Plane Sense March_FinanceNov 19/02/2013 12:04 Page 2
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aircraft or others within its segment. Just as these options help define the aircraft’s potential, so they also allow operators control over what they choose to implement and how they go about it to schedule and finance the upgrades they need. Powerplants, of course, serve as the heartbeat of any aircraft. Understandably they often hold the promise of the greatest financial and operational gains available from systems upgrades - so this month we look at the benefits that drive powerplant retrofit programs. www.AvBuyer.com
THE ‘GO’ TO GET THERE Once-upon-a-time, aircraft engines fulfilled their single defining role: Thrust provision. Whether spinning main rotors for lift or driving forward a fixed lifting surface, spinning propellers and hot exhaust perform the same job. As engines moved beyond the level of barely being powerful enough to deliver excess power, engines acquired roles beyond providing thrust alone. With the addition of generators and alternators, powerplants could provide electrical power - the motive force
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option financially viable. Today’s available upgrades provide business aircraft owners and operators with options not all other airframe owners enjoy. Somewhat more than targeted systems refurbishments, these whole-airplane makeovers couple airframe renewal with upgraded engines, an approved avionics upgrade, new interior and new paint and windows. There are packaged with nothing but zero-time systems, and priced as a package to compete with a brand-new aircraft – whether unmodified versions of the same
WORLD AIRCRAFT SALES MAGAZINE – March 2013
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