PUBLICATIONS
THURSDAY 5•19•2011
Vol. 43 No. 11
EBACE Convention News
Aircraft
Your Calendar
Interview
Software
Avionics
HondaJet zeroing in on certification and deliveries
ABACE is the new EBACE as Shanghai show gels
Challenges ahead for EBAA
Smart new maintenance software keeps flight crews in the loop
Primus Apex upgrade adds attractive options
The Japanese VLJ has been a long time a-birthing, but now the certification milestone seems to be in reach next year and production to follow soon after. Page 6
“ABACE [next April] will be to Asia what EBACE is to Europe,” said NBAA’s president Ed Bolen. Page 6
Brian Humphries, EBAA president and chief executive, goes in-depth about the state of business aviation Europe with AIN’s international editor, Charles Alcock. Page 20
Start-up Keitas Systems offers a software program that can provide maintenance information to pilots via an Internet-connected laptop computer. Page 28
AIN experiences the Honeywell Primus integrated flight deck first hand during an EBACE flight in a Pilatus PC-12NG. Hint: It’s impressive. Page 33
DAVID McINOSH
As we gaze out onto the EBACE flightline, could it be that we have seen the low point? Can we, indeed, hope for ever brighter days to come? In the words of Winston Churchill, “Now, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
More than a feeling?
Piaggio jet grows legs
by Charles Alcock
by Liz Moscrop
They came to Geneva hoping to go home in a better mood, and many of them will, based on the uplifting experience EBACE delegates are having at this year’s show. After a couple of years in which the prevailing vibe at the bizav
clan’s annual gathering has been one of mutual commiseration, EBACE 2011 has seen tangible evidence of recovery. Nine-digit jet deals are back in fashion, thanks to the likes of VistaJet and
Continued on page 38 u
New Piaggio Aero general manager Eligio Trombetta was in bullish form at EBACE as he outlined plans for the new P1XX jet, the next aircraft to join the Italian airframer’s stable. And it seems that the new model will be more of a step up
from the existing P.180 Avanti than some had imagined. “The P1XX ideally will go beyond Europe,” he said. One of Piaggio’s key shareholders is India’s Tata group and its
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Continued on page 38 u
LANG LANG
GLOBAL PERFORMANCE He was born with the gift of natural ability. And when he debuted, some 10 years ago, he rocked the world of classical music. Today, Lang Lang has embarked on another “journey of a thousand miles” – to bring music to children and inspire them to perform. In bringing music and learning to less fortunate nations and communities, he has taken his gift and chosen to give back.
In support of his selfless performance, Bombardier* proudly contributes to the Lang Lang International Music Foundation.
* Registered trademark(s) or trademark(s) of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. © 2011 Bombardier Inc. All rights reserved.
I AM GLOBAL Introducing the new Bombardier Global aircraft family The Bombardier Global* aircraft family delivers best-in-class performance, with every seat, the best in the house. Offering sufficient power to efficiently escort leaders to distances unmatched by competing aircraft, it is an ideal solution for those whose dedication knows no borders.
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Be Global – to learn more about the Lang Lang International Music Foundation and to make a donation, visit www.IAmGlobal.Bombardier.com
Bombardier expands network of maintenance providers certificate covering line and base maintenance for the following business aircraft types: Bombardier Challenger 604/605, Learjet 60, Embraer Legacy 600/650, Gulfstream G450, Cessna Sovereign 680, Hawker Beechcraft 800XP and King Air B200. It is also now seeking EASA and FAA maintenance approvals to be able to work on aircraft registered in Europe and the U.S. The company is pressing ahead with plans to build a new hangar complex at Amman’s Marka Airport, which is to be open by the end of 2012. Its existing complex features 10,763 sq ft of hangar space and employs 21 maintenance technicians. Meanwhile, Gulf Wings– Arab Wings’ sister company in the International Wings Group–has added two new aircraft to its charter/management fleet. By the end of this month, it will have received a second Challenger 604 and a second 605, taking its own fleet to four. The total IWG fleet now numbers 13 Representing Bombardier’s new line maintenance facility, Arab Wings, jets, spread among Jordan, here at EBACE are, front to back, director of quality assurance, Majed Dubai, Kuwait, Egypt and Al Aqrabawi; head of sales and marketing, Manal Obeid; deputy sales manager, Dima Elyyan; and maintenance director, Abdallah Mahmoud. Saudi Arabia. –C.A.
MARK WAGNER
Bombardier has appointed two new aircraft-on-ground line maintenance facilities (AOG LMF), one to serve the Middle East and the other Australia. AVWest in western Australia will cover the Challenger 604 and 605 aircraft, as well as the Global Express family. In Amman, Jordan, Arab Wings now has AOG LMF status for the Challenger 604 and 605. Arab Wings recently secured Jordanian approval as a continuing airworthiness management organization as well as getting its Part 145
Lonergan and Gaona win ebace honors Former Biggin Hill Airport director Peter Lonergan and Comlux Aviation Group president Richard Gaona are the recipients of the 2011 European Business Aviation Awards, which are given jointly by the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and U.S. National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). The awards were presented here at EBACE on Tuesday during the opening session. Lonergan was lauded for turning around Biggin Hill airport, which was once scheduled for closure but is now thriving. Under his stewardship, a new runway with an apron was added, new hangars have continually been constructed and the staff swelled from 36 when he arrived to more than 100 today. He now plans to represent EBAA and its members as the business aviation representative at the European Aviation Safety Agency’s rulemaking group on requirements for aerodrome operations. Gaona has also had a distinguished career and record of service to business aviation. His more than 25 years with Airbus included his work on the launch of the Airbus Corporate Jetliner. During his eight years leading that program, more than 120 of the aircraft were sold. As president of Comlux Aviation, he has expanded the company’s service offerings, opened new facilities across the globe and more than tripled the number of aircraft the company operates. –C.T.
MEBA proposes ‘Middle East Control’ group by Liz Moscrop
MARK WAGNER
The Gulf region is recognized as aviation market. “In the long term this one of the key markets for private avia- will be good for the industry when things tion, and Middle East Business Aviation settle. The situation has also had a posiAssociation (Stand 1751) chairman Ali tive effect on movements in neighboring Al Naqbi is determined to help shape it countries,” he explained. The “grey,” or illegal, charter maras a safe one. To this end he is proposing ket is another of the probto set up an informal worklems MEBAA would like to ing group dubbed “Middle tackle. Al Naqbi declined to East Control,” rather like the put a figure on the number of early days of Eurocontrol such flights in the region, but when the six founding memsaid that the education prober states collaborated to cess to counter them would achieve integrated air traffic have to involve airports, broservices across Europe. With kers, users and fixed-base 22 jurisdictions covering operators. He said, “The the Middle East and North GCAA has to impose rules, African (MENA) region, Al but airports cannot monitor Naqbi is aware he has a lot all the legal requirements. The of work ahead. Ali Al Naqbi responsibility should also go “This is not necessarily a government-backed entity, rather a pri- to the FBO that releases the aircraft.” To raise awareness of the dangers of vate grouping of small companies working together to start something that we hope operating illegal charters and to gather will eventually be adopted across the whole support for its initiatives, MEBAA is to run three educational sessions throughMENA region,” he told AIN. The Gulf has had a rough ride recently out the region over the next year. Dates with political instability in Egypt, Libya, and venues are still under discussion, but Syria and Yemen. However, Al Naqbi Al Naqbi is a firm believer in outreach said that, with the exception of Egypt, work. “We have to encourage our memthe combined markets represent less than bers to take these issues to governments 5 percent of the Middle East’s private to raise awareness,” he stressed.
4 EBACE Convention News • May 19, 2011 • www.ainonline.com
MEBAA would also like to receive more support from the mature business aviation associations. “I’d like to see more minimum cooperation between MEBAA and groups from more established markets,” he said. “The sector in the Middle East has really only just started.” His proposal is to create a common pool of information in a shared database to help counter security issues and shape a global business jet market. “We can’t impose rules, but we can be proactive in making suggestions to operators, which would make the authorities happy as well,” he added. o
Citation CJ4 Earns EASA Ticket Cessna announced yesterday that its newest Citation, the $9 million CJ4, has earned its European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification. The CJ4 obtained its U.S. Federal Aviation Agency ticket in March 2010, and debuted in Europe at EBACE last year. Certified for single-pilot operation, the aircraft shares a common pilot rating with the other CJs in Cessna’s stable. –L.M.
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The Convention News Company, Inc.– AIN Publications President – Wilson Leach Executive Vice President – John F. McCarthy, Jr. Vice President of Operations – R. Randall Padfield Treasurer – Jane L. Webb Secretary – Jennifer Leach English EBACE Convention News is a publication of The Convention News Co., Inc., 214 Franklin Ave., Midland Park, NJ 07432; Tel.: (201) 444-5075. Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of The Convention News Co., Inc. is strictly prohibited. The Convention News Co., Inc. publishes Aviation International News, AINalerts, AIN Air Transport Perspective, AIN Defense Perspective, AINmxReports, Business Jet Traveler, BJTwaypoints, Dubai Airshow News, EBACE Convention News, Farnborough Airshow News, HAI Convention News, MEBA Convention News, NBAA Convention News, Paris Airshow News, Singapore Airshow News. Printed in Switzerland by Atar Roto Presse Computer Services: Loc Me, Lyon, France
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HondaJet zeroing in on certification, deliveries by Matt Thurber to amplify vibrations, he said, “and resonance damping is not good,” thus requiring more insulation, which adds weight. The laminated composites thus end up being lighter and quieter. The length of the inlet leading edges is also critical. Too long, and efficiency suffers, but too short and noise is a problem, so Fujino optimized this element as well. The next HondaJet to fly will be F2–the third conforming jet. Honda Aircraft has completed power-on testing and is performing function testing on F2 in preparation for its first flight this summer. The second conforming jet has been undergoing structural testing, which is being done on the full airframe and quite a complex process, Fujino said. Honda Aircraft technicians are busy installing systems on the fourth conforming HondaJet
MARK WAGNER
As the HondaJet enters the final phases of FAA and EASA certification, Honda Aircraft employees are preparing for volume production and first deliveries, scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2012. The 263,400-sq-ft Honda Aircraft production facility in Greensboro, North Carolina, opened in April. The customer delivery center is nearly ready and the first FAA-conforming HondaJet (F1) has expanded to the full high-speed and highaltitude envelope during more than 100 hours of flight testing since it first flew on Dec. 20, 2010. The conforming GE Honda HF120 turbofans for F1 were delivered to Honda Aircraft late last October. The $4.5 million, seven-seat HondaJet features Garmin’s G3000 avionics suite with two touchscreen controllers. The private lavatory features an externally serviceable flushing toilet. The external aft baggage compartment holds up to 57 cu ft of luggage, and another nine cubic feet are available in the nose compartment. Because the conforming jet is aerodynamically much cleaner than the proof-of-concept prototype and the 2,050-pound thrust HF120 is more powerful than the POC’s Honda-made HF118 engines, the latest version climbs faster, flies faster and burns less fuel. During flight testing, the FAA-conforming HondaJet F1 has flown at a maximum speed of 425 knots (true airspeed), climbed at 3,990 fpm and on April 27 reached the maximum operating altitude of 43,000 feet. The 425-knot figure is five knots faster than the original estimate, according to Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino. “It’s a very quiet aircraft,” he said, even without insulation installed. The unique overthe-wing positioning of the engines helps minimize external noise but also eliminates engine vibrations transmitted through the fuselage. Fujino designed the engine inlets to maximize efficiency and minimize noise. Instead of using a composite-honeycomb sandwich for the nacelle, he selected laminated composites, which further reduce noise. The honeycomb material tends
Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino chose bleed-air anti-icing because boots make it “almost impossible to attain laminar flow.”
(F3), which will also join the flight test program. The fifth jet (ST2) is slated for stress and fatigue testing, then the final test jet (F4) is expected to fly in spring 2012 and be used for cabin systems and function and reliability testing. Some of the interior will be installed on F3, but it will still carry test equipment and sensors. So the first HondaJet with a production-conforming interior will likely be F4. “With a total of six aircraft planned to support the certification process,” said Fujino, “we believe we will have the optimal resources to meet both our
The HondaJet program is well on its way toward the planned certification date, expected mid-year 2012. The large-scale production facility was completed last month and the customer delivery center is close to completion. Performance has exceeded expectations.
flight test program needs and our certification schedule.” While most of the HondaJet structure will be built at the Greensboro facility, UK-based Hampson is manufacturing the aluminum empennage. The composite fuselage, made of a honeycomb sandwich and stiffened panels, is built in two halves in molds cured in an autoclave. Honda Aircraft earlier had planned to have wings built by a third party but will manufacture the first 30 to 40 wing sets in Greensboro, according to Fujino, then may move wing manufacturing to another company. “We’ll do what’s best from a cost and quality standpoint.” Fujino praised the Honda Aircraft employees in Greensboro, noting that each new jet is being built better and faster as they climb the learning curve. The parts count of the production-conforming HondaJet is much lower than in the POC. An unusual feature for a Part 23 light jet is bleed-air anti-/deicing for the HondaJet wings; most light jets use pneumatic boots but, said Fujino, “it’s almost impossible to attain laminar flow with boots.” The horizontal stabilizer is protected with an electromechanical expulsion de-icing system. So far, HondaJet F1 has flown about 650 unique test points. The four flight-test HondaJets will be flown about 1,500 hours during the certification program, and F1 has flown about 30 percent of the hours it will fly for certification. “We don’t have any big surprises,” said Fujino. “The aerodynamic characteristics are very close to our calculations and performance is slightly better than our conservative estimates.” Testing of systems and components continues. The
6 EBACE Convention News • May 19, 2011 • www.ainonline.com
two static test HondaJets will eventually be tested to the equivalent of three lifetimes, with each life being 20,000 flight hours. By the time the HondaJet is certified, testing to one lifetime should be completed. The FAA is working closely with Honda Aircraft during the final phases of certification and is encouraging Fujino to obtain the production certificate soon after receiving the HondaJet’s type certificate. This means more work up front to finalize and document manufacturing and quality control
processes, but that is work that needs to be done anyway. “It’s a very stringent process,” said Fujino. “We cannot compromise quality or safety.” Honda Aircraft is using SAP software to help manage all of its IT systems and processes. The SAP system, he said, “is very difficult to implement, but once implemented, it’s a very strong tool. We can manage time, we can manage cost and we can manage each configuration of the aircraft. It’s probably the most advanced integration, even compared to the entire Honda [company].” o
ABACE is the new EBACE as Shanghai show gels Just as EBACE has proved to be a game-changer for Europe’s business aviation community over the past decade, the new ABACE show will provide a key catalyst for the long-awaited growth of the industry in Asia. This was the promise of NBAA president Ed Bolen when he confirmed new dates for ABACE 2012 as March 27 to 29. The event will take place at Shanghai’s Hongqiao International Airport, home to China’s flagship executive aviation terminal. Firming up plans for what will be the annual Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition, NBAA and the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) have signed a “memo of cooperation” with the Shanghai Airport Authority (SAA) securing official Chinese government backing for the event. “ABACE will be to Asia what EBACE is to Europe, a critical show to bring buyers
and sellers together,” Bolen said. “ABACE will become a fundamental event on the business aviation calendar.” According to Bolen, the parties will work together for a minimum of five years, with potential extensions beyond, and the SAA would exclusively support ABACE. He did not rule out working with other forprofit organizations in China in the future. In April the first edition of the Shanghai International Business Aviation Show (SIBAS) took place at Hongqiao Airport and attracted 6,000 attendees, 150 exhibitors and 35 aircraft. Organizer World Events Agency announced last week that it would be holding a second show in 2012 from April 11 to 13 at Shanghai International Hongqiao Airport. AIN will be publishing its award-winning daily editions every day at ABACE in Shanghai. –L.M.
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Biggin Hill planning for Olympics London Biggin Hill Airport (Stand 759) will open its new 4,800-sq-ft hangar next month. Situated next to the main terminal building, it will also offer 54,000 sq ft of additional ramp space for aircraft parking, with
plenty of space to accommodate widebody jets. Several fully serviced offices are available for rent in the hangar and also will be available on a short-term basis for operators. As part of Biggin Hill’s
preparations for the 2012 Olympics in London, the airport is making plans to establish a temporary heliport next to Ebbsfleet International rail station in the southeast suburbs of the UK capital.
This will allow passengers to very quickly transfer to special trains that will provide a 10-minute connection into the Olympic Park at Stratford. Biggin Hill has a new managing director in Jenny Munro, who recently succeeded the long-serving Peter Lonergan. “We have a lot of potential, not only in terms of available space,
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00 8 EBACE EBACEConvention ConventionNews News• •May May19, 19,2011 2011• •www.ainonline.com www.ainonline.com
but also in the business park next door and there is plenty we can do to capitalize on our existing facilities,” she told AIN. A big part of Biggin Hill’s potential is that, unlike just about every other London-area airport, it has vast untapped capacity for business aviation activity since it currently is nowhere near its annual movement limit of 125,000. The airport’s management is now seeking to secure a partner to build and operate the 75-room hotel, which it has clearance to build on a site next to the new Rizon Jet FBO (see page 26). –C.A.
OnAir keeps bizjets connected OnAir (Stand 1635) is installing its Mobile OnAir connectivity system in Comlux’s Airbus ACJ319. The system will allow passengers to use their mobile phones and smartphones in flight, when the aircraft enters service in January next year. The service enables calls, text messages, email and Internet surfing. Usage is billed by the passenger’s mobile operator. The ACJ319 will be Comlux’s second equipped jet, as the operator’s A320 Prestige entered into service with OnAir’s system this month. Based in Geneva, OnAir says it has more than 35 customers for its connectivity systems. Meanwhile, clients of local charter operator Dasnail will be able to stay connected in flight when Mobile OnAir is installed later this year in its Dassault Falcon 7X. –T.D.
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Skies now are bluer for Europe’s light jet survivors by Mark Huber Europe’s still-fledgling entrylevel charter jet market is showing some positive signs of growth, according to leading operators and analysts. But turning a profit with the aircraft–to date, largely Cessna Citation Mustangs and Embraer Phenom 100s–will not be an easy task according to Michael Ricks, COO of UKbased Oriens Advisors, an aviation consultancy that specializes in the entry-level jet market. Ricks said that firms already in and entering this market must have financial staying power. “If additional investment is needed it is best to do it sooner when you can evaluate several market alternatives as opposed to having to hustle later when potential investors sense mismanagement or creditors are getting ready to pull the plug,” he told AIN. In his view, there is a potential for turboprop clients to move to the light jets for charter, but developing a true airtaxi model for Europe with light jets is a long way off as there are not enough aircraft in the area to “achieve critical mass.” Nevertheless, Ricks sees European traffic congestion and the limited number of hub airports, about 200, as well as several economic factors driving the light jet market there. “In Europe, a number of conditions speak to the acquisition of new aircraft now. Interest rates are very low, but beginning to increase. Financing is now available. Manufacturers have unsold white-tail inventories and there are [delivery]
positions available for new jets significantly below the list price,” he commented. “New jets from Honda, Piper and Pilatus will be coming onto the market in the next few years, and that is animating Cessna and Embraer to offer favorable conditions now to solidify their market positions.” Ricks also said the charter and air taxi operators flying these aircraft are confronting a dynamic and rapidly changing marketplace that will mandate new marketing and operating tools. “Tomorrow’s winners are not just jet jockeys, but also nerds. It is all about market analytics, search engine optimization, dynamic scheduling and algorithm evolution,” he explained. Light Jets=Light Profits
For those flying light jets in revenue operations now, “profitability is at the bottom of the curve,” admits Patrick Margetson-Rushmore, whose firm, London Executive Aviation (LEA), operates seven Cessna Citation Mustangs as part of a larger fleet that also includes Citation Excels and Embraer Legacys. LEA owns five of the aircraft and manages the other two for owners. The serial numbers range from 52 to 157 and the highest time aircraft has accumulated 1,156 hours. Most of the Mustangs fly at least once a week
Phenom 100s provide a step up for former turboprop customers or a cost-effective option for those who previously flew on larger jets, according to FlairJet CEO David Fletcher, top.
and the average stage length is just under one hour; however, the firm does book longer flights with the aircraft during the summer months to the south of France and Geneva. Those flights average approximately 2.5 hours. Margetson-Rushmore thinks LEA’s fleet will average 300 hours per aircraft this year, a somewhat low figure but, according to him, “higher than anyone else in Europe.” London Executive Aviation CEO Patrick Margetson-Rushmore, right, said Mustang “Our potential customers customers are more price sensitive than those for LEA’s larger aircraft. for this aircraft are more price sensitive,” he told AIN. LEA operates seven different aircraft types, including Dassault Falcons and King Airs, and Margetson-Rushmore said the market last year was far more “buoyant” for the larger aircraft. LEA has not seen customers of midsize aircraft moving down cabin size as well as its modern through the summer,” he said. market into the Mustang in the design, Fletcher said. He also The FlairJet founder characrecession. Rather, those custom- noted that the aircraft’s faster terized Embraer’s support of the ers stopped flying altogether. speed (compared to the Mus- Phenom 100 as very good. “There However, what LEA did see was tang) is not much of a factor in were some teething problems an influx of Mustang customers customer chartering decisions. with the aircraft when we first got who had been flying on Hawker “On the average trip you only them, but they were pretty minor Beechcraft Premiers and Cessna save five to ten minutes [with the and the product support from Citation CJs and Bravos at the Phenom],” he said, adding that Embraer was pretty good and we firm’s competitors. the decision is more a function are seeing none of those problems Margetson-Rushmore said of cabin size. The Phenom has a now,” he said. That included facthat, overall, passengers found 50-knot faster max cruise speed tory-provided adjustments to the the Mustang’s interior “quite than the Mustang–390 knots aircraft’s brake-by-wire system. spacious once they are inside,” versus 340 knots. Steady Growth Envisioned The Phenom weighs adding that mainte1,000 pounds more nance squawks to date Fletcher thinks entry-level had been relatively than the Mustang and jet growth in Europe will be minor. These included has five cubic feet of “steady” in the coming years. spurious crew alertadditional luggage “There won’t be any mass-puring system (CAS) space. The Phenom’s chases,” he said, doubtless with cabin is slightly more failed ventures such as JetBird messages, a transponflexible that the Mus- in mind. Nonetheless, he expects der problem with the G1000 avionics (since tang’s in that it can demand to grow by 8 to 10 perfixed) and an overtembe configured to seat cent this year and FlairJet itself Oriens COO ping issue with one of four to six passengers, is currently negotiating to bring Michael Ricks the Pratt & Whitney while the Mustang on two more managed 100s. Canada 615 engines. Overall, can seat only four. In the fourOriens’ Ricks predicted that the firm lost an estimated 12 seat configuration the Phenom it would be a while before entryflights due to these problems, also offers a true aft lavatory, level jets attain their potential in but Margetson-Rushmore clas- while the Mustang offers a flip- the European market. “There are sified the aircraft’s reliability as up padded lid over a chemical certainly those who have found “good” and Cessna’s support of bowl aft of the pilots’ seats. a way to operate and generate it as “very good.” Fletcher said his customers additional profits [with these airare a mix of those who used to planes],” he reflected. “That said, Cabin Size a Factor fly on Cessna Citation CJs and the greatest opportunity lies with David Fletcher, CEO of turboprops, those who moved achieving a critical mass that FlairJet based at Oxford in down from larger jets during the industry has yet to achieve.” the UK, is equally enthusias- the recession and first-time busi- Ricks argued that achieving that tic about his firm’s trio of man- ness fliers. For new customers, critical mass “is not going to take aged Embraer Phenom 100s he also said the Phenom 100 is a forever. I see a huge opportunity that began revenue operations in good vehicle for eventually con- in Central Europe that will build January 2010. He said the 100s vincing them to transition into over time.” For now Ricks sees continare averaging about 400 hours the firm’s two larger Phenom per year each, and that number 300s. “You create trust with the ued growth of entry-level jets in could conceivably increase to customer. They enjoy travel- Europe over highly traveled city 600 to 700 hours. Currently cus- ing on the 100 and it is easy for pairs such as London to Paris or tomers are equally split between them to see what the 300 can do London to Geneva. “These cities business and leisure travel and for them in terms of increased have overburdened hub airports combined with high-net-worth the average flight is approxi- speed and range,” he explained. Overall, Fletcher said busi- individuals and a high probabilmately one hour. The company also operates a pair of the larger ness is on the upswing, the best ity of business travel. For these it has been in four or five years. people, sitting for a long time Phenom 300 light jets. Customers are attracted to “We’ve been very, very busy and on the tarmac is very expensive,” o the Phenom 100 because of its we expect that will continue he concluded. www.ainonline.com • May 19, 2011 • EBACE Convention News 11
Olympic-bound flights need to reserve slots
sailing center at Weymouth and Portland, both to the west of Southampton on the English Channel. The DfT says there will be limited possibility for helicopter transfer flights to and from central London during the Olympic period. NATS says any previously unconsidered matters raised by public feedback may lead to modified proposals and further consultation before the plan is presented to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which regulates UK airspace. NATS and the CAA have agreed that the “exceptional circumstances” and temporary nature of proposed airspace changes mean the plan does not need consultation with environmental “stakeholders.” Numbers of additional GA movements allocated to the 14 airfields range from 669 slots at Biggin Hill, more than 500 each at Cambridge and Southend, and 340 at Stansted, to just eight at the small London City docklands airport. In addition, Stansted and Luton airports together are expected to handle 130 Olympics-generated positioning flights. There is no provision for extra GA movements at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick hubs, nor at the regional airports at Bournemouth and Manston, or at the Northolt military air base. More than 200 head-of-state aircraft movements and attendant security requirements have been shared among eight of the airports, but 34 such movements–involving aircraft of Boeing 767 to 747 size–have not been placed. DfT consultant Atkins has predicted that “only 17 aircraft over the whole Olympic period cannot be allocated a stand within the current modelled airport system.” The greatest number of additional movements–driven largely by GA and head of state requirements–will occur on July 26, the day before the Olympics opening ceremony, with the largest demand for aircraft parking on July 27. Including normal levels of traffic, the 14 airports are expected to handle more than 110,000 movements during the 31-day Olympics peak period. o
by Ian Goold (including some in the west of England) that lie within an approximate 120-minute road- or rail-journey time of the main Olympic Games site in east London and which have capacity for additional private or nonscheduled commercial aircraft. “Slots at peak times are expected to be in heavy demand,” predicts the DfT. “Early contact [with airports] is recommended, especially for those with particular needs or preferences for location, types of aircraft, or timings.”
Business aircraft operators p lanning to fly to Britain for next summer’s Olympic Games are being encouraged to make early requests for mandatory landing and takeoff slots at airports in what will be heavily restricted airspace in the southeast of England. Britain’s Department for Transport (DfT) has said that for 31 days from July 16, 2012, private or chartered aircraft will present a challenge to airport capacity across the region, which lies under one of the world’s most crowded areas of airspace. Traffic levels are expected to exceed currently available peak-period capacity and, without temporarily modified airspace, could result in widespread delays, says the DfT. Altogether, the DfT has identified almost 30 airfields and airports
Fourteen principal airports have been allocated specific numbers of additional Olympic-related movements (beyond their usual traffic levels), including provision for more than 3,000 general aviation (GA) arrivals and departures (see charts). The UK National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which is coordinating the public consultation on temporary changes to controlled airspace, proposes the introduction of recommended helicopter routes between London and the Olympic
Additional Olympic-Generated Flights in the 2012 Schedule–by Airport Airport
Commercial
Positioning
Stansted
420
86
340
36
882
Biggin Hill
0
0
669
14
683
280
44
264
6
594
0
0
520
0
520
Luton
FOTOLIA
Cambridge
Genav/Bizav
Head of State
Total
Southend
0
0
510
0
510
Oxford
0
0
382
0
382
Lydd
0
0
238
0
238
Farnborough
0
0
82
86
168
Unallocated
0
0
0
34
34
Northolt
0
0
0
26
26
Gatwick
0
0
0
18
18
Manston
0
0
0
14
14
London City
0
0
8
0
8
Bournemouth
0
0
0
4
4
Heathrow
0
0
0
0
0
Aircraft Movements (projected) during Olympic Peak 31-Day Period–by Service Type Airport Heathrow
Charter
Genav/Bizav
Freight
Head of State
Scheduled
Position
Military
Total
32
0
148
0
41,951
24
0
42,255
Gatwick
4,383
128
0
18
22,732
96
0
27,357
Stansted
961
1,226
704
36
15,678
172
0
18,777
Luton
679
3,121
160
6
6,914
51
0
10,931
London City
0
112
0
0
6,561
0
2
6,675
Farnborough
145
1,958
0
86
0
0
17
2,206
Biggin Hill
668
1,147
0
14
4
0
4
1,837
Southend
0
828
0
0
0
4
0
832
Cambridge
129
624
0
0
56
0
19
828
Oxford
213
569
0
0
0
0
0
782
Bournemouth
181
0
8
4
416
54
0
663
Northolt
422
126
0
26
0
0
87
661
Lydd
0
292
0
0
0
0
0
292
Manston
73
29
0
14
46
0
4
166
Fairoaks
4
97
0
0
0
0
0
101
Scheduled
94,358
Genav/Bizav
10,257
Charter
7,890
Freight
1,120
Position HoS
401 204
Britain’s Department for Transport has identified 14 UK airports that will handle flights destined for 2012’s Olympics. The agency estimates they will marshall more than 110,000 movements during the 31-day peak period.
Total Source: Atkins Ltd., London 2012 Airport Capacity Study Report
12 EBACE Convention News • May 19, 2011 • www.ainonline.com
114,363
FOTOLIA
Military 133
Satcom giant offers a tiny handset by Matt Thurber
MATT THURBER
Thrane & Thrane is demon- satcom system. A 28-VDC crastrating its new Aviator wireless dle, available for handset charghandset here at EBACE (Stand ing, is expected to receive FAA 979) as well as the company’s certification shortly, followed by full range of Aviator satcom sys- EASA certification. Thrane & Thrane tems, which operis celebrating its 30th ate on the Inmarsat year in business this S w i f t B ro a d b a n d year. Twin brothers service and proLars and Per Thrane, vide airborne Interwho launched the net access and voice business by manufac call capability. turing maritime sat The new lightcom products, founded weight (177 g) Aviathe Danish company tor handset features in 1981. Twenty years noise and echo canago Lars learned to cellation and comes fly and saw an opin a compact packportunity to develop age with a 2.2-inch Lars Thrane satcom products for color display and tacthe aviation market. tile controls that will be familiar to any mobile phone A big part of Thrane & Thrane’s user. The handset’s lithium-ion business is building ground infrabattery allows for 24 hours of structure, such as receivers, transstandby time. Up to six handsets mitters and radio management can be installed on any Aviator systems for Inmarsat, which
operates the satellite network. “In parallel we started building satellite equipment for ships and aircraft,” Lars Thrane said. “We have intimate knowledge of the equipment. It’s been a big benefit for us.” Thrane & Thrane’s Aviator satcom comes in three main configurations: systems that work with low-gain, mediumgain and high-gain antennas on the Inmarsat SwiftBroadband service. SwiftBroadband provides global satcom coverage. The smallest system is the Aviator 200, which offers a single voice channel and connectivity speed of up to 200 kbps, which allows emails with attachments. The Aviator 300 uses an intermediate-gain antenna and allows speeds of up to 332 kbps, with video streaming and VOIP connectivity. Larger aircraft that can accommodate a high-gain
about 50 percent antenna can be fitted with when switching from the Aviator 350 and 700 Aero-M or Aero-I systems, although many to the Aviator 300, large aircraft use the Thrane said. “Just reAviator 200 and 300, place two boxes and according to Thrane. keep the antenna.” The 350 and 700 Thrane, who flew his deliver speeds up to King Air 200 equipped 432 kbps, and the with an Aviator 200 700 can handle up to Geneva on Monto four channels day, sees most users optof voice and daing to fill airborne satcom ta simultaneouspipelines with data, with ly. All the systems infrequent use of voice ser include Wi-Fi ca- Thrane & Thrane’s latest feature-packed pability so passen- handset weighs in at a vices. “We’re used to being connected all the time,” he gers can easily log scant 177 grams. said. “I cannot believe anyon to the Internet using laptops and mobile devices. body buys an expensive airFor aircraft that have old- craft and no Internet. There’s an er Thrane & Thrane Aero-M immediate benefit from Interor Aero-I systems installed, the net [connectivity].” Aviator systems are certicompany is offering a simple upgrade path to the Aviator 300. fied for installation on a variety The upgrade allows the Aero-M of aircraft, and more are being or Aero-I TT-5006A intermedi- added to the list. The Aviator ate-gain antenna to be retained, 200 has received supplemental making for a much simpler and type certification on the King lower cost installation. Taking Air 200 and Cessna Citation the installation cost into account, 500, 525, 525A, 550, S550, 552, o the upgrade can save owners 560 and 560XL.
MARK WAGNER
third quarter of 2012. “Anticipating future support needs of operators in the region,” Air Works also plans to add technicians and avionics specialists trained in Falcon 7X maintenance. The company has worked on Falcons for some 15 years, starting with the Falcon 200. “What the ASC certification does is improve the synergies that have existed thus far,” said Ravi Menon, Air Works director of business development.
Comlux Signs On for 2012 Bahrain Airshow Comlux Middle East is one of the latest companies to commit to participate in the Bahrain Airshow, scheduled for January 19 to 21 next year. At EBACE on May 17, Richard Gaona, president of Comlux The Aviation Group (Stand 142), announced the participation of subsidiary Comlux Middle East. Organizers report that 75 percent of the chalet space at the Bahrain Airshow is already booked and said, “We are looking at new ways of accommodating those companies that wish to have n a representation” at the event.
Air Works India Engineering is now an authorized Falcon service center. Here at EBACE are (l-r) Air Works’ managing director Vivek Gour; director and group head of business development Ravi Menon; and v-p of general aviation maintenance Nick White.
Air Works is now DFJ’s approved MRO in India by Bill Carey Air Works India Engineering (Stand 1869) has been appointed a Dassault Falcon Jet authorized service center (ASC), offering Falcon operators a maintenance capability in India eventually leading to heavy maintenance. Established in 1951, Air Works lays claim to being India’s oldest MRO. It operates base maintenance facilities in Mumbai, Delhi and the Bangalore suburb of Hosur, as well as nine additional line maintenance locations. The Hosur facility is an EASA-approved
airline MRO with approvals for ATR42/72, Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft. The Air Works facility in Mumbai, a CAR 145 repair station approved by the DGCA Indian National Authority, initially will act as a line service center, providing 24-hour troubleshooting, line maintenance and inspections for Falcon 900EX and 900 EASy series aircraft. The company will invest in the tooling and training necessary to perform B checks in a first phase, followed by C checks in the
14 EBACE Convention News • May 19, 2011 • www.ainonline.com
MARK WAGNER
Falcon Fleet on the Rise
The Falcon jet fleet in India is currently numbered at 20 and is expected to grow significantly in the next five years. Menon said Air Works looks to support that fleet, plus Falcon jets transiting India. In addition to Dassault Falcon, Air Works is an authorized service center for AgustaWestland, Bell Helicopter, Bombardier, Embraer, Garmin, Hawker Beechcraft, Honeywell, Rockwell Collins and Superjet International. The 47,000-sq-ft Mumbai service center has 10 technicians dedicated to Falcon aircraft. Given the company’s other OEM relationships, Menon said Air Works can serve as a “onestop” Falcon shop. For example, it can service the flight deck of the Falcon 900EX EASy, based on Honeywell Primus Epic avionics, as well as the aircraft’s Honeywell TFE731-60 turbofans and APU. o
DC Aviation Gets Wyvern Approval At EBACE yesterday DC Aviation (Stand 2039) received safety authorization from Wyvern (Stand 843). Wyvern sales director Fredrik Artursson, left, awarded the plaque to DC Aviation CEO Michael Kuhn. Trenton, New Jersey-based Wyvern provides aviation safety auditing, consulting and information services. Germany-based DC Aviation provides aircraft charter, management and maintenance services. n
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news clips z GE Rebrands ‘TechX’ Turbofan as ‘Passport’ GE Aircraft (Stand 358), whose TechX engine Bombardier selected to power its under-development Global 7000 and Global 8000 ultra-long-range business jets, has rebranded the big turbofan as the “Passport.” The first model in what Cincinnati, Ohio-based GE hopes will be a series of turbofans in the 10,000- to 20,000-pound-thrust class will produce up to 16,500 pounds of thrust for the new Global jets. It will be called the Passport 20, according to Shawn O’Day, GE Aviation marketing director. The “integrated propulsion system” is expected to provide at least 8-percent lower specific fuel consumption than current turbofans in the same class, more than a 50-percent margin to the CAEP/6 regulations on emissions and operate some 13 EPNdb under Stage 4 noise requirements. Certification of the Passport 20 is planned in 2016.
Oxford boosts radar and comms coverage by Charles Alcock Oxford Airport has announced a fresh wave of investment that will start with installation of a new primary and secondary radar, hopefully in time for next year’s London Olympics. In spending totaling almost $7.4 million, the UK airport will also upgrade communications systems.
safety, efficiency and operational integrity of the airport,” said Oxford’s new managing director Chris Orphanou. Over the past year, Oxford has boosted its overall movements by 18 percent, while, on average, business aviation traffic across Europe has increased by 5 percent. In fact, the numImportant technology upgrades are on tap for Oxford Airport in the UK.
z LBAS Approved for Qatar-registered Challenger Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services (Stand 43) has secured Part 145 approval to perform maintenance services for Bombardier Challenger 604/605s registered in Qatar. An undisclosed customer has signed a maintenance agreement with LBAS and plans to use the company’s services when flying in Europe. In addition to aircraft maintenance services, LBAS provides interior modifications as well as service for engines and avionics.
z Amac To Perform ACJ Completion for Rizon Jet Maintenance and completion specialist Amac Aerospace (Stand 1079) has signed a contract with Rizon Jet, a Qatar-based operator, for the completion of an Airbus ACJ319. The aircraft is scheduled to arrive at Amac’s Basel, Switzerland facility in January 2012 and to be delivered one year later. Rizon Jet will manage the aircraft on behalf of one of its customers in the Gulf region. The cabin interior has been designed by Andrew Winch Design.
z CEPA Promotes Prague’s Business Aviation Show Central European Private Aviation, the lobbying association that organizes CEPA Expo, a business aviation show in Prague, Czech Republic, has representatives at EBACE to promote the show and “initiate closer cooperation with partner associations in Europe.” CEPA founder Dagmar Grossman and chairman Jirí Matoušek are recruiting speakers for the next CEPA Expo, which is to take place September 29 to 30 at Prague’s downtown Congress Center. Bombardier has recently joined the association, which now has about 150 members from eight countries.
z Universal Offers Partnership with MedAire Business aircraft operators using Universal Weather and Aviation (Stand 7091) for flight planning now have access to integrated, remote medical services via a referral partnership with MedAire of Tempe, Arizona. MedAire provides medical support for flight departments, with 8,000 staff and 68,000 credentialed medical, security and logistics providers located worldwide. Working through trip support services teams, Universal clients can arrange MedAire services including remote medical care, management of in-flight illness and injury, an aircraft first-aid kit and automated external defibrillator with on-demand CPR coaching.
z Online Training Available for EASA Rules Joel Hencks, managing director of AeroEx (Stand 1556) of Buchs, Switzerland, an aviation consultancy, training firm and independent audit organization, has announced two online products–eTraining and eProduction–designed to educate operators about the EASA regulations. EASA will implement new rules for operations in Europe in April 2012. EASA-OPS will replace current EU-OPS, JAROPS and national rules. The new rules apply to the 31 EASA member states, including the 27 European Union members and Switzerland, Norway, Lichtenstein and Iceland, as well as thirdcountry operators flying to Europe.
The new Thales STAR 2000 radar will feed data into the Eurocat-C radar display system. Among other benefits will be improved visibility of local obstacles such as wind turbines. In the three years since the airport was acquired by the Reuben property development group, around $16 million has already been invested to develop the airport as a business aviation hub. “The Reubens have made a strong commitment to enhancing the
ber of business jets using Oxford has risen by as much as 31 percent–totaling 7,250 last year, an average of around 20 per day. Jet fuel sales are also up by 19 percent. Other development work has seen all the necessary steps completed to get approval for operators make full use of Oxford’s 5,222-foot runway. A 150-meter strip has been established either side of the runway to clear obstacles, giving it a 3C categorization.
Having access to the full landing distance has made the airport a more viable option for transatlantic commercial flights. About 48,000 sq ft of hangar space has been added and the apron area expanded to 4.4 acres to accommodate about 40 more aircraft. The airport also has taken delivery of a new fire tender this month. Here at the EBACE show (Stand 1642), Oxford Airport is seeking to lure new operators from outside Europe with preferential rates. It wants operators from the Middle East, Commonwealth of Independent States, Asia and the Americas to sign up for its new “150 Deal,” which is valid through the end of the year. The deal provides the each of the following services and amenities for $150 per item: landing fees (for aircraft weighing between 16 and 45 metric tons), handling, parking, a night’s crew accommodation at Oxford’s exclusive Randolph hotel, crew car hire for a week, and VIP chaufferdriven car to/from London. A 23-minute helicopter shuttle to London is also available for £1,500 ($2,400). It also has rooms at London’s Flemings Hotel for £150 per night. According to business development director James Dillon-Godfray, Oxford is a good alternative to more congested London-area airports. It is located 60 miles northwest of central London and standard operating hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. o
Uni Air Enterprise wins Falcon service OKs Jet Services Group (Stand 643) announced at EBACE that Uni Air Enterprise, a Part 145 service center and one of the holding group’s firms, has obtained three more maintenance approvals. The approvals are for Dassault’s Falcon 50EX, 2000EX and 900EX. The company is now qualified to carry out line and base maintenance on these aircraft, as well as on a dozen other jet types and Piaggio and Beechcraft turboprops. Uni Air will also install a camera pod on sister company Aerovision’s Falcon 50. It has been commissioned to reconfigure the
16 EBACE Convention News • May 19, 2011 • www.ainonline.com
This dynamic overhead photograph of three Dassault Falcon 7Xs was taken with a belly-mounted camera pod installed by Aerovision in its Falcon 50.
Falcon 50, which is to replace an Aerospatiale Corvette in the camera platform role. The gyro-stabilized camera pod will be removable. The aircraft will be able to convert from the filming role to a more conventional executive business
transport role. The work is to be completed this year. Jet Services, which is also a business jet charter operator, now has bases in Paris Le Bourget and Toulouse Blagnac airports. –T.D.
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nearby Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track racing circuit. Le Castellet re-opened early in 2002, after having to close temporarily to be extensively redeveloped after asbestos was found in its hangars. It is now believed to be the only a irport in Europe that can offer a completely hermetically sealed hangar–necessary to protect aircraft from the corrosive effect of the high quantities of salt in the local atmosphere. With its adjacent ramp area, the 59,000-sqft Hangar Five offers a total of 172,230 sq ft of parking space and direct access to the runway. Office accommodation also is available on site. Four other hangars with parking ramps are able to accommodate aircraft up to the size of an Airbus Corporate Jetliner. Its full-service FBO terminal has a boarding area, customs services and a business center. The immediate area of Le Castellet also boasts several fine restaurants and three- and four-star hotels.
Airports such as Cannes-Mandelieu saw a dramatic decline in traffic over the past few years, but business is returning as the economic rebound gains traction.
After a brief hiatus, jet set returns to France by Jeff Apter When the global financial crisis took much of the fizz out of the champagne lifestyle in France’s millionaire’s playground along the Côte-d’Azur it was not surprising that the main private aviation airports there took a big hit in terms of traffic levels. But now the recovery is in full swing, according to the management of the region’s main business aviation gateways Nice and Cannes-Mandelieu. Last year, traffic at these two airports, owned collectively by the local chamber of commerce, jumped an average of 9.3 percent to revert to its pre-crisis level of activity. Nice, which accommodates aircraft weighing more than 22 metric tons (48,500 pounds), accounts for 73 percent of business aviation traffic. It recorded growth of 11.7 percent to reach 31,067 movements last year. Cannes, which cannot accept aircraft in the 22-ton-and-above bracket, showed growth of 3.1 percent to 10,950 movements–illustrating the widely held perception that times have been harder for operators of smaller aircraft in the recent downturn. These figures compare with an overall year-on-year traffic decrease of 16.2 percent in 2009 when Nice traffic fell by 16.9
percent and traffic at Cannes dropped by 14.4 percent. The airports’ joint level of activity ranks the two Côte-d’Azur airports third in Europe after Paris and Geneva. It is on this basis that investment programs at both airports have continued, with the inauguration last year of a d edicated business terminal in Nice, a $2.9-million makeover of the former “Corsica” facility adjoining Terminal 2. The completely refurbished building includes VIP and crew areas, as well as luxury goods outlets. Growth at Cannes and Nice
Cannes-Mandelieu (Stand 368) is bound by its own “environmental charter” to reduce noise, air and water pollution. This has resulted in a strict ban on night flights and prohibits lengthening the runway, as well as imposing a movement ceiling of just four takeoffs and four landings an hour. In reality, the main problem is not aircraft weight, but rather noise. Nonetheless, traffic is expected to remain steady and the airport’s modernization program includes the construction of four hangars–three of them for business aviation and the fourth for the airport’s intense general aviation activity. These buildings
will incorporate technical and maintenance facilities, offices and dedicated crew areas. They are earmarked for inauguration in 2012. While Nice benefits from around-the-clock operation, Cannes is restricted to opening hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in winter and 8 a.m. to sundown plus 30 minutes in summer (in practice, up to 9:45 p.m. in June). Nice boasts runways of up to 9,711 feet and has no limit on aircraft weight, while Cannes’ longest runway is 5,280 feet. Both airports have had to introduce a slot-coordination system between April 23 and October 23 to control the risk of traffic saturation in these peak periods and guarantee flight punctuality. Farther west along the Coted’Azur, Le Castellet, (Stand 267) the region’s first privately owned airport, has gained from the underdevelopment of business aviation at Marseille, France’s second-largest city, just 34 nm
away. It has become a popular alternative to Nice and Cannes for the jet set. The airport recently opened a fifth hangar capable of accommodating two Boeing Business Jets, four Falcon 7Xs or four Gulfstream G550s. To increase its appeal to business and private aircraft operators, the airport, with its 5,741-foot runway, can be open 24/7 on request and it has made substantial investments in facilities to accommodate VIPs. But these advantages are somewhat countered by its geographical location, which leaves it susceptible to the strong southeasterly Mistral winds. Le Castellet is never busier than for the annual Monaco Grand Prix Formula 1 race and for the Cannes Film Festival– both of which are held in May. In fact, since 1999, the airport has been owned by Formula 1 auto racing tycoon Bernie Ecclestone, who also owns the
Third Busiest Airport
Inland Lyon Bron Airport (Stand 267) provides a convenient business aircraft access point for this major city and the surrounding industrial Rhône Alpes region. It is France’s third busiest bizav airport and movements have grown significantly since the inauguration of its purpose-built FBO in 2005. The terminal is open from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. all year, but the hours can be extended on request. Traffic last year was steady at 6,750 movements, representing a 1.2-percent rise over 2009. Lyon Bron marked its centenary last year with the inauguration of a 32,000-sq-ft hangar used mainly for business aviation passengers. The $4.7 million investment included 15,000-sq-ft of solar cells that produce 90-megawatt hours of electricity per year. On April 1, operations manager Philippe Treillet retired after 25 years on the job. o
With 13 hangars totaling 18,000 sq m, there is plenty of covered parking for aircraft flying in to Cannes.
18 EBACE Convention News • May 19, 2011 • www.ainonline.com
Flying Group focuses on core ops by Jeff Apter Business aviation is still on a roller-coaster ride that could lead to feast or famine, according to Flying Group chief executive Bernard van Milders. “The crisis is not over, fuel prices are
high and there could even be a double-dip recession, but [on the other hand] we could see tenpercent growth,” he told AIN. Whatever this year may bring to the Belgium business
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aviation services group, there is no doubting the growth it has enjoyed since it was formed 20 years ago. Since 1991, Flying Group’s fleet has grown from just a single aircraft to 28 as of
the end of April, with this number set to rise to 31 next month. In addition to aircraft management and charter, the company also provides maintenance–as an approved Cessna Citation service center–and various consultancy services. The aircraft are mainly based at its Antwerp headquarters, where it acquired the main airport building and adjacent hangar last year. It also has bases at Cannes in the south of France, at Luxembourg and at Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Like much of the industry, Flying Group (Stand 282) took a sudden hit in business in the second half of 2008, which was followed by further decline in revenues of around 25 percent in 2009. But last year saw gradual recovery, with the company winning new aircraft management clients in markets such as Russia, Hungary and other parts of Eastern Europe. Flying Group’s fleet is very Flying Group is seeing a recovery in its charter and management business, and recently added clients across Eastern Europe. The company expects to add three aircraft next month, bringing its total to 31.
diverse, spanning from the Cessna Citation Mustang light jet to the Dassault Falcon 7X at the top end. In between is a mix of Cessna Citation CJ2s, Bravos, CJ3s, Excels, Sovereigns, Xs and XLS+s, as well as a Falcon 20F-5 and various examples of the 900 family. Next month, it is due to receive its fourth Falcon 7X, along with a 900EX and 2000LX. Two years after selling the Flying Group FBO at Paris Le Bourget Airport to the Dubai-based JetEx Flight Support group, van Milders has no regrets that he opted to walk away from this highly competitive handling market. “The financial crisis was only part of the reason for the sale, which fitted into our ambition to concentrate on our basic activity operating private and business aircraft and the opportunity arose to sell something that was never a core business for us,” he explained to AIN. “FBO activity in Paris is not good for independent companies, only for chains.” He added that the sale generated new cash that strengthened investment and the operator continued to expand its fleet. o
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Challenges ahead for EBAA With its partners at NBAA, the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) this week stages its 11th annual EBACE show here in Geneva. The event already is 16 percent up in size on last year and is the biggest yet in terms of the amount of exhibit space booked. And the association itself is back on growth mode, with almost 500 members and around four or five more joining each week. All of EBAA’s share of the profits raised by the EBACE show are plowed back into the association to help it to represent the industry’s interests. This is just as well, because EBAA’s lobbying work is never done, with a growing list of battles to be fought and comMARK WAGNER
plex issues to be navigated, as EBAA president and chief executive Brian Humphries explained to AIN International Editor Charles Alcock ahead of EBACE 2011.
So people are flying again, but behind these traffic figures what can we say about the top end of the market? It is the top end of the market that is doing most of the flying, with the Gulfstreams and the Falcons, and aircraft like this that are busiest. They saw less of a downturn anyway during the recession. The fastest growing sector is the VLJs, so at last they are starting to do some business. It is the middle of the market that has suffered the most. But even with these activity levels going up, there is no doubt that charter margins are still very tight, so our members are still suffering. It’s good to get the aircraft flying again but they are certainly not making the sort of return on capital they did in the boom years. The evidence is that we are in sustained recovery but let’s not pretend there will a quick return to how things were in the heydays of 2005 to 2008, because the national economies are still suffering. Aircraft at the top end, like Gulfstreams, are now back with long lead times for deliveries. In the midsized category it is probably the Citations and the Hawkers that have suffered the most. We’ve still got an overhang of used aircraft for sale, so prices are very competitive. If you are buying, there are some great deals to be had out there. But, quite
understandably, if people have a loss on their books they don’t realize this until they sell the aircraft. So, they don’t particularly want to sell the aircraft and make a thumping loss against the book value. Sales are going through. Values are definitely better at the top end but it’s at the bottom end where there is still a big overhang of aircraft for sale. Given what happened in the boom years– with high-octane growth fueled in part by easy credit and speculation over aircraft prices–maybe the industry now has an opportunity to grow in a more sustainable way this time? People were buying aircraft with no intention of using them but hoping to make $1 million or more on the deal by selling them on. If you look at the business aviation sector over the last few decades there have always been peaks and troughs. When I was with Shell [the Shell Aircraft flight department] in 2003 we were able to buy some white-tail aircraft at incredibly attractive prices because we were in a slump then. You could go back to the mid-1990s and there were very competitive prices back then too. But in fact, probably for reasons that are beyond our control–such as the state of national economies–we are not going to see that sort of silly boom this time. I am very encouraged by these traffic figures. Growth of five percent a year is
Brian humphries
fine and it is sustainable. It shows that it is not going to start getting politicians worried that we are booming and ballooning. At EBAA you are now trying to focus on this whole issue of the lack of harmonization for rules impacting business aviation. So what are the core factors? In what areas do we see the most serious lack of harmonization of rules? Let’s start with operations. Here flight-time limitations are a big issue because we have had huge variations in what is allowed. One of things we did was to set up a flight time limitations working group led by Dannys Famin of Unijet. We’ve looked at all the rules in the six main European countries and found huge variations. What we then did was to assemble what we thought were the bestpractice rules for business aviation from these various regulations and we have been working with EASA on this. They said that if we want variations in rules we will have to come up with scientific evidence. So we asked Alertness Solutions to do a study for us. We were delighted with the response, with 770 pilots responding, and we are now just finalizing the findings and pointing out where we think variations should apply. The good news is that EASA listened
DAVID McINOSH
What is the current state of the European business aviation community going into the 2011 EBACE show? Is the industry now achieving a lasting and sustainable recovery? Well, if we look at the Eurocontrol traffic figures, we have seen continuous growth, with some ups and downs, since April 2010. We were very pleased to see the 2010 report. Eurocontrol now produces not only monthly figures but also an annual report, which is very helpful and all of that stems from visits [by Eurocontrol officials] to EBACE over the years and their acceptance that they needed to know more about business aviation. The 2010 report showed that growth last year was 5.5 percent in business aviation and this took us back to being the fastest growing sector after the low-cost carriers. Business aviation is now 7.3 percent of IFR traffic in Europe, which is not that far short of where we were in 2008 when we were 7.8 percent. We had fallen to 5.9 percent since then.
Aircraft manufacturers are seeing orders for new aircraft, after a long period during which–in some cases– cancellations outpaced orders. However, it is likely that manufacturers won’t see the flood of new orders they would like until the pre-owned inventory thins considerably.
20 EBACE Convention News • May 19, 2011 • www.ainonline.com
to us and they have agreed to form a separate working group, called 071, to develop specific rules for business aviation, night cargo flights and helicopters. This will not work to the frenetic timetable for other categories of traffic, so there is now more time to get this right. That was very encouraging because it was the regulator accepting that one size does not fit all and that we need our own regulations. Our immediate concern was that the hard rules mainly being developed for airlines did not upset what we wanted to achieve downstream. Probably the biggest concern was the issue of “standby at home,” because if this were to be defined as duty time it would be crippling for business aviation. Standby in the context of business aviation is very different from what it means to the airlines. Split duty is another big issue. A typical business aircraft pilot is out in the morning and back in the evening, with most of the day off. They need proper rest but they don’t need the next day off to compensate them for much of the day off they’ve had the day before. And what about the inconsistency in rules relating to how much runway length is available to different categories of aircraft? Another issue where we don’t yet have a result but that EASA has agreed to look at it is runway performance. It can’t be right that a private Falcon 900 can use 100 percent of the runway and the same aircraft operated under commercial rules gets just 60 percent. Nor can it be right that an N-registered aircraft can use 80 percent of the runway and we [in Europe] have to use 60 percent. We probably don’t need 100 percent, but having 80 percent of the runway subject to risk assessment would be a better rule. There should be an EASA working group formed to look at this after 2012. At one stage EASA was very keen to achieve harmonization with FAA rules and now gradually this seems to have slipped down the order of priority. The EBAA goal here is that we want to promote best-in-class standards with safety as our key and final goal. But we also want fair competition and it can’t be right that some countries in Europe can use their pilots for longer hours and can operate to different rules than others. We want performance-based rules rather than prescription. Aren’t there also problems stemming from the inconsistencies in the rules governing private and commercial operation of business aircraft? The other issue to be tackled is socalled “flip-flopping.” Does it really matter who is operating the aircraft? What it comes down to is whether an owner who has chosen to have the aircraft professionally managed [under a commercial AOC] should be penalized compared with someone who has the aircraft flown by a couple of pilots on their own payroll [under private rules]. We want to see a common interpretation for commercial and non-commercial and recognition that an aircraft
We are less than a year away from full implementation of ETS. Despite the ETS Support Facility, this seems to be as burdensome as expected for business aviation operators. What is your assessment of the situation? How can business aviation make the best of a bad situation? In principle, we support the need for the aviation industry to participate in measures, including ETS, which help us meet our environmental responsibilities. However, EU ETS as it is currently legislated needs numerous critical improvements. We are therefore tackling this issue JA_global_MRO_ad_ConventionNews.qxd in several phases and the first is to make
sure that thousands of operators are meeting legal compliance. There is now a clearer understanding among operators that they will have to comply. Clearly the list [assigning specific operators to different EU national authorities for ETS compliance] has been incredibly inaccurate. The UK alone now has over 1,000 operators on its list, and it had expected to oversee only about 30 airlines. There are nearly 3,500 operators subject to ETS in Europe and it’s a massive problem. In fact, it’s a classic case of a huge bureaucracy being required to deliver very little. This is probably one of the worst laws we have ever seen. If there had been a de minimis threshold of 10,000 tons [of carbon emissions] across the sector, then the ETS would have been much more manageable. But, for now, thousands of flight departments making very occasional flights to Europe are brought into the system. The second phase has been to work with Eurocontrol to develop the ETS Support Facility. There have been political and technical problems but it has now launched and has been designed for small operators almost as a one-stop shop. Eurocontrol, for a small fee of €400, will deliver all the data you need to submit. But there have been some serious problems. For10:52 aircraft which 5/10/11 AM for Page 2 they have good data it is pretty accurate to the
DAVID McINOSH
being operated professionally should not be penalized by having constraints such as flight-time limits, runway length and rights of access. We are waiting for a paper being prepared by Clark Ricketts [the UK aviation law firm] to clarify these issues. In the end it should be quite simple in terms of who is on the aircraft and whether it is being put out for charter or used by the owner. Does it really matter if the aircraft is operated by some company created by the owner [for reasons that might include tax considerations] or whether it is being operated professionally by an operator with a commercial AOC? It’s who is on board that counts and whether the aircraft is being used for hire and reward.
EBACE has provided some encouragement to an industry badly in need of a reason for optimism. This year the show opened as a sell-out, with 65 aircraft booked for the static park, and 436 exhibitors in the halls.
extent that over 100 flights it is accurate to within one percent [in terms of calculating emissions]. But where there is bad data, and this has mainly been the case for Bombardier aircraft, it is accurate only within 20 percent, which is no good at all. Also, it all got very behind and wasn’t launched until February, when it should have been launched a lot earlier. We are now encouraging as many people as possible
to sign up to the ETS Support Facility for €400 and play with the system this year to see how it works. If it doesn’t work well, then they can, in the future, submit actual fuel-burn data for their aircraft, although operators tell us that the collection of such data costs at least twice as much as the carbon generated! We continue to meet with Eurocontrol to give them more accurate data, and
Continued on next page u
Jet Aviation Geneva
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EBAA ready for new challenges uContinued from preceding page service providers have agreed to give them more of this. So over the course of this year we will be improving the performance of the model. We also had hoped that the ETS Support Facility
would provide verified data. It is independently sourced data, so why would operators have to use a verifier? At the moment this doesn’t happen, but what Eurocontrol has said is, if we can get 800 to 1,000 people to sign up for the ETS Support Facility then it is optimistic that it can get the Commission to agree to
single-point verification. That would be a huge benefit, because we are finding among our members that even small operators have to pay fees of $1,500 or more. In some cases the fees are as high as $5,000, which is outrageous because all we are doing is lining the pockets of verifiers for doing very little. If we can get a more accurate
tool and single-point verification by April 1 next year then we think we will have done a huge amount to help the small operator. All they will then have to do is pay Eurocontrol €400 to get the data, submit the reports and then buy the carbon. This year we are pushing Eurocontrol to make progress in getting operators signed up. My
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message to operators is, “Sign up for the ETS Support Facility and try to make the tool work for you so that by next year we have a system that works without, we hope, the need for verification.” It is disappointing that the Commission hasn’t approved other tools, but even if it did there would still be a need for a verifier [since the data for these wouldn’t come directly from Eurocontrol]. If you can get a tool that works to within fivepercent accuracy, then that is a good deal. We feel that the ETS Support Facility is the best chance the industry has of avoiding nugatory and unreasonable verification costs. In the UK, there is now the threat of a new tax on private aviation? What is the right response to this? Is there concern that other states might follow suit? This is very worrying. The first thing to point out is that it goes against ICAO policy because a member state should not introduce a new tax without at least informing ICAO. The UK government’s consultation document is very poor and has been produced from meetings with stakeholders that included only the airlines and not all those [for example, business aviation and helicopters] who will be affected by it. Not surprisingly, therefore, it includes a lot of incorrect information and false conclusions. The BBGA [British Business and General Aviation Association] and BHA [British Helicopter Association] are having meetings with the UK Treasury to set the record straight and we are optimistic that we should be able to work together to deliver a result acceptable to all. As currently proposed, the tax would impose a rate of £186 per flight in any aircraft weighing more than 5,700 kg. That’s equivalent to the top rate for the current airline passenger duty for a first-class seat on a long-haul flight from London to Hong Kong. So you could pay a tax of £186 per passenger for a 20-minute helicopter flight from Farnborough to the London heliport in Battersea. It could also apply to flights carrying workers to offshore oil platforms or to flights connecting the UK’s Scilly Islands to the mainland at rates that would kill these services dead. In fact, technically, the tax could apply even to people being rescued at sea by helicopters. The government has said it wants to apply the tax in a way
part of this message is that we are committed to playing our part [in reducing aviation’s impact on the environment]. In Europe, business aviation accounts for more than seven percent of all air traffic and yet accounts for just one percent of emissions, and we are already working through an ambitious program to reduce this further.
DAVID McINOSH
What is the latest on the implementation of new security regulations (EC300) in Europe? We were very pleased that When the emissions trading when we got the EC1254 derscheme takes effect next ogation for business aviation, year, operators–even small which said that aircraft in our operators–will have to pay for the CO2 their engines sector weighing up to 15 tons, or up to 45 tons if carrying comthat will not impact economic consultation document openly pany employees, can derogate growth, but if it’s going to apply says it expects the tax to induce where appropriate from the airto 100,000 offshore workers how passengers to transfer from line rules. However, because this is that not going to hit growth business aviation to the airlines, is a directive rather than a law it in that sector? We recognize so that is clearly anticompeti- has to be implemented through that passengers on business air- tive [in favoring one category of the 27 member states and so far craft should not be exempt from air transport over another]. Yet, we have really had any progress the airline passenger duty at the in reality, the great majority of on this only with Germany. point of sale [that is, for com- business aviation flights involve We got off to a good start with mercial flights] but the rates need flights between city pairs that the UK but there has been no to be equitable and we need to are not served by airlines. progress in the past year, mainly clearly identify those flights that So we will be very busy because there have been changes should not be subject to the tax. between now and June 17 in get- in the personnel involved. The JA_global_MRO_ad_ConventionNews.qxd 5/10/11 10:53 AM Page 4 Another issue is that the ting our message across. One derogations are very important
and we want to see them implemented across the 27 member states. This will have to be pushed harder and harder by the national [business aviation] associations. Without the derogations, the way the rules have to be applied is just completely impractical for smaller FBOs. Security is a prime reason for using business aviation but, as the Commission has recognized, it is best achieved in a way that is different from the airlines. To this end, we have developed EBAA guidelines on best practice for security which we share with members. We have to show we deliver at least equivalent security through risk assessment and the application of best practices tailored to our sector and that’s what we have done. How have EBAA initiatives, such as the response planning manual and work on safety management systems, strengthened the industry’s hand in raising safety standards? We have been working very closely with IBAC on the role of industry standards. In this age of performance-based rules we believe industry standards have an increasingly important role to
play and we in the business aviation associations have an important role to play in ensuring the highest industry standards for safety. This is our number-one commitment at EBAA–to help our members operate safely. We have always been strong supporters of IS-BAO and this is available at cost to our members. We have pioneered safety management systems working with IBAC, and have produced an SMS plan for those who don’t want to run the full gamut of IS-BAO. In parallel, we have been running SMS training courses. We did an emergency response plan survey two years ago. Of the 70 operators who responded, 30 had no emergency response plan at all and more than 50 percent of those who did have one had never had a training exercise for this. We decided that this is clearly an anomaly. An SMS requires you to have an emergency response plan. So we worked with Gates & Partners to develop emergency response plan documents, which give operators a specimen plan that they can populate with their own information. It costs just €300 for EBAA
Continued on next page u
Jet Aviation Zurich
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D e D i c a t e D t o h e l p i n g b u s i n e s s a c h i e v e i t s h i g h e s t g o a l s.
EBAA ready to meet regulatory challenges uContinued from preceding page members and we run training courses to help them with this. In short, a small operator can put together a basic SMS in two days, although they then need to populate it for their own circumstances. When operators join EBAA they get help to operate more safely at an affordable cost. Another new development is that we have been sponsoring the creation of an IS-BAO for helicopters. The first draft
more active in monitoring whether or not the AOCs are current. We are also working with some authorities like Isle of Man so that if we do have information on a particular aircraft that might be suspect, we feed it in for investigation. We have had a very positive response from the Isle of Man. We leave it to the authorities to do the policing. At the same time, the fact is that it is difficult to get permits because of complex rules on fifth- or seventh-freedom rules, which drives people to switch to private operations. This is another reason common standards of safety and regulation are
EBAA has seen continuous growth in business aviation since April 2010, with large aircraft such as Gulfstreams and Falcons accounting for a signifcant portion of the traffic.
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MARK WAGNER
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has already been produced. This will raise the safety bar for helicopters. Finally, at EBACE, this year EBAA and NBAA are running our own Safety Standdown event, which is more specifically focused on big issues in Europe, such as level busts, SMS, tire safety, runway incursions and fatigue. Illegal charter has emerged as a big concern over the past year or so. What needs to be done to confront this problem and ensure more effective policing? Firstly, we are not setting up EBAA as policemen. We know that illegal charter happens and indeed there have been some quite high-profile accidents that clearly involved illegal charter. It is not fair that our members who hold commercial AOCs and operate to best-in-class standards are competing with someone who does not have the expense of the same regulatory oversight and doesn’t need to meet all the same requirements. When we look around we have seen in some countries a high proportion of illegal operations. We got together with our members and we’ve produced leaflets that get the information out to passengers so that they can make an informed choice. We’ve had requests for more than 5,000 leaflets already. A lot of people just assume that all aircraft are well regulated to a high standard. Well, most are, but it’s important for charter customers to check that their aircraft is cleared to operate for charter in every respect, including insurance. Also Avinode [the online charter portal] is very strongly on board and hopes soon to be able to flag up on its site where a permit is required and hasn’t been granted so that buyers can make an informed choice. Avinode will also be
so important. The new issues further complicate the issue with confused VAT ratings in the UK. We are working with BBGA to help the authorities to define this. What is the latest in your work with the Single European Sky program? Through our EBAA consortium, we are very active in the Single European Sky work, and had about 300 man-days of work on this last year. In April, we agreed to second two helicopter experts to the SESAR consortium because previously there had been no helicopter input because no one from that sector had bid for work. So we will soon have not only two EBAA experts involved–one from Dassault, one from NetJets–but also one from Eurocopter and one from CHC. We need to ensure that the technology, such as all-weather operations and steep approaches, can be exploited by business aviation so that we can take advantage of all the opportunities presented by Single European Sky. And is it true that access to airports continues to pose a challenge to business aviation? On airport capacity, it is still important to get the status of business aviation recognized by the Commission because we have to get established our historical rights to access slot-controlled airports. We want grandfather rights at places, such as Luton, where business aviation should be able to have collective rights. We would manage this within the industry and it has been favorably received by the Commission. Business aviation should enjoy fair and equitable rights, because as things stand, we can invest millions in an airport and have no right of tenure. That clearly is neither fair nor equitable. o
news clips z API To Distribute Sentinel 100L Security System France’s Oviv Security Technologies (Stand 1859) has announced a worldwide distribution agreement with Aerospace Products International (API) whereby the Memphis company will distribute Oviv’s Sentinel 100L on-ground aircraft security system. API will cover the Canadian, Asia Pacific and Central South American markets exclusively and the U.S., Europe and Middle East on a nonexclusive basis. Sentinel 100L is a ruggedized, self-contained system secured to an aircraft’s landing gear and requiring no retrofit or modification. According to Oviv, Sentinel is the only security system to protect aircraft from multiple threats, including damage on the ramp, tampering, vandalism or stolen fuel.
z FlyingGroup Building New Hangar in Antwerp Belgium business aviation services group FlyingGroup (Stand 282) plans to open a new $3.5 million hangar at its Antwerp airport headquarters. The 56,000-sq-ft, frost-free facility will be able to accommodate almost every type of business jet. It will feature an automatic “carousel,” enabling parked business aircraft to be quickly moved indoors. The hangar is to be ready this summer. FlyingGroup will use it for its 28-strong fleet but will also offer space to other operators.
z Flying Colours OK’d for List Stone Floor Installations List Components of Austria (Stand 165) has selected Ontario, Canada-based Flying Colours (Stand 1935) as its preferred completion center in North America for its stone flooring and countertops in all aircraft types. Flying Colours recently installed a List stone floor in a Bombardier Global 5000 and has been chosen to install a similar floor in a Bombardier Challenger 601.
z Vibro-Air Adds Citation CJ3 To Fleet German operator Vibro-Air (Stand 843) recently added a Cessna Citation CJ3 to its charter fleet. The company now operates an Embraer Legacy 600, two Hawker Beechcraft Premier Is and an IAI Astra SP from Dusseldorf International Airport. It plans to add two Embraer Phenom 300s and a Legacy 500 (scheduled for certification in 2012). Vibro-Air CEO Ammr Shaladi said the company is also expanding its aircraft management division.
z Argentine Police Take Socata TBM Daher-Socata has delivered a TMA-MMA, a multi-mission version of the TBM850 turboprop single, to Argentina’s airport security agency. The airplane will be operated by the Policía de Seguridad, which is tasked with guarding the nation’s public airports. The agency’s airplane can be quickly converted to medical evacuation use.
z Dubai Airshow on Track To Be the Biggest Yet The biennial Dubai Airshow, to be held from November 13 to 17 at the Dubai Airport Expo, is expected to draw as many as 1,000 exhibitors from more than 50 countries and attract more than 55,000 trade visitors. At the 2009 event, business aircraft accounted for roughly a quarter of all the aircraft on display, and the organizers expect similar numbers this year, with business aircraft accounting for 40 of the expected 140 on static display. Alison Weller, managing director of show organizer F&E Aerospace (Stand 1751), acknowledged the importance of business aviation at the event. The Middle East Business Aviation show, which runs alternate years from the Dubai Airshow, is planned for December 11 to 13, 2012. Representatives from F&E Aerospace are here at EBACE taking bookings for the various events.
Rizon’s new FBO at London Biggin Hill Airport has five meeting areas on two levels, some enclosed and some open. The company has also opened an FBO in Doha.
Rizon Jet opens FBOs in London and Doha by Charles Alcock Rizon Jet has opened its long-planned FBOs at London’s Biggin Hill Airport and Doha International Airport. Both the UK and Qatar facilities will provide full handling support and plan to extend their maintenance portfolios. The Doha-based company is owned by Qatar’s GSSG Holdings and has ambitions to become a major business aviation services group. In Qatar, its aircraft management and charter division operates a pair of Bombardier Challenger 605s and a Hawker 900XP. Through a partnership with UK operator Oryx Jet, the fleet also includes another 900XP and a Premier 1,
which is due to be supplemented by a Dassault Falcon 50. Back in January 2009, Rizon placed an order for four of Bombardier’s new Learjet 85s, which are still set for delivery by 2015. However, an earlier order for a Global 5000 due for 2011 delivery appears to have been abandoned. Rizon Jet was formed by Qatar’s GSSG Holdings group in 2006 and has spent more than five years developing its plans to establish a business aviation services group spanning the Middle East and Europe. The growth of its charter/management fleet has been slow, but it should be better placed to expand its portfolio now that it
has secured initial maintenance approvals in Qatar and the UK. The group expects to employ 160 people by year-end. The Biggin Hill facility now holds both EASA and Qatari Part 145 approvals, and in the UK its continuous airworthiness management organization (CAMO) clearance is held by Oryx Jet. Rizon has its own CAMO approval in Qatar, and its Doha base is now applying for authorization to work on Saudi Arabian aircraft. Both facilities are seeking maintenance clearance from the Cayman Islands and Bermuda. The Biggin Hill complex, with a total size of some 130,000 sq ft, is roughly the same size as its counterpart in Doha. The 62,538-sq-ft hangar can accommodate up to five Bombardier Global XRS aircraft or nine Challenger 605s. It features adjoining offices and workshops. The impressively decorated terminal has a modern Middle Eastern feel, with five separate seating areas split over two levels, plus a children’s area, prayer room and business center. Catering is provided through a partnership with Cuisine Air International. They also run a café on the other side of the building for visiting crews. o
HBC’s CEO puts ‘right-now’ plan to work by R. Randall Padfield “Cautious optimism” for the current business aviation market likely describes the consensus of opinion of the business aviation industry here at EBACE. It is, at least, the view of Bill Boisture, chairman and CEO, Hawker Beechcraft Corp., who told AIN that his plans for transforming the Wichita, Kansas OEM into “a smaller, more agile company” are progressing. “It’s a right-now plan,” he said. “We spent most of 2010 planning what we would do and then started implementing parts of that with the [planned early 2012] closure of the plant in Salina [Kansas], and in October announcing the closure of several major facilities on the Wichita footprint. So by year-end, we will be about a million square feet smaller, in terms of occupied real estate, than we had been.” The majority of the iconic airplane manufacturer’s work has been shifted to third-party suppliers, he explained, and to its new manufacturing facility in Chihuahua, Mexico, which by the end of this year will have
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about 500,000 sq ft and employ about 1,000 people. The changes in the footprint, Boisture explained, are a physical manifestation “that matches changes to our manufacturing process with the aggressive application of lean principles.” The company has seen “some real progress in reducing cycle times and increasing the capacity of our engineering team,” he said, adding that Hawker Beechcraft has also seen “a good rationalization of our supply chain.” All of these are in progress and expected to be completed by the end of next year. The company’s first quarter 2011 financial report notes that Hawker Beechcraft received $10 million in January from Kansas to develop new products and enhance existing aircraft, that 250 employees are benefiting from tuition reimbursement and that the company is hiring in key areas, such as engineering and marketing. “We are investing heavily in the workforce we need to be that smaller, more agile company,” Boisture said. “Our approach is
we will employ the number of people we need to do the work that is required to fulfill the market demand for our products. But we intend to do that with a much higher educated and trained workforce. I think that in 24 to 36 months we’ll have the most competent workforce in the industry.” Hawker Beechcraft’s first quarter 2011 financial results, while mixed, do show signs that the company’s transformation strategy is beginning to work. At 45, the number of business and general aviation aircraft delivered in 1Q/2011 was 11 higher than those delivered in 1Q/2010 (34 units). However, sales revenue for this segment decreased quarter over quarter from $335.1 million to $286.2 million. The reason was the higher percentage of lower priced aircraft delivered in 1Q/2011. Of the 45 1Q/2011 deliveries, King Airs accounted for 24 units and piston airplanes another 10, compared to 15 and five, respectively, in 1Q/2010. Revenue from the Global Customer Support segment also increased slightly. o
CIVIL
DEFENCE
SPACE
UAS
SECURITY
FUTURES
z Scimitar-tip Blended Winglets for Hawker 800 Aviation Partners (Stand 674) of Seattle, Washington, said the first certified scimitar-tip blended winglets are now flying on a Hawker 800. The patented scimitar tip is an aerodynamic change to the tip cap of the existing blended winglet, providing an additional 0.5-percent drag reduction over the existing 7.3 percent at long-range cruise. The Hawker 800 series is the first business jet to receive the scimitar-tip technology, with customer deliveries to follow this year. Aviation Partners said it is reviewing the feasibility of offering scimitar tips as an upgrade for existing Hawker 800-series blended winglet customers. Blended winglets currently can be retrofitted to the Hawker 800 and 800XP as an FAA and EASA STC. Aviation Partners blended winglets also are certified for the Dassault Falcon 2000 family. The company said it anticipates winglet certification for the Falcon 900 family this summer.
z ACJC Delivers Charter ACJ to Deer Jet Beijing-based charter operator Deer Jet has taken delivery of Airbus Corporate Jet Centre’s first VIP cabin completion for a Chinese customer, which is also the first ACJ operated by a Chinese company for dedicated charter. The Deer Jet ACJ features a three-cabin layout capable of accommodating up to 28 passengers. The forward cabin is outfitted as a private office with its own lavatory and shower and foldout sofabed. In the middle cabin, two club-four seating areas, each with tables, facilitate meetings. And the aft section of the ACJ is fitted with 20 flatbed, electrically operated cocoon seats, each with its own video display. ACJC now offers a high-definition, 1080p-format entertainment system using the HDMI wiring network. Full highdef quality is available on up to four screens simultaneously, either from an HD source, such as a Blu-ray player, or external devices, including laptops and gaming devices
z Jet Aviation Spotlights New Terminal in Jeddah Jet Aviation’s expansion in the Middle East continues, highlighted by the recent grand opening of its new terminal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the company has had an FBO since 1983. The opening ceremony, held earlier this month, brought guests from 10 countries to the 32,292-sq-ft facility, which was developed as a joint venture with Saudi partners under the Jet Aviation Saudi Arabia banner. Peter Edwards, chairman Jet Aviation Saudi Arabia, called the new facility “a tribute to our past and future success,” noting that the company executed almost 12,400 movements last year and is committed to “growing these numbers in coming years.” Jet Aviation Saudi Arabia also operates an FBO in Riyadh. Jet Aviation was the first foreign business aviation services company to have an FBO in Saudi Arabia, having established its Riyadh facility in 1979. At EBACE, Jet Aviation also announced the appointment of Hardy Butschi as vice president and general manager of Jet Aviation Saudi Arabia, in charge of line maintenance at the company’s facilities in both Jeddah and Riyadh. Jet Aviation Dubai also announced at EBACE a “substantial” increase in base maintenance certificates of return to service issued for the growing fleet of Embraer Legacy aircraft it maintains.
Smart new Mx software keeps crews in the loop Keitas Systems (Stand 1026), a start-up company based in Gex, France, not far from Geneva, is here introducing its Tempeus software program, de signed to give exhaustive maintenance information to pilots via a simple Internet-connected laptop computer. Keitas Systems’ founders, sisters Lahou and Fatou Keita, began working on the program six months ago so it would be ready for EBACE. For AOG (aircraft on the ground) issues, the system can start by finding the closest service station available for the aircraft type. It gives a possible cause of the problem and suggests corrective action, providing such details as part numbers and serial numbers. Once the program finds a service station, it gives the crew an estimated downtime, calculated based on downtime averages measured at various service stations, CEO Lahou Keita told
AIN. Tempeus uses OEM data provided by the customer, who is also the aircraft operator. The pilot can contact his or her base through the program. The base then can confirm it has sent the work order to the service station. Also available is a mean-time-between-failure
Lahou Keita, CEO (right), and sister Dr. Fatou Keita, deputy CEO, are promoting their start-up company. Keitas Systems has developed a maintenance software product.
STC for Pro Line Fusion The FAA issued the first supplemental type certificate (STC) for the Pro Line Fusion avionics system, for installation on Rockwell Collins’s flight test Challenger 601. The issuance of the STC came a few weeks after the FAA approved the final of 50 hardware and software technical standard orders
figure for every piece of equipment aboard the aircraft. The Keitas’ philosophy is to allow operators to “regain some control over unpredictable mishaps.” They said such software did not exist on the market before Tempeus. The program is available for any aircraft and costs €30,000 ($42,000) per aircraft–“the equivalent of one day of AOG,” Lahou Keita pointed out. Her company would be happy to enroll its first aircraft here at EBACE 2011 and to hire its first employees. –T.D.
MARK WAGNER
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for Pro Line Fusion. “The certification affirms the flexibility and adaptability of the Pro Line Fusion system,” said Greg Irmen, vice president and general manager, business and regional systems. “We continue to progress toward Pro Line Fusion’s entry into service and are working with customers
to achieve more certifications in the coming months.” Pro Line Fusion features synthetic vision on the headup display, new “airport dome” and target runway highlighting, synthetic-vision symbology (to help pilots stay oriented before descent) and the ability to synchronize aircraft and ground systems and update aircraft databases using new networked capability. –M.T.
Airops Software, a subsidiary of UK-based Gama Group (Stand 354), is here at EBACE showing its new ProCharter aviation management software. ProCharter provides an aircraft and route-cost calculator, monitors and records crew duty records and offers certificate administration. Of particular importance to European operators when the emissions trading scheme is instituted in 2012, ProCharter can provide emissions reports already verified for EU ETS reporting. The progam has multi-lingual capability, is Web-server based and can be accessed easily from PCs, laptops and mobile devices. Meanwhile, sister company Avialogistics is here to showcase its aircraft cleaning services. The company recently added equipment at its Luton site to clean parts of the aircraft that are hard to reach, and it will be hosting an open house this month.
DAVID McINTOSH
z Gama Group Companies Highlight New Products
king air 250 finds a home in south africa Aviation broker and counsultancy firm Absolute Aviation, based Lanseria International Airport in South Africa, has signed on the dotted line for the latest Hawker Beechcraft King Air, the Model 250. Pictured here at EBACE are (l-r) Chris Hancock, HBC regional sales director for Africa; Peter Walker, HBC v-p Beechcraft sales Europe, the Middle East and Africa; Absolute Aviation managing director Ricky Dos Santos and CEO Neil Howard.
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The smile is a deal maker. We do everything you’d expect the world’s largest FBO network to do. We compete on fuel prices. We provide a comfortable environment for customers and crews. Our line and customer service go all out. But do you know what our customers tell us has increased their loyalty to the Signature network? Friendly service. So, we start with a handshake. But the smile. That’s the clincher.
Visit us at BBA Aviation Booth #7030, Hall 7 SignatureFlight.com
Under special circumstances, several European countries–including Norway, where BenAir operates this Cessna 208 Caravan I–permit domestic commercial SE-IMC/night flights by air operator’s certificate holders carrying cargo only. A Europe-wide rule on such ops is years away.
Europe continues crawl toward commercial, single-engine IMC by Ian Goold Operators pushing for clearance to fly commercial single-engine flights in IFR conditions, which are not allowed under European Union (EU) legislation, will be encouraged that regulators have brought forward by a year the start and end dates for rulemaking. That is the good news. The bad news–almost 25 years after the initial proposals–is that it will be well after the middle of this decade before regulations could permit such operations. Formal consideration of s ingle-engine commercial air transport in IMC or at night (SE-IMC/night, equivalent to U.S. single-engine IFR), appears in the 2011-14 European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) rulemaking program. This shows that development of implementing rules (IR) for airworthiness and operational approval for SE-IMC/night flying is scheduled to begin early next year, assuming that budget and resources are available. It should lead to an EASA “opinion” on proposals in four years’ time. [In European legislative procedures, opinions are draft rules sent to the European Commission for further processing before enactment. New laws are proposed as amendments to the IRs covering a basic regulation; in this case, that covering commercial air transport.–Ed.] A Unified Approach
A year after the opinion is issued, guidance materials should appear in the first quarter of 2016 to support a formal EASA recommendation to the European Commission (EC), assuming regulatory priorities have not changed. But the industry will not be holding its collective breath, having long grown used to such changes. Eighteen months ago it was reported at the U.S. NBAA Convention that European approval for commercial single-engine flights could be recommended during 2014–and that only after years of earlier delay. Under so-called “derogation” principles that permit EU member states to deviate from overall regulations, several countries–including Finland, France, Greece, Norway and Spain–have permitted domestic commercial SE-IMC flights by air-operator’s certificate holders carrying only cargo under specific circumstances. Globally, the International Civil Aviation Organization has issued appropriate operating standards. After several years of discussion, the European Joint
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Aviation Authorities (JAA)–EASA’s predecessor–failed to establish a consensus among the region’s national aviation authorities (NAAs). Commercial SE-IMC/night flights might have been possible from last year had EASA accepted and adopted JAA safety data, but officials did not consider information included in data from outside Europe to be representative of European operating conditions. EASA had said in 2008 that SE-IMC/night work would require separate rulemaking after its “opinion” on the EASA operations IR. It was thought then that SE-IMC/ night operations could be included with other changes in an expected first amendment to EASA ops legislation in 2010/11. Risk Mitigation
Individual European NAAs have taken differing views on the safety of commercial SE-IMC/night operations over the years. Some have allowed flights while applying conditions; others have resisted any temptation to allow farepaying travelers to be exposed to the total loss of thrust that would follow an engine failure. In 2007, EASA set up an independent assessment that aimed “to identify the risks and possible mitigating factors [to assure] that SE-IMC operations do not involve more risks than multi-engine IMC operations.” Conducted by consultants Qinetiq, that study concluded that accident rates involving fatal SE-IMC/night events from all causes should be “more remote than 4 x 10-6/flight hour (fh),” a performance slightly better than twin-engine safety in comparable categories. Qinetiq also concluded that fatal SE-IMC/ night engine-failure rates should be less than 1.3 x 10-6/fh and made recommendations on aircraft-certification testing, training and the need for a second flight-crew member. The report offered a theoretical risk assessment that, depending on “realistic assumptions,” concluded there was a hypothetical possibility that the target engine-failure fatal accident rate could be shown to be achievable. Permitted SEIMC/night operations would need to be covered by “appropriate limitations on cloud ceiling and visibility, [operations] from and to suitable airfields, [and on] duration of risk periods when no landing site is within gliding range.” o
For its first edition in 1909, the International Paris Air Show brought together aviation industry pioneers from all over the world. More than 100 years later, the International Paris Air Show remains the aviation and space industry’s premier event, with 2,000 exhibiting companies, more than 200 high-level official delegations and some 140,000 professional visitors from all over the world. It continues to stand out as the foremost event for the industry’s leaders and key-players. It offers the world’s best opportunities for meeting people, gathering information, discovering new products and doing business. Find out why and book now on our website.
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Creation - Design Photo credits: Fotolia - A. Ernoult - Sunlight image (C. Verrier - Hans - Mokrani)
Where aerospace leaders get down to business
Bizav crowd can satisfy its impulse at Payerne Airport by Olivia Saucier Switzerland is well established as a veritable hive of business aviation activity and now a quiet corner in the west of the country wants a piece of this action. COREB is the acronym for Communauté régionale de la Broye and representatives of the La Broye district of this French-speaking Swiss region are here at the EBACE show (Stand 1254) to promote its plans to develop the airfield at Payerne as Aéropole, a business park specializing in aeronautics and aviation. Payerne Airport made international headlines last year when the Solar Impulse, the world’s first solar-powered aircraft, took off from there and completed a 26-hour flight. Payerne is also home to Switzerland’s largest air force base, which officially opened its runway to civilian flights in 2007. Since then COREB has acted as the link between the military authorities and the developing aviation park. “Our relationship with the military is excellent,” COREB director PierreAndré Arm told AIN. “We collaborate in a way that is very harmonious in regards to civil flights currently in operation
and especially our plans for the future. The military base is an integral part of the project’s expansion.” In 2008, Swiss private jet company Speedwings joined the ranks of the Solar Impulse project and the Swiss aviation investigation bureau (BEAA– Bureau fédéral d’enquêtes sur les accidents d’aviation) and opened offices there. The business park plans to extend the current, mostly military, airfield to cover almost 100 acres. According to Arm, “discussions are ongoing with numerous organizations and companies that wish to collaborate.” Aviation Park Development
COREB is offering interested partners two plots on which to settle and develop their businesses. The first area, known as Aéropole I, covers 37 acres and benefits from direct access to the runway, and is intended for aviation and aeronautical companies. The runway, which is 9,500 feet long, can accommodate most types of business aircraft. It also has the potential to serve up to 10,000 passengers a year. “We are finalizing the regulation of
Payerne Airport is already home to the team that designed the solar-powered Solar Impulse, and the airport has set its sights on developing the field as a business park for aeronautics-related companies.
civil operations, in collaboration with the Federal Office of Civil Aviation,” said Arm. “A few issues still need to be decided upon, and we hope to hand in our final plans for approval at the beginning of the summer.” The second business park covers 62 acres and is intended for companies working in other industries and services that don’t necessarily require direct access to the runway, such as construction, maintenance, research and development and catering, as well as general business centers.
According to Arm, the Aéropole project’s strengths also lie in its ties to leading academic institutions. COREB is developing partnerships with the prestigious Lausanne Polytechnic School, as well as some of the region’s engineering schools (located in the towns of Neuchâtel, Yverdon, Fribourg, Berne and Lausanne). o
Experts have known about Altitude Radiation Exposure for the past 50 years Pilots and flight crews have known for some time that a significant amount of cosmic radiation exposure is abundantly present in their work environment. What scientific research has discovered is that this measurable increase in radiation exposure over the years is prone to causing cancers. The average cosmic ray dose exposure for cabin crews is about 227 mrem’s per year based on 575hrs per year. Over a 20 year period this represents about 4540 mrem’s of exposure which puts you and flight crew at a high risk of contracting cancer over time
.
Contact
www.aimsinternational.us
The AIMS kits can be custom fitted for any aircraft type configuration If only choosing the Anti-Radiation option only the headliners are affected.
Radiation References
00 EBACE Convention News • May 19, 2011 • www.ainonline.com 32
Primus Apex upgrade adds attractive options by James Wynbrandt Honeywell’s latest version of its Primus Apex integrated flight deck–Build 7–offers new functions and options for operators, which the company demonstrated at EBACE in a flight on a Pilatus PC-12NG, one of the aircraft models featuring the avionics suite. The Primus Apex is a derivative of the Primus Epic fight deck that Morristown, New Jersey-based Honeywell developed for large cabin business jets, but optimized for single-pilot operations. “We spent a lot of time working on simplifying this, and reducing the number of [required] button pushes,” Victor Valente, Honeywell’s vice president, Business & General Aviation for Europe, Africa, Middle East & India, said before the flight. Apex system components include a primary flight display (PFD) and two center-panel multifunction displays (PFDs), a flight management system (FMS) and control panel, and a cursor control device (CCD). The CCD controls the movement of a cursor among and within the display screens and fields, enabling quick data input and selection. The new features of Build 7 include a sunset and sunrise table, a vertical situation display (VSD)
of flight plan and terrain and a display of airspace constraints on iNAV, along with software fixes and improvements. The upgrade is free to operators and, in the PC-12NG fleet, is installed during this aircraft’s required 100-hour inspections. What further separates Build 7 from its predecessor are its optional upgrades: dual charts and maps enable charts and maps to be displayed on both or either MFDs; a second FMS, automatically synchronized in a master/slave configuration, provides redundancy in the event of primary FMS failure; coupled Vnav provides vertical guidance to a profile or flight path in all phases of flight; and video input enables video images–for example, from an enhanced vision system–to be shown, and can be displayed on either MFD. Flying the Primus Apex
The complex airspace and high terrain surrounding Geneva make this an ideal environment for seeing this latest Apex version in action. Pilatus test pilot Theddy Spichtig in the right seat quickly loaded a flight plan to Les Eplatures Airport at La Chaux de Fonde, some 60 nm distant, into the FMS. One of the MFDs
displayed the crazy quilt of controlled airspace above and around us and showed their upper and lower limits numerically (Build 7’s airspace constraints on iNav function), a big assist when planning or making a VFR flight. With the input of the weight of passengers and luggage, the Apex accounted for fuel onboard and calculated the optimum ascent profile (the coupled Vnav option), which was translated to the command bars on the flight director after takeoff from Runway 5 on our IFR flight. Terrain Awareness
Leveling at 11,000 feet, a solid overcast to the east was broken only by the Alps’ snowcovered peaks, but the new VSD function showed our vertical separation from the terrain along our flight path on one of the MFDs. The Apex also gave us the option of displaying satellite weather, radar and stormscope data in any combination on the PFD. Meanwhile, its TCAS I displayed surrounding traffic and our vertical and horizontal separation. With the autopilot engaged the Apex took us over our waypoints, culminating in a coupled NDB Rwy 24 approach to Les Eplatures (LSCG). The only inputs required were throttle adjustments. With overlay capability, we could see the aircraft’s position on the approach chart displayed on one MFD. The coupled Vnav handled
Honeywell’s Primus Apex Build 7 software upgrade is now available. Some features have been added and some glitches resolved. The upgrade is free to Apex customers.
our descent, continuing through the procedure turn inbound until the final approach fix, Bomec, became active, at which point the Apex automatically switched to vertical guidance path (VGP) mode. As we broke out well above the valley floor, the runway was directly ahead, nestled into the surrounding town. Executing the missed approach slightly above the minimum descent altitude (MDA) of 4,380 feet, all we had to do was push the go-around button on the throttle and advance it full forward and the Apex started flying us back to Geneva. Pilatus will provide customers with pricing information on the Build 7 upgrade options. The Primus Apex is also factory installed in China’s Harbin Y-12 twin turboprop and the Viking Twin Otter, but upgrades to Build 7 for those aircraft have not yet commenced.
Buyers purchasing new PC12NGs have two flight-deck packages available. The Premium package combines the basic Apex with additional options most requested by U.S. and international customers, and is priced at $345,285 (U.S.). The Elite package is similar to the premium but eliminates options that European customers may not need, such as the capability to receive satellite weather, which is currently unavailable in Europe, and is priced at $319,831 (U.S.). The purchase price of the Pilatus PC-12NG includes ground at flight training (provided by SimCom in the U.S.). As the flight to Geneva and back amply demonstrated, the Apex provides commercial aircraft level safety and redundancy to aircraft certified for singlepilot operations, and the Pilatus PC-12NG makes an ideal platform for its capabilities. o
Customers speak out on JSSI’s advisory board
DAVID McINTOSH
by Bill Carey
refined elegance, on the wing The interior of the Boeing Business Jet in the static display area here at EBACE wouldn’t look out of place in an elite interior design brochure. The warm wood finishes of the tables and bookcase dividers blend with the matching window treatments. Upholstery and furnishings bring to mind an elegant home-away-from-home.
Chicago-based JSSI (Stand 455), an independent provider of hourly cost maintenance programs for aircraft engines, airframes and APUs, convened its second European customer advisory board here in Geneva this week and came away with better knowledge of what it can do to help them contain their costs. For example, Susan Marr, JSSI chief administrative officer, offered the following takeaway from Monday’s meeting. JSSI was asked: what about someone who doesn’t use his APU as much? Is there a lesser coverage; is there a lesser price; are there different levels of coverage? “What a great idea. Instead of just one-size-fits-all APU coverage, maybe we can provide a different smorgasbord of coverage.”
“We like to think we’ve learned a whole lot about providing hourly cost maintenance programs here in Europe,” Marr said. “We know our clients have good ideas. They come up with things that we would never think of.” Louis Seno, JSSI chairman, president and CEO, told AIN that business relationships in Europe differ from those in the U.S., where maintenance programs are driven predominantly by flight departments. In Europe, JSSI interfaces more with management companies, which are focused on hourly costs versus overall budgets. “With these management companies, we’ve really become a strategic partner,” he said. “We’re a very critical element in controlling the cost for that operator to their client.” o
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z EMS Introduces Aspire In-Flight Connectivity EMS Aviation (Stand 443) is debuting its Aspire family of satellite-based, in-flight connectivity systems at EBACE. The family includes the company’s new AirMail portable e-mail product and a color, touch-screen handset. The recently certified Aspire 200 system began shipping in North America this spring and the first installation is under way on a Hawker 4000. Future installations on a Cessna Citation Sovereign and several other platforms are slated for completion by the end of the summer. Aspire delivers voice and data connectivity to owners and operators of small- and medium-sized business aircraft, using standard wiring configurations and interfaces to support either Inmarsat or Iridium components. Users can easily change or upgrade systems without rewiring the aircraft or changing the avionics racks. EMS Aviation intends to expand Aspire in phases and is pursuing additional supplemental type certifications for several other aircraft, including the Bombardier Challenger 300, Cessna Citation XLS/XLS+ and Dassault Falcon 2000.
z MAZ Aviation and Aerocon Quiet an ACJ Saudi Arabian business aviation services group MAZ Aviation Consulting joined forces with Van Nuys, California’s Aerocon Engineering to successfully solve a cabin-noise problem in an Airbus ACJ. Apparently, an ACJ owner, after taking delivery of his aircraft from the completion center, flew it for just a year before stopping operations “due to the high cabin noise.” MAZ and Aerocon worked together for four weeks to solve the problem. They eventually managed to cut noise to an average 50 dB in the overall cabin, and even 46 dB in some areas, they said. As an added benefit, they also managed to reduce aircraft weight by 1,650 pounds.
z Air Support and Aviovision Team Up Air Support (Stand 842) of Billund, Denmark, and Aviovision (Stand 859) of Leuven, Belgium, have partnered in providing two-way data connectivity between Air Support’s flight planning and crew briefing software and Aviovision’s Aviobook electronic flight bag (EFB) software. Flight crews have a “one-chain” IT solution linking their present booking, scheduling and crew system with the PPS flight planning system exported to their EFB. Users who do not subscribe to the PPS flight planning and crew briefing system but use Aviobook EFB software can still receive aeronautical data services from Air Support PPS through Aviobook, because the two companies have a bilateral supply agreement.
z New Caribbean FBO Alliance Formed A new FBO group brought a ray of sunshine into EBACE this week. The Caribbean FBO Alliance (CFBOA, Stand 957) chose Geneva as its launch venue as it wishes to attract more European private aviation business to the region. Interim president Deborah Aharon explained, “The key difference between us and existing [FBO] chains is that we are not a chain; we are an alliance of nine unique companies. We are all strong players who have been in the industry for a long time.” The nine members are Lloyd’s Aviation, Anguilla; FBO2000, Antigua; Odyssey Aviation, the Bahamas; IslandAir, Grand Cayman; MN Aviation, Puerto Rico; Bohike International Airways, St. Croix; Arindell Aviation, St. Maarten; St. Thomas Jet Center, St. Thomas; and Provo Air Center in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Al Bateen Airport general manager Stephen Jones, seated left, signed a memorandum of understanding with Vivek Gour, seated right, general manager of MRO provider Air Works of India. Standing are (l-r) Yousif Al Hammadi, deputy general manager of Al Bateen; Ravi Menon,director, Al Bateen and Ashley Calaz senior manager, Al Bateen.
Al Bateen team recruits rival MRO operators by James Wynbrandt In the continuing development of Al Bateen Executive Airport into a dedicated business aviation hub, the Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), owner of the airport, and Jet Aviation Group signed a lease agreement at EBACE yesterday that will make the aviation services company the first independent MRO provider on the field. Jet Aviation has been providing MRO services at Dubai International Airport, just across the border from Abu Dhabi, since 2005 through its Jet Aviation Dubai affiliate. Under the terms of the agreement signed yesterday, Jet Aviation will provide line maintenance at Al Bateen through a newly formed branch of Jet Aviation Dubai named Jet Aviation Abu Dhabi. “We have often provided
aircraft-on-the-ground (AOG) services to all types of aircraft at Al Bateen for the past few years, and it makes perfect sense for us to expand our service delivery to Abu Dhabi,” said Michael Rucker,
DAVID McINTOSH
U.S.-based Jetcraft’s sales this year are heading toward the company’s busiest ever as it nears its golden anniversary. Yearto-date, Jetcraft has sold 19 aircraft valued at $378 million; 60 percent of those sales were outside the U.S. Long-range jets are the dominant type sold, especially to key emerging markets in China, India, Russia and Africa, but the total also includes VVIP jets and helicopters. Pending deals through the end of the second quarter are expected to add another $200 million to the sales total for the year. Here at EBACE, Jetcraft has two Bombardier Challenger 604s on display. Jetcraft also has offices in Basel, Dubai and Moscow, and offices or representatives in five U.S. cities.
DAVID McINTOSH
z Jetcraft’s Sales Approach Highest Level Ever
Stephen Jones, left, general manager of Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi, signed a lease agreement here at EBACE with Peter Edwards, Group CEO of Jet Aviation, to provide MRO services.
senior vice president and general manager of Jet Aviation Dubai. Steve Jones, general manager of Al Bateen Airport, cited Jet Aviation’s “excellent reputation for quality and business expertise” at the signing. “We are very happy to have such a globally recognized brand” delivering FBO services at the airport, he said. Jet Aviation Abu Dhabi plans to commence operations once all trade licenses are in hand. While Jet Aviation may be the first MRO provider on the field, it may soon have company. ADAC also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at EBACE yesterday with New Delhi-based Air Works, which provides MRO services as well as aircraft painting and refinishing. Air Works currently has 14 locations across India and is an authorized service center for AgustaWestland, Bell Helicopter, Bombardier, Embraer, Garmin, Gulfstream, Hawker Beechcraft, Honeywell, Rockwell Collins and Superjet International. Under the MOU, ADAC and Air Works will enter discussions aimed at having the company open a facility at the airport. “Air Works and Al Bateen are a natural fit,” Jones said, and Air Works general manager Vivek Gour agreed, calling the proposed arrangement “highly beneficial for both parties. It provides Air Works access to world-class infrastructure at the airport to provide highquality MRO services to business aircraft in the region. In turn, Al Bateen will be able to add a critical element to its portfolio in its quest to offer a full suite of products and services to its customers.” o
Blackhawk rejuvenates older t-props by Bill Carey Turboprop engine specialist Blackhawk of Waco, Texas, is celebrating its 300th engine upgrade at this year’s EBACE. The customer in question is Germany’s Reinhardt Michel, who owns and flies a Piper PA-31T Cheyenne, purchased in 2004. Faced with the TBO limit on his existing PT6A-28 engines, Michel considered overhauling the existing engines or upgrading with new engines. He opted for the Blackhawk XP135A conversion, including Hawkeye engine monitoring gauges, and also upgraded to new five-blade propellers from MT-Propeller of Atting, Germany. The Blackhawk XP135A upgrades Cheyenne I, IA, II and IIXL models with no required
34 EBACE Convention News • May 19, 2011 • www.ainonline.com
airframe modifications. It replaces original, early-generation engines with new Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135As with full warranties. The new engines significantly increase climb and cruise performance, as well as resale value, while reducing total operating costs. Blackhawk is offering special pricing on the program this year. Blackhawk was founded in 1999 and has facilities in Waco and Elizabethtown, North Carolina. The company claims the largest installed fleet of STC twin-engine turboprop engine upgrades, making it the largest non-OEM buyer of new Pratt & Whitney Canada turboprop engines, with 1,250 units on order over a six-year period. According to Blackhawk
president and CEO Jim Allmon, the option of completely replacing the powerplant represents far greater value than doing an overhaul. While the initial cost of an overhaul can seem lower, it is all too common for the process to lead to subsequent additional costs from the need to replace parts and potentially rent engines to keep flying while the work is being done. The Blackhawk upgrade costs between $875,000 and $915,000; a fixed, known cost. It delivers significantly better performance (40 to 50 knots more speed), and lower fuel and maintenance costs. The company’s latest upgrade package is for the Cessna Caravan. It is to be FAA-approved next month, with EASA likely to follow by November. o
z Jet Aviation Basel To Use Ovation Select in BBJ Jet Aviation Basel will install Honeywell’s Ovation Select cabin management system in a BBJ currently undergoing completion at the facility. The system provides total control of the cabin environment–lighting, seat, temperature, galley and window shade controls–through icon-based, touchscreen passenger interface devices, all with a similar look and feel, whether it’s a drink-rail-mounted personal control unit or wireless handheld remote. Jet Aviation Basel has in-house design and engineering departments, along with on-site cabinetry, upholstery, fiberglass and paint shops. It can outfit jets as large as an Airbus ACJ380 or Boeing 747-8.
z Fokker Touts New Cabin Surveillance System Fokker Aircraft Services (Stand 1338) is here promoting its Direct View cabin surveillance system for VIP aircraft. Devised for flight attendants, it has a positive knock-on effect on the cabin design. The first example of Direct View was installed in a converted Airbus A320 delivered in April at Fokker’s facility in Woensdrecht, Netherlands. The product is intended as a way for flight attendants to have a direct view of every passenger during takeoff and landing. To permit this, cabin designers often have to include glass windows and other see-through arrangements in the dividing walls, Stephen Hands, Fokker Aircraft Services’ v-p for marketing and sales, told AIN. Therefore the aircraft’s owner has to choose between such layout arrangements or adding flight attendants. Geneva-based operator Masterjet took possession of the A320 fitted with Direct View. The aircraft also features a fivesection cabin layout, including a private suite with bedroom, bathroom and office. Soundproofing brings down cabin noise to 52 to 53 dB “in the main private and lounge areas.”
z Al Jaber Positions Airbus A318 Elite Plus in Saudi Abu Dhabi-based charter operator Al Jaber Aviation has positioned an Airbus ACJ318 Elite Plus in Saudi Arabia, the company announced here at EBACE. By being closer to “some key clients,” as head of sales Ivan Tehaghapsao said, Al Jaber will be “more responsive,” saving them time and offering lower costs than foreign-based aircraft. Saudi Arabia is still the Middle East’s largest private aviation market. Al Jaber also has launched aircraft management, sales, consultancy and acquisition activities.
z Honeywell Offers Mechanical Protection Plans Honeywell (Stand 7044/7052) has introduced its mechanical protection plan, an extended repair and replacement program, for select Gulfstream and Pilatus models. The program provides coverage for mechanical parts for the environmental control systems and cabin pressure control systems of the Gulfstream G350/400/450/500/550/GIV/GIV-SP/V and the Pilatus PC-12 and PC-12NG. The protection plan also offers full coverage on exchange and repair services at a fixed price as well as 24/7 AOG service and loaner parts at no charge.
TAG Aviation inspires ‘passion’ from top down by R. Randall Padfield Mansour Ojjeh, head of the privately owned TAG Group, said he had stepped off an airplane less than a half an hour before he sat down in the conference room of TAG’s impressive EBACE chalet to talk to AIN. The chalet (Stand 7020), as AIN’s EBACE Convention News reported yesterday, contains a spectacular collection of original art presented by Opera Gallery in Geneva, in association with Artliner, a company owned by Ojjeh’s niece, Tatiana Ojjeh. While aviation is only part of TAG Group’s businesses, which include a hotel (the Aviator in Farnborough, UK), commercial real estate, motorsport (McClaren Group) and agriculture, Ojjeh said he stays in touch with TAG Aviation Holding’s CEO Robert Wells and others in management “almost on a daily basis. I keep a close eye on our aviation business,” he said, “because it is my creation, my idea. It has the name of TAG on it, which is a symbol of excellence and success. We have a passion for aviation, which began when Azziz [Ojjeh’s brother] became interested in it.” Azziz Ojjeh is also a principal of the TAG Group and involved in its leadership. The brothers inherited TAG after the death of their father, Akram Ojjeh, in 1991. Mansour Ojjeh explained it is important for everyone at TAG Aviation to maintain the company’s image for quality service. “I believe in the future and in TAG’s business case to do things
z ExecuJet Germany Wins Shell Gold Fueling British fuel supplier Shell Aviation (Stand 1343) has awarded ExecuJet Germany’s Berlin Schönefeld Airport FBO its Gold Fueling Award. The award acknowledges health, safety, security and environmental performance. ExecuJet Aviation Group (Stand 242) won the tender to operate the general aviation terminal at the airport in January 2010. There are about 1,000 movements a month at the facility. ExecuJet’s Zurich facility celebrated its 10th anniversary in March. Back in 2001 the company managed just 15 aircraft, some of which are still in its fleet today. Revenues are still strong for the Zurich-headquartered group. Other aspects of the company’s business are also flourishing. Worldwide ExecuJet’s fuel sales have increased 65 percent over the last year, a substantial leap when compared to 2008/9. ExecuJet has also launched an in-flight magazine, due to go live in September, which it will place in its chain of FBOs and on board its managed aircraft.
36 EBACE Convention News • May 19, 2011 • www.ainonline.
differently and consistently better than the competition. We can be competitive, but we can’t lose our focus on quality service. This has to come from the top down,” he said, “from the top management to the managers, to the pilots and flight attendants and maintenance technicians.” Looking toward the future,
he’s always looking for opportunities, and AIN observed that TAG Asia in Hong Kong just added an Airbus A319 Corporate Jet. Could his mention of “opportunities” mean a TAG FBO in Hong Kong or elsewhere in Asia? “It depends,” he answered, though not with much enthusiasm, and added that TAG Asia now has 24 managed airplanes after only two years of operation. Overall, TAG Aviation manages more than 100 business jets, Ojjeh said, and only two of these are company owned. When TAG began its charter
STEVE EASTELL
news clips
Mansour Ojjeh and niece Tatiana Ojjeh stand in front of “Les Quatre Acrobates” by Fernand Léger. TAG plans to use the chalet at other aviation events.
Ojjeh sees Europe and Asia as TAG’s main growth areas, with a continued focus on aircraft management, charter and maintenance. “There’s still room for growth in these businesses in Europe and obviously in Asia,” he said. “We have the FBO at Farnborough, because we own the airport, and the FBO here in Geneva,” he said, “but becoming a big FBO chain is not our intention.” However, Ojjeh said
operations, it owned a core fleet of 14 aircraft, he said. Regarding expansion to other parts of the world, such as Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, Ojjeh said, he’s interested, but that the company “has only so much resources,” and he wants to maintain TAG’s reputation for quality. He said he does not think TAG will go back into the U.S. market. o
Absolute Taste Caters to the TAG Group and Expands In-Flight Catering to Geneva The breathtaking artworks by Picasso, Chagall and other masters gracing the TAG Group’s chalet (Stand 7020) are garnering lots of attention among EBACE attendees. But that’s not the only display of fine taste admired by guests at the pavilion–so is the food prepared by Londonbased caterer Absolute Taste. The catering company was started in 1997 by chef Lyndy Redding and Ron Dennis, chairman and CEO of the McClaren Group, to provide catering for the McClaren Group’s racing team. With the founders’ passion for fresh ingredients, stylish presentation and bespoke service, the company soon became exclusive caterer for the TAG Group, and has grown from its initial staff of two to 300. “We call ourselves cousins,” Redding said of the relationship the company enjoys with the McClaren and TAG Groups. “It’s like working with family.” Today Absolute Taste operates a restaurant and cafés, caters grand events worldwide, and handles all catering for
the TAG Group at EBACE as well as the Farnborough, Paris and Dubai airshows. But business aviation users can also enjoy the company’s tasteful services though its aircraft catering division, Absolute Taste Inflight. Available at seven London airports and other select locations, menus range from fine dining featuring some of the world’s rarest wines to the lighter fare of its Squairmeals service, designed for smaller aircraft where standards are high but space for food preparation is limited. The company also offers training for cabin crews in inflight food presentation, etiquette, food safety and menu planning. If you came to EBACE on a business aircraft, you can try their air fare for yourself. Absolute Taste established a catering facility in Geneva last November. “We’ve assembled a great local Swiss and French staff and a great kitchen ten minutes from the airport,” Redding said. “We can provide catering for anyone going home on a flight from here.” –J.W.
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Piaggio jet grows legs
MARK WAGNER
uContinued from page 1
Ruag flexes its muscle as a top MRO center by Mark Phelps Swiss-based aerospace technology group Ruag is justifiably proud of a recent blitz project. A Bombardier Global Express entered its hangar in Munich and rolled out just 12 weeks later after a complete (10-year) 8C-check, with a landing gear overhaul, fresh paint job and interior refurbishment for good measure. The challenge was met through expert coordination and planning. For example, the exterior paint was stripped and the old interior removed before the
aircraft rolled into the maintenance hangar for the 8-C check. Ruag project manager Dr. Felix Pütz reports the customer was pleased, not only with the result but also with the transparent communication before and during the work, and Ruag’s adherence to the agreed timetable. Ruag (Stand 150) also has the systems expertise to apply customized integration of cockpit avionics and cabin electronics. For example, the company holds an EASA supplemental type certificate for
its Hi-Speed Satcom solution for the Citation CJ product line and the Embraer Legacy 600/650. The package includes the highspeed broadband Aviator 200 for the Citations and Aviator 300 for the Embraer models. Passengers enjoy an Internet connection for iPads, mobile smartphones and laptop computers. For emergency AOG (aircraft on the ground) situations, Ruag recently launched its AOG Support Center. Centered in Munich, the AOG network is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Emergency maintenance crews are standing by at Ruag’s Geneva, Lugano, Bern and Munich locations to come to the assistance of crews stranded by maintenance issues. o
news clips z EVO Jet Introduces New JetPay Card Aircraft ground services provider EVO Jet Services (Stand 583) is promoting its new JetPay Card here at EBACE. “Our JetPay Card earns revenue via administration fees and contract fuel, so we do not need to make money on landing permit fees, flight plans, briefing packages or handling set-ups,” said Ryan Blair, the Hong Kong-based group’s manager of card services. “If a client uses JetPay Card, we provide support at no extra cost.” According to EVO, the card offers complete transparency, requires no deposits and also offers handling discounts. Ground handlers benefit because EVO Jet aims to have JetPay become a primary credit facilitator, promising a payment system with no built-in credit charges. Additionally, merchants are paid within 10 days and are not dependent on getting a contract with a large flight-support company that controls a pool of operators. EVO Jet specializes in selling fuel worldwide either directly or via strategic partners. The company offers contract fuel at more than 2,500 locations and ground support at more than 250 airports in Europe and Asia.
z Zenith Jet Posts 10-year Forecast Some 11,103 business jets worth $240 billion will be delivered over the next 10 years, according to the second annual industry forecast published last Wednesday by Montreal-based business aviation services firm Zenith Jet. The exhaustive 40-page “bottom up” forecast estimates compounded annual growth of 15 percent for new business jet
shipments from now until 2016, the predicted peak year with 1,468 delivered jets worth $31.6 billion. Based on a historical six-year business cycle, George Tsopeis, author of the Zenith Jet forecast, foresees a trough in 2018, although at 985 aircraft worth $21.7 billion this still bests the 730 jets valued at $16.7 billion he forecasts for this year and the 870 jets valued at $19.9 billion for next year. “There is no way for the industry to grow continuously over 10 years,” he told AIN, referring to other forecasts that trend the top line continuously over the forecast horizon. “So we looked at the historical cycles to forecast a trough, not just a peak.” Though the main focus these days are largecabin jets, the light jet segment is predicted to lead in terms of volume, with 4,111 aircraft expected to be delivered between this year and the end of 2020.
z Ocean Sky, MedAire Agree On Coverage Ocean Sky’s VIP charter passengers and crews will have ’round-the-clock access to specialized medical care on a global basis, based on a new agreement between London-based Ocean Sky (Stand 1251) and MedAire (Stand 627) of Tempe, Ariz. Effective July 1, Ocean Sky will offer a standard, fleetwide MedAire safety management program, including access to emergency care doctors, onboard medical kits and aviation medical training for all pilots and flight attendants. On the ground, Ocean Sky crew and VIP travelers will have access to MedAire’s medical, security and travel advice via a cobranded Ocean Sky/MedAire membership card.
38 EBACE Convention News • May 19, 2011 • www.ainonline.com
intercontinental ambitions could mean that a London-Mumbai city pair would be just the sort of reach being targeted for Piaggio’s first jet. At a distance of 3,900 nm, this would mean a 2,440-nm range increase over the P.180 Avanti II, which can fly for 1,450 nm. To achieve this extension, the OEM would have to either increase the cabin and engine sizes, which would come into the large-cabin, 7,000-pound-thrust category, or add fuel capacity. Piaggio will be ready to present its designs for the P1XX, plus supplier selection suggestions, to its shareholders by this summer. This potentially clears the way for a program launch at this October’s NBAA convention in Las Vegas. Trombetta said the jet would not be “much bigger” than the company’s twin-pusher turboprop, so increased fuel capacity is the likelier option. Either way, the aircraft will probably be substantially different from the Avanti, but he stressed that it not compete with the P.180. The Avanti is also due for some upgrades by 2012, namely a 200- to 300-nm increase in range and a new braking system,
More than a feeling? uContinued from page 1 Comlux. The contracts they signed this week largely validated the commonly held view that demand for larger models is firmer than at the light end. But there have also been a smattering of deals involving smaller aircraft, too, suggesting that the lifeblood of new orders may once again be reaching bizav’s extremities. At a show where manufacturers once fell over each other in the scramble to announce new aircraft, Dassault threw down a new gauntlet to the super-midsized sector by unveiling plans for the new Falcon 2000S. It is a jet very much of its time, being consciously designed with an economic price tag and judiciously pared-back performance. As usual, there has been innovation aplenty on the show floor with a wealth of new cockpit technology to enhance safety and efficiency, and yet more elegance at the client end of the aircraft in the cabin. Meanwhile, exhibitors– drawn from an increasingly wide radius now spanning the Middle East, Africa and Asia–have been
as well as a lower external noise footprint and cabin connectivity. Piaggio (Stand 2143) is also working on improving customer support. “We have an important customer base, and will make more equipment available,” Trombetta said. After a million flight hours there is enough data on the P.180 for Piaggio to ascertain which components are most useful for its dealers to stock.
DAVID McINTOSH
Ruag has performed an 8C-check, landing gear overhaul and paint/interior refurb on this Global in just 12 weeks.
Eligio Trombetta
The new boss has spent some of his time at EBACE meeting his team of sales agents, which he is expanding worldwide, particularly into emerging markets. The P.180 has now been STC’d for Brazil, Australia and India and is to achieve its Russian ticket this June. The company is also working with the Chinese Civil Aviation Authority on a Chinese certification. o feverishly forging new alliances with each other, providing further proof that opportunity is once again out there to be grasped by the bold and the resourceful. Plenty then to inspire and encourage the 12,673 registered visitors logged as of close of business last night. That’s an impressive footfall that takes us back to the glory years of this great show, around the middle of the last decade, and yet now the EBACE crowd seems so much wiser for all it has endured these past few years. Here’s hoping that come EBACE 2012, they will be wiser still, and also wealthier. o
News Note Goodrich (Stand 1755) is showing its Platinum HD cabin management system for business jets. Monitors are available in sizes from 12 to 42 inches. The system, which features two Blu-ray players on Goodrich’s demo here at the show, offers 1080p definition. Mike Hammers, in charge of Goodrich Cabin Electronic Sys tems’ business development, told AIN the first customer BBJ equipped with Platinum HD is to be delivered in the third quarter of this year. n
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