NBAA Convention News 10-30-12

NBAA Convention News

PUBLICATIONS Tuesday 10.30.12 ORLANDO

®

Vol. 45 No. 27

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Beechcraft exits jet market

by Kirby J. Harrison Hawker Beechcraft is moving ahead with restructuring during Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and in a press conference here yesterday HBC chairman Bill Boisture made it clear the new Beechcraft Corp. that emerges in the first quarter of next year will focus

on the turboprop and piston aircraft lines.

The future for the business jet line is somewhere between murky at best and grim at worst, with production already shut down. Negotiations came apart in early October that might have seen

the jet line, reportedly along with the rest of HBC’s civil aircraft assets, sold to Superior Aviation Beijing.

Boisture attributed the failed acquisition to a number of factors, including the challenges of conducting negotiations across cultural and

language barriers, as well as a requirement for approval of the deal by both the Chinese and U.S. governments. While Superior Aviation Beijing’s $1.79 billion bid has fallen through, Boisture said HBC is now revisiting half a dozen other bids that came in at the same time with an eye to selling the business jet line.

With the new Beechcraft Corp. exiting the jet business,

Continued on page 125 u

Dassault reveals successor for Falcon 2000LX

by Mark Huber Dassault Falcon is introducing yet another new version of its popular supermidsize twin. The Falcon 2000LXS combines the range and amenities of the Falcon 2000LX with the short-field capabilities of the Falcon 2000S. The new aircraft is expected to cost $500,000 more than the 2000LX (2012 $) and gain certification in 2014 when it replaces the 2000LX. As on the 2000S, the LXS features forward edge wing slats to reduce Vref speeds and takeoff and landing distances. Preliminary estimates indicate the 2000LXS will Continued on page 125 u

Cessna intros sophisticated Sovereign

CY CYR

by Curt Epstein

Getting ready for business NBAA expects some 25,000 visitors and 1,000 attendees to arrive in Orlando this week for the association’s 65th annual convention. Many of those exhibitors increased their presence at the static display this year at Orlando Executive to increase their interaction with customers.

For a market that company president and CEO Scott Ernest describes as remaining soft, Cessna is continuing its product development schedule. During the company’s press conference here yesterday he announced that the Wichita airframer has launched a new version of its midsize Citation Sovereign, and invited show attendees to visit the new aircraft, which has been under development for the past year-and-a-half, at the static display. Three of the upgraded Continued on page 125 u

Chinese Market

Airplanes

Safety

Industry

Government

Operator Reports Bizav Growth

VIP Version of BBJ Max Coming Soon

Risk Assessment Key To SMS Utility

Honeywell Predicts $250B in Deliveries

User Fee Threat Remains

Traffic has increased 13 percent at Hongqiao Airport since last year, according to Shanghai Hawker Pacific, and current users are the best advertisers for potential users. Page 21

Boeing Business Jets announced plans for a VIP version of its re-engined 737 Max, with deliveries planned for the 2017 and 2018 time frame. Immediate orders are not anticipated. Page 23

Until operators use the flight risk assessment tool more effectively, they are not making the most of the benefits a safety management system has to offer, says one insider. Page 79

Anticipating a sluggish recovery, company analysts expect deliveries in the short term to remain stable, with growth to return by mid-decade and coinciding with new product development. Page 22

As expected, the battle over user fees is not over, as the government eyes a peruse fee on fixed-wing turbine aircraft. GA reps have made the industry’s position on the issue clear in Washington. Page 17

Now

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NetJets shows off Signature Series 6000

NBAA

Convention News

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FOUNDED IN 1972 James Holahan, Founding Editor

by Charles Alcock

Honda Aircraft revs up for HondaJet production

by Mark Huber power-on electrical testing and will be fitted with a production interior so it can join the fleet early next year. Currently three aircraft are in flight test, one is being used for ground test, and another for recently completed and successful structural load testing. The fuselage mockup at Honda Aircraft’s NBAA exhibit

Michimasa Fujino

(Booth No. 5393) features the conforming production interior, as well as the production cockpit equipped with Gar­ min’s G3000 flightdeck.

Honda Aircraft broke ground in September on a new 90,000-sq-ft MRO facility at its 130-acre Greensboro campus that will provide 24/7 support and can simultaneously

process up to 12 aircraft.

Here at NBAA, Honda announced the appointment of its newest dealer, Canada’s Skyservice Business Aviation.

Skyservice is an aircraft management, maintenance and charter operator with facilities in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary. Skyservice joins nine other HondaJet dealers announced to date in North America and Europe.

develop the capacity to assemble 1,000 engines per year.

The company plans to offer three levels of engine service plans to customers, including basic warranty, an enhanced program that would cover parts, and a comprehensive turnkey program for parts and labor.

Company officials said pricing for the programs is being evaluated but will be competitive. They also said that they are pursuing other customers, both OEM and retrofit, for the engine, including direct competitors of the HondaJet, but that their primary focus remains on getting engines certified and delivered to Honda Aircraft.

Meanwhile, Fujino is happy to be so close to certification of the HondaJet. The light jet’s flight testing has shown that it is performing even better than expected, with a higher top speed and lower specific fuel consumption. “We have to conduct final testing after we get the final [conforming] engine,” he said. “Building an aircraft or certifying an aircraft is an extremely difficult job,” he concluded. “We are building an airplane but also building an airplane company at the same time.” o

GE Honda Aero Engines (Booth No. 3906) said engine certification testing is proceeding well, with 13 HF120 test engines accumulating more than 5,500 hours and 7,300 cycles. The company said it expects to complete all testing by year-end and to have submitted all certification documents to the FAA early next year. Tests that remain include medium bird ingestion, 150hour block endurance test and crosswind. The results, especially the critical block test, should be available in November. “Based on those, we can tell our delivery timing,” Fujino told AIN. “They’re making good progress.”

GE Honda Aero executives said that initial certified engines will be made at GE Aviation’s Lynn, Mass. facility before production shifts to the GE Honda Burlington, N.C. assembly plant, which could

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and the finest craftsmanship.”

Bombardier has the second largest cluster of aircraft in the NBAA’12 static display, with nine jets on show. In addition to a pair of Global 6000s, visitors can also see a Global 5000, a Challenger 605 and a 300, a Learjet 75, a 60XR, a 45XR, plus cabin mockups of both the Learjet 85 and 75. o

Engine Certification

Cy Cyr

Honda Aircraft has started the production line for its $4.5 million HondaJet entry-level twinjet. A handful of initial customer aircraft are scheduled to be completed next year. Honda expects FAA certification of the HondaJet’s GE Honda HF120 engine (2,095 pounds of thrust/5,000-hour TBO) in the middle of next year and aircraft certification in 2013.

“An assembly line for HondaJet production is in place, major aircraft components including the fuselage and wing have been produced, and we have started assembly of the first customer aircraft,” said Honda Aircraft president Michimasa Fujino.

The company is continuing its aggressive flight-test program at its growing Greensboro, N.C. campus, now home to 750 employees, with six test aircraft that have met major milestones this year, according to Fujino. Recent testing includes hot fuel testing, fuselage structure temperature validation and powerplant and electrical generator cooling.

The fifth conforming flighttest aircraft recently completed

complemented by African Sapele wood surfaces and a brushed steel metallic trim.

“We listened to our customers when we began looking at aircraft to add to our fleet,” said Hansell. “The Bombardier Global 6000 embodies the characteristics we were looking for: state-ofthe-art, customized features

C

Cy Cyr

NetJets chairman and CEO Jordan Hansell (left) accepts the keys for the fractional’s new Global 6000 from Bombardier Business Aircraft president Steve Ridolfi.

Editor-in-chief – Charles Alcock editor - domestic show editions – Matt Thurber PRODUCTION DIRECTOR – Mary E. Mahoney PRODUCTION EDITOR – Jane Campbell PRess room administrator – Annmarie Yannaco PRess room managing editor – Nigel Moll the editorial team Jeff Burger Kirby J. Harrison Kim Rosenlof Bill Carey Mark Huber Mary F. Silitch Thierry Dubois Amy Laboda Dale Smith Curt Epstein David A. Lombardo Ian Sheppard Rob Finfrock Paul Lowe Harry Weisberger Ian Goold Robert P. Mark James Wynbrandt the production team R A T E B I N Mona L. Brown L John Manfredo Lysbeth McAleer Colleen Redmond Photographers O R R T Y Y E A Cy Cyr Mariano Rosales G

Global business jets placed by NetJets in March 2011, along with options for 70 more. The firm orders include a mix of 30 Global 5000 and 6000 jets, plus 20 examples of the under-development Global 7000 and 8000 long-range jets. The $6.7 billion Global contract was subsequently topped by NetJets’s $9.6 billion deal in June 2012 for up to 275 Challengers.

The Signature Series Global 6000 features a full-service galley in the forward section of a cabin that can seat up to 13 passengers, as well as providing a crew rest area for longhaul missions. The cabin also includes a private stateroom and interiors featuring lightcolored leather and ostrichembossed leather upholstery,

F

NetJets unveiled its new Bombardier Global 6000 at the NBAA show static display on Sunday. The fractional ownership giant has spent 18 months developing the Signature Series cabin interior for the large-cabin aircraft and will also roll out the new design to other new members of its fleet, ­including the Challenger 605 and 300 models.

“We expect this to be an industry-leading product and it will be the top of the line for us,” NetJets chairman and CEO Jordan Hansell told a press briefing. The Global 6000 on display here will return to Montreal next week ahead of an imminent final delivery to the operator.

The aircraft is part of the 50-ship firm order for

Wilson S. Leach, Managing Director R. RANDALL PADFIELD, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

online editor – Chad Trautvetter web developer – Mike Giaimo online videographer – Joseph W. Darlington AINtv EDITOR – Charles Alcock 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 EUROPEAN ADVERTISING OFFICE: Daniel Solnica 78, rue de Richelieu, Paris, France Tel: 33-1-42-46-95-71 Fax: 33-1-42-46-85-08 dsolnica@club-internet.fr RUSSIAN ADVERTISING OFFICE: Yuri Laskin, Gen. Dir., Laguk Co. Ltd. Russia, 115172, Moscow Krasnokholmskaya Nab., 11/15 - 132 Tel: +7-05-912-1346, 911-2762; Fax: +7-095-912-1260 ylarm-lml@mtu-net.ru The Convention News Company, Inc. – AIN Publications President – Wilson S. Leach Executive Vice President – John F. McCarthy, Jr. Vice President of Operations – R. Randall Padfield Treasurer – Jane L. Webb Secretary – Jennifer L. English NBAA Convention News is a publication of The Convention News Co., Inc., 214 Franklin Ave., Midland Park, NJ 07432; Tel.: (201) 444-5075. Copyright © 2012.

All rights ­reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part ­without permission of The Convention News Co., Inc. is strictly prohibited. The Convention News Co., Inc. also publishes Aviation International News, AINalerts, AIN Defense Perspective, AIN Air Transport Perspective, AINmx Reports, AINsafety, Business Jet Traveler, ABACE Convention News, EBACE C­ onvention News, HAI Convention News, MEBA Convention News, NBAA Convention News, Dubai Airshow News, Paris Airshow News, Singapore Airshow News.

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Visit stand 5536 at NBAA and explore our Legacy 450 mock-up in person or find out more at EmbraerExecutiveJets.com Latin America +55 12 3927 3399, U.S., Canada and Caribbean +1 954 359 5387, Europe, Middle East and Africa +44 1252 379 270, China +86 10 6598 9988, Asia Pacific +65 6734 4321

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Mid-Continent unveils tiny standby

by Matt Thurber The new MD 302 standby attitude module (SAM) developed

by Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics offers avionics installers another option for standby instruments, especially

in panels with little extra space.

The MD302 is self-contained and provides attitude, altitude, airspeed and slip information in a small package measuring just two inches by five inches

and weighing 1.6 pounds. The MD302 can be mounted horizontally or vertically, and it contains two LED-backlit LCDs, one displaying attitude and the other airspeed and altitude.

Mid-Continent’s standby attitude module provides attitude, altitude, airspeed and slip information in a self-contained small unit that can be mounted horizontally or vertically.

Come see us at NBAA Booth 699

5,000 5,000 shipments leave Aviall every day bound for destinations all around the world. Aviall works hard to provide you with exactly what you need, precisely when you need it. Aviall Delivers.

Elliott Aviation (Booth No. 1706) has announced that it plans to offer the MD302 to buyers of its King Air Garmin G1000 upgrade. The company’s first MD302 is installed in the Elliott King Air G1000 demonstrator.

The MD302 interfaces with primary avionics and synchronizes data from Arinc 429 outputs. The unit is powered by a lithium-ion nanophosphate battery that runs for at least 60 minutes, although in tests it has run for up to 2.5 hours, according to president and CEO Todd Winter. Hooking up the MD302 requires only power (10 to 32 volts), pitot and static connections. “We designed this unit for a lot of flexibility and ease of installation,” he said. The MD302 can accept baro settings from other instruments, so the pilot doesn’t have to set the altimeter on multiple devices.

The problem with standby instruments is that they may require more space than is available, especially with the large size of the LCDs installed in modern cockpits. While there may not be room for a three-inch backup attitude indicator, there may be space for an MD302, mounted horizontally or vertically.

Dramatic reductions in the cost of aviation-grade electronic components made it possible to manufacture the MD302 for a relatively low retail price of $10,600. Because the standard MD302 has its own backup battery, installers might be able to remove emergency battery packs, which means a net gain in useful load. Installers can set optional parameters for customers when adding the MD302 to an instrument panel. The attitude indicator mini-airplane can be changed, as can airspeed indicator markings, which include a Mach overspeed barberpole for jets.

Mid-Continent has two MD302s at its NBAA booth (No. 3482) and expects to receive FAA TSO approval shortly. The company plans to obtain approved model list STCs for Part 23 airplanes and model-specific certifications for Part 25 airplanes and Part 27 and 29 helicopters. o

00 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com 10

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Frankie Valli headlines CAN gala Fresh from a limited Broadway engagement, where they celebrated their 50th anniversary, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons have arrived in Orlando to entertain NBAA members and guests at the

NBAA/Corporate Angel Network (CAN) gala on Wednesday night. The event, billed as an Evening with Angels, will be staged at the Peabody Orlando’s Grand Ballroom from 6 to 11 p.m. Individual tickets, which

include admission to the cocktail reception, dinner, entertainment and live and silent auctions, are $350. For members who want to attend just the concert, the entertainmentonly ticket is $150. Tickets Wednesday night’s gala will benefit the Corporate Angel Network, which provides free flights on corporate jets to cancer treatment centers for patients and their families. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons will headline the gala at the Peabody Hotel.

can be bought online through NBAA’12 registration.

The event and the auctions will benefit CAN, which provides free flights for cancer patients. The flights use empty seats on corporate aircraft flying on routine business. CAN, based at Westchester County Airport in New York, in an office donated by the airport, has five paid staff members and 50 part-time volunteers who work with the patients, their doctors and treatment facilities and corporate flight departments to arrange 2,500 flights a year.

The CAN program is open to all cancer patients, regardless of financial need, who need specialized treatment not available in their local area.

It allows those with immune deficiencies to avoid the dangers of commercial flights.

The generous cooperation of 500 of America’s top corporations, including half of the top 100 in the Fortune 500, has allowed Corporate Angel Network to offer this service since its founding in 1981. More than 40,000 flights have been provided. The CAN Web site is www.corpangelnetwork.org.

Valli, lead singer of the Four Seasons since their first hit, Sherry, in 1962, is marking the silver anniversary of the song with a tour of England, Australia and New Zealand, plus the U.S. The Tony-winning Broadway musical Jersey Boys, about the group, is in its seventh year on Broadway, and five other casts are performing Jersey Boys at venues from Las Vegas to London. –M.F.S.

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Take Advantage of Our New Customer Care Program The new Customer Care program* exemplifies our commitment to provide outstanding customer service. It includes ongoing access to FlightSafety’s Proficiency Protection program, designed to help our Customers maintain their skills even when they’re between jobs.

Jet Professionals, the well-respected industry leader in staffing services, provides our Customers with preferred access to job placement support. Our Customers can also benefit from interactive online customer service and job interview skills training offered by ServiceElements.

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New Programs in 2012

Coming in 2013

Bombardier Challenger 605 London Farnborough, UK

Embraer Lineage 1000 St. Louis, MO; Paris, FR

AgustaWestland AW139 Lafayette, LA

Eurocopter EC135 London Farnborough, UK

Sikorsky S-76D West Palm Beach, FL

Dassault Falcon 900LX Dallas, TX

Eurocopter EC135 Dallas, TX

Bombardier Global 5000/6000 Columbus, OH

Gulfstream G650 Third simulator, location TBD

Sikorsky S-92 Stavanger, Norway

Dassault Falcon 7X Dallas, TX; Paris, FR

Gulfstream G280 Dallas, TX

Cessna Citation M2 Wichita, KS

HondaJet Greensboro, NC

Embraer Legacy 600 Houston, TX; St. Louis, MO; Paris, FR

Gulfstream G450/G550 Dallas, TX; Hong Kong

Cessna Citation TEN Wichita, KS

Pilatus PC-12 NG Dallas, TX

Embraer Legacy 650 St. Louis, MO

Gulfstream G650 Savannah, GA

Embraer Legacy 500 St. Louis, MO

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Please contact Scott Fera, Senior Vice President, Marketing • 718.565.4774 • sales@flightsafety.com • flightsafety.com

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Composite Learjet 85 racing toward first flight Work is progressing on schedule at Bombardier’s Learjet division on what will be the first all-composite Part 25 business jet. On a media tour last month, Bombardier showed off the fuselage of its first Learjet 85, which is being assembled at its headquarters in Wichita. Consisting of major components produced at the company’s manufacturing facility in Querétaro, Mexico, the composite parts, including the single-piece pressure fuselage, were trucked to Wichita (a two-day process) for joining.

By the time of the NBAA show, the airframer expected to have joined the aft fuselage to FTV-1. The company is aiming to add the single-piece assembled wing unit in November, in advance of a planned power-on by year-end and anticipated entry-into-service next year. The first flight date timeline has not been announced.

Also taking shape is the complete aircraft structural test (CAST) article, which when complete will be sent to the nearby National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) for testing.

Part Counts Lowered

In Querétaro, Bombardier is preparing additional fuselages for use in lightningstrike and bird-strike testing as well as for the remaining flight-test aircraft. The facility, located in central Mexico, north of Mexico City, was established in 2006.

Among other duties, including producing the aft fuselages for the Global series and electrical harnesses for many of Bombardier’s aircraft, it is the company’s site for pre-impregnated (pre-preg) carbon fiber lay-up manufacturing, which accounts for 85 percent of the composite material in the Learjet 85, including the major fuselage components.

Because the fuselage sections are produced with pre-preg composite processes,

part counts decline dramatically by ­comparison with the traditional metallic rib-and-stringer-based manufacturing process. In making the fuselage, workers apply the resin plies by hand over a 17-day period in a clean room, with a laser projector showing the technicians exactly where to lay the resin-infused carbon fiber sheets, each of which is selected for a specific purpose, including an exterior layer containing a web of fine copper wire for lightning abatement. High-stress areas can receive up to 75 layers of material to produce their specific cross section.

In total, the facility produces approximately 560 composite parts for the twinjet.

The remaining composite parts, such as the wing spars and skins, are produced using resin transfer injection–a different composite process–at the company’s site in Belfast, Ireland, and shipped to Mexico for assembly into the wing unit, which is then trucked to Wichita in one piece.

The manufacture of the 85’s control surfaces had also been ceded to Querétaro, but that has been moved back to Wichita, at least initially, to “de-risk” the production schedule during the early assembly days, according to Alan Young, Learjet’s vice president of operations.

As the fuselages take shape on the Wichita line, the process of assuring the communication between all the systems is taking place in the 85’s system integrated test station (SITS), a lab where all the suppliers bring their “boxes” to assure communications with the latest version of the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics software. The Learjet 85 features a Pro Line Fusion-based Bombardier Vision cockpit. SITS is also used to explore the human factors integration with the system’s architecture. An exact duplicate rig exists at Rockwell Collins’ headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The wing of the first flight test Learjet 85 awaits the application of its skins in its jig at Querétaro last month.

While the majority of composite materials in the aircraft are produced in Mexico using the “pre-preg” lay-up process, the wing skins and spars are made with resin transfer injection at the airframer’s Belfast facility.

PHOTOS: CURT EPSTEIN

by Curt Epstein

The all-composite fuselage of the first flight test Learjet 85 takes shape on the assembly line in Wichita. The orange-colored parts denote safety equipment required for the first two test aircraft. At right, the composite nosecone.

For the Learjet 85 program, the system suppliers are being run through three separate interface trials. “It’s all about making sure that when we start that final line and we run those functional test procedures, the interfaces aren’t an issue,” said Ralph Acs, Learjet’s vice president and general manager. “It’s all about entry-intoservice reliability at first flight.”

Synergies with Challenger 300

According to David Flett, program and aircraft integration manager for the Learjet 85 program, the manufacturer has been able to begin examining some basic flight characteristics due to synergies the new aircraft possesses with its larger stablemate. “Because the wing is very similar to the Challenger 300,” he said, “we were able to take a look at the Challenger 300 and do some testing there to make sure we understand the stall sensitivity and the aerodynamic performance of that wing.”

The Learjet 85 will be the marque’s largest and longest-range aircraft ever, slotting in just beneath the Challenger 300 in the Bombardier business jet family. Bombardier sees the new aircraft as a direct competitor to the Cessna Sovereign and the Hawker 900XP. It will have a range of 3,000 nm with four passengers in a nearly 25-foot-long stand-up cabin arranged in a double-club seating configuration. An optional three-seat divan plus a belted lavatory could boost the seating capacity to 10 passengers, and for comfort the cabin is pressurized to 6,000 feet at the jet’s maximum altitude of 49,000 feet.

To reach that altitude, the airplane will mount a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307B flat-rated Fadec-controlled engines, each developing 6,100 pounds of thrust, which delivers a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.82. The engines will give the twinjet 30 percent lower NOx emissions than current ICAO standards upon entry-into-service. The aircraft’s designers also plan for a takeoff distance of less than

5,000 feet under optimum conditions and a landing distance of 2,700 feet.

In its design of the Vision cockpit, the OEM relied heavily on input from a pilot focus group to ensure functionality and convenience. Bombardier’s Vision platform is intended to harmonize the front office’s appearance with the rest of the interior. Baseline functionality includes three 15-inch (diagonal) displays with a dual cursor control device. Other standard features are synthetic vision, terrain awareness, ADS-B out, autothrottle and dual EFB, along with paperless charts and documents, as well as data-link capabilities.

In the cabin, a Lufthansa Technik Ethernet-based cabin management system will feature eight 10-inch high-definition touch-screen monitors as well as optional 15-inch bulkhead monitors. The CMS also will be controllable through Apple iPad and iPhone applications.

Among the cabin customization options, the optional newly designed berthable divan features a middle seat back that can split to form a table, as well as fold-down arm rests to further individualize the seating. Another option sure to catch the eye of charter operators is an expanded deluxe galley for increased in-flight catering capability during longer trips. The cabin’s modular design will allow it to be completely disassembled using just three tools. Heeding advice from a user advisory panel, designers gave the new jet expanded cabin storage, including under-seat drawers, sidewall pockets and several closets in addition to an externally accessed heated baggage compartment capable of holding 1,000 pounds of luggage.

New for the Learjet 85, Bombardier has developed an aircraft specification tool on its website that will help customers narrow down their cabin customization preferences. The new software will allow users to “try on” many options, such as carpeting, interior surfaces, leather upholstery and sidewall coverings simply by clicking on the preferred choices. Finished designs can be printed and emailed to Learjet to assist in the specification process. o

16 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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NBAA faces familiar territory as new user-fee battle looms

Ed Bolen

by Paul Lowe Whether you call it a user fee or a tax, the White House proposal to levy a $100 charge each and every time a turbinepowered, fixed-wing aircraft departs an airport is not sitting well with business aviation. “Technically, it’s a tax–by definition,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. And he pointed out that the industry has been fighting user fees on an almost day-to-day basis for most of the past half decade.

“It has been a significant part of the FAA reauthorization debate, and one would have hoped–I certainly hoped– that when the FAA reauthorization bill was signed into law on February 14 of this year it would have made the issue a moot point,” he said. “But the reality is, as we approach the fiscal cliff, as we approach sequestration, there certainly is

an uneasy sense that we’re going to have an effort in Washington to try to find revenue anywhere and everywhere we can,” Bolen said. “This is an idea that has been proposed, it’s part of the President’s budget, so it’s on a list, and I think all of us view it as our responsibility to make sure everybody knows that this is a proposal that is fatally flawed.”

Calling the $100 fee a really bad idea, he argued that the aviation community is like every other industry in that it doesn’t want to pay one more penny in taxes than it absolutely has to pay. “We don’t enjoy paying taxes,” he continued.

“And we certainly have been through a very difficult economic period, probably the most difficult economic period certainly in the last couple of decades in our industry’s history. We are nowhere

ETS Starts Next Year

near returning to where we were in 2007 and 2008.”

Bolen said the industry has always made it clear that if Washington is determined to raise revenue from this industry, the best mechanism for that is the fuel taxes, which are already in place, are understood and equate to use of the system. “There’s a lot positive about it,” he suggested, “and that stands in stark contrast to all of the problems associated with an entirely new, second tax system on top of the existing tax system.”

“We can raise the fuel taxes, we can lower the fuel taxes, we can keep them

Brad Pierce

Martha King

Rep. Sam Graves

Marian Epps

placed a deposit on a Cirrus Vision Jet. The three general aviation witnesses– Epps representing NATA, King representing NBAA and Pierce representing AOPA–were sympathetically received by most lawmakers on the committee. Sam

User Fees: AIN Readers Speak Out! In responses to an article published in the September 20 issue of AINalerts, AIN readers posted comments about user fees on AINonline.com: $ Genova Products of Davison, Mich., the developers of PVC pipe, had difficulty establishing their product as a standard in the plumbing and housing industry. To achieve acceptance by the multitude of governmental agencies across the country, it purchased a [Mitsubishi] MU-2 and…transported the many township and state officials to the Genova facility and established an acceptance and code by which PVC pipe has become a standard nationwide. Would anybody care to speculate the financial impact this ­company has had on the U.S. by virtue of the company airplane and the many local GA airports and FBOs? –John Wagner $ What is the government thinking? Especially in these current hard times, they want more money from the little people. This “user fee” will increase unemployment without n a doubt! –Dean (no last name provided)

PHOTOS: PAUL LOWE

GA business owners lambast user-fee plan Three grassroots general aviation business owners told Congress last month that user fees in any form would be “devastating” to the general aviation community. At a hearing called by the House Small Business Committee, the trio blasted President Obama’s call for a $100-per-flight fee for turbine-powered fixed-wing aircraft.

“The costs associated with user fees far outweigh any benefit to deficit reduction,” said National Air Transportation Association (NATA) treasurer Marian Epps, whose family operates Epps Aviation in Atlanta.

Martha King, who with her husband founded King Schools, a provider of flighttraining courses, added, “It is difficult to imagine how…people in Washington could be contemplating an onerous, regressive and administratively burdensome new per-flight tax euphemistically called a ‘user fee.’”

Orlando-headquartered Restaurant Equipment World depends on general aviation to conduct business, according to company president Brad Pierce.

“I consider my airplane to be one of my best employees,” he explained. The company flies a Turbo Cirrus SR-22 and has

as they are,” said Bolen. “But why would we even talk about creating a whole new bureaucracy, to go out and hire a bunch of billing agents, collection agents and auditors and force companies to try to start processing invoices and arbitrating billing errors? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Graves (R-Mo.), a general aviation pilot who is co-chairman of the House GA Caucus, accused President Obama of “revenue mining” with the per-flight user fee. “There is no indication [the tax] is going to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund,” he revealed.

The committee dubbed the hearing “User Fees in the Aviation Industry: Turbulence Ahead.” It noted that in his fiscal year 2013 budget, President Obama proposed to create a $100-per-flight fee, payable to the FAA, by aviation operators who fly in controlled airspace. All piston, military and public aircraft, air ambulances and aircraft operating outside of controlled airspace would be exempted.

Epps told the committee this $100 departure fee would “decimate” small businesses and organizations around the country that depend on general aviation, and a system of “after the fact” bills would result in a massive administrative burden for all general aviation pilots.

“Companies would have to employ significant resources for verifying the bills and ensuring their accuracy,” Epps said.

“We are counting on you to spread the word: ‘Per-flight fees destroy,’” King told the congressional panel. She went on to underscore the general aviation community’s long-held position that the “pay-atthe-pump” fuel tax is the most efficient, least burdensome way for the general aviation community to help pay for operation of the nation’s air transportation system.

Noting that Restaurant Equipment World’s current Turbo Cirrus SR-22 is the third airplane that the company has used to grow its business, Pierce testified, “It has consistently allowed me to expand the boundaries of our service area because we can reach potential clients fast, even when they are hundreds or thousands of miles from our Orlando headquarters.” –P.L.

Another topic sure to come up this week is the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS). From next year, operators will have to account for their carbon dioxide emissions on trips to and from European airports and buy carbon credits for amounts not covered by any free allowances. The NBAA was one of 19 aviation stakeholders that signed a letter to President Obama on September 17 urging him to “challenge the inclusion of international aviation” under the EU plan by initiating an Article 84 proceeding in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) forum. Both the House and Senate have passed bills making it unlawful for U.S. operators to go along with the EU tax.

Although both transportation secretary Ray LaHood and secretary of state Hillary Clinton have stated they are against participating, the White House has taken no formal action.

Both the secretary of transportation and the secretary of state have talked about sending letters expressing their concerns about EU-ETS and their opposition to it. “So there has been a pretty high degree of activity in both the executive branch and certainly the legislative branch,” Bolen said.

According to Bolen, with the letter to President Obama, the industry was asking the government to go even further by filing the Article 84 complaint in the ICAO arena, which is seen by many as a last-ditch effort to stave off an all-out trade war. “It is not clear to us yet whether or not an Article 84 action will be filed,” he added.

The letter reminded the White House that an Article 84 proceeding under the 1944 Chicago Convention is the dispute mechanism to which all 191 ICAO member states have agreed by treaty.

AIN also asked Bolen to provide an update on the Block Aircraft Registration Request (Barr) program. An attendee at a computer hacker event in August claimed to have found a way around Barr, by sampling audio feeds of ATC-aircraft communications.

“I think it’s safe to say we have reestablished the Barr program as it had previously existed,” Bolen said.

“Undoubtedly as technologies continue to evolve, there will be new and different challenges that are going to be faced in every walk of life. And so at this hacker convention, someone talked about a way to hack into information, compare various data sources and proclaim pretty broadly what they can do.” He emphasized that this is not a situation where the government is providing to any and every person with an Internet connection the real-time movement of every aircraft, regardless of whether that person operating that aircraft wants to be followed. o

www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 17

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FSF planning to release results of FOQA analysis

by Ian Goold Early next year, the Flight Safety Foundation (Booth No. 3532) expects to publish operational guidelines for its members on the conduct of stabilized approaches, according to COO Kevin Hiatt. The guidelines arise from analysis of trends gathered from corporate flight-operational quality assurance (C-FOQA) data.

NBAA describes C-FOQA as “a datamanagement program that collects, scrubs and processes flight data and generates reports flight departments can use to analyze their operations. The ability to predict high-risk operations or to pinpoint operational areas that need attention can be a hugely important tool.” Analysis of C-FOQA data can highlight exceedances of prescribed performance parameters and thus stimulate remedial measures such as training to enhance operational safety.

FSF has handed over management of its C-FOQA program to data-processing specialist Austin Digital (ADI), which this year was acquired by GE Aviation (Booth No. 3900). Hiatt describes FSF’s experience, which began with about 12 initial operators and now encompasses

George Antoniadis IS PROUDLY PT6.

about 60 aircraft flown by nearly 30 companies, as having been “very successful.”

Although C-FOQA was never planned to be a long-term FSF program, the organization had found itself beginning to compete with its own members, who were offering analysis services to operators, and ADI was seen as a natural home for continuation since the Texas company had been providing analytical services under contract. Companies participating in the exercise have been advised to stay with ADI’s C-FOQA Centerline program or to make alternative arrangements. C-FOQA Centerline is claimed to provide flight-data analysis “without the expense of specialized hardware, software, expert staffing and IT overhead required for in-house installations.”

A business-aircraft FOQA program was first developed by the NBAA safety and FSF corporate advisory committees in 2004, and C-FOQA was developed with ADI in the following year. The initial phase of operation began in late 2005 with two Gulfstream IVs and a Dassault Falcon 900 flown by ALCS Aviation,

part of the client-services division of tobacco company Altria, and healthcare provider Merck Sharp & Dohme’s aviation department.

Altria has led efforts to establish a C-FOQA steering committee, comprising users and other interested stakeholders, which resulted in an initial meeting in June 2011. The C-FOQA Centerline users’ group flight data is processed through ADI’s eFOQA eventmeasurement system, which by late 2010 already had data gathered from 20,000 flights and was generating highly accurate and useful reports.

The FSF international and European aviation committees have been involved in “good discussion” that resulted in many documents on stabilized and missed approaches, said Hiatt. The approach guidelines have been prompted by analysis that showed tailwind approaches were an issue, typically revealed by consideration of factors such as touchdown point and groundspeed.

Maintenance Also Studied

Aside from flight operations, Hiatt noted that analysis of data, usually gathered using quick-access recorders (QARs), has led to several maintenance topics being studied. “The biggest point to make is that technology is not totally understood.” He emphasized that C-FOQA programs can provide good

data from all areas of aircraft operations with clear trends emerging from analysis.

The latest product from Avionica (Booth No. 2657), which introduced the first miniature QARs in 1999 and now has more than 5,000 installed in almost 100 civil and military aircraft types worldwide, is the MiniQAR Mk III, launched two years ago. The MiniQAR Mk III permits operators to record Arinc 717 channels and up to three high- and/or low-speed Arinc 429 channels to supplement other data that might be insufficient to support a comprehensive flight-data monitoring or FOQA program, according to Avionica vice president Stylian Cocalides.

Last year French manufacturer Sagem, which is part of Safran group (Booth No. 2579), launched its Cassiopée modular service, offering services such as safety and risk management, maintenance performance, flight operations and operating cost reduction. Sagem said a good example is its iPadbased C-FOQA service for business aircraft and helicopter operators. Cassiopée is based on Safran’s global data services application, which aims to ensure worldwide security and availability of data from flight recorders and other onboard systems. o

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20 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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10/19/12 10:55 AM

Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Centre operates a modern FB0 at Hongqiao Airport.

Business aircraft traffic on the rise in Shanghai

by Amy Laboda Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Centre general manager Carey Matthews is upbeat about business aviation trends in mainland China. In a press briefing at NBAA’12 he reported that year-over-year growth is 13 percent for business aviation movements at both Hongqiao (SHA) and Pudong (PVG) airports in Shanghai, China. “We expect total movements to be around 4,000 at the end of 2012,” said Matthews. He noted that as new owners and current owners of business aircraft learn what those aircraft can do for them, and as more FBO facilities and MRO facilities spring up, those owner/ operators are using their aircraft more often. “With the FBO we can have an owner off the aircraft and to his car in the parking lot in a minute or so,” Matthews said. He currently estimates just under 160 business aircraft are operating in mainland China.

Shanghai Hawker Pacific is a joint venture between Shanghai Airport Authority and Hawker Pacific located at Hongqiao International Airport, within eight miles of downtown Shanghai. The FBO, one of the first in mainland China, provides VIP lounge facilities and ground handling services for private aircraft. Hawker Pacific is involved in integrated civil and military ­aerospace sales and product ­support in the Asia Pacific region. The company maintains facilities in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Townsville, Carey Matthews

Universal gets off the gas

by Mark Huber Operators flying aircraft equipped with Universal Avionics flight management systems will soon be able to enjoy improved flight efficiency thanks to Universal’s new FlexPerf Trip Performance module. The module will be available for Universal Waas/ Sbas FMSs (and also Waas/Sbascapable military Multi-Mission Management Systems). FlexPerf will be available with the next major software release in the first quarter of 2013.

What FlexPerf Trip Performance does is constantly analyze actual fuel burn and use that information to provide fuel savings predictions and speed recommendations for best economy in climb, cruise and descent phases of flight. FlexPerf, according to Universal Avionics,

“features a ‘flexible’ intelligent design that uses actual ‘realized’ fuel burn to apply improvements to the baseline aircraft performance database.” FlexPerf takes into account subtle changes such as worn paint or engine health.

The module helps pilots fly more efficiently by displaying “best performance speed limitations for each waypoint” on a flight plan. “The FMS will learn and then adjust the performance calculations based on aircraft performance reality over subsequent flights, not just locked into the original factory settings that are used for the baseline database.”

The company also announced that it has recently completed flight testing for its new attitude heading reference system (AHRS), the AHS-525.

Cairns and Auckland as well as in Southeast Asia and the Middle East and is an authorized service center and sales agent for Hawker Beechcraft and Dassault Falcon aircraft.

Matthews also announced that the FBO has been approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) to maintain the Dassault Falcon 2000EX EASy series, including the Falcon 2000DX and LX. This makes Shanghai Hawker Pacific the first authorized service center for Dassault Falcon in China. The company expects to add the Falcon 900EX EASy, DX and LX certification by the end of 2012.

The Part 145 MRO is also now certified to maintain Cayman Islands-registered aircraft, Matthews said during the briefing. “The Cayman Islands registry has 195 aircraft worldwide, with the vast majority being operated by businesses,” he said.

The MRO has also installed and is now CAAC certified to use the Corridor aviation service software that has been updated by Continuum Applied Technology specifically for Chinese use.

Shanghai Hawker Pacific is gearing up for its second ABACE show in 2013. Matthews said that the show is on track to have 45 aircraft on static display, along with 200 exhibitors. “We are working with CAAC right now to smooth access for helicopters and turboprop aircraft to ABACE,” he said. Last year’s show had 6,000 attendees and 27 aircraft on static display. Show dates are April 16-18, 2013. o Employing solid-state microelectromechanical technology, the AHS-525 is designed to support NextGen flight decks. The unit can also replace heavy and fragile spinning gyroscopes and will cost less, weigh less and last longer than traditional v­ertical and directional gyros. Certification and first shipments are expected in February.

Universal Avionics is also highlighting its UniLink UL-800/801 Communications Management Unit at its NBAA booth (No. 2500). The UniLink UL-800/801 satisfies the 2015 Link 2000+ mandate for single European sky datalink services. Software needed to meet the mandate should be certified in 2014, the company said. The Unilink unit supports VHF datalink Mode 2 and controller pilot datalink communication needed for future air navigation system operations, which are upcoming in European, oceanic and even U.S. airspace. o

news clips z MedAire To Provide Medical Help for NetJets NetJets has selected MedAire, an International SOS company, as its medical assistance provider for both customers and crewmembers, in-flight and on the ground. MedAire (Booth No. 1466) will provide medical kits for the aircraft and first-aid medical training for crewmembers. MedAire also provides all medical services to NetJets Europe and Executive Jet Management.

“Safety is NetJets’s top priority and the foundation of everything we do,” said Bill Nice, the company’s global COO. “The global reach of MedAire, its aviation medical expertise and its integrated travel safety solutions are the best in the industry.”

z FAA Orders BLR Winglets for King Airs BLR Aerospace announced that it has delivered its 500th winglet system. The buyer of the 500th system is the FAA, which is also the company’s largest customer. In May the FAA ordered BLR Aerospace LED-light-equipped winglets for its fleet of 18 Beechcraft King Air 300s. The FAA’s first winglet-modified King Air 300 is already flying, and the FAA is currently installing the winglets on its third King Air 300. The FAA King Air 300s are used to flight check navaids, airport lighting and IFR approaches.

BLR Aerospace (Booth No. 3566) has certified winglets for most models of King Airs, and they are standard equipment on new King Air 90GTx and 250 models. According to BLR, the winglets reduce fuel consumption by an average of 5 percent as well as improve handling and safety. Also available is the King Air B200GT Ultimate Performance Package, which adds BLR winglets and other modifications for improved runway performance and an increase in maximum Mach operating speed.

The BLR King Air winglets increase aircraft wingspan by three feet, five inches and reduce induced drag by increasing the wing’s aspect ratio.

z Pilatus Delivery Pilot Makes 200th Flight There are milestones and there are milestones in aviation. For Pilatus delivery pilot Roger Engel, Oct. 16, 2012, the completion day of his last delivery flight for Pilatus Business Aircraft, will always be remembered as a happy milestone. Pilatus vice president of marketing Tom Aniello made sure that Engel received a traditional waterjet salute from the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport fire and rescue department at the completion of his final, and coincidentally, 200th unremarkable delivery to the company.

On this flight, as with so many flights before it, Engel was delivering a Pilatus PC-12 from the Pilatus factory in Stans, Switzerland. He traced a route over Prestwick (Scotland), Reykjavik (Iceland) Kangerlussuaq (Greenland), Iqaluit (Nunavit), Thunder Bay (Canada) and finally into Broomfield, Colo., headquarters of Pilatus Business Aircraft (Booth No. 5559) just outside the Denver metropolitan area. The flight took 22 hours over three days.

“The PC-12, as usual, performed flawlessly on the whole flight,” said Engel. This flight was solo; however, Engel has occasionally been accompanied by new PC-12 owners/operators eager to learn from such an experienced pilot.

z Wyvern Wingman Program Continues To Grow Wyvern, a global aviation safety auditing, consulting and information services company, recently announced that its Wingman portfolio–flight departments that have undergone the Wyvern audit process–has now grown to more than 120 companies in 29 countries. “Our standards far exceed government regulatory requirements,” according to the company. This means, Wyvern added, that only companies with a demonstrated commitment to safety make the effort to become a Wyvern Wingman.

Operators must successfully pass a two- to three-day on-site audit that reviews a flight operator’s flight and maintenance operations, as well as its safety management system. Wyvern added that, “Operators that pass the onsite audit also agree to post-auditing reviews of information regarding aircraft and crew.” Wyvern (Booth No. 2126) then verifies the information on a daily basis to ensure validation of the standard throughout the life of the recommendation.

www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 21

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Honeywell Forecast 10,000 jets in 10 years

by Chad Trautvetter Nearly 10,000 new business jets worth about $250 billion are predicted to be delivered from 2012 to 2022, according to Honeywell’s 21st annual business aviation outlook, released Sunday evening.

The forecast reflects an approximate 9 percent increase in projected delivery value over last year’s 10-year prognostication, driven by pricing increases and a continued trend toward more demand for higher-priced larger business jets.

In the short term, Honeywell forecasts deliveries of 680 to 720 new business jets this year, a single-digit increase over levels reported last year. “Next year’s totals are anticipated to be of similar magnitude, reflecting the protracted nature of the global economic recovery,” said Honeywell Business and General

Aviation president Rob Wilson.

“Over the medium term, a return to historical growth conditions supported by globalization, wealth creation in developing nations and new aircraft development should boost orders and support accelerated growth beginning mid-decade,” he added. “Despite the economic challenges our industry has been dealing with for the past 40 months, we believe some progress is being made.”

Honeywell’s forecast is based on a survey of operators, about 30 percent of which have plans to purchase a new business jet over the next five years either as a replacement or as an addition. According to Honeywell, this level of interest is on par with the past three survey cycles and compares favorably with results of 25 percent or less that were the norm until 2006.

About 20 percent of those with plans to purchase a new business jet intend to do so by 2013, with a similar proportion planning 2014 and 2015 purchases.

Meanwhile, “The trend toward larger cabin aircraft with ever-increasing range expectations and advanced avionics continues to be reflected in this year’s survey,” said Wilson. In fact, larger aircraft are projected to account

2012 Business Jet Delivery Forecast in Units 1,200 Very high speed–Ultra long range Ultra long range Long range

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Though North American operators are expected to account for roughly 53 percent of business jet demand this year, the level of forecast aircraft demand coming from outside this region continues to increase, Honeywell said. The BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) reflect a slight tempering of enthusiasm compared to a year ago but are still quite strong when compared with other regions, as well as with results accrued during the more than 20 years Honeywell has been conducting this survey.

The Asia Pacific region is projected to have aggregate share of world five-year projected demand of about 7 percent, off two points from 2011 levels. Honeywell said the overall decline in purchase plans in this region can be partially attributed to “a moderation of past exuberance and an economic tempering affecting the region’s major economies.” That said, Honeywell does “not believe the 2012 results represent in any way a change in the region’s fundamental underlying growth drivers or

With Brazilian fuel supply service, Jetex opens door to South America

Light-medium Light

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International Demand

commitment to business aviation.”

Latin America is shaping up to be where the biggest growth is for the business jet market, with this region’s share of total demand projected to increase nearly five points from a year ago to 18 percent. Meanwhile, the share of projected five-year global demand attributed to the Middle East and Africa remained near the center of its historical 4 to 7 percent range again this year, Honeywell said.

North America, the industry’s mainstay market, is expected to represent more than half of projected global demand for the next five years. Europe’s purchase expectations are also up slightly, with its estimated share of global five-year demand rising by one point to 18 percent in the latest Honeywell survey.

“We continue to see underlying macro-trends that support potential demand for business jets, making the industry’s long-term prospects attractive,” Wilson said. Other factors that Honeywell believes will help accelerate global business aviation growth are long overdue structural and regulatory reforms, new product development and more efficient, higher-capacity air traffic control systems. o

by Charles Alcock

Medium

800

for nearly 70 percent of business jet billings and about one-third of deliveries between now and 2022.

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Jetex Flight Support has kicked off its expansion into South America with the launch of fuel supply services in Brazil.

The Dubai-based group says it can supply jet-A to operators at any Brazilian airport, having previously been confined to international airports.

The company, which provides comprehensive flight planning and handling services, has plans to open a full-service joint venture operation in Brazil from January 2013. Fuel arrangements in the country are being made directly through inter-plane agents, thus eliminating thirdparty costs. “Not only will it cut costs for our clients, this move will ensure timely fuel services in any location in Brazil,” explained Jetex regional sales executive Rafaella Carolina. “We are taking our first step into our expansion in South America and we look forward to many more announcements.”

Earlier this year, Jetex (Booth No. 5044) launched a new service to allow operators to avoid paying value-added tax on fuel if they are exempt from the tax. The Jetex Fueling Services subsidiary can now offer the exemption program in the following eight European states and is planning to add more: Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Poland and Switzerland. To find out whether or not they are VAT-exempt, operators fill out a short questionnaire at the Jetex website.

According to marketing manager Sabina Makowska, so far in 2012 Jetex has seen strong growth in business aviation

traffic in Africa and Asia and particularly in China and India. By contrast, traffic has dropped in Europe’s struggling economies but at its Paris Le Bourget FBO the company says it has boosted market share to handling 20 percent of movements, at a time when traffic is 5 percent down on 2011 levels. Last year at Shannon on the west coast of Ireland Jetex started a joint venture with local FBO Westair. Customers here can take advantage of the airport’s status as a pre-clearance gateway for U.S. immigration and customs so that onward flights to the U.S. are considered domestic.

Jetex also has bases in China, the Ukraine, Burundi, Ethiopia, Algeria and Congo. It is looking to strengthen its supervisory handling role in the growing markets of central and West Africa. Many of its supervisors in Africa have been with the company for more than five years, which Jetex says is significant given the continuing challenges associated with arranging permits, handling and other flight support services throughout the continent.

Makowska told AIN that in most of the growth markets in which Jetex is seeking to expand, regulatory restrictions continue to be the most significant hurdle. For instance, the company is pressing authorities in regions such as the Middle East to allow more open market access for companies wanting to establish new FBOs. Jetex is a sponsor for Corporate Angel Network, through which business aircraft operators provide flights for cancer patients needing to travel to receive treatment. o

22 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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by James Wynbrandt Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) yesterday announced plans to build the BBJ Max, the VIP version of Boeing’s 737 Max commercial jet and next iteration of BBJ’s executive airliners.

The Max brings the BBJ into the Leap era, using the same CFM International Leap 1-B engines and winglets as on the 737 Max, which provide a range increase of more than 14 percent, according to Boeing.

Paralleling the commercial program, the first BBJ Max model will be based on the BBJ2/737-800 (737 Max 8) airframe (129 feet, 6 inches long). Dubbed the BBJ Max 8, expected range is 6,325 nm, sufficient to link Los AngelesMoscow and London-Hong Kong. First BBJ Max 8 deliveries are expected in the 2017 to 2018 time frame, following scheduled inaugural 737 Max 8 deliveries in 2017.

“For VIP customers, extended range and exceptional c­omfort are equally important,” said Steve Taylor, president of Seattle-based BBJ. “The BBJ Max will ensure our customers get the best of both.”

Cost of the BBJ Max 8 hasn’t been set, and Boeing doesn’t expect the introduction to result in any immediate sales– or postponed deliveries. “For the most part, VIP customers don’t buy that far ahead,” said

Taylor. “It’s just really unusual to be talking to a customer five years out. [And] as of today we don’t expect a lot of people in the backlog to say, ‘Wait, I want to get a BBJ Max.’ Where this airplane is going to sell is with [BBJ] owners who want to step up to a more efficient range capability.”

Range, Efficiency Boost

Production of a BBJ Max 9 (today’s BBJ 3: 138-foot, 2-inch length) based on the 737 Max 9 will follow the BBJ Max 8, and offer a range of 6,255 nm, an 875-nm, or 16.2 percent increase over the BBJ 3. Plans for a BBJ Max 7 (today’s BBJ: 110 feet, 2 inches long based on the 737 Max 7 are under study.

The CFM Leap engines ­provide a 13-percent reduction in fuel use over the BBJ’s current CFM56-7 turbines and the winglets bring an additional 1.5 percent savings, according to Boeing. GE Aviation, which owns CFM International in a 50/50 joint venture partnership with Snecma, is also a 25-percent partner in Boeing Business Jets.

With the 737-800 airframe blazing the Max trail, Taylor foresees no major challenges in the BBJ Max program. Unfortunately for current BBJ owners, design changes in the wings required for the re-engining seem

IS&S enters market for integrated standby displays Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) is introducing a new integrated multifunction standby unit (IMSU) for fixedand rotary-wing aircraft that measures, processes and displays altitude, airspeed, slip/skid and navigation data in a single display. The unit features a high-resolution LCD with LED backlighting that automatically adjusts for cockpit lighting.

IS&S president Shahram Askapour said the unit is suitable for retrofit and OEM installations. It includes an integral air data module for independent display of altitude, airspeed and Mach number and offers an optional battery module that provides one hour of operation in the event of electrical failure. Other

available options for the IMSU include night vision goggle compatibility, external magnetometer interface, standby radio management unit, alternate navigator functionality and RVSM compliance.

Exton, Pa.-based IS&S is launching a new integrated multifunction stand by unit for fixed-and rotary-wing aircraft.

IS&S (Booth No. 4331) also is launching its NextGen Cockpit/IP II flight deck, which supports dual FMS, electronic charts, satellite weather, synthetic vision, integrated Taws and enhanced vision system.

Features of the system’s integrated FMS include: coupled Waas/LPV approaches, full RNP compliance, required time of arrival, dual FMS with synthetic DME capability, three GPS receivers compliant with ADS-B out requirements, dual remote-control radios and remote audio control management. The system’s integrated electronic flight bag includes instrument approaches and airport diagrams; moving maps with flight plan, airspace, high and low airways, runway, navaid and intersection overlays; XM WX satellite weather; electronic checklists; and display and control of enhanced vision system imagery. –M.H.

Boeing plans to offer a VIP version of its re-engined 737 Max, with first deliveries to begin in the 2017-2018 time frame.

Boeing Business Jets president Steve Taylor, right, told attendees he does not expect any immediate sales.

put more ­ [emphasis] on the static [display] and less on the convention floor,” said ­Taylor. “It’s just a gut instinct to try something different. So we have a little smaller display in the exhibit hall than in past years, but a larger exhibit at the airport. I’m curious to see how people respond to that, if that’s the right way to go.”

The company has on static display at Orlando E ­ xecutive ­Airport a BBJ from Victory Air Transport of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “The reason we really love

MARIANO ROSALES

BBJ goes to the Max

to rule out retrofits. No enhancements other than new engines and winglets are currently planned for the Max bizjet. All BBJs are delivered green with custom interiors installed at completion centers.

BBJs already enjoy a range advantage over competing Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) and the Max upgrade will expand that gap, according to Boeing.

Taylor points to the BBJ’s 6,500-foot cabin altitude and low ground stance, which eases getting people and things on and off BBJs, as other key differentiators. Taylor himself demonstrated the range and capability of current BBJs in September when he captained a green BBJ from Los Angeles nonstop to its completion center in Auckland, New Zealand, setting a world record for “speed over a recognized course,” a flight of 5,658 nm in 13 hours, 7 minutes and 54 seconds.

BBJ (Booth No. 1499) remains on track to deliver 12 aircraft this year and has an equal number coming out of completion. “I’ve got a sign up: ‘12 and 12 in ’12,’” said Taylor. “The team is really busy.”

Nonetheless, Taylor described the “flavor of the market” as “very challenging,” saying, “We sold one airplane at EBACE, to a Chinese customer, but boy, every sale is hard-earned.”

Regular NBAA attendees may note BBJ has reduced its ­presence in the convention hall this year. “We decided to

[the NBAA convention] is that so many of our current customers come here,” said Taylor. BBJ hosts an annual event for all its current operators at the convention, which Taylor described as “extremely valuable” for cementing connections that often lead to future sales. o

Crane Aerospace shows full product line here Crane Aerospace & Electronics (Booth No. 5381) has received a number of new product approvals and selections on a variety of business jets. Crane’s FAA-approved SmartStem wireless tire pressure monitoring system now allows Part 135 pilots to check tire pressures on all certified aircraft.

The SmartStem installation process involves replacing the current tire-pressure stem with a special batteryfree version containing integral sensors. SmartStem then sends tire pressure, temperature and other stored information wirelessly to a handheld reader. Using the SmartStem system means no gas is lost during routine tire checks.

SmartStem is certified for use on the Cessna Citation Sovereign and X, Dassault Falcon 50 and the Learjet 40, 45 and 60. SmartStem was a standard feature on later-model Learjet 60s. The price for a SmartStem system for the Learjet 60 is $7,999.

Snecma chose Crane to

supply fuel flow transmitters on that company’s new Silvercrest engine series.

Crane’s fuel-flow transmitters measure mass, not volume, for improved accuracy. The new engine–expected to receive certification in 2014–is designed for large and long-range business jets, and Cessna’s Longitude will be the first jet to be powered by the Silvercrest.

Crane will also provide brake control systems for the new Cessna Citation Ten, M2 and Latitude. Crane’s Mechloks seat actuators were chosen for executive seats made

by Iacobucci HF Electronics. Crane said its Mechloks– together with the latest “AC” series of mechanical control cable–“will enable motion control of the executive seats…to provide a premium flying experience balancing comfort, style and superior quality.” –R.P.M.

www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 23

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10/29/12 5:27 PM

Gulfstream A look back at the past year’s news and events

November 2011 2011

• December 2011 • Gulfstream delivers 12 green G650s, meeting the top end of its estimate to ship 10 to 12 of the twinjets by the end of 2012.

• Super-midsize Gulfstream G280 obtains provisional type certification from the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI).

•

G650

• A 14-year production run comes to a close when the last Gulfstream G200 rolls off the final-phase assembly line at the manufacturer’s assembly plant in Dallas. The final airplane was delivered in December.

• Gulfstream Aerospace releases the PlaneBook app, an electronic aircraft document management system for the iPad. • The wide-cabin Gulfstream G650 receives provisional FAA type certification, clearing the way for the company to deliver green aircraft and begin completing them for delivery in the second half of 2012.

• Teddy Forstmann, the man who was credited with turning around Gulfstream Aerospace in the 1990s, dies, reportedly from brain cancer. His investment firm, Forstmann Little, acquired Gulfstream in 1990 for $800 million. It sold the Savannah-based aircraft manufacturer in 1999 to General Dynamics for $5.6 billion.

• 2012

February 2012 • Gulfstream announces it is expanding pre-owned aircraft sales to include aircraft brokerage services. Dubbed Gulfstream P ­ reowned Brokerage, the service will use the company’s worldwide customer and prospect database to present sellers’ aircraft.

• Gulfstream announces plans to establish a business jet service center in China. Gulfstream Beijing will be a joint venture with Beijing Capital Airlines (Deer Jet) and Grand China Aviation Technik (GCAT) at Beijing Capital International Airport.

G280

March 2012

•

May 2012 • Wide-cabin Gulfstream G650 and super-midsize G280 make their international debuts at EBACE. • Gulfstream Field and Airborne Support Team pilots Marilyn Whicker and Ademar Calligaro complete mission number 3,000, 10 years after Gulfstream launched the first-of-its-kind airborne maintenance and support service in May 2002.

• Super-midsize Gulfstream G280 sets city-pair speed record from Paris to White Plains, N.Y., making the flight in seven hours 40 minutes.

• Nearly 15 years after entering service, the ultra-long-range Gulfstream V exceeds one million flight hours.

•

• G280 receives an FAA provisional type certificate, some two months after receiving identical approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel.

• Gulfstream G150 fleet surpasses 100,000 flight hours and the 100th G150 rolls off the initial-phase production line, nearly six years after the aircraft entered service.

• Gulfstream Elite interior package for the G450 and G550 STC’d by the FAA. Based on the G650 interior, the new option features among its upgrades fully loaded electronic seats with telescoping headrests, flexible wings, electronic lumbar controls with optional heat and massage and one-touch conversion into full-flat beds.

June 2012

•

July 2012 •G ulfstream delivers the 600th Gulfstream jet equipped with the PlaneView cockpit, nine years after the flight deck entered service.

The milestone aircraft was the 362nd G550 to be delivered.

•

PlaneView flight deck

G200

• The board of directors at General Dynamics, parent company of Gulfstream Aerospace, announces that chairman and CEO Jay Johnson will retire effective December 31.

Johnson, the former Navy fighter pilot who headed General Dynamics since 2003, is to be succeeded by Phebe Novakovic. She was named president and COO of General Dynamics in May and previously served as executive vice president of the company’s marine systems group.

• Gulfstream Aerospace announces a specially Phebe Novakovic outfitted field and airborne support team mobile maintenance vehicle. Operating from San Jose International Airport in California, the vehicle supports customers as far east as Reno.

• PlaneDeck retrofit for older Gulfstreams STC’d by the FAA. The ­upgrade replaces six cathode-ray-tube displays with Honeywell DU-885 liquid-crystal displays and adds capabilities such as XM graphical weather, electronic charts and maps and display of video to GIVs, GIV-SPs, GVs, G300s and G400s.

• September 2012

August 2012 • Gulfstream Aerospace once again retains the top spot in the latest AIN Product Support Survey for aircraft in the combined, newer and older aircraft ratings.

•

• T he super-midsize Gulfstream G280, a joint project by Gulfstream and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), obtains full FAA and Israeli type certification. Initial deliveries of completed G280s are expected by year-end.

• The wide-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G650 receives full FAA type certification. Gulfstream expects to deliver the first outfitted G650s to customers before year-end.

24 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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10/28/12 4:08 PM

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Garmin G600 avionics to be installed in PC-12s Pilatus Business Aircraft will offer a Garmin G600 glass New Perspective panel avionics retrofit for its legacy (pre-NG) PC-12

turboprop singles through its authorized and satellite service centers. Garmin is expected to receive supplemental type

certificate (STC) approval for the installation late this year. All marketing and sales for the STC are being conducted through the Pilatus sales and service center network. Several centers have already begun accepting orders for the system.

“We are very pleased with the overall quality and functionality of the system integration,” said

Tom Aniello, Pilatus’ vice president of marketing. “It will be a nice upgrade option for many of our legacy PC-12 customers.

While there has been very strong initial demand, we have elected not to accept orders for the kits from our centers until the STC has been completed. One reason for this is that we will not have the final part numbers and

Pilatus Business Aircraft will offer a Garmin G600 glass panel avionics retrofit for older PC-12s. The dual-screen G600 pairs a PFD and an MFD in a single 10inch wide bezel.

bill of materials until the STC is finalized, so we are not able to stock physical kits for the centers to order.”

Cost of the basic system is $169,000 and initial installation time is estimated at 350 manhours. Price and installation time will increase as options are added. “It does require a Garmin navigator in the aircraft, which many of our owners already have in the form of a 530/430 radio stack,” he said.

The G600 is expected to provide legacy Pilatus pilots with enhanced situational awareness and workload reduction. The dual-screen G600 pairs both a primary flight display (PFD) and a multi-function (MFD) display in a single 10-inch-wide bezel at both pilot stations.

A Clearer Picture

Standard items include the Garmin GRS77 attitude, heading and reference system (AHRS), which takes inputs from GPS, magnetometer and the air data computer and fully supports RVSM and interfaces with autopilots (eliminating the need for a gyro ADI), Garmin’s 3-D synthetic vision technology (which provides representational view of terrain and obstacles through the PFD), FliteCharts U.S. approach plates and Garmin Safe Taxi airport charts.

Options include TCAS, TAWS and radar altimeter interface; JeppView chart service including ChartView approach plates and airport surface charts; Garmin GWX 68 or other Arinc 708 weather radar systems; the GDL69XN receiver for live weather and Nexrad coverage for the U.S.; and SiriusXM satellite radio.

The GSR 56, which uses Iridium satellites to provide global data, radar imagery, voice/data connectivity and ground-based position tracking, is an available option. The system also includes a video input that allows the MFD to act as an enhanced vision or live-cam video monitors. o

26 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Arinc Direct app synch iPad data Arinc Direct (Booth No. 2155) is stepping up the development of its iPad flight-planning application in support of business aircraft operators eager to eliminate the use of paper in the cockpit. One recent enhancement that has eased approval for

the app as an alternative to more costly electronic flight bags has been to allow synchronization of data between two or more iPads in the cockpit using a Bluetooth connection. Coming soon is a feature that will allow pilots to rework flight plans in

the cockpit on their iPads, allowing them, for instance, to make last-minute changes to weightand-balance calculations.

“Operators are having to be trailblazers in terms of showing [to aviation authorities] that flight planning can be

Take a whole new look at flying safer.

The enhanced flight-planning app from Arinc Direct allows pilots to share information, as the app synchronizes data among the iPads in the cockpit.

done without paper,” explained James Hardie, director of Arinc Direct–the data communications group’s business aviation division. “Generally speaking, the regulations are not written to specifically deny certain solutions so it is really a case of being able to demonstrate an acceptable means of compliance [with flight-planning requirements].”

The initial Arinc Direct app included features such as weather briefing. It has since been

The weather briefing feature now includes risk-assessment tools.

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Hardie said Arinc focused on developing the app for iPads because the product still accounts for almost three quarters of all tablet devices sold and is especially popular among pilots. He added that the stability of the iPad platform and its operating system made it a viable hardware choice. Some 2,500 business aircraft worldwide use Arinc Direct, which is expected to roll out more new features for the app soon. –C.A. AINonline iPhone App NOW AVAILABLE

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28 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Duncan offers unusual solution to Challenger service bulletin

by R. Randall Padfield Duncan Aviation of Lincoln, Neb. (Booth No. 5580), a provider of airframe inspections, engine maintenance, cabin and cockpit systems retrofits, painting and interior work, as well as preowned aircraft sales and acquisitions, has acquired several examples of a dry-ice

blasting machine to accomplish a specific service bulletin for its Bombardier Challenger customers.

The blasting machine, a Cold Jet Aero 40, uses dry ice to remove epoxy, corrosion and other materials without damaging aircraft surfaces. Duncan bought the

machines so that it could offer Challenger operators compliance with Service Bulletin ATA 55-11, which requires the removal of the epoxy ramp in the passenger door to prevent further corrosion.

According to the bulletin, “There have been several reports of corrosion in the lower structural elements of the passenger door. It was determined that the epoxy ramp installed to prevent water accumulation could deteriorate with time and retain moisture. The purpose of this Service Bulletin is to remove the epoxy ramp to prevent further corrosion, add additional draining holes and modify the door structure to

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A Duncan Aviation maintenance tech uses the Aero 40 dry-ice blasting machine to remove the epoxy ramp from a Challenger passenger door.

allow access to facilitate scheduled inspections.” The SB also recommends using dryice blasting to achieve the best results when removing the ramp.

According to company president Aaron Hilkemann, Duncan Aviation’s tech rep for Challenger airframes Scott Shefke “took the initiative to learn more about dry-ice technology and concluded that this tool was needed to perform this service bulletin effectively and efficiently. We listened and, within a couple of weeks, all three Duncan Aviation maintenance facilities [in Lincoln, Neb.; Battle Creek, Mich.; and Provo, Utah] were each provided an Aero 40 dryice blasting machine.”

Duncan Aviation has completed this service bulletin for the Challenger in the field, and has several more SB completions scheduled through the rest of this year. It is also researching other applications for this technology.

Cold Jet, a manufacturer of several models of dry-ice blasting machines, is headquartered in Loveland, Ohio. According to Kellie Grob, Cold Jet chief marketing officer, the prices of the company’s “standard products range from $15,000 to $50,000 for a complete system out of the box.” Customizations cost extra, she told AIN. o

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30 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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10/16/12 2:28 PM

Mandates loom for Fans datalink communications

by Bill Carey Mandates requiring business jet operators that fly to Europe to equip their aircraft for datalink communications with ATC are fast approaching. The price of non-compliance will be higher costs and longer trips as operators are forced to fly at sub-optimal altitudes and on less direct oceanic routes.

Flying the best altitudes and routes will require a datalink capability known as the Future Air Navigation System (Fans)– the somewhat ironic name for a system that airliners have used since the 1990s as an alternative to HF radio communications.

Fans has two components: automatic dependent surveillance-contract (ADS-C) and controller pilot datalink communications (CPDLC). ADS-C is the automatic downlink of position reports on a contractual basis from an aircraft to a ground station; CPDLC provides for direct text messaging between pilots and controllers for flight reroutes, altitude changes or other instructions. In the oceanic environment, data is conveyed by the Iridium or Inmarsat satellite constellations.

In September, presenters at the fourth annual NxtLink Communications Conference hosted by satellite communications system manufacturer ICG (Booth No. 4176) in Williamsburg, Va. brought attention to the impending deadlines. Of the estimated 1,400 North Atlantic Track System (NATS) crossings daily, 6 percent, or about 84 crossings, are conducted by business aircraft, and only half of those are Fans-equipped, said Carey Miller, manager of business development with Universal Avionics (Booth No. 2500).

Fans-equipped Aircraft

By next February, the two center tracks of the NATS between FL360 and FL390 will be closed to non-Fans traffic. By January 2014, aircraft crossing the Atlantic must be Fans-equipped with operational approval to be exempted from Europe’s Link 2000+ mandate, which requires aircraft operating in European airspace to be equipped for CPDLC using VHF Digital Link (VDL) Mode 2. Portions of North Atlantic minimum navigation

performance specification airspace will close to non-Fans traffic in February 2015.

“A lot of operations, their optimum altitude is between 37 and 39–[Challenger] 601, Falcon 50, Falcon 900, GII, GIII. A lot of times [FL400] is not achievable because it’s too hot or they’re at gross weight,” Miller observed. “If they get shoved down below, at FL340 or FL350, a lot of these aircraft are going to be burning at least 10 percent more fuel. Eventually by 2015, if you’re not Fans-equipped, you’re going to be burning a lot more fuel than you are today.”

Miller said the cost of noncompliance with Fans mandates will be that aircraft are prohibited from flying in core North Atlantic tracks initially, and eventually will be consigned to northerly “Blue Spruce” routes within range of VHF ground stations. He estimated that non-complying operators flying four North Atlantic trips a year could pay some $64,000 because of the longer distances, additional tech stops and ­unfavorable winds.

Speakers explained the twostep process of gaining approval to use Fans datalink communications for ATC, also known as air traffic services (ATS), beginning with design approval of the Fans 1/A equipment suite through an STC or manufacturer’s service bulletin. Unfortunately, there is

Aircell’s GoGo Coverage Expands to Canada Industry Canada has issued Aircell’s GoGo a subordinate license for Canada’s air-to-ground (ATG) radio frequency spectrum. The permit will allow GoGo (Booth No. 510) to begin serving passengers on both commercial and business aircraft in flight over Canada.

The Canadian network will operate on the same frequency as GoGo’s existing ATG network in the continental U.S. and according to a spokesman, will allow GoGo to provide seamless service within Canada’s more highly populated southern regions.

Construction of the ground cell sites in Canada is expected to begin in late this year and the network should be fully operational by the end of next year.

GoGo in Canada will initially focus on Canadian routes served

by GoGo’s existing U.S. and Canadian airline customers, but it will also serve business aircraft equipped for GoGo Biz highspeed Internet service.

GoGo Biz is now in service in more than 1,700 airplanes

and provides full coverage throughout the U.S. and most of southeastern Alaska at altitudes above 10,000 feet. With a maximum data transfer rate of 3.1 Mbps, it allows passengers to use personal Wi-Fi-enabled laptops, tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices and will

simultaneously support several voice calls and Internet sessions.

GoGo’s Canadian license is subordinate to a primary spectrum license that was acquired at auction in 2009 by SkySurf Canada Communications. GoGo won the comparable U.S. spectrum at auction in 2006.

–K.J.H.

Aircell’s GoGo will begin serving passengers on both commercial and business aircraft flights over Canada. With a maximum data transfer rate of 3.1 Mbps, GoGo allows passengers to use personal Wi-Fi-enabled laptops, tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices and will simultaneously support several voice calls and Internet sessions.

(Top) Bruce Bell, ICG technical support manager, points out components of a Fansequipped flight deck, including an external SIM card reader and ICG’s ICS-120A Iridium communications system on the top shelf. (Below) At the ICG conference in Williamsburg, Va., Gables Engineering (Booth No. 2825) exhibited a developmental version of its new TouchDU flat-panel touchscreen display for communications functions, including a dialer page for satcom voice communications.

no simple “Fans-in-a-box” solution. According to Miller’s presentation, needed equipment includes a flight management system software update; a communications management unit; an annunciator “cube” integrated into displays; an aural alert capability; a data-capable cockpit voice recorder (per FAA Advisory Circular 20-160); and a level-D satcom system. Advisory Circular 20-140A “provides one acceptable means of compliance” for type certificates and STCs involving datalink systems used for ATS. The second step is to obtain operational approval ensuring that flight crews are trained and operations manuals, minimum equipment lists and procedures updated. “Approval to install a TC’d [type certified] or STC’d datalink communications system does not constitute authorization to use the system,” the FAA states in AC 120-70B. The operator must either request a revision to its operations specifications or a letter of authorization (LOA) from the FAA. Obtaining the LOA may take anywhere from several weeks to several months. The authorization may also involve a route demonstration, said Ann Heinke, of Loveland, Colo.based Overlook Consulting.

“To get your ops approval, you do have to demonstrate that the system works in the operational airspace,” she advised.

Heinke has assisted charter company Chicago Jet Group (Booth No. 3520) in obtaining

an STC for a Fans 1/A datalink communications system on a Dassault Falcon 50. The system’s enabling components are a Universal Avionics UniLink UL-801 communications management unit, interfaced with dual Universal UNS-1Lw flight management systems and ICG’s ICS-220A Iridium voice and data transceiver.

The system proved itself in an operational setting on August 26. Chicago Jet Group president Mike Mitera flew the Falcon 50 from Goose Bay, Canada, to Reykjavik, Iceland, while monitored by Nav Canada’s Gander Area Control Center. Heinke said the STC was nearing approval. “We’re pretty excited about it because it really is the first retrofit of a nonOEM service bulletin airplane for Fans,” she said. o

AT THE BOOTHS The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) appointed Kurt Edwards as president on September 7.

The organization had been searching for a new leader since last year, when Don Spruston, who had held the role since 1999, announced his intention to step down. Edwards comes to IBAC from the FAA, where he “served in high-level capacities with the International Affairs and Environment Offices [and] led FAA outreach efforts while based in Brussels and Paris, as well as at ICAO on environmental matters,” according to IBAC chairman Peter Gatz. v

32 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Showalter showcases static display expertise

by Dale Smith No doubt there are countless “We have a CSR meet every reasons that make this year’s aircraft when it arrives to find NBAA Convention in Orlando out exactly what they want when a “don’t miss” event, but for they depart,” she said. “How most of us, the highlight this much coffee? What newspapers? and every year is the rampful of Ice? Catering? We take care of aircraft on static display. And it preparing as much as we possitakes countless hours of plan- bly can in advance.” ning and coordination and a Help from Their Friends team of nearly 100 professionals to arrange that.

While Showalter’s team of “We started planning for line service and customer serNBAA’12 back in 1996,” vice professionals strive to proexplained Kim Showalter, pres- vide exceptional service all year, ident of Showalter Flying Ser- as you would expect, their regvices, the FBO host of this ular crew of 28 couldn’t handle year’s display. “That’s when we the 10 days of NBAA activihosted our first NBAA here in ties. “We borrow people from Orlando. I have a set our FBO friends all of three-ring binders over the country; they on my bookshelf from come from as far away each prior NBAA. I as North Dakota,” she take things from past said. “They send us the events and move them very best of their line into the current year’s service people to help book. So I know what out. By the time we’re things need to change all done, our staff of and what things can 28 swells to nearly 100 stay the same.” people, including volWhile the company unteers, for the week.” benefits from draw“We also get a lot Kim Showalter ing on lots of past of help and cooperexperience, each NBAA does ation from our based custompresent new challenges, so con- ers,” Elliott added. “We contact tinual planning and coordina- them in early August to find out tion is key to success. if they plan on flying around “We started hosting open NBAA time. Then we contact monthly meetings with everyone them again in early October connected to this year’s event to ask whether or not to move last March,” said Brad Elliott, their aircraft out of their hanShowalter’s director of new busi- gar. Once we start setting up the ness. “Those attending included static display, we can’t get their our rental car supplier, caterers, airplanes out.” the fire department, the Greater While you might expect this Orlando Aviation Authority, bit of inconvenience would come risk management, airport oper- with some resistance, Elliott said ations, representatives from our they have yet to get a complaint.

FAA control tower and others. “In fact, most of them want to If you’re involved at all, you’re get involved. They say just leave invited to attend.” my airplane and ask what they can do to help out,” he said.

Making a Good Impression While the vast majority of Sure, you might think that’s NBAA attendees understand the a lot of preplanning for a static effort Showalter’s team puts forth display, but keep in mind that and appreciates their work, every Showalter is also the host once in a while “stuff” happens.

FBO, which means the facility “We had an instance years ago is the first and last experience with the crew of a large Euromany NBAA’12 fly-in attend- pean executive jet,” Showalter said. “Brad was working with our ees will have.

“Success comes down to the line service group back then and smallest detail,” Showalter said. when he went to talk to the crew, “Take coffee: on the last day of they took a look at the name on the show and the day after we can his tag and, honestly, they didn’t have 80-plus airplanes all depart- treat him very well.

“We don’t stand for that. We ing by noon and they all want fresh coffee. Some want a gallon have the best people in the busiof regular and a gallon of decaf. ness here. Anyway, later that day, my son, Sandy went up to How do we meet their needs?”

Showalter Flying Services, host of this year’s static display, recently expanded its ramp area (shown in purple at top left) and is showcasing close to 90 aircraft during this week’s NBAA Convention. Planning for the static display starts several months in advance.

the airplane. He was dressed just like Brad, but his name tag had Showalter on it,” she said.

“It was ‘Mr. Showalter this and that…’ Well from that day on, everyone here has had the last name Showalter on his or her name tag during the show,” she said. “We have a very ethnically diverse group here and having everyone with the same last name can raise a few eyebrows with our first-time visitors. It’s become an inside joke around here.”

Static display visitors this year might notice the expanded ramp area, which grew by 2.25 acres to 25 acres, all of which has been resurfaced. The Florida Department of Transportation paid for the $1.1 million project, which included repairs to damage sustained eight years ago during Hurricane Charley. “It destroyed several [of our] buildings, but the foundations remained. So did the grass between where those buildings once stood,” said Showalter. “We wanted to make that space usable.” o

Convention Center Static Display Returns to NBAA The second outdoor static display that was “just a few steps away from the convention center” at last year’s NBAA Convention in Las Vegas was so enthusiastically received by both exhibitors and attendees that the association decided to do it at this year’s show. According to NBAA static display director Joe Hart, the additional static area at this year’s show encompasses up to 50,000 sq ft in a parking lot adjacent to the North Hall at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center.

Aircraft being displayed at the second static area flew into Orlando International Airport and were towed at night some 8.5 miles down the Beachline Expressway to the convention center. While the roads on the route are wider than at last year’s event, the convention center display is still limited to light jets, turboprops and pistons. –C.T.

NBAA is hosting a second static display outside the convention center.

Wounded veteran earns Able Flight Wings

by Matt Thurber NBAA convention attendees are invited to the Perrone Aerospace booth (No. 1563) tomorrow at 10 a.m. to witness a special ceremony. Air Force veteran Tony Pizzifred will ­ receive his Able Flight Wings, ­honoring not only his military service but also commitment to learning to fly after being wounded in Afghanistan.

Pizzifred was serving as a military policeman at Bagram ­ Air Base on March 13, 2004

when a landmine exploded, resulting in the removal of his left leg below the knee, according to Perrone Aerospace.

“Remarkably, after rehabilitation and therapy, Tony returned to duty in the Middle East as the first Air Force MP amputee to do so.” After returning to the U.S., Pizzifred began learning to fly in Texas. He moved to Florida, where he works in rocket launch operations at Cape Canaveral, and continued

his flying lessons at Voyager Aviation in Merritt Island. When money became scarce, Pizzifred applied for an Able Flight scholarship to help with his last few weeks of ­training. Able Flight is a non-profit organization that helps raise funds for flight and career training for people with physical disabilities.

Thanks to Able Flight, Pizzifred earned his private pilot certificate on May 13, 2012. During the ceremony tomorrow, Pizzifred’s wings will be presented by Bill Perrone Sr. and Bill Perrone Jr. (Perrone Aerospace was an Able Flight founding sponsor), Able Flight pilots Heather Schultz and Sean O’Donnell and Charles Stites, Able Flight’s executive director. o

www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 33

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10/17/12 10:22 AM

See3 system welcomes you aboard Flight Display Systems is level of protection to owners demonstrating a new com- and operators concerned with puter face-recognition system at aircraft security, as well as create this year’s NBAA convention. a more complete cabin service.

The cabin electronics provider See3 is based on face-recogni(Booth No. 1911) believes that tion software but with the addiitsNBAA-2012-AIN-JrTab_Mise See3 system will add a en new of Flight Display’s own page 1tion 16/10/12 16:55 Page1

proprietary set of algorithms.

The hardware consists of two main components–the camera and computer–both of which already have FAA parts manufacturer approval (PMA). Placed strategically at the entrance to the

Flight Display’s face-recognition system compares individuals boarding an aircraft with those in a known database and can alert the crew to unauthorized persons.

The system also can “recognize” an individual via a seat camera, greet him by name, automatically load that individual’s entertainment preferences and more.

aircraft, See3 provides a higher level of security, comparing the faces of those entering with those in a known database and alerting the crew of the entry of an unauthorized individual.

See3 uses nearly 100,000 values in accurately coding a face image. Among the less complex of these are the obvious: interocular distance, distance between nose tip and eyes, and the ratio of dimensions of the bounding box of the face. At this point, accuracy ranges between 75 and 90 percent, but Flight Display is constantly adding new algorithms to increase accuracy. Depending on the size of the database, said Flight Display founder and president David Gray, changes in hair style or the addition of a moustache or beard, glasses or makeup will not affect the accuracy of the system. And while aircraft security is important, he added, See3 can offer much more.

Integrated into the aircraft cabin management system, he explained, See3 can “recognize” an individual via the seat camera, greet him or her by name and automatically load that individual’s entertainment preferences, set preferred lighting and even alert the crew to the individual’s meal preferences and any allergies.

Flight Display has initially set a price for the hardware at $9,275, with additional programming charges to be determined.

Gray said that with sufficient interest from visitors at NBAA, See3 could be available in the second quarter of 2013. ­–K.J.H.

AT THE BOOTHS

Nexcelle’s pioneering work on next-generation integrated propulsion systems will bring additional range, improved availability and optimized operational efficiency for business jets.

In developing the GE Passport’s nacelle and thrust reverser, Nexcelle shares common technology development processes, operating practices and supply chains with GE Aviation – leveraging our collective strengths to deliver exceptional results.

Nexcelle is a joint venture of GE’s Middle River Aircraft Systems and the Safran group’s Aircelle, both of which are leading suppliers of engine nacelles, thrust reversers and aerostructures. www.nexcelle.com

Teterboro-based Meridian Air Charter (Booth No. 4746) has installed a Thrane & Thrane Aviator 200 Inmarsat SwiftBroadband satcom on its Gulfstream IV. Aviator 200 provides the ability to make voice-over-Internet calls, using WiFi-enabled mobile devices. “The addition of broadband aboard our largest aircraft is a valuable service that we can now offer our charter customers,” said Andrew Ladouceur, Meridian’s vice president of sales and client services. “Keeping our fleet current with the latest voice and data technology is critical in today’s competitive market.” v

34 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Rolls-Royce enhances its CorporateCare offerings

Rolls-Royce’s CorporateCare support package is providing Power-by-the-Hour coverage for more than 1,200 business jets.

by Charles Alcock Also new this year is an application for This year marks the 50th anniversary of Rolls-Royce introducing its ground- iOS and Android devices called MyAerobreaking Power-by-the-Hour support Engine Support. It uses GPS technology package with a service developed for the to help operators find the nearest authoViper engines on the HS125 jet. That rized service center and Rolls-Royce was back in 1962, and the engine man- regional customer manager–just as they ufacturer still has one aircraft supported can already do on their PC or laptop. on that program.

Authorized Service Centers Today, Rolls-Royce calls the service CorporateCare in the business aviation Meanwhile, the network of authomarket (mirroring its TotalCare service rized service centers is growing to make for airlines) and it is continuing to evolve support more readily available outside the way it works based on input from cus- North America in markets such as Asia, tomers. For instance, this year the UK- the Middle East, Europe and South based group has introduced free on-wing America. At the EBACE show in May, labor coverage for line replaceable units Rolls-Royce said it planned to increase and CorporateCare also now covers reg- the number of facilities from nine to 19, ularly scheduled borescope inspections. but now it aims to increase that to 34 by For the BR725 that is about to enter the end of this year. service on Gulfstream’s G650, RollsMuch of this expansion has been Royce will provide a replacement aircraft achieved by tapping into the support to cover a few days while a replacement networks of its bizjet-making partners– engine is being sourced for an out-of-ser- Gulfstream, Bombardier and Cessna– vice unit. G650 operators will also bene- but the engine maker is also adding more fit from having labor for A and C checks independent authorized service centers included in the contract, as well as 12 around the world. “Expanding the netJA_global_ads_AIN_ConvNews.qxd 10/18/12 PM Page 1 hours of free troubleshooting. work2:38 is about improving the customer

experience and streamlining the process,” said Andy Robinson, Rolls-Royce’s senior vice president for civil small- and medium-engine customer services. “We wanted to make the various services as simple and easy to use as possible.”

There are now some 1,200 aircraft worldwide covered by CorporateCare and that number is set to increase when the G650 and Cessna Citation Ten enter service soon.

“This is all about transferring the risk back to us and de-risking the entire maintenance operation for their asset,” said Stephen Friedrich, senior sales and

marketing vice president for civil small and medium engines.

Rolls-Royce continues to look for new ways to improve CorporateCare by consulting with its Corporate Customer Council. One recent suggested improvement is to add support capability in Russia and the engine maker is working on this challenging proposition. o

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www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 35

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10/18/12 5:02 PM

Tactair boss sees clear horizon ahead As a component and subsystem player in the fluid power and motion control market Tactair Fluid Controls (Booth No. 1510) is in a unique position to view the state of the aerospace industry. Tactair has a contract

from Sumitomo Precision Products to design and manufacture the complete hydraulic package for the landing gear extension and retraction and steering control systems for the Mitsubishi MRJ.

“We are starting to see some positive trends in the business as far as recovering from the [recession],” said president Michael Yates. “It does seem, though, that every time the industry starts to get some

momentum, outside forces slow it down. We’ve got to promote the realization that this is an industry that can generate job growth and exports, and we need to continue to support it.

“We are starting to see new fuel-efficient programs taking control of the market as older legacy programs start to fade away. An example is

Bombardier with some of the older Learjet programs. Those new programs are the ones we want to be on. Quite a few platforms are in development, [such as] the MRJ. There are others on the horizon and development. This bodes in ­ well for a company like Tactair. We’re ­trying to bring new ­products to the table, like electromechanical uplocks, which we are developing. We’re displaying that particular technology here at NBAA.” The hydraulic package for the MRJ consists of all uplocks, extend/retract and downlock release actuators plus landing gear selector and dump valves.

The steering package includes steering actuators, swivel valves and the steering control servo manifold. The company will conduct all design and manufacturing services from its Liverpool, N.Y. facility.

Tactair also was recognized as a Gulfstream supplier of the year, earned by achieving consecutive high 2010 and 2011 quarterly scorecard ratings in the key categories of on-time delivery, quality, reliability and aftermarket support. It also supplies systems to other OEMs including Bombardier, Embraer and Hawker Beechcraft. –H.W.

Duncan Appoints Tony Gilbert as regional manager for Great Lakes

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Lincoln, Neb.-based Duncan Aviation (Booth No. 5580) recently appointed Tony Gilbert as the company’s new regional manager for the Great Lakes area. “Tony brings a wealth of talent and experience to his new role,” said Doug Alleman, Duncan Aviation manager of airframe services and regional sales.

“He understands the industry well and the relationships that he holds worldwide will help him provide excellent support to customers and prospects.” An aeronautical engineer, Gilbert began his aviation career in 1979 and has been with Duncan since 1988. He helped set up several worldwide initiatives for the company in Europe and South America, has flown various military airplanes, including Boeing 737s, and speaks five languages. Gilbert is based at the ­company’s Battle Creek, Mich. facility.

–R.R.P.

36 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Aerion tests aid efforts to develop an SSBJ

by Rob Finfrock Aerion has seen the business changes to the Aerion design,” aircraft market change substan- Richard Tracy, chief technology tially since it announced devel- officer for Aerion, told AIN. “All opment of a supersonic business were the result of computational jet (SSBJ) design in 2004, but optimization testing to reduce the company remains bullish supersonic cruise drag, also with about market demand for such an eye toward high subsonic an aircraft, and its plans to bring activity, as well as low-speed its design to fruition. Aerion wind tunnel tests to refine and (Booth No. 1112) announced a adjust the final configuration.”

The 40- by 80-inch planar second round of test flights to validate final engineering specs wing test surface works in confor the aircraft’s tapered bi-con- junction with airflow over the vex wing design, which the com- F-15’s wings, Tracy said, to give pany states is significantly more Aerion an accurate representaefficient than delta-wing config- tion of the final design’s superurations like the Concorde. As sonic laminar flow qualities. with an initial round of flights “The tests under way now aren’t conducted in 2010, the latest so we can prove that laminar flow round of testing involves mount- works; we’ve known that a long ing an Aerion test article under time,” he added. “What we’re a NASA F-15B and measuring doing specifically with these tests its flow qualities while operating is gathering and refining the data to understand what exact manuat speeds up to Mach 2.0.

“Compared to the version of facturing tolerances and surface the aircraft announced in 2004, qualities need to be.”

JA_global_ads_AIN_ConvNews.qxd 10/18/12 Page 2 Developing2:44a PMsupersonic there have been many small

aircraft intended to operate from conventional airports certainly seems like a daunting task, though Tracy termed the program’s technical challenges significant, but not impossible.

“Everything has been manageable, and we see a clear path to the aircraft being technically achievable,” he said. “These are engineering tasks the aircraft industry does every day, and few are ever easy.”

“The most daunting challenge confronting us has been the aftermath of the worldwide financial meltdown,” said Douglas Nichols, Aerion’s COO. “That set in motion events that have particularly affected the business aviation market. The attitude and appetite for OEMs to partner with us to build the SSBJ changed as a result.”

Despite that setback, Nichols remains confident that Aerion will find a home for its design, as well as other potential applications for its wing technology.

“Talks remain intensive and productive toward moving to the formation of a joint venture with a premier OEM,” he said. “We’re also working with manufacturers to apply Aerion’s natural laminar flow technologies to existing or derivative platforms.”

The ability to apply Aerion’s technology to other platforms comes from what Tracy termed “overwhelmingly the wonderful surprise of this venture,” a wing design not only optimized for flying at Mach speeds, but one that is also highly efficient while operating below the speed of sound.

“Even though we were focused on supersonic operation and

Aerion is continuing to test and develop its supersonic business jet and is seeking a partnership with an OEM.

improving supersonic efficiency,” he said, “we discovered that it’s a much better wing than expected for high subsonic conditions. You can’t fly everywhere supersonic, and past designs lost range at high sub conditions. That opened the door for making this a substantial business case.”

Nichols is adamant about the need for an SSBJ. “Our internal and external studies point generally to the same conclusion,” Nichols said. “The market is very large and is ready for such an aircraft, with somewhere between 400 and 600 deliveries over the first 15 years or so of the program. Our technology is also highly scalable, for aircraft smaller or larger than our 12-passenger design. The overall market for the Aerion aircraft is enormous.”

The knowledge that they are working on something never before seen in the business aircraft market appears to drive the Aerion team.

“All of us who have been involved in dozens of aircraft programs,” Nichols concluded, “have never been involved in a program as intellectually arresting as this one.” o

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www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 37

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Dassault Falcon A look back at the past year’s news and events

2011

• November 2011 • OnAir reveals it is working on a supplemental type certificate for the Dassault Falcon 7X for on-board cellphone service.

October 2011 • Austria-based FACC AG delivers the first set of OEM winglets for a Falcon 2000LX to Dassault Aviation.

•

• For Falcon 900 and 2000 operators, Dassault introduces Falcon Dispatch Plus, a new tool to help reduce operating costs and improve dispatch availability.

December 2011 February 2012 • Dassault Aviation releases consolidated financial results for 2011, reporting €3.3 billion ($4.4 billion) in overall revenues for both its military and civil segments. Falcon deliveries fell to 63 Falcon business jets, worth €2.1 billion ($2.7 billion).

•

• Hawker Pacific receives approval to provide product support for the Falcon 7X in its new Seletar facility in Singapore.

• The Dassault Falcon 7X fleet reaches 100,000 flight hours, with 133 of the trijets flying in 31 countries.

• Dassault Falcon introduces an STC to install (ADS-B out) on out-ofproduction Falcon 50EX business jets equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 avionics.

January 2012

• 2012

• Jet Aviation’s Hong Kong facility earns FAA and EASA authorization to provide full line and base maintenance services for Dassault’s Falcon 2000EX, 7X and 900LX/DX/EASy types.

• Dassault Falcon’s newest satellite service station opens at West Palm Beach Airport.

• FlightSafety International receives EASA approval for its Dassault Falcon 7X maintenance initial course, available at FlightSafety learning centers in Dallas and at Paris Le Bourget.

• Dassault reveals that it has designed and installed a shower for the aft section of a Falcon 7X, a first in a Falcon business jet.

Falcon 7X shower

• May 2012 • Dassault announces that it expects the Falcon 2000S will beat its initial low-speed performance numbers and will be certified by year-end.

March 2012 • Dassault reveals it has started working on the EASy III flight deck, as well as a “new-generation” head-up display (HUD) and enhanced flight vision system (EFVS).

•

• Dassault Falcon promotes Jean-Michel Jacob to senior vice ­president of international sales.

david mcintosh

Falcon EASy

• Dassault Falcon’s satellite service stations in St. Louis, Mo., and West Palm Beach, Fla., receive EASA certification.

• Dassault officially offers a shower option for the Falcon 7X.

• Speaking at the ABACE show in Shanghai (left), John Rosanvallon, president and CEO of Dassault Falcon, says he expects the current Falcon fleet in China (eight aircraft) to triple by year-end.

• Aviation Partners announces it received EASA STC approval for its high-Mach blended winglets on the Dassault Falcon 900 series.

• Dassault Aviation unveils FalconBroadcast, a service that will provide Falcon operators with real-time airborne health monitoring.

• Dassault reveals it has installed the first new Rockwell Collins cabin entertainment system in a Falcon 7X.

•

April 2012 • Dassault receives FAA approval for steep approaches on all Falcon 900 EASy (900EX EASy/DX/LX) and Falcon 2000 EASy (2000EX EASy/DX/LX) models, which join the Falcon 7X in this capability.

• Falcon 7X

August 2012 • Dassault announces an expansion of its service center in Sorocaba, Brazil.

July 2012

•

September 2012

• Dassault has begun cutting metal for its still-under-wraps Falcon SMS business jet, which AIN understands might be a Falcon 900 replacement.

•D assault Falcon and Aerospace Products International (API) expand their logistics services agreement to support Falcon customers operating in China, Hong Kong and Macau.

• Dassault Falcon announces that it will open a regional customer service headquarters in Beijing early next year.

• Dassault discloses its financial numbers for the first half of 2012.

The company received orders for 25 Falcon business jets worth €1.05 billion ($1.27 billion) and delivered 34 Falcons worth €1.44 billion ($1.74 billion).

•

• Dassault Aircraft Services-Wilmington is granted approval by the Civil Aviation ­Administration of China (CAAC) to perform airframe and component maintenance on China-registered Falcons.

• Dassault Falcon signs an agreement with Indian charter operator Taj Air to operate a Dassault Falcon authorized line service station at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.

• In preparation for the Olympics, Dassault announces it will have a dedicated customer service manager and a doubled GoTeam at Luton Airport.

• Dassault Falcon creates Dassault Falcon Aircraft Services China to serve local operators of the Falcon 900EX, 2000EX EASy and 7X, in partnership with Shanghai Hawker Pacific at Hongqiao International Airport.

• The 200th Falcon 7X rolls off the production line at Dassault’s Bordeaux Mérignac factory in southern France.

• 38 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Embraer’s Legacy 500 nears market entry

by Bill Carey

BILL CAREY

the super-midsize Legacy 600.

Both are powered by Honeywell HTF7500E turbofan engines, although with different thrust ratings, and both feature flight decks based on the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics suite. They share 95 percent systems ­ commonality–the Legacy 500 fuselage is 5.3 feet longer and its cabin is 3.6 feet longer than the Legacy 450’s. Their cabin heights (six feet) and widths (six feet, 10 inches) are the same.

The Legacy 500 is designed for a maximum range of 3,000 nm with four passengers, or 2,800 nm, with eight passengers, at Mach 0.80 (NBAA IFR reserves). It is poised to compete against the Learjet 85, the Gulfstream G150, the Hawker 900XP and the Cessna Citation

The Legacy 500 S/N001 prototype was shown to the press for the first time with a painted finish on October 5 at Embraer’s headquarters in São José dos Campos, Brazil. The aircraft is designed for a maximum range of 2,800 nm with eight passengers.

BILL CAREY

Embraer Executive Jets (Booth No. 5536) displayed the first prototype of its Legacy 500 midsize business jet for the first time with a painted finish to a group of reporters visiting the manufacturer’s São José dos Campos, Brazil headquarters early this month. The company plans to conduct the maiden flight of the twinjet by the end of the year, just over four years after its formal unveiling to the public.

Embraer previewed its “MSJ” and “MLJ” concepts at NBAA’07 in Atlanta. It then launched the Legacy 500 and a smaller sibling, the midlight Legacy 450, as clean-sheet designs in March 2008. The new aircraft fill voids in the manufacturer’s portfolio between the Phenom 300 light jet and

The Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion-based flight deck of the Legacy 500 features four 15-inch liquid-crystal displays. The cockpit also features fly-by-wire flight controls.

Sovereign. The Legacy 450 promises a maximum 2,300-nm range with four passengers, or 2,200 nm with eight passengers, at Mach 0.78. Competitors include the Cessna Citation Latitude and XLS+, the Learjet 60XR and 45XR and the Hawker 750.

Led by the Legacy 500, which is first in order of development, the duo will usher in what Embraer claims are several bestin-class features: the only standup, flat-floor cabins, the largest cabin volumes, the lowest cabin altitude, the largest windows, the only wet galleys and standard vacuum toilets. Both jets will feature Honeywell’s Ethernet-based Ovation Select cabin management system.

“Back in 2008 when we launched these airplanes, nobody else was talking about a midlight or a midsize airplane with a six-foot, stand-up cabin and a flat floor,” said Ernest Edwards, Embraer Executive Jets president.

“Our competitors are reacting to

these two products. For us, that’s a validation of a market that we identified as early as 2006.”

Fly-by-Wire Glitches Overcome

Innovation also entails risk.

The Legacy 450/500 are also the first two business jets under $50 million to employ fly-by-wire (FBW) flight controls, which pilots will manipulate with sidestick controllers rather than a conventional yoke. But problems with the remote electronic units that drive flight-control surface actuators in the FBW system, supplied by Parker Aerospace, delayed development of the Legacy 500 by about a year.

The schedule slip led Embraer and BAE Systems, which was subcontracted to Parker Aerospace for the primary flight-control computer, to take lead roles in completing the system. Parker was “not able to keep milestones so we brought in the Embraer engineering team plus BAE to

help,” said Marco Tulio Pellegrini, Embraer Executive Jets senior vice president of operations. “Embraer is responsible for integration and BAE for the software development. Parker is just a provider for the hardware.

That’s the final configuration.”

Edwards said the problems with the FBW system are resolved. “The components are actually bolted in the airplane, the software is plugged in and it’s working,” he said. “Our difficulties were caused by our supplier. Once we realized that our supplier was having problems, we sent our engineers in there to help them figure it all out. We’ve been absolutely delighted with the work and the responses that BAE has provided and the engineering support. It’s all behind us now and we’re back on track where we want to be.”

Executives emphasized that Embraer has experience with FBW systems dating to the 1980s with the development of

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once the sidestick is released the aircraft returns to the normal flight envelope.

The aircraft’s outer, hard limits relate to its design limits for “controllability and structural loads,” according to Embraer.

Test Program Moves On

The manufacturer rolled out the Legacy 500 on Dec. 23, 2011. The S/N 001 prototype, the first of four planned flighttest aircraft, is being readied for its maiden flight by the end of the year. During the press visit on October 5, Ricardo Maltez, Legacy 450/500 program manager, said the Legacy 500 had completed about 15 percent of its test campaign on the ground.

The flight-test program will involve four prototypes flying about 1,500 to 2,000 hours in total, leading to certification by Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), the U.S. FAA and other aviation authorities. Three of the aircraft were built at the time of AIN’s visit, and the fourth aircraft was nearing assembly.

As the Legacy 500 progresses, engineers

will be gradually reassigned to the 450 program. Some 800 of the company’s 4,000 engineers are dedicated to the two aircraft. Embraer announced in August that it had cut first metal for the Legacy 450, a component of the forward fuselage milled from a block of aluminum alloy.

The manufacturer plans to build two prototypes for the test campaign. Because of its systems commonality with the Legacy 500, the 450 will perform about one third to two thirds the number of flight test hours, Maltez said. “Basically, we’re changing the interior and the center

fuselage,” he said of the smaller aircraft.

“The first word is excitement,” said Embraer test pilot Gerson Mendes when asked about his impressions of the Legacy 500 flight deck. Mendes said he has trained on the Pro Line Fusion suite in a ­simulator since 2010 and had logged more than 2,000 simulated hours. Pilots also train on an “iron bird” engineering test rig, which had accumulated 2,500 hours. Mendes said he is confident of the performance of the FBW flight controls. “The flight envelope is well protected,” he said. o

Testing nears completion on GE Honda HF120 engine GE Honda Aero completed water- more than 5,400 hours and cycles. A key ingestion testing on the HF120 engine test–the block test–remained to be done that powers Honda Aircraft’s HondaJet and requires 150 hours of cyclic testing in early September. The tests were done under extreme conditions, including triin one of GE’s Peebles, Ohio test cells ple redline: maximum fan, and core speed and are just one of many the HF 120 has and maximum ITT at the same time.

Other tests that need to be done are the passed during a busy year as the engine medium-bird test–where a one-pound bird nears FAA certification.

According to GE Honda Aero Engines carcass is aimed at the running engine– president Terry Sharp, 2012 “has been an and that was scheduled for the end of extremely productive year.” Many tests October or early November. This will be followed by the crosshave been completed, wind aeromechanical including the fan lowoperability test, schedpressure compressor uled for December. stress test, accelerationAfter the block test thrust response test, is done in mid-Noveminitial maintenance ber, that engine will interval testing and the be disassembled comfan blade-out test. In pletely and laid out for August, the HF120 sucexamination by FAA cessfully passed ground GE Honda Aero recently completed waterengineers. GE Honda ice-induction testing ingestion testing on the HF120 engine. has submitted 93 perat the Eglin Air Force Base McKinley Climatic Lab in Florida. cent of the certification reports to the The ice slab test that the HF120 failed FAA, with 83 percent already approved.

After the block and other tests are in February 2011 was successfully passed in August 2011. “At that time [February completed, the company expects to sub2011] we had a deformation of the fan mit all documents to the FAA in Janublade tip and we didn’t meet the thrust ary or February, and certification should requirement,” said Masahiko Izumi, exec- occur in mid-May. The initial batch of HF120 engines will utive v-p of GE Honda Aero Engines.

“We decided to make a small design be assembled at GE’s Lynn, Mass. plant.

Then, after GE Honda’s Burlington, change [to the fan blade tips].”

The redesign of the fan, which is a sin- N.C. facility receives a production certifgle-piece blisk-type component, involved icate from the FAA, manufacturing will thickening the material at the blade tips, move to Burlington.

“I’ve been on a lot of engine proand this was accomplished in six months, grams,” said Sharp, “and this is norincluding the successful testing.

Twelve engines are in the certification mally where you’re really accelerating. program, with an additional six (soon to We can all see the light at the end of the be eight) already flying on HondaJets. As tunnel; we’re excited about the compleo of mid-September, HF120s had logged tion of testing.”

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the AMX fighter with Italy’s Aermacchi and Aeritalia (now consolidated as Alenia Aermacchi). The rudder and spoilers of the subsonic fighter were FBW-controlled. Embraer’s 170/190 E-Jets have FBW control in pitch and yaw axes, and employ FBW spoilers as part of a hybrid system for controlling roll. The regional airliners have accumulated more than five million flight hours.

But the Legacy 450/500 business jets will be the manufacturer’s first full FBW aircraft. Embraer authored the flightcontrol logic of the system, which the manufacturer describes as “flight path stable.” The ­system is illustrated as two concentric circles. Within the inner circle is the aircraft’s normal flight envelope, defined by “soft limits” for pitch, bank angle, maximum operating speed and stall speed. The soft limits can be overridden, taking the aircraft into the outer circle, or limit flight envelope. Going beyond the soft limits requires the pilot to maintain pressure on the sidestick;

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www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 43

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Avinode to unveil charter forecast here

by James Wynbrandt Charter market data services provider Avinode (Booth No. 2120) of Goteborg, Sweden, will present the Avinode 2013 Business Forecast followed by a panel discussion with charter operators at 1 p.m. today in Room N220A here at the NBAA convention.

The Avinode Business Forecast quantifies expected charter activity in total hours as well as by regional and aircraft category demand and will include a review of about 12 utilization trends the company has seen recently in the U.S. and Europe.

Though Avinode’s primary charter broker client base is in Europe, it currently serves some 180 charter brokers and 310 charter operators acting as brokers in the U.S., which is the focus of the market forecast that it is releasing today.

The data will be of particular interest to “people who have

a general interest in developments in different regional [charter] markets,” said Magnus Henriksson, Avinode business unit director.

He anticipates that aircraft OEM market analysis teams will also be on hand for the release.

“Flight activity is a good measurement of the health of the industry, so anyone who tracks the industry growth and development in the [U.S.] should have an interest in this,” he said.

Following the presentation of the forecast data, Avinode will host a panel discussion about the current air-charter marketplace featuring representatives from five charter operators (three from the U.S.): Clay Lacy Aviation, Executive Jet Management (EJM) and Jet Aviation, along with the UK’s Acropolis Aviation and Hong Kong’s Metrojet.

Preliminary data provided to AIN doesn’t give cause for cheer

Preliminary data from online charter portal Avinode’s latest forecast is not particularly encouraging with the U.S. charter market set to grow by just 0.8 percent, dragged down by falling demand in the Northeast and Midwest.

in the becalmed charter space.

“If we look at a forecast going forward, total growth in the U.S. next year is 0.8 percent,” Henriksson said. “The Southeast will grow 3 percent, the Western region will grow 1.8 percent, the Northeast minus 1 percent and Midwest minus 4 percent.”

Avinode, which celebrated its 10th anniversary at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) this year, markets a search engine for charter brokers enabling accurate, real-time sourcing and pricing of aircraft availability.

The company pioneered what is now a bustling online wholesale

Aviall diversifies product lines

by Rob Finfrock The lingering economic downturn has impacted all areas of the aviation industry and has presented challenges for component manufacturers and suppliers. As operators and manufacturers seek to lower costs without compromising component quality, greater emphasis has been placed on the need to diversify operations to offset short-term revenue declines in certain segments.

Global supplier Aviall is meeting those challenges with a multipronged approach covering various segments of the industry.

A wholly owned Boeing subsidiary, Irving, Texas-based Aviall offers an online catalog with more than two million To stay competitive, Aviall has expanded its product line and increased its inventory over the last couple of years.

components from more than 235 aerospace and military OEMs. The company is an exclusive parts supplier for manufacturers including GE Aviation, RollsRoyce, Pratt & Whitney and Pratt & Whitney Canada, Honeywell and Hamilton Sundstrand.

That level of diversification has helped Aviall weather the recent economic storm, according to executive vice president and COO Ed Dolanski. “We have added significant new product lines and programs to our portfolio each year,” he told AIN. “Our ongoing commitment to inventory availability has ensured we remain a reliable source for aviation

products around the globe.”

Aviall (Booth No. 699) separates its aviation-related business into three primary categories: business/general aviation, commercial/ regional airline and military.

The latter category has remained strong for the company throughout the downturn, Dolanski noted, offering a consistent revenue stream. Its defense presence was further bolstered earlier this year with Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 15 approval to compete for certain government contracts.

The company has also seen revenue gains from its product offerings in the commercial airline sector, particularly from agreements with regional carriers. Dolanski tempered his enthusiasm somewhat by noting that European airline sales have declined in some areas, making future performance from that segment more difficult to predict.

“Sales of certain legacy product lines in the commercial airline market have been challenging,” he acknowledged. “To some extent, the challenge is due to reductions in legacy aircraft fleets.” To counter such declines, Dolanski added, Aviall has taken a more

air charter marketplace and also provides the empty-leg search engines and listings found on many retail charter websites.

Whatever numbers the forecast portrays, Avinode will emphasize its expertise in gathering and analyzing aviation market data that goes well beyond air charter and that can be deployed for customized reports and research.

“I think people are very much unaware of [our] depth of total market data; we’re not only charter,” said Henriksson.

“A lot of people in the industry don’t really know how much data we’re sitting on and how

much data we can analyze, and the capabilities we have with our analytical team.”

At NBAA, Avinode is sharing its booth with client charter-management companies including Avjet, Executive Air Services, Jet Flight International, Polaris Aviation, Acropolis Aviation, Austria’s Amira Air, Capital Jets of Russia, Global Aviation from Brazil and Longtail Aviation from Bermuda.

Avinode representatives will be on hand to discuss its s­ervices and answer questions.

The company also will host a“champagne mingle” at the booth tomorrow at 4 p.m. o

proactive approach in working with its suppliers and customers to expand product offerings and better negotiate for lower prices.

product portfolio has applications on business jets and helicopters,” Dolanski added. “Business aviation is an important market for Aviall. Not unlike our other customer segments, operators demand high-quality service, immediate availability, local stocking and original equipment parts, all of which Aviall is ­prepared to supply.”

It maintains 40 customer service and parts centers throughout North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region, as well as 20 FAA-certified repair stations offering battery, wheel and brake repair and overhaul, plus kitting, chemical management and custom paint-mixing services.

“Our customer service locations are positioned near major business aviation centers around the globe,” Dolanski said. Aviall also stocks an extensive inventory of overhauled and serviceable parts, offering a cost-effective option for many components over purchasing new stock.

“The business aviation market has been challenged in recent years, particularly in new aircraft sales, [but] it continues to be a growing market for Aviall, and we will continue to add product lines for business aviation applications.

Our unique capabilities align well with the expectations of business aviation operators and service providers,” he concluded. o

Downturn Yields Benefits

In the general aviation segment, the continued global downturn in new aircraft sales appears to have helped Aviall’s performance in supplying aftermarket parts for business and general aviation aircraft, as operators seek cost-effective solutions for necessary repairs and maintenance. “Revenue in the business and general aviation market has continued to grow over the past four years,” Dolanski said. “However, we believe some of our revenue growth is due to market share capture rather than market expansion.”

Aviall has used this opportunity to expand its product offerings for general aviation manufacturers and OEM suppliers.

In August, the company entered into an exclusive 10-year distribution agreement with engine maker Rolls-Royce for parts, modules and tools for the RR300 turboshaft that powers the Robinson R66 singleturbine helicopter. At the same time, Aviall gained a 10-year extension to an existing support contract for the RollsRoyce 250A turboshaft.

“A significant portion of our

44 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Kestrel breaks the mold in cabin design

Kestrel Moves Forward with Redesign A recently approved $30 million federal tax credit package will help Kestrel Aircraft (Booth No. 5585) bolster its presence in Superior, Wis., as the company develops a new single-engine turboprop. The funding, announced in early ­September, is the first of three such allocations planned for Kestrel through the new market tax credit program, and part of a $118 million package of local, state and federal incentives announced in February for the aspiring planemaker to establish its headquarters and production facilities in the state.

“This was just one little piece of the entire capital stack, but a very important piece,” noted Kestrel president and CEO Alan Klapmeier, adding the company will net approximately $7.5 million after fees and expenses.

The company anticipates certification of the Kestrel single-engine turboprop in three years. Kestrel recently completed a full-scale fuselage mockup, showing what Klapmeier believes is “an actual representation of what the final airplane will be.”

The mockup incorporates several changes over the original JP10 prototype built by Farnborough Aircraft. Differences include a taller cabin with greater passenger volume, a steeper windscreen and larger windows. Power is provided by a Honeywell TPE331-14 turbine engine.

The Kestrel mockup, which includes a unique stowable potty in the lower section of a rear cabinet, is on display at the Kestrel booth. –R.F.

The redesigned Kestrel (above), powered by a Honeywell TPE331-14, features a taller cabin with greater passenger volume, a steeper windscreen, larger windows and a stowable potty (below).

The prototype is shown at right.

MATT THURBER

it that makes a nice light catcher and is pleasing to the eye. This is going to be fantastic.”

Decisions on the window treatments, cabin management system (CMS) and the environmental controls (ECS) remain to be made, but the ECS will be dualzone (cabin and cockpit) and will be “very large,” said Mattison, facilitating adequate airflow and rapid heating and cooling.

The cockpit features sidestick controls, a low, contoured instrument panel with large, flat-panel avionics displays and a wraparound windshield allowing views of both wingtips.

“The loft–the outside aerodynamics–are basically done. That

is a huge part of it and we have done a lot of detail design,” said Kestrel CEO Alan Klapmeier, who is continuing to build his team and raise capital. Kestrel recently completed a successful new round of fundraising and employs 85, mostly from its new offices in Superior, Wis. “You want people with a certain amount of experience, but not too much, so they are open-minded.”

Klapmeier said some critical decisions–such as which composite material to use–remain to be made. “The design stuff feels good. Most of the answers are

MIKE COUSINO

while striving to minimize weight. One immediate concession: the executive passenger seats will not swivel. All the ventilation and wiring is located in the cabin sidewalls, as opposed to the ceiling, maximizing headroom. “We have a wide aisle and good headroom clearance,” Mattison said. “We’re not too terribly far along in the materials qualification process but the design is left open to interpretation. If you look into the cabin you have fields of color, large areas that are purposefully decorated. We are covering the cabin walls in leather and cloth so the design is purposely made to be customizable within reason.”

On the mock-up, Mattison stressed the use of “honest” materials. “I really dislike fake materials, such as carbon fiber that is not structural,” said Mattison. The mock-up features fields of dark brown with cool contrast colors, upscale Alcantara (a composite leather replacement), leathers and exotic African woods. The split sidewall promotes a diversity of colors and accents that creates a sculptured appearance. Carmel leather and Alcantara is used on the mockup sidewalls. “It is very sculptural and there are purposeful light catches within the sculpture,” he said. “We sculpted it with a flare and a return and spent a lot of time working on exactly how these surfaces and panels influence each other. It has a taut surface design layer to

MATT THURBER

No one can accuse Kestrel Aircraft of lacking ambition. The company unveiled a revised cabin mock-up of its indevelopment, all-composite single-engine turboprop over the summer. It features an executive interior nearly as opulent as what would be found in a new $40 million corporate jet, resplendent with high-gloss wood veneers, upscale leathers, a wide aisle and oversized oval cabin windows reminiscent of a Gulfstream. Basically, everything a traditional turboprop is not. All this in an airplane that is expected to hit the market with a price tag around $3 million.

The interior design is largely the brainchild of Kestrel industrial designer Ray Mattison, who cut his teeth in the business working at Cirrus Design on the SF50 Vision jet. Mattison said the executive layout, with a spacious club-four passenger grouping aft of the cockpit, is just one of nine interiors Kestrel is developing for the aircraft. The others will accommodate missions as diverse as medevac, cargo and a high-density configuration for eight passengers. “It’s a very flexible cabin,” said Mattison, and “we hope that one cabin design will accommodate different seating layouts.” The cabin will feature a seat tracking system that will facilitate quick changes between configurations.

Mattison and his team aimed to create a spacious cabin, both in actuality and appearance,

MIKE COUSINO

by Mark Huber

coming in where we expected.

The airplane is coming in a little heavier than we want so we have a lot of people working on weight issues. For example, the Honeywell engine comes with two big batteries so we are experimenting with one lithium-ion battery. If we go that path, we eliminate 75 pounds. You have lots of these little issues on the critical path. We’ve done a lot of risk reduction,” Klapmeier said.

Kestrel (Booth No. 5585) continues to acquire capital and has begun building the tooling required to manufacture the conforming prototype aircraft.

“The financing pieces will come into play at various times. We know enough about the process, have a very experienced team, know the product, know what the customer looks like and we are very comfortable with the business proposition. We will raise the money we need. In general, we feel really good about it,” Klapmeier concluded. o

Kestrel’s cockpit features sidetstick controls, a low and contoured instrument panel with large flat panel avionics dislays and a wrap-around windshield.

46 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD

Tuskegee Airmen honored for their service

by Mary F. Silitch During World War II, from June 1943 through April 1945, they flew 1,578 missions and 15,533 sorties, destroyed 261 aircraft and earned 850 medals. They were the Tuskegee Airmen, African-Americans who were members of the U.S. Army Air Corps, championed by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt yet segregated from the rest of the troops.

Trained at the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Ala., they were pilots, instructors, navigators and mechanics. Today, the National Business Aviation Association presents its highest award–the 2012 Meritorious Service to Aviation Award–to the Tuskegee Airmen.

“We are honored to present this award to these storied aviators, who in a time of great peril defended the United States and its principles, even as they faced intolerance at home,”

said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “The Tuskegee Airmen battled prejudice and segregation as effectively as they fought against the Axis forces over Europe, becoming one of the most highly decorated and respected fighter groups of World War II,” he continued.

“They serve as an inspiration for anyone faced with adversity to overcome forces that limit their potential.”

George Lucas, the producer of the 2012 movie Red Tails, is participating in the ceremony.

The aircraft the Tuskegee Airmen flew for bomber escort had red tails, and the bomber crews who relied on them for protection appreciatively called them “Red Tails.”

Scheduled to accept the award on behalf of the Tuskegee Airmen are U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Leo Gray and Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson. The NBAA said

Gray began his combat flight training in 1943, ultimately flying 15 missions over Italy before leaving active duty in 1946. He remained active in the Air Force Reserves until his retirement in 1984. Forced to bail out on his 18th mission over Germany in August 1944, Jefferson was held as a prisoner of war until the end of hostilities in Europe.

He later served as an instructor at Tuskegee Army Airfield.

Following his retirement from the Air Force Reserves in 1969, Jefferson became a teacher and assistant principal in the Detroit public schools.

A period-correct North American T-6 Texan training aircraft, painted in authentic Tuskegee squadron markings, and a “Rise Above” traveling exhibit, are being featured on the static display outside the Orange County Convention Center.

On Wednesday and Thursday the exhibit’s mobile theater will show a video celebrating the group’s accomplishments and impact on aviation. Also, NBAA’s static display at Orlando Executive Airport is featuring a P-51 Mustang operated by the Tuskegee squadron. o

The Tuskegee Airmen were members of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. They were pilots, instructors, navigators and mechanics. The NBAA is presenting them with the Meritorious Service Award, the association’s highest honor, in recognition of their service to the country and their inspiration to others while facing adversity.

48 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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news clips z National Flight Services Expands at San Antonio National Flight Services (Booth No. 5096) has begun expansion of its San Antonio, Texas facilities at New Braunfels Regional Airport.

Groundbreaking for an added 20,000 sq ft took place October 5, and construction is expected to be completed by May 2013.

Since 1996, National Flight has specialized in Honeywell TPE331 turbine engine services. The authorized Honeywell service center has been serving the aviation community for 52 years with a variety of offerings for general aviation, government and regional airline aircraft, including turbine- and piston-engine overhaul and repair, hot-section and gearbox inspections; engine rentals, component overhaul and repair, airframe services, prebuy inspections and interior services. It also operates facilities in Toledo, Ohio; Lakeland, Fla.; and Kansas City, Mo. “National Flight is a highly regarded turbine engine and overhaul repair station and we are pleased to welcome it to the New Braunfels Regional Airport,” said airport director Vinicio Llerena. According to National Flight, “This new facility will help us keep up with customer demand and explore future opportunities.”

z Scott’s Looks At RR300 Power for SB47 Rolls-Royce (Booth No. 320) and Scott’s Bell 47 (SB47) have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore installing the RR300 turboshaft in the SB47 multipurpose light helicopter.

Scott’s acquired the type certificate for the Model 47 from Bell Helicopter in 2010 and is currently supporting the helicopter and offering complete refurbishment and updates for the aircraft.

The company’s ultimate goal is to place the helicopter back into production. An STC installation of the Rolls-Royce 250 in Bell 47s has been available since the 1970s.

z FlyRight Boosts King Air Training FlyRight, the Concord, N.C.-based Part 142 King Air training provider, will begin providing both King Air 200 and 300 type ratings to Part 91 and Part 135 operators next year both in the U.S. and elsewhere. King Air 300-series training will include sessions in the company’s new 350 simulator to be installed at Concord. The King Air 350 simulator features Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics with three displays, including both left- and right-side primary flight displays. FlyRight (Booth No. 3367) says that its recently approved King Air 200 type-rating program makes it the only U.S. training company offering a complete King Air 200 simulator-based type rating for companies and countries that require type ratings or operate the King Air 200 at weights greater than 12,500 pounds.

SimCom adds real-world scenarios to simulator training sessions

by Chad Trautvetter SimCom CEO Wally David is optimistic about growth prospects for his Orlando, Fla.-based aircraft simulator training company (Booth No. 4260), even though he concedes that business has been flat over the past year. “We haven’t seen much pickup in our side of the market, which includes light and midsize jet training, as well as for pistons and turboprops,” he said. “This is because of a general lack of confidence in the economy and the many unknowns, the largest of which is the uncertainty over the U.S. elections.”

While there has been some trend toward taking less training as a way to save money during the down economy, David believes that doing this will actually cost operators more in the end. “Training is an important aspect of operating an aircraft,” he pointed out. “Are you prepared when

SimCom instructors draw from a company-generated accident synopsis database to create real-world–and unexpected–scenarios for pilots during their training sessions.

something bad happens? If not, the consequences could be severe,” potentially including loss of life.

To give operators more incentive to continue training during these lean times, SimCom strives to offer the most value for the dollar. This includes a customized approach to meet a client’s specific needs, as well as small

z PAA Receives Itar Approval Professional Aviation Associates (PAA, Booth No. 2569) of Atlanta has received its International Traffic in Arms Regulations (Itar) certification, the company announced here at NBAA’12. Itar certification allows PAA to supply rotables to military aviation operators of both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, as well as parts and tooling to foreign militaries.

The U.S. government requires all manufacturers, exporters and brokers of defense articles, defense services or related technical data to be Itar compliant.

A subsidiary of Greenwich AeroGroup, PAA provides rotable exchange programs and inventory support solutions for AgustaWestland, Bell, Eurocopter, MD and Sikorsky helicopters, and is an independent supplier of parts and accessories for Beechcraft King Airs, the Beech 1900 and Beechjets.

After successfully completing the two-day audit process, Baker Aviation was awarded the Argus Platinum safety rating for its Part 135 charter operation, which flies a Citation 650, Beechjet 400A and Hawker 800A. The audit scrutinized all Baker Aviation’s manuals, procedures, safety management system, FAA compliance and general company-wide practices. According to Baker, (Booth No: 4570) only 4 percent of the nation’s 2,500 charter operators hold the Argus Platinum rating.

CY CYR

z Baker Achieves Argus Platinum Safety Rating

BLuE SKIES In ORLANDO The impending Frankenstorm threatening the East Coast did not delay preparations for this week’s convention. On Sunday, exhibitors readied their displays at the second static site, adjacent to the convention center. Here, a n technician puts the finishing touches on an AgustaWestland 139.

class sizes (maximum of two) and the same instructor for both classroom and simulator to provide more continuity to the training experience.

In addition, SimCom started scenario-based training earlier this year to prepare pilots more effectively for real-life situations. “We compiled NTSB accident reports for each of our training programs,” said SimCom COO Tracy Brannon. “Then we created an accident synopsis database that our instructors can access to identify accident trends. From there, the instructors were asked to select two to three of the highest-incidence accident scenarios for use in training.” Customers can also even ask for their own scenarios, he added.

SimCom is using its accident analysis tool for presentations to aircraft owner groups. In fact, at the recent Eclipse 500 owners club meeting, Tracy gave a presentation on why very light jets crash. “The NTSB data point to approach and landing accidents, so I tailored the presentation to highlight these mishaps.”

According to Tracy, customers enjoy SimCom’s scenariobased training. “They tell us it’s refreshing to do training a bit differently,” he noted.

“Until now, the instructor and customer knew beforehand what was going to happen in the simulator. Now, it’s more open-ended–the student must decide how to deal with an abnormal/emergency condition that actually happened to someone in real life and ended with an undesirable outcome.

Good aeronautical decisionmaking skills require continuous use and practice.” o

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10/28/12 6:26 PM

CMC seeks comment on touchscreen SmartDeck

by Matt Thurber Esterline CMC Electronics is asking NBAA attendees for feedback on its latest development, a touchscreen control and voice recognition system for its SmartDeck avionics suite, on display at Booth No. 5031. CMC is also showing its newest electronic flight bag (EFB) technology, which includes the ability to share flight plans and aircraft data with Apple iPads using CMC’s Tandem system.

Canada’s Cobalt Aircraft Industries has become the second OEM to select SmartDeck, for its Co50 five-place piston single. The Co50 SmartDeck suite will include two 12-inch displays, dual ADAHRS, Waas GPS, a dedicated 6.5-inch flight planning and radio management display, integrated digital autopilot and audio control system. Pilots will have access to modern features such as

Taws-B, Tcas/traffic advisory system, satellite weather, lightning detection and synthetic vision. Certification of the Co50 is expected in 18 to 24 months.

“It’s exciting for us to have a home in the piston world,” said Greg Plantz, SmartDeck director of marketing and sales.

The first OEM to specify a SmartDeck system was Evektor, for the EV-55 Outback twin turboprop. Evektor recently announced an order for nine EV-55s, with an option for 20 more, by Russian geophysical exploration company AeroGeo. The portable SmartDeck demonstrator in the CMC booth will be used to evaluate user feedback, not only on SmartDeck but also the new touchscreen and voice recognition system that CMC is testing. The controller uses infrared beams to detect the user’s touch, not the capacitive

CMC is testing a touchscreen and voice-recognition system for the SmartDeck integrated flight control and display system. Pilots can test the new features at Booth No. 5031 and comment on the experience. Meanwhile, CMC landed a second customer for the avionics suite, with Canada’s Cobalt Aircraft selecting the avionics for its Co50 piston single, inset.

touchscreen found on tablet computers and smartphones.

It’s not a locked-in design,” said Plantz. “There are still some arguments for both [types].

Our human factors engineers are testing the waters.” Cobalt and Evektor aren’t incorporating the touch/voice controller in their SmartDecks, but, he added, “If it fits with their certification plan, we’ll try to offer these advanced features.”

On the flight bag front, CMC is taking advantage of the latest technology, including speedy Intel Core i7 processors, to add interesting new capabilities to its certified PilotView EFB platform. At its NBAA booth, CMC is demonstrating new 3-D rendering technology that helps pilots with positional awareness when flying into challenging terrain areas.

The processor upgrade is a big

jump from previous EFBs running Intel Pentium M or Celeron chips and allows CMC to add the new capabilities.

“We can run more apps simultaneously [on the EFBs],” said Jean-Marie Begis, EFB product line director. “Operators can use Jeppesen charts as well as other apps like terrain awareness, weather, moving maps and so on. It has a very powerful graphics processor.” o

50 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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10/28/12 4:16 PM

P&WC updates PT6 with latest technologies

by Thierry Dubois Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC, Booth No. 3160) is here with the recently certified PT6A140, the latest version of a turboprop engine that will celebrate next year the 50th anniversary of its first delivery. The -140 will power Cessna’s new Grand Caravan EX turboprop single, with 867 shp at takeoff. That represents a 28-percent increase over the -114A used in the Grand Caravan. Transport Canada certified the -140 last July. The FAA’s equivalent approval is expected “in the next few months,” according to Denis Parisien, P&WC vice president for general aviation.

The PT6A-140 provides better takeoff, climb and hot-and-high performance for ­

aircraft has landed. “A customer will always know where he stands with predictive maintenance,”

Kanellias said. The PT6A-140 features a 3,600-hour TBO. The engine also benefits from the greener production techniques P&WC is developing.

“We have optimized the test cell sequence for running an engine in pre-shipment tests,” Parisien explained. Over the last couple of years, this has enabled a cut in fuel consumption by 28

percent for these tests. In addition, “materials of concern” in the manufacturing process have been identified and have either been removed or are being researched for suitable replacements. These are, for instance, chromic acid anodizing, chrome 6-containing paints, chrome plating, conversion coatings and leaded-bronze bushings.

The company invests $400 million in research and development every year, and the two P&WC officials hinted the industry should stay tuned for more PT6 enhancements.

Parisien said PT6 engines generally account for “approximately 50 percent of our annual engine production.” The current trend is said to be a slight ramp-up. o

The PT6A-140 features internal aerodynamic improvements to boost power on the Cessna Grand Caravan EX.

the improved Grand Caravan EX, which is slated to enter service later this year. Nevertheless, the new engine is the same length as the -114A, and thus has a very high power-toweight ratio, Parisien pointed out. Specific fuel consumption is lower, too, by 5 percent.

The PT6A-140 uses technologies that have been employed on larger PT6 variants. For example, the hot section enables higher thermal power because “we’ve incorporated the latest in high-temperature nickel alloys and singlecrystal blade materials,” Parisien told AIN. These alloys have demonstrated excellent durability properties, added Nick Kanellias, general manager for P&WC’s utility and general aviation programs.

In the compressor, engineers introduced on the first stage a wide-chord “integrally bladed rotor.” This feature is also known as a “blisk” and increases flow and improves aerodynamic efficiency. There is no additional stage in the PT6A-140, compared to the PT6A-114A. Another feature on the -140 is its flight data acquisition storage and transmission system, which enables automated transfer of engine parameters, wirelessly to P&WC’s network, once the www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 51

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news clips z Jet Parts Gets New GSM Inventory Jet Parts (Booth No. 3970), an aftermarket parts provider located between Florida’s Palm Beach International Airport, Fort Lauderdale International Airport and Miami International Airport, announced here that it recently acquired a cache of ground support equipment inventory, including power carts, tools and hangar support items for Falcon and Gulfstream operations. The company’s climate-controlled facility is maintained in laboratory-like conditions year round. It rotates inventory to ensure all 8130 airworthiness approval tags are fresh and says it has systems in place to prevent cross-contamination between serviceable and unserviceable aftermarket and OEM parts. Jet Parts supports all series of Falcons, Hawkers and Gulfstreams in need of rotable parts, APUs, engines, airframes or expendables, according to Danny Suber, vice president of sales and marketing.

z Sheltair Offering Opportunities, Opening New FBO Sheltair (Booth No. 4253) wants NBAA attendees to know more about its property leasing opportunities, development and construction services. Since the mid 1980s Sheltair has developed, constructed and now manages more than 60 percent of all hangars and airside commercial office space at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, one of the busiest general aviation airports in the U.S. Sheltair said that to date it has built more than 3 million square feet of aviation-related space at 19 properties in Florida, Georgia and New York. The company opens its 15th U.S. FBO facility at Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg, Fla., coinciding with the closing day of NBAA’12, on November 1.

z BBA ERO Adds New Personnel BBA Aviation Engine Repair and Overhaul (ERO) has made several additions to its global support staff. In the Asia Pacific region, the maintenance provider (Booth No. 3100) has added Luke Chiang, most recently director of regional jet sales at Jet Aviation, as a regional sales manager of its Singapore-based sales team. The center, which opened in Singapore this year, now includes a territorial director and three regional sales managers. The company also named Wayne Thompson as a regional field service engineer based in Brisbane, Australia. For the past 14 years he was a mobile repair lead technician in the region with Pratt & Whitney Canada. In Africa, BBA ERO tapped Trevor Van Rooyen and Grant Boast as regional sales managers for the sub-Saharan region. Both men will be based out of Lanseria Airport in South Africa.

Piper renews focus on trainers and M-class

by Matt Thurber The past year has been challenging but also marked a turnaround for Piper Aircraft. CEO Simon Caldecott has been on the job for a year, and the first decision he was faced with was huge: what to do about the single-engine PiperJet Altaire program. While just before last year’s NBAA show Piper had given every indication that the Altaire would continue, Caldecott used the occasion to announce that the program was being put on indefinite hold, although Piper has retained all the intellectual property developed for the Altaire.

“I was originally hired as chief of production of that program,” he said. “Once I started digging into the business case for it, it didn’t make sense in the current market. Demand for single- or twin-engine VLJs is just not there.” When the PiperJet was announced in 2006, Eclipse Aviation founder Vern Raburn was still predicting a market for 1,200 VLJs a year, Caldecott said.

“Last year 106 or 107 were delivered. The market is less than one tenth [of the prediction], we’re not going to get those volumes. It’s a heavy investment.

The economics of a singleengine jet do work out better, but anyone developing one now has got to have deep pockets.”

Since taking over at Piper, Caldecott has built on Piper’s strengths, focusing on its most popular products and adding sales and support talent in promising parts of the global marketplace. “The main focus for me since taking over has been about stabilization of the company,” he said. “We’ve started to focus on the longer term and what we need to do with the products we currently manufacture.”

Market Remains Strong

The training industry has proven to be a robust consumer of new piston-powered aircraft, and as one of the few companies selling a piston-twin trainer–the Seminole–Piper is in a good position. “I firmly believe we need to be very focused on the training market,” he said. “There is a global demand right now for a lot more pilots. Asia has an extremely big demand for student pilots. And we’re talking to multiple flight schools about renewing their fleets.”

Caldecott is optimistic that

China will continue to make more airspace available for civilian flight operations. “There’s more interest [there] in getting into the aviation business,” he said. “We’re very focused on the Chinese strategy, of how Piper gets its share of the market.”

That said, Caldecott has no plans to manufacture Pipers in China.

Another segment that has remained relatively strong is the cabin-class single-engine market, what Piper labels its M-class airplanes, the turboprop Meridian, pressurized piston Mirage and unpressurized Matrix. Year to date, Piper delivered 69 M-class singles–up from 59 in the same period last year–while its entire production line made 47 aircraft in the first quarter, 39 in the second and 40 in the third. “To me that’s fairly level-loaded,” he said, “from the point of view of that helping to stabilize the business.”

The 500th Meridian was delivered in September.

Third quarter revenues climbed to $37.9 million, up from $35.2 million in the same quarter last year. Production during the fourth quarter is expected at about 40 airplanes.

Also in September, Piper announced improvements to the M-class airplanes, including upgraded interiors with new fabrics and restyled seats. NBAA Convention attendees can see these improvements at the Convention Center static display, where three Pipers are parked. o

z Covington Aircraft Expands PT6A Portfolio Covington Aircraft, a Pratt & Whitney Canada distributor and designated overhaul facility since 2009, recently expanded its approved capabilities to include maintenance, repair and overhaul on most PT6A engines. The company sells new P&WC PT6As and says it maintains an ample supply of rental engines to keep customers flying. Founded in 1972, Covington Aircraft (Booth No. 1760) still overhauls Pratt & Whitney R-985 and R-1340 radial piston engines at its Okmulgee, Okla. facility.

Whelen Engineering (Booth No. 2789), a privately held company based in Chester, Conn., has been manufacturing aircraft lighting for more than 60 years. At this year’s NBAA Convention the company announced that it was chosen to be the supplier for the LED wingtip lighting on the new version of the Cessna Citation Sovereign, which will include winglets.

The wingtip unit incorporates both anti-collision and position lights using low-draw, extra bright and reliable LED technology. The product is TSOed as a line-replaceable unit.

MARIANO ROSALES

z Citation Sovereign Upgrades Wingtip LIghts

Showalter shows Its Stuff Hosting the NBAA static display is nothing new for Showalter Flying Service, which served as the host FBO for the event for the first time in 1996. From year to year the FBO has made changes necessary to accommodate n the ever-growing number of aircraft on static display, which this year will reach approximately 90.

52 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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10/18/12 9:34 AM

Orlando FBOs roll out red carpet for NBAAers

While fly-in attendance for the NBAA static display and convention has grown over the past few years, Kissimmee-based Ranger Jet Center said that the number of day-trippers has also picked up at the facility because of its convenient proximity to the convention center.

by Dale Smith No matter how many times you’ve done it, preparing for something as large and as busy as the influx of aircraft at an NBAA convention takes a lot of planning and coordination.

Sheltair Aviation Services general manager Eddie Dussault said, “We pretty much started planning right after the last NBAA. We generally get down to the details four months prior and start meeting with our different vendors, like catering, rental cars and fuel.

We also work closely with the [Orlando Executive Airport] facility authorities.”

Signature Flight Support marketing v-p Patrick Sniffen said that with two FBOs in the

area–one at Orlando Kissimmee Gateway and the other at Orlando International–they put things in motion about six months in advance. “We do a lot of large events at our locations around the country, so handling lots of traffic is nothing new to us. But you can always learn from past NBAAs–good and bad,” he said. “One thing we’ve learned is to expect the unexpected and that, above all, every operation is done in a safe manner.”

All the FBO representatives shared the same thoughts: advance planning and adequate staffing is key to minimizing stress and mistakes.

“One area we’re concentrating on is better coordination

with visiting flight crews in advance of their departures,” Dussault said. “That’s the toughest part to coordinate. Once the show or static display closes, it’s a big bug out–everyone wants to leave at once. If we know what everyone wants in advance, we can make sure everyone has their fuel orders and catering on board when it’s time. Nobody wants to be waiting for a coffee order when it’s time to be taxiing out.”

Ranger Jet Center president

Sheltair Aviation Services at Orlando Executive Airport is concentrating its efforts on better coordination with visiting flight crews in advance of their departures. Sheltair is offering its normal fuel discounts during the show.

Signature Flight Support at Orlando International Airport has been planning for NBAA for more than six months. Signature’s other facility at Kissimmee Gateway Airport is also prepared for NBAA show attendees and extra staff will be on hand at both facilities.

Signature is offering its TailWins pilot rewards program and other promotions during the show.

Charles Bonar said the Kissimmee-based FBO “can handle the fueling and aircraft with our regular line team. But we do bring in extra customer service representatives to make sure we can meet every crew that comes in.”

Sniffen said that with traffic coming and going 24 hours a day to and from two locations during the NBAA show, Signature also brings in extra help from other facilities. “Our goal is to give our customers the same high level of service during NBAA that they receive every day,” he said. “Our customers are professional business fliers and they expect a certain level of support, no matter what the circumstance. Our goal is to meet their expectations.”

And that goes for all of Signature’s regular services and perks.

Sniffen said that, along with its TailWins pilot rewards program, Signature is offering other promotions during the NBAA show.

Dussault and Bonar also said their facilities impose no special fees during the event. “We have all of our normal fuel discounts,” Dussault added. “There are no special charges or fees. We don’t believe in it.”

While fly-in attendance for the NBAA static display and convention has grown over the past few years, Bonar said the number of day-trippers has picked up at Kissimmee because of its proximity to the convention center. “We’re just 10 minutes away, so we get a lot of aircraft that drop off passengers and immediately leave to get more. They’ll do it multiple times in a day,” he said. “We try to make it as convenient and comfortable for them as possible. We have barbecues a few days a week and the crews can use our snooze room to rest.”

Whether you’re here for the day or the week, all of the FBO representatives said, their number-one goal is to make the visit for passengers and flight crews as comfortable and stress-free as possible. They also strongly urge that if any crew has any problem or suggestion they should share it with their facility’s

management or customer service reps as soon as possible.

While the safe handling of passengers and crew is top priority, the fact is, there are hundreds of millions of dollars of combined company assets parked on FBO ramps during the NBAA show. And the hosting FBOs are well aware of their responsibilities.

“The Kissimmee police department provides officers to patrol the area during the show,” Bonar said. “We also have the Osceola County Sheriff’s flight department headquartered in one of our hangars. In addition, we’ve already incorporated a lot of aviation security training for our staff. It gets pretty busy and hectic around here, but you have to pay attention to everything,” he said. “When you get right down to it, for us, NBAA is business as usual–there’s just a lot more of it.” o

NEWS NOTE The FAA has renewed the NBAA’s request for an extension to Exemption 7897, the “NBAA’s Small Aircraft Exemption.” The renewal expires March 31, 2013 and according to the NBAA, “allows operators of piston-powered airplanes, small airplanes and all helicopters to utilize, among other provisions, the limited options for cost reimbursement permitted under Part 91, Subpart F.” The exemption is available only to NBAA members.

The exemption applies to operations such as ferry and training flights, aerial work, demonstration flights and carriage of people and products on flights that are incidental to the business of the company operating the aircraft, but using smaller aircraft instead of the large aircraft to which the regulations normally apply. These regulations typically allow more expenses related to the flight to be charged.

Operators that wish to use the exemption must also comply with the provisions of 14 CFR 91.503 through 91. 535, notify the FAA and provide the FAA a copy of the inspection program under 91.409(f) that is being used to maintain the aircraft. v

54 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Bizav plays vital role in European recovery

by Ian Sheppard A report commissioned by “While previous studies have the European Business Aviation underlined the scale of business Association (EBAA) in 2008 and aviation (in a nutshell, 88,000 released this month by Oxford city pairs, 650,000 yearly moveEconomics has attempted to ments, 160,000 jobs, more than 4,000 business jets in quantify business aviEurope alone) there has ation’s role in Europe’s been less recognition of economy and its imporits catalytic impact on tance in aiding in recovery. growth in other sectors.

The report states, “The [But] what would ecoadded value of business nomic and financial powaviation flights is often erhouses such as London, either overlooked… or Paris, Frankfurt or Milan attributed into a broad Fabio Gamba be like without access to category along all other business aviation, and various forms of general how would the regions of aviation.” The report the EU be affected? attempts to fathom busi“This importance ness aviation’s true value, should be recognized in and concludes: “The policy formation, with business aviation seclegislators developing regtor plays a crucial role in ulations and mechanisms connecting firms across Europe, providing a level Brian Humphries that bolster business aviation activity in order to of flexibility and responsiveness that the scheduled net- further stimulate the growth of work can’t deliver–but that our region, rather than ignore it.”

Using statistical analysis and business leaders require.”

EBAA CEO Fabio Gamba case studies, the report, accordwrote the foreword to the report: ing to the EBAA, demonstrates

Blackhawk is pursuing STC for Caravan mod Blackhawk Modifications (Booth No. 4112) is pursuing a new supplemental type certificate (STC) related to its XP42A upgrade package for the Cessna 208B Caravan.

The new STC will allow Caravan operators worldwide to install the upgrade, which includes a factory-new Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A engine rated at 850 continuous shaft horsepower; a new, wide-chord, 100-inch diameter Hartzell fourblade propeller; new composite cowling and high-efficiency inlet duct; new 40-percent larger oil cooler; the existing engine mount with a modified horse collar; new engine hose kit; new

Blackhawk Hawkeye DigiLog engine gauges; and new Frakes exhaust stacks.

The company spent $3 million and 35,000 man-hours developing the conversion.

Blackhawk CEO Jim Allmon said two Caravan customers already have completed contracts for the new upgrade package.

Beginning at the NBAA convention, the company will be accepting pre-certification orders and offering a limited number of special pricing packages.

Allmon said the FAA is expected to approve the new STC during this year’s fourth quarter, and approvals from international certification agencies are under

Blackhawk Modifications is working on an STC for its XP42A engine upgrade package for the Cessna 208B Caravan. The upgrade will expand Caravan performance margins.

the “substantial benefits” of business aviation to users as well as local governments and communities around airfields and beyond.

Two key findings highlighted by the EBAA were that the main users of business aviation in Europe are “key corporate decision-makers on high-value trips” and that “each additional passenger flown…generates the same GDP as nine business passengers on a scheduled flight,” based on the seniority and importance of the typical corporate passenger.

The report shows, according to the EBAA, that, “contrary to popular belief, business aircraft are not solely reserved for wealthy individuals for private use.” Oxford Economics found that with one large operator (NetJets Europe) 80 percent of business aircraft use was by corporations; a quarter of these were firms in the Eurostoxx 50 (representing Europe’s top 50 companies) and 20 percent were in Germany’s DAX index.

“It has been shown that two thirds of executives declare faceto-face contact to be crucial in deal-making,” said EBAA president Brian Humphries. “Business aviation facilitates such meetings like no other form of transport, thanks to the flexibility of its service. If you consider way. “These STCs will enable Blackhawk to offer the outstanding capabilities and efficiency of the XP42A package to the entire Cessna Caravan fleet,” he said.

The upgrade significantly expands Caravan performance margins, effectively doubling the aircraft’s rate of climb while using less fuel.

Takeoff distances on land or water will be reduced, and takeoff weight, range and true airspeed will increase.

Takeoff weight increases by approximately 4 percent, while airspeed is boosted by 15 percent. The converted aircraft also is approved for flight-intoknown-icing conditions.

“With the stock engine, when you load up with ice, you are going to start drifting down,” Allmon said. “We tested this airplane for an hour with more than five inches of ice on it. The slowest speed that we could maintain at full power was 170 knots.” As part of the test regime Blackhawk test pilots did 115 spins.

The company sees the upgrade of value to operators flying utility and special missions worldwide, including business and passenger flights, freight hauling, air ambulance service, surveillance and patrol and skydiving. –M.H.

EBAA recently reported that the main users of business aviation in Europe are “key corporate decision-makers on high-value trips” and that business aviation plays a crucial role in connecting firms across the continent and is vital to economic recovery.

Oxford’s finding that 96 percent of city pairs served by business aviation in 2011 had no scheduled connection, it is little wonder that business aircraft passengers place a value on [these] flights that is eight to 15 times higher than those made on scheduled airlines.”

It should be noted that the other 4 percent of city pairs accounted for one third of business aviation traffic by volume, and the figure of “eight to 15 times” is based on, among other things, comments from users such as “business aviation makes four days turn into four-and-ahalf hours.)

The report also found that

business aviation enables “thin connectivity”–transporting a low volume of passengers to thousands of destinations around the world not served directly by airlines, in fact, three times as many.

Some 70 percent of business aviation flights land and take off at airports served by fewer than 100 flights per day (which would require long alternative journeys to get to those destinations).

And business aviation could play, according to the report, “a particularly crucial and complementary role in integrating regions of Europe less well served by scheduled airlines–a key policy goal for the European Union.” o

ATP introduces HubConnect iPad app ATP is offering the HubConnect document management app and mobile service for the iPad. The app and the mobile service combine ATP’s single-source aircraft aviation document databases with the iPad’s portability. Using the HubConnect app and the HubConnect mobile service, subscribers have instant mobile access to ATP’s library of maintenance publications, regulatory documents and pilot operating handbooks.

“HubConnect is the downloadable app for iPad that connects it to the ATP aviation hub online service, where you can have full access to your entire library of subscriptions purchased through ATP and other support services,” said David Perkins, ATP’s senior marketing manager. “It also allows you to download into your iPad maintenance manuals, publications and other subscription items. The app allows you to choose whatever documents you want, giving you 24/7 non-Internet-required access to those documents. Otherwise you have full access to everything if ATP’s HubConnect app for the iPad you have Internet access.”

The ATP aviation hub online provides access to more than 750 maintenance libraries, a regulation service provides access to more library and pilot operating handbooks. than 750 maintenance libraries from more than 50 manufacturers and a regulatory library encompassing FAA, EASA and ICAO regulations. Users also have access to pilot operating handbooks from most major aircraft manufacturers.

Customers can subscribe to the OEM library via the ATP aviation hub online service and have the option of subscribing to the HubConnect mobile service, which provides access to their publications via the iPad. The subscription includes the necessary iPad app. The cost of the HubConnect service is $79.99 a year per user.

–D.A.L.

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10/17/12 9:51 AM

Associated lands its first 747-8 completion

by Mark Huber StandardAero’s Associated Air Center signed its first Boeing 747-8 VVIP completion contract last month. The client is from the Middle East. The aircraft was scheduled to arrive at Associated’s Dallas completion center during the time frame of the NBAA convention, and the completion is expected to last 36 months.

Associated general manager Chris Schechter said the 747-8 is to be equipped with a Greenpoint Technologies Aeroloft second-story module over the aft fuselage and a through-the-fuselage elevator, from an unnamed manufacturer, that extends down to the tarmac. Installation of the elevator will add approximately 12 months to the average widebody completion time of 18 to 24 months.

While most details of the aircraft layout remain confidential, Schechter did say it would feature VIP seating for 100 in both traditional first-class and lie-flat “cocoons,” three galleys, 3-D digital entertainment with large monitors and a dedicated VVIP area for the principal, including a private bedroom and reception area.

The Aeroloft module will be used for an extended luxury crew rest area and be configured with eight small bedrooms

and a shared changing room. The aircraft will also be fitted with advanced environmental controls, including an air-humidification system, extra water tanks, all the latest dual redundant satcom–notably, Ku band broadband Internet–and “bestin-class” design and style with the help of some high-end designers brought into the project to augment Associated’s recently

upgraded internal design capabilities.

Negotiations for the completion began early this year. Schechter said the contract would require the addition of 30 to 35 percent more employees, but would not force Associated to expand into any new core competencies. “It’s a big expansion of our capacity, but it is a fairly gradual expansion,” he said. “Right now we

Associated Air Center recently completed this BBJ, which includes a main lounge with side-facing convertible divan.

have just under 400 employees and we will probably expand to 500.”

Schechter said the elevator installation is the most challenging part of the completion. This will be the first to-the-tarmac elevator installation in a 747. It will lift up to four people or one person in a wheelchair with an attendant. “That adds a substantial amount of time because that involves a lot of structures work and engineering work,” he said. He also anticipates that the engines that arrive on the green aircraft will be swapped with newer engines that offer increased performance via service bulletins during the completion process. This is Associated’s fifth 747 and eighth widebody aircraft. The company has completed 81 narrowbody/single-aisle aircraft.

While known primarily for its singleaisle completions, Associated has been performing widebody completions since the mid-1990s. To date it has worked on two 747s, one 747SP, one 747-400 and two 767s and it is finishing an Airbus A330.

The company can accommodate two simultaneous widebody completions in its Dallas hangars. “Obviously, they need to be staggered; we can’t have them peak at the same time,” Schechter said. “We’re very careful at predicting our manpower requirements by manpower skill set, by month and by aircraft, and not overbooking ourselves,” he said, acknowledging that this has been an industry-wide problem in the past. o

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www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 57

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Cessna Aircraft A look back at the past year’s news and events

October 2011 2011

•

•C essna announced the new M2 light jet just before the NBAA show and the midsize Citation Latitude was the opening day’s biggest news.

Citation M2

January 2012 • Commanded by engineering test pilot Michael Voigt, Cessna’s midsize Citation Ten made its maiden flight from Wichita Mid-Continent Airport.

• Cessna’s revenue increased by $51 million, to $1.011 billion, in fourth-quarter 2011 results announced by parent company Textron. In total, Cessna delivered 183 jets in 2011, four more than it shipped in 2010.

• The 400th Citation Mustang rolled off Cessna’s Independence, Kan. assembly line, just over five years after the first twinjet was delivered.

• 2012

February 2012 • Cessna announced that the range of its new Latitude is being extended by 15 percent to 2,300 nm.

• CitationAir stopped selling fractional shares in new aircraft and ceased renewals for current fractional-share customers.

• Cessna exhibited a cabin cross-section mockup of the $14.9 million Citation Latitude for the first time in Asia at the Singapore Airshow.

Citation Ten

•

• Cessna named Castle AM, a division of Castle Aviation, as its newest single-engine service facility. Castle is authorized to service all Cessna singles and also works on Aerostars.

March 2012 • CitationAir said it would begin reducing its fleet as its Jet Share fractional share contracts expire, resulting in the furlough of a corresponding number of pilots.

• The Cessna Citation M2 achieved its maiden flight at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport.

• Cessna Aircraft, Aviation Industry Corp of China (Avic) and the Chengdu provincial government signed “two strategic agreements to jointly develop general and business aviation in China.” Sovereigns and Latitudes built in China will be assembled in Chengdu from components made at the company’s Wichita headquarters.

•

• Shanghai Hawker Pacific (SHP) and Cessna signed a preliminary service center agreement at ABACE, which enables SHP’s Business Aviation Service Center at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to become a Cessna authorized service facility.

Citation Latitude cabin mock-up

• April 2012

May 2012

• CitationAir announced an agreement with The Eliot Hotel of Boston. Guests of the hotel will be eligible to fly privately with CitationAir, and to receive 50 percent off the minimum purchase price of a CitationAir Jet Card.

• The Citation M2 will share a production line with the Citation Mustang in Independence, Kan. • Cessna signed a strategic agreement with China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Company (Caiga) and the Shijiazhuang Municipal Government that lays the groundwork for final assembly, sales and customer support of the Cessna Caravan in China for the Chinese market.

•

• At the EBACE show, Cessna announced a $25.9 million stretched version of its new Latitude–the Longitude–that will fly 4,000 nm at Mach 0.82.

June 2012

• Austrian charter company GlobeAir took delivery of its eleventh Cessna Citation Mustang, making it the world’s largest operator of the type.

•

• NetJets announced that it had placed the largest general aviation aircraft order in history for up to 425 Bombardier and Cessna jets worth $9.6 billion. The deal includes a firm order for 25 Cessna Citation Latitudes and options on another 125, with deliveries starting in 2016.

• Pratt & Whitney Canada signed a 15-year fleet maintenance program with NetJets for the PW306D turbofans that will power the Cessna Citation Latitudes that NetJets will begin flying in 2016.

July 2012

•

Citation Longitude

• PPG Industries’ aerospace transparencies group was tapped by Cessna Aircraft to supply the cockpit windows for the Latitude.

• At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, Cessna announced that the Grand Caravan turboprop is getting a bigger engine, an 867-shp PT6A-140. Cessna also unveiled the diesel-powered Turbo Skylane JT-A, which replaces the avgas-powered 182.

August 2012 • Cessna selected Atlantic Aviation in Birmingham, Ala. to be the base for a new mobile service unit (MSU).

• Bell and Cessna opened a new regional service center in Singapore at Seletar Aerospace Park.

•

• At the LABACE show, Cessna announced that it has again increased the range–to 2,500 nm–of the Citation Latitude.

• Cessna announced that it raised the top speed of the Citation Ten to Mach 0.935, which would make it the fastest civil aircraft in service, once certified.

September 2012 • GAMA’s first-half aircraft delivery numbers suggested optimism is warranted. Cessna ramped up its output by nearly 25 percent year-over-year, with increases in every model except the very light Citation Mustang.

• An iPad app version of Cessna’s Citation Performance Calculator (CPCalc) became available at the iTunes Store.

•

• Spain’s Valencia Airport became the newest location for a Cessna Citation Regional Service Center.

58 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Frasca expands into China

by David A Lombardo Urbana, Illinois-based Frasca International has expanded its market share in China with contracts totaling eight flight simulators this year and has also developed its first level-D full-motion simulator.

Binzhou Flight Academy has taken delivery of a Frasca Cessna 172 CAAC level-5 flight-training device (FTD).

Hubei Sky Blue International Aviation Academy has taken delivery of a Frasca Piper Seminole level-5 FTD and Nanshan Flight Academy has ordered six level-5 FTDs consisting of four Cessna 172 and two Piper Seminole FTDs. One of the FTDs has been installed, the remaining devices are in the process of being shipped and installed.

Frasca has been active in the Chinese aviation market for more than 15 years, serving government, universities, airline training centers and privately owned ­aviation academies and schools.

The company also has a factory-trained

and small flight schools, though that is still a regular part of our business.”

In September, Frasca took an order for three FTDs from Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) that included two Cessna 172R FTDs and a Bombardier CRJ-200 level-5 FTD. SIU is also upgrading its existing Frasca 172R FTD to have the same features as the two new 172R devices, including Garmin G1000 avionics, three-channel projected cylindrical visual display (210- by-57 degrees) and low-profile instructor cab. Other general aviation training devices have recently gone to Korea and operators in Europe, including a Sikorsky S-76C++ level-B full-flight simulator delivered to Bristow in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Though the company’s FTD business is thriving, Frasca is taking a strong step into the rarified atmosphere of the levelD simulator market. It has been building FAA-certified level-B and -C simulators

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s­ upport center located in Beijing to handle sales, CAAC certification/recertification and product support, as well as maintenance and training. It also has a presence in Shenzhen.

“Our primary strategy is diversification,” John Frasca, president and CEO of Frasca International, told AIN. Since Rudy Frasca, the patriarch of the family-owned business, began making training devices in his garage in 1958, the company has delivered more than 2,500 units in more than 70 countries. According to Frasca, the company has seen significant growth in the military sector, including with simulation-based training programs for the U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. “We support a lot of prime contractors with U.S. military programs by supplying parts and components for flight training devices and simulators built by other manufacturers, such as L-3 and CAE. For instance, we’ve worked on projects for AgustaWestland and Bell Helicopter,” he said. “We’ve experienced steady growth in our business, and part of the reason is because we’ve diversified; if one sector slows down we have other industry sectors we serve as well. We’ve moved beyond primarily serving colleges

for the past 10 years, primarily for aircraft such as Beechcraft King Airs, Embraer Phenoms and Cessna Mustangs.

“We’ve now entered the FAA level-D market and our first project is a Cessna CJ1+,” Frasca said. “The level-B and -C markets served us well because they gave us extensive experience with motion platforms and data collection. The level-C simulator is high fidelity but the levelD requires even more data and testing because training with it does not require actual aircraft time. We have a lot of experience with aircraft performance data collection; enough so that other manufacturers are coming to us to buy data packages.”

Frasca said another key issue is that the company’s manufacturing process is vertically integrated. “Except for the actual motion platform, we prefer to design, build and use our own components, including visual systems,” he said.

“It gives us the ability to design a component specifically to meet our requirements and we have total control over production time. Overall, Frasca International is in a very good position as we continue to expand into new areas and o grow as a company.”

60 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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10/24/12 11:53 AM

GE Aviation Business & General Aviation

The power to go where you want to go Introducing the GE Passport™ Integrated Propulsion System The GE Passport is the world’s first integrated propulsion system (engine, nacelle and thrust reverser) specifically designed for ultra-long range, large-cabin business jets. Incorporating advanced technologies, the GE Passport offers longer range from reduced fuel consumption, fewer emissions and enhanced cabin comfort created from reduced noise and vibrations.* With the GE Passport, you have the power to fly powerfully, more quietly and efficiently – anywhere you want to go.

To learn more, visit GE at NBAA, Booth 3900. geaviation.com/bga

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Carlyle steps in to reacquire Landmark FBOs and MROs

by Curt Epstein NBAA AD 1012.pdf

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The Carlyle Group has agreed to purchase FBO chain Landmark Aviation, including its 52 FBOs in the U.S., Canada and Europe as well as MRO facilities and an aircraft charter/management unit.

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After weeks of widespread speculation–but no official announcement–that current owners GTCR Golder Rauner and Platform Partners put Landmark Aviation up for sale, the Carlyle Group, a former owner of the FBO chain, stepped forward to announce it agreed to reacquire the Houston-based service provider.

According to industry sources, Carlyle was one of three finalists from a winnowed list of potential suitors that also included Signature Flight Support and Atlantic Aviation.

“Landmark Aviation has established a strong reputation in the business aviation industry for its emphasis on safety and customer service,” said Adam Palmer, Carlyle’s managing director and head of its global aerospace, defense and government services team. “We look forward to partnering with Landmark’s experienced and talented management team to accelerate the growth of the company’s FBO network.”

Varied Portfolio

The entity now known as Landmark Aviation was born in 2005 when, under Carlyle’s stewardship, the merged holdings of Piedmont-Hawthorne, Garrett Aviation and Associated Air Center were rebranded. Carlyle sold Landmark to Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) in 2007 as part of a $1.8 billion package that included StandardAero. DAE flipped the FBO chain in less than a year.

The sale price for Landmark, which includes 52 FBO locations in the U.S., Canada and Europe as well as MRO facilities and an aircraft charter/management fleet, was not revealed but is believed to be in the vicinity of $625 million.

GTCR and Platform Partners’ portfolio company, Encore FBO, bought the

chain’s then-34 FBOs along with its aircraft charter/management unit and its maintenance and parts assets from DAE in 2008 for a reported $436 million.

“We have greatly enjoyed working with [Landmark president and CEO Dan Bucaro] and his team over the past five years,” said GTCR principal Craig Bondy.

“Landmark management and employees worked tirelessly to build a strategic and valuable network. We look forward to seeing the next chapter of the Landmark story develop under Carlyle’s leadership.”

Bondy told AIN that to continue to be successful, Landmark “required continued access to capital to grow through acquisition and new site development, and the current owners had exhausted their resources during the four years of ownership and significant growth.”

Industry observers said the sale to Carlyle involved the fewest hurdles, as it would not attract the same level of government scrutiny as would a deal with one of the other FBO chains.

Some in the industry might question the timing of the sale, but Aviation Resource Group International chairman Steve Dennis, for one, does not see the decision by Landmark’s current owners to sell the chain as a negative verdict on the industry’s future. “I think both Platform Partners and GTCR Golder Rauner felt the horizon was here; they had it for several years and the horizon on transactions like this is around five years. I think [their ownership of the property] has just matured and they want out.”

Morgan Stanley, RBC Capital Markets and Barclays will provide the debt financing for the deal, which is expected to be completed before year-end, pending closing conditions and necessary regulatory approvals. o

NBAA app helps attendees navigate the show

NBAA100818

If you run into a show-goer who is too busy poking at his or her smartphone instead of navigating the crowded NBAA’12 aisles here in Orlando, it might not be ordinary texting, emailing or web-surfing that has so tautly engaged their attention. Rather, these smartphone-addicted denizens are probably looking for a booth location or updating their show schedules, using the free NBAA’12 mobile device app.

The app is available for Apple iOS, Android, BlackBerry and web-capable devices.

Not only does it allow users to set up a customized schedule culled from all the NBAA’12 opportunities, but find meeting rooms and exhibitors, view maps of the Orange County Convention Center and view show-related videos, Twitter and Facebook feeds and news.

A cool feature is the “Friends” button, which lets users track each other’s whereabouts, by exchanging “friend codes.” Push the “What are you doing” refresh button, and any friends that you have added and for which you have exchanged codes will show their updates. The exhibitor search function allows users to view the location of the booth on a map of the exhibit hall, or a press of another button allows users to add that company to their schedule. If you’re lost, click the “Locate me” function, type in the name of the nearest exhibitor, and the map will pop up with that location.

These show apps have become indispensible tools for avid convention-goers, and the NBAA’12 app is a good example of a dynamically updatable apps. It’s a great way to not only prepare for the show,” said Jason Wolf, NBAA Internet communications director, “but to make the entire NBAA 2012 experience a much better, much more efficient one.” –M.T.

62 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Conklin & de Decker touts life cycle cost tool

by Harry Weisberger Conklin & de Decker, which specializes in aviation research, consulting and education, is

featuring the latest release of its Life Cycle Cost 2012 Volume II aircraft budget and financial

analysis tool here at NBAA (Booth No. 4620). The tool provides detailed ownership and cost data for more than 400 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.

The Life Cycle Cost budgeting software comprises a family of Conklin & de Decker programs that detail all cost aspects of owning and operating aircraft in easyto-use formats. Specific programs

address aircraft acquisition costs, operating costs, taxes, final residual values and revenues.

The latest update includes features to enhance and expand the budgeting process, such as: • Additional entry for aircraft registration fee and property tax.

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• Information on eight additional aircraft: Boeing 737-400 and -500; Bombardier Global 6000; Hawker 400XPR; Blackhawk Caravan XP42A; Cessna Corvalis TTx; and Eurocopter AS3321e and AS365N3+.

Features added earlier this year include two inflation rates– one for parts costs and another for the rest; the ability to edit each individual engine’s costs and major maintenance intervals; the seven-year MACRS fractional program depreciation, plus updated fuel and maintenance costs and aircraft acquisition prices.

Other Life Cycle Cost features include the ability to edit maintenance costs or add discrete data; choose a guaranteed maintenance program or “pay as you go.” Users may indicate managed aircraft with or without supplemental charter; compare new versus used aircraft or quickly prepare cash flows with only a few clicks.

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Conklin & de Decker coowner David Wyndham pointed out that output from the program might help users in a variety of ways. Aircraft operators will benefit from a 12-month budget analysis or cost projections of variable and fixed costs for up to 20 years. The program calculates net present value (NPV) and after-tax cash flow for a corporate or commercial operation. This, Wyndham said, enables the finance department to quickly compare the NPV of different acquisition or disposition methods for multiple aircraft while also learning more about the factors (betterment/ detriment) that affect an aircraft’s value.

Database titles include jets, turboprops, helicopters, pistons and the major U.S.-based fractional-share programs. Current prices for U.S./Canada-delivered software are $695 for the jet database, $595 for turboprop or helicopter and $450 for the piston versions. The fractional database is free with the purchase of any other Life Cycle Cost database.

The Life Cycle Cost software runs on Windows PCs with Microsoft Excel 97 or later, or on Apple computers with Excel.

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10/17/12 10:06 AM

by Mark Huber Direct hurricane hits on Florida FBOs are rare, but all of them prepare.

The planning kicks off in spring, before the June through November hurricane season officially begins, and starts with that time-honored aviation document: the checklist. FBO managers and their staff sit down annually and scrub and expand the list as needed. Many contain specific timelines for implementation as it relates to projected storm landfall, with items you would expect: fill the fuel farm, check generators, charge batteries, scrub their area of the airport for FOD, shutter windows, secure aircraft, pin hangars and bring in a food supply. Concurrently, based tenants get an annual letter reminding them of the season and the need to check insurance and have an aircraft evacuation plan. Some FBOs maintain a tenant hurricane call list.

“My first year down here was 2005–hurricanes Katrina and Wilma,” said John Tonko, line service manager for Banyan Air Service at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. Banyan (Booth No. 2766) has 400 based aircraft, 80 in hangars, and employs a line staff of 35.

In late August it was staring down the barrel of Hurricane Isaac, which eventually broke west into the Gulf of Mexico but not before it had flooded portions of Banyan’s ramp. “It was stressful,” said Tonko, who scrambled to find hangars for an additional 75 aircraft that wanted shelter from Isaac.

Wilma, at its apex a Category 5 hurricane that caused more than $29 billion worth of damage and hit Florida with winds at landfall topping 120 mph, reminds FBO managers just how bad things can get. It blew the metal roof off Banyan’s FBO

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FBOs plan ahead for Florida hurricanes

terminal. “That sheet metal flew all over the airport,” said Tonko.

More than 40 Banyan associates used their personal vehicles to drive onto the closed airport and scour it for debris. The effort paid off. A day after the storm “we were the only airport open in South Florida,” he said. “We didn’t have air-conditioning in the terminal, but we were pumping fuel like crazy” as seasonal residents flew in to check the damage to their homes.

Curtis George, general manager of Boca Aviation at Boca Raton Airport, arrived new on the job in early 2006. “I got to rebuild two of the hangars destroyed in Wilma,” he said.

Today, Boca Aviation has 100 based aircraft, 10 hangars with a total of 110,000 sq ft of storage, 42 acres and an 8,000-sq-ft terminal.

Boca Aviation also follows a hurricane checklist, and George cautioned that it is “the silly little things that end up kicking you in the butt at the last minute” as a major storm bears down. Those little things include “where are all the hangar door pins?”

George said there is an art to knowing when to “pull the

Florida FBOs have emergency plans in place for dealing with hurricanes and their aftermath, which may include flooded hangars, ramps and damaged aircraft.

trigger” when it comes to hurricane preparedness. “We communicate with our customers, but try not to unnecessarily scare them away from flying in. These storms are unpredictable, but you want people to know that there are preparations in place.

If a storm really is coming, we encourage people to get their aircraft out of harm’s way and we also want to give our staff enough time to get their homes and families prepared so that is not an issue when we need them to come to work.

“We start talking when it looks like a storm is coming our way,” said George. With Hurricane Isaac, that point was when the storm was still 1,100 miles east of the Windward Islands. “All of the

early weather models generally suggested it would come in our direction,” George said.

The checklist comes out and the clock starts ticking at the Stuart Jet Center at Witham Field in Stuart (Booth No. 4500) 96 hours before anticipated landfall, said company president Dan Capen. With the storm out 36 hours, things get busy. Remaining aircraft are inventoried and secured, computers are picked up off the floor, nonessential circuit breakers are pulled and a volunteer skeleton crew is outfitted with emergency tool kits before sheltering in place inside the shuttered terminal.

“Then we hope for the best,” he concluded. o

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www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 67

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10/19/12 11:48 AM

Heads Up’s Lumin eases cabin functions

by Kim Rosenlof If the lack of bandwidth on your bizjet’s Ethernet network prevents you from emailing that large presentation file while little Suzy watches YouTube videos, check out Heads Up Technologies’ Lumin cabin management system (CMS) at Booth No. 5066.

Using a combination of fiber-optic and wireless technologies, the Lumin CMS provides bandwidth of up to 40 gigabits per second, enough to allow each passenger to simultaneously access the Internet, watch different Blu-ray movies from the aircraft’s video library, listen to different XM radio stations, watch moving-map and weather displays or control cabin comforts such as temperature and lighting from either built-in touchscreen consoles or apps on consumer devices.

“The fiber [optics] is certainly a key element in the system, although it’s transparent to the passenger,” said Heads Up president, CEO and founder Rob Harshaw. “It saves a lot of weight in the aircraft, simplifies installation and allows scalability. With [the bandwidth of] fiber optics, you don’t have to worry about some new technology coming out that your wiring

system isn’t able to handle.”

Although Heads Up is working toward obtaining FAA STC and PMA certification for an aftermarket wireless version of the Lumin CMS in mid-2013, currently the Lumin CMS is only available through OEMs. For example, the Lumin CMS serves as the underlying platform of Cessna’s Clairity CMS scheduled for implementation on the Citation Ten, Longitude, Latitude and M2 business jets, but customized to Cessna’s specifications for each aircraft model.

“The [Lumin] system is one of the first CMSes focused on creating a brand-able passenger experience that’s scalable across the aircraft product line,” said Harshaw. “We worked with Cessna to develop a custom user interface and integrate the touchscreen technology into the aircraft interior so it looks like part of the airplane and disappears when not in use. It’s really a different experience; very fluid, very intuitive.”

According to Harshaw, Heads Up engineers and designers were able to transfer knowledge gained from designing theme-park ride interfaces to providing a rich passenger experience on the Clairity interface.

Factory Direct Models shows detailed replicas NBAA’12 attendees looking for exact replicas of certain aircraft may want to drop by the Factory Direct Models booth (No. 881), where more than 50 highly detailed desktop models are on display.

Front and center is a fully detailed F-18 fighter model in Navy Blue Angels livery with a five-foot wingspan, mounted on a custom-designed stand. Maintaining a 60-degree bank, the F-18 model sports a full complement of operating exterior lights and an exactingly detailed cockpit.

This replica is valued at $12,000, according to Factory Direct president Mike Gibson,.

The replica will be given away to a show attendee.

To participate in the drawing, booth visitors can activate their entries by having their convention badges scanned. The winner

will be notified after the drawing is held on Tuesday, November 6.

Last year’s winner, Ronald Hoffer of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., opted to take a five-foot Grumman F-14 “Top Gun”

An F-18 replica will be given away after this week’s show.

Tomcat replica instead of the announced prize, a Space Shuttle Atlantis model.

Prices for the Factory Direct Models line of personalized desktop aircraft start as low as $199. Each detailed example is

“We learned from the best about creating user experiences and what the user is really looking for,” said Harshaw, who admitted that about 5 percent of Heads Up revenues come from the theme-park industry, although he could not say which parks or rides use Heads Up technology. “We’ve watched how well [theme parks] consider the experience from beginning to end. The mindset that you’re creating a user experience has given us a very interesting approach [to CMS design].”

The Lumin CMS incorporates fiber optics, distributed processing, wireless and digital content management technologies to provide passenger access to Blu-ray video and digital audio libraries, Internet connectivity, seat-to-seat texting and cabin-control functions.

Applications are available to allow control from a variety of consumer devices such as iPads, iPhones and Android devices.

Heads Up is also showcasing new RGB LED and variable white light cabin lighting systems here at NBAA’12. According to Harshaw, the RGB LEDs provide a wider range of colors available to match cabin interiors and provide better color fidelity over time and temperature changes. The variable white light systems use LEDs that shed “warmer” light when they are dimmed, similar to the behavior of dimmable incandescent lights in homes. o built to customer specifications, Gibson said.

Models with wingspans ranging from as little as two inches to as large as 25 feet can be created upon request.

Gibson explained that the desktop model industry began 66 years ago with World War II souvenirs hand-made by Filipino woodworkers at Clark Army Air field for returning vets who wanted to take home replicas of the Lightnings, Mustangs, Hellcats, Corsairs, B-17s, B-25s, B-24s and B-29s they flew in the war.

Today, he said, a fourth generation of Philippine craftsmen is building airplane replicas in a Factory Direct Models facility.

The firm has created models for several entertainment personalities and many airframe OEMs, Gibson said. While others make models of aircraft, he said, Factory Direct’s market success stems from a near-obsessive attention to exterior and interior detail, “right down to the headsets resting on the seats.” o

Heads Up Technologies’ Lumin is the heart of Cessna’s Clairity CMS, which is slated for the Citation Ten and other Cessna models and can be customized to Cessna’s specifications. The Lumin system provides touchscreen cabin control functions.

Greenpoint delivers first Aeroloft installation Greenpoint Technologies has delivered its first Aeroloft kit, a private rest area designed to be part of the total cabin completion of an executive Boeing 747-8.

The Aeroloft is located in the area above the main deck and aft of the “hump” in executive versions of the 747-8. For this particular aircraft, the Aeroloft was completed in kit form and delivered by Greenpoint to Boeing’s Global Transport & Executive Systems facility in Wichita for installation.

The airplane with the Aeroloft installed, has since been delivered to Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Germany, for outfitting of the main cabin. Greenpoint expects to deliver two more Aeroloft kits for 747-8 customers by the end of 2012.

The Aeroloft was designed, developed and manufactured

by Greenpoint at its Kirkland, Wash. facilities. It adds 393 sq ft to the 5,179 sq ft on the main deck and holds eight private berths and a changing room.

Greenpoint also recently celebrated delivery of its 18th BBJ interior, this to an unidentified customer. “This is my second

Greenpoint Techologies’ Aeroloft kit for the 747-8 provides eight private sleeping berths and a changing room.

VIP completion project with Greenpoint,” said Larry Hinebaugh, BBJ completions manager. “The mix of disciplined processes coupled with flexibility to adapt and meet the customer’s needs is pivotal in producing an exceptional aircraft interior. It is a team environment that works together for the same goal of exceeding the customer’s expectations.”

Greenpoint also anticipates delivering a BBJ3 before the end of the year. –K.J.H.

68 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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JOHN WINANT AWARD

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now to next.

Steve Nielsen honored for 45 years of service

by Mary F. Silitch

LIVE

Steve Nielsen, an accomplished airman, business aviation advocate and former NBAA director, is this year’s recipient of NBAA’s John H. Winant Award.

Each year, the NBAA gives

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an award to a former NBAAProjectwas NBAA president from 1971 DPI: 300 Manager: L. CLEVELAND director whose service to busi- until 1986. Winant was elected ness aviation has continued well to the NBAA board of direcbeyond his tenure on NBAA’s tors in 1957 and held all of its board of directors. The award ­ volunteer-elected officer posiis named for John Winant, who tions. He served on the board

until his appointment as president, logging a total of five decades with the group.

“Steve Nielsen has been a devoted advocate for business aviation throughout his long and

LIVE

distinguished career,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.

“He honors the tradition of lifelong service to the industry that is John Winant’s legacy, and we are delighted to acknowledge Steve’s contributions with this award.”

Nielsen’s service to the business aviation community spans nearly 45 years and includes a variety of noteworthy industry accomplishments, NBAA said.

In addition to his position on the board of directors, he participated on the planning committee for NBAA’s 2009 Light Business Airplane conference.

He also was instrumental in founding the Southern California Aviation Association (SCAA), and he currently serves

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as its ­president. He has spearheaded efforts to increase the SCAA’s membership, promote aviation safety best practices, encourage the pursuit of careers in business aviation and highlight the industry’s importance to local communities.

Nielsen is vice president of operations for Baldwin Aviation Safety and Compliance and is also director of aviation for Avalon Capital Group, La Jolla, Calif., the wholly-owned private investment company of Ted Waitt, cofounder of Gateway. Avalon operates a Bombardier Global XRS and a Eurocopter EC 145.

Before joining Avalon Capital, Nielsen was senior director of aviation at Yum! Brands, where he was responsible for the operations of its flight department. He has also held various operations management positions at Enron, Storage Technology and JohnsManville and has served on an advisory board for NetJets.

Nielsen attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical ­University, focusing on aviation management. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1966 to 1970, including a o tour of duty in Vietnam.

70 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Accident stats mixed for 2012; four fatal accidents recorded

by Gordon Gilbert last year, and had their second straight nine-month period with no fatalities.

Nonfatal accidents involving nonU.S.-registered business jets also increased over the comparable periods– from three last year to five this year.

However, there was only one fatal accident this year versus five in the same period last year.

Two people were killed in the single fatal accident in the first nine months of this year that involved a privately operated non-N-numbered corporate jet, compared with 68 fatalities in the five accidents in the period last year. Two of the fatal accidents last year involved bizliner charter flights that resulted in a total of 56 deaths. No fatal crashes were recorded by non-U.S.-registered jets on private operations in the period last year.

Meanwhile, U.S.-registered business

Continued on page 74 u

In the first nine months of this year, accidents involving both U.S.-registered and non-U.S.-registered business jets increased over those recorded in the same period last year. According to ­ figures compiled by AIN, the total number of nonfatal N-registered business jet mishaps increased from 21 in the first three quarters of last year to 23 in the same time frame this year.

Fatal accidents climbed from one event last year to four this year and fatalities jumped from four last year to 17 this year. All the fatal accidents in both periods befell Part 91 operations.

This year there was one nonfatal accident involving jets flying under Part 91K fractional operations, the same as last year. Jets flying under Part 135 air-taxi operations suffered three accidents in the first nine months of this year, down by one from the same period

Accidents/Incidents Worldwide First Nine Months 2012 vs. 2011 U.S.-registered Business Jet and Turboprop Accidents/Incidents Worldwide Business jets

Total Part 91 2012 2011 2012 2011

Nonfatal accidents

23

21

19

16

1

1

3

4

0

0

0

0

4

1

4

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

Total accidents

27

22

23

16

1

1

3

4

0

0

0

1

Fatal accidents

Part 91K Part 135 Public/Gov’t Mfr. 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011

Fatalities

17

4

17

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

4

Incidents

26

19

22

16

1

2

3

1

0

0

0

0

Business turboprops

Total Part 91 2012 2011 2012 2011

Nonfatal accidents

Part 91K Part 135 Public/Gov’t Mfr. 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011

27

28

20

20

1

1

4

6

1

1

1

0

Fatal accidents

3

7

3

5

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

0

Total accidents

30

35

23

25

1

1

4

8

1

1

1

0

Fatalities

8

16

8

14

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

0

Incidents

31

18

23

14

2

0

2

4

1

0

0

0

Involving Non-U.S.-registered Business Jets/Turboprops Business jets

Charter

Other*

Unknown

2011 3

2012 4

2011 1

2012 0

2011 0

2012 1

2011 2

2012 0

2011 0

Fatal accidents

1

5

1

0

0

2

0

1

0

2

Total accidents

6

8

5

1

0

2

1

3

0

2

Fatalities

2

68

2

0

0

56

0

3

0

9

Incidents

4

4

3

2

0

2

1

0

0

0

2012

2011

2012

2011

2012

2011

2012

2011

2012

2011

Nonfatal accidents

10

4

4

2

3

0

2

2

1

0

Fatal accidents

10

7

4

2

1

3

5

1

0

1

Total accidents

20

11

8

4

4

3

7

3

1

1

Fatalities

33

28

17

12

2

10

14

5

0

1

Incidents

1

4

0

0

0

1

1

2

0

1

Business turboprops

Leather

Private

2012 5

Nonfatal accidents

G ar r e t t

Total

Total

Private

Charter

Other

Unknown

*For example: air ambulance, aerial survey, ferry, training, testing, government (non-military) Sources: FAA, NTSB, Aviation Safety Network, AIN research. All data preliminary GarrettLeather_AIN_CutPattern.indd 1

10/1/12 3:10 PM

72 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Accidents uContinued from page 72

turboprops experienced a significant decrease in fatal accidents in the first nine months of this year versus the same period last year. Four fewer fatal accidents cut the number of fatalities by half–from 16 last year to eight this year.

All three fatal accidents this year involved Part 91 operations, while five of the seven fatal accidents last year were Part 91. The other two were Part 135 operations. There was one accident involving a Part 91K turboprop in the first nine months of this year, the same number as in the period last year. Non-Nnumbered business turboprops

suffered 20 accidents and 33 deaths in the first three quarters of this year compared with 11 accidents and 28 fatalities in the same period last year.

Our tables show “incidents” as well as “accidents” for three reasons: the FAA and NTSB draw fine distinctions between the two events; the agencies are inconsistent; and the status of

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the occurrence can change. For example, runway overruns and retracted landing-gear and gearcollapse mishaps typically are listed as incidents by the FAA and not tabulated at all by the NTSB. However, if such an occurrence causes substantial damage or serious injury, the Safety Board records it as an accident.

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don’t result in serious damage or injury, are usually listed as incidents. Additionally, depending on what is found during the ensuing investigation, events initially classified as incidents are sometimes dropped from safety databases entirely if investigators consider them inconsequential. preliminarily Some events ­ listed as incidents have been bumped up to the category of accidents because of their more serious nature. o

PAA unveils Titusville facility Florida-based Professional Aircraft Accessories (PAA) will formally unveil its expanded operation at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville on Wednesday. The FAA/EASA Part 145-certified repair station offers approximately 57,000 sq ft of production space, significantly bolstering the company’s landing gear repair, accessories, instruments and avionics service capabilities.

Company president Robert Bial told AIN the expansion was necessary to handle PAA’s growing list of maintenance and overhaul services for a wide range of aircraft, including the recent addition of complete 192-month landing gear refurbishments on the Bombardier Challenger 604. “By 2009, we realized the next five to 10 years offered the potential for significant growth in the OEM market,” he said, “and we didn’t have the throughput capability at that time.”

PAA broke ground for the expansion last December and in April began expanding its landing-gear service area and other departments into the larger facility.

Bial noted that the company considered relocating its operations, but local support convinced PAA to sign a 15-year lease to remain in Titusville. “It was important to us, and to the community, that the area not lose any more aerospace jobs,” he said, in reference to the depressed job market along the Space Coast following the end of space shuttle operations at NASA. PAA (Booth No. 2569) will host an invitation-only grand reopening reception Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Titusville. Owned by Greenwich AeroGroup, the company services commercial, corporate and military fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

–R.F.

74 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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JFI Jets ready for Russia charter ops

by James Wynbrandt Charter/management company JFI Jets (Booth No. 2120) has announced that its Moscowbased charter partnership, JFI Russia, established last year, is ready for business.

“The deal in Russia has moved into the forward mode,” said Bob Seidel, CEO of the New York City-based charter operator. “We put it on hold for a while. There was political uncertainty for some of the

clients and a desire to keep a low silhouette. But now the political landscape is better understood.

We’re starting to see the Russians flying again.”

Formed in October 2011 in partnership with Moscow-based handling company Best-Jets, Seidel anticipates JFI Russia will be conducting operations by the end of November. An N-registered GV available for charter (currently undergoing maintenance in

Basel) will be based in Moscow.

JFI is also working on acquiring an N-registered midsize jet to base in Moscow.

JFI’s Russian operation is one of the developments the company is highlighting at NBAA. With 12 jets under management (mostly large cabin), and East and West Coast facilities (in Farmingdale, N.Y., and Long Beach, Calif.), JFI is also touting its expanding full-service capabilities. “We may

not be the biggest, but we have all the same capabilities of some of the biggest,” said Seidel. “We are one of the few companies out there that can offer bicoastal support, with the facilities, the people and the investment in Long Beach and Farmingdale, [which are] aircraft jumping-off points to the Far East and Europe.”

The company established a Part 145 repair station at its Long Beach facility last year,

Bob Seidel, CEO of JFI Jets, (above) is at NBAA to talk about the company’s Russian charter partnership. He is also highlighting the company’s full-service capabilities, which include bi-coastal support. JFI’s hangar at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, N.Y. is at left.

a service capacity also being highlighted here. “We’re looking to bring on a full-timer in sales on the West Coast to focus on filling the Part 145 repair station,” Seidel said.

“We’re going to start emphasizing that capability.”

JFI Jets is also promoting its Management Advantage program for business jet owners, aimed at lowering operating costs and enhancing the value of the aircraft under its management. Seidel described the program as “the heart of what we offer as the key differentiator” from other management companies. As an example of its drive to deliver value, Seidel said that despite the fuel deals it arranges in advance, JFI arms its flight crews with fuel prices at all local suppliers and gives them the authority to negotiate deals of their own on the road.

“There’s a lot of wheeling and dealing that goes on at the pump,” Seidel said. “A lot of times the presence of a largecabin airplane on the ramp… let’s just say [the FBOs] will jump at the opportunity [to negotiate a large fuel sale].” o

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76 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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z American Eurocopter Demos EC135 and EC155 American Eurocopter is doing more than just showing off its offerings at its booth during the NBAA Convention. The company will also offer flying demonstrations of its EC135 and EC155 helicopters during the show.

The six- to seven-passenger EC135 is widely used by air-medical services operators, law enforcement and support missions for the offshore oil industry. The 12- or 13-passenger EC155 is used by law enforcement and offshore operations, as well as for corporate transportation. Its five-blade Spheriflex main rotor and Fenestron tail rotor combine the benefits of high speed and low noise, while being powered by two Turbomeca Fadec-controlled Arriel 2C2 engines.

The company announced that Speedway Aviation, located in New Hampshire, is the first U.S.-based company to order the Mercedes-Benz special edition EC145, featuring leather and wood, an advanced inflight entertainment system and modular passenger cabin components. “We are confident that our clients here in the U.S. will be impressed when they see this special edition EC145 and expect that there will be an increasing demand for the aircraft,” said Treg Manning, American Eurocopter’s vice president of commercial sales and marketing. The MercedesBenz package will also be available on the upcoming EC145T2.

“We are sure to see the relationship with Mercedes-Benz continue for years to come,” said Manning.

The company is also featuring a VIP version of its EC145 medium-class, twin-engine helicopter at its booth (No. 2546) in the exhibit hall.

Twin Otter orders drive growth at Ikhana With a thriving business in extending the life of the venerable DHC-6 Twin Otter, Ikhana Aircraft Services (Booth No. 4827) recently announced another expansion of its production facility at French Valley Airport in Murrieta, Calif.

A third hangar with more than 12,000 sq ft is expected to be ready for occupancy in the first week of November this year,

expanding the total footprint to 55,000 sq ft.

“Building the third hangar reflects our commitment to serving our customers’ needs and will create up to twenty new jobs,” said president and CEO John Zubin.

Ikhana Aircraft provides “design, build, fly” solutions through aircraft modifications, heavy maintenance and major repair and critical parts

Ikhana Aircraft Services has carved a niche restoring the DHC-6 Twin Otter workhorse, offering a Re-Life program and a more complex remanufacture.

z ExcelAire Adds To Its Legacy (Fleet) Aircraft management company and charter operator ExcelAire (Booth No. 1143) announced the addition of a fourth Embraer Legacy 600 to its charter rolls, giving the company the largest fleet of Legacy jets in the Northeast. The added Legacy and its crew will be certified to operate into and out of London City Airport midway through next year, adding to its appeal for transatlantic charters. “We pioneered the Legacy charter market in the U.S., and it has since become one of our most popular aircraft,” said David Rimmer, president of the Ronkonkoma, N.Y.-based company. “Passengers love it because of its comfort and pricing, and it is also great for owners because of its low operating costs, popularity in the charter market and extremely high dispatch reliability.”

The Legacy will also doubtless be popular with customers of the specialty charter service ExcelAire introduced earlier this month, dedicated to planning and supporting music and financial road shows. These show itineraries are typically multi-leg, extendedduration trips, and the road show unit already has advance bookings through the middle of next year. “We at ExcelAire understand the complex and constantly changing nature of music and financial road shows, and are dedicated to providing our clients with a seamless travel experience,” said Rimmer.

z Aveo Engineering TSOs Wingtip Lights Aveo Engineering Group, a multinational company headquartered in the Czech Republic, has gained FAA TSO C30c and C96a certification for its Ultra Galactica series of two- and three-function wingtip lights, as well as its Red Baron anti-collision beacon for aircraft. The company says it is in the process of receiving STCs for Hawker jets and aircraft built by Cessna (singles and twins), Mooney, Cirrus, Piper and Robinson Helicopter.

The Ultra Galactica wingtip lights combine red or green navigation lights with strobes and also include a white taillight. The Red Baron beacon can be fuselage or vertical stabilizer-mounted. All Aveo airframe lighting is self-contained, with no external power supplies necessary for operation.

Aveo (Booth No. 4313) includes an unlimited lifetime warranty with most of its products. “We will simply swap out the unit for a new one,” said Aveo founder and CEO Christian Nielsen. The warranty does not, however, cover abuse or lightning strikes.

manufacture. The company is focused primarily on the DHC-6 Twin Otter (-100, -200 and -300), from a less extensive Re-Life program to a complete re-manufacture process that takes the airplane back to zero-time structural fatigue.

The complete re-manufacture of the aircraft includes such options as increased max takeoff weight through the addition of more powerful PT6 engines, enhanced air conditioning, Honeywell Primus glass avionics, executive cabin amenities, cargo handling, camera hatches and maritime patrol systems.

The fully equipped variant is known as the Twin Otter X2.

The Vistaliner will feature larger passenger windows.

The company has taken orders for more than 60 aircraft, of which 12 are military variants for the Peruvian Air Force.

Ikhana is a Viking Air factoryendorsed service center (Viking is the owner of the DHC-6 type certificate) and holds FAA, Transport Canada, EASA and ANAC (Brazil) repair station approvals, as well as FAA parts manufacturer approval. – K.J.H.

Quest Kodiak finds success in China Quest Aircraft has signed a deal with Blue Eagle Aviation of Beijing, China for the delivery of 12 Kodiak single-engine turboprops between now and 2015 with options for additional aircraft.

Blue Eagle was named a Kodiak dealer in July and the aircraft is currently completing Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) certification, expected by year-end.

Quest, exhibiting on the NBAA convention center static display, recently announced several enhancements for the Kodiak. The Garmin G1000 flightdeck in the aircraft now has a Taws inhibit switch on the GTS 800 traffic awareness system and an air-conditioning inhibit function, which automatically cuts the cabin cooling system during certain

engine and generator power conditions. TKS antiice and a belly cargo pod are available options.

Quest and Northrop Grumman entered into a teaming agreement to develop a special-mission aircraft, the Air Claw, which debuted at the 2012 Airborne Law Enforcement Convention.

The new Tundra and Timberline interiors have been designed with composite panels and a refined headliner to cut weight and improve cabin soundproofing. The Timberline includes sidewall storage pockets beside each seat and cabin and cockpit cupholders. The cockpit seats in both interiors now include an improved headrest and have center pedestal closeouts. The new Summit executive interior will be available in the middle of next year. –M.H.

Mad Cabin Electronics Science Flight Display Systems (Booth No. 1911) is employing a mad scientists theme here at its NBAA exhibit, both to celebrate Halloween this week and to highlight the company’s new product development lab at its Alpharetta, Ga. headquarters. Some of the company’s new products featured at its booth include the See3 facial recognition system, 3-D moving map, new Blu-ray player and HD cockpit camera.

These mad scientists–aka Flight Display Systems director of international sales Nick Gray (left) and marketing manager David Dodson– are giving away a pair of digital noise cancelling headsets every hour at the booth during the show. “We brought cases of headseats,” Attendees can drop off a business card for a chance to win one of the headesets, which weigh just seven ounces and include 2.5-, 6.3- and dual 2.5-mm plugs.

–C.T.

MATT THURBER

news clips

Drop by the Flight Display Systems booth for a chance to win a noise-canceling headset and learn about new products.

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10/29/12 9:48 AM

by Rob Finfrock In less than eight months, Garmin has established its Garmin Pilot app as a worthwhile competitor to other movingmap and electronic flight bag (EFB) applications. An improved version of the Pilot My-Cast app for Apple’s popular iPad and iPhone, Garmin Pilot was also launched for use on a wide range of Android smartphones and tablets. Both versions offer similar features and usability, though there also are some distinct differences.

First, the similarities. Android and iOS versions of Garmin Pilot allow users to create and file (through Duats) flight plans, and display route of flight and aircraft position against a VFR sectional or IFR chart along with TFR information, Nexrad and wind and temperature aloft data. A $99 annual subscription includes AOPA Airport Directory information, geo-referenced sectionals and IFR en route charts, and static IFR FliteCharts and SafeTaxi airport diagrams. Users may add geo-referenced versions of the latter two features for additional fees.

“The greatest benefit for me using this app in my IFR training is the ability to carry just my tablet with me,” said Miranda Rydstrom, who uses Garmin Pilot on her Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablet and Galaxy S3 smartphone. “I also think it’s valuable to be able to switch from VFR sectionals to low en route charts, and switch so easily from satellite weather to TFRs to fuel prices.”

CFI Loren Jones uses Garmin Pilot

on his Nexus 7 Android tablet, as well as an iPad, presenting the opportunity to ­compare both versions. “The initial Android version appears to have been designed as a trimmed-down version for phones,” he noted. “It wasn’t optimized for the tablet form-factor.” Jones added that Garmin recently issued an update with significant improvements specifically for the Nexus 7, “including a navigational data bar across the top with eight displays for speed, altitude, etc.

That was in the iPad version all along.”

Garmin spokeswoman Mika Cohn acknowledged some differences remain between the iPad and Android versions of Garmin Pilot. “The iOS version of Garmin Pilot came out [as Pilot My-Cast] a year and a half before the Android version,” she noted. “We’ve also continued to innovate on the iOS platform. Both factors contribute to the difference in features between the two platforms.”

That said, Garmin seems intent on increasing capabilities on both platforms, including the addition of features from its dedicated handheld and panelmounted GPS devices. For example, a Panel Page–displaying a GPS-derived simulated HSI, as well as groundspeed, altitude and vertical speed indicators– is available on most of Garmin’s aviation GPS units and the iPad version of Garmin Pilot. Cohn said Android users should expect Panel Page to be added on their devices by the end of the year.

API adds certification for high-mach Falcon 50 winglet Aviation Partners (API) in September received FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for its “high-mach blended winglets” on Dassault Falcon 50 series jets. EASA approval is expected to follow by year-end, according to Seattlebased API (Booth No. 5035).

Certification marked the end of an 18-month development program. API had displayed a wingletted Falcon 50 at the EBACE show last May in Geneva.

Installation of winglets on the first customer Falcon 50EX is under way, explained Gary Dunn, API’s vice president of sales and marketing. API had obtained similar certifications for the Falcon 2000 series in April 2009 and the Falcon 900 series in September 2011.

The winglets provide a drag reduction, and corresponding range increase, of 5 percent at Mach .80. This gain can be more than seven percent at long-range cruise speed, which is in the Mach 0.72 to Mach 0.75 range. According to Dunn, an owner may find it worth installing the

winglets even when flying a Falcon 50 only for short hops. This is as opposed to long-haul missions, when the winglets offer their greatest benefit. “The aircraft will still climb faster and its residual value will be increased,” Dunn said.

The Falcon 50 winglets are the same as those added to the other two Falcon series, including the factory Falcon 900LX and 2000LX. “Fundamentally, the wings of the Falcon 50, 2000 and 900 series are the same,” Dunn explained.

Installation is available through API’s network of authorized installers in North America, Switzerland and Singapore. The kit sells for $575,000, Dunn told AIN. “Labor costs may vary, depending on where the job is performed,” he added. –T.D.

Garmin Pilot, below, offers Nexrad images, as well as FIS-B weather capability and TIS-B traffic when used with the GDL 39 portable ADS-B receiver. Right, a slimmed-down version of Garmin Pilot is also available for use on Android smartphones, offering the same features as the tablet application. Users may do their preflight planning through the Garmin pilot app, then create and file their flight plans through Duats.

Rob Finfrock

Garmin Pilot My-Cast app now available for Androids

“We are very committed to Android and we are continually coming out with new releases to bring enhanced features and functionality to that platform,” she added.

One noteworthy benefit for Garmin Pilot users on both platforms is the ability to link, via Bluetooth, with Garmin’s GDL 39 portable ADS-B receiver. When connected, the GDL 39 streams ADS-B in datalink information such as GPS Waas to the app, as well as subscription-free Flight Information Service-Broadcast (FIS-B) weather and limited Traffic Information Service-Broadcast (TIS-B) information. o

Garmin Adds Tcas II Mode-S Transponder for Large Aircraft Garmin introduced two new avionics products targeting the Part 25 transport category market, the new GTS 8000 Tcas II unit and GTX 3000 Mode-S transponder. Both new products received FAA TSO certification on August 7 and will be fitted on upcoming new jets featuring Garmin G5000 avionics suites, including the Cessna Citation Ten, Latitude and Longitude and Bombardier Learjet 70 and 75. At Garmin’s NBAA exhibit (Booth No. 2758), the company is showing the G1000, G3000 and G5000 integrated flight decks, G600 glass panels, the new GWX solid-state radar, active traffic systems, ADS-B solutions, portable GPS units and the Garmin Pilot app.

The GTS 8000 and GTX 3000 also can interface with Garmin G1000 through G5000 systems and thus will be available for retrofit programs, according to avionics product manager Bill Stone.

“We’re working through our initial airworthiness certifications with Cessna and Bombardier,” he said, “[then] looking for the retrofit market.” The GTS 8000 can also replace older Tcas processors and drive existing IVSI displays, and it weighs less, costs less and is more reliable than “typical” Tcas systems, according to Stone.

“This is a very natural progression for us,” he said. “We’ve got traffic products that serve general aviation, and as we move further into business aviation, there is a need for Tcas II or as Europe calls it Acas II. By designing it now, we’re able to bring it to market lighter, cheaper and much more reliable. And it’s fully in compliance with regulatory requirements, coming out of the gate with the [latest] Change 7.1 software.”

The GTS 8000, according to Stone, “blends both active interrogation and passive reception of ADS-B targets.” When a traffic target is within Tcas range, “through a process of correlation, the best attributes of both [Tcas and ADS-B] are combined to give a much more stable and accurate target.” The GTS 8000 will also support ADS-B software applications that will be part of the NextGen air traffic control environment.

The GTX 3000 is a remote-mounted transponder and, Stone said, “was designed for the operational and environmental needs of transport-category aircraft that operate in a more severe environment, and with much higher transmit power output than our other transponders.” The GTX 3000 will also be featured on G5000-equipped airplanes and on retrofit applications.

Both the GTS 8000 and GTX 3000, while already certified, will need individual supplemental type certificates for each make and model of Part 25 aircraft in which they will be installed. “We’re looking at the aftermarket to identify those good opportunities,” Stone said. –M.T.

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10/28/12 4:18 PM

Robust risk assessment is key to SMS utility

by Matt Thurber

CHAD TRAUTVETTER

Air Culinaire chef Sven Mongelli prepares a meal at the company’s new headquarters in Tampa, which includes a dual-purpose kitchen that can also be used to research and develop menus.

Rebranded Air Chef moves to Tampa

by Chad Trautvetter Business aviation in-flight catering provider Air Chef Holdings has rebranded all of its divisions under one new name, Air Culinaire Worldwide (Booth No. 3024), and moved its headquarters earlier this month from Columbus, Ohio, to Tampa, Fla. Air Chef was founded in Columbus in 2000 by Paul Schweitzer, Air Culinaire’s current president, after he departed from NetJets as its vice president of vendor services. While at NetJets, he observed that the business aviation catering business was “fragmented,” so he formed Air Chef to help consolidate this segment.

“Before our rebrand, we had different names that were

known for separate things by our clients,” said Schweitzer.

“The purpose of this new name is to make it easier for our clients to identify us as a global catering resource, regardless where they travel. Whether they are served by our owned kitchens or one of our more than 800 catering partners through our network, we want to ensure their total catering experience is simple and enjoyable, from ordering to delivery to dining to invoicing, anywhere they travel.”

The company’s new 14,000sq-ft facility in Tampa includes an inflight kitchen that will serve all Tampa-area airports and a test kitchen for creating new menu items and packaging.

With the opening of the Tampa kitchen, Air Culinaire now has 14 owned catering kitchens in the U.S. and two more in Europe, serving London and Paris. The new facility also has a training classroom for clients, Air Culinaire staff and culinary teams. In fact, Air Culinaire plans soon to use this classroom to offer classes for business aircraft crews on safe food handling and on-board preparation and presentation. “The new facility in Tampa allows us to fulfill the vision we have had to create a working kitchen with a classroom that our clients can utilize in all aspects of training,” concluded CEO Clifford Smith. o

The benefits of employing a safety management system (SMS) in business aircraft operations should no longer be up for question, according to Pete Agur, managing director and founder of The VanAllen Group. Now, he said, “it’s a question of how people want to apply it, whether it’s a single aircraft or a large fleet.”

Agur believes that the flight risk assessment tool (Frat), a fundamental element in any SMS, is important but that operators aren’t using the Frat to capture enough data to have a significant effect on safety. The better way to use the Frat, he explained, is to increase the number of parameters that it examines and at the same time auto-populate those parameters using modern software tools. In this way, safety will be maximized by analyzing more critical elements and sharing the Frat process with more people in the operation.

In a study of 10 flight departments, Agur’s team found that most operations are using the Frat as a preflight tool, while others use it as a management tool and don’t share the results with flight crews. “It needs to be inclusive,” he said, and that means involving the scheduling, maintenance, flight and management departments in the Frat process.

The study also found that many departments look at only about 20 to 40 Frat elements, while Agur believes that number should be much higher. “When you look at all the data points associated with a trip leg, 130 to 180 points

L-3’s new remote standby designed for shallow panels L-3 Aviation Products has brought together its four avionics units, branding them under the commercial products banner. “This covers several product lines,” said Larry Riddle, vice president of sales and marketing, business and regional aircraft, for L-3 Aviation Products. Instead of having to deal with separate L-3 personnel from each unit, now a company looking for a variety of L-3 products can deal with a single point of contact, he said, “making it easier for the OEM.” Illustrating the benefits of the common branding, L-3 announced that Bombardier selected the GH-3900 electronic standby instrument system and the FA2100 cockpit voice/

flight data recorder for the Global 7000 and 8000. Cessna has chosen the same combination for its Latitude and Longitude jets.

The four units, all exhibiting here at Booth No. 5080, are Avionics Systems, Aviation Recorders, ACSS and Electronic Systems Services. L-3 invites NBAA attendees to the L-3 booth for a beer and wine reception today from 4 to 6 p.m. and Wednesday from 3 to 5 p.m.

On display at the L-3 booth this year is a new version of the GH-3900 standby instrument, the widescreen GH3900RSU. The new version consists of a thin display that can be installed in

The widescreen L-3 GH-3900RSU, at 1.5 inches deep, is significantly more shallow than the predecessor model, the GH-3900.

shallow instrument panels and a separate remote sensor unit (RSU) that can be mounted in any convenient space.

The 4.2-inch diagonal display is larger than the 3.2-inch diagonal display on the GH-3900, yet it is only 1.5 inches deep, versus about 8.5 inches for the GH-3900.

L-3 has secured an unidentified launch customer for the GH-3900RSU. L-3 is also highlighting the opportunity for operators to upgrade their TCAS products to the latest Change 7.1 software,

end up becoming relatively representative of the [applicable] criteria,” he said. These include what might seem like ordinary elements such as crosswinds, runway width, decision altitude on approaches and so on.

The study also found that only 25 to 30 percent of Frat elements are human factors-related, which is a big contrast to the number of accidents caused by human factors issues, at about 70 percent.

“There needs to be an increase in the robustness of examining human factors elements to manage the risks associated with the flight crew,” he said. Crew experience and pairing are just some factors that should be considered, he added.

Gathering all of this information is difficult, but companies that offer SMS development and management assistance such as Arinc (Booth No. 2155), Baldwin Aviation (No. 1066) and Argus International (No. 3207) offer ways to do that, according to Agur. “A next-generation Frat is going to be able to reach into crew scheduling software and look at the crew’s experience, high minimums, recency for night operations, crosswind competence, all the things that [operators] can include in their database. We’re two or three years away from a third-generation Frat that will actually become effective. Having a robust Frat and a robust application of it is a huge benefit of using a safety management system.” o

which is available from service centers for most business jet types. Although there is currently no mandate to upgrade to 7.1 in the U.S., for European operations the upgrade must be done for retrofit applications by December 2015. According to ACSS, Change 7.1 “provides important safety enhancements for operators, including reversal logic, new aural alerting for ‘adjust vertical speed,’ and ‘leveloff, level-off’ resolution advisories to make it more clear that a reduction in vertical rate is required.”

A big part of L-3’s efforts is equipping aircraft for the upcoming ADS-B out mandates, and ACSS is already delivering systems that meet the mandates as well as offer ADS-B in capabilities such as ACSS’s SafeRoute applications.

ACSS is hosting online webinars to explain Change 7.1 TCAS software and ADS-B developments.

–M.T.

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by R. Randall Padfield Pilots looking for aviationoriented accessories for their tablet computers might want to visit the MyGoFlight exhibit (Booth No. 1091). The Denverbased company has announced several new products, including flight bags, yoke mounts and kneeboards, all designed for use with iPads and other tablets.

“The iPad continues to gain popularity and momentum in aviation,” said Charles Schneider, CEO of MyGoFlight and a Cirrus SR22 Turbo pilot. “We continue to expand and improve our products to meet the needs of pilots looking for the best gear for using their iPad, both in and out of the plane.”

Many pilots may be relegating their bulky, boxy Jepp flight bags to the closet after they see

MyGoFlight’s Flight Bag PLC (for “paperless cockpit”) Pro. Usable as either a shoulder bag or a backpack, the Flight Bag PLC Pro includes a protective pouch to hold an iPad, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, laptop computer or other EFB devices, as well as headsets, radios and other gear. iPad Jet Mounts

Newest to MyGoFlight’s product line are the iPad Jet Mounts, released just before the NBAA show. The mounts are available for most models of Gulfstream, Learjet, Beechcraft, Pilatus and TBM airplanes, though in different ways. For example, the Jet Mount Chart Holder model clamps to the chart holder that is found in most Learjets and Beechjets, Aviation Modifications Leader president Mark Lange (right) and Michael Christensen of Satcom1 show the company’s portable routers.

the Universal model attaches to chart holder plates found in TBM and Pilatus ­ turboprops and the Gulfstream model slides into that jet’s yoke wedge.

Typically, a pilot would place an iPad in the company’s Sport Case, which then connects to the Jet Mount attached to the airplane’s yoke. The combination allows several adjustments, including tilting and rotating, so the iPad can be positioned where desired and rotated into portrait and landscape positions without the use of tools. The cost for both the Jet Mount and the Sport Case is $318.

An alternative to yoke mounts is the iPad Kneeboard Pro, which straps to the pilot’s thigh. In fact, kneeboard cases are the center of MyGoFlight’s product line, with the Sport Kneeboard being its most popular product and Leather Folio C, its newest kneeboard, the second most popular product. Like the yoke mounts, the kneeboard allows the iPad to be viewed in portrait and landscape modes.

The kneeboard can also be used as a lapboard.

MyGoFlight offers five aviation kneeboards for the iPad, ranging in price from $99 to $189, and one for the Samsung Galaxy Tab, priced at $99. o

KIRBY J. HARRISON

No matter how advanced it might seem, there is little in cabin technology that can’t be improved. Proof can be found at the Satcom1 exhibit (Booth No. 1891) where Aviation Modifications Leader (AML) is showing its portable OOM-100 and OOM-200 routers, which promise to increase Internet speeds by 200 to 300 percent.

The electronic children of AML founder and president Mark Lange, the OOM units send and receive data with an integrated compression and acceleration service that facilitates faster data throughput and greater system flexibility. “The units are compact and fully portable, allowing travelers to take the

router from the aircraft cabin to a hotel or meetings,” said Lange.

Both units are fully compatible with previously installed satcom systems and are customized to meet the specific requirements of each owner, based on engineering discussions with the owner/operator.

The OOM-100 is priced at $12,500 and the OOM-200 at $17,500. Because they are considered loose equipment by the FAA they do not require a supplemental type certificate. The biggest difference in the two units, aside from price, is that the OOM-200 facilitates voice over Internet protocol phone calls, and at 3.5 pounds it is a little more than twice as heavy as the OOM-100. –K.J.H.

time to shine A crew readies this Bombardier Global Express for its close-up under partly cloudy skies. Hurricane Sandy was on the minds of exhibitors and attendees alike, and NBAA reminded its members of the value of business aviation in responding to natural disasters, and the value of its Humanitarian Emergency Response Operator database.

Safran flexes global muscle

by Kirby J. Harrison

Bizjet router promises boost in data speed

CY CYR

MyGoFlight showcases cockpit iPad accessories

Safran USA (Booth No. 2579) is flexing some considerable muscle here at the convention, showing a diverse role in the business aircraft market that stretches from nose to tail and wingtip to wingtip. Among the aviation products available from this global conglomerate are turbofan engines, nacelles, thrust reversers, landing gear, wheels and brakes, auxiliary power units, avionics, navigation systems, flight controls and wiring.

“Safran [the French word for a ship’s rudder] is one of the few suppliers with such a wide coverage for business aircraft manufacturers, and our strategy is to remain a leader through continued innovation in such areas as electric aircraft and integrated propulsion systems,” said president and CEO Peter Lengyel.

Safran Group’s Snecma division partners with General Electric in manufacture of the CFM56 turbofan, and Snecma is also developing the Leap engine series, an entirely new baseline turbofan already selected to power the next generation of single-aisle

(MRAS). One of the initial customers includes Bombardier for its Global 7000 and Global 8000, both of which will be powered by the GE ­Passport engine. commercial jets from which the SMA Engines, another Boeing Business Jet and the Air- Safran division, marked a combus ACJ320 are derived. mercial breakthrough this year Snecma’s Silvercrest, a 9,500- when Cessna selected its SR305to 12,000-pound-thrust engine, 230E diesel engine to power has already been selected by the Turbo Skylane JT-A. The Cessna for its Citation Longi- engine operates on jet-A, jettude business jet.

A1, TS-1 and No. 3 fuel and is Safran is also known for rated at 230 horsepower. landing gear, wheels and brakes Safran’s Sagem Avionics and through its Messier-Bugatti- Sagem Electronics maintain a Dowty operation. The Labinal considerable presence in flight company is an electrical wircontrols, electronics, avioning and integrated soluics, maintenance-assistance tions supplier. Safran’s systems and electronic Aircelle is engaged in procontrol units for inteducing engine nacelles grated landing systems and thrust reversers. and engines. The comAccording to Lengyel, panies are developing a the company is playfourth-generation fulling an ever greater role authority digital engine Peter Lengyel in the complete nacelle control (Fadec) in a joint package, from design and pro- venture with BAE Systems for duction to supply and support. the GE Passport and Snecma Aircelle is a major supplier for Silvercrest engines.

10 business jets manufactured Fans, valves, air filters, hoses, by four of the major OEMs. heat exchangers, flow sensors, Aircelle is also pioneering a new pressure sensors and related generation of integrated propul- products from Safran’s Techsion systems through its Nex- nofan division are flying on aircelle joint venture with GE’s craft by Bombardier, Cessna and Middle River Aircraft Systems Dassault, to mention a few. o

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10/29/12 1:40 PM

Unmanned aircraft to get gradual introduction to NAS The specter of skies darkened by winged robots has arisen more than once in media accounts of the “drones” that are poised to enter the U.S. national airspace system (NAS). In large part, that vision has been fueled by the FAA’s own estimation of the market for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). But if anything approaching that scenario does occur, it will not be soon. The reality is that UASs will be introduced gradually and, ostensibly, safely to the NAS. In its latest aerospace industry forecast, for Fiscal Years 2012 to 2023, the FAA predicts that around 10,000 commercial UASs will be active in the next five years, based on the expected regulatory environment. But the agency has been tardy in creating that environment.

As of September, it had already missed the 180-day deadline set by Congress in the 2012 FAA reauthorization bill to initiate a pilot program for airspace integration consisting of six UAS test ranges.

The FAA’s long-awaited notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to establish the regulatory framework for operating small UASs weighing less than 55 pounds 2012 THROTTLES NBAA_NBAA 2012 10/22/12

was still to be released as of press time.

With the regulatory framework lagging, and ongoing technical challenges such as the need to develop an approved “senseand-avoid” system for remotely piloted aircraft, another provision of the FAA reauthorization bill mandating the “safe integration” of UASs in the NAS by Sept.

30, 2015, seems ambitious. “We certainly didn’t envision an integration, an evolution of UAS would happen overnight,” Heidi Williams, AOPA vice president of air traffic services and modernization, said during a panel discussion at the Unmanned Systems North America conference in August. The more likely scenario, she said, will be a phased introduction of UASs beginning with the operations of the test ranges and the issuance of the small UAS final rule–developments planned in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Any fuller introduction of UASs to the NAS is “probably a significant challenge that I’m not sure is achievable,” Williams said.

When it is released, the FAA’s NPRM will likely limit small UASs to flying 400 feet agl or below, within visual line of sight 4:20 PM Page 1

AEROVIRONMENT

by Bill Carey

AeroVironment’s Qube quadcopter weighs 5.5 pounds and has a range of one kilometer within line of sight.

Equipped with high-resolution color and thermal cameras, it operates to 500 feet agl, with endurace of 40 minutes.

of an observer on the ground and during day VMC, said Ted Wierzbanowski, chairman of ASTM International Committee F38, which is developing UAS airworthiness, maintenance and pilot training standards. Smaller air vehicles that can be carried in a briefcase and launched by hand will probably not have a ready, miniaturized sense-and-avoid solution, meaning that collision avoidance will be the responsibility of the ground observer.

“When we all see the rule, they’ll probably insert weight regimes. There will be certain distances you can fly out to to be sure that you can, in fact, see an intruding aircraft,” said Wierzbanowski, an AeroVironment executive and former co-chairman of the FAA’s small UAS aviation rulemaking committee, which delivered recommendations to the agency in April 2009. “If you want to fly these things beyond visual line of sight,

then you’re going to have to come up with a sense-and-avoid system.” Probably the nearest term solution, he said, is ground-based sense-and-avoid radar being developed by the U.S. Army.

Business Aviation Exposure Limited

The FAA has said that its strategy is to introduce unmanned aircraft in a tiered fashion to the NAS beginning with small UASs, where the greatest market growth is expected. In a recent interview, Steven Brown, NBAA chief operating officer, said that NBAA “absolutely” supports that approach.

“To oversimplify it: ‘Walk before you run,’” he told AIN. “It’s only rational to do that, and it’s the way that other new vehicles have entered the NAS over time.

Things like commercial space vehicles were approached in the same fashion.”

Continued on next page u

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To learn more about AutoPower for your aircraft, visit us at NBAA Booth #2206

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Unmanned aircraft introduced gradually uContinued from preceding page

At least initially, business aviation’s exposure to unmanned aircraft likely will be in remote, high-altitude airspace over the oceans or polar areas where UASs are deployed for surveillance or “counting-type” activities, Brown said.

“I think those are going to be some of the initial approvals for some of these very useful vehicles. I think the technical challenge of approving their use in, let’s say, high-density terminal airspace is much greater, and we’re not going to encounter those challenges first.”

In the meantime, UAS operations in the NAS are governed by a regime that requires public agencies to obtain a certificate of authorization (COA) from the FAA, with decisions provided within 60 days of an application being submitted, according to the agency. Private-sector companies cannot operate UASs for business purposes, and must obtain a special airworthiness certificate-experimental category (SAC-EC) that is limited in scope.

The 2012 FAA reauthorization legislation compelled the agency to streamline its process of issuing COAs. As a result, the FAA has developed an automated, web-based application process and expedited the procedures in place to grant

one-time COAs for emergency missions.

As of March 29, the agency doubled the length of authorizations from 12 to 24 months. In September, the Government Accountability Office reported that 227 total COAs were approved for U.S. government agencies and military services this year through July 13.

Still another provision of the reauthorization legislation directs the FAA to allow “government public safety” agencies to operate UASs weighing 4.4 pounds or less under certain conditions.

The FAA says it has established an agreement with the Department of Justice that meets the congressional mandate– enabling law enforcement organizations

The Qube quad copter is shown here in operation with a police force. AeroVironment said a dozen law enforcement agencies are using UAS in operations.

to obtain COAs for training purposes and performance evaluations. “When the organization has shown proficiency in flying its UAS, it will receive an operational COA. The agreement also expands the allowable UAS weight up to 25 pounds,” according to the FAA. Law-and-order advocates will be comforted to know that municipal police departments were numerous among the agencies possessing COAs on a list released by the FAA this spring in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The FBI and the Customs and Border Protection Agency are also authorized to fly unmanned aircraft.

Police interest in deploying UASs is great. “There is no doubt that there are aspects within law enforcement that could use this technology,” Clark County, Nevada sheriff Douglas Gillespie told the Unmanned Systems North America conference on August 6.

Days later, the International Association of Chiefs of Police issued guidelines for the responsible use of unmanned aircraft by law enforcement agencies. The guidelines were subsequently endorsed by the ­Airborne Law Enforcement Association and FBI-affiliated groups.

The Civil Market

AeroVironment, a publicly traded manufacturer of small UAS and electric

vehicle charging products based in Monrovia, Calif., is rolling out a UAS trial and evaluation program to public safety agencies based around its “Qube” quadcopter, a 5.5-pound vertical lift aircraft equipped with dual, high-resolution color and thermal cameras.

In August, AeroVironment executives told AIN that a dozen law enforcement agencies had signed onto the program, which includes assistance in obtaining COAs and training support.

The company has considerable experience in supplying UASs to the U.S. and other militaries, having manufactured 20,000 hand-launched Ravens and 1,200 Pumas and hundreds of Wasp micro air vehicles.

“We have been very careful to enter this [civil] market as a good industry partner,” said Roy Minson, AeroVironment senior vice president and general manager of UAS. “We think our systems today could operate very well in the NAS, but the reality is, we have to make sure everybody is operating to the same standards. We want to make sure [customers] have the COAs in place, the people trained. We want to be good stewards and make sure we don’t have any incidents as we start to go forward.”

Despite industry assurances, privacy advocates and the public in general appear to be less enthused by recent developments in UAS airspace integration. o

I FLY THE MU-2 BECAUSE...

Howard Fields has a great tale to tell about his MU-2 short-body. The world-renowned architect should know something about “great design.” Howard has owned N12HF for four years, and is a relatively new convert to the MU2, but he has flown other planes for over four decades at his HFA International firm, Sausalito, CA. Now Howard is one of a growing number of pilots joining the ranks of new MU-2 owners after learning the news about the MU-2’s advantages including its safety record and climbing aircraft value since the FAA’s Special Federal Aviation Regulation was instituted for MU-2 operators in 2008. Howard compared other aircraft to the MU-2 and emphatically chose the MU-2.

MU-2 Fac ts Of Note: The MU-2 has GreaT DesiGn - reMarkable hanDlinG...

A Feeling Of Security.

Harold Fields MU-2 Pilot and Owner

“The MU-2 is a considerably safer aircraft now than other Business Turbo-props” – Breiling & Associates #1 Ranking Product Support for the last decade

- Aviation International News

Mitsubishi provides the free Pilots Review Of Proficiency (PROP) safety program

To learn more about the MU-2 experience contact : www.mu-2aircraft.com

82 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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10/17/12 10:39 AM

Hartzell announces CSeries contract

Hartzell Aerospace will design and supply APU inlet and exhaust ducting for Bombardier’s CSeries.

by Rob Finfrock Two companies under the Hartzell product umbrella announced significant developments at NBAA’12.

Hartzell Aerospace (Booth No. 4376) announced October 29 that it has won an estimated $45 million contract to design and supply APU inlet and exhaust ducting for Bombardier’s upcoming CSeries medium-size airliner.

Both systems will use Hartzell’s proprietary Acousti-Flo 2.2 noise-attenuation material to meet the latest ICAO noise management requirements.

Meanwhile, sister company Hartzell Engine Technologies announced that its I-Series aircraft cabin heaters received FAA TSO approval. The heaters feature an Inconel combustion tube, “a material proven to provide superior performance over ceramic-coated stainless steel in extreme temperature applications,” according to Hartzell.

The advantage of the I-Series heater is that it can directly replace Hartzell and Janitrol B-Series heaters and eliminate the requirements of AD 200421-05. Hartzell Engine Technologies Service Bulletin A-101 Revision G has been approved by the FAA, allowing installation of the I-Series to replace the B-Series heaters. The B-Series can also be converted to I-Series configuration with a Hartzell field upgrade kit.

Hartzell Engine Technologies also announced it has exchanged certain product lines

with Marysville, Wash.-based Lamar Technologies. Under terms of the swap, Hartzell sold its electronics business unit to Lamar, which in turn provided Hartzell with the rights to its

starter and alternator product lines. The companies have pledged to maintain customer deliveries through an inventory swap while waiting to obtain the necessary FAA approvals. o

Aircraft Maintenance Doesn’t Have To Be Scary!

NEWS NOTES Sensing an upturn in business conditions, International Communications Group (ICG) has boosted its ranks with four new appointments. Davert Leong, electrical engineer in production; David Casey, lead embedded software engineer; Doyle Sisson, project manager; and Debbie Glass, technical writer.

Notes CEO Scott Trainum, “This year has provided us with indications that the economy and the industry are turning around.” n The UK’s Gama Engineering, a Gama Group company formed a year ago with the amalgamation of Lees Avionics and Mann Aviation Group Engineering, recently completed its 50th EASA STC. The project was the design and certification of a Garmin G600 installation in a BN Islander used by the Belgian Coast Guard. Gama Engineering is based at Fairoaks Airport. n

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www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 83 9/11/12 1:42 PM

10/17/12 10:42 AM

Amira Air first to fly Global Vision cockpit

by Ian Sheppard Charter provider Amira Air of Vienna, Austria, is the first operator of Bombardier’s new Global Vision flight deck. The advanced cockpit is installed on a Global 5000 owned by Niki Lauda, three-time Formula One world champion, airline owner and pilot.

The legendary racing driver has been using the airplane to travel among F1 races and to other destinations, since receiving the airplane in April. AIN talked with one of the aircraft’s pilots, Martin Gubza, to find out his impression after the first six months of operations.

“The flight deck was developed jointly by Bombardier with Rockwell Collins and has synthetic vision on the HUD, which enhances comfort and safety and reduces pilot fatigue,” Gubza said. The Pro Line Fusion-based avionics suite has four high-resolution, 15-inch active-matrix LCDs arranged in a T-shape. According to Gubza, the most notable advance is the single, pilot-side head-up display (HUD), which reflects almost exactly what is shown on the primary flight

display (PFD), so no adjustment is needed when looking from one to another. “It makes life much easier than on the previous model,” he said, “especially situational awareness with respect to obstacles, mountains and everything.”

He admitted that it is a “high workload initially until you are used to it, but we had good training in Montreal, in [Bombardier’s] simulator.”

iPhone 5 won’t fit bizav cabins

compatible with current 30-pin onboard equipment. According to Dave Dodson, marketing manager at Flight Display Systems (Booth No. 1911), “eight versus 30 means something’s going to be missing.” Apple, he noted, will be selling an adapter for the common 30-pin connector, and while that will allow charging and audio, it will not permit video.

Further, the adapter is about one-inch wide and one-inch tall, which means it’s too big for use in cabin docks and chargers.

And the iPhone 5, at 4.78

Those who stood in line for the new iPhone 5 and bring it aboard their business jet cabin are discovering that Apple’s latest is not an ideal fit–at least not yet.

First of all, there’s the new Lightning eight-pin digital connector that’s not exactly

EVS Camera Pending

The real advantage, being able to use reduced visual minimums for instrument approaches by employing the infrared enhanced-vision system (EVS), has yet to be fully exploited by this aircraft. “We still don’t have the EVS camera approved,” Gubza said. “It will be in the software upgrade and should be sorted next year.” However, “the aircraft is Cat II approved now,” he said, “so EVS won’t help us much here [in Vienna],” but he added that it would help when Amira goes to airports without that level of ILS, or any ILS at all. Then it will be able to land “when other people can’t.”

JOHN A. MANFREDO

Apple’s redesigned iPhone5 (not pictured here) is larger than previous models and has different connectors, which aren’t compatible with most cabins.

Bombardier’s Global Vision flight deck features synthetic vision on the HUD and four high-resolution, 15-inch active-matrix LCDs arranged in a T-shape. Charter provider Amira Air became the first operator to fly with the flight deck, installed in a Global 5000.

When AIN spoke with Gubza, he said, “We have just come back from flying Singapore to Vienna. I think it was the longest flight since delivery, with Niki Lauda.”

In Singapore they landed at Seletar Airport, “a small executive airfield that has no approach aids; it is purely VFR,” he said. If there had been poor visibility, the synthetic vision on the HUD would have proved useful. inches tall, 2.31 inches wide and 0.30 inches thick, simply won’t fit the docks and chargers already installed in business jet cabins.

Dodson said Flight Display is looking at some sort of portable WiFi video streaming solution. “We are working on it, we may have something by next spring.” Asked whether he expects an eight-connector iPad to be next, Dodson groaned, noting that Flight Display is the industry’s largest provider of arm and yoke mounts for the current 30-pin iPad and iPad 2.

TrueNorth Avionics CEO Mark van Berkel said his designers and engineers are already evaluating the iPhone 5 and added, “Our engineers say TrueNorth [Booth No. 1375] has an app that we believe will work with iOS 6 operating systems that define iPhone 5.” But, he said, “We have yet to try [it] ‘in the wild.’” Meanwhile, he concluded, “Some private jet owners are going to be awfully disappointed when they board their $50 million airplane and discover their $200 [for the 16GB version] iPhone 5 won’t work there.” –K.J.H.

This Global 5000 is also available for charter through Amira Air, said Gubza, who added that the company also operates a second Global Express, six Challenger 300s, a Challenger 604, a Hawker 400XP and a Cessna CJ2+.

Amira Air is considering adding more aircraft, and Gubza believes that “the charter market is surviving.

“Big-size aircraft are doing really well.” He talked about the 180-minute extendedrange twin operations allowance on the Globals. “So far we haven’t seen a place you

can’t cover,” he said. “We can fly to all our main hubs.”

The Global 5000 has a range of almost 5,200 nm at Mach 0.85, and can fly nonstop from Vienna to Tokyo, he said. The cabin can accommodate 12 with four single seats in the front cabin that can recline and create two single beds; four club seats in the middle with a table; and a sofa in the separate rear cabin, which can convert into a bed or two single seats.

The cabin is also equipped with WiFi, satellite TV with two screens, Blu-ray player and iPod/iPad docking stations. o

Green Hides unveils Tango Italian leather collection Green Hides Leather Studio describes Tango leather from the Verde Valley region of Italy as “a modern classic” from the finest, hand-selected European hides.

The Greensboro, N.C.-based purveyor of fine leather is introducing its new Tango line here (Booth No. 4150) as a full-grain, aniline through-dyed product with hand-applied two-tone tipped grain effect with “a luxuriously soft touch.”

The company also notes that the leather is produced using environmentally friendly techniques with vegetable agents, natural fat liquors and oils, along with dyes that guarantee the leather is properly through-dyed. It complies with EU directives covering the use and presence of PCP, Chromo

Green Hides Tango

(VI) and Azo dyestuffs. Waterbased finishes are applied to provide an even coloration and leather protection.

Green Hides stocks more than 400 leathers at its facilities, including 28 colors of EcoLife, what it says is “the leading chromium-free leather.”

–K.J.H.

84 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Comlux America inaugurates Boeing/Airbus facility at Indy

by Robert P. Mark Comlux America officially opened its 129,000-sq-ft completion, engineering and maintenance center at Indianapolis International Airport (IND) in September. The new completion center is dedicated to Boeing and Airbus single-aisle

bizliners, while nearby Comlux Aviation Services handles similar work on smaller business jets built by Bombardier, Cessna, Dassault and Gulfstream.

Comlux currently employs 350 people at IND, and Comlux America CEO

Comlux America’s 129,000-sq-ft completion, engineering and maintenance center in Indianapolis can house four single-aisle jets simultaneously. Customers enter through the lounge-like VIP entrance, below, and have access to amenities such as private offices and a gourmet kitchen for the duration of their projects.

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David Edinger said he expects that num- explained that the customer became disenber to grow to between 450 and 500 in chanted with the first shop that attempted the next year. Because the new hangar to upgrade the aircraft. In addition, city can handle up to four single-aisle aircraft and state officials were there, explainsimultaneously, Edinger said, “We’re ing that the local governments provided always in a hiring mode. The toughest financial assistance to the building effort jobs to fill are the engineering positions, in return for employment guarantees. but we are also still searching for a variety Al Bakar said he hopes Qatar will of other specialists for both shifts.” soon be able to send the new facility Close by the massive 65,000some business. His company sq-ft hangar floor are the intemanages the private fleet of rior design center, engineering Qatar’s royal family, in addidepartment, certification group tion to half a dozen Bombarand the technical publications dier business aircraft. teams, all easily accessible, and Edinger was Comlux Amera client’s office for the duration ica employee number-one of the work–often more than when he joined the company a year–to ensure that the finin 2009. He began his career ished aircraft will be precisely as a teenager at Dee Howard what the customer expects. The in San Antonio, where he had second floor has a gourmet an eye for details, a trait he Comlux America CEO kitchen that also is available to brought to Comlux, especially David Edinger customers’ own chefs should during the design of the new they choose to bring them. In addition, completion center. “I’ve probably done because many large-aircraft clients are 70 percent of the work we handle in this from the Middle East, the Comlux Amer- facility myself at one point or another in ica center at IND offers a prayer room. my life. I watch everything pretty closely Comlux America is certified to the although I’m not the micromanager I standards of EASA, FAA, Bermudan, once was,” he said. “This completion cenGACA (Saudi Arabia) and Aruban Part ter was designed from the beginning to 145 repair stations. Comlux America integrate cabinetry, sheet metal, systems, and Comlux Aviation Services are both avionics, upholstery and finish, everysubsidiaries of Comlux, The Aviation thing any completion facility would ever Group, based in Zurich, Switzerland. need, all together under a single roof. We o Representatives from both business did that for maximum efficiency.” aviation and airlines attended the opening ceremonies on September 12. They included Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al Bakar; BBJ customer representative Mihail Alenkin, from Russia; Jonghwa Chin of the Minth Group, an ACJ318 operator, from Shanghai; and an Australian 757 owner’s representative, who

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DOSWELL AWARD

Safety-stat honcho Breiling honored with Doswell award

by Mary F. Silitch

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Aviation accident statistician and Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and produces annual reports on specific airformer member of the NBAA board of directors Robert E. Breiling is this year’s craft models, as well as the following reports that provide comparative recipient of the John P. “Jack” accident data: Helicopter Review, Doswell Award, granted annuSingle Turboprop Review, Turally for lifelong individual bine Accident Review and achievement in supporting Fractional Review. business aviation.

Breiling’s data also was “NBAA is proud to recinstrumental in obtaining ognize Bob Breiling’s outan industry-wide FAA alterstanding contributions to native that allows the use of the business aviation comadvanced simulators­–instead munity,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. of in-aircraft experience­ –for “Through his devoted research some pilot recurrent training and analysis of aviation accirequirements, said the NBAA, dent data, as well as his work with Robert E. Breiling and helped support the developNBAA, Bob has helped promote ment of FAR Part 91K regulastandards that have led to improvements tions governing fractional operators. in aviation safety and better training.”

Upon hearing that he would receive the His firm, Robert E. Breiling Associates award, Breiling said, “I am certainly proud of Boca Raton, Fla., analyzes business avi- to receive this prestigious NBAA award. I ation accident rates and provides reports would like to think that my work over the for NBAA publications and for the indus- years in analyzing business turbine-aircraft try. It also supplies global data on busi- accidents has created awareness as to their ness aircraft accidents to the International causes and helped reduce accidents.”

The Doswell Award, established in 1987, is named in honor of Jack Doswell, whose Doswell Award History gifts inspired a high standard of involveNBAA established the Doswell Award in ment in the business aviation community.

1988 to honor the memory of John P. “Jack” From 1973 to 1980, Breiling served Doswell. It is presented each year to an individon the NBAA board of directors with ual “for lifelong achievement on behalf of and Doswell. An aviation enthusiast from in support of the aims, goals and objectives of his early years, the NBAA said, Breiling business aviation.” Jack Doswell flew B-24s in joined the U.S. Navy in 1951 and became World War II, C-54s in the Berlin Airlift and was a pilot. He flew a McDonnell Banshee a member of the Special Missions Air SquadF2H-3 and an F9F Panther–Grumman’s ron before retiring from the Air Force in 1950 first jet fighter and one of the Navy’s and becoming director of flight operations for first carrier-based jet fighters. He flew FlightSafety International. n from the U.S.S. Hornet aircraft carrier while stationed in the Pacific and served 24 years in the Navy Reserve, ending his DOSWELL AWARD military service as the commander of a LEGION OF HONOR Lockheed P-2V squadron.

2011 Don Spruston His interest in aviation accidents, Breil2010 Chuck McKinnon ing told AIN, derives from his time as a 2009 Richard Van Gemert Navy safety officer. He said that after leaving the military and while he was flying for 2008 George A. Saling Pan Am–which he did for three years–he 2007 E. Patrick “Pat” Epps met an insurance executive who was look2006 Jim Waugh ing at companies buying jets. That was 2005 Ronald Guerra in the early 1960s, when the first Learjets 2004 Allan Lane were coming into service, and there was no 2003 Byron “Skip” Reed II data on aviation accidents. He then went to 2002 Robert Duncan work for one of the insurance companies, 2001 Myron Collier where he identified, analyzed and clas2000 Rod Kauber sifed business aviation accidents. Coinci1999 Paul Stevens dentally, he soon became a regular speaker 1998 Milton H. “Milt” Pugsley at the Flight Safety Foundation’s corpo1997 J. Sheldon “Torch” Lewis rate aviation seminars. He subsequently left the insurance industry and became 1996 Raleigh Drennon one of the officers involved in the found1995 Preston Parrish ing of SimuFlite, the training company.

1994 Janice Barden He later returned to the insurance busi1993 Priscilla Blum & Jay Weinberg ness, where he found that companies were 1992 David Woodrow seeking accident information from him, so 1991 Donald Baldwin that led him to start his company in the 1990 Scott Miller early 1980s, he said. “We have the only 1989 William Watt worldwide database for all aircraft.” o

88 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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SAFE FLYING AWARDS • Pilot Awards

Pilots achieve accident-free milestones

by Mary F. Silitch

The National Business Aviation Association presents the Pilot Flying Safety Awards each year to member company pilots who have exemplary safety records. To be eligible for an award, a pilot must have flown corporate aircraft 1,500 hours without an accident. The actual number of safe hours flown by many of the 2011 top pilots is, in fact, above 20,000 hours.

Steve Warner Pilot 25,782 hours Spectra Energy Lancaster, Pa. AIN first wrote about Steve Warner as a safe pilot in 2004, when he had 21,620 hours and worked for Duke Energy. He was sixth on the list. Now Warner is at the top of the list with 25,782 hours and today he flies pipeline patrol for Spectra Energy in a Cessna 206.

Warner first went flying in an airplane at the age of seven, and, he said, “I told my dad this is what I want to do!” After serving in the military, he worked as a crop duster for five years, piloting Grumman Ag-Cats and Piper Pawnees. He flew for Williams Pipeline in Oklahoma then Duke, before joining Spectra. In all, he has 40 years of pipeline patrol flying logged.

“I love the 206,” he said. “It’s forgiving and good for what

Spectra Energy is swapping its Cessna 206 pipeline patrol airplanes with Found FBA3s. The company has two people– Steve Warner and Marion Maneth–who have been recognized by NBAA for their safety records.

we need it for. It’s a joy to fly, and I like the high wing.” He described Spectra as “a fantastic company.”

Warner said his safety philosophy is, among other things, “you don’t fly junk. You set your standards based on experience and you don’t exceed that.”

an Aeronca Champ. He started flying gliders at 12 and soloed at 14. In high school Johnson flew friends almost every day, in his Cessna 172. At age 21, he owned the Holiday Haven Soaring School in Tehachapi, Calif., and, he recalled, “I lived in the towplane!” He subsequently formed an aircraft management company handling a Hawker 800, a West wind, a Citation and two Fairchild Merlins.

Currently, Johnson is flying as a contract pilot on the Gulfstream GIV and GV, and when we talked, he was heading off to Global Express school. Johnson said his favorite corporate airplane is the Falcon 20, which he flew for a fractional share company.

Johnson’s safety philosophy includes having an A&P certificate. “It helps me to have a better understanding of the systems,” he said. “I fly so many different airplanes that I have to go by the checklist and stick with the procedures. I always have a way out or an option if the weather or a mechanical issue were to arise. It’s important to review the flight, prepare for any obstacles and be ready to tell the boss ‘no’ if conditions are not right.”

Kenneth Pingel Line pilot 25,325 hours Monsanto St. Louis Monsanto’s flight department started out with Douglas

DC-3s, Convairs and a PBY. Today the company flies two Falcon 900LXs and a 900EX and three Hawkers out of Spirit of St. Louis Airport. “Monsanto has an incredible safety culture,” line pilot Kenneth Pingel told AIN. “From headquarters down, safety is first.” Pingel has been flying for the multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation for 14 years. “I fly with a great group of guys,” he said, “and our flight department managers do a great job.”

Pingel also credits his father with instilling in him the basic fundamentals of safety and flying.

Maurice Evans Pilot 23,478 hours Duininck Companies Prinsburg, Minn.

Maurice Evans joined Duininck Companies in 1979 as its sole pilot. Duininck, which is based in Prinsburg, Minn., keeps its Piper Navajo, which has logged 16,000 hours, and two Mooneys in Willmar.

Evans said the three aircraft are flown about 900 hours a year. He likes to fly both types but said the Navajo is faster and roomier.

Evans grew up around aviation. “Dad had an airplane on the farm from when I was an eighth grader,” he said. “We would go to Flying Farmers events, and my older brother flew. In college, my friends flew and we had a competition to see who got a license first.”

His safety secret is good maintenance, and, said Evans,

Over the years, NBAA has recognized many safe pilots with NBAA Pilot Flying Safety Awards. The top 25 recipients for the year 2011 are listed below, in order of the number of safe hours flown during their careers as corporate pilots.

Name

Company

Monsanto’s flight department flies two Falcon 900LXs, a 900EX and three Hawkers out of Spirit of St. Louis Airport. Monsanto line pilot Kenneth Pingel is being recognized for his 25,325 hours of safe flying.

Hours

Steve Warner

Spectra Energy

25,782

Donald Johnson

Don Johnson Aviation

25,341

Kenneth Pingel

Monsanto

25,325

Maurice Evans

Duininck Companies

23,478

Marion Maneth

Spectra Energy

22,312

Kenneth Qualls

Flight Management Solutions

21,662

Michael Pidek

Flight-Plan

21,163

Robert Ealy

AMB Group

21,021

Michael Bowden

Spectra Energy

20,998

Steven Von Gruben

Emerson Flight Operations

20,184

Joseph Valla

JPV

20,180

Dave Smith

ConocoPhillips Alaska

18,998

Wayne Carr

Air Trek

18,806

Richard Harris

B & C Aviation

18,200

James Sorensen

TWC Aviation

18,111

Steven Stinson

Whirlpool

18,088

Robert Leahy

Silver Stream Aviation

17,925

William McNease

Moser Aviation

17,827

Demetrios Koutsopanagos

Eagle Aircraft & Transportation Management

17,719

Jerald Clark

Caterpillar

17,299

Arthur Sperring

Alcoa

17,256

Joseph Sedlacek

ConAgra

17,192

William Horton

JCPenney

17,076

Roger Fisher

Masco

17,066

Bill Bailey

Nissan North America

16,500

Maurice Evans, a Duininck Companies pilot, says his secret to safety is good maintenance.

“One should never go out the door with an issue. …If conditions are bad, don’t go. Safety is the number-one issue.”

Marion Maneth Pipeline patrol supervisor 22,312 hours Spectra Energy Little Rock, Ark.

Donald Johnson Contract pilot 25,341 hours Don Johnson Aviation Danville, Calif.

From an early age, Don Johnson grew up with a dream of soaring through the air. His father’s orthodontist friend flew a Bellanca Cruisair, and at age 10, Johnson had his first flying lesson from that friend in

2011 NBAA PILOT SAFETY AWARDS

Spectra Energy, a provider of natural gas infrastructure, is headquartered in Houston, Texas, but Marion Maneth’s division is based at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Ark. “Spectra Energy is converting its fleet of Cessna 206 patrol aircraft to the

Found FBA3,” Maneth said. “We have two of them in Little Rock and are taking delivery of four more by 2014.”

Maneth joined the company in September 1989 and has been in his current position for 10 years. “When I was a young farm kid in Kansas,” he said, “my dad was working on his private license. He used to take my brother and me to the airport to hang around while he took his lessons. I have always been interested in flying.”

After serving in the U.S. Army, where he joined a military flying club, Maneth worked as a charter pilot and as an aerial applicator in Liberal, Kan. When asked his favorite airplane to fly, Maneth said, “I’ve never met an airplane I didn’t like, just some more than others.

Obviously, the Cessna 206 ranks pretty high.”

Asked about his safety record, Maneth said, “Spectra Energy has always had a culture and commitment to safety.

From our equipment to our training, safety is the first consideration. Flying 900 hours a year at 500 feet off the ground,” he continued, “you really are o safety conscious.”

90 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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SAFE FLYING AWARDS • Part 91 Companies

Flying awards recognize decades of safe transportation

by Mary F. Silitch

The NBAA Corporate Business Flying Safety Awards have been awarded to a number of member companies, the ­oldest of which, ExxonMobil, has flown 268,819 safe hours over the past 80 years. The top four recipients in the corporate ­category for the year 2011 are listed below, with the number of years of safe flying and the number of safe hours flown.

AIN interviewed representatives of these companies to find out more about their operations and their safety successes.

ExxonMobil Dallas 80 years, 268,819 hours ExxonMobil has flown safely for 80 years, operating a variety of aircraft starting with Beech Staggerwings and Douglas DC-3s. Today, the 66-member flight department operates two Gulfstream 550s, one Bombardier Global Express and five Challenger 300s.

James Johnson, who joined the company in 1991 and became manager of

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aviation services in 2007, told AIN that its excellent safety record is due to the company’s “strong safety culture throughout every affiliate, a very robust safety management system and years of dedicated service from all of the current and past employees who have ensured we accomplish our daily business in a safe manner.”

He said ExxonMobil received its IS-BAO Phase II registration this year and Phase III is scheduled for 2014.

Johnson’s love of aviation started when he watched airplanes fly over his backyard. His parents took him to the local airport and, he said, “I was hooked from then on.” He served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years. “My last job in the military was with the 89th Military Airlift Wing, Washington, D.C., working in the presidential pilots office.

“I have enjoyed all of the aircraft I have had the privilege to fly, but probably the Global Express is my favorite because of the range, speed and passenger comfort it provides.”

Cooper Industries Houston 69 years, 14,814 hours

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Cooper Industries has been manufacturing lighting products for 180 years but its flight department dates back only 69 years. “In 1943, we began operating a Fairchild 45,” said Keith Nickles, who has been director of aviation since 2011.

“Over the years, our fleet has included a large variety of aircraft.”

Currently operating a Falcon 50EX, Cooper has three pilots (including Nickles) and a chief of maintenance.

“Cooper has a long history of manufacturing success. Our culture is one that emphasizes safety in all facets of our business, this is especially true with aviation,” Nickles said. “Our crews and technicians have embraced that culture and put it into practice each day. We have never hesitated to put safety at the top of our decision process, and that’s a philosophy that is encouraged and expected by all members of our executive team.”

Nickles, who was previously director of aviation for the J.E. Robert Companies, said, “My father was an enlisted air crewmember in the U. S. Navy, which had an enormous impact on me. For as long as I can remember, aviation has been my passion. I served a 20-year career in the Air Force. I flew the C-141B, KC-10, C20B [G-III] and C-37A [GV].”

Asked about which corporate airplane is his favorite to fly, Nickles named the Gulfstream 550.

Chevron Aviation Services Oakland, Calif.

66 years, 103,872 hours Chevron operates a fleet of aircraft that provides global transportation services for executives and employees. The company has approximately 58,000 employees working around the world.

Joining Chevron’s aviation team in

92 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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2011 SAFE FLYING AWARDS 2000, general manager Betty Uhrig started as a line pilot, working her way up to chief pilot and then to her current position. “One of the best aspects of flying for Chevron is that it gives you the resources to ensure safe operations,” she said. “Getting to fly to more than 100 countries is just another bonus of the unique flying that Chevron does, with 70 percent of its flight time being international.”

When asked about Chevron’s exemplary safety record, Uhrig replied: “Aviation Services achieved Phase I in IS-BAO in 2010 and will have the Phase II evaluation this year. IS-BAO was just another step in our quest for always keeping safety at the forefront. At Chevron, we aim to complete every task the right way every time and our safety management system helps achieve this goal.”

She credits the safety record to “continual awareness of the risk out there, good training and reinforcement of the importance our top executives place on safety.”

Owens Corning Toledo, Ohio 66 years, 97,341 hours

insulation, roofing and composites.

Smith has been with the flight department for 33 of its 66 years, and has been director of flight operations for the past 18 years. He has logged more than 17,000 hours. He said his favorite corporate airplane to fly is “without a doubt, the Falcon 900EX.” At Ohio State University, he received his instructor’s certificate in the first quarter and he worked as an instructor for the next four years while attending classes.

Smith said that Owens Corning has an unconditional commitment to safety, which has led to its impeccable record. “We firmly believe that all accidents are preventable and that safety is everyone’s responsibility,” he said. Another reason is the extraordinary talent that makes up the flight department. “Everyone in the department is fully engaged and [all] are top performers,” he told AIN. The Owens Corning flight department is IS-BAO Phase III registered. “Our safety management system has changed the way we operate on a daily basis,” said Smith. “We continue to strive for excellence in every aspect of the operation.” o

The Owens Corning flight department, based at Toledo Express Airport, flies mostly in North America, with some European and Asian trips, said Terry Smith, director of flight operations. Owens Corning is a global company that produces glass fiber and foam

Presented to Part 91 companies. Listed here are the top companies by number of accident-free years.

Company

Years

Hours

ExxonMobil

80

268,819

Cooper Industries

69

14,814

Chevron USA

66

103,872

Owens Corning

66

97,341

AK Steel

64

110,603

Koch Industries

64

115,180

NextEra Energy

63

80,435

Owens-Illinois

63

109,920

CSX Corporation Aviation Department

62

112,682

General Mills

62

118,432

3M Company

61

213,339

NiSource

60

124,450

Procter & Gamble

60

149,206

Citigroup Corporate Aviation

59

143,580

The Coca-Cola Co.

59

87,981

PPG Industries

59

53,564

Ruan, Inc. dba Ruan Aviation

56

24,824

Federal-Mogul

55

52,175

Archer Daniels Midland

53

90,653

Nationwide Mutual Insurance

52

68,140

Muscatine

51

9,395

Hormel Foods

50

44,275

Travelers Indemnity Co.

49

98,112

Cummins

48

83,888

Sprint Flight Operations

48

60,102

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www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 93

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Cessna’s proposed turboprop challenges Meridian and TBM After years of rumors about development of a fast, low-wing, single-engine turboprop, Cessna unveiled an aircraft interior mock-up in July to solicit prospective customer interest and opinion, gathering more than 350 detailed surveys during EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis. While Cessna has not decided whether it will move forward with the aircraft, spokesman Andy Woodward said the company was “very encouraged” by the positive feedback the concept has received to date.

Cessna’s current plan for the aircraft calls for an all-composite design with retractable gear, side-stick controls, seating for seven in a cabin slightly larger than those of the Piper Meridian

or TBM 850, and a maximum speed of 260 knots. The target price point is between $2.1 million and $2.5 million.

Rough dimensions include a wingspan of 42 feet, a 26-cubic-foot baggage compartment and a cabin that measures 53 inches tall, 54 inches wide and 17 feet, eight inches long. The aircraft bridges a space in Cessna’s product line between its piston single, all-composite Corvalis and the Citation Mustang.

Both TBM maker Daher-Socata and Piper appear to realize their vulnerability to competition from an aircraft that offers more cabin space at or below their price point. Both companies have offered refreshed cabins within the last year, with

Cessna’s proposed low-wing single engine turboprop may compete with the Piper Meridian, left, and the Daher-Socata TBM 850, right. Both Piper and Daher-Socata have offered refreshed cabins in the past year, with modifications designed to create more passenger and cargo space in the hopes of luring customers.

Aircraft Belts shows seat restraints

by Kirby J. Harrison Aircraft Belts has been promoting aircraft safety for more than 30 years and returns to NBAA this year to present a new brand and a new product that promises a quantum leap in cabin safety.

The new brand is Aviation Occupant Safety (AOS), a joint venture of Aircraft Belts (ABI) and Key Safety Systems, created to focus on inflatable restraint systems.

Key Safety is one of the automotive industry’s largest suppliers of inflatable safety products and anticipates fiscal year 2013 revenues from a global footprint of about $1.2 billion. Engineering and development is the primary responsibility of Key Safety, led by an AOS engineer. The parties are collaborating in development and are contributing engineering, quality control, regulatory, marketing and sales expertise.

According to ABI president and CEO David Devine, the catalyst for the venture is “a desire to be the nose-to-tail safety solution provider with a full range of products [that will meet] emerging FAA regulations.”

At the NBAA show (Booth No. 5774), ABI will not only be featuring its latest line

of seatbelts, but through AOS will be introducing a line of inflatable restraint systems currently in development, “thanks to the research and testing resources of Key Safety.” Among those products are forward-facing inflatable seatbelts and sidesafety inflatable solutions, especially for side-facing divans. Devine emphasized the importance of inflatable restraints that would allow passengers to occupy sidefacing divans during takeoff and landing.

Further, said Devine, “The forward facing, inflatable seatbelt is out there in service, but we want to pull together a new variant that is lighter and more aesthetically appealing.”

David Smith, president of AOS and CFO of Key Safety, recalled that one of his clients was famed Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari, a company that places a premium on aesthetics as well as performance. “We feel like we bring this joint venture an aesthetic appeal born of our facilities in Verona, Italy.”

Rick O’Quinn, sales manager for ABI and head of sales for AOS, pointed out that the aircraft industry is at this point behind the automotive industry in inflatable safety systems. “That transition from simple seatbelts to inflatable systems that went on throughout the auto industry is now taking place in aviation, and we’re excited to be in the right place at the right time with the right products.”

To that end, AOS is also represented on the Society of Automotive Engineers International aircraft seat committee.

MATT THURBER

by Mark Huber

Cessna unveiled an interior mock-up of a fast, low-wing, single-engine turboprop at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis. The company is contemplating an all-composite design with retractable gear, side-stick controls and seating for seven. The aircraft would bridge a space in Cessna’s lineup between the Corvalis and Mustang.

modifications designed to create more passenger and cargo space.

Late last year Piper Aircraft announced major refinements for all its M-class aircraft including its $2.1 million turboprop single, the Meridian. They included a restyled and resculpted cockpit with better seats and more elbow and hip room, map pockets big enough for iPads, cockpit entry assist handle and fold-down-flat copilot and rear-facing passenger seats.

The passenger seats also get a new foam treatment, bottom cushion and lumbar support for improved comfort. The backs of the folding seats are designed to serve as work areas and contain molded cup holders. Cabin and exterior lighting have been redone in LED. Bose A20 headsets are standard and include auxiliary audio “We take a proactive role in creating safety guidelines,” said O’Quinn.

ABI is already an OEM provider of seatbelts for many of the major manufacturers, including Cessna, Piaggio and Agusta and according to Devine, has “a significant aftermarket share.” And he further pointed out that ABI’s Wemac-authorized repair station is equipped to manufacture, repair and make-new any seatbelt for any aircraft, fixed-wing or helicopter.

AOS, like Key Safety, is headquartered in Sterling Heights, Mich. but finished inflatable restraint systems will be assembled at ABI production facilities in Creedmoor, N.C. o

Aircraft Belts is featuring its latest line of seatbelts and is introducing a new line of inflatable restraint systems currently in development, including forwardfacing inflatable seatbelts and side-safety inflatable solutions, especially for side-facing divans.

input for Bluetooth phone connectivity.

Two 110-volt outlets have been added, as has Astronics’ EmPower to support passenger carry-on electronics. New air ducting and vents improve airflow distribution in the cabin and cockpit.

In April, Daher-Socata unveiled the Elite quick-change interior for all new TBM 850s. The redesigned interior allows the two most aft passenger seats to be removed to expand the size and capacity of the baggage area. With rear seats out, the airplane can carry pilot, three passengers and up to 507 pounds of cargo/baggage. The passenger supplemental oxygen system was reconfigured and uses new middle row seats that have a narrower base and can be oriented to face forward.

According to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, annual sales of both the Meridian and the TBM850 have been stuck in the 30- to 40-aircraft range for several years, sufficient to justify continued production of an established design, but perhaps not enticing enough to launch a clean-sheet-of-paper program.

And that market space is about to become more crowded as both Epic and Kestrel develop new aircraft for that niche.

Cessna is certainly better capitalized than any other player in the sector and could hold costs of a new turboprop down by making the composite airframe at its Chihuahua, Mexico plant, the same facility that builds the composite fuselage and wings for its anemic-selling, piston-powered Corvalis. Nevertheless, any new airplane program at Cessna faces stiff internal resource competition from the plethora of new programs already underway including the M2, Ten, Latitude and Longitude.

Cessna has not been shy about spending on new aircraft programs in the past, including the NGP piston aircraft and the large-cabin jet Citation Columbus, only to euthanize them at the last minute as both market conditions and internal priorities shifted. In the case of the NGP, Cessna developed and campaigned a flying prototype beginning in 2006, before mothballing the program in 2009. The recession that year also helped kill the Columbus, a program that came with a $750 million development price.

For now, the prospects for a new Cessna turboprop remain the stuff of speculation, but perhaps not for long. o

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10/23/12 8:52 AM

SAFE FLYING AWARDS • Commercial

Commercial operators honored for years of outstanding service

by Mary F. Silitch

The National Business Aviation Association presents the Commercial Business Flying Safety Awards each year to member companies that have exemplary safety records in nonscheduled, revenue-producing flight operations. AIN caught up with some of the top award recipients for 2011.

Ron Ludema Director of operations 43 years, 30,943 hours Tulip City Air Service Holland, Mich.

Tulip City Air Service, based at Western Michigan Regional Airport, is a full-service FBO. The company’s repair station maintains small aircraft as well as Falcon and Gulfstream jets. Its charter fleet includes a Cessna 310 and 401, Beech King Air A100, Falcon 10 and Gulfstream G450. Tulip City also provides flight training and hangar storage as well as jet-A and 100LL fuel. The company’s first aircraft, when Ron Ludema started the business in 1967, was a 1960 Beech

I never want to hear a story from a passenger about a bad ride; we’ll cancel a flight if we have to [because of weather or other circumstances].”

John Morgenthaler Jr. President 35 years, 84,096 hours Aero Charter St. Louis Aero Charter, based at Spirit of St. Louis Airport, has been flying charter for 35 years. “Safety is our numberone company core value,” John Morgenthaler Jr., president of Aero Charter, told AIN. “We teach all of our team members that safety comes before anything else. We have a safety

Tulip City Air Services management staff includes (from left) Mick Osborne, line department manager; Ronda Hulst, charter sales manager; Ron Ludema, director of operations; Randy Carlson, director of maintenance; and Dwight Quenga, chief pilot. Tulip City Air was honored by NBAA for logging 30,943 accident-free hours since the company was founded.

P35 Bonanza. The firm now has eight pilots, and Ludema said it plans to add more.

“My interest in flying was generated when I worked on a ranch in Wyoming while in high school and the neighbor would fly in with his J-3 cub and land on our driveway,” he said. Ludema worked for the FBO at the local regional airport, and earned his pilot certificate in 1965. “One of the most enjoyable aircraft to fly,” he said, “was the old Gulfstream GI. “We have always had the attitude–and taught our pilots– that the safety and comfort of our passengers is the numberone priority. I tell each pilot

officer, a safety committee and we hold regular in-house pilot meetings that include safety panel discussions.”

Aero Charter’s fleet consists of three Citation XLSs and a CJ2, a Hawker 700A and a 400A, two Sabreliner 65s, two Beech King Air 200s and two Baron 58s, a Pilatus PC-12NG and a Piper Chieftain. Aero Charter employs 19 pilots, seven mechanics and four avionics specialists, with a total of 54 people. Included in the pilot pool are the two owners: Morgenthaler and Bob Thomas, co-founder and CEO. Aero Charter also transports organs for area hospitals. The avionics department specializes in

custom installations and retrofits, and the company has an active aircraft sales division and an aircraft management program for owners who don’t want the headache of operating their own flight department, Morgenthaler said.

AeroCharter plans to expand its aircraft management, charter, FBO, avionics and maintenance departments, Morgenthaler said, “while maintaining our family-style environment and all our common core values.”

Don Harter COO and director of operations 28 years, 139,182 hours Executive Flight East Wenatchee, Wash.

Executive Flight is an ondemand jet charter operator that also provides FBO services and aircraft maintenance. The company transports organs in Oregon, Washington, Montana and Alaska. Based at Pang­born Memorial Airport in East Wenatchee, Wash., Executive Flight operates 10 jets and two turboprops.

COO Don Harter told AIN that he has been with the company since it was first formed and that its first responsibility is safety, then service. The secret of the company’s long safety record is excellent leadership, with emphasis on safety and customer service before profits, he commented.

Executive Flight launched with a Twin Commander, then operated Learjets and a Challenger 600. Harter said his favorite corporate aircraft to fly is the Twin Commander.

William Mayo III CEO 28 years, 155,791 hours Mayo Aviation Englewood, Colo.

“Safety is no accident,” said William Mayo III. “Intense focus and dedication to safety is Mayo Aviation’s way of life.”

Mayo is CEO of the Rocky Mountain region-based aircraft management and charter service. Established in 1978 at Denver’s Centennial Airport,

2011 COMMERCIAL BUSINESS FLYING SAFETY AWARDS Presented to NBAA Part 135 member companies in recognition of the number of accident-free hours flown. The Top 25 are listed here in order of years flown.

Name

Years

Hours

Tulip City Air Service

43

30,943

Aero Charter

35

84,096

Executive Flight

28

139,182

Mayo Aviation

28

155,791

N724DB LLC Dba Philadelphia Jet Service

24

10,730

Aviation Resource Management

23

30,114

Central Flying Service

23

77,805

Samtex (USA)

23

1,796

Meridian Teterboro/Meridian Air Charter

21

90,788

Best Chairs

20

7,107

Corporate Flight Alternatives

20

17,573

Polygon Air

20

11,104

Executive Airlines

19

13,908

Air Services

18

28,886

Northern Jet/Northern Air

18

75,380

Associated Aircraft

16

40,109

Chantilly Air

16

15,739

TISMA

16

2,439

Cutter Aviation

14

12,132

London Air Services

13

24,683

Aviation Consultants

12

44,939

Corporate Jets

12

21,511

FlightWorks

12

85,458

Magic Express Airlines

12

11,095

TWC Aviation

12

48,342

the company was started by William Mayo II and his wife, Gwendolyn, whose emphasis on safety was evident from the beginning.

Mayo Aviation is one of the pioneers in general aviation charter operations. In 1979, the company was the first operator certified to provide flight ambulance service.

At one point, Mayo Aviation was the largest King Air operator in the world.

William Mayo is a founding member and currently sits on the board of governors of the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF). His company embraces the ACSF standards and is one of the operators listed on the ACSF Industry Audit Standard registry.

Under Mayo’s leadership, Mayo Aviation has grown to operate out of four locations in Colorado, as well as New Jersey and Delaware. The company operates a diverse fleet of turboprops and jets with an “uncompromising focus on exceeding client expectations,” William Mayo said. “We are a continuous improvement organization and are committed to adhering to and embracing industry best practices.” o

Associated delivers 23rd BBJ Associated Air Center recently rolled out its 23rd green completion of a Boeing Business Jet, delivered to an unidentified Eastern Europe-based energy company customer.

The Dallas Love Field-based company also has signed a contract for an Airbus A330-200, marking Associated’s initial foray into the Airbus market. Cabin highlights are to include multiregional satellite DirectTV, highspeed data connectivity, fully high-definition flight entertainment system, stand-up shower and customized thermal/acoustic package. The A330 is expected to roll in for outfitting in December.

Most recently, Associated Air Center (Booth No. 2000) signed to provide maintenance and major interior refurbishment of a BBJ for a West African head of state, a repeat customer for which the company did the original green completion in 2006. –K.J.H.

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10/16/12 1:06 PM

Fantasy of Flight lures aviation buffs with vintage aircraft

Fantasy of Flight is committed to keeping its collection of 40 rare and exotic aircraft flying. Each day, founder Kermit Weeks or one of the museum’s pilots takes one of the vintage aircraft out for a flight. Here, Weeks gets ready to fly INA, the Macon Belle, a P-51C Mustang.

by Dale Smith While the 65th Annual NBAA Convention here in Orlando is the world’s greatest gathering of modern business aircraft, it isn’t the only great aircraft collection in the area. Drive just 15 minutes west on I-4 and you’ll find Kermit Weeks’s Fantasy of

Flight, home to the “The World’s Greatest Aircraft Collection.” If you are a fan of early era through post-WWII aircraft, the museum is a not-to-be-missed destination.

Fantasy of Flight is home to more than 40 rare and exotic aircraft, including

The Fantasy of Flight museum houses 40 rare and exotic aircraft dating back to World War I. The facility provides visitors true sight-and-sound sensory experiences, like soaring above enemy targets in a B-17.

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a Morane-Saulnier monoplane, a Nieuport biplane, an Avro 504, a Serversky P-35, Grumman Duck, P-51C Mustang, B-26 Marauder, Short Sunderland flying boat, Douglas B-23 Dragon and Lockheed Constellation.

While getting close to the display aircraft is certainly worth the price of admission, it’s Fantasy of Flight’s unique ability to bring you behind the scenes that excites an aircraft enthusiast.

Two tours of particular interest are the wood- and machine-shop tour and the restoration-shop tour.

The restoration tour takes you through

Take a fright flight

We are proud to be a sponsor of the NBAA 2012 annual meeting and convention.

As any show attendee with children is aware, this year’s NBAA overlaps Halloween, and if you find yourself craving some aviation-themed thrills and chills while in Orlando, head over to nearby Fantasy of Flight in Polk City for two events celebrating the spookiest time of the year. The Haunted Hangar Tour–conducted through October 31– treats visitors to eerie tales of the odd and mysterious in aviation, from the ghost of the Red Baron to Lucky Lindbergh’s spectral companions on his record-breaking flight, all against the backdrop of the world’s largest privately owned aircraft collection.

Those remaining in the Orlando area after the show’s conclusion can have the opportunity to personally encounter the inexplicable on Saturday night when the attraction will host “nightFlight: Phase Three of the Paranormal Investigation.” The four-hour long experience, now in its third year, will detail the historic aircraft collection’s haunted history, visit locations within the facility where paranormal encounters have been previously recorded and even allow guests to use the tools of the spirit-hunting trade.

The reservation-only event, which costs $75 per person, begins at 9:30 p.m. and guests are encouraged to bring cameras, voice recorders, ­flat-soled shoes and presumably a strong sense of adventure. –C.E.

the area where teams of metal craftsmen and fabricators painstakingly disassemble, refurbish, recreate, reassemble and restore these treasures of aviation history. As you would guess, the wood-shop tour concentrates on the efforts of artisans charged with rebuilding and restoring the collection’s wooden aircraft, such as the legendary Curtis JN-4 Jenny and Boeing Stearman.

After seeing what goes on in the shops, you’ll agree it’s a real shame to have to put skins on these beautiful airplanes.

But, as cool as it is, Fantasy of Flight is much more than a working museum.

True to Weeks’s goal of making it “thought provoking and emotionally engaging,” the facility’s exhibitions are staged to give you a true sight-and-sound sensory experience. Probably the best example is the B-17 exhibit, where you climb aboard and join the crew as you soar above enemy targets. This experience alone will give you a lasting respect for those brave airmen who risked it all.

Another unique part of Fantasy of Flight is Weeks’s commitment to keeping his collection flying. Each day (weather permitting), Weeks or one of the facility’s pilots takes one of the vintage aircraft out for some exercise. Prior to the flight, the pilot will hold a brief Q&A session about the aircraft and its history. If you’re there on the right day, this can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Speaking of experiences, if you’re up for some physical fun, strap on Fantasy of Fight’s new Wing WalkAir 600-foot zip line and ropes course. If you think being a barnstorming wing walker was easy, try your hands (and feet) at exercises that mimic a tightrope, balance beam or horizontal ladder while dangling four-stories above Lake Agnes. o

98 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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10/16/12 10:40 AM

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10/16/12 11:57 AM

Thrane & Thrane focuses on massive satcom opportunity

by Ian Sheppard Danish satcom system manufacturer Thrane & Thrane, which was acquired

by UK avionics manufacturer Cobham in June, believes that there is massive untapped potential to create data “pipes” to connect thousands of aircraft around the world. These aircraft miss out on the advantages of broadband connectivity, including WiFi in the cabin and operational connections for the crew that can enhance efficiency and safety. Thrane & Thrane also believes that people assume satcom is more expensive than it actually is.

Kim Gram, vice president of Thrane & Thrane’s aeronautics business unit, told AIN, “We are seeing a 15- to 20-percent growth in the business aviation market. We don’t know exactly who they go to, but we see the channels growing yearon-year. We’re putting a lot of effort into making [the equipment] lighter and more versatile, combining WiFi, for example.”

to be fitted to most business aircraft, “from King Airs and Pilatuses up to BBJs or 737s or bigger,” said Gram. The product range includes the Aviator 200, 300, 350 and the latest model, the Aviator 700D. “We are not going to stop people on bigger aircraft having the smaller systems, or vice versa,” he continued, inferring that it was more about the capability required by the user rather than the size of their aircraft. “For example, we sold an Aviator 200 for a 737 and we have one on a 777, too. We have sold 700Ds for militarized King Air C-12s. The Aviator 200 comfortably serves four to five [people] on an aircraft using e-mail and phone.”

Gram explained that Thrane & Thrane is constantly reviewing its product range so that it can expand and improve. “We just introduced the 700D in January and we’re selling that in good numbers. We multi-voice service, are implementing ­

Thrane & Thrane’s Aviator provides WiFi, high-speed data and high-quality voice calls through a SwiftBroadband connection. The company hopes to create data “pipes” to connect thousands of aircraft.

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Thrane & Thrane’s analysis of the market has highlighted that there is still “a significant number of aircraft that are not connected,” in stark contrast to other sectors. “Our main theme is to get more out there with IP [Internet protocol] pipes. It’s an unstable situation [in aviation]; ships and other vehicles are all connected now.” Gram said the technology is more accessible than ever and, although there is pressure on prices, “it’s a matter of educating people that it’s not very expensive. The reality is that satcom is less expensive than international roaming. You can make a phone call for $1 to $1.50 a minute and data is about $5 to $6 per megabyte.”

Gram continued, “You see a recovering bizav market, and alongside increased production rates there are lots of older aircraft that are not connected.

It’s a huge territory for providing connectivity. A lot of people can’t work up there. You’re talking about 18,000 to 20,000 aircraft [ranging from airliners] down to small business aircraft, and only a fraction are connected.”

Thrane & Thrane has supplemental type certificates permitting its equipment

so, for example, the pilot doesn’t have to hang up to let a conference call happen in the cabin.” This is done on a single voice channel unit by using the modem data channel for voice-over-Internetprotocol calling, which gives additional voice channels albeit at a slightly lower quality. “Early next year we are going to be introducing this, and this is a tangible advance,” said Gram.

Cobham’s purchase of Thrane & Thrane comes 11 years after the UK company’s acquisition of Cape Town-based Omniplex, which Thrane & Thrane has used as an antenna supplier for even longer.

Gram said the two sister companies can work even more closely on development.

The next major theme in satcom technology will be data segregation, which is essentially the creation of a secure data environment, Gram explained. “You’ll see a whole suite of products coming out that will support [this]. Manufacturers and operators are discussing this with us, so that all computer devices on an aircraft will become connected to the grid. Cobham has invested heavily in modems [and equipment] that can hano dle that data segregation.”

100 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com JET PRO-PEO AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS All material copyright © 2012, New World Group, Inc.

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www.newworldgroup.com 10/23/12 11:48 AM

Trade-A-Plane marks diamond anniversary

by Harry Weisberger In 1935, when Cosby Harrison crashed his airplane in stormy weather he could not have realized the lasting impact of his adventure. His slight misfortune would give rise to a shoestring operation that would become a great entrepreneurial success– and play a significant role in aviation history. (Excerpt from the history of Trade-A-Plane.)

This week in Orlando, TradeA-Plane–a buy-and-sell publication for aircraft and parts that Harrison and his wife, Margaret, began in Crossville, Tenn.–celebrates its 75th anniversary as general aviation’s shopping guide of record. TAP is at Booth No. 2975 demonstrating a variety of online and print offerings and is handing out a bound compilation of TAP cartoons that appeared in the newspaper during the past seven-and-a-half decades.

Cosby Stone, grandson of Harrison and the paper’s

publisher as well as CEO of TAP Publishing, said, “We’re honored and delighted to be celebrating 75 years of service to aviation, and want to thank all of our loyal customers who have made that possible.”

From a beginning on the Harrison kitchen table, TAP has grown to become a multimedia operation employing 150 people.

It remains a fourth-generation, family business but has expanded beyond the three-times-a-monthissued yellow newspaper full of aircraft, parts and equipment listings to an online resource serving a variety of industries.

An end-to-end operation, the aviation publication is produced in TAP Publishing’s Crossville commercial printing plant.

Harrison was a private pilot from Crossville who learned to fly in the early 1930s. Against his father’s advice, he borrowed $995 from a local bank to buy his first

Cosby Harrison’s 1929 Laird Swallow, which he wrecked in a crash (model shown above), was the inspiration for creation of the broadsheet publication. (Left) The first issue of Trade-A-Plane was just one page. Now, approximately 1.7 million copies are circulated annually throughout the U.S. and in more than 130 countries.

airplane–a 1929 Laird Swallow open cockpit biplane. In 1935 he crashed near a railroad bridge in Harriman, Tenn. Although he didn’t sustain injuries, his airplane was wrecked. Determined to repair it, Harrison had difficulty finding parts. This became Harrison’s inspiration to start Trade-A-Plane. At age 37, he and his wife began publishing the paper in their kitchen.

The first issue of Trade-APlane contained 76 ads and was mailed on Oct. 5, 1937, to 9,000 transport pilots registered in the

U.S. An original copy is housed in the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Despite tough economic conditions, Harrison persevered with his unique concept of making his publication a shopping opportunities list without editorial content. It immediately caught on, survived, then prospered as readership expanded.

Originally published as a single 11- by 14-inch broadsheet instead of the current tabloidsize newspaper, Trade-A-Plane has always remained true to its original, non-editorial concept.

The entire publication consists

of classified and display ads that feature all types of new and used aircraft, as well as related products and services. Almost from the beginning, amusing cartoons have been a hallmark of the publication’s cover.

Trade-A-Plane grew after World War II as general aviation became more popular. In 1945, the company employed 13 people. Today, the company’s 150 employees handle all of the publication’s operations.

Although Harrison died in 1984, his aviation paper is the flagship publication of TAP Publishing. Still published three times Continued on next page u

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31 1 to 3 p.m.: PW300, PW500, PW600 3 to 5 p.m.: PT6A Orange County Convention Center South Hall, Room S330C

www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 101

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Trade-A-Plane anniversary uContinued from preceding page

a month, Trade-A-Plane is the world’s largest aviation shopping resource. Each issue contains thousands of ads for aircraft and aviation products and services.

Approximately 1.7 million copies

are circulated annually throughout the U.S. and in more than 130 countries. Its famous yellow pages are often referred to as “the bible of the aviation industry.”

Besides Trade-A-Plane the TAP staff also produces similar papers for the heavy-construction, oil-and-gas and trucking industries. TAP has operated from the same location on Fourth

Street in Crossville for more than half a century. The company moved into its state-of-the art, 160,000-sq-ft facility in 1997.

Since then, the business has continued to expand into electronic publishing with WeatherTAP. com, a subscription weather service, and other Internet products to complement all of its print o publications.

TAP Publishing’s 150 employees handle all of the company’s operations from its 160,000-sq-ft facility printing plant and headquarters in Crossville, Tenn.

NAIA buy broadens Colt’s scope Colt International, the Houstonbased provider of fuel, flight support and risk management for more than 15,000 aircraft worldwide, acquired the National Aviation Insurance Agency (NAIA), which it will merge with its Colt Risk Management Services (CRMS) subsidiary.

“We were looking to acquire a well-respected aviation insurance brokerage company with the same commitment to customer satisfaction,” said CRMS president John Springrose, “NAIA fit the bill perfectly.” The merger will bring more than 40 years of combined underwriting and brokering experience to the company.

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More Options

“Merging with Colt will provide our combined client base with more options, more value and a team-oriented approach,” said Marc Freudenberg, NAIA founder and new aviation practice executive with CRMS. The former NAIA staff will operate from a satellite office in Atlanta.

Colt (Booth No. 2116) believes the acquisition will provide additional value to both companies’ policyholders through market expansion, increased financial strength, deeper knowledge and experience. It also brings a more highly trained staff to back both companies’ commitments to customer service. “Now our clients will have their primary agent as well as even more options should that agent become unavailable,” said Freudenberg. “It’s a win-win.”

The company views itself as a one-stop industry insurance provider with expertise in areas such as workers’ compensation, aircraft hull and liability coverage, as well as air ambulance professional liability coverage and crew/passenger personal accident and property insurance.

CRMS also provides IS-BAO auditing and implementation services and can assist customers in the establishment and management of a basic SMS program. –C.E.

102 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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10/16/12 10:42 AM

Flying Colours seeks Far East partner for expanding clientele

by Ian Goold With more than 25 Exec-Liner corporate conversions of Canadair CRJ200 regional jets contracted and an expanding clientele in the Asia Pacific region for work on other Bombardier products, Flying Colours (Booth No. 912) is close to selecting a Far East partner. “Interest in our services in this region has increased dramatically and we are receiving a growing number of requests from the Indonesian area, particularly,” said sales and marketing executive v-p Eric Gillespie.

Flying Colours specializes in aircraft completions, interior refurbishment and modification, maintenance, paint and avionics installation. To expand capacity and its penetration into aircraft services, in 2009 Flying Colours acquired JetCorp Technical Services, a Part 145 repair station in Chesterfield, Mo. This year, JetCorp completed work on a CRJ (the twelfth Flying Colours ­ ExecLiner conversion) for Indonesia, and delivered three new Bombardier Challenger 850 completions to Mainland China and Hong Kong.

At last year’s NBAA Convention, Flying Colours demonstrated its

international aspirations by signing a memorandum of understanding with Hong Kong-based Metrojet. Under the partnership, the company planned to establish a regional base to focus on interior refurbishment for midsize to large business aircraft. In addition to that memorandum, which remains valid, Flying Colours is continuing to survey Asia Pacific opportunities. “It is still our plan to open a joint-venture facility in that region,” said Gillespie last month.

“Negotiations with several possible partners are ongoing and we hope to be in a position to make an announcement in the near future.” Such a partnership would not be limited to interior refurbishment and could include new completions or conversions.

Flying Colours has completed, has in work, or has contracts covering more than 25 Bombardier CRJ regional jet ExecLiner conversions, whose cabin layouts can include beds and a shower (above) or spacious seating in the main cabin. The company has customers around the world and is currently seeking a Far East partner.

Indonesian Customer

The contract for the first Indonesian CRJ ExecLiner conversion, the fourth undertaken by JetCorp, required Flying Colours to work closely with the private client and Bombardier to achieve Indonesian type certification Continued on next page u

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10/19/12 9:11 AM

Flying Colours seeks Far East partner uContinued from preceding page

for the CRJ200, which includes local regulatory validation of a Flying Colours FAA supplemental type certificate (STC). The aircraft specification included reconfiguration with a new galley, first-class lavatory and 22 seats, which is more than what has been installed in previously completed ExecLiners.

In addition to an extensive prepurchase evaluation and interior conversion, the contract included landing gear overhaul, an eight-year inspection, conversion from a high- to a low-utilization maintenance program and the incorporation of all outstanding airworthiness directives. The cabin specification included JetCorp construction of new monuments, soft goods and woodwork and avionics upgrades, with exterior paint and final sign-off at the Flying Colours headquarters in Canada.

But all conversions are not necessarily joint projects involving both Flying Colours and JetCorp; they can be independent projects, explained Gillespie. “It depends on the specific conversion. JetCorp is a subsidiary of Flying Colours and all CRJ conversions done there are going to be accomplished in conjunction with our head office. It usually

CRJ Conversion Case Study Flying Colours regards its 13th and most recent CRJ conversion as its most ambitious–“an aircraft completely personalized to [the client’s] requirements.” The company worked with Harry Schnaper (the private owner’s designer), lead in-house designer Kate Ahrens and its engineering team to create “externally and internally, its most complex, bespoke ExecLiner yet.”

The specification incorporated a number of firsts that involved extensive engineering and design innovation: a clean-sheet design shower in the aft lavatory (the first in a CRJ conversion), a customized pivoting bed enabling passengers to store the bed against the aft-cabin wall and an Elbit Systems headup display and infrared enhanced-vision system. Flying Colours also designed an integrated smokeextraction system.

“The client wanted to sleep, shower and have the option to live on his airplane when traveling on business,” said marketing executive FlyingColours v-p Eric Gillespie, who oversaw the project. “He is ­effectively benefitting from a cabin with features similar to [those of] a ­narrowbody aircraft, but without the associated cost.”

The forward cabin features six electric seats, made in cooperation with AST Seating, with options for recline, vertical adjustment and leg rests and a memory pre-set option along with electric heating, massage features and controllable lumbar support.

An in-flight entertainment (IFE) system was custom-designed with Esoteric SkyPad iPad control of onboard media, IFE and cabin lights, blinds and temperature. Ultrasone designed the IFE headphones.

Other IFE features included video teleconferencing, a 20-terabyte server holding more than 7,500 films and 52,000 songs, five telephone lines and projection of presentations to all monitors. A new FAA STC was developed for final certification of the aircraft. –I.G.

comes down to [local] capacity and customer requirements.”

By last month Flying Colours had completed and delivered 13 CRJ ExecLiner conversions, of which four were “on spec” with the remainder covered by individual contracts. “We currently have nine additional CRJ conversion projects under way ­ in-house and have contracts for an additional four aircraft,” said Gillespie.

Customers are in L ­ ebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Russia and the U.S. Flying Colours is a Bombardier authorized service facility for Challenger and Challenger 850 completions. With its subsidiaries, the company holds STCs for items on various aircraft models, including a CRJ200 auxiliary fuel system, a CRJ200 executive interior and a green Challenger 850 executive interior. o

Bombardier opens Moscow regional office Bombardier Aerospace has opened a regional support (RSO) office in Moscow. The RSO, operated by Bombardier Aerospace Services Russia, will serve as a regional support hub for the growing number of commercial aircraft customers in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). It complements Bombardier’s customer services expansion strategy and is the 11th regional support location to open outside North America in the past four years.

The new facility, located at Denisovskiy Pereulok Moscow, will also include support resources for operators of Bombardier business aircraft and be home to as many as 15 customer service managers, liaison pilots, field service representatives and mobile response technicians.

This local presence provides customers with an additional level of support in conjunction with Bombardier’s existing parts and maintenance networks. Bombardier estimates deliveries of 1,550 business aircraft to Russia and the CIS countries over the next 20 years.

–D.A.L.

104 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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10/19/12 9:12 AM

StandardAero enhances maintenance offerings

by David Lombardo and Amy Laboda “During our 2010 NBAA press conference we sent a clear message to the industry: we do what we say we’re going to do.

In the past four years we have experienced a 16-percent compound annual growth rate, with almost 20-percent growth as we continue to evolve our CompleteCare strategy beyond the basic MRO services,” Scott Taylor, senior vice president of business aviation for StandardAero (Booth No. 2000), told AIN. StandardAero news during this year’s NBAA Convention includes the announcement that in California it has opened a shop at Van Nuys Airport and launched a mobile avionics repair service in the Los Angeles area. The company also announced a partnership

with TrueNorth Avionics, for which StandardAero will be the exclusive provider of certification services. And it has signed an agreement with Universal Weather and Aviation to provide StandardAero customers with a Uvair card with no fees and no minimum fuel purchase required for discounts.

Taylor said that to pursue the goals set three years ago the company established a customer advisory board, which meets regularly to advise the MRO about what clients want from their maintenance provider. This has helped the company refocus on nose-to-tail, single-contact service for its customers. Taylor explained that only StandardAero has both Hawker 800 airframe and

CY CYR

MARIANO ROSALES

Scott Taylor, senior v-p for business aviation at StandardAero, said the company has added services or enhanced its offerings based on the advice of its customer advisory board.

Honeywell TFE731 engine core capability. “There are more TFE731s than any other engine, and our factory-trained turbine engine specialists recently surpassed 17,000 engine events on the TFE731, performing more core zone inspections and major periodic inspections than any other maintenance repair organization in the world.”

StandardAero’s CompleteCare program also applies to the Learjet 30 and 40 series, Challenger 600 series, Falcon 20/50/900 series, Embraer 600/650 and the Astra. It has just signed a letter of agreement with Embraer to add Legacy 450/500 authorized service center approval for airframe, engine and APU MRO. Taylor said StandardAero has added services to make a customer’s visit more productive. The company has entered into an agreement with CAE to conduct airframe maintenance training at StandardAero’s Springfield, Ill. facility so customers can receive training while keeping oversight of their maintenance event.

StandardAero is also initiating APU road shows to provide maintenance training.

In an effort to go beyond MRO services, Taylor told NBAA’12 attendees that the company has developed a maintenance advisory program for customers who do not have a director of maintenance.

“We can take care of the logbooks and recommend maintenance and really make sure that the customer’s aircraft is well taken care of,” he said. “We don’t require that the customer

Cabin class meets Light utility The static display adjacent to the Orange County Convention center filled with smaller aircraft yesterday. Piper’s n six-seat M-Class Meridian turboprop shared the ramp with Aviat's workhorse Husky.

use our facilities for the maintenance that we recommend,” he continued. At this point the company has one customer in the new program.

StandardAero also unveiled a financial advisory program here that it says allows the company to interact more closely with the principal financial backer of what could be future customers. “It is a great start to a relationship,” said Kyle Hultquist, vice president of marketing and communications

for the company.

StandardAero has also enhanced its digital services footprint with the launch of a new customer support “smart app” that provides one-touch access to customer support for AOG events. The new app is currently for the iPhone and iPad and is available through Apple’s App Store or through iTunes. The company has also undertaken a major redesign of its website to make it more customer-centric. o

The AS350 displayed outside the offices of Eurocopter de Mexico has been painted with the Sherwin-Williams Skyscapes Basecoat system.

Sherwin-Williams intros new aerospace coatings

by Amy Laboda Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings (Booth No. 4547), located in Andover, Kan., introduced several new products during NBAA’12. Its new urethane primer and sanding surfacer (CM0481827) can double as either a traditional sanding surfacer or as a primer. MROs and paint shops can now use one product for two purposes.

And the product dries twice as fast as traditional epoxy surfacer technologies. The corrosion-inhibitive urethane primer is also chromate hazard-free and is intended for use on all aircraft.

Also introduced here and also chrome hazard-free, the company’s Skydrol-resistant epoxy primer (CM0483790) is a twocomponent corrosion-inhibitive product as well. The key to this product, according to SherwinWilliams, is its flexibility, suiting aircraft skins and control surfaces, which typically flex, expand and contract during flight. The product meets all VOC regulations and is considered a lowVOC clearcoat product.

The Skyscapes BasecoatClearcoat system now meets two SAE Aerospace Materials Specification 3095 certifications and is really two complete coating systems that include pretreatment, corrosion protection primer, topcoat and clearcoat. Nascar driver Greg Biffle recently

used the Skyscape system for the repaint of his Falcon 50, which was designed by Scheme Designers of Cresskill, N.J, and applied

by Capital Aviation, in Oklahoma City, Okla. “I’ve found the new paint job enhances aesthetics and protects my aircraft’s surface from wear and corrosion,” said Biffle. “We use SherwinWilliams in the sky and on the racetrack for the same reasons.”

The Sherwin-Williams Skyscapes system is also being used internationally. A Eurocopter AS350 was recently painted with it in bright colors that pay homage to Mexico’s indigenous culture. The aircraft is displayed outside the offices of Eurocopter de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico. “We’ve always had a helicopter display at the airport, right above the business,” said Romina Cedeno, communications coordinator for the company.

“Eurocopter de Mexico has found that the new system cures at ambient temperature in half the time of other single-stage paint systems,” said Christopher Cook, global development manager for Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings. “As a result, it allows their paint shops and manufacturers to add to their bottom line with faster turnaround and lean production practices,” he said. o

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10/29/12 4:44 PM

Aeronautical Data Systems simplifies oxygen planning

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by Matt Thurber It’s a simple concept: if you can flight plan a higher altitude to use during an overwater emergency, then you might not need as much extra fuel to reach an alternate airport. Most airlines and business jet operators flight plan for an emergency altitude of 10,000 feet, because supplemental oxygen isn’t needed at that altitude, when flying from the equal-time point to an alternate airport. But if you could quickly calculate how much oxygen is needed to reach an alternate safely after, say, a decompression emergency, then you may be able to fly to the alternate at a higher altitude, which means burning much less fuel. Stillwater, N.J.based Aeronautical Data Systems (ADS) has developed software that does dispatch oxygen management calculations quickly and easily, potentially saving the operator of a large jet tens of thousands of dollars a year on fuel costs. ADS is exhibiting here at the Pacific Precision Products booth (No. 887).

“We’re providing the industry with probably the single biggest fuel-saving technique that [it] will see short of aerodynamic redesign,” said ADS vice president Jim Stabile. “It’s nothing but flight planning more efficiently.”

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ADS offers two ways for operators to access oxygen management tools, on the company’s E-ops website or using the Ergo 360 iPad app.

The key service offered by ADS is the E-ops calculation. “Based on the fuel solution that the flight-plan company provided,” Stabile explained, “we tell you how much oxygen psi you need in your system and how much money you saved by not flying at 10,000 feet. Why flight plan at 10,000 when you can plan at 15,000

or 14,000 [after a decompression emergency]?” ADS E-ops users will see the fuel savings for each trip and cumulative savings over the course of the year. The E-ops system can also be used as part of an operation’s safety management system. By incorporating risk analysis of oxygen management, potential hazards of emergency situations can be further minimized, and E-ops maintains records for later review.

E-ops costs $1,000 per aircraft for the first year, then $500 per year. This includes the aircraft oxygen system analysis, 50 flight plans ($10 for additional plans), quarterly reports and a year-to-date savings log.

When calculating required oxygen reserves, E-ops starts with the flight-plan details, such as crew, passengers and flight time. The program calculates how much oxygen is needed for this particular flight at a selected altitude above 10,000 feet for the time needed to reach the alternate airport. The user can try different altitudes, taking passenger comfort into account, to see how high or low the emergency portion of the flight could be flown while still having enough oxygen, but also remaining above 10,000 feet.

Using a sample Falcon 7X, Stabile calculated a flight that could be accomplished safely carrying 4,000 pounds less fuel by flight planning the emergency sector at 25,000 feet instead of 10,000 feet. At 15,000 feet, the fuel saving was still a significant 2,469 pounds. The operator saves money not only by not having to buy the extra fuel but also by being able to fly at a higher, more efficient altitude at a lighter weight.

“The only efficiency we’re showing the operator is through regulatory compliance,” said Stabile. “We’re able to flight plan above 10,000 feet because [the pilot] has this knowledge.” o

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J-3 CuB Coming In A Hawker shares the spotlight with the venerable Piper J-3 Cub, compliments of a mural outside a Showalter Flying Service hangar that shows the taildragger in flight. The fate of the Hawker jet line remains in question as the company has decided to emerge from bankruptcy a standalone entity.

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B:4.875” T:4.875” S:4.625”

Parker innovates for new and legacy aircraft Parker Aerospace (Booth No. 5028) is celebrating the certification of its fly-by-wire flight-control system on the new Gulfstream G650 ultra-long-range jet and announced EASA and Brazilian ANAC approval for new wheel and brake kits for several versions of the King Air turboprop.

Parker and Gulfstream collaborated to design and certify the G650’s digital fly-bywire (FBW) flight-control system, which includes the first three-axis electric backup hydrostatic actuation (EBHA) subsystem to equip a business aircraft. EBHAs are electrically controlled actuators that are primarily powered by one of the G650’s two hydraulic systems with electric power as backup–eliminating the need for the weight and expense of a third hydraulic system. Parker provides EBHAs for the G650’s elevator, rudder, aileron and outboard multi-function spoiler. Parker also provides electro-hydraulic servo actuators (EHSAs) for all of the G650’s primary control surfaces, remote electronic units, motor control electronics and tubing assemblies.

Parker has received EASA and ANAC approval for its Cleveland wheel and brake STC conversion kit for 90-series King Airs. The kits are designed for ease of lining replacement, reduced maintenance time and competitive operating costs. Parker’s Cleveland wheel and brake conversion kit for the King Air 90, 100 and 200 series has been approved for use with CenTex Aerospace’s Halo 250 STC, which raises the mtow of any King Air 200 from 12,500 to 13,420 pounds.

–M.H.

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After Max-Viz acquisition, Astronics finds new markets

quality scores for On Time Delivery, Customer Satisfaction and Quality.

Because anything that can go wrong will go wrong, unless

by Matt Thurber

you do things right.

T:12.5”

B:12.5”

on the airplane, he explained, the EVS view on the MFD would show exactly the location of the runway, confirming what the synthetic vision view tells the pilot.

“There’s a whole effort underway to figure out how that might work,” he said. “It’s one of the capabilities that brought us to Max-Viz and why we liked the company enough to buy it.”

Astronics is demonstrating the MaxViz product line at its NBAA booth (No. 5077) and also the company’s newest Empower product, a 110-volt power outlet for pilots and passengers that includes USB charging receptacles. “These are finding a ready home in business jets,” Gundermann said. “People are carrying more personal electronics and not wanting to get off the flight with a fully depleted system. It’s been a long time since I’ve made a flight without my iPad. We think that’s a positive and growing market for us, both for pilots and passengers.”

S:12.25”

Astronics is forging ahead after purchasing enhanced vision system (EVS) maker Max-Viz in early August and recently signed an installation agreement with Hawker Beechcraft. Under the agreement, Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support will have the opportunity to install Max-Viz infrared EVS in any King Air equipped with an MFD that can display video images, according to Astronics president and CEO Peter Gundermann. Astronics has delivered its 600th Max-Viz EVS to Cirrus, and in early September Brazil’s regulator ANAC approved the Max-Viz 1500 EVS for installation in Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21-equipped King Airs.

The FAA issued an amended supplemental type certificate in October, expanding the installation opportunities for King Airs with video-capable MFDs, including avionics such as Avidyne’s Entegra Release 9, Garmin’s G500, G600 and G1000 and the Universal Avionics EFI-890R. Gundermann said, “More and more OEMs think [EVS is] an important option to offer customers, and Hawker Beechcraft is the latest to come around.”

Gundermann sees his company’s EVS products eventually enabling lower landing credit on instrument approaches.

“For landing credit,” he said, “there are two paths forward. One path is increasing the capability of [infrared] sensors to see through obstructions. There’s an ongoing effort across the industry to do that. The other broad thrust is linking the capabilities of EVS with synthetic vision. The idea is that EVS may be used to confirm and verify the synthetic vision picture, which is otherwise not confirmed or verified.” In this way, even though the EVS infrared camera can’t pierce thick fog, if runway lights were equipped with emitters that are tuned to light up receptors

Airplanes’ Electronic Brains

Apart from products like EVS and Empower outlets, Astronics systems form the electronic backbone of the newest Learjet, the model 85. The company’s electronic power distribution system, first developed for the Eclipse 500 very light jet, replaces traditional mechanical circuit breakers and the heavy wires that run into the cockpit with electronic circuit breakers and lighter, safer digital signal wires to the cockpit. “That’s a technology we think there’s lot of demand for in the next generation of airplanes,” said Gundermann. “[On the Learjet 85] we describe it this way: the airplane has two brains, one is avionics/navigation, the other is the electrical distribution system. We touch and control pretty much everything on board, and we have to be closely involved throughout the development process.” o

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www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 107

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Airbus Corporate Jets v-p François Chazelle shows off the ACJ’s enhanced cabin.

Airbus makes over ACJ318 cabin

by Mark Huber Airbus is announcing significant cabin enhancements to its ACJ318 corporate jet, including LED lighting, resculpted and restyled passenger seats, a media lounge, HD entertainment system and an optional shower in the aft lavatory. Wing sharklets will also be available on the aircraft, increasing its range to 4,350 nm from 4,200 nm.

Among the modular layouts available on the aircraft are an aft stateroom with either a divan convertible bed or a permanent double bed, a third lavatory for installation in the mid-cabin and a forward VIP/crew-rest lounge.

Other changes on the ACJ318 Enhanced include domed ceilings, window shades throughout the cabin, better humidification and soundproofing and new interior linings that allow better integration of overhead

lights and gaspers. New cabin electronics available include iPod and iPad interfaces for entertainment and cabin management, Blu-ray player, HDMI interfaces for external equipment and a new passenger information system.

“The Airbus ACJ318 Enhanced’s cabin and efficiency improvements will help us deliver even more value to customers,” said John Leahy, COO for customers.

Airbus is offering the base aircraft for $68 million, a price that includes a turnkey interior completed in cooperation with Lufthansa Technik. Some 25 ACJ318s are currently in service, primarily with customers in the Middle East, Asia and Russia. Approximately 60 percent of ACJ318 customers opt to take their aircraft with completed interiors, as opposed to sending them to independent completion centers.

Airbus is displaying the slightly larger ACJ319 at

Chazelle Outlines ACJ320neo Opportunity Airbus Corporate Jets vice president François Chazelle said yesterday that the company had not decided if it would offer neo (new engine option) engines for the ACJ318 but would for the company’s other single-aisle offerings, beginning in 2018.

ACJ customers will be able to choose between the CFM Leap-X and the Pratt & Whitney Pure Power 1100G engines. The first single-aisle Airbus commercial jet is scheduled to begin flying with neo in 2015 and Airbus has committed to investing $350 million annually in renewing its single-aisle aircraft. Beginning this year, all Airbus single-aisle aircraft are available with sharklets. The first ACJ318 equipped with sharklets will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Chazelle also confirmed that the company had stopped production of the A340 quad-engine jet and would no longer be offering it as part of new aircraft available for the ACJ program. However, Chazelle said there is great opportunity to convert retiring commercial A340s to corporate use. “The ACJ340 has been very popular as a corporate aircraft, particularly the ACJ340-500. It offers comfort and safety customers appreciate as well as a quiet cabin.”

The A330 twinjet and A340 share a common airframe and combined the aircraft are the best-selling widebody aircraft in history, according to Airbus. There is no word on when the first ACJ380 VVIP super jumbo, four-engine aircraft will be delivered.

Airbus’s ACJs are supported by 170 field teams and support centers. “Our aircraft benefit from continual investment and improvements,” Chazelle said. “They deliver reliability thanks to our worldwide support network.” –M.H.

the NBAA static display at Orlando Executive Airport. The ACJ319 was completed by Comlux, which also operates it on charters, and it is fitted with club seating, a conference/dining table, a lounge, two offices that convert into bedrooms and two bathrooms–one with a shower. Most of the individual seats berth into beds for overnight flights.

More than 170 ACJs are in service. Airbus previously announced that future single-aisle ACJs will be available with the more fuel-efficient CFM International Leap-X or Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines of the neo series, for lower fuel burn, reduced emissions and o noise and greater range.

The leadership at Gulfstream was wearing out its dancing shoes at yesterday’s media conference. If there had been champagne, it would have flowed freely. The highlight was the presence for the first time at an NBAA show of a newly certified G650 and G280, backed by a $16 billion backlog and news of revenues up 30 percent in the third quarter.

Gulfstream expects to begin making customer deliveries of both the G650 and G280 before year-end 2012, further padding a year that saw 78 green deliveries in the first three quarters, 18 more than in the same period in 2011.

Adding to the air of bonhomie, president Larry Flynn noted that the G650 comes with substantially improved performance. Gulfstream had originally projected a max range of 5,000 nm at Mach 0.90. The revised range is 6,000 nm at the same speed, making city pairs such as Tokyo to New York possible at speeds faster than any other business jet. Further, the G650’s takeoff balanced field length was reduced to 5,858 feet from the original 6,000 feet at the jet’s mtow of 99,600 pounds.

“Operators are gaining a distinct advantage with these improvements,” said Flynn. “They’re going farther, faster and requiring less runway.”

Gulfstream president of product support Mark Burns took to the media conference stage to point out that the infrastructure necessary to assist operators of the two latest business jets has already been ­established, including 44 facilities on six continents. Technicians, he said, have amassed more Larry Flynn president than 200,000 hours of hands-on experience with the G650 and G280. of Gulfstream In other good news, the Gulfstream leadership announced: • In a demonstration of Gulfstream’s commitment to sustainability, the entire fleet of Gulfstream demonstration aircraft flew to the convention with both engines on each airplane operating on a 50-percent blend of Green Jet Fuel.

• Gulfstream has just introduced product-specific mobile applications for every aircraft in its in-production fleet.

• Gulfstream is demonstrating its new interior-design DesignBook, which allows customers to evaluate potential paint schemes, cabin layouts and interior cabin selections.

• New in the maintenance venue is Gulfstream’s tablet-friendly version of the CMP.net maintenance tracking service. Now customers can access their CMP.net account using virtually any mobile device or browser platform.

–K.J.H.

CY CYR

Gulfstream all smiles at NBAA

108 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Gulfstre the com specific

TrueNorth delivers first Stylus handsets

by Kirby J. Harrison TrueNorth Avionics is featuring its new Stylus cord-and-reel handset at this year’s NBAA Convention (Booth No. 1375) and has already begun shipping the first units to partner Flying Colours. The Canadian outfitter is installing the Stylus handsets as part of its range of CRJ200 ExecLiner makeovers and green Challenger 850 completions.

Ottawa-based TrueNorth emphasizes the high-definition calling quality, one-button interface and Corning Gorilla glass display, as well as the multi-

with credit card readers.

Most recently, TrueNorth’s Simphon¯e OpenCabin was

selected by Jet Aviation Basel (Booth No. 2000) for certifor installation in executive air- fication on the full range of craft from large-cabin business Gulfstream business jets. jets to bizliners. to van Please do not delete rule border. ItStylus, is partaccording of the ad design.

According to TrueNorth Berkel, is an example of TrueJunior tabloid page 7 13/16” x 10 3/8” CEO Mark van Berkel, the soft- North’s ability to respond to marware-centric Simphon¯e Open- ket demand. “We introduced Cabin is on 80 percent of the Stylus at NBAA 2011 and the widebody bizliners being out- first week of October 2012, we fitted today and the company started shipping.” is working with StandardAero TrueNorth continues to grow

in defiance of the lingering recession. “We were the sixth fastest growing company in Ottawa in 2011,” said van Berkel. “We’ve seen 150-percent growth over the past several years and our fourth quarter is shaping up to be the best quarter of 2012,” he added. “And for a company that’s only a little more than six o years old, that’s not bad.”

TrueNorth’s Stylus handset features hi-def calling quality.

color availability and the My Stylus software application that will allow passengers to incorporate the advantages of the Stylus in their own iPhone with cabin WiFi connectivity. The Stylus is enabled by the TrueNorth’s Simphon¯e OpenCabin telecommunication system, which also works with the MyStylus app.

Perhaps most remarkable is that Stylus has multilingual capability, including languages with dedicated character sets, such as Russian and Chinese.

While the current Stylus is cordand-reel connected, a spokeswoman said a wireless variant is in the works.

Additional Stylus installation partners specializing in widebody bizliners such as the Airbus A330 and new Boeing 747-8 have also selected the Simphon¯e OpenCabin system and plan to include the Stylus as standard. Among them is AMAC Aerospace in Basel, Switzerland, where the completion center will install the scalable Simphon¯e OpenCabin in an Airbus ACJ319. L-3 Platform Integration in Waco, Texas, is also a TrueNorth client and will be installing the system in the executive version of a new head-of-state Boeing 747-8. The Simphon¯e OpenCabin will support such capabilities as cabin WiFi connectivity, high-speed Internet, high-definition voice and video and cordless handsets

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www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 109

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10/23/12 8:55 AM

SAFE FLYING AWARDS • Mx, Avionics & Technicians

Technicians do what it takes to make fleet fly safely

by Mary F. Silitch

Nathan Schumacher’s favorite corporate aircraft to work on is the Gulfstream II/III.

Nathan Schumacher has worked for global retailer Williams-Sonoma for 17 years as manager of aircraft maintenance. The company operates a Bombardier Global 5000.

Before joining Northrop’s flight department in 1973, which operated the Gulfstream I and II, Schumacher worked at Northwest Orient Airlines and in general aviation. “Since then,” he said, “I have worked for various Fortune 500 company flight departments operating a wide range of corporate aircraft, including Sabreliners, JetStars, Gulfstreams, Falcons, Learjets and Citations.”

Schumacher’s long safety record is due, he said, to “formal safety procedures, commitment to follow them and unrelenting attention to detail.”

Lopez worked on cargo airplane engines, then on general aviation aircraft at White Plains, N.Y. He joined General Signal as director of maintenance in 1973, then became director of maintenance for Office Depot in 1998, working on its Challenger 604 and Hawker 800. In 2007, Lopez moved to Gama Aviation, which provides aircraft charter, maintenance, leasing and management.

His safety record, Lopez said, is due to awareness and training, both at FlightSafety International and SimuFlite. “In the years after World War II,” he said, “my father flew open-cockpit aircraft, so I grew up around airplanes. After earning an A&P, an undergraduate degree with honors in aeronautical operations and business administration and my FCC radio/radar certifications, I thought I would switch to engineering and became an honors-level graduate student in mathematics and computer engineering at San Jose State University. I was good at it, but I got bored and decided that aviation was more fun than sitting in an office extracting digital circuits out of Boolean equations.”

Arnold D. Folkersma Chief of maintenance 41 years Universal Forest Products Grand Rapids, Mich.

Arnold Folkersma became interested in aviation as a youngster, watching TAC and SAC aircraft fly from Michigan’s Kincheloe Air Force Base.

Jorge Lopez Maintenance coordinator 43 years Gama Aviation Stratford, Conn.

Jorge Lopez is maintenance coordinator for a Gama Aviation Bombardier Challenger 604. He attended Aviation High School in Queens, N.Y., and joined the U.S. Air Force after graduation. “They put me right to work,” he said, “as I already had my [A&P].”

Presented for maintenance and avionics technicians in recognition of their years of accident-free service

Name

Each year, the National Business Aviation Association recognizes the top aviation maintenance and avionics technicians with excellent safety records who work for member companies. AIN interviewed some of the top ­technicians for 2011 to learn about their backgrounds and safety philosophies.

Nathan Schumacher Manager of aircraft maintenance 45 years Williams-Sonoma Flight Ops San Francisco

2011 TOP MAINTENANCE/avionics AWARDS

He received his aviation maintenance engineering technology degree from Parks College of Aeronautical Technology in 1971 and worked for Lorain County Aviation, maintaining a corporate Bell 47. His next job was director of maintenance for Northern Jet Management.

For the last 13 years, Folkersma has been chief of maintenance for Universal Forest Products, a manufacturer and distributor of wood and wood-alternative products, which operates multiple companies throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

“I have worked on many corporate aircraft in my career,” he said, “including Learjets, Hansa Jets, Swearingen Metros, Beechcraft King Airs, Beechjets and Hawkers, Challengers and Citations. I thoroughly enjoy maintaining the Citation X, which Universal Forest Products operates.”

Attention to detail is his safety secret. “This begins,” Folkersma said, “by making sure that I always use the latest publications from the manufacturers and use the right tools and equipment.

I also make sure that I have the proper knowledge to do the job.

I consistently stayed on top of the ever-changing technology and have more than 70 training certificates, which means that in 41 years I attended some kind of training or classes at a rate of almost two per year.

“In 1995,” he said, “I was honored by the local FAA Flight Standards District Office with an award as the maintenance technician of the year. The following year I was honored with another award from the FSDO as the aviation safety counselor of the year.”

David Hazen Director of maintenance 40 years Bunn-O-Matic Springfield, Ill.

Arnold Folkersma ‘thoroughly enjoys’ maintaining Universal Forest’s Citation X.

Dave Hazen started working for Bunn-O-Matic, a beverage equipment manufacturer, in 1975 and has been director of maintenance for 17 years. He said he was excited to start his

Company

Years

Nathan Schumacher

Williams Sonoma

45

Jorge Lopez

Gama Aviation

43

Arnold Folkersma

Universal Forest Products

41

Robert Henrikson

Monsanto Corporate Aviation

41

David Hazen

Bunn-O-Matic

40

Roger Huff

DLZ Airrcraft

40

William Schillinger

ExxonMobil

40

Edward Wetzel

Corporate Jets

40

James Dekan

Cooper Industries

39

Kenneth Bricker

Constellation Leasing

38

Philip Eckenroth

HCC Service Co.

38

William Edmundson

Aflac

38

Arthur Hibler

JP Morgan Chase & Co.

38

John Miles

Steelcase

38

Richard Nicols

WCF Aircraft

38

Thomas Frank

DeBartolo Aviation

37

Rick Garber

Corporate Flight Alternatives

37

Richard Beatty

CenturyLink Aviation Operations

36

Kevin Doggett

Monsanto Corporate Aviation

36

Theodore Gelato

Aviation Resource Management

36

William Guidry

The Dow Chemical Co.

36

Robert Irvin

CSX Corporation Aviation Department

36

Stuart Laks

NiSource

36

Thomas McGinley

U.S. Steel Corp. - Aircraft Division

36

Paul Messmer

Kimball International Transit

36

Jay Morris

Hill Air

36

Stephen Perlini

Allstate Insurance Co.

36

Walter Shue

ExxonMobil

36

Garry Strain

The Shaw Group

36

Victor Yates

CSX Corporation Aviation Department

36

David Hazen has worked on a number of his company’s Beech aircraft.

career in the early 1970s working on the Lear 20 series at Duncan Aviation, Lincoln, Neb. “I even met Bill Lear,” he said. He then worked for Midwest Air Charter and became service manager for Garrett Aviation.

Hazen grew up in northwest Iowa, and a neighbor used to take him up in his Piper Cherokee and let him fly. He started taking flying

lessons, but said he got so involved in maintenance that he chose a career in that area of aviation.

Bunn-O-Matic has always operated Beech airplanes, he said, and now flies a King Air 300 and a Hawker 400XP. He said he’s enjoyed working on all of the airplanes that he has encountered.

The years of safety success, Hazen said, come from keeping yourself trained, knowing the systems of the aircraft you’re working on, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and staying alert. His training includes Master Technician recognition from FlightSafety International on King Airs. o

110 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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Learjet 75 moves toward first flight by year-end As it prepares for a planned entry-into service next year for its new Learjet 70 and 75, Bombardier has achieved power-on in half of the six aircraft currently on the production line, and it expects to achieve first flight of the lead production Model 75 before year-end. Launched at this year’s EBACE show in May, the pair will directly replace the Learjet 40XR and 45XR, from which they were developed.

Indeed, the only visible exterior difference between the old models and their successors is the newly designed canted winglets. As these new aircraft move down the assembly line Bombardier said that it has delivered the last of the Learjet 40XRs and is currently finishing the final Learjet 45XR. While some question the attention that Bombardier is placing on a segment of the industry that has languished of late, Learjet vice president and general manager Ralph Acs feels that history is on the side of the decision. “If you go all the way back to the Challenger 300, it was developed in a down market, and the whole notion here is it’s an opportunity when you come out of this down market to have fresh products available,” he told AIN during a recent media tour of the division’s headquarters in Wichita.

Bombardier has also taken

advantage of the industry slowdown in small and midsize aircraft deliveries to make improvements and lean out its production line. “What you have to imagine is when you are delivering at high volume and you are trying to improve your factory it’s a lot more complicated, so some of the opportunities in a bit of a down market, it gives people time to think, time to do, time to improve,” said Acs. Focus on Quality

Those changes have allowed Learjet to achieve an impressive 42-percent improvement in production cycle time for the Learjet 75, compared to that of the Learjet 45XR just a year ago. The introduction of the Learjet 70/75 includes elimination of flights of the green airframe prior to installation of interiors and painting of the exterior. Alan Young, vice president of operations for Learjet Business Aircraft, told AIN, “[We] have a much bigger focus on quality and no do-overs, no repeat tasks. We put the right work in the right place.”

According to Young, tasks that were left to be accomplished in the preflight hangar, such as cabin door trim, have been moved to earlier in the process, clearing the way for rapid preflight processing. “We deliver a completed aircraft there, we

Bombardier’s Learjet 75 is moving through the production process at Wichita with first flight anticipated by year-end.

do our preflight safety checks and we gas and go,” he said.

While the first of the new twinjets are nearing completion, the flight-test program is currently progressing using four of the older model aircraft, including a 40XR and a 45XR updated with the Garmin G5000 avionics suite which will see service in the 70 and 75. Those two aircraft are with Garmin in Olathe, Kan. Of the final pair of 45XRs, one is being used for winglet and engine testing, while the latter is undergoing interior fitting and functionality trials for the cabin management system. The first production 75 to be completed will also join the test program, and it is expected to begin engine runs in December.

The new aircraft will be powered by a pair of 3,850-poundthrust Honeywell TFE731-40BR engines (expected to receive certification by year-end), which will provide a 10-percent increase in power over the earlier -20BRs. The new engine offers the same

The Learjet 75 cockpit will feature Bombardier’s Vision flight deck, which is designed to harmonize with the cabin design. It features three 14-inch high-resolution displays.

6,000-hour TBO and 3,000-hour hot-section interval as the previous model. With the new engines, the aircraft will offer an improved takeoff field length of less than 4,500 feet (approximately 200 feet less than the 40XR) and an up to 9-percent increase in hotand-high field performance.

Pounds Shaved

SureFlight paints second Trump S-76B SureFlight Aircraft Completions (Booth No. 3192) recently completed the exterior paint on a Sikorsky S-76B owned by business mogul Donald Trump.

The project was the second S-76 exterior paint job for Trump, but a departure from the usual all-black theme with red striping. According to SureFlight CEO Dan Watkins, the latest helicopter will be based in southern climes, where the weather is much hotter, so the upper half of the aircraft is painted white, with the prominent Trump logo emblazoned in red-on-white on both sides of the tailboom.

Alluding to Trump’s reality television show

“Celebrity Apprentice,” Watkins said with a chuckle that “You’re hired” were the two words SureFlight had anticipated. The company also painted the allblack exterior on the celebrity’s earlier S-76.

The shop used Sherwin-Williams’s new Jet Glo, high-solids, low-VOC paint for the job. SureFlight’s 78,000-sq-ft paint shop at Coatesville, Pa., can accommodate aircraft as large as a Hawker 800.

SureFlight is also a full-service interior completion and refurbishment facility for both helicopter and fixedwing aircraft. At NBAA, the company is displaying a new upholstery design for the Gulfstream GV. –K.J.H.

PHOTOS: CURT EPSTEIN

by Curt Epstein

Due to the weight reduction realized largely from the use of the latest avionics technology (a savings of several hundred pounds) and the new winglets, the 70/75 promises increased efficiency and fuel burn. With eight passengers, the 75 will have a range of approximately 1,950 nm, and will be able to fly four passengers from Los Angeles to Toronto or Mumbai to Bangkok. The smaller six-passenger 70 (plus one additional with the use of a belted lavatory) will link city pairs such as Chicago-San Juan or Minneapolis-Toluca.

The jet will have a maximum altitude of 51,000 feet (with a cabin pressure of 8,000 feet) and a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.81.

The cockpit will feature Bombardier’s Vision flight deck, which is designed to harmonize with the cabin design throughout the airplane. The Garmin

G5000 avionics suite drives three 14-inch high-resolution displays–operated by touch-screen controllers–with standard functionality including synthetic vision, dual flight management system, graphical flight planning and solid-state weather radar.

“A lot of time is spent here thinking about the customer,” said Acs, “thinking about what is the cost once they have taken delivery from an operational aspect.” To that end, Learjet said it has optimized its maintenance program to provide a significant increase in aircraft availability and a reduction in maintenance costs by doubling the number of flight hours between inspections, to 600 per interval, up from the 300-hour span required by the XRs. The sleek new cabin design has been heavily influenced by that of its larger clean-sheet Learjet 85 sibling, which the airframer is simultaneously developing.

While the company declined to discuss specific order book numbers for the two jets, which are priced at $11.1 million for the Learjet 70 and $13.5 million for the Learjet 75, it disclosed that it has received 50 firm orders and letters of intent for the new aircraft. o

www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 111

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10/16/12 10:43 AM

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In an effort to raise the bar on customer service, the Air Elite FBO network has joined with training providers Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center and ServiceElements. Formed last year from the remnants of the former ExxonMobil Avitat network, the fledgling Air Elite brand comprises 25 FBOs, including nearly all of the former U.S. Avitat locations, which decided to remain together after the oil company pulled the plug on its support of the brand. At a meeting last August in Phoenix, the city’s namesake mythological bird was much in the minds of the former members as the new network of aviation service providers rose from the ashes of Avitat.

“What we are trying to do with the Air Elite network is make sure that our locations stand out among all the other locations that are out there,” said Warren Boin, the network’s vice president of marketing. “The Air Elite personnel at each one of our locations have received training to Ritz-Carlton standards.”

At the end of September, members of the network attended a session in Dallas with the training providers that marked the beginning of an ongoing relationship, which is believed will help the network stand out in terms of the level of employee/ customer interactions. “In order to rise above what is a standard in an industry that already has high standards we need to be exceptional,” Boin noted, adding the new training would give the facilities in the network “a baseline of exceptional service that you are going to receive no matter which location you visit.”

The Air Elite brand, owned by World Fuel Services (WFS) is a subset of premiere FBOs under the company’s banner. Here at NBAA (Booth No. 4253), the company rolled out the new Air Elite logo, which will soon be installed at its locations. WFS, which is a distributor for

Phillips 66, also managed the Chevron/ Texaco aviation fuel brand, but recently that petroleum refiner decided, like ExxonMobil a year earlier (which was distributed by WFS subsidiary Western Petroleum), that it was no longer interested in maintaining a general-aviation fuel brand. WFS is rebranding those former Chevron/Texaco FBOs as either Phillips 66 dealers or to its own new Ascent fuel brand based on individual FBO preferences. Once everything shakes out, WFS expects to supply fuel to 110 Ascentbranded FBOs, 630 Phillips 66 dealers and 460 unbranded FBOs worldwide.

FBO Membership

Among those FBOs, Air Elite represents a showcase for locations invited to join. “It seems like there is a lot of interest in having an elite service brand, both within the remaining oil companies and with the other distributors,” Boin told AIN. “We’re building ours from within our own network.”

FBOs seeking membership in Air Elite will have to satisfy a list of facility amenities and provided services before they are accepted. The network’s member management board is finalizing membership criteria. Once accepted into the brand, Air Elite FBOs can offer additional benefits to customers, such as quadruple Avcard points earned at the facility through WFS’s FlyBuys loyalty program. The company has also worked out deals for the brand with industry data providers such as Passur and Argus’s Traqpak.

While the majority of its locations are in North America, the Air Elite network also has an international presence in the form of Jet Aviation’s FBOs in Europe and Dubai. In early October, the St. Thomas Jet Center was added, giving Air Elite its first foothold in the Caribbean. o

AeroMedical signs stretcher contract AeroMedical Products (Booth No. 734) has been contracted to provide custom-built lightweight medical stretcher systems for a fleet of aircraft operating worldwide, by a company that does not wish to be named.

In other news, the Italian military chose AeroMedical to provide 12 stretcher units for its Piaggio P.180 Avanti fleet. Additional recent large projects have included providing stretchers for the Boeing 757 and 777, Airbus 318, Embraer Legacy 600, Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Learjet 35 and 55 and Eclipse 500. The company also supplies custom lightweight systems to Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft, Fairchild, Gulfstream and Piper.

Headquartered in West Bend, Wis., AeroMedical Products has representatives and distributors in more than 20 countries.

With FAA and EASA certifications for more than 2,600 aircraft makes and models, the company bills itself as a prime vendor for governments, nonprofit organizations, royal families and private business worldwide. AeroMedical designs and manufactures aircraft medical interiors ranging from simple rescue models to complete medical and trauma intensive care systems and divans. It claims to be the only aircraft medical interior manufacturer approved by the FAA and EASA to use lightweight honeycomb –H.W. aluminum for the base structure.

112 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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10/22/12 1:07 PM

Constant streamlines ops with Corridor app Continuum Applied Technology and Constant Aviation have agreed to implement Continuum’s Corridor Aviation Service software in Constant’s network of U.S. maintenance facilities.

Corridor (Booth No. 2764) is an aviation-specific software application designed to automate all aspects of aviation maintenance and service. Constant has chosen the Corridor Enterprise Plus edition with features designed to ease communication and provide real-time data sharing among multiple facilities.

“We are excited to partner with Continuum Applied Technology, as their Corridor system will assist in streamlining our business function,” said Constant Aviation president Stephen Maiden. “With Constant’s continued growth we needed a system to support our numerous locations. The Corridor system will allow us to maximize the efficiency functions, which will translate into better customer service.”

One of the fastest growing MROs in the country, Constant Aviation (Booth No.

5040) offers interior and exterior maintenance, nose-to-tail inspections, repairs, component testing and troubleshooting, repair, replacement or

installation of avionics systems.

“Constant is exactly the kind of company for which we developed Corridor,” said Con­ tinuum founder and president Jack Demeis. “We look forward to helping them meet their goals of exceptional reliability and predictability, minimized ­operational costs and world-class service.” –H.W.

Constant Aviation will implement maintenance software by Continuum Applied Technology at its U.S. facilities. The Corridor software will automate all aspects of aviation maintenance and service and provide real-time data sharing among facilities.

Honda openS MRO Honda Aircraft has broken ground for a 90,000-sq-ft maintenance facility at its world headquarters on Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, N.C. The facility is scheduled to open by the second half of next year. Site preparation for the $20 million MRO facility began last February. The $120 million investment encompasses more than half a million square feet on more than 130 acres.

The facility, which includes a 24/7 support center, can handle 12 aircraft simultaneously and features several backshops, including composite and sheet metal structures, avionics, interiors and a 4,000-sq-ft environmentally controlled parts warehouse. There will also be a customer area with a pilot lounge, individual work rooms with conference space, and a flight-planning room near the aircraft ramp. The MRO facility will also house the Product Support Group, whose mission is to support the customer and aircraft after delivery and administer HondaJet warranty and service plans.

–D.A.L.

www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 113

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10/19/12 3:25 PM

Florida-based spare parts firm celebrates 30 years

by Jeff Burger When then 23-yearold Armando Leighton, Jr. launched CRS Jet Spares in 1982, Ronald Reagan was president, the Falklands War was raging and the compact disc was new. Today the Falklands conflict is history, Reagan has passed on and the CD is dying, but CRS Jet Spares is going strong. One of the world’s largest aftermarket aircraft parts suppliers, the company is celebrating its 30th anniversary here at the show, where it is giving away a Harley Davidson motorcycle at its booth (No. 3916), just as it does every year at the NBAA convention.

The success of the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based CRS probably hasn’t surprised anyone who knew Leighton during his childhood. Though he intended early on to become a veterinarian, he was only 13 when his entrepreneurial bent

and interest in airplanes led him to accept an after-school job in the shipping and receiving department of a neighbor’s aviation company. He continued to work for the firm–which specialized in government contracts for Lockheed C130 parts–through high school and into his college years.

Leighton was 19 when he abandoned the idea of a veterinary career and began to focus fully on aviation. He took a job as purchasing manager for an FAA-certified repair station in Fort Lauderdale. Two years later, he accepted a position with an FBO, where he was responsible for buying parts for Sabreliner and Learjet charter jets. After only three months, however, the company shut down. Noting that few businesses were offering discounted aircraft parts 24 hours a day and that only owners of large

fleets received those discounts, Leighton decided to use $2,000 of his own money to launch Corporate Rotable & Supply (CRS). His base of operations was his mother’s Hialeah, Fla. garage, and she signed on as his only employee. Working parttime, she answered the phone and handled clerical tasks while her son drummed up business.

“I was able to purchase a small Sabreliner inventory,” Leighton recalled recently, adding, “What really got me on the map was the FAA. The FAA was flying [about] 20 of the Sabre 60s and [the parts business] was all on a bid system, so I was able to obtain a lot of the contracts and not only service and grow the company but grow the inventory. It all evolved out of common sense. I had no real expertise at the time.”

Leighton worked “so many hours he’d often fall asleep at his desk,” according to a 2009 profile in South Florida’s Sun-Sentinel. “He drove during the day to find, buy and deliver parts, and he spent evenings logging costs, prices and availability to be ready to fill orders fast, despite a small budget for inventory.”

The hard work paid off and within three years sales exceeded $1 million. Customers, who received parts via overnight mail, undoubtedly would have been surprised to learn that they were being dispatched from a family garage.

Product Enhancements

By 1985, however, Leighton was expanding into new product lines and it became clear that the garage would no longer suffice. He bought a 3,300-sq-ft warehouse to store the engines and other parts removed from a purchased Lockheed JetStar.

Then, in 1987, with sales topping $3 million, the company acquired a Cessna Citation 500 for disassembly and enlarged its staff to include a sales representative and Leighton’s two sisters. In the years since then, CRS has purchased and disassembled about a dozen additional aircraft to establish more product lines and supplement existing ones.

Leighton formed ThrustTech Aviation (TTA) in 1987 to service starter generators, stabilizer actuators and ignition exciters for corporate jets.

To compete with other repair stations, TTA offered operators the option of exchange or repair of their rotable spares.

In 1991, CRS outgrew its warehouse and relocated to one that was more than 10 times bigger–a 43,000-squarefoot facility in Fort Lauderdale. Then, about 10 years ago, the company formed a partsengineering division, Jet-Tech Engineering, to handle the approval and certification process for aircraft parts.

Today, CRS manufactures some of its own spare parts and serves customers in North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The company, whose annual revenues now exceed $25 million, employs more than 60 people at offices in Texas, California, New York, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, England and Brazil.

(A Singapore office will open soon.) Clearly, Leighton and CRS have come a long way from his mother’s garage. o

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10/18/12 10:06 AM

Concorde battery line sparks OEM accolades

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Vector Aerospace Engine Services-Atlantic, a division of Vector Aerospace (Booth No. 1500), has signed a three-year extension of its current two-year engine services agreement with Canadian operator Air Georgian of Mississauga, Ontario.

Vector provides Air Georgian with fixed-wing engine repair and overhaul support from its facility on Prince Edward Island, and also engine repair support from its Calgary, Alberta service center.

“Air Georgian has provided aviation services and customized charter flights for more than 25 years, and we take pride in our reputation as a well-trusted and extremely reliable flight services provider,” said Brad Warren, Air Georgian vice president of maintenance.

“Vector Aerospace Engine Services–Atlantic has proven to us, time and again, their high level of service and experience. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Vector through this agreement renewal.” –H.W.

Concorde (Booth No. 985) has gained a reputation within the industry for designing custom solutions to meet specific applications and platforms.­ –C.E.

770 •

Vector extends MRO contract with Air Georgian

The company has also supplied batteries for military aircraft such as the F/A-18 Hornet, C-130 Hercules and even the F117A Nighthawk stealth fighter.

battery designed to replace existing nickel-cadmium and leadacid designs.

Another plus for the type is that valve-regulated batteries may be shipped without a hazmat classification and can be transported as air cargo without restriction, Koss told AIN. Not content with providing off-the-shelf products,

V

California-based Concorde Battery has been in business since 1979 and designs and manufactures more than 90 models of original equipment and direct replacement batteries for both the fixed- and rotary-wing markets.

Its manufacturing facility is fully qualified under the FAA’s parts manufacturer approval (PMA) process.

The manufacturer also satisfies technical standard order (TSO) C173, meaning the batteries are qualified as an airworthy component and can be installed in any aircraft by showing that the requirements (certification basis) of the specific aircraft model are met by the TSO’d battery.

Concorde’s batteries are installed as original equipment on airplanes made by Cessna, Piper, Bombardier, Dassault, Hawker Beechcraft and Pilatus, as well as on American Eurocopter helicopters.

In all, Concorde supplies 53 OEMs around the world with either original or optional battery equipment, according to Skip Koss, vice president of marketing.

Since the Persian Gulf War the U.S. military has converted 85 percent of its aircraft fleet to use valve-regulated lead-acid aircraft batteries because of their simplicity and their no-maintenance logistics.

Concorde’s valve-regulated aircraft battery provides the customer with a no-maintenance, nonspillable, high-reliability

NBAA

Stop by Satcom Direct’s booth #770 to see Unity in action. +1 321.777.3000 | www.satcomdirect.com www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 115

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10/18/12 10:43 AM

Starr Aviation aids in SMS implementation and mentoring Starr Aviation’s safety management system (SMS) implementation and compliance mentoring program is designed to assist companies in making their SMS functional and effective. Starr Aviation (Booth No. 1746) is a division of Starr Indemnity and Liability.

The mentoring process begins with Starr safety and loss control experts interviewing clients and assessing their safety education and experience levels. Flight department safety managers receive oneon-one training sessions (in person or online) on a variety of SMS subjects.

Mentoring Team

Starr Aviation’s SMS mentoring team, which consists of certified safety professionals, introduces safety managers to risk management using materials such as the National Safety Council Aviation Ground Safety Handbook and an OSHA whitepaper on injury and illness prevention programs. These documents offer guidance on creating company safety policy statements, including the importance of a

statement endorsed by senior managers.

The safety manager and Starr Aviation mentor examine sample policy statements and formulate one specific to the safety manager’s operation. At this point, mentor and manager discuss ways that management can demonstrate to employees that they are supporting their own safety policy statement.

Helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland uses Starr Aviation’s SMS mentoring services. “The expertise and mentoring from Starr’s team has been instrumental in the implementation of our SMS,” said Victoria Ridge, AgustaWestland commercial insurance and risk management specialist.

Chris Horton, flight operations manager for Guidance Aviation in Prescott, Ariz., a helicopter Part 141 flight school, said, “The guidance provided by [Starr Aviation’s] staff and evaluation of our safety initiatives is critical to the success of our safety system and, more importantly, to total safety and quality assurance.”

–H.W.

Eurocopter arrives AT NBAA with new orders and deliveries American Eurocopter (Booth No. 2546) has arrived at NBAA’12 with a pocketful of recently announced orders and deliveries.

The largest order, from Med-Trans of Dallas, includes 10 firm and six options for Eurocopter’s EC135 light twin. “Med-Trans has been a valued customer for many years,” said Marc Paganini, president and CEO of American Eurocopter, at the ILA Berlin Airshow in mid-September. “We look forward to supporting its continued growth.”

Med-Trans selected the EC135 in 2007, purchasing eight and optioning eight more. It currently operates 20 EC135s in its fleet.

According to Eurocopter, more than 1,000 EC135s are in service around the world, with about half in air medical service. In the U.S., there are more than 260 EC135s in service.

Another airmed operator, Wichitabased EagleMed, announced its purchase of an AS350B2 and an AS350B3, also at ILA. “We chose the AS350 line as the base

of our fleet because these aircraft have proven to be extremely reliable,” said Larry Bugg, president of EagleMed. Along with the AStars, EagleMed, founded in 1982, also operates Beechcraft King Airs in air medical service, a total of 25 aircraft in eight states. All the company’s aircraft are configured for mission-critical transport and equipped to transform into flying intensive-care units.

Metro Aviation in Shreveport, La., is completing EagleMed’s newest AStars.

Earlier this year, the Pima County (Ariz.)

Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) placed its new AS350B3e into service, the department’s first Eurocopter. It is also the first AS350B3e delivered to a U.S. law enforcement agency. The PCSD, based in Tucson, is using the helicopter for border-crime enforcement, tactical-team insertion and search and rescue. The aircraft is equipped with a thermal imager, searchlight and –R.R.P. video downlink.

The Pima County (Ariz.) Sheriff’s Department’s new AS350B3e is being used for border-crime enforcement, tactical team insertion and search and rescue. It is also the first AS350B3e delivered to a U.S. law enforcement agency.

19870-SNN-Tech-Stops-AIN-124x318.indd 2 01/10/2012 17:20:37 116 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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10/19/12 9:17 AM

Gore completes its first BBJ3

by Mark Huber Gore Design Completions has received its first supplemental type certificate (STC) for a Boeing BBJ3 completion. According to Joseph Barrett, Gore senior manager of programs, the completion took approximately 16 months and is for a Middle Eastern customer.

The BBJ3 is based on the 737-900ER. The -900 has been in commercial service since 2001 and Boeing announced its availability as a BBJ3 in 2005. The BBJ has 1,120 sq ft of cabin space, and compared to the original BBJ, by cabin volume the BBJ3 is 35 percent larger, 28 feet longer and weighs 16,700 pounds more at takeoff. Typical executive configurations are from eight to 50 passengers. With 25 aboard, the BBJ3 can fly 5,200 nm unrefueled at speeds up to 470 knots.

The BBJ3 completed by Gore features PATS auxiliary fuel tanks, custom kitchen, a shower, twin satcoms and satellite television. “The level of elegance on this aircraft was more than a VIP, this was more on the line of a VVIP interior,” Barrett said.

is signed it can be one to three years before it is delivered, depending on the size of the aircraft and the interior’s complexity. As you go through the evolution of installing these

beautiful interiors, the clients want the latest generation of technology. We tend to use a lot of in-flight entertainment systems and cabin management systems from Custom Control

Concepts (Booth No. 2171).

Their technology fits properly with these VVIP interiors with high-definition and touchscreen capability and inclusion of iPads to control these systems. The customers are satisfied with what they get.”

When it comes to fabrics, silk is all the rage. “We’re seeing more silks used on cabin deco panels

and in the carpeting for decorative patterns. A popular carpet blend is 70 percent wool and 30 percent silk inserts,” Barrett said.

Customer flight departments receive custom interior maintenance manuals tailored to their specific aircraft. “Every one of these aircraft is unique,” Barrett said. “They all have their own level of challenges.” o

Please visit us in booth 1098

Steady Business

Gore (Booth No. 1763) is currently operating at capacity, with three wide-body and one narrowbody completions ongoing in its San Antonio hangars and more projects on the ramp. “We are certainly blessed,” he said.

Customers are trending to more sophisticated cabin electronics and higher-end fabrics, Barrett said. “We are finding that more and more customers are tech savvy. We are seeing a generational shift in the ownership. The folks acquiring these aircraft now are in their 40s and 50s and quite turned on by the technology. They know what kind of handheld phones they want to use because they are already using them in their daily lives. They want to be able to come onto the aircraft and use the same phone. We can do that on a foreign-registered aircraft and that is easily managed from a VVIP point of view.”

This desire carries over to other personal electronics, Barrett said. “When the contract

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www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 117

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10/18/12 10:53 AM

GAMA president urges advocacy against user fees

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General Aviation Manufacturers bureaucracy and more government.”

Association (GAMA) president and Bunce posits what happens when that CEO Pete Bunce credits the No Plane No fee is tripled, and then tripled again. All Gain program with helping to emphasize of a sudden the economy goes south, and to policymakers the importance of busi- fewer people fly. “So now we start this big ness and general aviation to this nation. downward spiral, where they have to jack “Recently we had another keen exam- up the fees continually because fewer and ple where we had all four associations fewer people are flying, and eventually [GAMA, NBAA, AOPA and NATA] that spiral is a graveyard spiral that drives together in Anchorage talking to an you into the ground,” he predicted. assemblage of general aviation and a lot That is what has happened in Europe, of the industry heads in Alaska,” Bunce he said, where pilots who want to pracsaid. He added that the state proclama- tice touch-and-goes to stay safe are tions and initiatives like No Plane No charged each time their wheels touch Gain, GA Serves America and the Alli- the runway, so they don’t do it. “You sit ance for Aviation Across America will there and say, ‘What kind of madness do all be invaluable during the deal making we have going out there?’” after the presidential election.

Asked about the current rewrite of According to Bunce, the deal mak- Part 23 small aircraft certification reging that has to occur either to avoid the ulations, Bunce said this is one of the fiscal cliff or sequestration will require initiatives in general aviation that he is marshaling the friends that most excited about because, general aviation has created “if we look for a revitalizathrough these programs, tion in the way we look at and also the general aviation bringing product to market public, which has to react on and how we rulemake on a short notice. global level, this is it.”

Asked to comment about The exciting thing, he the Obama Administration’s said, is that it’s starting with plan to institute a $100 perPart 23, but because it has departure tax on turbineso much energy behind it powered, fixed-wing aircraft, and support from the FAA Bunce expects that to be a and the European Aviation big topic here in Orlando.

Safety Agency (EASA), as Pete Bunce He and NBAA president well as seven or eight national and CEO Ed Bolen plan to talk about it authorities involved, the group is actuextensively during the NBAA show. “It ally looking at doing rulemaking on a gets back to what potentially could hap- global level. He said it could expand to pen during a lame-duck session [of Con- other types of aircraft. gress before a new president takes office], According to Bunce, it would use the where we have a little time to react,” FAA’s resources during the certification Bunce said. “You know, we’ve been talk- process, but place the safety burden on ing about user fees for five years. But it’s industry. This would make it a more effireally telling, with some recent things cient process, a much more commonthat have happened with governments.” sense approach, where products do not He noted that one federal agency need to be certified to the highest comrecently came out with a 300-percent mon denominator and category. He said increase in user fees for new applicants aviation regulators have come up with the for different services in just one year. term, “Twice the safety at half the cost.”

Meanwhile, the British government Bunce also touched on the controversy is planning to administer the European surrounding long-running efforts to enact Union’s emissions trading scheme and a security program for foreign repair stasend the bills to all of the participants tions, which prompted a recent letter from they expect to charge for emitting over general aviation interests urging action. the Atlantic Ocean until they land in “It is just absolutely frustrating beyond UK airspace. belief that the Department of Homeland Security–when there is general agreement Graveyard Spiral on the principles of this security rule– “So the government has to come up would just sit on it and not move it forwith a bureaucracy to send out the bills, ward,” he said, because it is impacting industry has to come up with added man- jobs in the U.S. and causing problems power to be able to handle the bills, and with counterparts in the EU. He revealed that at least one of the what are we doing?” Bunce asked rhetorically. “What we’re doing is replacing congressional appropriations commitan extremely efficient system that works, tees has threatened to dock the general which is fuel taxes. But that’s not the big- counsel’s office at DHS if they don’t get gest danger out there. That’s a huge dan- the rule out by the end of the year. “It’s ger, but here’s the biggest danger: We just absolutely a failure of government,” feed the beast, and the beast is more Bunce declared. o

12-06-15 3:31 PM

118 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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10/17/12 10:49 AM

Aero Cosmetics demos waterless wash tool

by David A. Lombardo Aero Cosmetics is displaying at its NBAA booth (No. 1086) a unique mop that it claims is the first tool available for waterless aircraft washing and wax. “We have designed the Wash Wax Mop specifically to make the cleaning process safer and more efficient by eliminating the need for ladders,” said Brian Phillips, CEO of San Antonio-based Aero Cosmetics/WashWax.com.

“It also improves efficiency by saving time and reduces the required amount of [our] Wash Wax All cleaning product.

“The traditional method requires spraying the aircraft then wiping it off by hand,” he added, “but it’s difficult to get your hand everywhere on the aircraft and the process always requires using a ladder or lift.

Our Wash Wax mop allows you to apply or remove product from the ground without a ladder.”

The system is composed of three parts: an extendable pole, a dual-receptacle mop head and two replaceable microfiber mop pads. The mop comes with a standard nine-foot pole ($99.95); 12-foot ($69.95) and 16-foot ($79.95) poles are available as options. The company is selling a kit at the show for $219, which includes a mop with nine-foot pole, four extra mop pads, a gallon of Wash

Wax All cleaner, a spray bottle, a four-pack of microfiber towels, a “bug-buster” attachment

for removing bugs from leading edges, a pint of degreaser and a scrubber product for getting at hard-to-clean areas.

The mop’s twin wraparound pads, which are mounted on either side of the mop head, perform a specific task: one ­ handles the wet step, the other, the dry. The company said its Wash Wax All is a nontoxic,

noncorrosive, waterless cleaning product that meets Boeing cleaning specifications D6-17487P (exterior) and D6-7127M (interior). It leaves a nonstick UV coating on the airprotective ­ craft surface as it cleans.

Aero Cosmetics also offers a full line of cleaning products for interiors, including leather and rubber surfaces. o

Aero Cosmetics is introducing a dual-head waterless mop with extendable pole here at NBAA’12.

O N LY A I R F O R C E O N E

PHOTO TAKEN BY CLAY LACY AVIATION. CLAY LACY & BRIAN KIRKDOFFER PILOTS

NEWS NOTE Flying Colours, the Canadabased completions, refurbishment and maintenance provider, has received approval from the Riyadh-based General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to carry out maintenance work on aircraft registered in Saudi Arabia.

The approval allows the company’s Peterborough, Ontario facility to work on aircraft from “this significant business aviation region.” The general approval GACA AMO #353F enables Flying Colours (Booth No. 912) to undertake continuing airworthiness and maintenance work on a wide range of aircraft, including Bombardier Challengers and Global Expresses and Dassault Falcons. Flying Colours already has approvals from Transport Canada, the FAA, EASA, Cayn mans and the Isle of Man.

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www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 119

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10/18/12 10:59 AM

International

Eatin’in

Orlando

I 98Forty Tapas and Tequila

98Forty Tapas and Tequila 9840 International Drive (Rosen Centre Hotel) (407) 996-9840 Reservations (800) 204-7234 rosencentre.com

$$

Ole! If your taste buds yearn for something from south of the border, then 98Forty Tapas and

Tequila might fill the bill. The tapas bar takes its name from the 9840 address of its locale– the Rosen Centre Hotel. The theme then leaps into the restaurant’s presentation of 40 premium tequilas.

Chef Emeterio “Telo” Luna has created authentic Mexican dishes, blending old-world

nternational Drive is home to a polyglot of restaurants, presenting ideal choices for NBAA convention attendees, whether they seek a quick lunch or a convenient dinner stop. Pointe Orlando, just across from the Orange County Convention Center, has become home to a bevy of dining establishments, some that have been there for a while, and some that are now roosting in renovated perches. Then, just a stone’s throw down the road, is the Rosen Centre Hotel, home to even more. Here are some that are interesting and where the menu items are priced for today’s recession-wracked wallets. We’ve also included a few restaurants that are off the Drive.

techniques with modern culinary skills. He uses imported Mexican spices ground by hand using the carjeta, or stone method.

For ceviche, you might choose a shrimp/bay scallops/octopus combo; or a jumbo lump crab and mango creation. Particularly interesting among the salsas are the watermelon, with roasted jalapeno, tomato, red onion and cilantro; and the roasted cornand-black-bean variation.

98Forty also offers unique fillings for quesadillas and tacos: cumin-rubbed chicken marinated in Meyer lemon, lime and orange juices; chili-sugar rubbed skirt steak; and margarita shrimp marinated in tequila, lime and agave nectar and topped with tropical salsa of papaya, mango and pineapple.

Banshoo Sushi Bar

9840 International Drive (Rosen Centre Hotel) (407) 996-9840 rosencentre.com

$$

98Forty Tapas and Tequila

With its rich heritage in the Land of the Rising Sun, Banshoo, meaning “sunset” in Japanese, infuses its décor and menu with the warm amber and ruddy hues typical of the end of a Florida day. The sushi bar offers a panoply of rolls and ceviches,

Banshoo Sushi Bar

and cocktails such as the Banshoo Sunset Punch and the Asian Mojito.

Not to be missed are Banshoo’s Signature roll–a blend of lobster, crab and scallops topped with tuna and salmon; and the HaRo Surf and Turf roll, a combination of lobster and seared sirloin.

The chef’s favorites include a citrus-infused Japanese-style Ceviche Usuzukuri, made of thin slices of tuna, white fish, fresh salmon and octopus with a lime ponzu sauce, and the Alaskan Cucumber Boat filled with spicy scallops and lump crab.

Also a highlight is the Tataki Duet, crushed black­ pepper-seared tuna and sirloin beef sliced Tataki style. (Foods

prepared in the tataki style are quickly seared on the outside, then marinated briefly in rice vinegar and thinly sliced) “Tataki” (also known as tosa-mi) means “pounded”; the word refers not to the meat or fish but to the ginger condiment, which was originally pulverized by pounding it with a mortar and pestle.

Café Gauguin

9840 International Drive (Rosen Centre Hotel) (407) 996-9841 rosencentre.com

$$

The style and spirit of postimpressionist Paul Gauguin are carried out in the style and spirit of Café Gauguin. The artist’s

Continued on page 122 u

120 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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10/19/12 9:20 AM

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10/18/12 9:12 AM

International

Eatin’ in Orlando

Continued from page 120

Café Gauguin

daily from Cape Canaveral.

For the carnivores among us, the grill boasts interesting toppings to complement Capriccio’s signature Cowboy steak and its petit filet: diver scallop, caramelized onion and lobster, among others.

Another grill favorite, and an unusual one, is spice-crusted elk chop. Also interesting are some of the sides: roasted wild mushrooms and truffle-and-parmesan scented steak fries.

Copper Canyon Grill 9101 International Drive (Pointe Orlando) 407-363-3933 ccgrill.com

$$ Parisian influence and his time living in the Marquesas Islands are reflected in the restaurant’s setting and menu.

The casual buffets–dinner, which features a prime rib carving station; and lunch, which offers a create-your-own deli sandwich station and salad bar– could be a convenient quick stop for NBAA convention attendees.

The artistic “palette” of salads on the menu and the nuances of the French onion soup are bound to please. And they could be perfect for the quick convention lunch or a light dinner.

Entrées include a selection of pastas, glazed salmon, pot roast, fish and chips and more, joining ubiquitous sandwiches and burgers. An interesting and attractive starter is rosettes of smoked salmon.

And, in the spirit of geographical détente, the dessert menu includes Florida’s traditional key lime pie and New York cheesecake.

Capriccio Grill

9801 International Drive (Peabody Hotel) (407) 352-4000 peabodyorlando.com/ dining/capriccio-grill

Copper Canyon Grill’s mission–to provide classic American comfort food–is realized in its eclectic menu, which ranges from mac-and-cheese straight Copper Canyon Grill

$$

At the Capriccio Grill, authentic Italian ristorante meets American steakhouse. An open kitchen and pizza oven coexist and flourish alongside premium U.S. steaks and chops from Creekstone Farms in Arkansas City, Kan., home to premium Black Angus beef “born and bred in the U.S.A.” The Milan-inspired lounge is perfect for savoring wines from Capriccio’s extensive, award-winning wine cellar.

After enjoying an appetizer of diver scallop or iced fresh oysters, you might want to experience one of the chef’s signature dishes: Tagliolini Pescatore–prawns, cal­ amari, clams, mussels and jumbo lump crabmeat in a simple white wine and lemon butter broth. The ­seafood is delivered

Capriccio Grill

Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar 9101 International Drive (Pointe Orlando) (407) 226-1600 cubalibrerestaurant.com

$$

Cuba Libre is “dedicated to a continued exploration of Cuban heritage, art, music, flavors and traditions” of that storied island paradise. The open-air setting takes advantage of the tropical ambiance, vintage décor and Latin music. And for a full experience, the chef offers a tasting menu: 15 Tastes of Cuba ($39.95 per person).

The full menu is segmented: modern and traditional. From the modern, you might enjoy Plato Cojimar–quick-seared shrimp, mahi-mahi, pork rib ropa vieja stuffed squid, mussels and Baja Bay scallops pincho. Or, if you are sharing, choose the Plato Gaucho for Two–a mixed grill of New York strip steak, skirt steak, jumbo shrimp, herb marinated chicken breasts and Spanish artisan chorizo sausage.

On the traditional side, there’s Paella de Mariscos–a paella of shrimp, clams, mussels, mahi-mahi, squid and baby octopus, and arroz con pollo–saffron short-grain rice, boneless chicken thighs, wild

mushrooms, green peas, Manzanilla olives and hard-boiled egg, finished with a splash of Estrella Damm beer.

Jack’s Place

9700 International Drive (Rosen Plaza Hotel) (407) 996-1787 (800) 366-9700 jacksplacerestaurant.com $$

Jack’s Place is dedicated to the memory of Jack Rosen, father of the president of Rosen Hotels and Resorts. Jack had helped with the family restaurant, but subsequently worked as an engineer at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and, having an art background, sketched caricatures of the celebrities he saw there. He also volunteered with the “52 Association,” a veteran’s organization whose motto was, “The wounded shall never be forgotten.” He visited VA hospitals throughout the U.S. and was invited to Vietnam during the war, spending several months doing caricatures of wounded military personnel. Upon his return, he received the Medal of Commendation from President Lyndon Johnson. There are more than 100,000 caricatures in his collection, and a small fraction are on display here.

Continued on page 124 u

Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar

through to filet mignon. Highly rated are the short-smoked Atlantic salmon and the chicken/ BBQ ribs combo topped with Curley’s BBQ sauce. The rib-eye steak with cabernet mushroom sauce is well received. The fish of the day, which is always fresh, is often a good choice.

Copper Canyon could be a good alternative to convention center lunch choices. You might choose the soup of the day–if it’s Tuesday, it’s clam chowder!

Copper Canyon also offers a salad selection. Special among them are the sesame-seared ahi tuna salad and the wood-grilled steak salad.

Also from the comfort food list, prepared from scratch daily using seasonal ingredients, are the traditional chicken potpie and Eastern Shore crabcakes.

And, for sandwich lovers, if you bypass the bacon cheeseburger, you might choose the blackened chicken and avocado club or the prime rib sandwich.

122 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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International

Eatin’ in Orlando

Continued from page 122

The Pub-Orlando

Jack’s Place

9101 International Dr. (Pointe Orlando) (407) 352-2305 experiencethepub.com/orlando

$$

Diners can views the caricatures before or after they sample some of the house specialties, including Jack’s Land and Sea–a six-ounce petite filet paired with broiled half-pound cold-water lobster tail; rack of lamb horseradish; and broiled twin Australian cold-water lobster tails.

and libations–for example, a pomegranate martini and a skinny ginger margarita.

The tavern also offers a wide variety of bottled beers, including local favorites from Orlando Brewing and the Florida Beer Company.

Marlow’s Tavern

9101 International Drive (Pointe Orlando) (407) 351-8660 opaorlando.com

9101 International Drive (Pointe Orlando) (407) 351-3627 MarlowsTavern.com

$$

Taverna Opa

Need a place to unwind after an exhausting, but fascinating, day exploring the convention center exhibits?

Consider heading over to The PubOrlando–after all, it is Oktoberfest!

You’ll find draught and layered beers joining their bottled brethren, along with a host of other libations designed to enhance the pub food.

The Pub’s Gastropub Plates feature traditional fish and chips, Shepherd’s pie and bangers & mash at this “British-inspired, American-crafted” scene.

You might start with a Scotch Egg, a pub favorite: hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage and Parmesan bread crumbs, fried and garnished with the Pub’s own mustard.

Or, perhaps you’d enjoy baconwrapped dates: Medjool dates filled with fresh goat cheese and served with red pepper aioli. The fruit is said most likely

The Pub-Orlando

to have originated from lands around the Persian Gulf.

Some of the desserts carry on the “liquid” pub theme. If you are inclined, you might try the Tipsy Laird: Tipsy berries, brandy, fried pound cake and English custard. Or consider the Whisky Bread Pudding: custard-based bread pudding, whisky sauce, raisins and vanilla bean ice cream. o

$$

Opa is a password that conveys the festive Greek spirit. Every day is a celebration of good food and wine at Taverna Opa, which is not a place for those looking for a quiet dinner in a relaxing atmosphere.

Belly dancers gyrate on tabletops, napkins

Marlow’s Tavern is described as an American tavern created for the 21st century, with rich accents, exposed Chicago brick, dark woods, large communal tables and cozy booths. It is brand new, having opened on October 9.

This neighborhood gathering spot offers traditional pub fare, and one of its specialties is sweet spicy Smithfield James River St. Louis-style ribs draped in a Jack Daniel’s glaze or tangy Carolina mustard bbq finish.

It also boasts the Ribs & Whiskey hookup–ribs plus drunken chicken with Granny Smith Apple cabbage slaw. A recommendation is to top that off with a bourbon.

Daily specials include shrimpand-grits, a center-cut filet served on a wild-mushroom potato cake, Taverna Opa adorned with baby broccoli and garlic tomato fondue with Harvey’s fly though the air with abandon. Think Bristol Cream-scented veal jus and Hollywood: My Big Fat Greek Wedding. crumbly gorgonzola.

But while the customers in the octagAlso on the menu are what Marlow’s onal dining room are intent on having proclaims are “soon to be classic” cocktails fun, the chefs in the kitchen are serious about the food.

The menu offers traditional Mezé appetizers: tzatziki, hummus, spanakopita, octopus, scallops and more. Souvlaki platters and wood-fired meats ranging from lamb chops to porterhouse steaks round out the selections. Traditional Greek entrées follow, from Kleftiko through lamb shanks and Pastitsio–a grand macand-cheese-cum ground beef living in a Greek cheese béchamel sauce.

The taverna is not for the meek and mild. Throw caution to the wind and Marlow’s Tavern unwind and enjoy. Opa!!!

Garrett’s pattern program lowers costs To accommodate what it claims is a growing aviation customer base, Garrett Leather (Booth No. 4373) has invested in what it called “one of the most technologically advanced, computerized cutting systems in the industry.”

The automated “cut-to-pattern” program begins with the customer, starting with a determination of the type of leather required, review of the pattern sizes and quantities, an understanding of the customer’s desires for labeling and packaging and generation of a detailed proposal for customer review.

Once the proposal has been approved, Garrett digitizes the patterns and, if needed, provides the customer proofs. According to Garrett, “there is no guesswork.”

After the proofs have been signed and approved, all the hides are inspected and graded according to the customer’s instructions. The cutting machine vacuum-seals the hide in place, and an advanced scanner examines the hide to map all the acceptable cutting areas.

When the digitized patterns are “nested” within the acceptable cutting areas to maximize cutting yields and minimize waste, the machine goes to work with four tools, including a cutting wheel, a hole punch, a notch cutter and a drag-knife. Finally, the cut pieces are gathered, organized, labeled and packaged to prevent damage ­during shipping.

While the investment in the computerized cutting systems is important, said Garrett, “the key remains listening to the customer.”

–K.J.H.

124 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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CY CYR

power penalty. The engines will burn 40 percent cleaner than ICAO CAEP/6 stanuContinued from page 1 dards, according to Dassault.

The aircraft’s cabin also includes a require a takeoff balanced field length of 4,675 feet at mtow, a landing distance of variety of improvements including better 2,300 feet, and a Vref of 107 knots, a sub- soundproofing that reduces noise by two stantial difference from the performance of decibels, the new Rockwell Collins Falconthe 2000LX (5,750 feet, 2730 feet and 116 Cabin HD+ cabin management system with HD viewing on monitors up to 22 knots, respectively).

However, unlike the 2000S, the LXS inches and functions that can be controlled wirelessly from anywhere in the achieves these performance aircraft via Apple iOS devices. numbers without compromisThe Aircell Axxess II satcom ing range or payload. Dassault System is standard on the airengineers found ways to craft and the LXS will be delivremove 300 pounds from the ered with a restyled cockpit that wing structure, even with the includes the Honeywell Primus addition of winglets, and 100 Epic-based EASy II avionics pounds from the cabin intesystem. rior. Consequently, they estiDassault (Booth No. 3760) mate with full fuel the LXS also promised to offer full will still have a range of 4,000 details on the new SMS jet pronm (0.8M, full fuel, six passengram next year. gers, 85 percent Boeing annual Charles Edelstenne, The 2000LXS is on track for winds, NBAA IFR reserves), Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO certification next year and first an mtow of 42,800 pounds and year production is sold out. The 7X longa maximum payload of 2,190 pounds.

Power on the aircraft comes from a range trijet continues to sell well, primarpair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308C ily outside North America.

Overall, Dassault is on track to deliver engines (7,000 pounds of thrust each) fitted with Talon II combusters that cut 65 Falcons this year, chairman and CEO NOx emissions by 20 percent without any Charles Edelstenne said yesterday. o

Beechcraft exits jet market

CY CYR

coverage during the transition.

While HBC is moving toward its resurrection as Beechcraft Corp., it has not ignored research and development and uContinued from page 1 yesterday announced plans for three the company sought to clarify its position new turboprop airplanes. The company with regard to warranties. Regarding the provided some detail about two of the Hawker 4000 and Premier IA, HBC will ask projects. One is a twin occupying a marthe bankruptcy court for “permission to ket niche between the King Air 250 and cancel certain warranties and factory-spon- King Air 90. Another might be a pleassored programs, including our guaranteed ant surprise to King Air fans who have maintenance program SupportPlus and long hoped for a single-engine variant.

The other turboprop described the Hawker 4000 Upgrade and Enhancement program.” Engine warranties will would mate a single turboprop engine be unaffected and will remain the respon- with the fuselage of the Premier IA twinjet. Performance expectations and sibility of the respective suppliers.

HBC said it is in discussions with sev- a rendering proposal offered by HBC executive v-p of customers eral third-party companies Shawn Vick showed an airregarding alternatives that will plane seating one pilot and provide continued services and 8 to 11 passengers in a cabin maintenance for Hawker 4000 5.5 feet wide, 5.4 feet high and Premier IA operators. and 20.4 feet long. The max During the restructurrange (IFR NBAA) with four ing, Hawker Beechcraft passengers would be 1,750 Global Customer Support nm and high-speed cruise 302 will remain available to proknots at FL250. The airplane vide service, maintenance and would have a max payload of technical support for aircraft 2,800 pounds and a full-fuel via Hawker Beechcraft Serpayload of 1,650 pounds. vices facilities and the Hawker Bill Boisture, chairman Also listed, but with no Beechcraft Parts and Distribu- of Hawker Beechcraft additional details, was a new tion network.

As for the Hawker 900XP, Hawker piston single between the Bonanza 750 and Hawker 400XP, “All warran- and Baron.

Continuing, Vick said that HBC ties, including those for engines, avionics, airframe and systems, will continue expects to come through the bankto be honored in the ordinary course ruptcy process with a new company that is “strong, resolute, focused” and of business.”

The company said it plans to that might be producing 600 aircraft a replace existing SupportPlus agree- year. He concluded by inviting attendees ments with an amended agreement at the convention to stop by the HBC tailored to out-of-production aircraft, exhibit, or the static line at Orlando “details of which are still being eval- Executive Airport, where the entire airuated.” But there will be no lapse in craft line is on display. o

Cessna Sovereign uContinued from page 1

company has also restarted production of the Corvalis piston single, equipped with Garmin G2000 avionics. The all-composite fixed-gear piston single has received a new interior, and deliveries are slated to begin in the first quarter of next year.

Despite current market challenges, which include budget woes and political uncertainty, the company remains comfortable that there will be a recovery and it remains bullish on investment. “If you don’t continue investment, you don’t have a business,” said Ernest.

Cessna is approaching several milestones with existing products. In the fourth quarter it will deliver its 500th CJ2 and 400th CJ3. Cessna recently handed over its 100th CJ4, which, according to Brad Thress, the company’s senior vice president of business jets, was the biggest selling business jet model last year.

Sovereigns are currently flying and have thus far accumulated approximately 800 flight-test hours.

Among the visible changes in the new twinjet is the addition of winglets, which Ernest acknowledged as new aerodynamic territory for Cessna. In addition to changing the appearance of the Sovereign, the winglets and the addition of new Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306D engines increase the aircraft’s range by 150 nm, taking it beyond 3,000 nm. The $17.8 million jet also includes a new cockpit designed around the Garmin G5000 avionics suite with integrated autothrottle.

In the cabin, a new environmental control system produces 37 percent more cooling, and improved seats with recessed armrests provide more aisle room. The bizjet also Cessna is upgrading its Sovereign, seen on the static features Cessna’s new line, with winglets and new engines to increase integrated Clairity cabin range to more than 3,000 nm. management system.

Line flow has already started on the new Sovereign and Cessna expects to begin deliveries next year. It will also be available in a utility configuration with On the show floor (Booth No. 5366) options to carry cargo or passengers or a the company has a fuselage mockup of mix depending on mission requirements. what it describes as the basis for a new Return to the X family of light jets. The airframer is seekWork is also progressing on the new ing customer input on the design as it Citation Ten, which the company has said begins to narrow down specifications for will now revert to the X designation of its an eventual product launch. New this predecessor in response to customer feed- year at its booth, Cessna is also offering a back. The twinjet, which will also feature virtual-reality simulation of several of its the G5000 flight deck and autothrottle, aircraft, which allows guests to immerse has a top speed of Mach 0.935, leading themselves in their cabins and instantly the company once again to claim the title change various features.

Cessna continues to expand its worldof fastest business jet. The aircraft will have approximately 3,240 nm range, 170 wide customer service infrastructure with nm more than the previous model. Two the recent opening of a new regional Citaof the aircraft currently in the flight-test tion service center in Valencia, Spain. The program have accumulated more than more than 100,000-sq-ft facility will offer 400 flight hours. Cessna sees the new support to Cessna operators in Western Citation X entering service in the fourth Europe and Northern Africa. Cessna also acquired its first UK service location. quarter of 2014.

The M2, replacing the OEM’s CJ1+, Located at Robin Hood Airport in Northhas thus far accumulated 350 flight hours ern England, the 50,000-sq-ft facility foras it heads toward a planned entry-into- merly known as Kinch Aviation Services service in the second half of next year. was rebranded as the Doncaster CitaThe light jet uses the Garmin G3000 avi- tion Service Centre and offers capabilities onics suite and will seat six in a lavatory- ranging from maintenance to modernization. These new European Cessna-owned equipped cabin.

Among the company’s recently centers join factory-owned facilities in announced products, assembly jigs for the Paris and Prague. o midsize Latitude are being constructed.

NEWS NOTE The 4,000-nm-range Longitude is gearing up for another round of wind-tunnel testOdyssey Aerospace Components (Booth ing while its Snecma Silvercrest engines are No. 1585) continues to solidify its place in the executive aircraft cabinetry busiput through their paces in the test cells. ness. And to ensure that reputation reOn the turboprop side, the Grand mains throughout the entire process, the Caravan EX is completing the certificaDenton, Texas-based company supports tion process with an eye toward deliverits completion center clients by sending the ies beginning next month. The EX has same artisans and craftsmen who build the 867 shp, extra muscle that will improve cabinets to the center to manage the instalits climb performance by 30 percent, lation. “This ensures the cabinetry receives the greatest care and handling throughshorten takeoff distance and increase out the completion process,” said Stephen hot-and-high performance, according to Zurel, installation site manager for parent Jodi Noah, senior vice president of Cessn company Greenpoint Technologies. na’s single-engine/propeller division. The

MARIANO ROSALES

Falcon 2000LXS

www.ainonline.com • October 30, 2012 • NBAA Convention News 125

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NBAA TODAY 7 a.m – 6 p.m.

1 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

Attendee, exhibitor & Press Registration Open Orange County Convention Center, North & South Concourses

Light Business Airplane: The Turbine Transition Room S320A

7 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.

1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

No Plane No Gain Media Kick-Off Breakfast Orange County Convention Center (by invitation)

Increasing Business Aviation Access in the Asia-Pacific Region Room S310G

Attendee, Exhibitor & Press Registration Open Orlando Executive Airport 8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.

NBAA’12 Opening General Session Orange County Convention Center Exhibit Floor 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

NBAA Static Display Open Orlando Executive Airport 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

NBAA Exhibit Halls and Light Business Airplane Static Display Open Orange County Convention Center 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Aviation Insurance Claims: Case Review Orange County Convention Center Room S320C Global Business Aviation Update Room S320B Light Business Airplane: Preserve Your Deductions –Avoid the Top 5 Tax Mistakes in Business Aircraft Ownership Room S320A

1:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Honeywell Avionics Pilot - Mandates (RNP, FANS 1A, CPDLC, SBAS) Room S331 Honeywell CFE/TFE Technical Discussion Room S331

10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

NBAA Exhibit Halls and Light Business Airplane Static Display Open Orange County Convention Center 2 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Honeywell APU, HTF Technical Discussion Room: S331 Honeywell Avionics Pilot - Primus Elite Updates Room S331 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Honeywell Avionics, CFE Technical Discussion Room S331 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.

12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Mobile on the Move Room S310EF

Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Program Update and Orientation Room S310G

RVSM and Operational Control Best Practices Room S320GH 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Modern Office in the Sky: Radar to a Road Map Room S320E

12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Bombardier General Session Luncheon Room S210AB 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Hawker Beechcraft King Air M&O Room S330AB 1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Honeywell Leadership Kickoff Room S331 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Maximize Your Flight Risk Assessment Tool: Strengths, Weaknesses and Opportunities Room S320GH The Basics of Operating in the National Airspace System Room S320D Part 135 Hot Topics Room S320C Satcom 101 Room S320EF Transactions Gone Bad: Litigation Between Aircraft Buyers and Sellers Room S320B

The NBAA 65th Annual Meeting & Convention offers an array of educational and maintenance and operations sessions and special events in addition to a multitude of exhibits at the Orange County Convention Center. In addition, dozens of aircraft are on display at Orlando Executive Airport, and a smaller display graces the convention center’s parking lot. Shuttle buses are operating between the convention center and the static display. For up to the minute show information, including an interactive exhibitor directory, download NBAA’s show app.

NBAA Coffee Social NBAA Headquarters Booth

Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Governing Board Meeting & Lunch Room S310A

NBAA Safety Town Hall Meeting –Part I: Safety on the Horizon Evolution or Revolution?

Room S320D

Bizav’s Biggest Gathering

1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Honeywell TFE Technical Discussion Room S331 In-House International Trip Planning: The Right Answer?

Room S320A EU ETS: Compliance in 2013 and Beyond Room S320C Operating and Doing Business in China – a Continuing Dialogue Room S320GH Satcom Buyers Guide Room S320EF The IS-BAO Process: “The Gold Standard” Room S320B Training Solutions for Flight Deck iPad Implementation Room S310EF

iPads in the Cockpit Room S310EF

10•30•12

MARIANO ROSALES

8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Tuesday

3 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Shuttle Bus Schedules Shuttle bus service to the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) will be provided from most NBAA’12 hotels. Shuttle buses will start one and a half hours prior to the show opening and continue until one hour after show closing, except for Tuesday when the shuttle buses will start at 6:30 a.m.

Shuttle buses to the Static Display at Orlando Executive Airport will be available from the OCCC on show days. Static Display shuttle buses will start one hour prior to Static Display opening and continue until one hour after closing.

Hotel Shuttle Bus Tuesday, October 30

6:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Wednesday, October 31

7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Thursday, November 1

7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

All NBAA’12 shuttle buses arrive and depart from the Main Entrances at both the North and South Halls of the Orange County Convention Center. You can then transfer to a Static Display shuttle bus that will take you to the Static Display at Orlando Executive Airport.

Honeywell APU, HTF Technical Discussion Room S331

Static Display Shuttle Schedules Tuesday, October 30

8 a.m. – 7 p.m.

3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Wednesday, October 31

8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Honeywell Avionics Pilot - FMS Updates Room S331

Thursday, November 1

8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Static Display shuttle buses arrive and depart from the main entrances at both the North and the South Halls. The last bus from the Orange County Convention Center to the Static Display departs at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday and 1:15 p.m. on Thursday.

NBAA Safety Town Hall Meeting - Part 2: Meet the Regulators Room S320D

NBAA Convention News Room N210A • (407) 685-4045 • email: mthurber@ainonline.com

SCAN FOR THE LATEST NEWS, VIDEOS AND IMAGES FROM NBAA’12 www.ainonline.com/nbaa

126 NBAA Convention News • October 30, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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