425, Piper’s Cheyenne Iand II, and the early Cessna Caravan.By installing later dash-numberengines, all of these airplanes canbenefit from evolutionary powerplantimprovements and enhanced resalevalue. Blackhawk also offers addition-al fuel in nacelle tanks for the KingAir C90, and it can replace analogengine gauges with its proprietaryDigiLog digital display system. TheDigiLog instrumentation upgrade fitsneatly into the same holes as the oldanalog swinging-needle gauges, offer-ing a digital presentation of the para-meters.

Blackhawk has been installing itsengine upgrades since 1999, steadilyincreasing its supplemental type cer-tificate offerings. According to a com-pany spokesman, upgrading engines,compared with overhauling the oldones, is a better investment becauseit brings the airplane up to new specsat a lower cost than buying a newplane outright. When it comes to thePiper Cheyenne II XL and BeechKing Air F90, it’s the economics,rather than pure performance, thatfavor exchanging the old PT6A-135engines for -135A powerplants atoverhaul time.

Aviation Partners

In the aftermarket winglet world,API, or Aviation PartnersIncorporated, reigns supreme as themost-capable “go to” folks. Fully 70%

of Gulfstream II business jets sportAPI’s blended winglets, and the prod-uct is seen on many Boeing 737, 757and 767 airplanes. Every BBJ is deliv-ered with API’s blended winglets.

Founded in 1993, API has steadilyexpanded its offerings to include theHawker 800 and 800XP, as well as theFalcon 2000, whose fans were long ahold-out against unnecessary addi-tions to the legendary Dassault wing.Current production Falcon 2000LXsnow can be fitted with fuel-saving APIwinglets. The company quotes a pre-dictable payback of efficiency frominstalling the blended winglets, stress-ing the “green” benefits of extendingthe effective wingspan. StandardAero,an API installer and operator ofDassault Falcon service centers,recently completed its first Falcon2000 winglet mod, which reportedlycan add 260 nautical miles of range.

It’s no secret that API’s next targetsare to be the Falcon 900 and Falcon 50airframes. The Dassault trijets willreceive similar blended winglets to theones seen on the Falcon 2000, with thefinal timetable yet to be announced.

Sierra IndustriesSierra Industries’ modifications to

the early Cessna Citation kick the littlebizjet up to a new level of perfor-mance. Long a desirable upgrade tobring Citation 500s up to the 501’sstandard, Sierra’s Eagle long-wingmod increases the 500’s wing span by


about three feet for better altitude per-formance. At the powerplant level,Sierra can exchange the venerablePratt and Whitney JT15D fanjets formore-efficient Williams FJ44 engines,resulting in a Citation 501 that canclimb higher and quicker, cruisefaster, or range farther. A Super IIversion of the Citation 550 changes the2,500-lb-thrust JT15Ds for 2,800-poundFJ44-3As, increasing speed by 30knots or economy-cruise range by 400miles. A similar improvement packagefor the Citation S-II results in a SuperS-II.

In business since 1983, Sierraboasts 300 STC’s available, so it hasmany more Citation upgrades thanthe wing extensions and engineswaps. An aft-cabin fuel tank, usingthe rear 18 inches that is almostdirectly on the CG, offers some 120gallons of added fuel. A 36-inch-widecargo door can replace the 23-inchstandard door, almost a mandatorymodfication for medical transfer mis-sions. A quick-release radome isavailable for early-model Citations,and gas-strut supports for the bag-gage door can save the copilot’s nog-gin in high winds. An aft baggage kitopens up the unused space in therear fuselage for bulky i tems.Interior options available from Sierrainclude a three-seat rear divan, arm-rests, barrel seats and more.

Sierra’s latest Citation upgrade is aglass-cockpit installation for theCitation 501, slated for approval in

early 2011. Called the G501SP flightdeck, it will feature Garmin GDU 1040dual primary flight displays and a cen-tral multi-function display, with apedestal-mounted alphanumeric key-pad. Optional features include MeggittEIDS digital engine instrumentation,SVT synthetic vision and TAWS A orB. With Sierra’s improvements, theearly Citations gain a new lease on life.Check to see which modificationshave gained EASA approval or have itpending.

BLR Aerospace

Don’t count on spotting a BeechKing Air 350 by taking note of itswinglets. It’s best to count the win-dows, because BLR Aerospaceoffers add-on winglets for the SuperKing Air 200 and 300 models, aswell as other airflow devices for air-craft like the Cessna 441 ConquestII. By controlling tip vortexes, theef fect ive span of the winglet -equipped wing is increased, paying

CUSTOMThe latest

addition to the

BLR King Air

offerings are

retrofit winglets

for the King Air

90 series (top).

The 50Dash4

modifications

concede a full

range of better

performances to

the original

Falcon 50

(center).

C O M P L E T I O N S C U S T O M M O D I F I C A T I O N S


RETROFITSide-facing

divans are

popular options

proposed by

AvFab. Two

place divan for

Beechjet 400

recently

approved by

EASA (top).

big dividends in climb and high alti-tude performance, particularly inISA+ conditions.

The latest addition to the BLR KingAir offerings are retrofit winglets forthe King Air 90 series, certified inMarch, 2010 by FAA and EASA. Bythe 3rd quarter of 2010, 64 shipsetshad been delivered. Every one ofBeech’s new King Air 90GTx isequipped with the winglets as stan-dard equipment. If BLR has its way,there will be no Beech King Airs leftunwingletted.

Premier Aircraft, LLCThe Honeywell-engined Falcon 50

trijet is a great corporate aircraft, but itcan be made more so by changingfrom its original TFE-331-3-1C enginesto TFE-731-4-1C powerplants, a con-version offered by Premier Aircraft,LLC. Premier Aircraft is now whollyowned by West Star Aviation, Inc., in adeal announced August 2nd, 2010 byformer partner Yankee PacificAerospace.

The 50Dash4 modification allowshigher takeoff weights under high-and-hot conditions, which benefitsrange to the tune of more than 600nautical miles. Nearly all parametersshow improvement with the moreefficient, lower-emissions engines;cruise speed can be 35 knots faster,runway distance is shorter, directtime to climb is less and payload isincreased.

It’s most advantageous to pursue the50Dash4 mod when faced with a hotsection or core inspection, whenHoneywell MSP will credit back themonies that would have been spent onthe older engines. Premier LLC’s per-formance upgrade is certified by bothFAA and EASA, with installation avail-able at Jet Aviation locations world-wide and Duncan Aviation, MidcoastAviation and West Star Aviation in theAmericas.

AvFabAviation Fabricators and its sister

company, Central Airmotive, offer ahost of seating and interior options forthe Beech King Air, Mitsubishi MU-2,Falcon, Commander, Learjet and otherbusiness aircraft up through

Gulfstreams. Side-facing divans areone of the most popular options,adding an extra seat in a footprint for-merly occupied by two facing seats.Aft seating for the King Air’s cabinbaggage area is also a sought-aftermodification. AvFab products arePMA approved, built to strict specifica-tions for the individual aircraft type,with STC approvals for installation.AvFab is also a source of refreshmentconsoles, toilets and frequently-need-ed interior parts, in addition to theadd-on seating options.

AvFab has developed high-densityseating for King Airs, allowing asmany 15 seats to be installed in theSuper King Air 350, for instance.Another popular new product is a side-wall and table upgrade for older KingAirs, to create the look of the newerGT series. Stretcher installations formedical evacuation work are also a fre-quently-ordered AvFab item. The com-pany works directly with the Beechfactory when its products are installedin new-production special-missionKing Airs.

In the final analysis, the decision ofwhether to upgrade one’s existing air-craft or to trade up is a weighty one.However, when well-satisfied with theequipment and accoutrements in thepresent aircraft, a proven modificationpackage from an established suppliercan add value and capability.

✈

By Marc Grang ier

Going green may have started

as a fashion, but now it has

become a vital necessity. A

few years ago, a report to the

United States Congress stated

that: “The effects of aircraft

emissions on the current and

projected climate of our planet

may be the most serious long-

term environmental issue

facing the aviation industry.”

A

ccording to Jack J. Pelton,President and CEO of CessnaAircraft, “Aviation has estab-

lished an outstanding track record inreducing its environmental impact.The market demands efficiency. Andwith greater fuel efficiency comesreduced emissions. Still, we recognizethere is much more we must do.”

Our community recognizes that wemust do our part to reduce aviationemissions further even as we grow tomeet rising demand for transportation.Here’s a look at what we are doing –along with a look at what might layahead…

BiofuelsBiofuels are a key element of

Business Aviation’s strategy to reduceits carbon emissions. They are expect-ed to reduce lifecycle CO2 emissionsby as much as 80 percent. Significantdevelopments have been made in thepast years, and certain biofuel blendshave already been certified for “drop-in” use in existing aircraft. Remainingchallenges include aggregating suffi-cient demand for sustainable biofuelsto justify the investment required inproduction and distribution infrastruc-

tures. The target is to certify biofuelsas safe for aviation use by 2013, butthe latest information is that certifica-tion could be completed in 2011.

Once claiming about 25 percent oftotal operating costs, aviation fuel cannow demand more than 45 percent ofoperating costs - eclipsing all others.Moreover, while carbon dioxide regu-lations and costs reflect efforts to pro-tect our atmosphere, they are addingeven further overwhelming stress tothe industry’s bottom line – even ifnew aircraft are 70 percent more fuelefficient than 40 years ago and 20 per-cent more efficient than 10 years ago.

Aiming for further improvement, theindustry has pledged to increase fuelefficiency by another 25 percent by theyear 2020. This is why, during recentyears, a number of studies and reportshave investigated the potential for useof biofuels in aviation. Hydrogen hasalso been suggested as an aircraft fuelof the future. In reality, hydrogen air-craft would require new engines andairframes, which are unlikely to beseen for at least several decades.Hence, at the present time, novel liq-uid fuels are the only realistic alterna-tive for air transport.

Demonstration Flightsand Tests Use Biofuel Blends

Honeywell (through its UOP busi-ness) is preceding researches in avia-tion biofuels. It has developed and isworking to license technology that willallow fuel producers to convert abroad range of biological sources likealgae or camelina into Green Jet Fuel.While Honeywell is not traditionally afuel producer, it is utilizing a smalldemo scale processing unit to producethe fuel that is being used for the com-mercial and military demonstrationflights and multiple military flightswith the US Air Force and Navy, aswell as a helicopter flight with theRoyal Netherlands Air Force earlierthis summer. “These flights are criti-cal to demonstrating the viability offuels made from non-food, sustainablefeedstocks and enabling the certifica-tion of Green Jet Fuel for military air-craft,” said Jennifer Holmgren, vicepresident and general manager ofUOP’s Renewable Energy &Chemicals business.

Last July, Bombardier announcedthat for the first time, a Q400 turbo-prop aircraft will be flown by early2012 using fuel from an oilseed crop


BUSINESS AVIATION GOES GREEN

FOOTPRINT

Bombardier is

implementing

green design in

the development

of its new all-

composite

Learjet 85

business jet

I N N O V A T I O N G R E E N T E C H N O L O G Y


ALTERNATIVEEADS teamed

with Diamond for

the first flight of

an aircraft

powered by pure

biofuel (right).

The first flight of

a Bombardier

Q400 using fuel

from oilseed

crop is

scheduled for

2012 (left).

as part of a new biofuel test program.According to Helene V. Gagnon, VicePresident, Bombardier Aerospace,“renewable fuel from camelina offers areal opportunity to reduce the environ-mental impact of aviation by signifi-cantly reducing carbon lifecycle emis-sions”, adding that “the Q400 aircraftis already one of the greenest aircraftin service around the world, and thistest program provides an opportunityto further the industry’s biofuel effortsand ultimately help reach its emis-sions reduction targets.”

For Walter Di Bartolomeo, VicePresident, Engineering, Pratt &Whitney Canada: “We have imple-mented new technologies to signifi-cantly reduce fuel consumption, envi-ronmental emissions and engine noisein our latest generation of engines andwe are developing cutting-edge greentechnologies for the future. We arecommitted to testing alternative fuels,including second and third-generationbiofuels, in an effort to reduce theenvironmental impact of our prod-ucts.”

At this year’s Berlin andFarnborough Air Shows, EADS show-cased the world’s first flight of an air-craft powered by pure biofuel madefrom algae. A Diamond DA42 NewGeneration aircraft powered by twoAustro AE300 engines took part in thedaily flight demonstrations. Due to thehigher energy content of the algae bio-fuel, the fuel consumption of theDiamond DA42 New Generation is 1.5liters per hour lower when comparedto conventional JET-A1 fuel - whilemaintaining equal performance. Testsalso proved that only relatively minormodifications and adjustments had tobe made to the aircraft’s engines to

qualify the biofuel from algae for thedemonstration flights. According toEADS research and technology ChiefJean Botti: “This is the first time any-one has done it with 100 percent biofu-el.” Bench tests with algae biofuel inthe AE300 engine indicate fuel savingsof 5-10 percent over kerosene as thebiofuel burns more efficiently. “We areamazed that it had better combustionthan kerosene,” added Botti.

A year ago, Honeywell completed ini-tial testing of renewable jet fuel on its131-9 Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) andTFE 731-5 turbofan engine, withresults comparable to traditional avia-tion fuels. The renewable jet fuel wasproduced using technology fromHoneywell’s UOP, for use in theBoeing sustainable biofuel flight testprogram, and was tested by HoneywellAerospace in cooperation with Boeingand UOP. “In a series of tests in bothpropulsion engines and APUs,Honeywell saw no degradation inengine performance or fuel consump-tion,” said Bob Smith, Vice President,Advanced Technology, HoneywellAerospace.

“The test regime for both APUs andturbofan engines included evaluation

of combustion characteristics alongwith full-engine testing of both theAPU and turbofan engine, and, in eachof these tests, the engines performedjust as they would with traditional avia-tion fuels. Renewable jet fuel madefrom sustainable sources like jatrophaand algae has great potential to reducethe carbon footprint of jet engines inthe coming decades while reducingour dependence on traditional fossilsources,” said Ron Rich, Director,Advanced Technology, HoneywellAerospace.

Greener EnginesFor several years, Snecma has been

developing the Silvercrest, designedto cut fuel burn and engine emis-sions, and therefore reducing envi-ronmental impact. Despite the cur-rent economical downturn, theFrench engine manufacturerbelieves that history has shown thatthe market still enjoys a long-termgrowth outlook. Thus, it is convincedthat its new generation powerplant,which will develop from 9,500 to12,000 pounds of thrust, has excel-lent prospects for large cabin andlong-range business jets that willenter service as of the end of 2014.The successful series of core demon-strator tests have demonstrated thatthe Silvercrest will deliver a betterfuel burn value than the initial goalof 15% fuel burn improvement overcurrent engines in the same thrustrange, and 50% NOx margin versusthe ICAOÕs CAEP/6 standard. TheSilvercrest also aims to reduce noiseup to 20 EPNdB versus Stage IV.Snecma, which dedicates one-thirdof its annual Research & Technologybudget to reducing environmentalimpact, also takes a proactiveapproach to environmental protec-tion, spanning all products and pro-


duction sites (certified ISO 14001).The company is also highly focusedon meeting ACARE (AdvisoryCouncil for Aerospace Research inEurope) environmental objectives.Furthermore, it participates in anumber of European research pro-grams aimed at developing innova-t ive solutions to signif icantlydecrease aircraft engine noise andemissions (CO2 and NOx).

Electric Propulsion

Last July, Cessna Aircraft announcedit was collaborating with Bye Energy,Inc., an integrator of clean, alternativeenergy technologies for business andgeneral aviation aircraft, to design anddevelop an electric propulsion systemfor a Cessna 172 proof-of-concept(POC) aircraft. Cessna’s Chairman,President and CEO Jack J. Pelton said,“As we look at the landscape of alter-native fuels for general aviation air-craft, the electric power plant offerssignificant benefits, but there are sig-nificant challenges to get there. Webelieve Bye Energy has gotten off to agood start in understanding thosechallenges and how to overcomethem.”

George Bye, CEO of Bye EnergyInc., thanked Cessna for its collabora-tion. “We are honored to work withCessna in accomplishing the proof ofconcept endeavor. Cessna’s support ofthe electric and electric-hybrid pro-gram is vital to moving general avia-tion into the future,” he said.

First flight of the electric-poweredCessna 172 Skyhawk POC is expectedto take place by year end. Cessna hasdelivered more than 43,000 Cessna172s.

Early September, EADS announcedthe first flight of the Cri-Cri, the first-ever four-engine all-electric aerobaticplane, and a low-cost test bed for sys-tem integration of electrical technolo-gies in support of projects like EADShybrid propulsion concept for heli-copters. The plane incorporatesnumerous innovative technologiessuch as lightweight composite struc-tures that reduce the weight of the air-

frame and compensate for the addi-tional weight of the batteries, fourbrushless electric motors withcounter-rotating propellers, whichdeliver propulsion without CO2 emis-sions and significantly lower noisecompared to thermal propulsion, andhigh energy-density Lithium batteries.The combined utilization of these envi-ronment-friendly technical innovationsenables the Cri-Cri to deliver novelperformance values: 30 minutes ofautonomous cruise flight at 110 km/h,15 minutes of autonomous aerobaticsat speeds reaching up to 250 km/h,and a climb rate of approximately 5.3m/sec.

Implementing the Designfor Environment Engineering

Going green is of course reducingCO2 emissions, but apart from usingbiofuels, there are other ways toreduce the environmental impact ofbusiness aircraft, for example byimproving their aerodynamics. In thisrespect, a company like RaisbeckEngineering is pushing hard toimprove performance of a givenplane, while reducing its fuel con-sumption. One of its packages, theKing Air C90GTi EPIC Performance

Package, includes Raisbeck/Hartzell4-blade Quiet Turbofan propellers,dual aft body strakes, increased grossweight to 10,560 lbs (ramp) and10,500 lbs (takeoff), FAA-ApprovedFlight Manual Supplement, andoptional Crown wing lockers. Thispackage, which has been FAAapproved since the fall of 2009, isavailable for all C90A/B/, C90GT andC90GTi models.

To date, nearly 40 percent of all newproduction C90GTi and B200GT ownersare electing to have RaisbeckPerformance Systems installed prior tofirst delivery. Raisbeck’s C90GTi EPICPerformance Package benefits includehigher ramp and takeoff weights (460lbs and 400 lbs more, respectively), 13percent shorter takeoff distances, signifi-cantly better climb, lower cruise RPMand shorter landing distances. Over6,000 Raisbeck systems have beeninstalled since 1982.

Similarly, Hawker Beechcraft recentlyannounced that Beechcraft King Air 90xcomposite winglet testing and certifica-tion is complete. Winglets for King AirC90 and E90 models increase wingaspect ratio to reduce induced drag andallows the King Air to fly faster on lessfuel. Introduced last summer, the KingAir 90x upgrade is a two-part conversionthat synergizes the aerodynamic bene-fits of winglets with a gross weightincrease to create enhanced King Air 90handling/range/payload capability.“The King Air 90x package providesadded value and versatility to an aircraftthat already has a well-deserved reputa-tion as a workhorse,” said ChristiTannahill, HBC vice-president, GlobalCustomer Support. Additionally, the per-

ELECTRICFirst flight of the

electric-powered

C172 Skyhawk

is expected to

take place by

year end. (left).

The Cri-Cri is a

low cost test bed

for system

integration of

electrical

technologies

(right).

I N N O V A T I O N G R E E N T E C H N O L O G Y


EFFICIENCYThe Snecma

Silvercrest is

designed to cut

fuel burn and

engine

emissions (top).

Winglets for King

Air C90 and E90

allows the King

Air to fly faster

with less fuel.

(left).

Each new

Gulfstream

product offers

improved fuel

efficiency and

lower emissions

(right).

formance enhancements gainedthrough the installation of the wingletswill, over time, provide enough fuel sav-ings to offset much of the cost of themodification.

Bombardier too is implementinggreen design for environment engineer-ing in the development of its new prod-ucts. It also integrated the use of com-posites technology with its new all-com-posite Learjet 85 business jet, scheduledfor entry into service in 2013. Accordingto the Canadian manufacturer, the newLearjet 85 is a perfect example of inte-

grating these initiatives in productdesign. The aircraft, powered by twoPWC PW307B engines, features anadvanced low NOx emission combusterwith reduced environmental impact. It isalso the first business jet designed fortype certification under FAR Part 25 touse composite materials for all externalprimary structures.

According to Hélène V. Gagnon, VicePresident, Bombardier: “We are commit-ted to supporting the aviation industry’sdrive for carbon-neutral growth and areconstantly striving to produce aircraftthat will have a reduced environmentalimpact, and our lifecycle managementapproach to new product design will helpminimize our environmental footprint atall stages of product life.”

Case Study:Gulfstream Aerospace

Aware that it was producing ‘bigirons’ – which are not always sup-posed to be green aircraft - GulfstreamAerospace has made every effort tolimit their impact on the environment.According to Pres Henne, Senior VicePresident, Programs, Engineering andTest, the company developed in theearly 1980s a unique quiet flying pro-

cedure for its customers and promot-ed that procedure until it became stan-dard practice for most pilots.

With each new product, Gulfstreamhas offered improved fuel efficiency, lessnoise and lower emissions. In terms ofaero/propulsion/systems, the companytakes an integrated design approach tooptimize airplane performance and effi-ciency. It also continues to explore theuse of lighter weight materials, includ-ing composite materials. In addition tothe application of weight-saving structur-al design and advanced materials, the

manufacturer is utilizing high-poweredcomputing to optimize the aerodynamicshape by evaluating literally thousandsof designs against performance and effi-ciency criteria. It also continues to workclosely with propulsion system suppliersto achieve step improvements in fuelefficiency, noise and emissions that areexpected in the next generationengines. Gulfstream also leverages thecapability inherent in a fly-by-wire(FBW) control system by reconfiguringthe airplane to a low-drag configurationbased on flight condition, and to reducecritical design loads, thereby reducingstructural weight.

Concerning avionics, Gulfstream hasinvested significantly in the develop-ment of new systems and functionalityto improve safety and operational capa-bility while also providing improved effi-ciency. Examples include its EnhancedFlight Vision System. This product uti-lizes infrared technology to allow pilotsto see through fog and at night. Whenused during approach and landing, itreduces the probability of go-arounds ordiversions to other airports, thus savingfuel.

Gulfstream has also recently receivedFAA approval for RNP SAAAR, which

stands for Required NavigationPerformance Special Aircraft andAircrew Authorization Required. Thisfeature allows precision vertical and lat-eral navigation guidance to within 0.1nautical miles and allows improved useof preferred airspace routes, whichresults in lowered fuel usage.Furthermore, Gulfstream’s PlaneViewFlight Deck is capable of sending andreceiving real-time data, includingweather, such as winds aloft and thun-derstorm data. Using a sophisticated on-board Flight Management System(FMS), the flight crew can make strate-gic decisions to fly at altitudes that opti-mize fuel burn for the planned route.

For the future, Gulfstream is activelyinvolved in industry developments andplans to develop new systems in linewith FAA’s NextGen, Europe’s SESAR,etc. As an example, Continuous DescentTrajectory is the ability to begin thedescent to an airport hundreds of milesaway at idle power without the standardlevel-offs of today. Using advanced on-board navigation systems and displays,the aircraft can reach the airport withsignificantly less fuel burned.

✈

I spent many months in the

classroom and many hours in

the cockpit of many different

aircraft in Istres, Provence,

France. Not only is it a

wonderful place, it is the

location of one of the test

pilots’ schools that the Italian Air

Force sends its officers to

achieve their qualification as

test pilots. But I have to forget

the emotions and souvenirs

that fill my heart and head

today and concentrate on the

test flight I am going to

perform: A still-green Falcon

waits for me on Dassault

Aviation’s apron, the same

apron from which the Rafales

and Mirages 2005 take to the

air.

T

he 2000LX is the latest addition inDassault’ s family of executiveplanes and is the extended range

derivative of the Falcon 2000EX,which has an operating range of “amere” 3,800 miles (6,115 km). The LXhas large and elegant winglets thatextend from wings that still featurethe original design conceived at theSaint Cloud center in Paris. The newwings afford an aerodynamic perfor-

mance improvement in excess of fivepercent, hence the aircraft range isincreased by 250 miles (402 km) andclimb to 47,000 feet (14.3 km) isshortened by two minutes. On thewhole, it is a new airplane with whichDassault intends to offer its cus-tomers the possibility to cross theAtlantic Ocean non-stop – enhancingthe flexibility of an aircraft designedto permit its eight passengers to flycoast-to-coast in the US.

Preparing for Takeoff

Welcomed by Dassault’s chief testpilot Philippe Deleume, BeatriceDubreuil, test engineer and managerof the 2000 tests, and Vadim Feldzer,communications manager, I immedi-ately asked a provoking question:“Why, given the current economicslump, would a company manufactur-ing business aircraft choose to makethem able to achieve performance lev-els that, on paper, are guaranteed bythe products of other, aggressivemanufacturers but that cost half theFalcon’s price?”. I know I was chal-lenging, but it has to be kept in mindthat the strategy of the French manu-facturer is based on about forty yearsof experience in the design and pro-duction of high-end business jets.

The performance charts of the newFalcon show data that I shall try toverify during my test f l ight. TheFalcon 2000LX, at maximum take-off

weight, needs less than 1,500 m totake off under ISA conditions. Cruisespeed is also important: the ability tofly some one-hundredths above Mach.8 may be a key element to obtaininga more direct routing. Besides, a fewknots more can make the differencein terms of time and costs whenflights last seven or eight hours.

Philippe Deleume pointed out thatthe Falcon 2000LX (it weighs about20 tons at full load) can operate from


A REAL THOROUGHBRED

OFFSHOOTThe 2000LX is

the extended

range derivative

of the 2000EX.

F L I G H T T E S T F A L C O N 2 0 0 0 L X


EASYThe author of

the article in the

left seat with

Dassault's chief

test pilot Philippe

Deleume.

short runways, so it will be fairly easyto see it leave London City Airportinbound to New York or Washington.

All the above are the reasons forwhich an adhoc developed plane –even if its price tag shows an amountthat is twice as much as that of thecompetitor – can be more appealing.In fact, a competing ship derived froman airliner is slower and has worseperformance characteristics, hence itis not always able to complete themission economically.

The Falcon has been designed tooperate independently: it does notrequire external power sources, isequipped with an internal power gen-erator able to supply the airborne sys-tems, start the two PW 308 enginesand provide for air conditioning. Itdoes not need handling personnel formovements on the ground, to assistits passengers or take care of the bag-gage. The crew can provide for all theabove thanks to the plane’s specialfeatures, including the ladder mount-ed inside the baggage compartment

door and the automatic pressure refu-eling system. The EASy avionicsdeveloped by Dassault andHoneywell, constantly monitors allaircraft systems.

The aircraft was readied for athree-hour flight with four passen-gers on board. Take-off took place atabout half the useful load, i.e. at atotal mass of 31,000 lb (14.6 t), 6,000of which were of fuel. The aircraftinterior was fitted with flight data

recording systems and water ballasttanks to simulate any variation in theload and CG. The plane I was to fly isthe one destined for the measure-ment of the take-off and landing dis-tances, and for the test of the newauto-brake system which reducesthe landing roll.

The temperature was 28° C and astrong Mistral (28 kt - 51.8 km/h)was blowing, as usual. Take-off wasplanned to be from runway 33, thenclimb would be directly to 43,000 ft(13.1 km). I took the left seat,Deleume took the right one, SergioBarlocchetti the jump seat- he was tobe our flight engineer and officialphotographer. Dubrueil was to be atthe ground telemetry station, listen-ing to us and reading the data wewould transmit from aloft. The take-off run consumed a minimum sectionof the runway: I could read the 4 kmremaining sign when we rotated at103kt (190 krn/h), at full power andthe flaps in position 2.

Just less than 15 seconds hadpassed since the start and I had toconcentrate and pitch up fast inorder not to exceed the maximumallowable speed in the then-currentconfiguration (250 kt, 463 km/ h). Aglance at the primary screen and anew pleasant souvenir came to mymind. The display showed the flight-path marker like in a fighter! I couldalso see again the mythicalchevrons, i.e. the markings created

by Dassault’s bright intuition to givepilots information about how to man-age their total energy. It is fairly dif-ficult for Mirage and Rafale pilots toknow by heart the attitude requiredto maintain level flight at all speeds,but it is sufficient for them to alignthe flight path marker on the horizonline, then move the throttle to alignthe chevrons too.

Flying straight and level becomeseasy then. In fighter aircraft this sys-tem provides the advantage to allowpilots to have full control of theirenergy in high performance maneu-vers and during aerial combat. Torealize the advantages achieved in acivil aircraft, just picture in your mindwhat it is like to be in the terminalarea of New York or London with afailed autopilot. How would your VIPpassengers feel when deplaning ifyou do not have systems that reducethe crew workload during hecticphases like approach and departure?In the Falcon, the EASy avionic is thepilot’s best friend.

Back to the Climb

I wrote down the results: 43,000 ftreached in 14 minutes, fuel burned800 lb (362.8 kg), anti-ice system on,and a few deviations from the optimalspeeds to check lateral and longitudi-nal maneuverability, which were OKfor me. At the assigned altitude, thedifference between stall speeds (highand low) was still high: 160 and 250 kt.The wing showed an excellent margin


of maneuver, and protections fromload factors higher than 1.5 g at Mach.8 were available. I also noted a goodbehavior in turbulence and goodmaneuver capabilities.

The controls are fitted with a Machtrim that harmonizes longitudinal trav-el of the stick and efforts on it at highspeed, a situation in which I felt thatall trims were very sensitive, while therelationship between the efforts on thecontrols and airspeeds was remark-able. This means that piloting theFalcon LX2000 manually at high speedmay entail high pilot’s workload. Thephugoid, initiated at 250 kt, causedlong oscillations that dampened outonly after a few minutes. The impres-sion I got was that static stability wassignificant, but had reduced damping.On the other hand, all Dassault’s busi-ness aircraft are famous for beinghighly maneuverable and strong likecombat aircraft, and I could observethat this Falcon has the same charac-teristics as the agile Mystere 20 andthe bigger Falcon 900.

Controls were well harmonized andaccurate along the axes, but a continu-ous action on the lateral trim - and aslight one on the roll trim - was

required throughout the entire flightto compensate some unbalanced situa-tions, possibly due to the fact that theaircraft was green. Behavior at slowspeed was excellent, with the trimpoint barely changing with the flap,landing gear and speed brakes extract-ed, thus the pilot’s workload duringmanual take-off and landing should bereduced. Roll performance was inter-esting, also under g loading, where thefavorable effects of the highly sweptwing could be noted. The dihedraleffect was clearly observable and later-al oscillations were well dampened.

The pilot’s workload during landing,both in cross-wind and during one-engine-off patterns, was always morethan acceptable.

Approach to stall in clean configura-tion stopped when the stall warningsounded. Past that point, the wingmight generate sustained roll condi-tions that worsen significantly ifaileron is applied. The main reason forthe limitation is related to the loads onthe tail structure, which can be dam-aged by heavy buffeting. We reached106 kt (190 km/h) while flying at flightlevel 1SO(4.570 m), our weight was

AVIONICSThe 2000LX

EASy avionics,developed byDassault and

Honeywell,constantly

monitors allaircraft

systems.

F L I G H T T E S T F A L C O N 2 0 0 0 L X


RESPECTThe 2000LX is a

genuine high

performance

airplane

designed with a

high regard for

the pilot.

29,200 lb (13.2 ton), and returned tothe flight line with the nose fivedegrees below the horizon and afterhaving lost 200 meters of altitude.There are no stick shakers or kickers,which means the the aircraft must alsohave a sound behavior at the maxi-mum angle of attack.

In order to investigate the reason itwas decided to install a single pressur-ization system, even if the Falcon canfly at very high altitude, I carried outan emergency descent at the maxi-mum speed possible. The verticalvelocity indicator showed minus10,000 ft (altitude loss was 3,004meters per minute), speed was .862,the engines were idle, the speedbrakes out and attitude about 30degrees below the horizon. In threeminutes we were below 14,000 feetand no longer running a risk of hypox-ia.

We then checked two interestingfunctions of the autopilot: protection atmaximum and minimum airspeed. Inboth cases with autopilot and auto-throttle engaged, the aircraft prevent-ed the limits from being exceeded anddangerous situations from arising. Theauto-throttle cut in - and if necessary,

the stick does to command pitch-up orpitch-down - to correct speed. In man-ually controlled flight, conversely, thepilot is the one who decides.According to Dassault’s traditions, heor she can insist and fly past any lim-its. This is a feature I appreciatebecause in case of need, for instance ifthere is risk of collision or of impactwith the ground and obstacles, thepilot is and stays the master.

We then flew a few landing patterns,also simulating the on-engine- out con-dition: performance levels were excel-

lent and touch and- goes possible in thetiniest spaces. The feeling was that thelimit was not thrust, but the ability ofthe pilot to react fast enough. Landingis obviously where the auto-brakecomes in very handy, as it shortens thedistance required to stop permittingthe braking action to be started imme-diately after the main gear wheelstouch down and the nose is still up –hence, before the pilot can apply thebrakes. For this reason, about two sec-onds are gained and the remaining rollcan be up to 200 meters shorter.

The test continued until the aircraftcame to a complete stop with the anti-skid system cutting in when the wheelswere just about to lock, and the crewsof a couple of Mirages were observingus “slamming on the brakes”.

By Marco Locate l l i

(Repr in ted with permi ss ion from Vo lare)

Photos Sergio Barlocchettiand Dassault

✈

Engines 2 PW308C engine delivering 7000 pounds of thrusteach on takeoff

Dimensions Cabin Height, Max 6 ft 2 inCabin Width, Max 7 ft 8 in

Cabin Length 26 ft 2 in(Cockpit separator to baggage door)

Cabin Volume 1024 cu ft(Excluding cockpit and baggage)

Baggage Volume 130.6 cu ftWeights Max. Ramp Weight 42,400 lb

Max. Takeoff Weight 42,200 lbMax. Landing Weight 39,300 lb

Max. Zero Fuel Weight 29,700 lbBasic Operating Weight 23,465 lbFuel Capacity (Usable) 2,487 U.S. gal

Performances TAKEOFF DISTANCEBalanced Field Length 5,585 ft(42,200 lb Maximum takeoff weight, sea level, ISA)APPROACH SPEED (VREF)

113 KIAS(26,490 lb Typical landing weight, 6 passengers,NBAA IFR reserves)LANDING DISTANCE2,630 ft(26,490 lb Typical landing weight, 6 passengers,NBAA IFR reserves, sea level, ISA, FAR 91)RANGE4,000 nm(6 Passengers, Mach .80, NBAA IFR reserves)

Price Basic Standard equipment $31.65M

by LeRoy Cook

As pilots, we are particularly

privileged to witness some

stunning sights from our

cockpits, but perhaps none

inspires more awe than when

we peer toward a gathering of

mature cumulonimbus clouds,

particularly when it’s located

between us and our

destination, acting in concert

with development of others of

its kind.

T

hunderstorm penetration is to beavoided at all costs, and we’ve allbeen taught to stay at least 20

miles away from a mature CB. Likemost pilots, I’ve cut the corner a bittoo close on occasion, and learnedwhy the 20-mile standard was estab-lished. While dodging around theupwind edge (the rear side, from itsdirection of motion) of a 60,000-foot-tall monster, I flew into clear air turbu-lence so violent that I couldn’t read theinstruments, let alone control the air-craft. Resistance, shall we say, wasfutile. After five or ten seconds, theogre released his grip and all wassmooth again.

And so, we must resolve to keep ourdistance from thunderstorms, usuallyan easy sell to the owner riding in theback who can see the storm out hisown window as we make the requireddeviations. I shared the waiting roomwith two planeloads of business travel-ers just last week – they were loiteringwhile their crews pondered the radardisplay, which was filled with redblotches blocking their path. I’m suresome of the ambitious travelers weredismayed at the delay, but the televi-sion news of the following morningconfirmed the wisdom of waiting.While they were laid over, a transcon-tinental airliner picking its way around


PUNCHING HOLES IN THUNDERSTORMS

SAFETYAvoiding CBs

incursions is a

safe approach

for a secure

flight.

FROM THE COCKPIT T H U N D E R S T O R M


DUTYThe utility of

private

transportation

dictates that trips

must be flown

unless a danger

prohibits the

flight.

the same line of storms encounteredsevere turbulence, injuring seventeenpassengers and four members of thecabin crew. Thus, the value of pru-dence was proven.

However, On The Other Hand, Etc.The utility of private air transporta-

tion dictates that trips must be flownunless a clear and present danger pro-hibits the flight. Crews that complete arun uneventfully, skillfully evading thesharks lurking in the surf, are wellthought of. Get-there-itis must notpush us on into the face of peril, butneither can we cancel at the merestforecast of convective activity.


The issue is one of capability – canwe outflank the storms, or divert to asafe haven, within the aircraft’s range?Will ATC allow us to stay high to con-serve fuel, or does our experience withthe route lead us to believe that we’llget held down and receive lengthyvectors? For planning purposes, weneed to avail ourselves of all the fore-casting models and lifted index chartsso we can be prepared for the day’sstorm activity.

I used to tell a charter client of theuncertainty in the weather and givehim or her a percentage of likely suc-cess. Some customers will accept a 50percent chance of being diverted to analternate destination, trusting ourjudgment to do the best we can, while

others prefer to delay or cancel thetrip. Most of them appreciated beinginvolved, instead of being surprised atthe outcome.

With a good airplane, carrying a sur-feit of fuel, one can work around astorm line and perhaps make anattempt at an approach with plenty ofoptions. Never proceed unless youhave an “out” toward which you canturn in an untenable situation. To besure, there are political overflightissues and ATC’s cooperation may bedifficult to secure, but when pushcomes to shove, the pilot’s authoritymust be exercised.

Use the Tools

Once the trip is planned and given achance of success, the tools of thetrade are applied to the task of out-smarting the convective weather whileen route. Never forget that stormsoperate dynamically – what you sawbefore departure soon becomes histo-ry, so you must keep abreast of devel-opments. That means watching thepath of movement on radar, and notinga tendency for a line of storms to bowoutward or develop a hook, both badsigns for that sector. As soon as youcan determine the direction of move-

ment, start planning your alternatives.Unless the movement is slow, don’t tryto get in ahead of the storm or, if youdo attempt the arrival, keep a clear-airalternative at your elbow. Never com-mit to an approach that must be made.

Check surface weather conditions atother airports, those lying in thestorm’s path before it arrives at yourdestination, which can alert you to out-flow winds or other phenomena. Onlya timely report is of value – if it’s astale hourly observation, it’s no betterthan a history lesson.

Your best input is your own eyeball,taken in concert with what you’veheard from metro, seen on your displayand expected from traffic activity aheadof you. Stay in VMC if at all possible, soyou can work around the towers andavoid the overhangs where hail can fall.Using your experience, you’ll knowwhat a mean-looking cloud holdsinside, and if you can get a look at it,you won’t go there. The embedded cellis always a threat when you must fly incloud, so adjust tilt and check a profileview to stay current on the radarreturns ahead. Always remember thatradar shows precipitation, not turbu-lence. Heavy rainfall rates are only oneindicator of areas to avoid.

If All Else Fails...It’s inspiring to read accounts of the

early days of flying the line, whenmen of iron plied the skies and oneflew in the weather, not over it oraround it. Captains of the old unpres-surized piston planes simply had to

ISSUECan you outflank

the storm or

divert to a safe

haven within the

aircraft range!


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choose a “soft spot” and borethrough, hoping they had heard cor-rectly of clearing weather throughtheir static-filled headsets. Often outof fuel and luck, they had no alterna-tive but to press on.

Those who brag of penetrating athunderstorm may have only beenblessed with good fortune, in thatthey missed the core of the storm, orpicked one that was in its dissipatingstage, or encountered a less-severespecimen. Even so, the ride will bememorable, from what I’ve heard andread. All hands on board should besecured tightly at their stations, looseobjects stowed, cockpit l ightingselected full-bright and engine igni-tion turned on. Turbulent air penetra-tion speed is obviously a startingpoint – don’t expect that it will beheld with any degree of precision.Restrict the autopilot to flight direc-tor mode as hand-flying is the betterchoice when the going gets tough.Inform air traffic control that you willbe requiring a block of altitudes;mostly likely, your bit of airspace isuncongested. Only the hardy and thehalf-witted are out here today.

I once flew through the edge of aline with an experienced captain in amedium twin and noticed that hishand was on the landing gear handleas we entered the area, slowed toVlo. His reasoning was that, if he feltthe initial updraft that meant we wereentering the storm’s upward surge,he would drop the gear to stabilizethe aircraft and add drag. At his com-mand, I would retract it when we flewinto a downdraft or cleared thestorm.

During the passage, one can expecttorrential rain, hail , rapid icing,extreme turbulence, blinding light-ning and perhaps St. Elmo’s fire orlightning strikes. The quickest wayout is straight through, so the prima-ry focus should be on heading con-trol, with maintaining a level attitudegiven priority over sticking to anassigned altitude. Lessen the stresson the airframe by allowing the air-plane to rise and descend. Once theride smoothes out, check for elec-tronic or control damage and see tothe cabin, where some tidying upmay be needed.

What Triggers the Thunderstorm

Lifting is the mechanism that initi-ates the birth of cumulonimbusclouds, which can be present at sever-al sources. Commonly, unstable airmasses provide the fuel for expansionof a moisture-laden air parcel, butthere has to be a starting trigger,something as small as a thermalupdraft from a parking lot or openfield. Once begun, the lifting of dampair continues, feeding on itself.

A convenient upslope with a wind-flow oriented perpendicular to theridgeline will surely springboardunstable air upward to create mid-daythunderstorms, and some coastlineswith onshore winds will generatestorms. However, the most-fearedthunderstorm generators are opposingair masses crashing into each otherlike atmospheric tectonic plates. Coldfronts act as snowplows, using thedensity of cooler air to shove lighter,warmer air upward with its load ofmoisture. The influence of such frontalattacks is felt far ahead of the actualsurface front, as squall lines form anddry lines of wind gusts make theirpresence known in the warm air sec-tor.

Individual thunderstorms form anddie in a matter of a couple of hours.But, the complex of storms can contin-ue generating a “train” of storms totake the place of fallen comrades. Aspilots, we need to observe the dynam-ics of the situation and adjust ourplans accordingly. Is the area movingout of our way, or expanding into it?

Two movements are usually seen – theindividual storms drift one way, whilethe area itself goes off in another. Inaddition, a rapidly-expanding complexcan simply grow larger to engulf whathad been an open route, in a thirddirection. Therefore, you need to con-tinually revise your exit strategy andalternates available, not sit on plansmade earlier.

Thunderstorms influence airportoperations to a great degree, so delaysmust be factored into one’s planning.Thunderstorms in the arrival gates oron a final approach course ruin an airtraffic controller’s day – an airplanearriving with minimal fuel only adds tothe muddle. Be ready to switchapproach procedures as storms passby, and expect to calculate landing dis-tances based on tailwinds and wet run-way surfaces. The preferred strip ofconcrete may be unavailable, due tobarbarians at the gate, so you’ll haveto land in a best-option manner. Windshear is an ever-present possibilitywhen thunderstorms are movingthrough the area, requiring extra careduring landings and takeoffs.

If you fly in a region where thunder-storms are a seasonal occurrence,you’ll need to draw upon your experi-ence from past years and deal withthem as best you can. Modern aircraftand flight management tools havegiven us more capability, but the rulesof the game haven’t changed. Avoid,plan and stay flexible – that’s still theway to stay safe in thunderstorm coun-try.

MISTAKESSerious muddle

of flight control

have coincided

with errors of the

crew of this

thunderstorm

area.


A319, hit by

a hailstorm in a

✈

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Further information visit www.quaynote.comemail [email protected] 44 (0) 20 8348 3704

Conference chaired by:Sean Gates, Senior Partner, Gates & Partners

Speakers Include:Bobby D. Butler, Jr., Vice President & ChiefCompliance Officer, Universal Weather & Aviation,Inc // Trevor Esling, Cessna Aircraft UK // ShaunR. Flanagan, Thrane & Thrane // Brian Humphries,CBE, President & CEO, EBAA // Guy Lachlan, BBGAPeter Leiman, Co-Founder and Managing Director,Blink // Sean McGeough, President, Europe,Middle East and Africa,Hawker Beechcraft //Aoife O’Sullivan, Partner, Gates & Partners // BoRedeborn, Director Cooperative Network Design,Eurocontrol // Fred Reid, President, Flexjet //Willy Sigl, Air Operations Officer, RulemakingDirectorate, EASA // Ed Smith, General AviationManufacturers Association (GAMA) // AndrewWoolfson, Director, International Finance, CessnaFinance

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I

magine a bright sunny morning ata European airport. Flight prepara-tions and the loading of the aircraft

are completed. Just about ready to go,when two gentlemen approach youraircraft and address the pilot: “Goodmorning, we are representatives fromthe local competent authority and areconducting a SAFA inspection. Pleaseshow us...”. You may have heard ofSAFA, but are you prepared for whatis happening? Are you aware that youmay not be going anywhere at all?

SAFA is the acronym for the SafetyAssessment of Foreign Aircraft pro-gram, is established by the EuropeanCommission. It is a program createdfor the inspection of aircraft fromthird-countries operating in Europeanairspace and landing in Europe.

During a ramp inspection, given thelimited time, inspectors will primarilyfocus on crew and aircraft documenta-tion and the physical condition of theaircraft. But they will also observe howa crew solves its normal and abnormal


ARE YOU PREPARED TO BE SAFAED?

PRUDENCEBe prepared for

a ramp

inspection if you

are operating in

Europe from a

third-country.

S A F E T Y S E N S E R U L E S A N D R E G U L A T I O N S


tasks (including dealing with this sur-prise inspection) on the ground. Fromthe assessment of the displayed levelof professionalism and the proceduraldiscipline, they will draw conclusionsas to whether an operator is to betrusted as a safe partner in the skies.And yes, they have the authority todelay the departure of the aircraft untilany issues they find that, in their opin-ion, “have a major influence on safety”have been corrected. Worst case, theycan withdraw the Certificate ifAirworthiness.

Safety Assessment of AircraftThe State is responsible for the safe-

ty of aircraft registered in their reg-istry. States have the obligation ofoverseeing these aircraft. For a CivilAviation Authority in such a State, thisoversight approach works from thetop to down. The State registers an air-craft and then oversees its operationand safety by various statutory means,such as airworthiness reviews, pilotlicensing and operations inspectionsperformed in its own territory.

However, in the last 30 years, com-mercial regulations in airlines andcharter companies have changed dras-tically. Liberalization and deregulationof markets offered flexibility but alsocreated a situation in which aircraftare operated globally without everreturning home where the competentauthority may execute its oversightresponsibility (this assumes it woulddo it in the first place).

The consequences of deregulationand liberalization in aviation made itnecessary to rethink the role of theState. The Safety Assessment ofForeign Aircraft (SAFA) Program wasinitiated as a consequence. ECAC ini-tially sponsored the initiative, man-aged by the JAA. Granted, SAFAwould probably not have preventedthe Birgenair Flight 301 accident fromhappening, but SAFA started changingthe awareness of Operators that safetywas a constant effort and States werenot looking away.

Take, for example, an accident occur-ring on the night of January 3rd, 2004.The Flash Airlines Flight 604 Boeing737-300 crashed south of Sharm-el-Sheikh in the Red Sea. Most of the pas-sengers were French tourists returninghome from the popular vacation desti-nation. The flight was cleared for an ini-tial climbing left turn after take-off and

the crew had already initiated the leftturn when the autopilot was engaged. Afew seconds later the autopilot disen-gaged and the aircraft commenced aslow roll to the right. CVR data indicatean increasing state of confusion of thecaptain, and the FDR recorded ailerondeflections, which resulted in an exces-sive right bank angle. The aircraft con-tinually lost altitude and crashed intothe Red Sea some two and a half min-utes after take-off, killing all 142 passen-gers and 6 crew members. The finalinvestigation report by the EgyptianMinistry of Civil Aviation cited four pos-sible causes, all related to technicalproblems; however, “no conclusive evi-dence could be found”. The report’sconclusions were highly contested,with the French Bureau d’Enquêtes etd’Analyses (BEA) and the US NTSBplacing more emphasis on the humanfactor aspects of the accident sequence.

This very same aircraft had been sub-ject of a SAFA inspection in Switzerlandin 2002. As a result of the significantSAFA findings, the Swiss competentauthority had banned the airplane andits sister airplane from landing in andoverflying Switzerland. However, inter-national exchange of SAFA findingsbetween participating States did notautomatically trigger a ban in otherSAFA States. The Swiss informedStates to which Flash Airlines was oper-ating about the serious findings and theSwiss ban, but these States continuedallowing operations by Flash Airlines.After this accident the EuropeanCommission understood it was impor-tant to create common rules on thistopic and adopted Directive2004/36/EC on the safety of third-country aircraft using Community air-ports. Thereafter, this legislationmatured further and additional techni-cal rules were adopted. For example,Regulation (EC) No 2111/2005 pro-vides a provision for a decision makingprocess whereby an airline may bebanned from European airspace forsafety reasons. Those airlines will thenappear on a “Community list”, com-monly referred to as the “Black List”(http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/list_en.htm).

SAFA is a spot examination of theoperative state of an aircraft and itscrew. It is not a cure-all solution forsubstandard safety performance, but ithas proven to raise awareness amongaircraft operators considering the con-

sequences they may face in case they“get caught”. Unsafe attitudes andbehavior are often identified and high-lighted by ramp inspectors. Even if thefindings are not dramatic (yet?), thefact that an inspector starts askingquestions may serve as a trigger forchange. And not seldom has SAFAmost probably stopped the proverbial“accident waiting to happen” from tak-ing off again.

Be PreparedRobert Baden-Powell’s motto is

equally applicable to millions of Scoutsas it is to foreign aircraft operatorssubject to unannounced SAFA inspec-tions when flying to European air-ports. Specific items the SAFA teamwill review may include licences of thepilots, procedures and manuals thatshould be carried in the cockpit, com-pliance with these procedures by flightand cabin crew, safety equipment incockpit and cabin, cargo carried in theaircraft, and the technical condition ofthe aircraft.

More guidance and information maybe found on the EASA website athttp://easa.europa.eu/approvals-and-standardisation/safety-assessment-of-foreign-aircraft-SAFA.php. Note thatthe NBAA 2010 Convention in Atlantawill also feature two presentations onthe European SAFA Program.

Having all your ducks in a row byconsistently upholding a high level ofcompliance and professionalism andby fostering a healthy safety cultureyou will be able to quickly convincethe SAFA inspectors of the safety ofyour aircraft, so that you can be off onyour flight into the sunny day.

Michael R. Gruninger is theManaging Director of Great CircleServices (GCS) Aviation SafetyAdvisors. GCS assists in the wholerange of planning and managementissues, offering customized solutions tostrengthen the position of a business inthe aviation market. Its services includetraining and auditing (IS-BAO andother standards), consultancy, manualdevelopment and process engineering.He can be reached at [email protected] or +41-79 44244 89. His column, Safety Sense,appears regularly in BARTInternational.

✈

By Nick Klenske

W

ord is out: The RussianBusiness Aviation market is infull-recovery mode and, in gen-

eral, business is booming. So, onewould expect the leading tradeshowfor the region would also show signsof recovery – especially after lastyear’s dismal showing. If we thoughtthe 2009 edition showed signs of‘downsizing’, then 2010 showed signsof disappearing!

Where was the business? Wherewere the booths? The industry moversand shakers? And where were theOEMs?

Taking a glance around the exhibi-tion hall at Moscow’s Crocus Expo,one was quick to notice that manymarquees were missing. Granted,Gulfstream (who also hosted a press-conference), AgustaWestland,Bombardier and Hawker Beechcraftwere all there in full force. But whatabout Cessna? Where was Embraer?And what about Dassault? Walking theaisles and stopping by booths one alsonoticed the lack of key players –where were the CEOs and companypresidents? Instead of BusinessAviation, the show floor seemed morefilled with meeting zones, a piano area,lounges, bars, smoking corners andeven a souvenir photo shop.

To make matters even stranger,whenever you did run into anexhibitor at the exhibition center theyall talked about how happy they werewith the show. Happy? Show? Werewe missing something?

Breaking Up the FamilyIt seems that Business Aviation was-

n’t disappearing at Jet Expo – it wasjust spread out. Very spread out. As intwo and a half hours spread out.

Like most industry trade shows, JetExpo also has a static display at thecity’s Vnukvo-3 airport. And thatseems to be where much of the showwas happening. The missing OEMs?Cessna, Embraer and Dassault were

all taking care of business exclusivelyon the tarmac. And the movers andshakers? Once again, at the static.

At shows like EBACE, where the sta-tic display is just a short walk out theexhibition hall door, this set up worksgreat. But in a city with the traffic con-gestion like Moscow, the set up cre-

ates a logistical nightmare and forcesboth exhibitors and visitors to choosebetween either the static or the exhibi-tion hall. As it seems more and moreprefer the convenience of working rightwhere they fly into, the exhibition hallbecomes more and more of a ghosttown.

Business Aviation is a unique industryin that it is really a tight-knit family. Wework best when we work together .Putting a two and half hour taxi ridebetween us is akin to breaking up thefamily. And breaking up the family isbad for business!

We at BART aren’t sure what the bestsolution is, but we know somethingneeds to be done. Visitors walking intothe exhibition hall will get the impres-sion that Business Aviation in Russia isdepressed, and this image hurts theentire industry across the globe – letalone being far from the truth…


MORE SHOW

THAN TRADE

REVIVALChristophe

Degoumois,

Bombardier

regional vice

recovery. The

Canadian

Company

assured a strong

presence at

JetExpo.

R E P O R T J E T E X P O M O S C O W

president, sees

signs of


WORLDWIDEJoe Lombardo,

Gulfstream

president said

that Gulfstream

was more

globally oriented,

underlining the

importance of

the Russian

market. The

company had a

full-size booth in

the Convention

as a presence

on the static

display.

The Truth: Russia is Back

After taking a significant hit duringthe recession, Business Aviation inRussia is once again taking off.Speaking at the opening ceremony,Christophe Degoumois, Bombardierregional vice president sales, Russia,CIS and Eastern and Central Europe,touched on the five-year history of JetExpo.

“What an interesting five years it hasbeen for Jet Expo, for Bombardier andfor the business jet industry as a whole,”he noted. “From record sales just twoyears ago – to the most challenging yearour industry has seen in a decade – tothis moment, where thankfully I can saythat we are seeing signs of a recovery.Cancellations are slowing substantiallyand, more than that, we have begun toannounce orders once again.”

Speaking specifically to the Russianmarket, Degoumois said that at theFarnborough airshow in July,Bombardier announced orders for near-ly 800 million dollars and, among thoseorders, four were Global Express XRSjets set for delivery in Russia.

“The fundamentals of BusinessAviation remain strong, and the sophis-ticated and discerning customers herein Russia understand that these aircraftare tools of efficiency, which are vital tothe growth and sustainability of manybusinesses.”

In Bombardier’s recent businessaircraft market forecast, the compa-ny predicted that the Russian busi-ness jet fleet will nearly triple by2019, making Russia whatDegoumois calls “a dynamic marketthat has unlimited possibilities forgrowth.”

According to Gilles Gautier, VicePresident of Falcon sales for theEastern Hemisphere, “If you look atour sales records in the past few yearsand today’s projects in Russia, I feelconfident about a very promisingfuture despite the Russian marketbeing more affected by the downturnthan India or China.”

“Today, this market is really matureand professional,” continues Gautier.“The number of Falcons sold in Russiais very encouraging, and RussianFalcon owners and operators are ourbest ambassadors.”

Furthermore, speaking at a pressconference organized by Gulfstream,Joe Lombardo,

President of the company, under-lined the fact that nowadaysGulfstream was more globally orient-ed and had a strong interest from theBig Four: Brazil, Russia, India andChina. "We are especially enthusiasticabout the Russian market," he said.He also insisted on the European mar-

ket, where, according to Lombardo,the Gulfstream in-service fleet hasincreased by 80 percent within the lastfive years.

And to ‘walk the walk’, let’s take abrief look at all that is happening inand around Jet Expo Moscow.

Embraer took the occasion toannounce the naming of the Vnukovo-3 Group as its authorized sales repre-sentative (ASR) in Russia. TheVnukovo-3 Group, which operates afully dedicated Business Aviation ter-minal – Vnukovo-3, in Moscow – pro-viding service for over 90 percent ofbusiness aircraft flights in the city, willsell the entire line of EmbraerExecutive Jets products.

“We are pleased to welcome theVnukovo-3 Group as Embraer’s salesrepresentative in Russia,” said LuísCarlos Affonso, Embraer ExecutiveVice President, Executive Jets.“Embraer already has a very importantpresence in the Russian market withover 30 Legacy 600 executive jetsoperating in the region. By partneringwith the Vnukovo-3 Group, a leader inBusiness Aviation in Russia, we expectto expand our best-in-class executivejet presence.”

“We are honored by Embraer’s con-fidence in choosing the Vnukovo-3Group as a partner to developEmbraer Executive Jets sales inRussia,” said Vitaly Vantsev, Chairmanof the Board of the Vnukovo-3 Group.“This responsibility is a valued addi-tion to our extensive services andproducts portfolio. We have highexpectations for the Russian market,especially because Embraer’s aircraftare world-renowned and incrediblywell-suited to this region.”

Italian Business AviationManufacturer, Piaggio Aeroannounced its entry into the RussianBusiness Aviation market during theshow. As part of its market expansionprogram, it is currently seekingRussian Certification for its P.180Avanti II aircraft and that they wouldbegin sales deliveries in April/May2011, upon completion of the aircraft’scertification.

Piaggio Aero also announced that theyhave reached an agreement withAviacharter to become a partner for thesales and marketing activities of theP180 Avanti II aircraft in Russia.Aviacharter is also the first Piaggio Aerocustomer in the country having alreadysigned a Letter of Intent (LOI) to buy

Center as well


two P.180 Avanti II as soon as the air-craft’s Russian certification is attained.

“We have evaluated the Russian mar-ket very carefully since we appeared atJet Expo two years ago and we thinkthat it’s now the right moment to enterinto this important market for BusinessAviation,” said CEO of Piaggio Aero,Mr. Alberto Galassi. “We are delightedto be bringing our aircraft to this mar-ket and people will be surprised at whata great alternative it is to the other moreestablished aircraft in Russia. Our air-craft is a really unique and distin-guished high technology product, madein Italy with great performance, unri-valled comfort and unmistakable style”.

“This is a great opportunity for ourcompany to commence co-operationwith a distinguished airframe manufac-turer,” said Aviacharter Director forP.180 Sales in Russia, Mr. OlegYastrebov. “We are looking forward tointroducing this remarkable aircraft tocorporate, VIP, rescue and special mis-sion markets both in Russia and in sev-eral CIS states.”

According to Daniel Kunz, Director ofSales and Marketing for the Pilatus PC-12, the current fleet of PC-12 aircraftcurrently based in Russia is around 10.This is due in part to the bankruptcy ofAir Alpha Aircraft Sales, the company’sdesignated distributor and service cen-ter, in 2009. However, taking intoaccount the growing number of Pilatusaircraft operating in the region, new ser-vice centers are on the drawing boards.

“It will definitely be one of the keytasks of any new Pilatus Center to estab-lish a service center in Russia,” saysKunz. “We will use our best efforts tohave a service center in Russia as soonas possible, but at this moment in time Icannot give you a firm indication aboutwhere it will be and when it will becomefully operational.”

Hawker Beechcraft also had a signifi-cant presence, both on the static and inthe exhibition. “We are impressed withthe resiliency of the Russian businesscommunity and its prospects forgrowth,” said Sean McGeough, HBCpresident, Europe, Middle East andAfrica region. “Along with the provenreputation of the Hawker series, theHawker 4000 has gained instant popu-larity with Russian customers as it isperfectly suited for regional and inter-

continental travel. Additionally, ourKing Air products offer economical andreliable transportation solutions that arewell suited for both commercial andspecial mission applications.”In partnership with its local distributorPremier Aviation, HBC featured itsHawker 4000, Hawker 750, BeechcraftPremier IA and King Air 350i on the sta-tic display.

Turning to rotors for a moment,Eurocopter Vostok delivered the firstEC135 T2i helicopters, part of a pur-chase contract for eight EC135 heli-copters in passenger configuration, toGazpromavia at Eurocopter’s facility inDonauwörth, Germany. This EC135 isthe first Eurocopter helicopter equippedwith Russian-built mission avionics, pro-duced by Transas Aviation – a leadingRussian avionics manufacturer based inSt. Petersburg.

“The EC135’s introduction into ourfleet is a milestone event forGazpromavia, and its Russian contenthas enabled the perfect customizationof this reliable and efficient helicopter toour operational needs,” saidGazpromavia’s general director AndreyOvcharenko. “We plan to extend ourstrategic partnership with Eurocopter –particularly in the field of training ser-vices – which will be in addition to theoperations support and maintenanceprovided by the company in our facilityat Ostafievo airport.”

AgustaWestland also had big news atthe show, announcing the completion ofwork to secure Russian certification forits AW139 medium twin, which thecompany has high expectations for inthe regional market – particularly as themodel will be assembled locally atHeliVert.

Looking just outside Russia, JetExFlight Support continues to rapidlydevelop its network throughout theUkraine as it builds on the success of its24-7 multi-lingual operation at AirportKiev. JetEx Business DevelopmentManager for the CIS, MariyaVynohradova, says: “There is a greatdeal of focus on private aviation devel-opments in the CIS and Jetex is concen-trating on Ukraine as a gateway to theregion in response to expanding clientdemand.”

Vynohradova confirmed that JetExhas been licensed by the CAA (Ministryof Transport of Ukraine, State AviationAdministration) for ground handlingadministration at five airports. Theseare the Municipal Enterprise“International Airport Kyiv” (Zhuliany)UKKK; the “International AirportBoryspil” State Enterprise UKBB; theMunicipal Enterprise “InternationalAirport Mykolaiv” UKON; theInternational Airport “Kharkiv” (“NewSystems AM Ltd”) UKHH; and theInternational Airport “Lviv” StateEnterprise UKLL.

“Our clients find it convenient andreassuring that we are growing dailywith their needs in mind. Demand forour services, including fast track cus-toms, guides and supplementary ser-vices for trips throughout airport Kiev isrising,” JetEx reports.

To round out the show, Gulfstreambrought three aircraft to the static: thelarge-cabin, mid-range G200, the large-cabin, long-randge G450 and the large-cabin, ultra-long-range G550.Bombardier showed off its Learjet 60XRand Challenger 850, while Dassaultbrought its 2000LX and 7X.

STRONGHawker Beechcraft

also had a

significant

presence both on

the static and in

the exhibition.

"We are impressed

with the resiliency

of the Russian

business

community" said

Sean McCeough,

HBC president

Europe.

R E P O R T

✈

64TH ANNUALMEETING & CONVENTION

OCTOBER 10, 11, 12, 2011

LAS VEGAS, NV

By Nick Klenske

F

ounded in 1911, StandardAero isone of the largest independentMRO and aviation service busi-

nesses in the world, providing compre-hensive services to commercial, mili-tary, business aviation, helicopters andindustrial operators. Over 300 years ofcollective experience brings cus-tomers unique knowledge and exper-tise in solving maintenance chal-lenges.

But enough about the past, how’sbusiness going today?

“Business is going well,” says ScottTaylor, senior vice president, BusinessAviation at StandardAero. “In fact, it ismuch better than last year.”

According to Taylor, revenue is upsignificantly, particularly in certainareas. “In the MRO and engine sec-tors, we’re up double digits, while theoverall market is down double digits.Granted, some of this has to do withStandardAero’s market share, but it isalso a sign that things are turningaround.”

Taylor further noted seeing a pick-upin the airframe maintenance sectorsand in such discretionary spendingareas as avionics upgrades, paint jobsand cabin refurbishments. “The firsthalf of the year we were up on allthese items, well over last year’s num-bers,” says Taylor. “Even though Julywas very slow, the rest of the thirdquarter filled in nicely and now we’reback on track.”

In terms of regional activity, Taylornotes the company recently picked upsome European airframe jobs andrefurbishment work, helping to growthe business on the Continent. In theUS, all regions are showing signs ofincreased activity. And in LatinAmerica, where StandardAero recent-ly attended a “very busy” LABACE,they are seeing a significant amount ofgrowth.

“As business grows, we have toensure we are able to provide the qual-ity of services our clients expect,”notes Taylor. “For example, in ourSpringfield facility, we are repaintingall the hangars and floors. We’re notexpanding, we’re upgrading to makesure our facilities remain up-to-date

and top-notch.” The Springfield invest-ment further included a new fan sys-tem for heating and cooling and somenew machines for stitching and woodworking. Customer offices wereupgraded recently.

Truly Tip-to-TailWhereas everybody claims to offer

tip-to-tail service, StandardAero rede-fines the slogan. “The scope of ourMRO services for Business Aviationare broad in every sense of theword,” says Taylor. “Where somecan do tip-to-tail in relation to thepaint, we can do that on basically all

light, ultra-long range jets on themarket. In other words, we’re broadin scope.”

As an example of some of whatTaylor refers to as StandardAero’s dif-ferentiators, he points out that thecompany does mid-point hot sectorwork, but unlike its competitors, willgo all the way to the core of theengine. “We offer a very broad air-frame and engine service on a broadrange of aircraft – on everything fromHawkers to Challengers andFalcons.”

“I can say that what differentiatesStandardAero from the crowd is thatwe are a one-stop-shop for many typesof airplanes,” says Taylor. “Take theFalcon 2000 for example. This is a jet


THE DIFFERENTIATOR

TIP-T0-TAILStandardAero

offers a wide

range of MRO

services. Falcon

avionics (top).

ACJ interior

(right).

P R O F I L E S t a n d a r d A e r o


ADVANCEInnovation at

StandardAero

means

"Partnership".

Heavy

maintenance of

TFE731s on a

Falcon 50 (top).

Hawkers on

maintenance

(center).

StandardAero

supervisor on

duty (bottom).

where there is very little we can’t ser-vice. And when you add in our enginecomponent, there’s simply no one elsewho can offer what we do.”

“When somebody needs somethingdone, they go to one place:StandardAero.”

Innovating the IndustryWhen speaking about innovation,

every industry – and every sector with-in an industry – will have a differentdefinition. In other words, what isinnovative for one may be common foranother. At StandardAero, innovationmeans aggressively forging strongpartnerships to better serve the cus-tomer.

In the MRO sector you won’t findmany strong partnerships,” notesTaylor. “What we’re doing is, whenev-er we find that we don’t have a capabil-ity – whether that be a certain productor in a certain region – we’re creatingpartnerships with other providers toensure that we are always able to offera truly tip-to-tail service.”

“At StandardAero we pride ourselveson our intense focus on how the cus-tomer thinks. When an operator wantssomething, they want it quickly. Theydon’t care who provides it. With part-nerships, we can meet this expectationbetter. This is innovation in the MROsector – and what we’re doing is agame changer.”

No Lip ServiceTaylor says at NBAA the company

will likely have some announcementson this partnership concept, both with

providers and customers. The compa-ny currently has a partnership pro-gram with Netjets – a major client.“We’re working on taking this samepartnership concept down to a smallerlevel,” says Taylor.

The company will also have somenews on new engine services.

“Last year at our press conference Istood and said we were going to focuson the customer experience,” saysTaylor. “This year, we will show youthat we’ve been doing what we said wewould do. There’s no lip service atStandardAero.”

✈

StandardAero Reopens TFE731 MPIShop at Springfield Service Center

StandardAero has officially reopened the engineshop at its Springfield, Ill, service center (SPI).Company officials and customers were on hand foran event and reception to celebrate the opening.“Customer feedback indicated there was a strong

desire in re-establishing an engine shop inSpringfield to support their need for ‘one-stop-shop’capabilities,” said Scott Taylor, senior vicepresident, Business Aviation. “Listening to ourcustomers and incorporating their feedback into ouroperations is an important part of our business.Remaining true to our strategy of providingcomprehensive business aviation services and thebest customer experience available in the market,we followed through.”Due in part to its Garrett Aviation lineage,StandardAero is the largest independent provider ofairframe, paint, avionics and modifications, as wellas TFE731 heavy maintenance, repair andoverhaul (MRO). At 265,000 square feet ofproduction and support function floor space,Springfield is StandardAero’s largest businessaviation shop and services a significant volume ofTFE731-powered aircraft. Initially, the shop will becapable of providing major periodic inspections(MPIs) for TFE731 engines. The capabilities of theshop will be reassessed periodically with apossibility of adding other engine types andservices based on customers’ needs.“I’m very excited to have the engine shop up andrunning again,” said Mike Menard, vice presidentand general manager of StandardAero’s Springfieldfacility. “Our customers tell me regularly that thiseffort shows a long-term commitment byStandardAero to this facility and our continuallyincreasing presence in the market. And, just asimportant, they mentioned that when the customerspoke, ‘you more than listened….you acted’.”

82 - BART: NOVEMBER - DECEMBER - 2010

From Europe to the US – Aircell

seems to be connecting

business travelers across the

globe. To catch up on all that is

happening out in Colorado,

BART Managing Editor

Nick Klenske caught up with

John Wade, executive vice

president.

BART: At EBACE Aircell announcedpending availability of the newSwiftBroadband 200 system. Can youbring us forward from there?Wade: Both the service and equip-ment components have progressedquickly. We’ll have some announce-ments to make at NBAA.People should think of the new Aviator200 as simply an additional option forbringing SwiftBroadband capabilitiesto their aircraft. The system’s small,low-gain satcom antenna reduces over-all system size and weight as well asthe cost and complexity of aircraftmodifications. Operators will be ableto seamlessly use their personal lap-tops and mobile devices for e-mail andlight Internet services at up to 200kbps with coverage in any of severalworld regions. They can also use thesystem’s integrated cabin handsets tomake and receive voice calls – all in asingle equipment package. It’s idealfor smaller aircraft seeking a cost-effective voice and data system, yetdon’t require seamless global cover-age – exactly the type of aircraft yousee in high use throughout Europe.The equipment is available for ordernow, and first shipments and serviceavailability is scheduled for earlyOctober.

BART : You recently announced therebranding of what was formerlyknown as Aircell Highspeed Internetto Gogo Biz Inflight Internet – which,to clarify, is a different service thanSwiftBroadband. Why?Wade: The main reason for therebranding decision was to bring theBusiness Aviation service in line withour sister program found on the air-

lines. On the commercial side, we’vebeen operating as Gogo for some timenow and it has caught on as a recog-nizable brand name here in the USmarket.The rebranding as Gogo Biz allows usto bring more familiarity of the inter-net capabilities available in businessjets – especially as more and morepeople tend to move between flyingcommercial and flying a business air-craft. Now when they see Gogo intheir business jet they’ll know exactlywhat they can expect in terms ofInternet connection and productivity.

BART: When you say people movebetween flying commercial and busi-ness jets, does this include the charterand fractional sector?Wade: Of course. In fact, these two –in many ways very different – sectors,we’re seeing a lot of interest in ourproducts. This is because these sec-tors understand that what Aircelloffers is a productivity tool that givestheir clients the ability to make effi-cient use of their time in the air.Charter companies see their aircraft asa way to make money, and see offeringGogo Biz as a differentiator. Whenthey can offer a client the ability tostay connected, be productive and getwork done while onboard their air-craft, what they’re doing is addingvalue to their plane – and their service.

The fractional market is a little differ-ent, although here too we’re seeing avery high level of interest. Instead ofseeing their planes as revenue genera-tors, as the charter companies do, theysee having Gogo Biz available as beingan essential part of the passengerexperience. We’ve also seen both sec-tors using our service as an opera-tional tool and a way to reduce costsby getting more done in less time.

BART: Coming back to the Aviator200, have you made any decisions asto pricing yet?Wade: Aircell’s Aviator 200 equip-ment package is in the $55-60,000range, depending on options, plusinstallation. For the service side, sev-eral service plan options will be avail-able, but operators will pay between$8-12 per Megabyte of data transferredand a flat $1.45/minute for voice ser-vice. These are very similar to the ser-vice plans available with traditionalSwiftBroadband systems.

BART: And what can we expect fromAircell at NBAA?Wade: We’ll be focusing on the adop-tion rate of inflight internet services –which has been absolutely positive.The customer response has beenastounding. We’re meeting everyone’sexpectations for what affordablebroadband promised to do.In fact, when you look at what theeconomy has been doing in compari-son with how our Gogo Biz is doing,there’s a night and day difference.While the economy struggles, broad-band connection is taking off. I think alot of this has to do with the fact thatbroadband service equals productivity.Aircell is bucking the trend simplybecause we’ve created a tool thatallows companies to be more produc-tive, which, in part, is what is drivingthe economic recovery.

Clearly, things are happening at Aircell.With Business Aviation continuallyworking to place the focus on the busi-ness benefits of using our sector, stayingconnected while in the air will onlybecome more essential. Needless to say,expect Aircell’s ‘go-go mentality’ to con-tinue.

GOGOMore and more

people tend to

move between

flying

commercial and

flying a business

aircraft. Now

when they see

Gogo in their

business jet

they'll know

exactly what

they can expect

in terms of

Internet

connection and

productivity.

I N S I G H T A I R C E L L

IT’S GOGO AT AIRCELL!

✈






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8 2010

ADVERTISER H awker Beechcraft CorporationPUBLICATION BART EuropePUBLISH DATE October/November 2010SIZE 8.25” x 11.25”COLOR 4C

FILE NAME F.H4000_EBHP_BART10.1110.pdfMODIFIED September 25, 2010

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HAWKER 4000.EVERY BUSINESS HAS ITS PLACE.

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129 OCT - NOV 2010

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EUROPE'S PREMIER BUSINESS AVIAT ION MAGAZINE

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WHAT MAKES A GOOD FBO p 52

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NBAA 2010 PREVIEW

FLIGHT TEST

WHIPPING THE

THOROUGHBRED

FALCON 2000LX

p 64

1

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