AIN EBACE Convention News 5-16-12

EBACE

PUBLICATIONS Geneva

WEDNESDAY

Convention News

5•16•2012

TM

Vol. 44 No. 17

SES: BizAv Must Equip

Europe’s Empty Legs

ViaSat Goes Yonder

NetJets Management

The Single European Sky remains somewhat of a mirage. The main worry for business aircraft owners is how much it will cost to equip aircraft to take advantage. Page 10

Avinode analysis of charter operations worldwide has revealed that one in three flights in Europe goes empty. There are clear reasons why this is so, however. Page 15

ViaSat is claiming that its Yonder Internet service is the fastest any business aircraft operator can get as it works to expand coverage to more of the planet. Page 22

NetJets Aircraft Management is a new separate operation of NetJets Europe that will help lever new business for fractional ownership shares. Page 23

AINonline.com Videos An AIN first: 3 reporters talk to EBACE attendees about the main issues of the day: ETS, Illegal Charter and the Single European Sky. Ocean Sky explains why the time is right to spend $16 million on its London Luton FBO.

Two twins still not off the chocks

DAVID McINTOSH

by Thierry Dubois

steps in time But bizav recovery has mountain to climb When it comes to how this year’s EBACE attendees view the future, each marches to his own drummer. With a world in the throes of precarious fiscal recovery, no one is dancing in the streets. But if you listen carefully, you just might be able to hear the band optimistically tuning up.

Bust illegal charter pilots?

by Liz Moscrop Europe should prosecute pilots flying illegal charter flights within its member states. That was just one of the suggestions coming out of an industry education session on the topic at the EBACE show yesterday.

Might that help nip the widespread

practice in the bud? After all, some statistics indicate as much as 35 percent of flights in Europe breach regulations (although the European Business Aviation Association puts that number at more like 12 percent). “The truth is nobody knows,” said session moderator

Aoife O’Sullivan, partner at law firm Gates and Partners.

This statistical inconsistency is one of the many problems besetting the industry.

For a mature market, Europe is constantly caught with its pants down when it comes to regulatory oversight. It is well over a year since the EBAA launched a campaign for operators, brokers and passengers to curtail illegal charter flight activity within its borders, but the initiative seems

Continued on page 29 u

Pilatus (Stand 7031) and Daher-Socata (Stand 1439), both manufacturers of business turboprop singles, seem to be having trouble defining time frames for producing larger, twin-engine airplanes, respectively dubbed the PC-24 and the NTX. Both designs are still being worked on but few details have emerged to date.

The PC-24 was to be unveiled in 2012, according to a Pilatus annual report released earlier this year. This has changed, the company told AIN on Tuesday at the EBACE show and now an announcement is to be made at the EBACE 2013 show–in a year.

In any case, the PC-24 is the only civil project Pilatus design engineers currently have on the drawing board. It is understood to be a twin-engine design but the company would not say whether it is a jet or a turboprop. If financial numbers are any indication of the project’s status, the Swiss firm’s research-and-development spending that jumped from CHF49 million ($52 million) in 2010 to CHF67 million ($72 million) last year, a 37-percent increase, could indicate significant activity.

Meanwhile, Daher-Socata engineers have worked hard to evaluate the defunct Grob SPn business-jet program as a possible basis for a Socata product. The three prototypes are at the airframer’s Tarbes headquarters in France. The first has flown with Socata test pilots, while the second has been used for system tests on the ground.

Log onto AINonline.com for the latest coverage from the 2012 EBACE Convention.

Continued on page 29 u

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by Charles Alcock With aircraft owners facing continuing headaches over importing aircraft into the European Union, offshore registrations are increasingly being considered as a more flexible option. At the same time, lawyers have been scrambling to develop elegant solutions to avoid at least immediate liability for punitive rates of value added tax through deferral schemes.

“The good news on tax is that some solutions are starting to work but it is a big battle,” said aviation lawyer Aoife O’Sullivan of London-based Gates & Partners. “Some aircraft buyers have pulled out of the whole process due to VAT concerns.”

When the UK got rid of its

zero-rating for VAT in January 2011–on the insistence of the European Commission– imports quickly dried up. “The UK brought in the change without consulting and they didn’t take account of how different business aircraft [operators] are from the airlines,” said O’Sullivan. “‘Tell your clients to pay their taxes, they can afford it,’ is what the tax people said to me.”

Here at the EBACE show specialists such as Isle of Man-based Equiom Trust Company (Stand 2134) and Appleby (Stand 2261) are on hand to explain how solutions including offshore registration and VAT deferment can help aircraft owners.

Equiom VAT manager Steve

Editor-in-chief – R. Randall Padfield INTERNATIONAL EDITOR – Charles Alcock Pressroom managing Editor – Ian Sheppard PRODUCTION DIRECTOR – Mary E. Mahoney the editorial team Bill Carey Mark Huber Liz Moscrop Thierry Dubois Amy Laboda Gregory Polek Curt Epstein Paul Lowe Peter Shaw-Smith Ian Goold Neelam Mathews Matt Thurber Kirby J. Harrison Nigel Moll the production team Mona L. Brown R A T E B I N L Jane Campbell Alena Korenkov John Manfredo Lysbeth McAleer Mark Phelps Colleen Redmond O R R Annmarie Yannaco T Y Y E A Photographers David McIntosh Mark Wagner press room administrator – Barbara Torgoff

Cain explained that operators have to have the correct tax structure in place and there are different structures available according to how the aircraft will be used. “For all of these we have effective tools for temporary import of aircraft and we can import aircraft into the Isle of Man without any physical payment of VAT,” he told AIN. “It doesn’t matter to us where the owning entity is based or what registry they choose; we can deal with anyone and it is better to consult with us as early in the process as possible,” he added. This is achieved by producing an import document that shows that the full amount of VAT due is accounted for through a deferment account so that the VAT does not have to be paid at the time of import.

The Isle of Man is fast approaching 500 aircraft on its register. It accepts only aircraft operated under strictly private rules. o

online editor – Matt Thurber online ASSISTANT EDITOR – Chad Trautvetter online videographer – Joseph W. Darlington online reporter – David A. Lombardo web developer – Mike Giaimo EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & ONLINE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT – John F. McCarthy Jr. Publisher – Anthony T. Romano associate Publisher – Nancy O’Brien Advertising Sales – north america Melissa Murphy – Midwest (830) 608-9888 Nancy O’Brien – West (530) 241-3534 Anthony T. Romano – East/International Philip Scarano III – Southeast Victoria Tod – Great Lakes/UK Advertising Sales – International – Daniel Solnica – Paris production/MANUFACTURING manageR – Tom Hurley AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER – Jeff Hartford group brand manager – Jennifer Leach English sales/production administrator – Susan Amisson Advertising/sales Secretary STAFF Patty Hayes; Cindy Nesline director of finance & new product development – David M. Leach Human ResourceS Manager – Jane Webb accounting/Administration manager – Irene L. Flannagan accounting/AdministratiON Staff Mary Avella; Rosa Ramirez U.S. EDITORIAL OFFICE: 214 Franklin Ave., Midland Park, NJ 07432 Tel: (201) 444-5075; Fax: (201) 444-4647 Washington, D.C. EDITORIAL OFFICE: Bill Carey; bcarey@ainonline.com Tel: (202) 560-5672; Mobile: (202) 531-7566 Paul Lowe; paulloweain@aol.com Tel: (301) 230-4520; Fax: (301) 881-1982 EUROPEAN EDITORIAL OFFICE: Charles Alcock; calcock@ainonline.com 8 Stephendale Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 9QP UK Tel: 44 1 252 727 758 U.S. advertising OFFICE: 81 Kenosia Ave., Danbury, CT 06810 Tel: (203) 798-2400; Fax: (203) 798-2104

China Less Buoyant

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DAVID McINTOSH

Even in China, the Holy Grail for manufacturers, things are not as buoyant as they were last year. Mesinger said, “People in China want new aircraft, so it will take some time for the first wave of aircraft to age and for people to sell them on.”

New rather than long range is the latest trend Iannerelli has identified. She said, “Last year I’d have said we were getting more requests for long-range, large-cabin aircraft. Today people seem to want low-hour, newer aircraft as a priority.”

Things are likely to remain sluggish for the near future, said Mesinger. “People will sit on the sidelines even if they

S

Lawyers find new cures for import-tax headaches

FOUNDED IN 1972 James Holahan, Founding Editor Wilson S. Leach, Managing Director

G

have the finances, as they want to pay the right price.” However, all of Europe is not equal.

Mesinger said he had heard that five used aircraft went into Turkey, and he added that demand from emerging markets in Africa, such as Nigeria, should bolster the sector.

TM

F

With Europe facing morefinancial turmoil with a possible fresh squeeze on capital and VAT tax rules still causing importation headaches, is it any wonder that it’s hard to adopt an optimistic outlook on the market for preowned aircraft? Here at the EBACE 2012 show, the consensus among brokers was generally that the market in this part of world is flat, flat, flat.

Last year saw a slump in deliveries of new aircraft to Europe. Data from research group JetNet (Stand 571) shows 177 new business aircraft came into the continent in 2011, comprising 120 jets and 57 turboprops. This equates to a 47-percent drop in jet deliveries and a 33-percent dip in turboprops from the alltime peak of 2008.

According to broker Jay Mesinger, the European sector is about where the U.S. market was three-and-a-half years ago. “I heard at the show that one in five aircraft in Europe is for sale. If that is the case, where will they all go?” he said to AIN. Things are not much better across the Pond. “The market this year has been spotty,” said Texas-based broker Janine Iannarelli. “Since 2012 is an election year I’m not surprised that people are a little cautious. However, every year for the last three years I’ve heard that things will get better this year. So far they have not.”

Convention News

E

by Liz Moscrop

EBACE

some cases that means barely 10 aircraft in each category available across the world.”

European-registered preowned aircraft, especially those that meet JAR-OPS requirements, are currently in vogue with jet brokers, panelists said at a jet broker session during the National Aircraft Finance Association annual meeting in Savannah late last month. A weaker euro and the desire of some European operators to shed business aircraft during times of austerity have created a ready supply. o

C

Preowned jet market is short on optimism

But UK-based broker Steve Varsano does not share the gloomy assessment of his colleagues. He recently opened The Jet Business in central London as a new approach to giving prospective buyers the chance to evaluate all available options independently.

“The industry is doing fantastically at the top end of the market, in pretty much the same way that it is for real estate,” he told a press briefing last month. “Between 5 and 14 percent of aircraft are available for sale across all types and in

learjet heritage takes a leap forward In our excitement over the three new aircraft launches seen on the opening day of the EBACE 2012 show AIN muddled one of the photos in yesterday's edition. Rodney Williams, Bombardier v-p of marketing n for business aircraft is, of course, proudly checking out the cockpit of the new Learjet 75 model.

4 EBACE Convention News • May 16, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Bizav forecasters try to see beyond Europe’s current economic woes

by Ian Goold

Germany Economy Robust

France’s industry network was “slowly deteriorating, [with] consumption hampered by a rising inflation,” while Britain’s short- to mid-term growth was expected to remain mild under “governmental budget tightening,” according to the forecast.

Meanwhile, continuous high levels of Greek public debt were expected to dampen private consumption and investment. Bombardier cited IHS Global Insight as predicting that, for the 201130 forecast period, Eurozone GDP annual growth would average 1.7 percent.

Prior to the lingering downturn, Europe had taken an

“increasingly prominent position” in the business aircraft market, accounting for 31 percent of worldwide deliveries in 2008, compared with just 12 percent in 2003. This prompted Bombardier to envision this

posture” than 12 months earlier, said Honeywell.

Wilson remained o ­ptimistic about longer-term prospects: “The weaker dollar is projected against the euro and other major trading-partner currencies for

Fleet Reduction Predicted

Another manufacturer looking closely at the European replacement market is engine and equipment supplier Honeywell, whose annual survey of “purchase expectations” showed a reduction in fleet-expansion plans last year.

“Ongoing concerns over European debt and the future of the currency union are weighing on operators,” said business aviation division president Rob Wilson in Honeywell’s most recent forecast published at last October’s NBAA show in the U.S. Five-year purchase expectations in 2011 equaled 29 percent of the region’s current fleet, down about four percentage points from the previous year. Purchase plans are timed predominantly in 2012-15, demonstrating “a more restrained

airspace issues, new regulations and airport-slot restrictions are enough to limit growth. When you factor in sustained economic weakness, a near-term robust market outlook just isn’t a reasonable expectation.”

Europe to Remain Vital

But Foley is not totally ­pessimistic. “Europe will remain a significant market,” he concluded. “And we see an ­interesting opportunity in that a disproportionate share of deliv-

Given that Europe saw its share of worldwide business aircraft deliveries jump from 12 percent in 2003 to 31 percent in 2008, Bombardier Aerospace sees the region’s growing installed base creating a significant replacement market and a major source of demand for new aircraft in the next 20 years.

installed base as being the foundation for “a significant replacement market and a major source of demand.”

The Canadian airframer said Europe’s “fleet per 100 million population” is expected to grow from 470 to 1,300 over the next 20 years, receiving some 4,100 aircraft. “The 2010 fleet of 1,800 business jets will grow to 5,190 with a [annual] fleet growth of approximately 5 ­ percent,” ­concluded Bombardier.

Image provided courtesy of Bombardier Inc.

Lagging growth in Europe business aviation remains a concern, but encouragement is to be found in greater numbers of flights last year, according to Bombardier Aerospace in its current market forecast for 2011-30. Although utilization levels during 2011 were not back to prerecession levels, business jet movements continued to improve, relative to the previous year, said the annual document.

It noted that business aviation activity in the region 12 months ago was some 12 percent up on the second half of 2009 and 3 percent higher than in 2010.

In a report published last year, before the latest disclosures about a second wave of public debt implosion in Spain and other southern European states, Bombardier expressed concern that a “two-speed Europe” is becoming an increasing economic reality. “As the Euro area–Germany, France and the UK–are turning the corner, the peripherals–Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal–are still suffering from the sovereign-debt crisis,” the Canadian airframer’s most recent forecast concluded.

At the time, the manufacturer expressed the view that the German economy has been recovering “quite well” from the 2008-09 downturn, with little impact being felt from the ramifications of the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis. Following “massive and sustained growth acceleration” since early 2010, Bombardier expected Germany’s economy to remain “exceptionally robust,” compared with those of France and the UK.

in purchase plans, though smallcabin models improved their share of purchase plans somewhat over 2010 levels.”

Beyond concerns over European currencies and debt, U.S.based business aviation consultant Brian Foley recently added a further note of caution, pointing out that the “per­ haps e­ nvironmentally wellintentioned” European Union emissions trading system (ETS) might have the unintended consequence of obstructing busi-

some time. The trend should result in [a] potential tailwind for new jet demand, driven by higherthan-average rates of growth and business expansion expected in Eastern Europe and Russia, the regional growth drivers.”

Honeywell also perceived continued European-operator interest in moving into larger, longer-range and lower-cost models: “Large- and mid-cabin models outpolled small-cabin aircraft by a three-to-one margin

6 EBACE Convention News • May 16, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

ness aviation’s recovery.

As a result, Foley has lowered his 10-year forecast for Europe’s share of global business jet deliveries from 25 percent to 20 percent. “There’s an evident pattern of expanding taxes and regulations [in the region], including ETS, that will limit future growth potential.”

He sees ETS as simply the latest among many constraints: “The combined effects of high fuel prices, user fees, carbon taxes,

eries will go to new customers in Eastern Europe, while Western Europe becomes more of a replacement market.”

The region’s economic factors will drive a gradual downward shift in aircraft-cabin size toward small and mid-sized jets, believes Foley. Some 38 percent of the 2011 business jet fleet comprised large-cabin machines, but “over time, that should normalize to the worldwide average of 33 percent.”

He said buying behavior would “continue to change as operators embrace [smaller-aircraft] benefits, from fuel savings to lower user fees and other taxes.” Ultimately, Foley expects European operators to become even more practical. “They’ll buy the business tool they need, as opposed to the more capable jet they might want, and be content to make that extra fuel stop once or twice a year if it means saving money,” he said. o

DAVID McINTOSH

The static display at ABACE 2012 hosted 27 aircraft.

ABACE show puts bizav on the map in Asia

by Charles Alcock Show organizers from the U.S. National Business Aviation Association, which jointly promotes the EBACE show, came to Geneva flushed with success (but doubtless fatigued too) after the successful relaunch of the Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE). The March 27-29 event in Shanghai was, by common consent, a resounding success–especially considering the many challenges that organizers faced in running a modern trade show in China’s main business city.

ABACE 2012 drew 156 exhibitors in a 43,000-sq-ft space provided by the Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Center at Hongqiao Airport. The static

display was populated by some 27 aircraft and was overlooked by eight exhibitor pavilions occupied by companies too large to exhibit inside the main hangar. The show was sold out two months ahead of its opening and almost a quarter of exhibitors were companies from Asia–significant in an industry still dominated by Western manufacturers and service providers.

The new-look show, which had been suspended since it was last staged in Hong Kong back in 2008, also attracted 6,375 visitors. By way of comparison, Europe’s first EBACE show held in Geneva, Switzerland, back in 2001 drew 3,600 visitors and almost 200 exhibitors.

“ABACE 2012 met all of our estimates and expectations, as well as those of exhibitors and attendees,” said Ed Bolen, president and CEO of NBAA, which staged the show in partnership with the Shanghai Airport Authority, the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) and the Shanghai Exhibition Center.

For NBAA and AsBAA, ABACE was a prime opportunity to engage with the Chinese aviation officials whose support and understanding is needed to allow business aviation to fulfill its enormous potential in China.

The sense of urgency for effective lobbying was reflected in the eve-of-show announcement of the formation of the new China Business Jet Shanghai Alliance by the country’s leading aircraft finance provider Minsheng Financial Leasing Co. Importantly, the new body is led by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and is the first official industry organization in

the People’s Republic to include the 17 major business aircraft manufacturers–the only exceptions, for now, being Airbus and Boeing, whose attorneys voice last-minute concerns about anti-trust implications.

Also represented in the Alliance are leading Chinese operators Capital Airlines, China Eastern, Donghai Jet, Nanshan Jet, Wing-on Travel, Zhuhai Helicopter and First Mandarin Business Aviation.

Under the auspices of the so-called Shanghai Declaration, government officials and Alliance members agreed to work together to establish “a standard code of conduct to promote a sound and orderly development of the [business aviation] market.”

They also committed themselves to addressing barriers to growth, such as the need to open restricted upper airspace to business aircraft, reducing taxes and using international expertise to create a better operating environment. Other objectives include encouraging development of better facilities in China for training, maintenance and ground handling.

Chinese government support for the ABACE agenda was confirmed by the participation of CAAC deputy administrator Xia Xinghua, who told the show’s opening general session that the business aviation industry is finally being cleared for takeoff in China. “By the end of the current 12-year plan we expect there will be 30 [aircraft] management companies in China and more than 280 new airports, 40 of which would be dedicated business aviation airfields,” he said.

Addressing the same group, John Porcari, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, predicted that the wider Asian business aviation sector will surpass that of Europe by 2030. “It falls on us [Western regulators and companies] to develop regulatory mechanisms to promote responsible growth,” he acknowledged.

NBAA (Stand 1813) and the Shanghai Airport Authority have signed an agreement that will keep the ABACE show in Shanghai for the next four years through 2016. Dates for the 2013 edition have been set for April 16-18. o

CAE’s Falcon sims target smoke in the cockpit Flight training provider CAE (Stand 468) recently completed the upgrade of its full-flight simulators for Dassault’s current models to include smoke-generation capability for use in its initial training curriculum.

The Falcon 900EX EASy/ 2000EX EASy simulator at the company’s Morristown, New Jersey training center received the smoke upgrade last month, the last of the type to do so, bringing it in line with the units in service at CAE’s London/Biggin Hill and Dubai facilities, which received the capability last year.

The smoke-generation feature is used by instructors in developing realistic pilot training experiences for smoke in the cockpit situations and for

familiarizing crews with the use of oxygen masks and smoke goggles, allowing them to see the instruments in those conditions.

CAE also uses the smokegeneration capability to provide training for VisionSafe’s emergency vision assurance system (Evas) on Dassault aircraft.

The Evas is a self-contained system that uses a battery-powered blower, a filter and a transparent envelop to displace smoke and provide a clear-sight corridor to the instruments.

Last year the company’s Dubai location received a Falcon 7X simulator with the smoke generator already installed. At the same time, it upgraded its 7X units at Morristown and Biggin Hill, which were installed in 2007. o

CAE’s smoke-generation feature allows pilots to experience realistic practices for dealing with smoke-in-the-cockpit situations.

DAVID McINTOSH

Before

The Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Center at Hongqiao Airport hosted 156 exhibitors in 43,000 sq ft of exhibition space.

8 EBACE Convention News • May 16, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

After

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Ascend flight support helps cost-strapped operators cope

An EBACE panel on Sesar heard that business aircraft operators will need to spend more on equipment because the “Single European Sky” will operate as “best-equipped, best-served.”

Business aviation will pay $3.45B to partake in Sesar

by Bill Carey

Operators of business and general aviation aircraft will have to accept that participation in the next-generation European airspace system will require them to invest in new equipment, as the concept of “first-come, firstserved” is gradually retired.

That message was delivered Tuesday at the EBACE show by Patrick Ky, executive director of the Single European Sky ATM Research (Sesar) Joint Undertaking, the public-private entity managing the development of the Sesar future airspace system.

Ky said the cost for all segments of aviation to equip with new avionics for baseline capability by 2024 is estimated at €10.1 billion ($13 billion), with the cost to business and general aviation being €2.7 billion ($3.45 billion).

“This is the catalog of technologies we’ve developed,” Ky said, presenting a list of several enabling systems. “That doesn’t mean to say that it will be absolutely necessary for you to invest in all of those technologies. I don’t believe in ‘one size fits all.’

But you have to recognize that if you are equipped with a given technology it will give you access to a certain number of services that you may not have access to if you do not have the technology.”

Cost Benefits Expected

Ky said European airspace planners are working on “specific measures” that will assist operators in making investment decisions and making their own “business case” for new equipage. He said the cost to business

aviation of new avionics must be qualified, taking into account the expected benefits and operational context of various operators. To that end, he called for greater collaboration with the business aviation community to better understand its priorities.

However, Ky left little doubt that some level of investment will have to be made to gain airspaceand airport-access equal to those operators who choose to equip.

“Today, aircraft have equal access to the airspace,” he said.

“The rule is first-come, firstserved. We want to introduce in ICAO [the International Civil Aviation Organization] the notion of getting rid of this first-come, first-served rule. The efficiency may be an efficiency measure that you, as operators, find. It can be based on equipment; it can be based on a number of things [but]…we believe we will have to make some choices in order to give different types of services to different types of aircraft.”

10 EBACE Convention News • May 16, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

Rockwell Collins now offers its Airshow 3-D moving map for viewing on an iPad, allowing business jet passengers to follow their flight in the palm of their hands. The company claims it is the first interactive moving map available for iPad n use in an aircraft.``

Also speaking on the Sesar panel was Mark Wilson, NetJets Europe chief operating officer.

Wilson said business aviation should be able to use secondary and tertiary airports in Europe “with a sensible level of instrument-guided approaches.” He said airspace capacity improvements should be rolled out networkwide, with emphasis placed on city pairs, and not concentrated at major airports serving mainly airlines.

“Where I’m a little concerned is what is actually going to come out of the Sesar program, not so much the academic part of what is

possible, but the hard-edged financial part–how much it’s going to cost, and what is really a positive business case,” Wilson said. “Is it a positive business case for the operator, is it a positive business case for the European economy or is it a positive business case for the provider of equipment?

“We’ve always accepted at NetJets that you need to have enough equipment on board to participate efficiently in the airspace. But some form of arms race of equipage simply to get an extra box of tricks that does little for efficiently…we have to be very careful to guard against that.” o

MARK WAGNER

With business aircraft operators increasingly cost-constrained, Rockwell Collins (Stand 436) believes it is relieving the pressure by becoming an extension of the flight-planning function. “Operators have a higher dependency on tools and services now and they can depend on what we are providing,” he told AIN. One addition to Dashboard is the ability to integrate maintenance data. Also new is an application to be able to use the Fos flight-planning system on iPads for an additional annual subscription fee of between $100 and $150.

Meanwhile, last week Ascend opened a new office at Berlin’s Schoenefeld Airport, which Timm said will allow it to deliver a more Europe-centric approach to flight support services. The company also is modifying its flight-planning tools to be more connected with Eurocontrol’s CFMU slot-allocation system. –C.A.

DAVID McINTOSH

Rockwell Collins’s Ascend Flight Information Solutions division is continuing to refine what it believes is the most integrated flight support suite in the business aviation market.

The U.S. company, which incorporates the former Air Routing flight support and CTA FOS scheduling and dispatch service, is adding new applications and has also introduced the Dashboard feature to give operators a “top-down” view of the status of their fleet at any given time.

“There is now a lot of interfacing of data from the flight manager function [covering trip planning and support] and automation of how this is exchanged,” explained Steve Timm, Ascend’s v-p and general manager of flight information solutions. “It allows operators to enter data only once and that eliminates errors and simplifies the pre- and post-flight close out.”

monitor your flight on an iPad

imperialjet signs training contract Representing European charter/management firm ImperialJet, executive v-p of projects Martin Spiegl, left, signed a three-year training deal with Bombardier general manager of aircraft training Leon Botteron.

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All specifications and data remain approximate, may change without notice and are subject to certain operating rules, assumptions and other conditions.

Bombardier, Challenger, Global, Global 7000 and Global 8000 are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. © 2012 Bombardier Inc. All rights reserved.

Amac likes PC-12 in Middle East

by Neelam Mathews Istanbul, Turkey, will be up and running by the end of this year, according

MARK WAGNER

Amac Aerospace’s recently acquired 16,000-sq-ft, $10 million hangar in

AMAC CEO Kadri Muhiddin heads a work force of 500 employees supporting sales of $1 billion. The company’s new hangar in Istanbul is earmarked to focus on support for Pilatus PC-12NG operators in the region.

to Kadri Muhiddin, executive chairman and CEO. The facility is to be used to provide maintenance support for the Pilatus PC-12NG, for which the company was recently appointed a fully authorized and exclusive sales agent in the Middle East.

“In the interim, we will subsidize the work with small jets,” Muhiddin told AIN. Amac has a total work force of 500 with sales of $1 billion.

Amac will market the Pilatus in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey. While only a handful of the turboprop singles are flying in the region, Muhiddin is confident the

Saab’s Camps nixes Manpads

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number will soon increase.

“The Pilatus is an underestimated plane. When we bought it, our shareholders were reluctant, but now they see the logic of the buy. The $4.6 million, six-seater can be extended to eight or nine seats. It can land on gravel or grass and can do short landings and takeoffs.

It is the Rolls-Royce of aircraft,” he said.

With a claimed running cost of under $1,000 per hour, the aircraft is ideal for the Middle East market, where many destinations are within half an hour of each other, argued Muhiddin. “Besides, it can be changed to a cargo configuration and can also be used as an ambulance. If Australia can do it, why not the Middle East?” he asked. o

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The threat to civil aviation posed by man-portable air defense systems (Manpads)–such as shoulder launched missiles–in conflict areas around the world is resulting in a requirement for intelligent systems to help counter the attacks. Saab’s Civil Aircraft Missile Protection (Camps) system has increasingly been used to combat such threats, Hannes Prinsloo, technical product manager South Africa for Saab told AIN. Camps is the first and only European anti-Manpads protection system suited to protecting civil fixed-wing aircraft from missile attacks, he said. “Presently, we have a customer in the Middle East.

Camps is also installed on a Naturelink Aviation aircraft based in South Africa, flying for the UN,” he added.

The system costs $1 million with additional costs for installation. “We get requirements from aircraft completion centers for VIPs…there is a growing opportunity for this product especially in disturbed areas,” concluded Prinsloo. –N.M.

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A Berkshire Hathaway company

SRT sets focus on quality in pursuit of completions

by Neelam Mathews Maintenance, repair and overhaul group SR Technics (SRT) is stepping up its push

into the aircraft completions business, but is in no hurry to grab market share at any price.

“We want to be the best and most reliable rather than jumping for every dollar,” SRT president Andre Wall told AIN yesterday. “We’re so big…we want to make sure we’re not under pressure…[because] if the customer is not happy, they will never come back,” he added.

One major advantage of Swiss-based SRT (Stand 282)

enjoys is that can carry out cabin refurbishments, including in-flight entertainment (IFE) upgrades, at the same time it completes heavy maintenance, reducing downtime for the client. Wall said this was the case with its second VIP aircraft contract, signed recently with an undisclosed Middle Eastern customer.

As the Middle East business grows, being part of Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala group has given SRT access to a new market, said Wall. Strong shareholder support enables the company to follow a philosophy of moving along slowly and steadily.

“We understand human beings toil under pressure to satisfy exacting customer requirements,” said Wall. “We stick to our philosophy of taking on only one aircraft at a time. We don’t have to rush.”

In-house Talent

Visit us in: Hall 6, Stand 1457

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14 EBACE Convention News • May 16, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

SRTs first project–a widebody Airbus aircraft–was completed in six months. “It was a challenging project, a must for us to succeed,” said Wall. SRT is clear that it has no interest in small aircraft completions.

At a time when the market is brimming with completion companies, what has made SRT get into an already crowded space? Wall indicated that SR Technics wouldn’t have entered the sector as a start-up company. “However, we have 300 engineers with us who made it easy for us to take the next step,” he said. SRT has a hangar in Zurich dedicated to its VIP project.

Behind every modification is a successful design. SRT brought veteran Eric Jan, who had 25 years of experience with Jet Aviation, to work on the modifications.

Asked about design trends they might recommend, Jan told AIN there are none in particular. “Customers have a clear understanding of what they want,” he commented. “One thing is common: they want to be unique and stand out with an interior that reflects their lifestyle. The only limitation is time and sometimes the budget.”

Quality is of the essence, Wall said. “We have a good sense of our customer needs.

[To us] business is like a Swiss watch: it works like clockwork and has a high quality,” he commented. He also noted business prospects look rosy, and said the company is in talks with prospective customers from Russia, China, India, the Far East, South America and Eastern Europe. o AINonline iPhone App NOW AVAILABLE

European charter is inefficient due to empty-leg wastage

by Chad Trautvetter Additionally, European aircraft operators tend to bring their aircraft back to the home base after every mission. This is “in contrast to U.S. operators, who are more likely to float their fleets to increase their operational effectiveness,” King noted. The inefficiencies in the system are central to the thinking of companies such as FlyVictor.com, which aim to give end users the chance to share aircraft or take advantage of empty legs.

pricing has firmed up over the past six months in Europe. Avinode’s price index on November 1 hovered around 98, but jumped to more than 103 by March. Pricing eroded slightly in April but is now back to levels seen in March and appears to be headed upward at a steady–if somewhat slow–pace. o

European Charter Demand Up

Meanwhile, Avinode (Stand 749) said its year-to-date aircraft charter demand index is “slightly up” in Europe. As of Tuesday, the company’s forward-looking aircraft charter demand index stood at 156.71, up some 34 points since May 14, 2011. Avinode’s demand and price indices are measured against a January 2009 baseline index of 100.

Throughout the rest of 2012, Avinode is predicting an average 2.5-percent increase in charter demand in the “Old World,” with much of this expected

DAVID McINTOSH

European charter operators are the least efficient in the world due to a higher rate of empty-leg flights, Avinode managing director Oliver King said here at the EBACE show. On average, the online charter broker said that approximately one out of every three flights (33 percent) conducted by European operators is an empty leg, versus a global average of 29 percent.

Charter operators in Russia/CIS are the most efficient, with only a 25-percent empty-leg rate, followed closely by the U.S. and Canada at 27 percent. Middle East operators have a 31-percent emptyleg rate.

According to King, the abundance of available aircraft across the U.S. accounts for the increased operational efficiencies in North America, while centralized demand centers in Russia means charter aircraft can be based near their customers. In Europe, he said, “There is a pull of demand from the East where, in order to capture business, jets from Europe travel great distances to pick up passengers from Russia, the CIS, Ukraine and Turkey.”

growth coming in the form of more chartering of large-cabin jets. By aircraft segment, light jets currently account for around 57 percent of European charter demand, midsize jets for about 20 percent, and large-cabin jets for the remaining 23 percent.

In the meantime, aircraft charter

joinjet opts for hawker 400xpr Kristoffer Sundberg, right, general manager of Danish charter operator JoinJet, ordered a Hawker 400XPR from Brian Howell, v-p of aftermarket sales, Hawker Beechcraft.

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www.ainonline.com • May 16, 2012 • EBACE Convention News 15

Traffic increasing at Lyon Bron Airport Lyon Bron Airport (Stand 1164), which serves France’s second most populous urban area, is back in traffic-growth mode.

After reporting a 6.1-percent drop in traffic last year, to around

6,300 movements, it has recorded 2 percent growth in aircraft movements for the period from January to April 2012 period.

In an interview with AIN, Eric Dumas, the airport’s business

unit manager, gave details about near-term plans, which include new hangars, a runway extension and an expansion of the business aviation terminal.

In an effort to penetrate the

®

16 EBACE Convention News • May 16, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

Airport personnel are here at EBACE promoting Lyon Bron to U.S. and UK clients.

MARK PHELPS

by Thierry Dubois

UK and U.S. markets, the airport has recently grooved its 5,971-foot runway so that international operators can disregard the 15-percent increase for landings on wet runways. Grooving consists of creating transverse grooves over the entire length of the runway to prevent water from stagnating on the runway surface, thus preventing the risk of aquaplaning. The grooved runway has already allowed the arrival of the first BBJs in Lyon, Dumas said.

This is also part of a general trend toward a bigger average size of the aircraft visiting the airport.

In addition, the runway is to be made longer. This year, the distance available for rejected takeoffs will increase from 6,460 to 6,660 feet–over the symbolic 2,000-meter bar. In March 2013, the landing distance available will grow from 4,980 to 6,030 feet.

By 2014, aircraft stands will be redrawn on the ground to accomodate bigger aircraft. In the same time frame, two new hangars are to be built: one for parking and the other for maintenance. As the first hangar will be able to house aircraft up to the size of a BBJ 3, FBO equipment will be upgraded accordingly.

Lyon Bron is planning a business aviation terminal expansion between 2014 and 2016. The $1 million to $2 million project is expected to create a terminal large enough to accomodate groups of business travelers. “We want to keep our current two-minute lead time from car to aircraft,” Dumas said. The terminal will include conference rooms and an improved crew area. The construction planning may be brought forward if traffic grows fast.

Lyon Bron was the first airport in France to join the U.S. National Business Aviation Association. “It authorizes us to take part, as an exhibitor, in the annual ‘Schedulers and Dispatchers’ conferences,” airport officials pointed out. They will aim to make U.S. business travelers aware of the aforementioned development projects.

According to Dumas, Lyon Bron’s revenues will increase from €4.1 million ($5.3 million) in 2011 to €4.3 million ($5.6 million) this year, generating over €1 million ($1.3 million) of profit (not including investment expenses). o

Gore Design HUD takes you on a stroll inside a virtual cabin

by Liz Moscrop the real size of the space in a truly immersive environment. It’s also cheaper and quicker to transport.”

DAVID McINTOSH

If you want a “heads up” on what’s hot at the EBACE show, head to Gore Design Completions (Stand 661) and experience its brand-new virtual reality offering. The Texas-based design company has brought a new head-up display (HUD) technology concept to help customers visualize their new aircraft interiors. Rather than travel with traditional renderings on computer screens or build expensive mockups, Gore can take its new device on the road and change colors and layouts with a few mouse clicks in a real-time session with the client.

Gore has installed a mockup of an Airbus A320 on its booth and visitors can try out the technology. It is an odd but interesting sensation, this reporter can attest. Wearing the display gives the impression of being inside the aircraft, with the opportunity to wander into the VIP bedroom, look around the dining room and even read the headlines on Time magazine on the coffee table.

Project designer Tim O’Hara said, “It’s great to offer a one-to-one perspective of scale. It gives the user a sense of

Gore brought in long-time collaborator J.P. Magnano, president of rendering specialist 3-D Visualization Service, to help create the head-mounted HUD. “It took just 30 minutes working with Facetime on an iPad to train the Gore team,” he explained. “We’re using the commercial version of military technology, which has come right down in price.” The unit is available to play with on the Gore stand throughout the show. o

AIN reporter Liz Moscrop samples the virtual world of Gore Design Completions’ latest innovation: a head-up, 3-D cabin viewer. Project designer Tim O’Hara said it’s not only impressive to clients, but inexpensive to use.

Greenwich AeroGroup brings LiveTV to aircraft Greenwich AeroGroup and its affiliates have agreed to sell, support and install the Iridium OpenPort-Aero broadband aviation communications platform on business aviation aircraft, including helicopters. It expects installations to begin in the third quarter of 2012. LiveTV, a wholly owned subsidiary of JetBlue Airways, which introduced the system to airline passenger services several years ago, has also signed a distribution agreement with Greenwich to support the move into business aviation.

Iridium OpenPort-Aero is more than just a delivery system for high-definition TV in flight. It is also a mobile broadband system that works worldwide, from the middle of the Pacific Ocean to the poles-something only Iridium’s network of low-Earth orbit satellites offers.

The airborne system includes lightweight electronics and an antenna with a small footprint. The equipment is ideal for business aircraft that carry passengers who must visit remote areas of the planet and wish to stay connected in flight.

Greenwich AeroGroup (Stand 1131) intends to provide initial certification, sales and installation of the OpenPort-Aero devices at its Atlantic Aero location in Greensboro, North Carolina, as well as at its Western Aircraft base in Boise, Idaho, and Summit Aviation in Middletown, Delaware.

–A.L.

ur 15 t o don st a n 12 gu ow Lo 20 Au ts n s to – lo s 25 r s ce ly ou ac Ju e y asy r e cu or Se O f FB

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www.ainonline.com • May 16, 2012 • EBACE Convention News 17

news clips z GainJet Adds G550 to Its Widebody Stable

MARK WAGNER

Athens-based VIP charter operator GainJet Aviation (Stand 1265) announced here at EBACE the recent addition of a Gulfstream G550 to its growing fleet of long-range jets. The fleet includes a VIP Boeing 757 BBJ executive airliner, Bombardier Global Express XRS and a Gulfstream G450, based throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“We feel the G550 will be a popular aircraft in all three of our markets, so we’ve chosen Athens as a central home base location,” said GainJet CEO James McBride.

“The acquisition of such a high-performance aircraft is a major advantage for GainJet, especially considering who our customers are Greece’s GainJet adds a G550 to its fleet. and where in the world they wish to go.”

With a range of 6,750 nm, the G550 has the longest range of any business jet in production. “The G550’s versatility and range, along with GainJet’s excellent VIP service, will allow for a customized journey tailored to the specific passengers’ needs,” said McBride.

Elegantly appointed with dark wood finishings, Gainjet’s G550 has seating for 16 passengers. The company also has a G650 on order, with delivery expected in 2013, and has further plans to expand its long-range fleet, McBride said.

z SchedAero by Avinode Makes European Debut Online charter portal Avinode (Stand 749) is launching its Cloud-based SchedAero software for European implementation.

“Over the past six months we have completely rebuilt SchedAero to meet the needs of the European market,” said Niklas Berg, managing director of SchedAero, which allows air charter providers to integrate quoting, logistics management, aircraft and crew scheduling, fleet and crew tracking, invoicing and more across remote locations. Files can be simultaneously accessed and processed.

The program is hosted on Avinode’s robust servers, and requires no downloads to function across multiple platforms and computer software operating systems. Built for smaller operators, with no upfront installation costs, the program provides Avinode members the ability to switch between applications without logging out. “We have more than 100 customers in the U.S. and we are really happy to be able to give Europeans the opportunity to take advantage of the software as well,” said Berg.

z Honeywell Offers Cleaner HTF7000 Combustor Honeywell (Stand 463) has introduced an upgraded version of the Saber combustor for its HTF7000 series engine, which powers the Bombardier Challenger 300, Embraer Legacy 450/500 and Gulfstream G280. The Saber had already reduced harmful emissions by 25 percent, and the U.S. company claims that the Saber2 will further reduce harmful emissions while also increasing performance. Honeywell expects Saber2 to be available by late 2013, while an even more advanced version of the combustor is currently under initial development; however, the company does not yet have a timeline for its availability.

Jet Aviation completions are back in the black

by Bill Carey Jet Aviation has restructured operations at its Basel, Switzerland completions facility after contract losses and a decline in completions orders led to financial charges. “Those issues are behind us now,” said Daniel Clare, Jet Aviation president in an interview with AIN. “We’re making milestones, we’re hitting delivery dates,” he added. “We’ve taken a lot of corrective actions at the Basel business to turn that around.” Clare said the Basel facility has delivered three aircraft so far this year and two more aircraft should be delivered by the end of the second quarter.

Jay Johnson, chairman and CEO of Jet Aviation’s parent company, General Dynamics, highlighted the completions business in January during GD’s fourth-quarter 2011 earnings call. “Charges taken

by Jet Aviation’s completion business blemished an otherwise solid quarter and year,”

Johnson told analysts. He said $78 million in contract losses resulted from “cost growth caused by increased labor hours and late penalties on three narrowbody/widebody aircraft.” Another $111 million was an impairment charge attributed to fewer-than-projected business jet and larger aircraft completions.

“These charges are very disappointing and clearly not in keeping with General Dynamics’ operational track record,” Johnson said. He added that Jet Aviation’s other portfolio businesses–including FBOs, MROs and aircraft services–performed well, with revenue from aircraft services increasing by double digits in 2011.

Clare, who was appointed Jet Aviation president in July 2011, said improving the Basel operation was among his top priorities. The business is now “getting control of materials, doing a better job of planning, [reorganizing] our back shops–furniture,

Invision Air’s card plan one of the first in India

by Neelam Mathews Mumbai-based charter startup Invision Air, which has started to take delivery of 12 Phenom 100s and 300s it ordered from Brazil’s Embraer, has launched its Jet Card membership program, one of the first such offerings in India. While the

program offers flexibility and a price advantage to regular fliers, it will benefit owners of private aircraft while their own aircraft undergo maintenance, according to company co-founder Vinit Phatak.

“Using a Jet Card provides all

z ‘Royalblue Cuisine’ Results from Merger British executive aviation catering firm Royalblue (Stand 2303) has acquired Cuisine Air to form Royalblue Cuisine, a new company to serve operators flying in and out of the UK. In addition to its range of European and Asian cuisine, Royalblue serves freshly made sushi and Middle Eastern dishes.

The company will serve all London’s major airports as well as regional airports, including Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and Southampton. The company is a UK Department of Transport approved supplier, which means it has direct access to a number of key airports having passed stringent security regulations.

With a fleet of 12 Embraer Phenom jets on order, Mumbai-based Invision Air has launched one of the first jet card programs to address the Indian market.

18 EBACE Convention News • May 16, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

upholstery, metal parts–through to the installation piece of the business,” he said. New processes and procedures were put in place “to get these airplanes delivered in a timely manner. On some of these projects we had fallen behind, but we’ve gotten back on schedule.”

Jet Aviation (Stand 7040) operates 14 FBOs worldwide and owns maintenance organizations in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia. It recently received approval from the Thai Department of Civil Aviation to maintain Thailandregistered aircraft. The company manages more than 150 aircraft, and offers services, such as a European emissions trading scheme management service, to other aircraft operators.

The Swiss-based group’s Jet Professionals subsidiary assists flight departments in staffing for flight crews, flight attendants and technicians. Jet Professionals has opened new offices in St. Louis and Houston, and will open a regional office in Hong Kong this year.

“The portfolio products we have serve a number of an aircraft operator’s needs,” Clare said. “We have aircraft management, we have the FBOs, we have Jet Professionals.” o the primary benefits of owning a jet. We have structured our programs at a price point similar to a 3-series BMW/C-Class Mercedes, 5-series BMW/E-Class Mercedes and a 7-series BMW/ S-Class Mercedes, so if you can afford to buy one of these cars, you can afford to fly a private jet,” said Phatak.

Invision currently has two operational Phenom 100s in its fleet. Of the six Phenoms 300s on order, the first is due to enter into service in late 2012.

Phatak said that in the future he would consider the Legacy 500 and 600 models, as commonality is a big consideration in his business model.

The certification of the Legacy 650 earlier this year in India makes all of Embraer’s executive jets eligible to fly there.

Reaction to the Legacy 650 in India has been positive following its display at the India Aviation Show this year, Jose Costas, vice president, marketing and sales, Embraer Executive Jets, Asia Pacific, told AIN. “As such, the Legacy 650 is not expected to replace any current model but presents our clients and prospects [in the Indian market] with greater options in terms of aircraft range,” he added. o

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news clips z Sauber F1 Team Flies Pilatus A Pilatus PC-12NG with special Formula 1 livery showing the Sauber C31 race car, will fly the Sauber F1 Team direct to the racetracks of Europe. On its first mission last weekend, it flew the eight-man team, plus team manager Peter Sauber, to the race in Spain, landing in Sabadell, a small aerodrome with a 3,300-foot runway close to the Barcelona circuit.

“One of the best features of the PC-12 is its ability to land on and take off from very short runways,” said Sauber. “It leaves us free to avoid the big, inefficient airports. We were back at the aircraft within a few minutes of the race finishing and airborne shortly afterward, thanks to the smooth air traffic control service.

We really can save a lot of time, and that obviously means greater efficiency and a better quality of life for our top management and chief engineers.”

z Branching Out: MEBAA Launches Regional Forums The Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) is looking to go local from next year. Ali Al Naqbi, founding chairman of the organization, confirmed here at the EBACE show that the association has chosen Beirut, Lebanon, as the site for the its first forum, in 2013.

“The market is growing at a remarkable rate,” explained Al Naqbi, “dovetailing a private sector that contributes 75 percent toward GDP. This regional forum will provide the perfect platform to discuss the emerging challenges and opportunities within the private aviation sector in Lebanon.”

The forum is expected to be supported by the government of Lebanon and involve direct participation from the Ministry of Transportation and the Lebanese General Civil Aviation Authority.

It will be held at the Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport.

MEBAA has not yet decided the dates for the event.

z Flight Display Offers High-def Cabin System Flight Display Systems (Stand 1932) is introducing its upgraded Select CMS Platinum cabin management system at EBACE. The U.S. company claims that, compared to the original Select CMS, the Platinum version offers higher quality, better reliability and lower costs, and it is easier to install.

The system provides high-definition with resolution up to 1080p on monitors from 5 to 55 inches. It also offers control through iPads, Android devices or any web browser. “We are expecting FAA parts manufacturer approval soon and have a large FAA STC project under way for the majority of this new equipment,” said David Gray, company president.

Separately, Flight Display Systems is endeavoring to make its European presence pay off. Under a new partnership, Parisbased Surfeo is becoming the firm’s representative for European customers. In parallel, Flight Display Systems has received a Part 145 maintenance approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency.

Olympics spurs growth at Cambridge Airport

by James Wynbrandt While London-area airports prepare for 2012 Olympics traffic, Cambridge Airport (Stand 780)–one of five regional facilities with 24/7 slot allocation for the event–is also looking well beyond, announcing here at the EBACE show a major expansion plan based on its proximity to the UK capital (an hour’s drive), access to Cambridge’s “Silicon Fen” and its room to grow (both space wise and in terms of having no cap on aircraft movements).

“We’re looking to invest 20 million pounds [$32.15 million] over the next five years to develop infrastructure and take advantage of all this green space,” said airport director Archie Garden, pointing to the south side of the airport in an aerial photo. “We are inviting synergistic businesses and aviation companies to come and talk with us if they are looking for a new UK base.” Garden is not interested in growth for growth’s sake, however, with a focus firmly on quality–a philosophy the airport believes will prove attractive to the business aviation community.

Owned by The Marshall Group, the airport is the headquarters of Marshall

Aerospace, so naturally Garden believes that aviation and aerospace tenants for the south side development could include those that can offer complementary maintenance or technical capability to the Marshall Group. High-tech and entrepreneurial companies seeking access to intellectual resources of the Cambridge academic community should also be good prospects, said Garden.

The first stage of the infrastructure development plan calls for building an access road and bringing electricity and drainage to the airport’s south side.

Ground breaking is scheduled for this July. Garden said the airport has the support of the two local councils that have jurisdiction over the property. The 6,447-foot/1,965-meter-long runway will also be rehabilitated as part of the initial development plan, and a new taxiway will be built on its south side As part of the overall expansion strategy, ExecuJet Europe took over operations of the airport’s FBO from Marshall Business Aviation on January 1. The airport now offers commercial airline services, with regional airline Blue Islands commencing

weekly flights to Jersey a few days ago. In addition, Danube Wings plans to offer twice-weekly service to Burgundy, France, starting this September.

The airport is also home to the Cambridge Flying Club, which has been operating Tiger Moth trainers at the facility for 75 years; development plans call for preserving their presence. “We believe that the general aviation community is very important for the future of aviation,” Garden said. However, the airport’s grass runway will be moved and likely shortened as the south side is developed.

A professional pilot training school, Melbourne, Floridabased Pilot Training College set up at Cambridge last year and will benefit from the investments made by “Marshalls” (as it is known in the industry) in having the latest navigation aids.

In addition to the future opportunities it is offering, airport officials say Cambridge Airport is an excellent alternative destination for today’s business jet travelers flying to and from the U.S., as the airport lies directly on the flight path to London, yet avoids the city’s busy airspace, which often sees aircraft holding in busy periods due to airport and airspace capacity constraints. o

Rizon Jet (Stand 2017), the Doha-based aircraft charter, management and MRO provider, has received EASA Part 145 and Cayman Islands maintenance approvals for its headquarters maintenance facility. The approval allows the company to offer all line and base maintenance and a full range of maintenance and overhaul packages for Challenger 604/605, Hawker 750/800XP/850XP/900XP and Bombardier Global BD-700 series business jets in Doha.

“Our team has worked very hard for this achievement and we are very proud to have obtained the certification,” said Hassan Al-Mousawi, CEO of the Rizon Jet Group. “As our presence in the European and the Middle Eastern markets continues to grow, the EASA repair station certification for the Doha MRO will provide additional capabilities and will allow us to better serve our European and Middle Eastern customer base.”

The EASA Part 145 approval complements the approval conferred on Rizon Jet’s UK operation at London’s Biggin Hill Airport in 2010. The company plans to add approvals this year for maintenance on aircraft registered in Aruba, Bermuda, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

DAVID McINTOSH

z Rizon Expands Repairs at Doha

LET US GATHER TOGETHER People the world over come to EBACE for all manner of reasons: industry professionals come to see the latest products, for sure, but also to reconnect with old associates and meet new ones. A walk through the hallways almost always reveals a familiar face...and sometimes, you just can’t resist reaching out to touch a rotor tip.

20 EBACE Convention News • May 16, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

news clips z CAE Extends Bombardier Approvals CAE (Stand 468) has announced it has become an authorized training provider for Bombardier’s Learjet 31 and Learjet 60, in addition to the Learjet 40XR, 45, 45XR, 60XR; Challenger 300, 604, 605; and Global 5000, Global Express and Global Express XRS business jets. Training for pilots ranges from classroom-based courses to level-D flight simulators.

The long-term authorized training provider agreement was cemented with Bombardier to allow the seamless transition of simulators and customers between Bombardier’s Dallas, Texas facility and CAE SimuFlite’s facility at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. “We will continue to work together to ensure our customers have the easiest possible access to world-class training,” said Leon Botteron, general manager, Bombardier aircraft training.

z Air Culinaire Warms Up Olympic Kitchen With record business-aviation traffic expected to descend on London for this summer’s 2012 Olympic Games, Air Culinaire (Stand 2366) is expanding its kitchen there to ensure it can keep pace with the anticipated demand for in-flight catering.

“With all the steps that go into preplanning a flight to the 2012 Olympic Games, such as slot reservations, parking and booking hotels, it’s easy to overlook the importance of preplanning inflight catering,” said Air Culinaire operations director Neil Pope.

In his view, operators should keep their complete schedule in mind when considering food and drink options.

Air Culinaire likes to review its clients’ entire itineraries. “For flights parked at outlying stations picking up passengers in London, it may be more efficient to have catering delivered to the crew before leaving to get the passengers, so it is available when the passengers are picked up,” said Pope.

“Or we can deliver directly to the passengers’ departure airport. We can facilitate whatever works for the individual operator’s schedule.”

Catering orders will likely peak during the Olympic closing ceremonies, advised Pope, who pointed out that aircraft will be trying to exit the country en masse over a 24- to 36-hour period.

z Q1 Gama Numbers Show Turboprop Rebound While the number of business jet deliveries and overall industry billings continued to slide in the first quarter of 2012, there was a minor retrenchment for the turboprop segment, according to numbers released late last week by the U.S. General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). For the first quarter of the year, OEMs handed over 122 bizjets, a decrease from the 128 they delivered in same period last year (a decline of 4.7 percent), while the number of turboprops rose by two year-over-year, representing a better than 3-percent gain. With a decrease from $3.68 billion to $3.39 billion, billings for the industry saw an 8-percent drop from the first three months of 2011.

“The first-quarter shipment data shows mixed performance across the segments,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce, who views a global lack of available financing as a continuing concern for the industry. “An important step forward would be for the U.S. Congress to quickly reauthorize the Export-Import Bank,” he said. “The lending authority of the bank spurs sales which are essential to revitalizing the manufacturing sector.”

ViaSat’s Yonder claims ‘fastest Internet’ status

by Thierry Dubois ViaSat (Stand 838) has said its Yonder Internet service is the fastest available for in-flight communications, with almost global coverage. Those regions still missing are to be added by 2014, according to the U.S. company.

Don Buchman, ViaSat’s director for mobile broadband systems, told AIN that so far the system has been certified for Bombardier Global series and Challenger 604; Cessna Citation X; Gulfstream large-cabin; and Boeing BBJs. Development is under way for the Challenger 605, the Global 7000/8000 and the Gulfstream G650. He said the company’s next target business-jet manufacturers are Dassault Falcon and Embraer, while the company is also considering bizliners such as Airbus A340s and Boeing 747s.

Today, some 200 civil business jets are flying with Yonder, in addition to 200 government jets. The current growth pace is close to six installations per month, Buchman said. OEMs and MRO service providers actually perform the installation work.

Yonder’s typical data rates are between one and two megabits per second. The service uses geosynchronized satellites in the Ku-band from several providers, such as Eutelsat.

The current coverage gaps that will be filled within two years, Buchman said, will start with China and Russia and continue with Canada and small

Unlimited Data Plan

One feature worth noting is the charging structure. Yonder sells for a monthly fee in the $6,000 to $8,000 bracket, with the precise amount depending on the length of time for which the customer subscribes.

The fee includes an unlimited amount of data. Some applications, such as watching a movie via video streaming, are banned but Buchman said Yonder is fine for watching short videos

Grand New ok’d

by EASA for GPS approaches AgustaWestland’s Grand New helicopter has received European certification for conducting area navigation (Rnav), global satellite navigation (GNSS) and vertical approach guidance (SBAS/LPV) approaches. The AW109 family member is the first helicopter to receive these approvals from the European Aviation Safety Agency.

The Grand New also is the first light twin to enter service with a new electronic flight

information system featuring synthetic vision. Additionally, it is the first helicopter in this class on the market fully compliant with the latest advanced global positioning system-based navigation requirements for the kind of all weather operations that emergency services who rely on the craft demand.

AgustaWestland holds orders for more than 300 helicopters from the Grand series with more than 190 customers in 40 countries worldwide. The helicopters are slated to be VIP/corporate transport, passenger transport, EMS/SAR, harbor pilot shuttles, maritime patrol and water pollution monitors. –A.L.

‘I’ll take a half dozen, please’ Alan Smith, CEO of Hawker Pacific, second from right, signed an order here at EBACE for six Hawker Beechcraft (HBC) King Air 350i turboprops. Joining the handshake are, left to right, Dan Keady, HBC's v-p of sales for Asia Pacific and India; Shawn Vick, HBC executive v-p; and Sean McGeough, HBC president, Europe, Middle East, n Africa and Asia Pacific DAVID McINTOSH

z Jet Aviation Gets STC for Falcon 2000 Satnav Jet Aviation has received a European supplemental type certificate (STC) to install Aircell’s Aviator 200 system on the Dassault Falcon 2000LX. The Aviator 200 enables near-global email and voice capabilities via Inmarsat’s satellite-based SwiftBroadband service powered by Thrane & Thrane. A complete package costs $60,000, including installation.

The STC is available for a nominal fee, and is applicable for other Falcon 2000 models. Simplified installation requirements make it an economic solution for operation in multiple regions, said John Wade, Aircell’s executive vice president and general manager.

parts of Africa and Europe.

Southern oceans won’t be covered, apart from around Australia and New Zealand. “There is not a lot of demand for southern oceans,” said Buchman, who added that the Poles would not be covered.

Average users total about two gigabits per month. ViaSat controls the data rate during peak demand times to avoid one aircraft leaving too small a data rate for the others. A peak can be reached somewhere between 50 and 100 aircraft in one beam region; ViaSat’s coverage uses a 15-beam structure.

Buchman said he hopes that in five to 10 years enough Ka-band satellites will have been launched (his company has already launched some) to offer higher speeds on a global basis. This could be up to 12 mbps. He added that within three years improvements in the available Ku-band satellites and ViaSat’s ground infrastructure should allow an increase to 4 mbps.

Installation costs are between $400,000 and $700,000, Buchman said, depending on the servers, routers and so forth that the customer chooses to integrate. The basic VMT-1500 equipment for reception just weighs 32 pounds. o

22 EBACE Convention News • May 16, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

NetJets Europe delves into management role

eleven cessna skyhawks bound for russia Eleven Cessna 172S Skyhawks are headed to ViraZH for pilot training duty in Russia. Celebrating the deal are, left to right: Peter Griffith, Cessna’s sales director, Europe, Middle East and Africa; Jodi Noah, senior v-p singleengine/propeller; Kriya Shortt, v-p of sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa; Vladimir Borisov, Russian aviation entrepreneur; and Pana Poulios, Cessna’s sales director, Europe, Russia and CIS.

Andrew Winch Designs sets a signature brand

by Neelam Mathews London-based Andrew Winch Designs is well on its way to establishing its brand in the aviation sector, having worked on 12 completions and two refurbishments in the past decade. The company will end the year with the delivery of an ACJ, A340 and a BBJ2 (based on the 737-800), Jim Dixon, Andrew Winch’s director and head of the aviation design department, told AIN here at the show yesterday. The company also expects to deliver two more next year.

Stringent certification requirements are making aviation design more challenging and restrictive, said Dixon, who added that regulations often are made while a design is under way, leading to upheaval in the design studio. He cited the example of a rule change three years ago on materials that stipulated the use of polycarbonates (such as Lexan) in place of glass. “We had already bought the lamps [for the A340] off the shelf and had to back track and create lamps in the certified material. This resulted in loss of time and money for the client,” he said. The aircraft was delivered to Jet Aviation 10 days ago, he said.

In other areas, too, stricter materials specifications have made the company turn to carbon fiber on details including chair designs.

Although trends and technology change with time, cultural influences remain, observed Dixon. A Lufthansa Technikled Boeing BBJ2 project for a

Middle East client, for instance, used cream-and-blue interiors– colors popular in the region. A Russian client, however, wanted a design with a more classical influence incorporating heavier and darker colors. Meanwhile, a Boeing 787 the company is working on with Lufthansa “has a clean, futuristic design, with cream, blue and black dramatic colors,” said Dixon.

“For the exterior, some clients prefer a good ramp presence, so they get fluorescent sparkle, though this is difficult to apply and maintain, but others prefer to be discreet,” said Dixon. “One thing is clear: all clients want

uniqueness in the design.” As clients get younger–as young as their early 30s–they look for more contemporary designs, he added.

New technology in the past two years has speeded up work. “A 3-D print of even a door handle is possible,” said Dixon. “On the userside, we have technology like the iPad: in the last three completions we used iPad-intuitive cabin controls for everything from lighting, to seats, to window shades.”

Security is also a major consideration for business aircraft owners.

Dixon said, increasingly, high-networth individuals want high-level security systems and cameras incorporated into the design. He also said branding is trendy in the world of corporate aviation. “Clients want to make statements with their aircraft and want a brand signature that is recognizable on the open market, like Eurocopter’s ‘Helicopter by Hermes.’ It’s all about reflecting a lifestyle,” he concluded. o

DAVID McINTOSH

MARK WAGNER

Fractional ownership giant to those types that are most in NetJets Europe (Stand 7051) is demand in the fractional secdiversifying into aircraft man- tor: the Falcon 2000 and 7X, agement services. In an interview Gulfstream G550 and Global with AIN, sales director Marine 6000. Finally, it may welcome Eugene explained that NetJets a smaller aircraft like a Cessna Aircraft Management has been Citation Bravo if the owner, in established as a separate opera- addition to inking a managetion and will soon have its own ment contract, buys a share in a air operator’s certificate (AOC). fractional program.

It will focus on large-cabin and NetJets has long been in the long-range business jets, from management business in the the size of the Dassault Falcon U.S., and in Europe it already 2000 upwards. has a handful of aircraft under The management services management contracts. For the will include flight planning, next 12 months, managed airhangarage and maintenance. craft will operate under its existNetJets is also taking care of ing Portugal-based AOC, which crew hiring and training, but should change when the second Eugene made it clear that its AOC comes on line. fractional fleet crew will not Europe’s Fractional Fleet operate managed aircraft, and vice versa. It will charge Separately, NetJets Europe a monthly management fee currently has more than 130 based on a proaircraft in its fracjected number of tional ownership annual flight hours. fleet. The next The owner of a types expected to NetJets-managed join the fleet are aircraft will be given long-range Bomthe option to make bardier Global it available for the 6000s (beginning fractional busilate this year or ness, which will give early next year) and NetJets additional Embraer Phenom capacity without 300 light jets. The buying aircraft. latter aircrafts’ According to delivery schedule is Eugene, this is not Marine Eugene, NetJets Europe not yet firm. sales director, explained how the main goal of taking on aircraft management The company the new program, will serve not only management employs 1,500 perwhich primarily clients but also NetJets’ sonnel in Europe is a way to engage fractional owners. for its fractional with prospective program. Will it customers who wish to join hire more for NetJets Aircraft the fractional ownership pro- Management? “Most positions gram but are not in a position will be filled internally,” Eugene to do so. “Some aircraft own- answered, although non-NetJets ers come to us and tell us they pilots may be recruited. wish they had not bought their Last year it closed its jet [and that] they’d like to sell NetJets Middle East venit, but market conditions are ture, but in March the comdifficult right now. We don’t pany announced plans to want to cut this conversation,” launch management and she explained. charter services in China.

The managed aircraft will be So what’s happening to fracbased at the owner’s preferred tional ownership? “Fractional location. NetJets will advise is still very much here,” replied the customer on the number of Eugene. “The ongoing downcrew they need, depending on turn is making its benefits how often and how far they fly. even clearer; the possibility The customer will benefit from to buy a share is such a powNetJets’ negotiated prices for erful argument against buyfuel, handling services and other ing the whole aircraft. Many aspects of its service. of our customers are increasThe company is not inter- ingly traveling to emerging ested in all aircraft types and countries, compared to four will manage only those it already years ago. Today’s economy operates. It also is giving priority validates the model.” o

MARK WAGNER

by Thierry Dubois

step right up Internet shopping has its place, but trade shows such as EBACE allow potential customers to touch and feel the merchandise up close.

www.ainonline.com • May 16, 2012 • EBACE Convention News 23

news clips Saab Electronic Defense Systems is introducing Rigs, a lightweight, compact, enhanced-vision product for business aircraft and helicopters that can display navigation, attitude, flight, reticle and video information to the crew in a head-up display (HUD) presentation. Its open-system architecture makes Rigs ideal for integration into a variety of forward-looking infrared, flight data display and avionics suites.

Rigs conforms to European technical standard order requirements applicable to HUDs for transport aircraft, as well as night-vision-goggle requirements. It can be used simultaneously with NVG and the information can be presented in either red or green, depending on the flight application. Rigs can accept any EVS video format, including infrared.

A key specification for Rigs was that it be complete and compact. It was designed to be installed either as original equipment or as a retrofit, and can be as a standalone system or integrated with the aircraft’s existing avionics. Connections include Arinc 429, RS422, Ethernet, video input, SMPTE 170M and discrete mode. Installation variations include mounting above and forward of the pilot’s heads or atop the aircraft glare shield.

Saab (Stand 1757) has rigorously tested the Rigs system in a Eurocopter AS350 during day, night and adverse weather conditions.

z Goodrich Offers ‘Total Cabin Capability’ Goodrich (Stand 539) is offering a service called “Total Cabin Capability,” which includes service and support for its customers. The U.S. company’s newest products on display in cabin interiors include VIP seats, interior and exterior lighting, veneers, cabinetry, in-flight entertainment systems and cabin management systems.

z Swedes Launch Cloudbase Planner Software Swedish start-up Cloudbase (Stand 2205) is here at the EBACE show launching its new flight scheduling software. The Cloudbase software targets small-to-midsize business aircraft operators. Easier work sharing and better pilot involvement in the planning process are its main claimed benefits, making for greater simplicity and efficiency in operations. Cloudbase is being offered for a monthly fee, without any installation or update charges.

z Microturbo Starts Testing APU for AW189 Turbomeca subsidiary Microturbo (Stand 1543) has completed the first flight tests of its new auxiliary power unit (APU) for the AgustaWestland AW189 helicopter. In-flight start has been demonstrated already, and the test unit has also successfully restarted one of the main engines in flight. “The e-APU60 is performing accordingly with our ambitious goals,” said Pierre-Yves Morvan, Microturbo’s CEO. In parallel, the e-APU60’s certification program is progressing well, too, said the Toulouse-based company. Two additional APUs will join the five that have already undergone trials.

Certification is expected by May 2013.

The new APU is being promoted for its compactness. It is 16.5-inches long yet can supply up to 60 kW of electrical power.

It has been designed to meet “more-electric” architectures in business aircraft, where more systems are migrating from hydraulics to electrical thus increasing the demand for power.

Turbomeca’s e-APU60

MARK WAGNER

z Saab Presents Rigs, a Multi-faceted HUD

rolls-royce authorizes jet aviation st. louis for Br710 Operators of Rolls-Royce's BR710 turbofan, which powers widebody business jets from Gulfstream and Bombardier, can now have their engines serviced at Jet Aviation St. Louis. Holding the plaque here at EBACE are: Todd Chambers, left, Rolls-Royce North America director of customer services, corporate aircraft; and Charles Krugh, n senior v-p and general manager at Jet Aviation St. Louis.

Seca launches Gems engine management plan

by Amy Laboda Seca has launched its Global Engine Management Service (Gems), which is designed to support business aviation operators with services ranging from simple powerplant support to MRO, on-site consultation and maintenance, rental engines, and even purchase and sales support. Contracts for Gems can be pay-by-the-hour, by-the-event or time-and-materials–the operators decide what works best for them, said the company.

The French company’s parent group, Vector Aerospace (Stand 1332), became part of the EADS subsidiary Eurocopter in 2011, creating a host of unique opportunities for the development of markets and products, according to Fabrice Dumas, president and CEO of Seca.

“Gems is important because it is the first type of collaboration we are having with Vector Aerospace,” Dumas told a press conference at the EBACE show yesterday. “It is a way to extend our power and make our reach worldwide. When we are combined with Vector, Canada; Vector, UK; and our facilities in South Africa, Australia, Asia and Brazil we can cover the world as a team. Our capabilities

24 EBACE Convention News • May 16, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

are extended because of the merger, and that benefits our customers. We have 60 people ready to travel to the customer to help with engine issues.”

Jeff Poirier, president of Vector Aerospace Engine ServicesAtlantic, explained, “We offer a wide range of engine services, from basic off-wing maintenance and specific programs to complete fleet management for regional airline and businessand general-aviation operators around the globe.”

The Gems program will be widely accessible from Seca/Vector Aerospace’s repair and overhaul service centers around the world.

It will also be augmented by its mobile repair team, which handles aircraft-on-the-ground situations.

Seca/Vector Aerospace specializes in engine overhaul, including Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6, PW100 and PW300 and JT15D series engines; Rolls-Royce T56/501Ds; and Honeywell TFE731s and ALF 502/LF507s. o

Fabrice Dumas, president and CEO of SECA, announced a new service plan.

Denmark’s Air Alsie adds new falcon 7X Danish aircraft management company Air Alsie has added a straightfrom-the-factory Dassault Falcon 7X to its fleet, which now numbers 20 aircraft. The addition increases the number of 7Xs the company manages to four; they join 11 Falcon 2000s.

On May 3, Air Alsie opened an FBO at Denmark’s Billund Airport. The facility includes upgraded VIP passenger-handling capacity, heated space for aircraft as well as a heated car park, aircraft wash, internal aircraft cleaning and various other aircraft services.

Air Alsie holds European Part 145 approval and is certified for maintenance on Citation C525s, C525As, HS125s, Falcon F2000/EX/LXs and the 7X. It is a Sandma Holding subsidiary headquartered at Sonderborg Airport, Denmark.

–A.L.

Ontic aims to keep parts available

by Matt Thurber BBA Aviation’s Ontic division is rapidly developing a new source of growth: the support of legacy electronics products.

Ontic is an aerospace manufacturer that focuses on making

parts and components that other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) don’t want to make or can’t make efficiently anymore.

The U.S. company also operates repair stations to support the

products that it makes.

Ontic manufactures parts and complex assemblies under license from the OEM that originally made the product. In some cases, the OEM can’t afford to

Trouble-shooting and repairing the wireless smoke detection system for the Boeing 737 is Ontic electronics technician Varoujan Khachoo.

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keep making those parts, preferring to apply those resources to more remunerative and highermargin products. Or the volume of those parts has dropped so low that it is impossible to make and support them efficiently, yet there remain actively flying aircraft that need those parts.

The company does not compete with OEMs, although it is an OEM itself and complies with all of the quality standards and processes that apply to any aerospace manufacturer.

“We focus on keeping parts producible and sustainable, but also product support,” said Robert Sadler, director of marketing and licensor relations.

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Ontic either makes parts and components for OEMs or simply acquires the product line and then supports those products as long as there is a viable market. Its main lines of business include environmental control systems, control and actuation, hydraulics, electronics, avionics, pneumatics, heat transfer, electric power and fuel controls.

Some typical business aviation products include Honeywell TFE731 electronic engine controls, Bombardier Challenger trim tab actuators and Hawker fuel quantity probes.

About a year ago, Ontic (Stand 827) began strengthening its electronics manufacturing and support capabilities by building a new electronics lab at its Chatsworth, California headquarters. In March 2011, it bought GE Aviation’s fuel measurement business, which also boosted its electronics capabilities by adding facilities in Slough and Cheltenham, UK. It is also building a new facility next to BBA Engine Repair & Overhaul’s new facility in Singapore.

Electronics components fit into four generational catego­ ries, according to Ontic president Peg Billson. The first generation was the vacuum tube era; later, in the 1960s and 1970s, OEMs began installing second-generation computers on aircraft; the

26 EBACE Convention News • May 16, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Working on capacitance probes on the fuel quantity indicator system for the Airbus A320 are Ontic’s electronics lead Pedro Paiva and electronic technician Sigfredo Mendoza.

Ontic keeps parts available uContinued from page 26

third generation added integrated circuits and software; and finally digital circuits and embedded software represent the fourth generation–the modern age. The GE fuel systems business is mostly third-generation software and hardware.

Billson told AIN, “A generation-four needs different support than a generation-one. You have to understand the nuances of the different generations.”

Many of these electronic systems are still flying on a variety of older and even modern

aircraft, giving Ontic the ability to target the spares market for fleets already flying and for new aircraft as well.

The addition of the dedicated electronics lab, which opened about six months ago, is big business for the company.

In 2010, electronics manufacturing and support represented just 3 percent of revenues, and after the GE acquisition that number climbed to 30 percent. “Our vision is that electronics can and should be 50 percent of our portfolio,” Billson said.

The electronics business represents another challenge for the company, however: dealing with components that require software

to operate. “We must be ready for that,” she said. “But one of the capabilities that Ontic is expert at is sorting out the unknown.”

Ontic isn’t concerned about the volume of products that are involved in a particular program and makes its services available to any customer, regardless of size.

Parts are always made in cooperation with the OEM that owns the intellectual property underpinning the product, but they also carry an Ontic nameplate. The company can supply the parts to the OEM, which then installs them on new aircraft, distribute them to customers, or supply them directly to the aftermarket.

This includes obtaining the necessary parts manufacturer approval (PMA) certification so it can ship parts directly to end-users.

The company currently is licensed to make nearly 4,000 LRUs, which use up to one million discrete parts.

Another advantage Ontic offers to OEMs is the ability to store inventory. When evaluating a program, its “procurement detectives” and “forensic engineers” look at the OEM’s demand for the component and the aftermarket. This includes

evaluating the sales, inventory and planning process for making the item.

“We’re balancing how best to supply it,” Billson said. Ontic, for example, can make money from both a large batch-production process or by making a complex item in small numbers and keeping them in inventory.

OEMs typically make parts and

Flightworx introduces web support Flight support solution provider Flightworx Aviation (Stand 2347) is launching a new webbased flight support platform, www.iView.aero, at this year’s EBACE show.

The iView.aero program allows pilots to interact with the company’s flight operations f­unction to obtain information on flight bookings and progress in real time. Pilots can also retrieve instant fuel prices from the Flightworx fuel-shopping program for any location worldwide.

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28 EBACE Convention News • May 16, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

components in large continuous-flow processes that can’t be scaled down efficiently; maintaining inventory is costly and not their goal.

In Ontic’s view, it isn’t a matter of simply being more efficient than an OEM, rather it has to ensure that it is delivering the same level of quality in what it produces. o The portal iView can interact across the spectrum of the flight operation from preflight, to in-flight and postflight activities. Flight crews can download their flight program documents and materials such as crew briefs, fuel releases and customs forms.

Flightworx said the system can deliver a full commercial activity program and can compute European Union emissions trading scheme report data.

Founded in 2008, UK-based Flightworx specializes in flight planning, permits, fuel supply and associated concierge elements of business aviation flights. It has a 24/7 operations center at Earls Colne airfield northeast of London. o

by James Wynbrandt While business aircraft operators tear their hair out trying to comply with the European Union’s controversial emissions trading scheme, the issue is threatening to escalate into a full-blown trade war. But an EBACE panel on ETS here in Geneva yesterday heard that the EU appears to have no intention of backing down, with the discussion underscoring the vast gulf between the aims of the carbon cap-and-trade policy and the realities of compliance.

“What used to be an environmental mission has become a worldwide trade war,” TAG Aviation’s EU-ETS fuel manager Marina Becher told the panel. She noted that as many as 140 countries outside the EU have threatened economic retaliation against what she referred to as Europe’s “authoritarian

paying for emissions, they do not remove monitoring and reporting requirements.

Rubarte noted that Eurocontrol, Europe’s central air traffic control agency, offers a “small emitter’s tool” that provides simplified supporting documentation that automates, simplifies and lowers the cost of compliance. She acknowledged that “some third countries continue to express concerns with the EU law,” despite the fact that the European Court of Justice itself ruled last December that the policy was fully compatible with international law.

Becher cataloged a host of obstacles that made business aviation operators’ compliance an expensive and timeconsuming, if not impossible, toil. These include a lack of harmonization of rules within the EU, the absence of assistance to help operators comply with their obligations and the fact that the private entities charged with verifying aircraft operations are not qualified to discharge their duties.

DAVID McINTOSH

Discrimination

Yolanda Villar Rubarte, DG Climate Action for the European Commission, told EBACE attendees that EU member policies on noncompliance on emissions trading rules ranged from taking no action to “confiscation and seizure of an aircraft.”

carbon pricing” and noted that business aviation operates the “youngest and most efficient fleet of aircraft worldwide– already a great commitment to the environment.”

Moderated by Guy Visele, a legal advisor to the European Business Aviation Association and chairman of IBAC’s Environmental Issues Working Group, the panel also included Yolanda Villar Rubarte, DG Climate Action for the European Commission; Steve Brown, senior v-p, NBAA; and Andrew Watt, head of the Environmental Unit of Eurocontrol.

Though the ETS rules exempt some business- and general-aviation aircraft from

NBAA’s Brown brought the perspective of non-European operators. He said EU-ETS compliance questions were the number-one subject of inquiries from members, and that, overall, NBAA members had come to five key conclusions about the rule: “First, it’s very complicated; second, when they look at the difference between commercial and private operations, it’s very clear it’s a discriminatory protocol; third, it’s extraterritorial and doesn’t apply in European airspace alone but outside, notwithstanding the European Court ruling; fourth, the reality is, whatever funds are collected by the EU from this policy would not be dedicated to aviation research and improving the environment or climate mitigation; fifth, it’s not sustainable as a global approach.”

Brown continued, “We would hope that Europe and the European Union would join with 140 other nations of the world and really have a multilateral discussion of the best way to have a global scheme.” Noting that the EU intends to reopen the issue in 2014, he said, “It isn’t clear why it can’t be done

Two twins still stuck in chocks uContinued from page 1

The third, in a disassembled form, has served a production assessment.

Apparently one sticking point has been estimating the cost of certification for a new derivative development. The company’s engineers have performed the bulk of the work, a source close to the project told

AIN, while a Daher spokesman said his company is “actively working on the project to meet the economic, market and technical conditions for a program launch.”

Therefore, he told AIN, no time frame has been set.

Other options, including a clean-sheet development, remain on the table. This could still be a twin-turboprop. However, according to previous statements, Daher would rather find partners than go it alone. o

Aircraft Seizure

Rubarte, asked about the penalties operators faced for failure to comply, said that EU members each had penalties, but “we have to be sure that the cost of compliance is not greater than the cost of noncompliance.”

However, each EU member has its own statutes, penalties and policies, ranging from taking no action or granting of a grace period to “confiscation and seizure of an aircraft.”

Some audience members, instead of posing a question, simply commented on what they saw as the intractability of the looming confrontation. One U.S.-based aviation attorney said, “I tell clients to ignore the process because it’s never going to be implemented.”

EBAA’s Visele had the last word: “EU-ETS is the law. We have to try to comply.”

Attention turns now to ICAO, which is taking up the subject of finding a global solution to aviation’s carbon emissions, one that the EU may recognize over its own. As Rubarte said during her presentation, “The EU is committed to working bilaterally and multilaterally to move forward.”

But it is ICAO’s fruitless procrastination on the issue that provoked the EU’s unilateral action on ETS in the first place.

With operators required to account for their first full year of emissions in March 2013, the political clock is ticking and it remains to be seen whether ETS’s opponents will follow through with the threats they have made. o

DAVID McINTOSH

EU showing no signs of backing off on ETS

now instead of some arbitrary time in the future.”

Andrew Watt of Eurocontrol, picking up on Rubarte’s comments about the “smallemitter’s tool” and other support offered, said his agency has been approached by very few operators to avail themselves of his agency’s assistance, which he attributed to Eurocontrol’s lack of marketing savvy, owing to its civil-service DNA. He took his time at the podium as an opportunity to reverse that situation, highlighting the data Eurocontrol collected and its ability to accurately estimate carbon emissions of individual aircraft on each flight. However, the charts and data he presented instead underscored the haphazard nature of EU airspace and of its organization, perhaps only cementing for attendees the impression of the unworkability of the EUETS system.

The halls were alive, with the sound of...airplane talk. Organizers count this year’s EBACE show in the “success” column by almost every measure.

Bust illegal charter pilots? uContinued from page 1

to have made little headway against widespread abuses.

Since then, actual numbers of illegal operators caught in the act have been extremely low.

In the UK, for example, there were no prosecutions last year, despite the country being one of the three biggest users of private aviation in the EU. There are several reasons why. First, it is virtually impossible to check which flights are operating commercially without a valid air operator’s certificate (AOC). More pertinently, European laws are so complex that many people do not even realize they are breaking the law. For example, swapping a hotel room for a seat on a flight would render the trip illegal in some states if it were operated under Part 91 regulations.

Even the regulators are confused. Maxime Coffin, of the France’s DGAC aviation authority, said, “We need to clarify the rules and market them more aggressively, so the jump is not so great between private and commercial flights.”

To that end, last year EBAA compiled a document called,

“Is my flight legal?” that stipulates which activities fall within the realm of permissible flights in Europe.

Electronic brokerage Avinode marketplace managing director Oliver King suggested better data collection might help: “If we can integrate an electronic system with flight schedules, we’ll know when an illegal flight has been flown,” he said. Today, any aircraft on Avinode’s system must have a valid AOC before the software will display it.

Other suggestions from the panel and the floor included implementing more stringent rules for ramp checks. Any noncompliant aircraft would be grounded. If it were found to be operating illegally, its home authority might suspend or revoke the operator’s AOC. EASA Rulemaking Directorate air operations officer Willy Sigl said that rather than the burden of proof remaining with the authority, it should go to the operator.

So should that low-hour pilot sacrifice his or her license for a cheap flight for his customers? That was one seemingly extreme proposal here in Geneva yesterday, but maybe that’s what it would take to tip the balance in the favor of legal operators. o

www.ainonline.com • May 16, 2012 • EBACE Convention News 29

z Fargo Airport Has New Customs Facilities A new 3,600-sq-ft customs-clearance facility has been constructed at Hector International Airport in Fargo, North Dakota, on the north general aviation ramp between two of Fargo Jet Center’s main hangars. It is equipped with the latest technology to expedite U.S. Customs clearances and improve the experience for international passengers. Fargo Jet Center is exhibiting here at EBACE (Stand 456).

z Saudia Signs Up Aviation Horizons at Jeddah Saudi Arabia’s first private jet operator, Saudia Private Aviation (Stand 749), and Aviation Horizons, have signed a letter of intent to provide ground-handling services in Jeddah.

The agreement was signed here at the EBACE show with the participation of (left to right): Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saddik Saudia’s general manager for commercial affairs; Mohammed Al Bokhair, CEO of Aviation Horizons; Wajdi Al-Idrissi, Saudia managing director; Nabil Al Saleh, general consul of Saudi Arabia in Switzerland; and Fahad Al Rashid, manager of Saudia’s Dammam facility.

z Satcom Direct Goes International Satcom Direct (Stand 867) is expanding its reach by opening an international facility in the United Kingdom. Its offices will be located inside Hangar 2 at TAG Farnborough Airport in the UK and will include an advanced avionics testing lab, training facility and support services for pilots, flight operations and maintenance staff that use the company’s suite of satellite voice, fax, data link and Internet communications services. The company expects to open the office June 21.

z Bell Delivers Six of the Best Helicopters Bell Helicopters (Stand 7091) has delivered six of its newest aircraft–Bell 407GX and Bell 429–in Europe and Ukraine, it announced at EBACE. “The Bell 407GX is attracting interest from corporate, private and utility operators due to its speed, range and state-of-the-art Garmin G100H flight deck, which maximizes pilot situational awareness,” said Danny Maldonado, executive vice president of commercial sales and marketing. Bell is showcasing the 429 outfitted for corporate missions at EBACE. The aircraft is midway through a European demo tour. Upcoming stops include Belgium, Czech Republic, UK and Serbia.

z Eurojet Opens UK Bizav Center at Birmingham Eurojet Aviation has opened a 41,000-sq-ft building at Birmingham Airport in the UK, ready to play its part servicing the upcoming onslaught of travelers arriving for the 2012 London Olympics. The building is equipped with a maintenance hangar specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Cessna Citation family. Eurojet has recently been designated an authorized Cessna Citation Service Center.

The FBO is set over two floors with views of the airport. Flight crew have a dedicated crew lounge, kitchen and snooze room.

The FBO has joined the growing AvFuel network, so crew can benefit through that company’s promotions as well. Passengers can relax in spacious lounges and be attended to with signature Eurojet customer service, according to the company’s managing director, Graeme Campbell.

“Our objective for the Eurojet Business Aviation Centre at Birmingham was simple–to create one of the finest privateaviation handling and maintenance facilities in Europe. With the support of the airport, Cessna and our other service partners, we have achieved this,” said Campbell. “With the London Olympics only weeks away we are confident that this facility, located so centrally, with road and rail links to London, provides a viable option when traveling to the capital [London] this summer.”

Aircare’s Facts training now available in Europe

by Ian Goold Aircare Solutions Group’s training courses in crewmember emergency procedures are now available to business-aircraft operators, pilots, flight attendants, maintenance technicians and flight engineers based in Europe. Announced at last year’s EBACE show, the Aircare Facts Training program is provided through regularly scheduled safety events at a fixed-base training center in Amsterdam, where six such courses are planned for this year.

The initiative comes as many business-aircraft operators are re-evaluating whether to train in-house or to contract a third-party service, according to Aircare Solutions (Stand 468) business development and marketing vice president Martin Hamilton. He said key considerations are quality of training, operators’ investments in time and cost, and the value of learning crew-resource management techniques “away from their comfort zone.”

With no such training offered in Europe (outside the commercial airline industry), Hamilton said business aviation operators in the region need to be educated about the specific application of the service, which was “established practice” in the U.S. Meet Government Specs

Aircare Facts Training, one of several specialist business units in the group, offers classroom instruction combined with practical equipment drills. The courses are claimed to meet FAA Part 135, EU-OPS, CAR 604 and IS-BAO emergency-procedures training standards.

Other Aircare Solutions Group divisions include Aircare Access Assistance (telemedical help and support), Aircare Crews (permanent and temporary employee staffing services) and Majestic Aerotech (an FAA Part 145 equipment repair station).

The new Aircare Amsterdam business-aviation training center near Schiphol Airport provides an indoor cabin simulator equipped for training in emergency procedures for land evacuations, preparation

30 EBACE Convention News • May 16, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

for water ditching, in-flight smoke and fire, on-board medical emergencies, handling of hazardous materials and hypoxia awareness.

More than 50 such courses take place annually at Aircare’s three U.S. centers and other businessaviation locations.

Last year, Aircare Facts Training added the first of three planned mobile cabin-fire trainers to its fleet of emergency procedures simulators and water egress

“dunkers.” The units permit business-aircraft crewmembers to experience in-flight fire fighting in a representative enclosed environment in which smoke and live fire are introduced from three separate locations: an enclosed lavatory, a galley and a cabin divan seating area. Crewmembers use smoke hoods, protective gear and fire extinguishers to combat fire in these spaces.

A recent Aircare innovation is introduction of the FireSock, which has been designed to help manage risk from fires involving lithium-battery-operated appliances aboard business aircraft.

The product comprises a fireproof containment bag in which to transport such equipment. o

MARK WAGNER

news clips

Jim Allmon, Blackhawk CEO; Cisca de Lange, Blackhawk Director Africa with Martin Banner, CEO, National Airways Corp., South Africa.

Blackhawk Closes Zimbabwe Deal Blackhawk (Stand 483) has closed a deal for another XP42 (PT6A42) King Air aircraft upgrade here at EBACE 2012. The modification company is one of the largest non-OEM buyers of new Pratt & Whitney turboprop engines in the world. The lucky King Air scheduled for a facelift and performance boost is BB-748, operated by Halsted Aviation of Zimbabwe. Beechcraft Service Center National Airways, based at Lanseria Airport, South Africa, will install the PT6A-42 engines to replace and upgrade the aircraft’s original engines, thereby improving its climb rate, n fuel specifics, single-engine service ceiling and true airspeed.

CFM selects comprehensive software suite Component Control, an MRO and logistics software developer, announced at EBACE that Corporate Flight Management (CFM) of Smyrna, Tennessee, has selected its Quantum Control software solution for its maintenance and repair operations.

CFM operates 35 aircraft and offers aircraft charter, management and MRO services for both the private and commercial aviation markets.

The flagship product of San Diego, California-based Component Control (Stand 954), Quantum Control will be used by CFM to assist with all MRO activity and process

management, including inventory management, work-order and technician-time tracking.

Its StockMarket module allows companies to post real-time updates about inventory and capabilities to StockMarket.aero, a free online listing service for aviation parts and services.

“We chose Quantum because of the product scalability, the seamless integration of StockMarket.aero, and the product’s reputation as the industry standard for MRO,” said Leon Custers, CFM president and COO. “As our operations become more complex, Quantum’s versatility will support our needs and keep our operational data synchronized across the company at all times,” he added. “We expect to see a significant increase in efficiency and a reduction in operational costs across the board.” –J.W.

How to get those tough EFB choices right Few product categories in aviation hold more promise or engender more confusion than electronic flight bags (EFBs), and few venues provide a better opportunity to sort out fact from fiction than here at EBACE. Copenhagen-based International Flight Support (IFS, Stand 2303) is among the exhibitors ready to provide attendees with guidance on EFB solutions.

“The biggest mistake often seen is that the EFB decision-making process is driven either by hardware or Class type considerations instead of by functionality,” said Jens Pisarski, IFS COO and vice president of sales and marketing. “The first step in the EFB selection process should be for the operator to determine which of its current company

EFB future,” said Pisarski. “If the only functionality required is a simple document reader and nothing else, then it might not be important to consider how the selected application integrates with other functionalities. However, what appears to be a short-term savings could be very costly in the long run if the operator ever decides to move forward with additional functionalities.”

IFS has been working with in-cockpit flight operational calculations since it created a software solution for the takeoff distance calculations and landing distance calculations upon its founding in 2001.

“When the tablets came along it was natural for us to create a Class I and II EFB software solution for Windows-based units, and with the birth of the

DAVID McINTOSH

by James Wynbrandt

EUROPE GETS BRIEF GLIMPSE OF NEW GULFSTREAM The new Gulfstream G650 was one of two new models from the U.S. manufacturer that made a full international debut here at the 2012 EBACE show. It made an unexpected hop across the Atlantic Ocean to bask in the n Geneva sun before returning to complete certification testing. Also on show was the smaller G280.

AirGlide coatings can cut fuel burn by 4 percent

functionalities and/or business processes need to be converted from paper to digital format, and in which steps.”

Introduced in the late 1990s, EFBs hold the promise of automating cockpit functions, reducing time and costs, and improving efficiency and safety of flight operations. But flight crews and operators are often focused on simplifying manual operations, such as performing weight-and-balance calculations, without considering the bigger picture of flight department objectives and needs, according to IFS. “The way forward is to select the right foundation for one’s

iPad we created a fully integrated iPad OS EFB version,” Pisarski said.

IFS’s solution, the paperless flight bag (PFB), can be connected to a variety of backend systems to power the EFB platform, from flightplanning providers and field performance calculation providers to route manual (chart) providers, as well as scheduling and crew-planning systems. “Our goal is to share this knowledge with those interested in moving forward toward the ultimate goal, the paperless cockpit, and not least, a paperless operator company,” said Pisarski. o

emissions we are particularly focusing the Aviation Shield coating on the worldwide airline market, where fuel savings such as these can make all the difference to airline profit margins,” said Hamish Harding, chairman of Action Aviation.

Action’s website already has a section explaining the benefits of the coatings. One example given is for an Airbus A318 on a twohour flight. Assuming fuel-burn of 9,500 pounds, with an AirGlide

NEWS NOTE StandardAero Business Aviation has announced its Fastlane program for operators of Honeywell TFE731-powered aircraft. Under the program, business jet operators can have guaranteed completion of a core-zone inspection in 14 days or less.

Industry averages currently range from 30 to 40 days, according to StandardAero (Stand 671).

Fastlane is a strategic approach to engine MRO that correlates maintenance turnaround times with comprehensive fleet operating costs. StandardAero said that saving the cost of removal and reinstallation of one engine for a Hawker 800XP represents savings of some $8,000, plus around $600 in materials, per engine. n

MARK WAGNER

International Flight Support urges operators to think ahead to their possible future operational needs when selecting the right electronic flight bag.

Action Aviation has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with AirGlide, a UK company, which claims that its new Aviation Shield nanotechnology coating can result in aircraft fuel-burn savings of around 4 percent through drag reduction of up to 40 percent. Nano particles fill all the microscopic gaps and crevices in the aircraft skin surface.

“In today’s world of high fuel costs and emphasis on carbon

coating some 200 pounds could be saved. Yearly fuel savings for an airline flying six flights per day would be $210,000 per aircraft, leading to “typical payback in 10 to 12 weeks.” An airline operating 100 short-haul aircraft could then save $21 million annually.

The advantages claimed for the coatings also include reduction of carbon footprint, reduction of cleaning and maintenance costs, protection against corrosion and erosion, reduction of debris build-up on leading edge and primary areas, and reduction of ice accretion. The livery/paint scheme is also preserved for longer, which also means lower drag for longer. –A.L.

ROOM FOR A FEW MORE? JUST BARELY Geneva International Airport managed to make additional ramp space available to accommodate an enlarged static display for this year’s EBACE show, with some 60 aircraft available for viewing.

www.ainonline.com • May 16, 2012 • EBACE Convention News 31

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