EBACE Convention News ® www.ainonline.com PUBLICATIONS Thursday 5.21.15 GENEVA AU REVOIR, UNTIL NEXT YEAR With a successful show in the books, business aviation fans look forward to next year’s EBACE, scheduled for May 24-26, 2016, right here in Geneva. EBACE closes shop tonight, leaving organizers with a smile by Kerry Lynch The 15th edition of the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibi- tion (EBACE) was packed with visitors through the end of day two, yesterday, and seemed easily on a par with last year in terms of attendance, exhibitors and exhibit space–with the added bonus of having one large, easy-to-navigate hall. “This has been another really strong show,” said Ed Bolen, president and CEO of NBAA, which partners with Industry struggles to define what NCC ops actually are by Thierry Dubois Panelists at an EBACE show discus- sion on non-commercial operations with complex aircraft (NCC) appeared to agree that proportionality should be the goal in regulating the sector in Europe. However, that goal does not seem to be within easy reach, although the Euro- pean Aviation Safety Agency did pledge it is moving to performance-based rules. Also represented on the panel were busi- ness aviation compliance expert AeroEx, Milestones Avionics Maintenance Honors Interiors MedAire Celebrates 30 Years Founded by flight nurse Joan Sullivan Garrett in 1985, MedAire continues its life-saving work. It supplies medical kits for business aircraft, provides crew training and more. Page 12 EGNOS Network Underappreciated With satellite-based precision approaches available for four years now, European aircraft operators have yet to re-equip to take advantage. With 3,500 approaches in service, they remain underused. Page 16 JSSI Expands VistaJet Support Deal Hourly maintenance program provider Jet Support Services, better known as JSSI, is celebrating here at EBACE. It just signed up its 40th VistaJet client, a Global 6000 operator. Page 22 EBACE Founders Saluted EBACE organizers honor four of its founding pioneers. NBAA leaders Jack Olcott and Kathleen Blouin and EBAA luminaries Fernand Francois and Brian Humphries were on stage for the presentations. Page 24 LHT, Mercedes Join Forces Aircraft completions house Lufthansa Technik and Mercedes-Benz have combined talents to deliver some cutting edge VIP business aircraft cabin-design concepts. Page 27 Continued on page 4 u Continued on page 4 u DARRIN VANSELOW
Transcript
EBACEConvention News ®
www.ainonline.com
PUBLICATIONS
Thursday 5.21.15GENEVA
AU REVOIR, UNTIL NEXT YEARWith a successful show in the books, business aviation fans look forward to next year’s EBACE, scheduled for May 24-26, 2016, right here in Geneva.
EBACE closes shop tonight, leaving organizers with a smileby Kerry Lynch
The 15th edition of the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibi-tion (EBACE) was packed with visitors through the end of day two, yesterday, and seemed easily on a par with last year in terms of attendance, exhibitors and
exhibit space–with the added bonus of having one large, easy-to-navigate hall. “This has been another really strong show,” said Ed Bolen, president and CEO of NBAA, which partners with
Industry struggles to define what NCC ops actually areby Thierry Dubois
Panelists at an EBACE show discus-sion on non-commercial operations with complex aircraft (NCC) appeared to agree that proportionality should be the goal in regulating the sector in Europe. However, that goal does not seem to be
within easy reach, although the Euro-pean Aviation Safety Agency did pledge it is moving to performance-based rules. Also represented on the panel were busi-ness aviation compliance expert AeroEx,
Milestones Avionics Maintenance Honors Interiors
MedAire Celebrates 30 YearsFounded by flight nurse Joan Sullivan Garrett in 1985, MedAire continues its life-saving work. It supplies medical kits for business aircraft, provides crew training and more. Page 12
EGNOS Network UnderappreciatedWith satellite-based precision approaches available for four years now, European aircraft operators have yet to re-equip to take advantage. With 3,500 approaches in service, they remain underused. Page 16
JSSI Expands VistaJet Support Deal Hourly maintenance program provider Jet Support Services, better known as JSSI, is celebrating here at EBACE. It just signed up its 40th VistaJet client, a Global 6000 operator. Page 22
EBACE Founders SalutedEBACE organizers honor four of its founding pioneers. NBAA leaders Jack Olcott and Kathleen Blouin and EBAA luminaries Fernand Francois and Brian Humphries were on stage for the presentations. Page 24
LHT, Mercedes Join ForcesAircraft completions house Lufthansa Technik and Mercedes-Benz have combined talents to deliver some cutting edge VIP business aircraft cabin-design concepts. Page 27
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Client: Textron Aviation/Cessna CitationAd Title: COMFORT AND EFFICIENCYPublication: AIN Convention News - May 21 - Day 3Trim: 10.8125” x 13.875” • Bleed: 11.0625” x 14.125” • Live:
www.ainonline.com • May 21, 2015 • EBACE Convention News 3
ViaSat answering demand for ever-higher data capacityby David Donald
Satellite specialist ViaSat is growing its “Exede in the Air” Ka-band satellite communications coverage to offer huge data capacity across an increasing area of the globe, enabling aircraft passengers to access the kind of connectivity that has become commonplace in everyday life. “We’re focused on providing the same experience in the air as on the ground,” said James Person, director of global business development. “We need to match an exponential demand for data.”
For more than a decade ViaSat has supplied Ku-band connectivity, provided for much of the globe through its Yonder brand. Moving to Ka-band allows for far greater capacity, and the company is expanding its coverage both in terms of area and in data delivery rate.
In 2011 the company launched ViaSat 1 to provide Ka-band coverage for the United States. Its 140-GB capacity greatly
exceeds that of other current Ka-band satellites, and was more than sufficient for launch airline customer JetBlue to offer full Internet services on its fleet.
ViaSat 1 employs 72 spot beams that seamlessly cover the “lower 48,” with beams of varying individual area cover-ages to cater for different regions, with the densest coverage over East and West Coast corridors. “We put the highest capacity where it’s needed most,” explained Person.
ViaSat has partnered with Eutelsat to provide Ka-band coverage for Europe through the KA-SAT satellite, which has a capacity of nearly 100 GB. Next year ViaSat 2 will be launched, with more than double the capacity of the ViaSat 1. As well as significantly adding to capacity over the U.S., area coverage is greater, too, extending to Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and, cru-cially, the North Atlantic. o
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A WINDOW ON THE WORLD
Now available through a supplemental type certificate for the Boeing Business Jet, Fokker Services’ SkyView windows offer passengers “an unrivaled view of the outside world” according to the company. The windows measure four feet, 11 inches (1.5 meters) by one foot, seven inches (0.5 meters) and take up the space normally occupied by three standard cabin windows. Up to four SkyView windows will fit per BBJ.�
IBAC TO AWARD FIRST EUROPEAN IS-BAH REGISTRATION
IBAC is presenting the first International Standard for Business Aviation Handling (IS-BAH) registration in Europe today at EBACE, one year after the program was unveiled to the business aviation ground-handling and operator community. Today’s IS-BAH panel discussion is scheduled at 11 a.m. in the Inspiration Area of Hall 3.
The IS-BAH program builds on the success of the International Standard for Business Aviation Operations, but is tailored for ground handling and incorporates the NATA Safety 1st Ground Audit Program. IBAC formally launched the program in July 2014, and since then a number of FBOs and handling agencies have begun the registration process.
Three registrations have been awarded so far: the first to SRC Aviation in Bangalore, India; the second to American Aero at
Meacham International Airport in Fort Worth, Texas; and the third, announced just this week, SkyValet at Paris Le Bourget. SkyValet is thus the first European operation to receive the designation.
The IS-BAH standards board, comprising FBOs and handlers from North America, Europe and the Middle East, met here at EBACE on Monday for the first time to review and update the standard. IS-BAH program director Terry Yeomans said the standards board took “pro-gressive steps” in ensuring that IS-BAH implementation will help FBOs and ground handlers maintain and improve processes.
NATA president and CEO Tom Hendricks added that the stan-dards board meeting “demonstrates the commitment of our industry to support a single, worldwide operational safety stan-dard for business aviation.” –K.L.
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A PROP FIT FOR A KING AIR
BLR Aerospace (Booth F089), partnered with Germany’s MT-Propeller, has come up with Whisper Prop, an option said to cut noise levels by 30 to 50 percent compared to standard propellers on a Beechcraft King Air 90GTx.
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4 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
NEWS CLIPS
EBAA to host the annual event. “Crowds are good, the mood is positive. We’re very pleased,” he added.
On the eve of the opening day, NBAA’s chief operating officer Steve Brown had esti-mated that about 460 exhibitors were expected to occupy 2,200 exhibit spaces and 58 aircraft were on static display. While by Wednesday it was too early to tell final registration numbers,
organizers said they were run-ning close to last year’s final total of 13,217.
Last year’s EBACE drew 499 exhibitors with 55 aircraft on the static.
This compares with the first EBACE in 2001 of 3,600 attendees, 190 exhibitors and 30 aircraft on static display.
Visitors can browse the num-bers from previous shows on a series of billboards in Hall 3, between the AIN show office and the Press Center.
This year’s EBACE has marked the debut of a num-ber of new aircraft models,
including the first European appearance of Honda Air-craft’s HondaJet and the arrival of Embraer’s Legacy 450.
It also has marked the an-nouncement of senior lead-ership changes, including the upcoming retirement of Gulf- stream president Larry Flynn and the departure of Bombar-dier’s business aviation chief Eric Martel.
New Boeing Business Jets president David Longridge made his first appearance at EBACE, and gave a presenta-tion to the Wings Club on the second day of the event about
the importance of business avi-ation and how it has spurred innovation for all of aviation.
The event featured key deci-sion makers, including Euro-pean Aviation Safety Agency executive director Patrick Ky, and attendees we able to sit in on various educational sessions.
A number of company leaders referred to the “qual-ity” of the attendees with seri-ous buyers both on the floor and at the static display. Bolen noted that this had been a hallmark of EBACE, even as it weathered the ups and downs of the economy. o
EBACE leaves organizers smilinguContinued from page 1
the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA), NBAA, and operators Shell Aircraft and Abelag Aviation.
Keynote speaker Philippe Renz, a lawyer with Meyer Avo-cats, noted the sheer defini-tion of NCC has been long to agree on and may still be evolv-ing. “Just explaining the differ-ence between commercial and non-commercial would take two days,” he said. At least, a non-commercial operator should easily understand whether it is considered complex. Yet, there is no clear boundary, Stan Medved, a Shell Aircraft executive, said.
EASA has worked on a Part-NCC regulation that resembles
the commercial air transport regulation but will not require an organization approval. It is to come into force on August 25 next year. But more rules do not mean more safety, Renz stated.
Is there a higher risk today in flying non-commercially? The panelists found it hard to answer but FOCA’s Ste-phen Eder pointed out that safety mandates in commer-cial air transport over the past decades–such as crew resource management–definitely im-proved safety. He noted the level of safety is difficult to measure when statistics have to rely on a small number of inci-dents and accidents.
Discussing proportionality, EASA rulemaking officer Willy Sigl said three levels should be considered. Proportionality should be found in rulemaking,
implementation and then over-sight, which is often national.
The major difference be-tween a Cessna Citation Mus-tang owner-pilot and a cor-porate flight department with several jets and multiple bases should be taken into account, panelists agreed.
“There is an opportunity for the industry to work together on identifying what are acceptable examples of how some of these requirements can be met, for example taking the operating manual of a small TBM oper-ator,” said Doug Carr, NBAA vice president for safety, secu-rity, operations and regulation.
“We have to get away from prescriptive rules and move to performance-based rules,” Sigl stated. An NCC opera-tor would still have to conduct an assessment of its means
of compliance–a document it may show to the authorities, if requested. “It will be a challenge for the national authorities to change their mindset from pre-scriptive to performance-based rules,” Medved said.
Carr said the biggest risk with implementation is consis-tent interpretation of require-ments by all member states. An operator may go state-shop-ping to decide where to base its aircraft, depending on which country has the most favor-able interpretation in its case. “We need to develop a feedback mechanism for EASA to work out differences in interpretation, which can lead to different lev-els of burden,” Carr suggested.
Answering an operator, Sigl concurred, and added, “When you see differences in interpre-tation, come and tell us.” o
Industry struggles to define NCC opsuContinued from page 1
z San Marino Awards First Commercial AOCAviation services company
ACASS has become the first operator to be issued a commercial air operator certificate in the Republic of San Marino (AOC No. SM 001). This enables ACASS to operate aircraft commercially for charter and medevac under the T7 registration.
San Marino, which has had its own civil aviation department since 2001, initially opened the registry only to private aircraft until it was ready to handle the higher degree of oversight for commercial operations. The registry became active in December 2012.
“Since day one we have aimed to become a premier aircraft registry composed of the best aviation safety professionals in the business,” said David Colindres, president of the San Marino Aircraft Registry (Booth S035).
ACASS executive vice pres- ident David Dorrance called the process “timely, precise and very cost-effective.”
z AMAC Installs TrueNorth Simphone TrueNorth Avionics (Booth F045)
announced here in Geneva that AMAC Aerospace has installed the company’s Simphon-e Mobile GSM System in a Boeing 747-8i completion. Simphon-e Mobile GSM is a private GSM system specifically designed for business jets, enabling passengers and crew to use their own phones for text and talk without additional configuration, apps or forwarding service.
“When we’re on the go, we rely on our mobile phones to keep in touch,” said TrueNorth CEO Mark van Berkel. “Having to fly shouldn’t be an exception, which is why we developed Simphon-e Mobile GSM.”
z Citation CJ4 Pressed into Airline ServiceHahn Air Lines is now operating
a fleet of Cessna Citation CJ4s for scheduled airline service, making the CJ4 the first Citation to be used for commercial airline service, said aircraft manufacturer Textron Aviation. The German scheduled and charter airline operator uses the CJ4 for its 155-mile Dusseldorf-Luxemburg route.
According to Textron Aviation, the CJ4 is the first jet in its class to achieve authorization for use in commercial airline service. As a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Hahn Air was required to submit the CJ4 for an operational safety audit.
ONE HALL FITS ALLExhibitors and attendees both seemed to appreciate having EBACE 2015 contained in one hall of the Palexpo center. Foot traffic was strong through the first two days.
Milestones Avionics Maintenance Honors Interiors
MedAire Celebrates 30 YearsFounded by flight nurse Joan Sullivan Garrett in 1985, MedAire continues its life-saving work. It supplies medical kits for business aircraft, provides crew training and more. Page 12
EGNOS Network UnderappreciatedWith satellite-based precision approaches available for four years now, European aircraft operators have yet to re-equip to take advantage. With 3,500 approaches in service, they remain underused. Page 16
JSSI Expands VistaJet Support Deal Hourly maintenance program provider Jet Support Services, better known as JSSI, is celebrating here at EBACE. It just signed up its 40th VistaJet client, a Global 6000 operator. Page 22
EBACE Founders SalutedEBACE organizers honor four of its founding pioneers. NBAA leaders Jack Olcott and Kathleen Blouin and EBAA luminaries Fernand Francois and Brian Humphries were on stage for the presentations. Page 24
LHT, Mercedes Join ForcesAircraft completions house Lufthansa Technik and Mercedes-Benz have combined talents to deliver some cutting edge VIP business aircraft cabin-design concepts. Page 27
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6 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
Bell Helicopter, AgustaWestland assess prospects for European salesby Thierry Dubois
Bell Helicopter (Booth U029) and AgustaWestland (Booth S141) are the only rotorcraft manufacturers exhibiting here this year. Both are stressing the importance of the European mar-ket, despite its slow dynamics.
Bell is showcasing a Bell 429 with a VVIP interior designed by Italy-based Mecaer Aviation Group. Mecaer has developed the I-FEEL (In-Flight Enter-tainment Enhanced Lounge) cabin system to “provide a fully customized interactive touch-screen-based entertainment and
cabin management system con-sisting of audio, video, moving maps, laptop, camera and cabin functions.” The VVIP interior Mecaer and Bell first exhibited last year will be available through an EASA STC.
Bell is expanding its cabin equipment, offering satellite communications, USB plugs, lighting controls, smart, dim-mable windows etc. for its entire product range. With the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, “We start at the lower end and we attract a lot of corporate/VIP customers,”
Chuck Evans, director of mar-keting and sales, told AIN. The 407GXP, introduced at Heli-Expo 2015 in March, fea-tures a more powerful engine and an avionics upgrade for better pilot awareness. “More appealing paint schemes and the club seating layout are appealing to these customers,” Evans said.
At the other end of the scale, Bell engineers have designed interiors for the Bell 525 Relent-less heavy twin. “It has generated more interest than expected for VIP/corporate applications; the
sky is the limit. It opens up a lot of possibilities for extremely high-net-worth individuals,” Evans noted.
Meanwhile, AgustaWestland is displaying the GrandNew light twin, the AW169 super-light twin and the AW139 medium twin. Well ahead of certification, the AW169 has already logged more than 150 orders (including options and framework contracts), many of them for corporate transport purposes, Emilio Dalmasso, AgustaWestland senior v-p com-mercial business unit, told AIN.
AgustaWestland has developed dedicated entertainment systems. “These would include, for exam-ple, iPad wireless control, light-ing control, in-flight information and special audio/video devices,” Dalmasso said. The company has opened a specialized design cen-ter at its Vergiate factory.
Last year, AgustaWestland showcased an AW169 interior by design studio Lanzavecchia and Wei. “It allowed us to assess a new way to meet evolving cus-tomization needs, joining forces with designers well established in fields other than aeronautics,” Dalmasso said. Some compo-nents are now being engineered, such as variable lighting custom-ized to the mission profile.
The manufacturer is also investing in customer support. “Delivery schedule adherence on urgent orders has increased to 75 percent and we aim at reach-ing 90 percent by year-end,” Dal-masso said. All high-rotation parts are delivered in 12 days, and this will be cut to six days during 2015, he said. “We’ve reached a 25 percent reduction of lead time for major inspec-tions,” Dalmasso added.
He also emphasized the AW609 tiltrotor must be taken into account for a longer-term projection of “how we see the future of passenger transport.”
Last year, Bell delivered 10 helicopters in corporate/VIP
configurations in Europe, the global total being around 60. This is higher than the number AgustaWestland quoted–approx-imately 40 helicopters. Neverthe-less, the latter company believes it holds a 65 percent market share in the multiengine segment.
Specifically talking about Europe, AgustaWestland’s Dal-masso said the corporate mar-ket is “still not so dynamic, with some exceptions, and is undergoing different trends.” In his view, countries such as the UK have “started recover-ing” with a steadily expanding role for rotorcraft.
Other traditional markets are “basically stable,” particularly in southern Europe. Eastern Europe shows some potential with steady growth. “However, although the European market is not that active at this stage, no one can underestimate its relevance, and it still is a refer-ence point for us. It is extremely important with respect to reg-ulations and safety standards, and it’s a benchmark for other markets across the globe,” Dal-masso concluded.
Bell’s Evans essentially echoed his counterpart. “So far the heli-copter industry is off to another slow start and Europe has been hit even harder,” he said. He referred to the corporate/VIP market in Russia and the CIS, which has slowed down. But all this does not change Bell’s com-mitment to the European mar-ket, he emphasized.
The first Bell 429 full-flight simulator is to be installed in Valencia, Spain, through cooper-ation between Bell Helicopter and TRU Simulation+Training (both Textron companies). It will be the initial platform in a newly created Bell Helicopter training center, itself housed at the Textron Avi-ation Service Center in Valencia. The simulator is scheduled to be operational in 2016. Europe has accounted for about one quarter of the 429’s sales so far. o
AgustaWestland hopes its in-development AW169 will do well in the corporate/VIP role.
CHARTER BROKER CONTINUES STRONG GROWTH TREND
Growth in private flight bookings helped to lift revenues at charter brokering group Air Charter Service, with an overall 14 percent increase to £286 million ($427 million) for the financial year that ended on January 31, 2015. The company reported that the number of private charters arranged increased by 11 percent last year to 4,619 individual bookings (some of which involved more than one flight). A spokesman told AIN that private charter growth had been achieved in all regions of the world, but that it had been especially strong in mainland Europe and the U.S.
“The figures across the board are extremely pleasing,” commented Air Charter Service chairman Chris Leach. “Every department–private jets, commercial airliners, group travel and cargo–grew in terms of revenue and number of charters.” He added that the first quarter of 2015 has seen growth in charter bookings continue. –C.A.
The Model 505 Jet Ranger X (foreground, in flight tests) is Bell’s entry-level product for corporate/VIP applications.
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Reeling from CIS woes, European bizav crawlingby Charles Alcock
Business-aircraft flying in Europe still has yet to find its footing, with April activity
down 0.8 percent year-over-year, to 62,968 departures, according to data released May
5 by Germany-based WingX Advance. Year-to-date, traffic is down by 2.7 percent, the avia-tion data firm said.
“The trend so far in 2015 appears to indicate that 2014 was a false dawn on a gen-eralized recovery in business aviation activity in Europe,” noted WingX managing direc-tor Richard Koe. “The CIS
market’s collapse is the main factor, although it’s clear that business-jet activity has also weakened in the Eurozone.”
Little to Cheer AboutFrance and Germany
propped up the market, with flying up 4 percent there, though this was largely driven by pis-ton and turboprop activity.
The recent growth trend in the UK came to an end last month, with traffic there experiencing a 1-percent slowdown. “This was evident in diminished activity at Luton and Farnborough, al-though Biggin Hill was one of Europe’s faster growing airports for the month,” WingX said.
Collapse in business-avi-ation activity in Eastern Europe and Russia continued in April, with flights inbound from the CIS down 26 per-cent from a year ago. Flights from Europe to Russia were down 20 percent year-over-year, but this is less than the year-to-date -25-percent trend, “so the decline may be bottoming out.”
The slowdown in activ-ity is not confined to just the Eurozone periphery, as indicated by flight reduc-tions–mostly in the char-ter segment–in Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Belgium.
And For the Good News...How ever, there were still
some pockets of growth in business-aircraft flying, nota-bly in Turkey, Czech Republic and Austria, the latter of which saw charter activity increase by 8 percent year-over-year. Inbound flights from North America climbed by 6 percent; from North Africa, 14 per-cent; and from Asia-Pacific, 18 percent.
By aircraft category, ultra-long-range aircraft ac tivity continued to rise, maintain-ing 6-percent growth over a 12-month trend. Breaking it down further, Falcon 7X fly-ing increased 14 percent from a year ago, while Gulfstream GV/550 flying was down 6 per-cent last month.
At the lower end, very-light-jet activity slumped 11 percent in April, “mostly due to fewer owner flights,” WingX said. Overall, light-jet flying was down, but there were “strong gains” for some models, including the Cessna Citation CJ1 and Embraer Phenom 300.
“The ultra-long-range seg-ment remains resilient,” Koe said. “Embraer Phenom usage is still climbing and we’re see-ing a strong rebound in super-midsize charter activity.” o
8 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
10 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
ACJC DELIVERS LIGHTWEIGHT ACJ319
The Airbus Corporate Jet Center recently delivered a lightweight ACJ319 cabin to an Asian customer who requested to fly nonstop from South Asia to Los Angeles. The cabin the ACJC delivered was 10 percent lighter than the contractual commitment, according to its designers.
It made the most of a wireless architecture for communication sys-tems and composite materials for furniture. “The tables in the dining area feature composite stands, combining futuristic design and light-ness,” Sylvain Mariat, head of the ACJC’s creative design studio, said. The liner has been made thinner, giving more space to the cabin.
It can seat 15 passengers and offers a double office and lounge in the front, followed by a dining area and then a bedroom and ensuite bathroom with a square shower. n
Dubai Airshow expects strong 2015 order bookby Peter Shaw-Smith
The Dubai Airshow expects to maintain its position as a lead-ing global aerospace event when it returns later this year (Novem-ber 8-12), with another strong or-der book anticipated. In 2013 the biennial show entered a new era by moving to a new purpose-built facility at Al Maktoum Interna-tional Airport (Dubai World Central). So will it become “the biggest and the best” this year?
“It depends on how you want to measure it,” Michele van
Akelijen, managing director of F&E Aerospace, told AIN. “For orders, Dubai Airshow 2007 [won] the record [with an] order book of $155.5 billion, and no other air shows surpassed that until Dubai Airshow 2013, which made his-tory with orders of $206.1 billion.”
“Paris is larger by number of exhibitors, Dubai by num-ber of aircraft on the static dis-play. Dubai Airshow is the place to be as far as getting business is concerned,” she said. Officials
expect 1,100 exhibitors from 60 countries to take part this year.
Van Akelijen said EBACE is an important platform to promote the Dubai Airshow. “Aerospace trade shows and exhibitions have immense net-working value,” she said.
“An important element of suc-ceeding in this industry is to put yourself in the right places and to meet the right people,” said Mo-hammed Husary, executive pres-ident of UAS International Trip Support. “Our presence at the Dubai Airshow is crucial to stay at the cutting-edge of the business.”
The U.S. will also have a strong presence this year. The U.S. pavilion has doubled in size since 2013. It’s a 50-50 split between civil and defence.” o
Blink adds Italy’s MyJet; also buys its home airportby David Donald
European air taxi group Blink has announced the acqui-sition of the Italian air taxi operator MyJet. The move adds three Cessna Citation Mustangs to the fleet, raising it to nine, while extending its cov-erage into the lucrative northern Italian region. Operations now cover the key hubs of London, Paris, Nice, Geneva and Milan. MyJet’s aircraft will continue to operate under their existing liv-ery but will be brought under the Blink brand in the future.
“The acquisition of MyJet [is] further validation of what we set out to achieve with Blink in 2008,” said Cameron Ogden, manag-ing director and co-founder. “This is a demonstration that the European air taxi industry has come of age, and the much talked-about period of consolida-tion has started. In MyJet we have a wholly complementary business that shares our passion for true air taxi operations, a best-in-class maintenance operation, and the reliability of management and corporate organization.”
Blink was launched in 2008, and its existing fleet of six Citation Mustangs has now flown over 17,000 miles. Annual utilization of the fleet averages more than 600 hours per air-craft. More than 800 airfields are covered by the network, many of them being locations that are difficult to reach by commercial services.
Since 2011 Blink has been based at Blackbushe Airport, about 35 miles west of London, and has now acquired the site. The purchase allows the company to secure tenure and regulate costs.
The company plans to invest in the airfield so that it can offer high-quality private and executive facilities. The company will also soon launch upgrades to its system to pro-vide real-time pricing and avail- ability information. oOPENING DOORS TO YOUR PRIVATE AVIATION FUTURE
One of the best aspects of a business aviation show is the opportunity to step aboard and inspect so many aircraft. From multirole turboprops, such as the Pilatus PC-12 in the foreground, to widebody business jets, you can find something for everyone here at EBACE in Geneva.�
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The national colors fly high over the Dubai Airshow, in the livery of an Emirates A380 and the smoke trails of the Al Fursan (Knights) jet demonstration team.
A weight-saving interior needn’t be spartan. This ACJ319 cabin was designed by Airbus Corporate Jet Center to be 10 percent lighter, and also quite stylish.
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12 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
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Founded 30 years ago, MedAire is going strongby David Donald
This year MedAire celebrates 30 years of providing medical services to the aviation industry, having in the interim expanded greatly to incorporate maritime services, and to widen its offerings to provide a spectrum of related medical, travel and safety services.
MedAire (Booth Y109) was the brainchild of Flight Nurse Joan Sullivan Garrett. In 1983 she was the chief medical offi-cer for an emergency helicop-ter evacuation flight responding to a traffic accident in Arizona. Experience from this and other
incidents brought the realiza-tion that many more lives could be saved through greater medi-cal training and expertise, and through the provision of better on-board medical kits. In 1985 Garrett created MedAire to bring that into reality.
In 2008 International SOS acquired MedAire, but it remains committed to the core life-saving values that Garrett instilled in the young company 30 years ago.
Today the company supplies a range of medical kits, and med-ical training for flight crews. It provides on-the-ground medical and security assistance, and also rapid access to round-the-clock expert advice.
It established the first global emergency response center for the aviation industry. Security has been an important aspect of the company’s work, and it has recently launched a new e-learning travel safety course for executives and flight crews as part of its travel risk man-agement offerings. o
z Jet Aviation Gears Up for Football InvasionTwo years after beginning operations at the airfield,
Jet Aviation Berlin has just opened a second lounge at its Schönefeld FBO. The new lounge has been inaugurated in time to cater for the expected influx of visitors for the UEFA Champions League final, which is taking place in Berlin’s Olympiastadion on June 6. Schönefeld is expecting 500 aircraft for the event, and the second Jet Aviation lounge is a welcome and timely addition to the airport’s facilities.
Jet Aviation (Booth A050) has also secured additional ramp space and airside transportation for the expected surge in traffic. The adjacent Berlin-Brandenburg airport, currently being completed, has made ramps available for the extra demand. As well as its Schönefeld activities, Jet Aviation Berlin also has a lounge and crew-brief facilities at Berlin’s other international airport at Tegel. Additionally, it oversees the FBO at Düsseldorf.
z Falcon Operators Get New Cabin Lighting OptionAircraft Lighting International (ALI) is giving operators of
Dassault Falcon 200 and 900 the chance to upgrade cabin lights with its new 8mm LED direct replacement system. According to the U.S. company, the new lamps are a significant improvement on the existing LED and fluorescent systems.
The 8mm LED direct replacement lamp is a self-ballasted system, which allows the lamp to bypass ballasts saving thousands of dollars in the process, according to ALI. Like other ALI lamps, the 8mm LED direct replacement units are virtually heatless (with less risk of fire) and use 90 percent less energy than standard LEDs, as well as being shatterproof, mercury-free and with a longer life. The lamps come with a three-year warranty and are being demonstrated at ALI’s EBACE show exhibit (Booth E070).
z TAG Renews HondaJet DealershipTAG Aviation (Booth Z050) has renewed its dealer agreement
with Honda to promote and sell the HondaJet in southern Europe. The company is the authorized dealer for France, Monaco, Switzerland (Geneva and Vaud), Italy, San Marino, Portugal, Gibraltar, Malta, Greece and Cyprus. Its sales region also includes the southern United Kingdom and the Channel Islands. The aircraft is making its European debut and is undertaking a sales tour. As well as undertaking demonstration flights at TAG’s Geneva and Farnborough bases, it will also travel to Leeds as part of the tour.
z Paris Region Airports Seek to Lure New PartnersThe Hubstart Paris Region Alliance is here at the EBACE show
(Booth M064) promoting opportunities at the French capital’s Charles de Gaulle and Le Bourget airports. The group represents the Paris Region Enterprises Agency, as well as economic development teams from the communities of Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val d’Oise,
The partnership also is eager to tell visitors about the business benefits of using Pontoise-Cormeille-en-Vexin Airport (16 miles northwest of Paris) and the airfield at Melun-Villaroche (21 miles southeast). Also at the Hubstart exhibit are a delegation of company officials from across the Paris region.
z Low-cost Streamer Could Save Your LifeCRS Jet Spares has recently become an authorized distributor
for the See/Rescue streamer family. These simple devices unfurl to provide a high-visibility visual marker to alert rescue services. They can be used at sea and on land, and incorporate lights and NVG-visible strips to maintain visibility at night.
The company provides aftermarket parts solutions for business aircraft, and offers a wide and varied range, specializing in out-of-warranty airframes. The company holds a stock of over 60,000 line items at warehouses in London, São Paulo, Singapore and Los Angeles, and offers round-the-clock AOG support. Part of the company’s business is a consignment program that markets and sells parts on behalf of others. For an agreed fee, CRS (Booth C089) handles all aspects of the sale, including storage, distribution, billing and technical support.
ABS Jets adds G550 to its service dance cardby Chad Trautvetter
Prague-based business jet operator and service support provider ABS Jets (Booth P107) recently received approval to provide line maintenance for the Gulfstream G550. “We have a G550 in our own ABS Jets fleet and we are committed to treat any customer’s aircraft as if it is our own,” said ABS Jets techni-cal director Thierry Barré.
The 10-year-old company is also an Embraer-authorized ser-vice center for the Phenom 100 and 300 and Legacy 600/650
aircraft types, as well as a Honeywell-authorized service center for avionics upgrades. Last year, ABS Jets received approval from Russia’s aviation authority to perform mainte-nance on Russian-registered.
It is also becoming a tech stop of choice for aircraft oper-ating in Eastern Europe and Russia. “We have noticed that a growing number of tech stops are made in Prague because ABS Jets is seen as a unique one-stop service provider,” said
ABS Jets CEO Vladimir Petak. “We are certain that this trend will continue as we are once more demonstrating our leader-ship and reputation in the busi-ness aviation field.”
Meanwhile, the company said it saw strong demand last year its entire portfolio of ser-vices, with revenues up by 3.7 percent from 2013. Earnings before taxes soared by 61.7 per-cent, while a record growth profit of 148 percent was real-ized by ABS Jets’ technical and maintenance department.
ABS Jets crews safely flew 2,100 flights last year and increased the number of flight hours by 27 percent. And its FBO saw the number of busi-ness jet movements at Prague Airport climb by 16 percent. o
The EBACE static display area is not short on aeronautical eye candy. And it stands to reason that you’ll want to
share the news with your mobile phone.
SO MUCH TO SEE, SO MUCH TO SAY
MedAire founder Joan Sullivan Garrett celebrates 30 years of service.
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14 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
World Fuel Colt’s flight planner adds European routing to its menuby Chad Trautvetter
World Fuel Colt (Booth A006) released a new version of its online flight planning por-tal, OFP File & Go, that allow users to validate generated Cen-tral Flow Management Unit (CFMU) routes and quickly file with Eurocontrol. This release is part of World Fuel Colt’s ex-panding Regional Trip Support solution that integrates cloud-based technology with its Glob-al Trip Support product.
Free for active custom-ers, OFP File & Go uses air-craft performance and real-time
temperatures and winds to cre-ate routes and generate naviga-tional logs. It eliminates planning complexity by integrating with Google Maps, allowing pilots and dispatchers to build multi-leg itin-eraries and plan fuel stops based on fuel burns, ETEs and range.
With databases of more than 20,000 regulatory, airport and country factors, the system auto-matically determines the neces-sary landing permits and slots based on the route. Delivery controls allow trip planners to build customized flight packages
and email it to crews.“OFP File & Go is a great addi-
tion to our expanding Regional Trip Support portfolio,” said Jeff Briand, senior vice president of World Fuel Colt Global Trip Support. “Our European custom-ers will have more accurate flight plans versus other free products and that equates to more accu-rate fuel burn and lower costs. The European market wants self- service; our solution allows them to do it themselves when they want or use our operations center when then need support.” o
AIR HAMBURG SIGNS FOR FIFTH LEGACYGermany-based charter operator Air Hamburg signed with Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO
Marco Tulio Pellegrini, left, for a new Embraer Legacy 650 this week. When delivered in September this year, the aircraft will bring the operator’s fleet of Embraer products to five Legacy 600/650s and a single Phenom 300, which operate alongside several Citation variants and a single King Air.
In two weeks’ time Air Hamburg is due to receive a Legacy 600 from Brazil, having taken delivery of a Legacy 650 in January. “The Legacy 600/650 is a great aircraft,” stated Air Hamburg CEO and partner Floris Helmers, right. “Three cabin zones and a huge baggage compartment, together with great dispatch reliability, make the Legacy a perfect aircraft for our operation.” –D.D.
‘I WONDER IF THERE’S SPACE FOR A PUTTING GREEN’
EBACE is a place for dreams, so why not dream big? And the miniature mockup of a bizliner is a great place to start. Even if the chances of bringing those dreams to reality are slim, there's no harm in enjoying the moment.�
NEWS CLIPSz�StartPac Provides Power to the Plane People
StartPac (Booth Y054) has developed a new lightweight power supply unit for use in maintenance or other field-base operations. Its Model 53300 weighs 18 kilos (40 pounds) and provides 300 amps of power supply.
The company said the unit is designed to power up inverters, avionics, GPS, air conditioning and other functions. Along with use by maintenance shops, StartPac said the unit will support business jets, medical evacuation, police, fire or rescue operations, as well as other operations.
“Existing products in the field can be very heavy and cumbersome, which in this line of work–where fast reaction and agility are crucial–is a significant disadvantage,” said Mark Marar, vice president of engineering and quality director. “We listened to the market and responded…with a more compact and mobile product.”
Since launching the Model 53300 two months ago, StartPac has sold units to 30 different companies in 12 countries.
z�Turkish Operator Buys First 407GXP in EuropeTurkish operator Saran Aviation has become the European
launch customer for Bell Helicopter’s 407GXP single. The aircraft will be outfitted for corporate and VIP charter missions.
Bell launched the 407GXP at the HeliExpo show in March. It gives customers an additional 50 pounds of payload and, thanks to its Rolls-Royce M250 turboshaft engine improved fuel efficiency and hot and high performance. The cockpit includes new features such as an improved hover performance calculator system. The transmission has a time-between-overhaul extension of 500 hours, reducing maintenance costs.
“We are thrilled to be the first customer in Europe to purchase a Bell 407GXP and spearhead the region with some of the most advanced technology on the market,” said Jakub Hoda, Saran Aviation’s vice president and managing director of European sales. “This aircraft will provide us effective transport in the environments we often experience around Istanbul.”
z�Aeropole Signs Up Three TenantsWell-known as the home of the Solar Impulse solar-
powered aircraft that is currently in China waiting to start the transpacific sector of a round-the-world flight, Aeropole at Payerne in Switzerland is being developed as a major European center for aerospace technology. The cluster has recently attracted three high-profile tenants in the shape of Boschung, Groupe E and Swiss Space Systems (S3).
Aeropole (Booth G078) offers two areas for settlement, with or without access to the 2,600-meter ILS-equipped runway. Boschung has completed a contract to take two parcels of land with airfield access for a combined area of 400,000 square meters. The global company produces special-purpose vehicles, machinery and electronic systems for many purposes, including airport-related equipment. It is establishing its headquarters at Aeropole, along with a technology center.
S3 is establishing a spaceport at Payerne, including an administration/R&D center and an assembly building for its SOAR sub-orbital shuttle that is scheduled to begin flight trials in 2017. The third new tenant is Groupe E, which is taking land in Aeropole group 2, away from the runway, to support its electric power distribution business.
z� ExecuJet Middle East To Break Ground On New Terminal At DWCExecuJet Middle East is in the early design stage for a
new $35 million terminal at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International
Airport at Dubai World Central. ExecuJet (Booth S073) plans
to open the new facility by the first quarter of 2017 ahead of
the move of general aviation traffic to the airport that year.
The design is expected to reflect its current facility at Dubai
International, but include increased hangar floor space and a
dedicated parking hangar.
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16 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
EGNOS network growth not meeting expectationsby Thierry Dubois
Since a Dassault Falcon 900LX flew the first EGNOS LPV ap-proach in 2011 at Pau Pyrénées airport in southwest France, use of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System has failed to increase as fast as in-tended. This is despite offering an increase in GPS accuracy that allows “localizer performance with vertical guidance” preci-sion approaches. So its promot-ers are attending events such as EBACE as part of their efforts to increase awareness of the po-tential benefits of EGNOS and accelerate usage.
Also as part of these efforts, on May 7 the European GNSS Agency (GSA, Booth M070) held an event in Toulouse, support-ed by the European Commission, to demonstrate the benefits of a
service that has been available to aviation for four years but has seen limited take-up by the industry.
While the U.S. WAAS has translated into 3,500 LPV ap-proaches, its European counter-part is enabling such approaches at only 142 airports so far. These are precision approaches that are equivalent to ILS Cat 1 but with-out the need for ground equipment at the airport, so in theory can of-fer significant operating benefits.
EGNOS vs ILSThe number of aircraft using
EGNOS is even smaller–just a few dozen, according to Carlo des Dorides, executive director of the GSA. Convincing opera-tors to invest in EGNOS receiv-ers, while most of the airports they uses are equipped with ILS,
is also proving challenging.A solution to this chicken-
and-egg situation may come from air navigation service providers, like France’s DSNA. It is with-drawing ILS investment at 50 air-ports in the country, leaving it to the airports themselves to decide whether they want to pay for their ILS or uninstall it, Benoît Roturier, DSNA’s director of sat-ellite-based navigation, told AIN. Meanwhile, DSNA is offering to pay for the design of LPV proce-dures. The annual maintenance cost of an ILS is estimated to €50,000-70,000 ($56,000-78,000), which is more or less equivalent to the one-off cost of establishing and publishing an LPV approach.
To enhance adoption, the GSA has recently started offer-ing grants for operators to equip and aerodromes to publish LPV approaches. An annual €6 mil-lion ($6.7 million), during three years, has been allocated to the project. NetJets, for example, is taking advantage of the scheme.
Most, if not all, in-production
business aircraft are fitted with EGNOS/WAAS receivers, said Belarmino Gonçalves Paradela, EBAA senior manager, econom-ics and operational activities. But very few operators use EGNOS. They would need an operational approval from their national authority and “there is a lack of harmonization,” Gonçalves said.
Moreover, LPV approaches could be designed in more
creative ways compared to ILS, he went on. A curved approach may reduce the noise footprint; and a “double glideslope” pro-cedure enables the following air-craft to avoid the wake vortex of the preceding one.
EBAA and the GSA last year signed a memorandum of understanding to promote the use of EGNOS at regional air-ports in Europe. o
This map illustrates the number and availability of EGNOS-based localizer performance with vertical guidance (LPV) approaches in Europe. Still, the European Commission is struggling to win over aircraft operators to re-equip with EGNOS receivers.
GE ramps up support for GA turbine enginesby James Wynbrandt
GE Aviation’s Passport tur-bofan, slated to power the Bombardier’s new Global 7000 and 8000 jets, is on track for cer-tification this year, as GE ramps up support for its engines used in general aviation (GA) applica-tions, v-p and general manager of GE Aviation’s Business and General Aviation division Brad Mottier said here in Geneva. Those engines include the H80 turboprop, the CF34 and the HF120, which was developed in partnership with Honda, in addi-tion to the Passport (developed in cooperation with Safran).
The company’s OnPoint engine support program has long focused on its commercial engines, delivered through its commercial services division. But with its number and range of GA engines growing, Mottier said the company has created a dedicated arm for “customer product sup-port for business aviation” with a “more personal approach.”
He also provided an update on the engine programs here at EBACE. GE (Booth A013) ex-pects the Passport to “mature” by its entry into service, having accu-mulated 4,000 hours and 8,000 cycles on 10 engines, the equiva-lent of 10 years of operation.
Some 200 H80 turboprop engines have been produced.
It currently powers the Thrush S10, while Nextant selected the engine for its G90XT remanufac-tured King Air C90 program and Ikhana Aircraft Services will use the H80 to re-engine Twin Otters. It will also power the new Caiga AG300 and the “modernized” Aircraft Industries L410NG.
More than 1,800 GE CF34s used in GA applications, includ-ing various Bombardier Chal - lengers, are in service, and the CF34-3BMTO provides the thrust for the new Challenger 650.
The GE Honda HF120, which will power the HondaJet, is now ready for entry to service and EASA certification is expected in the fourth quarter. GE has ordered two HondaJets, with delivery in 2017, to shuttle supply chain personnel between 22 man-ufacturing sites in the U.S.
Mottier noted that GE is also supporting Gulfstream’s G500 and G600 programs, not with engines, but systems for managing power, health management and data con-centration; its aircraft health management system monitors more than 9,000 parameters.
As more GE engines find application in the GA world, Mottier said the company will maintain a “laser focus on ser-vice and support.” o
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HONEYWELL, INMARSAT, ECLIPSE TEAM DOUBLE SATCOM WI-FI SPEEDS
Honeywell, teamed with Inmarsat and Eclipse (an Inmarsat service provider), has developed new High Data Rate (HDR) capabilities that will double in-flight Wi-Fi speeds for aircraft and helicopters through an on-air-craft software upgrade. The team has completed flight and lab tests of HDR capabilities from Inmarsat’s L-band SwiftBroadband network over Honeywell’s HSD-40 and HD-710 on-board hardware. Eclipse is using its Aero+ Velocity IP aggregation program to combine four HDR channels to provide average speeds of 2.15 Mbps and peak speed of around 2.75 Mbps. The three partners will jointly offer the higher speed capabilities.
HDR builds on SwiftBroadband service that was launched in 2007 and upgraded with the X-Stream enhance-ment in 2010. “SwiftBroadband has a very strong future as part of Inmarsat’s portfolio,” said Kurt Weidemeyer. “We are fully committed to our global L-band services and will continue to develop our technology to provide more bandwidth and better services.”
At the same time Inmarsat continues to work with Honeywell and other partners as it rolls out it new GX Aviation Ka-band services. Inmarsat also is developing its new S-band network in Europe.
Separately, Honeywell will provide satellite communications equipment for Gulfstream’s new G500 and G600. Honeywell is supplying its AMT-700 antenna and MCS-7120 high-speed data system. The equipment will enable voice calls, along with Internet connectivity, while traveling at 40,000 feet.
The AMT-700 antenna, which will be standard on G500 and G600, provides access to Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband. The MCS-7120 system supports upcoming regulations such as Future Air Navigation System (Fans) 1/A+, controller pilot datalink communications and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Contract (ADS-C). –K.L.
PILATUS PICNIC
What could be more enjoyable than snacking alongside the mockup of Pilatus’s PC-24 twinjet? As one of the local Swiss heroes, Pilatus holds court on the EBACE display floor.
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Europe’s pre-owned jets finding buyers elsewhereby Charles Alcock
Europe’s still subdued pri-vate jet market continues to be a key source of pre-owned air-craft for stronger markets else-where, most notably North America, the Middle East and Africa. “When Europeans were buying airplanes they bought new or young models that were well equipped, attractive from a regulatory point of view and well supported,” said Chad Anderson, president of interna-tional aircraft broker Jetcraft.
In his view, aircraft sellers are now more willing to press ahead with deals in the belief that pricing has somewhat stabilized. Anoth-er advantage for European sell-ers in particular is the strength of the U.S. dollar, resulting in an im-proved net return on transactions.
“But Europe isn’t 100 per-cent a sellers market,” said Jetcraft senior vice president for sales Scott Plumb. “There are buyers in some countries, such
as the UK, Spain and Italy.”In 2014, Jetcraft achieved its
highest annual total of aircraft transactions in its 53-year histo-ry, closing 65 deals with a com-bined value of over $1 billion. This represented an eight per-cent increase on 2013, when it completed 60 transactions.
For Sale at EBACEHere on the EBACE show
static display, Jetcraft is show-ing some of its clients’ aircraft, including a Bombardier Glob-al 5000, a Challenger 604 and a Gulfstream G550. The com-pany currently owns a portfolio of 10 aircraft–a mix of new and pre-owned models–six of which are under contract.
“We’ve been willing to be an aircraft investor and take on inventory,” said Anderson. “The number of deals is steadily climbing and the qual-ity and outcome of the deals is
improving nicely thanks to our ability to do the right deals.”
In 2015, Jetcraft has contin-ued to expand its sales network, with the appointment last month of Diana Chou as non-executive chairwoman of Jetcraft Asia.
It has also named Global Jet International to represent it in New Zealand and Australia.
“We love EBACE, because it attracts a very diverse crowd, not just Europeans,” Anderson told AIN. “The Russians aren’t
afraid to come here, and they are tending to be sellers these days as they are liquidating assets and trying to convert air-craft into hard currency. It will be very interesting to see how this year’s show plays out.” o
18 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
Jetcraft has three European clients’ aircraft on the EBACE static display. Buyers are more likely to come from outside of Europe.
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SHPBASC approved for Isle of Man Mxby Kerry Lynch
Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Centre (SHPBASC) recently became the first maintenance, repair and overhaul base in Mainland China to receive approval to
provide maintenance on aircraft registered in the Isle of Man. The authorization comes shortly after the Isle of Man agreed to recognize the equivalency of China’s CAAC regulatory
authority, clearing the way for MROs to seek authorizations.
The authorization allows the facility to service a growing number of Isle of Man aircraft transiting through the region. “It
is a compelling registry for many Asian owners, and we think that having this new MRO approval in Shanghai will be a kit bit of the ever expanding service infrastructure in China,” said SHPBASC general manager Carey Matthews, who added that more than 500 aircraft are on the registry. SHPBASC worked with the Isle of Man government for more than a year to develop compliance capability.
The approval comes as busi-ness continues to grow for SHBASC. The fixed-base oper-ation business in Shanghai experienced its busiest first four months since the facility opened six years ago, Matthews said. In April, movements increased 8 percent from a year earlier, total-ing 600 between Hongqiao and Pudong International Airport. The facility at Hongqiao Air-port hosted ABACE in April with a number of static aircraft on display. That was followed by the Shanghai Auto Show, which brought in operators.
Business in May so far has remained strong, Matthews said, noting that while growth in B-registered operations may have slowed, operations overall in China continue to grow. o
20 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
Aircraft registered in the Isle of Man are now approved for service at Shanghai Hawker Pacific, making it more compelling for Asian owners to register their aircraft in the offshore jurisdiction.
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Albinati Aeronautics ex-panded its charter and man-aged fleet with the addition of two Bombardier Global 6000s and a Global Express. The Geneva-based company, which was founded in 2001, now operates a total of nine air-craft for charter, including four Global 6000s, a Global Express, Global 5000, Challenger 604 and Citation CJ4. The Global 6000 additions, both new air-craft, can accommodate 12 passengers. Its Global Express can carry up to 14 passengers.Albinati Aeronautics recently added virtual tours for two of its Global 6000s, the Global XRS and Challenger 604 to its website. Virtual tours of the re-maining aircraft are expected to go live soon. n
NEWS NOTE
A new chapter has opened: on May 11th, 2015 the first PC-24 completed successfully its
first flight that lasted 55 minutes. This first flight marks the beginning of a test campaign
totaling around 2,300 flight hours. The rigorous flight testing will lead to the certification,
prior to entry into service in the first half of 2017.
GDC TECHNICS LEADS THE INDUSTRY IN MODIFYING NEXT GENERATION AIRCRAFT, INCLUDING THE B787. A seasoned, global aircraft modification group, we have locations in the United States, Europe, and Middle East. GDC holds FAA and EASA 145 approvals, and GDC Engineering (located in Munich, Germany) holds an EASA Design Organi-zation Approval EASA.21J.033. GDC is also certified to ISO 9001, AS9100, and AS9110 quality management systems.
Embraer sees positive signs of recovery by Matt Thurber
During the first quarter of this year, Embraer delivered 12 business jets, down 40 per-cent from the 20 delivered dur-ing the first quarter of 2014. For 2015, the company’s guid-ance projects deliveries of 80 to 90 light jets and 35 to 40 large jets. Of the worldwide fleet of 860 Embraer business jets, 19 percent are based in Europe and Africa (64 light jets and 79 large jets in Europe and five light jets and 13 large jets in Africa).
Deliveries of the new midsize Legacy 500, which entered ser-vice last year, are ramping up, with five delivered so far. That number includes the first for Europe, for a Turkish operator, while an aircraft is due for deliv-ery to Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines for executive charter before the end of the year. The Legacy 450 is scheduled to enter service in the second half of this year, with a second aircraft now being prepared with a produc-tion interior so that certification can be completed.
“With new technology com-ing to market like the Legacy 450 and 500, that stimulates new deliveries,” said Luciano Froes, senior vice president market intel-ligence for Embraer Executive Aircraft. “All of a sudden, it’s not pre-owned versus new, you have to go new if you want access to the latest technology.”
One company that is taking advantage of the opportunity to tap into the fly-by-wire and other new technologies of the Legacy 450/500 family is frac-tional-share operator Flexjet, which is owned by Directional Aviation. When Flexjet was owned by Bombardier, it had ordered up 60 Learjet 85s and sold more than 60 shares in the new jets, but because that pro-gram has been “paused” by Bombardier, Flexjet has been seeking a replacement airplane.
“We’re going to replace those with Legacy 450s and 500s from Embraer,” Flexjet CEO Michael Silvestro told AIN. “It was a product category that [custom-ers] were looking forward to and we want to make sure to keep them in the family. We’ll do the Legacy 500 entry into service in the fourth quarter this year.” The Legacy 450 should join the Flexjet fleet beginning in the second quarter of 2016.
Embraer’s market forecast released last October projects a market for 9,250 business jets worth $265 billion during the coming decade (2015 through 2024). The bulk of these will
be delivered in North America (4,250 worth $120 billion), with about a quarter of the units (2,360 worth $77 billion) headed to the Europe, Middle East and Africa market. The China and Latin America mar-kets will account for about the same number of units (835 and 850 respectively), but Chinese buyers prefer larger aircraft, so the value of their purchases will be about $33 billion versus $16 billion in Latin America. Asia-Pacific should account for 570 aircraft worth $19 billion.
“We do see the Chinese mar-ket has decelerated because of austerity measures,” said José
Flight activity in the U.S. is looking positive, but while it has climbed above the bottom in 2009, it remains below the peak in 2007, Froes acknowledged. Europe’s first quarter 2015 flight activity is worse than the same period last year, but still higher than 2009, he said.
Embraer studies the preowned market carefully and has noted that inventories have dropped since the peak in 2009. However, Froes explained, “Although inventory has been reducing, the gap between fair market value and real asking prices is increasing.” The result is that even though air-craft may be for sale, their owners end up keeping them longer. o
JSSI expands support deal, signs up its 40th VistaJet hereby James Wynbrandt
Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI, Booth A073) and VistaJet (Booth Z115) announced here at the EBACE show the enroll-ment of the 40th VistaJet aircraft, a Bombardier Global 6000, onto JSSI’s Platinum Engine and APU hourly cost maintenance program. Back in 2013, the two companies first entered into an engine care agreement worth $205 million to cover the charter operator’s order of 56 Bombardier Globals, and last year expanded the agreement to include VistaJet’s Challenger 350 order (20 firm plus 20 options). VistaJet’s Challenger 850s and Challenger 605s are also enrolled.
“This is a tremendous milestone for JSSI and we are very apprecia-tive for the continued trust and con-fidence VistaJet has placed in us,” said Neil Book, JSSI’s president and CEO. “Our businesses have much in common, especially when it comes to the emphasis placed on premium service, and no one does
that better than VistaJet.”JSSI’s Platinum Engine Program
provides all-inclusive engine and APU care for a set price, providing operators with budgeting certainty. “The ability to plan engine and APU maintenance and accurately forecast cost has brought a great deal of sta-bility to our operations and budget planning,” said Nick Van Der Meer, chief operating officer, VistaJet.
JSSI also announced that a new Nigerian-based Global 6000 busi-ness jet operated by Wings of Grace has been enrolled in its Tip-to-Tail Program, the operator’s second air-craft to join the maintenance plan, which as the name implies, covers airframe, engines, and APU. “The business aviation market continues to expand in Africa, and our Tip-to-Tail coverage is specifically designed to meet the needs of operators in this region,” said Kevin Thomas, the U.S.-based group’s senior vice pres-ident for business development & strategic planning. o
Nick Van Der Meer, left foreground, COO of VistaJet, joins a VistaJet crew in celebrating the 40th aircaft of its fleet with JSSI for maintenance support. JSSI president and CEO Neil Book (arms folded) was happy to join the festivities here at EBACE in Geneva.
GDP growth in the U.S. may spur business jet sales, but today’s low utilization may be an obstacle.
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24 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
Signature adds Magnum Aviation to its select network of global FBOsby Kerry Lynch
Magnum Aviation has signed an agreement to become the second fixed-base operator in Europe to join Signature Flight Support’s “Signature Select” network. The Austrian company is based at Vienna International Airport, but also provides super-visory flight support services at Graz International Airport, Innsbruck Airport, Karntner Klagenfurt Worthersee Airport, Blue Danube Linz Airport and Salzburg W.A. Mozart Airport.
Signature Select locations maintain independent brand-ing, but carry the Signature Select badge, receive marketing and sales support, participate in Signature loyalty and rewards programs, and benefit from Signature’s pro-curement economies of sale and information technology network.
“For us, becoming a Signature
Select [FBO] was a natural deci-sion,” said Magnum Aviation president Florian Samsinger. “We see great benefits to being part of the world’s largest, pre-mium service FBO network.”
Magnum Aviation joins Menzies Aviation of Barcelona as European Signature Select participants. Menzies Aviation went live as a Signature Select location on December 1. The Signature Select network encom-passes 13 other Signature Select and licensed locations worldwide.
Signature president Maria Sastre said the company has seen inquiries pick up in Europe from FBOs interested in join-ing the network. “Now it makes sense for us to introduce Sign- ature Select and grow it in Europe,” she said.
The program enables FBOs
to tap into a much larger net-work, have access to train-ing and improve buying power through Signature, she noted. This is particularly important with a fragmented market that has had to weather the economy.
At the same time, she noted, the program preserves the indi-vidual branding. In Europe, she noted, there is strong loyalty sur-rounding certain family names or brand names. “We don’t want to interfere with that,” she said.
Signature Select is part of an aggressive expansion program that Signature (Booth N114) has undertaken in the past sev-eral years that includes licens-ing, acquiring and building new or improving existing facilities. Sastre said she expects other announcements to be forthcom-ing over the next six months. o
NEWS CLIPS
z Ikhana Picks GE H-series for Re-engined Twin OtterGE Aviation (Stand A013) announced the tenth
application for the H-series turboprop engine. Murrieta, California-based Ikhana Aircraft Services selected it to re-engine de Havilland Twin Otter DHC-6-100/-200/-300s, which are originally powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6As. “The significantly higher horsepower of the H-series compared to other existing engine offerings is intended to provide improved utility and mission capabilities not currently available to Twin Otter operators,” said Ikhana president and CEO John Zublin, The power of the H-series engines ranges from 750 to 850 shp.
z CAE Adds Six More Business Aircraft Training Programs
Six new business jet and helicopter training programs at CAE (Booth U073) are, or will soon be, online in the United Arab Emirates, U.S., China and Norway. These programs include the Bombardier Global 5000/6000 and Gulfstream G650 in Dubai; Dassault Falcon 900 and 2000 EASy series business jets in Dallas, Texas; Sikorsky S-92 in Zhuhai, China; and Eurocopter EC225 in Oslo, Norway. The training programs were previously announced for deployment, except for the Dassault Falcon 900 and 2000 EASy in Dallas.
“We are proud to continue to provide our customers with high-fidelity training programs close to their home base,” said Nick Leontidis, CAE’s group president for civil aviation training solutions. “We are seeing an increased demand for business aviation and helicopter training in the Americas, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.”
z Flying Colours To Install Medevac Cabins in Three Challenger 650sMaintenance and modification specialist Flying Colours
(Stand G066) has received an order for the completion of three Bombardier Challenger 650s. A subcontract from the aircraft manufacturer, it consists of medevac interiors for an undisclosed European customer.
Design engineering is under way at Flying Colours’ St. Louis, Missouri, facility; the installation of the cabin and external paint will take place at the company’s workshop in Peterborough, Canada. “This is a collaborative project as we are working through the Bombardier team to liaise with their customer on the design, while at the same time we are working with a specialist medical equipment provider who will supply the medical monuments,” said Flying Colours vice president Sean Gillespie. The first delivery is scheduled for the fourth quarter of next year.
z Jet Professionals Helps Companies Screen Job ApplicantsJet Professionals has launched a new Recruitment
Process Outsourcing (RPO) product. For an all-in one monthly or quarterly fixed cost, clients will now have access to a wide range of services including sourcing, screening and interviewing of candidates, behavioral assessments, compliance checks, applicant scheduling and administrative management.
The business aviation staffing services company, a subsidiary of Jet Aviation (Booth A050), created the RPO department in part to help their clients reduce risk while saving valuable time and resources.
“The advantage in having an RPO,” said George Kythreotis, vice president and general manager of Jet Professionals, “is that it significantly decreases the cycle time to recruit candidates in volume while offering significant savings in recruiting fees.”
From Magnum are Irena Samsinger, left, CRM and marketing director; and Florian Samsinger, seated right, CEO. From Signature Flight Support: Mark Johnstone, seated left, managing director, EMEA; and standing, from left, Evie Freeman, director of operations and business development; Maria Sastre, president and CEO Signature Flight Support; and Lucy Lonergan, project manager.
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TAKE YOUR PICK
The Gulfstream booth offers EBACE attendees the opportunity to stroll among its many models and choose just the right jet. Of course, there is also the opportunity to follow up the indoor experience with seeing the actual aircraft outside in the static display here at Geneva International Airport.
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Aircraft enrolled on CorporateCare have higher asset values and liquidity as well as access to a truly global service network. So while you are enjoying engine reliability, supported by the resources and engineering expertise of the OEM, you’ll know you are helping to maximize your asset’s value and liquidity for the future. For more on CorporateCare, contact Steve Friedrich, Vice President – Sales and Marketing, at +1 (703) 834-1700, or email [email protected].
CorporateCare®-a global liquid asset
26 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
NEWS CLIPS
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Haeco here to introduce ‘East Meets West’ cabinby James Wynbrandt
China’s Haeco Private Jet Solutions (HPJS) introduced here at its EBACE show dis-play (Booth B059) the new “East Meets West” widebody cabin concept, combining traditional Asian design elements with
Western motifs. Based on the Airbus A330-200 cabin, the inte-rior concept is adaptable to any widebody aircraft, said Henry Chan, commercial vice president of the Xiamen-based company.
The Asian design elements
include latticework and silk em-broidered Fromental wallpaper with dragon and bamboo repre-sentations, while Western style can be seen in its bold color contrasts of matte gold and pale green, and open, clean lines, the combination creating a luxurious and expansive cabin that creates “a comfortable feeling like a home,” Chan said.
A generous entrance area and first class seating area in the front of the cabin gives way to a study with book lined shelves and lounge. The dining room features a sushi bar. “It’s a new gourmet concept,” Chan said. “If you swing by Tokyo, you can buy fresh catch of the day” and have it prepared on board.
The aft cabin includes a pri-vate room, and master area with en suite bath, and an exercise area with treadmill and station-ary bicycle. The “East Meets West” concept complements the “Xiao Yao” feng shui-inspired narrow-body interior that HPJS debuted at Dubai’s MEBA show last December. o
Jetnet survey bashes the naysayersMarket data analysis specialist Jetnet (Booth
Y077) on Tuesday released its forecast for the worldwide business jet market, which suggests that airframers should not complain too much about Europe, and that sales will continue to pick up in the U.S.
Europe has been a growth market. The fleet 20 years ago was only 25 percent the size of today’s fleet. It has grown eight times faster than the GDP over the 2005-2014 period, the highest multiple of any world region, Rolland Vincent, the creator of Jetnet’s intelligence quarterly (Jetnet iQ), said.
The fleet now stands at around 2,600 jets, which shows how important the region is, although man-ufacturers often seem to rank Europe low in their priorities, behind BRIC countries and the U.S. “This is the second bizjet community in the world and it has just started growing,” Vincent said.
There may be other factors other than GDP in Europe, such as a fascination for large busi-ness jets and the strong Euro, Vincent sug-gested. The recent decline of the Euro (versus the U.S. dollar) may even be “the biggest thing going on in the European market.” Forty-five per-cent of the responders in Jetnet’s survey think this stops them from purchasing. Nevertheless, 35 percent of them expect to fly more in the short term, thanks to low oil prices.
In the U.S., the economy rebound should be seen as good news, said Vincent. There has been a multiplier of about two between GDP growth and fleet growth in the country. As it accounts for more than 60 percent of the world’s fleet, every small percentage of GDP growth is expected to translate into numerous sales.
A potential roadblock is the under-utiliza-tion of today’s fleet, Vincent noted. Jetnet mea-sured fleet growth against aircraft movements and saw that there was much more activity per aircraft in the early 2000s, and realized overca-pacity in the U.S. is the equivalent of 3,000 jets.
“We are still in a hangover,” Vincent said.He sounded cautious about China, often seen as
a high-growth market. “China is less than 2 percent of the fleet and will stay there for a while,” he said. He mentioned the lack of infrastructure, which may hamper the growth of business aviation–for exam-ple, there is only one FBO in Shanghai (Hawker Pacific), a 24-million inhabitant city. –T.D.
C’EST MAGNIFIQUE!Daniel Hulme of caterer On Air Dining puts the finishing touches on a tempting in-flight snack. �
z� TAG Partners with Vinair for Portugal Maintenance ShopTAG Aviation (Booth Z050) is set to open a new line
maintenance operation at Lisbon/Cascais Airport in Portugal. The new center, which will open on June 1, is a joint venture with local airline maintenance specialist Vinair Aeroservicios. A mobile service team will be available to support operators at the main Portuguese airports, Lisbon, Oporto and Faro.
The new base is TAG’s seventh business aircraft maintenance facility in Europe and will include specialists in supporting Dassault Falcon jets. It is expected to be a maintenance hub for aircraft operated in other Portuguese-speaking countries, including Brazil, Angola and Mozambique.
z�Bizliner Parts Vendor Signs 65th BBJ CustomerLondon Gatwick-based Trade-Air, an aircraft spare parts
vendor that specializes in rotable components for widebody VIP aircraft, inked a total support contract here at EBACE this week for its 65th Boeing Business Jet customer. The southeast Asian operator signed up for the company’s nose-to-tail “total support service.”
“We are delighted to have another BBJ join our highly praised program, the success of which we attribute to our exceptional levels of service,” said Trade-Air sales director Stafford Vance. “Additionally, many operators realize that our stock, which is reserved exclusively for VIP operators, has very low hours, resulting in long life on the wing.”
Trade-air also supports more than 40 Airbus ACJs in its widebody program.
z�Etihad Picks Phenom For TrainingEtihad Airways’ flight college has selected the Embraer
Phenom 100E to fulfill a requirement for a jet-powered training aircraft. A purchase agreement has been signed for four of the light jets, with three more on option for a combined value of around $30 million. The new aircraft will be delivered from the first quarter of 2016, and will join a fleet of 16 single-engined propeller aircraft at the college at Al Ain, Abu Dhabi.
Richard Hill, Etihad’s COO, commented, “The Phenom 100E’s airline-grade technology, performance and reliability make it an ideal training platform to prepare cadets for line operations.”
In other Embraer (Booth Z073) news, the OEM has appointed ExecuJet Aviation Nigeria in Lagos as an authorized service center to provide line maintenance for the Phenom 300 in West Africa.
z� Sheltair Touts Recent New York Aviation PoliciesSheltair is touting a recent New York state proclamation
and tax policy change, saying the state has sent a public message that “we’re open for business.” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law the Aviation Jobs Act, which reduces taxes on aviation sales and maintenance in New York. Cuomo also has issued a proclamation that May will be Aviation Month in the state.
“This proclamation is much more than official prose,” said Sheltair COO Warren Kroeppel. “It represents a growing recognition by this administration that aviation plays a crucial role in the economy and that the state needs to be far more aggressive in leveling the playing field for New York aviation companies such as Sheltair in our ability to serve our customers.” Meanwhile, the NBAA and other aviation groups are fighting an FAA proposal that would limit business aviation’s access to New York’s major airports, including Newark, JFK and LaGuardia.
Kroeppel adds that the international aviation community will benefit as it faces lower costs to do business in New York.
Sheltair (Booth N909) has invested substantially in the New York market, with operations at John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia, Republic, MacArthur and Gabreski.
Asian latticework blends with bold Western color contrasts in Haeco’s cabin.
www.ainonline.com • May 21, 2015 • EBACE Convention News 27
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Irish register ready to welcome private jets
Ireland has launched a new aircraft register aimed at corporate and business jets. The new six-letter markings consist of the “EJ” prefix, followed by four letters, offering a wider choice of personalized registrations than the traditional combi-nations of three letters that accompany a two-letter prefix. The register is adminis-tered by the Irish Aviation Authority, with Shannon-based International Aviation Services Centre as the preferred market-ing and support partner.
“Ireland already has a worldwide repu-tation as a leading air finance jurisdiction, and the Irish Aviation Authority is a world-leading regulator,” said Patrick Edmond, managing director of IASC. “The EJ regis-ter combines these strengths for the corpo-rate aviation space and delivers an onshore EASA register which is guaranteed fully compliant with Part NCC.”
Enhanced Residual ValueThe register is available to pub-
lic transport and NCC (non-commer-cial complex) aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of greater than 5,700 kg (12,566 pounds). Among the benefits of the register are the maximizing of residual value and lower insurance pre-miums due to the high quality of regu-latory oversight provided by the IAA, a wide base of aviation law, finance and taxation expertise, and compliance with the Cape Town agreement that provides asset security for financiers.
Part of the Shannon Group, IASC is tasked with growing the aerospace cluster at Shannon, which currently numbers more than 40 companies. Shannon has been des-ignated as Ireland’s center of excellence for business aviation, and has in place a num-ber of initiatives, such as a tax-efficient Free Zone, extensive transit facilities, and U.S. CBP pre-clearance for trans-Atlantic busi-ness passengers. IASC is working with tax-ation and legal experts to offer a one-stop shop for owners, operators and financiers looking to exploit its benefits. –D.D.
LHT joins with Mercedes-Benz on VIP cabin-design conceptsby James Wynbrandt
Aircraft completions specialist Luf–thansa Technik (LHT) and Mercedes-Benz Style will jointly develop “an entire-ly innovative, luxurious and integrated cabin concept” for short- and medium-haul VIP aircraft, the companies an-nounced here at EBACE. Their interior concept features a dynamic, spiral layout, creating new independent spatial zones without the typical arrangement of seat and wall elements.
Mercedes-Benz brings the aesthetic appeal of its state-of-the-art luxury brand and LHT contributes its experience in cus-tomized executive and head-of-state air-craft interiors. Target customers are “global clientele with a strong affinity for unique design,” according to the companies.
Gorden Wagener, vice president of Design Daimler AG, calls it “an inspir-ing challenge to transfer our design phi-losophy of sensual purity into the area of aeronautical engineering,” while Walter Heerdt, LHT’s senior vice president of VIP and executive jet solutions, said, “Whether for private or business use, our modular completion concept perfectly fits every purpose.”
The partners describe the interior as “organic and homogeneous, like a DNA helix,” with furniture merging seamlessly
with the cabin interior. Windows are con-cealed by so-called black panels, inspired by the screen design in the Mercedes–Benz S-class.
Mercedes-Benz Magic Sky technology allows the panels to be dimmed electri-cally from black to transparent. The com-panies will evaluate the general level of market interest while developing details the design concept over coming months.
Flying Fireplaces?The epitome of LHT’s completion
capabilities can be seen here at its EBACE display in miniature with a Boeing 747-8 scale model and in full-scale in its cabin products being shown. In a first, the company is displaying the prototype of a fireplace designed for installation in an aircraft, should a customer request such a feature or something equally innovative.
“We can make dreams fly,” said Wieland Timm, director of sales, VIP and special mission aircraft. “It’s not real fire, but we can create everything includ-ing heat and the intensity of the flame.”
Other innovations on display include “chair,” a light and flexible family of seating for VIP interiors nearing cer-tification, and LHT’s DishwashAir, a dishwasher specially designed for use
onboard passenger aircraft, which is making its EBACE debut.
Also new to EBACE are Leadership Select, a “design your own aircraft” iPad app that attendees (and custom-ers) can use to configure an executive air-liner interior that meets their individual needs, and LHT’s next generation Patient Transport Unit, designed to meet the medical needs of any passenger traveling on an executive airliner. LHT design and technical specialists are on hand to dis-cuss these and other products.
Meanwhile, Lufthansa Technik an-nounced that its narrowbody completion subsidiary in the U.S., BizJet Internation-al, will perform an ACJ319 completion in cooperation with the bespoke division of Hermes for an undisclosed customer from Taiwan.
The seats and divans will be designed and upholstered by Hermès craftsmen in Paris, and the interior will features exclu-sive Hermès fabric on select bulkheads and curtains.
BizJet International has also become the first independent MRO to secure a Tay 611-8C spare from Rolls-Royce, making it the only company besides the OEM to have this model spare. The new lease engine is a valuable asset for G450 operators “who want their aircraft in ser-vice while their engines are undergoing midlife inspection,” said Criss Berry, vice president of BizJet Engine Services. o
HEAVY TRAFFIC WELCOME AT EBACE
There is lots to see in the aisles of the EBACE exhibit halls in Geneva’s Palexpo center. With some 13,000 attendees expected, the nearly 500 exhibitors ought to be seeing plenty of foot traffic this week. And how many other places have real helicopters on display indoors?
Expect to see more of this sort of innovative business jet cabin concept from the LHT-Mercedes team.
(210)930-8181
VISIT US ATNBAA 2015 INLAS VEGAS
lma-assoc.net techcomposites.com
28 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
Experts present opinions on remotely piloted opsby Thierry Dubois
The business aviation com-munity had a chance to discuss its concerns over the likelihood of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) flying in civil airspace during an EBACE conference session on Tuesday. Devising rules that ensure safety while impeding neither progress nor prosperity is the main chal-lenge, the audience heard. The bottom line is that the integra-tion of RPAS into the same air-space as other commercial traffic is only a question of time.
Among the interested parties represented were the Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (UVSI) and AeroSpace and De- fence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) lobbying associ-ations, Eurocontrol’s Sesar pro-gram, the European Aviation Safety Agency and RPAS man-ufacturer SenseFly.
“We have to create univer-sally accepted rules,” Peter van Blyenburgh, UVSI president, emphasized. A number of coun-tries (15 in Europe) have started creating rules, without any har-monization, he said. Those pro-liferating rules do not even include a pilot approval pro-cess, he noted. Yet, there are over 3,000 commercial operators in Europe–half of them in France.
The Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems (JARUS) is striving to harmonize the rules worldwide. There are 28 members in JARUS, including two thirds of Europe and countries like the U.S., Australia and Russia. But all they can do is make recommenda-tions, as opposed to binding reg-ulation. Van Blyenburgh hinted that China has been invited to participate. “Chinese manufac-turers produce 10,000 to 20,000 RPAS a month,” he pointed out.
Eric Sivel, an official with the Euro pean Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), is the JARUS chair-man. “We have chosen to go for performance-based rules because we are walking in uncharted territory,” he said. EASA pre-pared what then became the so- called Riga declaration, defin-ing “how we are going to regulate RPAS,” he went on.
A key aspect has been “detect and avoid” (or “sense and avoid”), derived from the “see and avoid” notion. “Today’s technology allows RPAS flights in non-segregated airspace;
sense-and avoid will be part of the Sesar 2020 research effort,” Denis Koehl, a Sesar senior advisor, said. Paul Lange, a U.S. lawyer, expressed a diverging view by asserting the technol-ogy “is not there yet to ensure the same level of separation as conventional, manned aircraft.” There is no commercial opera-tor in the U.S. yet.
All RPAS Are Not AlikeThe European Defense
Agency’s MIDCAS project, due to be completed this year, stands to benefit civil RPAS operations because it has demonstrated how larger aircraft can operate, ASD’s Jean-Louis Roch said. He stressed that a distinction should be made between two kinds of RPAS: cooperative ones (i.e. hav-ing a transponder on board) and non-cooperative ones. The lat-ter need sensors like radars and cameras to be detected and this has been demonstrated, too.
To prevent some RPAS from flying into prohibited airspace, geofencing is being considered. EASA’s Sivel pitched the idea of a cell phone-type chip that would enable geofencing and owner identification.
EASA wants to address the most urgent issues via a three-pronged approach, depending on the level of risk, Sivel went on. In one of them, “specific-risk opera-tions,” the operator will be asked to identify the risk and mitigate it. In this situation flying a RPAS over a city may be allowed, pro-viding the operator has solutions to protect the public. o
JCB Aero signs a contract for nose-to-tail Boeing 757
VIP cabin interior JCB Aero (Booth J051) is refurbishing an entire Boeing 757 interior which it plans to deliver in August from its facility in southwest France. In the U.S., a new work-shop is up and running near Dassault’s completion facility in Little Rock, Arkansas. JCB is here exhibiting lighter pieces of furniture for VIP cabins.
For the 757, the long-awaited deal is now signed and the air-craft interior layout approved.
Design is under way, while the old cabin is being dismantled. “This is the first nose-to-tail refurbishment we have per-formed at our Auch facility,” CEO Jean-Claude Beaudet told AIN. It will include everything from carpets to galleys, lavatory, seats and IFE. The aircraft is operated by JetMagic Malta.
On display at the show is a pair of seats designed by JCB, featur-ing carbon-fiber composite mate-rials. “We save 10-15 percent in
weight,” Beaudet said. Another piece of furniture on the stand combines a pop-up TV and stor-age space. Thanks to “molded wood and new fibers,” Beaudet said, it weighs 31 lbs instead of 40 lbs with conventional materials.
In March, JCB delivered a first Falcon 2000 interior from its new workshop in Little Rock. Under a contract with Dassault Falcon Jet, it plans to deliver a total five this year and 12 next year. The workforce now stands at 30 employees. Hiring is accel-erating for the headcount to reach 70 by year-end and 150 late in 2016. Investment is gear-ing up, too, to shorten manufac-turing cycles. –T.D.
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HONORING THE EBACE SHOW’S FOUNDERS
EBACE organizers siezed the occasion of the 15th running of the show to honor four of the luminaries whose efforts made it what it is today. For the first EBACE in 2001, organizers hoped for a few hundred attend-ees. In fact, more than 3,600 registered. There were 200 exhibitors and 30 aircraft in the static display. At this year’s EBACE, more than 13,000 are expected to attend with nearly 500 exhibitors and 60 aircraft on display. At a special luncheon yesterday, EBACE recognized the early contributions of NBAA and EBAA leaders Jack Olcott, Fernand Francois, Kathleen Blouin and Brian Humphries. As part of the awards luncheon, the honorees participated in a panel discussion moderated by William Garvey, editor-in-chief of Business and Commercial Aviation and Wilson Leach, managing director of AIN Publications. All are pictured above, l to r: Garvey, Olcott, Francois, Blouin, Humphries and Leach. �
GETTING BUSINESS DONE
Jet Aviation head of FBO services for EMEA and Asia Monica Beusch signed an international han-dling contract on Tuesday with Saad Alazwari, CEO of Riyadh-based charter operator Nasjet. With a growing fleet, now numbering 70 aircraft, Nasjet will receive global handling services from Jet Aviation. This scene is just one example of the countless business deals formed at EBACE.�
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JetNet adds sales tool; and dips into yachtingby Chad Trautvetter
Aviation market informa-tion firm JetNet (Booth Y077) announced a new tool this week
at EBACE that promises to give business aircraft sales profes-sionals an unprecedented level
of insight on current aircraft market values. It is also div-ing head first into yacht market intelligence by launching Yacht-Spot, expanding the company’s reach beyond aviation into the luxury marine sector.
The new Market Value Analysis product leverages JetNet’s full-time 45 research specialists who talk daily with
industry professionals and thus maintain real-time updates in the company’s “comprehen-sive” database of more than 100,000 airframes that includes business jets, turboprops and helicopters. Its new analysis offering is part of Evolution Marketplace Manager, a suite of tools launched at EBACE last year, that allows aircraft
sales professionals to manage, and precisely target, prospects.
“Present market conditions can dictate the value of an air-craft more than any other fac-tor,” said JetNet managing director of global sales Karim Derbala. “That’s why we inte-grated a Market Value Analysis tool within Marketplace Man-ager–to give you greater insight into the current market value of your aircraft.”
Designed for aircraft dealers, brokers, appraisers and financial institutions, the new tool pres-ents graphical representations of value-related markets, making it easy to evaluate and compare critical trends in the marketplace. It allows users to understand the price history of aircraft; estab-lish customized market surveys; review current market values and recent trends; select and compare the value of aircraft to those with similar attributes; establish cus-tomized sold surveys; select and compare the value of their air-craft to recent aircraft sold with similar attributes; review sold trends; and save market value analysis and “comparables” for future reference.
“Our reputation has been built on reliable information and exclusive market intelligence, so our new release is especially crucial for anyone who wants to stay ahead of the market curve” said JetNet vice president of sales Paul Cardarelli.
YachtSpot To Set SailMeanwhile, JetNets’ soon-
to-be-launched YachtSpot ser-vice will offer a similar set of tools for luxury yacht profes-sionals. With this new prod-uct, the company has applied its research and development expertise to a growing global database of luxury yachts that connects owners and users of both yachts and business air-craft into one global record.
“YachtSpot is perfect for yacht brokers, builders, owners, financiers, and service providers, and crossover opportunities for those in the luxury market,” said JetNet director of new business and product development Diane Levine-Wilson. It will include research-based, verified infor-mation on yacht makes, models, owners, pedigrees, maintenance, as well as business management tools and yacht industry news and events.
The luxury marine service will come in three subscrip-tion levels–for yacht-only sub-scribers; both yacht and aircraft information; and one with yacht and aircraft intelligence, along with for-sale information. o
30 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
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Vocollect voice-guided system speeds APU maintenance workby Matt Thurber
At Honeywell’s auxiliary power unit (APU) maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Phoenix, Arizona, technicians wearing headphones seem to be talking to the small turbine engines in their care, and indeed that is exactly what they are doing. During a recent tour of the facil-ity, the largest APU MRO facility any-where, according to Honeywell, AIN observed Honeywell mechanic Andrew Newingham demonstrating the Vocollect voice inspection solution, which speeds up technical tasks and eliminates reams of paperwork. Honeywell (Booth W089) acquired Vocollect as part of its purchase of Intermec in September 2013.
Newingham works on the APU shop’s induction line, where the engines arrive for initial inspection before moving on to repair and/or overhaul stations. Typ-ically, mechanics pick up a clipboard and go through inspec-tion items one by one, checking off the item and writing down applicable information such as serial numbers, component con-dition and other observa-tions. After this is done, all of this data has to be entered into Honeywell’s SAP enterprise resource planning software.
Vocollect simplifies and speeds up this process, and the APU induction line is the first application for this system in the aero-space industry, according to Honeywell Aerospace senior program manager Joe Stepanski. Plans call for adopting Vocollect in the rest of the APU MRO functions, which include analytical, materials, assembly, test and shipping.
Newingham demonstrated how he uses the system with an APU that had just entered the induction process. In addition to the Bluetooth headphones, he also clips a controller unit to his belt.
Collecting Data EasilyOne of the processes where Vocol-
lect is ideal is writing down a serial or part number from a difficult-to-see loca-tion. With paper, this can involve a lot of back-and-forth. With Vocollect, Newing-ham reads off three or four characters at a time, using the phonetic alphabet for letters, but he doesn’t have to look away from the serial number while he’s feeding it directly into the system via Vocollect.
For the induction line, Vocollect begins with a series of questions about the general condition of the APU, fol-lowed by serial and part numbers. The Vocollect voice can be set to male or female, and users can speed up or slow down the voice as desired. Newingham demonstrated the typical voice speed
that he uses, and it sounds like a busy chief chipmunk instructing a helper on how to gather and prepare an acorn din-ner. But I could easily grasp how this can work as technicians get used to the sys-tem and also how it can help speed up these processes.
Currently, all the data gathered for this APU is batched with that from other APUs then sent in a package to the SAP system, but eventually it will be updated in real-time so decisions about items that need repair can be made much faster, he explained. There are other advantages to Vocollect, such as driving a consistent workflow. With the old paper-based pro-cesses, mechanics would end up develop-ing their own methods of completing the work, and this led to a lot of variabil-ity and inefficiency. Mechanics worked closely with engineers to develop the
Vocollect processes for the APU induc-tion line and they refined these pro-cesses as the implementation took place. For example, early on they found that mechanics were jumping from one area of the APU to another, but now the flow is much more logical and involves many fewer steps. “We’re fine-tuning the pro-cess,” Stepanski said.
Another advantage of Vocollect is the ease of adding new questions to the sys-tem. Engineers can quickly insert a new question into Vocollect, and the mechan-ics will not be able to avoid inspecting that particular item. If a mechanic misses an item, Vocollect won’t allow comple-tion of the job until that missed item is done. With the former printout system, an item could easily be overlooked.
Setting up the template takes from 40 minutes to an hour, and mechan-ics can even choose their own terms if they wish, for example, the word “alto” for “stop.” Newingham sees many more maintenance opportunities for Vocollect, including airframe inspections.
After expanding to the full APU MRO process, Honeywell plans to add Vocollect to the engine MRO line as well as to other Honeywell MRO facilities. o
32 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
Honeywell mechanic Andrew Newingham demonstrate the Vocollect voice inspection solution.
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34 EBACE Convention News • May 21, 2015 • www.ainonline.com
Innotech salutes six decades of serviceby Chad Trautvetter
Innotech Aviation (Booth Y122) celebrated its 60th year in the corporate aircraft business here at the EBACE show. Found-ed in 1955 as Timmins Aviation, Montreal-based Innotech ex-panded with the industry, serv-ing early business aircraft mod-els such as the Gulfstream GI and GII, Convair, Jetstar and Hawker Siddeley HS125.
In 1979, the company became the first completion center in Canada for the Challenger 600 and 601, finishing more than 150 of the large-cabin jets. A year later it became an authorized ser-vice facility (ASF) for the type.
With the advent of the Bombardier Global Express in the 1990s, Innotech was designated as an ASF for the model and in
2005 was named a Bombardier-preferred completion center, per-forming more than 40 Global completions to date.
Today, the company sup-ports the worldwide Global and Challenger fleets with its special-ized maintenance, external paint, custom cabinetry, upholstery, car-bon structural repair and engi-neering capability. o
NEWS CLIPS
z Air Culinaire Seeks More Quality Vendors Worldwide
Air Culinaire Worldwide (Booth W073) has expanded its global vendor sourcing team to support the growth of the company’s network of aircraft catering partners, which currently numbers more than 1,000 vendors. The sourcing team is comprised of specialists who collectively speak nine of the world’s most common languages, enabling them to vet potential vendors in diverse locations. “This means we can offer our clients a higher level of service at destinations where ordering catering can be more challenging,” said Jennifer Walton, vice president of client services.
The catering company also recently announced plans to build a new, 8,600-sq-ft/800-sq-m in-flight catering facility at Paris Le Bourget Airport. Scheduled to open in January, the facility will be CE Certified, the highest level of certification obtainable in the European market. The new kitchen “represents our dedication to the Paris market,” said Air Culinaire senior v-p of global sales and marketing Paul Schweitzer.
The facility will feature a kitchen three times larger than that at its current Le Bourget facility, enabling the company to accommodate the growing demand for in-flight catering in Paris. The catering center will also host training classes for corporate flight crews, mirroring the ability of its flagship facility in Tampa, Florida. Herve Bourdon, executive chef, Air Culinaire Worldwide Paris, noted that the kitchen uses only organic meat and ethically sourced, non-GMO ingredients.
z FBO Chain Jetex Expanding Global FootprintJetex Flight Support (Booth G089) is expanding its global
FBO chain with a joint-venture facility in Santiago, Chile. Under an agreement announced on Tuesday here at EBACE, Jetex and Chile-based Santiago FBO S.A. will jointly operate an FBO at Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL).
The move will expand Jetex’s presence in Latin America beyond São Paulo, Brazil, where it currently provides fueling services and is establishing an operations center at Catarina Executive Airport with Brazilian real estate company JHSF. With the new Chile facility, customers operating in the region will benefit from the combination of Santiago FBO’s knowledge of the local marketplace and Jetex’s international trip-planning expertise, the companies said.
Facilities at the new FBO will include ground handling, aircraft parking, catering, fueling services and a VIP lounge, as well as a 15,070-sq-ft/1,400-sq-m hangar. Immigration and customs clearance will also be available on site.
“As Chile’s main international airport with a strong influx of business aviation flights, it is of strategic importance for Jetex to have a strong presence at Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport,” said Jetex Flight Support business development manager for Latin America and the Caribbean Diego Giamberini. “Moreover, it will be located in the host city for the final matches of the American Cup.”
As part of its ongoing Latin America expansion strategy, Jetex said it will continue to create strategic alliances with local businesses in the region.
z Spidertracks Unveils S7 Aircraft TrackerAircraft tracking system provider Spidertracks (Booth T053)
announced here at the EBACE show the limited release of Spider S7, a new product designed for fixed-wing business aircraft. The New Zealand-based company initially targeted the helicopter market with its tracking solutions, which show the position of an aircraft in real time via satellite, enabling fleet operators to keep track of their assets.
The S7, unlike previous Spiders, utilizes an external antenna, making it more suitable for use in business aircraft, and new architecture capable of providing additional tracking functions including, presently, rate of climb and descent. Future reporting capabilities may include hard landings, which would be of interest in training environments, Dave Blackwell, Spidertracks COO said.
Innotech Aviation president Kirk Rowe, left, leads his colleagues in a toast celebrating 60 years in corporate aviation.
Avinode app speeds charter bookingsby David Donald
Following the successful introduction of its SchedAero quotation tool, charter special-ist Avinode (Booth Q090) has launched a new mobile app this week at EBACE that facilitates the buying and selling of air-craft charters by providing any-where and anytime access to the company’s charter Marketplace. The new app has been undergo-ing beta testing with some cus-tomers for two months and is going live in the coming days.
Although the majority of charter bookings are still con-ducted manually, the process is increasingly being performed online. Since its launch in Jan-uary, Avinode’s SchedAero has been sold to around 50 opera-tors in Europe, who use the tool to provide quick and accurate
responses to requests. Rapid response is seen as a
key factor in winning and retain-ing business, as is accurate pric-ing. While there remains cost negotiation for many transac-tions, operators are realizing that a more accurate price quotation in the first place can gain them business with customers who might find that a lengthy negoti-ation is not cost-effective.
Avinode has seen a 22-per-cent increase in charter requests over the past year and now handles a monthly average of around 250,000. That can rise to more than 350,000 during high-volume periods, such as the European peak in June and July. While some of that growth in requests is due to the com-pany increasing its footprint in
the U.S., there is also a genu-ine underlying expansion in the global charter business.
According to Oliver King, Avinode Marketplace’s managing director, there are signs that some recently depressed markets, such as China, are picking up again. One region that took a large hit was Russia, with traffic dropping off rapidly from the early summer of 2014. Following a rapid slump, the situation has now stabi-lized, although Russia-to-Europe flights remain at a low level.
While broad-brush apprais-als of European traffic show only slow growth, King pointed out that in some countries, such as Germany and the UK, air charter traffic is climbing at a higher rate. Spain, too, is show-ing an increase for the first time in many months. In terms of air-craft categories, the large-air-craft charter market is “strong and stable” in Europe, while the medium category is contracting.
Some of the biggest growth is being experienced in the African market, especially with trips between the continent and London and Paris. While the vol-ume remains very small by com-parison with other regions, the traffic nearly doubled last month in a sign that African custom-ers are becoming more aware of the benefits of chartering air-craft and that more aircraft are becoming available for hire. o
Displaying the new Avinode mobile app on their Apple Watches are, l to r: Avinode’s Per Marthinsen, Gustave Andreasen and Martin Fors.
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